Balta1701

So, this Braves pitching staff is abjectly terrible, but I will say this for them...they know how to take a baseball game and turn it into an entertaining evening for folks who don't want to go to sleep.

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Jul 14, 2006 -> 07:56 PM) Two for Jenks, isn't it? CBS's stats have him at 26 for 27.

QUOTE(valponick @ Jul 14, 2006 -> 10:47 PM) It's probably a discussion for another thread but....Vazquez has actually been slightly better than Buehrle this year. You know how there are some stats for defense which in 2000 started saying that Jose Valentin really wasn't that bad of a defender despite all the errors? The stats were the problem. When you have a stat which tells you something which is simply nonsense, at some point, it's showing you something odd about the metric. Vaz has been no where near as good as Buehrle, not even mentionning that like 20% of the runs MB gave up came in 1 inning.

AJ was fined because AJ had to be fined for something. (Not in my world, in MLB's.)

QUOTE(needauribe @ Jul 14, 2006 -> 10:13 PM) Hire a bouncer from the biggest dive bar in Portage, IN to stroke Widge in the face after every bad call. I seriously think this will solve the problem and hope my post doesn't violate the zero tolerance policy. The bars in Portage actually use bouncers these days?

Ballgame=over. Good night everyone.

QUOTE(TitoMB345 @ Jul 14, 2006 -> 06:29 PM) HIDING, SOMEWHERE, IN THE NIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT! Giggity giggity giggity

QUOTE(jphat007 @ Jul 14, 2006 -> 06:28 PM) If you give up a run the game is in REAL trouble so you cna't think about extras. Gotta do whatever you can do to get out of this. I understand that thinking, but on the road, some part of me says you do play for Extras, and if this game hits Extras, BMac can be useful for 3-4 innings, instead of one batter. If Bmac had to face Giambi also I might have a different opinion.

QUOTE(SoxFan101 @ Jul 14, 2006 -> 06:27 PM) Damnit I hate when Ozzie does this... we shouldnt be using 4 pitchers in 1 inning..... Tony Larussa says Hi.

Ok, I really don't like taking out Brandon now if this game stays knotted at 3, especially since they have Rivera, but I also understand bringing in Neal to try to avoid giving up the single run.

QUOTE(nitetrain8601 @ Jul 14, 2006 -> 06:25 PM) Did I read that right? 94 mph on the gun? Brandon's 4 seamer usually tops out at 93-94 IIRC. Brandon, now it's time for that 2 seamer, and a ground ball.

QUOTE(EvilMonkey @ Jul 14, 2006 -> 06:21 PM) Why is he changing pitchers because the Yankme's bring in some scrub right handed batter? I hate 'by the book' moves sometimes. Thornton did just give up a hit and a walk without retiring a batter also.

QUOTE(My Dixie Normus @ Jul 14, 2006 -> 06:18 PM) CBS has Crede still at third. no? Pablo in for Joe? That might explain the change for Pods in left after the AB but why is Joe out in a tied ball game? I don't get that move at all. Unless.... they are shoping Pablo for trade material. Or Joe is hurting

Got him on, got him over, can't afford to not do the 3rd part here.

I think our future CF finally showed up these last few weeks.

I'm much more afraid of Posada than Rodriguez.

You know, I'd actually rather face ARod here than Giambi. Hell of a 2 outs Jose. And Jose seems to agree.

QUOTE(mr_genius @ Jul 14, 2006 -> 02:54 PM) don't worry guys, i heard Dan Rather just printed out some official documents that'll totally burn the president this time.... totally. That was a well thought out, well written argument totally relevant to the topic at hand.

You know the other fairly amazing thing IMO? At least recently, while the only prospects who really look to knock your socks off in the big leagues are BMac and BA, the Sox have a ton of guys they've drafted and moved/let go who are cropping up all over the place.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Jul 14, 2006 -> 02:07 PM) I just went to a teller in my bank for the first time in a few years. The little pregnant teller's name is Carrie Woods. I was laughing my ass off. She thought I lost my mind.

QUOTE(NUKE_CLEVELAND @ Jul 14, 2006 -> 02:19 PM) I think the biggest wildcard here is Syria. If Isreal gets a wild hair up its collective ass and decides to hit targets inside Syria then that will draw Syria and Iran into a war against Isreal and that will force the US to come in on the side of the Isrealies. That's the worst case scenario as I see it and I don't think it's too much to say that there's a 50-50 shot of it happening at some point. Either Syria or Iran could be a wildcard. If the Isreali leaks yesterday about the soldiers being moved to Iran are true, it would be the same result, except Israel would strike Iran first and Syria would join in. Right now, I think the only thing we're banking on is the Isrealis not being stupid enough to launch a full scale regional war in the Middle East. That has to be why they've only committed air and sea forces thus far but no ground forces. Syria also may decide at some point to stick its head up its ass and provide more aid to Hezbollah in Lebanon, or may even send troops back in if these attacks destabilize the Lebanese government, which they may well do. Or Syria may act to stop the flood of refugees coming over its border, with similar results. Basically, we're sitting in a room filled with gasoline holding a burning matchbook. Anyone waits too long or does anything stupid, and the room explodes. The only real option is to get both sides to start backing down immediately, and the only nation with enough strength to arrange that is the U.S. Right now, every option other than a gradual pullback on each side seems to me to be a terrible one.

QUOTE(Jordan4life_2006 @ Jul 14, 2006 -> 01:46 PM) Now this was the kinda post I was looking for. Excellent post, Keith. Danny Wright didn't get s***ted on as much as Garcia has around here of late. Brandon McCarthy wasn't pitching out of the bullpen because Danny Wright had a starting spot.

QUOTE(iamshack @ Jul 14, 2006 -> 01:42 PM) I believe the real reason Zito is not being dealt right now is Harden's injury, not the fact that the A's are once again leading the division. Ok, here's your question then, if Harden was injured but the A's were still at the back of that division, do you think they'd trade Zito? I'd say yes. If Harden was healthy, and the A's were still leading that division, do you think they'd trade Zito? I'd say no.

QUOTE(jackie hayes @ Jul 14, 2006 -> 01:19 PM) If Zito's there for a deal centered around Milledge, I think they may pull the trigger eventually on that one. But this Garcia-for-Milledge (let alone Milledge and Heilman) sounds pie-in-the-sky to me. I would bet you that right now, if Zito for Milledge was available, the Mets would pull the trigger. I would also bet you that right now, that deal is no longer available, as the A's have dragged themselves back into first place, as they always do once it gets warm.

Aside from a few minor details, I think This piece is probably right on.