The Importance of Good Timing*
by the red baron on Jul 7, 2010 10:10 AM EDT
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*Note: Alternate titles for this post include "No Iliad, no Odyssey, Just Homers", and "I Like 'Pens, Not Tragedies".
Timing is everything in life, you know.
Good and bad, timing really is often the only thing that matters. Good things at the wrong time are still bad things, and even the worst things can turn out all right if they come along at just the right moment. You oversleep and miss your flight; things couldn't be worse. The plane goes down, and you drop to your knees and thank god you chose this morning to shut off your alarm. It wasn't good, but the timing was impeccable.
You meet the woman of your dreams, someone who really and truly seems to get you, and you hit it off in a big way. Only problem is, she's already married to someone else. You compare the other women you date to her, and they always come up wanting. Meeting her was like a dream come true, but you came along just a little too late for you to dream that dream. Life isn't worse, necessarily, but you end up with one more chain around your neck because you had good fortune and bad timing.
Our Cardinals this year seem to have almost magically bad timing. You can point to a dozen different things that have gone wrong, from both of our big-dollar boppers being just a teensy bit off to pitching injuries to, well, whatever that was last night, but it really all comes down to timing. This team has played plenty well enough to have a better record than they do, but on any given night they seem to be missing just one little thing, one tiny thing at a time that may be there another night. If we could ever get this whole thing to work at once it would be glorious, but much like trying to keep an old MG on the road, it seems like every time you get one thing working, something else goes wrong. It never quite breaks down entirely, but there's always a suspicious rattle somewhere whispering in your ear it wants nothing more than to let you down.
If you could have peeled open my head right around the middle of the eighth inning, scooped out my thoughts, and put them down on paper, they likely would have read something like this:
"Man, this has been one of the most inspiring performances we've seen from this team so far this season. Hawksworth wasn't great, but he was okay, and we finally got to see what the offense looks like when Albert and Holliday are both hitting at the same time. Maybe this is the game that, a couple months from now, we all look back at and say, 'That was the turning point, when the Cards finally started playing like the team we all knew they were.' The Reds lost, we're going to get a game back, and I think this team just might be ready to really take off."
If you had done the same thing oh, say, half an hour later, it might have gone something like this:
--Comments redacted by request of the author's own shockingly underdeveloped sense of decency--
Well, okay, so apparently we don't have that clip. Nonetheless, I can assure you it wasn't pretty. I will say, though, I wasn't angry about it at first; it was much too shocking for me to immediately be pissed. So instead I just sort of sat there numbly as my former hopefulness at the state of the team slowly collapsed into a small, cold ball; a white dwarf of happy thoughts. Poor timing strikes again.
We've see this team fail to score, a lot. We've seen the starters injured and their fill-ins struggle to, well, fill in. But one thing we really haven't seen this season is much in the way of bullpen losses. The occasional struggle, yes, but very rarely have things been going along just swimmingly, then out of nowhere here comes a blown save to ruin your night.
Now, though? Well, sure, it was only one game. Just keep telling yourself that. Keep repeating, "It was only one game..." as we consider that Dennys Reyes looks as if he isn't backing away from the edge of oblivion anytime soon, and as for Ryan Franklin, well... If Ryan Franklin were a song, he would be The Smith's "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore."
There's plenty of blame to go around, of course, not least of which could fall squarely on the manager's shoulders. Last time Franklin entered a game and clearly had absolutely nothing, Tony was quick to give him the hook and bring in Jason Motte to clean up the mess. I said it at the time, and I'll say again now how impressed I was that La Russa was willing to backtrack so quickly to ensure the win, rather than 'sticking with his guy' or trying to keep from undermining his closer's confidence. Unfortunately, there was no quick hook last night; even when it was clear Franklin wasn't going to be able to do much of anything to stop the bleeding, there was no move to get him out of the game to try and preserve the win.
Of course, a big part of the problem was that Motte, the second-most trusted reliever in the 'pen, was unavailable, since he had already been used earlier, when the Cards still had a six run lead. I have to question the bullpen management in both cases; first off, why is Jason Motte, your most valuable reliever, pitching in a six-run game to begin with? Second, I don't care who you have to bring in, you can't just wait and hope Ryan Franklin will somehow find his stuff, or his command, or some extra guile, or maybe just luck into a line drive right at someone. Mitchell Boggs should have been in that game. I don't particularly trust him just yet, either, but better the devil you don't know than the devil you do when it's clear the familiar is going to kill you very shortly.
Okay, now for Randy Winn.
What the fuck, Randy Winn?
I'm splitting the blame 70/30 between Winn and La Russa; the no-doubles defense is one of the most ridiculous constructs I can think of and I really can't think of a situation where it's actually a good idea. Baseball's version of the prevent defense works pretty much the same way: the only thing it prevents is victory. Also, the double-switch that brought Winn into the game was completely unnecessary; the minute advantage you gain by avoiding the pitcher hitting is negated by the fact you've just brought an inferior player into the game (and yes, at this point in their careers I think Jon Jay is a better player than Randy Winn), and done so at the cost of a bench spot.
On the other hand, what the fuck, Randy Winn? What the hell kind of attempt at fielding was that? That was pathetic, plain and simple. I wasn't happy about Winn being brought in in the first place, but I've tried to hold back my criticism since because he hasn't been awful. Today, though, to hell with that. Randy Winn, get the hell off my team.
Oh, and while I'm at it: Aaron Miles, still get the hell off my team. I don't care that he had a couple hits, before the usual suspects jump in and start defending the little gnome; he missed, by my count, four balls - four! - that any half-decent (read: even Skip Schumaker), second baseman would have gotten to. Just awful.
Overall, it was as bad a night as you could ask for; a clash of two underachieving teams (remember how many pundits picked the Rockies to go to the Series?), and the result was a record-tying collapse. I was in shock last night, but not now. Now I'm just pissed that we had to all witness such a blatant job of mismanagement coupled with several of the more embarrassing on-field performances I can recall at the moment.
I'm sorry I don't bring any sort of panacea this morning; I know Dan promised I would have the cure for what ails us. Sadly, I don't. I just bring a scowl and the gnawing worry that this team may, in fact, never come together, that timing may just sink this ship for good. After all, sometimes bad timing never turns around, no matter how much you want it to, and you can't change it. I hopehopehope that isn't the case with this Cardinal team, but after seeing them come up with yet another new and novel way to lose a ballgame, I'm not feeling particularly charitable this morning.
The Baron's Playlist for the 7th of July, 2010
"The Whole Shebang" - Grant Lee Buffalo
"Mile End" - Pulp
"The Neighbors" - St. Vincent
"Go All the Way" - Raspberries
"How Do You Sleep?" - Evangelicals
"I Can't Decide" - Scissor Sisters (new album out now!)
Cardinals Fan Confidence Poll
Last tallied on 07/07.
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Just Keep[ Saying to Yourself....
…Misty Mundae, Misty Mundae, better to think about Misty Mundae…
Big McLargehuge!
:=8O
That's pretty much my mantra
for any situation
Cardinals Baseball 2010: Why have only one 25th man when you can have four?
by Bring Back Tommy Herr! on Jul 7, 2010 12:47 PM EDT up reply actions
This Brad Penny thing is now pissing me off
For a long time I kept telling myself I couldn’t get upset because the guy hurt himself hitting a grand slam, which is pretty cool. But now that he has landed in the Mulder/Clement world of “progressing nicely” and “minor setbacks” it is really starting to piss me off. I’m not pissed at anyone in particular, just the situation.
(Note, I’m choosing to avoid saying anything about last night’s debacle)
just don't try to fight him
he’s in with the UFC crowd.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
None of this is a surprise.
With Proven Veterans™, you often get pitchers on the wrong side of 30, with an extensive injury history — which is why they’re bargains in the first place.
So does the team learn its lesson with Mulder, Penny, Lohse … why, no, they grab Suppan and there are rumors of Washburn and Millwood. Make Motte the closer? Why, no, we have Proven Veteran™ Ryan Franklin.
Meantime, Hawksworth provides a perfect argument for using young pitchers — the more you use them, the more they learn and perhaps the better they get. So where’s Adam Ottavino? Nowhere, since he’s not a Proven Veteran™.
by Michael_68_1999 on Jul 7, 2010 11:03 AM EDT up reply actions
I didn't even know Otter was with the team for this series.
and is Salas there, or not? I have no idea. you just don’t see them.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
Salas wasn't listed in GD
>Pitcher Change: Felipe Lopez replaces Ryan Franklin, batting 7th, replacing third baseman Felipe Lopez
Adam Wainwright reaches on force attempt, throwing error by Aaron Heilman. Jaime Garcia scores. Brendan Ryan to 3rd. Adam Wainwright to 2nd. None out.
that's what I figured
someone mentioned he was available, which confused the heck out of me. MacLane’d!
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
Leach was confused too...
He mentioned Salas in his postgame eulogy wrapup
>Pitcher Change: Felipe Lopez replaces Ryan Franklin, batting 7th, replacing third baseman Felipe Lopez
Adam Wainwright reaches on force attempt, throwing error by Aaron Heilman. Jaime Garcia scores. Brendan Ryan to 3rd. Adam Wainwright to 2nd. None out.
Let's try to keep our facts straight....
Lohse and Penny hardly had “extensive” injury histories when signed. Both were, overall, quite durable and consistent throughout their careers.
Closers blow saves. It happens, even spectacularly so, to all of them given enough opportunities. Franklin did not have it last night and TLR left him in until the bitter end. That does not change the fact that Franklin has been good overall this year.
Hawksworth did not pitch all that well last night. Lots of hits and lots of walks. He got lucky to get out of the game with the lead. And he has not pitched all that well this year. He’s a serviceable bullpen arm and can take a few spot starts in the 5th spot in the rotation. Nothing more.
I’m fine with people blowing up after a game like that, but let’s keep our wits about us and the facts straight.
by Willie McGee's Twin on Jul 7, 2010 12:47 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
What does that even mean?
It’s fine if someone wants to blame TLR for mismanaging that game last nght (he did), or Winn for terrible defense, or Franklin for pitching like crap.
But I don’t see why that should lead to a bunch of bizarre, not-factually based extrapolations. If that makes me Al, so be it. I’d rather be that than a dumbass.
by Willie McGee's Twin on Jul 7, 2010 12:59 PM EDT up reply actions
Easy there
I actually agree with you. I’m just sad that VEB is having Al-like posts to keep the sanity and ledge jumpers in check. Wasn’t trying to be a ‘dumbass’.
BTW, wasn't saying you were a dumbass.
Just said I’d rather be someone who kept my facts straight in the midst of a disappointing loss, rather than making inaccurate extrapolations.
by Willie McGee's Twin on Jul 7, 2010 1:13 PM EDT up reply actions
McGee is having a bit of an impasse
*now with more veterany veteranness and a higher grit factor
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 7, 2010 1:22 PM EDT up reply actions
he appears to have made up with himself
Blaine Matthew Burns: Albert Pujols' biggest fan (his first words will for sure be "Albert Pujols is RIDICULOUS")
What I am trying to say
is that pitchers on the wrong side of 30 are more likely to suffer a significant injury than a pitcher younger than 30, regardless whether or not the over-30 pitcher has had an injury history or not. It’s simply a matter of probability. And if you repeatedly sign over-30 pitchers, you will spend more effort looking to replace them year to year than if you give young pitchers a chance to develop.
Repeal The LaRussa Tax.
by Michael_68_1999 on Jul 7, 2010 1:04 PM EDT up reply actions
because signing over-30 pitchers has never, ever worked for the cardinals...
follow me on twitter @nickg105
by stlcardinalsfang on Jul 7, 2010 1:09 PM EDT up reply actions
That is not what I am saying
I am saying that if it is your practice to repeatedly bring in over-30 pitchers, you are taking a greater chance with injuries. I am not saying the Cardinals never have had success, I’m saying such success comes with a higher risk.
It should not be a surprise, then, when these older pitchers have more frequent injuries and take longer to recover from them. A good team anticipates this problem when they import these Proven Veterans™ and has the resources already in hand to overcome them when the inevitably occur.
And, of course, with every supposition, there’s an anecdote that is an exception.
Repeal The LaRussa Tax.
by Michael_68_1999 on Jul 7, 2010 1:28 PM EDT up reply actions
It's unfortunate,
but those are the pitchers that the Cardinals have notoriously thrived with, as they are commonly available (If there was a young guy with decent potential, he would be in a minor league system by now).
In baseball the object is to go home! And to be safe! "I hope I'll be safe at home!"
-George Carlin (RIP)
I don't know if it is fair to say we thrived with:
Sir Sidney Ponson
Kip Wells
Ryan Dempster
Jeremy Bonderman
There is no question that we have had wonderful successes, but we have also had miserable failures, from the scrap heap.
"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 Jul 7, 2010 1:51 PM EDT up reply actions
when did we sign dempster and bonderman???
"...football games always make me thankful for two things:
1. Teams that pass the ball downfield.
2. Baseball games. "
--DanUpBaby
Whoops.
Clement and Maroth.
"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 Jul 7, 2010 1:58 PM EDT up reply actions
TLR pulled me last night for a Proven Veteran commentator.
I’ve been off all day.
"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 Jul 7, 2010 1:58 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
you forgot
Nolan Ryan
John Smoltz
Jamie Moyer
Joel Pinero
Curt Schilling
Time is the best teacher; Unfortunately it kills all its students
over-30 pitchers
Pitchers over 30 are an overwhelming majority of the pitchers that can be brought in. I think every team would prefer a 26-year old arm, but most pitchers aren’t even eligible for free agency until 29-30 or so. I don’t think there’s an institutional bias for the oldest pitchers available.
by roebirds on Jul 7, 2010 2:06 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Then what you do
is simply slow the importation of Proven Veterans™ in favor of giving kids like Ottavino and Brandon Dickson a chance to see what they can do instead. I have seen other teams allow their kids a chance to pitch first — such as Cincinnati in 2010 — with success.
But we do not have a present administration in St. Louis that sees it this way.
Repeal The LaRussa Tax.
by Michael_68_1999 on Jul 7, 2010 2:26 PM EDT up reply actions
i'm over 30 AND my arm was never any good.
i’m doubly useless.
still, you know, jeff suppan has a job.
"We were men - flesh and blood - and we played baseball in the sunshine. We hit doubles off the wall, slid hard into second base. We had fights, and we made love. We sang songs and prayed on Sundays. . . . We felt pain. And we felt joy. There was a lot wrong with the world. But we weren't sad, man. We had the times of our lives." Buck O'Neil, from "The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's America."
Are you lefthanded?
>Pitcher Change: Felipe Lopez replaces Ryan Franklin, batting 7th, replacing third baseman Felipe Lopez
Adam Wainwright reaches on force attempt, throwing error by Aaron Heilman. Jaime Garcia scores. Brendan Ryan to 3rd. Adam Wainwright to 2nd. None out.
not in the sense that i primarily throw with my left hand.
on the other hand, my left arm does work. i would be willing to consider a change.
"We were men - flesh and blood - and we played baseball in the sunshine. We hit doubles off the wall, slid hard into second base. We had fights, and we made love. We sang songs and prayed on Sundays. . . . We felt pain. And we felt joy. There was a lot wrong with the world. But we weren't sad, man. We had the times of our lives." Buck O'Neil, from "The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's America."
I believe you said the exact same thing RB said, just with a different sentiment
You are right that Franklin and the rest of the bullpen has been good most of the season.
Yes, Hawk didn’t pitch particularly superbly, but he did enough to keep his team in the game.
Our offense finally showed they have the ability to hit the ball all at the same time.
Yet, while our team can do all the things a good baseball team needs to do, we can’t seem to do all those things on the same given night.
"...football games always make me thankful for two things:
1. Teams that pass the ball downfield.
2. Baseball games. "
--DanUpBaby
Um, ok
- I guess it depends on what you mean by “extensive”. My definition would probably include a guy who’s missed parts of 5 different seasons in an 11 year career due to injuries and trips to the disabled list, including a 2 month period in 2008. I’d like to see your definition if that’s not “extensive”.
- Hawksworth didn’t pitch well, but he only allowed two runs, and 2 of the hits he gave up would have been fielded by any second baseman not named Aaron Miles, and at least one if not two DP’s would have been turned had Miles not been at second base. He pitched well enough to win the game.
- This is hardly the first time that Franklin has blown up. The problem is that when he does blow up it comes at the worst possible times, usually. He’s not a closer, he’s a guy who’s pretty good at getting outs except that when he’s not. A closer would be Valverde, or Rivera, or Bell, who’ve never, EVER, given up more than 3 ER per out in any appearance. Those guys shut the door.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
by fourstick on Jul 7, 2010 2:22 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
FYI - Worst relief outing since 2002
per Fangraphs
This is our closer, you can’t just ignore it with a one off “this shit happens and it was only one time”. When you’re a closer, you don’t give up 6 earned in 1/3 of an inning, EVER. You have the stuff to make hitters miss even when you don’t have your good stuff. Ryan Franklin does not fit this description.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
while you don't ignore it you shouldn't blow it out of proportion either
your closer had a meltdown not a series of meltdowns ala the AZ bullpen
Time is the best teacher; Unfortunately it kills all its students
Ryan could pitch 2.00 FIP ball for the rest of the year
and there is still nothing anyone could say to convince me he wouldn’t blow it the first chance he got in the playoffs. Irrational? Probably, but I don’t care.
I wouldn't put him in the best current closer category
but having spent a season watching CO go through every possible closer scenario I would argue it isn’t time to ship Frankie out of town yet
Time is the best teacher; Unfortunately it kills all its students
I think a high profile team like the cardinals
should have such a vulnerability in such an big role. Especially when it comes to playoff ball, as BP has found a Alpha Bullpen guy is very essential.
"How depressing is it being you? Would you equate it to being a lifelong Cubs fan?"
yeah but those alpha guys (i.e. Gregerson) are at a premium
and require trading PROVEN VETERANS to aquire
Time is the best teacher; Unfortunately it kills all its students
Sigh....Gregerson
We gave him up for Khalil Greene
by Merry CRasmus on Jul 7, 2010 2:49 PM EDT up reply actions
not sure gregerson is a closer
should the pads deal bell for a bat, which could happen, they wouldn’t do so with the intent of gregerson being the closer, would they?
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
Gregerson is easily one of the top-5 relievers in the NL
Of all sad words of tongue or pen; the saddest are these: 'It might have been!'
so he would be their closer?
i was under the impression it would be adams. and is gregerson’s road era under 8 this year? last year was brutal.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
closers don't have blowout-prevention magic, they're just the team's best reliever
(or the team’s second-best reliever, if you’re into the relief ace concept.) I’m not sure one game is a good way to make a judgment on that one way or another.
they don't!?!? fuck! that's the last time i buy a closer from BP!
"We were men - flesh and blood - and we played baseball in the sunshine. We hit doubles off the wall, slid hard into second base. We had fights, and we made love. We sang songs and prayed on Sundays. . . . We felt pain. And we felt joy. There was a lot wrong with the world. But we weren't sad, man. We had the times of our lives." Buck O'Neil, from "The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's America."
by tom s. on Jul 7, 2010 3:54 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
This isn't just a one time event though
When he’s bad, he’s awful. We lost a playoff game due to his inability to get bench players out. He’s had an number of godawful appearances in a Cardinal uniform prior to being installed as the full-time closer last year.
I’m not saying that he hasn’t been good, but the reason that you have a “closer” is so that you don’t need an alternative plan when he comes in the game. Honestly, I feel like we always should have one guy held back in case he doesn’t have it that night, because this is what happens when he doesn’t have his stuff.
This also doesn’t happen to elite closers, ever. Joakim Soria has never given up more than 3 ER in any appearance he’s ever made. Joe Nathan’s done it twice in 412 appearances since becoming a closer. If Franklin had been left in the game against Oakland, that would be twice in a 30 day period that he’s given up 3 or more, only Motte came in and saved his ass in that game. If that’s not a problem I don’t know what is. He was average at best down the stretch in 2008 and seems to be heading south even sooner this season.
I’m not overreacting to one appearance, I’m reacting to what I see as a distinct downward trend in effectiveness that needs to be addressed. If this team can’t count on guys in high leverage situations in the playoffs, we’re in a heap of trouble.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
At least we hadn't given him a multi-year extension yet.
You're the fail to my win?
"There is not a better feeling in the whole world than knowing that you are the best team in both leagues."- Bob Forsch on winning the 1982 World Series.
by MaytheForschbewithyou on Jul 7, 2010 11:19 AM EDT up reply actions
i'm not even sure who made this
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
by Yadi2Second on Jul 7, 2010 1:45 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
I always think that looks like the chevy sign in the background
*now with more veterany veteranness and a higher grit factor
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 7, 2010 2:51 PM EDT up reply actions
i noticed it wasn't when you pointed it out
i was a little confused, but i just shrugged it off. you know how those ford. chevy things get. almost as bad as mac v. PC
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
Looks like someone tried to get around Red Cross trademark rights.
>Pitcher Change: Felipe Lopez replaces Ryan Franklin, batting 7th, replacing third baseman Felipe Lopez
Adam Wainwright reaches on force attempt, throwing error by Aaron Heilman. Jaime Garcia scores. Brendan Ryan to 3rd. Adam Wainwright to 2nd. None out.
did he actually hurt himself hitting a grand slam?
i’ve never heard that, because, well, how could they actually know? all i know is what penny said, which was that the following day he felt a little something.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
I think it's the general assumption
if not the honest truth
"...football games always make me thankful for two things:
1. Teams that pass the ball downfield.
2. Baseball games. "
--DanUpBaby
I heard that he had actually hurt it the game before....
whether the GS exacerbated the problem is up in the air.
Asshattery: it's an epidemic.
Also, Dave Concepcion.
see, now what i heard was he felt a little something the next day
but never mentioned it because it was so slight, just discomfort, and then wasn’t really bothered again until warming up before the next start, but again didn’t say anything, and then had a rough time of it. these guys need to get their stories straight, and sometimes i can’t blame the org’s handling of injuries because the players are so damn secretive – i wouldn’t doubt some of the other starters knew what was going on, because they do talk to each other, but unless yadi gets wind of it, it is kept quiet.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
Memo to Tony
Tony,
No matter what irrelevant statistical snippet you may use to justify your actions, Dennys Reyes should never pitch to right-handed hitters. At least not if you want him to get them out anyway
That is all.
Carry the battle to them. Don't let them bring it to you. Put them on the defensive and don't ever apologize for anything.
Reyes has been pretty unreliable this year
Against lefties or righties
by FlimtotheFlam on Jul 7, 2010 10:40 AM EDT up reply actions
But he should NEVER pitch to right handed hitters. Nor should Trever Miller
They are lefty specialists and should be treated like lefty specialists. If you’re going to stretch out a bullpen guy to try and get to the end of the game, then you do it with someone like Boggs, who you can give a day or two off because THAT’S HIS ROLE ON THE TEAM.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
i agree
reyes has been awful, no sense a loogy pitching to righties, and if that is a problem then bring in another lefty reliever so we have enough damn loogys to cover a few innings worth of lefty hitters.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
but you gotta admit that at-bat was pure awesome
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
Well...
That is one of those typical losses that define a season that almost got over the hump, like 2008, only 2008 was a young, exciting, new team that overachieved in a major way. 2010 Cardinals are overachieving only at underachieving.
Also, the radio commericals with Matt Holliday for “Farmers Feed Us”… they just sound like Matt Holliday is saying “farmersfetus.com”. sorry if I offend.
it's up there with making Albert say
“number one information station”
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
Holliday
isn’t hitting much better with runners in scoring position than a farmer’s fetus.
by Michael_68_1999 on Jul 7, 2010 11:04 AM EDT up reply actions
stop insulting farmers
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
Yeah, leave us out of it.
You're the fail to my win?
"There is not a better feeling in the whole world than knowing that you are the best team in both leagues."- Bob Forsch on winning the 1982 World Series.
by MaytheForschbewithyou on Jul 7, 2010 11:21 AM EDT up reply actions
kidding btw
You're the fail to my win?
"There is not a better feeling in the whole world than knowing that you are the best team in both leagues."- Bob Forsch on winning the 1982 World Series.
by MaytheForschbewithyou on Jul 7, 2010 11:23 AM EDT up reply actions
he did have a pretty sweet 3 Run HR last night, though
Blaine Matthew Burns: Albert Pujols' biggest fan (his first words will for sure be "Albert Pujols is RIDICULOUS")
yes he did
*now with more veterany veteranness and a higher grit factor
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 7, 2010 1:23 PM EDT up reply actions
I especially enjoyed the violent follow through-bat release
Blaine Matthew Burns: Albert Pujols' biggest fan (his first words will for sure be "Albert Pujols is RIDICULOUS")
all i can say is wow.
that’s all i got. reyes should never pitch to righties – hell, i’m scared enough when he pitches to anybody. and franky really sucks.
we should’ve had that game in the bag. i just can’t believe how the cards have a 6 run lead, and two guys piss it away. that’s really f’n sad, man. and unfortunately, i think that this game may haunt the team for a little while.
...
i had little faith in the pen to begin with, but now i’m not even sure if they can hold any lead – whether it’s one run, 6 runs, or 10.
yeh just like 2008 except well that its nothing like 2008
im hoping you are expressing your feelings… i personally think 2 games and all of a sudden we treat our bullpen like Arizona’s bullpen is bullshit, but whatever
Rasmus can hit lefties
cardinalred
St. Louis Sports blog
by stlcardsfan4 on Jul 8, 2010 11:25 PM EDT up reply actions
We did have that game in the bag.
But then the game got out of the bag and fatally attacked us.
"I'm gonna throw the nastiest curveball I have ever thrown...if he hits it, I'll tip my cap, but if not we're going to the Series."
--Adam Wainwright on the final pitch of the 2006 NLCS
by bgh on Jul 7, 2010 11:35 AM EDT up reply actions 4 recs
Additionally,
even if the other team has nine lefties in the game, Reyes should NEVER pitch more than one inning. I couldn’t figure out why in the h e double hockey sticks Motte didn’t come back out to pitch the eighth. I was expecting that, then Franklin to start the ninth to “get work”.
by ArkansasTravs on Jul 7, 2010 2:56 PM EDT up reply actions
Well said. ....just summed up all my thought from last night, about before we blew the lead and after.
Haha, Get Winn of this team!
by mick311 on Jul 7, 2010 10:38 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
Winn looked depressingly incapable
at the plate and in the field… those stone hands in the OF made me shiver last night, and his fidgety batting stance and miles/schu-like infield dribblers are not warming me to him either
You know he must be pissed...
9:30am and there’s a Wednesday post!!!
Well,
if you believe the “curse of the HR Derby,” it’s probably not such a good thing. I mean, even the most optimistic fan will agree that it’s taken Holliday the better part of 3 months (April, May, June) to start to look like Matt Holliday. Hell, they said last night that even by his own admission, it took him until early July last year to feel good at the plate.
So now that he’s feeling good and starting to come around, he’s gonna enter the HR Derby. And we’ve seen A LOT of guys have serious power outages after participating in that turd.
Just. Awesome.
I hope he hits 3 dingers and is out of it in the first round.
July and August are his best months over the course of his career, so one would think that he wouldn’t be too affected by it.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
Yeah, one would think
if all you went by was the calendar. However, I don’t know that he’s ever participated in the Derby, has he? And if so, what was his 2nd half like?
By most accounts, he just mashes during BP. Man, I hope he goes out early and it doesn’t eff up what he’s FINALLY begun to build up.
This is just another thing that frustrates the crap out of me re: Holliday. It’s like everyone just knows that he kinda sleepwalks through the 1st few months and tears it up in the 2nd half. And they’re all cool with it.
So are we to assume that if he didn’t have such drastic splits that he would be about 2x as expensive?
So many things to be frustrated about right now…grrrrr.
I'd rather have that than the inverse.
Some guys are just better second half players, and it’s not like he’s been awful this year, he’s the top outfielder by WAR in the National League to this point in the season. He’s been worth 3.5 wins so far this season, and if he has his normal second half, he could be a 7.5 to 8 win player on the year, which would be a career high.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
Eh
A lot of that WAR is tied up in his 9 UZR which, if we’re going to toss out Rasmus’ number, we can pretty safely say he’s probably not turned himself into a +18 defender.
Not afraid to nitpick
it may not go up...
but i wouldn’t doubt that he ends up being a 1 win player on defense this year. if you take out the .9 out of his WAR, he’s still been worth 2.6 WAR with the bat this half. double that and you have 5.2 WAR + the win on defense and he’s still a 6.2 WAR player for the year. that’s pretty impressive considering we’re assuming he has the same half offensively as this one (not likely to happen) and his UZR doesn’t move in either direction (more likely to happen). holliday could end up being worth 7 wins pretty easily.
follow me on twitter @nickg105
by stlcardinalsfang on Jul 7, 2010 12:07 PM EDT up reply actions
I doubt he's a +10 defender
He hasn’t been his entire career and I doubt that really changes in his age 30 season. I think it’d be pretty generous to call him +5.
Not afraid to nitpick
your doubts have been noted
but do you really think he’s a -4 player in one half of the season either? i highly doubt his defense will suck enough in the second half to knock him down more than 2-3 runs.
follow me on twitter @nickg105
by stlcardinalsfang on Jul 7, 2010 12:21 PM EDT up reply actions
UZR hates CO OF defense though too
No way is Fowler a 16.2 defender and I doubt Cargo goes from a +11 fielder in Oak to a 2.0/.9 defender at Coors
Time is the best teacher; Unfortunately it kills all its students
I thought they adjusted the park effects?
"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 Jul 7, 2010 2:02 PM EDT up reply actions
They are supposed too
that doesn’t mean they have it right yet, if suddenly Colby was a -19UZR defender would you trust their numbers?
Time is the best teacher; Unfortunately it kills all its students
I don't trust UZR in a small sample size for any player
It doesn’t matter about the home ballpark. UZR is adjusted for home ballpark already. I have no qualms about those adjustments.
yeah but relying on UZR in SSS like a single season
to value 50% of a players value seems like poor SOP
Time is the best teacher; Unfortunately it kills all its students
That UZR is overvalued in WAR
and while impossible to throw out is not an accurate enough measure to determine a players value.
If Cargo had a +11 UZR to go with a .362 wOBA as a 24 year old would you understand why people are “on his jock”
Time is the best teacher; Unfortunately it kills all its students
thats not true VEP
I KNOW you use SSS UZR when nobody is watching and I for one find it gross
Time is the best teacher; Unfortunately it kills all its students
do you ever quote individual season WAR?
the man has a point. WAR should regress UZR for the final calculations so that we can get a better idea of what’s actually happening. first regress to the players’ career averages, and if they have less than 2000 innings at the position, regress to league average
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
Meh
That’s too much work and can hide what did in fact happen…..people just need to use it appropriately.
Not afraid to nitpick
then WAR* or whatever
have two stats
and how is it too much work? there are already lots of regression based stats. what if tom tango said that determining the value of every outcome relative to the value of an out in the same situation and weighting them appropriately was too much work?
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
It's too much work to figure out which one is regressed and which one isn't
There are already too many damn formulations for WAR and RAR and wRC etc. Just look at it and use some common sense and we don’t need to take it as absolute gospel: problem solved.
Not afraid to nitpick
i mean
i don’t see how it’s any more complicated than saying player z has an amazing FIP, but holy crap look at that xFIP
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
You can quote season WAR
if you’re comparing it to other players that play similar positions within the same season. The error bars are going to be pretty close for those players, and that’s what I’m doing here.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
care to expand on that?
how does the error bars being the same have any bearing on confidence in the rankings?
by brackenthebox on Jul 7, 2010 7:08 PM EDT up reply actions
I guess I never thought that the problems with UZR were related varying errors across positions
If UZR introduces a lot of error into a WAR calculation over the course of half of a season (relative to, say, just offensive value), that error being similar for all the players under comparison doesn’t seem to fix anything.
Maybe it makes it easier to compare, but I don’t see why it would make the comparison any more valid.
Am I missing something here?
by brackenthebox on Jul 7, 2010 7:33 PM EDT up reply actions
No I agree with you
I’m just saying that if we accept offensive stats as accurate, and the two players play the same position, we can simplify the error bars down the one factor which makes it easier to deal with.
What I mean is
If my statement is:
“Matt Holliday leads all NL OF to this point in WAR.”
I can assume that the amount of statistical error in UZR is virtually the same for everyone in that sample, so when comparing him to other players, it doesn’t matter how good UZR is, because the error will be the same for everyone.
Now, if I said:
“Matt Holliday will be worth 10.7 runs defensively for the 2010 season.”
I can’t assume that is accurate, because the amount of error in UZR data for players with <2000 innings at a certain position doesn’t give me enough accurate information to be able to predict anything based on it.
In summary, I can compare how certain players have performed in the past without having to worry about sample size (since I’m simply commenting on events that have already happened), but I can’t predict how those players will do in the future without worrying about sample size (because to be able to project something I need to make sure that the sample is large enough that any outliers to the data aren’t having a large effect on the data overall)
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
I'm not talking about prediction, I'm talking about description
Sure, there’s no way to argue with the statement “Matt Holliday leads all NL OF to this point in [fangraphs] WAR.” It’s true independent of error propagation or anything else.
The implication of the statement is that Matt Holliday has been the best NL OF to this point, and that’s what people have been taking issue with. The issue is that his status as best NL OF by WAR is reliant on his +9 UZR, which isn’t in line with his historical production.
UZR isn’t a perfect descriptor of defensive value, and that’s the error I’m worried about. Even if every player under consideration has similar error bars on their UZR, that doesn’t say anything about the size of the error (again, as a descriptor, not a predictor). Those errors would mean it’s possible that Holliday hasn’t actually been a +9 defender so far, or that Clobby hasn’t really been -12 so far.
Even if UZR was a perfect descriptor, it is still context dependent in a way that offensive stats aren’t. Part of the slow convergence in UZR almost certainly comes from the need to average over context. UZR may be the best we have to measure defensive value, but there almost certainly exists a sample over which offensive-based value is a more accurate descriptor of total value than total WAR is.
by brackenthebox on Jul 7, 2010 10:36 PM EDT up reply actions
Just as player performance can swing wildly
from one week to the next you mean?
Bottom line is that even though he’s had a ho-hum first half, he’s on pace to be a better both offensively and defensively than he was last season and he’s been a pretty valuable player so far.
FWIW, Colby Rasmus could indeed be a -12 fielder to this point. Just off the top of my head I can think of a handful of plays that should have been made that weren’t. Now, I wouldn’t predict him to be a -12 going forward because I think his talent is better than that, but considering how much impact a few plays can have on a half season of data, it’s quite possible that he’s been that bad so far. We’re also probably not going to notice it as much because of the stellar play of our corner outfielders, who are probably making some of the plays that Rasmus should make and isn’t.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
saw where some gm's were picking cargo
to be a top-ten player in baseball. he’s pretty damn good.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
Yep about exactly the average
Beltran had at that age he somehow recovered to become a top 10 player
Time is the best teacher; Unfortunately it kills all its students
that's why you have to actually watch
the players to evaluate their talent. i think hanley ramirez is a pretty good talent, but his minor league numbers may have fooled some people, but not the ones evaluating him in person.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
But... I'm not talking about his talent
I’m tlaking about the people saying he has “broken out” and is finally realizing his potential. Right now he’s putting up a ~.360 wOBA in Coors, which is hardly star material.
ok, my bad
he hasn’t broken out to me either, but i was saying that some gm’s predicted him to do so based on his talent.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
actually,
all the ones evaluating his talent most closely and getting paid to do so misread him. do you think the red sox would have traded him in a package where he wasn’t even the centerpiece if they knew he was going to be the best SS in baseball for several years running? give me a break with that “gotta watch ’em play” bullshit
“he tells you he’s gonna make it rain if you pay him and when it doesn’t rain he tells you to wait, then when it does rain, he takes credit for it.”
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
aren't we only talking about the red sox?
i didn’t know any other gm’s misread him. i thought the florida gm probably read him right, and boston’s didn’t. what other gm’s we talking about? and florida has very good scouting, which is my point. i think they saw his talent, not his numbers. so i’m not really sure what you’re saying.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
i sincerely doubt
that florida made that deal because they knew about hanley. and theo was not the only person who watched hanley and didn’t see a future superstar. he was widely believed to be a plus glove with a bat that might relegate him to back up or AAAA status, then he just exploded
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
I disagree with this, actually
I don’t think that the Red Sox misread him, I think they thought he was going to be a good player, just not the best SS in baseball, and they certainly didn’t think that he was going to be able to stick at SS due to his awful defense in the minors.
I remember reading some scouting reports on him in 2005 — nearly every one that I read made some comment about his defense not being good enough to play SS in the majors and that he might have to move off the middle infield and into a corner outfield spot, specifically LF. His bat to that point hadn’t shown a whole lot of pop, so the question was whether he’d hit enough as a LF to be a productive player.
The Red Sox knew he had talent, but they were in a win now position with Manny and Papi, so they were able to pick up Josh Beckett by only giving up one potential impact player and taking Mike Lowell’s contract. Beckett helped them win a World Series and Lowell was the MVP of that World Series. I’d say that deal worked out pretty fucking good for the Red Sox.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
Also
Jon Papelbon was the guy the Marlins REALLY wanted, and the Red Sox did not give him up. In 2004, Papelbon was still a starter at A+ and had just come off of a season where he’d struck out 153 in 129 innings. He was the Shelby Miller of their system at the time.
So the Red Sox actually acquired Josh Beckett, one of the better pitchers in baseball, without having to give up even their top prospect.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
maybe he focused more on D in the offense
after the whole “Dodger” incident…
Blaine Matthew Burns: Albert Pujols' biggest fan (his first words will for sure be "Albert Pujols is RIDICULOUS")
yup
If you rerank the OF either leaving out the defense entirely, or replacing the defense with their career OF UZR, Holliday ranks 6th in both cases. On the plus side, Colby comes up #2 in both cases.
show your work
by brackenthebox on Jul 7, 2010 12:19 PM EDT up reply actions
still not bad, all things considered
if you think holliday had a down half (which average wise he didn’t but SLG wise he most definitely did), then i think you can reasonably expect him to be 3.0-3.2 WAR with the bat alone in the second half.
follow me on twitter @nickg105
by stlcardinalsfang on Jul 7, 2010 12:23 PM EDT up reply actions
yea, I'm not too disappointed in Holliday all thing considered
the majority of his problems have been timing related (THREAD TOPIC!), which I’d wager is largely random. I just think it’s a bit disingenuous to state that he’s been the top OF this year when that rank is so reliant on defense that is well above his career talent level.
by brackenthebox on Jul 7, 2010 12:28 PM EDT up reply actions
i agree with you.
he’s most certaintly not been the top outfielder this half, especially with the bat. in fact, he’s not even the top outfielder on the team right now, but that should change as the second half progresses, though i wouldn’t mind seeing rasmus continue being as good if not better than holliday. oh, and ludwick can hit that way too. that’d be sweet.
follow me on twitter @nickg105
by stlcardinalsfang on Jul 7, 2010 12:36 PM EDT up reply actions
He's undeniably been one of the best players in baseball this year though
If you ignore timing. He’s on pace for 5 WAR if you assume league average defense, and given his high UZR score and historically solid fielding, he’s almost certainly been a better than average defender.
by vivaelpujols on Jul 7, 2010 12:41 PM EDT up reply actions
Isn't UZR based on league average?
So it could be possible that he has been the same defender, and other LFs could be worse?
Of all sad words of tongue or pen; the saddest are these: 'It might have been!'
I don't disagree
But you have to note that he’s been a +5 defender for most of his career, so it’s not a total stretch to state that he might be having a very good half season. You know I don’t buy UZR for under 2,000 innings, which is part of the reason I don’t buy Rasmus’ number this year, but if you want to subtract half a win over the course of the season I certainly wouldn’t object to it.
FWIW, that would still making him a candidate for a 6.5-7 WAR year if he has an average Matt Holliday second half.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
I was simply commenting on
the fact: What other LF player in the league would you replace him with outside of Josh Hamilton, who was a ho-hum guy as well but for the last 3-4 weeks where he’s been on an absolute tear.
He’s going to earn his paycheck and then some this season.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
i'd take that bet
if you’re willing to go 8 WAR. doesn’t he have some crazy uzr love right now bolstering his number?
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
he's in it because his kids thought it was cool.
what can you do.
though, really, at least AJ stepped in and said, “Dad, I know you’re insured, but as your special advisor, I don’t think it’s a good idea. Besides, I’m in the Home Run Derby ad.”
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
Yeah, I saw that later.
It would be hard to say no to your 3 and 6 yr old kid…pretty unique experience for those little shavers.
I guess I will just root for him to go out in the 1st round.
they're wee little fans.
I think one of them’s a big fan of Albert’s. you always hear them in the clubhouse after games.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
you know you'll root for him to win it
just like the rest of us. It doesn’t matter what logic says, when we all see the Birds on the Bat standing at home plate, our legs will turn to jello and our heart rate will increase with each one that clears the fence.
Blaine Matthew Burns: Albert Pujols' biggest fan (his first words will for sure be "Albert Pujols is RIDICULOUS")
Back back back back
back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back
I think the Derby is pretty annoying, really. But yeah, you’re probably right. I’d rather see a Cardinal do well than Robinson Cano or some other guy.
I heard someone on the radio the other day propose
That they change the derby to something like 10 swings a piece and maybe even let in more people. I think something like that might be more entertaining. The current format just takes forever and can’t really be good for these guys.
Not right now......
My give a shit meter is at an all time low for this team right now. They don’t look like they care out on the field, so why should I?
Asshattery: it's an epidemic.
Also, Dave Concepcion.
my feelings exactly
and, for me, it starts at the top.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
how could he be cursed by it when he's not hitting home runs much at all
it might actually wake him up
*now with more veterany veteranness and a higher grit factor
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 7, 2010 1:23 PM EDT up reply actions
could care less about holliday in the derby
would have rather seen razzums make the all-star team and participate in the derby – now that may have been a show, and got the kid a little recognition.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
you know for a while I thought it was because he wasn't hitting.
he’s been hitting a bit now. and still, I just have a big bleh in my heart when it comes to Holliday. Just nothing. I’m glad when he does well and it helps the team, but no emotional connection there that I have for most of the other players.
"I've had pretty good success with Stan (Musial) by throwing him my best pitch and backing up third." - Carl Erskine
same
for me that could change if he hits a clutch walkoff when we are behind in a playoff game – it would take something like that to even get me started in that direction.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
Nice post RB...
My favorite part:
Baseball’s version of the prevent defense works pretty much the same way: the only thing it prevents is victory.
There’s TLR…snatching defeat from the jaws of victory once again!
Funny
I chatting with bgh last night around the 6th and 7th innings about how not letting Hawk pitch the 6th was a bad idea with a 7 run lead, and that double switching Jon Jay for Randy Winn for “defensive purposes” was the definition of LaRussa idiocy. Sure, Hawk had thrown 98 pitches, but he didn’t seem to be laboring, and if you get one more inning out of him, you can hand the ball to Mitch Boggs for a couple innings (or all three) and then hand it to K-Mac to finish the game off. That way if you get into trouble you still have your best relievers and situational guys to stop the bleeding. Instead we use 4 fucking relievers (including our best one) to get to the ninth, we let Reyes hit for himself after double switching Randy Winn into the game 2 innings earlier to move the pitchers spot (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) only to leave him in to face RHH that he shouldn’t be facing, and have nobody trustworthy to staunch the bleeding when Franklin didn’t have it.
We took a favorable situation (7 run lead in the bottom of thee 6th inning) and turned it into a nightmare situation (lose 12-9 after a 9 run ninth inning in which your closer gets beat to hell, use up 2/3 of the bullpen). Just, UGH. I’m kinda glad I went to bed after the top of the 9th inning last night — I don’t think I could have slept last night after watching that fucking debacle.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
Yeah the Jay for WInn makes no sense
Jay is the superior fielder. You don’t do a defensive sub with the weaker player coming in.
by FlimtotheFlam on Jul 7, 2010 10:42 AM EDT up reply actions
Especially if you're going to let your pitcher hit for himself anyway!
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
It basically boiled down to
overtinkering when it wasn’t necessary, then when it was desperately necessary he just sat on his hands. I think what makes it so frustrating is that it completely defies logic.
Winn in for Jay is just straight up retarded
*now with more veterany veteranness and a higher grit factor
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 7, 2010 1:24 PM EDT up reply actions
if the Rockies knew that there was going to be a time-space vortex crossing us into an alternate universe
would that fake “rain delay” be cheating?
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
tony probably figured the rocks had thrown in the towel
because that’s what he would have done.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
kind of like u said....
I was thinking man the offense finally looks good, this could really be a turning point in our season….to man how are we ever gona bounce back from this, it could really be a turning point in our season
by mick311 on Jul 7, 2010 10:42 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
I just realised...
I somehow managed to take the jump out of this thing. I have no idea how, but I’m going to blame SBN.
Semper fidelis tyrannosaurus!
Blame LaRussa
Had you not been so enraged with his decisions last night (and his input on the roster as a whole this season) you would have remembered to check for the break.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
That's a good idea as well.
Tony it is.
Semper fidelis tyrannosaurus!
by the red baron on Jul 7, 2010 10:46 AM EDT up reply actions
For the record
I’m blaming TLR for every mistake I make today. Just seems like he deserves it at this point. He’s been above criticism for stupid managerial decisions for far too long.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
agreed
how many games he was “won” has little to do with how many he will win (but does reflect on how many he has lost)
franky is humnan, had a bad night
obvious to almost everyone, so why not give him a break and get him out of there?
i put this one on tlr for not managing to win, but to preserve franky’ s status.
so depressing to me, and i think to the team. hard to get inspired with all these decisions being made that lose games (goes for me, and i think, the team too)
I may be in a rut, but at least I know where I'm going
i thought this exact same thing in the shower this morning
i was epically tired because i stayed up too late last night because of the game and so i blamed tony for that. then i just decided it’d be better if i just blamed tony for everything that goes wrong in my life today.
follow me on twitter @nickg105
by stlcardinalsfang on Jul 7, 2010 1:09 PM EDT up reply actions
Silver lining...
Perhaps the FO will get serious about acquiring someone like Heath Bell after the team got Franklin’d last night.
Well, I can hope I guess….
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
I would love to get Bell
he just seems to get better and better every year. I don’t think he’d be cheap though. I mooted an Allen Craig deal earlier in the year, and I think Craig might interest the Pads, but I also think it’d probably take a bit more than that.
Still bitching to contact.
by Felonius_Monk on Jul 7, 2010 10:59 AM EDT up reply actions
I don't think they're moving anyone as long as they stay in first place
Hell, they might even be buyers for a bat at this rate, and their farm system isn’t horrible.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
What problem?
Being in first place? Since when is that a problem? :-D
FWIW, I do think another bat in the middle of the order would be an order of magnitude difference for them. For one thing, it would ensure that Adrian Gonzalez isn’t walked so damn much (15 IBB’s so far this year, only 22 for all of last season), by either putting a man on in front of him more often or having damage behind him to drive him in. The problem is that most of the big bats on the block this year play the same position.
The other thing to remember is that they’re so awfully bad offensively that even adding cheap, average veteran players would be a huge upgrade.
If they could add a corner outfield bat like Austin Kearns or Jose Guillen, who wouldn’t cost much in prospects (or money in the case of Kearns), or making a move for a capable 3B that would move Headley back to the outfield like Ty Wigginton, Dan Uggla, or Mark Ellis (who isn’t a 3B but could probably play there). Uggla is the only guy that would cost legit prospects, the rest of those guys could be had for cheap one would think.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
they could afford to move bell for a good bat
all they need is a match with another contender. then they just bump their pen up a notch, and adams becomes closer.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
I would hope not
Last night was a fluke and Franklin has been generally amazing since joining the Cardinals (this is over 4 season). The upgrade from Franklin to Bell is not worth Miller or whowever it will take to get him. Besides, the Padres aren’t selling.
by vivaelpujols on Jul 7, 2010 12:25 PM EDT up reply actions
moving bell wouldn't be selling
it’d be buying a bat, like i wrote just above.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
how would they get Heath Bell??
*now with more veterany veteranness and a higher grit factor
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 7, 2010 1:25 PM EDT up reply actions
That would be nice to acquire a reliever.
Heath Bell probably won’t be available though, as they still do hold the division lead. But who knows…stranger things have happened (Like blowing a 7 run lead…)
In baseball the object is to go home! And to be safe! "I hope I'll be safe at home!"
-George Carlin (RIP)
Ew please no
This team’s problem is NOT NOT NOT its bullpen. The gross mismanagement of the bullpen last night might have made it seem that way but we need a starting pitcher immediately. I’m fine with Hawksworth taking the fifth start but I have no faith in Penny making it back this season.
babip giveth... and babip taketh away
I am a firm believer that our bullpen should grow out of our minor league system
babip giveth... and babip taketh away
Agreed,
but sometimes you’re not going to have that lights out closer in your system and you’ll need to acquire him. I’m not talking about a free agent, just possibly trading for a couple years of a player of that caliber.
I think you underestimate the leveraged effect that an elite closer has on the rest of the bullpen. Franklin would be an above average set up guy, and Motte could then be the high leverage middle innings guy instead of the guy setting up.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
The only thing I can relate it to...
Last night, Winn, Miles, and the 9-run bottom of the ninth – all I could think was how remarkably similar this looked like one of my team’s softball games.
Yes, we’re not really that good, and neither was that.
by A1R3Z on Jul 7, 2010 10:47 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Sadly
If Winn and Miles weren’t on the Cardinal roster, they might be playing in your softball league….
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
You think we're pissed?
Imagine how off’d Jon Jay was.
Perhaps he’s a paragon of patience and tolerance.
If my boss replaced me at the end of a job with someone who’s not as good in all possible scenarios, a change would be in order.
I feel like some distant relative of the cubs this year. It’s like were destined to just not work out.
Jon Jay is probably a lot happier than Allen Craig.
and I know better than to question destiny. Or put all my eggs in its basket, like some did at the beginning of the season.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
HA!
Funny you bring up the Cubs comment. I was hanging out with a buddy over the weekend (he’s a Cubs fan). He went to Friday’s game with me and was asking me about our team this year.
I explained about how we were really great on paper, everyone picked us, etc., etc., and we’ve just been terribly disappointing. We can’t score runs, we run into outs, we play crappy fundamentals, etc., etc. And then I went into how frustrated Cardinal Nation was at all of this.
His response:
“So, you’re telling me that your team should be better than they are and that they’ve been really disappointing? Dude, I’m a Cubs fan. That’s what it’s like for me every year.”
I couldn’t argue with that logic.
The 2010 Cardinals
are the 2009 Cubs, and the 2010 Reds are the 2009 Cardinals.
by Michael_68_1999 on Jul 7, 2010 11:07 AM EDT up reply actions
ouch, that hurts...
but sadly, it appears to be headed in that direction if attitudes and egos do not change soon.
RFL for GG!
TWY2SS
actually I said not to get exuberant with the “we totally have this division” comments, because that’s how the cubs fans started out last year.
however, no one expects Aaron Miles.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
His two weapons are surprise and fear...and GRIT.
>Pitcher Change: Felipe Lopez replaces Ryan Franklin, batting 7th, replacing third baseman Felipe Lopez
Adam Wainwright reaches on force attempt, throwing error by Aaron Heilman. Jaime Garcia scores. Brendan Ryan to 3rd. Adam Wainwright to 2nd. None out.
You can blame it on Tony if you want to..
Some of his moves are VERY questionable but I don’t think this is all his fault. He is part of the package, genius and warts and all.
I have resigned myself to “This is Your 2010 Cardinals”. I had such high hopes. I know we are only something like 2 games behind the Reds, but so what? Unless there is something different that happens to motiviate/direct/energize this team in a different way they are just not going to be the team I want them to be. I thought they were more talented than this but maybe not.
"I've had pretty good success with Stan (Musial) by throwing him my best pitch and backing up third." - Carl Erskine
yeah, but you have to put your players in a position to succeed
we do have a large collection of streaky players — so what? ride the hot streaks. it is not inconceivable to win this way, because the Cardinals have done so before, with considerably less talent.
whose job is that? it’s the manager’s job.
you know what will energize this team? winning streaks. with no games conceded from the first lineup card.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
tony gets the most out of less talented teams
prohibitive favorites, less so – that’s my theory and i’m sticking to it. last night, for example, he doesn’t leave franky out there and make other questionable moves when he knows he’s fighting for every game he can get just to stay in a race. give him a lot of talent, and he’s more willing to throw games away, get ’em next time – again, my opinion. and i think players feed off this, in both cases.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
they're talented.
They’re just not focused and they’ve also got a manager who refuses to put them in the best position to win. Also, they’ve got a GM who refuses to put together the best team that he can because he’s afraid of a hall of fame manager who is past his prime.
RFL for GG!
A manager who refuses to put them in the best position to win.
Folks, that right there is the definition of The LaRussa Tax.
by Michael_68_1999 on Jul 7, 2010 11:08 AM EDT up reply actions
some of the man stew decisions have been ... odd.
when the team needed to get loose, Tony brought in his war hero buddies to toughen them up.
when the team needed to bear down, Tony lets them run dance parties in the clubhouse.
now that’s indicative of less than nothing, but it strikes me as odd. I understand letting the veterans run the clubhouse, but the veterans already have rings… and we shouldn’t be depending on them to luggage people who need it.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
Who will luggage the luggagers?
>Pitcher Change: Felipe Lopez replaces Ryan Franklin, batting 7th, replacing third baseman Felipe Lopez
Adam Wainwright reaches on force attempt, throwing error by Aaron Heilman. Jaime Garcia scores. Brendan Ryan to 3rd. Adam Wainwright to 2nd. None out.
I don't disagree with what any of you are saying
But…..
Our Cardinals this year seem to have almost magically bad timing. You can point to a dozen different things that have gone wrong, from both of our big-dollar boppers being just a teensy bit off to pitching injuries to, well, whatever that was last night, but it really all comes down to timing. This team has played plenty well enough to have a better record than they do, but on any given night they seem to be missing just one little thing, one tiny thing at a time that may be there another night.
This. It may be reverse magic. Who knows. It just ain’t happening. I’m just happy not to be a Cubs fan. They go through this every year.
"I've had pretty good success with Stan (Musial) by throwing him my best pitch and backing up third." - Carl Erskine
I think the issue
is that Tony thought last night was a good night to get everyone in the bullpen a little bit of work, given the big lead. With the off-day Monday, Adam’s complete game Sunday, and Otto pitching much of the relief on Saturday, it had been a while since a number of the bullpenners had worked. How else to explain not letting K-mac pitch a second inning or Motte to pitch a full innning? But if so, I can’t figure out why he left Reyes in to start the ninth – a second inning for him? Or why Boggs didn’t come in to maybe save the day – after all, he still had Soup and Otto if the game unexpectedly went into extra innings.
Luckily for my sleep efforts, I went to bed before the bottom of the ninth – slept quite well.
i totally agree
Now I was thinking the same thing n they even mentioned it on the broadcast. That the bullpen had not been used very much in a few days n it seemed like tony was trying to get everyone some work. With the rockies threatening in the 7th, I still do not agree goin with motte over boggs but I don’t hate it THAT much cuz stuff could of blown open there n motte did an good job. But u are right if he was trying to get everyone some work why put reyes back out for the 9th? You had Boggs and were tryin to get everyone some work but not too much work y not go with Boggs. And secondly, if we were planning on giving franklin a little work b/c he literally had thrown 7 pitches last week then why not put franklin in to start the inning? It seemed so wierd, he wanted to get everyone a little work, but then he leaves reyes in to start the 9th n to face rightys no less (even tho he’s looked awful lately) let’s him get into trouble and then puts franklin in (in a messy situation with the middle of their lineup in, after he hasn’t pitched in a week) just to get a little work. It all seemed so idiotic to me, all the pitching decisions and that doesn’t even count all the awful defensive n lineup changes tony made too. This team has been awful in close games, they have lost what? 5 or more walkoff games now? I can think of 4-5 games that even though we may not have blown a lead late but we still def should have won. I would say a lot of that has to come back to tony. I really think he has cost us at least a few games this year, between dumb late game changes and some really awful lineups
by mick311 on Jul 7, 2010 12:43 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Boggs pitched a little Saturday
whereas Franklin hadn’t worked since Friday. But that doesn’t explain why Tony didn’t have Franklin start the ninth? The only thing I can think of is he was trying to hold down Franklin’s pitch count by letting Reyes (hopefully) get an out or two. And I completely agree on the defensive lineup changes.
i can't stand when he doesn't give relievers fresh innings
not saying it mattered last night, as i didn’t see the 9th, but just as a general principle.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
This may have already been said
but I haven’t lost faith in this team…yet. I thought they were a mostly crappy team last year, and BOOM, they woke up and started winning (it may not have happened like that, but let me have my hope, please?).
I am pleasantly pleased, thankyouverymuch
alright, so the argument against Craig at 3rd and RF is a weak arm...
and it seems to be the excuse why he has no position on the big club. Damn that weak arm. If he only had limited range at 2B, or terribly poor defense in RF with a complete inability to take a walk, or an inability to pick up a ball off the ground and quickly get it back into the infield, or be a so called switch-hitter who is ineffective from one side (or in one person’s case, both) of the plate, he’d have a place on this team and a place in Tony’s heart.
I curse you, weak arm!
RFL for GG!
by stxcardsfan on Jul 7, 2010 11:20 AM EDT reply actions 5 recs
I'm all for converting Craig to 2B
he couldn’t be any worse at fielding than Skip, right??
*now with more veterany veteranness and a higher grit factor
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 7, 2010 1:26 PM EDT up reply actions
I bet he would get to more balls than Miles.
"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 Jul 7, 2010 1:30 PM EDT up reply actions
and hit about 10 times better
*now with more veterany veteranness and a higher grit factor
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 7, 2010 1:33 PM EDT up reply actions
How much range does the kid have?
I’ve only seen him a couple of times and really don’t remember his fielding ability.
You're the fail to my win?
"There is not a better feeling in the whole world than knowing that you are the best team in both leagues."- Bob Forsch on winning the 1982 World Series.
by MaytheForschbewithyou on Jul 7, 2010 1:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Average at third, probably well below average at second
Of all sad words of tongue or pen; the saddest are these: 'It might have been!'
This is what I'm saying.
Miles has no range whatsoever. I heckled him over it in K.C. and got yelled at by a Cardinals fan, to whom I then explained that a below-average defensive second baseman fields the ball Miles could not even get close enough to try to dive for. He is immobile.
"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 Jul 7, 2010 1:42 PM EDT up reply actions
Amazing, isn't it?
I feel like the NL Central is one of those NCAA basketball games where a mere 10-point lead feels like a 25-point lead for the team behind. Even though we are clearly within striking distance, it seems like we are so much further back.
"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
"Only 2 games back, only 2 games back, only 2 games back ..."
The sound of a Cubs fan last August 9, after a loss to Colorado.
Repeal The LaRussa Tax.
by Michael_68_1999 on Jul 7, 2010 11:51 AM EDT up reply actions
Except we are much better than the Cubs and the Reds are not as good as us
by vivaelpujols on Jul 7, 2010 12:27 PM EDT up reply actions
Weren't the 2009 Cubs projected for 90+ wins, about the same as the Cards this year?
Some minor Googling shows that BP pegged the Cubs for 95 wins last year.
by brackenthebox on Jul 7, 2010 12:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, but they played worse during the season than the Cardinals did
So by August 9th, their projections were much lower.
by vivaelpujols on Jul 7, 2010 12:43 PM EDT up reply actions
fair enough
does anyone catalog the various projections over the course seasons? It’d be interesting to see the dynamics of projections for teams that dramatically under/overperform.
by brackenthebox on Jul 7, 2010 12:47 PM EDT up reply actions
Ya, it appears that way,
but it sure hasn’t played out that way. This team is listless.
Asshattery: it's an epidemic.
Also, Dave Concepcion.
listless
i said that a couple months ago and it didn’t go over too well.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
hey, I'll shoot it down.
explain this, then. and don’t say “Strauss”.
listless is Hanley Ramirez trotting to a ball. listless is a cubs losing streak. this team is not listless. they might be spent, but geez, if they’re not battered by inconsistencies, they’ve got injuries. or inexplicable losses. that takes a toll. they’re still punching through to win games.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
by Yadi2Second on Jul 7, 2010 8:34 PM EDT up reply actions 4 recs
It's a shame this likely won't make it to green
considering the gamethread will probably be up soon
"...football games always make me thankful for two things:
1. Teams that pass the ball downfield.
2. Baseball games. "
--DanUpBaby
well, we disagree then
i haven’t seen fight in this team, or from its manager, for months now. let’s see how it goes.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
i don't know if i agree with that last part anymore.
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
their best hitter might be better than our best hitter this year
and their second best better than ours…and they are deeper with starters, and they are going to get better with volquez and chapman and the inevitable trade. that said, obviously whoever has the best record at the end is the better team, so we’ll see.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
i agree on chapman as far as starting
but still think he can be effective and help in the pen – maybe not, but i think he has a good chance to.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
Couple points
Screw LaRussa and his unwillingness to put “young guys” in big spots…If you aren’t going to bring Boggs into a game where you have a 6 run lead to put out a small fire, and if you aren’t going to bring him in when its obvious your chosen closer has NOTHING, then why the hell is he on the team
and
Screw Tony for leaving one of our LOOGY’s in the game to face 3 righties(of whom he got none out)
and
Screw Tony for bringing in Winn and then telling him to stand on the warning track
and
Screw Ryan Franklin for not being able to get 2 outs with a 5 run lead
I had another word, but i’m not mad enough to get super vulgar
Ok, rant over
Screw Tony
I
"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
That guy we gave a lot of money in the offseason to protect albert is dead to me...DEAD TO ME
by VolsnCards5 on Jul 7, 2010 11:44 AM EDT reply actions 2 recs
LaRussa's reputation
has been built on the backs of Harold Baines, Ron Kittle, LaMarr Hoyt, Floyd Bannister, Jose Canseco, Dave Stewart, Dennis Eckersley, Mark McGwire, Jim Edmonds, Scott Rolen, Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright and Albert Pujols.
Is it the manager that creates the All-Star talent, or the All-Star talent that creates the manager’s reputation as a genius?
Repeal The LaRussa Tax.
by Michael_68_1999 on Jul 7, 2010 11:55 AM EDT up reply actions
and tony is the opposite
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
Rocked when he had something in STL
sucked when he had nothing in NY
I am pleasantly pleased, thankyouverymuch
no, tony does better with less
his best teams haven’t gotten it done.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
i don't know..i think we win the 04 WS with a healthy chris carpenter.
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
Just imagine what the TLR would have been like
if someone in the war room on draft day had said, “Let’s don’t pick that Pujols kid yet, he’ll still be on the board next round” and he wasn’t. I don’t think the average fan realizes the incredible advantage the franchise got for Alberts cost-controlled years. The other two fo the MV3 wouldn’t have been affordable if Albert hadn’t been so cheap. Paying market+ for Albert for the rest of his career is really going to suck. Of course, I am all for him making every penny he can.
Carry the battle to them. Don't let them bring it to you. Put them on the defensive and don't ever apologize for anything.
TLR = TLR era
Carry the battle to them. Don't let them bring it to you. Put them on the defensive and don't ever apologize for anything.
Imagine what the TLR era would have been like with
a healthy, mentally stable pitching version of Rick Ankiel.
Kinda the inverse of the Pujols argument really.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
And
a living Daryl Kile
Carry the battle to them. Don't let them bring it to you. Put them on the defensive and don't ever apologize for anything.
i disagree
tony has gotten a lot out of a little from players, which is his trademark (like last year, when the whole was better than the parts). but give tony the yankees and he’ll underachieve. his a’s did lose to the dodgers, iirc, but give him the tigers-in-three ’06 cards and he wins it all – then the sweep by boston, not so much.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
judging a manager based on postseason success is doomed to failure.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
nope
that means he had to get those lesser teams to the postseason. this i would say he’s good at, or lucky if you want. but getting swept by the red sox and…did the dodgers sweep the far superior a’s too?
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
He doesn't "get" the 06 Cardinals to the playoffs if any other team in the division was worth a shit that year
by jd is legend on Jul 7, 2010 10:34 PM EDT up reply actions
obviously he plays against the division
same as last year – that team you could say the same about. but he took advantage.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
True
But has no control whatsoever of how good that division is. And the 2006 Central division was the worst in baseball by a pretty significant magnitude.
Also, are you blaming Tony for Carpenter’s injury in 2004? Surely we would have had a better chance at beating the Red Sox had Carp been healthy.
I wouldn’t say that A’s were a “superior” team in ‘88. The Dodgers certainly had better pitching, and good pitching will shut down good hitting most of the time. Back in the ’88, the National League was also the power league. The AL hadn’t won an All-Star game in like 16 years at that point.
The playoffs are a crapshoot. Managers don’t win playoff games, players do. If you’re entire lineup sucks a hard one for 4 games of a 7 game series, you’re not going to win. If your best starter has his worst game in two months to start a 5 game series on the road, and your offense can’t muster more than 2 runs of Randy fucking Wolf, it doesn’t matter how good a manager you are, that team’s going to lose. Especially when your star left fielder can’t field routine fly balls and your closer can’t get career utility men out.
Knocking Tony for being in the playoffs nearly every year (when only 4 and 8 teams make the playoffs) and not winning the World Series every time is a really poor argument. If anything, getting the playoffs every year should be considered a crowning achievement, since an 83 win team can catch fire and thump superior teams on the way to winning a championship.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
i'm not knocking tony
i just think his overmanaging style has worked better with lesser teams that had to scrap for every win and less well with better teams that he should just stay out of the way of and let play.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
And what I'm saying is that the facts don't bear this out
The 2004 and 2005 Cardinals had 0 platoon players. Tony played nearly the same lineups for most of those seasons and their starting pitchers all threw 150+ innings. Those teams had 105 and 100 wins, respectively. When he has a really good club with quality players at every position, he plays those players 95% of the time and his clubs win.
If you ask Tony LaRussa whether he’d like to manage the 2010 Yankees or the 2010 Red Sox, he’s taking the Yankees 100 times out of 100. Why? Because it’s a club full of veteran players who play every day. That’s what he wants! That’s what he had in Oakland and that’s what he had in St. Louis from 1999-2006.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
FWIW
I think you or I could have managed the 2004 and 2005 Cardinals and won 95+ games, as long as Dave Duncan was the pitching coach. Those teams were just really good, and little of it had to do with Tony LaRussa. But to say that he doesn’t excel when he has solid talent from man 1 through 25 just isn’t factual.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
Heh
RT @SportsNook: Randy Winn? More like Randy Lose #stlcards
....my quick smells like french toast...
Twitter: @mstreeter06
Just wanted to gloat
Turned off the game with Motte in and a 9-2 lead.
What a victory!!!
Cardinals definitely needed that one last night.
Prevent Defense Sucks
Baseball’s version of the prevent defense works pretty much the same way: the only thing it prevents is victory.
My 7th grade girls got a great win in soccer last year because of this fact.
At the half the other team was up 2-0, so they shifted from a 3-4-3 to a 4-3-3 scheme (e.g. they added an extra defender). Their plan evidently was to just gum up the box and run out the clock (for 35 minutes).
What actually happened was that their offense fell apart and my girls were able to attack and attack and attack. Where in the first half the game was 60-40 them, in the second half we had the ball 90% of the time.
We ended up winning 3-2 with a stunning second half comeback.
That's not playing prevent defense in the same vein as what RB is talking about.
That’s failure to recognize why you were winning in the first place. My guess is that they were winning by holding possession on their half of the field and not allowing possession on the back half of the field. By switching tactics, they enabled your team to have the ball more, which created more scoring opportunities. It’s simply a lack of recognizing what is winning you the game.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
this is a good point that is often not recognized
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
Transcript from the bottom of the 9th...
“It burst into flames! It burst into flames, and it’s falling, it’s crashing! Watch it! Watch it, folks! Get out of the way! Get out of the way! Get this, Charlie! Get this, Charlie! It’s fire—and it’s crashing! It’s crashing terrible! Oh, my, get out of the way, please! It’s burning and bursting into flames, and the—and it’s falling on the mooring-mast and all the folks agree that this is terrible, this is the worst of the worst catastrophes in the world. Ohhhhh! It’s–it’s–it’s the flames, … it’s a terrific crash, ladies and gentlemen. It’s smoke, and it’s flames now … Oh, the humanity and all the passengers screaming around here. I told you, I can’t even talk to people whose friends are on there. Ah! It’s–it’s–it’s–it’s … o–ohhh! I–I can’t talk, ladies and gentlemen. Honest, it’s just laying there, a mass of smoking wreckage. Ah! And everybody can hardly breathe and talk, and the screaming….. Honest: I–I can hardly breathe. I–I’m going to step inside, for I cannot see it. Charlie, that’s terrible. Ah, ah—I can’t. I, listen, folks, I–I’m gonna have to stop for a minute because I’ve lost my voice. This is the worst thing I’ve ever witnessed.”
(I wanted to look up the “oh the humanity” quote and thought I’d include the full context, lightly edited…..)
by ncgostl on Jul 7, 2010 12:09 PM EDT reply actions 6 recs
Fun with projections (again)
THT Forecasts still project us to win the division by 5 games:
http://www.hardballtimes.com/forecasts/
I posted an article a couple of weeks ago breaking down the individual projections (which have changed slightly since then obviously):
http://www.vivaelbirdos.com/2010/6/14/1516932/revisiting-the-projections
It’s important to remember what those projections mean. They are essentially how well each team expects to play going forward if everyone players like they historically have (with aging adjustments).
As of now, the Reds have massively over performed their historical norms. And I personally see no reason why it should continue. Does anyone else expect Rolen to continue to put up a .395 wOBA (a mark he hasn’t eclipsed since 2004) or stay healthy for that matter? Does anybody think that Joey Votto will continue to out hit Albert Pujols? I don’t think so. If you look at the team almost everyone is overperforming their expectations, while the converse is true for the Cardinals. Again, I don’t see why that should continue.
At any rate, using straight Pythag of RS and RA, the CArdinals have played just as well as the Reds this year. Is their any reason that disparity between Pythag and actual should continue?
The reds aren't paying the TLR tax.
Although, the Dusty Baker tax has got to be a close price to pay.
Asshattery: it's an epidemic.
Also, Dave Concepcion.
Yes, I'll take the TLR tax over the Baker tax any day of the week
"I've had pretty good success with Stan (Musial) by throwing him my best pitch and backing up third." - Carl Erskine
I generally agree
but a manager who basically runs a set lineup and plays young guys does have a certain appeal to it. I just wish he would hurry up and turn the pitching staff into charred remains like he always does so we can relax
Carry the battle to them. Don't let them bring it to you. Put them on the defensive and don't ever apologize for anything.
Jay Bruce has played every game
Somehow Baker finds a way to pencil him in every day.
by Merry CRasmus on Jul 7, 2010 1:48 PM EDT up reply actions
i'd prefer to be able to outplay them
but, yeah, we might have to rely on something going wrong to their pitching.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
and this is exactly why i keep telling people to quit worrying
pretending the cardinals are not as good as the reds is silly and really just plain ignorant. the reds may get lucky out of their ass and walk away with the division somehow (though i REALLY don’t think they will), but the cardinals are most certaintly as good as and likely better than the reds are. assuming we stay healthy, which obviously hasn’t happened.
follow me on twitter @nickg105
by stlcardinalsfang on Jul 7, 2010 12:49 PM EDT up reply actions
How many Cubs fans
said the same thing this time last year?
Repeal The LaRussa Tax.
by Michael_68_1999 on Jul 7, 2010 1:09 PM EDT up reply actions
how many cubs fans had evidence like VEP just presented to back them up?
follow me on twitter @nickg105
by stlcardinalsfang on Jul 7, 2010 1:10 PM EDT up reply actions
what evidence?
the reds are lucky, overachieving, what? frame it however you want, but your record is your record. and you can’t only look at the players, either – you have to look at the manager and gm, and whether they are doing everything possible to win every game possible.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
the better team will win the division
so we shall see who that is.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
While I agree with most of this:
If you look at the team almost everyone is overperforming their expectations, while the converse is true for the Cardinals.
Isn’t it possible that the projections for guys like Stubbs, Votto, and Bruce were lower than they probably should have been due to injuries/ineffectiveness? I mean all three of those guys were legit top 50 prospects at one point in time, they just hadn’t really gotten it together yet due to injuries (Bruce, Votto) and lack of consistent playing time due to being ineffective for short stretches (Stubbs). I think ignoring them is dangerous and I’ve been saying it all year. I thought the rotation would be their strength, as did a number of other people, and it’s been awful outside of the rookie, Leake. What if their offense falls back to 6th in the league but their pitching improves to 6th in the NL?
You also seem to be ignoring how many Cardinal players are outpacing their projections right now as well. Ludwick is outpacing his, Rasmus is WAY outpacing his, Freese is still outpacing his projection, Jamie Garcia is outpacing his by nearly 2 wins!! Pujols and Holliday are only slightly under theirs for the year. I don’t understand why another team’s hitters outpacing their projections is ridiculous, but players on our own team doing so is “expected”. Just seems like rose colored glasses to me.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
by fourstick on Jul 7, 2010 3:08 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
Agreed
Couldn’t really say it any better, but I’ll add that the guys we use on our bench are mostly outperforming too. As much as we all bitch and moan about our bench, the problem we see there is more in what we fully expect the production to be ultimately vs. what it’s been so far. Stavinoha’s numbers are likely to drop. Miles…..yeah. I’d say Lopez is outperforming too. Even the guys we “like” – is Jay going to OPS+ 126, and is Greene going to stay at 112? I’ll take the under on every one of those guys. The reality is that, so far, our bench is pretty much in line with the average from the LaRussa era despite all the (wellfounded) concerns. That hammer hasn’t really dropped yet. I thought about doing a fanpost with the comparison, but have held off. The good news is the Reds bench production is likely to decline as well.
Also, which team is best positioned to make a deal(s) to improve themselves? I don’t see how it’s us. We’re pretty well depleted with last years push.
by Merry CRasmus on Jul 7, 2010 3:24 PM EDT up reply actions
I think if you factor in the trading deadline
Cincy has a legit chance to win this division, because they can go out and get somebody to help them. I don’t know that the Cardinals can do that and if they do, it certainly isn’t going to be impact talent.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
reds will not only get somebody by trade
volquez arriving is something we might not have also.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
said better than i, but agreed
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
yes
and i don’t care if individual reds are overperforming their expectations (whatever that means) – they aren’t overperforming mine, and even if they were, that’s how you win. also, you lose by underperforming. i’m just happy, and surprised, we’re this close – i hope we get better, because i’m pretty sure they will. (also, the cards overachieved last year and the cubs underachieved, and that’s how we won the division, by being the better team on the field)
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
It's like meeting the man of my dreams and then meeting his beautiful wife.
Isn’t it ironic?
Regression, bitches.
by spants on Jul 7, 2010 12:42 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Like RAAAAAIIIIIIINNNNNNNNN
"In 2035, 25 young men will be able to call themselves world champions. Some of those guys haven’t even been born yet. And some of them are Asian." -Mike Shannon
by Alxfritz on Jul 7, 2010 12:42 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I need a knife.
Repeal The LaRussa Tax.
by Michael_68_1999 on Jul 7, 2010 1:06 PM EDT up reply actions
LOL
“Why”
Losers, dumbasses, players
Why God, Why?
Dumbasses, baseballs, The Reds
Why God, Why?
What have I done to deserve this red horror?
Surrounded on all sides with the Hell of The Reds
Like a ee cummings character, I’m wordy and alone
Why God, Why?
Runs, losers, hits
Why God, Why?
The Reds, hits, players
Why God, Why?
What have I done to deserve this red disaster that is my life?
Surrounded on all sides with the Hell of The Reds
Like a ee cummings character, I’m wordy and alone
Why God, Why?
What have I done to deserve this red misery?
Surrounded on all sides with the Hell of The Reds
Like a ee cummings character, I’m wordy and alone
Why God, Why?
Why God, Why?
Why God, Why?
Why God, Why?
Why God, Why?
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
by IHeartBoog on Jul 7, 2010 2:43 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Haha
I feel miserable
Errors make me ill
I feel miserable
Misplays tear at my foundations
I feel miserable
3 run homers are dragging me down to the depths of misery
I want to die
Is it because of losing that I feel this way?
With the red rays of misery pounding on my brain?
Or am I lost in tale of LaRussa, adrift far from home
I don’t think so, I don’t think so.
Franklin Broke My Will to Live
Franklin Broke My Will to Live
Franklin Broke My Will to Live
I was getting better but then
Franklin Broke My Will to Live
I feel miserable
Meatballs rot the flesh from my bones
I feel miserable
Overmanaging defeats my purpose
I feel miserable
nine run ninths are doing their best to impale my soul
I want to die
Is it because of losing that I feel this way?
With the red rays of misery pounding on my brain?
Am I lost in tale of LaRussa, adrift far from home
I don’t think so, I don’t think so.
Franklin Broke My Will to Live
Franklin Broke My Will to Live
Oh God, Franklin Broke My Will to Live
I was getting better but then
Franklin Broke My Will to Live
You can't sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You've got to throw the ball over the goddamn plate and give the other man his chance. That's why baseball is the greatest game of them all.
-- Earl Weaver
by Smokin Turkeys on Jul 7, 2010 5:44 PM EDT up reply actions
mozieliak is on Bernies show at 12:15
I’m curious to see what he says about the probability of a trade
by mick311 on Jul 7, 2010 1:15 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
What
Proven Veterans™ are available? I see Kevin Millwood in the future, but not Adam Ottavino.
Repeal The LaRussa Tax.
by Michael_68_1999 on Jul 7, 2010 1:30 PM EDT up reply actions
Nice post, RB
I wasn’t in the game thread (thank god) last night, but I updated my sig nonetheless.
Testicle-exploding shit storms, to date: T.E.S.S '08, T.E.S.S '09, T.E.S.S '10
good work
TESS3 was not a good time though
*now with more veterany veteranness and a higher grit factor
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 7, 2010 1:28 PM EDT up reply actions
It does make me feel better that right now we say the Cardinals are playing badly.
Everybody is saying that the Reds are playing some of their best baseball this season right now. If we are still just two games back, I’m confident that the Cardinals will get hot like last season and we can take this division.
If you give a man a fish, they say, he'll stink up the whole town. However, give said man a fishing rod and he'll poke your eye out.
i've worked for bosses who behaved erratically and illogically
it eventually takes a toll on all the really productive people and they just check out
i don’t thin the cards are from that situation
I may be in a rut, but at least I know where I'm going
insanity later...
"In 2035, 25 young men will be able to call themselves world champions. Some of those guys haven’t even been born yet. And some of them are Asian." -Mike Shannon
Thanks for making me smile.
Those are in short supply today.
Mo says gettin a pitcher is not more urgent now that penny is rehurt
He says we r counting on lohse comin back now (great). And we r just gona wait it out n getting a bat is a possibility…
by mick311 on Jul 7, 2010 1:22 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
penny is rehurt?
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
HFS!!!
I turned the game off last night when it was 9-3 in the 8th inning. I just found out what happened. I’m in SHOCK.
what. the. fuck. cardinals.
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
Hey, that was my reaction!
Of all sad words of tongue or pen; the saddest are these: 'It might have been!'
uh
“It’s just a brutal loss, is what it was,” La Russa said. “That loss wasn’t on Ryan Franklin. It was on everybody who wore the gray, including the manager.”
yeah, damnit, felipe lopez, colby rasmus and jason larue. why did you blog a six runb lead in the bottom of the ninth?
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
yeah...
goddamnit, matt holliday. why didn’t you catch the ball hit to right field?
follow me on twitter @nickg105
by stlcardinalsfang on Jul 7, 2010 1:29 PM EDT up reply actions
Those baseballs that landed in the stands were catchable.
Pujols could have five homers. Rasmus could have, too. Then, it wouldn’t have mattered what the manager did.
"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 Jul 7, 2010 1:33 PM EDT up reply actions
any and all of those guys could have taken a bat to winn's legs
or at least locked him in a storage closet, prior to TLR bringing him in.
This is obviously a team loss, guys.
by brackenthebox on Jul 7, 2010 1:36 PM EDT up reply actions
This quote by TLR
more than anything that happened last night, infuriates me to no end! UGGGHHHH!!!
"...football games always make me thankful for two things:
1. Teams that pass the ball downfield.
2. Baseball games. "
--DanUpBaby
at least he blamed himself?
Blaine Matthew Burns: Albert Pujols' biggest fan (his first words will for sure be "Albert Pujols is RIDICULOUS")
Except he should have said
…ESPECIALLY the manager.
by ArkansasTravs on Jul 7, 2010 3:17 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
That's pretty much what they all say
Whenever it is quite obviously somebodies fault. There isn’t anything to say that will make anyone feel any better about it, yet they’re all expected to say something. The result is always something nonsensical.
by Merry CRasmus on Jul 7, 2010 2:19 PM EDT up reply actions
his hits will ensure him more playing time in the future
:(
Blaine Matthew Burns: Albert Pujols' biggest fan (his first words will for sure be "Albert Pujols is RIDICULOUS")
Clearly Matt Holliday and Albert Pujols should have gone
9 for 9 with 10 home runs.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
does anyone think
If we stay the same with our roster now, and penny n lohse do not come back at all that we can still win the divison/make the playoffs?
by mick311 on Jul 7, 2010 1:31 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
absofuckinglutely
we still have three dynamite pitchers in the rotation and about 6-7 WAR in hitting sitting on the DL right now ready to come back (hopefully) after the break.
follow me on twitter @nickg105
by stlcardinalsfang on Jul 7, 2010 1:33 PM EDT up reply actions
Great point.
The cavalry is on the DL, currently. Our offense will get better when Ludwick and Freese are activated. I just wish Penny was also returning in the near future.
"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 Jul 7, 2010 1:34 PM EDT up reply actions
i was very disappointed to here about penny being setback
having him in the rotation is just so much better than suppan/hawksworth throwing every fifth day. i was really looking forward to having four real starters again.
follow me on twitter @nickg105
by stlcardinalsfang on Jul 7, 2010 1:38 PM EDT up reply actions
Suppan *and* Hawk.
This is the thing. We’d have had “Suppan/Hawksworth throwing every fifth day” IF Penny came back. Moving forward, our schedule will require a fifth starter more often, which means we will get Suppan and Hawk each throwing every fifth day. It could get ugly.
"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 Jul 7, 2010 1:44 PM EDT up reply actions
exactly...
just depressing.
follow me on twitter @nickg105
by stlcardinalsfang on Jul 7, 2010 1:47 PM EDT up reply actions
Ya know, fang
That’s like getting 6-7 war in a trade without having to give anything up.
"...football games always make me thankful for two things:
1. Teams that pass the ball downfield.
2. Baseball games. "
--DanUpBaby
oh really, albrtfn?
that’s KRAZY!
follow me on twitter @nickg105
by stlcardinalsfang on Jul 7, 2010 1:47 PM EDT up reply actions
stlcardinalsfang is not an accredited zoologist, nor does he hold an advanced degree in any of the environmental sciences. He is simply an enthusiastic young man with a sixth grade education and an abiding love for all of God’s creatures
Cardinals Baseball 2010: Why have only one 25th man when you can have four?
by Bring Back Tommy Herr! on Jul 7, 2010 1:51 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
No! I don't wanna see yo weiner!
Of all sad words of tongue or pen; the saddest are these: 'It might have been!'
the juxtaposition of a stat like WAR with that meme
might break the internet. be careful.
by brackenthebox on Jul 7, 2010 1:50 PM EDT up reply actions
i should have added a
“Colby rasmus sucks” to balance out reality
"...football games always make me thankful for two things:
1. Teams that pass the ball downfield.
2. Baseball games. "
--DanUpBaby
let's see what volquez, chapman, and perhaps drew add to the reds
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
Yes
but that’s going to mean that Cincy:
- Doesn’t make a move for an arm.
- Goes into a tailspin similar to the Cubs last year.
If Penny and Lohse don’t come back, I think we might have to make a move for an arm. If we don’t, I think we’re going to have a tough time getting to 90 wins and I’m not sure that’s good enough to win the division.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
I've finally lost all patience with Larussa
he’s a hack that’s had good players for most of his career. oh yeah, and Randy Winn is not very good, and I have no confidence in Franklin. Larussa has made so many dumb moves over the last 3 seasons that I’m am fed up, and I’m a very patient person. he is just not a good fit for this team imo. and you bypass several good players that you have taken care to prepare them for the big leagues, so that you can have Aaron Miles on your team, who is probably the worst player in the majors. a team that has 2 injured starters can’t afford to be pulling this crap.
“why is Jason Motte, your most valuable reliever, pitching in a six-run game to begin with?”
that is anyone’s guess, I have no idea. you’d think after the situation on VEB day you would save Motte as a break glass in case of fire type scenario in a game that he was not needed to pitch in. and why does tony continue to use Reyes vs righties??? that clearly has never worked. and what is Boggs, chopped liver?
*now with more veterany veteranness and a higher grit factor
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 7, 2010 1:32 PM EDT reply actions
The managing of the bullpen last night was inexplicable.
"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 Jul 7, 2010 1:36 PM EDT up reply actions
I think he wanted to lose
or he tricked himself into thinking he was doing the right thing
*now with more veterany veteranness and a higher grit factor
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 7, 2010 1:45 PM EDT up reply actions
no, he thinks other managers/teams quit when so far behind
because he and his do.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
Dude
i think he wanted to lose
apparantly he is ultra competitve and gets pissy when the Cards lose so the odds of this are like 0.5%… i don’t even care if your joking, pretty sure this is over the line (by over the line, i mean saying random shit that makes no sense)
and i think this is different than say “wanting to lose” the 20 inning game because we had a 6 run lead and there is no way he was like… you know what I think I wanna lose so I’ll put Motte in the 7th and my closer in the middle of the 9th with a large lead after of course pushing reyes too far
Rasmus can hit lefties
cardinalred
St. Louis Sports blog
by stlcardsfan4 on Jul 8, 2010 11:53 PM EDT up reply actions
dangit. SBN killed my new comment thing.
did I miss anything?
no one mentioned basketball? /cross-fingers.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
holy shit
I just now found out the Cards lost last night. What the….?!?! I fell asleep to a Holliday home run and didn’t think anything about this morning. That was disgusting to read
espn says the cardinals kicking the tires on livan hernandez
by mick311 on Jul 7, 2010 1:38 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
...are you fucking kidding me?
Of all sad words of tongue or pen; the saddest are these: 'It might have been!'
Kicking the tires
always annoys me as much as ‘progressing nicely’.
That means he’ll be in a StL jersey by Friday.
no no no no no no no
that isn’t going to help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"I've had pretty good success with Stan (Musial) by throwing him my best pitch and backing up third." - Carl Erskine
well it did say 'kickin tires on hernandez and jake westbrook'
I would like to see westbrook tho. But mo didn’t make it seem like a pitcher was important so its prob just b.s.
by mick311 on Jul 7, 2010 1:46 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Perfect fit.
He is in the mold of Winn, Miles, and Suppan.
"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 Jul 7, 2010 1:45 PM EDT up reply actions
please no
please no
*now with more veterany veteranness and a higher grit factor
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 7, 2010 1:45 PM EDT up reply actions
repost from overflow
Mo can make the roster better immediately:
DFA — Miles, Stav, and then Winn when Ludwick returns from the DL
DL — Franklin to get his head arm straight.
Call-ups: Salas, Mather, Craig. One of these guys returns to Memphis when Freese returns from DL (or maybe you DFA Suppan)
"They're so stunned they didn't even boo!"
John Rooney 5/3/10 referring to Philly fans on Cards 5-run 7th inning
fire Larussa too
and make Franklin not the closer
*now with more veterany veteranness and a higher grit factor
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 7, 2010 1:50 PM EDT up reply actions
Only if the team gets his 1997 strike zone too.
>Pitcher Change: Felipe Lopez replaces Ryan Franklin, batting 7th, replacing third baseman Felipe Lopez
Adam Wainwright reaches on force attempt, throwing error by Aaron Heilman. Jaime Garcia scores. Brendan Ryan to 3rd. Adam Wainwright to 2nd. None out.
id like to see them kick the tires on stephen drew
I think we could get him without giving up shelby.
by mick311 on Jul 7, 2010 1:42 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
or dan uggla....doesnt he have a 1 year deal?
Mo just made it prety clear a minute ago cards r lookin for a bat not a pitcher
by mick311 on Jul 7, 2010 1:44 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
drew is perfect for the reds
what a fuckin infield that would be. shores up their only weak spot, and they have pieces to make it happen. we probably don’t.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
I still think LF is a weak spot for them
I thought Dickerson would solidify himself as a leadoff hitter and above average defensive LF this year, but that sure hasn’t happened. I think you could make the case that J.D. Drew might be just as good a move for them as Stephen Drew, because Gomes is fucking terrible defensively while O-Cab is still pickin’ it pretty well. I would guess that Cabrera is worth about as much as Gomes is worth and at least O-Cab could pick it up with the bat. I don’t see Gomes improving with the glove — he is what he is at this point.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
o-cab has no range in any games i've watched
and dickerson has basically been lost for the year with the broken bone. heisey looks better than him anyway.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
Dickerson was terrible before he got hurt
so I definitely missed on that projection. I’m not totally sold on Heisey yet, although he’s definitely out to prove the doubters wrong.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
Great article by Steve Sommers about Yadi
Highlights:
Which is normal, except:
He’s swinging at a lot more pitches below the strike zone
Of all sad words of tongue or pen; the saddest are these: 'It might have been!'
by mysterui on Jul 7, 2010 2:02 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Thanks
I thought it was pretty telling. I was shocked to find it the difference to be so dramatic.
by stevesommer05 on Jul 7, 2010 2:09 PM EDT up reply actions
The ones way below the zone
are mostly breaking balls (not surprisingly); however it does appear that he’s swinging at a fastballs (primarily SI and FT) at a greater clip just below the zone
by stevesommer05 on Jul 7, 2010 2:19 PM EDT up reply actions
Mac liked hitting the low ball
just kidding, i doubt that has any relevance.
"...football games always make me thankful for two things:
1. Teams that pass the ball downfield.
2. Baseball games. "
--DanUpBaby
...sorry about adding an extra "s" to your last name
I really need to get ahold of somebody in this front office and ask about stuff like this. Do the stats guys see this, give it to TLR, and he tells Yadi to stop swinging at those pitches?
Of all sad words of tongue or pen; the saddest are these: 'It might have been!'
No problem on the extra s
happens all the time.
I’d wager that there are folks on the analytical staff that are doing this same thing. Where it goes beyond that is another issue.
by stevesommer05 on Jul 7, 2010 2:15 PM EDT up reply actions
Oh a somewhat tangential note
I asked Chuck Armstrong (Mariners COO)about the development of new stats and how long it took him to adopt them
He was just like “Ohhh, no no no no I’m an engineer! I’ve been pushing for new stats since the 1980’s, when our GMs would talk about heart and intangibles and shit like that”
Of all sad words of tongue or pen; the saddest are these: 'It might have been!'
by mysterui on Jul 7, 2010 2:18 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
That's wonderful.
"I'm gonna throw the nastiest curveball I have ever thrown...if he hits it, I'll tip my cap, but if not we're going to the Series."
--Adam Wainwright on the final pitch of the 2006 NLCS
by bgh on Jul 7, 2010 2:31 PM EDT up reply actions
That is one of the coolest things I've ever heard a FO person say
Does he have any interest in joining St. Louis Cardinals LLC?
"...football games always make me thankful for two things:
1. Teams that pass the ball downfield.
2. Baseball games. "
--DanUpBaby
Nope, I think he'll be a Seattle lifer
He’s also irrationally crazy after losses. The Mariners lost a 6-4 game in extra innings the night before, and he went on this 15 minute tangent about how Jack Wilson’s an idiot for swinging at two inside pitches with the count 2-0 with a wild pitcher on the mound.
He said at one point, “And I’d tell Jack he’s an idiot if he were right in front of me right now!”
Chuck’s like that uncle that goes on drunken tirades that makes everybody else in the room uncomfortable. But we still love him
Of all sad words of tongue or pen; the saddest are these: 'It might have been!'
I think somewhere in between that and Mo's
“well we’re going to take into account all our options (before we give bad contract extentions)” would be a perfect GM/COO
"...football games always make me thankful for two things:
1. Teams that pass the ball downfield.
2. Baseball games. "
--DanUpBaby
I want to post this to my FB and Twitter!
but at work and firewalled….sbn needs a iphone app for shit like this.
"How depressing is it being you? Would you equate it to being a lifelong Cubs fan?"
...Yet you retweet about a certain photo of Ke$ha's haha
Of all sad words of tongue or pen; the saddest are these: 'It might have been!'
I know, right???
I shit myself cause i thought it was gonna be a lame photo shoot with actual sea-men.
I get FB and Twitter on my iPhone so I’m still on there all day, however, I’d LOVE a “post to FB/Twitter” option like on TFLN.
"How depressing is it being you? Would you equate it to being a lifelong Cubs fan?"
It's there, only for an original post though, not a reply.
Asshattery: it's an epidemic.
Also, Dave Concepcion.
ya i know, but i think that feature is next to useless
I mean, big ego and all, I’m still not going to be like “oh i’m gonna be so clever in this reply it should go out to my fb friends!!”
"How depressing is it being you? Would you equate it to being a lifelong Cubs fan?"
There's a similar graph up on the BtB front page right now
about Albert. Apparently he’s doing a lot worse on high pitches than last year, which seems to make sense. There were tons of pop-ups during the depths of his slump earlier in the season.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
Huh
So that part was a mirage?
I wonder how much of this is just taking a half-season’s worth of data and comparing it to a full season?
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
Probably a lot when talking about Albert
Yes he turned a couple of fly balls into pop ups at the time I made the chart that’s up on BtB; however I’d think that it’ll modulate out eventually.
The chart was more of a what has happened; not aimed at what will happen clearly.
The Yadi chart I think is a little more telling I think because additional swings I wouldn’t think would modulate out.
by stevesommer05 on Jul 7, 2010 7:12 PM EDT up reply actions
Cool
by the way, I meant that my observation of him popping up a lot on high pitches was the mirage, not your graph or something like that.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
No worries
I knew what you meant… and your observations were right. He did in fact have a higher popup rate on pitches up in the zone.
by stevesommer05 on Jul 7, 2010 9:29 PM EDT up reply actions
Sanity check with the Reds
Whose better going forward?
1B: Votto’s been good, but even at his absolute best and Pujols at his absolute worse, the two have still be comparative in value. Pujols has a much longer track record of success and Votto has a .345 BABIP this season. Edge Cardinals
2B: Skip/Lopez vs. Phillips. Don’t make me laugh. Lopez is probably as good of a hitter as Philips, but with Skip getting some inevitable starts and Phillips’s defense, this one is easy. Edge Reds
SS: Ryan vs. Cabrera. Shockingly, Cabrera has hit nearly as badly as Ryan has this year, and Ryan is a better defender at this point in his career. Push
3B: Rolen vs. Lopez/Freese. Freese as played well and Lopez is a very solid hitter, but Rolen is a future HOF having one of the best years of his career. Edge Reds
CA: Yadier vs. Hernandez/Hanningan. Both Hanning and Hernandez have been very good this year while Yadi has been terrible, but Yadi has been much better in previous years and has still been the better defender this year. Edge Cardinals
RF: Ryan Ludwick vs. Jay Bruce. Bruce still has potential, but he’s now accrued over 1000 PA in the majors and has been completely average. Even this year, in which he’s improved, Ludwick has still been better. Push
CF: Colby Rasmus vs. Drew Stubbs. Rasmus has been amazing and Stubbs has been shitty. Rasmus is also younger and was rated a higher prospect. Edge Cardinals
LF: Holliday vs. Gomes. Don’t make me laugh. Edge Cardinals
Bench: Cardinals: Stav, Miles, LaRue, Winn, Jay, Greene – barf. Reds: Nix, Cairo, Miller, Janish, Dickerson – barf, but slightly less so. Edge Reds
SP1: Wainwright vs. Cueto. Wainwright now has a career 3.02 ERA. Cueto → 4.37. Edge Cardinals
SP2: Leake vs. Carpenter. Leake’s been good, but Carp has been better and has a great track record. Leake is also a junkballer with an FIP a run higher than his ERA. Edge Cardinals
SP3: Garcia vs. Arroyo. Don’t make me laugh. Edge Cardinals
SP4: Hawksworth vs. Harang. This one’s actually closer than you think because Harang hasn’t been very good since 2007, but Hawk sucks. Edge Reds
SP5: Bailey vs. Suppan. Kinda hard to pick a winner hear since Bailey now has a career 5.46 ERA in nearly 250 innings. But Suppan has been just as bad and I guess Bailey has potential. Edge Reds
CL: Coco Cordero vs. Ryan Franklin. Despite last night’s shit, Franklin has been amazing since joining the Cardinals with a 3.02 ERA in ~250 innings. Cordero has been equally as good during that span and has actually been slightly worse this year. Push
Rest of pen. Cardinals: Miller, Reyes, Motte, Boggs, KMac – actually a very solid unit. Reds: Rhodes, Masset, Herrera, Lincoln, Owings – with the exception of Rhodes and maybe Herrera, their bullpen sucks. Edge Cardinals
Tally it all up and you have the Cardinals being better than the Reds at 8 positions (including the non CL pen), a push at 3 and worse at 5 (including the bench). And the places where the Cardinals have an edge are more decidedly in their favor than the places that the Reds have an edge. Penny and Volzquez coming back even each other out.
Again, I see no reason why we should be so afraid of the Reds.
by vivaelpujols on Jul 7, 2010 2:03 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Which club has the easier schedule after the All-Star break?
"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 Jul 7, 2010 2:05 PM EDT up reply actions
Well the Reds have played more home games so far
So the Cards have slight edge there. I don’t know about individual teams though. I assume they are similar being in the same division.
Cards have 18 against HOU/PIT
Reds have 15.
"In 2035, 25 young men will be able to call themselves world champions. Some of those guys haven’t even been born yet. And some of them are Asian." -Mike Shannon
reds also have all their road series vs. the NL west though, we have played all of them after this series
I’m of the opinion that the reds aren’t really gona just fall off or struggle in the 2nd half. They may be playing their best right now but I think they r actually a pretty good team and jocketty will make some sort of move to try n make them better. Now they have been VERY healthy so far n have a few guys with bad injury history so that could always happen. But I think that the cards r really just gona have to play a whole lot better in the 2nd half like they did last year. I could be wrong but I think the cardinals will have to win somehwere between 88-90 games to win the division
by mick311 on Jul 7, 2010 2:18 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
NORRIS!
>Pitcher Change: Felipe Lopez replaces Ryan Franklin, batting 7th, replacing third baseman Felipe Lopez
Adam Wainwright reaches on force attempt, throwing error by Aaron Heilman. Jaime Garcia scores. Brendan Ryan to 3rd. Adam Wainwright to 2nd. None out.
Isn't Volquez ready to return from his rehab
like next week? And Penny is probably less likely than Kyle Lohse to pitch for the Cardinals. Plus, as terrible as Hawk may or may not be he is probably better than Harang will be during his DL stint.
Carry the battle to them. Don't let them bring it to you. Put them on the defensive and don't ever apologize for anything.
No he has to serve his 50 game suspension for PED's......
What’s that you say? He was allowed to serve his suspension while he was on the DL? What a great deal for the Red’s.
Suck it Selig.
Asshattery: it's an epidemic.
Also, Dave Concepcion.
I believe this was included in ChiTown's checkpoint fanpost
"...football games always make me thankful for two things:
1. Teams that pass the ball downfield.
2. Baseball games. "
--DanUpBaby
i figured the reds had played more home games
because of that ridiculous comeback stat – the opponent gets first crack at scoring when you are at home, and if they do then i guess that’s considered a comeback win.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
after we play LA n Phi to follow the break our schedule softens up, def a nice aug-sept for us.
The reds is much tougher. If u think about it we have only played the cubs once, pirates once (I think?), and will be done with Phillies and Dodgers by the end of the month. We have also gotten our road trips out west done vs. Col,LAD,SD and Arz. So yea our schedule gets a lot easier
by mick311 on Jul 7, 2010 2:11 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Philly is not he juggernaut folks predicted it would be.
Utley and Polanco being on the DL doesn’t help.
"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 Jul 7, 2010 2:15 PM EDT up reply actions
Right,
but I might say that our schedule is soft except for LA.
"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 Jul 7, 2010 5:17 PM EDT up reply actions
I disagree....
dodgers, phils, mets this month….Aug is soft, Sept we have Cin, 4 game set against the Braves, and the Pads come to town. I think Cinci definately has the tougher second half, but if this team keeps playing like they have, it will be no cake walk, imo.
Asshattery: it's an epidemic.
Also, Dave Concepcion.
cubs will be tougher for us than they were for cincy
…just a feeling
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
yea well it all looks great on paper but the cardinals continue to fail in clutch spots/games
I agree with all ur comparisons, except I would give us the edge (luddy over bruce) and the reds the edge at SS. Also Penny may be out til late august/all year now and Volquez is a week or so from returning, so I can’t say that is a push either. Plus I just read on mlbtr that b.olney reports twins are the favorites to get Lee but cincy is 2nd….that could change a few spots
by mick311 on Jul 7, 2010 2:08 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Arroyo vs. Garcia is an edge for the Cardinals...
except when we’re actually facing Arroyo. Actually, you could say that about a lot of shitty pitchers around the league.
but it feels like >3.00 doesn't it?
Time is the best teacher; Unfortunately it kills all its students
I'm talking about THIS team, as in this season
complete game 7 hit, 2 ER performance and an 8 inning, 4 hit 1 ER performance
What are you talking about?
We also scored 7 runs against him in 4 innings this year.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN201005310.shtml
eh, missed that when looking through his game log
still doesn’t fully excuse the other horrid performances
If ever there was an indictment of the baseball fan's mind, this is it.
I did not remember the 7-run thumping, either, but do remember the two shutdown performances.
"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 Jul 7, 2010 5:18 PM EDT up reply actions
well, there was the ball scuffing and all.
so there was extra to make it stand out.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
I don't see why our pen is better than theirs....
Rhodes = Motte
Herrera = K-Mac
Masset > Boggs
Miller > Lincoln
Owings > Reyes
Also, if money was no object, I would take Cordero over Franklin as a closer, and I think just about everyone else here would too. He’s got the stuff to get strikeouts when he needs them. Franklin just doesn’t have it stuff.
Also, you should redo their pitching and make the comparisons after adding Cliff Lee and Edinson Volquez to the mix. I imagine things get a lot closer when you replace Bailey and Harang with those two guys and move them to the pen in place of Owings and Lincoln.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
Ah, I see, they have acquired Cliff Lee now
And Volquez, he of the injury and PED usage, is going to come back like his normal self.
he's been throwing pretty darn well
had a bit of a rough last start but got out of it relatively unscathed. he’s throwing hard. only thing will be his stamina and protecting the arm, so he probably only goes 5 or 6 innings
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
Well, if you want to have rose colored glasses
You go right ahead.
I’m just saying that the Reds haven’t been to the postseason in nearly 20 years, so you can bet your ass that if they are within sniffing distance of the division, they’re going to make a move, and the proper move would be Cliff Lee.
So we’re just writing off Volquez because he hasn’t pitched in two years and he tested positive for PED’s? Have you looked as his minor league starts so far? He’s thrown awfully well and his velocity is right where it was two years ago. Even if he’s not first-half-2008 Volquez, he’s better than what they currently have.
You’re way to confident that their ENTIRE TEAM is going to come back to earth. Are you also confident that the ENTIRE Padres pitching staff is going to fall off a cliff too? Just because it’s statistically likely, doesn’t mean it’s going to happen — that’s why they play the games.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
Okay, well I'm saying it's statistically likely the Cards are the better team going forward
Play the games if you want, that doesn’t change the fact that the Cardinals should be better than the REds going forward.
you have dickerson on there
they have a good-looking fella named heisey in that spot, unless he’s traded for marmol of course. dickerson was probably pipped. and i’d put volquez instead of bailey starting, as that will be the case in the next week or so. bailey is injured. then put chapman in that pen, along with some of these guys who have been giving them good starts (their equivalent of suppan, hawk, otto, but much better), and the fact that masset doesn’t suck, and that’s a pretty good pen (herrera probably gets sent down, as he’s not really good)
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
ludwick should get the edge
they have identical wOBAs and Bruce has a BABIP much higher than his career average (.284 is his career)…. Ludwick is at .313 right now compared to his career average of .312
also if they have identical wOBAs, Ludwick gets the edge because of defense…. idk how good bruce is but ludwick has been one of the best in the game in RF
Rasmus can hit lefties
cardinalred
St. Louis Sports blog
by stlcardsfan4 on Jul 9, 2010 12:02 AM EDT up reply actions
bruce is one of the top defensive rightfielders in the league, considerd the best by many
came up as a centerfielder, and has a cannon. i’d certainly have to give him the edge defensively. offensively, i’d give lud an edge thus far, but bruce is young and could truly break out at any moment. if he and luddy have identical wOBAs now that bodes well for bruce because much more is expected of him, and luddy is having a good year by his standards, so bruce could easily be better than luddy going forward this year, and definitely in future years. bruce and colby i think are the same age, were rated similar prospects.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
Ludwick is hitting right about his career averages
His upside should be considered 2008, which is better than any season Bruce will ever have.
i think luddy is somewhere between 2008 and 2009
which is about where he’s at now i think. bruce is what, about 7 years younger – he could have a luddy 2008 year at some point.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
Maybe
this will make you feel a tiny bit better. It made me feel better.
OK, not really
Cardinals Baseball 2010: Why have only one 25th man when you can have four?
by Bring Back Tommy Herr! on Jul 7, 2010 2:13 PM EDT reply actions
None of those games were pegged at 100% to start the ninth inning.
>Pitcher Change: Felipe Lopez replaces Ryan Franklin, batting 7th, replacing third baseman Felipe Lopez
Adam Wainwright reaches on force attempt, throwing error by Aaron Heilman. Jaime Garcia scores. Brendan Ryan to 3rd. Adam Wainwright to 2nd. None out.
OT: VEB habits
Does anybody else find themselves maniacally tapping “z” on other websites?
“I’m tired of what I’m looking at! Give me new reading material! Z Z Z Z Z Z!!! Oh, I forgot, this isn’t VEB.”
"...football games always make me thankful for two things:
1. Teams that pass the ball downfield.
2. Baseball games. "
--DanUpBaby
by albrtfn on Jul 7, 2010 2:46 PM EDT reply actions 6 recs
Rec'd for truth.
>Pitcher Change: Felipe Lopez replaces Ryan Franklin, batting 7th, replacing third baseman Felipe Lopez
Adam Wainwright reaches on force attempt, throwing error by Aaron Heilman. Jaime Garcia scores. Brendan Ryan to 3rd. Adam Wainwright to 2nd. None out.
The Z key kinda works in Excel and Word
When you hit it in those programs you get:
z
>Pitcher Change: Felipe Lopez replaces Ryan Franklin, batting 7th, replacing third baseman Felipe Lopez
Adam Wainwright reaches on force attempt, throwing error by Aaron Heilman. Jaime Garcia scores. Brendan Ryan to 3rd. Adam Wainwright to 2nd. None out.
Glad I'm not the only one
"...football games always make me thankful for two things:
1. Teams that pass the ball downfield.
2. Baseball games. "
--DanUpBaby
BREAKING NEWS ABOUT THE SEATTLE MARINERS
In response to many employee requests, the food/snack vending machine in the Suite Level employee lunchroom now has been stocked with many new food selections.
If you haven’t checked out the machine in the last day or so, please stop by. You may find your favorite food item now being offered in this machine.
Of all sad words of tongue or pen; the saddest are these: 'It might have been!'
by mysterui on Jul 7, 2010 2:47 PM EDT reply actions 4 recs
Thanks. Now about Cliff Lee...
>Pitcher Change: Felipe Lopez replaces Ryan Franklin, batting 7th, replacing third baseman Felipe Lopez
Adam Wainwright reaches on force attempt, throwing error by Aaron Heilman. Jaime Garcia scores. Brendan Ryan to 3rd. Adam Wainwright to 2nd. None out.
We need better informants.
>Pitcher Change: Felipe Lopez replaces Ryan Franklin, batting 7th, replacing third baseman Felipe Lopez
Adam Wainwright reaches on force attempt, throwing error by Aaron Heilman. Jaime Garcia scores. Brendan Ryan to 3rd. Adam Wainwright to 2nd. None out.
After further investigation, the only thing new in the vending machine are Cup Noodles
…which I bought.
Stay tuned
Of all sad words of tongue or pen; the saddest are these: 'It might have been!'
Upon the consumption of the Cup Noodles, I can safely confirm that Cup Noodles are terrible
Just absolutely awful.
Of all sad words of tongue or pen; the saddest are these: 'It might have been!'
Cup Noodles are Ramen right?
Or is this some sort of West Coast thing?
by Cardfanintherock on Jul 7, 2010 4:47 PM EDT up reply actions
olney says the twins are the favorites, followed by the reds
if the reds sign lee, i give up.
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
What it would take to get Lee, in my eyes
Two decent prospects in the low minors to replace the draft picks that Lee would bring in arbitration
Some package of high minors players that are likely to equal the production of Lee for the rest of the season. What I mean is, Lee has 4.0 WAR so far this year, and for brevity, let’s assume that he’ll accrue 4 more. Therefore, the prospects that you receive in return will need to, with near certainty, accrue 4 or more WAR over the years that they are cost-controlled
That’s the baseline, and since that price will likely be bid up through an auction, take the best of those packages.
Does that sound reasonable?
Of all sad words of tongue or pen; the saddest are these: 'It might have been!'
i don't know the answer to your post
i dont know if that sounds reasonable. i’m on baseball overload, i’ve forgotten everything i know.
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
It sounds unreasonable to me,
because 4 big-league WAR in 2010 is worth less to the Mariners than 4 big-league WAR in a future 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
by bgh on Jul 7, 2010 5:20 PM EDT up reply actions
But you are undervaluing the 2 prospects they will get if they keep Lee and offer arb
So even if you have to equal his WAR for the rest of the season (which I think bgh is correct you don’t) — the more important piece is what about the value the 2 picks would get them?
And really I don’t think it is about giving them equivalent value at all. Really it is about determining what the market is willing to pay for Lee. Lee is a valuable commodity — much more marginally valuable to other teams than to the Mariners. So they can extract that marginal value back in a trade.
so did you request anything?
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
Red Hot Riplets, of course!
…No, no I didn’t. But I DID forget to bring a lunch today…
Of all sad words of tongue or pen; the saddest are these: 'It might have been!'
be careful what you wish for
I think I nearly developed diabetes this past year because our vending machines had peanut butter m&m’s and cream soda. That combo is wayyyy crazy deliciouser than mr. pibb and red vines.
If you ever sully the name of Red Vines again, I swear I will find you and punch you in the throat
But kudos on the cream soda. Mix that with some butterscotch liqueur = yummmmmmmmmmm
Of all sad words of tongue or pen; the saddest are these: 'It might have been!'
so that explains why "a case of ring-dings, a case of chuckles, and three variety packs of Odwalla juices was being
appended to every team’s offer for cliff lee."
"We were men - flesh and blood - and we played baseball in the sunshine. We hit doubles off the wall, slid hard into second base. We had fights, and we made love. We sang songs and prayed on Sundays. . . . We felt pain. And we felt joy. There was a lot wrong with the world. But we weren't sad, man. We had the times of our lives." Buck O'Neil, from "The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's America."
This must be rec'd
I'm one of those "I don't care how you killed the cow; just serve me a great steak" guys. If the results are logical and easy to understand, I'm pouring some A1 sauce on that formula and eating it. UZR qualifies. -Bill Simmons
I'm watching the Cowboy Bebop movie now
Not nearly as good as the show. The music isn’t nearly as good and the scenery is weird.
I'm watching soccer
it also has a shitty soundtrack
by mattyp on Jul 7, 2010 3:00 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
It's probably similar to what the VEB soundtrack would be like
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Of all sad words of tongue or pen; the saddest are these: 'It might have been!'
by mysterui on Jul 7, 2010 3:01 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Agreed.
It wasn’t very good, which was extremely unfortunate, given how brilliant the series as a whole was.
Semper fidelis tyrannosaurus!
by the red baron on Jul 7, 2010 3:55 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, the movie just seemed forced
It didn’t fit in with the ebb and flow of the show. I hope the live action movie is better.
I haven't seen the movie yet; that's too bad.
and is it wrong of me to say that I’m borderline-intrigued by the concept of a live-action Cowboy Bebop movie, even one that would apparently star Keanu?
Hrm....as Ein?
>Pitcher Change: Felipe Lopez replaces Ryan Franklin, batting 7th, replacing third baseman Felipe Lopez
Adam Wainwright reaches on force attempt, throwing error by Aaron Heilman. Jaime Garcia scores. Brendan Ryan to 3rd. Adam Wainwright to 2nd. None out.
Keanu seems like a shitty choice for Spike
Spike is the ultimate cool character and Keanu just isn’t cool. Maybe someone like Josh Hartnett (no homo).
I liked it.
I have seen some enormously shitty OAVs (do they call them that anymore?) and Cowbe was in-keeping with the overall themes of the show. depends on what you watch it for, I guess, they just went in one direction and went hard.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
The movie was completely overcome by plot
One of the stronger points of the show was the playfullness and sometimes personal parts. The movie didn’t have of those.
well I didn't watch for those
:D
plenty of personal stuff, though, because it touched on Vicious without mentioning Vicious. and Julia, of course.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
OAVs tend to do that, though.
srs bznz. break down all the characters. eff around with the established universe. foreshadow with a heavy hand. this one did it with a lighter touch.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
like, I hated Tenchi Muyo the series, save one episode.
but really liked Tenchi Muyo in Love, whichever movie that was.
man, that was a long time ago.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
This is the problem with most movie adaptations of movies.
You lost the little character sidetrack parts in the name of driving the two-hour plot forward.
While I liked the movie, an example of this is Firefly and Serenity.
"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 Jul 7, 2010 5:24 PM EDT up reply actions
I liked Serenity.
other than that one part we shall not speak of. it’s just a different format; I don’t expect PBS Poirot to be the same as book Poirot. ya just roll with it.
but I have to say, I deeply, deeply loathe movies / sequels that get it wrong. hell, jumping the shark gets to me.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
I liked the movie, too, except for that part,
but there weren’t the little glimpses into the characters’ personas that were in the show.
And you can absolutely never compare an adaptation of a book. It’s not fair the movie or show.
"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 Jul 7, 2010 5:40 PM EDT up reply actions
part of it was in that section of the series
where the movie was, the rest of the series was about building up on those character moments, so they couldn’t dig any deeper there. the only thing really left was the past, and that was kind of the whole second half of the series.
and there were. you just have to catch the little bits and pieces in the background.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
If you think of it as an episode of the show, it sort of falls somewhere
ahead of Black Dog Serenade, Gateway Shuffle, Boogie Woogie Feng Shui, and Stray Dog Strut, but behind really great episodes like Jupiter Jazz, Asteroid Blues, Toys in the Attic, or Wild Horses.
I'm one of those "I don't care how you killed the cow; just serve me a great steak" guys. If the results are logical and easy to understand, I'm pouring some A1 sauce on that formula and eating it. UZR qualifies. -Bill Simmons
I'm about with that.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
The music is much more pop-ish
Don’t know what you mean about the scenery being weird… I thought it was OK, it was basically just a really long episode. “What planet is this” is definitely the highlight musically. All in all, I thought it was not as satisfying as the series, but I certainly didn’t find it bad.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
I guess it was the markets and the convenience store
It seemed a lot more earthy than any other episode.
well it's Mars. first colony.
that was kind of the point.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
Yeah, Mars is supposed to beone of the rich, well-developed colonies
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
we could conceivably terraform it in our lifetimes, if everyone on this planet weren't broke.
think of the humidor in those parks!
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
Get yo ass to Mahs!
Anyway, things will probably be overrun by Chinese crime syndicates and creepy animal-rights terrorists and genius kids of indeterminate gender.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
it's not now?
there are reality shows about those…
/politics
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
i'm not even sure if watching tonight's game is worth it.
i’ll probably watch it anyway. even though garcia’s starting and he doesn’t get much run support. i might leave once garcia’s done. i don’t know. i’m just really angry at tony, franky and reyes for blowing the game that we SHOULD HAVE FUCKING HAD!
/end rant
I'll be watching it
I want to see how they bounce back, it’s like a dramatic series that’s on almost EVERY DAY
*now with more veterany veteranness and a higher grit factor
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 7, 2010 3:19 PM EDT up reply actions
it's like a series
that is unpredictable and has way too much drama.
Albert's grand slam, 7/3/09
Waino's CG, 7/4/10
@zoomzoomj88
Jeff Passan is an asshat
Tired of the yearly TESS. I blame Tony.
lol
*now with more veterany veteranness and a higher grit factor
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 7, 2010 3:31 PM EDT up reply actions
i'll be watching it
because i’m a fan of the st louis cardinals and baseball
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
by prophetjohn on Jul 7, 2010 3:24 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
+1
*now with more veterany veteranness and a higher grit factor
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 7, 2010 3:31 PM EDT up reply actions
as much as it was franklin and larussas fault we lost that game last night.....
I’m surprised a bigger deal hasn’t been made about the blown strike 3 call by the umpire vs. Ianetta. It was the first batter franklin faced I believe and he threw a curveball that not only caught the zone but was well in the zone! That would have been out #2 and still a 9-4 lead. Next pitch was a home run n it totally changed the game, prob crushed franklins confidence a bit.
by mick311 on Jul 7, 2010 3:27 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
I'm not so sure that would have made that big a difference
it almost seemed that the rockies were DESTINED to win that game. each batter that went up to the plate just looked like they were ready to hit it out of the park. that last guy, the look on his face was like he was just waiting to mash the ball.
*now with more veterany veteranness and a higher grit factor
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 7, 2010 3:32 PM EDT up reply actions
Yea, but, all other things being equal,
then the ground-out to Greene would have been out #3 with the score still 9-6 good guys.
by ArkansasTravs on Jul 7, 2010 3:39 PM EDT up reply actions
every time i watch the rocks
which is every time ubaldo pitches, or we play them, their lineup just seems full of hitters, and that’s even now with their best player out and guys i’ve never heard of – where is ey jr., also injured?
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
The strike zone all night was a crapshoot, assuming GD wasn't broken
>Pitcher Change: Felipe Lopez replaces Ryan Franklin, batting 7th, replacing third baseman Felipe Lopez
Adam Wainwright reaches on force attempt, throwing error by Aaron Heilman. Jaime Garcia scores. Brendan Ryan to 3rd. Adam Wainwright to 2nd. None out.
Oy vey!
I’m certainly not going to wade through last night’s 2000+ comments, but I can only imagine the swing in emotions from the initial game thread to the end of the overflow. I did notice that the Midwest’s supply of four-letter words was completely exhausted.
I’m glad to see Tony included himself in the blame in aftergame comments, but, what I really wanted was for him to man up, for once, and say, simply, “That one is on me.” Terrible BP management, terrible defense management. Why in the world, when all you have to do to win is prevent runs by the other team, you would swap out a much better OF for an inferior one, and, at the same time, not change out an inferior IF for a better one, is beyond me. Sure, the two “infield hits” that Miles didn’t reach had already occurred, but why not put Ryan at SS and move Greene over to 2B when you’re protecting a lead? I’m not sure Greene could have reached that ground ball in the ninth, but he certainly would have come closer (and looked less stupid) than Miles sliding into the outfield 2-3 seconds AFTER the ball had gone by.
Just yuck, that’s all I can say.
It looks like the Braves are growing very frusterated with Yunel Escobar....
In his interview today Mozeliak made it seem like adding a bat was our biggest priority and preferably a MI if it was possible. I read that the Braves have about had it with Escobar and his shitty attitude/demeanor, I know he has been really bad this year (0hr in 245ab) but he has put up pretty good numbers in the past and we might be able to get him without giving up too much since his value is low right now. I’m not sure it would be smart for the Braves to get rid of him at this point but I think he might be a good addition. …..then again its not like we have a ‘duncan like’ hitting coach that could help him turn it around.
by mick311 on Jul 7, 2010 3:47 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Yes yes a thousand times yes
Most of my Braves fans friends HATE Escobar. Don’t know why, they just do. I don’t understand how you can hate someone who averages 4.1 WAR per 162 games.
He's probably not available
as they really don’t have anyone else to replace him. I don’t think they want Omar Infante to be their SS, as he is an absolute butcher there.
In other words, it won’t happen.
In baseball the object is to go home! And to be safe! "I hope I'll be safe at home!"
-George Carlin (RIP)
Of course they would want Omar "All-Star Infielder" Infante as their SS!
The guy’s an All-Star!
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
His complete lack of pop this year is mystifying, so that would temper my expectations a little bit.
As far as not having anyone to replace him, Task, that’s just not true — they have Brandon Hicks, who is their version of Tyler Greene with a little more pop in his bat and better on-base skills. He’s a good defender, not as good as Yunel, but with he and Infante, they’d probably get a similar performance out of him as they’d likely get from Yunel the rest of the season.
He’s not a long term solution, but he’d fill the gap if they could get a good talent in a trade. I’m just not sure the Cardinals are the team they’d be trying to deal with when maximizing return.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
Sure, if you want to play Brandon Hicks, go ahead.
But take a look at his AAA stat-line in 49 games before you even consider bringing him up:
BA OBP SLG OPS
.211/.294 /.292/.586
You don’t think the Braves would seriously entertain bringing a guy with that slash-line do you? I highly doubt he would fill the gap left by Yunel at SS in the immediate future should Yunel get traded, and I don’t think that a platoon of Infante and Hicks would be as valuable as Yunel.
I mean, Yunel Escobar is struggling with the bat, but he’s still an above average defender at SS, and his walk rate is at a career high at 12.7%. Why would the Braves trade him now when his value is at its lowest?
In baseball the object is to go home! And to be safe! "I hope I'll be safe at home!"
-George Carlin (RIP)
He's had a frustrating year
But he had a very good spring, and Bobby likes him, so he’s got that going for him, which is nice.
I’m just saying that they have someone who can play there, and if they think they can get good value for Escobar that would upgrade one of their other positions, like LF, then they might be willing to make that move. I also believe that Prado has played significant time at SS in the past, so they could even do SS by committee, like one Tony LaRussa likes to do so often.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
I can see your point.
I just think that they would rather wait until Escobar’s value is higher, because I don’t think he is worth much at this point due to his subpar offensive year, but I have been proven wrong many times before.
In baseball the object is to go home! And to be safe! "I hope I'll be safe at home!"
-George Carlin (RIP)
Maybe
The situation isn’t nearly as bad as the Milton Bradley situation was a year ago for the Cubs I guess.
I’m not sure his value is going to really get too much higher, as he’s no longer cheap after this season, and any team dealing for him would be dealing for his ceiling anyway. I wouldn’t trade him right now if I’m a first place team, but Bobby Cox has never been one to do things by the book either.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
this is a yearly thing with escobar
they are frustrated, ready to trade him, and then he kicks ass and they realize how good he is…to be continued next year. basically, the braves can’t trade him unless they are throwing in the towel, which of course they aren’t.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
So I just got to Starbucks
Wearing my Cards home 5750.
Here’s how the conversation went:
Barista: You from St. Louis?
Albrtfn: Yeah
B: Man they blew that game last night
A: Grumble…Yeah, frickin’ LaRussa ruinied it…GrumbleGrumble
B: I think it’s about time for him to go. He’s getting old and crazy.
All I wanted to do was to enjoy some iced coffee, free Bri-Fi, and not have to talk to anyone about the Cards losing. Frickin’ TLR.
"...football games always make me thankful for two things:
1. Teams that pass the ball downfield.
2. Baseball games. "
--DanUpBaby
ot: España...
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
Schnell!
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
Am confused by Mario Gomez, German midfielder.
>Pitcher Change: Felipe Lopez replaces Ryan Franklin, batting 7th, replacing third baseman Felipe Lopez
Adam Wainwright reaches on force attempt, throwing error by Aaron Heilman. Jaime Garcia scores. Brendan Ryan to 3rd. Adam Wainwright to 2nd. None out.
Spanish father, German mother.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
“My father was a relentlessly self-improving boulangerie owner from Belgium with low grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery. My mother was a fifteen year old French prostitute named Chloe with webbed feet”
Oh wait, wrong mixed-nationality parents….
Cardinals Baseball 2010: Why have only one 25th man when you can have four?
by Bring Back Tommy Herr! on Jul 7, 2010 4:26 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Summers in Rangoon...
Lohse lessons.
I can’t remember who said this way back in 2008 but I thought it was really funny for some reason.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
the octopus was right after all.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
this is the second time in my life I've ever heard that name
the first time was when a friend of mine, in mid road-trip, decided to buy the least appetizing air freshener he could find at a truck stop; he came upon one—with no listed scent, which is probably for the best—that just had a really grainy photo of one Misty Mundae on it.
I don't know who Misty Mundae is
But her google image cache is definitely NSFW
Of all sad words of tongue or pen; the saddest are these: 'It might have been!'
An Off the Cuff POEM
Misty Mundae, Misty Mundae, you are so great,
Misty Mundae, Misty Mundae, you make me forget how crappy the Cardinals were last night…
With you face so pretty and sweet,
you make the cows all moove their feet!
Misty Mundae, Misty Mundae, you are the best!
Misty Mundae, Misty Mundae, the Cardinals are driving me crazy with their inexplicably poor play…
etc, etc…
;=8)
Big McLargehuge!
:=8O
My pre-tournament Spain pick is starting to look saner by the minute.
Now, just gotta seal the deal vs. the Dutch.
In baseball the object is to go home! And to be safe! "I hope I'll be safe at home!"
-George Carlin (RIP)
Not exactly an upset pick, eh?
All the cool people picked the Dutch
Of all sad words of tongue or pen; the saddest are these: 'It might have been!'
if you ain't Dutch...
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
You know if there is two things I can't stand is racial prejudice...
Time is the best teacher; Unfortunately it kills all its students
hey, i must be cool
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
How was it not sane? They were the pre-tournament co-favorite with Brazil.
by Willie McGee's Twin on Jul 7, 2010 4:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Meh, in my pool, I am the only one that picked them.
Probably should have elaborated, my bad.
In baseball the object is to go home! And to be safe! "I hope I'll be safe at home!"
-George Carlin (RIP)
So, it's even saner sounding...
"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 Jul 7, 2010 5:26 PM EDT up reply actions
so apparently the Cardinals don't venture west of Houston after the break
my knee-jerk reaction — Boog is effed.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
that's really weird
I don’t like this unbalanced schedule stuff
*now with more veterany veteranness and a higher grit factor
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 7, 2010 4:40 PM EDT up reply actions
it could really be a good factor if those teams go on a tear though
*now with more veterany veteranness and a higher grit factor
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 7, 2010 4:46 PM EDT up reply actions
so we can go to bed earlier after the ninth inning?
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
sweet jebus
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
Spain VS the Dutch!
Its the War of Spanish Succession all over again!!!
:=8O
But THIS time, its personal!
;=8)
Big McLargehuge!
:=8O
so maybe someone mentioned this already yesterday, but
yesterday, July 6, 2010 was the day that Marty McFly went to when he traveled into the future in Back to the Future 2. The Cubs won the World Series that year….
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
is your hovercar not good enough?
they say hoverboards are just compensating….
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
so
y’know… why would they move the world series to july?
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
Sick of competing
with the NFL and college football.
Repeal The LaRussa Tax.
by Michael_68_1999 on Jul 7, 2010 5:19 PM EDT up reply actions
they could not have predicted Favre Watch.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
i thought about this.
maybe the cubs thought the only way they could win is if they held the WS after the first half of the season
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
hahahahaha
someone should idly suggest this on bcb and see if it blows up.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
i am actually now receiving conflicting reports.
this is all i have to go on:
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
That is a lie.
"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 Jul 7, 2010 5:27 PM EDT up reply actions
That is photoshopped
Testicle-exploding shit storms, to date: T.E.S.S. '08, T.E.S.S. '09, T.E.S.S. '10
by dan on Jul 7, 2010 5:27 PM EDT up reply actions
well blame my crappy friend who put it on his facebook page
i believe everything i read on there
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
i believe you. but why would someone photo shop this?
why did everyone think it was yesterday?
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
Some website did it for some reason.
"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 Jul 7, 2010 5:29 PM EDT up reply actions
At the risk of blowing everyone's minds, I'd like to point out that
this game occurred on the other date in that pic.
by BTown Birds fan on Jul 7, 2010 8:15 PM EDT up reply actions
wow! It's almost like they 'shopped it that way
"...football games always make me thankful for two things:
1. Teams that pass the ball downfield.
2. Baseball games. "
--DanUpBaby
July THIRD was the 25th anniversary of the film's release
In BttF II, Marty travels to Oct 21, 2015, which is why the Cubs had just won the World Series.
July SIXTH was, however, my 30th birthday, which I will forever remember as the day Ryan Franklin was dead to me.
Testicle-exploding shit storms, to date: T.E.S.S. '08, T.E.S.S. '09, T.E.S.S. '10
by dan on Jul 7, 2010 5:26 PM EDT up reply actions
that means the cubs could still win in 2015!!!
NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOoooooooo
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
Also, here's how much of a nerd I am...
Everyone keeps saying Oct 26th, but watch this and ff to 30 seconds in… Oct 21st!
Testicle-exploding shit storms, to date: T.E.S.S. '08, T.E.S.S. '09, T.E.S.S. '10
by dan on Jul 7, 2010 5:30 PM EDT up reply actions
So what will come first:
Flying cars, Mr. Fusion, kids walking around with their pants inside-out, hoverboards, Miami having a baseball team, or the Cubs winning the World Series?
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
i think the pants inside out thing may have been done in some parts of the country.
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
Mr. Fusion will never happen, or at least we won't survive as a species long enough to enjoy it.
the cubs will be merged with an expansion team before that happens.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
I always liked the bit
where future MJF puts the puny little frozen pizza in the hydrator-thingamajig, hits the button, fidgets impatiently, says “come on, come on,” and after waiting a grand total of maybe five seconds takes this huge delicious looking steaming hot pizza out of the thing.
Mom, you sure know how to rehydrate a pizza!
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
FRUIT PLEASE! FRUIT!!
Testicle-exploding shit storms, to date: T.E.S.S. '08, T.E.S.S. '09, T.E.S.S. '10
by dan on Jul 7, 2010 5:48 PM EDT up reply actions
Actually it was pant pockets inside out
And by the way, power laces now exist in a prototype form anyway: http://gizmodo.com/5580328/back-to-the-future-ii-power-laces-are-real
Actually, Doc told him to pull his pants pockets out to mimic the style of the kids of the time
who all wore their pants inside-out. I am pretty sure of this. He said something like, “pull your pockets out; in the future, all kids wear their pants inside-out.”
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
Also, that is awesome
Will have to be miniaturized somewhat, obviously…
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
mclane up
@dgoold Evan MacLane has been recalled to join the club. His name was dropped by the manager yesterday re: starter opening, Hawksworth’s chances.
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
dropping otto?
"We were men - flesh and blood - and we played baseball in the sunshine. We hit doubles off the wall, slid hard into second base. We had fights, and we made love. We sang songs and prayed on Sundays. . . . We felt pain. And we felt joy. There was a lot wrong with the world. But we weren't sad, man. We had the times of our lives." Buck O'Neil, from "The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's America."
was someone maclane'd??
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
i'm so confuuuused. this is too much like math
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
wow, not pitching last night really wore him out!
"We were men - flesh and blood - and we played baseball in the sunshine. We hit doubles off the wall, slid hard into second base. We had fights, and we made love. We sang songs and prayed on Sundays. . . . We felt pain. And we felt joy. There was a lot wrong with the world. But we weren't sad, man. We had the times of our lives." Buck O'Neil, from "The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's America."
No
Ott was in the pen, but unavailable to pitch last night. He snapped his humerus on Sat, but the team wanted to wait a few days to see if the injury would heal quickly. During a bullpen session this morning, he had a setback as his arm fell to the floor after his first pitch. They decided, rather than keep him in the pen for the rest of the season, unable to pitch, that they would DL him.
RFL for GG!
But he's already progressing nicely.
Right? RIGHT?
Cardinals Baseball 2010: Why have only one 25th man when you can have four?
by Bring Back Tommy Herr! on Jul 7, 2010 5:33 PM EDT up reply actions
correct
he probably won’t need the full 15 day period to recover, but the constraints of the DL will keep him off the team for 2 weeks. He may actually start a rehab stint tonight at AA Springfield.
RFL for GG!
WTF?
I'm one of those "I don't care how you killed the cow; just serve me a great steak" guys. If the results are logical and easy to understand, I'm pouring some A1 sauce on that formula and eating it. UZR qualifies. -Bill Simmons
exactly.
as Goold put it….curiouser and curiouser.
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
"Ryan Franklin...
does not give a fuck about the best fans in baseball and the SBNation Cardinals Fan Confidence Meter."
“My name is Jason Motte and I approve this message.”
*This message was brought to you by Jason Motte for Cardinals Closer, Second half of 2010 and The Hooples, Inc. (formerly known as The Sauce Brigade)
"When I gave up a grand slam to Pete LaCock," Bob Gibson said later, "I knew it was time to quit."
NOW GIVE ME WATER I'M THIRSTY
VERY THIRSTY
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
unicorn alert
strauss says: As one team member conceded during the past homestand, “We don’t have fun. It’s different this year. Look at the Reds. They have fun playing the game. We miss that right now.”
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
and then i remember why i dont like to read the p-d.
one commenter:
I am tired of Reyes not throwing strikes, mediocre play from Miles, Winn, Ryan, Stavinoha, Schumaker, Molina, etc., and the poor defense from our golden boy centerfielder Rasmus.
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
he's more of a pale dun, really.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
the statement came before, though
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
does anyone have splits for Boog vs. the team's record?
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
ouch
I wonder who said it.
"...football games always make me thankful for two things:
1. Teams that pass the ball downfield.
2. Baseball games. "
--DanUpBaby
poor man stew
for some reason, I’m guessing Ludwick. the bullpen guys are happy no matter what, just don’t hold them down and shave their faces, or take away their firearms.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
I think Holliday's still mad that no one likes Creed
*now with more veterany veteranness and a higher grit factor
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 7, 2010 5:41 PM EDT up reply actions
actually it's probably Miles' fault
*now with more veterany veteranness and a higher grit factor
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 7, 2010 5:42 PM EDT up reply actions
I reread that thread... great stuff.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
have you been to any sox games?
Pierzynski has a Creed song for his walkup, and so does one other player who escapes me currently. Makes me laugh
"...football games always make me thankful for two things:
1. Teams that pass the ball downfield.
2. Baseball games. "
--DanUpBaby
I'll go with Franklin
He’s a guy who says it as he sees it and doesn’t shy away from the truth.
RFL for GG!
Bring back Mather and his wacky interview-interupting antics
and all will be good again
Testicle-exploding shit storms, to date: T.E.S.S. '08, T.E.S.S. '09, T.E.S.S. '10
by dan on Jul 7, 2010 5:41 PM EDT up reply actions
but can he and Miles fix Boog?
or will they get into a wacky pie fight which ends with a tragic biting incident?
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
Gordon hints at something similar
here.
La Russa can crack the whip, but he already approaches his job with unrivaled intensity. He maintains a withering dugout/clubhouse presence in even the happiest times.
Some players tighten up playing for him. If he leaned on his charges any harder, a few of them might snap.
Is he pulling that out of his ass or what?
with Gordon? probably the snapping part.
it’s telling that Matheny did not hesitate to say that it was hard to play for La Russa because of his perfectionism. and that’s while the guy is employed by the Cardinals and talking on-air.
you just never know with some guys. the balance for the Cards has always been that the clubhouse takes care of the light part of it. Jimmy invites everybody to dinner. Albert gets everyone to a charity event. the bullpen dresses up and goes golfing. Joe Mather tries to streak behind Adam Wainwright. so, sure, it’s possible that balance is out of whack. but with La Russa so hands-off on the light side of things, I’m not sure we can put it on him entirely.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
i almost feel like getting edmonds back on this team would really do a lot
edmonds in, winn gone.
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
This has ALWAYS been a criticism of La Russa.
They write this story every year. Anyone who heard Matheny on the broadcast the other night got a glimpse that this is true.
Silly humans, this world is for robots.
this stuff always seems more a byproduct of erratic, ill-at-ease play and not a cause of it.
It’ll be more fun if they win some games.
strauss suggests the opposite. which doesn't make it true, but just saying.
we need boog & bombs back. people were happier then.
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
my guess is that it's a bit of both.
you’ve got guys who are severely underperforming personally, its going to be hard for them to feel happy, even if the team is winning.
i do believe jim edmonds would be an excellent addition to this team, even if he doesn’t play much.
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
Really?
I think players are more willing to talk about it when they are losing but this isn’t the first time we hear that a LaRussa clubhouse is tight. It’s an annual narrative.
Now, I think it’s stupid rationale for why they are or aren’t losing games but there’s little doubt in my mind that the dugout/clubhouse is a lot tighter than other teams’.
Silly humans, this world is for robots.
Lineup
Lopez 3B,
Rasmus CF,
Pujols 1B,
Holliday LFJay RF
Molina C,
Greene SS,
Garcia P
Schumaker 2B
Of all sad words of tongue or pen; the saddest are these: 'It might have been!'
by mysterui on Jul 7, 2010 5:42 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
does that mean that holliday and jay will bat at the same time on opposite sides of the plate?
brilliant!
"We were men - flesh and blood - and we played baseball in the sunshine. We hit doubles off the wall, slid hard into second base. We had fights, and we made love. We sang songs and prayed on Sundays. . . . We felt pain. And we felt joy. There was a lot wrong with the world. But we weren't sad, man. We had the times of our lives." Buck O'Neil, from "The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's America."
by tom s. on Jul 7, 2010 5:43 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
You and your snark
Hey, everyone, look at this guy! Look how witty he is!
Of all sad words of tongue or pen; the saddest are these: 'It might have been!'
by mysterui on Jul 7, 2010 5:45 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
well
looks like Level-Headed Tony used yesterday’s debacle to talk some sense into Crazy Tony….
I hope we fucking clobber the Rox tonight so he has a reason to keep sitting Stav, Miles & Winn.
I wouldn't say *the* reason....
but man was he bad last night. I was essentially OK with him before, but if I’m going to let myself overreact about anything last night, it’s Randy Winn.
He just doesn’t need to be taking playing time from Jay (or Craig, for that matter).
Jay batting after Holliday, obviously
I’d flip him and Colby, but meh
Of all sad words of tongue or pen; the saddest are these: 'It might have been!'
flip jay and colby
or holliday and colby?
"...football games always make me thankful for two things:
1. Teams that pass the ball downfield.
2. Baseball games. "
--DanUpBaby
since Cook has a platoon split
you could argue the lineup should look this….
Flop
Jay
AP
Raz
Lego
to have a lefty batting cleanup, and to maintain the L/R thing Tony loves so much. Don’t know it would make that much difference….
I'd like to see how that would work
"...football games always make me thankful for two things:
1. Teams that pass the ball downfield.
2. Baseball games. "
--DanUpBaby
Ryan MIA makes me very, very nervous.
didn’t even sub him in last night, and that was after an off-day.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
i have him on my fantasy team and the player notes say that he's not the starting SS
so i dropped him and picked up tyler greene. his player notes say he’s now the starting SS.
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
Your league must be pretty fucking big if Ryan and Greene are on any rosters
Of all sad words of tongue or pen; the saddest are these: 'It might have been!'
well, i had tulo and he went down and there were like no shortstops left
but yeah, 12-person league with 30-man rosters
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
finally a good lineup
But I think the opposite about tlr’s reason for this lineup, I think he knows the team hits in outbursts and knows after putting up 16 the last 2 games that we will most likely struggle to score tonight. Then he can blame it on the lineup and point to stav,miles n winn as reasons to y the offense was rolling the past two games.
by mick311 on Jul 7, 2010 6:24 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Brendan Ryan was owned in a fantasy league?
"When I gave up a grand slam to Pete LaCock," Bob Gibson said later, "I knew it was time to quit."
by The Classical on Jul 7, 2010 6:30 PM EDT up reply actions
so you're saying there's a chance...?
miklasz No additional damage found during Penny MRI. the exam was encouraging, but Penny doesn’t feel right so club won’t push. 31 minutes ago via UberTwitter
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
more interesting tidbits:
from strauss:
No team does more extra work than the Cardinals. During the last homestand a rival scout watched the Cardinals take infield before batting practice and observed, “No other team in baseball does this to this degree.” Work ethic is not among this staff’s and this team’s problems.
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
It seems that once 3:00 hits, it's only the PST people left in here. Weird how that works out
Of all sad words of tongue or pen; the saddest are these: 'It might have been!'
yeah, this is the issue.
its so frustrating for me, b/c this is the worst hour of the day, waiting for the game to start
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
i'm so bored i'm quoting strauss.
more:
Joe Strauss: The biggest irony about last night? Since a player can’t create his own save situation, Franklin was not charged with a blown save.
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
But I actually like that I get to listen to an hour or two of the game in the office and driving home
Conversely I never watch games. I contemplated getting extra innings but realized that once I get home I don’t have time to watch the games.
i am almost always at work for the entirety of the games. i love it.
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
PAY ATTENTION EVERYONE ON HERE WHO WANTS TO GO TO LAW SCHOOL
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
That sounds very unpleasant to me
Though, a GM’s hours aren’t any better than that.
Of all sad words of tongue or pen; the saddest are these: 'It might have been!'
except its much better because you're the freaking head of a baseball team.
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
this
"...football games always make me thankful for two things:
1. Teams that pass the ball downfield.
2. Baseball games. "
--DanUpBaby
I passed by Jack Z this morning
Said, “Hey, how’re you doing” etc. etc.
He seemed very morose today
Of all sad words of tongue or pen; the saddest are these: 'It might have been!'
I'm sure he's been having plenty of late nights recently
"...football games always make me thankful for two things:
1. Teams that pass the ball downfield.
2. Baseball games. "
--DanUpBaby
Fun fact: He is every bit as big, bald, and jolly as he appears
Of all sad words of tongue or pen; the saddest are these: 'It might have been!'
have you ever seen Jack Z and Santa Claus in the same place at the same time?
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
Now that I think about it...
I haven’t! My God, what a revelation!
Of all sad words of tongue or pen; the saddest are these: 'It might have been!'
I have all the time to watch baseball I want but I live at home
pay attention everyone who wants to major in the liberal arts.
which i did. and then went to law school.
where is my middle ground??
/shakes fist in despair
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
Before I read all of that ^
1- Boy am I glad I went to bed early. I didn’t have near enough liquor to watch that inning.
2- Someone just had to have gotten banned last night, no? My keyboard would have made sure that I would have been booted.
3- Motte for CLoser!
I am pleasantly pleased, thankyouverymuch
apparently, after July 31, pujols cannot be traded w/o his approval.
not that anyone wants to trade him! just something i learned today from straussie
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
that's the one.
someone suggested to strauss that the cardinals try to trade pujols before the 2010 deadline for some actual young players (19-23), not Cardinal-young players (27-30).
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
We better get, like, 6 of them then
Because 3 of them will flame out and the other 3 will have to hit their ceiling to replace Albert Pujols :-)
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
Yah
Beuhrle’s 10/5 rights started today as a matter of fact.
No word on whether this helps the Cardinals if he were to demand a trade however.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
The team is pretty competitive right now, so the chances of him coming here are unlikely.
As well, the manager and the FO absolutely love the guy, and treat him well.
Unfortunately, we may not have much of a chance unless Buehrle really wants to take a discount.
In baseball the object is to go home! And to be safe! "I hope I'll be safe at home!"
-George Carlin (RIP)
I'm not saying this year
I’m saying in the offseason.
He’s always wanted to pitch here if you believe what he says, and he’s a hometown guy. I just don’t know if the Cardinals would do it.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
bah, i can't stop
Joe Strauss: It’s not what I think. A close associate of Albert’s insisted last month that this season had been his least enjoyable. Of course, he was in a tough offensive stretch at the time. Look: Albert believed something would happen regarding his contract over the winter. It didn’t. He’s now the team’s second highest-paid position player. Pujols has a keen sense of his place in the game, as does almost every superstar.
help.
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
IHB, please sit down.
we’re all here because we care about you very much.
we’re going to say some things that may hurt your feelings, but i want you to remember that we’re not hear to attack you, just support you.
we think you have a problem. and we think you should stop reading joe strauss.
it’s clouding your judgment. it’s bad for you. you were much happier before you read joe strauss. that’s why we – all your friends – agreed to stage an intervention.
"We were men - flesh and blood - and we played baseball in the sunshine. We hit doubles off the wall, slid hard into second base. We had fights, and we made love. We sang songs and prayed on Sundays. . . . We felt pain. And we felt joy. There was a lot wrong with the world. But we weren't sad, man. We had the times of our lives." Buck O'Neil, from "The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's America."
by tom s. on Jul 7, 2010 7:17 PM EDT up reply actions 6 recs
i...i just...i didn't realise everyone felt this way
i never thought…. i mean, no one ever CARED before.
i….i’m so sorry i hurt you all. i don’t know what else to say.
thank you tom s. thank you for pulling me out of this hole off this ledge i was buried under.
/emotional sobbing
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
we’re all hear to support you. you can beat your joe strauss problem. you can find other outlets for cardinals information and analysis that are not garbled mishmashes of sports cliches.
admitting you have a problem is the first step.
/hugs IHB
"We were men - flesh and blood - and we played baseball in the sunshine. We hit doubles off the wall, slid hard into second base. We had fights, and we made love. We sang songs and prayed on Sundays. . . . We felt pain. And we felt joy. There was a lot wrong with the world. But we weren't sad, man. We had the times of our lives." Buck O'Neil, from "The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's America."
*here
for dagnabbit’s sake.
"We were men - flesh and blood - and we played baseball in the sunshine. We hit doubles off the wall, slid hard into second base. We had fights, and we made love. We sang songs and prayed on Sundays. . . . We felt pain. And we felt joy. There was a lot wrong with the world. But we weren't sad, man. We had the times of our lives." Buck O'Neil, from "The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's America."
(Hiding in shady corner)
Well, uh, hey there IHB. I got some, uh, Jeff Passan here in my pocket. You, uh, wanna read him? I’ll give you a good deal…
Of all sad words of tongue or pen; the saddest are these: 'It might have been!'
by mysterui on Jul 7, 2010 7:29 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
have a unicorn.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
we're blowing this off, right?
he’s obviously not correct.
follow me on twitter @nickg105
by stlcardinalsfang on Jul 7, 2010 7:24 PM EDT up reply actions
he may not be entirely accurate, but the truth is that pujols is the second-highest paid player on this team
i don’t believe that counts for nothing.
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
I was under the impression that Albert shut down negotiations over the winter, not Mo.
the Cardinals wanted to talk, very badly.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
that might be true.
but then how can strauss get away with all this BS? i mean, i don’t understand how come no one ever calls him out on it. he calls out EVERYBODY
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
not to mention
Albert will call out Strauss. he took him to task this Spring Training for implying he was out of shape.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
My recollection too
Albert was really cagey about whether or not he wanted to talk contract, but I thought he said the time wasn’t right.
if the club cut negotiations, what would you expect albert to say?
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
dewitt called signing pujols a priority
and ended up looking dumb when albert said “sign matt first”
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
he will be the highest payed player in 1-2 years
i would be very discouraged by talks too. he should have had a new contract this winter.
follow me on twitter @nickg105
by stlcardinalsfang on Jul 7, 2010 7:35 PM EDT up reply actions
especially if he doesn't particularly like the highest paid
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
i don't see any reason he would just make it up
and when he said this was albert’s least enjoyable season, i don’t find that hard to believe
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
i was surprised, though,
by him saying that albert expected something to be done about his contract over the winter
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
Unicorns, dude, unicorns
Always helps to look at one after reading Dr. Negative’s tweets and columns.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
This is such fucking Straussian garbage. Trying to stir up a story that just isn't there to prove his self worth.
Albert has said numerous times that he intends to play out his contract, which runs through the end of this season. He’s talked numerous times about honoring contracts and living up to one’s obligations.
So, no, Joe, I don’t believe a word of your bullshit, especially when talking about a player that openly disdains you because you carp at him in the media all the time.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
maybe Penny's just being overly cautious given the Cards' injury track record
*now with more veterany veteranness and a higher grit factor
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 7, 2010 7:28 PM EDT reply actions
Ok I admit
I also have read Joe Strauss.
I know I must do better. Where is a meeting when you need it?
"I've had pretty good success with Stan (Musial) by throwing him my best pitch and backing up third." - Carl Erskine
its right here, right now.
hi, I’m IHB, and I’m a straussaholic.
i came upon strauss casually, just trying it out every now and then when i was bored at work. but the reading became more frequent, and pretty soon i found myself needing a chat fix every wednesday. it was all downhill after that – i needed something all the time. i’d even read his tweets directed at other people i didn’t know.
i was always reading strauss, talking about strauss, quoting strauss in front of my friends….
but i’m lucky. i have screen names in my internet life who care about my commenting. they helped me turn things around. every day is a struggle, but i feel stronger than ever.
today, i stopped following strauss. maybe tomorrow i will take the P-D off my favorites list. baby steps, spfldbird, but you will get there.
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
by IHeartBoog on Jul 7, 2010 7:39 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
...You are realllllllllly bored
Of all sad words of tongue or pen; the saddest are these: 'It might have been!'
Boog hasn't done much lately.
and ledge-watch isn’t much fun.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
indeed.
slow day. going to the d-backs game in about 20 minutes.
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
Where does your Cardinals affiliation come from, anyways?
Of all sad words of tongue or pen; the saddest are these: 'It might have been!'
i lived in st. louis for six or seven years when i was a kid
age 8-14 or so
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
but....but.....but....
some day he might say something actually worth reading. And it’s about the Cardinals!!!
I don’t know if I can be as brave as you are.
"I've had pretty good success with Stan (Musial) by throwing him my best pitch and backing up third." - Carl Erskine
we may need to put you on a heavy dose of BJ Rains to ween you off of this.
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
I think that's the only kind of dose BJ Rains comes in
"...football games always make me thankful for two things:
1. Teams that pass the ball downfield.
2. Baseball games. "
--DanUpBaby
dude, BJ Rains will just drive 'em back to Strauss.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
really? i was thinking rains was the methodone to strauss' heroin.
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
Goold's what you want
Strauss is not entirely blowing smoke about the poaching. BJ has been borderline for months.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
Yes, but Goold doesn't get all gossipy like Straussie.
He is looking for something to stir up.
"I've had pretty good success with Stan (Musial) by throwing him my best pitch and backing up third." - Carl Erskine
ohhhh, I see.
what y’all need is a dose of NYC media…
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
How about some juicy news on MLB Trade Rumors
that’s the ticket!
"I've had pretty good success with Stan (Musial) by throwing him my best pitch and backing up third." - Carl Erskine
well, i'm off to watch edwin jackson's arm fall off while the d-backs BP implodes and the cubs inevitably do something stupid.
i will miss the cards game tonight, and maybe that’s not so bad.
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
who knows maybe the reds will lose
"I've had pretty good success with Stan (Musial) by throwing him my best pitch and backing up third." - Carl Erskine
OT: Any Chicagolanders that are also UFC/WEC fans free tomorrow?
and would want to carpool to Hammond, IN for a meet and greet with Rashad Evans and Miguel Torres? It’s at Miguel Torres’ gym from 5-7pm. I don’t have a car but would certainly pay for gas if someone is willing to drive.
"...football games always make me thankful for two things:
1. Teams that pass the ball downfield.
2. Baseball games. "
--DanUpBaby
The latest Rotoworld update on Penny has him "shut down completely" for the next 7-10 days
He’s “doubtful to return to the Cardinals in the month of July and might not be back until the middle of August,” at which time it will presumably be like trading for a quality starter (you know, it really will be).
of course
blargh!
*now with more veterany veteranness and a higher grit factor
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 7, 2010 8:38 PM EDT up reply actions
Rooney:
“I was taught ‘If you don’t have anything good to say, don’t say anything at all,’ but we have to start off tonight’s broadcast, so here’s the good news…”
"...football games always make me thankful for two things:
1. Teams that pass the ball downfield.
2. Baseball games. "
--DanUpBaby
HoKay. SO.
Let’s play a hard NINE tonight Birdos.
"...football games always make me thankful for two things:
1. Teams that pass the ball downfield.
2. Baseball games. "
--DanUpBaby
or just score 20 runs just in case
*now with more veterany veteranness and a higher grit factor
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 7, 2010 8:42 PM EDT up reply actions
me want thread
*now with more veterany veteranness and a higher grit factor
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 7, 2010 8:41 PM EDT reply actions
"We were men - flesh and blood - and we played baseball in the sunshine. We hit doubles off the wall, slid hard into second base. We had fights, and we made love. We sang songs and prayed on Sundays. . . . We felt pain. And we felt joy. There was a lot wrong with the world. But we weren't sad, man. We had the times of our lives." Buck O'Neil, from "The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's America."
Cardinals made history last night
Last time since 1901 / 9 runs in 9th for a walk-off.
"I've had pretty good success with Stan (Musial) by throwing him my best pitch and backing up third." - Carl Erskine
what a horrible game that was
*now with more veterany veteranness and a higher grit factor
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 7, 2010 8:42 PM EDT up reply actions
Felipe!
*now with more veterany veteranness and a higher grit factor
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 7, 2010 8:43 PM EDT reply actions
I like this "getting runners on board with Albert up" idea.
In baseball the object is to go home! And to be safe! "I hope I'll be safe at home!"
-George Carlin (RIP)
you did like that
*now with more veterany veteranness and a higher grit factor
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 7, 2010 8:44 PM EDT up reply actions
got a run though
*now with more veterany veteranness and a higher grit factor
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 7, 2010 8:44 PM EDT up reply actions
Time for TLR to go...
1) I’m not a sports-talk-radio TLR hater. He’s been a great manager.
2) TLR doesn’t often get out managed…
…but I think it’s time for a change. This year’s model reminds me of new Dodge Challenger. It should be a great car, looks like a great car, and yet it doesn’t quite transcend to what great cars should be. Watching the 0h-Ten Cardinals is a study in frustration – just a half step away from requiring the defeatist patience of a European soccer fan. It seems to me (a very outside observer) that the surly intensity of TLR isn’t effective and the GOB have cursed his “play a hard nine” credo. This team needs a fresh make over but has precious few trade bait options and not much, if any, DeWitt “dry powder” for a trade deadline upgrade. GM Mo won’t be able to do much (unless he works a Jockety Larry Walker jesus miracle) even in the off season, I’m afraid. I don’t see other ways to inflict positive change, other than a Tony Robbins weekend seminar and I just don’t see the Cardinals moving much more off center.
Honi soit qui mal y pense.
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