BERIGAN

Marlins are blowing up the team.....again. Anabel and Omar to the Tigers for their best pitching and catching prospects... and now, the Dodgers get Hanley Ramirez and Randy Choate for , well some young starter and another minor leaguer not yet known.... http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2012/07/dodgers-acquire-hanley-ramirez-randy-choate.html#disqus_thread How can it be that Hanley went from being one of if not the best hitter in the game, to having back to back sub .250 seasons???? John Kruk was talking about his swing last night, not being able to "Clear" his hips(basically open them up, to be facing the pitcher, or SS) even with a hit last night with the Marlins against the braves, he just doesn't look right at the plate. Perhaps Donny baseball can fix him? If he/they can, the Dodgers will be much improved...Where does Dee Gordon end up???? And poor dear Ryan Dempster apparently doesn't want to play for the Braves for a whole two months, then either re-sign with them, or any other team next year... wants to go to the Dodgers too, and now, so F' him! Funny to hear he's a swell guy, when he has cost the Cubs a prime young arm. Now the Dodgers don't have to offer nearly as much for him, since, well, where does he go then? Theo really screwed up not talking to him to see where he would or wouldn't go....

Soft and cushy landing for Ichiro provided by that Mariner ownership. With the players the M's got, I hope they also got a box of donuts and a thermos of coffee, to make it worth their while.... I haven't heard yet, but imagine that this is Ichiro's last season. 2nd down season. hard to believe, but he's 38. I think it is a classy move to trade him to the Yankees, let him get a chance to go to the playoffs, go out a winner. And hey, if he hits .320 down the stretch, has a few fly balls somehow manage to cross that far faraway right field fence...perhaps he sticks around another year...nothing like playing for a pennant to get the juices flowing...

Well, what will the Yankees, err Rangers get then? Hamels or Lee? Decisions, decisions! Meanwhile the braves traded the next Adam Wainwright, Randall Delgado, for Dempster. Dempster's been really good, but he's 35, and Delgado is only 22, and was pitching the best I have ever seen in his last start. Easy 95 in the 1st. I finally could see the Pedro Martinez comparisons. Cubs fans are gonna love him....braves are so dirt poor these days(worst tv contract in baseball, locked up for 20 years) they probably gave up a better prospect so the Cubs would pay the 5.5 mil Dempster is owed for the rest of the season...

Cliff reads this forum. He knows he owes you. Speaking of Lee's "many places I've been," any chance you want Justin Smoak back? 3 HR's 14 RBI's and .160 at home. Wow...that's not all that good, is it? and what happened to Dustin Ackley??? Looks to my eyes he has a completely different swing this year, and it's not working. Am I just dreaming that? I usually can tell who a hitter is even if a tv is too far away for me to see the name...granted he just started last year, but its got to be different...he looks like he ties himself up at the plate this year...

that was an amazing game, wasn't it? I Don't even know why I came to to watch, after hearing braves were down 9-2, then it was 9-4. Thought, hmmm, wonder if they could come back? Thought after not scoring more in the 8th (9-8 leaving 2 runners on in typical braves fashion) the Nats would win. Then the braves score 2 more(Bourn just missed hitting a homer which would have made it 11-9) and with Kimbrel coming in, the game was all over, I was once again sure. (He is arguably the best closer in the game, since June 1st, hitters were hitting .089 against him!) then a homer by Espinosa. Well, that felt like a death knell for the braves. No way they could come back again..but, they did! Still, think with Sheets pitching game one(This will be...his 4th start this year, at any level!) and Delgado coming up for a game...the braves bullpen will be toast...Nats saved 3 guys, braves only one bullpen arm...should be an interesting to see how the rest of the series plays out!

Gee, and I HATE Everything about the Nats, weird! . . . . . . . . . . Keed, I keed! I still don't know why your GM won't listen to me and just rest Strausburg for 2-3 weeks...doesn't have to be for a month...he is going to end up losing his job if the Nats shut him down Sept 1st, and fade out of the playoffs...people don't care about next year....and next year there can be a rash of injuries and they can end up 4th...

ooh, can't wait! Color and 3-D will make is so much better! her looks changed quite a bit...check her out(and Joan Blondell) in the early 30's I also here that there will be "Ghost" the musical. No one seems to have new ideas anymore...someone must...right?

Maybe it has more to do with that stupid "chop" tune the PA plays every 20 seconds. Seriously. Do they really have to play that song so often? Geez, it gets annoying. Apparently, the stadium "music director" only has three active braincells and/or the memory span of a gnat. No wonder nobody shows up to the games. In the meantime, Santiago Casilla needs to go down to Fresno AAA. I mean, he's blown 5-6 save opportunities and has an abysmal 10.75 ERA. I dunno. The Phillies would be a close second. I still can't believe they lost to the Dodgers yesterday; bad relief coupled with bone head mistakes blew it for them after a very nice come back courtesy the hitters. Wow, the chop drives former braves players that were fat, & unproductive, into insufferable assholes when they come to town? I didn't know that! Will have to see what happens the next time a guy like that comes to the Ted!

Well, I've been enjoying the Melk-Man story up til now...he seems to be pissed off at the team that didn't re-sign him after he hit .255 with 4 homers in 2010... very weird. http://content.usatoday.com/communities/dailypitch/post/2012/07/chipper-jones-calls-out-melky-cabrera-for-gesture/1#.UAgRMvVQR-x

Hitler mustache?? Well, perhaps during WW1. maybe...

Would you say that if the Nats had lost? Harper even at 19, seems to have that ability that folks like Phat Albert, and Scott Rolen have, of just sneaking in before the tag...granted, I've seen him get called out(One time he had actually gotten in, but didn't bitch) but they are close places...other guys get thrown out 20 feet from 2nd trying to stretch a single into a double.

Whiney ass bitches they are...I knew Valentine was in trouble after he said some shit about Youkilis , and Pedroia said he'll learn that isn't how we do things here. Like they are some team that had been in the playoffs every year for a decade. Like they weren't a team that collapsed in every possible way in September 2011. I don't think I have ever been more excited by a team, and the never give up attitude they had in 2004...now, they are just another team with a huge budget that under performs. And whines about everything.

Well, the theater closest to me decided to not even bother showing it so still haven't seen it on the big screen.

Think so since he was the manager of the Futures Team. Saw him during the Home Run Derby...wow is he ever burnt to a crisp right now! Looks like he was lost at sea for a month! http://www.sportsgrid.com/mlb/george-brett-poopy-pants/

Coming to a theater near you...hopefully....Was surprised to see they had 2 PM showing here in the ATL as well(that could very well be nationwide) By the people that put Casablanca in theaters earlier this year.... http://www.fandango.com/tcmpresentssinginintherain60thanniversaryevent_155652/movietimes?location=30238

... So NL will just have 2 catchers, however the rules allow Posey to return to the game if Ruiz is injured. If Posey were to become injured as well Bud Selig will catch. Though I surely would not want to see Posey and Ruiz injured, if they both had gotten sick, I would have dearly LOVED to see Selig catch! La Russa is not the most likeable guy in the world, but he does have 3 W.S. rings in an era it's pretty hard to do that...and that Card team looked absolutely dead in the water last year...for them to come back and not only get into the playoffs, but to win the W.S. He has to get some of the credit...

which was 20 years ago...

So, the Nats really seem to want to Shut down Strausburg when he reaches 160 innings...I understand long term, but how do you explain that to the fans this year, or his teammates??? Team may have injuries next year, and suck.... Of course, if they were to listen to me,(and I am sure that is very likely) the solution would be to DL him for 3 weeks right now(Groin pull, hammy, whatever fake thing you want) then have him skip a start in August and Sept against so-so clubs, then you have rested the shoulder and can actually have him in the pennant race...It will really p.o. their fans to lose in Sept because he's riding the bench. But hey, knock yourselves out doing things the wrong way Nats braintrust!

Take a deep breath, Jim. You aren't seriously thinking the Rangers should throw Hamilton under the [trade deadline] bus now, are you? Not seriously, no. But as a fleeting thought...you gotta wonder just how much he would bring...especially if you don't think he can be resigned for whatever reason (money, years, desire to move on, who knows...). But that's just crazy talk borne of yet another case of him tweaking his back on something as basic as chasing a deep (but catchable) fly ball, missing it by no more than an inch, and then whipping a bullet directly to third base. Grrrrrr.... I wonder if in any way, shape or form the drug abuse could be a cause for the frequent injuries? I know, Fred Lynn wasn't known for being a coke head, and I have no idea if there is any research to back up my wild, pulled out of my butt claim...but I have wondered...like when he really messed up his shoulder sliding home headfirst, something Pete Rose probably did several hundred times in his career...Few athletes have done drugs to the point of nearly dying...sorta like how say the guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers can play guitar as good as ever, after being weeks if not days from death from drug use...but if you listen to him talk, it sounds like he was hit over the head with a two by four several times...

Amazing how many different ways you can break down a baseball player...don't think you could do the same thing in basketball or football. Anyway, there are some very interesting stats there....found an interesting comment on that page that explains the how, if not the why... I don't think the problem is mechanical and I don’t think that the best split is “bases empty vs runners on” In the chart below, RISPa means less stressful RISP situations: just a man on second, just a man on third, or a man on first and second. RISPb means more stressful situations: bases loaded, men on second and third, or men on first and third. Year PA AVG OBP SLG BABIP K/PA BB/PA HR/PA 2007-11,Empty 2459 0.231 0.305 0.338 0.311 0.264 0.091 0.014 2007-11,1bOnly 794 0.213 0.259 0.334 0.286 0.273 0.068 0.019 2007-11,RISPa 753 0.212 0.293 0.318 0.276 0.259 0.097 0.019 2007-11,RISPb 245 0.210 0.299 0.330 0.271 0.269 0.114 0.012 2012,Empty 229 0.244 0.310 0.421 0.331 0.293 0.083 0.026 2012,1bOnly 60 0.226 0.281 0.321 0.297 0.250 0.067 0.017 2012,RISPa 97 0.276 0.427 0.447 0.317 0.124 0.206 0.010 2012,RISPb 38 0.414 0.474 0.724 0.458 0.184 0.158 0.026 So – as the article showed, Timmy’s pitched like a front-line starter, reasonably close to career norms, with the bases empty. With just a man on first, he’s pitched even better. (those excellent numbers get mixed in with his RISP disasters if one just examines all “men on base” scenarios) In relatively less pressure RISP situations, he stops striking guys out, and walks everybody. With the bases loaded other or more pressure situation – that were shit gets really crazy, base hits and dingers landing like an Battle of the Somme artillery barrage. Also: BRef has him at 103 sOPS+ in low leverage situations, 112 sOPS+ in medium leverage, and 153 sOPS+ in high leverage situations. He’s got a 3.99 ERA and 86 sOPS+ in eight starts in front of friendly home crowds, and a 8.45 ERA and 145 sOPS+ in nine starts in front of hostile road crowds. Looking at those numbers, I’d say his problem is at least partially mental – falling apart in high pressure situations. He himself has constantly been saying that what he needs to find is “confidence”. by SnowLeopard on Jul 5, 2012 11:39 AM EDT reply Well, that Battle of the Somme comment is a bit pompous, but like the rest...especially how he's still pitching well at home...still, as a simple man, I think it all goes back to loss of speed on his fastball. He used to throw 91-94 then 94-97 when he really needed to. And hitters had to think differently because of that. They don't fear the fastball anymore. And there will be more action on his other pitches,(I'm guessing, no proof ) and there wass more of a difference in MPH between his fastball and changeup in the past...

You could not have had a better night than Chipper Jones did Tuesday, but you might have missed it. Baseball tonight wasn't even on at 10 Pm, they had one of those ultra rare W.S. of Poker on instead. Then at midnight, they decided it was so important, they mentioned it 5 minutes before the end of the broadcast. Remind me again how many 40 year olds start the majority of their teams games again??? And how many 40 Y.O.s have gone 5 for 5, with 1 SB, 2 Doubles and 4 RBI's? http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=22816861&topic_id=8878972&c_id=atl Oh, he also made an amazing defensive play, not on that clip, the same kind of throwing while moving away from 3rd that blew out his knee in Houston a few years back.

No, he's just going to start rehab, and thinks he can do the derby, then play right after the break. Guess he can hit, but still can't run full out....two hamstring problems back to back is never good...

I have him on my fantasy team. He wasn't even drafted. Nerk nerk nerk. If you mean an RBI seasonal leader with the worst average, you can probably figure it out. Think back to when the mound was higher & ERAs lower. A big boned fella who played up north. The Killer, Harmon Killebrew hit .243 in 1962 leading the AL with 126 RBI. Cecil Fielder hit .244 for the Tigers in '92 with 124. But if you want really a really low bat batting averages by a guy who knocked in over 100, Tony Armas is probably your man. In 1983 for the Red Sox he hit 36 HR, knocked in 107 while batting .207. No wonder Red Sox fans are so batty. Though he never had the high RBI totals, for HR power & low batting average, I'm sure a bunch of us here immediately thought of Rob Deer. Meant to thank you earlier Quincy! Wasn't sure, figured Dave Kingman(Mentioned recently here) might be the guy. in '82 for the Mets, 37 HR 99 RBI, and a robust.204 BA. What a waste he was... his final year in Oakland, 35 HR 94 RBIs .210. He was 37, and apparently was unpleasant enough that even with those power numbers, no one gave him a shot to play the next year. Never could figure out how he created so much power with that stance. Sort of the no stride of Manny and Matt Kemp, only moreso...guess it's hips and batspeed... ok...went looking for Kingman hitting...found it...in 2010! Sucker might still hit a mistake in the majors... and check out this superstars of 1976 final 100 yard dash..with Dave Kingman... no, he didn't win of course(but faster than Mike Schmitt!) but check out that huge Shot Putter dude coming in 2nd!

Four Hall of Famers played in that game, not too bad for a first game. You missed one as thanks to the Vets Committee Nellie Fox got in. (He was camouflaged by playing at 3rd). It's kind of odd how the Astros had 2 Hall Of Famers at 2nd yet both of their primes were elsewhere. Biggio will fix that. You do work for Elias, right???

I believe they call that kind of curve a Koufax! And if a Catcher catches a ball where he did(below the belt, a little to the right behind the plate) and it wasn't a strike when it crossed the plate...then Clayton's curve is the best ever...it was a strike. Anyway...some stats that are kind of mind blowing, IMO.... who is leading the NL in hitting??? A Catcher…a 33 year old catcher…on a last place team…....................................................................................................... . . . Carlos Ruiz, at .364…amazing! was looking at Adam Dunn’s numbers. these are wild. after a big day yesterday(after slumping for awhile) 24 HR’s 57 RBI’s, which projects out to 52 HRs and 123 RBIs…Pretty darned nice, right??? What’s his B.A right now???? .216!!!! How do you do that??? Quincy, oh QUUUUINNNNCCCCYYYYY!!!! Only you can find out for me....who had the most RBI's with the lowest B.A for a season????