Major League Baseball '09

I was going to post in one of the other threads, but I know not everyone reads the fantasy threads.

Anyway, I watched the Giants home opener and I am excited this year. There is finally proof the Giants are on the upswing of a bad stretch. They still won't make the playoffs, but I can see them being very good 2-3 years from now when some of their top prospects have come up through the minors. Plus, the attitude of the team is youthful and fun. Especially guys like Lincecum, Brian Wilson (who looks like he has a mowhawk?), Pablo Sandoval and Emmanuel Burris. Mix in some quality veteran personalites like Rowand, Aurilia and Molina and I think it's going to be a fun year. It's such a drastic, and welcomed, change from the serious atmosphere of the Bonds era.

Anyway, talk about anything baseball here.

I agree with you, Blibble, that the Giants are one of the most fun teams to watch. They may not beready for the rigors of a major league season, but they are creating their own identity.

I caught some of the game too. We always get the MLB Extra Inning package, and have TV access to all the games. There's nothing more relaxing than listening to Vin Scully call a Dodger game at midnight.

That's how I feel about Jon Miller doing the radio games for the Giants. Everyone here would know him as Joe Morgan's partner for ESPN Sunday night games, but I'm lucky to hear him on the radio for all Giants games, except Sunday. Relaxing is the perfect way to describe it Kly.

In fact I've tried to explain that to my girlfriend before and she doesn't get it, mainly because she is not a sports fan. But I tell her sometimes I zone out and don't actually hear what they are saying, but the sound of great announcers voices that I've been listening to for years is very soothing and comforting. It makes me a happier person. Duane Kuiper has that same effect on me who has to be one of the best former athlete's turned play-by-play guys out there (as opposed to color commentators like most former athlete's).

i think that if the injury bug or choking bug doesnt chatch up to the cubs they could make it for a long play off run or hell even the world series.

My mom really loves listening on the radio, and she'll even choose that over TV sometimes. Our two new guys that took over when Milo Hamilton started doing only home games are funny and nice to listen to.

My favorite guys are our TV announcers, Bill Brown and Jim Deshaies, but it's that same feeling like you guys mention, where it's just soothing to listen to them talk. Especially in the long summer stretch, when we sometimes get into a bad funk and only the extreme baseball loyalists are paying any attention, it's fun to hear them chat about random trivia or just make corny jokes with each other. They'll point things out that make me remember why I love watching the game.

I met Jon Miller in Baltimore in 1996. That was the last of many years he was the Orioles play by play guy.

Harry Kalas has been calling Phillie games longer than I've been a fan. He has a rich, resonant voice that captures the excitement of a good game. He was paired with Whitey Ashburn, whom Philadelphians loved more than cheesesteaks, soft pretzels and jeering. During the Phillies' postseason run, I had to listen to their broadcast of the game. My favorite Kalas call was Schmidt's 500th homerun.

I bet DeShaies is entertaining. He was quite a character when he played. Relievers aren't wired the same way the rest of us are. Larry Andersen, one of the Phillies' color guys, was a wacky reliever, and he has a deadpan, caustic sense of humor. When he was told during a telecast early last year when Paul LoDuca was batting for the Nationals that Loduca couldn't understand why the Philly fans were booing him so lustily, Andersen dryly said, "If he has a free hour, I'd be happy to tell him."

Andersen sounds like an entertaining guy, too.

I wish I could've seen DeShaies pitch, but I enjoy hearing his stories about the guys he played with and some of his experiences.

There was another Astro reliever back then, named Charlie Kerfelds. He was a real character. He wore #37 and each contract he signed had a salary that ended with $37.37, and included 37 boxes of Jello.

Larry Andersen pitched for the Astros too. He is known in Houston as the guy the Astros traded to the Red Sox for minor leaguer, Jeff Bagwell.

I lived in Houston when Jim Deshaies pitched. In fact, I met him and Mike Scott while I was visiting my sister where she was working at Sharpstown mall (which, I hear, is either out-of-business or has become a real dump). Anyway, I didn't really meet them because I was too young and too shy to say anything, but my sister was able to get their autographs for me.

This is horrible. Anaheim Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart was killed in a car accident this morning. How tragic.

http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/a-clockwork-orange/angels-pitcher-nick-adenhart-k/

http://www.tmz.com/2009/04/09/angels-starting-pitcher-killed-after-ball-game/

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=...sp&c_id=mlb

was it last year that a cardinals pitcher was killed in a car accident?

What a tragedy! My goodness. How sad.

He was only 22, and one of the brightest prospects in baseball, probably the #1 pitching prospect. He had just pitched 6 scoreless innings that evening against the A's, and a few hours later he's killed by a hit and run driver, who ran a red light or stop sign.

There was a recent report that another Angels' player was with him. I hope this is untrueas two others in Adenhart's car were killed, and one is in intensive care.

This was already a bad day for baseball with Adenhart dying, but did you guys see the clip of Giants pitcher Joe Martinez taking a line drive off of his right temple? The ball bounced at an angle back towards the fence. It was almost a direct hit.

I haven't seen any updates on him. I know he was coherent, but the reports are that there was a lot of bleeding, even after he was taken away. What does it mean to get hit in the temple and his nose bleeds? That's scary...

I have to give credit to Mike Cameron, the hitter, who looked as shaken up as possible. After seeing the replay on Baseball Tonight, it looked like he might have been crying with his face in his hands. Rowand gave him a pat on the back.

I'm going on and on more than I probably need to, but this is one of my boys! I was working while it happened so I had it on the radio. I had to picture it in my head what happened, and seeing it replayed on the highlights was even more scary.

Sixty feet, six inches is a frighteningly short distance. I hope the pitcher is okay. Frankly (knock on wood), I've always been surprised this hasn't occurred more frequently. Mike Mussina took a scary shot about 12 years ago and Bryce Florie had a career changing line drive.

lets not forget matt clement who just retired this week...took a line drive in the head never regained his career. also too mark prior who didnt get hit in the head, but in the elbow and he was never the same anymore either.

Kerfelds must've really liked his Jello. And not been willing to buy it himself with his salary, I guess?

CS, that's a nice story...that was sweet of your sister to get the autographs. It's been a while since I've had a chance to stand near the field and try to get a player to sign a ball, but when I have, I always go blank and don't know what to say. I'll probably never get over that star-struck anxiety!

It was so sad to hear about Adenhart. I first found out when my mom saw the article online, and it hit me just as much when I heard it discussed on Sportscenter. I don't know if it's how young he was, that he'd just pitched such a great game, or maybe the entire situation for him, but it's just horrible...it seems so bad when it's a ballplayer because it's like it's one of "our guys." He had such a future ahead of him.

Here is a link to the video and article of Joe Martinez getting hit in the head by the pitch. Sound sound is sickening and the slow motion closeup is even scarier...

http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/news/...jsp&c_id=sf

The worst shot I ever saw was back in the mid 70's when I was a kid. Mets' pitcher and current Rockies pitching coach Bob Apodaca took a line drive right between the eyes. He was out of action for a few months. I don't know how it didn't kill him.

Tony Conigliaro. August, 1967. Boston Red Sox outfielder.

Tony C. was one of the most promising players in many years (at that point he was the youngest man to ever reach 100 career home runs) when he was hit in the eye by a pitch. He missed the rest of the '67 season (in which the Red Sox went on to win the pennant against 100-1 odds). He was able to come back and play a little after that and had two decent seasons but never fully regained his prowess and sadly retired for good a few years later (due to eyesight issues as a result of being hit).

The Little League style of batting helmut was adopted by many major leaguers after that incident (prior to that the batting helmuts didn't include the ear/eye flap).

Even sadder, he died in 1990, at age 45.

To this day, I say that the 1967 Red Sox outfield was the best I've EVER seen. Carl Yastrzemski, Reggie Smith and Tony Conigliaro. It just doesn't get any better.

I remember that too. I'm guessing it was 1976, and I think the batter was Johnny Oates.

A promising career was cut short. Similarly, Dickie Thon was becoming a star when he was hit in the eye by a Mike Torrez pitch in '83 or '84. He eventually came back, but was never the same.

It's two years before I was born, but don't forget Herb Score. In 1957 he was a VERY promising pitcher with the Indians until he caught a Gil McDougald line drive straight in the eye. He became so shell-shocked that he shifted his pitching motion to avoid a similar injury. He was never the same, but he went on to become a Hall of Fame announcer for the Indians for more than 30 years.

What happened to Tony Conigliaro after baseball was downright tragic. He suffered his first heart attack at 36 years old and had a severe stroke shortly thereafter, which left him pretty much a vegetable until his death at 45.

I remember that one too.

So the Astros started out today leaving six on base through the first three innings, and I'm thinking we might end up losing by just a run or two because of our missed opportunities.

But nooo...instead, Pujols ends up with 7 RBI, helping the Cards completely embarrass us with an 11-2 beatdown.

Oh yeah. Whine Alert.

I sure am glad there are 157 chances left to make up for this game!

Sorry, normally when I pick a player in fantasy baseball he doesn't come through... put somehow poo-hole did...

...and you are now my scapegoat!

C'mon, now... how many years already has it all been MY fault!!

I just get slightly bitter when you benefit from their misfortune.

If you're Mr. Good Luck now, why don't you pick my boys?!
...and then you'd probably jinx them, right?

I'll just say this: Miggy's on my draft team. 'nuf said.

Nuh-uh...I won't fall for that. The cute one or the controversial one?

The one who's 11/18 w/ 3 HRs -- the one most fantasize about (being on their team)

Jeez, I didn't even realize he was doing so well! Guess I'm not doing as much fantasy scouting as you obviously are.

And now that we're clear it's not my Mig, how again does this help the Astros? You might as well accept your role as DS (designated scapegoat).

Well, if your Mig is Tejada... I drafted him, too... but unfortunately he's been on my lifeless bench.

Then you will share in my suffering and joy, at least in regard to his performance. That's enough for me. I won't dub you DS, then.

I shouldn't visit this site with a fever anymore. I can hardly concentrate and I swear I copuldn't figure out why geoff would say Mignon was on his team.


You try to read that with a high fever and not come to the conclusion "My brain just scranmbled itself.."

Veteran Phillies' broadcaster, Harry Kalas, died in the booth today while preparing for the broadcast of today's Phillie game in D.C. The news hit me like a punch in the stomach. I had just posted about him in this thread as the play-by-play guy for as long as I can remember. It's very much like losing a friend.

He was inducted in the baseball hall of fame and was probably among the best known voices of the game. He was also the voice of NFL Films, replacing another legend, John Facenda, who had died in the early 19990s.

Regular programming in Philadelphia is interrupted with the news and a string of interviews and remembrances. The Phillie game starts soon, and it will be somber. He was an irreplaceable part of the organization, and was famous for singing, "High Hopes" throughout the pennant drives.

I met him 25 years ago when he was part of the Phillies Caravan that travelled to surrounding towns in the off-season. He had a guy take our picture, and that guy, the VP of public relations just got off the air reminiscing about the many great moments with Kalas...and even mentioned all the caravans.

He was 73.

another legend gone...

The passing of Harry Kalas is very sad for me too. The Phillies are by far my favorite sports team and I grew up with him calling every game. What makes this especially hard is the suddeness of it. It's not like he's been retired; he just did the Phillies game yesterday. In that way, his death is similar to another Philadelphia icon, Richie Ashburn. I was only 11 then, but the feeling of shock today is the same.

I think that it's great that the Phils won the World Series in his last season. That will make the memories of the 2008 season even more special to me.

I'll never forget his signature homerun call: "Swing and a long drive, watch this baby, outta here, homerun (player's name). My favorite name pronunciation that he did was "Mick-ey Mor-an-di-ni".

Watching my Phillies will never be the same.

This is so sad. I saw Fidrych pitch in the late '70s. He was fantastic for about a 5 year period but injuries did him in at an early age.

Former MLB pitcher Mark Fidrych dead at 54

(AP) - Former All-Star pitcher Mark "the Bird" Fidrych was found dead Monday in an apparent accident at his farm. He was 54.

Worcester County district attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. said a family friend found Fidrych about 2:30 p.m. Monday beneath a pickup truck at his Northborough, Mass., farm. He appeared to be working on the truck, Early said.

The colorful right-hander was the American League rookie of the year in 1976 when he went 19-9 with a 2.34 ERA. He spent all five of his major league seasons with the Detroit Tigers, compiling a 29-19 record and a 3.10 ERA.

His career was cut short by injuries.

Fidrych attempted a comeback in 1983 with the Boston Red Sox and went to their Triple A team in Pawtucket, R.I. But he never pitched in the majors after 1980 and retired in 1983.

The Worcester, Mass., native later owned a trucking business.

Fidrych acquired the nickname "the Bird" because of his resemblance to the Big Bird character on the Sesame Street television show. During games, he would bend down and groom the mound with his hands, appear to talk to the baseball and slap high fives with teammates in the middle of the diamond.


Tragic sports deaths Photos: Sadly, Mark Fidrych is only the most recent athlete to leave this world far too soon. We pause to reflect on other tragic and shocking sports deaths.
He started the 1976 All-Star game after opening the season with seven wins in eight decisions. He finished that season with 24 complete games.

But he tore knee cartilage during spring training the following year and was placed on the disabled list until May 24. He sustained a shoulder injury in July 1977 and ended up pitching in just 58 games during his major league career.

State police detectives are investigating the circumstances of his death, Early said.

Fidrych was one of the first true characters of the game that I remember. He burst into national prominence in his rookie year in '76. In addition to high-fiving teammates in the middle of innings , talking to the baseball and getting on his knees to hand groom the mound, I remember he had a fear of bees and gnats and would run from the mound if they hovered around him.

The Tigers of '76 were a bad baseball team, but when he pitched, there would be sell outs. Keep in mind that this was before ESPN and we'd only get to see a quick shot of him on the local sports report at 11pm. When he was pitching on the NBC Game of the Week, ratings hit the roof.

As the article states, after his rookie year, he never came close to a full season again in his career due to injuries. Those injuries cost baseball fans a lot. As far as his personality and showmanship go, he is without equal, and would probably be the biggest media sensation in baseball if he played today.

May the Bird rest in peace.

Yeah, Freddie, I know what you mean. I grew up when you can only catch most of the games on radio, and I'd sit or lie in bed with the radio listening to Kalas and Ashburn, two guys adored by Philadelphia as much, if not more than any player, who ever played in the city. When the new stadium was built, they named the bar overlooking left field after Kalas.

When the Phillies went to the World Series in 1980 there was such a huge outcry and protest against MLB's rule that local broadcasters can not do live telecasts of the World Series. Baseball changed that rule because of that.

My favorite call of his has to be the Scmidt 500th homer in Pittsburgh, which happened 22 years ago this week, I believe, but I'll remember Harry the K this way:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qTMYMBMy3g&feature=related

The Phillies postponed their championship visit to the White House today due to the death of Harry Kalas.

I'm sorry to hear about Harry Kalas . I only recently became familiar with him during the playoffs last year when I finally put the name and voice together, although I've heard of him and heard his highlights forever.

Is this going to be one of those years where the Florida Marlins go all the way to win a World Series, again? They are 11-2!

Florida teams deserve better fans.

The Marlins are probably the best run franchise in baseball. They don't make many, if not any, mistakes on talent. They operate on nickels and dimes, but stick to a plan. They were a tough team last year and will be a tougher team this year. Hanley Ramirez is the best shortstop in a division that probably has the 4 best shortstops in the game.

Lou's comments in the Met's thread made me think of this and I wanted to hear your opinions because I can't make up my mind.

Is sacrifice bunting really worth it to move a runner into scoring position? I hear arguments for both. I've always believed it was a smart thing to do, but I've been hearing more and more arguments that it's actually less productive to give up an out to move a runner up one base. Supposedly there is data to prove this, but I've never seen it or heard where to find it. Is there any proof one way or the other?

I don't really believe in sacrificing early in a game. But when you're down by a run in the bottom of the 9th, with men on first and 2nd and no outs, IMO it's a no-brainer. With 2nd and 3rd and 1 out, you can tie the game on an out, and you win the game with a single.

Yes. Ststistically, there is more than a 3X to 1 chance that a base hit will be a single rather than an extra base hit. Therefore, if you are going to rely on hits to score the lead-off guy from first (as opposed to sacrifices) you will in all likelihood require two hits (even a double with a runner on first doesn't score him slightly more than half the time).

Now with a successful sacrifice, you have a runner in scoring position with one out where a single will score him more than half the time. The chances of getting one hit with two outs to spare are greater than the chances of getting two hits with three outs to spare, generally speaking. Moreover, the sacrifice removes the risk of the double play. The sacrifice increases your chance of scoring a run in the inning, but decreases your chances of possibly scoring 3 or 4 in the inning.

Of course, the circumstances can offset the averages. It would not make sense to sacrifice your #3 or #4 hitter, who may be more likely to get an extra base hit than a single. Also, the sacrifice leaves a base open, allowing an opposing team to pitch around the next batte. In short teams want to avoid sacrificing a very good hitter, only to put the burden on a low hitter. Therefore, it makes most sense to sacrifice with the #8, #9 or #1 batters.

There was an obvious decrease in sacrifices (and hit & runs and stolen bases) in the 90s as the outrageous surge in homeruns, whether it be from smaller parks, expansion or steroids, had most of the teams looking for the big inning. Runners were basically instructed to cling to their bases and wait for a long ball. As a result, many of the fundamentals, like bunting, hitting behind the runner and base running and sliding have deteriorated, especially in the AL.

Blibble, a very good manager in the 70s, who hated sacrificing, was Earl Weaver, a true believer of the three run homer. He always said, "You only get 27 outs in a game. Why do I want to give away any of them.

First off, great post Kly, I intend to revisit this topic! But what's on my mind at the moment...

For the first time in my life I'm hoping the Dodgers continue their amazing home winning streak because the Giants are going to Los Angeles this weekend and I want to them to be the team to end the streak. With the way they have been pitching they've been winning or splitting every series lately, and it would be so satisfying for my team to go in the enemy territory and be the spoilers.

The Dodgers are the story of this season so far. They are the most balanced team in the league. The streak can't last forever. Good luck ending the streak, Blibble. Maybe Lincecum can cool them down.

You guys really jinxed the Marlins.

I hope I jinxed them. They're only a half game out of first. That's too close for me.

I'll put another jinx on them and maybe the Mets will catch them.

BREAKING NEWS

Manny Ramirez has been suspended 50 games for violating the league performance enhancing drug policy.

Looks like I jinxed the Dodgers too. And Jason Bay is looking better and better all the time.

Wow!

Well, good for MLB. It shows they're not afraid to suspend a big name ballplayer.

My reaction to the Manny Ramierez suspension is to quote Jerry Seinfeld:
"That's a shame."

Seriously, this might be the first thing in 15 years that Selig has done right.

Wade Boggs: What a fabric!

I only hope that Manny's tenure with Boston wasn't under the influence of these performance-enhancing drugs.

In the end, the Sox certainly would not have been the only team to win it all with drug/steroid abusers. The Yanks had Clemens, Justice, Giambi, and Petitte all under the steroid cloud, along with Darryl Strawberry's illegal drug taking. Half of the 1986 Mets championship roster was on coke, with the other half a bunch of drunks.

Article

Sucks to be him.

Zito and the Giants take game one away from Dodgers with ace Billingsley on the mound!

I hope this isn't a jinx, but this may be the best, or at least close, start to a season in Zito's career. Even during those great years in Oakland he struggled during the first month or so.

He'll never be worth the money he's being paid, but for a fourth starter, he'd been very good finally.

Zito was putting it together in the second half of last season. He's not the pitcher SF wanted, but he's able to give some quality innings.

That's been his problem the last couple of years. When the Giants are out of it, he starts pitching well. So to see him pitch great to start a season is encouraging. He is so cerebral, it's obvious the big contract and expectations messed with his head. But now that he's the fourth starter the pressure is off, and he seems to be thriving. We'll see how things continue.

The Giants took the series 2-1 against the Dodgers so I'm happy. It's the last time they play until August.

By the way, I'm sorry to everyone for being such a homer. I love my Giants and I hope it doesn't bug everyone. If I thought it would stimulate some discussion I would start a "How 'bout Them Giants" thread, but it would be just me talking to myself. Sometimes I wish I was a Yankee fan so I could be enthusiastic with a lot of other members here, or a Red Sox fan so I can cheer the Yankees failure along with SC.

So it goes for west coast baseball fans.

Interleague baseball coming up *yawn*

If it were up to me I would get rid of interleague play. I know that won't happen, but I enjoy the unbalanced schedule where teams play more games within their own division, which is good for rivalries. But interleague play takes away from the rest of the regular season. For example, the Giants were in Chicago to play the Cubs earlier for a two game series. And that's the only time the Giants visit Wrigley field all year... two games. But then the Giants have to play San Diego and Colorado for 18 games each, or whatever it is. No wonder the east and west coast teams are so foreign to one another.

It's interesting here because the Mets get to play the Yankees and Red Sox.
I can see where other parts of the country would not have any interest.

I agree with you, Blibble. I'm not too fond of interleague games as it detracts from and waters down the divisional races. But I accept it as a measure Baseball instituted to freshen its image. Some of the matches provide spectacle, like Chi v. Chi and NY v. NY.

I sound like a fogey, but I loved the consistency and symmetry of the two, six-team divisions where each team played its 5 division rivals 18 times, and its out of division teams 12 times each. Interleague play has always had a bit of an artificial quality to it, especially where NL teams use the DH in midseason.

Randy Johnson will be trying to win his 300th career win tonight against the Nationals. Have they been talking about it on ESPN at all? It seems like it's been fairly quiet even though it will be a huge achievement for a future hall of famer.

It will be quite an achievement, especially since no pitcher with a remote shot of three hundred wins is even halfway there yet. We may have to wait more than a decade to get the next 300 game winner. The five man rotation and a growing reliance on bullpens have made it more difficult in this era to get 300. I remember years when Wilbur Wood and Phil Niekro would win 20+ and lose 20+ games. They'd rack up more decisions than today's players get starts.

Jamie Moyer just won his 250th, but he's as old as Johnson. They went against each other in a game last year and it marked the oldest combined age of starting pitchers in a game in baseball history. I think it was 90 or 91.

The thing that is remarkable about Randy Johnson is that he was terribly inconsistent when he broke in the big leagues. His tenure with Montreal was not memorable and early time with Seattle was not great. He really did not start getting to be great until 1993. The Big Unit then went on an incredible stretch dominating MLB from 1994-2002.

To me, his biggest highlights were the ALDS performace against NY in 1995, the tiebreaker game vs. California in 1995, and the 2001 World Series. Johnson pitched in a blowout game in Game 6 of the World Series and stayed in too long, in my opinion. I thought they would need him for Game 7, which he did come in to relieve Schilling. Johnson threw 2 dominant innings and ended up as Co-MVP. Had Arizona lost that series, it would have been remembered for the blown saves by their closer, Kim, rather than being remembered for the Big Unit and Schilling.

The entire 2001 World Series was incredible. For New York, that series swept our imagination - President Bush throwing out the first pitch in Yankee Stadium, Jeter's amazing "Mr. November" home run, Soriano winning Game 5, the fans chanting for Paul O'Neill. It was an exciting and engaging series, and it distracted us from all else that was going on around us.

HBO did a special on that postseason and the incredible healing power that it had for NY. Try and catch it if they ever replay it.

I have a new favourite player. Rookie Phillies pitcher Antonio Bastardo!!

What an awesome name to strike fear into opponents

I'll have to look for that HBO special. Sounds very interesting.

I remember Soriano hitting the HR in the 8th inning off of Schilling and thinking that the Yanks had won it. It was a good pitch - low and away - yet it was still hit for a homer. You can't fault the pitcher - it was just a great hit. Then the Diamondbacks got a rally started, aided by an error and Luis Gonzalez hitting a very tough pitch from Rivera - after significantly choking up on the bat. That Game 7 was one of the best decisive games in the past 25 years.

Poor Randy Johnson. He has said he wants to get his 300th win out of the way so that it's not a distraction. So he finally gets the chance tonight and the game is delayed and finally postponed because of rain. He must have been going crazy during the delay wondering if he was going to pitch or not.

Tom Glavine was released by the Braves yesterday. With Smoltz on the DL, Glavine will be one of the last of the Braves dynasty (lacking in championships, but still a dynasty in my opinion.)

Smoltz is expected to come off the DL soon. He's my favorite player outside of Philadelphia, and I expect him to do well for the Red Sox.

With many teams looking for starting pitching, I bet Glavine finds a team willing to give him a shot.

This was an interesting list to go through...

A list of the #1 draft pick in baseball in the last 25 years...

i wonder if the cubs could be interested...there was talk about schilling wanting to play for the cubs and tampa bay, but yea.

I wonder how things would work if baseball went to 20 teams, with the remaining 10 being in a separate league. Then you have something like in the English Premier League where, at the end of the season, the bottom three teams are relegated and the top three teams in the league below are promoted. I wonder if that would encourage teams like the Pirates to try harder to put better teams on the field.

It won't ever happen, but it's fun to think about. I would love to see that.

I'd say about 10 out of the 25 have/had average or better MLB careers (or in the case of guys like Hamilton and Price, show great promise).

40% success rate among those 1st pick is a lot better than I had expected. It seems though that position players in the 1st slot succeed considerably more often than pitchers.

I heard a stat the other day on ESPN that say something like no pitcher taken in the 1st pick in the last X number of years has won a Cy Young. I believe it.

Nothing would encourage the Pirates. They are the saddest story in the league. It's a shame, because PNC park is beautiful, and the franchise produces good players, but they trade them away for younger (read: cheaper) talent. Their owner sucks balls.

Believe me, as a Buffalo Bills/Sabres fan, I know how that works. Owners who have the cash to spend but refuse to do so because they're only interested in turning profits? Yeah. It blows to be a fan of those teams.

I think relegation would be a great idea. I think all sports should implement it. Imagine not having to waste your time on a Kings-Clippers game...

just wondering here what is the royal's record?

Zack Grienke.

I usually don't care about interleague games, but A's fans have been throwing some fuel onto the Giants/A's rivalry this past week by saying Vin Mazzaro is going to be as good as Lincecum, and he may very well be someday. But tonight watching the two youngsters face each other was fun, especially because Lincecum pitched a complete game shutout against Oakland. It's always nice to see A's fans boast and then have it shoved down their throats.

300 home runs for Lance Berkman! And 2,000 hits for Tejada, in the same game. AND we won, thank goodness.

well sosa has been tested positive of steroids in '03, and i am saddend since this man was a fan favorite of mine when he was with the cubs. well now it is a fact, and i am not totally shocked of the news...lets see who the remaining people of the '03 tests.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4264062

Do you guys think we are finally seeing results in baseball with drug testing going on? I heard an interview with Mike Krukow who said when he pitched, he would take greenies because they were legal. I didn't know what greenies were, and Krukow said that there were days when his arm hurt so bad that he couldn't hold his arm up above his head, but after taking greenies which would mask the pain, he could go out and pitch normally.

The focus has always been on steroids, but now that greenies as well as other drugs are illegal there is a huge youth movement in all of baseaball beacause older players can't play through the pain without cheating like they used to.

If you look around all of baseball there is a ton of young talent coming up that may not have had a chance before, and the playing field seems to be leveling out. There are only a couple of teams that are dominant while the rest of the teams are fairly equal. As of two days ago the Giants had the sixth best record in the majors, which seems ridiculous after years past. But with the MLB cracking down on cheating it makes sense that all of the teams who were benefiting the most from older sluggers who were cheating are now brought down to a realistic level.

I'm not sure if I've explained my point well enough, but basically it's nice to see a more pure form of baseball being played with more teams having a chance to compete.

John Smoltz makes his debut with the Red Sox tonight.

Goombah -

Have you been hearing any rumors in Cleveland about trades? From what I keep hearing, the Indians are in sell mode. And it makes me excited to hear that the Giants had scouts at the Indians/White Sox series scouting Jermaine Dye and Victor Martinez. Either of those guys makes me excited to think they could be in a Giants uniform.

Have you, or anyone else, heard anything possibly involving the Giants?

I would be shocked if the Indians trade Victor Martinez. Jermaine Dye is a logical move for the Indians. He can probably be acquired for mid-level prospects.

I think the Giants should go after Adam Dunn in Washington. He'd add a big left handed punch in the SF lineup.

You must be pretty excited about the Giants, Blibble. Their pitching is excellent, and they would be a dangerous playoff team, especially with a couple of more hitters. If I could pick one pitcher to start a staff, it would be Lincecum.

I have heard they are moving pieces, but have not heard Victor Martinez. I read that it would be guys with 1-2 year contracts, like DeRosa (who has already been traded), Pavano, Betancourt, and Carroll. Like Klydon, I would be stunned if Victor was traded.

I am excited! And I agree about Lincecum. It's hard to believe he could continue to improve, but he's been doing it. He has thrown 3 complete games in his last 4 starts, and the last two he did it on 108 pitches, and then on 95 pitches. And he is still racking up the K's! It's incredible how efficient and dangerous he has become. I just hope this guy doesn't get injured because I think he's going to continue to have a great career. He has power right now, but he is also smart and has the accuracy to pitch a long time, even after he starts losing velocity.

And as far as the trade rumors with the Indians and White Sox, Giants GM Brian Sabean said neither of those were possibilities, and I believe him because he never even gives hints as to what the Giants are thinking normally.

Gina -

Here we go! Astros vs. Giants! You know I love you but this is the only time I hope you are miserable for three days .

I hope I didn't just jinx the Giants...

i hope the giants kick the astros ass...hey blib do you know if the giants are meeting against the cardnals or brewers this month?

They just finished a road trip against them both. They went 1-2 against the Brewers and 2-2 against the Cards.

Ouch...harsh! Or a diehard fan, I guess! I can't criticize you for that.

But...yeah, be careful there, you came really close to jinxing your guys tonight.

Like I said in PM, I feel bad now . I didn't want it to be a blow out... 13-0... ouch. I was hoping for a close game.

Does everybody think the fans did a good job selecting the All-Star teams? I thought it was pretty darn good. Josh Hamilton probably shouldn't have been elected, but whaty can you do?

i have something to complain about derek lee not get a back up spot pissed me off...i was mad that sorino didnt get in, but he is kinda banged up so yea he needs the rest.

Everybody vote for Pablo Sandoval for the final spot!!

who the hell is he blib?

He's "The Kung Fu Panda"! He's been the Giants most valuable hitter and in only his first full season. He's like Vladmir Guererro in Benge Molina's body. He hits anything, including balls that bounce in front of the plate. He's got such a great personality as well, like he's a kid playing ball in the neighborhood empty lot.

It might take a year or two before fans around baseball find out how special he is, but he's a fan favorite in San Francisco. He's the kind of guy who could come into the All-Star game late for one at bat and drive in the winning run. People will know him then. That's my prediction if he makes the team.

Unfortunately for Lee, the NL is stacked with power hitting firstbasemen. Manuel took three reserve firstbasemen (Fielder, Howard and Gonzalez), and I'm willing to bet that Pujols plays the whole game. The others will likely be there to pinch hit.

Also, one of the perks of being the all-star mgr. is to get your own on the roster. Manuel's selection of Howard keeps the big fella happy in the second half of the season. Plus, Howard is from St. Louis, and it will be nice for him to play in the game in his home town.

I love Sandoval, and he is very deserving, but to Hell with him.

I'm passing up the Kung Fu Panda for the Flyin' Hawaiian, Shayne Victorino.

Sandoval hit a grand slam tonight.

Well, I need to make sure I vote more times than you do Klyd, to cancel out all your votes .

does it matter? the nl will lose again for what the 13th straight year.

Victorino had four hits, five runs, a homer and 4 rbis to eek out a 22-1 win against the Reds and Johnny Cueto.

Sandoval is leading right now. I better get busy to match your votes, blib.

Who is your AL choice? I'm going with Lind.

I've been voting for Kinsler, but I think Lind is deserving too.

Well done...but is that Pedro for Martinez or Feliz?

why the hell isnt derek lee not in it?

Read what Kly said above Bam.

okay didnt see that, but yea since tbs just put infield done by there name i couldnt tell who was playing at where position. well idk doesnt matter as much anyway...world series is the main game here.

and do you know what's better? both of them are on my Yahoo! Fanrtasy team. them and Chase Utley and Jayson Werth. and just for the record, oh my god, my team is on fire!

PS: of course that will work as another massive jinx. poor guys Javier Vazquez, Josh Beckett and Justin Verlander, who are starting tomorrow and don't even know what hunts them.

hey tony can you jinx geoffs team as well...i need as much help as i can get lol

The pressure remains on the NL. I remember the 70s and early 80s when the slow-footed AL couldn't buy a win. The AL streak, interrupted only by an unfortunate tie, has been equally impressive. But I'm picking the NL for a couple of reasons.

First, the fading away of PEDs has brought a little stability and equilibrium to the game. While both leagues bear the stigma of steroids, the AL with the DH has emphasized the long ball and high paid homerun sluggers a bit more than the NL, resulting in a power advantage. The AL always came to this game in the past 15 years with a decided power edge. Not so this year.

More importantly, the NL roster seems to have deeper and better left handed hitting. Both teams have only two lefty pitchers each: the NL with Santana and Lily and the AL with Buehrle and Fuentes. I like the NL lefties over the AL counterparts. I think if the game is tied or close late, it will be decided by a left handed hitter facing a right handed pitcher. Of course, someone like Rivera is about as effective against lefties as righties. But I'm going to be very interested in how both managers work to create good matchups throughout the game while trying to keep a lefty available late. Anyway, I think the game will be determined late by a left handed hitter. I'll take a stab and guess Prince Fielder.

I think the fans did a pretty decent job, save for Hamilton.

Soriano as an all-star, BAM? Really?

DB i think it is the better soriano is out of the all star game this year since his knee is banged up, and he needs that to heal up. if i heard right he was behind beltran when he was voted in, but he is injured right now.

Kly, congrats on getting Victorino into the All-Star game. I thought Sandoval had a chance until I heard someone point out that the entire state of Hawaii is rabid about anyone famous who comes from there. So I had a feeling there would be no way that San Francisco could compete against Philadelphia and Hawaii.

Hopefully Sandoval still gets a chance to make the team because of Beltran's injury.

I just tried to use baseball-reference.com to compare the two but I can't figure out how to use that site. It looks awesome, but I can't get it! Basically Sandoval has better stats than Victorino in every major category except stolen bases. I hate how the all-star system works with it being a popularity contest and people who have no job or life can sit and vote 5,000 times. Oh well.

Thanks, blib. I'd bet Sandoval makes an All-Star game soon. Victorino had a couple things going for him. First, name recognition was key. While fans use a myriad of reasons to elect all-stars, they ternd to favor people they know, and Victorino had a few big post season moments last year.

Also, there was a big campaign in Philly. This past series the stadium was filled with "Vote for Shane" t-shirts, Chan Ho Park stood on busy streets with a sign for Victorino, and the mayor of Philadelphia went door to door with Victorino for some laughs. And as you mentioned, Hawaii loves him.

I thought he was a great pick for this team as he will probably be the best defensive outfielder. He's a good hitter with a lot of speed. Now we Phillie fans are getting greedy and looking for Werth to replace Beltran. I don't think Charlie will do it though.

it's not like he isn't killing the ball. and he's on my fantasy team too! send him in!

Nick Johnson as John Candy's lookalike...who's with me?!



It's not just the moustache - his eyes are similar, too!

Wow, no-hitter!! I just "saw" the last out on Gameday at MLB's site, and now I'm watching it live on ESPN...how cool is that?!

Congrats to BL's guy, Jonathan Sanchez!

SANCHEZ!!!! The first Giants no-hitter in my lifetime!!! My throat hurts from cheering so loud.. I think I scared the crap out my whole family, but I've been waiting for a Giants no-hitter my whole life!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh my goodness, they just showed the 2nd out of the ninth with that great catch by Rowand...that must've been scary!

I'm so glad you got to see that, BL.

I'm still trying to figure out why his Dad was in attendance. Sanchez is from Puerto Rico, so it's not like his father is able to come to a lot of games. I can't imagine how proud he is to be at a game where his son throws a no-hitter.

Not to mention, Sanchez has never even thrown a complete game in his young career, so to make his first a no-no is so exciting!

Ironically, there was a lot of talk on the local sports radio today about Lincecum, and when will he throw a no-hitter, because he didn't give up a hit until the 7th last night. Nobody would have guessed that Sanchez, who had been temporarily demoted to the bullpen because of his recent struggles, would come on this strong.

My family is giving me a lot of "rolling-eyes" because they don't understand how important this is to me, but I don't care. I'm on cloud nine!

too bad he couldnt get a perfect game...but yea he did a great job, and idk maybe now the giants can get a decent bat for there line up (i just hope the giants kick the dodgers ass)

You got your greedy wish . Charlie Manuel is going to hear from Giants fans when the Phillies come to town at the end of July. To put it nicely, he's a whore.

I'm not saying Werth doesn't deserve to be there, but Sandoval not being on a team where he is better than a lot of the guys is a shame. Sandoval is so cool about it though, at least on the outside. But you can tell he's mad because he's been taking it out on the baseball since getting snubbed.

There are only two 3B's on the team, David Wright and Ryan Zimmerman, and Sandoval's numbers are better than both. . Not to mention the Giants have the second best record in the NL and only have two players on the team.

I know it's just a meaningless game, but it's hard not to take feel bad for Sandoval. The whole system is screwed up with the voting and all.

Sorry I'm late to the party, but that was a heck of a pitched game for Sanchez. While I was watching the highlights, I was getting pumped up. I could see that BL was just a little bit more excited than I was.

That was nice. The Phillies got their entire outfield on the All-Star team. Yeah, the Giants' fans are upset, but such are the perks when you get to the World Series. I think the goodwill Manuel solidified with his starting rightfielder will outweigh the wrath of Giants' fans.

Anyway, SF had two chances to vote their guy into the game, and Sandoval is young and will get his chances.

By the way, great news on the no hitter. I remember Montefusco's back in '76. There is nothing as exciting as watching a no hitter unfold late in a game.

I hear the Giants are trying to trade Barry Zito. Who in their right mind is going to give something up for him, and/or take on any part of that contract?

the nationals might go for that...other wise i dont see any other team. if he does get traded then blib will be happy.

When people say a player is "untradeable" it means because they are a star, or a top prospect projected to be a star. Zito is untradeable because he stinks and is getting more money than all but two or three pitchers in baseball. It's a very sore subject for Giants fans, especially because his contract pays more money each year for the next four years after this season.

Where did you hear the rumor JL? There have been a ton of rumors today that I've been trying to ignore because the internet is so unreliable. The latest rumors are saying the Giants might trade for Roy Halladay and Alex Rios. I have to try not to wet myself thinking about that one because it's just a rumor and I'll be depressed when it doesn't happen.

It was an ESPN "Insider" story, so I couldn't read the details.

PTI also talked about it...maybe the pirates will trade for zito.

Zito makes more money than the Pirates entire 25 man roster.

one cool thing to do in the middle of the season is to hand out the 1st half awards. I won't go into detail about the Rookie of the year award, first because it is such a meaningless award in baseball and second because I don't know much about it. who would that be? David Price and Andrew McCutchen? something like that...

AL Cy Young Award - Zack Greinke

he came back from a weird mental disease to pitch like Sandy Koufax for a few starts in a row. the best way to understand how great he was in that strech is trying to get how he's still 10-5 for a terrible Royals team and has a 2.12 ERA even though he's 2-4 with a 4-plus ERA in the past 2 months.

AL MVP Award - Joe Mauer

the Twins hometown hero has a crazy stat line in which he's chasing Ted Williams' .400 BA and has already topped his highest HR total in a season with half the at bats. odds are that he has to cool down but if he finishes with a 20+ HR, .350 BA I still say he's a monster.

NL Cy Young Award - Tim Lincecum

Dan Haren deserves serious consideration but I consider Lincecum more dominant. the reigning Cy Young Winner will single handedly keep the Gians in contention his whole career if he don't break down or don't sign iwth the Yankees and become a choking prima-donna.

NL MVP Award - Albert Pujols

that's it. one of the greatest hitters of all time.

That has to be some nobody blogger starting a rumor. People were joking all day today on talk radio about getting rid of Zito, so I wouldn't be surprised of someone heard the talks and took them seriously, and next thing you know ESPN is reporting it.

People were jokingly suggesting that the Giants trade Zito to the A's for the territorial rights to San Jose so that the A's can pursue a new stadium there . It would never happen, but that's how desperate people are to get rid of Zito and his contract.

hey blib maybe the cubs could trade for zito...giants send zito to the cubs and the cubs send garbage...sounds fair to me lol

Quite a feat for Ryan Howard - Quickest player to 200 HRs in terms of number of games played.

He broke Ralph Kiner's record - pretty good company.

It's too bad that Howard started so late. By this age (29) ARod already had about 400 homers.

howard's 29? man i thought he was younger than that.

Howard has been a homerun machine since the Phillies brought him up. He didn't start his career until he was 25 because the Phillies had Jim Thome at the time. He didn't just break the record for the fewest games to 200 - he shattered it. And it's not the ballpark. He hits about as many on the road as home.

I remember Philadelphia sports talk radio, which regularly crucifies the Philly pro teams, lambasting Phillies m,anagement for not going ahead with the deal that would have sent Howard to Pittsburgh for pitcher Kris Benson. They claimed that minor league firstbasemen are a dime a dozen and how can you pass on proven talent like Benson.

Anyway, Howard has had his best games after the all-star break and has a history of getting red hot in September. I'll take the strikeouts because he is one of the most productive hitters of the decade.

Howard must be racking up strikeouts on a record pace as well. I like Howard though.

i am just saying this, but ryan howard is baseball's brett favre

In what way?

basically i am getting at the strikeouts howard makes to favres interceptions which breaks records.

What do you guys think about Matt Holliday going to the Cardinals? I think they and the Phillies are the favorite now to get to the World Series.

it may pay off for the cardinals we just have to see...personally i hope they fall on there faces. the phillies is probably the second best behind the dodgers (the giants are third).

I wouldn't say the Giants are third. They have been playing over their heads this year, but have stumbled since the all star break. I would love to think they are good, but their offense is still horrible. The only reason they are tied for the wild card is because they have pitching coming out of their ears. Pablo Sandoval is awesome, after that you just hope someone comes through each night. I think the Cardinals are awesome with their pitching staff as well as a really good offense with Pujols and Holliday as their center pieces. I'm sorry to say that BAM. I know you hate the Cards, but it's just like you telling me the Dodgers are better than the Giants. I agree... unfortunately.

i know i know they probably will win the series, and it wont surprise me...what would surprise me is the the cubs coming back (7-2 since the all-star break, and the offence is starting to turn around).

hey blib who is competing against the giants for the wild card?

Colorado right now, but there are several teams 2-4 games back so it could be anyone by the end of the season.

yea i know the cubs are one of them.

Holliday will help the Cardinals' lineup and decrease the number of intentional and unintentional walks to Pujols.

I'm waiting for Halladay to get dealt. The price Toronto is asking is very steep, and I think the will eventually be willing to part with both Happ and Drabeck, but substitute another prospect for Dominic Brown in a potential deal.

I can't imagine Toronto allowing him to stay in the AL, so I'm thinking your boys in Philly have the advantage over NY. Also, I heard that the Blue Jays fans started a petition, threatening to boycott the stadium if he's dealt to the Yankees.

ill be happy if its the phillies, and not cardinals or brewers.

Toronto would be reluctant to trade him to a division rival, but I hear the Red Sox are putting together an impressive package to get him.

Off topic: I'm guessing Omar Minaya will be fired as Mets' GM by the end of the weekend. What a bizarre situation. I hope he's bounced at 2 am on the West Coast as he did to Willie Randolph.

That was so disgusting, what they did to Willie. However, he's home at his McMansion in Franklin Lakes, NJ (home of that NJ Housewives show on Bravo), collecting his millions, appearing at Yankee Stadium, and laughing his a** off! And more power to him!!!

Well, congrats to your Phillies for getting Lee. After losing Santana to the Mets (one of the biggest boneheaded moves in baseball), I can't see the Yankees letting Halladay go to Boston. It would be a HUGE mistake.

The New York Times is reporting that both David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez are on the list of players who tested positively for performance enhancing drugs in 2003.

I'm not TOTALLY shocked but I am disappointed.

i am dissapointed as well, and i wonder if pujols is on the list as well. hopefully not, but right now they need to show the rest of the list because this thing will continue on.

Kly, will you be watching any of the Phillies/Giants games the next four days? I know these games on the west coast are late for you. I'm dreading these games. The Giants have been hit with the injury bug, and the Phillies are such a good team. With the addition of Cliff Lee, your team scares me! I'm hoping the Giants can win at least one of the four.

The Cliff Lee deal was a major coup for the Phils. The fact that they didn't have to trade any of the players that the Jays wanted was huge. They got the reigning Cy Young winner, and didn't have to trade their top 3 prospects (plus JA Happ). Now Drabek can go into the rotation next year, and Dom Brown and Mike Taylor can replace Werth and Ibanez when their contracts are up.

And I'm really looking forward to seeing Pedro Martinez pitch, maybe as soon as next week. At least from what I'm reading, he is healthy for the first time in 3 years and is very motivated to prove he still has something left. I'm hoping he can rekindle some of that Pedro magic for the next 3 months.

With the news of Ortiz and Ramirez on steroids, I wouldn't be surprised if Pedro was apart of that roids team. Why did he suddenly break down? It's typical of players who abuse steroids. Eventually their bodies can't handle the enhancement and they start to have other health issues.

Ask him who his Daddy is!

I hope he does well. There were a lot of people who were pissed when he went to the Mets and not the Yankees, but it would have been a big mistake for him to try to fit in at Yankee Stadium. He never would have survived the heckling. It turned out to be a good thing re: his health, but that certainly wasn't my concern at the time.

You bet I'm watching. Tonight Lee makes his Phillies debut, and I'm hoping the team gets him a lot of early runs. Giants looked good yesterday, and they didn't even pitch Lincecum or Cain.

I enjoy the west coast games, especially on weekends. With start times at 10:15 pm it's a relaxing time to see a game. I cut up a watermelon and put it in the fridge and my daughter and I will eat it during the game.

i hear that lee and licuem will be pitching on saturday...if thats a case then this will be a rare sight of reiging cy youngs facing each other.

Lee is pitching right now against the Giants and look awesome. The Giants had a rookie going, Sadowski. It looks like this will probably be his last start as a Giant, for this year anyway. Lincecum pitches tomorrow.

The Phillies are definitely the best team in the NL. They have such an incredible offense, plus good pitching, especially with the addition of Lee.

Goombah mentioned Garko as being a "mediocre-at-best" hitter. Giants fans are happy to have him. That just shows how bad the Giants offense is .



That sounds like a great thing Kly, and something I'm sure your daughter will think about the rest of her life. Eating watermelon late at night with Dad and watching a ball game. Very special!

The Giants were the better team last weekend, blibble. Lincecum is establishing himself as the gold standard of pitching.

Texas, Baltimore and Pittsburgh have some incredible minor league talent right now.

One of the more overlooked tradeline deals was George Sherrill going to the Dodgers. He's a lefty reliever, who has incredibly good success getting lefties out. I'm sure the Dodgers were thinking about Utley, Howard and Ibanez, as well as turning around Rollins and Victorino in a possible post season matchup.

I like the Cardinals to outlast the Cubs in the NL Central. Carpenter, Wainright and Piniero are the best trio of starters in that division.

It is officially time for teams to start looking at wild card standings.

The Phillies have opened up the biggest division lead in baseball, but they are facing an interesting decision soon. Pedro Martinez struck out 11 in his AA outing, and reportedly is showing better velocity and command than he had in years. He's certainly not the pitcher he was 10 years ago, but he'll be joining the rotation withinin a a week or two. The Phillies are hoping he can give a good 6 innings each start.

However, the Phillies current rotation has Lee and Hamels, who won't be touched, Blanton, who is perhaps their most effective starter since July 1, Moyer, who, despite an ERA over 5, leads the team in wins, and the rookie J Happ, who is actually having the best season of all of them.

My guess is that Lee and Hamels will continue to pitch within a five man rotation framework with the four others getting regular work. The Phillies have only 2 off days in September and a couple of double headers. Also, they probably are thinking about Happ's innings as this is his first full year of MLB.

If the Phils hold on and make the postseason, I'm guessing their 4 man rotation will be Hamels, Lee, Blanton and Moyer.

I saw a film clip of Kevin Youkilis charging the mound and tackling the pitcher after getting plunked by a pitch.

I have a sudden desire to reply to all of Blibble's Farmville requests on Facebook.

That's FarmTOWN, not that cartoony FarmVille ripoff

I don't blame Youkilis for getting steamed, but it's going to cost him. Usually after a guy charges the mound, he doesn't get buzzed as much by opposing pitchers.

Pedro takes the mound in less than an hour. Moyer was sent to the bullpen, pending the Pedro experiment. He's far from thrilled about it, but that's baseball. I think Moyer will find his way in the rotation again somehow.

TRIVIA TIME

1. Chuck Finley of the Angels performed this feat three times in his career. No other major league pitcher did it more than once. What is the feat?

2. Bob Meusel is not one of the most celebrated Yankees, but he has done this on the field more times in his career than anyone else in baseball history. What is it?

3. Hall of Famers Rickey Henderson, Nellie Fox and Pud Galvin, have this in common with present players, Hideki Okajima and Willy Taveras. What is it?

The following is a complete list of Hall of Famers that share something in common: Ernie Banks, Rogers Hornsby, Eddie Matthews, Joe Morgan, Frank Robinson, Nolan Ryan, Tris Speaker and Ross Youngs. What is it?

They're all in the Hall of Fame!!!

All Texans.

Struck out 4 men in one inning.

SC nailed the first and last ones. That last list is all 8 Texans in the Hall and Finley is the only guy to strike out 4 in an inning multiple times.

Bob Meusel's feat was hitting for the cycle 3 times. About twenty guys have done it twice but Meusel did it three times.

The answer to #3 is that all of these guys were born on Christmas day.

Quite a feat! That Murderer's Row lineup was unbelievable... a fact like this would have ordinarily been REALLY known but it's lost in that lineup. I'm surprised that Gehrig didn't do it more often.

Technically, my answer was also correct.

I know.

By the way, out of curiosity, what Hall of famers in the last question made you get the Texan question right

I hate to admit it but I never heard of Ross Youngs before. I read a Wikipedia article on him and noticed he was from Texas. Seeing some of the other players didn't help me.... I cheated and typed all the names in a Google lookup and a website for Texas ballplayers came up.

Good trivia question!

Anyone see the video of David Wright getting hit in the head by a pitch?? GEEZ!

Is that the pitch from Matt Cain? I was listening on the radio and I'm sure it wasn't intentional. Cain isn't the type of pitcher to go after guys like that. Especially with a guy on first and no outs. I know New York fans were pissed and booing like crazy, but there's no way it was intentional. I hope there's no bad blood in the next two games.

It happens. I'm sure it wasn't intentional - not a head shot. If he had gotten hit in the leg or arm, maybe, but I can't believe any pitcher would go for someone's head.

that's an amazing feat too. I believe there's some kind of reasoning behind it, no? did Finley had a great strikeout pitch that used to bounce off the catcher's glove or did this happen out of sheer luck?



I know SC has mentioned his story a few times and one of these days I just ran across this article about Tony Conigliaro of the 1967 Red Sox who took a Jack Hamilton pitch into his eye and almost got blinded. that's a great article, written by Tony C himself.

I'm sure SC can provide the details again but thing is Conigliaro was never the same player again. we can only hope that doesn't happen to Wright.

a few days ago wright complained about the looks of the new helmet that can take a 100 mph fastball, and that he wont wear it. well now hopefully he learns that looks doesn't matter, and his playing career does.

To be fair, Bud Selig should get his shit together and stop the beaning. People have been killed from baseballs to the head. I'm not saying Cain intentionally threw at Wright, but look at the Red Socks/Texas game...the same thing could've happened to Ian Kinsler. They Socks threw everything but the kitchen sink at that kids head.

Thankfully, Kinsler handled himself with some incredible decorum, instead of running at the mound and getting dumped by Rick Porcello ala Kevin Youkilis.

Maybe his catcher couldn't catch.




Good article; thanks for posting it, TM!

Tony C. was part of the greatest outfield to ever play for one team at the same time (along with Carl Yastrzemski and Reggie Smith). He missed the entire 1968 season but played in '69 and '70 and had FAIRLY decent years although he never regained his full composure and his eyesight problems caused his permanent retirement a few years later. Very sadly, he suffered a heart attack and stroke that left him a vegetable for the last eight years of his life. He died in the early '90s at age 45.

damn that's even worse than the beaning. I feel sorry for him

also in SI.com there's another article about the guy from the Cubs who got beaned by the first pitch he ever saw in the majors and still hasn't came back.

More trivia, SC:

David Ortiz is the only player to do this 3 times. It's been done in MLB about 103 times. The players, who did it twice are Paul Blair, Bernie Williams, Goose Gossage, Alfonso Soriano and Edgar Renteria. It was not done in 2008, but had been done every year from 1995 to 2007. It remains to be seen whether it's done in 2009.

I guarantee you if I name certain players in the 90s, 70s and 60s, who did it once, you'd get it in a heartbeat. What is the feat?

I'd guess it has something to do with post-season play but I give up.

Your instincts are spot on. Before I tell you the answer, the following list of a couple of HOF players, who've done it once, will steer you to the answer:Ozzie Smith, Kirby Puckett, Carlton Fisk and Johnny Bench.

Game winning home runs in the post-season?

I'll give you credit. It's walk-off post-season hits.

Blibble, that was a heartbreaking loss for the Giants the other night. I watched thathat game til the 12th inning before I fell asleep.

Lidge blew another save last night. He was the primary strength of the Phillies last year; now he is their biggest question mark. Brett Myers, who had what was thought to be a season ending hip injury, has been throwing the past few weeks in simulated games. His velocity is back in the mid-90s, and I'm betting he's going to replace Lidge as the closer very soon.

I'm still getting over that one... That was the most gut wrenching regular season loss I've ever seen.

The Giants offense is making me want to rip my beard off! It's so frustrating to watch the pitching staff hold the the best offense in the NL to only three runs in three games, and only walk away with one win!

Kly, your lucky to have such a great team to root for. I can only dream... if the Giants had just one of your big sluggers batting behind Sandoval they might be battling the Dodgers for first. If they had Utley, Howard and Werth... goodnight!

This pitching staff is going to waste and it's a shame. I just hope the Giants can improve their offense significantly in the next year or two before it's too late.

I've been following the SF-PHI games too, BL and you're right, there have been some fantastically pitched games gone to waste.

It is a potent offense, but they've been down the past week or so, except for Howard, who is making a name for himself as one of the the best Aug./Sep. players in history. The offense is high risk/high reward. Theyget a lot of homers by the long ball and they hit as many on the road as they do at home. They are not, however, one of the better teams at getting runners in from third with one out or less.

Where have all the playoff races gone? The media are trying to get excited about the Twins, but they are still 4 1/2 back. The only race may be the NL wild card and the Rockies got a big win last night to go 3 1/2 up.

You might as well start the playoffs this Tuesday and avoid as much of the cold, wet weather as possible.

I mostly agree with you Kly, but I wouldn't count out the Twins or the Giants. Yesterday I was bummed and figured the Giants are done, but all it takes is one night like tonight when they beat the Dodgers combined with a Rockies loss and I get all my hope back again. I can't help but think this whole year has been a big tease though. I'm pulling my hair out on a nightly basis. I haven't been this excited about my team in years!

Okay, season is over for the Giants, but the twins are only 2.5 games out.

Either way, I'll be rooting for either the Tigers or Twins in the AL, only because I used to like both of those teams as a kid, thanks to baseball cards.

In the NL, I think the Dodgers are the weakest team. Not because I want them to be, but they have issues in their rotation and the Phillies are better offensively and at least equal or better at pitching. I think the Cardinals are the team to beat, but those darn Rockies are a pain in everyone's side for a long time now so I wouldn't be surprised to see them do well. They have a VERY underrated team, especially their starting rotation.

Giants had a very good run, Blibble. They were definitely a fun team to watch. I think the best scenario for the Phillies to repeat would to take an opposite route to last year's run where their bullpen was superb. They will look to Lee and Hamels to go very deep into the game with Pedro and Blanton also pitching more than was expected. Their lefthanded relief pitchers are injured, and if they're not ready, Moyer and Happ will be mid-relief.

By the way, if the races end up with the present leaders, 7 of the top 9 payrolls will be represented in the playoffs. Surprise, surprise.

I think the Dodgers are pretty dangerous even though they have more questions in their starting rotation than the other division leaders. Yes, St. Louis has to be the team to beat, and the way to (try to) beat them is to take Pujols out of the game the way teams tried to do against Bonds. Thus if Holliday has a "good" postseason, he can end up having a "dreat" postseason.

In the AL the Yankees have to be slight favorites as they will likely start with the Tigers, or possibly the Twins. The AL Central was very weak, probably the worst division in baseball. The Angels do well against the Yankees, and the Red Sox have a deeper and more solid rotation than the Yankees, so the AL championship should be interesting.

I should point out that, while I would root for the Tigers or Twins, I don't think they will make it past the first round.

All in all, I wouldn't mind seeing a Yankees/Cardinals World Series. Baseballs best team, the Yankees, against the Cardinals who have baseballs best hitter in Pujols, as well as two of the NL's top two pitchers Carpenter and Wainwright.

I'm ready for the post season. This has been a very exciting year for Giants fans even though they are blowing up at the end. It shows a lot of promise for the future because they have an incredible pitching staff to build on. If they can pick up one big hitter (Jason Bay possibly?) it would change the entire offense for the Giants. Very exciting going into the next two years!

Congrats to the Red Sox for clinching the AL Wild Card. This should be a really exciting postseason!

I just can't get pumped up for the post-season this year....

There are so many teams that have played well. I'm really looking forward to it.

hope the yanks lose, and the red sox...sucks that the cubs are not in it, but hey at least i don't have to go through the pain of them being swept in 3 games.

Why not? Jaded? Too many world championships for the Red Sox lately?

I have to admit that is part of it.... the Sox are becoming an entity I don't like in sport - big business.

Add to that, all the crap about steroids, money, money, money ("Oh wait, you're gonna give me 50¢ more - I'm gonna sign with you").

I've become jaded.

As much as I hate the separation of big spending teams and low budget teams... I wouldn't mind to see the Giants buy a championship in my life time.

I think I'll regret saying that.

Doubtful. You've had your years of heartache with them.... the first one they win will be sweet.

One of the problems I have with the Yankees is that they've been doing it for years and years.

Now that the season is drawing to an end, I think the following awards are appropriate:

AL MVP- Joe Mauer. He simply had the greatest offensive year ever by a catcher, the most demanding position on the field. He led the Twins without Morneau to the brink of the playoffs.

AL Cy Young- Greinke. While his team was among the worst in baseball, he was the best pitcher in his league from start to finish. Others have won more games, but none outpitched him in the AL.

AL Manager of the Year- Scioscia. The Adenhart death, injuries to the staff and lineup, and the team doesn't miss a beat in winning another division.

NL MVP- Pujols. He had it won at the All-Star Break. He's the best player in baseball, and a big reason that the Cardinals ran away with the division.

NL Cy Young- Carpenter by a hair over Lincecum. And Wainright only a step behind them. I think Lincecum is a better pitcher, but this was Carpenter's year.

NL Manager of the Year- Jim Tracy. months ago in another thread I said he was the most underrated mgr. in baseball (Piniella was the most overrated). What the Rockies were before he took over in May, and what they were after shows his value.

Finally, I would vote for the Phillies' Ruben Amaro, Jr. as exec of the year. Not only did he bring in Cliff Lee and Ben francisco for very little and sign Pedro Martinez, but it was the trade he turned down (Roy Halladay) that allowed him to keep top mlb pitching prospect, Kyle Drabeck, and JA Happ, who will likely be rookie of the year.

if you want to look at heartache looks at the cub fans! at least the giants won one in the past 50+ years.

Hey, I was a Sox fan for 40 years before they won in '04. (I would have loved to have seen the Sox and Cubs in '03 in the Series).

I agree with all of your picks. As much as I would love to see Lincecum win the Cy Young every year, I would actually put Carpenter and probably Wainright ahead of him because they are on a good team. Lincecums win total would be impressive if he had the Cardinals offense to back him up... Cain as well, who quietly put together a great season.

I heard discussion about Greinke vs. Sabathia. I agree Greinke deserves it, but Sabathia pitches for the Yankees and has more wins and might get more biased votes, so I think it will be a close race there even though it shouldn't be.

The fact is, both our teams are without championships in our life times. So, 50 years or 100, our lives are full of losing

Well, you can add the Olympics to that heartache now.

(I was hoping they'd get the games).

i figured they won't on the reasons of chicago's crime is not getting better. and, lets not forget that the united states is not well liked at the moment.

If they were worried about crime, then Rio wouldn't have been picked.

Nah... political reasons. South America never had the games; it was time.

yes it's all politics.

Brazil has a huge 'sports mafia' going on and it provides a once in a lifetime chance for COI to cash in with the help of a friendly government.

They keep spending billions and billions and billions investing in top performance sports, with lame results, while doing nothing about the development of sports as a whole, not to mention that the country has got thousands of much more important needs than hosting a 2 week party and wasting billions of dollars in building stadiums and arenas that will become useless.

just read about the 2007 Rio Pan American Games. the spendings still haven't been (and pretty much will never be) approved by the Union's Fund. most of the giant enterprises built for the games are rotting to rust, not to mention a millionaire soccer stadium that was built with public money and given to a Rio team.

if COI was worried about something other than money how would it even accept such a host even to qualify? if the very last international event was a wasting party?

A very interesting commentary, Tony. I was not surprised last week that before the decision was made, a poll showed that just as many Chicagoans opposed th city hosting the games as those, who supported it.

People speak of the economic spike the local economies get from hosting the Olympics, but that money doesn't trickle down very far and more people are inconvenienced than helped.

Anyway, I hope the 2016 Olympics are successful.

I would love to see the Twins advance to the World Series. No Morneau, meager payroll, but a lot of heart. I don't give them a great shot, but anything is possible.

Since the AL playoff picture is not complete, my NL picks in the division series are LA over St. Louis in 5 and the Phillies over the Rockies in 5.

i want the the dodgers to get there ass kicked...and i want the rockies to advance only to kick the cardinals ass.

I knew there was a reason I liked you

I haven't had time to follow the playoff race over the weekend and had no idea it was down to a tie breaker for the Twins and Tigers! This is the Twins last year in their dome right? It would be a great going away present for the fans in that stadium!

How is it that the Twins always hang around to the very end of the season like this? With such a small payroll, they always end up being a thorn in the side of the bigger payroll clubs.

This tiebreaker between the Tigers and Twins is a game! Lots of action, especially in extra innings!

Wow Twins win! Amazing game! Did anyone else watch it? If you couldn't enjoy a game like this then there's no way you could ever enjoy baseball.

This might be the kind of game the gives them momentum to play well against the Yankees in the first round.

It was an absolutely great game! Exciting to the end!

that was twenty times better than a cubs game this year...i sure hope they beat the yankees...

It was an outstanding game, one of the most enjoyable I've seen in a long time. Despite the dome, artificial turf and DH it was a pure game of baseball with a lot at stake and free of the East Coast media overhyping.

Baseball has over time sadly departed (and continues to depart further) from a game that's played on the bases to one where the long ball and sudden cluster scoring are the emphasis. The entire dynamic of the game has been changed by expansion, smaller ballparks, a more juiced up ball, markets with skyrocketing payrolls, among other things. As a result, guys like Nick Punto get lost in the shuffle.

I too would love to see the David slay Goliath, but it is unlikely. Yes, the Twins are riding a wave of excitement into the playoffs, but 12 innings yesterday, a 3:00 am arrival and a 6:30 game tonight will take its toll. They have rarely beaten the hired mercenaries-I mean the Yankees- in the past few years.

Go get'em Twins!

will I finally find a team to root for? that was a great game. I had to leave after the 10th inning but anyway, I did enjoy the first 4 hours of baseball!

A local radio station read an email today that went something like this:

Dear Detroit Tigers,
Thank you for the worst collapse in baseball history. It has made 2008 less painful for us.

Signed,
A Grateful Mets Fan

Now THAT'S funny.

Having not followed baseball at all this season I didn't realize Detroit screwed it up that bad.

It didn't help that the team manager had to go pick up Miguel Cabrera at a police station over the weekend after a drunken brawl with his wife.

I thought 2007 was even more of a collapse for the Mets.

Didn't the Mets collapse happen in a shorter period of time?

Honey, EVERY year is a major collapse for the Mets!

OUCH!

technically the Tigers collapse was the worst. never had a team lost the division after being at 1st since May 10, or 11, or whatever day they took over the AL Central, and never had a team blown a 3 game lead with 4 games to go.

the fact that the Tigers still played a heartbreaking, extra-innings tiebreaker game and that they are the Tigers and not the Mets make the Mets look even worse.