by
Greek Giant
Word around the baseball grapevine says that Yoenis Cespedes is opting out of the remaining two years of his contract with the New York Mets. He is owed $47.5 million for those two years but the announcement is no surprise. There are high expectations for a serious bidding war for his services among teams in need of a power-hitting outfielder. Yoenis Cespedes has been the Mets MVP the past two seasons and it is rightly assumed that they New York Metropolitans will do all they can to re-sign their slugger.
Cespedes has had one of the strangest career arcs in recent memory. A foreign signee by the A’s, he was traded un-ceremniously to the Red Sox, who then traded him to the Tigers, who then traded him to the Mets.. You get the picture. One has to wonder as to why so many teams are un-willing or unable to keep this talented player on their roster. The former center fielder seems to have lost some range and speed in the past couple of seasons, due in part to various injuries. His bat though… Wow, that bat. He can rake. He destroyed the Giants earlier this year at Willie Mays Field and basically carried the Mets on his shoulders to the NL Pennant last year.
This year he was a principal factor in taking the Mets to the Wild Card game as well. He answered his epic second half in 2015 with a 2016 season that resulted in 31 homers, 86 RBIs and a .280 batting average.
A Cespedes Highlight Reel, Complete with Slick Hip Hop Beats
The 31 year-old Cuban is a star and in a very weak free agent market he figures to collect a payday of over $125 millon. Will the Giants go out and spend the cash to upgrade their lineup with Cespedes? Should they? What about his defensive metrics that indicate a potential loss of range? As far as I am concerned, Cespedes is the quintessential risky free agent. He is on the wrong side of 30 and has trended downward in some offensive categories like OPS and BA. His defense has been a bit less than spectacular in the past two seasons while his arm is still a major asset, one of the best in the Majors.
He seems to be a very un-Giants player on many fronts but there is something about him that might be worth taking the risk on. Aside from his dinger potential, he remains a fairly consistent run-producer and if the Giants want to get out of that 3 singles and a cloud of dust offense mode they may consider taking the leap of Cespedes faith. I have always enjoyed his swagger and his penchant for big bombs in big moments.
Should the Giants sign Yoenis Cespedes? Talk amongst yourselves.
Breckeroni wonders what Cespedes adds.
Epic necklace presentations.
Great arm. But can’t catch well, or run good routes.
Take a ride with Breckeroni and CC
Helicopter ride above Wrigley https://www.facebook.com/WGNTV/videos/10153931427187411/
It’s not like we’ve been blessed with amazing defenders in left field lately, so I am all the way in the PJ camp of “do it”… we had poor OF fielding and no power and made it to the Wild Card…Let’s go poor fielding and big power.
slight problem – He won’t sign here
His agent and he have said “no west coast” – however if he did and if his cardio returned him to his physical frame when first with the A’s I would agree with you.
Currently his issues are : Poor read off the bat as too what kind of ball was hit and then a bad route to the ball.
The Giants have some problems. Obviously they desperately need a closer. They have a RF who has become injury-prone and seems to be declining, and a CF that had the worst year of his career and is a defensive liability, and no LF unless they’re ready to hand the keys to Mac Williamson and Jarrett Parker, which seems unlikely considering that both disappeared from sight after July.
It’s going to be hard to fix the bullpen AND rebuild the outfield. Guess that’s why Evans gets the big bucks.
Well Debbie Downer has a new handle…..
I still think the Giants Fans who went on the FAB East Coast Trip – were given some bad JuJu once your group arrived there.
Dick Cheney and W Bush are looking for more evidence as we speak.
Save $40M. Get Desmond. And he plays defense.
And he’s a comfortable veteran. LOL.
Out with the new and in with the OLD. Bring back Father Guido Sarducci’s Portuguese Water Dogs.
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Dogs-of-Summer-Giants-water-retrievers-ready-3238636.php
As long a they sic McCoveyCoveDave
Apparently word got back to him that he’d turn into a tyrant. After some push-back he was shown evidence of video of him being a heathen in his kayak….and he’s trying to be a good boy but I doubt it ….
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/1582635872d19a71765da63318d674c8f3055b0e87326b7bd8b51b1fac3ac4fd.jpg
Giants are better off saving that kind of coin that Cespedes wants for Cueto, who can opt-out next year.
Good point … We need to keep that pitcher and he deserves a good contract. Look what he did to start the playoffs against the Best Team in Baseball. Dominant pitching and a closer will beat the cubs next year. The Giants OF can stay mid-level; it is our Catcher and INF that beat all comers.
Tonight the World Series Crew Chief, John Hirschbeck takes the plate for the final time tonight. An umpire of more than 3600 MLB games, Hirschbeck is working the plate for his 20th playoff game and fifth Fall Classic. A cancer survivor, Hirschbeck is Crew Chief for his 3rd World Series. Noted for his wide strike zone it should be an interesting score tonight. He did not work a plate in his divisional series.
Game 3 Umpires HP: John Hirschbeck 1B: Marvin Hudson 2B: Tony Randazzo 3B: Joe West LF: Sam Holbrook RF: Chris Guccione
The Problem with Quickie Strike Zone Analysis
Here is Fangraphs article in which the author admitted he is “not actually a good analyst.
The article used a mass quantity of data from MLB’s Baseball Savant service, and performed quantitative analysis on the unrefined raw data to draw the conclusion that plate umpires in the 2016 postseason are lacking. Here’s the problem: Baseball Savant and similar services are great for compiling raw data, but that’s precisely the issue with performing “easy, simple” mass analysis on it: its raw data.
See more here: http://www.closecallsports.com/2016/10/analyzing-strike-zone-analysis-not-so.html
Pass.
The money needs to go towards a closer…then…if they want to continue spending…then can go after Desmond as others suggest.
This team would have been knocking on the WS Door *with* its current OF, so that should be a secondary upgrade. Hunter will be fine and Span was a bright spot in the playoffs. They’ll be fine for another year.
I still think if they don’t sign Desmond, they get Matt Holliday and have Mac be the #4 guy that rotates back-and-forth in LF and RF to give these guys rest. That’s been the band-aid approach with LF over the years.
Maybe acquire a player in the OF with some tenacity like this creature
https://www.facebook.com/pierson.jeremiah.1/posts/10208020903773117
Maybe I’m in the minority but I say go for it. I have no reason to believe their streaky offense, which completely disappeared many times this year, will be any better next year. But they need a presence, an impact bat in the middle of that lineup who can hit the occasional dinger when their station to station, move the line offense has a few bulbs out. Kind of the way an elite closer is expected to settle down the bullpen, I think an impact bat can take some pressure off the rest of the lineup. And I’m not that big on Desmond. 104 OPS+, 106 wRC+ isn’t much better than Pagan actually. And he’s the same age as Cespedes.
Would like to see him here, but realistically they won’t pony up to get him. And closer is the bigger priority anyway.
If the Giants had Cespedes last year they win the division.
If they had Melacon they would be playing Clevleand at Willie Mays Field tonight.
Sabes and Evans work over Bochy this winter so he will play Mac in LF so we do not get “Duvalled” again.
I love an optimist.
I prefer Oddfellows over Optimists.
Lions yesterday for me Rotary tomorrow … could do worse.
Oh… you are talking about those service organizations. I was talking the character traits of people I know.
What about Parker and his slightly better run production? No love?
Or Austin Slater and his superior AAA and AA production?
Slater #4 Guy next year; Duggar in CF the next year [2018] as Span finishes and then the Boppers start lining up: Davis, Bursa, Shaw and you get your 25 dingers.
My ouija board says Parker gets traded to someone in a deal. There’s somewhat of a clog with Parker and Mac, so I see that getting remedied.
Josh Osich and Jarrett Parker to DC for Michael Taylor – BoOm !
we NEED Nunez somewhere in the OF
Belt in LF for twenty?
OK = 25
Somebody needs to ring the bell 25 times in 2017. Muscle up, drink Muscle Milk, and so forth.
Steph drinks a ton of Brand Milk Muscle
How about Steph at 2nd. Move 12 to third base
Sign Kap as a closer https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/5f291d3781d4cadab507cc84ac25e08bf43b0a42b37c0622df74c04b4a6814f5.jpg
I’m just saying Matt Holliday hit 20 with his eyes closed last season…in a very shortened year. There’s your 25…or his 20 + others making up for the additional 5 with his lineup presence. Not a perfect solution, but very Giants-like.
That surprised me that it did not happen last year.
Don’t you suppose if Belt could play a credible LF, you’d have seen him there last year?
He played 20 games in LF in 2015 but then none in 2016. Pagan actually provided the offense on a good, level flow most of the year so maybe that was it.
But interesting how they can shift BP28 slowly out of C without putting Belt in LF?
Of course he can play a “credible” LF. Look who else they’ve put out there in recent years:
Burrell
Huff
Morse
Pill
Ishikawa
Aoki
Pagan
Kensuke Tanaka
Kelby Tomlinson
Etc.
Belt played OF in college, in the minors, and during his rookie year. In fact he played more OF in 2011 than he did 1B. The reason they don’t put him out there is that he’s very good at 1B and they want his glove there. I think it’s shortsighted not to have him be more versatile, but oh, well.
That is a good simple question that could be asked and Bochy must have a reason.
Another tremendous Bochy decision. Why be flexible?
Have you been hitting the Root Beer Floats again?
If the wanted to, could they even afford to? Seems like they have 15-20 million to spend and bullpen needs at least one vet add if can’t get Melancon.
No.
Brevity is soul of folk like Bapah.
Indeed.
How about Willie Kirkland?
IDK him.
O K
I say no, Niet, ne, nein, ochi.
Tonight’s Dubs interview with Coach Kerr https://www.facebook.com/warriors/videos/10154762238157526/
If not Cespedes, then who could be that 3/4 hitter to take the pressure off the Giants other big hitters who are more 2/5/6ish?
What’s Longo up to in Tampa? Cargo in Colo? Braun in Millay Walkay? Encarnacion?? the Big Trumbosky?
Paul Molitor? Tim Raines??
Josh Reddick? Joey Bats? Carlos Gomez? Matt Holliday? Trade for Jay Bruce? Or dare I say it, Beltran??
Or maybe just watch Mac go Duvall on us.
NEVER BELTRAN!!! We went down that road and I hated it then. So did most of the team, if I recall.
Haha, yeah that was said more in jest 🙂
But do we know if he wasn’t popular with the team? He certainly wasn’t popular with most fans. Came in with the Mets bag, took Bochy’s number, didn’t run out and celebrate after a walk off, got injured, seemed disinterested. I recall all that but I don’t remember what the team thought of him.
. 230/.300/.420, 20 hrs 70 rbis?
You know, I’d actually take that from Mac. Of course .260 with 30 HR, 90 RBI will be preferable.
Somewhere betwixt the two?
My very limited eye test says that Mac was taking better ABs, especially in July when he was getting some regular playing time, than Duvall ever did in his cuppa joe with the Giants. Duvall in 2014 reminded me of Pill–he’d run into sometimes but mostly just looked completely overmatched. I remember that AB Mac took at Yankee Stadium against Andrew Miller–got behind 0-2, ground out a great AB, and ended up tying the game with an RBI double. I can think of some other ones like that, too.
Anyway, we saw that Duvall was able to have a very productive year when he got regular opportunities, and that gives me some hope that Mac could, too. I also think Mac would improve the outfield defense and they’d have a least one guy that other teams wouldn’t automatically run on.
I certainly hope Mac gets an opportunity over some over-the-hill type (McGehee, Cabrera, etc). With Bochy the odds are against it so hopefully Evans doesn’t go out and get that type to begin with.
He’s had good moments which I can say same for Parker
Agree–it was so odd the way they both were buried, especially when one or both of them could be competing for the LF job next year. Again, very shortsighted. It was a strange year. The Giants were playing their best ball when those two guys were in the mix and contributing.
Cause or correlation?
Interesting question. I just watched a video of Amy G interviewing Bobby Evans for CSNBA about what went wrong in the second half. One of the things he mentioned was how well the fill-ins did when regulars were injured and that when the regulars returned and were not “firing on all cylinders,” it stressed out the whole team. Interesting take, I thought.
Mac got injured. But then when he came back he was buried.
Duvall had very productive ~month, month and a half.
33 HRs, 103 RBIs, and a Gold Glove finalist. That’s more than a month’s production. That’s a very fine first full year in the majors.
But you’ll see…he won’t be any good next season. If he gets off to a good start? Well that’s just April, or short fences, or something. It has to be, because the Giants would never make a bad trade.
You really have a tough time admitting you were wrong.
LOL!!!!
Tell me what I didn’t admit. I’m typically right, which some find annoying.
Heavens name why deny the objective facts right in front of you. I like the guy, but come on, you’re a cheerleader among a bunch of fans looking for a reason things didn’t go their way.
Yes, the double vs miller was like wow, i thought maybe i should reevaluate my position on this kid.
Mac had very bad babip luck. I calculated his xbabip with 3 weeks to go in the season and he should’ve been hitting 30 points higher.
time to blow this pop stand for some vodka and KFC, and maybe some ginger ale to ease the stomach.
coming back in tomorrow for more work, so can’t get too excited, but please, can we have a hotly contested WS game tonight?
No snooze fest. No TWGers coming in with their zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz’s and their talks of wwwwwwww’s.
* Padres GM A.J. Preller says that he doesn’t expect his recent suspension over medical disclosures in trade talks to have any carryover effects this winter.
Note to AJ – Good luck with that A-Jax
* Preller further explained that the Padres are anticipating a busy winter.
Note to A-Jax – when haven’t you been busy, but …
* Tarrik Brock and Eddie Rodriguez — are OUT. Andy Green will remain at the helm, with bench coach Mark McGwire, pitching coach Darren Balsley, hitting coach Alan Zinter, third base coach Glenn Hoffman, and bullpen coach Doug Bochtler are all back.
Consensus: Same Old Friars SINCE firing Bud Black.
He wears too many trinkets to remain swift on the bases. He must think he’s part of the movie Coming to America Sequel.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/097fea6ae98517ddec96c8b9b4f806aff279bf193f69d4ea7beed127a4dab728.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/55747fb4f2411cdb8c7db61821b7c734273fd0b5941668348b5f810c75e5bca1.jpg
A man that is not afraid to accessorise is a true dandy.
Somebody said recently that Chubs Swarber is NOT in the Cubs future plans for 2017. I disagree 100%.
Chubs can handle the Rake
http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/94951848/v522718383/?mlbtax=home_run
http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/94951848/v522215283/?c_id=mlb
this series will not be going back to the mistake by the lake. i’d be worried if i had tickets for game 6..
For the sake of sanity (ours), Go Tribe!
There is nothing sane about Cleveland
Great pick off. Hendricks bails himself out of trouble.
I believe he was among the league leaders this year. He picked someone off in that last Dodger game, IIRC.
That is what challenges were made for. That was a game changing overturn.
Cubs have a knack for scratching off runners from 1st base.
3 hits 1 left on after 2. I would say yep to that comment.
Rizzo is not a ‘Belt’ with the glove. LOL.
Ugh. Hunter Strickland just posted another photo of him beaming over a very large dead animal (a boar?) with his large black shotgun artfully posed next to the deceased creature.
I guess I can accept that people hunt for sport, but there’s something so unseemly to me about gloating over killing a living creature.
Recall what happened to Robert Barratheon. Know what I’m saying?
Who?
Ask hubby.
Not here (returning from San Diego tonight). Is that a GoT reference?
It’s a good one. The unrest of the kingdom precipitates from Robert’s demise by a boar, abetted by Cersei.
Outstanding. Sometimes you get the boar and sometimes the boar gets you.
Zactly. He had it coming.
Henry th 8th
GOT, correct.
Are you a vegetarian?
No. It’s all the circle of life. But one doesn’t have to enjoy the killing part so much. Show some respect.
In the South it is pretty much the same as the fisherman catching their prized chinook. You know the pictures posted at every warf in Ca.
Hogs do need eradication in many areas
My First drive across country, hit Arkansas at night, pulled into a gas station and a guy had a very large boar on a rack off his tow hitch. The grated metal kind that you see motorized wheel chairs in the bay area. A completely different world the Bay area is from much of the country.
Disclosure: I do not hunt.
Get Hogs on your ranch?
Lots of Deer. Some Blue Herons and snowey Igrets but no hogs as of yet. A couple Hawks and owels around. There was a partial skull by the drainage ditch at the road when I first bought the property. Partial skin, partial jaw, no body. They generally hang at the river about 2000 feet from the house across the road.
Silliest question ever. Coming from you, no surprise.
Not a fan of pigs. They trash the irrigation system in your orchard, they rut around and ruin new plantings. Deer, I’m a bambiophile, ducks, beautiful creatures and a threat to no one. Some ” landowner/sportsman” decided that pigs would be fun to hunt in the Sutter Buttes. Didn’t realize they produce 8 piglets 3 times a year and now 2000 are destroying orchards and habitat.
We have lots of turkeys here in Davis. Come get some!
We have turkeys, they just clean up the nuts that weren’t harvested. There are plenty of feral chickens, but they are not aggressive. Did read about the turkey relocation plans for Davis.
“Relocation…” to Turkey Heaven, in some cases…
Spaniards brought em over iirc
With respect to the ducks, clearly you never played gold at the Shoreline in Mountain View. Impossible to put on some holes.
Or a black swan!
https://youtu.be/wZcP9ZpWJes
My wife loves the larry david show.
She obviously married beneath her.
so true…
He’s coming back! Can’t wait. That black swan scene is one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen on TV. I just couldn’t believe it. I made my husband go back on the DVR several times.
It’s only been part of humanity for a couple hundred thousand years.
Not the Instagram part, though!
True. I’m not a hunter. I never would be. I don’t get it myself, but it’s a big part of the lives of many really good people.
Not with a gun. If he did it with a bow and arrow i’d be impressed.
Gee Fox, how many more times CSN you show that pickoff? However, you seem to be missing the point that Cleveland is getting on base.
Sorry. Cleveland’s not part of this narrative.
I know, I keep forgetting, turn off the sound.
What’s Grady Sizemore up to?
I am impressed by these rookie catchers handling their own.
Tomlin a curve ball artist 🎨
I want one of those. Blackburn?
Was just thinking the same thing! Giants have like 5 #5 pitchers on the 40 man.
It’s interesting right now–they have a full rotation for next year (and an extra) and 5-6 guys in AA/AAA who are ready or near ready. But in the lower minors, now that Bickford and Santos are gone, I can’t even think of a decent starter prospect anymore. The timing on this all seems a bit off.
Cory Taylor. Jake McCall and. Logan Webb. Matt Krook…
Mccasland
Corey Taylor is a METS prospect! Matt Krook was an interesting flyer in the draft, but he sure didn’t get off to a good start in the pros.
Samardzija’s curve was #3 in the majors last year and bum’s was #4. If only samardzija would use it the first time through the order…
http://www.cubssuckclub.com/wp-content/grand-media/image/thumb/cubs-meme-last-known-cubs-parade.jpg
Upton Sinclair died in 1968.
The Evil guy from the Rocketeer?
He wrote about the working conditions of Chicago’s meat packing industry. Poor little Stanislaus.
Contreras reminds me a lot of a young Pudge Rodriguez. All that energy behind the plate.
Four years ago today–do you remember? Still gives me chills.
http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/11493214/v25463567/must-c-championship-giants-capture-2012-world-series
Cabrera goes down.
Looking! So unbelievable. I’ll love Romo forever for that moment.
The man has 3 WS rings and many great moments. He hit the MLB lottery.
Scrawny guy with trick knees and a barky elbow and no draft or college pedigree. I’d say he’s done very well.
Not bad for a guy from Brawley, Calif.
I think that was the best of the 3 titles.
Certainly the most stressful. Six elimination games!
The NL’s road to the WS will be going through Chicago for a spell. Gs will be needing a bat or two.
Eh, we’ll see. If we had a guy who could get three outs with a three-run lead in the ninth, maybe the Cubs don’t make it out of the first round. And the thing with baseball is a lot of stuff can happen…injuries, slumps, etc. The Cubs have a couple of good teams in their own division. This is the first time since 2010 the Cards didn’t make the playoffs, and you figure they’ll be back.
Remember around 2012 when the Nats were supposed to dominate the NL for years? Remember how invincible the Mets’ young rotation seemed just a year ago?
But the Cubs have a great young defense, 3 very good starters, a closer, and 2 very good hr hitters and MVP candidates.
The closer’s a free agent and the rotation is aging (except for Hendricks). They will probably let Fowler walk. Great young core, but you just never know.
The Gs played them tough. That series should have gone 5 games. Cueto was a gem.
They did have a guy to get 3 outs in the 9th. His name was matt moore. Bochy pulled him because ‘he had done his job’. The problem wasn’t the bullpen, the problem was bochy.
As sure as the sun rises, Giants need offense.
Especially a bat or two against left-handed pitching. That (=lester) was the real problem.
That is looking like a generous strike zone
I like the first team to score to win.
His name is Carlos Santana. But he looks like Sly Stone.
El tiene paciencia
5 seasons with 90 walks, very impressive.
Tenemos El Cinturon!
Kipnis is from mine and Scott Sandersons old Alma Mater. I guess I got to root for him to K right now.
or
to get hit by the pitch.
Kipnis took that hit like a pro.
The time is now Tribe.
Just tuned in to the game on TV. Why are the Cubs fans so quiet? Corporate fans who are not true fans? At AT&T, even that last series of the season vs. the Dodgies, the fans were cheering on every pitch; when the Giants were batting, every good omen such as a ball, a walk or hit; when they were in the field, every strike and out recorded. And of course the fans got more intense in the LDS. What’s up, Cubs fans? Nerves?
Wow.
looked like an Affeldt special
Really dramatic turn of events.
You can’t hear the Cubs fans over Joe Buck’s cheering!
No S🚽I🌴
You guys need to just find the mute button already.
He’d sound the same the same for the Indians.
So frigging unreal. I hate the Cubs, lucky punks
Tomlin is pitching his guts out with his ailing father in the stands. Cheers.
I don’t think the Tribe can overcome not scoring last inning. Its a lot to overcome psychologically. That couldbe been the game
It was big.
Tomlin putting up a zero was huge…Momentum back in the middle
That was payback right there.
Rajai Davis, the ex-Giant in the game for the Tribe. Hard to believe he’s been around only 11 yrs. Drafted by the Pirates in ’01, made it to The Show with the Bucs in ’06 then:
July 31, 2007: Traded by the Pittsburgh Pirates with a player to be named later to the San Francisco Giants for Matt Morris. The Pittsburgh Pirates sent Steve MacFarland (minors) (August 27, 2007) to the San Francisco Giants to complete the trade.
That has to be one of Sabean’s best trades, getting rid of Morris! Davis just turned 36, is a FA after this season. Will the Giants sign him? Let’s hope not.
Cubs let Chapman go. Edwards closes. Boom.
The Yanks want Chapman back.
I think Nats want him too.
It would be perfect for the Yanks. Get a haul for Chapman (and Miller) in a season that wasn’t happening for them. And if they sign Chapman back, it won’t cost them a draft pick because THEY traded him.
Ooh, didn’t think of that!
Edwards is filthy as heck. They should use him more as a weapon
Coming in late, but I say no to Cespedes. The liability potential far outweighs the asset potential, IMHO.
More hitters!!
MLB Trade Rumors @mlbtraderumors now5 seconds ago
Giants Re-Sign Kyle Blanks http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2016/10/giants-re-sign-kyle-blanks.html …
Gosh, did he even play an inning anywhere in 2016? I know he was on the R’Cats roster, but I never saw him in a game or a box score.
He didn’t play anywhere in 2016:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.cgi?id=blanks001kyl
He was in spring training, wasn’t he?
He was there, but I don’t remember if he played there, either.
He did play a little of 1B in Spring Training. Usually late in the game.
You go, former A, Coco Crisp!
Bad Rajai.
No Miller or Perez for Cleveland.
The Wrigley Dump strikes again!
LOL. Solar hotdogging trot may have cost the Cubs the only shot they had of tying the ball game.
looking at it and jogging to first thinking it was foul almost certainly cost an inside the park. He could have been on second before it was missed.
Hot dogs, solar ovens, doable.
That was a battle.
That’ll shut them up….
Giants got any Cody Allen action on the farm? I’d say Jake Smith but he had some Injuries was dfa’d and may be flaming out.
He ended up somewhere else–San Diego? Angels?–and actually made his major league debut this year.
DFA’d by San Diego this week.
wishful thinking no?
Ever chase rainbows or waterfalls?
Cespedes will not sign with the Giants. If he even takes the meeting, he will use it to drive up the price from other suitors.
I like Cespedes, but I have to agree with Greek in that he just doesn’t seem like a Giants type, which there is nothing wring with. The Giants FO just seems to like things a certain way and I just think Cespedes has other visions.
Cespedes has build a sprawling home in Florida were much of his family lives, and have lived even while he played on various teams.
I assume his preference is to always stay in the East, were it would mean short flights to see his family.
Miami already has a good young outfield, and he’s too expensive for Tampa Bay. Atlanta seems unlikely, too. So one of the NY teams. Yankees need an outfielder?
I doubt the Yankees, but the Mets make the most sense, he has had success there and they can still use his hitting as they had issues, as the Giants, scoring at times.
I think either the Astros or the Rangers make sense, both short flights to Florida.
Yeah, either of those Texas teams would be a great spot for Cespedes.
Seems a nice fit in ny
As I think about it, several big money teams will be looking for starting pitching this winter–Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, maybe even the Cubs. And on the free agent market there’s…Rich Hill? That’s pretty much it, right?
I’ve read the Tigers could shop Verlander. That could be interesting. Sonny Gray isn’t the hot trade chip he was a year or two ago. The ever-intriguing Chris Sale rumors. Greinke?
Maybe the Giants should see what they can get for Samardzija and fast-track Beede.
Oh, Chris Archer could be a big name on the trade market.
I’d like Archer over Shark, would bring more youth the the rotation.
I happen to like Sahrk but I’m not one of those that thinks he is better than his stats. The guy is a vet, and he will give you great games and some stinkers, just who he is.
No, samardzija with the curve can be one of the best pitchers in the league, look at how he pitched in september (xfip). If he gets the sense to use it the first time through the order.
Allen’s spike curve is just terrific.
dang
Stress for your kin.
FIVE shutouts for Cleveland in 11 postseason games–with a piecemeal rotation. WOW.
absolutely!!!
The pen is mightier than…
Francona’s using them just beautifully. It’s like watching a conductor with a great orchestra.
Sounds like a manager we know. 2010, 2012, 2014.
Boom
mooB.
Is that short for “man boobs”?
But not 2016
Great violinists at his disposal. Bochy jealous of such players.
I’M jealous.
Shaw and Allen not just miller
Allen was a 23rd round draft pick in 2011.
Indeed. C+ guy in a jiffy. Boom.
Maybe Tyler Cyr or Jake McCasland or Reyes Moronta is lurking around, just waiting for the 2019 World Series.
Shaw is not at the same level but francona uses him against the weak part of the order.
You are making that assumption because these guys are really good.
Easy to say Francona is a genius because of the talent in that pen. Easy to criticize Bochy because of the keystone cops he was given to work with. It’s all perspective.
It’s more than that, though. He’s not all locked in on “so-and-so pitches the seventh,” and so forth. Miller came in tonight in the…fifth? Sixth? In a scoreless tie, not to protect a lead.
Because it was the dangerous part of the order.
don’t forget, some here on the blog said this season that top pens were overrated. Geesh
Just epic.
In the immortal words of Ian Hunter: “CLEVELAND ROCKS!”
Redo :
The penis mightier…
That was compelling baseball right to the last pitch.
Bang
BTW, pitchers and catchers report in 111 days! Goodnight all! And yes…
CLEVELAND ROCKS!
BTW, Cleveland has never rocked. What a dump, but they do have a pretty good ball club.
Totally agree with starting Kluber tomorrow. That’s a good matchup for them with Lackey going. If you wait until Game 5 you risk losing your ace’s game going up against Lester, who’s an excellent postseason pitcher (except with the A’s). If Kluber can get it done, they have three games to try to get one more, two of those at home, and can come back with Kluber in Game 7.
It reminds me a bit of when the Giants basically had a rotation of MadBum in the 2014 World Series. (Cleveland’s is better, but they have one ace.). A huge factor is that KC’s “ace” was “Big Game James,” who really…wasn’t. Their best pitcher was Ventura, who won Games 2 and 6–and didn’t face Bumgarner (or vice versa).
But bumgarner never pitches on less than 4 days’ rest until game 7 of the ws. Francona is pitching kluber with less rest but pulling him faster. It’s different thinking.
I remember when the Giants had a bullpen like this.
Rob Nenn, F Rod?
In the Giants’ three title runs, I’d say the 2012 bullpen was the best. They had Romo at his closer peak, Casilla, Affeldt, and Lopez all contributing–and Lincecum, the X factor. In 2010, it was Wilson and the starters, with Lopez neutralizing the lefty sluggers. In 2014, really it was Affeldt and Petit who made the big contributions. I remember Romo giving up a walk-off HR in the NLCS, Machi being awful, and Strickland being awful to epic proportions. I don’t even remember much about Lopez, and I remember Casilla being pulled with the bases loaded in the last game of the NLCS.
Strickland won the 18 inning affair in DC.
He got the save. Petit got the win after his epic six-inning outing.
Nuts and bolts
Casilla was also great in 2014 other than game 5 of the nlcs, and even then affeldt bailed him out. And that was when he was pitching for the third day on a row. Romo was great other than the wong homer. And petit wasn’t just great, he was off the planet. 12 shutout innings in a row, all in absolutely crucial situations, it was one of the great postseason relief performances in history.
Heck yeah!!!!!!!
Some dumb decisions and lackadaisical play from Curry down the stretch tonight. The same kind of thing that cost the Warriors the title last season. Kevin Durant is their best player.
You missed a great baseball game, Captain Sunshine!
I’d rather watch a game I care about.
Glad you enjoyed Steph. Dude is magic….but human, believe it or not…
Being human excuses physical mistakes. Taking dumb shots and turning it over in the last two minutes, because you’re trying to put on a show, isn’t the result of being human.
Sports is part entertainment, especially basketball.
Maybe you want set shots and the picket fence.
I’m pretty sure winning the game is the goal. Maybe you disagree?
They did. Just not the way you apparently wanted…
He did the same kinds of things that cost them the title. They underachieved last season, and they underachieved tonight. Yes, they beat the injury-depleted Pelicans. Curry needs to decide which is more important to him; the show or being a champion.
Let’s not overstate the “cost them the title” stuff. They came up a couple points short in Game 7. It’s not like they got knocked out in the second round. “Underachieved” is a bit strong for a team that won 73 games and was one or two good shots from repeating as champions.
And as for “cost them the title,” if we want to point fingers, mine are pointed at Draymond Green. I’m convinced the Warriors win in five if not for him (yes, and LeBron and the league, but first and foremost–him).
I’m not saying it was just Curry. The entire team stopped playing the kind of basketball that served them so well throughout most of the season. Green made a major contribution with his dumb antics. But Curry, because he has the ball in his hands more than anyone else, needs to set the tone. He didn’t then, and he didn’t tonight. And yes, if you go 73-9 in the regular season and lose the finals after being up 3-1, you underachieved.
Believe me, I’m incredibly disappointed and, honestly, embarrassed by what happened in the finals last year. I’m not entirely over it, either. I’m watching Warriors games more out of clinical curiosity right now–how are the new-look KD-led Warriors going to gel–than out of passionate fandom.
I’m just aware that you dislike Curry and have for years. And in my opinion, you’re being unfair. You go lightly over his extremely impressive accomplishments and talents and pounce whenever you see a possible weakness. He’s not a perfect player and he’s not going to play perfectly 100% of the time, which makes him exactly like every other player to ever play the game. But he’s a special talent who has elevated a franchise that was irrelevant for decades, and I, for one, am grateful for that. Not to mention that he’s also a fine human being by all accounts.
I’m not talking about playing perfectly. I’m talking about making winning the #1 priority, not #1A. That’s what Magic, Bird and Jordan were all about. I think he’s become too caught up in his own hype. That doesn’t mean he isn’t a fine human being.
Maybe. There’s been a LOT of hype. It’s been quite a couple of years for him and Ayesha, and they’re still pretty young by adulthood standards. Let’s see how this year goes. He’s experienced winning a championship and losing one. This year the team is very different than it has been the last four years. We’ll learn a lot about the next phase of his career this season.
I agree with that.
Don’t underestimate Bogut’s injury…it allowed Cleveland to attack the paint and everything changed
Yep, good point. Sure would have helped if 2015 playoffs Ezeli had shown up…and 2015 playoffs Barnes, too. Sighhhhh
That was the biggest reason of all. Bogut out made no paint protection. You are seeing that again this year already. Green is an undersized – defender at the rim as a center.
So, the two time MVP (one being unanimous for the very first time in history…) who returned and played through a serious knee injury, which Kerr admitted took away his ability to cut…the guy who set an all time record , actually obliterated it by Ruthian levels, should be criticized in game 2 this year and told by you that he needs to decide….ummm. I think he knows exactly how to approach the game of basketball.
73-9, up 3-1, lost. It doesn’t mean he isn’t an excellent player, and the best shooter ever, but he didn’t play as well as he could’ve, because he chose not to.
I try to give you the benefit of discourse, but that is myopic and idiotic. For you to act like you know his motivation last year is disgusting. “Because he chose not to” …. What a fucking joke
Decision making is about choice. If you jack up a three with 20 seconds left on the shot clock, when your team is up 8 with 1:20 left, you made the selfish choice to do so.
The perception of willfulness is pervasive.
What happened to the baseball prodigy that read Ball Four at age five?
Another four hour game. To devote that much time, I need to have an interest in the outcome.
So your not a baseball fan.
I still think the Dubs were better last year even assuming they get everyone going.
And before its over people will realize how much they’ll miss Bogut.
Buster Olney 2hr ago:
Andrew MIller in the postseason: 82 batters faced, 37 strikeouts, 2 doubles, 6 singles, 0 runs, 5 walks. 23 1/3 scoreless innings.
That’s a WHIP of under 0.5. That’s just crazy.
Phenomenal.
It’ll be interesting to see what Panik does in the future. Would the Giants have advanced without Panik, but with Miller in the bullpen?
The giants probably would have advanced if bochy had simply left moore in to pitch the 9th.
Yes, and the Gs would be playing Toronto…
World Series for a second year guy hitting .253 once the league has a book.
Don’t be silly. Panik would have propelled the Yankees to the WS.
I still think the bigger crime was not being willing to partbwith Law for Melancon. Esp considering the Gs are now going to spend $60M to get him. I mean is D Law worth the extra $10 to $12M you’re going to have to sweeten that deal with and the WS you missed out on?
He better be the second coming of Nen or Rivera for that
that is why we should have given the Yankees the entire AAA rotation, but we know now that most likely would not have been enough.
He can do better lol jk!
Hank Schulman 1hr ago:
Eleventy-billion people knew he was going to elevate a fastball. All except Baez.
I was thinking another curveball in the dirt. Either way, C U L8er.
As Hank Schulman said: “Got away with one in the dirt with a man on third. No reason to go there again.”
“And the CLE-veland Indians have won Game 3 ON THE ROAD.”–breathless last-out Fox call. Um, the Indians are 9-2 in the postseason. It’s not that amazing that they won a game, even ON THE ROAD. You’d think the Cubs were playing the Sugarland Skeeters the way Fox carries on.
He most certainly could not say and the Cleveland Indians have lost game 3 on the road. What do you want him to say?
It was the tone of stunned surprise, like there was no possible way under any circumstances that Cleveland could win a game at Wrigley Field.
This is AWESOME!!
http://fox8.com/2016/10/28/indians-fans-create-wedding-registry-for-joe-buck-and-cubs-kyle-schwarber/
Apparently Indians fans have created a wedding registry for Joe Buck and Kyle Schwarber!!
“stacking the cart” for Ryan Merritt and fiancee was a real nice act. Great team, good guys.
This is hilarious!
Cespedes isn’t just awesomely talented, he’s a rise-to-the-occasion player. The concerns are (1) the money would preclude anything else in the offseason, no elite closer at least. I’m fine with that, but bochy is going to have to be told clearly that he has to manage the bullpen better, specifically by taking smith and gearrin seriously as possible closers.
What do i think of when i see josh tomlin mow down the cubs with curves? Why, why, why did someone on the giants decide that samardzija shouldn’t throw any curves to the cubs the first time through the order. Who says you have to ‘establish the fastball’ or cutter or whatever? Against the mets sure, but against the cubs? Exactly the same thing happened in the game in september against the cubs. Without samardzija’s two-inning no-curve abstinence the giants win game 2, 2-1. Bah.
For all his brilliance, Buster can’t be right EVERY time.
I’m not sure it was buster.
Regardless of anything else. The guy holding the ball can always shake to his pitch.
True. But I would assume there was some kind of a discussion before the game. This was a playoff game, it wouldn’t have just spontaneously happened.
Well when he saw the fb weren;t working he should of switched it up to breaking pitches a little sooner perhaps ??
I don’t know what he saw in the pen and what Marge did and didn’t have. I suspect, and from wjat I saw, Marge didn’t have anything but his fastball. He was amped. First post season start, in his old ground, right next to where he went to school. Prolly had 50 or so friends and family in the stands. His fastball was consistently 97+ on the telecast and he normally around 95.
I think Marge was throwing through his break on his off speed. They were flat, and Buster tried to adjust the game plan on the fly. It didn’t work. Could forcing Marge to throw duece after duece after duece force him to take deep breath, settle down and find his form? Maybe. Posey went the other way. Figured get him through first time with the fastball and then introduce the offspeed once the adrenaline dump was over. Didn’t work out.
Its just who Smarge is. He throws a ton of fastballs. Whether its the cutter or the 4 seam, that is all he knows. He needs to make an adjustment to keep teams off what should be a plus fastball
Can chicago hit breaking pitches or are they a fb hitting club?
Fastballs #5 of 30, sliders #2, cutters #9, curves #18, changes #21, splits #6, knuckle curves #22.
http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=0&type=7&season=2016&month=0&season1=2016&ind=0&team=0,ts&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0
That’s why Moore did so well against them even though he’s left-handed.
Billy at work. Goooooooooodd.
I like the think the talent and determination of the Indians players is responsible for the current 2-1 lead, but maybe that’s just me 🙂
Plus francona is a great manager.
He’s certainly up at the top with the likes of Bochy and a select few active managers.
Before Bochy in 2012, there was Francona in 2004: His wild card Red Sox were down 3-0 to the Yankees in the ALCS and losing in the ninth of Game 4. They won FOUR straight elimination games to go to the World Series.
Bochy showed in 2014 how to take a team with a thin pitching staff all the way from wild card to Game 7 of the World Series. (I’d say the Indians are closer to the 2014-15 Royals because of their great bullpen, though.)
That’s why it was so shocking to see Bochy collapse this year. You just kept waiting for him to pull out some wizardry in the second half and turn things around. But he never did. I know he didn’t have an elite closer, but he had plenty to work with, in the bullpen and especially with the rotation, including the very late emergence of Blach. He just didn’t have the creativity or the conviction to get it done. It was a performance more reminiscent of Matt Williams or Dusty Baker than of Francona–or Bochy himself.
I don’t know if williams and baker and accurate comparisons. I have the impression that they are tactically incompetent whereas bochy’s problems this year were strategic. It was more that he thought about things in the wrong way than that he made the wrong choices in specific situations.
Bochy panicked plain and simple. He’s lost his stones. He used to sit there and stare down the torture of Wheez walking the bases loaded and then striking out the side. Now it’s a nervous jog to the mound if someone gets on. We need Timmy back on the roster so Bruce can toke up in the 6th and just chill out. Maybe his marbles will drop back where they should be.
Don’t know if panicked is the right word. Panic means you temporarily lose the ability to think clearly. He seemed to have lost that ability for most of the year.
Touche…
He’s way better than bochy these days.
It’s on. A chess match has been scheduled between Tito and Bochy. Best of 7. Winner gets ticket punched to HoF.
I was quite sure that a very smart guy like you could easily understand my joke.
Straight outta Scottsdale…
Great day, or great swing of the bat, for Giants catching prospect Aramis Garcia – some detail in the game wrap linked below.
Hunter Cole 0 for 4, 2 K – .238 avg
Ryder Jones 1 for 1, RBI – .278 avg
Aramis Garcia 1 for 3, HR, 4 RBI, K – .250 avg
Tyler Rogers IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 Ks
http://m.mlb.com/news/article/207440638/giants-aramis-garcia-homers-knocks-in-4-runs/?topicid=153494546
Tyler Rogers intrigues me.
ESPN is trying to compare the superb job Francona is doing managing the Tribe to Madison’s performance ON THE FIELD in 2014…… My arms are just not that long.
Whenever your team isnt playing in the WS it feels like it goes on and on forever!! The entire series lol.
I know. I was just counting the days to when it can be over and we can get on with signing our new closer. But I’ll still miss baseball–I always do.
Might as well get a closer cause we will not get a power hitting outfielder. We nvr do.
One of the terrific things about the World Series every year is the terrific baseball post-game stories by the country’s best baseball reporters. With the exception of Ken Rosenthal’s post-game derision about the Cleveland Indians, all the other stories have been worth reading. I haven’t read them all, but this story about Andrew Miller by Tyler Kepner, NYT, has been the best so far. The story features Andrew Miller… and Rollie Fingers:
“Francona’s strategy had precedent, but you have to go back Fingers’s prime to find it. Mariano Rivera was never called into a World Series game before the seventh inning (even when he was a setup man, in 1996). Neither was Bruce Sutter, Goose Gossage or Dennis Eckersley. Or Kent Tekulve, Dan Quisenberry or Sparky Lyle.
Fingers was. Twice for Oakland, in 1972 and 1974, he was called in to pitch in the fifth inning.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/29/sports/baseball/andrew-miller-is-called-upon-for-the-fifth-inning-rollie-fingers-can-relate.html
Rosenthal’s post-game derision??? Uh oh – did he just get sent to the Jon Heyman doghouse?
Let’s just say Ken Rosenthal’s bias could not be more clear. The Cleveland Indians are spoiling his storyline.
Might be his employer’s storyline. Too bad. We usually like his work.
Jayson Stark has the same employer.
Rosenthall is with ESPN now?
You’re right. My mistake.
I doubt it’s Fox that’s responsible for Ken Rosenthal’s none-too-subtle preference for the Cubs.
Forgiveable. Its hard to tell with the way the media is all trying to tell the same story. Be it the World Series or the election…
I was surprised, too. “I still think the Indians will crumble”? Seriously? The Indians fans were skewering him in the comments section, and rightfully so.
And then on Twitter, in his exchanges with followers, Rosenthal was trying to say he was actually complimenting the Indians, which he wasn’t. At all.
He was making a point that was too subtle for Twitter: That the Indians are going through the postseason in unusual fashion, with the five shutouts despite only one really reliable starter (nothing against Tomlin, but he gave up 36 HRs this year) and a team batting average of only .216. Point taken–but again, too subtle for Twitter.
Josh gave up 10 of those HRs in August with 11.48 ERA when his father suddenly became paralyzed and was initially diagnosed.
Oops…stepped on your point. Sorry
You said it better…
OK, but there were 26 other ones, which would still be a lot. Nothing against him, but the wind was blowing out and he’s prone to the long ball. His performance last night was even more impressive when you consider that.
It’s funny, Tomlin pitched in college in Lubbock. It’s one of the few places that the wind is worse than Chicago and humans still choose to live.
BTW, I’ve fallen ‘in love’ with that 12-6 spike curve Allen throws. I think every Cleveland pitcher who can has adopted it.
Windy Lubbock. So Josh Tomlin knows how to pitch in adverse winds, as he showed the world last night.
People, go crazy in Lubbock because of the persistent wind, really. I remember watching baseball games in steady 30-35 mph winds with gusts to 40 -45 mph on a bright sunny day in May. It was not a rare event.
Tomlin had 5 solid months, and one horrendous one when his father was going through that terrible illness that left him paralyzed…I’m so happy for them both after last night…
Rosenthal is a class 1 idiot.
It was said on the radio this past week that Fingers gets a bit ticked when he sees/heras about guys getting a save for “just” the 9th inning.
Your comment is/was great as a stand alone. Rollie deserves the attention.
We even named the cat we got around then rollie. He was so cool.
Rollie is a great name for a cat. Stealthy.
Actually we later discovered he was a girl.
Cats are discreet. That way their bathroom habits aren’t questioned in North Carolina.
I ran in to Rollie at an airport. He had his reading glasses down low on his nose, looking over his betting sheet as NFL games were concluding. He was wearing a garish Tommy Baham shirt and shorts. I said hello, and we had a brief chat. He was talking baseball economics
I said ” just think if closers got paid then like they do now”
“No shit…”
Cool guy, by the way.
Ball that Montero struck may have left the park if it had a bit more loft. Miller got away with one there, but that’s all part of making a magical run, mistakes don’t do any haunting.
This all works out with Miller because of the absolute faith Tito has in Shaw and Allen – especially Allen. My goodness, what the Giants wouldn’t do for Cleveland’s #2 bullpen guy. I also think they’d do quite a bit for their #3.
During the game, I asked myself: Would the Giants go after Melancon and Miller, the way they went after Cueto and Samardzija?
Andrew Miller seems happy in Cleveland however. He clearly respects and trusts Francona–all his players do–he’s smiling and relaxed in the dugout. He may just stay.
Oh yeah, he’ll be in Cleveland for 2 more years – and Cleveland just may be in the WS two more times. They have arguably their best player on the sidelines, Michael Brantley, and a really good catcher, Yan Gomes, mostly on the sidelines as well; not to mention two rotation stalwarts out of the mix. In addition, their farm system remains in very good shape with guys that can contribute in the very near future and guys that are trade chips.
Like the song goes, “Cleveland is rock and rolling”
Lots of stories about Chicago bars charging an arm and a leg…just to get into the bar to watch the WS. Does anyone recall that happening when the Giants were in the WS?
Perhaps someone is pissing off the baseball gods…
Jobu doesn’t like greedy capitalist pigs. Its not like he’s let the Yanks and the Dodgers win any World Series…
Meanwhile, back at Progressive Field, Cleveland Indians asked only for a $5 donation for fans to come in and watch the game on the big screen and cheer their team together in 32-degree weather. They were all there cheering, in their winter coats and hats and gloves, waving their victory towels.
For the first time in this post season, we’re about to witness what the Giants came within 3 outs of doing: send the Cubs and their ever suffering fans (as we’re not allowed to forget) towards the proverbial ledge. Not that’s there’s any kind of sadistic pleasure to go with it, of course. But the pressure of 108 years of history is on. The Indians are all that’s left to spare us from the incessant stories about the lovable losers finally winning the WS, e.g. how the greatest Cubs fan ever, Aunt Mabel, in a wheelchair in front of the tv at the Shady Tree Rest Home, died minutes after the final out, smile on her face, hearing aid dangling, with her most precious keepsake cradled in her hands – the foul ball she caught while attending the 1929 World Series, signed by none other than the hitter in his only career WS at bat, the estimable Footsie Blair himself. That and the seemingly endless stream of, similar stories soon to inundate us all… forever, I think. Go Tribe!
I prefer to think of them as insufferable fans.
Try working with a bunch of them….
See 2004 Boston Red Sox!
They survived 108 years. They can survive 108 more.
Cubs in 2124!
from Terry Pluto’s post-game story, sports writer, The Plain Dealer:
“Of all the October victories for the Cleveland Indians this season, this is the best.
This is the Indians beating the Chicago Cubs, 1-0, at Chicago’s Wrigley Field. They did it in front of a sea of Cubbie blue, in front of a sellout crowd of 41,703.
This was the Cubs first World Series home game since 1945, and the national media has done a good job of convincing the nation that the Cubs are entitled to a World Series title.”
http://fox8.com/2016/10/28/indians-fans-create-wedding-registry-for-joe-buck-and-cubs-kyle-schwarber/
There’s a manager in this playoffs who’s making all kinds of aggressive moves, doing whatever it takes to win every game, not following baseball convention, and not worrying about bullpen roles or starters going 5 or feelings. Of course he’s got guys who come through so he’s not going to be criticized.
Unlike another guy. Hint: his name starts with a B and rhymes with Sochi.
Anybody else think what Terry Francona is doing with his pitching staff, while amazing, is all smoke and mirrors that will eventually get exposed? I thought we leaned on Bumgarner a lot in 2014, but the use of Kluber and Miller could come back to haunt them if those two simply run out of gas or worse, get hurt in the next couple of game.
I really think Francona is banking on getting a W in Game 4 with Kluber and hoping he doesn’t have to reload with him again for Game 7. By then he might be gassed.
I know all of this is born out of necessity after the injures to Salazar and Carrasco and maybe it will work but I could see where these arms tire out in crucial Games 6 & 7.
It’s very simple. If it works, he’s a genius. If it doesn’t, he’s an idiot.
Time is running out for the Cubs to “expose” him. Plus, I’m watching a very young, over eager team of hitters from Chicago.
They decided against leaning on McAllister and Clevinger, although they are well rested.
I think the fact that they are this close to their first WSC in nearly 70 years overrides the fatigue factor. Two more starts, Klubot (I know, he doesn’t like that, but it fits). Francona will manage Miller’s pitches, and Miller will empty the tank. All winter to rest.
I also think Francona did a masterful job with double switćhes and lineup maneuvering. It’s an NL mindset, and Tito nailed it, IMHO.
I don’t think it’ll catch up to them this series. I think there’s a very good chance it’ll catch up to Miller next year. Happened to Holland and Davis the last two years in a row.
Plus I’m not convinced they’ll need games 6 or 7.
Two years ago today–remember?
http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/11493214/v36879397
And non G’s fans wailed, SF has the most insufferable fans!
LOL. They did. And Joe Buck LOVES Madison Bumgarner…
Yeah, but he’s not marrying him! http://fox8.com/2016/10/28/indians-fans-create-wedding-registry-for-joe-buck-and-cubs-kyle-schwarber/
So funny. I’m well aware of how rabid Cleveland fans can be after the last two NBA Finals. The national media doesn’t know who they’re messing with. This is Believeland now.
Did you see those Cleveland fans packed in shoulder to shoulder in Progressive Field watching the game? They believe.
I tend to focus on the role players that may never see such a chance again in their lifetime:
Juan Perez
I rewatched Game 4 the other night thanks to GG’s recap of it, and I was struck by how many guys in that game are no longer on the team, just two years later:
Panda (two huge RBI hits in the comeback)
Morse (drew a pinch-hit walk and scored a run)
Vogelsong (the starting pitcher)
Petit (the winning pitcher)
Duffy (started the comeback rally with a pinch hit)
Arias (started another rally with a pinch hit)
Perez (started in LF that night)
Machi (stopped the bleeding after Vogelsong was pulled in that awful third inning)
Affeldt (scoreless inning)
Ishikawa (well, he’s sorta still around, but only sorta)
Hudson (seen cheerleading in the dugout)
Wow. Eleven roster spots turned over in two years. It’s a good thing, for the most part.
Even more than that. I just listed guys who played in the game (or who I saw on the screen, like Hudson). Susac was the backup catcher. Lincecum was in the bullpen–in fact, now that I think about it, he warmed up during that game.
Hee hee, still remember that catch in inning 5 game 7.
Never gets old
*Aramis Garcia continues to impress in the Arizona Fall League, however Porthos Lopez and Athos Hernandez have struggled.
*It was all a misunderstanding( my head in the oven and all), I was still looking for the quarter that I lost at a rest stop in 1985
* An excellent way to tell that you are in trouble: you can’t hit Josh Tomlin
*The voting for the Nobel Prize in literature was leaked and in a close battle Bob Dylan edged out Barry Gibb.
*Kyle Blanks? Again? Memo to Bobby- that bottle is all lightninged out.
*In bye week action, the 49ers lost to themselves
* 1800 bucks? To stand around watching a bunch of guys doing nothing? It’s the last time that I pay to see a Caltrans crew “at work”
* See, I’m back to normal, relatively speaking
Of all the tv and radio chicago butt licking announcers and reporters out the, MLB tv Harold Reynolds and Al Leiter seem pretty cool with the Indians. They seemed genuinely pumped about the win (I could only watch knowing Cleveland won).
Two things really stuck out to me.
Al Leiter did a graphic balls and strikes showing a squeezed strike zone for Indian pitchers and a very generous strike zone for Cubs pitchers. It was repulsive and insulting and screamed a need for the robo zone. It was disgusting.
Another thing that was odd was Cubs players post game interviewed were extremely down in the dumps. Not the ‘hey we just need to win tomorrow’ but like they just got eliminated. Not that that will carry over tonight but WTH, take it like a pro.
Harold Reynolds get some criticism but I like hearing his perspective. I also like Tom Verducci. Would be cool if Verducci could manage the play by play and Smoltz and Reynolds could join in the booth.
I turned the sound off last night….
Enjoyed it a lot better…
Plan on no sound for the rest of the series
So you are saying that the fix was in? In this day and age, that is impossible. It would take the complicity of hundreds of people- none of whom put anything to paper.
I don’t think he is saying that. But umpires are human and who knows what subliminal tendencies or biases may exist. Or, maybe it’s just poor judgment.
On radio, Aaron Boone and Dan Shulman were railing on Hirshbeck for his blatant missed calls on strikes that were, to that point, clearly favoring Chicago.
I can’t say it was intentional. But it happened.
When one is saying that there was one strike zone for the Cubs and another for the Tribe ,that is saying that It was intentional. Sorry, but the umps don’t give a shit who wins.
I’ve been around enough umpires at various levels to know that a share of them have a stick buried so far up their ass and their bias is as real as sunshine.
We all know that the take is that it’s all rigged in favor the Cubs.
BTW, you said that ” MLB tv Harold Reynolds and Al Leiter seem pretty cool with the Indians. They seemed genuinely pumped about the win”
Network announcers aren’t supposed to be “pumped” up about which team wins.
No. It can also mean that human beings arbitrating a tense situation may make biased, panicked decisions based on forces that they aren’t consciously aware of. The FACT is that the Cubs benefitted from bad strike zone calls. None of us know the exact reasons, but no theories or opinions should be offhandedly dismissed because you disagree
I don’t think there is any consistent bias among umpires related to home or away. There are biases, the most noteworthy being count bias. If pitching styles vary enough to effect the occurrence of deep or short counts between two teams, then the probability shifts. I’d also add that guy catching for Cleveland is just an awful pitch framer.
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/four-strikes-and-youre-out/
THAT again? I state what I think, as do all of us. But anyone can see that the drift here is that the Indians are being short changed. BTW, i’m rooting for the Indians but I don’t think that is any bias for or against them. Unlike that against our teams, who are all disrespected and abused by all the officials
I got a caps lock post! I THINK that’s a compliment! ( see what I did there?)
You have to stop sending Emails with nude photos of Hillary Clinton
Those were Ursula the Mermaid.
The Cubs whine so much about so many calls that the umpires feel under pressure to give them at least some of the class they whine about. That was clearly the case in game 1 of the nlds. Lester and Cueto would put pitches in exactly the same place, the ump would call them balls, Lester would whine and Cueto wouldn’t, next time it would happen Lester would get the strike and Cueto wouldn’t. It happened again and again.
You are only proving that you have a bias against the Cubs. I understand that- I hope that they will never win a WS. But I don’t make imaginary scenarios where the Umps have to make calls that favor the Cubs.
Well you explain what happened last night. The alternative theory being offered above is that the Series is fixed.
What am I supposed to explain? It was a good game
The biased umpiring favoring the Cubs.
It will be interesting to see if the Cubs lose any challenges. There were a few that seemed like not enough to overturn the call that were overturned in their favor.
I think they lost one last night.
A HUGE one.
Thank you, must have been during dinner.
That HBO segment on robo umps that I watched several weeks ago mentioned that there is clearly home team bias in missed calls by the home plate umpire. The data are compelling. It’s a split-second subjective judgment, and a roaring home crowd factors. They used Game 7 of the 2011 World Series in St. Louis as a prime example. The Cards were the beneficiaries of 14 missed ball/strike calls, and the Rangers only 3.
there is nothing surprising about that stat, it’s basically understood among players that this is the norm.
Happens in most sports, be it a travel call or phantom whistle in the NBA or a non call or off sides in the NFL.
Home teams get calls….what is so alarming about that?
Robo Umps are the worst idea since sliced bread. Which hadn’t been even contemplated the last time the Cubs won the World Series.
Hand or machine, sliced that is?
MLB tv showed the graphic. Not me. I found it to be very entertaining in light of the Indians victory.
It may have occurred to them that ego showboating, such as Soler’s, might just have cost them the series. Had he come out of the box like Pence does, he could have had a reasonable chance to score when Chisenhall bobbled that ball in the RF corner that then got behind him. It’s a small thing, admittedly, but it was an opportunity sacrificed that they never got back. Maybe that’s what is meant by ‘making ones own luck’.
That was bizarre. What was Soler doing there? The ball clearly wasn’t out, so he wasn’t just admiring it. I guess he thought it was foul, but how could it be foul? There’s barely a foot of foul territory right there. It’s HIS home park–how does he not know that?
I think the ball was out, or appeared to be so, but the wind brought it back. But, good question. In the end it doesn’t really matter, it was a foolish mistake, that, IMO, comes from focusing on one’s self to the exclusion of The Game. As a former Cubs fan, I approach it from the POV, that Ryne Sandberg would have never done that. It’s both what fans like to see in terms of attitude if you win, but makes a damn fool of you if you lose.
I think that too much is made of that = “it was a foolish mistake”,as you said. That’s it.
Who’d have guessed a triple would be underperforming? But you are right, in so far as the consequences of playing so many young guys in such a pressure packed game. Maddon was quoted last night say something about his guys wild (undisciplined) swinging being a problem, which again speaks to youth. Bochy’s predilection for veterans makes more and more sense to me today. It’s not so much what they contribute on a game to game basis, but the stability and persistence they bring to a team. Guys like Baez are unbelievably talented but they’re style of play, IMO, isn’t something any ballplayer, especially young ones, should emulate.
Exactly. Thanks for making my point better than me.
I think the instant replay has been an overall success in preventing bad call. Not a 100% correct but better than the old system. So what could it hurt.
Maybe the live umpire could adjust the robo one to call the game as he would. A little wider for some, lower for others, ect. Then you don’t have a creeping strike zone like you did with that big guy Greg I think. Who was out of shape and kept getting higher and higher in his stance and the strike zone shifted. There is a way to have both.
And for throwback days, they could go with the Bill Klem strike zone!! Seriously, they’d have to announce who’s strike zone they’d be using. Just before the first pitch, I say!
Or we could just leave in Joe West day and have the robo use a random generator strike, ball no matter where it crossed. By the way bad day this should have been one discussion up.
The possibilities are ENDLESS!
You said it, They are young.
And foolish.
And we’d die to have them.
You might say I’m foolish, but I’d take Scutaro any day over Baez.
You are right, I would say that you are foolish 😉
Kids grow up, you know.
LOL, but WS’s come around just now and then. Baez will, in time, learn. What got him there is pitching, and if he’s not careful he’ll get to e the Sandberg of his era. His skills at 2B are simply off the chart, but so were Sandbergs.
Scutaro was freakin’ magic for those three months in 2012. Magic. Money. Amazing. I know that three-year deal the Giants gave him afterwards didn’t work out for them, but he earned that $20 million. Melky Cabrera was leading the league in hitting, and thanks to Scutaro they didn’t miss him one bit. Scutaro saved their season, him and MVPosey.
After arriving at 3B, he’s grinning and laughing about his mistake. This guy Soler has a screw loose, and I think Maddon knows that. Furthermore, as talented as Baez and Contreras are, they lack the maturity and experience to put the team’s best interests front and center in *every* AB. The essence of youth, I guess. Of their last AB, both of them were thinking “big time bomb right here” vs. ” keep the line moving.”
Part of the issue is pitch framing by the catcher. There was a chapter in “Big Data” about how good pitch framers can get strikes called on close pitches. I have seen some analysis in live broadcasts as well. Some of this could be on the catchers.
IMO, you are absolutely right. A good framer keeps you away from as many deep counts as possible where bias is an established fact.
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/four-strikes-and-youre-out/
Agreed, There an old saying that there are 3 kinds of umpires:
Three umpires were taking about balls and strikes and the first says “there are balls and strikes and I call them as they are” The second umpire says “I call them as I see them”. The third umpire says, “There are balls and strikes but there is nothing until I say there is”.
I like the idea of robo umpire myself.
Not me, I like the nuance, and unpredictability of human umps.
Weird my reply disappeared.
Replay has helped correct some of the bad calls, not all, but it is better. You could set up a system were each umpire gets to set the strike zone as he sees it and adjust the robo umpire so. This will still leave in the individual aspect of umpires but add more consistency and remove emotional bias. There was an hugh umpire who got tired in the later innings and kept rising his strike zone. This would end.
What would we bitch at with out Cuzzi and West. You should search up that old William Bendix movie about umpires and there travails.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBGgmgzLtGs
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042641/
There in lays the problem, perfection in one aspect gives us less to bitch. The Cards do not lose to the Royals in 85. Or the Cards don’t beat the Giants in 82 with a walk off steal of home if the dam umpire calls the pitch, which he forgot to do. But most of the rest of these situations we bitch at only result in the game still tied. But as fans, (which includes me to the max) we still have the attitude we got screwed which in 82 we did.
LOL, OK. Imagine the Astros not getting Mike Scott in the next game. LOL.
Scratchy? They never did find where he hid that sandpaper.
When you can’t find it, its not there, at least in a fact based universe. I saw that no hitter against the Giants in the Dome. The one where Wil Clark made the last out.
They could give the names of whoever calibrated the strike zone that day! And as Noce and I discussed below, the robo ump could be set to strike zones of any umpire, including a random strike generator (Noce’s idea) for Joe West (and a hologram of Joe West to stare at Madbum! – my idea).
The hologram is priceless.
great point, a great deal of it is on the catcher. A guy like Molina and Belt do a great job plus get calls their way on reputation. That reputation has to be earned.
Did Chapman get hurt last night?
Sorry late to the discussion on Cespedes
I vote yes…but only cause of these reasons
1. The Giants are in their golden era…but the stars…Posey, Pence, are getting older…
Need to do it now….
Cespedes for 3-4 years at big money?? go for it…
The Giants have the money and the team desperately needs a big time hitter in LF.
Do it…The time is now…
2. I do believe there will be a DH in the NL by the next cycle of contract negotiations..
MLB needs that excitement/youth/offense infusion…
The whole “strategy” angle is lost on so many people..this is just an instant gratification society that we live in..
“strategy…pitchers bunting…double switch” = screams old and slow and boring…perception problems in baseball.
I can’t stand the Cubs but how much more exciting would the game be with Schwarber hitting every game??
If the DH rule is impletemented in both leagues, I think you wouldn’t have to worry so much about Cespedes skills deteriorating…He probably will always be able to hit.
I vote yes…
There will be no DH in the NL anytime soon.
You don’t dumb baseball down to appease a certain fanbase.
i agree..
The DH was a slam dunk for the NL in 1978 but Phillies Owner Ruly Carpenter was fishing out on the lake with his granddaughter – obviously minus any phone communication. It WAS a done deal. Nothing could stop it. All the NL GM’s were in occurrence until ……
Now Manfred says he loves the distinction it gives both leagues…. So ….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBco0H3g-tc
http://uniqware.com/magazine7/level2htm/designatedHitter.htm
good post Clutch
here is more on the subject: http://nypost.com/2016/01/30/rob-manfred-suddenly-changes-tone-on-dh-in-the-nl/
I love that the Giants were on the NO list.
I have to give Tommy some credit at 57 seconds into the video he is asked by ump Ron Luciano about the DH.
Tommy: “We don’t like the designated hitter”
Luciano: “You’re gonna adapt the DH pretty soon”
Tommy: “NO we won’t
How high are you willing to go?
In case all you little white ball fans missed it: Dubs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4BIpWjtGb4
hey, i resemble that statement…oh, and thank you 🙂
Josh Tomlin, on his father Jerry: “I think I’ve probably said it more times than I probably should, but it was probably one of my more emotional starts I’ve ever had in my entire life, career, any situation baseball related ever. I’m fortunate enough for him to even be here. So to have him get to experience a World Series game and obviously my first World Series start, it meant everything.”
When they interviewed “Country” Jerry in the stands, proud papa was almost lost for words.
Where we were watching … the room got a tad dusty.
For me the question is in a vacuum of information. What are the total other options. Cost benefit analysis and how does it fit into a team strategy. There has to be improvement as a team not a position. The Giants improved starting pitching sort of from the beginning. Then had to do more as Starters 4 and 5 failed. We had a very poor outfield defense and closer. You have to fix enough the short comings to get back to the playoffs. One player may put you over the top but I think they are more than one player short.
Soon the World Series will conclude. Thoughts will turn to Spring Training and the World Baseball Classic, but these guys play year around:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdLChxwnSn0
I’m not a fan of the WBC and I wish they would do away with it.
I think it harms the continuity of ML Clubs – however the pride and passion that one witnesses at those games is really something.
I know what you mean though.
I like the WBC. Sort of.
Thoughts will turn to free agency!
The Cubs ‘anthem’ no one sings… in public.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HTRxAHfwPY
too many people out there that aren’t aware of the late steve goodman. he wrote the classic “the city of new orleans”, in addition to countless others. here he is doing a beautiful cover of “the dutchman”, with jethro burns playing mandolin..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeBD3rcAMFw
Yep Goodman was quite a song writer. Most folks don’t know he wrote City of New Orleans that Arlo Guthrie and Willie Nelson, among others recorded. Passed way too young, IMO.
The fix may be in, but it would be AGAINST the Cubs winning it all. The story is over if they win.
How you doing Chef?
OK.
Home plate umpire balls and strike data from last night
Final pitch f/x numbers for World Series Gm 3 HP Umpire John Hirschbeck: 95/102 Balls + 40/44 Strikes = 135/146 = 92.7%. +5 CHC.
Up next: Gm 4: Marvin Hudson
That’s above my skill set. Does that mean that of all the ball and strike calls, the Tribe were screwed on 5 of them? Or vice a versa? Either way, that’s convincing evidence that somebody is getting the shaft. And we are outraged.
Net = +5
Of the 146 pitches that were called, 11 were called incorrectly. Of those five more were called against the Indians. Implying that Indians = 8 bad calls and Cubs = 3. Problem is it doesn’t work that way. One needs to look at who the 11 bad calls benefitted.
One needs to look at a whole lot more than that. At the very least you have to reconsider the zone as having edges based on declining probability of a in zone call, not a square edge and the skill of catchers to frame a pitch. You guys are reducing this to a yes/know issue, while knowing that is just not the case, nor should it be.
Well, in a perfect world the HPU shouldn’t be looking at where the ball is caught, but where it crossed the zone. It is absolutely (or should be) where the ball crosses the area of the plate extended from the low to high limits of the strike zone
IOW, framing should have NOTHING to do with calling balls and strikes.
Sure it should. It’s a skill like any other. Next you’ll be wanting galvanized nails for all future crucifixions. 😉
No, it wouldn’t. Framing is just another aspect of umpires not being able to call balls and strike correctly (without cheating).
That’s your opinion. I’m not a conspiracy buff, myself.
People forget the zone is 3 dimensional as well. Guys that get a lot of ball movement can make that TV box look like a lie detector, when really, it doesn’t compensate for that. There’s a good article in Hardball Times a while ago that makes that point.
A robo-ump would take full account of the 3D aspect of the SZ.
No, it actually wouldn’t. You’re expressing your faith in digital reality, not what’s happening on the field. As I recall, the error in current automated pitch recognition is somewhere around 10-20% in some cases. Spin detection is even worse.
The technology will get there and then we must use it.
No one enjoiys a bad call.
I do.
For instance? Which bad call stands out to you as a great moment in baseball history?
You can “enjoy” the humanity of it right?
Sure. Take for example that perfect game in Joyce made a bad call on the out at first. What happened to Galarraga was awful, but the aftermath with Joyce breaking down in tears when he realized the error makes baseball the kind of emotional drama that envelopes you. You can argue that it and other plays forced replay into the game, but everybody learned something about Jim Joyce and Galarraga that made the game even more wonderful. Trying to ‘fix’ baseball will, IMO, eventually cross a boundary that ruins it. I use statistical tools as way of understanding the game, a window of sorts to view it through, not perfect it. I’m not narcissistic enough to want to change it until it’s perfect. LOL, where will Jimmy Piersall hang out then.
Like Bapah said + Cubs by 5. Two of the best announcers EVER on radio Dan Schulman and Aaron Boone were roasting Hirschbeck. The ball four to Bryant was right dab smack down the interstate highway for strike three but was called ball four.
So +5 proves that there was bias in favor of the Cubs? Out of how many pitches did you say? Please.
In a 1-0 game, the officials can easily reverse the outcome, yet the key call in the game went the Indians way.
No. See below. It could have been 11 and it could have been 0, as well.
Well (1) I posted the amount of pitches and (2) This was not my data and (3) two of the best announcers – one who played, Aaron Boone, mentioned EARLY on in the game that JH the ump ‘seemed to be’ favoring the Cubs.
I have no real dog in the fight: I sometimes root for the NL but I also like Terry-“Tito” Francona.
But none of this proves any bias in favor of the Cubs. 5 pitch calls that went against the Tribe can’t be attributed to any bias.
You’ve been around sports now for quite awhile. I don’t think proof is necessary. I think it was a “feel” – that something might be leaning a certain way. It came from somebody’s gut not their head.
You made a point about the +5 number. So it is proof in your mind that there was bias in favor of the Cubs because of that number.
I am totally impressed by Schulman + Boone as well – listened to them call the CHI-LA games as well – so professional – really like the give and take between the two and how Boone is perfect in his commentary timing to Schulman’s PbP – crazy buck muted to listen to these 2 while watching the game. IMHO they are better than Miller + Flemming
As usual Cubs’ fans are claiming the calls last night went against them. Even the ones on Fangraphs. They’re amazing. Absolutely no connection to reality.
“Being a Fan” ≠ “Connecting to Reality” … by definition.
I don’t know any other fans who are as extreme as Cubs’ fans in this respect.
I agree … but I keep thinking of that ‘take the log out of your own eye’ saying that a pretty objective guy said once.
Going to a Halloween costume party tonight. I will those at the party guess what I am. Doo Rag, goa tee, leather studded belt, fake tat sleeves, black shirt. My wife say they will either think I’m a biker or Raiders fan. She cracks me up. Enjoy
The thought of the robo zone is frightening to me. But, as time moves on, and someday this is a reality, I think each ump could tweak the zone to his liking and adjust it during the course of the game (top of innings only). But the pitcher who spots the edges should have an advantage over the pitcher who is erratic and happens to ‘find’ the zone. Another adjustment would have to be in a blowout game. No need to drag the game out with a key hole.
See our comments below about the endless possibilities.
I think of it as one helluva video game.
Yikes. Now the thought of pitching machines instead of real pitchers starts to loom.
Exactly. And we could determine the outcome.
Robo zone would require a 5th umpire. And every batter would have to look to the flash board to get the call. Could you argue balls and strikes with the gestures as they do now? Kind of like that part, Bum and the stare downs. Would the game become homogenized? The first year will have so many bugs that the World Series winner should have an asterisk. Simple in thought. Complicated in process.
I hope nobody hurts themselves in the inevitable piling on of Jose Fernandez. Ok, that’s not true. I hope a couple people hurt themselves.
What happened? Is the toxicology report out?
Cocaine and alcohol.
Yeah, I just checked. A little more foolish than not running out a fly ball, I’d say. It’s not “piling on”, as was suggested above, to acknowledge that the young man’s actions caused the death of 3 people and the mourning of countless others, including his loved ones.
I think that it would fair to say that the tributes be toned down a smidge.
Yep. This is Oscar Taveras all over again.
Wondering why his two best friends did not confiscate the keys to the vessel? Can a boat be started without a “key” ?
All three were under the influence. Apparently no one was thinking straight.
except his teammate who refused to go out with them
I wouldn’t argue a bit about that. I think of this as an exercise in learning that there really are few heroes when you look close enough. When I was a teen, I recall a boy 2-3 years older than me who was a high school hero in football (Texas you know). He hit a concrete bridge abutment on Old Galveston Highway after having a few drinks in a joint with his friends. He killed one of his teammates and each of there girl friends in the accident. He never forgave himself.
I certainly wouldn’t argue that.
I was at the gym when I read the results in a scroll on CNN. Cocaine and BAC nearly 2x legal limit.
Just read the report published in the newspaper:
“A toxicology report for Rivero shows that he too had taken cocaine and consumed alcohol the morning of the crash. Macias drank alcoholic beverages the day of the crash, but was not under the influence of any illegal drugs, the report said.”
“It remains unclear, authorities say, who was driving the boat.”
The Condesenacle is gonna have a field day
Shooting arrows into corpses makes for an enjoyable afternoon.
Post of the Month
By my count, if it’s one post per month, you’re already into 2050.
But maybe the Marlins could have 3 patches on their shirts.
Fernandez wasn’t just intoxicated he had TWICE the legal alcohol limit in his blood AND cocaine – where were the Marlins in their random drug screening with this guy ? I think it is fair to say that teammates knew he liked to “party”. Youth, inexperience, great gobs of cash, drugs and booze ALWAYS a bad comb. BTW — why did the Miami Herald have to threaten to sue to get what should have been public info given that 3 people died in a boating accident in public waters. I don’t think many will be surprised at this outcome.
I hope it’s not used to “pile on” but rather as an education tool for the Marlins / MLB’s young fans to realize / understand the dangers of operating vehicles under the influence of alcohol and drugs.
People need to take it easy on the poor guy. He only killed two of his friends, along with himself. How unfair it would be to talk about the truth. After all, he was a great pitcher, and that’s the most important thing. If you want something to criticize, take a good look at your own view of the situation.
You’re adorable in your predictability.
Would you feel sympathetic toward a drunk driver who killed one of your family members? Would you worry about people “piling on?” Obviously not. But because this guy was a star athlete, you, a presumably grown man, believe he deserves something better. Pathetic.
Did you just call Rob Deer “pathetic”? If that’s what you meant to say, what for?
He calls most anybody who disagrees with him that term. Check out how he talks to others in regards to other topics. TO is Pete Malloy based on the Martin Milner (RIP) character in One Adam 12.
https://disqus.com/by/petemalloy/
I don’t find his comments as Pete Malloy particularly egregious. He has an opinion, as is his right.
……….. continue reading….. not egregious – just slanted over and over again.
That’s sort of the nature of having an opinion, IMO. LOL.
Congratulations on having, once again, added nothing relevant to the discussion.
Doubtful you could get an Amen on that. Keep trashing and calling The Deer pathetic. I don’t look forward to the time your children suffer some indignity and you have to handle it as a Daddy versus big tough law enforcement guy. You will NOT be able to handle it without the holster mentality remaining on your waistline.
Like you actually know me?
That is the best of the best that Peace Officers use. In fact I think that quote came right out of Scarface – when Tony Montana says: “You actually know me” ?
TO = Malloy to you very high on this salary list. Although my neighbor back home who knows you says you don’t work much OT anymore.
http://transparentcalifornia.com/salaries/san-jose/
You’re nuts.
Thanks for the compelling compliment, as if you are not?!!
Yes, I did. He was advocating for others to go easy on poor Jose Fernandez. By doing so, as was made clear by his follow-up, he views himself as somehow morally superior to those who would dare to vilify Fernandez for what he did. Killing two of your friends goes far beyond having “royally screwed up.” Fernandez is a villain, so it’s not unreasonable to “vilify” him. Actually, it’s the appropriate thing to do. To argue against it, in my opinion, is pathetic.
You have incontrovertible evidence that Fernandez was driving the boat?
It never ends. Read about it.
I did read. So far the authorities do not know who was driving the boat.
It’s was his boat, his idea to go out on the boat in the middle of the night, and his friends, who tried to convince him not to go, weren’t experienced with boats. What to do you really think?
It was his boat. That’s been known since the crash. But so far the authorities have not been able to determine who was driving the boat. I’ll reserve judgement until then. I tend to usually wait for facts rather than make assumptions about a person’s culpability.
And as I stated above, I find it very hard to believe his friends were unaware of his consumption, if not joining in, which would make the most sense. So all three would be responsible. It’s just a sad, sad story. The point I was making, which TO fails to see, is while I certainly don’t condone the behavior, I’m not going to trash those involved after the fact on a chat board.
The authorities were forced to release the toxicology report when the media began to question where the hell it was. They wouldn’t have been so reticent if somebody else had been driving the boat.
IMO.
Reason one why the prior Mrs. Malloy left and the fiance left. You are the Gold Standard TO.
Yup, a villain. And I’m sure he was sneaking both alcohol and cocaine behind his friends’ backs who were completely unaware of his state. He might actually have openly engaged in both activities after having bound the two others, hand and foot. The worst part about you being a police officer is you add to the negative stereotype of police officers.
If you’ve read at all about this incident, you’ve read that his friends were trying to keep him from going out on the boat, with the obvious inference being that they knew it wasn’t safe, given his condition that night. These guys went with him anyway, in the misguided hope they could keep their friend out of trouble. They paid for their efforts with their lives. I’m really sorry if you consider this to be further piling on. And if you think that taking a harsh view of drunk driving is a view that contributes to “the negative stereotype of police officers,” I’m happy to contribute.
Right, right. They were innocent victims who were completely sober as they watched Fernandez driving the boat while drinking and taking bumps of cocaine as they urged him to slow down.
Here, let me break it down for you, as I would to a child. Do I think he “deserves better?” No, I don’t. Do I think he royally screwed up? Obviously. Three people died, for christsakes. What I was speaking to, was certain peoples need to vilify him. And I’m not speaking about an “athlete” or a “celebrity” but anyone who died and caused death. I can think to myself, well this person really blew it. I don’t, unlike you, need to speak about it to others in order to pass judgement and make it clear I’m somehow a superior human being. But that’s what you specialize in, regardless of the subject matter. Get over yourself.
Was he the one piloting the boat at the time?
You realize you’re not talking about Hernandez at all, but people in general, unless you want him dug up and displayed in public as an object of derision. You know TO, my friend, you have a lot of the attributes of Don Quixote.
It is kind of clear now why the couple of exes decided to take a hike-a-rooski rather than deal with your eternal flame way of viewing everything.
By the way Marcus Thompson says hello. Nice of you to trash him and his entire family during your debate with him when you gave advice to his wife along the lines of – “I also have one more suggestion to help your wife feel better about your safety. Don’t spend too much time in any of the neighborhoods where young, black males are all too frequently murdered by other young, black males. It’s in those neighborhoods where the real epidemic is taking place.”
#ClassicTO
Plus he had a great zest for life.
Warriors hoop it up at San Quetin and Draymond shows off his non-Dominoes skills
http://www.nba.com/warriors/news-blog/san-quentin-visit-20160924
bored again? 😉
Yo, Greek Giant! Big football game today, Georgia vs. your Florida Gators, in (what we’re not supposed to call it anymore) The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party in Jacksonville, FL. Here I am, a Tennessee Volunteers fan living in Georgia, rooting for the Bulldogs to help us. Should be a great game!
Steve Young reveals a secret in his new book and he wasn’t even going to publish this book. He hired an author to help him write it so he could present the book to his four kids, none of who had been born yet when he retired in 1999.
This fans – is a keeper http://www.sfchronicle.com/49ers/article/In-new-book-ex-49er-Steve-Young-details-his-10421195.php
terrific 1 hour interview with him yesterday on KQED’s Forum — here’s the link https://ww2.kqed.org/forum/2016/10/26/how-hall-of-fame-quarterback-steve-young-tackled-his-anxiety/
Tks for posting that link!
you’re welcome ! I have a nephew who also suffers from anxiety into his 30s – i’m going to send him Steve’s book for Xmas — surprised that more bookstores in the SF Bay Area aren’t having Young in for signings — jock book issue ???
Word will travel now about how good he is on the KQED interview and the book signings may pick up. Young has always been an uber non-jock when it comes to eclectic topics. He is so candid on this interview and his reading a passage in his book was awesome.
Looking back this commercial WAS funny ….
http://www.ninersnation.com/2015/12/31/10696038/joe-montana-steve-young-commercial-college-football-playoff-bo-jackson
very funny but the other one with the heisman guys vs joe’s 4 rings was terrific
I feel good for Coco. He was in line for a Marlon Byrd type per game payment but Melvin started sitting him most likely per Billy Beane – prior to the trade.
Coco cam through vs TOR also http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/94787060/v1207835283/?c_id=mlb
very happy for him — nice post game interview last night too
Boy did I ever enjoy his interview http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/42469262/v1209792983/?query=coco%2Bcrisp
I listed 13 players below who were on the roster two years ago today when the Giants won the World Series but who are no longer on the team. When you add the guys who are about to be free agents (Lopez, Romo, Casilla, Blanco, Peavy), we’re down to single digits on guys for sure returning next year who were on the 2014 championship team:
Posey
Belt
Crawford
Panik
Pence
Bumgarner
Strickland
(Cain and Kontos played on the 2014 team and will be likely be back next year, but neither was on the postseason roster. Pagan, now a free agent, was not on the postseason roster, either.)
It is possible that The Giant Way – has taken a sharpen left turn.
Or just that time marches on…
Similar is my List of who is in the Group Statue (think flag raising at Iwo Jima)
Only if the Giants can win one more WS.
Only has those who were on more than one winner: Pablo is the tough call with his terrible exit. [“Spandexit”?]
Bochy / Flannery / Raggs
Buster
Bum
Cain
Lincecum
Affeldt
Blanco
Romo
Lopez
Pence
Crawford
Belt
crazy harbaugh has michigan @ 8-0 but you know the yorks couldn’t work with him in santa clara so now we have THAT dumpster fire ignited by jed + trent
Hopefully the passion of Lisa DeBartolo can urge her cousin to tank Baalke who convinced Jed that Harbs had to go – can redirect and tank Baalke and redirect his money into hiring Tom Gamble who is already on staff etc.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/1b6b9cad3cbc5bae88fe74ea9e7dcbf8181e5318799054a537841ae4d4eda357.jpg
Yorks allergic to winning
I think he’s looking for a value depreciation to carry forward on his taxes.
Now you’re stealing TO’s posts! What are we going to do with you? Where’s Rob Deer?
Covelli Crisp once again nothing but class, as is “Tito” Francona.
http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/42469262/v1209792983/?query=coco%2Bcrisp
Diamondbacks To Interview Alex Cora For Manager’s Job.
If they hire AC – they will get a good baseball person.
Cespy and the Giants
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/mets-challengers-yoenis-cespedes-sweepstakes-article-1.2847941
I highly doubt we’re the “leading contender” to sign him.
Dang that Yellow Journalism – Agreed!
2nd place, of course.
Looking at Indians’ success it’s pretty clear that the key to ‘overperforming’ in the postseason is to have one real ace who can go deep into games, a number of mediocre but basically competent starters who can make it to the 4th-6th inning, and a mob of good relievers including a great closer. The ace makes it possible for the mediocre starters to be pulled early in the playoffs without wiping out the bullpen–this formula doesn’t work so well in the regular season but for these teams the goal in the regular is just to make it to the playoffs (especially because their ace gives them a great shot at winning a Wild Card game). That’s the Indians’ formula, that was the Royals’ formula last year, and that was the Giants’ formula in 2014. But–the present Giants’ team has invested so much in having 4 good starters that clearly this is not the formula for them. So what is the formula for them? A team with 4 good starters doesn’t need so many good relievers, but it does still need a top closer and at least enough good relievers to bridge between the time the starters are taken out and the closer comes in. The number of good relievers needed depends on how deep the starters can go. The Cubs’ problem is that although they have 4 good starters and a good closer, their starters can’t generally go deep in the game, their closer can’t pitch more than one inning, and they don’t really have other good relievers–that’s why they lost game 3 to the Giants and last night to the Indians. The Giants’ problem is that although they have 4 good starters who can go deep in the game, they don’t have a top closer. But if the Giants get a top closer, then they simply won’t need so many other good relievers, at least for the postseason. The implication is that if the Giants go out and get a top closer, they may as well try to trade some combination of Law, Smith, and Strickland for whatever they can get, and this might be a reasonable amount as other teams are going to want to follow the Indians’ model and stock up on massive quantities of good relievers.
I’ve been meaning to ask you, what are your feelings concerning Bochy not sending Moore back out for the ninth?
LMAO
you’re a funny guy RD..
Morally superior AND funny. I’m quite the package.
Saw a t-shirt at Goodwill today that said, “Here I am. Now, what were your other two wishes?”
You mean the shirt you’re now wearing?
I try not to be too obvious
I think it’s the ribbon style conscious fans are finding fault with today.
The Giants have had one of the top bullpens over the last few years.They don’t need to emulate the Indians.They are stocking up on young relievers who will only get better. And the closers in all 3 title years have been lights out in the postseason.
It is heresy to say so here, but with 3 run lead in the 9th, Casilla would have closed it out.
What I am saying is that they shouldn’t emulate the Indians because they have 4 good starters who can go deep into games, and this means that if they good out and get an elite closer, they won’t need so many other good relievers. If on the other hand they don’t go out and get an elite closer, then of course they should hold on to who they have and see who can be their closer.
This series in in the hands of the last guy the Cubs wanted to see in control. Kluber will get 2 more starts.
Will he need to make 2 more starts?
Highly doubtful.
I continue to think it will go 7 games. I’ll feel OK, no matter who wins. Shhhh, I’m whispering.
A lot of the Cubs young players seem to take a bigger swing, the bigger the moment. That doesn’t bode well.
Let’s hope Maddon, who said as much himself, can convince them of the fallacy of ‘power hitting’ as opposed to solid contact.
I hope the Tribe win the next two, I just can’t root for the Cubs.
LOL. Then don’t. It’s an acquired skill.
I heard you whispering and agree it could go the distance.
Angel Pagan would have had this douche bag on the ground in three seconds
http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/toronto-streaker-gets-decked-represents-blue-jays-alcs-performance/ar-AAja5uq
Cats on the move.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bITccGFe9PM
Mike Scott on the bike?
Jose Fernandez’s mom thanks Miami fans:‘I’ve been sustained by your love for my son’
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/op-ed/article109549747.html
They tried to help Jose :
http://www.local10.com/sports/mlb/marlins/loved-ones-say-victims-killed-in-boating-crash-were-trying-to-support-marlins-pitcher
The 2 “others” are remembered :
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article104342856.html
confession before WS game 4….. I am STILL not over that 9th inning but what made things worse was reading Craw’s blog post saying not only was he not over it but would NEVER be over it and neither was the rest of the team and he was not going to watch any post season ball because they SHOULD have been in it ! and the way the Cubs are playing I’m thinking that they would have beat them in that game 5. I’m sorry to dredge this all back up by why or why or why didn’t bochy leave mattymoore in for the 9th ????
Now you’re just stealing John Myhill’s act. It’s a tired act. Don’t steal it.
no i’m not — i don’t even know who that is – haven’t been on-line in a few weeks + was just posting my thoughts or isn’t that allowed here anymore ???
Of course it is. Everyone is allowed. I mean, if TO and PJ can post, I don’t see how we block anyone else.
PJ is great.
I wonder if his Mom stuck him the middle initial, “B”. Then we might find agreement through creative misunderstanding.
PJ is now my main man. As they say, sluggers drive Cadillacs, slap hitters hitchhike.
LOL. Indeed, it’s a lugubrious moment.
Good Giants fans aren’t allowed to express honest emotions about a very disappointing–dare I say it, “desultory”–ending to the season?
Of course they are. I just question how long its going to be beat into the ground. But whatever makes people happy.
I think watching the team that beat us playing in the World Series, when a lot of us truly think that easily could have been the Giants, makes it hard to let it go. It will fade.
Yes. Just like Jose Cruz dropping the fly ball.
Too soon!
Tell Brandon Crawford it’s tired.
Blue and Maize details. http://www.mlive.com/wolverines/index.ssf/2016/10/michigan_michigan_state_7.html#incart_big-photo
I think the errors especially are eating at Craw
That error in the ninth inning turned out to be the winning run. That’s a lot to think about over the winter.
You play hard, and give it all you’ve got, what else can you ask of a ballplayer?
I’m not criticizing him. He’s a great SS. I’m just saying I can understand why it would bother him.
We should ask for more. So much more.
Ritual crucifixion, or is that a bridge too far.
Ya it was huge. I realized the other day that the two Willie Mac winners had a bad 9th inning. I think we win if the game goes to extras
I feel bad about that probably being Javi’s last act of a great Giants career.
Probably, but I also think the Bochy strategy is eating at some of the players.
I think less so than you think.
I was for letting Moore stay in until he gave up a base runner but whoever closes the game should get a clean inning to start,IMO. How long would you let him go?
I think that most have said this before but Pete, Alex, and Frank are delightful.Cute, even.
Folks, we are just moments away from Lackey Face….here on Fox!
Gag me. Glad I’m watching my Vols. Even though they’re underperforming so far. (7-7 vs. South Carolina, 1st qtr).
I’ll be checking in. Go Tribe!
Simply a fascinating active map/video of the spread of major religions over mankind’s history.
http://www.businessinsider.com/map-shows-how-religion-spread-around-the-world-2015-6
Tom Verducci just said Francona has “a postmodern bullpen.” I feel like I’m at a campus seminar, not vegging on my couch on a Saturday about to watch baseball.
Verducci, what vegetable does that rhyme with?
Beauty and I picked up a postmodern furniture piece today. The sliding doors close like Allen.
True story.
Spike motif?
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/ff608ce058dbdf90454c76af0aa23257ea6015ee5c9a17063fd5da9cccf9eef3.jpg
Sort of an art deco feel.
Sort of 50ies style. Half a century ago. Ugly IMO.
It reminds me of furniture my grandmother had in her apartment in SF in the 60s. She lived on Scott St. in the Marina/Palace of Fine Arts area.
I love you too!
Where are the carved feet?
Swedish modern?
Yes. We call it “stile svedese” here.
I feel like a toddler looking at that drawer. Those legs take me back.
Beauty is obsessed with these period pieces now…. Just so you know , apparently Danish designed furniture is priced to ensure any bonus I receive is eaten by locusts
Did we trade Span to Cleveland? That was one pathetic throw from CF, not that it was going to matter.
I vote “give” if “trade” isn’t accepted
Nice piece on Chapman in the NY Times today.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/30/sports/baseball/aroldis-chapman-105-mph-chicago-cubs.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=second-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0
GONEEEEE
Back at the wall…..
Wind didn’t seem to slow THAT one down.
Carlos homered!
Carlos Santana reminds me of Pablo a little bit…former catcher too
that’s cuz all latin dudes look alike to you 😉
Uh…..No. THey are both Switch hitters that were former catchers that swing at everything and have a talent for making good contact on pitches out of the strike zone. Nice shot though….keep trying
Don’t sweat it…he lives to race bait
yeah whatever…..I’m sure all pot bellied dark latin guys look the same to you, lol
More likely you are projecting your own inner thoughts on people you don’t even know. Now have an insight to the way you think….it makes sense.
Lol 😝
Supernatural
Soul sacrifice, live in Woodstock.
You da man! That is the stuff of Mayans and Azteca!
Gee, I thought the game was over given the announcers glee at the Cubs whole run.
LOL–Bryant’s error caught Buck in mid-gush.
The Lackey Face – Gumby Drop Combo!
Should have rung up the batter on that pitch
It’s legit tactics, but I don’t like intent balling.
That was rich….
Lackey Meltdown is imminent
Lackey is looking tired. So sad 😭.
I would still like to have someone shove a thunder stick up his Lackey
Bryant shouldn’t have thrown that at all. I think Kluber was going to beat it out regardless. He was motoring.
HA ! did you throw intent ball? here is the Goat’s revenge!
It seems to me either the Cubs have been watching to much Fox or sat next to Verducci on the plane.
Lackey should grow back that flea catcher. He’s plug ugly without it. And a mouth breather, to boot. But a fine family man, no doubt.
See, I’m a fair man.
OUT
Wow they overturned an obvious call??
Fast Times at T Mobile
So far in the series , that blatant favoritism isn’t working out too well for the Cubbies.
At the moment, it’s Curse 2, Blatant Favoritism 1, both in games and in game 4.
Jobu certainly seems unimpressed.
The Curse of the Goat Face Pitcher
GOOOOOOOOD !
That stadium has lots of dark corners. One would think they could have hired someone to design a better lighting system. Oh yeah, Chicago.
Lackey has bad body language. Cleveland in five?
A Lackey bobblehead must have an open mouth.
And bad breath
Imagine the possibilities…open mouth Bobblehead….
Pencil sharpener for one…
Pez dispenser?
Ash tray?
Surprised Lackey is still in the game
Lindor .412 BA so far. WOW.
Lackey may need a tire change on his unicycle tonight.
He looks hungry. He should order in some fried chicken and beer.
They’re getting awfully lovable again..
Is Lackey still pitching?
/checking
Nope. Still not lovable.
Though we are capping on the Cubs, I am interested in how they react tonight being behind….this game feels like their season hinges on it…
I am sure they will put up a tough fight. Its going to take a great game from Cleveland.
Gut check?
02:14 CEST here (01:14 GMT + 1). Time to sleep, perhaps to dream. See you all. Have a good night. GO INDIANS !
Bona note’. ( sorry for spelling)
Thx.
Prego
Sleep well, dear sir
Please note that Efrain prefers you call them “Indiginous People”
Not Redskins?
Huge ball call on the 3-2 pitch to Bryant.
Instant rally. It’s called Pulling a Hudson
Looked like a decent pitch. Small zone today i guess
Indians just have that look. Get down by a run. Immediately respond. Take a lead. Clamp down
Scout is watching with rapt attention…Zorilla Time
Yep. My Guy for sure.
Now THAT’s a JayZ. I can root for
My guy did good?
Can I hear a “Hell Yeah!”?
https://coedbc.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/screen-shot-2015-10-28-at-1-57-53-pm.jpg?quality=88&strip=all
She looks better live in HD on Fox!
“not my first choice”
-just kidding from the trump school of comedy
She’s easy on the eyes.
Smoltz: the one pitch that gives Zobrist trouble is the slider.
Uhh…not if it’s Romo.
Too soon!
Great battle. Great players on top of game right there.
Impressed with how composed and under control Kluber stays in big moments. Its like he successfully blocks everything out and is just executing his pitches. He got squeezed by the ump on a couple pitches if you ask me and didn’t even react.
For sure. So good.
One thing that disappoints me about the Giants watching these teams is that they seemed to have forgotten to stress defense.
How’s that. They had the #1 or #2 defense in the NL league this year.
Superior IF
Inferior OF
No argument from me, but total offense was good.
Did they? Their infield D is great. But I thought their outfield was way down.
To us, but as part of the total they were average to good. But IMO, you’re right, the infield defense is spectacular.
Enough ground ball pitching?
I’d say pitch to your strengths. Why do you ask?
what do the rates say?
Look it up.
tell you what, bud, I’ll go with my recollection and say they were more flyball oriented, but will look into it later, so pay attention.
Fangraphs had them as #2 behind guess who the cubs who are the best at everything
Celebrity Nervous Face montage is always entertaining
The game is not the only show, the medium is the message.
Kluber has enjoyed a bit of luck tonight. If he goes 5 innings with the lead, I think that Francona would dance a jitterbug in the dugout.
Stuff looks good to me
I didn’t think that it wasn’t good. There have been a couple soft hits and some shots, too. I didn’t mean it as a biggie. I just think that Francona shouldn’t push it.
Heyward’s back!
To the Mendoza Line?
In the mf’n hizzle
Mmmmmmmmmright
Finding his swing. The talent is there…the swing comes and goes
I loved her in “I Want to Live! ” She’s back? Oh, that was Hayward.Well, I still loved her.
She does an excellent gas chamber scene.
Micky Rooney and Frank?
Actors dream of those.And what of Palance’s job going down in “Shane”.It was to die for, so to speak.
I loved Shane. The dog in saloon scene even does award winning work.
splendid role in Shawshank.
maybe his new nickname should be The Fault Line
Announcers blaming the wind on those fly ball outs by the Cubs that should of been HRs. But what they need to do instead of blaming the wind is tell the hitters to level out their swings. Wind will knock a home run back into the park every damn time.
#GOTRIBE
A wise man, you are Master.
Level swing….you sound like Meulens!
Or Chili Davis, or Charlie Lau.
The announcers should be telling the players what to do? Maybe they could scream at them from the booth.
See?
Tito plays cribbage and Bochy plays chess.
It’s settled.
The Cubs seem really slow on turning the DP.
do I detect some jiggle to the jello?
Can you imagine if the Cubs are not winning a single game at home here?!
Imagine a Cleveland parade.
Snowplows and all.
Umbrellas and galoshes?
The back of the neck of Cub Nation is heavy and sloping downward right now.
Looots of practice.
Stone cold Clemente.
LOL. I’ll pay later if I don’t keep my voice down.
Agree. That’s because all the media tried to force feed the lovable Cubs into everyone’s head. But they didn’t give the Indians any respect. So for the moment Cub Nation is burdened with a heavy neck.
When the camera pans into the crowd and I see the older Cub fans in attendence I have to look away.
Over a hundred years without a title is a pretty good story. And a cow burned their city down. Lousy pizza. Things have not gone well for the city with big shoulders. They aren’t even the “Hog Butchers for the World” anymore.
Didn’t Lizzy Borden and her axe keep house there too?
I think that was Massachusetts
She’s an honorary resident tonight.
The Cubs are learning about “the grind” style of baseball. It’s wearing on them, I’d say.
Smoltz is really good….
HoF, Robben.
Kluber is boss. This is an epic postseason given the load he has had to shoulder. If Bumgarner is the bar, he’s respectably within range.
My Volunteers behind 24-14, midway through 4th quarter. Entire season on the line.
That’s what Baylor said today. No one was listening.
No worries, there will always be goober music down there.
Or gomer tunes on the ol juke box!
Vols lose. Goodbye SEC East title. Goodbye New Year’s Day bowl game.
Unbelievable.
Say hello to UCLA football.
Not surprising.
It’s not the goat.It’s not the black cat. It’s not Bartman. It’s Wrigley. That’s the curse. They should implode it and build a new stadium.
Or maybe its Tito and the Tribe.
BOOM!!
Cleveland is rockin!
Nice to finally see the Cubs come back down to earth after having their heads floating in the sky for so long. Oh, and hi, I’m back after a long absence. How are you?
John Myhill and cynic are wondering why Bochy took out Moore
Lefty and I are barfing because of Buck Flu
The Oracle is bi-polar. He’s dancing around in a blue and maize tutu over college football, but going Chris Hansen gotcha over Jose Fernandez.
Chef Michael Scott singed his eyebrows in the oven. Merna painted new ones on. He looks a little like Divine now.
The rest of the gang is pretty sane and normal.
Thank you for the update! I feel like I never left. Is Buck Flu a new martial art?
My only update is I got my diploma in the mail today. Finally earned my bachelor’s degree!
Awesome! I’ll be hiring in January!!
It’s an IT degree. But if there’s an opening for a new bat boy, I’ll take the right field line. I may be old, but at 39, their current staff’s got nothing on me.
You’re perilously close to Ball Dude demographic
’77! And now i feel old. I only have a few grays in my beard…
I have several and more in the fro.
’76 !!!??
My age, it’s all good. Matthew will hook you up, I hope, lol
congrats !
Congratulations! Good for you.
For a moment there, with your avatar, I thought you were Noce.
Congratulations!
Of the two of us, you’re the one with the emotional highs and lows.
The Ford “Oh, Shit” Play of the Night
LOL. I thought the Cubs won the WS already. Didn’t our resident flip flopper pick them to win in 5 games?
Aaah haaaaw Chicago!!!!! I love the melancholy look on the fans faces lol lol.
Speaking of Nobel things to say, isn’t there a Bob Dylan song, by the name of Hattie Carol, where, for the first several chorus lines he sings “now ain’t the time for your tears”, but by the last chorus shifts to “now IS the time for your tears”?
Now is the time for your tears.
BOOOM
Kipnis is boss too. Would I swap Panik for Kipnis? yes.
Dont you feel better Sergio isnt warming up in the bullpen?
I feel better that the Cubs are getting smacked around like red headed step children. LOL at the morons picking teams like the Cubs to win time and again. I think that the Giants disproved that .
The Indians are loaded for bear.
Vince Vaughn is one of my guys
You’re money, Doughnut.
All the beautiful babies in Chi town are sad right now
He was money in Old School too.
Yup. Just saw Swingers again on Netflix recently
Winter is on the way.
Not enough Swingers in Chicago to get as many runs as that guy just asked for.
Oh Lord cubs fanz.
That was pathetic. Really, really pathetic
Yes it waz. Cubs fans are semi goofy looking
Hey bud, I’ve got some non-cracker shit for you…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mN_3ylqka3Q
Good stuff cuz!
they’re just really f’n good, immensely talented, very real.
Nice 7 pitch inn by Miller. Go Indians!!
Take me out of this misery
Take me out with this crowd
Buy me some Xannax and Lyrica
Thoughts of suicide will likely occur
So it’s lose, lose , lose for the Cubbies
If they don’t win, it’s the norm
It’s one, two, one hundred and eight
At the Looooo-Sers Dorm!
hell mfng yeah
Bwahahahhahaha
Brilliant! If ya don’t mind, I’d like to borrow this little ditty of yours. I will of course include the proper credits. I’ve got some Indians fans in my family who will really appreciate your version. Cheers
Go for it…hope they enjoy…
I’m really over the self importance of these “traditions” of the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley…
Hit Steve up for some music.
Where’s 2hole?
One typically needs a mirror to see..
U aint right matty lol!!
The more I read your statement the funnier it gets
2hole lol lol im staying mum
Eating pretzels with mustard while watching the game is awfully relaxing!
The old fart fans are understandably bitter, Thinking it will be next year for over 80 years will make anybody a tad testy.
Some people believe Mrs O’Leary and her cow were scapegoats.
I hear that it might have been a Mrs Bartman.
That might’ve been great great grandma mrs bartman.
No shit. You are really on it tonight, Joe.
Settle down, Joe. Still five run deficit, bottom 8th. Sheesh.
The tying run just went to the restroom but will be up if the next 4 batters get on base.
No kidding. He sounds like he’s trying to replicate the Vasgersian Ball-Squeeze High Pitch Home Run call
I get shutting the door but damn, using Miller again with a 6 run lead?
Let him rest or save him for a more important spot in this game.
And why keep letting the Cubs see him and let them adjust?
See, even Francona is in on it. Shows that anybody can be bought out for the right price.
gosh could CLE really close this thing out tomorrow ????
Laugher.
Speaking of…
Did Bill Murray really deserve the Twain award?
I mean he’s funny, but I don’t really think of him as having a funny wRC+ greater than 130.
Groundhog Day was a classic…
Ned?
Ned was his nemesis, I think
If he gets a Twain award, I suppose Chevy Chase deserves one too! They’re no Steve Martin’s.
He’s a good actor and a writer. Caddyshack was Murray and his brother.
See above. Not Chevy.
Fletch deserves a Twain. That shit is gold.
His best role was in “What About Bob?”
“How’s the fam?”
“Baby steps…”
Recent vintage: St. Vincent. A really good movie.
Yes, good stuff. “Lady of the night” ha ha ha.
that was one of our phrases growing up.
Also awesome. I’ve watched those two movies as a Bill Murray double feature.
His lasting power is amazing, AND he has bridged across generations. He’s a hit with millineals. Yup. Well deserved.
So nice to come home from dinner out and get caught up on the game from the twg experts.
we’re just a bunch of C+ prospects is all.
Hello Otero…..former Giant
Cubs hitters 31Ks in games 1, 3 and 4.
Non productive outs
It was their achilles heel last year and seems to have comr back at the wrong time this post season
Last Out Baez strikes again
( kidding. This kid is very talented)
And still a douche bag
Jobu has made the way he feels about Baez behavior pretty clear.
Who is Jobu?
A fella I saw in a movie, the voodoo deity of baseball
Major League…. You gotta watch the movie.
But, as I recall, he was a Cleveland Indian’s fan, big time. The fix is in, way in.
Exactly….
As campy as that movie was, those actors nailed their roles. Dennis Haysbert was money as Pedro
Excellent. Best role I’ve seen him in until The Unit came around on TV.
San Mateo High School grad if I recall correctly.
Baez is outhousr or penthouse. He’s going to learn you spend a lot more time in the shitter than the top floor
Welp Thats That!
Well, just dropped by to say it’s looking good for the Tribe!
So Baez made the last out again. It’s OK. He’s young.
the last player to hit a 3 run homer in the WS in Wrigley was BABE RUTH !
Did Kipnis point the CF?
no he seemed genuinely shocked at that little factoid
Hard to believe Justice Stevens was a witness to baseball history.
See what trading for an A+ closer gets you? One win away from the World Series. No doubt in my mind that if the Giants had gotten a half way decent closer at the trade deadline. We would still be playing. I told you Indians are no joke. Good pitching beats hitting everyday.
Andrew Miller is off the charts. I had no idea how good he is.
I don’t think the closer had an RBI tonight unless I missed him. 😉
5-2 in the 9th CC! 5-2 in the 9th!!!
That was how they won 2010, 2012 and, oh yes, 2014.
Well, a lot of people were insisting that Chi would win easily. I didn’t think so, based of the way they played us. Their hitting is not that strong, even with the somewhat gimmicky use of Schwarber.
Naturally, I would like the Smirks to lose. But anything can happen.
I’m happy for Cleveland and very impressed with their pitching. I think they would probably shut us down, too. Remember how bad our hitting was this year ……
Our hitting was coming around in the playoffs. We rocked Chapman almost twice. But the Indians bullpen is ferocious. But so was the Royals and we beat them.
We knocked around miller pretty good in ny, remember?
I predicted cleveland would win in 5. You can read it here.
Sometimes it’s better to be safe than sorry. I predicted that one of them would win.
That was smart. 2 of them rarely win in a series of this type.
And yes … Giants should sign Cespedes.
Ha ha! Why not?
Top agent hitters don’t come here. Why would he?
Slikk, you feelin’ this?
Tribe called quest. Ummm, yeah.
Saw these guys at House of Blues (snuck in with some sneaky friends)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHRnvjCkTsw
Did you ever leave your wallet in El Segundo
no but I have a friend that probably did, he was always leaving his wallet somewhere on a road trip, like on top of the toilet at jack in the box.
I hope the Cubs rot another 108 years. I met John Cusak many times. Horses ass and I hope he cries.
I want my two dollars, pacman!!
They probably will and hope the Dodgers and AAA’s rot along with them
Baggs asking for the #RallyZito mojo. Hillarious…
#RallyZito had many followers.
You know what, after the way Baggs acted with the blog and that despicable hit piece where he blamed the fans for the Giants getting knocked out of the playoffs, if he feels some pain about the Cubs’ struggles, that’s just a bonus to me. I’m sorry if that sounds vindictive, but he hasn’t done anything to make me want to root for his team for his sake. For all I know, 2holehitting is his nom de plume.