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On the latest installment of The Baseball Show, Clint, MJ, and I discussed the week’s most interesting story lines as well as our usual assortment of nonsense.

We started things off by discussing Yu Darvish and how his signing was inevitable after the Rangers posted a $51.7MM bid, so it’s no surprise that they ultimately paid $111MM.  According to MJ, Darvish would have to produce a 22 WAR over the next six years to justify his price.  But what separates Darvish from previous imports like Hideo Nomo and Dice-K?

We also debate whether or not Darvish will perform like the No. 1 starter that Rangers expect him to be.

We discuss MJ’s Baseball Prospectus debut, “The Advantage of Low Expectations,” which has been well received throughout the baseball blogosphere.

A day after our last show, the Yankees and Mariners conducted a big-time prospect swap, as the Bronx Bombers sent Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi to the Mariners for Michael Pineda and Jose Campos.  We evaluate the trade and can’t help but feel that the Yankees were on the winning end of this swap.

Who has received the best return for their starting pitcher this offseason? Although we agree the Padres received a great haul for Mat Latos, we unanimously agree the A’s received the best return this offseason.

And of course, what would The Baseball Show be without “Ask MJ…”

Clint:

Would you take a job in the Angels front office if it were offered to you today?

Yes

Cure for hangover? No booze – note: you can’t say “more booze.”

You’re going to have to find a Waffle House and order the greasiest Cheese Stake plate with hash browns and jalapeños to get through it.

Weirdest thing you’ve ever owned or collected?

I was a huge baseball card fan, but mainly when I was growing up I spent a lot of money on hockey cards for some reason.  I doubt I could get anything for my Pavel Buree rookie card.  I do have an autographed John Smoltz Starting Lineup figurine still in its package.

If you could sit at a bar and have a drink with any three sports figures, who would it be and why?

1)    Mickey Mantle – We’re going to have a good time and hopefully get into some trouble

2)    Wayne Gretzky – He was my hero growing up

3)    Dana White – I like I guy who curses every other word

4)    More so 3a) Mike Trout received an honorable mention provided that MJ can find him a semi-decent fake I.D.

Clint:

1)    Mickey Mantle

2)    Willie Mays, but he’s just an old saltry prick

3)    Joe Nameth – he likes to drink Johnny Walker

4)    Babe Ruth – The more drunk Yankees the better

Mike:

1)    Mickey Mantle

2)    Michael Jordan

3)    Mark Grace

We agree that Vin Scully would have to be there to narrate the entire night.

Mike:

If you could sponsor one BR page, regardless of price, who would it be?

Too easy. I literally sat around waiting for Mike Trout to buy his page. If not, then it would probably be Barry Bonds.

Your favorite Disney movie?

Cinderalla, and you’re not going to believe his response…

Rookie of the Year or the Sandlot?

The Sandlot. No question.

Celery or Celery Salt?

Celery. They should just re-name it “ranch shovel”

Jered Weaver: Long hair or short hair?

Long hair! Come on, he’s a dirt bag.

If you could assume a fake identity, what would it be?

MJ: Viagra Nopantsman, a middle-aged pitcher; Hunter Dye and he’d carry around a shotgun like Omar from The Wire.

CE: Chet Rockwell, 29 yrs old, DH, can’t run

MR: Speechless

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My good friend MJ Lloyd of OffBasePercentage.com and HaloHangout.com made his highly anticipated Baseball Prospectus debut this morning.  Featured as a columnist in the prestigious Baseball ProGUESTus series, MJ’s article, “The Advantage of Low Expectations,” blends commentary on some of the more famous prospect flops of the past two decades with his usual array of utter nonsense.  If that doesn’t sound like a great read, then you are forever banished from this site.

Here is a excerpt:

Prospects are like new car smell. They’re exciting and intoxicating. They make it seem like your favorite team is about to turn the corner.

With prospect analysis and news having penetrated every corner of the Internet, it’s hard not to get carried away with prospect love. I can’t imagine how many tweets Kevin Goldstein and Keith Law have to see every day asking if Team X’s third- and fifth-best prospects would be enough to score Felix Hernandez.

It’s prospect-mania out there. I’m guilty of it. I sponsor Brandon Wood’s Baseball-Reference page, and I’m no longer hopeful that it will fund my retirement plan.

But I have managed to identify a few of the pitfalls of prospect worship.

Read the rest of “The Advantage of Low Expectations”

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Santana’s Select Merlot: The ideal wine for your adulterous adventures

From CharityWines.com:

The color of this wine is intense-deep ruby purple. Aromas of ripe plums, smoky berry fruits and spice. Juicy red currant flavors on the entry, followed with rich, red cherry, black cherry and blackberry flavors extending to the mid-palate. A long finish with spicy oak and velvety fruit. Soft, lush and colorful!

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Nate Pierce as a high school sophomore

In the middle of watching “Catching Hell” for the first time the other night, I had to do a massive double-take as they showed all the Niles Renegades players–the team that Steve Bartman formerly coached–picketing in support of their coach.  As one player spoke, another emerged from the left-side of the screen on crutches; a familiar face and longtime friend and reader of The Golden Sombrero.

I paused the film, turned to my girlfriend, and said, “Holy shit! That has to be Nate right there!” Quickly, I fired off a text to him hoping for confirmation.  Sure enough, Nate confirmed that he was coached by Bartman and that was him in the documentary.  Here is our exact conversation:

Me:  So dude, I’m watching “Catching Hell” and swear I saw you in it.  Am I crazy?

Nate: Haha, yeah that’s me. You know he coached me, right?

Me: I knew it was you! Holy shit! Is that the Niles Renegades?

Nate: Yeah, Niles, and he went to Notre Dame HS too.  It’s funny, I had so many people recognize me.  People at work saw it and were like, you played for Bartman?

Congratulations Nate, you’re officially famous (kind of).

If you want to read one of the best and most entertaining posts you’ll read all year, head over to Diamond Hoggers for The Ups and Downs of an Epic, Last Minute Trip to Game Seven of the World Series. (Yes, it’s absolutely deserving of the bold font.) Franco, who runs Next Level Ballplayer and made a guest post here on the Sombrero just before the start of the 2011 season, tells the fantastic story of he and two other friends’ adventure from Nashville to St. Louis with the hope of catching Game Seven in the flesh.  Even though it’s long, reading it in its entirety is worth every damn minute.