MLB: Week 1 (4/2-4/9)

[naiwf 0]

Which is absurd, what with it being April 9th and all.

 

Yes, but last year's 11-19 start was unacceptable, this year's team should have known better than to get off to another lackluster start, the Yankess (sic) and their fans deserve more, blah blah blah, 27th championship is the only thing we desire blah blah blah.

[The Czech Republic 0]

It's funny, because you guys all went to such great lengths to get rid of Anglesault, but in his place there are like three or four mini-Saults

[Bored 0]

On cubs.com and 720 pre/postgame stuff, I cannot escape the "we've got a smallball team! We rely on speed and fundamentals! Smallballsmallballsmallball!"

Don't you mean SMARTBALL~!? This is going on everywhere, it's the new sexy because of the White Sox and because steroids are no longer being used by anyone (hehe) that homeruns are suddenly going to stop being hit so everyone has to resort to manufacturing runs. Actually I flipped on the Padres/Rockies game very briefly and the Rockies announcer essentially said the above about homeruns, this coming after an 11 run first inning. I felt my brain leak out of my ear a little after this.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Winning that Cy Young was the worst thing for Zito's career. He went 23-5 that year and was a robust 39-36 in the 3 years that followed. Either Barry forgot how to pitch, or the league just caught up to his curveball. It's hard to believe a guy who isn't even 28 looks washed up already. He kind of reminds me of Steve Avery after '93 when he went 18-6 and then never won more than 10 games again.

Don't judge Zito based on his early season performances. Over his career he's got a 5.05 ERA in April, and 3.27 the rest of the way. He's a slow starter.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

On cubs.com and 720 pre/postgame stuff, I cannot escape the "we've got a smallball team! We rely on speed and fundamentals! Smallballsmallballsmallball!"

Don't you mean SMARTBALL~!? This is going on everywhere, it's the new sexy because of the White Sox and because steroids are no longer being used by anyone (hehe) that homeruns are suddenly going to stop being hit so everyone has to resort to manufacturing runs. Actually I flipped on the Padres/Rockies game very briefly and the Rockies announcer essentially said the above about homeruns, this coming after an 11 run first inning. I felt my brain leak out of my ear a little after this.

 

No "smallball" is a term that's been around for years. It means a general game strategy of not relying on home runs and slugging. "Smallball" would include things like the bunt & run, sacrifice flies and grounders, base stealing, etc. Instead of hammering base runners in with power, you're using speed and contact hitting to move the base runners, if that makes sense.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

The Os need to institute a new policy whereas they wont sell tickets to anyone living in NY or Boston. Id rather see them play in an empty stadium than to see them play games where the fans are turning the whole series into a road series..

 

Something makes me think that management won't want 19 of their 81 home dates playing in front of an empty stadium when out of towners all but guarantee sell outs. Baltimore is a nice town and you guys have a well above average stadium, so take it as a compliment that so many people are willing to travel.

 

Miller Park has the same problem when the Cubs and Cards come to town, since both teams have huge regional fan bases, and a lot of fans make the (relatively) short trip to Milwaukee to cheer their teams. Yeah, it might suck that 50% of the crowd is made up of fans cheering the away team, but if their money helps to sign a key player to an extension or acquire a free agent, I couldn't care less.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

On cubs.com and 720 pre/postgame stuff, I cannot escape the "we've got a smallball team! We rely on speed and fundamentals! Smallballsmallballsmallball!"

Don't you mean SMARTBALL~!? This is going on everywhere, it's the new sexy because of the White Sox and because steroids are no longer being used by anyone (hehe) that homeruns are suddenly going to stop being hit so everyone has to resort to manufacturing runs. Actually I flipped on the Padres/Rockies game very briefly and the Rockies announcer essentially said the above about homeruns, this coming after an 11 run first inning. I felt my brain leak out of my ear a little after this.

 

No "smallball" is a term that's been around for years. It means a general game strategy of not relying on home runs and slugging. "Smallball" would include things like the bunt & run, sacrifice flies and grounders, base stealing, etc. Instead of hammering base runners in with power, you're using speed and contact hitting to move the base runners, if that makes sense.

...

 

Uh, yeah, that's what he's talking about. He said "smartball," because that's what that genius Ozzie Guillen calls it.

 

We know there's more than one way to win a baseball game. I don't see why so many suddenly think every team in the bigs should be laying down bunts, stealing bases, and all that. Some teams just aren't built like that. It's foolish to try and force your team to be something they aren't. I complain that the Cubs are too impatient and don't score enough with RISP and less than two outs. But that doesn't mean I want to see Aramis Ramirez laying down a bunt to get Derrek Lee over to third. Square peg, round hole and all that.

[Failed Bridge 0]

time to start the trip to Camden. I'll have a report on it when I get home.

[mike546 0]

A good sign for the Yankees is that they've basically been in every game. If they had hit AT ALL latey they'd have won atleast two of the last four games. Last year when they started 11-19 their pitching was down right horrific with terrible fielding and just terrible mistakes. Take away that one error by Cano against Oakland and the pitching and fielding has been pretty good. Once they start hitting everything will be fine.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

On cubs.com and 720 pre/postgame stuff, I cannot escape the "we've got a smallball team! We rely on speed and fundamentals! Smallballsmallballsmallball!"

Don't you mean SMARTBALL~!? This is going on everywhere, it's the new sexy because of the White Sox and because steroids are no longer being used by anyone (hehe) that homeruns are suddenly going to stop being hit so everyone has to resort to manufacturing runs. Actually I flipped on the Padres/Rockies game very briefly and the Rockies announcer essentially said the above about homeruns, this coming after an 11 run first inning. I felt my brain leak out of my ear a little after this.

 

No "smallball" is a term that's been around for years. It means a general game strategy of not relying on home runs and slugging. "Smallball" would include things like the bunt & run, sacrifice flies and grounders, base stealing, etc. Instead of hammering base runners in with power, you're using speed and contact hitting to move the base runners, if that makes sense.

...

 

Uh, yeah, that's what he's talking about. He said "smartball," because that's what that genius Ozzie Guillen calls it.

 

We know there's more than one way to win a baseball game. I don't see why so many suddenly think every team in the bigs should be laying down bunts, stealing bases, and all that. Some teams just aren't built like that. It's foolish to try and force your team to be something they aren't. I complain that the Cubs are too impatient and don't score enough with RISP and less than two outs. But that doesn't mean I want to see Aramis Ramirez laying down a bunt to get Derrek Lee over to third. Square peg, round hole and all that.

 

OK, I didn't realize that was Ozzie's term for it.

 

I think one thing as a fan I get frustrated with...is in a situation where the team needs a run and there's a runner on third with less than two outs...even if the player is a Derrek Lee or Aramis Ramirez, they don't have to be a hero and swing for the fences. Just put the ball in play and get that guy home. Converting RISP to actual runs is what separates winners from losers, obviously.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

A whole lot of good smallball is doing for the White Sox right now.

[The Czech Republic 0]

Question for Fridge, or Cartman, or one of the other 250 New Englanders here: did NESN do any sort of World Champions graphics throughout every broadcast? Caught a little bit of a White Sox game yesterday and they've got World Series trophies all over the place for the player graphics and scores. I don't know if this is temporary, or all season, or what. Maybe they're afraid people will have forgotten? Or that nobody saw them win in the first place?

[Bruiser Chong 0]

No, it wasn't that way last season.

 

And in a brilliant move, the Marlins opt not to walk Wright in the bottom of the ninth of a tied game with runners at the corners and no outs. Needless to say, the Mets won.

[Mik 0]

Girardi made two dumb decisions today. The first was to take Cabrera out for a pinch runner in the 8th in a tie game. That one didn't come back to bite him but the 2nd one did.

 

Dontrelle is looking at a season line something like this: 7-3, 200 IP, 2.40 ERA.

[Guest Smues]

FUCK Chipper just hurt his knee.

[bob_barron 0]

Yes, way to go AT&T Park for having horrible playing conditions!

[Bruiser Chong 0]

A's almost show why the defensive indifference can bite you in the ass. Two of those, some walks, and a stupid error by Huston Street made what should've been an easy 9th in a 6-1 game, a nailbiter 6-4 contest with the Mariners having the tying run at second.

[Guest Smues]

And Reitsma gives up of leadoff homer in the 9th to tie it 5-5. No surprise, but still blah.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Bobby Abreu hit a walk-off home run in game one. Of course, he probably didn't hustle around the bases or something.

[Guest Smues]

And the Giants win 6-5. Damn having Smoltz as a closer spoiled me. Braves drop to 3-4 and the pitching still looks awful, but at least we somehow managed to not give Bonds his first homerun of the season. Huzzah.

[bob_barron 0]

I await to hear the Braves website talk about how Reitsma is "unlucky".

 

What a piece of shit he is, I don't get what Cox sees in him.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

The Giants/Braves gamecast says Marcus Giles also left the game with an injury. Can anyone elaborate?

[bob_barron 0]

He seemed to cramp up while running the bases.

 

Didn't look as bad as Chipper's.

[Slayer 0]

It's funny, because you guys all went to such great lengths to get rid of Anglesault, but in his place there are like three or four mini-Saults

If you kill one, two more pop in its place

 

Re: Yankee fans panicking, I cite a quote of mine from another thread

 

Fuck, hasn't [the Braves being threatened for the division] happened for most of this decade though?

 

Apr-Jun: "Looks like this may be the year someone else wins the NL East"

 

Then by the end of July, the Braves are back in first

 

This could also apply to the Yanks

[Bruiser Chong 0]

Braves fans and the organization itself seem to look at things rationally, though. Yanks get out the gate poorly and the boss is releasing threatening statements on a bi-daily basis.

[Slayer 0]

Well, there's no accounting for organizational (or fan) behavior

[The Czech Republic 0]

The White Sox have taken lessons from Red Sox fans in burying erstwhile stars: now Hot-Tempered Latino Ozzie Guillen says that the entire, yes, the entire farm system was depleted just to obtain Carl Everett, that he should be grateful that Front Office Mastermind Kenny Williams let Carl play for the White Sox, and oh by the way, we're glad you're gone and didn't want you back anyway. So THERE. NYAH.

[Spaceman Spiff 0]

Joe West squeezed Ervin Santana on what should have been strike 3 on 3 different pitches. His act of "young pitchers have to earn the strike zone" has gotten so tiresome. I think this marks year number 3 in a row that I've complained about him as well.

Joe West's incompetence goes back more than 3 years. That guy is brutal. I always cringe when he umps a Phillies game.

[Guest]

Philadelphia Phillies: Defensive Adventures. They aren't good in the field.

 

The Dodgers have 1 HR, I guess that's "smallball" or whatever the fuck they're calling it.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

When the Os offense shows up, the pitching sucks (2 wins 16-6 and 9-6, 1 loss 14-8).

 

When the Os pitching shows up, the offense blows (3 Losses 4-1, 2-1, 2-0)

 

I dont think Leo Mazzone is living up to the "OMG HE'LL HAVE A HUGE IMPACT" hype. This is pretty much the same story as last year and the year before.

 

Part of the offenses problem is that they feel obligated to fit everyone into the lineup..but Im tired of Patterson and Conine already..