2008 MLB Thread (1 Viewer)

[TonyD]

too bad Piazza coulnt have been an outfeilder or third sacker, the catching took its toll even a few years ago.

i was at the '96 all star that ball he hit out was a real bomb.
opposite field power.

last night i was able to listen to the Sox broadcast thanks to XM.
i had it on espn, paused that, listened live on xm then watched it on tv as espn simulcasted the nesn broadcast.

 

[Mike Frezon]

I shouldn't say this (or think this)...but I will always wish Piazza could have had a shot at Clemens after Clemens threw that broken bat at him.

What an odd event that was.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Man dies at Braves game. Don't be sliding down the hand rails...

Man dies from injuries in fall at Turner Field - MLB - CBSSports.com

 

[EricW]

so what do you guys think of Joba transitioning into the rotation? i suppose in the end you have to compare the degree of weakness between the fifth starter he'd replace and the setup man who would replace him. both are pretty crap. he could have been useful last night . like most i didn't like the idea when i first heard. but he has the potential to become a Beckett or Sanatana-like ace. his mental make-up will decide, and that's unknown right now.
it figures that just as Kennedy starts looking decent he gets injured.

 

[Mike Frezon]

If Joba doesn't get his curveball working, it's going to be a looong experiment. Or, maybe more to the point, a short experiment.

 

[Scott_J]

They need to find a new setup man to replace Joba. The combination of Hawkins/Farnsworth won't work. Ramirez is probably their best option to try from within. Personally, I think they should designate/release Hawkins but they won't. He's worthless. Of course, maybe seeing him blow the 11th-inning lead last night has clouded my opinion.

Bret Boone retired today, which shocked me because I thought he retired a couple years ago. Looking at his career stats, I guess he was "unofficially retired," having not played in the majors since 2005, which would explain why I hadn't heard his name in a while.

 

[Philip Hamm]

Meanwhile Aaron Boone is playing very good ball for the Nationals. Don Sutton, the Nats usual TV "color" guy, has a throat condition, so Paul LoDuca, who can't play due to a broken hand, but is travelling with the team, has filled in on the TV commentary a couple days. He's not a polished broadcaster, but the perspective sure is interesting!

 

[Marvin]

I would have preferred that they had left him in the bullpen. People point to a few instances in which the starter got knocked out early and say "what good is a setup man if your starter doesn't give you a lead to hold?"

But now they have to find someone to hold the lead that Joba will, no doubt, always pass to the setup man - once out of every five games, as well as the days when the other starters do that.

 

[Brian Perry]

MLB is going to have to do something about these shattering maple bats. There is at least one per game, usually where the shard of the barrel ends up by the pitcher. I wish they would just mandate good old ash.

On a similar note, I couldn't believe my son's "coach pitch" team manager telling me that my son can't use the wooden bat I bought for him. Even though it has perfect balance, provides good feedback for mis-hits, and has zero percent chance of breaking with the soft balls they use at his age level (plus the fact he hits the cover off the ball with it), apparently they want everyone to use a metal bat. :frowning:

 

[Mike Frezon]

Brian: I cannot imagine what rationale your son's coach would have for denying him use of his own bat (wooden or not). Especially at the "coach pitch" level. Crazy. if the player wants to put himself at the "disadvantage" of using a wooden bat, they should have that right.

And, congrats to Randy Johnson for moving into second place on the all-time strikeouts list. Last night's highlights sure made him look in good form.

 

[Jason Seaver]

I'm against it, for the same reason I was against Papelbon remaining the closer. If the Yankees have a pitcher that good, I'd much rather they get 70-odd innings determined by push-button managing (it's the 8th/9th and the 7-8-9 hitters are up - bring in the setup guy/closer!) than twice as much over the course of the season.

 

[Brian Perry]

Cubbies are HOT...down 8-0 to the Rockies and came back to win 10-9.

 

[Brian Perry]

I was surprised to hear this one...the last time the Cubs had the best record in baseball on June 1 (as they do now) was in 1908. (And we all know who won the WS that year.)

 

[Walter C]

I finally got to go to Yankee Stadium this past Saturday. The concourse is so cramped, and man it was muggy. Even the shade was no relief.
It turned out to be a high scoring game against the Royals, with Johnny Damon going 6-for-6, including the game winning single and Jose Gullien hitting a grand slam for the Royals. I missed the A-Rod homer, because I was drinking out of my cup, and didn't see where the ball was hit.

I thought it was funny in yesterday's game at Yankee Stadium, that the fans cheered when the clouds covered the sun, and then booed moments later when the sun came back out.

 

[Walter C]

It's that time of year again - interleague play!

Let the bashing begin!

 

[Brian Perry]

Eric Zorn of the Trib pointed out that the Cubs are cornering the market on players whose names end in O (or sound like O):

Soriano
Zambrano
Soto
Cedeno
Blanco
Theriot
Fontenot

The "Cubbos" are on fire at home (29-8). Here's hoping they can get better on the road.

 

[Philip Hamm]

OK...

It's only real baseball in National League parks.

How's that for a start.

 

[Scott_J]

USA Today is reporting that MLB wants to implement instant replay for boundary calls in time for the postseason, possibly as early as August 1.

 

[Mike Frezon]

That would be a travesty. Almost as much a travesty as Interleague Play.

How'd I do?!?!

How does anyone figure you could implement such a device that would change the whole face of the game in such a quick, untested manner?! Craziness. You should try it out in the minors first...or spring training. The whole thing's a bad idea anyway.

It took years to phase in drug testing policies and we're gonna have instant replay overnight?! I don't think so.

 

[Jason Seaver]

Please, instant replay involves giving the crew chief a cell phone and another ump (either back at league headquarters or, if the umpire's union negotiates well, in the press box) a DVR. As anyone who watches the games knows, you can see the relevant play replayed multiple times in slow motion during the time that the manager comes out to protest.