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Baseball (the talkin' sport)


Tom Strange
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quote: I'll be watching for the Johniam highlights on baseball tonight!

None forthcoming. But it was a great game to see. Cards won largely thanks to 2 home runs by Mr. Albert thank you. We sat next to a guy who was an Angels fan. Didn't have the nerve to ask him if he was actually from LA, but he called Chone Figgins "Figgie" when cheering for him. Hmm.

It had been frustrating. We go to one or two games a year at the most. In '05 Pujols missed a home run by a foot (foul pole) and then last year he hit 2 doubles that hit the center field wall missing home runs by 3 feet, but today we finally got to see him hit a home run. Slow start but his stats are climbing.

I can't believe the Cards are playing as well as they have lately with their current starting rotation. The starter today got his first big league call up a month ago and 3 other starters were relievers last year. Kip Wells was a starter last year...and he's 2-10. :confused: I think the Cubs will win the NL Central this year. For all their troubles they have good players. If Prior can come back injury free. Who knows?

Word has it that this might be LaRussa's last year in STL. He isn't ready to retire; he's just sick of the Card's cheap spending habits.

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Well... the Dbacks/Yankers series, set to start a few minutes ago, is off to a rapidly SLOW start... because they did NOT start (it's raining in the Bronx).

So, who knows, maybe they'll play a doubleheader tomorrow... or be playing until 4am tonight/tomorrow.

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You can count on the game itself going close to 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

For some reason the Yankees and Red Sox play extremely slow games- especially against each other. If anyone knows why I'd like to hear it.

Three words: Tee Vee Commercials... plain and simple... they know they've got a big audience...

Edited by Tom Strange
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Three words: Tee Vee Commercials... plain and simple... they know they've got a big audience...

But Tom, that only happens during pitching changes and in between innings.

Other things make games take longer. Most often, the pitchers' rhythms. Some times a pitcher will get the ball back from the catcher or umpire and throw the next pitch within 5-10 seconds. But some pitchers take more than half a minute just thinking about it before putting his foot on the rubber to go into his wind up or pitch from the stretch. In a 10 pitch at bat, for example, that might mean a difference of 5 or more minutes per batter. And, of course, some batters work the count more patiently than others.

This evening, the Yankee starter had a 6 pitch inning. 533.gif Why so many first pitch swingers, I don't know.

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This evening, the Yankee starter had a 6 pitch inning. 533.gif Why so many first pitch swingers, I don't know.

That's a good question,Rocky....I don't know too much about Wang (the NY starter tonight),but I would imagine since he was the runner-up to Webb for the Cy Young award last year,he has pretty good 'stuff' and control...Those good pitchers can make a strike look like a ball coming at you and vice-versa,and they're also less likely to leave a pitch out there over the plate for a hitter...Good pitches to hit are rare to see in the course of a game,especially with a top-notch starter,so I think the tendency is for batters to be more aggressive at the plate when facing good starting pitching....

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That's a good question,Rocky....I don't know too much about Wang (the NY starter tonight),but I would imagine since he was the runner-up to Webb for the Cy Young award last year,he has pretty good 'stuff' and control...

?????????????

Do you mean...

Coming off a five-hitter at the Chicago White Sox, Wang (6-4) allowed six hits and walked none in seven innings. Runner-up for the AL Cy Young Award last year, he has won his last three starts and five of six overall.
From the recap of the Tuesday game, at http://cbs.sportsline.com
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quote: It's an off day--- I stumbled on THIS a few minutes ago which may be the funniest Wikipedia article I have ever read

Ive never heard Harrelson announce , but I have to give the writer some credit for humorous delivery

Tragically, I've heard him announce. Well, I didn't find him all that annoying. I remember him when he was with Boston. Once at Tiger stadium somebody threw a fire cracker on the field which exploded near him. He got POd and hit a home run. When I heard him announce he recalled trying to use a corked bat. He said Bill Freehan caught him. He hit a home run and Freehan said, "You're strong, but not THAT strong!" He wasn't mad; he just had respect for Freehan's leadership, sounded like.

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Harrelson may be the worst in a large field of bad announcers. My cable gets wgn , so I get a fair share of White Sox and Cubs games.

I cringe whenever he refers to the Sox as the 'good guys'. You expect the announcer to be a 'homer' to a degree, but for me that's too extreme.

I also don't like his 'pick to click' before each game.He picks a Sox player who's going to have a big day, based on nothing that I can see. I've been to plenty of Dodger games where noone has 'clicked', and if someoone has, you could never 'predict' it.

He's also just annoying to listen to. I don't listen often or closely enough to pick out his gaffes , goofs, and blunders, but I just don't like the delivery.

I am once again thankful for Vin Scully, and sad that his days are numbered, though he seems like he could go on forever.

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sidebar / counter :)

my kid went into last evening's game with a batting avg. of 696 and then at the game he was 3 for 3 (so i hear that's good !)

he hasn't struck out yet this season in little league

he got 4 or 5 homeruns, but the best for him (just for the experience) was when it went over the fence and got to trot around and the whole team met him at home plate.... the ump did something in the air with his pointer finger, like go on around.....

he said it loved it, but that he was still going to try and just place the ball with the right hits to get on base, etc.

he's so cute

--

ps. mstar, my 5 brothers seem like they're in a better mood these days ;)

Edited by excathedra
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he got 4 or 5 homeruns, but the best for him (just for the experience) was when it went over the fence and got to trot around and the whole team met him at home plate.... the ump did something in the air with his pointer finger, like go on around.....

he said it loved it, but that he was still going to try and just place the ball with the right hits to get on base, etc.

he's so cute

--

ps. mstar, my 5 brothers seem like they're in a better mood these days ;)

Yeah... that IS pretty cool when the ump makes that signal that it's a home run... no doubt your little guy is having a great time playing.

Now, as to your brothers.... 1106.gif

They MUST be Yankers fans... says the desert dweller after the Arizona franchise graciously supplied the "resurgent" (not to be confused with INsurgent) Bronx Bombers with three pretty easy wins. 533.gif

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Well....when do we get the pictures and highlights i asked for months ago??? Hmmm??

:) :wink2:

your not gonna make me miss the best baseball of the season are you?

.696 :eusa_clap: I love little league!

and PS My yank fan friends are smiling and happy too, its bizarre, they were suicidal two weeks ago

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That's because 2 weeks ago the Yankees were dying a slow death.

I never get 'suicidal', even in it's most tongue in cheek context, but I had given up on them this year.

Last I looked they're still about 8 games out-which ain't exactly knocking on the door.

The surprise team for me so far is (are?) the Angels. They desperately needed to get some more bats, and didn't, yet are playing like they can win it all. They play 3 in Dodger Stadium this weekend, which should be fun. I'll be taking in Sunday's game.

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That's because 2 weeks ago the Yankees were dying a slow death.

I never get 'suicidal', even in it's most tongue in cheek context, but I had given up on them this year.

Last I looked they're still about 8 games out-which ain't exactly knocking on the door.

The surprise team for me so far is (are?) the Angels. They desperately needed to get some more bats, and didn't, yet are playing like they can win it all. They play 3 in Dodger Stadium this weekend, which should be fun. I'll be taking in Sunday's game.

Team IS (singular). The Angels IS one team.

They are playing well... good for them. I'll be cheering for the Angels in that "freeway series"! (as if you couldn't guess) ;)

But "they are" playing well... isn't the English language a wonderful thing?!

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Last I looked they're still about 8 games out-which ain't exactly knocking on the door.

No--but they were 14 1/2 games out a week or so a go

making up 6 1/2 games in a week has all those Yank fans grinnin again

knew when people were conceeding the Sox as division winners that it was way too early--Maybe they will bt it is still a long season left

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I'm grinning a little myself over the Yankees revival. In baseball, grins can turn into frowns mighty quick , though. As the great philosopher Yogi Berra said-"in baseball, you don't know nothing".

Of course alot of what people say Yogi said, he never really said. Seems he could go days without saying anything. But in this case , I believe it.

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I just noticed the Yogi quote posted by mstar. That's another one that is genuine Yogi.

Yogi was/is brilliant!, enough of these 700 page philosophical works--I'll take Yogi one liners any day

I was in Boston yesterday--- some enterprising individual had little stands all over the city selling foam rubber Astericks, for the Giants/Bonds visit to Fenway starting tonight :biglaugh:

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Yogi was/is brilliant!, enough of these 700 page philosophical works--I'll take Yogi one liners any day

I was in Boston yesterday--- some enterprising individual had little stands all over the city selling foam rubber Astericks, for the Giants/Bonds visit to Fenway starting tonight :biglaugh:

We get Yogi-isms fairly regularly here in the desert because his buddy Joe Garagiola Sr. lives here and still fills in for Mark Grace on TV broadcasts when Grace goes on assignment for Saturday Fox broadcasts... Joe's a great story teller.

I LOVE that ASTERISK idea! Hey SimonZ... what-a-ya-say we see about doing something like that for the next time the Giants come to town?

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In a way, I think Joe Garagiola 'invented' Yogi, in the sense that he 'got' the stuff Yogi would mutter, and talk about them in an entertaining manner. Since they've been friends since childhood in St Louis, noone knows Yogi better.

Yogi never , ever, tries to be clever or profound. A true Yogi-ism is a statement that seems absurd on the surface, but makes perfect sense. "It gets late, early here", referring to the deep shadows in Yankee Stadium left field as the afternoon wears on, or nixing a restaurant because" noone goes there anymore, it's too crowded".

Joe, being a great communicator, brought many of these gems to life.

Joe G and Yogi-they don't make em like that anymore.

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In a way, I think Joe Garagiola 'invented' Yogi, in the sense that he 'got' the stuff Yogi would mutter, and talk about them in an entertaining manner. Since they've been friends since childhood in St Louis, noone knows Yogi better.

Yogi never , ever, tries to be clever or profound. A true Yogi-ism is a statement that seems absurd on the surface, but makes perfect sense. "It gets late, early here", referring to the deep shadows in Yankee Stadium left field as the afternoon wears on, or nixing a restaurant because" noone goes there anymore, it's too crowded".

Joe, being a great communicator, brought many of these gems to life.

Joe G and Yogi-they don't make em like that anymore.

That's for sure! (to all of the above)

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