Open Thread: A day-one win and some old friends
By
For the 2010 Yankees, Spring Training started with a familiar feel to it. While A.J. Burnett wasn’t around to pie Colin Curtis, the 25-year-old’s walk-off three-run home run in the bottom of the 9th gave the Yanks a 6-3 win over the Pirates in their Grapefruit League debut.
For the Yankees, though, the day was about getting work in than anything else. Chad Gaudin, Sergio Mitre and Alfredo Aceves, all supposed fifth starter candidates, threw two innings apiece. Each struck out one, and Gaudin was the only hurler to surrender a hit. Royce Ring, Jason Hirsh and Amaury Sanit each got some work in while the Pirates’ three runs came off of Jonathan Albaladejo.
Offensively, Ramiro Peña’s solo shot off of Steven Jackson put the Yanks on the board. Nick Johnson added an RBI double, and Curtis capped off the day with his three-run shot. The Yanks play Roy Halladay and the Phillies tomorrow afternoon. Kei Igawa and Boone Logan will both take the hill for the Bombers.
Anyway, this is your open thread for the evening. You know the drill; be good to each other. After the jump and before the comments, I’ve posted some pictures from around Spring Training of some old Yankee friends donning their new uniforms. Enjoy.
Johnny Damon, where he always wanted to be. You decide what the ‘D’ stands for. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
The Angels are willing to humor Hideki Matsui‘s desire to play the outfield for a few more weeks. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
Melky sports the beard. (AP Photo/Rob Carr)
Phil Coke sports…a mullet? (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
357 Comments»
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The Tyler Austin Watch
Johnny Damon: I’ve always wanted to play in Baghdad.
Reporter: Johnny, you’re in Detroit.
Damon: Really? I was gonna say it was awfully chilly. Some great ancient ruins, though. This place is great!
I hear Johnny’s planning on using the 8M salary the Tigers are paying him to buy every single piece of property in the city of Detroit proper.
He’ll probably just put the leftover 5M in the bank.
Did you hear there are a few proposals to turn most of the feral land (I like that phrase, so forgive its inaccuracy) in Detroit into sustainable urban farms?
Would living next to an urban farm decrease the abutting property values? If it would, it’s a horrible idea.
If not, full speed ahead.
Well 30% of the land is already vacant, the rest already suffer from outrageously low property values (most under $50,000), so according to my rudimentary understanding, it would likely significantly increase surrounding values, as there’s at least productivity, meaningful progress, tax revenue, farmers markets and agra-tech firms moving in. One of the major issues is no one is willing to invest in Detroit and they lack capital to begin infrastructure projects. This is a proposal that actually provides some investment interest.
Then again, it’s Detroit, so it’s subject to the whims of the horribly corrupt and incompetent political system, so they may just build 700 fiberglass hot dogs all over the place and call it a tourism mecca.
Fun Fact: Detroit was one of the five largest cities in the nation as of the 1920, 1930, 1940, 1950, 1960, and 1970 censi.
Yeah, white flight KILLED Detroit’s tax base. Even so, their politicians haven’t adjusted well.
Place that’s just as bad, arguably worse (I say this having visited both): Gary, IN
“It must have been two in the morning when we got to Detroit, ’cause nothing was open but hospitals, jails, and legs.”
-Jalen Rose
THAT – is a damn decent line.
He’s quite the quotesmith.
http://fny21.blogspot.com/2007.....uotes.html
Jalen Rose is the natural successor to Charles Barkley. He really needs a radio show or something.
Relative to what? Mansions? Landscaped Grounds? The Water? Definitely.
Relative to your average lot in Detroit? It would triple the values.
ietc
Johnny’s shoes look like they’re too big and out of proportion with the rest of his body.
I know what that’s all about…
They look like duck’s feet.
Rod Beck impression: you’re doing it right, Phil.
I was thinking Nate Robertson
Nah, he needs to put on about 30 lbs.
Invisible shades??
Shaded beard?
I want Edwar back!! Albaladejo stanks
Day after tomorrow I will be in Florida!! ZOMG!
Day after tomorrow I will be…taking exams
/very jealous’d
how long are you staying? I leave a week from tomorrow for Tampa and Orlando… plan on catching 4 different spring training games in 4 cities in 4 days.
Just the weekend. I’ll be back on Monday.
are you post anywhere some of the places you stopped along the way? itd be cool to have a heads up on a bar or restaurant or two around the area to stop in at.
Godzilla looks like he’s pitching in that picture.
CC starts tomorrow, right?
yes, vs. Halladay. Playoff preview!!11$413!!!
Only if CC gets knocked around. If they crush Halladay and CC doesn’t give up a baserunner, it will only be a meaningless spring game again
Bingo.
Phil Coke fail.
Melky’s chinstrap beard actually looks pretty good on him.
I agree. It’s something of an achievement.
Matsui saying he thought he’d get booed in Yankee Stadium made me very very sad
Good luck if Scioscia really is gonna play him in the field, though…
He is going to get a very very loud ovation
Linky Bexy?
(Sorry couldn’t resist.)
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03.....f=baseball
here ya go. Oh you think you’re so cute don’t you.
No way in hell does he get booed. He and Johnny will definitely be well received.
I know it’s odd, but I’m curious as to how Austin Jackson will be received. I’m sure he’ll be treated like just another player, but I feel like a decent amount of people at YS will give him a nice hand.
Yeah who the hell does he think we are? Red Sox fans?
I really want David Ortiz to have an awful year this year and then not get re-signed just because the smear job on him would be hilarious.
Unless Ortiz hits like he did from ’04-’07, he will not be back in a Boston uniform and there will be a massive smear job.
Oh I know. And it will be DELICIOUS. Make it happen, please.
(but he hit a HR against that college team Boston played so HE’S BACK!!!!1!!)
What do you think the biggest spin will be? I have a feeling the whole “He’s not as much of a bright spot in the clubhouse as we thought” angle will be big.
Have we been saying “jolly” for the past 8 years? We meant “surly”.
Our bad.
Sincerely,
The Boston Press Corps
I don’t even know, but I’m giggling like a schoolgirl just thinking about it.
It’ll probably be the clubhouse thing like you said, though. Mike Lowell seems like a good guy and I feel like the teams that sought him out liked him because he was so good in the clubhouse. The second he might get traded, boom, he’s a clubhouse problem. Then he doesn’t get traded and oh… everything’s back to normal.
I don’t even know, but I’m giggling like a schoolgirl just thinking about it.
One word:
“drfat”.
/BexyBait’d
TEEHEE.
I give the ladies what they want.
I give the ladies what they want
/Carolla’d
http://www.dolland.net/lovelin.....meoral.mp3 (SFW, but probably a little embarrassing)
I’m going with JD Drew is the next great smear job candidate. I think this is the year Sox fans really get on him for missing games. His nickname in Boston is ‘Nancy’ – it’s ready, set, going to be fun to watch.
They already hate him, doesn’t count. =P
But the smear campaign hasn’t started yet. The fans are meh about him, but I think there’s a definite Gammons/PeteAbe article coming soon about him. He’s a very productive player and the Sox caught a bunch of heat about him suddenly using his opt out and coming to Boston, so much so that there was rumored to be a tampering charge about to be levied by the Dodgers.
Hmmm. I’m not in Boston, so I don’t know the situation with the team. I hear WEEI every so often and it is a scary, scary place, so I try not to judge Boston by that.
I know Theo loves Drew A LOT. Gammo would probably never do anything that would ever annoy Theo.
Now that is a reasonable point that I completely overlooked.
Is that sarcasm?
Not in the least. I agree that if Theo doesn’t tell him to do it, Gammons won’t do it. And if Theo does like Drew (which I think he does), Nancy is safe. For now.
Wooo we agree.
I can definitely see the press trashing Drew after he leaves (don’t they kind of already? I’ve heard sooo much about how he’s not clutch, despite the fact that he had huge hits in the 2007 and 2008 postseasons, and he had a HR, IIRC, in Game 3 of the 2009 ALDS, not that that led to anything for the Sox). I can’t see Gammons doing anything Theo tells him not to, though.
If Ortiz is bad this season, he’s definitely the next candidate. No question. A whisper campaign against Varitek would also highly amuse me.
He’s crazy. If he honestly believes that he’s in for quite the pleasant surprise.
I would make love to Melky anyday of the week
(raises eyebrows, backs away slowly)
O_O
Melky was never one of… those Yankees.
Eh, he was thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiisclose to being the First Dude of California. He’s quite the catch, I’d say.
RAB: not that kind of blog.
RAB: not that there’s anything wrong with that.
/seinfeld’d
So what are the chances of Jake being alex gonzalez’s brother?
He’s my new favorite.
Zero. I should know.
Ha not literally but I mean him just doing exactly what you did.
Often imitated, never duplicated.
I still want to watch Scarface with you so you can tell me how it’s a better movie than The Godfather.
It isn’t. I made that up. The Godfather is one of the greatest movies ever made.
I know. Just making the reference to one my favorite exchanges with the quasi-you.
Out of curiosity what do you think of The Godfather: Part III?
True story: I own the five-disc Godfather Trilogy box set. Therefore, I own a copy of The Godfather III and can watch the movie, freely, at any single time I want, without paying a single dime.
I have never watched The Godfather III.
Chew on that.
Ditto.
Neither have I. Your story cemented my decision to never watch it.
Reason #1 I refuse to watch the movie: Michael takes his wife back.
I’m sorry, no. Michael Corleone would not take his wife back. Ever. Wouldn’t happen. Not gonna buy it, no.
This decision was really really really smart. I wish I was so smart.
I literally thought to myself, “How bad could it be???”
/Fail’d
You said that, Jose? Just…what?
Jose didn’t say it; alex gonzalez said it.
Wow you made JMK speechless kinda. That deserves a medal.
I thought I would return the favor. I still don’t know what to think of this…
http://riveraveblues.com/2010/.....ent-791085
Wow. I”m about to burst out laughing in class. Incredible.
I may have omitted one key thing: I wore the bathing suit and tucked. May have also rolled up socks to simulate breasts in my attempt to get a more intimate understanding of her form.
Whatevs, I was like 11-years old.
(raises eyebrows, backs out of room, locks door, bars door)
Good thing you’ve got eyes in the back of your head, tommie, or you’d be bumping into lots of stuff tonight.
Watch it! Coffee table! Look out for the skate!
I mean, I was grossed out already when I thought he jizzed ON his nanny’s bikini bottoms.
It’s a whole ‘nother level of fucked up to know that he actually jizzed —
IN
— his nanny’s bikini bottoms.
(shudders)
Keep the roofies (see below) away from the nanny. And away from JMK – that goes without saying.
Frog. Men.
He’s back in the Jeter thread, heh.
Coke looks like he’s not in the best shape of his life.
I thought Sabathia was going to do some pitching tomorrow–when did that change?
I don’t think it changed. I think Ben was merely saying who else in addition to CC was on the sked tomorrow.
Here I was hoping for 4+ innings of Igawa. Damn.
Do we get to see teh Jesus tomorrow?
Is there a spring training binder next to Joe? Lots of strategy and lineup changes in these ST games. We were in Tampa on Sunday and Colin was hitting pitch after pitch in BP over the RF wall. Sweet swing. I guess Scranton will be on top again this year…..
Lots of strategy and lineup changes in these ST games.
Just getting everyone in on the action. Nothing to be concerned about, Spring Training SOP.
At what point does the NFL take control of the Raiders thru eminent domain?
Oakland Raiders cornerback Stanford Routt started only one game last season. But the Raiders apparently think he’ll do big things for them in the future.
Adam Caplan of Scout.com reports that the Raiders will likely tender Routt, a restricted free agent, at the first-and third-round level. That means Routt will receive a one-year offer with a salary of $3.268 million.
If any team were to make Routt an offer, and the Raiders didn’t match it, Oakland would receive that team’s first- and third-round draft picks. It’s safe to say no team is making Routt an offer.
So why did the Raiders tender Routt at such a high level? Caplan notes that Routt is 6-foot-1 and has good speed, and that Raiders owner Al Davis liked him when the Raiders selected him in the 2005 draft.
And in Oakland, if Al Davis likes you, you’re golden.
Meh, Routt getting a 3.2M one year tender isn’t that bad of a move. He’s got some talent.
The Janikowski deal, though… yech.
Ehh, Routt has been in the league 5 years and managed to start 1 game for the Raiders. But yeah, the Janikowski deal was so bad that it forced Olindo Mare to get the franchise tag.
Olindo Mare is still in football?
And actually, putting aside money for a moment. Is there any team in football that would give up a 2nd round pick (if given that tender) in a loaded draft to get Routt. And if so, wouldn’t the Raiders be smart to let him go for a 2nd rounder?
But he can kick a ball 60 yards!
And always supplies the roofies!
Sounds like my kinda guy.
so according to Jeopardy, if a baseball player fields a ball with his hat, all the baserunners are allowed to take three bases.
I… did not know this.
yup–same as if you throw your glove at it
Wow? Has this ever happened?
I didn’t know this either
wow, the doctor is making some embarrassing mistakes here
Fantasy baseball min my second pick the top choices for me at this point are Ellsbury, Crawford, Pedroia and A-Gon in that order if Holliday and Upton aren’t taken at that point which is possible. So I take out the weaker ones and it leaves me choosing between Crawford and A-Gon. Who should I take?
Definitely Alex Gonzalez.
HAHAHA! IETC
Nicely done.
Gon
Yeah I was leaning on him and his 40 home runs but since 1B is really deep maybe I could get Crawford and another good 1B. But I have no idea.
And this is assuming my friends are smart and draft Justin Upton and Matt Holliday which in some mocks are available to me.
I assume you play 3 OF spots and not individual LF, CF, RF. In which case OF is probably as deep, if not deeper, than 1B.
Wow, that’s tough….I would personally go A-Gon, but is it a keeper league?
No it is not.
I’d still go A-Gon
Cool, thanks. I was leaning towards him but his 40 homers are pretty damn sick.
Especially in Petco….what if he gets traded to a hitter’s park???!
(head explodes)
Now imagine that hitter’s park being Fenway…
Actually I’d rather not.
Once again taking post-game/evening suggestions for the area. Also does anyone know what time the bars close down there?
Per Wikipedia: “5 a.m.; Bars may stay open 24 hours, 7 days a week in the Downtown Entertainment District”
What area?
Tampa/St. Pete/Clearwater. Sorry, didn’t clarify, I meant the spring training area- I wrote that rather hastily
Oh, no idea. They might have a Yelp or CitySearch worth checking out.
there are some NASTY looking adult facilities just around the corner towards the highways…so basically stay away from that area!
Have you guys heard that the Nets are so desperate for attendance, they’re doing your taxes for free?
Seriously, you get a credit at I’M RONNIE DEUTCH, THE FUCKING ACCOUNTANT’s office.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/bl.....nba,225353
LOL
D stands for D-bag
Hey, welcome back! Long time no see, buddy!
(This will end badly.)
Thanks man! I’m not usually known for being a dick lol
and for the record….
(whispers)…he started it.
Well that’s not a very cool thing to say after apologizing!
Oh right poop joke.
Garth: “Ron, why did you say that? Why? Why, Ron, why? You’re my hero, Ron.”
Ron: “Garth, I–”
Garth: “You come out with stink like that. Poop! You poop mouth. Get all that poop out of your mouth.”
I can always count on you, TSJC, for providing the appropriate Anchorman quote.
Thank you.
Man, you caught me. Well my apology still stands, and I would like to be considered a valued member of the RAB community…I mean we are all here for the same purpose right?
Dude, no worries. Like I said over in the off-topic thread, it’s no biggie and I appreciate you re-thinking the whole thing. It’s done.
(cracks open three ice-cold Pinstripe Tampa Light Limes™ and passes one to Mondesi and one to Sean)
Drink up, fellas.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVaKNarDpuw (safe but possibly embarrassing at work)
Thanks, I love brews
Except for JMK. His intentions are… well let’s not go there.
Yeah… no.
Let’s let bygones be bygones, though.
Which one is this one again?
Don’t worry about it. It was just a stupid little comment-tiff and it’s over and buried.
Mondesi’s erstwhile impersonator.
Boy, this thread got awkward pretty quickly.
It jumped up a notch.
That’s usually your job.
Clayton Bigsby: My friend Jasper said one of those coons’s came over to his house to take his sister out on a date! He said, “Now look here, ******… if anyone’s gonna have sex with my sister, it’s gonna be ME!’”
Yeah, I’m oddly jealous.
It got all contorted.
/Ross sister’d
On the chance I’m transgressing the new “sunshine” guideline, here’s what I mean by Ross sister’d (some of you have already seen this, if so, ignore):
The D can’t stand for D-bag, that name is already taken.
http://msti.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/dbags.jpg (safe)
Matty, I missed the 1st half. How bad has this game been to warrant a 20-17 score?
Anyone know if the Yankee game on MLBN will be blacked out tomorrow for those of us in the New York area? Since the game is only on MLBN I would assume it wouldn’t right?
Nah, since it’s at Philly’s place, it’ll be the Phillies feed.
Also, I don’t think it’s live.
Yeah, I’m pretty sure you’re right that it’s not live, the Yankees site says “tape delay.”
is it live on the radio?
Probably, and I assume live on MLB TV
If you can watch during the day it will be live on CSN.
I’m not sure what the blackout restrictions are on taped games.
how is kansas vs kansas state not on espn
Because they picked the games at the beginning of the year and K-State was not supposed to be this good. UConn/Notre Dame looked like a battle between two potential Sweet 16 teams, not two bubble squads.
“Bubble squads” – sounds like slang for an exercice for your legs and rear end.
should be able to flex these games
I agree. Even as a UConn fan I’m not sure I can stand to watch this team in the NIT.
Does anyone have a clue whether or not Dolan knows he still owns the Rangers?
I’m bored… let’s mock. Chime in with your thoughts. I’ll start:
1-STL: QB Sam Bradford (Yeah, that’s right.)
2-DET: DT Ndamukong Suh
3-TB: DT Gerald McCoy
4-WAS: QB Jimmy Clausen
5-KC: S Eric Berry
6-SEA: T Russell Okung
7-CLE: DE/OLB Jason Pierre-Paul
8-OAK: T Anthony Davis
9-BUF: T Bruce Campbell (boom)
10-JAX: WR Dez Bryant
11-DEN: LB Rolando McClain
12-MIA: DE/OLB Derrick Morgan
13-SF: CB Joe Haden
14-SEA: HB C.J. Spiller
15-NYG: DT Brian Price
16-TEN: S Taylor Mays
17-SF: T Bryan Bulaga
18-PIT:
19-ATL:
20-HOU:
21-CIN:
22-NE:
23-GB:
24-PHI:
25-BAL:
26-AZ:
27-DAL:
28-SD:
29-NYJ:
30-MIN:
31-IND:
32-NO:
I’m going to disagree with Cleveland’s pick. Even though Haden’s 40 time wasn’t that good at the combine, I still think that they go with his resume over the 40-time, especially if he puts up a better time at his pro day.
I vacillated on that one for a while.
I’m actually surprised you have the Raiders not taking Campbell.
It’s tempting, but Anthony Davis is no slouch himself.
I actually think Davis is the better prospect. I just think that the MSM is right and Al Davis is salivating more so that usual over Campbell’s combine.
That’s what I was thinking as well. If Cleveland no longer wants him at #7, I could see other teams trading up before he slipped much further.
The only way the Browns don’t take Haden is if Eric Barry is available. If Barry is gone AND Haden is gone, the Browns will trade down.
18-PIT: G Mike Iupati
19-ATL: LB Sergio Kindle
20-HOU: CB Kareem Jackson
21-CIN: DT Dan Williams
22-NE: DE/OLB Brandon Graham
23-GB: T Trent Williams
24-PHI: DE Carlos Dunlap
25-BAL: WR Arrelious Benn
26-AZ: LB Sean Witherspoon
27-DAL: S Earl Thomas
28-SD: HB Jahvid Best
29-NYJ: CB Kyle Wilson
30-MIN: DT Jared Odrick
31-IND: LB Brandon Spikes
32-NO: C Maurkice Pouncey
and also finish.
I’m high on Graham, but since everyone is picking the Pats to take him, I don’t expect it to happen. He is small for what they are looking for. That being said, with now half the teams running the 3-4, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Pats starting using more 4-3 and drafting/signing players with that in mind. They could easily find guys that fit their scheme when only a few teams were running the 3-4, and everyone else was going Tampa 2. Now there is a lot more competition for that same talent.
I could also see the Pats taking Sean Weatherspoon or Sergio Kindle for precisely that reason.
I woudln’t be surprised at Dunlap due to the Meyer/Belichick relationship. Of course that didn’t pan out to well last time with the Chad Jackson debacle.
True. His arrest and postseason/combine performances hurt him, though. I bet he slides and the Pats pass.
Packers fan here:
As much as I would love Trent Williams, do you really see him dropping to 23? Every other mock I’ve seen has him gone by then.
Bruce Campell, Bryan Bulaga, and Mike Iupati’s gain is Trent Williams’s loss.
Plus, of the top 5 tackle prospects (Okung/Davis/Campbell/Bulaga/Williams), he’s the one least likely to be able to handle LT. He’s probably a mauler that moves to the right side. That makes him a prime slide candidate already.
giants wont pass on mays for price
They might as well pass on Mays, everybody in the Pac-10 did.
http://www.instantrimshot.com
Seriously, though, Price >>>>>>>>>>>>> Mays. They’re both athletic specimens, but one of them actually plays football well and makes smart decisions.
The Mays coverage issues are way overblown. He was coached to play 10-15 yards off the line of scrimmage and knock people out because he was the last line of defense and they didnt want him to gamble. He may struggle 1 on 1 man, but hell be fine in zone coverage.
That’s what they said about Roy Williams.
Roy Williams played exclusivly in the box in college, totally different situation. Plus Williams doesnt run 4.3s, was fat and not as physically gifted as mays.
We’ll probably have to agree to disagree with this one.
In any event, even if Mays isn’t as bad in coverage as he’s portrayed to be, the fact remains Brian Price has less bust potential and also fills a crucial need. He’s the better pick if both he and Mays are on the board.
I want Mays in New York. They need an intimidator over the middle. I think (hope) the Giants agree.
I don’t really expect him to be there at 15, but if it plays out as you see it I think he goes to NY.
Taylor Mays is all sizzle, no substance.
Agreed.
Whomever selects him will quickly regret it.
Giants safeties now: Slow, soft, bad coverage skills
Mays: Fast, ****s people up, bad coverage skills
I’m taking the latter.
Taking a good player to fill an area of significant need >>>>>>>>>>>>> taking a flawed player to fill an area of glaring need.
Take Price, and then see what safety is available in the second round (i.e. Nate Allen, Chad Jones, Reshad Jones, etc.) Don’t take Mays (an inferior player) over Price (a superior one) just because your safety hole is more obvious.
WOOOOOOOOOOOOO-HOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!
JUST UPGRADED TO SECTION 110!!!!!!!!!!!! I’M ON FIELD LEVEL, BABY!!!!!!
:: Steve spends entire savings on Yankees tickets because he figures ‘hey, there might not even be any Yankees in 2011!’ ::
Yes, but thanks to Stubhub I’ll get most of it back, so I can just give it back to Hal next year.
ONE TEN!!!! WOOOOO-HOOOOO!!!!!
Haha that’s awesome, congrats. Say hi to Swisher for us.
I always have plenty of extras, expect an invite.
Field-level? Now I’m going to have to take you up on one of those invites.
You my friend, have a standing invite. Just let me know when you’re around.
Well played.
Later in the press conference, and at the request of a reporter, didn’t Damon clarify that the ‘where I always wanted to be line’ meant that Detroit was his first choice after he realized that New York was no longer an option?
(sees no one answered this question)
IIRC, yeah.
Well, we all know Johnny’s not a silvertongued wordsmith, but perhaps the whole oddness/off-puttingness of the quote could have been averted had he not used the word “always”.
“This is where I wanted to be” is very different than “this is where I always wanted to be” when you’re referring to the 20-30% of the total time of the offseason that Johnny claims he’s referring to.
True.
Like you said, he’s not a silvertongued wordsmith though, and I say/type stupid sh-t all the time so I can relate.
Not that Damon didn’t say some really dumb things, like that the Yankees didn’t sign him because they listened to the media and that Derek Jeter should be ready to take a (whatever percentage) pay cut for next year.
10:30 PM for Yankees encore?
Seriously, how many people are going to watch the Nets?
Mike Pop, Yi’s relatives. Yep, that’s it.
So, pretty much one viewer per win, huh?
The Izod Center:
Where Amazing Happens.
I watched the Nets. What can I say? They’re my team.
D stands for Damon Desires Da Dough.
so had this argument the other day:
Basketball players are the best athletes. Discuss
If we’ve learned anything from the Tiger Woods sex scandals, it’s clearly that golfers are the best athletes.
You have to be in peak physical condition to bang that many skanks. That’s a hefty workload.
… or be a “minute man”. Then you can be totally out of shape and still take care of business.
Hands down.
Basketball and football are even in my opinion.
Non Curling division?
Yeah basketball is probably first. Soccer is up there too.
Basketball players are physical freaks. I’m fairly convinced that if you gave 90% of basketball players a year or two to immerse themselves in any other major sport, that they could dominate it.
(…remembering MJ in a ChiSox uni….)
Strike above.
Soccer players.
GO BACK TO RUSSIA, YOU COMMIE!
not so sure. they may be in the best shape and have more endurance but they cant do the things athletically like basketball players can
Like what? Jump?
Have you seen a bicycle kick?
Have I seen a bicycle kick what?
(3… 2… 1…)
My favorite comment of today.
Nobody followed up with the expected:
“Have you seen a bicycle kick, BITCH?!?”
Oh, and I already won the Axl Memorial Award today:
http://riveraveblues.com/2010/.....ent-791181
000ooohh. Yeah, that was a good one.
I’d say “I’m already in midseason form”, but let’s be frank: I’m always in midseason form.
(looks down at my Large Sample Size, grins)
I was reading old posts a few days ago and I gotta say, tsjc, this was HYSTERICAL:
http://riveraveblues.com/2009/.....ent-674083
It’s even funnier than “drfat” even.
I give because I love.
True Story: I get RAB fan mail. No, seriously.
Mass genocide is the most exhausting activity one can engage in… next to soccer.
/Loki’d
If I had a dick I’d get laid!
Let’s do the next best thing: kill people!
woman spits out coffee
Oh not you, ma’am.
“I do believe in this”… What does that mean?!?
One of the most athletically gifted basketball players of all time (Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon)grew up playing soccer in Nigeria and even credits playing soccer the majority of his life to his absurd athletic moves on the basketball court.
Soccer not even a debate
Soccer not even a
debatesportFixed for ya
/old comedian guy’d??
I would say basketball or football players. Certainly better then golfers, I always laugh when I hear Tiger referred to as the greatest athlete in the world.
Rugby. Faaar and away–rugby back have the conditioning of soccer or basketball players and the drinking abilities of many, many curlers.
NASCAR drivers in a landslide. Did you know they lose 10 lbs. during the course of a race?
That’s Karen Carpenter territory.
Plus, peeing your pants is tha cooolest.
Sincerely,
Crazy Astronaut Lady
Steve H, I answered your question in my Montero article. As a 1B w/Tex’s adjustment, -11.7 and +/- 0 runs defensively: 3.20 WAR.
Thanks. So not a huge difference between 1B and DH. Interesting.
Remember, though, that’s assuming no runs, positive or negative, with the glove. He could be a great 1B for all we know, and that could bump him up.
If you’re not listening to anything, I can’t recommend highly enough the FAN interviews with Cashman and Girardi today. Pretty much all the stuff we’ve been kicking around this off season was cleared up.
http://www.wfan.com/pages/744503.php
Here’s the run down:
-Johnson will bat 2nd
-Granderson will play CF
-Cano will hit 5th, to avoid ‘stacking the Lefties’ and because of his contact ability (Posada 6th, Grandy 7th, Swisher 8th, Gardner 9th)
-He doesn’t believe Cano has issues with RISP, small sample.
-Posada catches 100-120 games.
-Johnson will play a little 1B, maybe 2-3 times some months depending on the schedule. Tex DHs those days.
-Granderson plays every day. Doesn’t sit vs Lefties, at least to start the season.
I found the last part where he discussed winning as a player vs winning as a manager really insightful as well.
-Cano will hit 5th, to avoid ’stacking the Lefties’ and because of his contact ability (Posada 6th, Grandy 7th, Swisher 8th, Gardner 9th)
That surprises me. I assumed Posada’s veteran status would give him the leg up on Cano for the all-important ARod Protection role.
Luckily, it won’t matter… CentWAR Centaur™ needs no protection. He’s the balls.
It also doesn’t matter because the Yankee lineup 1-8 is the fucking balls and any one of those players could bat in any spot.
1-9.
WinnGardThamHoff will produce a collective 105 WAR this season. You heard it here first.
/circular’d
Whoops:
WinnGardThamHoff will produce a collective 105
WARwRC+ this season. You heard it here first.Heh. That would be AMAZING.
Oh no IT’S GONNA BE A 105 WAR BABY
“drfat”
You stop that.
(I giggled. Why was that typo so funny?)
Here’s why:
“Paging Dr. Fat; Dr. Fat to the ER, STAT.”
Haha, maybe.
Or maybe because I was pronouncing it DERRRRRfat in my head.
Is that a real person?!?
/Bex’d
The part that surprised me was Gardner playing LF. But I forgot that he started last season as the Opening day CF, and lost the job within a month. They’re still not convinced he can play everyday, which is fair. So even if he has a lights out spring, its safe to say Grandy plays CF. They don’t want to shift him around if they can avoid it.
I’m not all that surprised by that. Even if he is the presumptive starter and an everyday player and they forecast him to be, say, a 110 wRC+ player, he’s still going to be the weakest hitting starting OF by far. Meaning, whether you’re bullish or bearish on Gardner the starter, the lion’s share of playing time for Winn and ThamHoff would come from Gardner’s position, because Good Gardner is still way more benchable than Swish or Granderson.
So Gardner should play LF because his position is the biggest natural revolving door in any and all conceivable scenarios.
Yeah, but with ‘The Greatest Offensive Infield in Baseball History™ ‘ who cares whether Gardner hits. His value is tied up in his defense, which Cash described as “among the best in the game”.
We’re talking about two different things here.
I’m saying regardless of whether Gardner hits or not, Randy Winn and the 5th OF will get their playing time at Gardner’s expense, so it makes sense to keep Gardner in LF where Winn and the 5th OF would get their PT.
Right, but I was responding to the first part.
But I agree completely on the LF stuff, it’s the easiest spot to play around with and let Curtis get settled in at CF. And it’s not like they don’t benefit from Gardy’s speed/defense with him playing LF, it’s almost as big as CF.
Yup.
(hands Steve a refreshing Pinstripe Gritner Pilsner™)
He was nearly in tears talking about the 1996 World Series. It was really wonderful. Good interview.
Yeah, and I really enjoyed the way he explained how different winning is as a manager. As a player, he was happy for himself and what he achieved. As a manager, he was happy for everyone else and all the work they put in paying off.
Cano 5 is something I threw out there a long time ago. I would be ecstatic. This is his year.
Steve are you going to write this up? If not, do you mind if I take it?
Nah, go ahead. I’m sitting on 2-3 things that I’m still trying to finish.
Okay, cool. Thanks bud.
I’m sitting on 2-3 things that I’m still trying to finish.
TWSS
T-Dubs: I didn’t see the end, but I’m sure the Huskies lost?
Yup. They came out of the half with a 3 point lead, air-balled there first 2 or 3 shots. ND made their first 3 and never looked back. Dyson had 3 points until about 4 min. left when he made some meaningless baskets.
Tournament hopes? Done.
Anyone know where to get tv ratings by sport? Like hockey, college bball, etc.
never mind found it. Wins me another argument.
Fortune Cookie Numbers Game:
50, 14, 31, 53, 26, 11
50- Matt Lawton
14- Miguel Cairo
….
Kennedy, Melky, now Nick Johnson, now Brett Gardner.
50 – the 1B coach?
14- Granderson
31 – Michael Dunn
53 – Melky
26 – Nick Johnson
11 – GGBG
imho, 14 doesn’t look right on granderson
I’m still disappointed that Thames didn’t pick #66. That woulda been bad-ass.
Ivan Nova Bad Ass™, even.
granderson should wear #1,000
This, I like.
I’d also settle for regular ol’ 100. As in “My Man, 100 Grand”.
50- Oscar Azocar
14- Hideki Irabu
31- Glenallen Hill
53- Alfonso Soriano (your mind: BLOWN)
26- Johnnycakes Fasano
11- Lefty Gomez (the only acceptable answer)
I really like what you did here.
TWSS
Bill Walker looks like a keeper
Good… because we’re keeping him.
We keeping Tmac, House and Sergio?
No, no, and… I’ll say yes.
Although if T-Mac is really serious about playing for the league minimum to ride the BronBron gravy train, maybe that first No becomes a Yes.
maybe? If hes playing cheap than thats definatly a yes in my opinon
Saying “I’ll play for peanuts next year to win a title” and actually going from a 22M salary to a 450k salary are two different things.
We’ll have to wait and see if he’s telling the truth.
agreed. he needs the ring for any potential, yet slim hall of fame shot. and to get the gorilla off his back.
What ever happened to the RAB meme dictionary? I’m so confused.
Until it arrives, confused about what in particular? Ask away, we’ll happily enlighten you.
“So and so is the best player since Pete Rose” is about to sweep RAB. I’m glad I was not paying attention in class and caught that one.
I like how he said Jeter was better than A-Rod because “Jeter didn’t cheat” or whatever, and then his ultimate model of the best player ever was… Pete Rose.
Damn. I missed this.
http://riveraveblues.com/2010/.....ent-791592
::head explodes::
He has to be kidding, right?
Nope.
How much is ARod making a year? 27M? Then give Jeter DOUBLE THAT, because he’s had 13 amazing Octobers. ARod only has one.
Jeter’s way better than ARod. No non-ignorant Yankee fan would disagree.
/Jake’d
Ever since I fell for Scout X here I don’t believe anything any more.
tsjc, you forgot to mention that Cano sucks, “Cash Man” is an idiot, and… I dunno, something about Jorge/Cervelli.
The “Cash Man” was a lovely part of that, true. I should have worked it in somehow.
Fill me in on the whole
/whatever’d
and the acronyms are driving me nuts!
IETC: I enjoyed this comment
TCWA: This comment was awesome
ICWUDT: I see what you did there
TWSS: That’s what she said
man you guys are lazy!
Lazy like a Dominican, cabron.
Gotta be specific hombre. Don’t be afraid to ask.
He’s not your hombre, amigo.
/whatever’d usually indicates that it’s supposed to be that person talking. So, like…
The Red Sox have no weaknesses.
/Kruk’d
It’s a reference to Kruk’s article prior to the playoffs last year where he said the Red Sox were the only team without issues heading into the playoffs.
So like…
“Joba to the bullpen!”
/Idiot’d
hows that?
That works. We also call those people B-Jobbers.
B-Jobbers: people who advocate a Bullpen role for JOBa Chamberlain, in clear contravention of all rational thought processes (because they actually think relievers are more valuable/important than starters).
Also known as “terriosts”, as in the name of touchtoneterriost, one of the greatest, most fervent, unflagging B-Jobbers ever. One of his other RAB handles beside “touchtoneterriost” was “Joba-to-The-Pen”, later amended to “Joba-or-Hughes-to-The Pen”.
I asked him a bajillion times why his name was spelled “terriost” instead of “terrorist”. He never answered. I think to this day he never realized he was misspelling his own name.
A B-Jobber unwittingly misspelling his own name certainly is within the realm of possibility.
We’re (generally) dicks and think that people who think Joba belongs in the bullpen are idiots.
Oh wait. Wow. I’m an idiot. I thought you were using an example. D’oh!
/not paying attention’d
Tommie, send him to the minors.
Http://tinyurl.com/PinstripeDFAIPA
An example;
JMK has a big poop in his pants.
/Sean’d
lol is this really what I’m going to be known for?
Naw, we’ll just break your balls for a few days and then move on.
Now, if you turn into an irrational whackjob like some other posters, then yes, that one line will be what you’re always known for.
See also: Hitman, who “pretty much posts for the intelligent fans”.
Gay.
X’d
Heh.
——————–
Homo.
/IronHorse’d
IronHorse may have been my favorite. That guy was so intense and angry, I used to picture him frothing at the mouth and banging his keyboard against his desk. There have been some greats, but that guy used to really rise above, he was truly dedicated to his craft.
Re: this Jake character… He’s gotta be fake, right? Like another alexgonzalez (RIP)?
I’ll ask, because I dunno: where did the “Diamond Cutters” thing come from? It’s obviously a Gammons parody (because it’s always for Diamond Cutters, I’m Peter Gammons) but was it an actual show?
Diamond Cutters was a segment on Baseball Tonight.
Heh, shows how much I watch/pay attention to BBTN. Thanks.
Diamond Cutters was the name of Gammons’s segment back when he first started being an on-air personality for ESPN, like in 1988 or so.
This was way back before EVERY segment had a name, like the Coors Light Hot Seat and the Six Pack of Questions and Inside The Huddle and all that jazz. Gammons was the first real big-name correspondent with his own named segment.
I like the mock-iconic nature of the signoff. Which is why it will remain “For Diamond Cutters, I’m Peter Gammons, ESPN” even though he’s moved on from the network.
Really? They actually posted that?
http://i50.tinypic.com/2ro14jk.jpg
a spring matchup for the ages
…no.
Like last year when John Harper wrote an article about how in Spring Training, CC’s previous workload was catching up to him because he had a bad outing?
That’s just sad. Not as sad as the “OMG CC AND TEX ARE BUSTS” talk after the first game of the season, though.
“Birdbathia”
My (Sox fan) boss brought in the paper with that headline. I told him get back to me in September.
http://www.drunkenbleachers.co.....040709.jpg (safe)
One of the most satisfying things about last year was hearing Sox fans go on and on and on when they had a two-game division lead in like, May. Granted, we were in the middle of the 0-8 thing so some bragging was warranted, sure.
But then we sweep that four-game series in August and all of a sudden it’s WATCH YOURSELF YANKEE FANS! DON’T COUNT YOUR CHICKENS BEFORE THEY HATCH!!! REMEMBER 2004! Keep in mind, these same people had Facebook statuses and whatnot that were “12-0″ before the four-game series.
Well, the 11-year-olds in attendance will be giddy for the first inning or so, so technically, it kinda is a “matchup for the ages”.
That age is “11″.
Halladay, like most baseball players, looks hideous in red. Ah well.
The 2010 Giants will be bringing back the solid orange uni tops as an alternate kit.
No, I’m not making that up.
It does make him look rather ruddy.
Anyone have a link to a season or playoff recap video that includes the broadcast calls, without any major editing done? I havent been able to find any that were comprehensive on all the major moments and didnt have a ton of music involved or stuff like that. Anybody?
Those are nearly impossible to find. Generally people record the flash video off MLB.com and then edit it on their computer to add in the music. The only ripped and unedited versions are never posted to Youtube they remain on the creator’s machine.
I found one that has most of the moments and the calls, but the guy played with the calls and added some weird effects to them.
I think you are going to have to stream record them yourself. “The 10 biggest hits of the 2009 regular season”, “Poll: What was your favorite moment of the first half?” and your very own “Recapping the Walk Offs”. That is a lot of video.
I actually have done posts on April-August, recapping each month and linking to video of all the important plays of each month. It took a lot of time. I’m pretty sure I also did one with the walkoffs. I still need to get around to doing September and the playoffs.
Here’s the one on walkoffs:
http://www.theyankeeu.com/2009.....-offs-7951
And here is the one on August, which has links to the other months:
http://www.theyankeeu.com/2009.....ugust-9323
Rex Ryan needs another starting cornerback, and Antonio Cromartie needs a new team.
NFL Network’s Michael Lombardi says that the Jets are “extremely” interested in Cromartie despite some reports to the contrary.
Can’t wait to see him covering future Patriot wideout Anquan Boldin.
What are we giving them for Cromartie, though?
Thomas Jones? OOOOOOOOOOOOOH, too late.
Wow. That would have made a ton of sense.
Meh, not really. They didn’t want to pay Darren Sproles 8M for one year, even during the uncapped season. They probably wouldn’t have paid TJ the 6M he’s due this year.
Maybe if we traded him after his 3M roster bonus so they’d be on the hook for less, maybe… but then we’d be double-paying Cromartie, so, no, that probably doesn’t happen either.
In any event, I think we draft a CB rather than trade for one.
NoMaas:
http://twitter.com/nomaas/status/9957363225
Hmmm. When I think “polarizing figure” and “Yankees,” I think of Steinbrenner and A-Rod. I doubt NoMaas got interviews with those guys.
Gary Sheffield?
http://www.ibabuzz.com/oakland.....nd-tender/
Raiders gave their LONG SNAPPER a 2nd round tender, which means they’ve committed “$7,134 million in salary alone for both kickers, their long snapper and a core special teams player”
woooooo maryland!
hehe, nomaas interview with polarizing figure, brett gardner!