MFS62

Two things: 1) I'd love to see what those unseen "best ones" were. 2) The person who did it could write for The Onion, where they share the same opinion of Jeter. Later

The Yahoo game report said that Bay hit a fly ball to RIGHT FIELD. Can this be true? Later

Don't worry. ESPN Radio is still hasn't lost its focus. They're talking about the NFL the NBA and who will be transferring from Penn State. Later

Vangelis? Missed that the first time around. Really LOL! Later

Edgy DC wrote: And George Patton'll tell ya that heroes are the ones who hold the line until reinforcements come .(I made that up. Repeat: I made that up. That's not an actual quote or even a paraphrase.) Edgy, I don't care whether or not you made it up. This ex-military guy thinks it is absolutely true. Later

Edgy DC wrote: Some interesting FA options, with some chances to go big. Marlon BoidMichael BournCurtis Granderson (Yanks have $15 million option)Josh HamiltonTorii Hunter (not playing center in recent years)Angel PaganB.J. UptonShane Victorino A lot of legs that have seen more mileage than Torres', also. If I'm shopping, I probably focus on Bourn as maybe the best value/$. I have a pretty baseless suspicion that the Mets would like Upton. Bourn makes a lot of sense to the eye test- speed, defense, a decent or better leadoff type hitter. The only thing is - he's yet another lefthanded batter. This lineup will need more balance at some point (OK, so Granderson or Hamiltion would be just fine). Later

Why didn't Wright start? Is he hurt? Later

Valdespin seems the best bet to me. IMO, DenDekker is still a year away, Kirk may be better suited to a corner outfield spot, as is Lagares. I think (hope) Torres will be gone. Later

Strikeouts! He's got over 90 in under 60 IP this season (low and high A levels combined). Whatever he's eating, we should feed it to the rest of our pitching prospects. Later

He's not the one who immediately came to mind when I read the headline in my local paper: http://www.newstimes.com/news/article/Getting-Doc-his-due-from-baseball-3744657.php Later

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I think they will cut him, but not before spring training 2013. Has he amassed enough at bats for his 2013 contract to vest? If not, wouldn't it make more sense to cut him now? Or is there a golden parachute clause? Later

Frayed Knot wrote: 2B - Ryan Theriot Ryan the Riot has virtually no power (0 HRs ) Continuing a SF tradition that goes all the way back to Duane Kuiper. http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/k/kuipedu01.shtml Nice follow-up KTE. Later

I feel the same about Marco. And Jeff Keppinger, too. I wish them well wherever they go (except against the Mets, of course). Later

Congrats to your kid, Edgy. Nice debut. Later

That final day masterpiece. The rest is just a blur. Later

Really good KTE. I look at those players and think that Willie Bloomquist will be a monumental pain in the arse this series. Later

Glad to learn she's OK. When you drive on I-95 through Aberdeen, there used to be a big sign announcing Cal Ripken Jr. Stadium. Is it still threre? The only other thing of interest there was a US Arsenal/ testing grounds. Later

This was "discussed" with some of my cyber-friends a while back. Here is what I saved: It was written by a Cleveland Indians fan who called himself Hair Face. He was a Dick Tidrow fan. The intentional walk was rarely used and widely disdained, but was around for decades before Meekin threw four wide ones in 1896. Summarizing Peter Morris from "A Game of Inches"... The earliest newspaper reference found of walking someone on purpose was June 27, 1870, when the Washington Olympics pitcher "did his best to let George Wright take first every time on called balls, as he preferred that to George's style of hitting". However, it doesn't explain the method, whether it was a intentional walk as we know it, or just obviously not throwing him strikes. Bobby Mathews reportedly intentionally walked Lip Pike in 1874, and in 1884 came the first report of a pitcher doing so for match-up purposes -- Will White sometimes walked left-handers, since he struggled against them. John Clarkson walked Tip O'Neill twice intentionally on October 21, 1886 in a postseason game. His manager Cap Anson had told him not to. The newspaper referred to Clarkson's free passes as "contemptible". Even back then, baseball's general wisdom held that walking batters made little sense when the purpose was to get outs... of course, machismo was often considered more important to the game than strategy in those days as well.+ In an 1887 minor league game, Syracuse pitcher Dug Crothers communicated with his pitcher and then "sent in five balls wide of the plate, purposely giving [Fred] Lewis his base". Lewis was the league's best hitter, and Crothers had never had problems with the batter on deck. However, the Rochester fans booed him and called it a "baby act", and even some of the Syracuse fans booed Crothers. Anyway, this does sound like an intentional walk as we know it (5 balls were needed for a walk at the time), and also gives an idea of how unpopular the strategy was. According to other writings from Morris, offenses began the "playing for one run" strategies around 1890, so it was around that time that the intentional walk became a bit more common and accepted. Cleveland manager Patsy Tebeau was well known for the strategy during that decade. Clark Griffith still believed "The pitcher who is afraid of any batter ought to quit the business. If he doesn't it will not be long before he is proved a coward, and then he will have to quit". Decades later, when Griffith was an owner, he made various failed attempts to get rules adopted that would penalize pitchers for intentionally walking batters. They never gathered much support since umpires would then have to determine intent when pitchers pitched around a batter. Anyway, Morris never even mentions Meekin's intentional walk, probably because it was actually a well known strategy by the time Meekin first learned of it. Regardless, it appears that Casey being intentionally walked would not have been a revolutionary move, but everyone in attendance would have likely booed him and considered him a coward. Later

SHaM record: (76 games left) 31-34 (one non made-up rainout) SHaMVP: Davis Most wins: Dickey (9) Most saves: Francisco (16) Most HRs: Davis (13) Highest BA: Valdespin (.338) Later

When one of these trips starts, I always want to see them rip through the West Coast like the San Andreas Fault. (I'm heavily invested in Seaport of Phoenix bonds) But this year, I feel that they will only (to paraphrase Moiph) waft like a gentle breeze. Later

He went to college and that's the best he can do? Later

Whoever mentioned Morse's neanderthal looks a few days ago was correct. He looks not too far from "man walks upright" on the evolutionary scale. A monster, and not a bad hitter. Later

Another opinion of Valdespin: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/jordany-valdespin-snaps-york-mets-record-pinch-hit-160000557--mlb.html Later

Fman99 wrote: Jordany goes deep twice today. Book it. The more I see of him the more I like him. Tats and 'tude. He just may be as much of a badass stud as he thinks he is. Later

A Baka bomb. (A Japanese weapon of WW II) Later