Baseball Toaster was unplugged on February 4, 2009.
Jon's other site:
Screen Jam
TV and more ...
1) using profanity or any euphemisms for profanity
2) personally attacking other commenters
3) baiting other commenters
4) arguing for the sake of arguing
5) discussing politics
6) using hyperbole when something less will suffice
7) using sarcasm in a way that can be misinterpreted negatively
8) making the same point over and over again
9) typing "no-hitter" or "perfect game" to describe either in progress
10) being annoyed by the existence of this list
11) commenting under the obvious influence
12) claiming your opinion isn't allowed when it's just being disagreed with
Ramirez has 14 homers and 40 RBI in his first 38 games with the Dodgers. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, he is the first mid-season acquisition to collect 14 homers and 40 RBI in his first 40 games with a new team since 1949, when Hank Sauer had 15 home runs and 47 RBIs in his first 40 games with the Cubs after coming over in a mid-June trade from the Reds.
- Dodger press notes
The two main differences between the 1949 Cubs and the 2008 Dodgers? The 1949 Cubs had been in the World Series four years earlier - but they were in eighth place with a 19-32 record when they traded veterans Harry "the Hat" Walker and Peanuts Lowrey for Sauer on June 15, 1949.
I asked my dad, who attended the 1945 World Series as a 10-year-old Cubs fan, what he remembered about this.
"The Cubs had won the pennant in '45 with the boost of a pitcher named Hank Borowy from the Yankees, and, when Sauer came, there was real hope if not expectation that great things would happen," said my father, a self-proclaimed expert on the combination of Cub worship and fatalism. "The 'angst' so publicized now had not yet developed. Sauer delivered and continued to do so, but the rest of the team devolved down in that and ensuing years to what we all have come to expect."
http://tinyurl.com/3ur58o
>>Evidently Manny Ramirez found a miracle cure for the sore knee that supposedly hindered him during his final days with the Red Sox.
Not only is Manny mashing for the Dodgers, he's also hustling. It's called, "pending free agency."
A scout who attended Wednesday night's Dodgers-Padres game at Petco Park clocked Ramirez from home to first in 4.48 seconds — a major improvement on his running times with the Red Sox.
"It was the fastest I've ever gotten him," the scout said. "I couldn't believe it."
Equally incredible were the two opposite-field home runs that Ramirez crushed at Petco, an extreme pitcher's park.
"He stayed back on (Shawn) Estes' curveball as good as I've seen a hitter stay on a ball in a long, long time — and he drove it 420 feet," the scout said. "All I could think was, 'Phil Nevin, where are you now?'"<<
(Yikes, another Phil Nevin reference, makes Matt Vasgersian happy.)
http://tinyurl.com/3ur58o
In Coors Field, Manny has only played 3 games. 14 PA, .222/.500/.333 (2 for 9, double, 4 walks, 1 HBP). And that was all the way back in aught four.
USC 34, Ohio St 13
Make sure it doesn't! [shaking fist]
:)
He played there in a postseason exhibition series.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/e/ethiean01.shtml
Ethier and Delgado now has the same OPS+ (127 OPS+)
USC: 50 OSU: 6
But the point is I just discovered (as in 5 minutes ago) the song "Van Lingle Mungo" and it's rocking my world.
Do we have a MVP candidate now?
Or it just goes to show you how ridiculous the MVP talk surrounding Delgado is.
How does Ethier compare to Geovany Soto, the Gammons pick for MVP?
But I remember seeing some interview earlier this year with Delwyn Young, where he referred to his nickname being "my family called me Peanut, or some call me PeeWee". We had all sniggered a bit when Vin had referred to him once or twice as "Peanut" instead of "PeeWee". But it looks like he was right. Though I can't find anything authoritative about this anywhere.
It's hilarious how much Holtz hates USC. He always disparages their chances in any big game, and he always calls them "Southern Cal," which I'm sure peeves any USC alum as much as my San Francisco cousins hate it when I say "Frisco."
Hopefully the Dodgers and Rockies can play a game faster than USC and Ohio State.
I think momentum might have switched to the D-backs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1B_PK8HH8o
haha yes, it's more fun that way
No, not really.
I hate Charlie Weis with the heat of 10,000 suns however.
Never has someone gotten so wealthy and been accorded such respect for LOSING a game.
And he recruited Jimmy Clausen. Every time Jimmy Clausen throws a TD pass, a puppy is killed. Every time Jimmy Clausen is sick, a kitten is rescued.
There is a net gain of kittens over puppies.
vr, Xei
The first time.
And wasn't it his due diligence to try to recruit Clausen, a consensus top recruit?
Lou Holtz calls USC Southern Cal because that's the Notre Dame tradition. Greg Brock does too, but that's ok.
Another lengthening Notre Dame tradition is weak teams.
http://tinyurl.com/3zfo6v
vr, Xei
USC 1-4 or 80% chance of winning
Fresno 5-4 or 44.4% chance of winning.
63.0 IP, 298 ERA+, 0.683 WHIP, 71 K, 6 BB
K-Rod really is overrated.
I have some 1984-1990 Visalia Oaks cards, but they are not in great shape. The Gene Larkin autograph is my favorite.
NBC still has the Notre Dame contract. Unless it's a national game, like vs. USC at night on ABC or something like that, NBC will have the broadcast.
NBC televises EVERY Notre Dame home game.
Marty, the show that Putnam did with Mort Sahl was Talkback, I don't remember how long it lasted, the show followed the newscast. It was pretty funny. The thing I remember about it, the attacks were not personal, as compared to shows now where people argue and attack each other.
vr, Xei
vr, Xei
Some guy named Dunn.
How many times have they been counted out at the all-star break only to make a late run?
Martin, C
Ethier, RF
Manny, LF
Blake, 3B
Nomar, 1B
Kemp, CF
DeWitt, 2B
Berroa, SS
Bills, P
Loney is 1 for 15 lifetime vs. Francis. So, he'll start the game on the bench.
Btw, I do think it's funny the number of us - myself included - who wondered aloud what the heck Ed Wade was thinking making trades for players when his team seemed all but dead in late July. I guess he has the laugh on us now, though I think they'll come up just shy of the playoffs.
People are talking about giving K-Rod the AL MVP. So even if he pitched to his career norms all this season, he would still be overrated.
Having said that, the guy has allowed two men on base in each of his last five appearances (all 1.0 IP each). So, he's still a little shaky.
Skinny: Hopefully, we don't have a repeat of the Billingsley rain delay game earlier in the year. Cool temps and rain could make it difficult for a pitcher to go deep into the game (ie - delays, arm stiffness etc...). The 5-10 mph winds to left field will definitely aid any right handed batters (Nomar). High humidity would likely make it a little more difficult than normal for a ball to leave the yard. A wet field/track could make for some sloppy play (Manny beware). Go Dodgers!
vr, Xei
My dad thought Scott Stahoviak was going to be a really good MLB player. Denny Hocking also played a few MLB seasons.
Q: Who do you like for MVP?
A: (suddenly seized by coughing) (Ack) (Ack) A-Rod. (Ack)
Q: You heard it here first -- K-Rod for MVP!
I thought that was Biggio/Bagwell. Did they pass the torch to Oswalt/Bergman?
They almost had no choice but to go for it. They have no kids to fall back on.
Rather than focus on how to contend through improving the personnel in the lineup, the Astros have instead operated for years on the assumption that certain players were building blocks because they liked them, not because of what they actually contributed on the field. When the players in question are Biggio and Bagwell in their primes, that's fine; when they are Ausmus, Everett, or a completely cooke Biggio, the term "building block" is robbed of its meaning.
On the mechanations required to get to the "win now" and its implications:
... What mattered was that Wade told McLane he thought the Astros could win now. The crazy part is, it might not be such a bad idea.
Why not make a banzai run? It's actually an inspired decision reflecting an understanding of the competitieve ecology of a National League — and especially a NL Central Division — devoid of real titans, as evidenced by the Rockies' run to the World Series. Only two teams in the league won 90 games last year, and 85 victories have been enough to claim the Central in each of the last two seasons ....
... [C]onsider what blasting down to the foundations would have involved. There's very little talent in the pipeline; the Astros' house is effectively built on quicksand. ... [A] long-term plan is pointless in this organization, because nobody — except for McLane and Smith — is going to be here long enough to enjoy the benefits.
http://tinyurl.com/4d9gnw
vr, Xei
vr, Xei
Right, that is where I got the idea they didn't really have a choice to make a run for it. I try not to have to many original thoughts.
vr, Xei
vr, Xei
Gagne won the Cy Young in 2003 not only because he had ridiculous stats for a closer, but also because there wasn't a dominating starting pitching performance. I realize K-Rod has a single-season record to boost his resume, but Cliff Lee's stats are more than enough to bridge the gap.
It is not like he was any good, just another in the long run of speedy centerfielders who had no power and couldn't carry an OBP high enough to warrant starting in CF. He had a certain way of walking to the plate that left me the least surprised person when he came out of the closet.
But your right, he should have been treated better. If the Dodgers supported him they could have been the first to cross the Color line in Brooklyn and the first to cross the Gay line in LA. One wonders about the stupendous pressure gay players are having to deal with in all the major sports.
Cliff Lee for me. While winning% does not impress some people, going 21-3 on a team like the Indians does impress me. I'm never impressed with ERA+ for closers. Give me a 100 innings and then we can talk.
Less then 1%
Both New York teams are home and delayed. Boston is delayed. Philadelphia is rained out. Pittsburgh is delayed.
Fishing? That metaphor is so 2007.
How about I just say that both involve prejudice and then we move on to other topics.
Just delete it.
http://www.wsbtv.com/sports/17459528/detail.html
Of course, it's too late to fly now ...
The leather (hide) itself definitely has some absorption capacity. I was a hockey goalie for years and my leg pads were a good 3-6 oz each heavier after each game..I dunno how different the 2 hides though..
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3584622
Red Sox right fielder J.D. Drew is not giving up on a return this season, despite a back injury that's sidelined him since last month.
"I'm confident, but I can't predict what's going to happen," Drew said before Friday night's game against Toronto. "I know what's going on, I've got a herniated disk that isn't any fun. We've got some capable players that can fill in and do a good job.
"My thing is not to go out there and be a hero and be stupid and really hurt pitching staffs by not tracking fly balls the way I'm capable of and hurt the team by not being able to swing the bat effectively," he said.
Discriminating against a person because of the way he acts is different than discriminating aginst him because of the way he looks.
Comment status: comments have been closed. Baseball Toaster is now out of business.