Hot Stove, Cold Apartment

A few random things as I consider the cost/benefit of higher heating bills vs. medical costs of removing frozen appendages...

• Billy Mueller's First Job: This was sort of sickening. Bill Mueller has retired and is now working for the Dodgers front office. I know they paid him recently and Collettii and Mueller have an old Giants tie, but it still hurts Billy. I can't wish him ill, so all I'll say is I hope he is paid well. Franchise-cripplingly well.
• The Phoenix like rise of Kevin Frandsen: First he won the Dernell Stenson award and now he has a piece in the Contra Costa Times saying the Giants are giving him another look and possibly using it as grounds to let Durham go. I'm not an AFL expert, but everyone seems duly impressed so I guess I'll follow the crowd. I was real high on him when he came up originally and I'm pulling for him, but I can't forget the .284 OBP. But a league minimum starting second baseman sounds pretty freakin sweet.
• Ray Durham Vs. Frank Thomas: The same Frandsen article states that Durham is looking for a contract "in the two-year, $18 million range." Today:

  Frank Thomas and the Toronto Blue Jays finalized an $18.12 million, two-year contract on Friday.

  At first I was taken aback (though the Thomas deal has a decent signing bonus and option year) at the similarity. But as a DH Thomas ended up with only one more win share than Durham last season. Thomas is also three years older and has 663 fewer plate appearances over the last three seasons. Of course Thomas wasn't the one who slugged 95 points above his career average last year, though.
• Way Left Coast: From the Chronicle:

  The Giants are expected to look at lower-tier starters as well as those coming from Japan. There is talk they will bid for 27-year-old left-hander Kei Igawa when the Hanshin Tigers post him next week.

  After the announcement that the team finally signed a scout for the region, this is very encouraging news. For the next few years, at least, the Giants will need to find talent anywhere they can. Even if they're looking for backups, Japan has a bargain bin, too. How do you say "Marvin Bernard" in Japanese? Oh yeah, Shinjo.