Warning!! It's Baaaaaack!! Off-topic Baseball Thread '08 !!

[M&M Guy]

[ChuckElias]

Manny hit his 500th home run last night, and the Red Sox actually won the game, despite Papelbon pitching absolutely horribly. Sox turned a lucky double play in the 9th to save Papelbon. Hopefully, his control is better today if they need him.

The guy who ended up with Manny's #500 ball is going to give it back to Manny for nothing. Nice gesture. I hope Manny has enough class to give him a boatload of stuff for it.

Sox, in general, are playing very mediocre baseball on this road trip. DJ's Mariners gave them fits and the A's beat them up pretty badly. If they can win today or tomorrow, they'll take this series against the O's and look good heading back home to play the team with the best record in the American League. The league-leading Tampa Bay Rays? On June 1st? Unbelievable.

The best team in the bigs is the Cubbies, believe it or not. The last time the Cubs had the best record in the major leagues at the end of May was 1908. Anything special about that season?

The Reds are still 2 games below .500 and in 5th place in their division. But Ken Griffey, Jr. hit his 599th home run yesterday and the Reds won the game with a walk-off home run from rookie Jay Bruce, who's been having an amazing first week in the bigs. Bruce has 11 hits, 1 home run, and 4 RBIs in his first 5 major league games, with an .895 slugging percentage. Not a bad start!

[Mark Padgett]

OK, it's not just slightly OT, but it's baseball. Last night, my local HS, Tigard, played for the 6A (highest level in Oregon) baseball championship. Unfortunately, they lost to Clackamas HS 3-1. Tigard pitcher Ryan Gorton took the loss although he pitched a 2-hitter and struck out 8 (they play 7 inning games so 8 Ks is pretty good). Gorton, who was voted Oregon Player of the Year last week, will attend Oregon State in the fall.

[mick]

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

OK, it's not just slightly OT, but it's baseball. Last night, my local HS, Tigard, played for the 6A (highest level in Oregon) baseball championship. Unfortunately, they lost to Clackamas HS 3-1. Tigard pitcher Ryan Gorton took the loss although he pitched a 2-hitter and struck out 8 (they play 7 inning games so 8 Ks is pretty good). Gorton, who was voted Oregon Player of the Year last week, will attend Oregon State in the fall.

Yeah, sounds like a local problem.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by ChuckElias

The guy who ended up with Manny's #500 ball is going to give it back to Manny for nothing. Nice gesture. I hope Manny has enough class to give him a boatload of stuff for it.

Manny has already been quoted as saying that he'll auction the ball off...with the proceeds going to a children's charity in Boston that he favors.

That is class.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

OK, it's not just slightly OT, but it's baseball. Last night, my local HS, Tigard, played for the 6A (highest level in Oregon) baseball championship. Unfortunately, they lost to Clackamas HS 3-1. Tigard pitcher Ryan Gorton took the loss although he pitched a 2-hitter and struck out 8 (they play 7 inning games so 8 Ks is pretty good). Gorton, who was voted Oregon Player of the Year last week, will attend Oregon State in the fall.

Damn. I had Tigard and a run and a half.

[mick]

Mario Impemba and Rod Allen are the announcers for Tiger TV.
Brandon Morrow delivered a 3rd strike pitch to Edgar Renteria, which Renteria simply watched. With no empathy for Renteria. they exchange:

Mario: WOW!! 100 miles per hour on the outside black !!!
Rod: Oh, man! ...That is SO UNFAIR !!!

[These guys do make baseball fun. ]

[Dan_ref]

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

Manny has already been quoted as saying that he'll auction the ball off...with the proceeds going to a children's charity in Boston that he favors.

That is class a pretty decent tax write off.

Fixed your tpyo

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by Dan_ref

Fixed your tpyo

I get it. You're trying to make Nevada's head explode.

[Nevadaref]

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

I get it. You're trying to make Nevada's head explode.

[Adam]

From Fox Sports.

Quote of the day, from Michael Rosenberg:

I can't vouch for Ramirez, either. But since he has had a pretty consistent career, consistent body type and seems like he'd have no idea how to do steroids if he tried, I'd be surprised if he juiced, too.

[JugglingReferee]

Not a big baseball watcher, especially when the NHL playoffs are still on, but on Sportsdesk, they showed Carlos Zambrano (sp?), a 255-pound pitcher who went 3-for-3 with a grounder up the middle, a rope to the OF for a triple, and he beat an infield hit on a sac bunt.

That's pretty good, for a 255 pound pitcher.

[M&M Guy]

Originally Posted by JugglingReferee

Not a big baseball watcher, especially when the NHL playoffs are still on, but on Sportsdesk, they showed Carlos Zambrano (sp?), a 255-pound pitcher who went 3-for-3 with a grounder up the middle, a rope to the OF for a triple, and he beat an infield hit on a sac bunt.

That's pretty good, for a 255 pound pitcher.

Carlos has always been a good hitter. He seems to be a better hitter from the left side, where he got his first two hits last night. His triple brought in Edmonds and tied the game. He then got his last hit right-handed.

Just some more notes - my Cubbies have had the lead in the last 23 straight games. The last time they did that was 1935, which was also the last time they won 100 games in the season. And, the last time the Cubs had the best record in baseball on June 1st was 1908. (That was the last time the Cubs won it all, and the year JR graduated from high school.) Giddy times on the north side of Chicago; I hope it continues for a while. Like 2 or 3 years...

And, a down note - it looks like Mark Prior, now with the Padres, will have season-ending shoulder surgery. According to the announcers, his last pitch in the majors was in August, 2006, so it will be more than 2 years in between pitches if he makes it back. The good news is he's only 27, so there's always a chance.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by M&M Guy

And, the last time the Cubs had the best record in baseball on June 1st was 1908. (That was the last time the Cubs won it all, and the year JR graduated from high school.)

JR's class motto: A Bridget to the 20th Century.

I know, they were a bit slow; if you know what I mean.

[M&M Guy]

Originally Posted by Snaqwells

JR's class motto: A Bridget to the 20th Century.

I know, they were a bit slow; if you know what I mean.

Are you saying they rode the short buggy to school?