Okay, I'll start it out. I love this time of year! Every team gets a fresh start and one goal - World Series Champs. Go White Sox! I know it is a rebuilding season here on the south side but there is something about spring training and all the new guys hoping to make the team. Here's to a great baseball season!
Okay, I'll start it out. I love this time of year! Every team gets a fresh start and one goal - World Series Champs. Go White Sox! I know it is a rebuilding season here on the south side but there is something about spring training and all the new guys hoping to make the team. Here's to a great baseball season!
My friend start praying now and , Yankee's are gonna kick tail ! But it is gonna be fun , we all must look for the good times and fun along with the beer ,Nathan Hot Dogs, Chips, yelling , screaming ! Hey Ya !
Detroit looks very tough in the AL Central. Texas and Anaheim should have an interesting battle in the West. Boston has a lot to prove and a very big chip on its shoulder, and Joe Maddonalways seems to keep the Rays in the thick of the fight.
The new Miami Marlins may be the most improved team, and their pitching is tough. The Nationals think they can compete, and if Bryce Harper can stick with the club and secure a starting spot, the teenager just might be MLB's answer to Tebow and Lin. The Phillies may have the best rotation, anchored by Halladay, Lee and Hamels, but Howard won't be ready and Utley has a bum knee, so the race in the East can be close. Sorry, pizzaboy, but the Metsshould once again provide the comic relief in the division.
I think the Reds may challenge the Brewers in the central. Ryan Braun got away with murder on his steroid appeal (I still can't believe it), and that should keep them competitive.
The West is up for grabs. I'll wait until pre-season ends before I'd hazard a pick. One thing though is Bruce Bochy should have the Giants close.
The Tigers are going to be tough to beat in the AL Central - no doubt. They are the team to beat for my Sox. Maybe we can get down to some real baseball on the south side now that Ozzie Guillen is Miami's problem now. Miami fans - you will love him for a couple of years but his act gets old rather quickly. I am also curious to see how the Cubs do under the new Theo Epstein "Moneyball" style baseball. It's gonna be a great year! (Except for Pizzaboy and the Mets!)
BAM, I was thinking of putting of picking the Angels and Rays too. But I can't beat against Boston. As much as I hate them, they've got a HUGE chip on their shoulder coming into the season. Especially Josh Beckett and Jon Lester. Look for those guys to have good years. As for the Angels, their rotation along with the Yankees are the best in the AL. However, their lineup around Albert doesn't excite me just yet.
i would say something here...but, yea i like having thumbs and not sleeping with the fishes.
Pretty smaht for a Cubs fan... not dumb - smaht! BTW - I know it is only preseason but it sure sounds nice to have the Sox/Dodgers game on the radio this afternoon! And yes - it is even nice to hear the Cubs on WGN today as well.
Everyone, who made thhis picks, may want to amend them since there will be two wild cards in each division this year. Also, in the best of five divisional series, the lower seed will host the first two games while the final three, if necessary, will be played on the higher seed's field, instead of the 2-2-1 format in the past.
As teams are approaching their opening days, the team that has the longest current opening day winning streak is the Pirates.
This season historic Fenway Park celebrates its 100th anniversary.
When Jamie Moyer, who made the starting rotation for the Rockies, takes the mound this season, he will become the 11th oldest player to play in MLB history at the age of 49. What's more remarkable is that he missed all of last season and underwent reconstructive surgery on his pitching arm.
It is, and it's even better because Thursday is opening day for our local Single-A Phillies club. Thursday home games are "Thirsty Thursdays" with $1 beers. I'll be going at least 10 times this year.
We have a local brand new stadium and team. It's beautiful. They do $1 beers on Fridays, and fireworks on Saturdays. The food isn't great, but everything else is wonderful.
That Detroit Tigers offense is ridiculous, anybody catch those highlights of Cabrera and Fielder hitting all those homers off the Red Sox? It is going to be an entertaining year in the American league thats for sure.
Can we please stop playing it up like Ozzie's gonna get fired?! Yes, there were stupid remarks but I would actually be shocked if he got fired. He'll apologize and we'll ALL move on.
Can we please stop playing it up like Ozzie's gonna get fired?! Yes, there were stupid remarks but I would actually be shocked if he got fired. He'll apologize and we'll ALL move on.
agree, stupid remark that he said...he said 'sorry'. forgive, forget and move on.
Like I said, he wouldn't get fired. He got his 5 game suspension, he'll abide by it and move on. Stupid remark, but sometimes you have to consider the source. And in this case, I'm not too surprised by it.
Aaron Harang of the Dodgers struck out the first nine batters he faced Friday night against the Padres, one short of Tom Seaver's record of 10 in 1972.
Brian Wilson of the Giants apparently will need surgery and possibly miss the remainder of the season.
Friday night the Nationals' Jayson Werth did something in a major league game, which had never previosly been done in my life: he had a game-ending RBI hit in the 13th inning on Friday, the 13th. The last time that happened was in 1963 when Willie Stargell blasted a triple to beat the Giants, 5-4.
That must have been Stargell's rookie year because I remember him well throughout the 70s. I believe he had more homers in the 70s than any other player.
In last night's Phillies/Giants game Cliff Lee threw 10 shutout innings. The last pitcher to throw 10 scoreless frames in a game was Mark Mulder of the 2005 Cardinals. The last Phillie pitcher to throw 10 scoreless innings in a game was Steve Carlton in 1981.
The most remarkable aspect of Lee's outing was that 81 of his 102 pitches were strikes.
Also, Bartolo Colon was equally on target last night. In the six scoreless innings he tossed, he threw 108 pitches, of which 82 were strikes. He also threw 38 consecutive pitches for strikes.
I bet Lee's performance bought a smile to your face Klyd?
I'd have smiled a lot more if the Phillies could have scored a damn run and won the game. It was the first time since Bret Saberhagen in 1994 when a pitcher threw 10 scoreless innings and his team lost.
Unfortunately for Lee, he ran against Matt Cain, who is living up to his new contract, and one of the best bullpens in baseball. Tough loss Klyd, I'm more relieved than happy that I'm on the other end
Unfortunately for Lee, he ran against Matt Cain, who is living up to his new contract, and one of the best bullpens in baseball. Tough loss Klyd, I'm more relieved than happy that I'm on the other end
You know, I don't follow baseball like I used to. I can remember the days when a 20+ game winner was not that uncommon. So, what is the typical number of games that the top NL and AL pitchers win in a season these days?
You know, I don't follow baseball like I used to. I can remember the days when a nearly 30 game winner was not that uncommon.
You're not that old, oli. The last pitcher to win 30 was Denny McLain in 1968 and before him I think it was in the 1930s. A 25 game winner was quite good through that period, and it is still a benchmark to a great season. I think THE domineering pitcher of our lifetime was Sandy Koufax (in the '60s).
The baseball world is more about sabermetrics these days. Look at Felix Hernandez winning a Cy Young Award with a record of 13-12. It makes me wonder how many pitchers might have won Cy Young Awards based on performance and not won/loss records in the past if the emphasis was less about the win total.
I don't believe wins are worthless, but they certainly shouldn't be the defining factor in what makes a pitcher the best during any given season. 30 wins is extremely impressive, but someone like Nolan Ryan, who is considered one of the most dominating pitchers in baseball history, doesn't have a very good won/loss record.
You can't blame a stellar pitcher for having bad run support.
I don't believe wins are worthless, but they certainly shouldn't be the defining factor in what makes a pitcher the best during any given season. 30 wins is extremely impressive, but someone like Nolan Ryan, who is considered one of the most dominating pitchers in baseball history, doesn't have a very good won/loss record.
You can't blame a stellar pitcher for having bad run support.
Good point.
Whitey Ford, certainly a better than average pitcher from the '50s/'60s for the NY Yankees had an unbelievable 25-4 season in 1961. That Yankee team was arguably the best team ever fielded. Would Ford have been as impressive if he played for a lesser team then? Ford's ERA was well over 3.00 .... all he had to do was give up 3 or 4 runs and his hitters would go out and knock in 6 or 7 of their own. He gets the win.
I don't believe wins are worthless, but they certainly shouldn't be the defining factor in what makes a pitcher the best during any given season. 30 wins is extremely impressive, but someone like Nolan Ryan, who is considered one of the most dominating pitchers in baseball history, doesn't have a very good won/loss record.
You can't blame a stellar pitcher for having bad run support.
Good point.
Whitey Ford, certainly a better than average pitcher from the '50s/'60s for the NY Yankees had an unbelievable 25-4 season in 1961. That Yankee team was arguably the best team ever fielded. Would Ford have been as impressive if he played for a lesser team then? Ford's ERA was well over 3.00 .... all he had to do was give up 3 or 4 runs and his hitters would go out and knock in 6 or 7 of their own. He gets the win.
Jack Morris is one of the ultimate examples of this.
Brandon Morrow pitched a three-hit shutout as the Blue Jays beat the Angels 3-0. The worry coming into the season was who would step up in the rotation aside from Ricky Romero, but Morrow, Henderson Alvarez and Kyle Drabek have all pitched quite well so far. It's the offense and slow starts by Jose Bautista and Adam Lind that are the main concern. However, the play of Edwin Encarnacion (9 HR) has helped offset some of that.
Cole Hamels was suspended five games and fined a staggering $460,000 not for hitting Bryce Harper with a pitch, but for admitting that he did so intentionally...even though the whole world knew it was intentional. In fact, when Harper stepped into the batter's box, I told my wife and kids he was going to get plunked. And I knew Hamels was going to get hit in his at bat.
I figured a suspension was coming, but the fine is silly. Baseball players, especially in the National League, have historically done a better job policing on-field issues than the league or even the umpires. Neither team had a problem with the beanings. There was no head hunting.
Harper was 18 when he played here in Harrisburg last summer, and while his talent is undeniable, he is a first class jerk, who stood at home plate blowing kisses at the pitcher after hitting a homerun...with his team trailing.
The Phillies' bullpen is frustrating the hell out of me. In the last eight games, they had leads of multiple runs late in the game, only to have the relief corps blow 5 of the games wide open, usually as soon as they enter.
The two they won was because Blanton went the distance and Hamels left after the Phillies were leading 9-1 in the ninth. Contreras, Schwimmer, Qualls and Bastardo (who is really living up to his name) don't belong on the roster.
The Phillies' bullpen is frustrating the hell out of me. In the last eight games, they had leads of multiple runs late in the game, only to have the relief corps blow 5 of the games wide open, usually as soon as they enter.
The two they won was because Blanton went the distance and Hamels left after the Phillies were leading 9-1 in the ninth. Contreras, Schwimmer, Qualls and Bastardo (who is really living up to his name) don't belong on the roster.
I'd say the same to the Mets, but I want to avoid a tragedy. I know how prone to choking they are.
Now that was clever, Counselor .
I don't have much.
But my son has been getting some nice publicity with his high school team in the Harrisburg paper. He recently was called "lights out" for pitching a couple of scoreless innings to pick up the win against our conference champion, and on his birthday yesterday he delivered a two out rbi single to tie the game in the last inning, and they went on to win.
The Phillies' bullpen is frustrating the hell out of me. In the last eight games, they had leads of multiple runs late in the game, only to have the relief corps blow 5 of the games wide open, usually as soon as they enter.
The two they won was because Blanton went the distance and Hamels left after the Phillies were leading 9-1 in the ninth. Contreras, Schwimmer, Qualls and Bastardo (who is really living up to his name) don't belong on the roster.
The Jays bullpen is also frustrating the hell out of me. They signed Cordero and Santos to stabilize the 8th and 9th innings respectively, but Santos is on the DL and Cordero can't buy an out. Farrell finally decided to put Janssen in as closer after Cordero gave up a walk-off grand slam to Brandon Inge. It's too bad because Romero, Morrow, Drabek and Alvarez have all been solid starters for the Blue Jays.
But my son has been getting some nice publicity with his high school team in the Harrisburg paper. He recently was called "lights out" for pitching a couple of scoreless innings to pick up the win against our conference champion, and on his birthday yesterday he delivered a two out rbi single to tie the game in the last inning, and they went on to win.
Henderson Alvarez continues to impress for the Blue Jays who defeated the Twins 6-2 at Target Field. Sweeping the Twins, who are a bad team, would go a long way for the Blue Jays especially considering they have a series against Tampa Bay next week.
It was quite a day in baseball 101 years ago today.
Ty Cobb of Detroit smacked his first major league grand slam as the Tigers took a 10-1 lead against Boston, which rallied to beat the Tigers.
Meanwhile the New York Giants, led by Fred "Bonehead" Merkle scored 10 runs in the first inning before St. Louis recorded an out. That's not the only record the Giants set that day. Reliever Rube Marquard entered the game in the second inning for NY and struck out 14 Cardinals in 8 innings, which is still a major league record for strikeouts by a reliever.
Meanwhile the New York Giants, led by Fred "Bonehead" Merkle scored 10 runs in the first inning before St. Louis recorded an out. That's not the only record the Giants set that day. Reliever Rube Marquard entered the game in the second inning for NY and struck out 14 Cardinals in 8 innings, which is still a major league record for strikeouts by a reliever.
"Bonehead," huh? I'd love a baseball nickname, but not sure if I'd want that one.
Meanwhile the New York Giants, led by Fred "Bonehead" Merkle scored 10 runs in the first inning before St. Louis recorded an out. That's not the only record the Giants set that day. Reliever Rube Marquard entered the game in the second inning for NY and struck out 14 Cardinals in 8 innings, which is still a major league record for strikeouts by a reliever.
"Bonehead," huh? I'd love a baseball nickname, but not sure if I'd want that one.
The nickname, Bonehead, is better than his last name, Merkle.
Meanwhile the New York Giants, led by Fred "Bonehead" Merkle scored 10 runs in the first inning before St. Louis recorded an out. That's not the only record the Giants set that day. Reliever Rube Marquard entered the game in the second inning for NY and struck out 14 Cardinals in 8 innings, which is still a major league record for strikeouts by a reliever.
"Bonehead," huh? I'd love a baseball nickname, but not sure if I'd want that one.
The nickname, Bonehead, is better than his last name, Merkle.
Bonehead Merkle sounds very Dickensian.
But, gina, there's a very interesting baseball story behind his nickname that I'm sure SC knows (as he may have been a bright-eyed, dirty-faced rapscallion, selling hot roasted peanuts to the throngs that filled the Polo Grounds on that sunny, late Sepyember afternoon in 1908).
The Pirates, Cubs and Giants were in a virtual dead heat for the NL crown with a week or so left in the season. The Cubs and Giants were locked in a 1-1 game in the bottom of the ninth with 2 out. Moose McCormick was on the third and Merkle on first for the Giants when the batter singled to center, allowing Moose to gallop triumphantly home with the apparent winning run. Celebrating the victory, Merkle bypassed second base and joined hgis teammates in the dugout. Cubs' secondbaseman, Johnny Evers (of Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance fame) noticed Merkle missing second, called for the ball, and stepped on second, which resulted in a force out, and as a run may not be credited on a play where the final out of the inning is a force, Moose McCormick's run was nullified.
Under protest the Cubs won the game in extra innings. I believe the League ruled that the game would be replayed if it mattered in the standings at the end of the season. It did as the two teams had tied at the end of the year. In the play-off Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown beat the Giants, sending the Cubs to the World Series...with the help of Merkle's "bonehead" play.
As a footnote Merkle's nickname was especially curious as he was actually regarded as one of the most intelligent and scholarly men in professional sports at the time.
This golden age of the game has always fascinated me. I'd take a few years off my life just to sit in the Polo Grounds and watch that game, beginning to end, buying a bag of peanuts from SC.
This golden age of the game has always fascinated me. I'd take a few years off my life just to sit in the Polo Grounds and watch that game, beginning to end, buying a bag of peanuts from SC.
Thanks to the NY Mets coming into play in 1962, I went to see many games at the Polo Grounds. The former home of the NY Giants (Willie Mays in center), it sat empty for five years. It was a cavernous park (I think it was 500 feet to straightaway center at one point, and they shrunk that down to 475 feet). Sadly, it was torn down after the Mets opened their own ballpark (Shea Stadium) in 1964.
Oh, by the way.... it was beer that I sold, not nuts. "Beah, heah"
BTW - I vote for klydon as the Board's official baseball historian and story-teller.
Absolutely agreed on that (you need to start a blog of classic baseball stories, KL!), and you'll be our official peanut boy rapscallion. You might be promoted to beer sales, later on.
Great game played last night by the Blue Jays. It's good to see Jose Bautista is getting his game going again, it was only a matter of time. Hopefully Albert Pujols will get on track as well, they're both too good to be hitting so poorly this season.
Thanks to the NY Mets coming into play in 1962, I went to see many games at the Polo Grounds. The former home of the NY Giants (Willie Mays in center), it sat empty for five years. It was a cavernous park (I think it was 500 feet to straightaway center at one point, and they shrunk that down to 475 feet). Sadly, it was torn down after the Mets opened their own ballpark (Shea Stadium) in 1964.
Oh, by the way.... it was beer that I sold, not nuts. "Beah, heah"
Would have loved to have seen the Polo Grounds...and Willie Mays too. I have an autographed Willie Mays ball. The signature is kind of shaky as he signed it in the last twenty years when his hands were no longer steady.
Great game played last night by the Blue Jays. It's good to see Jose Bautista is getting his game going again, it was only a matter of time. Hopefully Albert Pujols will get on track as well, they're both too good to be hitting so poorly this season.
They'll both be fine. Pujols' start is especially surprising, but when he gets going, he hits homers in clusters.
I'm watching Justin Verlander three outs away from a no-hitter against olivant's Buccos. His command is as good as it gets as he struck out the side in the eighth.
I'm watching Justin Verlander three outs away from a no-hitter against olivant's Buccos. His command is as good as it gets as he struck out the side in the eighth.
He lost his no-hitter in the ninth. He can thank Blue Jays announce team Buck Martinez and Pat Tabler for that because they kept talking and talking about it throughout yesterday's game.
The Blue Jays got a clutch performance from J.P Arencibia in beating the Mets 14-5. With Brett Lawrie suspended the Jays needed someone to step up a little and the catcher did that! Rajai Davis also got 2 home runs.
dontommasino what are your thoughts on Blue Jays catcher Yan Gomez, the first brazilian to ever play in the MLB.
there were two brazilian pitchers I remember reading about who were prone to do it but Gomez leapfrogged everybody and has 3 H on 5 AB so far with a HR against the Mets yesterday.
dontommasino what are your thoughts on Blue Jays catcher Yan Gomez, the first brazilian to ever play in the MLB.
there were two brazilian pitchers I remember reading about who were prone to do it but Gomez leapfrogged everybody and has 3 H on 5 AB so far with a HR against the Mets yesterday.
Seems like a high energy guy so far. He can play all over the field, which is a plus.
Took my family to the A's/Yankees game tonight for my stepsons birthday. I was actually proud of A's fans for showing up so strongly. I expected it to be a home away from home game for the Yankees (like when the Red Sox play there). It was fireworks night too, so we all had a great time. I need to get to games more often.
"The Perfect Game Ghost" keeps haunting White Sox righty Philip Humber. He has yet to win a game since tossing that perfect game on April 21.
That's pretty extreme, but it seems to happen quite often after pitchers throw perfect or no-hit games. At least with Yankees, they're no good for a while afterwards...
Agreed, JG. The sadder thing about Humber is that he was just and probably always will be an above .500 pitcher at best. Great guy and solid Sox player - I like him but he's no Cy Young contender! And that is coming from a big White Sox fan.
Today on ESPN radio they asked the question; is it harder to pitch a perfect game (there have been 21) or harder to hit 4 homeruns in a game ( 16 times, recently by Josh Hamilton.
Today on ESPN radio they asked the question; is it harder to pitch a perfect game (there have been 21) or harder to hit 4 homeruns in a game ( 16 times, recently by Josh Hamilton.
54% said, 4 homeruns.
I wonder how different the results would have been if there were more 4 home run games than perfect games? I think both accomplishments are rather tough, but I'd say 4 home runs is tougher.
Roy Halladay is out 6-8 weeks with a shoulder injury. Big blow for the Phillies!
Yep. Here's a numbers way to look at it. Halladay will likely miss 11 starts over eight weeks. Since he's been with the Phillies, they have won approximately 70-75% of the games he started, so we might assume that in those games with a healthy Halladay the Phillies could expect an 8-3 record.
With the replacement pitcher (Kyle Kendrick), assuming the return of Worley to the rotation, the Phillies win approximately half the starts. So if they win 5 of the 11 Halladayless games, the net result is 3 games, which is actually significant.
Them's fightin' words! I may have to do something drastic and remove you from my facebook friends list!
Actually, (I wish I could find a way to look up the stat) why is it that over the past decade or so, people always say the weakest teams are on the west coast, yet the wild card teams seem to come from out here more often than not? I think it's easy for most of the country to think of us as a joke, or completely forget about us because it's so late at night for everyone on the east coast when teams out here are still playing REAL baseball.
I wouldn't be surprised to see a Rangers vs. Giants world series rematch. Western divisions all the way baby!
Certainly the Rangers and Giants have been the best teams so far, and I do believe that there is an east coast bias generally with respect to national sports reporting, especially in baseball where the Yankees and Red Sox are overhyped.
This season though every team in both eastern divisions has a winning record. It won't end up that way, of course. But right now the level of talent and division records would suggest the best teams right now are in the East.
There are a lot of match ups in the WS that won't surprise me. I picked the Giants to win their division with SF getting a wild card, but SF and Lincecum have to get better. Keep the faith though, blibble.
...I do believe that there is an east coast bias generally with respect to national sports reporting, especially in baseball where the Yankees...are overhyped.
Blasphemy! You kiss your Yankee fan wife with those Yankee-bashing lips??
...I do believe that there is an east coast bias generally with respect to national sports reporting, especially in baseball where the Yankees...are overhyped.
Blasphemy! You kiss your Yankee fan wife with those Yankee-bashing lips??
Their pitching has been among the best in baseball. They have a few holes in the lineup, but I'm betting that for the first time in 20 years they'll be looking to add talent to the roster before the trading deadline, rather than dumping veteran talent to save money.
This is a cool map I came across, where someone compiled all the birthplaces of major leaguers. I can't guarantee its complete accuracy, but it's pretty interesting to look at!
Their pitching has been among the best in baseball. They have a few holes in the lineup, but I'm betting that for the first time in 20 years they'll be looking to add talent to the roster before the trading deadline, rather than dumping veteran talent to save money.
Andrew McCutcheon looks like he's going places as a baseball player.
This is a cool map I came across, where someone compiled all the birthplaces of major leaguers. I can't guarantee its complete accuracy, but it's pretty interesting to look at!
Brandon Morrow with his 3rd shutout of the season as the Blue Jays beat the White Sox 4-0! Morrow is 7-3 with a 2.90 ERA and is quietly turning into an excellent pitcher. His potential was always talked about when he came to Toronto from Seattle, but he seems to now be fulfilling that potential.
He threw an outstanding game... my Sox couldn't hit water if they were thrown out of a boat last night! Morrow only gave up two hits. We'll get those Blue Jays back tonight!
I thought of you during the game Gina, I'm sorry it had to be against your team. I was still on the edge of my seat to the very last pitch! First perfect game in Giants history! Woo!
Happy for ya, Blib! I didn't expect a 10-run rally anyway, so at least we got to witness history!
Here I am, up alone at midnight, on the edge of MY seat at that last play... I would've been much calmer with a strikeout than one of those scary grounders!
I thought of you during the game Gina, I'm sorry it had to be against your team. I was still on the edge of my seat to the very last pitch! First perfect game in Giants history! Woo!
I was on my way to bed when my older boy got home from work and told me Cain was perfect through 7, so we put the game on and I watched the last two innings. El Perfecto.
The Mets' pitcher, Dickey, through a one hitter last night.
I was on my way to bed when my older boy got home from work and told me Cain was perfect through 7, so we put the game on and I watched the last two innings.
This is one of the things I love about baseball. Obviously I'm excited because it's one of my boys this time, but when I hear about any pitcher from any team on the verge of throwing a no hitter or perfect game, I can't help but get excited for that guy and watch the last couple of innings. Homeruns and other records are exciting, but nothing compares to a dominant pitching performance because it's something that builds excitement as the game goes on, to the point where the fans in the stadium are going nuts over every single pitch thrown. The intensity you feel is unmatched in a sporting event, in my opinion... no matter who the pitcher is or what team he plays for.
The Blue Jays lost 3/5'ths of their starting rotation this week!
Now they sound like the White Sox rotation. All we have is Peavey & Sale. Every other starter is struggling at best. One bright spot is Quintana. Floyd, Danks & Humber have been disappointing to say the least.
The Blue Jays lost 3/5'ths of their starting rotation this week!
Now they sound like the White Sox rotation. All we have is Peavey & Sale. Every other starter is struggling at best. One bright spot is Quintana. Floyd, Danks & Humber have been disappointing to say the least.
as a cub fan, this brings me a bit of happiness...just a small bit
The Blue Jays lost 3/5'ths of their starting rotation this week!
Now they sound like the White Sox rotation. All we have is Peavey & Sale. Every other starter is struggling at best. One bright spot is Quintana. Floyd, Danks & Humber have been disappointing to say the least.
as a cub fan, this brings me a bit of happiness...just a small bit
Happiness is sweeping the Cubs at Wrigley last month
If Utley and Howard don't make it back and the Phils are in 4th or 5th by the trading deadline, look for Cole Hamels to be traded to the Angels or Dodgers.
The Blue Jays lost 3/5'ths of their starting rotation this week!
Now they sound like the White Sox rotation. All we have is Peavey & Sale. Every other starter is struggling at best. One bright spot is Quintana. Floyd, Danks & Humber have been disappointing to say the least.
as a cub fan, this brings me a bit of happiness...just a small bit
Happiness is sweeping the Cubs at Wrigley last month
yea,yea...just wait till the dead weight from the team is gone after the fire sale (not all dead weight, but yea it needs to be done)
The Phillies' bullpen is frustrating the hell out of me. In the last eight games, they had leads of multiple runs late in the game, only to have the relief corps blow 5 of the games wide open, usually as soon as they enter.
The two they won was because Blanton went the distance and Hamels left after the Phillies were leading 9-1 in the ninth. Contreras, Schwimmer, Qualls and Bastardo (who is really living up to his name) don't belong on the roster.
I know that you are a huge Philles fan Klyde, and was wondering what you are hearing regarding talk that the Phils just may be shopping Hamels around.
I know that you are a huge Philles fan Klyde, and was wondering what you are hearing regarding talk that the Phils just may be shopping Hamels around.
I think it's going to happen even if the Phillies are above .500 at the trading deadline. It's no secret that Hamels would like to return to his home on the west coast, and apparently the Dodgers and Angels are interested. There have also been some stories that Toronto was willing to do a long term deal that would make him forget about the California sunshine. They have prospects that the Phillies liked too. St. Louis and Boston are a couple of other possibilities for him.
He's having a great year and will be a huge plus for any team. His value should command some high level prospects. The GM Ruben Amaro, Jr. has a little bit of a history of pulling off a big deal before the trading deadline gets frantic. So maybe it will happen in three weeks.
The Nationals are good. This is the first time I've been able to see them live on TV. It looks like there setup for a long time to come too.
The Nationals are loaded with some of the best young talent in baseball, and it's finally ripened. I've watched these guys since they've been playing AA ball here in Harrisburg.
Actually, this franchise has produced the most talent in baseball in the past 20 years. It was only because the Expos couldn't pay the salaries that they couldn't compete, and when MLB owned them, the league was more interested in treating the Expos as a minor league team, whose players were available to the highest bidder. But Washington has made the most of their recent picks, and should be competitive for quite a while.
A bit of trivia. There is one team whose top selling team jersey belongs to a former major league player of that team. It's the Pittsburgh Pirates, and their #1 selling jersey is #21, Roberto Clemente.
So who heard about Zach Greinke? He was ejected after throwing just four pitches in yesterday's game against my guys.. Video Clip Seemed like a major overreaction from the umpire. (Our announcer Jim Deshaies pretty much says it all. ) He started again in today's game, and I heard he'll be starting the first game back after the All Star break, making it three straight.
As it turned out, Verlander was a human pinata for NL hitters, giving up 5 runs in one inning. He was the least valuable player as it turned out.
I loved the result of the game though. Congratulations to Blibble's Giants, who rose tall in the Mid-Summer Classic.
My favorite moment was Ian Kinsler letting Chipper Jones' grounder find its way into right field to give him a hit in his last all-star game. If he had done that in the 70s Pete Rose would have chewed him out on the field.
My favorite moment was Ian Kinsler letting Chipper Jones' grounder find its way into right field to give him a hit in his last all-star game. If he had done that in the 70s Pete Rose would have chewed him out on the field.
You can bet on it.
Or barreled into him at homeplate in a meaningless exhibition game. Oh wait, that did happen with Rose.
Congratulations to Blibble's Giants, who rose tall in the Mid-Summer Classic.
I'm certainly proud of my boys! I would have been anyway, but I was getting very tired of hearing about Mets fans/management and the media thinking it was a good idea to rip FANS for voting three Giants to start. Regardless of how good the points were that Wright should have started over Sandoval, the fact is the Mets fans didn't vote their guy in. And to see Sandoval clear the bases with a triple was sweet.
Klyd, you always have interesting trivia, so I'd like to know has there ever been that many triples hit in an All-Star game? I never heard any mention about it on ESPN, or during the broadcast so I'm not sure.
Three triples in the All-Star Game set a new record. The three were hit in the first four innings too. There have been games with two, including one in the late 70s that I remember where Rod Carew hit two for the American League in a losing effort.
Shane Victorino, who was traded to the Dodgers this week, took out a full page ad in the Philadelphia Daily News, thanking the fans for their support over thepast six years. Shane was a big part of the team's success, and I'm sure he'll contribute to the Dodgers' run. He's a class act.
A baseball oddity happened last Friday night. Justin Upton hit his 100th career homerun in a game in Philadelphia. Forty minutes later his brother B.J. hit his 100th career homerun for the Rays in another game.
Melky Cabrera snagged for using testosterone. Hmmmm? He won the All Star game MVP, the National League wins and gets home field in the World Series. Something stinks here.
Melky Cabrera snagged for using testosterone. Hmmmm? He won the All Star game MVP, the National League wins and gets home field in the World Series. Something stinks here.
Them's the breaks. I've never been a fan of having home field advantage hinge on the All'Star Game, but there's nothing that can be done.
I officially withdraw any praise I bestowed upon Cabrera this year. This happened at a really bad time for him as this is his free agency year. The difference between the multi-year contract he would have commanded and the contract he may actually get may be in the tens of millions.
Melky Cabrera snagged for using testosterone. Hmmmm? He won the All Star game MVP, the National League wins and gets home field in the World Series. Something stinks here.
The difference between the multi-year contract he would have commanded and the contract he may actually get may be in the tens of millions.
but would he have commanded the big bucks if he didn't take the juice, which likely gave him the juiced up numbers?
No he wouldn't have, and as a Giants fan I'm upset, disappointed, and completely relieved that the Giants didn't sign him to a big contract extension like they were talking about doing. I would hate to have him on the team for the next 3-5 years sucking up part of the budget when he probably wouldn't produce at the same level.
If guys like Melky Cabrera are getting caught using PED's, imagine how many players are using without getting caught thanks to new designer drugs and masking agents. It's sad.
I liked Melky when he was a Yankee, and I'm sorry to see this. Blib, you are so right. How many of these guys are doing this crap without getting caught?
Most of those using banned substances are in the minor leagues or are marginal players, desperate enough where the risk of getting caught is outweighed by the benefit of stepping up to the next level. An established mlb player or star has a lot more to lose than someone struggling to make the league or hang on to a roster spot.
Dodgers are apparently working on a major deal that would have Adrian Gonzalez, who was claimed on the waiver wire, going to LA, possibly with Josh Beckett and Carl Crawford.
Dodgers are apparently working on a major deal that would have Adrian Gonzalez, who was claimed on the waiver wire, going to LA, possibly with Josh Beckett and Carl Crawford.
....and here is Gonzalez's first at bat as a Dodger....and there is goes, Home Run.
The Rangers season has to go down among the top collapses of all time. Maybe not the biggest, but up there. For them to have the division in hand all season and then lose to an A's team with 18 rookies throughout the season on the very last day, and then lose to the Oriole's is an amazing failure.
I won't make any predictions, with fear of jinxing my team, but I have to say to the American League, watch out for the A's. They are a real life version of the movie Major League.
The Rangers season has to go down among the top collapses of all time. Maybe not the biggest, but up there. For them to have the division in hand all season and then lose to an A's team with 18 rookies throughout the season on the very last day, and then lose to the Oriole's is an amazing failure.
I won't make any predictions, with fear of jinxing my team, but I have to say to the American League, watch out for the A's. They are a real life version of the movie Major League.
is it that bad they lost to the oriole's? the A's on the other hand yea they could be a threat.
i actually believe that the oriole's and nationals will make it to the world series.
But it is gonna be fun , we all must look for the good times and fun along with the beer ,Nathan Hot Dogs, Chips, yelling , screaming ! Hey Ya ! 
I'll be going at least 10 times this year. 
He's out of Chicago - that's all that matters to us Sox fans!
It was the first time since Bret Saberhagen in 1994 when a pitcher threw 10 scoreless innings and his team lost.
