Montero and the M's Future

The Mariners are in a bad place. That is not news to anybody. Saying their offense has been putrid the last two seasons is like saying milk is a dairy product. On the other hand their pitching (doesn’t hurt to pitch in Safeco) has been one of the best in the majors, which made them look much more competitive than they really were in 2009. They are not expected to be competitive next year and with Pujols and Wilson joining an already good Angels team, plus the back-to-back AL champs in the division it does not look like they will be competitive for a while.

The trade of Pineda for Montero surprised me because I did not think the M’s would trade Pineda anytime soon. I actually thought it was more likely they would trade Felix. At first glance I did not like the trade because Pineda has got great stuff and had a great rookie season. Montero has been a top prospect for a few years now and seemingly cannot play catcher at the major league level. But looking at this trade I think it is a good trade for the M’s and will make them competitive much sooner than if they stood pat.

Here is my reasoning – and I understand a lot needs to happen for this to be the case, but as a Royals fan I have to think optimistically to survive.

Although the Mariners lose a potential ace they gain a potential HR king, who knows how to get on base. They’re rotation takes a hit, but their offense improves a lot with this trade (potentially, of course). I think they strengthen their weakness more than they hinder their strength. With Montero added to their offense they have a solid offensive core for the future. Ackley could be a potential All-Star at 2B and a great #2 or 3# hitter, Montero has been compared to Miguel Cabrera and could be an All-Star and clean-up hitter. Justin Smoak has not been great yet, but he is still young and has shown potential as long as he can stay healthy. That could be a very formidable 2-3-4 or 3-4-5 for the next 4 years. It is not as deadly as the Rangers power hitters or Angles, but I honestly think it could be in 3 years.

This trade will not improve the Mariners chances next year or in two years. But for the long haul an everyday hitter is more valuable than a every fifth day starter.

The key word in all of this is potential, which truly means nothing until potential becomes reality. The trade could be terrible and put the M’s even further in the hole, but it could also give the M’s one of the best hitters in the majors. If M’s fans are patient, I think this trade will look good in a few years. It probably will not look good this season, so my word of advice is to not boo Montero every time he strikes out or makes an error in the field. Hope in his potential - and while you are at it  hope Pineda takes some steps backwards.

And if you really want to dream and can live with Montero behind the plate, then I think the M’s should go in for Prince Fielder. Before this trade I thought Fielder coming to the M’s would be a bad idea because he would not have enough offense surrounding him, but now I think it would be a great pick-up. A lineup with Ichiro, Ackley, Montero, Fielder, Smoak, Carp, Figgins, etc. is a huge improvement over what they had yesterday. Plus, they have one of the best pitchers in baseball with Felix and a bevy of other pitchers waiting in the wings to make this team actually competitive in the next few years, and potentially (yes, potentially) a team that could compete in the next two years. Picking up Fielder for the M’s could make the AL West one of the most competitive divisions in baseball for the next 5 years.

You might think I’m crazy (and I might be), but I think this trade will work out very well for the Mariners and that they should call up Boras and bring the Big Vegetarian to Seattle. 

Tebow and Sports Cliches

I started this blog a while ago and obviously have done nothing on it in quite some time (point of reference: last time I wrote anything I was excited about Greg Oden). Now, like everybody else in the world I've decided to write a little about Mr. Tim Tebow (the blog is called Sports and Theology after all, not sure if anything has ever fit the bill more perfectly).

I don't need to recount what St. Tim* has done to this point because everybody knows his back story and what he has done for the Broncos this year. Here is my basic premise for this post: Tim Tebow encompasses almost every sports cliche that I hate, but I can't help but root for him.

*I don't think Tebow wants to be called a Savior or Messiah, but I think he could be considered a saint. After all he has already completed three miracles: 1.) Chicago Bears comeback 2.) Beating Pittsburgh in playoffs 3.) Being drafted in the first round.


Before Tebow and Thomas went off on Pittsburgh this was the basic argument of Tebow supporters, "The guy is Winner! Capital W Winner! Say what you will about his throwing ability, he knows how to win! The guys works hard, has all of the intangibles, is not afraid to get hit, is a leader in the clubhouse, motivates his teammates and, oh yeah, is an amazing Christian! Did I mention he knows how to win!?"

Very few supporters that I encountered mentioned his actually football ability, besides his running ability and his amazing athleticism and it seemed like his limited ability actually made them root for him more.* He, in my opinion, is the most talked about and hyped-up underdog of my lifetime. It is not like other underdogs because we have known about him since his freshman year at Florida - he is no David Freese, who seemingly comes out of nowhere. The argument for Tebow was about his attitude, his charisma, his grit and, of course, his ability to win.

*Something I thought about this week: If Tebow had the football abilities of Peyton Manning or Drew Brees or even Philip Rivers would he be getting this much attention? Would his praise of Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior seem more trite or scripted? Is it because of his obvious short-comings as a quarterback that his amazing faith and witness feel so sincere and warm? I don't have the answers - just something I thought about. 

The arguments in support of Tebow are full of my most hated sports cliches.

1.) He is a winner. In all honesty this is probably my least favorite sports cliche and the ever annoying Skip Bayless makes it more annoying every time Tebow wins. At what point does somebody become a winner or a loser? I'm sure that most players in the NFL, at one point, won more games than they lost. These are the utmost elite football players in the world and each of them were stars when they were kids. I think this cliche annoys me because winning and losing is not something people just choose to do, as if some people just choose to lose. It reminds me of when a baseball announcer says something along the lines of, "This hitter really wants to get a hit right here." Duh! Also, winning is based upon context and who you are playing with. If Tim Tebow went to the University of Washington and had to play with that awful defense would he still be a winner? If he was on the Dolphins would they be in the playoffs? If the Broncos were in another conference would they be in the playoffs? My bet is "no." Football is team sport, and Tebow is a winner because his team has been able to win, the Broncos aren't winning just because the quarterback is "A Winner."

2.) He is a hard-worker. You know when you are describing your boss to somebody else and you start the conversation with "He is a nice guy..."? That is usually a bad sign because you can't think of anything else positive to say about somebody besides "he's nice." That is how I feel when the first thing a sports analyst first talks about how hard somebody works. Trust me - every year the Royals sign somebody like Willie Bloomquist and justify the signing because he is a "hard-worker." However, Willie Bloomquist will not (and did not) help the Royals win more games. I would rather have somebody who knows how to hit a baseball more than 150 feet than the hard-working Willie Bloomquist any day of the month. Yes, Tebow works his butt off and I admire that, but when your defense of him becomes his hard work it seems like you are acknowledging his flaws.

3.) He has all of the intangibles. This is essentially the same as being a hard-worker. The Royals have been filled with players who have all of the intangibles. When I first hear somebody bring out the term "intangibles" it makes me think they are missing the "tangibles." I like tangibles. I like to see why somebody is a good player - not be told that somebody is really good at things that I cannot see.

4.) He is a clubhouse leader. While I think leadership is a great quality and would much rather have players with leadership qualities than say, Carlos Zambrano, it again is not the first defense I want to hear in support of a player. You can pretty much look at 2 and 3 again to see how I feel about this topic.

5.) God wants him to win. This one is a bit of a stretch because I honestly don't think Tebow feels this way. I don't think he believes God will just will him the Super Bowl and everything will be hunky-dory, but I do feel like some supports believe this. All I can say is - maybe God does want him to win, maybe he doesn't. Do I think God is too big to care about the NFL playoffs? Yes, absolutely. But, I also think God is too big to come to earth and become human. I'm not trying to compare the incarnation to football (talk about heresy!), but to point out that I have no idea what God is doing and for all I know his will could be for Tebow to win the Super Bowl.

God has been thanked a lot when it comes to sports. Gene Chizik said God was on their side when they won the National Championship last year and it made me cringe because it was said with such flippancy. I have a vivid memory of walking to school in 1995 when the Mariners were in the playoffs playing the Cleveland Indians and praying and believing that God was going to help the Mariners win. I remember telling God that they deserved it because they had more Christians on the team than the Indians (I only knew Dan Wilson was a Christian, but I figured they all must be). The Mariners did not win that series and for a time I thought God made a huge mistake. Usually when I see a celebrity thank God it bothers me because I don't see their actions as something God would be proud of and I think about how people shouldn't force their beliefs on others. That is why I put this as one of my least favorite cliches.

Tebow encompasses all of these cliches more than any player I can think of. His team is winning, he works his butt off, there is something "untouchable" about him, he is a great leader and his praise of Jesus Christ is unavoidable. These really are the main arguments for Tebow's greatness and typically if a player was described like this it would make me roll my eyes and root against them because, as I have repeatedly said, I prefer talent and tangibles more than leadership and intangibles, but Tebow is remarkable different. The sports world is full of talented athletes and the evidence is clearly presented to us about why these players succeed and are fun to watch. Tebow has talent, no doubt, but the narrative goes beyond what is clearly evident. This would usually bother me, but with Tebow I can't help but embrace the mystery and see how far it goes. Lastly, I think the Tebow narrative has been remarkable good for the sport of football and I pray he continues to live a life above reproach.