Rocky

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.

I don't think there's any "maybe" to it. Widespread awareness will make many (but not all) people give it thought, and hopefully many will realize how horrible this "cultural" issue is. Indeed, just because slavery was culturally acceptible at one time doesn't mean it wasn't cruel. And when enough people (other than the white land/plantation owners who benefitted from it) became aware of it, abolition of the practice was inevitable even if it still took a great deal of time and anguish to see it actually happen. Writing letters to editors of your local newspapers is also an excellent way to continue to raise awareness and outrage. Several of the posts on this thread are structured as questions. Rhetorical questions. I strongly recommend that folks who articulated those posts write concise (editors often favor pithy letters at or less than 200 words long) letters on this subject and get them (by email) to those editors of your local news publications. I've seen it work MANY times... and have had many letters of my own published. The most effective letters get readers to come up with the answer(s) on their own. One of the best ways to do that is by posing very pointed rhetorical questions... questions for which there can only be one serious answer... and the reader then thinks he/she came up with the answer on their own.

I hope you don't mind that I changed the color for the DBacks to "Sedona Red"! ;) Yes, they are making a lot of noise... how about their rookie CF Chris Young... leads MLB in leadoff HRs and hit two of the big flies in today's game (with 4 RBIs). He's starting to fuel some speculation he could be in the race for rookie of the year. Dbacks have plenty of games left with division rivals, including in SD this week, hosting Colorado next weekend and then hosting SD the following week. It's still going to be tough to get past the Mets... and the Brewers/Cubs are looking like they'll make serious runs at the playoffs... neither team being any kind of push over.

Yes he was.

I realize he's your son. However, he's got a major attitude problem. It's a common problem with young adults that think they are smarter than everyone around them. I'm sure he'll grow out of it. But until he does, he'll probably face plenty of hard knocks from people he thinks should respect him before he earns their respect. He's the one needing to become contrite.... and doing so will help him expedite that learning process. And while you're out there name calling.... I AM a veteran. I'd rather not have to spell out how and why I feel I have a right to speak. It is, however, what it is. Thank you wRonG, for your unwavering support. Ding... You are now free to continue your campaign to bring about anarchy in the US.

Again, I believe your arrogance is a terrible representation of the US military. YOUR tone has been haughty and you have shown not only disrespect but a lack of insight on quite a number of areas of life in America. In particular, you have made snide comments and apparently made assumptions about your audience. Those assumptions appear to empower your know-it-all attitude. You said that MY tone reflects disrespect toward "all of the service members." You could NOT be more wrong. I do not care how many acronyms and/or abbreviations you put beside your name. You have not qualified to properly represent yourself as such an all knowing authority. In fact, it appears you have much room to improve your body of knowledge and even more room to improve your perspective/wisdom. Your comments about me demonstrate that to a very large degree. I'll refrain from spelling out what in my background and experience has given me or prepared me to do or say. I am well aware of the topic of this thread. And I appreciate the reference you provided us to your age. It sets your world view in proper perspective for readers here AND it provides clues that lead me to believe you will have (and make good use of) plenty of opportunities to develop a more robust body of knowledge and understanding... which, one day, will earn you the respect you apparently believe you deserve now, without needing to resort to citations of your acronyms and abbreviations. God bless you young man.

This is from the recap of the game... Owings got the loss but only gave up 3 runs. He pitched reasonably well... but didn't get any offensive support.

Micah Owings, in his first at bat (of his first start) since his big day last weekend, homered on the first pitch! Is it a fluke? I do not believe so. He did pinch hit once in the meantime, and walked that time.

Well, Senior, you forget one very important thing. You forget that WE really don't care what rank you hold or how you got there. And while your insight as a member of the Navy is useful, it doesn't necessarily translate to civilian life at this point.