Just got back from watching the new Transformers movie. I found it disappointing. It was a bit cheesier and for-kids than I expected or the ads lead you to believe. Shia LaBeouf was a bright spot but most of the dialogue makes you wince. The plot was annoying and I got a little CGI’d out by the end. I know, what do you expect from Michael Bay. But I liked The Island. Just read some reviews of it; 90% of them said something like "This will please fanboys, but I didn’t like it." "Fanboy" seems a required word for reviewing the movie. Well, I am not a fanboy of Transformers (my parents bought me Gobots* instead) but I still don’t recommend the movie. On to baseball.
Ken Rosenthal’s latest column is a little lacking in terms of fresh trade rumors to dissect. Instead, he’s more focused on informed speculation.
- Rosenthal believes the White Sox and Mark Buehrle should be able to bridge the gap, which amounts to 18 months of no-trade protection. That’s the general feeling; it will be nice to see a fan favorite stay.
- Rosenthal says Kenny Williams has talked to roughly 20 teams about his starting pitchers in one way or another. Interestingly, he confirms the recent radio rumor that the D-Rays inquired about Buehrle. Williams has also discussed Jose Contreras and Javier Vazquez with Tampa Bay. I’ll say it again: the Devil Rays should be contenders in 2008.
- Trade speculation: Phillies outfielder Michael Bourn to the Rangers for Akinori Otsuka. Such a move, however, would increase reliance on Pat Burrell and leave the Phillies short-staffed in the outfield for 2008. Rosenthal believes Bourn could develop into a Juan Pierre type, sans the noodle arm.
*The Gobots’ theme song is awesome. It’s basically "The Gobots, the Gobots" repeatedly.