St. Louis Cardinals drop first game of NLDS vs. Phillies
by DanUpBaby on Oct 1, 2011 8:26 PM EDT
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Reasonable people will disagree about Kyle Lohse's sixth-inning performance and what Tony La Russa should or shouldn't have done about it, but the ensuing bullpen struggles will probably mute the volume on both sides of the conversation—the Cardinals just didn't pitch well, despite doing better than expected against Roy Halladay and putting some runs up against the front of their bullpen.
(Personally, while we're still having the conversation, I don't think La Russa was wrong here unless you're willing to pull every pitcher on the Cardinals' roster after five innings for the bullpen effect of pitchers performing better in one-inning stints. Lohse is an above-average starter and he'd pitched extremely well before the Howard home run, up to and briefly including that at-bat. The case for pulling him after a weak single in a tie ballgame seems like either panic, an excessively pessimistic view of Lohse, or hindsight.)
The hitting they'll need to keep doing, with Cliff Lee and (third excellent pitcher) next in line, but they're already better than the Phillies' hitters; the pitchers are the part of the Cardinals that will need to play over their collective head to have a chance at advancing to the NLCS. Kyle Lohse wasn't able to do that, but he had farther up the ladder to go than Chris Carpenter will tomorrow.
The good news—if you want to take some good news from this to-be-expected-but-not-to-have-been-expected-like-this loss—is that Rafael Furcal played the entire game without issue and Matt Holliday came in as a pinch-hitter. One of the keys to the pitchers playing over their collective head will be a defense that is neither gimpy nor Theriot-infused. If Furcal and Holliday are healthy and able to start, this is an offense that really can outscore the Phillies.
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Well, he wishes he walked Napoli. Double. 3 - 3
#FireTLR
by The Continental on Oct 1, 2011 8:32 PM EDT up reply actions
yeah, this is not good!
come on rays! However, in the end as long as the Yankees and Phillies don’t win the World Series i can be happy.
Die Hard Cards Fan in Seoul.
by letsgostlcardinals on Oct 1, 2011 8:35 PM EDT up reply actions
We'll get em' tomorrow.
Have faith in our cards. Does anyone else think Pujols is injured or is running weird?
Die Hard Cards Fan in Seoul.
by letsgostlcardinals on Oct 1, 2011 8:29 PM EDT reply actions
Not sure - it certainly doesn't inspire much confidence when Pujols is being replaced by Laird as a runner
Though Pujols always seemed to do the “grandpa jog.” Something doesn’t seem quite right, though.
Nyjer Morgan Fan Club President
He's had bad feet and legs for a while now.
Didn’t he have a hamstring tweak not too long ago? Anyway, I don’t get concerned when he doesn’t go flat out any more.
#FireTLR
by The Continental on Oct 1, 2011 8:37 PM EDT up reply actions
I just checked the day thread and discovered the RiverRat shenanigans
I had read all of RR’s posts yesterday as though he were Az.
Everything makes so much more sense now.
Still not a werewolf.
by clank on Oct 1, 2011 8:35 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Good.
The negative waves. Always with the negative waves...
Elation. Sadness. Mayhem. Champagne. Sleepless fury. Never been a night like it. It seems to me that Wednesday night isn’t what makes baseball great. It’s all the years you spend waiting for Wednesday night that makes baseball great. - Joe Posnanski
haha, nice.
You can blame yours on him; he did say avatars should resemble our user name.
Still not a werewolf.
I'm changing mine back.
This one has bad mojo.
The negative waves. Always with the negative waves...
Elation. Sadness. Mayhem. Champagne. Sleepless fury. Never been a night like it. It seems to me that Wednesday night isn’t what makes baseball great. It’s all the years you spend waiting for Wednesday night that makes baseball great. - Joe Posnanski
Test
The negative waves. Always with the negative waves...
Elation. Sadness. Mayhem. Champagne. Sleepless fury. Never been a night like it. It seems to me that Wednesday night isn’t what makes baseball great. It’s all the years you spend waiting for Wednesday night that makes baseball great. - Joe Posnanski
Now we wait while the 16k comments all update....
The negative waves. Always with the negative waves...
Elation. Sadness. Mayhem. Champagne. Sleepless fury. Never been a night like it. It seems to me that Wednesday night isn’t what makes baseball great. It’s all the years you spend waiting for Wednesday night that makes baseball great. - Joe Posnanski
SBN is having a lot of difficulty with prophetjohn's.
Yours is going to have to wait.
Still not a werewolf.
I was so confused as to why a Harley dealer would have need for the robot's services.
And impressed that so many VEBers work at Harley dealers.
Still not a werewolf.
Yeah, I know. I'm not a big fan of frequent changing. I just don't really like the one I have.
Maybe in the off-season.
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I'm waiting til the season ends
hopefully November. On another note, our stuff from that sale came in today. I was informed we already have half of it, but in other sizes.
"Baseball is like Church, many attend, few understand" - Wes Westrum
Well, that's not bad! They change sizes FAST.
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In my brain, anyone with an anthropomorphic avatar ends up looking like that avatar in my brain.
RiverRat looked like RainsFace for a very long time. Sometimes still does.
Still not a werewolf.
Exactly why I want to change it. I'll wait until the off-season.
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Yeah, better to have some work done in the off-season
but don’t go too overboard. Don’t want to end up like Meg Ryan with the weird lips.
Nyjer Morgan Fan Club President
by peppermartin on Oct 1, 2011 8:52 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I was writing a long comment about why Lohse should have been out after the Victorino AB
But then I realized I had nothing more substantial to say in justification than “I had a bad feeling.”
Is John Mabry still on the roster?
Which reminds me of me fear of having the opposing team buy off Jaime's room service
on road trips.
"Nothing Motte does is quiet. It's mostly screamy and intense." - sheckiezx
"I'm a graduate of the Mike Shannon School of Diction" - Al Hrabosky
by monkeysareblue on Oct 1, 2011 8:56 PM EDT up reply actions
I can even imagine the discussion with room service
Maid: Hello, room service! Do you want a pillow?
Jaime: Just a second, please!
Maid: Here you are – aye, perdon! Habla espanol?
Jaime: Si, soy mexicano!
Maid: Tu eres chicano? Mis padres son de Ciudad de Juarez!
Jaime: Juarez! Que bueno! Tengo un primo cerca de alla!
Maid: Que rico! Un momento, por favor – tengo que cambiar las almohadas.
Jaime: Seguro! Necesito usar el bano.
Maid: Bueno, pues! (places roofie in Jaime’s water bottle)
Nyjer Morgan Fan Club President
Or a random "associate" of [insert hated team here]:
“Hey, kitchen, here’s $500 to make Jaime’s room service 20 minutes late.”
"Nothing Motte does is quiet. It's mostly screamy and intense." - sheckiezx
"I'm a graduate of the Mike Shannon School of Diction" - Al Hrabosky
by monkeysareblue on Oct 1, 2011 9:40 PM EDT up reply actions
That's our Berk!
@MatthewHLeach Matthew Leach
Berkman on chants from fans in the outfield: “All they were saying was, ‘Berkman,’ so I was like, ‘OK, you guys can read. That’s great.’”
#FireTLR
by The Continental on Oct 1, 2011 9:10 PM EDT reply actions 8 recs
For people from Philadelphia
that really is something!
by Hardcore Legend on Oct 1, 2011 9:12 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
There's an expression that in South Philly, father's day is the most confusing day of the year
Nyjer Morgan Fan Club President
by peppermartin on Oct 1, 2011 9:18 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Lance Berkman Supports Adult Literacy
Is John Mabry still on the roster?
by zack3315 on Oct 1, 2011 9:22 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
i liked the 4-5 innings where my optimistic morning post looked prescient. the rest not so much.
marc rzepczynski has an ERA of infinity for the post-season.
home isn't where it used to be. home is anywhere you hang your head. - macmanus
and his FIP is undefined
it’s like the didn’t even show up.
"Now that they've come out with that great stat, 'innings pitched per inning'-- is there anything they don't have a stat for these days?" -Al Hraboski, 3 Jun 11
How many pollocks does it take
oh, I guess I’ll just let that one go
Nyjer Morgan Fan Club President
As DanUp said, reasonable people can disagree, but I do think somebody should have been ready to replace Loshe by the time Ibanez came up.
It’s impossible to say whether it would have changed the outcome of the game, but I think it would have been a savvier move to have someone warming up, just in case, after the second runner was on base.
1. It’s the playoffs, which has two implications here:
A) There’s more at stake, and less room for error (especially in a 5 game series)
B) There’s no reason to save your bullpen — there’s an off day every two games.
2. A manager should have a quicker hook with his lesser starters. Yes, Lohse is above-average, but just barely and not consistently in his career. He’s a guy whose only real strength is a solid walk rate, past that he relies on his defense and his flyballs staying in the park. However, he was pitching with two runners on and a very small lead in a ballpark that is generally an above average hitter’s park; that’s not the ideal situation for a contact pitcher with a shaky HR rate, especially with this team’s defense.
3. The tying runner was already on base, so there’s less room for error.
4. He’s already gone 5 1/3 innings; do the Cardinals really NEED him to go another inning or two? There’s no harm in going to the bullpen an inning too early here.
I’m not saying that Tony should have known Lohse was for sure done after the fifth, and there’s no way to realistically expect the Howard HR to have been avoided. I DO think that with the tying runner on board, in the playoffs, and a less than 100% reliable pitcher on the mound in the 6th there’s a fair argument for getting reliever up in case the worst happens. I think this gets us someone ready to pitch by the time Ibanez comes up, and maybe it changes the outcome and maybe it doesn’t, but I think that’s the right call and it’s the difference between a great manager and the next guy.
I personally would have walked Howard
even though it would have put the winning run on base and was giving a free pass to a guy that struck out over 200 times to load the bases.
First time through the order, the Phillies were putting a lot of balls in play but right at position players.
Second time through the order, they were still on him but finding some holes.
Third time through, they beat him up pretty soundly.
Thing is, there really wasn’t a move LaRussa could have made to salvage that beating. The bullpen was just as gross as Lohse was and you can’t expect to win series if your starter can’t get you through the 6th.
by Hardcore Legend on Oct 1, 2011 9:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Like I said, can't argue that the bullpen was awful tonight, so who knows if it would have made a difference.
Maybe Ibanez GsIDP against Zep and the rest of the night goes smoothly. Maybe Ibanez crushes a HR just the same. No way to predict that, but I don’t think it takes hindsight for TLR to have someone to replace Lohse once the tying run was on.
As for walking Howard, that’s a different argument. I don’t know the run expectancy percentages, but I don’t think I would do that with Victorino up next.
So you would have put the tying run in scoring position for their best hitter?
Who also happens to be a guy that is very, very hard to double up on a ground ball?
The inning started with a cue shot off of the end of Rollins’ bat that found a hole up the middle. Lohse then struck out Utley on a great breaking ball, only to have Hunter Pence crush a 7 hopper back up the middle for a single. Nobody’s really hit the ball hard yet, and you have big, slow, strikeout prone Howard coming up there and you want to load the bases with one out? That just seems silly, it really does.
If Lohse executes that 3-2 pitch and breaks a back-door slider like he did to Utley, Howard strikes out and Victorino bats with 2 on and 2 out. Instead, he hangs a slider up and away (the absolute worse place to miss to Howard) and allows the big lug to get his arms extended.
Then, in typical Kyle Lohse fashion, he allows things to go from bad to worse. Lohse has a confidence problem — always has. When things go well, he’s fine, but as soon as something goes bad, the entire train comes off the rails. That’s what happened last night.
FWIW, I pointed out in the Friday thread that I was really concerned with out lack of LOOGY options out of the bullpen. Last year, Trever Miller or Dennys would have been in to face Ibanez in that spot. Tony could have used Rhodes there, and probably should have, considering how bad Ibanez is against lefties. But if you don’t get the double play, you then have to use yet another reliever (Dotel) to come in and get Polanco, as Rhodes shouldn’t be pitching to him in any situation.
It was a tough call for Tony, but the real issue here is that Lohse didn’t execute against Howard and then did his head-hanging woe-is-me routine and let the whole game get away from the team at that time.
Pujols or not Pujols. That is the question.
I'd go with Scrabble before Rhodes
He’s had some awful BABIP luck with the Cards, but he’s pretty lights out against lefties. I think if you’re super skeptical about Lohse (which isn’t unreasonable) and you have him up in time to face Howard, the rest of that game plays out much differently.
That said, to expect Scrabble to be ready in time to face Howard you either have to hate Lohse or have unrealistic expectations about foresight/reliever availability.
The mental image I have Kyle Lohse has always been
of his relief appearance to Kaz Matsui in the 2007 NLDS in which he threw 1 pitch and gave up a grand slam to a a hitter with 32 career HRs to-date.
When he pitches well, I’m like “Ok, Kyle..good job buddy.” When he pitches bad, I instantly go right to that image.
Today doesn’t help me shake that feeling….which is of no fault of Kyle’s.
Welp, we just need to win tomorrow
with a chance to win 2 at home. You don’t want to go down 0-2 and have to try to win it in their ballpark in game 5 :)
by CarpIsMyManCrush on Oct 1, 2011 9:29 PM EDT reply actions
CCDNGAFAHFA
home isn't where it used to be. home is anywhere you hang your head. - macmanus
by tom s. on Oct 2, 2011 2:55 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
to be fair, Uehara's peripherals actually got even better in Texas
"Nothing Motte does is quiet. It's mostly screamy and intense." - sheckiezx
"I'm a graduate of the Mike Shannon School of Diction" - Al Hrabosky
by monkeysareblue on Oct 1, 2011 9:48 PM EDT up reply actions
Since arriving in Texas,
a quarter of his fly balls have gone for homers. He just needs to play in a real ballpark. This is when I plug for the Cards to sign him.
"Nothing Motte does is quiet. It's mostly screamy and intense." - sheckiezx
"I'm a graduate of the Mike Shannon School of Diction" - Al Hrabosky
by monkeysareblue on Oct 1, 2011 9:55 PM EDT up reply actions
so... battle of Lafayette HIgh...
not goin’ so well for us?
would've.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
by Yadi2Second on Oct 1, 2011 9:48 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
WTF
TBS just randomly went to Arlington for 30 seconds.
The negative waves. Always with the negative waves...
Elation. Sadness. Mayhem. Champagne. Sleepless fury. Never been a night like it. It seems to me that Wednesday night isn’t what makes baseball great. It’s all the years you spend waiting for Wednesday night that makes baseball great. - Joe Posnanski
This comment rules:
http://www.blessyouboys.com/2011/10/1/2462970/alds-game-1-overflow-4-tigers-at-yankees#79011146
"Nothing Motte does is quiet. It's mostly screamy and intense." - sheckiezx
"I'm a graduate of the Mike Shannon School of Diction" - Al Hrabosky
I know it's a 1984 Tigers thing,
but “Bless You Boys” just makes me think the Tigers are an overly-polite group who apologize when they accidentally brush your arm and bless everyone who sneezes.
Still not a werewolf.
I hit the rec button, then realized it wouldn't work.
#FireTLR
by The Continental on Oct 1, 2011 10:13 PM EDT up reply actions
Whoa - join us, John! We won't bite...
hehehehehe
(non-tender Theriot)
"Nothing Motte does is quiet. It's mostly screamy and intense." - sheckiezx
"I'm a graduate of the Mike Shannon School of Diction" - Al Hrabosky
by monkeysareblue on Oct 1, 2011 10:20 PM EDT up reply actions
That's awesome
Nyjer Morgan Fan Club President
by peppermartin on Oct 1, 2011 10:28 PM EDT up reply actions
The constant harping against "east coast" media bias
And “gee whiz the WWL didn’t mention the Cards as much as the Rays” and all that stuff has more than the faint whiff of an inferiority complex. It’s boring too.
by Willie McGee's Twin on Oct 1, 2011 11:12 PM EDT up reply actions
Saint Louisans have an inferiority complex reputation to uphold.
We can’t have other cities thinking they’re better at having an inferiority complex than we are.
#FireTLR
by The Continental on Oct 1, 2011 11:19 PM EDT up reply actions
superior inferiority complex
The negative waves. Always with the negative waves...
Elation. Sadness. Mayhem. Champagne. Sleepless fury. Never been a night like it. It seems to me that Wednesday night isn’t what makes baseball great. It’s all the years you spend waiting for Wednesday night that makes baseball great. - Joe Posnanski
Yeah, you're right.
Kansas City is totally better at the inferiority complex thing than we are. We can’t get anything right.
#FireTLR
by The Continental on Oct 1, 2011 11:22 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I don't know what this means.
If the point is that entertainment sports channels spend more time covering the most popular teams and the most popular sports then yes, that’s a fact.
by Willie McGee's Twin on Oct 1, 2011 11:31 PM EDT up reply actions
I mostly agree with that, but it has nothing to do with the comment in that link.
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You're right that it is not the same point, but I don't agree that it has "nothing" to do with it
Moreover, the comment itself is dumb (in multiple ways), IMO. People don’t like the Yankees because ESPN tells them to. That’s just stupid, even beyond the obvious point that the Yankees were the most popular sports franchise in America long before ESPN existed.
by Willie McGee's Twin on Oct 1, 2011 11:40 PM EDT up reply actions
Yes, before ESPN existed, but not before East Coast news (larger and biased to thier region)
The Yankees, while having a great record were not the leviathan they now are until the checkbook had the cover ripped off in the 90’s.
11 in '11
by I-Musial-ly-Am on Oct 2, 2011 7:13 AM EDT up reply actions
Sure, you're right about that.
This is what I liked about the comment:
Yes, when you spend $200 million on your roster and your average player makes a million dollars more than the average player on the next-most-expensive team, you’ll occasionally win a World Series. You’d also probably win taking your F1 Ferrari to a street tuner race, but it doesn’t mean you’re a better driver. It just means that you’ve decided not to actually compete on anything resembling a level playing field, and no collection of monuments of overrated sepia-toned players from history can change that.
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Exactly
And, buying whoever was hot last year
11 in '11
by I-Musial-ly-Am on Oct 2, 2011 8:56 AM EDT up reply actions
Yes, the NYY have more money to spend on their team because they
are the most popular team in the richest, most populous market (and they are the most popular team generally as well, not just limited to their market – obviously this means they will get the most media coverage). This gives them advantages over other teams for lots of reasons, and they’ve used those advantages to become the winningest baseball franchise by a huge margin. Man U does this; Real Madrid and Barca do this; the Lakers do this.
It just doesn’t bother me. And complaining about it like the commenter on the other sbn site (and insulting the NYY because of it), IMO, is kind of pathetic, indicates an inferiority complex, and doesn’t make for an insightful/witty comment.
by Willie McGee's Twin on Oct 2, 2011 10:14 AM EDT up reply actions
I don't blame those teams for spending the money they have, nor do I begrudge them their success,
but when one evaluates the relative “greatness” of organizations, I certainly think the monetary advantages they have over other teams ought to be something that is considered. In this regard, I think the successes of teams like Tampa and Arizona are particularly impressive, while NY, Philly and Boston are less so.
Also, I don’t find it surprising or symptomatic of an “inferiority complex” that Detroit fans are angry about this. They’re pissed that their opponent outspent them by $90 million this year. Whether you think this is the case or now, it sure seems unfair, doesn’t it? And fairness is the cornerstone of competition.
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You're changing what the commenter said - his metaphors are dumb, frankly, and so are comments railing against
The Yankees “for deciding not to compete on anything resembling a level playing field” – as if, what, the Yankees should voluntarily spend on a level equal to the Tigers, or the Rays, or the average of all teams? How would the Yankees even “decide” to compete on a “level playing field” in MLB? And if his comment is some generalized cry for an NFL style model for MLB (which it wasn’t, according to the comment itself) for MLB then it Is dumb for a host of other reasons.
You say you’re not blaming or begrudging the Yankees because they have inherent advantages that other team’s don’t have and are using them to win games (though you say it seems unfair and anticompetitive). He certainly is blaming the Yankees.
by Willie McGee's Twin on Oct 2, 2011 11:27 AM EDT up reply actions
He shouldn't have said
“decided not to … compete … on a level playing field,” but I think the rest of the metaphor holds up pretty well. The competition is not on a level playing field unless you think by some miracle of advertising and fan outreach, Detroit can somehow generate the revenue the Yankees do. They are a ferrari at a street tuner race metaphor is apt, and I think the concern about who we celebrate an why (wrapped up in his American exceptionalism paragraph) is valid.
……
To clarify my perspective:
I said seems because I, and many other baseball fans, want baseball to be poetic and beautiful. Fairness is a part of that., and there’s something grotesque about the Yankees outspending the Rays 5:1. This isn’t to say that the Yankees shouldn’t do that (which is I why I don’t begrudge them), and I’m not saying there should be a hard cap, but I sure don’t have to like it, and I don’t blame fans for being bitter about it, especially when they’re playing a huge-spending team in the playoffs.
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He did say decided, and apparently meant it, so I fail to see why I should assume he said something else when commenting on his comment and whether his comment "rules"
Moreover, his whole comment misunderstands the relationship between quality/popularity/marketing and it’s clear form the context of the comment that he doesn’t even know what “American exceptionalism” means. (actually, the Yankees are a good metaphor for or example of American exceptionalism because their abundance of resources allows them to exist and prosper outside the constraints applicable to other teams).
by Willie McGee's Twin on Oct 2, 2011 1:17 PM EDT up reply actions
You're right. The comment is not as good as I thought.
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I disagree with this wholeheartedly
The Yankees are a capitalism success story if there ever was one. They’ve exploited the MLB’s ridiculous revenue sharing non-agreement to put themselves in a position to spend whatever it takes to win games year after year.
They’ve developed a national fan-base and groomed that fan-base so well that OTHER TEAMS charge more for tickets when the Yankees come to town. They are good for the game of baseball.
The Yankees don’t control the revenue sharing agreements — the other 31 owners in baseball could easily vote to amend them and force everyone to share revenue equally, which would give everyone more money to spend (you know, like the NFL does). Thing is, of the other 31 owners, you’ll not find 17 of them (which is what would be required to change the revenue rules) that want to change how revenue is shared because their business is pretty damn good the way it is, and changing the revenue structure would probably mean negotiating a new CBA with the players, which might cost them more money, as the players would then demand a salary floor so teams like the Rays and Padres couldn’t have a payroll of $20M every other year.
So they deal with this by taxing the Yankees (and sometimes the Red Sox) when their payroll meets a certain amount. Which is just fine by the Yankees, who can afford to pay other teams more money to continue to do business the way that they do it.
Pujols or not Pujols. That is the question.
Nevermind.
I think this is a complex discussion, and I’d just assume save it for the off-season.
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I disagree with the fact that they've "chosen" to play on a different playing field than everyone else.
If anything, they’re doing only what every other team in their situation would do: Use their inherent advantages to attempt to win as many games as possible. I don’t see anything wrong with that, because other teams could actively do the same thing, utilizing advantages given to them. For example, the Rays and Marlins could easily take advantage of the fact that their state has no income tax (and is warm year round, and has a large hispanic population) to lobby free agent players to sign there. Just because they don’t do this doesn’t mean that that advantage isn’t there, it’s just that they don’t use it. I don’t see how that’s the Yankees fault at all.
It’s not so much a choice, it’s more of a luxury used to its full advantage. The paragraph seems to imply that there’s something morally wrong or corrupt with what the Yankees are doing, when, in fact, they are just taking care of the advantages that the current environment has blessed them with, something the Dodgers and Cubs, who have similar advantages, haven’t been able to use in their favor.
What would be morally wrong or corrupt would be the Yankees generating $500M in revenue every year and putting a mediocre $50M product on the field and lining the pockets of ownership with money that should be spent on the field. Something that certain owners (Carl Pohlad, David Glass, Jeffrey Loria) have done for years.
I agree that this is a complex discussion and should be tabled for a fanpost discussion during the offseason. I think that’s an excellent idea.
Pujols or not Pujols. That is the question.
Yep, I agree all of that.
Cheers! We’ll revisit later.
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They've won more than the occasional world series
They’ve won about a quarter of them.
Secretary of WAR and defense (Tyler Greene Fanclub). PUT TYLER ON THE GREENE.
by vivaelpujols on Oct 3, 2011 12:36 AM EDT up reply actions
if you're talking about the long ass comment about how the Yankees suck, that's nothing but jealousy & bullshit
the WWL doesn’t tell the world to be Yankee fans, they tell them to be sawx fans
Balls
by gdm426 on Oct 2, 2011 1:50 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Exactly. The sox are the ones who should be scorned
They’ve done jack shit for the most part, yet are easily the most popular team in the game.
Secretary of WAR and defense (Tyler Greene Fanclub). PUT TYLER ON THE GREENE.
That's a pretty stupid comment
The Yankees are the best team in baseball history, bar none. They’ve won like a quarter of the championships over the past 100 years or so.
Sure they need the highest payroll in baseball to do so, but they are not a crappy product that’s befitted from good advertising. They are more like the large companies that can afford to hire expensive lawyers to squash competition.
Fuck the Yankees.
Secretary of WAR and defense (Tyler Greene Fanclub). PUT TYLER ON THE GREENE.
The Cardinals need to win.
They need to prove to me that what happened during most of the season was a fluke and the September run was for real. If they can beat the Phillies, that’ll be enough for me. Pull it together, guys!
From the blackhole of the Iowa TV market.
OT so I'm reading some flash game reviews to take a breather from the baseball
and there’s this kerfluffle over a color puzzle. the puzzle shows red, green, blue. you are provided with white, cyan, magenta, and yellow. this is not horribly difficult, right? it’s not like a MENSA question or anything?
the big argument is that this puzzle is too illogical and made of overthinking.
instead of, y’know, players being ignorant idiots.
would've.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
and sadly it's not the first argument of its kind
there’s always a spate of such commenting after a math puzzle uses order of operations.
would've.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
cyan, magenta, and yellow are the subtractive primary colors
if that’s helpful at all
Still not a werewolf.
they're on everyone's inkjet printer
on everyone’s MS Paint!
the urge to revoke licenses to use a computer is so very high.
would've.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
K is for Key!
Actually, R is for Key, but that’s a secret inside-joke between me and a friend who looks a little like Gerald Laird.
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key is the black bit, I think? when all three printer cartridges come together....
would've.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
Yeah, that's probably true.
In the CMYK color model, K stands for Key, which is black.
The rest of it cannot be explained easily.
My mid-season predictions contest RESULTS
See if you won!
Alas, I took some advil earlier and my med-student wife won't let me drink much if I'm taking NSAIDs.
She says it’s really unhealthy, but I think she’s just being mean.
My mid-season predictions contest RESULTS
See if you won!
Yeah. The young'un jumped up and rather crushed by chin with the top of her head earlier.
Where she got me is fine, but the joint on the right side got a wee bit, uh, stressed.
My mid-season predictions contest RESULTS
See if you won!
that's what she nsaid
would've.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
by Yadi2Second on Oct 1, 2011 10:35 PM EDT up reply actions 11 recs
I often feel that way.
I just assume that I’m slowly going mad and I don’t worry about it.
#FireTLR
by The Continental on Oct 1, 2011 10:31 PM EDT up reply actions
speaking of, I'm waiting for clank to hit that next submachine
so he can discover the freakiness of it.
would've.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
I've had midterms and baseball for the week and a half
I’ve only got one midterm next week, and baseball is less time-consuming now
so it’ll happen soon.
It almost happened last night, except I fell asleep for 17 hours.
Oops, only sleeping 2 nights in the last 7
Still not a werewolf.
so, no operation of heavy machinery?
would've.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
I think all of us know a guys who looks like Gerald Laird
Nyjer Morgan Fan Club President
by peppermartin on Oct 1, 2011 10:30 PM EDT up reply actions
The last Pirate to hit at least 40 home runs was Stargell in 1973.
The last Twin to hit at least 40 was Killebrew in 1970.
Still not a werewolf.
A disapointing night for sure, I agree w/ the comment if Holliday & Furky are healthy we can outscore Phillys offense, they raked tonight obviously but I still don't think they are consistent. See: Championship Series, National League 2010
I’m off for an exciting evening of doing a needs analysis for my class. Please nobody envy me. And I will have that ’10 McLaughlin mugshot up for game time.
by McLaughlin_Stole_My_Beer on Oct 1, 2011 10:27 PM EDT reply actions
You're in Joplin, right?
Nyjer Morgan Fan Club President
by peppermartin on Oct 1, 2011 10:33 PM EDT up reply actions
Going to Southern?
Nyjer Morgan Fan Club President
by peppermartin on Oct 1, 2011 10:35 PM EDT up reply actions
Yep going to Southern. Luckily I am on my very last class to graduate and then I'm done
And I wasn’t necessarily trying to say that are pitching staff is as great as the Giants b/c I know it’s not but their offense is inconsistent for as many wins as they have. Take Away a few of their starters and they are probably still a playoff team but not 100 win team IMO.
by McLaughlin_Stole_My_Beer on Oct 1, 2011 10:40 PM EDT up reply actions
Congrats
Nyjer Morgan Fan Club President
by peppermartin on Oct 1, 2011 10:53 PM EDT up reply actions
there might be a ton of onesies
would've.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
It's a secret trollish wish of mine to green an entire thread.
Great, I can’t do it for awhile now that the cat’s out of the bag.
Still not a werewolf.
didn't we talk about saying stuff out loud
would've.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
Or have us all join a really unused blog (Camden Chat or Gaslamp Ball or something)
and wreak mass trollish havoc.
"Nothing Motte does is quiet. It's mostly screamy and intense." - sheckiezx
"I'm a graduate of the Mike Shannon School of Diction" - Al Hrabosky
by monkeysareblue on Oct 1, 2011 10:36 PM EDT up reply actions
no, after our mission of goodwill, we're all too obvious.
everyone knows a VEBer when they roll up
would've.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
you just have secret trollish wishes
like Rick Horton really believes he has a clean mind and never insinuates anything filthy
would've.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
were you here when they did that?
would've.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
by Yadi2Second on Oct 1, 2011 10:40 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I've seen it a couple of times here
but that requires coordination here.
I want to go to a blog where I’ve never been and cannot be suspected.
Still not a werewolf.
Last game threads had 251 & 400 comments.
Daily threads getting 15-30.
I’d say 3 weeks.
The negative waves. Always with the negative waves...
Elation. Sadness. Mayhem. Champagne. Sleepless fury. Never been a night like it. It seems to me that Wednesday night isn’t what makes baseball great. It’s all the years you spend waiting for Wednesday night that makes baseball great. - Joe Posnanski
And yet.
8 editors and 2 managers.
DanUp and crew are doing yeomen’s work.
The negative waves. Always with the negative waves...
Elation. Sadness. Mayhem. Champagne. Sleepless fury. Never been a night like it. It seems to me that Wednesday night isn’t what makes baseball great. It’s all the years you spend waiting for Wednesday night that makes baseball great. - Joe Posnanski
It keeps making me laugh every time I F5
I haven’t yet touched the game threads.
Still not a werewolf.
Spectacular.
Orson Welles applauds your efforts.
The negative waves. Always with the negative waves...
Elation. Sadness. Mayhem. Champagne. Sleepless fury. Never been a night like it. It seems to me that Wednesday night isn’t what makes baseball great. It’s all the years you spend waiting for Wednesday night that makes baseball great. - Joe Posnanski
Except I just realized that it will take you about 30 minutes
to do this for the last two weeks’ threads.
The negative waves. Always with the negative waves...
Elation. Sadness. Mayhem. Champagne. Sleepless fury. Never been a night like it. It seems to me that Wednesday night isn’t what makes baseball great. It’s all the years you spend waiting for Wednesday night that makes baseball great. - Joe Posnanski
nice
he your cousin or something?
"I wonder if I put on a uniform and told La Russa I wanted to play for him if I could be a big leaguer too?"
"that all depends. are you gritty?" "You would need a mediocre decade of MLB experience first" "do you have a goatee, are you short, and do you try really hard?" "Are you willing to play four positions terribly?"
nope, knew nothing until guay mentioned it the other day.
So when I saw it, I knew it had to be.
Still not a werewolf.
What is F5 supposed to do?
I have a macbook pro, so it’s just making my keyboard brighter.
by Cardinals645 on Oct 1, 2011 11:57 PM EDT up reply actions
Refreshes the browser
The negative waves. Always with the negative waves...
Elation. Sadness. Mayhem. Champagne. Sleepless fury. Never been a night like it. It seems to me that Wednesday night isn’t what makes baseball great. It’s all the years you spend waiting for Wednesday night that makes baseball great. - Joe Posnanski
Ah, that always seems to run slow for me.
Like it returns to the number of comments that were there when I first opened the page, and it takes a second for all the comments since then to pop up. I usually return to the homepage and then re-enter the thread. I’m not sure why that works differently, but I don’t think it should.
by Cardinals645 on Oct 2, 2011 12:06 AM EDT up reply actions
When you first click on the thread
do you enter by clicking on [645 comments, 246 new] or do you click on the thread title?
I’ve noticed that unless I click on the thread title, refreshing is an unpleasant business.
Still not a werewolf.
were there really anti-veb comments? or just anti-card comments?
My mid-season predictions contest RESULTS
See if you won!
also, that we have personality, but are not interested in conversation with outsiders.
Still not a werewolf.
WAT
6 points
The negative waves. Always with the negative waves...
Elation. Sadness. Mayhem. Champagne. Sleepless fury. Never been a night like it. It seems to me that Wednesday night isn’t what makes baseball great. It’s all the years you spend waiting for Wednesday night that makes baseball great. - Joe Posnanski
ol Pete is a BCBlite guy.
Considering about half of the BCBlite guys have been banned, I’d say he’s a little biased.
The negative waves. Always with the negative waves...
Elation. Sadness. Mayhem. Champagne. Sleepless fury. Never been a night like it. It seems to me that Wednesday night isn’t what makes baseball great. It’s all the years you spend waiting for Wednesday night that makes baseball great. - Joe Posnanski
(half may be an overstatement, but the one's I've seen tend to be trolling)
The negative waves. Always with the negative waves...
Elation. Sadness. Mayhem. Champagne. Sleepless fury. Never been a night like it. It seems to me that Wednesday night isn’t what makes baseball great. It’s all the years you spend waiting for Wednesday night that makes baseball great. - Joe Posnanski
Seems to me that VEB has been very open to other teams guys in our blog
11 in '11
by I-Musial-ly-Am on Oct 2, 2011 8:47 AM EDT up reply actions
And as a recent newbie this year I've really appreciated it
BTW saw you were thinking about changing our icon….seems perfect to me considering your name. What are you thinking?
11 in '11
by I-Musial-ly-Am on Oct 2, 2011 8:53 AM EDT up reply actions
Oh, I don't know... It'll be an off-season project.
Maybe I won’t change it at all, but I hate Barton Fink (the character, not the movie), so I’m not sure why I ever chose the icon.
My mid-season predictions contest RESULTS
See if you won!
Ratfink?
“Big Daddy” Roth hotrod character?
11 in '11
by I-Musial-ly-Am on Oct 2, 2011 9:00 AM EDT up reply actions
heh.... I just google searched him. Lovely little thing!
My mid-season predictions contest RESULTS
See if you won!
you could have a lot of fun with all that icon materiel
So you could keep it the same but keep changing it at the same time…to bad not an obvious baseball coorelation
11 in '11
by I-Musial-ly-Am on Oct 2, 2011 9:17 AM EDT up reply actions
The difference in the confidence polls here and there is amusing
Crawford Boxes:
VEB:
Still not a werewolf.
Camden Chat has been really active the few times I've been there.
#FireTLR
by The Continental on Oct 1, 2011 10:38 PM EDT up reply actions
That's because Selig is considering awarding them the NL West
after Wednesday’s monkeyshines
Still not a werewolf.
That happened here once
in 2009, I think. Greening an entire thread, I mean.
I created the first #BrendanRyan hashtag on Twitter. EDIT: (I think)
"I think those scorers must be from Mars or Venus. Or maybe they're just from that book." --Mike Shannon, 7/09/2009
I guess I should read entire sub-threads before commenting
and perhaps also not comment on day-old threads
I created the first #BrendanRyan hashtag on Twitter. EDIT: (I think)
"I think those scorers must be from Mars or Venus. Or maybe they're just from that book." --Mike Shannon, 7/09/2009
Well, Texas ties the series.
And while I haven’t been paying attention, the Yankees have kicked around the Tigers to the tune of 8 – 1.
#FireTLR
by The Continental on Oct 1, 2011 10:37 PM EDT reply actions
Proposal: Refer to Arthur Rhodes as "The Colossus" for the remainder of the season/his career
"Nothing Motte does is quiet. It's mostly screamy and intense." - sheckiezx
"I'm a graduate of the Mike Shannon School of Diction" - Al Hrabosky
I thought we were already sort of doing that.
#FireTLR
by The Continental on Oct 1, 2011 10:40 PM EDT up reply actions
yeah, it fell out of favor so fast, people think it doesn't exist.
would've.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
although, there are subtler references here and there.
would've.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
Search returned 5.
Somehow I missed all of them and thought I was being clever. Damn. Y’know, Colossus of Rhodes, he’s fat, etc.
"Nothing Motte does is quiet. It's mostly screamy and intense." - sheckiezx
"I'm a graduate of the Mike Shannon School of Diction" - Al Hrabosky
by monkeysareblue on Oct 1, 2011 10:43 PM EDT up reply actions
some of them are pictures, which may not be labeled as such.
there’s also a few Wonders of the World, and Greek references
would've.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
I mean, it's easy to miss
I would have trouble scraping them all together.
would've.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
he is actually a colossal scholar
I may be in a rut, but at least I know where I'm going
...to DFA TLR
My dog is sleeping in her turtle costume tonight.
She’s doing it for torty.
My mid-season predictions contest RESULTS
See if you won!
You haven't done that yet? No wonder we lost today.
My mid-season predictions contest RESULTS
See if you won!
this insomnia thing is more serious than first suspected
would've.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
Well, I hope you can do better tomorrow, clank. I really do.
My mid-season predictions contest RESULTS
See if you won!
Plan ahead man!
Can you not just lay in a supply you have a freezer right? Thought this was mentioned by you some time ago…and I took it as a contract of certainty
11 in '11
by I-Musial-ly-Am on Oct 2, 2011 7:43 AM EDT up reply actions
WAT*
You were supposed to load up the freezer.
*this is a valid for word Scrabble. (The game, not the infinite playoff reliever.)
The negative waves. Always with the negative waves...
Elation. Sadness. Mayhem. Champagne. Sleepless fury. Never been a night like it. It seems to me that Wednesday night isn’t what makes baseball great. It’s all the years you spend waiting for Wednesday night that makes baseball great. - Joe Posnanski
Is it really? wat - oh look, no squiggly underline
I haven’t been to HEB in days. I had been buying individual ones on campus the last few times.
Still not a werewolf.
Shouldn't you be buying tickets to all of the games
and flying to Philadelphia?
Still not a werewolf.
Convince the wife of this
And I’m there tomorrow.
The negative waves. Always with the negative waves...
Elation. Sadness. Mayhem. Champagne. Sleepless fury. Never been a night like it. It seems to me that Wednesday night isn’t what makes baseball great. It’s all the years you spend waiting for Wednesday night that makes baseball great. - Joe Posnanski
That's commitment
Hope I get my “do it for Torty” t-shirt before they make it to St. Louis
Nyjer Morgan Fan Club President
by peppermartin on Oct 1, 2011 10:47 PM EDT up reply actions
Another hopeless late inning rally on the night
currently underway in NY
#FireTLR
by The Continental on Oct 1, 2011 11:28 PM EDT reply actions
Whoa. Frost advisory tonight in St Louis.
#FireTLR
by The Continental on Oct 1, 2011 11:34 PM EDT reply actions
it's too fucking cold up here dammit
it’s 35 fucking degrees right now. that’s bull shit, it’s only Oct 2nd!
Balls
global warming sucks.
"Now that they've come out with that great stat, 'innings pitched per inning'-- is there anything they don't have a stat for these days?" -Al Hraboski, 3 Jun 11
The grocer was out of the ice cream sandwiches I prefer.
I went with Klondike. I have never had these before.
Let’s hope the good luck is tied to the ice cream sandwiches, and not just Blue Bell.
Still not a werewolf.
how have you never had a Klondike bar?
that’s just almost un’Mericun.
Johnny Gomes could not be reached for comment
"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 Oct 2, 2011 1:27 AM EDT up reply actions
they are great, at lest i think so, you should have gotten the Oreo Klondike ones tho
i could probably eat a box of those a day
Balls
well, you're one up on me.
didn’t even know they made them.
Johnny Gomes could not be reached for comment
"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 Oct 2, 2011 9:28 AM EDT up reply actions
I just found this from 2006
http://www.onionsportsnetwork.com/articles/cardinals-apologize-for-winning-world-series,2079/
FIRE EVERYONE
by Notorious PSC on Oct 2, 2011 1:36 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
that's pretty dang funny
Johnny Gomes could not be reached for comment
"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 Oct 2, 2011 9:31 AM EDT up reply actions
how is it good news Lego K'd to end the game & Raffy is playing on one leg?
the ride was fun, but it’s all over now. they had a chance to blow it open against Roy & they didn’t capitalize. there’s no way they beat Lee & Hammels. oh well, at least they shocked the .2% of the world who isn’t paying attention to the sawx blow it by making the playoffs. like i said it was fun while it lasted.
Balls
i guess there's no reason for you to hang around then
by prophetjohn on Oct 2, 2011 2:06 AM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
i can't believe Mo traded Colby for Jackson & Rep when he could have traded him for Roy
thanks TRL, YOU’RE WHY WE CAN’T HAVE NICE THINGS
wasn’t Jackson & Westy in the pen to back up Bubbles anyway? WTF happened to that plan? was it just all bullshit?
f’ing TLR
Balls
dammit, i told myself i wouldn't care about what happened & i'd just enjoy this
problem is, there is no joy in losing
Balls
are peeps pissed at Freeze for not catching the ball in the 6th?
because that’s not an easy play, he should not have gotten an E on that
Balls
I haven't heard anyone here mention it
But I’m sure people are elsewhere. He wasn’t in a great position to catch it — on the move, not facing the ball — but it always LOOKS bad when it hits your glove and you drop it.
MLBN & WWL said it was what led to Bubbles implosion, not the fact Bubbles sucks after 5 innings
and Westy or Jackson should have started off the 6th. i’m surprised he got an E on it, the Philly score keeper must be a real asshole
Balls
i dont fault him, but it didnt help
Hardcore mentioned in like th e4th or 5th that Loshe was starting to elivate his pitches.. i was actually shcoked he got out of the freeze jam thing, usually when a foul is dopped the next play is a hr or so it seems. I was surprised that they got out of that inning with one run, but was sure they wouldnt against howard..
because TLR
that doesn't surprise me, Bubbles is a 5 inning pitcher
i didn’t watch but from all the highlights he got away with a couple in the Howard at bat before giving up the HR. TLR should have pulled him then, but he didn’t. would they ahve scored 11 runs if he had? maybe, maybe not. they might have had a better chance at coming back but we’ll never know.
Balls
yeah, I was surprised he was given an error
I don’t think Descalso gets a glove on that one.
OTOH, the Phillies scorer has been watching Polanco all year, so he’s probably got a different standard than I do.
"Now that they've come out with that great stat, 'innings pitched per inning'-- is there anything they don't have a stat for these days?" -Al Hraboski, 3 Jun 11
The momentum of the game was just abhorrent
We started out with a berking bang, then as our offensive production dwindled against the megalith which is more commonly known as Roy Halladay, the Phillies gained momentum with the crowd and Howard just completely flipped the tables against us with that bat of his. In no way did we re-gain momentum, except in the ninth; but by that time, it was far too late.
Halladay was just far too nasty after the 1st
I don’t think anyone but Molina had a really good at bat against him. Seemed like every fair ball the cards did manage to hit was just pounded straight into the ground. Cards really do need to come into today’s game with a plan to work on pitch counts immediately from the 1st at bat and keep it up.
11 in '11
by I-Musial-ly-Am on Oct 2, 2011 8:42 AM EDT up reply actions
I talked to good friend of mine who is a very disappointed and disgruntled guy right now
And he was wondering if they had any chance of getting TLR to manage the BoSox
11 in '11
You just aren't getting it, Dan
It’s about momentum. And momentum was lost when a plainly fading Lohse was left in to face Ryan Howard. And yes, I would absolutely pull any and every Cardinals starter after five plus innings if it’s apparent they’re overmatched – as Lohse plainly was – if there is a valid bullpen option. You do what you have to do to protect that lead, because it is the only lead you are going to get off a pitcher like Halladay. And that means Boggs or Sanchez (who was inexplicably, inexcusably, left off the LDS roster).
"I have discovered, in twenty years of moving around a ball park, that the knowledge of the game is usually in inverse proportion to the price of the seats." - Bill Veeck
We had a lot of momentum after the first inning. We should have just kept doing that.
My mid-season predictions contest RESULTS
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if momentum is real
it’s not useful to talk about, because it offers us no insight except in hindsight and no clear picture of momentum until the ballgame is over and one team managed to have it after the ninth inning. if that’s what I’m not getting you’re not likely to find me getting it at this blog, ever.
Because you can't quantify it????
I know we like our sabrmetrics here, Dan, but…look, Kyle Lohse is not Adam Wainwright. He’s not Chris Carpenter – in his prime or past it. He’s not even John Tudor. Up against pitching like this, most of our starters need to be on short leashes. They usually don’t go that deep into games (certainly Lohse is no exception). You have a fresh pen, and with a day off every two days, no reason not to use it.
I will grant that it is not unreasonable to leave Lohse in to face Howard. Questionable; but yes, the previous hits were grounders, not exactly screamers. But someone ought to have been warming once Pence was on. And that person – Boggs, if you can’t have Sanchez – should have been on the mound to face Ibanez. And I really don’t think this is hindsight at all. Nor am I the only one to make the observation. Like Tony or hate him – and I know you’re not a hater – it is hard to deny that he errs on the side waiting to pull the hook, and too often it burns him.
And yesterday, he got burned – more than he needed to.
"I have discovered, in twenty years of moving around a ball park, that the knowledge of the game is usually in inverse proportion to the price of the seats." - Bill Veeck
HE'S NOT EVEN JOHN TUDOR!
2011 - Year of Our Berk
by spants on Oct 3, 2011 12:16 AM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
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