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XZero771679666304

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Everything posted by XZero771679666304

  1. XZero771679666304
    [expletive]. You're hired by the team to broadcast to their fans. The announcers SHOULD be homers. ESPN or Fox announcers should remain neutral. You should have a clear bias, but not be a raging homer. It's just a total turnoff to me to hear an announcer, even for my team, shamelessly cheerleading, or being totally morose when things aren't going well. And in the case of someone like Hawk, so biased they can't even analyze the events on the field objectively. Why would you want an analyst/announcer whose analysis/opinion you can't take seriously? I want the TV team to clearly be in the Cubs' corner, but still remain professional. I felt Len and Bob did this quite well. And in this day and age where just about every game is available nationwide through various channels (like MLB EI), viewer bases extend way beyond the home markets. I watch a ton of games, and I have to say Hawk is pretty singular in his level of homerism. Most TV announcers fall far, far short of his level of cheerleading/pouting/spazzing out, as they should. I can't think of any off the top of my head that even come close.
  2. XZero771679666304
    Why in the hell would the A's trade Cespedes or Reddick? If one of their OFers is going to go, it's gonna be Crisp, unfortunately.
  3. XZero771679666304
    Hawk is informative? Ha. Big "personality" and blatant homerism don't belong in the TV booth, particularly when the team has a large national viewership. That stuff is great for a lot of the hometown fans, but it should be confined to the local radio broadcasts, imo. Santo was a great example of this. And really, animated, colorful play-by-play isn't necessary on TV at all. The TV team should be professional and unobtrusive, maintaining a subtle lean toward their team without crossing the line into homerism and cheerleading. Len is great at this, imo. And there are few play-by-play guys who are as informative and articulate as Len is, either. Certainly not Hawk [expletive] Harrelson.
  4. XZero771679666304
    Apparently ARod said last night that he won't waive his NTC because he's " got a lot to prove" or some such thing.
  5. XZero771679666304
    No, Mitch Williams would be the worst of that bunch, going away. He and Len would hate each other to boot.
  6. XZero771679666304
    Soup Campbell? I don't think he is any good. It'll be nothing but boring cliches. He subbed in for Bob in a game this year, and it was awful. It was nothing but old school cliches and backwards thinking. I could practically feel Len's annoyance through the TV, and there was quite bit of dead air. He's one of the last people I'd want to see get the job.
  7. XZero771679666304
    You lot are pathetic. Tigers in five games.
  8. XZero771679666304
    That's a pretty silly thing to say. If the Cubs traded Soriano for ARod minus his salary over what Soriano would make this year and next (a fantasyland idea), that would be nice. Then you could just consign him to the bench or cut him when he's 40 and can't play the field anymore. If the Cubs traded Soriano for ARod in a contract for contract swap (probably the only way the Yanks would do it), it would be monumentally, sickeningly stupid. No one in their right mind would do that. That'd be a ridiculous premium to pay to fill a short term need. He might be a bit of a pariah now, but do you really think the Yankees would eat $78MM just to be rid of him? Because that's the only way it would make one iota of sense. The only way they can trade him is by eating money and when the pressure builds on the Yankees to get rid of somebody, they usually do. When signing the deal in the first place they had to know there would be a huge chunk completely wasted. We'll see, I guess. I'm sure they knew they were effectively burning cash at the end of that contract, but I don't think the Yankees envisioned quite the decline that ARod has gone through, at least not so soon. The Yankees will eat money, but we're talking about a huge sum here. But if they were inclined to do it, I would welcome such a trade.
  9. XZero771679666304
    That's a pretty silly thing to say. If the Cubs traded Soriano for ARod minus his salary over what Soriano would make this year and next (a fantasyland idea), that would be nice. Then you could just consign him to the bench or cut him when he's 40 and can't play the field anymore. If the Cubs traded Soriano for ARod in a contract for contract swap (probably the only way the Yanks would do it), it would be monumentally, sickeningly stupid. No one in their right mind would do that. That'd be a ridiculous premium to pay to fill a short term need. He might be a bit of a pariah now, but do you really think the Yankees would eat $78MM just to be rid of him? Because that's the only way it would make one iota of sense.
  10. XZero771679666304
    We're declaring him a bust because he's 24 and just struck out 217 times in 609 PAs in one season, most of it at AAA. It's not just that he struck out a crapton that is so discouraging, it's how he struck out. It's not a pitch recognition or discipline issue (he's above average at laying off non-strikes), it's that he can't hit good pitches in the zone. He's basically Mark Reynolds with a lot less power. It doesn't bode well. Prior to this year, if you asked people what the worst case scenario for BJax was, it probably would have been pretty close to what 2012 was. I suppose it's within the realm of possibility that he can find a way to make enough contact to raise his avg/slg to the point where he wouldn't be an offensive liability (even for a CF), but I think prudence dictates that the FO should proceed as if he is in fact a bust.
  11. XZero771679666304
    I think most people who have praised Brenly would also say his appeal lay mostly in his chemistry with Len. His dogging on ARam/Soriano/etc. were definitely negatives.
  12. XZero771679666304
    To be fair, Ryan Theriot got progressively better leading up to his promotion. He was never .900 OPS good (and his outburst at the end of an awful season amounted to nothing, and he never repeated it), but his last couple seasons in the minors were decent-good by middle infielder standards. Pete Kozma has been consistently awful, with his last two years being among his worst. It's a wonder he even got a call-up. But your point about putting yourself in position to take advantage is one I've been making myself. But that doesn't mean we can't vent a little in a game thread. I don't think too many people are being entirely serious here.
  13. XZero771679666304
    This opens up a world of possibilities! In all seriousness, I think Kerry Wood or Eric Karros make a lot of sense. Kerry is who I am hoping for, but he has zero experience, which makes me wonder if they'd consider him.
  14. XZero771679666304
    OH, GOD, NO. It'll be fine, unless there's just a horrible mismatch. Some of the time there was another color guy in the booth was downright painful (remember Dave Campbell?). Having to listen to [expletive] like that all year would be well worth griping about.
  15. XZero771679666304
    At least Carpenter wasn't awful in the minors and had a pretty decent season in limited duty this year. It's still [expletive], but not nearly as ridiculous as Kozma and Descalso. Craig is legitimately good. Carpenter much less so, but still not egregious. Kozma is [expletive] ridiculous. He had a .647 OPS at Memphis and most of his milb career was as bad or worse. He's organizational filler. Descalso isn't quite as bad, but he's also decidedly not good.
  16. XZero771679666304
    True, but I think Len was the stronger half for sure. Even in a best case scenario, it'll take a year or two for Len and the new guy to build the rapport/chemistry he and Bob had.
  17. XZero771679666304
    He's got an onerous contract, declining performance, a full NTC and a strong stated preference to stay in NY. I think he's immovable, or close to it. But Girardi's usage of him has been curious. He plugged him onto the 3 spot even though he'd been their fifth or sixth best hitter, and then promptly yanked him altogether. It's almost like he wanted to expose him, or thought he'd be motivated by being placed in the third spot, but pulled him out of disgust or something when he struggled. You can't DH him over Ibanez at this point. Chavez was better in the regular season, but he has been just as bad as ARod this postseason. Maybe there's more going on than we know.
  18. XZero771679666304
    I agree with this. I'm thinking Sutcliffe is most likely the guy.
  19. XZero771679666304
    A lot of fans I know are already calling for him, but I can't see it. He's a train wreck at this point. Personally I would enjoy Mark Grace in the booth, but that would be a potential PR nightmare. I think the chances they'd hire him, considering he was just fired because of legal troubles and the fact he can't control his drinking, are just about nil.
  20. XZero771679666304
    I have a dark fear that might happen.
  21. XZero771679666304
    That's an intriguing possibility. He's definitely a forward thinker, but I have no idea how he is in a booth.
  22. XZero771679666304
    It is true, and I'd bet the reason is that he accepted the Arizona job.
  23. XZero771679666304
    A lot of fans I know are already calling for him, but I can't see it. He's a train wreck at this point.
  24. XZero771679666304
    I disregarded that part because it's fantasy. No matter how much fans hate him, I can't see the Yanks doing that. That's a ton of money to eat, even for them.
  25. XZero771679666304
    I'm pretty ignorant about how hiring for positions like this go, but I'd hope Len has a part in choosing Bob's replacement. Chemistry in the booth is huge.
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