The Official MERB 2010 Baseball Thread.

[lgna69xxx]

Ya know Beav, health is the #1 thing , and i have to say that this team overall, looks even better than last years World Series team, especially the Starting Pitching, with the addition of Javy, and Hughes as 4th and 5th starters respectfully. the bullpen looks to be strong again, and they still have the best Offense in the game. Health would be their only downfall to failure to repeat.

I was thinking the same thing. He has unbelievable pure hitting talent, and the only thing separating him from MVP type-greatness is his impatience. He is now hitting #5 and this should be his first 100 RBI season if he makes the strides expected of him.

I liked Granderson's HR last night but against the Red Sox lefties he was making outs that were a bit too easy. He looks like he has the tools to improve against lefthanders and I hope that he does. He seems to have a great attitude and is a winning type ballplayer which are also reasons why the Yankees sought him.

 

[Joe.t]

Granderson has a sweet swing, much like Damons in his ability to pull those line drive homeruns as well as hit some monster shots also, and in the new Yankee Stadium, if he stays healthy, i could see 30-40 hr's from him.

Look for Cano to have a MVP type season, this kid has gotten better and better each season and has matured into a big time baseball player, i look for a huge year from Robbie "dont ya know" Cano

I love Robbie Cano but his laziness when he runs drives me crazy, he will get away with it because he is so damn good, Jeter needs to get into his head.

Is it me or does Paplebon look finished, he let the Red Sox down in the playoffs last year and this year he has struggled including in spring training, I expect Bard to take over from the closer position if Paplebon doesn't get his act together real soon, I'm just thankful that he's not a Yankee.

 

[Joe.t]

Gotta love that Pecota system, Yoo hoo rumples you there?

 

[Joe.t]

Interesting Boston Herald article on the David Ortiz disaster.

http://news.bostonherald.com/sports...ry_francona_stands_by_his_struggling_slugger/

 

[Merlot]

David Ortiz Dilemma.

Hello all,

I love David Ortiz, but I am pretty disappointed in how he is handling questions from the media about his performance. For years the media has been pretty easy on him because of his standing in Boston, with Boston fans, and because he deserves some slack after his heroic accomplishments, and just because everyone needs time. it isn't possible to see how things will turn out after three games. I am not sure what the press has asked him specifically, but I've seen nothing indicating they have gotten harsh with him. So it's disappointing to hear he has not been able to control his emotions when facing the media. For a guy who has had it easy with the media for so long, even during the possible steroids connection, one would think he could handle the media just doing their job.

I agree with Francona staying with Ortiz in the lineup. As I said, three games can't tell anyone very much. But I disagree with keeping him in for every at bat. Sure, start him, see if he can come through in scoring situations in the middle of the game. But when the game is on the line and he is facing pitchers he has the worst percentage against, you go with a hitter who has a better chance. Even David Ortiz should understand the need to use good strategy at the critical moment. Any player who takes offense at that is not a team player. And if Francona or any manager thinks he has the right player at the plate, then I am for it. But no manager should keep at batter in there to make a point, to prove some sort of loyalty, or any reason that doesn't give the team the best chance to win.

Last night it was clear that the worries about Lackey pitching at Fenway might not be warranted. Of course it's too early to tell here too, but he did out pitch Andy Pettitte (still a very strong pitcher) for 6 innings. How the game turned out sure wasn't Lackey's fault. He did a great job last night; if only Pettitte hadn't also been so good.

Cheers,

Merlot

 

[Joe.t]

I agree with Francona staying with Ortiz in the lineup.
Merlot

I also agree with Francoma staying with Ortiz in the lineup and I'm sure the Yankees agree also.

Cheers.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Ortiz hasn't been the same since the steroid crackdown. That's a fact. He's done!

 

[Doc Holliday]

Umpire blasts Red Sox & Yankees for slow play

If you're struggling to stifle yawns and stay focused the morning after watching the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox play another 4-hour marathon, umpire Joe West feels your pain.

Before Wednesday night's game, West called the AL East rivals "embarrassing" and "a disgrace to baseball" for slowing the pace of their games to a crawl, according to the Bergen (N.J.) Record.

The teams' season opener on Sunday took 3:46 to play. Tuesday night's game went 3:48, while Wednesday night's contest, which went 10 innings, was finished in a relatively brisk 3:21.

"They're the two clubs that don't try to pick up the pace," said West, the chief of the umpiring crew working the three-game series, according to the report. "They're two of the best teams in baseball. Why are they playing the slowest?

"It's pathetic and embarrassing. They take too long to play," he said, according to the report.

During Tuesday night's game, home plate umpire Angel Hernandez denied a number of requested timeouts in the batter's box.

West did not allow Hernandez to comment, according to the report.

"All of baseball looks to these two clubs to pick up the pace," West said, according to the report. "[Hernandez] did everything he could. The players aren't working with us."

Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, asked Thursday by the New York Post about West's comments, said: "It's incredible. If he has places to go, let him do something else. What does he want us to do, swing at balls?"

When reached Thursday by ESPNBoston.com for the Red Sox's response to West's comments, general manager Theo Epstein's response was brief: "No comment."

The occasionally slow pace of the game has gotten baseball's attention before. After Game 4 of last year's World Series, in which Yankees catcher Jorge Posada walked to the mound to visit CC Sabathia eight times in a single inning, MLB vice president of umpiring Mike Port said frequent mound meetings by all teams would likely be discussed during the offseason.

During spring training, Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon told WEEI.com: "Have you ever gone to watch a movie and thought, 'Man, this movie is so good I wish it would have never ended.' That's like a Red Sox-Yankees game. Why would you want it to end?"

He added: "If you don't want to be there, don't be there. Go home. Why are you complaining. I'm not going to sit somewhere I don't want to be. If you go to a movie or any entertainment event and you like it, you're going to stay and watch and you're not going to want it to end. If you don't, then you won't. Why is it such a big deal?"

Baseball has tried speed-up rules and guidelines in recent years, with varying results. Papelbon was fined a few times last season for taking too long to pitch, and on one occasion had a ball called on him for that reason. And hitters have been encouraged to stay in the batter's box.

One trip to the mound is allowed per inning -- by a manager or coach -- before a pitcher must be pulled. There is no limit, however, on players-only meetings.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=5066650

 

[Special K]

How many calls did this officiating crew lead by Joe West fuck up during that Sox / Yanks series. It was pathetic absolutely pathetic. I can name 3 large fuckups off the top of my head, btw, they all went in the Yankees favor of course.

 

[Doc Holliday]

How many calls did this officiating crew lead by Joe West fuck up during that Sox / Yanks series. It was pathetic absolutely pathetic. I can name 3 large fuckups off the top of my head, btw, they all went in the Yankees favor of course.

Maybe, but it's not surprising considering how long the games went. The umpires probably fell asleep a few times during the game & lost their concentration. Baseball games aren't supposed to always last nearly 4 hours....that's hurting the Game.

 

[Joe.t]

How many calls did this officiating crew lead by Joe West fuck up during that Sox / Yanks series. It was pathetic absolutely pathetic. I can name 3 large fuckups off the top of my head, btw, they all went in the Yankees favor of course.

I saw no fuck up calls and I'm usually on top of those things, last year was another story as the Yankees were the beneficiary of a lot of fuck up calls in their favor.

 

[lgna69xxx]

lol, of course they did.........................................

I can name 3 large fuckups off the top of my head, btw, they all went in the Yankees favor of course.

 

[EagerBeaver]

I kind of agree with Papelbon's comments on this one. Of course Papelbon has been fined for slow play so he has in interest in making such comments as he does not want to be singled out as a culprit, as he was last year when he ignored warnings to move his shit along.

I don't mind the length of the games, unless I have to go somewhere.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Hammering Hank: Modern Players Too Obsessed With Homers

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=5068451

 

[Doc Holliday]

I don't mind the length of the games, unless I have to go somewhere.

Some of the best chess matches i've watched were between 'Bobby Fisher & Boris Spassky' in the 70's, and later the matches between 'Garry Kasparov & Anatoly Karpov' a few years later. Great, historical matches they were!! My friends thought i was nuts at the time watching chess matches, analyzing each of their moves, etc. But for me, it was a historical strategic battle between two of chess' greats.

I suppose that if i'd be a Red Sox or NY Yankees fan, i'd be saying the same thing as you guys. I wouldn't mind the length of the games.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Cuban shortstop ready to join Blue Jays after obtaining U.S. visa

ARLINGTON, TEXAS – Blue Jays prospect Adeiny Hechavarria has secured a U.S. visa and will report to the Blue Jays’ Florida training complex by week’s end, his agent says.

Bart Hernandez, who represents Hechavarria and several other Cuban defectors, says the highly-touted shortstop is still in Cancun, Mexico but will soon depart for Dunedin, where he will undergo a physical exam before officially joining the Jays.

Hechavarria agreed to a four-year, $10 million (U.S.) contract with the Jays in mid-March but the team still hasn’t officially announced his signing, remaining silent while the former star of Cuba’s junior national team waited for his visa.

The 21-year-old is considered one of the top pro prospects among more than 20 players who defected from Cuba last year but figures to start his Blue Jays career in the minor leagues.

Obtaining a visa is the last of several bureaucratic hurdles Cuban defectors must clear before they can play in the majors, and sometimes the process moves slowly.

The week before Hechavarria’s deal, fellow Cuban defector and Cancun resident Leslie Anderson signed a four-year contract with the Tampa Bay Rays but is awaiting his visa and still hasn’t joined the club.

So while fans and media wondered exactly what happened to Hechavarria in the weeks since he agreed to join the Jays, Hernandez says the wait for a visa was relatively stress-free.

“It’s not a delay. It’s just a normal process,” he said. “It normally takes about two weeks and that’s just how long it’s been taking.”

When Hechavarria left the island in 2009 he was Cuba’s top young shortstop, a prospect on par with Red Sox shortstop-of-the-future Jose Iglesias, who had defected a year earlier.

He batted just .247 over his two seasons with Santiago of Cuba’s National Series, but has impressed big league scouts with his glove, his vast range and his physique. At 6-foot-1 and 170 pounds, and with room to fill out, Hechavarria has drawn comparisons to Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano.

When the U.S. Treasury Department “unblocked” Hechavarria earlier this year, freeing him to sign with any major league team, most observers expected him to join the New York Yankees, the team best equipped to win a bidding war.

But when the Yankees began discussing a contract extension with shortstop Derek Jeter, Hechavarria reportedly lost interest in the club, allowing the Blue Jays to scoop him with a four-year, $10 million offer.

Along with confirming Hechavarria’s visa status, Hernandez also confirmed the spelling (commonly misspelled as “Adeinis” or “Adeinys”) and the pronunciation (ah-THEY-nee eh-CHA-ba-ree-ah) of his client’s name.

http://www.thestar.com/sports/baseb...dy-to-join-blue-jays-after-obtaining-u-s-visa

 

[rumpleforeskiin]

I suppose that if i'd be a Red Sox or NY Yankees fan, i'd be saying the same thing as you guys. I wouldn't mind the length of the games.

I dunno, Doc. I'm not a late night guy. I'm usually asleep by the time Sox Yanks games are over, especially when they don't start until after 8.

 

[Doc Holliday]

I dunno, Doc. I'm not a late night guy. I'm usually asleep by the time Sox Yanks games are over, especially when they don't start until after 8.

I get ya. Which is why i now usually tune in to a baseball game somewhere after the 5th or 6th inning. For me & many baseball fans in the universe, the lenght of baseball games has caused us to look at them as many now look at NBA games. Many don't bother tuning in to an NBA until the 4th quarter. Kind of sad, but the truth is that it's their own fault. They should have done something drastic to speed up the game years ago. As for baseball, which is starting to fall into the same category as NBA basketball, its a killer for the back (and the whole lower body in general) to go to a live game & be expected to sit in a cramped & uncomfortable seat for three hours or more. It's torturous!

 

[Jman47]

Interesting Boston Herald article on the David Ortiz disaster.

http://news.bostonherald.com/sports...ry_francona_stands_by_his_struggling_slugger/

PAPI Says...

"You guys wait till [expletive] happens, then you can talk [expletive]. Two [expletive] games, and already you [expletives] are going crazy. What's up with that, man? [Expletive]. [Expletive] 160 games left. That's a [expletive]. One of you [expletives] got to go ahead and hit for me." -- David Ortiz, miles from being Big Papi

My personal opinion - Tito needs to step up and be a leader. Talk to David, give Lowell some AB's and take some pressure off Ortiz. He started last year the same way. And then post All Star was on fire. All this talk about 'roids is bullshit. Baseball is 90% mental...Ortiz has something in his head.

And before you Yankees fans jump in - is anyone asking Giraridi to bench Texiera? Look at the numbers.

Have fun,

Jman

 

[Doc Holliday]

All this talk about 'roids is bullshit. Baseball is 90% mental...Ortiz has something in his head.

I dunno. From an unbiased observer's POV, Ortiz reminds me of Pudge Rodriguez. Physically-speaking, he's a shell of his ol' self. I may be wrong, but i don't think so. Unless my eyes are failing me.....