2009 MLB Thread

[hugman]

Tony LaRussa is suing Twitter.

LOL.

I hate that guy so much.

Obviously.  That would explain why you can't empathize with someone who's pissed off about someone posing as him besmirching two of his players that have died.

[jbissell]

Tony LaRussa is suing Twitter.

LOL.

I hate that guy so much.

Obviously.  That would explain why you can't empathize with someone who's pissed off about someone posing as him besmirching two of his players that have died.

All I read was that he was mad someone was pretending to be him, didn't realize there were mocking comments about Hancock (was Kile the other?), in which case, obviously uncalled for.

EDIT: Yeah, I just went back and read the ESPN article and they had added a bunch of details since I first read it and I certainly can't blame him.  Darryl Kile was actually a relative of mine (though a few steps removed).

[nec13]

Top 5 Worst Contracts in Pittsburgh Pirates History (as selected by me):

#5: Derek Bell-2 Years, $9 Million
Reason: Hits .173 in 2001, goes into "Operation Shutdown" and quits during Spring Training 2002. Pirates pay entire $4.5 million for him not to play. Bell never plays again and is later arrested for cocaine possession.

#4: Kevin Young-4 Years, $24 million
Reason: Signs richest contract in franchise history in 1999. Has a solid year in 1999 (26 HR, 106 RBI). But production declines considerably for the remainder of the contract, before he bottoms out with a whopping .624 OPS in 2003.

#3: Matt Morris-3 Years, $27 million (Inherited contract from Giants)
Reason: In a stunning move, Dave Littlefield attempts to save his job by obtaining the services of Giants pitcher Matt Morris. San Francisco Giants general manager Brian Sabean is pleasantly surprised when the Pirates not only agree to pay all of Morris' contract, something that no other team was willing to do, but also send back OF Rajai Davis in return. Morris starts off the 2008 season 0-4 with 9.68 ERA and the Pirates release him on April 27. Morris is thrilled because he gets paid $10 million for the privilege of not having to pitch for the Pirates.

#2: Pat Meares-4 Years, $15 million
Reason: Following a good 1998 season with the Twins (9 HR, 70 RBI), the Pirates sign Pat Meares for the bargain price of $1.5 million. For reasons unbeknownst, then Pirates GM Cam Bonifay subsequently re-signs Meares to a 4 year, $15 million contract. Meares only plays 21 games for the Pirates in 1999 because of a hand injury. Meares then underwent surgery to repair the injury and returned for the 2000 season. Unfortunately, when he returned, he bore little resemblance to the mediocre player of year's past. In 2001, he played a scant 86 games and only had 4 HR, 25 RBI, and a .548 OPS. The Pirates then placed Meares on the DL for entire 2002 season. Meares filed a grievance against the Pirates, claiming that he was healthy enough to play and demanded his release. Meares dropped the grievance in October of 2002 and never played again. In the end the Pirates paid $15 million for a player who averaged 80 games per season and didn't produce even when he played.
 
#1: Jason Kendall-6 Years, $60 Million
Reason: $10 million for a hitter with 73 HR and a .755 career OPS.   Only the Pirates.

[jbissell]

I had forgotten about the joys of Derek Bell.

[nec13]

Derek Bell was the Pirates' version of Garry Templeton. In fact, Pittsburgh newspaper columnist Mark Madden once wrote of Mr. Bell:

"Derek Bell becomes the ultimate Pirate: Lives on a boat and steals money."

[jbissell]

They're about to sweep the Mets, so you've got that going for you.

[hugman]

Tony LaRussa is suing Twitter.

LOL.

I hate that guy so much.

Obviously.  That would explain why you can't empathize with someone who's pissed off about someone posing as him besmirching two of his players that have died.

All I read was that he was mad someone was pretending to be him, didn't realize there were mocking comments about Hancock (was Kile the other?), in which case, obviously uncalled for.

EDIT: Yeah, I just went back and read the ESPN article and they had added a bunch of details since I first read it and I certainly can't blame him.  Darryl Kile was actually a relative of mine (though a few steps removed).

I assume it was Kile.

Easiest game on this thread:  say something negative about anyone in the Cardinals organization and watch Hugman go into a tizzy.  Except K. Greene. I myself have besmirched him in public (well, on my facebook page). Now that he's on the DL for "social anxiety disorder" I feel bad for him.  

[nec13]

I'm indifferent to the Pirates. I watch them more for laughs than anything else. But I really don't care what they do anymore. Through their blatant incompetence, the Pirates have lost an entire generation of fans, myself included. People go to Pirates games nowadays for any number of reasons besides baseball.

Am I being too hard on them? Yeah. But they deserve my ridicule.

[hugman]

I watched the Giants feed on mlb extra innings last week. I didn't catch their names or who they were, but their announcers were awesome.  I laughed out loud a few times.  Going back to Dan McLaughlin and Al Hrabosky (the cards guys) has been nearly unbearable.  Dan especially.

[jbissell]

Easiest game on this thread:  say something negative about anyone in the Cardinals organization and watch Hugman go into a tizzy.  Except K. Greene. I myself have besmirched him in public (well, on my facebook page). Now that he's on the DL for "social anxiety disorder" I feel bad for him.  

Pujols is the best hitter in baseball.  Franklin has become a very good closer.  Carpenter is great, when healthy.  I still don't like LaRussa, although I disliked him before he came to the Cards.  Maybe it's the hair.

[nec13]

I think the Giants TV broadcasters are Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow.

Is John Rooney still doing radio for the Cards? He's great.

[hugman]

By the way, my hatred of Zambrano has nothing to do, really, with him being a Cub, although it helps.  It started when he came out last year(?) and declared that he was going to win the Cy Young.

Another Cub I hate is Soriano, but that's strictly the kind of hate born out of respect for what he does to your team.  It's the same hatred I have for Carlos Beltran (although Wainwright helped alleviate some of that for me in '06) I'm sure Ramirez will be in that category when he comes back as well.

[hugman]

I think the Giants TV broadcasters are Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow.

Is John Rooney still doing radio for the Cards? He's great.

I don't know. The next time I watch live (which is almost never) I'll have to try to stream the radio coverage.  Although that's usually not in synch either.

[jbissell]

By the way, my hatred of Zambrano has nothing to do, really, with him being a Cub, although it helps.  It started when he came out last year(?) and declared that he was going to win the Cy Young.

Another Cub I hate is Soriano, but that's strictly the kind of hate born out of respect for what he does to your team.  It's the same hatred I have for Carlos Beltran (although Wainwright helped alleviate some of that for me in '06) I'm sure Ramirez will be in that category when he comes back as well.

I'm traditionally a Z apologist but it's getting harder and harder.  Seeing his no-hitter in person last year is probably going to be the best baseball event I'll ever attend.

I've never warmed to Soriano.  Sure, he hits homers and he's not as bad a defender as people think (although I cringe every time he does the hop), but every time I see him swing at a pitch that bounces in front of the plate in a clutch situation I lose it.

[nec13]

My all-time favorite Cub is Karl "Tuffy" Rhodes. The rest of the Cubs I neither love nor hate.