EVIL~! alkeiper

Hell no. I wouldn't take Lowe for the waiver price.

It's just one game. All teams look bad at some point during the season. For the lineup, I still have confidence in Byrd, although its wavering. I think Michaels/Ledee makes an adequate platoon, so that's not all bad. The rotation has Millwood, who should rebound. Wolf is good, and Milton keeps winning games. We could get Padilla back next month, and the Phillies can always move Ryan Madson into the rotation. The Phillies are struggling right now, but it happens. I would consider a trade, but I wouldn't mortgage the farm for it. There's honestly not much available that would help the Phillies.

Konerko and Thomas split the vote. Also, "not even close" isn't exactly a fair statement, especially to Thomas. In the stats that the average fan tends to look at (hits, home runs, rbis, BA) they're comprable. Alot of fans don't know or understand (or care) what an OPS is. Its not our fault that the average fan is ignorant. If this game counts, as MLB drills into us, than there is a responsibilty to choose the very best players. Choosing inferior players with something as important as Home Field Advantage on the line is a direct slap in the face to the chances of the American League Pennant winner. Just think, Hideki Matsui fails to drive in the winning run in a situation where Frank Thomas would have succeeded, and the Yankees are forced to play game seven on the road, where they lose. And as you're throwing stuff around, breaking objects in disgust, remember it was all because the common fan doesn't give a damn about OPS.

ABREU'S IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That crap is Doug Mirabelli, the Sox back-up catcher.

I missed the part of the article where Clemens says, "I want to wear a Yankees cap in the Hall." By the quote Clemens gives, it would appear a reporter asked him a question, and Clemens gave a polite response instead of saying "fuck off" to the Yankees.

Given Wrigley-Fenway, Wrigley-Comiskey, Wrigley-Camden Yards, you suggest the Metrodome for the AL's part of the World Series? Pshaw. I think he was thinking of the juxtaposition between good park and bad park. I see. Well that certainly would be the best and the worst. Good luck to the Twins in getting outta that thing, it's holding them down. Though that's to be expected in the HHH Metrodome. (ducks) The Twins won two World Series in that park, and the deafening noise the stadium creates is generally considered an advantage. The Twins are 8-0 in World Series games at the Metrodome.

With 36% of the vote, Earl Weaver wins the poll, and will manage the AL All-Star team in next week's simulation. Weaver was a forerunner of today's statheads who emphasize OBP and not-wasting outs over small ball. Weaver's strategies and techniques were detailed in Weaver's excellent book, Weaver On Strategy. If you can find a copy, read it, as its an excellent appraisel on why small ball doesn't pay off. Weaver's strategies worked well, as his Orioles averaged 94 wins a season during his tenure. Now let's hear from the man himself...... "A manager should stay as far away as possible from his players. I don't know if I said ten words to Frank Robinson while he played for me. " "A manager's job is simple. For one hundred sixty-two games you try not to screw up all that smart stuff your organization did last December." "Bad ballplayers make good managers, not the other way around. All I can do is help them be as good as they are." "Coaches are an integral part of any manager's team, especially if they are good pinochle players." "Don't worry, the fans don't start booing until July." "Economics played a role. Raleighs have gone from six fifty to nine dollars a carton, but there's a three-quarter cent coupon on the back. You can get all kinds of things with them, blenders, everything. I saved up enough one time and got Al Bumbry." "Every time I fail to smoke a cigarette between innings, the opposition will score." "I never got many questions about my managing. I tried to get twenty-five guys who didn't ask questions." "I think there should be bad blood between all clubs." "If you know how to cheat, start now." "No one's gonna give a damn in July if you lost a game in March." "The job of arguing with the umpire belongs to the manager, because it won't hurt the team if he gets thrown out of the game." "The key step for an infielder is the first one, to the left or right, but before the ball is hit." "The key to winning baseball games is pitching, fundamentals, and three run homers." "This ain't a football game, we do this every day." "We're so bad right now that for us back-to-back home runs means one today and another one tomorrow." "You can't sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You've got to throw the ball over the damn plate and five the other man his chance. That's why baseball is the greatest game of them all."

People deeply care more about MLB than any other sports. Its an long term emotional investment, deeper than any other sport.

I take Giambi. This is a low point for him. Harvey's about as good as he's going to get.

Anyone think that has anything to do with the delayed decision on the Expos' future? Is there any chance people are/would be reluctant to buy such a moribund franchise? Well, the farm system has been drained since the team first lost its owner. I don't think its a deal-breaker, because a good GM could re-stock the system within a few years.

Its raining again in Philly, while two hours North, its sunny here.

Given Wrigley-Fenway, Wrigley-Comiskey, Wrigley-Camden Yards, you suggest the Metrodome for the AL's part of the World Series? Pshaw. I think he was thinking of the juxtaposition between good park and bad park.

I think the Expos are worse. The Royals have Mark Teahan, Mike Wood, David DeJesus, Zach Greinke on the way up (and Greinke's already the best guy on the staff). The Expos farm system is absolutely barren.

Ponson is absolutely the unluckiest pitcher in the American League. His HR rate is decent, and his BB and K ratios are good. He's just allowing too many hits. He isn't allowing an abnormal amount of extra base hits, and considering nearly every other pitcher on the Orioles stinks, other factors could be to blame for Ponson's failures. Bartolo Colon, however, is for real. 26 home runs is a high number to give up in a full season. Colon has needed just 97.1 innings to log them. I wouldn't blame the weight however. That is just coincidence. Plenty of fat pitchers have succeeded, notably Mickey Lolich and David Wells.

Sorry, this is in reference to Major League Baseball. Not any other sport.

That's almost as good as Watergate Night. An indy team held a promotion where the PA Announcer spoke in a deep, monotone voice, and the stadium electronics mysteriously shut off for 18 1/2 minutes.

Brad Radke would be a worthy addition to the staff.

I considered adding him, but I was worried people wouldn't know who he was. Bucky Harris was completely forgotten in the AL (not that he was my choice).

Ugh, are they really? It's pretty sad when even teams with crappy records* can still consider themselves contenders for a playoff spot. The NL East is the worst. * No, I don't subscribe to the .500=Good theory. Right now the Cubs lead the Wild Card race, with a .554 Winning Percentage. That puts them on pace for 89 wins. That sounds reasonable for a playoff team. I think part of the problem is that the NL is so competitive that its hard for any team to pull away. Twelve out of the sixteen teams are currently above .500. Its not that the teams are especially mediocre, its just that the talent is so evenly distributed that teams drift towards .500.

They shouldn't. They're better than their record indicates, and they're only four games back in the Wild Card race.

Please. The Yankees are on pace to win 103 games.

Grow up. Seriously, your bitching is really growing tiresome. No team wins every single game, nor can they be expected to. TEAMS LOSE GAMES. Deal with it. Or at least stop complaining every damn time it happens.

Stop this nonsense. We have NO proof, or even a substantial allegation, that Mike Mussina took steroids. If his velocity is down, its more likely due to his age. Hell of a drop off that turning 35 is. Aging patterns in players are tricky. Most players decline after 32, the question is how fast? Look at Roberto Alomar. He completely fell off the table. Mussina's ratios are decent, but his hits allowed stat is terrible. That indicates alot may be due to bad luck.

Stop this nonsense. We have NO proof, or even a substantial allegation, that Mike Mussina took steroids. If his velocity is down, its more likely due to his age.