MLB 2008

[Tim McG]

WTF

ain't anyone talkin' about MannRam pushing down the person in charge of boxsox player tix requests??

memo to team

if MannRam needs 1000 tickets just get them for him........

Speaking of pushing, how about Astros pitcher Sean Chacon throwing GM Ed Wade to the floor and threatening him?

He was kicked off the team, though the Player's Union is filing a grievance for being improperly terminated.

Here's a description from the Astro's website:

According to multiple sources, Wade and Astros manager Cecil Cooper attempted to meet with Chacon shortly before the game. The conversation quickly grew heated and a scuffle ensued.

Chacon did not return phone and text messages to MLB.com but told the Houston Chronicle he grabbed Wade by the neck and threw him to the ground.

"He started yelling and cussing," Chacon told the Chronicle. "I'm sitting there and I said to him very calmly, 'Ed, you need to stop yelling at me. Then I stood up and said, 'You better stop yelling at me.' I stood up. He continued and was basically yelling and stuff and was like, 'You need to ... look in the mirror.' So at that point I lost my cool and I grabbed him by the neck and threw him to the ground. I jumped on top of him because at that point I wanted to beat his ... Words were exchanged."

Chacon recalled players coming quickly to separate the two, with outfielder Reggie Abercrombie pulling him away.

"Maybe it shouldn't have happened," Chacon told the Chronicle. "But when you do those things and you're yelling at somebody and you're cussing you better know what type of person you're dealing with. If there's any regret, I just wish they had just let me alone. I wish they had left me alone."

Sounds to me like [edit] Ed Wade needs a lesson in personnel management.

You fire a guy and wonder why he's yelling at you?

Duh.

The man must be an idiot. Fire him, instead.

Edited July 3, 2008 by GoodSpeak

[Aggie87]

Sounds to me like Chacon needs a lesson in personnel management.

You fire a guy and wonder why he's yelling at you?

Duh.

The man must be an idiot. Fire him, instead.

I think you have the names backwards. Chacon is the player, Wade is the GM who fired him. Chacon assaulted Wade before he was released.

Here's Wade's version of what happened:

"Following batting practice on Wednesday I was on my way to the home clubhouse when a member of the media stopped me to tell me that Chacon had informed him that he wanted to be traded to a team where he could start and that his agent had informed us of his desire," Wade said. "Chacon also told the reporter that he would accept his unconditional release. I went on camera with that reporter and restated our position that we had no interest in trading him.

"Following the interview, I went to [Houston manager] Cecil Cooper's office in the clubhouse. Present were Coop and pitching coach Dewey Robinson. I told them of the media conversation and said that I would like to have a meeting with Chacon to clear the air. At that point, Dewey Robinson informed me that he had asked Chacon to throw a bullpen session during the game on Tuesday night and Chacon had ignored him. Then in the bottom of the ninth inning, with Jose Valverde pitching and closing out the game, Chacon got up on his own and threw a bullpen. Based on this information, I was even more convinced that a meeting was necessary and I asked Coop to arrange it while I returned upstairs to retrieve something from my briefcase."

When Wade returned to Cooper's office only the manager and Robinson were there.

"Coop informed me that Chacon refused to come to his office for a meeting, telling Coop that he had nothing to say to him and that he had no interest in coming to the office," Wade said.

Wade found Chacon in the clubhouse lunch room.

"I asked Chacon several times if I could speak with him," Wade said. "On each occasion he refused to meet with me, finally telling me anything I had to say to him could be said right there. At that point I told him if he wanted me to address him in front of his teammates I would. I told him that he needed to look at himself in the bleeping mirror.

"Up to that point, contrary to what has been previously stated, I did not raise my voice to the player, curse the player and had not made any defamatory remarks towards the player. Chacon responded with profane and threatening remarks and got up from his seat. He moved in front of me until we were chest to chest, and then he shoved me to the ground. When I attempted to get to my feet he shoved me a second time, at which point players and coaches intervened. After order was restored, I told him he was suspended and he eventually left the clubhouse. I then held a short meeting with the players."

Chacon sounded disgruntled, but never should have resorted to physically assaulting Wade. He deserved to be released after that. I don't think he or the Player's Union have a leg to stand on in this particular case with their grievance.

Edited July 3, 2008 by Aggie87

[Dan Gould]

Unfortunately, I think the history of these sorts of arbitration cases is that the player will get his money, just under a million dollars was left on his contract.

And Wade wasn't firing him in the first place. First he ignored a request from his manager to have a meeting, which was to discuss his usage out of the bullpen. Chacon wants to be a starter and doesn't want to hear about the bullpen. So he basically flipped his manager the bird. Then the GM was called in, because the guy was insubordinate - again. He had previously ignored a request by the pitching coach that he throw a bullpen session to keep sharp.

[Tim McG]

Sounds to me like Chacon needs a lesson in personnel management.

You fire a guy and wonder why he's yelling at you?

Duh.

The man must be an idiot. Fire him, instead.

I think you have the names backwards. Chacon is the player, Wade is the GM who fired him. Chacon assaulted Wade before he was released.

Here's Wade's version of what happened:

"Following batting practice on Wednesday I was on my way to the home clubhouse when a member of the media stopped me to tell me that Chacon had informed him that he wanted to be traded to a team where he could start and that his agent had informed us of his desire," Wade said. "Chacon also told the reporter that he would accept his unconditional release. I went on camera with that reporter and restated our position that we had no interest in trading him.

"Following the interview, I went to [Houston manager] Cecil Cooper's office in the clubhouse. Present were Coop and pitching coach Dewey Robinson. I told them of the media conversation and said that I would like to have a meeting with Chacon to clear the air. At that point, Dewey Robinson informed me that he had asked Chacon to throw a bullpen session during the game on Tuesday night and Chacon had ignored him. Then in the bottom of the ninth inning, with Jose Valverde pitching and closing out the game, Chacon got up on his own and threw a bullpen. Based on this information, I was even more convinced that a meeting was necessary and I asked Coop to arrange it while I returned upstairs to retrieve something from my briefcase."

When Wade returned to Cooper's office only the manager and Robinson were there.

"Coop informed me that Chacon refused to come to his office for a meeting, telling Coop that he had nothing to say to him and that he had no interest in coming to the office," Wade said.

Wade found Chacon in the clubhouse lunch room.

"I asked Chacon several times if I could speak with him," Wade said. "On each occasion he refused to meet with me, finally telling me anything I had to say to him could be said right there. At that point I told him if he wanted me to address him in front of his teammates I would. I told him that he needed to look at himself in the bleeping mirror.

"Up to that point, contrary to what has been previously stated, I did not raise my voice to the player, curse the player and had not made any defamatory remarks towards the player. Chacon responded with profane and threatening remarks and got up from his seat. He moved in front of me until we were chest to chest, and then he shoved me to the ground. When I attempted to get to my feet he shoved me a second time, at which point players and coaches intervened. After order was restored, I told him he was suspended and he eventually left the clubhouse. I then held a short meeting with the players."

Chacon sounded disgruntled, but never should have resorted to physically assaulting Wade. He deserved to be released after that. I don't think he or the Player's Union have a leg to stand on in this particular case with their grievance.

You're right, Aggie...I screwed up the names. I corrected it.

But Wade needs to get a grip on what players say verses what they want the team to do for them.

Wade strikes me as a loose cannon in the same vien Mark Cuban is in the NBA.

Guess what: Attitude 0, Player complaint 1.

Wade is an idiot.

Edited July 3, 2008 by GoodSpeak

[Aggie87]

You're right, Aggie...I screwed up the names. I corrected it.

But Wade needs to get a grip on what players say verses what they want the team to do for them.

Wade strikes me as a loose cannon in the same vien Mark Cuban is in the NBA.

Guess what: Attitude 0, Player complaint 1.

Wade is an idiot.

I'm not sure I get where you're coming from.

Chacon was a starter, and didn't pitch real well. They moved him to the bullpen as a result, which upset him.

He wouldn't warm up when called upon, and then threw when he wasn't supposed to (or something like that).

Cecil Cooper (his coach) tried to talk to him, to no avail. He got called into the office, and refused to go.

So the GM comes down to the player's cafeteria to ask him to come to the office and he refuses.

The GM directed him to go to the office (in either a calm voice or yelling, depending on who you believe), and Chacon assaulted him.

A couple days later the Astros release him and he clears waivers (meaning nobody wants to touch him with a 10 ft pole), and now the Player's Union is filing a grievance that he was wrongfully terminated.

What part of that makes GM Wade an idiot? He did the right thing.

Edited July 3, 2008 by Aggie87

[Dan Gould]

We interrupt your regularly scheduled programs to announce that THE MOTHERFUCKING "CHAMPIONS" SUCK SHIT AND THAT MANNY DELCARMEN AND CRAIG HANSEN SHOULD EAT SHIT AND DIE.

Seriously, how do you fucking expect to compete when your middle relief turns a 4-1 seventh inning game into 4-3 with a shitload of walks and then a bases clearing double?

And of course the fucking Yankees let the Rangers toy with a sweep than motherfucking destroy them.

SO WHO GOES INTO THE BRONX WITH SOME MOMENTUM?

IT AIN'T FUCKING US.

[BERIGAN]

Really amazing how far Frenchy has fallen....he has been booed of late as well, so I can't quite understand the mention of the fans not standing for him being sent down....Unlike Andruw last year, he really is trying, looking at video tape, tons of extra hitting...just can't hit anymore. And swings at sliders 2 feet outside

Braves mulling Francoeur move

Club hesitant to send popular outfielder to Minor Leagues

By Mark Bowman / MLB.com

ATLANTA -- Next Monday will mark the third anniversary of Jeff Francoeur's Major League debut. All indications are that he'll still be in the Majors at that time.

But as his offensive struggles have continued, he's given Braves management more reason to at least continue evaluating the potential circumstances of sending him back to the Minor Leagues.

Because the National League East first-place Phillies sent Brett Myers back to the Minors on Tuesday with the hope that he'd regain his successful pitching form, there was at least some talk at Turner Field on Wednesday regarding the possibility of Francoeur encountering the same fate.

While a team official at least confirmed there has been discussion about sending Francoeur to the Minors to rediscover his lost swing, there was no indication that this was an imminent possibility.

One primary reason that the Braves haven't shipped Francoeur back to the Minors is the potential backlash they might receive from their fans, who have remained faithful to No. 7, despite the fact that he entered Wednesday night's game against the Phillies hitting just .239 with a .294 on-base percentage and .383 slugging percentage.

Even before he homered in his Major League debut on July 7, 2005, Francoeur was a favorite among Braves fans. Growing up in suburban Atlanta, he was named the high school Player of the Year for Georgia in both football and baseball.

"This is really the first time he's ever struggled," said Braves All-Star catcher Brian McCann, who has been Francouer's best friend since they were 12 years old. The only three qualified NL outfielders with a lower OPS (on-base plus-slugging-percentage) than Francoeur's mark of .677 are Houston's Michael Bourn, Los Angeles' Juan Pierre and Colorado's Willy Taveras, who are all known primarily for their speed.

"Everybody goes through slumps," McCann said. "You have to try to catch what you're doing wrong mechanically before it snowballs. That's why this game, to me, is the toughest sport to play. It's every day."

After hitting .293 last year, Francoeur entered this season hoping to keep that consistency, while improving his power and bidding for a third consecutive season with at least 100 RBIs.

But in his past 72 games entering Wednesday, the 24-year-old outfielder had hit .229 with a .291 on-base percentage and a .351 slugging percentage. There was some hope that he was turning the corner when he recorded consecutive multihit games on June 12-13.

But over the next 16 games, Francoeur hit .138 with a .206 on-base percentage and a .155 slugging percentage.

"It's tough to see him go through it," McCann said. "But you see what kind of guy you are when you are struggling, and he's still trying to stay upbeat. Everybody around here knows that he's working as hard as he can. It would be one thing if he wasn't at least trying."

http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/news/article...sp&c_id=atl

[WorldB3]

re: rays-sox

great catch by Upton to save the game. why does it seem like every time I look at a Rays box score it says Crawford and Longoria 3-4?

Dan,

I wish the A's had the same problems the Sox have, the A's just blew two late inning leads to their hated rival with a road trip to Chicago next without the benefit of coming off a World Series win.

[Dan Gould]

I may have predicted the series sweep, but never in my worse nightmares did I imagine it would happen in this way.

And it starts with that good-for-nothing piece of shit Matsuzaka. If he had any ability to throw strikes, he might not have been pulled after five innings and forced them to go to the bullpen.

And ah, the bullpen. The worst arsonists in history. Making me long for the 2003 "committee". NO ONE can get anyone out. Okajima had a relatively good inning, but he's been so fucked up, they were afraid to try to use others to get to him in the eighth, they had to use him in the sixth.

And once that seventh inning started, I immediately knew that the motherfucking umpire with the bullshit "interference" call and the other failures by the anemic offense to capitalize on opportunities would bite them in the motherfucking ass.

But the baseball gods were saving the final debilitating kick in the 'nads for the ninth inning. What in fucking God's name was franCOMA thinking, sending Varitek to hit with the tying run at first base and one out? Did he really think that this man, who is so discombobulated at the plate he looks like a high school catcher trying to hit major league pitching instead of a 10+ year veteran, could get a hit? Or did he think "he's the captain, I can't pinch hit for him"?

This takes every fucking idiotic move by Bobby Cox, raises it to the nth degree, and still beats it comfortably for Dumbest Move of the Millenium. You've got Sean Casey on the bench, who hits anyone and would have a shot at least at a gapper that might score Lowell. Heck, you could pinch run Cora and either have Cora play third base if there is a bottom of the ninth or put Youk there and keep Casey in to play first.

But no - and it gets worse. The Captain who has more swings and misses during his lost three weeks than Bud Bundy at a stripper's convention, is asked to execute a hit and run. Of course he swings and misses and Lowell is gunned down by ten feet. Think Sean Casey might have made contact?

I withdraw my previous prediction about the standings at the All-Star Break. IT WILL TAKE A MOTHERFUCKING MIRACLE FOR THEM TO BE FIVE GAMES OR CLOSER, OR IN SECOND PLACE.

[tkeith]

I'm not so upset with the Hit-and-Run call, though I agree a PH would have been smarter. Varitek is royally fucked right now, so make him swing, concentrating on contact. Now, I'd prefer you do it at a different point in the game, but I think he knew there was no chance the captain was going to get a hit, so why not roll the dice.

More importantly, what do you do about the bullpen? Seems to me ALL the Sox pitchers have that nibbling habit (even if Wake and Lester have been on a bit of a respite from said habit). That sounds very much like a philosophical issue -- meaning perhaps the pitching coach is the issue. Check out what he did as a player and you'll see I may have a point here (and not the one atop my head). For some reason, this guy gets a pass, and I think he's caused a lot of the issues this staff has had. Regardless, second place going into the break is not so bad. Even if it is a prolonged thing, there are advantages once you move past the trading deadline -- particularly if Ortiz is slow to return. You would be in position to block Tampa Bay from getting the bat they need. However, I'd much rather be clear and away the front-runner, but there are many issues to be fixed. I'm not going to panic yet -- Manny is due for a tear, as is Ellsbury; perhaps the return of Ortiz can spark that.

As for the issue with Frenchy in Atlanta, I sure hope he can turn it around -- he's on my fantasy squad and things have gotten so bad that I started Hinske as one of my OFs this week!

[papsrus]

Game 3 didn't feature the kind of pitching I was hoping for. Kaz's pitch count still balloons too quickly. He has to get his slider going or batters are just going to sit on his fastball and keep fouling them off. And I can see how it's easy to get frustrated with Dice K and his constant nibbling around the plate. Although, he did only allow one run. Both pitchers combined for 9 walks over 5 innings (5 for Matsuzaka and 4 for Kazmir). A little high. Although the Rays TV guys pointed out that home plate umpire Gerry Davis is notorious for being a batter's ump (small strike zone).

It sure is a sweat sweep though (sorry Dan). Now here's hoping the BoSox take their frustrations out on the Yankees and knock NY further out of the race. A sweep would be a nice remedy, yes?

Dustin Pedroia is one hell of a player. He owned Kaz. That guy was carrying the club on his back last night. And I, too, thought it was odd letting Varitek hit in the ninth and then sending Lowell off on a hit and run. That's about as low-percentage as it gets.

And ... the Rays' bats are still not quite there. Even though they're winning games, they are almost always out-hit by their opponents. They show pretty good patience at the plate, but if (when?) they start generating hits more consistently, this team could do some serious damage.

[Dan Gould]

I'm not so upset with the Hit-and-Run call, though I agree a PH would have been smarter. Varitek is royally fucked right now, so make him swing, concentrating on contact. Now, I'd prefer you do it at a different point in the game, but I think he knew there was no chance the captain was going to get a hit, so why not roll the dice.

A hit and run call makes absolutely zero sense with someone who has more swing and miss strikeouts in the last week than most people have in two months. Its ludicrous. If you insist on letting Varitek bat, then Lowell doesn't move off the base - let Varitek, the all-important Captain, get rung up, and at least you get one more chance. Having him run was like conspiring to end the inning. It was worse than a suicide mission, it was as if Francona had money riding on the game and was going to do everything he could to make sure the comeback fell short.

More importantly, what do you do about the bullpen?

Well, Timlin was called up, and as scary bad as he has been, I would actually now prefer to see him pitch against the Yankees. He had strong performances at Pawtucket, and Hansen is a joke and MDC has completely lost whatever feel he had when he was on his hot streak. Bring on Timlin!

Seems to me ALL the Sox pitchers have that nibbling habit (even if Wake and Lester have been on a bit of a respite from said habit). That sounds very much like a philosophical issue -- meaning perhaps the pitching coach is the issue. Check out what he did as a player and you'll see I may have a point here (and not the one atop my head). For some reason, this guy gets a pass, and I think he's caused a lot of the issues this staff has had.

This is really unfair. Everything I read about this guy is that he is an outstanding coach. No one tells his pitchers to nibble. And a shitty pitcher in the majors wouldn't say "do what I did". This is almost as ludicrous as what Francona did. Wake doesn't nibble - no one controls a knuckleball enough to be a nibbler. Either it breaks over the plate or it doesn't. And Lester - it was the pitching coach who drilled into his head, and finally reached him, that he has to get into a quicker tempo, think less and pitch more, and its changed Lester into the potentially strong pitcher we've seen for a month or more. Beckett throws more strikes than anyone. And Masterson is too young to fully control his pitches and also has a slider that breaks out of the zone. That leaves you with Dice-K and again, the pitching coach and Francona have tried and tried to talk to him about trusting his stuff and going after batters. And what I believe the problem is that Dice-K has still not adopted to the larger, slicker ball of the American game. His stuff is not as good, his feel is not as good, because the ball is different. Watch him constantly wipe sweat off his neck to try to alter the ball after every single pitch and tell me I'm wrong. Its true that there are other Japanese pitchers who have excelled regardless of the ball but its clear to me that Dice still hasn't figured it out.

[tkeith]

Again, I don't agree with the call in that situation, but having Tek HnR is not, in itself, a bad move. But, 9th inning, you're correct -- dumb.

More importantly, what do you do about the bullpen?

Well, Timlin was called up, and as scary bad as he has been, I would actually now prefer to see him pitch against the Yankees. He had strong performances at Pawtucket, and Hansen is a joke and MDC has completely lost whatever feel he had when he was on his hot streak. Bring on Timlin!

I hope you're right. If we get Timlin of 2 years ago, this would be fine, but this guy really looks done to me. Even so, he could be lightening in a bottle.

Seems to me ALL the Sox pitchers have that nibbling habit (even if Wake and Lester have been on a bit of a respite from said habit). That sounds very much like a philosophical issue -- meaning perhaps the pitching coach is the issue. Check out what he did as a player and you'll see I may have a point here (and not the one atop my head). For some reason, this guy gets a pass, and I think he's caused a lot of the issues this staff has had.

This is really unfair. Everything I read about this guy is that he is an outstanding coach. No one tells his pitchers to nibble. And a shitty pitcher in the majors wouldn't say "do what I did".

I'm not suggesting that he would intentionally do this, I'm just wondering if it's something in his philosophy. A pitching coach is going to be the guy who dictates mechanics and habits, and as a player, he had a lot of skill, but struggled with the same issues his staff is currently struggling with. I don't think that's unfair at all. Do you remember the year Mike Greenwell lead the team with 9 home runs? Who was the hitting coach? (Rick Burleson)

Regardless, you can't fire 11 pitchers, but I won't be surprised if this guy goes if this slide continues. Francoma [sic] has managed to get himself untouchable status, barring something extreme. His coaches have not.

[Dan Gould]

I don't think you understand how popular and well-respected this guy is - by the pitching staff, the entire organization, and baseball in general. To fire him would be insane. He coached a similar staff to be the best, or one of the best, pitching staffs in the entire league. Was he a genius last year and an idiot this year?

[tkeith]

I don't think you understand how popular and well-respected this guy is - by the pitching staff, the entire organization, and baseball in general. To fire him would be insane. He coached a similar staff to be the best, or one of the best, pitching staffs in the entire league. Was he a genius last year and an idiot this year?

I understand. I also understand that the same view is held by Francoma within the organization. As for last year, I started making this statement last year when 110 pitches only got 6-innings out of a pitcher. Nonetheless, I have to share this with you -- I just got to this and... well... I think we could both heed this advice.

Fitzy's Mid-season WPWC

[Dan Gould]

Nonetheless, I have to share this with you -- I just got to this and... well... I think we could both heed this advice.

Fitzy's Mid-season WPWC

The advice may be reasonable but I can't stand drunken ass hats like him and his ilk.

[tkeith]

Nonetheless, I have to share this with you -- I just got to this and... well... I think we could both heed this advice.

Fitzy's Mid-season WPWC

The advice may be reasonable but I can't stand drunken ass hats like him and his ilk.

Uh-oh.

[Big Al]

Well, I knew a sweep was too much to hope for, and I guess I shouldn't be too disappointed that the Rangers won the series, taking two of three at the Bronx.

STILL.... that was an ugly way to lose last night, and a serious momentum breaker. I mean, damn: everything went wrong last night! A stupid call to the bullpen to bring in the rookie and throw him to the sharks, and then having the rest of the bullpen follow his "lead." Ian Kinsler, the most overrated infielder in the league, committing his SIXTEENTH error to allow five unearned runs. Geez, how d'ya bounce back from that?

I'm not sure if I should root for the Rangers again tonight or hope that the Yankees get their inevitable win out of their system so that some how, some way, the Sox can keep them on a losing trend. I know the Yankees are due to bust out and how long can the Rangers keep them down, but if anyone is due for an outburst, its the number one scoring offense in the league! I'm hoping Ponson will be amped up and out of control and that the Rangers can spank him. That's probably the best outcome since I am pretty sure the Sox will lose. Better the Yankees stay behind us and don't gain ground.

Damn, Dan, are you psychic or something? The Rangers spanked Ponson (HA!) and the Yanks offense explodes for 12 runs in two innings.

[Soulstation1]

the tribe = sucks

don't think they have a .300 hitter in the line-up

[BERIGAN]

the tribe = sucks

don't think they have a .300 hitter in the line-up

Funny how the teams with just about the best starting pitching in baseball(Indians and Blue Jays) are both sub .500 teams....

In retrospect, both teams should have traded some of it away for a hitter or 2...

[BERIGAN]

And Dan, what FranCOMA ( ) did last night was really dumb. Of course, if Tek had gotten a hit, he'd be a genius today.

But, he still ain't Cox stupid.

Don't know if knew(Or cared) But the Braves played in Toronto with 3 injured infielders who couldn't play at all. Chipper with his quad injury. Yunel Escobar with a shoulder problem from sliding into 1st, and Omar Infante has a bad Hammy. But, that's ok, according to Bobby and the rest of the braintrust of the Braves, cuz we were in the AL Park! Did you know that you only really need 22 players Dan????

And Cox likes to have 13 in the bullpen at all times. So, he made an extreme sacrifice, and sent down a guy so we could call up Brent Lillibridge(A highly thought of prospect we got from the Pirates, a skinny little 24 year old that no joke, looks 16-and is hitting .200 this year)to play short. Ruben Gotay at 3rd.(not really a 3rd baseman) And one guy, ONE GUY on the bench. Catcher Corky Miller. Ever heard of him??? .182 Lifetime average, and is hitting abot 115 points lower than "Tek" this year. He's half the hitter your catcher is Dan, does that tell you anything???

Then we hear Kelly Johnson had the flu while in Toronto, but HAD to play, since there was no one else! I would have laughed if Frenchy and center fielder Blanco had run into each other, and we had to use Jair Jurrjens and Corky in the outfield!!!!

No team, no last place team even would put themselves in that position....but, the braves did...and lost 2 of 3 from a team we clearly should have beaten 2 of 3....

Edited July 3, 2008 by BERIGAN

[Big Al]

the tribe = sucks

don't think they have a .300 hitter in the line-up

Funny how the teams with just about the best starting pitching in baseball(Indians and Blue Jays) are both sub .500 teams....

In retrospect, both teams should have traded some of it away for a hitter or 2...

Yeah, because that strategy works so well for the Rangers....

[Tim McG]

Hey...Lincecum, bay-bee!

He hits a single to drive in a run and scores from first...leads the Cubbies 4-1 and is throwing gas.

Now how about that

[Dan Gould]

Well, nothing like a five hit shutout by Lester to start to wash the stench of Tampa off.

Seriously, the no-hitter was a great accomplishment, but throwing a shutout like that in 25 fewer pitches is just as nice. I don't know if anyone, even the most optimistic, expected Lester to be this good this soon this year. He gives me real hope that we don't need Dice-K to be an ace, he can be a number three until Masterson or Buchholz pushes him out of that slot, too.

And it will be interesting to see how Pettitte bounces back in the second game of the Tampa series. He'd thrown very well over the past four starts - something like three earned runs, or maybe its vice versa - so you can say he was due for a stinker. Whichever, he really didn't have anything tonight.

Gotta have hopes for the pitching matchup tomorrow - Beckett has pitched very well lately while Rasner has really stunk it up. You might think Rasner would be due for some better luck but the fact is, he's likely a borderline a major leaguer, so his initial success was probably more luck related and his current struggles more indicative of his skill level.

But we'll need to win on the Fourth with Masterson going on Saturday and Joba on Sunday.

[Chalupa]

Rays Republic???

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story...mp;sportCat=mlb