NLCS Game Five: Dodgers @ Phillies
By
Much like their SoCal counterparts, the Dodgers are down 3-1 in the League Championship Series and have their backs to the wall. I know some fans enjoy seeing Joe Torre and his club thisclose to elimination for whatever reason, but if the Yanks do move on to the World Series, it would be in their best interests for the Dodgers to mount a comeback and push the Phightin’s to seven tough games.
Philly will send last year’s ace and new father Cole Hamels to the mound for the second time in the series tonight. He allowed nine baserunners – including a pair of homers – and four runs in five and a third innings pitch, although his team walked away with a win. The Dodgers will counter with former Phillie Vicente Padilla, who was excellent in Game Two.
Here’s the lineups:
Los Angeles
Rafael Furcal, SS
Ronnie Belliard, 2B
Andre Ethier, RF
Manny Ramirez, LF
Matt Kemp, CF
James Loney, 1B
Russ Martin, C
Casey Blake, 3B
Vicente Padilla, SP (12-6, 4.46)
Philadelphia
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Shane Victorino, CF
Chase Utley, 2B
Ryan Howard, 1B
Jayson Werth, RF
Raul Ibanez, LF
Pedro Feliz, 3B
Carlos Ruiz, C
Cole Hamels (10-11, 4.32)
Chip Caray will fist the call on TBS; first pitch is scheduled for 8:07pm ET.
If non-Yankee baseball isn’t your thing, you could always check out the Islanders taking on the Hurricanes at home. But it’s the Isles, no one cares about them. Feel free to talk about whatever you want, just be sure to follow the guidelines and be nice to each other.
475 Comments»
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I’m bored. This game better be a good one.
I’m tired. This game better be long and boring, so I can catch up on some sleep.
I’m high. This game better be full of bright colors and cool visual special effects.
/Pawlikowski’d
I’m horny, This game better have some beer commercials with hot chicks in it.
/Pat’d
Im Steve Phillips .There better be a fat ugly chick here
He’s taking the Moneyball approach — attractive mistresses are more expensive, so it’s more efficient to take one like Miss Hundley.
…that chick looked more like Todd Hundley.
Like I said when Steve McNair got killed:
Rule #1 of the mistress is NEVER, EVER PICK THE UGLY GIRL. Pretty mistresses are always the smart move, because when you break up with her to go back to/stay with your wife, she won’t go all stalkerish and refuse to let you go and do something dumb/career-ruining/homicidal.
Pretty girls can deal with rejection because they know they’ll find someone else.
So true. This was her one shot at a happy life born with a face/body like that. The silver fox setting her adrift ruined that one glimmer of hope of being able to marry/glom off of a man:
a) who owns a home
b) under 300 lbs
c) has no convictions (that we know of)
d) is respected at work (and virtually nowhere outside of work)
Hmmm, I think you also added that you’ve said too much.
(Why do I remember that but forget everything for tests and stuff to do?)
Hmmm, I think you also added that you’ve said too much. (Why do I remember that but forget everything for tests and stuff to do?)
Because I’m always on your mind.
Nah, I remember the weirdest shit.
Actually, she looks like she doesn’t walk a lot.
Maybe Chip Caray in a non Yankee game will be better than those Fox idiots.
That’s like choosing between Pol Pot and Idi Amin.
Pick Idi Amin. His wives are sexier.
http://concreteloop.com/wp-con.....9/fwm4.jpg
Apparently it took Forrest Whitaker months after filming to shake the accent.
Movie wasn’t great, but he was fucking terrifying in that role.
Oh come on. Idi Amin was a much better brutal dictator than Pol Pot. Idi was always good for a laugh, like when he declared himself ‘Conqueror of the British Empire’ after Great Britain broke off diplomatic relations with Uganda. That’s some first rate comedy right there.
Pol Pot was a paranoid Communist, which is about as much fun as reading the Federal Tax code.
I think I love you (not no-homo, but low-homo levels are present).
Hmmmm. I see why you got the “Overshare” tag attached to you.
(BTW-If that’s your thing, talk to Pat. You didn’t hear this from me)
Bring wood-grain alcohol and barbiturates.
Oh, and make sure you settle on a safe word ahead of time.
Well, someone has to watch the highway bathroom stall. A cop could walk in at any minute.
Safe word(s) is “Halos Heaven.”
Chip Caray will fist the call on TBS
(golf clap)
Yeah, when McCarver started talking about choking last night I damn near lost it.
Did you notice how he kept leaning over toward Joe Buck in those studio shots, the approving looks he gave him and how he had his arm on the back of Joe’s chair?
He obviously has a very deep affection for the man. We can only imagine the origin of such admiration.
Hey, Mike. I wasn’t able to ask this in the chat so I’ll ask it now. King Felix for Mauer. Who hangs up first?
Anyone can feel free to drop their opinion too.
The biggest issue here, even if the Twins would part with Mauer (and they won’t), is that while the Mariners can afford Mauer, the Twins can’t afford Felix.
Hmm…that’s a good one. I’d be inclined to think the Twins hold on to Mauer and the Mariners let go of Felix, so I’d say the Twins, even though King Felix provides more value than Mauer.
Mariners hang up. Mauer only has one more year left on his deal.
That’s interesting. I think the Twins would hang up soon. Felix seems pretty determined to hit free agency in two years, Mauer’s a hometown boy they actually have a chance of retaining.
Phillies are one win away from 2nd place.
One win away from third place.
There will be no second place behind us, we’re that awesome. It goes right from first place (us) to third place (everyone else).
ietc
I think the Phillies will be a very tough series, much tougher than the Twins or Angels.
karma…
Karma karma karma
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmcA9LIIXWw (safe)
I really don’t see them being better than the Angels. I think they’re about equal.
ietc
“If non-Yankee baseball isn’t your thing, you could always check out the Islanders taking on the Hurricanes at home. But it’s
the Isleshockey, no one cares aboutthemthat.”Fixed.
Hey now, I care a mighty bit bout my Devils!
Are you talking about Duke Blue Devils basketball, or Arizona State Sun Devils baseball, or Missisippi Valley State Delta Devils football?
Sens are coming back this year!!!
They have to, they only get a month of August recess and they still have to sort out the healthcare reform bills in committee.
+1
And this is coming from a guy who goes a university that basically only plays AND loves hockey.
Didn’t U of Denver have a big win in basketball once?
Yea, but it’s still a huge Hockey song.
WTF? How’d that happen? Damn iPhone.
I meant school.
The only hockey I watch is NHL 10. That shit is legit.
+100000
Same with me.
I saw hockey
lowlightshighlights on ESPN the other day, and I was all, “They made that mildly enjoyable NES videogame “Blades of Steel” into a real, live-action game played by real men? How do you like that shit? This is just like when they turned “NBA Jam” into SlamBall.”http://upload.wikimedia.org/wi.....n_2008.jpg
Obviously a sport invented by a pissed off white guy who wanted to jump high.
i agree, whats hockey ?
Our bench in the WS in NL games is going to be amazing. Matsui, Hinske, Jerry, Cervelli, and Gardy = awesome.
I forgot Molina.
So in any game in which AJ pitches in the NL park, we’d have 2 pitchers in the lineup? Ugh. Matsui and Posada on the bench doesn’t sound good.
Here’s the plan:
Burnett starts Game 2 in YS3, and Molina doesn’t bat thanks to the DH. CC starts Game 4 and clinches. No need for Burnett + Molina in Game 5.
Done, and done.
Watching CC crush a pitch and send it into the seats is going to be so much fun.
CC>>>>>JoMo
Yikes. The rotation has to be set up with AJ pitching games 2 and 6 at NYS.
Would Hinske be really necessary, since Matsui would be the first bat off the bench? Both lefties, zero speed. Seems a little redundant.
Not to get too far ahead of ourselves or anything (we’re just begging to piss of the baseball gods).
Thought the same thing. Then I remember that PH’s get replaced by a reliever and you might need a bat later again.
aceves, gaudin, MR or Guzman for Hinske?
iiiDIGAME!!!!
But who will be the 4th starter! We’re doomed!
/weakness’d
Girardi will outsmart everybody and start Brian Bruney!
/Lucky’d
We all assume that the Yanks are on a collision course with the Phillies, but this isn’t necessarily true.
The Yankees could still play the Dodgers.
Theoretically.
Yes, but the Phillies manager is still alive. That’s a big plus.
I bet MLB would love to see a Dodgers-Yankees WS. Not only are we talking about the two main markets, but there’s also the drama filled scenario of Joe Torre-—bringing along Donnie Baseball, for good measure—-facing his old team, now managed by his protégée and namesake Joe Girardi; and Manny returning to face his Bronx archrivals, which he has frequently punished in the past. Man…
Donnie Baseball is coincidenced into never participating in a World Series.
Thank you for using the word “coincidenced” and not some other, dumber word for things that don’t exist. I appreciate the effort.
Steve Phillips, really?
Now, I don’t condone cheating on a significant other, but at least do it with some class. This chick looks like a right-outside linebacker.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PlJT.....esteve.jpg
Saw a comment somewhere that called her a “slump buster.” That made me chuckle.
There must be some slim fucking pickins in Bristol, CT.
They had a Quarterback-Center kind of relationship.
This isn’t going to help Philips’ reputation as a poor evaluator of talent.
Snark aside, you’d think there’d be scores of moderate-to-extremely attractive women lining up to screw Steve Phillips, solely because he’s on TV
Sheesh.
This isn’t going to help Philips’ reputation as a poor evaluator of talent.
haha ietc
Snark aside, you’d think there’d be scores of moderate-to-extremely attractive women lining up to screw Steve Phillips, solely because he’s on TV
“So, I’m banging this hot chick, right… What, why are you laughing? I get pussy, I’m on basic cable.”
-Patton Oswalt
Today in the chat, I asked Mike:
“Who is worse: Steve Phillips the analyst, or Steve Phillips the husband.”
Still waiting for an answer.
Steve Phillips the husband >>> Steve Phillips the GM >>> Steve Phillips the analyst >>> Steve Phillips the lothario
Don’t condone cheating either but I always tell my married friends who like to stray, “If she’s not hotter than your wife, why bother?”
I’m a broke nobody and the ugliest chick I’ve been with is Heidi Klum compared to Phillips’ paramour. So, how is it that so many dudes w/money, looks and fame choose to cheat w/such unattractive women? Ugh.
I’m a broke nobody and the ugliest chick I’ve been with is Heidi Klum compared to Phillips’ paramour. So, how is it that so many dudes w/money, looks and fame choose to cheat w/such unattractive women?
http://media.ebaumsworld.com/p.....pidity.png
Bill Clinton frowns on your shenanigans.
I didnt know there was a 4th Molina brother
It goes without saying, but I’d hit that. I doubt I’d even need to bring my van and the “Free Candy!” bumper stickers.
Also, as someone who had an ex become a lesbian (I’ve long decided to not speculate how/we that happened; I simply have too many flaws), I can tell you that Phillips should be commended for convincing a lesbian to get with him.
So I picked up the Best American Sportswriting 2009 because Todd Drew’s got a piece in it, but then I ended up reading a Michael Lewis piece about Cuban baseball, and the entire thing is kind of crazy.
It also makes me want to move to Canada, gain Canadian citizenship, and then work in in Cuba as a covert scout.
Just sayin.
http://www.vanityfair.com/poli.....ball200807
This is it, and you’re right, it’s an interesting piece.
i hate writing cover letters. so much.
You and me both, kid.
Cover letters are great. Just think of it as an opportunity to tell someone how badass you are.
But… I have not yet been to college.
http://www.nypost.com/rw/nypos.....15;380.jpg
I think Steve Phillips and Bill Clinton should go out clubbing together.
Heh, she’s wearing a Denver Cutler jersey.
Hot.
She’s only a small step above Nick Mangold’s sister.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10.....ngold.html
Wow… Nick Mangold is The Man and apparently, so is his sister, heh.
Depends if you like blondes or not.
I laughed… and laughed.
She has sharp knees. WOULD NOT HIT!
Are you sure that’s not HER jersey? She was one of the last cuts in August.
*golf clap*
Could be. Cutler did get traded way before that. And the Broncos needed a lot of LBs, D-linemen, and Casey Weigmann wanted a better contract or he said he would retire.
I really need to stop going to bed at 5 am. It’s doing me no favors at all.
Tell me about it. Had a headache all day.
Sorry to hear. I hope it gets better soon.
What happened with me was that I had an appointment at the Career Center at my alma mater to check over my resume. I made corrections to it, left it in the counselor’s box and made an appointment for next week to discuss it. Turns out I was supposed to come in today. Now I’m just kicking myself. I am already hurting myself with this fouled up sleep schedule to the point that I don’t leave myself enough time to go out to search for work and do other chores. It also didn’t help that I was a pansy and forewent career advice until recently.
I want to say something here, but I probably shouldn’t. Yeah, I definitely shouldn’t.
“Quit your job as a male gigolo?”
Close, but not really.
I worked the night shift for ~6 months. It gets to the point where all you can think of is sleep.
Well as the baseball year winds down, the NBA season will begin, and my lovable Knicks will begin their quest for a playoff spot and you know what, they will make the playoffs. By the way Danilo Gallinari is gonna shut down some doubters this coming season (Yes im talking to you Tommie) if he’s healthy.
He damn well better.
Seriously, though, he did play nice in the small spurts between back injuries last year.
76 pitches through 4. Not good to have to go to that pen early.
Wow, have I missed Bon Jovi.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com.....1e2725.jpg
Now THAT’S a well trained dog.
Looks taxidermied.
ESPN Fail! http://bit.ly/XpkN8
They have mistakes like that all the time.
Link don’t work.
But it did!
Doesn’t work for me either.
For me either.
What Craig didn’t mention:
It’s Jeter’s cologne that Manny was using.
and he was driving a Ford Edge.
I wonder what time Manny is gonna leave this game tonight?
Andre sends one into the ethier.
/Sterling’d
There is NO FUCKIN WAY I would ever throw back a home run ball.
agreed–how often are you ever going to catch a game ball?
Kevin Youkilis hits a walk off at Yankee Stadium.
Oh well. Guess I have a Kevin Youkilis home run ball.
I’d sell it to Ben Affleck in exchange for the secret to how to be rich and famous despite not having any discernible talent.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0166222/
Ben learned everything he knows from Dane Cook.
http://www.badmouthtees.com/im.....er_240.gif
you can’t walk off on the road
New rule, only applies to Kevin.
No walkoffs at on the road.
I’d sell that shit if it was against the Yankees but no way I’ll throw it back.
Attaboy, Andre.
Not that I really care who wins the quest for 3rd place, but I would like to see the Dodgers win this game simply so that there is more baseball to watch between the world series and Yankees clinching tomorrow.
About the only thing to root for is for the Dodgers to somehow make this thing go 7, so the Phillies would have to use Lee.
Agreed. No reason for this series to reach a speedy conclusion.
True, that would indeed be a tangible benefit … plus a game 7 would just be really fun to watch. But I honestly don’t care who wins, neither opponent looks like they will be as challenging as the Angels.
Anyone see those Jorge Posada McDonalds ads on some sites? I think he just looks funny in those.
If you havent seen those, I downloaded the flash video and uploaded the video:
http://www.zshare.net/video/67302509769320c9/
He looks so goofy. This is only one of those, the other ad is funny too but it doesn’t show up anymore on any site.
OMG is that link spammy.
That link is so spammy, that Hawaii loves it.
/Henny Youngman’d
Spammy! How I love ya, how I love ya, my dear old Spammy!
/Al Jolson’d
My thunder us completely stolen.
Yeah, I laugh every time I see those.
He looks better in them than he did running the bases last night, though.
How overrated is Rollins?
He’ll have a bounceback year next year, get one last moderately large contract, and then wither away into Varitekian suckiness by 2012.
I could see that happening too. I can see him signing with the Red Sox, actually … I would enjoy that.
The Phillies are the best-looking team in baseball, and I’m not referring to them playing well.
Well I am.
Sorta.
Really? Werth?
You have a thing for horrendous facial hair or something?
Actually, sorta.
Hamels is better than Werth but Werth ain’t bad.
Two words:
Matt Stairs
You just dig the long ball
Well, you have to like his mom at least, right? http://willdo.philadelphiaweek.....rthmom.jpg
The pic doesn’t do her justice.
Don’t make me break this down position by position to prove the Yankees have the edge, Rebecca.
Look at Melky’s dimples! They’re adorable!!
/Drew’d
What’s on the inside is what counts…
http://www.human-body-facts.co.....iagram.jpg
That’s bullshit and you know it.
Vicente Padilla: stopper.
WTF?
http://media.giantbomb.com/upl....._large.jpg
The the hell is it with DirecTV and dead actors? First the little girl from Poltergeist and now Chris Farley. What’s next, one of the kids in Moonwalker breaking the 4th wall to talk about DirecTV while Michael Jackson is dancing?
Utley now shares a place in the books with Boog Powell.
Padilla throws 96? The fuck?
Hell, Chan Ho Park was throwing 96. The TBS gun is jacked.
gameday has him at 96 too
Gameday has him 94-95 as well.
I figured him as more a 90-92, maybe a 94 on the high side.
He stole a flower from Mario so he can throw the heat
Yea, easily.
http://www.fangraphs.com/fgrap.....091004.png
That doesn’t sound right…. maybe Manny hooked him up with some “GNC supplements”
Not to kvetch, but I am so tired… the last two days I’ve been working on slides being shown to THE big cheese – not that I’m showing it to him, of course. This other director comes over at 6:30 and bends my ear for 45 mins about the change in option valuation methodology, then walks away saying “hey you should implement this”
So I’ve got an hour of work ahead – or 2 if I keep watching the game. Heh
I guess that explains why everyone hates getting hit by him.
That lady was excited.
Preliminary results are in: this series is not going 7.
Funny, for a second there I thought Chip had emotion.
Ibanez Matsui’d that one.
“Tries to pull an outside pitch.”
/Kay’d
Bandbox!
Disgraceful!
Bandbox!
I hope Pedro gets a start in the WS. That would be very cool to face him, given all the history.
Solo home runs?
The Dodgers are not playing the Right Way.
You know who really wasn’t playing the right way last night? CC. When up 5-1, he should’ve let two more runs score because he could. He should’ve pitched to the score like true aces do. What a failure.
/GhostofAlexGonzalez’d
Jack Morris’s moustache >>>>>> CC’s non-caucasian gangsteresque off-center hat tilt
Slugfest coming right up.
Casey Blake or Carlos Santana?
Grit Beard>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Talent
Thats not a grit beard. Blake has a gentlemans beard.
I actually don’t mind Blake’s beard.
It does have a collegiate pot-smoker look, though.
Eh, I grew a beard kind of like his back in ’07 (didn’t shave from January to Easter) so I’ve got a softspot for his.
I’m a big Casey Blake fan… but come on, Colletti. Really?
So the Phillies pitching staff for the World Series is Cliff Lee and….uhhh….ummm…yeah.
I’ll take CC over Lee in Game 1 in a good pitchers duel ending in Yankee victory. After that, we can demolish whatever sacrificial lambs they throw out there for Games 2-4.
Even Hamels? I understand he struggled through out the season but he’s still dangerous.
My initial thought would be to agree with you, but he just has not looked sharp at all this postseason. Against the Rockies and Dodgers. Now replace that with the Yankees and it looks a bit grim for him.
He is still dangerous… to a NORMAL team.
Yeah, it almost seems like a waste throwing Lee vs. CC in game 1. CC will not allow his team to lose when he pitches.
A YS3 is a fucking bandbox? WTF.
oh A-Rod and Teixiera will love playing there, if and when the Yanks makes it.
No more worries. If we play the Phillies, Molina’s going to have another grand slam.
The umpire just got really excited about punching out Hamels.
/EnricoPallazzo’d
He didn’t like Cole’s makeup tips, apparently.
And yet we can’t make comments about a bandbox?
My favorite movie is Drumline.
http://images.allmoviephoto.co.....ne_012.jpg
Did Darling just say Furcal was “drunk trying to do too much”?
He’s been silent since this supposed line. Am I the only one that heard it?
It’s official: you’re going crazy. (I had the TV on mute. Sorry.)
Well, they’re not talking about tires so I wouldn’t expect you to have much interest in the sound.
I heard it too, for what it’s worth (twenty minutes later).
Thanks, Pasqua.
I,ve said it before, I will say it again, call me crazy, I think the yankees will sweep the Phillies in the WS. Maybe 5.
3 games + 1 forfeit. Book it.
Have those bastards tapping out like UFC fight.
Really? If I were the Phillies, I’d forfeit after the Yanks crush Cliff Lee.
I sure hope so (if the Yankees do manage to finish off the Angels), but the Phillies are a dangerous team with a stacked lineup, and not a bad pitching staff.
(Yeah, the pen is messy, but there’s guys in there with good stuff.)
The Phillies bullpen has one really big problem though: Charlie Manuel.
Ehh the Angels IMO have a better pitching staff than the Phillies.
They have Cliff Lee, sure, but I don’t know if Hamels will be effective and then it’s either Happ or Pedro.
Their offense is great sure but no better than the Yanks.
Their offense is impressive, though. They’re basically an A.L. team in terms of offense. I fully expect them to DH Ibanez in games 1/2 and put Francisco in LF if that’s what it comes to. That would give them good OF defense and a stronger than usual lineup.
Regardless, the Yankees lineup is better.
Posada over Ruiz
Tex = Howard
Utley’s over Cano
Jeter over Rollins
Rodriguez over Feliz
Damon = Ibanez
Victorino = Melky (maybe a bit better on power)
Werth over Swisher (slightly more power, it seems)
That’s how I see it.
I agree, but I mean “Rodriguez over Feliz” … that’s just not doing justice to the ridiculous advantage we have in 3B.
I have Victorino over Melky, however, I have Teix over Howard.
Yeah agreed. The difference is small however.
Joe Torre: Has anyone seen my car keys? ANYONE?! I CAN’T FIND MY CAR KEYS!
Ump looked like he was sucker punching someone there.
Who wins in a bare knuckle brawl:
Joe Buck vs Chip Caray
I say Chip Caray because I think he’d use his teeth.
A fist fight?
Yes.
Which gives Caray another edge, he’s the master of fisting … eww.
Joe Morgan. He’s a Hall of Famer, you know.
What happened to Russell Martin? Wasn’t he supposed to be the next great catcher?
Chad Billingsley >>> AJ Burnett ?
Was hoping that’d be a big inning for the Dodgers.
Life goes on.
Dane Cook was considered one of Time Magazine’s Most 100 influential people? Really?
What….?
You didn’t see the commercial for his tour? http://www.time.com/time/speci.....88,00.html
It’s a sad society we live in.
In “thumbing” through that, I found this:
http://www.time.com/time/arts/.....71,00.html
I’m such a fuckin’ dork.
Nice find. Good article.
That was interesting.
So Rob Neyer wrote on his blog today about who has the better shot at getting into the HoF, Johnny Damon or Bobby Abreu.
http://espn.go.com/blog/sweets.....n-vs-abreu
He said the most common reply was “neither”, but I actually think both of them – by the end of their careers – will have put up good enough numbers to get into the HoF. Neither is likely to hit any 1 single automatic HoF plateau (though Damon has a very possible shot at 3000 hits), but both have put up very well-rounded offensive numbers by the end of their career, and it will be interesting to see what “clubs” they join when they retire. By clubs, I mean stuff like the 2500 H / 300 HR / 550 2B / 375 SB / 1500 RBI / 1500 R / 1500 BB club … because those are the numbers Abreu is likely to hit. I don’t know where to look up what other baseball players have met all of those criteria but I know that’s pretty damn balanced career. Johnny Damon will have similarly well balanced numbers, though more hits and less RBIs.
What does RAB think?
I think Abreu will be wildly underrated at the end of his career, because the media will continue to not acknowledge how impressive a lifetime .404 OBP is.
One would hope that by the time these guys are up for vote in 9 or more years, OBP and OPS will have grown in appreciation as the older baseball writers fade away and the younger, more stat-savvy voters become a larger influence in teh voting.
Underrated, sure. But Hall of Fame? Ehhhh.
He’s been a much better player than Damon, although Damon’s been the better defender.
I think Damon’s a lock if he gets to 3000 hits (although he’d be arguably the worst player with that many), and Abreu’s probably on the outside looking in — no huge counting numbers, although the HR/SB thing he has going may help.
That’s why I think its the combination of various counting stats that really demonstrates how elite these guys’ careers have been … and that’s the other thing – Johnny and Bobby haven’t ever really had insane years, they’re just incredibly consistent and have stayed healthy for a really long time, and both will probably play the game at an above average level for another 2 or 3 years and then … probably painfully fall off a cliff.
I agree with this. By this time, I thought that the MSM would at least be trying to catch up with the times, but they seem to be resisting it tooth and nail.
Maybe this is a strange way of evaluating players (by which I mean incorrect), but I’ve never seen either as dominating players, and if I were given a vote, that would be the qualifier. Let me elaborate: The numbers suggest both have been very good players, but I just don’t see either as HoFers. They’re guys that are good at pretty much everything, but aren’t really great enough at anything of note. They’re just extremely well-rounded. If I were forced to make a judgment I’d say Damon because he primarily played CF (and not a bad one, either), and Abreu played a corner OF spot his entire career (and not well for a fair amount of it).
My $.02
I thought Ethier was supposed to be a good defender? He certainly hasn’t looked it.
-13.1 UZR/150 in ’09, -9.1 last year, +7.6 in ’07 (RF numbers only).
http://www.fangraphs.com/stats.....F#fielding
He has the athleticism but seems to make bad reads quite often.
If my reflection in a shop window starts talking to me, I’m asking my doctor about schizophrenia, not ED.
IETC
How great is it that Bobby Valentine, of all people, took Steve Phillips chair on Baseball Tonight ? Its the killer Yankee karma paying him a visit for his preseason third place prediction
I’m a fan of Bobby V. Dude’s lived an interesting life.
I just might restart watching Baseball Tonight.
His bar in Stamford has bangin’ nachos.
He has a bar? I should make it out to CT some time.
http://www.bobbyv.com/Directions.htm
Bobby Valentine invented the wrap (as in, turkey wrap, or BLT wrap, etc.). (Seriously, he claims that he invented the wrap at Bobby V’s.)
That I did not know.
Haha: http://www.yourememberthat.com....._Sandwich/
Bobby V. is the man.
Wiki: “Since 1980, Valentine has owned and operated Bobby Valentine’s Sports Gallery Cafe, a sports bar located in his hometown of Stamford. He claims to have invented the Wrap sandwich. He claims that his restaurant was the first anywhere to serve a sandwich in a tortilla wrap. Valentine made this claim while his restaurant was showcased on the Food Network.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B.....f_baseball
I’m pretty sure it says something about it on the menu at Bobby V.’s.
Remember when Steve Philips said in 2006 that the Yankees have to trade ARod and he will never succeed in NY (despite the one MVP he already won there)?
Apparently when Bobby V was informed he was being fired:
“You’re firing me and keeping him?”
Clearly Philips enjoys downgrading.
Clearly Steve Philips is a fan of downgrading.
I remeber when Steve Phillips said that the Yanks should trade Cano and Wang after their first seasons because they werent going to get any better. OK Steve I’m really going to trust your talent evaluation.
Troncoso doesn’t exactly look like a shutdown reliever.
And talk about short-arming the ball!
Phillies can blow this game open. Bases loaded for Victorino.
I didn’t think the Dodgers would go out like punks.
Phantom strike 2.
Torre’s been asleep at the wheel for how long now?
The Phillies are an incredibly unlikeable team.
And what the hell are the fans chanting? Sounds like “U-S-A, U-S-A”, but that can’t be it.
They’re saying, “Beat L.A.”
“Beat L.A.”
I hate when beat L.A. is chanted when a team is playing L.A. The original Beat L.A. was Celtics fans, about to lose to the Sixers in the conference finals, chanting Beat L.A. to the Sixers in the Boston Garden.
The crowd at Fenway was apparently chanting “beat the Yankees” to the Angels, after the Sox got swept
Im curious to hear other peoples opinions about this. Why do you think they’re an unlikeable team? Because I agree with you 100% about that.
I don’t think they’re unlikable, so I’m curious to hear what others think. Then again, I truly cannot stand the city of Philadelphia and they supposedly have some of the worst fans in all of sports (whatever that means, I’m not sure of the criteria used).
I think the Angels are less likable, actually.
Yeah, at least the Philly fans don’t need thundersticks.
damn, the O-dog crushed that shit
He also jetted around the bases.
Unlike Furcal, who took about 3 minutes to get to second on his double.
Buck is funny – “this is how much respect Charlie Manual has for the Dodgers”
I think it’s more “this is how much he’s worried about how Hamels is getting crushed”
I’m sure the Phillies want Happ to get through the 7th
So this game is getting interesting.
hey there you are mike!
I was watching Transformers 2, did I miss anything good? I don’t have the energy to read through the entire thread.
THERE’S A NEW SHAKESPEARE PLAY!!!
Yes, you missed two hours of your life spent on anything other than Transformers 2.
Two hours of Megan Fox made up for the rest of it.
Supposed to watch that movie….unfortunately my roommate bought the blu ray version…we dont have a blu ray player.
FAIL
How was it?
Not as good as the first one.
haha nah you didn’t miss anything, its just that i hadn’t seen you then entire thread
How is the movie?
Meh. Lots of action and stuff, but that’s it. I liked the first one better.
Agreed. It was a decent action movie with of course the goddess Megan Fox but the first one was better.
Transformers 2? Really? The premise is slightly less believable than a My Little Pony movie.
Okay, so we ripped on Steve Phillips’ escapades, discussed how irrelevant hockey is, discussed William S. and a new play, Bobby Valentine’s restaurant, how poor Andre Ethier is at D, the HoF chances of Damon and Abreu, and more Steve Phillips…
But hey, at least we didnt see Transformers 2.
And Dane Cook, plus a Caray vs. Buck fight premise. I’m sure there are others.
It’s a movie about giant robots that turn into cars, and you’re complaining that the premise isn’t believable?
Yes.
You could just CTRL + F “Accent Shallow”, no?
Ethier just missed it… wow…
That could have been in the seats
I was out of the room so when I heard it I thought, “why swing at the first pitch?” Then the replay came on. Good pitch to hit.
Could have hit the bell. That pitch should have been nailed.
I remember Durbin with the Tigers – will Manny be Manny?
Apparently not.
Mmm…sadly not. Dodgers needed that.
Hey, good thing Joe used Billingsley for about 50 pitches two days ago in a game that was well out of reach. Can’t imagine he’d like to have him fresh right now…
He’s got Kershaw.
SUCK IT MANNY!
Great job by Durbin and by Charlie Manuel
Would be nice if the Dodgers could extend the Phillies another game – will be interesting to see how the two pens perform
wow manny for the loss
No, Ron, the Game 1 start was more important than this appearance.
Wow that looked like strike 3.
Boy, when PeteAbe gets a hold of something to make fun of, he sure gets his money’s worth. He’s still yammering about Girardi’s pitching changes.
Linkage?
http://twitter.com/PeteAbe/statuses/5059078940
That dude is a zero.
The plusses
- works hard
- provides lots of info
The minuses
- snarky to excess
- will club you to death with his opinion
- will post items to stir up crap and arouse trolls and bozos, then proceeds to lament about same trolls and bozos among the fan base
True. He does provide good info. Terrible “analyst,” though.
No kidding. He’s gotta pander to his Boston folks though, so I’m thinking we’re going to have some awesome things to talk about as the next few seasons go by.
Or, possibly he’ll explode when the Yankees pull out a WS victory. One can dream …
http://www.boston.com/sports/b.....tra_bases/
PeteAbe – Manager without Portfolio
He’s just trying to cater to his audience of 10 people on the internets … all of them LoHudders who followed him before he moved on.
He’s hated Girardi all along. Not a surprise. He has gotten really annoying.
Has he? I never really detected any disdain towards Girardi, he’s given him his due props when he was at LoHud. Pete really is becoming a tool though. I actually have always have thought that Pete is great during the regular season covering the day to day, but during the off season there’s too much empty space to fill where he can insert his ego into his reporting.
He ripped Joe regularly last year, and took his struggles with the media personally. He accused him of lying many times, and blew things totally out of proportion.
Oh yeah…you are correct sir. In 2008 he really slammed him. He also overreacted like a bitch when Cashman signed Teixeira because Cashman said some shit like “We’re NOT getting 3 high profile free-agents”, and Pete preached that shit to LoHud nonstop, asking them to stop pining for Tex. PeteAbe felt Cashman made him look dumb cause he took a GM’s word during the hot stove.
Well, the 3-2 curve was in the strike zone, Buck, but Hallion called it otherwise.
Does Kershaw have a Kaballah bracelet on?!
It’s actually Madonna’s exoskeleton.
Kershaw or Hughes?
Kershaw, for sure.
Its not even close.
Really? I still go with Hughes. Has the higher floor, and while Kershaw has the better stuff, Hughes isn’t no slouch.
Left handed. Couple years younger. Already succeeding as a starter for over a year.
Understanable, still think Hughes control is better and has better of reaching his potential than Kershaw. Plus, not to take anything away from Kershaw but the NL west kinda sucks at least from the offensive side of the ball.
Kershaw’s two years younger and is already a rotation mainstay for the Dodgers. I’d take Kershaw easily.
I still go Hughes, however I might take Kershaw over Joba.
You might? Kershaw in a landslide. Over Hughes, too.
Is not that that Hughes and Joba don’t have awesome potential, its just that Kershaw is much more of a proven commodity and succeeding at such a young age … and he’s a fucking lefty. That dude might be a special one.
Agree 100%.
Hughes.
Oh, you were talking about pitching ability, not “which pitcher looks less like a chimpanzee”?
Ha!
Dodgers fail again.
Dodgers fail at everything.
Think Torre misses Cano and Jeter after that?
Who wins in a four way death match:
John McLane
Martin Riggs
Indiana Jones
James Bond
McLane
Riggs
Riggs is the fucking crazy one in that group. He was born for a four way death match.
+1
Joe Morgan.
Frank Drebin destroys all those guys.
TCWA
+33 1/3
Oh aren’t you a clever one.
“Cigarette?”
“Yes… yes it is”
Also, it’s sad that I had to Wiki two of the characters (I didn’t grow up with a television, so I’m pretty slow with pop-culture stuff from before 2004).
Colonel Guile wins
I’m going to get shit for this, but Chris Farley wasn’t funny. Even a little bit. (And yes, I’ve seen some of the movies and the Best of SNL.)
First you don’t think the premise of movie about robots that turn into cars is believable, and now you don’t think Chris Farley was funny?
You’re dead to me.
But…but…the next time you neglect to have money in your wallet and lose your debit card, I won’t be there to save you!
Think about the future!
Think about the future!
One of my favorite lines from Batman. If that was intentional, very well played. If not, well, it made me happy anyway. So, thanks.
This is shit and I am giving it to you. Farley was the fucking man.
Even the Farley sketch with the hidden camera where he goes apeshit in the restaurant after learning the coffee he’s drinking was made from coffee crystals?
Sorry, had a reply fail there:
LINK
He’s just a loud, obnoxious guy who flops around and does physical comedy. He’s not witty, clever or original. Not funny.
Disappointing my friend … but I respect your decision to not appreciate his efforts.
I think Dane Cook is a comedy God.
Kidding, of course.
Victorino hit that ball very far.
Well, that’s game. Time to find something else to do.
Holy Philly. This game is over. Phillies back in the WS.
well this one is over
Wow Victorino crush that one.
Here it is:
http://www.hulu.com/watch/4154.....den-camera
Sorry, reply fail on my part. Was meant for above.
Can someone explain to me what the appeal of “Secret Girlfriend” is supposed to be? I think I’m just missing the point.
She can’t call the police?
/me and pat’d
/disturbed by that comment
Good thing the Phillies are going to the WS. If LA and NY were in the WS, it would be like another West Coast Vs. East Coast Beef between Biggie and 2Pac and “we” in “American” couldn’t stand that.
/Rush Limbaugh’D
Okay, I’ll ask a new question:
Everyone’s favorite beer? Having lived in Vermont for a while, I’ll say Switchback.
Yours?
Natty
Harpoon IPA, with Rouge Dead guy a close second
Dead Guy is fantastic. All the Rouge brews are, actually. I love their Chocolate Stout. A few years ago I was at a place in Scranton that had their Nitro Stout, never found it again. I miss it.
Anything that isn’t:
Bud Light
Coors Light
Natty Anything
Love an Otter Creek Stovepipe Porter when I can get one!
Nice. Those are good. Not usually a huge fan of Wolaver’s but their Russian Imperial Stout is wonderful.
Killians Irish Red.
If I had to pick one, I guess I’d go Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Love me some Magic Hat though, Fat Angel is great.
One of the Magic Hat beers has a horrible banana-like aftertaste. I’m thinking it’s Circus Boy. BTW, their brewery is really cool.
I’ve been to the brewery, about six years ago.
They also have some kind of apricot beer, if I’m remembering correctly. That was just gross.
Their most popular beer, the #9 is the apricot. It’s unbearably bad. I can’t believe people drink that garbage.
Dinkel Acker
the phillies will be very very tough. hope coke and marte are ready for their close-ups
/counting my chickens
Yeah, I’m scared too. Phillies might actually have a lead for a couple innings during the series.
Tomorrow the Rally Monkey will be executed, next the Philly Phanatic.
the phanatic always makes me laugh
when he gets together with tommy lasorda, it’s gold, jerry. gold!
Yes Phillies, enjoy this ass kicking your giving the Dodgers, because when the WS begins, that will all end.
the philly lineup is just as dangerous as ours, especially with some of our guys struggling as they are. the advantage we have is the pen and andy vs whomever they start game 3. i assume we go with 3 starters even though it would mean everyone has to go on short rest. philly would do that with lee and maybe hamels but they cant with their other guys so they might not do it all.
I’d say the Philly lineup is about equal to the Yanks when we play at their stadium, but whoever fills their DH role will not be able to equal Matsui (he’s also the best PH on either team for whatever that is worth)
I’ll take Sabathia over Lee any day of the week. Burnett has also had a superior regular and post season compared to Hamels and seems to be on one of his “Good AJ” streaks, so I’d favor us in that matchup too.
Well, we’re seeing the next Yankee RF (free in 2010). Got the O’Neill thing too and he loves the post-season.
So sign Damon and throw a boatload of money at Werth. The only problem is he’ll be 32. But he’s a good fielder, got some speed (20 SB), and doesn’t have a lot of mileage.
better and more complete due to his D and speed than Bay or Holliday certainly. crawford might fit a bigger need for speed and top of the order hitter, but then again could make swish a DH and sign both. lol.
To hell with Werth. He’ll require a multi-year deal, and since he’ll already be 32 as you say, not worth it.
I’d like to try and swindle Josh Willingham or Elijah Dukes from the Nats. They seem to undervalue both.
Willingham is terrible in the outfield, and Dukes is just a nutcase. I wouldn’t touch that kid if he was free.
i dont see willingham field enough but his D is rated higher than damon by fangraphs…is that wrong?
No, it’s just that Damon is awful, and Willingham is slightly less awful.
well less awful is by comparison an “improvement” not to mention we could get a rh bat added to the lineup.
Yeah, but Yankee Stadium is death to righties not named A-Rod.
well he was saying a year from now, not now.
people for this year would be more like a willingham trade, marlon bryd if it could be only like 2 years or hawpe who can hit but is an awful fielder.
Marlon Byrd for 2 years … would be ok I guess. He’s really not that great. I’m pretty dead set on thinking Carl Crawford is the best long term solution to LF, either by trade for 2010 or by FA in 2011.
I always think Marlon Byrd is in his 70s. I don’t know why.
If Dukes isn’t in prison by then.
Werth is a FA in 2011 and we already have a right fielder, have you met Nick Swisher?
http://mlbcontracts.blogspot.c.....-2011.html
I say sign Damon for 2010 and the other CC, Carl Crawford, in 2011.
if we signed werth would we switch him to left?
It’d be a waste, he can play center every day in the big leagues. Such a great athlete.
Also, he’s under contract next year.
i meant in 2011, assuming ajax has proven he can handle cf and swisher is still doing his thing
i would stick swish is left i think. werth has an excellent arm, but with death valley maybe his speed is needed more in left.
Does the Phillies’ bullpen ever not make it interesting?
loney over-anxious there.
So Ronery.
ruh roh
dodgers tryin again to come back
that bullpen + that stadium + that manager = no lead is safe
come on casey a single here makes it a ballgame especially with lidge and 4 outs to go.
oh wait, manny is at 2nd, a double makes it a game.
wow, that was strike 3.
Am I the only one thinking Thome should have pinch hit for Blake? It’s not a huge, diff, but looks to be a few points OBP and quite a bit of slugging advantage against a righty…
Do they have anyone left who can play third?
Yeah, they still have Loretta on the bench.
(Posted that mid-AB, 2-2 count…)
In that situation–season on line, best last shot, I take any little edge I can get no matter what lineup/fielding gymnastics I have to perform.
they dont have anyone to play the field for blake i dont think if they hit thome there…hudson already ph. maybe loretta i guess.
In that situation, I don’t care if Torre has to put Randy Wolf at third base. Thome should have been pinch-hitting there.
Against RHPs
.383 OBP/.498 SLG = Thome
.340 OBP/.442 SLG = Blake
Yah, that’s pretty obvious to me when your season is on the line.
Bad non-move by Torre.
Shhh…you’ll wake him up.
You don’t bench a beard like that.
Yankees wOBA .378/.378
.390 SS Jeter
.376 LF Damon
.402 1B Tex
.405 3B A Rod
.378 DH Matsui
.378 C Posada
.370 2B Cano
.375 RF Swisher
.331 CF Melky
Phillies wOBA .356/.358
.316 SS Rollins
.354 CF Victorino
.402 2B Utley
.393 1B Howard
.382 RF Werth
.379 LF Ibanez
.302 3B Feliz
.337 C Ruiz
.340 DH Francisco
I was told there would be no math.
Plus, the Phils play in the sissy league.
I realize that Francisco won’t DH, but I listed him there since hes the player that will be added to the lineup( probably)
Position by position makes the offenses look similar, but it ignores the huge advantages the Yankees have at Short and 3rd.
more importantly…what are the playoff numbers?
I’d rather go with the larger sample sizes. I’m not sure how much numbers carry over from one round to another.
I tend to agree with you, but I cannot turn my back on Rodriguez’s ridiculous 1.469 post season OPS. That’s 246 points higher than Ryan Howard’s still scary 1.203 OPS.
i would argue that jimmy rollins is also a different player than his regular season numbers
Hey you’re right … he’s OPSing 100 points lower than he did in his mediocre regular season!
is that because other than jeter, arod, posada we would be losing at every position in that case?
Posada>Ruiz (has hit well in playoffs though)
Teixeira<Howard (proven playoff performer and teix is funking though showed signs yesterday)
CanoRollins
ARod>>Feliz
Damon<Ibanez (slight)
Cabrera<Victorino
Swisherphilly DH
Honestly I didn’t even look at the Phillies playoff numbers. If the Yankees were facing Dodgers pitching they’d have great numbers, but thats not my point. Going by regular season stats the Yankees win 5 positions and the Phillies 4 ( If you count DH which isn’t totally fair.) With all the days off and stuff there is no reason to think that players’ “hotness” will remain the same.
Umm…its probably because its a lot easier to tell how good someone is from a 162 game sample than a sample of less than 10 games.
Don’t act so worried, chief … Yankees will kick the shit out of the Phillies and we’ll all be celebrating #27 together in no time.
That was some sweater…
cosby-esque
Phillies are hitting some bullets out there.
And in case there was any doubt…there’s your ballgame right there.
Tired Darling? Gee why is that?
These FLOMAX commercials are hilarious.
So looking forward to NYY stomping LAA tomorrow night… Are the AAAA playoffs over yet? *Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…………..*
I’m still not convinced that Brad Lidge is “fixed.”
I think Manny just went to the showers
I feel soooo sad for Manny and Joe T.
Oh well next year !!!
I don’t. I just wanted to see this go 7 games and then the 7th game would go for 18+ innings and then the winner would be exhausted playing NYY. But alas it’s not to be.
Does it real matter.
No it won’t – NYY in 4.
(Doubt it but NYY will still win it.)
The Phillies will just have to lose with their best foot forward and no ridiculous excuses. Oh well.
What do you mean we all know the Yanks have the WS umpires in their pockets already.
Picture of Phillies celebrating with Horatio: http://knowyourmeme.com/photos/14907 (SAFE)
It’s a good thing he’s good at baseball; Werth sounds like a moron. Maybe it’s his voice.
What’s the over/under on HR if it’s Yanks vs Phillies with their parks being rank 1 and 2 for most HR?
And those offenses?
Phillies fans booed Ernie Johnson (who is an asshat).
Hah, looks like Steve Phillips got caught with his hand in the cookie jar:
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/.....id=4582846
…except it wasn’t really his hand, was it?
I said it in ealier post and I’ll say it again…wouldn’t Todd Hundley have been a better option than that Brooke beast? I mean…damn Steve damn.
Damn, Charlie Manuel really needs subtitles!
Ayup we just gonna do our best an we wanna win then we gonna do that when we are gonna to do alright.
Fox Sports added Ozzie Guillen to the broadcast booth…oh boy, I’m excited