I can't imagine how good the Tigers are going to be once they start clicking. The Royals really need to start the season off strong to get off on the right foot. It probably won't matter in the long haul, but it's a start!

If you exchange last year with the last three years it's just as true and just as depressing. Maybe this will be the year the O's don't implode. Obviously they won't end up with a .800 winning percentage, but with this young of a team, I'd settle with not being one of the 5 worst teams in the majors. That being said, if our bullpen continues to be lights out, we have a chance at a little more than that.

Hey guys, just a bump, no good reason for it oh wait yes there is WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/73/fu...31752jr015.jpg

From cancer to no-hitter. Amazing.

I hope they skip his next start or find some other way of giving him some extra rest, because 130 pitches is a lot for a guy like Lester.

Saw that game. I think Lester the Unlikely owes Ellsbury a nice, thick, steak.

I was loving that, as i have Lester on my fantasy team. (btw - some of you have multiple fantasy teams?? I have enough trouble making time for one!)
Anyway, the no-no by Lester was a shining moment on an otherwise shitty start to 2008 for the guy. He's been a drain on my team until lately, where he's been finally learning that a pitcher's K/BB ratio needs to be > 1 :P.

And yeah, he definitely definitely owes Ellsbury a succulent steak - as do I for all his stolen bases lately. I picked him for fantasy this year and was worried about his playing time vs. Coco Crisp's. So far he's been looking just fine though - apparently his performance during WS 2007 wasn't just a fluke..he really is a damn fine player.

All this talk about the Red Sox is starting to make me queasy though, and i worry that people will mistake me for a fan. I'm not anti-sox by any means, mind you - Manny is baseball's clown while still managing to be a (almost) total asset to his team. That double play where he high-fived the fans behind the left field wall was fucking great! As long as the guys playing for Beantown stay down to earth, they'll never become the new Wankees for me.

Anyways, i'm a Jays fan born+raised. I grew up watching them win the series twice in a row in '92/'93, and have been waiting 15 years for them to play significant games in Sept. ever since. This year could be the year - i'd have to be crazy to expect them to take the AL East, but they played a hell of a month of May (20-10 i believe) and if they can keep it up they definitely have a shot at the wild card. How about their pitching staff?

Finally, two things - What the fuck is up with:

a) the Tampa Bay Devil Rays?

b) those bums from Detroit?

Bye Manny. I hope you enjoy playing for money for the rest of your career.

You know, it's possible that he's pretty okay with that.

Gee, you think?

I don't mind at all that Manny left.

Jason Fucking Bay. A guy who puts up very good offensive numbers and is a muuuuch more reliable fielder than ManRam. Nothing but love for Manny, but I think this improves our championship chances, not weakens them.

You obviously haven't watched much Bucco baseball if you think Bay's a reliable fielder.

Maybe he'll actually put forth some effort now that he's got a shot at a championship, though. Who knows with those craaaazy Canadians.

I said -more- reliable. As in -more reliable than Manny-. This is a long list. Here, let me give you the list. It's a good list, you'll like this list.

The List:

Who's better than Manny in the field?



Also, Griffey in Chicago. Go White Sox.

I'm not happy the Tigers got rid of Pudge. And it's to the god damn Yankees. Do I ever hate that team.

We've still got a shot at taking the division, but now that the Tigers traded away a good catcher, and the White Sox picked up Griffey, that chance is looking a lot smaller.

Tell me you wouldn't have believed all that if it were true.

I wouldn't have, because I don't think Manny knows enough hockey to make that reference.

Can't say i have, but he's only made 3 errors this year (granted, Manny's only made 1 somehow). Not that errors say everything - defensive metrics generally suck. What've you seen wrong with his fielding, then?

He started with a hell of a bang though. Decent sliding catch, and scoring the winning run after hitting an american-league, though Fenway, triple.

With Bay, it was always more the intangibles. He would rarely go all out to make a run at a deep fly, let it hop once when he could have had an attempt at a catch and an out... things like that. Like I said, though, maybe a change of pace (and winning is a Hell of a change of pace coming from the Buccos) was all he needed.

I wish him all the best with the Red Sox. Glad to see he's off to a good start.

I feel Capo's pain here. I don't share a lot of Red Sox Nation's loathing of Manny as he parts. I loved Manny. I loved his bad defense, I loved his lack of hustle, I loved all the things that made him a detriment. There is something intangible about the Ramirez experience. His childlike love of the game is infectious and let's be fair, the guy is the best highlight in the game. Who else is gonna high five a fan after making a catch in the outfield BEFORE throwing the ball into first for a double play? Nobody.

Yes, he's a one-aspect player. And yes, he's exceedingly good at it, but I wish Manny nothing but the best in his new home. I hope the fans there appreciated him, because Boston certainly did. I loved seeing him play live. It was entertaining, and let's be fair. In the game of baseball, players you can say that about are few and far between. I love Jason Bay and I welcome him with open arms, and I'm sure he'll do very well in Bean Town, but Manny is not someone to be slagged. He's upfront with what he is, and everyone knows it. I bet a lot of people in that lockerroom miss the guy.

I'm not even a BoSox fan, and i love Manny and everything he's brought to the game. It says something when a guy hits so consistently well that an MLB team is willing to play him regularly in left field with his skills. In PRO baseball.
The guy must REALLY know how to swing the bat to pull that off. And he does, given his placement in oh-so-many all time hitting records. Besides, the characters in baseball get remembered along with the legends, and Manny has a good chunk of both. Kind of like Bill "Spaceman" Lee, only on the field instead of off. I think his best days will be remembered by most as a Red Sock (?), but who knows what he'll do out in LA.

BTW, he's wearing #99 now, the same number as Mitch Williams, Wild Thing of the early 90's Phillies. I don't know who else has ever worn #99 - anyone got any others?

I looked on Google and all I could find was some guy named Wayne. No one of real importance, then, I guess.

There's also some So Taguchi guy on the Phillies with the number i guess. I'm horrible with the NL, so i dunno how he ranks, but he doesn't look like much of a factor.

Manny is a favourite of many..one my personal favs too. To anyone, who is in your top 3-5 favourite players to watch? Be it for talent, stats, entertainment value, make up your own criteria, etc..


Though it might come off rather wapish, Ichiro is a quick pick for me. This guy's perfect at everything except power, and he gets his fair share of extra bases anyway. His 2004 season is too hard to ignore - even being in the vicinity of .400 for the season (.372) is ridiculous enough in today's game. Plus many of his his quotes are understandable yet funny altogether, and i only wish i could hear a transcript of any of his all-star game speeches.

Close seconds:

- Dustin Pedroia - both in the field and especially at the plate for a 2B. Good for him if he maintains his numbers through the years, in fact, WOW if he does. He's always on base, and should've taken over Ellsbury at lead-off long ago. For any tough infield play, don't count on him choking at all, he's consistent as hell at 2B. No Robbie Alomar, but nobody is.

- Josh Hamilton - I know they're selling his "story" big time, but he hits like no other this year. A +.300 avg with +20 doubles and dingers coming from where he did is noteworthy. Exclude his home run derby excellence when you read this - he's awesome otherwise. Decent in the OF too.

- John McDonald - OK, this is a pretty biased pick, i'll admit. But he's an incredible defensive SS for the Blue Jays. His 2007 season was a highlight reel unto itself, though i'm willing to risk that many don't even know who he is, ya?

It's not that I didn't appreciate Manny while he was in Boston; he was a dominating force in the lineup, if only a lackadaisical and downright silly one. But the times when he was frustrating (including right up to the end, when his agent said he wouldn't be an issue if the Sox dropped their options on him) overpowered his slugging percentage. Maybe I'm an old-timey kind of guy, but it always frustrates me when players are so much more adamant about making more money and less about being on a team that wins or has the highest probability of winning. You gots to get paid, I know. But money only lasts as long as you live; respect, glory, and honor last forever.

Hey look a baseball thread.

Well, so much for that Red Sox-Dodgers World Series. The Phillies just finished off the Dodgers, and the Red Sox' epitath has been chiseled, the grave dug, and the casket put in the hole. This will be one hell of an interesting World Series for probably the smallest percentage of fans in World Series history.

A Rays-Phillies World Series would be a hell of a lot more interesting than a Dodgers-Red Averages WS. Especially when Tampa beats the Phillies. {I hate the Phillies worse than any other team in the sport} Tampa's worst-to-first story is a lot more interesting than Manchild Ramirez vs Big Bad Boston.

Sure, it's a good story for Bud Selig to hang his hat on, but I wouldn't be able to get over a series featuring the two main teams involved in the biggest trade of the season, Joe Torre getting stuck playing the Red Sox in the playoffs again, and Manny and Nomar and Derek Lowe all getting chances to stick to their old team.