Frayed Knot

And how often lately has it come down to iKe?

Frayed Knot wrote: Can anyone say: Turning Point? No way to see that one coming, eh? Amazing how the small margin for error just magnifies each mistake one or more of which will eventually come back and bite them. Murph getting picked off, Duda allowing a single to become a double, Tejada turning a ground out into a single, ... And now we've turned this into a battle of bullpens and those rarely end well for us.

Can anyone say: Turning Point?

Freeman now pissed at two of the four umps. Maybe he will argue for the cycle before the night is out.

Swan Swan H wrote: My sense is that the since the AL always did it that way, when the division between the leagues began to crumble it was the easy way out to report the higher number across the board. Yes, the AL long reported tickets sold while the NL gave the asses-in-seats number. Actually I remember the Murph/Ralph/Lindsey crew reporting BOTH paid and actual. And, yes, it was the gradual merging of the leagues which prompted the change to one system.

Until 1999, National League clubs reported attendance based on turnstile counts and the American League teams reported paid attendance. In 2000, all clubs started reporting the number of tickets sold because those figures were used to calculate revenue sharing between the clubs, according to Major League Baseball Hey, disphit: Everybody's attendance is calculated that way. It's BS, but it's everybody's BS, not a charming Wilpon defect. Francesa has been on this bandwagon too, implying, often while barely keeping himself from outright stating, that the Mets are the only ones to do so and probably invented the whole scam.

During the little 'Chat with Alex' on Jeopardy a couple days back, the defending champ's little story involved him being a "totally superstitious" Yankme fan (from Florida of course) to the point of watching games with the sound muted most of the time. When pressed by Alex as to why that developed, he said because in post-season and other network games the announcers are often biased against the Yanx which makes it hard for him to listen. Needless to say I rooted against him for the remainder of that show. He lost. It's like if you cast a movie looking for "stereotypical, obnoxious Yankees fans" and saw these guys you'd say "no way, too over the top, they can't be for real." I said the same thing about the cast of 'Jersey Shore'.

2-out, no one on, 8 & 9 spots coming up ... sounds like the perfect time for a five run rally!! Mets, meanwhile, have two hits and haven't scored more than five runs in an entire game since the 3rd of May

Meanwhile: Pitchers Gray & Appel likely to be the first to go Mark Appel, RHP, Stanford University: Last year's unsigned first-round pick by the Pirates at eighth overall, Appel's decision to return to school looks wise as he's now slated to go off the board in the first couple of picks. The 6-5, 215-pounder has a mid-90s heater and has added polish to his slider and changeup, giving him top-of-the-rotation upside. Trey Ball, LHP, New Castle HS, New Castle, Indiana: The best lefty in the draft, Ball is a super-projectable 6-6, 180-pounder but already throws in the 90s and has good command of his curveball and change-up. He's very athletic and also a prospect as an outfielder, though teams prefer him on the mound. He should come off the board in the first dozen picks. Jonathan Gray, RHP, University of Oklahoma: Gray shot to the top of the draft boards with an outstanding spring. A 6-4, 240 pound righty, he showed improved command of a 95-100 MPH fastball along with a nasty slider and a decent change-up, pushing past Appel in the eyes of many teams for looking like a future number one starter. He should go first or second overall. Sean Manaea, LHP, Indiana State University: This big 6-5, 235 pound southpaw broke through in the Cape Cod League last summer with an outstanding fastball. His secondary stuff can be erratic and his velocity was up-and-down this spring, but he was still considered a lock to go in the top half of the round. It is unclear how shoulder tightness that kept him out of action this past Tuesday will impact his status. Braden Shipley, RHP, University of Nevada: Another breakout pitcher, the 6-2, 180 pound Shipley is a former shortstop who polished his mechanics this spring and throws strikes with a mid-90s fastball and a good change. His breaking ball still needs some work, but he should come off the board in the top 10 or 12 picks. Ryne Stanek, RHP, University of Arkansas: Rated as a top five talent pre-season, Stanek has had an inconsistent spring but could still go in the top dozen on the basis of his 6-4, 190 pound build, low-to-mid-90s fastball, hard slider, and developing changeup. He could be a number two starter if all goes well, or a power reliever if it doesn't. Kohl Stewart, RHP, St. Pius X HS, Tomball, Texas: The top high school pitcher in the class, this Texas A&M quarterback recruit is a terrific athlete with a strong 6-3, 195 pound build, a low-to-mid-90s fastball, and a promising array of secondary pitches including a curve, slider, and change. He should go in the top six picks and won't likely present a signability problem in that range. Others and comments

Certainly is the type of player you'd like to see here, and the added bonus of the (hopefully) shorter lead time. Doesn't sound like he'll be one of the first few picked either. Several of those [bryant, Fraizer] are expected to be among the first 4 or 5 picks so we can probably cross them off our wish list right now.

Benjamin Grimm wrote: If the Mets hadn't tied the game in the bottom of the eighth, would the Braves have had an eight-inning win? Or would they still have resumed the game today? I know that before the recent rule change, it would have been an eight-inning game either way, but now I'm not so sure. Do all suspended games get resumed, or just those that are tied? What changed in the rule was that a tie game no longer simply gets wiped off the books entirely and gets replayed from scratch. Everything else, as far as I know, remains the same. So, yeah, had the Mets not scored after a complete 8th inning the Braves would have won an 8 inning game. But the 'whole 8th inning' thing comes into play because the Braves had scored twice in their half of the 8th. It used to be that they would have only counted completed innings meaning you'd revert to the game as it was at the end of the 7th which puts us right back into a tie situation. So if the game had been stopped while the Mets were batting but before they tied it ... then what? A - Do they suspend it as a tie and replay starting at the beginning of the 8th? B - Or do they suspend it and pick up exactly where they left off? C - and had the Braves led after 7 would they be declared the winner even if the game were called in mid-inning w/the Mets batting via the old revert to the last full inning logic? I think B is the right answer but I'm not entirely sure.

This suspension and the network TV obligations poses another question with this game: Is it going to be televised? The whole SNY crew was scheduled to have the day off and it's tough to see them cranking everything up for what might be 20 minutes of air time, and FOX certainly isn't going to start two hours early and blow off whatever was on the docket for their affiliates.

And the Sox win it in the 11th anyway on a Jeff Keppinger bases-loaded single. The best part about the non-win an inning earlier was hearing Hawk Harrelson's call on the play at first: "NOOOO, NOOOOO, NOOOOO"

Edgy MD wrote: Angel Hernandez blowing a ballgame. This must be a post from last week. Nah, one per week is about his average.

Rain-delay O-o-T-S news: Angel Hernandez blows a game-winning call in Chicago ChiSox have bases-loaded and one out vs Marlins Miami goes for two on an Alex (when my baby smiles at me I go to) Rios grounder. He beats the relay at 1st by a half-step but Angel calls him out and instead of a Sox win they're going to extras.

Fman99 wrote: Frayed Knot wrote: If this can't be continued tonight it'll be picked up at a later date and continued from this spot (new rule as of about two years ago) ... presumably tomorrow although both Sat & Sun have national TV considerations throwing a wrench into the works. According to Gary the game would be picked up tomorrow. I don't know if that's the default in the opening game of a series, but he seemed to be fairly certain of this. I'm sure he's right, I'm just saying that the TV factor makes it a problem. - At what time do they start the to-be-completed game? - How does the network handle it if Game 1 goes extras and bleeds into "their" time?

Curtis Granderson, just back from a broken wrist off a HBP in spring training, got hit by a pitch tonight and sustained a broken pinkie finger.

If this can't be continued tonight it'll be picked up at a later date and continued from this spot (new rule as of about two years ago) ... presumably tomorrow although both Sat & Sun have national TV considerations throwing a wrench into the works.

Zvon wrote: WHACKY PACKAGES!!!! I can tell you're about my age Z, you had the same mis-spent childhood distractions.

Edgy MD wrote: Upton's misplay is certainly a weather-factored play. Maybe, but he was sloppy about it too.

OK, we know Ankiel has been saving it for NOW!!!!

OK, this is as good a spot for Valdespin as any.

Ike gets a hand for 1) a foul ball 2) laying off a curve in the dirt ... and then Ks anyway.

Swan Swan H wrote: Frayed Knot wrote: HOw 'bout trying to get on base down two runs John instead of swinging for the fences every time? Done. Yes, although through not a lot of effort of his own. Just didn't like that 2-0 swing is all.