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Evil Vito 03-26-2011 10:48 AM

MLB 2011 Season Thread
 
<font color=goldenrod>Screw it, we're less than a week away until Opening Day. Time to get the predictions rolling. Should have mine up soon enough.</font>

McLegend 03-26-2011 11:07 AM

Not liking the Phillies right now. Not a fan of the injuries.

Aguakate 03-26-2011 08:35 PM

Ok, I'll put up my predictions Division by Division, for both Leagues:

American League

East

1. Boston Red Sox
2. New York Yankees (Wild Card)
3. Baltimore Orioles
4. Tampa Bay Rays
5. Toronto Blue Jays

Central

1. Detroit Tigers
2. Chicago White Sox
3. Minnesota Twins
4. Cleveland Indians
5. Kansas City Royals

West

1. Texas Rangers
2. Los Angeles Angels
3. Oakland Athletics
4. Seattle Mariners


National League

East

1. Atlanta Braves
2. Philadelphia Phillies (Wild Card)
3. Florida Marlins
4. New York Mets
5. Washington Nationals

Central

1. Cincinnatti Reds
2. Milwaukee Brewers
3. St. Louis Cardinals
4. Chicago Cubs
5. Houston Astros
6. Pittsburgh Pirates

West

1. San Francisco Giants
2. Colorado Rockies
3. San Diego Padres
4. Los Angeles Dodgers
5. Arizona Diamondbacks

MVP 03-28-2011 09:29 AM

My predictions are a work in progress. Here's what I have so far:

AL East
Red Sox
Yankees (WC)
Orioles
Rays
Blue Jays

AL Central
White Sox
Twins
Tigers
Indians
Royals

AL West
Athletics
Rangers
Angels
Mariners

NL East
Phillies
Braves
Mets
Nationals
Marlins

NL Central
Brewers
Cardinals
Cubs
Reds
Astros
Pirates

NL West
Rockies
Giants (WC)
Dodgers
D-Backs
Padres

Gertner 03-28-2011 09:30 AM

lol my poor Jays.

RP 03-28-2011 09:54 AM

AL


East

Yanks


Central

Twins


West

A's


Wild Card : red sox

NL


East

Braves


Central

Cubs

West

Padres


Wild Card: Phillies

Evil Vito 03-28-2011 12:12 PM

<font color=goldenrod>NL East

1. Philadelphia Phillies
Don’t really see how anybody could not pick the Phillies here. When you win a division 4 years in a row, you should automatically be the favorites the next year – especially when you have such a ricockulous rotation. The Phillies DO have holes. Their pen looks pretty bleak and their lineup has some question marks, the biggest of which being Chase Utley’s knee. Still, barring a lot of injuries you gotta go with the Phils here.

2. Atlanta Braves
The Braves have a really solid team. Their rotation looks good (especially Tim Hudson, who seems to be undervalued) and their pen has a lot of really good young arms. Uggla should be a huge addition to the lineup, although he’s pound to hurt them with his glove. McCann worries me this year and I’m not sure how Freeman will do in his first full season. Can see them giving the Phils a run for their money and staying in Wild Card contention until the end.

3. New York Mets
This is basically a free year for Alderson to evaluate and get ready to work with the free space with salaries coming off the books next year. If Beltran stays healthy most of the season (a big if) I think the Mets should score a ton of runs. Davis is a beast and 25 or so HRs for Bay in a bounceback year is possible. Rotation has potential, and I think Young and Capuano will prove to be decent finds. I’m thinking right about .500 this year.

4. Florida Marlins
A lot of youth on this team, so I think there may be some growing pains. Josh Johnson is great but I’m really not too sold on the rest of their rotation. Similarly, Hanley is amazing but so many of the other guys in the lineup are really unproven. I’m just not sure what to make of them. I also think John Buck takes a huge step back from last season, so that’ll hurt the lineup a bit. Another team that will probably finish around .500 but the future might look bright.

5. Washington Nationals
No shockers here, Nats finish in the cellar for the umpteenth year in a row. No idea why the fuck they gave Jayson Werth 7 years. Zimmerman is really good and they have some decent young players but it’s probably gonna be another long year. Biggest stories will be how Bryce Harper handles the minors and how Strasburg does in rehab. They’re another team that should be looking to next year, probably around 70 wins or so.


NL Central

1. Cincinnati Reds
I’m a believer in the Reds. I really love their lineup and wouldn’t be shocked at all to see Votto right back in the MVP contention again this year. Their rotation isn’t exactly spectacular, but it’s filled with guys who should get the job done more often than not. Having Volquez for a full season should help. Also eager to see how Chapman does with a full year in the pen. Can’t see why he wouldn’t supplant Cordero once his contract is up.

2. Milwaukee Brewers
They’ve made some big improvements and should be right in the thick of the division race. Fielder should have a monster year with his contract expiring at the end of the season. Gallardo is the goods and Greinke/Marcum should have fun in the National League. Axford and Saito should provide a solid back-end of the bullpen. Don’t think Betancourt should be an everyday starter. Nearly had the Brewers as my wild card pick.

3. Chicago Cubs
I really like the Garza trade and think he will be a stud in the National League. If Zambrano can keep his head screwed on straight it should be a good rotation. They are idiots if they put Braden Looper on the team. I like their lineup for the most part but Carlos Pena pretty much sucks. Aramis should rebound this year which will go a long way. Cubs should be able to stay competitive until September and might be a free agent away from making a push in 2012.

4. St. Louis Cardinals
Amazing how much of a difference one loss can make. I was seriously considering making the Cards my Central winners this year before Wainwright went down. I like their lineup a lot and think Berkman will prove to be a great move. But their rotation loses a lot of its luster without Wainwright. Carpenter should be good but I think Garcia outperformed his peripherals last year and as a #2 starter that won’t work. I’m sure Pujols will be back in 2012 at least.

5. Houston Astros
Looking like another pretty bleak year for Houston. No one aspect of their team really stands out. Carlos Lee should have a better year but that may be offset by the fact that I think Brett Myers will regress. Watching Jason Castro develop could have been fun but now he’s out for most of the year and his ability to catch may be in doubt. There’s just not a whole lot going on here and they are saved from being in the cellar only because they aren’t the Pirates.

6. Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates finishing last just feels like a slam dunk year in a year out. They have some promising young players but their front office doesn’t seem committed to winning so they might be out the door in the blink of an eye. At least they are meant to have one of the nicest stadiums in baseball, looking forward to checking it out when I head to Pittsburgh for the Mets series in June.


NL West

1. Colorado Rockies
I like the look of this Rockies team a lot. Their rotation has crazy good potential despite playing in Coors. Don’t see why Ubaldo and De La Rosa can’t come close to duplicating their performance from a year ago. Tulo and Gonzalez make for a good middle of the order and I don’t see Tulo being complacent with his fuckoff huge contract. Think this team has enough to put it together and wins their first ever NL West crown.

2. San Francisco Giants (WC)
I don’t think last year was a fluke for the Giants, I just happen to like the Rockies slightly better. I think this divisional race will be the tightest in the NL and the Giants coming right down to the wire with the Brewers for a Wild Card spot (maybe a one-game playoff?) Their lineup looks way better than it did heading into last year, and their pitching should still be great. The glorious beards should have another playoff run in them.

3. Los Angeles Dodgers
Dodgers have a pretty good team that should be in the mix most of the year. The big question is whether or not Kemp will bounce back from a disappointing 2010. His production will be huge this season. They have a healthy mix of young guys and vets on the pitching staff which should yield pretty good results. I’m thinking the Dodgers finish well over .500 and have a good season to build on for next year.

4. San Diego Padres
Their pitching is just flat-out awesome. It’s going to have to carry them this year because their lineup is shit especially with no Gonzalez. Still, I think they can pull a ton of 1-run wins thanks to their pitching ala last year. Unfortunately, their division is too strong to think they’ll be as competitive as last year. If their hitting prospects get big league ready in the near future, look out for this team in 2011 and beyond.

5. Arizona Diamondbacks
Much like the rest of the NL West, the Diamondbacks made me look stupid last year by picking them as the Wild Card. Don’t have as much of a reason to be that optimistic about them this year. I actually like the look of their lineup and think they should score a good amount of runs, but their rotation just seems incredibly blah outside of Daniel Hudson and their bullpen is even worse. 90+ losses seems like a fairly safe bet for them this season.


AL East

1. New York Yankees
Most seem to have the Yankees finishing behind the Red Sox due to their rotation, but I don’t think it’s too bad – especially since I’m pretty sure they’ll trade for another starter by July 31. Their lineup will score a shitload as expected and their pen looks really strong, let’s see if Pedro Feliciano’s arm finally combusts. It’s a tough call between them and the Red Sox and it should be a tight race all year, but I’m gonna go with the Bombers.

2. Boston Red Sox (WC)
Though it feels this way every year, it feels like a slam dunk that both the Yanks and Sox will make it anyway. Like I said before, I don’t think Boston’s rotation is that much better than New York’s. Buchholz will probably come back down to Earth and I’m not sure what Beckett and Lackey will bring. Pen is really solid and the offense will score a fuckload, especially Gonzalez who is gonna have a ridiculous year in Fenway.

3. Tampa Bay Rays
Crawford is gonna prove to be a big loss for them, really not impressed with their lineup outside of Longoria. Their big strength is their pitching, which should be great. Price should be in for another good year and I’m eager to see what Hellickson will bring to the table in a full season. Also gotta figure Shields has a bounce-back season. They’re in an unfortunate division but with some offense they should definitely stick around in contention.

4. Baltimore Orioles
Quite possibly the most improved team in baseball. They might finally get over .500, or at least really close to it. Their lineup is gonna rake in Camden. Vlad was a good pickup, Markakis should get his power numbers back up, Jones should continue to improve, and Reynolds will hopefully bat over the Mendoza line. Pitching staff is pretty young and will probably have some growing pains, but overall a good year for the O’s.

5. Toronto Blue Jays
This pick continues the recurring theme – a team on the rise who unfortunately play in the AL East. It will be great for them to get a full year of big league seasoning for Drabek, Arencibia, etc. in a year where not too much is expected of them. If these guys wind up being the studs most expect them to be, the East should be a truly ridiculous division with 5 teams strong for years to come.


AL Central

1. Minnesota Twins
The Twins are just a model of consistency year in and year out. It doesn’t matter if there are injuries, people having down years, etc. – Gardenhire always finds a way. A returning Nathan and Capps should be a lethal back end of the bullpen and Morneau coming back strong gives them an imposing lineup. This division is a tough one to forecast, but I’m gonna go with the old reliable pick here and say the Twins win another AL Central title.

2. Chicago White Sox
Dunn was a big acquisition and should continue his near-40 HR power. If Konerko puts up similar numbers to 2010 then that’s some serious sock in the middle of the lineup, especially with Pierre and Rios racking up steals in front of them. Not sure who will be doing the closing between Thornton or Sale, but either way I like the look of their pitching staff. Buehrle, Danks, and Floyd are all solid. Good year overall for the Sox, but not good enough to play in October.

3. Detroit Tigers
Verlander, Scherzer, and Porcello should form a solid top of the rotation. Cabrera is the goods, alcohol-induced or not. Martinez should provide good production, and I like Jackson and Boesch a lot. Their bullpen seems a bit spotty and I think Benoit is bound to regress after his ridiculously good 2010. With the Indians and Royals behind them, the Tigers have more than enough talent to finish comfortably in 3rd place.

4. Cleveland Indians
Shin-Soo Choo and the continued development of Carlos Santana are the main reasons to watch the Indians this year. The pitching staff looks pretty dreadful outside of Carmona and Chris Perez. Sizemore bouncing back seems like a pretty big question mark even though he was never really THAT good to begin with. Unless they bring back Ricky “Wild Thing” Vaughn this will probably be a long season for them.

5. Kansas City Royals
Good lord does this team look awful. Billy Butler, Joakim Soria, and possibly Mike Aviles are the only exceptional players here. The Alex Gordon-Melky Cabrera-Jeff Francoeur outfield might be the weakest in baseball. Gordon’s probably in his last chance to prove he’s a worthy big leaguer. This team should approach 100 losses and they better pray their farm system (supposedly one of the best EVER) actually produces within a few years.


AL West

1. Texas Rangers
I can’t see why their lineup wouldn’t continue to put up huge numbers in that bandbox park in the smoldering Texas heat. One of the best lineups in baseball top to bottom. Not really a fan of their rotation especially with no more Cliff Lee to rely on. However, their bullpen looks pretty lethal with Rhodes, Oliver, and O’Day all being quality arms and, of course, Feliz back as the closer. I think they’ll slug their way to the AL West crown.

2. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Angels should have a really quality rotation with Weaver, Haren, and Santana. Their pen is also improved with Downs and Takahashi, although I’m not a big Fernando Rodney fan. Lineup should be decent although Morales is coming back from a huge injury and there are a lot of aging veterans in the outfield. Look for Mike Trout by September. They should improve on last year’s campaign but are not quite ready for a playoff return yet.

3. Oakland Athletics
So much quality young pitching here, Beane did a great job piecing that together. Bailey’s starting on the DL but hopefully won’t be there for long. If they had an extra good bat I’d probably have them as my division winners. As such, I’m picking them for 3rd although finishing over .500 is very possible. This is a team I think can be a big-time contender in 2011 so long as their pitching staff builds on last year.

4. Seattle Mariners
It rains a lot in Seattle, so maybe they’ll get enough rain for Felix to make 50 starts. They’ll get a ton of trade offers for him but for their sake I hope they hold onto him because him and Ichiro are the only reason to head out to the park this year. They are likely a few years away from competing – hard to believe at this time last year many had them pegged to win the West. Kinda like the Astros, Pirates, Indians, and Royals – it’s gonna be a long year for these guys.


Awards

NL MVP: Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals
NL Cy Young: Roy Halladay, Philadelphia Phillies
NL Rookie of the Year: Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves
NL Comeback Player of the Year: Pablo Sandoval, San Francisco Giants
NL Manager of the Year: Jim Tracy, Colorado Rockies

AL MVP: Adrian Gonzalez, Boston Red Sox
AL Cy Young: Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners
AL Rookie of the Year: Jeremy Hellickson, Tampa Bay Rays
AL Comeback Player of the Year: Joe Nathan, Minnesota Twins
AL Manager of the Year: Ron Washington, Texas Rangers


Playoffs

Division Series
-Phillies over Giants in 4
-Reds over Rockies in 5
-Yankees over Rangers in 5
-Red Sox over Twins in 3

Championship Series
-Phillies over Reds in 6 (MVP: Cliff Lee)
-Yankees over Red Sox in 7 (MVP: Alex Rodriguez)

World Series
-Phillies over Yankees in 6 (MVP: Roy Halladay)</font>

Skippord 03-28-2011 01:57 PM

AL East:
Red Sox
Yankees
Rays
Jays
Orioles

AL West:
A's
Rangers(Wild Card)
Angels
Mariners

AL Central:
Twins
White Sox
Tigers
Indians
Royals

NL East:
Phillies
Braves
Marlins
Nationals
Mets

NL West:
Rockies
Giants(Wild Card)
Dodgers
D'Backs
Padres

NL Central:
Reds
Brewers
Cardinals
Astros
Cubs
Pirates

Emperor Smeat 03-28-2011 03:26 PM

Tigers or Rangers take the Wild Card for the AL. Rockies or Braves take the Wild Card for the NL.

Orioles should make a decent run to the Top 3 for part of the season but don't see them finishing out of the bottom (Jays have some quality while Rays still have good pitching).

AL East:
Red Sox
Yankees
Jays
Rays
Orioles

AL West:
A's
Rangers
Angels
Mariners

AL Central:
Twins
Tigers
White Sox
Indians
Royals

NL East:
Phillies
Braves
Marlins
Mets
Nationals

NL West:
Giants
Rockies
Dodgers
Padres
D'Backs

NL Central:
Reds
Brewers
Cubs
Cardinals
Astros
Pirates

ClockShot 03-28-2011 05:33 PM

"Got a beat up glove, a homemade bat, and a brand new pair of shooooooooooes."

Innovator 03-31-2011 07:11 AM

HAPPY OPENING DAY BABY!

I need a sudden illness, cmon.

Boomer 03-31-2011 07:19 AM

Yeah, pretty upset the Braves game starts at 1 PM EST.

Hardkore Kidd J 03-31-2011 07:46 AM

AL East:

Red Sox

Yankees (WC)

Rays

Orioles

Jays

Central:

Tigers

Sox

Twins

Royals

Indians


AL West:

A'S

Rangers

Mariners

Angels




NL East

Braves

Phillies

Marlins

Mets

Nationals

NL Central

Reds
Brewers (Wild Card)
Cubs
Cardinals
Astros
Pirates


NL West:

Giants

Rockies

Dodgers

Diamandbacks

Padres



I could be wrong about the Phillies the reason I am basing them on that is because as of now with all the injuries that are happening it doesn't sound like a very good sign for them season wise. So as of now I think the injuries may hold them back. That's the only reason they may not win the East or wild card. But I could be wrong.

MVP 03-31-2011 08:26 AM

Opening day, all is right in the universe. :love:

Innovator 03-31-2011 09:18 AM

WOOOOOOOOOOOO

Excitement in the air, sense of optimism from Mets fans calling into the Fan, all is right!

RP 03-31-2011 09:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by conebone69 (Post 3476927)
AL


East

Yanks


Central

Twins


West

A's


Wild Card : red sox

NL


East

Braves


Central

Cubs

West

Padres


Wild Card: Phillies


Forgot to give my WS pick. Twins over Padres

Evil Vito 03-31-2011 10:34 AM

<font color=goldenrod>Kinda hate the way Opening Day is structured this year just cause there's only like 6 games today, everybody else gets cockteased and has to wait until tomorrow. :(

But, if it were a standard Monday Opening Day I wouldn't be able to skip class as I normally would, so in that way it's good. :cool: Can't wait for 7 PM tomorrow to roll around.</font>

Supreme Olajuwon 03-31-2011 11:20 AM

Red Sox
Twins
Rangers
Yankees (WC)

Phillies
Reds
Giants
Rockies (WC)

Phillies over Red Sox

AL MVP: Adrian Gonzalez
NL MVP: Troy Tulowitzki

AL Cy Young: David Price
NL Cy Young: Cliff Lee

AL ROTY: Ivan Nova (:naughty: )
NL ROTY: Freddie Freeman

AL MOTY: Terry Francona
NL MOTY: Jim Tracy

Innovator 03-31-2011 01:20 PM

YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO CURTIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIS

ClockShot 03-31-2011 01:23 PM

Was able to swap out Austin Jackson for Curtis Granderson for my fantasy team at literally the last minute once I heard Grandyman was playing today.

*fistpump*

Boomer 03-31-2011 01:45 PM

Jason Heyward loves his first AB of the year.

Damian Rey 03-31-2011 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skippord (Post 3477067)
NL West:
Rockies
Giants(Wild Card)
Dodgers
D'Backs
Padres

The Padres last? Behind Arizona? That's the only part I have to strongly disagree with. The Dback's lineup is abysmal, minus Upton. I understand the Padres lineup isn't sexy, but they added guys who can get on base at the top, and Ludwick and Hawpe are better than anything the DBack's have not named Justin Upton.

Skippord 03-31-2011 02:16 PM

Chris Young and Drew are pretty good

actually went back and forth on the D'Backs and Padres, but when I saw Latos was out for a bit I went with the D'Backs.

Innovator 03-31-2011 02:16 PM

TEX MESSAGE

Supreme Olajuwon 03-31-2011 02:22 PM

woooooo Edison gives up homers to the first two batters of the season

LETS GO REDS

Innovator 03-31-2011 04:15 PM

YANKEES WIN

THEEEEEEEE YANKEES WIN

Evil Vito 03-31-2011 05:29 PM

<font color=goldenrod>Terry Collins announces his first Met lineup:

SS Jose Reyes
LF Willie Harris
3B David Wright
RF Carlos Beltran
CF Angel Pagan
1B Ike Davis
2B Brad Emaus
C Josh Thole
P Mike Pelfrey

A lot of Mets fans are, of course, flipping a shit about Willie Harris batting 2nd instead of Pagan and calling bullshit on the "lengthening the lineup" argument. This despite the fact that he's got the best numbers of anybody in the lineup against Josh Johnson and it's hardly a permanent lineup with Beltran sitting every 2-3 games and Bay not back until next Saturday.

The only criticism I'd make is that Davis probably won't see anything good to hit until Emaus proves himself. Eager to watch him play. Can't wait for tomorrow.</font> :love:

OssMan 03-31-2011 07:35 PM

Damn. Today was just an awful experience all around.

Triple Naitch 03-31-2011 08:08 PM

Brandon Belt is either going to make or break my fantasy team. Really looking forward to seeing him play.

Skippord 03-31-2011 08:08 PM

I hope he is bad

Skippord 03-31-2011 08:09 PM

because I hate Triple Naitch's fantasy team

Triple Naitch 03-31-2011 08:12 PM

:'(

Triple Naitch 03-31-2011 08:13 PM

This needs to be posted in every thread possible.

http://fastcache.gawkerassets.com/as...3/peterose.jpg

Damian Rey 04-01-2011 12:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skippord (Post 3480334)
Chris Young and Drew are pretty good

actually went back and forth on the D'Backs and Padres, but when I saw Latos was out for a bit I went with the D'Backs.

Chris Young is not good. He isn't bad. But he's also a career .241 hitter who can't get on base and strikes out a ton. He's hit over .260 one time, and that, and his .257 batting average last year, is the only reason it's as high as it is for his career. Like I said, not bad, but no good.

I LOVE Stephen Drew. He's a keeper for sure.

You look at what they lost, with Gonzo and Reynolds both getting dealt.

The thing with the Padres is they improved in three key positions that they got zero production out of last year in 2B, SS and CF. None of those names are sexy (though Maybin has a shit ton of upside and is only 25).

DBacks didn't replace anything. Melvin Mora, Geoff Blum and Juan Miranda are not going to replace a bad year of Reynolds.

I think, as a whole, the Padres pitching staff blows the DBacks away. Their rotation is solid, with some depth at the Minor League level, and they have a lights out ace at the top. Saunders is nice, and so is Hudson, but they are not aces. I think Hudson will be better out of the two, but the rest of their rotation seems so-so.

And Latos should be back April 6. He's not going to miss significant time.

Damian Rey 04-01-2011 12:47 AM

In great news, I cannot believe the Padres beat the Cards today. I for sure thought Carpenter and Pujols were going to continue their owning ways of the Padres. Carp threw real well, but Pujols was useless today.

And big time clutch hitting by Cameron Maybin. This kid could be the key piece in making the Padres more than an 80-85 win team, which is what about what I'm expecting.

Droford 04-01-2011 01:00 AM

The Orioles are going to win the AL Wild Card. You heard it here first.

Evil Vito 04-01-2011 01:30 AM

<font color=goldenrod>Yeah, Pujols was dreadful today. ZOMGZ the contract issue is distracting him!!!11!!!!!</font>

Damian Rey 04-01-2011 01:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Vito 22 (Post 3480870)
<font color=goldenrod>Yeah, Pujols was dreadful today. ZOMGZ the contract issue is distracting him!!!11!!!!!</font>

Hahahaha I've been at work since 2p west coast time, so I haven't been able to catch any analysis. But I wouldn't doubt that the putzes at ESPN are running with this idea.

Speaking of ESPN, I was heartbroken to see (future HOFer) Barry Larkin is now employed on Baseball Tonight. I loved his shit on MLB Network. Especially the Diamond Demo stuff. Guy is smooth as glass during the tutorials.

Supreme Olajuwon 04-01-2011 02:21 AM

did you guys see Pujols' contract discussion hit that walkoff homer for the Reds today

Gertner 04-01-2011 08:32 AM

Bautista starting the season in the outfield....which means Encarnacion also known in Toronto as "E5" will playing third......throwing to Lind who is playing his first year at first.........this should work out soooo well. My Jays might just have the worst defense in the league. Snider is bad, E5 and Lind will probably be a disaster, Escobar hot dogs alot of plays and again will be throwing to Lind, Arencibia isn't really known for his defense behind the plate which leaves Hill, Davis and Bautista as the only players that I'm not concerned about.

RP 04-01-2011 09:34 AM

I'm so desperate for the Cubs to make a serious run. I'm worried about Garza. Hes been meh in spring training

OssMan 04-01-2011 09:48 AM

Jays will win WS

RP 04-01-2011 09:52 AM

I have the Padres winning it all. I'm really high on the Padres.

RP 04-01-2011 09:53 AM

The Giants wouldn't even be champions if the Padres didn't have an epic meltdown last year

Droford 04-01-2011 11:15 AM

I totally fell for this up until the last paragraph...

Quote:

TAMPA BAY, FL — (AP) Buck's mouth has gone off. Again. And this time, he's going to pay for it.

MLB handed down a three-game suspension to Orioles manager Buck Showalter late Thursday night, citing his "inappropriate remarks" about Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon.

A spokesperson for the Orioles said the ruling will be appealed, and that Showalter will be in uniform and on the field for Baltimore's season opener against the Rays this evening, according to Roch Kubatko's MASN Twitter feed.

The trouble stems from a heated interview with Kubatko on Thursday afternoon in which Showalter took aim at his counterpart's work habits and "style."

"There's a right way to approach this game—a tradition that honors it and respects it," he allegedly told Kubatko. "And Roch, you know as well as I do . . . Joe, he kinda likes to flout that tradition . . . He's a style guy, and he likes to act the fool. He kind of comes off as an [expletive] in person. I'm not a style guy, I'm a [expletive] hustle guy. You remember the whole hoodie thing with MLB last year? It's [nonsense] stuff like that." (Showalter was referring to an incident in April of last year in which MLB banned Maddon from wearing a hoodie sweatshirt during games.)

Maddon and the Rays front office declined to comment. But in a prepared statement, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig proclaimed, "No one manager is above the game. . . . Buck's a good friend of mine, and I understand what he's trying to do to motivate those kids down there [in Baltimore]. But there's a line he's been tiptoeing around, and this time he crossed it with these foolish remarks. A certain level of professional conduct is expected."

Showalter initially raised eyebrows last week, causing a stir with his disparaging remarks in the April issue of Men's Journal about Red Sox GM Theo Epstein and Yankees infielder Derek Jeter. The story stayed alive for several news cycles, with talk radio lines lighting up and members of the media and all three rival clubs jesting with each other. By handing down such a harsh sentence, Selig appears to be trying to get ahead of the incident before it snowballs into a story that detracts from the opening of the 2011 MLB season.

Reached for comment, Showalter was unapologetic, making further remarks about Maddon ("Who does he think he is with those glasses? Ghandi? He's fooling himself."), Toronto Blue Jays' GM Alex Anthopolous ("a snot-nosed kid"), and ex-Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston ("He's a fatass. And he still sucks."). He concluded by remarking, "It's just the first day of April here. We've got a long season in front of us, and the O's aren't going to put up with crap from anyone this year."



Evil Vito 04-01-2011 02:45 PM

<font color=goldenrod>Matt Holliday undergoes an appendectomy. Expected to miss 3-6 weeks.

Christ, there goes my fantasy team.</font>

Droford 04-01-2011 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Vito 22 (Post 3481393)
Matt Holliday undergoes an appendectomy. Expected to miss 3-6 weeks.

Christ, there go the Cardinals.

fixed for accuracy

Droford 04-01-2011 02:49 PM

Also feels like Bizarro world where Brett Myers outpitches Roy Halladay.

McLegend 04-01-2011 02:57 PM

It's only the bottom of the 7th on opening day so I'm not Big Vito 22 panic mode, but....

I really dislike this Phillies offense. They can't hit for power anymore, which would be fine if they changed the approach at the plate. They won't change though, and still look to hit a Home Run everytime. It shows up the most with runners in scoring postion.

Ryan Howard needs to be fuckin incredibly awesome this year.

Evil Vito 04-01-2011 04:00 PM

<font color=goldenrod>The Phillies coming back to win a game in which Roy Halladay was on the hook for the loss was the most obvious thing ever.</font>

McLegend 04-01-2011 04:06 PM

Now that was a great approach to have at the plate in the last few innings.

DaveWadding 04-01-2011 04:06 PM

Ryan Dempster is giving me suicidal thoughts.

ClockShot 04-01-2011 04:08 PM

Jesus, I expected a big opening day for Doc Halladay. Instead he hurts me fantasy wise and goes 6 innings.

King Felix and the rest of my pitching staff better save my ass tonight.

MVP 04-01-2011 04:49 PM

Lester is struggling with the long ball early on. Glad to see Youk and Gonzo produce right out of the gate.

God I hate having to follow live updates here at work. Should've taken a personal day.

Damian Rey 04-01-2011 05:46 PM

Phiillies to me are getting older and older. Howard, Rollins, Ibanez and Polanco (half of the lineup) are no longer young men. Rollins seems to be in serious decline.

Their pitching is going to carry them though. I think they still take the east, but their time's starting to wear thin.

Triple Naitch 04-01-2011 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MVP (Post 3481557)
Lester is struggling with the long ball early on. Glad to see Youk and Gonzo produce right out of the gate.

God I hate having to follow live updates here at work. Should've taken a personal day.

The good news is that he only had one walk, so it isn't as much of a control problem. But he had 0 strikeouts, and they were not swinging and missing against him. The Rangers' righties absolutely tore him up.

Evil Vito 04-01-2011 06:57 PM

<font color=goldenrod>Opening Day :love: LET'S GO METS!!!</font>

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Emperor Smeat 04-01-2011 07:19 PM

:nono: Red Sox bullpen as bad as last year or at least Bard is against the Rangers today.

Lester had the same problems last 1-2 years with long bomb hits but the Rangers favor the HR for most of the power offense last couple of years.

Evil Vito 04-01-2011 07:53 PM

<font color=goldenrod>Fuck. On one fantasy team the "closer run" happened too early so I punted saves and grabbed top setup guys towards the end of the draft, including Bard. That's gonna hurt my team this week.</font> :mad:

Droford 04-01-2011 08:27 PM

Brian Roberts hit a ball to LF and Damon made a boneheaded play after sliding on the warning track to get to a ball he tried to lob the ball to Upton and ended up tossing it over his head into CF allowing Roberts to get to third with a 2 run triple. Roberts had he been running hard the whole time probably could have gotten all the way around on it.

Os up 4-0 on Price who looked unhittable the first 3 innings and has since come down to earth while Jeremy Guthrie has pitched 5 innings of 1 hit ball with 5 ks and no walks.

Evil Vito 04-01-2011 08:40 PM

<font color=goldenrod>Well, so much for regressing. John Buck grand slam. Pelfrey's only struck out two batters - Josh Johnson both times. Every other batter has been fouling off 2-strike pitches left and right, leading to Pelfrey throwing 80+ through 4.

Johnson may legit throw a no hitter. No hits through 5, looks ridiculously good.</font>

Gertner 04-01-2011 08:51 PM

Jays are destroying the Twins 8-0 in the 5th.

Arencibia with his first home run and Bautista and Lind just went back to back with Lind's being an upper decker.

Fuck I love my Jays line up!

Gertner 04-01-2011 09:09 PM

10-0 now in the 5th. Arencibia with a 2 run triple. I'm surprised he hasn't been picked by more writers as an ROTY candidate because this kid can friggen crush the ball.

Evil Vito 04-01-2011 10:11 PM

<font color=goldenrod>Damn. Feels weird to lose on Opening Day. First time since 2005.

Not surprising though. Pelfrey always sucks against the Marlins. Good to see them show some fight in the 7th by knocking Johnson out. Not a fan of pinch-hitting Thole for Scott Hairston, who promptly K'ed. I get that Hairston mashes lefties and had a great spring - but it reeked of Jerry Manuel-esque overmanagement.

Hopefully they bounce back tomorrow.</font>

Aguakate 04-01-2011 11:03 PM

It's so AWESOME that baseball is back...

...at this point of the season, I really don't care who wins or loses, or if my team (Cubs) looks like it's going to have a long summer...

...I just enjoy the fact that the season's underway...

...a month from now, I'll begin to actually care about the standings and all that. Right now I'm just enjoying the game.

Gertner 04-01-2011 11:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gertner (Post 3481827)
10-0 now in the 5th. Arencibia with a 2 run triple. I'm surprised he hasn't been picked by more writers as an ROTY candidate because this kid can friggen crush the ball.

final score 13-3. Romero looked solid today

Innovator 04-01-2011 11:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aguakate (Post 3481958)
It's so AWESOME that baseball is back...

...at this point of the season, I really don't care who wins or loses, or if my team (Cubs) looks like it's going to have a long summer...

...I just enjoy the fact that the season's underway...

...a month from now, I'll begin to actually care about the standings and all that. Right now I'm just enjoying the game.

Fuck that, I'm playing scoreboard and it's April 1st.

RP 04-02-2011 10:22 AM

Ryan Dumpster has 2 levels of pitching. Decent and bad. And its very possible you will see both levels in a given game.

RP 04-02-2011 10:25 AM

Nice to see Soriano got off to a scorching start.

Evil Vito 04-02-2011 10:41 AM

<font color=goldenrod>J.P. Arencibia is on pace to win the Triple Crown</font>

Aguakate 04-02-2011 12:50 PM

Bautista homered yesterday...

Gertner 04-02-2011 12:59 PM

Drabek vs Liriano today. Arencibia, Snider and Davis out. Davis is out with an ankle injury. Jose Molina, Jayson Nix and Mike McCoy (ugh) in. Molina is going to exclusively catch Drabek and Jo Jo Reyes. When Morrow returns and Reyes gets sent down or to the pen, Molina will catch Morrow like he did last year. Farrell said at the start of spring training that Arencibia and Molina will split the duties 3 for J.P and 2 for Molina

Line up for today

Y. Escobar ss
A. Hill 2b
J. Bautista rf
A. Lind 1b
E. Encarnacion dh
J. Nix 3b
J. Rivera lf
J. Molina c
M. McCoy cf

Lol E5's getting a break already from third.

Gertner 04-02-2011 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Vito 22 (Post 3482246)
<font color=goldenrod>J.P. Arencibia is on pace to win the Triple Crown</font>

He hit a friggen bomb to dead center yesterday and was a few feet from hitting another one to center that went for a triple.

Gertner 04-02-2011 01:15 PM

Wow, Drabek struck out the side in the first. That kid has amazing stuff.

DaveWadding 04-02-2011 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by conebone69 (Post 3482230)
Ryan Dumpster has 2 levels of pitching. Bad and worse. And its very possible you will see both levels in a given game.

Fixed.

mhirn3 04-02-2011 01:36 PM

Hoping to get up to Detroit soon to see a game.

Any of you guys been to a lot of ballparks? I think myself I've seen 7

Splaya 04-02-2011 01:54 PM

Why don't you guys all come visit me at Comerica Park :shifty:

Vox Populi 04-02-2011 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Triple Naitch (Post 3480627)
Brandon Belt is either going to make or break my fantasy team.

I'd certainly hope that you're exaggerating here more than a little bit.

Gertner 04-02-2011 02:12 PM

Jays up 2-1 in the 4th. Jose Molina and Jayson Nix of all people with home runs.

Gertner 04-02-2011 02:47 PM

Liriano chased in the 5th. Jays pulling away 5-1. Great start so far!

Evil Vito 04-02-2011 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mhirn3 (Post 3482431)
Hoping to get up to Detroit soon to see a game.

Any of you guys been to a lot of ballparks? I think myself I've seen 7

<font color=goldenrod>I've been to:

-Shea Stadium (way too many to count, would have to look through my ticket stub collection - first game was in like 1997 or 1998)
-Citi Field (7 games so far since it opened, going to a few more this year)
-Yankee Stadium (2 games - one in 2007, one in 2008)
-New Yankee Stadium (one game in 2009)
-Citizen's Bank Park (once, first game of a doubleheader in 2007)
-Fenway Park (one game in 1999, barely remember it)

And I'm knocking PNC Park off the list in June. Going to 3 out of the 4 games of the Mets series there.</font>

mhirn3 04-02-2011 03:58 PM

I've been up to PNC a couple of times, one against Detroit with some beyond asshole Pirate fans behind us, and the other to see the Astros right before the ASG game there a couple of years back, beautiful views.

DaveWadding 04-02-2011 04:02 PM

<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/z1oe87t6plE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Gertner 04-02-2011 04:32 PM

Drabek, Camp and Scrabble combine for a 1 hit 6-1 victory over the Twins. Jays have outscored the Twins 19-4 so far. Cecil pitching tomorrow for the sweep!

Evil Vito 04-02-2011 04:50 PM

<font color=goldenrod>LOL. Brian Cashman is blaming the Mets for Feliciano's injury. As if it's their fault that he decided to give Pedro a 2-year deal.</font>

Emperor Smeat 04-02-2011 05:03 PM

:wtf: :lol:

Why would he get the player if he knew the Mets over-worked him or that it was possible he could be facing some fatigue or other potential injury. The funny part is Feliciano doesn't blame the Mets for his injury.

Triple Naitch 04-02-2011 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mhirn3 (Post 3482431)
Any of you guys been to a lot of ballparks? I think myself I've seen 7

I've been to:
Veteran's Stadium
Citizen's Bank Park
Camden Yards
Fenway Park
PNC Park
Dodger Stadium
Wrigley Field
U.S. Cellular Field
Marlins Stadium (Whatever it is called now)

Hoping to get to the new Nationals park this summer.

Droford 04-02-2011 08:26 PM

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5226/...ae108bc337.jpg

the thought of him giving a crotch chop to the Yankees/Red Sox and telling them to Suck it was amusing

Ive only been to games at Camden Yards and one game at Old Yankee Stadium. thinking about going to a game in Pittsburgh when the Os are there in June.

Chris Tillman has a no hitter through 5 going for the Os but hes thrown way too many pitches (close to 70) to have a shot at it.

Longoria is out for the Rays, undisclosed injury possibly.

Vox Populi 04-02-2011 09:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mhirn3 (Post 3482431)
Any of you guys been to a lot of ballparks? I think myself I've seen 7

14, and I think I'm knocking 2 more out this summer (Pittsburgh and Minnesota)

OssMan 04-02-2011 09:22 PM

my nigga brian roberts

OssMan 04-02-2011 09:25 PM

rfk stadium
nationals park
Camden yards
Shea stadium
Veterans stadium
Three Rivers Stadium
SkyDome
Wrigley field
US Cellular Field
Fenway Park

Evil Vito 04-02-2011 09:40 PM

<font color=goldenrod>Oh fuck you K-Rod you useless beaner.

Thank god they got out of the inning so it doesn't count as a game finished for his vesting option.</font>

Evil Vito 04-02-2011 10:19 PM

<font color=goldenrod>Wooooo Mets score 3 in the 10th and Blaine Boyer finishes it instead. Nice to get into the win column.</font> :love:

Damian Rey 04-02-2011 11:32 PM

Padres beat the snot out fo the Cardinals to day. Seeing them draw walks, move runners over and hit in clutch situations is such a great sign. Clayton Richard struggled through 3 innings, but Pujols' homer seemed to wake him up and he settled in for the following 3 innings.

I know it's early, but I'm loving the style of play this 2011 Padres team is displaying. And Cameron Maybin has another big day, busting it open with another big time extra bade hit. Love this kid thus far.

Evil Vito 04-02-2011 11:56 PM

<font color=goldenrod>Ichiro is now the Mariners' all time hits leader</font>

Damian Rey 04-03-2011 12:03 AM

That guy is amazing. I cannot fathom how, in his late 30s now, he is still arguably the greatest base hit hitter since Tony Gwynn. Gwynn is my hero, and I would argue that Ichiro is just as good, maybe better, than Gwynn. 200 plus hits a season, every season, with zero signs of decline, is unthinkable.

Emperor Smeat 04-03-2011 12:47 AM

The amazing part about Ichiro is he already had a long career in Japan before arriving in MLB. If you either add in his Japan stats or do some math using his current pace to get those 10 missing years, he would easily be holding a few more MLB records and be among the upper elite for hitters (and maybe fielders).

It also helps that his playing style favors the importance of a hit and base speed over power slugging like most big name MLB players.

Nervous Ferret 04-03-2011 02:43 AM

This has been an amazing weekend. Excited for Hughes tomorrow, love that guy.

Gertner 04-03-2011 11:23 AM

Jays go for the sweep today. Brett Cecil vs Nick Blackburn. Arencibia back in for Molina. Blackburn gives up ALOT of home runs so this could be good for my Jays.

Boomer 04-03-2011 11:45 AM

I've only been to Turner Field and the new Nats park. If I ever have the money, I'd like to follow the Braves around for a summer.


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