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Post by loucapitano on Jun 30, 2012 11:54:26 GMT -5
AARGH!!! YANKEE Disaster!!!! Sabathia and Pettitte out of the starting line-up and the bullpen is having YIPS! Still 5 games up, but CWS are not making it easy. I like what you guys said about "small-ball." Two examples: Last week, the much anticipated showdown with the Mets had Sabathia facing Dickey for NYC bragging rights. I had never seen Dickey start a game and the Yankees gave him a pretty tough time, which is good. But what impressed me most about him was not the "Old fashioned Knuckle" he threw, it was when he came to bat, he choked up two inches and slapped at the ball for a base hit. Another example is how the Diamond Backs beat Rivera in the 2001 World Series at the bottom of the ninth. DB Manager Brimley had his hitters slap at the ball and get on base. The rest was a heartbreaking loss for the Yankees. Small ball played to perfection. Choking Up and strategic bunting are lost arts in the major leagues, especially in the American League. I don't care what kind of power hitter you are, there are times when a cheap blooper is just as crucial as a homer, and the fact that modern players don't practice it the way the last generation of teams, like the Orioles, is exasperating when you have bases loaded, no outs and fail to push a run across. Thanks for letting me Rant! Losing Pettitte is making me crazy. Lou from Long Island
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Post by Valerie Hyatt Martin on Jun 30, 2012 22:06:49 GMT -5
Okay, here it is almost time for the All-Star Game and I've finally found my way to the forum. The Nats, the O's, the Rangers...it's been a great season so far. Things could be better for the Red Sox, although they seem to be holding their own. I expected the Rays to be a bit better. Happy about the O's.
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Post by loucapitano on Jul 1, 2012 12:53:44 GMT -5
As I watch the Old Timers Day celebration and game, I can't help but feel a lump for all the great ballplayers who got to spend some time with the Yankees. Their legacy fills the rosters of most teams, not to mention the coaches and managers, including the White Sox they play again today. Just seeing Don Larsen, Yogi Berra and Whity Ford come on the field to shattering ovations is worth anything. The Rangers, Chisox and Yankees will have to slug it out to get the 2012 Pennant. Too bad Boston let their season slip away, but the O's can still come back. All this to take a crack at the Nats for the WS. I wouldn't have it any other way.
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Post by Paul Sylvain on Jul 1, 2012 18:58:07 GMT -5
The Red Sox managed a split with the lowly Mariners. Small ball would have helped win the series and maybe even sweep it, but no --- more than 25 men left in scoring position, and the big guys swinging for the fences over and over and over again. Amazingly, they're not out of it, but they certainly are not a world championship team.
The Rangers are amazing, and look how many of the team's players made the All Star team. Josh set and all-time record for votes. I am truly impressed. I'm also impressed with the O's and Nats. The White Sox? I would love to see it all come down to a single at bat between the Red Sox and White and have Yuke send his former team to the showers. lol
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Post by Valerie Hyatt Martin on Jul 2, 2012 19:22:01 GMT -5
I am amazed with Ranger pitching, considering how many of the starting pitchers have been on the DL and still the Rangers seem to effortlessly bring in replacements from their farm system. When I first moved to Arlington in 2002, I thought Jerry Narron would run out of pitchers most every game, he had to make so many changes. Big, big difference having Nolan Ryan as owner rather than Tom (Dallas Stars) Hicks. I worked for the Rangers for a year giving tours of the Legends of the Game Museum (now Texas Rangers Hall of Fame), giving tours of the ballpark and as a temporary event coordinator for the museum. Tom Hicks tried to run the Dallas Stars and the Rangers as the same entity. He let go of baseball people and replaced them with hockey people. The sports are different. I had a boss who didn't like baseball that much (or people). Her boss was a hockey guy. It never made sense to me as a baseball fan to hire people who did not have a passion for the game.
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Post by Allen Wiener on Jul 2, 2012 20:19:07 GMT -5
Agreed; it's not so much that the Red Sox have improved as the rest of the AL East has done a very sudden and resounding fade, including the O's. Despite whatever injuries the Yanks have suffered, they are still on quite a roll and have a large lead now. Unless one or more of the other AL East teams rebounds, the Yanks should roll to another division title -- and then get knocked off by the Rangers! I feel it may well be the Rangers' year after 2 close calls in the World Series; now may be their hour.
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Post by Paul Sylvain on Jul 3, 2012 5:37:56 GMT -5
I would like to see the Rangers take it all. They are a most deserving team, for sure. As for the Red Sox, well, last night's game against Oakland gave us Dice-K as we know and love him. Gone in the second inning with five Oakland runs on the board? I believe this is his final year under his current over-inflated contract. He needs to be let go, Period. If someone in the Sox's front office offers Dice-K a new contract, then they need to bag that guy's butt as well.
And to continue the discussion about small-ball baseball, all we need to do is look at Boston's scoring output beginning with the start of this West Coast swing last Thursday. Total runs in those five games? Eight (count 'em, eight) runs. They were shut out and lost 1-0 last Thursday (can't win a game with zero runs), got a 5-0 win on Friday, Lost 3-2 Saturday, won 2-1 Sunday, and lost 6-1 last night. That's 0 - 5 - 2 - 1 - 1 runs scored by the Sox respectively. I know in one game they left more than 25 men in scoring position in the Seattle series. Good grief.
Go Rangers!
Paul
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Post by Allen Wiener on Jul 3, 2012 7:35:52 GMT -5
If they even think about retaining DiceK the whole front office ought to be dragged out in the street and shot. Has anyone ever figured out how much money the Sox have paid him for each of his measley wins? Must be the highest per-win salary in history!
The total lack of run building and small-ball diversity at the plate (bunt for hits, sacrifices, base stealing, hit-and-run, patient at bats & more walks) shows up in that anemic run production. And it's not like they were playing world-beaters out there. The Orioles are in a similar swoon and I think they've had their moment in the sun for this year. It is encouraging that the team has improved 1,000% and looks like its actually trying now, but more growing and rebuilding is needed; at least they're keeping us interested, so no complaints there. But the whole AL East has pretty much lapsed into unimpressiveness and left it to the Yanks by default. Unless one of the other teams turns it around big time, I don't see any of them as a threat to the Yanks.
And then there's the Nats; still have high hopes for them doing a 1969 Miracle Mets act! Still half the season left to go!
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Post by Paul Sylvain on Jul 3, 2012 21:20:47 GMT -5
Oh, here's a real shocker: Dice-K who was yanked last night without registering a single out in the second inning, is back on the 15-day DL with some kind of neck issue. What was this, his third or maybe fourth start since coming back? It's his eighth time on the DL in his six seasons with Boston (and his last stint on the DL pretty much encompassed one whole season). What a choke ... er ... I mean joke.
UPDATE! NEWS FLASH! ...... And in tonight's disaster in Oakland, the Sox mustered only two runs in a 3-2 walk-off loss. One of the two runs was via a homerun (there's a surprise). That brings the run tally to 10 total in six games. Way to go, boys. Good luck with the Spankees this weekend.
Paul
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Post by Allen Wiener on Jul 4, 2012 8:40:10 GMT -5
The DL is what DK does best! The sooner he goes on it permanently the better. At least they're catching the Yanks when they have some key injuries, so maybe it won't be as ugly as it would have been otherwise. The Os keep flirting with disaster; the had a 4-0 lead in the 7th last night and Chen had a no-hitter at that point; they promptly blew the lead and squeeked through 5-4. Nats are keeping pretty steady as we reach the half-way mark; never would have thought that 3 months ago.
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Post by Paul Sylvain on Jul 4, 2012 19:06:36 GMT -5
Another 3-2 loss. Two run, only, and one of them on (you guessed it) a homer.
Wait till next year.
Paul
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Post by Allen Wiener on Jul 4, 2012 19:41:30 GMT -5
You're an optimist!
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Post by Valerie Hyatt Martin on Jul 4, 2012 23:19:15 GMT -5
The O's might be one of those teams which seem to move to the top in the first half, fans are hopeful, especially since it is unexpected, but they can't sustain it. If they can't hold on this season, it's still enough to build on and give fans hope. It helps that the O's are a team that have won and do have a long history.
The Red Sox, oh...the Red Sox. This was going to be a challenging year after the last one. I'm not comfortable with Bobby V, and I'm not comfortable with the team he has to manage. I wasn't surprised Youkilis was let go. I'm thinking others may have to leave too or should leave (like Dice K). Toward the end of Johnny Oates time in Texas, it seemed the Rangers (and this was also the time the league seemed to value those homeruns) were leaving people on base. Jerry Narron, Buck Showalter had homerun hitters, but they never seemed to hit those homers when anyone was on base. Or the bases were loaded and no one could hit them in because they struck out. Rangers have a balance now with homeruns, good pitching and a team who can play small ball.
The Phillies with their amazing pitchers seem to win or lose games by 1...like 0-1. If the Phillies had a few everyday hitters who are not on the DL, they could easily have been in the WS. Meanwhile, the Nats are creeping up on them, and I don't think they were expecting it.
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Post by Paul Sylvain on Jul 5, 2012 5:41:06 GMT -5
Just another word for "nuts", huh? I did see Red Sox players Carl Crawford and Jacoby Ellsbury up close and personal last night in Manchester, N.H. We did a small pre-game naturalization ceremony at the field where the AA New Hampshire Fisher Cats play. The Cats are affiliated with the Blue Jays. They played the the Red Sox affiliate Portland (Maine) Sea Dogs last night. Both Crawford and Ellsbury are on rehab assignments with the Dogs, and they were on the field while we were doing our thing on the field. Kinda cool. BTW, the Cats beat the Dogs 11-10 in extra innings. Paul
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Post by Allen Wiener on Jul 5, 2012 9:39:40 GMT -5
That's kind of how I see it; The Os have already exceeded everyone's expectatons, so whatever they achieve is gravy. I just hope they build on it so they can be in contention in future years. Showalter seems to be as right for them as Valentine is wrong for Boston. But I agree that Boston needs a lot more than a new manager. The team just seems adrift. They miss Ellsbury, but he was great last year and it didn't change the outcome; Ortiz is also having another good year, but it's no help on this team. Crawford was another mistake and they stupidly got rid of Beltre, who is a star with Texas, where it's not easy to be a standout.
The Phillies have collapsed and, as far as I'm concerned, that's not a bad thing for baseball. I wish the Yankees were doing the same thing so some other teams get a chance to win. The Nats continue to amaze me. I'm still hoping for a 1969 Miracle Mets outcome here and, gotta tell ya; this team has really caught on in Washington like no baseball team ever did before. It's fun watching the Nats, and I haven't been able to say that about a whole lot of teams.
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