EVIL~! alkeiper

They're still three up. San Francisco needs to sweep to have any kind of chance. This is just one game.

And again. Is there ever a situation where we can less afford to give up a run? There's no reason not to use Billy Wagner here.

Pinch hitting for Mike Lieberthal might be a good idea if Tucker showed some kind of hitting ability.

At least Madson produced a decent outing. Hopefully he can regain his confidence in time for the Playoffs (knock on wood). Meanwhile, the Giants have saved their season for now with two runs on the Padres in the ninth.

Beltran really should be credited for an RBI. The run would've scored even if Utley threw him out at first. EDIT: He was.

Two notes about this. 1. While Urbina stunk, Chase Utley certainly did not help by making two errors on the same play. 2. GOD FORBID you use your best relief pitcher before the ninth inning. Never mind that the game will be decided with the opposing team's heart of the order up in the eighth inning.

Before I became a Phillies fan I had a full head of hair.

I didn't mean to imply that they are all bad pitchers. I just find it interesting that the Mets have now used four pitchers, ALL asian natives. That has got to be a first.

And today only, the New York Mets are proud to present a parade of crap from the Far East!

Considering he has taken every single change he's gotten lately to slam the team, the management, and the fans, that might be the best idea. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Indeed. The Marlins can let him go without repercussions, and some team will overpay.

The Marlins have essentially told AJ Burnett to fuck off, and that he will not be needed for his last start.

And for more fun, the Yankees are second in the league in OPS in September, and second in Close and Late situations. But of course they aren't CLUTCH because they don't get hits EVERY time they have baserunners.

I've (almost) never seen so much bitching about a team that has a 16-7 record in September. It wasn't this bad when they stunk.

The Yankees are fifth in batting average, second in OBP, and third in OPS in the American League with Runners in scoring position.

The HORRORS!

The main problem is that the White Sox simply failed to develop really noteable teams or players. After the Black Sox, it took the Go-Go Sox in '57 to even finish SECOND. Flat out, they haven't really given their fans a team to get excited about. They did outdraw the Cubs in several eras, so it is not a historic discrepancy. You can say they failed. Failure is a part of baseball. Another part of baseball is redemption. First off, people did care about the teams back then. The Angels of '79 and '82 had HOFers Nolan Ryan, Rod Carew, Reggie Jackson, and other stars. The Brewers of '82 featured Paul Molitor, Robin Yount, Don Sutton and Rollie Fingers. I don't think the big market/small market situation was as notable as it is now. Getting back to the subject, 2002 was the Angels' chance to redeem themselves for choking in '95 and '86, and falling an inch short in 1982. It's part of what makes baseball a beautiful sport.

In fairness, the Padres have gotten only 99 games from Mark Loretta, 93 games from Ramon Hernandez, 115 from Khalil Greene, and 115 from Dave Roberts. Injuries have hurt the offense. However, the home park disguises the fact that outside Jake Peavy, their pitching staff could very well be the worst in the National League. Three of their five are above 5 in ERA.

It's the other way around. Football's bigger in the South because the warm weather lasts longer, and that cuts into baseball's popularity.

To address the Angels/Twins series from 2002, it was obvious the people broadcasting the game didn't give a damn, and their ratings reflected that. The last half-inning was almost wiped out by an eight-minute commercial break (and believe me, that was INFURIATING). Fox never bothered to explain the Angels' failures of 1979, 1982, 1986 and 1995 to the fans, which would have put the win in perspective for fans unfamiliar with their history.

Yes actually. You can overrun first base, but if you motion towards second, you are an active baserunner. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I know al, what I meant is has anybody ever seen it happen before in a game? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> One time several years ago. Willie McGee was in his final stint with the Cardinals, and beat out an infield hit. The opposing team protested, saying McGee had turned towards second after the play. Replays should McGee did, but the umps called him safe. It was a quick, barely discernable turn, but according to the rules McGee committed.

Even if the Padres win one of four, they would have a two game lead with three to play.

Yes actually. You can overrun first base, but if you motion towards second, you are an active baserunner.

I would note that the Cleveland Indians would almost certainly have drawn more than 4 million somewhere in the late '90s if Jacobs Field held that many.

Now if only you could grasp grammar and the english language.