ghost of miles Posted July 11, 2011 Report Posted July 11, 2011 Wow, that's really....MOIST! Just want to be worthy of the dialogue here and meet like with like, walk tall and honest and straight like a Texas Ranger does, fear no man, etc., etc. And totally misunderstanding my point, which is merely this - No, I understood it, but it's grafting a logic onto something in light of previous comments/arguments that doesn't extend in a logical manner. All jobs have their standards of success. That a major league hitter is viewed as a superior talent with a 30% success rate speaks only to the difficulty of the task at hand, not to the greater work ethic required to succeed. A janitor can have good days and bad days (I've been one, so I know). It's still work, all of it. And like all jobs, some days are better than others. When a good job has been done, it is a good thing. And when an honest effort fails (even if it's in an occupation where a 70% fail rate is acceptable), that too is a good thing, although not as much fun as when it does, obviously. A less than honest effort, though, is nothing to be rewarded, no matter what the outcome. But that is not where we are. The fling with the bling is a toxin in our society. It has become an end unto itself. I want to see honest effort and honest results, with the rewards to follow accordingly. Beyond that...not interested. I've had my share of blue-collar, s*&#-slinging menial jobs as well. Work is good, you should do work to the best of your ability, whatever it is. No real need to romanticize/sentimentalize work, though, which is the drift I'm catching here, even as such categorization is railed against elsewhere. It grinds a lot of people down, doesn't pay them what it should, doesn't make them happy at all. Part of that may be their attitude; part of it may stem from larger forces over which they have little control or influence. As for honesty, all for it, as long as it's not subservient to ego, which is all too often the case in this little society of ours. Quote
BERIGAN Posted July 11, 2011 Report Posted July 11, 2011 Actually guys, taking in to consideration OBP, a successful hitter has a 35% + rate of reaching base! Quote
ghost of miles Posted July 11, 2011 Report Posted July 11, 2011 Actually guys, taking in to consideration OBP, a successful hitter has a 35% + rate of reaching base! Yes, OBP is the modern gold standard for hitters, as opposed to BA. Quote
JSngry Posted July 11, 2011 Report Posted July 11, 2011 No real need to romanticize/sentimentalize work, though, which is the drift I'm catching here, even as such categorization is railed against elsewhere. Then your attempted catch must be scored as an error. It grinds a lot of people down, doesn't pay them what it should, doesn't make them happy at all. Part of that may be their attitude; part of it may stem from larger forces over which they have little control or influence. Most people ultimately have the final say as to their self-respect. That they too often fail to realize that, that they are not even encouraged to recognize it in any other than "fantastic" terms (i.e. - "YOU can be a STAR!!!!") is the main evil of our time. What is too often romanticized/sentimentalized is jobs, not work itself. Work itself is a basic human need, and quite a wonderful thing. "Jobs" otoh, are the devil's playground. Quote
ghost of miles Posted July 11, 2011 Report Posted July 11, 2011 Then your attempted catch must be scored as an error. That, sir, is a scorer's judgment call. Quote
JSngry Posted July 11, 2011 Report Posted July 11, 2011 (edited) Well, since the official scorer is always a home-town denizen, and since the attempted catch was on my "point" ...it's my call! Edited July 11, 2011 by JSngry Quote
Quincy Posted July 11, 2011 Report Posted July 11, 2011 Actually guys, taking in to consideration OBP, a successful hitter has a 35% + rate of reaching base! Yes, OBP is the modern gold standard for hitters, as opposed to BA. And there's long been a strong correlation between winning & OBP (and SLG) as opposed to BA. Look at the Yankees. They were 10th (when I last looked on Sat.) in BA but 2nd in OBP. For all of the complaints about Swisher there are few teams that have someone who gets on base as often as he does when he hit's lower in the lineup. As for the M's although they've dipped out of contention (as I expected), I'm extremely happy about how things are going. Ackley looks to be the real deal. He has a great eye, some pop in the bat and can steal. He has the balance to bat anywhere from 2nd to 5th, and for now 3rd is very sweet spot for him, and to get all of that out of 2nd base is fantastic. Smoak has been up & down and more of the latter of late but he's only 24. And now they've called up Kyle Seager to play 3rd. He began an awesome 1 for 12 so the All-Star break was beautifully timed for his slump. So it's great to see the youngsters given the chance rather than patching it up with fading vets. The starting pitching has been terrific and isn't just an illusion of the ballpark. Having had one of the most putrid offenses in baseball history last year it's remarkable to have any amount of hope at all, so I'm grateful for the progress made. Quote
ghost of miles Posted July 11, 2011 Report Posted July 11, 2011 (edited) Well, since the official scorer is always a home-town denizen, and since the attempted catch was on my "point" ...it's my call! Yes, it is indeed a hometown call. On the Yankee front and all things second-half: as noted earlier, I'm pleasantly surprised to see NY on the heels of Boston at this point. Bullpen depth worries me a bit, what with Chamberlain out for the rest of the year and Rafael Soriano (a player who has definitely not met hopes or expectations so far) a mystery even when he does return. David Robertson, on the other hand, has really, really stepped up--outside of issuing too many walks, he's been lights-out as a set-up man for Mo, and made a strong case to become the closer when Mo decides to retire. The rotation, such a huge point of concern when the season began, now has an odd man out, what with Bartolo Colon (hugely surpassing expectations) and Freddie Garcia (surpassing them as well) providing quality starts, A.J. Burnett at least holding up as a .500, 4.00 ERA pitcher (all anybody could really hope for after last season's debacle), and Ivan Nova coming on strong of late. If Phil Hughes can pitch anywhere near his April-May 2010 level, we'll be in far better shape than I expected going into the postseason. And for all of the talk about the Yankees' "age" factor, that really just applies to Jeter/A-Rod/Posada; the team is youthful or relatively youthful everywhere else. A-Rod's getting an unexpected rest, which will hurt NY in the short-term but possibly help in the long-term. Surpassing expectations: Curtis Granderson! People at Pinstripe Alley thought I was nuts last year to suggest him as a #2 hitter, but he's flourished there this season. Great to see a genuinely nice person having such a great year on the field. (Take that, Leo Durocher!) Bartolo Colon. Freddie Garcia. Not really meeting them: Robinson Cano, who's having a decent enough year, but who was a monster at the plate last season. Rafael Soriano. My money's still on Boston to take it all in the AL, but as Dan's pointed out, they're more vulnerable than many of us expected when the season began. Still, that offense! They're never out of a game, even if Lackey's having a miserable start or what-have-you. They've pushed the Yankees around at will so far; the only thing that makes me a bit more optimistic about the coming August/September matchups is that NY's a tougher team now than they were for the first two months of the season. They really seemed to finally find their groove in June; if they can keep that up, they'll at least make a fight of things. Edited July 11, 2011 by ghost of miles Quote
JSngry Posted July 11, 2011 Report Posted July 11, 2011 As for the M's although they've dipped out of contention (as I expected),...The starting pitching has been terrific and isn't just an illusion of the ballpark. Yeah, between your guys' staff and that of the Angels, along with the as-of-yet unproven ability of the Rangers hitters to collectively and consistently perform up to potential, the schedule leaves the M's plenty of room to get back into the race. Next time Matthew stops in, I'd like to hear his take on the Angels' chances of holding up over second half. They worry me. Quote
JSngry Posted July 11, 2011 Report Posted July 11, 2011 Surpassing expectations: Curtis Granderson! Curtis Granderson can play. He'd make any team better. His glove commercial bugs the dog piss outta me, but the guy can play. Quote
Dave James Posted July 11, 2011 Report Posted July 11, 2011 Forget about Aramis Ramirez as an A-Rod replacement. He has a $16 million club option for next year that turns into a player option if he's traded. Quote
Chuck Nessa Posted July 11, 2011 Report Posted July 11, 2011 Doesn't look like the Cubs are going to win the Series. Quote
jlhoots Posted July 12, 2011 Report Posted July 12, 2011 While you guys shoot the s**t re: all of the usual suspects, I continue to say "go, Brewers". They have exceeded my expectations to date. Quote
JSngry Posted July 12, 2011 Report Posted July 12, 2011 AAA ball has better fights than MLB. Story: http://www.krem.com/news/slideshows/Spokane-Indian-125386733.html Video: http://www.krem.com/video/featured-videos/Unedited-Brawl-at-Spokane-Indians-game-125387538.html Who knew? Quote
Dave James Posted July 12, 2011 Report Posted July 12, 2011 BIg to do in Yankee land about whether Derek Jeter should be included among the top 5 Yankees of all time. Personally, I don't see it. Top 10, maybe, but that's it. My top 5: 1. Ruth 2. Gehrig 3. Mantle 4. DiMaggio 5. Berra. You might argue with the positioning (3. and 4. are interchangeable) but I don't see how you can argue the names. Quote
Indestructible! Posted July 12, 2011 Report Posted July 12, 2011 AAA ball has better fights than MLB. Story: http://www.krem.com/news/slideshows/Spokane-Indian-125386733.html Video: http://www.krem.com/video/featured-videos/Unedited-Brawl-at-Spokane-Indians-game-125387538.html Who knew? True, true... Nasty sucker punch from Matt West, though. He'll never make it to the show, but if by some miracle he does land in Arlington please be sure to heartily boo the jerk for me. Quote
JSngry Posted July 12, 2011 Report Posted July 12, 2011 If he's ever a pitcher in Arlington...that will take care of the booing by itself, trust me. Quote
papsrus Posted July 12, 2011 Report Posted July 12, 2011 (edited) Don't know if it's been noted here yet, but some guy almost took a tumble at the HR derby last night. Not sure what can be done if people insist on jumping out over the railings. I have a thing about heights myself, and don't really like getting near those things, let alone hang out over the abyss. Edited July 12, 2011 by papsrus Quote
Dan Gould Posted July 12, 2011 Author Report Posted July 12, 2011 It reminded me about history repeating, first as trajedy, then as farce. Has anyone seen the photo of the asshat before he nearly killed himself, standing on the metal table built into the railing? How stupid can you be? Honorary recipient of a Darwin award except he didn't fulfill the entry requirements. And it happened just as I was watching "1000 ways to die" on Spike. Quote
Dan Gould Posted July 12, 2011 Author Report Posted July 12, 2011 Rusty Hardin is even more stupid than previously believed: Clemens defense plans to question validity of House hearings This goes beyond a "kitchen sink" defense into the patently absurd. And on top of that, isn't it essentially an admission of guilt? "Yeah, I lied, but Congress had no right to ask the questions so it shouldn't matter." Quote
Dave James Posted July 12, 2011 Report Posted July 12, 2011 Rusty Hardin is even more stupid than previously believed: Clemens defense plans to question validity of House hearings This goes beyond a "kitchen sink" defense into the patently absurd. And on top of that, isn't it essentially an admission of guilt? "Yeah, I lied, but Congress had no right to ask the questions so it shouldn't matter." The first time I ever laid eyes on Rusty Hardin, I thought he was a total dipstick. Good luck, Roger, putting your future in the hands of this guy. Quote
Aggie87 Posted July 12, 2011 Report Posted July 12, 2011 If Jose Baez can win an acquittal, I wouldn't put anything past Hardin. Quote
Dan Gould Posted July 13, 2011 Author Report Posted July 13, 2011 (edited) Well Hardin is at least as shameless as Baez, in fact he is more shameless because Baez spouted what most people believe were lies in his opening statement (that the father sexually abused Casey and that two of them found her dead in the pool and covered it up). Rusty, however, is going straight for the provably false in his opening statement. From the Houston Chronicle's blog entry: Hardin said Congress insisted on having Clemens testify in a hearing investigating steroid use in the MLB, even though the issue Clemens public denials of using steroids could have been resolved in a civil defamation trial in Texas that pitted Clemens word against McNamees. [Clemens' lawyers said] Let it be handled in the courts, where trials are supposed to be, Hardin said. The Congressional committee disagreed. Hardin noted the committee extended its invitation to Clemens anyway. http://blog.chron.com/clemens/2011/07/clemens-defense-counters-governments-claims-in-opening-statements/ This is a flat-out lie. When the committe completed its pre-hearing work, and had the information from everyone, he was explicitly given the chance to cancel his testimony. He explicitly said he wanted the chance to talk to the committe in an open hearing. They knew they had evidence against what he had said in public and expressed to him that he didn't have to testify before the committee. That is all part of the public record and was widely reported at the time. This is really pathetic, and I wonder if the prosecution will make an effort to deal with the claim during their portion of the trial. I guess it will depend on how much of an effort the defense makes to question the validity of the hearings themselves. Edited July 13, 2011 by Dan Gould Quote
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