Magnetic Curses
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Everything posted by Magnetic Curses
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just fyi, umpires are like ballplayers, they don't stay in one league forever.
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just thought I would note that the A's don't have an affilate in the southern league. their AA affiliate is Midland in the Texas League. if the umpire in question had only called games in the southern league then you'd have a point. most umps are assigned to a league. if you hadn't characterized him as a southern league ump, as opposed to some league floating ump, I wouldn't have brought it up. the umpire in question has been umping minor league games for four years, and didn't start in the southern league.
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just thought I would note that the A's don't have an affilate in the southern league. their AA affiliate is Midland in the Texas League. if the umpire in question had only called games in the southern league then you'd have a point.
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You cannot underestimate the importance of speed
Magnetic Curses replied to anemic offense's topic in Chicago Cubs Talk
that's not the point of this conversation at all. The point is that on a large scale, home runs are better, like with a club that hits over 300 of them. My argument was that, and I'm just using these numbers as an example: a team with 175 home runs and speed is better than a 225 home run team with little speed/baserunning ability. which team makes less outs, on the average? i will take a slow guy who's good at not making outs at the plate over a fast guy who makes a lot of outs, but can score from first on a double. the fast guy will use his speed far less than the slow guy will use his ability to not make an out. is that clear enough for you? because that's what OBP measures, the ability to NOT make an out, which the single most important factor in scoring runs. you can have all the speed and "fundamental" players in the world--if they're bad at not making outs, then they've missed the absolute point of real fundamental hitting. people think so hard and rigidly traditional about baseball and how to win it, that they miss the thing staring them in the face. the only thing more important than OBP is the effetciveness of starting pitching. speed is far, far down the list. is it good to have guys with speed? of course, but only if they possess the ability to get on base first and foremost. -
You cannot underestimate the importance of speed
Magnetic Curses replied to anemic offense's topic in Chicago Cubs Talk
Power and speed might score more than just power, or it might not. Speed doesn't guarantee more scoring. OBP guarantees more scoring. That is where the Cubs have been lacking. And you don't have to have great speed to get great OBP, but it's still nice to have. I'm saying that even if the power lineup scores more runs, and I concede that they probably will, the team with speed will still win more games. this sounds like a common assumption among people that don't understand that runs are scored by not making outs. -
Whose mandate is that? i think it's just something that's become accepted. the umpire in question told me that fans come to see hits, not walks--and most of the umpires follow this rule.
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i have a very good friend who's an umpire in the southern league. this person, who shall remain nameless for the time being, said that home plate umpires must call a different zone for A's farm players--they're too disciplined at the plate. in an effort to get them to swing, the umpires generally call a larger zone for A's hitters. i wished they called a smaller zone for cubs hitters. talk about no organizational hitting philosophy, which is the most frustrating thing of all.
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NCAA Tournament Thread - Sweet 16/Elite 8
Magnetic Curses replied to Derwood's topic in Other Sports
uconn is the most idiotic/luckiest team on the planet and is so every year. it doesn't hurt that they're very talented, but perrenially, they're the luckiest team. and calhoun can't coach, it's like a street ball game out there night after night. -
gould.
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i like vanderjagt--he could have brought something to the team. oh well, the cowboys get another multiple pro-bowler.
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i don't know if carney's movbed up at all, but 2 of morrison, carney, aldridge would be nice. heck, i'd even take redick.
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skiles was right, thomas couldn't have helped us at all. what a strategic genius. as some players are "coach killers", some coaches are "player killers", skiles definitely fits this category. how i hate him.
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I thought Steve Stone and Kerry Wood each suffered from something like this before. i think stone almost died from it.
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stone had valley fever, iirc.
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i always thought that valley fever was spread by spores that grew on improperly buried corpses in a certain southwestern valley.
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That might be the first time I've heard that statement. That Culpepper's value is as a pocket passer? At this point in his carrer, I'm not sure how you can say otherwise. I'm pretty sure the Dolphins didn't trade for his ability to run for 400 yards but more for his ability to throw for 4700 yards and 39 TD's. Ability to do something he only did once 2 years ago when he had the game's best receiver? Culpepper is a drop back and chuck it passer, not a pocket passer. iirc, moss only played a handful of games that year.
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The check is in the mail. too bad no one is stupid enough to just judge pitchers bt their whip, just like no one is stupid enough to just judge pitchers by their win totals. Oops. Whip is like any other stat, it's one stat that needs to be looked at in conjunction with a handful of other stats before it means anything. exactly. no one who values WHIP is going to say it's some sort of catch-all. as i said, i think it's very valuable when looked at in conjunction with G/F ratio and K/9--and, as was added by another, BB/9. if a pitcher strikes a lot of guys out, plus gets a lot of ground balls, plus doesn't walk very many--his WHIP will be very good. but WHIP isn't enough to base a judgement of good or bad on, and no one is saying that. what they are saying is that wins are not good indicator of future success given different circumstances.
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Walker's comments on 2nd base battle
Magnetic Curses replied to badger1679666666's topic in Chicago Cubs Talk
Competing for jobs in spring training isn't very smart baseball. And is Walker really arguing about competing? It sounds to me like he thinks he should be the starter based on his track record and the likelihood of what the candidates will bring to the table this year. That's about the mpost rational train of thought in this silly storyline. I agree. However, that's not the way Dusty thinks. I can't control how Dusty thinks and neither can Walker. All Walker can do is just go out there and prove his bat deserves to play everyday. Yapping to the press is not going to earn him the starting job. Hitting .200 in Spring Training is not going to win him the starting job. Walker's desire to speak to the press everytime he is unhappy about something is why I think Cub management wants him gone, not lack of production. dusty can't decide on whether to start a player based on what he did 10 years ago or what he does in 30 days in early spring. Dusty decided to let Neifi Perez play everyday last year based on 30 at bats in April. i don't know, i think it's a mix of the 2, even though neifi has never put up good stats, he won a gold glove once! -
Walker's comments on 2nd base battle
Magnetic Curses replied to badger1679666666's topic in Chicago Cubs Talk
Competing for jobs in spring training isn't very smart baseball. And is Walker really arguing about competing? It sounds to me like he thinks he should be the starter based on his track record and the likelihood of what the candidates will bring to the table this year. That's about the mpost rational train of thought in this silly storyline. I agree. However, that's not the way Dusty thinks. I can't control how Dusty thinks and neither can Walker. All Walker can do is just go out there and prove his bat deserves to play everyday. Yapping to the press is not going to earn him the starting job. Hitting .200 in Spring Training is not going to win him the starting job. Walker's desire to speak to the press everytime he is unhappy about something is why I think Cub management wants him gone, not lack of production. dusty can't decide on whether to start a player based on what he did 10 years ago or what he does in 30 days in early spring. -
you're absolutely right. walker has shown in recent years that he's a productive hitter over 162 games. basing a decision on 30 days in early spring is ill-advised.
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i think the top 3 "conventional" stats when looking at pitchers are as follows: 1. WHIP 2. G/F ratio 3. K/9 if all 3 are present, you have a very good pitcher who will likely put up strong BAA/OBPA/SLGA/OPSA. any pitcher that gives a semblance of consistency from year to year in regards to wins, will generally have these peripherals. wood is simply an exception to the rule. as far as WHIP not indicating the difference between a HR and a single, i think it's just idiotic to believe a pitcher with a good WHIP is going to give up a majority of home runs. if you can't hit the guy well, you can't hit him well, and i'd think a guy who's bad at limiting home runs would be equally as bad at limiting singles and other types of hits.
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I thought that Illinois should have got a 3 at the worst. yep, we got the ol' joan collins special, like Big Ten teams always do.
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I heard the most insane thing about McCown. He says he's looking for a starting job off the bat. How ridiculous is that? What has Josh freaking McCown accomplished in the NFL to warrant a guaranteed starting position? With respects to the McCown camp, they should be begging on their knees for a chance to compete for a spot on the Bears, a division-winning team which McCown has no idea what it's like to play for... he had 2 games last year in which he threw for almost 400 yards so they'll probably be selling that. i think he's ready to become a pretty good starter in the NFL. Jim Miller threw for 400 yards a couple times, too. So have a bunch of other guys nobody remembers. Shall we hand them guaranteed starting jobs, too? Or would it be more wise to ask someone who hasn't won a thing in this league to earn his position? I vote the latter. woah, you need to calm down. so his camp is shopping him as a starter, big deal. don't do something you'll regret over it.
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Wood *MAYBE* ahead of schedule
Magnetic Curses replied to badger1679666666's topic in Chicago Cubs Talk
Because he knows how to walk fine mechanically. No matter how many times you get surgery or other medical help if you keep doing something wrong after it's going to be hurt again. I'd be thrilled to see Kerry ready and pitching by mid-April or May and for him to stay healthy. i don't see why he won't be able to be ready by the 3rd week of april. he sounds fine to me. I hope so Sully. I just don't want him to rush and come back too early thus getting hurt and being out for the rest of the year. I'm also curious on how much of a workout he does in the off season because if he is out of shape it'll take longer IMO. hendry seemed pretty excited about how he was throwing the ball earlier. i can't believe a knee scope will set him back to may. i think he'll make 30 starts this year. I'd be thrilled if you are right. I think he'll make between 17-22 at the very most. Plus with the knee...did Wood come in over weight? i don't know. -
I heard the most insane thing about McCown. He says he's looking for a starting job off the bat. How ridiculous is that? What has Josh freaking McCown accomplished in the NFL to warrant a guaranteed starting position? With respects to the McCown camp, they should be begging on their knees for a chance to compete for a spot on the Bears, a division-winning team which McCown has no idea what it's like to play for... he had 2 games last year in which he threw for almost 400 yards so they'll probably be selling that. i think he's ready to become a pretty good starter in the NFL.