EVIL~! alkeiper

Goddamn. And they want to replace it too!

Why not? Tiger Stadium had Cobb, Kaline, Crawford. Several World Series and All Star games. Plus it wasn't completely rebuilt in the 1970s, making all of its standing facilities legitimate.

There never has been a situation quite like Yankee Fucking Stadium closing, so you're right, no one has ever come out for that purpose, but that purpose has never been an issue. The fans at the Stadium obviously wanted it to, that applause was enourmous, so lay off him. Derek Jeter is one of the most important Yankees ever, let him have this. Let the Yankee fans have it. Tiger Stadium?

It's me against the forum it seems, so I'll bow out of this one.

My question is, when has a player ever left a game in that manner, for that purpose? I have never seen it before in my life watching baseball. And what makes Jeter so damn important? This attitude will come back to bite them in the ass when they resign him and let him play shortstop into his 40s.

Jeter leaves with two outs in the ninth and takes a curtain call. Fuck you pal.

In honor of the Astros, here are some LEGIT screwjobs. Teams that have/had a right to bitch about their circumstances. 1908 Cleveland Naps: Finish a half game behind the Detroit Tigers for the AL pennant. Thanks to American League rules, the Tigers are not required to play a full schedule, making up that last missing game. The 1981 Cincinnati Reds had the best record in baseball, but miss the playoffs due to the split season format that came about due to the players' strike.

It's a bit tiresome that a patriotic interlude has to be preceded by the name of the recording company the singer works for. It's also a bit tiresome that said patriotic interlude exists.

Does ANYONE actually believe in their team this year?

An Orioles fan complaining about Jon Miller calling a game?

As long as the 7pm start time stays intact, I have tickets for that game.

Another win for the Phillies. 1.5 up in the division, three up on a playoff spot with six games to play. That loss effectively drops the Marlins from playoff contention.

Diet root beer on tap. There's one about a 15 minute drive away, right next to a Turnpike entrance. I've never eaten the food though, I keep meaning to try it. And Marvin, shouldn't an establishment have a rule about frying seafood in the same fryer as the rest of the food? Of course, good luck trusting the restaurant to actually follow it.

Back to baseball, Francisco Rodriguez recorded his 60th save last night. He did it by coming in with two on and two out of a 7-3 game, the minimum requirement of a save situation. Joe Blanton is 3-0 with the Phillies. The way he has pitched at times, that really surprises me. His big selling point was that he eats innings, yet in his last eight starts he has only completed six innings twice.

I'm pretty sure cowbells at baseball games pre-date the SNL sketch. They are a cheering staple at events in Northern New Jersey, it seems. Besides, I still have to live with that f'n annoying "Day-O" chant, and Beetlejuice was twenty years ago.

Actually it seems like the Rays fans needed more cowbell to go along with that fucking annoying "heckler" they have who finds one guy to latch on to all game and can be heard over the field mics. I pray to God that TBS, FOX or ESPN doesn't give the guy a second of camera time. How that guy hasn't had the shit kicked out of him multiple times escapes me. Robert Szasz. Red Sox author Bill Nowlin wrote a piece about him in the recent National Pasttime. Seems a nice enough guy, though the heckling would grate on me as a fan during a live game.

Closers as a whole are notoriously bad at holding runners. Remember Dave Roberts, or Jayson Werth running all over Billy Wagner last season? Phillies in first place again! Three up on a playoff spot with seven to go.

It's C.B. Bucknor. I think most fans would understand.

Actually got a Wii at the homestead. 1339 1787 6888 1134

They're right. It'll be better.

I missed that today was another Sabathia start. The Brewers are really floundering at this point, in danger of falling as much as three games out depending on tonight's games.

Regarding the NL, it the Mets, Phillies, Cubs and Dodgers make the playoffs, that is a pretty interesting four from a historical standpoint.

When it's both the Red Sox and the Yankees, there is a certain pleasure in seeing the underdog hand their collective asses to them. As for the organization, they acquired new ownership and management around 2005 which provided immediate improvement to their farm system, eventually paying off on the big league level. Next season will prove the big test, as they can begin to parlay their successful season into season ticket sales, a key factor in overall attendance. I liken the Rays to the early days of the Seattle Mariners. The Mariners in their early years were a shit team playing in a shit stadium in front of shit attendance. Things turned around when their farm produced Edgar Martinez, Tino Martinez, Ken Griffey Jr., Erik Hanson and Omar Vizquel. Now they are a perfectly legitimate franchise. Plus, if you watch this team, they are a pretty exciting bunch. Note: I did not include Jay Buhner and Randy Johnson as they were trade acquisitions, in case anyone wonders.

Often in historical discussions, a sportscaster might bring up a player such as Roberto Clemente or Sandy Koufax. They will cite the player's first few seasons, noting that while they were a superstar player, they struggled in their first few seasons in the majors. Koufax is a particularly good example. He reached the Majors at the age of 19, and in his first six seasons posted a rather pedestrian record of 36-40. This type of analysis misses a key point. Most comparable players were not in the majors at ALL at that age. A great deal of players were not yet even in professional ball. Koufax played early in the major leagues because he was a "bonus baby." A player who earned a large bonus as an amateur was required to spend two seasons on the major league roster. This rule was intended to prevent teams from hoarding top amateur talent. Clemente was actually a Rule V pick, again a player required to play in the minors at an early age. Often we tend to evaluate players by looking at career rate stats. Quirks in early or late career performance can skew these results however. I feel it is appropriate to focus on player's primes to get a fair evaluation of their true abilities. This is not the end-all of evaluation. Rather, it simply provides a second look at the great players, allowing us to avoid inaccurate ratings simply because of a fluke in the data set. Over the offseason, I plan to rate the top five in baseball history at each position. I plan to use statistics, era adjustments, non-MLB players (i.e. negro leaguers), and perhaps even raw skills. These ratings may come out differently than expected, but I hope to find it a worthwhile and enjoyable project.

Indeed. The Cubs right now are on pace to post their best record since 1945. Of course that was a War season, so this club is certainly better.