Baseball Toaster was unplugged on February 4, 2009.
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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
This is the kind of stuff that drives me batty with Eric Gagne. From Patrick Donnelly at MLB.com:
Gagne wasn't especially pleased with his control and inability to hit his spots on Monday, but he said that was mostly due to the condition of the mound after it had baked in the sun for three hours.
"It was a little dryer than I expected," he said. "The whole thing mechanically was weird, just because I couldn't land my foot. Usually I'm on the right side of the rubber - the first-base side - and I wanted to stay there. I didn't want to go to the other side.
"It was just a bad landing - it happens a lot of places, especially during day games because it gets so dry. There was just a hole where I wanted to land, so I was landing on the side of the hill. It's awkward but you've got to deal with it."
Sure, I'm oversensitive. I'm oversensitive because Gagne messed up his body at least in part by fooling with his mechanics. So he can tell me it's no big deal and I can hope he's right, but there is nothing fun about hearing "couldn't land my foot" and "I didn't want to go to the other side" and "bad landing" and "a hole where I wanted to land" and "awkward."
(Earlier: "Getting a Save Situation for Gagne the Hard Way")
That said, why Gange didn't call the groundscrew out to fill the hole, or do it himself is beyond me.
And Greg Brock, forget the innings, I'll be sold when I see him strike out the side. If he's not dominant, that's just no good.
Couldn't agree with you more. He turned down almost $3 million because he wanted an extra million. He must not be confident in his ability because the money is made when you make it to the majors, not from your signing bonus. While I'm not rooting for him to fail, I wouldn't be upset if he doesn't get half of what we offered to him and never makes it to the majors. I can guarantee you that Luke will get J.D. Drew treatment in LA if he ever makes it to the majors.
This is a huge mistake for the Dodgers if they can justify spending nine million on Tomko but can't pay for Hochevar.
I think the average fan at Dodger Stadium won't have the slightest idea who Luke Hochevar is if he makes it to the majors for another team.
I dont think you can look at it like that.
Spending 9 million on Tomko is a mistake on its own accord. There's no justification for that.
However, not offering Hochevar what he wants isnt a mistake. If anything, its smart management. If the Dodgers succumb to every player that holds out, what kind of bargaining position are they going to have for the future?
Gnarls Barkley is made up of Cee-lo and DJ Danger Mouse. I would say they are indie rock/hip hop. Seems like there is a lot of that sort of music these days: TV on the Radio, Gorillaz even? I have heard them on the mainsteam rock radio station in the Bay Area, so they must be at least fairly popular. They refuse to discuss how they came up with their band name.
I'm not saying succumb to every player that holds out, just give the good ones what they are worth.
From Tuesday's LA Times
Boras is convinced another team will pay Hochevar what he wants after he goes back in the draft June 6. He says he believes there is a premium for college players projected to make the major leagues quickly.
"We've put that tag on about 12 guys in the 20 years I've been in this business, and in every case, the player has turned out the way we thought he would," Boras said. "I realize this applies to only 1% of players, but we've demonstrated that when we put this tag on a player, he excels in the big leagues, and he usually gets here in less than a year, and we felt Luke fell into this class."
http://tinyurl.com/pmzun
Also, today's notes also say that Matt Kemp is sitting out today and Ethier will start in left and Lofton in center, I assume that means that Drew will be in right.
Also, am I the only one who gets it that Gagne is no longer the only answer for the Dodger 9th?
Give the standings some time to normalize. Right now Detroit is the best team in baseball, Oakland is five games below .500 and Cincinatti isn't contending with Pittsburgh for the cellar of the AL central. The season's only a third over, and by the time it's done, the crappy teams in this division should be where they belong.
Double entendre: a word or expression capable of two interpretations with one usually risqué. I'm not a dirty-minded guyd for seeing this, right? I'm not the only one snickering?
20 - Sounds an awful lot like last year around this time, when the Orioles, Nats, and those total fluke White Sox were all playing waaaaay over their heads. . .
Btw the Myspace contingent on here definitely need to check these out: http://www.myspace.com/salfasano13 and/or
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=69772283
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