Archive for Open Thread
Open thread: World Series bling
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People still say bling, right? Okay, good.
Anyway, longtime reader Sam P. sent along a link to the unoriginally named World Series Rings site, which, as you may have guessed, features all of the World Series rings dating back to 1922. They’ve got the 1996 ring you see above, plus 1998, 1999, pretty much all of ‘em. It’s amazing how ugly some of them are, like the 1973 A’s or the 1997 Marlins. Not to upset the natives, but the 2004 Red Sox ring is one mighty fine piece of jewelry.
That site is a great way to kill some time, so thanks to Sam for tipping us off.
Once you’re done perusing the rings, feel free to use this as your open thread. There’s no baseball or football tonight, obviously, and the only local team in action are the Rangers, who don’t play until 10pm ET because they’re out in Vancouver. Talk about whatever you want, just make sure you follow the guidelines and be cool.
Open Thread: Football!
Posted by: | CommentsThe Giants are in Philadelphia at 1pm ET in a game that mirrors the World Series, and the Jets are taking on the Dolphins at the same time. Please keep the football conversation here, so the other threads stay on topic. Thanks y’all, hope y’all enjoy the games. [/Pettitte'd]
Open Thread: The day before Halloween
Posted by: | CommentsLots of us are going to be out partying it up pre-Halloween style tonight while the World Series is stuck in a travel day, so it’ll probably be a little slow around these parts. Anyway, I just wanted to point out that Matt Hagen at THT posted his Top 10 Yankees Prospects list. Here’s quick thoughts:
- Jairo Heredia is too high after missing most of last year due to injury. Even healthy he wouldn’t rank that high.
- DJ Mitchell is also too high. He’s got a massive platoon split and is probably just a reliever down the road.
- Austin Jackson is too low. I know he didn’t have a great year, but all the tools are still there, and he’s still a 22-yr old in Triple-A.
Anyway, use this as your open thread for the night. Both the Isles and Rangers in action tonight, but that’s pretty much it. Talk about that, your Halloween costume, or whatever else you want. Just follow the guidelines and be nice.
If you’re really bored, laugh at this:
Open Thread: For those Yankee fans in Philly
Posted by: | CommentsMuch to my surprise, it turns out there are actually some Yankee fans outside of the small municipality of New York. Yeah, I know. Who knew, right?
Well anyway, apparently some of these fans are colonizing down in Philadelphia, and are looking to get together to watch the World Series games. One emailer mentioned that he and about 15 others were meeting up at The Fieldhouse in Reading Terminal Market (linky), but this thread is a place for you guys in Philly to talk it out and figure out if/when/where you’ll meet it up.
Once you guys agree on a place to meet up, shoot me an email via the link in the far right sidebar, and I’ll toss up a post letting the masses know.
Otherwise, use this puppy as your open thread for the night. No baseball, no football, no hockey, no preseason basketball. Nada. I guess you could always catch up on some work or something. Anyway, anything goes, just be nice.
Open Thread: Who have been the most valuable Yankees? (Part III)
Posted by: | CommentsA third of the way through the season, I took at look at which players were contributing the most the Yankees in terms of wins over replacement, or WAR. We’ve been using that stat for a while, so I’m sure you’ve all seen it. It encompasses offense and defense relative to position, so it’s usefulness is apparent.
Two-thirds of the way through the season I checked back in, and found that for the most part, there wasn’t much movement up top. Now that the regular season is over, let’s take a look one more time at which players were most valuable to the team in 2009. First, the pitchers:
Top Five Pitchers
- CC Sabathia, 6.0 WAR
- Andy Pettitte, 3.3
- AJ Burnett, 3.1
- Phil Hughes, 2.2
- Mariano Rivera, 2.0
For comparison’s sake, Zack Greinke was far and away the most valuable pitcher in baseball this year at 9.4 WAR (Justin Verlander and Tim Lincecum tied for second at 8.2 WAR). The last time a pitcher was that dominant was 2004, when Randy Johnson picked up 9.9 WAR. It’s pretty amazing to think that Phil Hughes was more valuable than Mo this year, though Phil did get a boost from his half-dozen starts. Joba Chamberlain (1.5) and Al Aceves (1.2) were the only other pitchers in the staff worth over a win. You can see the team’s full leaderboard here.
As a whole, the Yankee pitching staff was worth a total of 18.6 WAR, good for fifth best in the AL.
Top Five Position Players
- Derek Jeter, 7.4 WAR
- Mark Teixeira, 5.2
- Alex Rodriguez, 4.6
- Robinson Cano, 4.3
- Jorge Posada, 4.0
The most valuable position player in the game this year was … wait for it … Ben Zobrist at 8.5 WAR. Albert Pujols was right behind him (8.4), and Joe Mauer behind him (8.2). Those three plus Chase Utley were the only players in baseball this year more valuable than the Cap’n. Nick Swisher wasn’t too far behind Posada at 3.7 WAR, but after that it dropped off a bit. Here’s the team leaderboard.
Yankee position players were far and away the most valuable in the league this year, clocking in at a collective 38.3 WAR. Tampa Bay was second at 34.1, and no other team cracked the 30 WAR plateau. That’s domination, homes.
* * *
Here’s your open thread for the evening. The Eagles and Redskins are your Monday night game, and you’ve also got the Rangers and Islanders in action in separate contests as well. Feel free to talk about whatever you like, just make sure you follow the guidelines and be cool to each other.
Oh, and there’s not going to be a DotF tonight. Surprise plays the late game, so I’m going to just recap it tomorrow with tomorrow’s game. If you must know what happened, here’s the league scoreboard.
Open Thread: Andy Pettitte in potential clinchers
Posted by: | CommentsAndy Pettitte is the old man in the rotation, the been there, done that, respect him just because of he is who he is veteran. He wore pinstripes in both good times and bad, and he’s got more than a full season’s worth of postseason experience in that left arm (37 starts, 231 IP career in the playoffs). His reputation as a big game pitcher is a tad exaggerated, but he’s certainly done what the Yankees needed in the past.
In his career, Pettitte’s started eight games when the Yankees had a chance to clinch a series, like they will tomorrow night. Let’s quickly recap those starts:
1996 ALCS Game Five: 8 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
Pettitte was fantastic, and it certainly didn’t hurt that the offense put up a six spot in the third inning. Yanks won the game 6-4, and took the series against Baltimore 4-1.
1997 ALDS Game Five: 6.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Meh outing, Manny Ramirez’s two-run double followed by a Matt Williams RBI single in the third did him him. Yanks lose the game and the series 4-3 and 3-2, respectively.
1998 World Series Game Four: 7.1 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
Pettitte was spectacular against the overmatched Padres, but he wasn’t able to ease up until the team scored a pair of insurance run in the 8th inning. Yanks won the game 3-0, and swept the series.
2000 ALDS Game Five: 3.2 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
Pettitte kinda crapped the bed in the deciding game five, but luckily for him, Oakland starter Gil Heredia was even worse (six runs, one out). The bullpen held it down for 5+ innings. Yanks won 7-5, and finished Oakland off in the deciding Game Five.
2000 World Series Game Five: 7 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
Pettitte hurt himself with an error in the third, but otherwise held it down until the Yanks took the lead in the ninth. Good guys won 4-2, and took the series in five.
2001 World Series Game Six: 2 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
This was the real clunker. After two magical come from behind wins in the Bronx, Pettitte blew up in the potential clincher. He later admitted to tipping his pitches, hence all the damage. Yanks took one on the chin, losing 15-2, and we all know what happened in Game Seven.
2003 World Series Game Six: 7 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 K
Andy was good, but Josh Beckett was better.
2009 ALDS Game Three: 6.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
This one was just two weeks ago, so I’m sure you remember it. Pettitte could have gone longer, but was lifted after just 81 pitches. Yanks held on for a 4-1 win, and a trip to the ALCS.
Overall, the Yanks are 5-3 when Pettitte takes the mound in a game where the Yanks could clinch the series. What does this mean for tomorrow? Absolutely nothing. These are just isolated incidents, some over ten years old. All Pettitte has to do tomorrow is what he’s been doing all year: keep the Yanks in the game, and log as many innings as possible.
Update: I missed some games. See this comment for more info.
Anyway, use this as your open thread for the night. There’s literally no local major sports team in action tonight, just the Nets in a meaningless preseason game. There’s also some college football game on, but I don’t remember the teams. You could always come hang out with me at MLBTR. Talk about whatever you want, just make sure you follow the guidelines and be nice.
NLCS Game Five: Dodgers @ Phillies
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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.
NLCS Game Four & MNF Thread
Posted by: | CommentsHere’s a thread for you guys to talk about some of the non-Yankee sports action going on tonight. Randy Wolf (11-7, 3.23) tries to even up the NLCS at two games a piece against Joe Blanton (12-8, 4.05) at 8pm ET, while the Broncos visit the Chargers a little later on. The Rangers are also playing. Talking about whatever you want here, just follow the guidelines and be cool.
NLCS Game Three: Dodgers @ Phillies
Posted by: | CommentsOh, yeah, there’s that other playoff series. After two thrilling games in the Bronx, the Yanks and Angels enjoy a travel day to take them out to sunny Southern California. Even though we’re stuck without the Bombers for a night, we can still check out their National League counterparts.
The Phillies and Dodgers come east after splitting a pair of games back in LA, the second of which involved a glorious meltdown by Philadelphia’s shaky bullpen. Considering how unreliable Brad Lidge has been this year, Charlie Manuel can’t feel good when his other relievers cough up a lead. Joe Torre doesn’t have to worry too much about his relief corps, he can trot out power arm after power like his replacement in the Bronx.
After missing the NLDS with a bulging disk in his neck, righty Hiroki Kuroda returns to the make the start for Team Torre. The Japanese import faced the Phillies once this year, two-hitting them over seven scoreless innings back in June. The Phillies will counter with an import of their own – trade deadline pickup Cliff Lee. Lee shut the Rockies down in two NLCS starts, and is working on normal rest. I expect great things.
Here’s the lineups:
Los Angeles
Rafael Furcal, SS
Ronnie Belliard, 2B
Andre Ethier, RF
Manny Ramirez, LF
Matt Kemp, CF
James Loney, 1B
Casey Blake, 3B
Russ Martin, C
Hiroki Kuroda, SP (8-7, 3.76)
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
Cliff Lee, SP (14-13, 3.22)
TBS has the call, with first pitch scheduled for 8:07pm ET. The weather report looks ominous, but it appears that there’s a big enough window to get this one in.
If the NLCS isn’t your thing, then go ahead and use this puppy as an open thread. The Bears and Falcons are your late football game, but talk about whatever you like. Just please follow the guidelines and be nice.
NLCS Game One: Phillies @ Dodgers
Posted by: | CommentsTwo full days after the Phillies made a remarkable comeback against Huston Street and the Rockies in Game Four of the National League Division Series, the Championship is finally ready to get underway. It’s not as bad as the brutal four day layoff the Yankees and Angels have to endure, but it’s bad enough.
In case you forgot, this year’s NLCS is a rematch of last year’s NLCS, except the Dodgers have home field advantage this year, not the Phillies. Cole Hamels will start the series off for the Phightin’s, the same way he did last year. Los Angeles will counter with the Clayton Kershaw, who graduated high school just three years ago. Since their lineup is loaded with lefty power hitters, the Phillies might have their hands full with young southpaw, who held lefties to a .173-.237-.252 batting line this year.
TBS is carrying the game (and the entire series), with first pitch scheduled for 8:07pm ET. Here’s the lineups:
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, SP (10-11, 4.32 regular season)
Los Angeles
Rafael Furcal, SS
Matt Kemp, CF
Andre Ethier, RF
Manny Ramirez, LF
James Loney, 1B
Casey Blake, 3B
Ronnie Belliard, 2B
Russell Martin, C
Clayton Kershaw, SP (8-8, 2.79 regular season)
Use this thread to chat about the game, or whatever else you please. Just make sure you follow the guidelines and be cool to each other.
