This Week In Baseball 9/24-10/1

[Brett Favre 0]

They're celebrating a playoff birth.

[bob_barron 0]

Who knew Mets fans were this awful and annoying?

 

This collapse isn't "historic" either. We're not talking 78 here

[mike546 0]

Edwar Ramierz is a really ugly guy.

[NYU 0]

And while I don't really think the Wilpons will be ready to cut Willie if the Mets finish this spectacular collapse, there are some rumblings that his job could be in jeopardy if things end badly. Jeff Wilpon has expressed his disappointment in him lately, his pitching decisions have been universally criticized -- the inexplicable over-reliance on Mota and Sosa for one, starting Brian Lawrence and Philip Humber in such a vital stretch of the season, etc -- and he's just getting panned unmercilessly now by the New York media for his apathy at this crucial time. Again, I personally don't see them dumping Randolph just yet, and I'm not even sure if that would be the right move anyway. But the wheels are slowly turning.

 

As for Minaya, I would absolutely give him another season to steady the Titanic ship that is the New York Mets pitching staff. No doubt about it. But to let them go through the entire season with such a weak bullpen was a mistake that he should not be let off the hook for.

[NYU 0]

Who knew Mets fans were this awful and annoying?

 

This collapse isn't "historic" either. We're not talking 78 here

 

Er...no major league team has ever failed to win first place despite holding a 7-game lead at such a late point in the season. So it would be "historic." Read a newspaper.

[Richard 0]

Bonds is going out with a bang, I see.

[Steve J. Rogers 0]

Who knew Mets fans were this awful and annoying?

 

This collapse isn't "historic" either. We're not talking 78 here

 

You think NYU is bad? And that I was bad last week?

 

New York Mets Online Fan Forum

 

These guys have been doom and gloom since the season STARTED!

[Guest Gym Class Fallout]

They're celebrating a playoff birth.

Who was pregnant?

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

They're celebrating a playoff birth.

Who was pregnant?

 

From the looks of it, Joba Chamberlain.

[NYU 0]

I'm surprised it hasn't caught on yet to refer to his dad as Joba The Hut.

 

 

Of course, I would never say such things.

[strummer 0]

This hasn't been mentioned much and it might not have any validity but maybe the league has caught up to Rick Petersen's "Don't throw a strike until you absolutely have to" theory on pitching.

 

Team's are waiting Met's pitchers out and are laying off bad pitches that they used to swing at.

[NYU 0]

That's not a bad theory. While it could be partly attributed to that, I think the majority of the blame still falls on Randolph over-taxing that bullpen to the point of exhaustion. I do feel though, that if anybody deserves to go after this season, it's Rick Petersen. He has just failed with this pitching staff in September on every level, and if Rick Down could be held accountable for their poor hitting earlier this season, Petersen absolutely deserves the boot for this total meltdown.

[strummer 0]

I think you can also look at Petersen as a reason for Pelfrey and Humber's stalling development.

 

There's something wrong when guys that throw in the low-mid 90s (and in Pelfreys case has great movement) can't strike anybody out or even get swings and misses.

 

Yes there was the whole mechanics scenario with Pelfrey and Boras but it's something the organization should look at in the offseason to see if Petersen is hindering their progress

[MFer 0]

Just watching the National League makes me even more pissed that Detroit tanked in the 2nd half. They're probably no worse than the 5th best team in MLB and they'll be sitting at home in October while a handful of NL teams shit the bed against cellar-dwellers and are still in the playoff hunt. Isn't baseball great?

[snuffbox 0]

Didn't Detroit play one of those NL teams that was falling apart down the regular season stretch in last year's World Series?

[Guest Gym Class Fallout]

Just watching the National League makes me even more pissed that Detroit tanked in the 2nd half. They're probably no worse than the 5th best team in MLB and they'll be sitting at home in October while a handful of NL teams shit the bed against cellar-dwellers and are still in the playoff hunt. Isn't baseball great?

The people wanted parity in baseball, and they got it.

[MFer 0]

Well yeah, cuz Detroit's pitchers couldn't throw the ball to first base...and the Tigers were falling apart down the stretch themselves last year and proceeded to beat the "unbeatable" Yankees.

 

Anyways, it should be interesting seeing the NL play out.

[Guest Gym Class Fallout]

So Taguchi just went up to notch one in my book. I hope Yost thought beaming Pujols with nobody one was worth all of this.

 

Nothing wrong with intentionally hitting Fielder, though.

I condone neither, but hitting Fielder didn't set up a bullpen collapse. That caveman baseball shit should cost Yost his job in '08, in all honesty. Evening up a stupid beanball war when you're one run down in a must-win game is some of the most emptyheaded in-game strategy I've seen anywhere all year long. Ned must be damn confident that he can get the team back in first with four to play if he so willfully punted this game by setting up Derrick Turnbow to shit his pants and look utterly clueless out there. Nobody should be impressed with Ned "defending his players" or any of that. That was just plain dumb. Of course, I'll gladly take a Brewer loss here, but I think we all witnessed some pretty low-class baseball here.

 

Acting like as much of a neutral observer as I can be, I'd been a Ned Yost advocate in opposition to all the sports radio dopes who thought he was awful, but as the season has gone on, I've developed some real gripes with how he goes about his job, though instead of just "ohh yah dey haive to start Tony Gwynn Jr every day" or whatever, it's his abrasive demeanor that offends my baseball sensibilities, as well as his rigid bullpen assignments (Turnbow = 8th inning and that is THAT case closed) that tend to get in the way. I had maintained that he needed another two years to see the project through, so to speak, but he seems to be making a case that he just can't handle a stretch of games with autumnal ramifications, with his lashing out at "the Internet fans" (this is the last bullet of the desperate), allegations of umpire malfeasance, and ill-timed beanball vendettas with the one manager who gets into people's heads better than anyone. Three ejections in four days, only the first of which was justified? He's crumbling. Some skippers can't rack up three in a year. He's making Piniella look like Dusty Baker. Maybe Doug Melvin should start shopping around after all.

[snuffbox 0]

It's not Ned Yost's fault that Derrick Turnbow doesn't know his ass from a strikezone. It is his fault every time he gets trotted out to the mound to give up a half dozen runs, though.

 

I think Yost gets one more year & his future will entirely depend on making the playoffs in '08. "Almost" won't work again.

 

The Brewers are probably going to end up with the ROY and MVP and still manage to miss the playoffs, almost entirely due to an impotent bullpen down the stretch.

[Guest Gym Class Fallout]

Given Turnbow's splits, it's entirely possible that he performs better last night if he comes in to start the 8th inning with no men on in a home game. When all of those conditions are met, that seems to be when he excels, crazy as that is. Not only was beaning Pujols stupid and petty, you could argue that it also set Turnbow up to fail. Of course, it's Derrick Turnbow, so it's entirely possible he that he fucks it up anyway, but for a manager who is so set in his ways over who does what out of his bullpen, compromising that just to hit a batter doesn't make any sense. Am I making any sense?

[snuffbox 0]

Some sense. But Turnbow has fucked up plenty of games lately that he started the 8th. And we've been lucky to even see an 8th inning lead as guys like Wise/Shouse/Linebrink/etc get off on their give-up-a-pile-of-7th-inning fetish on a consistent basis.

 

On paper the Brewers have a solid bullpen, when the guys take the ball its like they're invalids or something.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

I know this isn't "correct baseball" but I would've brought in Cordero in the eighth once Turnbow loaded the bases. It was clear he was useless. I don't know if the decision to leave him in was Sveum or Yost's, but it was stupid. Turnbow didn't have it, even though he did get one out.

 

Of course, it didn't help that the offense left like 10 or so guys stranded on base last night.

[snuffbox 0]

Cordero has proven he can go more than 3 outs many times this year. Why they wouldn't use tht option with a game on the line (a game that would cut the division deficit to one game) is beyond me.

[Guest Gym Class Fallout]

Cordero rots on the bench a LOT. I think I've been critical of Ned in the past for losing road games because he goes to Matt Wise and Brian Shouse before Cordero. Nothing wrong with challenging "correct baseball" sometimes.

 

As for whose call it was, I think Yost was texting Sveum instructions from the clubhouse. Maybe Yost shouldn't have been managing the rest of the game. Maybe he shouldn't be managing other games.

[snuffbox 0]

Yost does show great instinct quite often, though. A good example was his recent placing of Joe Dillon in the starting lineup for a game, a game that he won almost single-handedly. But, goddam, he makes some fucked up calls to the bullpen.

[Guest Gym Class Fallout]

Rank Team 2007 Payroll

1 Yankees $195,229,045

2 Red Sox $143,526,214

3 Mets $117,915,819

4 White Sox $109,680,167

5 Angels $109,251,333

6 Dodgers $108,704,524

7 Mariners $106,516,833

8 Cubs $99,937,000

9 Tigers $95,180,369

10 Orioles $95,107,807

11 Giants $90,469,056

12 Cardinals $90,286,823

13 Braves $89,492,685

14 Phillies $89,368,214

15 Astros $87,759,500

16 A's $79,938,369

17 Blue Jays $79,925,600

18 Brewers $71,986,500

19 Twins $71,439,500

20 Reds $69,154,980

21 Rangers $68,818,675

22 Royals $67,366,500

23 Indians $61,673,267

24 Padres $58,235,567

25 Rockies $54,424,000

26 D'backs $52,067,546

27 Pirates $38,604,500

28 Nationals $37,347,500

29 Marlins $30,507,000

30 Devil Rays $24,124,200

 

Teams in bold are either in the playoffs or close. (Braves are out, they can only force a 163rd at best.) The problem with baseball is that you have to spend money to win.

[Boon 0]

The problem with baseball is that you have to spend money to win.

You have to spend money somewhat wisely to win.

 

Out of the top fifteen, one-third of those teams are going to finish sub-.500.

[Guest Gym Class Fallout]

Yeah, I know, I was poking fun at the baseball stupid.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

Considering that the playoffs host 8 teams and the fact 5 out of the top 8 payrolls are in the playoffs (or is about to be in), it does ring somewhat true...

[Guest Gym Class Fallout]

But look what the Indians and Diamondbacks have done. It's all about smart spending (or just really really high spending, hi Red Sox). $100MM doesn't guarantee anything, so it's stupid to spend that much.