I think it’s time we admitted these games are not as important as we hoped they would be. I mean, even a win will be only one of 83. How important can 1t be when you have 82 others laying around just collecting dust ? You bring these things home then let them sit around, you never look at them again. And I have to pay rent to warehouse this junk and live in a cluttered shack full of unimportant games strewn about, stubbing our toes ?

This was probably obvious to everyone and likely discussed last night, but the strike zone last night was ridiculous.  The one batter that I remember most was Trout.  Andy put one on the outside corner and Martin didn’t move his glove. Called a ball and then he triples on the next pitch.  That guy really squeezed us all night long on the corners. With Andy’s lack of velocity, it didn’t surprise me that it caused him to give up some homers.

I never got into comics but I just bought the book for a guy I work with who is a huge comic art collector.

And it’s nice to see Matsui do well, especially in a Rays loss.

meanwhile Melky Cabrera is Tony Gwynn.

[4] No, Melky Cabrera is Willie Mays.

Congrats on the book, BC. Is the beer garden too small for a book signing for the loyal readers of the RLYW?

Baseball -
I have long feared the west coast roadtrip, at least since 1998 and the 1-4 start to the season. When I was younger, I could at least stay up to listen to the games. Now the sample size is large enough that I know there is no point anyway. Damn you, Angels.

As far as yesterdays discussion, teams I don’t like: BOS, BAL, TOR, PHI, DET, ANA, ARI, SFG. No beef with the Mets, they just confuse me.

Carry on.

brooks shows both pitchers getting squeezed the same number of times, but Pettite was definitely not getting any help on those just outside the zone.

I never got into comics but I just bought the book for a guy I work with who is a huge comic art collector.

Cool, thanks!

There is a neat bit in the book about Lichtenstein, showing the comic book panels that inspired many of his most famous pieces.

Congrats on the book, BC. Is the beer garden too small for a book signing for the loyal readers of the RLYW?

Thanks! I think a table at the beer garden might be too big.

I’m actually doing a book signing in Westchester tonight.

No, Melky Cabrera is Willie Mays.

Melky will never hit over .270 that’s his ceiling- conventional wisdom by many and evidently by Cashman, the great evaluator.

[9] To be fair, the year after Cash sent Melky packing he was the worst player in baseball.

yeah, basically you could never convince me that Melky would be who he is now without 500 PAs of sucking in 2010.

Basically at the time the choice was to either keep Melky or Gardner.  At the time I wanted to keep Melky but given the opportunity to trade Melky and Gardner straight up I’m not so sure I take it.

[12] Melky is also benefiting from some high BABiP, but he certainly seems to have figured something out. I’ll still take Gardner though.

Our 3-4 hitters have to be the worst in baseball at driving in runs.  the WORST.

There is a guy on the Mets hitting .170 who has more RBI than ARod.

Our 3/4 hitters are on a pace to drive in around 65 RBIs each.  Are there any other ML teams with output as feeble? 

The five scariest words in the English language “Yankees have the bases loaded.” 
One for last 34 and zero for last 15.

I really want to know if NY has the worst run-producing 3-4 in the majors.  Maybe if I have time I will try to figger it…

http://espn.go.com/mlb/stats/team/_/stat/batting/split/111/sort/RBIs/order/true
http://espn.go.com/mlb/stats/team/_/stat/batting/split/112/sort/RBIs/order/true

Texas - 90
St. Louis - 78
LA Dodgers - 78
Chicago Sox - 75
Milwaukee - 72
Colorado - 70
Detroit - 70
Miami - 69
Cleveland - 68
Atlanta - 67
San Francisco - 64
Toronto - 61
Baltimore - 60
Houston - 60
Kansas City - 58
Washington - 57
Cincinnati - 54
Chicago Cubs - 53
Oakland - 53
NY Mets - 52
LA Angels - 52
Minnesota - 51
Arizona - 51
Tampa Bay - 49
San Diego - 46
Pittsburgh - 46
Philadelphia - 44
Boston - 44
NY Yankees - 44
Seattle - 37

for the season are the Yanks the worst in the majors with bases loaded? Or does it just seem that way?  (1 for the last 34? is that a new record?)  and has there ever been a time this late in the season where two entire divisions of teams were over .500?

http://espn.go.com/mlb/stats/team/_/stat/batting/split/94/sort/RBIs/order/true

9] To be fair, the year after Cash sent Melky packing he was the worst player in baseball.

To be fair, most people who trade away a player that couldn’t cut it in NY, wouldn’t trade a Melky to get the same guy a second time.

So fire Cashman, right?

Melky’s got 2.5 bWAR in 50 games this year.  He’s only 27.  Didn’t Bill James once say about him that players who are major league regulars by 21 always go on to have good careers?  Something like that.

[20] To be fair, the year after Cash sent Melky packing he was the worst player in baseball.

Who is this in defense of? Cashman? Melky’s performance right before Cashman traded him was that of a 24 year old MLB-average OFer.

Liked the Vazquez trade at the time. Hate it now, obviously. You have to wonder if we knew then what we know now about the CBA, if the trade would have ever happened. Young position players have become much more valuable than they were 3-4 years ago.

[22] he also said the Yankees, because of their cash advantage, don’t have the patience to see players through their development. And because of it, they have to resort to bringing in expensive journeymen on the downside of their careers who don’t provide as much value.

Anyone see Battle Royale? Might someone not a fan of superhero a/o blow em up movies (Transformers) like it ?

[17] So only Seattle is worse at the 3-4 spots.  That sounds about right. 

Sickening…

[25]  I thought it was okay.  Possibly it was overhyped to me.  My wife loves it.  Or maybe the culture has been further degraded since its release so that it doesn’t seem as shocking.

[22] & [23] I was not happy when Melky was sent packing.  Not that I ever thought he was sure thing, but I liked having a capable, homegrown, young player roaming our outfield.  He had some memorable moments late in games and I recall him getting a couple big hits off some tuckus-mouthed, ex-Boston closer.  So I immediately had a soft spot for him… and he has nice arm in the OF.

I remember arguing for Melky based on the fact that Bernie Williams took a quantum leap around age 26.  And, while Melky was not as good as Bernie prior to age 26, Melky has certainly taken a huge step forward since hitting that age.

Just finished reading Hunger Games and liked it until it chickened out.  Would have preferred Katniss to be far more ruthless which it seems to me the situation would have dictated

Melky is tearing it up. In the AAAA NL. We know from painful experience what those pitchers are like.

Have him face AL pitching and he fades like an Ali Haji Shank missed field goal.

Plus, once Melky left, Cano took his frustration at no more sleepovers out on opposing pitchers.

A 36 year old fat f*** and accused juicer has a sudden resurgence in his career.  What do we make of that? When a horse trainer claims a horse and it goes on to win a graded stakes we know what’s going on.  Ah chemistry!

[31] Clemens ? Papi ?

[31]  Seriously, bebop, is juicing as widespread as I suspect?  Are there any honest races?

Also, isn’t today Manny’s Return?

Answer:  No.  I thought it was the 30th.

The latter.  Clemens career was never in the junk heap.

[34] Ah, I see. Manny. I was thrown off the trail by “accused”. Manny is a DEMONSTRATED juicer who has verified violations.

33 UJD the trouble is trainers get away with myriad positives and can stall or eliminate suspensions and wind up with a slap on the wrist.  A harness trainer only lost his license after 1700 violations.  Oscar Barreras career only ended after he thumbed his nose at the big shots and almost won a G1 with Shifty Sheik a former claimer.