It’s Derby Time
Posted by: Sam Borden - Posted in Misc on Jul 12, 2010 
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Seems like it’s sort of overkill to do a full-on “game thread” style post for the Home Run Derby but since I know many of us will be watching, we might as well have a place to talk about it. These things are generally unpredictable and, as was the case with Josh Hamilton in 2008, the most impressive hitter doesn’t always win. So, with that in mind, here’s a just-for-kicks breakdown of the field (go here for some more analysis and, no kidding, some odds):
Nick Swisher, Yankees
Pros: Switch-hitter hitting left in the derby, where most of his 15 homers have come from this year. Hits a homer every 16.7 at-bats in his career.
Cons: Has only three HR at Angel Stadium in 144 career at-bats there.
Miguel Cabrera, Tigers
Pros: Has 22 HR already this season and is averaging 400 feet per blast.
Cons: Um … might get tired?
Corey Hart, Brewers
Pros: Least-known hitter in the field, but has 20 homers already this season.
Cons: Never homered at Angel Stadium (in 14 career at-bats – yeah, I know we’re reaching here).
Matt Holliday, Cardinals
Pros: Hottest hitter coming in, having homered in five of his last six games.
Cons: Only 16 home runs so far this season and can be streaky.
David Ortiz, Red Sox
Pros: Has hit a homer every 17.6 at-bats at Angel Stadium in his career, averaging 403 feet per homer this season.
Cons: Never won in three previous Derby appearances.
Hanley Ramirez, Marlins
Pros: Maybe the best all-around hitter in the field and has power to all fields.
Cons: Only homers once every 25.1 at-bats this season giving him a paltry total of 13.
Vernon Wells, Blue Jays
Pros: Has found his power stroke again this year and has 19 homers already this season.
Cons: Doesn’t love Angel Stadium; only three homers in 149 at-bats there.
Chris Young, Diamondbacks
Pros: Big pull hitter, with 13 of his 15 home runs going to left or left-center.
Cons: Unproven, hard to know what to expect on “big stage.”
The Pick: Kind of hard to pick against Cabrera, isn’t it? I like him or Chris Young. Just a guess, but I think Swisher makes the semifinals and then goes out. Bet he’ll have a blast, though. Hope everyone enjoys the fireworks.
*That’s an AP photo of Swisher homering off King Felix in Seattle over the weekend.
Enjoy the derby folks.
Good luck Nick. Don’t hurt yourself.
My pick: Nick Swisher (I’m a homer)… he can hit left handed and doesn’t have to change his swing to compete in this thing.
OWWWW my ears….
# Laura July 12th, 2010 at 7:38 pm
“Oh, give the guy a break (Michael Kay). He’s trying to find happiness. He should be wished nothing but the best.”
I didn’t say that I didn’t wish him the best. I’m just surprised that he could hook such an attractive lady.
———————–
Money makes people do strange things
Worst band ever.
Chris Berman ruins this event
Nick Swisher, ftw.
Pete Abe was the founder of the Sports blog… He started it in 2004, even when nobody read it. Then the comment section flourished and it became a community, even more so than an informational blog. Other started taking notice and created it. Yet, even after all these years, none of the NY blogs can attract the viewers like Pete’s blog does.
Just like Whitey Herzog in STL and KC revolutionized the bunt/steal and the modern day NL lineup with the speed at the top, power hitters in the middle…. Pete Abe revolutionized he sports blog.
Another annoying Red Sox homer Chris Berman. And his voice is really annoying.
Chris Berman ruins this event
—
BACK BACK BACK BACK BACK
back to watching something else you annoying bastard
Swish and Ortiz get no love from some SoCal crowd.
Why did the LAA fans boo Ortiz and Swisher, but not Wells and Cabrera? Must be that East Coast hatred at play.
Jose Ortiz….lol Bobby V
And why is Pena throwing to Ortiz????? Did he forget that the Yankees pay his salary?
MTU,
Responding from your comment in the last thread.
I think Girardi is making way too big a deal of finding an EIG.
In the playoffs last year he basically just pieced it together with matchups.
Also, Joba and Hughes were unproven in that role when they first did it
I think they also could use a guy like Ace who can come in a game a keep it close for 2-3 innings. They have let a few games just completely slip away from them because relievers just blew up. Maybe Noesi, Phelps, or Nova could fill that role?
Let’s go Swish!
Tim July 12th, 2010 at 8:05 pm
Pete Abe was the founder of the Sports blog… He started it in 2004, even when nobody read it. Then the comment section flourished and it became a community, even more so than an informational blog. Other started taking notice and created it. Yet, even after all these years, none of the NY blogs can attract the viewers like Pete’s blog does.
Just like Whitey Herzog in STL and KC revolutionized the bunt/steal and the modern day NL lineup with the speed at the top, power hitters in the middle…. Pete Abe revolutionized he sports blog.
———————————————————————————————————————-
Are you engaged to him? I haven’t seen this much action like this since “Debbie Does Dallas” and “Deep Throat”.
Such hate… Swish and Ortiz get booed.
# pat July 12th, 2010 at 8:08 pm
Swish and Ortiz get no love from some SoCal crowd.
______________________________________________________
Yankee/Sox have owned the Angels recently…
They hate the Yankees and Red Sox so thats why. They hate the Red Sox for beating them so many times in the regular season and postseason and the Yankees for last year and all the World Series championships. Also mix in the East Coast hatred.
“Just like Whitey Herzog in STL and KC revolutionized the bunt/steal and the modern day NL lineup with the speed at the top, power hitters in the middle…. Pete Abe revolutionized he sports blog.”
Didn’t Herzog pitch his best pitcher 3 innings in mop up?
“Yankee/Sox have owned the Angels recently…”
Perhaps, but they should have had venom for any other AL team.
Nope, this isn’t painful to watch. Not at all.
3 naturals right there…
I say Nick Swisher doesn’t make it out the first round.
There are what, 16 Yanks/Sox on the all-star roster?
The fraud So Cal fans are going to do a lot of booing tomorrow during introductions…
Can someone explain the appeal of that Train song? I remain surprised that it’s such a big hit.
It can be expected that the spineless Commissioner will give his annual state of the game gibberish with how financially secure baseball is. Same old blah-blah-blah.
Loved Berman’s act 30 years ago, but now…..ugh
GreenBeret7,
What you said about Matt and Jody in the last post had me rolling on the floor I couldn’t breath for a good minute.
Why is Bobby V kissing Ortiz’s rear end?
The HR derby just isn’t the same without steroids
My daughter and I are watching because of Swish. My husband is taking refuge elsewhere.
Laura….because he called him “Jose” at the opening.
Shouldn’t one of the Ortiz cons be the distance between Los Angeles of Anaheim and his blender?
This music is awful.
How come Ortiz is such a nice guy according to every sports person ?
well Swish got more boos than cheers, but Ortiz got booed even worse
great pick with Young, Kruk
Laura – I hate Seth Everett also. He’s a self-possessed ‘mad-dog’ chris russo wannabe with no worthy cred.
What are you wearing?
I just want to see Swish and the other Yankees; the HR Derby is generally a very painful thing to watch……..and Berman’s schtick is completely dated.
Damn. That was … painful.
Jeremy,
It’s the Big G-syndrome from vultures like Pete Abe— the guy is outgoing and talks to the media, so he gets a pass.
that opening song, wow, horrendous, don’t like the song at all really but it sounds 1 million percent better on the radio…. they sure must spruce it up a lot in the studio because man that guy’s voice was painful to listen to there
Is this the HR Derby of Warning Track Derby?
*or* not of
This home run derby is making me miss the Steriod era… just… just a little bit.
I wish someone could truncate this HR deby and only show highlights of what Swish does, other players reaction to Swish, and Yankee players reacting to Swish or interacting with eachother
I have no use for anything else. I have no use for Chris Young or Corey Hart or Hanley Ramirez. I have no use for Berman or Bobby Valentine fawing over Ortiz and the Sox or any of this other nonsense.
It’s not going to take much to win this thing.
HR Derby off to an inauspicious start.
Well, the bar hasn’t been set very high so far
Gonna be tough on righties….especially ones that have no business in a home run derby.
lemon
Yeah I agree. It’s seems like every former steroid user gets attacked but guys like Ortiz get a free ride just because he is nice to the media.
I would love to see a “best arm” contest – see who could throw out the most baserunners………
Nick Swisher says he is very nervous. He needs to hit just one so he doesn’t get crushed by his teammates. #Yankees
I love Chris Berman. Saying it now.
This has officially become worse than the slam dunk contest.
If guys like Adam Dunn, Stephen Strasburg, Mark Reynolds, Josh Hamilton, Adrian Gonzalez, Pince Fielder, Ryan Howard, Pujols, etc. don’t show up, then the event is unwatchable.
You need real sluggers in this event, not guys like Wells, Hart, Swisher, Chris Young, etc.
http://www.daylife.com/photo/0.....?q=Yankees
Andy and his adorable child.
Laura – Seth Everett sucks! July 12th, 2010 at 8:16 pm
Why is Bobby V kissing Ortiz’s rear end?
……………..
It’s a rite of passage with NESPN talking heads. A requirement to getting hired in Bristol, Conn.
Swear allegiance to all Boston.
Why didn’t Ortiz bring in the milkshakes from D.R. ? If he did these guy would be hitting more of them out.
I was preparing and eatiang dinner so I missed the tail end of the last thread. Before Nickie Swishie gets up to bat, I just want ot say, Congrats to Michael Kay.
I never thought I’d live to see the day!
Jodie Applegate is very pretty.
LGY -
Michael kay is very ….. interesting. He is not bad looking and he does have a good job and he is intelligent. But he is high maintenance. I mean, no ketchup????
But I wish him the best. There is someone for everyone!!!
“This has officially become worse than the slam dunk contest.”
———————————–
No way. The slam dunk contest last year was brutal.
I was slamming down better dunks as a 5 year old on my Little Tikes Basketball Hoop.
And here comes Erin Andrews with her usual over-the-top outfit.
She should just get it over with and wear body paint.
Swish Vs Hart in the final !
guys there’s no point in ruminating about the love affair between ESPN, the media in general and Ortiz and the Red Sox. it’s been going on for years now and it won’t stop anytime soon. meanwhile, the Yankees will continue to win titles and field better teams than the Sox, and that’s all that really matters.
Corey Hart?
The peak of this event was Josh Hamilton in YS…. that was a true spectacle, something people will be telling their grandkids about.
The only problem is that he didn’t win it lol
I remember when Morneau was given his trophy, there was like 300 people left in the stands. They all left after Hamilton lost.
The Sound in this HR derby is very annoying. Very very annoying!
Corey Hart is really doing good.
Corey Hart the state farm HR derby champion LOL
Betsy -
It must be the facial hair. corey Hart that is.
You should have seen Hamilton hit a ball with a metal bat in high school….scary.
the little guys are so cute.
I never had little boys.
He’s going to wear himself out, lol
they are exaggerating the distances on these HRs
Swish is getting more nervous with every swing Hart takes.
I spotted David Ortiz having a drink, pre ceremony/at bat warm ups?
Congrats Corey Hart! HR derby champion!
Now, someone follow the Yankee players around with cameras to see them interact with their peers.
Swish about to come up…go Swish!
I really hate Berman – I just can’t get excited about the HR Derby
Let’s Go Swishie!!!!
corey hart w/ those long arms, he can really get some extension and generate some power…..
Berman is a tired act, but ESPN is never going to get rid of him, he’s gonna have to go out on his own terms unfortunately
GB (if you’re around) -
Guy just generates so much leverage with those long arms.
There’s that easy pop from Hart we were talking about this morning.
They are trying to ice Swish!
Snooozzzzzzzze
Ortiz can win for all I care. As long as he doesn’t get another World Series ring and the Red Sox are playing golf in October.
Ok I’ve decided….send a package of Igawa and Gaudin to the Brewers for Hart.
Alex!
Get out there and show uhm how its done Alex.
swisha hooooouuuuuuuuusee
LET’S GO SWISH!!!
yay! One.
Fat Ortiz just sent out to Roy Rogers for a milkshake.
swish, takin pitches
atleast he wont be last haha, go swish !
Swisher even practices plate discipline at the HR Derby
Geez, at least show some of the Yankees………good job, Swish
LOL JROD
I really hope this doesn’t ruin his swing…….
Pitcher struggling to find the zone and Swisher is helping him out. Terrible approach.
Nice intereview by Alex. He’s really a new person. Never thought I’d see it.
All right, Nick got his swings, is he done with this?
eh, not awesome but not awful either. honestly Pena wasn’t throwing great BP. Swish probably would have taken even more pitches but i mean who wants to bat for an hour up there.
ESPN is definitely laying off the reaction shots of the players not playing. If you told me Swish was 2nd after the first 4, I would say great. I don’t like his chances to advance though.
Nice Job swish!
eboland11 I think Swisher just worked a full count
It’s not going to ruin his swing he will be fine.
That was really cool they had Alex up there while Swish was batting.
Where were the reactions from CC? Phil? Andy? Jeter? Mariano?
All they showed was one shot of Cano
ESPN sucks
Doreen
I think him winning a WS last year has gone a long way towards that new person, plus getting the PED thing off his back was huge for him.
Pena couldn’t throw strikes!
oh and when did arod become an all-star this year? Hmm..
hi. at least this is a fun day for baseball..
Pena conspired with Long and Girardi to make sure Swish wouldn’t advance.
It was a good interview with Alex. He really seems happy now which is great news for Yankee fans and bad news for the opposition.
Berman doing the same jokes from 1981
Phil Columbus -
Probably. I always liked Alex, and I thought this person that we see was in there somewhere, but, it’s such a joy to listen to him now, as opposed to years past when I would literally cringe.
How many guys advance?
Poor Swish, he is like a little boy, he really is upset he only hit 4.
Holliday is a big dude…
I think 4 advance.
Dave,
I am sitting on the American League side holding an Orange gatorade and a wild child!!
Email me where you are?
we need more Roids imo. This is boring.
Imagine if Albert Pujols didn’t participate in year’s past and screw up his swing.
Doreen
He’s easier to listen to when he doesn’t have his foot in his mouth.
I know ! How come we can’t see the players reactions. ESPN is terrible !
haha@Carl
Well Nick is getting knocked out !
Doreen
I agree with you 100%, I felt sorry for him because he never seemed to say the right thing and when he did it just sounded staged. Now he can go out and hit 25 hr and drive in 80 runs in the 2nd half.
Maybe Swisher may advance… Who knows?
Nick is out yet? Young is out I believe?
They’ve got the other players sitting so far away this year.
Young had like 2 or 3, so he is definitely last place.
Go Swish!
Ortiz is next. I hope he took one more milkshake before heading out.
pat -
So true.
Phil Columbus -
From your mouth (fingers) to the baseball gods’ ears (eyes?) !
Hart 13
Holliday 5
Swisher 4
Wells 2
Young 1
Swisher is still mathematically still in, but if two more players hit more than 4, he’s out.
Hopefully Peña is on our side, haha!
Tony better not throw Papi anything good.
Need 2 of the remaining to choke for Swish to advance.
Pena.
Indy42,
Wouldn’t Wells and Young be eliminated? and swish advances?
Berman sounds like he’s about to lay an egg.
Are they joking – Ortiz a face for baseball!?
A guy who had to make a big public apology about Steriod use is a face for baseball?
What next? Floyd Landis a face for bicycling? Mel Gibson a face for Hollywood?
ball is jumping out of here so far this afternoon
You know, my daughter is anoying me a lot. She watches “Deal or No Deal” and apparently Model #26 is married to Clay Buccholz. So she has been “following” the Red Sox.
She just saw a shot of Pedroia and knew who he was. She’s a Yankees fan but she doesn’t get that you can’t like the Red Sox if you’re a Yankees fan.
Wouldn’t be an ESPN production without the constant slobbing of the Red Sox and Red Sox players.
Papi never made an apology for steroids, did he? I thought he was sorry for the confusion.
What is Chris Berman talking about ? “The Great years in Red Sox history” LOL !
Ortiz’s kid is cute. Can’t hate on him. Too cute.
Doreen,
You need to disown her.
So if the wind is different, is it a fair contest???????
Doreen
There are de-programmers who are trained to deal with things like this.
Need to keep a closer eye on her, she will become a rebel. Nip it in the bud.
Banish her to her room and have her watch 61 and the Lou Gehrig story over and over until you reprogram her.
oh lord FJM
Doreen,
Nope, and that was the biggest sham of all. Ortiz was assisted with a rep from the Players Association who basically said that the report was a lie and Ortiz was clean and discredited the names of 103.
That was what his “press conference” was. Basically, the Players Association firing back at the person who kept leaking these names. How convenient that they shielded Ortiz from blame as a defense mechanism against the government.
Papi is not the face of MLB. He is a fraud ! If it wasn’t for PED’s he wouldn’t be a star because he was a nobody prior to 2003.
m
I’m working on it.
Cano is an all-star. He’s too good to wait on you, ortiz.
for your non spanish speaker, big papi just said “cono” a word that joe morgan just repeated. Cono is a swear in spanish. Joe Morgan is so stupid, he doesnt realize what he is saying….
Joe Morgan: “He didn’t hit one foul home run.”
uh… no kidding.
Ortiz’s kid looks more like Manny than Ortiz.
No reaction shots from anyone except Cano – I’m sure everyone else was there – good job, ESPN
Doreen,
You said a while ago, that the little boys were cute, but you didn’t have any. The closest thing to a daughter I have is a daughter-in-law, but I do have the cutest grandson. I would love to buy clothes and dolls for a granddaughter.
You must tell your daughter that she will get ‘cooties’ if she roots for a Red Sox player.
It is so laid back on here tonight…a nice change.
Joe Torre thinks Ortiz should get his own Gatorade.
Gotta give Ortiz credit though – this is 2 years now where he looked toast to start, only to have monster seasons from May on.
It’s a shame that the rest of that list won’t come out. Because I’m sure that more former Red Sox players are on that list.
Doesn’t look good for Swish…but that’s ok; he’s enjoying the heck out of it.
Will Ferrell – icon of an America that needs some really inane entertainment/diversion.
Time to turn this non-event off.
They do testing in spring training…
They do testing in spring training…
So, this was a waste of my evening.
No shots of Yankee players, Swish bounced in the 1st round, and a Red Sox love-fest.
Let’s hope tomorrow’s game goes a bit better than this nonsense did.
Will Ferrell is funny as heck.
I think Swish is done… oh well.
Hanley is going to eliminate Swisher.
Will Ferrell is funny as heck.
he said, “I think he needs to swing harder!” referencing Hanley’s last HR.
…Yep, he’s done.
Why do they make the players stay to watch the HR derby, if their teammates are not participating? Why not let them go to the beach or something while the sun is still out?
I will never give Ortiz credit because I can’t stand him. I actually like Manny better than him even though he killed the Yankees. At least Manny didn’t put up this act like he was an innocent nice guy. Ortiz is such a phony.
I need to get her away from Deal or No Deal. Daughter is celebrity driven. Have to find out which of her favorite celebrities are Yankees fans, dating Yankees or married to Yankees. Maybe Swish’s fiance will help turn the tide. Or maybe D or ND will get cancelled. Or something.
Looks like the Yankees are safe – no Swish in the finals. i’m o kay with that. He didn’t embarrass himself and he doesn’t compromise his swing. Good night all around.
Papi seems to be a good guy. Happy guy. Just don’t understand the pedestal treatment.
Ugh. Well that sucked.
And we didn’t even get to see the Yankee players react. But watch, they’ll show a million shots of V-Mart, Pedroia, Beltre, Lester, Buchholz, Youk, etc. when Ortiz is in the next round.
“Papi seems to be a good guy. Happy guy. Just don’t understand the pedestal treatment.”
That is a common theme with the media and Red Sox players.
For a 3rd place team, they sure do get a lot of love. At least the Anaheim fans booed him.
migames -
I have no idea what that word means exactly, but we listen to “In the Heights” a lot and that word is used, and you know from the context, one shouldn’t repeat it unless one is sure what one is saying.
Sorry for Swish, but the Derby blows anyway – he’ll get into the game tomorrow and that’s what counts.
A-Rod hits a game winning HR off Health Bell tmorrow
Watch
“Papi seems to be a good guy. Happy guy. ”
Yeah and they said the same thing about other former athletes before they found out that they did something dirty.
Then where will AJ be with the pie? Oh wait – according to ESPN, Swisher handles the pies ……..
Doreen
It’s the “c” word most women dislike alot if it said in anger.
I can’t help but wonder how Cano would have done.
pat-
REALLY?????
oh.
Betsy -
yeah, ESPN really has their finger on what goes on with the Yankees, don’t they?
Betsy
Oh Yeah ! How did they not know that A.J. did the pies after all of the walk offs from last year.
Cono “means” the c-word, but generally in DR it is not used that way.
To defend Papi a bit, it’s usually pretty harmless like they way Ortiz used it to mean dammit or s*** in frustration or joking.
I know this not because I use the word, but because I hear it often from my GF (and not in the joking manner
)
m -
Just realized what you were hinting at. Something to think about…
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07.....stars.html
I love that pitching is the new hitting….and the cutter is the new split-fingered FB
A mini-HR Derby with the players kids would be more fun than their fathers.
Wow. They really are piling on the bs with Ortiz aren’t they???
Ortiz has become Mother Teresa, I guess.
LOL I can’t blame ESPN; it’s not like the Yankees had a lot of walk offs last year or anything.
Erin Andrews is a Red Sox fan. Not a surprise to see her genuflect while interviewing a Sox player.
I should say I hear it from my GF *directed at me*
I have the Golden Girls on now; the Derby is boring. Tomorrow all I care about is how the Yankees players do………that and the AL beating the crap out of the NL
LGY -
That’s how I think it was used in “In the Heights” as I understood it, as it was said from one woman to another, who wanted the first woman to hurry up and do an errand for her (Like GD).
Not because of HFA, just because I hate the NL, lol
I’m sick of seeing Ortiz everytime they show a reaction. If you didn’t know you would think Cano and Ortiz were the only players there.
Betsy -
and it’s not like the same person didn’t have the pies!
and just watch, if the Sox miss the playoffs, everyone will point to their injuries and say they got unlucky and are poised to win it all next year when healthy, even if we sign Lee this winter.
Then all winter, we’ll have to read the nonsense articles like how Buchholz is going to be a #1 and there are still questions about if Phil can do it a 2nd season, if Andy can hold up, while penciling in Beckett/DiceK as sure things, etc.
Just the pro-Sox sports world we live in.
miguel c. just hit one more than half way up the rock pile, very long and very far. came down wet i’m in the right field bleachers above the scoreboard. ortiz he one just a few feet to my left.
It is just as well that Swisher didn’t make the finals. He can show them when it counts how good he can be.
I swear that if you work for ESPN you have to sign a contract that orders you to kiss Boston’s behinds.
Doreen, true!
Pat M, sounds like you’re having a great time; are you going to the game tomorrow?
There’s Andy and Sons!
Rainbow
The only way it will change is if the Red Sox go back into a losing funk for many years. I hope it happens.
Maybe if Ortiz makes it to the finals, he will have hit so many HRs, it will mess up his swing!!!
Doreen,
That makes sense. If you don’t like that word you shouldn’t get in the car with my gf’s father.
Joe Morgan probably shouldn’t be repeating it, but if let’s say Cano said it in the context Ortiz did I would be laughing.
LGY -
I didn’t like or dislike it until now!
Pena’s working too hard!
So, will Papi’s numbers go down in the 2nd half???
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....re=related
Bonds in Anahiem
…Ortiz’s kid looks more like Manny than Ortiz.
Ortiz has a white wife. That has lightened his kids up.
Has Papi figured out what he tested positive for?
Just got here.
I’m bummed I missed the Pete bashing.
I have been saving some zingers, oh well next time.
But I am also happy, Erica’s back.
Hanley has an awesome swing.
“I’m bummed I missed the Pete bashing.
”
We can always restart it now, if you like.
Never a bad time to bash Pete
MArk
He tested positive for everything. Just kidding !
The guy is such a fraud. I can’t believe MLB continues to prop him up like he is the face of baseball. If anything Jeter is the face of baseball.
Joe Morgan cracks me up.
“Ramirez doesn’t swing the ball like a SS he swings it like Alex Rodriguez”
Papi tests positive for Big Macs….
Berman’s worst……
Back,back,back,back,back….
He could. Go. All. The. Way…….
Rumblin,bumbling,stumbling…….
Morgan is such a fool ! Doesn’t he know that A-rod was a short stop.
It is really the media’s fault that Papi never got back to us about the positive test.
If Alex had said that he would be hounded everyday by the media until he did actually get back to them.
If you were Papi and no one ever asked you about it again, what would you do?
THE SIGHT OF BIG PAPI MAKES ME WANT TO PUNCH A WOMAN IN THE FACE!
Berman just personifies what ESPN is – a flash over substance operation.
Really, what does Berman bring to the table? Sadly, the same can be said for a lot of their personalities.
The Home Run Derby is better on the radio.
Ortiz is a Sox player, so he gets preferential treatment. He doesn’t have to take responsibility for his actions – MLB will do that on his behalf like Michael Weiner did. The way that whole thing was handled was sickening.
Why does Berman say “back back back…”?
The derby is on TV, you moron. We can see the trajectory of the ball ourselves.
Chris Berman wigging out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TLG_LtWhj4
I love Hanley Ramirez’s swing
I see they don’t test for PEDs or milkshakes at the Home Run Derby…
# I’m Taking My Talents To Sheboygan July 12th, 2010 at 10:24 pm
Chris Berman wigging out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TLG_LtWhj4
———————————————————————————————————————-
This could be the most enjoyable Berman segment ever.
It’s also the longest I’ve ever listened to him in one sitting.
Better than Home Run Derby:
http://www.elviscostellodog.com
Thank you Boston for trading Hanley to the Marlins.
The Red Sox logo clashes horribly against the red AL uniform
Yeah, I’d much rather face Beckett than Hanley now
I ran into Elvis Costello on Market St. back when the Yanks were playing the Giants.
“# RS July 12th, 2010 at 10:37 pm
Yeah, I’d much rather face Beckett than Hanley now
”
yeah imagine his numbers w/ the Green Monster 80+ times a season, he plays in a huge football stadium now
Red Sox have just “won” their only contest for the 2010 season. Book it.
Ortiz still sucks
Can anyone in the sisterhood explain this to me?
http://www.nydailynews.com/gos.....sides.html
I realize some of us will marry/date guys who are to some extent fugly, if they’re rich or famous or have a great personality(steven colbert), but Michael Kay has none of those traits and is 98% unbearable behind the mic.
Papi wins it.
BloggingBombers Swisher: “I put up a respectable number. I’m cool with that.”
That Hanley trade was interesting because it probably strongly contributed to the Red Sox winning one of their World Series because of Beckett. However now it must kill them watching him play down in south beach and knowing how badly they need a SS and right handed power bat in that lineup.
Will we be thankful in the same way in a few years that the Lee/Montero trade fell through? Who knows…hopefully.
that’s how you raise money for the boys and girls club. that joke of a player in miami should take notes.
Well Sox fans can be happy they won something this year.
# Gateways July 12th, 2010 at 10:44 pm
that’s how you raise money for the boys and girls club. that joke of a player in miami should take notes.
LOL, right, LBJ is a national joke now.
I’ve never run into Elvis Costello on Market Street, but I did run into the great indie rock band Yo La Tengo in Rimini the same day that Yo La Tengo played a show in Rimini.
Of course Elvis Costello mentions Riminiin the song “Tokyo Storm Warning”n so there’s a clear connection.
And in the span of just 2 years, I saw Yo La Tengo and Elvis Costello (and the Flaming Lips) at the very same venue in Amsterdam!
Almost spooky!
And I was at all 3 Yankee games in San Francisco. Rough, lost 2 of 3. I did get some nice pics of Barry Bonds on 2nd base near Arod and Jeter. And Bonds at the plate facing the Rocket (in relief, as I recall).
Tony Pena’s fault for throwing him so many hittable pitches
Pena should have just thrown every pitch in the dirt
Ortiz is not a class act. I really can’t stand the media kissing Ortiz’s behind. The guy is a fraud.
“that’s how you raise money for the boys and girls club. that joke of a player in miami should take notes.”
hahaha LMAO. totally agree
Ick, but you have to give Ortiz credit; he’s not using steroids now and he’s still hitting HRs
“Texas Rangers lefty Cliff Lee, who was traded over the weekend for the third time in less than a year, did not want to discuss his pending free agency after the season. But he did say he will be seeking a no-trade clause from whichever team he signs with.”
Ortiz is such an attentionwhore. Going over to Hanley to wipe his face as a show of solidarity and Morgan saying tht’s why hei s the Godfather of baseball…. GTFO of here.
Ortiz has more HRs in the 1st half than he has had in 4 years
I eagerly await his demise… sadly, it’s not going to happen this year. He may hit 40 this year at the pace he is going.
The Yankees will be more than happy to give that to him……poor guy; he must have whiplash from being moved 3 times in the last year.
One of my first handles here was “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots”
Unfortunately, though, I’ve never seen The Flaming Lips live.
“But he did say he will be seeking a no-trade clause from whichever team he signs with.”
Yea I can imagine so after he’s been sent all over the country the last couple years. I’m sure the Yankees will be glad to give him one.
Anyone else disgusted about how many times they mentioned Big Papi’s smile? Like he deserved the Nobel Peace Price for being baseball’s ambassador (which he’s not).
How come he wasn’t smiling when he had the presser with that Weiner dude?
I did run into a whole gaggle of Insane Clown Posse fans on Market Street about a month ago while I was giving a tour to a visitor from abroad, and I completely failed at explaining what their oevre is and why the fans all looked so ridiculous.
“that’s how you raise money for the boys and girls club. that joke of a player in miami should take notes.”
————————————-
Except that “joke” raised like 35x more money for the Boys and Girls club than the HR Derby.
Ortiz the godfather of baseball ? LMAO ! A guy who used PED’s to get ahead because he was a nobody hitting less than 15 homeruns a year before 2003. What a joke !
The guy is the biggest phony of them all.
The genuflecting of Ortiz was wayyy over the top.
Morgan said he was the “godfather” of baseball. Oh really?
What about Jeter? Rivera? Griffey? Aaron? Mays?
What has Ortiz done to become a godfather?
I remember that handle, Sheboygan.
They were very good live, but I was surprised the show wasn’t a sellout. I’ve always thought the Lips were more popular than Yo La Tengo, but the YLT show the night before was completely packed.
Berman said Ortiz was Hanley Ramirez’s “soul mate”.
lulz.
I think Morgan must have thought Ortiz (or was it Cano?) said “capo” not “cono” or whatever that word was.
I shut the Derby off a long time ago; they really called Ortiz the Godfather of baseball? Where’s the barf bag when you need it?
http://www.newsday.com/sports/.....-1.2100205
Speculation already has begun that the Rangers, if they get their ownership situation resolved by this winter, could make a run at retaining Lee. The Yankees will try to sign him, but they won’t overpay for Lee the way they did for Sabathia.
****
Yeah, Ok Davidoff – the Yankees are going to make Lee feel VERY wanted.
“”# Jaba Tips his Cap July 12th, 2010 at 10:45 pm
# Gateways July 12th, 2010 at 10:44 pm
that’s how you raise money for the boys and girls club. that joke of a player in miami should take notes.
LOL, right, LBJ is a national joke now.”
I think some of backlash from New York media is a bit hypocritical especially for the Yankee and Knick fans. Comedian Bill Burr has a good take on it with analogies with the Yankees and Celtics. A Boston guy but makes a good point on the state of New York Sports outside of the Yankees and that MSG is not the biggest stage in basketball. If Lebron picks the Knicks, everyone at the Daily News suddenly doesn’t have a problem with the guy
NSFW(bad language)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....ded#normal
I bet you Ortiz is using HGH. There is no way a guy makes a comeback like that especially with his record prior to 2003.
Even with new ownership there is no way lee stays in texas
July 12th, 2010 — the night David Ortiz single-handedly saved baseball, and quite possibly the Universe.
I only went to the games they lost that weekend.
The Sat game was good though.
I also had some bizarre encounters with a few of the Yankees.
The Rangers are going to say that so it doesn’t look like they gave away their first baseman of the future for 3 months of Cliff Lee.
“# blake July 12th, 2010 at 10:44 pm
That Hanley trade was interesting because it probably strongly contributed to the Red Sox winning one of their World Series because of Beckett. However now it must kill them watching him play down in south beach and knowing how badly they need a SS and right handed power bat in that lineup.
Will we be thankful in the same way in a few years that the Lee/Montero trade fell through? Who knows…hopefully.
”
he is quietly one of the best talents in baseball, that swing and power at SS is incredible
Betsy how do you know Ortiz isn’t using steroids now? I guarantee you he’s using something. Maybe he’s drinking magic milkshakes with stuff that can’t be detected like HGH.
“Morgan said he was the “godfather” of baseball”
Is it possible that he meant to call him the Godfather of Soul? James Brown would be very upset.
tampayank
I agree that the reaction by the New York media was over the top. But you have to admit that Lebron is a big baby. He can’t man up and lead a team. He was a choke artist in the big games and he had to run to Wade’s team like a big baby so he can hide and win a championship. His legacy is ruined because of this move.
The best way to raise money would have been to ask all 3 million residents in N.E. ohio to donate 1 dollar to B&G Club for LeFraud to announce his decision on july 1 and not lead them on and drag things out in a national spectacle.
“# Jeremy July 12th, 2010 at 11:08 pm
tampayank
I agree that the reaction by the New York media was over the top. But you have to admit that Lebron is a big baby. He can’t man up and lead a team. He was a choke artist in the big games and he had to run to Wade’s team like a big baby so he can hide and win a championship. His legacy is ruined because of this move.
”
I don’t agree. How did Kobe’s Lakers do once Shaq left? They were a 7 seed just about every year till Bynum and Gasol got to LA. People undervalue how good Gasol is. People perspective’s will change in 5-10 years if he wins 3+ Championships w/ big playoff numbers. Wade won’t have to take the physical beating as much anymore
Can someone do me a favor and look this up… I can’t seem to find how many times jeter has batted in the 2 hole for the all star team. I feel like it just seems to happen early year.
gus
Ortiz is using HGH. The guy is the biggest phony out of all the steroid cheats. The reason why I say this is because he has no natural talent. When he came up he couldn’t even hit 20 homeruns a year and then he starts hitting 50 + with the Sox. He knew he had to use PED’s and HGH in order to get ahead. Now he is a star with a big contract. And he puts up this act like he is a nice guy when he could be just like Tiger Woods.
At least Manny Ramirez, Alex Rodriguez had natural talent.
I like the AL lineup better for tomorrow’s game but I tell ya the NL has a dominating rotation for them to go up against.
Ubaldo, Johnson, Halladay, Wainwright, Lincecum. The AL will have their hands full with all those guys back to back. Still think they get it done though.
The best way to raise money would have been to ask all 3 million residents in N.E. ohio to donate 1 dollar to B&G Club for LeFraud to announce his decision on july 1 and not lead them on and drag things out in a national spectacle.
———————————————–
Yeah, I’m sure those people would have each donated $1
And then after them donating money, I’m sure they would have been thrilled with him going to Miami.
Did you watch the show? If so you’ve got nothing to complain about.
It was great entertainment.
So did I hear correctly? Valentine called Ortiz “Jose”? And they were ragging on him about it later?
It’s so funny how people say LeBron is so egotistical!!!
And then say, what an idiot! He ruined his legacy!!!
Difference is Kobe comes through in big time situations in big games Lebron hasn’t done that yet. Also Kobe didn’t run to the Lakers. Lebron is running to Miami so he no longer has to be the man. It seems like he can’t handle the pressure. Just my opinion on the matter.
“His legacy is ruined because of this move.”
Writing the legacy of a 25 year old in ink might be a little premature.
Big Papi is a phony. “Godfather of baseball?” You gotta be kidding me. That must be some investigation he’s conducting to learn why he tested positive. It really is interesting that he’s given such a pass by the media. Reporters are suckers for sports stars who give good quotes and are readily accessible. Papi seems likeable so he gets a pass. Bonds is a surly, nasty guy who didn’t get along with the press, so he got hung out to dry. To a certain extent Arod did, too.
The average fan will look at LeBron and say, “Wow. He won 3 championships.”
But I think people within the game (not named Wade, Bosh, or Reilly) look at James differently.
I watched the Show. The issue is that Cavs fans really thought he was coming back, only to have him break their hearts. They probably went through a week of anticipation. For me, I wasted a week reading articles and thinking NY had a chance. The show was not great entertainment, it was ESPN saying how great LeBron is for 18 minutes, each of their commentators saying how their “sources” indicate Miami and Jim Gray asking meaningless questions for $500k until he got to the point. Wasn’t great entertainment.
I do hate Lebron but it seems like he is running away and doesn’t want to handle any pressure. Though there will be some pressure to win in Miami because if he doesn’t he will look like a fool.
I don’t think many people thought it was great entertainment. People tuned in, but I don’t think they were entertained.
“But I think people within the game (not named Wade, Bosh, or Reilly) look at James differently.”
I think many people in the game wish they were 25, had as much talent and had as many options to choose from.
well we’ll see Jeremy, people forget he is only 24 or 25 years old…still has time to make the big shots. Kobe got accused of ‘quitting’ during the Phoenix series several years back also and now everyone loves him. Just saying he did pretty good w/ that mediocre surrounding cast in Cleveland that wouldn’t have started on any other contending team
pat
Yeah it is a little premature but you have to admit that Lebron did hurt his legacy a little because of this move.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/.....2442.story
A ticket to memories: A young nie ce and nephew saved Yankees pitcher Phil Hughes some grief. He was struggling to get enough tickets to Tuesday’s game for his family and realized his nie ce and nephew were younger than 2, so he would only need 10 tickets, not 12.
The Tustin, Calif., native and Foothill High School graduate said chasing after tickets didn’t lessen his enjoyment about being a first-time All-Star and playing in Angel Stadium, which is within an earshot of his childhood home.
“I knew the All-Star game was going to be here,” Hughes said. “But at the beginning of the year, I really had no hopes of trying to make it. To have a good first half and actually be able to play on this team is just kind of surreal.”
Hughes is 11-2 with a 3.65 ERA.
tamapyank and pat
If he wins some championships then I think he will be fine. But if he fails then it won’t look so good. He can turn it around but he has to get it done in South Beach.
“The issue is that Cavs fans really thought he was coming back, only to have him break their hearts.”
They must be pretty stupid then because it was all over the media he was going to Miami. And an aside from speculation there was very little to suggest he was returning.
“For me, I wasted a week reading articles and thinking NY had a chance.”
No one forced you to read those articles. If you hated the whole thing so much, why the hell are you spending a week reading articles about it?
“The show was not great entertainment”
It had a 7.0 National Rating and peaked at 9.6. You don’t get a rating that high unless you are doing something entertaining.
Just sounds like sour grapes to me.
If he had come to Knicks you wouldn’t be saying any of this crap or feeling sorry for the pathetic Cleveland fans who booed him off the court in his last game there.
From Scott Boras in comparing Prince Fielder’s impending FA to Tex’s:
“If you look at Mark Teixeira’s contract, he made the Yankees money,” Boras said. “How many teams would take on Mark Teixeira’s contract? I would say 20. The reason is it’s good business to do that. Those players are invaluable.”
===============================
Look, I absolutely agreed with the Yankees signing of Tex, but there is no way that 20 other clubs would contemplate his contract, maybe 6-8 at most. Granted, I know this is part of the negotiation, but there is no way this type of absurdity should be able to sway supposedly business-savy owners and their GM’s. Yet…apparently even the most ridiculous and subjective instruments hold sway:
http://youbeenblinded.com/wp-c.....binder.pdf
pat,
People like Bill Russell, Magic, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and (Kobe Bryant) wouldn’t change places with him.
Now people like Charles Barkley, Reggie Miller, Patrick Ewing…yeah maybe.
also no matter what Lebron did he was going to get criticized, he left 25 million on the table to play w/ Wade. How many athletes would give up that much money? Not AROD or most players yet Lebron still gets ripped. I just posted initially about the New York media reaction being so hypocritical, it was nothing about being afraid of the ‘big stage of New York’ like I keep hearing repeated in NY papers/radio . It was b/c the Knicks are a dumpster fire of an organization and Pat Riley has a great track record that turned out to be a big draw to Lebron
Fielder is a terrible defense player and is doubtful to age well because of his body type….he’s on his way to being a DH in a few years. Highly doubt he will get anywhere close to Teixera money for those reasons and because the Yankees won’t be involved to drive up the price.
Boras was quoted as saying he thought the Howard deal was a bad deal for Howard…lol, he’s unbelievable.
“People like Bill Russell, Magic, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and (Kobe Bryant) wouldn’t change places with him.”
——————————————-
I bet all those guys outside of Jordan would trade places with him.
He is probably going to be a billionaire before his 35th birthday.
Maybe he just doesn’t care about his legacy, since having a legacy doesn’t automatically make you happy.
I bet having a billion dollars, playing basketball with his best friends, and chilling on South Beach will bring him much more joy than a bunch of people talking about him when he is retired or dead.
LGY I agree…..Yankee fans criticizing someone for joining other great talent is like saying AROD’s championship doesn’t mean as much b/c he went to the Yankees w/ an all star lineup and a huge payroll. the double standard is funny b/c NY media
I also had some bizarre encounters with a few of the Yankees.
———————–
Please expound.
I think Tex maybe would have had 5 teams interested, no way 20 would bid on his services
Jeremy of course Ortiz is using. I don’t know anyone who thinks he isn’t. Except Betsy.
I still can’t believe Morgan had the nerve to call David Ortiz the “Godfather” of baseball.
What a joke !
LGY,
I beg to differ. They all (even LeBron) care about their legacy and place in the game.
MJ, Magic, Larry, and Kobe are also stone-cold competitors. It’s ALL about winning.
But, yeah. I’m not knocking LeBron for going to Miami. It seems as if it was destiny.
Not to say he won’t win, it’s the exact opposite.
But don’t make like he went down to South Beach to sip pina coladas while making a billion bucks to play with his friends.
He’s going there to win. Period.
I didn’t care where Lebron went but I think his choice was a risky one.
The media is already calling them “dream team south beach” They will be expected to win and win soon and I don’t think it will be the waltz to the finals that some think it will be. Riley still has to put a team around these guys and its much easier to talk about sharing the ball and spotlight than actually figuring out how to do it.
I can see this going well and them winning multiple titles…I can also see it going horribly wrong and falling apart. It’ll be interesting either way.
Hey at least LeBron will be able to make alot money and chill in South Beach will all the ladies.
blake,
They made a run at Fisher, who would’ve been a great locker room presence. But the Lakers countered. (3 years
)
m,
Yea Fisher would have been great for Miami but I think he was likely just posturing to get what he wanted from LA.
# SMK July 12th, 2010 at 11:34 pm
I also had some bizarre encounters with a few of the Yankees.
———————–
Please expound.
—————————-
Who do you think gave Melky his peanuts?
tampayank July 12th, 2010 at 11:35 pm
I think Tex maybe would have had 5 teams interested, no way 20 would bid on his services
==================================================
Exactly, there are only a handful of teams that have the capacity to take on such a contract. What kills me is that supposedly intelligent men are so easily and repeatedly duped by Boras into grossly overpaying for his talent (especially Tom Hicks). The link that I put with the last post is this grossly overly optimistic career projection for Rodriguez prepared for his 2001 FA. It featured quotes from such reliable sources as Dan Lebatard, Laura, Vecsey (who?), Michael Martinez (who??), Mel Antonen (who???), and repeatedly Stan Javier (must have been a close A-Rod friend) singing his graces.
You would have thought after Rodriguez, Park, K. Brown, Drew, Beltre, Dreifort, Beltran, Millwood, Dice-K, Zito, and Lohse that teams would be more wary than so easily ponying up to his demands. But no, this offseason the Cards decide to bid against another “mystery” team and give Holliday twice what any other existing team is offering.
Public service announcement: The preceeding list of Boras clients is generally regarded to be a nearly exhaustive list of the worst player contracts of the last 15 years.
Miami and Chicago had the best roster opportunities to win. I’m sure winning was first but it helped he was good friends with Wade and it’s easy to attract free agents to Miami. Lebron begged Bosh to go to Cleveland and he said no. He won’t have to worry about that now in Miami, even when Wade starts to decline(Lebron is a few years younger) he won’t have problems getting new free agents to come play with him
Betsy,
You would like this. Danny Gilbert was fined 100K for his rant the other day.
————————————-
m,
A billion dollars is a lot of money. These old guys always complain about how much more money athletes of this generation make.
And with the way the media is today LeBron is going to be one of the biggest names around the world to play basketball once he retires.
He also has a long career ahead of him and at the end of the day his legacy will be fine as long as he wins a few championships.
Kobe also doesn’t have the greatest reputation and Magic has some “health issues”
You waive a billion bucks in front of those guys and a long life to enjoy that money with their family and I’d venture to say they’d be signing a different tune about maybe have a slightly less prestigious legacy.
No, he did the right thing. And he was up front with the Lakers, that he was going to explore his options.
Fisher on the Heat would’ve been very dangerous. He’s a great, great leader. He would’ve figured out how to balance the 2 egos. And he’d have Laker trade secrets.
But his Laker legacy would’ve taken a hit.
I think all those players will be happy with their lives and careers. Magic would probably prefer to be healthy, but I think they’re very happy with their championships and more money than they could ever spend in their lifetimes.
LGY, he was ? LOL Good…………and I also hope that players (not that they’d be attracted to Cleveland anyway) will avoid Gilbert and his team like the plague.
“If he had come to Knicks you wouldn’t be saying any of this crap or feeling sorry for the pathetic Cleveland fans who booed him off the court in his last game there.”
——————
BINGO
we have a winner
Joe
Considering he was projecting 10 years into the future and health is such a big unknown, Boras’ projections of Alex and Derek at age 35 aren’t insanely crazy.
Also just noticed on baseball-reference.com, Alex’s sister is listed as his agent?
“Magic has some “health issues””
—————-
As far as I know, the HIV levels are undetectable at this point – as long as he continues to take anti-retroviral drugs.
NickSwisher Home Run Derby was AWESOME. What an experience. Only 4 home runs. At least I didn’t get blanked. Hahaha
NickSwisher Can’t wait for tomorrow. AMAZING TIME. Thank you for this opportunity!
I’m up extra early posted like a war soldier
My hustle hard, like I cut it with some baking soda
Heart of a gangster, to the grind man, I’m so committed
Lord knows if I see the paper, Ima get it
when is Mel Gibson going to prison?
http://www.radaronline.com/exc.....-listen-it
BD (Boston Dave) July 13th, 2010 at 1:04 am
when is Mel Gibson going to prison?
——-
1 o’clock in the morning and you are on a baseball blog posting about Mel Gibson!
Get a Life Loser
One tedious non-event down, one more to go.
# lemon July 12th, 2010 at 9:14 pm
Why do they make the players stay to watch the HR derby, if their teammates are not participating? Why not let them go to the beach or something while the sun is still out?
===================================
Sorry, bit late to the “party”
(I had to work late so didn’t see any of the derby, listened to bits and pieces on the radio) Anyhoo – as for the “…teammates are not participating”
I guess I thought the idea was that they ALL have teammates participating, because for 3 days in the middle of the summer, it’s not any of the 30, but one of two – AL vs. NL
That said, I tend to agree with a suggestion I heard on the radio earlier today (don’t remember who made it) that the Futures Game should be held on All Star Monday because so many fans (and ALL the players) miss the game on Sunday due to the regular games still being played. It would be nice for a larger audience, including the major league players, to get to watch the young ones…
They should also have a No Futures Game and include more of the better players from the bottom dwellers in the two leagues, then maybe you wouldn’t need to include someone from each team in the real All-Star Game.
Jeremy says:
July 12, 2010 at 11:36 pm
I still can’t believe Morgan had the nerve to call David Ortiz the “Godfather” of baseball.
What a joke !
————————
not that I want to defend Morgan, but I’ll play Devil’s advocate. It really depends on what he meant by “Godfather.” in the movies, Don Vito became Godfather because he killed a local mob boss. In Old School, Mitch was godfather because he rented a house on a college campus and his old friends made a fraternity. In church, your Godfather is the man your father chose to become your gardian upon his death.
Since David Ortiz is a baseball player, none of those options works. Therefore, Morgan meant neither of these. Nevertheless there is a common theme. All of these involves a person worthy of respect because of his actions. Moreover, they are worthy of more respect than the others around them. Don Vito had the courage to kill a mafia boss when everyone said he was crazy. All of Mitch’s friends worked normal jobs and had families. None of them had the opportunity to rent that house. Your parents felt that one of their friends was respectable enough to raise you in their absense. David Ortiz, on the other hand just hit 32 homeruns in one evening. That’s six more than the the closest competitor. Therefore, calling him the Godfather of baseball was not the most ridiculous thing Morgan did today.
Common thread is old, fat men?
No
Jesus Montero on his feelings about the near trade and getting the the majors earlier:
“True, I can be in the big leagues. But all my dreams are with this team. Whatever they do, I’m going to have to live with it. But I want to stay here. I love the Yankees.”
http://blogs.thetimes-tribune.com/yankees/
Did anybody hear about the cincinatti reds prospect that got attacked by a bull shark in texas?
Needed 60 something stitches in his foot.
http://www.click2houston.com/n.....etail.html
There’s a lot of BS just floatin around in Texas. You gotta be careful that’s for sure.
Can’t blame Cliff Lee for wanting a no-trade clause – he’s been with 4 different teams in 2 years. Enough already.
Enjoy all the anti-Ortiz hatred on here. You folks need somewhat of a life.
Good morning, cyberland.
Once Lee signs his new contract, so few teams will be able to afford him that the it will contain a limited constructive no-trade clause.
Ortiz celebrated his victory with a shake.
Is anyone else annoyed at Ortiz winning the HR derby . . . The dude just irks me ! .
I thought Ortiz would have a good chance to win last night because his swing is perfect for a HR contest and LH hitters had a big advantage in that park.
while I think its ridiculius how ESPN fawns over a guy that’s a steroid connected DH…it doesn’t really bother me because its expected. ESPN is littered with Sox homers and Papi does their commercials.
Sox fans should be happy they at least won something this season and bask in the “glory” of this pretty unimportant accomplishmnent.
Go AL tonight!
Haven’t been here in a while, so I want to give a shout-out to my peeps Goofy Dan, Friendless Bob and Crazy Mary.
Are you cats still here?
Anyone else concerned that John Kruk “went with his head” and picked the AL to win tonight?
I wonder if Pig Slapi is going to get a new contract from the Sux? The new roid formula kicked in nicely for the home run contest.
Doreen,
That is a bad sign but we can just hope the whole “blind squirrel” thing holds true.
The NL does have some great pitchers so it should be a great game. I still think the AL gets it done.
Remember how the Phillies were a NL powerhouse team last year lol. The AL is the league of CHampions! Same goes for the all star game.
John Kruk = tits on a bull
just plain useless
Bret -
Yeah.
The other three picked the NL, saying it would be close but the NL would break out in the later innings. I guess we’ll see. I just don’t want Joe G to be the first manager to lose the ASG in like a million years. ‘Cause you know it’s going to happen one of these days, right?
Well, the NL didn’t exactly beat up on AL teams in the interleague play, right, or shut them down totally, either?
And I’d forgotten how much Bobby Valentine “irks” me. Something about him I can only take for about 5 seconds and then I want to shut him up.
There’s a great story by Marc Carig in today’s Star Ledger that features Andy Pettitte and his evolution over the years as a pitcher. There’s a picture that has Andy from 2000 and then Andy from this year at the same point in his delivery. Almost identical form. Really good picture.
This is the story online. Unfortunately, they don’t use the same picture as the one in the newspaper.
http://www.nj.com/yankees/inde....._cont.html
GB
You advising Al Leiter these days? He predicted an AL win with the key hit coming from Alex too.
Doreen, terrific article, thanks!
I hope Phil reads that, lol, and realizes that he shouldn’t get too cutter happy (even though the cutter is the new split-fingered FB). He could learn a lot from Andy in terms of being a complete pitcher, so I hope he’s watching. He did say a couple of days ago (the interview is on YES.com for anyone interested) that he thinks the change up will be key for him in the 2nd half, so it will be interesting to see if he follows through.
Back to Andy, I saw his new Dove commercial – he was so cute as a kid, he looked just the same as he does now, lol.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07.....ref=sports
Pitching is the new hitting, lol
Doreen,
Bret?
Why are you posting to me?
Bret -
Oops – meant “Blake.” Still a little early in the day, I guess. Sorry.
Betsy -
I was thinking of Phil Hughes as I read the article, too. He’s got a lot of experience on that pitching staff to rely on – it took Andy a long time to “evolve.” Perhaps Phil can speed the process, seeing how his teammates have been successful. But the other thing I got was just how scary it must be to throw the CU, because if it’s not a good one, it’s probably going to be hit hard and far.
Doreen, Phil is in the same position as thousands of pitchers before him……. I can truly understand not wanting to get beat with his fourth pitch, but you know, he clearly can throw it – as witnessed by the fact that he threw some great ones in. He just has to think about how it will help him in the future……. He’s got some fantastic veterans to learn from and he’s a smart kid, so I expect he’ll be fine.
Speaking of Phil -he still lives at home during the off-season and his mom cooks him breakfast. Yum, biscuits and gravy, lol:
http://www.nypost.com/p/sports.....GytdysrKuN
“it took Andy a long time to “evolve.””
Didn’t Pettitte evolve into an allstar and Cy Young runner-up (in one of the closest Cy votes of the last 20 years) at age 24?
I’m glad Swish got his 4 HRs last night-his teammates never would have let him hear the end of it if he hadn’t hit any. LOL
“Therefore, calling him the Godfather of baseball was not the most ridiculous thing Morgan did today.”
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Well, it is pretty hard to top his foray into Dominican slang terms
His parents are adorable – I didn’t know they had an All-Star parade; that’s very cool.
Billy -
If you read the article, it’s not talking about his overall success, but his incorporating more pitches to his arsenal so that he doesn’t have to rely on his cutter all the time. The article talks about him now having the ability to go to pitches the hitter isn’t expecting later in the game. The evolution from a two-pitch pitcher to a four-pitch pitcher which accounts for his most recent success. The evolution from a pitcher who struggled in the later innings, to a guy who keeps hitters at a .227 batting average the third time through the order.
Neither the article nor I was saying he wasn’t a good pitcher prior to this year, nor were we saying he wasn’t successful in the past. But even according to Pettitte, this is the best year of his long career.
Billy D -
Also the article talks about how earlier in his career he threw the cutter with a lot more speed than he could after his elbow surgery in 2004. So it lost some of its effectiveness and he had to do something.
Mike RI July 13th, 2010 at 7:06 am
Is anyone else annoyed at Ortiz winning the HR derby . . . The dude just irks me ! .
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I have to admit, I was disappointed when I saw he had won this morning. I turned it off last night after Swish got eliminated.
Erin -
I think it was a good showing by Swish. He got enough HRs to not “embarrass” himself and we, the silly fans that we are, didn’t have to worry too much about his swing getting messed up. Actually, he took a lot of pitches, didn’t he???
I fell asleep and didn’t see the second round. I read that Corey Hart didn’t get any HRs in the second round? Who finished second?
Guess who wants Joe Girardi to come manage their team?
Chicago Cubs, http://www.suntimes.com They think he, if anyone could straighten out their team.
They think they could LURE HIM AWAY from the YANKEES crazy !!
Rhetorical question : Would you want to manage a team that operates under a (so called) curse, and hasn’t won WS in 100 yrs, or stay with a franchise committed to winning? duh!!
http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/_/.....rk-yankees
Cool tour of Phil’s house………neat bobblehead collection, and he’s got seat from the old YS, lol.
Dorreen:
I did not read the article. Struggling to even keep my eyes open today. Like some others before him, Pettitte clearly has adapted well to the physical limitations that come with age and/or injury.
“Rhetorical question : Would you want to manage a team that operates under a (so called) curse, and hasn’t won WS in 100 yrs, or stay with a franchise committed to winning? duh!!”
Right now, given the century plus of failure, being the guy who is the manager when the Cubs finally win would about as special as it gets.
would BE about as special as it gets.
Girardi was a Cubs fan growing up. It was his dream to be a Cub, and he did get to play for them. I wouldn’t be surprised if things changed in NY that Girardi would want to manage there. But right now, I can’t imagine him not being re-signed right here.
I also agree with Billy D. The guy who is manager when the Cubs finally do win is going to be worshipped!
Doreen – GTLU Stuff & Photos July 13th, 2010 at 8:45 am
Erin -
I think it was a good showing by Swish. He got enough HRs to not ?embarrass? himself and we, the silly fans that we are, didn?t have to worry too much about his swing getting messed up. Actually, he took a lot of pitches, didn?t he???
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He did take a lot of pitches-typical Swisher!
I was a little relieved that he was out after the first round-the Yankees probably were too! lol
New Post: Somehow, Pettitte still finding a way
Betsy-
Too funny video on PJ III the Delegator! LOL. Thanks for sharing.
Another Chicago paper, http://www.southtownstar.com says the Yankees making him wait until seasons end to talk contract is a lack of regard-if not a lack of regard and they should pounce.
Where is this coming from, Yankees don’t do extensions during the season.