clyons

QUOTE (whitesoxfan99 @ Apr 12, 2011 -> 11:33 AM) I'm not saying there is nothing to it at all, but I just don't buy that a guy like Thornton who has pitched in so many high leverage situations and was a dominant reliever is suddenly struggling because he is pitching in the 9th inning. I am concerned about him for sure but it doesn't have anything to do with his mindset for pitching in the 9th inning. And I'm not saying that its for sure Thornton's problem either, just that its happened to other guys and wouldn't be unprecedented. Baseball is a funny game and "90% half mental". Guys who have made hundreds of thousands of throws to first suddenly one day can't; catchers can suddenly spaz and not make simple throws to the mound (Steve Blass, Steve Sax, Jarrod Salty, etc.). It happens.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Apr 12, 2011 -> 11:23 AM) Heath Bell spent 5 years as a setup man before the Padres let Hoffman go. Brad Lidge and Octavio Dotel both spent years as setup men for Howry, then as rotating closers in 2004, before Lidge took over the job. Ah, Heath Bell. Good call, thanks. But I think you may be wrong on Lidge: He set up for just one season (2002) and then finished 44 games in 2003. http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/lidgebr01.shtml And I would exclude Dotel for being a converted starter: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/doteloc01.shtml

QUOTE (whitesoxfan99 @ Apr 12, 2011 -> 10:35 AM) So gonads is a key to closing but not coming in in the 7th inning of a run game with the bases loaded? With the way Thornton is pitching right now he would be struggling just as much in the 7th or 8th as in the 9th. He isn't locating his pitches and his velocity is down. I don't disagree. He's really struggling right now. But I'm not saying your 7th inning scenario doesn't also involve pressure or require stones. I'm just saying closing is different. Obviously, its just my opinion and I've never done either, but I've heard lots of baseball folks say so over the years.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Apr 12, 2011 -> 10:33 AM) Roberto Hernandez set up for Thigpen? Mariano rivera set up for Wetteland? Both of them came to my mind too, but I checked and they only set up briefly (a season or so). Just enough to smooth out rough edges and gain some big-league experience. Not long enough to settle into one role that largely involves watching others get the hardest, final outs. Thornton did that for a long time, nearly 5 years.

Can anyone recall a lights-out closer who transitioned from an extended, multi-year "apprenticeship" as a set up man, like Thornton? I honestly can not (I thought maybe the Nasty Boys, but I think they were mostly always interchangeable). There have got to be a few, but it seems like most of the best either got thrown right into the fire, converted from starting, or set up for no more than a year. Latroy Hawkins has been cited here as an example of a failed transition, and I'm wondering how often it’s done successfully. As has been said, I think there is a huge difference between innings 7-8 and 9, and mental intangibles (or just plain gonads) are a key to closing. Unfortunately, they have to be tested under fire, and 0 for your first 3 = a failing grade.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Apr 11, 2011 -> 10:20 PM) Note that the Cubs took who was pretty much the best 8th inning guy I've ever seen (Hawkins), moved him to closer where he failed...kept him there in hopes he'd pitch through it...and effectively ruined his career. He never recovered. I'd like to not see that happen to Thornon, and right now, that's exactly what I see, despite it bring early to call this that way, I am anyway...because it's my opinion that the same thing is occurring right before our eyes. Thornton doesnt even look close to comfortable. Yep.

Soriano would have had that.

Castro

QUOTE (ScottyDo @ Apr 11, 2011 -> 08:36 AM) But it will be aired on Lifetime. I'm hoping more like 30 for 30.

With the Sox up and the Bulls and Hawks games over, I switched to VH1 last night and watched the Foo Fighters' new "Back and Forth" documentary instead of the end of the ballgame. Good decision on several fronts. I liked it a lot.

Just saw this too in the online Trib: http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/break...0,7526294.story

QUOTE (Wanne @ Apr 8, 2011 -> 02:27 PM) Listen to Skippy Bayless whine about it too: http://youtu.be/FIfiQswaexI I don't know what's more ridiculous: Bayless' idiotic whining or his dye job. How can anyone channeling Heat Miser expect to be taken seriously? And Swisher got plenty of the base.

This will probably be mentioned one day in Jay Bilas' obituatary.

Gordon Beckham often makes outs and therefore should be beaten.

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Mar 23, 2011 -> 03:51 PM) I couldnt find the affidavit, so I dont know whether or not thats true. Actually I would not agree. I have been involved in cases where police officers have flat out lied to get "probable cause". Most of the time the police will see 2 young people and just start searching. I had one case where a Police Officer stated that he could see the marijuana inside a closed backpack. Needless to say none of these cases ever result in convictions (Ragone pleaded innocent). That is an extreme amount of speculation. Was Ragone charged with DUI or DWI or OWI? I believe the answer is no, so that to me suggests that there was not evidence that he was operating a vehicle impaired. You dont need a field test to charge for DWI or OWI, all you need is suspicion. Bottom line is that they were charged with entirely different crimes and that generally have pretty different consequences. Misdemeanor possession is not close to DUI (imo), but everyone is entitled to their own. OK; there was dope in the car, but none that was being smoked. It was only being "carried," and only by the girlfriend who had no playing career that might be jeopardized by it. The cop lied when he said he smelled it (all of them do), and hit the motherload of jackpots when, on a complete whim, he decided to take a flyer and search the non-driver, girlfriend's purse. I'll admit to speculation, but I think mine is vastly more probable than yours (I've been in my share of cars where dope has been "carried," and its almost always been done, before, after, or concurrently with it being smoked). The real bottom line is he was charged with possession of illegal drugs, and to the best of my knowledge, was never suspended from the football team, not even pending disposition of the charge. Criminal technicalities and procedural distinctions aside, that's still hard for me to comprehend, and hard to reconcile with what happend to McAlarney, even if its slightly different than Floyd's crime.

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Mar 23, 2011 -> 02:16 PM) Um driving drunk is illegal per se, as it is a statutory crime. Even worse for your argument is that Ragone was arrested under the following circumstances: So you are really saying that driving drunk is a lessor crime than having some one in your car who is carrying marijuana? Um, thanks? I'm not trying to make an "argument," counsellor, but let's be real: Its not like he'd be the first guy ever stopped with spleef who tried to stash it, and according to news reports, the arresting officer's affidavit states that he admitted to giving it to the girl to do just that. And just what do you suppose was the probable cause for searching his female passenger's purse in the first place? I'm sure you'd agree that mere passengers aren't generally searched as part of a routine traffic stop unless a cop has reason to. Reports said this cop smelled buring marijuana, but I'm sure its only because her purse had just spontaneously combusted. And DUI is DUI, regardess of whether you're drunk or stoned. However, alcohol is a legal substance and marijuana is not. He was driving a car in which illegal drugs were allegedly being smoked (not just "carried," "smoked"). Even if he wasn't inhaling (yeah, right), he was driving the car and almost certainly getting a contact high. That's likely two crimes, DUI and possession, and, depending on the level of intoxication, therefore "worse" than driving drunk. That's all I was saying. The fact that there's no breathalyzer or other reliable, non-invasive field test for Mary Jane intoxication is very likely the only reason he didn't get the DUI charge too.

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Mar 22, 2011 -> 10:27 PM) Its apples and oranges, a DUI and caught smoking arent really comparable. Im no ND backer, but it seems like Floyd is getting a significant punishment and Im not sure that would have happened at many other schools. You're right. Driving with dope (Ragone) is arguably worse, as its illegal per se. And I might be naive, but I think plenty of schools would have felt compelled to take similar action against a player for a second alcohol related offense within 15 mos. I can recall Ohio State perhaps costing itself a share of a Big10 championship when it suspended Bellisari for a DUI before a big game against Illinois. And I think Florida suspended an end for DUI before the SEC championship a few years back (although he did get to play in their Bowl game). Those are two examples that I can think of offhand, neither of them from programs held up as models of intergrity like ND. I don't think the punishment can be deemed "significant" if all he misses is Spring practice. Time will tell.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Mar 22, 2011 -> 03:29 PM) Speaking of that asshole, here's a good read: http://deadspin.com/#!5784437/bruce-pe...eated-a-monster That was good, but it made me sick.

Shane

QUOTE (Fotop @ Mar 22, 2011 -> 04:20 AM) Yeah, because McAlarney missing as season of basketball and getting tossed out of school for a semester wasn't a harsh punishment in the first place. Please. If this happened at any other school, let's say a Florida for example, Floyd would probably miss a game against Coastal Carolina. Whereas, I'll be shocked if he gets to see the field this year. Rashon Powers Neal got a DUI a few years back and was gone for the season so there's precedent. Now I will say Kelly's regime may have a different disciplinary style, but like I said the precedent is there and the powers that be at the school on the adminstration side remain the same. /selfishly hoping Floyd survives this and gets to play at some point this year /whoops schedule is frontloaded, oh crap, nd is screwed because there's no way he doesn't miss the start of the season But that's the point, isn't it? I am told constantly that it isn't (I have rabid, third generation ND in-laws). Thing is, unlike at BYU, its just talk. The issue isn't whether McAlarney's punishment was sufficiently harsh, its whether he would have been reinstated by ND if he wasn't a hoops player. I honestly don't know that answer. The issue IS whether Ragone's punishment was sufficiently harsh. In fact, I'm not certain he was punished at all. He was busted in May 2010 and still in school and on Kelly's team that Fall, though he missed a lot of time due to injury. He's currently applying for a 5th year of elgibility. Appears to be a different disciplinary style to me, but maybe Ragone just had a better lawyer. He should pass his card on to Floyd.

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2011/03/21/coo...run-the-asylum/

The White Sox will be involved in at least two bench-clearing brawls.

Michael Floyd arrested for driving while blind. http://www.chicagobreakingsports.com/2011/...dui-charge.html He should have stuck to pot like Kyle McAlarney and Mike Ragone. The domers don't seem to mind that too much.

"No" and "other" I don't have any problem with lobbing a few cruise missiles because of the UN stance, but I'm concerned about the timing, given reports they may have been more effective if done sooner, while the rebels had "momentum." I also don't think its tactically wise to tell your "enemy" ahead of time that its in no risk of having to face ground troops. Even if obvious, that just seems purely political.

Coop was going to be on with Mully and Hanley this morning after 8:30. Anyone hear him?