Jordan Posted 15 August 2012 Posted 15 August 2012 Once upon a time, perfect games were extremely rare feats. There were just 15 perfect games pitched in the Major Leagues from 1881-2008. Times have changed... "King" Felix Hernandez of the Seattle Mariners just tossed the 3rd perfecto in the Major Leagues this season and the sixth since 2009. The other two pitchers that have pitched perfect games this season are the Giants' Matt Cain (an All-Star pitcher) and the White Sox's Phil Humber (who will probably finish his career as the answer to a trivia question).
Guest MattP Posted 15 August 2012 Posted 15 August 2012 You think the hitting has got worse or it's just so many players aren't as juiced as they were now?
SOCCERROO FOX Posted 15 August 2012 Author Posted 15 August 2012 There has been some incredible defence this year tho just need to have a look at Mike Trout who has been brilliant this year taking some great catches. On a different note the Melkman suspened for 50 matches for illegal substances and the 2nd Giants player this season to recieve a drug related suspension after Mota got 100gamer earlier in the season.
Jordan Posted 16 August 2012 Posted 16 August 2012 The Yanks have just taken the first three of a four-game set with the Rangers in the Bronx--that's a nice marker to lay down with the playoffs near. You think the hitting has got worse or it's just so many players aren't as juiced as they were now? There has been some incredible defence this year tho just need to have a look at Mike Trout who has been brilliant this year taking some great catches. A little bit of this, a little bit of that, a small sample size, and a little bit of luck, too. Pitchers used to juice as well (see Clemens, Pettitte, etc.) but the crack-down on steroids has certainly tipped the scales back a little more in the pitchers' favor. Some of it also has to do with teams caring more and more about keeping their ace pitchers from breaking down by limiting their pitch counts and team trainers having more knowledge of techniques to use to improve recovery time and stamina for their pitchers. If you look at the list of recent no-nos, you'll notice that nearly all of the guys that have tossed them in recent seasons have been excellent pitchers, and the teams that they've faced have tended to have relatively weak lineups. Some of these pitchers are capable of cooling down even the hottest bats on their day. It's still hard to pitch a no-hitter--much more so to pitch a perfect game--but that little edge in conditioning and stamina can be just enough to turn what would have been an otherwise dominating performance into one for the record books. On a different note the Melkman suspened for 50 matches for illegal substances and the 2nd Giants player this season to recieve a drug related suspension after Mota got 100gamer earlier in the season. All year, there's been loads of talk about how Melky is having such a great comeback season, and what a feel-good story this is... err... well... now we know why. After Melky went from being part of the 2009 Yankees World Series Champion team to slumping terribly in Atlanta, I can see why he'd be desperate to re-energize his career with a little outside help. But it's not 1999 anymore, and it's a hell of a lot harder to get away with taking PEDs--or at least MLB will not turn a blind eye when they find out a player has failed a test. It's a horrible time for this to happen (not that any time is), with the Giants locked in a tight race for a playoff spot. Incidentally, the 150 combined games of PED-related suspensions assessed to Giants players in 2012 is 150 more games than a certain power-hitting former left fielder for that franchise ever received.
SOCCERROO FOX Posted 16 August 2012 Author Posted 16 August 2012 Giants were right in the hunt for a Wild Card at least but they will struggle now with Atlanta and now the Cards doing well. Todd Fraizer NL Rookie of the year for mine, may be biased but i bloody love him. Plus he is so versatile fielded and batted in so many different postions this season.
Jordan Posted 22 August 2012 Posted 22 August 2012 We were treated to another classic quote from Miami Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen yesterday, about the on-fire Giancarlo Stanton surrounded by an otherwise terrible lineup: "I need the f__kin' FBI to protect that guy, because anyone else on this f__kin' team, he can't." I love Ozzie: sometimes he's clueless in the dugout, but there simply is no filter between his brain and his mouth. Here are some other classic Ozzie quotes: Ozzie, when asked what he is going to do with his struggling lineup on July 9: "I'm going to kill these sons of bitches." Ozzie on Heath Bell blowing a save in a wild Marlins loss on July 3: "Make sure Miami people don't f__k with Bell. Bell gave up two runs. How 'bout the rest of the f__kin' 10 or 12 runs they scored? That's why this game is not f__kin' fair. Is Ozzie talkin' sh*t? No; Ozzie's talking the truth about how sh*tty we were before that f__king inning. Put that sh*t down! I think that was a very sh*tty big league baseball game, both sides." Ozzie on homphobic slurs (after getting into hot water calling a sportswriter a "faggot" and a "homosexual"): "That was my best friend. He'll say, 'What's up, you child molester?' and I'll say, 'What's up, you fag?' That's how I've said, "Hi," to him since 1985." Ozzie on sports psychology: "Great players don't need psychiatric and psyche and shrinks. Horsesh*t players do ... I grew up in the good era of baseball when Budweiser and vodka take care of the psychiatric thing. That's the best thing to do. You fail, get drunk and come back the next day and you see how good it feels." Ozzie on intentionally walking the diminutive (but red-hot at the time) Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia: "I never thought that I would walk a jockey. I must be the worst manager in the history of baseball right now, walking a guy that just came from being on top of Big Brown to beat the White Sox ... To go from the Kentucky Derby to the Boston Red Sox's ballpark and perform, that's amazing." Ozzie on the White Sox-Cubs rivalry: "We won it a couple years ago, and we're horsesh*t. The Cubs haven't won in 100 years, and they're the f__king best. F__k it, we're good. F__k everybody. We're horsesh*t, and we're going to be horsesh*t the rest of our lives, no matter how many World Series we win. We are the sh*t of Chicago. We're the Chicago sh*t. We have the worst owner. The guy's got seven f__king rings, and he's the f__king horseshit owner." Ozzie on Magglio Ordoñez: "He is a piece of sh*t. He's another Venezuelan f__k. F__k him. He thinks he's got an enemy? No, he's got a big one. He knows I can f__k him over in a lot of different ways. He better shut the f__k up and just play for the Detroit Tigers. Why do I have to go over and even apologize to him? Who the f__k is Magglio Ordonez? What did he ever do for me? He didn't do sh*t for me." And, of course, in the heart of the anti-Castro Cuban émigré community, Guillen said, "I love Fidel Castro ... I respect Fidel Castro. You know why? A lot of people have wanted to kill Fidel Castro for the last 60 years, but that motherf__er is still here." That led to protests and calls for Guillen to be fired from Miami's Cuban American community, a five-game suspension handed to Guillen by the team, and--for perhaps the only time ever--an apology from Ozzie.
SOCCERROO FOX Posted 22 August 2012 Author Posted 22 August 2012 Now a 2nd player in a week has tested positive to a banned substance. What is going on??? Also Jordan have you watched The Franchise yet? Any good?
Jordan Posted 22 August 2012 Posted 22 August 2012 Now a 2nd player in a week has tested positive to a banned substance. What is going on??? Also Jordan have you watched The Franchise yet? Any good? Two ex-Yankees busted... I guess they miss their glory days and are desperate to do anything to get then back. . I haven't watched The Franchise, although I'd assume a camera following Ozzie around all day would come up with plenty of entertaining material.
SOCCERROO FOX Posted 29 August 2012 Author Posted 29 August 2012 First team to reach 80 wins and Votto slowly making his way back, things are looking really good
SOCCERROO FOX Posted 5 September 2012 Author Posted 5 September 2012 Jordon are you getting nervous? If this form continues for the Yankees they may struggle for a wild card.
Jordan Posted 5 September 2012 Posted 5 September 2012 Jordon are you getting nervous? If this form continues for the Yankees they may struggle for a wild card. I'm as calm as can be.
Guest MattP Posted 5 September 2012 Posted 5 September 2012 I'm as calm as can be. Watched it last night, long time since I've seen a Yankee team look so average against a mediocre pitcher. Going to be a long September if the bats stay like this.
SOCCERROO FOX Posted 7 October 2012 Author Posted 7 October 2012 Reds won a great match at At&T even with Johnny C going out of the game with only 1 out in the first innings. great win Phillips was nothing short of brilliant
Jordan Posted 7 October 2012 Posted 7 October 2012 That's a big win on the road to start the series for the Reds, especially when considering how much Cueto's injury could affect the team. Cueto is, of course, vital to the Reds' starting rotation. Not only that, but if he winds up missing the rest of the NLDS, they've only got 10 pitchers left on the roster for the series. In that case, winning Game One, with three home games remaining in a best-of-five series, becomes even more important. Yanks at the I-still-cannot-believe-they-have-lasted-this-long Orioles tonight, but I'm gonna have to miss the game because I'll be at a wedding. Who gets married on a Sunday?! Anyway, here's hoping for a good booze-filled evening with a TV at the bar. The playoffs started with a few ill-tempered moments. The Braves had a late rally killed by the worst infield fly rule* call in the history of Major League Baseball and were dispatched to the golf course by the Cardinals. The Rangers lost at home to the O's, and Josh Hamilton was booed off the field after another meek performance. Hamilton's slump at the end of the season typified his team's collapse. What should have been an easy AL West title has now turned into a long fall in Texas, and likely the end of Josh Hamilton's Rangers career as he enters free agency looking for a big pay day. Detroit took Game 1 at home behind a strong outing by ace Justin Verlander. It is nice to see the A's back in the playoffs, especially because I think their home crowd (especially in left field) was always the best in the playoffs when at the peak of the Moneyball years in the early 2000s. *- The infield fly rule, before it gained notoriety on Friday night, was something of a humorous shibboleth among baseball fans. If a guy doesn't know the infield fly rule, he's probably not enough of a fan to engage in a conversation about baseball. But if a girl knows the rule, she's probably a spy...
SOCCERROO FOX Posted 7 October 2012 Author Posted 7 October 2012 Whilst it was a ludicrous call, the braves were there own worst enemy in the match and i was glad to see the Orioles progress. The A's may be in a bit of trouble down 2 nil but play the next 3 at home. Cueto had back spasms so may be able to pitch game 3 as a straight swap for Latos who had to come in and relieve. Hoping Aroyo can get the job done today to send us 2nil so we can head home to clinch the series
SOCCERROO FOX Posted 7 October 2012 Author Posted 7 October 2012 Whilst it was a ludicrous call, the braves were there own worst enemy in the match and i was glad to see the Orioles progress. The A's may be in a bit of trouble down 2 nil but play the next 3 at home. Cueto had back spasms so may be able to pitch game 3 as a straight swap for Latos who had to come in and relieve. Hoping Aroyo can get the job done today to send us 2nil so we can head home to clinch the series
Jordan Posted 8 October 2012 Posted 8 October 2012 I missed last night's game (and I'm going to have to miss most of tonight's game, too), but I'm quite pleased with the result. The Orioles have been able to win so many close games due to their excellent bullpen, and pounding Jim Johnson in the 9th may have dented the O's psyche. Winning Game 1 and potentially still having three home games left to play in this format is huge.
SOCCERROO FOX Posted 8 October 2012 Author Posted 8 October 2012 The 9th innings for your yankees was brilliant and Johnson really seemed to succumb to the pressure. Was really happy with Arroyo pitched brilliantly and we were able to take to Mads early. 2 nil away from home is a brilliant result and a chance Cueto might pitch game 3.
Guest MattP Posted 11 October 2012 Posted 11 October 2012 Amazing end at Yankee Stadium, take a bow Raul Ibanez.
SOCCERROO FOX Posted 11 October 2012 Author Posted 11 October 2012 A hell of a lot better seens at Oakland. I'm getting nervous lost a tight one in the 3rd and didn't give a yelp in the 4th (Had Leake starting so not surprised). Latos back for the 5th need to win.
LanguedocFox Posted 11 October 2012 Posted 11 October 2012 I've been a fan of the Orioles since the mid-80s when I had an office in Baltimore for a couple of years and used to visit regularly. They were playing then at the Memorial Stadium, which dated back to the 1950s, and it was a great venue. I used to love going up above third base, drinking beer and eating nachos, and just drinking in the atmosphere: the Orioles were shite at time, so it was very much a home from home for a City fan. It's a bit like watching City in other ways too, because once I was a fan I remained a fan, even though I haven't seen them for over 20 years. And, like City, they've been going through a long period when they couldn't win a game to save their lives and playing at a new stadium to boot. But this year has been remarkable: they came second in their divison and won their wildcard game last Friday to go through to the divisional play-offs the day before City went top. I have a feeling they won't progress past the Yankees, which I hope is not an omen. Still, it's been fun to watch, albeit vicariously.
SimonMagoo Posted 12 October 2012 Posted 12 October 2012 I'm hoping for a Giants - Orioles world series. They are both scrappy, never say die clubs. It's really amazing what the O's have done this year with mediocre hitting and starting pitching. Until Johnson blew up a couple times in this series, the bull pen has been untouchable.
LanguedocFox Posted 13 October 2012 Posted 13 October 2012 Oh bugger: http://baltimore.ori...=recap&c_id=bal Pipped at the last. Fortunately being a City fan for more than 50 years has prepared me for a life of disappointment. On the other hand, Washington fans must be suicidal: 6-0 up and you blow it. Must have been some game http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2012_10_12_slnmlb_wasmlb_1&mode=recap&c_id=was
Guest MattP Posted 13 October 2012 Posted 13 October 2012 Nothing more you can say about the Cards, last night was incredible, these guys just know how to win baseball games. Some outrageous odds matched for them in Betfair to win the WS while they were 6-0 down.
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