Weekend Miscellany

[Frayed Knot]

[u:dceaf8f28f]Manny 1/2 K[/u:dceaf8f28f]:
Manny hit HR #500 Sat night. Since it was Manny I believe the ball was caught, fought over, and finally sold on EBay prior to him reaching 1st base - but that's all part of M-being-M I guess.


[u:dceaf8f28f]BRUUUUUUUCE[/u:dceaf8f28f]:
Check out the start of Cincy OFer Jay Bruce's ML career (prior to Sunday's game):
5 games, 11 for 19 including 3 2Bs and a HR + 2 SBs -- .579/.680/.895
He only went hitless in one game so far. Meanwhile, he's had 2 3-hit games plus one w/4-hits.
In Friday's game he scored the winning run in walk-off win. Then on Saturday he hit a walk-off HR in extra innings to win a game.

It's not supposed to be that easy.

[Fman99]

It should be noted that Manny went deep for #500 off of former Met Chad Bradford, or Brad Chadford as he was sometimes called around my house.

[Frayed Knot]

Brad Chadford is Chad Bradford's evil twin.
We called him that here when he'd have a bad game (fortunately rather rare during his lone NYM season).

[Frayed Knot]

Jay Bruce today: 2 for 3 w/2 RBIs including another HR

[Gwreck]

Frayed Knot wrote: Brad Chadford is Chad Bradford's evil twin. We called him that here when he'd have a bad game (fortunately rather rare during his lone NYM season).

Maybe it's my rose-colored hindsight glasses, but I can't remember Bradford *ever* having a meltdown-type game. His only homer surrendered was in extra innings when he was the last man out of the pen, I believe.

[Frayed Knot]

He had a couple.
That they were kind of rare is why we could blame it on the idea that he had been temporarily replaced by his evil twin.


The Jay Bruce start caused me to go for a refresher course on Gregg Jefferies' intro.
Not a bad first two weeks:
52 ABs; 24 hits; 7 2Bs; 2 3Bs; 5 HRs; 4 BBs; 3 Ks; .462/.500/.962

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I liked Manny's remark after 500: "My next goal is 501." Then he went out and got that.

I'm all hat's off to Manny and Chipper Jones, two awesome veteran players showing they still got it.

[Guest holychicken]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: I liked Manny's remark after 500: "My next goal is 501." Then he went out and got that. I'm all hat's off to Manny and Chipper Jones, two awesome veteran players showing they still got it.

Seriously, if Chipper is batting over 400 against everyone else, what is going to bat at Shea? Like 700?

[Guest OlerudOwned]

Not the weekend anymore, but Jay Bruce is already 2-3 this evening with a homer.

[Guest OlerudOwned]

A nugget courtesy of Wikipedia.

]Bruce had an astounding 1.000 slugging percentage after his first six games. The only Major League player since 1969 to achieve a higher slugging percentage after his first six games was Mike Jacobs in 2005, with a mark of 1.050.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Let's relive the CPF celebrating we got Mike Pelfrey instead of Bruce in the 2005 DRaft.

OTOH, kinda encouraging that we were in on it.

http://archives.cranepoolforum.net/zero/f1_t68.shtml

[Frayed Knot]

That 2005 draft is already being talked about as one of the great ones in history

1 - Upton (HS)
2 - Gordon
3 - Clement
4 - Zimmerman
5 - Braun

7 - Tulowitski

9 - Pelfrey
10 - Maybin (HS)

12 - Bruce (HS)

23 - Jacoby Ellsbury

That's a lot of talent to be already making serious contributions at the big league level this quickly.

[seawolf17]

Throw Matt Garza (25th) and Joey Devine (27th) in there also.

[Guest OlerudOwned]

Not to mention Andrew McCutchen (11) and Colby Rasmus (28), the impressive top prospects for Pittsburgh and St. Louis respectively.

Then there's the sandwich picks. Travis Buck (36) for the A's has shown MLB-ready talent but durability issues. Clay Buchholz (42) may have done something notable. Garrett Olsen (48) has established himself in Baltimore's rotation.