Dan Gould

I thought it was a strain and not a tear of a knee ligament ... but there isn't much time for him to get healthy. On the other hand Milton Bradley is due back, isn't he? That will help a bit.

Au contraire, mon frere: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=caple/080805 Everytime I see highlights of Street pitching, he looks like a guy that has serious arm issues. As for saves being overrated....sounds like its from the same school of thought that if your OBP isn't high, you are worthless. (Was reading some Keith Law chat where someone asked why there was little love for David Murphy from Law, and the dumb ass said basically who cares about him and his .317 OBP....I guess those 74 RBI's don't mean a thing, he should walk 30 more times, drive in 30 less, and be a real star) Teams that don't have a guy who can "save" the game in the 9th, don't win, period. The Cards would be in first place if Isringhausen hadn't blown 7 saves. If they had Brad Lidge,(0 blown saves this year) they wouldn't be a lot better off??? Sure, but that has more to do with the way they are using the bullpen than it does with the personnel. His example of Gossage (and Fingers, for that matter) highlight that perfectly. Those guys went multiple innings, and with the game on the line, might come in during the 6th. Consider a close game today, say Josh Beckett vs. Scott Kazmir. It's likely there won't be a lot of scoring in that game, so if you have a 2-1 lead and Beckett suddenly gets in trouble after 5-2/3, does it make more sense to go to Manny Delcarmen or Jonathan Papelbon? It's not a cut-and-dry answer, but I'd argue that if Kazmir looks like he's going to be done after 6, I want my best out there to put the lid on a potential big inning *now*. His example of Putz appearing twice in 14 days while his team fell from contention makes this point perfectly. Next to Don Fehr, Scott Boar-Ass and steroids, the LaRussa-ization of pitching has had the worst effect on the game. Except that the bullpen by committee - no set roles, use your "best" guy in the "most important" moment of the game - rarely if ever works. Heck, it doesn't even make sense in your example - Tampa has an extremely good bullpen, and even after Kazmir leaves the game, runs are unlikely to be easy to come by. Therefore, a close game is likely to remain a close game, and if you've got a one run game in the ninth and have already used Papelbon earlier, then guess what? You lose your membership card in the Manager's club, because you've proven yourself an idiot. The key to success is having a bullpen that is well-stocked with effective pitchers so that more times than not, the set-up corps does its jot to get the game to the closer. Count me on the side that believes that the last three outs are extra crucial, everyone knows that getting three outs in the ninth isn't as easy to do as it is in the sixth or seventh or eighth, and your best reliever should be getting those outs. If it were that easy to get those outs, LaTroy Hawkins wouldn't be working for his fifth or sixth organization. Now, is the save statistic screwy? Of course it is. But in the end that is only something that the BWAA has to deal with, because "closers" are on the HoF ballot and they are still struggling with what it means to be an "all-time great" closer.

You & Nessa are ganging up on me. GO CUBS!

Yeah, but the Rangers weren't trailing by three when they started the ninth - they just needed one run, and got four on a single swing. Rangers should be up tonight for this game - Ponson goes for the Yanks. They are once again into the bunker mentality - Joba goes on the D.L but nothing will be reported until Cashman gets back from Oklahoma where he attended Bobby Murcer's memorial. And Girardi claims to "not know" what the good doctor said. Yeah right! Its just like their approach to every other injury. Don't say anything, and if you do, pretend that its not significant at all. I think there's better than even odds that Joba is done for the year. So the Yanks might be shocked and ready to get beat again - or they may come out with the bats blazing. I will say this: the pressure is on with Tampa's win. They could be 7 1/2 back with 48 to play after tonight.

I haven't tested our dogs for yawning but there's no doubt that they empathize with their "parents" - they don't like it at all if my wife cries, and will immediately come to her and try to give her kisses and make her stop crying. And they do the same thing when I yell at the TV set when Papelbon blows a save or Chris Rix throws an interception - they come over and try to make me feel better.

Yeah fuckin' right. 7-4 lead in the ninth and it goes: double double home run pitching change single walk homer Not even a motherfucking out recorded. With fucking luck like that can you blame the Rays if they think they're fucking invincible? Motherfucking Christ.

Yeah, so with your offense against a mediocre offense like the Yanks (who'da thunk it?), you got a shot. I don't know when the Sox play the Rangers, but I have to believe that our pitching (at least the starters) would be good enough to hold you down a bit, and the offense even with no Manny would score some runs.

Al, in one sense, beating the Yanks with Pettitte on the mound isn't terribly surprising - his career numbers at that ballpark are atrocious. But you're right that without a pitching staff, you can't get too excited. But they've got the proverbial puncher's chance, and even if they can't sweep the Yanks, if they play well and the Yanks stay in a tailspin, they could easily make up the two games that separate them in the wild card. I'm just tired of seeing the Rays keep winning, and us being incapable of getting any distance on the wild card lead. When is the last time a team had the best run differential but looked more like a marginal wild card contender instead of being division leader? It just annoys the hell out of me to see the Rays and Angels outperforming their run differential and the Sox underperforming. One positive going forward is that if they get through the end of the month in front or close, 19 of the final 28 are at home. So I still like our chances but this chase the Rays thing is getting annoying.

:party:

On your first point, they didn't change his arm angle at the major league level, they sent him to Pawtucket to do that. How it worked so well there and he hasn't had a single strong start since being recalled, I'll never understand. But is there any doubt that they'd probably have 3-4 more wins right now if Masterson had kept his spot in the rotation? You can point to maybe one game (the one in Seattle) where Masterson's work in relief was important, otherwise they've taken what, 30 or 45 innings from Masterson and given them to Buchholz, and got absolutely zip to show for it. As to Papi, I am not concerned at all about any re-injury, but if it happens, the season slips away with Bailey and Casey getting Papi's ABs. At this point there is no reason to think about Barroid.

...and not much else, this season. It is pretty sad that in the first week of August, you're a week away, give or take, from matching last year's loss total.

:party:

I am so sick of watching this team on the road, and extra sick of watching Clay Buchholz. How many more games will he fuck away before they realize he is not fit for a major league rotation? Colon was supposed to be protection for Buchholz, now I want to know how soon he can pitch again, so that we can get Buchholz the fuck out of there. Unfortunately, with Colon scheduled to throw two innings at Pawtucket, he's at least three weeks away. They should bring up Charlie Zink instead, which will do two things: Get Buchholz the fuck out of the rotation Put Kevin Cash behind the plate one extra game, and keep Varitek out of there. No one not named Varitek, Crisp or Lugo has done more to kill this team than Clay Buchholz. [/end rant] Yeah, thanks a lot, Al. I told my wife that its not much consolation, the Yanks lost on a walk-off grand slam, and Joba Chamberlain left the game with a boo-boo. Seriously, the way the Yankees have been with medical information, if Girardi says there's a "chance" he misses his next start, you can pretty much pencil him onto the 15 day D.L.

well, then hopefully there will be a buyer for my rare double LP, Concert in Argentina with solo sets by Hines, McPartland, Teddy Wilson and Ellis Larkins.

Yup, that's so true. Oh wait a minute, 8-5 Yankees in the eighth, two outs, the halos load the bases and Tex ... ... hits a Grand Salami to take the lead? That couldn't have happened ... did it? (makes it all the more enjoyable since the Yankees had come back from 5-0 down, and that skinny pitcher had two outs in the eighth before he went hit, hit, walk, homer.) Not quite. Ramirez with two outs walks the 9th place hitter, gives up a hit to Chones, walks the next man after getting ahead 0-2, and then when I'm screaming for Girardi to act like a fucking manager and take him out because I know - I swear I just KNEW - that if he leaves Ramirez in, Tex is going to hit a grand slam..........well, sure enough. Worst loss of the year and you can pin it totally on the same clueless fuck of a manager who earlier in the year allowed Mussina to pitch to Manny late in a tight ball game with men on 2nd and 3rd and two outs. Joe Girardi and game management skills, could be the shortest book ever written. Not so much, Marty - the Angels really really REALLY wanted the Yankees to win this game. Forget Girardi's game management, that was the most pathetic display of fielding skills I've seen in a long time. And the Angels are supposed to be great defensively and in the bullpen? And I so wanted Abreu's out at third on the sacrifice fly that negated Jeter's run home to end of being the difference.

Jesus Fucking Christ this day just turned to shit. First the Angels do everything in their power to give the game back to the Yankees - a 9-8 deficit is not 14-9, but a mind-boggling eight of those runs were unearned. And now Upton hits a two run homer in the eighth to take the lead from the Kittens (they sure as fuck aren't Tigers). The Sox better hold on against the A's when the rain stops.

:party:

Yup, that's so true. Oh wait a minute, 8-5 Yankees in the eighth, two outs, the halos load the bases and Tex ... ... hits a Grand Salami to take the lead? That couldn't have happened ... did it? (makes it all the more enjoyable since the Yankees had come back from 5-0 down, and that skinny pitcher had two outs in the eighth before he went hit, hit, walk, homer.)

I've seen a lot of radio recordings of the Giants of Jazz, but I can't recall a lineup that included Stitt, Eldridge, Clark Terry and Kai Winding. So that one looks interesting, too.

True but its extra sad to lose one of the last living, personal links to Pres.

Boras as Bebe Glazer?

You should know, Thom, that in my first foray into online jazz discussion, at a site I can't even recall the name of anymore (JOL?), I put it a slightly different way: "Trane - Genius or Insane?" I try (try) to play nicer nowadays.

And it gets crazier, folks. Gordon Edes, who originally broke the story that Manny had been traded when everyone was reporting that the deadline had come and gone, now says that Manny actually lobbied, through Boras, to stay. If the Sox promised not to pick up the 2009 option, he promised good behavior the rest of the way. http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/reds...obbied_to_stay/

PhillyQ, I think you're right about Boras. In fact, Manny met with Boras during the Angels series, and its now been reported that he refused to board the flight to Seattle afterwards until the club threatened to suspend him (I had heard players "begged" him). Then of course, in Seattle he begged out of the last game with his knee "problem" and did the same at home against Joba and the Yankees. Now, if no trade had happened, could Boras have convinced Manny that he had to play hard the rest of the way to get his next contract? We'll never know, but it appears that no one in the clubhouse, not even Papi, thought that they shouldn't get rid of Manny. And I certainly enjoyed reading about Manny's first game in Dodger blue - two unimportant singles, a double play grounder in the ninth of a 2-1 game, and his range or lack thereof helped result in a triple. And that news conference was a joke. Instead of asking about how his former teammates lost patience with him, why not call a spade a spade? Ask him flat out why he quit on the Red Sox? And here's a funny quote: "The only thing I know is that I’m going to play the game hard and give all I have to help the team.” Yeah, Manny will always bust his hump down the line. Count on it, Dodger fans. In the meantime, while a Hollywood script would have called for Bay's flyball to carry into the Monster seats, I'll take it! The kid got on base four times, made a nice play in left that Manny may or may not have come up with, went first to third on a couple of occasions. And it really is true that fans cheer for the laundry, as shown by their standing ovation when he made his first trip to the plate. I like him already.

Is this what is meant by "damning with faint praise"?