Frayed Knot

MFS62 wrote: Frayed Knot wrote: I'm hoping that that ESPN 'Body Issue' doesn't have Chris Berman involved anywhere. He was doing the Milwaukee/ Arizona game on ESPN radio last night. For a while I didn't know who he was, because there was a total absence of his normal schtik. No funny names, no "back back back"- kinds of stuff. He actually was not bad - followed the action and told us what was happening. Only one unclear call -a double off the wall - I couldn't tell for a while if it hit the wall or was caught because he was describing the attempt for the catch. But he got it right immediately. I'm actually shocked he's doing radio, I wouldn't think it was high-enough profile for him. Plus if whatever series he's doing goes to the weekend ESPN would have to find a replacement. I heard one call via audio replays (the Roberts GS) and it was pure Berman ... and by that I mean he made the call about him more than about the game.

Ceetar wrote: what's a song parody contest? Sheesh, kids these days!

Nathan's got a $12.5mil option for next year. I'd tend to think Minnesota will opt for the $2mil buyout rather than exercise that one so he may just be a flat-out FA.

The 'Big Four' have just been pushed to a game five.

I'm hoping that that ESPN 'Body Issue' doesn't have Chris Berman involved anywhere.

Peterson was forever frustrated with Pelfrey as well, often commenting that the one he saw in the bullpen was not the one who wound up on the mound. Point being that at some point it becomes about Pelfrey rather than the coaches.

I'm not so sure the price has come down all that much. Last winter a ton of set-up men went for fairly major bucks at 2 years or more. Raphael Soriano -- 3 yrs - $35mil (and a 1st round draft pick) Pedro Feliciano -- 2 yrs - $8mil Jaoquin Benoit -- 3 yrs - $16mil Bobby Jenks -- 2 yrs - $12mil (and barely pitched this year) Scott Downs -- 3 yrs - $15mil Grant Balfour -- 2 yrs - $8.1mil Kevin Gregg -- 2 yrs - $10mil + option Of course I doubt any of them had $17 mil vests, but they were still expensive anyway.

I would be shocked, SHOCKED, if they went out this winter after a high-priced FA closer.

#2 is Arthur Lee Rhodes #3 is Giambi

Looks like we got us a series here. A GS by Paul Goldschmitt - rapidly becoming a folk hero in DBacks land - and it's 8-1 Snakes, although still only in inning #6

Yes, very good catches emphasized by the fact that they were at very critical points - especially that first one.

We had fun tracking the changes last season even though there doesn't look to be nearly as much turnover this winter. TEAM2011 MgrSTATUS2012 MgrRED SOXTerry Francona - since 2004Option not picked up???YANXJoe Girardi - since 2008Signed thru 2013Same ORIOLESBuck Showalter - since 2010Signed thru 2013SameRAYSJoe Maddon - Since 2006Signed thru 2012SameBLUE JAYSJohn Farrell - Hired Oct �10Signed thru 2013SameTIGERSJim Leyland - Since 2006Signed thru 2012SameWHITE SOXOzzie Guillen - since 2004Contract terminated via mutual consent???TWINSRon Gardenhire - Since 2002Signed thru 2013SameROYALSNed Yost - Since May �10Signed thru 2012SameINDIANSManny Acta - Since 2010Signed thru 2012 + 2013 optionSameRANGERSRon Washington - Since 2007SSigned thru 2012SameMARINERSEric Wedge - first seasonSigned thru 2013SameA�sBob Melvin - hired June �11Signed thru 2014SameANGELSMike Scioscia - since 2000Signed thru 2018SameMETSTerry Collins - first seasonOption picked up thru 2013SameBRAVESFredi Gonzalez - first seasonSigned thru 2013SameMARLINSJack McKeon - since 6/20/11Not re-hired for 2012Ozzie Guillen - signed thru 2015NATIONALSDavey Johnson - took over 6/26/11Signed w/org but not as manager??? PHILLIESCharlie Manual - since 2005Signed thru 2013SameCUBSMike Quadde - first seasonSigned thru 2012 + �13 optionSame??BREWERSRon Roenicke - first seasonSigned thru 2012 + �13 optionSamePIRATESClint Hurdle - first seasonSigned thru 2013SameCARDINALSTony LaRussa - since 19962012 Mutual Option???REDSDisty Baker - since 2008Signed thru 2012SameASTROSBrad Mills - since 2010Signed thru 2012 w/option for �13SameDODGERSDon Mattingly - first seasonSigned thru 2013SameDIAMONDBACKSKirk Gibson - hired Aug �10Signed thru 2013 + �13 optionSameGIANTSBruce Bochy - since 2007Signed thru 2012SamePADRESBud Black - since 2007Signed thru 2013 + options for �14 & �15SameROCKIESJim Tracy - since May �09Signed thru 2013Same

By the time Leyland calls for Alburquerque we'll be cryin' I realize Jimmy Webb isn't a Detroit guy, but I couldn't resist.

Hey Tony, Nice move walking Ruiz so as to get Hamels out of the game. Just shit luck that it led to a 3R HR by the PH instead.

And then there were seven. Rays get one in the 9th but needed at least one more as their magical run ends.

Except that there really is no grander stage. He's already in NYC and if there's one thing we KNOW about Gary it's that he's not going to the Bronx. And in baseball the local gig is really more prestigious than the national one. I think the worst that happens is that he gets an occasional national game in addition to his NYM job meaning we'd lose him for a handful of games each year.

And those pesky laws of supply and demand kick in yet again.

Benjamin Grimm wrote: And David Wright in fourth place! Unprecedented! Who would have guessed that Justin Turner, Lucas Duda, and Ruben Tejada would all finish in the top ten? A very strange season. Unfortunately that's been the story for this team for a number of years running now: only a handful of players who had both good and complete seasons so part-timers and mediocre ones climb higher up the list than you'd expect. Turner was 4th on the team in ABs this season (only a shade behind Wright) while Tejada & Duda were 9th & 10th and not all that far behind Beltran. That's the kind of thing you can't and don't foresee coming in. I'm jealous of you guys since I didn't see these cards as they came out. I imagine if you ever did this with cards from the 80's I'd feel the exact same way. I think one difference between the decades is not that the earlier one was in Grimm's wheelhouse but that Topps had a monopoly on the card business for a significant time (later broken up by lawsuits IIRC) so that there essentially was just one style of card that is instantly recognizable as a '1976' or '1972' By the '80s the monopoly had been busted up so there were more companies and a lot more variation and therefore no one definitive design per year.

Normally I'm the guy around here who neither cares about - nor most of the time even realizes - uniform minutia, but the remaining teams struck me with some oddities. - None of the Yankees, Tigers, or Rangers use a uniform that say Yankees, Tigers or Rangers on them. The Yanx of course have their overlapping (no Michael, it's not interlocking) NY as their home uni and 'New York' on the road The Rangers go with a big 'Texas' both at home & the road The Tiggers have Detroit on the road and go with their Old English D on their home. They then further complicate things by having the D on their uni not quite match the one on their hat. Check out the upper right corner, it's rounded on the uni but more angular on the hat. The angular one is the 'official' logo which you see in various parts of the stadium and elsewhere. - The Phillies, Cardinals, and Rays go the opposite as none of them have a uniform with their city name anywhere. All simply go with a non-white version of the same script/printing on their roads as their homes. - I believe the Diamondbacks have about 15 combinations of unis, but were wearing a D'Backs on the road and frequently go with just their southwestern-style A on their homes, a combination which uses neither their entire nickname or location name. - So of the final eight, only the Brewers have the "correct" combo of city on the road and nickname at home

seawolf17 wrote: Ceetar wrote: Derek Jeter has a .685 OPS in 2011 late and close. .686 with RISP. Why can't you people understand that the man transcends mere statistical analysis? He transcended mere stats last night; 2-for-5 actually makes it sound like he had a good game.

Gwreck wrote: Frayed Knot wrote: that fly out from Russell Martin in the 9th is 7 rows deep in YSIII ... or maybe more like 10 Granderson had one like that too. In fairness, Cabrera had a shot to the warning track in deep center that probably would've also been out in the Bronx. Sure, it's just that I saw ball jump in that direction off a Yanqui bat in the ninth inning of a one-run game following a walk and immediately I had an 'OH SHIT' moment before I remembered where the game was being played. Poor Russell may not even realize that he was just stadium location away from being elevated to 'TY' status and thrust into the discussion for number retirement.

The use of "Downtown" in basketball - whoever coined it - way pre-dated the three-point line. I guess it's MFS's contention that Sterling was using it in NYC before Marv even though it was he who eventually became more famous for it. On that burning question I have nothing to contribute.

'Yankees win, Yankees win' had the same cadence as 'Islander goal, Islander goal' My first memory of Sterling was as a sports talk guy on WMCA (a two or so hours/night show well prior to the days of 24-hr sports talk) where he played the acerbic know-it-all who'd cut off callers while screaming, "You don't know what you're talking about - get off my air" to them when he thought they didn't bring enough to the discussion.

- Oooooh, lots of oh-fers for Jetes with RiSP this series. Not that that inconvenient truth will find its way into any network "facts" in the near future. - I'd have been REAL tempted to stick w/Verlander in the 9th, especially with Valverde having thrown so many pitches the night before, and double especially since you're not go to use Verlander again in this round unless there some emergency Game 5 relief needed. - Smoltz (who I really like the handful of times I've caught him doing games) had the call of the night when he said; 'watch out for the first pitch' right before Delmon launched that first pitch into the RF stands. He was right on top of Valverde consistently missing "arm side" with his pitches too, and said so after just the first two he threw. - that fly out from Russell Martin in the 9th is 7 rows deep in YSIII ... or maybe more like 10 - and, finally, those 14 words all Yanqui fans dread to hear: 'Your season is on the line and it's in the hands of AJ Burnett'