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Tom Strange
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Well, Brandon Webb suffered his first loss of the season after nine straight victories to start the season at the hands of the Florida Marlins...Can somebody out there explain to me why Florida has a Major league baseball team?...I didn't see Webb's loss, but the night before I was flipping between the Cubs game and the D-backs/Marlins game...Now here you got a first place team, squaring off against the division leader in the NL West and 10,000 fans show up for the game?...That was the announced attendance, anyway, but every 'crowd' shot I saw---and I use the word 'crowd' generously--It looked like a gathering for a poetry reading...I doubt if more than 7,000 were in the house...Tonite's attendence was announced as 11,000---I know, I know---it was a school night...So you have a low-payroll first place club--playing in front of 5000 ushers, beer vendors and program salesman, who will probably weasel their way into their third championship in about ten years while long suffering generations of fans of the Phils, Mets, Pirates(why aren't they in the same division as the Phillies?) can only hope...I think it's time for some retraction--put the Marlins in the Carolina league and take the Devil Rays with them...Florida is for spring training...

Meanwhile Shawn Chacon of the Astros, in as many starts as Brandon Webb, finally gets a decision...In his tenth start of the season, including 7 quality starts, Chacon beat the Cubs 5-3, improving his record to 1-0....

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I didnt see the pujols thing but it sounds good...

I dont know how these Florida teams do it....(Although I have a suspicion the Rays are there specifically to give people from New England, New York, Baltimore and Toronto an excuse to spend 3 or 4 days in Florida--a t least it always seemes to be filled with away fans when I see a game..)..

I was at a game that eventually got rained out last week at Fenway, It could have been called at 6 but it wasnt officially called until almost 9. Play never started --but 37,000 people were milling around for 3 hours.

Having nothing much else to do I was wondering how much they made per hour from people just being there...Beer at 7.25, Water at 4.25, food astronomically priced etc. I stayed very conservative and still spent about $30--$35-

If that was average thats over a million bucks brought in during a rainout just on the extras...but there were also mountains of people buying the high price items-- the $100 sweatshirts, $200 coats, and game jerseys--game used bats, and the people who had to keep families of kids entertained for three hours buying foam fingers and $30.00 hats and all that residue--Whatever they brought in it had to have been huge --and the game wasnt even played... and this doesnt even include the highest priced tickets in baseball...I know the RS are "hot" right now-- a lot of clingers etc etc. but

How on earth, from a business standpoint, do these FL teams stay in business if they cant draw even a minimal crowd with very good teams?

I dunno

If they retract em I call dibs on Hanley Ramirez and Scott Kazmir though.

It was good to see a whole slew of Brewers fans who came to Fenway for the weekend, thats a long way and they all paid huge to do it

Edited by mstar1
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I'll be at Dodger Stadium Saturday night, to see the Cardinals playing like the 'gas house gang'. That is, if it doesn't rain -we had tornadoes in LA yesterday !

My latest favorite player is Blake DeWitt. He wasn't supposed to make the team this year before Nomar went down, and Andy LaRoche got hurt. When Nomar came off the dl, they sent Blake back down-until Nomar went on the dl again 2 days later, and they had to call him back.

Now I don't see how they can take him out of the line up, and I certainly hope they're not thinking of moving him aside for Andy LaRoche. I don't know what to make of Nomar.

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I dont either---I know what the rumor has been off and on around here ('roids) (but I wont say it..)

I'll have to check up on DeWitt--he's slipped under my radar (thats easy to do..)but I'm lovin watchin the whole next generation come up...

The Sox are loaded---Jacoby Ellsbury (possibly the fastest base runner I have ever seen), Pedroia (leads the league in hits), Buchholz, Lester(the no hit kids) Jed Lowrey (no place to put him but a great infielder with power from both sides of the plate)--Justin Masterson a big big kid came up and made a brilliant spot start, and there are still names I have yet to see but heard great things about. The 'kids' are very exciting-Its hard to pick any favorite--Im likin em all...

I got to see Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder last weekend...it looks like baseball will be fine and fun for at least the next 20 years.

Rain? in California? I didnt know that was legal!

Be careful of those damn tornadoes!

strap yourself in---or at least pray its blowing out while your guys are up..

have agood time

Edited by mstar1
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From the Newberg Report:

Jon Daniels has been rightfully praised for the package of prospects he was able to exact from Atlanta when it became apparent that Texas needed to entertain the idea of trading Mark Teixeira last summer.

In the last month a number of writers have extended their kudos to include the July pillaging of Boston, as Daniels acquired David Murphy, Kason Gabbard, and Engel Beltre for Eric Gagné. (Do you realize that, as ugly as this club’s outfield was at times last year, Texas now has three outfielders leading the league in at least one key offensive category?)

In a year or two, it’s conceivable that those two deals, even if they produce as many think they will, will lag the third trade that Daniels made last July, when he traded away a 40-year-old who, not by choice, is without a baseball job in 2008.

Of course, we stRanger fans fully expect them to screw it up in some way...

hey starman: next time you see theo at the ballpark give him a big "thank yew" from us!

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:biglaugh:

Will do!

I know Theo's far from perfect and i'd love to have Gabbard and Murphy back (well and Hanley Ramirez would be fun to watch too--but considering we got Josh Beckett AND Mike Lowell for him I guess thats OK)...

Also considering that we have 9 quality starting pitchers anyway (yea really--they are shuttling back and forth to AAA), and an overloaded outfield, I guess its OK fo this round...but if yous guys are feeling guilty I still have my eye on Taylor Teagarden for ayear or two down the road--feel free to ship him on up!!

....I still cant believe that the Brewers gave Gagne $10M

......

For no particular reason other than Im still somewhat amazed...Ive been watching the knuckleballer Tim Wakefield for years now, Its been mostly on Tv and occasionally at a game with seats somewhere fairly distant but last week was the first time I was very close in

with seats near the plate while he was pitching.

Ay Flippin'Carumba!

The knuckleball up close is INSANE!

No wonder he has to have his own catcher, who regualrly has a bunch of PBs in a game

No wonder batters have trouble hitting it.

Ive known this for years -but viewing it up close --YIKES--

When its on-it floats in as slow as a little league pitch then darts at these incredibly insane weird angles as it nears the plate, Every one is different-- no two break the same. I doubt Wakefield even knows where they are going...

When its on--I dont see how anyone can hit it, of course its not "always on", a few that dont "knuckle" throughout the game are like little league pitches begging to be hammered.

Fun to watch, I dont remember too many times Ive watched a 65mph pitch and had my jaw drop or spontaneously break into laughter at the sheer absurdity of it --but I did the other night...

I like Tim Wakefield--- a great team guy -In the next life Im gonna learn the knuckleball

Edited by mstar1
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I havent been following the Tejas catching situation all that closely so far, I remember looking in the middle of the winter and was very impressed about what I read about Teagarden---Hopefully Theo is on it though..

The Red Sox are sound in a lot of areas and of course have alot of big names, but to me the crucial and one irreplaceble piece that has transformed the team over the last five years or so has been Jason Varitek.

He's underrated compared to alot of the others, but he is the real and almost invisible glue and the leader that puts it all together and makes it all possible. At 35 and on the downside of his career he will be a tough one to replace.

You have an abundance of catching --I wouldnt be surprised if at some point a deal is put the works--Hopefully yous guys will still be in it and clawing at the trade deadline and need someone up front

Except Im hoping this time the fortunes will be a little reversed (from last year that is :wink2: )

The deadline trade in the mid90's with Seattle when the Red Sox gave up the immortal Heathcliff Slocumb for two minor leaguers Derek Lowe and Jason Varitek was one of the best trades in club history.

I'll take a repeat of that type of thing anyday :)

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Varitek is one of the best, but they all get old at some point....

...and when someone needs a catcher... they NEED a catcher

Its strange I dont know what fans in other cities think of him, he's just a quiet completely competent guy amongst a team of stars and big names but he is undoubtably the leader, a rare player and probably one of the smartest and hardest working baseball guys I have ever seen and has the right attitude that has transformed the team

He'll in all likelihood never make the Hall of Fame--but when he leaves ( in whatever--- 2 or 3 years) there will be a big big hole that will be very difficult to fill.

Others--even people like Manny--who you know I love---someone, somewhere could be found who could hit 35Hr and have 100RBI.

Replacing Tek wont be so easy..

anyhooos

Ive noticed stubhub is alittle more reasonable this year, which is a good thing.

Thankfully, through some sort of divine intervention I was able to get these at face value (still expensive)directly from the RedSox

Call 1-800-mstarhub

100_1691.jpg

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Its strange I dont know what fans in other cities think of him,

well... let's see... he's caught more no hitters than any catcher in major league history... hmmm... unless you're catching for Nolan Ryan, that says a whole lot there...

...tell Theo to make a trade for Laird ...he's ready to go, his arm is at least in the top quarter of catchers and then Jason can groom him for a year or two ...and we'll get another pitcher, etc from y'all...

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Holy cow,...stRanger...Where did this Josh Hamilton come from?...I never heard of him 'til last week...58 ribeyes after 54 games?...Look out, Hack Wilson...What's the story with him?...They said he battled a drug problem...before he hit the bigs?...Who's setting the table for him?...

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Ian Kinsler (as of yesterday the top offensive 2b in MLB) and Michael Young (don't need to tell you about him do I?) bat Leadoff and second in front of Hamilton... Milton Bradley (who is behaving nicely) bats cleanup behind him and has an astronomical OBP...

Josh Hamilton is the SI cover boy this week with a lengthy story chronicaling his wretched past... from what I hear it's a great story... he's very open about stuff with the local press... we got him by trading Edinson Volquez to the Cincinnati Redlegs during the offseason... a trade that is (so far) working out quite well for both teams...

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Josh Hamilton is the SI cover boy this week with a lengthy story chronicaling his wretched past... from what I hear it's a great story
t1_cover0602.jpg

Here 'tis----It is a good story---Good for him...

Josh Hamilton is at peace now, at peace even when he sleeps. "I used to have dreams all the time," he says. "They were so real, I'd wake up and take a real deep breath in, like I was hitting the crack pipe."

During his darkest hours -- after he had been banished from baseball in 2004 and was doing coke, downing a bottle of Crown Royal a day and burning through his entire $4 million signing bonus -- Hamilton had recurring dreams that he was "fighting the devil, an awful-looking thing," with a stick or a bat, swinging but always missing. In his dreams he saw a SWAT team outside his window, about to storm his room; he saw demon faces; he saw his father on the other side of the door trying to save him. When Josh's wife, Katie, temporarily kicked him out of their house three years ago, he moved in with his maternal grandmother, Mary Holt, and there were nights he would wake up in a sweat, walk down the hall and crawl under the covers with her.

Even last year, when he played his first major league season, with the Reds, Hamilton says, "I had these dreams where I'm still going to get or use drugs, but then the pee-test guy starts showing up out of nowhere." Hamilton looks down, shakes his head and laughs. "He just stands there, haunting my dreams."

....

The rest of the story..HERE

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Well--y'all know I have to gush ---With all my own ups and downs of the last 8 years--One of my favorite things to do has been watching the quirky goofball with one of the sweetest swings in baseball

mannywelcome.jpg

Edited by mstar1
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Yeah, Manny...Goddamn--Celtings in the finals,---has that ever happened before, one city in the finals of all the big three championships?...'Tho technically, I guess the Bosox championship was last year...

Within one 12 month period, beginning with last October... technically.

Perhaps we should ask Scott McClellan -- What Happened? rolleyes003.gif

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Really, mstar, you longsuffering beantown fans deserve to do your gushing...You've paid your dues---except for the goddamn Celts, of course...

Little different subject, but I just got done telling Rocky by e-mail that I rarely read political opinion pieces, but just this morning I did read Dan Bickley's opinion piece in the Az. Republic (Rocky, technical yeoman that he is, could probably link it if he opts to) about speeding up the game of baseball...I unequivically disagree with any crazy thoughts about making and enforcing rules for players to speed up the game...Shorten the commercial time---fine---but leave the game the way it is...If the cell-phone talking, text-messaging, mouse-clicking, channel-surfing, joystick squeezing, "Wrigley Stadium"-calling A.D.D. crowd can't sit down and enjoy a baseball game the way it is than let them stay the hell away from the ballpark...They can watch arena football or mud wrestling or go extreme bowling...For Pete's sake, the game's been around for well over 100 years without all the fast paced bells and whistles to try to make it more entertaining than it already is...If people are bored with the pace of baseball---good---stay home...It'll eventually lower ticket prices for the true-blue fans...

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has that ever happened before, one city in the finals of all the big three championships?...
I was out of touch during my way years--It may have happened around 85-86 with the same three teams -Im not sure if it has happened anywhere else----

I have hard time believing thats its actually happening NOW and i get to see it..

An interesting stat:

Batting Averages of 500+ HR club:

Williams .344

Ruth .342

Foxx .325

Ramirez .312

Thats pretty good company--and I get to see that as well----amazing.

Later:

Really, mstar, you longsuffering beantown fans deserve to do your gushing...You've paid your dues---except for the goddamn Celts, of course...

I might--Im trying to find a Manny highlight reel that if I find I may post-I really cant say enough about the guy and how much fun he has been too watch over the years, and what he has done for the franchise . the city and the way fans approach the game

In his days in Cleveland, the Indians sold out for years, won and baseball was fun--

He has brought the same thing here. Baseball was always fun, but for years in Boston it was also an exercise in angst...

No more.

I make no bones about it--I love Manny...

...........

As far as speeding up the game--I'll look up the article and read it later, right off the bat I agree with what you say about the mollycoddling of the casual fans---but somethings do irk me at times, Last year the O's had Steve Trachsel who I watched a few times ,and criminy, you could go out and get a beer or two and eat a hotdog in between pitches---that got annoying after awhile because it affected the rhythms in the game--stuff like that i wouldnt mind controlling a little. but artificially speeding it up also effects the natural rhythms of the game---there's got to be balance they can find somewhere.

---------------

Celtics vs Lakers

Im lovin it-- just like old times.

It was good to see John Havlicek (he used to be on my paper route) presenting the Eastern Divison Trophy, maybe we'll catch a glimpse of Jerry West..

_______

Damn--world series ring on my finger, a nohitter last week, a 500th homerun this week , and an NBA final

I dont know how this happened--but Im lovin it all!

Edited by mstar1
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Really, mstar, you longsuffering beantown fans deserve to do your gushing...You've paid your dues---except for the goddamn Celts, of course...

Little different subject, but I just got done telling Rocky by e-mail that I rarely read political opinion pieces, but just this morning I did read Dan Bickley's opinion piece in the Az. Republic (Rocky, technical yeoman that he is, could probably link it if he opts to) about speeding up the game of baseball...I unequivically disagree with any crazy thoughts about making and enforcing rules for players to speed up the game...Shorten the commercial time---fine---but leave the game the way it is...If the cell-phone talking, text-messaging, mouse-clicking, channel-surfing, joystick squeezing, "Wrigley Stadium"-calling A.D.D. crowd can't sit down and enjoy a baseball game the way it is than let them stay the hell away from the ballpark...They can watch arena football or mud wrestling or go extreme bowling...For Pete's sake, the game's been around for well over 100 years without all the fast paced bells and whistles to try to make it more entertaining than it already is...If people are bored with the pace of baseball---good---stay home...It'll eventually lower ticket prices for the true-blue fans...

You were ASKING, right?

Bickley -- getting umps to speed up the game

I might--Im trying to find a Manny highlight reel that if I find I may post-I really cant say enough about the guy and how much fun he has been too watch over the years, and what he has done for the franchise . the city and the way fans approach the game

In his days in Cleveland, the Indians sold out for years, won and baseball was fun--

He has brought the same thing here. Baseball was always fun, but for years in Boston it was also an exercise in angst...

No more.

I make no bones about it--I love Manny...

...........

Well, he IS always smiling, isn't he?

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Well, he IS always smiling, isn't he?
As it should be---

Last year Manny took heat from the national press when the Red Sox were down 1-3 in the ALCS and he was quoted saying "eet doan madder" with a laugh ....to the shock of all the serious people..Thats just Manny

Baseball should be fun.

............................

I read that article. That article sounds absolutely ridiculous. Who is that guy anyway? he can not be sports writer when he writes crap like:

Baseball is the greatest game ever invented. Only rarely is it the greatest sport to watch.

The problem is not a lack of violence, athleticism or point spreads. The problem is dawdling. It's the absence of action, the mind-numbing mass of dead air and the guy who has to refit his batting gloves after every pitch.

If Bud Selig could just pick up the pace and take the crawl out of baseball, imagine how this sport could fly.

:realmad::realmad::realmad::CUSSING::CUSSING:

Dont like it? Im with Simon--go to professional extreme mudwrestling , pitbulls on speed or STAY AT HOME!!!!!!!!!

imagine how this sport could fly.
:asdf::asdf:

I cant even comment on how stupid that statement is

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