The Baseball Thread 2007

[Soulstation1]

tigers are probably playin' the best ball in the majors

[Soulstation1]

MLB Records that will never be broken

1 Rose's hit mark (20 years of 200 hits and you are still short)

2 Cy Young's 500+ wins (rocket needs about 160-170 more wins)

3 Ripken's Game Streak, a young DH could break the record

[Quincy]

MLB Records that will never be broken

1 Rose's hit mark (20 years of 200 hits and you are still short)

I disagree about this one. Not that it'll be easy mind you. Also keep in mind Pete didn't set the record in the way you describe. He had 10 200+ hit seasons. My guess is it'll be a guy who starts young, plays into his 40s and might be from Latin America (the stereotype of "you don't walk" to beat Pete's record.)

2 Cy Young's 500+ wins (rocket needs about 160-170 more wins)

The hardest to beat, unless some freakishly great knuckleballer gets a start in his teens and pitches into his '50s. In other words, not likely.

3 Ripken's Game Streak, a young DH could break the record

And not to knock a strong work ethic, but hopefully no one will be allowed that chance again. It's a dumb selfish record.

I think Rickey Henderson's stolen base record looks safe for now. (Edit - Season or career, though I'm mainly thinking career here.)

Joltin' Joe's hit streak has held up well and is another difficult one to break, but it could go at any time. Or not.

Edited July 26, 2007 by Quincy

[Chalupa]

Oh shit.

Phillies second baseman Chase Utley broke his right hand when he was hit by a pitch from Washington Nationals pitcher John Lannon in the fifth inning today.

Phillies assistant general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said he expects Utley back before the end of the season, but there was no immediate prognosis. Utley broke the fourth metatarsal bone.

[Chalupa]

Ouch.

Man, I feel bad for the guy. He was putting up MVP numbers this season. 3rd in BA, 2nd in RBI, 2nd in R, 1st in 2B.

[Dan Gould]

Unfortunate news but its not like the Phils had a great chance to make the playoffs. He's a cornerstone guy for a team that could do something if it signs/trades/develops some pitching. I'm bullish on the Phils for the future but this wasn't going to be the year.

[Chalupa]

Unfortunate news but its not like the Phils had a great chance to make the playoffs. He's a cornerstone guy for a team that could do something if it signs/trades/develops some pitching. I'm bullish on the Phils for the future but this wasn't going to be the year.

Oh I agree on all counts. They blew it right out of the gate. And then Garcia, Leiber, Gordon, and Myers went down. However, I just love watching Utley play. Best 2nd baseman in the game bar none.

Oh well. Go Iggles!

[Dan Gould]

Gabbard has an excellent chance of winning because he is facing the brutal Cliff Lee who will not be able to keep Bosox bats silent. Book it.

But remember a split in Cleveland is actually a reasonably good outcome for Boston. Insisting on anything more is being a bit greedy/unrealistic. Too bad it looks like Detroit and NYY will win tonight (at least at the time I'm typing this).

Well you were right about Lee but I'm very disappointed that Gabbard pitched so well right until they broke it open, then he fell apart and now he can't get the win. Ironically Tavarez would get the win if they hang on.

Good news from Pawtucket though: Schilling threw 64 pitches over five innings, struck out eight, allowed two hits and no runs. One more rehab start and then he returns the first week of August. And I have to say it sounds like the rest and the shoulder strengthening work has done wonders. If we get the Schill of 2001-2004 back, I like our chances. Hell I might even endorse bringing him back for 2008.

Nah.

[zen archer]

Damn when Wily Mo puts lumber to the ball does that thing fly , surprised the indians are giving him so many fastballs ?

[zen archer]

Gabbard has an excellent chance of winning because he is facing the brutal Cliff Lee who will not be able to keep Bosox bats silent. Book it.

But remember a split in Cleveland is actually a reasonably good outcome for Boston. Insisting on anything more is being a bit greedy/unrealistic. Too bad it looks like Detroit and NYY will win tonight (at least at the time I'm typing this).

Well you were right about Lee but I'm very disappointed that Gabbard pitched so well right until they broke it open, then he fell apart and now he can't get the win. Ironically Tavarez would get the win if they hang on.

Good news from Pawtucket though: Schilling threw 64 pitches over five innings, struck out eight, allowed two hits and no runs. One more rehab start and then he returns the first week of August. And I have to say it sounds like the rest and the shoulder strengthening work has done wonders. If we get the Schill of 2001-2004 back, I like our chances. Hell I might even endorse bringing him back for 2008.

Nah.

thats 2 great rehab starts why waste him on another bring him up !

[Dan Gould]

Because he should have another start where he throws 80-90 pitches, then he can make his return with no restrictions.

Meanwhile Tavarez, who can still get the win, has turned a blow out into a three run game and made me look like a genius for predicting a slugfest.

Edit to say

Man-ny! Man-ny! Man-ny!

and

Is there any way we can convince the Yankees to keep trotting Igawa out there the rest of the season? Too bad old George has too many bats in the belfry these days, I'm sure he'd have a colorful nickname for this guy by now, something much better than 'fat pussy toad'.

Edited July 27, 2007 by Dan Gould

[Patrick]

Boston funk is over, Cleveland's is not. At least the Tigers lost tonight. Hopefully Tribe can play better against the visiting Twins. Really wondering if management will do something about the season-long ineffectiveness of Cliff Lee and Jake Westbrook. Long relief for one of those guys? Ugh.

[Dan Gould]

Boston funk is over, Cleveland's is not. At least the Tigers lost tonight. Hopefully Tribe can play better against the visiting Twins. Really wondering if management will do something about the season-long ineffectiveness of Cliff Lee and Jake Westbrook. Long relief for one of those guys? Ugh.

Having paid a little more attention to the Tribe this week, my impression is that starting pitching is, overall, a significant defect, even more so than having a closer with such horrendous stats. To hold off the Yanks (or God how I hate to say this, the Red Sox) the Tribe needs a starter or two or those two have to pick it up. Byrd is better than those two but not by a huge margin.

[Patrick]

I am comfortable with Byrd as the 4th or 5th man in the rotation, but as the third, and a big dropoff to Westbrook and Lee, it will be tough to hang with Detroit and/or grab the wildcard. Bats, other than Victor Martinez and Ryan Garko, have been a bit underwhelming as well--mainly Hafner and Sizemore. At least Borowski took care of business the other night 3 up 3 down (an extremely rare occurence). Rotations shorten in the postseason, but the Tribe will not be there if Westbrook and Lee do not improve substantially. And they have each been solid starters in the AL for a number of seasons. Sowers, who had a promising debut last year, is struggling at Buffalo. Adam Miller, arguably their best pitching prospect, has had arm injuries and may be shut down for the season. (Texas was asking for him in exchange for Kenny Lofton--give me a break!] If only the team hadn't run out of options for Jeremy Guthrie in the spring. Why is that guy finally living up to his promise in Baltimore?

[Dan Gould]

I was checking the pitching matchups for the Yankee-Baltimore series and I noticed that Guthrie looked like he'd give them a reasonable chance for a win - I had no idea he had been in the Indians system before. It really sucks when that happens.

[Big Al]

Geez.... a four-game sweep of the Mariners to get things back on track and then we get swept by the lowly Royals.

Oh well, at least there's good news tonite:

TEX IS GONE!!!!! Traded to the Braves. Berigan, all I can say is get ready for a clubhouse cancer and a quick downward turn for the Braves. He'll be bitching in no time about what a raw deal he got.

OTOH, what'd we get? A catcher and three prospects. Of the prospects, only one is a pitcher..... and he's injured. [[[[[[sigh]]]]]]] The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Ah well, at least Tex is finally gone. Good riddance to that jerk.

[Dan Gould]

There were Red Sox commentators who wanted to see them land Teixeira but I don't see the point of dumping either Youk or Lowell when both are playing so well ... but I have no doubt that the Yankees and Red Sox will go very hard for him after 2008. I have to admit I've never heard anything that suggests he's not a good clubhouse presence, and while Al may say he hits his homers when they count, his OPS is almost the same on both sides of the plate and he provides GG defense. In short, the Yanks and Red Sox may chase everyone off but I can't imagine a more sought-after guy in the free agent class of 2008.

Meantime, I almost spit up my soda over a report in the Globe that there was a "pretty good chance" of landing Jermaine Dye, but now apparently the White Sox want Wily Mo Pena plus either Manny Delcarmen or a Double-A pitcher who has been mowing them down, Masterson, and apparently the Sox regard both of those pitchers as too valuable for a rent-a-player like Dye. I'm still not sure how they'd satisfy Dye's desire to play 5 days a week anyway but he'd be a major offensive improvement, he could certainly play for Drew against lefties or whenever his quad tightens up.

So Al, what is the deal with Gagne? My biggest fear is that the Yankees land him and he instantly transforms their setup situation, but I can't see how they do that without giving up one of the top prospects.

[BERIGAN]

Geez.... a four-game sweep of the Mariners to get things back on track and then we get swept by the lowly Royals.

Oh well, at least there's good news tonite:

TEX IS GONE!!!!! Traded to the Braves. Berigan, all I can say is get ready for a clubhouse cancer and a quick downward turn for the Braves. He'll be bitching in no time about what a raw deal he got.

OTOH, what'd we get? A catcher and three prospects. Of the prospects, only one is a pitcher..... and he's injured. [[[[[[sigh]]]]]]] The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Ah well, at least Tex is finally gone. Good riddance to that jerk.

No Al, you didn't get Salty and 3 prospects you got(or are going to get) the top 3 braves prospects(perhaps 4) according to baseball America. I heard Buster Olney say the other day that some baseball guy, a scout or exec say he'd trade Teixeira for Saltalamacchia (Learn to spell it soon! ) straight up!!!! He is a better defender than Brian McCann, right now. Better arm, better blocker. If we hadn't stupidly signed McCann for 6 years, I'd imagine he'd be the one to go....except the Braves front office LOVES him.

Salty had fans drooling over him the first time he played. Guys on the AJC(ATL paper) blog saw him at the game and were going overboard on him. He is a switch hitter who was more than willing to learn 1st base(Any chance you guys use him there?) just to play.

Senile dumb fuck Bobby Cox never really gave him a chance. He'd play 2 games a week at 1st, and perhaps 1 game a week behind the plate. Rarely pinch hit because we need 13 pitchers for Cox to somehow overuse, instead of a 3rd catcher. Kinda hard to really get on a role that way. Give him some time to learn the new league, plus, he's only 22.

Elvis???? The AJC beat writer saw the youngster(18?) in spring training as was saying how very good he already looked. He too stood out among the other young players. But, being so young, the jury will be out for a few years on him. Though I imagine your team would be smart enough to play him there if he is ready at 19-20. We kept Yunel Escobar rotting in the minors until this year, and he has clearly been ready for the majors for awhile.

Don't know much about Harrington, just that he and Jo-Jo Reyes were our best pitching prospects. Reyes has pitched ok, but doesn't have "great" stuff, just a low 90's fastball. In other words, a typical braves pitcher. I remember someone saying on baseball tonight that in one start, hitters swung and missed exactly one time. So, I hope for your sake Harrington is better than him.

I know, just what the Rangers needed, more hitting...but, IMHO, your GM just screwed J.S.

Oh, what exactly has Teixeira said in the past to have you rate him a Cancer??? I ask cuz the folks on the braves blog are not going to like me telling them that......

[BERIGAN]

More on Elvis....If these articles don't make you all warm and fuzzy, nothing will...sigh....

http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/ar...b&fext=.jsp

http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/news/article...sp&c_id=atl

[Chalupa]

Al you should be psyched to be getting Salty. I seen him play a couple of times this season vs. the Phils. He's the real deal.

[Hot Ptah]

Geez.... a four-game sweep of the Mariners to get things back on track and then we get swept by the lowly Royals.

The Royals are on the rise. They could reach .500 next season. A few years from now, this sweep will seem like the first historical rumblings of the franchise's resurgence.

[Big Al]

There were Red Sox commentators who wanted to see them land Teixeira but I don't see the point of dumping either Youk or Lowell when both are playing so well ... but I have no doubt that the Yankees and Red Sox will go very hard for him after 2008. I have to admit I've never heard anything that suggests he's not a good clubhouse presence, and while Al may say he hits his homers when they count, his OPS is almost the same on both sides of the plate and he provides GG defense. In short, the Yanks and Red Sox may chase everyone off but I can't imagine a more sought-after guy in the free agent class of 2008.

Take this for whatever it's worth, but I have friends who are around the inner workings of the Rangers and the consensus is that he is an arrogant fan-unfriendly jerk.

Also, to be clear, I never said he only hits homers when they count. Quite the opposite, actually: I've been saying all along he hits homers whenever the game is out of reach, winning or losing. Put him at the plate with men on, and more often than not he'll choke.

Frankly, I hope the Yanks get him. Nothing will humble him faster.

So Al, what is the deal with Gagne? My biggest fear is that the Yankees land him and he instantly transforms their setup situation, but I can't see how they do that without giving up one of the top prospects.

Gagne has stated over and over that he wants to stay in Texas. I believe the strategy is to trade him for some young prospects, then bring him back when he declares free-agency at the end of the season.

[Dan Gould]

There were Red Sox commentators who wanted to see them land Teixeira but I don't see the point of dumping either Youk or Lowell when both are playing so well ... but I have no doubt that the Yankees and Red Sox will go very hard for him after 2008. I have to admit I've never heard anything that suggests he's not a good clubhouse presence, and while Al may say he hits his homers when they count, his OPS is almost the same on both sides of the plate and he provides GG defense. In short, the Yanks and Red Sox may chase everyone off but I can't imagine a more sought-after guy in the free agent class of 2008.

Take this for whatever it's worth, but I have friends who are around the inner workings of the Rangers and the consensus is that he is an arrogant fan-unfriendly jerk.

Also, to be clear, I never said he only hits homers when they count. Quite the opposite, actually: I've been saying all along he hits homers whenever the game is out of reach, winning or losing. Put him at the plate with men on, and more often than not he'll choke.

Frankly, I hope the Yanks get him. Nothing will humble him faster.

So Al, what is the deal with Gagne? My biggest fear is that the Yankees land him and he instantly transforms their setup situation, but I can't see how they do that without giving up one of the top prospects.

Gagne has stated over and over that he wants to stay in Texas. I believe the strategy is to trade him for some young prospects, then bring him back when he declares free-agency at the end of the season.

Number one, my bad, I obviously meant to type that he hits homers when they don't matter.

And number two, you're saying that Gagne wants to stay on that team, regardless of its potential to reach the World Series, or lack thereof?

[Tim McG]

Forget it, Big Al.

Dan can't help himself.

[Tim McG]

Arrogant, unfriendly jerk.

Hm.

[Reminds me of a certain Dan person I know of]

Gee. I guess Bonds isn't the only ballplayer like that.

Who knew?

Well, so much for the HOF then, huh.

Edited July 31, 2007 by GoodSpeak