This isn't football...Tim Brown, et al do not need to dumb things down for baseball fans. Calling the play "1-6" or "1-4" would work, but of course that doesn't account for the fake. Maybe "1-fake5-6". Nah, that sounds too dumb. ("let's call her 'Lisa S'. No, too obvious. 'L Simpson'.")

Despite my utter hatred of the name, it sounds like a cool play to see.

aren't pickoff throws to 2nd dangerous because an errant throw can easily go a lot further, and the runner can potentially score?

210 is fine, 2:00 would be about the cut-off for making a difference, after that, well, I hope you have satellite radio (Sirius if you want to listen to NCAA Tourney).

Not that I've ever driven all the way to Vegas. But I've been to Victorville and Lucerne Valley.

Now of course that could happen anytime but I agree with Marty, leaving in the a.m. is the safest bet.

I would defer to Bob on the 210, I don't take it that often.

The Pearblossom Highway is prettier.

You can have:
1) traffic
2) dealing with drunk drivers

If so, that's Mike Shannon. He's a beloved institution in St. Louis because he's a native son.

Being a native son is a big deal in St. Louis.

That would be part one of the set up.

Part 2 would have the third and first basemen charge the plate as if looking for a bunt, have the shortstop cover third, the second baseman cover first, ant the CF cover second.

The pitcher would intentionally knock his hat off during the windup. Oh, the left fielder would bring a hot dog with him to the outfield and eat it while all this happened.

All that aside, I hope I am at the game when this works even if it is done without all these dramatics.

Actually, wouldn't that information mean that we should see a marked improvement in CF over Lofton? As problematic as Pierre's offensive production is, I don't think that we means we should downplay what strengths he does have.

Of course, checking BPro Rate2, Pierre's indistinguishable from league average as a CF.

WWSH

I believe the Hurricanes took the play out of the "Jean Renoir Way to Play Baseball." It has an appendix titled "La Regle du Jeu."

Shannon gets a pass from the St. Louis media because he has a popular restaurant that all the big sports figures in the area frequent. Even Tony La Russa, who is a vegetarian, and the restaurant is a steakhouse.

Except from Cubs fans.

Oh wait, Rolen just doubled for the first Cards hit, in the 4th inning.

Abreu continues his torrid pace. De Jesus apparently made a couple of great plays in the field.

On the Cardinals OTA telecasts this year, they're going to be using Jay Randolph for play-by-play.

You probably thought he was dead didn't you?

I actually turned it off - something about a broadcast that makes me miss Rick Monday and Tanya Roberts was too much to bear. That and the fact that it's a meaningless game.

ps: Did Ethier gun down the runner at home? Wasn't sure if he got taken out of the game yet.

And yep, outfield assist for Andre!

Now I'm gonna have a few cocktails Mike Shannon style, to celebrate.

Why, just because Pierre represents all the problems with Ned's management style? But since we at least like to think of ourselves as more objective judges of baseball talent, pounding on Pierre in the part of the game where he might actually be a plus strikes me as odd.

Does recognizing that Pierre might be a defensive positive in CF (assuming James' metrics are right), especially when compared to Kemp who I remember to be something of a disaster in CF, somehow imply that his net production is superior? I for one don't see the automatic link, and I don't see why we shouldn't recognize whatever strengths Pierre might have.

WWSH

.247/.297/.321

Anyone know who he is, he played in the last 30 years.

More hints to come if needed. And no, he is not Mark Belanger (228/.300/.280)

His first name is also linked with a famous "person" whose demise is emminent.

What kind of monster comes up with a scale that goes from 2-8??

I guess they were grading on the curve.

{duck}

dont ask me why but in baseball, scouts use a 20-80 scale when grading tools. Tools like running speed, hitting ability, raw power, fastball, curveball, command, etc are all graded on a 20-80 scale.

i believe meloan has a 70 curveball. alot of numerous different sources have commented on how wicked his duece is.

Hint No. 2

He managed parts of two seasons and his team won the same number of games each time.

Hint No. 3

His number on the third team he played on was one of the storylines on a sitcom often discussed on these pages.

72 Nice. :)

Your 1978 World Series MVP and persona non grata in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Bucky Dent.

He was the first of four shortstops to be named World Series MVP (Dent, Trammell, Jeter and Eckstein)

Bucky managed the Yankees for parts of two seasons and both times, the Yankees won 18 games.

Bucky wore number 7 when he played for the Texas Rangers in his last stop of his career.
On a episode of Seinfeld, George tells a couple who is having a baby that he always wanted to name his child 7 after Mickey Mantle.

BA: .444
OBP: .444
IsoD: .000

Through 27 ABs, he has yet to walk or strikeout.

Chances are, they didn't see .263/.306/.348, but rather .263

Mariano Duncan played shortstop with the grace of Al Oliver.

And Eckstein's most comparable past player
The Scooter
Phil Rizzuto (HOF) .273/.351/.355

I will say this, the 1970s' had a ton of these guys, Bill Russell, Davey Concepcion, Larry Bowa, Frank Tavares, the list goes on and on.

Robin Yount, along with Cal Ripken and Alan Trammell were among the first shortstops in the late 1970's and 1980's to start giving a little more sock to the position.

.250/.312/.321

No time for the research right now but you would think a .633 OPS would put him among the lowest to ever win Rookie of the Year.

In his CYA year, Welch had an ERA+ of 126, but in 1985 with the Dodgers he went 14-4 and had an ERA+ of 151!

Such promise!

His IsoD's went up from Montreal to LA, with a 107 in 1994 and a 97 in 1995. His main problem was a big drop in BA of around 40 points, causing his OBP and SLG to take big hits. Still, he managed to get on base more than 35% of the time and put of respectable EQAs of .264 and .271.

1996 is a different story.

In 1996, playing in his third year for the Rockies and his second at Coors Field, he hit 8 in 530 or so plate appearances, 5 at home and 3 on the road.

Of course baseball was still recovering from the 1994 Strike, but MLB wouldn't have done something to the ball would they.

Weiss hit 6 more home runs in nearly 1200 plate appearances during the next 4 seasons.

My point was that Eckstein was a throwback player to the 1970's shortstop but I do think that most here who know those guys would say that they were better fielders (Russell not a lot range but had a decent if not somewhat unreliable arm) than Eckstein.

The 77 MVP was Jackson.
The 78 MVP was Dent.

Of the WS that is.

He fielded very well though.

Yeah, I've had a couple years like that.

Oh...different kind of CYA. Never mind.

Nettles missed a good portion of the 1981 World Series because of an injury and the Yankees had to use Aurelio Rodriguez, who was, to put it bluntly, bad.

He was quick but he never dove for a ball because he said he hurt himself too often when he did and that reduced his range more than his foot speed did.

He never played infield in the minors and learned it on-the-job. He was never considered in the same class defensively as Dave Conception but he was a very good clutch hitter capable of drilling doubles despite choking up on the bat as much as he did.

His throwing index finger was permantently curled after it was hit by a pitch holding the bat in bunting position. It was his broken bat that flew into Yeager's neck.

If the runner is standing between bases the attempt to throw at his head too easily could wind up over the first baseman's head and into the seats.

It wasn't that Russel's throw was not smart, it was the lack of a call by the umpiring crew. I am still mad at Jackson for exposing cowardly umpires.

With Mickey Rivers on deck.

Although I'm sure you were being facetious.

How does a round balk guy play short anyway at the MLB level.

Seemed like the frustration set in and spilled over into other areas. In a short, intense series the mental side of the game is extremely important. Nettles' fielding put the Dodgers in a funk.

BTW, I still don't buy that the Yankees were better both those years. But the record says what I do or don't buy doesn't matter.

Rather pointless with the new thread, but I wanted to acknowledge my error...

WWSH