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MLB 2015 Regular Season |OT| Pickin' Up the Pace of Play

Compared to Ventura's whining and screaming from behind the protection of Perez, Lawrie looks like a true stand up guy.

And yep, the Royals took 2 out of 3 in an April series. Big ups to them. That's huge.

Being a game and half back of the Astros in 2nd place on April 22nd is truly significant.

Did you even watch the Mike Trout and Ventura "incident"? I seem to recall Trout standing up at the plate and talking shit at Ventura in a game his team lost by SEVEN RUNS. Trout's own teammate said Trout looked over at Ventura and asked him if he was all right, so we know who started that exchange. Ventura should have admittedly taken the high road and pointed to the score board, but that's water under the bridge.

If you honestly are comparing that incident with that Lawrie did and how he reacted, then you're delusional. If you don't believe they are equivalent, then you are trolling, and quite poorly. One dude hurt another player, instigated shit with the fans, and now is playing the holy roller card. The other got angry at another player, gave off some fake macho tough guy vibes, and went back to pitching. There's really no comparison there.

Every game in April is just as significant as every other game of the season, yes. Glad we agree.
 

Angry Grimace

Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
Its pretty sad that the "Franchise Four" for my Padres is pretty much going to have to involve some random fourth player since we only have two hall of famers and one other that's arguable for the hall. I basically have to pick Adrian Gonzalez, which just feels wrong.

I should just write-in vote LaDainian Tomlinson.
 
Its pretty sad that the "Franchise Four" for my Padres is pretty much going to have to involve some random fourth player since we only have two hall of famers and one other that's arguable for the hall. I basically have to pick Adrian Gonzalez, which just feels wrong.

I should just write-in vote LaDainian Tomlinson.

I feel the same way about the options for KC. George Brett is a lock. Dan Quisenberry should be a lock (just as he should be in the HOF). After that, there's a huge freaking drop to #3 and #4. Bret Saberhagen? Hal McRae? Frank White? None of them were dominant players of their era. Frank White was a career .255 dude...
 
Its pretty sad that the "Franchise Four" for my Padres is pretty much going to have to involve some random fourth player since we only have two hall of famers and one other that's arguable for the hall. I basically have to pick Adrian Gonzalez, which just feels wrong.

I should just write-in vote LaDainian Tomlinson.

Looking at teams' top players by WAR is super interesting (like, Jake Peavy is #3 in Padres WAR)

(and looking at the Cardinals reminds me just how insanely good at baseball Pujols was during his prime)
 

Angry Grimace

Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
Looking at teams' top players by WAR is super interesting (like, Jake Peavy is #3 in Padres WAR)

(and looking at the Cardinals reminds me just how insanely good at baseball Pujols was during his prime)

Some of the older teams are really funny because their top WAR guys are all dudes from the 1800s with hilarious mustaches. Surprisingly, the Red Sox don't have any olde tyme players in the top 4 until you get to Cy Young, who pitched his first season there at age 34 (granted, that year he had a 1.62 ERA in 371 innings). I still can't figure out how those olde tyme dudes' arms didn't fall off throwing 350 innings a season.
 

Parch

Member
Zaun getting all fired up about the O's throwing at Batista. It could be a spicy game. MLB has already warned both teams.

Unfortunately there's a high chance that the Orioles will misinterpret a pitch from Aaron Sanchez. The guy has been wild. And I mean really wild. Last time he even threw only fastballs and curves and was still all over the place. He's going to chuck one inside because of his lack of control, and the O's are going freak about him trying to plunk a hitter.

Could be an interesting game.
 

XiaNaphryz

LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
Its pretty sad that the "Franchise Four" for my Padres is pretty much going to have to involve some random fourth player since we only have two hall of famers and one other that's arguable for the hall. I basically have to pick Adrian Gonzalez, which just feels wrong.

I should just write-in vote LaDainian Tomlinson.

Just pick a manager for your 4th and throw in Bochy as a write-in. ;P

I'll take last night's loss if we wreck Snot Rocket tonight.

As long as it results in Bum suplexing Puig.
 
Some of the older teams are really funny because their top WAR guys are all dudes from the 1800s with hilarious mustaches. Surprisingly, the Red Sox don't have any olde tyme players in the top 4 until you get to Cy Young, who pitched his first season there at age 34 (granted, that year he had a 1.62 ERA in 371 innings). I still can't figure out how those olde tyme dudes' arms didn't fall off throwing 350 innings a season.

It's actually easily explainable. Despite throwing more innings, they didn't throw as fast or put nearly as much strain on their elbows when pitching. Add in the fact that most played more than just pitcher and you have a bunch of really great athletes that don't throw 80 MPH power curves with a -14 vertical break. And you have guys that last longer.
 

see5harp

Member
Let's talk (again) about what an asshole Brett Lawrie is, since this idiot can't shut his trap.

Brett Lawrie reacts to Herrera suspension.



The absolute best quote of the whole thing is where Lawrie says, "It's a game, it's not about hurting people." Coming from the only guy who injured someone in the series, that's a mighty fine observation!

I also love that he talked shit at fans during the game. Lawrie, the professional, who states that is "not how we're doing things."
Brett Lawrie the shit talker.

Lawrie might, might, have a point if he didn't ignite this whole shit with a dirty slide at our shortstop's knee, trying to break his leg. Team's don't ignore that garbage and play on, and he knew there would be retaliation. Lawrie's victim mentality is laughable since he started things, and then complains about the outcome. Last I checked, he didn't get injured in the series. You can't say the same about Escobar. Who got suspended again???

This should have been over after he was beaned. Simple baseball unwritten rules. But no. The Athletics, who are a classy organization above this sort of behavior, intentionally beaned Lorenzo Cain. The situation escalated from there. So to recap, bullshit dirty player injures someone. Other team retaliates, and the situation is over. But no, the A's see fit to reignite the war for no reason. And then have the balls to point fingers and play the victim.

I feel like he is working on his wrestler heel status or something, and it's obviously working. His attitude and victim card got me genuinely heated during the series. I will comfort myself with the fact that the Royals took the series, and the Athletics are below the Houston Fucking Astros in the standings.

Honestly a hard slide to beat a double play in a regular season game happens all of the time. I remember Holliday doing that to Scutaro in the Playoffs in 2012 and while Holliday got booed, I don't recall anyone getting beaned. It's hard to believe that they'd intentionally throw at Cain's feet. That doesn't even make sense.
 
I'll take last night's loss if we wreck Snot Rocket tonight.
As long as it results in Bum suplexing Puig.
hEnLTVP.gif
 
Honestly a hard slide to beat a double play in a regular season game happens all of the time. I remember Holliday doing that to Scutaro in the Playoffs in 2012 and while Holliday got booed, I don't recall anyone getting beaned. It's hard to believe that they'd intentionally throw at Cain's feet. That doesn't even make sense.

And it's not like he didn't take his first beaning like a man. He got hit, he smiled, understood why, and walked to base.
 

XiaNaphryz

LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
Honestly a hard slide to beat a double play in a regular season game happens all of the time. I remember Holliday doing that to Scutaro in the Playoffs in 2012 and while Holliday got booed, I don't recall anyone getting beaned.

Holliday did get hit at some point afterwards in the series by Cain.
 

Angry Grimace

Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
It's actually easily explainable. Despite throwing more innings, they didn't throw as fast or put nearly as much strain on their elbows when pitching. Add in the fact that most played more than just pitcher and you have a bunch of really great athletes that don't throw 80 MPH power curves with a -14 vertical break. And you have guys that last longer.

In 1917, a Bridgeport, Connecticut munitions laboratory recorded [Walter] Johnson's fastball at 134 feet per second, which is equal to 91.36 miles per hour (147.03 km/h).

Just pick a manager for your 4th and throw in Bochy as a write-in. ;P

Bochy didn't do anything great while he was here. That's just giving him votes for stuff he did as the Giants manager. Based on WAR, the last dude's probably Jake Peavy. The first three are fairly obvious in Tony Gwynn, Trevor Hoffman, and Dave Winfield.
 

XiaNaphryz

LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
In 1917, a Bridgeport, Connecticut munitions laboratory recorded [Walter] Johnson's fastball at 134 feet per second, which is equal to 91.36 miles per hour (147.03 km/h).

Throwing a fastball hard isn't nearly as bad on the arm as other pitches like Frozenprince alluded to (i.e. power curves), though a lot of it depends on the arm mechanics obviously.
 

see5harp

Member
Holliday did get hit at some point afterwards in the series by Cain.

Okay that might be true but I know it wasn't like a 99 MPH to the back or upper torso and I don't recall tensions ever being close to what that game at Kaufman was like (outside of just regular playoff tension).
 

Angry Grimace

Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
Throwing a fastball hard isn't nearly as bad on the arm as other pitches like Frozenprince alluded to (i.e. power curves), though a lot of it depends on the arm mechanics obviously.

Yeah, but a 21 year career averaging 281 innings per season throwing 91 mph fastballs o_O
 
Yeah, but a 21 year career averaging 281 innings per season throwing 91 mph fastballs o_O

There is a lot less strain throwing FB's than tossing things with a sharp break. You snap your elbow a lot less to get the speed.

Plus these guys mechanics likely weren't enforced to be as straining as today's are to get those speeds. Likely they found an idea of what was comfortable to them and just threw.
 

Parch

Member
Honestly a hard slide to beat a double play in a regular season game happens all of the time.
It does. At what point is a slide too aggressive? Is that even possible? It's what's expected. As long as he's within arm's length of the bag, there's nothing illegal about it. I can't remember the last time a player was thrown out for an aggressive slide.

Chucking at heads is different. Plenty of players have been thrown out for doing that and the league considers it a big no-no. That's the infraction, not the slide, and the league will never consider it justified.
This should have been over after he was beaned. Simple baseball unwritten rules.
That's not the unwritten rule. You throw one at a guy's head, then that's what requires retaliation. That's the unwritten rule.

Teams just can't go back and forth yapping and retaliating. That's when the league steps in and starts handing out suspensions. Lawrie does need to dial it down a notch. I'm betting the league has had a little chat about his yapping. He's probably on double secret probation by the league, and if he keeps being a jerk he'll be doing more ducking too.
 

BigAT

Member
Crazy getting 5 runs in the first against a guy that had allowed 1 ER up until this point in the season.

Also crazy that it's snowing in Detroit right now.
 
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