2011 MLB Season Discussion

[Timby]

Ryan Howard is confirmed to have suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon on the final play in the Phillies' loss. Ouch.

Of course, they could play Mayberry Jr. at first, and based on his regular season this year (very certainly a career year, but work with me here), they might actually get more production out of the position.

Maybe finally people will realize that RBIs are bullshit. In any event, I still can't get over that fucking moronic extension (12:$20M, 13:$20M, 14:$25M, 15:$25M, 16:$25M, 17:$23M club option) for Howard, a guy with a career .231 average against lefties. That's almost as insane as the deal Boston gave Carl Crawford.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Is there some bad blood betwixt Cardinals and Brewers that I'm not aware of?

I mean, first Greinke starts talking smack about Chris Carpenter, then in tonight's NLCS Jaime Garcia drills Fielder (immediately after Braun's HR) and there is no reaction whatsoever? The commentators implied that this has been going on all season but as I don't normally follow either team I don't know how true this is...

 

[clint g]

I assume it's just because they threw all the money in the world at a pitcher and he turned them down to play somewhere else for a reason besides money.

No, it's because I've noticed Phillies fans talking more shit about the Yankees than fans of most other teams


Excluding Red Sox fans of course, but they've been doing it for almost a century so it's a bit different

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ I hate the Phillies because I am (also) a Mets fan. It's got sod-all to do with Cliff Lee; I doubt he ever intended to seriously consider the Yankees' offer.

This is why I'm glad that it won't be a Phillies/Red Sox WS this year. My two favorite teams' most hated rivals BOTH in it? That would not be pleasant.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

I assume it's just because they threw all the money in the world at a pitcher and he turned them down to play somewhere else for a reason besides money.

No, it's because I've noticed Phillies fans talking more shit about the Yankees than fans of most other teams


Excluding Red Sox fans of course, but they've been doing it for almost a century so it's a bit different

Well, if the Mets didn't suck, we could keep our hate directed at them, but they've always tried to pull of the loveable losers instead of the evil empire. Plus, there's still the World Series two years ago.

 

[SmoothieX]

Well, if the Mets didn't suck, we could keep our hate directed at them, but they've always tried to pull of the loveable losers instead of the evil empire.

I root for them, but also direct my hate at them. They are far from lovable. They're like the Evil Empire, if the Empire was run by Jar Jar. The Incompetent Empire, perhaps?

 

[Alidar Jarok]

I guess that works. My point is, right now, the division rivalry is with the Braves (who I do hate, mind you). The New York-Philly thing has to be at the Yankees instead. Of course, the Yankees are compounded by the fact that they're the Yankees. Same reason I hate the Cowboys (historically) and the Patriots (currently).

 

[Icemizer]

And so another poor soul has commited to stretch in the hell that is called the Chicago Cubs. Epstein your glory years are behind you and you only face despair and failure in your new position. Many have come, all have failed. You will be Cubbed before you know it and wondering how all your schemes of victory could desert you so quickly. Your owner will not spend and the farm system will not produce. You have nothing on the field worth salvaging. The ballpark needs a wrecking ball. You will point to your success in another town with a team that had not won in what seemed like forever, but they were not the Cubs. They are a team built on the happiness of almost, should have, and wait til next year. For what its worth Epstein, next year never comes.

 

[Timby]

I'd get excited about Epstein joining the Cubs, and then I remember the Carl Crawford deal. Still, I'll hope for the best.

 

[Skywalker]

Hey, at least your team doesn't actually have to worry about that deal.

I still think Crawford only got that much money because of that crazy deal the Nationals gave Jayson Werth. Crawford still would have gotten a big contract, sure, but probably not as big as he did end up getting.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Not talking about Epstein specifically, just in general: Can GMs be inducted into the Hall of Fame? I know managers can, but can GMs also be?

 

[Skywalker]

Yes. Lee MacPhail, who served in the Yankees front office for years and was GM for both the Yankees and the Orioles, was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1998. For a more recent example, Pat Gillick, who was general manager for the Blue Jays, Orioles, Mariners, and Phillies, was inducted just this year.

 

[SmoothieX]

I'd get excited about Epstein joining the Cubs, and then I remember the Carl Crawford deal. Still, I'll hope for the best.

I wish he played better last year, so we could have gotten more Hot Carl references.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

I'd get excited about Epstein joining the Cubs, and then I remember the Carl Crawford deal. Still, I'll hope for the best.

A change was necessary and Theo is one of the best.

How little he has to spend to dump Zambrano will show how good he really is

 

[Tom Servo]

According to sources, Ben Cherington is to be named as the new GM of the Red Sox. The man has a lot of work and a lot of hard choices ahead of him.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Think Epstein will bring in Ryne Sandberg as Cubs manager?

 

[Timby]

I'd get excited about Epstein joining the Cubs, and then I remember the Carl Crawford deal. Still, I'll hope for the best.

A change was necessary and Theo is one of the best.

Oh, I don't disagree, I'm a huge fan of Theo. It's just that his free agency moves (horribly overpaying for Crawford, Dice-K, John Lackey) can be a little worrisome at times. That said, it'll be nice to have someone who isn't a barely functional retard running the team.

Think Epstein will bring in Ryne Sandberg as Cubs manager?

There's talk about that, but I don't want to see him. Cubs fans scream that "RYNO'S OUR GUY" and whatnot without ever actually pondering why they want him. He's very much an over-manager type and he fucking loves to bunt. But even ignoring that, the fact that he stuck Dom Brown at DH for a month in AAA in favor of Scott fucking Podsednik getting reps because he wanted to win the Governor's Cup should be a fireable offense.

 

[SmoothieX]

He's been passed over a couple times before. For whatever reason he doesn't seem to pass the organizational sniff test.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I saw Ryne in the Phillies dugout during the NLDS and I wondered what he was doing there. Is Charlie Manuel thinking of packing it in?

Edit: Forgot that Ryne was managing in AAA Lehigh.

 

[SmoothieX]

Odd, is he still under contract to the Cubs orginzation?