hammerhead johnson

John Patterson pitched a CG 4 hit shoutout against the Dodgers last night with 13 strikeouts and zero walks. His WHIP ratio now stands at 1.08 on the season, which is good enough for Top 10 in the majors. This guy has been insane. I was lucky in July, as I added both Patterson and Zach Duke to my soxtalk fantasy squad while letting go of CC Sabathia and Brandon Webb. :puke What happened to CC? He absolutely, positively sucks these days.

QUOTE(ZoomSlowik @ Aug 1, 2005 -> 04:03 PM) A question about your list: no Rod Carew? He's got quite a few batting titles. I thought about it, but Rod played the majority of his games at 1B, so I didn't include him in this list.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Aug 4, 2005 -> 05:37 PM) Its a Pet Peeve of mine as well, especially when the stand there and don't get out their checkbook until the clerk gives them the total. Yeah, and then it takes a while for a lot of people to even find their checkbooks, as there are women out there with like 50 pounds worth of s*** in their purses. It's so bad....

QUOTE(Controlled Chaos @ Aug 4, 2005 -> 05:30 PM) What I can't understand is people that write checks at a store??? I hate people like that. Not only do they take forever writing out the actual check, but then they have to update their records. Gotta fill in the check number, date, description, payment amount, balance amount, etc. Then, in a lot of cases, they have to call a supervisor over to approve of the check. In my best Tom Berenger voice from Platoon: Them motherf***ers

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Aug 4, 2005 -> 05:02 PM) Isn't Flip Saunders considered an offensive guy? That's everything I've read (offensive in the sense of being good at coaching offense, not in the other sense) Dumars tells the press what Flip told him: "Joe, we spent a lot of time in Minnesota on defense, we just didn't have the players to carry it out.'" Quote from Flip: "My teams are teams that play intelligently and play efficiently. A team takes the personality of the players. This team is bred to be a defensive team because of the personality of the players they have. I can assure you, and anybody else that has any questions about whether we will defend or not -- we will defend. That's something I will demand of the players, and that's something they will demand of themselves." I don't really like Flip too much, though. Carlisle is plotting his revenge against the Pistons as I type this. It could be Rick's time to shine.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Aug 4, 2005 -> 04:33 PM) Detroit will almost certainly be in a whole heap of trouble without Brown running that defense. They'll still have the best defensive personnel in the NBA. Dumars ain't gonna hire some clown who thinks that championships are won with offense.

QUOTE(SoxFan101 @ Aug 4, 2005 -> 06:46 AM) I think 7-10 wins is what we will end up doing Boy, you're really going out on a limb with this prediction. I'd say that we can win anywhere from 4 to 12.

The December 11th game is in Pittsburgh. That is our toughest game of the season...some would say that it is easily the toughest. How about: 4-4 HOME 4-4 ROAD The home schedule is tougher than the road schedule. And if they manage to win their home game vs. Minnesota, then 9-7. In a weak NFC conference, that will be enough to win a wild card. Sure Losses: DEC 11 @ PITTSBURGH DEC 25 @ GREEN BAY JAN 1 @ MINNESOTA Probable Losses: OCTOBER 16 MINNESOTA OCTOBER 23 BALTIMORE OCTOBER 30 @ DETROIT NOVEMBER 20 CAROLINA DEC 18 ATLANTA We're not going to get swept by Detroit, at least I hope not.

QUOTE(danman31 @ Aug 3, 2005 -> 06:09 PM) The Score is garbage and football talk in July/August is disgusting but you gotta live with it. The commercials are what drive me insane. Besides that, the Bears don't deserve any talk since they are a joke of an NFL franchise. I hear you, man. The commercials drive me nuts as well. Football talk in late July/early August doesn't bother me, though. The first preseason game is less than a week away, and football talk is going to get the most ratings right now IMO. Are you a Bears fan? You don't think that they deserve any talk? You're not excited about that defense despite the lack of depth at CB and LB?

QUOTE(Palehosefan @ Aug 3, 2005 -> 05:40 PM) Don't forget Wayne Simien in there also. I could see him playing some center in the East in a pinch if Zo doesn't make it back. I've never even heard of him until now, as I don't follow college basketball. From what I'm reading, he's a tough guy who can give you some rebounds, but he doesn't have any NBA post moves, and he doesn't alter shots too well. He could hit some mid-range jumpers. Sounds like Udonis Haslem. Simien is 6'8 and 255 pounds, which is undersized at PF, let alone C. That will be a deep PF rotation, though. Walker/Haslem/Simien. And Walker will be playing the 3 plenty of times, so that will free up more minutes for Simien.

QUOTE(ltravisjr @ Aug 3, 2005 -> 02:31 PM) Da Bears. Yes, I am a Bears fan, BUT ITS FREAKING AUGUST! I tune in on my way to and from work, and ever since training camp started, I haven't heard anything but Bear talk. I mean, the Sox are in the middle of a sacred season heading straight to the playoffs, and yet its apparently more important to hear about the consistency of Mike Brown's morning s*** log in training camp. I know, it is Bears first in Chicago, and I have to live with that. But I still don't like it This is a Bears town. It is the beginning of August. I want Bears talk, I need Bears talk. Hell yeah I'm tuning into the Score every day, especially for B&B and Murph.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Aug 3, 2005 -> 02:11 PM) Haslem re-signed with the Heat on a 5 year $30M deal IIRC. You're right on Posey though, he was a stud 2 seasons ago for the Grizzlies. That's a good deal. Haslem does a lot of dirty work around the rim. He's definitely underrated. Undersized, but strong with a good head on his shoulders. Any news on Alonzo? They need a back-up center who can play effectively for 15 minutes a game while Shaq is on the bench. I disagree with both of them being on the court at the same time, though. The foot speed just ain't there.

I love Posey. He is perhaps the most unsung mid-range defender in the entire NBA. It's kind of easy not to know about him...he played for f***ing Memphis. PG: Jason Williams SG: Dwyane Wade/Damon Jones SF: James Posey PF: Antoine Walker/Udonis Haslem C: Shaquille O'Neal/Alonzo Mourning They have to sign Haslem and Mourning, however. If they do that, they'll actually have depth this year, which is one of the major weaknesses of last year's team. I dunno what's going on with negotiations, I haven't paid much attention. Like a lot of y'all, I can't stand Antoine Walker. Him and White Chocolate are highly-skilled, incredibly stupid players. We'll see how things work out. I'll tell you right now that Posey is the gem. He is easily the most valuable piece (in my basketball world) involved in this trade.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Aug 3, 2005 -> 01:42 PM) Same here in SoxTalk League 1. The Pirates really have the making of a good stud young rotation next season if things play out. They really need another power hitter besides Jason Bay though, big time. And if we were in the same league, I'm sure that you'd have beat me to him.

QUOTE(danman31 @ Aug 1, 2005 -> 10:38 PM) Zach Duke moved to 4-0 today with 8.1 IP of 1 R ball. That outing raised his ERA. In 6 starts he has a 0.92 ERA with a 4-0 record....and he's only 22. I picked him up on my soxtalk fantasy squad after his July 7 Philadelphia start. All that he's done since then: 3 Wins 25 IP 1 ER I needed another killer SP to go along with Pedro Martinez and Chris Carpenter. I hope that he keeps this up.

Chris just joined Pedro Martinez, Roger Clemens, and Roy Halladay as the only starters in the majors with a WHIP under 1.00 with a minimum of 80 IP. 1. Pedro Martinez 0.85 WHIP 2. Roger Clemens 0.95 WHIP 3. Roy Halladay 0.96 WHIP 4. Chris Carpenter 0.99 WHIP

QUOTE(Middle Buffalo @ Aug 1, 2005 -> 02:56 PM) Then the lyrics are just as I always thought, "Excuse me, while I kiss this guy!" Middle Buffalo = Rookie Of The Year (in a landslide)

QUOTE(SouthsideNorthsideFan @ Aug 2, 2005 -> 02:03 AM) If you're looking at entire careers, BIGGIO >>> Alomar...it's not even close. BIGGIO >>> Maz for multitudes of reasons. That's crazy talk, dude. Alomar might have been the greatest defensive second baseman of all time. His offensive skills were insane. He's a legend, quite frankly. Biggio shouldn't be in the same paragraph as Alomar, let alone the same sentence.

QUOTE(CWSGuy406 @ Aug 1, 2005 -> 08:09 PM) Getting Williamson is going to be huge for them. That's true, I hadn't even thought about Williamson. Still though, I'd be genuinely surprised if they were to win a playoff series with their current pen plus Williamson. I dunno what Hendry is thinking. It's pretty much baseball law that you ain't going anywhere without a quality bullpen. There have been exceptions, but not many.

QUOTE(WHarris1 @ Aug 1, 2005 -> 06:14 PM) Don't kill the messanger. Just passing this along for a strange perspective on the top defending bigs. Oh no, you're the man Willie. I'm just criticizing the writer.

QUOTE(WHarris1 @ Aug 1, 2005 -> 05:50 PM) Just passing it along Since you seem interested,you can read more here. The list came from... Are there any credible writers out there who actually use their eyes when analyzing basketball, as opposed to letting stat sheets make their decisions for them? Because any fool can see that Kenyon Martin makes Nick Collison look like Dickey Simpkins on defense. Any fool can see that Marcus Camby and Jermaine O'Neal are impact defenders...they both get Top 3 consideration at their respective positions.

QUOTE(SleepyWhiteSox @ Aug 1, 2005 -> 05:44 PM) No camby? Good call, I forgot to mention Camby, one of my favorite players in the league.

QUOTE(WHarris1 @ Aug 1, 2005 -> 05:00 PM) Curry slurpers will like these defensive ratings from Dan Rosenbaum... Top Five Centers: 1. Ben Wallace 2. Dikembe Mutumbo 3. Theo Ratliff 4. Jason Collins 5. Joel Pryzbilla Bottom Five Centers: 1. Primoz Brezec 2. Marc Jackson 3. Predrag Drobnjak 4. Mark Blount 5. Eddy Curry Top Seven Power Forwards: 1. Tim Duncan 2. Kevin Garnett 3. Nick Collison 4. Tyson Chandler 5. Nenê 6. Andrei Kirilenko 7. Rasheed Wallace Bottom Seven Power Forwards: 1. Matt Bonner 2. Cliff Robinson 3. Antawn Jamison 4. Juwan Howard 5. Austin Croshere 6. Antoine Walker 7. Shareef Abdur-Rahim Holy s***, Rosenbaum ain't all there, is he? First off, Kenyon Martin is a much better defensive player than Nene Hilario. Andrei Kirilenko should be ranked strictly as a SF right now, as Boozer mans the PF 99% of the time in Utah. Joe Pryzbilla is as slow-footed as they come. Holy f***ing s***. Dikembe Mutombo can't even jump in 2005. How in the hell does he get ranked? Jason Collins is competent defensively, he's nothing special. Mark Blount is a terrific on-the-ball defender. He might lack size, but come on, bottom 5 while Pryzbilla, Motombo, and Collins are in the Top 5? Nick Collison is NOT, I repeat NOT a candidate for a list of top defensive players at his position. OMG, Emeka Okafor is maybe 10,000 times the defender? No mention of him? As if Nene ahead of Kenyon Martin wasn't bad enough, they put Collison ahead of him as well. WHERE IN THE f*** IS JERMAINE O'NEAL. I realize that this is why people like nitetrain or whomever are wrong half the time. You can't read these articles. You are done for if you do. I need like half a dozen advil. And a gun. I'd like to meet this guy in a bar and just tear his basketball world apart. God damn, would that be sweet.

QUOTE(3E8 @ Aug 1, 2005 -> 02:57 PM) I also think Hornsby deserves top honors while most give it to Morgan. My list would include Craig Biggio though. If someone says that Morgan gets consideration as a Top 3 second baseman in the history of baseball, then that person just doesn't know their s***. The true sign of a fool is when one takes a definitive stance on something without the benefit of research. Well, actaully, that is one of the many true signs of a fool, but the most relevant to what we're discussing here. I'd put Biggio in the Top 15. He's one of the most underrated players of the last quarter century. There is a good chance that he won't even make it to the HOF.

QUOTE(SoxFan101 @ Aug 1, 2005 -> 02:29 AM) Than your expecting 2 much In terms of what, scoring? He is a candidate to lead the league in rebounding, and he'll be altering shots with the best of them. 12 rebounds and 3 blocks ain't all that far-fetched if he gets 35 minutes per. He could score a good 12 points per game as well, although I can't rule out 13-15. He has good hands underneath the rim, and he's solid on put-back attempts.