When did Kyle Lohse become Todd Wellemeyer?
by chuckb on Aug 6, 2009 2:00 AM EDT
in St. Louis Cardinals News
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PrintSo what does it mean that his fastball has fallen to 88.9 mph? I don’t know but it was never that slow for an entire month last season. His slowest month in 2008 was 89.9 mph and that was the only month it averaged less than 90 mph (obviously!). Maybe it’s a tired arm? But he was just off for a month b/c of the injury. I dunno. He was on the DL w/ a strain in his pitching arm. Could he still be injured? I’ll admit – I’d be more convinced if his velocity was in the 85-86 mph range.
Let’s look at the splits by month:
| ERA | HR | BA | OBP | SLG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April | 1.97 | 1 | .216 | .264 | .302 |
| May | 6.85 | 4 | .276 | .357 | .494 |
| July | 4.50 | 3 | .256 | .326 | .430 |
It’s somewhat relieving to see that his struggles actually began in May. This tells me that he’s probably not injured, despite the drop in fastball velocity. There is a distinct increase in homers and slugging beginning in May. Let’s look at the peripherals and see what they tell us.
| K/9 | BB/9 | HR/9 | GB% | FB% | LD% | Zone% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April | 5.34 | 2.25 | 0.28 | 48.5 | 32.0 | 19.6 | 51.1 |
| May | 7.66 | 3.22 | 1.61 | 43.3 | 31.3 | 25.4 | 48.8 |
| July | 4.91 | 3.68 | 1.23 | 41.9 | 45.9 | 12.2 | 45.8 |
| 2008 | 5.36 | 2.21 | 0.81 | 45.8 | 32.1 | 22.1 | 52.4 |
| Wednesday | 0 | 6.75 | 3.38 | 37.5 | 31.3 | 31.3 | n/a |
Aha! I think we’ve found our culprit. It’s all about command, isn’t it? He hasn’t been throwing strikes and has been unable to keep the ball down since April. As a result, he’s been walking batters and been getting hit hard. It’s possible that the death of Lohse’s cousin had something to do w/ his poor performance yesterday but that doesn’t explain his struggles since early May. Command, baby! At least I feel comfortable that he’s probably not hurt. He’s just got to get back to throwing strikes and keeping the ball down and he’ll be back on track…I hope!
At the risk of getting DanUp too excited, isn’t it time for some love for Blake Hawksworth? He’s been tremendous and has only yielded runs in 2 of his 12 outings and one of those was his very first outing. It’d be difficult to believe that jitters had nothing to do w/ that 2 inning, 4 run outburst. Aside from that, he gave up 2 runs to the Phillies on July 26 and that’s it. 17.2 IP and 2 ER. 15 hits and 3 walks – 18 base runners in 17.2 IP. Blake had a 47.5 GB% coming into the game and yesterday recorded 3 ground balls among the 5 balls put in play against him. I’d been thinking that he’s been pitching a lot better since returning from Memphis but that isn’t really true. He was good before being optioned and has been good since his return. While I was pretty satisfied w/ Mitch Boggs’s start last Friday, I could definitely see Hawksworth taking those 5th starter’s starts the rest of the way if he continues to pitch well. In fact, I’ve been somewhat concerned about our right-handed relief and I wouldn’t mind seeing him get to pitch in some higher leverage situations if he continues pitching the way he has so far. While Miller and Reyes have been tremendous from the left side, only McClellan and Thompson have been decent (and only slightly at that!) in right handed relief – aside from Franklin, of course – so far this season. And that doesn’t count Thompson’s poor outing Wednesday that likely pushed him below 0 RAR.
Dan and Al yesterday expressed some concern for the 4th and 5th spots in the rotation down the stretch. I think Lohse will be ok in the 4 hole and either Boggs or Hawksworth will be acceptable in the 5th spot. I’m more concerned about right handed relief, down the stretch and in the playoffs. To me, Kyle McClellan’s no better than a middle reliever and Motte is, at best, erratic. Perhaps Motte can be the setup man in the playoffs (God-willing!) but I’d feel more comfortable if we had 1 more arm we could turn to that would get people out consistently. Could Hawksworth be the guy?
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But couldn't his lack of command be the result of
an injury?
I’m fuzzy on what exactly was injured. I thought he got hit in the forearm twice, which caused loss of strength.
It’s like talking to Baghdad Bob, though, when trying to figure out medical info from the Cardinals staff.
The injury was really wierd, wasn't it?
I thought he got hit on his left shoulder, too. Wasn’t it against the Astros? I was really surprised when it apparently caused him to lose velocity and then go on the DL, I assumed he just had a bit of a bruise…
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Aug 6, 2009 5:14 AM EDT up reply actions
Against Kansas City
I remember watching the video on MLB.com. Lohse was pissed to say the least. He was trying to safety squeeze and the pitcher basically threw up and in on him. Got him square on the forearm (though it is hard to see in real-time).
Here is the video link: http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=4690895
he had so many injuries that seemed really small
I can’t remember them all, but it was sort of weird
Positronic Upgraded Juggernaut Optimized for Logical Sabotage
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Aug 6, 2009 3:04 PM EDT up reply actions
who was it that said "lohse = pineiro"?
BB/9 K/9 HR/9 GB% LD% FB% FIP
pineiro '08 2.1 4.9 1.3 48.5 21.7 29.7 4.71
lohse '09 2.9 5.9 1.0 44.9 19.2 35.9 4.33 (not sure if this
includes today)
pin career 2.6 5.6 1.00 47.9 20.2 31.9 4.24
lohse career 2.7 5.6 1.15 41.7 20.8 37.4 4.53
(thought it was you, around the time of the signing, though I’m way too tired to try to look it up…)
it's Clydesdales vs Goats. Actually sums up Cards vs. Cubs quite nicely. -all4tookie
Wasn't me, but I was not an advocate of the deal.
To me we needed to spend the $$$ on position players. Loshe isn’t as bad as the pitcher of the last two months, but he was never what he did in 08. It was a lucky year for him that came at the worst time for the cards because we payed too much as a result.
I know many people believe that lack of command can indicate a elbow injury. I am not sure about lingering forearm problems.
For the record I am opposed to large contracts for pitchers in general. Their year to year variation due to injury, ageing, or random effects are far too large to know what you will get. We have seen this with Carpenter, Loshe, Pinero. All have had good years and bad.
I won’t object to throwing money at Holliday or Derosa to keep them in the offseason. But we should let Pinero walk with a thanks and an offer of arbitration.
For next year I would rather have the position players in place and take my chances that 2 of PJ, Hawk, or Boggs can cover the 4/5 slots.
I’ll put even odds now that one of PJ, Hawk, or Boggs will outpitch Pinero in 2010 if given the chance to start.
maybe even this year
let’s see Pinerio get through another dozen starts without giving up a home run, before we anoint him the next greg maddux.
it's Clydesdales vs Goats. Actually sums up Cards vs. Cubs quite nicely. -all4tookie
I think using the AAA guys as 4 AND 5 starters next year is v risky
let’s not forget that Lohse is still a question mark as a number 3, and Carpenter is surely less likely than the average pitcher to stay healthy all year. We need at least one, if not two, AAA guys who can step in to make starts if necessary. So far, only Hawk and Boggs have really looked like major league pitchers. PJ’s still a bit of a question mark, and who knows what Garcia will provide. We’ll also likely need at least one of them to be a full-time bullpen arm. We could be really dicing with a worrying lack of depth there.
Given the free agent market next year (a lot of starting pitchers, a depressed economy, quite a few ageing-but-effective guys, reclamation projects, and guys just off long-term injuries), we should be able to get a serviceable arm quite cheaply and, more importantly, on a short-term contract. There’s quite a few big names with various question marks on their arms that will depress the $ and years needed to sign them. It’d be my preference to go after one of those on a short-term deal, whether it be Duchscherer, Sheets, Penny etc etc.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Aug 6, 2009 5:20 AM EDT up reply actions
wait a second...are you saying we should...
SIGN BEN SHEETS?
"Albert hits good pitches hard and bad pitches even harder. And when he gets in the batter's box, if you pray, then you start praying. And if you don't pray, you think about starting."--Brian Bannister
Yes, we should SIGN BEN SHEETS! Then TRADE FOR MIKE ADAMS!
It would have to be for next season.. He’d never make it through waivers. He is the best 8th inning guy in the majors right now. No one-right, left, nowhere-home, road, can touch him right now. He doesn’t walk anyone, he doesn’t give up hits, he strikes out a ton-this fellow can pitch.
Go ahead and tell me small sample size; then I’ll tell you he was real good last year too. Because it’s true. You could look it up if you don’t believe me.
She isn't crazy, she's just not impressed.
Mike Adams,
Ryan Franklin,
Rafael Betancourt,
Michael Wuertz,
JJ Putz.
Relievers come out of the woodwork to post good seasons all the time- rarely do they continue to do so.
15=/=25
Adams looks good
but I assume the Pads will want something good in return… What do you suggest they might take? I’m guessing it takes a minimum of Boggs + something… Not sure I’d pay that price, personally.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Aug 6, 2009 11:13 AM EDT up reply actions
He's probably not even available.
I would also think with the infusion of young starting pitchers into their rotation that they may want to keep both Adams and Bell around. If the youngsters pitch well enough for a win, I’d think the Pads would want the bullpen to be able to hold it for them.
I always mention him because he’s a guy who battled through injuries to make it back and because he’s in his second year of really stellar relief work. At the dealine everyone was looking at guys like Springer and Wuertz. Adams was better than all of them. He gave up 0 runs in the entire month of July, and he wasn’t even on the radar.
I don’t know-Jarret Hoffpauir? Edgar Gonzales is not recovering well from his concussion. Adams would never make it through waivers, though.
She isn't crazy, she's just not impressed.
garcia
I am optimistic so far on Garcia. I don’t think we should expect 200 innings out of him, but he seems to be performing at a level that suggests health. That coupled with his talent level – maybe we can get half a season of good cheap #4/5 starter performance out of him.
Would you rather have a free agent starter and AAA bats in the lineup?
We don’t have the Yankee’s payroll, we have to work in those cost controled players somewhere. I have a lot more confidence that Holliday will repeate his 2009 numbers next few years than Pinero will do so.
You cannot just say using young players is a risk. You need a alternative if you don’t like it.
I guess the best way to put it is this. I am more comfortable with 2 of Boggs, PJ, Hawk, or Garcia starting than I am with Stav and Thurston in the lineup.
I don't want Pineiro
he’ll be too expensive. So you’re building a strawman, really, if you’re replying to me.
We can afford Holliday and a free agent, but probably not DeRo too. I’d probably ideally like to have DeRosa, let Holliday walk for the draft picks, add a useful LF through free agency/FAT trade, and pick up a decent short-term arm. However, given what we gave up for him, I think we’re kinda committed to trying to keep Holliday, which probably means a straight choice between DeRosa or another pitcher. I just feel that our internal 3B options (Freese, Craig) are a better bet to be acceptable than our internal options for a 4th pitcher, especially given Carp’s recent injury history and the fact that Lohse doesn’t look like a #3, let alone a #2.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Aug 7, 2009 7:29 AM EDT up reply actions
I'd like to find someone who IS
in favor of large contracts for pitchers.
Cashman or whatever his name is in NY
if that is, in fact, his name, how did I never realize to built in pun? During the interview all he had to say was: “Hank, my name is Cash-man, lets go spend some dough”
Big Brother is watching...
What I'm Opposed to
is large contracts for mediocre pitchers. While pitchers are always dicey, pitchers like Loshe, with a pretty limited track record of being anything more than a 4th starter, and a very small margin of error, are horrible to sign to big contracts.
Signing Sabathia to a big contract may or may not work, but at least you are probably still going to get some great years and some decent years. But signing Carl Pavano, Jeff Suppan, Kyle Loshe at best gets you a few decent years. And guys like this often become free agents at around the time pitchers start to decline, and any decline in a ability, minor injury, mechanics problem, whatever, turns into them into replacement level pitchers, or worse. When your upside is #3 or #4 starter, you’re not worth guaranteed, long term big money.
I’ve read before that good teams sign stars to really big contracts, and that bad teams sign decent players to big contracts (think Jack Wilson’s contract with the Pirates).
I agree.
Although, the “big” that I have a problem with is length. The 4-year duration of the contract with Lohse is most problematic to me.
"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
The other big problem
is the fricking no-trade clause. So if Lohse has a decent year in, say, 2010, and we’re really strapped for cash to sign DeRo, or Holliday, or someone, in addition to Pujols, well, we can’t dump Lohse’s salary on someone else for prospects.
Just a horrible, horrible contract, really.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Aug 6, 2009 11:15 AM EDT up reply actions
unless its a wakefield type of thing
4 mil a year for as long as they want him….nice
"Albert hits good pitches hard and bad pitches even harder. And when he gets in the batter's box, if you pray, then you start praying. And if you don't pray, you think about starting."--Brian Bannister
FUCK OFF!
hate scott boras sorry dcfcblues
Pujols takes out "I" in BIG and "A" in MAC, previously considered to be an unyielding, consonant threat
terets
just happens when i hear his name
Pujols takes out "I" in BIG and "A" in MAC, previously considered to be an unyielding, consonant threat
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourette_syndrome
"If I prepare myself, my stuff is good and I'm going to get outs. That is a fact." - Chris Carpenter
and knowing is half the battle!
the truth can't hurt you, it's just like the dark/ it scares you witless, but in time you see things clear and stark -- macmanus
hawksworth
The thing that’s impressed me about Blake when he’s been pitching in relief is that he looks like a natural at it – I’d heard that he was sitting around 90, 91mph in Memphis as a starter, but it looks like he can dial it up to 95 when he’s just pitching one inning spells (and he’s averaging 92.5). That’s more heat than anyone other than Motte in this team, and so far his changeup has been a real plus pitch (small sample size alert) with a 10mph drop in speed, the mark of a good change, which suggests to me that he might just do OK against lefties too (he’s also got a cutter/slider-y thing which gives him a bit more variety).
So far, he’s throwing 52% of his pitches in the zone, which is kinda acceptable, command-wise. My one slight concern is that batters, so far, aren’t swinging as much outside the zone as they would to a top set-up guy – 26.5%, which is only about league average for all pitchers (for comparison – Matt Guerrier, 34.5% this year, although Ramon Troncoso is only at 22%), but perhaps that’s partly due to his use of the changeup as his main “out” pitch, which I expect is probably thrown in the strike zone more often than a breaking pitch would be. Also slightly concerning, his contact rates both in and outside the zone are somewhat higher than league average. I guess in 18 innings it’s hard to draw much of a conclusion, but it does seem like he’s a little bit more of a pitch-to-contact, groundball guy, but if he could up the number of swings hitters are making out of the zone, he could up his K% as well as his groundball rate.
All in all, colour me cautiously optimistic so far. I think Boggs stays as #5 starter for now (arguably, his repertoire is better suited for relief, but apparently he takes too long to warm up to pitch out of the pen at the current time, and IMO he’s been solid so far, and certainly an adequate 5th starter going forward), but Hawk’s done a great job of going from “failed prospect” to “relevant major-league pitcher” in just one season.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
I feel like he's looked uncomfortable, but the results have been good.
Also, 26.5% is fine for swings outside the zone- it’s the contact percentages that determine swinging strikes: 67.7% outside the zone and 96.6% inside the zone. Those are quite high- like Joel Pineiro-pitch-to-contact-like-my-life-depends-on-it high. If he continues to induce weak contact and not walk many he should be fine, but his skillset just doesn’t look like middle relief gold at this point- more like an improved Brad Thompson.
15=/=25
Or maybe
This is the real Lohse. He is a sub-.500 pitcher pitching like a sub-.500 pitcher.
He had, probably, his career year last year in the final year of a contract and we got suckered. I honestly never understood the love for him unless he is accepted for the 4th starter he is and not the number 2 or 3 guy we wanted him to be.
by Tom_Lawless_Bat_Flip on Aug 6, 2009 7:29 AM EDT reply actions
regarding lohse's velocity
here’s what Josh Kalk wrote about it in the Maple Street Press guide this spring:
“Lohse will be 30 years old in 2009, which means we can expect his velocity to start dropping. After age 29, a pitcher tends to lose about half a percent a year off his fastball. Because Lohse throws his fastball almost exactly at league average (91.2 MPH), he is at a tipping point; if he loses a couple of miles an hour off his fastball over the next few years, it might make a very big difference. While it’s possible to survive in the big leagues with an 89 mph fastball, you need to be very precise with your pitches, and attacking with the fastball can become more dangerous. . . .”
i often wonder, if you came around and commented everyday,
would you always have golden nuggets like this, or if you just wait till you have something interesting to say…regardless, very nice point, come back soon
"Albert hits good pitches hard and bad pitches even harder. And when he gets in the batter's box, if you pray, then you start praying. And if you don't pray, you think about starting."--Brian Bannister
He'd have golden nuggets every day.
That’s why most of us flocked to this blog, because of his daily posts back when he ran VEB.
"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
by bgh on Aug 6, 2009 9:10 AM EDT up reply actions
yea i know
just trying to get him to come arond more
"Albert hits good pitches hard and bad pitches even harder. And when he gets in the batter's box, if you pray, then you start praying. And if you don't pray, you think about starting."--Brian Bannister
Wouldn't that be wonderful?
"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
by bgh on Aug 6, 2009 9:18 AM EDT up reply actions
That isn't true for every pitcher though is it?
I don’t think Carp’s fastball has dwindled this year compared to 2005, and guys like Randy Johnson, Nolan Ryan, and Curt Schilling were hard throwers well into their thirties (and forties). I really think that’s a large assumption to make on his part, even if he has a lot of data to support it. Lohse was throwing around 91 touching 92-93 in April, why would he suddenly drop back to 89 because of age? I just don’t buy it.
Also, you can stave off the effects of aging by developing another good out pitch. Roger Clemens rescued his career by developing a splitter (and by taking steriods, but I digress), and Piniero and Washburn have developed good sinkers and become better strike throwers. I think that Lohse is just having trouble keeping the ball down and getting good movement on his fastball, causing him to get lit up more often this year.
As I said in the post about Wellemeyer a few weeks ago, Lohse is one of those pitchers who isn’t good at getting out of trouble. When he’s cruising he’s in great shape, but as soon as runners get on he seems to lose his confidence on the mound and things go awry quickly, he never recovers, and we end up getting into the bullpen in the 5th inning. It’s like he lacks the mental fortitude to get out of jams and restart things at the beginning of the next inning.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
Strikeout Ability
It’s good to have a fascist streak as a pitcher, and be able to strike batters out when you get into a jam. Exhibit A: Adam Wainwright. If you are a democratic groundball pitcher, you have to rely on the double play to avoid damage. I don’t think pitchers should get 4-year deals who can’t K their way out of trouble.
Also, I believe that Schilling and Johnson did see velocity dips as they aged, it’s just that they started out in the mid- to upper-90s with their fastball, so the drop they experienced did not result in a below average fastball.
"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
Schilling and Johnson's fastball velocity dropping
also coincided with their learning how to pitch instead of just throw too. Those two had some trouble transitioning into the big leagues.
She isn't crazy, she's just not impressed.
It's not the "getting out of jams" issue that bugs me the most...
it’s that if he gives up a couple of runs early, you KNOW he’s not getting to the 6th inning. He can’t clear out the first 2 innings and go on pitching. Good pitchers do this, regardless of the ability to get a strikeout. Tom Glavine was notorious for having trouble in the first couple of innings, but he was able to settle down and get in a groove after that and he wasn’t a pitcher with tremendous strikeout ability. Lohse simply doesn’t strike me as having that ability, call it “gamesmanship” or “being a gamer”, or whatever — he simply doesn’t display that confidence that enables him to struggle and then recover.
This is totally my opinion and is probably biased a little bit, but I’ve watched a ton of his games over the years because my dad is a Twins fan. He’s not all that different a pitcher now than he was in Minnesota, and that was a much tougher league than this one.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
The trouble with Lohse
could be ("gamesmanship" or "being a gamer", or whatever — he simply doesn’t display that confidence that enables him to struggle and then recover.) being expose to Wellemeyer too much
Could be
I compared them in a post last week and nobody wanted to agree. Maybe it’s just me, but when I watch them pitch I get similar feelings about their level of competitiveness. When things go well, they pitch well, when things go the wrong way, it’s “katy bar the door” time.
"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 agree on the age thing.
Isn’t it much more likely that Lohse just isn’t completely in shape yet? Not everyone comes back from an injury like Chris Carpenter. I don’t think Lohse is a great pitcher, but this is not his true talent level. He’s still coming back from injury.
15=/=25
Give the Guy a Mulligan....
…I can tell you its very tough to just go out and ‘do your job’ after a death in the family – in fact its darn near impossible, depending on cow close the two were. I absolve him ( Et ego te absolvo a peccatis tuis in nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti) of this start, but let’s hope he turns things around next time.
I hate Jason Marquis!
:=8O
Quite compassionate of you
can you absolve him of the rest of his abysmal 2009 while you’re at it?
"Every epoch dreams its successor" - Jules Michelet
by Tudor's Electric Fan on Aug 6, 2009 9:40 AM EDT up reply actions
yeah
his April was awesome
Positronic Upgraded Juggernaut Optimized for Logical Sabotage
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Aug 6, 2009 3:06 PM EDT up reply actions
Shouldn't you have let Felonious Monk do all the latin recitals around here?
Baseball's only fun if you're playing it, watching it, or thinking about it.
I'm not sure that would be a very good idea...
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Aug 6, 2009 11:18 AM EDT up reply actions
for thee, my lord, for thee.
Stupid Sexy Flanders!!!
by timmycardinals on Aug 6, 2009 11:38 AM EDT up reply actions
If i remember right
Lohse was pitching well in the game in which he was hit on the forearm and though he has been slow in coming around completely, yesterday was the first time he has been real lousy.
I think he'll be fine down the stretch
or should I say, I hope he’ll be great down the stretch
Positronic Upgraded Juggernaut Optimized for Logical Sabotage
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Aug 6, 2009 4:05 PM EDT up reply actions
He was hit in the forearm in an at-bat in the 8th or 9th inning
He was still in because he was dominating that game.
I think you are looking at the wrong data!
When did Kyle Lohse become Todd Wellemeyer? Well, if you look at the stats Kyle Lohse has basically been Todd Wellemeyer every single year of his career, with the exception of last year. (Which, oddly enough, was the same year that Todd Wellemeyer was not Todd Wellemeyer.) For all the time on this site we spend discussing the great “regression to the mean”, Kyle Lohse for his career has a 4.62 ERA and a 2.05 K/BB. This season Lohse is at 4.56 and 2.21.
THIS IS KYLE LOHSE. He is as league average as a league average pitcher can be.
The thing that was so crappy about signing this deal was that Jocketty always let other teams overpay for starters that had inflated one year stats: (Goodbye Suppan, Marquis, Bottenfield, Weaver . . and so on, and so forth.) And he had such discipline about not resigning these one year improvement guys, unless it was for peanuts.
Mo went out and stupidly gave this league average starting pitcher 40 million dollars. It is really the worst signing of the last ten years for St. Louis.
I hate his contract too
I think last year was a definite career year for Kyle. The worst thing about it is he has a no-trade for the next three years. Last year he pitched like a #3 and the best I am hoping for out of him is that he can pitch like a #4 since he isn’t going anywhere. Of course, pitching like a #4 would be a big improvement of what he has done this year so far.
This organiziation really needs to start producing front of the rotation starting pitchers. Sign Shelby Miller please!
Lohse has a FIP of 4.5 this year
that’s about league average for a #4 starting pitcher. So he’s doing what most of us expected, really. He’s just not worth $40m over 4 years….
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Aug 6, 2009 11:20 AM EDT up reply actions
he should be at least a #3 starter level
For what we are paying him
Stat Whore
by FlimtotheFlam on Aug 6, 2009 11:30 AM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, about that
anybody heard any updates on Miller’s negotiations?
like everybody who's going above slot, nothing is going to happen with miller for at least
another week. they’ll push it right up to the deadline and see what other guys are getting.
He’ll sign for $3.5M in the end, give or take $250K. probably on august 16th.
the truth can't hurt you, it's just like the dark/ it scares you witless, but in time you see things clear and stark -- macmanus
On this Jockety meme,
Has anybody been able to figure out exactly what WJ is doing in Cincinnatti? He seems to spend half his time trying to contend and the other half trying to trade for prospects. All in all, he’s doing a pretty craptastic job of both.
Baseball's only fun if you're playing it, watching it, or thinking about it.
He has not been so bad.
He turned Ryan Freel into Ramon Hernandez; Two minor league bullpen arms and a bad player into Scott Rolen. Cincinnati really does not have any assets other than Brandon Phillips and Joey Votto. Next year they will bat Dickerson, Phillips, Votto, Bruce, Rolen . . .Which isn’t terrible.
It’s also not good. . . I’m not sure, the talent level is just really low.
I guess that is what I'm trying to say.
Why even bother with the Rolen trade? What good does that do the Reds when they aren’t going to contend anyway?
Baseball's only fun if you're playing it, watching it, or thinking about it.
what have you done for me lately?
Rolen hit a 2R HR last night against the cubs, and I got to send “Rolen on the whatever river is in Cincinatti” texts to my cubs fan buddies.
Big Brother is watching...
by STLRegalia on Aug 6, 2009 10:33 AM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
yea if he leads to cubs losses
then i love the trade
"Albert hits good pitches hard and bad pitches even harder. And when he gets in the batter's box, if you pray, then you start praying. And if you don't pray, you think about starting."--Brian Bannister
Do the Reds come to STL again this year?
if so, will he get cheers or jeers?
Big Brother is watching...
yea next week
hopefully cheers…he didn’t do anything to deserve boos
"Albert hits good pitches hard and bad pitches even harder. And when he gets in the batter's box, if you pray, then you start praying. And if you don't pray, you think about starting."--Brian Bannister
Actually I don't remember Edmonds
I remember he got cheered, I don’t remember TLR saying anything about it.
Chlorophyll? More like borophyll!
I don't know if it was about the cheering necessarily
but that was about the time TLR tried to make a big deal about Jimmy saying how much he was glad to be playing etc, etc, etc. The usual platitudes, and TLR kinda tried to say it like he was dissing the Cards.
by MaytheForschbewithyou on Aug 6, 2009 4:27 PM EDT up reply actions
FYI
Cincinnati is on the Ohio River. Keep that info handy for the next time Scotty goes deep or makes a great play at third (except against the Cards, of course). ;)
no i wouldn't
it’s the most useless, worthless, depressing, banshee infested, dream killing, soul crushing state evar
pretzels pretzels pretzels pretzels
EH
west virginia has gotta be up near the top
Pujols takes out "I" in BIG and "A" in MAC, previously considered to be an unyielding, consonant threat
At least WV is pretty
Chlorophyll? More like borophyll!
by jd is legend on Aug 6, 2009 11:10 AM EDT up reply actions
Ouch
Hoosiers aren’t in vogue around here?
"I'll be glad to have Ryan [Braun] help if he wants to. I'll give him a badge and he can be my deputy." - Doug Melvin
It's a move for next year, not this year
If they put a healthy team on the field for 80% of the season, I don’t doubt that they’ll have a chance to contend.
Harang, Cueto (April/May version), and Volquez are pretty good 1,2,3 for a rotation and they’ll have a solid defense next year when they move Dickerson to CF and Bruce in RF. Votto is one of the best hitters in the NL when he’s healthy (.989 OPS this year in 77 games). They have a pretty solid bullpen and a good closer.
Lineup:
Dickerson
Phillips
Votto
Bruce
Rolen
Gonzalez
FA LF
Hernandez
That’s a pretty good lineup right there.
"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 team will be competitive,
but I don’t see them going that far unless Volquez really comes back strong and Cueto breaks out again (and they find some decent guys for the back of that rotation, Homer Bailey looks like a possible bust).
15=/=25
Volquez most likely won't pitch next year.
He just got the TJ done yesterday or the day before…….maybe the last 2 months of the season…..
Philles announcers about Toronto:
"Well they go out West after this series, this weekend, against the Tampa Bay Rays"
VOLQUEZ
wont pitch next year hes having tommy john surgery, but then again it is dusty baker
and his list of de-arming pitchers is fairly long, jason schmidt, kerry wood, mark prior, and not volquez
Pujols takes out "I" in BIG and "A" in MAC, previously considered to be an unyielding, consonant threat
Volquez sounds like a big question mark at the moment.
Votto’s had anxiety problems this year. I don’t doubt that he’s excellent when fit, and Bruce is becoming quite underrated all of a sudden after a good first month in the bigs. That said, I’m less sure of Cinci’s chances of competing next year than I was earlier in the season – I thought it’d be us, them and the Cubs next year, but I think with the additions we’ve made and the possibility we might have Holliday all year, we’re quite a bit better than they are in 2010, most likely.
It sounds like Volquez might miss a chunk of next year, and who knows how he’ll come back from surgery. He’s also been a mess, command-wise, much of this year. Their pitching all of a sudden doesn’t look so daunting.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Aug 6, 2009 11:30 AM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, the Reds are interesting
But they’re quite a wild card. For them it’s always depended on Harang still being good and Volquez and Cueto being healthy and effective at the same time, and I’m not sure that’s ever happened for a significant stretch yet.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
Isn't Harang sucking it up this year?
I don’t think he’s much for a rotation anchor. Now Cueto and Volquez are both very good. I just think their lineup is pretty punchless unless Bruce really starts to flash all the potential everyone says he has.
Baseball's only fun if you're playing it, watching it, or thinking about it.
He hasn't been good this year
That’s true. But he still gets a ton of punch-outs, so a Javy Vazquez like resurgence is not out of the question for him at any given time. Harang’s other problem this year (he’s on my fantasy roster) is that Dusty keeps leaving him in there to take punishment because their bullpen is worn out and Dusty is a fucking moron. He threw 7 innings the other night while giving up 4 runs early and running his pitching count up to way over 100 pitches.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
Oh yeah, and I forgot the Dusty factor.
That’s a 5-game deficit right there.
Baseball's only fun if you're playing it, watching it, or thinking about it.
it doesn't help that all the Reds top prospects are busting once they hit the majors
Homer Bailey, Jay Bruce, Johnny Cueto
All 3 top 10 prospects in baseball at one point, and all 3 have been major disappointments.
There is still plenty of time for them to turn it around though.
I don't think they're all busts
Bailey might be, but Cueto was stellar for two full months this year and seems to be having problems with a dead arm and control since then, and Bruce is just having a sophomore slump, but he’s still shown power and good corner OF defense this season before his season ending injury — I think he’ll be just fine.
The question for me is: What are they going to do with Yonder Alonso? He’s a first baseman, and Votto, who’s their best hitter right now, is also a first baseman. Do they move Votto for pitching help when Alonso’s ready? Do they move Alonso (much more difficult to do since he’d immediately be on someone’s 40 man roster with his major league contract) for pitching help or an OF bat?
"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 know what the Cards would do.
Votto would learn to play 2b, Alonso would play 1b, and Phillips would go to LF.
Baseball's only fun if you're playing it, watching it, or thinking about it.
Votto's played LF before
I suspect they could move him there.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Aug 6, 2009 11:49 AM EDT up reply actions
Of course, he was -74.2 runs/150 there
in six games, so I assume that would (if you include his hitting and positional adjustment) make him about 3 wins below replacement level. If you extrapolate it. Which you should do.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Aug 6, 2009 11:54 AM EDT up reply actions
Don't be ridiculous.
The worst left fielder in the game isn’t 3 wins below replacement. It’s six games- a sample size so unreliable that he might as well have never played there. Converted first basemen are below average elsewhere, but if his defense ends up between Lance Berkman and Chris Duncan he’ll still be a 4 WAR player.
15=/=25
I think that was his point
"I'll be glad to have Ryan [Braun] help if he wants to. I'll give him a badge and he can be my deputy." - Doug Melvin
Oh dear.
Might be too early in the morning for you, I fear…
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Aug 6, 2009 12:33 PM EDT up reply actions
unfortunately, if I get wrapped up and spend more time looking up numbers than reading and writing,
this kind of dumb stuff is bound to happen. In other news, I woke up early and my job doesn’t want me to come in, so now I can hang out in a stupor and post dumb stuff all day.
15=/=25
Not busts, but they have been disappointments
for as highly touted as they were.
Jay Bruce has never shown anything but power since he’s been in the major leagues. As of right now, he looks like Adam Dunn with fewers walks and slightly less power but better defense.
So I guess Colby Rasmus is a disappointment then?
Because Bruce put up better numbers in roughly 100 more PA’s than Colby has this year and they were ranked right next to each other on the top 50 prospect list before last season. I don’t remember Justin Upton being gangbusters right out of chute either, but I’d sure like to have him playing right field for me this year.
Bruce is a future 3-4 WAR player, you can mark that down.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
Those Upton's are adorable in that "Beyond Baseball" add.
They are even more adorable on the field.
Yep, I want me my Upton brother. Their ceiling is the sky.
She isn't crazy, she's just not impressed.
We should have an all-upton-duncan-molina starting 9.
15=/=25
by hazel on Aug 6, 2009 1:52 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
The rotation would be made up of Weavers and Hernandez's
Jeff and Jered, Orlando and Livan. This team could be really fun but it might also suck.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
All Alou coaching staff.
"If I prepare myself, my stuff is good and I'm going to get outs. That is a fact." - Chris Carpenter
Can Sr. Griffey still drop bombs?
"I'll be glad to have Ryan [Braun] help if he wants to. I'll give him a badge and he can be my deputy." - Doug Melvin
After mexican night at the Griffey home
He drops some bombs
Stat Whore
by FlimtotheFlam on Aug 6, 2009 2:03 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
OK, let's think
OF: Uptons and J.D. Drew. Duncans are back-ups
1B: Adrian Gonzalez (Duncans can also back up here)
2B: Edgar Gonzalez
SS: Steven Drew
3B: … Still working on this. Can Bengie handle it maybe?
C: Molina time.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
Is he any good?
Maybe Bret Boone can be a coach of some kind.
This is gonna work, people!
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
The Cansecos have to be the basecoaches
"I'll be glad to have Ryan [Braun] help if he wants to. I'll give him a badge and he can be my deputy." - Doug Melvin
They have to be the strength and conditioning coaches.
Baseball's only fun if you're playing it, watching it, or thinking about it.
And Alan can be the bullpen catcher, Andy the pitching coach
"I'll be glad to have Ryan [Braun] help if he wants to. I'll give him a badge and he can be my deputy." - Doug Melvin
Yes yes yes
This is gonna be awesome I can just feel it.
(Wait for it…)
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
I think Aaron's pretty washed up now.
Injuries really hurt him. He was a pretty good 3b in his prime.
Baseball's only fun if you're playing it, watching it, or thinking about it.
Heart Problem
Didn’t Aaron Boone have open-heart surgery this year? Think he tried to come back and couldn’t do it and officially retired.
If that isn’t right, I have no idea where it came from
I think that is right.
I also think he was pretty washed up before that. He had some sort of serious injury a few years back that really cost him.
Baseball's only fun if you're playing it, watching it, or thinking about it.
He got hurt playing a pick up game of basketball I believe.
Could be wrong
by MaytheForschbewithyou on Aug 6, 2009 3:14 PM EDT up reply actions
That is what happened.
"If I prepare myself, my stuff is good and I'm going to get outs. That is a fact." - Chris Carpenter
Pedro Martinez could be in the rotation.
Baseball's only fun if you're playing it, watching it, or thinking about it.
You guys are gonna have to dip into the Izturis's
AVENGE BOOG
"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
LaRoche's
heh.
http://www.baseball-almanac.com/fammenu.shtml
AVENGE BOOG
"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
Oh yeah.
I guess the LaRoche brothers are obvious…
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
i'm still amazed that Ryan Ludwick has a brother
I don’t remember him at all…
AVENGE BOOG
"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
I have his future stars card. Eric Ludwick
Baseball's only fun if you're playing it, watching it, or thinking about it.
I read an article where a guy in NY was paying $10k for kidneys..
would take a lot of us working together to make it to Justin Upton level
"I'll be glad to have Ryan [Braun] help if he wants to. I'll give him a badge and he can be my deputy." - Doug Melvin
he was then selling them for $200,000, which was the kicker, iirc.
the truth can't hurt you, it's just like the dark/ it scares you witless, but in time you see things clear and stark -- macmanus
kidneys used to go on ebay for upwards of 1 million dollars
but then ebay started taking down the auctions
Forget data
I watch ballgames. last year Lohse looked like he had figured it out and had finally reached his potential. There was no reason to believe he would regress to the mean. (some regression maybe, even more improvement, maybe.
That being said, no I didn’t like the 4 year 40 million contract either. I’ll give him the rest of the year though before I write him off as a total loss.
I dunno
his stuff didn’t suddenly look awesome or anything. He just had solid command (something he’s not always done) and maybe reaped the benefit of pitching in a pitcher’s park, in front of a good defence, in a slightly weaker offensive league, and having something to prove after he missed out on a big FA contract. He met his potential, but there wasn’t anything to suggest his potential was anything more than a slightly above-average pitcher, and nothing really to suggest that there was anything more to come.
To be worth that money, he’s going to have to pitch that well for the first two years on his deal before he likely hits the downslide of his career aged 32, 33 in the last couple of years. And, like I said, pitching that well is probably about his peak. So we’ve basically paid him to be as good a pitcher as he’s probably capable of – there’s no upside to speak of.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Aug 6, 2009 11:34 AM EDT up reply actions
Exactly right
on the home/road differences with Lohse. He was the old Lohse last year on the road, but had a ridiculously low HR/9 at home. Numbers are very good at home this year as well.
Those Pilgrims ain't lookin' so proud now...
Motte
I’m banking on transference to help Sauce…as in, transference of domination for my OOTP sim season to real life…Motte is my closer, and just finished up a 47 save season with an K/9 of over 11 and an ERA in the 2.50 range
Of course OOTP also had Pujols(who is the games highest rated player) only hit 18 homers with 85 RBIs, so maybe a transference isn’t a good thing
I think we all know loshe is not as good as his season last year indicated…but I also don’t think he is this bad…inflated contract not withstanding, he is a solid #4 starter with potential to slot in as a number 3…fortunately, thats all we need out of him this year..hopefully he spots his fastball better over the rest of the season, because if he doesn’t, things could get ugly quick
let us not forget that if our offene could score runs for him, he’d probably have at least one and maybe two wins since coming back from the DL…i know a pitcher’s W-L is not indicative of true performance, but the fact of the matter is, a SP is supposed to give us a chance to win games…and I think, with our offense as currently constructed, he will do that more times than not
I’m ready for good Colby to return, at times it really looks like he is guessing at the dish…and can we put to bed the whole rick is as good a CF as colby that some people harp on…If colby starts yesterday, loshe doesn’t give up 5(probably 3 though)
"Albert hits good pitches hard and bad pitches even harder. And when he gets in the batter's box, if you pray, then you start praying. And if you don't pray, you think about starting."--Brian Bannister
agreed, the offense shares a lot of the blame
It looks imposing on paper but, more often than one would think, often underwhelms. Thank goodness El Hombre is returning to his normal superhuman production.
My Albert hit 31 HR with 110 RBI (140 walks)
And got injured in the first game of the playoffs. No transference please.
by notmorganfreeman on Aug 6, 2009 4:33 PM EDT up reply actions
OT: anyone having issues getting on FR this morning
the header is the only thing coming up for me
"Albert hits good pitches hard and bad pitches even harder. And when he gets in the batter's box, if you pray, then you start praying. And if you don't pray, you think about starting."--Brian Bannister
Working for me
I checked it earlier, read the DFR, and just checked back and it loaded up fine
3 more years of Kyle Lohse. 3 more years...
"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
The good news is....
Lohse has a reasonable price tag this year, and next year. (09: $7.125M, 10: $8.875M)
In 2011 and 2012 his price tag soars to $11.75MM but if he pitches just a little bit better, we could unload a huge chunk of that contract in a salary dump trade after the 2010 season.
If 3 of Boggs/Hawksworth/Walters/Lynn/Garica are ready to fill rotation spots in 2011, then Lohse could be expendable at that time. Until then we just have to hope Lohse can pitch a high number of “quality starts” even if his secondary numbers aren’t that great.
Precisely
Readily replaceable. So, why did we give a guy like that the deal we gave Lohse?
"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
he's got a no trade thru '11, right?
gonna be hard to dump him
"Albert hits good pitches hard and bad pitches even harder. And when he gets in the batter's box, if you pray, then you start praying. And if you don't pray, you think about starting."--Brian Bannister
Yeah I forgot about the NTC
so it would be hard to dump him, unless he would like to play on the west coast and a team like the Angels would want him.
Regardless of what happens in the future, I think we should all focus on THIS YEAR.
We have Derosa/Pujols/Holliday/Ludwick ready to crush the ball into October and we should really just enjoy it while it lasts.
If Lohse can pull it together and be a good #4 (6 ip, 3 Runs) then we should all just sit back and enjoy the post season. Loshe would probably only get 2 or 3 starts in an entire WS run anyway.
I can't believe we gave hime 4 years, $40MM *and* a no-trade clause.
Mo was really driving a hard bargain there.
"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
Mo is deeply mediocre, verging on poor
at least so far, IMO.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Aug 6, 2009 12:34 PM EDT up reply actions
I don't wanna sound like I know his job better than he does
but I gotta go with you on that. Seems like he is in such a hurry to make his mark that he goes headlong into deals. I realize that it is a fact of the business but NTRs should be reserved for the elite players.
by MaytheForschbewithyou on Aug 6, 2009 12:49 PM EDT up reply actions
Hey, I get your points, but
I really think Mo and Lunhow have done a fantastic job. We have rebuilt the minor-league system, dropped the cost of our bullpen while raising its effectiveness, and added star players to fill holes in our lineup without completely ruining our future.
Yeah, the Lohse contract isn’t the best in the world, but I think one reason we gave him that contract was due to his durability. We really needed that to complement the fragility of Carp and Wainwright. Did we over-pay? Maybe by a bit. And, yes, the NTC wasn’t a great idea. But, who else was out there at the time? It could have been a lot worse. We could have re-signed Suppan or Looper. And Suppan got virtually the same deal that Lohse did.
But look at the man’s body of work. This year, we had a team that was competing in its division, had some glaring lineup holes, and had some money to spend. What did we lose? Some right-handed bullpenners that we can replace quickly enough (thought the loss of Todd really stings me), and a player with a great bat and no position on the field. We also landed Lugo basically for free for a year and a half in return for a LF that couldn’t really play LF and had also lost his stroke.
The WW contract was a great signing. The Molina contract was a great signing. He didn’t offer Eckstein arbitration, knowing that no team wanted to forfeit draft picks to get him. If he offerd Eck arbitration, we would have kept him.
I think this organization is much healthier than it was when Mo took over. I do realize that Lunhow and co. should get some of the credit for their astute drafting. But, John has done an equally good job of fielding a team that is competitive, cost-controlled, and flexible.
Baseball's only fun if you're playing it, watching it, or thinking about it.
I think there's a sharp contrast between the majors and the minors.
Obviously the scouting and development have been awesome since Mo and Lunhow took over. Tons of our roster is now or projects to be homegrown. We were able to trade players drafted just last year and two years ago and flip them for players that can help us win right now. Payroll is manageable.
Mo has made at least one spectacular move for the ML roster- the original Lohse signing. Since then, the moves have ranged from decent-to-good (Dunc for Lugo), to sounded-good-at-the-time (Khalil Greene), to good-but-not-great (Mark DeRosa), to pretty damn questionable (Holliday/ Lohse 2).
It’s not Alderson for Sanchez or Jim Hendy’s off-his-fucking-rocker offseason and season so far, or Dayton Moore/Omar Minaya’s epic FAIL. Then again, it’s also not Theo’s scoring Martinez without even one of their top five going in the trade. I put Mo in the middle of the pack, maybe in the better half, but that’s almost all because of his organizational work, not his major league moves.
15=/=25
The Indians
Comparing the Martinez and DeRosa deals, it sure seems like we gave up a lot more relative to what the Sox gave up for Martinez. I feel this way even though I’m very high on Justin Masterson.
"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
by bgh on Aug 6, 2009 2:43 PM EDT up reply actions
See, I think Masterson is overrated, but if he's a league average player next year,
the Sox are unlikely to come out on top of that deal. On the other hand I think Todd is probably a better prospect than Masterson was, so yes we got screwed.
15=/=25
I think Masterson
is a better pitcher than Bucholz, and so do the Red Sox from what I’ve heard, they just think that Masterson’s mechanics are going to cause him arm problems down the road as a starting pitcher.
In no way do I think Jess Todd is as good a prospect as Justin Masterson. Similar, in that they aren’t expected to hold up as starting pitchers due to different issues, but Masterson clearly has higher upside.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
Where have you heard that the Red Sox thought Masterson was better than Buckholz
F*** Billy Beane... actually, I kinda like Holliday
Here
We think Masterson has more potential than Buckholz
Theo Epstein
Stat Whore
by FlimtotheFlam on Aug 6, 2009 6:19 PM EDT up reply actions
Theo Epstein misspelled buchholz's name?
the truth can't hurt you, it's just like the dark/ it scares you witless, but in time you see things clear and stark -- macmanus
What do you know!?
You can’t even spell Buchholz
Stat Whore
by FlimtotheFlam on Aug 6, 2009 7:02 PM EDT up reply actions
Epstein said as much
in an interview he gave before the trade deadline. Maybe he’s playing coy, but given how both of them have pitched this year, I can see how he could feel that way.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
As a prospect, Masterson was not graded highly (same as or lower than Todd),
but I added that if he pitches league average or lives up to his 3 win billing the trade is a loss for the Sawx.
15=/=25
I was responding to VEP
I understand where you’re coming from, it’s just that the Sox seemed to think he has more potential but is a greater injury risk. I think that’s a valid point of view.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
sounds like trade deadline
posturing to me. I like Masterson but I think almost everyone likes Buchholz better.
I cannot truly argue with what you have said.
But it is going to take a deep playoff run, and a Holliday resigning for me to recant my thoughts on it. I still think that the way he handled the Eckstein situation just hit me wrong. Maybe it wasn’t a wrong move to let him go, but he was my favorite player that played the right way.Maybe I get a little to emotional over the game still and at damn near 40 that can seem a little silly.
Biases aside, I hope that he does well, because if he does well then the Cards do well, at least in theory.
As far as the farm system, I have a hard enough time keeping up with the main club let alone the prospects and all I have heard is that what we have left really isn’t all that impressive. So I guess that I have to defer to the judgment of others and hope that they are right, but Mo has made scratch my head too many times to sit easy.
by MaytheForschbewithyou on Aug 6, 2009 1:30 PM EDT up reply actions
Given how Eckstein's played since we let him go
ie. badly, I don’t see how that can be a bad decision…
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Aug 7, 2009 7:48 AM EDT up reply actions
kal-el was pitching for a contract last year
now he has one, hmmmm
"No matter where you go, there you are" Buckeroo Bonzai Across the 8th Dimension
Or
maybe pitching performances vary from year to year. Because they often do. Big contract or not, that’s why I think Driver Zn has a point when he says you save your big bucks for the bats. You’re more likely to get what you pay for.
She isn't crazy, she's just not impressed.
Oh, and could you get Mike Adams for the bullpen, please?
My guess...
Is that when Kyle hit the DL for the first time in his career he got a taste of the good life, Easy living. Siting around the house watching TV and taking naps. Someone calls and asks what he is doing he would reply “Rehabbing”. He finally almost finished that jig saw puzzle he has always wanted to do. It had taken him almost 10 years to finish and he couldn’t wait to get up each morning to work on the puzzle. He finally found his true calling in life. Than before he knew it he was healthy again relatively speaking.
He tried to pitch again. It wasn’t so bad in the minors he could day dream of the puzzle all he wanted while he pitched to lowly A ball guys. He could close eyes and see the puzzle as he hoped it would be. But as soon as he got to the Majors he knew it was back to work. He tried, I mean he really did try but the puzzle was still calling to him. He had found his true calling at it wasn’t baseball. He just didn’t have the heart in the game anymore. It lays elsewhere now.
My guess he retires next week to be a professional puzzle master.
Stat Whore
by FlimtotheFlam on Aug 6, 2009 9:25 AM EDT reply actions 4 recs
My god, you're right.
It all adds up…
"Every epoch dreams its successor" - Jules Michelet
by Tudor's Electric Fan on Aug 6, 2009 9:37 AM EDT up reply actions
got no time to update the glossary
But does this mean we’re calling him ‘Puzzlemaster’?
AVENGE BOOG
"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
Or what I call my wife's casserole.
Baseball's only fun if you're playing it, watching it, or thinking about it.
If you wife reads this
You will be probably eating a Knuckle Sandwich tonight
Stat Whore
by FlimtotheFlam on Aug 6, 2009 3:39 PM EDT up reply actions
Sorry Honey! I didn't mean it!
BTW, can I still go play golf on Sunday with the guys? Please?
Baseball's only fun if you're playing it, watching it, or thinking about it.
I'm afraid you'd be SOL
females tend to get very testy when having had their food disparaged.
by MaytheForschbewithyou on Aug 6, 2009 4:02 PM EDT up reply actions
i have found in general
Men are the superior cooks but (domesticated)women cook more
Stat Whore
by FlimtotheFlam on Aug 6, 2009 4:30 PM EDT up reply actions
Flim, I've been trying to domesticate my woman for 10 years to no avail.
Baseball's only fun if you're playing it, watching it, or thinking about it.
For years
people have said the same things about male musicians. That is, until they started doing blind auditions.
"If I prepare myself, my stuff is good and I'm going to get outs. That is a fact." - Chris Carpenter
have you read blink?
by malcolm gladwell
"I think he's the best hitter of all time. I think there has never been a better hitter than him. And I know I didn't see them all, but I just don't think there could be." - Adam Wainwright on The Mang
Yeah, but girls just wanna have fun..
they aren’t serious. Let’s hear it for the boys.
"I'll be glad to have Ryan [Braun] help if he wants to. I'll give him a badge and he can be my deputy." - Doug Melvin
Yeah, flim, shut it!
Back into the kitchen, spants!
"I usually don’t read other peoples sigs." -Cuttah
Shut up, Fritz™.
"If I prepare myself, my stuff is good and I'm going to get outs. That is a fact." - Chris Carpenter
by spants on Aug 6, 2009 5:23 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
i know a lot of women that are average cooks
But I know none that are excellent. Two of my best friends are professional chefs and we weekly challenge each other in the kitchen. Every good chef I know personally is a male. I will give baking to women though.
Stat Whore
by FlimtotheFlam on Aug 6, 2009 5:46 PM EDT up reply actions
I think the issue here
is that most women don’t go into the profession and focus on it as a career, probably because most women have been brought up to think that the kitchen is their place and don’t see themselves there as a career, whereas men who become chefs do so by choice.
In my entire life, I’ve dated one woman who could cook, mostly because it’s something that I enjoy doing so I think I’m drawn to women who have different interests than I do as a form of expanding my horizons. I’ve long wanted to go to culinary school at some point in my life, perhaps after I retire, because it’s something I’m interesting in and enjoy immensely.
Some of the best catering chefs I’ve ever met are women. The owners of all the bed and breakfasts I know are women and they all serve great food. To say that there aren’t good women chefs out there when half the shows on the Food Network feature women chefs (and not terribly attractive ones either in Paula Deen and Ina Garten) is simply shortsighted in my view.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
You know...
now that I think of it, all of the girls I know that cook for a living are caterers, not restaurant chefs. Odd.
"I usually don’t read other peoples sigs." -Cuttah
Less hassle that way.
Plus the menus are always changing. It’s more challenging and more rewarding.
A lot of this gender bias has less to do with cooking ability and more to do with the culture of the restaurant kitchen.
"If I prepare myself, my stuff is good and I'm going to get outs. That is a fact." - Chris Carpenter
by spants on Aug 6, 2009 6:05 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
i am not saying women are bad cooks
I just don’t know any excellent ones.
Stat Whore
by FlimtotheFlam on Aug 6, 2009 6:05 PM EDT up reply actions
You don't really get to know the ladies though, remember? :)
"If I prepare myself, my stuff is good and I'm going to get outs. That is a fact." - Chris Carpenter
No, They just make me cook
Women older than me tend to be better. But girls younger than me don’t have the passion.
I tend to be a person though that cooks everything from scratch
Stat Whore
by FlimtotheFlam on Aug 6, 2009 6:08 PM EDT up reply actions
I cook the same way.
Usually.
"If I prepare myself, my stuff is good and I'm going to get outs. That is a fact." - Chris Carpenter
The funny thing is
Even though I tend to be a snob when I am cooking. I am not when I am eating. I am not really a picky eater what so ever. I regularly eat a can of beans or a handful of dry oatmeal that satisfies me.
Stat Whore
by FlimtotheFlam on Aug 6, 2009 6:12 PM EDT up reply actions
I used to be that way
and then found that a lot of stuff you make from scratch basically just makes everything take 4 times as long and doesn’t add anything to the dish itself. I’m talking mostly about soup bases, pasta, and most mainstream sauces and dressings.
I’d rather focus on the dish itself and use a pre-made stock or dressing than to get all immersed in the details of making those and wasting a bunch of time in the process.
Kenny agrees with me….so there. (and if you haven’t read his book and are as immersed in cooking processes as I am, you really should order it from that link at Amazon)
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
It's definitely
dish-specific for me. Some dishes are far better from scratch. Some aren’t.
"If I prepare myself, my stuff is good and I'm going to get outs. That is a fact." - Chris Carpenter
See that is where we disagree
Stock to me is the cornerstone of delicious sauces. The stuff in stores is absolute crap compared to good home made stuff. I get bones from my butcher and make up stocks.
Stat Whore
by FlimtotheFlam on Aug 6, 2009 6:23 PM EDT up reply actions
ya but who else could tell us
what the taste over replacement sauce (TORS) for his homemade stuff would be…
Sample size much?
Most surgeons are also men…care to jump to a conclusion about the fine motor coordination and scientific knowledge of women?
15=/=25
i don't think i am jumping to conclusions
That through my short life I can’t not remember any women making me excellent food before. I make this curry lamb with coconut sauce that gets me salivating just thinking about.
Stat Whore
by FlimtotheFlam on Aug 6, 2009 6:09 PM EDT up reply actions
It is.
<img src="http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=the+puzzler+batman&form=QBIR&qs=n#focal=86185e74a4d4f08bf49c19ff3fc67fc2&furl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bat-mania.co.uk%2Fmain%2Fvillains%2Fimages%2Fthe_puzzler.JPG"/>
"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
by bgh on Aug 6, 2009 8:39 PM EDT up reply actions
Second Attempt.
The Puzzler is a (1960s TV Show) Batman villain.
"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
by bgh on Aug 6, 2009 8:40 PM EDT up reply actions
Kyle Lohse is not Wellemeyer
I did a “Snap” when I read the title. I have way more faith in Kyle Lohse than Wellemeyer. That was a low shot.
Stat Whore
by FlimtotheFlam on Aug 6, 2009 9:46 AM EDT reply actions 2 recs
yep!
Positronic Upgraded Juggernaut Optimized for Logical Sabotage
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Aug 6, 2009 3:10 PM EDT up reply actions
2 comments - one OT
1st – I was thinking before I brought up VEB for the morning that the title of the thread should have been one of two things: 1 – The (Boring) Second (Boring) Off (Boring) Day (Boring) This (Boring) Week; or 2 – Work Production in St. Louis soars as Cardinals have a 3 day week.
2nd – (The off topic point) I went to the Royals-Mariners game last night. I would just like to say that the Cardinals, in the last decade and a half with LaRussa at the helm, have officially not rolled over and played dead in a season. They may have been bad in some years, but watching this Royals team play was pitiful. It was the first time I can ever remember leaving a non-rain out game early. My wife and I left after 7 because we were no longer interested in watching a team go out there and go through the motions. Horrible, just horrible.
I wish that I could see Junior Griffey in a Mariners uniform one last time...
"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
here is a thought since i didnt really read all of the posts, last year contract year for lohse, result: got paid!,
this year is a contract year for pineiro: gonna get paid!!!
Pujols takes out "I" in BIG and "A" in MAC, previously considered to be an unyielding, consonant threat
EH
not really lol really predictable though
Pujols takes out "I" in BIG and "A" in MAC, previously considered to be an unyielding, consonant threat
Funny= Oddly enough
Most of my comments contain dry sarcasm.
by MaytheForschbewithyou on Aug 6, 2009 12:23 PM EDT up reply actions
someone tell Rick Ankiel
you’re supposed to be good in your contract year.
by dcfcblues on Aug 6, 2009 11:41 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
You guys are being a bit unfair
Lohse had a great start to this year. Then some freak injuries and a stint on the DL. Then he comes back and isn’t doing very well, but maybe he is still hurt. And his friggin cousin died the day before yesterday’s game. If they were close then it may have affected his state of mind.
Maybe i am giving him the benefit of the doubt because of that big contract but maybe you guys are being overly critical for that same reason.
He will turn it around.
by Ghosty on Aug 6, 2009 10:32 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
This sounds weirdly
like the posts that I’ve heard relating to Rick Ankiel and Chris Duncan all year this year and posts related to Jason Isringhausen last year. Sometimes they don’t turn it around. This happens. Ankiel seems to be coming out of his slump now, but we’ve seen this before: He’s great for two weeks and then falls of the face of the earth for a month.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
Ryan Ludwick.
Ludwick had a hot start, then got hurt, then came back and sucked for a while, but now he’s fine. But earlier this year everyone left him for dead and dismissed his numbers from last year as a “fluke” or “career year.”. Now the same is being done and said of Lohse..
by Ghosty on Aug 6, 2009 1:28 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Um
I don’t remember anyone here thinking that Ludwick’s 2008 was a “fluke” at any point this season. I think that most people felt that he rushed back when he shouldn’t have. Now, Lohse taking 6 weeks off is not “rushing back” to get in the fold, and he’s been about the same pitcher he was before he arrived in St. Louis since he’s been back, so why are you so certain that he’s going to revert to “career year” form?
Ludwick is different, imo, because he’s been about this good since June of 2008, which is the first stretch of his career where he’s gone over 2 full seasons without having a season ending injury. It’s pretty likely that this is his true level of talent, whereas Lohse’s 2008 season could be seen as a total “career year” that he’ll never meet again.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
Ludwick
I think that the “fluke” word might have been said to describe his health in 2008, but not his production.
His 2008 LD% was very flukish
Stat Whore
by FlimtotheFlam on Aug 6, 2009 1:52 PM EDT up reply actions
I agree with fourstick.
I don’t recall anyone bemoaning Ludwick being in the lineup in any context other than the sentiment here that he was rushed back without a rehab assignment, which likely hurt him when he returned.
"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
by bgh on Aug 6, 2009 2:45 PM EDT up reply actions
When we did the community projections for 2009
I remember quite a bit of comments to the effect that Ludwick’s 2008 was a fluke. I don’t remember the final projections but they weren’t really very close to his 2008 production.
Those Pilgrims ain't lookin' so proud now...
Most of those
had to do with his line drive rate, because it was a bit flukely last year and most figured it was unsustainable. A lot of us thought he was going to regress to the mean a bit this year since we didn’t figure his talent was that of a .950 OPS player, but more of an .850 to .900 OPS player.
Case in point, most everyone thought we should trade Ankiel if he had any value on the trade market last offseason, but nobody wanted to trade Ludwick, not even for Matt Holliday.
"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 gave him a low projection.
But not because I thought his output was a fluke in talent. I thought he would miss significant time due to injury. He has missed some time, but I feared he would miss more. Luckily, I was wrong.
"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
by bgh on Aug 6, 2009 8:41 PM EDT up reply actions
I stand corrected
after checking the archive. Most who projected him low cited health.
Those Pilgrims ain't lookin' so proud now...
Ankiel apparently arrived at the stadium yesterday "dehydrated"
Then why did he start? And by “dehydrated” I assume we mean “hung over”. Why isn’t Colby getting the starts? Oh right, Ankiel is on the TLR “Nice List”.
Colby needs to stage an event like in Hitch
Where a dog runs across the street and he Colby pretends he get hit by the car. LaRussa heart will patter like his first love and Colby will be getting steady at bats the rest of the season
Stat Whore
by FlimtotheFlam on Aug 6, 2009 10:59 AM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
It would be Colby's luck that TLR
would, in a fit of compassion, say “Just put him down Doc”.
by MaytheForschbewithyou on Aug 6, 2009 12:28 PM EDT up reply actions
Ankiel’s current line:
.242 .294 .410 .704
Rasmus’s currne line:
.248 .305 .420 .725
Ankiel’s is trending up and Rasmus is trending down for the last month. I suspect this has a lot to do with the major weight loss that Rasmus has had in the last few months. Losing that much weight that quicktly for someone who is in shape and is only 210 lbs is not normal. There would have to be a lot of muscle weight lost too.
Defense matters too.
Colby >>> Ankiel in CF regardless of weight. Ank would have to be significantly better at the plate to make up for the huge difference, and I just don’t buy it.
Maybe there is a lingering digestion or heel issue that is keeping him out of the lineup, but if both are healthy its not a question.
"I'll be glad to have Ryan [Braun] help if he wants to. I'll give him a badge and he can be my deputy." - Doug Melvin
by all4tookie on Aug 6, 2009 11:39 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I don't think...
Maybe there is a lingering digestion or heel issue that is keeping him out of the lineup, but if both are healthy its not a question.
that if he is recovered from both of those he would be struggling like he is. That’s my point. Cobly is not healthy. Just like Ankiel and Ludwick were when they came off the DL. You do not lose that much weight if you are healthy.
Also, losing that much weight will make him much weaker than he was when he started the season.
that's wierd
cause I’ve gained weight as the softball season has gone on, and I feel much weaker…maybe it’s the lack of any physical activity outside of softball?
as far as the strength thing goes...
In order for Cobly to lose 20 lbs a lot of it would have had to be muscle mass. Granted, im guessing here, but I he never looked to carry that much fat. And if he did manage to lose 20 lbs in fat…then his body fat precentage now must be pretty freakin low.
Bingo.
If he’s got 10 percent body fat (and maintained that % throughout the weight loss), does that mean he lost 18 pounds of muscle?
"If I prepare myself, my stuff is good and I'm going to get outs. That is a fact." - Chris Carpenter
There really is a fixed proportion there.
The faster you lose weight, the more muscle you lose. I read once that the most fat you can truly burn in a week is something like 2-4 lbs. The rest would all be muscle.
Baseball's only fun if you're playing it, watching it, or thinking about it.
I don't want to minimize the concerns over Colby's health
but didn’t he put on most of those 20 lbs over the off-season? He was pretty f’ing pumped in ST.
Those Pilgrims ain't lookin' so proud now...
Well put.
"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
OK, I'm probably gonna get slammed for this, BUT,
Colby isn’t doing worth a crap at the plate lately, and Rick is tearing the cover off the ball. How can you realistically sit Rick on the bench and say, “Rick, I know you’ve really been playing great baseball lately, what with all the RBI, the game-saving extra-base hits, and all, but I’m going to sit you in favor of the kid that really hasn’t hit all that well in the last few weeks.”
Baseball's only fun if you're playing it, watching it, or thinking about it.
In the last 7 days
Ankiel has a .690 OPS. Now that’s still far and away better than Rasmus’s .273 OPS in the last 7 days but everytime Rick hits a ball this entire board is suddenly convinced that he’s fixed and is going to be an awesome player again for the rest of the year. I just don’t get it.
Future Redbirds - tracking Cardinal prospects for Cardinal Nation
by azruavatar on Aug 6, 2009 12:58 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Oh no, I don't believe that for a minute.
Rasmus may turn out to be a star in this league if he can figure out how to take a walk and also how to stay healthy. Obviously, his career should be much more productive than Rick’s. I love the way he can play the game, but his career is starting out an awful lot like J.D. Drew’s. And I hated J.D. Drew. Million dollar talent and not a nickel’s worth of motivation. Sorry for the tangent there.
I am just saying that in light of the dropped 20 lbs, the heel injury, the horrible at-bats, I would not put Rasmus on the field if I had an alternative that seemed to be more capable right now. And Rick is definitely the better player right now.
Baseball's only fun if you're playing it, watching it, or thinking about it.
Here's what I fear....
is that LaRussa WANTS you to think of Rasmus that way. I don’t think he believes Rasmus is the major talent a lot of others think he is, and might even prefer to cash him in and keep Ankiel instead.
I am admittedly paranoid about LaRussa. I can’t help it. I don’t like him or trust him.
She isn't crazy, she's just not impressed.
Here is what I want
I just want Colby DL’ed if he is hurt or sick enough to do that to his production. But no….this team seems to think a the DL should be avoided at almost all costs sometimes.
"Ludwick, I could kiss you on the nuts!" - the red baron 7-29-09
* sarcasm might be involved in this comment
JD Drew is so much better than Rick Ankiel its not even close
Drew is still a 3+ WAR outfielder, and has at least 3 different seasons in which he was more valuable than Rick has been in his entire career. I sure hope Rasmus tracks JD Drew more than Rick.
"I'll be glad to have Ryan [Braun] help if he wants to. I'll give him a badge and he can be my deputy." - Doug Melvin
My hatred of Drew is so visceral and unreasonable, WAR just won't cut it.
He was horrible in the clubhouse, injured (slightly) all the time, a complete malcontent, and L.A.Z.Y.
I would rather lose 2 more games and have Rick (or most anyone else) on this team than win 2 more with Drew on it.
Baseball's only fun if you're playing it, watching it, or thinking about it.
(un)Fair enough!
My list of OFers who are objectively better than Rick that I would still choose Rick over is pretty short. Juan Pierre comes to mind but he has been so bad the last few years I’m not sure he’s definitely better.
"I'll be glad to have Ryan [Braun] help if he wants to. I'll give him a badge and he can be my deputy." - Doug Melvin
I just hope that Colby turns out to be half the competitor that Albert,
WW, Yadi, and others already are.
Baseball's only fun if you're playing it, watching it, or thinking about it.
Yeah, except Wainwright, whose lazy finger tendon snapped,
and Yadi who broke his lazy wrist, and Pujols lazy inflamed plantar sheath. Injuries are because they aren’t competitive.
15=/=25
So we're taking shots now?
You would get my point if you ever watched JD Drew play baseball. Even when he was healthy, I don’t think he ever gave 100%. He could have been an absolute superstar in this game. The man’s level of God-given talent is truly amazing. He just never played hard. Ever.
I am not judging Colby at all. I haven’t seen him play enough baseball to label him anything. I just hope that he has the work ethic and dedication it takes to maximize his true potential, because I really believe he can be every bit as good as Carlos Beltran eventually.
Baseball's only fun if you're playing it, watching it, or thinking about it.
I think the kid has the work ethic
and dedication. He hasn’t shown me otherwise yet. I would just say that he has some health issues and needs to grow out of some unwise young person habits, and maybe already has. I wouldn’t worry about him yet. And the kid needs some DL time. Get himself straightened out for the stretch run, cuz Sept is gonna get interesting I’m thinking.
by MaytheForschbewithyou on Aug 6, 2009 2:28 PM EDT up reply actions
The whole point of this site making fun of grit is that grit has no intrinsic worth without talent.
JD Drew may not have been your favorite player, but he was obviously a very valuable player. In the same way that Billy Beane talked about players not having to look like underwear models, they don’t have to play like David Eckstein or Joe Thurston, battling the odds and winning (cue 90’s sports movie soundtrack) every time they are on the field.
15=/=25
Yeah, but as a person born with very little athletic ability,
it really hurts me to watch somebody waste their true potential just because they can do “good enough” without working that hard. Plus it really does breed discontent among teammates. I’ve witnessed a lot of it.
Baseball's only fun if you're playing it, watching it, or thinking about it.
Do you want to watch people give effort or produce results?
I’m a very, very results oriented person. I’ll take the Drew type over Thurston/Eck/Miles type any day without a thought.
This seems to me like
a classic “selection error”. You perceive Drew to be “lazy” and “unwilling to play through pain”, and a “quitter” but I wonder if you would feel the same way about Ken Griffey Jr., who had numerous injuries that weren’t his fault, but smiled all the time and was a fan favorite? Are they similar players? No, Junior was a much better player at the height of his career. Still, you have a selection bias when it comes to Drew because you feel like he could have been a great player if he just showed some “effort”, but you have no idea what kind of “effort” he’s putting forth realistically, only your preconceived notions about him because he was a surly and unemotional player.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
by fourstick on Aug 6, 2009 3:19 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
No, this is not selection error at all.
When Junior was healthy, he left it all on the field every day. He still plays as hard as his broken body will let him.
As for Drew, I heard lots of rumors from around the organization that he was actually very lazy and rarely put forth a lot of effort.
Baseball's only fun if you're playing it, watching it, or thinking about it.
Hmmmmm
I’ve heard lots of rumors that Junior shunned offseason workouts and weight training and that’s what led to some of his hamstring injuries. He was also labeled as a malcontent in Seattle when he demanded a trade to Cincinnati after signing a long term contract.
When you live by the “rumor” you leave yourself open to “bias”.
"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 fair.
As I mentioned earlier, though I firmly believe my hatred for J.D. Drew as a baseball player is very rational, it may indeed be a bit overzealous.
Baseball's only fun if you're playing it, watching it, or thinking about it.
Not overzealous at all.
Because the appropriate amount of rage aimed at J.D. Drew is infinity. Few players ignite an irrational tirade from me, but he’s right there at the top. I can make a better case for being a fan of Barry Bonds or Ty Cobb or Rickey Henderson or Jeffrey Leonard.
God it really hurt to throw those last two names in there, but damn it I really mean it. Screw that guy.
"Every epoch dreams its successor" - Jules Michelet
by Tudor's Electric Fan on Aug 6, 2009 7:54 PM EDT up reply actions
really? ty cobb?
remind me the last time jd drew stabbed somebody.
the truth can't hurt you, it's just like the dark/ it scares you witless, but in time you see things clear and stark -- macmanus
he stabbed us all in the back when he demanded that trade
wait, you mean he didn’t demand a trade?
"Ludwick, I could kiss you on the nuts!" - the red baron 7-29-09
* sarcasm might be involved in this comment
actually
his pure ability to stab led many to call him “the next Jack The Ripper”. this reputation was so strong and widespread that foreign drug traffickers paid him a handsome sum to knife their enemies. he gladly accepted, but could never complete a single job due to strange ailments (injured neck swimming in a pond, etc.). regardless, he still makes an enviable second income as an assassin on a yearly basis. he routinely thanks god for his stabbing gift and is so close to his faith that he has no need for such riches, but accepts it anyway. cause that’s how he rolls. the end.
"Every epoch dreams its successor" - Jules Michelet
by Tudor's Electric Fan on Aug 6, 2009 9:23 PM EDT up reply actions
Animus, by definition, is irrational.
"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
by bgh on Aug 6, 2009 8:43 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
rec'd
i was just reading about jung’s take on the animus. awesome.
"Every epoch dreams its successor" - Jules Michelet
by Tudor's Electric Fan on Aug 6, 2009 9:26 PM EDT up reply actions
I gotta go with Ecks on Drew
The guy played like he was wishing he was anywhere else. He looked asleep half the time, zero emotion. Had a “Couldn’t care less” attitude.
My fiance’s a Red Sox fan and I keep telling her to just wait, he’s gonna bag on you guys soon enough.
by MaytheForschbewithyou on Aug 6, 2009 1:58 PM EDT up reply actions
Thanks May.
Drew was my least-favorite Cardinal of all-time.
His grit-level had to be close to 0.
Baseball's only fun if you're playing it, watching it, or thinking about it.
I understand
and at this point, I wish they’d just DL Colby for 15 days and call up Craig. If he’s hurt, let him get better. Instead this team does the halfway bullshit with medical injuries they always do and you get a bunch of players playing at 50%.
I still think your characterization that Rick is “tearing the cover off the ball” is wrong but I agree that Ankiel is a defensible choice right now for Colby.
If there’s one thing I wish I could singlehandedly decree as unacceptable, it’s sticking Colby with the JD Drew “he’s fragile” tag. I’ve never understood the disdain towards Drew for injuries he had no control over and I really don’t want to see Colby traded in 3 years under the guise that he can’t stay healthy.
Future Redbirds - tracking Cardinal prospects for Cardinal Nation
by azruavatar on Aug 6, 2009 1:27 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Hey, don't forget what we got in return for Drew.
I would have no problem with trading Colby for 2 years from a servicable starter, a decent LOOGY, and a future ace. IMO, OF’ers are a lot easier to replace than 6 years from a front-of -the-rotation starter.
Baseball's only fun if you're playing it, watching it, or thinking about it.
Please stop comparing Rasmus to JD Drew.
They both came up with the Cardinals, played similar positions (one average in the corners, one awesome in center), and have nothing in common.
15=/=25
by hazel on Aug 6, 2009 1:42 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Actually, Drew was a pretty good defender
Just sayin’
F*** Billy Beane... actually, I kinda like Holliday
And, btw,
I think your idea about Craig and Rasmus is the absolute right thing to do. They had a great opportunity to do that when Rasmus hurt his foot. Put him on the 15-day, let him rest, eat, rest, eat, rest, eat, etc…., and bring up Craig. What better time to see what he has to offer than now?
Baseball's only fun if you're playing it, watching it, or thinking about it.
2 months ago, Craig wasn't hitting either.
Baseball's only fun if you're playing it, watching it, or thinking about it.
Three months ago, Craig wasn't hitting.
Two months ago, he was starting to heat up.
"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
by bgh on Aug 6, 2009 2:49 PM EDT up reply actions
IMO, there had better be one hell of an excuse if I were the manager.
I have coached basketball and golf at the high school level, and played several sports up through college. There are a few rules that are simply universal. NEVER show up late or unprepared for a game and NEVER skip practice without preapproval.
As a manager, I believe I would rather play Thursty Joe in the OF than start a guy that blew off his team.
Baseball's only fun if you're playing it, watching it, or thinking about it.
if Lohse and Ankiel were Irish
I would suggest that perhaps they were mourning Lohse’s cousin the night before at the hotel bar.
Big Brother is watching...
where was this "weight loss"
by Rasmus ever verified? This has been an internet rumor that I’ve never seen confirmed by anyone. Can you confirm it or are you just spreading gossip?
it was featured in the post dispatch recently. hummell (i think) reported that his weight
went from 210 in March to 190 now.
the truth can't hurt you, it's just like the dark/ it scares you witless, but in time you see things clear and stark -- macmanus
It was reported by Hummel and Goold
“Goosip” is what happens here all the time when people assume cobly isn’t starting because tony doesn’t like him due to the fact that he is only 22 years old.
Not to you, she didnt
"I'll be glad to have Ryan [Braun] help if he wants to. I'll give him a badge and he can be my deputy." - Doug Melvin
Well, compared to LOOGY's of the past,
Reyes really has been tremendous. He’s also not that bad for a backup lefty that can get an occasional righty out too.
My buddy calls him “El Guapo”.
Baseball's only fun if you're playing it, watching it, or thinking about it.
Dennys Reyes is not Rich Garces
"I think he's the best hitter of all time. I think there has never been a better hitter than him. And I know I didn't see them all, but I just don't think there could be." - Adam Wainwright on The Mang
That's one of the comments of the year.
I can’t put my finger on why I find it so funny, though.
"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
by bgh on Aug 6, 2009 8:45 PM EDT up reply actions
Tremendous is probably excessive
but he’s done the job he was traded for, namely, retired left-handed hitters at an aceeptable rate. He might’ve been left out to dry against righties on occasions by TLR’s mis-management or due to the fact that someone has to pitch innings in blowouts (a bit like Ron Villone last year, who actually wasn’t too bad vs LHBs), but he’s been pretty hard on lefties.
I don’t think WAR does a very good job of expressing the value of guys like Reyes for precisely this reason – he’s probably worth a good few runs over a replacement-level lefty reliever when facing LHBs, which should be all he does in high-leverage situations.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Aug 6, 2009 11:56 AM EDT up reply actions
I guess that's true
It just seems he gets left in to face RHB too often, which is where he struggles
Chlorophyll? More like borophyll!
by jd is legend on Aug 6, 2009 12:11 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, I guess that's the point
the whole reason for having two lefties who kill LHB on the roster is being able to set up lots of great match-up opportunities… TLR really needs to minimise use of either of them vs tough righties, though…
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Aug 6, 2009 12:35 PM EDT up reply actions
Or maybe, if you are going to have two left handed relievers,
have one of them be more than exclusively a LOOGY.
She isn't crazy, she's just not impressed.
Reyes has actually been better than Miller, career, vs righties
but this year he hasn’t really looked it.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Aug 7, 2009 8:00 AM EDT up reply actions
OT: Prince Fielder merits 9 security guards outside the visiting clubhouse
We should be able to hire some extra guys by September, yeah?
AVENGE BOOG
"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
Did anyone else notice
that his shirt was untucked during that whole altercation? I sure did….
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
Yes
And so was Braun’s, IIRC.
Also, no one had the guts to look at him and say “get out, wackjob.” The one guy kept looking off camera and yapping. Other security just came over and stood at the door. It was weird. Of course, I’m sure none of these guys wants to be tried/convicted for shoving an MLB player…..
I found Calcaterra's take on this pretty funny.
In a scene out of late-80s WCW, after the game, Prince Fielder ran through the underground tunnels to go put a hurt on Guillermo Mota in retaliation for a ninth-inning plunking. Fortunately for Mota’s health and Fielder’s wallet, he was stopped at the Dodgers’ clubhouse door (though I’m guessing he’s gonna get a fine anyway). No word on whether he had a folding chair with him. Kind of a bush league move on Fielder’s part, though, wasn’t it? I mean, everyone knows that if you’re going to go after a guy, you don’t do it in the clubhouse. You ambush him while he’s doing a standup interview with Tony Schiavone.
"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
Whatcha gonna do
when the Fielder runs wild on yoooou?
by Andyfantastic on Aug 6, 2009 12:40 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Boy that just flashed some long-buried memories.
by MaytheForschbewithyou on Aug 6, 2009 12:43 PM EDT up reply actions
I still kinda can't believe what Shawn Michaels did to Marty Janetty
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
Ultimate Warrior!
She isn't crazy, she's just not impressed.
Woooo!!!
To continue the random wrestler memories
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
HA
I still remember him from his Wrestling at the Chase days…damn but that was a long time ago!!
by MaytheForschbewithyou on Aug 6, 2009 2:34 PM EDT up reply actions
My husband went to high school in Downers Grove, Il
with Randy Poffo, er Randy Savage. Said he was just another guy back then-a good athlete, but otherwise nondescript. His father was a professional wrestler too-somewhere in downtown Chicago.
She isn't crazy, she's just not impressed.
Oh, and could you get Mike Adams for the bullpen, please?
I had a truck driver make a delivery here one time
that said he used to work-out with Savage when he was wrestling down in Paducah…said that what you saw on tv was really how he acted most of the time.
by MaytheForschbewithyou on Aug 6, 2009 4:19 PM EDT up reply actions
Oh man I hope so.
Did he snap into Slimjims OHH YEEAAAHHH???
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
If you like pro wrestling at all,
you should really pick up (or rent) the Macho Man DVD the WWE just put out. It’s really awesome. Not Flair awesome, but really awesome.
"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
by bgh on Aug 6, 2009 8:46 PM EDT up reply actions
I watched this all on rented videotapes
years after the fact, so you would think it lacked the emotional gravitas one got from seeing it unfold live on tape delay. But eleven-year-old danup was devastated.
I'm watching some early 90's Royal Rumbles when I get home!
"I usually don’t read other peoples sigs." -Cuttah
I watched the main event of Wrestlemania VI on tape at a friend's house.
I felt the same way. I didn’t really have anything against the Warrior, but Hulk was my guy. I had a sad.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
That was earth-shattering for an elementary school kid.
I will add that my friend sent me a pix message last year of him with Marty Janetti in a Figure Four leglock. Really.
"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
by bgh on Aug 6, 2009 2:51 PM EDT up reply actions
They should have let him go in the clubhouse
as they said on Sportscenter, he would have quickly realized he was outnumbered 25:1
by Hardcore Legend on Aug 6, 2009 12:52 PM EDT up reply actions
Ha!
Although I would have enjoyed watching Fielder smacking that smug grin off of Martin’s face.
She isn't crazy, she's just not impressed.
He might also awaken a taste for human flesh in the process.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
that's the thing... he was going to take those odds
The way the print journalist was telling it, from what he witnessed… Prince waited at the Dodger’s dugout, nobody came, he headed down the tunnel, and practically the whole team plus security guards had to drag him back.
Only the door kept him away…
AVENGE BOOG
"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
Why can't we give Lohse that one more chance?
Why can’t we give Lohse give Lohse give Lohse give Lohse give Lohse give Lohse give Lohse give Lohse give Lohse. ‘Cause Lohse’s such an old fashioned pitcher .And Lohse dares you to care for the people on the edge of their seats. And Lohse dares you to change our way of caring about our team.
by STLRegalia on Aug 6, 2009 1:52 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
I didn't realize Pineiro could sing. :)
"Baseball has been good to me since I quit trying to play it." - Whitey Herzog
by Bring Back Tommy Herr! on Aug 6, 2009 2:00 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
No wonder Pineiro got knocked around the other day.
Being an HIV-positive flambouyantly bisexual singer is taking a toll on him.
Baseball's only fun if you're playing it, watching it, or thinking about it.
And a Zoroastrian
He probably gets made fun of for that at school still.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
not to change the subject too much, but
must feast on pirates must feast on pirates must feast on pirates
colby (aka cody ramos) needs to quit swinging at balls below the knees and things will come around
rick needs to keep manipulating the pitchers mind so that they think he can hit a low outside pitch
that is al
"No matter where you go, there you are" Buckeroo Bonzai Across the 8th Dimension
All I know is
that in 2010 Lohse will be the Pineiro of 2009
Positronic Upgraded Juggernaut Optimized for Logical Sabotage
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Aug 6, 2009 3:12 PM EDT reply actions
i hope
Chuck Norris doesn't need a bat.
he just roundhouse kicks the ball out of the park.
by bearcatcardfan on Aug 6, 2009 3:17 PM EDT up reply actions
Agreed
Lohse has had a really strange season. He has been hit by pitches a few times. He had the freak slip, the collision at first base and some other things as well. I am chalking up Lohse’s underperformance this year to some apparent affront to the GOB’s. Hopefully he will make the necessary animal sacrifices (kidding) to placate the GOB’s and come back better in 2010.
Two off days in one week
Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored!
Philles announcers about Toronto:
"Well they go out West after this series, this weekend, against the Tampa Bay Rays"
by RiverRat on Aug 6, 2009 3:29 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
ha, nice.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Aug 7, 2009 8:06 AM EDT up reply actions
I'm going to the game tomorrow
we damn well better win. We’ve got Chris Carpenter on the mound, we are playing the Altoona Curve and we have our ‘new look’ lineup.
The last time Carpenter started and I went, he was dominant, the Pirates walked Pujols 3 times and Edmonds and Eckstein went deep.
doesn't Albert hit very well in PNC?
I’m too lazy to look up the stats
Proud sponsor of the Official 2009 StL Cardinal theme song: Reason to Believe
he's Albert Pujols
where does he not hit well?
And, btw, hasn’t he always faced Pirates’ pitchers when hitting in PNC? My guess is that the numbers are pretty good.
but we've secretly switched the old Pirates team with Folgers crystals
AVENGE BOOG
"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
by Yadi2Second on Aug 6, 2009 6:05 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
The Pirates' Plot
Trading everyone on the team was actually just an evil ploy to get rid of all the pitchers that used to give up gopherballs to Albert. Now there’s no one left w/ a bad track record against him.
defy, cards, defy. hey logic --- you suck.
the only thing still left is the pitchers.
duke, maholm, etc.
the truth can't hurt you, it's just like the dark/ it scares you witless, but in time you see things clear and stark -- macmanus
here are Albert's stats in PNC
261 AB; .379/.457/.720; 21HRs; 31 BB; 25K
Yep. It’s ridiculous.
Proud sponsor of the Official 2009 StL Cardinal theme song: Reason to Believe
As they said on SNY
Albert Pujols has more HRs at PNC Park than any current Pirates do.
Which isn’t true. Doumit has 25. Pujols needs to make sure he hits 5 this weekend to take back the lead.
by Hardcore Legend on Aug 6, 2009 8:07 PM EDT up reply actions
When you project a players finish to a season
and that player has missed time because of injury, how do you do it?
I don’t mean ‘teach me’, I mean…what method do you generally use yourself.
Say a player missed 10 games because of an injury but is otherwise an everyday player. Do you assume that player will miss games at a 10 game rate the rest of the season or do you assume he will play practically every game the rest of the season. Because the difference can be between 20 games of what really will happen.
I wouldn't assume he'd miss another 10 games
I’d assume that he’d miss as many games as he normally would over the last 60 games. If he normally misses 20 games a season, I’d assume another 10. But if he normally plays 158 or so, I’d assume he’s play 58 or so of the last 60.
omg you guys
I’m pretty sure Ted Keith reads VEB…
Phat Albert is batting .778 with five home runs and 24 RBIs. (His slugging percentage in those situations is 2.44. That literally made me laugh out loud. I have never seen anything so ridiculous.)
Albert Pujols is ridiculous.
Not nessarily
Albert is just ridiculous
Stat Whore
by FlimtotheFlam on Aug 6, 2009 4:31 PM EDT up reply actions
true
but look at all the other words he could have used (thanks thesaurus.com!)
absurd, antic, bizarre, comic, comical, contemptible, daffy, derisory, droll, fantastic, farcical, foolheaded, foolish, gelastic, goofy, grotesque, harebrained, hilarious, impossible, incredible, jerky, laughable, ludicrous, nonsensical, nutty, outrageous, preposterous, risible, sappy, silly, slaphappy, unbelievable, wacky
You don’t find it a bit convenient that he chose riduclous???
/conspiracy theory
Albert Pujols is ridiculous.
His production with the bases loaded is nonsensical and preposterous.
It’s fantastically farcical!
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
by mattybobo on Aug 6, 2009 4:46 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
He is contemptable of bad pitching.
That’s why he punishes it so severely.
by MaytheForschbewithyou on Aug 6, 2009 10:25 PM EDT up reply actions
I don't think slaphappy would be a good way to describe Albert Pujols
David Eckstein? Sure.
Chlorophyll? More like borophyll!
Good.
He could stand to learn something and this is best place for him to get some learnin’.
"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
by bgh on Aug 6, 2009 8:47 PM EDT up reply actions
you have reached tom s. he cannot come to the boards right now.
he is busy standing on the street corner with a cassette player over his head in the rain, playing “in your eyes” by peter gabriel. if you leave a message that involves high-school aged social misfits in the 1980’s, he will return your post later.
the truth can't hurt you, it's just like the dark/ it scares you witless, but in time you see things clear and stark -- macmanus
by tom s. on Aug 6, 2009 5:35 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
nm, that was cameron crowe.
erm. instead, I’ll just say that one of the advantages of total obscurity is that no one will post my obit on yahoo! news under an article entitled “goat meat gracing more American dinner tables.”
the truth can't hurt you, it's just like the dark/ it scares you witless, but in time you see things clear and stark -- macmanus
You missed on that one...
but that’s like the only great 80’s movie of that genre that he DIDN’T have a hand in…
- All three good Vacation movies (Vacation, Euro Vacation, X-mas Vacation)
- Uncle Buck
- Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
- Weird Science
- The Great Outdoors
- Sixteen Candles
- Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
- Pretty in Pink
- Mr. Mom
- The Breakfast Club
You could literally state that without John Hughes, 80’s cinema would be totally different.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
Never read this before
the original short story behing Lampoon’s Vacation.
"I usually don’t read other peoples sigs." -Cuttah
off day hijinx
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HU2ftCitvyQ
william shatner!
Positronic Upgraded Juggernaut Optimized for Logical Sabotage
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Aug 6, 2009 5:37 PM EDT reply actions
We got a line-up yet? It's an hour till game time and I can't find one...
Holliday.
Uh huh, oh yeah.
Holliday.
He will be so nice.
Sit down, son; I have some terrible news.
Tonight’s game isn’t getting played. You see, there was an accident…
"I usually don’t read other peoples sigs." -Cuttah
by Alxfritz on Aug 6, 2009 5:59 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I didn't check the date for the game listed on the PD.
Holliday.
Uh huh, oh yeah.
Holliday.
He will be so nice.
Damn it! I hate off days. I guess Tony doesn't plan a day in advance...
Holliday.
Uh huh, oh yeah.
Holliday.
He will be so nice.
i want baseball
it’s pretty much like having 2 days off
Of course, hope means being cut down on some street corner, as you run like mad, by a random bullet.
Finding out about retractable posts
is probably the highlight of this year’s blogging season.
"I usually don’t read other peoples sigs." -Cuttah
by Alxfritz on Aug 6, 2009 6:43 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
did i miss something....
fill in please.
Philles announcers about Toronto:
"Well they go out West after this series, this weekend, against the Tampa Bay Rays"
By clicking the subject line
you can minimize a post. Comes in handy when the posts are huge photos, animated gifs, or novel-length screeds.
"If I prepare myself, my stuff is good and I'm going to get outs. That is a fact." - Chris Carpenter
that only works if the post author posted a subject
which nomar34 did not do. Boooo!
it's Clydesdales vs Goats. Actually sums up Cards vs. Cubs quite nicely. -all4tookie
I shall pardon you just this once.
"If I prepare myself, my stuff is good and I'm going to get outs. That is a fact." - Chris Carpenter
You know, it really is.
"If I prepare myself, my stuff is good and I'm going to get outs. That is a fact." - Chris Carpenter
aside from cooking,
music, and surgery, men are also better at posting overused sayings…
"Baseball is dull only to dull minds." - Red Barber
I wish we had seconds
in the time-stamp. I want to see how late I was.
"If I prepare myself, my stuff is good and I'm going to get outs. That is a fact." - Chris Carpenter
Like spants hasn't pulled the "late" trick before
C’mon, she knows all about it
"I'll be glad to have Ryan [Braun] help if he wants to. I'll give him a badge and he can be my deputy." - Doug Melvin
puts cap bill over eyes
Move my head down
Stat Whore
by FlimtotheFlam on Aug 6, 2009 6:28 PM EDT up reply actions
heh heh
It’s all fun in games until you pick on the infertile gal.
"If I prepare myself, my stuff is good and I'm going to get outs. That is a fact." - Chris Carpenter
yiiiiiiiikes
One of my best friends’ moms died in gradeschool – 8th grade went a lot like this:
“Your mom”
“My mom is dead, dick”
“Yeah, I’m sure she is, all that whoring must have finally killed her”
Fistfight
"I'll be glad to have Ryan [Braun] help if he wants to. I'll give him a badge and he can be my deputy." - Doug Melvin
My husband's mom is dead.
I always want to say “Your mom” to him. My brother and I say it to each other, and, invariably, my bro always messes up and says it to my husband. It’s kinda funny.
"If I prepare myself, my stuff is good and I'm going to get outs. That is a fact." - Chris Carpenter
My mother is also dead
I try not to bring it up not as much that it bothers me but it bothers others.
Stat Whore
by FlimtotheFlam on Aug 6, 2009 7:04 PM EDT up reply actions
My husband didn't even like his mom.
It’s a complicated thing, for sure.
"If I prepare myself, my stuff is good and I'm going to get outs. That is a fact." - Chris Carpenter
i didn't like my dad either,
but i’ll kick anyone’s ass who says anything bad about him. i’m the only one who’s earned the right to do that
pretzels pretzels pretzels pretzels
Also, The correct answer to "My mom is dead"
Well that explains why she didn’t move much last night.
I have seen eyes full of rage look at me when that comment is said
Stat Whore
by FlimtotheFlam on Aug 6, 2009 7:05 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
That is soooo wrong....
but yet so right.
Philles announcers about Toronto:
"Well they go out West after this series, this weekend, against the Tampa Bay Rays"
i read time stamp as tramp stamp
The conversation was a let down
Stat Whore
by FlimtotheFlam on Aug 6, 2009 6:27 PM EDT up reply actions
million dollar idea: patent this, somebody.
a temporary tramp-stamp tatoo that says “TRAMP”
the truth can't hurt you, it's just like the dark/ it scares you witless, but in time you see things clear and stark -- macmanus
If someone reminds me I will bring along some VEB temporary tattoo's to the VEB Meetup
Stat Whore
by FlimtotheFlam on Aug 6, 2009 6:47 PM EDT up reply actions
Hey Flim
bring along some temporary tattoos to VEB day !
"Ludwick, I could kiss you on the nuts!" - the red baron 7-29-09
* sarcasm might be involved in this comment
tough on a guy who only pitches every seven games.
the truth can't hurt you, it's just like the dark/ it scares you witless, but in time you see things clear and stark -- macmanus
by tom s. on Aug 6, 2009 6:29 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Hilarious!
Tony was fined an undisclosed amount of money and forced to use an 11 man pitching staff for a full week!
by chuckb on Aug 6, 2009 10:31 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
the puppy kicking went too far!
wow, they’re going all Gooddell on beaning, now.
I blame Prince.
AVENGE BOOG
"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
i'd rather see them take on beaning and punish beans or near-beans seriously.
so i have no problem with the suspension of thompson.
but i also can’t fathom why prince gets a pass for charging the opposing clubhouse!
the truth can't hurt you, it's just like the dark/ it scares you witless, but in time you see things clear and stark -- macmanus
HE CAN'T BE STOPPED
AVENGE BOOG
"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
though really... who's gonna tell Prince he's suspended?
AVENGE BOOG
"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
Reading that link....
That was a called pitch by Torre, and everyone walks away. PK said he wasn’t trying to bean him, that he missed location, and he gets suspended.
I call Shenanigans.
Philles announcers about Toronto:
"Well they go out West after this series, this weekend, against the Tampa Bay Rays"
3 Games for not hitting someone is ludicrous.
JMHO. If it was deemed to be intentional, he would have been tossed.
Philles announcers about Toronto:
"Well they go out West after this series, this weekend, against the Tampa Bay Rays"
I think I found out the true story
Stat Whore
by FlimtotheFlam on Aug 6, 2009 7:14 PM EDT up reply actions 4 recs
LOLz
RT @johnfayman Reds CEO Bob Castellini: Dusty Baker is safe for the rest of the year and will be back in 2010.
"I usually don’t read other peoples sigs." -Cuttah
defining the market -- 2009 1st rd pick mike minor signs for $2.42M bonus with
braves.
the truth can't hurt you, it's just like the dark/ it scares you witless, but in time you see things clear and stark -- macmanus
Did the Braves draft higher than us?
"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
by bgh on Aug 6, 2009 8:50 PM EDT up reply actions
Yes they had the 7th overall pick
"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring" -Rogers Hornsby
Didn't most rate
Shelby as a superior talent who only dropped due to signability concerns?
Those Pilgrims ain't lookin' so proud now...
I'd give Shelby a $2M bonus right now
to get him to sign. I think that’s a fair offer.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
Minor
only went that high for signability reasons. I don’t think he was regarded as a top 10 talent by most. So that’s actually a bit more $ than I expected…. Expect Miller to make a fair bit more than that. I’m gonna guess he’ll top $4m.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Aug 7, 2009 8:14 AM EDT up reply actions
Apparently Posada being a triple short of the cycle is new on MLB.com
He’s “flirting with history”.
9 triples in 15 seasons, yeah he’s close to making history alright!
she is a lot better looking than history,
imho, but cant touch Scarlett Johansson…
"Baseball is dull only to dull minds." - Red Barber
"If Pujols played for the Yankees..."
Such words should never be uttered but, yeah, you’re right.
if he was left handed, maybe.
but he’s not really hit many HR to RF the last couple of years.
I have little doubt that Howard or Fielder would, though.
it's Clydesdales vs Goats. Actually sums up Cards vs. Cubs quite nicely. -all4tookie
I have little doubt Rick Ankiel could break the single season HR record
in that bandbox.
If there is a Phillies/Yankees WS that goes 7 games, we could see 50 HRs.
by Hardcore Legend on Aug 7, 2009 1:06 AM EDT up reply actions
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