[OT] Baseball season discussion for Sabres fans

[Bmwolf21]

Hoooops, I can talk about no problem. The problem is baseball is without a doubt the lamest sport on the planet. How can diehard hockey fans discuss guys who pull themselves out of a game because they got a tight hammy running to first base?? The game is a past time, not a sport.

 

Let's go Lakers!!!!

I'm not going to debate the pros and cons of individual sports, but to answer your clearly rhetorical question - I grew up in baseball. Played through college, played in a couple semipro leagues, and have coached a few different teams. Pro baseball certainly has its warts, but to sling mud at it when one of our favorite sports is no longer considered a major sport by much of the US, is relegated to a second-tier cable network and its highlights usually run behind poker and double-dutch results is ridiculous at best.

 

You can love one without slinging crap at the other.

 

I gotcha... I can't stand the NBA now, but I'd never implore the mods to remove an OT NBA thread :thumbsup:

Bingo. I can't get into golf or NASCAR, but far be it for me to demand the removal of a NASCAR or PGA thread.

 

 

Maybe Goathead should edit the title of the thread to something like OT - MLB 2008 Season Thread and we can keep all discussion in one thread instead of popping a new thread every time someone does something noteworthy.

[rickshaw]

when one of our favorite sports is no longer considered a major sport by much of the US, is relegated to a second-tier cable network and its highlights usually run behind poker and double-dutch results is ridiculous at best.

 

 

Hey, I can't help it if you Americans can't appreciate the best game in the world. It must really suck to have hockey where it is on the list of top sports down there. Makes me glad I live up in the Great White North.

 

Not slinging mud at a sport you played and coached. I have played too, just for fun though. It's not a sport , imo, it's a leisurely get together. Sports is hockey, football, basketball, soccer and other games where you have to exert yourself and be fit!

 

Don't get all upset and sensitive. I just don't think this fine forum should be a place to discuss baseball and/or other sports. That's all.

[Bmwolf21]

Hey, I can't help it if you Americans can't appreciate the best game in the world. It must really suck to have hockey where it is on the list of top sports down there. Makes me glad I live up in the Great White North.

 

Not slinging mud at a sport you played and coached. I have played too, just for fun though. It's not a sport , imo, it's a leisurely get together. Sports is hockey, football, basketball, soccer and other games where you have to exert yourself and be fit!

 

Don't get all upset and sensitive. I just don't think this fine forum should be a place to discuss baseball and/or other sports. That's all.

And we can't help if if the Great White North doesn't appreciate baseball. To each his own. At least you've got curling...

 

Like I said, I'm not going to get into a debate with you regarding the positives and negatives of the sport. I love the game, have all my life, and certainly don't consider it a "leisurely get together."

 

I'm not upset and/or sensitive, not at all. I do think it's hilarious you got so worked up that you felt the need to come into an appropriately-titled thread screaming - twice - that the thread should be locked/closed/deleted. That's all.

[GoatheadInCT]

Hey, I can't help it if you Americans can't appreciate the best game in the world. It must really suck to have hockey where it is on the list of top sports down there. Makes me glad I live up in the Great White North.

 

Don't get all upset and sensitive. I just don't think this fine forum should be a place to discuss baseball and/or other sports. That's all.

 

I was just playing around- after all, 1/2 of me is Quebecois and Canadian back to 1604 down Nova Scotia way!

 

I love hockey, but most of the people here just don't like it because they either can't relate to it or they buy into the "it is only a fighting" sort of game, which is ludicrous. I don't care what ESPN thinks about it- as long as I can get Center Ice, TSN.ca, and such, I could give two :censored: what they think.

[rickshaw]

And we can't help if if the Great White North doesn't appreciate baseball. To each his own. At least you've got curling...

 

Like I said, I'm not going to get into a debate with you regarding the positives and negatives of the sport. I love the game, have all my life, and certainly don't consider it a "leisurely get together."

 

I'm not upset and/or sensitive, not at all. I do think it's hilarious you got so worked up that you felt the need to come into an appropriately-titled thread screaming - twice - that the thread should be locked/closed/deleted. That's all.

 

I'm not worked up. Trust me.

 

Here is what baseball is, to me.

 

http://www.maximonline.com/slideshows/inde...mgCollectId=111

 

Does having good hand/eye make you an athlete??? Yikes.

 

Ok, I'm done with this thread. I just realized that each time I do this, it ends up at the top of the page again. Doh.

[JujuFish]

Hoooops, I can talk about no problem. The problem is baseball is without a doubt the lamest sport on the planet. How can diehard hockey fans discuss guys who pull themselves out of a game because they got a tight hammy running to first base?? The game is a past time, not a sport.

 

Let's go Lakers!!!!

Baseball is worlds better than basketball. Oh, and the word is pastime. :P

[Bmwolf21]

I'm not worked up. Trust me.

 

Here is what baseball is, to me.

 

http://www.maximonline.com/slideshows/inde...mgCollectId=111

Does having good hand/eye make you an athlete??? Yikes.

 

Ok, I'm done with this thread. I just realized that each time I do this, it ends up at the top of the page again. Doh.

Yes it does. Abso-frigging-lutely.

 

By that asinine logic (couple fat guys = not a sport :rolleyes:) football and basketball aren't sports either, since guys like Ted Washington (who puts any MLB'er to shame) and Shaq make a good living in those sports.

 

I'm done arguing with you as well, but don't worry - I'll keep bumping the thread back up.

 

But for my last word - for someone who hates this thread so much you spend a lot of time in it... :unsure:

[rickshaw]

Shaq is indeed a freak of nature, but at least he can run and elevate his heart rate.

 

We'll agree to disagree. You like baseball, I don't. I'll admit it takes great skill to hit a baseball, but the game itself is only good at playoff time when the true strategy of the "sport" comes into play. 162 reg season games though??? Again, puke in mouth.

 

I still sense hostility in you BM. Remember we're on the same team. :lol:

[Bmwolf21]

Shaq is indeed a freak of nature, but at least he can run and elevate his heart rate.

 

We'll agree to disagree. You like baseball, I don't. I'll admit it takes great skill to hit a baseball, but the game itself is only good at playoff time when the true strategy of the "sport" comes into play. 162 reg season games though??? Again, puke in mouth.

 

I still sense hostility in you BM. Remember we're on the same team. :lol:

:lol:

 

No hostility, just arguing for the sake of arguing, I guess. Happens when we have no Sabres playoff games to discus...;)

[JujuFish]

Cliff Lee had another dominating performance last night. He's 4-0 on the season and has given up only 1 earned run all year (0.28ERA). Wow. Talk about a comeback after last season's debacle.

[Bmwolf21]

Cliff Lee had another dominating performance last night. He's 4-0 on the season and has given up only 1 earned run all year (0.28ERA). Wow. Talk about a comeback after last season's debacle.

He has been absolutely lights-out so far. Unreal that many fans (yours truly included) were fine with trading him in the offseason to get another outfield bat. Another instance of "good thing the GM didn't listen to the fans..."

[GoatheadInCT]

He has been absolutely lights-out so far. Unreal that many fans (yours truly included) were fine with trading him in the offseason to get another outfield bat. Another instance of "good thing the GM didn't listen to the fans..."

 

It's still early yet- A's, A's, Twins, and Royals?! We'll see how Cliff Lee versus the Royals differs from Cliff Lee versus the Red Sox, Angels, or Yankees!

 

Stay tuned!

[JujuFish]

It's still early yet- A's, A's, Twins, and Royals?! We'll see how Cliff Lee versus the Royals differs from Cliff Lee versus the Red Sox, Angels, or Yankees!

 

Stay tuned!

Oakland's no slouch, 2nd best record in the AL. But yeah, I wanna see him do the same to the Red Sox. Ugh, after that underwhelming performance by our two aces in that championship series...well, I just hope we're fortunate enough to get revenge this year.

[Bmwolf21]

It's still early yet- A's, A's, Twins, and Royals?! We'll see how Cliff Lee versus the Royals differs from Cliff Lee versus the Red Sox, Angels, or Yankees!

 

Stay tuned!

True, those aren't the cream of the crop (except Oakland, who is hitting pretty well - 6th in team BA, 5th in runs) but it still doesn't devalue anything he's done so far. He's given up 2 runs - 1 earned - in 31.2 IP, and opposing hitters are hitting .109 against him.

 

His start is impressive no matter who it's against, and is even more so since he was 5-8 with a 6.29 ERA last year and was left off the postseason roster.

[Bmwolf21]

Cliff Lee had another dominating performance last night. He's 4-0 on the season and has given up only 1 earned run all year (0.28ERA). Wow. Talk about a comeback after last season's debacle.

CC looked pretty good today for the second straight start...too bad Wang was a little better than him this afternoon.

 

CC - 8.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO - only run on Cabrera's HR

Wang - 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 9 SO

 

The last two starts dropped CC's ERA from that astronomical 13+ to 7.88...too bad Grady's iron man streak ended today at 382 games (sprained his ankle late yesterday.)

[GoatheadInCT]

CC looked pretty good today for the second straight start...too bad Wang was a little better than him this afternoon.

 

CC - 8.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO - only run on Cabrera's HR

Wang - 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 9 SO

 

The last two starts dropped CC's ERA from that astronomical 13+ to 7.88...too bad Grady's iron man streak ended today at 382 games (sprained his ankle late yesterday.)

 

YEAH... tell me about it. Thanks to A-Rod and Guillen being hurt most of the week, Molina only playing 3 games, Putz blowing a save, and

such, I lost this week when I should have won... NOT a good week for fantasy baseball.... :censored:

[Bmwolf21]

YEAH... tell me about it. Thanks to A-Rod and Guillen being hurt most of the week, Molina only playing 3 games, Putz blowing a save, and

such, I lost this week when I should have won... NOT a good week for fantasy baseball.... :censored:

Sorry to hear that. Here's an interesting stat, courtesy of the ESPN.com recap:

 

It's the first career loss for Sabathia in which he has allowed one earned run or less in at least eight innings pitched (23-0 entering Sunday).

[GoatheadInCT]

Sorry to hear that. Here's an interesting stat, courtesy of the ESPN.com recap:

 

It's the first career loss for Sabathia in which he has allowed one earned run or less in at least eight innings pitched (23-0 entering Sunday).

 

When Sizemore went down and didn't play, it is no wonder that they failed to score a run for him- without Grady, the Indians looked VERY

pedestrian on O!

[Bmwolf21]

When Sizemore went down and didn't play, it is no wonder that they failed to score a run for him- without Grady, the Indians looked VERY

pedestrian on O!

Last year the Tribe got a lot of contributions from different parts in the lineup, but this year some guys are looking more and more like holes in the lineup. Jason Michaels is very disappointing, Delucci has picked it up but is really just a serviceable OF, Hafner still really hasn't gotten going, Martinez is hitting well for average but for for power yet, Blake and Gutierrez are inconsistent and Cabrera is hitting the sophomore slump.

 

I think they are going to have to make some sort of move at some point to get the offense going - Francicso coming up from AAA is going to be a start but I think they'll need guys to pick up their games considerably.

[JujuFish]

What's the speculation on Hafner's slump this and last season?

[Bmwolf21]

What's the speculation on Hafner's slump this and last season?

He got married. :death:

[JujuFish]

Man, that no-hitter through 5 turned south real quick.

[GoatheadInCT]

As far as I am concerned, Hafner is pretty much done as a force, and I would have nothing to do with him this season after he BURNED me last year. He's about as good as Ryan Garko is as of now, and that is very sad.

 

The Indians helped me out last year in the second half with Peralta and Blake and Garko, but they will go though periods like this in which nobody really stands out.

 

I can't wait to find out if Cliff Lee is for real or not- his test is coming soon!

 

IN OTHER NEWS, my Buccos finally unloaded Matt Morris but then call up the WRONG guy... Sean Burnett should have been called up. Waiting to win is

wearing on me! <_<

[Bmwolf21]

I just don't know about Hafner. Some ABs he looks like the Hafner of old, fighting off pitches, being aggressive - and some ABs he looks like a skittish rookie who can't seem to get set and swings at just about anything. There have been rumors circulating that he has some sort of shoulder problem and that his approach and mechanics might be fouled up while trying to compensate for the shoulder. And the marriage line, while a toss-out one-liner, is also getting some play as a possible reason - he hasn't been the same since getting married. I don't know, but I hope they figure out what the problem is soon and get him back untracked so V-Mart has some protection in the lineup and opposing pitchers have to worry about him.

 

Peralta and Blake are two of my favorite whipping boys - Peralta seems like a mental midget sometimes. He seems to be at his best (offensively) when he does what Jeter does so well - goes with the pitch and uses the right-center gap - but too often he gets into bad habits at the plate and tries to yank everything. Blake is what he is - a super-utility guy who can play 1B, 3B, OF and maybe even a little middle infield in a pinch. He's never going to put up great numbers, but the last couple seasons he has picked up his clutch hitting and does seem a little more consistent. I just don't like him as the everyday 3B - I'd rather see Marte get some more ABs and playing time so we can find out if he is for real or not.

 

Garko is a solid first baseman - last year he was .289 with 21 HR and a .842 OPS - I don't see him as an elite-level guy but he's not a hole in the lineup and he'll probably drive in 80 runs.

 

I really think Lee has turned the corner and is back to his 2005 form. His next start is tomorrow versus Seattle, so we'll see if he can keep it up. No one expects him to keep tossing up CG SO's, but if he keeps commanding his fastball the way he has and keeps cranking out quality starts it will be a huge addition to the staff.

[GoatheadInCT]

I just don't know about Hafner. Some ABs he looks like the Hafner of old, fighting off pitches, being aggressive - and some ABs he looks like a skittish rookie who can't seem to get set and swings at just about anything. There have been rumors circulating that he has some sort of shoulder problem and that his approach and mechanics might be fouled up while trying to compensate for the shoulder. And the marriage line, while a toss-out one-liner, is also getting some play as a possible reason - he hasn't been the same since getting married. I don't know, but I hope they figure out what the problem is soon and get him back untracked so V-Mart has some protection in the lineup and opposing pitchers have to worry about him.

 

He just looks like Manny Ramirez up there, except without the machinations- does he really care anymore? Is his heart really in it? Tough to find out, but if he keeps going like this, he'll be traded for sure.

 

Peralta and Blake are two of my favorite whipping boys - Peralta seems like a mental midget sometimes. He seems to be at his best (offensively) when he does what Jeter does so well - goes with the pitch and uses the right-center gap - but too often he gets into bad habits at the plate and tries to yank everything. Blake is what he is - a super-utility guy who can play 1B, 3B, OF and maybe even a little middle infield in a pinch. He's never going to put up great numbers, but the last couple seasons he has picked up his clutch hitting and does seem a little more consistent. I just don't like him as the everyday 3B - I'd rather see Marte get some more ABs and playing time so we can find out if he is for real or not.

 

He's just an average SS who has more power than most, and it shows. I can't trust him on a week to week basis because he gets into a rut and seems

to forget how to hit like you said. Blake is and always will be a great reserve player, and nothing more...

 

Garko is a solid first baseman - last year he was .289 with 21 HR and a .842 OPS - I don't see him as an elite-level guy but he's not a hole in the lineup and he'll probably drive in 80 runs.

 

He is solid, and he is off to a dissapointing start, but there is still hope for him at least. First basemen are a dime a dozen though, except in Pittsburgh, where the worst starting 1B out there still :censored: plays.

 

I really think Lee has turned the corner and is back to his 2005 form. His next start is tomorrow versus Seattle, so we'll see if he can keep it up. No one expects him to keep tossing up CG SO's, but if he keeps commanding his fastball the way he has and keeps cranking out quality starts it will be a huge addition to the staff.

 

Like I said, wait and see if he does it against quality offensive clubs... that's the true test!