SouthSideRyan

The worst part is that Gallagher's high pitch totals here probably means you have to go to another pitcher to finish the game. This is why you friggin bring up more than 2 GD PITCHERS IN SEPTEMBER

Not if Gallagher continues to pitch badly.

It's definitely too much to ask for Geo to get the start isn't it?

Any reason Henry Blanco's playing today? Or why Z sucks again?

There's also the assumption that PEDs solely and magically make people hit taters. It's easy to assume that Brady Anderson was juicing in 1996, but it's not like Randy Velarde ever hit 50 bombs. I don't really want to get into a debate about whether steroids even help all that much or not, and what kind of conclusions we can draw from weight gain, and Triple Crown stats. Apparently my views aren't widely held. A very valid point. For every Giambi and Palmiero you have an Alex Sanchez and Jorge Piedras.

The problem with Sosa is that '97 was out of line with where he was trending. In '93 he hit 1 HR every 18.12 ABs In '94 he hit 1 HR every 17.04 ABs In '95 he hit 1 HR every 15.66 ABs In '96 he hit 1 HR every 12.45 ABs Then there's '97 In '98 he hit 1 HR every 9.74 ABs That progression really doesn't look that outrageous when you consider how Sammy barely had a muscle on his body when he came up and the players' power peaking around that age. He'd go on to plateau hitting them at 1 every 9.92, 12.08, 9.01, 11.34, 12.92, and 13.65 again in line with a player peaking, and then declining. So the only question is what the hell happened in '97. He was awful in April of '97 which could be wrote off to not being fully ready for baseball after missing the last month+ in '96 due to injury. But he had an amazing May following that, then mixed in a few horrendous months the rest of the way. Another thing I think that is important to note is that people always talk about Sammy's walk rate one way or another, be it that the walk rate was due to the HRs, or the HRs were due to the walk rate. It's pretty undeniable that Sosa stopped chasing the low and away pitches as much as he did when he was younger. His monthly splits in '98 lend creeednce to the belief that the walks lead to pitchers being forced to pitch him in the zone and Sosa's always prodigious power was then put on display. In April-May of '98 he drew 27 walks, hit 13 HRs. Then obviously in June his HR totals exploded, 20 there, with 6 walks. Very simplistic way to go about it, but I think it at least shows that the BBs weren't solely a function of pitchers pitching around him. There was a change in Sosa's plate discipline, and that played a larger role in Sosa's increased HR production than any PEDs ever could.

WHAT A GREAT SOAP DROPPING GAME

Steroids.

?? Did it show her? someone posted her pic when Lee was up I'm not going to stop grinding my ax. I posted the pickle girl before the boobs showed up.

Sorry, can't hear you I'm undergoing a surgery to get a uterus. So I can have Derrek Lee's babies.

Come on Derrek.

PICKLE

Can somebody, anybody tell me why Patterson is pinch hitting instead of OBP machine Ward???

JACQUE!!!!!!!1

I love WGN morning news.

I think it was when onions were the thing to put on your belt. Gimme 5 Bees for a quarter you'd say. And I think people are overreacting to KyHen a little bit.

I don't know why Piniella is so afraid to use him. There's no reason to pinch hit Soto for Kendall there. If there's a lefty still pitching next inning, then yes definitely go to Soto.

Milt always a pleasure to give you a 3 minute forum to grind your ax. And yeah Froemming's a huge ass and he called it a ball so that people would still be talking about him 35 years later, but seriously Milt, LET IT GO IT WAS 35 YEARS AGO.

Calm down, dude. Honestly. Did I miss something here? Calm down? You are completely overblowing everything I said. (I know what's coming next -- "you should talk.") Yep, I'm the one being childish here. You asked a question as to why Ramirez would argue there. I responded with why he or anyone else would say 3 words to the ump in that situation. Is it because I called the Cards a dogbleep team earlier? I honestly don't understand where I'm overreacting here.

Calm down, dude. Honestly. Did I miss something here? Calm down?

GINGER

He was about as far off time as anyone has been this year. Good sermon at the beginning though. Except for the part about saying least of all when talking about Cubs fans.

Yeah, I was kind of surprised he argued it. hes probably just sick of a pitch that isnt a strike being called a strike. St. Albert wouldn't have said a word. He wouldn't have broken his helmet either. Would've taken it off signed it and given it to orphans. Orphans with diseases. I'm not insinuating that at all. I'm just saying (as has been pointed out), it was already called a strike earlier in the at-bat... why would he take the pitch? You didn't ask why he'd take the pitch, you asked why he'd argue, what the hell do you expect? It's a pitch he's had called on him a few times today(not that exact one, I thought the others were further outside) and he hasn't agreed with it all day, when it winds up being a called 3rd on you in a key situation, what else is he gonna do?? And if by argue you mean say 3 words to him, then yes he argued. It was a quick unnecessary tossing.

Yeah, he's been outstanding so far today. Yeah 1 for 3 with a walk while working the count well. He sucks, let's DFA him.

Yeah, I was kind of surprised he argued it. hes probably just sick of a pitch that isnt a strike being called a strike. St. Albert wouldn't have said a word. He wouldn't have broken his helmet either. Would've taken it off signed it and given it to orphans. Orphans with diseases.