Tim McG

True dat. And don't get me wrong, Marichal was one great pitcher. But when I go to the ballpark and walk by his statue, all those negative feelings come streaming back. I wish it wasn't so.

I think Tom Seaver was an awesome pitcher, too. I got to see him pitch as well. A shoo-in for the HOF. My point went to statistics as mere averages, not to being wild and still geting guys out. I like your list, and as a Giants fan it hurts me to say this, but Marichal lost all my respect after he batted around on Johnny Roseboro's forehead. To this day, I cannot get past the fact he used a bat on a fellow human being. And in a game, fer crissakes. Willie Mays, however, earned my heart when he stepped into the frey to pull the Dodger catcher out and back to the dugout. That was 100% class.

Rumors of Jose Reyes interest by the Giants. Not a big bat, but he might be a good sparkplug. I'm curious to see what happens with C.J. Wilson. He did nothing to enhance his standing in the playoffs and World Series. Don't know much about Reyes, but I'll dig around for a scouting report. I think CJ, a fan favorite, will stay in Texas. Even though he didn't pick up a WS win, his last outing was superb, IMHO. Is it possible to be a baseball fan in today's world and NOT know much about Reyes??? He is only one of the most exciting players to watch in the NL. Puleasssse. For East Coasters, sure. You know anything about Nate Schierholtz or Brandon Crawford or Madison Bumgarner? They're only the most exciting newcomers to the NL in years. Pul-leeeze. First of all, Reyes is not anywhere near a newcomer. Secondly, it's not like you live in Bumfuck, Iowa. In SF, you do receive an extraordinarily high level of news exposure, no? Actually, I live in the San Joaquin Valley [near Fresno], but I get your point. And no, East Coast ballplayers don't get much noteriety in a West Coast market. Sorry. I don't follow the Nationals much. But if you ask me about any one of the West Coast teams' players I will be happy to tell you about them. Including California, Texas, Washington State, Arizona and Colorado.

I was fortunate enough to see all three of the Alou brothers play for the Giants [Matty, Felipe and Jesus] at Candlestick back when they all played on the same Giants team. Great players, all of them. Here is a link to the San Jose Mercury article: Matty Alou dies; played on Giants and A's World Series teams

Sad news for the San Francisco Giants and those of us who watched the Alou brothers play: "The Giants were deeply saddened to learn about the passing of former Giants outfielder Matty Alou. Matty, who was a formidable player during his career, was a lifetime .307 hitter who collected 1,777 hits over 15 seasons, six with the Giants from 1960-65. He was a two-time All-Star and won the 1966 National League batting title with a .342 average while playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Although he played for six different teams, Matty remained a part of the Giants family as a long time employee and will be forever linked with his brothers – Felipe and Jesus – as the first all-brother Major League outfield. Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Alou Family during this difficult time."

Rumors of Jose Reyes interest by the Giants. Not a big bat, but he might be a good sparkplug. I'm curious to see what happens with C.J. Wilson. He did nothing to enhance his standing in the playoffs and World Series. Don't know much about Reyes, but I'll dig around for a scouting report. I think CJ, a fan favorite, will stay in Texas. Even though he didn't pick up a WS win, his last outing was superb, IMHO. Is it possible to be a baseball fan in today's world and NOT know much about Reyes??? He is only one of the most exciting players to watch in the NL. Puleasssse. For East Coasters, sure. You know anything about Nate Schierholtz or Brandon Crawford or Madison Bumgarner? They're only the most exciting newcomers to the NL in years. Pul-leeeze.

Yeah, I'm sure that in all those years of being a fan Paul never saw Ryan pitch. (The name of that emoticon is "rolls eyes" btw, it's not just a smile.) So anyway, Ryan easily could have won 2 Cy Youngs. In the '81 strike year he led the league with a sub-2 ERA and as usual strikeouts. He also went 11-5 (just 110 games that year.) But that was the year of Fernandomania. 1987 is the poster year for showing how wins for pitchers can be a dubious stat. At the age of 40 he again led the league in Ks & ERA but went 8-16. The Astros just didn't score for him at all. He had one game where he allowed no earned runs thru 8 and lost. Many games where he gave up 1 run and lost. His '87 game log. It's not for the squeamish. (As an aside how on earth did Bob Gibson lose 9 games in 1968 when he had an ERA of 1.12? See for yourself. Some are deserved, but one includes giving up 1 run in the 10th for a 1-0 loss!) That said I do think that Nolan is overrated, or at least if I was going to pick a staff just in my lifetime (beginning in the early '60s) I doubt he'd be on it even if I chopped it into leagues. And I like him, the folklore about him and loved watching him pitch. He was too wild in his Angel years walking 5 to 6 per game. Sure, he also only gave up 6 hits per game, but imagine having to field behind that as he's also striking out 10-11. That's a lot of time staring into your glove and making sure your shoes are tied. He did become a pitcher rather than a thrower once he reached his 30s and that's admirable. But the high leg kick made him easy to run on, he didn't field the position well and he was a terrible hitter. (Somehow I managed to see him hit one of his home runs.) Those later complaints might be like complaining about a weird mole on a goddess but the holding runners & fielding problems may help explain a wee bit of the difference between Carlton & Ryan's careers, as Cartlon was good at all 3 of the little things mentioned. I don't know. When I was a young child watching Ryan "pitch" for the Mets, his typical line read: 7 IHP, 9 K, 10 BB. Very frustrating that he could never harness his power while in NY. Wasn't unhappy to see him go. Getting that wonderful player Jim Fregosi for him caused an entirely 'nother level of frustration in my Mets fandom, though. I was sorry to see Fregosi go to the Mets as well as Mays. Broke my heart on both occasions. Yeah, I'm sure that in all those years of being a fan Paul never saw Ryan pitch. (The name of that emoticon is "rolls eyes" btw, it's not just a smile.) So anyway, Ryan easily could have won 2 Cy Youngs. In the '81 strike year he led the league with a sub-2 ERA and as usual strikeouts. He also went 11-5 (just 110 games that year.) But that was the year of Fernandomania. 1987 is the poster year for showing how wins for pitchers can be a dubious stat. At the age of 40 he again led the league in Ks & ERA but went 8-16. The Astros just didn't score for him at all. He had one game where he allowed no earned runs thru 8 and lost. Many games where he gave up 1 run and lost. His '87 game log. It's not for the squeamish. (As an aside how on earth did Bob Gibson lose 9 games in 1968 when he had an ERA of 1.12? See for yourself. Some are deserved, but one includes giving up 1 run in the 10th for a 1-0 loss!) That said I do think that Nolan is overrated, or at least if I was going to pick a staff just in my lifetime (beginning in the early '60s) I doubt he'd be on it even if I chopped it into leagues. And I like him, the folklore about him and loved watching him pitch. He was too wild in his Angel years walking 5 to 6 per game. Sure, he also only gave up 6 hits per game, but imagine having to field behind that as he's also striking out 10-11. That's a lot of time staring into your glove and making sure your shoes are tied. He did become a pitcher rather than a thrower once he reached his 30s and that's admirable. But the high leg kick made him easy to run on, he didn't field the position well and he was a terrible hitter. (Somehow I managed to see him hit one of his home runs.) Those later complaints might be like complaining about a weird mole on a goddess but the holding runners & fielding problems may help explain a wee bit of the difference between Carlton & Ryan's careers, as Cartlon was good at all 3 of the little things mentioned. The stats which say he was wild/walked people only reflect an average. When he was young he did that a lot. But as he matured into the position the wildness gave way to sterling pitching prowes and sheer domination on the mound. So the stats tell you nothing more than what happened, on average, over his entire career, not how he actually played it. You simply do not get that many SOs by being wild. Smirk all you want, Quincy. It as true as my saying there is no proof Paul ever saw Ryan pitch on the baseball diamond.

Um. No. I said I've seen him pitch both for the Angels [and a no-no] and for the Astros. My next sentence included the word "domination" in my assessment of his pitching prowess. You? You only have some childish Dan Gould insult, "claim" you've seen him pitch and a lot of nothing else. I don't think much of awards, but since you brought it up, Steve Carlton won four Cy Youngs. Nolan Ryan never won one. To me, that doesn't mean very much. In the end, Nolan Ryan struck out more hitters than any other pitcher. He threw more no hitters than any other pitcher. He had a long career. He was elected to the Hall of Fame. Can't deny any of that. All I ever said was that I felt he was overrated. Still do. And if Felix Hernandez averaged 13-12 for twenty years and went into the Hall of Fame, Id say he was overrated too. Record strike outs and record no hitters and you claim Ryan is overrated because he didn't win the annual writer's popularity contest in the Cy Young? Buddy, you need to actually watch some baseball. Seriously.

Please note: Cuban has ONE Championship trophy and was given the job by his brother. He's a horse's ass. Dennis Gilbert is the insurance version of a Ruppert Murdoch. Either way, you're screwed.

Now you need to hope and pray that arrogant ass in Mark Cuban doesn't buy the team. Adding fuel to the flames won't help the Dodgers at all.

Why do you feel that way about Ryan? Just my personal take. He comes across to me as an arrogant SOB. Plus I've always considered him overrated as a pitcher. I know - strikeouts & no-hitters. He just couldn't win many more than he lost. Yeah, he played on some bad to mediocre teams, but tell that to Walter Johnson and Fergy Jenkins. If I were a Texan, I might feel differently. I'm willing to bet money you never saw him play. You'd lose that bet. OK. I saw Ryan with the Angels [and when he threw a no-no] and with the Astros. Domination is the only word to describe his pitching prowess. What else do you need out of a pitcher? A great pitcher gives a lot more wins than losses. Like what? That is his job. It is what he gets paid to do. Being a nice guy just isn't a part of the employment description. I'm not from Texas, Paul. Where you are from has very little to do with recognizing talent. You rate him more highly than I do. Nothing more need be said. The difference is you have offered nothing to back that up....we have. Seems to me you're basing your opinion of a man on little or nothing to substantiate your claim.

Why do you feel that way about Ryan? Just my personal take. He comes across to me as an arrogant SOB. Plus I've always considered him overrated as a pitcher. I know - strikeouts & no-hitters. He just couldn't win many more than he lost. Yeah, he played on some bad to mediocre teams, but tell that to Walter Johnson and Fergy Jenkins. If I were a Texan, I might feel differently. I'm willing to bet money you never saw him play. You'd lose that bet. OK. I saw Ryan with the Angels [and when he threw a no-no] and with the Astros. Domination is the only word to describe his pitching prowess. What else do you need out of a pitcher? A great pitcher gives a lot more wins than losses. Like what? That is his job. It is what he gets paid to do. Being a nice guy just isn't a part of the employment description. I'm not from Texas, Paul. Where you are from has very little to do with recognizing talent.

Why do you feel that way about Ryan? Just my personal take. He comes across to me as an arrogant SOB. Plus I've always considered him overrated as a pitcher. I know - strikeouts & no-hitters. He just couldn't win many more than he lost. Yeah, he played on some bad to mediocre teams, but tell that to Walter Johnson and Fergy Jenkins. If I were a Texan, I might feel differently. I'm willing to bet money you never saw him play. You'd lose that bet. OK. I saw Ryan with the Angels [and when he threw a no-no] and with the Astros. Domination is the only word to describe his pitching prowess. What else do you need out of a pitcher?

Rumors of Jose Reyes interest by the Giants. Not a big bat, but he might be a good sparkplug. I'm curious to see what happens with C.J. Wilson. He did nothing to enhance his standing in the playoffs and World Series. Don't know much about Reyes, but I'll dig around for a scouting report. I think CJ, a fan favorite, will stay in Texas. Even though he didn't pick up a WS win, his last outing was superb, IMHO.

Posey is catching bullpen right now and the rest of the Giants' starters are on the mend. Now we wait and see if Brian Sabean can snag a big bat for the 2012 season. GO Giants!

Why do you feel that way about Ryan? Just my personal take. He comes across to me as an arrogant SOB. Plus I've always considered him overrated as a pitcher. I know - strikeouts & no-hitters. He just couldn't win many more than he lost. Yeah, he played on some bad to mediocre teams, but tell that to Walter Johnson and Fergy Jenkins. If I were a Texan, I might feel differently. I'm willing to bet money you never saw him play.

Here are the original Dirtbags; my Alma Mater, Long Beach State University: Go Beach!

Amen to that. And how. What a tragedy that was. Why do you feel that way about Ryan? I don't get this response either, Aggie.

I actually felt the opposite, especially since the Giants won it all last year and took themselves off the dreaded list... and Texas was the team they beat... and because it seemed obvious (several times) that Texas was going to win that game. Yes, but the Giants were up 3 games to 1 at that point. I just meant that since the Giants finally got off the list last year and Texas was knocking on the door, that they might be next. I actually felt the opposite, especially since the Giants won it all last year and took themselves off the dreaded list... and Texas was the team they beat... and because it seemed obvious (several times) that Texas was going to win that game. Which dreaded list would that be? They won a World Series in NY with the Say Hey kid. Same franchise, different city. Uh, yeah, I know the Giants' history. I'm pretty familiar with Willie Mays. The list I'm referring to is the list of franchises that have waited the longest to win a World Series. At 56 years, the Giants were high on that list, until November of 2010. It was a great season, too. With Posey catching bullpen right now and Sanchez, Wilson, Shireholtz and basically the rest of the entire team on the mend, the Giants should right be back in the thick of it next year! Go Giants!

Same goes for me. My condolences to Jim and Al. A tough loss. I'll buy the first round, Jim. Go easy, my friend.

And for the Rangers, finding a right fielder who doesn't play the ball like it's live ammunition. True dat. But I'll tell you this: Texas had that game won three times, but that shakey bullpen couldn't put it away.

One word: Pitching.

The Clinton Foundation is sponsored by the former President Bill Clinton. [duh] George Clinton is a Funk star. Great concert. Too bad you missed it.

My Connecticut born wife was REAL happy about today's outcome between her Pat's and the 'Boys But I don't think the Cowboys are going to roll over and play dead, either. Your D-Coach could use a haircut, though. I mean, the 70s are over, Dude.

Yeah, 9-4. The Brew-ha's are hitting like my Giants. Cards win this one.