Destrox

Wow.

All I have to say is if you have issues with base blocking or the very rare brawl, you need to find a new sport.

You want to chance stealing a base? You take that risk.
You want to lose your temper, get fined, suspended and rush the pitcher? Expect his ass to be backed up by his teammates.

Its part of the damn game.

Baseball has been pussy'fied enough as it is, don't make it any worse.

__________________
You bore me.... next.

pan6467

Yes it has, all about the money now. Don't get that uniform dirty.....

__________________
I just love people who use the excuse "I use/do this because I LOVE the feeling/joy/happiness it brings me" and expect you to be ok with that as you watch them destroy their life blindly following. My response is, "I like to put forks in an eletrical socket, just LOVE that feeling, can't ever get enough of it, so will you let me put this copper fork in that electric socket?"

kutulu

It's easy to say that when it isn't your $10 million per year at risk. Owners AND players have a lot at stake.

QuasiMondo

Congratulations to Mr. Griffey on hitting HR #600. Hitting that many is an accomplishment in itself, it's even more amazing considering the unfortunate injuries he suffered that probably could've had him chasing Aaron's record.

__________________
Cameron originally envisioned the Terminator as a small, unremarkable man, giving it the ability to blend in more easily. As a result, his first choice for the part was Lance Henriksen. O. J. Simpson was on the shortlist but Cameron did not think that such a nice guy could be a ruthless killer.

-From the Collector's Edition DVD of The Terminator

pan6467

No, but it's my money that buys the tickets, the merchandise, the cable channel to watch the game.

In the end, I'd rather see players go out there and give it their all every day.... than to watch them afraid to dive because they might get hurt. I want to see the pitchers be able to brush batters back, instead of a warning to both benches and fear of ejection. I want to see players willing to take a chance ad make a game turning play.

Players today have guaranteed contracts, they make more in 1 year than the average fan will in a lifetime..... so why worry? They don't have to give it 100% any more. They get that big 5 yr contract.... play ok ball for 3 1/2 years then may go out play a bit harder for that next big payday. It's actually sad to watch anymore.

Give me in their primes the Pete Rose's, Mike Hargrove's, Mike Schmidt's, Phil Neikro's, Tom Seaver's, Steve Carlton's or a team full of young kids that want to be there and show every game how much being there matters to them. I'll take a team like that over any Boston, NY, Cleveland, St.Louis, Texas, and so on's roster any damn day. They may not win, but at least you know day in and day out they gave all they had.

And the greatest part is..... he did it without steroids or growth hormone.

Well that and he did part of it in a Cincy uniform.

__________________
I just love people who use the excuse "I use/do this because I LOVE the feeling/joy/happiness it brings me" and expect you to be ok with that as you watch them destroy their life blindly following. My response is, "I like to put forks in an eletrical socket, just LOVE that feeling, can't ever get enough of it, so will you let me put this copper fork in that electric socket?"

Glory's Sun

How many injuries can one team take without a hit in the pocketbook? How many does it take before you stop buying tickets? How many years of not winning a championship because of this can a franchise take? There's a fine line.. some ride that line and some stay far away.. I think it's always been that way.

pan6467

How long can your team afford players that won't push themselves?

And I am not saying go out there and injure yourself, but go out and give 100%.... if a player feels giving 100% may cause injury, he doesn't deserve his pay or to even be in the game. And owners/GMs/managers that don't push their players to give 100% deserve fired or to sell the team. And the fans who don't want to see their players give 100% deserve high paid losers and teams that go nowhere.

I would watch the Indians and Reds no matter what as long the players give 100%. But we get high paid bums, that get the big money and don't even try (like Cleveland has now, pitching excluded except for the bum CC), they still don't challenge the division because they won't give 100% every day and aren't even worth a free ticket.

__________________
I just love people who use the excuse "I use/do this because I LOVE the feeling/joy/happiness it brings me" and expect you to be ok with that as you watch them destroy their life blindly following. My response is, "I like to put forks in an eletrical socket, just LOVE that feeling, can't ever get enough of it, so will you let me put this copper fork in that electric socket?"

QuasiMondo

DAMN YOU BILLY WAGNER!

__________________
Cameron originally envisioned the Terminator as a small, unremarkable man, giving it the ability to blend in more easily. As a result, his first choice for the part was Lance Henriksen. O. J. Simpson was on the shortlist but Cameron did not think that such a nice guy could be a ruthless killer.

-From the Collector's Edition DVD of The Terminator

pan6467

God damned Indians and Reds

__________________
I just love people who use the excuse "I use/do this because I LOVE the feeling/joy/happiness it brings me" and expect you to be ok with that as you watch them destroy their life blindly following. My response is, "I like to put forks in an eletrical socket, just LOVE that feeling, can't ever get enough of it, so will you let me put this copper fork in that electric socket?"

The_Jazz

Now's when we see what the Cubs are made of, I guess. Theriot should be ok in left defensively, but I know we'll miss Sorriano's bat.

I'll have a report after the game today. I'll be on a rooftop if anyone's looking for me. I'll be the drunk guy in the blue shirt.

__________________
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - B. Franklin
"There ought to be limits to freedom." - George W. Bush
"We have met the enemy and he is us." - Pogo

Glory's Sun

I see players give 100% all the time. To be honest, I don't think there's much difference between the way the players play today and the way they supposedly played back in the day. The only difference is you've gotten older and jealous of the money they make. I'll agree that salaries are way too inflated, but there's still a majority of players that love the game and give it all they have. Just because they don't look like a madman running the bases like Pete doesn't mean they aren't giving their all.

It's funny you talk so much shit about Cleveland. Really.. what's so bad about them? All teams have a bad year no matter what talent they have.. shit, look at Detroit and the Yanks. Loaded with talent but nothing to show for it. I may talk shit about Boston when they are down, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't go watch them play. If anything is wrong with the game, it's fans that expect too much. I think we forget ballplayers are human just like the rest of us.


now for the cubbies.. I said I was waiting for self destruct mode to kick in.. and it may have just started.

pan6467

Have you been watching the Indians this year? Have you been listening to the beat reporters or reading their articles? You do that then we'll talk about 100% or not.

Jealousy and m age have nothing to do with how I view baseball today. Hell, a few years (maybe a decade ago), Sandy Alomar decked his brother Robbie in the locker room and asked "why you no play baseball hard". It was covered here for quite awhile.

__________________
I just love people who use the excuse "I use/do this because I LOVE the feeling/joy/happiness it brings me" and expect you to be ok with that as you watch them destroy their life blindly following. My response is, "I like to put forks in an eletrical socket, just LOVE that feeling, can't ever get enough of it, so will you let me put this copper fork in that electric socket?"

Glory's Sun

The thing about baseball that people forget is that the players are just better. It's easier to them. They start younger, they are better prepared mentally, physically and emotionally. When you have those things in your favor things become easy and it's often times easy to think that the players aren't trying hard. I'm not saying that some players are slack, but I think as a whole, the players really do try.

Pan, you always talk shit about CC. Do you think he's not giving it 100%? There is no reason for him not to give 100%. Isn't he the strikeout leader in the majors? (I could be wrong on that) Shit, look at Beckett, he's not having as great a season as last year, but fuck if he isn't trying. I just think it's too easy to look at a team who quite frankly overperformed the prior year (yes your Indians) and think they aren't giving it 100% just because they are struggling a bit this year. Shit, most people think the Rays have never tried but I have to say they always have. The only difference this year is they have a dedicated front office and some better talent.

kutulu

Ah, at the end of the day you still won...

pan6467

If you look back when I started really talking shit on CC this season his game got better. Why break that? Besides when he leaves for more money it's easier to see the guy you dislike walk. And yes, CC sucks at games that are truly important.

As for the Indians.... I'll take the beat reporters who are with them every day and what they report over what you believe to be the problem. Yes, they had career years last season, but the huge drop is more than just them coming back to Earth.

__________________
I just love people who use the excuse "I use/do this because I LOVE the feeling/joy/happiness it brings me" and expect you to be ok with that as you watch them destroy their life blindly following. My response is, "I like to put forks in an eletrical socket, just LOVE that feeling, can't ever get enough of it, so will you let me put this copper fork in that electric socket?"

QuasiMondo

True, but of all the nights to blow a save, why this one? You had to have watched that game. It was the best night of Mike Pelfrey's young career. He pitched eight shuthout innings. He even had a hit. Pelfrey never gets a hit. The fans were chanting his name. They gave him a standing ovation when he took to the mound in 9th inning to go for a complete game. Knowing how badly he struggled and how close he was to being sent down to the minors in his last start, even the most cynical Mets would say it was magical.

...and then with one hanging slider Billy Wagner took it all away.

Willie kept saying that, Wright kept saying that, and Minaya kept saying that, but that blown save deflated the place like I haven't seen since the 06 NLCS. I was so disgusted that I didn't even bother to watch extra innings and missed Beltran's walkoff home run.

But it's not the end of the world, a win is a win, but you gotta admit, that bullpen has the potential to kill this team more than their inconsistent hitting or starting rotation.

P.S. He's just committed his third straight blown save.

__________________
Cameron originally envisioned the Terminator as a small, unremarkable man, giving it the ability to blend in more easily. As a result, his first choice for the part was Lance Henriksen. O. J. Simpson was on the shortlist but Cameron did not think that such a nice guy could be a ruthless killer.

-From the Collector's Edition DVD of The Terminator

kutulu

The way it happened yesterday made it harder. Reynolds should have been on 1st with a hit by pitch, then he drills it.

Did it again today. Wow. This game can tear you apart. Wow, we pulled it out. The DBacks needed a series win here really badly.

QuasiMondo

Do you see why I hate this Mets bullpen?

__________________
Cameron originally envisioned the Terminator as a small, unremarkable man, giving it the ability to blend in more easily. As a result, his first choice for the part was Lance Henriksen. O. J. Simpson was on the shortlist but Cameron did not think that such a nice guy could be a ruthless killer.

-From the Collector's Edition DVD of The Terminator

The_Jazz

Walk off beaning. I fucking LOVE it.

Team of destiny, baby, team of destiny.

Come on boys. There are some nice, warm seats on the bandwagon. Get on now so that you can mock those that aren't on it later.

__________________
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - B. Franklin
"There ought to be limits to freedom." - George W. Bush
"We have met the enemy and he is us." - Pogo

kutulu

lol, Wagner is having a hell of a time right now. He was crusing along having a great first two months and these last three games have been hell for him.

Ilow

The Red Sox have quietly battled a slew of injuries and distractions and have the best record in the league. They will need to get more consistent pitching from their middle relief (like pretty much everyone) but they have been getting pretty good starting pitching and have Paplebon at the end. JD Drew has been exceptional in Big Papi's place, and the runnin' red sox are putting pressure on teams when they get on base for pretty much the first time in their history.
Of course there are many areas for improvement (lugo's still pretty suspect, Pedroia has cooled off, Timlin does not inspire confidence, and Okijima cannot seem to pitch against the Orioles) but they have scored the most runs in the AL, while playing at a more or less sustainable pace. Simply have to play better on the road, though. Interleague will be interesting as well, I'm expecting a couple odd lineups the way things are going.

__________________
"Religion is the one area of our discourse in which it is considered noble to pretend to be certain about things no human being could possibly be certain about"
--Sam Harris

Glory's Sun

The Red Sox should get things situated after the break. Pedroia hopefully doesn't have the roty curse and I've always said Lugo was suspect. Timlin.. well go ahead and say goodbye after this year. He has to be done. Once the pitching gets their arms rested up and the injuries (hopefully) subside, it should be more playoff success for the team.

And yeah.. hats off to J.D. he's really stepped up in Papi's absence.

QuasiMondo

Trot Nixon comes to New York. Red Sox fans, did Minaya do the right thing?

__________________
Cameron originally envisioned the Terminator as a small, unremarkable man, giving it the ability to blend in more easily. As a result, his first choice for the part was Lance Henriksen. O. J. Simpson was on the shortlist but Cameron did not think that such a nice guy could be a ruthless killer.

-From the Collector's Edition DVD of The Terminator

Destrox

I miss Trot being on the Indians.

Sure he was a pretty poor hitter, but he brought a lot more than just his hitting to the club.

__________________
You bore me.... next.

Ilow

to be honest, I don't know who he is replacing, but if you are putting Trot in your starting lineup it smacks of desperation. trot will always give 100 percent but I donbt know what he has left in the tank. he's been in AAA all year, so you'll know he will appreciate every chance he gets.

__________________
"Religion is the one area of our discourse in which it is considered noble to pretend to be certain about things no human being could possibly be certain about"
--Sam Harris

QuasiMondo

He's a stopgap because they're short on outfielders. Angel Pagan (shoulder), Ryan Church (concussion), and Moises Alou (calf) are still on the DL and there's no word when any of them are expected to make a return to the lineup.

So far it looks like he's delivering.

BTW, I think it's BS the way they keep stringing Willie along like this. The Mets should either fire him now (and give up on any hope of making it to the playoffs for at least a couple of years) or publicly commit to him for at least the remainder of the season. This is the same kind of nonsense the Yankees played with Torre and they had the nerve to act disappointed when he told them to stuff their offer and walked out the door.

__________________
Cameron originally envisioned the Terminator as a small, unremarkable man, giving it the ability to blend in more easily. As a result, his first choice for the part was Lance Henriksen. O. J. Simpson was on the shortlist but Cameron did not think that such a nice guy could be a ruthless killer.

-From the Collector's Edition DVD of The Terminator

QuasiMondo

This is what I have to wake up to. Randolph, pitching coach Rick Peterson, and first-base coach Tom Nieto fired last night. By last night, I mean 3 am, eastern time.


The way the Mets handled this is just downright disgusting. I'm sure they had their minds made up about Randolph before he even boarded the plane. Why'd they even bother to let him make the trip? The way they handled this whole situation makes me wonder if Isiah Thomas is lurking around in the background somewhere.

This is simply an embarrassment the way the Mets front office handled this situation. They might as well finish what they started and ship everybody out, because they've just kissed their chances of even a wild card spot goodbye.

__________________
Cameron originally envisioned the Terminator as a small, unremarkable man, giving it the ability to blend in more easily. As a result, his first choice for the part was Lance Henriksen. O. J. Simpson was on the shortlist but Cameron did not think that such a nice guy could be a ruthless killer.

-From the Collector's Edition DVD of The Terminator

The_Jazz

That was all around bad form. If I'm Willie Randolph, I'm motivated to find a new job and stick it to the Mets every chance I get. A team I managed would have warnings issued in the first few innings of a series against the Mets.

Then again, I am a vindictive sonovabitch in real life.

__________________
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - B. Franklin
"There ought to be limits to freedom." - George W. Bush
"We have met the enemy and he is us." - Pogo

Glory's Sun

I'm now fully convinced the Mets front office is like working for the mob

QuasiMondo

Minaya's a funny man, he said he told Willie he'd give him a head's up about his job status. Lemme guess, this is how it went down:

Minaya: Willie, I gotta break the bad news to you, the guys up top want to fire you.
Willie: Oh man, so when is it going to happen?
Minaya: Now.

__________________
Cameron originally envisioned the Terminator as a small, unremarkable man, giving it the ability to blend in more easily. As a result, his first choice for the part was Lance Henriksen. O. J. Simpson was on the shortlist but Cameron did not think that such a nice guy could be a ruthless killer.

-From the Collector's Edition DVD of The Terminator

djtestudo

Willie? Won't see him around no more.

__________________
"Final thought: I just rented Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine. Frankly, it was the worst sports movie I've ever seen."
--Peter Schmuck, The (Baltimore) Sun

Ilow

he'll be back as a bench coach somewhere soon, then maybe back in a less intense town like Kansas City or something. Love how it seems like being completely batshit crazy is a job requirement for owners/front office personnel in New York these days (see Steinbrenner, George and Hank; Minaya, Omar; and Thomas, Isiah...).

__________________
"Religion is the one area of our discourse in which it is considered noble to pretend to be certain about things no human being could possibly be certain about"
--Sam Harris

QuasiMondo

That whole Mets front office is full of backstabbers. They might have Minaya convinced that firing Willie was the only way to save his job, but it's clear that he has his own folks angling to push him out the door too. Don't be surprised if Minaya gets fired at the end of the season, despite how the Mets finish it out.

__________________
Cameron originally envisioned the Terminator as a small, unremarkable man, giving it the ability to blend in more easily. As a result, his first choice for the part was Lance Henriksen. O. J. Simpson was on the shortlist but Cameron did not think that such a nice guy could be a ruthless killer.

-From the Collector's Edition DVD of The Terminator

QuasiMondo

Switch pitcher vs. Switch hitter, game of cat-and-mouse of pitcher and batter trying to pick sides.

C.C. Sabathia hits a home run? What is this world coming to?

__________________
Cameron originally envisioned the Terminator as a small, unremarkable man, giving it the ability to blend in more easily. As a result, his first choice for the part was Lance Henriksen. O. J. Simpson was on the shortlist but Cameron did not think that such a nice guy could be a ruthless killer.

-From the Collector's Edition DVD of The Terminator

The_Jazz

In the last week, the Cubs have been swept by the Rays (but were close in all 3 games) and swept the White Sox at Wrigley (and killed them in 2 games). I'm not quite sure what to think, at least until Sean Marshall has his first start later this week.

That Ryan Dempster's something, isn't he? I just wish Ramirez was a friendlier guy. He'd be an absolute hero if he'd just smile and make an effort every once in a while.

__________________
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - B. Franklin
"There ought to be limits to freedom." - George W. Bush
"We have met the enemy and he is us." - Pogo

QuasiMondo

I'm still shocked that C.C. could swing a bat like that. I never knew he had it in him.

__________________
Cameron originally envisioned the Terminator as a small, unremarkable man, giving it the ability to blend in more easily. As a result, his first choice for the part was Lance Henriksen. O. J. Simpson was on the shortlist but Cameron did not think that such a nice guy could be a ruthless killer.

-From the Collector's Edition DVD of The Terminator

Glory's Sun

I'll tell you what to think

storybook season is over pal

The_Jazz

When did you turn into host?

The worst thing that ever happened to Red Sox fans was winning in '04. The next worst thing was winning last year. It made them all uppity. I might have to hold my nose and start rooting for the Skankies just to bring you guys down a peg.

__________________
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - B. Franklin
"There ought to be limits to freedom." - George W. Bush
"We have met the enemy and he is us." - Pogo

Glory's Sun

now now.. you wouldn't want to go to that extreme would you?? You would never be able to watch that stench out of you..

I'm not uppity.. I'm just tired of hearing all this hype about the cubbies and how they'll win it.. then they choke and yada yada. At least those of us who follow Boston still hold our breath when there's a 10 run advantage in our favor and we only said "well, there's always next year" just to try and ease the pain again. If any fans are uppity..it's those cubbies fans... but they'll never be as uppity as those goddamn skankee fans.

djtestudo

Trust me, all other baseball fans consider the three of you all to be equal in unbearable uppity-ness

__________________
"Final thought: I just rented Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine. Frankly, it was the worst sports movie I've ever seen."
--Peter Schmuck, The (Baltimore) Sun