EVIL~! alkeiper

I think we can start this thread since tonight's game involves no playoff contenders. National TV Schedule WEDNESDAY Chicago Cubs @ NY Mets, ESPN, 7pm SATURDAY Chicago Cubs @ Milwaukee, Fox, 1pm NY Yankees @ Boston, Fox, 7pm You wonder why networks don't manage to get more baseball on the last week of the season. I believe TBS holds the rights to any potential tiebreakers. The White Sox visit the Minnesota Twins for a key series Tuesday through Thursday. The White Sox hold a 2.5 game lead. If the White Sox end the season with a half game margin either way, they will need to make up the final game against the Detroit Tigers on Monday. That could cause a messy tiebreaker scenario with the Twins, depending on the outcome. I do not believe there has been a divisional tiebreaker game since 1980. Edit: I'm mistaken. The Mariners and Angels played a tiebreak game in 1995.

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.

Despite leading the NL East by half a game, CoolStandings actually sees the Phillies as slightly more likely to reach the playoffs. I disagree with that. Twins and Brewers both trailing. After Thursday's comeback win, the Twins sure showed the value of momentum. Why do we give sportscasters the light of day when they ramble on about that? The Brewers are just listless at this point.

I'll second the recommendation on Von Erich/Race. Nice brawl, sad to see what Kerry was at his best in 1982 compared to what he eventually became. Orton's heel turn there is one of the overlooked great ones. The crowd cheers his arrival, and nearly turns dead silent when he lays into Flair before booing.

They're all one week. Quick turnaround, but on the plus side you get 40 of them in total, an insane amount.

Some days you need to avoid watching to preserve your sanity, and I think this is one of them.

Florida Marlins. The Carolina club is looking at either the Reds (likely) or Giants.

Speaking of the Cal League, when I picked the Mariners' top prospect I failed to notice that Carlos Triunfel played in High Desert all season. Phillipe Aumont gets the nod.

There are some big shakeups in the minor league affiliations. Here's a brief rundown. -The Indians' AAA club has moved to Columbus, while the Mets are set to pick up Buffalo. The Dodgers are heading back to Albuquerque, while the Florida Marlins head to New Orleans. The Blue Jays and Nationals are left to pick out from Syracuse and Las Vegas. -The Dodgers moved their AA club to Chattanooga. -The Red Sox are moving their High A club to Salem in the Carolina League. I think this one is important as it takes their prospects away from the EXTREME hitting environment in Lancaster, CA.

I bet Tazz appears on these often since he lives closer to Stamford than the rest of the panel.

Obviously you frequent BTF. Have you caught my new username? I'm damn proud of it myself.

Dan Wheeler blew the save against the Twins. The upside though is that Evan Longoria will have a crack at home run #4.