Albert's 5 Best Games
by chuckb on Mar 12, 2009 7:00 AM EDT
in St. Louis Cardinals News
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Print#5 – WPA -- .676 June 6, 2003 vs. Baltimore
Albert went 4-4 w/ a walk, a double and 4 RBI in the Cards’ 8-6 win. He singled in the first and then walked in the 3rd. In the 4th, Albert drove in the Cards’ 5th run of the inning w/ a single up the middle scoring Miguel Cairo. You’d think a 5-0 lead at home in the 4th against the Orioles would be enough to win going away but the esteemed Brett Tomko was on the mound (and Miguel Cairo was in the lineup!). The Orioles put a 4-spot on the board in the 5th and tied the game in the 6th. Unbelievably, w/ the game tied at 5 in the bottom of the 6th and Albert up w/ 2 outs, Orlando Palmeiro was caught attempting to steal 2nd. I guess his heroics would have to wait an inning or two.
Albert singled leading off the bottom of the 7th but was left stranded when Edmonds, Rolen, and Renteria couldn’t get him safely to 2nd. The O’s took the lead in the top of the 8th 6-5 off of Esteban Yan (how, exactly did we win this game? Oh year, #5!). Albert came to the plate w/ 2 out and the bases loaded against Jorge Julio in the bottom of the 8th. Albert belted the second pitch into the LF corner and Taguchi, Cairo, and J.D. Drew all came around to score to give the Cards an 8-6 lead. That lead would hold up when Cal Eldred retired the side in order in the 9th. No other Card was close to Albert’s .676 WPA in this game. The second highest was by everyone’s favorite Cardinal (behind Tomko, Yan, and Marquis) – Tino Martinez – whose 2-3 w/ 1 BB performance gave him a WPA of .194.
#4 -- WPA -- .677 June 20, 2007 vs. Kansas City
I don’t know about you, but the first time I saw this opponent listed among Albert’s top 5, I was certain that Odalis Perez started this game for the Royals. Nope. It was Gil Meche. Albert was 2-4 w/ 3 BB in this 7-6, 14 inning win at home. Strangely, Albert didn’t even have the game winning hit. That’s surprising considering how high his WPA was in this game. Ryan Ludwick led off the bottom of the 14th w/ a homer to win it.
Albert batted in the first w/ runners on 1st and 2nd and nobody out and hit a weak ground ball to third that forced Aaron Miles at 2nd. Pujols then stole 2nd. He then singled in the 3rd and walked and scored in the 5th. He walked again in the 7th and then came to the plate w/ Miles on 1st and no one out, down 6-5 in the bottom of the 9th. He doubled down the right field line off of Octavio Dotel, tying the game but was stranded at third when Ludwick and Stinnett struck out. He then flew out in the 11th and walked leading off the 13th and, while he didn’t produce the game winning run, the team wouldn’t have been in a position to win w/o his ability to reach base via the walk and, of course, his 9th inning double.
#3 -- WPA -- .748 July 26, 2008 vs. New York Mets
Albert was 5-8 w/ a homer in another 14 inning game in which the Cards won 10-8. This time, his hit was the game winner as he hit a blast to deep left-center field w/ Schumaker on off Aaron Heilman w/ 2 outs in the top of the 14th. He also singled and scored in a 4 run first and singled again in the 2nd. After striking out in the 4th, he drove in Skip w/ a single in the 6th and came around to score on Yadi’s single 3 batters later. Albert flew out in the 7th and hit into a DP in the 9th and, of course, the Mets were able to tie the game in the 9th on a homer by (gulp!) Fernando Tatis! He then singled and was stranded in the 12th before hitting his bomb in the 14th to win it. Skip’s WPA was .249 after going 6-7 and Kelvin Jimenez had the staff’s highest WPA despite walking an unholy 5 in just 2 otherwise perfect innings.
#2 -- WPA -- .843 September 12, 2006 vs. Houston
When looking at the boxscore, you’d never guess that Albert damned near single-handedly won this game for the team. He was 1-3 w/ 2 BB, 1 K, and 2 RBI. It’s a good game – reaching base 3 out of 5 times is nothing to sneeze at, but it doesn’t look like a game where one player would have a WPA of .843. He struck out in the first and grounded out in the 3rd. In the 5th, he was intentionally walked w/ 1 out and Speizio on 2nd and then walked and was stranded in the 7th.
The Astros had taken the lead 5-4 in the 6th on a Chris Burke homer and it appeared as though it might hold up. In the bottom of the 9th, however, John Rodriguez led off w/ a single and Skip pinch-ran. Skip was sacrificed to 2nd and then Preston Wilson struck out. Speizio, in what can only be considered a gift from the gods, was hit by the first pitch he saw, bringing Albert to the plate. With runners on 1st and 2nd and 2 out, Albert drilled the 4th pitch he saw for another double to left and Skip and Scott came around to score. The Cards won 6-5. Anyone want to guess who Albert victimized for the game winning hit?
#1 -- WPA -- .995 April 16, 2006 vs. Cincinnati
Before going into the details of the game, I want everyone to ponder for just a moment how ridiculous a WPA of .995 is. If it is 1.000, no one else would have been needed to help him win the game. His teammates accumulated a COMBINED ½ a percent of that win and Albert, BY HIMSELF, was 99.5% responsible for this victory. That’s absurd and, if I can figure out how to reasonably research this, I’d like to find out if anyone – since they’ve been tracking WPA, has ever had a higher single game WPA. .995 is absurd!
The Cards took a 2-1 lead in the first after Albert walked and then he and Eckstein scored on John Rodriguez’s triple. Albert made his only out of the game in the 3rd when he grounded out and then he hit a 2 run homer in the 5th to put the Cards ahead 5-4. In the 7th, he came to the plate again and, for good measure, hit a line drive homer off of former Cardinal Rick White. The Cards couldn’t hold that 2 run lead as Wainwright, Flores, and Looper gave up 3 in the top of the 8th.
Todd Coffey managed to escape the bottom of the 8th when the Cards couldn’t score despite 3 hits and an intentional walk. Encarnacion was caught stealing and so, despite having the first 4 batters of the inning reach base, the Cards entered the 9th down by a run. After Looper retired the side in order in the top of the 9th, Jason Marquis pinch hit for Looper leading off the 9th. David Weathers was on the mound. Pujols took Weathers Down (pause) Town on his 4th pitch to give the Cards an 8-7 win. Pujols finished the game 3-4 w/ a walk, 3 HR, 4 runs scored, and 5 RBI – 2 of which came on the game winning blast. Only 7 other Cardinals had positive WPAs in this game; 10 had negative WPAs – counting Mulder twice, once for his minus .048 at the plate and once for his minus .223 on the mound. He, like Flores, Looper, Eckstein, and Taguchi were awful in this game, forcing Albert to be Super Albert in order to defeat the Reds.
I’m going to see if I can figure out a way to put his .995 WPA in perspective – comparing it to other players to see how many, if any, players have had better games than Albert did this day.
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It's interesting to see...
…that four of the top five games Albert has played have come in the last three seasons.
I wonder…?
Maybe this gives Tony ammo when he says that protecting Albert is a bigger concern than many others think, including myself. In 2004/5, for example, the Birds had much more firepower and one could guess that would spread the load, so to speak.
Any other theories on that?
It takes a village
I’d venture to say that bad pitching is a bigger influence on this than bad supporting hitting. To get WPAs as high as these, you need your staff to blow a lot of leads (in the same game) so that Albert was able to help with the “comeback” on multiple occasions.
by brackenthebox on Mar 12, 2009 8:42 AM EDT up reply actions
I don't think there is another human being
alive today (at least not of MLB playing age) who could actually protect Albert. The best way to protect Albert is to stuff the bases full in front of him.
Those Pilgrims ain't lookin' so proud now...
I can't work my keyboard today.
the easiest is answer is you get high WPA’s if you’re the only person hitting in key spots. so when albert is hitting and rolen is having a great season, and edmonds is having a great season, they split the credit — the wpa’s. if albert is the major force on the team with a good but undistinguished supporting cast, then he’ll get the lion’s share of the wpa’s.
in fact, if the problem was a lack of enforcement you’d expect to see lots of games where albert just gets walked and left on base with very little wpa share.
If there were to be a higher WPA...
I would think it would come from a pitcher who threw a complete game shutout and drove in the only run of the game?
I'm pretty sure Harang did that in '06 against the cardinals
He dueled against carpenter and knocked in the only run for the reds on a single up the middle.
by cloistermaximus on Mar 12, 2009 10:22 AM EDT up reply actions
July 20, 2004
This July 20, 2004 game was amazing for Pujols at Wrigley against the Cubs. It was my birthday. He went 5 for 5 with 3 HR’s and a double. The Cardinals won the game 11-8.
"The big possums walk late." - Harry Caray
This is one of my favorite games
of the decade, well, maybe ever, actually. But I imagine So Taguchi and Reggie Sanders earn significant credit for their hom0e runs. Gooch’s, in particular, I remember as being a big momentum changer because he tied the game for the first time since the second.
And I don’t see how the pen doesn’t get some credit for holding them to 1 run over the final seven innings.
So says, Titus Pullo (formerly The Dude)
This shows why WPA sucks.
because this should totally be in any metric’s top-5:
http://www.fangraphs.com/plays.aspx?date=2004-07-20&team=Cubs&dh=0
So Taguchi gets a .249 WPA for his single solo HR to tie the game (granted, at the time, this act did make me poop my pants), while Albert gets .094, .028 and .123 for his RBI single and 2 home runs before then. Thus, because a couple of Albert’s HRs occur when the Cardinals were behind such that they didn’t have much leverage, they aren’t as meaningful. But obviously Albert’s 3 RBI’s early in the game were necessary for So’s situation to have such high leverage and WPA.
I hate how WPA rewards late-inning performances that are conditional on early-inning performances of the same or greater level. If So’s action is so important because of Albert’s doing then Albert should get credited for the leverage he added to So’s (and everyone else’s) at bat.
It's really more of a clutch stat than anything else
I don’t really give it a lot of credo except for that.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
On the other hand
A .597 WPA is nothing to sneeze at. It’s not too far off the top five. And I think it accurately reflects El Hombre’s tremendous contribution to this win. But, also it reflects the fact that he didn’t do it alone.
Many contributions were needed to win this game after Morris screwed the pooch on it. Dismissing WPA on this basis is bit of an over-reaction, to say the least.
So says, Titus Pullo (formerly The Dude)
Think of it this way
If a starting pitcher throws a complete game shutout and wins 9-0, what is the more impressive pitching performance: the batters put up a 9-spot in the top of the first and he “breezes” to the victory, or the two hurlers match zeroes for 8 innings, then the offense bats around in the 9th before one pitcher finishes it off? The second one obviously, and WPA accurately reflects it.
Or if a batter starts a 9th inning rally, hitting a leadoff shot against the mop-up reliever while down 6 runs, versus the guy who hits the 2-out, game-tying shot in the same contest off the hastily-scrambled closer – who do you give the greater credit? The guy who tied the game or the one who started the rally & “made the whole thing possible”?
Yes, it is not perfect, but it does a pretty decent job of assigning credit (and blame) where it is due.
That said, the Cubs do deserve my pity, but never my support.
You sound as if you think
the answers to your hypotheticals are self-evident, but I don’t think they are. In the first case, the complete game shutout impresses me equally in either case.
And in the second case the rally-starter does not perhaps emotionally excite me as much as the rally-ender does, but reason tells me that he contributed as much to the win as the 2nd guy did. In fact, the whole point of statistical analysis is to help us put aside our emotional reactions and instead use reason to understand why team A beat team B.
by MdRedbirdFreak on Mar 12, 2009 1:08 PM EDT up reply actions
Good point...
I think WPA is at least partially based on assumptions that are taken as true, when they are not necessarily. I believe this is a form of begging the question.
It also prompts several questions about itself, but does not beg these.
And kudos to you
for knowing what “begging the question” actually means! You have no idea how rare that makes you.
by MdRedbirdFreak on Mar 12, 2009 1:53 PM EDT up reply actions
Thanks!
I’m fairly confident I’m at least not butchering the phrase. According to wikipedia there is a more modern and less strict use of it, and I’m not certain I have totally wrapped my head around it yet… haven’t studied logic in a long long time.
Pressure on the pitcher
If the starting pitcher has to match zeros for eight innings before the offense finally does some damage, he is pitching under greater pressure for the entirety of the game. If he has a 9-run cushion to start off with, he can go out there and pitch his game, without worrying that giving up one run could mean the ballgame at that point. The fact that he completed the shutout is impressive either way; what WPA is measuring are the contributions made by each of the players toward winning the game.
If the starter goes the first 8 innings in a scoreless ballgame, he will pick up a WPA of app. +.650 and his offense will have squandered all of his efforts, accumulating a corresponding -.650 WPA; as we all know, a tie game still has a roughly equal chance for either team winning (yes, the home team probably has a higher realistic chance, but it has been statistically simplified to make the numbers more manageable). If the starter is staked to a 9-0 lead before he starts the bottom of the first, what is the percentage chance that his team will walk away with the victory at the end of the game? Pretty close to 100%; whatever else happens will probably not have a significant effect on whether his team wins or loses. As for whether or not that pitcher can complete the shutout, that’s gravy at this point; giving up no runs or 5 runs will not keep his team from winning and that is what WPA is measuring.
As for the batter starting the rally vs. finishing it, that would be akin to saying that the guy who hit the home run that took the score from 8-3 to 9-3 was nearly as important as the guy that hit the tie-breaking homer. And this has nothing to say about emotional investment in the game; if I were looking at it that way, I would be in favor of giving the rally starter just as much credit as the game-winner.
That said, the Cubs do deserve my pity, but never my support.
Well, you've done a good job
of explaining what WPA represents and I’m not disputing that. But the background to my comment is that I think WPA, while enlightening in some ways, should not be given as much importance as some fans think it has. As a measure of late-inning clutchiness it is useful, but if I were running a baseball team it would be way down on the list of considerations when it comes to evaluating this or that player.
by MdRedbirdFreak on Mar 12, 2009 3:16 PM EDT up reply actions
I agree, mostly
If you are looking for a means of determining what a player can do or will do, WPA is basically useless. There are some players who show some consistancy from year to year, but it has no inherent predictive value.
If you are looking for a record of what the player has done, with a focus on the impact of his performances and his ability to handle his responsibilities (given two hitters that put up the exact same statistics, the hitter that batted 5th will probably have a lower WPA than a 7th place hitter, because the 7-hitter will have the same RBI with fewer opps with runners on, meaning fewer failures with men on, etc.), then WPA does offer a lot of value. It is not a perfect system and is not as all-inclusive as WARP or Win Shares or whatever, but it does address issues that most other big stats don’t.
That said, the Cubs do deserve my pity, but never my support.
then use WPA/LI
WPA does what it is intended to do.
WPA/LI removes the leverage index for you, as it is intended to do.
by ball in play on Mar 12, 2009 4:50 PM EDT up reply actions
I love this game for a bunch of reasons
The cubs were favorites going in to the 2004 season; I remember dusy baker being interviewed about who he feared and he named everyone else in the division but St. Louis and Pittsburgh. The cardinals had almost completely overhauled their starting pitching and were counting on guys like Carpenter (injury) and Marquis (unproven).
The cardinals were a .500 club much of the spring, if I remember right, and then got hot in May and never let up. This game proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that the cardinals were the team to beat.
I started listening to this game at work (as it swung back and forth) and made it home to watch the end of the game.
Two days later I attended my last game at Busch II. Marquis beat Sheets.
www.mpgillusion.com
2004 Cubs
That was the most disappointing regular season for the Cubs in recent history. After re-acquiring Greg Maddux, I thought the Cubs would surely win the NL Central. Joe Borowski got hurt, and LaTroy Hawkins became a so-called closer. Hawkins was disastrous.
The Cubs played horribly in the last couple of weeks against the Mets, Reds, and Braves. Victor Diaz and Austin Kearns hit big homers against Chicago. The Cubs finished 16 games behind the Cards and third in the wildcard race behind the Astros and Giants.
"The big possums walk late." - Harry Caray
Welcome to the site
I’ll be polite and not ask you to name the most disappointing post season for the Cubs in recent history.
www.mpgillusion.com
Yeah, there was that
period of about three months in the middle of the 2004 season when the Birds played the most sustained stretch of dominating baseball I’ve ever seen (though the 1985 Cardinals looked like that pretty often too). Too bad they couldn’t have played the WS in July that year, because there was no team that could have beaten us at that point.
by MdRedbirdFreak on Mar 12, 2009 11:36 AM EDT up reply actions
interesting
Lankford pinch hits w/ the bases loaded and 0 outs in the 6th. He hits a sac fly to score a run, moves Matheny from 2nd to 3rd, and bring the cards within 2 (8-6).
End result: -.035 WPA.
And the game before that one...
was the one where Zambrano plunked Edmonds twice. I’m not sure if there’s ever been a more action-packed 2 game series.
by sluggerbird on Mar 12, 2009 11:51 AM EDT up reply actions
That was the first game I thought of when I saw the topic of the post
I was very surprised it wasn’t on the list, but I don’t really know enough about the fine details of how WPA is calculated.
by BTown Birds fan on Mar 12, 2009 1:27 PM EDT up reply actions
The 3 HR game against Cincy...
Was my first game in the new park. I only make it to 2 or 3 games a year and at the time I knew that game was special, just didn’t know how special it was. It was an incredible game in person, one of the best I’ve been to live.
I was there as well. It was incredible. I'm not at all surprised it's his highest WPA game.
Before the walk-off, my then-girlfriend (now wife) said “OK, now Tony is gonna pinch-hit Marquis and he’ll get a single.” I was thinking the exact same thing, and I’m sure we weren’t the only ones.
Oh yeah, and I believe the game was on Easter Sunday. It’s like it was meant to be.
Albert goes ape on Easter
And after the Buddy walk and his golf tournament.
by cloistermaximus on Mar 12, 2009 10:24 AM EDT up reply actions
My first game, too
When I saw the subject of this post, I knew that game had to be number one. Such an amazing amazing game to witness. My wife and I had driven in from DC the day before to spend the Easter weekend with the family. We sat in the upper deck with a view straight down the 3b line. PERFECT VIEW for the walkoff shot.
Rolen had a pretty good game that day, too, if I remember. Also, gotta love the pinch hit performance by Marquis. It was either him or Gary Bennett by my recollection, and I remember being relieved that he got the nod.
Greatest baseball day for me
My best friends dad got to throw out the first pitch to this game. He is a VP for Shop n Save. We got amazing box seats to the game with free food and booze. Just to top it all off I got to meet Walt Jockety that day also.
Stat Whore
by FlimtotheFlam on Mar 12, 2009 1:35 PM EDT up reply actions
That was my first game in the new park too
I am pretty damn sure I will never go to a better game
* sarcasm might be involved in this comment
and....BEN SHEETS!!! **
**not that BEN SHEETS might be involved in this comment, just BEN SHEETS!!!
(BEN SHEETS might be involved in this comment)
Brad Lidge
My guess as to who Albert victimized for the game winning hit on 9/12/06. Ok, I confess, I already checked and know that this is the right answer. But I guessed first and then checked. Honest, I did.
Correct
I remember that game well. I think I have it archived somewhere. Once Spezio was hit by a Lidge slider, you knew it was going to happen.
by cloistermaximus on Mar 12, 2009 10:25 AM EDT up reply actions
Off-topic: I want Motte to make the team
Matt Leach is predicting that Motte won’t make the team. As I understand it, the rationale for this outcome is that we need a long-relief arm (Thompson), and Perez has more experience in the Bigs than Motte does.
Even so, I don’t see how a guy who is pitching as well as he is gets cut, though. It seems to me that he’s further along in perfecting his game than Perez is.
I guess where I’d like to see this go is for Thompson to get optioned, for Motte to close, Perez to set up, and Franklin to provide long relief. But I don’t see this happening. So that only leaves Perez to get stuck in Memphis.
Seems like something unsatisfactory is bound to happen.
So says, Titus Pullo (formerly The Dude)
+1
I like what Whitey Herzog said on the radio yesterday. To paraphrase, he said when you have two young guys who can throw in the high 90’s, you let them go out there and let it rip. There’s nothing to Motte to learn in AAA if he’s shown he can get major league hitters out. Thompson has shown over and over that he is an okay pitcher, not great and only sometimes good. Motte and Perez have a chance to be great, shouldn’t they be given the opportunity first?
I don't get it
He dominated in his stint in the majors, he dominated AAA, he’s owning ST: what does the guy have to do to make the bigs, strike out every batter he faces? Hell, option McClellan before Motte. Motte is as ready as he’s gonna get, he’s killed it at basically every stop since becoming a pitcher….what evidence do we have that his success won’t continue?
Not afraid to nitpick
I believe
that Thompson would have to clear waivers (which he probably wouldn’t). He’s out of options. Correct me if I’m wrong on this
thought he had
one option year remaining. if someone has a scout.com subscription, they could verify it there.
by ball in play on Mar 12, 2009 4:56 PM EDT up reply actions
I will be pretty mad
if this happens… Motte is blowing people away, and yet he won’t make the team? this doesn’t really send a very good message.
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Mar 12, 2009 12:14 PM EDT up reply actions
Franklin could be a long man
w/ Motte, Perez, and Kinney healthy and pitching well, there’s no need for Brad Thompson on the roster. Sending Motte down b/c Perez has 29 additional innings of “experience” and b/c Thompson’s out of options is absurd. Thompson’s a fringe major league pitcher at best and Motte can be, at least, a very good one. It would be inexcusable to go w/ Thompson over any of the 3 I mentioned as long as their healthy.
by chuckb on Mar 12, 2009 12:31 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Obviously,
you’re not paying close enough attention, Chuck. Franklin can’t be the long man; we need him to close. I mean, just look at all the experience and mental toughness he brings to the position. You just can’t put a valuation on that. Look, these kids are fine and all, but you just can’t trust a guy with the closer spot because he’s got unreal stuff and has dominated at every level. There’s a mindset that goes with closing, something that has to be earned. Franklin has it; just look at his performance in the past. He may have been terrible closing last year, but that just means he understands now what it takes to get the job done.
When Perez or Motte have gone through what Franklin has, coming back from a steroid suspension, being virtually out of a job due to awful performance, and then finally landing in a spot where he’s truly appreciated for what he brings to the table, then I’ll be willing to anoint one of them the closer. Until then, though, give me the guy with the track record of failure. You just don’t get any tougher than that.
Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the ace-est of them all?
by the red baron on Mar 12, 2009 1:05 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Franklin is the NL's best setup man
Despite what your “statistics” say. We couldn’t ask someone with his pedigree to be a long reliever. He has a starter’s repertoire. So what if he blew 8 saves last season.
"I'm gonna throw the nastiest curveball I have ever thrown...if he hits it, I'll tip my cap, but if not we're going to the Series."
--Adam Wainwright on the final pitch of the 2006 NLCS
I agree but
I don’t see La-Dunc going this way at all. My money is on something inexcusable happening . . .
So says, Titus Pullo (formerly The Dude)
Setup Men
The P-D reports that McClellan will be a late inning guy, not the long reliever. In the story, Goold provides this snippet about the long reliever role that TLR is seeking to fill.
Manager Tony La Russa said the club would ideally have a long-relief arm in the bullpen when the regular season opens in April, and he added that role will not be filled by McClellan. The second-year righthander will make two more starts this spring and, if everyone’s health is good in the rotation, he’ll slide back into the setup role had had in his rookie year. The job of long relief has yet to be won, with incumbent Brad Thompson fending off a list of minor-league starters La Russa identified Wednesday.
Mitchell Boggs is the most experienced of those candidates, and he pitched two shutout innings in the Cardinals’ 8-4 victory Wednesday. Slowed by shoulder tightness at the start of camp, Boggs has allowed one hit in his four innings.
So, the bullpen will have:
1) Long Reliever — Boggs, Thompson, List of Minor Leaguers
2) “Setup” Guys — Franklin (so-labeled by Duncan), McClellan (so-labeled by TLR)
3) Closer — One of Perez, Motte, Kinney
4) Non-Closer, Non-Setup, Non-Long Relief? — Two of Motte, Kinney, Perez
4) LOOGYs — Miller, Reyes
To reiterate our concerns, this leaves an odd man out if we carry seven bullpen arms. LIkely one of the Kinney/Perez/Motte trio.
"I'm gonna throw the nastiest curveball I have ever thrown...if he hits it, I'll tip my cap, but if not we're going to the Series."
--Adam Wainwright on the final pitch of the 2006 NLCS
Addendum via Leach
On his blog over at the Official Site, Matthew Leach makes it sound like TLR is not married to the idea of carrying a long man in the ’pen.
TLR acknowledged that ideally they prefer to have a long reliever, but that it’s not a necessity. Counted Brad Thompson and PJ Walters as the candidates for that job — said he doesn’t really think of McClellan as a viable long man.
"I'm gonna throw the nastiest curveball I have ever thrown...if he hits it, I'll tip my cap, but if not we're going to the Series."
--Adam Wainwright on the final pitch of the 2006 NLCS
I guess it is too much to hope for...
Just to take the twelve best pitchers?
If Motte really has 3 pitches, he’ll become a Destroyer of Lineups and Ravisher of Baseball Fields.
Perez, when his slider is going for strikes, does about the same thing.
McClellan (despite his early performances this spring) is a Really Good Pitcher.
Kinney, albeit in a short MLB career, has an ERA+ of 174.
I just can’t say that about Brad Thompson on most days.
Nothing against the guy, but … Sigh.
Sign someone who can pitch, then let this team play.
by IL and StL Fan on Mar 12, 2009 8:41 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I think Boggs needs to be in the mix now for the Long Reliever
I have been a fan of Boggs for awhile now. He has some good pitches with good movement but just never had the control. He is pitching lights out so far in ST and impressing LaDunc. I know the “Player to be Named Later” is suppose to be from a different league but I wonder if somehow they could workout a deal for Thompson instead. I know the Padres are looking for pitchers that are out of options.
Stat Whore
by FlimtotheFlam on Mar 12, 2009 8:44 PM EDT up reply actions
that's really not a bad idea
and I’ve thought about that… but ultimately that just makes things even more complicated
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Mar 13, 2009 12:48 AM EDT up reply actions
If Boggs throws this well
He needs to be in Memphis starting so that he can be called up in case somebody gets hurt — and auditioning for a rotation spot in 2008. Putting him in the bullpen as the long man doesn’t really help our club any now or in the future, imo.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
I'm not too concerned either way
they let him become a top flight closer in the minor leagues, or he jumps in the fire and hopefully blows away hitters… but knowing the recent injuries and pitching weirdness of the organization, perhaps it would not set us back to coddle Applesauce for a little while longer.
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Mar 13, 2009 12:51 AM EDT up reply actions
Disagree
There’s been three different reports of him showing a good slider and a developing change-up in various live BP sessions and spring training games.
I saw him throw live BP on February 25th against Wallace, Craig, and Tyler Greene, and he broke off three nasty sliders to Wallace that had Brett frozen. Yadi was catching this session and Duncan was behind the cage observing and both seemed pretty impressed.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
I have the same understanding
three pitches: Heater, slider, change
So says, Titus Pullo (formerly The Dude)
by Titus Pullo on Mar 13, 2009 10:35 AM EDT up reply actions
Besides
Mariano Rivera has one pitch and he seems to do just fine — we haven’t seen anybody hit Motte’s fastball with any consistency yet in his career, so until that happens I think you have to say he’s a lock for the roster.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
"there's no need for Brad Thompson on the roster"
you just broke my heart chuck
BEN MOTHERHUSHYOURMOUTH SHEETS
I'm going to go try to find a puppy and kick it. - Brad Thompson AND THAT'S A WINNER!
would like to see thompson go down
and join the rotation. he still needs to be able to get lhb’s out and he could go down, work on that pitch from a starters regime and stay mid-reliever ready. believe he has an option year remaining.
by ball in play on Mar 12, 2009 5:01 PM EDT up reply actions
Couple random thoughts
As for someone haveing a higher single game number, I’d try Aaron Harang (sp) when he and Carp both pitched complete game duels. Carp pitched a three hit game and lost because Harang had an RBI single. I thought that was in 06 if anyone can help, and I’m not entirely sure of the details.
I would have guess Oswalt for the astros game, but somebody already said Lidge. I thought he got Oswalt in relief at one point that year.
Last but not least I’m starting to get really worried about this Skip at 2b thing. Alot of errors and he’s getting worse every game. Is he just pressing, and causeing himself trouble or can he just not handle it. Either way it wouldn’t be bad to get him a game in the outfield to just clear his head.
Later in the season (right before the all star break) was when Albert hit a game winner off Oswalt
Happened in the 10th inning. Garner had to bring Oswalt in because Lidge had blown the lead in the 9th against a pinch hit dinger by Spezio and an Aaron Miles RBI single. It was beautiful.
by cloistermaximus on Mar 12, 2009 10:27 AM EDT up reply actions
A query
What do you mean he’s getting worse every game? Is he making more and more errors as the spring goes on, or are you in Florida, and he just looks worse in person?
Just curious.
Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the ace-est of them all?
by the red baron on Mar 12, 2009 1:06 PM EDT up reply actions
I think both of the following are true
wpa is about changes in probability; it can be positive or negative for a player on a given play.
it is tied to the “leverage” at that moment. A game with lots of swings will have higher changes in wpa during the course of the game.
and a game wpa for a player is cumulative. So, you can go above 1.000.
there are lots of reasons why
many people are not fans of wpa
one consequence of wpa is that the same play (a home run) has different value at different points in a game.
one problem with leverage is that valuable plays early in a game during a low leverage moment can become significant later if the game changes. The home run that took a lead from 4-1 to 5-1 in the second inning is probably a low wpa change; but when the game ends up 5-4, it was critical.
most sabermetric fans prefer to look at the expected value of a play and think about it in the aggregate (a large sample).
www.mpgillusion.com
I don't
even know why we need to measure sabers…and I prefer inches, feet, & miles (not aaron)…cause this is america, damnit!
anything with "Nobel" in it
lost all credibility, imo, when Al, creator of the Internet, Gore won for his “work” on global warming
Regardless of one's political beliefs (ruh-roh, politics on a sports blog!)
I thought it was kind of lame that he got a “Peace Prize” for that.
That's a tired falsehood
http://www.snopes.com/quotes/internet.asp
The artist formerly known as...
Mr Redbird @ Viva El Birdos
PowerOfDixieland @ Track Em Tigers, other SEC blogs
by jd is legend on Mar 12, 2009 11:38 AM EDT up reply actions
yeah
but I still have nothing but disdain for the guy…but enough political talk, I’m liking the thought of Dodgers-Gagne, I mean Motte, as closer. where did the goggles and hair come from?
at least he raised awareness
about the science of it
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Mar 12, 2009 12:16 PM EDT up reply actions
Don't forget hockey sticks...
Agh! People, we’re traveling down a slippery slope here. I’m sorry, no more politickin’ from me.
Al Gore definitely doesn’t hustle, and I’m not even sure he likes baseball. There, I made a funny.
Hooray for Emily Haines!
Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the ace-est of them all?
by the red baron on Mar 12, 2009 1:14 PM EDT up reply actions
His teammates accumulated a COMBINED ½ a percent of that win
And I’m hoping this trend will be fixed before The Contract is up.
It will be fixed, right? Right?
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there. They can't be bargained with. They can't be reasoned with. They don't feel pity, or remorse, or fear." - THT
Correction
The team gets a combined WPA of .500 for a win, effective to a half-game in the standings. So actually, Albert pulled them team from losing the game (-.500) to winning the game (.500) all by himself. The rest of the team would have been “credited” with a WPA of -.495.
That said, the Cubs do deserve my pity, but never my support.
Question about WPA
Does a player get a WPA boost if their team actually wins the game? I am not all that familiar with the inner workings of WPA, I just get the basic concept. Since it’s “probability” added and not “actual win added”, it can be calculated on the fly, right? I wonder what ridiculous WPA performances there are where the team actually lost?
One game I have always hated was versus the Mets, I think in 2007 (but maybe 2006). Albert managed to hit a grand slam and a three-run homer in consecutive innings. 2 innings, 2 hits, 7 RBI. The Cardinals lost.
I don't really know anything about it
but if it’s based on the Win Percentage, there is 0% of a Win in a Loss….but like I said, I really have no idea
no
each player has his own wpa, and the team has it’s own wpa.
the sum of all players wpa’s, determine the team wpa.
wpa measures individual plays (+ or -) any player is involved in.
the team had a wpa of +5.00 last year, due to the 86-76 record.
+5.00 games over context neutral (81-81).
by ball in play on Mar 12, 2009 5:16 PM EDT up reply actions
It's more dependant on game situation
The WPA for the winning team will add up to 1.000, the losing team to 0.000. Individual WPA’s depend more on the individual’s performance in relation to game situation. I’m too lazy (and at work) to look up Albert’s WPA for the game but if he hit those homers in the later innings and gave STL the lead then he’ll probably have a large WPA, and subsequently the pitcher who gave up the lead will have a seriously negative WPA to balance that out.
If he hit the homers in the early innings, or in a situation where the lead did not change, then the effect on WPA is much smaller. Even so with 7 RBI I would expect Albert’s WPA to be fairly large in this game.
Darn It
I hit reply to mattybobo, but apparently if you’re not logged in beforehand it posts the comment seperately.
Apparently work is less interesting
And I’m not too lazy to look up the game:
Albert’s WPA was .260, the two home runs came earlier in the game and so did not contribute as greatly to WPA. The first gave Albert +.176, the slam an inning later was worth +.189. Contributing factors were that it was the top of the 5th (not yet half way through) and the Cards were already leading by 3 and so at that point already had a large WP. In fact after the home run they had something like a 95 chance of winning the game.
Also interesting to note that Delgado’s slam in the bottom of the 5th only improved the Mets chances of winning by +.161 but Beltran’s 2-run game winner in the 9th add a massive +.789.
Interesting stuff.
WPA is a nice tool but I kind of have a problem with taking it seriously for any sort of real analysis. Kalkman, I believe, tried to make a case for Berkman as 2008 MVP (admittedly before the season was actually over) based on a cumulative WPA tally or something. He’s much smarter than I am, but I could never agree with the reasoning behind it, since WPA has so many flaws. It’s a really cool stat for fun stuff like this, but I don’t think it even necessarily measures what it’s trying to measure.
no flaws
it measures exactly what it is intending to measure, the game state (context).
the probability of one teams win% vs the other, by each individual play. as the game state changes, so will the wpa %’s, due to the leverage index of the game state (context).
we have linear weights we can apply to batted ball types and PA outcomes. we shouldn’t ask wpa or wpa/li to do that, they are not trying to.
the flaws are when fans ask a stat to do what it is not intended to do. wpa is not about hr’s, triples and doubles, but about how each teams win % changed before and after the play.
by ball in play on Mar 12, 2009 6:58 PM EDT up reply actions
it's not that at all
You’re assuming the true probability is Tom Tango’s estimate.
However, WPA represents some empirical average of win % for each context over a time-span. But this isn’t the true probability at all (unless you’re an extreme frequentist). It is Tom Tango’s personal estimate of win probability based on his (somewhat simplistic) data analysis of a selection of baseball games.
The true probability is an unobserved parameter that is a complex function of the quality of the player up, who will come up, the current pitcher, the other possible pitchers and defenders, the chance of rain, … Depending on the researcher, we might want to simplify this function and estimate this probability in many different ways. Tango has one that is popular, because it’s simple to calculate, but one that many think is often wrong.
So it doesn’t measure the change in win probability, it measures the change in win percentage averaged over Tom Tango’s data and conditions. It’s only his estimate.
by enoscountry on Mar 12, 2009 11:41 PM EDT up reply actions
no stat
measures what COULD happen, “the possible pitchers/defenders or the chance of rain”, as you say.
why ask WPA to do that? that’s not what it’s intended to do.
we are waiting for you to invent that stat :)
WPA measures the game state of the game that ACTUALLY got played.
the flaw is a fan asking any stat to do what it is not intended to do.
by ball in play on Mar 13, 2009 8:48 AM EDT up reply actions
I think I have the right to demand
that people who make major bank writing baseball statistic books do a much better job. They’re getting paid to analyze baseball box scores for goodness sake.
I’ll give leeway to Bill James since he is at least fun to read.
Hm. Maybe I got confused about who invented WPA and why.
When I see it used for things like MVP arguments it just doesn’t make any sense to me. I suppose I shouldn’t hold that against the creator though. Point well taken.
El Hombre
Not related to WPA, but I really like Joe Posnanski’s Si cover story on Albert. Well done and it just further cements Albert in my mind as one of the greatest of all time. Everytime we watch him play we’re watching greatness.
And Buddy Walk day rules. Someone should calculate his stats for that day.
So far I've not
seen that issue of SI at any of my friendly neighborhood retailers … is it out yet or did you read it online?
by MdRedbirdFreak on Mar 12, 2009 11:51 AM EDT up reply actions
I read it online.
Good story. The story is a longer (and better told) version of Burwell’s column a few weeks ago.
Man, I want to believe, too. And I guess I will until I am forced not to. May that day never come.
by Youneverknow on Mar 12, 2009 12:35 PM EDT up reply actions
That cover copy about
“don’t be afraid to believe in me” … is that a quote or paraphrase from Albert, or is that Posnanski putting words in his mouth?
by MdRedbirdFreak on Mar 12, 2009 1:11 PM EDT up reply actions
this is not surprising, but just part of who albert is.
still:
When Cardinals third baseman Troy Glaus had to undergo shoulder surgery in January, Pujols went to La Russa and said he would play third base if the team needed him there. “I told him, ‘No, that’s O.K. I don’t think we want to mess with you,’” La Russa says. “But he was absolutely serious. That’s the kind of guy Albert is. He would do anything for this team.”
great story.
by tom s. on Mar 12, 2009 2:35 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
great minds...
I posted this earlier today (but lower in the thread). :)
defy, cards, defy. hey logic --- you suck.
is there a way to order a case of Sports Illustrateds and have them delivered to A-Rod's hospital
room? you know to give him some reading material as he recuperates.
i've got a joke about manly candy striper's giving him a sponge bath, but i'm not gonna say it
BEN MOTHERHUSHYOURMOUTH SHEETS
I'm going to go try to find a puppy and kick it. - Brad Thompson AND THAT'S A WINNER!
#1.... Pujols's 3 HR Game against the Cubs at Wrigley on June 20, 2004
- 2….. Pujols’s Walk off HR off of Dempster on APR 22, 2007 that saved that season at least temporarily
#3……. The walkoff against Lidge in 2005.
#4……. Pujol’s 3 HR game against Ian Snell.
- Another 3 HR day against Cincy on APR 16 2006
by Czechguardsman on Mar 12, 2009 10:59 AM EDT reply actions
Walkoffs against the Cubs
are worth 2 spots.
What we need to do
is come up with a Cardinals-specific statistical approach that gives greater weight to outcomes that occur in games against the Cubs. Because as we all know, homers against the Cubbies just matter more in our hearts than against the Rockies or whoever. I’m thinking maybe eOBA (emotionally-adjusted On Base Average) or something to that effect.
I really like your train of thought here.
We could also adjust for the place the Cubs are in at the time.
For example, when (not if) Albert gets a walk-off double late in September that mathematically eliminates the Cubbies from contention, then there is a factor added to that particular play that would actually allow the WPA to go over 1.0, thus indicating that he not only sealed that particular game, but other games as well just with that one hit.
Baseball's only fun if you're playing it, watching it, or thinking about it.
HAHA
I just laughed out loud in my Business Torts class. It’s not a big class either…safe to say I got some looks.
Oh well…
The thought that I have is that the season is over. And that everybody in the game; a fan, a coach, a player, a manager, front office, scouts...surrender. They say, "that's enough," especially after a game like this. But then Christmas comes, New Years, contracts are signed, trades are made, free agents are signed; and then baseball, like the rose beneath the April snow will force it's way to the front again. And we'll have the fever once more.
-Jack
#3... not a walkoff?
wasn’t that in Houston?
by OKCARDSFAN_411 on Mar 12, 2009 12:03 PM EDT up reply actions
True
It was not an actual walk-off, but it was the game-winner. It sure felt like a walk-off for a minute there.
Pettite (spelling?) "oh my gosh!" is still a vivid memory
Is NASA still tracking that ball?
by OKCARDSFAN_411 on Mar 12, 2009 12:26 PM EDT up reply actions
I loved that look from Pettitte (don't really have anything against Pettitte, it was just awesome)
According to firejoemorgan, though, the ball landed recently in Banff national park in Alberta, Canada. However, my own theory is that it landed in a glacier somewhere, leading to NASA’s recent errors in their estimation of Arctic sea ice.
I doubt the "global warming" people
have factored in the heat friction of that ball.
Also heard there were many cases of whiplash in Houston that night…. but it is just a rumor.
Glad Lidge has righted his game…….that would be a hell of a way to know when your career ended….
by OKCARDSFAN_411 on Mar 12, 2009 12:53 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, I'm actually happy for Lidge too
It was great to see Albert beat him, but to see a man broken is just depressing.
Yeah, it's not like he's a Cub.
I would not mind AT ALL watching Soriano become a man broken.
Baseball's only fun if you're playing it, watching it, or thinking about it.
im not very fluent in WPA
but maybe Thome’s blast off A-Rey? The only hit, and the only one needed…
by longhornscardinals on Mar 12, 2009 11:43 AM EDT reply actions
I didn't read through the comments.....
So if this has been mentioned, my apologies.
I think it is a bit misleading to call these “Albert’s best five games.” Are they really HIS BEST? Not really. They were the 5 games where he pretty much WAS the lineup for STL, but to me, his best games would be those where he “did more”. Not more in comparison, just more in general. Like the game in Wrigley mentioned above.
"Stats are for losers," Muschamp said after last week's victory. "I like winning games."
I agree...
WPA can be useful, but to say that they are his “best” games is misleading IMO.
2-4 with 3BBs is a great game when considering the situations, but I would never call it a better game than his 3 HR performance against the Cubs.
The thought that I have is that the season is over. And that everybody in the game; a fan, a coach, a player, a manager, front office, scouts...surrender. They say, "that's enough," especially after a game like this. But then Christmas comes, New Years, contracts are signed, trades are made, free agents are signed; and then baseball, like the rose beneath the April snow will force it's way to the front again. And we'll have the fever once more.
-Jack
In the first paragraph
I refer to these as “Albert’s top 5 games of his career, as measured by WPA (been measured since 2002).”
There’s no way that can be considered misleading.
I was about to point that out...
It’s like complaining that your friend told you a “spoiler” when it’s something that happens in the opening of the movie.
I think we all understand that, Chuck
But the title of the post is a bit misleading. Granted as soon as I read the first paragraph, I knew what you were doing.
I think it is just a minor quibble with an otherwise outstanding post. And for me, my problem is more with WPA than it is with your post anyway.
The thought that I have is that the season is over. And that everybody in the game; a fan, a coach, a player, a manager, front office, scouts...surrender. They say, "that's enough," especially after a game like this. But then Christmas comes, New Years, contracts are signed, trades are made, free agents are signed; and then baseball, like the rose beneath the April snow will force it's way to the front again. And we'll have the fever once more.
-Jack
i think any time somebody prefaces a post or any writing with "the best Z"
we have to understand that what actually constitutes “the best” is necessarily not going to be universally agreed on.
I think it’s a little more interesting — although obviously artificial — to look at the “the best games” in terms of something objective (WPA), than to have Chuck post something that just says “and you remember that one time he hit the home run? and the time he scored from second on an infield grounder? and that time he mentally broke brad lidge? yes, good times. good times.” chuck could have done that, but he didn’t, and hooray for that.
nope, its misleading
If the author wanted to be clear the title would be
“Albert’s 5 highest WPA games”
a day late, probably no one around to read it anyway
jeez
I think this portion of the thread is being a bit too nitpicky. If you read the post, you knew where chuck was going with it.
* sarcasm might be involved in this comment
and....BEN SHEETS!!! **
**not that BEN SHEETS might be involved in this comment, just BEN SHEETS!!!
(BEN SHEETS might be involved in this comment)
I would like to add
my thanks as well. I appreciate all the work you put into making links for all the games.
No work really involved
I wrote a script that makes the links for the next week—it takes ten seconds to run and then a cut-n-paste to post ’em.
I understand within...
the context of the WPA statistic that Albert was responsible for 99.5% of the win. But if J-Rod hit a two-run triple and the team won 8-7, then obviously he did some reasonably heavy lifting to get the Cards the win.
While we're talking about Albert
Could he be Glaus’ replacement?
From that SI cover story I’m still drooling over…
When Cardinals third baseman Troy Glaus had to undergo shoulder surgery in January, Pujols went to La Russa and said he would play third base if the team needed him there. “I told him, ‘No, that’s O.K. I don’t think we want to mess with you,’” La Russa says. “But he was absolutely serious. That’s the kind of guy Albert is. He would do anything for this team.”
I’ve got to say, I secretly love this idea. Put Ducan at first, Sch at 2nd and Albert at 3rd? 75% of our infield could be former outfielders.
defy, cards, defy. hey logic --- you suck.
Of course
weird + interesting = awesome. There are no exceptions.
60% of the time, it works every time.
defy, cards, defy. hey logic --- you suck.
I'm just thinking...
about a right side of Schumaker and Duncan, with Ludwick in RF.
They’d have to reinforce the wall in right for all balls bouncing off it.
the only thing that bugs me
is SI’s placement of the address box. It’s printed on the cover (not a sticker) and messes up the whole cover.
And 33% of our outfielders could be former pitchers!
The artist formerly known as...
Mr Redbird @ Viva El Birdos
PowerOfDixieland @ Track Em Tigers, other SEC blogs
by jd is legend on Mar 12, 2009 1:16 PM EDT up reply actions
Now we're talking
These are the baseball statistics I’m most interested in.
defy, cards, defy. hey logic --- you suck.
And 14% of our bullpen could be former catchers!
"Do what you want to the women and children but leave me alone"- George Carlin
by That's a Winner on Mar 12, 2009 1:29 PM EDT up reply actions
TLR is inching closer to his dream
To be able to put the names of all 25 guys on his roster in one hat, numbers 1-9 in another hat, and all the positions in another hat, and then draw each at random to determine his batting order and who plays where.
The artist formerly known as...
Mr Redbird @ Viva El Birdos
PowerOfDixieland @ Track Em Tigers, other SEC blogs
by jd is legend on Mar 12, 2009 3:02 PM EDT up reply actions
i understand that traditional roman techniques involving the dissection of
chicken entrails are actually involved, but I think you’re on the right track there.
Nahhh, would never happen.
He MIGHT accidentally wind up with someone in the correct position, or with the pitcher batting 9th. That would be too crazy.
Baseball's only fun if you're playing it, watching it, or thinking about it.
"Random" is not in TLR's vocabulary, when it comes to games he manages
His mad scientist techniques are fed by his sense of self. I doubt he would ever place the control of the lineup in the hands of chance. Such control can only be in the hands of The Manager.
"I'm gonna throw the nastiest curveball I have ever thrown...if he hits it, I'll tip my cap, but if not we're going to the Series."
--Adam Wainwright on the final pitch of the 2006 NLCS
I like the idea
but I’m leary of even putting Pujols at 2B because of his elbow thing
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Mar 12, 2009 2:30 PM EDT up reply actions
Mark Whitten
I wonder how Hard Hittin’s 12 RBI game would compare?
The St. Louis Cardinals- 11 time World Champions!
If I recall..
he did a lot of his damage at the end of the game when things were in hand. That wouldn’t move the WPA needle much. Tewks was quite good that day as well.
ok
I officially don’t like this stat that much…
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Mar 12, 2009 2:35 PM EDT up reply actions
Interesting you mentioned that game.
I just watched it on ESPN classic the other day. He actually had to come out and tip his hat to the OTHER crowd. Dibble gave up the last home run.
Baseball's only fun if you're playing it, watching it, or thinking about it.
I remember that game
hard hittin Whiten
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Mar 12, 2009 2:36 PM EDT up reply actions
I was at game #4
It was the last game of the seven ballparks in 7 days trip I went on. What a game!
"All baseball fans can be divided into two groups: those who come to batting practice and the others. Only those in the first category have much chance of amounting to anything."--Thomas Boswell
Just getting caught up
Nice job of Carp and the defense working around the leadoff triple. Props to Barden for holding the runner at third on the 5-3 groundout.
He has let the lead off guy on the 1st 2 innings
maybe he pitches better out of the stretch, which means he’ll be the closer?
I keed, I keed…
J.J does
BEN MOTHERHUSHYOURMOUTH SHEETS
I'm going to go try to find a puppy and kick it. - Brad Thompson AND THAT'S A WINNER!
any update on what is happening in this game?
gameday hasn’t updated in like half an hour
7 OFs, 3 OF spots. Hmm...
i'm hoping it means they're still waiting for a long bomb from barden to land.
but i’m thinking that’s not it.
maybe dave duncan went out and challenged every member of the sox to a fight
and won
7 OFs, 3 OF spots. Hmm...
I see now that we have been touting the offense around the site
we can’t score any runs… jinx!
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Mar 12, 2009 2:55 PM EDT reply actions
Gameday has died for me as well.
But I am listening to Gameday Audio. The score is 2-0, Red Sox, and their pitcher just struck out the side in the bottom of the seventh. Ugh. There is a Red Sox fan near one of the mikes that I desperately wish I could mute.
+1
I think he just might make the team
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Mar 12, 2009 3:21 PM EDT up reply actions
Who does he bump?
Ryan or does he put Shu back in the OF and bump Rasmus?
So says, Titus Pullo (formerly The Dude)
well
I haven’t been all that impressed with Brendan Ryan since 2007
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Mar 12, 2009 3:40 PM EDT up reply actions
Oh how I would love
for Schu or Dunc to be traded tomorrow so we don’t have to send our top prospect back to AAA. Much as I like Schu I hate the idea of loyalty to him or to Dunc keeping our future CF star off the field.
by MdRedbirdFreak on Mar 12, 2009 4:28 PM EDT up reply actions
You do realize they are both raking this ST compared to Colby
They are both out performing him
Stat Whore
by FlimtotheFlam on Mar 12, 2009 4:31 PM EDT up reply actions
+1
everyone hates on Skip because he’s in the way of baseball Jesus. Once Rasmus, and not his aura, out perform skip, he can play.
And if Duncan rakes like he has in the past, I’ll take his Defense and enjoy the HRs, if he doesn’t, then let the messiah come up
3 runs
and then Motte comes in and strikes out 6 for the save(3 dropped 3rd K’s after the ball goes through the catcher’s mitt)
Good move on TLR's part
to put Barton on as the pinch runner.
can anybody explain this bit of box score notation to me?
if you are subbed in the defensive half of an inning, you get a defensive notation (e.g., 2b), but if you’re subbed in the offensive half, you get a PH notation. if you continue to play in the next half-inning, you get a mixed notation (e.g. ph-2b). all well and good.
explain this to me, though. if you get subbed in as a DH, you get this notation — ph-dh. isn’t that redundant? you’re just a dh. does it make any sense to call somebody who steps in as a dh a pinch hitter? all the dh does is hit.
/rant
Yet another reason
to get rid of that vile abomination that turns perfectly good ballplayers into half-men.
yeah
but I give 3 votes to Motte, 2 to Perez, and 1 to Kinney. (0 to Franklin)
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Mar 12, 2009 3:29 PM EDT up reply actions
No man born of woman
can score runs off of McBeth.
by mattybobo on Mar 12, 2009 3:28 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
But the offspring of a cross between Thor and Vulcan can hit a walk-off HR off of McBeth
The artist formerly known as...
Mr Redbird @ Viva El Birdos
PowerOfDixieland @ Track Em Tigers, other SEC blogs
by jd is legend on Mar 12, 2009 3:31 PM EDT up reply actions
Thurston having a nice revenge game
The artist formerly known as...
Mr Redbird @ Viva El Birdos
PowerOfDixieland @ Track Em Tigers, other SEC blogs
JOEY BOMBS!
And I’ll post a link to this, without comment. (Except for a h/t to baseballmusings.com)
bwahahaha
so awesome
Dont take me seriously :-D
www.GriffinandtheGargoyles.com www.myspace.com/GriffinandtheGargoyles
take guitar lessons from me!
by jealousblues on Mar 12, 2009 4:20 PM EDT up reply actions
that was pretty freakin cool
BEN MOTHERHUSHYOURMOUTH SHEETS
I'm going to go try to find a puppy and kick it. - Brad Thompson AND THAT'S A WINNER!
woh
that one m saved that from being something else entirely
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Mar 12, 2009 3:30 PM EDT up reply actions
Shoulda IBB'd Bombs with first base open
The artist formerly known as...
Mr Redbird @ Viva El Birdos
PowerOfDixieland @ Track Em Tigers, other SEC blogs
Against the law
I think there’s a law against IBB’ing in Spring Training. At least there should be, jeez!
So says, Titus Pullo (formerly The Dude)
True
That would be totally lame
The artist formerly known as...
Mr Redbird @ Viva El Birdos
PowerOfDixieland @ Track Em Tigers, other SEC blogs
by jd is legend on Mar 12, 2009 3:33 PM EDT up reply actions
off topic, but can't let this go.
Papelbon on Manny:
"Once we saw that, we weren’t afraid to get rid of him. It’s like cancer. That’s what he was. Cancer. He had to go. It sucked, but that was the only scenario that was going to work.
And on the counterpoint, Jon Lester. “Actually, Manny wasn’t anything like cancer. Cancer is an awful wasting disease that eats you from the inside. Manny was a temperamental yet talented left-fielder. I found my experience with the two to have almost nothing in common.” At least that’s what I’m imagining him saying.
by tom s. on Mar 12, 2009 3:32 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
I like to call him, Papeldouche
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Mar 12, 2009 3:34 PM EDT up reply actions
That's one of those moments where Papelbon would be like
“Oh, sorry Jon…I didn’t know you were there…”
Kinda like getting caught telling a midget joke with a midget around
The artist formerly known as...
Mr Redbird @ Viva El Birdos
PowerOfDixieland @ Track Em Tigers, other SEC blogs
by jd is legend on Mar 12, 2009 3:35 PM EDT up reply actions
i think the preferred term is "little person".
now you must view “the station agent” three times as penance, please.
Red Sox
I used to root for them back before they won anything. I’m just sooo sick and tired of hearing about the Sox and Yankees…Everytime I hear it any more I want to puke.
you mean the Sawks?
Boston has jumped ahead of the Yankees on my most hated teams list.
1.) Cubs
2.) BoSox
3.) Yankees
mine is
1. Red Sox
2. Cubs
3. Yanks
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Mar 12, 2009 4:07 PM EDT up reply actions
For me
It’s more of a disdain for how the Red Sox fans have become so cocky over the past 5 years. They don’t win anything in forever, then they have one good decade and all of a sudden this is the greatest franchise in the history of the game.
My list is more like:
1. Cubs and their fans (I can’t imagine what they’d be like if they actually won a WS)
2. Yankees and their fans
3. Tied between Red Sox and Phillies fans
These are all generalizations of course. I know not all the fans of each of these teams are like this.
Patiently awaiting the day Colby Rasmus does this: .275/.381/.551/.932, 29HR, in St. Louis...
by RunninRedbird on Mar 12, 2009 4:18 PM EDT up reply actions
hey
the Red Sox are worse, they swept us in the world series. the cubs can never do anything as bad as that!!!
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Mar 12, 2009 5:07 PM EDT up reply actions
I know all Cubs fans are not idiots just the ones I meet
During Mardi Gras I meet this Cub fan and he was going on and on about how big of a fan he was. So I asked him what he thought of the Milton Bradley signing. Of course he knew nothing about the signing and mumbled how he only follows during the Regular Season.
In my experience Cubs fans like the idea of being Cubs fans more than actually being Cub Fans.
Stat Whore
by FlimtotheFlam on Mar 12, 2009 4:34 PM EDT up reply actions
I've met a lot of those
but I also have some good friends (i went to school by Chicago & live in central IL) who are Cubs fans and are very knowledgable, and while they have their moments, aren’t full-blown douches
to me
the cliche of the cubs fan is sort of a myth, since I know a lot of cool ones. but even they know that the myth is there for a reason…
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Mar 12, 2009 5:07 PM EDT up reply actions
this is my list as well
in fact my hatred for Boston means I pretty much dont hate the Yankees anymore
Dont take me seriously :-D
www.GriffinandtheGargoyles.com www.myspace.com/GriffinandtheGargoyles
take guitar lessons from me!
by jealousblues on Mar 12, 2009 4:22 PM EDT up reply actions
For me it's
1. Yankees
2. Yankees
3. Cubs
4. Yankees
5. Cubs
6. Yankees
7. Cubs
8. Bosux
9. Yankees
10. Cubs
There was Gibson in the Reds' dugout, visibly manhandling about three Reds and tossing them bodily out of the dugout and onto the field...He was the toughest athlete mentally I ever saw, and the greatest competitor. JACK BUCK
by ISawGodInGibby'sRightArm on Mar 12, 2009 6:58 PM EDT up reply actions
or that whole upper part of the east
..
I can't believe i gave up a homerun to that punch and judy hitter-major league 2
Here
1. Cubs
2. Red Sox
3. Astros
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Mr Redbird @ Viva El Birdos
PowerOfDixieland @ Track Em Tigers, other SEC blogs
by jd is legend on Mar 12, 2009 8:40 PM EDT up reply actions
I don't think we will have to worry about the Astro's for awhile
Old Team with bad contracts and no minor league system means no contention for a long time.
Stat Whore
by FlimtotheFlam on Mar 12, 2009 8:45 PM EDT up reply actions
But I still hate 'em
The artist formerly known as...
Mr Redbird @ Viva El Birdos
PowerOfDixieland @ Track Em Tigers, other SEC blogs
by jd is legend on Mar 12, 2009 9:34 PM EDT up reply actions
dude
I forgot about the asstros….
new ranking:
1. Red Sox
2. Astros
3. Cubs
4. Yanks
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Mar 13, 2009 12:54 AM EDT up reply actions
The Brewers
have been steadily climbing my list over the past few years with all of their antics.
Patiently awaiting the day Colby Rasmus does this: .275/.381/.551/.932, 29HR, in St. Louis...
by RunninRedbird on Mar 13, 2009 8:27 AM EDT up reply actions
yeah
last year the brewers were my most hated team, but overall, I don’t care about them that much… Brewers number 4, yanks number 5, mets number 6…
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Mar 13, 2009 11:58 AM EDT up reply actions
Mike Greenwell, Boston Red Sox, 1996
4-5, 2 R, 2 HR, 9 RBI (accounted for all of Boston’s runs)
WPA = 1.029
If somebody has already said this, I apologize. I tried to skim through the comments but I may have missed it, i’m sick as a dog today.
Last time I saw a Cardinals Red Sox game in St. Louis
was in 2005, two women in the parking lot got in a fight after the game… still tensions after the world series sweep, we won but I think the Red Sox lady was talking crap about the w.s. sweep
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Mar 12, 2009 4:08 PM EDT reply actions
It's safe to say Joe Mather has made the team
by Hardcore Legend on Mar 12, 2009 4:46 PM EDT reply actions
Joe Mather loves America
He’s like a sober, younger, better-looking Scott Spiezio who’s cost-controlled and has upside. Definitely making the team.
by Willie McGee's Twin on Mar 12, 2009 5:55 PM EDT up reply actions
duh
he is Joe the Bombmaker
get with it already~
* sarcasm might be involved in this comment
and....BEN SHEETS!!! **
**not that BEN SHEETS might be involved in this comment, just BEN SHEETS!!!
(BEN SHEETS might be involved in this comment)
by mattyfrommo on Mar 12, 2009 8:30 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
well he will put the
terror into the minds of opposing pitchers
* sarcasm might be involved in this comment
and....BEN SHEETS!!! **
**not that BEN SHEETS might be involved in this comment, just BEN SHEETS!!!
(BEN SHEETS might be involved in this comment)
So appearently Felipe Alou is taking swipes at Pujols for not playing for his already stacked team...
Dominican manager Felipe Alou took a roundhouse swing at Pujols in the aftermath of the second loss, citing uncertainty at first base as a major culprit in the team’s meltdown.
Alou used four first basemen in the Classic. Rather than take the heat for an apparently ill-prepared, poorly run team, Alou noted, "Everybody knows who our first baseman was in the first Classic."
Pujols, of course.
A number of Dominican stars withdrew from the competition. Besides Pujols, Adrian Beltre did not attend due to insurance issues. Pujols’ best friend, Placido Polanco, withdrew. Alex Rodriguez pulled out after arriving here due to a labrum tear within his hip.
Said Alou: "We knew we did not have the best Dominican team represented."
"I really don’t want to say too much because it’s already bad," Pujols said of white-hot media criticism within the Dominican Republic. "It’s real bad. It’s like the guys who didn’t play are getting killed more than the guys who did play."
ill say what I said under the article:
shut up Alou. Your kid was a crybaby and sore loser (the Bartman reaction and fiasco) and so are you now.
If a guy cant play because he is injured or cant get insurance so be it. Your team had more than enough talent to win the whole darned thing.
Maybe you should take a look at yourself and how you motivated a team of superior players to an early exit before you complain about not having enough all star MLBers.
FFS who was on the Netherlands? No one. Did they complain about not having superstars? NO. They just played and kicked your cocky, excuse making butt.
Sorry Pujols didnt just blow off his 100 million dollar commitment to his team so you could have an even bigger advantage over the field in this competition.
In case you hadnt noticed you didnt win it last time and didnt even make the championship game.
Maybe you are going about it in the wrong way.
Maybe you should motivate the players you do have and have them play as a team instead of making excuses and crying like a little whining baby.
i should say I dont know if Alou managed the Dominican in the last WBC or not. I meant did the team win even with those players there last time?
Dont take me seriously :-D
www.GriffinandtheGargoyles.com www.myspace.com/GriffinandtheGargoyles
take guitar lessons from me!
calling out the games best player over games that don't mean anything? wow
no wonder his son is such a whiny cry baby. and to think i’ve always heard what a great man Felipe was
BEN MOTHERHUSHYOURMOUTH SHEETS
I'm going to go try to find a puppy and kick it. - Brad Thompson AND THAT'S A WINNER!
Felipe Alou
once threatened to kill my high school pitching coach when he was in the minors.
by Hardcore Legend on Mar 12, 2009 5:16 PM EDT up reply actions
when you had to settle for putting DAVID ORTIZ in your lineup, i don't think you get to complain
about who might have been at first instead.
but big papi had to field that alone is -10
bring in alberts +10 and thats two wins
Chuck Norris hit a Home Run
with his beard
by bearcatcardfan on Mar 12, 2009 9:03 PM EDT up reply actions
Go pee on your hands, Felipe.
(I just assume it runs in the family.)
hecanthithecanthithecanthithecanthit
What a joke
Hanley Ramirez, David Ortiz, Jose Reyes, Robinson Cano, Edison Volquez, Pedro Martinez, Carlos Marmol, etc…
If you can’t beat the Netherlands even once with guys like these on your team then maybe that tells more about your lack of ability as an effective coach. Stop bitching that a guy who wasn’t even on the roster cost you those games. It gets you nowhere and makes you look like an asshole.
Patiently awaiting the day Colby Rasmus does this: .275/.381/.551/.932, 29HR, in St. Louis...
by RunninRedbird on Mar 12, 2009 6:36 PM EDT up reply actions
Edinson
not Edison (sorry, absolutely had to point that out, the other is a family name).
There was Gibson in the Reds' dugout, visibly manhandling about three Reds and tossing them bodily out of the dugout and onto the field...He was the toughest athlete mentally I ever saw, and the greatest competitor. JACK BUCK
by ISawGodInGibby'sRightArm on Mar 12, 2009 7:06 PM EDT up reply actions
yeah
typo, sorry
Patiently awaiting the day Colby Rasmus does this: .275/.381/.551/.932, 29HR, in St. Louis...
by RunninRedbird on Mar 13, 2009 8:28 AM EDT up reply actions
Wow, had not read what Wellemeyer had said until just now
but as someone who isn’t the biggest Skippy fan in the world, Todd needs to SHUT UP. He went his entire career being a guy who couldn’t throw strikes and most fielders probably groaned as he handed out free passes. It isn’t his place to step out and say that what Skip is doing would be ‘unacceptable’ during the regular season.
by Hardcore Legend on Mar 12, 2009 6:31 PM EDT reply actions
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/cardinals/story/6205453CE26FB7BB86257577000E703E?OpenDocument
found it.
Yeah, I agree with him, but I think he needs to keep it in the clubhouse.
Apparently Durham has gotten zero offers so far
I would be happy if we signed him but it just makes the OF situation that much worst. Skip is going to make this team regardless and he deserves too. From his play last year and ST this year. He is really only possibility at a Leadoff man.
Stat Whore
by FlimtotheFlam on Mar 12, 2009 6:56 PM EDT up reply actions
2b is the one real weakness this team has right now.
Everything else is average or better IMO, so even a guy like Durham could substantially help this club for his cost.
I really don’t want to think about what outfielders we will have going into the year, as I’m just glad it’s not up to me to make that decision. But personally, I don’t think Skip has any real value to this team as an outfielder.
The OF situation isn't bad
It’s better to have too many OF’s than too few
The artist formerly known as...
Mr Redbird @ Viva El Birdos
PowerOfDixieland @ Track Em Tigers, other SEC blogs
by jd is legend on Mar 12, 2009 8:43 PM EDT up reply actions
Of Course but it is still frustrating
I am still disappointed Mo has not been able to flip a OFer for a 2B yet.
Stat Whore
by FlimtotheFlam on Mar 12, 2009 8:47 PM EDT up reply actions
Exactly.
The backlog we had starting in 2007, ripening in 2008 and really getting jammed up in 2009 is starting to burst the pipes. The emergence of Mather and Ludwick have added to the problem…if you can call it that.
by Hardcore Legend on Mar 12, 2009 10:10 PM EDT up reply actions
And Jon Jay and Allen Craig
Did I forgot Daryl Jones is probably a year away
Stat Whore
by FlimtotheFlam on Mar 12, 2009 11:11 PM EDT up reply actions
Ray Durham is looking pretty old to me right now.
by Hardcore Legend on Mar 12, 2009 7:38 PM EDT up reply actions
I agree with him though
You preach to your pitchers to be ground ball pitchers not strike out pitchers. So when you don’t have faith in your infield it kills that faith to get ground ball outs.
Stat Whore
by FlimtotheFlam on Mar 12, 2009 6:54 PM EDT up reply actions
Especially for a guy like Wellemeyer who dropped velocity to spot hit pitches better.
He’s got to be a little irked.
Still a little confused why he is telling the media, but that’s the Colonel for you.
by TheBirds on Mar 12, 2009 6:56 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Why not tell the media?
This whole thing is really baffling to me, people acting like this move actually makes sense, and people constantly bending over backwards, defending this move. Especially on this site, which used to be sabermetric friendly, and given the advances in rating defense.
It’s like a case of the Emperor’s new clothes. Everyone seems afraid of pointing out the obvious – you can’t take a career outfielder who was a poor middle infielder in college (and for that matter, a bad outfielder anywhere but in left) and make him a 2b.
It’s especially crazy when the whole pitching staff is built around a pitch coach whose philosophy is to let the hitter make contact with the ball and let your infield defense get him out.
Of course Wellemeyer has a right to be concerned. It’s his job that will be affect by this. When Skippy flubs plays that don’t up in the box score, it’s the pitcher that will get blamed.
Felipe Lopez - next year's Joel Pineiro (on another team, thank you Mo!)
I'm fine with the move
as long as Skip’s playing time is limited. it will really make the lineup be devastating… on the other hand, I’ve been advocating a Skip trade for quite some time.
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Mar 13, 2009 1:06 AM EDT up reply actions
not that I don't like the guy
he’s just sort of the odd man out imo
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Mar 13, 2009 1:06 AM EDT up reply actions
In fairness to Wellemeyer
it appears that Strauss may have cut that article up to make it look more damning that it may have been, at second blush.
by Hardcore Legend on Mar 12, 2009 7:42 PM EDT up reply actions
that wouldnt suprise me at all
the guy who was against the move then for the move all along but probably waiting for it to fail so he can say i told you so….
Or just showing some common sense?
I mean, c’mon. They are trying something that has basically never done before, and any one who doubts or points out the obvious (that Skip can’t play 2b) is just waiting to say “I told you so”?
If going from LF to 2B were easy, don’t think it would have happened before?
Oh wait, this is the same site that considers Albert a converted outfielder, never mind he played 3d in the minors and broke in the majors as one….
Felipe Lopez - next year's Joel Pineiro (on another team, thank you Mo!)
On the chart of things to be outraged about with this team
Skip Schumaker taking ground balls at 2B ranks right around 8.
And it’s WHO said it. It’s a guy who was FIRED by the last team he played for and was on his way to not pitching in baseball, only to have his career saved by the Cardinals pitching coach.
When Wellemeyer first became a starter here, he posted a 5.17 ERA giving up a .291 BA and .862 OPS in his first month. I’m sure he would have appreciated Aaron Miles coming out and saying “We are the defending World Champions. This kind of pitching isn’t going to be acceptable once we start playing division games. I’m sure Tony won’t stand for it.”
I’m not a Skip defender but Todd seems to be the victim of being impressed that JSL actually wanted his opinion on something.
by Hardcore Legend on Mar 12, 2009 10:07 PM EDT up reply actions
Same thinking would have moved Cal Ripken at 3B
Prior to 1982, 6’ 4" ballplayers were not made to play shortstop in the majors. Earl Weaver thought differently. Nice quote from Weave in Ripken’s autobio on Ripken’s first mlb game at short.
Look, just make the routine plays. Don’t try to go beyond yourself. If the ball’s hit to you, I want you to make sure to catch it. Take it out of your glove. Get a good grip on it. Make a good throw to first base. Okay? If he’s safe, he’s still on first. But if you catch the ball but then throw it over Murray’s head, then not only is the runner safe, but he’s also on *#@! second base!
Ripken
Was also one of the smartest and hardest working players ever to play the game. Just reading the sections on him and Orel Hershiser in George Will’s Men At Work is a testament to making it in this game based on smarts and hard work — neither of them were exceptionally athletic.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
I'm sure it's happened before
baseball has a really robust history
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Mar 13, 2009 1:08 AM EDT up reply actions
My read as well
Strauss does a good job of finding a quote and writing around it. It would be nice to know the question to Wellemeyer that brought about this quote.
“During the season it’s not acceptable. It’s all there is to it. I don’t think (manager) Tony (La Russa) will have it,” Wellemeyer said
What is the “It’s” he talking about? An error or calling out a teammate performance?
stupid Strauss
this guy keeps getting more annoying the more I hear about him
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Mar 13, 2009 1:07 AM EDT up reply actions
all right
that’s once, if he does it again, he will be demoted from Colonel
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Mar 13, 2009 1:03 AM EDT up reply actions
I don't find anything he said all that inflammatory
We ask these guys not to pull punches in their interviews and be honest about things, which is exactly what Wellemeyer is saying. Tony won’t stand for that type of play on defense in the regular season — what’s inaccurate about that statement? Look at the quotes later in the article:
“Now, it’s blown off,” Wellemeyer said of an exhibition gaffe. “During the season, if someone makes a bad play, they make a bad play. You keep going after it. Hopefully, you keep playing the odds and get a double play. You think positive.”
“He’s made some good plays over there,” Wellemeyer said. “Joe’s made some good plays at third. Khalil (Greene) is solid at short. It’s still early in spring. I guess we only have 3 1/2 weeks left, though.”
In other words, “Our coach won’t stand for errors in the regular season, but it’s not like he hasn’t made some good plays out there, and he still has another 3 1/2 weeks to get everything ironed out.”
I think you’re getting all riled up about nothing HL.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
that's what i thought, too
those comments didn’t seem like a big deal at all. Wellemeyer was merely stating the obvious.
I guess we only have 3.5 weeks left, though.
It’s backhanded praise.
“We” do ask guys to be honest, so I hope that Wellemeyer comes out during May when Chris Duncan is butchering groundballs between his legs in LF to be honest when asked. I hope that when Franklin suffers a sprained neck from ‘gopherball-itis’ late in games, he’s equally honest.
Though, I doubt he will be.
by Hardcore Legend on Mar 13, 2009 1:18 PM EDT up reply actions
ticket question
i just purchased tickets to a cardinals game, which can only be printed apparently, only to find that my seldom-used printer no longer works. if i buy a new printer tomorrow, can i still print these, or do they have to be printed now? alternatively, can i log in to my mlb.com account on a friend’s computer and print them tomorrow?
Install this:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/pdfcreator/
Print them to a pdf file, and print that somewhere else where there’s a working printer.
I have had that happen
and I did the log in on a different computer a couple days later. It worked out just fine.
* sarcasm might be involved in this comment
and....BEN SHEETS!!! **
**not that BEN SHEETS might be involved in this comment, just BEN SHEETS!!!
(BEN SHEETS might be involved in this comment)
by mattyfrommo on Mar 13, 2009 11:01 AM EDT up reply actions
"The Walrus"
I don’t know if anyone brought this up but I read that SI piece from the link that was provided a few posts above.
What really stuck out in my mind was this quote…
We all saw Albert about the same way," says Allard Baird, who was then general manager of the Kansas City Royals. “We weren’t sure he had a position. He didn’t have a great baseball body. We all saw him the same way, and we were all wrong.” Blockquoted paragraph
Remind you of anyone we know?
*Rasmus is to CF as Longoria is to 3B*
Denny Reyes getting killed in the WBC now
Granted, he’s facing all righthanders. But still, not great.
by cloistermaximus on Mar 13, 2009 12:25 AM EDT reply actions
He probably won't be used like that in St. Louis anyways
Also, in an unrelated note, someone needs to tell Syracuse and UConn that I’d like to go to bed soon…
The artist formerly known as...
Mr Redbird @ Viva El Birdos
PowerOfDixieland @ Track Em Tigers, other SEC blogs
by jd is legend on Mar 13, 2009 12:36 AM EDT up reply actions
Can you imagine what an end to the U.S.-Cuban tensions and embargos (embargoes?)
would do to MLB?
The artist formerly known as...
Mr Redbird @ Viva El Birdos
PowerOfDixieland @ Track Em Tigers, other SEC blogs
by jd is legend on Mar 13, 2009 12:46 AM EDT up reply actions
This UConn game is unreal
a team that can’t make their FTs shouldn’t be a #1 seed.
by Hardcore Legend on Mar 13, 2009 12:38 AM EDT reply actions
West Virginia is enjoying it
As a former resident of the Mountain State, I’m kind of enjoying it too. Normally I’d be all-in for WVU this time of year, but Auburn somehow found its way to the bubble so War Eagle!
The artist formerly known as...
Mr Redbird @ Viva El Birdos
PowerOfDixieland @ Track Em Tigers, other SEC blogs
by jd is legend on Mar 13, 2009 12:45 AM EDT up reply actions
SIX overtimes!
I think I might as well just go on to bed, this game will still be on when I wake up in the morning
The artist formerly known as...
Mr Redbird @ Viva El Birdos
PowerOfDixieland @ Track Em Tigers, other SEC blogs
so it looks like Uconn lost
Dont take me seriously :-D
www.GriffinandtheGargoyles.com www.myspace.com/GriffinandtheGargoyles
take guitar lessons from me!
by jealousblues on Mar 13, 2009 1:56 AM EDT up reply actions
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