Warning!! Danger!! Annual Off-topic Baseball Thread '07!! Beware!!

[ChuckElias]

Originally Posted by Dan_ref

And there are people who make stupid statements...
errrr....17-19 is hardly a half, it's not even a quarter and it's hardly miserable in any event. But as I said... :shrug:

You know, when I say something stupidly obvious, like Wrigley wasn't built until 1914, your rapier wit retorts with "No sh1t". So what do I get to say when you say something that stupidly obvious? I'm not talking about this season; it was a general comment about how the Yankees do business. Obviously, the season isn't half over. The Yankees haven't even played a quarter of their schedule. But when they do have a miserable season, that's the attitude the fans have. No big deal, just go throw $80 mil at the problem.

I am so tired of hearing this old idiocy it makes my teeth hurt.

You might want to go see a dentist. The reason you hear it so much is that it's true.

Somehow it's OK for Microsoft to "buy" their way to success in the SW business but in sports, and particularly in baseball, and particularly for the Yankees, it's not "particularly sporting".

Come on. Completely different business models. Microsoft would be perfectly happy to put all of its competitors out of business. They'd still make a ton of money. If the Yankees put all of their competitors out of business, they'd be out of business, too.

The overall health of MLB depends in part on healthy franchises. If franchises in 20 cities never have a shot at the playoffs, fans stay away and the franchise suffers. Competitive balance improves the overall health of a sports league, generally. The NFL gives some evidence for that. Apples and volleyballs. If the Sox and Yankees are allowed to harm the competitive balance of the league simply by spending $100 million more per year than anybody else monopolize the best talent, it's not a good thing, IMHO.

[ChuckElias]

Originally Posted by mick

How could Leyland possibly answer that before he sees him pitch against his team ?

Um, hasn't he ever watched tape? Have the Tigers fired their entire scouting staff?

Leyland obviously has done some prep for Dice-K. (If he hasn't, then he's not as good a manager as everyone thought.) It's not stupid to ask him about that.

[Dan_ref]

Originally Posted by ChuckElias

You know, when I say something stupidly obvious, like Wrigley wasn't built until 1914, your rapier wit retorts with "No sh1t". So what do I get to say when you say something that stupidly obvious? I'm not talking about this season; it was a general comment about how the Yankees do business. Obviously, the season isn't half over. The Yankees haven't even played a quarter of their schedule. But when they do have a miserable season, that's the attitude the fans have. No big deal, just go throw $80 mil at the problem.

errr....wha?

Come on. Completely different business models. Microsoft would be perfectly happy to put all of its competitors out of business.

Well, no they wouldn't. As an example, Bill Gates actually used his own money to pull Apple off their deathbed prior to the iPod success. Microsoft spends a lot of money partnering with or buying other companies, in part or in whole. This is identical to the sports model, which is a union of separate but entirely dependant entities.

They'd still make a ton of money. If the Yankees put all of their competitors out of business, they'd be out of business, too.

The Red Sox is not a business competitor of the Yankees. They are a partner.

The overall health of MLB depends in part on healthy franchises. If franchises in 20 cities never have a shot at the playoffs, fans stay away and the franchise suffers. Competitive balance improves the overall health of a sports league, generally. The NFL gives some evidence for that. Apples and volleyballs. If the Sox and Yankees are allowed to harm the competitive balance of the league simply by spending $100 million more per year than anybody else monopolize the best talent, it's not a good thing, IMHO.

You might have a point if there weren't a thing called revenue sharing whereby the smaller market teams participate in the revenue generating power of the larger market teams. See, they are business partners, not competitors.

[mick]

Originally Posted by ChuckElias

Um, hasn't he ever watched tape? Have the Tigers fired their entire scouting staff?

Leyland obviously has done some prep for Dice-K. (If he hasn't, then he's not as good a manager as everyone thought.) It's not stupid to ask him about that.

Your questions to me fall in the "same" category.
My answer is, "Um, how would I know what he knows ?"

"I'm not getting into all that." - Jim Leyland.

[ChuckElias]

Your guys got things evened up, Mick. They did a nice job of handling the knuckler. As bad a start as Wake got off to last season, that's how good he's been so far this year. I'm happy for him, b/c last year couldn't have been any fun at all for him.

I don't have any confidence in Tavarez at all tonight (or ever, really), especially against Maroth.

[mick]

Originally Posted by ChuckElias

Your guys got things evened up, Mick. They did a nice job of handling the knuckler. As bad a start as Wake got off to last season, that's how good he's been so far this year. I'm happy for him, b/c last year couldn't have been any fun at all for him.

I don't have any confidence in Tavarez at all tonight (or ever, really), especially against Maroth.

Chuck,
There's nothing flashy about Mike Maroth that I can see.
He's a nice person that moves the ball around. Red Sox hitters could have a field day if Maroth shakes off Pudge like Verlander did last night, ... only a couple times though.

I still really like Coco Crisp.
Nice throw by Manny last night. Will that be it for the year?

[JugglingReferee]

The Portland Beavers minor league team has a bobblehead promotion on.

Robert Leroy Head of Maquoketa, Iowa, was selected as one of three finalists for a Portland Beavers' promotion that will immortalize a real Bob L. Head with a bobblehead.

"I never put it together until they sent me this letter," Head said. "My wife and I thought it was a joke."

The Beavers, the Triple-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres, sent letters to every Bob L. Head they could find, including Roberts and Robertos, and Mauoketa's own.

[Mark Dexter]

Originally Posted by JugglingReferee

The Portland Beavers minor league team has a bobblehead promotion on.

Wow.

My favorite is still the Benedict Arnold bobblehead that the CT Defenders gave out last year. It's still the only two-faced bobblehead I've ever seen!

[M&M Guy]

Hey mick - I might actually wear a Tiger's hat this weekend.

(I'm just giddy since the Cubs didn't blow a 9th-inning lead today.)

[mick]

Originally Posted by M&M Guy

Hey mick - I might actually wear a Tiger's hat this weekend.

(I'm just giddy since the Cubs didn't blow a 9th-inning lead today.)

Attaboy, M&M !

Andrew Miller from 2006 North Carolina is pitching tonight. His first MLB start.
He's very looooong.

[M&M Guy]

Originally Posted by mick

Attaboy, M&M !

Andrew Miller from 2006 North Carolina is pitching tonight. His first MLB start.
He's very looooong.

First MLB start, eh?

He won't be nervous or anything, will he?

(Btw, nice color choices on the lettering above.)

[mick]

Originally Posted by M&M Guy

First MLB start, eh?

He won't be nervous or anything, will he?

(Btw, nice color choices on the lettering above.)

Da Bears.

[ChuckElias]

Well, Mick, I'm sorry it was at your expense, but that was a pretty nice series for the Sox. 3 out of 4 (thanks to a right fielder who was willing to stick the landing on a great catch) and a 9.5 game lead in the AL East BR (before Roger). I'll be pulling for the Tigers to make that ground back up against the Cards. They look pretty terrible right now, so you should whup 'em.

Since the Sox got rained out tonight, here's an interesting factoid. Joe Sewell played shortstop, mainly for the Indians, for 14 seasons. He struck out only 113 times in his career. He holds the record for most consecutive games without striking out (115 in 1929) and for fewest strikeouts in a season (4, in 1925 and again in 1929).

I spent about 15 minutes looking online, but couldn't who had the fewest strikeouts last year. I'm pretty sure it was more than 4, though.

[mick]

Originally Posted by ChuckElias

Well, Mick, I'm sorry it was at your expense, but that was a pretty nice series for the Sox. 3 out of 4 (thanks to a right fielder who was willing to stick the landing on a great catch) and a 9.5 game lead in the AL East BR (before Roger). I'll be pulling for the Tigers to make that ground back up against the Cards. They look pretty terrible right now, so you should whup 'em.

Chuck, I thought it was a good series, too.
Split first two and then the Sox won 2-1 and 4-2. The two Detroit back-up starters did a pretty good job, but the Red Sox pitchers pretty much owned the Tiger hitters.
YU.P. got away with one from the Champs tonight. I'm glad they don't have Jeff Weaver.
Wait....; the score indicates thay may have gotten him back.

[Mark Dexter]

Originally Posted by ChuckElias

I spent about 15 minutes looking online, but couldn't who had the fewest strikeouts last year. I'm pretty sure it was more than 4, though.

Couple of AL pitchers come to mind immediately.