The official 2008 MLB thread
 

Ask and you shall receive Ksyrup

Astros are gonna rock teh w0rldz!

Should be a good offensive year. And we have Oswalt. Then we have the 42 year old pitcher who isn't Clemens and isn't on steroids, in the rotation. Goodluck Woody.

Go White Sox, please don't suck again!

Someone please plunk Billy Crystal.


Thank you.

Yuck the Fankees and Joe Girardi. Trying to bean Longoria, threw right at his head and then spike Aki. And this was all premeditated because he started a prospect instead of Pettitte and left ARod and Jeter home so they wouldn't be involved.It should be a fun season between them and the Rays

Girardi was looking for something to "set a new tone" with the Yankees, jumped on the first opportuinty he saw, and totally got it wrong. Hard to make the most hated team in the world even more hated, but...good job, Joe!

Here's that SABR primer I posted in the other thread. This is a really good read:

http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2008.../stats-i-like/

Anybody else realize that Kauffman Stadium will be the 5th oldest stadium in the majors once the current new stadiums under construction are complete? Granted, Kauffman is getting a $250M facelift over the next couple of years, but I was surprised at how much stadium turnover has occured in the past 20-25 years. There's been some stadiums that were built after Kauffman that have already been replaced by another stadium.

Go Nats!

Can somebody tell Sandy Duncan to shut the fuck up? Seriously, his "wha, me?" horrendous acting job pisses me off. Just own up to it. Even if it lengthens your suspension, who cares? You're fucking Sandy Duncan - your team doesn't need you. In fact, that's probably why you got chosen (along with some no-name pitcher) to retaliate in the first place, because they won't miss you.

From Olney's blog:

• Multiple talent evaluators are saying that Houston shortstop Miguel Tejada looks absolutely terrible this spring, and they can't see him finishing the year at his current position.

So, Felix Pie has a testicular torsion. WTF? I could swear that's a Cradle of Filth B-side!

haha. one at bat crystal. suck it.

Too bad they weren't playing the Rays so Kazmir could've stuck one in Crystal's ear.

I don't get the outrage over Crystal. I saw Tom Selleck take an AB with the Tigers years ago. What's the big deal? Didn't Garth Brooks log over 40 ABs with the Royals?

Just rubbed me the wrong way when I saw the coverage. It's not a big deal. Just not a big crystal fan and find it funny all the hoopla over a one at bat. Geez at least let him DH for a couple at bats.

And I would have found it ultra funny if someone plunked him.

Yeah, they should have let him play in the field and get a couple of ABs. I almost thinnk they shortened it because of all the attention.

I think they got the attention they wanted, got people to show up and ripped them off with one lousy at bat. Of course most of the people there probably thought it was so charming that it didn't matter.

Of course that's kind of the whole theme of preseason baseball anyway. Money making machine.

Yankees should have Jim Carrey show up as Horton for a couple at bats.

Yankees sell out every game they play in ST - although I don't know, was today a home game or not? Usually they sell out regardless.

And Jim Carrey would have been outside the batters box with those feet he was wearing.

The Cardinals signed Kyle Lohse, but don't seem too happy about it.

Nothing new about Crystal playing, goes back at least to 1974 when country music HOF'er (and father of MLB'er Curtis) Charley Pride went 1-2 for the Rangers against the Orioles, singling as a DH against Jim Palmer.

http://www.planetgarth.com/news/article.php?cid=01093

Should help max out Lohse's confidence!

Shameless Joe plug. Easily one of the best writers in the country. Unfortunately, with him splitting time between the blog and articles, it seems like the quality of the newspaper articles has gone down a bit.

SI

Mika and Mike reporting the Red Sox players may boycott the Japan games because the players and coaches were supposed to get 40K each and the coaches now aren't getting that much.

Fat Boy About To Get PAID!
 

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3307289

Can someone explain to me the BoSox/Dodgers schedule? I know the BoSox play the A's in Japan. Then they fly to LA to play one game. Why? And then they go to Oakland to play 2 starting the very next day. The BoSox/LA game doesn't make sense.

Being played in the Coliseum. In front of 100,000 fans. With the setup similar to the warped setup they had when the Dodgers played in the Coliseum in the late 50s and early 60s before Dodger Stadium was built.

Plus, it's Dodgers-Red Sox--even with interleague now, they don't play too often.

But why not play a series (like the two with the A's)? Sounds like they are treating this like an exhibition game that counts. Odd.

They're playing 3 games against the Dodgers and they are exhibitions.

I think that's the point here, going to Japan to start the season IS a disadvantage (at the risk of starting that whole argument again), so the traveling teams get to call a lot of the shots. If I'm the Red Sox, I want some exhibition games back here before I start up the regular season.

And it's good for MLB, in that they'll be able to encourage teams to take these crazy trips in the future. If the Sox started the regular season right away, and went 0-3, it'd be blamed on the Japan trip, whether that was the reason or not. That would make teams more reluctant to go in the future.

I'm pretty fired up about 4:00 AM baseball in the mountain time zone.

The view from my seats for this year: http://www.santantonio.net/photos/holding/135b.jpg

Ok, I'm confused. You mean to tell me that they play the A's in Japan to start the regular season and then they play more ST games?

They'd be at a disadvantage in their first games back from a road trip like that. So they get to shake off the jetlag and rust in a couple of spring training games (and note that they also have far less spring training games than any other team because of this trip, so that's another potential disadvantage).

Maybe you disagree, but that's why they're doing it. It's part of the negotiated deal for the trip, a condition surely asked for by the Red Sox and/or Oakland.

Sorry to belabor this but I am not questioning opening in Japan and the schedule adjustments as the result, but here's what I see in viewing the BoSox's regular season schedule:

Played games
Regular Season
DATE	OPP.	RESULT/TIME	RECORD	WIN/LOSS	SAVE
Mar 25	@Oak	6:05 AM
Mar 26	@Oak	6:05 AM
Mar 30	@LAD	4:10 PM
Apr 1	@Oak	10:05 PM
Apr 2	@Oak	10:05 PM
Apr 4	@Tor	7:15 PM
Apr 5	@Tor	1:07 PM
Apr 6	@Tor	1:07 PM

Cool. Thanks.

Hoy Crap!

I expected the train wreck that is Mike and Mike to be on ESPN 2 when I woke up and instead got real baseball. Woohoo!!

That's the fun thing about having Papi and Manny right next to each other in the lineup :)

Dola: And a not-quite-bad-enough-which-means-good-enough performance from Papelbon means that the Sox are 1-0 on the year.

(BTW, Fuck DirecTV. They had a problem with their NESN signal for the first seven innings, which torpedoed me Tivoing the game)

Amazing. I just logged on to the computer and went to GameCenter just in time to see the final out. Sounds like they gave the fans their yen's worth.

That wasn't the only channel there were problems with today, so sounds like it was a bigger issue then that.

Yeah, I couldn't figure out the DTV thing for quite some time. Watched the first inning in HD in the living room, but couldn't get it on the regular channel in the bedroom. I was having problems with getting any kind of signal on the DVR in the bedroom, not just ESPN2. Finally, they restored other channels and put a message up about 209, but by then I was already at work. I'd have been pissed if I didn't have HD and was trying to watch the game on the regular ESPN2.

Sunspots!

(I'm not really kidding.)

I going to go out on a limb and say that Jason Varitek didn't enjoy his trip to Japan...

0-for-8, 6 Ks

Ortiz was 0 for japan as well.

Tek needs to learn how to get hit by pitches.


Nice job not trading for Santana. Sox had a chance to be dominant for a few years. Now they are the same as the Yankers.

Let the preseason hype begin. Royals are 15-11 in spring training! Woot!

I bet my friend $50 that the Pirates would lose 100 games or more this year...easy money!

http://www.nypost.com/seven/03262008...nue_103510.htm

The Mets are enticed by Claudio Vargas, the human rain delay. He won't be a horrible fifth starter but the Post makes it look like the cheap Brewers were just dumping his salary which is not the case at all. Claudio was our 7th best starter, that's why he was released. Why pay a guy $3 million to pitch in AAA?

If the other option for the Mets is Jorge Sosa, I can definitely see the merits of picking up Vargas. But I'll warn any Met fan that on Vargas' best of best days, 6 innings is all you'll get. Usually it was 5 innings strong before imploding in the 6th.

On the plus side, Vargas showed up to camp in great shape and had a decent spring. But I still think he'd be better served being a long reliever. But he can pass as a 5th starter.

BTW Met fans, Guillermo Mota has looked fabulous :)
And you won't regret non-tendering Johnny Estrada.

Let the games begin already!

Bruce Bochy is still the Giants' manager [snicker]

WORST ANTHEM SINGER EVER

Rosanne Barr just PM'd you.

This is kindof a fake Opening Day but I still like it.

Also, I love Austin Kearns for a sleeper this season in fantasy baseball :)

SI

He;s to young to remember that

Got my powder blue Royals jersey on at work today. Meche should pitch a dandy and we'll be 1-0.

I'm a little worried about the offense on a cold day in Detroit. Meche could pitch a dandy and we'd still lose 2-0 to Verlander. That said, here's to a good start of the season.

SI

Great day to be a baseball fan boys. Hope springs... for everybody. Woot.

It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone. You count on it, rely on it to buffer the passage of time, to keep the memory of sunshine and high skies alive, and then just when the days are all twilight, when you need it most, it stops. Today, October 2, a Sunday of rain and broken branches and leaf-clogged drains and slick streets, it stopped, and summer was gone. -A. Bartlett Giamatti

I am amazed at all these talking heads who are predicting the Braves to win the NL east.

They have 2 over 40 pitchers in there rotation, a suspect closer and an injury prone third baseman. Not much speed at the top and a lineup that strikes out way to much.

Outside of Tex and McCann they have offensive questions at every position and Mark Kotsay is their opening day center fielder. Am I missing something here?

Shane, anyone who brings up that quote gets a serious man-crush (or in your case, boy-crush) from me. :)

Did anyone else buy the MLB.com GameDay Audio or the video package? I bought the GameDay audio so I could listen to the afternoon games at work. Great deal at $15 for the whole season for all team radio broadcasts.

I had the video package a couple of years ago when I lived in Baltimore and wanted to watch the Royals. That was a pretty good deal for the price as well.

Great, great Opening Day at Nationals Park. First batter faced? Strikeout. First pitch faced? Single. Last pitch faced? Homerun over the left field wall by none other than Ryan Zimmerman, the face of the Nationals. GO NATS!

and.. damn was it cold.

I believe Comcast's package is free today...

The Extra Innings package is usually free for the whole first week on all providers unless things have changed this year.

I got the audio package as I did last year. I really enjoy listening to the homers do the games.

Damn this weather

Man, that's awfully fun to listen to on the radio. :)

Yanks home opener canceled

Miguel Cabrera hits his first bomb as a Tiger

BOOM!!!! Gordon hit's a 2 run homer to cut it to a 3-2 Detroit lead. Great game thus far.

Good they have day off in case of rain for many of the openers this year.

I plan on resubscribing to GameDay once I'm situated in Wisconsin. I can't get the Dodger games in Southern California, so right now there's no point. ;)

I don't know what to think of the Jays this year. I don't think they're very strong at any aspect.

Wow. Justin Verlander hit a wall. He was cruising along with a 1 hitter for a long time. 1 inning later, he's out of the game.

Edit: There goes the lead. 3-3 tie and Verlander gets a no-decision.

True. They're not out of the inning yet. 2 on, 2 out. Or does the loss go to the reliever and the runs go to Verlander?

Edit: Royals just took the lead. Obviously the run is Verlander's, but I'm guessing that the reliever gets the loss for actually giving up the hit that gave the Royals the lead.

I have XM so I don't need the audio, but I always get the premium video package so I can watch the Mets games.

Well worth the $20 a month or so. 2 features I like alot are the mosaic where you can watch 6 games and the fact you can watch archived games so if you are busy you can watch the game later that night as if you DVR'd it.

Great win for the Royals to start it off. That was a fun game to listen to. I agree that the Gameday Audio package is a great deal and I use it to help pass the time at work. Good to see Gordon start off well also.

I'm trying out the video package for the first time this season because the Mosaic sounded very cool to me, and the Player Tracker sounded awesome if it works well. Getting ready to fire it up now and see how it plays.

Nice come-back for the WhiteSox...

Sheets and Zambrano showed why they were opening day starters today.

David Wright baby!!!

yeah Kerry Wood

Bah, 0-1. Though I got to say, I like that D-backs team that we went up against. Bunch of young guys, though I don't think it's a good sign when Eric Byrnes is hitting in your 3-hole.

except for that HR he crushed.

Is the Mets/Marlins game being broadcast with a home video camera?

Geez, did Eric Gagne steal Prince Feilders jersey or did he lose 100 pounds since going to the Brewers?

yeah Eric Gagne

FUKUDOMEEEEEEEEEE

I hope you are just playing devils advocate, or do you really believe a 32 year old with a career .780 OPS is a good fit for 3rd? Am I really an idiot for saying that just because he hit a homerun in the opener?

I have no idea what his age has anything to do with it.

He hits for decent average, doesn't strike out a ton, has some pop and a ton of speed. They aren't a high powered offense anyway.

I don't see the issue with him hitting third, not every team has a David Wright to put in the 3 hole

Ok, you are right in the sense of 1 season age has nothing to do with it so I will rephrase:

do you really believe a player with a career .780 OPS is a good fit for 3rd?


point being, i said i like the team but don't know if it's a good sign that they have byrnes hitting 3rd. if this was the giants, it's fine. but the dbacks are contenders. all i'm saying is that's kind of a weak ass 3rd hitter.

yer like teh dumbest resident of cincinnati ever

lol

Fuck A Dome comes out with one of the greatest debuts in Cubs history...and they blow it and lose.

So Cub.

If the go-ahead run is charged to Verlander, so is the loss.

Well, unless they tie the game again and THEN lose it, which is apparently what happened.

He hit 3rd last year and the DBacks won the most games in the NL. Arizona is full of #2 and #5 hitters. Still, they get on base a lot and force most teams into the pen early. There's a lot to like, they just are young and don't want to put too much pressure on guys and stick with Byrnes.

Might have won the most games in the NL, but they also got OUTSCORED as a whole on the entire season. Just sayin'.

so what?

I would rather win ugly then lose pretty

Again, the point is that while they won a nice amount of games, we can't just pretend that their lineup was as equal the reason as the pitching staff.

These are obvious rebuttals, how are you not picking up on them

pitching wins. period. As long as they score timely runs thats all that matters. I just don't understand your argument. It's not like Juan Pierre hitting third.