LDF

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Feb 9, 2015 -> 06:46 AM) I don't remember ever hearing reports about Marin throwing in the mid 90's. Who knows...he might have made some delivery changes. As for Cuba, Gourriel and Frederich Cepeda continue to be "win now/MLB-ready" names....if they ever defect. If my memory is correct, Cepeda is a 34 year old LH corner outfielder, played in Japan last year....seems like he would be a perfect 4th OF in the current MLB environment. Has Despaigne been playing? yeah there are some players who are very interesting so say the least. but wait, we are talking about JR and he will not spend the money.

QUOTE (seanjon21 @ Feb 8, 2015 -> 06:20 PM) That perfect game scouting report was when he was a sophomore in high school !!! as i said, that was the only rpt i found, i am extremely happy another prospect may have been found. can't you tell when someone is stoke about a player !!!! jeeze

QUOTE (hi8is @ Feb 9, 2015 -> 07:14 AM) Poop. Otherwise known as - the boredom of the final weeks leading up to spring training. as always, you swoop in to enlighten the thread with a sage like response.

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Feb 9, 2015 -> 05:02 AM) zipperhead |ˈzipərˌhed| noun US offensive an Asian person. yeah, i know what was being meant. i was trying to disfuse the comment by trying to make a joke from a mel brooks movie. dang, rough crowd. however you should at least given me props from know the quote from the movie.

QUOTE (black jack @ Feb 9, 2015 -> 04:27 AM) There wasn't anything wrong with your post douglas. Whoever was offended by the taco comment needs to pull their liberal PC thongs out of their butts. Now, if you could help me figure out how to get all those darn zipperheads off my lawn... i really don't know what this means, are you meaning zipperneck. like in the movie young frankenstein. Near the end of Young Frankenstein, the enlightened monster's new wife calls him Zipperneck, but he really has a zipper in his neck. i am kinda of confuse here.

QUOTE (Reddy @ Feb 9, 2015 -> 02:52 AM) uh... nope. steroids don't make a bad player a superstar ummmm Sammy Sosa

QUOTE (Stan Bahnsen @ Feb 8, 2015 -> 10:38 PM) My wife is Korean - I've nicknamed her Sweet Dumpling, and we both make fun of her broken "Engrish". Marriage has given me racism carte blanche. Maybe Douglas was just trying a little too hard to be funny. Been there. Let's move on. only if he wants to learn from that, which none of us can tell. only thru his future post. there has been many more worst things said. what some said today is minor.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Feb 8, 2015 -> 10:33 PM) Don't forget collard greens. Thanks, Fuzzy Zoeller Actually, aren't tacos part of Spanish culture? Or did they originate in Mexico after colonization? Just curious. I eat at "tapas" restaurants here in China, but Mexican "international" food is pretty much non-existent except for Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong. I've also never seen a single Taco Bell (which of course is not "authentic" compared to what you'd get south of the Border, either) in any Asia country. Most Asians do eat rice, dumplings and/or noodles everyday in some form....so the "go eat rice" thing isn't nearly as annoying to them as the making the "slant eyes" gesture last seen in the World Championships for basketball. As to being "right" or conservative, the slam/political forums are the place for that. It also depends how you go about being conservative....if it's self-deprecating or annoying (like the newest incantation of Donald Trump). At any rate, the baseball side of the forum tends to be a lot more sensitive to those types of statements. And perhaps there's even some remnants of working class/labor/Southside "populism" left in being a White Sox fan. Maybe Brooks Boyer and his demographics people could be more illuminating. One would think the Sox and Cubs fanbases have become more similar than dissimilar over the last generation or two of fans, compared to say the 70's or 80's. but the asians are very different in their thinking of food. rice to them is ok, even for the nobles. it is a staple to eat, a bowl of rice, a plate of veggies and maybe a fish. is a great meal that all asians can eat, without thinking it is for the lower class only. i may be wrong, i dated an asian and what i found out is food is for eating no matter who is at the table.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Feb 8, 2015 -> 10:33 PM) Don't forget collard greens. Thanks, Fuzzy Zoeller Actually, aren't tacos part of Spanish culture? Or did they originate in Mexico after colonization? Just curious. I eat at "tapas" restaurants here in China, but Mexican "international" food is pretty much non-existent except for Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong. I've also never seen a single Taco Bell (which of course is not "authentic" compared to what you'd get south of the Border, either) in any Asia country. Most Asians do eat rice, dumplings and/or noodles everyday in some form....so the "go eat rice" thing isn't nearly as annoying to them as the making the "slant eyes" gesture last seen in the World Championships for basketball. As to being "right" or conservative, the slam/political forums are the place for that. It also depends how you go about being conservative....if it's self-deprecating or annoying (like the newest incantation of Donald Trump). At any rate, the baseball side of the forum tends to be a lot more sensitive to those types of statements. And perhaps there's even some remnants of working class/labor/Southside "populism" left in being a White Sox fan. Maybe Brooks Boyer and his demographics people could be more illuminating. One would think the Sox and Cubs fanbases have become more similar than dissimilar over the last generation or two of fans, compared to say the 70's or 80's. most of the ethnic food of many races has to do with economy, and even in the irish and english way of life. never would any middle to higher classes would eat potato but it was dirty and grew in dirt. that is what the higher class thought. Hispanic was the same, using every part of a cow, pig, chicken etc.... and instead of bread, it was tortilla's. the same with american indians. when the african americans came as slaves, they learned from other races on how to eat EVERYTHING ON THE HOOF. that was that term came for eating what was considered peasant food that the poor white and hispanic was expected to eat. can you imagine, ribs, ham, pig feet, fries, etc.... would not been a staple today if most of our earlier ancestors could afford to eat b/c they were not high nobility.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Feb 9, 2015 -> 01:42 AM) Ortiz was a good hitter with the Twins. Bautista was pretty awful until his late 20s. If talent is there, approach changes can work. Maybe his release gets Viciedo thinking he needs to change. Odds are probably against it, but there are always surprises. he needs to get his head out of his arse and listen to the hitting coaches.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Feb 8, 2015 -> 11:25 PM) LOL. Watch a game from the 80s. Watch a game in 2015. Look at what batters do with 2 strikes. Google what former players have to say about striking out. Don Baylor was pissed he got to 50 during his MVP year. He has been a MLB manager and hitting coach. He said the approach is totally different. That is proof if you don't want to believe what you see. george brett would purposely foul pitches off until he was able to get the right pitch. i remember watching a game, he fouled off 10+ pitches until the pitcher got mad and hit him. what resulted was the pitcher getting tossed. george said that was a good enuf result for him. getting a new pitcher. andre dawson the same kind of mentality, alot of hitter of that time thrive on that. does any batter today works that count like that???? and why not???? pete rose, rickey henderson the white sox raines and julio cruz, were willing to cheat home plate and to get hit. old time baseball.

QUOTE (Stan Bahnsen @ Feb 8, 2015 -> 05:22 PM) Yes indeed. These are the type of numbers I was pretty much trying to convey with the "professional AB" comment. It's OK to K like Abreu , though, imo, when the contact is as well-barreled as in Jose's case. I think he'll settle in to about 100-120K/year, which is fine for his level of damage. It will be VERY interesting to see how bats like Baez and Bryant for the Cubs adjust, or don't, to the excellent pitching environment. Their Milb K rates are what I would describe as "borderline", and there is a tipping point on K rates, past which a hitter is completely discombobulated, and the pitcher knows he doesn't need to throw strikes - it's a hitter's hell, and it's not uncommon. Javy seems to have swing issues that KB doesn't, so he's the worse bet, but Bryant may also experience a rude awakening - after, undoubtedly, hitting 10 bombs in his first couple of weeks. There have been very, very few players who became GREAT mlb'ers with a rate as high as Bryant's, and the current pitching environment is rather cruel. Tough call. Not the slam-dunk Cubbie fans are assuming, imo. Back to topic, is JS a Padre yet? I'm most interested to see what the # of years / $ / vesting options turn out to be. It MAY even effect Shark's ultimate decision/desire for FA/years demanded, as he sees what a high-mileage 33y.o. arm is, or isn't, worth. shields, at 4 yrs.... that is 1 yr too much for my liking. 4yrs with his 33 yo, i just don't see him being able to be cost effective for the length of his salary. on a side note, now what ever happen to that particular hitting coach who wanted his players in spring training to hit, but to hit for different situation. Walt Hriniak, whose main idea is to make contact. he would have players in spring training to hit the other way, to hit up the middle, this was done all the time. he believe a person can hit normal when game is being played, but to constantly practice what is usually given. the ability to hit the other way, not to try to hit the hr all the time. his other thing was to purposely hit grounders to a certain position, to get that bat control, in other words, hit what the pitchers give you on any situation when runners are on base. i don't hear that kind of coaching anymore.

QUOTE (Stan Bahnsen @ Feb 8, 2015 -> 04:57 PM) I'm a firm believer than winning trumps style of play, from a fans' standpoint, but there will be rule tweaks coming soon, that are at least designed to raise scoring. May even see an NL DH. winning is the main point for any discussion. i have always stated, i would rather have a team made up of a player who can hit 10-15+ hrs, an avg of 290+ and strikeout about 70-90 time. that kind of team will win many more games then having that free swinging hitter who belts 30+ hrs.

QUOTE (Stan Bahnsen @ Feb 8, 2015 -> 05:42 PM) A lot of good points being made on all sides, but if you don't think the evolution of hitters' approach is part of the high K/low-run-scoring environment, you're not paying attention. The high slugging of the steroid era changed hitting philosophies throughout organizations, and the hitters have not yet adjusted back to a more contact-oriented approach, but they will in order to survive. I think, also, it's become apparent to many that "professional AB" guys like Pence and Sandoval are better bets in October than clout-or-K type sluggers. And yes, pitching is as good and specialized as ever, but they're also ahead of the batters on the adjustment curve. there is a caveat in your statement, which by the way is a excellent one. that part that is missing is, what will the owners want, the answers is to have fans in the stands??? if the owner doesn't have the team, they will go for that hrs hitting, low avg high strikeout, b/c he wants fans in the park. in other words..... money.....

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Feb 8, 2015 -> 05:36 PM) Fixed. God I love their chicken. now how bout if someone like churches or kfc or homemade southern chicken. now you may offend those people. how bout if a person is a vegan????

QUOTE (seanjon21 @ Feb 8, 2015 -> 04:32 PM) http://www.modbee.com/sports/high-school/article9548831.html Read this artical they put out on him. He was hitting 97mph in the Mexican pacific league playoffs multiple times. and i am extremely glad that he can, that is why i asked originally, if this performance will start to put him on anyone radar. i know i will start watching out for him.

QUOTE (Stan Bahnsen @ Feb 8, 2015 -> 05:34 PM) Guys, please lighten up on Douglas, thanks. Really don't want to lose the treasure trove of humor he can provide, thanks. Missing Marty, and he's the closest facsimile, thanks. i ignore him for the most part, but that comment, whether he knew it was inappropriate.

i asked a question where i asked about the amount of hrs were done in a decade going back several decades. the list is 20 hrs, 30hrs, 40hr. now lets look at that it is rare that someone will hit 40 +, only 2 comes to my mind. but if a team is able to get a player who can play his position and smack 30+ hrs, but strikeout a lot, has low avg, how many teams would be willing to sign that player.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Feb 8, 2015 -> 04:23 PM) Blue Ruin wasn't bad. It had its moments, in a Deliverance type way. Much better than "Out of the Furnace" as well. I like another movie I saw that same day, COHERENCE, even more. Both were on one of those "indie movies you might have missed" lists. speaking of indie kind of movie, anyone seen Humbling with Al Pacino.... ref to stats.... i remember when most of us came to this site, it was easy to post a 100 in a day. i sometimes am guilty of looking, not b/c of stat padding, but b/c the topic was a great topic, it had energy, it had posters commenting, it had the recipes for being a great thread. but some of those threads are far and few in-between.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Feb 8, 2015 -> 05:14 PM) I'm talking about the 60's-80's style of player, compared to today. Of course, stolen bases were non-existent back in the heart of the steroids era (1995-2010), as everyone employed the Earl Weaver "wait for a three run homer" style of offense, Ozzie Ball for two plus months notwithstanding. There are two different arguments here, the pitchers of 2014 versus the 1990's and the pitchers of today versus the pitchers of the past, let's say 1968, when Gibson, Drysdale, McLain, etc., were so dominant. My point is that one-dimensional players like Adam Dunn in the past weren't thought of as superstars...to be a truly great player back then, you had possess at least 3 of the 5 skills and usually 4 or even 5 out of 5. If nothing else, Moneyball has created a generation where hitters could make millions with just three outcomes...whereas those players in the past, the likes of Pete Incaviglia, Dave Kingman or Rob Deer, were derided for their lack of contact and lower batting averages. let me add to your statement. baseball in general have indeed change. i see what is gone is a power hitter who can hit the hrs and have a low avg and high strikeout. as long he can hit the long ball. fans love that long ball. will a fan love a game where the score is tied at 0-0 and going into the 9 inning. no they would like to see the score be 7-5 with several hrs. second, the need to generate runs, via situational hitting to get runs in becoming more important, esp if a team doesn't have a Trout, a Giancarlo Stanton, who can hit hrs. bottom line, the fans, maybe some are becoming better educated with the other part of baseball, the number crunching part. this part seem to be the most important part now.

QUOTE (MAX @ Feb 8, 2015 -> 04:41 PM) I eat tacos, and I'm not mexican either. Thanks, MAX. for me, it was the tacos comment. it was implied since he is hispanic he naturally will be eating tacos all the time. why not say a hamburger or hot dog. this is another example, if someone said to a african american that he would go on the porch to eat a watermelon. or an asian will eat a bowl of rice. it is the implication of the comment that made it wrong. assuming based on how people grew up socially and what was taken for granted.

QUOTE (Reddy @ Feb 8, 2015 -> 02:12 PM) Not a tough crowd. Just not a racist and sexist one. It's 2015 bud, not 1954. Wake the f*** up. excellent post and i agree.

QUOTE (seanjon21 @ Feb 8, 2015 -> 04:07 AM) He fastball was running 92-94 consistently . He hit 96 5 times in this game . ok thanks the perfect game scouting rpt had him at 83 mph in the fastball category

The Eichmann Show.... i just saw it, it was really good. some of the best work for Anthony LaPaglia. i don't know, i really do not like alot of his works, but this, he did a great job.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 8, 2015 -> 02:30 AM) There's also good evidence that umpires are calling a larger strike zone these days. Anyway, yes, if you compiled a list of top 10 pitchers in 2005 and top 10 pitchers in 2014, you'd find that both lists had ten people on it. I fully agree, there were the same number of top 10 pitchers. There were even the same number of top 20 pitchers, top 30 pitchers, and top 40 pitchers. My point is - if you put them all in the same pool, most of the top 10 pitchers would be from the recent year. The top 10 right now >>> the top 10 in 2005 if they were put one against another. interesting opinion, i like it. i also didn't see it. in that list, you do have to admit that there will always be exceptional pitcher who will stand out.