2009 MLB Thread - Page 29

I've been away a bit from the HTF--a little vacation combined with other stuff.

I would agree with that last sentence, Lew.  If the Sox don't sweep at Fenway, they may just as well concentrate on the Wild Card.  The Yankees have been simply lights-out since just before the All-Star break.  Each week I keep saying, "They cannot keep up this pace"...yet they do.  They are on an awesome run. 

Although it hasn't really been the focus of their woes, the Sox have really been hurt by injuries the second half of this season and it has been showing--miserably--in their play.  The pitching has been substandard and the bottom third (sometimes half) of their line-up is the kind that makes you know nothing's going to happen until you get back to the top of the order. 

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Hats off to Derek (Calm Eyes) Jeter for also being lights-out lately.  Picking up the career hits record for a shortstop is quite a feat.  I never realized that many of Honus Wagner's 3415 hits were gotten at other positions.  I guess the best-shortstop-ever played a lot of outfield, too!    And he played many games at all the other infield positions.  He even pitched in two games!

Here's a fun trivia question which Jayson Stark threw out on ESPN radio a couple of weeks ago.  I'll re-word it a litttle bit.  Name the seven active major leaguers who have recorded nine 100 RBI seasons.  (A lot of my guesses only had eight!)  I'll give the answers below...but have some fun and try to scratch-up a list before you peek!

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)

I'd still have faith in the Sox to be able to turn it around in this game...but I guess Francona has given up--putting in his entire bench and hanging Bowden out to dry. 

Well, when I wrote the above post,  I think the Yanks only had 12 runs.  I had told my Yankee-fan son "don't get too comfortable, the Sox'll be back."  And they ended up scoring 11 runs in the game.  And look at how many other scoring opportunities they had in this game.  I think they left the bases loaded twice.

I am really upset my the way Francona managed this game tonight.  It seems like he gave up on it very early on...letting Bowden go way too long, playing the infield back with a runner on third & one out...putting his entire bench (including Varitek) into the game very early. 

What would've happened if Varitek had gotten hurt?   This is your #1 catcher who has been benched the last few games with neck spasms...and suddenly he's okay to go into a game you have deemed a blow-out?

By keeping it closer, we might've forced the Yanks to go to more of their quality bullpen guys to help with the rest of the series.  And we might've forced things to break a little differently. 

Just awful.  Francona should know as well as the next guy that you don't give up on games at Fenway because of an early deficit...no matter how large. 

I cannot begin to imagine what's going to happen to the kid who's got to start tomorrow against Burnett (on national TV)...and what the Sox' game plan is if he doesn't go deep into the game. 

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Here's another Jayson Stark trivia question.  One of the answers to this question really blew my mind.

Name the three active major leaguers who have notched 1700 strikeouts since 2000. 

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)

Oh.  Thanks, Robert.  I must have stepped out of the room when that happened. 

There's a lot of that going around this week.  Damon really got hurt doing that yesterday...and Ortiz this afternoon.  That was weird the way he crumbled his backswing and popped Posada on the top of the head.

Interestingly, though, Girardi emptied off his bench today...with a couple innings left to play.  Of course, he still had both catchers available if something happened to one of them...but he was out of position players completely if something had happened.  I cannot believe Molina didn't get a chnace to make a play at third this afternoon.  I thought the ball is always supposed to find you!    I bet he got an eyeful at a couple of those line drives that flew past him down the left field line though. 

Anyway, I'm surprised to see managers completely empty off their benches with innings-to-go. 

Actually, now that I think about it...I don't remember missing much of the game.  But, I did listen to the WCBS broadcast (No YES network for me any more).  Maybe Sterling and Waldman didn't mention it?  

Nah.  I was probably on a walkabout. 

Sterling was way off his game Friday night.  I never heard him screw up so many baserunners and scores before.  Granted, there was a lot going on...but I'm not about to start making excuses for him.

Why, Eric!  That's Baltimore Oriole great Ken Singleton who was doing play-by-play tonight...and the color guy was none other than Yankee great David Cone.  Singleton suffers from Rick Sutcliffe syndrome in that he affects a dramatic nuance which skews the actual import of events happening on the field.  Cone is just plain awful.  They should give him the heave-ho.  Nothing against him personally...but he shares no insights of value, has an awful voice/delivery for broadcast and adds nothing of value to the telecast--except for being (as you put it) a real "homer."

I could tell they were in trouble tonight when they started the broadcast and Singleton threw a softball question at Cone about the Yanks' performance on their recent road trip.  Cone instead panicked and offered up something about Derek Jeter.  Singleton then fed him the question about Jeter (now out-of-order from the production meeting!) and Cone stammered his way through an answer. 

As I said a while back, Kay is a real homer, too...but is able to couch it in a way that it usually isn't in-your-face.  As Robert pointed out during that past discussion, he holds it in enough so that some Yankee fans feel that he doesn't actually go far enough in support of the home team. 

Singleton is better as the color analyst when he's in the booth with Kay...but the Yankees should be doing so much better for broadcasters.  They really missed the boat by not bringing back Jim Kaat when he became available again.

And now you've misunderstood me if I gave you the impression Kay was ever a ballplayer.  Nope.  Broadcasting background only.  I was describing Singleton & Cone as ballplayers.

But don't misunderstand me that Cone is not very good at broadcasting baseball games.  He could pitch 'em from the mound...just not from the booth. 

I guess its just kind of funny that your description of the two Texas broadcasters fit my description of what I think of Singleton & Cone.    And that's where the original misunderstanding came in.

Yeah.  I really kind of like the silliness & general humor of Kay & O'Neill together in the booth--although sometimes they cross the line and get a little too goofy.

The thing I like about O'Neill is that he's honest in his remarks.  He doesn't try to affect anything or try to hard to over-analyze every single thing that appears on the screen (think: Joe Morgan).  O'Neill tells you how he (or other players he knew) approached the game, approached particular at-bats, etc.  Nothing more, nothing less.

Kay went to Fordham for broadcasting.  Lots of good sportscasters came out of Fordham...including Vin Scully.  Which is weird because I doubt Fordham had a broadcasting degree when Scully attended... 

THAT is exactly what it means.  Hitters do it all the time.  You never know exactly where the ball is going to go.  Sometimes it goes straight down onto the plate (or foot).  Sometimes it goes straight back into the catcher or umpire off the bat.  I've even seen it goes straight down and then come back up and hit the batter on the leg or even the upper body.  It can go in either dugout, into the on-deck circle...just about anywhere.

But those direct hits into the batter's own foot must really smart. 

Couldn't find footage of a major leaguer doing it...but here's a kid in a batting cage hitting one right off his toe.

Grenke does it again today.  Complete game one hitter.  The hit came in the second inning and Grenke retires the last 22 he faces. 

Crazy. 

The Sox have been playing pretty well lately.  They had another version of Cy Young on the mound today in the person of Paul Byrd.  I doubt he'll be able to keep that kind of performance up. 

The Sox have won 14 of their last 20 games.  But they'll never make up any ground on the Yankees if they keep winning at this incredible pace.  The Yanks are currently 20 for their last 26. 

  ANYTHING but that!