The 2010 MLB Season Thread

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

Better hope that the baby behaves itself and they get the game in, right? Isn't it just about time?

It's getting close but we live in the city so I could be home in 20 minutes if need be.

What I really need to watch is how much I drink at the game, the guys I am going with love to booze it up. Lucky for me I'll miss them pregaming since I have to take Bernie to the vet.

[DaddyTorgo]

aaah.

awww...Bernie. Hang in there old man!!

[Lathum]

yeah, he isn't doing so hot

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Lathum

yeah, he isn't doing so hot

sorry

i'll cross my fingers

[sovereignstar]

The Twins' '61 Throwbacks/New Home Alternates are shit-hot.

[lordscarlet]

FINALLY. A manager that will stand up for his players in Washington.

[lordscarlet]

Ugh. The Nationals don't seem to ahve a starter outside of Livo that can make it to the 6th inning.

[Radii]

Derek Lee was in obvious pain in the 3rd and 4th innings both after making contact with the ball, holding his right hand as he ran to first base. He was pulled after the 4th inning with "Right Thumb Inflammation." Hopefully no big deal, as he's one of only two or three Cubs getting any hits so far this year :P

[stevew]

I have no idea who the fuck the Pirates are pitching. B burres?

[Atocep]

If the Giants aren't going to use Buster Posey do you think they'd let the Mets borrow him for awhile?

[samifan24]

Originally Posted by stevew

I have no idea who the fuck the Pirates are pitching. B burres?

Brian Burres, a former Oriole. He's bad.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Terps

Man, I can't take a whole year of Mike Gonzalez if you have to hold your breath every time he is on the mound. He's gonna make every ninth inning exciting if his first two save situations are any indication.

I was watching him the other night on MASN and it hit me. His throwing motion is like a right handed Mitch Williams. I remember as that's almost exactly how I threw because it was the only way I could get it up to even 70 on the gun. Basically, you throw your entire weight behind the pitch but it throws off your precision and you really can only throw fastball and slider.

SI

[Crapshoot]

Originally Posted by stevew

I have no idea who the fuck the Pirates are pitching. B burres?

SP hurt his back this afternoon - Burres is a former Giants AAA scrub. Usually the kind of guy who shuts us out.

[Terps]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

I was watching him the other night on MASN and it hit me. His throwing motion is like a right handed Mitch Williams. I remember as that's almost exactly how I threw because it was the only way I could get it up to even 70 on the gun. Basically, you throw your entire weight behind the pitch but it throws off your precision and you really can only throw fastball and slider.

SI

Apparently they found something in his mechanics, we'll see how it works out if they ever get a chance for a save situation again this season. The starting pitching is doing so well for a change, most of the bullpen is solid, and now they can't hit anything or anyone, especially with runners on base.

Sigh.

Oh, and yeah... Brian Burres sucks.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by Crapshoot

SP hurt his back this afternoon - Burres is a former Giants AAA scrub. Usually the kind of guy who shuts us out.

5ebh in 4 innings. We fuckin made molina look like buster posey.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

I'm eating up all this false hope the Royals are giving me. Butler, Ankiel, and Guillen are all hitting like we hoped they would.

Edit: And that, my friends, is how you jinx a team with a 5-0 lead.

[Subby]

Will Nats take Bryce Harper?

2:13PM ET
The consensus top prospect for the this June's MLB Draft is College of Southern Nevada catcher Bryce Harper, and the Nationals, who own the top pick, apparently agree.

According to a report on MASNSports.com, the Nationals, barring an injury or drastic change, will take the 17-year-old with the first pick. The Nats reportedly view Harper as being "head and shoulders" above anyone else in the draft and think he could reach the majors in less than three years.
Harper isn't likely to receive more than Stephen Strasburg's $15-plus million guaranteed considering the risks that come with prep catchers and a player that is at least three years away from the big leagues, but the money will certainly be enormous, likely exceeding the previous record Strasburg broke a year ago.

In Jayson Stark's Rumblings and Grumblings, however, one excutive disputes Harper's status as the top overall prospect for this year's class, saying "he's not the type of guy you want to pay three times the going rate for," and adding "this kid is a good player. But he's not in a class with A-Rod and those guys. Not even close. And with all the hype Scott (Boras) has generated around him, he's going to walk in the door with a monkey on his back, and it's not going to ever go away."

Well, it just so happens we have our own talent evaluator in the house in the form of ESPN Insider's Keith Law, who saw Harper at the outset of the season, and ranked him No. 1 on the Pre-season Top 50.

Keith Law

In total disagreement ...

"I'm not sure what the exec saw, or what he's pushing, but he left out a few critical details that skew his entire commentary. For one thing, Harper is swinging a wood bat, not metal like most amateur players, and his stats have to be viewed through that filter as well as one that considers his conference and the altitude of some of those parks -- consider how low batting averages and HR totals are in wood-bat summer leagues like Cape Cod, for example. For another, Harper turned 17 in October, facing 19- and 20-year-old pitchers in junior college; A-Rod was drafted as a 17-year-old high school senior (he turned 18 that July, before signing) facing 15- to 18-year-old pitchers. Most high school seniors are 18 when drafted and some are 19, while we almost never see a junior college player who will play an entire spring season before he turns 18. And finally, Harper hasn't exactly faced Pencil State and Little Sisters of the Poor all spring, with Chipola and Cypress coming to CSN in February for some well-attended games."

ESPN MLB Draft Blog

Harper is doing it all

"Harper's arm is plus, his power is plus and he's even hitting left-handed pitching. Let me rephrase that, Harper is destroying left-handed pitching to the tune of a .577/.645/1.038 line prior to this past weekend's games. I think the kid has already answered the questions at the plate." -- Jason A. Churchill

[k0ruptr]

I heard the Yankees Mobbed Matsui at the pitchers mound when they gave him his ring, sounded like a tear jerker if your a fan. thats classy tho, and good to hear.

[molson]

Interesting pre-game experience for the Angels in NYC.

Angels head for Yankee Opening Day game, watch in horror as man leaps to death from hotel roof

(I love the photo of Tori Hunter signing an autograph and looking off into the distance, with the caption, "Angels outfielder Torii Hunter signs autographs as emergency crews remove the man's body"

[stevew]

rumor has it that the Pirates put Brian Burres on a plane for Russia and sent along $200 for whomever claimed him.

[Logan]

Last year I was walking out of that hotel after just eating at The Burger Joint and literally bumped into Vlad Guerrero, as the Angels team bus had just pulled up.

[DeToxRox]

What a gift KC's pen has been to the Tigers. No way they ought to be 6-2 but KC and Cleveland are sure in the giving spirit.

[Butter]

I hear the Royals sold out the rest of their 76 home games. SRO at the K!!!

[Travis]

I know not all his starts will look like this (hell, maybe even not the rest of this game now that I'm jinxing him), but through 5 innings Ricky Romero is showcasing the skill set the Jays and their fans hope to see really often and for a very long time.

5 IP, 67 pitches (45 strikes), 10 K, 1 BB, no hits. And just some filthy, filthy stuff so far.

[k0ruptr]

I know holy crap, I was like who the hell is this kid, granted the white sox offense sucks balls but its not this bad! 10 k's only 67 pitches, jesus. C'mon sox get it together.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by stevew

rumor has it that the Pirates put Brian Burres on a plane for Russia and sent along $200 for whomever claimed him.

Nicely done.

[k0ruptr]

geez, make that 12 ks through 6. Hes gonna throw a No-No and strike out 20 , and the white sox will go down in flames.


(if that doesn't make him come out next inning and give up 4 runs I give up)

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by DeToxRox

What a gift KC's pen has been to the Tigers. No way they ought to be 6-2 but KC and Cleveland are sure in the giving spirit.

SI

[sterlingice]

They just showed on MLBN that Brian Matusz has only given up 2 hits in the 7th and both were of the infield variety

SI

[k0ruptr]

Ricky Romero IS 6 OUTS AWAY FROM A NO HITTER AGAINST MY FAVORITE TEAM. BOO JINX JINX BOOOOOO!


might wanna watch if this interests you though.

PS. Vernon Wells looks reborn this season.

[k0ruptr]

I Love you Alex Rios, and Jinxing Ricky Romero.

[sterlingice]

I don't think it works if you're wanting to stop the jinx.

But, yeah, Romero did just lose the no hitter.

SI

[k0ruptr]

It works if I say it does!

[sterlingice]

I'm sure there's some putz in Toronto who jinxed it but thanks for trying

SI

[Oilers9911]

Fuck you Alex Rios. That is all.

[Terps]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

They just showed on MLBN that Brian Matusz has only given up 2 hits in the 7th and both were of the infield variety

SI

...and then Trembley left him in too long. Still a decent start. O's tie it up on a Luke Scott homer. Matt Albers comes in to pitch the top of the 10th, walk, wild pitch, walk, 3 run homer.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by DeToxRox

What a gift KC's pen has been to the Tigers. No way they ought to be 6-2 but KC and Cleveland are sure in the giving spirit.

We have to do something to make up for your football team.

[Ksyrup]

Yes, the Browns and Chiefs sure have been juggernauts for the last decade.

[samifan24]

I heard AJ Pierzynski faked being hit by a pitch last night to get on base during Ricky Romero's dominant start in Toronto. Alex Rios, the next batter, homered. Once again Pierzynski shows why he's one of the classless and most disliked players in the game.

[darkenigma510]

Originally Posted by Oilers9911

Fuck you Alex Rios. That is all.

+1

[Logan]

Originally Posted by samifan24

I heard AJ Pierzynski faked being hit by a pitch last night to get on base during Ricky Romero's dominant start in Toronto. Alex Rios, the next batter, homered. Once again Pierzynski shows why he's one of the classless and most disliked players in the game.

What's your opinion on an outfielder trapping a ball against the ground and then showing his glove to the umpire to convince him that he caught it cleanly?

[samifan24]

Originally Posted by Logan

What's your opinion on an outfielder trapping a ball against the ground and then showing his glove to the umpire to convince him that he caught it cleanly?

What's your opinion of what Pierzynski did, especially given the circumstances?

[Ronnie Dobbs2]

It wasn't a perfect game at that point, so how does the HBP matter to the circumstances?

[Travis]

Hard to compare those two. Giving some benefit of the doubt to the outfielder, you can't always tell if you've trapped a ball or not (especially if you're diving or sliding to make the catch) so they're holding up the ball to show they've got possession and let the umpire make the call on whether or not it was trapped.

AJ on the other hand, did what he did knowing that he wasn't hit, but hoping that none of the umps were paying close enough attention to know that. In the end it worked, but he was knowingly trying to deceive the umps and while I'm sure some trap ball catches are of that ilk, that's a whole lot harder to pin on the guy making the catch than what AJ did.

For the record, I wouldn't do what AJ did in his situation, but I'm mostly disappointed none of the umps caught it. What AJ did, to me, is a lot closer to what A-Rod did with imitating calling the pop up on the infield against the Jays and neither are as bad as the other night with the third base coach actually entering the field of play (whether it was his intention or not to try and trick the fielder into thinking the runner hadn't left third).

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Travis

Hard to compare those two. Giving some benefit of the doubt to the outfielder, you can't always tell if you've trapped a ball or not (especially if you're diving or sliding to make the catch) so they're holding up the ball to show they've got possession and let the umpire make the call on whether or not it was trapped.

AJ on the other hand, did what he did knowing that he wasn't hit, but hoping that none of the umps were paying close enough attention to know that. In the end it worked, but he was knowingly trying to deceive the umps and while I'm sure some trap ball catches are of that ilk, that's a whole lot harder to pin on the guy making the catch than what AJ did.

For the record, I wouldn't do what AJ did in his situation, but I'm mostly disappointed none of the umps caught it. What AJ did, to me, is a lot closer to what A-Rod did with imitating calling the pop up on the infield against the Jays and neither are as bad as the other night with the third base coach actually entering the field of play (whether it was his intention or not to try and trick the fielder into thinking the runner hadn't left third).

Not to mention what A-Rod did to earn the "Slappy" nickname...

[samifan24]

Originally Posted by Travis

AJ on the other hand, did what he did knowing that he wasn't hit, but hoping that none of the umps were paying close enough attention to know that. In the end it worked, but he was knowingly trying to deceive the umps and while I'm sure some trap ball catches are of that ilk, that's a whole lot harder to pin on the guy making the catch than what AJ did.

This is why it bothers me. The Sox weren't doing anything against Romero so Pierzynski decides to cheat to give them a chance. He knowingly did it and the umps all missed it. Then, Rios homers and breaks up the no hitter and the shutout all at once. Having a man on base likely changes the way Romero pitches to Rios and that's what I mean when I talk about the circumstances.

[Butter]

Toronto still won, so who gives a crap.

[Travis]

I almost hate to be the one to say it, but if you ignore stuff like that just because the other team still pulls out the win, then how do you not ignore it if it ends up changing the outcome of the game?

You discipline the act, not the result. Same issue I have in hockey where they decide on suspensions based on how long a player is injured for. Just because a guy gets lucky and doesn't go out on a stretcher doesn't mean it's not a suspendable offense.

Again, not saying this is requiring a suspension, but the more you see things like this and the more they go unpunished, the more you're encouraging players to push the boundaries. This wasn't gamesmanship, it was cheating and if nothing else it could push towards replay becoming more inclusive towards what is and isn't reviewable.

Just because the Jays won doesn't mean it was any more or less wrong to do.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Cripes, Jose Guillen just hit another homer????? This guy is on a killer hot streak right now. Now has 5 homers in the past week after doing nothing in the first three games.

Thank God for the final year of a contract I suppose........

[Ksyrup]

Talking about "cheating," and no one has commented on my post a day or so ago about the 3B coach who went onto the field and pretended to be the runner at third, hoping to confuse the relay man on a play at the plate? That one seems far more egregious to me.