Frayed Knot

Heilman's going to have to bat next inning. LaGenius is going to use Looper to PH.

That pitcher had NO business getting out of that inning. 3 walks and 2 stolen hits.

5 walks and 50+ pitches in 1-2/3 for this kid and he still hasn't let up a run. Time to show them our Tatis.

Now we just need a single ... at least to anyone not named Ankiel

OlerudOwned wrote: On field delay? Does that mean there's an argument? Are we getting fucked? ESPN News just came up with a statement from the FDNY about another fan being seriously injured in a fall at Shea. Christ. Bang-bang play at 1st w/Chavez. Called out, replay showed was just safe. Jerry gave it a 30-second argument. Some fan got winged by a foul liner earlier.

Dang! Real close to two hits, got neither, should have got one.

A little dicey there Aaron but at least you wriggled out of it. Top 'o the order ... is there any doubt we're going to score here? I'll answer that -- NO!

I didn't like AReyes swinging at that 2-0 pitch. Dude had thrown about 12 of 13 out of the zone (it's just that Schneider had swung at several of them)

Last man off the bench PHing Everyone used so far except Heilman -- and now here he comes.

Gotta go with Wagner a 2nd inning here, no?

Atlanta's 9 run 4th is followed by a 7-run 5th by Philly and it's 10-9 Phils in the 7th.

That's what happens when you have; a) a finite amount of time scheduled and people making decisions about baseball who don't know and/or give a shit about baseball

I don't want him ... there, I said it. He's coming up on the option years of his orignal FA deal which was 8x$20mil plus two [u:4fc763bf82]club[/u:4fc763bf82] option years at the same rate. The uncertainty of the Sox picking those years up is apparently (though who can tell?) one of the things that's upsetting Manny lately as rumors fly of faked injuries and the like. Any deal now - or say in the off-season - would probably at minimum need to have those years guaranteed or possibly tacked onto beyond just the two or risk a veto via Manny's 10+5 rights. His offense, though still real good, is off this year and last from what it was at his peak. That his defense, baserunning, attitude, and all-around game smarts are bad and getting worse isn't even up for debate, nor are those things suddenly going to get better as he moves into the NL, into a (much) larger LF, and heads towards age 40 (37 to begin next season). And then there's the question of what it would take to pry him away. Dan Shaugnessy weighs in on how bad it's become as even Manny's backers start heading for the hills.

Fman99 wrote: It's the same load of garbage that the Phillies took for Abreu two years ago. Some of these GM's are just dopes, I must conclude. It's not that bad. The Phils accepted virtually nothing for Abreu when the Yanx agreed to take on the remaining salary. Nady is relatively cheap and didn't NEED to be moved. Plus with that update in the pitchers dealt it doesn't look as lopsided. Pitt didn't get anything SURE to help them, but at least they got several pieces that might.

Elmer J. Fudd is rich. He's a millionaire who owns a mansion and a yacht.

BA's 'Hot Sheet' has been all over Holt for two weeks running now: Why He's Here: 1-0, 11 1/3 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 21 SO (for the week) The Scoop: Holt makes his second straight appearance on the Hot Sheet after a two-start week where he fanned 21 batters in 11 1/3 innings. Holt struck out 14 in six innings on Thursday, running his season strikeout total up to 51, tops in the NYP. The only worse news for league hitters is that Holt told a reporter that he has been throwing his curveball more, meaning he may have been successful in developing that second pitch.

From BA's weekly "Hot Sheet' feature: Just try to pin a position on Dan Murphy. The Mets have given him a long look at second base, but at least one scout contacted by BA says the move won't take. Murphy, 23, made four errors in the 14 games he's played at second, and scouts doubt he has the agility needed for the position. He can hit, though, batting .320/.485/.640 on the week with two homers, two doubles, seven RBIs, eight walks and only one strikeout. And Murphy should have enough bat for first base, third base or even left field, the three positions he played in addition to second in the last week. "He's a grinder who can really hit," one pro scout said. He's moved up to fifth in the Eastern League in RBIs and continues to hit lefties (.297, .831 OPS) as well as righties (.310, .867 OPS) .

Pelfrey - 4.6 Heilman - 0.2 Smith - 0.2 Wright - 0.7 Reyes - 1.2 AReyes - 1.2 Chavez - 0.7 Delgado - 1.2

* McCann's 2 HRs dumps Phils * Florida comes back on Cubs and tie Phils for 2nd (2 GB) Cubbies used this pitcher Samardzija - the Notre Dame wideout they paid big bucks to lure out of a potential NFL career - in the 7th inning of a 1-run game for his MLB debut. He gave up the tie with 1 run over 2 IPs. Hermida then hit a 9th inning PH HR off of Howrie for the win. * Houston killed the Beermakers' winning streak - so all three top Central teams lost and stay the same in relation to each other. * Both the Dodgers & DBacks won. Snakes back to .500 * MFYs win 1-0 in Boston on a cheesy hit by G-I-am-bi, something John Sterling tried to tell his audience was intentional as if he meant to hit a 45-hopper to the abandoned spot near SS. Joba "accidently" buzzed one at Youkilis's head for at least the 4th time in his short career (conveniently during the last inning he'd pitch). Normallly you'd think that Damon/Jeter would have to be on their toes during the opening ABs of today's game except the Sox are almost unarmed with Wakefield going today, but if they get a lead and a hard-throwing reliever out there ... * Rays won so they have a 1-game lead back. They're no doubt hoping to beat up on the Royals while the other two kick the shit out of each other. * Tigers were up by 1 until Todd Jones served up a 2R-HR to Jermaine Dye with 2 outs in the 9th. Oooh that's gotta hurt.

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: [Nady is] playing way over his head, and sticking him in left field in MFY stadium (with Abreu in right) is begging for blooper reels. Yeah, if we want to stick with the bright-side anlysis we can note how some fans have a short memory of how shaky an OFer X-man was, or that this season's OPS (918) looks flukeish next to previous years of .761 (2006) & .806 (2007). But he's only 29 (30 in Nov) and maybe THIS becomes his norm for a while and it's not like he's suddenly going to turn the MFY OF defense into something is already isn't. ]You hope the Pirate scouts see the good in these pups the MFYs can't. Tabata, I know, was very well regarded just recently. 'Was' being the operative word here. Tabata was often paired with Fartinez by the scouts 'n touts crowd: same age, large bonus signee, similar skills. The Yanx didn't run him up the ladder as quickly as the Mets did with FM but he was still doing OK swimming in a pool with older kids. But his star has taken a big hit in the last year as he seemed to stall out and display a total lack of power. Now he also had a wrist injury which maybe had something to do with it and he's still young enough to turn things around, but he also had some discipline problems and wasn't near the top of the MFY system anymore. Ohlendorf has some potential I guess but turns 26 next week and is pretty much a reliever. Meanwhile I've never heard of either pitcher. The LHP (Coke) has some decent AA numbers but he's[i/] already 26. At least the RHP (Kontos) is only 22. Def helps the MFYs in the short-term and probably doesn't burn them long-term. Doesn't sound to me like the "steep asking price" we've heard teams have been asking for these OFers.

]Put that race card away my good man. I'd venture to say that race does not have anything to do with this in any way, shape or form. Or it might. It's worth noting that talk radio here in NYC had loads of stuff to say in the last day or two about Reyes's finger-in-the-air and hugs/handshakes show (from hosts, from Met fans, from Phils fans,and from the occasional MFY fan chiming in) but nothing about Wright's fist-pumping/high-fiving accompanied by a primal scream after scoring in Thursday's game. Overt racism? Probably not, but the attitude that sees that sort of act from one shade of player as a positive sign of grit, heart and determination yet labels it showy and demeaning from another shade/background could have its basis there, even if it's not a conscious decision.

One of the things the 'stat-hounds' (not using the term derisively) harp on is how the save rule causes incorrect use when a team automatically uses their closer in 3-run 9th inning games since those games are 95+% wins no matter who you use - so it seems to me that a similar idea should apply here. Now I agree that if you're pulling your star just because some generic and artificial (and often misunderstood) number was reached then the carping at the manager is justly deserved. At least in this case Sheehan mentions the pinch-hit aspect of the removal. He doesn't discuss it, but he at least acknowledges it, which is something that the rock-throwers on FAN (callers and hosts) have yet to do once.

That Billy Joel always attracts the rowdiest crowds. Corrupting the youth of America he is! Wendy and Bryan were arrested and cryin' At the Billy Joel concert at Shea Four drunken bitches got too big for their britches Wendy got in the way Billy was singing "The Stranger" But security mooks, they perceived a danger And that's all I know about Wendy and Bryan But if you think that they'll sue, brother, you aren't lyin' And there we were waving Wendy and Bryan good-bye OK, this was weird. Until the 7th line the lyrics here work almost perfectly with the Mamas & Papas 'Creeque Alley'* which is the immediate one that popped into my mind. Not until I reached the end did I finally realize the proper tune. * John and Mitchy were gettin' kind of itchy Just to leave the folk music behind Zal and Denny workin' for a penny Tryin' to get a fish on the line In a coffee house Sebastian sat And after every number they'd pass the hat McGuinn and McGuire just a-gettin' higher In L.A., you know where that's at And no one's gettin' fat except Mama Cass

I would read the Healy piece if I thought it had more than a 50/50 shot at being relevant to this discussion (but I don't) and Steve is now apparently now bringing in quotes of himself from other sources for reasons I can't fathom (and no, I don't want an explanation).

Some highlights from around the league * The now 2nd place Phillies play host for 3 games to the Chipper-less, Hudson-less, Smoltz-less, Glavine-less, Hampton-less Braves (not to mention Andruw-less & Furcal-less). Some rumors see this as a make-or-break deal for Atlanta to the point where a sweep or even a bad two-losses-of-three could push them into 'Sell' mode (read: Teixeira) before the deadline. * Florida (2 GB) got started in Chicago yesterday by losing the first of a 4-game set. Kerry Wood just put on the DL. * DBacks (50-51) and Dodgers (49-52; 1 GB) get supposedly easy opponents (Giants & Nats) in an attempt to see if someone actually wants to win the NLWest. * Brewers, who have passed StL (just swept 'em) and are on the Cubbies' tail (1 GB), ride their 10 game winning streak into Houston In the AL: * 2nd place (by pct pts) Boston gets the 3rd place (3 GB) Yanx for 3 -- Chamberlain, Pettitte & Ponson match up with Beckett, Wakefield & Lester. Posada back to the DL, Ortiz coming off. * Rays try to re-right their ship in KC * Detroit (52-49; 3rd place; 5.5 GB) hosts 1st place ChiSox in a test to see if their mid-season resurection can continue.