2011 MLB Discussion Thread

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I hope the spot start from Scott Feldman tonight is a sign that 2009 Feldman is back. With the dead arms in the Rangers rotation lately, it would be nice to see him come in a give some of the other guys a break. Plus they need to see if they should keep him around if CJ is going to command too much money (Feldman is going to run cheap next year with the way the past year and a half has gone for him).
 
Great start from Feldman tonight. If Harrison continues to get tired down the line, I would say give his starts to Feldman. Then again, I'm not totally sold on Feldman as of yet. Still, it was a great start.

SO MUCH SALT FOR WEAVER.

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That poor batboy
 
[quote name='GhostShark']Great start from Feldman tonight. If Harrison continues to get tired down the line, I would say give his starts to Feldman. Then again, I'm not totally sold on Feldman as of yet. Still, it was a great start.

SO MUCH SALT FOR WEAVER.

weaver082911.gif


That poor batboy[/QUOTE]


Damn, my brother and I was watching this live and rewinded it like 5 times, So damn funny, if you could see the kids eyes up close, classic.
 
[quote name='tcrash247']Voters really value a player on a team that makes the playoffs over a player on a team that doesn't, especially when the players' stats are so close. King Felix won last year just because he was far and away better than the other pitchers in the AL.[/QUOTE]
[quote name='CaseyRyback']They do that more for hitters than they do pitchers. Kershaw doesn't have any chance of winning it because absolutely no one is going to show LA any love. They don't want to encourage Frank. He would have to be the best pitcher by such a wide margin that it would be ridiculous.[/QUOTE]
I fully agree with both of these comments. I was just curious if Feeding personally thought Halladay should get the nod over Kershaw and why. One of the canonical beliefs of the hardcore saber nerds is the belief that awards should almost completely strip away all the BS that is attached to MVP/CY awards and that actual performance be the true determinant (though some people get hazy when we look at the actual phrase "most valuable player").

So I guess I'll ask ya'll too (and everyone else).

1. Has Halladay been better than Kershaw this year?
2. Should the team situation (ie a winning team) count?

I personally think Kershaw has been better by the margin of a razor's edge but wouldn't be salty if others saw that differently. Halladay has been a friggin stud. I also don't think team situation should count unless it's obvious that one guy really and truly made the difference. The last guy I saw that did that was Kirk Gibson in 88.
 
[quote name='speedracer']Why Halladay over Kershaw? Just curious.[/QUOTE]

Halladay's got him in FIP, xFIP, tERA, and SIERA. If Kershaw ends up throwing more innings by a significant margin (30+) and they end up with the same peripherals they currently have, I'd give the nod to Kershaw.
 
Kimbrel got his 41st save to set the rookie record with a month still left in the season. Derek Lowe also hit a homer in helping himself to a 3-1 win over the Nats.

Braves also picked Matt Diaz back up--good move as he was a very solid reserve for us for several seasons. Also picked up Jack Wilson to give a veteran back up at short and 2nd base--will be useful if they want to rest Gonzalez or Uggla some after the wild card is clinched as they were pretty thin at middle infield.

Both moves were for players to be named later.
 
Mariano Rivera's strikezone is between the two white lines of the batters boxes, and from the ankle to the neck. They'll call anything a strike after a 4 and a half hour game.
 
[quote name='dafoomie']Mariano Rivera's strikezone is between the two white lines of the batters boxes, and from the ankle to the neck. They'll call anything a strike after a 4 and a half hour game.[/QUOTE]

The whole series was wrought with a HUGE strike zone favoring the Yanks. Game 3 was terrible, especially A.Gon at the end, but Game 1 was ridiculous - was unbelievable how far outside strikes were being called. The Amica pitch-zone doesn't lie.
 
[quote name='dafoomie']Mariano Rivera's strikezone is between the two white lines of the batters boxes, and from the ankle to the neck. They'll call anything a strike after a 4 and a half hour game.[/QUOTE]

Rivera's gotten that zone for pretty much the entire latter half of his career. Case in point:

https://secure.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?mid=200807253196123&c_id=bos

I don't think anyone else in baseball gets a zone nearly his size on as consistent a basis, it's turned him from a great closer into probably the best ever.
 
Holy shit bv, that was utterly amazing. And Lowell will still probably get an equipment fine, they should hand that fine over to the ump.
 
[quote name='bvharris']Rivera's gotten that zone for pretty much the entire latter half of his career. Case in point:

https://secure.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?mid=200807253196123&c_id=bos

I don't think anyone else in baseball gets a zone nearly his size on as consistent a basis, it's turned him from a great closer into probably the best ever.[/QUOTE]

Oh come on. I've seen way worse calls than that. The biggest problem with that pitch is it has so much late break on it that where Molina "frames it" isn't close to where it was when it actually crossed the plate. But that's the way most umpires call balls and strikes, otherwise framing pitches wouldn't be such a big skill for a catcher.

You guys are just mad because shitty AJ Burnett held you in check, lol.
 
[quote name='n8rockerasu']
You guys are just mad because shitty AJ Burnett held you in check, lol.[/QUOTE]

I'm not mad about losing 2 out of 3 to the Yankees. Both teams are going to the playoffs, it's essentially the pennant race that never was.

That Rivera gets a more favorable strikezone than the vast majority of pitchers isn't really debatable. I don't think that takes anything away from him as a pitcher, after all he's made his living on the corners and is great at figuring out what the umpires are going to give him. The motion on his pitches makes it especially tough for umpires to get them right.

I don't blame him at all for living on (and off) the corners when umpires give them to him. Greg Maddux had a hall of fame career working the corners.
 
Something with video games and baseball, there's a few baseball references in Deus Ex Human Revolution, but I just found an email that talks about Stephen Strasburg, but calls him Strasbourg, which I thought was pretty funny.
 
[quote name='Kylearan']The whole series was wrought with a HUGE strike zone favoring the Yanks. Game 3 was terrible, especially A.Gon at the end, but Game 1 was ridiculous - was unbelievable how far outside strikes were being called. The Amica pitch-zone doesn't lie.[/QUOTE]
The 3rd strike he got on Lowrie wasn't even within the scope of the Amica. It was legit in the other batters box.
 
Marlins win on a bases loaded walk. That game should have been over long ago. They reviewed a fan interference call from a ball Pence hit into the outfield that was ruled a double. The rules state you can review a possible home run play and that's it. But they reviewed this unjustly and took the hit away from Pence. So the Phils played under protest after that. I'm anxious to see if anything will come from this, unless West makes up some shit about reviewing it for a possible home run (which no one argued). It was definitely fan interference, but it was called a double and you can't review that.
 
PROTESTING GAMES.
Each league shall adopt rules governing procedure for protesting a game, when a manager claims that an umpire’s decision is in violation of these rules. No protest shall ever be permitted on judgment decisions by the umpire. In all protested games, the decision of the League President shall be final.
Even if it is held that the protested decision violated the rules, no replay of the game will be ordered unless in the opinion of the League President the violation adversely affected the protesting team’s chances of winning the game.

So basically if it's found that the protested call/play is found to decide in the final outcome of the game, the game can be replayed. It probably won't be replayed, nor did that loss really fuck over the Phillies, but it's on principle now.
 
D-backs win the series against the Giants, 7 games ahead of them now. Not bad for a team that was projected to be 28th in power rankings, and was supposed to be at the bottom of the division.
 
[quote name='gbpackers94']Phillies sweep the Braves in 3, pretty much clinching the division.[/QUOTE]

Psh, they had the division clinched opening day.
 
[quote name='yukine']D-backs win the series against the Giants, 7 games ahead of them now. Not bad for a team that was projected to be 28th in power rankings, and was supposed to be at the bottom of the division.[/QUOTE]
Playing in the NL West is like arguing on the internet. Even if you win...
 
[quote name='speedracer']Playing in the NL West is like arguing on the internet. Even if you win...[/QUOTE]
At least it's not the NL Central. ;)

Aren't you a Dodger fan?
 
[quote name='tcrash247']Psh, they had the division clinched opening day.[/QUOTE]

Sure they were favorites, but they didn't have a thing clinched opening day. They play the games for a reason. Hell, just look at the Giants.
 
[quote name='JStryke']Sure they were favorites, but they didn't have a thing clinched opening day. They play the games for a reason. Hell, just look at the Giants.[/QUOTE]

C'mon, you knew they'd clinch a playoff berth with little to no problem. Don't be mad that we just put a hurtin' on the Braves.

The Giants have pitching and nothing else. The Phillies have pitching and hitting. I would have been very surprised if the Giants did this year what they did last year.

[quote name='jello44']Ugh..

5 more losses! They can do it! First pick here we come![/QUOTE]

And then you can trade him to the Phillies in 5-6 years!
 
[quote name='yukine']At least it's not the NL Central. ;)

Aren't you a Dodger fan?[/QUOTE]
Yea but it doesn't make the west any better.

Once again Kershaw goes through the Giants like a hot knife through butter and beats Lincecum. In a sold out AT&T. With it being a virtual playoff game for the Giants.

Dodgers now 3 1/2 behind the Giants for 2nd even after this smoldering disaster of a season.

[quote name='Beatofficer']Lincecum getting his third Cy and Posey for NL MVP, Giants win NL West by 6 games.[/QUOTE]
[quote name='steve nash']Giants over jankees in 5[/QUOTE]
[quote name='Beatofficer']Going on a super longshot, but Red Sox vs Giants WS, Giants in 6 and we get to hear how the Phillies were in a slump but deserve to be in the WS again.[/QUOTE]

A winner is me:
[quote name='speedracer']My bold prediction: The Giants miss the playoffs. Torres and Kung Fu Fatass regress, Posey improves to become a bona fide superstar, but they don't hit enough over the course of a season to get it done.[/QUOTE]
 
What a wild season this year, especially AL East. If you would have told me in spring that the brew crew, Tigers, and D-backs would clinch their division I'd have called you crazy. I hope Rangers can hang on and get another shot this year. Disappointing to see Phillies at the top again, since Braves had a good run too. Yankee and Red Sox fans must be having a blast right now.
 
Speed, the only people that thought Giants would have repeat were Giants fans. Everyone else knew last year was a fluke. Their hitting is just straight up crap.
 
[quote name='Beatofficer']Something with video games and baseball, there's a few baseball references in Deus Ex Human Revolution, but I just found an email that talks about Stephen Strasburg, but calls him Strasbourg, which I thought was pretty funny.[/QUOTE]

There was one that mentioned the Padres playing the Astros in the world series. Seems odd as they're both NL.
 
[quote name='tcrash247']Speed, the only people that thought Giants would have repeat were Giants fans. Everyone else knew last year was a fluke. Their hitting is just straight up crap.[/QUOTE]
Oh, I know it was a ridiculous fluke. I just want them to know I know.

I drink their tears. I drink em up.

Kershaw hasn't allowed an earned run in his last 32 2/3 innings at AT&T Park.
 
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[quote name='Lyricsborn']There was one that mentioned the Padres playing the Astros in the world series. Seems odd as they're both NL.[/QUOTE]

There are talks of moving the Astros to the AL West.

Maybe Deus Ex is predicting the future!
 
Don't really think you can be a fluke in baseball for the world series, just sayin'
Also it's hard to make it to the playoffs when you lead the league or maybe even second in the league in DL trips, if virtually everyone didn't get hurt, they'd probably still be in the playoff hunt. Like people fail to see how the Giants were underdogs the entire playoffs and World Series, then people get bent out of shape when Giants fans are happy about winning the World Series. Even Phillies fans have to admit, a lot of people in their fanbase feel like they deserve the World Series, just like Yankees fans, it's in the culture.

Predictions are for fun, I even said that world series thing is a longshot, anyone who is a baseball fan knows it's near impossible to repeat championships in baseball. No tears from be broski.

On a side though, I'm completely OK with the Giants not making the playoffs, it'll get rid of all these people who suddenly became fans last year, which if you live in the northern California area, it's become pretty annoying. The only thing I'm afraid of is the Giants not doing anything for next season in terms of getting some offense, to the point where Cain and Lincecum won't want to stay with the team because they get so frustrated.

Kershaw is a great pitcher, sadly he probably won't get the Cy Young nor will Kemp get the MVP because from what I've read, none of the voters want to give McCourt some sort of pride in his team or some garbage.
 
[quote name='yukine']You should root for the Dbacks in the playoffs, I know I rooted for the Giants to win it all last year. :D[/QUOTE]
That certainly doesn't help your case.
 
I think it'd be pretty awesome if the Dbacks win, plus I like Brad Ziegler. If they do though, get ready for a lot of angry people that are fans from other organizations.
Also the Dbacks should wear their retro jerseys throughout the entire playoffs, that would be awesome and hilarious.
 
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[quote name='bigdaddybruce44']Congrats to Mo Rivera. And he didn't limp to #600 like Hoffman, either.[/QUOTE]

He's still amazing to watch. There's never gonna be another like him.
 
[quote name='speedracer']Just sayin. Rooting for the Giants won't get you any love from LA fans.[/QUOTE]
Why would I want that? I hate the Lakers and Dodgers with a passion.

[quote name='Beatofficer']I think it'd be pretty awesome if the Dbacks win, plus I like Brad Ziegler. If they do though, get ready for a lot of angry people that are fans from other organizations.
Also the Dbacks should wear their retro jerseys throughout the entire playoffs, that would be awesome and hilarious.[/QUOTE]
Like when we swept the Cubs in 2007 and their fans, including some CAGs, were still butthurt a few years later? I'm used to it.

I love the retro jerseys, Lyle Overbay was actually doing something with a bat during throwback weekend.
 
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