witesoxfan

I don't care if they keep Johnson on the roster or not, he and McPherson are pretty interchangeable. Johnson seems to be a bit of a better hitter while McPherson, from what I gather, has better power.

QUOTE (flippedoutpunk @ Mar 20, 2012 -> 11:46 AM) Yep, and sometimes like when you're up against a dude like Verlander, he has confidence in ALL of his pitches.. Just now I was up against him and his slider had the lowest confidence level, he tossed it inside on me and i lined it into the right field gap for a double. Other times like when you have two strikes on you, you just have to take what you can get and hope for the best. Stuff like this is what makes the Show so awesome, brings me back to my high school baseball days at Polk High

Have you guys actually played the My Player mode in MLB 2k12?

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Mar 19, 2012 -> 12:09 AM) So srs. The InsideEdge thing is nice....and.....umm.....cool....presentation I guess. The My Player mode is just fine, if a little unrealistic. I can live with it and NBA2K12 for $70.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Mar 18, 2012 -> 11:17 AM) I download the demo every year, just to see how awful it still is.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Mar 16, 2012 -> 06:33 AM) Haven't had a steak in quite a while. Awesome.

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Mar 18, 2012 -> 02:37 PM) You can't force a nickname. Bingo.

I actually like 2k12's engine so far, it's pretty fun. I don't like the reward system though. Whereas in The Show you get rewarded for good ABs and can get multiple points for anything and everything, 2k12 really narrows that down, which is BS. With hitters, you get 4 different sets of skill points - hitting, fielding, baserunning, and clutch (though I haven't figured out clutch, I'm sure it'll come up). But the system is flawed, atleast in AA so far. You get a specific goal for each at bat, and they vary a bit and they tend to try and help you through struggles. But, say your goal is to reach base safely...you can work back from an 0-2 count to make it full (which you get 5 points for every time), foul off a few pitches, and then ground out. You just get the 5 points, whereas in The Show, they'd say that was a good AB and you'd ultimately receive skill points for that. Also, they have a base running drill where they want you to go from first to third, so you think you'd get bonus points for going from first to third in a game. WRONG, they actually take points away from you. However, if you are on 1B and the hitter at the plate walks, you get 10 points for advancing a base safely. I'm enjoying it, it's just a bit frustrating.

I vote both. You should too.

QUOTE (flavum @ Mar 14, 2012 -> 10:26 AM) He had an 0-41 in April/May of 1990, but not to start the season. He got a hits in September of 89 when he first got called up. I think Hawk has been saying he started his career 0-41 for years, and after a while everyone started believing it. Sure, he got some hits, but he didn't hit well. He had 58 PAs in 89 and put up an OPS of .543, and the following year he put up .643 (which was when the 0 for 41 came into play). Viciedo came up in 2010 and hit the crap out of the ball. I won't be worried about him unless he's doing the same thing next year. Then I think the Matt LaPorta comparisons would be fair.

Jesus is that shot at Nationals ridiculous. I saw bowlers much, much better than I am shoot in the 140s and 150s. Of the 9 games I bowled, 3 were decent - a 226, a 196, and a 177. The other 6 were anywhere between like 123-164. The 10 pin just would not fall, and I could not pick it up. And then when the 10 pin did fall, I'd leave a 7 and then go on to miss that as well.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Mar 6, 2012 -> 03:00 AM) #2) If you are willing to throw that much at a wide receiver, why not spend that money on YOUR BIGGEST GODDAMN NEED WHICH IS A PASS RUSHER? One of the best pass rushers in the league is available, proved he is capable of being successful in either a 4-3 or 3-4, and you just so happen to be running a hybrid 4-3 next year. If you can afford to pay 2 receivers $20+ million, then you can assuredly afford to pay a receiver and a defensive player $24-26 million, especially when that one piece could quite literally take a mediocre defense and turn it dangerous. It then gives them options with the #10 pick, be it another pass rusher (because Merriman obviously will not last a full season, especially as a DE), a WR, OT, DB, Tannehill (if he were to fall), or trading up or down. It doesn't make a lot of sense. Whine like a little b****, and ye whines shall be answered. I put Mario Williams on the same level as Julius Peppers and, really, their numbers leading up to their free agencies were quite similar. Williams averaged 10.3 Sk/16 GS, while Peppers averaged 10.8 Sk/16 GS. From what I gather of the two, Peppers is a little more aware of the passing game itself, having deflected, on average, 6 passes a year compared to Williams' 2, and that he either hits harder or if better at knocking the ball out, having averaged 4 forced fumbles a year compared to Williams' 2. They are both great players and Mario Williams is absolutely worth that price to the Bills. They still have quite a few needs around the team, including depth in the secondary and at linebacker as well as a situational pass rusher to sub in for Chris Kelsay (though it's certainly plausible, if extremely unlikely, that Merriman could fill that role to some extent next season). They could also use help along the OLine and another good deep threat receiver (which is why they had Meachem in Buffalo before he signed with San Diego) as well as a developmental QB. I am extremely excited about this move and about the Bills team next year. A DLine of Mario, Dareus, Kyle Williams, and Kelsay/Merriman-other situational pass rusher looks really damn solid and hopefully Wanne can still run a defense.

What was it I asked for before? Drabek and McGuire? I'll still take that.

Anything from Taco Bell

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Mar 9, 2012 -> 08:46 PM) Fitzpatrick isn't a solution at QB but Tebow is? There is one general thing that Fitz and Tebow share in common, and that is throwing inaccuracy. Tebow's is more pronounced, but neither are terribly accurate. Fitz isn't particularly quick in the pocket either, but much faster than Tebow (relatively speaking of course). However, Fitzpatrick's biggest weakness is his downfield accuracy and, quite frankly, arm strength. I've seen that Tebow is accurate downfield - as accurate as a guy can get - but he can be more accurate overall with coaching. Tim Tebow has arm strength. Using pure numbers, Tim Tebow's Y/A was 6.4 while Fitzpatrick's was 6.7; Tebow completed 46.5% of his passes, Fitzpatrick completed 62%. That is a significant and substantial difference. Given, holding those numbers ceteris paribus is impossible because those circumstances and everything involved is so entirely different, and there is virtually nothing that can be done to hold either statistic constant. It's still worth noting that Tebow can make downfield throws and Fitz, apparently, has struggled with it. So, based on what I've seen, and based on the numbers themselves, Tebow is comfortable and better going downfield than Fitzpatrick is. His mechanics are, quite frankly, still among the worst I've ever seen. He is also far worse at WR progression and short throws and tends to lack confidence in throws, whereas Fitzpatrick's confidence is through the roof and he merely lacks the talent necessary to make the throws that HE wants to make (eg. I immediately see a guy who has his man beat; I want to throw it to him 27 yards down the field, I throw that ball exactly where I want it, it goes at the exact trajectory and velocity it needs to go, it travels 25 yards, and is picked off, and this is simply because I lack the talent to get it to where I need it to go...the Bills lost to the Giants this exact way on Corey Webster's second INT of the game). I don't care how long Tebow has been in the league, read progression, short throws, and confidence are all things that can be taught. You cannot teach arm strength, you cannot teach speed (nor out of pocket mobility), but you can coach mechanics, you can teach WR progression, when and where to hit a guy short, and, if all were done successfully, confidence will be built. I love Fitz...he's the best QB the Bills have had since Drew Bledsoe. It doesn't make him good. It doesn't make him bad. It makes him..."cool," I guess. Tebow would sit barring injury or QB inadequacy.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Mar 9, 2012 -> 01:29 PM) So if Manning goes to Denver, does that mean that he will ride the pine behind Tebow? I'd put the Bills as the prohibitive favorites to trade for him, depending upon the price. Elway has never been overly excited about Tim Tebow and they've mentioned several times that they will not conform their offense to his strengths. Ralph Wilson, at the very least, loved Tebow coming out of college and Chan Gailey has had success in the past working with project and athletic QBs. He might sit, or he might be a freshman in college all over again. They do need to address the QB situation for the future because, barring something ridiculous like San Fran did this past year, the Bills simply won't get there with Fitzpatrick under center.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Nov 10, 2011 -> 12:35 PM) Had an interesting finish to a NL tournament last night. Will try to recreate the details as much as possible. 34 entries, 4 players paid. 1st = $1050, 2nd = $600, 3rd = $400, 4th = $290. Four players remain with the blinds at 3000/6000 with an ante of 700. I am UTG with 95,000. BTN has 155,000. SB has 55,000. BB has 45,000. I have AJo and raise to 15,000. BTN thinks for a while and re-raises all in. Blinds fold. I now have to call 80,000 to win a pot of 200,000 (2.5 to 1 odds). Based on how long he took to re-raise and what I've played with him, I can confidently narrow his hand range to JJ, TT, 99, 88, 77, 66, AQ, AJ. So I am crushed by 21% of his range and even money with the rest. From a purely mathematical standpoint, I should call. The issue here is the money. I can fold and still be second in chips and be almost a lock to finish no worse than 3rd and a really good chance to take second, but I'm gonna have to get really lucky to win. If I call and win I have a massive chip lead and am probably going to win. I'll see if anybody else has any thoughts before I tell you what I did and how it ended up. You never did tell us about this. I'm curious myself.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Mar 8, 2012 -> 09:11 AM) That is another issue entirely. This is the Patriots last 10 years of picks 2001 6 Richard Seymour DT Georgia 2002 21 Daniel Graham TE Colorado [29] 2003 13 Ty Warren DT Texas A&M [30] 2004 21 Vince Wilfork DT Miami (FL) [31] 32 Benjamin Watson TE Georgia 2005 32 Logan Mankins OG Fresno State 2006 21 Laurence Maroney RB Minnesota 2007 24 Brandon Meriweather S Miami (FL) [32] 2008 10 Jerod Mayo LB Tennessee [33] 2009 No first-round draft pick [34] 2010 27 Devin McCourty CB Rutgers [35] 2011 17 Nate Solder OT Colorado Some decent talent, some swings and misses. Nothing awe inspiring. Wilfork, Mayo, Mankins and Seymour obviously worked. Everyone else, meh For whatever reason, it never dawned on me, but Belichick did try the TE thing in the first part of the decade. Bringing in Graham and Watson with first round picks that close together kind of alludes to the fact that he wanted something along those lines. He just so happened to get exactly what he wanted a few years later in the same exact draft.

.210? Hell, this mofo is going to hit .310 with 50 homers, 50 steals, 30 saves, and 5 TD receptions. I don't think you realize quite how talented Adam Dunn is.

I'd argue that this team is far more comparable to the 2004 team than the 2005 team. You can make all the comparisons to 2005 that you want to, but everything just came together that year and they went on a hell of a run. There was a lot of talent on that 2004 team, which should be pretty obvious. But this season feels a lot like 2004. A new regime has taken over in the clubhouse, they lost a great starter, were very quiet in the free agent market, had some younger, unproven pieces in place to contribute offensively, had talent in both the rotation and bullpen but a lot of question marks still remained, and both had at least one anchor in both the rotation and the lineup (2004 had 4 great hitters in the lineup, but 2 of them were injured midseason or earlier...I still think having Thomas and Ordonez for that final stretch would have made the division race quite a bit closer, but alas, Ron Gardenhire put a bounty on Jamie Burke and Torii Hunter got paid). You can also call me crazy, and dear god am I going to get chastised for saying this by a couple of uber-homers, but I see a little bit of Aaron Rowand in Brent Lillibridge, minus the PED allegations. I'm excited for this season, but I think that's more or less because for the first time since Ozzie's 1st season, I have absolutely no expectations for this team. I could see them winning or losing 95 or anywhere in between and I wouldn't be surprised. --- 2005 was awesome though.

QUOTE (SOXOBAMA @ Mar 7, 2012 -> 11:21 AM) I'd love for the 49ers to sign Wallace.. I also have a feeling he will be signing with us next week. Wallace has said that he loves the 49ers organization.. Did you even read the blip or just see that it said the 49ers were interested and had a specific price on both Wallace and Jackson? Considering how much cap space the Steelers have cleared in the last couple weeks, it's either going to take a monstrous offer and/or a high enough draft pick that the Steelers can bring in additional talent to offset the loss of talent in Wallace. From that report, neither the money nor the pick will be there. I give the 49ers a 0.1% chance of signing Mike Wallace. A guy I hadn't thought of is Robert Meachem, and he really does fit what the 49ers need and he is going to be much more cost effective than Wallace too. Wallace is a great player, but most of his value comes from playing with a QB who can throw absolute bombs. Roethlisberger can do that; Smith can't. A team that may be willing to give up their 1st rounder that, IMO, makes more sense is the Ravens, but the Steelers would pull out all the strings to prevent that from happening, and, with the Steelers' history of hitting on 1st round picks, I tend to doubt that the Ravens want to give their pick to the Steelers as well. The Patriots make some sense too, but I imagine they would also rather look at Jackson or Meachem before giving up a 1st rounder, but with Belichick wants something, cost isn't a huge obstacle. In the end, I think Wallace stays with Pittsburgh but that they'll have to match an offer.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Mar 7, 2012 -> 09:58 AM) The only thing important you can take from a guy who has 20 innings above A ball getting lit up against an MLb lineup is that the idea he's ready for the bigs or will be anytime soon is as silly as it seemed to be. You mean like the guy Molina was traded for, right? Sergio Santos, cumulative minor league statistics, 2009 - 8.16 ERA, 1.99 WHIP - 26 G, 28.2 IP, 37 H, 2 HR, 20 BB, 37 K Sergio Santos, spring training statistics, 2010 - 3.48 ERA, 1.55 WHIP - 10 G, 10.1 IP, 9 H, 0 HR, 7 BB, 16 K I'm not advocating using Molina out of the bullpen, and I'm comparing Santos and Molina on the basis that Molina is (probably) more MLB ready than you are giving him credit for. And, simply put, taking anything from a Spring Training performance, especially their first performance of the entire season, is asinine. Freddy Garcia put up an ERA of 10.38 and a WHIP of 2.03 in the Spring of 2010 and he was pretty damn good for a minor league signing. To expect a young pitcher who is admittedly inexperienced to come out firing bullets right away is absurd.

For the 49ers fans who came out of the woodwork this year, per rotoworld: According to CSN Bay Area's Matt Maiocco, the 49ers have targeted restricted free agent Mike Wallace and unrestricted free agent Vincent Jackson "at a specific price." The Niners "do not get into bidding wars for players, though," Maiocco cautions. Jackson is sure to incite a bidding war, and Wallace will cost $9.5 million in 2012 in addition to a lucrative long-term contract and the 49ers' first-round pick. At their respective prices, both big-play receivers are long shots for San Francisco. The Steelers website pointed out Tuesday that no RFA carrying a first-round tender has signed an offer sheet in the past 10 years. For the money and that situation, Garcon or Manningham would probably be better signings anyways.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Mar 6, 2012 -> 06:30 AM) And catch the ball. And not get stupid penalties consistently. Stupid penalties I agree with. At the very least, Garcon and Johnson are equally bad at dropping balls but I'd argue that Garcon is worse. Looking at drops doesn't do a lot because they both had 4 drops in 134 targets last year according to STATS Inc, but Johnson caught more balls thrown his way and had a better 1st down percentage on his catches. I realize that Garcon had worse QBs throwing to him this year, but he also had Reggie Wayne on the other side, Austin Collie in the slot, and something resembling Dallas Clark at TE for 2/3 of the season. Stevie Johnson's other receivers were David Nelson, Scott Chandler, and Donald Jones (along with a hodgepodge of "who the f***" and "he hasn't played in years.") Stevie Johnson is a far superior receiver to Pierre Garcon. QUOTE (HeGone33 @ Mar 6, 2012 -> 03:35 PM) I wonder if this was going on during the preseason last year too? In a preseason game vs. the 49ers, the Saints spent the whole game blitzing. That is quite doubtful. More likely, they were working on their blitz packages in a game to see which players were effective in said blitz packages to get a better feel for those guys that they'd like to keep on the 53-man as well as have on their practice squad.

QUOTE (GreatScott82 @ Mar 6, 2012 -> 05:09 PM) Yep. Now that there are 2 wildcard teams, perhaps he's thinking 84 wins earns a wildcard berth. I honestly don't think this team is as bad as experts say they will be. However, that doesn't mean they will make the playoffs. If Detroit does not win the central, i'll be shocked! The last time that an 84 win team would have made the playoffs in the AL under the current format was 1997, and I would argue that there is virtually no chance that it will happen this year. In fact, most years, 84 wins wouldn't even finish 6th. Personally, I would say that the Yankees, Red Sox, Rays, Blue Jays, Tigers, Rangers, and Angels all have good to great chances of winning atleast 86 games, which, if that were to happen, would leave the Sox as the 8th best team at the very most with an 84 win season. If this team is going to win, it's because they'll catch lightning in a bottle and win about 95 games. To use the old cliche, crazier things have happened. It's not as if this team is devoid of talent. It's just all been undeveloped/injured/underachieved in the past couple of years.