Topic: 2011 MLB Baseball Thread

[JazzBill]

I feel sorry for who ever has to face Verlander in the first round, good luck.

[falsealarms]

Not to mention Doug Fister, one of the best adds any team made at the deadline. Pitching great for DET.

[shemps#1]

Dice-K was always a wild ride, that's for sure.

One of Theo's first signings was also one of his best: that being David Ortiz. He is also responsible for Curt Schilling, Kevin Millar and Bill Mueller among others and had the gonads to ship off the face of the franchise, Nomar Garciaparra, when he became a cancer. In baseball you are going to have more misses than hits as far as signings go, especially in this day and age. Overall I would say Theo is a great GM with great ownership backing him up with big bucks like Cashman over there in the anal cavity known as the Bronx. Both GMs know how to play big money baseball (or "anti-moneyball") without bankrupting the future.

I strongly believe that Crawford should bat lead-off starting next year. He is the quintessential lead-off hitter and needs to swallow his pride and bat there even though he doesn't want to. Ellsbury is practically being wasted as a lead-off hitter, especially now that he has found his power stroke. I'm giving him a pass this year due to the adjustment from playing in front of tumbleweeds in Tampa to playing in front of people in Boston.

Whenever I think of Matt Clement (who was OK in Boston and even made the All-Star team) all I can think off is the line drive he took to the face from Crawford. It was nasty and pretty much where it all went downhill.

Whenever you start getting down on Theo just remember: we could have gotten Omar Minaya instead. :shudder:

[falsealarms]

Whenever you start getting down on Theo just remember: we could have gotten Omar Minaya instead. :shudder:

You got that right. It hasn't been much fun being a Mets fan since the 2007 collapse. Between meddling, cash-strapped owners and an inept front office, the team isn't in great shape. There wasn't much reason to watch their games this year and there likely won't be next year either. You know they have next to no chance to be relevant. The Mets probably won't be relevant until at least 2013 and that's being optimistic. At least the NEW front office has made some pretty good movies (like dealing Beltran for a top pitching prospect in Zack Wheeler) but it's an organization that won't be fixed overnight. Wheeler and Matt Harvey could form the start of a good rotation in a year or two. When he gets healthy, Jenrry Meija could be a dynamic late inning reliever. There's no potential impact bats anywhere on the horizon. Their best hitting prospect, Brandon Nimmo, probably won't sniff the major leagues for 4-5 years. He was their first round pick this year and has 0 AB in the minors right now.

They have a lot of money invested in players that figure to be of little use (i.e Jason Bay) or whose future is clouded by injury (Johan Santana). I have no idea what happened to Bay, but it's pretty clear he's toast. His wicked fast demise upon coming to the Mets was like Roberto Alomar's 10 years ago.

They're in a terrible bind with Reyes, a pending FA. An electric star level talent at a scarce position, but his chronic leg injuries make him a major risk, especially with a lot of his value being in his legs. It's a dammed if you do, dammed if you don't situation.

The Wilpons need to sell the team completely and the Mets need to invest much more money into the draft (they don't draft like a big market team should).

The Mets really should have won it all in 2006. I have no doubt they would have beaten DET had they advanced past the NLCS.

[metaldams]

Dice-K was always a wild ride, that's for sure.

One of Theo's first signings was also one of his best: that being David Ortiz. He is also responsible for Curt Schilling, Kevin Millar and Bill Mueller among others and had the gonads to ship off the face of the franchise, Nomar Garciaparra, when he became a cancer. In baseball you are going to have more misses than hits as far as signings go, especially in this day and age. Overall I would say Theo is a great GM with great ownership backing him up with big bucks like Cashman over there in the anal cavity known as the Bronx. Both GMs know how to play big money baseball (or "anti-moneyball") without bankrupting the future.

I strongly believe that Crawford should bat lead-off starting next year. He is the quintessential lead-off hitter and needs to swallow his pride and bat there even though he doesn't want to. Ellsbury is practically being wasted as a lead-off hitter, especially now that he has found his power stroke. I'm giving him a pass this year due to the adjustment from playing in front of tumbleweeds in Tampa to playing in front of people in Boston.

Whenever I think of Matt Clement (who was OK in Boston and even made the All-Star team) all I can think off is the line drive he took to the face from Crawford. It was nasty and pretty much where it all went downhill.

Whenever you start getting down on Theo just remember: we could have gotten Omar Minaya instead. :shudder:

From 2003 - 2004, which is when all the positive moves you mentioned are from, Theo had a run of good decisions, but his free agent and trade decisions have left a lot to be desired since.  The best move since then, which was Sanchez/Ramirez for Beckett/Lowell, a move that worked for both sides, was done during that few month hiatus he had from the team.  I will never knock his draft picks, which are his saving grace, but since 2004, I think he has a bad record of free agents.

Carl Crawford would be a great lead-off hitter if he can learn to get on base more.  Boston has a patient line-up and it would serve him well to learn this approach.  If he does, and if he is willing, he could certainly be a great lead-off hitter.

Matt Clement was great for the first half of 2005 and awful after that.  He was valuable for 1/6th of his contract, which I must say, is better than Carl Pavano.  Clement was starting to shut down even before the Crawford line drive, which was absolutely scary.

No arguments about Omar Minaya.

[metaldams]

They have a lot of money invested in players that figure to be of little use (i.e Jason Bay) or whose future is clouded by injury (Johan Santana). I have no idea what happened to Bay, but it's pretty clear he's toast. His wicked fast demise upon coming to the Mets was like Roberto Alomar's 10 years ago.

I'll give Theo credit for a trade he didn't make, and that's Johan Santana.  The names being thrown around were Jon Lester, Jacoby Ellsbury, Justin Masterson, and Jed Lowrie.

[metaldams]

You know the Red Sox are in trouble when not even Ric Flair can save them.  The way things are going now, I suggest we have Flair as a starter, thumb the opposing batter in the eye behind the ump's back, and then throw strike three by him.  We can also have Arn and Tully break Cano's arm in the parking lot while we're at it. 

http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2011/09/21/ric_flair_visits_red_sox_clubhouse/

As much as I love The Red Sox, if I were in that room, I might shove Pedroia out of the way to get to Flair first.

[Lefty]

And maybe Flair can knock out the ref -- uh, umpires, maybe even giving Joe West a groin shot.

[metaldams]

And maybe Flair can knock out the ref -- uh, umpires, maybe even giving Joe West a groin shot.

Let's have Angel Hernandez in the figure four and you got a deal.

[Justin T]

It's funny how the Yankees clinched a playoff spot and the AL East crown by sweeping the doubleheader against Tampa today, and in the process we do Boston a favor by keeping their lead on Tampa at 2 1/2 games while they lost to Baltimore again.

Now that we've clinched, I wonder how many of the regulars will be starting in our 3 games with Boston coming up. That could have an affect on if Tampa can close the gap or not with only a handful of games left in the season.

oh and I LOL at the idea of the 4 Horseman taking out Cano in the parking lot Metal, I wouldn't want that to happen of course but the Wrestling fan in me can't help but smile, kudos for the old school NWA style thinking there.

[metaldams]

No clutch hitting for Boston, no pitching, but the greatest footage you'll ever find on the Internet can be found on the link below once you get through an annoying add.....Ric Flair reading the Red Sox line-up card.  The man's a legend.

http://www.nesn.com/2011/09/ric-flair-emphatically-introduces-red-sox-lineup-prior-to-game-against-orioles-concludes-with-trio-o.html

By the way, I'm actually more scared of the Angels than Tampa Bay at this point.

[shemps#1]

Is it just me or are the Playoffs shaping up to be a dull affair this year (even moreso than last year)? Even if Boston makes it (I think they will hang on by the sweat of their balls) they aren't in any shape to do anything against Texas or Detroit. Then you have the NL...the Brewers and D-Backs? Not exactly ratings juggernauts.

The only way good ratings are to be had is if the Sox and Yanks play the ALCS and meet the winner of a Phillies/Braves NLCS.

[metaldams]

Is it just me or are the Playoffs shaping up to be a dull affair this year (even moreso than last year)? Even if Boston makes it (I think they will hang on by the sweat of their balls) they aren't in any shape to do anything against Texas or Detroit. Then you have the NL...the Brewers and D-Backs? Not exactly ratings juggernauts.

The only way good ratings are to be had is if the Sox and Yanks play the ALCS and meet the winner of a Phillies/Braves NLCS.

The ratings don't really concern me.  I don't think they will be so bad that MLB will fold or lose their television deals, and I don't have a financial stake involved.  I'd just like to see more series go deep for once and a lot of good games played.

Arizona is a pretty exciting story this season.

As for the Red Sox, did you hear the stat they have only won 2 games this season trailing after 7 (the Gonzo walk off against Baltimore and the Reddick walk off against the Yanks).  I don't know how you feel about this Jim, but I think it's flat out pitiful, especially with the great offense we have, how we lack anything close to timely hitting.  I don't know if there is way to fix this problem or it's just coincidence, but the Red Sox have been like this the past few seasons and I for one would like to see a little more fire.

I was hanging out with a Phillies fan friend last week during the Saturday game against Tampa Bay, following the game.  He says to me, "You guys are only down by one and you're guaranteeing a loss, you're so negative."  I explained the Red Sox only have big innings when we're already up by four or five runs and hardly ever come back from defecits, and I was right again.  Am I paranoid, or do you feel the same lack of confidence when we're down?  The Yankees come back all the time but we hardly ever do.

[shemps#1]

The ratings don't really concern me.  I don't think they will be so bad that MLB will fold or lose their television deals, and I don't have a financial stake involved.  I'd just like to see more series go deep for once and a lot of good games played.

Arizona is a pretty exciting story this season.

As for the Red Sox, did you hear the stat they have only won 2 games this season trailing after 7 (the Gonzo walk off against Baltimore and the Reddick walk off against the Yanks).  I don't know how you feel about this Jim, but I think it's flat out pitiful, especially with the great offense we have, how we lack anything close to timely hitting.  I don't know if there is way to fix this problem or it's just coincidence, but the Red Sox have been like this the past few seasons and I for one would like to see a little more fire.

I was hanging out with a Phillies fan friend last week during the Saturday game against Tampa Bay, following the game.  He says to me, "You guys are only down by one and you're guaranteeing a loss, you're so negative."  I explained the Red Sox only have big innings when we're already up by four or five runs and hardly ever come back from defecits, and I was right again.  Am I paranoid, or do you feel the same lack of confidence when we're down?  The Yankees come back all the time but we hardly ever do.

I'm with you. It's gotten to the point where if we are down at a certain point I throw my hands in the air. We are a better team than this: we are so well stocked that losing guys like Bucholz, Beckett and Youk for periods shouldn't effect us the way that it has. I have no doubt in my mind that we are much more well stocked than Tampa and the Angels, but we are lacking a passion...a fire in the belly and I feel that this team's lack of passion has infiltrated the fanbase. I can't tell you the last time I watched a complete game. Last weekend when the Sox were playing the Rays the NFL was also on and even though the Patriots were not playing until 4:15pm I chose to watch football. Normally I would choose Red Sox baseball even if the Patriots are playing.

Somebody needs to light a fire under their asses quickly.

[metaldams]

Somebody needs to light a fire under their asses quickly.

Damn right.  Hopefully they'll get it together from this point forward and play more aggressively. At least Tito's putting Crawford towards the top of the order now...better late than never.

[Justin T]

The announcers mentioned a interesting statistic about the Yankess just before the Yanks/Red Sox game ended. The Yankees are like 36-15 versus left handed pitching this season. That's amazing. No wonder we want to play Texas in the first round, they have 3 left handers and one right hander who we have done well against before. Tigers are dangerous with that lineup and their top 2 starters. I wouldn't want to have to face Verlander in Game 1 of the ALDS.

[falsealarms]

Arizona is an interesting story. They went from worst to first in one year and that makes them easy to root for. Milwaukee has a legit chance to win the World Series, something you can rarely say. That makes them interesting, especially since their window may be short with Fielder likely gone after the year. It's fun to see teams in there that usually aren't. With my Mets long gone, I'll be going for AZ/MIL in the NL. I'd prefer DET in the AL.

Just having games that mean something will be refreshing.

[falsealarms]

From the Brewers clinching game on Fri - what a scene this must have been:

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=19566869&topic_id=&c_id=mlb&tcid=vpp_copy_19566869&v=3

Hollywood would be hard-pressed to script the night better.

[shemps#1]

Arizona is an interesting story. They went from worst to first in one year and that makes them easy to root for. Milwaukee has a legit chance to win the World Series, something you can rarely say. That makes them interesting, especially since their window may be short with Fielder likely gone after the year. It's fun to see teams in there that usually aren't. With my Mets long gone, I'll be going for AZ/MIL in the NL. I'd prefer DET in the AL.

Just having games that mean something will be refreshing.

The problem with Arizona is they are in Arizona, lol. An AZ/MIL NLCS would be bad because nobody would watch. I might not have a financial stake in the television ratings of the MLB Playoffs but I love the sport and want to see it succeed. Now if either AZ or MIL were to play the Phillies and give them a run (or even beat them in a well played 6-7 game series), make a name for themselves then come back to me next year after they have established themselves as legit players.

The San Francisco Giants won the World Series last year, in rather dull fashion. This year? Not gonna make the playoffs. This is not good for MLB. The Texas Rangers, despite having lost their best pitcher from last year have clinched the AL West again and are going to make another run. Having a "rotation" with different teams is not necessarily a good thing because the baseball watching public at large can't form what I call a "side attachment" to the teams. You won't get the people watching them to see the team make it further than the year before (or repeat as champions) and you won't get the people watching in the hopes that they fail. You'll get apathy.

The Arizona Diamondbacks (I had to backtrack because I typed "Cardinals": football on the brain") are not yet a great story. If they got swept by the Phils or Braves in the DS no one will care that they went from last place to first. They have no stars, the time is fast approaching when they need to make stars on the big stage, and winning the World Series right now is not necessary to do that. Shit, having this very young play their balls out and fail (like Texas last year) then come back next year a little bit older and a lot wiser for the experience would be better.

It's really a fine line because the other end is a dynasty which is no good either in terms of the big picture. The last dynasty in MLB was the late 90's- early 00's Yankees and gradually people grew tired of seeing them in the World Series more often than not. People are weird that way.

[falsealarms]

The thing with teams like Arizona, it's that they DO have stars. They just haven't been exposed on a national stage yet. Justin Upton, barely 24 years old, is having a MVP caliber season with a .291 average, 39 doubles, 31 homers, 21 steals, and a 904 OPS. Though wins are overrated, Ian Kennedy has 21 of them along with 198 strikeouts, a 2.87 ERA, and a sub 1.100 WHIP. You'd be hard pressed to find many better pitchers in the second half the season, a period in which Kennedy has fanned roughly a batter an inning while allowing more than 3 ER just once. Kennedy will likely finish in the top 5 of the NL Cy voting.

We're due for a good WS. Realistically, there hasn't been a truly riveting WS since the upstart Marlins topped the mighty Yanks in 2003. Of the 7 WS since then, only one went even six games and three were sweeps. And despite the presence of some big market, rating-generating teams, we've had a prolonged period of rather dull WSs. THAT isn't good for MLB either. Boston winning in 04 was fun, but the WS that year (a sweep) was anti-climatic following the ALCS.

[shemps#1]

The thing with teams like Arizona, it's that they DO have stars. They just haven't been exposed on a national stage yet. Justin Upton, barely 24 years old, is having a MVP caliber season with a .291 average, 39 doubles, 31 homers, 21 steals, and a 904 OPS. Though wins are overrated, Ian Kennedy has 21 of them along with 198 strikeouts, a 2.87 ERA, and a sub 1.100 WHIP. You'd be hard pressed to find many better pitchers in the second half the season, a period in which Kennedy has fanned roughly a batter an inning while allowing more than 3 ER just once. Kennedy will likely finish in the top 5 of the NL Cy voting.

We're due for a good WS. Realistically, there hasn't been a truly riveting WS since the upstart Marlins topped the mighty Yanks in 2003. Of the 7 WS since then, only one went even six games and three were sweeps. And despite the presence of some big market, rating-generating teams, we've had a prolonged period of rather dull WSs. THAT isn't good for MLB either. Boston winning in 04 was fun, but the WS that year (a sweep) was anti-climatic following the ALCS.

In regards to Arizona having stars, they do not have stars YET. You can throw all of the stats at me you want until you are blue in the face but to be a "star" you have to be known outside of your fan base. Great young core? Yeah. Star studded? No. They may have local stars that the few D-Backs fans and baseball purists such as those of us who regularly post here know of, but they aren't going to be stars until they do something on a national stage. A WS win in an anti-climatic WS wouldn't matter because no one would watch it (see SF) but a good run in the playoffs where they fight hard against better teams (such as PHI) but come up short then raring to go next year would get people interested in them.

I agree that we are in need of a great World Series, but I think your example of the 2004 Red Sox is not apt. Even if the Cardinals took the Red Sox to seven games it would not have compared to the way they beat the Yankees in the ALCS. Anything would have been anti-climatic after coming back from 0-3 down. When the Red Sox beat the Yankees in the ALCS I knew they would win the World Series; it was only a matter of time.

Also, the 03 Series was not very riveting and a let-down because of what almost was. Instead of Red Sox/Cubs "one curse must fall" we got the Yankees (again) and the Florida Marlins. I know you're a Mets fan and perhaps you live in or near NYC and thusly in what I like to call a "the world centers around Gotham New York bubble" but outside of that bubble no one gave a rats ass about Yankees/Marlins: not even in Miami. The last great WS was the highly explosive Giants/Angels WS of '02.

You could have used any of the other World Series' in recent memory to make your point: you just picked the one exception to the rule.

[Lefty]

Whatever happened to that Philly-Boston World Series that had a "preview" in June?  Well, at least the Phillies clinched the division before deciding to take the rest of the regular season off.  The Faux Network has a dilemma -- do they want low ratings (Arizona or Milwaukee), or the team they dislike the most (Phillies) in the World Series?  And if you don't believe it, listen to Joe Schmuck broadcast a Phillies game.  Here are my desired outcomes:

1.  Phillies over Yankees -- revenge for 2009 (1950 can come later), and the Philly-NY rivalry.
2.  Phillies over Red Sox -- revenge for 1915,  and the overall lack of success against other Boston teams when it counts (except for the 1974 Stanley Cup).
3.  Phillies over Tigers -- the Detroit Red Wings beat the Flyers in the Stanley Cup Finals in 1997.
4.  Phillies over Rangers -- that whole Philly-Dallas thing in football.

If the Phillies don't get to the big dance, I would want Arizona or Milwaukee vs. Detroit just for Faux's displeasure.

[falsealarms]

With their WC lead  trimmed to 0.5 games, of course it's Lackey's turn in the rotation tonight. He can redeem himself slightly if he turns in a good showing tonight. TB ending the season hosting the Yankees is something to hang your hat on.

The NL is getting more interesting. STL is now 1 game behind ATL. STL closes out with the worst team in the majors (HOU) while ATL ends with the team with the most wins (PHI).

I don't know if either TB/STL get in, but STL getting Houston couldn't be any easier (so you'd think).

[falsealarms]

Not the ideal first inning as Boston quickly trails 3-0.

[metaldams]

I feel nothing but contempt for this current Red Sox team.  Losing a tough game 7 like in '03 and '08 is tough but you just tip your hat to the team for a good effort and move on.  This September downfall is just downright deplorable.  I just hope they don't go to a tiebreaker in Tampa Bay, but at this rate, I don't think they'll make it that far.