Ding Dong Johnson

link how long until he tries to weasel his way into becoming player/coach?

exactly...please pinch me because i cannot believe one of our black holes has just been vaporized! let's not get ahead of ourselves. he's likely to bring the numbers up, but he's got a long way to go to vaporizing that hole

wait, are they going to let him play?

it's about damn time

I think any deal with the Reds will start with a ML-ready starting pitcher

cheaper in talent or $$?

I pulled that move Saturday night in a wiffle ball game, the ball dropped, and we scored 2 runs -- and I'd do it again

So, that means three very stupid teams.... 4 if you include the one stupid enough to have him now

more foolish than to believe the guy on your team is one of the rare exceptions to the rule? What do you mean "believe"? He's putting up the two best seasons of his career at 30-31. It's not like people are thinking/hoping that he might do this, it's happening/happened. I'm not necessarily referring to just Soriano and davearm. It's been thrown around numerous times about several players.

more foolish than to believe the guy on your team is one of the rare exceptions to the rule?

I really don't understand what it takes to get banned around here

wow, that's pretty cheap considering his awesomeness

If you really want 12 pitchers, now is not the time to do it. The only reason to waste a roster spot on a 7th reliever is if your bullpen has been taxed. Cubs' relievers will have at least 4 days of rest before gametime, and all but Howry will have at least 5. you whine about not having a game thread and then wait 45 minutes to post in it? yeesh, rough crowd

I wonder how Roast voted

I'm guessing he doesn't because of this: your player isn't getting very much PT right now Yea but (and trying to argue within their criteria) he is making more than at least one of the three other OF'ers and at 215 ABs he's not too far behind the 250-270 range of the others. And the other teams don't have as many better options as this team. And he's been promised more upcoming ABs. not saying he doesn't belong, just trying to provide an explanation

I'm guessing he doesn't because of this: your player isn't getting very much PT right now

I would imagine his time off will be longer than 100 games

but it's very smart if it's the 1 pitch you're looking for and you're Albert Pujols Okay. Even though K-Rod wasn't able to locate more than 2-3 fastballs for strikes over the course of 3 hitters Pujols should just assume he'll groove a first pitch fastball right down the heart of the plate and find the strike zone with no problem, right? What if he throws a nasty slider in the dirt while you're looking fastball and you're down 0-1? You take the first pitch after 3 consecutive walks regardless of who you are and who's pitching. Let's say this was a Cubs game in this exact same position. Down by one...closer walks 3 straight wildly and someone swings at the first pitch with the bases loaded and flies out or pops up. You and every other member on this board would have went ballistic talking about how this team is so stupid, isn't patient at the plate and someone probably would have blamed Dusty Baker. we're not talking about you or some 11th grader batting 8th in a JV game, we're discussing Albert Pujols. he's not assuming he'll get a BP fastball, he's making up his mind that that's the only sort of pitch he will swing at. anything outside of that location, slower speed, spin, etc, and he lays off if K-Rod just threw 28 consecutive balls, I still wouldn't fault someone like Pujols for swinging at the 29th pitch if it was a fastball in his wheelhouse

yes, I'm being serious. in that situation, a good (and disciplined) hitter will look for 1 pitch in 1 zone to swing at. anything outside that zone will be taken, strike or not. k-rod grooved a fastball just to get a strike, and odds are that would be the 1 pitch that a good hitter like Pujols would have been looking to swing at

Willie McGee, though he was never the model for consistency

but it's very smart if it's the 1 pitch you're looking for and you're Albert Pujols

SS Julio Lugo, Red Sox (.197/.270/.298)

unless you're a hitter as good as Albert Pujols and can easily deposit that pitch into the left field seats because you're waiting for it and it comes Pujols historically takes quite a few first pitches and is a very smart hitter. When a pitcher walks 3 guys in a row and is all over the place like K-Rod was you make him pitch a strike. Pujols or any other hitter likely isn't looking for a certain pitch - just making the guy prove he can throw a strike. Even Jeff Francouer would have likely taken the first pitch there. Despite the control issues, the first pitch is often the best pitch you'll get with the bases loaded. Even more so after a couple walks, the pitcher wants to get ahead to avoid walking in the run, so a good hitter would sit dead red on a fastball and not be afraid to swing if he got one(but at the same time realize it has to be "his" pitch, which Pujols is certainly capable of). exactly, the likely scenario there is that was the one pitch Pujols would have swung at

I would have selected Jake for being the world's only Pirates fan

unless you're a hitter as good as Albert Pujols and can easily deposit that pitch into the left field seats because you're waiting for it and it comes