rician blast

wanna hear something really funny sean? I'm playing my kid in Slugfest on PS2 last night. He's the Sox, I'm the Yanks (he won't play if he has to be the Yanks). He's up 15-12 in the last inning. I have one last shot. I creep to 15-14 with the tieing run on and Jetes and Arod are due up. Jetes grounds to second. ARod whiffs. Game ova. Yeah I know I was at the controls but I was trying to win...almost too predictable. Do ya think Sony built in to the game the "late and close" stats?

Opt: Tearing him down? If you read through this thread you'll see what some of us have said about Jeter. How is this a case of tearing him down? We're giving credit where credit is due....however we're not giving praise where none is deserved.. The numbers simply don't lie, why is that so difficult for Yank fans to accept?

boy never expected such mileage outta this thread. I guiess it just shows the lengths that some Yankee fans will go to in order to attempt to dispute some pretty undisputable statistics. The number are what they are...late and close this guy has consistently underachieved. Oh wait...could it be I'm just not be watching the Yankees enough? nah.

we did? Quite a while back I was in the camp that suspected practically everyone and recall getting blasted by posters for saying I thought certain guys might be using something. Some of the names on my suspected list, back in the old BH forum: Nomar Foulke Trot Sheff and Giambi (duh) Sturtze SOsa Bagwell Andruw Jones Helton Edmonds Pujols Tejada Luis Gonzalez Richie Sexson IRod Now that we're learning that HGH either wasn't being tested for or wasn't conclusive (not sure what the story is there) does anyone believe these guys are innocent? Fkn Pujols hits 'em 420 feet 1 handed when fooled by the pitch...either the ball is juiced or he is...cuz that ain't normal.

I don't think so...not the way the Oilers are having trouble scoring since getting ahead early in game 1. Personally I hate the Canes. They are the former Whalers and as a CT fan of the bruins I used to love watching the B's beat them in the Mall. Christ it was like a B's home game most times. Everything about that team...from the stupid mall they played in to the cheapness of Ulf Samuelsson back in the day to Adam Burt and Kevin Dineen to the lamest theme song (Brass Bonanza) ever...I despise them and hope that they fall apart in Alberta.

i understand and agree with the sentiment...but I konda think if it weren't MLB lockerrooms it would be some other waste of time...and with regards to the immigration problem, apparently there aren't enough working pairs of balls in Washington DC to do anything about the problem.

and therein lies the big question. does he know via hersay? (which in and of itself probably means that what he has heard is true, imo). does he have first hand knowledge? This all comes at a time where the last couple of weeks I've been watching a lot more baseball and I've found myself wondering how some of these guys are doing what they're doing...offensively and on the mound...and how some of these guys are maintaining surprisingly impressive physiques. Some of the quesitons I've raised in my own mind: Is this the result of supplements like creatine and NOX and proper diet? doubtful. Are these guys bold enough to keep using the drugs that are being tested for? In some cases perhaps, but I think there is something much bigger going on. Are there other illegal (without a prescription) perfomance enhancing drugs that are either not being tested for or that otherwise are masked in the testing regime. I was thinking "bingo" on this theory, there's gotta be some potent stuff that's not being detected. Does this incident open a whole new can of worms? I think so. But I don't think we'll ever learn the full extent of this and who might be using HGH or any "designer" 'roids that might go undetected, because I think players, for the most part, will remain tight-lipped. Not that I really care who does what, but can we now wonder about: ARod? does he use HGH? Pujols? what's he on? Soriano? Thome? Andruw Jones? Tejada? What about pitchers? Does Clemens use HGH to stay competetive? Is Santana a user (he ain't small folks...listed at 6' 0" and weighs 210...that's a solid dude.) Others? Tell ya what? I trust none of 'em. In fact if the use of perfromance enhancing drugs is more widespread than originally thought, maybe I should be hoping our guys DO USE so that they're on a level playing field? I'll finish by saying if I were in MLB, either battling to stick in the bigs, battling for my next big contract or battling to be better than others because of my competetive nature...I'd consider using stuff if I could get away with it. That said, I'm willing to bet there is more to this than anyone ever imagined.

leaving out Alex Rios? wow. Agree with C...2B is a toss up, Grudzelniak is having a nice year, so are a coiuple of other 2B, Jetes has the average up there but Tejada is the man. While Gonzo doesn't belong I sure hope a gold glove goes his way this year...he's the best fielding AL SS I have seen in years...smooth, fundamental yet also spectacular.

here's my take. the Sox let Johnny go, feeling he wasn't worth $11+ million/year and moved on to Coco, with the intention of making him their new leadoff hitter and CF. They HAVE to allow this thing to take shape, and allow Coco to grow into that leadoff role. That is why he was brought here, and the FO is not about to abandon their plan, admit defeat, and move him down in the order. Way, way, way to premature to be even thinking about it, IMO.

I honestly can't believe there's even a discussion as to why ARod stayed at 3rd. ARod is the Yankees 3rd baseman. The SS went down. You don't move the 3rd baseman from HIS spot and have another guy come in to play the 3rd baseman's spot. Why alter the entire left side of the infield when ONE man went down? It has nothing to do with Cairos arm...the SS throw is just as tough as the throw from 3rd. Even with ARod's "gun of an arm" (which he uses to gun balls into right field on DP attempts), that was not a factor in the decision.

and rumor has it that he doesn't gerbil dance...well, not anymore....which is certainly a plus. I also heard he only TRAINS with UFC trainers and competitors but his contract precludes him from actually fighting. (He says that's ok, though, just practicing fighting with sweaty bone-heads makes him all silly and tingly.)

How in the f*ck does the Yankees scorekeeper give Cairo a hit on that piece of s*** he dribbled under Pauley's glove? It's not like it wasn't routine...is this the third grader "he never touched it" mentality at work? For krist sake, that was an 'E'...talk about a homer.

no I wouldn't mind...but that is a totally different situation. anyway, like I said earlier it doesn't matter what any of US think. The ballplayers themselves know it was a bit too much...why do you think Willie Randolph said in an interview that he doesn't want that, that it was an overreaction and that he spoke with Milledge about it...and Milledge himself said it was wrong and that he wouldn't do it again. nuf ced.

lol...whaddya mean "give him a break?" its not like anyone here threatened to kill him. a question was asked regarding whether his actions were acceptable...the answer from many (based upon their past posts it seems like the "many" are those who understand competetive sports very well) was pretty unanimously "no". that's all.

I see the point very clearly and I know how my teammates, even in high school, would react, let alone in the big leagues. I guess it really does not matter how you see it or how I see it. All that matters is that major league baseball's veterans consider that stuff showboating and won't tolerate it. Interestingly both the callers and the hosts on WFAN today are saying it was over the top and that Milledge was wrong. I bet you this...if Lester were called up to the bigs and threw a 3 hit shutout in his first start, and showboated like this, most of the posters here would call him out for it. So it's not just "jack-ass" veterans that are upset...I think most fans understand the implications of this over-exuberance, too.

apparently he has been spoken to and says he won't do it again. he just said he wanted to share the moment with the fans.

incorrect statement. Its not that I COULD NOT bring one up, it is that I did not attempt and will not attempt to do what others are paid to do for a living. Bottom line here....if you think stats such as avg. with RISP, RBI's late and close, etc. are NOT USED by baseball's front offices you are grossly mistaken. Let me be clear....I am not saying that a I know, statistically, who baseball's management teams consider clutch or not clutch based on statistical measurement. What I am telling you is that while you don't believe there is any value in such measures as RISP, late and close, etc. the front offices who hire the stat geeks to track such statistics DO USE THESE STATS...they believe, to varying extents, in these stats, so I guess what you and I believe doesn't really matter.

Interesting approach, Crespo. Take my comments which say a GM should utilize the statistical data AVAILABLE TO HIM and ask ME to come up with that data? I do not work for an MLB team...I do not maintain statistical baseball data...that is the job of some pretty well-compensated individuals employed by baseball's organizations. So to attempt to dismiss the notion that clutch performers exist by saying I PERSONALLY did not post the statistical data that OTHERS UTILIZE is weak. Drill me all you want for not researching and posting THEIR data here if you want...but you'll have to do better than that. I agree that over time clutch measurements tend to level out for most players and MOST guys are what they are....but I'm pretty sure that MLB teams DO look at performance in clutch situations and utilize that data in making personnel decisions. Past performance IS a predictor of future performance.

Kilo, this might be a rudementary method, but if you can get a decent pic, straight on, you might be able to figure out fairly closely how big the scoreboard is by using a ruler plus the fact that you know the wall is 37 ft high...then set a scale to figure out the scoreboard.

This is exactly what the measures of clutchness are attempting to quantify...what is the likelihood that a player will come through in an important and stressful situation? I ask those who poo-poo measures of clutchness: If you were a GM looking at 2 potential acquisitions and they were essentially the same player yet one had shown a propensity to come through in these spots....proven by statistical analysis....while the other has shown a propensity to fail, would you go with your gut? Or would you utilize the statistical evidence in making your selection? If you say you'd ignore the empirical evidence and go on gut...then you'd be a fool.

Kilo: The link below is to an article which talks about a Green Monster replica that was being built for the Portland Sea Dogs and gives the dimensions of the Fenway version and the minor league affilate's version: http://www.redsoxconnection.com/hadlock.html Assuming this is accurate I think it may provide what you were looking for.

The list is proof positive that this is nothing more than a popularity contest....a fact we all know anyway. In the OF where is V. Wells and what about Alex Rios of Toronto? Cano? Loretta, Grudzielanek and Castillo are all AT LEAST his equal. Jetes is having a nice year...but Tejada is still better. Ortiz at 1B? IF a Sox player is going to represent the AL at 1B it should be Youk...after him I'd say Konerko or Overbay. As for catcher...Joe Mauer is only hitting .362 to lead the AL in hitting...Pierzynski and IRod also are both having very good years. Probably beating a dead horse here, but this is exactly why I couldn't give a sh*t about the All-Star game...its as big a joke as the World Baseball Classic

bwahahahahaha! well put Mr. Crunchy. MC: What wins championships in baseball? Pitching. Why'd the Sox win in 2004? Pitching What did the Arroyo trade do for the Sox, before Pena was hurt? Decreased their pitching depth, marginally increased their OF depth. Was this a good trade? And to dismiss the notion that this is hindsight, I believe most of the Sox fans I'm familiar with from the BH and other forums were upset with this trade...not just the fact that they fkd Bronson...but just plain upset that a pitcher who eats innings and is under 30 was traded while fatass Wells was retained. Maybe it works out in the long-run, but I didn't like it then and I like it less now. but I'm glad at least MC Hammer is happy with the trade.

Alex: the jpeg in your posts...is that Mt. Chokemore?

Wow. Did anyone tell Jeter that Ron said he could get 3700 hits? This kind of journalism is so wonderful.