Back handed slap?

[maxman44]

I'm a little slow - interprut what Neyer is saying....

You get the picture
One of my favorite movies that you probably haven't seen is called "Modern Romance," starring the sublimely funny Albert Brooks (who also directed and co-wrote the film).

Brooks plays a film editor, and at one point he spends an inordinate amount of time trying to find the right sound clip for a man running down a corridor in an ultra low-budget space opera starring George Kennedy. When Brooks finally comes up with something he can use -- after deciding that "Hulk running" isn't quite right -- he asks the sound mixer for an opinion.

The sound guy's reply? "I think you saved the picture."

This popped into my head over the weekend, when I read that the Tigers are planning to spend $12 million on two years of Fernando Vina and Rondell White.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=neyer_rob&id=1686660

[cruzer1]

I didn't get it either. Big deal. Guess he's in love with Santiago. What an idiot.

[estrepe1]

Perhaps a bit of one but they said the same sorts of things about Pittsburgh last offseason when they signed a few older players to contracts to gamble that they would have a good year so they could trade them for prospects at the deadline.

I think a similar thing is going on here, besides I don't care who is making fun of us as long as the contracts are not outrageous, which they aren't. They are overpaying but they are not albatross contract.

Another part of it is that the Tigers are an easy target right now, this might not be the case here because I think Neyer is a pretty good sportswriter. However at times if you need filler just take a pot shot at the Tigers.

Don't worry about what the National people say because they will only say negative things, even if we did sign Tejada they would say that the contract was way too large. Which seems like is the only way we would have gotten Tejada.

[cruzer1]

Pittsburgh did a great job of that, like trading Kody Kirkland for Randal Simon. (Oops!):classic:

[Los Gatos]

Regardless of how I feel about the Tigers' moves so far, it's pretty stupid of Neyer to come up with some strange analogy. He should just come to the point and say what he thinks.

[Roedog]

I am a big fan of Neyer's writing, but this one left me a little puzzled as well.

If his point was to deliver a put down, then it is understandable: signing Fernando Vina and Rondell White is indeed mere window dressing until the Tigers sign a real impact player. Let's hope that impact player is inked soon, lest Dombrowski come out looking like Albert Brooks, scurrying about for nothing.

[tigersrok]

Originally posted by Roedog
I am a big fan of Neyer's writing, but this one left me a little puzzled as well.

If his point was to deliver a put down, then it is understandable: signing Fernando Vina and Rondell White is indeed mere window dressing until the Tigers sign a real impact player. Let's hope that impact player is inked soon, lest Dombrowski come out looking like Albert Brooks, scurrying about for nothing.

Impact players don't want to sign here.

See Tejada, Miguel.

Until this team is respectable, they have no shot at the best free agents. The first step is siging the types of players so the Tigers are not a national joke.

[Charles Liston]

He's saying that he thinks Albert Brooks is funny.

That tells you about all you need to know about the rest of the article.

[RobSk]

I just want to ask this guy:

Ok smart-aleck: What should we do with the salary room we have?

20 million, you spend it.

Oh wait. You have to get the players to AGREE to come here. It's not rotisserie, you arrogant moron. You're running a real club, with real people playing for you.

Who would be superior that will agree to a contract? Come on you overpaid boob, you can actually do some analysis, right, not just make idiotic movie references?

Sigh.

Your choices aren't Miguel Tejada or Rich Aurilia, it's Rich Aurilia or Ramon Santiago...Or Deivi Cruz. It's about UPGRADING the position so you don't get taken to the cleaners in 2004. It's about waiting for your prospects to get here. It's about proving that the franchise wants to win and is willing to pay for it before you use the Higgy/Easley money in 2005/6 to sign somebody big. How is it possible that this guy can't understand that?

Of course, a good 50% of the posters here do just about the same thing. The only good news is, they don't get paid for it.

Rob

[MelissaG915]

I hate Albert Brooks.

[NotoriousCPC]

I like Albert Brooks... :depress:

Anyway I think Neyer is saying that the Tigers, like the director in the analogy have spent an inordinate amount of time and money doing something of little consequence in regard to the quality of the product. In this case the film = 2004 Tigers.

I assume the sound guy's reply is completely sarcastic and he is saying that anyone saying these moves are of any real significance is hopefully being sarcastic as well because spending $12 million on Vina and White doesn't really do much.

[NJ Jackal]

Neyer also said in a recent column that the Yankees are better off without Clemens and Pettite.

[NotoriousCPC]

I would agree with him there, but I've never been a huge fan of Pettite.

[dettigfan222]

Considering Vina and White both made over $5 mil last year, this isnt as expensive as your making it out as

[Farraday]

Actually he didn't say that the Yanks are better without Pettite and Clemens, but that Brown and Vasquez are better than Pettite and Clemens (if Brown stays healthy like this year) and I would agree.

The sarcasm about the Tigers, who cares? They had to do something and it's hard to get the free agents you want. Neyer, as far as I follow his columns, believes in OPS and durability, not so much in defense or veteran leadership, so I'm not surprised, he doesn't like the moves.