2013 MLB Mid-season Predictions & Review: Trades and Winning

We've reached the All-Star break and some story lines have unfolded. Biogenesis. Yasiel Puig. Patrick Corbin. The Dodgers, the new Yankees. The Yankees, the new budget conscience Yankees. Young players doing big things...

The Boys of Summer are at it again.

So what's will happen here on out?

 Division Races

The usual trade deadline stuff has started to unfold. As the top teams have the joys of inspiring to be the best going to the playoffs, while the under .500 teams are looking for those coveted prospects for their best, high priced or 2014 free agents that can fill the holes on their competitors. Fans argue at MLB trade rumors over what is the fair market price for Matt Garza, or Bud Norris, or now, the Chase Headleys of the market.

The Yankees should be sellers. They have the oldest team in the MLB at 31.6 years, a year older than those Dodgers, a veteran ball club, that too felt the injury bug in the first half. Their once formidable stars are so long in the tooth - Jeter, A-Rod, Rivera - that rocking chairs are being built to honor them.The biggest difference: the Dodgers have gotten healthy, infused young talent (Puig), and almost have to be buyers in their division. LA has around $250 million until my 65th birthday to invest in a winner. None of their opponents can access those type of resources going forward.

Dodgers could buy another starter (dumping Capuano) and setup man (Brandon League) before the deadline in using their best prospects Joc Pederson, Corey Seager, Zach Lee or Ross Stripling to make their first trip to the World Series since Tommy LaSorda and Orel Hershiser were a Big 80's item. Who needs a minor league when you can buy or make high prices for talent (as they just did with A-Gone, Hanley, Crawford, Kemp, and Andre Ethier) or will Clayton Kershaw?

Arizona will fall behind enough but still will make the playoffs. First, I like Arizona's team on the field. They have talent and hustle and are a team that competes. They are the antithesis of LA's spend it like a Lone Ranger film no one will watch designs. Which is part of their problem: they are nearly locked into $80 million all ready for next season, from there $86 million payroll in 2013. I can't see them adding significant payroll (even this season) unless they receive a good deal with it.

Meanwhile, they have a deep farm system with good top pitching prospects - LHP Tyler Skaggs and RHP Archie Bradley - to go with 3B Matt Davidson,  RHP Braden Shipley, SS Nick Ahmed and  SS Chris Owings. Figure they will hit big 1-3 more times like they did on Didi Gregorious and Patrick Corbin, and by 2015, they have the makings of a young group that will give LA fits but at 45-50% of the cost ($105-100 million).

But this year, they can add a bullpen arm and hope 1B Paul Goldschmidt can do a Chris Davis impersonation for the 2nd half. (Which is to say, Goldie's been good, but can he be video game good?)

Both Chicago teams are sell, sell, sell. Not unusual. Except that the White Sox have higher payroll, but less market appeal.  Both are doing a rebuild, once again. White Sox, it seemingly always piece meal. The Cubs, have two models they are working on:

 These two models are in play for all 30 teams. As fans we focus on how to win championships through trades, development, microsabermetrics/macrosabermetrics, and field management theory with players that can and do things that can either upset, or regress the path a team is on, or provide that boost to the model.

The financial model is a different story; but linked. Getting $500 million in renovations approved will produce a different Wrigley Field, and hopefully, a different atmosphere while keeping the face of the ballpark, but improving the structural problems, the team facilities, and the media and advertising dollars that teams are always in the market for more of. (Ask the Dodgers.)

Detroit, Boston, Oakland, Tampa Bay, and Texas seem like the cream of the American League. Detroit only has to play to their payroll - to beat Cleveland. They have a solid offense and top pitching right now down to their 5th starter- their problems are bullpen, after 7 innings. Cleveland has the same issue; so which one decides first and actually solves that, could be able to do it. (I don't see them getting the 2nd wild card spot.)

Oakland and Texas. Texas has the cash and the prospects. Oakland has $60 million payroll, Billy Beane and a philosophy. Both could be hurt by the Biogenesis performance enhancer fallout, if appeals are quick and timed wrong. Texas has an easier time solving their problems, but Oakland will search for a cheap OF solution - dumping CF Chris Young's contract to clear a roster spot, and shooting for another outfielder that fits their price, and talent expectations.

The Cubs might be enticed if they were offered catcher Bruce Maxwell, a pitcher with usual flaws/but upside with Young for Nate Schierholtz and David DeJesus. Scheirholtz is a corner and DeJesus played in Oakland. Both are cheap and under control while Young is on a club option, Oakland probably will not execute. Oakland likely has other ideas on how to get some offense cheap. Their pitching is in good shape until Bartolo Colon is blown up by Biogenesis. This will play out later this month.

Texas is a better Cub partner with more cards. Their need for outfield help could be more dire. But Texas might even entertain the White Sox's Alex Rios for a bat.

Boston, Baltimore, and the Rays. Each have pretty solid lineups, Rays the better upper end pitching, Boston the cash to solve a few problems (and they started), and the Rays are much like the A's, moneyball and prospects.

This race goes down to the last two weeks, and will depend on injuries, I think. Health determines what you can do until minor league call ups in September. Boston and Tampa have top talent they are willing to part with if the addition is a right fit. Baltimore has pitching prospects they won't part with - Dylan Bundy - but can't use either now. Baltimore has to hope Chris Davis is going for 60 and they made a solid addition of Feldman for 7-8 victories and long outings.

Atlanta gets to the playoffs. Phillies sell off - Cliff Lee keeps on being bantered for an option. (And the Phillies want Arizona or Texas to come knocking...)

Pittsburgh and St. Louis go to the postseason. Pittsburgh needs this. A feel-good story as GM Neal Huntington remembers vividly working for the 1995 Montreal Expos after their last gasp at success.

Pirates have allowed the least runs in baseball with the Cardinals right behind them. Pittsburgh has a below average offense, needing a bat at premier shortstop (Barmes) or right field (Snider) with both having a sub-.300 OBP and -.4 WAR between them. 1B Garrett Jones is doing little just enough to keep a job. So they, got a platoon going with Gaby Sanchez.

What works? Outfielders are plentiful for the right ask. Shortstops are too tight a market - and Jody Mercer has taken over for Barmes.They called up Jose Tabata to solve some outfield offensive woes.

I give them a 50% or better shot, but they need to take a shot at adding a real offensive potential. But finances are always a concern.

Cincinnati is a dark horse. And so, it will too come down to health for them and the NL Central.

Playoffs:

NL: Atlanta, St. Louis, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh (WC), Arizona (WC)
AL: Boston, Detroit, Texas, Oakland (WC), Tampa (WC)

AL Championship series: Boston vs. Texas
NL Championship series: Los Angeles vs. Arizona

World Series: Los Angeles vs. Boston
Los Angeles in 7 games.

But, will see.

Matt Garza vs. Ricky Nolasco: The tail of the tape from their July 3rd games

Tonight was likely a showcase of the two most sought after pitchers of the 2013 Trade deadline. Both pitched against top of their division teams.

• Garza faced the leagues' most patient lineup (Oakland tied with Boston for walks at 319) 
• Nolasco faced the leagues most swing-and-miss happy bunch (Atlanta is 2nd to last at 731)

The best way to determine the quality of pitching or stuff is by using Brooks Baseball and their Pitch F/X graphs.

Ricky Nolasco performance by pitch velocity against Atlanta:

Fastball between 90-92 starting out, throwing a mix of 2-seam and 4-seam, 75% (40 total) 4 seamers.
But the velocity after pitch 43 never returns. From then on, he goes to the slider for his swing and misses, throwing 29 sliders, getting 12 swings and misses. This is smart of Nolasco - the Braves love his fastball because it is BP speed (they missed only 4 of those), and Nolasco, can't nibble with it tonight. He mixed in enough Curves and Splitters to give the Braves fits as the game progresses.

Nolasco used a slide step to get 1.2-1.25 to home, but he ditched that around the 4th, the same time his velocity dropped. Get on base, he will have to concede the stolen base while using breaking stuff. I just don't think he can hump it up there. (NOTE: it was raining pretty consistently. However, pitchers deal with stuff like that always, adversity.)

By comparison, Atlanta's Mike Minor velocity was fairly consistent until his blowup in the 5th, where he threw 32 pitches, and obviously tired. Which is the GREATER point: Nolasco was not able to sustain his fast ball velocity past 50-60 pitches, making him vulnerable, tonight.

In his prior start, June 28th, Nolasco was better at sustaining his velocity because he was on 6 days rest. The start before that, June 21st, the real Ricky Nolasco tired at pitch 76, never returning upwards to his beginning velocity.

In short, Nolasco has a 5-inning, 75-pitch window to get you out, using his slider as his best weapon, if he can always throw that well. He might as well figure out how to throw more sliders. No matter what reporters print (Miami Herald), Nolasco is not ready (yet) for a big time playoff battle.

Nolasco's Pitches against Atlanta, July 3, 2013

Pitch Type	Avg Speed	Max Speed	Avg H-Break	Avg V-Break	Count	Strikes / %	Whiffs / %	SNIPs / %	Linear Weights
FT (TwoSeam Fastball)	90.27	91.75	-8.09	4.80	11	6 / 54.55%	1 / 9.09%	3 / 37.50%	0.0342
FF (FourSeam Fastball)	90.22	92.1	-4.68	6.84	31	20 / 64.52%	3 / 9.68%	12 / 52.17%	-1.0115
CH (Changeup)	84.11	87.55	-7.48	2.44	4	2 / 50.00%	1 / 25.00%	1 / 33.33%	-0.2668
SL (Slider)	81.64	83.98	1.63	-0.42	29	22 / 75.86%	12 / 41.38%	17 / 70.83%	-1.9255
CU (Curveball)	73.96	76.5	9.18	-7.23	13	7 / 53.85%	3 / 23.08%	6 / 50.00%	-0.6200
FS (Splitter)	80.22	88.28	-4.60	2.61	8	5 / 62.50%	2 / 25.00%	3 / 50.00%	2.0335

Matt Garza Pitch Speed at Oakland, July 3rd

The conditions were better for pitching, no rain to fight.

Garza's graph shows the ability to reach back and get a bit more for a leverage situation. As late as pitch 101, Garza hits above 94 MPH. This was at the end of 7 innings against a patient, never unwilling-to-take-a -walk, Moneyball lineup.

Garza's only mistake: throwing back to back curves at pitch 54-55 to Moss, who hit a home run. Luckily, the Cubs scored off Bartolo Colon.

Garza throws usually nothing but Fastballs, he sinks one, or two, then a 4 seam, off the plate, up or strategically placed for pop-ups. Garza gets more vertical break (sink, but Nolasco gets more run, horizontally). The add/subtract works, and his range on both types of heaters, and top speed makes good hitters uncomfortable enough to be late, or just not able to get hard liners off him.

He doesn't miss that many bats. But neither does Nolasco. Garza's slider is above average when he surprises hitters, since they see about 85% fastballs. His curve can work well too, but he hangs 1 out of 4 of them. So, he doesn't usually throw many, and shouldn't to anyone with a lick of power.

Garza's pitch types at Oakland, July 3rd

Pitch Type	Avg Speed	Max Speed	Avg H-Break	Avg V-Break	Count	Strikes / %	Whiffs / %	SNIPs / %	Linear Weights
FT (TwoSeam Fastball)	93.08	95.7	-5.98	9.16	49	32 / 65.31%	6 / 12.24%	21 / 55.26%	-2.0286
FF (FourSeam Fastball)	93.59	95.68	-3.45	9.74	41	25 / 60.98%	2 / 4.88%	18 / 52.94%	-1.0846
SL (Slider)	85.71	87.39	1.23	2.07	18	11 / 61.11%	4 / 22.22%	8 / 53.33%	-0.9448
CU (Curveball)	74.85	76.59	4.60	-8.90	6	3 / 50.00%	0 / 0.00%	1 / 25.00%	1.2033

His prior start confirms too his velocity hovers right at 94 MPH. He loses only a fraction past 85 pitches, but puts 2 or 3 more fastballs above 94 at around 100 pitches, throwing a few more curve balls and sliders to a weaker Milwaukee team, getting by with it.

 Garza's velocity at Milwaukee June 27, 2013

The Final Analysis

Matt Garza is much, much better trade piece. He has been gradually stretched out his last 3 starts from 98 - 101 - 114 pitches, mixing some of his ancillary stuff, while showing consistent velocity. Nolasco, even on long rest, has suspect velocity once past 75 pitches. His fastball is very hittable for good FB hitting teams, like Boston, Oakland, Texas, or the Los Angeles Dodgers, playoff contenders all.

Garza should be the jewel piece of the trade season, if a team wants a better chance, than if they select Nolasco.

Cubs Trader Django: The 2013 Turning Point for Theo & Co.

While the sun has not shone brightly on the Cubs lately, this July the trade market will reflect the greatest turning point in the 20-month Theo Epstein & Jed Hoyer led front office.

The reason: pitching.

The abundance of arms ready for other pastures (Garza, Feldman, Gregg, Russell, even Samardjiza bantered) has put the Cubs in the catbird seat. 

Wasting no more time, putting out the initial feelers, entertaining a wide array of offers for their top pitching wares will demarcate the time when Theo and Jed must put up, or shut up. Show that their sabermetric analysis has conclusively divined who will play in the renovated $500 million Cubs Candyland that ownership is pushing hard for approval. The advertising (6000 sq. ft. billboard) and a plethora of night games, are the points of contention there. But money should flow freely come 2015.

As the front office broke ties to Carlos Marmol and still wish someone would take Alfonso for a long drive out to the country, the available pieces remaining for swap are intriguing for teams like the Dodgers, Giants, Padres, Rockies, Rangers, Tigers, Orioles, Red Sox, Rays and Yankees…(The Yankees can always afford interest. LA Dodgers are doing much the same.)

So who really should entice the Cubs palate? If the swap meet is on, how do two teams – one in the ‘now’ contest, the other in the ‘future’ destiny – meet on the street and barter?

Can the Cubs rudely hope for more injuries to SP and corner OF/3Bs? Yes.

But, the Cubs need SP pitching back for these moves. Their minors are low on top tier replacement arms for the ones they currently have. A few project pitchers and really, nothing of serious mention by the fan boards, Baseball America, or Scouting Book.

Yet, too, one should not overlook any prospect on can obtain since the word prospect is potential, not reality. The more stockpiling you can do for all positions, (SP, RP, SS, CF, Corner OF/3B, C) the better chance you find the solutions to a team’s long term woes.

Another thing about trading: while we can always say we want that guy, and no other, the price goes up once your opponent (mark) knows your poison. In Django Unchained, the pretend Mandingo acquirers real bounty hunters suggest to Calvin Candie that they would bid for his 3^rd best fighter, even as they REALLY want Jamie Foxx’s wife for cheap, later, once they get to Candyland. The deal is later struck on the former at dinner; but once Sam Jackson points out their real attentions, the price goes up accordingly on the latter.

So Theo & Jed, who’s interesting? 

Who is available? 

And where do SP Matt Garza, SP Scott Feldman, Closer Kevin Gregg, MR James Russell, RF Nate Schierholtz or even, 3B Luis Valbuena or 3B Cody Ransom possibly land?

Arizona: Bullpen and 3th starter help. The AZ offense is pretty solid, but their front line starting pitching is shaky. Patrick Corbin and Ian Kennedy are their top two options – as Corbin has yet to lose this year. JJ Putz (just back) and Heath Bell are their bullpen, with holes in between. 

For Arizona to get to October, their pitching needs an upgrade, even though they have prospects (Archie Bradley, Tyler Skaggs topping that list) to make for a delightful trading partner. However, Zona wants Jeff Samardijza, not Garza, and less given back. The middle ground could be just their 3^rd-4^th best pitching prospect (LHP David Holmberg), Catcher Stryker Trahan, and LHP Eury De La Rosa for Garza. While not the deal the Cubs ideally would want – top shelf SPs– it gets a useful near MLB ready LHP workhorse, a young but still developing catcher, and bullpen LOOGY for an expiring contract.

LA: 4^th starter. Scott Feldman makes sense for the Cubs to go to contract happy Dodgers. Again, their pause might be looking at their SPs. The Dodgers are a bit weak in that area, compared to AZ. So, the Cubs should equate success in getting talent as it is presented. Most prevalent in LA is Outfielders. With Yasiel Puig doing things, and Ethier, Kemp, and Crawford going nowhere too fast due to salary, their best expendable asset is CF Joc Pederson.

Lefty Pederson is a five tool type – hitting at all stops for average, runs well, power, and is patient. (Something Puig is NOT.) Pederson won't see the MLB as a starter in LA, so even though the Cubs have top prospects Albert Almora and Jorge Soler, how about 3 top tier OFers? Brett Jackson is older, and may project to a 4th OF. 

And Soler and Almora are not that far along in the minor league grooming - so getting a more polished OF with all the tools works.  Bullpen Banter have Pederson as having the best hit tool in the Sally League, and improving CF skills so that he may stick there.

The Dodger blue does have RHP Ross Stripling, LHP RobRasmussen, and plausibly their top SP prospect RHP Zach Lee. But is Feldman something that fits for them? 

No. That all said, Feldman has never thrown a ball in Dodger Stadium. As a rental, he probably does not fit the LA glitzy, buy-the-best-cause-we-have-money mode.  Ricky Nolasco or Garza would better attract their eyes as the Dodgers whittle away the lead of Arizona in the race. (Now at 5 games - even with bad defense, hurt pitchers and position players, the Dodgers are there.

Colorado: Bullpen. Kevin Gregg would likely be their particular poison. Yet Colorado has little pitching (have they truly and consistently ever?) So the Cubs would be looking for depth and numbers with Colorado - 2 prospects of their choosing - RHP Chad Bettis comes in the deal.

San Diego: Starter or Closer. Have a catcher in Austin Hedges that would be a nice addition, and is currently blocked by another prospect Yasmani Grandal in the bigs. LHP Robbie Erlin is up in the bigs - but is not considered premier option with a fastball like Barry Zito circa 2004 (89MPH), curve, change, slider, but could could round out a 2-for-1 trade say if Garza is dealt.

Giants: Pitching? Really? May even want an corner OF. Cubs can do both options. This could be their best partner for the right combination. If the Giants can't handle not being in the NL Playoffs again, and winning it, again.

RHP Kyle Crick, RHP Chris Stratton, RHP Chris Heston and C Andrew Susac could fill the bill for Garza and Nate Schierholtz and possibly a minor leaguer from Chicago going back. 

The remaining group are more of the same.

Tampa: Starter.

Texas: Starter.

Baltimore: Starter.

Red Sox: Starter.

Yankees: Corner OF/1B.

Out of this collage of prospects, you hope to build a 25 man dynasty that lasts for 2-3 years.

If the Cubs could get 2 or 3 prospects to hit big, to go with potential position stars Almora, Soler, Bryant, and Rizzo, then 2015 becomes a watchable Cubs product. 

At present, one feels the ship sinking before it leaves dry dock. The bullpen is chalkboard nails by that 3^rd grade teacher with too much lipstick and looks like Medusa on a good hair day.

Else, the regime of Theo will be known for all the resources he exploited in Boston (a team that did have luxuries built in – money and prospects), but could not truly duplicate and rebuild the Cubs into a dynamic and quality organization.

This is the tipping point – make no mistake – because:

1) The team will not get better from trading its best assets off before 2014 season

2) The onerous of obtaining good talent falls to their collective minds

3) The remaining parts are platoon types on offense, 3^rd starters types, ignoring the bullpen that has to be rebuilt better than the 2013 turned out to be

In short, the Ides of July are upon the Cubs.

The Django Cubs better make the most of its wares.

Star Trek Into Darkness: USS Vengeance & Fish

This is my 2nd preview review. Say that fast.

Spock is in a volcano attempting to detonate a volcano-stopping device. Audiences get a visual upgrade and design flow of the command deck of the Enterprise, refit #1 in the trailer below. It reminds slightly of the original show mixed with a much better forward visual display (:04), and a amazing color palette than ever before. At (:23) seconds in, a surprise life form pops out behind Scotty (Simon Peg). In that the Enterprise is voyaging like SSRN Seaview from the 1960s (below), adds dimension to what we saw in trailers where the Enterprise seems to crash land, but I suspect a different moment in the film for that event.

A review went up from the Australian premiere. Frankly, the review is pointless; does little to pump one to watch the best action-adventure Star Trek in the last 30 years, since Wrath of Khan.

The U.S.S. Vengeance (left) looks the part of a bad ass warship. It's an eerie cross between a Borg vessel and the Star Trek Nemesis Romulan warbird.

From our Aussie reviewer, this action occurs in 2233. I call that stardate out. Canon puts Chris Pike as Captain in the 2250s and 2260s. And that is Kirk's birthdate - even in the relaunch. Reflecting either inaccurate reporting, or poor film timeline discussion.

I suppose the following happens:
1) Enterprise starts on a mission that involves a Volcano - saving a culture (prime directive is mentioned by Spock)
2) Enterprise comes back to Earth - heroes once again.
3) John Harrison attacks and lays down the gauntlet in London & San Francisco
4) Kirk & crew boards on a chase mission
5) Surprise! Vengeance is waiting - battle
6) Kirk & Crew goes aboard another vessel
7) Klingons! Starfleet renegades! A 3rd planet is involved!
8) Plot resolution.

I have not seen it. But I will suspect I got something right in this sequencing.

That said, here is some cool poster picks from Hollywood News.

  

The Artful Tax Dodger: $21T in Cash Stuffed into Your Favorite Vacation Locales

The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) obtained a telling hard drive of 2.5 million files on worldwide tax havens that operate to evade (or more nicely, avoid) taxes to your local governments.

From ICIJ website:

They include American doctors and dentists and middle-class Greek villagers as well as families and associates of long-time despots, Wall Street swindlers, Eastern European and Indonesian billionaires, Russian corporate executives, international arms dealers and a sham-director-fronted company that the European Union has labeled as a cog in Iran’s nuclear-development program.
The leaked files provide facts and figures — cash transfers, incorporation dates, links between companies and individuals — that illustrate how offshore financial secrecy has spread aggressively around the globe, allowing the wealthy and the well-connected to dodge taxes and fueling corruption and economic woes in rich and poor nations alike.

The Corporate Tax Holiday Failure

This trick is pulled off by the loop poles in various country's tax code, but from my perspective, the United States code, that spans more than 20,000,000 words, is at issue. (Winston Churchill wrote less in his lifetime; and he wrote voluminously.) The code was written piece-meal, and backward looking, by legislators not really all that interested in capturing taxes (would you if you too must pay? And: you are rich?), but instead go through the motions of providing good tax laws.

In October 2004, after Bush & the Republican-controlled Congress had first lower taxes on the top earners, cut capital gains, moved inheritance taxes downward, a tax holiday was provided so large U.S companies under the all-too-familiarly mislabeled American Jobs Creation Act introduced a temporary repatriation tax holiday. A few of the results:
Pfizer                   $37 billion;     10,000 layoffs
Merck                  $15.9 billion;    7,000
Hewlett-Packard $14.5 billion;   14,500
Honeywell           $2.7 billion;      2,000
Ford                     $900 million;  30,000
Colgate-Palmolive $800 million; 30,000
Source: (VILLANOVA LAW REVIEW, Vol 56, pg. 845)

Moreover, the holiday just allowed CEOs to reward stockholders, shell out bonuses, while sending the laborers packing for the unemployment line as our friends at the WS Journal reported benignly about this failed policy. (Those laborers then fired up their ATMs - their newly bought homes at subprime teaser rates destined to lose value - and well, we know the rest of the story.)

Size & Methods:Double Dutch, Anyone?

But back to taxes. As people get rich, or a multinational corporation (MNC) grows substantially, the tendency to seek tax havens and avoidance methods grow. This would not irk on its face, except that many of these bandits are garnering such benefits from ill-gotten gains or exploiting capital markets and public commons to pad their bottom line, shifting it abroad, then waiting for a tax holiday or a change in law to sneak it back to a home country, if so desired.

Meanwhile, the 7 Billion other people on this planet pay taxes, build their capital plants, drive their limos, allow their kids into elite universities, and get no tax holiday, ever. The point here is not to paint every rich person or corporation the same, but it is to reflect some investigation into where these entities are earning these large profits or monies from is in order.

The magnitude of the problem can be grasped by looking at the Tax Justice Network report and this recent story by the tax-averse Wall Street Journal on corporate use of techniques such as the Double Irish Dutch Sandwich : An appealing way to avoid any tax through politically-stable, user-friendly, and otherwise nondescript enough English speaking places.

By creating a foreign shell company, transferring intellectual property (an advertising algorithm) to say Dublin, Ireland, make a loan back to the Parent U.S. company for interest paid to the Dublin outfit, that reduces taxes plenty by shifting assets abroad, and creating a loan. Better yet, run the business (on paper, mind you) from a P.O. Box in Bermuda, and this trick gets you zero taxation. If you must produce something abroad in say, China, then route the money through another subsidiary in Killarney, Ireland, pump that through the Netherlands P.O. Box, negating withholding, and back your Bermuda triangle hut, waiting for checks and Mai Tais on the beach.

The price to the economy: $21 Trillion or more on the personal taxation side; $1.3 Trillion on U.S. corporations alone in 2013.

Shell Game OVER?

Corporation taxation should really annoy as these super corps gained access to capital markets (and in 2008, bailout cash, lest we forget: GE Capital was listed on the Wall Street Journal report) and utilize all the commons to support their operations: university talent provided by us, airports for CEOs, roads for logistics, rail, dockyards, and the court system to protect precious intellectual property, trade secrets, brand names, and inventions. But access to capital - loans from U.S. based banks and listing on the stock market - are things they would lack to grow bigger and more lobby-lustful, to change whatever policy puts a damper on their corporate returns.

The individual side is equally destructive, and more secretive, which is why the recent news will shock and awe these people.

The game should be over.

 But, alas, that will not be the case. I know politicians will bluster and put on the show, but like Steroids, and The Wall Street credit Bubble Fiasco, what really lasts is just a dog-n-pony show to keep the MASSES in check, no quite ready to REVOLT against their overseers.

Many are the politicians, power players, and Wall Street and High Street leaders listed below.

• 21 current and former members of ING's board of directors were among the leaked offshore records, which show that both banks helped set up dozens of offshore companies for clients.
• Swiss bank account opened for Mongolian former Finance Minister Sangajav Bayartsogt acknowledged "I should not have opened that account," and disclosed that it held $1 million at one point.
• Georgian billionaire Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili after he was listed as a past director of an offshore company created 2006 in the British Virgin Islands.
• Canada's Pana Merchant was the beneficiary of an offshore trust set up in the Cook Islands by her husband, Regina class-action lawyer Tony Merchant.
• Imee Marcos, is the governor of a northern Philippine province. She failed to report that she's the beneficiary of an offshore trust on her annual disclosure statements. (Remember Ferdinand)

The economic impact of 10% tax on 21 Trillion would be huge, and that is the worst part. We need to fix things - and the money, as we KNOW now, IS there.