Frayed Knot

In my mind, the question ins't Cliff vs a different PH-er as it is swinging vs bunting w/a different PH-er. If I'm swinging there I def want Cliff.

I never quite get the baseball fans' penchant for boycotting the post-season when their teams aren't in it, which is, no matter what you think of the quality of those ads, precisely what they're aimed at -- although one can certainly question the wisdom of running ads during the MLB playoffs to tell those already watching the MLB playoffs that they should be watching the MLB playoffs. You don't have to go changing your life and canceling other plans around the games now, but I never hear football fans act like baseball fans by saying - even bragging to an extent - that they have no interest in their sports' championship. I understand the withdrawal syndrome following a tough knock-out but I always watch the playoffs & WS. Having said all that; I'll be at a family party Saturday night (can you imagine the inconsiderate planning by the parental units choosing to get married 50 years to the day before the start of the 2006 WS?!?) and now that party won't need to be interrupted at 8:00 as half the party suddenly loses interest in their blood relatives in favor of a few dozen guys in funny clothes whom they've never met. Fortunately, most of said family knows all about the baseball obsession of the NY-based part of their clan so they would have understood.

Two big decisions here: - Heilman or Wagner? I stated a preference for Heilman in the IGT and, despite the outcome, have no reason to second-guess myself. And the reasoning has nothing to do with thinking that the closer is a worse pitcher (for all the Wagner-bashing he gives up fewer runs & baserunners than the rest of the supposedly beloved parts of the pen) or that it was a "non-save" situation; in general, pitching is pitching and those seeing connections between the two likely wouldn't find that their conclusionw would stand up to much scrutiny. I favored sticking w/Heilman because - being a tied game and all - you have no idea how long this would all last and so discarding a pitcher based simply on the inning seems like a waste, as does bringing in the closer to face the bottom of the order only to be PH-ed for the very next time u meaning that BOTH the top guys (plus Bradford) would be gone at that point. Prior to the single/HR combo, Heilman didn't allow any balls out of the infield, sandwiching 3 Ks and a groundout around a pitch-around to Pujols. No reason to run and hide from Yadier Freakin Molina at that point, especially for a hurler who's probably MORE likely to give up a HR if and when he gets hit. - To Bunt, or not to bunt? Again, I jumped on 'NO!' in the IGT, mainly as a reaction to it being Cliff up there. The real question would be whether PH-ing someone else (Woodward?, AndyHernandy?, Gavine??) and (hopefully) make it into a 2nd & 3rd/1-out situation. I suspect a lot of people (maybe not here) would opt for the bunt thinking it creates an easier shot at 2 runs with just a single. The stats, on the other hand, say it's just about a wash. League Avg stats (1999-2002 numbers) show that: * The odds of scoring '2 or more' runs starting from a '1st & 2nd/0 out' = 42.1% * Change that to '2nd & 3rd/1 out' and it drops to 41% and that, of course, assumes that the bunt does what it's supposed to do which it sometimes doesn't. I still kind of like playing it straight up in this case despite the danger of letting a limping Cliff swing away and hit into a GiDP, although the call is closer to even here. We had the players we wanted coming up and if Reyes's shot takes off at a slightly different angle it's still rolling as we speak. Ya gotta hit and we didn't.

OK, single ties it, gapper wins it ... speed all around.

I DON'T bunt here!!!

I think I've seen this movie before ... and, if I recall correctly, I liked the ending.

Iubitul wrote: Delgado went around, but the umps are really tight on that check swing all night... He did, but I'm not sure Wright did. Doesn't matter, that was a bad 2-0 swing whether he did or not.

metsguyinmichigan wrote: Do you send Beltran? Prolly not; good catcher, LHP, wet track, power hitter up ... on edit: unless it gets to 3-2

Nice game Soupbone but y'know that runner you just left on base? ... well that's the game-winner so all your good work will be for diddley-poo.

I'd like to see Heilman pitch next inning no matter if it's still tied or we take the lead. (assuming his spot doesn't come up to bat that is)

]If Looper could pitch in New York, he'd still be pitching in New York. Looper pitched well enough in NYC in '04 (sub-3.00 ERA, 1.22 WHiP, 5/1 K/BB ratio) so let's not be too quick to blame every off-season on the city it occurs in. He was lousy in '05 whether it was due to injury or just plain lousy pitching. He has now partially rebounded this year - although not back to his '04 status - but I don't think that's an indicment that he can't handle Metro St Looie.

Right now, I want to marry John Maine (nttawwt)

MFS62 wrote: If [Maine] was their sixth best, I'd sure like to know the names of the players who were ranked higher. I should know them, because they must be household names by now. Be careful about treating those lists as gospel. Often it's that a higher ranked guy is considered better for the long haul but is on a lower rung and simply ins't ready yet. They're trying to project the better career, not see who wins the race to get there first. And, IIRC, Maine WAS ranked higher a year or so before that, but these things tend to flucuate wildly from year to year and if projecting this kind of stuff were easy ... In any case, it winds up that 4 of the 7 starts in the LCS will be started by the supposed "throw-ins" from in-year trades. That's either real good, real lucky, or real desperate depending on your POV

In the post-game stuff I heard, no one asked Willie why Mota over Feliciano to face Duncan.

Perez w/D.O. in reserve because they're more used to those roles than the other way around. Willie, btw, was just aasked in the post-game Q&A; Q: 'who is starting tomorrow and why?' W.R.: Oliver Perez ... because I like him!

]... thought Randolph should have pinch hit for Green in the 8th, i told him he was nuts and that not only should randolph not do that but it wont even be discussed by the talk radio lunatics because its so far out there, thoughts? It's not cut-n-dried either way. One could make arguments for both sides. And, yes, that topic WAS fodder on the talk show circuit today.

Willie hinted strongly towards Oliver (Perez, not Darren) followed by ... well everyone!

metirish wrote: Fair fucks to Maine...lovely stuff from him. Sometimes, my friend, I wish you came with subtitles.

Maine is as cool as ... well, Maine.

'Twas never in doubt. You guys weren't all worried and shit wuz ya?

The runners mean nothing, just get the guy with the stick in his hand ... and please do so before that Albert guy gets up.

Aaron da Maign!!!

OK, top of the StL order. Gotta go w/Heilman here I presume.

Finally we got one past that scroungy-assed Belliard!!!

<<<<<---------- Oooh, this can't be good karma! ]next to his friend Gerry Martire Stop by the gin joint before the game did they?