The Official 2012 Major League Baseball Thread

[Doc Holliday]

How about those sad sack last place Jays? We are seeing exactly how thin their farm system is...lost a few guys to the DL and cannot win a game.

Sad sack Jays? Lost a few guys? Yeah, like nearly the entire starting pitching staff & their closer. Yet, they're still in contention for the wild card.

My dear friend, after tonight's game, the Jays will be tied with your crappy team.....the team who is 4th in the major leagues in spending. What does that say about your team? Come on, JMAN.....you should say nicer things about the dysfunctional team you cheer for. Come on, JMAN....the season is still young, don't give up on your crappy team. I know it's ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST over there, and Bobby V is playing the role of McMurphy, but you just never know! :lol:

 

[lgna69xxx]

Did'nt someone once say "thats why they play 162"? Who dat, i say who dat man?????

About Youk compared to Lawrie, i can see your point, they are both heart and soul type guys, but Lawrie has so much more potential to be better than Youkilis ever was.

Come on, JMAN....the season is still young, don't give up on your crappy team. you just never know! :lol:

 

[Doc Holliday]

Frankly, I think Bautista sucks, can't hit for average...I do get my opinion.

You're entitled to your opinion. After all, you're a modern-day baseball encyclopedia. :lol:

However, if you look at the great Jose Bautista's OBP & SLGP, he'd be among the leaders on the Red Sox team. Just imagine if he'd be playing half his games at that crappy Fenway Park.....HE'D HIT 90 HOMERUNS EVERY YEAR!!! :nod:

 

[Joe.t]

Congratulations to the New York Yankees for having the best record in all of baseball, good job boys.


Facts

 

[daydreamer41]

You're entitled to your opinion. After all, you're a modern-day baseball encyclopedia, after all. :lol:

However, if you look at the great Jose Bautista's OBP & SLGP, he'd be among the leaders on the Red Sox team. Just imagine if he'd be playing half his games at that crappy Fenway Park.....HE'D HIT 90 HOMERUNS EVERY YEAR!!! :nod:

Doc, Jman's the encyclopedia for 2004 and 2007. All of the other losing years, he erases from his mind like the other Red Sox fanatics.

 

[daydreamer41]

Yankees take 3 out of 4. The Yankees are up 5-1 in the Bosox-Yankees series and all 6 games have been played in the 3rd World Stadium, Fenway Park.

Guess, we won't hear Jman posting about his Red Sox after that series. Yankees are up 7 over Second place Baltimore and 9 1/2 ahead of last place Boston and Toronto at the All-Star game. You have to like their position at this point of the season.

 

[lgna69xxx]

Congrats to Ivan "SUPER" Nova on his 10th win of the season. Ya know, it was not long ago someone around these here parts was saying that "Super" would spend more time in Scarnton Wilkes Barre than in the Bronx, and since then, he has gone on to a record of 26-7 with a 3.81 ERA and is the winningest pitcher in all of baseball percentage wise for starters since the 2011 season began.

 

[hungry101]

The problem with Jon Lester is that he's fat & out of shape. I guess Bobby Jenks' presence on the ball team & all the fried chicken and beer that was around over the past couple of years haven't served Lester any good.

Time to hit the gym & start to shed some of that fat, Johnny boy! :help:

He was their leader. What happened? I seem to remember that Youk got into it with BV when BV accused Youck of not being into it this year. After watching Youk charge the mound when he accused Rick Percello throwing at him a few years back and when he led a bench clearing brawl against Seattle (I think) and into it with Ramirez for not supporting his team it is hard to imagine him not being into anything! Now he is on the Chisox and he will make them much harder to beat. Darn it!

 

[hungry101]

Congratulations to the Detroit Tigers pitching staff

http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com/news/...08&content_id=34722956&vkey=news_det&c_id=det

Congratulations to the Detroit Tigers pitching staff for eclipsing the the 2001 Yankee AL record for most combined stike outs by a pitching staff for the first half of the season.

DETROIT -- Coming into the season, the Tigers were expected to challenge hitting records. But with a third-inning strikeout by Max Scherzer in Sunday's game, the Tigers established a new American League record for collective strikeouts before the All-Star break.

Detroit tallied nine K's in Sunday's 7-1 victory against the Royals to push their first-half total to 715. The 2001 Yankees, with Roger Clemens, Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte, held the old mark of 710.

Considering the Tigers have been without Doug Fister for most of the first half, start Rick Porcello -- a sinkerballer looking for contact rather than swings and misses -- and have utilized 21 different pitchers and seen six Major League debuts, it's a pretty remarkable feat.

Scherzer fanned first baseman Eric Hosmer in the first inning and then got him to whiff on five pitches in the fourth inning for the record-breaker. Scherzer also got Yuniesky Betancourt, Mike Moustakas and Jarrod Dyson before tallying strikeout No. 711.

The right-handed Scherzer finished the game with a total of seven, and ranks third in the AL with 121. The only two ahead of him are teammate Justin Verlander (128) and Mariners ace Felix Hernandez (122).

Scherzer and Verlander's total of 249 K's prior to the All-Star break are the most by a pair of Tigers since Mickey Lolich and Joe Coleman had 295 in 1972, although Lolich and Coleman got 12 more starts (47) than Verlander and Scherzer (35).

With Scherzer on the mound Sunday, it seemed like Detroit was a lock to get the record. His K's per nine innings rate of 11.35 is tops in the AL. Also, the Tigers have had fewer than five strikeouts in only six games this season.

"Strikeouts are nice," Scherzer said. "They come into play because they can't put the ball in play and get a hit. For me, they're a product of where my stuff is at, personally. I feel being able to locate my fastball and, obviously, where my slider and my changeup are, are at the best of my career [in] being able to be consistent with it from start to start. I think that's why I'm generating a lot more swings and misses."

Rookie Drew Smyly also had a hand in the record. His 10 strikeouts on Friday against the Royals placed him 27th in the AL with 75. And despite the constant shifting, the Tigers' bullpen ranks second in the AL with 262 K's.

Reliever Octavio Dotel capped off Sunday's contest fittingly. The journeyman, who has already set some records of his own this year playing for his 13th team and becoming the 93rd pitcher in Major League history to appear in 700 games, sat down Moustakas swinging with a crowd of 36,693 at Comerica Park on their feet for No. 715.

 

[Merlot]

...his hr production skyrocketed in his first five years there, so much so that he will forevah have a ASTERIK next to his name, especially after reports came out about his involvement with PED's.

:lol:

Mr. October makes biased Yankee fan look very ignorant about the facts.

A YANKEE LEGEND REGGIE JACKSON
BRANDS A-ROD AND YANKEES WITH
ASTERISKS***

Yankees Kick Out "Mr. October":
Team Crying Over Jackson's Honesty

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/b...-sports-illustrated-article-article-1.1110762

Mr. October has been benched.

In the wake of Yankee Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson's incendiary comments about star third baseman Alex Rodriguez in a Sports Illustrated article last week, the Yankees have told Jackson to "stay away" from the Bronx and the Yankee players, according to two sources familiar with the team.

“Reggie is under punishment," said one of the sources. “He's upset."

The comments were published at an inopportune time, when the Yankees were in Boston for a pivotal four-game series against the rival Red Sox. The punishment is not an outright ban, one of the sources said, but the Bombers felt that Jackson took a shot at A-Rod that was below the belt when he said that Rodriguez's admitted performance-enhancing drug use "does cloud" A-Rod's records.

“The team doesn’t need any negative publicity or aggravation, especially playing in a big market like Boston, and at Fenway,” one of the sources said. “A-Rod doesn’t need the aggravation.”

The Yankees will probably wait until the controversy blows over before revisiting the issue with the former slugger, who won two World Series titles with the Yankees in 1977 and 1978.

Jackson, a special adviser to the Yankees, apologized to A-Rod and the Yankees last week for the comments but the Bombers’ slugger still could not hide his disappointment.

“With friends like that who needs enemies?” A-Rod said through a forced smile.

Sources told the Daily News Friday that Jackson reached out to A-Rod and the team. In remarks published Thursday, Jackson said, “Al’s a very good friend. But I think there are real questions about his numbers. As much as I like him,what he admitted about his (performance-enhancing drug) usage does cloud some of his records.”

A-Rod said Jackson had called him to discuss the remarks and that they had spoken, but he did not want to reveal the contents of their conversation. “We’ll keep that very private,” he said.

The two had become close friends since Rodriguez joined the Yankees, but clearly Jackson’s opinion of him has been colored by the 2009 admission that he used PEDs between 2001-03.

Asked if Jackson’s remarks had changed things, A-Rod answered: “Yeah . . . again what we said is we’re going to keep it private. . . . Anything that comes in the way of us winning games is white noise.”

Jackson is supposed to be in Kansas City for the All-Star Game starting Monday.


STRAIGHT FROM A SOURCE WHO CANNOT BE BIASED!!! THANKS MR. OCTOBER!!!! :thumb:

So Ortiz is in great shape with no sign of break downs and having a great year long after the PED episode, but A-Rod has the telltale steroid break down symptoms and has been underperforming since admitting to using roids. That's proof! Even one of the great Yankee icon Mr. October couldn't hold back from citing THE TRUTH! But Reggie should have realized how fragile Yankee pride is, and how pissy they are about *** on their image.

Geee, I can't wait for the popcorn responses.

In other news, though I like Robinson Cano a lot, he embarrassed himself at the All-Star game Home Run Derby by failing to hit any as the local fans showered him with abuse for not selecting home town favorite Billy Butler.

Cheers,

Merlot

 

[daydreamer41]

***Manny Raimerez
***David Ortiz
***2004 Red Sox Season
***2007 Red Sox Season

*** PED's influenced

 

[lgna69xxx]

Thats sooooooooooooo yesterdays news merlot, but then again, lol..... oh nevermind, WELCOME BACK MERLOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! red sox must of won a game tonight eh :noidea:

Congrats to Prince Fielder on winning the home run derby tonight at the all star festivities in Kansas City. Robbie Cano made a great choice as Captain of the AL Team, as well with his other choice of runner up, Jose' Bautista. Good job Robinson. Now go get some sleep! :thumb:

 

[Jman47]

SHHHH... Reggie, we don't talk about that around here....ask Roger...

This was so worth posting AGAIN (way to go Merlot!):

Reggie Jackson Suspended By The Yankees

Nice to see the New York Yankees have joined the speech police. The Yanks have suspended hall of famer Reggie Jackson for giving his opinion on steroid cheat Alex Rodriguez, other steroid cheats and being blunt.

Jackson who is currently an ‘ambassador” for the ball club told Sports Illustrated that in his opinion Alex Rodriguez and all over steroid cheats stats should be questioned and that all of the roid cheats stats are “clouded”. Another words IMO Reggie was honest and was right on the money.

Mr. October as he was known during his hall of fame career was also critical of the hall of fame inducting in his opinion too many players. He singles out Gary Carter, Kirby Puckett and Bert Blyleven and a few others. However this is not what landed Jackson in hot water with his employer that being the Yankees. Jackson works with the Yanks during spring training and attends a number of games as a sound board and instructor and ambassador. His suspension is for an “indefinite period of time” but as of now Jackson has not been fired-Just muzzled.

My opinion- I find this suspension by the Yanks to be galling. Yes he is an employee but it is amazing how a hall of famer isn’t allowed his opinion of those that smeared the game. Interesting that Jackson was suspended for talking about roid cheats yet the cheats themselves, and the Yanks have had many were not suspended for even 1 day.

In regards to Jackson- I find it disappointing that he “apologized” to Rodriguez right after the comments came out. No need to apologize.

In the interview Jackson said many hall of famers would not attend the induction ceremonies if any known roid cheat were in fact inducted. He didn’t mention any of the greats by name so he may have been speaking assuming they would not attend. I find it shameful that more hall of famers haven’t spoken out harshly about these cheats.

In his comments to SI the man who was the self proclaimed “straw that stirred the drink” of the combative Yankee clubs in the 70′s Reggie claimed that the real home run leader is Hank Aaron and not roid cheat Barry Bonds and that the numbers of the cheats don’t hold up with the fans. I must say Reggie they do when you back off your justified slamming of these low life cheaters. Reggie lastly said that Roger Clemens should get in based on his recent trial and being found innocent. I disagree as Clemens trial was not even about whether he did or didn’t cheat but it was about obstruction of justice and perjury.

Outside of Jackson’s original comments I find this whole thing to be very disturbing. From Reggie apologizing for being honest, to his backing off the comments and now the cherry of all the Yankees putting a muzzle on the hall of famer. A very sad what seems to be conclusion of this recent steroid discussion.

Now why do you suppose the Yankees reacted so strongly to such a benign comment by a former hero and current employee?
Why was he rushed out of Fenway and given a few months off???

Where there's smoke...there's fire!

SHHHH ... Reggie we don't mention those 3 letters around here, ya know PED's...

 

[lgna69xxx]

Simple, it is a distraction and the Yanks are the best team in ALL of baseball at the break and are looking to go after #28 this October and distractions can CLEARLY bring down a team, just look no further than last years red sox debacle, and in case you forgot (haha) just check out the best video EVAH in my signature.

Congrats to the NL on the game tonight, nice to see the 3K Hit Man, Derek Jeter, get yet another all star hit. maybe George Brett learned a thing or two about hitting :lol:

Congrats to MELKY!!!! Hungry, what the heck happened to Verlander tonight... must be saving it for the second half of the season. He is a great pitcher so if he had to have a bad start i guess it's best he had it tonight instead of when the game counts more, even tho this was a important game for the Yanks, Tigers and maybe the Angels considering home field advantage in the World Series come October, oh well, cant win em all.

Now why do you suppose the Yankees reacted so strongly to such a benign comment by a former hero and current employee?

 

[Doc Holliday]

Three things I learned tonight:

1) Melky Cabrera is now playing for the SF Giants and HE'S AN ALLSTAR!!!

2) Tony Larussa appears to have aged by 20 years over the past year!!!!

3) According to the game announcers, David Ortiz has had enough of Boston & the city's beloved Red Sox. CAN'T BLAME HIM!!!!!!!

 

[hungry101]

Hungry, what the heck happened to Verlander tonight... must be saving it for the second half of the season. He is a great pitcher so if he had to have a bad start i guess it's best he had it tonight instead of when the game counts more, even tho this was a important game for the Yanks, Tigers and maybe the Angels considering home field advantage in the World Series come October, oh well, cant win em all.

Boy I don't know. If he were a crappy over rated and lucky closer I could say "it was not a save situation" and all the non-baseball playing fucks out there who drink the koolaid would say "makes sense." I think he didn't have command of his 101 mph fastball and maybe the opposition could sit on a curve. Verlander usually starts out with a 93-94 MPH fastball and doesnt throw the 101 stuff till he hits 90-110 pitches. Baseball is a funny game. A few more feet on the long balls and Weaver would have given up quite a few . Bball is a game of inches.

But how were we going to win with 0 runs?

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/model-363037-upton-vulgar.html?pic=2#

 

[Doc Holliday]

John Henry & Larry Lucchino not returning Terry Francona's phone calls

Gosh, you tellin’ me that there’s more strife in Boston? Crazy! Terry Francona says that Sox owner John Henry and team president Larry Lucchino aren’t returning his calls:

“I don’t talk to them. Again, I’ve tried a few times. There are some things that are personal, things that were said, things that I’ve asked them to do. They’ve never called back. That’s just the way that it is,” Francona said. “That’s personal. There’s been some things that I’ve asked them to do, they’ve promised, and then I’ve never heard back from them. So, that’s just the way that it goes.”

I wonder what he needed to hear back about. What the messages were. Maybe like “Hey, Larry, I really want my favorite beer stein back when you get a chance call me.” Or “John, I just got a dry cleaner’s bill sent to me for a bunch of uniforms. First, you don’t need to have a shirt dry cleaned as Tide will get our chicken grease. Second, send it to Beckett and Lackey, not me. I didn’t even wear jerseys. I wore that blue warm-up thing and it was stainguarded.”

Yeah, that’s hacky. Sorry. I’m hungry and bored.

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2...rent-returning-terry-franconas-calls/related/

 

[Doc Holliday]

Bobby V blames rift on Youkilis

It’s no secret that Kevin Youkilis didn’t get along well with Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine, a conflict that contributed to the third baseman being traded last month to the Chicago White Sox.

But it didn’t have to be that way, Valentine said Sunday.

“I think the comment I made early, he made a big issue about and I don’t think he ever wanted to get over it,” Valentine said, one day before Youkilis is scheduled to return to Fenway Park with his new team.

Entering Sunday’s game, Youkilis was hitting .315 with three home runs and 15 RBIs in 15 games since he was traded to Chicago. Prior to the deal, the nine-year veteran hit .233 with four homers and 14 RBIS in 42 games for the Red Sox.

Asked if his relationship with Youkilis was strained, Valentine said, “No idea. It’s whatever he wanted it to be.”

Valentine’s rift with Youkilis became irreparable in April when he questioned the veteran’s emotional commitment to the team during a television interview. Valentine later apologized to Youkilis for the comment.

Youkilis was a fan favorite in Boston prior to the trade. He was a member of the Red Sox’s two recent World Series title teams in 2004 and 2007.

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Baseball/MLB/2012/07/15/19988406.html

 

[Doc Holliday]

Uncovering the truth regarding Bobby V & Bobby M's relationship

by Rod Bradford

The topic doesn't seem to be going away.

Does Bob McClure, the pitching coach of the Red Sox, get along with the manager of his team, Bobby Valentine?

Prior to the Sox' 3-1 win over the White Sox at Fenway Park Thursday, McClure went a long way toward clarifying the situation.

"I think it's getting better all the time," McClure told WEEI.com. "Like I said before, guys might have blown it a little out of proportion. It's fine. It's like you getting to know somebody. The more you get to know them, the more you understand them, you don't misinterpret things. You know what I'm saying? So, it's good."

The whispers regarding possible tension between Valentine and McClure have circulated for much of the season, especially during a stretch in which it appeared as though the manager was leaning more on his longtime friend -- assistant pitching coach Randy Niemann -- instead of McClure.

But now, thanks to a mandate from Major League Baseball, Niemann is forced to watch games from the clubhouse due to regulations dictating how many in-game coaches a team can have. That has left Valentine with McClure in the dugout, with Gary Tuck (who began the season in the dugout while Niemann worked in the bullpen) in the 'pen.

"There's so many eyes. It's unbelievable, these people. In my opinion, it's been overblown," McClure said. "Was there anything as far as us not seeing eye to eye? Oh yeah, sure. But is it anything that can't be worked out? Of course, anything can be worked out. We're both trying all the time. To me, it's more just getting to know each other. The needs are from a pitching coach to what a manager needs."

McClure, who worked as a pitching coach in both the Rockies and Royals organizations, admits he has never experienced such a dynamic as the one he has gone through with Valentine. But he also pointed out that doesn't mean the system (and relationship) can't result in positive results.

"I've always thought it could work," he said. "I'll take the blame for that because I get hard-headed about certain things. Sometimes that's a good thing and sometimes that's a bad thing. Sometimes pitching-wise, being hard-headed helped me, and sometimes it hurt me. It just happens sometimes. As far as the animosity, that hasn't been the case. Miscommunication, possibly on my part, sure. Me getting pissed off and not want to say anything? Maybe. Like I said, he's the manager, so I need to go out of my way in order to find out if he needs something because he is the manager. It's my responsibility to the Red Sox, to the players, to the pitchers and to the manager to do my job, and that's part of my job. I'll just continue to do better."

The 60-year-old, who was hired by the Red Sox after Valentine took over as manager, said he hasn't had a specific meeting with the team's skipper to address any conflicts, but a better understanding of what needs to be done has evolved from McClure's point of view.

"It's like this: He's the manager, I'm just the pitching coach. If he wants something done then I'll do it," he said. "Now, sometimes maybe it's me misinterpreting the message. I would put that on me if there has been anything goofy about something not being right. I would take full responsibility. To me, there is never any animosity. It's just getting to know each other. It's like anything, it doesn't just happen overnight sometimes. He's the manager, I'm the pitching coach and there's an order to this. We both have ideas and I know I get kind of strong-headed about things. I'm not saying I'm always right. I could have been rubbing it the wrong way.

"But I think it's more of just getting to know somebody. I think more than anything, it's more understanding what he wants, what he needs, how he wants it done and just going from there. Because all that matters is winning the fricking game, as far as I'm concerned. I hate losing more than I like winning. I heard that in a movie or something, I heard it somewhere, but it's true. Just win."

http://www.weei.com/sports/boston/b...uncovering-truth-regarding-relationship-betwe

 

[Doc Holliday]

Jays pull-off 10-player trade with Astros

Team acquires 3 pitchers from Astros

The Blue Jays have made a 10-player trade with the Houston Astros, the team announced Friday.

Toronto gets RHP Brandon Lyon, LHP J.A. Happ and RHP David Carpenter from Houston, while the Jays send RHP Francisco Cordero and OF Ben Francisco, four minor league players, RHP Joe Musgrove, RHP Asher Wojciechowski, LHP David Rollins and C Carlos Perez, and a player to be named later to the Astros.

For Houston this season, Lyon was 0-2 with a 3.25 ERA in 37 relief appearances, Happ was 7-9 with a 4.83 ERA in 18 starts and Carpenter, who is currently with Triple A Oklahoma City, was 0-2 in 30 relief appearances for the Astros with a 6.07 ERA.

Cordero's 329 career saves rank second among active players to Mariano Rivera. In 794 career appearances, all in relief, he has a 3.28 career ERA and has reached 40 or more saves three times in his career.

Prior to the trade, he was 3-5 with two saves in 41 appearances for Toronto this season.

Francisco, 30, has a .259 career average with 45 home runs in 483 career Major League games with the Indians, Phillies and Blue Jays. He was hitting .244 (11x45) in 23 games for Toronto in 2012.

Both Cordero and Francisco were in their first seasons in Toronto.

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Baseball/MLB/Toronto/2012/07/20/20008541.html

(When Happ was with the Phillies, he was the pitcher that the Jays wanted back in the Roy Halladay trade, but Philly refused to let him go, instead agreeing to send Kyle Drabek to the Jays; Happ was part of the all-rookie team just a few years ago.)