Running 2007 MLB GameDay BitchFest Thread

I want to know why we can only see 5-day-old-or-less threads, esp as I can't find the 07 Yankee one.

Ok, so NYY @ TAM, April 2nd:

Bottom of the 6th, no outs. First 2 guys (Posada & Cano) reach, getting Mr. Kazmir out of an inning that he probably shouldn't have started. In comes OMG SHAWN CAMP, & up comes Josh Phelps (0-0, 2 BB). Senor Torre pinch-hits for the righty Phelps w/ the lefty Eyechart, who proceeds to unleash a mighty sac-bunt to push the 2 guys over.

Now, of course, Tampa Bay helps the cause by plunking Melky C (subbing for Johnny D's aching calves), giving Mr. Clutch the chance to drive 2 runners in. But why give up an out there, with the heart of yr lineup coming around, against such a shitty pitching staff? (I guess it makes sense to remove the chance of a Phelps DP, and Doug's a much better bunter, but this is the sort of move that might bite them in the ass, yeah?)

Bwah-hah - Abreu FLEW into a DP to end the inning. Let the ass biting commence!

The trainers have already been out to visit Zambrano, who's given up 2 HRs to Dunn (hitting 2nd, lol). If Z's lucky, Hendry will meet him on the field and let him sign his new contract on the stretcher.

CIN 3
CHC 1, Bot 5

Jesus Cabrera is such a monster.

Miguel ain't so bad, either!

flash: Nationals suck

hey, but how about that levale speignier?

f*cking schilling not worth the paper he's printed on - put him in a trunk, and put the trunk on a truck that's driving somewhere very far away

It's like 2004 never happened!

what is this, like the rolling 07 season thread? schilling looks like ASS. he's been playing too much everquest lmbo~

DR. MORBIUS - could you plz mb post this article in full? I dont have a prospectus account :[

http://baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=6046

put yr junk in that box xp

You have to watch out for those Royals.

April 1, 2007
Hope and Faith
How the Atlanta Braves Can Win the World Series


by Brent Gambill
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For 14 years, the Atlanta Braves were the one certainty in baseball. In a sport short on absolutes, the Braves' dominance over the National League East is unmatched in baseball history. For a generation of Superstation faithfuls, 2006 made us question everything we believe as the club unraveled. Why are the Jones brothers sitting at home in October? Where’s our typical questioning of Bobby Cox’s playoff game management? Did John Schuerholz make a mistake? What happened?
What happened last year was anything but ordinary. Come to think of it, winning the division is the only thing that’s been a constant in Atlanta in the new century. There was a full five years, and one strike-shortened year before the Bronx returned to glory. From 1991 through 1999, Atlanta won a World Series, five National League pennants, and eight division titles.

It can be argued that no team has suffered more by the addition of the Wild Card than the Braves. The Curse of the Wild Card, as I like to call it, began with the Florida Marlins in 1997 and the Eric Gregg game, but took its hold on the franchise in the new millennium. Since 2000, Atlanta has lost in the National League Division Series five of six years, with three of those being to Wild Card teams. The Florida Marlins have two World Series titles and zero division titles, while Atlanta had 14 consecutive division titles and only one championship.

The Braves are notorious for slow starts, but in 2006 they stayed in contention through May. In the first three weeks of June, Atlanta fell from 4 ½ games behind the New York Mets to 15 ½ behind, losing 18 of 20 games. Without exception, the biggest factor was the Braves' horrendous bullpen. The relief corps blew a league high 29 saves.

General Manager John Schuerholz took aim at rebuilding the bullpen with power arms, and he didn’t wait until the off-season. Before the 2006 trade deadline, closer Bob Wickman was acquired from the Cleveland Indians. Over the winter, the Braves acquired Rafael Soriano for oft-injured starter Horacio Ramirez in what has been widely considered a coup.

When the offseason began, Schuerholz’s staff focused on Pittsburgh Pirates closer Mike Gonzalez. Atlanta will miss Adam LaRoche’s budding star bat, but will miss his defense at first even more. With Wickman, Gonzales, and Soriano set as the big three, Oscar Villarreal, Tyler Yates, Chad Paronto and Macay McBride will make up the rest of the bullpen.

Will a power bullpen get the Braves to the World Series? Not alone. The club’s rotation is still one of the best in the game. John Smoltz is in the final year of his contract with the club and is primed for another durable and successful season. The keys to the rotation will be Tim Hudson and Mike Hampton. Hudson has not pitched like his American League version since joining Atlanta. In the spring, he was one of the most talked about pitchers. After changing up his offseason conditioning program, Hudson appears primed for his NL breakout season.

Hampton missed all of 2005 recovering from Tommy John surgery. He was making progress in the spring, but a quad injury during batting practice has pushed back the timetable for his return. In his place, Schuerholz signed starter Mark Redman to a minor league contract. Redman might turn out to be a John Burkett-type pitcher for Atlanta, getting innings, but may end up with a 10-10 record.

Chuck James returns for his first full season in the rotation. James was coveted by other teams in trade discussion, but Schuerholz sees him as a frontline starter to build around in the future. In the spring’s main battle, Lance Cormier won the fourth starter spot--which was originally fifth but moved up with Hampton’s injury--over Kyle Davies, who will return to the minors to work on his command. Davies is one of those players you just root for. From the moment he made his first major league pitch in Fenway in 2005, he’s always been one of my favorite players. If he can get his command under control, he can be a serviceable number four or five starter.

The most overlooked stat of 2006 was the fact Atlanta was second in the National League in runs, with division mates Philadelphia ranked first and the New York Mets third. The right side of the infield is new, with Kelly Johnson being given a chance at second after Marcus Giles was released. First base will be one of the patented Bobby Cox platoons as detailed in the Atlanta Braves piece in Baseball Prospectus 2007. The platoon, as Braves fans know, has been one of Atlanta's most successful ways of integrating new players into the big leagues. Scott Thorman will be this year’s new beneficiary, sharing time with veteran Craig Wilson.

Shortstop Edgar Renteria returned to All-Star form last year in Atlanta and former NL MVP Chipper Jones needs a healthy season at third to keep the team in the race. Atlanta broke with tradition and rewarded catcher Brian McCann with the organization’s first long-term contract for a player not eligible for arbitration. While the Braves locked McCann up, the former Sports Illustrated cover boy Jeff Francoeur did not have a progressive sophomore season. He got off to a terrible start and his season-long lack of walks became a national story. Perhaps predictably, Atlanta showed the patience of a monk; that will continue this season as Francoeur will again be the everyday right fielder.

Left field has been an issue for the Braves over the last couple seasons. If the Braves could combine Ryan Langerhans’s defense with Matt Diaz’s bat, they’d have the outfielder they'd been looking for. Until that time, though, it looks like another platoon is in order.

The story of the summer at Turner Field will no doubt be Andruw Jones' impending free agency. In the offseason, center fielders Vernon Wells and Alfonso Soriano signed free agent contracts in excess of $100 million. Jones gave the Braves a hometown discount in his last contract, but this time, the club will not be so lucky. He is one of the greatest center fielders of all-time, but will he finish his Hall of Fame career as a Brave?

In some of the Hope and Faith articles, writers have had to stretch to make a case for a club’s chances to win the World Series. Not so in Atlanta. The bullpen is going to give the Braves the ability to shorten games. Added to a high scoring offense and a solid rotation, the Braves are a complete team, and they compare favorably with this year’s NL East pick, New York Mets. As long as the injury bug stays away, Atlanta will enjoy its final full season on the Superstation with its 15th division title in 16 years.

thank you alex from san francisco! that's kind of a less pie-in-the-sky take on it than the other ones i read but i think it is pretty realistic to think they can contend for a wild card and even the division, imo

ps braves won, GET USED TO IT PHILLY PHAGS!!!!!!

Fucking Felix Hernandez.

do we think it's good to run our SP out there for 111 on opening day

Inning pitch counts for Felix (according to ESPN): 17, 19, 11, 5, 13, 11, 21, 14. If you're gonna throw 111 pitches, that's how you wanna do it. But, still, Hargrove should know better, but, um, he's not known for knowing much.

BTW, Sean McDonough & Orel Hershiser are showing up ESPN's A-Team with ease RIGHT NOW. A lobotomized Dave O'Brien + Rick Sutcliffe + Dusty Baker = what the FUCK? After hearing DO'B claim that a passed ball w/ the bases loaded was one of those "little things" that can change the complexion of a game, I shut my brane off.

Sutcliffe is the secret ingredient that makes every stew taste bad. I didn't listen to the whole game, but I thought Dusty was good.

The good news is that Joe Simpson is working both the TBS and FSN Braves broadcasts. I guess he works for the team, not the network. He's been by far the best of the disintegrating TBS team.

He was good on some stuff (an AB on Morneau in particular), but he also whipped out some booshit about how Toronto "balances out the league" by not being a total chump team. GEE THANKS DUSTER. He also made some comment about what he told Corey Patterson when he was on the Cubs, but I flipped the channel, because I imagined what DB really told CP was "lol u suk cuz yr young B E AGGRESSIVE"

Also - was the ESPN sidelady all the nerd boyz boner for affecting a Fargo accent, or is she from Minnesoder?

I just remember him flatly contradicting some Sutcliffe booshit at one point and thinking THANK YOU, MASKED MAN, THANK YOU.

oh GOD, I stopped watching once it became clear Santana was off his game, Fucking 'Sut,' fucking Dusty -- "He comes to play, he wants to win, he'll get a ring" -- EAT SHIT.

2007 Bonds watch
AB # 1 vs. Peavy in SF

down 0-2
works it to 3-2
singles oppposite field

and THEN!!!!!!!

steals 2nd.

42-42 at 42y/o?

BUT OF COURSE

Playing 20 games against the Nationals is going to be great for every team in the NL East isn't it?

but the Mets get to play all the AL playoff teams, too.

"If we want to be the best, we have to beat the best." --W. Randolph. NEVER FORGET -- NEVER SURRENDER

"if you want to be the man, you've got to beat the man and i am the man!"--ric flair

yeah, i just quoted a "wrestler"

I don't think six games with the Yankees quite balances out getting to tee-off on the Nationals staff 20 times, but yeah the Mets always have it slightly less good than the other four.

Call me a skeptic but I kinda wanna see Miguel Cabrera against non-Nationals pitchers...

Curtis Granderslam

Yeah, because MC can't hit for shit against the rest of the NL!

I love that MC is younger than David Wright.

Meathook and Nats salvage one!!! 58 wins, here they come!

That's seriously awesome. What a great day.

Jason Grilli: If it weren't for Neifi, you would be the Neifi of the Tigers.

i think every team, nay, every single workplace in the world has its own neifi.

And if they don't have a Neifi, they have a Grilli.

AH Ha ha!

"But but but I was told I could pinch run today if I mop up Mr. Carlos' tobacco spittle."

Cleveland's #5-9 batters had 21 LOBs today (34 in the past 2 games), including 9 from #5 hitter Casey Blake.

Do they have any better options at getting their front-loaded line-up to score some runs?

yeah, they do: FREE RYAN GARKO!

(at least i think they can do that)

Get Casey Blake the fuck out of there, for one.

uh, huh?

they're in their 6th & 7th ups in the 5th chi-cle game! sowers has walked nine, buehrle gave up 12 hits in 1.1 inings!

wait i thought yahoo's gameday was fucked?

oh, ha!

you're right. shows what i get for believing everything i read on this wonderful series of tubes we call the internets!

Yahoo had Juan Uribe scoring for Cleveland, so they're having all sorts of fun @ Yahoo HQ.

Ok. 4 triples so far this season. aahhh.

Jason Kendall and his Pujols-ian .156 average were finally taken out of the leadoff spot... I wonder who's idea that was?

Whoops, Pujols got a hit today, my bad.

Weird math w/r/t Joe Kennedy:

84 pitches - 45 strikes = only 3 walks?

lol pooholes sux0r!1

one of the best ric flair quotes, up there

has this season been mired with more weather delays than usual?

yes and i blame steroids.

i blame Pete Rose

i blame billy beane's moneyball!

i blame former japanese league players are not really rookies

i blame rps's otm-ness!

i blame faye vincent (and hstencil).

ian snell is vv good i think

NY Yankees Inning Summary

- M. Cabrera grounded out to first
- D. Mientkiewicz homered to deep right
- J. Damon doubled to deep right
- D. Jeter grounded out to shortstop, J. Damon to third
- B. Abreu singled to shallow right, J. Damon scored
- B. Abreu stole second
- A. Rodriguez homered to deep left, B. Abreu scored
- J. Giambi singled to right center
- J. Posada homered to deep right, J. Giambi scored

Braden Looper is 2-1 w/ a 2.37 ERA.

I love April baseball.

MLB.TV TS: pac-man vs. pong

TONIGHT'S WHITE SOX-TIGERS GAME WAS POSTPONED EARLY THIS AFTERNOON DUE TO A LACK OF JERMAINE DYE AND JIM THOME DRYNESS.

Randy Johnson struck out the first 6 Philadelphia batters to open the game tonight.

While staying home, coughing like an asthmatic iron lung resident has its drawbacks, afternoon baseball makes everything OK. Saw Lowe & Mitre trade zeroes through 8 (only to have Lowe - just under 90 pitches - blow the game on a 3-run HR in the 9th). I saw Steve Physioc's hair (shudder). And I heard Michael Kay claim that a Ranger error in the bottom of the 7th that allowed the Yankees to score a run was "big".

The score in the game is now 7-2 Rangers.

Randy Johnson & Jason Hirsch are the tallest pitching matchup (and pitcher/batter matchup) in MLB history: 162 inches.

WTF is this?

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i134/dgoobl/mlbtv.jpg

quite a Santana-Carmona duel going in Cleveland.

uhh (NYY-CHW, May 17th):

- T. Iguchi doubled to left
- D. Erstad grounded out to shortstop, T. Iguchi to third
- P. Ozuna sacrificed to pitcher, T. Iguchi to third, D. Erstad to second
- L. Vizcaino relieved M. DeSalvo
- A.J. Pierzynski intentionally walked (ED NOTE: ???????)
- J. Dye hit sacrifice fly to center, T. Iguchi scored

Actually, there's more uhhh - I guess there was some sort of error / infield hit involving Erstad reaching?

omg gooblar i have seen that desk in person

Oswalt vs. Lincecum are dueling.

High adventure in Fenway's right field tonight!

"I would strike out against all this Mud Hens."

Oswalt vs. Lincecum are dueling.

-- Steve Shasta, Thursday, May 17, 2007 5:44 PM (1 hour ago)

HOU vs. SF defensive meltdown - who will win this pyrrhic victory?

And the winner is:

Two-hopper off the first base bag that allows run to score in the 12th.