This Week in Baseball 4/16 - 4/22

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Josh Hamilton tonite so far, 2 for 3 with a double and a homerun, 4 RBI. Tripp Sigman...or Roy Hobbs?

Won't help. From 50-100 plate appearances I just change the reference to Shane Spencer.

[geniusMoment 0]

Josh Hamilton tonite so far, 2 for 3 with a double and a homerun, 4 RBI. Tripp Sigman...or Roy Hobbs?

Won't help. From 50-100 plate appearances I just change the reference to Shane Spencer.

I really think you're missing the point. Hamilton's pure talent is more A-Rod and Griffey in his prime than the guys you talk about. That's the difference. I'm not saying he's going to be an all star but to just discount everything doesn't make much sense.

 

Also, Shane Spencer didn't not play ball for 3 full years, pick up a bat having never seen major league pitching and immediatly crush it. Think about the pure talent that takes, I've never heard of anything like it except a player named Roy.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

"The difference between a good and bad manager is probably a couple of wins at best."

 

WHAT?

 

Okay smart guy, how many wins is a good manager worth? Cite some examples of where good managerial prowess makes a decisive shift in a team's performance over the couse of the season.

[vivalaultra 0]

Second nite in a row, 'Stros come back in the 8th. This time, after being down 6-2, the bench comes through again. Luke Scott hit a bases clearing triple to make the score 7-6 'Stros. However, Josh Hamilton will get one more at-bat; I hope his next AB doesn't add to his growing legend.

[Guest Richard McBeef]

Hill-o-Meter: 0.44 and falling

[UseTheSledgehammerUh 0]

"Okay smart guy, how many wins is a good manager worth? Cite some examples of where good managerial prowess makes a decisive shift in a team's performance over the couse of the season."

 

You'd have to go as far back as, I dunno, LAST YEAR, MARLINS.

 

At one point last year I had a list of Manuel's dumbfuck decisions and how many games it cost the Phillies, I believe it was around 9. Those are just the ones that I counted.

[vivalaultra 0]

Granted, Joe Girardi was a great manager, but the Marlins last year were a very good team as it was. Dontrelle Willis, Miguel Cabrera, ROTY Hanley Ramirez, Dan Uggla, Josh Willingham, Joe Borowski reviving his career. Even without Girardi managing them, I imagine they still would've won 75 games probably.

 

And I heard that Cabrera hurt himself tonite. What's the deal with that?

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

UTSU: So far I haven't encountered a Phillies loss that was caused by Manuel's managerial moves. To cite last year's Marlins is misleading. How would that team have done with a different manager? We don't know. That's the problem with evaluating a manager by his team's performance. There is no control group. Honestly, I agree that a manager is worth a couple wins a year, at best.

 

As for Hamilton, I don't really know what he's capable of, I just know that this can be misleading. And for what it's worth, Roy Hobbs struck out in the novel.

[vivalaultra 0]

As for Hamilton, I don't really know what he's capable of, I just know that this can be misleading. And for what it's worth, Roy Hobbs struck out in the novel.

 

Yeah, but how many people actually read the book? It was a really good book, but, still...

 

'Stros get another come from behind win against the Reds and win 8-6. They're now in a solid second place with a three-game set against the Brewers coming up.

[Mik 0]

Granted, Joe Girardi was a great manager, but the Marlins last year were a very good team as it was. Dontrelle Willis, Miguel Cabrera, ROTY Hanley Ramirez, Dan Uggla, Josh Willingham, Joe Borowski reviving his career. Even without Girardi managing them, I imagine they still would've won 75 games probably.

 

And I heard that Cabrera hurt himself tonite. What's the deal with that?

 

He left the game with a "stiff torso'...whatever the hell that means.

 

FYI for fantasy players, Henry Owens is the Marlins new closer. I'd imagine that he'll eventually lose the job to Tank but he's the closer for now.

[vivalaultra 0]

Is Henry Owens the one that has that funky kinda hunched over delivery that looks really, really painful? Of what I saw from Lindstrom, Tankersly, and Owens in the series in Houston, I thought that Lindstrom looked like he had the best stuff. He looked like he was hitting 100 mph with ease.

[Guest Richard McBeef]

The premier rivalry of the National League kicks off today, and anything less than Cubs : Looper :: Cat : Yarn will be a disappointment.

[The Man in Blak 0]

Ted Lilly takes his first crack at a no-hitter against the Cardinals today, and I bet I can predict the lineup:

 

Eckstein, ss

Taguchi, lf

Pujols, 1b

Rolen, 3b (You're a goddamn millionaire - how in the hell can you get food poisoning?)

Wilson, rf

Molina, c

Miles, 2b

Schumaker, cf

Looper, batting practice

[Guest Richard McBeef]

I didn't even think Aaron Miles was still on the team.

 

Can't even watch the damn game today, as it's on Comcast. Fer cryin' out loud, it's Cubs-Cardinals. I'm guessing Fox and the Booyahs have the weekend games, so why not pick up today's and nationally televise the whole thing? I don't even want to think about how contrived and shitty the Cubs' broadcasting deal will get when they're out of the Tribune's hands. Screw that America's Team crap, we've got a public-access-quality cable channel to use.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

"Okay smart guy, how many wins is a good manager worth? Cite some examples of where good managerial prowess makes a decisive shift in a team's performance over the couse of the season."

 

You'd have to go as far back as, I dunno, LAST YEAR, MARLINS.

The same Joe Girardi that got himself booted after one year? The same Joe Girardi who blew out their best young pitcher's arm? The same Joe Girardi who the front office literally had to beg to get Willingham out from behind the plate? Look, I'm not going to argue that Girardi was a poor manager, but you have to realize that this stuff is highly subjective. There was tons of talent on last year's team and their success came together like a perfect storm. There's just no way of knowing what his influence was.

 

At one point last year I had a list of Manuel's dumbfuck decisions and how many games it cost the Phillies, I believe it was around 9. Those are just the ones that I counted.

 

In the same vein, it's very hard to pin losses to a manager. You said that Manuel cost the team 9 games last year. Did he directly cause those losses, or was he victim of circumstance? For instance, look at yesterday's Indians game. Wedge left Borowski in too long and the Yankees rallied from four down with two outs. Is it his fault that he left him in too long, or is the fault of the management for not giving him any other reliable relievers to go to? Managers too often get blamed for outcomes without giving consideration to how they got in that situation in the first place.

 

If there were managers out there doing some cutting edge stuff, like trying a four or six-man rotation and getting great results, or ditching the closer for a Jamesian relief ace, then maybe I could see an argument. Perhaps they are especially adept at platooning players. But most skippers today manage their teams in the same rigid format with the same tired team structures. There's little opportunity to swing things one way or the other.

[Guest Richard McBeef]

To be fair, Girardi getting fired had more to do with running afoul of the worst non-Wirtz owner in sports than anything else. That whole thing was just goofy.

[Guest Richard McBeef]

Hi, I'm Mark DeRosa. When people make bad throws to first and award me first base on an error, I forget to touch first base and get tagged out anyway.

 

Hi, I'm the Chicago National League Baseball Club. When people play for me, running becomes calculus.

[CanadianChris 0]

You still need to work the Get Fuzzy "I feel...inept" pic into your posts somehow.

[Guest Richard McBeef]

anything less than Cubs : Looper :: Cat : Yarn will be a disappointment.

Lilly just gave up a 2-run homer to Preston Wilson and the Cubs only have one run on Braden Looper. Big disappointment.

 

Oh Jesus, triple play. This is why you don't bunt. Damn you, Hank White.

 

EDIT: well, that was a freebie. Check for it on the highlight shows.

 

ANOTHER EDIT: the Cubs are bad and stupid. Give up on Daryle Ward as first off the bench already.

[Guest Queen Leelee]

The Bears' success had me longing for this...

 

Bless you, consistent Cubbies.

[UseTheSledgehammerUh 0]

You know, I'm gonna pull for Jon Lieber to throw a good game tonight. I like that he was fired up when they put him in the bullpen, and he seems to really wanna win, so good for him. I like the words, but an 11.75 ERA makes me think it might just be talk. Phils really need to win 2/3 from the Reds at worst. Maybe Myers can come in and steal a win, too.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

D-Cab on the mound for the Os tonight...yay

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Tomorrow I plan on catching Hagerstown (Nats) vs. Lakewood (Phils). Finally baseball in weather worth watching!

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Patterson just robbed Overbay of a HR to dead center field.

[UseTheSledgehammerUh 0]

The Phillies 3rd base coach just stopped Pat Burrell from rounding third on a bloop shot that fell, which the 3rd base coach should have been watching. So Burrell stays at 3rd, and useless Abraham Nunez hits into a double play, ending the inning. That's three runs I've counted that the 3rd base coach has cost the Phillies this year. The previous two came in games the Phils lost by *1 run*. Charlie Manuel put the 3rd base coach there. Thus, Charlie is to blame for at least 2 losses this year, and possibly now a third if the Reds win by 1.

 

Lieber looks sharp into the 4th, 1 hit.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Roberts steals 2nd and 3rd and Mora hits a 2 Run HR. I guess Roberts feels like he wasted a lot of energy to get to third lol..

 

2-2..the Jays will not win another 2-1 game tonight!

[the max 0]

The Phillies 3rd base coach just stopped Pat Burrell from rounding third on a bloop shot that fell, which the 3rd base coach should have been watching. So Burrell stays at 3rd, and useless Abraham Nunez hits into a double play, ending the inning. That's three runs I've counted that the 3rd base coach has cost the Phillies this year. The previous two came in games the Phils lost by *1 run*. Charlie Manuel put the 3rd base coach there. Thus, Charlie is to blame for at least 2 losses this year, and possibly now a third if the Reds win by 1.

 

Lieber looks sharp into the 4th, 1 hit.

 

So by that stupid logic, the team sees that they failed to score another run and walks off the field, resulting in a loss? There's no blame on the offense for not scoring anymore runs? It's all on Cholly? Bullshit.

[the pinjockey 0]

I find it hard to blame anyone for not scoring Pat Burrell on a bloop shot. The only guy on the team that runs worse is probably Leiber. If there is any question at all, Burrell IMO is the type of runner you plant his ass.

[mike546 0]

A-Rod is fucking insane.

[MFer 0]

A-Rod is fucking insane.

And Coco Crisp almost fucked himself up big time trying to catch that HR.