Maxbialystock

Has Devers gained weight this season?

For the many, many fans of robo umps. Has anyone of you ever commented at the end of a game, "you know, we won that game only because the umps gave us the calls?" The answer to that is of course a resounding "no." And my interpretation of that resounding "no" is that the so-called missed balls and strikes are nothing more than nuisance value. They are just something to discuss ad nauseum under the delusion that baseball, a sport, should achieve perfection--one which is invisible to everyone on the field of play who can't see the rectangle on the television screen--in the calls of balls and strikes.

Note just now Kike's fury directed at the umpire for calling a strike a strike. It is a myth that the players see the strike zone with the same precision as is superimposed on our screens.

Thanks. I'll go look because I missed most of the first. I looked at it. It's right on, centered, on the line of the official rectangle and nowhere near the middle of the zone. Rare is the home plate umpire who gets that call right every time. Now is a good time for this reminder. Rare is the game in which any umpire's miscall(s) affected the outcome of a game, and that certainly includes the home plate umpires. I especially include today's game. Endless griping about the ump when it's obvious why the Sox are losing.

Maybe. Right now Devers certainly ain't the guy to bat 2d.

Yoshida comes through.

Which Rays batter in which inning was that? Thanks to mlb.com, I can review it.

Another big K by Devers with a Dugo on 2b and no one out. Must be home plate umpire's fault for calling strikes just because Devers swung and missed. Devers is letting this team down in a big series.

I'm not defending any individual umpire. I don't question those umpire reports. I'm just saying we see something nobody on the playing field sees. I'm pretty sure this is unique in all televised sports. Football, soccer, tennis, basketball, etc, etc--none of those sports have anything like that invisible rectangle that is not visible to anyone on the court or field.

Stupid, stupid outfield play by Duran. He lines himself up to make the big throw, and then freaking pauses after he catches the ball. This not only guarantees the runner on 3b will score, but enables the Ray on 1b to advance to 2b.

Big series with the Rays, but where is our only All-Star, Devers? Duran has 2 hits so far. Devers has none.

To remind. The strike zone is not, repeat not, what you see on the screen. It's a TV fabrication that nobody on the playing field can see. We--the TV audience and the players and umpires on the field--can all see the ball, the plate, the player in the batter's box, the bases, the catcher, the pitching rubber, the foul lines, etc. But nobody on the field can see that rectangle.

Finally. Some sense injected into this discussion. Also missing from the discussion is that, without Bogey, Mookie, and JDM, the hitting is better this season than last season--even with Duvall and Story on the IL. The Sox are no longer paying top dollar (among the top five teams in aggregate salaries)--and are now ranked 15th in aggregate salaries--have better hitting, just as good pitching, and are above .500 with a real shot at the postseason. The 40 man roster is looking pretty good, and AA Portland has a SS who looks to be awfully good. I am not trying to paint a rosy picture here. Heck, I like to gripe too. But I just don't think the length of this thread to fire Bloom is justified.

To sort of wrap this up, I thought tonight's 2d game was a good one. I'm disappointed with the loss, but delighted it was a competitive game and with the competitiveness of our pitchers.

John Ford used to give Wayne a hard time about his lack of service because in fact Ford did serve and did go in harm's way. Ford didn't like McCarthy or his front man in Hollywood, Cecil B. Demille.

For a movie to work it has to engage the audience, a perfect example of which is Bull Durham. Gary Cooper as Lou Gehrig worked because of ALS and that speech at the end. Eight Men Out Worked because of the director/writer and telling the Black Sox Scandal story from the players perspective. That Williams was a terrific fisherman is nice to know, but not very engaging. Same for being a great hitter. Lots of baseball players served in World War II, but a movie about Ted would omit the fact that he tried like the dickens not to join up--he played the entire 1942 season. When he did join and became a pilot, he never saw combat. And he was not an ace in the Korean War. But the real problem with a Williams movie is coming up with a dramatic center. Few people know that the movie Patton succeeded because Francis Ford Coppola wrote the screenplay--and wisely chose to lead with that speech by Patton, delivered wonderfully by George C. Scott (but without Patton's high squeaky voice). Gary Cooper as Lou Gehrig is a boring movie right up until we found out he has ALS and then delivers that incredible speech at Yankee stadium. Nothing Williams did comes anywhere near that for dramatic impact.

Both points are good. Sheriff pitched in both games, and Jansen was well rested before today. He should not have been tired. The problem these days is you can't be sure he will have good control or good stuff.

Sheriff pitched in both games, and before today Jansen was well rested.

True, but I had to look it up. To "shoot" a movie or a scene also means the physical parts of acting, directing, camerawork, etc. So, for example, High Noon was shot in about 2 months (late summer, early fall of 1951).

I think Ted Williams was too complex a guy for Wayne to play. I also don't think his life was interesting enough to make into a movie.

No run if Wong wasn't running his ass off from the get go.

He certainly did. Now Bernardino gets a scoreless 7th. Dugo and Devers are both hitless.

It was not, repeat not, "shot" in real time. Fred Zinnemann was great, but not that great. The time elapsed in watching the movie, 85 minutes, was the same amount of time as the time depicted in the movie.

Crawford 3 innings, Garza 1.1, and Sherriff 1.2. Not exactly creme de la creme, but the Rays have just 2 runs in 6 innings.

Tapia going for redemption. But Casas will have none of it.