Ugueth Urbina's EXCELLENT Prison Adventure 2007-2021 (also, spring training)

[Dewey Finn]

Am I the only not sold on the Yankees rotation? Personally I like the Sox rotation a lot more. Both teams have Japs imports, though the Sox have the better one, Pavano could be good, but is a huge sleeper. Papelbon will be an interesting starter, and Wang just never does it for me.
My give on Yankee rotation... I know DNS already gave out a good one though:

Mussina: If he can be healthy as last year, I don't see any problem on him winning 15 wins. Only thing I'm worried is that his 'guaranteed' decline in the 2nd half. Still better than Schilling, that's for sure

Wang: I actually does have question on health (missed 2 months in 2005, missed whole 2001), but if he's healthy he's a good starter. He does outthrows other pitchers (93~95mph and touches 97 often). But he uses his sinker to induce grounders rather than K'ing hitters. (Posada likes his sinkers and orders them a lot) But, like DNS said, I think we can see how he'll do this year to see if he's actually solid.

Pettitte: New York media overrated him after he decided to return to Bronx. He did have a nice second half after the horrible first half though. But his injury risk scares me.

Pavano: I actually kept tracking of Pavano's 2005, and he posted upper-3.00ERA until when his stuff become flat in June (he was bombarded that month). Well, it turned out that his small arm pain became bigger that time. Last year, he was trying to outdo himself more than Ken Griffey Jr. I don't know how he'll do this year though. Just stay healthy... actually this is too much to ask for.

Igawa: I wouldn't bother writing down since DNS said what I'd say...

[kevin]

here's my predictions for 07

al east

new york 91-71
toronto 89-73 wc
boston 86-76
tampa bay 72-90
baltimore 70-92

al central

cleveland 94-68
chicago 88-74
minnesota 86-76
detroit 85-77
kansas city 67-95

al west

los angeles 90-72
oakland 85-77
seattle 75-87
texas 74-88

nl east

new york 93-69
philadelphia 89-73 wc
florida 82-80
atlanta 79-83
washington 63-99

nl central

st. louis 86-76
chicago 84-78
houston 81-81
cincinnati 79-83
milwaukee 76-86
pittsburgh 73-89

nl west

san diego 87-75
los angeles 85-77
arizona 80-82
san francisco 72-90
colorado 69-93

alcs cleveland over los angeles
nlcs new york over philadelphia

CLEVELAND OVER NEW YORK

went with the indians last year. epic fail. law of averages says this is their year.

[Mayor Quimby]

All this Cleveland love on here scares the shit out of me. I'm being set up to fail. All of you are bastards.

On a lighter note, seriously nice predictions Kevin!

[Dead Nigga Storage]

how does philly go over new york, and then new york is in the WS anyway?

i'm not trying to start a bandwagon, quimby. i was calling it last year because they have some amazing offensive pieces, and some amazing young talented arms. i actually used to loathe the indians (no longer, entirely), but you can't deny talent.

[kevin]

magic, obviously

[Mayor Quimby]

No, but it only adds to a level of frustration that only keeps growing with each underachievment. I don't think its a stretch to say they are the most underachieving franchise since 1990. All of that talent and zero championships. Its simply hell.

What brought about the loathing of such a wonderful franchise. The only franchise I hate is the Yankees. The rest are all slightly bareable. However I've always had a soft spot for the Angels because of their work with orphans and group home kids.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

you must mean:

http://www.widewordofsports.com/images/Baseball/santana_ervin.jpg

ERVIN "BLACK MAGIC" SANTANA, BITCHEZ

the angels, unless you're a mariner/ranger/athletic fan are tough to "hate" in the traditional sense. i'm sure i've inspired more than my fair share of hatred for them on this message board, but until '02 they were basically...the orioles or the brewers of today: those teams that harmlessly flirt with .500 and occassionally break it. like the indians, they also underachieved (to nowhere NEAR the extent of the indians, however) during the 90s despite a ton of talent coming through the system. go figure it resulted in a title after the bulk of that talent wasn't around anymore.
What brought about the loathing of such a wonderful franchise.ask yourself two questions:
1) are they the mets?
2) are they the angels?
you now know why i hated them. a few teams slip past that criteria (marlins, astros, indians, blue jays). fuck the rest, pretty much.

[brad]

don't forget giants fans

[Dewey Finn]

the angels, unless you're a mariner/ranger/athletic fan are tough to "hate" in the traditional sense. .

You forgot the Yankees.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

"in the traditional sense", guys. no one gave a shit about the angels before '02. however, nothing makes me happier than knowing that even BEFORE no one gave a shit abou them, they still had the yanks' number.

[thecapecoddah]

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r221/kellysdaddy2/alexandarod.jpg

to make this thread a happier place and to specifically cheer up DNS, from now on every other post of mine will feature a picture of these two great friends. you can thank me whenever.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

what's gonna be really funny is when one of them (we all know which) ends up on the angels sometime in july. i really don't care, eric.

[Mayor Quimby]

I hope he goes to the Angels and endures great post-season success.......

[Timothy]

Uhh yeah this story disturbed me: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/spring2007/news/story?id=2771141

Seriously...........what the fuck?:

The reality is there's been a change in the relationship over 14 years and, hopefully, we can just put it behind us," Rodriguez said. "You go from sleeping over at somebody's house five days a week, and now you don't sleep over. It's just not that big of a deal."

A-Rod really needs to stop talking. But he can't help himself, it's hysterical.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

i raed the same article earlier, except it said "don't eat out with them 5 time a week".

[Mike]

SLUMBER PARTY

[Dewey Finn]

Media needs to stop focusing on ARod... Reminds me of how media treated Jose Canseco back in early 1990's. I wasn't exactly aware of it back then (I was like 2 years old), but he did state that a lot of times in his book 'Juiced'.

Everyone talks, but it's just media is focusing on ARod more than frequent. Can we say 'witch hunting'???

[thecapecoddah]

matsuzaka and his AMAZING arm strength

Matsuzaka followed his first session Sunday by throwing long toss Monday, which customarily would be a day off here.

"I think that's an understatement," Francona said of Matsuzaka's long-toss session. "I've never seen someone throw the ball that long."

Francona said Matsuzaka was throwing at least 220 feet. - http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2007/02/21/putting_in_long_days/


also Dice-K averaged 138 pitches a game last year and 145 in 2005. last year the reds' bronson arroyo averaged the most in the majors with 110 pitches a game.

of course this means nothing in regards to how he'll do this season, but he certainly has the potential to be an ace & workhorse.

also, the first batter he'll ever face at fenway park will likely be ichiro (the mariners come to boston april 10th to the 12th)

[thecapecoddah]

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k136/kellysdaddy/jetarod3.jpg

[Timothy]

I'll give you that they tend to pick on him, but for $25 million a year, A-Rod has huge expectations to deliver. And he didn't so far, or at least up to the standards of my ridiculous friends, so the media and the fans bitch. It's the American Way.

[Timothy]

Has anyone actually seen the gyroball, and whether it's actually an effective pitch? I'm really curious to see how it crosses over into the MLB. Players might respond to it differently than the Japanese players. It might be a wash, but I gotta see it with my own eyes!

[boogie down mikel]

actually if you stare directly at the gyroball you go partially blind and have a desire to play for the royals....thats an unconfirmed rumor though

[Dewey Finn]

This is youtube's supposed gyroball. He doesn't throw it that frequently.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sboi0EWp8ao

Or, is it changup with extreme speed? Sinker? Or is just just incredible slider? Who knows, let's just wait until the season begins.

[thecapecoddah]

rumor has it DNS can throw the gyroball and taught matsuzaka everything he knows

[gravymaster]

Gyroball looks like a normal sinker....maybe a bit faster. Meh.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

rumor has it DNS can throw the gyroball and taught matsuzaka everything he knowsthis is truth.

mats has said in the past that he "can't throw it", and then that changed to "i can't throw it in a game", so who knows. dude becomes hideo nomo, guarantee it.

[Andy]

improved on your title, wirt :o

[Mayor Quimby]

Who does everyone see as a surprise team? I'm sure Mike and DNS will completly disagree but I think that the Mariners have a great offense, and if they can find some solid pitching they could really make a charge at 2nd or god forbid first place. Suzuki, Vidro, Beltre, Ibanez, Sexson, Guillen, Johjima, Lopez, Betancourt. Assuming Guillen stays healthy thats one potent lineup.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

well, you're right about one thing, and that's that i'd disagree for sure. it's a good lineup (assuming more than just guillen's health, though...beltre sorta just sucks now, betancourt is, at best, league average). it has the potential to be a very potent lineup, but with the exception of suzuki and sexson, i wouldn't pencil anyone in in that lineup for any guaranteed amount of production.

more importantly, however, their pitching is atrocious. moyer is gone, meche is gone, pineiro is gone. the only guy worth a damn in their rotation is felix hernandez, and he's not even a guarantee right now. so who do they have? batista? washburn? ramirez? JEFF WEAVER? junk junk junk junk. it's horrible. this team is gonna be whooped 6 ways to sunday with their pitching, and pitching does win more ball games than offense, ESPECIALLY an offense with question marks of production. they blow.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

i can't edit on NHC lite, so someone can merge these posts if they want; my sleeper is either the brewers or the d-backs.

[Homer Jay]

But can the Brewers really be a sleeper if everyone views them as one? Now if someone picked the Pirates as a sleeper on the other hand

[Dead Nigga Storage]

why can't they? sleeper doesn't necessarily mean unexpected. all it has to mean is that they aren't a favorite, and they aren't likely...but that of all of the unlikely teams, they have the best chance to do something. the pirates can't be a sleeper though. they're the pirates.

[Homer Jay]

I pretty much think that sleeper means a team that no one expected to contend, but does. It seems like every publication that I've seen and every person I've taken to thinks that the Brewers are a sleeper, it's reached the point where they're almost expect to contend and really aren't a sleeper. Besides, that division is so bad that I'm not sure that anyone in that division can be called a sleeper (yes I'm aware that I mentioned the Pirates as a sleeper, but that's because their success would be totally unexpected given the fact that they are who they are).

[Matt B.]

Anyone know when XLB will start up?

[Dead Nigga Storage]

I pretty much think that sleeper means a team that no one expected to contend, but does. It seems like every publication that I've seen and every person I've taken to thinks that the Brewers are a sleeper, it's reached the point where they're almost expect to contend and really aren't a sleeper. Besides, that division is so bad that I'm not sure that anyone in that division can be called a sleeper (yes I'm aware that I mentioned the Pirates as a sleeper, but that's because their success would be totally unexpected given the fact that they are who they are).then it all lies in what you consider the definition of 'sleeper' to be. i guess neither of us can really be "wrong" about it. i just look at it as though they have no ability to contend based on where they are right now. they have the pieces in place to make a run if everything clicks, but as is, it's highly unlikely. that's sorta what a sleeper is to me, in my personal definition. a team that has the ability to do something, but likely won't unless a lot goes right. when people pick the brewers as the sleeper almost universally, it just seems to suggest that, of all the non-contention/fringe-of-contention teams, they are the most likely to have things fall their way.

[Sparks]

Does anybody disagree with the notion that Rondell White is the worst starting left fielder in the league?

[Dewey Finn]

Starting...?? He's waste of roster space. He's another Ben Grieve...

BTW, Pirates doesn't deserve to be called sleeper at all. Unless their ex-top prospects (Sean Burnett, Bryan Bullington, Vogelsong etc.) explode their potential, they'll be in the rock bottom for at least next 10 years.

Some people consider Matsuzaka as a 'prospect'. Do you agree, or disagree?

For me, I disagree. Did anyone consider Matsui as 'prospect' when he just came to Yankees? No.

[Sparks]

No, but people normally associate rookies to be prospects, prospects charaterized by the threat of bust. Matsuzaka may bust, but he is not a prospect. He's not raw, and though his ceiling is high, the his floor isn't likely to drop out from under him.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

and why exactly isn't the floor likely to drop out from underneath him? i mean, aside from the fact that peter gammons said so, and the fact that he's in the middle of the east coast media feeding grounds. how many times does it need to be said that there has not been ONE successful pitching career in the MLB from a japanese import...ESPECIALLY in a hitter-saturated division, in the stronger of two leagues, in a hitter-friendly park.

no, he's not a prospect. nor do i consider him a rookie. still think it was gay that ichiro won rookie of the year.

[Dewey Finn]

no, he's not a prospect. nor do i consider him a rookie. still think it was gay that ichiro won rookie of the year.
Add Nomo and Sasaki on the list. But the gayer thing was that Ichiro also won MVP over Giambi.

Speaking of Ichiro, I don't see him re-signing with Mariners this year. I don't know what kind of money he wants, but I think he'll want to go to winning team if he goes to FA

[Mike]

Anyone know when XLB will start up?
well, i won't be running it or taking part in it. so i doubt there will be a "nhc-related" free league, unless someone else wants to start one up.

and the mariners, i'm sorry, will finish in last place. their lineup has some pretty good potential, but their pitching staff is absolutely embarrassing. the rangers have a much better lineup and a somewhat better pitching staff, and still can't come within 10 games of first place.

the angels will win the division unless they fall apart like last season. the a's were injury riddled last year as well, but also played way over their heads, and will have to do the same thing if they want to win it again, which would be pretty tough.

texas has not improved themselves that much, and their pitching is not going to be immensely better, so i'm going to predict they still finish 10 games back.

[Mayor Quimby]

I just can't wait to see Dice K pitch. It will make the media shoving the gyroball down my throat, that much better.

[Mayor Quimby]

Just a question after reading this article on Griffey: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=pearlman/070222&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab2pos2

Where does Griffey rank among players? I don't know if he'd make my top 25 like we ranked earlier but I'd have to place him in my top 50 for sure. Griffey was the man when I first started watching and playing baseball. With all his great hitting numbers its easy to forget to mention he is one of the three best defensive centerfielders ever. I look at those four seasons that robbed him of atleast 70 home runs and numerous hits and I can't help but think if we'd be talking about Griffey closing in on Aaron instead of Bonds. I've always felt Griffey was clean, inspite of his injury problems. Thoughts?

[kevin]

yeah i agree. all those injuries and he's still gonna get to 600 home runs. he could have had 800.

[Sparks]

I don't think he was on steroids. His father gave him all the genes he needed.

[kevin]

yeah but the same could be said about bonds

[Dead Nigga Storage]

no way he was. dude was always lanky looking and very fit...not bulging or anything...he always just sorta looked like leadoff-hitter-barry. some guys just get injured a lot. unfortunately, it happened to griffey. but baseball is full of coulda-shouldas. if mays hadn't missed a year and a half for the korean war, or if he hadn't played in candlestick park, we'd be talking about griffey closing in on mays' record. if ted williams didn't serve in the army, he'd have willie's homer total. it's just what happens. when griffey was still in his 20s, at the top of his game, he was more of a lock for aaron's record than a-rod is currently. it's been painful to watch his fall because i've always really enjoyed watching him play. when he's finished, he may very well find his way into a top 25 list. he WOULD have been better than a-rod. better glove than him, and probably better power at his peak, too.

[Sparks]

He was so charismatic and fan friendly...then again folks like Juan Rincon and Alex Sanchez were busted. Bulgy isn't always Bondsy. I predict that once the whole steroid story blows open, one franchise hero (Kirby Puckett? Ryne Sanberg? Cal Ripken?) will be revealed as a cheater and everyone will be shocked.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

rafael palmeiro is my guess.

ohwait.

griffey wasn't just "not bulky", he was lanky. not to shawn green extremes, but nonetheless a twig. you want to know why he hit an injury road block when he was around 30? here's a hint:
http://library.thinkquest.org/J002612/Player%20Photos/Griffey's%20cacth.jpg

i somehow doubt the iron man was a 'roid user. steroid use and longevity of that nature rarely go hand-in-hand.

[Mayor Quimby]

(Kirby Puckett? Ryne Sanberg? Cal Ripken?)

Laughing at all of these suggestions. The guy I'm waiting(hoping) for is Clemens.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

if clemens ever got busted for steroids, i'm throwing a party and every single one of you is invited. we're gonna go get wasted, light up the torches, grab the pitchforks, and storm down to his house and burn it to the ground.

[Sparks]

http://www.thediamondangle.com/archive/mar02/brew_pix/alex_sanchez.jpg
steroid user, center fielder,
yes...he's sooo pumped

[Dead Nigga Storage]

boy, you got me. a guy who couldn't have conceivably used steroids for more than a matter of months, or a year and a half at most is clearly the pinnacle of what a career long (or, in barry's case, 5 years of usage or so) steroid user would look like.

any other names you want to drag through the dirt solely on the basis that they became injury prone from playing highly physical sports for half their life?

[Mayor Quimby]

Who is in that picture? I'm completely missing the boat.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

alex sanchez

[Sparks]

I'm not dragging down any particular player. Alex Sanchez is one of those people whom we don't have to spectulate about. I'm saying that we shouldn't let a smiling face and lack of bulk fool us.
Upper body mass isn't everything. Alex Sanchez probably used it to make himself faster...ala Ben Johnson, Tim Montgomery, Justin Gatling. It's not only the sluggers that should be under suspiscion.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

we shouldn't let a smiling face and lack of bulk fool us, yet we should let an injury history be grounds for instant speculation and scrutiny? griffey spent 10 years patrolling center field on ground that might as well have been painted concrete, diving face-first into the ground for balls and tweaking his entire body every time he hit ground. you'll have to excuse him for not having his body permanantly hold up to the pressure.

and griffey is the guy being accused here. not a montgomery or johnson. a guy who THRIVED off tremendous power. so if he was taking steroids, it certainly didn't do shit to bulk up his UPPER body, where the power was coming from. take one look at his swing and you'll figure out why he could crush the damn ball.

[Sparks]

I said that Griffey prolly didn't use steroids. I said that his father gave him all the genes be needed, plus the support system to make good at an early age. But in a league where Ken Calamiti says that 50% is using, I'm pretty sure that some Grimsley is gonna spill the beans and reveal that a popular figure used.

[Mike]

well, if we really wanted to take a look back into the mid 90's and look for guys bulking up quite suddenly, and also looking for trends at the very same time like injuries, sudden power boost, etc, then maybe we can find out for sure who some of these guys are that "calamiti" says are using.

until then, it's all just stupid speculation that anyone who hit with power and also got injured is a steroid user.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

ken caminiti and jose canseco were/are useless sorces looking for quick recognition once they fell out of the media spotlight just as much as they are sources to be considered. i greatly doubt one out of every two people in the entire sport were using. bullshit.

[Sparks]

A good share of players are using legal supplements. I don't see why some of journeyman players wont wanna use it to extend their careers. Bulk isn't the tell. Sometimes it's speed, sometimes it's turning singles to doubles. And whatever happened to that Jason Grimsley document?

[Dead Nigga Storage]

no, i never said bulk was the tell. i said it would be the tell in someone like griffey who not only never bulked, but was consistently twig-ish, and who made his career off of a skill that would be accentuated by upper-body steroid bulking. you don't need to state the obvious to convince a crowd that never said otherwise.

i think grimsley later denied pointing the finger at clemens and pettitte and that group of orioles (gibbons, tejada, and roberts), and said he was misquoted or some shit.

[brad]

attorneys on both sides of the fence said that the "leaked" names were innaccurate

[Mike]

while caminiti and canseco both... well, are what they are. guys out of the game, and at the time, looking for some attention, but do you think that if they said nothing, and nobody else did what they did, steroid testing would have come about the way it has, if at all really?

[Dead Nigga Storage]

bonds? mcgwire? sosa? the biggest names in the game, all 'roid users. it was gonna come out...it absolutely would have. and to put it blunty: if they hadn't done it, someone else would have, or a journalist would have stepped up and said "stop ignoring the obvious". it was gonna come out. it was too big not to.

[Mike]

maybe, but i am thankful that they at least did it when they did. if they didn't... maybe that journalist or someone else who left the game wouldn't have done so until now. and pre-steroid testing and suspicion seems like a long time ago now.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

i'd much rather, however, have had a source with some integrity who wasn't doing it just so people would pay attention and make outlandish claims such as "80% of people in baseball take steroids", which led to congressional witch hunts that killed the sport more than it should have and were more embarassing than helpful.

[Mayor Quimby]

I understand the speculation on Bonds, McGwire, and Sosa but until I get the 100% positive the shadow of doubt exists. Sounds lame but I remember the excitement of McGwire and Sosa's chase and it was just crazy to think that the record would fall. Without question the players have changed and they are using substances, but at what point is what they use okay? Is it andro, creatine, HgH? So much stuff it's going to be impossible to ever know. So my point is, do we ever just move on?

[thecapecoddah]

speaking of steroids, new angel in the outfield gary matthews jr. used to do his shopping at a florida "steroids center" - http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/sports/4585646.html

teehee

[Dead Nigga Storage]

i so very much do not care, because i don't like him, but i hardly consider it damning evidence that an unnamed source reports that a relative nobody happened to buy steroids from him, and that he's the only name that is named. read the report earlier and don't care until something of sufficient proof surfaces. also, how many times has the guy probably been tested in the last few years without anything surfacing? i think of more interest is the fact that a steeler's training bought $150,000 in growth hormone and shit.

if it means matthews doesn't play for 50 days, what exactly is my loss here?

[thecapecoddah]

if it means matthews doesn't play for 50 days, what exactly is my loss here?

uh while he's clearly not a franchise player, having him in the lineup would only help the angels (if he puts up numbers like he did in 2006).

and I never knew shea hillenbrand joined the team. gross.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

uh, no. not only is it incredibly unlikely that he'll come close to numbers he did in 2006, but if you buy into the media bullshit about the angels' offensive problems being so woeful that a career .263 hitter is going to help them, then you're insane. if he's out, it allows us to shift around a few guys and finally bring up some of our minor league talent that has proven itself as ready, and is probably more than capable of beating out matthews' career averages for at least a 50 game stretch.

hillenbrand is a good addition to the team, regardless of whether or not he has a prickish past. if he keeps his mouth shut, i'll take his 15 homer power and .300 average without complaint.

[thecapecoddah]

nothing shocking here, but an adult's feet growing is certainly weird to think about anyway:

"Since joining the Giants, Bonds had gone from a size 42 to a size 52 jersey; from size 10 ½ to size 13 cleats; and from a size 7 1/8 to size 7 ¼ cap, even though he had taken to shaving his head. The changes in his foot and head size were of special interest: medical experts said overuse of Human Growth Hormone could cause an adult's extremities to begin growing, aping the symptoms of the glandular disorder acromegly."

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/baseball/mlb/02/27/shadows.afterword/3.html

[Andy]

http://www.junkyville.net/content/multimedia/framegrabs/8F13/large/096.jpg

[Dewey Finn]

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-enterprisingpitcher&prov=ap&type=lgns

Former 1st-round bust gets rich off the land that he bought for 50,000 dollars. Lucky

[Sparks]

Luckier than that guy who bought cheap land in Portugul and found classic cars in it. :)
Question= If Johan Santana wins his third Cy Young this year, is he a instant Hall of Famer?

[Dead Nigga Storage]

take a look at his career stats, add on one cy young year to that, and if your question isn't answered, i don't know how it ever will be.

[Mike]

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/spring/2007-02-27-giles_x.htm

...

...

problem_giles: shit yeah this is a bad ass joke!!!

[Timothy]

I read something about the phils possibly making Brett Myers a closer and putting Gordon in the set-up role.

I mean, what a terrible idea.

Even as a Met fan, this is ridiculous. Why would you take your one sure thing starter (wait and see on how Garcia does in CBP, although I think Hamels will be the real deal) and make him the closer. I really don't understand the rush to replace Gordon. The guy was an all-star and was almost automatic the entire year.

[Dewey Finn]

Will Sosa be the next Frank Thomas 2006? He's hitting .417 with 2 home runs so far in Spring Training. Let me here your opinions

Just trying to get a sneak thought of comeback of one of my favorite players in the past.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

he's a cheater. what the hell is there to like about that?

some other spring training stats:

vladimir guerrero: .167
johnny damon: .200
moises alou: .125
nomar garciaparra: .091

so that's basically what i think of sosa's .417 with 2 homers.

[Mayor Quimby]

He's on my fantasy team.

[Dewey Finn]

Matsuzaka lol

4IP, 6H, 4ER, 2HR

[pat]

it's only spring training lol

[Dead Nigga Storage]

ian, have you ever followed spring training before?

i just got back from arizona. sweet couple of days. pretty much got every major angels prospect in AA, AAA, or the big league squad to sign for me. except brandon wood, the big one :(.

highlight was probably spending time talking to the angels' third base coach before and after the game on sunday, and between innings. love being right on the foul lines, one row up from the action during spring. before the game, the coach was signing autographs for a bunch of guys that didn't recognize him, so when he got to me and i asked him to sign as "the windmill" (for his recognition for sending home pretty much every runner who ever gets to third with a ridiculous amount of enegry and waving), he laughed, shook my hand, posed for a picture, and then signed for me. awesome guy.

i tried to make kendrick promise me a batting title, but he only laughed and said he'd try. you heard it first here, people. keep your eye on him ;)

should have asked kotchman how his mono was.

a couple pictures (i was stupidly stingy with them, not realizing how many i had, and how few i had taken):

http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/8452/springtraining012yf7.jpg
Vladdy and Figgy warming up (from our seats).

http://img452.imageshack.us/img452/8476/springtraining006xv2.jpg
View from the concourse (not our seats).

http://img452.imageshack.us/img452/2277/springtraining015rb6.jpg
"The Windmill". That's Mike Napoli right below him. I asked Napoli why he didn't accept my Myspace friend request (it's set to private, and I guess is very personal and non-Angels based), and he said he'd "look into it".

[Dewey Finn]

Actually, yeah. But based on media attention that he has gained, everyone would expect him to throw no-hitter or something like that...

BTW, nice pictures, DNS

Pavano will be starting for Yanks versus Sox today. I hope he won't go down by injury. BTW, he's been out of camp for few days because of his ailing girlfriend... you can check it out in rotoworld.com

[thecapecoddah]

based on the media attention matsuzaka gained, one would expect him to go 21-2 with a 2.09 ERA. but it ain't gonna happen.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

with those two losses coming as a result of poor run support and defensive errors at the tail end of what would have otherwise been perfect games.

[Mayor Quimby]

Early predictions...........

AL MVP: Derek Jeter
AL CY Young: Dice K
AL Manager of the Year: Buddy Bell
NL MVP: Matt Holliday
NL Cy Young: Ted Lilly
NL Manager of the Year: Manny Acta

[kevin]

why not:

al mvp: travis hafner
al cy: johan something
nl mvp: jose reyes
nl cy: carlos zambrano

[Mayor Quimby]

Please note I agree with Kevin's a hell of alot more than my own......

[Dead Nigga Storage]

thanks quimby gammons. ya sure you don't wanna pick bobby crosby for MVP while you're at it?

al mvp: travis hafner
nl mvp: david wright
al cy young: johan santana
nl cy young: jake peavy

[Dewey Finn]

al mvp: Alex Rodriguez
nl mvp: Albert Pujols
al cy young: Johan Santana
nl cy young: Carlos Zambrano

[brentholomew]

i pretty much agree with DNS but replace peavy with zambrano

[Andy]

Based on every prediction but Kelley's... a Cub will win the Cy Young. Solid.

Here's my predix:

NL MVP: David Wright
NY Cy: Carlos Zambrano
NL Manager: Bud Black

AL MVP: Travis Hafner
AL Cy: Johan Santana
AL Manager: Eric Wedge

[brad]

nlmvp: Pujjjjols
almvp: Santana
nlcy: Zambrano
alcy: Santana
nl manager: Yost (whaaaaaaaat!)
al manager: Wedge

[Dead Nigga Storage]

Matthews completely denies use of HGH:
http://www.latimes.com/sports/baseball/mlb/angels/la-spw-angweb15mar15,1,2771212.story?coll=la-headlines-sports-mlb-angels

i'm skeptical, but if it dulls the media hype at all, it'll be adequate for me. it's really a non-issue in any regards, but i'm just glad to see something RESEMBLING a resolution.

i think what has pissed me off the most about this story the entire time is the steroid stigma that baseball still carries over any other sport, no matter what is found out in regards to other sports. here we are babbling because some piss-on AT BEST league average center fielder may or may not have received a shipment of a supplement that wasn't even banned in baseball at the time. meanwhile, i've seen maybe two fucking mentions of the fact that a team physician/intern of an NFL team one year removed from a super bowl received $150,000 worth of HGH. is it possible it was all for priavte purposes? yeah, i guess it is...in the same sense that it's possible that a 3 year old order to matthews, shipped to a teammate's address never actually got used by matthews. for christ's sake, one of these stories has SO FUCKING MUCH more behind it than the other. it really is just a huge fucking problem. and every time another one of these types of stories comes out, it's becoming more and more clear that this WASN'T just a baseball problem, and they WEREN'T the only sport deserving of some massive congressional investigation. is this now 3 NFL teams with large shadows of suspicion regarding PEDs? along with one of the top linebackers in the game? ESPN/SI/TSN can fuck themselves.

[Homer Jay]

Rose admits that he bet on the Reds, every night. I don't think that this is much of a news story because it seems to confirm what a lot of people assumed anyway.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2798498

[gravymaster]

Wood's arm hurts. Lol.

[Andy]

David Wells has the Beetis.

http://www.wnbc.com/sports/11294616/detail.html

I'd say that Wells has a new buddy in Santo, but that's two different types there, son

[aoife]

David Wells has the Beetis.
Sadly, I am not surprised.

[brad]

http://www.math.miami.edu/~jam/azure/forum/tuff/graemlins/trashbear.gif

[pat]

wait, did aoife just post in a sports thread

am i on the right messageboard

[thecapecoddah]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/21/AR2007032102093.html

As the final innings played out, with the starters long since out of the game, Duffy and Don Kelly, a Pirates minor leaguer who started at shortstop, gazed at a computer screen in their clubhouse, viewing their at-bats against Matsuzaka and trying in vain to figure out what the heck kind of pitch it was that Matsuzaka threw to Kelly in the fourth inning.

It floated up in the strike zone at 75 mph, according to the ESPN radar gun. It didn't break, drop, cut, rise, back up or sink. It just kind of . . . floated.

"It wasn't a curve. It wasn't a change-up," Kelly said. "It was kind of like a splitter. . . . It was something different."

:bang: :bang: :bang:

[boogie down mikel]

Gyrlolball

[Mayor Quimby]

A-Rod gets no extension from the Yankees. Should be one hell of a season for him. Should he test the market, how much will people pay for him?

[Dead Nigga Storage]

hot rumors about him going to the angels, but for way more than i want to give up for him, especially if he'll be potentially available at season's end.

congratulations on striking out a pirates' minor leaguer in spring training, matsuzaka. you really are the SPORT CHANGER that SI says you are.

[Mayor Quimby]

DNS not sure if you watched at all, and I know its only spring training but Dice K looked good yesterday. His pitches looked sharp, and I was surprised at his velocity. His splitter looks damn nice.

[boogie down mikel]

isn't this still spring training?

[Dead Nigga Storage]

DNS not sure if you watched at all, and I know its only spring training but Dice K looked good yesterday. His pitches looked sharp, and I was surprised at his velocity. His splitter looks damn nice.and Scot Shields looked like total ass and couldn't spot a single one of his pitches worth a damn, and the ball consistently left his hand awkwardly. His ERA is over 10. Just like was in '06 spring training.

Dice K has a chance to be good for a year or two, but seeing SI talk about how he's going to change the game of baseball and turn it on its head? Bullshit. They're out of talking points.

[robb]

yeah, it's spring training guys. verlander's era is 8.10 right now...that's not going to continue into the regular season.

sign me up for the "i don't see what's so special about the gyroball" krew.

EDIT: according to ESPN's bottom line, papelbon is going to go to back to closing. thoughts?

[Mayor Quimby]

isn't this still spring training?

Jesus you're so fucking smart, why waste your time here when NASA needs you.

Papelbon's an excellent closer, wonder who the fifth starter will be.

Put me down for a Verlander and the rest of the Tiggers comes back to Earth season too...

[brentholomew]

although it's kind of late, my 07 standings picks...

al

central
1. detroit
2. cleveland (wc)
3. chicago
4. minnesota
5. kc

east
1. new york
2. boston
3. toronto
4. baltimore
5. tampa bay

west
1. la
2. texas
3. oakland
4. seattle

nl

central
1. chicago
2. st. louis (wc)
3. houston
4. milwaukee
5. cin
6. pitt

east
1. new york
2. atlanta
3. philly
4. florida
5. washington

west
1. la
2. arizona
3. san diego
4. san fran
5. colorado s

[thecapecoddah]

according to ESPN's bottom line, papelbon is going to go to back to closing. thoughts?

even though I'm really curious as to how he'd do as a full-time starter, this is where he belongs with no other true closer on boston's staff.

if he is completely healthy and more prepared for the closer role this season, this does make boston slightly stronger. barring players having heart conditions, lymphoma, and patellar tendinitis, the AL East is a tossup between the yanks and sox with the jays also having the potential to win 90 games.

julian tavarez and kyle snyder will compete for the 5th spot in boston's rotation which will be taken over by jon lester come june or so.

[tones]

wait, did aoife just post in a sports thread

am i on the right messageboard

she looks for random diabetes posts

[boogie down mikel]

Jesus you're so fucking smart, why waste your time here when NASA needs you.

Papelbon's an excellent closer, wonder who the fifth starter will be.

Put me down for a Verlander and the rest of the Tiggers comes back to Earth season too...

what i'm saying is that nothing...absolutely nothing in spring training matters, especially not a wet behind the ears rookie on the pirates of all teams getting confused at a pitch from a pitcher that practically no one has seen before

[pat]

well, it's hard to say that nothing in spring training matters, since it is a gauge for teams looking to fill roster spots and, obviously, to get players prepared for the season. of course, bad outings by good players aren't worth reading into, but to say that spring training is meaningless is absolutely absurd.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

spring training is meaningless to everyone that's guaranteed a roster spot. mats has his roster spot, and isn't showing anything in spring worth jizzing over ourselves for. if a rookie being baffled by one pitch is enough to be excited over, then it should be equally noted that he's averaging a homer given up every 6 1/3 innings thus far, and therefore is an unequivocal bust. there's been nothing said yet about mats that wasn't said about nomo at one time or another. waiting to pass judgment will work nicely for everyone, but won't happen with boston in the mix.

[aoife]

she looks for random diabetes posts
Well, now I know who has the beetis.

[thecapecoddah]

Dice K has a chance to be good for a year or two, but seeing SI talk about how he's going to change the game of baseball and turn it on its head? Bullshit. They're out of talking points.

heh why would he be good for a year or two then lose all his skills at age 28? and technically he, igawa, matsui, and ichiro have already changed the game of baseball by influencing the japanese market and essentially telling japan's players that MLB is the place to be.

also I hope you keep referring to hideo nomo because of their similarities in regards to their best pitches & the delivery hesitation and not just because of ethnicity, because the thought that no japanese pitcher will ever succeed at the highest level in MLB is ridiculous. matsuzaka may not be that pitcher, but one day we will see a perennial all-star pitcher emerge from japan. your constant references to nomo are just annoying; that's all.

and surely you're used to the 10 SI covers annually devoted to the yankees and red sox, you're just gonna hafta accept the fact that we're the only market that matters to people. california baseball, that's so 1960's. :sly:

[Dead Nigga Storage]

ethnicity, no. comparative level of competition , yes. the best players in the world play in the majors. not japan. piss-on has beens from the majors go to japan and (tie) their records. japan goes as far as to NOT let americans break their records because they're xenophobic pricks. nomo never faced the best hitters in the world in japan, and neither has matsuzaka. no one said he would "lose his skills" at 28, but it's a fact of life that the more exposure a pitcher has, the less effective he is. plain and simple. it's why nomo dropped off the face of the earth, and why it's likely that matsuzaka will end up being similar. but the novelty of the fork ball, and the novelty of the gyroball (which he may or may not even be able to throw effectively in real games, whereas nomo COULD and DID throw his pitch in games long before he came over) does way into the comparison, yes.

there's obviously nothing in japanese genes that makes them inferior baseball players, if that's what you're implying that i implied. it's strictly based around the fact that major league baseball is a higher level of competition, and the journey to this higher level of competition has been an incredibly rough one for all japanese pitchers (with only a small handful of hitters, namely ichiro, h. matsui, and iguchi being successful). to think it will suddenly change with one guy who is notably similar to another previous flash-in-the-pan/failure, just because of one mystery pitch? it's SI and ESPN out of headlines.

i don't care either that there is a moronic and ill-advised media bias in favor of two teams in the entire sport. but the way it influences voting (all-star, mvp, possibly HoF), public perception, and writing is where it's annoying. i read articles all the time where writers barely even know who the fuck the angels players are that they talk about. and then of course, they have to thinly veil that bias by occassionally throwing the angels a "world series favorite" tag...and then put matsuzaka on the cover of the issue anyway. the real question is: does the media tell us that the red sox and yankees are what matters, or do we tell the media that? chicken and egg. personally, i think if all 30 teams were fairly equally covered, we'd end up with more respected, more more fan-enjoyed media outlets than we have right now.

[thecapecoddah]

i read articles all the time where writers barely even know who the fuck the angels players are that they talk about. and then of course, they have to thinly veil that bias by occassionally throwing the angels a "world series favorite" tag...

enjoy it. when your favorite team's over-exposed *and* winning, they're typically hated. as silly as it sounds I sometimes long for the pre-2001 days when my hometown market was cursed & loved and not loathed.

/suddenly remembers 2004 and forgets about the "good ol' days"

[Dead Nigga Storage]

bring on the hate. fine by me. there isn't much resentment against the angels at large, but there certainly is noticeably more than there was when i started following them 12-13 years ago. i'd just prefer people recognize that these guys that they think are the greatest ever (SI picked jeter as the 97th greatest player OF ALL TIME), are really just very good athletes in the lime-light rather than the best the game has had to offer for generations. robinson cano on the all-star team? please. he's good on the yankees' prospect scale, but on the whole? nah. baseball america is pretty good at avoiding the biases.

[:bang:]

si picked the pirates in NOT LAST PLACE :bang:

[Dead Nigga Storage]

not only that, but they say FOUR teams will be worse. that's like, 10+% of the league.

[:bang:]

buccos have THREE guys that can hit now. watch out nl

FIVE teams worse than the o's :gatorbang:

zero teams worse the the nats

[Dead Nigga Storage]

and four guys that can pitch as starters, if colborn is worth a damn.

[:bang:]

they've said that 5 times in 12 years, and by june its 1

(not literally)

[thecapecoddah]

red sox 7th inning shhhhh


/spring training lol
/still wish I was watching this right now

EDIT: d'oh, jinxed it

[Dewey Finn]

Urbina gets jailed.


Former MLB pitcher Ugueth Urbina has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for the attempted murder of five men in Venezuela.
Urbina, a two-time All-Star who last pitched with the Phillies in 2005, was also found guilty of illegal deprivation of liberty and violating a prohibition against taking justice into his own hands during a dispute in October of that year. Urbina allegedly attacked the men with machettes at his family's ranch. Agent Peter Greenberg indicated than an appeal is planned.
from rotoworld.com

I guess this is last of Urbina. Prison baseball team gets their new Mariano Rivera, I suppose.

"Hah! Attempted murder? Now honestly, what is that? Do they give a Nobel prize for attempted chemistry? Do they?"- Sideshow Bob

[Dead Nigga Storage]

that's more than "jailed", man. you get jailed while you await trial, or overnight for DUI or something like that. he's going to fuckin' prison. he's gone and then some...and good riddance.

[robb]

http://enrico.blogs.com/photos/uncategorized/urbina_machete.jpg

hilarious

[pat]

LET'S GO TO PRISON :bang:

[StrideR]

Will he pitch or will he catch?

[tones]

ozzie being ozzie

“But everybody remember Sparky Anderson with the Big Red Machine,” Guillen continued, turning to the present Tigers manager. “Jim Leyland. Jim Leyland quit with the Colorado Rockies. Can’t handle it no more. ‘I’m gone.’ Having money on the table. He said, ‘I don’t need the money. My health is more important than baseball.’ Is he a great baseball man? Awesome. Is he a great manager? Hell, no.”

[kevin]

ozzie,

[robb]

Will he pitch or will he catch?


i wondered how long it would take for someone to use that joke. not long, apparently.

[chibully]

division winners

al east: red sox
al west: angels (I'd like to say the mariners because they're my favorite team but they're not going anywhere)
al central: tigers
wild card: twins

nl east: mets
nl west: dodgers
nl central: cardinals
wild card: marlins

[robb]

kenny rogers is out for probably 3 months now. chad durbin is going to step into the 5th starter's role, and i think might even turn some heads.

[Homer Jay]

Here are my predictions:
AL East
1. Yankees
2. Red Sox (Wild Card)
3. Blue Jays
4. Devil Rays
5. Orioles

AL Central
1. Tigers
2. Indians
3. Twins
4. White Sox
5. Royals

AL West
1. Angels
2. A’s
3. Rangers
4. Mariners

NL East
1. Mets
2. Braves (Wild Card)
3. Phillies
4. Marlins
5. Nationals

NL Central
1. Brewers
2. Cardinals
3. Astros
4. Cubs
5. Pirates
6. Reds

NL West
1. Diamondbacks
2. Dodgers
3. Padres
4. Rockies
5. Giants

Division Series
Tigers over Yankees
Red Sox over Angels
Mets over Brewers
Diamondbacks over Braves

Championship Series
Tigers over Red Sox
Diamondbacks over Mets

World Series
Tigers over Diamondbacks

AL Rookie- Alex Gordon
NL Rookie-Chris Young
AL Cy Young-Johan Santana
NL Cy Young-Jake Peavy
AL MVP-Vladimir Guerrero
NL MVP-Albert Pujols