Unconventional and conventional relievers
by DanUpBaby on Jan 15, 2010 6:00 AM EST
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PrintCharlie Zink, newly minted Memphis Redbird and one of the most recent Great Knuckleballing Hopes, somewhere between Steve Sparks and Charlie Haeger, is not going to be in the Cardinals' bullpen this year. Having made that clear, we can talk, in January, like he might be.
Zink as an individual is interesting only in the general knuckleball way. Once a pitching prospect with a generic hard fastball—I seem to recall the Scout Tag mid-90s being applied at least once, but that could mean anything—he picked up the knuckleball and became interesting; lost track of it for several years and became less interesting; found it again in 2008—in the process, I believe, slowing his fastball down to traditional knuckler speeds; and then lost it again in 2009, with a truly horrifying 3 K/9 6 BB/9 AAA season. In knuckleball years he is... let's say 26.
A knuckleballing alumnus of the Savannah College of Art and Design would probably be the weirdest part of the Cardinals' bullpen in 2010, but their recent bullpen history is significantly stranger than average in its own right, from the top down. Ryan Franklin was an innings-eating starter who was no longer good enough to eat innings; Jason Motte (and Casey Mulligan and David Carpenter) is a converted catcher; in the past there's also been Josh Kinney, a refugee from the independent Frontier League, and I'd be remiss if I didn't mention inexplicable starting pitcher Braden Looper.
I'm not suggesting Charlie Zink in particular, but I am certain that even if the Cardinals finally jump on the Kiko Calero bandwagon the success and failure of the 2010 pen will depend in part on how they utilize unconventional assets like him. With impact depth a few months away, and almost solely in the person of Eduardo Sanchez, any injuries and inconsistent pitching will be alleviated by the nearest warm body, and it's up to the Cardinals to make sure it's a Josh Kinney and not a Kelvin Jimenez.
Which shape Zink's knuckler will be in in 2010 is of interest mostly to Memphis fans, but given the particularly strange nature of the knuckleball, almost exclusively a province of one-pitch pitchers, I'm surprised that so many of its practitioners are primarily starters in the minors. Tim Wakefield hasn't been a swingman since 2002; Haeger and Zink are starters; only R.A. Dickey, who spent the first half of last season as a low-leverage reliever for the Twins, has made a roster in the bullpen.
It's not as though knuckleballers don't exhibit the same relief-conversion tendencies as conventional pitchers; in fact, Tim Wakefield's strikeout rate is a full two per nine innings higher in the pen than it is in the rotation, a split that mostly held up when he was doing both at the same time. That knuckleballers can confuse hitters for six innings is remarkable, but that doesn't mean it doesn't confuse them more in one.
Zink might be the man on whom to test this theory, but I think mediocre pitchers are generally more interesting as relievers than starters, and I think that's especially true of the ones who throw a single pitch. That is currently an unusual plan for a knuckleball pitcher, but given the Cardinals' current unusual bullpen construction, I think they're exactly the team to try it.
#
As for conventional relievers... Jose Valverde was apparently an easier no-decision than we thought. The Cardinals' minor league ranks are neither full nor extremely exciting; if they were, the Cardinals might not even need to worry about signing Jose Valverde. With that in mind, picking Valverde up and losing the first-rounder, even on a one year deal, was going to be a significant risk.
But two years, $14 million? That's downright unpleasant. I am not all the way on one side of this issue—I think at some point it is helpful, to a team and its fans' morale, if nothing else, to overpay for a reliever. But to do it for a reliever who is a type-A free agent on a team where the bullpen is not the only problem seems like an overpay. (That said, the Tigers, like the Cardinals, have some supplementary picks on tap—this won't turn out like the Cardinals' awful 2002 draft, which began with Cal Hayes in the third round.)
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I post this image apropos of sort-of-nothing
other than the fact that it’s subtitled “Mo and zinc” in the google image search which seems startlingly appropriate, despite the subject matter. Enjoy!
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this was good
and then I read your screenname, and that made it great.
"It was like two ankles." 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 Jan 15, 2010 12:22 PM EST up reply actions
in bed
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
Overpaying for the past
Nice post, Dan. I live in Tiger country and can tell you first hand they are overpaying for Valverde because their pen has been worse than ours the last few years. While we have endured a failing Izzy, Franklin, Motte, etc for a couple years, the Tigers have had consistent failures from Todd Jones, Rodney, Zumaya, Farnsworth, etc. I don’t know the stats, but their pen must be near the bottom on blown saves, era, etc. Desperation will open the wallet. Overpaying depends on what chair you’re in.
SD
that's a very good point actually
they’ve had an overpaid, under-achieving bullpen for quite a while now. Whilst I guess they’re hoping Valverde is the solution, I can’t help but feel he might almost add to the problem, given he’s slightly overpaid himself. Still, as I (and VEP) were arguing on fangraphs, this is pretty much the going rate for good relief pitchers (Tampa paid a similar price for Soriano, likewise Baltimore for Gonzalez, and there’s always that horrible Brandon Lyon deal) so it’s not like they TOTALLY overpaid the going market rate…
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by Felonius_Monk on Jan 15, 2010 7:58 AM EST up reply actions
fantasy and reality
I wonder how much discussion of the value of “closers” is skewed by the artificial evaluations used in fantasy baseball. In standard fantasy leagues, saves count and decent bullpen work doesn’t. Some folks (myself on occasion) waste early picks on “proven closers” to lock up a category.
At first glance it would seem ridiculous for professional baseball guys to act like fantasy baseball geeks,but….
How do you explain fondness for Juan Pierre except as “helps in BA and steals”?
I can't remember the last fantasy baseball draft
where I took a closer prior to the 8th round, and I almost always end up in the top 3-4 in saves in a 12 or 15 team league. I’ve always found it interesting that people will take a closer in the 4th round when there are still stat-sheet filling pitchers like A.J. Burnett or Chad Billingsley still on the board.
I’ve been burnt by my strategy before, which is to take high-K/9 relievers that pitch in bullpens without a defined closer and hoping they’ll become the closer at some point. I had Jon Broxton for the first 3 years of his career, had Scot Shields four years in a row, Frank Francisco, Ziegler, and Andrew Bailey last year. Add Aardsma to that list and I finished second in my league in saves, and first overall in pitching. The guy who had the best saves had four “stud” closers (Rivera, Lidge, Jenks, and Soria) but had no starting pitchers and ended up finishing last in the league.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
I'm personally a fan of. . .
taking the two worst (and cheapest in our auction draft) capital-C closers (and their back-ups, of course) and keep dry powder for in-season trades.
by SouthsideCardsFan on Jan 15, 2010 9:53 AM EST up reply actions
In auction drafts,
that’s my favorite thing to do, actually. Get one average closer (like Valverde or Cordero or Bell) and then spend $1 or less on the backups to all the other closers, like Bard, Thornton, C.J. Wilson, etc. Then if their closer goes down you can offer a trade for the backup at a premium price.
This also works really well in deep fantasy football leagues with RB’s and QB’s.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
I'm with you on the strategy...
Draft the skills, not the position. The closer position is so fickle in baseball that (and i think this is the statistic) a majority, or close to it, of saves throughout the year come from pitchers who were not the closer on opening day.
by tireinhardt6 on Jan 15, 2010 10:01 AM EST up reply actions
I've researched this actually
In any given year, there are ~8 closers who will save at least 90% or more of the games that they saved in the previous year (Rivera, Papelbon, Nathan, etc.), and there are ~8 closers who will go from < 5 saves to > 15 saves (Francisco, Bailey, Aardsma, Bell, etc.)
The best scenario, really, is to grab the one of the last guys left of the first group of 8 in the 7th or 8th round (depending on your draft position), and then fill out with 2 of the best of the second group in the late middle rounds, say 16th round and below. The key, of course, is to also use two of your last three picks on backup closers if you don’t need anything else, and stash them on your bench in case of an injury.
If you’re ever looking to win the saves category in roto, you’ll most likely win the battle and lose the war.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
Releiver Strategy
The strategy that I have had the most success with is to only draft a few starters, late in the draft, who have tremendous upside (I’ve gotten guys like Waino and Greinke in the back of the draft in past years). The main corps of my pitching staff is relief pitching. Since the league I am in has the following pitching stats: Wins, K’s, ERA, Saves, Holds, K/BB, WHIP, with a larger corps of relief pitchers, I’m able to be in the upper tier of the league in ERA, Saves, Holds, K/BB, and WHIP, and middle of the pack in K’s and and upside in Wins (depending on how many wins your relievers can vulture). That way, you can spend the early rounds of the draft getting the hitting categories all sorted out with top talent and then focus on the pitching staff.
Worked out great two years ago, but not as great last year.
by tireinhardt6 on Jan 15, 2010 10:15 AM EST up reply actions
It depends how many roster slots you have
I could see that working well in a league where you can add lots and lots of relievers AND have them pitching every day. In leagues with bench slots, maybe less so.
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by Felonius_Monk on Jan 15, 2010 10:26 AM EST up reply actions
SP/RP
Its even better when you can find guys that have SP/RP status. Stash them in the SP slot and let them rack up low ERA and high K numbers. Phil Hughes was a gold mine last year.
by tireinhardt6 on Jan 15, 2010 10:29 AM EST up reply actions
Well
his league counts holds, which is a bullshit stat to begin with, so good middle relievers have awesome value, and LOOGY’s are WAY overvalued because they generally only face on hitter. For example, Jeremy Affeldt had little value in any standard league, but he’d be really valuable in a league with holds as a stat because he led the league last year and posted a 1.73 ERA with 55 K’s in 62 innings. Marmol becomes a top bullpen pick last year because he had 15+ saves, 25+ holds, 75+ K’s, and a low ERA in 70 some innings.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
Even Without Holds
Good middle relievers like, say Thornton, have value in ERA and and K’s. Depending on how many slots your league has for pitchers, it only makes sense to add those high K/9 setup guys taking the remainder of your pitching slots than wasting them with a SP who isn’t pitching that day.
by tireinhardt6 on Jan 15, 2010 10:39 AM EST up reply actions
Agreed
but if I can shuffle my lineup accordingly week to week, I’d rather have 2 extra #2/#3 starters (7 or 8 starters total) so I can absorb an injury or two, while rolling out 7 starters and two closers each week rather then having 4 starters, 2 middle relievers, and 3 closers.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
To each his own...
Its all the different strategies that make fantasy baseball so interesting.
by tireinhardt6 on Jan 15, 2010 10:52 AM EST up reply actions
FWIW
we use “quality starts” instead of “wins” in my league, so relievers who get wins don’t have any value, while starters who go out there every 5th day and pitch into the 6th inning have MORE value.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
That absolutely changes it...
all of this fantasy talk is so subjective. It really does depend on what your league is like.
by tireinhardt6 on Jan 15, 2010 11:00 AM EST up reply actions
my league is like raindrops
falling on the closed eye-lids of a Burmese orphan.
Who would you recommend I target in the middle rounds?
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by Felonius_Monk on Jan 15, 2010 11:02 AM EST up reply actions
Haven't really started planning yet...
but, usually the middle rounds are a good place to target a 1B and OF. I was able to grab Abreu, Ethier, and cough-Derrek Lee-cough in the early middle rounds. And the very middle I got my closers.
by tireinhardt6 on Jan 15, 2010 11:10 AM EST up reply actions
Straight drafts are for wusses
Auction drafts are for real men.
by SouthsideCardsFan on Jan 15, 2010 11:12 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Yes, its true.
I’m ashamed to be in a snake draft league. A rec for you, sir.
by tireinhardt6 on Jan 15, 2010 11:13 AM EST up reply actions
Yes
but old farts who don’t like to study won’t do auction drafts because they don’t take the time to properly value players.
Which is why I’m stuck with a serpentine draft in two of my leagues.
Auction draft in my big money league though, although it is a dynasty league with a lot of different rules, and is deeeeeeeeeeeeep into the minors.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
Perhaps the VEB league this year could be an auction?
"Of course Kolby Rasmus was going deep! That’s what Kolby Rasmus does! You don’t give Kolby Rasmus second chances!" -Kolby Rasmus
that would be nice
I had to kinda give up on the league last year — got too involved in my other 3 leagues to pay it much attention.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
I say this, of course,
as a person who didn’t play the league last year, is not involved in planning it next year, and probably won’t have time to play the next incarnation.
"Of course Kolby Rasmus was going deep! That’s what Kolby Rasmus does! You don’t give Kolby Rasmus second chances!" -Kolby Rasmus
there was last year
i imagine someone will do it this year too.
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by Felonius_Monk on Jan 15, 2010 3:12 PM EST up reply actions
when does it start
and what if we have more than 30 participants?
i’ve never done the fantasy thing, but always wanted to
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
i did one in 2002
and i hated it. it totally took away my focus on the season & all i focused on was my teams stats. i felt dirty all season long
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
no, i won big running away
it just felt wrong to me & i won’t do it again. i didn’t care about teams, just individual stats & that’s just wrong
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
fantasy is kinda what got me into baseball in a big way
my flatmate, who is a sports journo, plays in the british media fantasy league, which is pretty good standard, I think. We both kinda got into it in a big way at the same time.
Still, I agree with you, in many ways, gdm – I find it takes your attention away from the important stuff (Cardinals games!) a bit too much. I’ll probably play the VEB league this year but I’m not as obsessive about it as I once was…
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by Felonius_Monk on Jan 16, 2010 7:40 AM EST up reply actions
Deepak Chopra says,
So if I look inside you, I won’t find your soul because it’s not there. In fact, your body is experienced in your consciousness. Your mind is experienced in your consciousness. And the evidence is pointing out that this consciousness is non-local, which means it exists outside of space-time and therefore, mathematically, it’s impossible to destroy this consciousness.
I guess this means your league awards points for intangibles.
"Of course Kolby Rasmus was going deep! That’s what Kolby Rasmus does! You don’t give Kolby Rasmus second chances!" -Kolby Rasmus
In just about every draft I do anymore
I nearly always take a hitter in round one, then pitching in rounds 2 and 3, then a hitter in round 4, then pitching in round 5.
I’ve found that having 3 ace type starting pitchers is the best way to build a staff. Last year I won my league with a staff of Lincecum, Carp, WW, Billingsley, Burnett, Lester, and Kershaw. I mean, running AWAY with the pitching in my league. Lincecum was my second pick (I had the 10th pick in a 14 team draft), Billigsley was my third, Lester was my 5th, and I traded for Burnett after his slow start. I got WW in the 7th, Carp in the 12th, and Kershaw in the 18th (not kidding).
I plan on taking Ben Sheets late this year, and taking Bedard at the end of the draft and stashing him on the disabled list.
FWIW, I’ve found that it’s easier to find position player value in the middle rounds than it is to find starting pitcher value, so I try to load up on really good starters early (especially if everyone is taking position players, which is usually the case), then fill out my offense with 3TO guys like Cust and Dunn when everyone else panics because they only have 1 SP in round 6.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
How do you prioritize position players?
Obviously, finding OFers is easy than stat sheet filling shortstops…
"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
*easier than
"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
How many stat sheet filling MI are there though?
I can only think of about 5 (Hanley, Utley, Kinsler, Zobrist, Tulo, maybe Jeter but he’s getting old) that qualify, and 2 of those won’t make it outside the first 8 picks (Hanley, Utley).
My middle infield last year had Tulo (SS), Uggla (2B), and Jason Bartlett as my middle, who I was totally lucky to have — I picked him because of his steals and decent BA, and he went out and had a career year. I got Tulo in round 11 because he was coming off of an injury, and I also ended up picked up Barmes as injury insurance.
I focus on high batting average guys who steal and occasional base in my middle infield, unless one of the studs falls to me at the end of round 3 or 4 or there’s a high upside injury pickup to be made, like Tulo last year. I’ve been burned by this in the past, but I find that there’s little value in having awesome middle infielders by round 5 because you have to sacrifice the rest of your team to get them. By collecting high average middle infielders, it allows you to go after 3TO guys in the UT and OF spots who will give you runs, RBIs, and HR, but will hurt your overall team batting average. Like Skip Schumaker doesn’t provide me with a lot of value, but if his .300 BA allows me to take someone like Cust or Dunn, who’ll hit around 30 homers, and score 80 while driving in 80, then that’s good value.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
Reyes
used to be up there at SS. It will be interesting to see what he does off that injury year.
by tireinhardt6 on Jan 15, 2010 10:47 AM EST up reply actions
Most exciting reach in fantasy baseball.
"Of course Kolby Rasmus was going deep! That’s what Kolby Rasmus does! You don’t give Kolby Rasmus second chances!" -Kolby Rasmus
by hazel on Jan 15, 2010 10:47 AM EST up reply actions 2 recs
a rec for you
"It was like two ankles." 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
Everyone knows who he is though
that’s the problem. If you could get him in round 7, great, but some turd who doesn’t know what he’s doing will go after him in round 4, thinking that he’s getting the sleeper (when nobody taken in round 4 is a sleeper) that he can then brag about all year while finishing dead last.
Tulo was awesome value for me last year in the 11th. Someone will overpay for Bartlett this year, and Kinsler will probably fall into the 5th or 6th round when he was a 3rd round pick last year.
I usually try and go through my lists and target undervalued and overvalued guys in each draft, and it’s served me really well, especially last year with Carp, Waino, Tulo, Lester, and Kershaw.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
Reyes Round 4
you don’t think that would be a bargain?
How did Tulo last until the 11th? We had a shortstop rush early and he was gone in the fourth round.
by tireinhardt6 on Jan 15, 2010 10:57 AM EST up reply actions
No, I don't
All the leg issues will really hurt his value this year, imo. I don’t think he’s going to be a 70 SB guy again. If he’s a 30 steal guy with a .270 BA and 15 homers, why is he a better value than someone like Jeter or Bartlett, who probably won’t go before round 5?
If someone wants to take him in the 4th, then that’s fine by me, I’ll be picking a high strikeout pitcher or a top 5 corner infielder in that round.
Everyone was afraid of Tulo last year in that league, mostly because of injuries and mostly because he had the one good rookie year that everyone forgot about. This wasn’t uncommon — I was able to pick him up for a draft pick + Cameron Maybin in my dynasty league, which is an all-time dumb trade.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
Carp
IIRC, I picked up Carp in the last two rounds in every draft I did. Granted, they weren’t super competitive leagues, but I was still thrilled nonetheless. I don’t think I’ll be able to pull that off this year.
Blaine Matthew Burns: Albert Pujols' biggest fan (his first words will for sure be "Albert Pujols is RIDICULOUS")
He was probably an overdraft
on my part, but I really wanted him so I moved up a couple of rounds to get him. We also have a guy in our league who makes it his specialty to draft DL or injury laden players. He picks so many guys who are starting the year on the DL that we had to make a rule that you can only draft 5 of those players. I was getting worried I wasn’t going to get Carp, so I took him a bit earlier than I probably needed to.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
i got zobrist ridiculously late in the reasonably-competitive VEB league last year
I think no-one really believed in his breakout until it was too late (bwa-ha-ha!); I can’t claim any prescience either, because I didn’t really think he was for real. I just got him mainly because of his positional versatility.
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by Felonius_Monk on Jan 15, 2010 10:48 AM EST up reply actions
I loved Zobrist and believed in him
And I managed to land him in exactly ZERO of my leagues last year. So frustrating.
I need your discipline / I need your help / I need your discipline / You know once I start I cannot stop myself...
have to add aaron hill
to that list- he carried my team in 09.
by baked mcbride on Jan 15, 2010 11:39 AM EST up reply actions
He only had 6 steals
We’re talking stat sheet fillers here — guys who have 20+ HR, 20+ SB, .290+ avg, 90 R, 90 RBI.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
FWIW
You wouldn’t take Hill over Utley, Hanley, Kinsler, or Tulo probably. I know I wouldn’t.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
I wouldn't take him over zobrist either
I am equally skeptical about both players’ power surges, but Zobrist has more positional flexibility in most leagues, and I think he’ll provide more steals and has a shot at beating Hill in RBI and R.
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by Felonius_Monk on Jan 15, 2010 12:00 PM EST up reply actions
yeah
I always seem to do well on saves whilst sorta lucking out on closers. I just add one or two “proven” guys in the later rounds who I expect to out-perform their draft position (I did really well with Heath Bell last year, who was basically faultless all season, and I think I lucked into getting David Aardsma too), and then do much the same that you do. I’ve usually played in pretty uncompetitive leagues, though – the VEB one last year was good fun (until work blocked it!) because you had to actually grab set-up guys BEFORE they became closers.
The first fantasy league I did, in 2007, was so uncompetitive that I think I only drafted one closer in a 10-team league but still finished about 2nd in saves.
RELEASE THE CENTIQUID!!!!
by Felonius_Monk on Jan 15, 2010 10:25 AM EST up reply actions
Contreras and Sheets?
At least Mo knows we need another pitcher… What’s happened to Smoltz??
http://www.globe-democrat.com/news/2010/jan/15/contract-talks-underway-between-cardinals-and-ludw/
Six years was the hope of the herd;
Unanimous but for one who demurred;
A prescient young man;
By the name of stlfan;
He knew Scotty would have the last word
i don't see the harm in at least watching the guy pitch
a minor league deal & ST invite doesn’t seem like a bad idea for a guy who once had serious gas (admittedly with no idea where it was going…).
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by Felonius_Monk on Jan 15, 2010 10:31 AM EST up reply actions
Re: Turnbow
You’d think that, given recent events, the team would steer clear of guys with sketchy PED pasts.
by Bernard Gilkey's Springfield Cardinals on Jan 15, 2010 11:28 AM EST up reply actions
I agree
Ryan Franklin might not be good enough this year
by FlimtotheFlam on Jan 15, 2010 11:33 AM EST up reply actions
and guys with girly hair.
RELEASE THE CENTIQUID!!!!
by Felonius_Monk on Jan 15, 2010 11:33 AM EST up reply actions
???
Blaine Matthew Burns: Albert Pujols' biggest fan (his first words will for sure be "Albert Pujols is RIDICULOUS")
Oh Colby needs a haircut.
Not too short though. I liked it when it was kind of longer.
Who needs affection when you can have blind hatred?
by ClemsonGirl on Jan 15, 2010 11:46 AM EST up reply actions
looks like Boog was trying to tech him De Niro
“You talkin to me?”
Blaine Matthew Burns: Albert Pujols' biggest fan (his first words will for sure be "Albert Pujols is RIDICULOUS")
yewtalkintodangolememan?
You know what they call a quarter pounder with cheese in France?
by jd is legend on Jan 15, 2010 12:07 PM EST up reply actions 3 recs
"hold the bat over your right shoulder or no one will ever love you"
"on gameday it says duke loves to face the four seamer and hates to face the four seamer" -VolsnCards5
"perhaps it's a computer joke about the duality of man." -tom s.
by Tudor's Electric Fan on Jan 15, 2010 9:13 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Ludwick
I wouldn’t mind tying him up for 3 years, actually. Something like a 3yr, $18m deal might be fair.
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by Felonius_Monk on Jan 15, 2010 10:30 AM EST up reply actions
No way does Luddy
sign for that. Heck, he might have been the 2nd or 3rd best OF on the FA market this season had he been an FA.
by SouthsideCardsFan on Jan 15, 2010 10:36 AM EST up reply actions
I dunno
guy’s 31. He probably gets about $5m in arby this year, maybe $7m or so next year. Maybe I’ve under-shot that, but given a down year, it seems a fair raise. Then he’s getting $6m for his first FA year, and, for a very injury-prone guy, the reassurance of a 3-year deal overall. Maybe call it 3yrs, $20m? Structure it $6m, $6m then $8m. To be honest, I’m not sure he’s worth much more than that as a free agent, given the way the market is. We’re getting his age 31, 32 & 33 years, so arguably his peak years.
In some ways, I can see the benefit in just letting him walk (or even trading him) before 2012, actually, as one of DJ Tools/Jay/Henley should be ready to take (at least) platoon duties in RF by that point (if not everyday work) and (unless we’ve traded him before then) Allen Craig should still be around in the Spezio role, and there’s a few other real “maybe” guys in the system like Aaron Luna, or we can just go out and sign the contemporary equivalent of Gabe Kapler to be the short half of a platoon. I imagine we might not need a possibly-declining Luddy at that point.
RELEASE THE CENTIQUID!!!!
by Felonius_Monk on Jan 15, 2010 10:43 AM EST up reply actions
I think that is a fair valuation,
given his injury history. Who is Ludwick better than?
1) Matt Holliday
2) Jason Bay
3) Mike Cameron
4) Johnny Damon
5) Hideki Matsui
6) Jermaine Dye
He might have been in the top 5, but Ludwick has had one season of production that was great. That’s it. Last year, he was not that good. He has suffered multiple injuries. What’s more, you cannot value a player not on the FA market through the prism of the current FA market. Ludwick is not on the open market; he is currently going year-to-year with his contracts. If he could secure $18MM guaranteed over the next three years, he would probably do it. Look at the deals Ryan Braun, Evan Longoria, Hanley Ramirez, and Josh Johnson signed. They would have signed for millions more on the FA market, but they were not on the FA market. It’s a different valuation and I think Felonious has hit the value nail on the head for Ludwick.
"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
Say Ludwick was in the top 5,
on the open market that doesn’t guarantee him a 3/18 contract this offseason, and there’s a distinct possibility that he goes down for a large portion of that time. Players are afraid of risk, and injury prone guys like ludwick should be more afraid. If Mo offered him 3/18, I assume he would take it in a heartbeat.
"Of course Kolby Rasmus was going deep! That’s what Kolby Rasmus does! You don’t give Kolby Rasmus second chances!" -Kolby Rasmus
I think a 3 year and $18M contract is very fair
I expect him to get probably a $5 to $6.5M in arbitration this year. Who knows what the OF market will be like in 2 more years. I think some kind of safety net would be worth it.
by FlimtotheFlam on Jan 15, 2010 11:35 AM EST up reply actions
We've got our CF for the forseeable future
and out LF for the next 7 years. Maybe would should leave ourselves some flexibility in case a) the minors produce a player or b) a decent alternative shows up on the market. I think everyone was too enamored with Ludwick’s one big season. There’s no reason for the Cardinals to loose the flexibility they’ve got at that position.
Anyone who panned the Byrd signing in CHC and now wants to sign Ludwick needs to re-evaluate their positions.
Think; It's not illegal yet.
I liked the Byrd signing
and I think anyone who panned it was flat-out wrong.
That said, I think I agree with your general post here. I’d be happy to let him walk after two arby years, as a) he’ll likely be a type B if he’s healthy and b) he’ll be entering his age 33 season, and thus (likely) the start of a steady decline phase.
Still, counterpoint – if we end up with too many good, cost-controlled OFers, that’s quite a nice problem to have. A little bit of ammo for a trade is always useful, and it’s hard to see Ryan Ludwick (age 33) being worth less than the $6m mooted in my OP. I think either route is probably, well, fine.
RELEASE THE CENTIQUID!!!!
by Felonius_Monk on Jan 15, 2010 11:59 AM EST up reply actions
Well my view is if we take it year to year in arbitration
I am going to be conservative with my numbers and take a guess at it
2010: $5.5M
2011: $7.5M
2012: FA
So by those guesses do you think Ludwick will be worth $5M in 2012? I also think it is likely he gets more than that in the 2 years of arbitration.
by FlimtotheFlam on Jan 15, 2010 12:09 PM EST up reply actions
I think we've given out too man multiyear deals on this team
and there’s little reason to do so when Ludwick is a) under team control and b) yet to firmly establish what level of player he is. It’s just unnecessary in the same way that the Franklin extension was unecessary and the Carpenter one came too soon.
Think; It's not illegal yet.
by azruavatar on Jan 15, 2010 1:44 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs
I agree.
Our flexibility is already hamstrung at so many positions, we need to leave wiggle room somewhere. Right field seems pretty obvious as a place to do that when our right fielder is year-to-year through his Age 32 season.
I don’t think we will see another multi-year deal until after the Pujols extension is addressed.
"I'm gonna throw the nastiest curveball I have ever thrown...if he hits it, I'll tip my cap, but if not we're going to the Series."
--Adam Wainwright on the final pitch of the 2006 NLCS
I don't see how it hamstrings us at all
To sign a player we have for 2 more years to a 3 year deal. Especially when I am arguing for a deal such 3 years and $18M which is below market. If it doesn’t have a No Trade deal than we still have flexibility.
by FlimtotheFlam on Jan 15, 2010 2:01 PM EST up reply actions
correct me if I am wrong
but arbitration can be avoided by releasing the player at no cost to the team, correct? three year contract is guaranteed money – two years of arb guarantees nothing.
This is correct...
if Ludwick’s 2010 is a repeat of 2009, we could conceivably non-tender him and spend the $8 million somewhere else.
If he’s a 3-4 win player in 2010, we would have many options including A) getting him for $8 mill in 2011, B) extending with a 2/18 or 3/25, or C) using him as a trade chip.
Having those options going into 2011 seems far preferable to locking him up now considering he could be anything from a four win player to a non-tender candidate.
Six years was the hope of the herd;
Unanimous but for one who demurred;
A prescient young man;
By the name of stlfan;
He knew Scotty would have the last word
Right.
Once you guarantee Ludwick 3 years, he is a Cardinal for 3 years, even if he turns into a pumpkin-Cardinal. Right now, if he turns into a pumpkin, the Cards can cut him loose and spend the money on another right fielder.
"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
Except, if 2008 Ludwick shows up in 2010,
the cardinals will end up having spent $18M for two years of his services.
"Of course Kolby Rasmus was going deep! That’s what Kolby Rasmus does! You don’t give Kolby Rasmus second chances!" -Kolby Rasmus
Very convincing argument here
I am tending now toward going year-to-year with Ludwick. I had originally thought the 6/18 proposal seemed quite fair for both sides but, the more I think about it, the less sense it makes from the Cardinals point of view.
(I was about to post a crazy idea of offering him the same $18M but front-loading the contract some, say, 7-6-5. That way, if he did decline, we could stand the decline better or be in a better position to move him.)
by ArkansasTravs on Jan 15, 2010 2:16 PM EST up reply actions
yeah i think i'm happy with year-to-year
i can see it makes sense. I don’t think a 3/18 is crazy, though; unless he gets injured, whilst he’s being paid that much, he’s definitely very tradeable.
RELEASE THE CENTIQUID!!!!
by Felonius_Monk on Jan 15, 2010 3:16 PM EST up reply actions
yes yes yes a thousand times yes
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
With the exception of Holliday and Bay. . .
all of those other guys are veritable crypt-keepers. And Bay has a bad wheel and is awful defensively.
And FWIW, I think it’s about time that Ludwick shed the injury-prone tag. Aside from a short DL-stint related to a tweaked hammy last season, Ludwick has been healthy for four seasons now.
Anyway to answer your question, I think he’s better than everyone but Holliday, Bay, and Cameron on that list in 2010., so that makes him 3rd or 4th best rather than 2nd or 3rd (I had forgotten about Cameron) And I think he’s an even money bet to be better than Bay in 2010.
I will admit that I thought this was his last arby year, rather than his next to last. Still, if the Cards get him at $6M per, I think that’s a bargain.
by SouthsideCardsFan on Jan 15, 2010 11:10 AM EST up reply actions
Veritable Crypt-Keepers' 2009 OPS+
Ludwick: 104
Matsui: 131
Damon: 126
Jermaine Dye: 103
Bay: 134
Cameron: 111
Sure, the argument is moot, because Ludwick is not on the free agent market right now, but I think you may be viewing him through Cardinal-colored lenses (as oppose to those that are rose-colored). I’m as guilty of this as anyone, so I don’t blame you. Ludwick’s 2009 was equal to Jermaine Dye’s and inferior to any other player on the list I posted above.
I will repeat that he is under the Cardinals’ control and that alters the valuation considerably. I think Felonious’s $6MM AAV is pretty close to what it would take to lock him up for the next few seasons.
"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
No Cardinal colored glasses here. . .
I was fully aware of those numbers. I’m also aware that:
- Matsui’s offensive production was his best in 5 years, he turns 36 the week before opening day, he’s limited to being a DH, and the NL won’t have a DH this year.
- Damon’s OPS was the highest of his career, he turns 36 at midseason, and he’s a sub-par defensive LF.
- Bay might be the worst LF in the game not named Adam Dunn.
As I said, I’d still take Ludwick over Matsui and Damon, and I’d certainly take him (at a reasonable price, anyway) over paying Bay what Omar Minaya paid him.
by SouthsideCardsFan on Jan 15, 2010 12:10 PM EST up reply actions
Given the Cards financial commitments
I have always believed that Ludwick was gone in 2012 if we signed Holliday. Remember that Albert will be in a new contract by then. The only way I see the Cards keeping Ludwick past 2011 is if Albert decides to go elsewhere (shudder).
arbitrators don't really take stuff like defense and positional scarcity into account though
it’s bullshit like RBIs and BA and stuff. By the traditional stats he’s not as good as those guys.
RELEASE THE CENTIQUID!!!!
by Felonius_Monk on Jan 15, 2010 12:38 PM EST up reply actions
You're changing the argument.
There’s a difference between “who would you take” and “who is better” as that former necessarily involves considering the player’s contract. I think most anyone would prefer Ludwick on a one-year deal over Bay and his new contract, Ludwick for one year over Damon for two, and, in the NL, Ludwick for one year over Matsui for one year. (There have been reports that Matsui may play in the OF for Anaheim. I don’t know if that is necessarily true.)
- Matsui’s ’09 (.378 wOBA) looks pretty similar to his ’07 (.368), ’06 (.381), ’05 (.368), and ’04 (.392).
- Damon’s wOBA was .373 last year and is .376 this year.
- Bay might be the worst left fielder in baseball. Then again, he might not. Ludwick’s UZR has been trending downward and might take him into the realm of “below average” in 2010, if it continues.
I’m now going to completely abuse WAR. Ludwick had a 1.8-WAR season. Jason Bay had a 3.5-WAR season. Johnny Damon had a 3.0-WAR season. Bay projects to be a 3-to-4-WAR player next season, Damon a 2-to-3-WAR player, and Ludwick a 2-to-3-WAR player.
Would I take Ludwick over Damon, Bay, and Matsui? Yeah, I probably would because I’d rather have the flexibility of a single year obligation moving forward and an average right fielder. But, that does not mean that Ludwick is a better player than Damon and Bay (or, possibly, Matsui, if he can lumber around the outfield in an adequate fashion).
"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
Actually not changing the argument
I conceded the first argument (i.e. that Ludwick was worth more than 3/$18), having not realized that Luddy has 2 arb-years left rather than 1.
The second argument was that Luddy would be the 2nd or 3rd best FA OF on the market. (Well, I guess technically I changed it to say 3rd or 4th after realizing I had forgotten Cameron.)
Can you honestly say that you would rather have Matsui or Damon play RF for the Cards than Ludwick in 2010? I wouldn’t, and I really like Johnny Damon despite his defensive warts. That was all that the second part of my earliest post was saying.
by SouthsideCardsFan on Jan 15, 2010 2:48 PM EST up reply actions
i think i'd maybe rather have damon for one year, but it's close
i don’t think matsui can play the field everyday, despite his still impressive bat.
I think Damon and Luddy are pretty comparable, actually. Similar in the field (although Luddy’s arm’s obv. much better, Damon’s got a bit more range I think), Damon’s better at getting on base, Luddy has more pop. Luddy’s probably a bit better overall, but Damon had a better 2009, AND is much more durable.
RELEASE THE CENTIQUID!!!!
by Felonius_Monk on Jan 15, 2010 3:22 PM EST up reply actions
The evolution of your argument:
Anyway to answer your question, I think he’s better than everyone but Holliday, Bay, and Cameron on that list in 2010., so that makes him 3rd or 4th best rather than 2nd or 3rd (I had forgotten about Cameron) And I think he’s an even money bet to be better than Bay in 2010.
As I said, I’d still take Ludwick over Matsui and Damon, and I’d certainly take him (at a reasonable price, anyway) over paying Bay what Omar Minaya paid him.
Lastly:
Actually not changing the argument…
….Can you honestly say that you would rather have Matsui or Damon play RF for the Cards than Ludwick in 2010?
This was in reply to my comment which states the following:
There’s a difference between "who would you take" and "who is better" as that former necessarily involves considering the player’s contract. I think most anyone would prefer Ludwick on a one-year deal over Bay and his new contract, Ludwick for one year over Damon for two, and, in the NL, Ludwick for one year over Matsui for one year. (There have been reports that Matsui may play in the OF for Anaheim. I don’t know if that is necessarily true.)…
…Would I take Ludwick over Damon, Bay, and Matsui? Yeah, I probably would because I’d rather have the flexibility of a single year obligation moving forward and an average right fielder. But, that does not mean that Ludwick is a better player than Damon and Bay (or, possibly, Matsui, if he can lumber around the outfield in an adequate fashion).
"I'm gonna throw the nastiest curveball I have ever thrown...if he hits it, I'll tip my cap, but if not we're going to the Series."
--Adam Wainwright on the final pitch of the 2006 NLCS
i'd rather go year to year with him
hopefully, by the time is a FA, the LH hitting power prospect with a cannon arm and great defensive instincts that we draft with our first round pick in june will be ready to man right field
"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 plays some centerfield too
and is known to score on from second on routine ground balls to shortstop.
Talking about Bryce Harper is like talking about Bill Brasky — it’s almost like he doesn’t exist.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
that's the greatest trick bryce harper ever pulled
i believe.
RELEASE THE CENTIQUID!!!!
by Felonius_Monk on Jan 15, 2010 4:00 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Robert Stock was a lot like Bryce Harper before Stock went to college
by FlimtotheFlam on Jan 15, 2010 4:21 PM EST up reply actions
I'll give you that Robert Stock was perhaps the most
hyped young ball player at one time (and I’m a big Stock fan) but Robert Stock is no Bryce Harper.
by Willie McGee's Twin on Jan 15, 2010 4:27 PM EST up reply actions
Stock wasn't Bryce Harper
Stock had a good chance to be a top 10 pick in a couple years. Harper has been the presumed #1 overall pick in now 2 draft classes since his sophomore year of HS.
From a scout BA interviewed when he skipped his senior year:
"Say he has a great year at Agoura and continues to develop as a catcher. There are clubs out there that might like him a lot and take him in the first 10 picks. We’re talking anywhere from $2.1 to more than $3 million. I would hate to close that option.
Not afraid to nitpick
here's a question
harper or strasburg? assuming they are in the same draft class
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
strasburg
he’s ready to contribute immediately. Harper has amazing physical tools but would need some time in the minors.
Think; It's not illegal yet.
Yeah but position player vs. pitcher risk and reward
Tricky question. Strasburg is more likely to make it, but Harper is probably better and then has less risk if he does.
Harper is apparently a Boras guy so we’ll see if the money settles that question.
Not afraid to nitpick
true
but i don’t know that that’s the best way to look at it
they both have incredibly high ceilings, but i think i’d have to go with harper
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
me too
but i can see the argument both ways. Catchers who can slam the shit out of the ball are incredibly valuable. I think Strasburg’s ceiling is higher but Harper’s basically a certainty to be a very good major league player. I guess strasburg is too, other than the injury risk.
Meh. I’d take either of them, I think!
RELEASE THE CENTIQUID!!!!
by Felonius_Monk on Jan 16, 2010 7:44 AM EST up reply actions
And then, poof, he was gone.
"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
That would be another classic...
Cardinal extension:
Mulder – terrible
Carpenter – bad
Edmonds – pointless
Franklin – bleh
Lohse – Gack
Ludwick – ???
Have I missed any?
Six years was the hope of the herd;
Unanimous but for one who demurred;
A prescient young man;
By the name of stlfan;
He knew Scotty would have the last word
I know the loss of so many years with Carp is harmful, but I have to say I am still glad he's
on the team and thus can’t really say I regret his extension. Sure, if he gets hurt opening day again and is done for his career, I may regret it, but he is a frickin Cardinal in my book and sure while not as WAR valuable as Pujols, I also want him to retire a Cardinal.
Without the extension,
I suspect he’d have pitched for a fraction of his 2009 salary on a low-base, high-incentive deal. (Wasn’t his deal through 2008 originally?)
"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
You don't have to...
dislike Carp to dislike his extension. We had him for $7 mill for 2007 and a club option for $8 mill in 2008. When we extended prior to 2007, there was another off-season to talk extension, and another one after that when we would have had exclusive rights to re-sign him. After his injury filled 2007 season, we could have torn up the option and agreed to extend for a good base salary – say $5-8 mill a year, with the opportunity to double that if he actually took the field. That would’ve actually been pretty darn generous on our part given his age and injury history, it would’ve kept him happy and on the team into 2010, and it would’ve saved us millions.
Late-Jocketty was an absolute travesty.
Six years was the hope of the herd;
Unanimous but for one who demurred;
A prescient young man;
By the name of stlfan;
He knew Scotty would have the last word
I agree that the extension didn't work in our favor, in that we could have obviously gotten him for less
with his injury, but what I mean is that I guess I don’t regret it at this point because he is still here. Going back in time to change things, maybe we wouldn’t make that offer you mention because of the risk and maybe we don’t have his services last year, which would have sucked in my opinion.
Um
Doesn’t this kinda indicate that we should wait a little bit to sign another Cardinal who is currently making below market value and has an option year for 2011? Just sayin….
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
That's playing with fire.
I think you begin talks now, without a rush, and see how far along you can get. Plus, Pujols is younger, even if his injury risk is probably the same as Carp’s was and is. By that, I mean that it seems a fair bet that Pujols is going to need Tommy John Surgery.
"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
They'll have to rename it Albert Pujols Surgery.
by Mister Eff on Jan 15, 2010 3:38 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
i feel ill
"It was like two ankles." 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
The idea of...
…paying someone $30MM to rehab from Tommy John Surgery makes you feel ill?
"I'm gonna throw the nastiest curveball I have ever thrown...if he hits it, I'll tip my cap, but if not we're going to the Series."
--Adam Wainwright on the final pitch of the 2006 NLCS
i think maybe it's "albert pujols" and "surgery"
try saying it ten times out loud
see if you develop symptoms
"It was like two ankles." 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
[ill]
"It was like two ankles." 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
Do you like apples?
Apples to apples, cardinal signings that bought out arbitration years:
Adam Wainwright – Excellent contract, ace signed for beyond his arbitration years for substantially less than he is worth.
Yadier Molina – Yielding surplus value.
Albert Pujols – Enough said.
How do you like them apples?
"Of course Kolby Rasmus was going deep! That’s what Kolby Rasmus does! You don’t give Kolby Rasmus second chances!" -Kolby Rasmus
I'm really, really high right now, so forgive me if I'm missing the obvious
But I really don’t understand the apples stuff.
by vivaelpujols on Jan 15, 2010 8:29 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
now i'm craving some apple pie
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
Now you went and made me all hungry for apple pie...
thanks a lot jackass.
"When I knocked a guy down, there was no second part to the story." - Bob Gibson
hazel's the one talking about apple's damnit
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
But you said apple pie...
"When I knocked a guy down, there was no second part to the story." - Bob Gibson
should i have said cobbler? because i hate cobbler
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
Ummm
you like two layers of crust instead of one???
"When I knocked a guy down, there was no second part to the story." - Bob Gibson
cobbler wigs me out man, it's a mess & i just can't eat it
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
Try a bowl next time
bowls don’t get their due for functionality.
"When I knocked a guy down, there was no second part to the story." - Bob Gibson
i can't eat it in a bowl
i can’t eat it with Bob Dole
i can’t eat it on a plate
i can’t eat it out on a date
i can’t eat it here
i can’t eat it there
my dear, my dear, i just can’t eat it anywhere
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
I believe
gdm just got served
"When I knocked a guy down, there was no second part to the story." - Bob Gibson
read the poem damnit!
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
that flew right over me head
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
Pink Floyd and not really a fan of The Movie The Wall
by FlimtotheFlam on Jan 16, 2010 1:01 AM EST up reply actions
I am...
I really enjoy how the music and the story play together. That and there are about 5 or 6 songs that aren’t on the album that are pretty good.
* is an Asshat
I was playing trivia on Wednesday
and they played “Another Brick in the Wall, Part II” and asked what movie from 79 it was from. I almost did my own version of Really!?!? with Seth and Amy…
"When I knocked a guy down, there was no second part to the story." - Bob Gibson
mainly because it sucked a massive wang.
The album’s far, far from their best as well. I think the much-less hyped (but kinda similar in tone) “Animals” absolutely kicks its ass, personally.
RELEASE THE CENTIQUID!!!!
by Felonius_Monk on Jan 16, 2010 7:45 AM EST up reply actions
When did they resurrect the Globe-Democrat name?
Sorry to ask a stupid question, but I don’t live in the St. Louis area. Thanks, and I’ll hang up and listen.
by Bernard Gilkey's Springfield Cardinals on Jan 15, 2010 11:24 AM EST up reply actions
A month or two ago. They're online only.
I never would slip you Mickey! It is merely rhinoceros horn. This makes the champagna bubble.
by The Continental on Jan 15, 2010 11:31 AM EST up reply actions
Think we have a shot at Sheets?
I have a bad feeling some team will bite somewhere close to his ridiculous asking price.
Because 5 times 0
is so much better than 1 times 0.
"When I knocked a guy down, there was no second part to the story." - Bob Gibson
Ok, I admit it:
I love knuckleball pitchers. I can’t help myself. They’re screwy, they irritate the hell out of hitters (and catchers!), and the just help to provide a fun wrinkle in a game which sometimes takes itself too seriously. I would love to see Zink recapture his knuckler, in all its butterfly-glory, and end up the Big Birds ‘pen. Can anyone ever remember the last Cards’ pitcher who tossed a knuckler? By the by, I love the screwball even moore – but try and find someone who tosses that today.
Valverde is valuable and would have certainly shored up our ‘pen, but he was simply too expensive, both in moolah and as far as picks. Let’s all hope that one year later Jason Motte has moore cowfidence in a second pitch and in general, and can step in when Franklin starts to become Franklinstein. One moore FA signing for the ‘pen would still warm my udders, either Kiko Calero or Springer or the like. And don’t forget about the bench; I have a sneaking suspicion that Ank will be unable to find a guaranteed starting spot/contract offer moore than a year, and just might slink home to be our 4th OF by the time April rolls around. Maybe a few rounds of tutelage udder Big Mac can learn him somethin’. He certainly still have valuable defensive skills in the OF that we cud use, so I don’t see his return as being so bad – as long we we’re not depending on him as a starter.
:=8)
Big McLargehuge!
:=8O
Can anyone ever remember the last Cards’ pitcher who tossed a knuckler?
Yes. Ryan Franklin in 2008.
RELEASE THE CENTIQUID!!!!
by Felonius_Monk on Jan 15, 2010 10:28 AM EST up reply actions
Danny Herrera throws a screwball
Just FYI.
I need your discipline / I need your help / I need your discipline / You know once I start I cannot stop myself...
ditto
Knucklers, screwballers, submariners, it’s just so much fun to watch.
I think the last genuine screwballer we had in STL (that I can recall anyway) was Rick Croushore, who had a short run of what looks like league average and then fell off a cliff. My recollection is that he was awesome for about two months before the league figured him out.
So, as of today, start the season with:
LHP: Miller, Reyes, Jukich
RHP: Franklin, Motte, McClellan, Hawk, Boggs
Rotation: Carp, WW, Lohse, Penny, Garcia?
C: Yadi, LaRue
IF: Pujols, Skip, Boog, Freese, Lugo
OF: Holliday, Rasmus, Luddy, Craig, Jay/Other LHB
Does that look about right to everyone? Am I leaving anyone out? We probably dont need a 5th starter until April 19th so we might have another IF or even extra bullpen guy to take some innings off of the starters early on.
Chicago Cubs: The first century was funny...this second one is just sad...
I could see Garcia in the pen, actually
if we sign a “proper” 5th starter (Smoltz, Contreras, whoever), Chad Tracy wouldn’t be a bad guy to add to the infield, and then get Calero. Let Hawk and KMac start the year in Memphis. We’ve then got a pen with two good LOOGYs and a lefty who’ll probably split long work and situational work (Garcia), plus two guys who are tough on righties (Motte & Calero, maybe add Boggs too) and Franklin to start the year as closer. We can just play the platoon splits with the relievers we have, don’t really need a relief ace as we’ve got guys who are murder on righties and guys who are very good vs lefties, and then if we need someone to pitch multiple innings or spot-start we’ve got two guys (Boggs & Garcia) who can do it.
I suppose it might set Boggs & garcia’s development as starting pitchers back a little, but I can see some promise in that set-up. KMac or Hawk get the call from AAA (tbh, I think both could use a bit more polish) if we need them.
RELEASE THE CENTIQUID!!!!
by Felonius_Monk on Jan 15, 2010 10:47 AM EST up reply actions
I don't see us carrying 5 outfielders
I think they’ll carry another infielder, preferably one that bats left handed and can play 3B. Chad Tracy really makes the most sense and he’ll be extremely cheap.
I’m not sure Jukich makes the team either — obviously he’ll have to go back to his team if he’s left off of the roster, but why carry 3 lefty specialists? It’s simply not needed. If he can be a long man and be effective against righties then I can see it, otherwise I can’t.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
Jukich isn't a left specialist; his splits suggest he can get both sides out
I think Gotay will the be the lefty who can play third.
by Willie McGee's Twin on Jan 15, 2010 11:49 AM EST up reply actions
Where can I get Jukich's splits?
"Of course Kolby Rasmus was going deep! That’s what Kolby Rasmus does! You don’t give Kolby Rasmus second chances!" -Kolby Rasmus
I thought Jukich's reputation
was that he was not a loogy and could pitch multiple innings – I have seen him referred to as being in this year’s Brad Thompson role (though hopefully more effective and pitching more innings over the year)
No chance on Garcia...
Must sign another starter…
Six years was the hope of the herd;
Unanimous but for one who demurred;
A prescient young man;
By the name of stlfan;
He knew Scotty would have the last word
What?
Don’t get me wrong, I think we need to sign another starter as insurance, but, given Garcia’s GB% and K rate, how does one conclude: “No chance on Garcia”?
"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 Jan 15, 2010 10:28 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
JAIME GARCIA
unless guayzimi knows something, like for instance he broke his hand the other day, in which case fire up the VEB signal.
"It was like two ankles." 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 Jan 15, 2010 12:25 PM EST up reply actions
I'm confused
are you saying that Garcia broke his hand? or just giving an example?
Blaine Matthew Burns: Albert Pujols' biggest fan (his first words will for sure be "Albert Pujols is RIDICULOUS")
ask guayzimi, is what I'm sayin
"It was like two ankles." 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
He just pitched...
so few innings the last couple of years. He’s still young. Seems like leaving him AAA for a year is the obvious answer.
Six years was the hope of the herd;
Unanimous but for one who demurred;
A prescient young man;
By the name of stlfan;
He knew Scotty would have the last word
They're going to limit his innings...
so if he’s the 5th starter in April, he won’t be in September. At some point, we’re going to need another starter.
Six years was the hope of the herd;
Unanimous but for one who demurred;
A prescient young man;
By the name of stlfan;
He knew Scotty would have the last word
This will be true no matter what happens:
At some point, we’re going to need another starter.
And I believe it will be true even if Garcia throws 160 MLB innings for the Cards.
"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 question is mostly moot...
With the guys we have, we’re going to need about seven decent starters. If we sign Sheets/Smoltz/Garland that will give us six (counting Garcia). If we sign another reliever, that will free up Boggs a little. Maybe Ottavino can be #8.
If we go into the year with Adam/Carp/Penny/Lohse/Smoltz, there are going to be missed starts all over the place.
Six years was the hope of the herd;
Unanimous but for one who demurred;
A prescient young man;
By the name of stlfan;
He knew Scotty would have the last word
Right.
I discussed this a while back. I wanted a six-starter plan that features Garcia. I’m not against Garcia starting the year in AAA, but I would love to see him in St. Louis. We need another starter because our rotation’s health is a big question mark heading into the season.
"I'm gonna throw the nastiest curveball I have ever thrown...if he hits it, I'll tip my cap, but if not we're going to the Series."
--Adam Wainwright on the final pitch of the 2006 NLCS
s'true
i’m just playin
i am irrationally exuberant about him … with fewer innings. maybe pitching alongside a co-5….
"It was like two ankles." 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
Garcia doesn't need another year in AAA
Maybe 2 months but not a year.
by FlimtotheFlam on Jan 15, 2010 2:02 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Of course, the counter to this argument is. . .
1) he is a major league ready pitcher right now, who
2) is an injury waiting to happen, therefore
3) those innings might as well generate value at the ML level rather than in Memphis.
I don’t know that I agree with 1, but if 1 and 2 are true then I certainly agree with 3.
by SouthsideCardsFan on Jan 15, 2010 2:40 PM EST up reply actions
He is on the 40 man roster
his clock is ticking. Use him or lose him.
by Hardcore Legend on Jan 15, 2010 2:47 PM EST up reply actions
He's not accruing service time on the 40-man...
unless I’m missing something.
Six years was the hope of the herd;
Unanimous but for one who demurred;
A prescient young man;
By the name of stlfan;
He knew Scotty would have the last word
Yes but
A lot don’t realize he got a year of service last year since he went on the DL while in the majors
by FlimtotheFlam on Jan 15, 2010 3:29 PM EST up reply actions
Even if that's true...
he doesn’t accrue service time if he’s on optional assignment. He’ll be better with a year of AAA under his belt, and we’ll still control him for five years.
Six years was the hope of the herd;
Unanimous but for one who demurred;
A prescient young man;
By the name of stlfan;
He knew Scotty would have the last word
i think a good question would be
How long Garcia would have to be in AAA to avoid him being a Super Two
by FlimtotheFlam on Jan 15, 2010 3:45 PM EST up reply actions
all star break...
Six years was the hope of the herd;
Unanimous but for one who demurred;
A prescient young man;
By the name of stlfan;
He knew Scotty would have the last word
I completely forgot about that.
Then, he should pitch for the big club in 2010.
"I'm gonna throw the nastiest curveball I have ever thrown...if he hits it, I'll tip my cap, but if not we're going to the Series."
--Adam Wainwright on the final pitch of the 2006 NLCS
I don't think Jukich makes the team without an exceptional ST.
He’s not a situational lefty and he’d basically be the long-man in this pen. I also don’t think TLR will go with an 8-man pen again. Well, I damn-well hope not. If he does, I could see the “Jay/Other LHB” spot taken by Tyler Greene, as we need someone who can play SS (not lugo, ugh) on the bench, and Greene played CF for a couple of innings last year so he might fit that profile too. Although it’s equally possible he replaces Craig (ugh) and sends him to AAA again.
I just don’t think we’ve got the pieces to carry an 8-man pen. Not enough bench players who are versatile enough, and our only decent bench bats (Craig, ?Hamilton?) can only play field or two low-importance positions. Maybe if we had Floppy Lopez we could manage it. Still, that didn’t stop him doing it last year, I guess…
RELEASE THE CENTIQUID!!!!
by Felonius_Monk on Jan 15, 2010 10:35 AM EST up reply actions
Goal for Robot's weekend:
Download some games of Jukich and chart pitches.
Think; It's not illegal yet.
NERDZ!!!!!!!!!!!!11111111111111!!!!!!!!!!!!
You know what they call a quarter pounder with cheese in France?
by jd is legend on Jan 15, 2010 1:48 PM EST up reply actions
nelson laughs at bender in a new matt groening mashup.
if you don't know what is wrong with me, then you don't know what you've missed. - macmanus
by tom s. on Jan 15, 2010 5:40 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
it could be worse
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
I don't think and I pray that we don't have a 13 man pitching staff again
So Jukich. And my guess one of Hawk or Boggs. We sign one reliever and one starter.
by FlimtotheFlam on Jan 15, 2010 11:38 AM EST up reply actions
I hope you are right, Flim.
But, I think that we will have a 13-man pitching staff again because TLR practices horrible roster management.
"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
And I think Jukich may make the team
A team doesn’t draft a rule 5 player and give up on him immediately. Jukich may play his way off the team during Spring training, but he will probably show enough to be given a spot. I fully expect TLR to go with a 13-man pitching staff and Jukich to get that last spot. He will pitch in low-pressure spots when the Cards have a big lead or are far behind and will be expected to pitch multiple innings (especially in the latter case to save the rest of the bullpen). Perhaps over the season he shows enough to pitch in other spots but, having drafted him in the rule 5, the Cards will make every effort to keep him (even at the cost of taking up a roster spot all year), unless he clearly becomes a hopeless case.
So,
you anticipate Jukich being the new WonderBrad.
"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 might be scarier.
his mustache upside might be comparable, though.
"It was like two ankles." 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
Hopefully better, bgh
but probably in the same role this year
More forgiving schedule
there seems to be more days off in June this year. IIRC the Cards, last May, June and July had some nasty stretches. A 13 man pen in May could be useful if the starters don’t go deep during April and the team doesn’t see any rainouts.
As far as breaking ST with 13 pitchers, that is doubtful since the team has 3 off days in the first 17 days of the season.
Come back, Zink! Come back!
Thank goodness I still live in a world of telephones, car batteries, handguns, and many things made of—Zink!
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
I'm getting ancy
It’s softball tonight and I can’t sit still at work. I feel like I had crazy juice injected right into my brain.
I had my first softball game last night.
love it. especially since it’s my only means of exercise.
"I knew they were up to shenanigans." --TLR
Wow.
If softball is your only form of exercise, you need to get out more.
Baseball's only fun if you're playing it, watching it, or thinking about it.
I know
but I work a million hours a week. I play on two teams and we have double-headers. So four games a week is actually not bad, exercise-wise.
"I knew they were up to shenanigans." --TLR
i think
one sport is pretty good exercise. not like the average person needs to be in shape to complete a decathlon at a moments notice
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
until the zombies rise
then you’ll think differently
"It was like two ankles." 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 the way, it seems roofs and attics are better than basements
I may have to change my internet habits
(yeah, I got The Zombie Survival Guide for Christmas. it’s better as fiction than non-fiction — it reads like all the science editorial boards were devoured by the undead.)
"It was like two ankles." 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
save some hog lumps
"It was like two ankles." 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
btw, an interesting St. Louis-based group
is actually about disaster preparedness and charity work, except with zombies. I don’t know them personally, but I’ve heard good things. usually as mournful groans.
"It was like two ankles." 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 also had a class with a founding member of ZS
Gorelock pride… I guess.
by Mulliganstew on Jan 15, 2010 6:57 PM EST up reply actions
Actually
Now that I think about it, I just saw her around campus and my video production 2 class interviewed her for Mondo St. Louis.
by Mulliganstew on Jan 15, 2010 6:58 PM EST up reply actions
Yup
You’ll have to excuse my inability to care about how I spell a made up creature.
by Mulliganstew on Jan 15, 2010 10:03 PM EST up reply actions
in the spirit of one-upsmanship
(you’re not going to believe it, but here goes)
one of ’em was my roommate. in fact, all of these bastards used to attend our nights of drunken debauchery with such frequency that i can almost guarantee the idea was hatched within the walls of the dump on south compton.
also we were raided by the cops once. perhaps zombie squad is how my pals relieve such trauma. good times.
"on gameday it says duke loves to face the four seamer and hates to face the four seamer" -VolsnCards5
"perhaps it's a computer joke about the duality of man." -tom s.
by Tudor's Electric Fan on Jan 15, 2010 10:10 PM EST up reply actions
You said the other day
that you live in Phoenix. I am in Queen Creek, and have been looking for a team, unsuccessfully. Have glove, will travel. Today I was in Coolidge, and went to the parks and recreation office, and put my name in, but they don’t start until March. Any space on your team, or any of the teams in your league? I don’t mind traveling anywhere in the metropolis, since I just want to play! Any info you can provide would be most welcome.
by kkkkathmandubirdsview on Jan 15, 2010 6:12 PM EST up reply actions
no space on my team, unfortunately
I play in Scottsdale, at Chaparral Park. I’ve been the same team for awhile, but whenever we have vacancies, we fill them with ads on Craigslist, and we always get a lot of responses. So if you’re looking for a team to join, I suggest looking there first.
"I knew they were up to shenanigans." --TLR
I signed up
but how do you use it? I am in craigslist now. Do I go to discussion forums, or post an ad?
by kkkkathmandubirdsview on Jan 15, 2010 7:02 PM EST up reply actions
I hope
that you are not pulling my leg!
by kkkkathmandubirdsview on Jan 15, 2010 7:07 PM EST up reply actions
don't say it gdm, don't f'ing say it
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
I just went there
and validated what you say. But I knew it beforehand. You are nasty. I just want to play softball!
by kkkkathmandubirdsview on Jan 15, 2010 7:09 PM EST up reply actions
Okay, so really you want
to go to Groups and post there. I looked at the St. Louis Craigslist and that’s where people are posting sports stuff.
Now with extra feisty!
I want to play
so badly, that I registered my name with an east valley church league. They must have been forewarned, because there has been no reply. I am reduced to going to a “Taters for Tots” charity tournament tomorrow morning organized by the same people to try and find a team. It has been a long downward journey from the softball tournaments that I used to play in in Thailand, Indonesia, and Manila from the 80s to 2000s. Honeymoons indeed!
by kkkkathmandubirdsview on Jan 15, 2010 7:17 PM EST up reply actions
Just to clarify...
the honeymoons was alluding to your forthcoming trip to Denver for the STL games there this summer (mentioned last night). I was always accompanied by my wife to those tournaments, and she is indeed a vigilant person! The only landing I want right now is just a serious team to play on.
by kkkkathmandubirdsview on Jan 15, 2010 7:30 PM EST up reply actions
I notice
that it is a rather common occurrence. By the way, has it entered into the VEB lexicon yet?
by kkkkathmandubirdsview on Jan 15, 2010 7:31 PM EST up reply actions
individual-related references will not go into the glossary
also, what RR said.
"It was like two ankles." 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 envy all the warm weather VEB'ers
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
I know more than a few people around here that might be slightly encouraged by this:
FRIDAY, 8:40am: Cardinals GM John Mozeliak tells Rob Rains of the St. Louis Globe-Democrat that the Cards will “likely” watch Sheets throw.
by CardsFanSmikema on Jan 15, 2010 1:00 PM EST via mobile reply actions
I think there are a lot of teams down there
I suspect they’re serving a buffet or something, so that’s why they’re going.
"It was like two ankles." 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
DINGERS
DINGERS, I SAY.
"It was like two ankles." 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
Not that I didn't already know,
but BOOG really is just a twelve year old kid.
Later, on his third attempt at calling his shot, Ryan hit one out, too.
* is an Asshat
i'm going to cue up andi_k's signature now.
"It was like two ankles." 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
now I have trepidation again!
McGwire thought maybe a new style of glove would stop Schumaker from doing anything during his at-bat but think about hitting the ball.
Nooooo don’t mess with their mental markers! It’s a timing thing and it pisses off the pitchers!
I have little hope for Boog’s pre-swing, now.
"It was like two ankles." 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
if you've got the entire routine saved, keep it
there’s remarkably little official or publicly available footage of Boog’s entire routine
"It was like two ankles." 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
Boog is remarkably suggestible, imo
socks? from Memphis. staches? from the starters. seeds in back pocket? from Holliday. that’s not even getting into what the press guys get him to do, which is why they love getting him on camera.
"It was like two ankles." 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
if some kid in little league didn't tell him to kiss his shoulder to square up on the ball
I’ll be surprised
"It was like two ankles." 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
(but seriously, his uncle and his dad were baseball guys
he had no shortage of teachers. andi_k said he went to baseball camp during the summer.)
"It was like two ankles." 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
Isn't Skip the one that adjusts his batting glove straps after evey pitch?
by FlimtotheFlam on Jan 15, 2010 2:04 PM EST up reply actions
yes
that article is Mac trying to change it
"It was like two ankles." 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 mean, I know it's a small thing
but through the season you can’t get these guys thinking too much. not facing live fire, day after day. unless you’re Albert and you’ve perfected your ridiculousity.
I’m okay with this happening in the offseason, but if he starts over-coaching, it could easily swing to the other direction for the weaker hitters. at the least, I hope he adjusts to a quieter approach by the end of April.
"It was like two ankles." 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 ... quite randomly, I'd love to see our pitchers up their averages
just to strike a blow for real baseball™
"It was like two ankles." 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
This is not a bad thing at all
He needs to be focused on how he’s being pitched in the current AB, and if all the nervous ticks are getting in his head (like if he doesn’t do that, then he’s not with it mentally), then he needs to focus on the at-bat and not the little things in his routine.
Think about all the Skip AB’s that you’ve watched, and try to pinpoint when you can tell that he’s struggling. He’s overaggressive and pulls a lot of outside pitches to the right side for easy groundouts — Mac’s right: When he’s overaggressive, his swing strays. He needs to relax and try to repeat his best swing as much as possible.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
I'm not convinced the nervous ticks get into his head
he burns off extra energy from that. and I don’t think anyone here thinks he’s got a shortage of that.
here’s my thing, and obviously I don’t know firsthand what I’m talking about, but this is specifically what I’m talking about — Longoria has a mental trick of staring out at the top of a foul pole to gain focus between pitches. are we going to tell him to stop doing that because it disturbs his focus on the ball?
those dumb little routines do help them focus and relax. if you watch the tapes randomly, with a metronome, they are regular and automatic, and that speaks to a fairly settled mind. I’m not arguing with Mac’s idea, but in practice – when it’s something subconscious like that, I don’t know that these guys will know to say “that helps me focus” until they’re in the box and thinking too much.
"It was like two ankles." 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 can see the upside and downside.
On the one hand, sometimes it’s good to have something to keep you busy, distract you a bit.
On the other, maybe it’s too time-consuming, a little too distracting, and Skippy needs to focus more on the plate appearance.
If stopping the routine messes with him, he’ll return to it.
Now with extra feisty!
i am heartened by your confidence in skippy
"It was like two ankles." 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 moar confidence in Big Mac's teaching ability than anything else
while i’m pretty geeked up right now, i think it’s going to take a while before the hitters actually start making 6 strides at the plate. it might not start paying off till the second half of the season or maybe even 2011. i also really wish Luddy & Rapstar were out there right now working with him too. they are more important to the O than Skippy & Boog.
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
unless Boog starts hitting dingers
Blaine Matthew Burns: Albert Pujols' biggest fan (his first words will for sure be "Albert Pujols is RIDICULOUS")
that's not gonna happen, no matter how much we try & will it to
he’s a “slap” hitter, not a powar hitter. like F pointed out if he can just start walking more that will be a huge improvement.
for reals though, DeWitt needs to fire up the jet & pick up Colby & Luddy asap & get them to SoCal
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
colby's busy changing diapers, he can't come to the phone
"It was like two ankles." 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
f'ing kids
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
Colby is in Decatur tonight
Blaine Matthew Burns: Albert Pujols' biggest fan (his first words will for sure be "Albert Pujols is RIDICULOUS")
IL
Blaine Matthew Burns: Albert Pujols' biggest fan (his first words will for sure be "Albert Pujols is RIDICULOUS")
6 strides?
Being that much closer to the pitcher would be a definite advantage, but they might get called out for being too far out of the batter’s box.
Oh, wait, that’s not what you meant….. ;)
old habits, they die a hard painful death
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
The difference is, I think Skip
can be quick-pitched and it’s going to throw him off. He needs to have his routine in order to feel right. I don’t begrudge him that, but I’d rather his routine involved studying the pitcher’s body language, how he approaches the rubber, so on and so forth.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
...he can't do that while adjusting his gloves?
Besides the weirdness of the logic vis a vis the context, here’s the thing – Skip’s the one who’s trained with McGwire all this time. The results have been pretty favorable, right? And in all that time he’s had exactly the same routine. Are you suggesting that Skip’s not been doing that all this time?
"It was like two ankles." 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
From what I got from that article.....
he was trying to find a more comfortable glove for Skip. He hasn’t stopped him from playing with his gloves in the last two years, I wouldn’t worry too much.
/That said…if I can’t use “lick your shoulder whore” this year…Ima be pissed.
* is an Asshat
s'true
Goold has mislead me before, with his fancy English skills and stuff.
You’ll be fine. Mac coaches the offense, not the defense. Boog does get his licks in between pitches.
"It was like two ankles." 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
as in: I'm not talking about the swing. I'm talking about the pre-swing.
"It was like two ankles." 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
sounds like Pujols
Find a direct line for the bat to take to the ball. Drop the hammer, don’t try to aim the bat.
A stable base is the best place to start, and it should be consistent.
Less movement before the swing.
Mental preparation is a must. Avoid clouding the at-bat with excess worries. Know your swing well enough that it’s "muscle memory" and that will allow you to concentrate on the pitcher.
Tee work is key.
Knowing how to watch video is essential.
Stop fiddling with those batting gloves.
Blaine Matthew Burns: Albert Pujols' biggest fan (his first words will for sure be "Albert Pujols is RIDICULOUS")
i know it's not really fair to mcrae
since we don’t really know what he was teaching. at least not at this level, but i’m so happy that we have a hitting coach who is actually teaching these guys something
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
I read and watched enough interviews to see a severe correlation to suckage.
maybe we didn’t know exactly what was in the black box, but when he opened his mouth and divulged something, it was consistently clueless.
"It was like two ankles." 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
MOAR WALKS FOR BOOG
During the batting practice Thursday, McGwire talked with Ryan about strike zone recognition, setting up baseballs on the edge of the plate to give Ryan some visual keys to help.
This promising news.
I need your discipline / I need your help / I need your discipline / You know once I start I cannot stop myself...
I don't know if my standards are low or something
but even an incremental improvement in the Ryans would be amazing.
"It was like two ankles." 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
Derrick Goold fucking rocks
He and Posnanski should put together a MizzouMLB blog or something and post to it — they’re two of my favorite baseball writers.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
I could not agree more.
"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
Have you ever checked out the Mizzou blog on SBNation
by FlimtotheFlam on Jan 15, 2010 3:46 PM EST up reply actions
We are not MIzzou fans
in terms of the school. I think he might mean a Missourah blog with Poz covering KC and Goold STL.
"I'm gonna throw the nastiest curveball I have ever thrown...if he hits it, I'll tip my cap, but if not we're going to the Series."
--Adam Wainwright on the final pitch of the 2006 NLCS
i actually am a big fan of matt leach. he doesn't get a chance to nerd out completely in his blog, b/c it's written
for a pretty general audience, but he seems very smart.
if you don't know what is wrong with me, then you don't know what you've missed. - macmanus
I doubt Matt Leach would want to work for a newspaper.
With MLB.com, the work is probably a little more secure.
Now with extra feisty!
I can almost gurantee you though
That Joe Struass makes more money
by FlimtotheFlam on Jan 15, 2010 4:40 PM EST up reply actions
Is it just me,
or does everyone else feel like we’re going to see a lot of hitters do nothing but watch the pitcher as much as possible in between pitches this season. Take the signs, get in the box, focus on the pitcher. Mac was great at this in his AB’s and so is Pujols, and that sounds like what he is preaching: Get all the other stuff out of your head and focus on the task at hand.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
I hope so.
Maybe we’ll see a lot more 5+ pitch at-bats. Much nicer than all the 1-2 pitch AB’s from last year.
Albertofstan.
F* Yeah!
by Bring Back Tommy Herr! on Jan 15, 2010 3:58 PM EST up reply actions
No more Cykiels?
Huzzah!
In football, the object is for the quarterback, otherwise known as the field general, to be on target with his aerial assault, riddling the defense by hitting his recievers with deadly accuracy in spite of the blitz, even if he has to use the shotgun. With short bullet passes and long bombs, he marches his troops into enemy territory, balancing this aerial assault with a sustained ground attack that punches holes in the forward wall of the enemy's defensive line.
In baseball the object is to go home! And to be safe! "I hope I'll be safe at home!"
-George Carlin (RIP)
I love knucklers
Second tier teams need to be more creative to try find a different way to win.
1. knucklers are cheap and durable and not prone to injuries. Get me a gaggle of them.
2. I’d hire a lot of foreign nationals (japan, Korea) who might be league average — get them over here for ML minimum
3. I’d also try going away from a conventional rotation and start using three pitchers each day for three innings. FM I think suggested that here on VEB. It would be interesting to see a team built for that logic. No high cost #1, #2 starters, just a bunch of middle releif candidates. You could see guys like Harden, pedro martinez, smoltz fitting well into this plan and they’d all be cheap. Use the minor league shuttle to keep itchers fresh.
4. I’d go back to the 80’s ballfield where you have fast astruturf, large outfield spaces, and deep alleys. Eliminate need for big power hitters (and their expensive pay) in exchange for speed and defense. Build your team for the field and neutralize other team’s strengths.
5. I’d have a whole stable of players coming off of injuries in my farm system. Sign 10-15 of them and hope you strike gold with 1-2 each year. The problem with the Sheets strategy is that all teams gamble on one name and when it doesn’t work, they say they won’t do it again. You need to make it an organization plan and strike deals that get you option years.
And of course I’d hire a clown and run sausage races.
Just win
Necessity breeds invention.
It makes one wonder why the Pirates aren’t more inventive.
"I'm gonna throw the nastiest curveball I have ever thrown...if he hits it, I'll tip my cap, but if not we're going to the Series."
--Adam Wainwright on the final pitch of the 2006 NLCS
i thought their plan with the indian
Minor leaguers was the most creative thing I’ve seen a FO do in a while. They need more of that.
if you don't know what is wrong with me, then you don't know what you've missed. - macmanus
by tom s. on Jan 15, 2010 2:17 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
that was a great article in SI about those two guys
Great Oden's Raven I love Mike "The Predator" Dixon!
Yes.
MOAR INVENTIVENESS.
I just wonder why they haven’t done something more than signing non-traditional international talent.
"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
Well...they had this generation's best known knuckler years ago...
but like anyone else that is worth anything, they didn’t retain him
I crawled the earth, but now I'm higher, 2010 watch it go to fire!
by First mammal to wear pants on Jan 15, 2010 4:49 PM EST up reply actions
And the Farris Wheel in the outfield.
Don’t forget the Farris Wheel
Albertofstan.
F* Yeah!
by Bring Back Tommy Herr! on Jan 15, 2010 2:03 PM EST up reply actions
but do your sausages hunt down catchers
"It was like two ankles." 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 honestly don't get #3
You’re going to need MORE quality arms in that type of situation than you would with a standard 5 man rotation. You could not pull this off with middle relief candidates.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
Thurston's Tony's number one fan, too.
"It was like two ankles." 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
Honestly I liked the Thurston signing at the time
He had a lot of upside for minor league deal. The problem was that he was our starting 3B.
by FlimtotheFlam on Jan 15, 2010 2:15 PM EST up reply actions
all our 3Bs got overexposed, yeah?
"It was like two ankles." 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
So did I.
But, he demonstrated a consistent inability to hit MLB pitching or play third base without causing my heart to leap into my throat for fear that his next throw would result in Pujols being run into by the opposing baserunner.
"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 baserunning
…
"It was like two ankles." 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
If he's your 25th guy,
You’re fine. We just seem to go through this every year when the guy who should be getting 150 PAs a year gets 350, while you HR hitting utility guy is stuck in Memphis and Brad Thompson is on the 25 man roster but doesn;t bother showing up to the ballpark for weeks at a time.
That and the fact he hit .278/.371/.407 in April
How do you have an entire month that good and still end up at .225/.316/.330?
Joe Thurston was the Cardinals’ official Price is Right Yodeling Mountain Climber
You know what they call a quarter pounder with cheese in France?
by jd is legend on Jan 15, 2010 2:18 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Name that Cardinal!
April 2006: .288/.415/.404
2006 overall: .263/.324/.347
It takes awhile for the league to realize that 5’8, 165 lb journeyman MIFers can be pitched to.
Six years was the hope of the herd;
Unanimous but for one who demurred;
A prescient young man;
By the name of stlfan;
He knew Scotty would have the last word
Aaron Miles
I remember being really excited about that walk rate at the 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
I didn't even get to the last sentence.
You answered your own challenge by constructively naming him with the physical description!
"I'm gonna throw the nastiest curveball I have ever thrown...if he hits it, I'll tip my cap, but if not we're going to the Series."
--Adam Wainwright on the final pitch of the 2006 NLCS
I didn't want anyone...
thinking too hard…
As for the Cards, they are huge April walkers. I wonder what possible explanation there could be for this?
Six years was the hope of the herd;
Unanimous but for one who demurred;
A prescient young man;
By the name of stlfan;
He knew Scotty would have the last word
April is national perambulatory month
"It was like two ankles." 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 Jan 15, 2010 2:49 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Wow.
Check out this comment from April 2006:
I’ve got some stats for you guys to peruse…
’04 522 AB/.293 AVG..329 OBP/29 BB/75 R
’05 324 AB.281 AVG..306 OBP/8 BB/37 R
’06 43 AB.302 AVG..423 OBP8 BB7 R
Projected ’06: 453 AB84 BB74 R
Will he finish with a .423 OBP? Probably not. Will he finish with 84 BB? His career trends scream, “NO”. But, he will have more than 8 walks, which was his total in 324 2005 ABs, which is saying something. Say he has a .360 OBP and his career .290 AVG…
Grudz in ’05 528 AB.294 AVG..324 OBP26 BB64 R/59 RBI
We may have gotten lucky on a different roll of the dice than anyone suspected. Yet, no one is talking about his hot start and seemingly better developed eye for the zone. The only discussion is about his falling back down to earth. What is “down to earth”? Miles’ career average—over an admittedly small sample size—is .290 AVG.326 OBP, which is, essentially what Grudz put up last season, but with slightly less pop.
by bgh on Apr 25, 2006 10:25 AM PDT
And then DanUp provides a wonderful Dante Bichette reference in reply:
Of course, He was playing in Coors Field, where his splits were Bichette-esque.
by DanUpBaby on Apr 25, 2006 10:48 AM PDT
As you show guayzimi, he certainly fell back down to earth. His end of the year slash stats: .263/.324/.347/.672
"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
That alarm clock radio doesn't cost $200!!!!!!
You know what they call a quarter pounder with cheese in France?
by jd is legend on Jan 15, 2010 2:26 PM EST up reply actions
speak for yourself F
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
by the way... Big Mac wants to know where the burgers are
sorry, Moo.
"It was like two ankles." 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
Yep; We Weep for our Poor, Primitive Cousins...
…but better then than us!
:=8/
Big McLargehuge!
:=8O
i love that so much
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
i can't listen to barbecue if i can't have any
"It was like two ankles." 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
on the other hand, i can listen to Bernie listening to barbecue without having any
"It was like two ankles." 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
Adam does love his food.
he speaks of it like a man who knows
"It was like two ankles." 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
Adam sounds like a man who doesn't like "DeWallet" moniker
"It was like two ankles." 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
Bernie talkin' about the yoga, even before the contract
yeah, keep buttering them up, Bernie. we’ll see if that yoga improves the nuts.
Adam mentions the PIE of game 3. he thinks that’s why Holliday re-signed. You’re welcome, A.D.A.M. Pie – that’s what we do. that’s what we do.
we’re such classy fans, he says. then mentions what shills the writers are, and how impressed he is by it.
"It was like two ankles." 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
Adam makes a "don't talk about the past" joke
oh, Adam. only you.
Adam’s totally into the impact of the home run race, plus Cal Ripken.
"It was like two ankles." 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
Bernie tells Adam he flipped a coin for Cy
"It was like two ankles." 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
Adam reflects on the Cy tie
and run support. he says they were all three screwed over.
congratulates Bernie on being a shill.
"It was like two ankles." 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
here's the gritty part of the interview.
"It was like two ankles." 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
nice! Adam replies with a Nolan Ryan quote.
you’re such a fanboy, Adam. word.
"It was like two ankles." 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
mentions the luggage in passing
I mean, the mental toughness.
"It was like two ankles." 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
Adam says he's careful about what he says to media
because the owners etc. have mysterious ways of knowing.
He likes our chances, by the way.
"It was like two ankles." 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
thanks
damn phone call
"It was like two ankles." 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
how many kids turned to smoking
while bernie distracted adam with such softballs?
bernie’s keeping adam from his functioning duties as if he were insulin.
"on gameday it says duke loves to face the four seamer and hates to face the four seamer" -VolsnCards5
"perhaps it's a computer joke about the duality of man." -tom s.
by Tudor's Electric Fan on Jan 15, 2010 9:11 PM EST up reply actions
adam has to practice his winning smile
"It was like two ankles." 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
that's what his hats say. they don't lie.
"It was like two ankles." 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 think Wainer says that's Sunday he'll be serving
"It was like two ankles." 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
it's tough live-blogging
you might wanna re-confirm, that’s when Adam will be serving
"It was like two ankles." 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
Which from everything I've heard about Pappy's,
and the fact that WW is there, you’ll need to get there by about 6 AM.
* is an Asshat
yes! they steered Bernie away from Sweet Caroline
it is a Boston thing
karaoke at busch. fun times.
"It was like two ankles." 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
Lies!
I’m looking through the 2009 Media Guide and they list 17 year old Nicaraguan Jem Argenal at 6’4" 260Lbs. Intrigued, I looked at his minor league numbers for 2009, where he played in the Venezuela League. While putting up a .666 OPS as a 17 year old isn’t awful, it does suck that he shrank five inches and lost sixty pounds.
And we thought Colby was wasting away.
intestinal parasite...?
"It was like two ankles." 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
witch doctors.
Albertofstan.
F* Yeah!
by Bring Back Tommy Herr! on Jan 15, 2010 3:59 PM EST up reply actions
combined with the anti-aging elements of the dominican birth certificates
i’m intrigued by the magical properties latin america has to offer. i may go live there and be a 7-footer in my early twenties.
"on gameday it says duke loves to face the four seamer and hates to face the four seamer" -VolsnCards5
"perhaps it's a computer joke about the duality of man." -tom s.
by Tudor's Electric Fan on Jan 15, 2010 9:07 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Byrnes' diving is to TLR as Jessica Alba is to joker24
Byrnes hits a quality .218.
Not afraid to nitpick
He looks like a decent buy low candidate
Lets look at a couple things
BABIP
2006: .277
2007: .312
2008: .226
2009: .229
Career: .282
So he has some bad luck for sure the last 2 years in regard to BABIP
LD%
2006: 17.7 %
2007: 19.0 %
2008: 18.8 %
2009: 15.2 %
Career: 18.8 %
So really had bad luck in 08 and down year in 09. Which could be him going down year or just a glitch.
He seems to be plus D and can spot start in CF. For something like a Lugo deal he would not be bad.
by FlimtotheFlam on Jan 15, 2010 3:43 PM EST up reply actions
Maybe he was getting BABIP lucky before
Dude has a 22.6% career IFFB% and has basically led the league in that category for 4 years.
Not afraid to nitpick
d backs hitters do that alot.
"Of course Kolby Rasmus was going deep! That’s what Kolby Rasmus does! You don’t give Kolby Rasmus second chances!" -Kolby Rasmus
the BABIPs
are interesting and something i didn’t look at before writing him off. but it’s a lot easier for a hitter to sustain a very low BABIP than a pitcher. it’s just that the batter sucks
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
Dude has never had a 20% line drive rate?
15.2% last year? Leads the league in IFFB? Has never hit more than 25 homers in a park that favors RHH? Career OBP of .321?
You’re making him look a lot better than he is, imo. He doesn’t make solid contact and doesn’t square up the ball, hence the below average line drive rate and the league leading IFFB rates the last two years. That’s why his BABIP sucks. He hasn’t been unlucky he’s just not that good. His career year was 2007, and he was a 4 WAR player, which is something he hasn’t approached since.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
ive got an xbabip calculator somewhere
"Of course Kolby Rasmus was going deep! That’s what Kolby Rasmus does! You don’t give Kolby Rasmus second chances!" -Kolby Rasmus
Yeah
I’m really not high on Eric Byrnes. That deal Josh Byrnes signed him to is one of the really poor moves he’s made in the last couple of years. I think Byrnes (the GM) is really over-rated, personally.
RELEASE THE CENTIQUID!!!!
by Felonius_Monk on Jan 16, 2010 7:50 AM EST up reply actions
Huh?
In the previous 3 years before the signing, Byrnes was worth 4.0 WAR, 3.3 WAR and 0.6 WAR (and 3.4 WAR the year before that). He was also 31. I don’t know how you can say it was a terrible signing at the time.
by vivaelpujols on Jan 16, 2010 11:00 PM EST up reply actions
because i have applied hindsight and revisionism
the two most powerful weapons in my armoury.
RELEASE THE CENTIQUID!!!!
by Felonius_Monk on Jan 17, 2010 8:36 AM EST up reply actions
i don't
i guess a minor league contract and a NRI couldn’t hurt, but i think he’s probably done
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
i love eric buuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrres
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
So I had a dream it was opening day and Franklin blew the save
Only that for some reason we were playing in an Amazon rain forest theme stadium complete with thickly vegetated outfield and small lakes. Regardless, Carlos Beltran got the game winning hit by dropping one in a left field lake. Ludwick heroically dove in but to no avail. But alas we don’t open against the Mets and Beltran won’t even be available opening day so any predictive abilities of my dreams can be rendered moot.
I'm like a polygon, I'm edgy.
Resident malcontented betamale
maybe they renovated Minute Maid Park this winter...
we were playing in an Amazon rain forest theme stadium complete with thickly vegetated outfield and small lakes
Albertofstan.
F* Yeah!
by Bring Back Tommy Herr! on Jan 15, 2010 4:57 PM EST up reply actions
Ha!
Dropping one in a left field lake. That’s just some great imagery right there. I have had some weird baseball dreams but none as entertaining as this one.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
well Busch III had a lake out pasted left field for a while
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
If memory serves. . .
Byrnes had some serious, perhaps career threatening leg injuries. I don’t remember if it was hammy, groin, or knee, but yeah, I think he’s probably done.
by SouthsideCardsFan on Jan 15, 2010 4:58 PM EST reply actions
oh man
now have to decide between then and gouging my eyes out with a rusty fork?! life no is fair
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
yeah
the original is on the p-d with a lot more quotes. he’s kind of a (duffle) bag
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
It should make for some interesting post games...
Assuming he’s still doing the studio post game this year…
"When I knocked a guy down, there was no second part to the story." - Bob Gibson
i like this variation on the meme
I mean, theme.
"It was like two ankles." 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
for the past two days someone from Seattle has been calling me & hanging up when i answer
should i be concerned?
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
Oh, that Ichiro.
Now with extra feisty!
by spants on Jan 15, 2010 5:31 PM EST up reply actions 4 recs
mental image of the day
bjork and ichiro on a date.
consider.
if you don't know what is wrong with me, then you don't know what you've missed. - macmanus
by tom s. on Jan 15, 2010 5:42 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
tickling!
"It was like two ankles." 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
he's trying to tell you how Big Z did
"It was like two ankles." 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 Jan 15, 2010 5:33 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs
see that's what i thought, but why keep hanging up?
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
because they put a man on the moon
"It was like two ankles." 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
uh?
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
carlos zambrano
it’s one of the lesser sense making veb memes
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
you had to be there.
and even if you were, it’s not going to be explained to you.
"It was like two ankles." 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
where'd Dave Duncan go
"It was like two ankles." 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
ludwick home run
calling it
"on gameday it says duke loves to face the four seamer and hates to face the four seamer" -VolsnCards5
"perhaps it's a computer joke about the duality of man." -tom s.
by Tudor's Electric Fan on Jan 16, 2010 2:06 AM EST up reply actions
I like to call him
Sharky
Blaine Matthew Burns: Albert Pujols' biggest fan (his first words will for sure be "Albert Pujols is RIDICULOUS")
I personally
am partial to Fat Z.
"When I knocked a guy down, there was no second part to the story." - Bob Gibson
zap brannigan
is the only big z in my mind.
"on gameday it says duke loves to face the four seamer and hates to face the four seamer" -VolsnCards5
"perhaps it's a computer joke about the duality of man." -tom s.
by Tudor's Electric Fan on Jan 15, 2010 9:17 PM EST up reply actions
all i got was a bunch of pay sites to find out who's number that is, i'm not doing that
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
"This number is a landline based in Seattle, WA and is unpublished."
thanks, but i already knew that
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
Post it on the internet for any of the twisted, mostrous, degenerate, serial killing, porno-peddling, internet dating site subscribers to do with as they please?
"Of course Kolby Rasmus was going deep! That’s what Kolby Rasmus does! You don’t give Kolby Rasmus second chances!" -Kolby Rasmus
sorry man
i’m working my way up to creepy breathing but i just get so nervous when i hear your voice!
"on gameday it says duke loves to face the four seamer and hates to face the four seamer" -VolsnCards5
"perhaps it's a computer joke about the duality of man." -tom s.
by Tudor's Electric Fan on Jan 15, 2010 9:03 PM EST up reply actions
well this is a relief
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
for real though
i haven’t lived in the st. louis area for years, but still have a number with a 314 area code. i’ll ask around to see if anyone’s harassing st. louisans though. maybe put up a flier.
"on gameday it says duke loves to face the four seamer and hates to face the four seamer" -VolsnCards5
"perhaps it's a computer joke about the duality of man." -tom s.
by Tudor's Electric Fan on Jan 15, 2010 9:29 PM EST up reply actions
i live in ohio
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
but i already made the fliers
"on gameday it says duke loves to face the four seamer and hates to face the four seamer" -VolsnCards5
"perhaps it's a computer joke about the duality of man." -tom s.
by Tudor's Electric Fan on Jan 15, 2010 9:37 PM EST up reply actions
i would have thought by now everyone knows i live in this hell hole
sorry dude
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
think we can sign kiko and flopez?
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jan 15, 2010 7:33 PM EST reply actions
nope
strauss in his chat indicates that the $7MM is intended to last all yeah and the cards are looking to spend around $1MM right now
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
Kiko will cost more than that
The Cubs and Giants are both known to be interested. That right there probably puts his price well above $1MM.
I need your discipline / I need your help / I need your discipline / You know once I start I cannot stop myself...
fuck then give him $3m
he’s worth it. Our bullpen is atrocious.
RELEASE THE CENTIQUID!!!!
by Felonius_Monk on Jan 16, 2010 7:52 AM EST up reply actions
that's bullshit
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
SHEETS
or, alternately, SMOLTZ
"on gameday it says duke loves to face the four seamer and hates to face the four seamer" -VolsnCards5
"perhaps it's a computer joke about the duality of man." -tom s.
by Tudor's Electric Fan on Jan 15, 2010 9:16 PM EST up reply actions
This dance between...
the Brewers and Melvin isn’t even funny anymore. The whole front office flew to Arizona to meet with him and now they want to wait a month before doing anything. This has been clogging the roto-sidebar since November. We’re talking about an invite to ST.
Six years was the hope of the herd;
Unanimous but for one who demurred;
A prescient young man;
By the name of stlfan;
He knew Scotty would have the last word
Any publicity
is good publicity?
"When I knocked a guy down, there was no second part to the story." - Bob Gibson
It is pretty obnoxious
I mean Jesus Christ, is this their definition of a big plunge?
In football, the object is for the quarterback, otherwise known as the field general, to be on target with his aerial assault, riddling the defense by hitting his recievers with deadly accuracy in spite of the blitz, even if he has to use the shotgun. With short bullet passes and long bombs, he marches his troops into enemy territory, balancing this aerial assault with a sustained ground attack that punches holes in the forward wall of the enemy's defensive line.
In baseball the object is to go home! And to be safe! "I hope I'll be safe at home!"
-George Carlin (RIP)
yo, milwaukee! lemme hear ya say
WHO WANTS A PRE-NUP
"on gameday it says duke loves to face the four seamer and hates to face the four seamer" -VolsnCards5
"perhaps it's a computer joke about the duality of man." -tom s.
by Tudor's Electric Fan on Jan 15, 2010 9:42 PM EST up reply actions
well i'm convinced
who wants frosty chocolate milkshakes?
"on gameday it says duke loves to face the four seamer and hates to face the four seamer" -VolsnCards5
"perhaps it's a computer joke about the duality of man." -tom s.
by Tudor's Electric Fan on Jan 15, 2010 10:41 PM EST up reply actions
and NOW apparently
nothing is happening! Jesus freaking Christianson, JUST FUCKING SIGN HIM!
RELEASE THE CENTIQUID!!!!
by Felonius_Monk on Jan 16, 2010 7:53 AM EST up reply actions
linkaged, because i got nothing better to do
Wagonmaker’s interview with Bernie Yadi2 lived blogged. i think it’s still worth the listen, but i love the Wagonmaker so i’m biased.
and DeWitt also talked to Bernie on Wednesday. they talked everything from Big Mac to Lego & Boras. roids is baadd. Bernie got him to talk about what Boras did in Indy & Austin & DeWitt was cool about it & didn’t slam Boras. he explained the Cards position about pay roll & the stadium debt. talked about bidding against themselves, length of deal & how much is left to spend. Yadda yadda yadda, Bill still lets the phone float away from his face so the volume keeps going up & down. he really is like your grandpa, it’s too funny.
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
ff xiii international trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJPbozRomX4
anyone have a napkin?
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
better not be more jrpg crap like lost odyssey
i want jrpg gold like tales of vesperia.
on a side note, it’s hard to be an rpg fan with an xbox 360.
"on gameday it says duke loves to face the four seamer and hates to face the four seamer" -VolsnCards5
"perhaps it's a computer joke about the duality of man." -tom s.
by Tudor's Electric Fan on Jan 15, 2010 9:44 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
it's hard to be a respectable gamer with only an xbox360
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
by prophetjohn on Jan 15, 2010 9:47 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
eh. it was my wife's buy.
though current gen consoles don’t really impress me. i’m probably (read: obviously) showing my age, but i’m forever going to be the “they don’t make ’em like cartridge games nosirree” guy for the rest of my life.
"on gameday it says duke loves to face the four seamer and hates to face the four seamer" -VolsnCards5
"perhaps it's a computer joke about the duality of man." -tom s.
by Tudor's Electric Fan on Jan 15, 2010 9:56 PM EST up reply actions
You're not alone
There’s a reason why they keep making Super Mario Bros games you know….
I get ridiculous amounts of entertainment playing the old nintendo games on my PC with an emulator.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
for real
not only was the gameplay infinitely better, but the games themselves are durable as hell. also, cartridge games retain their value better and longer. plus they cure world hunger. maybe.
"on gameday it says duke loves to face the four seamer and hates to face the four seamer" -VolsnCards5
"perhaps it's a computer joke about the duality of man." -tom s.
by Tudor's Electric Fan on Jan 15, 2010 11:03 PM EST up reply actions
I find it hilarious
that I can fit every single original NES game on a 256 MB drive and carry them on my key ring along with the program required to play them. Could you even imagine doing this in 1990?
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
FLYING FUCKING CARS!!!!!!!!
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
HYDRATING PIZZA HUT PIZZAS!!!!!!
Wait we still have 5 years for that technology to work itself out.
"When I knocked a guy down, there was no second part to the story." - Bob Gibson
maybe
but I would have though that it would have required a lot less sinning and a lot more dying on my part.
i wish future me could send a message to past me who could barely afford his copy of dragon warrior and say “just wait, kid. all this suffering through lutheran school will be rewarded to you in nintendo form in your later years”.
i actually find it hilarious that each and every damn one of those programs on your key ring cost in the $50-$60 range back in the day. makes you rethink the value of any technological purchase.
"on gameday it says duke loves to face the four seamer and hates to face the four seamer" -VolsnCards5
"perhaps it's a computer joke about the duality of man." -tom s.
by Tudor's Electric Fan on Jan 15, 2010 11:59 PM EST up reply actions
somebody hasn't played fallout 3
oh and blurays are hell of durable. oh i guess you wouldn’t know with your 360, lol
that said most of my gameplay lately has been ocarina of time on my n64 emulator. oops
i still bet ff xii will be at least the second best game of this console generation when it releases in NA
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
by prophetjohn on Jan 15, 2010 11:27 PM EST up reply actions
you see? DO YOU SEE?
ocarina of time, as all zelda games before it, as well as so many cartridge games before that rock socks.
also fear not, fallout 3 is in the hopper along with bioshock. i can also forego pride and say the orange box alone legitimizes new gaming for me.
however, rpgs have really sucked since the cartridge days. cut scenes are…how to put this…if they wanted to marry other cut scenes they would only have a few select states that would allow it.
"on gameday it says duke loves to face the four seamer and hates to face the four seamer" -VolsnCards5
"perhaps it's a computer joke about the duality of man." -tom s.
by Tudor's Electric Fan on Jan 15, 2010 11:53 PM EST up reply actions
I've tried to play FFVII so many times
because it’s this cultural touchstone for people of a certain age, but it’s just so slow with the cutscenes and the early-32-bit gameplay that I can’t do it. The furthest I’ve ever gotten in a next-gen RPG, unless MOTHER 3 counts, is about halfway through Grandia for the PSX, and I don’t know if I’ll ever break that record.
missing out pretty bad
best game ever
i’ve played through it (80+ hour game) close to ten times now
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
by prophetjohn on Jan 16, 2010 12:07 AM EST up reply actions
danup right on time with the love for mother 3
i think that counts as an official veb decree in favor of cartridge games. or something.
"on gameday it says duke loves to face the four seamer and hates to face the four seamer" -VolsnCards5
"perhaps it's a computer joke about the duality of man." -tom s.
by Tudor's Electric Fan on Jan 16, 2010 12:07 AM EST up reply actions
speaking of
earthbound, at this second, going for ninety-five bones on amazon. wow.
"on gameday it says duke loves to face the four seamer and hates to face the four seamer" -VolsnCards5
"perhaps it's a computer joke about the duality of man." -tom s.
by Tudor's Electric Fan on Jan 16, 2010 12:12 AM EST up reply actions
FFVII is the reason I gave up gaming for so many years
I probably played FFVII for 40+ hours on my Playstation. Than one day my memory card just broke and erased everything. It was all gone. After that I just didn’t have the spirit to play video games anymore.
by FlimtotheFlam on Jan 16, 2010 12:59 AM EST up reply actions
I remember my first experience of complete disconnection during a cutscene was FFX.
It’s amazingly beautiful, action packed, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that I should have been more impressed or involved with it.
"Of course Kolby Rasmus was going deep! That’s what Kolby Rasmus does! You don’t give Kolby Rasmus second chances!" -Kolby Rasmus
FFX was a love affair for me
Maybe because I wasn’t quite sure what I was getting into when I started it but I ended up putting hours and hours into that game, so much so that the final boss was cake.
it's a love affair
mainly jesus and my hot rod.
"on gameday it says duke loves to face the four seamer and hates to face the four seamer" -VolsnCards5
"perhaps it's a computer joke about the duality of man." -tom s.
by Tudor's Electric Fan on Jan 16, 2010 1:55 AM EST up reply actions
see? this guy gets it.
"on gameday it says duke loves to face the four seamer and hates to face the four seamer" -VolsnCards5
"perhaps it's a computer joke about the duality of man." -tom s.
by Tudor's Electric Fan on Jan 16, 2010 3:17 AM EST up reply actions
In fairness
no one else in their right mind is on here at 215 on a Friday nite… What has my life become?
"When I knocked a guy down, there was no second part to the story." - Bob Gibson
on the left coast
it’s just after midnight. so i can’t really help you there. i’m up with my wife making 80’s mixed cd’s for her coworker. lord only knows what depraved stuff you’re into.
"on gameday it says duke loves to face the four seamer and hates to face the four seamer" -VolsnCards5
"perhaps it's a computer joke about the duality of man." -tom s.
by Tudor's Electric Fan on Jan 16, 2010 3:27 AM EST up reply actions
Eh my sleep schedule is all jacked to hell
Last nite I fell asleep listening to the morning radio show…
"When I knocked a guy down, there was no second part to the story." - Bob Gibson
been there, done that
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
With that being said I'm turning in early tonite
I think I somehow volunteered myself to help with moving tomorrow… I really gotta learn to be more of a jackass and stop asking if people need help…
"When I knocked a guy down, there was no second part to the story." - Bob Gibson
also rec'd
for use of “respectable gamer”. reminds me of this (as featured here).
"on gameday it says duke loves to face the four seamer and hates to face the four seamer" -VolsnCards5
"perhaps it's a computer joke about the duality of man." -tom s.
by Tudor's Electric Fan on Jan 15, 2010 10:47 PM EST up reply actions
shh! trying to concentrate over here.
i’m standing in an open field west of a house. thinking about checking it out. between you commenting and my mom yelling about garbage or something, i can hardly concentrate on the 10pt term instructions.
"on gameday it says duke loves to face the four seamer and hates to face the four seamer" -VolsnCards5
"perhaps it's a computer joke about the duality of man." -tom s.
by Tudor's Electric Fan on Jan 15, 2010 9:53 PM EST up reply actions
I'm starting to wonder if xii was the last hurrah
I watch these ffxiii movies and I just don’t know what the hell to think.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
but xii left so many questions unanswered
"on gameday it says duke loves to face the four seamer and hates to face the four seamer" -VolsnCards5
"perhaps it's a computer joke about the duality of man." -tom s.
by Tudor's Electric Fan on Jan 15, 2010 10:48 PM EST up reply actions
well, it's not like xiii is a sequel to xii!
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
by prophetjohn on Jan 15, 2010 11:29 PM EST up reply actions
i know what to think
i think i will be standing in line at 11:59 pm on march 8th 2010
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
by prophetjohn on Jan 15, 2010 11:29 PM EST up reply actions
i couldn't finish xii
because my ps2 was a piece of shit
good game, though
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
WSJ confirms one of my long-held gripes
I thought I was generally being bitchy about the abject boredom of attending NFL games, but the Wall Street Journal did a formal study and found that over the course of your three hour viewing experience – guess how much of it you will spend watching actual football plays?
Go on, one guess.
11 motherloving minutes. Eleven! Absurd.
"on gameday it says duke loves to face the four seamer and hates to face the four seamer" -VolsnCards5
"perhaps it's a computer joke about the duality of man." -tom s.
by Tudor's Electric Fan on Jan 15, 2010 10:02 PM EST reply actions
I started the National Championship game
2 hours late on the TiVo… I had caught up before the game ended by fast forwarding through the down time on plays. Granted baseball probably isn’t all that much better.
"When I knocked a guy down, there was no second part to the story." - Bob Gibson
why doesn't the nhl just annex the nfl upon hearing this?
"on gameday it says duke loves to face the four seamer and hates to face the four seamer" -VolsnCards5
"perhaps it's a computer joke about the duality of man." -tom s.
by Tudor's Electric Fan on Jan 15, 2010 10:49 PM EST up reply actions
Hockey needs to align itself with
international soccer, in my view. The game is very, very similar, and if they went to Olympic sized rinks and creases, it would open up the game more and the game would flow better and it wouldn’t get bogged down against the boards as often.
I think the NBA has done a good job globalizing their product and the NHL hasn’t. Prior to 1992, the NBA had very little global reach. The Dream Team changed that. The NHL would be smart to work around the Winter Olympiad better than they have. How many commercials have you seen this holiday season pimping hockey at the winter Olympics and getting people pumped up for it. Yah, that’s right, none. I was only 12 years old in 1992, but I had posters of the dream team and they had that goofy commercial with Barkley singing the “I wanna be like Mike” commercial and changing the name to “Chuck”. The players were visible, the NHL’s players just aren’t visible. The NHL playoffs are awesome, but nobody cares prior to that, so nobody knows the teams that are playing.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
less playoff teams and hockey is the ultimate sport for a live audience
so much movement, action, aggression, etc. in a deceptively small amount of space (seems a lot larger on television for some reason). seeing an nhl game live is glorious.
granted, baseball is my first and primary love. but live, there’s hardly a bigger bang for your manic-euphoria buck than hockey.
"on gameday it says duke loves to face the four seamer and hates to face the four seamer" -VolsnCards5
"perhaps it's a computer joke about the duality of man." -tom s.
by Tudor's Electric Fan on Jan 16, 2010 12:19 AM EST up reply actions
It also doesn't help
that the NHL has hitched it’s wagon to Versus instead of the ESPN family of networks. I enjoy watching hockey, but am no means hardcore, but I rarely know what games are on Versus. I know they have games on Monday and Tuesday, but that’s about it. If they were on ESPN I think the league would be seeing a lot better exposure and thus more money. How the NBA is received better than the NHL I’ll never understand, but being on ESPN probably doesn’t hurt the NBA case any.
Also the Olympics are playing hockey at the Canucks rink… so North American dimensions… gotta love it. Putting people into a smaller area opens up the game and makes it flow better right??? If hockey people weren’t so stupid it could really take off some day.
"When I knocked a guy down, there was no second part to the story." - Bob Gibson
how can hockey "align itself" with international soccer?
I don’t disagree, I just don’t understand.
Anyhoo, hockey is a minority sport. Realistically, it’s never gonna catch on in countries that don’t have a lot of ice and snow.
RELEASE THE CENTIQUID!!!!
by Felonius_Monk on Jan 16, 2010 7:54 AM EST up reply actions
went to see it in the theatre when it came out
i guess i was about 13 or something. It’s pretty meh.
RELEASE THE CENTIQUID!!!!
by Felonius_Monk on Jan 16, 2010 5:57 PM EST up reply actions
I know -- it's ridiculous isn't it?
I will never understand why people think that the baseball is boring. There’s always something happening in baseball, and the pitches come a hell of a lot faster than the plays in football do. Situations are interesting even when the ball isn’t live and in play and there’s a lot of strategy to think about.
When I’m watching baseball, I’m watching the game. I don’t do game threads here because I can’t watch the game AND do game threads at the same time. Yet I read magazines or blogs through nearly all of the ISU Cyclone or Viking football games, looking up every minute or so to catch the next play.
Football really bores the shit out of me, and the fact that there’s only one or two good announcing teams in the whole fucking sport really ruins it. Joe Buck is terrible with football games, and if I swear that Joe could tell Troy Aikman that his mom is a terrible lay and Aikman would start his response with “You know, you’re right, Joe!”. If I was Joe I would totally fuck with him by saying things that he can’t possibly agree with just to see him get flustered or to have him agree to ridiculous things on the air. Dan and Al can annoy me, but it genuinely seems like they care, and if I can get Shannon’s broadcasts I will generally listen over the radio and watch on a muted TV, I think it gives you a better feel for the ballpark. I usually do this with Viking games too, and a local affiliate carries Paul Allen on the radio now so I don’t have to pay to stream it live.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
Seriously
could you imagine having to listen to Troy Aikman for 140 games a year? My head would either explode or I would end up lighting myself on fire by the All-Star break.
As Eff would say “Holy Fucking Shit!!!”
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
Al is my Troy Aikman.......
I don’t care about Holliday, Mac, or if we sign anyone else……..my heart is broke, that I thought there was a chance Al would be gone, but that dream was shattered. I’m trying to rebuild.
* is an Asshat
by RiverRat on Jan 15, 2010 11:28 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
"I will never understand why people think that baseball is boring"
They’re watching the AL.
"It was like two ankles." 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 Jan 16, 2010 1:52 AM EST up reply actions 3 recs
Back in high school
I wrote an essay for English class on why the NL was a far superior brand of baseball than the AL. Wish I knew what happened to that…
"When I knocked a guy down, there was no second part to the story." - Bob Gibson
as someone who's not been brought up in the US
Handegg is the ONLY sport i’ve never got into at all. I quite like hockey (though I think it’s a poor spectator sport on TV), I used to be big into the NBA, and I’ve always liked baseball. Football though, I just don’t get it. I could see the attraction with seeing a game live, but it’s just so SLOW.
RELEASE THE CENTIQUID!!!!
by Felonius_Monk on Jan 16, 2010 7:56 AM EST up reply actions
This is misleading...
Football is like having sex. You might spend an hour doing it, but the really great part only lasts a few seconds.
Six years was the hope of the herd;
Unanimous but for one who demurred;
A prescient young man;
By the name of stlfan;
He knew Scotty would have the last word
by guayzimi on Jan 16, 2010 12:02 AM EST up reply actions 2 recs
/writes this down
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
"thrust."
“’who let the dogs out’ plays. some orange-skinned peroxide blondes shoot tee-shirts out of a cannon.
thrust.
television time-out. ‘come on, ride the train’ plays. announcer plugs a charity named after the kicker.
thrust."
"on gameday it says duke loves to face the four seamer and hates to face the four seamer" -VolsnCards5
"perhaps it's a computer joke about the duality of man." -tom s.
by Tudor's Electric Fan on Jan 16, 2010 12:30 AM EST up reply actions
I think you mean
Football is like having sex. You might spend 11 minutes doing it, but the really great part only lasts a few seconds.
by FlimtotheFlam on Jan 16, 2010 1:00 AM EST up reply actions 2 recs
How am I the only person to rec this?
"When I knocked a guy down, there was no second part to the story." - Bob Gibson
i was waiting on spants or andi to tell me if it was true or not
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
I see
Has andi been around here anytime lately?
"When I knocked a guy down, there was no second part to the story." - Bob Gibson
she said thurdays in matty's thread she had a week of threads to catch up on
so she’s probably only to tuesday at this point
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
Catching up on old threads
that is a rabbit hole I refuse to go down. We are way to verbose on here for me to ever do that…
"When I knocked a guy down, there was no second part to the story." - Bob Gibson
no kidding. i'll never get back those 3 or some odd weeks when i had the pig lung
and i’m ok with that
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
Well, the thing about being a woman is that the good part can last a lot longer.
Or there can be more than one good part.
Now with extra feisty!
women are so lucky
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
wait
we’re still talking about football right?
"on gameday it says duke loves to face the four seamer and hates to face the four seamer" -VolsnCards5
"perhaps it's a computer joke about the duality of man." -tom s.
by Tudor's Electric Fan on Jan 16, 2010 7:43 PM EST up reply actions
Just had to battle my two worst enemies
Children and Hipsters. My sister had a trapeze show at the City Museum. (Did I mention my sister is in the circus). Little kids everywhere running between my legs. With hipsters dressing goofier by minute. I wish I could be a hipster. Wearing the most random assortment of clothes possible. But alas I hate tight black jeans.
i had no idea how many freaks there were in STL till i spent a month there
HFS!!!!® that was two years ago! where the hell has the time gone? motherofass
it blew my mind. here i thought the area was this mostly white, mostly conservative midwestern town. but hells to the no. there’s a big circle of weird that freaked me the hell out. i saw people & things i’d never thought i’d see unless i visited NYC or SF.
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
speak for yourself
"It was like two ankles." 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
It's not fair to count all the meth heads
"When I knocked a guy down, there was no second part to the story." - Bob Gibson
i stayed out of jeff co
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
You do have to account for the fact
you were in Missouri… it’s really like going back in time when you head across the river. Granted I grew up in the boonies of Illinois, but still we do have a few laws in this state however stupid they may be.
"When I knocked a guy down, there was no second part to the story." - Bob Gibson
before then, my time in the STL was spent mostly in the maryland heights, bridgeton area
and mostly west county. plus some 20 odds games at Busch II. i had never actually gotten the chance to really explore the city. it was an eye opening trip.
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
gdm ii
bacon in the big city
"on gameday it says duke loves to face the four seamer and hates to face the four seamer" -VolsnCards5
"perhaps it's a computer joke about the duality of man." -tom s.
by Tudor's Electric Fan on Jan 16, 2010 3:42 AM EST up reply actions
haha
i guess compared to columbus oh aka, cowtown usa, st louis is the big city
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
in ohio's defense
it is home to tourette’s guy and drew & natalie dee. so i guess it’s not all bad.
"on gameday it says duke loves to face the four seamer and hates to face the four seamer" -VolsnCards5
"perhaps it's a computer joke about the duality of man." -tom s.
by Tudor's Electric Fan on Jan 16, 2010 3:52 AM EST up reply actions
Welcome to the city, gdm.
it’s nothing but weirdness, low hanging wires, barking dogs, Colt 45 ads, and crime. I love this place.
i can deal with the wires, dogs, ads & bars
and the crime can be avoided, but it’s the weirdness that i think would keep me from living in the city if i ever was to move west
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
The weirdness is my favorite part
it’s not in your face weirdness like Austin, it’s subtle, something odd happens every day randomness.
from what i gather, it varies by community too
closer to the colleges & forest park it’s probably like Austin or any other college town. which is one reason why i don’t like cbus state & osu up here.
but if i’m reading correctly you’re talking about the neighborhoods you live & work in, and i could deal with that. st louis is still the only place i’ve ever been that felt like home. no matter where i went in the area it all felt like home. even if i wouldn’t hang out there it just had this warm familiarity about it that felt like home.
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
Austin is unlike any other college town.
Especially Big Ten towns. Madison is the only one remotely similar in my experiences.
I say at least once a day in Saint Louis something akin to “Huh. Didn’t see that coming,” “Well, I’ll be damned,” or “that didn’t make a lick of sense.” Keeps me on my toes. That and the crime.
i've never been to austin, i'm only going on what i've been told
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
Are you saying STL feels like a giant basement to you?
New Orleans would like a word with you.
* is an Asshat
STL basements are the best basements in the world
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
How much of what you type is actually true?
Sometimes I wonder. . .
That said, I find the city museum to be intolerably boring.
Think; It's not illegal yet.
by azruavatar on Jan 16, 2010 10:53 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I have always figured 5% of what Flim types is true
Lighten up, Francis - Sergeant Hulka
* sarcasm might be involved in this comment
by mattyfrommo on Jan 16, 2010 10:59 AM EST up reply actions
Whatver do you mean. They have St Louis' finest collection of decrotive door knobs.
Also, they do have one kick ass thrift store.
wha????
the city museum is fantastic. I can see how you could hate it due to your dislike of kids (believe me, i sympathise, i don’t like the f’ers much either), but even if there were NO kids in it you wouldn’t find it uplifting? One of my favourite museums anywhere, I think…
RELEASE THE CENTIQUID!!!!
by Felonius_Monk on Jan 16, 2010 6:00 PM EST up reply actions
don't tell him about the City Museum
he’ll just wait at the bottom of the slide with a plastic bag
"It was like two ankles." 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 Jan 17, 2010 12:09 PM EST up reply actions
not that there's anything wrong with that
Every morning I wake up & smoke a dart. Then I eat five strips of bacon, & for lunch I eat a bacon sandwich. And for a midday snack? Bacon! A whole damn plate! And I usually drink my dinner. And I'm still here! Sometimes I wonder if God forgot about me.
The City Museum is one of the most amazing places I have ever been to.
Who needs affection when you can have blind hatred?
I'd love if if the cards got eric byrnes....
Just so I could question if the fans were yelling “boo!” or “boo-urns!”
by The Ghost of Todd Burns on Jan 17, 2010 1:24 AM EST reply actions
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