Frayed Knot

My one overriding concern with Thorne (and this goes especially for his hockey announcing) has always been his penchant for treating the first goal/run of the game as if it were the WS/SC game-winner. Geez, Gary, calm down, it's only 1-to-nothing in a regular season game -- and I know you didn't learn THAT from Bob Murphy! Other than that, he's always had the voice, the game knowledge, the rhythm for both hockey and baseball. But the problem becomes, once you go that high for something relatively common, where are you going to go when you do have to call the championship moment?

Dickey - 3.3 Rauch - 0.25 Francisco - 0.25 Davis - 2.3 Murphy - 1.0 Turner - 1.0 Thole - 0.8 Baxter - 0.8 Torres - 0.3

The DN has been around for a long time covering the Yanx, but it was only relatively recently (probably less than 20 years) that they became essentially a full-time partner with the club, doing things such as hiring Torre as their spokesman when he was also supposedly their biggest target to cover; having the DN pay for one of their writers to be a "guest" in the radio booth for an inning each game; running promotions that are designed to boost both the team and the paper as if there's no line between the two, etc. This stuff happens with other media outlets and other teams, but few are as long lasting and cozy as this one.

PHIGroup Project=#FF0000]WASH=#FF0000]bmfc1/Edgy DCMIAGWreckATLFrayed KnotCINEdgyDCPITTEdgy DCCHICattgigStLMFS'62HOUMGiM=#0000FF]MILW=#0000FF]TransMonkLADG-FaFiFSFGFrayed KnotSDPABN-SeoCOLLWFSARZLWFSNYYFMan99BALJCLTORJCLTBRLWFS =#BF0000]At Bat =#0000FF]On Deck =#008000]In the Hole

I guess the biases at MASN & The Baltimore Sun are too much for Kay et al who prefer the unvarnished truth that one gets from YES as well as from the NY Daily News, a paper that has fostered a commercial and symbiotic relationship with the team they supposedly cover so deep and for so long now that any pretense of objective journalism left the stall about 20 years ago.

Frayed Knot wrote: The more interesting question is whether he went on his own or got a nod from Tuefel. It was Tuefel. Nice call Timmy

The more interesting question is whether he went on his own or got a nod from Tuefel.

Daniel "Crazy Legs" Murphy

Upon further review ...

Certainly looked to be safe, but he got there via a head-first slide which, as we're often told, almost certainly slowed him down, and I never did see a definitive replay (maybe there isn't one). Plus I think the head-first thing makes it tougher for the ump to call that play. Either way, Teixeira was crying about it in the locker room, about that call and about the called strike-3 he looked at in the 8th inning even throwing in a; "while I'm out there playing on one leg", for good measure. He then went on to imply (if not outright state) that the umps were maybe just looking to go home and didn't want to see the Yanx come back and have to work an extended game. Can't be any other reason why a call would go against the Yanx otherwise, right? Joe McGrane on MLBN jumped all over him for that, talking about how he understands the frustration but also about how many calls he's seen go the Yanx way over the years -- definitely becoming the most direct I've ever heard from a paid commentator (as opposed to from a biased fan) about the Yanx getting more than their share of calls, particularly at home games.

I remember critical reviews calling this one one of the worst movies in history. OK, at least one of the worst of the year. Seemed to me like a entry-level vehicle for the heart-throb from 'Friday Night Lights' (the TV show) to get his first lead role, naturally with his shirt off much of the time.

Swan Swan H wrote: Bases loaded, none out and they hit two weak infield grounders. Fuck 'em. The Yanx continue to specialize in hitting grounders too shitty to be turned into DPs. I know I can't prove that they do it more often than other teams and don't ask me how a team can do that on purpose but I'll go to my grave believing they have a knack for taking full swings and getting shit exactly when needed as if on demand. Swisher did it the first time and it brought in a run, and then Teixeira did the same thing only he is a bit slower and probably dove himself into a bad call (I still couldn't tell definitively) or else the tying run would have scored. Meanwhile Nick Markakis got himself a broken hand in the game and is almost certainly out for the rest of the reg season. And just minutes before the O's/Yanx ended the Rays lost to Texas in extras, one day after winning in extras on a Ben Zobrist walk-off. Too bad, a Tampa win tonight would have really tightened things up.

Has Thole blocked a ball with his chest protector yet this year?

Cedeno obviously didn't get the 'Soft Grounders Only' memo. I wonder if they'll fine him for that?

duan wrote: having seen what came into dc earlier i think a rainout's a distinct possibility. The Nats/Fish were heading into the bottom of the 9th with the Marlins up by 1 ... and now it's been delayed for what must be two hours by this point. I believe Heath Bell had already warmed up to come in, but now has been sitting all this time.

Good thing that Uggla & McCann are in slumps or else we'd really be in trouble here.

Do you suppose this offense could make up a 5-run deficit to Kris Medlen given seven GAMES rather than innings?

Strasburg shut down as of NOW!!!! -- No final game at Citi next week. After getting bounced around by the Marlins last night (and, really, in several of his latest starts) they think he is wearing down both mentally and physically and so are pulling the plug a bit earlier than they planned. And, actually, in terms of ERA he's now the 4th best starter on his own team; behind Gonzalez, Zimmermannnnn, and even Detwiler, ahead of only Edwin Jackson.

* 13-21 since August 1st * 5-11 over your last 16 * 10 games out of the division lead * Tied with Dodgers 1-1/2 games behind StL for 2nd WC spot * Need to go 10-15 or better over the remaining games just to reach the streak-breaking 82 win plateau And committing [u:yvfp8jpy]SEVEN[/u:yvfp8jpy] errors in last night's game while getting blown out (12-2 ... w/9 of the runs unearned) by the freakin' Cubs is not a good start on those goals.

Niese - 3.5 Mejia - 0.5

So last night was ARod's 300th HR as a Yankme, more than twice as many as Reggie in less than twice the time, plus he has that all-important ring. That means they have to retire his number right? I mean, sure he gets booed half the time, but so did Reggie - or has that part been conveniently expunged from the record and from fans' memories now that he's both on their wall of fame and on the payroll? And once you do it for Alex can you deny such an honor for Teixeira? And once they re-sign Granderson it'll be tough to keep his digits out of Monument Park. And then what about Swisher? Look, the guy invented the post-game pie! Nothing like that had been done before in MLB history. Plus he's so popular with the bleacher bums. And I haven't even gotten to Sabathia yet.

Kimbrel's another one with a flashy chain hanging outside his shirt.

Larry David and Larry the Cable Guy can tell off-color jokes between innings.

Atlanta about to win their 3rd straight with a total of five runs scored. I'm surprised they're even using Kimbrel here. He's had to go each of the last two days. But ... it's a save situation.

Have Larry King introduce him and listen as King explains how he remembers watching Chipper when he played for Brooklyn. Atlanta, you're on the air with Chipper Invite Larry Bird and he and Chipper can stand at home plate before first pitch and argue about who the bigger hick is