Well... What Do We Know? 7 Observations on an Off Day
by jeffro on May 6, 2010 8:37 AM PDT
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It's May 6th. When the day ends, the A's will be, at worst, tied for first. Or, they could be all alone in first if Kansas City somehow wins. Off days are always a good opportunity to take stock... So what do we know right know? Not much that surprises us...
1. Surprise, Surprise... The AL West Sucks
I don't think anybody thought the AL West would be a paragon of virtue. Virtue being defined as balance in the pitch, hit, field triumvirate of baseball tradition. My impression is that each team does something really well. But they also do everything else mediocre at best/putrid at worst. The list of "don'ts" is a bit longer than the list of "but on the other hands."
The Rangers don't seem to have the pitching, or the defense. But on the other hand they should score some runs.The Angels haven't done anything well really. But on the other hand, they have some sluggers in Kendry Morales and Hideki Matsui. The Mariners don't have the offense, but Cliff Lee is back and that makes for one heck of a 1-2 in their rotation. The A's don't either, but they have the most runs scored in the division as of this typing, their pitching has been good (though the strain of patching it together is showing) and the defense has the potential to be tremendous. Nothing remarkable about any team in the division.
Okay, so the linked table doesn't exactly support the heading's claim. The A's aren't world beaters according to UZR (SSS) this season. So what?
Daric Barton is quite the first basemen. I am thinking he may be a newer version of JT Snow (at Snow's 2004ish best).Good with the glove and very solid, if not spectacular, with the bat. Ryan Sweeney, Raj Davis and (insert name here)... Jokey Smurf? The Blob? Emil Brown? That's right, I said Ryan Sweeney, Raj Davis and Emil Brown would be a good outfield. Get Coco Crisp out there and this outfield will be like the Jay Payton, Mark Kotsay and Milton Bradley gauntlet of death for fly balls that roamed the green (and sometimes brown late in the season) patch in 2006. I loved watching those three together and I can't wait to see these three together.
Kouzamanoff has been fun to watch. Pennington is better than I thought. Rosales is even good. The one negative defensively in the past week has been Josh Donaldson, it is obvious the guy is still learning how to be a catcher. That said, he will be back in Sacramento once Kurt Suzuki is healthy.
It is hard to put into words how crappy the A's offense has been. The team leads the division in Runs, but that is inflated by 4 games in which they scored 9 or more runs. The real story is the 14 games with 3 or less runs scored. I think I'd like Cust back right about now. Cust after Pennington, Barton and Sweeney will result in 3 run innings, let alone 3 run games, every now and then.
We shouldn't advocate for Carter and Taylor just yet, should we? Perhaps if the A's are still in this thing in July they get a boost from Carter or Taylor or both. Or perhaps the A's let the two future studs do their thing in Sacramento for an entire season. Either way, right?
Some other stuff that doesn't require elaboration:
5. It'd be Nice to Know Where Future Games Will be Played
6. HOT DANG WE (the fans actually have reason to believe we...) ARE IN THIS!
One last thing that does require elaboration:
7. Convergence is Here...
Two Sundays ago I was on this web based TV Show, last week Jim McClennan of AZ Snakepit was the guest, and this week (must see tv for me) RevHaloFan is on the show. This weekend I will be on a radio show (details coming soon), Baseballgirl has been on a show or two.
I can't help but feel like this whole community was the start of something great. A DIY sports page, for lack of a better term, is to the modern world what Acta Diurna was to Ancient Rome (only less Government sponsored).Okay, that is hyperbole of the worst kind. AN is nothing like an ancient Roman government penned gazette. But many credit Acta DIurna as the first "newspaper." I remember the fledgling days of AN, back in 04 when I walked to school in the snow barefoot and what not. And look what AN hath wrought...
Now we have homemade TV Shows and Radio Programs for us to be guests on... Is this, combined with youtube and the like, the start of a significant disruption in the traditional media business? Maybe, probably not anytime soon.
But if so, we have all been part of something bleeding edge. How cool is that thought?
Yep, optimism abounds.
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I think the A's are gonna be in the thick of the race all season long.
Before the season, I predicted 87 wins and a tie for the division title with Seattle.
Now, I just don’t see Seattle being over .500 at all, even with their pitching.
"We support your economy. We make your food and tend your fields. All we want are the same rights and responsiblities as you. Please... Vote YES on Proposition 801- Equal rights for sock puppets!"
depends if MB gets it together or not
with More offense, Seattle will do alright.
Oh, Griffey will need an upgrade too?
Woops
I looked at that first link, and wow, Seattle offense is bad, bad, bad.
Last night, I felt so bad for Cliff Lee in the eighth, and also for all the M's fans.
It was a kinda funny feeling, you know? Cliff got burnt, and there was really no reason for the Rays to win that game. I thought he shoulda been yanked, then the error on the DP attempt, and all of a sudden, 2-2 goes to 5-2, game over.
I don’t expect to feel sympathy for M’s fans, based on divisional relations, but this was a bit much. (And I also want the Rays to get used to losing!)
A Ballade [for the Angels Fan], by Eustache Deschamps: "We are cowardly, ill-formed and weak / Aged, envious and evil-spoken. / I see only fools and sots / Truly the end is nigh / All goes ill."
Cliff Lee is on the mariners
because he wants to get paid next year. He will get paid and he deserves it. I can’t feel sorry for him.
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - danmerqury
Oh. I was insufficiently cynical.
A Ballade [for the Angels Fan], by Eustache Deschamps: "We are cowardly, ill-formed and weak / Aged, envious and evil-spoken. / I see only fools and sots / Truly the end is nigh / All goes ill."
There's nothing wrong with feeling sympathy for the Mariners.
though it is a bit egocentric. They’re essentially the same team as us, right down to their zombie DH.
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 12:11 PM PDT up reply actions
Yes, sir.
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 12:27 PM PDT up reply actions
hahaha.
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
{Er-hm} Been a while since my 41-year-old ass was referred to as "boy."
A Ballade [for the Angels Fan], by Eustache Deschamps: "We are cowardly, ill-formed and weak / Aged, envious and evil-spoken. / I see only fools and sots / Truly the end is nigh / All goes ill."
No one is out of it.
The Mariners are going through a bad slump right now, and even so they’re still only four games out of first place. This is a tight division and will probably remain so for another four months.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
Yeah every single player in their lineup is underperforming with the exception of Gutierrez.
They should be among the worst teams in the league but thanks to an overperforming pitching staff (damn you Doug Fister and Jason Vargas) they’re still close, and they can only get better.
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
I didn't say Seattle was out of the race... I just said that I thought they'd finish below .500,
which STILL might be good enough to win THIS division!
79-83 division champion, anyone?
"We support your economy. We make your food and tend your fields. All we want are the same rights and responsiblities as you. Please... Vote YES on Proposition 801- Equal rights for sock puppets!"
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 6, 2010 3:45 PM PDT up reply actions
And then they the 79-83 division champion A’s beat the Rays, Yankees, and Phillies.
"We support your economy. We make your food and tend your fields. All we want are the same rights and responsiblities as you. Please... Vote YES on Proposition 801- Equal rights for sock puppets!"
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 7, 2010 8:11 AM PDT up reply actions
Nope
not going to happen – but will be close.
I agree we have something special in Barton
In one of the season previews I called him a, “JT Snow with less pop”. He has impressed me to no end on D and his new bionic eyes have him walking at a Bonds like pace, (not quite). He is 7th in the MLB in OPS with .430 and his 23 BB’s have him third, (one walk behind) the two guys who are tied for first. Now if we only had someone hitting behind him to make pitchers pay for walking him.
It was particularly funny to hear Bailey asking the director, "You want me to say ‘nipple clipper’ as a question?" Susan Slusser via The Drumbeat 03/20/2010
Disagree.
Something “special”? No. We have a 1Bman with no HR power. That’s not special. JT Snow had no pop either, he was a good glove/decent hitter. JT Snow with less pop? Faint praise right there.
by HCF from Oakball on May 6, 2010 9:28 AM PDT up reply actions
pop or no pop
Getting on base and not making outs is very valuable. I mean, sure, ideally he’d be Albert Pujols, but realistically, he’s still good.
I bleed green and gold!!! (my doctor is worried)
I'm glad to see...
…that’s he’s had a good first month. Note “good”, rather than “special”…unless you mean the old “Blue Light” kind of special.
I’d venture a guess that April 2010 has been his best month as a MLB hitter. I’m just not ready to put him in the hall of fame quite yet.
by HCF from Oakball on May 6, 2010 9:40 AM PDT up reply actions
So Special=HoF?
I think he is a special talent. Definitely not a likely HoF guy. He has looked very good this year to me. Playing excellent defense, hitting the ball hard (if not far) and taking pitches he should take.
I’d venture a guess that April 2010 has been his best month as a MLB hitter.
Nope.
Career OPS of .957 in September
AN: Where you will be an A's fan or Dallas Braden will show you the repercussions of your actions.
by stranahanahan on May 6, 2010 10:15 AM PDT up reply actions
An OBP-heavy .857 OPS is really good. Is he Albert Pujols? Of course not. But he's a damn good player.
www.zekeishungry.com
by thejd44 on May 6, 2010 9:34 AM PDT up reply actions
Daric Barton may not be Pujols
But this year, you could be forgiven if you mistook him for John Olerud.
Doubles power, high OBP, improving defense. And John Olerud was a pretty special player (7 seasons above five WAR anyone?).
Olerud? Snow?.
Damn. These guys are just above stiffs. If thats who Barton turns out to be get rid of his ass now and bring up Carter. At least he has a chance to be a player.
Great teams have great players. Impact players. Impact players at first base hit bombs.
by HCF from Oakball on May 6, 2010 9:48 AM PDT up reply actions
OK...maybe that was harsh...
…How about “simply above average”?
by HCF from Oakball on May 6, 2010 9:52 AM PDT up reply actions
Did you just start watching baseball HCF?
You clearly missed 2007. And the Olerud thing? The guy had a lifetime .398OBP and .863OPS! He hit .363 one year and won 3 gold gloves, come on.
Stiffs?
I’d consider John Olerud a borderline HOFer.
You do know that Olerud played first base
For two World Series winning teams and a 116-win regular season team?
Holy crap. Huh?
Yeah, wow. John Olerud is like Kevin Youkilis+ as a hitter. That’s not “just above a stiff”.
The selfish, they're all standing in line, faithing and hoping to buy themselves time.
Me, I figure as each breath goes by, I only own my mind.
That fielding helmet throws everyone off
"Their batters are patient to the point that it's annoying." -Ryan Franklin
by Helloooo 1st on May 6, 2010 11:54 AM PDT up reply actions
Rickey played with a guy like that in New York
(yes I know its not tue)
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - danmerqury
It's lack of factual basis
really only decreases it’s humor value slightly.
by el generico on May 6, 2010 3:39 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Out of curiosity...
…and I honestly don’t know – what is Barton’s batting average/OB %/OPS over the past two weeks? I get the impression that he’s cooling off…or as the Statheads may say regressing to the mean. (Did I get that term right?)
by HCF from Oakball on May 6, 2010 9:43 AM PDT up reply actions
If you look at his stat page on Yahoo...
It was in the April 25 11-0 crushing of Cleveland where he broke his finger. I’d say for the next week or so, he was in a little slump (of course, hurting his finger probably caused this), but in the last couple of games, he’s heated back up.
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7635
I bleed green and gold!!! (my doctor is worried)
During the slump, he still hit a bunch of line drives, too, but always right at someone.
After the injury (even slightly before it), his BB rate has dropped a bit and his K rate has increased. I think that pitchers are throwing more strikes at him, but that is just based on listening to the radio and not any sabre evaluation.
A Ballade [for the Angels Fan], by Eustache Deschamps: "We are cowardly, ill-formed and weak / Aged, envious and evil-spoken. / I see only fools and sots / Truly the end is nigh / All goes ill."
Barton
It’s a hell of a progression from the hype of the last 2 seasons. He could have went the Dan Johnson way. Instead his steady consisten play has helped us win games and be at the top of the division a month into the season.
Even with out the pop, which might still come, which A’s fan isn’t extremely impressed with his development this year.
by TheGreenGoldCrush on May 6, 2010 9:52 AM PDT up reply actions
Right on
Big improvement.
Winning is winning. We don’t have any pop period. I’ll take the OBP any day. Where would we be w/o Barton, Chavy at 1st, and Cust DHing? Not to bash Cust, but, seriously?
Power will likely always be hard to come by for now on in Oakland because:
a) The Coliseum is a difficult place to hit the vast majority of the time.
b) Players aren’t on steroids anymore, making power in general much more scarce in today’s game.
Therefore, ya, it might be wise for the A’s to concentrate resources on OBP and speed.
I'm never gonna do it without the fez on!
Selig's really got you good, huh?
Let me ask you (and other people who make similar comments re: steroids) which of the following scenarios is more likely:
1. Following the Mitchell report, the overwhelming majority of drug-using MLB players independently and near-universally decide to quit using steroids (notwithstanding the fact that, as evidenced in other sports, drug testing is nowhere near potent enough to catch most cheaters).
2. Following the Mitchell report, MLB decides to make slight changes to the composition of the baseball (something which has been done dozens of times through MLB history, and has never been made public knowledge) which reduce its ability to carry for home runs.
The “official explanation” is so preposterous, and the alternative explanation so easy to envision, that frankly I’m amazed that so many people have been gullible enough to buy into it.
This isn’t some second-shooter conspiracy nonsense. We know MLB changes the baseball from time to time. We know power declined pretty much across the board before the 2008 season. We know many athletes are perfectly willing to become drug-using cheaters. To the extent that either of these scenarios requires a half-baked under-the-table conspiracy, it’s the first one.
Arthur Dent: You know, it's at times like this, when I'm trapped in a Vogon airlock with a man from Betelgeuse and about to die of asphyxiation in deep space, that I really wish I'd listened to what my mother told me when I was young.
Ford Prefect: Why, what did she tell you?
Arthur Dent: I don't know, I didn't listen!
by PaulThomas on May 6, 2010 1:39 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
+1
I would be shocked if baseball players aren’t using right now. And isn’t it public knowledge that they changed the baseball? I thought they had announced that. In any case, even if players had decided to stop using, Selig would have changed the ball. Less HRs lead people to believe less steroids. I’m pretty sure Selig changed the ball in the 90s too to lead to more HRs.
"Loyal? I'm the most loyal player money can buy." - Don Sutton
I agree...Power is a thing of the past
the 70+ homerun seasons are likely gone….left in the syringe. BUT, that doesn’t make HomeRuns any less important now. In fact, I am much more impressed by homeruns now than when it was obvious that the juice was flowing. I’ll take OBP and clean players any day. Who needs a bunch of hyped up juice freaks hitting the ball 1000 ft? It’s not part of the game. I always thought that Macguire/Sosa thing was overhyped and now that we know that both of them were roided up it makes that time in baseball seem dirty…
Another year, another chance to hope for the team !!
Good stuff, jeffro.
It looks to me like the winner of this division will be the team that stays healthiest and adds a key piece or two in June or July (whether by trade or call-up).
But here’s what’s not good stuff: banner ads with audio. Just had to register my displeasure…
The artist formerly known as HigherPie.
Today's FP is sponsored by AdBlock Plus
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
I haven't seen any on this site yet
And I’m not using any adblockers. Is it gone already?
"It looks to me like the winner of this division will be the team that stays healthiest."
Crap.
The selfish, they're all standing in line, faithing and hoping to buy themselves time.
Me, I figure as each breath goes by, I only own my mind.
by danmerqury on May 6, 2010 11:12 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
+1
For once, Billy actually realized his team is snake-bitten and cursed, so he stocked up on depth. I guess that’s why the injuries haven’t bothered me as much this year. Still sucks that we have more guys on the DL than on the diamond, but look at it this way: two mainstays of the rotation last year (Cahill and Mazzaro) only started this year when two other starters were hurt. That’s encouraging to me.
A FIne Assessment
I think—and thought—that the A’s would be in the thick of things in this division.
But I was wrong about a couple things. First, I based that optimism on what obviously turned out to be a wildly over optimistic assumption that we might have fewer injuries this year. That we’ve had all these injuries and are still in it is a surprise.
But that surprise also reflects the other thing I was wrong about: this division is even worse than I had expected it to be. Pretty much across the board. I thought the Mariners were overhyped…but not this overhyped (it really is Felix and Lee and pray for rain-plus-retractable-dome-malfunction). The Angels have fallen more than I expected. And the Rangers….well, they’re the Rangers, so not much to be surprised about, really.
There is no "i" in Teamocil. At least not where you'd think.
by GreenNGoldSooner on May 6, 2010 9:28 AM PDT reply actions
Doug Fister has been a great #3 too
But that Seattle offense…it’s worse than ours. And that’s really saying something.
I'm starting to think Fister is for real.
Over his five starts this year, he has pitched an average of seven innings and given up an average of one run. Sure, some of that is SSS/luck and some of that is good defense behind him, but even so … after a while you have to think maybe it’s not all luck and the kid is actually pretty good.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
.218 BABIP and 82.8% LOB rate make me think it is luck and he's not that good
His ZiPS Rest of Season ERA is over 5.
Arthur Dent: You know, it's at times like this, when I'm trapped in a Vogon airlock with a man from Betelgeuse and about to die of asphyxiation in deep space, that I really wish I'd listened to what my mother told me when I was young.
Ford Prefect: Why, what did she tell you?
Arthur Dent: I don't know, I didn't listen!
Hmmm. Let's hope so.
Still, that’s some mighty impressive pixie dust he’s been showing for the past month. I think he’s the best ERA in the league now, right?
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
Plus the whole not giving up a homer even though he had a 14.1% HR/FB rate last year helps too.
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
Plus, he's the one baseball player my sweetie remembers!
I thought she remembered Albert Pujols, but even with the aid of the joke “Where does people’s poop come out of?” she couldn’t remember.
However, when I asked her in exasperation, “Well what baseball player DO you remember?” her reply was ( cue Iglew facepalm now)
“Fister! I hardly knew her! I remember THAT guy!”
"We support your economy. We make your food and tend your fields. All we want are the same rights and responsiblities as you. Please... Vote YES on Proposition 801- Equal rights for sock puppets!"
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 6, 2010 3:49 PM PDT up reply actions
um, GnGS?
This:
(it really is Felix and Lee and pray for rain-plus-retractable-dome-malfunction)
really blows the rhyming structure.
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 12:17 PM PDT up reply actions
Acta Diurna
I learned something new today. Thanks, jeffro!
I bleed green and gold!!! (my doctor is worried)
This is a good post, but calling Jay Payton a good defensive player made me throw up a little bit
Payton stole money in 2006. He wasn’t even a win above replacement, and he was decidedly not good with the glove.
www.zekeishungry.com
by thejd44 on May 6, 2010 9:31 AM PDT reply actions
i also enjoyed jay payton's time with the A's
BK: This guy is on fire, he is really smokin'.
KenKo: Oh yeah, Bill? What's he smokin'?
me too.
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 12:17 PM PDT up reply actions
same here
What you fail to understand in your joyless myopia is that baseball is the key to life-- the Rosetta Stone, if you will. If you just understood baseball better all your other questions your, your... the, uh... the aliens, the conspiracies they would all, in their way be answered by the baseball gods.
"The numbers" say Payton was a good defender, who (maybe) had a down year in 2006, so don't worry...
With stout hearts, and with enthusiasm for the contest, let us go forward to victory. ----Hero Defector Montgomery
He was also 4+ wins above average in WPA, so he definitely helped the team overall in 2006
With stout hearts, and with enthusiasm for the contest, let us go forward to victory. ----Hero Defector Montgomery
I'm sorry, but I'm more likely to watch dragonflies reproduce in my backyard before I'll watch anything with Rev Halofan
BEER IS GOOD. BEER IS GOOD. BEER IS GOOD, AND STUFF.
Dragonflies are pretty interesting when, you know, uh.. doing... well, it.
I am a fan of the absurd. Thus, RHF is a guilty pleasure.
A little birdie (well, okay, a midget named sal)
told me that the REV had a COMPLETE meltdown after the Angels lost their sixth straight yesterday.
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 12:19 PM PDT up reply actions
Good to know that
I refuse to go to Halos Hell just on general principles, although I’ve been wondering how the Rev and his minions are handling being in LAST PLACE.
BEER IS GOOD. BEER IS GOOD. BEER IS GOOD, AND STUFF.
I don't know the Rev
but i don’t feel bad for him at all.
by TheGreenGoldCrush on May 6, 2010 1:01 PM PDT up reply actions
Everyone should have to have a complete meltdown over the baseball team they love sometimes.
(See: Athletics Nation, 2007-2009 seasons, and probably again in about three weeks).
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
No one melts down like REV.
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 3:26 PM PDT up reply actions
I suspect I would enjoy a Rev meltdown, but like the good doctor, will not visit HH on principle.
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
It's true.
HH explodes in hellfire. It’s great.
The selfish, they're all standing in line, faithing and hoping to buy themselves time.
Me, I figure as each breath goes by, I only own my mind.
The Rangers aren't actually all that bad pitching-wise
Starters’ FIP is 4.23, and team FIP is 4.44 (middle of the pack for the AL). If anything, it’s their bullpen and their offense’s .305 wOBA dragging them down.
"Do I talk to myself? No, I just remind myself of what I'm trying to do. You know, I never answer myself so how can I be talking to myself?" - Rickey
Athletics Nation - WE'RE ALL GONNA MRIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!! - danmerqury
I think of it like this
That FIP won’t last and neither will the wOBA. But, I am not really a fortune teller, so what do I know?
Rangers Staff
The Rangers’ starting rotation could become even better if they move Derek Holland and/or Neftali Feliz into it.
I am sure they will get there
when Harden turns back into himself
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - danmerqury
Really? I think Feliz is the bullpen to stay for this season.
Holland yea, but I think Feliz is locked in at the back of the bullpen right now.
Bring back Hammer.
by OaktownPower on May 6, 2010 12:02 PM PDT up reply actions
I think Feliz
will stay longer in the pen, they will try to keep him there, which I endorse because its a bad decision
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - danmerqury
I agree.
Really, the Rangers pitching is not all that bad. They lack depth and are “unproven” but have a couple of talented starters, even more so when Holland is inevitably called back up.
I don’t know how anyone can say the Rangers have poor defense. They were one of the best fielding teams last year, and they can only have improved by adding Smoak into the fold and moving Hamilton to left.
Yeah...
I didn’t mean they were horrible defensively, my bad.
On the pitching tip, their xFIP is only better than 5 teams (Nationals, Orioles, Royals, Pirates and Indians). And, they are counting on Rich Harden to a big part of the rotation for the entire season, Scott Feldman to repeat last year, a career (mediocre) reliever to be a stud starter in CJ WIlson and Colby Lewis to be the Colby Lewis from Japan and not the Colby Lewis who has pitched in the majors before. I guess that fits under the subheading “unproven.”
Rich Harden is bulletproof
The man takes care of himself.
Smirky Harden is smirky.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
...
That picture is not going on his Facebook profile anytime soon. Not if he’s smart, anyway.
"Smokey, this be not the foul jungles of the darkest East Orient. This be ninepins. We are bound by laws."
I'm pretty sure your second sentence
completely negates your first.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
I'm pretty sure there's some smart people on facebook.
Luddite.
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 11:51 PM PDT up reply actions
I wasn't saying Facebook is un-smart.
I was saying Rich Harden is un-smart.
You’re going to dispute that?
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
[grumble]
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 7, 2010 12:08 AM PDT up reply actions
I should add
I picked Texas to win the division back in Spring Training, so, in a division of imperfect teams they are my choice as the team most closest to not sucking too horribly.
but....but....they're Texas.
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 12:20 PM PDT up reply actions
If he were here, there would be
“Smoakland” jokes as well.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
No he's not at all
He’s killed there defense since he’s been up but his bad is way better then Davis. The future is Davis at first and smoak at the DH spot
by buckfan6 on May 6, 2010 7:54 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Every morning the A's players and fans wake up....
…we all look around , check the box scores, the standings, survived not one but two nightmarish road trips and then say, “By jove, I think we’re in this thing!”
I expect their confidence as a team to continue to grow and I am not too worried because not only do we have a future on our farms with some power hitting talent, but we also have enough depth to bring in a bat if necessary.
It’s still early and Beane is in his, “evaluate what we’ve got mode.”
Patience my my young paduin
"I've been accused of using too many words...I suppose that's like accusing Mozart of using too many notes." Bill King
Some say Tomato, some say...
The dialect I was raised on spelled it, differently.
Please accept my apologies…..Master!
"I've been accused of using too many words...I suppose that's like accusing Mozart of using too many notes." Bill King
I must inform you that G_S has never seen any Star Wars movies all the way through,
and I strongly suspect iglew of the same.
I say we, as geeks, round them both up, tie them down, prop their eyes open old “Pirates” style (with toothpicks) and force them to watch.
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 12:22 PM PDT up reply actions
It's covered in the Patriot Act?! Cool!
Get the Humvee warmed up! We’re road tripping to Sactown and Seattle for a little human extraction!
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 12:28 PM PDT up reply actions
I bet they hide from us, too.
well, I bet G_S hides. iglew will refuse to hide, probably citing some obscure Austrian opera singer from the 18th century in the process.
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 12:31 PM PDT up reply actions
G-S will try to claim
he is a diplomat from Squirrelivania
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - danmerqury
Well, that IS his right.
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 12:53 PM PDT up reply actions
I have guns, you know, lots of guns.
I’m not hiding from shit.
"We support your economy. We make your food and tend your fields. All we want are the same rights and responsiblities as you. Please... Vote YES on Proposition 801- Equal rights for sock puppets!"
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 6, 2010 2:21 PM PDT up reply actions
Nevertheless the point remains,
your response would be significantly different from iglew.
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 2:24 PM PDT up reply actions
Well, let me put it this way---
I like sitting down and watching a movie about as much as Iglew likes guacamole.
I just don’t watch movies, almost ever. I think I watched three or four all of last year, but I can’t for the life of me remember what they were…
About the only television I ever watch is baseball, Match Game reruns, and Sasuke. I loves me some Sasuke (aka “Ninja Warrior”). I love reading and video games and working in my backyard, and sex… lots of strange kinky sex…
"We support your economy. We make your food and tend your fields. All we want are the same rights and responsiblities as you. Please... Vote YES on Proposition 801- Equal rights for sock puppets!"
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 6, 2010 2:50 PM PDT up reply actions
You like movies like iglew likes movies.
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 2:51 PM PDT up reply actions
also, poor Nagano.
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 2:52 PM PDT up reply actions
Robert Downey, Jr!!!!!
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
I don't feel bad for Nagano.
I feel bad for Katsumi Yamada, the former “Mr. Ninja Warrior,” who’s more washed up than Chavez and can’t even make it over the Warped Wall anymore. He should have retired ten competitions ago, but he has no life other than Sasuke… poor guy.
"We support your economy. We make your food and tend your fields. All we want are the same rights and responsiblities as you. Please... Vote YES on Proposition 801- Equal rights for sock puppets!"
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 6, 2010 3:54 PM PDT up reply actions
Yeah, actually Yamada's exactly who I meant. Odd.
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 3:59 PM PDT up reply actions
yeah, but Iglew watches TV series' too, and I don't.
other than I’ve seen every episode of Mr. Show and The Ben Stiller Show about forty times apiece…
"We support your economy. We make your food and tend your fields. All we want are the same rights and responsiblities as you. Please... Vote YES on Proposition 801- Equal rights for sock puppets!"
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 6, 2010 3:04 PM PDT up reply actions
There's more reasons for me to love you?!
C’mon. Really?
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 3:08 PM PDT up reply actions
I run a wiffleball league, too.
But you know that already :)
"We support your economy. We make your food and tend your fields. All we want are the same rights and responsiblities as you. Please... Vote YES on Proposition 801- Equal rights for sock puppets!"
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 6, 2010 3:55 PM PDT up reply actions
I hate Ben Stiller.
He represents everything I hate in comedy.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
Ben Stiller sucks, of course.
However, “The Ben Stiller Show” was all about Bob Odenkirk and Janeane Garofalo and Andy Dick, and many of the good sketches were written by David Cross.
It’s basically “Mr. Show, The Early Years”
and Mr. Show was pretty much the best sketch comedy show ever.
"We support your economy. We make your food and tend your fields. All we want are the same rights and responsiblities as you. Please... Vote YES on Proposition 801- Equal rights for sock puppets!"
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 6, 2010 3:52 PM PDT up reply actions
I bought the DVD set...
… on the strength of Skank the Sock Puppet. While not overwhelmingly funny in a vacuum, it’s a perfect lampooning of sitcoms of the time.
"Smokey, this be not the foul jungles of the darkest East Orient. This be ninepins. We are bound by laws."
Shut your stinkin' trap!
(Skank’s catchphrase)
"We support your economy. We make your food and tend your fields. All we want are the same rights and responsiblities as you. Please... Vote YES on Proposition 801- Equal rights for sock puppets!"
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 7, 2010 8:12 AM PDT up reply actions
Ben Stiller show was great
Stiller has his moments, but yeah not that great overall
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - danmerqury
Most of his impressions were horrible,
however, there was the one sketch where Ben played a totally fried ex-hippie giving an anti-drug speech in front of a bored class, except that he got distracted by fairies, his imaginary friend, and other figments of his imagination. That one was good.
Plus, his dad used to be funny before CBS got a hold of him.
"We support your economy. We make your food and tend your fields. All we want are the same rights and responsiblities as you. Please... Vote YES on Proposition 801- Equal rights for sock puppets!"
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 6, 2010 6:20 PM PDT up reply actions
I actually like a lot of movies.
So long as they’re either on TV with commercials or on tape than I can pause at will. And aren’t full of stupid special effects like gigantic explosions and people flying through the air in slow motion.
If I had world enough and time, I’d happily spend days watching movies. But there are always so many other more interesting things to do.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
We've kinda moved past "tape"
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
On the last DVD player I used
you couldn’t pause and rewind easily. I hate that. I love to pause and rewind. This is progress?
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
Hee.
The selfish, they're all standing in line, faithing and hoping to buy themselves time.
Me, I figure as each breath goes by, I only own my mind.
Seriously.
I’m totally retarded about technology so this is a real question. Do they make DVD players where you can rewind and play a scene over and over, or just pause it while you stop to talk about it for a bit and then start up again about 15 seconds before where you stopped?
Because on the one my wife had once you pause for more than about 10 seconds it would go into stop mode and then it’s a big pain in the ass to start it up again and you can’t find your place in the movie like you can with a tape.
So if there’s a pause/rewind-friendly kind then I want to know about it because that’s the kind I’ll get. Or if they all do that now and I’m just too stupid to know how to do it, that’s good news, too.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
You need to update your player.
Get the one that responds to voice commands, like:
- Pause! * Rewind, max speed * Go back, 15 seconds * Play scene at half-speed.
You should be fine.
A Ballade [for the Angels Fan], by Eustache Deschamps: "We are cowardly, ill-formed and weak / Aged, envious and evil-spoken. / I see only fools and sots / Truly the end is nigh / All goes ill."
Nobody takes me seriously.
< pouts >
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
Yes, they exist.
In fact, I’m surprised you even found one where you can’t rewind.
The selfish, they're all standing in line, faithing and hoping to buy themselves time.
Me, I figure as each breath goes by, I only own my mind.
Hurray!
Maybe my wife was tricking me. She always hated it when I want to pause.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
she was.
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 10:36 PM PDT up reply actions
I have lost so much productivity due to Ninja Warrior
I’m not even particularly entertained by it. It’s just interesting, like a window into the Japanese culture. And the flowery metaphors from the announcer are mindblowing (at least, the English translations of them are).
"Smokey, this be not the foul jungles of the darkest East Orient. This be ninepins. We are bound by laws."
plus, why do people
like the Octopus Man and the Hand Glider guy still compete?
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 10:37 PM PDT up reply actions
I don't know why THEY do it,
but I’m totally okay with TBS (Tokyo Broadcasting Service) allowing them to do it, out of respect to one’s elders.
"We support your economy. We make your food and tend your fields. All we want are the same rights and responsiblities as you. Please... Vote YES on Proposition 801- Equal rights for sock puppets!"
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 7, 2010 8:14 AM PDT up reply actions
I'm going to be generous and assume that's a typo.
Surely you meant 19th century. Like there could be any 18th century opera singer who matters. Unless you’re talking about castrati.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
You are confusing today's Iglew
with the 1980s Iglew. I saw all three Star Wars movies in the theaters. I remember the “Vicious Cycles” short that played with Star Wars in its opening run. I saw ESB seven times and memorized most of the dialogue.
Never seen any of the new ones, though. Nor have I seen the bastardized Star Wars where they turned the guns into walkie-talkies or faked Jabba the Hut into the background or whatever the hell it is they did to “modernize” it.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
Yes, well if it were a book
I wouldn’t be making that mistake now, would I?
I concede the error, but misspelling a name from a movie is comparable to mispronouncing a name from a book. The data for correct interpretation only comes from outside the work.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
Luke Skywalker has returned to
his home planet of Tatooine in
an attempt to rescue his
friend Han Solo from the
clutches of the vile gangster
Jabba the Hutt.
Little does Luke know that the
GALACTIC EMPIRE has secretly
begun construction on a new
armored space station even
more powerful than the first
dreaded Death Star.
When completed, this ultimate
weapon will spell certain doom
for the small band of rebels
struggling to restore freedom
to the galaxy…
No offense taken.
I know when I’ve been pwned.
Well played, sir.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
Wow
i am impressed. I thought only my ex-girlfriend knew that stuff
That made me laugh so hard
"Oh who am I kidding? The A's and Giants could stage a pillow fight, and I'd still care who wins." -67Marquez
Happy to help
It’s kind of funny, they say that you are either a Star Wars or Star Trek person. I’m kind of agnostic myself, as I like both, but don’t know a ton of trivia about either. My college girlfriend was a huge ST fan, my grad school girlfriend was a huge SW fan, and my wife is a pretty big SW fan. In so many ways I am usually the nerdy one, but I get beat on this by every woman I have ever dated.
My wife was never into those kind of things before we were together,
but she surprised me for one of our first dates to go see Attack of the Clones at midnight on opening day. Her roommate’s boyfriend had waited in line all day, and we just waltzed up about an hour before showtime. My buddy was kinda pissed… we had tickets to see it first thing in the morning.
Over the years my wife has surprised me with the occasional comment that could only come from actually paying attention to the Star Wars, Star Trek and other movies and shows that I make her watch. I love her.
Another item
If Rajai can become the leadoff man we all expect him to be, our average runs scored should start to increase.
We’ve been winning games without our base stealing .290 hitting lead off man at the top of the lineup.
Having him or even Coco at the top and hitting like they should will create some great RBI chances for Barton and Sweeney.
by TheGreenGoldCrush on May 6, 2010 9:54 AM PDT reply actions
Right!
I’ve not given up on Rajai turning in a .330 OBP for the season, which means starting sometime soon to go at a .350 clip.
A Ballade [for the Angels Fan], by Eustache Deschamps: "We are cowardly, ill-formed and weak / Aged, envious and evil-spoken. / I see only fools and sots / Truly the end is nigh / All goes ill."
Helloooooo, logical fallacies...
Arthur Dent: You know, it's at times like this, when I'm trapped in a Vogon airlock with a man from Betelgeuse and about to die of asphyxiation in deep space, that I really wish I'd listened to what my mother told me when I was young.
Ford Prefect: Why, what did she tell you?
Arthur Dent: I don't know, I didn't listen!
You're perfect for the job.
You’re hired.
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 1:54 PM PDT up reply actions
Immediately.
Just…wander around AN and greet.
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 2:02 PM PDT up reply actions
Seems we've hit a snag
It seems you want me to work at this job…
"Their batters are patient to the point that it's annoying." -Ryan Franklin
Not really.
Just, um…mingle.
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 2:24 PM PDT up reply actions
Oh
Well I may be able to make room in my busy schedule
"Their batters are patient to the point that it's annoying." -Ryan Franklin
1st
"The A's get some action but they do not score..." -Glen Kuiper
"Anyone who calls themselves the Angels Angels should have to start over and ride the short bus." -timmeh from McCovey Chronicles
I've always wondered
If I were to do that in a gamethread, would anyone mind?
"Their batters are patient to the point that it's annoying." -Ryan Franklin
we grouse a bit, but no.
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 5:29 PM PDT up reply actions
I don't really like it when others do it
And I’m not exactly a huge fan of all the different variations of roomy either. So if I did it I’d probably have to hit myself in the head with a tack hammer.
"Their batters are patient to the point that it's annoying." -Ryan Franklin
I'm afraid I'm to blame for roomy.
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 5:41 PM PDT up reply actions
You may have originated it
But others find it necessary to say it 3-4 times per thread every day. Is it not old yet?
"Their batters are patient to the point that it's annoying." -Ryan Franklin
"rheumy" still hasn't expired yet.
"We support your economy. We make your food and tend your fields. All we want are the same rights and responsiblities as you. Please... Vote YES on Proposition 801- Equal rights for sock puppets!"
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 6, 2010 5:54 PM PDT up reply actions
As it shouldn't
I guess I’m being a little too uptight about this since it really shouldn’t bother me that much. I just don’t get why pretty much everyone exploded when people would say “First!” yet nobody’s really complaining about “Roomy.”
"Their batters are patient to the point that it's annoying." -Ryan Franklin
Because "roomy" is our own special AN joke
whereas “first” is something that dumb-asses do on hundreds of stupid forums across the cyber-universe.
It’s the same reason why a good rally pic is awesome but uploading almost-porn pics of random starlets is lame.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
Ah gotcha
I guess I missed that memo.
Normally I wouldn’t even bring it up but this hasn’t been the best of days.
"Their batters are patient to the point that it's annoying." -Ryan Franklin
As of when do you like Arsenal?
And, uh, soccer in general?
Keep in mind, of course, that "the best defense of Derek Jeter's life" ranks somewhere in between "the best fiscal responsibility of Mike Tyson's life" and "the best not-getting-assassinated-ness of James Garfield's life." -FJM
I've sort of turned myself into a fan
I’ve been following the Premier League as closely as I can all season and have pumped myself up for the upcoming World Cup. I didn’t really have any allegiance to any team but I’ve kind of grown to respect Arsenal and Arsene Wenger, their manager. I wouldn’t call myself an avid fan but it’s growing on me.
"Their batters are patient to the point that it's annoying." -Ryan Franklin
by Helloooo 1st on May 7, 2010 10:13 AM PDT up reply actions
Just wait for the World Cup.
It’s the best sporting event in the world.
SIG SPACE AVAILABLE FOR SPONSORSHIP. INQUIRE WITHIN.
I've always paid attention to it
But I’ve never anticipated it as much as I am this year. It’s too bad that my main rooting interest is in two teams that probably won’t go very far (Sweden and the U.S.).
"Their batters are patient to the point that it's annoying." -Ryan Franklin
The Premier League would make itself a little easier to follow
if you didn’t already know the top three finishers before the season even started.
Arthur Dent: You know, it's at times like this, when I'm trapped in a Vogon airlock with a man from Betelgeuse and about to die of asphyxiation in deep space, that I really wish I'd listened to what my mother told me when I was young.
Ford Prefect: Why, what did she tell you?
Arthur Dent: I don't know, I didn't listen!
Aren't all the top european leagues like that?
In Spain, its always Real Madrid and Barcelona at the top, in Italy Ac Milan, Inter, Juventus or Rome.
Hey, he's got to regress to his mean, right?
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
Damn. I hate it when PT digs at me.
Just glad it doesn’t happen more often. Always makes me think twice, though, that’s for sure. A tip-o’-the-hat to you, sir!
A Ballade [for the Angels Fan], by Eustache Deschamps: "We are cowardly, ill-formed and weak / Aged, envious and evil-spoken. / I see only fools and sots / Truly the end is nigh / All goes ill."
So regression to the mean
Wouldn’t it be more accurate to say that he will perform more like he was expected, and have number between the current .2ugly and the .330? I am not a mathematician, but I did have to take statistics and that is what I recall.
Yes
His current OBP is .291 in 110 PA. If you stipulate 440 more PA at a .330 OBP, his end-of-season OBP would be .323.
Not that it matters either way. His projected OBP going forward is what matters. Of course, I’d be inclined to say his projected OBP going forward is more like .300 than .330. He hasn’t actually been unlucky this season, folks— just terrible.
Arthur Dent: You know, it's at times like this, when I'm trapped in a Vogon airlock with a man from Betelgeuse and about to die of asphyxiation in deep space, that I really wish I'd listened to what my mother told me when I was young.
Ford Prefect: Why, what did she tell you?
Arthur Dent: I don't know, I didn't listen!
(Great points)
But does anyone else have an automatic reaction to the word “folks”? Is it just me? (Totally not you, PT ;-))
"Oh who am I kidding? The A's and Giants could stage a pillow fight, and I'd still care who wins." -67Marquez
I think of crappy Tom Selleck movies.
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 2:57 PM PDT up reply actions
that's not even spelled right.
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 3:04 PM PDT up reply actions
just likje the cream I use for pinkeye!
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 3:14 PM PDT up reply actions
I saw that crappy Tom Sellek movie Folks
and I saw that semi crappy Roger Moore movie ffolkes….this is probably not a good thing.
I had a very bad reaction
to a topical steroid cream when I was 21. It put me in the hospital overnight.
Jack Cust: Nothing but true results…. Sac OPS: .913
by Athletics fan and runner on May 7, 2010 6:22 AM PDT up reply actions
Serious question:
What automatic reaction are you talking about? Is it a negative one? Some pop culture reference?
I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
Some people feel it's condescending.
I’m not one of them, though.
I say it quite a bit myself. I would never dare write it though, because it would put me at risk of being seen as condescending.
"We support your economy. We make your food and tend your fields. All we want are the same rights and responsiblities as you. Please... Vote YES on Proposition 801- Equal rights for sock puppets!"
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 6, 2010 3:57 PM PDT up reply actions
Good to know, thanks.
Where does this come from. Is there a specific subculture where people commonly say “folks” in a condescending way?
Is it still condescending when used nominatively, or only as a way of addressing someone? Like if I said, “Some folks disagree with this,” would that sound condescending?
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
I don't think so in that context.
However, when tacked on to the end of a hyperbolic statement or when prefaced with “you” as in “you folks”, I think it does sound condescending.
"We support your economy. We make your food and tend your fields. All we want are the same rights and responsiblities as you. Please... Vote YES on Proposition 801- Equal rights for sock puppets!"
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 6, 2010 4:18 PM PDT up reply actions
I was also wondering
As for me folks is a more gender-neutral version of “guys”, without condescension.
Same here. But tonal voice and inflection in person could be like....
“Now, come on folks, let’s just settle down here.” or “Why don’t you older folks, just go to bed and leave the rest of the game thread to us.”
alaska A residing in northern Idaho.
good point
It could certainly be used in a patronizing way. As usual, tone of voice is hard to tell on the innertubes.
When I use it,
it generally carries the connotation of “time for us to cut the bullshit and get down to brass tacks,” which I suppose plays to some extent off the stereotypical contrast between down-home “straight talk” and citified circumlocutions.
Arthur Dent: You know, it's at times like this, when I'm trapped in a Vogon airlock with a man from Betelgeuse and about to die of asphyxiation in deep space, that I really wish I'd listened to what my mother told me when I was young.
Ford Prefect: Why, what did she tell you?
Arthur Dent: I don't know, I didn't listen!
I read your post this way
I think because the text read to me like a political stump speech. I’ve probably just been watching too much “West Wing”
I use it when I send mass emails to my students, that say, "Hi folks!"
It feels better than “Dear Philosophy 406 students” or “Now now, boys and girls” or “Yo, get this, dudes and dudettes.”
But I’m totally open to suggestions. Apart from possible offense to my students, I don’t want them laughing behind my back (any more than they already do).
A Ballade [for the Angels Fan], by Eustache Deschamps: "We are cowardly, ill-formed and weak / Aged, envious and evil-spoken. / I see only fools and sots / Truly the end is nigh / All goes ill."
May I suggest
Hear ye, hear ye!
"Their batters are patient to the point that it's annoying." -Ryan Franklin
Yeah, that is a great example
I used it when I was TAing in grad school, or when I work with high school kids, because I don’t like “guys” as a generic term.
Yeah, I'm opposed to "guys" (of which the opposite still feels like "dolls", not "gals").
I’ll try the “hear ye, hear ye,” but only when I am reading from a scroll.
A Ballade [for the Angels Fan], by Eustache Deschamps: "We are cowardly, ill-formed and weak / Aged, envious and evil-spoken. / I see only fools and sots / Truly the end is nigh / All goes ill."
I totally don't think of "guys" as a gender-specific term.
Then again, I also call male servers at restaurants “waitresses”, so I guess I’m pretty deep into gender-blurring.
Maybe it’s from years in theater. All the female actors call themselves “actors”, so I’ve gotten used to the idea that supposedly gender-specific words really apply to everyone.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
An interesting point
As my years in theater conditioned me to also just use actor generically. I seem to remember arguing with “adults” (when I was a teenager) about guys being gender neutral, but somehow as I have aged I have moved away from it towards “folks” and “people”.
My mother is of the generation
that hates to hear women referred to as “girls” (understandably, because in her day it really was condescending). When I fell into the habit some time around my early teens she used to say, “Well, you wouldn’t refer to men as ‘boys’, would you?” to which my reaction was, “Huh? Yes, of course I would.” And still do.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
I actually had to stop my mom from referring to the "girls in the office" she worked with.
I thought it was demeaning. I also have been using “actor” for a while, though I don’t have theater background.
I have also been on a mission for years to keep faculty/staff at universities from referring to college students as “kids.” Pet peeve, big time.
A Ballade [for the Angels Fan], by Eustache Deschamps: "We are cowardly, ill-formed and weak / Aged, envious and evil-spoken. / I see only fools and sots / Truly the end is nigh / All goes ill."
OK, now I'm curious.
Are you a male or female person? I always imagined you male*, but come to think of it, I don’t think I really know.
As for demeaning, does that apply to “boys”, too. I would always tell my wife I’m going out “with the boys” whenever I was … well, going out with the boys. Referring to my men friends, not children.
*Miss Hilton notwithstanding, the Iliad and Romeo & Juliet combine to make me think of “Paris” as a male name.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
I am so pleased to have remained gender-ambiguous!
But I am indeed a male person, and always have been, though I was once presented a button by the Lafayette dyke/queer community that read ’Honorary Lesbian," which I treasured.
My view is that ‘boys’ is not equivalent in historically-laden obnoxiousness as ‘girls,’ unless one is referring to an African-American male person, in which case it is a definite no-no.
Although I was not aware for many years of who Paris Hilton is, I felt compelled to express my nominal solidarity when she served her prison bid, and had she been in for longer, I wanted to print up t-shirts that said “Free Paris.” – At which point, perhaps some nice young woman person would take me home.
A Ballade [for the Angels Fan], by Eustache Deschamps: "We are cowardly, ill-formed and weak / Aged, envious and evil-spoken. / I see only fools and sots / Truly the end is nigh / All goes ill."
Is Paris your real name?
If so, that is totally cool. I wish I had a classical name. Like Ajax. That would be awesome. If I had a son I would totally name him Ajax. (Assuming my wife would go along with it, which admittedly is very unlikely.)
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
It makes me...
"Smokey, this be not the foul jungles of the darkest East Orient. This be ninepins. We are bound by laws."
You often seem to operate on the assumption that
component performance or “true talent performance” stays constant, and outcome fluctuation is due to luck. Just as often or more often guys play better or play worse in stretches which leads to the fluctuation. He’s sucked (much more than the rest of his career), and going forward he is likely to be better. His career obp is .331;chone ros is .327, zips ros is .331. I’m going with .330 as more likely than .300.
You think lower because you watch him and think he sucks; the relevance of that to anyone else’s expectations is low.
With stout hearts, and with enthusiasm for the contest, let us go forward to victory. ----Hero Defector Montgomery
by mikeA on May 6, 2010 5:00 PM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
Perhaps I would agree with this if we had not been gifted with Fangraphs plate discipline statistics
Since we have, though, I think CHONE and ZiPS are outdated when it comes to players who show unusually well or poorly on those metrics. They converge very quickly— in about 50 at-bats.
We know— to a significant degree— that Rajai Davis’s already pathetic plate discipline has decayed to an even more extreme degree than previous seasons would have indicated.
I’ll do this systematically. Plate discipline numbers tell us that his BB and K rates this season are basically within reach of normal (he’s swinging at more balls and fewer strikes than last season, and has incrementally more Ks and fewer walks). That gives us 20 walks and 87 Ks over the remaining 440 PA. Extrapolating his HR/FB and FB rate gives him about 4 HR. Assuming for the sake of argument (I don’t believe it, but whatever) that he goes to exactly his career BABIP of .325, that’s 107 non-HR hits, 20 walks, and 4 HR in 440 PA. That’s an OBP of .297.
As long as I’m at it, let’s figure out slugging percentage too. He’s amassed about 3 times as many extra bases from 2B/3B as HR, so I’d have him at 48 extra bases for the rest of the season, or 159 total bases in 420 at-bats, or .378 slugging.
There you go. My Rajai “rest of season” projection: .264/.297/.378. That’s using his career BABIP, and it seems to somehow (probably generous rounding error) have spit out a HIGHER isolated power than his career figure.
Arthur Dent: You know, it's at times like this, when I'm trapped in a Vogon airlock with a man from Betelgeuse and about to die of asphyxiation in deep space, that I really wish I'd listened to what my mother told me when I was young.
Ford Prefect: Why, what did she tell you?
Arthur Dent: I don't know, I didn't listen!
by PaulThomas on May 6, 2010 10:46 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
And this is why I fully expect Davis to suck for the rest of the year
well explained PT!
"Since other people actually read these threads, though, probably best that your particular brand of wrongness not go completely unchallenged." - PT
by designatedforassignment on May 7, 2010 2:32 AM PDT up reply actions
Ok, you're missing my point
Why would you assume that ONE MONTH of BB and K rates this year represent his talent going forward rather than some combination of this year’s rates and his career rates? No reasonable projection system (no projection system) would use that assumption. Do you think because it is a new season, his new plate discipline rates are now somehow magically set in a different place?
His BB and K rates so far marginally worsen the preseason estimates.
With stout hearts, and with enthusiasm for the contest, let us go forward to victory. ----Hero Defector Montgomery
"Magic"?
It’s not “magic,” it’s statistics which converge to a reasonable approximation of reality much more quickly than old-school batting average and whatnot.
His career figure includes years when he was swinging at half as many pitches outside the strike zone as he is now. HALF. Including those in any kind of projection is idiocy. He is not behaving like the hitter he was in 2007.
My preseason estimates plate-discipline-wise were basically “what he did last season,” so having it worsen by a couple of percentage points in each direction is not really much of a change. He’s doing the same stupid shit as last season, except he’s doing even more of it.
You are correct about the HBPs, though, I did forget about those.
Arthur Dent: You know, it's at times like this, when I'm trapped in a Vogon airlock with a man from Betelgeuse and about to die of asphyxiation in deep space, that I really wish I'd listened to what my mother told me when I was young.
Ford Prefect: Why, what did she tell you?
Arthur Dent: I don't know, I didn't listen!
...
.264/.297/.378. Just look at the isolated patience. It’s .055 for his career, and that’s about what the preseason projections had, .033 there. (Part of it is you didn’t throw in a couple HBPs.) ONE MONTH of data changes things that much? No.
With stout hearts, and with enthusiasm for the contest, let us go forward to victory. ----Hero Defector Montgomery
Forgive me if I seem to "switch sides" here.
You talk about “true talent performance” as if it is something real and measurable. I assume that “true talent performance”, in the context of stats like these, is a mathematical construct, not an attempt to measure something that is metaphysically real.
It is constant by definition, because that’s how it is useful.
I know I often question the artificiality of stats, and I do think it’s important to understand what they are and aren’t, but I personally have no problem with “true talent performance” being constant. To quibble that “yeah, but it really isn’t constant” defeats the whole purpose of the exercise. Call it something else if you like, but this constant is exactly what we’re attempting to measure. Yes, of course it’s a moving target, but so are a lot of things that can be usefully measured nevertheless.
To state it less abstractly: The whole point of sabermetrics is to ask questions like, “Yeah, but how good is Rajai really?” We then proceed to sift through all the data and come up with the most accurate measurement we can manage. If your answer is, “Well, some days he’s better and some days he’s worse”, that may be true, but it’s not at all helpful. How far do you take that logic? If you follow through with it completely, you end up at the position that how good he is on any given day is exactly as good as whatever results he gets, at which point you’re right back where you started and the whole exercise is meaningless.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
by iglew on May 6, 2010 11:48 PM PDT up reply actions 3 recs
This is a baller comment.
"Since other people actually read these threads, though, probably best that your particular brand of wrongness not go completely unchallenged." - PT
by designatedforassignment on May 7, 2010 2:34 AM PDT up reply actions
I had to look that up
to figure out whether it was a compliment, an insult, or a typo.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
Oh iglew purveyor of language
"Since other people actually read these threads, though, probably best that your particular brand of wrongness not go completely unchallenged." - PT
by designatedforassignment on May 7, 2010 10:36 PM PDT up reply actions
Ok, I didn't use the term "true talent" very well (and didn't write the first part of the comment well), and shouldn't have used it at all
so you and others who read the comment didn’t get what I was saying.
My point in the context of this discussion is that you can’t take SSS component stats and use them as if they are representative of some new talent level.
Rajai’s slash line (outcome stats) is worse than the rest of his career. His component performance is also worse than the rest of his career, which is causing the bad outcomes. However, it is simply wrong to think that his 2010 component stats represent some new talent level from which we can project everything else.
His BB rate this year is 4.5% and his K% is 19.4% in 110 PAs. His career numbers are 6.5% and 17.7% in 1004 PAs. Which do you think is closer to what we should expect going forward?
With stout hearts, and with enthusiasm for the contest, let us go forward to victory. ----Hero Defector Montgomery
The point which I am attempting, perhaps poorly in light of your nonresponsiveness, to convey
is that these are not small samples of data for the purposes of pitch-by-pitch metrics like O-Swing%.
Projection systems do not (yet; I think we’ll see alterations made soon) pick up on major changes in approach like the one Davis made at some point between 2007 and mid-2008. They continue regressing to a career line which is buoyed by statistics from when he was doing something completely different at the plate. Regressing to that line makes no more sense than randomly throwing 200 plate appearances of Luis Castillo’s career line into Davis’s statistics.
Arthur Dent: You know, it's at times like this, when I'm trapped in a Vogon airlock with a man from Betelgeuse and about to die of asphyxiation in deep space, that I really wish I'd listened to what my mother told me when I was young.
Ford Prefect: Why, what did she tell you?
Arthur Dent: I don't know, I didn't listen!
That's a good point re: 2007
It’s still not going to do all the work you want it to. If you take out 2007, you still wind up with better K and BB rates than he’s had this year. Why would you project him closer to this year’s rates going forward than last year’s?
His 0-swing% is 35 this year, 30.6 last year; I’m sure there were one-month stretches where it was higher and lower by ~5%. You can’t say “one month is not a small sample for these stats, therefore we should use this year’s rates as the true rates.”
Taking out 2007, and doing the calculation you did above, you wind up with an obp of ~.315. Maybe that’s a good compromise…
With stout hearts, and with enthusiasm for the contest, let us go forward to victory. ----Hero Defector Montgomery
Rajai Davis "hitting like he should"
still belongs nowhere near the top of the A’s lineup.
by joeiz on May 6, 2010 10:27 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
/\
Rajai with a higher OBP and ave would be tremendous at the top of the lineup. More SB, more 1st to 3rd’s, less double play opp’s, more runs.
But when he’s hitting .220 with a sub. .300 OBP your right, he doesn’t belong any where near the top of the lineup.
But look at his last 4 games, the tide is turning. He’s getting out of his April funk. And having a Raj like last year at the leadoff spot is something any team in the league would want. Especially a team without power, who needs a speed guy to set the table for runs.
by TheGreenGoldCrush on May 6, 2010 11:09 AM PDT up reply actions
No, “hitting like he should” would mean that he belongs leading off.
The Ultimate Opportunist
by Rated-R Superstar on May 6, 2010 11:44 AM PDT up reply actions
No, "hitting like he hit for three months last season" would be, though.
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 12:23 PM PDT up reply actions
The Key with Rajai...
…when we know he is hitting well is when he is thinking “right field” with every at bat. Ever since his HR that he pulled, he lost his timing and that’s when he becomes “Rajai the Bench sitter”. Hopefully, he has been working on it and thereby restoring order to the universe.
"I've been accused of using too many words...I suppose that's like accusing Mozart of using too many notes." Bill King
Chris Carter WILL NEVER STRICKOUT
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does.
The ninth fastest thirty year old in San Francisco
Thank goodness
I was worried he might be human. As long as he shortens up his swing to avoid strickouts, I’m sure everything will be fine.
STROGDOUT!
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
It's early in the season and crisp's return will help R Davis
Davis and Crisp at the top of the order speed creates more offense.
It's going to create more outs
Than Pennington and Barton do. Honestly, I believe that batting Crisp and Rajai at the top of the lineup is a one-way ticket to a prolonged offensive slump. I’m not even sure they should both [i]be[/i] in the lineup at the same time anymore. Rajai touched a rock bottom and bounced up a bit over the last few days, but his season so far has really given a lot of satisfaction to sceptics. And how the hell knows what kind of hitter Crisp is at this point.
I like this team (and love your assessment)
The offense sucks, the AL West is way worse than I thought, and I’m only half-sold on Kouzmanoff. Hey, I like the guy. But wow, does he make some interesting throws. I want him to win me over. :-)
"Oh who am I kidding? The A's and Giants could stage a pillow fight, and I'd still care who wins." -67Marquez
Kouzmanoff's throws are bizarre
I still can’t wrap my mind around the fact that he was charged with more throwing errors in 29 games here than he was in 3 years in San Diego. I’m thinking his mom must be the official scorer at Petco Park.
Hahahaha
QOTM
And I couldn’t agree more, honestly, I’m like…what was THAT throw, every time!
"Oh who am I kidding? The A's and Giants could stage a pillow fight, and I'd still care who wins." -67Marquez
by baseballgirl on May 6, 2010 11:46 AM PDT up reply actions
Winning helps, but not enough
A pathetic figure, even if you increase it 10-15% for people who get their A’s TV fix on MLB.tv or EI:
Ratings rise: The A’s TV ratings have improved significantly, according to Comcast SportsNet California, jumping from an 0.70 (approximately 17,500 households) in April 2009, to 1.33 average (33,250 households) last month. The numbers are also up at least 88 percent in all key advertising demographics.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/05/06/SPSV1D9CTL.DTL
"Do I talk to myself? No, I just remind myself of what I'm trying to do. You know, I never answer myself so how can I be talking to myself?" - Rickey
Athletics Nation - WE'RE ALL GONNA MRIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!! - danmerqury
Big IFs
Cust plays like he did in 07
Davis plays like he did in later 09
Crisp comes in and plays like he did in 05 or 08
Sheets stops sucking.
If any of these things happen or remotely happen, the A’s could look like AL West winners.
"I did nothing. I did absolutely nothing, and it was everything that I thought it could be." -- Peter Gibbons
Why the difference with Cust and Davis?
If Cust plays like he did in the 2nd half of 09 it would be like 07.
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - danmerqury
Of course he has to do it in...Oakland.
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
Does anyone have an update on Crisp?
That finger should be all healed by now, right? RIGHT?
He reaggravated it
Picking his nose.
But serious,I haven’t heard anything.
by TheGreenGoldCrush on May 6, 2010 11:24 AM PDT up reply actions
Picking with his pinkie?
I always prefer thumbs
"I've been accused of using too many words...I suppose that's like accusing Mozart of using too many notes." Bill King
You must have big-ass nostrils...
…or small thumbs…
"We support your economy. We make your food and tend your fields. All we want are the same rights and responsiblities as you. Please... Vote YES on Proposition 801- Equal rights for sock puppets!"
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 6, 2010 2:24 PM PDT up reply actions
Agreed.
I’m a pinkie man.
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 2:25 PM PDT up reply actions
not always...
I play mine with my index and ring fingers, so I can hammer on/pull off extra notes with the pinky.
"We support your economy. We make your food and tend your fields. All we want are the same rights and responsiblities as you. Please... Vote YES on Proposition 801- Equal rights for sock puppets!"
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 6, 2010 2:33 PM PDT up reply actions
The big toe would work best...
It was always funny to see my kids when they infant/toddlers reach their nares with their toes.
"I've been accused of using too many words...I suppose that's like accusing Mozart of using too many notes." Bill King
I'm 44 and I can still reach my nostrils with my toes.
I can’t actually do anything with the toes there, and the big one surely won’t fit inside, but I can reach.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
Me too, but not with my tits in...
"We support your economy. We make your food and tend your fields. All we want are the same rights and responsiblities as you. Please... Vote YES on Proposition 801- Equal rights for sock puppets!"
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 6, 2010 4:20 PM PDT up reply actions
I was a svelte lad in my cross-dressing days,
so I always went for the Kate Hudson look. No boobs required. Just some light bra-stuffing.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
I look like a goddamn man.
No amount of makeup in the world can make me 100% passable.
However, I am more than happy to settle for 90%. I’m doing it to express my feminine side, not because I want to actually be a woman in this life or body.
"We support your economy. We make your food and tend your fields. All we want are the same rights and responsiblities as you. Please... Vote YES on Proposition 801- Equal rights for sock puppets!"
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 6, 2010 5:57 PM PDT up reply actions
I loved being able to pass.
Not for actual close encounters, which would have been yucky to me, but just for the nature of the casual attention and glances you get at a crowded party or walking down the street, from both men and women. I found it very enlightening.
I don’t think I was ever 100% for anyone who looked closely, nor did I really try to be. But enough so that people who were just acting and reacting normally never suspected. That’s what mattered to me.
I still recommend it to any man, even though I know 95% of AN just thinks we’re total freaks and perverts when we talk like this.
I had a similar experience more recently when I learned a southern accent well enough to introduce myself to strangers that way. I want to polish it up and try that some more. It’s shocking how much unconscious anti-southern bigotry there is among certain social circles here on the west coast. If you talk like a Texan, people assume you’re stupid. It’s very noticeable.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
Since you were passable, you probably didn't get aggressively bullied much.
I did, mostly by young insecure males.
My standard response was, “You don’t want to get beat up by a drag queen. You’ll never live it down. It’ll take decades of therapy. Your friends will disown you, and you’ll end up living in an alley, sucking c**ks for crack. Don’t go there.”
Apparently, them boys were smart, because I never did have to crack anyone’s skull with a 4" stiletto heel.
"We support your economy. We make your food and tend your fields. All we want are the same rights and responsiblities as you. Please... Vote YES on Proposition 801- Equal rights for sock puppets!"
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 6, 2010 6:27 PM PDT up reply actions
Whoa, I was just kidding about the thumb...
I guess “Suketto” was interpreted as “suck a toe”
"I've been accused of using too many words...I suppose that's like accusing Mozart of using too many notes." Bill King
Apparently you don't know me, sweetie.
I’m AN’s resident tranny dominatrix,
and “Gaijin_Suketto” is Japanese for “Foreign Talent Helper”
And yes, I can fit my whole big toe in my mouth if I want to, but until I find a way to make money off of that, I can’t see myself doing it much.
"We support your economy. We make your food and tend your fields. All we want are the same rights and responsiblities as you. Please... Vote YES on Proposition 801- Equal rights for sock puppets!"
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 7, 2010 8:20 AM PDT up reply actions
Man, I didn't realize Sacramento was so repressed.
You can’t make money from that?
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 7, 2010 12:15 PM PDT up reply actions
Well, I love you both for it,
which, when looking at me, makes no sense whatsoever. Never judge a book by the link to it, I suppose.
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 10:41 PM PDT up reply actions
I was never anywhere unfriendly.
Just private parties, and Halloween in the Castro before it got big and out of control. (And Russell Blackwood’s Shocktoberfest!)
Also I had a gang of girlfriends with me.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
Halloween in the Castro was fun!
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 7, 2010 12:09 AM PDT up reply actions
Was.
It has been intolerable for at least ten years now.
Word got out that it was the cool place to be, and suddenly everybody in the whole Bay Area started coming and it became a humongous crowd. It lost a lot of its character then and became just another rowdy mob scene. And then if that wasn’t bad enough, tough gay-bashing hoodlums started showing up looking for trouble.
I wouldn’t go anywhere near there now.
So it goes.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
Yeah, that's why I wrote WAS.
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 7, 2010 12:19 AM PDT up reply actions
Can I frame this post and put it on the AN wall?
The selfish, they're all standing in line, faithing and hoping to buy themselves time.
Me, I figure as each breath goes by, I only own my mind.
X-Rays Scheduled Today
Crisp’s finger is supposed to be checked today. Then they will decide when he can resume baseball activities.
2 things
1. The Rangers have pretty incredible defense dude, no idea why you’d say otherwise. Kinsler, Andrus, Young, Hamilton and Cruz are all great-to-spectacular. I cant comment on Smoak or their catchers, but that’s a ridiculous comment.
2. Daric Barton is absolutely not a good defender, and absolutely nothing like JT Snow. At best, he’s league average defensively. He’s slow, plodding, does not display a ton of range, and should never be in the same sentence as JT Snow in terms of defense. Has he even done the “Coli foul ball run” to any success yet? I watched him in person look awful at doing so twice in the game I went to. Given, thats an extreme case, but still, a great defensive 1B gets those, a league average one doesnt, Barton is the latter.
All throughout his minor league career they said he’d be lucky to ever find himself at a defensive position. We are lucky he’s made himself into league average, as it makes his bat that much more valuable at a position instead of a DH, but honestly, Chris Carter could most likely turn into a better 1B as he has the reach and thats why Derreck Lee is such a wonder there. Calling him “solid if not unspectacular with the bat” like JT Snow is completely wrong too, he’s actually really amazing and should be hitting 3rd and never bunting, He’s hitting .292 and getting on base a whopping 43% of the time. Snow only had an OBP over .370 5 times in a 16 year career. Barton should double that with ease. REGARDLESS its still way rad he’s an average 1B and is finally turning into the beast at the plate he was advertised as. Mulder trade = still coming through for us.
I have still have 3XTR3M3 FA1TH0RZ that we can win this division. However, in the games we have lost it has come down to us not scoring runs, and as it stands right now, only Suzuki, Barton, Rosales, Pennington, Sweeney & Ellis have pulled their weight. Kouzmanoff is a notorious slow starter and is in the “league adjustment” period, but hey, for some idiotic reason A’s fans didnt give Holliday that luxury, so I doubt they are going to give it to Kouzmanoff. Regardless I think he’s doing well all things considered and he will really start to blow the narrowminds come August. To fix the offense, well firstly, our DH sports an OPS of 580. That’s unacceptable. We also have Gross, Davis and Fox hitting extremely poorly and have Jack Cust for no reason mashing AAA pitching to death. Cust would OPS 750 in his sleep. I feel that bump in offensive output from the DH position would absolutely result in more wins overall. Why Chavez has not been released is the stupidest move in Beane history, even dumber than trying to make Arthur Rhodes a closer, even dumber than signing Loaiza to a 3 year deal. Seriously, what is it going to take to see the light and let him go???? He’s the reason why we havent won more games.
-The president of the "Sign Elijah Dukes" fan club.
Barton
Broke his finger doing the "Coli foul ball run"
"Their batters are patient to the point that it's annoying." -Ryan Franklin
by Helloooo 1st on May 6, 2010 11:56 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Oh boy.
You know, they said the same thing about Eric Chavez in the minors too? He was terrible at 3B. He got better. So did Barton.
The selfish, they're all standing in line, faithing and hoping to buy themselves time.
Me, I figure as each breath goes by, I only own my mind.
I dont hate him there
He’s just never going to be a gold glove caliber defender, and I find some of the posters here who seem to believe that to be quite delusional.
-The president of the "Sign Elijah Dukes" fan club.
I guess I'm delusional
One of Barton’s better qualities is his defense. He’s not perfect, but I wouldn’t say he’s average. He’s more like better than average. He does need improvement such as his ability to scoop low throws.
Ive seen him in person 3 rows from the field on the 1B line
2 times last year and once this year. He is completely unspectacular, just league average. He has problem areas and has no idea about the Coli foul area. If was as great as mikev says he is, why isnt he making those plays? Even Swisher made them, Swisher is twice the defender at 1B Barton is.
Can all these people who love him PLEASE watch a game where Lee, Youkilis, Teixiera, Pujols, Votto or Kotchman specifically play 1B and tell me Barton is even close to them? He’s not even close.
Again, Im not actually hating on him, 1B defense isnt super important, thats why they rank so slow in DWS rationing. His bat has made me a big fan of him, but he’s not a player without faults, and his fault is only average defense.
-The president of the "Sign Elijah Dukes" fan club.
oh, well fuck.. you've seen him THREE times in person?!
never mind then, we’ve heard all we need!
SIG SPACE AVAILABLE FOR SPONSORSHIP. INQUIRE WITHIN.
by mikev on May 6, 2010 1:00 PM PDT up reply actions 9 recs
You could not always be so defensive
So now I have to act like he’s a gold glover because YOU say so? He’s not and you are deluding yourself if you think otherwise. I love Barton but his glove isnt pretty to watch. Apparently you are so into him you have forgotten what good 1B defense looks like and I can never win if I try to argue otherwise, so NEVERMIND.
-The president of the "Sign Elijah Dukes" fan club.
It's difference of Scout vs Stat.
Ok, your eyes tell you he is average. What do the numbers say? Do they back you up, or do they contradict?
The numbers say that he is a plus defender.
"Oh who am I kidding? The A's and Giants could stage a pillow fight, and I'd still care who wins." -67Marquez
I would hardly equal PL78's opinion
with what scouts think
by elcroata on May 6, 2010 1:11 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
On top of which, fan scouts rate him above average at the most relevant 1B skills
namely instincts and hands.
Arthur Dent: You know, it's at times like this, when I'm trapped in a Vogon airlock with a man from Betelgeuse and about to die of asphyxiation in deep space, that I really wish I'd listened to what my mother told me when I was young.
Ford Prefect: Why, what did she tell you?
Arthur Dent: I don't know, I didn't listen!
That's weird
Link didn’t post. Maybe I clicked the wrong button. Anyway, here it is.
Arthur Dent: You know, it's at times like this, when I'm trapped in a Vogon airlock with a man from Betelgeuse and about to die of asphyxiation in deep space, that I really wish I'd listened to what my mother told me when I was young.
Ford Prefect: Why, what did she tell you?
Arthur Dent: I don't know, I didn't listen!
Do they?
In 232 games he has a UZR/150 of 2.7.
Compare with the career numbers of
Pujols: 8.3
Kotchman: 8.9
Swisher: 11.1
Youkilis: 7.6
Giambi (just for fun): – 8.2
by NRC on May 6, 2010 2:32 PM PDT up reply actions
LB 0.0
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 2:48 PM PDT up reply actions
We’re tied!
The Ultimate Opportunist
by Rated-R Superstar on May 6, 2010 2:48 PM PDT up reply actions
Thats debatable.
What numbers are you looking at?
-The president of the "Sign Elijah Dukes" fan club.
I'm the worst scout ever,
even on the rare occasions when I’m actually watching and not just listening to the radio.
But of the two 1B’s I’ve seen at all this year, I’d definitely say Kotchman defensively is better than Barton. Kotchman’s defense seems really good to me.
Are my lying eyes (which aren’t very bright even when telling the truth) deceiving me?
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
Yes. Yes they are.
Barton is exceptional at digging out throws.
He makes a few bone head plays now and again, but I’m sure he’ll iron those out.
He steps to the left, he steps to the riiiiiiight. That Amos Roberts, he'll make you look shite!
And Kotchman is not?
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
No I think you’re right. To the eyes, Kotchman is an exceptional, gold glove caliber defender. And the statistics back that up.
Barton is a good defender too. But he’s less experienced at first, and less athletic than Kotchman. According to the stats and the scouts he’s simply not in Kotchman’s class.
by NRC on May 6, 2010 4:32 PM PDT up reply actions
Ah, that sounds right to me.
I saw some Richie Sexson in recent years. He seemed very bad defensively to me. Even with those mile-long legs. Of course by the time I saw him he was past his prime and kind of bad at everything.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
NRC, whoever you are
you better stop proving mikev wrong.
-The president of the "Sign Elijah Dukes" fan club.
Kotchman's one of the better defensive 1B out there
He could easily play other infield positions if he wasn’t lefthanded (and he’d be a lot more valuable that way, too).
Arthur Dent: You know, it's at times like this, when I'm trapped in a Vogon airlock with a man from Betelgeuse and about to die of asphyxiation in deep space, that I really wish I'd listened to what my mother told me when I was young.
Ford Prefect: Why, what did she tell you?
Arthur Dent: I don't know, I didn't listen!
I can see how throwing left-handed would be
awkward for 3B, SS, or 2B. But I’m wondering … is it like “not optimal” awkward or “it never ever happens” awkward.
I really don’t know. I can think of some LH hitters at those positions, but I don’t know how many of them are like Chavvy and throw RH.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
Both
A lefty infielder has to turn his body after fielding in order to throw whereas a righty doesn’t have to. If a lefty fields it to his glove hand side he has to do a full spin pretty much to get in throwing position and a backhand would still require a bit of a spin.
"Their batters are patient to the point that it's annoying." -Ryan Franklin
I think THT ran something abou this a while back
but my memory is that basically there are NO non-1B INF who throw with their left hand. As Helloooo 1st points out, the mechanics are bad, and basically kids are trained out of it very early.
It's "never ever happens" awkward
There have been like 200 plate appearances by left-handed-throwing non-1B infielders in the entire history of Major League Baseball.
Arthur Dent: You know, it's at times like this, when I'm trapped in a Vogon airlock with a man from Betelgeuse and about to die of asphyxiation in deep space, that I really wish I'd listened to what my mother told me when I was young.
Ford Prefect: Why, what did she tell you?
Arthur Dent: I don't know, I didn't listen!
Thanks.
I never really thought about it before. I mean, yeah, I noticed that infielders are usually RH hitters, but didn’t realize it was practically universal. So guys like Robinson Cano all throw RH then, huh?
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
Ummm Hitting .269 and 4 HRs is "mashing AAA pitching to death"???
"Life is tough .... It's even tougher if you're stupid." - John Wayne
If you subtract his first week there
His OPS is over 1000. He’s catching fire…
-The president of the "Sign Elijah Dukes" fan club.
Point taken
On defense… With one exception, Michael Young is not good.
On Barton, honestly, I think you are wrong on all counts. But whatevs.
Yeah, I was wondering what the evidence was for that...
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
Ian Kinsler is also not good.
Like should probably be in LF not good.
by NRC on May 6, 2010 2:36 PM PDT up reply actions
His defense was really good against us
by Billy Frijoles on May 6, 2010 3:28 PM PDT up reply actions
His defensive numbers were utterly atrocious in 2006, 2007, and 2008, which comports with my recolletion of his play. He did manage to lead the AL in UZR last year, but defensive metrics are notoriously volatile and I tend to believe his bad career numbers (-3.3 UZR/150) over his good 2009 ones.
Admittedly, I haven’t seen him play much the last two years, so its possible he’s improved substantially (though he’s off to an awful start statistically in 2010 – SSS notwithstanding).
by NRC on May 6, 2010 4:28 PM PDT up reply actions
Wrong. Moving him to LF would be preposterously stupid
With stout hearts, and with enthusiasm for the contest, let us go forward to victory. ----Hero Defector Montgomery
Ha. Maybe so.
Like I said, I haven’t seen him play in a couple years, and his defensive stats are improving. So perhaps he’s gotten better. Last I saw him, though, my eyes said yuck.
Also, the positional difference between LF and 2b is just 10 runs. So in 2007, when Kinsler put up a -10.7 UZR, you can certainly argue that he would have been more valuable in left (especially since I think its reasonable to expect a positive UZR out of Kinsler in LF, given his speed and athleticism).
Obviously whether the move was “preposterously stupid” or not would depend on the respective abilities of the replacement players. Would the Rangers win more games with Arias at 2b, Kinsler in LF, Hamilton in CF, and Borbon in AAA? Probably not, but maybe.
by NRC on May 6, 2010 6:27 PM PDT up reply actions
To be fair
Kinsler’s career UZR/150 is -3.3. Is it a stretch to think he could post a 6.7 in LF?
by NRC on May 6, 2010 6:38 PM PDT up reply actions
Hamilton is not particularly good anymore
I know that the fisc didn’t work out for keeping him and whatnot, but Marlon Byrd is very possibly a better player than Hamilton at this point, especially considering their respective injury tendencies.
Arthur Dent: You know, it's at times like this, when I'm trapped in a Vogon airlock with a man from Betelgeuse and about to die of asphyxiation in deep space, that I really wish I'd listened to what my mother told me when I was young.
Ford Prefect: Why, what did she tell you?
Arthur Dent: I don't know, I didn't listen!
And Hamilton
Average, maybe, but certainly not “great to spectacular”
by NRC on May 6, 2010 2:49 PM PDT up reply actions
cannon of arm
maybe not the rangiest of CFs but a potent corner guy.
-The president of the "Sign Elijah Dukes" fan club.
Someone with the actual magical numbers can back me up...
…but from what I remember, in all measurements, Barton is a plus defender.
"Oh who am I kidding? The A's and Giants could stage a pillow fight, and I'd still care who wins." -67Marquez
Thanks! You're a peach!
I knew they were out there!
"Oh who am I kidding? The A's and Giants could stage a pillow fight, and I'd still care who wins." -67Marquez
Exactly what ones are you looking at?
because theres nothing on there that shows he’s a plus defender.
-The president of the "Sign Elijah Dukes" fan club.
2007-2009 Stats
He has a positive UZR for the last 3 years, and positive range for all 4 years. He has negative fielding value so far this year, mainly because of the the errors.
by Amit on May 6, 2010 5:16 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
UZR is notoriously volatile.
Looking at single year UZR in a vacuum, especially given the small sample sizes in 2007 and 2008, is not all that helpful. And there’s no reason to discount his 2010 stats. Those errors are still a reflection of his skill.
His career UZR/150 (which still suffers from SSS) is 2.7. That would have ranked 6th in 2009 and 11th in 2008. Above average. Not elite.
by NRC on May 6, 2010 6:03 PM PDT up reply actions
That's what I would think.
And if you look at the breakdown, Barton is above average at both range and starting double plays. His only negative is the errors.
I’m not a big fan of UZR, but saying that Barton “absolutely is not a good defender” is hard to back up with facts.
Yep.
Above average, with more potential if he can cut down on the silly errors.
The selfish, they're all standing in line, faithing and hoping to buy themselves time.
Me, I figure as each breath goes by, I only own my mind.
Whatever else you said, this:
3XTR3M3 FA1TH0RZ
cracked me up.
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
Suzuki and Ellis?
One has been terrible and the other has been hurt all year.
And yeah, Chavez here instead of Cust is pretty inexcusable.
"The A's have to be setting some record this year for simultaneously maximizing team quality and player anonymity. I guess that’s sort of their thing though." - Luke in MN
Which one has been terrible?
"The A's get some action but they do not score..." -Glen Kuiper
"Anyone who calls themselves the Angels Angels should have to start over and ride the short bus." -timmeh from McCovey Chronicles
I'm guessing they mean Suzuki
As Ellis has missed all but 7 games so far.
"Their batters are patient to the point that it's annoying." -Ryan Franklin
Well, Ellis is the one who's closer to being out all year.
But shhhhh…don’t tell hero66 that Suzuki leads the team in OPS among all players not named Daric.
The selfish, they're all standing in line, faithing and hoping to buy themselves time.
Me, I figure as each breath goes by, I only own my mind.
It'll be our little secret
"Their batters are patient to the point that it's annoying." -Ryan Franklin
PL78, if you think Michael Young is "great to spectacular" at 3B
and that Barton is not a good defensive 1Bman…
…I don’t know what to say.
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
but-but-but-but
Reputation means everything!
"Smokey, this be not the foul jungles of the darkest East Orient. This be ninepins. We are bound by laws."
Seriously, which one is more likely to win a Gold Glove?
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
I also would love the A's to sign Elijah Dukes
to play as a roving 4th OF like we had in 06 with Payton with Bradley-Swisher-Kotsay. Sweeney-Davis-Crisp-Dukes would be incredible. I cant think of a bigger upgrade over Gross, who is looking like a dismal failure of a signing.
-The president of the "Sign Elijah Dukes" fan club.
Wow, please no.
I could not and would not root for that dude. Ever.
Bring back Hammer.
by OaktownPower on May 6, 2010 12:06 PM PDT up reply actions
Explain why not?
So he has a lot of kids with a lot of women, he didnt beat his wife in the middle of the street like Brett Meyers did. His record has been clear since 2008 and he was never convicted of anything.
Explain why you would never root for him. Ever. I’d root for anyone in an A’s uni. Ive also wanted Bonds here as a DH, and want Manny here now to DH if we arent going to bring up Cust. Baseball players are notorious douchebags, heck, I grew up WORSHIPPING Jose Canseco, a guy who makes the clowns on the Jersey Shore show look like Harvard graduates. Ty Cobb once stabbed a black guy for being an “uppity n*gger” and he’s in the Hall Of Fame. So, whats your beef with Dukes again?
-The president of the "Sign Elijah Dukes" fan club.
Haha, well the kids wit lots of women still counts.
Not to mention multiple arrests for battery and one for assault. Throwing bottles at 17 year old he impregnated? Cell phone pictures of a gun to one of his many baby mamas. The dude is a bad guy and I have no interest in having him on my favorite team at all. Just zero.
I rooted for Canseco too, but would certainly not now knowing what I know about him.
Manny and Bonds may have used whatever drugs, but I could root for them over Elijah Dukes any day. I have zero interest in supporting a guy with his record and history. Not to mention he just got cut by a terrible team and if you believe they cut him for “baseball reasons”, I just have to laugh then. Because Willie Harris and Roger Bernardina make talent expendable? Yea, ok.
Bring back Hammer.
by OaktownPower on May 6, 2010 12:23 PM PDT up reply actions
And add to that....
I wouldnt root for Brett Myers either.
Bring back Hammer.
by OaktownPower on May 6, 2010 12:25 PM PDT up reply actions
Gotcha
"Mora"l ballplayers are limited to like, Dale Murphy and Dale Murphy.
-The president of the "Sign Elijah Dukes" fan club.
and Nolan Ryan and Phil Niekro and Tommy John too
"We support your economy. We make your food and tend your fields. All we want are the same rights and responsiblities as you. Please... Vote YES on Proposition 801- Equal rights for sock puppets!"
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 6, 2010 2:28 PM PDT up reply actions
JUSTIN DUCHSCHERER
"Smokey, this be not the foul jungles of the darkest East Orient. This be ninepins. We are bound by laws."
Big difference between Elijah Dukes and a normal player
Do I think players are saints or “moral”? Haha, of course not, but Dukes is an extreme case of someone who I think is an extreme in the bad direction.
Bring back Hammer.
by OaktownPower on May 6, 2010 12:30 PM PDT up reply actions
Its interesting what points it takes you to draw the line in the sand
I think we all can agree on wife beating/assault on a woman officially makes you human garbage. But I think Ty Cobb was human garbage as well, and would certainly want him playing for my team, not against it. Would you not root for Dukes if he hit a walkoff HR? Its an interesting line to draw in the sand and is probably worth further discussion…
-The president of the "Sign Elijah Dukes" fan club.
You're in luck...it's tomorrow's story. ;-)
"Oh who am I kidding? The A's and Giants could stage a pillow fight, and I'd still care who wins." -67Marquez
Excellent...I think it's a GREAT topic, honestly
it’s got to be better than Fantasy Baseball, haha!
"Oh who am I kidding? The A's and Giants could stage a pillow fight, and I'd still care who wins." -67Marquez
Yeah, looking forward to it - I was just composing something in my head when I was distracted by tacos
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does.
The ninth fastest thirty year old in San Francisco
with cheese.
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 1:32 PM PDT up reply actions
and tons of hot sauce right now
so I can breathe.
SIG SPACE AVAILABLE FOR SPONSORSHIP. INQUIRE WITHIN.
check, check and check
I was too tired last night to make them, so, this is Cinco +1 de Mayo.
Because, hey, it’s never too late to eat tacos and celebrate beating up on french debt collectors, amirite?
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does.
The ninth fastest thirty year old in San Francisco
I, for one, never need a reason to celebrate beating up on french debt collectors.
er..
I mean eat tacos.
SIG SPACE AVAILABLE FOR SPONSORSHIP. INQUIRE WITHIN.
today (yesterday) we are all mexican
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does.
The ninth fastest thirty year old in San Francisco
Except for Don. He's not Irish enough.
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 1:55 PM PDT up reply actions
Evil Don is, though.
"We support your economy. We make your food and tend your fields. All we want are the same rights and responsiblities as you. Please... Vote YES on Proposition 801- Equal rights for sock puppets!"
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 6, 2010 3:59 PM PDT up reply actions
And he has the shillelagh to prove it.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
I heard cheese.
"The A's get some action but they do not score..." -Glen Kuiper
"Anyone who calls themselves the Angels Angels should have to start over and ride the short bus." -timmeh from McCovey Chronicles
FACT: mikev and I would argue about Bartons defense until the end of time
if we were forced to eat a never ending amount of tacos during it.
-The president of the "Sign Elijah Dukes" fan club.
Ty Cobb would be worthless today, unless he got on serious meds.
He’d be a horribly divisive clubhouse menace, and you’d have to trade all your nonwhite players to make him happy, then YOU’d get hammered in the press for being racist.
F him with a broomstick.
(Disclaimer: I WAS Ty Cobb in a past life, so I KNOW what a miserable dickhead he was)
"We support your economy. We make your food and tend your fields. All we want are the same rights and responsiblities as you. Please... Vote YES on Proposition 801- Equal rights for sock puppets!"
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 6, 2010 2:29 PM PDT up reply actions
Everyone's line is different
By all accounts, Cobb was a horrible guy and while I can’t transport myself to that era, I sure would not want him on my favorite team if he were playing today.
I would not openly root for Dukes, if he hit a walk-off HR to win the WS, I would be happy the A’s won the World Series, but would certainly not suddenly become a fan of his and would absolutely wish someone else had hit it. No part of me wants him on the A’s, not to mention the fact that he has not proven to be that good as he was not close to anything special last year in over 400 PA. He had a couple good months in 08, but sure didn’t do anything to build on that last year. I would be very against signing him and would rather have the gusy we have now or someone from AAA, easily.
Bring back Hammer.
I don't care who's playing for us
If they perform
"The A's have to be setting some record this year for simultaneously maximizing team quality and player anonymity. I guess that’s sort of their thing though." - Luke in MN
Just win, baby.
The Ultimate Opportunist
by Rated-R Superstar on May 6, 2010 7:11 PM PDT up reply actions
Shoot, if Dukes hit a walk-off HR
for us and we won the World Series, I’d buy a Dukes jersey — I’d contribute to his defense fund — I’d testify on his behalf (I don’t give a damn what the charge is) — I’d write letters to the judge — whatever he wants. He can date my girlfriend for all I care – and have another kid. WORLD SERIES RINGS ARE THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS … I don’t care what we have to do to get another one. I’d sell my soul.
I needed a team so I wouldn’t turn into one of the eighty million pink hat-wearing Bud Light-drinking mulleted idiots at Fenway.
This is funny as hell.
What did i tell you...didn't I say they would win? Yeah that's right I did didn't ? Wait.. what? They LOST?!?!?
Berkman said he'd waive his no-trade clause
I say he should be option number one this season as long as we don’t have to give up the farm to get him.
Chris Carter is the next Hank Aaron right?
by streetisclosedin08 on May 6, 2010 12:19 PM PDT reply actions
if by "not giving up the farm"
you mean trade for cash and a bag of balls then yes, but anything else no.
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - danmerqury
Yeah I don't think the asking price will be too high for him at all at this point in his career with injuries and and it being his free agent year
Chris Carter is the next Hank Aaron right?
by streetisclosedin08 on May 6, 2010 12:24 PM PDT up reply actions
Id prefer Cust at DH
but if Berkman wanted to DH and it only cost us Patterson, Fox and Buck I’d make that trade ASAP.
-The president of the "Sign Elijah Dukes" fan club.
I'm not entirely convinced
(Mike, cover your ear for a moment) that E-Pat might not be coming around.
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 12:33 PM PDT up reply actions
He ran into a homer and his OPS increased 100 points.
aside from that, he’s a fucking atrocious defender. All that ridiculous crap that pl78 said about Barton, well, it’s actually TRUE about Patterson. He can’t field and he can’t throw. It took TWO cutoff throws to get the ball to the infield and he was in left field.
He’s a worse fielder than Manny, Cust, or Abreu, but he can’t hit for shit.
SIG SPACE AVAILABLE FOR SPONSORSHIP. INQUIRE WITHIN.
Yeah, that was really hilarious.
Patterson threw to Pennington who threw to Kouzmanoff who…didn’t bother throwing to Suzuki.
The selfish, they're all standing in line, faithing and hoping to buy themselves time.
Me, I figure as each breath goes by, I only own my mind.
It always makes me laugh how far into the outfield the cutoff man has to run when the ball gets hit to Patterson
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does.
The ninth fastest thirty year old in San Francisco
I told you to cover your ears!
You obviously didn’t.
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 12:54 PM PDT up reply actions
Saying Barton is a league average defender = "ridiculous crap"
point taken.
-The president of the "Sign Elijah Dukes" fan club.
actually no, you said he was "horrible at defense"
unless you’d forgotten that already
and you also said “at best league average” but.. .he’s already above average.
blah blah blah. keep screaming what you think is right over and over until you convince yourself.
SIG SPACE AVAILABLE FOR SPONSORSHIP. INQUIRE WITHIN.
Patterson
My favorite chuckle at his expense comes when a ball is hit over his head int eh outfield. Dude turns like 27 different ways before the ball lands somewhere behind him. Somewhere he could have gotten to had he known how to play outfield.
I've waited almost three hours and no one had told me
“Yeah, he’s really showing me something.”
Last time I play straight man for you, AN.
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 3:31 PM PDT up reply actions
Sorry, i was working
Because I was about to say “Well LB, I actually think Patterson’s really showing me something.”
YEAH HE'S REALLY SHOWING ME SOMETHING
The selfish, they're all standing in line, faithing and hoping to buy themselves time.
Me, I figure as each breath goes by, I only own my mind.
TFL
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 4:37 PM PDT up reply actions
Why would the Astros want that?
The Ultimate Opportunist
by Rated-R Superstar on May 6, 2010 2:49 PM PDT up reply actions
They wouldn't
They might be interested in dumping his salary, however, more so than in getting a return for him in talent.
Arthur Dent: You know, it's at times like this, when I'm trapped in a Vogon airlock with a man from Betelgeuse and about to die of asphyxiation in deep space, that I really wish I'd listened to what my mother told me when I was young.
Ford Prefect: Why, what did she tell you?
Arthur Dent: I don't know, I didn't listen!
Regardless of what kind of player he turns out to be
I’d ship him and Fox and Buck away for ANYONE that would ensure a playoff appearance. Those names should be synonymous with “expendable”.
-The president of the "Sign Elijah Dukes" fan club.
Cust after Pennington, Barton and Sweeney will result in 3 run innings, let alone 3 run games, every now and then.
I don’t know about that? More likely a strikeout or a walk where (if we assume that Pennington, Barton and Sweeney get on) bases are loaded which means only 0 or 1 run. More than likely you’ll see him look at a pitch on the outside corner for a punch out. Can’t wait to have him back.
Although, Chavez is not exactly tearing it up. I guess Bobo Geren doesn’t like Fox against right-handed pitching. Not a lot of good options at DH.
"not exactly tearing it up"
“there is a problem with your dirigible, herr Doctor”
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - danmerqury
I think I've probably talked at too great a length about my feelings on point seven
suffice it to say, continue to be awesome
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does.
The ninth fastest thirty year old in San Francisco
Man, this is way better stuff than what your normal Thursday guy produces.
I'm here to talk about the past.
I always get a little nervous when we have an episode in the thread
"Oh who am I kidding? The A's and Giants could stage a pillow fight, and I'd still care who wins." -67Marquez
Just sit tight...
He’ll tire himself out eventually. Don? Donny? You want a nap?
The selfish, they're all standing in line, faithing and hoping to buy themselves time.
Me, I figure as each breath goes by, I only own my mind.
(pst...get cookies, too...I'm hungry)
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 1:18 PM PDT up reply actions
You're always hungry.
"We support your economy. We make your food and tend your fields. All we want are the same rights and responsiblities as you. Please... Vote YES on Proposition 801- Equal rights for sock puppets!"
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 6, 2010 2:31 PM PDT up reply actions
[so?]
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 2:42 PM PDT up reply actions
If you spent less time eating and more time packing,
you’d almost be ready to move by now!
"We support your economy. We make your food and tend your fields. All we want are the same rights and responsiblities as you. Please... Vote YES on Proposition 801- Equal rights for sock puppets!"
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 6, 2010 2:51 PM PDT up reply actions
always so critical...
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 2:53 PM PDT up reply actions
I do it because I love...
"We support your economy. We make your food and tend your fields. All we want are the same rights and responsiblities as you. Please... Vote YES on Proposition 801- Equal rights for sock puppets!"
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 6, 2010 3:05 PM PDT up reply actions
you been exercising?
Word on the street is that you’re soft.
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 1:32 PM PDT up reply actions
Wolfgang is not amused.
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 1:19 PM PDT up reply actions
A big question for the division
In my opinion is going to be if the Halo’s bullpen continues to implode. Not that they have lots of leads, but even when they are close, their normally reliable middle relief pitchers have been god aweful this year.
I for one couldn’t be happier. If that doesn’t get fixed for them it’s going to be a stressful year in Anahiem.
by TheGreenGoldCrush on May 6, 2010 1:09 PM PDT reply actions
Their rotation is league average.
Their bullpen is horrendous (xFIP 4.93) and their offense is aging with no impact prospects waiting in the minors.
Off all the teams in the AL West, I worry about them the least.
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
I don't even know about that.
I’d call their rotation below league average. It’s certainly lacking in any impact players.
The selfish, they're all standing in line, faithing and hoping to buy themselves time.
Me, I figure as each breath goes by, I only own my mind.
Jered Weaver is really really good this year.
Their ability to contend pretty much rests on the health/performance of Santana and Kazmir. Pineiro is the definition of league average. Saunders makes me laugh.
Their rotation has a FIP of 4.74 and a xFIP of 4.15….I’d say they’re squarely around league average.
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
It makes me sad that one can now consider whether
a thing can “continue to implode”. It tells me that “implode” no longer has individual meaning beyond just being another word for “be bad”.
Yes, I know this is just the natural process of a living language, but it still makes me sad every time I see one more good word with a rich and special flavor ground into blandness by the relentless mill of usage.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
I don't understand why you get so inflexible about things like this
If you conceptualize the implosion as being a season-long one, then “continue to implode” is completely accurate.
A planet could take a million years to implode. Would one not say that it is “continuing to implode” if you find that it’s smaller in Year 800001 than in Year 800000?
Arthur Dent: You know, it's at times like this, when I'm trapped in a Vogon airlock with a man from Betelgeuse and about to die of asphyxiation in deep space, that I really wish I'd listened to what my mother told me when I was young.
Ford Prefect: Why, what did she tell you?
Arthur Dent: I don't know, I didn't listen!
what evidence do you have...
for planetary implosion?
"I’m actually a disgrace to myself right now." - Sean Gallagher (quoting me after a night out on the town)
I don't think I'm "inflexible"
Part of the joy of language is the richness and nuance of meaning carried by every word. Words come and go, grow and fade. When they pass, I mourn.
Seems to me you’re the one who is being literal. Sure, a million-year gravitational collapse is technically an implosion but that’s not the imagery that gives meaning to the figurative use of the word. When we say something implodes we’re thinking of something like a planned building destruction, or a vacuum tube that breaks. The key idea is that everything looks normal and then all of a sudden it goes “pow!” and now it has collapsed inward to apparent nothingness.
It is because of imagery like this that saying a team (pitcher, bullpen, whatever) “implodes”, or “tanks”, or “falls of a cliff” are not exactly synonymous but only synonym varieties each with its own special flavor.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
I think I saw a vacuum tube once
My dad showed it to me when I was a kid. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one again.
Don't you know? There's one right there in your TV!
(Unless you have one of those fancy-pants new-fangled kind with all the special buttons.)
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
Oh, I have an old one
Which I assume has a CRT in it (I assume you mean the CRT?). But I have not actually seen the tube itself, just the mind-numbing rays that emanate from it. I meant the actual tube itself. Which I think my dad was showing me because the amplifier ran on vacuum tubes, and he had to order one.
The other day, I went to test out an old amplifier I wanted to buy at a pawn shop,
but I noticed that somebody had stolen all of the tubes out of the back of it.
Dicks.
"We support your economy. We make your food and tend your fields. All we want are the same rights and responsiblities as you. Please... Vote YES on Proposition 801- Equal rights for sock puppets!"
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 6, 2010 6:01 PM PDT up reply actions
Meh
As far as I’m concerned, you can use whatever linguistic metaphor you damn well want to (at least as long as you’re not using it as a backdoor way to sneak in some unsupportable assertion about reality).
Arthur Dent: You know, it's at times like this, when I'm trapped in a Vogon airlock with a man from Betelgeuse and about to die of asphyxiation in deep space, that I really wish I'd listened to what my mother told me when I was young.
Ford Prefect: Why, what did she tell you?
Arthur Dent: I don't know, I didn't listen!
You're being inflexible because you're insisting on your imagery
There’s nothing in the definition of implode that insists on an instantaneous nature.
M-W has “bursts inward”, though it follows with “violent compression” – so I’d go more with force than time for “burst” there.
OK, that's fair, but
let’s go back to the original example: How does it make sense for a bullpen to continue to implode? Once it has imploded, it’s done. It’s not like sucking, which you can continue to do all season long.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
I think you're probably right
with respect to the original comment, he’s just using it as synonym for suck, which isn’t correct.
Unless they end up having some A’s style luck and the bullpen keeps getting worse – due to injuries, or what-have-you. Then you could describe this point in time as being mid-implosion. Hard to make that call right now though, though I suppose we can still hope for it.
For example, I think you could make this statement: “I really hope the health of the A’s starters doesn’t continue to implode.” Since a baseball team/bullpen is a collection of individuals, if they gradually get injured/worse, I think you could describe them as being in the middle of imploding.
No, that's not true
Only that it’s not instantaneous.
And sure, some implosions are basically instantaneous. But they’re not necessarily so.
Also, there’s no reason an implosion, of some sort, couldn’t be halted midway.
its like those firecrackers that you think are out before blowing up again and again.
"Since other people actually read these threads, though, probably best that your particular brand of wrongness not go completely unchallenged." - PT
by designatedforassignment on May 7, 2010 10:39 PM PDT up reply actions
I just got back from lunch at Henry's Hunan on Sacramento Street in the City....
and Matt Morrison was sitting at the table next to me. I kinda wish it was this Matt Morrison though. He seems way cooler.
luv some Henry's
Too bad it’s on the far side of downtown from me.
Just south of Union Square
Right across from where Ford was shot at.
He got shot at in SF, too?
I know he got shot at in Sacramento.
"We support your economy. We make your food and tend your fields. All we want are the same rights and responsiblities as you. Please... Vote YES on Proposition 801- Equal rights for sock puppets!"
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 6, 2010 4:00 PM PDT up reply actions
Yup
folks say you can still see the mark in the wall of the St Francis
Both places
Sacramento – Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme
SF – Sara Jane Moore
BEER IS GOOD. BEER IS GOOD. BEER IS GOOD, AND STUFF.
I prefer Brittany.
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 2:47 PM PDT up reply actions
dolphins are just gay sharks.
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 3:27 PM PDT up reply actions
sometimes I forget my middle name.
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 3:35 PM PDT up reply actions
I think my cat has been reading my diary.
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 3:57 PM PDT up reply actions
Well you know what that means, then, right?
"We support your economy. We make your food and tend your fields. All we want are the same rights and responsiblities as you. Please... Vote YES on Proposition 801- Equal rights for sock puppets!"
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 6, 2010 4:01 PM PDT up reply actions
He's like seven kinds of attractive.
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
Nah. Puck now....he could make a boy rethink his position.
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 3:57 PM PDT up reply actions
Yum
(don’t tell OP)
"Oh who am I kidding? The A's and Giants could stage a pillow fight, and I'd still care who wins." -67Marquez
Not that the A's offense is sputtering helplessly right now
But it will be markedly improved if and when Cust replaces Chavez at DH and Crisp replaces Eric Patterson in LF (or Davis in CF, who replaces Patterson in LF). Chavez and Patterson as starters are an absolute drain on this lineup. Honestly, how can somebody as quick as Patterson be that bad in left field? I guess his noodle arm doesn’t help. Stop clamoring for Taylor and Carter, they aren’t ready.
If you think Billy Beane is a bad GM, I hate you and find you stupid.
I agree with this
Plus adding Suzuki when he comes back will help tremendously too. If we can just stay around 1st place (and keep my name relevant) we’ll be in good shape once guys start coming back and (if) Cust comes up. Of course, I’m sure a new wave of injuries will hit once all that happens making this all moot anyway.
"Their batters are patient to the point that it's annoying." -Ryan Franklin
(pst, say hi to him)
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 2:25 PM PDT up reply actions
it's part of your new job.
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 5:39 PM PDT up reply actions
I need training
Or at least to spend more time in AAA
"Their batters are patient to the point that it's annoying." -Ryan Franklin
You're 1st place??
I always thought you were 1st base.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
When I initially made my handle
All those years ago (I think 4-5) we had just moved into 1st so I thought I’d have my name reflect that. Over the last couple years I’ve toyed with the idea of making one for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th and maybe a Helloooo WC if need be.
"Their batters are patient to the point that it's annoying." -Ryan Franklin
May I add
I first found AN on my own but then not long after I was at a game with my dad and one of his dearest friends who knew I was a big fan and asked if I had ever visited Athletics Nation. I told him I had but had found some of the ideas too radical for my thinking (I have since realized that I was naive). Anyway I gave it another chance and I’m still here but have always wondered if my dad’s friend is still a regular visitor. So here goes, Dallas if you are out there I would like to take this chance to say Helloooo!
"Their batters are patient to the point that it's annoying." -Ryan Franklin
Hellloooo WC?
I know the A’s have had their down moments, but they’re not going completely in the toilet. That’s harsh.
"We support your economy. We make your food and tend your fields. All we want are the same rights and responsiblities as you. Please... Vote YES on Proposition 801- Equal rights for sock puppets!"
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 6, 2010 6:02 PM PDT up reply actions
My imagination is turned off today
I had Wild Card but the only other possibility I can think of is Worst Club
"Their batters are patient to the point that it's annoying." -Ryan Franklin
Oh thank god.
I thought you meant Walnut Creek.
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
It's almost funny how there's such a quick fix to our DH problems.
But the A’s just. won’t. use. it.
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
I think the rationale comes from the same reason they chose Fox over Powell.
Powell has proven himself a worthy backup, but if they chose Powell over Fox, they’d have to risk losing Fox. Chavez has been a good hitter in the past, so they are taking a chance that he’s still a useful player (protip: he isn’t). The $12,000,000 also has something to do with it. I hope it’s only the A’s giving Chavez one last chance, and that Cust will be back in Oakland very soon.
If you think Billy Beane is a bad GM, I hate you and find you stupid.
Daric Barton has 4 sacrifice bunts, good for 3rd in the AL.
That is an abomination.
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
by lenscrafters on May 6, 2010 2:13 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
I like you.
"Oh who am I kidding? The A's and Giants could stage a pillow fight, and I'd still care who wins." -67Marquez
OMG hi mikev!
"Oh who am I kidding? The A's and Giants could stage a pillow fight, and I'd still care who wins." -67Marquez
I'm going through withdrawals, here, AN.
I could game thread Angels at Red Sox at 7pm EST on MLBN…
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
screw that. Outside sucks.
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 3:31 PM PDT up reply actions
In winter I agree but it's wonderful out this time of year
have you decided where you’re going to move in Cali yet?
opposite in Florida.
No, Not yet.
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 3:58 PM PDT up reply actions
yeah that's true...winter is the time of year when people think about moving to Florida
I know I did.
If I ever did move back to California (about a 1 in a Million chance) I’d go to Sacramento.
but it's a dry heat, and the nights are nice and cool most of the time
"We support your economy. We make your food and tend your fields. All we want are the same rights and responsiblities as you. Please... Vote YES on Proposition 801- Equal rights for sock puppets!"
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 6, 2010 4:12 PM PDT up reply actions
I'm not a witch, I'm your wife!
And after what YOU just said, I’m not even sure I want to be THAT anymore!
"Oh who am I kidding? The A's and Giants could stage a pillow fight, and I'd still care who wins." -67Marquez
Dude, I'm in Livermore.
It gets hotter here (and colder, I think?) than Sac.
SIG SPACE AVAILABLE FOR SPONSORSHIP. INQUIRE WITHIN.
It's damn close, that's for sure.
"We support your economy. We make your food and tend your fields. All we want are the same rights and responsiblities as you. Please... Vote YES on Proposition 801- Equal rights for sock puppets!"
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 6, 2010 4:22 PM PDT up reply actions
How are you, Don?
The Ultimate Opportunist
by Rated-R Superstar on May 6, 2010 3:41 PM PDT up reply actions
I’m overstuffed. I just ate a box of Little Caesars.
The Ultimate Opportunist
by Rated-R Superstar on