MLB 2008

[PHILLYQ]

...I thought it was funny what a meek reaction Robin Yount got from the crowd. You could practically see him thinking "c'mon, 3000 hits, 2 time MVP, remember me?"

It just seems sad to me to watch great players get tepid cheers. Phil Neikro even pitched for the Yankees, and won game 300 with them...and barely got applause.

That's because true baseball fans, in all cities, are a dying breed. Even NYC has its pink hat brigade.

You also have to keep in mind that the All-Star game doesn't draw the usual crowd- it draws the corporate crowd much more and they are usually not very knowledgeable about baseball.

As for Youkilis, etc getting booed- it's NYC, every BOSOX player will get booed- it's required, even from the empty suits.

Francona was very classy in the way he handled bringing in and replacing the Yankee players- much appreciated from this Yank fan.

[Tim McG]

BTW...over the weekend I read an LA Times article wherein they pointed out Tim Lincecum's velocity has diminished.

Yeah, he's only throwing 91 mph FBs as opposed to 97 mph FBs

Idiots.

Uh, 91 is major league average FB. 91 gets hit if its in the wrong place. 97 doesn't get hit as often, whether its in the wrong place or the right place.

Placement of the pitch and movement on the ball keeps hitters from hitting it, Dan. Lincecum is successful because of that control.

If you groove a 97 mph FB, it is going to get sent into the next area code. Hitters see the ball way better now than they used to. Guys like Ramiez, for example, are untouchable becuse they have superior control over the flight of the ball. Ramirez keeps hitters guessing and off-balance and when he does blow one by them, it is because he set the hitter up beforehand. Just ask the BoSox or D'Backs hitters if Rameriz can be hit. The playoffs and WS prove that one out. Ramirez was throwing gas but over the plate. Same goes with any hard thrower. Nolan Ryan is another great example.

Speed's got very little to do with it these days.

Edited July 17, 2008 by GoodSpeak

[papsrus]

Casey Kelly signs. Details TK.

[Neal Pomea]

Speed's got a lot to do with deceptiveness:

http://www.livescience.com/strangenews/080...ll-physics.html

[papsrus]

Casey Kelly signs. Details TK.

He'll report to Fort Myers on Friday, and will play primarily SS, but the Red Sox have some plan to get him on the mound as well.

[Dan Gould]

Interesting report about Manny, the front office, that incident with the traveling secretary and the three pitch strikeout against Rivera at the Stadium:

From the Globe

According to former WBZ sports director Bob Lobel, Manny Ramirez was fined a six-figure amount for his June altercation with Red Sox traveling secretary Jack McCormick -- and he wasn't happy about it.

"Manny was fined six figures to go to a charity," Lobel said this morning on sports radio WEEI. "That got [Manny's] attention ... he became a petulant child by being punished. No matter what the crime was, pushing an employee, that was the issue ... he acted out [after they fined him]. They got his attention. He doesn't like to be punished in any way, shape, or form... "

Lobel’s strong words didn’t stop there. He went on to allege that there was a perception that in a pinch-hit at bat at Yankee Stadium on July 6 -- more than a week after the incident with McCormick -- Ramirez took three straight called strikes to send a message to the Sox.

"The thing that most people are forgetting and haven't talked about is the strikeout in Yankee Stadium," Lobel said. "The bat on the shoulder for the three pitches from Mariano Rivera. That was a big [expletive] to the Red Sox after the fine. I'm just telling you ... there are things in the front office that are perceived ... I'm saying that there is a strong feeling that that [three-pitch strikeout] was the message to the Red Sox and it's a strong feeling that that's unacceptable ... there's a feeling that he didn't give it his all, let's put it that way ... I'm just saying the front office has not forgotten that moment. It's akin to Nomar sitting on the bench [in a game in which Derek Jeter dove into the stands at Yankee Stadium in 2004]. It's the same thing. It's an at bat that resonated very strongly in the front office."

During the All-Star break, Ramirez told the Boston Herald's Rob Bradford that he would like to stay in Boston after this season, but that if the team doesn't exercise the first of two one-year, $20 million options they have on Manny, he'll play elsewhere.

"To be honest with you, I don't know, I want to stay in Boston, but I want to sit down after the season with ownership and see what my future is going to be in Boston," he said. "If they don't pick it up, I'm a free agent and I'll go play somewhere else."

Ramirez added that holding court with the Sox' executives is important to him because "I want to know what's my situation. I want no more [expletive] where they tell you one thing and behind your back they do another thing. I think I've earned that respect, for a team to sit down with me and tell me this is what we want, this is what we want to do."

Responding to Ramirez's comments via e-mail to Bradford the next day, Sox owner John Henry wrote, "I find remarks that we have been anything other than completely straightforward to be personally offensive. Manny has been a crucial part of two world championships. I do not believe we would have won either without him. He has never played a more important role than he has thus far this year."

That being the explanation for Manny taking three pitches rings a lot truer to me than "Manny will lay off pitches he doesn't think he can handle". On the other hand, I recall that at least one of the last two strikes were off the plate according to the strike zone thingamajig.

I still say what I've said all along - if Manny picks it up in the second half, hits 35 homers and 125 RBI and hits .290+, they should exercise the option for next season. If he doesn't produce at a similar or better rate than he did the first half, he can pout and moan his way to another team. It just means the Sox will go harder for Teixeira. With Manny off the payroll, along with Schilling, they can easily afford $18-20 mill a year for Tex. They'd have to ask Youk to move to left field, and he'd be unhappy - you can't blame the guy for playing flawless first base, excellent third base, but he's asked to move to LF to make room for another Gold Glove winner. But Teix gives you a young guy for the middle of the lineup who could replace Manny now and possibly move to replace Ortiz as he ages.

and let's face it, we need to get younger as Drew and Lowell will still be on the roster and Tek almost certainly comes back, too.

[zen archer]

I heard about this like 3 weeks ago, ...i dunno , Lobel just lost his job at WBZ TV he was always a cream puff to me .Ya know , not the first guy i would go to for info . I would trust MacAdam or Edes more than Lobel.

I still think Manny has dropped off , considering the kind of shape he came into camp , his first half was so-so.

I have never seen him swing and miss as much as this year!

Edited July 18, 2008 by zen archer

[Tim McG]

Speed's got a lot to do with deceptiveness:

http://www.livescience.com/strangenews/080...ll-physics.html

Oh absolutely. I agree.

I just don't see too many guys out there any more blowing them by hitters as their only go-to pitch. Most good pitchers have at least a couple bread-and-butter pitches they can rely on, because if they didn't...they'd be pitching in Triple A.

Edited July 18, 2008 by GoodSpeak

[papsrus]

Skid's over .... back in first by percentage points, at least for a few hours.

[jlhoots]

C.C. Sabathia pitches another complete game as the Brewers defeat San Francisco 9 - 1.

He only hit a double tonight instead of a home run.

Cubs lost.

[Dan Gould]

Skid's over .... back in first by percentage points, at least for a few hours.

Back in first, period.

What a shitty day on the Left Coast - Manny and Cora fuck around with the baseball and Buchholz looks atrocious regardless. He needs some lessons from Masterson in how to deal with adversity and what it means to have confidence in yourself. Because he's got squat.

Here's a frightening thought:

What is Buchholz doesn't turn it around quickly? What if he's a black hole at the end of the rotation? Colon is weeks away from pitching again, and I do not want to get into the starting pitcher market at the deadline. That leaves David Pauley, Charlie Zink, and maybe Bowden as stop-gaps. But Bowden shouldn't be entrusted with a spot in the rotation, he'll come up for a spot start or be brought into the bullpen. Pauley has pitched up here before; at least with Zink you get Tek's bat out of the lineup one more day out of five.

I'm actually curious about Zink - he doesn't have Wakefield's knuckler but its still a pretty good one, but what makes him different is that he throws his fastball in the upper 80s. I always wince when Wakefield throws a get-me-over FB. I've never understood why batters don't work him into fastball counts - if the knuckler is dancing out of the strike zone - and then pound the BP fastball that is coming. With Zink, he's got a better ability to mix his pitches, not throw knuckler after knuckler.

That's what made Phil Kniekro a great pitcher - his knuckler was great but he threw other quality pitches too.

[BERIGAN]

C.C. Sabathia pitches another complete game as the Brewers defeat San Francisco 9 - 1.

He only hit a double tonight instead of a home run.

Cubs lost.

Have you heard any talk that when Sheets walks, that the Brewers might sign CC since he has a better history of being healthy year in and year out??? Seems to me he wouldn't be that much more than Sheets would be....and without Sheets and CC next year, there is no way to compete in the Central next year...A very cheap team though....

[BERIGAN]

Dan, it just makes sense to wave goodbye to Manny this year, IMHO. And that incident with traveling secretary just seems to make it even more likely, especially if it really is true he purposely didn't swing in the 9th against the Yankees over a fine.

Youk is having a great year, but who knows if he will keep hitting like this next year??? This might be his Davey Johnson year. Like you said, move him to left next year and put Tex at 1st.

Or, watch Manny start to fall apart next year and miss the chance to get Tex....I'd love to see Manny play in Toronto, with no life at all....he'll never have it as good as he's had it in Boston

Edited July 19, 2008 by BERIGAN

[Dan Gould]

Dan, it just makes sense to wave goodbye to Manny this year, IMHO. And that incident with traveling secretary just seems to make it even more likely, especially if it really is true he purposely didn't swing in the 9th against the Yankees over a fine.

Youk is having a great year, but who knows if he will keep hitting like this next year??? This might be his Davey Johnson year. Like you said, move him to left next year and put Tex at 1st.

Or, watch Manny start to fall apart next year and miss the chance to get Tex....I'd love to see Manny play in Toronto, with no life at all....he'll never have it as good as he's had it in Boston

If they ask Youk to move, they should reward him with a multi-year deal instead of continuing to go year by year. Otherwise he'll be ready to move on. And I'm not sure that he'd really be a great option in left anyway. Yeah, he'll be better than Manny on your average fly ball, probably not as good as Manny on playing the Monster or on the quick, accurate throws. But missing out on Teix particularly to the Yankees would suck.

As for Manny and the traveling secretary - the media is reporting that no one believes that his K was a big "f-you" to the front office, and that it wasn't a six figure fine but in the range of $10-15K. That makes sense, because a player has the right to contest a fine under the CBA, and it makes sense if Manny signed off on 10-15 thousand, not so much six figures.

That's a lot of grills to sell!

[zen archer]

Dan, it just makes sense to wave goodbye to Manny this year, IMHO. And that incident with traveling secretary just seems to make it even more likely, especially if it really is true he purposely didn't swing in the 9th against the Yankees over a fine.

Youk is having a great year, but who knows if he will keep hitting like this next year??? This might be his Davey Johnson year. Like you said, move him to left next year and put Tex at 1st.

Or, watch Manny start to fall apart next year and miss the chance to get Tex....I'd love to see Manny play in Toronto, with no life at all....he'll never have it as good as he's had it in Boston

If they ask Youk to move, they should reward him with a multi-year deal instead of continuing to go year by year. Otherwise he'll be ready to move on. And I'm not sure that he'd really be a great option in left anyway. Yeah, he'll be better than Manny on your average fly ball, probably not as good as Manny on playing the Monster or on the quick, accurate throws. But missing out on Teix particularly to the Yankees would suck.

As for Manny and the traveling secretary - the media is reporting that no one believes that his K was a big "f-you" to the front office, and that it wasn't a six figure fine but in the range of $10-15K. That makes sense, because a player has the right to contest a fine under the CBA, and it makes sense if Manny signed off on 10-15 thousand, not so much six figures.

That's a lot of grills to sell!

SEE , i told you Lobel doesn't know what he is talking about .....

[zen archer]

Skid's over .... back in first by percentage points, at least for a few hours.

Back in first, period.

What a shitty day on the Left Coast - Manny and Cora fuck around with the baseball and Buchholz looks atrocious regardless. He needs some lessons from Masterson in how to deal with adversity and what it means to have confidence in yourself. Because he's got squat.

Here's a frightening thought:

What is Buchholz doesn't turn it around quickly? What if he's a black hole at the end of the rotation? Colon is weeks away from pitching again, and I do not want to get into the starting pitcher market at the deadline. That leaves David Pauley, Charlie Zink, and maybe Bowden as stop-gaps. But Bowden shouldn't be entrusted with a spot in the rotation, he'll come up for a spot start or be brought into the bullpen. Pauley has pitched up here before; at least with Zink you get Tek's bat out of the lineup one more day out of five.

I'm actually curious about Zink - he doesn't have Wakefield's knuckler but its still a pretty good one, but what makes him different is that he throws his fastball in the upper 80s. I always wince when Wakefield throws a get-me-over FB. I've never understood why batters don't work him into fastball counts - if the knuckler is dancing out of the strike zone - and then pound the BP fastball that is coming. With Zink, he's got a better ability to mix his pitches, not throw knuckler after knuckler.

That's what made Phil Kniekro a great pitcher - his knuckler was great but he threw other quality pitches too.

I missed the pre game last night , WHY would they start Bucholz and not Beckett ? Remember when in Baseball you would always go with your ace to start the season or the second half ?

I'm sure this has something to do with the Yankee series . But right now Bucholz looks worse than before he was sent down to the Pawsox.

He should be buried in the rotation not showcased .

[Dan Gould]

Its not a question of showcasing anyone. That doesn't remotely enter into their thinking. They re-shuffled the rotation to maximize the rest given to certain people, like Beckett. Remember how they learned that Beckett and Schilling's stints on the DL helped them in October? Well that's the new organizational principle - have enough pitching that even without injuries, you can give your best ones little mini-vacations during the season and hopefully profit from it during stretch time.

[Patrick]

Here's a frightening thought:

What is Buchholz doesn't turn it around quickly? What if he's a black hole at the end of the rotation? Colon is weeks away from pitching again, and I do not want to get into the starting pitcher market at the deadline.

I'm sure the Bosox can make a deal for the experienced, highly prized, Paul Byrd. Something promising in AA perhaps?

[Dan Gould]

Here's a frightening thought:

What is Buchholz doesn't turn it around quickly? What if he's a black hole at the end of the rotation? Colon is weeks away from pitching again, and I do not want to get into the starting pitcher market at the deadline.

I'm sure the Bosox can make a deal for the experienced, highly prized, Paul Byrd. Something promising in AA perhaps?

Yeah, you'll ask for Michael Bowden, who ranks just behind Buchholz and Masterson as prospects.

[Soulstation1]

Anyone see Manny the other day during a pitching change he was inside the Green Monster talking on his cell phone

[Dan Gould]

Nice fuckin' offense, Oakland.

thanks a lot.

[papsrus]

And A-W-A-Y we go! Back to 1 1/2 up in the East.

[Dan Gould]

And A-W-A-Y we go! Back to 1 1/2 up in the East.

Yeah, well it just may be that the last week was the fluke, not the period before. The Sox look fucking pathetic, and Ortiz can't come back soon enough.

[Chuck Nessa]

Cubs might be on a mad dash to third place.

[Tim McG]

Nice fuckin' offense, Oakland.

thanks a lot.

Hey, c'mon, Dan.

BoSox gotta lose once in a while.

Maybe they could have actually beat the Yonkers and solved that problem, eh?

Edited July 20, 2008 by GoodSpeak