401 replies to this topic

[Week]

LaTroy Hawkins...if you miss the first time, you don't get a second chance.  You are a huge asshole for missing and an even bigger one for trying again and an even more enormous asshole for throwing at his head (and missing again, though thankfully this time).  What a prick.  I imagine he'll get a decent fine and suspension.

[Caliban]

Edmonds has a .205/.292/.256 in almost 100 PAs against RHP. Tremendous platoon option. Those are the splits you look for. Huge GIDP in the seventh.

Dan Uggla hasnt exacly come out of nowhere. He came out of nowhere 3 years ago, but has been really good since. Probably had some bad luck last year, but still a great year. I like to see a rule 5 guy be awesome because it shows how some franchises are freaking clueless about how to run a baseball team. Clueless on how to scout their own systems, and clueless on how to use a forty man roster. Uggla is an example of excellent scouting by the Florida Marlins. Also nice work to The Reds for turning a rule 5 pick in Edinson Volquez. It only took 50k too.

Carlos Guevara and Randar Bierd are gems in the last rule 5.

Edited by Caliban, 20 May 2008 - 11:31 PM.

[Caliban]

Weekapaug, on May 20 2008, 23.56, said:

LaTroy Hawkins...if you miss the first time, you don't get a second chance.  You are a huge asshole for missing and an even bigger one for trying again and an even more enormous asshole for throwing at his head (and missing again, though thankfully this time).  What a prick.  I imagine he'll get a decent fine and suspension.

I still hate him. He had, by neary all metrics, a great 2004. But along with Dusty and Jose Macias, go down as most hated reasins for the 2004 dissapointment. He blew like 10 saves and all of them seemed huge.

Edited by Caliban, 20 May 2008 - 11:28 PM.

[Week]

Caliban, on May 21 2008, 00.21, said:

Also nice work to The Reds for turning a rule 5 pick in Edinson Volquez. It only took 50k too.

I'm not sure about that, I think I'd rather have Hamilton to be perfectly honest.  The chances of Volquez being good for the next 5-8 years is a lot less than Hamilton IMO.  I would always prefer to have a young talented hitter than a young talented pitcher to be honest.

eta- That's just my view though.  Young hitting is just more of a sure thing than young pitching it seems.

Edited by Weekapaug, 20 May 2008 - 11:30 PM.

[Caliban]

Weekapaug, on May 21 2008, 00.29, said:

I'm not sure about that, I think I'd rather have Hamilton to be perfectly honest.  The chances of Volquez being good for the next 5-8 years is a lot less than Hamilton IMO.  I would always prefer to have a young talented hitter than a young talented pitcher to be honest.

eta- That's just my view though.  Young hitting is just more of a sure thing than young pitching it seems.

Jay Bruce also plays CF though. I realize that they could find a way to play both, but sgtill, Bruce is the best prospect in baseball, and a young hitter. They also have Phillips, Votto, Dunn (very underrated), Keppinger, and Encarnacion. Not including Dunn, those guys are all cheap. Its very doable to sign a corner outfielder that can put up some good numbers for after Griffey is gone. Its not doable for Cincy to pay for pitching, which is what they really need. They tried and it didnt work (arroyo). They can already hit. They needed Volquez to help anchor that staff with Cueto and Harrang more then they needed Hamiltons bat in center. I love Hamilton, but that deal is looking fairly sweet for Cincy despite Hamiltons success.

This is all assuming Baker doesnt destroy Volquez's arm.

But either way, they turned a rule 5 pick into either Hamilton or Volquez, which is sweet as hell either way.

Edited by Caliban, 20 May 2008 - 11:52 PM.

[Week]

Caliban, on May 21 2008, 00.51, said:

This is all assuming Baker doesnt destroy Volquez's arm.

Definitely a legitimate concern.

And you are right, it has worked out fairly well for them.  But just think of the executioner's row of Hamilton, Bruce, Votto, Dunn, Edwin, and Phillips.  Damn.

[Caliban]

Weekapaug, on May 21 2008, 00.53, said:

And you are right, it has worked out fairly well for them.  But just think of the executioner's row of Hamilton, Bruce, Votto, Dunn, Edwin, and Phillips.  Damn.

Scary as hell. Dont forget the other big bat Paul Bako whose slashing a crazy .282/.368/.473 with 4 homers in 110 abs, which is easily more shoking to me then anything Berkman, Utley, or Chipper can do. Lester can throw 3 straight perfect games and i wont bat an eyelash if Bako is opsing .850 in June.

[Mack Kilimaro]

Caliban, on May 20 2008, 23.51, said:

This is all assuming Baker doesnt destroy Volquez's arm.

I have a question about this. Pretty much every baseball fan I know who doesn't get paid to write about sports seems to accept this as common wisdom, that Dusty Baker destroys pitchers' arms. East coast, west coast, fans of teams he's managed for and fans of teams who have no reason to give a damn about Dusty Baker. This is one of those things where the consensus is so striking that even though I don't know a lot about it personally, I have no problem accepting it under the guise that so many people who have no reason to agree with one another are agreeing.

Having said that, how is it that paid baseball executives are unaware of things like this? Why in God's name would such an individual be hired under any circumstances? This is a mystery to me. Does he really just have a bad rap or are the people who continually hire him collectively fucking nuts?

[Caliban]

Weekapaug, on May 21 2008, 00.53, said:

Definitely a legitimate concern.

You have no idea. Since hes throw 100+ in his last 7 starts. He threw 120 pitches againbst the Cubs, going a full seven innings when the score was 9-0 entering the seventh. 9-0, he had already thrown over 100 and Dusty marched him out there in te seventh with a one run lead.

This will not stop. 2003 was Mark Prior's first full year of MLB baseball. He started 30 games that year. He threw 1205 pitches in his final 10 starts at the age of 22. That final ten game stretch had these innings pitched: 9,9,7,8,8,7,5.2,8.2, 6.2, 7.2 . One of those games was an 8 inning 131 pitch performance in an 7-0 win. After that ten game stretch he went 9 innings 131 pitches in his first playoff start. After that he went 7 full innings and 115 pitches in a 12-3 win. (it was 11-0 after 5, whydid he start the 6th?). Then in his next start he threw 7 scoreless innings before that 8th inning against the marlins game 6 nlcs.

Baker worked the living hell out of Prior in august september and october of his first full MLB season. I fucking hate Dusty Baker. what he did to Kerry is worse.

[Caliban]

Mack Kilimaro, on May 21 2008, 01.07, said:

Having said that, how is it that paid baseball executives are unaware of things like this? Why in God's name would such an individual be hired under any circumstances? This is a mystery to me. Does he really just have a bad rap or are the people who continually hire him collectively fucking nuts?

The fact that one is paid to make baseball decisions does not mean they are good at it. Most MLB franchises are poorly run.

[Jaxom 1974]

So wait, was there or was there not some sort of bench clearing incident last night in the Yankees/Orioles game?  Just curious since First Take seemed to only report that the Orioles scored 7 in the first, Jeter got hit in the hand in the third, which it looks like he'll be okay they say, A-Rod hit a homer, and the Yankees lost 12-2.  So was there an incident, instigated by the Yankees or not?

[Week]

Jeter was hit on the hand and taken out of the game, so LaTroy Hawkins retaliated.  Threw one pitch inside that looked to be the typical attempt at hitting someone in the back or butt, but missed.  Next pitch came at Luke Scott's head and he thankfully dodged it, Hawkins was tossed and the benches cleared.

[Jaxom 1974]

Weekapaug, on May 21 2008, 10.46, said:

Jeter was hit on the hand and taken out of the game, so LaTroy Hawkins retaliated.  Threw one pitch inside that looked to be the typical attempt at hitting someone in the back or butt, but missed.  Next pitch came at Luke Scott's head and he thankfully dodged it, Hawkins was tossed and the benches cleared.

Okay.  More proof that Hawkins is one of the dumbest and worst pitchers in baseball.  Retaliating for a hit on Jeter?  Watching the pitch that hit Jeter, it seemed far from deliberate, especially when the O's were up 9.  Besides, that isn't something you retaliate for on the same day.  Do it the next.  Whatever.

Point is, a Yankee player did something that will and should result in a fine and suspension and ESPN simply glossed over it.  Typical.

[The Wedge]

Jaxom 1974, on May 21 2008, 09.09, said:

Point is, a Yankee player did something that will and should result in a fine and suspension and ESPN simply glossed over it.  Typical.

When did ESPN start suspending players??

[Jaxom 1974]

The Wedge, on May 21 2008, 11.14, said:

When did ESPN start suspending players??

Well they shoulda suspended Salsibury.  


Ass.  :lol:

[Sal Paradise]

ESPN fired Harold Reynolds which is an unforgivable offense.  Now we have to listen to Eric Young's uninformed falsetto reporting plays.  Christ.

Also, leave Dunn out of that proposed murderer's row in Cincy.  He'll be traded fairly soon.

[Myshkin]

Sal Paradise, on May 21 2008, 15.08, said:

Also, leave Dunn out of that proposed murderer's row in Cincy.  He'll be traded fairly soon.

Isn't that what they say every year?  And yet somehow Adam Dunn is still a Red.

[boiled leather]

Weekapaug, on May 20 2008, 21.53, said:

Definitely a legitimate concern.

And you are right, it has worked out fairly well for them.  But just think of the executioner's row of Hamilton, Bruce, Votto, Dunn, Edwin, and Phillips.  Damn.

See: Rob Nen
See WS Loss
ouch

[Sal Paradise]

Myshkin, on May 21 2008, 19.54, said:

Isn't that what they say every year?  And yet somehow Adam Dunn is still a Red.

Except for the fact that he's a free agent following this season, they aren't going to resign him, and want to make something in return before he walks.

[Caliban]

Sal Paradise, on May 21 2008, 20.57, said:

Except for the fact that he's a free agent following this season, they aren't going to resign him, and want to make something in return before he walks.

They have a new GM. Im not certain Jocketty will keep Dunn on the perpetual trading block or not, but am not going to assume that he will be, or that he wont be resigned. Jocketty is not that much of an idiot. Only kinda idiotic. They should for sure resign him, keep him in left. You wont recreate his production in any way. Dunn is awesome.