MLB Season 2011

Off Topic
761

[quote]DBCooper wrote:

[quote]scj119 wrote:

[quote]SmilingPolitely wrote:

[quote]scj119 wrote:
What the fucking shit? Riggleman marches in the day we get 1 game over .500, demands his contrat for next year be renewed…then resigns on the spot when it’s not?

I really hope there is something not being reported here because that is all kinds of bizarre. Fuck that dude, you got us to .500 just for contract leverage then quit when you didn’t get your way? How bout the team who believed in you?

I personally think the impact of (most) managers is overrated, and their job is to manage people moreso than ballgames… but fuck that is unprofessional.[/quote]

You guys are tearing it up, too. There’s got to be something else to that story. It makes no sense at all.[/quote]

There is a reason the Lerners (owners) are reviled in DC. They are incompetent assholes. They sign Werth for $130M but they pinch every penny they can with ballpark staff and upkeep, which makes NO sense because it is such a tiny fraction of total expenses. That gives you some insight into their personality.

Additionally, according to a column I read this morning, Rizzo (our GM) is not a very good communicator. Scouts have complained about this (weird because his background is as a scout), and he rarely talks to Riggleman whereas most GMs speak to their managers every day.

So yeah there are always two sides to a story… but you still don’t do what Riggleman did. You wait till the end of your contract and walk away, like our team president did back in Sept. I especially think it was underhanded of him to wait till we were a game over .500 to make his contract demand, it seems so calculated. Resigning in a random fit of rage I could understand a little better, though I still wouldn’t support it.

Wonder what the guys on the team think.[/quote]

I don’t know the whole deal with the Lerners or Rizzo, but what Riggleman did was completely unprofessional and I have a hard time that there is anything in the history between these three parties that would justify Riggleman’s resignation under these circumstances.

I mean, this is a guy who has the worst winning percentage of ANY manager in the last several decades with a significant amount of time managing. This is a guy who managed the Cubs and didn’t do shit, didn’t do shit in San Diego and honestly hasn’t done shit anywhere throughout his career. And then he demands a contract extension in motherfucking JUNE because his team has climbed to a game above .500? That’s pathetic. The Nationals haven’t done a fucking thing since well before moving to DC but they aren’t so bad that moving above .500 is deserving of anything other than a half-hearted pat on the back. Shit, most of the players on the Nationals probably don’t even give a shit that they’re above .500. Why? Because it means nothing. This isn’t the NBA where a .500 record is going to get you into the playoffs most years.

Riggleman is a grade-A piece of shit and as someone who has coached baseball in the past, I can tell you right fucking now that anyone who leaves their team in the middle of the season like that is a complete piece of shit who doesn’t deserve to coach the motherfucking Fremont School for the Deaf, let alone pro ball players. He fucked that whole clubhouse right in the ass and I’ll bet that, privately, they all hate his guts and lost all respect for him now. In fact, they’re probably glad he’s gone so that they can get an actual winner with loyalty and dedication and work ethic. I hope that sack of semen never manages another game in his life. He quit on his team and I seriously hope, for the Nationals’ sake, that they hire someone with class and dignity next season. Fuck Riggleman.

I know I’m totally flying off the handle here, but like I said, I’ve coached in the past so I know what it’s like to have a group of young men look to you for leadership and guidance. I cannot picture a single fucking scenario in which I would be able to sleep at night if I abandoned my team. Nothing. I could never look myself in the mirror again if I did what Riggleman did. I can’t imagine how the kids I coached would feel and I would have put up with any and all shit until the end of the season rather than abandon them. That piece of fucking shit.[/quote]

I’m glad you said that - I saw a poll on ESPN where the choices were “Was Riggleman being selfish or principled” and 60% of responders said “principled”… are you kidding me? To me it comes down to 2 things:

  1. Riggleman signed that contract. If it was so unbearable and disrespectful WHY DID HE SIGN IT?

  2. Imagine how much a player would be excoriated for doing the same thing. Have a 2-week hot streak, demand an extension and quit midseason if he didn’t get it. Dude would be shamed into hiding for the rest of his life - how the fuck is it different if a manager does it?

762

Cliff Lee just threw a 2 hit CG shut out against the BoSox. His 3rd in a row!!! 32 straight innings without giving up a run. Fucking. Awesome.

763

[quote]SmilingPolitely wrote:
Cliff Lee just threw a 2 hit CG shut out against the BoSox. His 3rd in a row!!! 32 straight innings without giving up a run. Fucking. Awesome.[/quote]

Were his previous two starts also against AL teams? I’m curious because I’ve always felt that Lee is actually better against AL teams than NL teams, generally-speaking, because he pounds the zone so much and so early that a lot of AL teams that have a lineup-wide tendency to try to work pitchers and take a lot of close pitches end up finding themselves down in the count early against guys like Lee. With his stuff he’s able to put away hitters when he’s ahead in the count more so than guys who typically have to rely on control to succeed. It seems like more AL teams employ this type of hitting approach than NL teams.

764

[quote]DBCooper wrote:

[quote]SmilingPolitely wrote:
Cliff Lee just threw a 2 hit CG shut out against the BoSox. His 3rd in a row!!! 32 straight innings without giving up a run. Fucking. Awesome.[/quote]

Were his previous two starts also against AL teams? I’m curious because I’ve always felt that Lee is actually better against AL teams than NL teams, generally-speaking, because he pounds the zone so much and so early that a lot of AL teams that have a lineup-wide tendency to try to work pitchers and take a lot of close pitches end up finding themselves down in the count early against guys like Lee. With his stuff he’s able to put away hitters when he’s ahead in the count more so than guys who typically have to rely on control to succeed. It seems like more AL teams employ this type of hitting approach than NL teams.

[/quote]

Other games were FLA and STL… I know because I traded for him in fantasy right before his 3 consecutive CG SOs. I rule.

765

[quote]scj119 wrote:

[quote]DBCooper wrote:

[quote]SmilingPolitely wrote:
Cliff Lee just threw a 2 hit CG shut out against the BoSox. His 3rd in a row!!! 32 straight innings without giving up a run. Fucking. Awesome.[/quote]

Were his previous two starts also against AL teams? I’m curious because I’ve always felt that Lee is actually better against AL teams than NL teams, generally-speaking, because he pounds the zone so much and so early that a lot of AL teams that have a lineup-wide tendency to try to work pitchers and take a lot of close pitches end up finding themselves down in the count early against guys like Lee. With his stuff he’s able to put away hitters when he’s ahead in the count more so than guys who typically have to rely on control to succeed. It seems like more AL teams employ this type of hitting approach than NL teams.

[/quote]

Other games were FLA and STL… I know because I traded for him in fantasy right before his 3 consecutive CG SOs. I rule.[/quote]

Oh. Well, maybe there isn’t as much to my theory as I thought. He’s a good pitcher period, so I wouldn’t expect his numbers to skew much either way anyways.

Who did you have to give up in your fantasy league to get him?

766

[quote]scj119 wrote:

[quote]DBCooper wrote:

[quote]SmilingPolitely wrote:
Cliff Lee just threw a 2 hit CG shut out against the BoSox. His 3rd in a row!!! 32 straight innings without giving up a run. Fucking. Awesome.[/quote]

Were his previous two starts also against AL teams? I’m curious because I’ve always felt that Lee is actually better against AL teams than NL teams, generally-speaking, because he pounds the zone so much and so early that a lot of AL teams that have a lineup-wide tendency to try to work pitchers and take a lot of close pitches end up finding themselves down in the count early against guys like Lee. With his stuff he’s able to put away hitters when he’s ahead in the count more so than guys who typically have to rely on control to succeed. It seems like more AL teams employ this type of hitting approach than NL teams.

[/quote]

Other games were FLA and STL… I know because I traded for him in fantasy right before his 3 consecutive CG SOs. I rule.[/quote]

Ouch. Even with all the Ks he was still bringing you down, huh?

When he was struggling earlier in the season he kept saying that he was throwing too many strikes which was getting him in trouble with the hitters. So yeah, along the lines of what DB is talking about, except Lee recognized the issue and adjusted.

With 3 closers on the DL (Lidge, Contreras and now Madson) we need guys to go as deep as possible. Its gonna be hairy for a while especially with Kendrick and Worley in the rotation instead of Oswalt and Blanton. They smacked around Beckett last night, but the bats needs to be more consistent to make up for all these injuries to the pitching staff.

767

[quote]DBCooper wrote:

[quote]scj119 wrote:

[quote]DBCooper wrote:

[quote]SmilingPolitely wrote:
Cliff Lee just threw a 2 hit CG shut out against the BoSox. His 3rd in a row!!! 32 straight innings without giving up a run. Fucking. Awesome.[/quote]

Were his previous two starts also against AL teams? I’m curious because I’ve always felt that Lee is actually better against AL teams than NL teams, generally-speaking, because he pounds the zone so much and so early that a lot of AL teams that have a lineup-wide tendency to try to work pitchers and take a lot of close pitches end up finding themselves down in the count early against guys like Lee. With his stuff he’s able to put away hitters when he’s ahead in the count more so than guys who typically have to rely on control to succeed. It seems like more AL teams employ this type of hitting approach than NL teams.

[/quote]

Other games were FLA and STL… I know because I traded for him in fantasy right before his 3 consecutive CG SOs. I rule.[/quote]

Oh. Well, maybe there isn’t as much to my theory as I thought. He’s a good pitcher period, so I wouldn’t expect his numbers to skew much either way anyways.

Who did you have to give up in your fantasy league to get him?[/quote]

Chris Young (Ari OF) and Anthony Rizzo (our league lets you have one rookie kept in the last round the following year, so trading rookies to the bottom feeders who need keepers always helps)

I traded when Cliff’s ERA was near 4 because I knew it was coming down. Saying I knew it would happen this quickly would be a lie though.

768

[quote]SmilingPolitely wrote:

[quote]scj119 wrote:

[quote]DBCooper wrote:

[quote]SmilingPolitely wrote:
Cliff Lee just threw a 2 hit CG shut out against the BoSox. His 3rd in a row!!! 32 straight innings without giving up a run. Fucking. Awesome.[/quote]

Were his previous two starts also against AL teams? I’m curious because I’ve always felt that Lee is actually better against AL teams than NL teams, generally-speaking, because he pounds the zone so much and so early that a lot of AL teams that have a lineup-wide tendency to try to work pitchers and take a lot of close pitches end up finding themselves down in the count early against guys like Lee. With his stuff he’s able to put away hitters when he’s ahead in the count more so than guys who typically have to rely on control to succeed. It seems like more AL teams employ this type of hitting approach than NL teams.

[/quote]

Other games were FLA and STL… I know because I traded for him in fantasy right before his 3 consecutive CG SOs. I rule.[/quote]

Ouch. Even with all the Ks he was still bringing you down, huh?

When he was struggling earlier in the season he kept saying that he was throwing too many strikes which was getting him in trouble with the hitters. So yeah, along the lines of what DB is talking about, except Lee recognized the issue and adjusted.

With 3 closers on the DL (Lidge, Contreras and now Madson) we need guys to go as deep as possible. Its gonna be hairy for a while especially with Kendrick and Worley in the rotation instead of Oswalt and Blanton. They smacked around Beckett last night, but the bats needs to be more consistent to make up for all these injuries to the pitching staff.[/quote]

Traded FOR him SP.

You knew what you were getting with Oswalt… his back is held together with duct tape

769

[quote]scj119 wrote:

[quote]SmilingPolitely wrote:

[quote]scj119 wrote:

[quote]DBCooper wrote:

[quote]SmilingPolitely wrote:
Cliff Lee just threw a 2 hit CG shut out against the BoSox. His 3rd in a row!!! 32 straight innings without giving up a run. Fucking. Awesome.[/quote]

Were his previous two starts also against AL teams? I’m curious because I’ve always felt that Lee is actually better against AL teams than NL teams, generally-speaking, because he pounds the zone so much and so early that a lot of AL teams that have a lineup-wide tendency to try to work pitchers and take a lot of close pitches end up finding themselves down in the count early against guys like Lee. With his stuff he’s able to put away hitters when he’s ahead in the count more so than guys who typically have to rely on control to succeed. It seems like more AL teams employ this type of hitting approach than NL teams.

[/quote]

Other games were FLA and STL… I know because I traded for him in fantasy right before his 3 consecutive CG SOs. I rule.[/quote]

Ouch. Even with all the Ks he was still bringing you down, huh?

When he was struggling earlier in the season he kept saying that he was throwing too many strikes which was getting him in trouble with the hitters. So yeah, along the lines of what DB is talking about, except Lee recognized the issue and adjusted.

With 3 closers on the DL (Lidge, Contreras and now Madson) we need guys to go as deep as possible. Its gonna be hairy for a while especially with Kendrick and Worley in the rotation instead of Oswalt and Blanton. They smacked around Beckett last night, but the bats needs to be more consistent to make up for all these injuries to the pitching staff.[/quote]

Traded FOR him SP.

You knew what you were getting with Oswalt… his back is held together with duct tape[/quote]

Oops. Reading fail :confused: I never claimed to be bright.

There’s rumors flying around that Oswalt might not even come back. He hasn’t been the same since he took those 2 weeks off to be with his family following the tornadoes that went through his home town in Mississippi. We’ll see what happens.

770

Anyone else find it hilarious Charlie Sheen took steroids for the filming of the movie Major League?

He said it improved his fastball by taking it from 79mph to 85mph

771

[quote]therajraj wrote:
Anyone else find it hilarious Charlie Sheen took steroids for the filming of the movie Major League?

He said it improved his fastball by taking it from 79mph to 85mph[/quote]

I read that and was going to post it.

If he actually throws 85… or 79 for that matter… I will eat a sock.

772

[quote]scj119 wrote:

[quote]therajraj wrote:
Anyone else find it hilarious Charlie Sheen took steroids for the filming of the movie Major League?

He said it improved his fastball by taking it from 79mph to 85mph[/quote]

I read that and was going to post it.

If he actually throws 85… or 79 for that matter… I will eat a sock.[/quote]

I’m guessing you never clicked on the thread that was made on this topic.

http://tnation.T-Nation.com/free_online_forum/music_movies_girls_life/charlie_sheen_admits_he_used_steroids?id=4633680&pageNo=0

773

On another note, has anyone else noticed how odd MLB marketing has become?

Check this out: http://mlbalwaysepic.mlb.com/alwaysepic/brianwilson/#/?fbid=sLKRle_evnR

774

[quote]therajraj wrote:

[quote]scj119 wrote:

[quote]therajraj wrote:
Anyone else find it hilarious Charlie Sheen took steroids for the filming of the movie Major League?

He said it improved his fastball by taking it from 79mph to 85mph[/quote]

I read that and was going to post it.

If he actually throws 85… or 79 for that matter… I will eat a sock.[/quote]

I’m guessing you never clicked on the thread that was made on this topic.

http://tnation.T-Nation.com/free_online_forum/music_movies_girls_life/charlie_sheen_admits_he_used_steroids?id=4633680&pageNo=0[/quote]

haha no I didn’t… I just posted there.

775

Things have been on fire (in a great way) with both my work and my social life lately so I haven’t had the time to stop by in quite a while.

Just wanted to say that I’ll definitely be checking in on this thread when I can, and am definitely having some withdrawal issues from not getting to rant and rave with all of you. The sports threads are one of the best parts with the best people of T-Nation.

Hope all of you are in line for an epic holiday weekend. Enjoy.

776

[quote]therajraj wrote:
Glad to see Boston get beat up.[/quote]

Yeah if only they could be 4 games under .500 like the Blue Jays HAHA. At least they had 3 runs against Halladay today HAHA.

777

[quote]johnman18 wrote:

[quote]therajraj wrote:
Glad to see Boston get beat up.[/quote]

Yeah if only they could be 4 games under .500 like the Blue Jays HAHA. At least they had 3 runs against Halladay today HAHA.[/quote]

You’re honestly trying to compare your team to the Jays? The Red Sox went 89 years without a World Series while sending out stacked lineups for many of those years.

I shouldn’t even have to defend my team, historically your team is one of the most pathetic franchises to ever exist in all of sports, only second to the Chicago Cubs.

The Red Sox signed the best free agents available in offseason 2010 and still aren’t in first place. So what team is really pathetic? The one that is in the middle of a rebuild with a 62.5 million dollar payroll or the team with the stacked lineup basically top to bottom that cannot even claim top spot in their division?

778

[quote]therajraj wrote:

[quote]johnman18 wrote:

[quote]therajraj wrote:
Glad to see Boston get beat up.[/quote]

Yeah if only they could be 4 games under .500 like the Blue Jays HAHA. At least they had 3 runs against Halladay today HAHA.[/quote]

You’re honestly trying to compare your team to the Jays? The Red Sox went 89 years without a World Series while sending out stacked lineups for many of those years.

I shouldn’t even have to defend my team, historically your team is one of the most pathetic franchises to ever exist in all of sports, only second to the Chicago Cubs.

The Red Sox signed the best free agents available in offseason 2010 and still aren’t in first place. So what team is really pathetic? The one that is in the middle of a rebuild with a 62.5 million dollar payroll or the team with the stacked lineup basically top to bottom that cannot even claim top spot in their division?[/quote]
I’m not trying to defend the Red Sox in any way, but who cares what a team did in the past. I hate people that live in the past. As far as i’m concerned, the Giants are the reigning champs until someone dethrones them. The season is only halfway over, anything can happen.

779

[quote]strungoutboy21 wrote:

[quote]therajraj wrote:

[quote]johnman18 wrote:

[quote]therajraj wrote:
Glad to see Boston get beat up.[/quote]

Yeah if only they could be 4 games under .500 like the Blue Jays HAHA. At least they had 3 runs against Halladay today HAHA.[/quote]

You’re honestly trying to compare your team to the Jays? The Red Sox went 89 years without a World Series while sending out stacked lineups for many of those years.

I shouldn’t even have to defend my team, historically your team is one of the most pathetic franchises to ever exist in all of sports, only second to the Chicago Cubs.

The Red Sox signed the best free agents available in offseason 2010 and still aren’t in first place. So what team is really pathetic? The one that is in the middle of a rebuild with a 62.5 million dollar payroll or the team with the stacked lineup basically top to bottom that cannot even claim top spot in their division?[/quote]
I’m not trying to defend the Red Sox in any way, but who cares what a team did in the past. I hate people that live in the past. As far as i’m concerned, the Giants are the reigning champs until someone dethrones them. The season is only halfway over, anything can happen.

[/quote]

As a fan of a team that’s never won a title you just wouldn’t understand.

I still remember watching the World Series in 1992 and 1993 and it will always be in my memory. World Series Titles have a HUGE lasting impact on their (real) fans.

So yes the history of a team is important. If the Padres ever win a title you’ll get it.

780

[quote]therajraj wrote:

[quote]strungoutboy21 wrote:

[quote]therajraj wrote:

[quote]johnman18 wrote:

[quote]therajraj wrote:
Glad to see Boston get beat up.[/quote]

Yeah if only they could be 4 games under .500 like the Blue Jays HAHA. At least they had 3 runs against Halladay today HAHA.[/quote]

You’re honestly trying to compare your team to the Jays? The Red Sox went 89 years without a World Series while sending out stacked lineups for many of those years.

I shouldn’t even have to defend my team, historically your team is one of the most pathetic franchises to ever exist in all of sports, only second to the Chicago Cubs.

The Red Sox signed the best free agents available in offseason 2010 and still aren’t in first place. So what team is really pathetic? The one that is in the middle of a rebuild with a 62.5 million dollar payroll or the team with the stacked lineup basically top to bottom that cannot even claim top spot in their division?[/quote]
I’m not trying to defend the Red Sox in any way, but who cares what a team did in the past. I hate people that live in the past. As far as i’m concerned, the Giants are the reigning champs until someone dethrones them. The season is only halfway over, anything can happen.

[/quote]

As a fan of a team that’s never won a title you just wouldn’t understand.

I still remember watching the World Series in 1992 and 1993 and it will always be in my memory. World Series Titles have a HUGE lasting impact on their (real) fans.

So yes the history of a team is important. If the Padres ever win a title you’ll get it.[/quote]

And youre how old?

Im 24 and I barely remember the 96 or 98 series