Non-Pirates Baseball Thread

[JoseCuervo]

I really don't like Lincecum...or Jimenez for that matter. I also hate Wainwright. Halladay is probably the only of the huge name pitchers left that I don't dislike. I guess Jimenez isn't really a huge name, and will fade back into relative obscurity next season.

I <3 wainwright

[Idoit40fans]

He's on the same level as Beckett as my most hated baseball player. I'd say they're both in my top 3 most hated athletes.

[JoseCuervo]

He's on the same level as Beckett as my most hated baseball player. I'd say they're both in my top 3 most hated athletes.

becket is a d-bag. why do you hate wainwright?

[SolidSnake]

Cliff Lee is still my fav pitcher in MLB

[beerman]

I love the Freak, but I'm worried about the way his numbers are trending this year.

It will almost defy belief if he never has injury problems, but, if you ever read about his mechanics, you could see how he might make it because its designed to use as many different muscles as possible and should reduce arm strain.

I wouldn't worry about the numbers, I think it's just a one year blip for him. Some of his numbers are still fairly close to what they have been in the past, I think a combo of how good he's been in the past and how good guys like Jimenez, Johnson, Wainwright and a few others have been this year have made Lincecum's season look a lot worse than it really is. He's getting killed on LD% and babip this year.

I agree on the mechanics, the things I've read about it are pretty impressive in this day, like never having to ice his arm. I don't think the issue is how hard he throws for his size because he generates that all with the mechanics. But he throws some nasty curveballs and the strain that puts on the arm will do him in if anything does imo.

[pittsports87]

So far this year Morgan has slammed his glove angry because he dropped the ball, even though the ball was still in play, threw a baseball at a Phillies fan (I think it was a Phillies fan, and if it was I am totally okay with it), bulling over the Marlins catcher when he should have and could have easily slid, stool 2 bases after getting hit when they were down 11, then charged the mound and threw a punch at the pitcher. I guess thats what being in Washington does to you, he was such a good guy and never seen anything like this from him in Pittsburgh!

[Idoit40fans]

I have no problem with the collision at the plate, and thus no problem with charging the mound after being thrown at twice. I have lots of problems with the way he left the field after charging the mound though.

[Malkamaniac]

I have no problem with the collision at the plate, and thus no problem with charging the mound after being thrown at twice. I have lots of problems with the way he left the field after charging the mound though.

lol, I thought the same thing. All he did was play baseball, even being down buy a bunch. However walking off acting like a heel wrestler has no place in baseball. Was funny to see him get clotheslined though.

[beerman]

I have no problem with the collision at the plate, and thus no problem with charging the mound after being thrown at twice. I have lots of problems with the way he left the field after charging the mound though.

totally agree, I also don't get the big deal over him stealing two bases after getting plunked. That's what he should've been doing, make them pay for putting him on regardless of the score. Not being allowed to steal bases down 11 is one of the dumbest things I've ever heard. Like you said though the way he went off the field, especially after he got wiped out by the 1b man, made him look like a major dumb ass.

[ulf]

I have no problem with the collision at the plate, and thus no problem with charging the mound after being thrown at twice. I have lots of problems with the way he left the field after charging the mound though.

totally agree, I also don't get the big deal over him stealing two bases after getting plunked. That's what he should've been doing, make them pay for putting him on regardless of the score. Not being allowed to steal bases down 11 is one of the dumbest things I've ever heard. Like you said though the way he went off the field, especially after he got wiped out by the 1b man, made him look like a major dumb ass.

Yeah thats a terrible "unwritten rule." up by 11, no way you steal, but down by 11- never give up. And quite frankly, if I was a Nats fan and my player got thrown at twice, I'd be a little disappointed if there wasn't retaliation. He shouldn't have left the field like that.

side note: gaby sanchez laid him out with the meanest clothesline i've ever seen.

[Idoit40fans]

N. McLouth hit sacrifice fly to deep center, B. McCann and D. Hernandez scored

You might think that the significance of that scoring play is Nate McLouth actually contributing something. You'd be wrong.

[JoseCuervo]

N. McLouth hit sacrifice fly to deep center, B. McCann and D. Hernandez scored

You might think that the significance of that scoring play is Nate McLouth actually contributing something. You'd be wrong.

damn, that's ridiculous. no error?

[Idoit40fans]

N. McLouth hit sacrifice fly to deep center, B. McCann and D. Hernandez scored

You might think that the significance of that scoring play is Nate McLouth actually contributing something. You'd be wrong.

damn, that's ridiculous. no error?

Nope.

[Sam's Drunk Dog]

The Braves are doing a good job of trying to give away the division to the Phillies. Luckily they have the Pirates next.

[Idoit40fans]

The Braves are doing a good job of trying to give away the division to the Phillies. Luckily they have the Pirates next.

The Phillies have usually been a step ahead of them in giving the division back though. Its not a fun time to follow the NL East. I think i'd feel equally unhappy about my team if I were the Phillies right now.

[ulf]

Here is a wild card idea.

I think he is going about it wrong with the 2 wild card winners having a play-in series, if you will. Give the #1 seed a bye, and you'll really see a pennant race.

[beerman]

I'm 100% against any idea that brings more teams to the postseason. It's more than fine the way it is, only tweaks I'd make are less off days and maybe bump the Divisional Round up to a best of 7.

[ulf]

I'm 100% against any idea that brings more teams to the postseason. It's more than fine the way it is, only tweaks I'd make are less off days and maybe bump the Divisional Round up to a best of 7.

Get rid of the wild card. #1 seed gets a bye. I've never really thought of changing it, but I do like the idea of more emphasis on a pennant race.

[beerman]

I'm 100% against any idea that brings more teams to the postseason. It's more than fine the way it is, only tweaks I'd make are less off days and maybe bump the Divisional Round up to a best of 7.

Get rid of the wild card. #1 seed gets a bye. I've never really thought of changing it, but I do like the idea of more emphasis on a pennant race.

I'd be ok with ditching the wild card if there was a good way around it but I don't like the idea of giving the #1 a bye. Baseball is too tough to give a team a week+ off like that. They play nearly every day for 6 mos then have a week to week and a half break then have to play an opponent that's kept sharp? Not a good situation imo.

I agree on trying to put more emphasis on the pennant race, I'd love to see them go back to two divisions in each league and just let the top two teams play in the LCS but they'd never go for losing an entire round of the playoffs. If they have to change it, still going with two division each division winner gets homefield for the first round and then you take the two next best teams. I think it would create more of a race that way than currently constructed. You'd be able to balance the schedule out a bit more that way and could also make it that for the last few weeks teams really only play within their division (the AL wouldn't work with 14 teams so you'd constantly have to have one East team playing a West but it wouldn't be that bad.

[ulf]

Good point, the bye would most likely hurt the team with the off week I think. The regular season is pretty blah though, anymore. I'm all for something to make more of a pennant race, but I don't really see anything getting changed soon. I like the 2 division system like you said. I'd like to see real home field for the division winners- all 7 games there. Maybe too much? I'd just really like to see the regular season mean more, since it is 162 games long..

[MWB]

I'm 100% against any idea that brings more teams to the postseason. It's more than fine the way it is, only tweaks I'd make are less off days and maybe bump the Divisional Round up to a best of 7.

I agree. If things are unappealing for a couple years people always want to change them. What happens if there are two wild card spots per league, but then that's not enough to make for a compelling race in September? Stretch to three wild cards? The only aspect I agree with is there should be a greater penalty for being the wild card than just having to be the away team. I do like the idea of best of 7 in the first round and making sure it's condensed so teams really have to use their pitching staffs.

[beerman]

I'm 100% against any idea that brings more teams to the postseason. It's more than fine the way it is, only tweaks I'd make are less off days and maybe bump the Divisional Round up to a best of 7.

I agree. If things are unappealing for a couple years people always want to change them. What happens if there are two wild card spots per league, but then that's not enough to make for a compelling race in September? Stretch to three wild cards? The only aspect I agree with is there should be a greater penalty for being the wild card than just having to be the away team. I do like the idea of best of 7 in the first round and making sure it's condensed so teams really have to use their pitching staffs.

Yeah, I really don't even understand how they think adding a second WC even makes things more compelling. In the AL the only thing it does is bring both Sox into the picture and I don't see why either team deserves the playoffs at this point. The Red Sox are beat up and would be without 1/2 of their best line-up and with Chicago aside from their unconscious 25-5 run before the ASB they're a .470 ball club. Adding one of those two teams doesn't make the postseason any better or more compelling at this point.

It's even worse with the NL, you've got a great race in the East 1 game seperating the Braves and Phils and in the West 3.5 between the Pads, Giants and Rockies. And they are all within 4.5 of one another for the 1 wild card spot available. Doesn't adding an extra Wild Card and subsequently guaranteeing 4 of those 5 make the postseason water the race down like they're boohooing about the NYY TB race is already? I just don't see adding that spot is better.

I agree on condensing that best of 7 and giving more of a penalty to the wc team, here's my suggestion: Division round goes to best of 7 and gets played in 8 days. The higher seed get's 5 home games instead of the standard 4. Games 1, 2 & 3 are played at their building, they then travel without an off day to the Wild Card teams home for games 4 & 5. Then an off day for travel before games 6 & 7 at the original site. Squeezes the games in, taxes the pitching staffs a little more than normal and gives the wc team slightly more of a penalty than a normal 7 game set.

[MWB]

Sounds good to me.

[Idoit40fans]

I like the wildcard, but definitely drop a series per season and go to 7 game divisional rounds.

[MWB]

Great pitchers duel in TB... Price and Sabathia each throw 8 scoreless.