Anyone not watching football should check out Boston/Baltimore

SI

I wish ESPN would have cut in for the last inning.

Yeah, no kidding

SI

Live on ESPN now

Mercifully. I'm sure some K-State fans around here will bitch incessantly

SI

Pretty pitch to end the game

SI

Yes!!! Let's go Braves!!

What the heck was Torre doing having a bat confiscated in a game against Tampa Bay?

SI

SI, my friend, you do realize that you take a risk for bringing up baseball news on FOOTBALL SATURDAY?

I was even silly enough to bring it up in the College Football thread but thanfully (for me), nobody noticed ;)

SI

Damn you Ankiel!

BTW, I wish the best for Juan Encarnacion. He's too young, 31, to have an eye in jeopardy and I hope he will continue to be able to play baseball.

Walkoff for Ryan Zimmerman! two years (to the day) in the league and he has 7 walk-offs.

Brian Bannister just keeps rolling. 8 IP, 1 run against the Twins- 0 BB, 1 K. I don't get how he's doing it.

SI

10 minutes from Pedro finally taking the mound. 5 solid innings is all that's needed today.

Delivered.

5 innings, 3 runs (2 earned), 5 hits, 3 walks, 4 Ks. Hit 90 on the gun. Left with the Mets up 4-3, now up 6-3.

First inning, got hit hard a couple times, included a ball that Moises Alou misplayed into an RBI double. He was throwing in the low 80s at that point, but once he started letting loose a bit more and hitting 88-89, he was much more effective. Battled to get out of a tough spot in the 5th. Also picked up his 3000th career strikeout.

One of the main reasons Greg Maddux is my all-time favorite pitcher:

Of all Maddux's numbers and accomplishments, the most amazing to me is that if it weren't for 2002 when he pitched 199.1 innings, he'd be shooting for his 20th straight year of 200 or more innings pitched.

My stat of the day
First 56 games as Reds manager
Jerry Naron 31-25
Pete Mackanin 31-25
Narron would win his next four....and move to 35-25

Curtis Granderson has some awesome stats this year... According to ESPN.com, he needs one HR and three SB to be only the third man in history with 20 or more doubles, triples, homers and stolen bases in one season.

That's awesome.

An even bigger reason to love Maddux is that the previous streak ended with an intentional walk. And I guarantee he wouldn't hesitate to do end this streak in the same way.

Re: Chipper Jones ripping the Umps
 

Chipper talked about Turner Field needing the QuesTec system. Is there a non-monetary reason for the system to only be in 11 ball parks as opposed to all of the stadiums?

Still trying to figure out the Red Sox.

Best record in baseball, on the verge of their first division title in years, and yet, they don't seem like a great team. It's been a pretty boring season outside of some exciting rookie performances over the last few weeks.

ok, Honestly now. Did anyone at all really expect the White Sox coming into this season to possibly be the worst team in baseball? what a collapse since 05

Does all this losing make Ozzie Guillen a "faggot" now?

PECOTA had them at 72 wins, at which point all of the Chicago press made all the "Computers SUK" and "NERDS BASEBALL IS PLAYED ON THE FIELD" jokes. Right about now, they look like idiots.

What crapshoot said, they were picked by pecota to finish last in the Central this season. Their '05 team was seen as an Ozzie smartball team, but they actually scored over 40% of their runs off of homers that season. As they move closer and closer to the "smartball" team Ozzie wants, they lose more games.

Ozzie can call it what he wants, but there's nothing smart about giving Podsednik and Erstad the ABs they've been given. Especially when you consider they'd have a lot more if they could stay healthy.

This year they seem to having quite a few off years, but Dye is actually only 20 points off his career OPS, Pierzynski is about 30 points off of his, and Konerko is right in line with his career numbers.

This team has had so many career years the past 2 years that some regression has to be expected.

nah, cuz they still won a world series .. he gets 1 more year.

hmm, thats a good point, but I'd bet that 72 wins wasn't the worst team in baseball. havent seen the numbers tho.

I agree. I think I've watched parts of a couple of Jays games, and that's it this year so far. No team screams "WORLD SERIES" to mee right now. Although for some reason I'd probably be pulling for a team like Milwaukee or the Padres, with no one in the AL really exciting me.

GM Littlefield out after another lost Pirates season
 

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3008832

Tigers, 4 in the 9th to win 5-4? Are you kidding me?

Please catch the Yanks and knock them out of the playoffs. k, thx

SI

hmm, apparently I was way off. Not sure how I feel just yet on his contract extension through 2011. I'll see next year.

On another not, Javier Vazquez is having a pretty solid season imo - 12-8 3.9 era, 180k's and 47 walks.. bright spot for the sox this year.

I think it's pretty much over. The Yankees are up 5 games in the loss column with 17 to play for the Yankees and 15 to play for the Tigers. If the stupid Devil Rays had held on to either of their leads the past 2 nights, the Yankees might have had a shot at the division. They still do if they sweep the Sox in Fenway, but that's not likley.

Anyway, apparently there's a new incentive to finish 1st in the AL this year. The team with the best record gets to choose whether or not they play the series that gets an extra day off for the first round meaning that they could set it up so their best two pitchers could pitch games 1, 2, 4, and 5 on full days rest. Does anyone think that Boston, Cleveland, or Anaheim would take advantage of this? People on tv have been saying Boston wouldn't because of their depth in the starting rotation. And that Cleveland and Anaheim would, but they'd be playing the Yankees and that would work into their favor as well getting to pitch Wang and Pettitte twice each.

Thome hits his 500th career dinger with a bottom of the ninth walkoff to win the game today.

Even as an Angels fan, I have to admit that's pretty cool. Way to go, Thome.

That's quite a cool way for that to go.

SI

beautiful.

Quite the pitching duel in Boston being overshadowed by the Pats game.

J.R. motherfucking Towles?!?

Guess we need to let the kids play more often. That's two offensive explosions in the past week...

This should be a fun week. Just 1.5 behind the Mets and keeping you on the edge every game should make for a fun week of baseball (and something to help forget about the Eagles troubles).

If they can get it down to a half game there are going to be some really on edge Mets fans (if they aren't already)...

Free advice to Mets fans in South Florida,

It is never a good idea to throw things on the field no matter how bad your team is playing

It is really not a good idea to do it when there are only like 50 people in the stadium.

The Mets are killing me.

They deserve to not make it the way they have been playing.

so where does he go next?
 

Will Barry Bonds be playing for your team next year?

http://mlb.mlb.com/players/bonds_bar...nal/latest.jsp


Since he is looking for a World Series ring, I guess that leaves the Marlins out of the mix:D

I think he ends up in Texas. Either way, highest OPS in the national league this year. I'm sad that he won't retire a Giant, and if that SOB Sabean brings back Randy Winn, Rich Aurillia, Pedro Feliz, Dave Roberts and all while claiming a youth movement, he ought to fired (course, he should have been fired a while back).

I'd guess Angels, then Mariners.

I hope he signs with another team, so another fan base can at least get a glimpse of how much fear he can induce.

No way in hell Art Moreno approves any contract for Bonds.

Highly unlikely to be the M's also. There's no room for one thing, with Raul Ibanez, Jose Vidro, Richie Sexson and Ben Broussard already clogging up the LF/DH/1B group and a need to get top prospect Adam Jones in the lineup full-time next year.

Secondly, I don't see the "family-friendly" M's ownership taking on Bonds and all of his juicing baggage.

I feel for you, that totally sucks. He's still one of the best, if not the best hitters in the game. For 17millionish, he's totally worth it.

That being said, I hope he lands with the Yankees.

The two weeks I watched the Giants this summer were very painful. I can't believe the retreads you guys have out there, all of whom are making 4-6 million or so.

Wow, Tim McCarver decides the 2nd inning is a good time to bring up the no-hit stuff dished out by Oliver Perez today. He promptly gave up a hit. That was the earliest I've ever heard a no-hit jinx.