caulfield12

Seems the Kluber/Sale match-up was worth about 2,000 more fans. Not sure how many of those were purchased in the last 48-72 hours versus pre-purchased months ago.

Very entertaining game. Have to give credit for at least trying the header....I'm sure that will be on highlights for years to come, especially if the Blackhawks advance and win it all as an example of "intestinal fortitude" and the "will to win."

Don't see where the Padres can afford to trade Norris when he's playing so well and turn over the position in the middle of the season to an unproven rookie, no matter how highly touted Hedges is. Seems like an off-season move. Kind of the same debate the Cubs must be having internally about dealing Castro mid-season.

McFarland USA's a pretty nifty "made for tv" sports movie, predictable and formulaic but worth watching. (About an all Mexican immigrant/farm working community's cross country team surprising everyone in California about 25 years ago). Wonder how many sports-related movies Costner's done at this point in his career? Must be at least 10, starting with the very first movie I saw him in, American Flyers, about bicycle racing.

Wow, that was one of the worst misreads you can imagine (on the routine pop up off the bat of Kipnis) from Avi Garcia in the first inning. Set the tone early. (And the perfect example of a play that shows up as a triple in the box score and ER for Quintana but is more accurately reflected in DRS/UZR/dWAR, etc.) He giveth, and he taketh away...at least tonight. We gave Cleveland extra chances (at least one missed DP ball gave Brantley an opportunity with RISP) and gave them outs by sacrificing to get the slowest runner on the team into scoring position. Too early to play for the tie at home instead of the big inning there. I'm sure Robin was thinking we weren't going to score multiple runs there against Bauer, but it's at best an arguable managerial move.

Well, this wasn't completely unexpected. Bauer's a very tough pitcher this year, especially on the road (for whatever reason). Have had their opportunities and haven't been able to cash in. Wonder why Sanchez was giving himself up in the middle of the game....if that was from RV or his own idea? Because playing for a tie at that point at home is pretty ill-advised, especially when Flowers is running from 2nd. Guess we'll have the usual debate about PHing for LaRoche in the late innings when a LHR's on the mound.

Well, this wasn't completely unexpected. Bauer's a very tough pitcher this year, especially on the road (for whatever reason). Have had their opportunities and haven't been able to cash in. Wonder why Sanchez was giving himself up in the middle of the game....if that was from RV or his own idea? Because playing for a tie at that point at home is pretty ill-advised, especially when Flowers is running from 2nd. Guess we'll have the usual debate about PHing for LaRoche in the late innings when a LHR's on the mound.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 19, 2015 -> 03:35 PM) So are 29 other teams, mostly because those guys aren't easy to find. Easier to hope and pray for Cleto to "find it" than trading for him, lol. Actually, there's a ton of guys out there now who can throw 96-98/99. Most of them are missing two crucial elements, a second pitch and/or command/control in the strike zone. I have a feeling that our 2012 approach (using about 12-13 rookies) will have to do...someone like Sanburn, Montas or Danish will emerge by the second half as a viable option. The Ramirez idea is a lot like Youkilis in 2012. Remember, we didn't have to give up much of anything for Liriano, Myers, Youk and Orlando Hudson that year. Of course, none of those really panned out like they could have, at least on paper.

It's even murkier when you start talking about actors/actresses, models and singers/performers. Justin Bieber, for example. The Kardashians, Jenners and Hiltons. If you believe being a true superstar requires talent/ability and isn't from birthright, then no reality show person would or could ever qualify. It's just like defining the word "charisma." Who has it, and who doesn't? I don't really like Taylor Swift (especially as an actress), but it's next to impossible for me to argue she's not a superstar. Or Garth Brooks, even though I don't care one iota for country music. Others would look at "staying power," the ability of someone like Madonna to retain her place in the spotlight for almost 30 years... Going back to the Flacco comment, I grew up a Dolphins fan....nobody can convince me Dan Marino (and Dan Fouts of that generation) weren't superstars, but they never won the Super Bowl. By that definition, guys like Montana or Bradshaw will always get overpraised while the Mannings, Favres or Marinos don't get their fair due. There have been quite a few "no name" QB's who faded into obscurity after winning Super Bowls, too.

In the tv series, it seems like they're heading to the battle/confrontation over Winterfell between the Stannis and Bolton/Frey groups...one would think that both sides would be so weakened afterwards that neither would be much of a major player afterwards. Although not sure how it plays out with the real Sansa instead of the fake/imposter in play. And what in the heck are they going to do with Lady Brienne of Tarth?

QUOTE (raBBit @ May 19, 2015 -> 09:53 AM) The AL Central has four teams over .500. No other division has three. And no other division has a 5th place team picked by a few experts to make it to the World Series...when all is said and done, the Indians might have the best starting rotation (1-4 at the very least), the best 2B (Kipnis over Kinsler), not to mention an MVP candidate in Brantley and another dangerous bat in Santana, as well as the best catcher (when healthy) in Gomes. There are a lot of divisions where they'd be capable of 3rd place, 2nd or even 1st if things broke exactly right (which they haven't...the bullpen, the Gomes injury, Bourn and Swisher appear to be busted contracts, Chisenhall has regressed and Ramirez can't hit well enough to hold down SS in the long-term. They've got some interesting guys like Murphy, Raburn and Aviles who are better suited for bench play on a playoff team. However, if Lindor's anything close to the hype, that line-up can turn dangerous in a hurry with Santana and Gomes also contributing.

QUOTE (Leonard Zelig @ May 19, 2015 -> 10:09 AM) Yep, thought he'd hit into at least one triple play. Not sure how many double plays...but the results have been pretty horrific when he's not bunting for a hit and just trying to advance the runners/sacrifice.

QUOTE (TaylorStSox @ May 19, 2015 -> 07:18 AM) Dragonglass kills the Others. One of the few "good" characters happens to rule an island filled with it. Stannis is good? Really?

QUOTE (TaylorStSox @ May 19, 2015 -> 07:13 AM) - She's left every city she's conquered in worse shape than when she arrived. - Even in the show, she's gone from emphasizing the importance of a trial to burning an innocent man alive out of frustration. - She's barren. Even if she wins the Game of Thrones, her line is dead. - Her father was the Mad King, who happened to burn Ned Stark's father and brother alive. While reading the books, I always got the sense that we're witnessing the events of a young girl slowly driven to madness. If you view the Starks as protagonists, it's hard to also view any Targaryen as a protagonist too. They're completely opposite. Perhaps you're right. Maybe there's a subtle shift in the storytelling selections on HBO (to cast her in a more favorable or positive light), but one would be hard-pressed to imagine they're going to change her from a villain to a hero or vice-versa and go against the books. Metaphorically, her children are the dragons. She doesn't really need a heir, in that sense. You could also argue that there's a subtle shift for all leaders when they give up trying to be loved by all the people and realizing sometimes that fear is a more effective tool to have at your disposal. How many great leaders were universally loved and admired and never had to get their hands dirty somehow? In my opinion, none of the 7 families have improved the conditions of their territory/people very much. And you have the loyalty of Sir Baristan Selmy, Grey Worm, her other lover/protector and finally Jorah Mormont....not to mention the Dorne party that was out to win her affection/s.

Let's say this is all going towards a "darker" confrontation. Who the heck is going to stand up to the White Walkers, when all is said and done? It's not going to be red witches/sorcery and wizardry. Logically, the dragons and/or Danerys have to play a role...as pointed out above, fire and ice are the two primary combatants. Not sure about the sea/water/ice part....the Greyjoys/Victarion/Iron Islanders.

QUOTE (Brian @ May 19, 2015 -> 06:21 AM) I know he is hurt, but VMart looked slower than Paulie in his slowest years yesterday. He maybe done. How productive can you consistently be with his knees? He already went through one terrible half-season in 2012 or 2013 (one of those two years) we he didn't have his timing back, like Kendrys Morales last season. Then he came out of it. He's too good a hitter to just lose it completely, even as this age...but I do believe he's never going to come close again to those 2014 numbers, thankfully. And he's never going to give you anything on the basepaths or defensively, so his only value comes from that hit tool.

QUOTE (OmarComing25 @ May 19, 2015 -> 06:50 AM) Some of the radio guys last night kept pointing out that this streak has come against cellar dwellers, and while true, the Brewers just beat the Tigers in Detroit and the A's just beat the Astros in Houston. Kluber and the Indians also dominated the best team in the NL last week on the road as well. Also, in 2012 we really struggled against the bad teams, which was a big contributor along with our bad record against Detroit to losing the division. When all is said and done....they're not only going to have to go .500 against KC and Detroit, they're going to have to record an 11-8 or 12-7 record (against DET/KC/Minnesota, 2 of those 3) to offset starting 2-4 against KC, 2-5 against Minnesota and Baltimore (0-2). Most of us still believe the Twins aren't a real contender...I also think that's fair to say. But we're probably going to have to sweep them to serve notice to the rest of the baseball world that we have a real pulse (where we start getting mentioned as a Top Ten MLB club). That said, 3-1 versus CLE and 2-1 versus MIN would still put us at a solid 3 games over .500 and right back in the thick of things. There's going to be about 7-9 teams fighting for that final Wild Card spot. (Astros, Mariners, Angels, Tigers or Royals and 2-3 teams from the AL East). At this point, not ready to call TB or the Twins contenders.

Has there ever been a collegiate reliever taken in the Top 10 picks of a draft? I mean...someone who spent the majority of his draft year coming out of the pen but was projected by scouts as a starter at the next level? Any examples come to mind? I don't know why...maybe it's just the Kris Honel thing and the idea of going for the local kid often not working out (yeah, for every Joe Mauer there are a lot of counter-examples)...and that's kind of an irrational fear, but, as noted above, it's very hard to project someone when you haven't even seen them pitch much as a starter. How well will their stuff hold up in the 6th-9th innings? Do they have enough of a repertoire to start in the minors? Why, if they had three or more plus pitches and/or were in consideration for a Top 10-15 draft selection, would their coach not enjoy having them as the #1 starter THIS season, if not their first two seasons in university? Who are these other starting pitchers the coaching staff perceives as possibly better...or at least better suited for starting duty?

QUOTE (Bigsoxhurt35 @ May 19, 2015 -> 06:37 AM) Going for 7 in a row. Offense needs to explode tonight. 13 IP, 4 H, 18 K's and .095 BA on the road in two starts so far this year. No runs given up yet. On the plus side, he had a 4.87 ERA, gave up more hits than IP, 9 hrs and a .272 BAA on the road in 2014.

The problem with doing that is if Baez can't play 2B (offensively more than defensively), then they've just created another hole to replace the one they fixed. They could probably stick Alcantara back there again, but pretty sure they don't want to do that at this point. This is by far the best Kris Bryant "rumor" out there. That he could have been a Rhodes Scholar...their definition is REALLY pushing it. Bryant has options if his baseball career doesn't pan out. Stafford said Bryant ranked second in his (Las Vegas high school) class while taking honors and advance placement courses. Despite his ascent as a major league prospect, Bryant honored his commitment to the University of San Diego, succeeded as a finance major and could have filled out the paperwork to apply as a Rhodes Scholar at the end of his junior year there. But he didn't because had he achieved the honor, it would have steered him away from pursuing a professional baseball career for at least two years. http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseb...0314-story.html Kris Bryant...he was heavily recruited by LSU, Arizona State, UC Irvine, Stanford, Clemson, Auburn, USC and Vanderbilt...chose to attend USD because of the great baseball program, the beach and the wonderful weather in San Diego...notes that he graduated high school with a 4.78 GPA, and that he is really into cars, and likes to play golf. http://www.usdtoreros.com/sports/m-basebl/...ant_kris00.html

Rodon's officially going to start WED. Indians will counter with former Blue Jay Shaun Marcum (this would have been Bruce Chen's slot....haha....speaking of Chen, seems he would make an excellent coaching candidate for some team, and since he's had so much success against the White Sox, it makes TOO much sense!) http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ssf/2...t_story_package "In our meetings with every player that got sent down at the end of spring training we asked them what they'd learned," said Antonetti. "Everyone of them said they learned so much from Bruce Chen." The Indians were so impressed with how Chen carried himself when he was on the mound and on the bench during games that they filmed him. "We filmed the way he interacted with his fielders after they made a good play," said Antonetti. "How he acted on the mound and engaged the other players on the bench. Instead of just saying, "We want you to be a good teammate,', now we can show them what we're talking about." Quintana versus Bauer tmrw. What's next? Trevor Bauer (2-1, 3.67) will face Chicago lefty Jose Quintana (2-3, 4.39) on Wednesday night at 8:10 p.m. at U.S. Cellular Field. SportsTime Ohio, WTAM AM/1100 and WMMS FM/100.7 will carry the game. Bauer is 1-0 against the White Sox this season and has not allowed a run on the road this year. Quintana is 1-0 against the Indians this season. In his career, he's 4-0 with a 2.94 ERA against the Tribe. http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ssf/2...tml#incart_2box Something's gotta give, Quintana's perfect record against CLE and/or Bauer not giving up a run on the road yet.

Or we should be rooting for Baez to get called up (where would he play, they're not going to convert him to LF/RF in the middle of this season) and fall flat on his face for a second time, leading to the Cubs being forced to trade Schwarber and/or Castro for starting pitching. God forbid if Almora starts to look legit again. Fwiw, they're going back to Wada this week...

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 17, 2015 -> 05:55 PM) Totally. And as we have seen, when you have arms, you can deals to get major league hitters. See also Santiago, Hector and Peavy, Jake. Gio Gonzalez + Rowand for Thome Addison Reed (well, hopefully...someday) FDLS + Gonzalez for Swisher Zach Stewart for Youkilis

http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/spt-colu...le21296034.html Miami Herald columnist Greg Cote on the Jennings hire

You didn't need more than one hit in 3 opportunities. That said, Alexei has failed in that sacrifice bunting situation probably 80-85% of the time....hitting into double plays (wasn't there one triple play?) and getting lead runners thrown out or simply popping up into an out. Of course, you didn't like the odds with Soto (or Flowers, in general) coming up...but Sanchez is a contact hitter, thank god. That's one example offensively where having Carlos on the team instead of Micah there is a huge advantage. The other factor to consider was the dearth of bench options at that point in the game.