Frayed Knot

I think I went 7/3 in my points for pitchers/non-pitchers and, even then, some of my non-pitcher points were for defensive purposes: Cora, Francoeur, Blanco

Ike's def bailing on the lefty but gets the job done anyway.

'Bout time for Bay to get this city rolling. Too bad it's on a Monday instead of ...

They probably moved the starting time up on account of global warming. Can't have them running in the hot April afternoons in Boston anymore.

AVENGING ANGEL!!

He's probably not reading pitchers well right now either. He's not. Jose is leaning back on every pitch.

Ugh! And I wonder how many times GMJ has been asked to bunt in his life. Probably very few.

Steal NOW!!!!

Santana - 3.0 Pelfrey - 0.4 Igarashi - 0.6 Feliciano - 0.6 Nieve - 0.3 Takahashi - 0.9 Mejia - 0.5 Valdes - 0.5 Cora - 0.3 Blanco - 0.3 Pagan - 1.0 Castillo - 0.6 Wright - 0.4 Jacobs - 0.3 Reyes - 0.3

Stoner - 1.5 Feliciano - 0.2 Pagan - 1.8 Francoeur - 0.6 Catalanatto - 0.5 Maine - 0.4

Frayed Knot tweets: 'Reyes needs at least a day, Frayed Knot says'

What that means is that players get credit for a full season as long as they're within [u:26ub99d8]TEN[/u:26ub99d8] days of one, not the twenty days we've been assuming here.

I wouldn't object too loudly if Davis were sat down against the occasional tough LHP. The biggest questions about him coming off last year was his ability to hang against LHPs and to hit breaking balls. I somehow doubt all of that has been erased on account of a few dozen ABs in ST and early April in Buffalo.

Centerfield wrote: Is Tejada a legitimate prospect? I assumed he was an Anderson Hernandez/Argenis Reyes type. Still only 20 y/o and has more promise than either of the other two. Not as highly touted as Davis/Martinez/Mejia, etc. but could have some kind of ML future.

Do they still play the blues in Chicago, when baseball season rolls around? When the snow melts away do the Cubbies still play in their ivy-covered burial ground? When I was a boy they were my pride and joy but now they only bring fatigue to the home of the brave, the land of the free and the doormat of the National League For those who aren�t familiar with Steve Goodman�s classic talking blues piece above, well first of all, shame on you. Secondly, listen. Goodman was a fun-loving favorite son of the Chicago folk-blues scene and a Cubs fan on borrowed time when he wrote this song and several others for and about the Cubs. And, like most Cubs fans born after the Allied invasion of Normandy, Goodman had bad timing. Born in 1948 just two and a half years after their last WS appearance, Goodman died from Leukemia in September 1984 at the age of 36 just days before the Cubs clinched the NL East and a few weeks prior to their first post-season baseball since that �45 series. He had been scheduled to sing the national anthem during that series. Cubs were 83-78 last season (2nd in NL Central) and split six games with the awful Aug/Sept version of the �09 Mets. This year, they�re 5-7 as they come to CitiField for a 4-game showdown - all night games - Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday The Cubs somewhat shaky start (5-7 can you imagine?!?) is causing swan dives into green rivers and deep dishes not just because they�re in a hole but because they were counting on a fast start seeing as how they don�t even face a 2009 playoff team until mid-May. They haven�t exactly been getting blown out - only a (-6) RS/RA and that�s essentially all from Carlos Zambrano getting gang-raped by the Braves on opening day. But their record is what it is while not exactly facing a murderer�s row of opponents. - Lost 2 of 3 to Atlanta - Lost 2 of 3 to Cincinatti - Won 2 of 3 from Milwaukee - Lost 2 of 3 to Houston And just to clear up one ugly rumor before we start on the Chicago roster, there�s no truth to the one that says if we get Ike into the lineup tonight that the Cubs are therefore required to add someone named �Adlai� to theirs, or even bring back Shawn Estes or Otis Nixon. C - Geovany Soto -- [2010 stats to date] (.308/.455/.462) Great rookie year in 2008, not so hot a follow-up in �09 1B - Derrick Lee (.282/.391/.538) Getting a bit older and a lot more injury-prone, but still dangerous At one point in ST he hurt himself bending over ... now that�s like old man stuff 2B-SS -- the �French Connection� combo of Mike Fontenot (.321/.367/.357) & Ryan Theriot (.235/.273/.255) I put them together because no one can really tell these two apart and I assume them to be pretty much interchangeable on every level. OK probably not to their wives ... but, then again, maybe they�ve got some kind of Kekich/Peterson thing going on between road trips where they take turns at each other�s �position� while the wives alternate as to which one plays the role of �keystone� that night. 3B -- Aramis Ramirez (.170/.245/.404) Rumored to be the only player named after a cologne, he�s off to a slow start this year LF - Alfonso Soriano (.263/.282/.447) Still dangerous, still swings at everything, still overpaid, still a lousy outfielder. Talk is that his act is wearing thin out in Chi-town (1 HR & 1 BB on the season) and that he could be the first piece of ballast thrown overboard if the Cubs decide to �shake things up�. CF - Marlon Byrd (.244/.261/.533) FA signing for the north-siders this winter. Once a prize prospect of the Phille system, eventually became a full-timer with Texas at age 31. RF - Kosuke Fukudome (.306/.341/.444) May or may not be in Lou Piniella�s doghouse, depends on what day it is, but off to a good start. Bench - Xavier Nady !?!?!?! Almost forgot this boy was alive. Also Chad Tracy (1B), Tyler Colvin (OF), Jeff Baker (IF), and Koyie Hill © Bullpen: Carlos Marmol is the closer. Got a lot of KRod in him: very few hits mixed with far too many walks (65 BBs in 74 IPs last year w/only 43 hits) Also three LHPs out there (LaRussa would crap his pants): Sean Marshall, John Grabow, James Russel. From the right side former Notre Dame tight end Jeff Samardzija is not exctly living up to the huge bonus the Cubs gave him to jump to baseball (5.76 ERA & 1.66 WHiP over parts of 3 seasons). Of course, coming from Notre Dame, he probably took a pay cut once he started playing baseball. - Monday 7:10 EDT (SNY & ESPN): Randy Wells (RHP;1-0; 2.95 ERA; 1.541 WHiP) vs Jonathon Niese Wells, no relation to, and not nearly as fat as, David Wells, is coming off a good rookie year in 2009 after coming up through the Toronto system. He got a win vs Atlanta (no runs over 6.0 IP) and a ND vs Milwaukee (4 ER over 6.1) Mets beat him last year when Pelfrey tossed a gem: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYN/NYN200909060.shtml - Tuesday 7:10 EDT Carlos Zambrano (RHP; 1-1; 9.45; 2.045) vs Mike Pelfrey An excitable boy (they all say), Zambrano was bombed on opening day (8 ER in 1-1/3 IP) and then came back with 0 runs over 7 vs Reds (W) and a ND vs Brewers (5 IP, 3 ER). Good hitter He�s 4-2; 3.71 in 10 starts agains the Mets lifetime. Started twice against them last season, including once when we ran his ass out by the 4th inning: http://leaptoad.com/mets/gamedetail.php?gameno=7687 and then an ND a week later when he was good but his pen got beat up. Neither Reyes or Wright have ever hit him well (both .167 in 18 ABs) - Wednesday 7:10 EDT Carlos Silva (RHP; 1-0; 0.69; 0.615) vs Oliver Perez Following two horrid seasons in Seattle after signing a big FA contract, Silva was dealt to the Cubs over the winter for Milton Bradely in an exchange of overpaid disasters. Had a ND vs Reds (1 ER thru 6 IP) and beat Houston (0 ER thru 7) but there are senior citizens beating Houston these days - Thursday 7:10 EDT Tom Gorzelanny (LHP; 0-1; 1.93; 1.071) vs Johan Santana Aside from being the best pitcher in ML history named Gorzelanny, Tom was acquired in mid-2009 from Pitt for a trio of minor leaguers. He both started & relieved last year. Has started twice this season (0 ER thru 6.1 vs Reds; 2 ER thru 3.0 vs Astros) 8 games (4 starts) against the Mets lifetime; 2-2, 5.68

bmfc1 wrote: Tweets now say that Ike will be at CF for tonight's game. Hope they don't give him an obstructed view seat.

Either way, it has to be the starting time for the marathon that changed significantly because the winners were coming across the finish line today while the Sox & Rays were just in the third inning - and even a quick game would still have only been in about the 5th. A noon race start would more resemble the timing I remember from the early '80s. 8-2 now in the 8th (Hermida HR for Boston) as the Sox lose their 16th straight game to the Rays this season (or something like that).

They've either changed the time of the game (I think it used to be 10AM) or the marathon - or maybe both, because the one year I went I saw the ballgame and then walked down the street in time to see the leaders come by mile 20 or so. Now the game isn't going to end until the leaders in the race are long gone and it's not just because BoSox games tend towards 4 hours these days.

Well they had to do something to it after George Costanza tied it to the back of his car and dragged it around the parking lot.

Ceetar wrote: the +1 year of arbritration or whatever is like tomorrow, so might as well at least wait until then at this point. There is no 'arbitration cut-off' date. There is point at which a player called up gets credit for a full season - I think that's 20 days into the season and today should be about day 15). That's something which could affect his FA status six years from now, so if we assume that Davis gets called up now he'd hit FA-gency a year earlier than if he were called up in another week or two (after the 2015 season instead of after 2016). All that, of course, assumes he's up here to stay and never gets sent down again, something which is hardly a given. Arbitration is a different story since it's based on a player's service time as compared to all other 2-3 year players. Usually you have to leave a player down on the farm until the end of May in order to delay his arb-eligible days by a year but there's no way to know for certain since there are too many variables.

John Sickels takes a look at some of the better HS pitchers in advance of June's draft. He lists these four in particular as having the talent to be possible top 10 picks: A.J. Cole, RHP, Oviedo HS (Florida) Well known to scouts for a long time, still has projectability at 6-5, 190 pounds but already hits 91-94 MPH with good movement. Mixes in a good breaking ball but will need to improve change-up in pro ball, not unusual for his age. He throws strikes and basically has no major flaws as high school pitchers go. He has a University of Miami commitment but should be signable if drafted early enough. He's a definite candidate for the Top Ten, and barring a late injury disaster or unusual bonus demands he won't get past 15. Dylan Covey, RHP, Maranatha HS (California) Good athlete, not huge at 6-2, 195, but has more than enough arm strength with a 91-94 MPH fastball and a nasty curve. Well-known to scouts on the amateur circuit, like Cole he is relatively polished for his age and has done well against good quality competition. A University of San Diego signee, he's been rated a Top 20 talent for some time, has done nothing to change that this spring, and could get into the Top 10 under the right circumstances. I doubt he would get past the Angels at 18 and could go as high as the Mets at #7. Jameson Taillon, RHP, The Woodlands HS (Texas) This draft is loaded with high school pitching, but just about everyone thinks Taillon is the best of the bunch. Listed at 6-6, 225 last fall, he's up to 6-7, 230, but despite his size he's quite athletic. Clocked as high as 98 MPH, he maintains steady mid-90 velocity. His mechanics are consistent considering his age and size, and he has a killer curveball. Committed to Rice, he won't be a cheap sign. Assuming that the Nationals do as expected and pick Bryce Harper first overall, Taillon could go to the Pirates at two or the Orioles at three. If they pass, the Royals (willing to spend money on the draft and take risks) are unlikely to shy away. Karsten Whitson, RHP, Chipley HS (Florida) Committed to the University of Florida, Whitson has ideal size and some remaining projectability at 6-4, 190 pounds. He has a 90-94 MPH fastball, hitting 95 at times, and an advanced slider for a high school kid. He is polished for his age, throws strikes, and has a good balance of current skill, remaining projection, safety, and risk as high school pitchers go. He is likely go to somewhere in the Top Ten, and certainly won't make it past 15 unless his bonus demands are outrageous.

I don't like the direction this game is taking.

Good thing they've kept Albert off the bases this series (1 hit ... so far) cuz that's the 5th time they've walked Ludwick in front of him in 3 games. Talk about playing with fire.

- that there was far too much teeth-gnashing over his initial departure in the Delgado trade - that his (apparent) final AB as a Met set up the winning run last night I'm slightly surprised in the timing here - what with Muffy still a ways away - but I assumed end this was coming all along.