EVIL~! alkeiper

We don't close threads at the end of the week. If there's a good discussion, continue it. But if an entirely new topic comes up, new thread.

If Cox retired today, I'd put him in the Hall. There's never been a sustained run in baseball history the likes of which the Atlanta Braves have put together. Its not easy to maintain control of a team for a long period of time, but Cox has done it. Phillies pull out the win, 4-3 in 10 innings. Quite a nailbiter as the Braves loaded the bases with one out, but Wagner got the save.

Thankfully, the Braves are struggling in the 10th inning. A passed ball lets Rollins advance to second, and Eddie Perez's error makes it first and third with none out, and Abreu coming to bat.

Here's the difference between a great manager and a so-so one. Bobby Cox realizes this series is big, and used John Smoltz for two key innings last night, and one inning tonight. He used Smoltz in a tie game tonight. Billy Wagner has yet to pitch, and Tim Worrell is in with the game tied in the 9th.

After some time to think about the OaO threads. We'll keep them around for the NHL and overseas sports and the like. They will not be labeled OaO threads, however, and posters are welcome to post outside of those threads if they feel the subject deserves its own thread. For the NBA, I'd prefer to see new threads started for major trades. There's no reason the Shaq trade should be shoehorned in along with everything else. How does the trade affect the Lakers? The Heat? What is Shaq's future career path? There's more than enough there to support a single thread. And Max Power, looking at the board Alf has started three threads over the last ten days, only one of which concerned basketball transactions.

Retrosheet is absolutely fantastic. A real blast for baseball fans.

I am looking to create a good listing of reference sites. Throw in your ideas, and if they make the grade, I'll add them to this post. Baseball-Reference.com INCREDIBLY useful site for looking up historical baseball statistics. Player stats, team stats, managerial stats, award listings, even a tool that lets you compare players side by side. A site every baseball fan should use. The Baseball Cube A good site for looking up the minor league stats of a current player. Internet Boxing Records Archive A useful site for referencing past and current boxing fights and career Win/Loss records.

I remember Rafael Furcal doing the same thing a while back. Bunts the ball hard, the third baseman is playing close. The ball goes over his head, and with Furcal's speed, he made it to second before anyone could make the play.

Anyone else tired of the puns they seemingly have to come up with for every baseball score on their site?

Currently, the last topic on page was last replied to four days ago. I don't think that is a significant problem. If you do think so, we might start a thread called "Minor transactions" or some sort. I'm not making them go. It is its own idea, to run concurrent with the message board. Frankly, I think some of our members might enjoy a live chat. Its just an experiment, and its not going to replace anything.

That was meant about one poster in particular. Not to the board as a whole. Pssst. It means I'm not allowed to think the Yankees have any serious flaws. It is not that. The problem was posts like this..... The gap between good and bad teams is not as large as you might think. And going completely off the handle for a single loss is quite irksome. Even the best players only get on base 40% of the time, and sometimes it just happens that none of them succeed. Other days many of them succeed. That's just how it is.

I would. A team that should have been one of the top two or three teams in the NL all year long sneaking in as a wild card should be viewed as disappointing. I say given the last two World Series, the Cubs would be just as happy to get into the Wild Card. Somehow I doubt they'd be just as happy. Why not? Ultimately, all it means is that they lose one game of home field for the NLDS and NLCS, and that's only if the series goes the distance.

That was meant about one poster in particular. Not to the board as a whole.

Its hard to evaluate the National League. Is it a bunch of mediocre teams, or just that the teams are so close in terms of talent? Except for the Cardinals, no team has broken away from the pack. Eleven teams, from the Dodgers to Pirates, stand within 10 games of each other. Only the D'backs, Rockies, and Expos have been incredibly bad. In interleague play, the AL won 126 games, and the NL won 125. So it is not that the National League is bad in quality as a whole. So I am inclined to believe the latter statement. The teams in the National League are so closely grouped in terms of talent that they drag everyone's W/L record towards .500.

My favorite, "they need to manufacture runs."

Fair enough. I'm going to try the chats at some points for major events, because I think they have some merit. But we'll stick with the This Week In _____ format. But they will NOT be One and Only threads. If you have substantial thoughts about something, by all means start a new topic.

That is the spur of James' argument. Gaylord Perry, Steve Carlton, Bert Blyleven, Nolan Ryan, Ferguson Jenkins, Wilbur Wood, Jim Palmer, and Catfish Hunter pitched huge numbers of innings, and kept their arms intact. Pitchers from the dead-ball era aren't a good reference because pitching was easier then. Pitchers threw the spitball, and the ball was impossible to get out of the infield. One factor that is never mentioned in the drop of complete games is the pinch hitter. In a close game, the manager would never let his pitcher hit in the 8th or 9th inning, because his team needs the offense. Relief pitching has also made the bullpen move desireable. A fresh reliever is simply a better option, and so there's no need to keep your starters in. Its actually four games rest most of the time, and sometimes five days, depending on whether there is an off day in the schedule. We will never see the era of Mathewson, Johnson, and Young again. Nor should pitchers start throwing 140+ pitches just because there is a flaw in using pitch counts. But it is worth considering that it might not be horrible to use a perfectly healthy pitcher. But even then you might not see it often, because as I stated before, a fresh reliever is generally more effective.

That's always a possibility. The chats are simply an experiment, and if they don't work out, that's the end of it. In the meantime, I think we'll keep game chatter threads, labeling them as such.

I should add that too often, OaO threads become a dumping ground for talk like "Player A hits a home run, fumbles, etc.", that add little, do not spur discussion, and generally waste space. I am not criticizing anyone, it is just that is the kind of discussion you get from OaO threads.

The chatroom is an experiment. And I don't see why the OaO discussion wouldn't carry over to individual threads. Derek Fisher signs with the Warriors? Write a paragraph about Fisher and his new team, their chances and so on, and start a new topic.

For the past few years, Baseball Prospectus and various writers have trumpeted the idea of limiting pitch counts as a way of preventing pitcher injuries. Certainly, injuries to Kerry Wood, A.J. Burnett and others have lend credence to this theory, and the idea of letting a pitcher go past 120 pitches is considered insane. However, noted baseball writer Bill James has called the theory into question, and that some pitchers like Livan Hernandez can lead the league in Pitcher Abuse Points and pitch effectively, without injuries, year after year would indicate maybe there are some flaws in the system. James states that limiting pitches for pitchers under 25 is a good idea, but that for mature pitchers, there is no relation between pitch counts and injuries. Not to say a pitcher can throw an infinate amount of pitches, but James argues that a pitcher's endurance level can be trained, much like a distance runner. So what do you guys think? Are pitch counts a useful tool, or are we barking up the wrong tree?

The problem is that people are intimidated by the sheer size of the threads. Any good discussion about one thread is lost the moment the next piece of news comes along.

Good evening everyone. Kingpk has been promoted to a global mod, and I have been asked to fill his position as moderator here at the sports forum. First off, I have some ground rules I would like to lay down..... 1. One and Only threads are hereby abolished. I feel if a topic is important enough to generate discussion it should have its own thread. And you should be able to come up with a paragraph to describe your thoughts. If it is a minor trade of which you have no substantial thoughts, don't bother posting it. 2. In place of the OaO threads, I am going to experiment with AIM chats, similar to the one employed on the TSM main page. These chats will serve as places to discuss game chatter, and whatever else is on your minds. They might provide a good outlet for your various thoughts, and save resources on the message board. 3. Posts of a certain type bitching about a certain team will no longer be tolerated. These posts will be summarily edited. If you have something to say about your team, say something constructive, meaningful, and that encourages subsequent discussion. This is not your personal venting stage. That's about the gist of it. We are here to engage in friendly discussion and debate. I hope I can create a condusive environment to both.

I think it is more a matter of the Cardinals being that good. They're about 7 games above the entire league at this point.

... The Mariners suck. Bronson Arroyo isn't exactly Nolan Ryan though. I still believe he'll end up being a good number #3 in the future for the Red Sox rotation. Nice fastball that tops out at 91-92 and a great slider. Yeah. Arroyo has better control.