MLB 2008

[Patrick]

Yeah that soft tosser Paul Byrd sure ain't no Tim Wakefield!

[BERIGAN]

After surgery, Wagner to miss rest of season, most of '09

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3575996

[Chalupa]

After surgery, Wagner to miss rest of season, most of '09

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3575996

Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

[tkeith]

After surgery, Wagner to miss rest of season, most of '09

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3575996

Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

That's cold. A wrong-winged red-neck who uses the f-word to call out teammates in a press conference? Who wouldn't love a guy like that on their team?

[Dan Gould]

How's that for an oldie but a goodie? FranCOMA's motherfucking stupidity pisses away a game they had stolen away. Anyone else fucking KNOW that Papelbon was going to fuck it up? Three straight appearances, 4 outs last night. Okajima has been pitching well and had lefties lined up. Let him fucking pitch the ninth!

[MartyJazz]

How's that for an oldie but a goodie? FranCOMA's motherfucking stupidity pisses away a game they had stolen away. Anyone else fucking KNOW that Papelbon was going to fuck it up? Three straight appearances, 4 outs last night. Okajima has been pitching well and had lefties lined up. Let him fucking pitch the ninth!

Well, I certainly didn't expect that comeback. Hey, Papelbon is your closer, I don't think Francona could have done anything else. In any event, a beautiful win for the Rays.

[Dan Gould]

He went to him too many times in a row. Every fucking ball hit in the inning was a screaming line drive. The home run was monstrous; the line drive to Crisp was stung; the double should have gone over the Monster. Papelbon sucked and shouldn't have been called upon.

And I called it from the moment the NESN guy said that Okajima was pulled. In fact that was another reason not to use him - no time to get him up and warm.

Francoma is a fucking asshole in game situations.

[papsrus]

All I gotta say is ... whew.

That was a huge win. Rays are assured of heading to NY with the AL East lead now. And that's huge, given the way they've been letting it slip away lately.

[tkeith]

Closer is an overrated position.

[zen archer]

Timlin................

[Dan Gould]

I FUCKING knew from the moment Timlin came in that it would be mere minutes before the game would be out of hand. I took the dogs out, and returned to watch the ball fly out over the Monster. I FUCKING knew that as long as they kept fucking around with the bats that it was inevitable that our bullpen would fuck it away before theirs did.

I didn't think it was possible to have a more infuriating game than Tuesday night but I was OH SO FUCKING wrong.

FORGET THE DIVISION. FEAR THE JAYS.

By the end of next weekend, the division will be sewn up, and they will be in a fight for their lives for the Wild Card.

Count on it.

[Free For All]

I took the dogs out, and returned to watch the ball fly out over the Monster.

Is that code or something?

[papsrus]

Percival ....

Fuck! ... can Maddon let it go already. The guy is a heart attack every ... freakin' ... time. Forget it. He's done. There are better arms in that bullpen. I know there are because he's the only one who has no clue where the plate is. None.

Yeah, yeah, Rays win. But he was a whisker away from blowing that game. And they're going nowhere except home in the playoffs if Percival gets anywhere near a mound.

[papsrus]

So the explanation from Percival is that his back tightened up. ... ... Screw that. It's the same old story with him. Free passes to first base for everyone, next thing you know the bases are juiced and your 3-run lead is hanging by a thread. Damn! ... Maddon was pissed when he went to yank him last night. Pissed! And I don't blame him. If Percy's back was tight, he should have pulled himself out of the game right away, and certainly he should have bailed before loading the bases! I thought Pena was going to slug him. ...

"When I'm the weakest link in the bullpen, its a pretty good bullpen," Percival said. "I'll get some treatment tomorrow and it'll be OK. It's nothing."

It's nothing huh? Great. Thanks ... for almost blowing it ... again ... for the umpteenth time.

At this point, I'm inclined to agree with Thom Keith. Sometimes a closer is like the prevent defense in football. Some wild-ass arm that you're just praying can get the ball somewhere in the vicinity of the plate without hitting the batter. I'd much rather the Rays go with the closer-by-committee deal. Or at the very least, keep Percy on a short leash. Much shorter than allowing him to load the freakin' bases every damn time he gets in a game. Jeez!

/rant

OK ... off to kick some Yankee ass now ...

Edited September 11, 2008 by papsrus

[tkeith]

Rays grew up a little the past two nights, which is good for baseball. I'm not prepared to throw Timlin under the bus when the offense couldn't muster any activity for 14 innings. Yeah, the umps royally fucked two calls, but so what. Ortiz needs to get surgery the day after the season ends and get that wrist healthy. While he's at it, he could back away from the table and save his knees a little, too.

Toronto is not to be feared, this is a ridiculous overreaction.

Tampa Bay *IS* at least the second best team in baseball this year, so I'm not surprised it was a tough series. What we'll tell me more is what happens when we visit their house. I'm far from panicking.

Now, the Matt Cassell issue is another story.

[Dan Gould]

Rays grew up a little the past two nights, which is good for baseball. I'm not prepared to throw Timlin under the bus when the offense couldn't muster any activity for 14 innings. Yeah, the umps royally fucked two calls, but so what. Ortiz needs to get surgery the day after the season ends and get that wrist healthy. While he's at it, he could back away from the table and save his knees a little, too.

Toronto is not to be feared, this is a ridiculous overreaction.

Tampa Bay *IS* at least the second best team in baseball this year, so I'm not surprised it was a tough series. What we'll tell me more is what happens when we visit their house. I'm far from panicking.

Now, the Matt Cassell issue is another story.

1. Timlin should have been DFA'd a long time ago, when it became obvious that he had nothing left. Keeping him last year wasn't a terrible decision because he actually put together a good month or two. He's sucked from day one this year, and don't tell me that you didn't know in your heart that this game was likely to be over when he came in.

2. Shows what you know - Ortiz needs no surgery. Surgery will not complete the recovery process. His wrist will be 100% when he stops swinging a bat for a couple of months.

3. Toronto is the hottest team in baseball. The bats have disappeared just as the best pitching staff comes into Fenway, dreaming of a miracle finish. And to top it off, they've whipped our asses most of the time. You think its impossible, and its far from that. This team can just as easily tank as make a drive for the playoffs, and if they do the former, it will start this weekend.

[BERIGAN]

As hot as Toronto is, the Astros might even be hotter. And this is with Carlos Lee on the disabled list! It would be kinda cool if one of those teams somehow slipped in....

By Mark Simon, ESPN

On July 27, the Astros were in last place in the National League Central, trailing even the Pirates. Six weeks later, they're no longer a laughingstock. Instead, they may be this year's version of the Rockies.

The Astros have won 13 of 14 after beating the Pirates again on Wednesday, and are now even with the Phillies, four games behind the Brewers in the NL wild-card race.

What has been the key to their success? Roy Oswalt and Jose Valverde have basically been unhittable. Even without Carlos Lee, the offense has clicked, with Geoff Blum, Ty Wigginton and Miguel Tejada, who belted a grand slam in Wednesday's win, picking up the slack.

Astros, since July 27

• Have gone 32-11.

• Wigginton (32) and Blum (29) lead the team in RBIs.

• Are now 16-2 record in games started by Oswalt and Randy Wolf. Oswalt alone is 7-1 with a 2.20 ERA.

• Valverde and LaTroy Hawkins have allowed one run in 34 2/3 innings. Valverde has 16 saves during the hot streak.

• Won all four extra-inning games they've played.

• Posted a 22-8 record without Lee.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/notebook?page=bbtn

[Dan Gould]

It is pretty amazing how far they've come. Everyone laughed when they refused to be sellers at the deadline, and even added Randy Wolf to the rotation, yet there they are with a legitimate shot.

[tkeith]

1. Timlin should have been DFA'd a long time ago, when it became obvious that he had nothing left. Keeping him last year wasn't a terrible decision because he actually put together a good month or two. He's sucked from day one this year, and don't tell me that you didn't know in your heart that this game was likely to be over when he came in.

I didn't know it in my heart, because I was in bed -- I work for a living. Still, he did his thing in the 14th-inning; your rant fails to address the anemic offense throughout the game, which was my point.

2. Shows what you know - Ortiz needs no surgery. Surgery will not complete the recovery process. His wrist will be 100% when he stops swinging a bat for a couple of months.

Shows what YOU know - that was the same prognosis for Nomar, before he was lost for a season. Swinging a bat isn't Ortiz biggest problem, swinging the fork is.

3. Toronto is the hottest team in baseball. The bats have disappeared just as the best pitching staff comes into Fenway, dreaming of a miracle finish. And to top it off, they've whipped our asses most of the time. You think its impossible, and its far from that. This team can just as easily tank as make a drive for the playoffs, and if they do the former, it will start this weekend.

Toronto does not have the staying power and has not all season. They are NOT going to recover this much of a gap in the remaining 2-1/2 weeks; will not happen. They could sweep us, and they're STILL not going to catch us. Hate to rain down positive vibes on your parade of negativity, but the only team to worry about is Minnesota, and I don't think that's a "worry" situation.

[Dan Gould]

1. Timlin should have been DFA'd a long time ago, when it became obvious that he had nothing left. Keeping him last year wasn't a terrible decision because he actually put together a good month or two. He's sucked from day one this year, and don't tell me that you didn't know in your heart that this game was likely to be over when he came in.

I didn't know it in my heart, because I was in bed -- I work for a living. Still, he did his thing in the 14th-inning; your rant fails to address the anemic offense throughout the game, which was my point.

2. Shows what you know - Ortiz needs no surgery. Surgery will not complete the recovery process. His wrist will be 100% when he stops swinging a bat for a couple of months.

Shows what YOU know - that was the same prognosis for Nomar, before he was lost for a season. Swinging a bat isn't Ortiz biggest problem, swinging the fork is.

3. Toronto is the hottest team in baseball. The bats have disappeared just as the best pitching staff comes into Fenway, dreaming of a miracle finish. And to top it off, they've whipped our asses most of the time. You think its impossible, and its far from that. This team can just as easily tank as make a drive for the playoffs, and if they do the former, it will start this weekend.

Toronto does not have the staying power and has not all season. They are NOT going to recover this much of a gap in the remaining 2-1/2 weeks; will not happen. They could sweep us, and they're STILL not going to catch us. Hate to rain down positive vibes on your parade of negativity, but the only team to worry about is Minnesota, and I don't think that's a "worry" situation.

Nomar had a full tear, this was a partial. HE WILL NOT HAVE SURGERY. And if swinging the fork is a bigger problem than swinging the bat, why are you ranting that he must have surgery as soon as practicable? Say it with me AGAIN:

HE WILL NOT HAVE SURGERY.

Toronto has won 19 of their last 27. They can't keep it up? They have the best pitching staff in the league, and as you yourself noticed, the bats were anemic, and have been that way since they left behind the worst pitching staff in Texas. You expect the bats to bust out against them? What if they drop eight of the next ten? That is far from impossible, given who they play and where they play them.

[Quincy]

Toronto has won 19 of their last 27. They can't keep it up?

They've been beating up some winning teams. I feel about 15 years younger every time the camera pans to the dugout and I see Cito Gaston managing. I'm happy for the guy as he's been such a loyal company man. I think you're right to treat them seriously.

The Astro late season run is a headscratcher. What is it with them and hot second half (or hell, last quarter) season play?

[Dan Gould]

Toronto has won 19 of their last 27. They can't keep it up?

They've been beating up some winning teams. I feel about 15 years younger every time the camera pans to the dugout and I see Cito Gaston managing. I'm happy for the guy as he's been such a loyal company man. I think you're right to treat them seriously.

And Cito himself looks like he never left the dugout! I'm too lazy to look it up but the man has to look at least 15 years younger than he is.

[tkeith]

1. Timlin should have been DFA'd a long time ago, when it became obvious that he had nothing left. Keeping him last year wasn't a terrible decision because he actually put together a good month or two. He's sucked from day one this year, and don't tell me that you didn't know in your heart that this game was likely to be over when he came in.

I didn't know it in my heart, because I was in bed -- I work for a living. Still, he did his thing in the 14th-inning; your rant fails to address the anemic offense throughout the game, which was my point.

2. Shows what you know - Ortiz needs no surgery. Surgery will not complete the recovery process. His wrist will be 100% when he stops swinging a bat for a couple of months.

Shows what YOU know - that was the same prognosis for Nomar, before he was lost for a season. Swinging a bat isn't Ortiz biggest problem, swinging the fork is.

3. Toronto is the hottest team in baseball. The bats have disappeared just as the best pitching staff comes into Fenway, dreaming of a miracle finish. And to top it off, they've whipped our asses most of the time. You think its impossible, and its far from that. This team can just as easily tank as make a drive for the playoffs, and if they do the former, it will start this weekend.

Toronto does not have the staying power and has not all season. They are NOT going to recover this much of a gap in the remaining 2-1/2 weeks; will not happen. They could sweep us, and they're STILL not going to catch us. Hate to rain down positive vibes on your parade of negativity, but the only team to worry about is Minnesota, and I don't think that's a "worry" situation.

Nomar had a full tear, this was a partial. HE WILL NOT HAVE SURGERY. And if swinging the fork is a bigger problem than swinging the bat, why are you ranting that he must have surgery as soon as practicable? Say it with me AGAIN:

HE WILL NOT HAVE SURGERY.

Toronto has won 19 of their last 27. They can't keep it up? They have the best pitching staff in the league, and as you yourself noticed, the bats were anemic, and have been that way since they left behind the worst pitching staff in Texas. You expect the bats to bust out against them? What if they drop eight of the next ten? That is far from impossible, given who they play and where they play them.

Tell you what, we've both stated our cases; I'm content to shut up and let them play and see how it pans out. We'll have time to gloat at each other later pending results. I'm confident; et tu, Bruté?

[Dan Gould]

A nice win and return to form by Wakefield but here's another Francona decision I cannot comprehend. Wake is at 94 pitches with a chance to throw a shutout, you've got a doubleheader tomorrow with Byrd going in the early game and Colon in the late game. So what does he do? Send out Delcarmen to finish it off. Like he won't be needed a couple of more times in tighter games than 7-0. Not to mention the fact that I'm pretty sure shutouts by 42 year olds are a fairly rare event in ML history.

[tkeith]

A nice win and return to form by Wakefield but here's another Francona decision I cannot comprehend. Wake is at 94 pitches with a chance to throw a shutout, you've got a doubleheader tomorrow with Byrd going in the early game and Colon in the late game. So what does he do? Send out Delcarmen to finish it off. Like he won't be needed a couple of more times in tighter games than 7-0. Not to mention the fact that I'm pretty sure shutouts by 42 year olds are a fairly rare event in ML history.

Have to agree with you here. If he's going to be an ass-hat and not let Wake finish, at least trot out the other 42-year-old piece of stale luncheon meat and let him try to "build his confidence." Hell, let Alex Fucking Cora finish it.