TWiB #7: 5/15 - 5/21

[The Man in Blak 0]

I didn't see the game, but didn't Springer throw at him repeatedly until he finally plunked him, even after being warned?

 

He continued pitching inside, which isn't hard to do when the batter virtually stands right over the plate like Bonds. The final pitch is really the only pitch that I would consider to be intentional, as Springer drilled him straight in the back, and that was on a 3-1 count.

 

It's a ridiculous suspension, in my opinion, but I tend to think that suspending pitchers for hitting batters is kind of silly to begin with, so take that as you will. The Vizquel/Mesa situation was worth attention from officials because there hasn't been one single at-bat in the years since they were teammates where Mesa hasn't hit or attempted to hit Vizquel. Springer has hit Bonds before, but to hear some of the media (I'm looking at you, ESPN) tell it, Springer has had some kind of vendetta against Bonds ever since he hit a home run off of him.

 

Bonds has a career average of .167 versus Springer, with that home run being the only hit in six at-bats. If Springer had such a vendetta, then how did Bonds not get drilled in those other plate appearances?

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

The old site of Metropolitan Stadium is where the Mall of America now stands.

 

As for Russ Springer, if you can think that it wasn't intentional, then Bonds didn't take steroids either. It was blatant, and that's the main reason he's gone for four days.

[Guest Princess Leena]

Is Metropolitan Stadium still standing?

 

I love using that park in video games.

 

 

It's long gone.

 

How are your HR totals? The Twins hit alot of HR's back in the 60's. I think it was a hitters park, but maybe it guys like "Killer" and Allison.

 

A-Rod had 137 HR's last year. You know, gotta earn his salary.

[devo 0]

http://www.weather.com/outlook/events/mlb/...mance?team=bean

 

Didn't know where else to put that. They have one for every team. I especially like that Winning Weather bit. Who knew The Weather Channel analyzed sports so thoroughly?

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Surprised I missed the comment about HRs. The Met was one of the greatest hitters' parks in its day, along with Fenway Park and Wrigley Field.

[The Man in Blak 0]

As for Russ Springer, if you can think that it wasn't intentional, then Bonds didn't take steroids either. It was blatant, and that's the main reason he's gone for four days.

 

If he's getting punished because it's blatant, should we expect a suspension the next time that Pedro Martinez buzzes the light tower?

 

As I said, the pitch that hit him seemed intentional, as it hit him squarely in the back on a 3-1 count. If he didn't feel like pitching to him, all he had to do was offer one outside the plate. Instead of doing that, he drilled him in the back and, given the warning that was made earlier in the at-bat, he was thrown out of the ballgame appropriately.

 

But, in terms of intent, just how blatant was it? As I said, some of the media almost have Springer rocking back and forth in the locker room, frothing at the mouth, thumbing through a stack of Barry Bonds cards that he's spent his life's salary collecting, all because Barry hit a home run off of him in 2001. There are plate appearances other than the two HBPs and the home runs - maybe I'm being dense, but I don't see the vendetta here. And the punishment seems to fit a vendetta, rather than an intentional HBP after a warning.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

It's not about a vendetta. It's about making a mockery of baseball by transforming it from a game into a beanball war. Headhunting has no place in baseball. If a different pitcher has a similar at bat with a different hitter, they should face the same punishment.

[naiwf 0]

As for Russ Springer, if you can think that it wasn't intentional, then Bonds didn't take steroids either. It was blatant, and that's the main reason he's gone for four days.

 

If he's getting punished because it's blatant, should we expect a suspension the next time that Pedro Martinez buzzes the light tower?

 

As I said, the pitch that hit him seemed intentional, as it hit him squarely in the back on a 3-1 count. If he didn't feel like pitching to him, all he had to do was offer one outside the plate. Instead of doing that, he drilled him in the back and, given the warning that was made earlier in the at-bat, he was thrown out of the ballgame appropriately.

 

But, in terms of intent, just how blatant was it? As I said, some of the media almost have Springer rocking back and forth in the locker room, frothing at the mouth, thumbing through a stack of Barry Bonds cards that he's spent his life's salary collecting, all because Barry hit a home run off of him in 2001. There are plate appearances other than the two HBPs and the home runs - maybe I'm being dense, but I don't see the vendetta here. And the punishment seems to fit a vendetta, rather than an intentional HBP after a warning.

 

Being blatant with an action doesn't mean that you would have had to carry a lifelong grudge. When's the last time you saw a pitcher throw no fewer than FOUR pitches directly at someone with the intent of hitting him? It's not Barry's fault that Springer missed him the first handful of times. What Springer did was just as premeditated as Delmon Young throwing his bat at the ump and then saying he didn't mean to hit him. The intent was there. The punishment if anything is too lenient.

[naiwf 0]

Mets/Yanks gets underway with Damon ripping a double off of Gonzalez. I predict a 9-3 loss tonight, with Jeremi only giving us about 3 1/3 IP. Ugh.

[The Man in Blak 0]

Perhaps I'm giving Springer a little too much credit. The first pitch was a slider that went behind him and that's typically taboo within MLB, regardless of intent.

 

It's just the other pitches in the at-bat. I know he's not a control artist, but do you think he really would have missed on three straight inside pitches after the warning if he was really intending to do physical harm to Barry?

 

And, once again, if we're talking about preventing beanball wars, then I'll be expecting a similar suspension handed down whenever we see a retaliatory HBP in a game.

 

What Springer did was just as premeditated as Delmon Young throwing his bat at the ump and then saying he didn't mean to hit him. The intent was there. The punishment if anything is too lenient.

 

The situations don't compare at all, in my opinion. There's absolutely no excuse for a ballplayer to even touch an official, and Delmon Young tried to throw a frickin' baseball bat at one. Not only that, but it's not the first incident that he's had with an umpire in the past - the bat throwing is just another action in a history that showed a disregard for umpires in general. Young's assertion that it wasn't intentional was laughable and you could see that just by watching the video - you don't rationalize that kind of heinous action.

 

In Springer's case, we're talking about hitting a batter and/or pitching inside to a batter, which are two things that do happen within the game of baseball. Once again, maybe I'm giving Springer the benefit of the doubt when he doesn't deserve it, but I think Bonds gets drilled on pitch #2 if the intent was really premeditated.

[The Man in Blak 0]

Mets/Yanks gets underway with Damon ripping a double off of Gonzalez. I predict a 9-3 loss tonight, with Jeremi only giving us about 3 1/3 IP. Ugh.

 

Well, you've got the three runs taken care of early, as Beltran hits a three-run homer in the bottom of the first to make it a 4-3 game. That's Beltran's 11th home run of the year.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

VICTORINO~!

 

Yeah, I'm obligated. The man won't stop hitting!

[devo 0]

Sheesh. Aaron Rowand getting hurt was the best thing that ever happpened to the Phillies.

 

Is anybody else having a problem getting MLB's Gameday to work?

[naiwf 0]

Nady rocks the Little Unit, 5-5 Btm 3!

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Sheesh. Aaron Rowand getting hurt was the best thing that ever happpened to the Phillies.

 

Is anybody else having a problem getting MLB's Gameday to work?

What's unbelieveable is that Shane Victorino was a Rule V pick last season, and had to clear waivers before going to AAA. The LA Dodgers could've had him back for $50,000, and declined.

[naiwf 0]

This is why guaranteed contracts suck. Pavano just keeps stealing money.

 

Bone chip will keep Pavano out indefinitely

 

May 19, 2006

CBS SportsLine.com wire reports

 

NEW YORK -- New York Yankees pitcher Carl Pavano will need surgery for a bone chip above his right elbow, an injury that could finish his 2006 season before it ever started.

 

Pavano, who has not pitched in the major leagues since June 27 because of a variety of injuries, left a rehab start for Double-A Trenton after only nine pitches Wednesday because of forearm soreness. Tests Thursday revealed the latest injury, and Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala., will operate next week.

 

Yankees manager Joe Torre said a timetable for Pavano's return in uncertain.

 

"They won't know until they get in there and see if that's all there is," Torre said. "It's not in the elbow. so that's got to be a plus."

 

Pavano, a 30-year-old right-hander, left the Florida Marlins to sign a $39.95 million, four-year contract with the Yankees after the 2004 season. He went 4-6 with a 4.77 ERA last season when rotator cuff tendinitis caused the Yankees to put him on the disabled list.

 

When Torre opened spring training on Feb. 15, the very first thing he announced was that Pavano had back discomfort and would not start throwing for several weeks.

 

When Pavano pitched in his first spring training game on March 28, he fielded a slow grounder near the foul line from his first batter, Philadelphia's Bobby Abreu, and stumbled as he dove to first for the out. While Pavano completed the inning, he bruised his buttocks on the play, which sidelined him again.

 

He made three minor league rehab starts, but his arm felt tender after Wednesday's outing.

 

"We feel badly for him because he's worked so hard to get back, and this is just going to throw a monkey wrench into that," Torre said.

 

Another injured Yankee, right fielder Gary Sheffield, hit off a tee Friday for the first time since the Yankees put him on the disabled list May 9 with a bruised and sprained left wrist, an injury sustained when he collided with Toronto first baseman Shea Hillenbrand on April 29.

 

Torre said Sheffield could start taking batting practice this weekend and return before the end of the month.

 

Outfielder Bubba Crosby, who strained his right hamstring during Thursday's 6-2 loss to Texas, was put on the 15-day disabled list Friday, and the Yankees purchased the contract of outfielder Mitch Jones from Triple-A Columbus. A four-time All-Star in the minors, the 28-year-old Jones has never played in the majors.

 

Yankees left fielder Hideki Matsui is sidelined until at least mid-August with a broken left wrist.

AP NEWS

The Associated Press News Service

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Os/Nats is the battle of offensive ineptitude and the ump behind the plate isn't helping much with his mile wide strike zone.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Benson with a 4 hitter and 84 pitches through 7ip is in line to possibly get the Os first Complete Game in over a year.

[jwest27 0]

Geez, I actually feel kind of bad for the Royals. They managed to get 5 runs off of Carpenter, but the Cards came back and now it's 9-5. Also, Albert hit number 20 and now has 50 RBIs.

[The Man in Blak 0]

Outside of an absolute massacre at Boston, Benson has actually had a pretty good year. Not No. 1 starter material or anything, but definitely a better year than I would have expected.

 

The Royals scored five off of Carpenter early, who was definitely not as sharp as usual, but the Cardinals have roared back with nine unanswered. Sure, it's a little bit of a backhanded compliment, but Scott Spiezio may be the best DH option that St. Louis has had in years.

[Hawk 34 0]

So Cincy can beat the best record in baseball but they freeze against teams in Pennsylvania.

[naiwf 0]

I guess we found out who the "real" Sandman in NY is, at least for tonight. Wagner K's the side, Mo gives up the run

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

The Scranton/WB Red Barons come back to town tomorrow. It should be Craig Hansen's turn to pitch for Pawtucket.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Also, Milb.com is conducting fan balloting for the first time ever for the AAA All-Star game. The vote runs from June 1-23, exclusively online.

[naiwf 0]

Lima Time is OVA! Jose and his blonde braids were demoted back to the minors. No decision on who is coming up in his place, but at this point a ball boy would give us as much of a chance to win as he did.

[CanadianChris 0]

This is why guaranteed contracts suck. Pavano just keeps stealing money.

Guaranteed contracts can suck, but he isn't stealing shit. What possessed the Yankees to throw 39 mil at a guy who'd had exactly one good full season in the majors?

[naiwf 0]

This is why guaranteed contracts suck. Pavano just keeps stealing money.

Guaranteed contracts can suck, but he isn't stealing shit. What possessed the Yankees to throw 39 mil at a guy who'd had exactly one good full season in the majors?

 

Stupidity. Granted he's had some arm trouble, but since when is a sore buttock reason enough to miss significant time? I generally don't question the heart of an athlete but Pavano just seems like he's perfectly content signing paychecks with his bad elbow.

[treble 0]

It's like you can set your watch to it. Jays lose after winning 2 in a row, been that way for seems like 2 weeks now. If they can ever get going and win 4 (gasp) in a row, watch out.

[CanadianChris 0]

They looked like the Jays of old...3 runs on 14 hits and four walks, leaving the bases loaded twice. Towers predictably struggled at Coors Field.

[Bored 0]

YES! Street gets Bonds swinging to end it. A's win 1-0.