MLB All Star Break/Midseason Review

[Hawk 34]

I was hoping for a rain-out, just to see what Selig pulls out of his ass.

[Cheech Tremendous]

The Mets are being penalized because they will be the reps of a weaker league (should they make the series).

[bob_barron]

But it's one game, one game doesn't show that one league is weaker. (Yes I know the NL is obviously weaker, but that's besides the point)

 

Either alternate it, or give it to the team with the best record. Deciding it on a meaningless game in July is just stupid.

[Cheech Tremendous]

In my opinion, the league that has the better record in interleague should get home field advantage, but that sort of takes the fun out of All-Star game.

[Hawk 34]

In my opinion, the league that has the better record in interleague should get home field advantage, but that sort of takes the fun out of All-Star game.

 

So, the Mets would suffer because of the Pirates and Nationals suck?

[Slayer]

Because it certainly wasn't fun before

[Kahran Ramsus]

Toronto goes from having the losing pitcher and last guy out to having the winning pitcher and the guy scoring the winning run in two ABs. Nice turn of events.

[KingPK]

A game that lasted just 2:33 took an hour more to televise.

 

That says it all. I know I bitched about too much pre-game stuff, but having a 20 minute ceremony IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GAME is ten times worse.

[Guest Smues]

Ideally you just give it to the team with the best record, and in case of a tie have some tie breakers set up like record against your own division etc. etc. If for some reason you're Bud Selig and that just doesn't fly with you then go back to alternating each year. Home field being determing by the all-star game is horseshit as the all-star game is supposed to be an exhibition and making it count takes away from that.

[Guest Smues]

A game that lasted just 2:33 took an hour more to televise.

 

That says it all. I know I bitched about too much pre-game stuff, but having a 20 minute ceremony IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GAME is ten times worse.

 

That's just ridiculous. I left my house around 5:30 and right before I left I thought oh crap I forgot the game was on. Turned it on to see the score and was surprised to see it hadn't started yet. Only mildy surprised given that it's FOX, but still. I was half expecting a 20 minutes ad break before the 9th inning since the game had gone so fast.

[KingPK]

If MLB doesn't want to go back to alternating it or giving it to the team with the best record, having the Interleague Play decide home-field is probably the most fair way to decide it right now.

[Guest Smues]

If MLB doesn't want to go back to alternating it or giving it to the team with the best record, having the Interleague Play decide home-field is probably the most fair way to decide it right now.

I don't like that idea AT ALL, and yet it's still tons better than "THIS ONE COUNTS!"

[Annabelle]

clearly the team with the best record should get home field. obviously.

[DerangedHermit]

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/disp/story...bb/4040701.html

 

Joey Cora hit Carlos Zambrano with a Fungo bat, and now Zambrano needs an x-ray. That is some real goat shit right there.

[Guest Felonies!]

Joey Cora hit Carlos Zambrano with a Fungo bat, and now Zambrano needs an x-ray. That is some real goat shit right there.

What the fuck? WHAT THE FUCK? Did he bite Carlos too, for good measure? Jesus.

[Guest]

I'm glad that Penny started, because now everyone knows that he can throw that hard. That's just the way he pitches, I don't think he was ramping it up for the All-Star Game.

 

Oh yeah the game was shit.

[vivalaultra]

A fungo bat? Good Lord...where did he hit him and what are fungo bats made out of to do that much damage?

[Guest Felonies!]

How do you accidentally hit someone with a baseball bat? Did it fly out of his hands or something?

[Bruiser Chong]

Bill Plaschke is one of the dumbest mainstream sports writers out there. The never-ending dwelling on LoDuca's alleged value to the Dodgers was annoying, but now the bit about Gagne defies logic.

[Guest]

Wow, what a fucking goon. Brad Penny is a legit ace, Gagne was a closer who could have been a steroid user for all we know. Does he even know that Gagne was a beyond shitty starter that magically morphed into the closer he was, or what?

 

If Brad Penny wins the team the division or the wild card, I'd love (or not) to see what he had to say.

[Bruiser Chong]

And he doesn't address Mota being awful in the two seasons since he last pitched for the Dodgers.

[Guest]

I think Mota was good because the opposing team was pressing to get hits against him as they KNEW Gagne was going to end the game in the 9th. Mota was their last gasp, and he also inexplicably turned into a good reliever, so eh.

[vivalaultra]

How do you accidentally hit someone with a baseball bat? Did it fly out of his hands or something?

 

And it figures that it was a White Sox guy that did it. Maybe Zambrano wanted to use Joey Cora's laptop to email his family back in Venezuala and Cora had to protect himself.

[EVIL~! alkeiper]

Plaschke's complaints about Gagne pitching 82 1/3 innings in 2004 are gold. Just out of curiosity, how many innings did he pitch in 2002/03? Oh that's right, he pitched exactly 82 1/3 innings in both those years as well.

 

Besides, if there's a pitcher so fragile that his existance is propped up by a single set-up man, I don't think he's a long term solution.

[Guest Felonies!]

a pitcher so fragile

"Who said my name?"

[Guest NYankees]

Rays trade Aubrey Huff to the Astros for a couple of minor leaguers.

[vivalaultra]

Holy shit. That's a good move. The two minor league guys, Ben Zobrist and Mitch Talbot, were pretty big prospects, but still...Huff's a legitimate hitter. The big shocker is that Jason Lane's been optioned to AAA. Man...that's rough, but well-deserved.

[Cheech Tremendous]

Bill Plaschke is one of the dumbest mainstream sports writers out there. The never-ending dwelling on LoDuca's alleged value to the Dodgers was annoying, but now the bit about Gagne defies logic.

 

I can't link to the article. Can someone summarize please? I love bashing some Plaschke.

[Bruiser Chong]

It could be read last night without having to register; not sure why it's changed. Ah well.

 

Plaschke just continues to dwell on the trade from 2004 that sent away precious Paul LoDuca. He says the trade took the Dodgers from a powerhouse team to a club that can't even stay in first in a weak division.

 

He adds laughable ideas that the trade also has a correlation with Eric Gagne's career being up in the air. You see, when they sent away Mota in that deal, they traded the gap to Gagne. Gagne became the gap to Gagne! He pitched a horrifying three innings in one game and two+ shortly there after. This extensive abuse surely led to all of the injuries he's had since.

 

Plaschke overlooks what Al pointed out: Gagne pitched as many innings in 2004 as he did in both 2002 and 2003.

 

He still hasn't explained how the Dodgers managed to make the playoffs in 2004, despite trading away LoDuca and that LoDuca didn't help take the Marlins to a postseason in his time there. No one could've helped last year's Dodger team, which was just eaten alive by injuries.

 

The Mets are probably en route to a postseason appearance, which is almost definitely because of LoDuca. It has nothing to do with Glavine, Pedro, Wagner, Delgado, Wright, Reyes or Beltran.

[Cheech Tremendous]

Bill Plaschke should just keep his big mouth shut. Ripping the trade at the time was bad enough, but at least a good number of people had finally forgotten that he said anything. Now he's bringing it back up? I think you already touched on the main points, but how could he still be complaining about getting Brad Penny (who just started the All-Star game)? Choi sort of looks like a lost cause at this point, but the potential was there before he got jerked around (his number one PECOTA comp was David Ortiz, if I remember correctly).