Pants Rowland

QUOTE (IlliniKrush @ Oct 27, 2013 -> 08:03 PM) But he saw him lying in the baseline and the collision. And the home plate ump had it too. Yeah, that was something. Missed it. What did he say?

QUOTE (IlliniKrush @ Oct 27, 2013 -> 11:54 AM) Not a ton Middlebrooks could have done after the fact, besides trying to move towards the middle of the infield quicker to get out of the way (most players don't have a great understanding of obstruction to begin with, so it's usually not the first thing on their mind). Laying there certainly wasn't the way to go. That, and then raising his legs which had nothing to do with trying to get up. Hell, this isn't the rule, but for all the people trying to say "it should be based on intent," you could make an easy argument intent was there. Legs up, then down, then oh wait he's going to run home, legs up again. Defender has the right to make a play on a batted ball in the baseline, at which point it's the baserunner's right, and duty, to run outside the baseline to avoid collision and interference. And yeah, he has a right to that ball as the play is actually being made, not after the ball is in the outfield. At that point, it doesn't matter that he tried to make a play and was close. It's the same as if there was no play near him and he just sat in in the base line trying to obstruct him. Everyone's just starting to rally around "well what was he supposed to do?" But again, he's obstructing a base runner, who has a right to an unobstructed path towards home. You can't just ignore that, which is what a lot of people are doing. If Middlebrooks isn't in the baseline, which he had no right to be at that point, he scores easily and the game is over. He was only out because Middlebrooks obstructed him. It's pretty black and white. See, this is the thing that bugs me the most about that play. Red Sox fans want to find a way to make the play legal and the sports journalists want to generate controversy so there is a story to sell. But, I have not heard a lot said about the way he moved his legs. There is no way he was trying to get up with such a move and it is pretty easy to assume that the intent was to obstruct. If he tried to do a burpee type move and his butt tripped up the runner, I could understand the lack of intent argument since that is probably the quickest type of move to get yourself up of the ground in that situation. But he clearly made a motion that a kid on the playground will do to salvage a desperate situation. Even though it does not matter, the intent WAS clearly there and the second time he raised his legs, all doubt was erased. He knew the missed ball would lead to the run and in desperation he lifted his legs and hoped he would not be called. But, in a nod toward the Moises Alous of the world, rather than owning up to his actions after the fact, he has now let this be elevated to World Series controversy lore. What's worse is the deafening silence thus far by the experts that have failed to call him out for his actions. Whether intent matters or not, the public outcry needs to be quashed by someone with the guts to call Middlebrooks on his bush league play. He not only obstructed the runner, but he wanted to obstruct him.

QUOTE (PlaySumFnJurny @ Oct 16, 2013 -> 09:56 AM) Anyone catch Comcast's "5 Outs . . ." special? I enjoyed watching Dave Kaplan relive his obvious agony. I heard on the radio this AM that it was well done and really took the focus off the foul ball in left and spread the cause of the collapse around to a whole slew of variables.

Anyone see Kevin Towers' comments regarding beanings and general fire of the D'backs? http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/9797349/...e-eye-mentality Not sure how spot on his assessment was, but the tone seemed to come off as a lot of jagbaggery to me.

Hey thanks for all the replies. It was silent for a couple days so I had stopped checking. These are all good tips. Much appreciated.

I have been coaching my son in tee ball for 3 seasons, and the past 2 years have coached two 8U travel teams. Last year was a B team full of 7 year olds but this past July I moved up and coached an A team. We won 2 out of 3 tournaments and had a lot of fun but the one thing I came away with was the need for me personally to improve on my knowledge of the rules for Pony/Little League as well as the more nuanced aspects of coaching such as player positioning, back ups, base assignments, on field player quarterbacking etc. I have watched the game my whole life and played up until 9-10, so my knowledge of some of those nuances starts to drop off and I want to stay ahead of my kids as I continue to coach their teams. I am curious if anyone here has suggestions on simple books that do not get too technical or even some correspondence type schools to help sharpen my understanding of the finer points of the game. Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

Trade Santiago for a package of minor league positional talent. Quintana would probably get you the better odds on these lottery tickets, but Santiago could net you something solid as well. In addition to a couple decent positional players, a lower level right handed starter with high upside could be nice to help balance out the rotation over the longer term.

QUOTE (Leonard Zelig @ Aug 29, 2013 -> 08:39 PM) So its cool to be an asshole to other posters and call them names now if they have a different opinion on a topic? QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 29, 2013 -> 08:57 PM) Same here. NO more personal attacks. QUOTE (kitekrazy @ Aug 29, 2013 -> 09:19 PM) Why? The world is full of sports forums were fans are not as rational as others. I hate off days. I could predict what would happen soon as I seen this thread title. People on both sides just can't seem to let go of Ozzie. The newbs need to cool it with the insults. QUOTE (bmags @ Aug 29, 2013 -> 10:06 PM) Here here Not sure who the newbie is here as most people commenting in this thread have been around for a while. They may not all post a lot, but who cares? On the topic of civility and respect, I do not believe I was insulting a legitimate poster who has been persecuted for having an alternative opinion. I try not to dismiss someone outright for having a differing opinion. That is not what happened here, though. I, along with many others on this site, have no doubt that the poster in question is deliberately trying to bait people into ridiculous circular arguments that go nowhere. I was simply trying to point out that this poster is not the village idiot he so masterfully portrays. Maybe it doesn't matter. Maybe people here do not mind the silly banter as it keeps things interesting. I guess I should not care, but the silly commentary does grow tiresome and I am baffled by how many people here continue to be had.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Aug 29, 2013 -> 05:17 PM) This is my last comment on the matter, but why tell me to give it a rest??? I didn't START the threads. There are 2 Oz threads in the last couple days. People care! An Ozzie thread without a greg comment is like a hot dog without mustard. I do not post much and have learned never to respond to anything you say. However, if you are not a troll, then you are the biggest enigma in the history of Soxtalk. Your quirks are finely crafted and your comments tailor made to generate frustration on the part of your peers. You consistently express simple childish beliefs you stick to no matter how much they defy logic, or more importantly, how many times intelligent debate illustrates the glaring flaws in these beliefs. For a while, you were the mentally handicapped brother that everyone put up with as they felt sorry for you, as you had no control over your disability. I would almost be ready to assume you were real and just a simpleton with internet acces. However, when you talk about how you really are a smart guy and how you have a family, I am convinced you are full of it. You were like our Fredo, but the entertainment value of your posts has long passed. Please go away as your commentary only diminishes the value of this site and makes us all dumber for having to read your drivel.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Apr 4, 2013 -> 02:11 PM) I am not. There is GOLF. And you don't play directly against 1 person as you do in many other; as such, you never really play offense either. You just play. In Scotland, they call it "Gof", without the "L"

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 17, 2013 -> 09:59 AM) It's called counterbalancing the obvious and constant negative exaggerations. Is that what it's called? I thought it was you just being smug and condescending again. $57MM? $60MM? Does it really make a difference?

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 16, 2013 -> 11:41 AM) Your spreadsheet is wrong. There is an old saying that your posts always stir in my head... "A little bit of knowledge can be a dangerous thing."

Happy holidays to you as well.

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Dec 20, 2012 -> 09:05 AM) Um, change team names? Do you really think t-ballers are going to care about a team name change during December? I could understand it getting confusing during the middle of the season, but heck most of those kids barely know what's going on during the game anyways. The league chose to accept this, on the Sox's terms. It's not like the Sox are coming in, slapping there name on everything, and leaving. They are providing real coaching and training, unlike the mostly terrible parent-volunteer coaches who just want to play their son. Certain teams traditionally come from specific schools in Oak Park. The kids stay on a team year after year for three years and forge an identity. I know it sounds pretty strange but it is a lot of fun and a source of pride. The coaching can be pretty good and fair as well. Like I said, at the upper levels it makes total sense, but they should have left T-Ball alone.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Dec 18, 2012 -> 07:07 PM) LOL. So funny. I know Ryan. His kids go to school with mine. Anyway, the problem isn't so much at the upper age levels. The problem is at T-Ball where tradition has each team named after a major league team. It really is lame to make those kids change team names now, and the Sox/OP should have made some exception to just have a patch or something. Even as a Sox fan, it annoys me. Plus, it is not like they are going to use the money saved for anything good. The fields are lousy in Oak Park and have been for a long time. The Sox should have sponsored the fields and cleaned them up good. That would have made a difference.

Well, that's a relief. At first I thought it was Jeff Barry rather than Jeff Berry.

QUOTE (Jake @ Sep 26, 2012 -> 08:55 PM) Godwin's law Awesome

Last game at Ebbets Field or Polo Grounds.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Sep 5, 2012 -> 05:07 PM) I know he won't do it, cause he didn't do anything like that regarding Melky, but AJ's power surge this season was hugely dramatic. You gotta admit. No, no chance you are a troll. Just an unsubstantiated rumor.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, probably the first "rock star" ever, even though he technically did not play rock.

Quit my job today and decided to hop a flight with my boy tomorrow to catch the game in Baltimore, followed by a visit to the National Mall, and catch the Cards-Nats in the nightcap. Any suggestions on the best place to buy cheap tickets this late? Any other Baltimore-DC suggestions for a whirlwind day? We are catching an early Friday flight back since we are going to see the Giants Cubs game in the afternoon. Tempted to go all out and drive to Milwaukee to see the Pirates Brewers nightcap for 4 games in 2 days.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Aug 27, 2012 -> 09:40 AM) US: The Way We Were by Barbara Streisand UK: Tiger Feed by Mud Australia: Sorrow by David Bowie Wow, music really sucked in the mid-70s. Mid February 1974, eh? ;-)

QUOTE (Iwritecode @ Aug 27, 2012 -> 04:38 PM) I can't watch a game with my friends without a few of these quotes coming up: This guy here is dead! Cross him off then. Lemme think it over, will ya, Charlie? I got a guy on the other line about some white walls. I'll talk to ya later. Forget about he curveball Ricky, give em the heater. Strike this mother f***er out! I say f*** you Jobu, I do it myself! But if you ever, ever tank another play like you did today, I'm gonna cut your nuts off and stuff em down your f***in' throat! And for the Indians, that's one run on, let's see...one hit? That's all we got?, one goddamn hit? [Monty: You can't say "goddamn" on the air!] Don't worry; nobody's listening anyway. Juuust a bit outside. On the baseball movie note, Bull Durham has some tremendous quotes: "What's he calling me meat for? I'm the one driving the Porsche" "Hit the Bull. Trust Me!" "They're young, scare 'em" "Candlesticks always make a nice gift" "Get a hit Crash...Shut up."

Third Page and NO mention of these three classics?! Goodfellas "Go home and get your f***ing shinebox" "How the f*** am I funny, what the f*** is so funny about me?" "I took care of that thing for you" "I'm gonna go get the papers, get the papers." "It was outta respect." "What, do you got me on a f***in' pay-no-mind list kid?" "What am I, a mirage?" "Make that coffee to go" "and we couldn't do nothing about it!" The Godfather (I or II) "I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse" "It means Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes" "My offer to you is this....Nothing" "He's small potatoes" "What did he say? badda-beep, badda-boop" "Leave the gun. Take the cannoli." "someday, and that day may never come, I will call upon you to do a service for me." "Don't ever take sides with anyone against the family again. Ever." "Never tell anybody outside the family what you're thinking" "keep your friends close and your enemies closer" "I'm smart, not like everybody says. Not dumb, I'm smart, and I want respect!" "Can o' peas my ass! That's a Ritz cracker and chopped liver."

QUOTE (MuckFinnesota @ Aug 26, 2012 -> 11:27 AM) Looks like rain all day long. I might drive around to find free parking near the stadium so it only costs me the gas and ticket for today's game if it's cancelled. Schaller's Pump. Grab a seat at the bar and it's only a 15 minute walk to the game if the tarp gets pulled and they decide to play ball.