Gregory Pratt

No, I'm not familiar with Regier, and I can't find much. Took a look through Built and Googled him and can't find much. Help me out -- what'd he do?

QUOTE(iamshack @ Aug 7, 2007 -> 01:53 PM) He turned a number of guys into solid pitchers while in Atlanta, including Jaret Wright, John Thompson, and some of the others you mentioned. Now he's in Baltimore, and Bedard is finally fulfilling his potential, Jeremy Guthrie is looking excellent, and DCab is actually starting to come around. I think Leo had quite a big part in their success over the years in Atlanta. He is the best pitching coach in the business.

That damn Goat!

QUOTE(CWSGuy406 @ Aug 6, 2007 -> 10:10 PM) You don't know if I've ever gone through the Hall and its members? David Wells has a career ERA+ of 108. That's doesn't even qualify as "very good". He doesn't have a very good peak. Put him side-by-side with another great pitcher of his time, Greg Maddux. Maddux has nine seasons better than Wells' best season (1995 -- 200+ innings of a 141 ERA+). On David Wells' Most Similar Players' list, not even half are (or will be) Hall of Famers. Wells doesn't get in on either of Bill James' HoF Monitor or HoF Standards. Need I keep going? Wells isn't a Hall of Famer. I appreciate the huge laugh you just gave me, though, by saying that Jamie Moyer is a Hall of Famer. Thanks for that. Joe Borchard's a Hall of Famer.

QUOTE(iamshack @ Aug 6, 2007 -> 10:44 PM) Don't forget that guy Leo. Absolutely, but it's Schuerholz, Cox and Leo.

I take that back. It's probably a lot closer between them. Schuerholz is still the GM and he makes all the moves, but Cox is a great baseball man to have around, and they work closer than arguably any GM-Manager tandem in history.

QUOTE(Jenks Heat @ Aug 6, 2007 -> 10:06 PM) Not to mention all of the championship flags Shurholtz has won. Bobby Cox is as big a reason they have won as Shurholtz is. Didn't Cox make his name in the baseball powerhouse that was the 80's Blue Jays. No way is Cox as big as Schuerholz. Bobby's a big reason, but Schuerholz was damn good without him in KC as well. It's not all Schuerholz, but he runs the organization, and it's about eighty percent Schuerholz.

Why on Earth would the Orioles want Contreras?

QUOTE(DrunkBomber @ Aug 6, 2007 -> 06:58 PM) Heres a list of the drugs Bonds has "allegedly" taken since '98 Winstrol- Stanozolol is liked by many due to the fact it causes strength increases without excess weight-gain Deca-durabolin- The positive effects of the drug include muscle growth, appetite stimulation and increased red blood cell production and bone density. Nandrolone is also extensively used by bodybuilders and other athletes seeking an edge in professional competition. Human growth hormone- most of you know what this is and does, along the lines of healing you faster and making your muscles gro quickly, if you dont you can google it and hundreds of sites come up. Norbelethone ("The Clear")- Anecdotal sources and some unpublished SAR studies report that the potency of the drug is outstanding, surpassing, on a milligram per milligram basis, every known synthesized or commercial available anabolic steroid. It was the drug of choice for safe and "invisible" world record breaking in athletics. Tetrahydrogestrinone ("The Cream")- is basically is high levels of testosterone rubbed on your muscles Now, being that these "hinder" performance makes me wonder why theyre called performance "enhancing" drugs.

QUOTE(CWSGuy406 @ Aug 6, 2007 -> 03:20 PM) ... If Wells gets into the Hall, they better change the name to "Hall of Pretty Good". There are plenty of guys like him in the Hall. Jamie Moyer is a guy I'd put in there after a couple of decades, too. Don't know if you've ever gone through the Hall and its members, but it isn't just the Sandy Koufaxs and the Babe Ruths of the baseball world in there. There are guys in there who are "very good" but not "ALL TIME GREATEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" players, and they should be in there.

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Aug 6, 2007 -> 06:34 PM) NOPE. Not in a million years. I would give them Garland though and thats a big stretch for me. The o's need some sort of pitching and Garland/Gio Would be a package I would think they would be after. And I would even be borderline with that. Yeah, I don't give them that for a guy whose power was sapped by steroids and will continue to decrease with his wrist injury. And it'd probably be more than Garland/Gio, knowing Angelos.

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Aug 6, 2007 -> 06:24 PM) Once again, my argument was based on taking salary out of the question as I have stated several times that his salary is the obstacle. Would you give up Danks for him? That's a big obstacle, too.

QUOTE(sox4lifeinPA @ Aug 6, 2007 -> 03:22 PM) do high school class presidents really require political consultants? MY PRESIDENCY OF SOXTALK!!!!1111111111111111111111 (No, I'm busy with two works, but I won't get into that.)

QUOTE(SoxFan1 @ Aug 6, 2007 -> 04:22 PM) Steroids do not make you hit the ball with more regularity. Steroids do not make you have better hand eye coordination. If Bonds did use steroids, it should be taken with a grain of salt. So did Guillermo Mota and Robert Valido... We talked about this earlier and I addressed it a moment ago: Bonds has actual talent. Valido and Mota don't. The difference, then, for Bonds is that pitches that are flyouts the other way and warning track shots now go into the upper deck both ways. Don't pretend that steroids have no effect.

QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ Aug 6, 2007 -> 03:30 PM) Bull back. His velocity was down from ST and on. So why did his velocity drop not affect the ERA's of April, May and June. April ERA 2.57 May ERA 3.18 June ERA 3.89 The boom. July ERA 11.48 His command was the issue. When Buerhle is on, he can throw the ball in and out. The velocity helps with the deception. But the reason that he got crushed was the fact that he was leaving the ball up over the middle of the plate. Major league hitters will crush an 85 mph fastball middle in, and an 89 mph fastball middle in. The minute the ball goes up, you are meat. Thats what happened to Mark. You want 2006 2nd half Buerhle. Tell him to leave his 87-89 mph fastball up about thigh high over the middle of the plate. Thats when you will see his ERA take a jump. People adjusted. That's why it didn't start right away, and he gradually lost a little more.

I feel like a political consultant. I mean, I am, but now it's on two fronts. Just don't say anything embarrassing, wear power clothes and smile. Or: reply to what she asks with a straight forward answer.

Yeah. Well, collecting's nice. I've always liked Wells. He's a HOFer in my book. Not first ballot, but fifteenth or so. Veteran's committee, definite, and he'll eventually get in.

Hasn't Wells had nasty things to say about Bonds, or am I mistaken?

Personally, I like girls I've got good chemistry with. I don't want to wind up scheming. s***, if I want to scheme, it'll be for scheme-things. Sex and romance aren't a scheme and I have no interest in "plotting" to talk to a girl or her friends or whatever bulls***. I've gotten much better at just letting go and matching up instead of thinking what to say and just letting natural charm take over.

QUOTE(juddling @ Aug 6, 2007 -> 02:03 PM) I think it's great and the newspeople in general should realize that it was in fun. They knew who she was offered a press pass 4 times and turned it down so they decided to play a joke on her. I thought it was funny. Nice avatar.

QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ Aug 6, 2007 -> 12:10 PM) I disagree with this. Marks issue late last year was not his velocity, it was more of command of his pitches. His velocity was the same in the first part of the season where he pitched decent. His command went south and he started to leave balls up. For Mark Buerhle to be successful, he needs to pound righties in with his cutter, and then go away. The cutter keeps the right handers honest about diving over the plate to hit the change and curve. When Mark cannot command his cutter, he has a problem. If he can keep his command, his velocity will be fine, and he will be an effective pitcher. Bull. He said it himself. He lost velocity and wasn't in shape because of the Series and his lack of preparation for the season. If Buehrle loses 2-3 miles on his fastball and cutter, everything looks the same and he isn't who he is. He's 2006 Buehrle, second half.

QUOTE(kyyle23 @ Aug 6, 2007 -> 01:49 PM) My point is that Mussina makes plenty of people look stupid and look like they are swinging at much faster pitches. Fields needs to work on hitting,yes, but to use Mussina as your example of why, I find that wrong. Mussina makes Konerko look bad plenty of the time, but that doesnt mean konerko cant hit an 87 MPH fastball Yeah, but the point does stand that Fields can't really catch up to fastballs right now. My guess is he will and be all right, but you never know, and that's his huge weakness now. If he can't, he'll be useless as you can't play in the majors and be incapable of hitting the fastball.

QUOTE(kyyle23 @ Aug 6, 2007 -> 01:40 PM) Mike Mussina is still one of the best pitchers in the game, he has done that to alot of players The point still stands that Fields needs to work on hitting the fastball, though, and that Mussina doesn't throw much heat. Fields has issues with heat, period, but I imagine he'll get better.

Haha, I was just raising the possibility, but I do like what I've seen from Gio/Danks and I love Buehrle.

It's good to humiliate that reporter. They infringe on other people's civil liberties and right to a fair trial all the time, and I'm glad they didn't get to out any sort of undercover agent.