a look at looper

by lboros on Sep 1, 2006 9:06 AM EDT in St. Louis Cardinals News

the game ended on a base hit by the other team, but the cardinals triumphed anyway; maybe they're regaining their nose for winning. that's now two comeback wins in a row, and three in the last week they've won in their last at-bat. it's also the 2d time this year albert has been involved in a game-ending baserunner kill; he and molina, you might recall, co-authored a pickoff of brian giles to cement a 4-3 win over san diego back on may 27.

braden looper stole off with his 8th win last night. for a primary setup man --- especially one with 8 wins --- he has been remarkably invisible this year; we're all blinded, i guess, by the glare of izzy's blown saves and the bright light of wainwright's emergence. but the 8 wins represent the franchise's highest relief-win total in a decade --- mark petkovsek went 8-2 in relief in 1996, la russa's 1st season. one more victory, and looper will become the franchise's 1st 9-game winner out of the pen since mike perez in 1992; two more, and he'll become only the 2d cardinal reliever in the last 31 years to win 10 games, joining the other cris carpenter (10-4 in 1991). i don't think he'll be challenging the franchise record (at least, i'm pretty sure it's the record) for relief wins -- 13, set by lindy mcdaniel in 1959 and tied by al hrabosky in 1975.

looper's win last night was a cheapie, and given how uneven he's been this season --- 3.84 era, plus a shoddy inherited-runner strand rate of 53 percent --- one might assume that his entire 8-1 record is a fraud. but this was actually the first undeserved W on looper's ledger; he's earned the other 7 on merit, with an aggregate line of 9.2 innings, 3 hits, and 0 runs in those games. last night was only the 4th time all season he has yielded a hit that put the cardinals behind. that performance is reflected in looper's very good win-expectancy figures: fangraphs estimates that he has boosted the cardinals' win expectancy by 1.5 games, 3d-best among the pitchers (he trails only carpenter and wainwright). baseball prospectus, which has a shmancier way of calculating win expectancy, puts looper's value at +2.1 games --- 13th best among national league setup men. (wainwright ranks 4th on that list.) and hardball times rates looper tied for 10th (with wainwright) among nl setup men in win shares (pitching only).

sure doesn't seem like he's pitched that well, does it? his era is just 10 points better than it was last year, when an ailing shoulder ruined his stat line; opposing hitters are batting .275 against him, his worst figure since 1999, and slugging .380, only a slight improvement over 2005. more disappointing, looper hasn't squashed right-handed hitters with his accustomed force; he's limited them to .250 / .282 / .342, which is good but does not approach the near-unhittability he achieved in prior seasons. even last year, pitching hurt, he held righties to .210 / .285 / .266; his career line against them is .223 / .293 / .289. so looper has slipped vs right-handers and is as bad as ever against left-handers (.325 / .400 / .455 this year, slightly worse than his career avgs). his strikeout rate, though improved from his injury-impaired 2005 mark, is only 5.0 per 9, well below looper's career norms; his groundball percentage is his lowest since 2002, and his flyball rate is the highest of his whole career --- neither of which is a good sign for a sinkerball pitcher. looper has managed to keep the ball in the park (only 3 hr) so far this year, but a market correction may be in order in that regard; per his fangraphs page, only 5 percent of the flyballs hit off him have sailed out of the park, which is an extremely low percentage and way below looper's established level.

i doubt many stl fans will be brimming with confidence if looper should get called into a close playoff game. nor should they, necessarily; looper, like the team as a whole, has been quite the mixed bag in 2006. but the record shows that he has fairly reliably hauled the cardinals toward victories this year; hasn't always been pretty, but what is pretty about this team?

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World's Funniest Loopers

LBoros, nice job on the Looper look.

I agree that he's yet another model of the inconsistency that's come to be the defining characteristic of this year's edition of the Bs on the B. When he comes into a game, I wince, and yet there have been games where he's been lights out. When he's right - when his fastball is hitting 95 and the movement is there and he's hitting his spots - that I can imagine him being successful in a closer role. Other nights, he looks like Mulder post-rehab and I wonder if I couldn't get a hit off him.

My hope for the remainder of this season is that the Cards benefit from the mediocrity (to be generous) of the division and hold on long enough to secure a playoff spot, then hit a collective upswing in their bipolar nature through the playoffs. The flaw in my design is that they have yet to show that they can sustain a "high" for as long as it would take to make through to The Series.

by punditmoi on Sep 1, 2006 9:31 AM EDT reply actions

Hanging With Mr. Looper

I just wanted to throw that title out there as well ...

by dontEATnachos on Sep 1, 2006 3:40 PM EDT up reply actions

Wow

Without looking at the stats, I'd had a gut feeling that Looper had been solid but not unspectacular. Now I'm going to be a lot more nervous when he comes in. Thanks a lot for removing my ignorance!

by Cardinal70 on Sep 1, 2006 10:12 AM EDT reply actions

What's pretty?

Rolen running out an inside the park home run against the Cubs, that's what. hahah.

Anyway, I'll agree with the poster from the previous thread - the Cards seems to have discovered some hunger. Obviously I'm still worried about the pitching, Albert's elbow, etc. But come from behind victories make things feel a lot better.

I'd just like to see the bullpen nail things down. Sigh.

by sdrone on Sep 1, 2006 10:19 AM EDT reply actions

You are right.

I was at that game, and was in the dumps that my only tickets for august were for a jeff weaver start. Curse you 4 pack. The only time I had a decent pitcher out of my cardinals 4 pack of tickets was july 19th. The night mother nature got pissed at cardinals fans. My son was born that night: Maddox Rolen Schnake. worked out though, I was able to watch the game because of the rain delay.

But I digress, That play was the 1st 3 base error I'd ever seen in person. I love Rolen's hustle. I'll be that guy in 2010 who is mad we didn't pick up his 7 million dollar option.

by Schnake on Sep 1, 2006 10:33 AM EDT up reply actions

Speaking of the 4-packs

I wish they would change the way those 4-packs and 5-packs work. I live 300 miles from the stadium. I'd buy a 4-pack or 5-pack if I could pick which 4 or 5 games I want to attend, with opening day, last game, Cubs, Yankees, Red Sox, whatever blacked out.

When I go, I take a full week off sometime in the summer and I try to go Tues-Wed-Thurs. I can't afford, at 2.70ish a gallon, five different trips to STL.

(rant over)

by whopperman on Sep 1, 2006 11:38 AM EDT up reply actions

wow..

$2.70/gal.... i wish... stupid Florida gas prices...

by Nagle80 on Sep 1, 2006 11:41 AM EDT up reply actions

Try $3.25 a gallon here in SoCal

Broglio for Brock!!!

by allenbrent on Sep 1, 2006 4:02 PM EDT up reply actions

Where at ?

I paid 2.95 this morning in San Diego!

by RB @ Viva El Birdos on Sep 1, 2006 4:52 PM EDT up reply actions

Better Known as ...

... A Whales Vagina!!

by RB @ Viva El Birdos on Sep 1, 2006 4:56 PM EDT up reply actions

2.95

in Newport Beach too

by OCCardsFan on Sep 1, 2006 5:56 PM EDT up reply actions

I can find it for $2.81 in Northern VA ..

by dontEATnachos on Sep 1, 2006 6:02 PM EDT up reply actions

who else remembers

$0.85 a gallon back in St L?

8/13/79- Lou Brock 3000 hits

by lb3000 on Sep 1, 2006 7:00 PM EDT up reply actions

I bet

if you voice your concerns with the Cardinals ownership, they would be able to come up with a solution for you.

Something like "you need to get a better joob and make more money."

Cheers

by Alxfritz on Sep 1, 2006 11:42 AM EDT up reply actions

You forgot

...and subscribe to MLB.TV to watch the games that are blacked out even though I can't watch them on TV (or, Wednesday night, listen on the radio), sign up for the radio broadcasts on the website, leave DeWitt everything in my will...

by whopperman on Sep 1, 2006 11:47 AM EDT up reply actions

Also

I'd like to point out that I have the best joob in the country. Whatever that means.

Cheers

by Alxfritz on Sep 1, 2006 11:48 AM EDT up reply actions

pretty results

i also think gritty is pretty darn pretty. they have been playing hard and scratching for everything the last few games and it's starting to pay off. as shannon said last night after Belliard's bloop RBI that turned into double, "maybe the worm is turning; the worm is turning."

you can't quantify many of the things that get a team a win, like almost everything pujols does or even something like la russa declaring he's shifting the focus and will only talk about the players who are playing so it gets everybody's mind off the "what ifs" and back into the game.

and really, of what value is pretty anyway? they're still our team and you gotta love 'em. wow--i've felt the need to say that "out loud" for a while now. ;)

good karma for the redbirds!

by thatsawinner on Sep 1, 2006 10:23 AM EDT reply actions

two come from behind wins

in a row might be the kind of thing to get the fires stoked again. true, this club has been capable of some truly terrible games, but they aren't as bad as they had been playing. to end the season more in line with their actual averages, you'd think that this upswing might be able to continue at least for a while. through the entirety of the playoffs? well, i'm not holding my breath; however, i think they may well finish the year strong and not be embarrassed in the playoffs, anyway.

Rabid Redbird

by gthedamned on Sep 1, 2006 10:30 AM EDT reply actions

sooper?

i like that looper has been a closer, and is used to being in the game late with the score close..

but his pitching face is scary and so is how straight his fastball is.

the facts are tho, with the money he and izzy make, we will live or die with how they both preform..because ya cant just not use 2 bullpen guys who make like 13million combined.

so whether or not i can trust looper, im gonna pretend he is sooper, and act surprised when he fails.

p.s. resign suppan! his veteran presence will help compliment carpenter and keep some semblance of continuity in the rotation as we bring up our young guys or bring in free agent pitchers for next year! plus, he is souper..

by 2ndprize on Sep 1, 2006 10:37 AM EDT reply actions

Looper

If I didn't know any better from looking at his overall stats, I'd say that Looper was a starter.

That said, I'm glad that we got the job done yesterday.

Our offense is coming alive.

The Cards can only afford one loss the rest of the season if they want 100 wins for the third year in a row.

Redbirds Fun
The Kentucky Democrat

by cardsfan84 on Sep 1, 2006 11:13 AM EDT reply actions

this is off the subject

but did anybody happen to read my post about the TO thing on ESPN?

I was wondering if anyone else saw the guy with his mouth wide opne behind TO in the yellow shirt for like the whole interview...that was the best part..

by punchinjudy on Sep 1, 2006 11:49 AM EDT reply actions

Cards vs. lefties

Sorry in advance for the long post....I have been intrigued with this issue of our struggling against lefties - we did it last night and we face another tonight. First, I took a look at the team splits for the 2006 season:

vs. righties: .277/.346/.447/.793
vs. lefties: .270/.332/.404/.736

The biggest difference is slugging percentage due to a power outage vs. lefties - we only have 35 HR's against lefties (or one every 40.5 AB's) vs. 110 against righties (or one every 28.5 AB's). That translates to run production, obviously, as we have scored 175 runs vs. lefties (or one every 8.1 AB) and 474 vs. righties (or one every 6.6 AB).

This surprises me, given that the core of our lineup this year is all righties: Eckstein, Pujols, Rolen and Encarnacion. Until the emergence of Duncan, we haven't really had any real lefty punch other than a little bit of Edmonds. So what gives? Who are the culprits? Here are the splits for what should be the core run producers in our lineup (along with HR's and HR incidence):

Eckstein
vs. righties: .294/.331/.348/.679 1 HR/every 320 AB
vs. lefties: .280/.350/.325/.675 0 HR/never!

Pujols
vs. righties: .315/.419/.689/1.108 31 HR/every 9.8 AB
vs. lefties: .333/.429/.600/1.029 8 HR/every 15.0 AB

Rolen
vs. righties: .329/.399/.569/.968 14 HR/every 21.7 AB
vs. lefties: .266/.340/.484/.824 5 HR/every 25.6 AB

Edmonds
vs. righties: .300/.413/.550/.963 15 HR/every 16 AB
vs. lefties: .158/.200/.284/.484 3 HR/every 31.7 AB

Encarnacion
vs. righties: .275/.308/.444/.752 10 HR/every 31.3 AB
vs. lefties: .313/.333/.488/.821 7 HR/every 22.9 AB

The key takeaways I see:

While Albert's splits are impressive, he hits lefties for a better average and righties for more power - not what I would have expected. In checking 2004/2005, that trend was true as well, although not as pronounced a difference. It would be nice to see him to ramp up his power against lefties to historical norms.
Rolen's production against lefties is markedly weaker and not what I would have expected from him. Take a look at his splits for 2004/2005 (which combines his career year with the injury-shortened 2005):

vs. righties: .285/.364/.527/.891 31 HR/every 17.7 AB
vs. lefties: .318/.455/.574/1.029 8 HR/every 18.5 AB

Scotty needs to reach back and find that lefty stroke!

Edmonds has lost it against lefties. His 2004/2005 numbers actually show better performance against lefties - with a higher HR rate against righties being the only exception. His decline against lefties shows the value of strong right-handed bat potential like Wilson and Belliard.
Encarnacion obviously prefers lefties - his numbers are on par with Rolen's this year with a much higher average. He needs to keep hitting lefties at a nice clip.

lboros, you have pointed out the value of power in the postseason before - we need to "amp it up" against southpaws to find more success. I am certain you can put better statistical analysis to this than me, but the trend is clear.

GO CARDS!

by wildman on Sep 1, 2006 11:51 AM EDT reply actions

Pujols vs. lefties

Appears Pujols looks to take the ball the other way instead of pulling the ball against lefties. When they pitch him away, he attempts to place the ball in right (wish I had a spray chart for his hits vs. lefties) rather than try to do too much with it by trying to pull the ball and fly out.

by jomfa on Sep 1, 2006 12:03 PM EDT up reply actions

excellent post

it almost makes me wonder if there isn't some sort of club-wide psychological block against hitting lefties (ie "we haven't done well against lefties this year" becoming a self fulfilling prophecy. it seems as though a post season opponent could just throw every lefty they have against us and take a series far too easily.

Rabid Redbird

by gthedamned on Sep 1, 2006 12:07 PM EDT up reply actions

great post wildman

thanks for breaking that down ---- informative

by lboros on Sep 1, 2006 12:21 PM EDT up reply actions

thanks, lboros

When I think about Duke facing a probable top six tonight that includes: Wilson, Pujols, Rolen, Encarnacion and Belliard - it makes no sense that he shouldn't be at least a little scared and we can't score some "crooked numbers" as TLR likes to say! I wonder what the scouting reports are saying about us against lefties: pitch Pujols away, go after Rolen (away or in on the hands?) and Enc won't hurt you too badly?

by wildman on Sep 1, 2006 12:58 PM EDT up reply actions

I like the post too but

I wish you had P. Wilson's numbers against lefties in there. I know I read recently that he is very good against left handers. Would love to see that split.

Broglio for Brock!!!

by allenbrent on Sep 1, 2006 4:06 PM EDT up reply actions

Wilson's splits

for 2006:

righties: .260/.296/.417/.713 10 HR/every 33.8 AB
lefties: .295/.352/.411/.763 2 HR/every 47.5 AB

Better average against righties but similar power against both. Not as significant a split as I remembered. Here's Belliard for this year:

righties: .310/.360/.434/.795 7 HR/every 42.4 AB
lefties: .235/.286/.336/.621 2 HR/every 74.5

Oh my goodness - another odd split. This lefty thing is real.....

by wildman on Sep 1, 2006 8:09 PM EDT up reply actions

I stand by my original assessment...

that nobody deserved the Save last night, except Pujols & Rolen! Can 2 non-pitching infielders split the Save? Izzy sure as heck didn't deserve it... but let's face it, that game ending play (with the exception of Jason's inability to even attempt to cover 1st base) was down-right "pretty"! It was also nice to see a catcher that can throw a baserunner out again.

by ArachNerd on Sep 1, 2006 11:56 AM EDT reply actions

Q: How many runs did Izzy allow last night?

A: zero.

He did his job. We have reason to complain about him, given his last two weeks, but last night isn't one of our reasons to complain.

by Valatan on Sep 1, 2006 12:03 PM EDT up reply actions

of course not...

He just loaded the bases with 2 outs. (Had it not been for Albert's heads-up throw to 3rd.) How efficient!

I wasn't complaining about him - but be honest with yourself - the infield saved his ass!

by ArachNerd on Sep 1, 2006 12:15 PM EDT up reply actions

How do you know...

he wouldn't of got the next batter out?

That's beer, that's Budweiser.

by Ankiels Missing Curveball on Sep 1, 2006 1:04 PM EDT up reply actions

how do you know

he wouldn't have gotten hit by a runaway ice cream truck ...

All we do know is that his performance was good for the first two outs and then went downhill.

Sure, we ended up making it out of the inning fine but we were hoping we could get out of the inning without the tying run batting.

Was it a horrible outing: no.

Was it a good outing: not really.

It would just be much more reassuring to have him go out there and be really sharp and get guys out himself instead of giving up 3 consecutive hits to end the game.

by dontEATnachos on Sep 1, 2006 1:08 PM EDT up reply actions

Reyes

gets the start Sunday, and I will ask again is he post season eligible? Hes replacing mulder which would qualify as the DL thing that was mentioned, but where does rose fit in all this?

by punchinjudy on Sep 1, 2006 12:59 PM EDT reply actions

As I've Seen it Explained

The only that matters for the post season is the number of position players and again that really doesn't even matter that much. There are cases where that's been changed and no ones been called on it before.

I forget where the article is but basically it was saying something like, "fans make a lot bigger deal out of the rosters than the coaches/umpires do ... so if they really want to do something they could probably do it".

by dontEATnachos on Sep 1, 2006 1:10 PM EDT up reply actions

I Gotcher Link

Right here

by liam on Sep 1, 2006 2:50 PM EDT up reply actions

As long as you are on

the 40 man roster, you can be put into the 25 man roster for a particular playoff series.

The only thing the Aug 31 deadline really sets in to stone is how many pitchers and how many position players you are allowed to have on said roster (ie. now the cards must use a 11/14 roster.) The particular players on the 25 man roster can be juggeled around before every series, if I remember correctly.

Cheers

by Alxfritz on Sep 1, 2006 1:13 PM EDT up reply actions

does

anyone know the rationale for the position player-pitcher split rule that Alxfritz mentioned? I've long thought it seemed unnecessary -- why should anyone care that a team that carried 12 pitchers on Aug. 31 wants only 11 or 10 for the playoffs?

Strikes me as a silly rule that takes a bit (OK, a tiny, almost inconsequential, bit) away from the purity of the game. In no other context that I can think of does baseball forces teams to categorize their players. And I for one hope that if Marquis is on the post-season roster, he gets more work as a pinch-hitter than as a pitcher.

by DCGreg on Sep 1, 2006 1:36 PM EDT up reply actions

I think it has

a lot to do with rosters expanding on Sep 1 and even more to do with the end of the waivers-trading line. But, all in all, it's a big bunch of doesntfuckinmatter.

You could get around all of it by claiming one of your pitchers (lets say a Marquis) as an outfielder or one of your position players as a pitcher. Nobody really cares anyway. I'm pretty sure K-Rod wasn't even on the Angels 40-man on Aug 31 of 2002 and he still played (and dominated) that postseason.

Basically, the Aug 31 deadline is a rather arbitrary rule that nobody follows really anyway.

Cheers

by Alxfritz on Sep 1, 2006 1:45 PM EDT up reply actions

It Doesn't Matter

I realize that's the way the rule is worded. It's also the way the Cardinals follow it (ala 2002, being stuck with 12 pitchers in the playoffs due to a double header on July 31st.) However, most teams don't follow the rule. I specifically remember the Marlins in the playoffs in 2003 going from 11 pitchers in the NLDS to 10 pitchers in the NLCS. It can be changed. Why the Cardinals bother to follow the rule is beyond me.

by Robb on Sep 1, 2006 5:06 PM EDT up reply actions

well the official site

mnetioned nothing about being ps eligible, just that hes pitching Sunday, so I wondered

by punchinjudy on Sep 1, 2006 1:12 PM EDT reply actions

Looper....

I said it last night...and I'll say it again...it was the TWO WALKS he surrendered in the 8th that was my problem with Looper's outing last night. ...because that put runners in scoring position for what would have otherwise been just a little dribbler up the line to put a runner on 1st... but it scored the go ahead run, and that is when I want to just strangle him and all the Cards relievers. WALKS are runs in late innings and Looper and Izzy seem to just put themselves into trouble that way on a consistant basis.

by Timbo02 on Sep 1, 2006 1:27 PM EDT reply actions

I smell a Cardinals sweep...

and the victim is the Pirates, then the Nats. Lets go 8 game win streak! :)

That's beer, that's Budweiser.

by Ankiels Missing Curveball on Sep 1, 2006 1:28 PM EDT reply actions

Hooray beer!

Hooray winning streaks!

Cheers

by Alxfritz on Sep 1, 2006 1:33 PM EDT up reply actions

haha

Hooray, Bear!

by dontEATnachos on Sep 1, 2006 1:36 PM EDT up reply actions

Hooray, bear!

That stems from perhaps the greatest typo in internet history. I love it.

Cheers

by Alxfritz on Sep 1, 2006 1:47 PM EDT up reply actions

man

if bears got you drunk, I would not be as afraid of the woods. that's for sure.

by Schnake on Sep 1, 2006 3:23 PM EDT up reply actions

haha

i love red stripe commercials.

That's beer, that's Budweiser.

by Ankiels Missing Curveball on Sep 1, 2006 1:38 PM EDT up reply actions

so do i...

But hope that the Reds and Astros dont get too hot.

Redbirds Fun
The Kentucky Democrat

by cardsfan84 on Sep 1, 2006 2:10 PM EDT up reply actions

Same here

But I'll take it another step further and say that they will win 3 out 4 against AZ after the Nats. I predict an 11-1 run.

Invisible Gophers---2006 Tempe, AZ Slow Pitch Softball Champs!!!

by BigdJC on Sep 1, 2006 3:09 PM EDT up reply actions

I'm afraid

of us getting back to 16 game over .500. Every time that happens, we go on an 8 game losing streak.

That's beer, that's Budweiser.

by Ankiels Missing Curveball on Sep 1, 2006 3:48 PM EDT up reply actions

hooray

said the beautiful man

by punchinjudy on Sep 1, 2006 2:04 PM EDT reply actions

No

you are VERY ugly!

Cheers

by Alxfritz on Sep 1, 2006 2:05 PM EDT up reply actions

If you can't take his keys

Take his pants!

Broglio for Brock!!!

by allenbrent on Sep 1, 2006 4:12 PM EDT up reply actions

May I please have your pants?

by Schnake on Sep 1, 2006 4:32 PM EDT up reply actions

BOO!!!

Creepy foot Doctor!!!

Broglio for Brock!!!

by allenbrent on Sep 1, 2006 6:10 PM EDT up reply actions

roster schmoster

The postition player vs pitcher roster ratio does seem arbitrary... and with a guy like Marquis, can it be enforced?

or with this guy, one my favorite softball players: Kieschnick??

by _pistol_ on Sep 1, 2006 2:28 PM EDT reply actions

All I can say is go Mets

Beat the crap out of the Astros. They are the scary team out there.

Broglio for Brock!!!

by allenbrent on Sep 1, 2006 4:11 PM EDT reply actions

Recalls so far per Benie:

John Rodriguez

Brad Thompson

Anthony Reyes

That's beer, that's Budweiser.

by Ankiels Missing Curveball on Sep 1, 2006 4:25 PM EDT reply actions

Benie=Bernie

sorry.

That's beer, that's Budweiser.

by Ankiels Missing Curveball on Sep 1, 2006 4:26 PM EDT up reply actions

so everyone can be happy

Jrod and Reyes..now if they can figure a way to call up Grudz and Luna...might be tough

by punchinjudy on Sep 1, 2006 5:58 PM EDT reply actions

What does Narveson have to do...

to get a shot? Jeez.

That's beer, that's Budweiser.

by Ankiels Missing Curveball on Sep 1, 2006 6:11 PM EDT reply actions

Um

Become a veteran with a questionable arm?

by punditmoi on Sep 1, 2006 6:19 PM EDT up reply actions

It also would help

if he could get himself DFA'd by another team...

END OF LINE...

by iron duke75 on Sep 1, 2006 6:35 PM EDT up reply actions

It may also help

if he grew his hair out like every pot-head I went to high school with.

It happened on a Sunday afternoon, August 22, 1982.

by Glenn Brummer stole home on Sep 1, 2006 6:39 PM EDT up reply actions

Since we were talking about Looper......

Just want to add that he always makes me nervous. It probably those damn walks-because he has pitched pretty well-not great, but well enough so I shouldn't be nervous, but I am. My sons and I were trying to come up with our dream starting rotation, guys from both leagues-money is no object. The three of us agreed that we want Chris Carpenter in the rotation....we wanted Dontrelle Willis because he's a lefty, and he's so much fun to watch and we hear is mom is pretty cool, too. I want Carlos Zambrano, they want Francisco Liriani. It really was difficult to agree on what would be the best starting 5...we're going to have separate fantasy teams next season. Gotta go study the Baseball Prospectus.....

by jillsinmo on Sep 1, 2006 6:39 PM EDT reply actions

hmm I would take

Jamie Moyer, Tom Glavine, Greg Madux and Morris again.

wait i was poisoned by this year...i thought you meant old guys to pay too much for next year..sorry i had to

by punchinjudy on Sep 1, 2006 6:41 PM EDT up reply actions

Dumbrano

is a heck of a pitcher. Too bad he's such an idiotic horse's ass. Even if the Cards acquired him I think I'd still despise him...

"Do you find me sadistic?"

by iron duke75 on Sep 1, 2006 6:56 PM EDT up reply actions

Can we arrange for somone

to take members of the Molina family hostage and threaten to kill them unless Yadi takes a couple pitches? I wouldn't care if he was batting .240, but this is just a waste of an AB.

The cat is fine, thank you.

by Intheway on Sep 1, 2006 8:44 PM EDT reply actions