TWIB: June 5-11

[Guest]

The Astros are done. I don't care how good they play in the second half, either the Reds, Cards, D-Backs or Dodgers will get the wildcard.

 

Their lineup isn't nearly good enough.

[naiwf 0]

Let's Go CUBS!

 

I want Clemens to suffer this year and every Astros loss gets him one game further from the postseason.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

I've made the mistake of writing off the Astros the last two years, so I won't until it's a near-certainty they won't rise from the dead for the third consecutive year.

[sfaJack 0]

I'm taking the cautious approach to writing the Astros off as well, but this year I'm not sure they can make a comeback. Last year, their pitching kept them in every single game all year, despite a terrible offense. Clemens, Oswalt, Pettitte, and Lidge were all pretty much lights out, and the rest of the bullpen (Qualls and Wheeler especially) was pretty strong.

 

This year, it's the same anemic offense only the pitching has really gone to shit as well. Games they won 3-2 last year, they're losing 6-3 this eyar. It just doesn't seem like the same team. Pettitte is awful and shows few signs that a turnaround is on the way. Oswalt is hurting and may be DL-bound. Who knows if Clemens will be any good? Lidge has lost his aura of invincibility, Wheeler is having a bad year in front of him, and the back of the rotation is bad, bad, bad.

 

Throw in the fact that there isn't much they can do to improve the lineup, and I just don't think they're talented enough to overcome it all. But I am definitely going to wait and see.

[mike546 0]

Question to basically everyone.

 

The Yankees without Sheff and Matsui obviously lose power and everything else those two bring to the table. But is there anyway that the Yanks are actually BETTER off with Cabrera and Phillips and Cairo who are younger and have speed and can still hit. The addition of these guys have made the Yanks a lot less one dimensional when it comes to scoring. I'm really wondering if this is all just an abreviation and the loss of Matsui and Sheff are going to start killing this team or is is really true the Yanks are better off without them?

[The Man in Blak 0]

Well, Cabrera's really the only young one with speed and his walk rate (which is considerably higher than shown in the minor leagues) will probably take a dive in the future. The other two are essentially in line with expectations, though, so I don't know if disaster is really on the horizon.

[Guest]

Kansas City took Hochevar. WHY?

[naiwf 0]

Question to basically everyone.

 

The Yankees without Sheff and Matsui obviously lose power and everything else those two bring to the table. But is there anyway that the Yanks are actually BETTER off with Cabrera and Phillips and Cairo who are younger and have speed and can still hit. The addition of these guys have made the Yanks a lot less one dimensional when it comes to scoring. I'm really wondering if this is all just an abreviation and the loss of Matsui and Sheff are going to start killing this team or is is really true the Yanks are better off without them?

 

I think the Yanks are better off without Sheff. I'd want Matsui back ASAP. This Yankee team is somewhat reminiscent of the 1996-2000 teams that won titles because they had wait for it. . . . . ROLE PLAYERS!

 

I don't know that they can win the Series because their pitching is not at all reliable especially with RJ near the top of the rotation, but for the most part since everyone isn't trying to be the guy who hits the game winning 5 run HR, and guys can actually bunt, hit and run and play small ball I think they're much better off at least in the short term.

[mike546 0]

What was the Yankees 96 roation?

 

Pettite ( Mussina equivilent now), Cone, Jimmy Key, and Kenny Rogers? I think the rotation is better now but of course with Wettland and Rivera it was basically a 6 inning game if we were winning that year.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

What was the Yankees 96 roation?

 

Pettite ( Mussina equivilent now), Cone, Jimmy Key, and Kenny Rogers? I think the rotation is better now but of course with Wettland and Rivera it was basically a 6 inning game if we were winning that year.

Those four and Doc Gooden. That rotation wasn't outstanding but had no weaknesses once the Yanks shored up their fifth starter situation by trading for Cone. This version has a real problem with depth, and that puts them behind.

 

The Yankees are winning right now because of their hitting. The reason they are surviving is because Melky Cabrera is exceeding expectations and Andy Phillips is hitting like some (re: me) thought he could all along. Phillips' OPS is comparable to Gary Sheffield, for example. I think this is a point that a single hitter does not make as great an impact as people think.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

As far as the draft goes, Kyle Drabek is an interesting pick. He's a risk, but he's very talented for an 18th overall choice. Luke Hochevar going #1 is a huge surprise, considering how last year's draft developed. Scott Boras should get a Christmas card every year from Hochevar.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

One final note about the draft. IF Preston Mattingly went much earlier than expected, going 31st overall to the LA Dodgers. Preston is of course the son of Don Mattingly.

[naiwf 0]

Phillips' OPS is comparable to Gary Sheffield, for example. I think this is a point that a single hitter does not make as great an impact as people think.

 

So what happened to the Cubbies once they lost Mr. Lee? I think in a lineup as stacked as the Yankees it's OK to lose one player (or even 3), but when you're almost completely depending on one guy to make the offense go, it'll have a different outcome.

 

As Al stated the '96 Yanks had a solid rotation from 1-5. Right now you've got Moose and a buncha other guys. RJ can throw a near no hitter one game and then get lit up for 7 ER in 5 IP the next. Chacon and Small proved that their peformances last year were flukes. Jaret Wright is Jaret Wright. Carl Pavano's still stealing money and I guess Wang is reliable, but that's not enough especially when your 6th through 8th inning guys are shaky at best. The White Sox, Red Sox and Tigers all have more arms and better ones on top of that. Considering you'll need to beat those kind of teams in the playoffs, I don't think the Yanks have it in them to win the title, but they'll contend just because they can get 10+ runs on any given night.

[vivalaultra 0]

Pshaw. You guys are silly. It's not even the All-Star break. The 'Stros are in a great position. Everything is A-O.k. Yeah, Pettitte's been stinking up the joint, and Buchholz hasn't been living up to the Rookie of the Year hype I had hoped he would live up to, and Preston Wilson couldn't hit his way out of a wet paper bag if he was swingin a freakin' machete, and Lidge is no longer Lights Out but Lights that Sometimes Flicker A Little Bit, and Wheeler isn't as good as last year, and Oswalt's on the 15-Day DL, and Brandon Backe probably won't be back-e until 2008, but we're only a few games under .500. I'm not worried at all. The dizzying highs, the troubling lows. It's all a part of baseball. We were about 10 games under .500 last year, and the year before we went 36-10 at the end of the season with a rotation of Roger Clemens, Roy Oswalt, Brandon Backe, and Pete Munro. Has anybody heard what Pete Munro's up to lately? Despite what anyone says, our offense this year is alot better than last year's. Our pitching...not so much, but still, we're not dead yet. However, I really wish the Houston Chronicle would declare the season dead like they did last year. That seemed to really inspire the team. Oh, in other news, the Astros took an 18 year old left-handed catcher, who, according to the Astros scouting department, isn't even close to being major league ready. That does trouble me. And we called up uh...Phillip Barzilla, a LHP from AAA to take Oswalt's roster spot.

 

And I just read that the Pirates took my fellow UH alum Brad Lincoln. Good grief.

[mike546 0]

Josh (NYC): Joe- Since you know a thing or two about playing 2B, what are your thoughts on Cano? Can he make the all-star team this year?

 

Joe Morgan: I don't see him nearly enough. I will see him Wed.-Thu. this week. What I have seen I really like. The ball jumps off his bat. I've never seen him make a mental mistake in the field. I like him but I still think he has some things to learn on defense. But he will be a great player.

 

 

I've never taken Joe Morgan seriously but does he even WATCH baseball!? Cano's like biggest problem so far as a MLBer has been his lack of concentration in the field and the fact hes prone to make mental mistakes.

[Failed Bridge 0]

Tigers got the steal of the draft. Their rotation will be scary good next season if Miller is ready.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

 

Phillips' OPS is comparable to Gary Sheffield, for example. I think this is a point that a single hitter does not make as great an impact as people think.

 

So what happened to the Cubbies once they lost Mr. Lee? I think in a lineup as stacked as the Yankees it's OK to lose one player (or even 3), but when you're almost completely depending on one guy to make the offense go, it'll have a different outcome.

Jim Hendry, Dusty Baker, and Andy MacPhail would adore you. No doubt the loss of Lee hurt the Cubs big time, but it wasn't an excuse for the rest of the team to fall apart in virtually every aspect of the game. The offense was centered around Lee, but let's not forget there are some solid complimentary hitters in that lineup (i.e. Ramirez, Barrett, and Jones).

 

Other guys have begun to pick up the slack and the pitching's been a bit better, so the Cubs are looking more like I imagined them at the outset of the season. Still have holes and issues, but they aren't nearly as terrible as May suggested.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

I noticed the Cubs used their first-round pick on their favorite type of player: multi-tool, but with questionable power. Radical.

[naiwf 0]

Has anyone else that gets the channel lost the YES Network signal since midafternoon today?

[mike546 0]

The game isn't on YES if your trying to watch it on that channel. Its on the local UPN channel in NY.

[naiwf 0]

The game isn't on YES if your trying to watch it on that channel. Its on the local UPN channel in NY.

 

I know, I'm just curious why I lost the YES signal during Mike and the Mad Dog today, and it's still out now.

[Mik 0]

Hey Bruiser, the guy the Cubs took in the 1st round was projected 3rd or 4th round. Apparently the Cubs didn't want to pay slot money so they underdrafted (ie they were being cheap).

 

If you want to hear out and out hilarity, go to phillies.com and listen to Kyle Drabeck's draft interview.

[Failed Bridge 0]

David Pauley might just be Derek Lowe minus the mental problems and alcoholism.

[mike546 0]

Lets see him get through five first, alright?

[Guest Smues]

Hey Buster, the guy the Cubs took in the 1st round was projected 3rd or 4th round. Apparently the Cubs didn't want to pay slot money so they underdrafted (ie they were being cheap).

 

If you want to hear out and out hilarity, go to phillies.com and listen to Kyle Drabeck's draft interview.

 

Listening to it now. It's more painful thus far than hilarious.

[naiwf 0]

Do the Yankees need to do a curtain call after EVERY FUCKING HOMER they hit against Boston? I get that it's a blood rivalry and all, but come on it's ridiculous.

[Brett Favre 0]

Bernie goes Boom.

 

Yankee fans will revolutionize the curtain call, and make it a daily occurrence.

[naiwf 0]

Hey, maybe Damon can take a curtain call for throwing Manny out?

 

I guess that was the textbook example of "Manny being Manny".

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Hey Buster, the guy the Cubs took in the 1st round was projected 3rd or 4th round. Apparently the Cubs didn't want to pay slot money so they underdrafted (ie they were being cheap).

 

If you want to hear out and out hilarity, go to phillies.com and listen to Kyle Drabeck's draft interview.

 

Listening to it now. It's more painful thus far than hilarious.

Damn. It sounds like Kyle Drabek is on the fringes of mental retardation.

[Mik 0]

Couple that w/ a DUI, a one car accident, and his crazy on the field personality and you're beginning to see why he didn't go #1 overall when he has the stuff for it.

 

Let's hope he doesn't become the Phillies Jeff Allison.