Brad

That was a hell of a defense put up by Baltimore yesterday

I was listening to WFAN today and it was mentioned in passing that Angels had offered Teixera $20 million per.

That's a pretty good argument. I would probably have given Charlie Manuel my vote although I think Garcia would have been a choice too.

He was a great one indeed. In today's Times for those who may not have known of him: **** Preacher Roe, the folksy left-hander from the Ozarks who became a star pitcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers, featuring superb control and a spitball he belatedly confessed to throwing, died Sunday in West Plains, Mo. He was 92. The cause was complications of colon cancer, his son Thomas said. In the late 1940s and early 50s, when the Dodgers teams that became known as the Boys of Summer largely dominated the National League, Roe emerged as one of baseball’s leading pitchers. Roe led the league in winning percentage in 1949, when he was 15-6 for a mark of .714, and in 1951, when he was 22-3 for .880. He won 44 games and lost only 8 between 1951 and 1953. He pitched for three Dodger pennant winners and was an All-Star every season from 1949 to 1952. “The Preach was a master of his craft,” Carl Erskine, who teamed with Roe and Don Newcombe as the top starting pitchers for the Dodgers in the decade after World War II, once told the columnist Arthur Daley of The New York Times. “He was a smart control pitcher with a phenomenal sense of timing.” “I try to keep the hitters off balance, never giving them a decent pitch,” Roe said. “I’m always aiming for the corners, never throwing the same pitch twice or what the hitter is expecting.” It was in the summer of 1955, a year after he retired, that Roe admitted to throwing spitters, describing his technique in an article in Sports Illustrated, “The Outlawed Spitball Was My Money Pitch.” Roe told of wiping his left hand across his brow and spitting on his thumb with juice from his bubble gum, using the base of his hand as a shield. While ostensibly hitching his belt, he then transferred moisture to his index and middle fingers, gripped the baseball on a smooth spot and threw with a fastball motion, getting a sharp downward break. Roe received $2,000 for the article, but said he did not do it for the money. He maintained that he hoped to see the spitter legalized and wanted to relate how it was not necessarily a dangerous, hard-to-control delivery. “It never bothered me none throwing a spitter,” he said. “If no one is going to help the pitcher in this game, he’s got to help himself.” Elwin Charles Roe was born on Feb. 26, 1916, in Ash Flat, Ark., and grew up in Viola, Ark., population 160. As Roe told it to Cynthia J. Wilber in “The Love of the Game” (Morrow, 1992), he gained his nickname at age 3. When an uncle who had never seen the boy before asked him his name, he replied “preacher” because he was fond of a Methodist minister and his wife who took him on horse-and-buggy rides. Roe’s spindly 6-foot-2, 170-pound frame, his sharp facial features and his penchant for telling stories in backcountry tones suggested he was something of a hillbilly. But he was a college man — having graduated from Harding College in Searcy, Ark. Roe was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1938. He pitched in only one game that season, then spent five years in the minors before being traded to the Pirates. Relying on his fastball, he won 13 games for Pittsburgh in 1944 and 14 in 1945 with a league-leading 148 strikeouts. But after the ’45 season, Roe sustained a fractured skull in a fight with a referee while coaching high school basketball. After Roe had a 4-15 record in 1947, Branch Rickey, the Dodgers’ general manager, who had run the Cardinals when Roe pitched for them, got him back in one of his shrewdest trades. Roe came from the Pirates with Billy Cox, a brilliant-fielding third baseman, for outfielder Dixie Walker, who was near the end of his career, and pitchers Hal Gregg and Vic Lombardi. Healthy once more, and mastering the craft of pitching — and the spitter — Roe had six straight winning seasons with the Dodgers, including a 19-11 mark in 1950 and his 22-3 record in 1951. He beat the Yankees and Vic Raschi, 1-0, in Game 2 of 1949 World Series and beat the Yanks and Ed Lopat with a complete game in Game 3 of the 1952 Series, but lost to the Yankees and Lopat in the 1953 Series. Each time, the Dodgers lost the Series. After going 3-4 for the Dodgers in 1954, Roe was sent to the Baltimore Orioles together with Cox. But he retired instead, having compiled a record of 127-84 over 12 seasons. After leaving baseball, he operated a grocery store in West Plains with his wife, Mozee, who died in 2002. In addition to his son Thomas, of West Plains, he is survived by his son Elwin Jr., of Pineville, Mo., 8 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. Although Roe achieved notice for a spitball, he had a variation that was perfectly legal — his fake spitball. One time, pitching against the Boston Braves’ Jim Russell, Roe went to his cap repeatedly. Each time Roe did that, Russell stepped out of the batter’s box. After this went on three or four times, Roe threw the ball. As he recalled it to Roger Kahn in “The Boys of Summer” (Harper & Row, 1971): “He’s waiting for that good hard drop. I touch the visor and throw a big slow curve. He was so wound up he couldn’t swing. But he spit at the ball as it went by.”

Yesterday's loss couldn't have happened to a nicer team Say goodbye to the playoffs this year Cowboys fans.

I'm wondering if we should have a Hot Stove League thread for the Red Sox and one for all other teams so we can get some words in edgewise

Someone mentioned to me that Rollins had something to say about the Mets in his speech so I found a You Tube clip where he says a couple of things (nothing big) and frankly they're entitled to it because they are World Champions and they've beaten them in the NL East, etc. ad infinitum and so forth but I'm wondering why even bother. You're the World Series Champs, why even mention it. If the Mets ever get where the Phillies are now (which may take awhile considering the solid team the Phillies have now), I'm sure that's the last thing that will be on the minds of the Mets players.

I'm also happy for Charlie Manuel! http://www.philly.com/dailynews/sports/200...last_laugh.html There was a nice article about him in today's NYT.

The battle for Texeira will probably be a three team race and I just can't see the Angels letting him go (unless they have a replacement waiting) because they gave up a decent first baseman. I can't see CC going anywhere but to the Yankees although I do hope the Sox make them up the ante big time. My team (Mets) has a lot of work to do; good luck on fixing that pile of shit known as the bullpen. I might keep one or two of them but get rid of the rest. It will be a work in progress.

You have no disagreement from me (or probably anyone else) about Maddon being manager of the year. However, I'm not sure Manuel will win it as they were expected to compete, if not repeat, and you have to give some consideration to the Marlins manager. I don't think anyone thought they would be that good.

My son likes Devil Driver. Maybe Hank came back as a metal head. :rsmile:

The Phillies were clearly the better team and appear (I hate to say it) well poised for next year, with perhaps only modest changes, other than the Burrell situation. However, what the f was Maddon thinking, not bringing in Price in the sixth or the seventh innings. If he's worried about having Price hit or having to hit for Price, give me a break. Those were just bonehead moves and may have cost them this game.

That's a hell of a letter. At least, he's perfectly candid.

I haven't stayed on top of this story but I thought he was going to split his time with Milan and the Galaxy.

Chris, It's a cool thread. I'll bet even Schapp would like it.

I'm sorry but these aren't compelling games, whether or not I'm a Mets fan. As a Phillies fan, I would expect you to be excited, since you make it to the World Series every fifteen years or so. However, from a purely baseball point of view, what has been exciting about this World Series, except maybe the ending of game 3. Games 1 and 2 were well played but not really exciting. Ditto for last night's game. In the Divisional Series and the Championship Series, the only thing to write home about was that game in LA where the Phillies hit a couple of homers to come from behind and game 5 of the ALCS (maybe game 6). Other than, pfft.

I'm sorry but this just ain't a scintillating series so far, nothing to grab you by the scuff of the neck. In fact, the whole postseason, except for game 5 of the ALCS, has been rather dreary. Games have not been barn burners. The hitters need to break out big time.

Good news. Would one year be a possibility?

Didn't mean to say Buck wasn't. I listen to him daily on XM's Baseball this Morning. If you're a baseball junkie, their baseball station is a must, principally for Buck. Ron Darling is going to be co-hosting with Mike Francesa tomorrow on WFAN (www.wfan.com) from 1 to 615 EST.

Just ordered the relatively new Parker and Gillespie Uptown Cds.

Somehow, I missed this thread, probably thinking it was the Town Hall release. Just ordered the two from CD Universe. Can't wait. It's been a long time since I've gotten any new Bird!!

I haven't listened to the sound of a FOX broadcast with Buck and McCarver in years. I don't care if the radio is 3 plays ahead I would rather have a root canal with Whitney Houston's Greatest Hits plying then listen to Tim "F-ing Captain Obvious" McCarver. "since the AL won the All Star game that means the Rays have the home field advantage and get to bat in the bottom of the ninth inning, unless they already have the lead after the top of the ninth then they won't have to bat in the bottom of the ninth because they would have already would have won the game and that is why home field advantage is an advantage.."... Updated with some actual quotes from McCarver. Well, David Eckstein, like most of us, has 20 digits. Ten fingers. Ten toes. Pitching is such a vital part of the game, as far as winning is concerned Roy Oswalt is a drop and drive pitcher. What is a drop and drive pitcher? He is a guy who drops and drives. Very simple. If you leadoff and you play every day, you're guaranteed to bat with the bases empty at least 162 times I think he's past his prime. He used to be good once. The guy who I think is one of the best now is Ron Darling. I listen to him on the Mets broadcasts and his comments are never stupid and are usually perceptive and on the money. In the TBS broadcasts of the ALCS, he seemed overshadowed by Martinzez, however.

This was in today's New York Times: Red Sox' Unusual Question: What Now ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Jason Varitek had to know the questions about his future were coming, but he still did not seem prepared for them. As soon as Varitek was asked if he had possibly played his final game with the Boston Red Sox on a tense Sunday night here, he ended the interview. “I’d rather not go into that,” said Varitek, who was weepy before he could even finish the sentence. After his response, Varitek covered his eyes with a towel, rose from a chair and walked away. He walked into an uncertain future after the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Red Sox, 3-1, in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series and rumbled into their first World Series. The Rays made the Red Sox look old because they basically make every team look old. Varitek can be a free agent, so there is no guarantee he will be back with Boston in 2009. What to do about Varitek is one of several questions that the Red Sox will ponder as they ease into an off-season that they did not expect to begin so soon. With Jon Lester starting the decisive game, the Red Sox were confident that they could win their third straight game and finish another comeback from a 3-1 deficit in an A.L.C.S. But they could not solve Matt Garza across seven innings and were introduced to David Price in a memorable eighth. The Rays were more resilient this time, preventing Boston from pursuing a second consecutive World Series title. “A lot of the young guys, we don’t know this feeling,” Lester said. “We know winning. I think that’s what we’ll be thinking about in the off-season.” If the Red Sox had lost the series in five games, which they were seven outs from doing, there would have been more angst about how their season ended. Although there is still immense angst anytime the Red Sox lose, they staged the second-greatest comeback in postseason history, rallying from seven runs down in Game 5, and kept their season alive until Game 7. As always, the Red Sox were tough to subdue. “We gave ourselves a chance to win,” closer Jonathan Papelbon said. “We just fell a little bit short.” What the Red Sox lacked against Garza was what they lacked for most of the postseason: offensive consistency. Garza and four relievers held the Red Sox to one run and three hits. Dustin Pedroia had a home run in the first inning to give the Red Sox hope, but it proved to be their final run of 2008. David Ortiz batted .186 in the postseason and acknowledged that the Red Sox missed Manny Ramírez. Mike Lowell, who formed a powerful 3-4-5 combination with Ortiz and Ramírez last year, hobbled through two postseason games before having hip surgery Monday. The Red Sox cannot reasonably expect Ortiz and Lowell to produce the same way that they did in the last few years, which could lead them to add another power hitter. Still, when General Manager Theo Epstein addressed reporters in Boston on Monday, he emphasized that the team would be selective in pursuing free agents. Mark Teixeira, a first baseman, is the most attractive hitter on the market. If the Colorado Rockies try to trade outfielder Matt Holliday, the Red Sox could use some of their prospects to make a deal. “I can’t give you one theme, ‘This is what we need to improve,’ ” Epstein said. “I think we’re pretty solid. But we need to get better, too.” The Red Sox and the Yankees have always kept an eye on what the other is doing, but both teams will have to pay just as much attention to the Rays now. Epstein was surely referring to the Rays when he said the competition reinforced the idea that the Red Sox must keep “getting younger and more dynamic.” In a season that was clouded by the Ramírez trade and by injuries to Curt Schilling, Josh Beckett, Ortiz, Lowell and Julio Lugo, the Red Sox received contributions from young players like pitcher Justin Masterson, shortstop Jed Lowrie and outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, although Ellsbury and Lowrie fizzled in the postseason. The 24-year-old Clay Buchholz, who has already thrown a no-hitter, is a pitcher the Red Sox need to blossom in 2009. Garza said he fell asleep with his cellphone in his hand at 4 a.m. Monday, but he was not so woozy later in the day to think that the Rays had forever vanquished Boston. The Rays asserted themselves as the little brother who is now the toughest kid on the A.L. block. But Garza noted how the Red Sox have a strong rotation with Lester, Beckett and Daisuke Matsuzaka and that should make them formidable again. “They’re still going to be good,” Garza said. “They’re still going to be back next year. You can’t forget about the Yankees. The Yankees will be in the mix, too.” Outside the Red Sox clubhouse Sunday night, some forlorn family members wore blue and red shirts with the message, “Respect Beantown” on the front. The Rays respected the Red Sox, but they did not fear a team that was chasing a dynasty. There is a big difference

There's only so many teams that you can spot a team a 3-1 edge and come back and win. Who knows but when you've won a title the year before one three years before that, maybe it takes the edge off a little bit. Still, they made it interesting.

I agree that part of game 5 was exciting (hey, the game will go down in history) but for the most part the rest of the series was ok. But I do agree that after winning two titles in three years, it's not the end of the world and as Al noted they took them to the 7th game so they went down fighting and let's face it Garza was awesome tonight. Lester was good but Garza was just a little bit better. I'm sure these two teams will give us great baseball for many years to come.