October 18th’s thrilling playoff baseball
DMZ · October 18, 2006 at 5:01 pm · Filed Under Mariners
Cardinals at Mets! Chris Carpenter faces… John Maine? Really? Oookay. 5:19ish.
I almost forgot this was going to be on… it only occurred to me that there might be something on when I took a break from book work just now and looked at a schedule page. Yes, that’s how into this NLCS I am.
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I know Duncan is the worst defensive outfielder ever, but he really should be starting v. Maine instead of Encarnacion.
This game will be another opportunity for Scott Spiezo to enhance his legacy as a Post-Season Clutch God.
Sandfrog Rulez!
The Mets have nobody else, Derek. It wouldn’t surprise me if they picked someone out of the stands to start tomorrow if they push this thing to seven games.
just wait! if the Mets pull it off tonight, tomorrow will be the breathtaking match-up of Jeff Suppan vs. Darren Oliver? Oliver Perez? Steve Trachsel?
Worst defensive outfielder ever? Reaaaaaaaaaaallly?
They should just go BP by committee for 9 innings if there is a game 7, assuming they don’t exhaust their pen tonight.
Spiezio in the outfield. OH YEAAAH
#5– I mean, just sticking with the Ms outfields, there is Glenallen Hill, currently hoping to be named Rockies’ hitting coach…
Spiezio is clutch.
What about Dave Valle? Dave Valle played out there in 1987.
Worst defensive outfielder ever? Reaaaaaaaaaaallly?
He makes Bloomquist look like Mike Cameron.
Horrible routes, lots of errors.
I believe Jeff Nelson played one batter of LF once when Lou did a crazy mound-LF-mound thing to get around a left-handed batter…
Maine really knows how to get into those hitters’ counts.
Dave Valle never held an everyday gig out there.
Is that really better than being totally immobile, though, like Valle? Or Scott Bradley? Or Bill Haselman?
Not that I’m harping on M’s catchers who made OF appearances or anything. It was just convenient.
I believe Jeff Nelson played one batter of LF once when Lou did a crazy mound-LF-mound thing to get around a left-handed batter…
I was at that game! It was awesome.
Idiotic to throw to 3rd base there.
Dave Campbell on the radio side sez that Mets fans are a little testy that ‘the brilliant Jose Reyes is being outplayed by Eckstein’…
speaking of pitching, Andriesen takes on the legend of the Gyroball
Well, if we’re arguing “everyday” outfielders, I’d have to give that some more thought.
You know when I typed that it was just hyperbole, but now that I think of it– you win, Duncan isn’t the worst defensive everyday outfielder I can think of– there’s probably someone somewhere that was worse.
Maybe Todd Hundley?
The Mets should just lose the pinstripes.
Aim for that white thing in front of Mr. LoDuca, Mr. Maine.
how much outfield did Todd play? wasn’t it just a handful of games in a sad sad Mets experiment?
heh. lets see you do that, Mr. Eckstein.
Hundley was the Mets everyday leftfielder for about a month. It did not go well.
Aw, nuts.
#25– all I recall is that it was chapping Real Karen’s hide when it took place …
I seem to remember Mackey Sasser as not being too good out there.
#24: heh. lets see you do that, Mr. Eckstein.
He already did that once this series.
I got in a chuckle at Duncan before, but he’s definitely not the worst ever. Worst “regular” that comes to mind here in Seattle (recently) anyway would be Glenallen Hill in ‘98. He was slow, took horrible routes, was error prone and didn’t even have a good arm. I’m still not sure how he started so many games in OF.
The Cards have Angels in the Outfield!
Sorry, I couldn’t resist…
This game is going to take FOREVER.
Maybe we’ll get excited if there’s a game 7…
Let’s go Mets!
Albert, c’mon man…
Paul Lo Duca is really, really slow.
He’s got good speed for a catcher.
He’s got good speed for catcher.
Yeah, you’re probably right. That doesn’t say much though. I still think he’s pretty slow.
did anybody hear Mccarver describe a series of Maine’s pitches to Pujols as “5 straight fastballs”?
I’m not that great at recognizing pitches but I’m sure some of those weren’t fastballs. Especially that one that started at Pujols’ neck and finished at his belt.
And Fox fired Lyons before Timmy?
Nah, I was just being sarcastic — “good speed for a catcher” is an announcer cliche. I agree, he’s pretty darned slow.
Why are catchers always so slow? Does it have to do with the body types of the guys who typically play catcher or the beating they take on their knees? I think it’s probably the former moreso than the latter, but I’ve never really been able to answer that question.
Does anyone else find Joe Buck incredibly condescending?
Does anyone else find Joe Buck incredibly condescending?
Yeah, Bill Simmons does.
I personally just find him annoying as all hell. The only person worse is the jackass sitting next to him.
I would take Tim McCarver over Joe Buck any day of the week. I don’t feel like Tim McCarver talks down to me the way I feel that Joe Buck does. I can’t stand that.
Hmm. Well, they certainly don’t age well. Ivan Rodriguez used to have decent speed; he has 112 career stolen bases. Craig Biggio, but he didn’t stay there long. Miguel Olivo (yes, THAT Miguel Olivo) stole 29 bases at AA in 2002.
I finally moved over to Linux. I love this.
The thing that bugs me about McCarver is the stupid, obvious observations. Like, moreso than Ron Fairly. His color commentary is so factual you could confuse it for play-by-play.
As we watch a replay: “Beltran, with a single into the hole.”
DJCI,
I felt the same way when I got my Mac.
Kendall still has good speed, but apparently those white shoes the A’s have to wear have anti-theft devices installed…
oh, you just gotta score if Speez gives you a gift like that.
So, who is the best between these three well-known color guys: Tim McCarver, Joe Morgan, or Joe Theismann (Monday Night Football)?
The reason I bring this up is that these guys might be the three most well-known color guys in all of sports, and I think McCarver might be the best. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think that McCarver is good at his job. But compared to Morgan and especially Theismann, he’s not that bad. So McCarver might be terrible, but I don’t think he’s as bad as everyone seems to think he is.
I’m really glad Safeco doesn’t have “EV-ry BO-dy CLAP you HANDS!”
On the other hand, Shea does have October baseball…
Ok, trying to play catch up with all of you…
#8 & #30
Does anyone remember this magical Mariner moment?
Glenallen misjudged a routine fly in Tampa so horrifically that he trips and literally does a summersalt backwards with the ball almost hitting him in the head as it dropped behind him
Never seen anything quite like it before or since
Yeah, you gotta make tradeoffs somewhere…
Horrible jump, horrible throw.
12
I think a VERY YOUNG Mike Hampton got his first and probably one of his only saves that game.
#53– you just reminded me of Butch Huskey’s face-plant
So McCarver might be terrible, but I don’t think he’s as bad as everyone seems to think he is.
Isn’t terrible bad enough?
Seriously tho, Fox should figure it out. They don’t need to spend the big bucks on Tim when they could pick any jackass out of Single-A and he’d be just as good.
speaking of things Fox, have I just missed it, or have they refrained so far this season from showing us the Fox television star casually attending a playoff game?
In the early 1990s, I saw Randy Johnson play leftfield for an inning. Nothing was hit his way, which was unfortunate, because that would have been entertaining.
Suddenly Scott Spiezio remembers that he’s … well … Scott Spiezio.
speaking of things Fox, have I just missed it, or have they refrained so far this season from showing us the Fox television star casually attending a playoff game?
I believe they were given shit for this after last year and so haven’t done it this year.
That had to be the most egregious promo campaign ever.
Is anyone else bothered by the random strike zone tonight? I can’t even tell if Gary Darling knows what a strike is. I think it would be humorous if he just flipped a coin after every pitch and let it decide. I’m not even sure if it would be worse that way…
#60– looks like both RJ and Nellie had their OF stints in 1993, when Mike Hampton had a 1-3 record with a 9.53 ERA– 17IP, and yes, 1 save.
That had to be the most egregious promo campaign ever.
No, that would be allowing Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore onto the field in St. Louis when the Red Sox won the World Series.
Mike Hampton is a pitcher?
I thought he was a 11 million dollar paperweight.
No, that would be allowing Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore onto the field in St. Louis when the Red Sox won the World Series.
I stand corrected.
Sooooooo…
Maybe the Cards can ruin Wagner like they did Lidge…
…maybe not.
Can anybody explain to me why the NL is so freaking bad?
When exactly did Scott Spiezio become a “valuable” player again?
Spiezio’s not very good, but let’s see: Aurilia, Speizio, Cirillo and Olivo went from being completely terrible as Mariners to various shades of OK/not terrible.
Maybe it’s the park, guys.
or the NL.
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
July 16, 1993
The bottom of the eighth inning provided most of the interest in this game. It took more time to sort out the M’s defensive alignment and revised lineup than it did for the third out to be recorded.
There were two outs and none on when M’s first baseman Tino Martinez reached into the Red Sox dugout trying to catch Billy Hatcher’s popup. The catch wasn’t made and Hatcher singled to right-center field on Jeff Nelson’s next pitch.
Piniella walked to the mound, stopping on the way to talk to plate umpire Durwood Merrill. The M’s manager, who didn’t have either Norm Charlton (suspension) or Chris Bosio (tomorrow’s starter) available, wanted to keep Nelson in the game. But not on the mound.
The old National League double-switch with a twist was used.
Dennis Powell came in to pitch to left-handed hitting Mike Greenwell and Nelson went to left field so he could pitch to Andre Dawson, the next scheduled hitter.
“I’ve seen that play used in the National League but I’ve never done it before,” Piniella said. “I wanted to make sure I huddled with the umpires and placed the batters in the right position.”
It didn’t matter that Nelson was out of position.
“When Lou came out, I thought I was out of the ball game,” Nelson said. “Then he told me to go to left field. I mean, I shag fly balls during batting practice but that’s a lot different than a real game situation. I was nervous. I hadn’t played out there since high school, and that was in 1984.”
Then Nelson huddled with Ken Griffey Jr., who was surprised to see Nelson take a defensive position.
“I told him if there was anything hit into the gap, make sure to yell loud so I wouldn’t run into him,” Nelson said.
Griffey’s response: “I told him if the ball was hit to him, make sure you throw it to the cutoff man and don’t give up any double or triple. I was hoping the ball would be hit to him and he’d make a great catch at the wall.”
#69: Can anybody explain to me why the NL is so freaking bad?
Possible explanation #1: Trades and FA talent has moved to the AL.
Possible explanation #2: If you want to win the AL pennant, you have to build a team that can beat NY and their $200m+ payroll.
and October 4, 1993
Mariner manager Lou Piniella used 19-game winner Randy Johnson in left field in the bottom of the eighth inning yesterday. “He really wanted to play first, but I needed Dave Magadan to hit. He had a couple of gloves he wanted to try, so why not?” Piniella said. Added the 6-foot-10 Johnson: “I could have gone over the wall without jumping.”
Possible explanation #2: If you want to win the AL pennant, you have to build a team that can beat NY and their $200m+ payroll.
I have trouble buying this, because I think that it implies that AL teams are trying harder than NL teams. I just don’t see this as the case. Every team is trying hard as hell to win.
Good news.
Rene Rivera got DFA’d.
Every team is trying hard as hell to win.
They’re trying as hard as they think they need to. No one’s recklessly throwing away money or their future if they don’t think it’s necessary.
In the AL, it might be necessary.
Rene Rivera got DFA’d.
Given Bavasi’s insane promotions, that might mean he’s calling up Clement next spring.
And if we were going to DFA Rivera anyway, why did we expose Cruceta to waivers?
so where did you see this transaction announcement?
Evan: The M’s need to free up a number of 40-man roster spots, so the M’s were probably going to DFA both Cruceta and Rivera all along. There is some strategy as to when teams DFA players they may want to keep. Based on the number of waiver claims last week, it looks like the M’s tried to slip Cruceta through when a lot of other teams were doing the same thing. (It would have been Cruceta’s first assignment to the minors, so he would have had to accept it). Sometimes it works (Quiroz), sometimes it does not (Borchard). Unless catcher obsessed Jim Bowden claims him, Rivera should clear waivers, so it probably did not matter when they designated him.
There will probably be a few more players dropped before the November deadline for setting 40-man rosters in advance of the Rule 5 Draft.
There’s a minor difference due to the number of teams in the league. The AL used to have more teams, since the Brewers moved, the NL does.
On the plus side, more teams mean more draft picks in the annual draft. On the negative side for the All Star game, the league has to have at least one player from each team, so the League with more teams probably has a couple of paper weights on the roster.
On the other hand, the AL had to have a Devil Ray and a Royal on the roster, so what do I know?
#69, 74– mlb.com has a piece today called “What has made the AL dominant?”
They’re trying as hard as they think they need to. No one’s recklessly throwing away money or their future if they don’t think it’s necessary.
In the AL, it might be necessary.
The Yankees, for all their cash, haven’t been any more dominant this millennium than the Braves have been recently (before this year).
That’s because while they spend buttloads of cash, the players they spend it on aren’t worth that much cash. Basically, Steinbrenner’s using his checks to do an imitation of The Little Dutch Boy.
You can pretty much take it to the bank that a core of over-30 players WILL slip, year to year. Individual players might improve, but the group will decline. That’s why the sum of the Yankees is less than the parts every year- because people see last year’s stats and go “OMG THEY ARE TEH AWESOME”, without accounting for the decline.
I don’t think you should manage your franchise in fear of the Yankees. I suspect that next year, they’ll score a lot of runs but not as much as you think they would, because they’ll have injuries and declines to fight through, the pitching will be very “eh”, they’ll win 90-some games, and be just as likely to get knocked off in the playoffs or win out as any other 90-some win team.
ooh, and also on mlb.com, W. Oahu is beating Waikiki– Jeff Clement now batting!
“The 2006 Seattle Mariners Play of the Year voting has arrived.
Here’s your chance to select the top Seattle Mariners play from the 2006 season. The winning Seattle Mariners play will qualify for MLB.com’s Play of the Year Award voting — part of the 2006 This Year in Baseball Awards — coming in November.”
78
Not announced yet.
A mariners trainer say that.