Odds and Ends: Smoltz, Cordero, Colon, Byrd

that is absolutely hilarious. thank God for Rickey Henderson.

Rickey is Golden, Not sure he would not outproduce Daniel Murphy or Fernando Tatis. And he would definitely take their money at cards!

Holland may conceivably be ready by the end of 2009 or at least 2010. He needs to work on the consistency of his slider but he misses bats, gets ground balls and doesn't walk people....which is a good formula for success.

Melonis Rex - I disagree with your assessment of the Rangers' prospects being "several years away" from contributing. Maybe that's true for Kasey Kiker and Justin Smoak, but Andrus will step into the lineup at some point in 2009, and I'd be surprised if Feliz and Holland weren't competing for rotation spots in 2010.

The front office seems to think Andrus will be there on Opening Day, but I would prefer he get a little more seasoning in AAA, where Feliz and Holland will likely be spending most of the season. But they don't pay me to run the team.

The Rangers have already identified 2010 as the year they expect to contend. So, I agree, there's no need to rush Andrus to be in the lineup on April 6, 2009. But, I guess we'll see how the Young situation shakes down and how Andrus does in Spring Training.

more evidence that Dusty Baker was a horrible manager...

That is funny about Henderson, what he fails to remember is that Paige pitching at the age of 59 was nothing more than a publicity stunt pulled of by Charlie "O" Finley and also, Minnie Mineso getting AB's in both 1976 and 1980 at 50+ age by another circus owner Bill (wreck) Veck, the same Bill Veck that invented the moving outfield walls and since those 2 character owners are not around anymore (and thank goodness none like them) Henderson has about -0- chance of getting that call he is pining for.

Arias at short frightens me. Unless his shoulder has recovered significantly from last season, I don't know how he will make throws from that side of the infield.

Melonis is definitely right in that the Rangers' prospects are more about upside than probability.

Guys like Feliz, Holland, Martin Perez, Engel Beltre and Julio Borbon are all about huge upside, even though none of those players is likely to make it to the majors by the end of 2009.

The Rangers' farm system has the potential to turn them into a dynasty, but considering every prospect is a crapshoot almost, the risk is huge.

They're in an extremely enviable position though.

God, I love Ricky Henderson.

I am curious in the Rangers case as to how many are the product of being drafted from another team's organization and being acquired via trade (Tx, Laird etc..) and how many Ranger scouts actually looked for. Short term gains can be fairly easily done, when top players from a team are unloaded, like Tex and Laird for another teams top prospects and a farm system gets an immediate gain, but long term sustainability is another matter if there is no proprer infastructre in place as some other MLB teams have.

"My point being that the #1 title is subjective. To me it doesn't guarantee future success"

Well that is your opinion. You cannot really use your own opinions to support your own claim. It looks especially weak when the other party actually takes the time to justify their opinion with facts and such.

@ johns: "Paige pitching at the age of 59 was nothing more than a publicity stunt pulled of by Charlie "O" Finley and also, Minnie Mineso getting AB's in both 1976 and 1980 at 50+ age by another circus owner Bill (wreck) Veck, the same Bill Veck that invented the moving outfield walls and since those 2 character owners are not around anymore (and thank goodness none like them)"

Pardon me, but many of us are huge fans of these 2 great & innovative men. Their contributions to the game are far greater than you probably know - pick up a book and read about their legacies before you snark off - In a time of conformity, they were unafraid to confront convention. One (Veeck) is a hall of famer himself.
See: http://espn.go.com/classic/veeckbill000816.html
or better yet, pick up "Veeck as in Wreck" and read about this great man who was "the last person to purchase a major league team without an independent fortune." A true workingman's & Chicago hero.

And finally some of his wisdom (sorry for the length but these quotes are worth it):

"The most beautiful thing in the world is a ballpark filled with people."
"To compare baseball with other team games is to say the Hope Diamond is a nice chunk of carbon. The endless variety of physical and mental skills demanded by baseball is both uncomparable and incomparable."
"I have discovered, in twenty years of moving around a ball park, that the knowledge of the game is usually in inverse proportion to the price of the seats."
"When the Supreme Court says baseball isn't run like a business, everybody jumps up and down with joy. When I say the same thing, everybody throws pointy objects at me."
"When there is no room for individualism in ballparks, then there will be no room for individualism in life."
"Baseball is almost the only orderly thing in a very unorderly world. If you get three strikes, even the best lawyer in the world can't get you off."
"My friends are the fans, not the owners. Dignity isn't my suit of clothes."
"I was in the game for love. After all, where else can an old-timer with one leg, who can't hear or see, live like a king while doing the only thing I wanted to do?"
"The Mets achieved total incompetence in a single year, while the Browns worked industriously for almost a decade to gain equal proficiency."
"It isn't the high price of stars that is expensive, it's the high price of mediocrity."
"We can't always guarantee the ball game is going to be good; but we can guarantee the fan will have fun."
"Sometimes the best trades are the ones you never make."