Game 14, Mariners at Red Sox
8:05 AM. Radio only. I don’t think I’ll even be able to get this on MLB Extra Innings if I skipped out on work (not that I’d consider staying home from work to watch a Meche start, or anything. I’m totally happy with my job. No, really. Don’t send me job openings for program managers or anything.)
I understand that this bizarre start time is due to Patriot’s Day, which celebrates the April 19, 1775 Battle of Lexington and Concord. British Army troops were ordered to capture a strategic Dunkin’ Donuts franchise in Concord that was supplying colonial troops with delicious circular fried dough rations, hot coffee, and was a bastion of local outrageous accents.
The British were confronted by a small group of hardcore punk groups at Lexington, but their numbers were too small and they were forced to flee and nurse their anger. They were finally turned back at Concord by Minutemen and hassled by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones and other ska bands, inflicting heavy casualties and emboldening future generations to do the running man free of the tyranny of Liam and Noel Gallagher.
Also the Boston Marathon is today. Sacrifice your knees while suffering excruciating pain masked by the conflict between your body’s fevered attempts to shut you down and your brain’s manic release of endorphins to mask the torture you’re going through. If you can run a seven minute mile, you should be running, not reading this. Unless you’re reading this just before the race starts.
After the game ends, the crowd is let out to the finish line, where they tell all the runners what a great game they missed, and relate the exploits of the beleoved hometown team.
Please tell me that Rondell… er… Adrian Beltre will break out of this Dan Johnson-like funk sooner than later? It’s vomit-inducing.
April 17th, 2006 at 3:39 amAs far as I am concerend, you stopped playing games before lunch once you hit high school. This 11am gametime is odd beyond belief.
April 17th, 2006 at 7:45 amSomewhat off-topic, [deleted, off-topic]
April 17th, 2006 at 7:50 amI haven’t had the opportunity to see Bonds hit yet this year, but I’ve read and heard from some that he just looks really damn awkward at the plate so far. Would you agree with that?
April 17th, 2006 at 7:53 amDiNardo = Bastard form of Leonardo DiCaprio.
April 17th, 2006 at 7:58 amAnd why are we not resting Beltre instead of Reed? Career WFB > current AB.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:01 amDespite his assertion that he’s not platooning Reed, this is the third time Hargrove has sat Reed against lefties. Sounds like a platoon to me.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:02 amThis game’s on EI for me, with the Boston broadcast…man I feel for you guys out on the west coast with the 8 am start. Even watching this at 11 am seems way too early for me.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:07 amGood thing: Johjima bats 5th.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:07 amBad thing: WFB plays center field. Grover has 5 outfielders on his roster and decides to give the spot start to his reserve middle infielder.
This just in . . Jojihma is batting 5th. Beltre in the 7 slot. They’ve got a long reliever starting in place of Wells - DeNardo.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:09 amNESN’s blacked out, Extra Innings blacked out. Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:09 amAnd it’s been so successful, 1-for-6 as best I can tell.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:09 amAnd go Ichiro!
April 17th, 2006 at 8:09 amSorry, DiNardo.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:10 amNiehaus on PbP with Rizzs on color. My cup underfloweth.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:11 amNow that’s just good ol’ fashioned baseball.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:11 amNice slide by Ichiro, Manny almost got him with a great throw.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:12 amWell good news, Sexson doubles AND Beltre’s not up now to strike out!
April 17th, 2006 at 8:13 amSo what gives with the hate on Rizzs? I get that Niehaus is starting to lose it, but Rizzs seems good whenever I get a chance to hear him.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:14 amwoohoo, Jojima’s finally taken Beltre’s spot?!
April 17th, 2006 at 8:14 amLineup batting averages after Johjima:
.154
.109
.200
.214
The pitcher’s the biggest offensive threat in the bottom of the– oh.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:14 amRizzs-hate’s been covered many, many times before. It’s not worth rehashing.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:15 amLineup change! oooooohhhhh!
April 17th, 2006 at 8:17 amYou think Ichiro feels jealous of Johjima at this stage? I wouldn’t have put money on Jo hitting .350 and Ichiro batting . . well . . not batting .350?
April 17th, 2006 at 8:17 amI tried to search for Rizzs hate-love, but I can’t seem to find the search for the site anymore. Did it get removed for a reason?
April 17th, 2006 at 8:19 amWay to give it back.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:22 amWell, that was a really fun lead…
April 17th, 2006 at 8:23 amRizzs short-list:
1. Lack of insight
April 17th, 2006 at 8:23 am2. Getting baseball stuff plain wrong at times
3. feel-good warm fuzzies (think “Happy totals”) ALL THE TIME
4. Team loyalty, but hardly ever a bad thing to say, even when there’s lots of bad things to say. (we know who pays you, but c’mon!)
5. Overly repetitive play calling phrases.
6. Not a very good story-teller.
I personally think he’s got a decent radio voice and is more tolerable than the current alternatives in the booth, however.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:24 amThanks 28.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:24 amMost of those seem to be remedied by only hearing him 3-4 times a year.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:25 amDon’t forget the child molester vibe he gives off during the kid’s innings at Safeco.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:25 amInsincerity is #1-10 on my list. All those things are true, but he’s so false and contrived.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:26 amexcept Niehaus, of course.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:26 amRizzs-hate summarized:
1. He’s smarmy.
2. He loves “scrappy.”
3. He plays favorites.
4. He sounds like an afternoon drive DJ on Wichita’s Home For Classic Oldies And Fun! Imagine Niehaus saying that line there, then imagine Rizzs saying it.
5. He’s a homer. Niehaus is too, but Rizzs is a fanboy.
6. He just doesn’t do a good job communicating what’s going on on the field.
Does that cover everything?
April 17th, 2006 at 8:26 amI missed the child molester vibe.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:28 amThanks for the extensive listing, gentlemen.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:28 amThat may be the only way to walk Beltre: outside of the zone down and in, outside of the zone up and out.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:30 amA BB is an improvement over an easy out. Now Thunderstick Bloomquist!
April 17th, 2006 at 8:30 amOut. Shocker.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:31 amWe all know that that would have been a hit if Bloomquist had been getting regular playing time recently! Blame Hargrove!
April 17th, 2006 at 8:32 amOops. I meant Thunderstick Yubet!
April 17th, 2006 at 8:33 amanother rbi for yunieski.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:33 amSo here’s the thing with Beltre’s walk - at no point did he ever look like he was even considering swinging. He was in full take mode. The 3-0 pitch was a 79 MPH meatball right down the middle, belt high. He wouldn’t have swung if the ball was put on a tee.
The result is better, but that wasn’t great pitch recognition.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:34 amYeah Betancourt! Why isn’t bloomy bunting and moving over runners, or taking as much as he can at the plate, rather than trying to hit. He can’t hit.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:34 amMeche now has to consider how best to give this run back. 5 HBP? Another solo home run to Cora, say?
April 17th, 2006 at 8:35 amI think a Cora grand slam would be more fitting.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:37 amMy biggest Rizzs issue. He never, ever shuts up. He cannot let a moment sit. He talks non stop, filling each second with brutally inane comments that neither provide insight or inform the listener.
He hogs the airtime so if there is a color guy trying to work, the color guy simply has no opportuntity to add anything of use. Rizzs must purposely keep talking as to preclude another from saying anything.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:37 amThat change is lethal. Throw that more often.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:37 amSo he hangs a curve. What an idiot.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:38 amIs he the idiot or did Johjima call for the curve?
April 17th, 2006 at 8:40 amHe called Johjima out to the mound, so I’m pretty sure that was on Meche.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:40 amObviously, throwing strikes > throwing balls, but is there a % that a pitcher should throw?
April 17th, 2006 at 8:42 amIf you’re at or about 50%, that’s trouble. Over 75% is either total domination or batting practice.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:43 amConversations that didn’t happen…
Johjima: Hey, when I wiggle all four fingers, that means I want you to hang a curveball. Leave it up in the zone, nice and fat, m’kay?
Meche: You’re the boss!
April 17th, 2006 at 8:44 amThanks
April 17th, 2006 at 8:44 amIt depends on the situation. 0-2, if you have a pitch with good movement that can dive out of the strike zone, there’s no real good reason for throwing a hittable pitch.
A pitcher going real well will probably throw 75 percent strikes. A solid performance will be 60-70 %. 50% or worse and you’re sucking eggs.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:44 amAnother hanging curve. What a loser.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:45 amWow, Joey Cora’s playing for the Red Sox.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:45 amWell, there is your answer, Derek.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:46 amYou guys don’t give Meche enough credit. He can give back that run in a myriad of ways, as you can see.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:46 amthat was so so ugly.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:46 amGood thing we have Willie in CF today. At least Dave is ripping him over his non-throw there on the radio.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:47 amWatching Gil Meche pitch is better than _________
A. Contracting Mad Cow Disease
April 17th, 2006 at 8:48 amB. Reading 100 consecutive Steve Kelly columns
C. Watching Matt Thornton pitch
D. None of the Above
The sox announcers were talking about how wfb might have hesitated because there was no one covering second
April 17th, 2006 at 8:48 amThe Red Sox broadcasting crew said that Bloomquist didn’t throw it in because nobody was at second base.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:48 amThat seems more like a reason wfb WOULD HAVE thrown the ball in. I’m not sure I buy it.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:50 amI need A-Rod money to read 100 Steve Kelly columns.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:50 amAny info on the “Kenji doesn’t call fastballs” report that came out his morning. On KJR Jayson Stark made the comment that a scout had mentioned that Kenji isn’t calling for the fastball with his fastball pitchers (Felix & Meche). Or is this more of the small sample sized theater?
April 17th, 2006 at 8:52 amI don’t see that. Felix was throwing plenty of fastballs last week.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:54 amIsn’t there a hotline you can call to hear the broadcasts if you’re, say, stuck on a bus w/o a portable radio?
April 17th, 2006 at 8:56 amDoes anyone know that number?
He was but he had no control of it and it was coming in at very random speeds. I saw everything from 91 - 97. At one point, he went almost exclusively with his curve and change. For now, I’d say the reason for the lack of fastballs has been Felix’s complete inability to throw it consistently for strikes.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:57 amGil Meche’s Favorite Pitch: Ball One.
He’s just such utter crap.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:58 amIt’s funny because it’s true.
April 17th, 2006 at 8:59 amWatching over gamecast it almost appears like Meche is getting squeezed out of the zone…..Just about every BALL they have called has been borderline. Is this true?
April 17th, 2006 at 9:00 amNope.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:01 amDave said:
So he hangs a curve. What an idiot.
Dave said:
Another hanging curve. What a loser.
Dave said:
Watching Gil Meche pitch is better than _________
A. Contracting Mad Cow Disease
B. Reading 100 consecutive Steve Kelly columns
C. Watching Matt Thornton pitch
D. None of the Above
Dave said:
Gil Meche’s Favorite Pitch: Ball One.
He’s just such utter crap.
… just to recap.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:01 am3-2, to a lefty - try the changeup…
April 17th, 2006 at 9:01 amNo, yet another curve. He’s so predictable.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:02 amGamecast, for some reason, spots all the balls on the borders of the zone, unless it’s clearly out of it (e.g. pitch in the dirt).
Really annoying.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:02 amChangeup, strike three.
Seriously, how hard was that?
April 17th, 2006 at 9:02 amWow, Niehaus totally just slagged Everett’s left-handed swing. That’s so awesome.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:06 amM’s have a pretty interesting situation here. If they can pull this game out, stay close to 1st in the AL, they next open up a 9-game homestand and can put some distance between them and Texas. Unfortunately, there’s Detroit and the ChiSox coming to town after that, but I feel ok about Detroit and know Carlysaurus Rex will even the score against Guillen and friends each game of the series against Chicago. He was the heart and soul of their clubhouse after all, and seeing him in Mariner blue will only cause Chicago to become demoralized and give up, right? I actually feel pretty good with Felix opening the first series and closing out the second.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:07 amNicely done, C-Rex.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:07 amThanks, Carl. Thanks a lot.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:07 amSo f’n terrible… where is Petagine???
April 17th, 2006 at 9:07 amI meant first in the AL West, of course.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:08 amHIT HIT HIT!!!
April 17th, 2006 at 9:08 amIt took Beltre 9 pitches to get his first swing of the day.
But I’ll take the base hit.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:08 amBeltre looked at two pitches over the plate?
Never mind.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:09 amA well hit single, too; would have been a double in any other stadium.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:09 amIf Everett bats lefty against a lefty, then Grover should replace him with Petagine. And yes, it was fun listening to Niehaus insult him. Boy, Everett and Bloomquist created three outs around two base hits.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:09 amFurthermore, it sounded like a basehit off the wall, which means in a normal park, that ball might have actually gotten down for extra bases, which is definitely a positive sign for a guy still looking for his first XBH.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:09 amYay for MR. SCRAPPY!! Clearly that would have been a homer and not a groundout if he played every day!
April 17th, 2006 at 9:10 amWhere was the ball (strikezone-wise) and what kind of pitch did Beltre hit?
April 17th, 2006 at 9:12 amFastball up and in.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:12 am1-2, throw the change!
April 17th, 2006 at 9:13 am85 MPH fastball… Ugh.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:13 amOur pitchcounts have been astronomical thus far.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:16 amNow there’s an interesting tidbit… baseball wives running marathons. And I’m not being sarcastic here. That’s kind of cool.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:16 am“Our pitchcounts have been astronomical thus far.”
Yes. It is the secret way to insert K-machine Putz into the game. He has 14, which, I believe, is tied for the team lead.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:18 amY’know it’s still early and he hasn’t looked great but Meche hasn’t made me throw up in my mouth, not even a little bit. I thank him for that…for now.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:19 amRe: pitch counts, we *have* faced the two big Moneyball teams in a row. Still, the fact that we’re dumbly falling for their strategy doesn’t bode well.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:21 amHow long until we start a “Get rid of the socks” petition for Ichiro.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:21 amAnyone see it as a possibility for YuBet to rack up 45 doubles, 12 triples and 7-8 homers? Not now, of course, but after a few years of growth…maybe at 28?
April 17th, 2006 at 9:24 amI was browsing through stat this morning and I was noticing Ichiro!’s pitches per at bat.
2001 - 3.39
2002 - 3.48
2003 - 3.50
2004 - 3.51
2005 - 3.58
2006 - 3.75
Obviously, we are still watching SSST, but is his increase this year a drastic change compared to 2005? Also, is this constant increase, (granted 02-04 appear insignificatn) typical as players age?
April 17th, 2006 at 9:25 amWhat in the hell??? I get up, it’s 9:26, I haven’t even had my coffee… and the games half over???
That ain’t right.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:27 amGood morning John. Hey, at least we’re tied!
April 17th, 2006 at 9:27 amNice, quick inning for Meche.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:29 amNice low pitch inning for Meche. I am enjoying this string of starts by M’s pitchers. It makes it less likely that Grover will get back his overstocked 7 man bullpen. Too bad he does not know what to do with a capable bench.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:30 amWould have liked to see Borchard in CF instead of WFB.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:31 amRichie, the K-King. It’s getting embarrassing.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:36 amIt is kind of silly for Rizzs togive a scoreboard update. No one else is playing.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:36 amYou show ‘em, Joh.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:38 amA question for those more familiar with the Japanese leagues. Did we just happen to get two players that don’t walk much, or is it indicative of most Japanese players?
April 17th, 2006 at 9:39 amDoes Everett get booed everywhere, or just at the parks of his former clubs?
April 17th, 2006 at 9:39 amRizzs just started it. Mentioning the bitter rivalry between C-Rex and the ChiSox. Let the trash talk begin. I’ve been looking forward to this match-up all year. Man it’ll be. . . um . .pretty intresting. All joking aside, I wouldn’t mind seeing Carl do something out of spite in that series. Can bitterness make you a good hitter all of a sudden?
April 17th, 2006 at 9:40 amA Jurassic blast!
April 17th, 2006 at 9:40 amYES, I mean Dammit. I mean Yes…with ver mixed feelingsy
April 17th, 2006 at 9:41 amC-REX!
April 17th, 2006 at 9:41 amHoly Dinosaurs, Batman!!
April 17th, 2006 at 9:41 amI like the fact that the M’s have the lead. I dislike the fact that the HR will keep Everett in the lineup when better options exist.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:42 amAt least Beltre hit the ball hard.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:42 amI’m still undecided about whether to hope that Carl does well. The worst case scenarior is that he does badly, but just not badly enough to get himself canned.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:42 amWTF? C-Rex? At this rate any idea how much we’re paying per hit?
April 17th, 2006 at 9:42 amIchiro gets a hit and Meche has no walks. This could be a whole new dawn.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:43 amIf Dan Wilson has retired from baseball, why don’t they retire the Dan Wilson Yammy Yogurt radio ads?
April 17th, 2006 at 9:44 amNow watch Meche blow it.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:44 amWhat are the odds that Meche squanders the lead?
April 17th, 2006 at 9:44 am#25,28.
“now, here’s a guy who could put a team ahead in a second”
a classic Rizzs-ism, usually preceeding a strike-out by said player; and repeated game-to-game. The problem I have with Rizzs these days that it doesn’t feel as though he is actually aware he what he is saying … he could actually be calculating his taxes while doing the play-by play. Maybe that is also the reason I don’t get the vibes Dave feels when Rizzs talks to the junior broadcasters– he calls the boys buddy and half-listens to their answers, and (possibly because he is the father of a boy) he is just baffled when confronted by a girl in the booth…
#116– so far, just Boston. you might be surprised to hear that the Boston media wasn’t too complimentary towards him, and the fans got ticked off with him.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:44 amI’m still harvesting the crust from my eyes…but does AB have a hit and a walk? Amazing!
April 17th, 2006 at 9:44 amHey. I thought Youkilis was supposed to take pitches.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:44 amMeche should not face Ortiz. I will write it now.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:45 am129 Meche hasn’t squandered a lead in a long time. Not since the second inning, anyway.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:45 amTake him Grover!! Please. Remember what Sherrill did to Ortiz yesterday.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:46 amI meant “Take him out.”
April 17th, 2006 at 9:46 amChangeup please.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:46 amCrap.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:47 amSiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:47 amYou called that one, Tek.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:47 amNo changeup. Inside fastball. You f’ing moron.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:48 amwell, that didn’t take long.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:48 am128 and 129…I blame you! Nice Jynx!
April 17th, 2006 at 9:48 amThat’s unfortunate, it appeard the first 3 pitches were in a good location.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:48 amTek shouldn’t post negative predictions. I will write it now.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:48 am111. I agree. When you have five outfileders, why is WFB in Center Field?
April 17th, 2006 at 9:48 amYay, no XBH still for Manny.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:48 amWhy does Grover let tired, HR-prone right-handers face lefty power hitters for a third time through the lineup.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:49 amTake the hook with you Chavez
April 17th, 2006 at 9:49 amMeche didn’t miss the glove… ’twas bad pitch selection to Ortiz
April 17th, 2006 at 9:49 am115- If there is a Japanese way of hitting, the emphasis is on working the count and trying to get on base anyway possible. So Ichiro was always a bit of an anomaly. As for Johjima he might be trying to get his stroke down in the Majors, I’ll have to check his stats.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:49 amgotta pull him now!
April 17th, 2006 at 9:50 amcrap
April 17th, 2006 at 9:50 amWhat are you waiting for Grover??!
April 17th, 2006 at 9:51 amWhen Meche is done, boy is he done.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:51 ami think it’s time for the cleaner.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:51 amI have a bad feeling.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:52 amGrover is doing a very poor job of trying to win this game.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:53 amWas Grover the only person in the world who would have left Meche in to face Ortiz, THEN Meche to face Manny and Nixon.
Holy hell — I really hate this guy. I know the studies show that managers don’t really mean much to the win/loss bottom line, but with Grover I’m beginning to think that he may be the exception.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:53 amGrover, why are we waiting until the bases are cleared before pullng Meche?
April 17th, 2006 at 9:53 amMeche needs to buy a lottery ticket right now!
April 17th, 2006 at 9:53 amWhoaaaa thank you very much.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:54 amplayers win games, managers lose games
April 17th, 2006 at 9:54 am> I’m still undecided about whether to hope that Carl does well.
If he does well, it helps the Mariners win. That’s a bad thing? I do hope Mariner management keeps him more in a platoon role and limits his Plate Appearances so his option doesn’t vest but I can’t root for him to fail.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:54 amSpeaking of other underwhelming, overpaid 3Bs…
April 17th, 2006 at 9:54 amHey, he did it!
April 17th, 2006 at 9:54 amHe clearly knew Meche would induce the DP.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:54 amHoly crap, it worked!
April 17th, 2006 at 9:54 amlucky devil
April 17th, 2006 at 9:54 amRizzs will say he worked out of jam, doing what all great pitchers do.
I say he dodged a Howitzer and should have not been on the battlefield.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:55 amAll right, Bloomquist. Show us what you got.
On second thought, don’t.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:56 amMy manager walked over to talk, so I missed everything after the walk to load the bases. What happened?
April 17th, 2006 at 9:56 amTaverez vs. Everett would be battle of the Grade-A jerks in baseball. Too bad that won’t happen today.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:57 am164 its a short term long term issue. If he does well, he vests and hurts us next year. To be clear, by well, i mean upper end realistic numbers for him. Obviously if he hits 35 dingers and has OPS over .900 that’d be great, but it ain’t gonna happen.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:57 amnm … Rizzs just told me what happened
April 17th, 2006 at 9:57 am#172. Lowell hit into a DP.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:57 amThat was scrappy
April 17th, 2006 at 9:57 amIf Meche is done for the day, his outing was not all that bad, considering that he should have even faced Ortiz with a man on. The IBB was his only walk to go with three Ks.
When Willie hits a ball, no man can catch it. That’s the power of Willie.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:57 amHow many ABs or PAs does Everett need to have his 07 option vest?
April 17th, 2006 at 9:58 amHaha! That’s as good as hit, Willie!!!
April 17th, 2006 at 9:58 am“True grit always finds a way.”
April 17th, 2006 at 9:58 amWell, if I was correct in my counting, that makes Reed platoons 1-for-9 so far.
April 17th, 2006 at 9:58 amWait, Willie is actually good at stealing bases, so why not let Willie steal and have Yubet hit away?
April 17th, 2006 at 10:00 amOoo Gritty Willy and OVERAGGRESSIVE BASERUNNING OF DOOM prevails!
April 17th, 2006 at 10:00 amYeah, Willie can steal a good base.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:00 amRun Willie, run!
April 17th, 2006 at 10:01 amGrover is now obliged to let Meche continue until the game is once again tied. He and Francona have a gentleman’s agreement.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:01 amWell that’s a scrappy run…
April 17th, 2006 at 10:01 amNow that’s the Ichiro! we know and love, 3-0 count and Ichiro knocks the run in.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:01 amSay what you will, but small-ball works sometimes. We scored a run without getting a single hit. Now that’s cool.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:02 amWillie can at least turn no hit into a run.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:02 amNice tongue bath for Willie from Rizzs there.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:02 amRizzs is just about ready to wet himself over Willie
April 17th, 2006 at 10:03 amAt least Meche can’t blow this one (I am assuming they don’t run him out there in the 7th).
What the heck is Rizzs talking about?! Willie provides extra excitement? Is hoping he can actually do something with no confidence that he will the same as excitement.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:04 amI know we just scored and all, but I find myself wondering why we even have Borchard or Lawton… not to mention Petagine.
What will happen if Snelling is healthy? Is he gonna ride the pine all year?
April 17th, 2006 at 10:04 amWoods is in to face Ortiz. Good move by Grover there. Oops, wrong inning.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:04 amIf Snelling’s healthy and hitting, they’ll clear the room for him.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:05 amHas Ichiro lost a step? I don’t have the numbers, but I don’t think he’s had very many infield singles this year. The year he broke the hit record, weren’t a solid 50+ of those hits infield hits?
April 17th, 2006 at 10:05 amNice tongue bath for Willie from Rizzs there.
Diet coke up the nose. That really, really hurt.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:05 amDiet coke up the nose. That really, really hurt.
I’m sure Rizzs practices by looking at tape of Tim McCarver going after Jeter.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:07 amSammy - I think so. A lot of balls that would have been hits in past years seem to be 6-3’s now.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:08 amI can’t believe we’ve got 200 comments for a game that started at 8:05 our time. We’re all insane.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:09 amI think he had 62 infield hits when he broke the record.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:09 amWe’re not insane, we’re just all bored with work on a Monday morning.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:09 amHere’s a couple points/questions:
career numbers:
Reed vs lefties: 80g .195/.278/.265
WFB vs lefties: 130g .272/.324/.371
Ignoring the differences in defense (Reed really is potential gold glove material if he maintains his glove work for a few more years while WFB is mostly adequate at best), why is is so shocking to see Reed sitting against a lefty? This is a serious question (maybe the glove answers it?).
Also, Dewan’s system basically ranks Ibanez very highly. Using this system Raul is considered a very solid left-fielder. Why is he generally considered a poor defensive option in left on this blog?
Also, run exprctancy tables suggest less runs are scored with a runner on second and one out than with a guy on first with no outs. I know people here hate the sac bunt except in late innings of close games but WFB just scoring notwithstanding, why isn’t it still a bad strategy in late innings if less runs are expected to score? Is there a greater chance to score the guy on second with one out than the guy on first with no outs but overall you score fewer runs by giving up the out (i.e. you take yourself out of a big inning statistically speaking)?
April 17th, 2006 at 10:10 amP. Todd — don’t know if you are listening to the game, but Rizzs’ Willie comments say all you need to know about how much of a homer he is (and how little he understands wfb’s true lack of contribution to the team).
April 17th, 2006 at 10:11 amRealistically, Hargrove can’t PH for Bloomquist. He’s gotta be in the game in case Beltre, YuBet or Lopez jam a finger.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:11 amor skiping class, its monday morning….
way to go after youk there woods
April 17th, 2006 at 10:11 amI was about to give props to Woods but this 0-3 count hurt his odds.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:11 amFrigging BB, how long do you keep Woods in there?
April 17th, 2006 at 10:11 amInsane? I actually cleared my morning schedule for this game.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:11 amThey´re coming to get me again, haha
April 17th, 2006 at 10:12 amThey´re coming to take me away again, hee hee, ho ho
To the looney bin
Where life was ludicrous all the time
And I´m just crazy about
WFB…….
Rizzs surmised that Woods is facing Loretta because he wants Woods to face Ortiz. Rizzs - “You don’t want any right hander facing Ortiz.” Rizzs, please see inning 6.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:13 amAny specific reason Grover is using our worst bullpen option during this critical point of the game? Nobody else available?
April 17th, 2006 at 10:13 am8am AND a Gil Meche start…
April 17th, 2006 at 10:13 amIts fine if you want to sit Reed versus lefties. In my opinion its too early to platoon him, and he should see more lefties before he is written off as needing to be in a platoon. However if you are going to platoon him, it should be with Borchard not WFB.
You answered your second question, one run is more likely in certain situations, however by giving up an out you take yourself out of the big inning.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:14 amRemember Dave’s assertion that Dewan’s system (and basically any fielding metric) overrates outfielders in Safeco.
I’ll admit, I got up early (it’s the last day of a 4 day weekend up here) to watch this game on MLB.tv.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:14 amI’ll give props to Willie on that.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:15 amgood, keep Big Papi on deck. Need to get couple more runs here with our heart of the lineup coming up.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:16 amI can’t believe we’ve got 200 comments for a game that started at 8:05 our time. We’re all insane.
Or we all need better jobs.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:16 amNo, good jobs are the ones that allow us to watch/listen to the M’s.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:18 am216. But the likelihood of a big inning with no hits is small.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:18 amFoulke in the 8th trailing by 1 run? Who’s their closer now?
April 17th, 2006 at 10:18 amPapelbon
April 17th, 2006 at 10:18 am> Or we all need better jobs.
We have jobs which allow us to monitor a Mariners game. We need better?
April 17th, 2006 at 10:19 amPapelbon hasn’t yet allowed a run, this year, has he?
April 17th, 2006 at 10:19 amOr as Chris Berman has decided to call him, “Snap! Crackle! Papelbon!”
I hate Chris Berman.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:19 amDo we have Soriano available today? He pitched 1 1/3 yesterday.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:20 amSomeone may have made this point before, but at least Grover has Johjima hitting in the right spot now.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:20 amits a great feeling to know that after sexson hits there isnt that for sure out after him anymore
April 17th, 2006 at 10:21 amIt’s a good thing that Rizzs drives me wacky - I’d ALMOST paid for the audio stream subscription. But between USSm comments and Yahoo gametracker, I can get all the entertainment I need here
April 17th, 2006 at 10:21 amDon’t let something like employment get in the way of rooting/discussion/commiserating for your team.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:22 amA run expectancy question for those that are more astute about the stat stuff than i am. The tables give you partial runs, but doesn’t it make more sense to think in terms of the percentage chance that you’ll get some discreet number of runs, especially late in games? 1 out runner on second might give you fewer runs over all than 0 outs runner on first, but does it have a greater chance of giving you at least 1 run? I’d like to see the run matrixes re-done with percentages and discreet numbers it might be more useful info for 7th inning or later.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:23 amBeen done. The odds that you’ll get 1 or more run does improve with certain run-reducing strategies in late innings.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:24 amThe announcers in NESN said the Sox are 4-0 in one run game. Hope it will be 4-1 after this game.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:24 amHoly mackerel.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:25 amWhew.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:26 amShelton homered again
April 17th, 2006 at 10:26 amCrap, Ortiz almost had an Albert Pujols moment. Lucky bastard.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:26 am235: Hopefully this won’t be a one-run game.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:26 amGamecast shows that as a really deep fly out… and no, I’m at work at a conference room table so I can’t hear any audio. The explanations of the gushing love for WFB did the job though.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:27 amIchiro with the catch in front of the 18″ wall.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:27 amDon’t be silly. Given these teams, the odds are that if one of them scores again before the end of the game, it won’t be us.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:27 amIgnoring the warning track shot for the moment… why was Jake Woods (599/470/215/52 IP/K/BB/HR minor league numbers) at 25 years of age available to be acquired from the Angels? Giving up Matt Thornton (hard throwing lefty) to get Jake Woods (hard throwing lefty with some command) seems like a gift too good to be true.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:27 amSoriano is probably not available, but Sherrill is. He only three 11 pitches yesterday. And he should have face Ortiz. It’s amazing that Ortiz twice came to the plate with a chance to tie the game, and in neither situation did Grover use Sherrill.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:27 amReiko Tosa of Japan is leading the Boston Marathon.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:28 am233 I think “The Book” by Lichtman, Tangotiger, and Dolphin has that, however I haven’t seen it online anywhere yet.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:28 amHow hard does Woods throw?
April 17th, 2006 at 10:29 am247 - I’m sure Woolner compiled that a few years ago.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:30 amNiehause referred to Putz as a “big Michigander.” Is “Michigander” really the term for Michigan residents?
April 17th, 2006 at 10:31 amOops, I meant “Niehaus.”
April 17th, 2006 at 10:32 am#250: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigander
April 17th, 2006 at 10:33 amWhy are you pitching to Varitek here. Hello Intentional Walk!
April 17th, 2006 at 10:34 amThrow the cutter.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:34 am242 - 18 inch wall? Has anyone accidentially tripped over it? (I’m picturing dwarves dancing around a tiny Stonehenge monument…)
April 17th, 2006 at 10:34 amCrap.
That is all.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:35 amDamn…should’ve walked him.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:35 am“by a diving Lopez”
April 17th, 2006 at 10:36 amcrap, crap, crap
well, not walking VTek was a big mistake.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:36 am253 Good question. Who’s hitting behind Varitek who can actually hit?
April 17th, 2006 at 10:37 am255 — You’re picturing Spinal Tap Goes to Fenway.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:37 am255. That was the humor in it. The wall is so short, it’s ridiculous.
April 17th, 2006 at 10:37 amOh man…with 2 outs…that really stings.