Dan Gould

I'd like to suggest that we don't need a list of "pledges" for Allen Lowe to hound each month. Jim says he hates asking for money, and that's understandable. The simple answer is for someone - hint hint, Allen - to post a new thread each month soliciting donations, with the paypal info/mailing address. You may not get the same people but I would bet that you'd get a steady stream of donations that would come close to covering the monthly expense. I think what we should really do is help the band retire the debt from the last CD. I'd suggest Jim put together a CD worth of tracks -maybe some live ones - available for download with a minimum donation of $15, but that might hinder the band's next project.

Are their separate rankings for Men and Women in competitive chess? Why on Earth would that be? Tennis, Golf, you know things that depend on physical strength to one degree or another ... but Chess? Or are the rankings subdivided by gender? And again, why would that be? Anyway, congrats, Paul! Ever think about becoming a chess hustler? There was an article in the Times a week or two ago about guys making pretty good money at it.

:party:

I thought only A-Rod gets reamed for "thinking too much" - and he definitely is the only one getting reamed for taking called strike three with runners on. Honestly, I know where you're coming from but it just seems to me to be as logical and obvious as a situation where, 3rd and 6, QB in the shotgun, and he constantly hands off to the RB - you don't blitz the outside linebackers, you look for the run! If they start beating you with that play, then make adjustments, but don't make it easier by beating yourself first.

If you don't have a problem with Oscar Peterson, you might look for some dates on Telearc by "The Very Tall Band". I haven't actually heard them but I would expect they are in the vein that you prefer. Edit to say that I don't think the group is necessarily found under that name, they might be listed as OP records. I'd check Allmusic for any Telearc label releases under Milt, Oscar's or even Ray Brown's name.

But that's the beauty of the pitch. When you're at the plate it looks like it's going to be in your wheelhouse. The break comes at the very end, and boy does it break! And the thing is, if you decide to take the pitch you run the high risk of looking just as stupid if instead the pitcher throws a regular ole fastball for a strike. Steve Carlton won 300+ games by throwing a slider that was just outside of the strike zone. It wasn't until he lost fastball velocity that batters finally laid off it. It's a much easier game from the couch than in the batter's box. Yes, I understand that it looks like a fastball in your wheelhouse. But the fact is that it breaks out of the strike zone, and he throws the pitch probably 80% of the time when there are two strikes. My point, and the reasoning behind it, remains the same: take pitches until he proves he can throw it for strikes. Yes, occasionally he throws the four seamer and it doesn't break and you look stupid. Fine. A few called strikeouts doesn't end the game. In fact, its better than grounding into a double play, whether a K is swinging or looking. But if you've watched the video, you have to know that he's throwing this pitch out of the strike zone. That means you have to be willing to lay off it, whatever it "looks" like. Its not rocket science, and intelligent hitters adjust their strategy based on the pitcher they are facing and their knowledge of his patterns. Oh and two, OK, its tougher to lay off the pitch. But that's not how he got his strikeouts or his rally killing ground outs. He was on the edge of being knocked around because of his wildness and an overeagerness to swing got him off the hook, and the vast majority came with three balls. Three ball counts require extra patience, IMO, because of his over-reliance on that pitch. Watch and see - I will bet that the Sox will be even more willing to take pitches the next game he starts. If he's throwing all his pitches for strikes, fine - we'll be up shit's creek sans paddle.

Well I am damn glad that I went to bed after the wild pitch that scored the second run. There is no FUCKING way any "championship" team can lose this game, at home, but they managed. Now we will find out how the "lesser" pitchers match up, and then whether three out of the four "aces" can find their shit the second time around. I would say that the odds are better for Carmona than for Schilling, so I am no longer optimistic unless the bats wake up with a vengeance against the crap they are going to be facing, and Dice-K and Wakefield pitch as if it is June, when they were outstanding, and not any of the months since then. And one last note about that game: I don't know what is more amazing, that Gagne was on such a short leash or that FranCOMA is still in love with that LOSER "LOOGIE" who gets lit up by the very fucking people he is supposed to be getting out. This game was lost: When Carmona was let off the hook over and over again. (Why are they swinging at 3-1 pitches when this guy never throws anything straight? It is ridiculous to swing at shit when so many of his pitches break out of the strike zone. And his "out" pitch -why the fuck does anyone swing? That pitch he goes to about 80% of the time with two strikes, it breaks down and in to righties and is never in the strike zone. A-Rod hacked at one that was 18 inches inside. What is the matter with these hitters? Lugo, Pedroia, Youkilis all swung at that crap - if you study the video, can't you fucking figure out that you shouldn't swing? Like I said before the game: make sinker ballers strike you out looking before you start hacking. Schilling - an old pathetic fart. Does he have any chance of not fucking up the same way next time? Maybe the reason he looked "good" against LA was because a guy with zero career home runs had to hit cleanup. Not exactly the same lineup any more. The pathetic inning before the collapse. Your best hitters against their worst reliever, and they do nothing. If they manage to get back to Boston and Gag-Me gets the ball again, hide the kids. It will be as ugly as it has ever been at the old ball yard. It will be as if both Kim and The Kid flipped off the fans simultaneously. That's what they will give that fucking piece of shit.

I agree with Hans about A Sure Thing. It wasn't a sure thing that I'd like it - "Orchestra" makes me think "strings" but I'm glad I got it.

I mean, aside from some of my posts. From a SI interview of Tony Gwynn: Everything sounded so right, I'm starting to think Gwynn knows where its at ... and then I read those last five words. :bad: :bad:

No comments from the legions of Tribe fans/supporters? I will say this: If someone had said that the first game would be a blowout, I would have guessed that it would be in the Sox favor, simply on the basis of Beckett pitching and the game taking place at Fenway. Anyone hear the guys on Sportscenter giggling over the fact that Manny and Papi's statistics are more appropriate for a softball league than MLB? :g First "must win" game tonight, and I hope that the Sox take the right approach to Carmona. It worked for the Indians against Wang and the Rockies against Webb: To beat a guy with a good sinker, don't start swinging at any balls low in the strike zone, unless he actually demonstrates that he is throwing that pitch for strikes. I'd rather see guys getting called out on strikes three times in a row than pound the ball into the ground three times in a row. Schilling will have a smaller margin for error than Beckett had, hopefully a combination of the right approach and maybe a few nerves for Carmona at Fenway will give the Sox a 2-0 advantage.

Colorado had them both tonight. I'm starting to think that the Rockies<Chris Berman voice> could... go... all.... the... way</voice>. Best team defense in the MLB, clutch hitting, speed, and good starting pitching. Well, I'm not sure about that but what they mostly have is momentum and a lot of confidence in themselves. Which leaves me wondering whether there has ever been another such team that went on a hot streak to make the playoffs and then kept it going and won it all? I know that their 14 of 15 streak at the end of the season was a record, but I wonder if anyone went 9 of 10 and then carried it through or something like that.

Well I guess its time for my prediction: Red Sox in 6. Why? Jonathon Papelbon - if Okajima or someone else falters in the eighth, Papelbon is more than physically capable of a 4 or 5 out save multiple times in this series. Borowski is equally capable of blowing a game or two, particularly at Fenway. Beckett & Schilling - They are without doubt the two best post-season pitchers around, and the Sox have them. Sabathia and Carmona are terrific, let's see them execute at Fenway - their great starts against Boston came at Cleveland. Sabathia also has to be extremely careful with Manny, who rakes him like nobody's business - his OPS is over 2 against the chubby lefty. The lineups - The Indians have some fine hitters, but a lot of them tend to strikeout, and two of the top 3 starters they'll face are strikeout pitchers. The Sox lineup is patient and simply deeper overall than the Tribe. Home field advantage - I've read that "Yankee Stadium is more intimidating than Fenway" so it won't matter. But home field advantage cuts both ways - the Sox get a huge OPS lift at home than on the road. Furthermore, while Mystique and Aura, those aged strippers, may reside at Yankee Stadium, Fenway is a different animal altogether, because of the proximity of the fans to the field. 38000 at Fenway easily sounds like 54000 at the Stadium.

Well that's a relief!

There really is no issue of "letting him go" or "allowing Joe to make it look like he's resigning/retiring." His contract has expired. Its not a question of firing or resigning but one of whether or not to sign him to a new contract. Furthermore, it looks like Joe is a little pissed off at the situation he is in and made it clear at the post-game press conference that he isn't ready to retire and would be interested to see what opportunities are out there. Aside from that, I do agree that they ought to treat him with respect when they announce it, acknowledging his great overall record but after seven years without a championship, the team wants to move on.

Sorry I missed this earlier. Not being a betting man nor a collector of RVGs, I think I'll pass.

The answer is "yes" because New York is a "what have you done for me lately" town and its seven barren years, and worst of all, three straight dismissals right out of the chute in the playoffs. Its also "yes" because its the single move outside of losing A-Rod that will transform the team. Case in point, Mariano Rivera. He's now quoted as saying that Torre's presence or absence will effect his decision when he declares free agency. Pettitte may choose not to return and maybe Posada too (he can get a huge contract and not even have to move, since the Mets want to get rid of LoDuca). So naturally I am in favor of any change that sends the team into turmoil. It should also be noted that as a game manager, Torre is average at best and when you factor in his management of the bullpen, he is below average. He excels at managing egos and keeping everyone on the same page and pulling in the same direction. He excels at handling the outside forces (the media and the Tampa mafia) that can disrupt the team. He commands a great deal of respect from his players. But he is not by any stretch of the imagination a superior game manager.

Everyone keeps picking against AZ and they keep winning. I say they reach the World Series .... where they get their asses handed to them by Boston or Cleveland.

the Giants? the Dodgers? both teams with Big time losing records. The two top teams in the AL Central have better records than the D'backs and Rockies. So educate me. What I can't comprehend is why Goodspeak thinks its impressive when your prognostication takes place after 5/6th of the season is gone. Is it more impressive to predict in March that the Brewers will be competitive in September, or is that prediction more impressive in August? How about predicting the Super Bowl matchup in August vs January? :rolleyes: Maybe because one is a baseless guess and the other is a clear indiction. Yes, its a clear indication that you can read the standings and determine that the division is highly competitive. That's quite impressive. You know, I just read some poll numbers and I can say without fear of contradiction that the war in Iraq isn't very popular. Impressed? What else does "Please ... Anybody can say whatever they want in the pre-season ... Big, giant, HUGE difference" mean? You're not trying to get credit for your "prescience"?

the Giants? the Dodgers? both teams with Big time losing records. The two top teams in the AL Central have better records than the D'backs and Rockies. So educate me. What I can't comprehend is why Goodspeak thinks its impressive when your prognostication takes place after 5/6th of the season is gone. Is it more impressive to predict in March that the Brewers will be competitive in September, or is that prediction more impressive in August? How about predicting the Super Bowl matchup in August vs January? :rolleyes:

The "fear" of the Yankees comes down to, yes, an inability to beat them down the stretch, and the knowledge that their batters seemed to have an inordinate amount of success against our best pitchers. Add to that the over-the-top extreme treatment of a Yankees-Red Sox tilt and the resulting exhaustion, and its fine with me that we get Cleveland, even with two excellent pitchers ready to start. As for the reasons why I think we will handle Cleveland: Our pitching is so much better than the Yankees there is no comparison. The Indians are unlikely to maintain such a record of two-out RBI hits. Simply stated, the Indian lineup can be pitched to, and is easier to pitch to than the Yankee lineup. In fact, the Indians averaged almost a full run less per game than the Yanks (157 fewer runs scored). Borowski vs Papelbon. 'Nuf said. Its really very simple: If the Red Sox pitchers do their jobs, I don't see how Cleveland wins.

You've never noticed that the Captain pumps his fist after every single "big" moment in every single "big" (post-season or not) game? Its been going on for 12 years! However, I would have much preferred that it were A-Rod who had hit into all the DPs and batted under .200. Then you would have seen this sobriquet: Slappie McPurpleLips.

Its the usual 7 game series schedule - 2 games - travel day - three games - travel day - last two, except for that odd day off in between 4 and 5. Its kind of ironic that they have Six and Seven scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, since they added all of these off days in order to get the World Series off of the supposedly smaller audience weekend games. Too bad since I fully expect that if it goes to seven games, those last two will be the best of the post-season.

Well, some weird news from Yankee Stadium. According to the Boston Globe, they are threatening to cut off media access to the stadium unless they cease and desist the swarm they've got at Torre's Westchester county home. Apparently they've been assigned the Torre firing watch, which is really silly. Something is going to be announced at the Stadium. You have camp out at his home to cover the story? Meantime, the first important news about the ALCS: Francona has announced the pitching rotation, and once again he is making the correct call. There is yet another extra off day built into the schedule, in between Games 4 and 5 (there's a travel day between 5 and 6 as always). Bottom line, usually the Game 3 starter is lined up to go in Game 7. So, Francona has switched Schilling and Dice-K again. Schilling goes in Game 2 and can go in Game 7 on seven days rest. Dice-K goes in Game 3, on the road where he has pitched better this season, and can go in Game 6 on regular rest. This is absolutely perfect. Dice on the road for the first start, Schilling lined up to start Game 7 - or Game 1 of the Series if we can get past the Tribe quicker. Fwiw, Lester and Wakefield will be bullpen buddies, throwing on the same day, with Wakefield penciled in for Game 4 if his back is OK, Lester to go otherwise.

Congratulations to Patrick, Skeith, SoulStation and any other Cleveland fans, on getting it done in New York, driving the stake through the Evil Empire and offing Darth Vader's chief Lieutenant in the process. We all know which team I will be rooting for, so to the greatest extent possible without actually implying that I hope Cleveland wins, good luck in the ALCS and may the best team win in a hard fought, well-played series. There can't be any excuses as the pitching is lined up and there is plenty of rest for both teams, so let's find out which of the 96 win teams is best.

Are you completely ignorant of what has been talked about all season long? Here's a clue: its called an opt-out clause, and Scott Boras doesn't put it into his client's contracts unless he expects them to exercise it. The possibilities are these: A-Rod signs an extension with the Yankees without actually exercising the opt-out clause. It has the advantage for the Yankees of keeping the Texas owner on the hook for his share of A-Rod's salary for the next three years. A-Rod ignores the money that is on the table and simply chooses not to use the clause, plays out the remaining three years of his deal, and becomes a free agent at 35. This makes zero sense because right now his value is the highest it will ever be. There is more money in the game, and more teams that would bid on him, and he is only 32 and is coming off one of the greatest offensive seasons in this or any era. Being a free agent at 35 would make it tougher to get a big money, long contract. A-Rod opts out, and then the Yankees have to decide whether to stick to their guns and refuse to join the bidding, or realize that they desperately need his right handed bat, and do what it takes to re-sign him, knowing that the Red Sox, Angels, and possibly Mariners, Giants and Cubs will be in on the bidding and they won't have Texas' money to defray the cost.