sunnydoo

Carlos Lee's slugging % is 497 lifetime and has been around 540 the last couple of seasons. Berkman's is 557 lifetime and has cycled from a high of 621 last season to a 515 a few years ago. Berkman (switch hitter) is also more difficult to deal with b/c he bats left handed (most of the time)as opposed to the right handed Lee, so he has that advantage as well. As for last year, Phil Garner is a very very sneaky guy. A fellow Tennessean, he has the name Old Scrap Iron for a reason. He was hiding Berkman last season. He was continually changing his lineup, keeping a hot hitter behind Berkman. That way, you had to decide against pitching to Berkman vs. someone who was hot. Ensberg who backed him up until June was hitting .329 in the month of april and down eventually to 265 by the end of may. Garner then moved in Preston Wilson and dropped Berkman to the 4 hole. Then it was Huff and Lane for the rest of the year. Just about anyone who backed up Berkman, had a significant jump in their avg. immediately following the move. Altogether pretty sly. As for Bonds, #1 Kent was there for his 73 hr season. #2 he has extraordinary talent even before the steroids. His swing, motion, reflexes and hands maybe in the top 10 of all time. They are lightning quick. The trouble has been his legs the last few years. He is just a talented guy and if he gets anything to hit, then he is going to hit it. All the steroids did was put more pop in the bat.

Actually it illustrates my point perfectly. If the guy isnt getting good pitches to hit, then he cant do anything with power associated.So instead of being able to drive the ball somewhere, he is just able to flip it out into the voids. Bad pitches are hard to hit, thats why they are bad. Also pressing and swinging at bad pitches get you more outs because you will lack the ability to get them somewhere. So your % will go down from that as well. Again bad pitches are bad. Thats why i hate people like Vlad Guerrero. So disgusting with what he can do at the plate. There are no bad pitches for him. Terrific waste hitter.

*Obligatory Quote on quantum physics, love and baseball. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Annie Savoy: These are the ground rules. I hook up with one guy a season. Usually takes me a couple weeks to pick the guy - kinda my own spring training. And, well, you two are the most promising prospects of the season so far, so I just thought we should kinda get to know each other. Crash Davis: Time out. Why do you get to choose? Annie Savoy: What? Crash Davis: Why do you get to choose? I mean, why don't I get to choose, why doesn't he get to choose? Annie Savoy: Well, actually, nobody on this planet ever really chooses each other. I mean, it's all a question of quantum physics, molecular attraction, and timing. Why, there are laws we don't understand that bring us together and tear us apart. Uh, it's like pheromones. You get three ants together, they can't do dick. You get 300 million of them, they can build a cathedral. [Crash laughs] Ebby Calvin LaLoosh: So is somebody going to go to bed with somebody or what? Annie Savoy: Honey, you are a regular nuclear meltdown. You better cool off. Ha ha, ha ha! [to Crash] Annie Savoy: Oh, where are you going? Crash Davis: After 12 years in the minor leagues, I don't try out. Besides, uh, I don't believe in quantum physics when it comes to matters of the heart. Annie Savoy: What do you believe in, then? Crash Davis: Well, I believe in the soul, the [expletive], the $##!#%, the small of a woman's back, the hanging curve ball, high fiber, good scotch, that the novels of Susan Sontag are self-indulgent, overrated crap. I believe Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. I believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment outlawing Astroturf and the designated hitter. I believe in the sweet spot, soft-core pornography, opening your presents Christmas morning rather than Christmas Eve and I believe in long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days. [pause] Crash Davis: Goodnight. Annie Savoy: Oh my. Crash... Ebby Calvin LaLoosh: Hey, Annie, what's all this molecule stuff?

Just because you cant account for it with math or see it, does not mean that it does not exist. The recently discovered dark energy/matter comes to mind.

i wonder if Carlos, Cesar, and Henry are keeping close tabs on their relatives back home. Got to be somewhat unnerving for all of them with things about to break loose in their homeland. Wonder if it is affecting them at all.

Good story, and one you dont see that often in the media frenzy. I have always maintained through the interviews i have seen on ESPN, MTV and the day in the life series done on him that Sheff isnt a bad guy at all. He is grossly misunderstood and that a lot of the stuff that he has been tagged for was things from early in his life and seeing things associated with Gooden and Strawberry. He is a lot smarter and has a whole lot more class than people give him credit for. Nowhere near the case of Bonds which he is most closely associated with. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2885512

Couple of Questions: Are umpires doing a lot more work in staying in shape these days. Seems like all the young umps and a lot of the old ones look to be in pretty decent shape as opposed to an Eric Greg, etc. Is there anything that occurs during a game that you like less than getting hit by a foul ball when calling behind the plate? How do you deal with that? How lively is the conversation typically at the plate during a minor league game? Do the umpires ever get involved in the conversation between the batters and catchers, or do you just sit there bemused?

Well if you recall though...Bagwell was the one driving the train. Kent batted cleanup and Berkman was the #5 hitter. Hidalgo or Ensberg followed Berkman. So Lance was getting good pitches to hit because he was in the middle of the mess and perceived as the weak link. And lineup protection is much less a myth than the loogy. I can honestly say having pitched some in the past that there are guys you go after and guys you dont. you are living in the fantasy realm if you dont look on deck and say i would rather face him with a man on than this guy at the plate and get tatooed. And why challenge the hitter when you know you can get the next guy out at the plate? He may get himself out on a bad pitch, but worse case scenario is that you go after the next guy.

I think much of it is that. You look at the pitches he is driving for his extra base hits this year and they are typically down and away that he is driving to right. Teams are really keeping things away from him high and plate to in where he typically hits the snot out of the baseball to left. I will grant you that some of the pitches he has hit to right this year may have gone out in years past. His wrist strength isnt probably all the way back yet, but hopefully it will show up in the not too distant future. Jeff Bagwell. You could go after him or Bagwell. Bagwell was the easier choice, especially after his shoulder injury.

Its kind of the same thing that is going on with DLee and ARam, although many on this board dont believe that it exists. Teams have a choice to pitch to either Berkman or CLee when playing Houston. Most opt to go after CLee and pitch around Berkman, which is why is OBP is so out of whack with his batting average. Because his BA is so low in comparison to OBP as opposed to say a DLee (although DLee is definitely a better hitter) shows a little lack of patience in going after bad balls, especially since your Career OBP numbers are typically higher. And if you arent getting good pitches to hit, you cant really tag them for extra base hits. However with Pence coming on strong for Houston and beginning to protect CLee in the 5 hole...pretty soon most teams arent going to have the option to choose to go after Berkman or CLee with less than 2 outs. An option that the Cubs do not have at the moment, and the Astros didnt have until Pence showed up from nowhere. Lane has been 100% awful this season (171/182), while Barrett has only been horrendously bad (244/294).

Loogys do not exist- as evidence has shown, cause more problems than alleviate.

Man that is great. :lol: Imagine the presence of mind that Hopper had to do that. One of your teammates is down, you did it, and you had the sense to go to him ask him that he is OK and put the ball in the glove at the same time. That is good stuff.

Pigs, Pigs, Pigs. Havent been this excited since the Osprey landed. http://pink-floyd.ru/bins/3682/image002.jpg

XRays and scans came back negative. i would hope the doctors would have him stay in the hospital for the night under observation.

Ah, busted. RegulusBlue is really Lee Elia. Funny post though. Gave me a chuckle.

fixored. original wasnt in correct format. :wink:

http://www.golden5.net/blog/archives/img/cinema/edwood.gif

Our bullpen picked up the pace today....now on schedule to lose 44. I am sure Colorado cant wait to shed the NL record of 39 in 2004. Hats off guys. At least you embrace the suck and are excelling at it. Way to make lemonade out of the lemons.

Alf shocks the world and makes his first save of the year in Atlanta. His ERA drops to a microscopic 4.57....(thats microscopic by Cub bullpen standards).

Why do i think this is a brilliant idea for the Fish? Nolasco on Monday, Willis on Tuesday, and Mitre on Wednesday. Will we even score? Nice to see some ex-Cubbies but lord oh lord, 3 in a row starting against us. Pinto is in the pen as well.

Loogys do not exist. They are not feasible in the game as Ohman has shown. The opposing manager will simply pinch hit for the batter and let the good times roll. On top of the roster mayhem and the real lack of IP they can do for a team, just not worth the hassle. As for Eyre, he also stinks. Not saying that this is feasible or even the way they should be graded but all of those Pen Vet arms are 4.5+ ERA. All the kids are below 3.2. I am all for DFA'ing Eyre, Booby and Ohman. Call up Rapada, Cherry and Pigs and lets get them started. Cotts can comeback when and if he can show that he can be effective again.

sorry in my anger, i didnt add the BBs in for PAs. You are correct. And i wouldnt advocate any of the pitchers you mentioned coming in serious situations. And Guzmans OBP is much better in relief than as a starter. might want to check that out.

And people with a .378 OBPA shouldnt be allowed in the game in a serious situation either. They need to be pitching in AAA.

silly. so i guess Lou can only use Ohman when his psychic or ouiji board tell him that the other manager isnt going to pinch hit. So the situation to use Ohman now is day games only, with 1 man on not in scoring position, lefty coming to the plate and the opposing manager wont let pinch hit for him. Good to have him available just in that case. :roll:

i am afraid to ask this ?, but who is warming in the pen...