The baseball thread.

[woodstocksez]

Cause he kinda sucked at the end.

He broke the record in 1995 at age 34. He retired after 2001 at age 40. That doesn't sound like the end to me.

Also, check his stats: http://www.baseball-reference.com/r/ripkeca01.shtml. I just don't see the big drop-off in performance.

And, I'm assuming, he enjoys a nice lifestyle like the next guy. You know, "I gotta think of my family here..."

We're talking about Cal Ripken, not Latrell Sprewell. In any event, he was going to make a boatload of money with or without the streak.

Anyway, talk bad about Cal if you like. I can handle it. But if you start badmouthing Brooks Robinson, you're in for a beatdown of epic proportions. Add Mike Cuellar to the mix and I cannot guarantee your continued existence.

[Benny Profane]

.



We're talking about Cal Ripken, not Latrell Sprewell. In any event, he was going to make a boatload of money with or without the streak.

ohhhh my my my, Cal must be different, 'cause, ahem, he's....white? Hey, he needs stuff like the rest of us. And I'll bet you 50 bucks he wouldn't be doing those Comcast and other ads these days if he didn't break the record.

And the organzation certainly wasn't a passive participant in all this. Christ, he filled the stadium home and away for many games chasing this silly record. That's why he didn't have a decent backup. You know, who are we going to put in there, anyway.....what were they going to do, invest in a quality third baseman and kill the buzz?

[smmokan]

Cause he kinda sucked at the end. And, I'm assuming, he enjoys a nice lifestyle like the next guy. You know, "I gotta think of my family here..."

I wouldn't say he sucked, but he definitely wasn't Cal Ripken at his prime. That being said, he was WAY better than anyone the O's had to replace him, like someone before mentioned Manny Alexander. Hardly a stud. I was at the first game they moved Ripken over to 3B, and it was sad to see him move on.

[iceman]

ohhhh my my my, Cal must be different, 'cause, ahem, he's....white?

That's so fucking far off base and racist.

I'm no Orioles fan, but you just dropped about five notches in my book, Benny.

[stump832]

Steroids is a fucking tiresome and boring debate.

[Benny Profane]

What can I say, Ice. That was the lamest record watch in sports history. It just went on forever. BFD.

Hi, I'm Cal. I like pain.

[iceman]

So if Ozzie Smith had set the record instead of Cal do you think it would have been treated differently?

Because that's what you're saying.

Plus complaing that longevity records take forever to establish strikes me as a bit odd.

[smmokan]

What can I say, Ice. That was the lamest record watch in sports history. It just went on forever. BFD.

I agree, it wasn't the most exciting record in sports to watch, that's for damn sure. However, the way the O's and MLB handled the tying game and record-breaking game, with him circling the field shaking everyon'e hands- that brought a lot of people back to the game after the '94 strike. It was definitely good for baseball.

[Benny Profane]

Hey, I didn't mention Spree first, although I did unconsiously use a famous quote of his, that I'm sure is on the lips of many a white and Latino athlete when involved in negotiations. But, if you want to go down that road, yeah, Cal's appeal to the public and marketing people is that he's a trouble free white boy who broke some stupid, mindless record in an age filled with, well, Sprees. Ozzie wouldn't have gotten half the love. Even with his smiley, happy act.

Why do you think Nascar is so popular?

[shmerham]

It's ok Benny, the world is out to get me too.

[iceman]

Hey, I didn't mention Spree first, although I did unconsiously use a famous quote of his, that I'm sure is on the lips of many a white and Latino athlete when involved in negotiations. But, if you want to go down that road, yeah, Cal's appeal to the public and marketing people is that he's a trouble free white boy who broke some stupid, mindless record in an age filled with, well, Sprees. Ozzie wouldn't have gotten half the love. Even with his smiley, happy act.

Why do you think Nascar is so popular?

Dude, you are a hater.

I just realized that.

[Benny Profane]

Yeah, but I need a lotta love.

[woodstocksez]

ohhhh my my my, Cal must be different, 'cause, ahem, he's....white?

That was a lot of stupidity for one short post, but I pick the above as the winner. Jesse and Al would be proud.

Obviously you're not familiar with the (I thought) well known comments from Latrell Sprewell regarding his dire financial circumstances, made during contract negotiations a few years ago. Check out the first few paragraphs of the story at this link: http://espn.go.com/dickvitale/vcolum...-Sprewell.html.

[Benny Profane]

ahhh go fuck yourself too, and read my other posts. Stupid fucking baseball arguments on the internet. Good fucking night.

[woodstocksez]

Hey, I didn't mention Spree first, although I did unconsiously use a famous quote of his, that I'm sure is on the lips of many a white and Latino athlete when involved in negotiations.

Hunh? Unconsciously used a famous quote? What the fuck does that mean? And I can't even begin to guess what your random invocations of race are supposed to be about. The brainwashing obviously went awry with you: you can't even get your lines right.

But, if you want to go down that road, yeah, Cal's appeal to the public and marketing people is that he's a trouble free white boy who broke some stupid, mindless record in an age filled with, well, Sprees. Ozzie wouldn't have gotten half the love. Even with his smiley, happy act.

Well, of course not, because he wasn't fat, like Kirby Puckett.

Why do you think Nascar is so popular?

Fast cars? Gearhead talk? Good excuse to drink beer? Possibility that Tonya Harding may show up to drive a car? Tell me when I get it right.

[woodstocksez]

ahhh go fuck yourself too, and read my other posts.

I did. You're still a moron.

Stupid fucking baseball arguments on the internet.

In "The baseball thread." Go figure.

[The AD]

Also, check his stats: http://www.baseball-reference.com/r/ripkeca01.shtml. I just don't see the big drop-off in performance.

Then you're not looking closely enough. The OPS+ column shows his OBP+SLG normalized for park effects and league. It's a pretty good measure of a player's offensive contribution. An OPS+ greater than 100 indicates a player was a better hitter than the average hitter in the league, less than 100 means he was worse. Cal dropped below 100 around age 31 and stayed pretty much around 100 for the next few years. Interestingly, as soon as the streak ended he was able to post really good offensive numbers in a part-time capacity (see his 1999 stats).

I think Cal was an outstanding player and the streak is an amazing accomplishment, but it did sort of take on a life of its own. Cal had to play. No manager in his right mind would bench Cal even if there was a better option. I think towards the end the O's would have probably won a couple more games if Cal was out of the lineup.

[BmillsSkier]

Tribe thumped the Tigers tonight.












sorry to interrupt the BoSox/Yanks/Ripken thread.....continue at will.

[pappag]

Benitez just got shipped to Florida. Now why couldn't the Mets have done the same way back when... Oh wait, Omar the King wasn't running the show, but alas, Steve "I now know everything about baseball after the fact that I constructed the worst deals in the history of the sport" Phillips was in charge. Fucking asshole.

[smmokan]

But Steve Phillips has nice hair.

[Benny Profane]

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/03/sp...r=1&ref=sports


"Anyone who followed baseball in the 1990s remembers Wood’s swagger. No pitcher in major-league history reached 1,000 strikeouts more quickly, either in games or innings pitched. He would go way inside to let the batter know who was in control, a tactic that had the benefit of expanding the outside of the plate into a thick wedge of porterhouse. He had a fastball once clocked at 102 miles per hour and a devastatingly hard curve/slurve that tumbled a foot in its journey to home plate; Astros first baseman Jeff Bagwell once said of the pitch, “I got no chance.” "

[Brock Landers]

Kinda random Benny...
His slider was unhittable. It moved about a foot and a half- and "only" went about 88 mph. Too bad it probably shortened his career by about 10 years, but he really was nasty for a while.

Oh...and Giambi is out for 3 weeks after injuring his foot during a home run trot.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18967377/

[pappag]

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/03/sp...r=1&ref=sports


"Anyone who followed baseball in the 1990s remembers Wood’s swagger....”

HUH?!?

Dude pitched ONE year in the 90s.

[smmokan]

Brock- Giambi is out for three MONTHS after partially tearing his planter fascia (or something like that). Its a pretty serious injury.

[Benny Profane]

Brock- Giambi is out for three MONTHS after partially tearing his planter fascia (or something like that). Its a pretty serious injury.

From a home run trot. Seriously.