There's no Gopher talk below because meh. I'm sorry, they blew out St. Peter's which is exactly what they're supposed to do. I just don't care. I could probably break down all the players' shit or whatever but again, it was against St. Peter's so it's all basically meaningless. Well not totally meaningless, I mean it's nice to see them work over a shitbox team they way they should so that's encouraging. And I know this is a Gopher blog and I should write up every single game but in my defense fuck that shit.
WHO WAS AWESOME
1. Anaheim Angels. Ok so yeah, the Pujols' contract is probably too long and the C.J. Wilson contract is probably a little much for somebody who hasn't shown he can be a true ace, but the Angels just grabbed the best hitter and best pitcher on the market. As someone who thinks a team should spend as much as they can and as much as they want to win and doesn't get all revved up about big market vs. small market discrepancies (I don't hate the Yankees and Red Sox because they have more money, I hate them because they're assholes), I think it's an awesome move to say "Yeah, this is probably more than these guys are worth, but we can afford it and it makes us better." Pretty sweet week to be an Angel fan, and with Pujols, Kendry Morales assuming he's ok, and Mark Trumbo now on board they have a pretty sweet trade chip which, if they're lucky, they can use to also persuade somebody to take Torii Hunter or Vernon Wells' contract. And now they have Wilson, Dan Haren, and Jered Weaver at the front of the rotation. Yeah, nice. I'd say this makes up for the Napoli thing.
2. Indiana Hoosiers. Well that was a pretty awesome game. Huge win for the Hoosiers, and they're definitely on the way back but I'm not convinced they're good. I mean really they shouldn't even have won that game but John Calipari was too busy counting his illegal monies to actually coach. Do you realize Indiana was down 2 with 6 seconds left and Kentucky had TWO fouls to give. So you wait until the guy catches the ball in the back court, let him get 2-3 dribbles down and foul. Then, when they take it out on the side, you waste another second and foul again, and at this point Indiana has like one second left and the ball out of bounds on the side at mid-court. Boom. You can choose to blame Calipari or you can choose to blame his players instead, but I contend that Calipari coached those players so IN YOUR FACE.
3. Michigan State Spartans. Pretty good weekend for the B1G 10 (outside of Ohio State) and Michigan State's win over Gonzaga in Spokane (or wherever the hell Gonzaga is) was a very good one. What I found most interesting was Draymond Green's line. Usually he's all like, I'm gonna grab a bunch of boards and dish some assists and score some points and just kind of facilitate the offense, but in this one he just took the hell over and scored 34 of their 75 points (no other Spartan hit double figures) and really didn't do anything else (2 rebs, 3 asst) and was like a completely different person than usual. I don't know if that's good or bad. Like one time I had this friend who was a huge drunk and he was hilarious but he drank like all the time and then he stopped drinking and we were like good for you that will make you so much healthier but then he wasn't funny any more and was kind of lame and I haven't talked to him in a long time.
4. Devoe Joseph. Royce White is probably the best player in the Big 12 (FACT!!), Justin Cobbs is a valuable member of Cal's almost certainly NCAA Tournament squad, and now Devoe makes his debut for Oregon and leads them in scoring with 18, throwing in 4 assists (to 1 TO) to boot. That's always fun. I'm fucking pissed at Devoe. I liked him too much for him to just turn his back on me like this, then show up with some west coast hippie dude looking sexier than ever. That was a metaphor. Also, because I don't know where else to put this and I can't remember my twitter password, I just want to mention that I'm alone in my basement and I'm choosing to watch The Next Iron Chef rather than football. Does that make me gay?
5. Rob Gronkowski. Do you remember how when you used to play Tecmo Super Bowl sometimes Christian Okoye would be in "excellent" condition and then when you'd run with him you'd actively look for defensive players to just run over and bounce them right the fuck out of the screen? That's like Gronky, he's just sick. Completely untackleable. It doesn't even matter if it's some pussy ass little safety or some big fat defensive lineman, nobody can bring this dude down. And he's not just some big bruiser, he's got hands that are baby soft. I once saw Randy Johnson whip an egg at his head at 98 mph and he just cradled it in and the thing didn't even break. Then he humped a porn star and when he was done she was all like "you're the best I've ever had" and he was all like "yeah don't call me." True story.
WHO SUCKED
1. Joe Webb Fans. Are you people serious? After a very nice day at the bar with Dawger and Bear (ps suck it $nake), I happened to be listening to the after game call-in show or whatever for the Vikings and I'm pretty sure people are completely out of their damn minds. Hosts and callers both, because there was apparently a for real debate about whether Webb or Ponder should be the Viking QB of the future. Guess what geniuses, Joe Webb sucks at throwing a football. Did you even watch the game? He was missing open receivers by five freaking yards and I'm not exaggerating. He's not Mike Vick bad or even Terrelle Pryor bad, he makes them look like me playing bar league football - dead on balls accurate. Yes he's fast. Fun. But Ponder might be an actual real life QB, even if that throw across the body crap was the worst throw in the history of football. Webb is a bit and you're dumb. You know damn well you love him, don't lie to me.
2. Creighton Blue Jays. Could be the return of the curse of DWG, or could just be that Creighton sucks balls because after getting out to a blistering start that actually had me complimenting a Missouri Valley team, Creighton sucked big-time this weekend getting rolled by St. Joseph's. Creighton allowed St. Joe's to shoot 49%, sent them to the line 29 times and got there just 9 themselves, and was out-rebounded 37-24. They also allowed someone named Carl Jones to score 29 points. I don't really have else to add since I don't really know that much about either team or care, but I did bet a decent amount on Creighton to win this one so I'm a little peeved.
3. Memphis Tigers. Speaking of betting oh my god I suck at betting so much when it's not props. How the hell could Memphis possibly lose to Murray State at home? Murray State isn't even good. They're not even mediocre, and that's why Memphis was an 11 point favorite but instead of winning by eleven they just flat out lost. Which made sense because I got raped like an Egyptian geisha this weekend. But really, could Pastnor have learned from Calipari any better? Recruit great athletes, stress defense, refuse to run anything remotely resembling a real offense and just hope your players can outplay your opponent - exactly like Kentucky these days. Too bad Murray State is boring and disciplined. I hate that shit.
4. Manchester United. Wow. Just wow. How do you lose to Basel, and how do you get knocked out in the Group Stage in Champions League? This is the first time since 2005 Man U hasn't made it to the knockout round. Also I told the swamp donkey to sock it before I gave her a trunky in the tradesman's entrance and had her lick my yarbles.
5. The Xavier/Cincy Fight. As someone who continually rips hockey because most of the "fans" of the "sport" care more about the fighting than the game I need to weight in here and say that the fight was stupid and dumb and stupid. But you know what's even more stupid? The people who are trying to blow this thing out of proportion and act like programs should be shut down and players should be kicked off teams. Yes, punching some ugly white dude in the head isn't a good thing and stomping on some guy who's already on the ground is probably not a resume builder, but this is the ugliest rivalry in college hoops and has been for years. The whole game (and pre-game really) was chippy and bitchy and you could see this shit coming when the refs didn't step in like asap. Yes, it's a black mark on the game but it's not like somebody was engaging in a little horseplay in the showers here so let's settle down. Also those people who are condemning Holloway for his "gangster" comment need to fucking relax. He's not saying they're Crips for christ's sake, it's called his vernacular. Relax, whitey.
By the way, this Tebow shit is ridiculous. Every week it's the same thing - suck badly and embarrassingly for 3.5 quarters and then tear shit up in the last 6 minutes. Once again it happened this week. When I left the bar the Broncos were down 10-0, the offense had done nothing, and Tebow had 45 yards passing. When I got home it turned out the Broncos won and Tebow threw for over 200 yards. I mean how does this shit happen every single week? It's crazy, and I gotta tell ya I think I've gone from Tebow hater to semi-on the bandwagon. Seriously if he wasn't silly religious I'd probably be all aboard, but who am I to question god? And if I was going to I'd probably start with the platypus anyway, then move on to general human misery and/or specific events like the holocaust or that tidal wave thing, and then eventually get to Tebow. That sentence kind of got away from me. Anyway, has there ever been such a lock for #2 in MVP voting? Every single writer is going to go Rodgers #1 and Tebow #2. And if they pick somebody other than Rodgers they're going to go that guy #1 and Tebow #2. He's going to finish in second with zero #1 votes. Right? Because nobody would voluntarily vote him #1, right? RIGHT?
Also I have $2 on Tebow to win MVP which would get me $200 so I'm on board. Choo choo.
Showing posts with label Albert Pujols. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Albert Pujols. Show all posts
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
Monday Musings (World Series, Vikings, Billy Beane, Racism in football, etc.)
I'm watching the World Series right now (currently 2-0 St. Louis in the 3rd) and watching the Rangers work on imploding, which is exactly what Detroit did to hand the Cards their last World Championship, when they were once again a substantial underdog. So far C.J. Wilson has walked Lance Berkman after being ahead 0-2, and Berkman then advanced to third on David or Daniel Murphy's error on a single to left (which scored Holliday), and then scored when Keith Moreland's kid booted a ground ball. C.J. Wilson also threw a Furcal bunt away, but was able to pitch out of it. And now Moreland just hit a Thome-sized home run. Looks like a ball game. I'm not going to live blog it like, but I'll just do that thing where I type whatever comes into my head about whatever. I guess that's what I usually do. Whatever. Shut your big fat face.
- So I suppose, for the first time in two years, there's something worthwhile to talk about with the Vikings. Of course, this is only because they have clearly jumped into rebuilding mold and Ponder gave everyone hope, but despite being impressed with Ponder I'm not exactly looking forward to the next couple of years.
Here's your problem - too old and/or too bad. What do you have? Well you have a good start because you have one bona fide superstar on each side of the ball (AP and Jared Allen), both of whom will probably be able to give you 3-5 more years at a high level. That's an excellent start, and far better than a lot of teams can build around. But from there it's tough.
Ponder looked very good for it being his first start. He made his mistakes, misjudged just how fast even an old cornerback is in the NFL, and made some interesting decisions, but he also made a lot of good throws, showed a lot of poise for a rookie, and never seemed rattled. I don't know what exactly his upside is, but, at the very least, he looks like a young QB the team can build around. It's been a long time since this team has had that (Culpepper), and I'd say Ponder's downside is as a middle of the pack type starter. That's very, very good.
But what else do you have? Nothing. On offense the only other person who has big-time potential is Percy Harvin, but it's hard for me to see him as anything more than a kick returner slot receiver type. I think his absolute upside is the kind of guy who can have a 5 catch-180 yd-2 td day and then follow it up the next week with 1 catch for 8 yards. Who else is there? Kyle Rudolph I guess, but I'm pretty sure everybody loves him because he's white and he's best friends with Ponder who, it turns out, is also white and everybody loves. We'll see.
The real problem here is that there is absolutely nothing, and I mean nothing, on that offensive line. There is not one single player who starts on that line who would start for any other team in the league with the possible exception of Steve Hutchinson, but that doesn't matter because he's too old to matter when this team is 2-3 years away at a minimum. Loadholt I suppose has some potential and I wouldn't exactly give up on him, but he's not nearly as good as I had hoped and the rest of these guys are fuckin' clown shoes.
And the defense? Who, outside of Allen is remotely interesting? Greenway is alright and Robison is fine as long as you're ok with a mediocre DE2, but that's it. E.J. Henderson? Please. Guy is so overrated and still can't move around correctly. Maybe after another year of healing he'll be ok but I'm not betting on it. Kevin Williams is done, I have no idea who the other DT or LB is, and the only half-way decent defensive backs are a guy who has had 2 knee surgeries and a guy who is currently in jail. Antoine Winfield is one of my favorite players ever but he's pretty much done unless he can move to safety which they should definitely try because Hussain Abdullah's one skill seems to be allowing the big play and also because he's probably a terrorist.
The good news is there are some legitimately nice players here - AP, Allen, Harvin, Ponder, and Greenway are all quality players. The bad news is this isn't baseball or basketball and you can't just trade veterans from prospects and/or picks. It's unfortunate, because guys like Winfield and Hutchinson would be perfect trade bait in other sports, but not the NFL so their kind of stuck. So I guess my point is that the Vikings will be bad for a while but should at least be fun to watch. So I guess that's something. The Gophers are going to be terrible and no fun to watch, so I guess point NFL.
- You know what I'd rather watch than that Captain America movie that's coming out on DVD tomorrow? Anything.
- You know what I do like though? Walking Dead. Very good show so far. Not exactly the most realistic, but if you're looking for realism in a show about zombies I contend you're kind of lost already.
- Last time Pujols came up there as a runner on third with 1 out and they walked him. Holliday grounded into a double play. Now there are runners on 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs. They're walking him again. The intrigue is so thick you could cut it with a spoon.
- Ground out to short. Holliday is terrible. Billy Beane was right again.
- Know who the A's got for Holliday? Shane Peterson, Clay Mortensen, and Brett Wallace. Mortensen was then traded to the Rockies for Ethan Hollingsworth, Wallace was shipped to the Jays for Michael Taylor, and Peterson is still in the minors (along with Hollingsworth and Taylor). And Beane originally had to give up Carlos Gonzalez, Huston Street, and Greg Smith to get Holliday. So essentially he flipped a superstar outfielder (down year notwithstanding), a still capable closer, and a young starter who is already in the majors for three minor leaguers, only one of which (Taylor) is considered a top 20 prospect in their system. I guess Joe Morgan was right, moneyball schmoneyball.
- So not only am I playing in the fantasy Big 10 hoops league with my friends (Snacks, Dawger, Snake, Bogart, Optimator, Elk, and Grandslam), but I'm playing in a bigger college hoops league as well, similar to the won I played in - and won - 2 years ago. We've got 13 teams and we're using the Big Six leagues plus the meaningful outliers (UNLV, BYU, New Mexico, Memphis, Gonzaga, etc.). It's a lot harder, and I wish I could talk about it more in depth but unfortunately TRE from Still got Hope? (which if you don't read you should) is also in the league, so I can't divulge my secrets. We fire up the draft tomorrow and it's slowish style so I might get like 2 picks per day. I pick 9th, and I'll give you a hint (and also TRE picks after me) - if he's there I'm going to go with a guy whose name rhymes with Shumbakwe and probably has a huge crank.
- That "huge crank" talk is probably inappropriate but I'm going to leave it in there because it's just going to help the google search results. Also megan fox lesbian kiss midget vagina fart ass sex nick punto.
- Speaking of Nick Punto vagina farts, he just struck out with runners on 2nd and 3rd and 2 outs. Big spot there. Punto's definitely the guy I'd want up in that situation.
- Adrian Beltre just hit a home run on a lollipop curve ball from his knees. No lie. That was pretty weird and impressive. Now 2-2. This has been a great series.
- So this morning before work one of our Direct TV remotes stopped working. It had been going and even when we switched batteries it didn't get any better and today it was just done. So I looked it up on their website and I can get a replacement remote for $15. I figured cool, that's a reasonable price and I'll swing by the nearest retailer to my house and see how much more it is, thinking I'd be willing to pay $5-$10 to have it tonight rather than waiting for it to ship. So I get home from work, grab my damn wiener kids so Mrs. W can do her Tae Bo or yoga or whatever it is tonight, and run up to said retailer. Almost immediately find the remote. It's priced at $44.99. Forty. Five. Fucking. Dollars. Naturally I walked out without it and am now watching the game with no ability to flip channels on the commercials or mute Tim McCarver, but I'm sure as shit not paying 200% more than I have to. I'll wait a couple days, thanks.
- Top 7, tie game. Allen Craig or someone with a name like that, walks with one out and then tries to steal second and is out by two billion feet. And now they're walking Pujols. And guess what they would have done if that steal would have been successful? Yep. Walked him. Since he's nearly as likely to hit an XBH as get a single, maybe you just stay put on first, ok? I get the stolen base and it certainly has it's place, but these two managers both seem to be way to obsessed with it and have both screwed their teams over in this series. Also let's see if Holliday can go 0-3 after getting slapped in the mouth.
- Hey a base hit! Way to go little buddy! And thanks to a whole bunch of thrown the ball around-itis, we're at 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs. 20 bucks says Berkman strikes out for the 3rd time tonight.
- I missed what happened with Berkman but the bases were loaded when David Freese struck out so I assume they walked him.
- By the way you should probably ignore everything I wrote about the Vikings above. I made most of that up.
- Bottom 7, 1 out, Kinsler on first. 20 bucks says they send him here.
- Nope, but Elvis Andrus struck out on 3 pitches. God they'd be so much better if they hit Napoli or Cruz or even Beltre second. But of course, Ron Washington can't do that. You gotta have a guy there who can handle the bat, right Gardy and every other manager in the stupid world. And Dawger.
- Ever want to combine racism with football? Go nuts.
- After a leadoff hit by Yadier Molina I'm pretty sure the Cardinals just pinch hit for Skip Schumaker with Ryan Theriot just so he could sac bunt. You're telling me a dude named Skip can't bunt? You might as well tell me that sliding into first doesn't get you there faster. I can't believe it. I won't.
- Punto blows it again, striking out in a still tied game with a runner on 2nd and 1 out. Takes a special kind of guy to constantly disappoint two franchises.
- In one fantasy league I'm in today I was offered Cam Newton and James Starks in exchange for Hakeem Nicks and LaSean McCoy. So that was pretty fun.
- Bases loaded. One out. Bottom of the 8th. 2-2 game. Mike Napoli up. A hit, and particularly an extra-base hit, would help my bank account tremendously. Na-Po-Li. Na-Po-Li. Na-Po-Li.
- Double, scores 2. Damn dude, shit never works out like this for me.
- That message board I posted earlier really thinks Peyton Hillis is being held down because he's white. Why can't they just accept that he's terrible at football? Probably a good blocker though.
- I couldn't tell you one thing about Lance Lynn. Well, other than he's a pitcher for St. Louis who is about to come into a high leverage situation in the World Series.
- Your name is Lance Lynn and you're gonna roll out the perm? Interesting choice. Also he just intentionally walked Ian Kinsler and then got yanked. Looks like LaRussa has his overmanaging pants on again.
- Feliz now in for the ninth and he gets 2 strikes on Craig and then plunks him right in the back shoulder on a pitch that was so zeroed in on him that there was no way Craig could've gotten out of the way even if his life was on the line. Pujols up. Tying run, can't walk him. Nice.
- Jesus Pujols has a great eye. Now at 3-2. Laid off three close ones but were clearly balls. He's really good at hitting stuff. Not unlike Chris Cook, I suppose.
- Strike 'em out throw 'em out. Pujols whiffs on a pitch that was ball four and Craig is tossed easily and I have no clue why they sent him. I know Albert doesn't strike out a ton, but you just took a runner out who, really, didn't matter. If he gets to second and scores on a single who fucking cares, you're still down by a run. Stupid play. Tony LaRussa outsmarted himself here tonight. I hope Holliday hits a home run here.
- Holliday walks. Will probably get thrown out stealing. Stay tuned.
- Berkman whiffs. Texas wins. Pretty sure we're going 7 folks. Adios and good night.
- So I suppose, for the first time in two years, there's something worthwhile to talk about with the Vikings. Of course, this is only because they have clearly jumped into rebuilding mold and Ponder gave everyone hope, but despite being impressed with Ponder I'm not exactly looking forward to the next couple of years.
Here's your problem - too old and/or too bad. What do you have? Well you have a good start because you have one bona fide superstar on each side of the ball (AP and Jared Allen), both of whom will probably be able to give you 3-5 more years at a high level. That's an excellent start, and far better than a lot of teams can build around. But from there it's tough.
Ponder looked very good for it being his first start. He made his mistakes, misjudged just how fast even an old cornerback is in the NFL, and made some interesting decisions, but he also made a lot of good throws, showed a lot of poise for a rookie, and never seemed rattled. I don't know what exactly his upside is, but, at the very least, he looks like a young QB the team can build around. It's been a long time since this team has had that (Culpepper), and I'd say Ponder's downside is as a middle of the pack type starter. That's very, very good.
But what else do you have? Nothing. On offense the only other person who has big-time potential is Percy Harvin, but it's hard for me to see him as anything more than a kick returner slot receiver type. I think his absolute upside is the kind of guy who can have a 5 catch-180 yd-2 td day and then follow it up the next week with 1 catch for 8 yards. Who else is there? Kyle Rudolph I guess, but I'm pretty sure everybody loves him because he's white and he's best friends with Ponder who, it turns out, is also white and everybody loves. We'll see.
The real problem here is that there is absolutely nothing, and I mean nothing, on that offensive line. There is not one single player who starts on that line who would start for any other team in the league with the possible exception of Steve Hutchinson, but that doesn't matter because he's too old to matter when this team is 2-3 years away at a minimum. Loadholt I suppose has some potential and I wouldn't exactly give up on him, but he's not nearly as good as I had hoped and the rest of these guys are fuckin' clown shoes.
And the defense? Who, outside of Allen is remotely interesting? Greenway is alright and Robison is fine as long as you're ok with a mediocre DE2, but that's it. E.J. Henderson? Please. Guy is so overrated and still can't move around correctly. Maybe after another year of healing he'll be ok but I'm not betting on it. Kevin Williams is done, I have no idea who the other DT or LB is, and the only half-way decent defensive backs are a guy who has had 2 knee surgeries and a guy who is currently in jail. Antoine Winfield is one of my favorite players ever but he's pretty much done unless he can move to safety which they should definitely try because Hussain Abdullah's one skill seems to be allowing the big play and also because he's probably a terrorist.
The good news is there are some legitimately nice players here - AP, Allen, Harvin, Ponder, and Greenway are all quality players. The bad news is this isn't baseball or basketball and you can't just trade veterans from prospects and/or picks. It's unfortunate, because guys like Winfield and Hutchinson would be perfect trade bait in other sports, but not the NFL so their kind of stuck. So I guess my point is that the Vikings will be bad for a while but should at least be fun to watch. So I guess that's something. The Gophers are going to be terrible and no fun to watch, so I guess point NFL.
- You know what I'd rather watch than that Captain America movie that's coming out on DVD tomorrow? Anything.
- You know what I do like though? Walking Dead. Very good show so far. Not exactly the most realistic, but if you're looking for realism in a show about zombies I contend you're kind of lost already.
- Last time Pujols came up there as a runner on third with 1 out and they walked him. Holliday grounded into a double play. Now there are runners on 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs. They're walking him again. The intrigue is so thick you could cut it with a spoon.
- Ground out to short. Holliday is terrible. Billy Beane was right again.
- Know who the A's got for Holliday? Shane Peterson, Clay Mortensen, and Brett Wallace. Mortensen was then traded to the Rockies for Ethan Hollingsworth, Wallace was shipped to the Jays for Michael Taylor, and Peterson is still in the minors (along with Hollingsworth and Taylor). And Beane originally had to give up Carlos Gonzalez, Huston Street, and Greg Smith to get Holliday. So essentially he flipped a superstar outfielder (down year notwithstanding), a still capable closer, and a young starter who is already in the majors for three minor leaguers, only one of which (Taylor) is considered a top 20 prospect in their system. I guess Joe Morgan was right, moneyball schmoneyball.
- So not only am I playing in the fantasy Big 10 hoops league with my friends (Snacks, Dawger, Snake, Bogart, Optimator, Elk, and Grandslam), but I'm playing in a bigger college hoops league as well, similar to the won I played in - and won - 2 years ago. We've got 13 teams and we're using the Big Six leagues plus the meaningful outliers (UNLV, BYU, New Mexico, Memphis, Gonzaga, etc.). It's a lot harder, and I wish I could talk about it more in depth but unfortunately TRE from Still got Hope? (which if you don't read you should) is also in the league, so I can't divulge my secrets. We fire up the draft tomorrow and it's slowish style so I might get like 2 picks per day. I pick 9th, and I'll give you a hint (and also TRE picks after me) - if he's there I'm going to go with a guy whose name rhymes with Shumbakwe and probably has a huge crank.
- That "huge crank" talk is probably inappropriate but I'm going to leave it in there because it's just going to help the google search results. Also megan fox lesbian kiss midget vagina fart ass sex nick punto.
- Speaking of Nick Punto vagina farts, he just struck out with runners on 2nd and 3rd and 2 outs. Big spot there. Punto's definitely the guy I'd want up in that situation.
- Adrian Beltre just hit a home run on a lollipop curve ball from his knees. No lie. That was pretty weird and impressive. Now 2-2. This has been a great series.
 |
| Big fuckin' deal, Beltre. I could've done that do if that dickhead Veeck would've let me swing. |
- Top 7, tie game. Allen Craig or someone with a name like that, walks with one out and then tries to steal second and is out by two billion feet. And now they're walking Pujols. And guess what they would have done if that steal would have been successful? Yep. Walked him. Since he's nearly as likely to hit an XBH as get a single, maybe you just stay put on first, ok? I get the stolen base and it certainly has it's place, but these two managers both seem to be way to obsessed with it and have both screwed their teams over in this series. Also let's see if Holliday can go 0-3 after getting slapped in the mouth.
- Hey a base hit! Way to go little buddy! And thanks to a whole bunch of thrown the ball around-itis, we're at 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs. 20 bucks says Berkman strikes out for the 3rd time tonight.
- I missed what happened with Berkman but the bases were loaded when David Freese struck out so I assume they walked him.
 | |
| Let me guess, you were expecting a picture of Arnold as Mr. Freeze? You probably don't even know who this is, do you you unoriginal bastard? |
- By the way you should probably ignore everything I wrote about the Vikings above. I made most of that up.
- Bottom 7, 1 out, Kinsler on first. 20 bucks says they send him here.
- Nope, but Elvis Andrus struck out on 3 pitches. God they'd be so much better if they hit Napoli or Cruz or even Beltre second. But of course, Ron Washington can't do that. You gotta have a guy there who can handle the bat, right Gardy and every other manager in the stupid world. And Dawger.
- Ever want to combine racism with football? Go nuts.
- After a leadoff hit by Yadier Molina I'm pretty sure the Cardinals just pinch hit for Skip Schumaker with Ryan Theriot just so he could sac bunt. You're telling me a dude named Skip can't bunt? You might as well tell me that sliding into first doesn't get you there faster. I can't believe it. I won't.
- Punto blows it again, striking out in a still tied game with a runner on 2nd and 1 out. Takes a special kind of guy to constantly disappoint two franchises.
- In one fantasy league I'm in today I was offered Cam Newton and James Starks in exchange for Hakeem Nicks and LaSean McCoy. So that was pretty fun.
- Bases loaded. One out. Bottom of the 8th. 2-2 game. Mike Napoli up. A hit, and particularly an extra-base hit, would help my bank account tremendously. Na-Po-Li. Na-Po-Li. Na-Po-Li.
- Double, scores 2. Damn dude, shit never works out like this for me.
- That message board I posted earlier really thinks Peyton Hillis is being held down because he's white. Why can't they just accept that he's terrible at football? Probably a good blocker though.
- I couldn't tell you one thing about Lance Lynn. Well, other than he's a pitcher for St. Louis who is about to come into a high leverage situation in the World Series.
- Your name is Lance Lynn and you're gonna roll out the perm? Interesting choice. Also he just intentionally walked Ian Kinsler and then got yanked. Looks like LaRussa has his overmanaging pants on again.
 |
| Oh hello. I pitch for the Cardinals. |
- Jesus Pujols has a great eye. Now at 3-2. Laid off three close ones but were clearly balls. He's really good at hitting stuff. Not unlike Chris Cook, I suppose.
- Strike 'em out throw 'em out. Pujols whiffs on a pitch that was ball four and Craig is tossed easily and I have no clue why they sent him. I know Albert doesn't strike out a ton, but you just took a runner out who, really, didn't matter. If he gets to second and scores on a single who fucking cares, you're still down by a run. Stupid play. Tony LaRussa outsmarted himself here tonight. I hope Holliday hits a home run here.
- Holliday walks. Will probably get thrown out stealing. Stay tuned.
- Berkman whiffs. Texas wins. Pretty sure we're going 7 folks. Adios and good night.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
MLB Preview - National League
I'm trying not to think about how we're about to lose Tubby Smith, so instead I'll turn my attention elsewhere so I don't break down and cry. With just five days until opening day and the first day of being sick and tired of the Yankees/Sox media barrage it's time to roll out the baseball predictions. I'm breaking this into National League and American League posts, one today and one tomorrow, because I'm way too lazy to it all at once. I'm also starting with the National League - just to piss you off.
NL EAST
1. PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES. Take the same team that won the Series in 2008 and finished runner-up in 2009 and add the best (possibly second best) pitcher in baseball. Yeah, I think they're going to be pretty good. Look for Hamels to regain his 2008 form and J.A. Happ to get even better in his second year and they're likely going to be the team with the most wins in baseball. I'm fully expecting Halladay to win 25 games.
2. ATLANTA BRAVES. They're getting a lot of preseason heat as a possible sleeper team, and it's not all that far-fetched. Tommy Hansen is a stud, and there's good pitching behind him in the rotation, especially if Tim Hudson is back to top-of-his-game form like all the preseason crap is saying. And this Jason Heyward hype has officially surpassed Wieters-levels. If he isn't built like Deebo while hitting like Roy Hobbs and running like Willie Mays Hayes I'm going to be disappointed.
3. FLORIDA MARLINS. Outisde of pimp-daddy Hanley and alleged NL Rookie-of-the-Year Chris Coghlan there are plenty of questions about the lineup, but that rotation should be pretty rock solid. At the very least Josh Johnson and Ricky Nolasco are going to form a very nice 1-2 punch at the top. I'm very interested in seeing what Cameron Maybin can do with a full season of at-bats as well.
4. NEW YORK METS. I know you're thinking it's crazy to have the Mets in fourth, but go ahead and check out their team for a minute and then tell me they're good. Wright has regressed, Reyes has some mystery ailment, their right-fielder was basically cut by Atlanta, and I've never even heard of their projected starting catcher. Perhaps most damning of all, however, is that they STILL start Luis Castillo and bat him second. Oof. And that rotation is a nightmare behind Johan. Oh, by the way, Johan. How many postseason games have you played in since you forced the Twins to trade you?
5. WASHINGTON NATIONALS. At least they have Strasburg so there's a reason to watch beyond watching Adam Dunn put everything he's got into every swing. What's that? They're starting him in the minors despite some truly sick Spring stats? I hope it's worth the minimal savings you'll get by keeping his clock from running right away. Seriously, who runs this team, Brad Childress?
NL CENTRAL
1. ST LOUIS CARDINALS. Although the Phillies should win more games, the Cards will probably win their division by the widest margin because after them this whole division should be thrown in a garbage dumpster. It's basically Pujols and friends going up against five teams of Cleveland Indians. I suppose I should predict something for this team, so I predict that Brad Penny will have one of his best ever years. I also predict Ryan Franklin loses his closer job to Jason Motte.
2. MILWAUKEE BREWERS. All because Carlos Gomez came aboard? Maybe. We still have to see if he's continued to learn plate patience (you might not have noticed, but he was better last year). The Brewers have the best lineup of the rest of the central teams and will be getting Rickie Weeks back. There's a lot to like about the lineup here, and Gallardo gets any help behind him they could be in line for a Wild Card spot. Ugliest part? They still start Jeff Suppan, and LaTroy Hawkins is their top set-up guy. Ouch.
3. CINCINNATI REDS. I'm giving a lot of credit to some young guys here, but I'm a big believer in most of these guys. Injuries have derailed Homer Bailey before, but he finally hit his stride late last season and him and Cueto join veterans Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo to give Cincy's rotation a nice mix of young and old. The lineup will need guys like Jay Bruce and Chris Dickerson to live up to their potential, but I say they do and make the Reds a dangerous team.
4. CHICAGO CUBS. Aramis is a walking injury, Soriano looks like he's basically done, their big free-agent signing was Marlon freaking Byrd, and their middle infield consists of that wiener Ryan Theriot and a cast-off from the Rockies. Yuck. The rotation is mostly brutal as well, and you can go ahead and pencil in Carlos Marmol for a complete meltdown as a closer right about mid-June. Yeah, I'm not a big fan of the Cubbies this year.
5. HOUSTON ASTROS. This is the most boringest team in all of baseball. Their big free-agent splash was signing Brandon Lyon. Yawn. Also, nice shitty signing, that guy sucks. They should have two mid-teen game winners in Oswalt and Wandy Rodriguez, assuming Lyon doesn't blow every game.
6. PITTSBURGH PIRATES. I really didn't want to pick Pittsburgh to finish last because I'm starting to really like what their front office is doing (it's a new front office the last year or two), but I just can't quite yet. They're moving in the right direction. If Lastings Milledge has finally figured it out he and Andrew McCutchen make up a nice start to the outfield, and when Jose Tabata finally gets up that's going to be a very fast outfield.
NL WEST
1. COLORADO ROCKIES. If Chris Iannetta and Ian Stewart can raise their averages even a little this going to be a dangerous team because the lineup is loaded, and even if they don't they are still solid players because they walk a lot. A good but not great rotation should be enough to win the West, assuming Franklin Morales doesn't blow it while he fills in for Huston Street. Troy Tulowitzki is a complete and total stud, and if Albert Pujols didn't exist he'd have a shot at an MVP.
2. LOS ANGELES DODGERS. James Loney is kind of a lame-o and Blake DeWitt hasn't worked out, but the Dodgers hit home runs with Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp, who are a hell of a 1-2 punch. Kemp looks like a good bet to go 30-30 and Ethier has the look of a career professional hitter. The rotation is pretty thin, but Clay Kershaw at the front is a sure-fire Cy Young candidate, and will probably be for years to come.
3. ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS. They'd be a bit easier to place if I knkew what was going on with Brandon Webb, but in reality they probably couldn't be better than the teams above them and definitely couldn't be worse than the team's below them. Like Kemp, Justin Upton has a shot at 30-30 this year, and is just an incredible hitter for his age - kind of like what everybody wanted Delmon Young to be just shoot me right in the face.
4. SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS. They get to finish fourth based solely on their pitching staff, because Lincecum and Cain are studs, Baumgartner and Jonathan Sanchez are potential studs, and everybody in the lineup sucks other than Pablo Sandoval (aka the black Billy Butler) and possibly Nate Schierholtz. They also have Buster Posey, who has a super sweet name is is supposed to be a pretty big stud with the stick. He better be, because their isn't much of a lineup here and there isn't much coming soon.
5. SAN DIEGO PADRES. Holy god this lineup is depressing. How depressing? Kevin Kouzmanoff hits clean-up, David Eckstein hits in the upper half, and I haven't come even close to hearing of their 7th or 8th batter. The rotation isn't that much better, but at least there's some hope with guys like Clayton Richard, Mat Latos, and star of "The Last Best League" Tim Stauffer. The bullpen is decent, but they'd really be better served trading Heath Bell for prospects (as well as Adrian Gonzalez) because they aren't going anywhere as currently constructed.
NL Wild Card - L.A. Dodgers
NL Pennant - Philadelphia Phillies
MVP - Albert Pujols (runner up = Kemp)
CY YOUNG - Roy Halladay (runner up = Lincecum)
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR - Jesus Heyward (runner up = Posey)
AL preview should be coming tomorrow, assuming Tubby doesn't leave. I mean by tomorrow, because I know he's leaving I just don't know when.
Suck.
NL EAST
1. PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES. Take the same team that won the Series in 2008 and finished runner-up in 2009 and add the best (possibly second best) pitcher in baseball. Yeah, I think they're going to be pretty good. Look for Hamels to regain his 2008 form and J.A. Happ to get even better in his second year and they're likely going to be the team with the most wins in baseball. I'm fully expecting Halladay to win 25 games.
2. ATLANTA BRAVES. They're getting a lot of preseason heat as a possible sleeper team, and it's not all that far-fetched. Tommy Hansen is a stud, and there's good pitching behind him in the rotation, especially if Tim Hudson is back to top-of-his-game form like all the preseason crap is saying. And this Jason Heyward hype has officially surpassed Wieters-levels. If he isn't built like Deebo while hitting like Roy Hobbs and running like Willie Mays Hayes I'm going to be disappointed.
3. FLORIDA MARLINS. Outisde of pimp-daddy Hanley and alleged NL Rookie-of-the-Year Chris Coghlan there are plenty of questions about the lineup, but that rotation should be pretty rock solid. At the very least Josh Johnson and Ricky Nolasco are going to form a very nice 1-2 punch at the top. I'm very interested in seeing what Cameron Maybin can do with a full season of at-bats as well.
4. NEW YORK METS. I know you're thinking it's crazy to have the Mets in fourth, but go ahead and check out their team for a minute and then tell me they're good. Wright has regressed, Reyes has some mystery ailment, their right-fielder was basically cut by Atlanta, and I've never even heard of their projected starting catcher. Perhaps most damning of all, however, is that they STILL start Luis Castillo and bat him second. Oof. And that rotation is a nightmare behind Johan. Oh, by the way, Johan. How many postseason games have you played in since you forced the Twins to trade you?
5. WASHINGTON NATIONALS. At least they have Strasburg so there's a reason to watch beyond watching Adam Dunn put everything he's got into every swing. What's that? They're starting him in the minors despite some truly sick Spring stats? I hope it's worth the minimal savings you'll get by keeping his clock from running right away. Seriously, who runs this team, Brad Childress?
NL CENTRAL
1. ST LOUIS CARDINALS. Although the Phillies should win more games, the Cards will probably win their division by the widest margin because after them this whole division should be thrown in a garbage dumpster. It's basically Pujols and friends going up against five teams of Cleveland Indians. I suppose I should predict something for this team, so I predict that Brad Penny will have one of his best ever years. I also predict Ryan Franklin loses his closer job to Jason Motte.
2. MILWAUKEE BREWERS. All because Carlos Gomez came aboard? Maybe. We still have to see if he's continued to learn plate patience (you might not have noticed, but he was better last year). The Brewers have the best lineup of the rest of the central teams and will be getting Rickie Weeks back. There's a lot to like about the lineup here, and Gallardo gets any help behind him they could be in line for a Wild Card spot. Ugliest part? They still start Jeff Suppan, and LaTroy Hawkins is their top set-up guy. Ouch.
3. CINCINNATI REDS. I'm giving a lot of credit to some young guys here, but I'm a big believer in most of these guys. Injuries have derailed Homer Bailey before, but he finally hit his stride late last season and him and Cueto join veterans Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo to give Cincy's rotation a nice mix of young and old. The lineup will need guys like Jay Bruce and Chris Dickerson to live up to their potential, but I say they do and make the Reds a dangerous team.
4. CHICAGO CUBS. Aramis is a walking injury, Soriano looks like he's basically done, their big free-agent signing was Marlon freaking Byrd, and their middle infield consists of that wiener Ryan Theriot and a cast-off from the Rockies. Yuck. The rotation is mostly brutal as well, and you can go ahead and pencil in Carlos Marmol for a complete meltdown as a closer right about mid-June. Yeah, I'm not a big fan of the Cubbies this year.
5. HOUSTON ASTROS. This is the most boringest team in all of baseball. Their big free-agent splash was signing Brandon Lyon. Yawn. Also, nice shitty signing, that guy sucks. They should have two mid-teen game winners in Oswalt and Wandy Rodriguez, assuming Lyon doesn't blow every game.
6. PITTSBURGH PIRATES. I really didn't want to pick Pittsburgh to finish last because I'm starting to really like what their front office is doing (it's a new front office the last year or two), but I just can't quite yet. They're moving in the right direction. If Lastings Milledge has finally figured it out he and Andrew McCutchen make up a nice start to the outfield, and when Jose Tabata finally gets up that's going to be a very fast outfield.
NL WEST
1. COLORADO ROCKIES. If Chris Iannetta and Ian Stewart can raise their averages even a little this going to be a dangerous team because the lineup is loaded, and even if they don't they are still solid players because they walk a lot. A good but not great rotation should be enough to win the West, assuming Franklin Morales doesn't blow it while he fills in for Huston Street. Troy Tulowitzki is a complete and total stud, and if Albert Pujols didn't exist he'd have a shot at an MVP.
2. LOS ANGELES DODGERS. James Loney is kind of a lame-o and Blake DeWitt hasn't worked out, but the Dodgers hit home runs with Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp, who are a hell of a 1-2 punch. Kemp looks like a good bet to go 30-30 and Ethier has the look of a career professional hitter. The rotation is pretty thin, but Clay Kershaw at the front is a sure-fire Cy Young candidate, and will probably be for years to come.
3. ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS. They'd be a bit easier to place if I knkew what was going on with Brandon Webb, but in reality they probably couldn't be better than the teams above them and definitely couldn't be worse than the team's below them. Like Kemp, Justin Upton has a shot at 30-30 this year, and is just an incredible hitter for his age - kind of like what everybody wanted Delmon Young to be just shoot me right in the face.
4. SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS. They get to finish fourth based solely on their pitching staff, because Lincecum and Cain are studs, Baumgartner and Jonathan Sanchez are potential studs, and everybody in the lineup sucks other than Pablo Sandoval (aka the black Billy Butler) and possibly Nate Schierholtz. They also have Buster Posey, who has a super sweet name is is supposed to be a pretty big stud with the stick. He better be, because their isn't much of a lineup here and there isn't much coming soon.
5. SAN DIEGO PADRES. Holy god this lineup is depressing. How depressing? Kevin Kouzmanoff hits clean-up, David Eckstein hits in the upper half, and I haven't come even close to hearing of their 7th or 8th batter. The rotation isn't that much better, but at least there's some hope with guys like Clayton Richard, Mat Latos, and star of "The Last Best League" Tim Stauffer. The bullpen is decent, but they'd really be better served trading Heath Bell for prospects (as well as Adrian Gonzalez) because they aren't going anywhere as currently constructed.
NL Wild Card - L.A. Dodgers
NL Pennant - Philadelphia Phillies
MVP - Albert Pujols (runner up = Kemp)
CY YOUNG - Roy Halladay (runner up = Lincecum)
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR - Jesus Heyward (runner up = Posey)
AL preview should be coming tomorrow, assuming Tubby doesn't leave. I mean by tomorrow, because I know he's leaving I just don't know when.
Suck.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
