Oct
15
Saturday Night Open Thread
By
CC gonna do the other arm up once he inks his new deal?
It’s a little chilly out, but it’s an otherwise glorious evening here in New York. Hopefully you’re outside enjoying it, but if not, use this open thread to talk about anything your heart desires. The Rangers have a chance to clinch their second consecutive AL pennant with a win over the Tigers starting at 8pm ET on FOX (Holland vs. Scherzer). The Rangers are playing the Islanders, and the Devils are also in action. Anything goes, so have at it.
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The Rangers are on pace to be shorthanded about 30,000,000 times this season. Sheesh.
I have to say, I think I could get into hockey a bit, but not when NHLCI costs over $170 despite it’s lack of popularity and it’s not really ever on national channels. It’s also another example of their apparent stupidity that they do the free preview of the package during a week where there are maybe 2 games a night. Hell, I tried to watch some, but this is the first Rangers game in a week. What’s up with that???
They opened the season in Europe, they just got back last week.
Oh, well that still sucks.
CC please don’t leave us. I must admit I feel pleasure with the craziness with the Sox… And sadly today I had to buy a tv guide. Who knows what is on in Oct?
Go Rangers!!.I mean the NY kind
127 days until pitchers and catchers
If we didn’t have Teix and Fielder could actually field how many of you would be comfortable giving him a 6 or 7 year deal?
I’d be okay with a six-year. You have to assume he’ll suck in the last year or two of the deal, so you have to hope for lots of value in the first two or three.
If it’s another 24 per, that could mean in 2016-17 you’ll have 70 mil of bad contracts on the books for CC, Tex and Alex. That’s a lot of dead weight for even the Yanks to be carrying. If they maintain payroll, its 1/3 of your obligations.
1/4th of our payroll is already bad contracts on mediocre players. Soriano 11 mil, Jeter 16 mil, Feliciano 4 mil, AJ Burnett 16.5 mil in 2012. Those four players will have a combined 4 WAR maybe?
Jeter earned his checks this year. I’d venture to say 2010 is the only year of his career where you could say his contract didn’t match up with his performance.
15 million for slightly above average offense and terrible defense?
His offense was better than “slightly above average” but I agree, he’s not worth $15 million.
Can’t recall ever seeing a pro sports team get so dysfunctional so fast as the Boston Sux.
Even the Mets have some semblance of order.
Masserotti has them tearing the team apart, and whether he’s speculating or getting that from someone highly placed, I think he’s right. They did it after the team quit in 06, expanding payroll by 23 mil. He says Beckett and Ellsbury could be moved if a deal makes sense, and they’ll do almost anything to get Lackey off the team.
Given that town, that fan base and those ticket prices, its very hard to go into next year with the same group. I have to think they’ll be VERY active either trade/FA wise.
Anyone think that they might include Ellsbury or another good player in a deal with Lackey in order to get someone to take that contract?
No way. They’d sooner release Lackey than give up a good player to get rid of the contract.
Really? Hmmm…they’d sooner eat 60M than give up a good player? Ehhh, I can definitely see a scenario where that’s true, but that’s a lot of money to just eat. Not to mention that there’s evidence that he might have a potential mental health issue and the organization just mishandled it…releasing him might be tough.
There’s a better chance of them moving Beckett than Lackey.
Well obviously, Beckett just has health issues, whereas Lackey has awfulness issues, health issues, mental health issues, and probably attitude issues.
Beckett also has all of those issues except awfulness.
He seems stable, but yeah he is an asshole, did you know that he married a rocket scientist?
I can’t see them moving Ellsbury absent some sort of directive that says “Get rid of the entire 40 man roster.”
Allegedly he was really distant from the team all year. IMO he’s the 4th least likely Boston player to be moved, behind Crawford, Pedroia, and Lester.
I’d probably be pretty distant from that crowd too.
Yeah, but it sounds like after that collapse they’re looking for leadership…and he wasn’t a leader. It says something when your best player isn’t a big part of the clubhouse. So I guess they’d rather sell high on him and get something good for him rather than keep him around.
Random question, but what is a good ground ball percentage? I was thinking over 43%, is that about right?
That’s about right. Anything over 45% starts to get my attention.
It’s gonna be fun listening to Tim McCarver trying to say “Scherzer” all night.
Heh. He’s off to a rough start. Whatever “minor heart procedure” he had done probably came with a healthy quantity of pain meds which make him worse than usual.
Miggy smash.
Doesn’t Derek Holland look like Mitch from Real Genius? You know, that 80′s Val Kilmer movie.
pity that double play happened. I’d love to see the score be 3-0 already.
Hideki Matsui still has good numbers against left handed pitching (118 wRC+). 1 year 1.5 million dollar bench option where he could DH when Montero catches and be used as a pinch hitter off the bench?
Twenty bucks Jhonny Peralta is named like he is because of a spelling error on his birth certificate.
Yeah, pretty sure I’ve heard that’s true
Rhys Darby is great, How to Be a Gentleman is not.
SG over at RLYW is on the Darvish bandwagon huge, so am I…basically looking at the struggles of the other NPB starters if Darvish even “struggles” as much as they do he’s still right around what you’d want from a two starter. His 2011 stats were:
232 IP 156H 42RA 27 ER 5 HRA 36 BBs 276 Ks 1.63 RA 1.44 ERA 1.57 FIP.
Nasty. Yeah, I totally take back anything I said about not wanting Darvish at any point in time. He’s 25, and potential top tier starters in their mid 20s don’t come around too often, when they do it’s time to go all in.
Get it Done Cash and Hal.
I don’t care if those stats were done in class A, AA. AAA, or the Timbuktu (pardon the spelling) Winter league. If those stats are correct I would sign Darvish if he is available. Stats like that are a sign of pure dominance. This will not translate exactly to the AL East but will come somewhat close.
Austin Jackson…not very good.
Delmon Young is kind of terrible in LF.
Sigh…Texas is going back to the World Series…yuck.
They are not only going back to the WS but they are going to win their division for the next 10-15 years now that another doormat like Houston is joining that division.
Austin Jackson this series has looked awfully shaky for someone who is supposed to be the bets defensive centerfielder in the AL.
“Best” defensive centerfielder.
Fuck Max Scherzer. He dominates us and turns into shit against Texas.
Being that the Yankees have been the Gold standard for so many years it’s no wonder that opposing players just try harder against us.
Austin Jackson is simply awful.
I like how Fox is turning up the mic to try to make the crowd sound louder than it is.
The Cardials better win the NLCS, I don’t know if I can take a Claws and Antlers vs Beast Mode world series.
I saw a piece at Pinstripe Alley suggesting that rather than signing Darvish or Wilson, the Yankees wait on a starting pitcher and just try to scrap together a rotation from pieces off an old Buick this year and wait for the next year’s FA crop. There’s some logic to this type of thinking, passing on Johan and waiting for Sabathia was a ballsy risk but I liked the move at the time and I definitely like the move in hindsight. The list of free agent starters next year they gave were: Cole Hamels, Matt Cain, Zack Greinke, John Danks, Brandon McCarthy, Anibal Sanchez, and James Shields.
James Shields: That option WILL be picked up, either he’s with the Rays and traded to someone who will pick up the option or the Rays will do it. It’s a 9M option, there’s plenty of teams that would LOVE to have James Shields at that price if Tampa doesn’t. They’d be more than willing
Cole Hamels: A legitimately interesting option, he’s a damn good pitcher and he’ll be 29 at the time of free agency. There’s not a whole lot of risk, he has the stuff, the peripherals, and track record you look for in a starter. However, there will be a bidding war. I’m not sure he’s so good to where he’s worth a CC type contract, which is likely what it will take. Besides, the Phillies might be interested in keeping him too, it’s not like CC where he WAS hitting the open market. He’s a great option, but I’m unsure he’s worth passing on Darvish or CJ Wilson. Furthermore, I’m unsure he’s a better pitcher than Wilson or Darvish. He’s got a longer track record than both of those two, however, if we’re looking at recent performances (translated performances in Darvish’s case) he’s not really an upgrade over either. He also plays for a large market team that’s shown willingness to overpay hometown heroes and commit to pitchers deep into their thirties.
Matt Cain: Great pitcher for the Giants, however he is a DIPS buster. Dave Righetti has been a magician with his staff’s HR/FB ratio; combine that with the big ballpark and the NL West I’m unsure I’d feel just as good about signing him as I would CJ Wilson. In fact, I’d wager that CJ Wilson is a better option than he is. Better peripherals the past coulpe of years and he’s done it in the AL in a pitcher’s park. He’s great, I’m just unsure if he’s the best fit for the Yankees. At any rate this isn’t a “pass on Johan and sign CC next year” situation. He’s definitely a good pitcher and I’d be glad if he were a Yankee, but if were talking about pitchers were talking about pitchers were committing 5ish years and 90ish million dollars too, I’m unsure his name makes that list for me, and secondly I’m pretty sure his name is behind Wilson and Darvish on that list, if indeed it is on that list.
Zack Greinke: Sigh…great pitcher, got fucked by his defense tonight and had a flukily bad year. However, the Yankee brass has made it clear that they don’t think he’d do well in New York. So this option may as well not be on the table. They wouldn’t trade Montero for him, what makes anyone think that they’d be willing to drop 100M on him? I’d hardly consider this an option at this point.
John Danks: Good pitcher, I get the impression that he’s under appreciated throughout baseball. I think he’s pretty solid. However, I don’t think he’ll cost that much, I really don’t see him getting AJ or Lackey money. I see a contract closer to Gil Meche’s than either of theirs. I don’t see how signing a Darvish or a CJ Wilson would preclude the team from signing Danks too. Sure they’d have AJ, but he’s gone after 2013. So while the rotation may be crowded in 2012 in a hypothetical world where the Yankees get CC plus one of WIlson or Darvish and sign John Danks, I don’t see that as THAT big of a problem. Not to mention the fact that Wilson is a much better pitcher than Danks. There’s a good chance that Darvish will be too, again, I don’t see John Danks as a good enough reason to pass on Darvish/Wilson. He’s also closer to a three than he is a two. He had a pretty good 2008, but other than that he’s been closer to what you’d want out of your three than what you’d want out of your two. I really don’t see him as a serious upgrade over 2011 Ivan Nova.
Brandon McCarthy: Now this is just silly, pitchers like him will be available every year. He spend all of 2010 in AAA and he accumulated more than half of his career WAR this season. No real track record to speak of, except a consistent track record of not being able to stick in the majors until this year. He’s a worse option than Edwin Jackson.
Anabel Sanchez: Seems to be doing pretty well with the Marlins, however there’s been injury in his past and again I’m unsure he’s better than Darvish or Wilson. I don’t really see him as a very attractive option for the Yankees. Besides, I’m sure some team will over pay him.
There’s also the obvious caveat that a lot of these starters are getting extended, Verlander, Felix, and Weaver all signed below market extensions. What’s to say that Cain and Hamels won’t be resigned to similar deals or at the very least extended at a market rate before they hit the market? I don’t really see a compelling argument to wait for next offseason before signing another pitcher.
No we need another pitcher for next year. I want to win. Yu Darvish can help us do that.
Yeah, and as I’ve illustrated the other options in 2012 aren’t anymore appealing than Darvish or Wilson. All aboard the Darvish train.
One thing that makes me think Yanks may have been right about Greinke – Greinke would get chewed up in NY.
Anyone stupid enoght to gratuitously call an opposing pitcher (Chris Carpenter) “phony” and take him to task for shouting stuff at players based on what his teammates say about Carpeneter has absolutely no media savvy. I couldn’t believe it. It was like – I am going to say this becuase I don’t care what people think of me.(Even that “phony” Tony-Plush-Nyjer-Morgan kept his mouth shut on the subject of Carpeneter even though he and Carpenter have a history.)
He’s a bizarre cat, great pitcher, an absolutely bizarre individual though. Might not be fit for NY, oh well.
He has a serious anxiety disorder which affects his social interactions. That’s why he’s “bizarre.” (Personally I don’t think he’s bizarre, I think he’s a lot socially awkward which is to be expected when interacting with other people causes severe anxiety.)
That being said, I think the media situation in NY would not be a good fit for him. If the team could basically limit his interaction with the media to none, he’d be fine. I don’t get the impression he reads the papers, listens to the media, etc and it gets to him. He just doesn’t deal with them directly very well.
I wasn’t saying it in a bad way, and he’s more than awkward…he’s just bizarre. Nothing wrong with that, just the way he is. He’s not quite A-Rod bizarre, but he’s definitely a weird dude, read some stories about him.
Daniel Schlereth is on to save the Tigers’ season? This should be good.
The Tigers need some relief pitching. Maybe they will trade for Soriano lol.
Leyland is the best manager ever folks. – New York media.
Austin Jackson’s defense is rubbing off on Delmon (who is a horrible outfielder anyway.)
I know, he is terrible, and AJax isn’t looking any better.
Doesnt it seem like this year, its not shut down pitching that is winning in the postseason, but offense?
And the umps give texas the AL pennant..fucktards
I disagree. The Tigers defense gave them the AL pennant.
Yeah. Terrible defense. And a bullpen of LOL.
Cruz swung
Murphy out at 2nd.
That’s why a series is seven games instead of one.
Tim McCarver wants us to know the Rangers have run the bases very well this inning. I would like to point out to him that the Tigers have terrible outfielders, making it very easy to run the bases.
Yanks need to dump swisher for a guy who hits with a better average . Stick nunez out there and resign Jones
Being serious?
I think so. It hurts to look at.
Cudayer would be a good pick up. Better hitter.
Really? Cuddyer is your proposal to replace Swisher.
No he’s not. It’s not particularly close.
Yanks 9-3 against texas this year. How did we let this sorry ass tiger team win
How did we let a crappy Pittsburgh Pirates team beat us in 1960 when we outscored them in the series, hmm?
You can’t possibally be comparing the 1960 Yankees and 1960 Pirates with the 2011 Yankees and 2011 Tigers.
I’ve thought about it. And that was a seven game series. But mostly it was a retort to Baseball Jesus.
I’m comparing the series more than the teams individually.
TO be clear, I am not comparing the 2011 Tigers to the 1960 Pirates. I’m comparing the 1960 WS to the 2011 ALDS.
That is the reason Stengel got fired. He started journeyman Art Ditmar instead of Whitey Ford or Bobby Shantz or Bob Turley. That was asking for it.
The real question: Can Holland pull an AJ and give up the lead?
Hope Cards can tear up this softball team from texas
The Cardinals first have to win one game in Milwaukee.
Arlington ballpark is up there with Fenway for the most right handed hitter friendly ballpark. I am sure Pujols is licking his chops thinking about it.
Is carpenter a FA after this season? Can St Louis afford him and Pujols
Signed an extension.
He signed a 2 year extension just a couple of weeks ago.
Too bad he is a big game pitcher.
Detroit done
Somebody better hide Miggy’s car keys.
Brad Penny getting loose = white flag.
I so don’t want to go to work on Monday and listen to the Ranger fans ALL WEEK LONG.
Maybe the Yankees should go with CC/ Chris Carpenter/ Yu this offseason.
CC
Yu
Nova
White CC
Huhghes/Freddy/Noesi
That wouldn’t be too bad.
Carpenter was extended. But I like “white CC”
White CC is not a FA.
Long offseason yankee starers next year
CC
Nova
Burnett
Hughes
Noesi
The big question what the hell do theybdo with joba?
They won’t go into 2012 with that rotation, they’ll add Darvish or Wilson. A rotation of:
CC
Darvish/Wilson
Nova
Hughes/Noesi
AJ
Should be a pretty solid one, I’m concerned about Hughes and AJ for obvious reasons…maybe they’ll find a way to deal AJ and pick up another serviceable starter.
Am I missing something? Isn’t Cole Hamels better than CJ and Darvish. I know he’s not FA yet. Mets friend thinks both are better than Cole. He’s definitely seen him pitch more.
AJax doesn’t strike out!
Should of kept Austin Jackson
Shoulda got a falcon.
Ryan Raburn says: maybe not.
OMG the Detroit outfield. Terrible.
Holland has been dreadful this series as has CJ Wilson – good they are getting him out.
(I don’t like Texas but I reluctantly want them to win – it will be disgusting if Phil “point to the sky, even on homers” Coke and, to a lesser extent, Austin Jackson win a World Series before Curtis Granderson.)
Technically Detroit can come back in this game because they are hitting so many homers although most of their damage has been done against Texas starters – I still don’t know why Cokie Washington had CJ Wislon pitch to Delmon Young (who had already homered once) after giving up a single, double (although a bad hop), and a triple – you would expect CJ to be rattled.
By the way do you think that CJ Wilson has cost himself millions of dollars by pitching poorly this postseason? I just don’t see it. CC Sabathia had a bad postseaon record before he signed with Yanks, especially for an ace and he still got record money. Also for teams that do not regularly make postseason like Nats and Blue Jays how can they fixate on taht when their main priority ahs to be getting there first?
Cokie Washington. Love it.
Phil Coke already won a World Series ring with the Yankees.
I won’t rip on the Yankees too much for losing to Detroit..fact of the matter is the better team can easily make another team look bad.
Joe Buck pulled a Sterling.
He’s done that twice tonight, hasn’t he?
So, it’s been weeks since I gave my job new availability due to picking up a gig as a college radio DJ. Only problem is- they keep scheduling me the days I can’t work at which point I go unto panic and have to get people to pick up, not to mention the copious amount of schoolwork I have to do– at what point do I tell them to honor my request or i’ll leave?
Now. Put it in writing, and be prepared to walk.
I wouldn’t do an ultimatum. Just remind them again and see how they react.
If that doesn’t work, pull a Scarface from Half Baked.
I can’t believe it took Fox 6 games for their first 2004 reference.
Only because the Yankees weren’t involved. Had they been, it would have been mentioned in Game 1, Inning 1.
Francona didn’t mention it once.
Francona >>>>> McCarver > Buck
Francona >>>>> McCarver + Buck
Fixed.
The entire pre game would have been about it.
Buck: Seven yrs ago this Yankee team was apart of the biggest post season collapse in the history of sports.
Forget that only 4 players from 04 are still on the team.
I would be sure to mention the fact the MVP from that WOrld Series has been caught using PEDS twice since that 04 World Series and is a person who has beat his wife and an elderly man.
Not relevant, he’s not in baseball anymore.
/FOX’d
Former Tampa Bay Ray and Cleveland Indian OF Manny Ramirez….
/ESPN’d
It’s like his Red Sox yrs never happened.
Also David (tell me what they found in the test and I’ll tell you how it accidentally got there) Ortiz was the one that did us most of the damage.
Penny in
Detroit raises white flag
Beer and chicken being sent to the RANGERS clubhouse as we speak.
What a surprise, Brad Penny gives up a leadoff hit.
And then a run.
Detroit really wishes they had a decent bullpen right now.
But they have the best closer in the game! And Benoit! And Al Alburquerque!
Too bad none of those things matter if Brad Penny is your middle relief!
To be fair, I’m not sure any team’s bullpen is deep enough to cover a starting performance that bad.
As a rule, true. It’s bad when your starter gets knocked out in the third.
but Brad Penny is bad.
Ok thats about it for the season nothing left but hopeing Cards can beat these clowns.
+1
Good call by the Tigers to IBB David Murphy. Didn’t hurt them at all.
Also, if Dave Dombrowski is such a flippin’ front office genius, why is his bullpen full of LOL?
While I don’t like Nolan Ryan and I’m not happy with our ALCS loss last year,I’d rather see Texas in the World Series than Detroit.
Verlander is NOT as good as all the MVP people who have been drooling over him have said and more to the point, when everyone on the team thinks the crap Valverde done is funny and a-okay..you don’t deserve to go on.
Yes, Valverde’s lounge act tips the scale when trying to decide who to like the least.
I do not want to see Jose Valverde at a World Series.
I was hoping he’d blow his first save in the World Series.
I’ve come to peace with Valverde. I look at him as this year’s version of Brad Lidge – yeah, it’s a good year, but we all know he’s not going to be able to keep it up long-term. If him doing a little dance every now and then is what it takes to keep Texas out of the World Series, so be it. He won’t be dancing for very long. And let’s face it – Verlander is pretty good. Not MVP good, but I don’t think he’ll get it anyway.
All of this is academic, of course, since Brad Penny is doing what Brad Penny does.
If only the Tigers had made it to and won the WS, next year we’d be seeing Valverde Taco Bell commercials.
I could see it – he certainly looks like he eats at Taco Bell a lot.
Except Brad Lidge didn’t show up batters or make statements to the press (as far as I know) mocking the players he struck out and stating a series would end.
I really don’t have a problem with anyone on the Texas team for the most part.
I don’t find Tigers fans to be as irritating as Rangers fans. That’s where most of my opposition to the Rangers comes from.
Phillies and Red Sux fans are still worse in my book.
SMH can’t stand the Rangers
Nelson Cruz is a fucking postseason machine.
Justin Verlander is on the phone to his agent as we watch this game.
Sergio Mitre >> Brad Penny
Wow. That’s really saying something, isn’t it?
2011 season the only good thing was watching the redsox shit the bed.
+ Jeter’s 3000th
+ Mo’s 602nd
I would throw at them too if i was a tiger.
Too bad he’s not actually throwing at them – his control is just that bad.
Alburquerque continues the awfulness.
There is no pitcher named Al Alburquerque
/Francesa’d
Nelson Cruz just broke Reggie JAckson’s homerun post season record..wow
My night has been made by discovering Gardy is on Twitter. I can live through the off season after all.
Tiger’s aren’t done yet….
/Wishful thinking’d
It would help if the Texas pen would pull an Oakland and walk the bases loaded a few times. Of course, that assumes anyone besides Miggy knows how to take a walk on that team.
Well, at least if the Cardinals win tomorrow, during the World Series Joe Buck will be in full Texas-hatred mode. That’ll be entertaining.
If Feliz gave up a few runs here, I’d enjoy it.
Are Tiger fans ready to trade Avila since he’s so terrible in the post-season?
Ugh. Just…ugh.
Ditto.
Go NL teams!
Isn’t “We are the Champions” supposed to only be played after you actually are the champions?
It’s the Rangers they make it up as they go along.
The Rangers are going back to the World Series because a couple of weeks ago it rained really bad in New York & Bud Selig doesn’t watch The Weather Channel.
I doubt Bud Selig knows what the Weather Channel is.
I find it funny how on Fox they said the last AL West Champion team to make it back to back World Series was the Oakland A’s, yet they didn’t say who the last AL Team overall was.
That would be the Yankees and before that the Blue Jays.
Yes it would. Yankees in 2000-2001 and Blue Jays 1992-1993.
I half expect both Hamilton and Cruz to break something before the World Series is over.
Their legs?
/kidding
In other news, The Netherlands won the Baseball World Cup in Panama. HONKBAL!
What do u think about Jair Jurrjiens? If the Braves make him available i’d pounce and i don’t care about his SO rate as hes had plenty of games where he strikes guys out and his last 4starts against the AL EAST(2against BOS in same week! 1balt 1toronto) hes been pretty brilliant and on a hunch i think he will be healthy going forward as u see alot of young pitchers have problems with health early on in there careers It also could be a reason his SO rate dipped below 6per nine this past yr as i think he was pitching hurt his last few starts before going on the DL as he had 1 1 1 3 SO respectively That’ll drop your SO rate Hes pitched to a SUB 3 ERA in 2of the last 3yrs and that is the bottomline Hes crafty and gets it done and is still young ATL needs offense and we could pick up Swishers option and Trade him with say Nunez and possibly Kontos to get the deal done I like the idea and then we Sign Infante to be our Randy Velarde type player that fills in everywhere and to be hoenset Infante is the type of hitter we need in the lineup or Jeff Keppinger
CC
Jurrjiens
Nova
AJ
Hughes
Its a rough idea without a ton of thought but i really like Jair
hes just lucky bro
I doubt the Braves would make such a young pitcher available, even with his health issues. He projects as a
1A or #2 pitcher in any staff.