In the short term, signing Adam Dunn for four years and $56 million looks really, really good for Chicago. The White Sox add a player who, with a career-low 67 unintentional walks last season, would still have led the team in that category. They add an extreme fly ball hitter to a ballpark noted for turning fly balls into home runs. And they keep Dunn away from the outfield, preferably away from the field entirely. Chicago got an unacceptable line of .247 AVG/.332 OBP/.396 SLG from its DH spot in 2010, a line boosted by about 150 at-bats from Paul Konerko and Manny Ramirez, both now free agents. Dunn hasn't posted an OBP under .350 or slugged under .490 in the past seven seasons, and if he doesn't pick up a glove but rolls out there for 600 plate appearances, he's probably a four-win upgrade for Chicago.
The contract covers Dunn's age-31 through age-34 seasons, which I assume will include at least the beginning of his decline phase. Dunn is the type of player -- no defensive value or speed, drawing value just from walks and power -- that tends to age more quickly than athletic players or players who offer more defensive value. If Dunn is paid appropriately today, he'll most likely be overpaid before this deal is up, although that is probably a price the White Sox are willing to pay to greatly increase their chances to make the playoffs in 2011.
Chicago does still face holes at first base, which it could fill by re-signing Konerko; in left field, unless you think Juan Pierre (tied with Derek Jeter for the major league in outs made by a hitter this year) is some kind of solution; and behind the plate. Third base could be manned by Brent Morel, who doesn't walk much or have power, or Dayan Viciedo, who has power but walks once every other month and has serious conditioning issues. The White Sox's starting rotation remains strong, and their bullpen could withstand the non-tender of Bobby Jenks if they leave Chris Sale in relief instead of demoting him to try to make him a starter. They're not a finished product yet, but in a division with nothing close to a favorite right now, they're only a move or two away from being strong playoff contenders.
My main question for Chicago on Dunn is whether the White Sox had to pay him this much. Dunn had a limited number of landing spots, since he's pretty much an AL-only player at this point and few clubs had $15 million in the budget for a DH. The Detroit Tigers and Oakland Athletics were interested, perhaps, but Detroit signed Victor Martinez, and it would be unlike the A's to give a contract of that size to a player of Dunn's age and defensive profile. Did Chicago bid against itself or overpay now just to get him under contract earlier in the offseason? Usually, after a high-profile signing like this, I try to look at what teams are left holding an empty bag. But with Dunn, I don't see who those teams are, even without a great Dunn alternative on the market.
The Washington Nationals, who never had serious interest in bringing Dunn back, get Chicago's first-round pick and a sandwich pick, both welcome additions for GM Mike Rizzo, who is still gradually restocking that farm system and coming off a very strong 2010 draft. Giving Dunn four years would have made little sense for a club in Washington's position. By the time the Nationals are competitive, he'll be approaching the overpaid portion of the contract.
Adam Dunn has been the fox and the Chicago White Sox have been the hound dogs, pursuing the slugger throughout the summer and into the fall, before Kenny Williams finally got his man with a four-year, $56 million deal yesterday.
Getty ImagesAdam Dunn's power transferring to the Cell is as much of a sure thing as the free-agent market offered.
But there was more to this than the White Sox just throwing out a number; the timing of their aggressiveness was perfect. The White Sox were well aware of the domino theory, which was detailed here yesterday, and at some point, as the best free agents came off the board -- Cliff Lee, Carl Crawford, etc. -- then some of the losing bidders would have set their sights on the 31-year-old Dunn, who has hit 38 or more homers in seven consecutive years and has continued to refine his skills at the plate.
So Williams struck hard and fast and took Dunn off the board, before any of the other clubs began to focus on the left-handed slugger.
The White Sox still appear to be the favorites to work out something out with Paul Konerko, now that Konerko's market price has been established, and he and Dunn will share first base and DH duties in the middle of a lineup that could generate 225 homers in 2011; the White Sox finished with 177 homers in 2010, the seventh most in the majors.
Konerko posted a .393 on-base percentage last year, and Dunn has a .381 on-base percentage in his career. Whoever hits fifth in this lineup -- behind Konerko and Dunn -- is going to have a chance to drive in a ton of runs.
Some of the numbers on Dunn, from Mark Simon of ESPN Stats & Information:
The players who've hit the most homers, since 2004:
Albert Pujols 294
Adam Dunn: 282
Alex Rodriguez 268
David Ortiz 260
Ryan Howard 253
And the most consecutive seasons of 38-plus home runs, all time:
Rafael Palmeiro 9, 1995-2003
Adam Dunn: 7, 2004-2010
Babe Ruth: 7, 1926-1932
Isolated Power is a metric that looks strictly at a player's ability to get power hits (doubles, triples, homers). Basically it's extra bases per at-bat (slugging percentage without the singles). Dunn rated consistently among the best in the NL in this stat. Here are his numbers over the past seven seasons:
2010: .276 (T-2nd)
2009: .262 (8th)
2008: .277 (4th)
2007: .289 (3rd)
2006: .257 (1st)
2005: .293 (3rd)
2004: .303 (5th)
Over the past seven seasons, only Ichiro has played more games and only Pujols has hit more home runs than Dunn. During that time he has the most strikeouts AND the most walks in the majors. Where Dunn ranks across MLB in parentheses:
Games: 1,108 (2nd)
HR: 282 (2nd)
K: 1,262 (1st)
BB: 750 (1st)
And where the White Sox ranked at DH last year:
OBP: .332 (9th)
Slug pct: .396 (9th)
HR: 18 (10th)
BB: 65 (9th)
And a look at Dunn's numbers from 2010 compared to where he would have ranked (in parentheses) had his primary position been DH:
OBP: .356 (7th)
Slug pct: .536 (2nd)
HR: 38 (1st)
RBI: 103 (2nd)
Not only was Dunn one of the most prolific home run hitters last season, ranking second in the NL with 38 homers, but his homers were consistently also among the longest. According to Hittracker, his 38 homers traveled an average of 411 feet, the fourth-highest true distance average among players with at least 20 homers last season. He also hit the third-longest homer last season, a 479-foot shot Sept. 14 at Turner Field. Here's how his average shot stacks up:
Josh Hamilton 421
Mark Reynolds 416
Carlos Gonzalez 415
Adam Dunn: 411
Troy Tulowitzki 410
The fact the White Sox gave Dunn a four-year contract is somewhat surprising and uncharacteristic of the team based on their history with free agent contracts. Dunn's four-year contract would be just the 16th free-agent contract of four or more years given out by the White Sox since the 1990-91 offseason. The White Sox are one of five teams to have given out 15 or fewer contracts of four-plus years since then. These teams have given the fewest since 1990-91, excluding Dunn's deal:
Twins: 13
Marlins: 14
White Sox: 15
Brewers: 15
Tigers: 15
The White Sox also worked out a deal with A.J. Pierzynski, writes Joe Cowley. The Orioles took a run at Dunn.
[h3]Notables[/h3]
• The losers in all of this are the Nationals, who probably could've locked up Dunn for something in the range of three years and $30 million at the All-Star break, when Dunn very much wanted to stay in Washington. After deciding to not make that deal, the Nationals' leadership opted to not trade Dunn when the interest in him was at its hottest, in July; they failed to get any major league ready young players, which is exactly what they have a desperate need for today.
In the end, they get a couple of draft picks in compensation, and now that the smoke has cleared, it's clear that they badly missed in taking advantage of his value, either with a contract extension or in trade.
Their lineup without Dunn suddenly looks very different -- significantly weakened. Without Dunn hitting in the middle of the order, there is no reason for opposing pitchers to pitch to Ryan Zimmerman.
Time will tell whether Dunn's departure will erode Zimmerman's feelings about the future of the franchise. Zimmerman, you may recall, had talked openly and repeatedly about how he wanted Dunn to remain with the team.
The Nationals have taken a hit, writes Adam Kilgore, and he spoke with Zimmerman. From Adam's story:
• The Dodgers didn't tender a contract to Russell Martin.
- "To me, this is the place where I want to be, where I want to be for the rest of my career," Zimmerman said. "The only reason I wouldn't want to play here is if I thought we didn't have a chance to win ... I still believe that we will."
Zimmerman was clearly frustrated though, and it's a frustration that assuredly will represent the overwhelming majority of the team's fan base. "I hope that this plan they have intact -- I guess this is one of the years we were supposed to take that next step and become one of the teams that gets those free agent guys," Zimmerman said. "They've told us and the fans to be patient. Hopefully this is one of the years we start acquiring impact guys and taking the team to that next level."
• The Yankees quietly have worked out a two-year deal with Mariano Rivera.
[h3]Moves, deals and decisions[/h3]
1. The Yankees and Derek Jeter are still talking; I'd bet they'll reach an agreement today.
Darryl Strawberry says George Steinbrenner
wouldn't approve of the Yankees' treatment of Jeter, writes John Harper.
2. The Mariners
traded Jose Lopez, writes Geoff Baker, and signed Erik Bedard. The Rockies like Lopez's versatility.
3.
Miguel Tejada was thrilled to work something out with the Giants.
Heard this:
Pat Burrell negotiated his own contract with the Giants.
4.
Jason Varitek finished a deal with the Red Sox.
[h4]Buster's New Book[/h4]
recipient[/color]
5. Adrian Beltre's preference is to play for the Red Sox, writes Peter Abraham. This is an interesting situation: Scott Boras represents Beltre and Jayson Werth, and when you consider the entire landscape, it might be better for Boras if Werth -- the more expensive player -- worked out a deal with Boston. But Beltre, of course, has the established ties with Boston.
6. Matt Diaz could be a fit for the Phillies, writes Bob Brookover. The Phillies offered contracts to a couple of their veterans.
7. The Angels signed a left-handed reliever, writes Mike DiGiovanna.
8. The Pirates cut ties with Lastings Milledge, writes Dejan Kovacevic.
9. The Mets cut ties with John Maine.
10. The Tigers are keeping Joel Zumaya.
11. The Royals worked out deals with a couple of veterans.
12. Oakland did not tender a contract to Jack Cust, Susan Slusser writes.
13. The Jays worked out a deal with Dustin McGowan.
14. A Cardinals official departed to work with the Braves.
15. A Vanderbilt guy, Jensen Lewis, worked out a new contract.
16. A couple of Brewers weren't tendered contracts, Tom Haudricourt writes.
17. Jim Thome wants to continue playing, and now we'll see if he works out a new deal with the Twins, writes Joe Christensen. The Twins worked out contracts with a couple of veterans.
18. J.P. Howell wants to stay with the Rays.
19. The D-backs worked out a deal with Zach Duke.
20. Eric Hinske re-signed with the Braves. He is a good fit with them.
http:///sports.espn.go.com/espn/gallery/enlargePhoto?id=5878448&story=5878412">http://sports.espn.go.com...878448&...idth=440,height=750,scrollbars=no,noresize'); return false;" href="http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/blog?name=olney_buster&id=5878412#">[+] Enlarge
Jerry Lai/US PresswireRon Santo, pictured in 2005 at Wrigley Field, was an all-time great third baseman but fell short of election to the Baseball Hall of Fame again and again.
[h3]Ron Santo[/h3]
• We wake to the news this morning that the beloved Ron Santo has passed away. I met him once, but mostly know him through the passion reflected in the broadcast moments when his joy and frustration spilled over on the air.
Here's
Santo's call at the moment Carlos Zambrano threw a no-hitter.
Here's Santo
taking over the play-by-play, sort of -- yelling for fans to sit down.
And another when Cubs catcher
Geovany Soto dropped the ball. And a short one when Cubs outfielder Brant Brown flubbed a play in a big spot.
Here's a touching story of
Santo's fight with diabetes.
The man touched a lot of lives.
[h3]Other stuff[/h3]
• The buzz about the Red Sox seems light years away, writes John Tomase.
• The Giants will start selling
tickets today.
• K-Rod is
due in court.
• Redsfest is being held
this weekend.
• Watched the LeBron show last night, and really, I found it just kind of sad. By the middle of the second quarter, after the Cavs fans unleashed their first wave of boos, there were two hard truths in place:
No. 1: LeBron demonstrated, again, that he is a great player capable of making incredible shots.
No. 2: He wasn't wearing a Cavs uniform.
Some of the Cavs fans might've gone to the arena probably wanting to make him feel bad about "The Decision," but the hard truths weren't dented at all. And the Cavaliers fans must've felt incredibly helpless by the end of the night.
• Doesn't it seem like the NCAA has created a
blueprint for cheating? So long as the payments aren't sent to the kid, you can do what you want.
And today will be better than yesterday.
In the short term, signing Adam Dunn for four years and $56 million looks really, really good for Chicago. The White Sox add a player who, with a career-low 67 unintentional walks last season, would still have led the team in that category. They add an extreme fly ball hitter to a ballpark noted for turning fly balls into home runs. And they keep Dunn away from the outfield, preferably away from the field entirely. Chicago got an unacceptable line of .247 AVG/.332 OBP/.396 SLG from its DH spot in 2010, a line boosted by about 150 at-bats from Paul Konerko and Manny Ramirez, both now free agents. Dunn hasn't posted an OBP under .350 or slugged under .490 in the past seven seasons, and if he doesn't pick up a glove but rolls out there for 600 plate appearances, he's probably a four-win upgrade for Chicago.
The contract covers Dunn's age-31 through age-34 seasons, which I assume will include at least the beginning of his decline phase. Dunn is the type of player -- no defensive value or speed, drawing value just from walks and power -- that tends to age more quickly than athletic players or players who offer more defensive value. If Dunn is paid appropriately today, he'll most likely be overpaid before this deal is up, although that is probably a price the White Sox are willing to pay to greatly increase their chances to make the playoffs in 2011.
Chicago does still face holes at first base, which it could fill by re-signing Konerko; in left field, unless you think Juan Pierre (tied with Derek Jeter for the major league in outs made by a hitter this year) is some kind of solution; and behind the plate. Third base could be manned by Brent Morel, who doesn't walk much or have power, or Dayan Viciedo, who has power but walks once every other month and has serious conditioning issues. The White Sox's starting rotation remains strong, and their bullpen could withstand the non-tender of Bobby Jenks if they leave Chris Sale in relief instead of demoting him to try to make him a starter. They're not a finished product yet, but in a division with nothing close to a favorite right now, they're only a move or two away from being strong playoff contenders.
My main question for Chicago on Dunn is whether the White Sox had to pay him this much. Dunn had a limited number of landing spots, since he's pretty much an AL-only player at this point and few clubs had $15 million in the budget for a DH. The Detroit Tigers and Oakland Athletics were interested, perhaps, but Detroit signed Victor Martinez, and it would be unlike the A's to give a contract of that size to a player of Dunn's age and defensive profile. Did Chicago bid against itself or overpay now just to get him under contract earlier in the offseason? Usually, after a high-profile signing like this, I try to look at what teams are left holding an empty bag. But with Dunn, I don't see who those teams are, even without a great Dunn alternative on the market.
The Washington Nationals, who never had serious interest in bringing Dunn back, get Chicago's first-round pick and a sandwich pick, both welcome additions for GM Mike Rizzo, who is still gradually restocking that farm system and coming off a very strong 2010 draft. Giving Dunn four years would have made little sense for a club in Washington's position. By the time the Nationals are competitive, he'll be approaching the overpaid portion of the contract.
Adam Dunn has been the fox and the Chicago White Sox have been the hound dogs, pursuing the slugger throughout the summer and into the fall, before Kenny Williams finally got his man with a four-year, $56 million deal yesterday.
Getty ImagesAdam Dunn's power transferring to the Cell is as much of a sure thing as the free-agent market offered.
But there was more to this than the White Sox just throwing out a number; the timing of their aggressiveness was perfect. The White Sox were well aware of the domino theory, which was detailed here yesterday, and at some point, as the best free agents came off the board -- Cliff Lee, Carl Crawford, etc. -- then some of the losing bidders would have set their sights on the 31-year-old Dunn, who has hit 38 or more homers in seven consecutive years and has continued to refine his skills at the plate.
So Williams struck hard and fast and took Dunn off the board, before any of the other clubs began to focus on the left-handed slugger.
The White Sox still appear to be the favorites to work out something out with Paul Konerko, now that Konerko's market price has been established, and he and Dunn will share first base and DH duties in the middle of a lineup that could generate 225 homers in 2011; the White Sox finished with 177 homers in 2010, the seventh most in the majors.
Konerko posted a .393 on-base percentage last year, and Dunn has a .381 on-base percentage in his career. Whoever hits fifth in this lineup -- behind Konerko and Dunn -- is going to have a chance to drive in a ton of runs.
Some of the numbers on Dunn, from Mark Simon of ESPN Stats & Information:
The players who've hit the most homers, since 2004:
Albert Pujols 294
Adam Dunn: 282
Alex Rodriguez 268
David Ortiz 260
Ryan Howard 253
And the most consecutive seasons of 38-plus home runs, all time:
Rafael Palmeiro 9, 1995-2003
Adam Dunn: 7, 2004-2010
Babe Ruth: 7, 1926-1932
Isolated Power is a metric that looks strictly at a player's ability to get power hits (doubles, triples, homers). Basically it's extra bases per at-bat (slugging percentage without the singles). Dunn rated consistently among the best in the NL in this stat. Here are his numbers over the past seven seasons:
2010: .276 (T-2nd)
2009: .262 (8th)
2008: .277 (4th)
2007: .289 (3rd)
2006: .257 (1st)
2005: .293 (3rd)
2004: .303 (5th)
Over the past seven seasons, only Ichiro has played more games and only Pujols has hit more home runs than Dunn. During that time he has the most strikeouts AND the most walks in the majors. Where Dunn ranks across MLB in parentheses:
Games: 1,108 (2nd)
HR: 282 (2nd)
K: 1,262 (1st)
BB: 750 (1st)
And where the White Sox ranked at DH last year:
OBP: .332 (9th)
Slug pct: .396 (9th)
HR: 18 (10th)
BB: 65 (9th)
And a look at Dunn's numbers from 2010 compared to where he would have ranked (in parentheses) had his primary position been DH:
OBP: .356 (7th)
Slug pct: .536 (2nd)
HR: 38 (1st)
RBI: 103 (2nd)
Not only was Dunn one of the most prolific home run hitters last season, ranking second in the NL with 38 homers, but his homers were consistently also among the longest. According to Hittracker, his 38 homers traveled an average of 411 feet, the fourth-highest true distance average among players with at least 20 homers last season. He also hit the third-longest homer last season, a 479-foot shot Sept. 14 at Turner Field. Here's how his average shot stacks up:
Josh Hamilton 421
Mark Reynolds 416
Carlos Gonzalez 415
Adam Dunn: 411
Troy Tulowitzki 410
The fact the White Sox gave Dunn a four-year contract is somewhat surprising and uncharacteristic of the team based on their history with free agent contracts. Dunn's four-year contract would be just the 16th free-agent contract of four or more years given out by the White Sox since the 1990-91 offseason. The White Sox are one of five teams to have given out 15 or fewer contracts of four-plus years since then. These teams have given the fewest since 1990-91, excluding Dunn's deal:
Twins: 13
Marlins: 14
White Sox: 15
Brewers: 15
Tigers: 15
The White Sox also worked out a deal with A.J. Pierzynski, writes Joe Cowley. The Orioles took a run at Dunn.
[h3]Notables[/h3]
• The losers in all of this are the Nationals, who probably could've locked up Dunn for something in the range of three years and $30 million at the All-Star break, when Dunn very much wanted to stay in Washington. After deciding to not make that deal, the Nationals' leadership opted to not trade Dunn when the interest in him was at its hottest, in July; they failed to get any major league ready young players, which is exactly what they have a desperate need for today.
In the end, they get a couple of draft picks in compensation, and now that the smoke has cleared, it's clear that they badly missed in taking advantage of his value, either with a contract extension or in trade.
Their lineup without Dunn suddenly looks very different -- significantly weakened. Without Dunn hitting in the middle of the order, there is no reason for opposing pitchers to pitch to Ryan Zimmerman.
Time will tell whether Dunn's departure will erode Zimmerman's feelings about the future of the franchise. Zimmerman, you may recall, had talked openly and repeatedly about how he wanted Dunn to remain with the team.
The Nationals have taken a hit, writes Adam Kilgore, and he spoke with Zimmerman. From Adam's story:
• The Dodgers didn't tender a contract to Russell Martin.
- "To me, this is the place where I want to be, where I want to be for the rest of my career," Zimmerman said. "The only reason I wouldn't want to play here is if I thought we didn't have a chance to win ... I still believe that we will."
Zimmerman was clearly frustrated though, and it's a frustration that assuredly will represent the overwhelming majority of the team's fan base. "I hope that this plan they have intact -- I guess this is one of the years we were supposed to take that next step and become one of the teams that gets those free agent guys," Zimmerman said. "They've told us and the fans to be patient. Hopefully this is one of the years we start acquiring impact guys and taking the team to that next level."
• The Yankees quietly have worked out a two-year deal with Mariano Rivera.
[h3]Moves, deals and decisions[/h3]
1. The Yankees and Derek Jeter are still talking; I'd bet they'll reach an agreement today.
Darryl Strawberry says George Steinbrenner
wouldn't approve of the Yankees' treatment of Jeter, writes John Harper.
2. The Mariners
traded Jose Lopez, writes Geoff Baker, and signed Erik Bedard. The Rockies like Lopez's versatility.
3.
Miguel Tejada was thrilled to work something out with the Giants.
Heard this:
Pat Burrell negotiated his own contract with the Giants.
4.
Jason Varitek finished a deal with the Red Sox.
[h4]Buster's New Book[/h4]
recipient[/color]
5. Adrian Beltre's preference is to play for the Red Sox, writes Peter Abraham. This is an interesting situation: Scott Boras represents Beltre and Jayson Werth, and when you consider the entire landscape, it might be better for Boras if Werth -- the more expensive player -- worked out a deal with Boston. But Beltre, of course, has the established ties with Boston.
6. Matt Diaz could be a fit for the Phillies, writes Bob Brookover. The Phillies offered contracts to a couple of their veterans.
7. The Angels signed a left-handed reliever, writes Mike DiGiovanna.
8. The Pirates cut ties with Lastings Milledge, writes Dejan Kovacevic.
9. The Mets cut ties with John Maine.
10. The Tigers are keeping Joel Zumaya.
11. The Royals worked out deals with a couple of veterans.
12. Oakland did not tender a contract to Jack Cust, Susan Slusser writes.
13. The Jays worked out a deal with Dustin McGowan.
14. A Cardinals official departed to work with the Braves.
15. A Vanderbilt guy, Jensen Lewis, worked out a new contract.
16. A couple of Brewers weren't tendered contracts, Tom Haudricourt writes.
17. Jim Thome wants to continue playing, and now we'll see if he works out a new deal with the Twins, writes Joe Christensen. The Twins worked out contracts with a couple of veterans.
18. J.P. Howell wants to stay with the Rays.
19. The D-backs worked out a deal with Zach Duke.
20. Eric Hinske re-signed with the Braves. He is a good fit with them.
http:///sports.espn.go.com/espn/gallery/enlargePhoto?id=5878448&story=5878412">http://sports.espn.go.com...878448&...idth=440,height=750,scrollbars=no,noresize'); return false;" href="http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/blog?name=olney_buster&id=5878412#">[+] Enlarge
Jerry Lai/US PresswireRon Santo, pictured in 2005 at Wrigley Field, was an all-time great third baseman but fell short of election to the Baseball Hall of Fame again and again.
[h3]Ron Santo[/h3]
• We wake to the news this morning that the beloved Ron Santo has passed away. I met him once, but mostly know him through the passion reflected in the broadcast moments when his joy and frustration spilled over on the air.
Here's
Santo's call at the moment Carlos Zambrano threw a no-hitter.
Here's Santo
taking over the play-by-play, sort of -- yelling for fans to sit down.
And another when Cubs catcher
Geovany Soto dropped the ball. And a short one when Cubs outfielder Brant Brown flubbed a play in a big spot.
Here's a touching story of
Santo's fight with diabetes.
The man touched a lot of lives.
[h3]Other stuff[/h3]
• The buzz about the Red Sox seems light years away, writes John Tomase.
• The Giants will start selling
tickets today.
• K-Rod is
due in court.
• Redsfest is being held
this weekend.
• Watched the LeBron show last night, and really, I found it just kind of sad. By the middle of the second quarter, after the Cavs fans unleashed their first wave of boos, there were two hard truths in place:
No. 1: LeBron demonstrated, again, that he is a great player capable of making incredible shots.
No. 2: He wasn't wearing a Cavs uniform.
Some of the Cavs fans might've gone to the arena probably wanting to make him feel bad about "The Decision," but the hard truths weren't dented at all. And the Cavaliers fans must've felt incredibly helpless by the end of the night.
• Doesn't it seem like the NCAA has created a
blueprint for cheating? So long as the payments aren't sent to the kid, you can do what you want.
And today will be better than yesterday.
![0]](/styles/default/xenforo/NTemojis/alien.gif "Alien 0]")
http://sports.espn.go.com...lb/news/story?id=5880440[/url]
http://sports.espn.go.com...lb/news/story?id=5880440[/url]
Buster Olney is the author of the book "
