jung

Just for the record, the problem with thinking there will be some HOF leniency granted for this crap pitching is that this has all happened on one decade. Things were fairly predictable all the way up through the early 2000's. The trend line for MLB pitching was not good but it was not a cliff either. It all came apart in the space of about 10 years to this point, 15 years tops for a game with records that go back well over 100 years. MLB responded to the lack of pitching by bringing guys up too early and overusing them and there was nothing and nobody to backfill it. So now we have suckage at the ML level and uber-suckage in the minor leagues. If the trend line had continued on a predictable trend line basis, then MAYBE....MAYBE a case could be made that there would be some leniency granted for this generation of pitchers. But there is a hard break between this past decade and every other decade you can talk about. Nobody is going to grant leniency for pitchers using the rocket ship baseball as a rational either because THAT was a premeditated effort to mutate the game, all the rocket ship stuff happening in even less than the period of a decade. Manfred still won't even admit to it...so that rational isn't going anywhere either. What it amounts to is that they have f***ed this game up royally. Been saying we were headed here for years and now we are here. Not to get political but its sorta' like the climate change situation we are boxing ourselves into. We will be denying while needing a small outboard motorboat to go out to the mailbox to get our mail. "Glug...glug....glug.....Climate Change, what climate change....glug.....glug....glug."

Yea eck...its not an easy play the way the SS tried to play it. Geezus H Christ the kittycats SUCK.

So that was Stewart CHARGING ON the ball in LF. You have got to be s***ing me. Is he crippled...ambulatory....what?

Watch Nunny will hit something one of these nights and OB will have an in broadcast orgasm.

At least Brewer throws stuff recognizable as something. You are not left there going "what the f*** even was that sloppy pile of crap pitch".

Well now we have like maybe 2 starters left. 0.5 of a Sale, 0.5 contributed by Erod and a 1.0 contribution from Price. The rest are a bucket-o-fried chicken with a fork stuck in it bums.

My God the kittyCats are not even a AAA team

There is virtually no standard of measurement this generation of pitchers if meeting beyond the very select few that will get in that are pitching now. Innings....absolutely not. K's, yes but there are so many K's now that K's are less consequential than wins and certainly less consequential than innings. In fact, without Innings, none of these guys are going anywhere. The occasional Closer might get in that is really exceptional. Thats it. It might not matter...after my generation dies out, who ends up watching this game? 65+ year olds are 5x the viewership of 18-49 year olds. So who is kidding who would be my question for Mr Manfred.

I am more concerned with the state of MLB at this point. It has become a farce. This issue goes far beyond whether the Sox make it to a WC or not. The entire game is being turned into a farce, some different game than baseball. I was serous before about MLB pitchers making it to the HOF after the few that are good pitchers retire and make it. THATS it. On this trend line not another MLB pitcher will make it to the HOF EVER!

Can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear. If this was a real baseball team the Sox were facing tonight Rick would have been pounded senseless long before this, Leon or no Leon.

75 pitches through 4 against this team is an utter joke. MLB is choke full of pitchers that are broken down rag arm bums, kids that would never have made it out of AA in any decade you want to talk about other than this one, guys good for about 20 pitches MAYBE and a very very VERY few good pitchers.

There are a few pitchers pitching today that will likely make it to the HOF and I am afraid they will be the last MLB pitchers that get there if this trend continues.

And of course Zimmerman up to 63 pitches and not out of the 3rd

2nd swing and miss in the zone for Zimerman at pitch 57 v sandy and a third to Sandy to get him out.

Zimmerman gets his first swing and miss on a pitch in the zone at pitch 49

Virtually 90% of MLB starters feature pitch counts too high and innings per start too short because they get no easy outs on weak contact and no swing and miss in the strike zone. This is not a Rick problem as much as it is an MLB problem.

That was a good slider. Best one Rick has thrown tonight.

42 pitches, one swing and miss on a pitch in the strike zone.

This is exactly what is wearing the pen to shreds.

Actually Manfred needs a brain transplant and the league needs an infusion of pitching talent which is nowhere to be found.

Which we all agree is not enough

First swing and miss on a pitch in the Strike zone for Rick.....FB

Not a single swing and miss on a pitch in the strike zone so far for Rick and up to 24 pitches with no out in the 2nd.

So in the discussion of whether there are pitches that these guys can't grip any longer with the virtually seamless, rocket ship baseball, I have seen more crap Sliders this season than I have seen in any 5 other years combined outside of expansion years. That is NOT the only problem with MLB pitching. But IMO it is certainly one of them. Very few of them I am seeing have the late break the Slider is famous for and most of them are more Slurve than Slider.

I don't know how Manfred thinks he is going to get away with this crap pitching in MLB unless he is convinced that the fan base is oblivious.