Frayed Knot

A quick check of the NL at the 20-game mark. A few teams (like us) have since played a game or two but, just for comparison purposes, this is where their records after 20 games. Mets 11 - 9 Marlins 11 - 9 2009 ROY Chris Coughlin = .162/.205/.162 Phils 11 - 9 Rollins is out, Lidge has yet to pitch, Happ in now out Figueroa = 5 IP, 2 ER (ND) is his lone start of the season Braves 8 - 12 Four starters at or under the Mendoza line: Cabrera = .179; McLouth = .149; Escobar = .192; Glaus = .200 Nats 10 - 10 RS/RA = -15 Pitching is much improved: Livan = 31 IP 0.87 ERA also set-up man Clippard: 15.2 IP 0.57 ERA; and closer Capps: 12.1 IP 0.73 ERA, 9/9 Sv/Opps Cards 13 - 7 Brad Penny: 3-0, 0.94 ERA, 0.98 WHIP Cubs 10 - 10 Bullpen ERA = 4.99 Reds 9 - 11 Rumored Met targets: Aaron Harang: ERA = 7.16; Bronson Arroyo: ERA = 7.43 Brewers 9 - 11 Most runs scored/G in league (6.05) 4-1, +45 RS vs Pittsburgh; 5-10, -35 RS vs all others Pirates 8 - 12 Out-scored more than 2:1 so far (72/150) Padres 12 - 8 An 8 game win-streak took them from 3-6 to 11-6 Giants 12 - 8 Fewest runs (2.8/G) and baserunners (1.15 WHIP) allowed Rox 10 - 10 Half their wins courtesy of Ubaldo Jiminez: 5-0; 0.79 ERA; 1.049 WHIP DBacks 9 - 11 Justin Upton: .211/.302/.342 Dodgers 8 - 12 Manny out. Opening day starter Vicente Padilla out

Burkhardt told a story earlier about Torre being one of the members of Selig's new committee designed to suggest improvements to the game, focusing as much on time and game pacing as anything. Anyway, Torre says now that he's part of this process he's now noticing things like batters stepping out and mound conferences that interrupt the flow of the game and I'm thinking; 'Hey Joe, these things somehow eluded your notice while you were managing those 3-1/2 hour games every night for ten years?'

Yeah, it was kind of a screwy question. The wording went something along the lines of '1,000+ hits, and more than X no. of HRs, within so many games from the start of their NY career' So while Mays misses out on account of losing two years to the army and then leaving NYC too soon, Ruth gets in on account of spending his earlier & non-hitting years NOT in NY.

The anti-Christ comes through!!!!

After messing up the bunt play by Pagan, Torre comes in to remove his reliever making him ... (ya gotta know this one is coming) the missing Link!

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: What about Lawrie? Is he still slotted for third? Lawrie was drafted as a 2B with the idea he'd might eventually move to 3rd and I was mainly trying to keep this as a comparison between the six 1st basemen that were drafted in the upper part of that year's 1st round. It's just so unusual that the 18th pick of a particular year's draft would wind up as the 5th 1B picked - and also kind of cool for us that he turns out to be the first one to reach the majors (not that that alone should be the ultimate goal) and is looking right now like the MUCH better choice compared to the two picked just before and soon after him.

The thing is, when Pujols comes up for bidding at the end of next season, who are the Red Birds going to be bidding against? Yanx have Tex signed thru 2056. Boston ... maybe, but they've kind of gone out of their way to avoid the HUGE contracts. Mets? - might depend on how Ike's doing and other factors. Detroit has Cabrera, Dodgers w/Loney, etc. And many teams that could conceivably afford it might pass on the theory that chopping that price tag up into 3 or 4 parts will fill several holes instead of just one - a la the BoSox putting Manny on waivers a bunch of years back. Point being, that just because Albert is X % better than Howard doesn't necessarily mean he's getting a bigger deal by that same X % That the Phils bid against no one to sign a player to a long-term deal at top-shelf prices when he still had two years left on his existing one is their problem and it doesn't mean it has to become everyone else's too.

Any thread that combines gerbils and Goebbels is already on it's way to instant classic.

There's a belief that I find fairly common among a number of fans & media that it's harder - for either team - to sweep a DH than it is for one team to take two games that are played on consecutive days. Mike & Mad Dog were big on this one - often stating it as an uncontested fact - until finally someone got a hold of the stats and showed them that splits and sweeps are statistically virtually exactly where they should be: about a 50/50 deal. IOW, if you've got about a .500 team over a stretch of years you should expect to sweep approx 25% of the DHs, get swept in about 25%, and split the remaining 50% Those Met stats above show them sweeping just over 20%, getting swept about 1/3 of the time, and splitting a bit under half. Not too surprising, especially since this is not a .500 team in their history and that DHs were much more common in the early days of the team when .350-.400 winning pcts were common.

Now THAT's funny*! * An increasingly less common thing for 'The Onion'

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Didn't the Royals go for Hosmer instead of some pitcher-- Matusz? Crow?-- due to signability issues? I don't think so. Like I said, he was obviously further away due to his age but was considered maybe the highest ceiling guy at the time was a sure bet to go to someone near the top of the draft. Besides, it's often that the HS kids who frequently command higher bonuses on account of having the college option if they don't like the offer. IF anyone "dropped" in that draft it might have been Smoak but only a few spots. And does anyone else tend to reflexively think of Pedro Alvarez as part of this group? Yeah, I could have included him too. He was the #2 that year, strictly a 3B at the time, and was the consensus top bat in the draft. Now, although he's still playing 3B, he's not exactly a conditioning freak and talk is that he'll be a 1B before long too. He started a bit slower than many expected but finished 2009 in AA (.333/.419/.590 over 200+ ABs) and is starting 2010 in AAA

No, not them. I'm referring to Ike Davis and a group of 1st basemen picked in the 2008 draft. 1st basemen don't get drafted all that early most years because if their bats don't come through as expected they usually don't have those secondary (fielding, speed) skills to fall back on. But that year was an exception as a heavy load of mostly college 1st sackers were picked with 7 of the first 23 choices, including one Ike Davis at #17. So, while looking at how this draft turns out will be more interesting down the road a ways, here's an early snapshot of where those seven draftees stand at this point. #3 overall - Eric Hosmer (Royals) -- Considered the one with the most potential of all, he's also needs to be judged by a different standard than the others as he was the one plucked out of HS. Split 2009 between low-A and high-A ball with numbers that weren't very special (.241/.334/.361). Starts 2010 in High-A again. #7 - Yonder Alonso (Reds) -- Signed a bit late in 2008 and got only a few ABs in. Split 2009 in High-A & AA hitting a very nice combined .292/.374/.464 -- Starts 2010 in AA #11 - Justin Smoak (Rangers) -- IIRC he was considered the most advanced hitter of that year's class. Spent 2009 putting up good numbers in AA & AAA (.290/.410/.443) combined. Was called up to the Rangers and made his ML debut this past weekend just 4 days after Ike's with the Mets. #13 - Brett Wallace (Cardinals) -- Really drafted as a 3B although no one believed he'd stay there for very long due to a lack of mobility caused by his Broxton-esque butt. Dealt to Oakland last summer (where they seem to like big butts and I can not lie) in the Matt Holliday deal and now strictly playing 1B & DH, he's hit at every level and starts 2010 where he ended '09, in AAA Sacramento. #17 - David Cooper (Blue Jays) -- Advanced through 3 levels in the partial 2008 season (SS, low-A, high-A), then played a full season in 2009 at AA (.258/.340/.389) and starts 2010 there again. #18 - Iko-Iko #23 - Allan (no relation) Dykstra (Padres) -- Spent all 2009 in low-A ball where he showed some power and a good batting eye but didn't hit for much of an average (.226/.397/.375). Off to a slow start in 2010 at High-A.

Yeah, that's kind of the point; Pujols is the same age (a few months younger even), plays the same position much better, also runs better, plus came up much younger and therefore has a larger body of work (with a smaller body). And, oh yeah, Albert also has a .054/.053/.045 edge in his career BA/OBA/SLG marks Cards have a 2011 option of Poo-holes for $16mil so they've got until next winter to decide what they're going to do after that.

When asked for comment about the details of Ryan Howard's deal, Albert Pujols said; "Yeah baby!!", while StL management was a bit more low-key, issuing a quick; "Oh shit!"

Both the length and the timing surprise me on this one as much as the amount. Having him already signed thru 2012, this seemed like an odd time to extend that 5 (or 6) more years. So even without the option he's now locked up through age 36 and this has the potential to turn a bit Giambi on them. One-dimensional guys are scary ones to bet on even when they're going real well. Howard's age throws people because he wasn't a full-timer until age 26 -- something folks need to remember now and then when they declare themselves to be "tired of waiting" for some prospect because he's '22 freaking years old already'!! Utley was also 26 before he was playing full-time; Jayson Werth was 29 and in his 4th organization.

Ceetar wrote: Jeter supposedly is rarely in the clubhouse and often retreats to unreachable areas beyond post-game comments as he's headed out of sight. I've heard guys like Kay laud him for this, call it 'business like', etc. He'd be ripped for hiding from the media in the Mets clubhouse. Jeter's fine for making himself available at the mandatory times and doesn't duck out and leave the other to take the slack after tough losses and so on. Beyond that though he does get scarce, rarely if ever doing any other than just the required minimum. For WFAN he'll give the obligatory spring training interview when M&MD (or now just Mike) goes on location in Florida but that's the last they'll hear from him for the year. If the station wants to put on a Yanqui player on a slow day in June and asks for Jeter they'll get fed the standard line that 'he's busy preparing for the game' and it doesn't matter if it's an early game against Boston or some Tuesday night snooze-fest with KC, Sir Derek just isn't available. The funny thing about Rivera rarely speaking was that the one time he did was prior to game 7 in Arizona 2001. According to Buster Olney's book, the players were so shocked not only that he spoke but also by his 'whatever happens is in God's hands' message that they thought it totally upset whatever karma they had going as a result what Torre and several of the other players had said.

And not just two men on, but it was men on 1st and 2nd when the signals got crossed!! Did Marte really think - or did Girardi really consider - issuing an IW to push more runs into scoring position?!? One thing I know for sure, Michael Kay isn't going to take Girardi to task for it.

Niese - 2.6 Acosta - 1.3 Rodriguez - 1.0 Feliciano - 0.2 Bay - 1.5 Reyes - 0.8 Francoeur - 1.6 Blanco - 0.5 Davis - 0.5

Pelfrey - 3.0 Castillo - 2.0 Reyes - 1.5 Francoeur - 0.4 Bay - 0.6

Gwreck wrote: In the rain-shortened game, Luis Castillo was 2-3 with 2 steals. Jose Reyes was 1-3 with 1 steal. Don't shortchange Luis! But ... but .. but ... he's evil!!

METS WIN, METS WIN!!

Today's Rain Delay Theatre is brought to you courtesy of 'The Temptations' Day in day out, my tear stained face Pressed against my window pane I search the skies, well, desperately for rain Cause rain drops will hide my teardrops and no one will ever know That I'm crying (crying) crying (crying) When I go outside To the world outside my tears I refuse to explain, I wish it would rain (oh how I wish that it would rain) Rain, rain, rain (oh how I wish that it would rain)