Zach Granick Looks good in Blue
by meercatjohn on Mar 26, 2010 12:30 PM PDT
in Game Threads
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PrintRoyals (9-10) at Dodgers (8-10)
1:05pm, Camelback Ranch, Glendale, AZ
This is what an ace looks like. Zack Greinke goes for the Royal Blue against Dodger Blue today. Greinke has had quite a ride in his young career from top prospect, to 20 year old pitching sensation in the major leagues to quitting at the age of 22, to Cy Young award winner at age 25. Not many major league pitchers have taken that ride. I got to see him pitch in spring training in 2004 and I was one of those who thought he was destined for great things. Glad he finally got there, baseball needs Greinke pitching.
Maybe he can impart some information to top pitching prospect Danny Duffy who quit several days ago. This would be like Ethan Martin up and quitting so it is a big deal for Royal fans. For more information on Duffy you can check out these comments by a friend.
Opening Day starter Vicente Padilla gets the nod today. Should be going five or six innings. Not sure who is expected to follow him, will update when we know. (UPDATE: Broxton, Sherrill, Weaver and Monasterios are scheduled to pitch) Our lineup looks very close to the opening day lineup with Martin replacing Ausmus. Based on the Martin noise it sounds like he's is going to be ready for opening day.
Here are the lineups:for
| Royals | Dodgers | |||
| LF | DeJesus | SS | Furcal | |
| CF | Podboy | CF | Kemp | |
| 3B | Fields | RF | Ethier | |
| DH | Butler | DH | Manny | |
| RF | Guillen | 1B | Loney | |
| SS | Bloomquist | 3B | Blake | |
| 1st | Betemit | 2nd | DeWitt | |
| C | Kendall | C | Ausmus | |
| 2nd | Getz | P | Padilla | |
Looks like the Dodgers are allowing the Royals to use the DH while we give Padilla some at bats.
Torre quotes from this morning.
Stults is going to pitch an inning in the minor league game that Russell is in. I will be watching Russell's at bats.
On Belisario: its a missed opportunity, but I can't concern myself with things I can't control.
On Kuo: if he came out ok after throwing today, he's going to have to throw off the mound soon....and if that's the case, he won't have missed much. This isn't really unusual for him.
On Ramon Ortiz: he's a very agressive and focused competitor. His stuff is high quality. He's gotten our attention.
Haeger will start tomorrow and Russ Ortiz will throw behind him.
We haven't been talking about anyone outside the organization for the fifth spot. We're looking at our guys here.
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Following Cousin Oliver today
Broxton
Sherrill
Weaver
Monasterios
Sounds to me like 5th starter is down to Haeger, Russ, and Towers. Ugh.
by Eric Stephen on Mar 26, 2010 12:44 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
{Shrugs shoulders at all those options}
Maybe Haeger being named 5th starter will bring back his fan club….
by Michael White on Mar 26, 2010 12:47 PM PDT up reply actions
My preference if given those three
Haeger, Towers, Oritiz
My preference given what I thought was going to be the competition
Elbert, McDonald, Haegar, Towers, Stults
My preference give that Chad Guadin might be available
Elbert, McDonald, Gaudin, Haegar, Towers, Stults
We don’t like it when the pundits make fun of our team but when your team is leaning towards Russ Ortiz as the 5th starter, I think they deserve to be made fun of.
by meercatjohn on Mar 26, 2010 12:52 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
+1 and rec for that last sentence.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
by David Young on Mar 26, 2010 12:55 PM PDT up reply actions
Assuming both Ortiz’ make the roster, hopefully the two can do their best Flyin’ Wallendas as 5th starter before crashing and ushering in one of Elbert, Lindbloom or McDonald as the fifth starter after June 1st.
That I could live with.
I think it will be sooner than June 1st. McDonald sure didn’t last that long last year….
by Michael White on Mar 26, 2010 12:54 PM PDT up reply actions
He didn’t have the veteran standing that either Ortiz has. Or even Towers.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
by David Young on Mar 26, 2010 12:55 PM PDT up reply actions
No, but veterans haven’t lasted that long these past few years either.
by Michael White on Mar 26, 2010 12:56 PM PDT up reply actions
I’m just going for the joke there. I expect all 5th starters to be on a short leash, just like last season.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
by David Young on Mar 26, 2010 12:57 PM PDT up reply actions
Not if we lose the pennant by one game
will you be able to live with it.
by meercatjohn on Mar 26, 2010 12:59 PM PDT up reply actions
Could you imagine
If Belisario starts on a suspended/restricted type list, and if Kuo starts on the 15-day DL as kind of a precautionary measure – he hasn’t throwm much, is he ready? – then we might see the staff fill out like this:
5th starter – Russ Ortiz
Pen – Broxton, Sherrill, Troncoso, Ramon Ortiz, Stults (2nd lefty?), Weaver, Towers/Haegar.
Whoda thunk it.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
That pen blows
I’d kind of like it if the Dodgers considered one or two of Leach, McDonald, Elbert, Link or Lindblom to fill out the pen.
by Michael White on Mar 26, 2010 12:55 PM PDT up reply actions
So does everyone think Stults will be DFA’d or traded within the next week? That looks like a lock now. He can’t pitch in the pen.
Or sold to Japan.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
by David Young on Mar 26, 2010 12:56 PM PDT up reply actions
I don’t know why this bothers me so much but it does. Stults is no great shakes but his neglect by the organization annoys me to no end.
It sure is strange
I mean, he didn’t do anything to play his way out of starting job (like one can argue JMac did) so this very quick and familiar change of fortune for Stults gives off the vibe that he can basically do no right in (I assume) Torre’s eyes.
by Michael White on Mar 26, 2010 1:00 PM PDT up reply actions
and it that case they would outright him, which would open up a spot on the 40-man, which might be needed.
by Eric Stephen on Mar 26, 2010 1:02 PM PDT up reply actions
He woudl still need to put on a 25 man roster if he is added to the 40 man
Since he has no options as they don’t start anew when you join a new club.
Right
but I’m just thinking for opening day purposes.
by Eric Stephen on Mar 26, 2010 1:13 PM PDT up reply actions
If Stults cleared waivers and was outrighted, does he have the privilege to refuse the assignment and become a free agent?
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
I don’t believe so, because everyone can be outrighted once. (cue Johnny Dangerously)
by Eric Stephen on Mar 26, 2010 1:16 PM PDT up reply actions
Fargin' icehole!
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
SNL Skit?
it was a very funny, very underrated movie in the 1980s.
by Eric Stephen on Mar 26, 2010 1:26 PM PDT up reply actions
From
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Well you have access to DVD players at your age
so get thee to a DVD store and rent it ;-)
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
And get off Underdog's lawn while you are at it :)
by Michael White on Mar 26, 2010 1:30 PM PDT up reply actions
{shakes fist}
Back in my day we had them blocky VHS tapes, and we couldn’t go to any ol’ part of the movie we wanted neither, we had to use a fast forward button and scroll through the whole thing while our mothers churned our butter and our dad was stuck in the other room on a phone plugged into the wall. So nyah!
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Or better yet
Subscribe to a service like Green Cine, and have them mail it to you!
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
by David Young on Mar 26, 2010 1:33 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Johnny D is an immediate available
:-P
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Recommended!
;-)
{cheap plug alert, take 2: Johnny Dangerously}
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Great part about new office
it’s a half a mile from my apartment. So if one were so inclined, one could watch his team play on TV at 1pm from home while at lunch. :)
A lot of the furniture is still being moved, but the phones work, and the internet works. Although none of the computers are hooked up yet.
by Eric Stephen on Mar 26, 2010 1:02 PM PDT up reply actions
On the other side of the ledger
it’s still in Victorville. ;)
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
Not necessarily a good thing
I would go broke if I was 90-120 minutes close to sin city!
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
I believe we all will be rooting hard for RuOrtiz to get shelled tomorrow
I hate doing that, and don’t know if it’s fair to gauge spring stats either way, but that’s apparently what it will take to get him out of contention.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
I don't really care that Stults
is not the fifth starter, I don’t think he’s very good, but I could make a case he would get the chance because he’s out of options over Elbert. I can’t make that case for Ortiz or Towers so hopefully Haegar really gets a shot here.
I’d think Minka Kelly could pull a lot better than Jeff Fuller :)
by Eric Stephen on Mar 26, 2010 1:07 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Let's think worst case scenario here...
I’m trying to think how many guys need to be added to the 40-man.
If DeWitt somehow doesn’t make the team, let’s say they go with both Eye Chart and GA…that’s 2 spots
Both Ortizes + Weaver in the pen makes for 3 more spots needed.
Right now we are effectively at 37 (39 minus Belisario and 60-day Wade), so two more people would have to be removed from the 40-man. I’m thinking Monasterios and Stults are the prime candidates to be removed if that is indeed the case.
We should apply for an extra roster spot just on principle :)
by Eric Stephen on Mar 26, 2010 1:09 PM PDT up reply actions
Agreed
so that’s one more 40-man spot we need.
by Eric Stephen on Mar 26, 2010 1:10 PM PDT up reply actions
That would make for quite a bizarre turn in your prediction and ban/non-ban :)
by Eric Stephen on Mar 26, 2010 1:11 PM PDT up reply actions
I agree
and I know Torre likes him, but they’ll probably use that “needs more seasoning, want him to get in innings as a starter in the minors blah blah” line of reasoning
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Padilla looks ready for opening day!
;-)
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Now I realized why Padilla was named OD starter
it was to sell tickets for today’s game at CBR, billing it as a duel of opening day starters.
Makes sense
Short-term revenue gains are vitally important in a McCourt-run business.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
Giants finally traded Kevin Frandsen
to the Red Sox, for a PTBNL or cash. I wouldn’t care, but thought it was interesting where he ended up.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
The on screen graphic showed Betemit at 1B, but Steiner said Fields was at 1B (as we saw in the lineup).
But it’s indeed Boom Boom at 1B
Fields is at 3B
no Callaspo today….I changed the lineup and added the Gameday link above
by Eric Stephen on Mar 26, 2010 1:22 PM PDT up reply actions
I find myself intentionally rooting for poor ratings just so I can hear those types of complaints
I was rooting hard for a Houston/Orlando NBA final a few years ago instead of Boston and Lakers just so we could hear the groans about how David Stern hates this matchup. So what if he does? It’s not like they are going to bump the World Series or the NBA Championship off of primetime.
I never understood why people view matchups as more attractive once they consider the size of the metro area they play in.
by Michael White on Mar 26, 2010 1:30 PM PDT up reply actions
Agreed
except for the rooting against the Lakers being in the Finals part :)
by Eric Stephen on Mar 26, 2010 1:32 PM PDT up reply actions
Manny just missed that one…flew out to the track in LCF.
Boy, this Granick sure doesn’t impress. Maybe we can give KC Stults and Hu. :)
That sweetens the pot!
And, for those who don’t know, “sweetens” is an industry term, which means “add sugar to” (RIP Mitch)
by Eric Stephen on Mar 26, 2010 1:25 PM PDT up reply actions
Widowmaker hop
off Blake…
Furcal still had a chance to throw him out, rather easily, but threw horribly to 1B
Monday said it was a catchable ball at 1B, but I think the ball bounced at a point not late enough for Loney to scoop, and late enough to give him any kind of a good hop.
by Eric Stephen on Mar 26, 2010 1:29 PM PDT up reply actions
If something happens to Casey Blake, should Martin be the 3B full stop and give Ellis the catching job?
Eesh. That sounds horrible.
I would think move Dewitt to 3rd and Belliard to 2nd.
by Michael White on Mar 26, 2010 1:31 PM PDT up reply actions
Yep
It becomes basically a question of who is a better bat — Belliard or Ellis.
And that’s before factoring in the defensive hit you take with Martin at 3B
by Eric Stephen on Mar 26, 2010 1:32 PM PDT up reply actions
Martin has one of the strongest 3B arms I’ve ever seen.
Not saying I would do the move, but his defense is kinda interesting to me at the hot corner.
I'd be very surprised if Martin was a better defensive third baseman than Dewitt
Dewitt seems like an excellent defensive third baseman. One of the best in baseball (along with guys like Inge and Beltre.)
by Michael White on Mar 26, 2010 1:36 PM PDT up reply actions
Well, because of need, don’t you think.
by Eric Stephen on Mar 26, 2010 1:37 PM PDT up reply actions
Where are they registered?
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Speaking of marriage, I hadn’t seen the Miller Lite commercial with the couple registering and the guy hitting up the Miller Lite cases until the NCAA games last night. It made me laugh.
by KellyStephen on Mar 26, 2010 1:38 PM PDT up reply actions
I saw that for the first time last night, too. Hilarious.
by Eric Stephen on Mar 26, 2010 1:39 PM PDT up reply actions
Silly People
We would simply trade the last switch hitter in the system to Boston for Mike Lowell thus finally purging us, of those dreaded boys who demand to swing from both sides of the plate.
It’s because the McCourts would rather not pay for the double ear flap helmets :)
by Eric Stephen on Mar 26, 2010 1:33 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Man, some people should really watch their afternoon alcohol intake.
by KellyStephen on Mar 26, 2010 1:35 PM PDT up reply actions
If anyone can tear their away from the game
Jon Weisman takes his turn at the plate against Andrew and Mychal at 1:40
No idea on the speed, but his control of it looks very good so far.
by Eric Stephen on Mar 26, 2010 1:45 PM PDT up reply actions
I've been really irritated at two trades
the Santana trade and the Boom Boom Betemit trade. Since I was so wrong on Boom Boom, maybe all this vitriol about Santana will also come to pass as much ado about nothing. Not that I thought Boom Boom had a much of a future but I thought it was a grave mistake to trade our best pinch hitter for a crappy relief pitcher.
It was frustrating to me at the time, too, because I remember Colletti commenting on how disappointing Betemit specifically was at the plate, even though he had an .800+ OPS at the time.
by Eric Stephen on Mar 26, 2010 1:44 PM PDT up reply actions
We traded the greatest hitter in Dodger history for a crappy relief pitcher
by Julio Nievas on Mar 26, 2010 1:48 PM PDT up reply actions
Was there a reliever in the Piazza trade? :)
by Eric Stephen on Mar 26, 2010 1:52 PM PDT up reply actions
Oh man, epic fail!
As I recalled, you posted a PI from BR.com sometime ago and I thought it was Betemit who was first, but it was Manny.
by Julio Nievas on Mar 26, 2010 1:58 PM PDT up reply actions
I think you are thinking of Magic Marlon Anderson
by Eric Stephen on Mar 26, 2010 2:08 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Argh
Is he still doing that?? (I’m not listening to it)
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
I knew you would comment.
I’m using the standard of “pronounce the letters on the back of the jersey” here :)
by Eric Stephen on Mar 26, 2010 1:56 PM PDT up reply actions
Takashi Saito
Tay-Kay-She
Say-Toe
Apparently.
by Chad Moriyama on Mar 26, 2010 2:08 PM PDT up reply actions
That's not a bad comp
Lyons is much taller, but I like that casting.
by Eric Stephen on Mar 26, 2010 1:47 PM PDT up reply actions
I bet more people have gone down on Lyons in a theater than have Coulier :)
by Eric Stephen on Mar 26, 2010 1:50 PM PDT up reply actions
That's "Sir Dave Coulier"
if you watched “30 Rock” last night.
Rich Harden and Ben Sheets
have sucked so far this spring. How have the other ex Ace hurt pitchers done? I know Bedard has yet to throw.
But Harang sucks. He was 12-31 the last two years
/mainstream media
by Eric Stephen on Mar 26, 2010 1:51 PM PDT up reply actions
Apparently its the guys I have done a profile on that have had bad fortunes
Elbert and JMac were sent down, and DeWitt is now being rumored to being sent down as well. Troncoso got bombed on his profile day.
At least Manny and Ethier are bringing my average up.
by Michael White on Mar 26, 2010 1:54 PM PDT up reply actions
Gurnick says Torre is leaning toward DeWitt.
Of course, it’s been the same for a few weeks.
by Eric Stephen on Mar 26, 2010 1:55 PM PDT up reply actions
[Justin] Miller is one of a handful of Dodgers that have out clauses granting free agency if they are not on the Major League roster by a certain date. Among them: Garret Anderson (April 4), Nick Green (April 4), Doug Mientkiewicz (April 2), Miller (May 1), Ramon Ortiz (April 4), Josh Towers (June 15), Jeff Weaver (April 4).
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
exactly
Towers and Miller are locks for veteran depth at AAA.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
it's funnier that they have outclauses
thinking that somebody is gonna pick them up
by Chad Moriyama on Mar 26, 2010 2:08 PM PDT up reply actions
Spring Training is the time to get practice at everything.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
Thought the DT guy
the other day comparing Andre to Milton was about the most over the top comment I’ve seen at DT.
Nope…the ump was pretty restrained himself…walked away.
by Eric Stephen on Mar 26, 2010 1:58 PM PDT up reply actions
It would have been interesting
to have had clubhouse access during the Milton period. I wonder if we’d had the balls to ask him the questions we’d have wanted answers to?
Looking at the picture of Belisario on the newest DT post
Didn’t realize he had so much ink.
http://espn.go.com/blog/los-angeles/dodger-thoughts/post/_/id/3692/ronald-belisario-what-happened
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
A well executed hit and run
is a beautiful thing.
A poorly executed hit and run is absolutely wretched.
AJ Ellis driving in DeWitt makes me happy
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Watching game it was AJ Ellis
#9, 20 years younger than Ausmus. ;-) Even Steiner had right guy… (hee)
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Was about to say
We thought ourselves out of a run this inning, but instead we may have thought ourselves out of a big inning. At least we got the run.
DeWitt winning the 2nd base job
will simply prove that Tony Jackson is no better at reading the tea leaves then our Eric.
Jackson reads tea leaves like
he rides elevators.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
let's be honest
his drop date could be tomorrow or in in 50 years and he should start out in aaa
by Chad Moriyama on Mar 26, 2010 2:31 PM PDT up reply actions
Never gonna happen
McNabb doesn’t run a 4.4 40.
by Chad Moriyama on Mar 26, 2010 2:32 PM PDT up reply actions
Where’s that .gif of Michael Crabtree laughing at the draft when the Raiders took Heyward Bey over him? :o
by Chad Moriyama on Mar 26, 2010 2:33 PM PDT up reply actions
In fairness
It’s hard to put up numbers when you run a post route and Russell throws it into row Z.
by Chad Moriyama on Mar 26, 2010 2:37 PM PDT up reply actions
I know it's horrible
But it’s quite possible
by Julio Nievas on Mar 26, 2010 2:39 PM PDT up reply actions
Better that then
making a reach pick on a superfast prospect. This might be safer for Al.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
… But they will probably use it to sign Taylor Mays
by Julio Nievas on Mar 26, 2010 2:52 PM PDT up reply actions
For normal human beings I mean. :o
Almost everybody I listen to except Asian announcers mess up Saito for whatever reason. :o
by Chad Moriyama on Mar 26, 2010 2:39 PM PDT up reply actions
Padilla losing it a little bit this inning
And they’re running off him, too.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
What if Padilla’s “forearm stiffness” worsens and he starts the season on the DL?
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
why would Jesus Castillo care?
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
by David Young on Mar 26, 2010 2:45 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
You could really see it about 3 batters ago, but I guess this is the chance to see how a guy reacts to losing his stuff.
I think it just a chance to let guy get his work in. Not like Padilla – Mr. Opening Day Starter – is fighting for a job or anything.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
In fairness to Padilla
he is facing the powerhouse KC lineup. When Bloomquist is your starting SS you must be loaded.
by meercatjohn on Mar 26, 2010 2:48 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
How do Rob Neyer and Joe Posnanski still enjoy baseball?
DeJesus
Podsednik
Callaspo
Butler
Projected 1-4. :o
wow
“The bottom three: shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt, catcher Jason Kendall and second baseman Chris Getz.”
by Chad Moriyama on Mar 26, 2010 2:52 PM PDT up reply actions
Yes
for a CF he was solid. Good OB, little pop. Never paid much attention to his D but I guess it wasn’t that good since he’s been move to LF. As a left fielder all I can say is that he was decent hitter for a CF.
I guess
An average player, but leading off, pods behind him and callaspo third
Is there a worse 1-4? :o
by Chad Moriyama on Mar 26, 2010 3:06 PM PDT up reply actions
That entire lineup is like .320 OBP :o
by Chad Moriyama on Mar 26, 2010 2:57 PM PDT up reply actions
Uber 3rd base prospects
not faring well this decade. Marte, Gordon, LaRoche.
Moustakis moving further away from relevancy with each year he plays.
Have to say I thought Gordon was going to be awesome.
Didn't like Marte but
Thought Gordon and LaRoche didn’t have many holes in their game. Dunno. Sometimes it doesn’t work out I guess.
Very little in scouting reports or numbers, even in retrospect, that suggest they would be below average regulars. :o
by Chad Moriyama on Mar 26, 2010 3:07 PM PDT up reply actions
Marte was definitely overrated at the time (his translations were all like .700ish OPS) and LaRoche wasn’t thought of uber after the wrist problems.
It’s certainly too soon to be throwing dirt on Gordon’s grave.
Zimmerman has turned out well, though, along with Longoria mentioned above. Braun panned out too, though was as bad defensively at 3rd as expected.
--
Dan Szymborski
BTF
Dan on ESPN Insider
by D.Szymborski on Mar 26, 2010 5:55 PM PDT up reply actions
Soccer fans on this board
Did anybody read the article in the Big Lead the other day suggesting that MLB realign so that there are 2 divisions? A premier division and a second division where the bottom 2 teams are relegated and the top 2 teams are promoted.
I was going to post it as a fanpost but never got around to it…..
Terrible
Instead, they should make the MLS one big table and have each team play each other twice like real football/soccer leagues around the world, and have the cups on the side.
by Chad Moriyama on Mar 26, 2010 2:58 PM PDT up reply actions
MLB, not MLS.
It’s no more insane then Bud’s floating divisional realingnment idea.
by Michael White on Mar 26, 2010 2:59 PM PDT up reply actions
Gulati argues that is not fair to owners who have put in money to invest in the MLS. He also had the great line of “Why do we have to do what everyone else is doing?”
Dunno how close you follow soccer
but my god.
Thomas Rongen and Bob Bradley make me want to fall on a sword.
by Chad Moriyama on Mar 26, 2010 3:10 PM PDT up reply actions
Well, it was a baseball fanpost. The reason I started off addressing it to soccer fans is because the idea was to model MLB like the English Premier League; which I don’t follow. I do follow soccer, but really only international soccer.
So I was wondering if anybody thought it was a particularly brilliant idea. It did seem more reasonable than the floating divisional realignment idea.
by Michael White on Mar 26, 2010 3:08 PM PDT up reply actions
If you want the fairest league
The fairest way to determine the best team is to put everything in one big table and play each other equal times home and away
It’ll never happen in America though, because it’s not about fair, it’s about money.
by Chad Moriyama on Mar 26, 2010 3:11 PM PDT up reply actions
Actually, the reason for the idea wasn’t for the most fair league possible, rather it kept teams competitive the longest. Teams at the bottom of the premier league will continue to play through the end of the year for fear of relegation. Teams in the second division would keep competiting to try and get into the first division, and so on. It would kill the deadline blockbuster trades where Texeira is traded to a contender because almost everybody, with the exception of the crap teams in the 2nd division, remain contenders all year.
by Michael White on Mar 26, 2010 3:16 PM PDT up reply actions
Well, I mean the promotion/demotion thing
will never happen in America, because our leagues aren’t structured that way and it would be impossible to make it work like euro soccer leagues do
I just meant to rant about what is fair and why divisions are ridiculous.
by Chad Moriyama on Mar 26, 2010 3:18 PM PDT up reply actions
You have to make sure
you give some kind of playoff birth to teams in the 2nd league, otherwise they will most likely fold. There have been some great discussions about this and other like minded ideas over at The Book Blog on many occasion. I won’t rehash them all, but most relegation ideas had giving some kind of a bone to the lower league. You can’t just have teams playing only for moving up.
vr, Xei
promotion is a huge celebration though
at least it is overseas, but that has a lot to do with having more than two divisions and being accustomed to the system
by Chad Moriyama on Mar 26, 2010 3:22 PM PDT up reply actions
This is a nation filled with frontrunner bandwagoneers would won’t give two cents about the second division.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
Right, it wouldn't work
to have the Royals, Pirates, Padres, Nationals, Mets, Indians, Orioles etc… playing each other over and over with each team having a 0% chance of making the playoffs from the beginning of the season. It would be worse than the BCS. :)
Now if you had three tiers, which would initially be based off of something like previous season record and market size, then moved teams up and down each season, handing out playoff births like 5-2-1 then maybe you might have something to work with. But it will be too complicated for Bill Plaschke, so it will never gain acceptance.
vr, Xei
“My team is playing to finish first or second so they can get (back) into the premier division for next year.”
I would predict greatly reduced attendance for the second division teams in our present instant gratification society. With 81 home dates, gate still means something.
Fox would probably pay close to the same for the premier division TV contract, but who would pay anything for the second division? Versus? MLB Network?
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
Sure, but how many fans are going to games to teams like KC and Washington now? When they have all but been eliminated from playoff contention already.
Regional networks would still air the 2nd division (IMO.)
The article also mentions that the 2nd division in Britain is nearly as popular as the premier league. That’s part of why I wanted to reach out to soccer fans who could comment on that.
by Michael White on Mar 26, 2010 3:17 PM PDT up reply actions
Does the second division have to compete with the equivalent of the NFL in the last third of the season?
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
Baseball already struggles to compete with the NFL, and with NCAA football, as it is. (Isn’t that the original reason the w/e WS games got moved to night, long before football decided prime time was nice for them too?) The second division would be a goner.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
It is, but what's to prevent those teams from throwing in the towel?
In europe, you can’t do that, because they can keep dropping you until you have zero revenue and are playing against saturday amateurs
by Chad Moriyama on Mar 26, 2010 3:20 PM PDT up reply actions
Under a promotion system, the 2008 Rays, or the 1969 Mets, would merely have been a team that got promoted. With the current baseball system, on Opening Day every team has a chance at the world series. Well, maybe not the Royals….
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
So I think I'll put you down in the solid "no" camp for this idea :)
by Michael White on Mar 26, 2010 3:30 PM PDT up reply actions
I just wanted insight from soccer fans as to how they view the promotion/relegation system as it is completely foreign to me.
If I were in charge, the first order of business is a balanced schedule….
by Michael White on Mar 26, 2010 3:34 PM PDT up reply actions
As long as division championships determine playoff entry and seeding, I am in favor of unbalanced schedules with more games within the division. But I would figure out a way to eliminate wild cards and have only division champs advance. how about two divisions per league only? :) Four divisions would work, but that means a two team expansion and four-team divisions, which feel small to me.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
Not even just from a fair standpoint, as a fan, I hate that the Dodgers play the Angels as many times as the Braves and Reds. Those rivalries have been completely eliminated. The fact that the Dodgers play the Braves 6 times and the Rockies 19 times seems absurd.
by Michael White on Mar 26, 2010 3:43 PM PDT up reply actions
Eliminate interleague play
There is a happy medium for unbalanced schedules. There was a time when the Dodgers played 18 games against the division teams and 12 against the teams in the other division. 3:2 sounds like a good ratio to me.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
Americans would never accept it
but the potential hilarity of a team like the Giants dropping to the third division like Leeds in the EPL is great.
by Chad Moriyama on Mar 26, 2010 3:33 PM PDT up reply actions
The Leeds story is fantastic. My work partner in UK is a Leeds supporter for 40 years. He hates life sometimes. Mike – Leeds banked future Champions League revenue on players and improvements, then gagged down the stretch and finished one point out of it, went bankrupt and fell all the way to third division in a matter of I think 4 years.
Better yet
2001-2002 season they finished fifth
By 2007-2008 they are in third division league one
:o
by Chad Moriyama on Mar 26, 2010 3:42 PM PDT up reply actions
when i click on your profile
it looks like riquelme
by Chad Moriyama on Mar 26, 2010 3:54 PM PDT up reply actions
A little worried about Duckbill
he hasn’t looked sharp this spring to me. Maybe will be fine once reg season rolls around. At least Troncoso’s looking better…
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
On the other hand Monasterios
looks awesome.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
If he actually turns out to be good
I’d suggest the Dodgers give that South American scout more responsibility
Maybe we can trade him for Andrew Shue
…or his sister.
by Eric Stephen on Mar 26, 2010 4:09 PM PDT up reply actions
he's still building up his stamina and innings
By opening day he should be able to go a good 5 or 6 innings at least.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
USA Today article on aging announcers. (link via DT, via Tom Hoffarth) Jon also pointed out this quote, which is what also caught my eye.
Today, building a reservoir of anecdotes is so much easier, [Vin Scully] says: “I’ve been carrying a laptop on the road for some 10 years because the internet offers a goldmine of information, anecdotal or otherwise. But there’s so much available today that there’s the constant temptation to provide too much information on the broadcast.”So when Vin uses a something that Eric or Phil wrote here on TBLA that morning or in the series preview, he might actually have read it here.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
Damn, I was only 14 years too early
for Lasorda’s visit to MI trainees in Ft. Huachuca today.
The Airman of Westwood
D'OH
@ dylanohernandez Torre: Kuo shut down and likely to start the season on the DL.
That tweet is all I’ve seen so far, but OUCH.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
time to take my 12:54 P.M. comment near the top of this page a little more seriously.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
This is why Ned collects depth
One could argue that he should just bring up Lindblom or Elbert but would that be the best thing for their future (if you see starting in their future). Frankly, I think if they brought up anyone, it would be McDonald
Is Leach not an option?
I know he’s not as good as the others, but he is lefty and isn’t going to be needing to stretch innings for a starting a gig.
Gurnick’s early story has been updated and reworked to lead with Kuo.
While Dodgers catcher Russell Martin now seems likely to make Opening Day, reliever Hong-Chih Kuo almost certainly will not.
Kuo was shut down again Friday after experiencing more elbow discomfort. Kuo, whose left elbow has already had four operations, has pitched only two innings this spring, each time coming up sore and requiring at least a week to recover.
“Nothing felt real bad, but it wasn’t real good,” manager Joe Torre said about Kuo, who tried to play catch for the third consecutive day. “We don’t know how long. I don’t think it’s for an extended time. It didn’t feel as good as he wants it to feel.”
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
This news is disappointing but not all that unexpected. I mean, at this point I doubt we should ever expect Kuo to be ready for an OD, his timetable to get ready for the season should be completely different than all other pitchers and should not be looked at as an option before May.
That said, with Bellisario and Kuo out, our bullpen is looking pretty vulnerable. I would go with this:
Broxton
Sherrill
Troncoso
Ra. Ortiz
Monk
Link
Weaver
Would have a little impact on the roster
Putting Kuo on the DL does not change the 40 man roster (since I doubt they would put him on the 60-day DL), it does give them a chance to keep Stults, Monasterios or Haegar since there would be an open 25-man roster spot.
Oh well St. Mary's it was a nice run.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
INdeed. They had their bells run
as they ran into Baylor’s front line.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
The left side of my bracket
is empty, but the right side is loaded. I expect that is the same for most everyone. I hope Northern Iowa can play a full game with Michigan State not that I have either just rooting for them.
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
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