2009 MLB Thread - Page 20

Re: 2009 MLB Thread

It's called "selling high". As good as Saito's been, he's a one-year signing who is probably the highest-risk guy in the pen due to his age and the fact that he's coming off injury. Trading him wouldn't do anything to Boston's long-range plans, and short-term...

Well, the shortstop situation in Boston is bad. Jed Lowrie is a complete wild card when he comes off the DL, and neither Julio Lugo nor Nick Green, despite each having played well lately, is really to be trusted. I've thought pitchers were going to kill Lugo at various games this year (heck, one time when I had seats on the 3B side, I pondered whether his next miscue would send me into enough of a berserker rage to rush the field and put the man back on the DL before security caught me), and the manager seems to have completely lost patience with him. We like Green mainly because he is not Julio Lugo, even though he may actually be worse in the field - overachieving career minor leaguers get more good feelings than guys who have a long, expensive contract despite exactly one above-average offensive season.

And since the Sox are in the AL Beast, they've got to do every little thing to get better, as there's an argument to be made that the division contains the four best teams in the American League.

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I like Green's bat. I also like his arm. How old is he? I think he could work out at that position, if given some time. But I do realize that the Sox can (and should) always get better.

I've been thinking too that it is entirely possible that the AL East contains the four best teams in the American League.

Mike,

Nice cards! I owned a couple of those you posted, although I don't have them any more....

Re: 2009 MLB Thread

Nick Green is having the best year of his career at 30. If he were hitting home runs, people would be making ugly accusations.

And don't look, but Ortiz has an 1123 OPS for June as of now.

The weird thing about short right now is that Lugo and Green are just about even, offensively; they've both got a 98 OPS+. They both look terrible in the field, and neither is helped by the fact that Mike Lowell has no range any more. Lowrie is out because he did the Trot Nixon thing and tried to play through pain and wound up making things a lot worse. But the frustration seems to be entirely with Lugo.

Hardly fair. But I'm not immune; he annoys me like no-one else on the team.

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I still can't imagine Lugo as a Red Sox. He just doesn't seem to fit.

He's definitely the last guy I think of when I think of the Red Sox.

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Jason,

Thanks for that link on Nick Green. It looks as though I'm about the only Nick Green fan in this thread. That's okay.

BTW, I read that stat with regard to Ortiz last night (I think) on ESPN. His output in the last seven or eight games has been excellent.

I think Green's arm (esp. velocity-wise) and bat are worth keeping. He's made a few errors, but he's also made some excellent (if not Web gem) plays. Of course, if they could get someone better, then they should maybe put a deal together. If that occurred, I would be all for including Matsuzaka (and Lugo) in such a deal at this point. Matsuzaka is having a horrible year thus far (granted, injury and all); what bothers me more though is that his eighteen wins last year were IMO highly deceptive. I just don't think he's all that good of a pitcher. Even when he was 'on,' he had major control problems.

I might even include Penny in that mix, but no one from the bullpen at this point. So whom could we get for Matsuzaka, Lugo, and Penny?

Re: 2009 MLB Thread

Baseball Reference. Everyone who likes baseball should have it bookmarked. I gather they have sister sites for inferior sports, too.

I get a little suspicious of highlight-reel defense sometimes - diving catches just as often indicate poor positioning/range as excellent defense.

Maybe Green's a guy who just needs regular playing time, and he's certainly proven to be useful guy to have stashed at AAA when (a classic Theo depth signing). Still, a guy with his track record seems like a guy where you mostly just hope he doesn't regress to being a fringe guy before your real shortstop is healthy.

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I find that web site very useful, looking up old schedules and box scores, including one of the very first game I saw on TV, and first one I went to.

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Here are some interesting trade rumors and rumblings around the league, what with around six weeks to go before the deadline. I found the following to be of particular interest, since I'm a Red Sox fan.

With regard to Lowrie, does anyone know about the meniscus? When it heals, are there recurring problems during normal wear and tear on the body, or is it once healed, always healed?

The top trade-bait nominees in major league baseball - ESPN

"Keep your Sox on: At the same time Penny's stock is rising, though, teams that have spoken to the Red Sox report they've slowed down their efforts to market him. At this point, they appear likely to wait at least a couple of weeks, so they can try to figure out the mystery of Daisuke Matsuzaka and assure themselves that John Smoltz is a guy they can count on.

The Red Sox also seem like they're in no hurry to trade for a shortstop, either, even though they've clearly been shopping. They hope to get Jed Lowrie back by the first week of July. And even if they still feel a need to make a move, beware of all rumors linking them to players like J.J. Hardy, whom they'd have to commit to beyond this year.

According to an official of one club, they're "not looking for a shortstop of the future." Lowrie is still that guy. They're looking only for someone to get them through the year. Period. So who does that leave? Jack Wilson if he comes cheap enough? Orlando Cabrera if all else fails? Both seem like long shots. Even Phillies prospect Jason Donald no longer fits, because he's now out longer than Lowrie after tearing his meniscus."

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Mike,

I just realized that those images are from your baseball cards. Someone quoted you in a post (and included the cards), and I mistook that post for them owning the cards.

Should you ever wish to sell any of them, please drop me a line. I've got a couple of sons (er, not to mention their father ) who would love to have those. I doubt you'd want to part with them (no more than I'd want to part with any of my Beatles albums); however, it can't hurt to ask.

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Mike,

I'm only thinking of you here, buddy. You should LISTEN to your wife.

BTW, my address is:

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Mike:
Please stop reminding that I could be retired and living on a private island had I kept all the baseball cards that hit the trash (or bike spokes)

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Lew,

No kidding. I had three or four shoeboxes filled with cards (several sports, not just baseball). I also had a half dozen or so television shows from the period.

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Deleted. I figured it out.

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After the Cubs' second straight absolute MIRACLE win today, I predict:

1. The Indians' season is toast...today is the season's second blown 7-0 lead and Kerry Wood sucks.

2. The Cubs WILL WIN THE NATIONAL LEAGUE!!!

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Brian,

Could you please make a third prediction? Say, that Matsuzaka will be traded soon? Speaking of being toast.... Thanks.

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^^ Amen!

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Brian, shades of the 1960s...

In 1969, three things happened that I never dreamed of seeing: man on the moon, the Mets won the World Series, and Dick Nixon became President.

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Would it be a negative to admit that I remember all three quite well?

BTW, I often tell people that I think the 1969 World Series is the greatest series I have ever seen. Those that did not see it as it occurred look at me in disbelief, because they can't fathom how a five-game series could (e.g.) be better than a six or seven game series. I suppose you had to be there to remember all of the oddities that occurred in that series, and the players -- some of them unknown at the time -- who were coming up with plays that seemed very unlikely at the time. There were plays that were, for want of a better word, miraculous.

"You gotta believe!"

Remember Swoboda, Donn Clendenon (MVP!), Tommy Agee, Cleon Jones, Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, Ed Kranepool, Gary Gentry, and Tug McGraw? Oh, and they had some guy who never really made it in the big leagues -- Nolan Ryan.

Although I greatly admired the Orioles that year, I actually loved the 1970 team even more. What was odd for me -- a baseball anomaly of sorts for me, if you will -- is that 1969 is the first and only time I have ever rooted for the NL to win the World Series.* It may have been because I was eleven, and was very much caught up in the totality and excitement of the event. I was a Tom Seaver fan that year (he of the twenty-five win season), and also thought that Koosman and Gentry were to be idolized as heroes....

*When the New York Yankees are in the World Series, I'm not so much rooting for the NL to win, but rather, for the Yankees to lose. The passion I shared for the 1969 Mets team is not evident when rooting against the Yankees, although I am still technically 'rooting' for the NL whenever the Yankees have made it to the World Series.

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Yeah I was 16 in 1969. I thought the world was opening up and was going to be my oyster.

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And it was probably the most disappointing season from a Cubs' fan standpoint, even more devastating than 2003.

Speaking of devastating, another Kerry Wood implosion today. Not signing Wood looks to be the only good move our GM made.

Baseball is so unpredictable. In the 12th the Indians brought in Perez -- a guy with a WHIP of 4.8 (!) over the last 7 days -- and he promptly mowed down the heart of the Cubs order. Then Wood comes in to protect the lead in the 13th, faces some of the feeblest hitters you'll ever see (Hill, Blanco, Miles), and self destructs for the second straight day.

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And Josh Beckett gets his first-ever shutout (3-0) with the BoSox. If someone had asked me how many shoutouts he had with Boston thus far in his career before tonight's game, I would not have said zero.

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That was a fun win for Boston over the Braves today (6-5). My man Nick Green came through, even if it was only a 'wrap around' home run inside the Pesky pole.

Boston Red Sox - Green's homer gives Boston 6-5 win over Atlanta - Boston.com

Atlanta Braves vs. Boston Red Sox - Recap - June 21, 2009 - ESPN

On Baseball Tonight last evening, one of the announcers said that the BoSox can win a World Series with Nick Green at shortstop. I loved that line.

It looks as though Green has actually improved in the field over the past three months too. Although I'm not crazy about the April and May stats, the June stats are right up there with the best of them.

"Every month Green has improved at his new shortstop position. In April he had five errors in 65 chances, May; three errors in 61 chances, and June so far Green's got one error in 62 opportunities."

Batter-up with Bruno: Nick Green: 'I didn't know it was a walk-off'

The Yankees have just lost in a ninth-inning squeaker (6-5) to the Marlins. With nobody on and two out, they got two runners -- Posada and Cabrera -- on base, and they were tripled home by Gardner, scoring Posada and Cabrera. The Bronx Bombers are now four behind the BoSox. We need to do this early and try to build as much of a cushion as possible for reasons only BoSox fans (and maybe a few New York fans) truly know.

I am pleased that Boston has placed Matsuzaka on the 15-day disabled list. Francona believes it could be months before Matsuzaka is ready to pitch again. I'm quite happy to hear this, as it would be difficult for another pitcher on Boston's staff to pitch more poorly than he has thus far this year.

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Oh dear, I still am confused about baseball terminology. Is a "slug" a diminuative "slugger"?