The OFFICIAL Unofficial Achewood Message Board
Trivial Pursuits => Sports & Leisure => Topic started by: miles on May 11, 2006, 01:14:34 am
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I mean, golf just got one. Golf. And then there's football.
As I've said before, I'm a Mariners and a Mets fan. I also like the Reds, and the Diamondbacks get respect for beating the Yankees in 2001. I don't know where the Reds thing started, but it was reinforced when Griffey Jr. got traded to them. I'm a big fan (even though he's worthless now). If the Mets play the Reds or the Diamondbacks, I go for the Mets, and if the Reds and the Diamondbacks play...it depends on my mood. When the Mets and the Mariners play, I remain neutral. Just sit back and enjoy the game. And if they ever meet in the World Series, my head will probably explode.
Anyway, it's good to see 3 out of the 4 doing well this year. But being a Seattle fan in any sport is hard work. I stick with it though.
Also: This (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/10/sports/baseball/10yanks.html). The treacherous bastard deserves it. Motherfucker.
Edit: Really, can you expect my memory to go back 3 months? Well, it can't (http://touamb.com/index.php/topic,2553.0.html).
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That stadium is awfully nice.
I should have bought MLB League Pass so I could see more of Francisco Roderiguez's curveball. There hasn't been an Angels game televised over here, yet. Man, I love his curveball, that crazy kid.
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I'm a Mariners fan, too. Look at the bright side! Felix is starting to look like himself again. Putting up with such a moribund offense is almost worth it when you get to see the best pitching prospect in a decade take the mound every five days. Maybe he just needed some time to get over his offseason regimen of cheetos and xbox?
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hey, the mariners are lucky that the AL west sucks this year. they're only 3.5 games back with 15-21 record!
i am a mariners fan, of course. what's really frustrating is knowing that this team is so good on paper, they just aren't getting it done.
soon. i hope. soon.
as for the rest of baseball.. um.. only two words need to be said: albert pujols
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Here's a little something for the Seattle fan. (http://www.google.com/maphp?hl=en&q=&ll=47.66801,-117.139513&spn=0.006459,0.014462&t=k&om=1)
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Huh. I guess this means that aliens are Mariners fans.
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I could talk for HOURS about the Mets, of course... because... they're good, there's really good, they just didn't have the balls to take those last couple of steps to be as good as they could be.
They've got three big problems: their second base is by a committee of .250 hitters with no power, they have no pitching depth (their first three starters are great, their first tier of relievers are great, their four five and second-tier relievers are laughable double-A-level talent) and they need a real fourth outfielder for when Grandpa Floyd and Ol' Hangnail Beltran are out or underperforming with injury.
In other words, their pitching is good but not good enough to have any kind of offensive slump. When the hitters aren't just lighting it up, they've got absolutely nothing. And... I'm realistic to an extent... they don't have the money or the prospects to do serious pitching upgrades.
But at second and fourth outfielder? Soriano was out there, Manny was out there, they didn't pull the trigger. Mets plus Soriano and Manny... hell... Soriano OR Manny... and they're tearing through everyone. They're not dropping drop by drop these little one-run losses where one bat makes the difference that'll eventually turn into a big ol' bucket of suck.
A 22-12 start LOOKS good but... when six of those losses are 2-1 to the Marlins, 2-1 to the Nationals, 2-1 to the Padres... you start looking at those losses and realizing: these are the games that they're gonna be out of wild card by in September.
22-12 don't look so good when you know they're supposed to be 28-6 and, either way, its all because their early schedule turned out to be even easier than once thought, with the entire NL East underperforming... when those Central division trips start piling up... yikes.
And, okay, fiiiiiiiiiiine, if you're gonna be one of those Caveman Communist types who says "23 Skidoo" and forgets that in the 21st Century, it's occasionally okay to... *gasp*... TRADE COMPLETELY UNPROVEN MINOR LEAGUE PROSPECTS FOR AWESOME PROVEN STARS? Okay, if that's really how you feel... well, first of all, ask the Angels how great that plan is working out but... if that's really your thing?
Lastings Milledge is down in AAA batting .360 against people that are clearly no longer a challenge... while you've got Grandpa batting .180 with a lingering ribcage pull, Hangnail calling off playing any given day because his ass itched that morning and Nady's gotta take every six or seven games to not exhaust himself...
And career benchwarmers/long-busted prospects covering their spots when they go down. Victor Diaz? Endy Chavez? JOSE VALENTIN? Sweet Feathery Jesus! The guy you re-FUSED to trade in the off-season to get someone in the Zito/Manny/Soriano range?
Lastings is down in Norfolk hitting balls all the way to Busch Gardens, wondering what more he can do.
...and this is just what I was able to type in, like, ten minutes.
Best not to get me started.
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they don't have the money... to do serious pitching upgrades.
I don't know if I agree with this. But I'm not familiar with any figures. I think you hit it a little more squarely on the head when:
they just didn't have the balls to take those last couple of steps to be as good as they could be
Take a risk and spend a couple more million in the offseason and those upper deck seats could be filled. But then, the fans might as well change the logos on their hats to the Yankees logo. Nevertheless, you can still learn something from George Steinbrenner.
But then again, I don't remember how much they're spending on the new stadium. The city is paying for half or something I think? Splitting it 400M/400M? I suppose it might be a smart time to start investing in bonds. Quit smoking. Go hybrid. Shit like that, ya know? Personally, I would bet it all on red (Manny). Is D-Train a free agent this year? Maybe bet it on black.
I don't know what it says about them, but last year a beer at Shea cost 25 cents more than Yankee Stadium. Or 50, I dunno, I wasn't legal yet.
Anyway, do you get the games out there in Cali?
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The Mets' other problem is that Pedro Martinez is a dick who needs to get drilled with a fastball.
Of course, the Nats didn't have the SACK to do it, they just let him plunk their guys with impunity. Losers. Oh, and they lost on a Junior Griffey home run last night, after taking a 4-1 lead in the top of the 11th, because Frank Robinson hates pitchers. Fire him, now.
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Sweet Feathery Jesus!
The rest of your post made little sense to me (I'm not a baseball fan; I am sorry about this), but I would like to thank you for providing me with my new favourite exclamation.
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Chavez's unofficial nickname while he was with the Nats was "Inning-Endy Chavez."
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Well, yeah, Pedro is definitely a dick. But much like Dirty Harry, he's OUR dick, you know?
Totally plunk him all you want, though. It'll just be another guy standing around on base when Jose Reyes comes up and either strikes out or flies out to mid-center when... oh... he's one of the fastest guys in baseball. Couldn't walk or... uhm... put the ball in play on the ground or anything, could we, Joe-say? Dude's amazing defensively but he's Willie Mays Hayes up there at bat.
YOU ARE THE SHORTSTOP. YOU ARE THE LEADOFF HITTER. YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO WAIL AWAY UNTIL YOU STRIKE OUT OR HIT A LAZY FLYBALL A FEW STEPS SHORT OF THE WARNING TRACK. ONLY ONE SHORTSHOP IS SUPPOSED TO DO THAT, HE IS PLAYING ACROSS TOWN AND SECRETLY MOUNTING TOM CRUISE IN FIELDS OF WILDFLOWERS ON HIS OFF-DAYS. YOU. ARE NOT. HIM.
Problem with pitching in the off-season acquistions was... I guess less financial, more that it would've taken giving up more than just prospects to get one in a trade and the few pitchers that were attainable on the free agent market would've required overpaying for to the point of complete idiocy. I wouldn't give up... Wright... or someone for new pitching. A handful of dudes hitting doubles for the single-A team in Possum Vittles, West Virginny? That's a big duh...
But... Soriano and Manny, I know that ONE of them were accessable just by throwing money at them and the other, you could've gotten by throwing all your talent languishing in Tidewater and Binghampton at a team. The minor leagues exist so that you can either call up players once they're good or trade away players who are already proven.
See?
I get really worked up.
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I love talking baseball...but I haven't been able to the last few weeks.
See, I'm a Cub fan, and we suck. Bad. Real bad.
I've been a Cub fan for over 20 years, so you'd think that I'd be used to cheering for a team that sucks. But I don't recall a time when we've ever sucked this bad. I mean, they're usually pretty bad, with rare exception of getting our hopes up only to crush them in impressive manner. But this year...since Lee went down...wow. We suck SO BAD.
Meanwhile, on the South Side of town, the World Champion Asshats are sporting the best record in baseball, and their fans, especially the ones who discovered the team in October, are reaching new levels of obnoxiousness. Which I've always been able to hang with. But this year, I can't. We just suck. SO BAD.
Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.
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But... Soriano...
Oh man, you guys have such a good thing going, why would you want to bring this whiny K machine to town? This is the same guy who was throwing a bitch fit this winter because he didn't want to play the position they were asking him to play, despite the fact that he is a real shitty second baseman, and making way more than what he's worth. Manny, fine, he's a loon, but a total stud, and I'm actually surprised he's not a met yet. But don't be coveting Soriano.
Edit: Also, rumors abound that the Marlins are juicing the last bit of established talent on their team putting Dontrelle and Cabrera on the market. I like Dontrelle, but I contend that sooner or later hitters are going to catch up to him the way they tend to with pitchers with wacky deliveries. Cabrera has to be the biggest potential catch in baseball though. Anyone have any thoughts as to who will scoop them up?
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Soriano isn't perfect, you're absolutely right. Dude was just the best bat at second available in the off-season.
However, dude is also 10,000 steps up from a platoon of Kaz "hey, my name is kind of like that other guy's so I must be good" Matsui, Chris "Warmest Bench Ever" Woodward and that .150 hitting feeb Anderson Hernandez.
A guy with sub-standard-but-not-tragic defense... and a serious upgrade as a hitter... beats a guy with a solid glove, hitting .235 all singles in the situation the Mets are in. I'm a big fan of sparkling defense and all but there's a point where it is outweighed by having to bat your 2nd baseman in the 8-hole and you're bleeding one-run/two-run losses to weak-hitting teams like a stick pig.
When your half your losses are... 2-1, 2-1, 2-0... you bite the bullet and give an error up now and again to get those wins.
There's special cases like, say, Bonds... where he's such a liability in left that he's just a series of series of stand-up-triples waiting to happen and needs to be traded to an AL team two seconds after he hits 715... but Soriano isn't that bad, defensively. He's below-average, sure, but he's not an unwatchable trainwreck.
And his bat in the line-up, traded for A-Hern, gets back three to four of the losses in early and middle May.
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Dontrelle, but I contend that sooner or later hitters are going to catch up to him the way they tend to with pitchers with wacky deliveries.
I wouldn't say that, D-Train has alot more than just a funky delivery. Plus, he's a better hitter than anyone who has played in the Mets middle infield for the past four years, except maybe for Miguel Cairo.
Anyway, that is the point with Soriano. Any decent hitter will be an improvement at second base. Besides for all-aspects of relief pitching, second base has been the Mets weakest point for a long time, followed by Jose Reyes' knowledge of the fundamentals of the game.
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It's not so much the defense that irks me, as much as the paycheck (admittedly not a problem for a New York team) and the wretched attitude.
You are definately right, it would be an upgrade over the disasterous Kaz experiment (though Hideki isn't in such great shape right now either) and a lifelong utility man. But we have far, far, FAR bigger problems than you guys, and I shuddered at the rumors that had him coming here this winter. When a guy is REFUSING to play where he's asked...I don't care if you're Alex freakin' Rodriguez...you're worthless.
What about Keppinger?
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I wouldn't say that, D-Train has alot more than just a funky delivery. Plus, he's a better hitter than anyone who has played in the Mets middle infield for the past four years, except maybe for Miguel Cairo.
He does have a solid bat...but pretty much as evidence, and this may be shoddy, I point to his down the stretch record...guy does not fare well when teams get a second and third look at him.
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Take Soriano! PLEASE! Send us prospects!
Take Christian Guzman while you're at it!
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Keppinger? I... guess.
He's not exactly tearing the cover off the ball down on the farm, he'd probably be playing about equal to what Matsui's doing with a little less power but... clearly, the kid (kid, he's a year younger than me) has a hell of a lot more upside than the One-Man Kamikaze Squad.
I'd go for that.
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I'm a White Sox fan. I'm not sure which month I discovered the team in, but it was during 1993 ;).
I am justifiably optimistic about the team, though I am a bit concerned about the bullpen and a couple of the less proven starters. My stepdaugher and I spotted Paul Konerko, with wife and baby in tow, while we were waiting for the el a couple weeks back. Her favorite player. Neat.
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I have to deal with the incongruity of the Indians' talent vs. the Indians' record.
Why oh why did they have to let Bob Howry leave? And how oh how could they think Danny Graves was a suitable replacement?
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Keppinger? I... guess.
He's not exactly tearing the cover off the ball down on the farm, he'd probably be playing about equal to what Matsui's doing with a little less power but... clearly, the kid (kid, he's a year younger than me) has a hell of a lot more upside than the One-Man Kamikaze Squad.
I'd go for that.
I didn't realize it had already been two years since he had been up...he looked pretty damn good then. In any case, it seems like the Twins are turning it around, but if they don't, I have to imagine Castillo would become somewhat available for some young talent. He would be a real good fit with Reyes in front of the mashers.
I'm a White Sox fan. I'm not sure which month I discovered the team in, but it was during 1993 ;).
I am justifiably optimistic about the team, though I am a bit concerned about the bullpen and a couple of the less proven starters. My stepdaugher and I spotted Paul Konerko, with wife and baby in tow, while we were waiting for the el a couple weeks back. Her favorite player. Neat.
Clearly you are a fan from Old Times, or you would have taken this opportunity to kick me in the ribs. That's what I love about baseball in this town, though, so many sightings. I want to hate Paulie, but I can't, pure class.
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I have to deal with the incongruity of the Indians' talent vs. the Indians' record.
Why oh why did they have to let Bob Howry leave? And how oh how could they think Danny Graves was a suitable replacement?
I saw Danny Graves wearing some hairband in the dugout and it seemed as if it might have been some piece that was attached to fake hair. What's the deal?
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Any fantasy baseball types?
Would you trade away Randy Johnson for Brett Tomko, Randy Winn and Jeff Francouer? My current OF is Burrell, Manny, Gibbons, and Miguel Cabrera. My starting pitching has been terrible.
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Randy will improve in the next few months, a little bit.
He might not be ace material, but right now might not be the time to trade him. His last start, although not perfect, showed alot of improvement. Strikeout count was up (6?) and most of the hits off him came off good pitches.
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Randy... is at a crossroads.
If he can try and reinvent himself as a location pitcher, he might be able to have another year and a half in the tank but... when a power pitcher loses his power and DOESN'T reinvent himself as a location pitcher? He just ends up overthrowing to compensate and overthrowing leads to walks and homeruns.
Now, if the Mets could just bench Matsui, platoon Milledge in with Floyd and stop using Jose Valentin off the bench, they might be able to make a little noise... they've got their pitching situation kinda fixed, with Julio gone and el Duque in the 5th spot, or at least they will when Bannister is healthy again but...
The work can't stop there. Left Field and 2nd Base, you just can't keep starting guys batting .220 there HOPING they'll turn it around eventually... not in the NL East, anyway. Maybe in the AL West or the NL West you can get away with it for a while... but the Braves are only getting better and the Phillies are pretty good themselves.
No time for laurel resting. Gotta call up Milledge and either get Soriano or call up Keppinger.
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Any fantasy baseball types?
Would you trade away Randy Johnson for Brett Tomko, Randy Winn and Jeff Francouer? My current OF is Burrell, Manny, Gibbons, and Miguel Cabrera. My starting pitching has been terrible.
I wouldn't make that trade. Quantity is rarely worth quality, plus you'd (presumably) have to get rid of two guys to keep your roster within limits. Who would you waive to make room for the new guys?
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I am trying a new tactic with my appreciation of the Mets...
Here's the thing: I'm such a dork that I've analyzed out all of the Mets' losses and determined which of their twenty losses shouldn't have happened... my criteria being, you should not lose to Washington or Florida or Pittsburgh ever, you should not lose one-run games ever, you should not lose two-to-nothing shut-outs.
They should have the bats and the pitching to not lose those games, especially since they should've gotten Soriano and/or Manny in the off-season or at least called up Milledge and Keppinger at the beginning of the season, benching Matsui and platooning Milledge in through all injuries to the other outfielders.
One more bat, two more bats and their six one-run losses and their one two-nothing loss vanish... and probably their two losses to Washington and one loss to Florida vanish as well. By my math, if they had the balls to either (a) make the trades or (b) make the call-ups at day one, they are supposed to be 42-10 right now instead of the solid-but-underachieving 32-20 they're hanging in at right now.
They're supposed to be up on Philly and Atlanta by 16-plus games with nearly a third of the season gone.
But here's the thing... the silver lining I'm trying to convince myself of is... being just good instead of amazing and getting their outfield and starting rotation banged up early has forced them to make some of the moves they were supposed to in April. When these guys come back healthy, the team will be deeper and more experienced for it.
The struggles got Matsui benched... which is goddamned important. Okay, they're playing fill-in with Woodward and Valentin instead of calling up Keppinger's bat because a slightly shakey glove comes with it but... forcing the Mets to finally admit that Matsui was a total mistake and is an irredeemable mistake is important for the rest of this season and for seasons to come. Like an alcoholic hitting bottom to know they gotta get better, this is a good first step at second. With Valentin on a probably-short-lived hot streak, its buying some time.
The injuries got Milledge up. Maybe not as soon as he should've been, maybe not the way he should've... but he's up and he's already wowing people. This is a kid that needed to not be expected to just wake up and be the starting left fielder in April 2007 without a major league start, just some pinch hits in September garbage time. Endy Chavez being hot for about five-minutes is helping a lot too... we just have to make sure that the Mets remember that Chavez and Valentin over an entire season are going to be completely terrible, not mistake these hot streaks for actual fixes.
The injuries forced the Mets to realize that what they thought were their next-starters in AAA were actually horrifically bad and that changes would have to be made. Could you imagine going to Lima and Gonzalez as your fourth and fifth starters in the middle of a mid-August pennant race? Good. Gravy. That'd be a duketastrophe. Now, they made a few moves... Soler has the time to grow into a few more starts, El Duque is 200% better a fifth starter than Zamdrano (though, to be fair, I am completely out-of-shape and have never played organized baseball and would be 55% better a fifth starter than The Drain) and when Bannister comes back in early July, you can pick from those two whoever's in the groove to fill the last sport...
And most importantly... Jorge Julio, He Who Is Become Death, Ruiner of Worlds, Causer of Heart Attacks, Brandon Looper and Armando Benitez at once rolled together in a Satanic Burrito, is off to the land of twinkletoes to go wreck the Diamondbacks.
So, if this underachieving April and May taught them to grow and not hang onto project washouts when there's young people to bring up and trades to make? Maybe that's what needed to happen and they'll be a better team in August and September for it.
Is this new tactic delusional or am I onto something?
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The guy who wanted to trade me crap for Randy Johnson went ahead and waived Brett Tomko. So I picked him up for free. Yee haw.
Also, I own Roger Clemens. w00t!
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I am looking forward to trading Clemens in my Dynasty league to a contender for some quality youth.
LittleFalls, what do you think about the Milledge homer celebration semi-controversy and how excited are you to see the last of Cliff Floyd?
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Anybody want to come to DC for Nats-Yankees on Sunday? I have an extra ticket and I can't fuck*ng GIVE it away. Doesn't help that it's Father's Day--all my friends with kids are busy.
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Yeah, I'm spending the day with my dad. Otherwise I'd totally be there. I was a big Yanks fan in my youth.
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Oh, well if you're a Yankees fan, you're not welcome.
I finally found someone to go. I have extras for Thursday, July 6 (afternoon game) and Thursday, August 10 (evening), both against the Marlins, if anyone is seriously interested.
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Who the fuck is a Nationals fan? They're not even a real team!
This is what, their second season? It's hard to be a dyed-in-the-wool fan of a team that is newer than Britney Spears's kid, man.
Actually, any team that wasn't in existence back when I was a kid pretty much seems fake to me.
Now the Expos, they were a team...
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I own a Montreal Expos road jersey, thank you very much. And I own a Homestead Grays jersey. Old-schooley school.
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Actually, any team that wasn't in existence back when I was a kid pretty much seems fake to me.
I totally agree. I have the same feeling about airlines, which is more of an inconvenience because it makes me afraid to fly on them.
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I totally agree. I have the same feeling about airlines, which is more of an inconvenience because it makes me afraid to fly on them.
Stick to Braniff, Piedmont and TWA and you'll be just fine.
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Stick to Braniff, Piedmont and TWA and you'll be just fine.
Considering how much I dislike flying, actually that would be perfect.
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Considering how much I dislike flying, actually that would be perfect.
I'm a Pan Am man myself! I love the Stewardess outfits.