Reader's Request

We got a comment! Well, we've gotten several, remarkably enough. By popular demand, a look at some of the other one-word team assessments given by General Managers to Sports Illustrated that were printed in the December 17 issue of SI:

Phillies, Pat Gillick: "Close." Too close, I might add. The smell is beginning to bother me.
Braves, Frank Wren: "Recharging." The 2008 Braves: Plugged in to a socket near you!
Marlins, Larry Beinfest: "Talented." Yes, the Fish are talented. Unfortunately, it takes more than talent to win--namely, gloves and bats, and the Marlins don't have enough money for either.

Cubs, Jim Hendry: "Optimistic." You're the Cubs GM, not a bleacher bum at Wrigley, Jim.
Brewers, Doug Melvin: "Closer." Take THAT, Phillies!
Cardinals, John Mozeliak: "Emerging." Can you use emerging in a sentence describing the 2008 Cardinals? How about: "Watching the Cardinals play in 2008 will be like watching that baby alien emerging from the stomach of that guy in Alien."
Astros, Ed Wade: "Solidifying." The Astros are like the chili you left in the bottom of your saucepan yesterday: old, crusty, solidifying.
Reds, Wayne Krivsky: "Aggressive." Great answer, Wayne! Go get 'em!

White Sox, Rick Hahn: "Undeterred." Rick Hahn is actually the White Sox assistant GM. I can only imagine the look on Kenny Williams' face when he heard about this answer. "You told them what? Rick, we specifically discussed this!"
Royals, Dayton Moore: "Futuristic." This calls to mind outfielders with hover packs and batters with laser-enhanced pitch-tracking technology. The 2133 Royals will be one hell of a ballclub.

Angels, Tony Reagins: "Solid." Watch out, Halos--the Astros are approaching your state of being. May I suggest sublimation as a means of escape?
Rangers, Jon Daniels: "Optimism." Jon, would you like to hear the question again, so that you can use the correct noun form? When you have to look to Jim Hendry for tips on grammar...