ConstableRabbit

The best was the commercial with people who used to talk sports out of their asses (literally), until they started watching espn. It made me sick -- the only thing that's worse than someone who doesn't know about about a topic is someone who thinks they know what they're talking about!

I agree. You....AGREE with me? Stop the presses. But seriously: I was also thinking about runners. The reason they push their chests out is because in a race, you need to break a plane (one that happens to be about equal to the height of your chest), not reach down and touch something. They are trying to go as fast as possible, by running through the finish line, while at the same time putting the part of their body that needs to be furthest out, furthest out. When a baserunner is heading toward first base, they should also run through the base, putting the part of their body that needs to be furthest out, furthest out. In a race, it's your chest, but in baseball, it's your foot.

I respect that your aversion to it is more about injury, and I feel ya there. But players diving for moving objects all the time in the outfield...and their hand gets to that spot far faster than their feet would have gotten to that spot. And that object is moving...in theory it should be easier to dive for a stationary object. Please no Bandon. Let's not go through this again. Keep your beliefs but know they are wrong. You can't catch a ball with your foot. You can't get to some spot ahead of you faster by stopping running. Catching it is irrelevant. Think of a diving catch. The ball lands at spot X and the player catches the ball just a hair from touching the ground. You really think that you could have gotten your foot to spot x faster than you could get your hand there so that the ball lands on your foot, or you can kick it? Sorry buddy...it's not wrong. It's common sense. I think that's more due to the trajectory of the ball. If the ball hits the ground, an out will not be recorded, right? So we're not trying to just meet where the ball is, but rather to prevent it from touching the ground as well as meeting where the ball is. Because the ball falls from the air to the ground (obviously) he only way to "buy time" is to get lower to the ground in order to catch the ball before it touches the ground. Because you can't run at full speed with your glove on the ground, you need to dive because it's the fastest way to reach the ball with your glove close to the ground. So you're not getting there as fast, but the name of the game is not to get there fastest, it's to get to the ball before it touches the ground. It's not a good comparison to reaching first base. Even so, with first base, you're trying to touch something that is on the ground, which is why you should run through the base, stretching out your foot in a final lunge. Diving slows you down not only because you're touching the dirt and sliding into the base (extra friction), but you're also touching the base with your hand, which has to move from the top of your body to the ground. The only reason to slide is to avoid a tag or to slow yourself down (at 2nd or 3rd) so you don't overrun a base.

Most of the current Braves have very little history against Marquis. Andruw Jones killed him, but he's moved on. Chipper has hit 3 home runs against him in only 6 at-bats. Overall though, there's no real idea if this Braves squad is a bad matchup for him. every matchup is a bad matchup with marquis That's not really true. Let's give Marquis credit for the good starts he's had. He's not a 65 ERA+ pitcher this year. He's a 95 ERA+ pitcher, which isn't really all that horrible for a #5. The Braves are no juggernaut this year, it's nothing like facing them when they were a playoff team. The other thing is, he's been holding pretty steady through the year. Putting up some bad starts, then some mediocre ones, with a smattering of good starts. We're in mid August now, which is usually well past the time when Jason collapses. Hasn't happened yet. Let's hope it continues. I agree with what you're saying. I take issue with the bolded part though. It's much better than "not all that horrible." For a number five starter, it's actually pretty great. it's not so great for a guy making $7 mil. I hate to prove Banedon right here but this is the most annoying argument with regard to Marquis (not trying to pick on you, abuck). Yes, his performance is not worth $7 million/year. However, Marquis is getting paid whether he pitches or sits on the bench for the rest of the season. Unless he's traded and his salary is taken up, it's a sunk cost for the Cubs. If you want to say that Marshall is flat out better, fine. If you want to say that he has more of a future with the Cubs, that he needs to be able to develop more as an MLB starter, that he will most likely be cheaper than Marquis in the future, fine. However, Marquis is already under contract, and yes, his numbers are pretty good for a #5 starter. As much as I am not satisfied with a mere "pretty good for a #5", salary is irrelevant.

So you think broadcasters and writers overinflate a stat that is simple but inaccurate so that casual fans will watch the game? Not buying it. And if that is what they are doing, shame on them for being lazy. This isn't necessarily the same thing, but Len dumbs-down his analysis during the game all the time. I'm pretty sure he could care less about a guy's average.

I see where you're going on this, but aren't you punishing a batter for the incidental contact of a foul tip so minute that it's essentially the same thing as a swing and miss?

Going to a game and having to dumb-down my baseball conversation KILLS me. Its even present in my family... as much as I get annoyed with message boards from time to time, thank God for nsbb.

That's a very good point. Dunn's P/PA stacks up well vs. the rest of the league. He's second in the NL. (Kosuke is 3rd, Fred Lewis is 1st)

Sure, unless you're striking out on a pitch headed for the backstop, not much good comes from a K, since the pitcher isn't depending on anyone else to get you out. But it is still just one out. Yes, but if you put the ball in play, you have a chance of the defense messing up, and therefore something good happening out of it. The chances are slim, yes, but they're a hell of a lot better than if you strike out. so what? The rates that he produces at tells us what he produces, which is good, much better than the vast majority. It does not matter what could happen if he didn't strike out, what matters is what does happen. And what happens when Adam Dunn comes to the plate is a more than acceptable rate of success. The fascination with the strike out is so obnoxious. I'd still rather have a guy who makes the same number of outs, who is able to at least have productive outs.... move the runners over and such. A K isn't the end of the world, and given the choice I'd take a K over a DP, but excessive amounts of strikeouts hurt the team. Yes, he produces well, but he could produce much better if he didn't strike out so damn much. Exactly. It's almost like the hustle argument. All else equal, you'd rather take the guy who hustles over the guy who doesn't, right? (Unless there are nagging injury issues, obviously) Are you saying that you would not prefer someone of Dunn's abilities who struck out less? How many fewer strikeouts are you looking for? There really aren't that many .900 OPS players that strikeout less than 120 times per season. And of those that do, not many draw 110 walks per year. Oh of course. But ideally, wouldn't you WANT him to strikeout less if it was possible? This is kind of a circular argument.

Sure, unless you're striking out on a pitch headed for the backstop, not much good comes from a K, since the pitcher isn't depending on anyone else to get you out. But it is still just one out. Yes, but if you put the ball in play, you have a chance of the defense messing up, and therefore something good happening out of it. The chances are slim, yes, but they're a hell of a lot better than if you strike out. so what? The rates that he produces at tells us what he produces, which is good, much better than the vast majority. It does not matter what could happen if he didn't strike out, what matters is what does happen. And what happens when Adam Dunn comes to the plate is a more than acceptable rate of success. The fascination with the strike out is so obnoxious. I'd still rather have a guy who makes the same number of outs, who is able to at least have productive outs.... move the runners over and such. A K isn't the end of the world, and given the choice I'd take a K over a DP, but excessive amounts of strikeouts hurt the team. Yes, he produces well, but he could produce much better if he didn't strike out so damn much. Exactly. It's almost like the hustle argument. All else equal, you'd rather take the guy who hustles over the guy who doesn't, right? (Unless there are nagging injury issues, obviously) Are you saying that you would not prefer someone of Dunn's abilities who struck out less?

In Detroit he was complaining about a lack of playing time, which he called "a platoon" despite the fact that he wasn't in a platoon. When Jim Leyland explained, through the media, what a platoon was, Sheffield said that that was just how he felt. Sucks, old, expensive, complains, AND doesn't know what a platoon is. No.

Although I'm sure Soriano trying to speak Japanese would just further piss of Kosuke IIRC, Soriano does speak it a little. I remember reading somewhere that he learned some Japanese when he played over there. Oh he definitely speaks a little. The article calls him "semi-fluent". Do they call his English "semi-fluent"? :lol:

Reads very similar to Mariotti

Nice to see Soriano saying good things about his teammate: http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/cs-080811-soriano-kosuke-fukudome-chicago-cubs,1,1880934.story Although I'm sure Soriano trying to speak Japanese would just further piss of Kosuke

Also, Maybe he's just frustrated, but he sounded annoyed to me.

Kosuke seemed pretty pissed off by Lou's comments. Bitter even.

Here's his youtube profile, hahahaha, he's 22: http://www.youtube.com/user/eliascoblentz

Phelps and Lochkte on the medal stand. National Anthem beginning is cut off, a verse is added, and it's cut off in mid-measure before "land of the free, and the home of the brave". WTF? :x

Ahahahahah BLANCO! Go CUBS!

I had to take a call. What happened? Kfuk walk and blanco singled? Hard hit? Lucky?

Pat and Ron think he's throwing a knuckleball... thoughts?

LOL

"He's been unlucky with the long ball"

Did anyone ever see the episode of "Doug" where they have a baseball team and Skeeter is throwing "nice, soft, strikes" and gets lit up on every pitch? Yeah, that's what I think of whenever Howry pitches

I LOVE BEING WRONG suck it, Tony