Transmogrified Tiger

Nice cross and header from Paraguay takes a friendly glance off the post. They changed the US goal to an own goal, which was a good call. Akbar never touched it, the defender took him down and touched the ball in with the leg that went through Akbar's legs. And now Cardaccio hits Szetela in the head away from the ball and no foul or card is given.

EQUALIZER!!!!! Akbar finally nudges it off the line after Adu wins and sends a corner that deflects to Szetela who rips it across the box.

Ball rolls around the box but Bradley's shot hits the keeper. Uruguay is now falling if anyone comes within 10 yards of them with the ball.

Ferrari in for Beltran, hopefully he can spark a goal in the last 10 minutes.

Paraguay with the goal after Perks couldn't keep a hold on a header while Suarez followed. Argentina/Mexico is on Univision. How in the world are they letting Oswaldo Sanchez wear a light blue keeper jersey?

EPatt got on somehow but just got picked off 1st.

Altidore is hurt. Cheap tackle that the guy didn't get carded for. Zizzo just got taken out for McCarty, don't know why. This ref is awful, btw. Tangentially, I despise this garbage that these small central and south american countries try to play. Cheap tackles on defense, and Italian level dives on offense, it's disgusting.

0-0 at the half. Uruguay has had more of the possession in the attacking half, but the US has had some nice sequences as well, with a couple Altidore headers getting to goal.

Even if Lugo doesn't hit(which he in all likelihood will), he actually provides defensive value beyond reputation.

Yeah, Ramirez's homer was definitely on the first pitch.

Not quite. You're right....those few would blame it on Dusty Baker. Give me a break. Stop speaking for groups of other people by stereotyping them. Personally, I've stood up for Cub players that have swung at the first pitch with the bases loaded on several occasions this year in game threads.

Not quite.

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).

Murton had never really played RF before, and his introduction to the position wasn't exactly consistent PT. I'd be interested to see if he's made any improvements now that he's been able to play the position everyday for a while.

OK, it's time for this misconception to die, right along with "clutch hitter" and "lineup protection". Thinly built, speedy guys like Ichiro tend to age very well. Barring injury, they don't all of a sudden just get slow. Somewhere along the line somebody blurted out this theory, because at a quick glance it might seem commonsensical, and now people just reflexively repeat it and accept it as fact even though it doesn't hold up under scrutiny. I don't think they're saying that Ichiro is going to become a plodder, but it's quite reasonable to assume he's going to lose a step as he enters his mid to late thirties. For a guy who relies so much on speed to be valuable(infield hits, stolen bases to offset his lack of power), it's a very large concern when you're paying the guy twenty million dollars.

that's just a silly idea when you can have both z and gallagher for arod and mussina lee, mussina, cash for bonderman junk for burrell soriano lf fontenot/derosa 2b arod ss ramirez 3b burrell 1b floyd/derosa rf pie cf soto c bonderman, hill, lilly, marshall, marquis i dunno

Is 36 - 38 year old Ichiro really going to be the draw that he is now, to make it worth such an excessive contract?

You can't empty your bench at the All-Star Game*, you just can't. *Exceptions if you have someone get hurt or if the alternative is letting a pitcher hit in an important situation.

Outstanding.

Holliday

Chances are better that Pujols wins the game, not just send it to extras. With the bases loaded and Derrek Lee standing at second, chances are a basehit scores two and, thus, wins it. I still don't think you can risk it. And again, Rowand isn't a pitcher up there, it's not like letting him hit is throwing the game. I understand Rowand is a good hitter, but Pujols is in a completely different ballpark. With home-field advantage on the line, I think you have to take the chance, especially when the odds are so much on your side. We're going to have to agree to disagree. No matter the hitter, you can't use the last position player you have in that situation, especially considering the defensive positioning issues it would've caused the very next inning, never mind concerns from playing with an empty bench. Wouldn't the move just have been to have Rowand come out, Soriano move to CF and Pujols to LF which he has played before. There was already a public ordeal about moving Soriano away from CF earlier in the year. These aren't TLR's players, so he feels obligated not to put them in uncomfortable spots, especially when it's not an absolute necessity(i.e. Rowand is not a quadriplegic). And even beyond that, he risks playing extra innings with absolutely no one to play in the field if someone were to get hurt.

Chances are better that Pujols wins the game, not just send it to extras. With the bases loaded and Derrek Lee standing at second, chances are a basehit scores two and, thus, wins it. I still don't think you can risk it. And again, Rowand isn't a pitcher up there, it's not like letting him hit is throwing the game. I understand Rowand is a good hitter, but Pujols is in a completely different ballpark. With home-field advantage on the line, I think you have to take the chance, especially when the odds are so much on your side. We're going to have to agree to disagree. No matter the hitter, you can't use the last position player you have in that situation, especially considering the defensive positioning issues it would've caused the very next inning, never mind concerns from playing with an empty bench.

Chances are better that Pujols wins the game, not just send it to extras. With the bases loaded and Derrek Lee standing at second, chances are a basehit scores two and, thus, wins it. I still don't think you can risk it. And again, Rowand isn't a pitcher up there, it's not like letting him hit is throwing the game.

They're not his players though, he has to feel some obligation to not put them in a situation that's out of their element, could hurt them if they are playing out of position, etc.

The game counts, but it's still the All-Star game. He didn't want to play multiple guys out of position and have no one off the bench if someone were to get hurt. It's not like he let the pitcher hit for himself.