Rocky

Should I give lessons in subtlety?

Hey Eagle, why don't you root for the Indians?

For me, it's Steinbrenner.... but he's hardly the only egomaniac to own/run an MLB franchise. Jerry Colangelo was up there with him, until an expanded group of investors/partners pushed him out of the picture in Dback's land. btw,... Though the Padres got some pretty good licks in on the Dbacks last week and this, the Dbacks nailed the Padres both last night (against the highly touted Chris Young) and tonight against NL Cy Young frontrunner Jake Peavy. 8 earned runs against Peavy tonight. Though it was only by 3 runs, it was still a convincing win.... So, with ALL of their regular season games together now in the record books, the Dbacks own a one game lead in the NL West... When the Dbacks lose, boy do they look bad. But when they win like these last two games, they look like they could beat anybody. Now, bring on the StL Cards with Pujols and SLUGGER Rick Ankiel (Ankiel hit his 7th HR tonight)...

I did see that... and it also appeared to me that he hadn't posted anything yet. Welcome!

Yes, Brooks Robinson... the human vacuum cleaner. He was the best!

Well, MY 2cents worth isn't worth much (since I always, in a cash transaction at retail establishments, tell the cashier to "keep the pennies"), but I too dislike the Yankers. Though in the 1960s, in upstate NY, I was somewhat of a NYY fan. Those were glorious years, with Mantle, Maris, Whitey Ford and others... I lived then in the city where the Baltimore Orioles farmed on the AAA level (Rochester)... and transitioned to root for the O's. With Boog, Jim Palmer, Dave McNally, Mark Belanger, Mike Cuellar and others.... But now, from the East, I like the BoSox and Cubs, but the home team is my team... you know which team that is by now, I hope. Tonight, the Dbacks returned last night's favor for the Padres... stomping them 9-1 (last night it was 10-2 Pads). Rubber game on Weds... the two teams are now tied for the division lead. We need some baseball related emoticons!

Nah... nobody really talks about it unless they're broadcasting a Cards game... it's understandable that you would find it intriguing (and surprising). :)

Btw, Hiway... I'm glad your Dodgers won today. :)

LaRussa has been doing this off and on for a few years... Obviously, it seems bizarre to most. Depending on the pitcher (like Micah Owings) it could become a big deal in any given game. Being in a National League city, I see the patterns associated with the traditional NL lineup with a catcher (or the defense's weakest hitter) in the 8 spot and the pitcher 9th. Since most pitchers can't hit worth a damn, whoever bats 8th, depending on the score, potential baserunners and how late in the game, often doesn't get any good pitches. Pitched around and now on 1rst base, especially if there are two outs, the pitcher usually makes an out and that's the end of the threat. At minimum, with LaRussa's little lineup quirk, it takes that option off the table and forces the other team to think more.

Well, IMO Bumpy isn't a troll anyway. He obviously instigated some lively discussion. Whether he'll consider any of it, who knows. I believe the main point of most direct responses given to Bumpy's question is that people here believe it would NOT be a good idea to wipe the posts away once a month. And I agree with that.

Probably the same thing you did... hypothetically, of course. Apparently, you perceived he was trying to win you over with flattery (or kindness, or whatever way anyone might reasonably characterize his strategy). My hunch is that he's probably done this before and found it to work with some. btw, if you're not working full-time (which brings plenty of time pressures), I would also encourage the volunteering. I've been volunteering for just over two years now and it's made a huge (positive) impact on my life.

Well, the Dbacks (just barely) staved off a Padre come back tonight to avoid a sweep in the four game series in SD... now the Dbacks have 3 with the Rockies at home, then another Padres series in Phoenix next week.

Those pesky people from the other corpses have been DISSing us again!

WELL.... you know how to reach me here in cyberspace (PMs), if you ever plan on having much of a wait for connecting flights at Sky Harbor... I'm retired, so there's a good chance I'll be able to find time... with a little advance notice. Obviously, not so easy when your connecting flights are in LV.

And so far, the Padres are outplaying the Dbacks. The first game, Peavy beat Livan H., was a very good game. Dbacks just couldn't muster the offense. But Livan pitched a very good game and the Dbacks didn't mess up defensively. Last night, there were a few mistakes and the Padres took advantage... as they should have. But pardon me if I don't share your enthusiasm for the Yanks... I'd MUCH rather see the BoSox get beat by the Dbacks... but IF I HAD to bet right now, I would say BoSox/Mets... fortunately, I do NOT have to bet.

WELL.... USAir(ways) IS headquartered in Tempe, AZ (just about 3 miles from my house)... BUT... there's that pesky 100 degree weather we have to deal with for about 6 months every year. :)

That says it all.

But Hiway.... it's ALL in fun. Right, Mstar?! This IS a big rivalry week... Dbacks have six more games with the Padres over then next week and a half.... things could start to shake out afterward perhaps with teams emerging to lead their particular pac (division) in the quest for baseball in OCTOBER. Btw, while back a couple of months it may not have looked probable, the prospect of a Mets/BoSox WS isn't so far fetched at this point.

He already is claiming to have "found Jesus" as a result of this situation. Well, one thing the delay will cause is ensuring Vick will NOT be reinstated to his QB job in the NFL before the season starts... even IF he were just sentenced to probation and/or community service. The longer it takes for sentencing, the longer it will be before Vick can "rehabilitate" his image in an effort to return to football. THAT will cost him most and cause him the greatest personal loss/sacrifice.

Good insight. I'd venture to guess we'd see a much different experience if the Dbacks were in the same division as the BoSox or Yankers. As both of those teams are far more offensive (in a good way ;) ), I'd expect the disparity between runs given up and runs scored would be even more pronounced than it is now for the snakes. How that would stack up in the Win column is anyone's guess.

Well... I wouldn't consider Arizona (especially the Phoenix area) necessarily a "small" market, since we've become the 5th largest metro population in the US... BUT, ticket prices at Chase Field are insanely high, at least when compared to just a couple of years ago. In 1998, I had season tickets, two seats for $6.50/seat/game. The same seats now cost $15 each/game. And those seats were too high in the upper deck. I generally prefer the front row of the upper deck... and these days, those seats are going for $25 for anywhere between first and third bases. The Dbacks obviously mortgaged the franchise to win the WS in 2001, but these days have one of the smaller payrolls in MLB. I doubt they'll win it all this year, but still think they have a real good shot at making the playoffs. So, I guess my point is.... if a team can charge obscene prices and get away with it, then maybe they can compete against the big market teams.

Strictly coincidental, IMO... and there have been no local news stories about any correlation. Many (some?), however, probably are thankful that Johnson's season was over early (especially me). But finding a consistent fifth starter has not been easy (and hasn't yet taken place). If you're wondering about Johnson's traditional bad attitude and possible clubhouse ramifications, I can speculate out loud that I'm also glad that's not an issue... and really wasn't this season even when he was still trying to play. I think he knew that he needed to be a better teammate this year. We will, however, see how serious the Dbacks will be as playoff contenders in the next week or so as we have seven games against the Padres and this coming weekend are hosting division rivals, the Rockies.

I don't understand why you're thanking me, but you're welcome. :blink: Were you a New Yawker before landing in Tejas?

I gotta agree with Eyesopen and Notawayfer. I've been there and found it to be devoid of any kind of soul. Besides, if I want to give my money to a casino, there's one just a mile down the road from me on the Indian reservation (whose land I also live on). In the 1980s, as a single guy, I went to Vegas a couple of times. I enjoyed the strip clubs (not the clubs located on The Strip). But the novelty in that wears off pretty quickly.