MLB 2006 - Spring has officially begun

[phanan]

Agreed - he should have never been in that game in that situation. He even admitted afterwards that he was surprised to get the call. That must really mess up a pitcher at times, when you don't expect to go in and then you do.

It certainly messed him up yesterday.

And here I was all excited about the possibility of the Yankees getting swept and falling a little behind in the AL East. So much for that.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

wagner should have gotten the job done... he of course needs to take a lot of blame... but there is something to be said for the psyche of closers. they're part crazy... they're so used to coming in with the game on the line that when they're brought in to pitch in an "easy" situation, a situation where they should be a bit more relaxed, they're just not the same pitcher.

 

[I'm Ready]

you wanna say that pierzynski didn't want to start a fight? fine... his fleeing the scene after the brawl started backs that up. but all his actions certainly show that he was attempting to show the cubs up... probably just in a lame attempt to get the crowd into the game... and it certainly backfired.

should barrett have cold cocked him? probably not... but i can't really blame him, either

I think AJ is just a naturally competitive player, even as a diehard sox fan I'll agree he shouldn't have wacked the plate, but he didn't mean any harm.

It is still an overreaction from Barrett

 

[WildHoneyAlways]

you wanna say that pierzynski didn't want to start a fight? fine... his fleeing the scene after the brawl started backs that up. but all his actions certainly show that he was attempting to show the cubs up... probably just in a lame attempt to get the crowd into the game... and it certainly backfired.

Yeah, that grand slam after the brawl really backfired. And I have a hard time believing the crowd wasn't into it already. double

Whatever. Barrett called Pierzynski a bitch and AJ still didn't hit him. If he was trying to start a fight I would think being called a bitch would do it.

Just heard that Kerry Wood might not start on Tuesday. wtf?

 

[close your eyes]

clowntown!

you know.....

Part of being a Cub's fan is being able to "roll with the punches" - the best way to do that is to read The Cub's fan equivalent of the Onion: the Heckler. Here is their take on it...

WHITE SOX 7, CUBS 0
Someone on the Cubs finally hits something
Barrett's right hook to Pierzynski's jaw team's best contact in weeks
Game recap, Saturday, May 20, 2006

The struggling Cubs finally hit something hard Saturday, but unfortunately for them, it didn't result in a home run. Instead, it was catcher Michael Barrett's right fist punching the jaw of White Sox catcher AJ Pierzynski.

In the second inning of the Cubs 7-0 loss to the Sox, Pierzynski barreled into Barrett while trying to score on a Brian Anderson sacrifice fly to left. The throw from Cubs LF Matt Murton was late, but Barrett was blocking the plate anyway and Pierzynski plowed into him, aggressively slapping the plate to score the game's first run. Barrett, on his back, jumped to his feet, taking exception to Pierzynski's antics. A few words were exchanged and Barrett sucker-punched Pierzynski, which lead to a bench-clearing brawl and the ejections of Barrett, Pierzynski, Anderson and Cubs 1B John Mabry.

Through it all, Barrett felt good about the solid contact, his first in weeks.

"As soon as I swung, I knew I hit it real good," he said, icing his right hand in a pail of ice water. "Sure, it was uncalled for considering I was in the baseline and Pierzynski was just trying to score, but hey, a good hit is a good hit."

Barrett's bash was also the Cubs' only timely hit of the game. Stranding seven runners on nine hits, the North Siders again looked meek as the White Sox piled on the runs.

Barrett plans to spend his pending suspension doing something more morale-building than playing for the Cubs, such as cleaning toilets or hauling toxic waste.

Number of the day: 100
Percent of Sox fans at U.S. Cellular Field Saturday who can now die happy.

By Brad Zibung, editor in chief

I love reading this!

 

[phanan]

Pierzynski is an idiot, but Barrett totally overreacted. So the guy slapped home plate. Big fucking deal. Get over it. It's no different than reactions after hitting a home run, or a pitcher pumping his fist and shouting loudly after getting a vital out.

 

[speedracer]

Headache, did you place an order with your bookie for "A-Rod grounds out into a double play to end the 8th with two men on and the Yankees down one"?

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Headache, did you place an order with your bookie for "A-Rod grounds out into a double play to end the 8th with two men on and the Yankees down one"?

if you count winning 20 bucks off the guy sitting next to me at shea in the 8th inning "my bookie," then that would be a yes




as for pierzynski, last thing i really need to say about the douchebag... the fact that the vast majority of his ex-teammates and former fans hate him, and that the only people who seem to like the guy are his current teammates and current fans says a lot about a what kinda guy he is...

i'd probably like him if he was on my team, too... but he's not, and i think he's a whiney little bitch.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

how clutch is a-rod that he strands 7 baserunners... leaving the bases loaded twice along the way... and is double switched out of the game in the late innings...

 

[randhail]

Just got to nitpick for a minute. I caught a little of the game last night and Jon Miller is just an awful announcer. I used to like him, but not when he make comments like this:

Talking about Delgado and Mike Myers:

"Delgado has seen Myers quite a few times (career 2-9)." Is 9 ABs really quite a few?

When Arod came up (forget which inning):

"No men on is about the only time you want to be facing Arod." Sorry Jon, I'm going to have to disagree with you on that one

Maybe I'm just becoming a crotchedy old man at 24, but so many announcers are just so bad. It's sad when I have to say that Gary Thorne may be my favorite national annoucer - at least for baseball.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

i miss gary thorne... he used to do met games, too. he's excellent.

 

[Hewson]

This thread needs to pass Barry "Babe" Bonds. 715 posts I say!

 

[phanan]

 

[phanan]

When Arod came up (forget which inning):

"No men on is about the only time you want to be facing Arod." Sorry Jon, I'm going to have to disagree with you on that one

Actually, this quote makes perfect sense. Look at Headache's post regarding last night's game as the newest evidence.

The guy just cannot hit in the clutch, which is usually when there are people on base. If his ends up with his usually numbers and still wins the MVP, I'll puke.

 

[randhail]

Yeah Arod in the clutch is a joke, but apparently media types are just so smitten with him that they don't acknowledge how bad he is. That's they way I interpreted the quote - Miller still thinks Arod is a clutch hitter and even more dangerous with men on.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

and, well, i guess to be fair..

 

[Numb1075]

hope billy's not catching the Armando Looper disease.

 

[speedracer]

I didn't see the Saturday debacle, but Billy Wagner looked fine to me on Sunday. Two devastating Ks, a groundout, an unlucky blooper to RF that was almost caught, and a grounder to LF where it looked like the SS was seriously out of position.

 

[randhail]

Whatever disease Wagner has, he must be kissing Brad Lidge and passing it on

 

[speedracer]

Whatever disease Wagner has, he must be kissing Brad Lidge and passing it on

Eeew.

I'm pretty sure Lidge contracted Pujolitis on his own though.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

wagner's caught a case of mouth runneth overeth...

when mariano rivera blows a game, no one kills him in the press for two reasons... a) it's such a rare occurance, and b) he keeps his mouth shut

billy likes to talk... he's not afraid to tell you how he feels about just about anything... so when the inevitable blow up that has happened to every closer, even mo, happens, it's compounded and multiplied.

and when you toss in met fans who are already paranoid about looper/benietez/random big name free agents not living up to expectations... it only makes a rough start by wagner an even bigger deal than it probably really is.

 

[Numb1075]

Day after Wagner's meltdown.....

Reporter: So, Billy, are you ready to pitch today?

Billy: Does a one legged duck swim in a circle?

WTF

 

[randhail]

Never heard that one before...has he used the ever popular "does a bear shit in the woods?" comeback yet?

 

[Numb1075]

not yet, but it's a long season

 

[speedracer]

Day after Wagner's meltdown.....

Reporter: So, Billy, are you ready to pitch today?

Billy: Does a one legged duck swim in a circle?

WTF

Ah, that's a classic comeback line. (Ever try to row a boat with one oar?)

Here's another line I really like, but I can't remember who first said it:

"They're giving us about as much chance as a one-legged man in an ass-kicking contest, but we're coming out kicking anyway."

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

the one legged duck society must be outraged by wagner's insensitive comments. for shame

 

[Numb1075]

speedracer, sounds like a Yogi-ism

it's not, but could be.

 

[randhail]

Good read on Page 2 today - Some good old fashioned physics calculations give a more realistic number of Bonds home runs. Ovbiously there's no way to determine accuracy, but everything seems to be at least somewhat plausible.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=hruby/060512

 

[Numb1075]

I raed that this morning....It made my head hurt w/ the calculations.

I like the guy that put strips of tape or something on his tv screen to check subtle changes in batter's swings over the years.