I will pick Infante to the ASG...but you will blow me first (TWiB 7/5 - 7/11)

[KingPK]

I look forward to the day when the Red Sox are a major league baseball team again. Was the batboy batting cleanup tonight?

 

[still fly]

Matt Kemp finally got his head out of his ass (or Rhianna's pussy) and is now back to being a baller.

 

[Precious Roy]

I just don't get how for the better part of a century the all-star game worked just fine and somehow it's become a complete clusterfuck over the last 10 years or so. I mean, I get it with Clueless Bud at the helm and with the way pitchers are micromanaged these days, but they've taken something so simple and made it so complicated. It's a fucking pickup game for the best players and fans to have a good time, that's it.

 

[Psycho Penguin]

I look forward to the day when the Red Sox are a major league baseball team again. Was the batboy batting cleanup tonight?

Yeah I feel terrible for you bro

 

[Slayer]

Good to know the Cards are also capable of giving up 9 runs in the 9th

 

[alkeiper]

I dunno if MLB will ever change and adapt the way other sports have, to try and give some chance for every team to compete year in and year out......I can always hope...

The A's over the last several years have shown a complete inability to turn their farm system and draft picks into useful MLB hitters. What does MLB need to do, create a charitable foundation for teams with subpar talent? I feel for teams that can not retain their star players. But when a team can only produce two above average hitters in their entire roster, the system is hardly the issue.

 

[alkeiper]

And if the game ends tied after 10, it's over. Nothing wrong with an exhibition game.

I didn't care about the other stuff, because really, it's the All-Star Game but this a bad idea and the fans will shit all over it. There are no ties in baseball and there shouldn't be a tie in the All Star Game.

Also, home field in the WS has got to go.

I don't think there's a problem. Ideally I'd make it 12 innings actually instead of 10. But anyone who has attended an exhibition game knows that there is generally an innings cap.

As for home field, what was ever wrong with alternating sites in the first place? It's funny how everyone got so concerned with a problem that people rarely complained about to begin with. Better still that since we started, we still haven't had a game 7.

 

[alkeiper]

Headline on ESPN.com. "Strasburg fine with All Star snub." You really had to ask a pitcher with six career starts if he felt he deserved to make the squad? And then it's a story when he naturally said he didn't?

 

[Bored]

I dunno if MLB will ever change and adapt the way other sports have, to try and give some chance for every team to compete year in and year out......I can always hope...

The A's over the last several years have shown a complete inability to turn their farm system and draft picks into useful MLB hitters. What does MLB need to do, create a charitable foundation for teams with subpar talent? I feel for teams that can not retain their star players. But when a team can only produce two above average hitters in their entire roster, the system is hardly the issue.

Bingo. The A's have shown a complete inability to develop hitting prospects for several years now. What's disturbing is how badly their top hitting prospects are under performing this year, especially Michael Taylor who has cratered in his first year with the organization.

Back on the All-Star topic so because of this new rule where a pitcher has to be replaced if he starts on Sunday means that C.C. Sabathia had to be replaced and his spot has been taken by Jered Weaver, who probably should have been selected over Sabathia in the first place. Problem is Weaver pitches on Sunday as well so he'll have to be replaced too. Awesome, they're turning this into the Pro Bowl.

 

[Dobbs3K]

Headline on ESPN.com. "Strasburg fine with All Star snub." You really had to ask a pitcher with six career starts if he felt he deserved to make the squad? And then it's a story when he naturally said he didn't?

How is it a snub when he probably didn't deserve to make it anyway?

As far as the All-Star Game, I think some things could be tweaked a bit, but overall I just am not bothered by it like some fans seem to be. I still enjoy watching it regardless of whether or not "it counts." I also think every team should get one representative, regardless. Every fan should get to see one of their guys play.

 

[Czech]

But they don't always play. It's going to take a hell of a lot for Charlie Manuel to call in Evan Meek. If a team is completely bereft of all-star timber, then don't patronize someone with a Pittsburgh Pirates diversity hire. Just say there aren't any Pirates this year.

Speaking of, why wasn't McCutchen selected instead?

 

[oldskool]

They should adopt rules where everybody has to play & you can sub in & out freely. Trying to balance winning, getting everyone in the game & making sure you don't end up shorthanded in the field/shortarmed in the bullpen is too much for an exhibition game. Elected starters are guaranteed the entire first inning, after that it's a crapshoot but every pitcher has to appear, every hitter has to have one PA.

 

[jimmy no nose]

But they don't always play. It's going to take a hell of a lot for Charlie Manuel to call in Evan Meek. If a team is completely bereft of all-star timber, then don't patronize someone with a Pittsburgh Pirates diversity hire. Just say there aren't any Pirates this year.

Speaking of, why wasn't McCutchen selected instead?

Charlie Manuel said he was so impressed by Evan Meek's performance against the Phillies that he decided to take him instead. It was the same logic he used when Zach Duke as a replacement last year. McCutchen probably deserved to be on the team this year even if there wasn't a one player per team rule. Obviously the easy way to do everything was to take McCutchen from the Pirates, leave Michael Bourn at home, and take Roy Oswalt with that other pitcher spot. I guess the 5-10 record steered them away. They could have even picked Matt Lindstrom as his traditional stats are pretty good (2.97 ERA, 19 saves) even though his WHIP is 1.50.

 

[Precious Roy]

I dunno if MLB will ever change and adapt the way other sports have, to try and give some chance for every team to compete year in and year out......I can always hope...

The A's over the last several years have shown a complete inability to turn their farm system and draft picks into useful MLB hitters. What does MLB need to do, create a charitable foundation for teams with subpar talent? I feel for teams that can not retain their star players. But when a team can only produce two above average hitters in their entire roster, the system is hardly the issue.

Bingo. The A's have shown a complete inability to develop hitting prospects for several years now. What's disturbing is how badly their top hitting prospects are under performing this year, especially Michael Taylor who has cratered in his first year with the organization.

Back on the All-Star topic so because of this new rule where a pitcher has to be replaced if he starts on Sunday means that C.C. Sabathia had to be replaced and his spot has been taken by Jered Weaver, who probably should have been selected over Sabathia in the first place. Problem is Weaver pitches on Sunday as well so he'll have to be replaced too. Awesome, they're turning this into the Pro Bowl.

Sabathia is 11-3, 3.19 ERA 1.15 WHIP, 100+ K's. Weaver definitely deserved to make it, but Phil Hughes was the undeserving Yankee. He got off to a great start but hasn't been all that special over the last month and a half.

Speaking of that, Andy Pettitte is replacing the injured Clay Buchholz. Andy is definitely deserving of the honor, he's having his best season since he's been back on the Yankees.

Trevor Cahill is starting on Sunday and needs to be replaced also

 

[alkeiper]

They should adopt rules where everybody has to play & you can sub in & out freely. Trying to balance winning, getting everyone in the game & making sure you don't end up shorthanded in the field/shortarmed in the bullpen is too much for an exhibition game. Elected starters are guaranteed the entire first inning, after that it's a crapshoot but every pitcher has to appear, every hitter has to have one PA.

The only way to make that work is to start with the subs and rotate them until only the starters are left.

 

[still fly]

The A's can produce hitters. Look at Andre Ethier!

 

[Star Ocean 2]

Everytime I see that name I say Ay-tee-ay.

Or is it Ee-tee-ee.

 

[Bored]

The A's can produce hitters. Look at Andre Ethier!

I'm convinced he would have sucked with A's given their track record.

 

[wnyxmcneal]

Every fan should get to see one of their guys play.

Not if they don't deserve to be there. It's The All-Star Game, not the All Star plus the token Oriole game. Do the Pirates rven have fans, let alone fans that would watch the All-Star Game just to se someone pinch hit in the 8th?

 

[NoCalMike]

Didn't the A's have a prospect on the Stockton Ports who was killing it, and then dude decided to go be a priest or something?

 

[Mattdotcom]

Leave A-Rod alone, Dallas Braden (and presumably Gramma Braden).

 

[Vitamin X]

Everytime I see that name I say Ay-tee-ay.

Or is it Ee-tee-ee.

I pronounce it Ee-thee-ay

 

[jimmy no nose]

Brad Eldred is in the starting lineup for the Rockies tonight. He's hit 22 HRs for Colorado Springs so far, but (1) it's Colorado Springs and (2) he's still striking out in about 30% of his ABs in AAA. At least it should be fun to watch him take batting practice at Coors Field.

 

[Dandy]

In response to bob, the Pirates actually draw well in relation to the ineptitude that the organization has shown since 1992. For how bad they have been, attendance is more than reasonable.

 

[jimmy no nose]

Has anyone been following the weird Robinson Cano HR Derby drama? Apparently someone with the team told the media he was pulling out with a minor back injury. They asked Cano about it and he said he was still planning on participating. They asked Joe Girardi and he said Cano isn't participating and they'll deal with the issue.

 

[alkeiper]

Didn't the A's have a prospect on the Stockton Ports who was killing it, and then dude decided to go be a priest or something?

Yeah, Grant Desme.

 

[alkeiper]

I am so fucking sick of Wilson Valdez. 48 times he has come to the plate in a double play opportunity, and he has 14 double plays. No batter with less than 200 plate appearances in a season has more double plays. At least Jim Rice also hit for power. This guy is worthless.

 

[DMann1979]

I love the role Arroyo has played for the Reds. He's not ace material, and he'll have is (very) off nights, but more often than not you'll get 7-8 innings out of him and he'll keep your right in the game. And in tonight's game he's pitched beautifully. Hope Crazy Coco can nail it down.

What I tell ya, he made me crazy, but he closed the door. 5 for 7 on the road so far, and facing the depleated Phillies in four. Going for win 50 on the year tomorrow.

 

[JHawk]

So at what point do the umpires get told to grow a fucking backbone?

In the top of the 9th of the Rangers-Indians game, Jason Donald checks his swing and appears to hold up (borderline at best). Tim Timmons at first says he went around. Manny Acta takes his hat off and puts his head back. Timmons takes his hat off and gestures toward Acta, then almost immediately tosses Acta. Only then does Acta even open his mouth (Acta might have said something after being mocked by Timmons, but definitely not before), and at this point he charges out of the dugout to actually argue and get his money's worth. This is the first time all season anybody in an Indians uniform has gotten ejected from a game for anything all season long, so it's not like Acta has an Earl Weaver-type reputation for arguing balls and strikes or something.

I can't remember a time where so many umpires are tossing people for arguing calls, and about the only way it can get worse is if they toss somebody for sneezing too close to the play or something.

I'm not sure what the umpire's association's contract with MLB is regarding punishing umpires over stupid shit, but you'd think at some point they'd start getting suspended and/or demoted and they'd promote some AAA umps.

 

[still fly]

I'm getting pretty sick of Joe Torre these days. His bullpen management is horrible, too much reliance on aging veterans (Garrett fucking Anderson needs to go!) and his decision making is pretty questionable. And he's such a fucking drama queen. I don't give a fuck if he comes back next year or not.