This Week In Baseball

[Bruiser Chong 0]

Dusty Baker must hate winning or something. These lineups he's been putting out lately are terrible. Granted, there's injuries, but having Gruz and Rey Ordonez in the one and two spot, respectively is death. I thought those spots were supposed to go to guys with respectable OBPs. Ordonez is not even close to batting .200. And true to 2004 form, Maddux gives up a first-inning homer. Sorry to be venting already, but things for Astros and Cubs fans have been pretty tough the last couple weeks.

[Guest FrigidSoul]

Am I the only one who gets annoyed when players throw the ball into the stands after the third out? I mean the fans get balls from batting practice and all the foul balls as well. The owners actually have to pay for all the baseballs and when you throw about $45 worth of baseballs in the stands on top of all the other ones it costs the owners quite a bit of money...money which could go towards better players.

 

That being said Jesus Damon is on one of his largest hot streaks ever as he wraps a homer around Pesky's Pole.

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

Bruiser..

 

if you think that's bad.. you should watch how Tony Pena manages the Royals.

 

Hint: Their leadoff hitter for 5 out of the last 6 games has been Desi Relaford. Who is hitting TWO-OH-TWO (34 for 171), 1 home runs, 10 RBI (and I've looked into this, he's the worst RBI man on the team too), His OPS is .541

 

And in their last 5 games (Sunday though tonight).. they have ONE FUCKING RUN

 

One run in 40 innings

 

At least Dusty Baker can get a team from 90 losses to the NLCS. Tony Pena couldn't do that.

[Guest Choken One]

I doubt the 45 dollars a night the owners are losing by thrown balls in the stands is keeping the owners away from the private Jets and stuff.

 

You want a electronic buzzer in the balls so the players dont toss it to the fans?

 

What you want them to do in KC? If they can't get a ball...what's the point of going?

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

"You wouldn't normally try to double steal with your best hitter at the plate, but after seeing Sweeney's first two swings the Royals knew they had to try something" - a supposed direct quote from the Royals Radio broadcast

 

Nothing like sending your catcher to steal home.

 

and the Royals haven't scored for 31 and 1/3rds innings.

[Guest FrigidSoul]

All of the Phillies fans chucked the finger at the third base ump at the same time. It was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

Let me see if I can explain this..

 

Angel Berroa steals second, goes beyond the bag, starts running towards third, and gets tagged out

 

Meanwhile, Rafael Palmeiro legged out an infield hit.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

This is the stuff I am sick of. Why would you tell teams that none of your top four prospects are available? What would it hurt to at least find out what you could get. Especially for Hamels, who I am really starting to worry about his arm. I am not saying trade Hamels for the typical stopgap reliever or anything, but at least listen. The Phillies always seem to do this, never trading prospects when their value is highest and end up having them fall back to Earth and become essentially worthless.

 

I feel the opposite. Why deal for a mediocre pitcher (ESPECIALLY guys like Lowe, Zito and Benson) who aren't pitching any better than the current five. You give up guys who will play cheap, and possibly better, for the next six or seven years. Make a panic move, and it can damage the future of the franchise. I'd rather the Phillies give Ryan Madson a shot at the rotation before they make a trade.

 

Am I the only one who gets annoyed when players throw the ball into the stands after the third out? I mean the fans get balls from batting practice and all the foul balls as well. The owners actually have to pay for all the baseballs and when you throw about $45 worth of baseballs in the stands on top of all the other ones it costs the owners quite a bit of money...money which could go towards better players.

 

$45 a game, times 81 home games, equals $3,645. Heck of a player you can get for that money. I can just imagine the press release.....

 

"Yes, we've stopped the practice of allowing our fans to take home foul balls, saving our team nearly $25,000 this season. While this may seem like an assholeish, cheapskate move, I believe our fans will appreciate the difference. The money we saved allowed us to upgrade our infield. Meet Mario Mendoza, Ozzie Guillen, and Ray Ordonez!"

 

As for the Phillies game, its a perfect example of how baseball games are closer than they appeal. If that Furcal home run is called foul, and Thome's foul floats about ten feet to the left, its a 5-3 Phillies lead.

 

And Furcal's up again. Thank goodness no one is on base this time.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

"You wouldn't normally try to double steal with your best hitter at the plate, but after seeing Sweeney's first two swings the Royals knew they had to try something" - a supposed direct quote from the Royals Radio broadcast

 

Nothing like sending your catcher to steal home.

 

and the Royals haven't scored for 31 and 1/3rds innings.

Us stathead types like to bitch about smallball, but surprisingly, studies suggest that stealing home is a good move, provided you have a 1 in 3 chance of pulling it off.

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

Mike Sweeney knocks in two runners and the Royals score their first runs since Sunday

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

"You wouldn't normally try to double steal with your best hitter at the plate, but after seeing Sweeney's first two swings the Royals knew they had to try something" - a supposed direct quote from the Royals Radio broadcast

 

Nothing like sending your catcher to steal home.

 

and the Royals haven't scored for 31 and 1/3rds innings.

Us stathead types like to bitch about smallball, but surprisingly, studies suggest that stealing home is a good move, provided you have a 1 in 3 chance of pulling it off.

Even with your best hitter up to bat?

[Guest FrigidSoul]

$45 a game, times 81 home games, equals $3,645. Heck of a player you can get for that money. I can just imagine the press release.....

 

"Yes, we've stopped the practice of allowing our fans to take home foul balls, saving our team nearly $25,000 this season."

Well I said nothing about making them give back foulballs. I guess I'm just cheap cause I have no money.

 

Arroyo is pitching beautifuly against Texas tonight and Kevin Millar looks like a damned Gold Glover. I'm not over exaggerating either, wait till you see the highlights.

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

Runners on first and third.

 

2-0 KC

 

1 out

 

And Damian Jackson is pinch-hitting for Matt Stairs

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

"You wouldn't normally try to double steal with your best hitter at the plate, but after seeing Sweeney's first two swings the Royals knew they had to try something" - a supposed direct quote from the Royals Radio broadcast

 

Nothing like sending your catcher to steal home.

 

and the Royals haven't scored for 31 and 1/3rds innings.

Us stathead types like to bitch about smallball, but surprisingly, studies suggest that stealing home is a good move, provided you have a 1 in 3 chance of pulling it off.

Even with your best hitter up to bat?

Sweeney's got a .324 OBP. So if your runner has a better than 32.4% chance of making the steal, then the steal gives you a better chance of scoring than just letting Sweeney hit. Since the smallball here directly results in a run scored, it becomes a viable strategy.

[Guest FrigidSoul]

Its now safe to say the Red Sox offense has finally arrived. If the Red Sox could even get Tony Armas Jr. and do that Ramiro Mendoza for Buddy Groom trade to help solidify the bullpen then they'll be all set.

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

Damian Jackson strikes out looking.

 

Sweeney's got a .324 OBP. So if your runner has a better than 32.4% chance of making the steal, then the steal gives you a better chance of scoring than just letting Sweeney hit

 

Buck's the catcher. And he has 18 stolen bases in 7 years. In the years that they have CS info, that shows that he's 3 for 7.

 

--

 

Also.. 2 runners score on a looper to Bigbie. 4-0 KC

[Guest FrigidSoul]

Before I forget it appears ownership gave Pedro permission to leave early for the Dominican Republic since he's not pitching again until after the All Star Break. Normally I'd be pissed but I realise its better to let Pedro go and get his extra rest and he's also most likely helping out with that whole flood thing he's been really active with.

 

They aren't letting Pedro be forgotten though. They have a 4 foot Pedro Martinez bobblehead statue in the dugout. The player interaction with it has been hilarious.

[KingPK 0]

And Damon adds another homer to his night.

 

 

But didn't he just shave about a month or so ago? I swear, the guy was clean-shaven for a DAY or so, and it already started growing back.

Edited July 10, 2004 by Kingpk

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

meanwhile.. Frank Thomas is now on the DL

[Bruiser Chong 0]

Maddux gives up another two homers. Glad to see all those millions over the next three years will be well spent.

 

And Frigid, I think the tossing the ball from the third out into the crowd is a great idea. Yeah, it costs some money, but you do realize how much an $8 baseball means to most fans? That's a great memory and almost ensures that the person who gets the ball will be up for attending more games in the future.

[Guest Choken One]

at this point all the rich atheletes from the Dom. Republican should just buy New Mexico and move all of their people there.

 

It's not like New Mexico is doing nething important.

[Bored 0]

I can't take much more of the A's road woes. Dotel blows another save as he's been doing his best Billy Koch impression since the trade. I just don't get at all why this team is a complete 180 from home to the road.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Tomas Perez drives in the winning run. What a great win, as we overcome a faulty home run call, come back from four down in the 8th, and win in the 10th.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

As bad as things are for the Cubs right now, at least I can rest easy knowing they did away with Alfonseca.

 

With that said, five runs in the last five games is unacceptable. Great pitching or not, this offense has been pathetic. Ramirez may be out, but I promise you his absence couldn't have completely eliminated the Cubs' offense. Having Rey Ordonez and an aging Mark Grudzielanek at the top, along with Sammy Sosa and Moises Alou being good for little offensively in the last several weeks, is the reason.

 

And because of an incident that took place in my house tonight as a result of the Cubs game, I think I'm going to take a bit of a break from them for a bit. They aren't worth it right now.

[Guest FrigidSoul]

I'd say the Cubs could still have Nomar for Clement but after seeing an interview with Curt Schilling who appears ready, willing, and able to recruit RJ...well I'd have to decline.

 

Basically in the interview Curt said the report about him and RJ not being friends is absolute crap and that they're closer to being family than just friends. He's talked to RJ 15 times in the past 4 weeks on just pitching. So it appears as though he'll still be headed to Houston but this time it will be with Theo in order to ask Arizona for permission to woo the Big Unit.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

I'm tired of losing teams ditching their players like this. Teams can make drastic turnarounds in a single season, and unless the trade pays immediate dividends, there's no reason to trade a player who's under contract for next season. What could Boston possibly offer Arizona to make them better? Ditto for New York.

[Guest Choken One]

Wouldn't it be wiser for Boston to get Clement? He's younger and is a good #3 starter...Getting another old guy doesn't make sense but we all know they want a title NOW....So i guess RJ does that.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

Considering the way Maddux has pitched, I'll cry if they trade Clement while they're still in the race, NL Central or Wild Card. MiB had a radical idea about keep Rusch in the rotation considering how well he's pitched, and moving Maddux to the pen. Considering how things have been going, why not give it a shot?

[Guest FrigidSoul]

Randy Johnson said he wants out of Arizona. Evidently the final straw was when he picked up his 4,000 strike-out and still lost the game 3-2.

 

Also, the Red Sox could offer Derek Lowe, Anastacio Martinez, and Abe Alvarez.

 

Derek Lowe is making $4.5mill this season and is a former 20 game winner. Over the past 3 seasons only one other major league pitcher(Roy Halladay I believe) has more wins than Derek. He's struggled this season but at times has shown signs of improvement. Arizona could go out and deal him for more prospects if they wanted to, sign him up long term(his price has dropped significantly as of late), or offer him arbitration and grab draft picks for him.

 

Anastacio Martinez has the stuff future closers are made of. Fastball in the high to mid 90s with movement and a nice breaking ball to compliment it. In 7 games at Triple-A this year he's 1-2 with a 3.74 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 33 2/3s IP

 

Abe Alvarez is a 21 year old lefty often compared to Tom Glavine. In Double-A this year he's 8-5 with a 3.65 ERA. 78Ks to 22BB in 91 1/3innings.

 

This deal would save Arizona about $20mill in the long run which could be used towards resigning both Derek Lowe and Richie Sexon.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

Picked this up on another forum, and despite being a Cubs fan, I thought it was pretty funny:

 

Chicago Cubs to St. Louis Cardinals Conversion Form

 

Thank you for your interest in becoming a member of the St. Louis Cardinals Fan Club. Due to an unprecedented volume of requests, we are currently processing only fan conversion registrations for Chicago Cub fans. Conversion requests from other teams will be accepted once all Cub requests are processed. We expect this to take a number of weeks based on the current backlog of requests.

 

Please take a few moments to fill out the conversion form below to help us get to know you better and prescribe any required counseling to recover from your previous fan experience.

 

Name: ______________________________

Last First MI

(Please Print)

Address: __________________________________________________ _______

# Street

 

__________________________________________________ ________

City State ZIP

 

1. Please indicate the last time you watched the Chicago Cubs win the World Series:

[ ] 1908 (Please leave this form at the front desk of your nursing home)

[ ] Have never witnessed this event

 

2. Please indicate your favorite moments in Cubs history: (Check all that apply)

 

[ ] Lou Brock traded to the Cardinals for Ernie Broglio in 1964

[ ] The College of Coaches in the early 60's

[ ] Lee Smith grooving a fastball to Steve Garvey in game 4 of the 1984 NLCS.

[ ] Brant Brown dropping a fly ball in 1998 which forced a 1 game playoff with the Giants.

[ ] Grounder goes between Leon Durham's legs during game 5 of 1984 NLCS

[ ] Fan interfering with Foul Ball during game 6 of 2003 NLCS.

[ ] Leo Durocher's AWOL visit to his sons Military School during 1969 pennant run.

[ ] A Black Cat running in front of Ron Santo during critical 1969 series in Shea Stadium.

[ ] Future Hall of Famer Greg Maddox not tendered offer and signs with Atlanta Braves.

[ ] Atlanta Braves featuring Greg Maddox sweep Cubs out of 1989 playoffs

[ ] Don Young dropping the fly ball in 1969

[ ] Mark Grace not tendered offer by Cubs, signs with Diamondback and wins World Series.

[ ] Manager Lee Elia's profanity filled tirade at beginning of 1983 season.

[ ] Sammy Sosa getting caught using a corked bat during 2003 season.

[ ] Cubs blow 8 game late August lead and finish 8 games behind 1969 Mets.

[ ] Cubs reliever Dickie Noles drinks full case of beer and attacks Cincinnati police after game.

 

3. Reasons you believe the Cubs have not won a World Series since 1908: (Check all that apply)

 

[ ] The curse of the goat

[ ] Lack of managing

[ ] The curse of the goat

[ ] Lack of pitching

[ ] The curse of the goat

[ ] Lack of hitting

[ ] The curse of the goat

[ ] Lack of Defense

[ ] The curse of the goat

[ ] Bad Calls by umpires

[ ] The curse of the goat

 

4. Have you experienced any of the following after another inevitable Cubs loss: (Check all that apply)

 

[ ] Headache [ ] Uncontrollable anger

[ ] Heartache [ ] Holes punched in doors or walls

[ ] Nausea [ ] Smashed TV Screens

[ ] Depression [ ] Avoided Cardinals and

White Sox Fans for days

 

5. Is October your least favorite time of year

[ ] Yes [ ] No

 

6. Are You tired of saying Wait til next year?

[ ] Yes [ ] No

 

7. Are you ready to admit that:

a. Stan Musial was better than Ernie Banks?

[ ] Yes [ ] No

b. Bob Gibson was better than Fergie Jenkins?

[ ] Yes [ ] No

c. Ozzie Smith was better than Ryne Sandberg?

[ ] Yes [ ] No

d. Mark McGwire was better than Sammy Sosa?

[ ] Yes [ ] No

e. Jack Buck was better than Harry Caray?

[ ] Yes [ ] No

f. Tony LaRussa is a managerial genius?

[ ] Yes [ ] No

g. The next Cub century will be no better than the last?

[ ] Yes [ ] No

h. The Ivy on the out field walls is ugly and stupid?

[ ] Yes [ ] No

 

Once you have completed this form, please forward to Busch Stadium. Then burn all of your remaining Cub clothing, memorabilia, and associated reminders. After reviewing your request, the Cardinals Fan Club will contact you with notification of acceptance or rejection.

 

If accepted, you will receive:

 

A recommended recuperation program which includes a recording of "Meet me in St Louis" over and over again;

An opportunity to obtain tickets to the 2004 World Series at Busch Stadium;

Posters of Lou Brock and Bruce Sutter in Cardinal uniforms;

A Dart board sporting the picture of Sammy Sosa;

A copy of our popular handbook, "Harassing Cub fans for fun and profit;"

A Coupon for a future poster of Mark Prior and Kerry Wood in Cardinals unforms; and

A one year subscription to a weekly support group for ex-Cub fans in your area.

 

If rejected, you will receive:

 

Our pity and condolences, plus a 10 second video capturing the past 100 years of Cub highlights in head-to-head competition against the Cardinals narrated by Larry Biitner.

 

I hereby renounce the Chicago Cubs for all eternity on this the ________ day of _____________________, 200____

 

 

___________________________________

(Signed)

__________________________________________________ __________

(OfficeUse only)

 

 

[ ] Approved

[ ] Declined

____________________

August A. Busch, IV