With Grady Sizemore dealing with an elbow issue and Tom Sizemore responsible for The Smoking Gun updates, finally we have a Sizemore that had a good 2009. Scott Sizemore is the 2nd base prospect for the Tigers. I know what you’re thinking, Crapolanco’s got 2nd base locked down, son. Well, Dad, Crapolanco is entering free agency this winter so his time in Detroit may be over. So, let’s assume that 2nd base is vacated for Sizemore in 2010, can he help you in fantasy baseball leagues?
In 520 at-bats between Double and Triple-A, Sizemore hit 17 homers and stole 21 bags while maintaining .308/.389/.500. He only lost about 60 points in slugging when he moved from Double-A to Triple and his line drive rate actually got better. (More on Scott Sizemore’s minor league numbers.) One drawback is he’s starting to ripen late for a prospect (he’ll be 25 years old in 2010). He needs to make the move this year. And, to be fair, if he played outfield, I may not be talking about him, but at 2nd base giddy-up. Leyland has shown he doesn’t have any qualms about playing a rookie. Incredibly, he batted a rookie third for about 200 at-bats in 2009. Also, knowing Leyland’s tendency to save trees by Liquid Papering lineup cards, he may simply replace Polanco in the two hole with Sizemore. With a starting job, Sizemore could mean 80/14/70/.275/16 with upside from there. This is exactly the kind of guy I would take a flier on at MI late in 2010 fantasy baseball drafts. If he doesn’t pan out, then you grab Felipe Lopez or some other schmohawk. So if you go with Sizemores for $300 and the answer is, “He has two working elbows and a blood alcohol level under .25.” The question is, who is Scott Sizemore?
almost sounds like alexie ramirez….. stat wise, except alexie has more upside?
Grey you did a top 20 or top 40 for all positions, did you do a top 100 or 200 for the year at all? wondering if you have a link i can’t find or maybe could do an article?
@Tony: Alexei has more upside…
A top 100 or 200 for what year? I haven’t done any 2010 rankings yet.
@Grey: 2009
i know 2010 is coming, cant wait…. but i guess i can let this years world series get over at least.
@Tony: Ah… Yeah, I just did positional rankings for 2009, didn’t do top 100 or 200.
@Grey: cool.
I play in a 12 team H2H league. We have 10 offensive cats, 10 pitching. We count individual hits, singles, doubles, triples, HR’s, etc plus RBI’s, etc. Pretty even balanced, yet taking pitching later works out great. We’re doing a total redraft next year and we’re going to be able to sign 2 players for a 3 year contract.
What do you think about taking Howard and Fielder back to back at the turn?
For some reason in the past Fielder falls even farther than Howard and I am thinking one of them for sure will be there and maybeeee both. I owned Kemp this year and Midseason i was just hoping he’d be there, but now I dont think there’s any chance of that after the stat line he put up. Personally I think i could take HOWARD/FIELDER back to back, and then ELLSBURY in the 3rd round and i’d have 90+ HRs 250+ rbi’s and 70 sb’s in the first 3 rounds…. ?
I’d love to get tulo back but taking TULO at pick 12 or 13 seems a little early?
A tulo/howard or tulo/fielder combo wouldn’t be a horrible spot…. i hate trying to fill that SS position with whats there later…
slow day huh?
@Grey: I think your projected stats are a bit high (80/14/70/.275/16 ) – like all Bill James projections. In the Minor Review Article, commenter Andrew mentioned that he looks more like Marcus Giles during the 2006 season when Giles hit .262/.341/.387 with 32 doubles and 11 homers with 10 steals. Depending on where Sizemore hits in the major leagues, he could get anywhere from 60 to 75 runs. I would venture to say he would get 14 homers if he gets 500 AB, but will likely be closer to 10-12 HR with 60 RBI , 11 steals and a .265 average. So in short 70/12/65/.265/11
@Tony: What is your thinking if you passed on Ellsbury that high, maybe got your steals further down from R. Davis, and use the higher pick for someone else?
@Tony: I don’t mind taking Fielder and Howard, but I’d prefer you took Fielder or Howard and a top outfielder like Kemp. Don’t reach for Tulo that early.
@Stephen: Giles first full year as a major leaguer he went 21/14… Actually, I’m not even sure why he’s being pegged as Giles in 2006.
I don’t think between 12 and 14 homers is that big of a difference. Also, I’m hyping this guy (i.e. being optimistic), because he’s at MI. You’re a whole lot better off taking a flier at MI than at, say 1st base. Like I said above, if he fails, you grab someone else. No harm, no foul.
@Simply Fred: thats a good idea. I think raja will go after the 10th in a 12 teamer, he’d be a great source and i could take a better power stick there.
@Grey: i’d love to get KEMP and Howard or Fielder, i am just thinking by the time the hype machine sets in kemp will be a top 8 pick for sure, my one buddy picks 9th or 10th and i’m pretty sure he knows my love for Kemp and will take him just to spite me LOL. I couldn’t take TULO that early especially since we are basically going to sign our first two picks, i need CANT MISS players. I understand about the not wanting fielder and howard, its like drafting two of the same guy at the same position.
I could see a guy like Kinsler falling too. He wouldn’t be a bad pairing with a Fielder or Howard either. Especially if he bounces the average back up and stays healthy.
@Tony: Kinsler would be a nice pairing with one of those big-bellied guys. There’s always hope that Utley hurts his hip again in the offseason and he falls to the 11th pick (insert winking emoticon).
@Simply Fred: whats realistic for RAJA over a full season to steal? 50+ easy?
@Grey: haha ya i’d love an Utley at 12, but after his record setting world series i’d say there’s no way he falls past #5 in drafts….
@Grey: Just for the type of production. Also, Giles first year was aided by ‘roids. Agree with the majority of what you said though. I just don’t think Scott Sizemore is going to be productive enough to warrant a spot on any fantasy roster (assuming 12 team league). However, he may be Felipe Lopez sans the high-ish average.
Just something more on Sizemore… he broke his ankle in the AFL a few days ago.
I don’t think it’s supposed to effect anything, but it’s probably worth a mention.
@Stephen: BTW, did you see how young Marcus Giles still is? He was born in 1978. Makes you wonder if he would’ve ever made the majors if it wasn’t for steroids.
@Andrew: True, thanks for the heads up.
@Tony: Better question for Grey. Certainly, Rajai much more risk. Not likely to come near his sizzling average; less opportunity for steals. I think Grey had him for a low-end keeperano. Grey, projection?
@Simply Fred: @Tony: Eh, 35 steals with a chance for 50. Not much else. Good late round guy if you can get him. He was a keeper because the assumption is he is on your keeper team for a very low price.
@Grey: see#12, #17, Tony’s question.
@Grey: Thanks. Tony, left with classic: Is the dropoff from Ells to Davis worth the gain in oomph at #3?
@Tony: @Grey: R. Davis went round 18 in that CBS 12 team roto mock.
@Simply Fred: That’s over 200… Straight steal guys aren’t really someone I would draft before 200 so that makes sense.
@Grey: RE: Tony’s original thoughs of Ellsbury at #3. Would you rank him nearly that high? (primarily steals guy).
@Simply Fred: He’s more or less a straight steal guy to me. I wouldn’t draft one anywhere near that high.
@Grey: i wouldnt either but if i went howard/fielder i’d have power/power so speed would make sense in the 3rd….
but having two 1B’s and an OF’er that steals bags and thats it isn’t my idea of building a team
Thought I’d share a poignant moment from yesteray. After nap time (4:00 west coast) we usually put on one of 5yr-old Tori’s favorite dvds. She knew it was a big day. Her daddy had both kids decked out in their Yankees garb. I asked her which dvd she wanted and she replied: “Papa, I want you to be able to watch baseball.” Tha’t my girl! go Yanks!
@Tony: “but having two 1B’s and an OF’er that steals bags and thats it isn’t my idea of building a team” — Yeah, you’re right.
@Simply Fred: Aw, that’s cute.
@Grey: YUP looking for MI’ers 4th round on…. not good.
@Grey: @Simply Fred: What about a Michael Bourn/Nyjer Morgan type player? Gets a lot of steals for a lot lower price. And would Juan Pierre be a late round steals guy? If he ever starts that is…
@GopherDay: Depends where they’re being drafted, but usually I wouldn’t take a SAGNOF outfielder until 200th pick in a draft. Think about where Bourn and Morgan went last year. Pierre has no playing time right now, that could change though.
@GopherDay: @Grey: Bourn went 8th round, Morgan 14th round in that CBs mock.
Well would you consider Jacoby Ellsbury a SAGNOF? (Asked after a quick search of the term) He didn’t offer that much more than Bourn last season other than a few more home runs and RBIs. Do the 25 extra rbis and 15 points in batting avg justify drafting Ellsbury 5 rounds before Bourn?
@GopherDay: I probably won’t own Ellsbury or Crawford on any team. I’d prefer closer to 30 homers and 10 steals from my outfielders and 5 homers and 40 steals from my MIs. Is Ellsbury better than Bourn? Yeah, Bourn is riskier. Is Bourn better value? Sure, but I wouldn’t own him either. You start putting speed-only guys in your outfield and there’s a power vacuum at your other positions. Speed, like saves, can be found post-draft too and can be made up quickly. You find yourself in August back 20 steals from the leader, you trade for Bourn or Taveras or someone and make up the ground. Can’t make up power as easily.
Yeah, I completely agree.
On a different note, I really hope the “hype machine” doesn’t push Kemp up too far, I want to be able to nab him in the second round.
@GopherDay: Off the top of my head, I’m putting him in the first round of a 12 team draft.
@Grey: @GopherDay: Checked out the current mock on Couch Managers. Kemp #9 pick; Utley #3.
@Grey: @Simply Fred: Well I figured he would go in the first, but I wish he would go in the second. I can dream on though…
@Tony: I did a positional scarcity analysis a couple weeks ago, and even by eliminating Pujols from the study, 1B has the largest point gap from top to bottom players. Meaning, by getting a top 1B and not a bottom one, you earn more points then any position. So, getting 2 1B’s early is a definite smart choice in my books. I will be targeting a strategy similar to that next season… hope that helps
@Simply Fred: You need to get that daughter of yours some Giants gear…
@Jo: Not including Pujols, the difference between stats of the top ranked (Prince Fielder) to the 12 ranked 1B (Michael Cuddyer) is this:
(End of season rankings by Yahoo)
Prince Fielder: 103/46/141/2/.299
Michael Cuddyer: 93/32/94/6/.276
Here is SS:
Hanley Ramirez: 101/24/106/27/.342
Felipe Lopez: 88/9/57/6/.310
2B:
Chase Utley: 112 31 93 23 .282
Jose Lopez: 69/25/96/3/.272
You may have done a more in depth analysis (which I would be interested to see) but just looking at the stats I would rather a top 2B than a top 1B.
i actually did my on points based on CBS standard set up, since that is what i play. It showed the largest standard deviation between the top 10 1B’s then any other position… even w/o pujols. maybe your circumstances make it different… from what i understand, espn puts heavy weight on stolen bases which would add to those guys value. if you’re interesed in the study, send an email to jdpackersrule@gmail and i’ll send you my excel sheet.
@Jo: Sorry, not clear. Tori is my granddaughter. I used to be a Giants fan. Son-in-law came as a die-hard Yankee. What was I to do?
@Simply Fred: Get that girl a Lincecum, Cain, Bumgardner, or Sandoval jersey!
@Jo: Bumgarner drafted 20th round in latest mock, between E.Santana and Feldman. Getting some respect!
@Jo: Yeah, I have only played with Yahoo, so CBS and ESPN may be different.
@Jo: @GopherDay:
four 1st basemen will be drafted in the 1st round
@big o: Pujols, Howard, Fielder and A-Gon ?
Iwamura to the Pirates btw.
You are going to look back on this and say to yourself, “Man November is a tough month to write about fantasy baseball.” I feel your pain.
@SamYo: Thanks for the heads up on Iwamura! Still has no value really for fantasy. Might have a bit less now.
@Mark: I wrote must of these posts in October.
@SamYo:
teixeira
@Grey:
Utley clear top 5 pick due to man-crush factor. He was much more interesting in r2 tho, meh.
@GopherDay: no way KEMP falls to the second round, maybe in an 8 teamer, 30/30 .300 with 30/40 potential is first round material…. maybe even in an 8 teamer, i’d take kemp anywhere from the 6th pick on….. gotta remember he batted 6th and 7th MOST of the year! Think of him in the 3 or 4 hole?
@Jo: i’m in a H2H league, we have a 1B position and 3 utility slots i think, so slotting two 1B isn’t a problem, and I love what a fielder/Howard combo gets me, i just think i’m missing value by position in filling my other spots, Middle infield, OF, 3B, etc…. I dont know. It all just depends.
@Tony: Yeah I know Kemp won’t fall to the second round. Too bad though because I enjoyed nabbing him in the third round this year!
@GopherDay: Don’t worry, there will be third rounders this year that will move up.
My Top 20 hitters for 2010:
1. Hanley ( him or AP, SS eligibile gives him the edge in my book)
2. Pujols (see #1)
3. AROD (3B eligible, yankee stadium, repeat as WS winners? fully healthy…. MONSTER YEAR 2010)
4. Utley (2B 30/30 ish guy, PHI line up, money)
5. Braun ( 40 homer power and steals 20 bags, health/back, an issue to me)
6. Kemp (love him 30/30 stud, even more potential could ALMOST justify taking him over Braun except Braun has more power)
7. Wright (i think he bounces back, Metco or not he should hit 20 HR?)
8. Miggy (for some reason i almost wanna take fielder or howard here instead? miggy doesn’t shine to me like he use too, a .330 avg is nice tho, lazy, drunk and abuser come to mind now?)
9. Prince (one of two MONSTER MASHERS, 45/150 .300 is sick)
10. Ryan Howard (see #9)
11. Longoria (3B eligible, if the potential matures = STUD, i dont like basing my 1st round pick on HOPEFULLY though, he probly wont be on my team)
12. Justin Upton (I could see taking J-UP this early, STUD, 30/30)
13. Grady (might be a steal in the mid 2nd round, 30/30 guy, needs to get the average to at least .275 though)
14. Kinsler (stay healthy, 2B eligibility, plays in texas)
15. Holliday ( in stl with AP he could be another mid 2nd round steal)
16. Teixiera (tex is kinda like miggy to me, minus the 30 points in avg. why take tex when i could take votto or morales 3-4 rounds later?)
17. Carl Crawford (2010 will probably be an injury yr./ if he could just hit 20 hrs, i wont pay for this guys 09)
18. Mauer (ughh catcher in the top 20… not for me, but i’d think about it here)
19. Mark Reynolds (this guy could easily hit .220 next year, scary the owners that will pay for that next year)
20. TULO (slow starter, but SS is thin, can’t complain about 30/20 and he plays at COL half the year, so young)
HM: reyes, morneua, hammy, ellsbury, beltran, and more i’m sure… they all have their issues.
I play in a 12 team competitive H2H league, 20 cats.
I basically dont plan to take a pitcher til about the 6-7th rounds. There’s guys in that top 20 i probably wouldn’t even touch. I dont like crawford, mauer or reynolds. Paying for last years stats there. Tex to me is just a 30/120 guy, which hey he is dependable, thats nice, but with your 1st pick or early 2nd round pick? there’s just too many other guys that are very close to that stat line (votto, agon, morales, etc and thats just at the 1B pos)
I think my top 6 is dead on, wright at #7 is got a nice ring to it. Many guys after the top 10 have issues that are a little scary.
Would you rather take grady than holliday? Now that i think about it if Holliday is in STL i think i’d rather have his consistency than Grady playing for the horrendous indians….?
Just analyzing for 2010, any thoughts? Anyone i totally missed or you think should bump way up or way down?
@Tony: Whether I agree or not, interesting take on a top 20. Holliday looks like he’s not going to be staying in St. Louis. Might end up in Metco or Fenway. Him over Grady, but I don’t think either are in my top 20. Maybe Holliday around 20. Don’t think I’d take Wright over Longoria either. Can’t take a 3rd baseman who hit 10 homers in 500+ at-bats. Stadium or not, steals or not, he deserves to be punished.
@Grey: HAHA
ya some of it i like where i ranked but then when you justify who is before and after it gets hairy….
i’d take wright over longo, just based solely on wrights history, I just dont think 10 HR’s is possible again? It kinda hurt with NO beltran, delgado, TEAM around him,possibly put Holliday in there with him? could be a better 2010….. but then again LONGO is young and up and coming, with POWER…. toss up. But ya Wright should give back some of his salary.
If you bump Holliday and grady out of your top 20 hitters who do you put in????
Would you even consider werth? Lind? Bay? HILL? Ichiro? YOUK? BPhillips? i dont like any of those names really….
gotta put someone in if you take two out…..
@Tony: I’m not seeing Lincecum. I know you won’t draft him (Niether will I) in the top 20, but he deserves to be there.
I agree with Grey about Wright.
Another guy I WILL NOT DRAFT is Mark Reynolds. I don’t care if he has another monster year. Those strikeouts scare me, and he could very easily lose the average and steals and be a .220 hitter with homer upside.
Holliday in BOSTON would be huge.
@Tony: Just realized you said top 20 hitters, so pitchers would change things, but Holliday would stay in the top 20 of just hitters. Reyes is in over Grady. I wouldn’t take Reynolds either. I’m not sure who would be in the top 20 until I break it all down, but a lot of guys would be over Reynolds. Unfortunately, he looks like he’s headed for one of the biggest overrated slots for 2010.
@GopherDay: at the top it says TOP 20 HITTERS….
no pitchers are listed, overall i’d put LINCE on my top 10 but i’m not taking ANY pitcher with my 1st round pick….
@Grey: reynolds may be overrated about as much as josh hamilton of 09.
@Tony: Think he might be more so. Hamilton had a terrible 2009, but coming into the year there was less reason for concern than with Reynolds. I mean, Reynolds is a career .257 hitter. That goes to .240 easily and you’re in bad shape with potentially your 2nd pick. The Royal You, not you you.
@Tony: Yeah, I just saw that.
But, while on the subject, would there be any pitchers in the top 20 other than Lince? Halladay or Sabathia maybe?
@GopherDay: Some will say Lincecum and Greinke, i say NO THANKS. I wouldn’t put CC in there, or Halladay….
@Grey: Ya i’d say reynolds will be even more overvalued than Hammy. Anyone who saw hammy’s second half 2008 should have seen it eluding to what 2009 might be… and knowing his history, injuries, etc…. it all spelled trouble.
If Reynolds hit .240 and hit 35 and stole 15 It wouldn’t be a tragedy, but its just not as pretty…. the thing is it might not be as good as 35/15.
This is random, but if you want a wierd name for a baseball player, how about this? Boof Bonser. A pitcher for the Twins.
@Tony: Agreed. That’s close to my predictions for Reynolds for 2010. Probably given him ten points on average.
@GopherDay: Yeah, Boof Bonser’s weird. What’s possibly weirder is that wasn’t his given first name but he legally changed it to that.
@Grey: Wow…who would ever change their name to Boof? It was a nickname but still…
so , the yanks are -190 favorites , and the over/under is 9.5 runs
any opinions ??
and , it’s my friday night
yee – haw !!!
i gotta figure that pettitte will give up 4 runs
question is ===> will he do it in 7 innings , or 4 ??
@GopherDay: @Grey: Boof Bonser can’t lace Stubby Clapp’s cleats.
@big o: I want the Yankees to win, but I wouldn’t mind seeing a 7th game just because they’re more exciting. I want what’s best for baseball, as corny as that sounds.
@Steve: Ha!
@Grey: With every passing day, your colours show a little more
@Steve: I’m feeling very emotional!
@Grey: “I follow players, not teams.”
Pah!
@Steve:
you need to develop some short-term memory loss
@Steve: I should save this one by saying that at least you are simply following the team of your birth – which is as it should be.
In these parts, people follow the Yankees because they’re the only team they’ve ever heard of.
@Steve: Haha!
@big o: “Short term memory loss”…………Ha!
@BigFatHippo: What did you say your name was?
@Steve: I’m probably the least passionate Yankee fan you’ll find who is still passionate about baseball. But, yeah, I grew up in North Jersey so it was the Yankees or the Mets and no one likes the Mets outside of Queens.
@Steve:
damn , steve .
every day , i go to work , there are literally dozens and dozens of people with whom i can talk baseball .
can’t really fathom , how it must be for you over there .
yet , i hope to be retiring , in the next year or two ,
to costa rica .
guess i’ll find out .
(thank god for the inter-net.)
@Grey: You mean Queens, the bourough right?
@BigFatHippo: Ha!
@Grey: We used to call em Pondscum, I had a Mets Suck hat when I was a kid.
@BigFatHippo: Mets haters go that far east? I thought they stopped at Philly.
@big o: It’s not easy, although I can’t figure out if my stronger love is for fantasy baseball od the game itself!
@Grey: It’s the one gap (albeit a pretty big one) in my enjoyment of baseball and, to a lesser extent, football – I don’t have any real solid basis for following any particular team.
I can rationalise support for, say, the Cards or the A’s or the Packers, but it’s not like it’s life or death every time they play, y’know?
@Grey: That would be west, dude.
@Steve: Yeah, I think that helps in fantasy. I never really feel like I have to have or avoid anyone.
@Grey: I’m sorta West of Philly Grey.
They used to be in our division, when Chili Davis called St. Louis a cowtown, that didn’t sit well. There’s only about a herd and a half in the city limits afterall……………
@BigFatHippo: The world’s round, man! Yeah, I goofed.
Godzilla is Pedro’s Daddy……..
@BigFatHippo: That means his Mom’s Mothra.
@Grey: Hehe
@Grey: And their kids are all Hello Kittys.
@Steve:
yeah , it’s pretty much we all root for the same team
that we rooted for , when we were 11 years old .
@Steve: Um…
@Steve: Ha
Anyone going to see The Fourth Kind?
If that’s all Pedro gives up we can win this one Philly……..
@BigFatHippo: Pedro’s good for 4 runs, but so is Pettitte so it’ll be close. I think someone above summed it up, depends who goes deeper giving up the 4.
@Grey: Yeah – the lame bell went off as soon as I hit submit. I don’t know any Japanese kid monsters so shouold have stayed out of it.
@big o: It’s what being a fan is all about.
if the phillies were playing boston in this world series ,
this guy ruiz would never steal a base .
they’d be keeping such a close eye on him .
what with rosie , and all .
(hehe)
Pettite looked kind of hittable in that inning.
@Steve: I just messing with the um… BTW, I had terrible sushi for lunch. Sushi good in The Z?
@big o: Hehe
@Steve: He’s always hittable. I’d like to know what his teams have given him for runs scored in his career, but I’m too lazy to look it up. I’d bet it’s high.
@Grey:
is pettitte hof – er ??
@Grey: Yeah – generally pretty good – depends where you go of course like anywhere. Gotta say I’m more of a sashimi man myself – and we have great fish here, being a (narrow) island nation.
@Steve: We actually have great sushi in LA. Best US city outside of Seattle. I usually get Spicy Tuna everywhere I go. That’s my litmus test. If that make that well, the place is going to be good. Not sure if they even have that in The Z though. Can you tell I’m hungry?
@big o: No way.
@Grey:
Pettitte, it’s clear, is a fine pitcher, but his won-lost record says as much about the tremendous offensive teams backing him as it does about his pitching. From 1954 on, he has the sixth highest run support of any pitcher with 200 starts, at 5.3 runs per start (tops is Aaron Sele at 5.5 runs per start). His teammate C.C. Sabathia (No. 50 in run support) has almost the same winning percentage as Pettitte, but has compiled that with less run support — by a half-run per game — than Pettitte.
The second point commonly made is that Pettitte has won the most postseason games in baseball, with 17. Of course, it is rarely mentioned that he is also first in postseason starts with 39 (next is Tom Glavine with 35) and third in losses with 9. Appearing in 28 separate postseason series has a way of bumping those numbers up. Pettitte certainly contributed to those postseason runs, but he was blessed in having Rivera, the greatest closer ever, saving most of his wins (he has not pitched a complete game in the postseason) and also with an offense that gave him among the best run support ever.
http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/04/pettitte-falls-short-for-the-hall-of-fame/
Is Pedro the only man on the planet left with Jeri-Curl? He must have got a tub of it at Sam’s in the early 90′s…………..
@Steve: Thanks for the research; I figured as much as I said above. He’s really only had two great years. One was a long time ago and one was while playing for the Astros with Clemens.
@BigFatHippo: Ha! Letting his Soul Glow shine through…
@Grey: Ah tuna – so good. Grilled some (not sushi) for dinner the other night.
How is it that the canned version tastes so crappy?
@Grey:
agreed . on pettitte .
disagree on the spicy tuna .
try the sea urchin .
@Steve: It sits in oil or water for months before you eat it?
@big o: You’ve said you’re retiring to Costa Rica and you like sea urchin. O, you’ve surprised me twice tonight. Sea urchin as the litmus test? You need something to compare across the board here.
@big o: Stay out of my reef tank, I just bought one of those…………
@Steve: The Rivera closer reference is a great point, Rivera’s a lock for the Hall, unanimous first ballot. If he’s not, then there’s something wrong with the system.
dominican on dominican crime about to happen .
a-rod with the bases loaded
@big o: Ha!
a-rod swings likes it’s pantomime
take a rip , for god’s sake
THAT was a strike!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
we’re talking sushi
and a-rod turns out to be the fish
Matsui will hit a homer or ground out to 2nd.
@Grey: You might have a Pina Colada coming tonight.
Phillies 1, Matsui 4
@BigFatHippo: Yeah, I think I said in six games too.
@GopherDay: Hehe
@Grey: I see you were listening to the t.v. too.
pulling a calf muscle
is not the same
in tijuana
sounsws like a foul ball
and the spin seemed to be re-directed
@big o: Nice!
*sounded
Pedro Feliz could be the latest postseason unsung hero………
or not………..
not your typical throw to 1st , by a-rod
more like a 2nd baseman
@Grey: Don’t have the sound on – what were Pettite and the ump discussing there?
@Steve: No idea, I as making dinner. Just saw the replay and have no idea still. My guess is he was saying something to the effect that he called that a strike vs. Arod, why wasn’t he getting it.
enough , already .
i went to work today
on one day’s rest
@Grey: I think it’s safe for you to go outside and start jumping up and down on cars.
Game 4 was the key…
@Grey:
matsui has the opposite shoulder “twitch”
than joe morgan .
is this because he’s from the pacific rim ?
@Steve:
maybe you can help me out with this one .
i have this theory about australian women .
does the hair on their legs
really grow upwards ??
@big o: Only if you’re standing on your head.
@Steve: I think I might go looting.
@big o: Probably.
that’s the over … (9.5 runs)
@big o: Did you make that bet? It was a good one to take.
@Grey:
strictly amateurish stuff …. with some friends at work .
but check out this site :
http://www.centsports.com
i’m up to about 60 bucks over there …. starting from 10 cents .
anyone wanna be my crony ??
@Grey:
yep
am i being filtered ?
@big o: The spam filter must’ve thought centsports was unseemly. Or something. I’m not a gambler unless I’m in a casino. Or a church. Bingo!
@Grey: @big o: It looks like the Couchmanagers of sports betting sites
The Melbourne Cup was run on Tuesday. Big horse race in this part of the world – ever hear of it?
@Steve: re: Couchmanagers – ha! Never heard the race.
@Grey: Yeah – probably better known in the UK and Europe than the US – huge in Australia and NZ.
@Steve: This might be a stupid question, but do horses race all around the world? For instance, would you see a Kentucky Derby horse in The Melbourne Cup?
@Grey: They do, but European, US and Australasian horses do tend to stick to their own turf, as it were. It’s an expensive and complex business flying thoroughbred horses round the world.
That said, there is always a decent contingent of European horses at the Melbourne Cup each year now.
The US seems to be a bit of a world of its own – perhaps because the big races like the Derby are run on dirt (for want of a better word) whereas races here and in Europe are run on turf and the horses can’t handle the different tracks. I also wonder if it’s hard for a non-US horse to qualify for the Derby.
Not really sure to be completely honest…
@Steve: Have you been?
@Grey: No – but I’d love to. Not actually a big horse racing man, but it’s a huge sporting occasion and I’m always up for those.
BTW European horses have featured prominently in some of your big turf races like the Breeders Cup Turf and Arlington Million. So the internet says, anyway.
@Steve: Ah… You’re a wealth of horse racing knowledge. Horse tracks in the US are seedy and smell so. I haven’t been in a while, but my chain-smoking grandmother used to take me when I was a wee one.
@Grey: Yeah – it’s not Melbourne Cup or Derby day every day at the track, that’s for sure.
Always funny to see the guys that have barely swung a bat or thrown a pitch in anger all year start to bounce around in the dugout.
@Steve: If Girardi wins another couple of championships, what does it say about Torre’s legacy?
@Grey: Gotta take some shine off. But Giradi will be remembered for wearing out starters, not relievers.
@Steve: I always thought they gave too much credit to managers when they won and too much blame when they lost. They should do a reality show for someone to manage the Yankees for the season and see how they do.
@Grey: Heck! If I had that much money to spend on players, I wouldn’t need to be a good manager. I could just buy all the best players and let my assistant coaches do the managing. I would only need to do the essentials: mostly arguing with the umpires and getting ejected.
@GopherDay: Sounds like The Billy Martin School of Umpiring.
@Grey: Ha!