This Week in Baseball

[fairtoflair7 0]

They were bad. Really bad. We got the game because of the Sox/Cubs rain delay, and my goodness MLB has some serious problems with their umpires this year.

 

Well, I'll admit, Chuck Merryweather was not too consistent. Very bad strike zone today not calling many for the pitchers...it was a big call and the Mets just got it

[fairtoflair7 0]

They mentioned something about his arm bothering him or something and that he couldn't get loose.

 

He was warming up but I think they didn't put him in b/c the pitcher was up next inning for the Yanks and Torre would pitch hit for him therefore, using him for only 2 outs. He was also overworked I think.

[ISportsFan 0]

Strike zones this year have been all over the place. There was a game last week with the Cubs and Astros, I believe (I can't remember since I don't really care about either team), where the strike zone was way high most of the night. It's been that way in numerous White Sox games this year too (and I watch probably 80% of them). It's getting out of hand I think.

 

The problem is, how do you correct it? It's really tough, I would assume, since human judgment is part of the game. But, it's seemingly getting worse, so I don't know what I would do, or what baseball should do.

 

Jason

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Javier Vazquez, New York

Roy Halladay, Toronto

Mariano Rivera, New York

Joe Nathan, Minnesota

Eddie Guardado, Seattle

Gordon over Vazquez, if you have to pick one.

I don't think middle relievers belong unless they've been extremely dominant, over a long period of time. Gordon's a good pitcher, but I'd rather take Vazquez.

[Guest Anglesault]

Javier Vazquez, New York

Roy Halladay, Toronto

Mariano Rivera, New York

Joe Nathan, Minnesota

Eddie Guardado, Seattle

Gordon over Vazquez, if you have to pick one.

I don't think middle relievers belong unless they've been extremely dominant, over a long period of time. Gordon's a good pitcher, but I'd rather take Vazquez.

Gordon has (with very little question) been the MVP of the Yankees for 2004, and according to some statistical thing (which I'm looking for right now) was actually found to be the best reliever in the AL.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Gordon has (with very little question) been the MVP of the Yankees for 2004, and according to some statistical thing (which I'm looking for right now) was actually found to be the best reliever in the AL.

 

Baseball Prospectus's Adjusted Runs Prevented rates Gordon as the best reliever in all of baseball this year. I don't know whether that changes my mind, but it certainly strengthens his case.

 

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/statisti...84a1af9e6d024c8

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

Batting leadoff for the Royals tonight, Jose Bautista (who now has 13 Ks in 26 AB)

 

I hate you Tony Pena

[Guest Anglesault]

Gordon has (with very little question) been the MVP of the Yankees for 2004, and according to some statistical thing (which I'm looking for right now) was actually found to be the best reliever in the AL.

 

Baseball Prospectus's Adjusted Runs Prevented rates Gordon as the best reliever in all of baseball this year.

I had just found it and was about to post it.

 

I think he has a pretty damn strong case, and with Torre as manager, I think he's almost a lock.

 

I don't think too many people would argue.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Batting leadoff for the Royals tonight, Jose Bautista (who now has 13 Ks in 26 AB)

 

I hate you Tony Pena

Does he really have a better option. Bautista (in limited action) has a .333 OBP. Only Kelly Stinnett (out for the year), Ken Harvey (cleanup hitter), Alberto Castillo (in 18 at bats), Carlos Beltran (traded), Joe Randa (injured), and Tony Graffanino have higher OBPs this season.

[Guest Anglesault]

Batting leadoff for the Royals tonight, Jose Bautista (who now has 13 Ks in 26 AB)

 

I hate you Tony Pena

Does he really have a better option. Bautista (in limited action) has a .333 OBP. Only Kelly Stinnett (out for the year), Ken Harvey (cleanup hitter), Alberto Castillo (in 18 at bats), Carlos Beltran (traded), Joe Randa (injured), and Tony Graffanino have higher OBPs this season.

I guess at this point, you start throwing shit at the wall and see what works.

 

This guy, OBP aside, is clearly in a funk of some degree, and I wouldn't want to start the game with a 50 % chance of striking out.

 

Pick the next best option and give him a go.

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

Batting leadoff for the Royals tonight, Jose Bautista (who now has 13 Ks in 26 AB)

 

I hate you Tony Pena

Does he really have a better option. Bautista (in limited action) has a .333 OBP. Only Kelly Stinnett (out for the year), Ken Harvey (cleanup hitter), Alberto Castillo (in 18 at bats), Carlos Beltran (traded), Joe Randa (injured), and Tony Graffanino have higher OBPs this season.

How about Tony Graffanino?

 

I mean, he was only the leadoff hitter for most of this year.

 

(DeJesus is out due to a bruised hand though)

 

AVG/OBP/SLG means nothing though so few at-bats. Especially with Bautista, a Rule V guy who should be in the minors.

 

And, of course, the Royals are being no-hit by Adam Eaton though 6.

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

ooh, they just messed around with the defense (Robinson in, Klesko out)

 

Eaton's doomed

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

No-Hitter though 7.

 

But, I said doomed since it's against most rules to mess around with the defense in the middle of a no-hitter.

 

The Royals should go for a bunt

[Bored 0]

I think he has a pretty damn strong case, and with Torre as manager, I think he's almost a lock.

As of last year the All-Star manager doesn't pick the reserves on his own. Was able to dig up the rule changes as they were put in last year:

 

All-Star rosters will be expanded from 30 to 32 players (including a

mandatory 11 pitchers) for each league, not only allowing greater team

representation but also giving managers more pitching depth to

minimize the chance of an extra-inning tie like the one last summer in

Milwaukee. Online balloting, which soared from 2 million votes in 2001

to 3 million last year, began Thursday exclusively at MLB.com and its

30 club sites. Fans again will be able to register once and then have

up to 25 chances to vote for eight starters in each league, plus the

designated hitter in the American League. Traditional ballots are also

available in each stadium.

 

• A separate ballot for managers, coaches, and players -- called the

Player Ballot -- will be conducted by MLB during the final week of fan

voting to select an additional nine position players in the AL and

eight in the NL and eight pitchers in each league (five starters and

three relief pitchers). If a player selected in the Player Ballot is

named by the fans, the second place finisher at that position in the

Player Ballot will be named to the All-Star team.

 

• The managers in consultation with the Commissioner's Office will

select the final six AL spots (four pitchers and two position players)

and eight NL spots (four pitchers and four position players). In the

event there is no designated hitter, as will be the case in Houston in

2004, the fans will elect the starting eight position players in the

AL, the Player Ballot will select eight AL position players instead of

nine, and the Commissioner's Office will select the final eight

players (four position players and four pitchers). In 2004, the NL

selection process will remain the same as in 2003.

 

• Eight positional "backups" and seven pitchers for each roster then

will be selected by a panel including managers and players. Eight more

reserves, either position players or pitchers, will be added by Major

League Baseball to bring rosters to 31. As always, all 30 MLB teams

will have at least one representative. No pitcher will be allowed to

go more than three innings and every starting position player must

make at least one plate appearance.

 

• The eTopps All-Star Final Vote will allow fans to vote online

exclusively at MLB.com, its club sites and ESPN.com for the 32nd man

on each roster.

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

Dee Brown breaks up the no-hitter (and he hit it to Kerry Robinson, the defensive replacement in left)

 

That might make up for him fucking up a simple fielding play

 

And Eaton throws a wild pitch to Mateo which hits the umpire

[Guest FrigidSoul]

If I was a pitcher and the ump was screwing me I'd make sure me and my catcher had a signal for "Hit ump in the facemask". A fastball would be fucked up, but hitting him with an 83mph change-up or something works. That would learn him.

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

well, it wasn't intentional. It was a screwed up slider.

 

Meanwhile in San Diego. Mateo with a double to score Brown. Relaford walks. Mateo scores on a groundout. Graffanino hits a home run.

 

And then the go-ahead run scores after the throw from Matt Stairs hits Ken Harvey in the back (as he was watching the play at the plate)

 

I'm not kidding.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

If I was a pitcher and the ump was screwing me I'd make sure me and my catcher had a signal for "Hit ump in the facemask". A fastball would be fucked up, but hitting him with an 83mph change-up or something works. That would learn him.

That or QuisTec. But you don't seem to like that idea.

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

Here's the Ken Harvey Chronicles

 

June vs. Arizona: Knocked out of a game after colliding with the tarp (He was going for a popup, he went over the tarp and fell between the tarp and the wall)

 

June vs. Saint Louis: Knocked off of his feet by JD Drew by accident

 

May vs. Boston: Hit in the face by Jason Grimsley's hand as Grimsley was trying to throw to first.

 

July vs. San Diego: Hit in the back by Matt Stairs' throw to the plate, as Harvey is in a seated position looking towards the plate.

 

And he's still a better fielder than Sweeney

[The Czech Republic 0]

If I was a pitcher and the ump was screwing me I'd make sure me and my catcher had a signal for "Hit ump in the facemask". A fastball would be fucked up, but hitting him with an 83mph change-up or something works. That would learn him.

In a Cubs-Astros game, I think it was Rusch that beaned the ump twice. One wasn't so much hitting him as it bounced off the hitter's bat and back into the ump's shoulder.

[Precious Roy 0]

I think the worst strike call I've seen this year was the final pitch from Gagne in the Yankees series, I think it was Matsui batting. The damn ball was 6 inches outside, Matsui takes the pitch and gets called out looking

[The Czech Republic 0]

Ump wanted to go home.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

I think the worst strike call I've seen this year was the final pitch from Gagne in the Yankees series, I think it was Matsui batting. The damn ball was 6 inches outside, Matsui takes the pitch and gets called out looking

 

The worst strike call this year?! Hardly. Find the photo of that call. K Zone is clearly not drawn to the edge of the plate. The ball is only 1-2 inches off the plate.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

Roy, please shut the hell up. You're about two weeks late with all the bitching about that strike. Your boy Anglesault already drove the call into the ground enough.

[Guest Anglesault]

The ball is only 1-2 inches off the plate.

Which makes it a....

 

Come on al, you can say it.

 

 

In other news, Franco admitted it (strike three) wasn't a strike.

Edited July 4, 2004 by Anglesault

[sfaJack 0]

Astros are wearing those sweet orange crush rainbow jerseys today. They need to bring those things back full-time.

[Guest FrigidSoul]

I hate Derek Lowe

 

Edit: To add to this post Theo REALLY needs to go out and get some pitching. How the Braves are able to put up a 9 run inning is beyond me. No Marcus Giles, Chipper Jones has struggled all season, Andrew Jones strikes out if you pitch him away, etc.

 

Red Sox should bring Russ Ortiz home with them.

Edited July 4, 2004 by FrigidSoul

[Bruiser Chong 0]

And the wheels have completely fallen off for the Red Sox, as the Braves put nine across, breaking the game open. I've never been a huge Braves fan, but seeing this is fun for some reason. Maybe it's because they're no longer the dominant team they once were and Sox fans have been more annoying than Yanks fans lately.

[Guest FrigidSoul]

*kicks Bruiser in the nuts*

 

Don't you ever say that.

 

Seriously though. The team puts runs up on the board, but we have Schilling and sometimes Pedro. Lowe has been crap, Wakefield has been inconsistent, and Arroyo is still a year away from being rotation material. With Frisbee Kim nowhere to be seen picking up a Russ Ortiz or if the Diamondbacks were ever willing to, Randy Johnson(I'm sure he'd be willing to wave his no trade clause to play with Schilling again) would put this team back into it.

 

Theo needs to get something done soon though.

[Cartman 0]

Actually Randy and Curt don't like each other much. Not to mention Johnson would only go to LA or Anaheim if he were to go anywhere at all. His home is where he wants to be. He already has a ring what more does he really need?