The 2010 MLB Season Thread

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by Jas_lov

Hughes was voted in by the players. Girardi did choose Sabathia but CC is scheduled to start the Sunday before the break so he will probably be replaced by Pettitte.

You see, he should have done that with Weaver, not Sabathia. Weaver's start Sunday guarantees he won't be able to be in the game. So his only shot to be acknowledged as an All Star was to be named to the team from the start. Girardi is an asshead.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Maybe we need a BCS for the ASG.

I mean, reading this thread makes it seem as though no one is happy with players chosen by the fans, or those chosen by the players, or those chosen by the manager. Obviously it should just be turned over to a computer.

[molson]

Every year people make the assumption that there's only one permissible ASG criteria - performance the 1st half of the season (or in the case of the fan voting, performance at the time voting starts, which is what, early May?)

It's an exhibition game that's supposed to have stars on it. A couple of good months this season can be part of it, but I don't see that star power, career accomplishments, being on a winning team, or being picked by your manager is so automatically the "wrong" criteria.

We're not even to midseason. Aren't post-season awards a more serious, performance-only kind of recognition? The All-Star game just seems like the wrong forum to get upset about exclusions, etc, because we're only talking about a couple of months of the season.

[Ragone]

Joey votto not making the all star game is a joke..

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by molson

We're not even to midseason.

Actually we are. IIRC the exact mid-point of the season; i.e. half the scheduled game have been played, came with whichever game ended 4th today.

Saw that mentioned in an article somewhere or the other yesterday.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by molson

Every year people make the assumption that there's only one permissible ASG criteria - performance the 1st half of the season (or in the case of the fan voting, performance at the time voting starts, which is what, early May?)

It's an exhibition game that's supposed to have stars on it. A couple of good months this season can be part of it, but I don't see that star power, being on a winning team, or being picked by your manager is so automatically the "wrong" criteria.

We're not even to midseason. Aren't post-season awards a more serious, performance-only kind of recognition?

I generally agree. I don't like All Stars being selected simply 2-3 months of play. I think past performance should be considered as well. I don't like Joe Sheehan's writing at all, but I agree 100% with the way he picks his all stars each year. A nice combination of play this year along with past performance leaves fewer guys to bitch about (and no Omar Infantes on the roster). He's not at BP anymore, though, and I haven't seen a column on SI with his picks this year.

The thing I hate most about the selection process is the manager selections. Fans, players, computers, a combination of those 3, drawing names out of a hat, I don't care. Managers are terrible at picking the all stars.

[molson]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Actually we are. IIRC the exact mid-point of the season; i.e. half the scheduled game have been played, came with whichever game ended 4th today.

Saw that mentioned in an article somewhere or the other yesterday.

Fair enough.

But obviously a good chunk of the fan votes came a while ago. I don't know when the players vote. The manager selections probably come last. They're all on different timetables. I don't think this is intended to be a serious "award" kind of thing.

[Mr. Sparkle]

Bruce Bochy needs to be fired.

[stevew]

Regression to the mean is normally fun to watch. But Ubaldo's regression is especially funny. 23 ER in his last 38IP.

[Vince, Pt. II]

I hate Bruce Bochy so much.

[Crapshoot]

Originally Posted by Scoobz0202

I still can't believe Votto got snubbed. Leads NL 1b in BA, SLG, OPS, 2nd by .001 in OBP, 2nd in HR, and 3rd in RBI.

ahahahahahaha

Did you hear Charlie douchebag's defense? - "I went with my guy." Its ridiculous - Ryan Howard is significantly worse offensively and defensively than Votto, and this idiot making it a Phillies tea party doesn't change that.

[Crapshoot]

Bruce Bochy is an incompetent old fart who has a veteran fetish - what an awesome combination on the Giants. My only home is that the team crashes and burns enough to get rid of him and Sabean.

[Mr. Sparkle]

I still can't get over Bochy pinch running Eli Whiteside for Buster Posey because he thought Whiteside would have a better chance of scoring from first on an extra base hit. Posey is 23. Whiteside is 32. This worked out well, as Whiteside failed to drive in a runner from 3rd with 1 out in extra innings...and then threw a ball into center on a steal attempt, allowing the Rockies to get a runner on 3rd with 0 outs in the 14th inning.

He also double switches for Pablo Sandoval and Travis Ishikawa because, you know, we can't lose the bats of Edgar Renteria and Aaron Rowand (combined 1 for 12 with 4 K's on the day)!

It had become evident that the only way to get Bochy to stop playing Bengie Molina was to trade him. So the Giants do, in fact, trade him (getting a great haul for him in the process - are we sure Sabean is still the GM?). What does Bochy then say? He says to expect Whiteside to get the majority of starts at catcher in the next couple weeks because Posey hasn't played much catcher since he was called up. THAT'S BECAUSE YOU WOULD NEVER SIT MOLINA, YOU INCOMPETENT FOOL! Molina's defense had dropped precipitously, he couldn't throw anyone out stealing, yet he continued to play. Posey and his cannon for an arm manned first - in between being benched for 2 to 3 games at a time.

For the sake of Giants fans everywhere, Bochy has GOT to go.

And that's my rant. For now. I'm sure Bochy will do something unbelievably stupid tomorrow that'll set me off once again.

[Mr. Sparkle]

Originally Posted by Crapshoot

Did you hear Charlie douchebag's defense? - "I went with my guy." Its ridiculous - Ryan Howard is significantly worse offensively and defensively than Votto, and this idiot making it a Phillies tea party doesn't change that.

The worst part of all this? The flat earthers in the BBWAA that vote on the Hall of Fame put serious stock in the number of All-Star appearances a player had. So when Ryan Howard is up for vote, they'll point to appearances like this season as proof of his domination. Meanwhile, the Joey Vottos and Ryan Zimmermans of the world get snubbed, theoretically damaging their Hall of Fame chances in the process. It's bullshit. Hopefully by the time they're eligible, we will have moved beyond BS standards like number of All-Star appearances and they can be judged solely on the numbers they've put up over their career.

[Ksyrup]

EVERY manager does this. Maybe not every one of them is as direct and honest about it as Manuel, but isn't that kinda the point of being the manager? Your "reward" for winning the pennant the year before is to lose a 3-day vacation in July the next year? There's got to be a real perk - and that perk is being in a position to make the players you manage every day of the year REALLY happy with you.

It's the process you should have a problem with, not the managers.

But then, who really gives a shit about the all-star game? I'm as big a baseball fan as you'll see, and I doubt I'll watch a minute of the game.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

EVERY manager does this. Maybe not every one of them is as direct and honest about it as Manuel, but isn't that kinda the point of being the manager? Your "reward" for winning the pennant the year before is to lose a 3-day vacation in July the next year? There's got to be a real perk - and that perk is being in a position to make the players you manage every day of the year REALLY happy with you.

It's the process you should have a problem with, not the managers.

But then, who really gives a shit about the all-star game? I'm as big a baseball fan as you'll see, and I doubt I'll watch a minute of the game.

I am coming to realize you hold not one single opinion involving baseball that I agree with.

[rowech]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

EVERY manager does this. Maybe not every one of them is as direct and honest about it as Manuel, but isn't that kinda the point of being the manager? Your "reward" for winning the pennant the year before is to lose a 3-day vacation in July the next year? There's got to be a real perk - and that perk is being in a position to make the players you manage every day of the year REALLY happy with you.

It's the process you should have a problem with, not the managers.

But then, who really gives a shit about the all-star game? I'm as big a baseball fan as you'll see, and I doubt I'll watch a minute of the game.

It has not always been like this. The fans vote(d) and then the manager fixed the omission. That has been destroyed by guys like LaRussa, Manuel, and Torre.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by rowech

It has not always been like this. The fans vote(d) and then the manager fixed the omission. That has been destroyed by guys like LaRussa, Manuel, and Torre.

Torre was the golden original. Yeah, managers have always made at least some questionable decisions on borderline calls, but it was Torre who was so ridiculously homerish that it stood out, and we were subjected to it six times in eight years.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

But then, who really gives a shit about the all-star game?

Pretty sure the Yankees were happy to have game 6 at home last year courtesy of the All Star game win.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by HiFiRevival

Who gives a shit about anything other than the result of this half-assed pole smoking contest?

It would appear from the last page of posts rather more than you think.

[Crapshoot]

Originally Posted by Mr. Sparkle

I still can't get over Bochy pinch running Eli Whiteside for Buster Posey because he thought Whiteside would have a better chance of scoring from first on an extra base hit. Posey is 23. Whiteside is 32. This worked out well, as Whiteside failed to drive in a runner from 3rd with 1 out in extra innings...and then threw a ball into center on a steal attempt, allowing the Rockies to get a runner on 3rd with 0 outs in the 14th inning.

He also double switches for Pablo Sandoval and Travis Ishikawa because, you know, we can't lose the bats of Edgar Renteria and Aaron Rowand (combined 1 for 12 with 4 K's on the day)!

It had become evident that the only way to get Bochy to stop playing Bengie Molina was to trade him. So the Giants do, in fact, trade him (getting a great haul for him in the process - are we sure Sabean is still the GM?). What does Bochy then say? He says to expect Whiteside to get the majority of starts at catcher in the next couple weeks because Posey hasn't played much catcher since he was called up. THAT'S BECAUSE YOU WOULD NEVER SIT MOLINA, YOU INCOMPETENT FOOL! Molina's defense had dropped precipitously, he couldn't throw anyone out stealing, yet he continued to play. Posey and his cannon for an arm manned first - in between being benched for 2 to 3 games at a time.

For the sake of Giants fans everywhere, Bochy has GOT to go.

And that's my rant. For now. I'm sure Bochy will do something unbelievably stupid tomorrow that'll set me off once again.

Yeah, the fucking veteran fetish is mind boggling - Rowand sucks for 2 months before being sat down, while Nate or John Bowker have 2 bad games and are banished forever. The idiot doesn't understand sample size and has no understanding of hitting - he was a useless scrub of a catcher, so sympathizes with others in the same vein.

PS - Padres fans are probably nodding their head - the famous Vinny Castilla story.

[Mr. Sparkle]

I don't care so much about the game itself, but I do get annoyed at the BS that goes on with the selections every year. It's beyond ridiculous that the BEST offensive player in the NL this season can't make the team. MLB needs to determine what the All-Star game is. Is it an exhibition game for the fans to watch their favorite players, or is it a game to be taken seriously because of the implications? If it's the former, stock the team with fan favorites. If it's the latter, put the players on the team that will help you win that one game. The way it's done now is pretty much the worst of both worlds.

[tucker rocky]

All-Star game used to be fun to watch.
Since Selig decided that rotating WS home field advantage between the leagues was redundant, make 1 league(AL) have WS advantage.
AL has won ASG 8 years in a row.

What kind of advantage is that?

At least with the rotating system, each league received a turn in having an advantage.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by HiFiRevival

Who gives a shit about anything other than the result of this half-assed pole smoking contest?

I'm not really sure what you mean. If you care about the results you should care about the players selected. Seems only logical.

[Mr. Sparkle]

Originally Posted by Crapshoot

Yeah, the fucking veteran fetish is mind boggling - Rowand sucks for 2 months before being sat down, while Nate or John Bowker have 2 bad games and are banished forever. The idiot doesn't understand sample size and has no understanding of hitting - he was a useless scrub of a catcher, so sympathizes with others in the same vein.

PS - Padres fans are probably nodding their head - the famous Vinny Castilla story.

The Vinny Castilla story is Exhibit A in why Bruce Bochy should never manage an MLB team. Bengie Molina is Exhibit B.

I hope they hire from within and promote Steve Decker to manage the big club if and when Bochy is dismissed.

[Chief Rum]

I didn't like the rotating system either. I would like the WS home field to be determined by the league winner in the head-to-head interleague play, with the previous year's World Series winner being the tie breaker if needed.

[Crapshoot]

Originally Posted by Mr. Sparkle

The Vinny Castilla story is Exhibit A in why Bruce Bochy should never manage an MLB team. Bengie Molina is Exhibit B.

I hope they hire from within and promote Steve Decker to manage the big club if and when Bochy is dismissed.

Seriously - I want this team to make the playoffs, or finish 20 games out - because that's the only time Bow-tie (Neukom) will take action against Sabean and Bochy - Its not like the local media is ever going to criticize (Hank Schulman is the idiot who argued Bengie was the MVP last year).

[Crapshoot]

Dola, Mr. Sparkle / Vince - are you guys on McCoveyChronicles? Read the post-game thread.

Post-game thread: Giants lose heartbreaker in Coors for first time in team history - McCovey Chronicles

[tucker rocky]

Interleague play is a bunch of garbage, I'm a traditional fan.

No need for fancy glitter and sparkle.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by tucker rocky

Interleague play is a bunch of garbage, I'm a traditional fan.

No need for fancy glitter and sparkle.

You have the right to your opinion, but it seems to me interleague is very popular among fans. I know I enjoy it. And it's a fair way to determine home field that doesn't involve making a joke of the All Star game or putting emphasis on just one game.

[Mr. Sparkle]

Originally Posted by Crapshoot

Dola, Mr. Sparkle / Vince - are you guys on McCoveyChronicles? Read the post-game thread.

Post-game thread: Giants lose heartbreaker in Coors for first time in team history - McCovey Chronicles

I don't post much over there, but it's pretty much required reading for me - especially after games like yesterday. It's good to know there are other people out there like me who are suffering through the same thing I am. The writing is so funny because it's oh so very true.

[Crapshoot]

I don't mind interleague, but the rivalries only compound it. Its ridiculous that one NL West team plays the Orioles, while another plays the Yankees - that's simply not fair. On a similar rant, I hate the the unbalanced schedule - its unfair for Baltimore to have to play NYY / TB / Boston whereas as the Twins get to beat up on the Royals and Indians.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Originally Posted by Crapshoot

Dola, Mr. Sparkle / Vince - are you guys on McCoveyChronicles? Read the post-game thread.

Post-game thread: Giants lose heartbreaker in Coors for first time in team history - McCovey Chronicles

I've been reading since Waiting for Boof, but I've failed at registering three different e-mail addresses, so I've never commented, I just lurk. I haven't delved into that thread yet, I'll go read it now.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Also, even non-Giants fans should go read McCovey Chronicles - Grant is freaking hilarious. Even SackAttack enjoys the site.

[Mr. Sparkle]

Originally Posted by Crapshoot

Seriously - I want this team to make the playoffs, or finish 20 games out - because that's the only time Bow-tie (Neukom) will take action against Sabean and Bochy - Its not like the local media is ever going to criticize (Hank Schulman is the idiot who argued Bengie was the MVP last year).

Hank Schulman is terrible. His love letter to Molina after the trade was laughable, and now he's defending Bochy's decision to pinch run Whiteside for Posey:

hxxp://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/giants/detail?blogid=22&entry_id=67210

The pitfall of second-guessing, by fans and us in the press, is that we often look at strategic decisions in a vacuum and we define players solely by the numbers on the back of their baseball cards. There is a lot of information we don't have, so something that seems obvious to us really has a lot of angles we might not consider.

The Giants were trailing 3-2 in the eighth inning of Sunday's game in Denver, which the Giants ultimately lost 4-3 in 15 innings. Buster Posey singled to center, sending Pablo Sandoval to third base. Sandoval represented the tying run, Posey the go-ahead run. Bochy had Eli Whiteside run for Posey, a decision that many you have panned because it left an inferior hitter in the fifth spot in the lineup.

First things first. It would be stupid of any manager who is trailing by one run in the eighth inning, especially on the road with the opposing closer warming in the pen, to manage for the 10th or 11th inning. You just can't assume you're going to get there.

Second, you don't know if you're going to get another chance to get the go-ahead run in. So here was Bochy's dilemma. Posey is slower than Whiteside. That is inarguable. I don't know if I agree with Bochy that Whiteside might be the fastest guy on the team after Andres Torres and Nate Schierholtz. If so, that's a sad commentary on the speed of this team. But early in Whiteside's career with the Giants, I was surprised to see him score from first on a double in a dash that few catchers have made.

Add to that the fact that Posey had caught 16 innings in the heat and humidity in less than 24 hours Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, in altitude. I don't care how young he is. His legs had to be tired.

Bochy said his top priority was to get Sandoval home from third base to tie the game. A close second was getting the go-ahead run across. Remember, you play for a lead on the road and a tie at home. Most managers do.

So Bochy had myriad scenarios to consider. What if Ishikawa hit a grounder deep in the hole at short and Clint Barmes' only play was a force at second? Whiteside, fresh off the bench, would have had a much better shot of beating the throw than Posey and allow the tying run to score.

Ishikawa could have hit a ball in the gap, requiring a first-to-home sprint to take a lead. Also, Bochy said he considered a steal of second against reliever Rafael Betancourt, who is slow to the plate. That would have put two runners in scoring position and eliminated a force at second.

In the end, Whiteside took third on Ishikawa's tying single and was stranded on a grounder by Edgar Renteria, and the inning ended in a 3-3 tie.

Whiteside struck out with two outs and nobody on in the 10th inning. He also was one of three Giants (Pat Burrell and Renteria were the others)who failed to get Huff home in the 13th after his triple. Even if Bochy hadn't pulled Posey in the eighth, I have to think the rookie still would not have been in the game to hit in the 13th and go out for his 22nd inning behind the plate since 6 p.m. the night before.

Say what you want about Bochy's rigor in playing old vets like Aaron Rowand, Renteria and Burrell at the expense of younger guys like Ishikawa and Schierholtz. That has befuddled me too. But give the man this. He is a good strategic manager whose in-game decisions help more than they hurt.

That article is full of so much fail, I don't even know where to start. And is Whiteside really that much faster than Posey? He talks as if it's not even a question.

[Crapshoot]

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

I've been reading since Waiting for Boof, but I've failed at registering three different e-mail addresses, so I've never commented, I just lurk. I haven't delved into that thread yet, I'll go read it now.

That's weird - I've been a Waiting for Boof guy as well, and never had issues - you can email one of the mods and they will try and fix it.

And I'll echo him - if you want to see a truly miserable franchise and the humor we use to entertain ourselves, check out McCovey. We're much more miserable than Cubs fans.

[larrymcg421]

How about no home field advantage and the World Series to be won by 2 games? 138 game World Series! w00t!

[Scoobz0202]

Hey Lathum! Your boy Pelfrey is going down tonight!!!111

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Scoobz0202

Hey Lathum! Your boy Pelfrey is going down tonight!!!111

I have no doubt he will lay a complete egg just to make me look like more of a dipshit.

[stevew]

Pedro Alvarez is starting to show signs that he can rake. He had a tough start but I think he will be fine.

[Lathum]

Oh my, Joey Votto...

I hate Charlie Manuel.

[Scoobz0202]

All I could do was laugh when he hit that. I just hope he goes into Philly after this series and lights them up.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Scoobz0202

All I could do was laugh when he hit that. I just hope he goes into Philly after this series and lights them up.

Me too. I was living in Cincinnati when Votto was coming up and I really grew to like him.

On a side note, did anyone listen to Colin Cowherd this morning. I usually agree with him, but man, he was irritating as all hell this morning. (as irritated as one gets at sports talk shows)

[Scoobz0202]

I didn't hear it but I heard about it. Saw many quotes.

He's a fucking idiot.

[Crapshoot]

Originally Posted by Scoobz0202

All I could do was laugh when he hit that. I just hope he goes into Philly after this series and lights them up.

"". Amen. Votto seems like a likeable guy, and a comeback like this after what he went through last year (props for not being one of those psuedo-tough guy bullshit types) is all the better. Ryan Howard isn't even of the 5 best 1B's in the national league this year, no matter that Charlie Manuel is a fuckhead who thinks its supposed to be a Phillies roster.

[larrymcg421]

Amusing that the Braves started Infante tonight against the Phillies. I'm surprised Manuel isn't ordering intentional walks for one of the most feared hitters in the game.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Originally Posted by Crapshoot

That's weird - I've been a Waiting for Boof guy as well, and never had issues - you can email one of the mods and they will try and fix it.

And I'll echo him - if you want to see a truly miserable franchise and the humor we use to entertain ourselves, check out McCovey. We're much more miserable than Cubs fans.

Meh, nine times out of ten, someone has already beaten me to the punch on whatever I would comment on anyways, so it's not like the site is missing any insightful commentary by me not being registered

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Scoobz0202

I didn't hear it but I heard about it. Saw many quotes.

He's a fucking idiot.

yeah, he was this morning.

he kept insisting it was a popularity contest and the fans vote. Was saying nobody outside Ohio even knows who Votto is and you have to earn the notoriety to get the votes. He completely ignored the fact that Manuel picked Howard over Votto, then when he finally realized that point he basically shrugged it off, claiming Howard has a longer track record and said he was one of the five most marketable players in the league. He never once mentioned the fact that the game actually means something.