The baseball thread.

[72Twenty]

I guess I never did post the TR of the Astros/Rockies game I went to last month (Smmokan was there)... So here it is...

Got there early to watch Astros batting practice. (great seats, eh?)



Craig Biggio at batting practice, some shots of him with rookie Hunter Pence and Lance Berkman.







My daughter checks out her first Big League seat!



Me and my baby



Some game action photos... First is Astros pitcher Roy Oswalt pitching to Rockies CF Willy Tevaras. Willy-T hit a lead-off HR on this pitch.





The view from my seat...



wind came up and it got a little chilly...



Astros dugout...



Biggio on deck...



Rockies mascot "Dinger" is taunting the Astros... Astros manager Phil Garner does not look pleased...



Biggio at bat...



Brad Lidge pitching a 98mph fastball to Matt Holliday




Rockies won, but it was a great day at the ball park. Coors Field is a beautiful ball park.

[Rontele]

Nice sweep by the Tigers over the BoSox.

[iceman]

Nice sweep by the Tigers over the BoSox.

Yeah, and I watched every damn inning, yeesh.

Pitching is still looking okay, but man we need some run production in the clutch. My wife walked through the room and said "What's going on in the game?" I said "Wily Mo" just fricking struck out AGAIN." My kid goes, "Dad it's only two strikes". Three seconds later Orsillo goes, "And Wily Mo goes down looking."

I called that shit, but anybody could have.

[Rontele]

Yeah, and I watched every damn inning, yeesh.

Pitching is still looking okay, but man we need some run production in the clutch. My wife walked through the room and said "What's going on in the game?" I said "Wily Mo" just fricking struck out AGAIN." My kid goes, "Dad it's only two strikes". Three seconds later Orsillo goes, "And Wily Mo goes down looking."

I called that shit, but anybody could have.

Not even 'Warning Track' Todd Jones could help you guys. All I care is that you guys beat the Yankees. I hate the Yankees. And again, the wild card is likely to come out of the AL Central.

[rip]

[smalls]

vlad is a beast.

[smmokan]

I thought Holliday had it in him.... I still say he hits the ball consistently harder than anyone in baseball.

[iceman]

I thought Holliday had it in him.... I still say he hits the ball consistently harder than anyone in baseball.

Watching all the Dominican and Venezuelan dudes (that's where the camera was) flip out as Holliday stroked it was pretty cool. He's a bad man for sure.

[Steven S. Dallas]

Not even 'Warning Track' Todd Jones could help you guys.

Not the Sox' best lineup (Jeff Bailey?) or starters (Kason Gabbard?), but should have been enough to take one- credit a great catch by Granderson and lousy pitch calling by Varitek on that Pudge Rodriguez at bat to lose the heartbreaker on Saturday night. Boston's no better than third-best in the AL, maybe 4th, but that's just because all the other teams stink worse. But for the grace of 14 games against Tampa Bay, Boston could easily be heading towards a sub-.500 second half. Not a good team right now.

[iceman]

Boston could easily be heading towards a sub-.500 second half. Not a good team right now.

WTF?

They're a couple of key hits away from sweeping DeeTwat, the pitching looks fine, they're bound to hit better, take a fucking chill pill.

Many, Ortiz, or Drew does ANYTHING and we laugh.

The ship is not sinking, cut it out.

[Steven S. Dallas]

1. Doesn't it seem like they're always a couple key hits away? They've had their successes in close games (4 HRs, 6 runs in the 9th, etc.), but they've been leaving a lotta guys on base. When Drew comes up with men on and two out, or RISP, you can pretty much head to the can, because the inning is over. It's not that they're terrible, but at some point you have to say they aren't a great team. They still can be, but they aren't there right now. Not even close.

2.They're 18-17 since June 1. Granted, it was probably the toughest stretch of the schedule, but it's been a rough stretch. And you know why a team has rough stretches? Because the teams you're playing are as good or better. I love the Sox, but I don't see this team as it's presently performing winning a World Series- and they can fucking finish 5th if they don't. Like I said, if they didn't have those 14 games against Tampa Bay, the back half of this season could be a disaster. As it is, they'll win the division, but it's for shit if they lose in the LCS.

I'm not saying they can't win. I just wish they would, that's all.

[woodstocksez]

2.They're 18-17 since June 1. ... I love the Sox, but I don't see this team as it's presently performing winning a World Series ...

18-17 for the whole year works out to be 83-79. If they can just get one of those losses rained out instead, they're golden.

[Brock Landers]

if they didn't have those 14 games against Tampa Bay

But they DO have 14 more games, just like Detroit and Minny have games against KC and Anaheim plays Texas 19 times over the year. Every team plays the weaker teams. If a team can go .500 on the road and do pretty well at home, they are usually a playoff team. If they go .500 against the best of the rest of the league, and mop up against the TB, KC, and TEX, theyre usually a playoff team. The differences in baseball between good teams and bad are so ridiculously small, winning just 60% of your games means playoffs. You win 60% in the NFL, it means maybe playoffs/maybe not.
Granted the Sox are slumping right now, but every team slumps at some point during the year. Except for the 2001 Mariners- they slumped in October. As the Yankees fans have been saying all year- theres a lot of baseball left, and a lot of games at Fenway and against the weaker teams. The Sox did beat up on Detroit earlier in the year too- so its not like we're their bitch either.

[Steven S. Dallas]

Yeah, but that's my point- winning 100 games is meaningless if you lose to the wild-card team in the ALDS. The Sox'll do well against bad teams, but those aren't the teams they're going to see in the playoffs, and (right now) they're not playing as well as those other quality teams. How they perform against Tampa Bay isn't really telling, if you're talking about their chances to go deep in the postseason.

Obviously you can kind of throw out the regular season when you get to the playoffs (like with the Cards last season), and obviously there's time to right the ship. But it seems like there are some problems that aren't going away, and they can't just stand pat or they'll be crying into their commemorative division champs t-shirts when they get swept by Cleveland in October.

[shmerham]

Tough to say. The sox were bound to cool off. Is it a coincidence that it was against the better teams in the AL? It could be, but on the other hand, good teams find ways to win, and the sox seem like they're finding ways to lose.

The only thing I am confident about, is the sox winning the world series if they actually make it that far. Making it that far, is something I am not confident about. I think they have the pitching (but so does Detroit), but what I feel like they need, is a spark in the lineup. That sounds pretty bad when Manny and Ortiz are in it.

[Brock Landers]

I just think its too early to say anything about the playoffs yet. Its July. The Tigers could suck in a month. LAA too. Im not worried about winning the 100 games, cause come playoff time (when it comes...in 3 months...) there are only 3 teams to beat, and anyone in the playoffs can beat any other team anyway. If the Sox face Detroit or LAA or Minny in the ALCS, then its going to be a crapshoot whether theyre playing .500 now or .600. I think with the way the bullpen has pitched, later in the year the overall staff will be stronger than the others. I'm all for getting worried about the Sox, but not till early Sept. And I can totally see your point too- they just lost a 3 game series to another contender. Enough said. Its just early, still.

[woodstocksez]

Spineless and a bunch of other stuff I'm having trouble putting my finger on right now. Help me out. Why do you hate Bud Selig?

[smalls]

because he hasn't kicked bonds out of the league.

[Steven S. Dallas]

I blame the people who put him there. Obviously he's the owners' bitch; he owns a team in one of (if not the) smallest media market in MLB.

Also, I met him one time, and he seemed like a very nice guy.

All star recap: It's not like I didn't know Verlander was nasty, but watching him throw to an unfamiliar batterymate really made me realize how much late action he has on his pitches. With that kind of snap plus 98 mph heat, he's going to be dominant for a long time.

Also, I never fail to be impressed by the tactlessness of Jeanne Zalasko. Who the fuck is this woman?

Other than that, no great revelations tonight.

[Brock Landers]

The owners put Selig in charge- thats why hes their bitch. Hes better than Don Fehr at least.
Verlander has been my fav. non Red Sox since late last year. He is just nasty. John Smoltz is a close 2.

Jeanee Zelasko < Erin Andrews both in looks and performance

[Woodsy]

Other than that, no great revelations tonight.

true, everyone knows throwing Wagner in the game is a total crap shoot.
that guy is such a junkshow

[Jackie Treehorn]

1. Doesn't it seem like they're always a couple key hits away? They've had their successes in close games (4 HRs, 6 runs in the 9th, etc.), but they've been leaving a lotta guys on base. When Drew comes up with men on and two out, or RISP, you can pretty much head to the can, because the inning is over. It's not that they're terrible, but at some point you have to say they aren't a great team. They still can be, but they aren't there right now. Not even close.

2.They're 18-17 since June 1. Granted, it was probably the toughest stretch of the schedule, but it's been a rough stretch. And you know why a team has rough stretches? Because the teams you're playing are as good or better. I love the Sox, but I don't see this team as it's presently performing winning a World Series- and they can fucking finish 5th if they don't. Like I said, if they didn't have those 14 games against Tampa Bay, the back half of this season could be a disaster. As it is, they'll win the division, but it's for shit if they lose in the LCS.

I'm not saying they can't win. I just wish they would, that's all.

Drew started to hit the ball right before the all-star break. I think he'll have a strong second half, which will make a big difference whether he's hitting leadoff or 5th.

And baseball's a streaky game. The Yankees will go on a winning streak, and the Sox will lose some games, and the division will get to within 5 games or so. Massholes will freak the fuck out. But I realistically just don't see the Yankees making up 10 games in the second half. (And I'm a Yankee fan btw).

[iceman]

And Ortiz's quad will eventually get better and Manny will find his stroke. Manny has 100+ RBIs the last nine years, my $20 says he'll make it ten in a row. Anybody want to play?

[Brock Landers]

Ive got $20 on Ortiz's quad eventually getting better

[The AD]

Also, I never fail to be impressed by the tactlessness of Jeanne Zalasko. Who the fuck is this woman?

Other than that, no great revelations tonight.

Is anyone on the Fox broadcast team tolerable?

What did you think of Ichiro's suit during his MVP interview? I know I laughed. I also thought it was funny a Japanese guy won a Chevy SUV.