Random Baseball Musings

[Clem Fandango]

The Dodgers are 40-8 since June 22nd :shock:

[Guest]

The Dodgers are 40-8 since June 22nd :shock:

 

Yeah. I was very very wrong about them.

[jersey cubs fan]

they'll regret it in 4 years

[Clem Fandango]

Also, since the beginning of August Brandon Belt has raised his OPS 69 points from .757 to .826. In the month of August he's got a slash line of .400/.481/.844/1.325

[SouthSideRyan]

I'm not sure people even dislike Sandberg that much anyways just Sandberg fan-boys.

 

Excluding of course those who hate him for having the name Ryne.

 

Careful, Ryne BHogg is damn near a full grown man at this point.

[TruffleShuffle]

@JSalisburyCSN

 

Phillies to make manager change, sources say. Press at 230.

I assume that means Sandberg will be the new Phillies manager.

 

IMO charlie manuel is a really good manager, and should get multiple job offers in the offseason. ruben amaro jr, on the other hand, should have fired himself.

[Sammy Sofa]

Sandberg also quit on his team and threw ex-teammates under the bus.

 

If his name was Sanchez, he'd never be let back in to Chicago.

 

That's not hate for him personally. That's hate for the double-standard.

 

He's a douchey ex-athlete, but if I hated every douchey ex- or current athlete, I wouldn't have time for anything but hate. Certainly not making enough message board posts to meet my daily quota.

 

Seriously though, can you imagine that story happening today? Was it one year after he signed what was then the biggest contract in MLB history? A perennial all star on the HOF fast track with what was a pristine reputation just quitting out of nowhere to spend time with his family, only to divorce his harpy wife and come back a much worse player. That ranks right up there with any interesting baseball story, although baseball players, by rule, are not interesting.

 

I love Sandberg the player and wish I could somehow transport back to a time when I knew absolutely nothing about him except him being awesome at baseball because everything else he does and says just annoys the [expletive] piss outta me. Just the Palmeiro trade rumor stuff alone is enough to bring the hate.

[Guest]

I wish I could go back to being more naive about baseball when I thought Sandberg and Dawson were the best players in the game.

[rocket]

I wish I could go back to being more naive about baseball when I thought Sandberg and Dawson were the best players in the game.

 

there should be a thread for dumb baseball opinions we held as kids

 

i used to tell everyone that shawon dunston was just as good, if not better, than ozzie smith

[weis21]

My favorite Cub of all-time is Andre Dawson. I was never really that big on Sandberg for some reason. Is there any resentment for Dawson? That's not in jest. I was just young when he was a Cub and I really haven't heard much since. I know he was (is?) a FO-type guy with the Marlins. I remember him talking in the WGN booth when the Marlins came to play the Cubs and how much I wished he was more involved with the Cubs.

 

Random side note: I have been to Wrigley field to watch the cubs exactly one time when I was 9 (been a number of times to ATL to watch them...Braves fans [expletive] suck, BTW). Both Dawson and Sandberg were injured and didn't play. Van Slyke, Bonilla, Bonds, and the Pirates blew the Cubs out 13-4 (Was 13-1 going into the bottom of the 9th). I did, however, have the claim to fame to say I saw Doug Dascenzo pitch first-hand. 1 IP with a hit and a strikeout. Shawn Boskie and Heathcliff Slocumb both sucked hard. Heathcliff gets a pass, though, for having one of the most kickass first names in history.

 

ETA: And yes, to support the naive thing as a youth Cubs fan, if anyone said Dawson wasn't the best player I would fight them tooth and nail. Typing that made me remember at the end of Dawson's career my friend would mock how he ran with his broken-down knees. We are no longer close anymore for a number of reasons. Perhaps this is subconsciously buried down on that list of reasons.

[Banedon]

I wish I could go back to being more naive about baseball when I thought Sandberg and Dawson were the best players in the game.

 

there should be a thread for dumb baseball opinions we held as kids

 

i used to tell everyone that shawon dunston was just as good, if not better, than ozzie smith

 

I had complete reverence for Leon Durham, and hated Mark Grace for years for taking Durham's job.

[Guest]

I wish I could go back to being more naive about baseball when I thought Sandberg and Dawson were the best players in the game.

 

there should be a thread for dumb baseball opinions we held as kids

 

i used to tell everyone that shawon dunston was just as good, if not better, than ozzie smith

 

I had complete reverence for Leon Durham, and hated Mark Grace for years for taking Durham's job.

I'm older. I couldn't forgive Durham for taking Buckner's job.

 

And Bucknering a ground ball in the playoffs before Buckner did it.

[Andy]

I argued Sammy Sosa over Barry Bonds in 2001 based largely on his RBI total. I also thought slugging percentage had something to do with walking and that was why Bonds' was so high.

[Abedunk34]

Random side note: I have been to Wrigley field to watch the cubs exactly one time when I was 9 (been a number of times to ATL to watch them...Braves fans [expletive] suck, BTW). Both Dawson and Sandberg were injured and didn't play. Van Slyke, Bonilla, Bonds, and the Pirates blew the Cubs out 13-4 (Was 13-1 going into the bottom of the 9th). I did, however, have the claim to fame to say I saw Doug Dascenzo pitch first-hand. 1 IP with a hit and a strikeout. Shawn Boskie and Heathcliff Slocumb both sucked hard. Heathcliff gets a pass, though, for having one of the most kickass first names in history.

That, too, was my first game ever at Wrigley. :-"

[Guest]

I wish I could go back to being more naive about baseball when I thought Sandberg and Dawson were the best players in the game.

 

there should be a thread for dumb baseball opinions we held as kids

 

i used to tell everyone that shawon dunston was just as good, if not better, than ozzie smith

 

I had complete reverence for Leon Durham, and hated Mark Grace for years for taking Durham's job.

I'm older. I couldn't forgive Durham for taking Buckner's job.

 

And Bucknering a ground ball in the playoffs before Buckner did it.

Same.

[PackLandVA]

 

And Bucknering a ground ball in the playoffs before Buckner did it.

 

Favorite. Cub. Ever.

 

Modeled my wiffle-ball swing as a kid after his. Even would occasionally limp when I ran the bases (doubles, of course). Was a bat boy during a ST game in '84 and sat by him briefly on the bench. Really wanted his bat after the game but got Ryno's instead (back when he used a black one, like Buckner). Also got a Mel Hall bat. Game was stopped during play so I could run sun glasses out to CF for Henry Cotto.

[weis21]

Random side note: I have been to Wrigley field to watch the cubs exactly one time when I was 9 (been a number of times to ATL to watch them...Braves fans [expletive] suck, BTW). Both Dawson and Sandberg were injured and didn't play. Van Slyke, Bonilla, Bonds, and the Pirates blew the Cubs out 13-4 (Was 13-1 going into the bottom of the 9th). I did, however, have the claim to fame to say I saw Doug Dascenzo pitch first-hand. 1 IP with a hit and a strikeout. Shawn Boskie and Heathcliff Slocumb both sucked hard. Heathcliff gets a pass, though, for having one of the most kickass first names in history.

That, too, was my first game ever at Wrigley. :-"

WOW - what's the odds?

 

I snuck down to behind the plate in the 9th because most people had left.

[Have a seat, Neifi]

Also, since the beginning of August Brandon Belt has raised his OPS 69 points from .757 to .826. In the month of August he's got a slash line of .400/.481/.844/1.325

Total slash line now up to .270/.354/.488/.842. On the season, the only NL first basemen with higher fWARs are Votto and Goldschmidt.

 

Between Belt, Smoak, and Hosmer, sort of feels like the year of rejuvenation of formerly heralded first baseman prospects.

[Guest]

I thought Brant Brown was going to be a really good player and kind of wanted him to keep playing over Grace when he filled in for him due to injury and did what I thought was really well that one time.

 

Also, Todd Haney was going to be awesome because he HRed in the first game of one of his call ups (1995).

 

I can't believe I remember this, but I think that Haney game was also the day they interviewed Kerry Wood on the Cubs broadcast after he was drafted.

 

Telemaco was going to be a beast after his near no hit debut too.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

I argued Sammy Sosa over Barry Bonds in 2001 based largely on his RBI total. I also thought slugging percentage had something to do with walking and that was why Bonds' was so high.

 

I said that Sosa should win the MVP over McGwire because McGwire's rate stats may show that he's more efficient, but Sosa produced more.

[Clem Fandango]

I know Soriano is going bonkers and ESPN is really fellating him over it even though we've seen him go on hot streaks for years, but just for reference even though it's a small sample size and his numbers can be inflated quickly, it's still impressive...

 

Before August 11th when his hot streak started, he had a .200/.231/.340/.571 slash line as a Yankee over 13 games. He currently has a .320/.354/.667/1.021 as a result of his hot 6 game stretch. He went from having 7 RBI to 26 RBI over that stretch. I know it's been talked about here a bit, but it really is impressive, and I'm happy he's having success.

[TruffleShuffle]

I wish I could go back to being more naive about baseball when I thought Sandberg and Dawson were the best players in the game.

 

sandberg was in the discussion for best player in the game in the late '80s/early '90s. bonds was the best, but sandberg was probably in the next tier with rickey henderson, cal ripken, wade boggs, roger clemens, etc.

[SouthSideRyan]

I wish I could go back to being more naive about baseball when I thought Sandberg and Dawson were the best players in the game.

 

there should be a thread for dumb baseball opinions we held as kids

 

i used to tell everyone that shawon dunston was just as good, if not better, than ozzie smith

 

I had complete reverence for Leon Durham, and hated Mark Grace for years for taking Durham's job.

 

You were a smart kid.

[Clem Fandango]

Miguel Tejada tests positive for amphetemines, suspended 105 games. Might be time to hang up the cleats.

[TruffleShuffle]

Miguel Tejada tests positive for amphetemines, suspended 105 games. Might be time to hang up the cleats.

 

i didn't even know he was still playing.