GM Mike Rizzo:

“We did a lot of background work on Nyjer and on Sean,” Rizzo said. “We heard nothing but good things about them, how they conduct themselves like professionals, their character and the way they are in the clubhouse.”

I know Ringolsby and a few other reporters saw the problems with collecting a bunch of high talent headcases, while the Internet community mostly applauded the moves to bring in Dukes and Milledge and Johnson (not so much a headcase as a poorly conditioned player) and others, and now the team is doing a complete 180 on the Bowden model.

It’s a good move, and I actually think I’m alone in the thought that the Nats will wind up getting more value from the Milledge trade than Pittsburgh does, not that there’s much value to be dispersed from that trade either way. If you have a lot of money, like the Dodgers, Red Sox, Yankees, Mets or Cubs, you can afford to sweep a lot of those character issues under the rug. If you’re on a budget, you can’t. Sometime soon I’ll have my next big post (probably going to be broken up into multiple posts) about the Rockies and how they’ve been doing some things right in this, and missing out on other opportunities at the same time, but in the meantime, it’s interesting to see another team go that direction.

I think a big part of the issue of why Arizona’s been struggling lately is actually missing Rizzo’s influence in the FO and in the draft.

Greg Reynolds’ birthday.

And tomorrow I’m going to the fireworks game. And I get Cookie. So that’s good.

I was pleased with the Rockie love overall, but kind of surprised. I think Ianetta’s had a slower start thatn we anticipated, so I would be pleasantly surprised if he got the nod.

But no Marquis, huh? This is where I want the “pitching at Coors” to get as much recognition for how tough it is, vs. the hitting at Coors and how….ahem….easy it is.

You might be able to turn a blind eye to character flaws, but it doesn’t necessarily correlate to winning. Obviously, the NY Yankees are the poster children for that. At the same time, it doesn’t mean that all high-priced talent should be equated with the Manny-wood chronicles – Albert Pujols comes to mind.

Interestingly, after the failed Hampton-Nagel experiment, what the Rockies have accomplished should be the model for the “lesser” market teams (teams not residing in NY, Boston, Chicago, or LA). But alas, the Scott Boras-es of the world keep throwing a monkey wrench into the operation.