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Baseball (the talkin' sport)


Tom Strange
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your tag is fine dude... I wish there was an option for putting an asterick on it and then giving it to the HOF...

oh... I see that is an option... so that's how I voted...

almost 10 million votes now...

that's what I voted also.

I read an article today (don't remember the link) about how steroids MIGHT have influenced how many HRs any given player hits or has hit.

The basic point was that increased muscle mass (by 10 percent) can cause significant enough increase in strength to cause a player to hit fly balls farther. How the increase in muscle mass is obtained (with or without steroids) is not significant, just that the muscle mass of the player was increased.

It apparently works also for pitchers and their ability to throw harder/faster, but increased muscle mass had/has a smaller impact on pitch speed than on fly ball distance.

If I remember, I'll try to find the article again... I suppose one can do a google news search for steroids+homeruns.

Shawn Greene never plays on Yom Kippur-sometimes to controversy, back when he was a 'force' on the Dodgers.

This also came up when Green was on the Dbacks... he skips all Jewish holidays, I believe.

steroids and home runs

This is the same article, but not the same place I read it this morning.

PORTLAND, Ore. -- A professor in solid-state physics, who ordinarily studies subjects such as thin-film deposition on semiconductors, took some time off to study home run hitters who take steroids. The Tufts University (Medford, Mass.) professor's surprising finding was that the use of steroids that add just 10 percent to muscle mass would increase bat speed by only 5 percent, enough to raise a slugger's home run production by a surprising 50 percent.

"I wanted to know why steroid use seems to affect home run hitters disproportionately," said physicist Roger Tobin. "What I found is that statistically, it only takes a small change in bat speed to result in a dramatic change in the number of home runs hit."

(continued)

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Interesting--50% sounds about right and would bring the whole eras totals back to a semblance of normalcy.

I also read THIS today

The Giants have told Barry Bonds they won't attempt to re-sign him for 2008.

The team has called a press conference, apparently to announce the decision, but Barry beat them to the punch by announcing the news on his website. "During the conversation with Peter McGowan I was told that my play this year far exceeded any expectations the Giants had, but that the organization decided this year would be my last season in San Francisco," Bonds wr0te. "Although I am disappointed, I've always said baseball is a business -- and I respect their decision. However, I am saddened and upset that I was not given an earlier opportunity to properly say goodbye to you, my fans, and celebrate with the city throughout the season as I truly believe this was not a last minute decision by the Giants, but one that was made some time ago." Bonds still apparently intends to play next year. It will probably happen with an AL team, perhaps the A's or Angels.

Any bets that the Giants record improves next year now that the Barry circus is over? Im in

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Fausto Carmona and C.C Sabathia scare the hell out of me, especially in a five game series, but still good luck to the Indians!

....

A 3 Run come from behind ninth combined with a Tiger loss, and the RED Sox are officially now into October!

:dance::dance::beer::beer:

Magic Number for the east division is now 6

(17 more wins to the world series).

Edited by mstar1
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Now they've done it, doubting Linda! (I refer to your hesitation to join the bandwagon earlier in the season).

Now to see if they can win a game against the Yankees or Sox (2-11 this season; see earlier post).

And as long as I am calling on people, let's get Simon back here. He gave me trouble about my Indians a year or two back. What can he say now???

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And as long as I am calling on people, let's get Simon back here. He gave me trouble about my Indians a year or two back. What can he say now???

Simon was grieving today. Though the Dbacks still look good for the playoffs, he and I had excellent seats for today's final regular season home game against the avoiders... er, Dodgers. Four games, he and I attended at Chase Field this season. The Dbacks LOST all four of them. :cryhug_1_:

So, in the event anyone wonders whether he or I plan to take in any playoff games in Phoenix, I can speak for myself in saying that I'd rather watch them WIN in HD than lose with me in attendance... hopefully, next year will bring a different experience during the regular season.

In the (currently remote) possibility that the Dbacks make it to the WS, I may change my mind, but for now, I'm not inclined to do so.

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I'll root for the Cubs over the Indians in the Series ...

The Indians last won in 1948 ... the Yankees have won 15 times since then.

The Cubs were in the Series 4 out of 5 years from 1906 to 1910, and won twice. They haven't been back to win since then, but have been back 5 times, the last time in 1945.

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Hi,there sports fans...Thought I'd drop by and say hello to they who pi s s eth on the wall---and you too,Linda....

It's been a good season thus far,and we're ready to usher in the true holiday season---the baseball playoffs...

Looks like most of us here will have somebody to cheer on,---except Tom,of course...But then again,his stRangers scored 30 runs in a game and they get to brag about that for years...

The city of Boston must have hated the Tribe in 1948...The Injuns first defeated the Red Sox in the first ever one-game playoff to break a tie for the AL pennant....Lou Boudreau hit two hr's in that 8-3 Cleveland victory...Then the Tribe went on to defeat the Boston "Spahn and Sain and two days of rain" Braves in the World Series,four games to two....So,what looked like an all Boston World Series developing ended up getting spoiled by Cleveland twice...BTW,'tho he wasn't on the 1948 team,Eddie Matthews is the only guy to play for the Boston/Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves...

Speaking of the Braves,it was rather amusing to see and hear Cub fans doing the "tomahawk chop" near the end of their ballgames this weekend---emulating Atlanta fans and rooting the Braves on to defeat the Brewers and put more space between the Cubs and second-place Milwaukee...You gotta hand it to Cub fans....After 99 years of losing,they come up with some creative reasons to cheer at the games---even when the other team hits a homerun---after the fan who caught the ball throws it back on the field,of course...

Yeah,Rocky and I are 0 for 4 at Arizona games this year...Diamondback officials have alerted security to not allow any open containers,weapons,contraband or a couple of guys named Rocky and Simon into the ballpark for the playoffs...The D-backs are baseball's freak of nature this year...I cannot understand how they ended up with the best record in the NL thus far---and that's after allowing more runs than they scored...Quick----somebody besides Rocky name somebody who plays for the D-backs...Who's their manager? (oops,Who's on first)...

Don't worry,Lifted,I'm glad yer Injuns are in it....I only teased you when they choked like a pig with a watermelon stuck in it's throat a couple of years ago after their incredible late season run against the Chisox...Besides Albert (or was it Joey) Belle,I always had a soft spot for Cleveland...

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Yeah,Rocky and I are 0 for 4 at Arizona games this year...Diamondback officials have alerted security to not allow any open containers,weapons,contraband or a couple of guys named Rocky and Simon into the ballpark for the playoffs...The D-backs are baseball's freak of nature this year...I cannot understand how they ended up with the best record in the NL thus far---and that's after allowing more runs than they scored...Quick----somebody besides Rocky name somebody who plays for the D-backs...Who's their manager? (oops,Who's on first)...

NO... Hu plays SS for the Dodgers... at least he did on Sunday!

btw, I hope Hiway29 enjoyed that game more than we did! :confused:

Edited by Rocky
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I'm only enjoying Dodger baseball for the "love of the game" at this point. There is an amazing amount of sniping and finger pointing in the Dodger clubhouse these days. Grady Little grudgingly takes 'responsibility' for not being sensitive to the 'generation gap' between the young players, and the 'dinosaurs' like Jeff Kent. For the first time in forever, the front office is thinking that maybe they can trade one or two of their vaunted youth, for an impact type player in his prime-whoever THAT may be. In other words, James Loney is untouchable, Matt Kemp is toast.

Unless the wheels come completely off the Yankee bus, it looks like they'll face Cleveland, and the Sox and Angels will meet in the first round. The Yankees have to be glad they don't have to play the Angels first, but they better not get comfortable with the Indians. Oddly, every AL team in the playoffs are teams that I've liked at one time or another. Contrary to what I'm sure Mstar thinks, I grew up liking the Red Sox as well as the Yankees, though my loyalties were with the Yanks. I didn't know I wasn't supposed to like both teams, just a naive kid. If the Yankees don't win this year, I'm fine with whoever, but the Indians would be nice. I haven't given the NL much thought yet.

I'll be at Dodger Stadium for the last game of the season-Fan Appreciation Day-and well they should appreciate fans that come out in droves regardless of how bad the team is.

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Crazy thing with Milton Bradley huh?

It will be interesting to see how this one comes out from a number of angles...

Good Luck to those of you whose seasons are not ending in a few days...

To my knowledge, no team in the NL has yet clinched... so, there's still plenty of hoping (but not yet much hopping) going on...

During the Dbacks games, the broadcasters are now paying close attention to how the Phillies are doing.

I see THAT as a BAD sign. The ONLY reason Phillies games could mean anything to the Dbacks is if the Dbacks don't take care of their own business and end up trying to salvage the wild card.

BUT, if it comes to THAT, then the Dbacks would be sinking, rather than peaking at this time. And if they get in by a nose hair, while playing badly, how could they expect to make it past the first round?

So, it troubles me for them to be watching the scoreboard for Phillies games.

On a different note, I can't imagine too many people being surprised about Milton Bradley. He's had anger management problems quite visibly for a couple of years... so much for effective counseling.

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I just saw all 3 second place teams in the National are 2 games back, and of those three, the Rockies and Phillies are one behind the Padres for the wild card. And the Rockies have won 9 in a row. That must be a record for "closeness" this late.

And I can only imagine somehow Bradley's parents were playing Twister, and he was conceived somehow ... and so they named him Milton.

SZF92443_39.jpg

Edited by rhino
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I was at Dodger Stadium the night Bradley went ballistic in the outfield. He was always complaining while with the Dodgers, and just lost it that night when a fan threw a water bottle on the field. He took the bottle, slammed it into the stands, then started unbuttoning his shirt as he screamed and was restrained. He then took about 5 minutes strolling to the dugout among the jeers. It was more entertaining than most Dodger baseball that year, but was unfortunately true to form.

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I was at Dodger Stadium the night Bradley went ballistic in the outfield. He was always complaining while with the Dodgers, and just lost it that night when a fan threw a water bottle on the field. He took the bottle, slammed it into the stands, then started unbuttoning his shirt as he screamed and was restrained. He then took about 5 minutes strolling to the dugout among the jeers. It was more entertaining than most Dodger baseball that year, but was unfortunately true to form.

Bradley's apparently got plenty of baseball talent... but having a guy like that in the clubhouse has got to take a real toll on team "chemistry."

Local newspaper articles on the Dbacks lately have repeatly hit on the fact that the guys on the team are "unselfish" and "don't complain" even though there's plenty of opportunity... since there's regular platooning going on at first base and right field, and several guys that can fill in for Orlando "O-Dog" Hudson at second base... and plenty of times when they all seem to have left their bats at the last place they played (instead of bringing them, this time, to Pittsburgh).

That "chemistry" may be largely responsible for this group overachieving, but it's starting to look pretty bleak for the playoffs, having lost their last three games... now having only four left... three of them in Denver... and as rhino pointed out, the Rockies are looking pretty strong these days.

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