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1. Rembrandt Q Posted: August 28, 2008 at 03:42 AM (#2919833)Hopefully that will shut up the local talk radio for at least one day. It baffles me how a city that has gone 25 years without a playoff berth has decided to take a 3-5 game lead with a month to play for granted.
Deflating loss, but it was more about preserving a sliver of hope for the Cardinals than shutting up the Brewers. They have a better team, a 3.5 game lead with less than 30 to go, and play a much easier schedule. It would take a minor disaster for them to lose the wc at this point.
Felipe Lopez appreciates El Hombre's vote of confidence.
I'm sure a 6 game sweep by the Cubs won't make it easy for the Brewers.
The game will be better after LaRussa is gone to his drunken, hate filled retirement.
typical bbtfer ignorant post.
I agree about Glaus whining, of course you made no mention about Brauns whining or Weeks whining, but you take exception to Glaus's whining. The strike zone was crap last night, Glaus whined about a very good pitch, (in his second strikeout) but the umpire had an unique zone last night that changed based upon the count and the handedness of the batter.
Before the game everyone in the stadium and the planet who has baseball knowledge above a Buster Olney level(otherwords 3rd grade) knew Braun was going to get one in the ribs, the fact that it took until his third at bat was the surprising part, and it may not have happened if the Brewers pitcher could have exhibited any control when facing Albert the previous inning.
as to the game being better without TLR? I doubt it makes much of a difference, I mean eliminating one of probably 5 good managers in baseball to give incompentents like Macha and Yost the reins is always good for the game. I mean why have someone that actually understands the game be a manager. Heck lets just put a computer out there as a manager, afterall the players are just little collection of data and the manager has no bearing on their success. After all the Cardinals are playing exactly to expectations that the host of experts predicted here.
"It's 99.4% pure and it floats." Famous Ivory Soap commercial circa ?
Batting Cesar Izturis first automatically disqualifies you from being one of the 5 good managers in baseball.
But in this case, the broom, the broom, the broom was on fire.
Never hurts him though. The whole Oliver Perez bat toss thing back in the day was outrageous but the dude knew he was going to hit a bomb before he did. Something to be said about uber confidence and I more-than-usual wouldn't want to have Puj face Villanueva with the game on the line if I were Yost.
Pujols has the real triple crown right now: .357 .466 .636.
I wasn't fond of that either. but one or a couple of wrong things, doesn't invalidate everything else.
Oh, I agree, after the situation I said to the guy in the bar "what is he (Villanueva) an idiot? pissing off Albert is not a way to win this game"
I didn't chcek about the real triple crown, but that is for the major lead in all those categories or not? Although I do think that there should be at least one counting component for triple crown (we were talking about this the other night and were going with the SG triple crown(stat guy) and had decided eqa/Runs created/---and couldn't come up with a third that we could agree on. I suggest the ultra lame WPA, but since it's more or less a joke stat it was hard to justify. Vorp was put out there among others. I do love the fact that the general consensus for best player in baseball (with Arod sharing) is actually doing everything. (and it's even funnier that he is having an off season for his power numbers but is leading the slugging percentage pretty handidly---doubt he is leading in iso though.)
You're right about the ISO, though - Pujols is "only" fifth. Know who's first in the majors?
Mr. Ryan Ludwick.
but he loves animals!
the funny part is that it's almost a requirement that in order for you to be in the Cardinals bullpen you must enjoy hunting. Everyone of the guys there is an avid hunter.
Speaking of whining ...
Yeah, I have to call BS on this. LaRussa, for whatever his faults may be, is simply one of the game's greatest managers. No one outworks him and very few have ever pushed so hard to give his team the edge competitively. I don't see how baseball is better off if he's not around.
LaRussa has done one of the best jobs of his career this year. I find the guy annoying (except for the anmial shelter--I am a sisified Liberal and think that's cool) but he showed what he is all about his year, in terms of getting the most out of veteran players off the scrap heap, coming off injury, etc.
That said, I am rooting for the Brewers to make post-season.
Less pointless beanball wars is a positive.
Aside from the Cubs, are there any really good teams in the National League? The Brewers have the second-best record in the NL, and they look pretty flawed to me. And it's not like there's a ton of parity - between San Diego, Washington, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco, there are several punching bags out there.
It's right up there with batting Rickie Weeks first, frankly.
The Brewers' bullpen displays its utter crapitude again (who knew I'd be yearning for the return of Eric Gag-me-with-a-spoon?) as Nedley shows us exactly why he shouldn't be allowed to manage. Any dunce could see the thing to do in the 8th was to have Torres pitch it, closer role be damned. At least after Riske allowed the first two base runners, and it was clear he was not going to get anyone out, it should have been apparent there was trouble in River City. But no, Nedley has to go by the rigid predetermined roles and as a result he blows the game.
I expect Harveys is apoplectic and unable to post in this thread on advice of his doctor.
While the whining of the Cards (especially Glaus) was hilarious, the strike zone was indeed erm exceptionally fluid last night. Both teams had cause for complaint.
probably 5 goodthe 2-3 best managers in baseball history.Fixed.
As I wrote in the Chatter last night, I am empathetic to Yost's challenge. He is down to two semi-reliable relievers in Torres and Shouse. Everyone else has been horrible (Mota/Gagne) or highly erratic (Riske/Villanueva).
Grant Balfour would look pretty good in a Brewer uniform right about now. Hated that deal then and will gnaw at that bone until further notice.
But nobody should be surprised that the Cards are in the mix. Even at the beginning of the season during the preview my only objection was the author describing this team as "young". It's not. It's the 1978 Brewers all over again built off one really good player in his prime and a bunch of add-ons from either the farm system or via trade. Toss in the league's best manager and the league's best player and a team like that will be there if anyone else steps up at all.
Tony was in position to steal a division last season with literally half the roster on the DL. Now he has a Triple Crown guy as his offensive anchor and a staff that knows if they don't throw strikes LaRussa will saw their b*lls off with a rusty butter knife.
It's been his formula for a while now and it works.
Stop already. There was nothing even remotely like his tantrum. I don't think you'll even find many people will characterize Weeks' and Braun's actions as whining. Glaus does it all the time. Slam the helmet down and scream and pout. The most remarkable thing was the pitch was in the middle of the strike zone. There was zero question about it. Mather had a tantrum as well. Molina is a whiny child.
Unfortunately for you, they keep track of the pitches and you can't support your wild confabulation.
How much more does the world have to hear about super-educated Cards fans who talk about the strike zone changing with the handedness of the batter? Is this a revelation to you?
Poor baby Cards have to attack other players because they lose at baseball. And you even suggest that Braun got thrown at because Tony's pet dog got pitched inside? That's a joke.
Yeah, without a doubt, baseball will be better without LaRussa.
Because Izturis's career OBP of .298 is very close to Weeks' .351.
See, everyone executes Option J sometimes.
This is the THIRD TIME in the past few years the Brewers have worked to challenge Albert Pujols. I understand that Ned isn't the quickest learner but EVERY TIME it has blown up in their face.
The first two were DIRECTLY on Ned. Last night was Carlos getting a bit over the top. But the actions of the crew reflect on the leader. And Yost is calling the shots.
I am not a guy with a 200 I.Q. or anything but after a dog bites my *ss three times I either kill the d*mn thing or avoid the SOB. Since nobody on the Crew has "Guido" on their jersey I suggest the pitchers stick to PITCHING to Albert and leave it at that......
Looking it up, Izturis has been slated in the #1 hole 7 times this year. In 134 games. Yeah, that's a real crime against humanity there.
What if it were something equally embarassing, like Tony becoming incontinent seven times during games? Would that be an issue?
If I were LaRussa I'd soil myself every time Ryan Braun came to the plate this year.
Let's see, why did La Russa bat Izturis first?
Was there a lefty on the mound?
Check.
What is Izturis' OBP against lefties?
.372, with a .312 BA.
Still think it's such a bad idea?
On the other hand, the Cards started a RHP. What is Week's BA and OBP against RHP?
.218 and .315.
The short answer, is, no, the two are not comparable.
Usually, with a Tony decision, if you look at the numbers you find the answer why he does something (why does Yadi Molina bat 5th sometimes? Because it's a lefty starter, and Molina has a .328/.402/.457/.858 line against lefty pitchers).
Looking it up, Izturis has been slated in the #1 hole 7 times this year. In 134 games. Yeah, that's a real crime against humanity there.
Izturis' OBP in the leadoff slot is .344. Not great, but not terrible either.
And I can almost guarantee those other 6 times were against lefty starters, because the normal leadoff guy, Skip Schumaker, has a .170 BA and a .241 OBP against lefties.
So Tony swaps out the guy with a .241 OBP against lefties for the guy with the .372 OBP against lefties. Seems like a good idea, eh?
Which is one of the reason why he's lasted 30 or so years.
Dave
Braun got nailed because of his home run act the last time through St. Louis. The night before had little to do with it.
The shirt tails didn't win any favors either.
Dave
Seriously, WTF is up with the "slop-chic" thing the Brewers have going on? You can be "blue collar" without looking slovenly.
Career? .305, with a .345 SLG. I'm sure that's less representative of his true abilities than a hundred AB this year, though.
Seriously, how old are you? Chill. No need to bang spoon on high-chair. You're almost certainly going to the post-season, and we're almost certainly not.
Otherwise, beanball marching orders didn't begin with La Russa, and they won't end once he's retired and awaiting his deserved spot in Cooperstown.
Career? .305, with a .345 SLG. I'm sure that's less representative of his true abilities than a hundred AB this year, though.
Here are the Card's OBP against LHP for this year.
Albert .513
Barton (DL) .402
Molina .402
Izturis .372
Miles .363
Ludwick .357
Glaus .338
Lopez (w STL).333
Stavinoha .313
Kennedy .300
Mather .299
LaRue .297
Ankiel .270
Schumaker .241
Duncan (DL) .194
So out of that list, who are you going to bat leadoff against a LHP?
Or doesn't what a player does this year matter?
Dave
If you're up to it, go ahead and make an argument. If you want baby banging his spoon on his high chair, look at Mather or Glaus or Molina having tantrums over being treated equitably. I wouldn't be surprised if they can't handle not receiving special treatment. But like I said, the most immature is LaRussa and his fans defending attacking other players if they dare to pitch His Majesty Pujols like every other player in baseball.
I won't hold my breath.
Probably Glaus at the start of the year when he was hitting all those doubles, maybe transitioning to Molina after a couple of months, as he demonstrated his offensive growth. Just because there aren't any great choices doesn't mean that you have free license to pick the worst option on the list.
excuse me but the brewers fans are the ones wetting their pants. you could look it up.
Yep, tlr is way different than the whining that Braun pulled. gimme a break, yes Glaus was over the top, and cried about a very good pitch, but this isn't a TLR thing it's a ####### mlb ##### baseball player thing. They all whine. or they are like craig counsell and actively cheat by diving into the damn ball. Seriously get over it, TLR is a great manager, you have a borderline retard managing your team, the Brewers are way more talented a group (according to the experts) and the Cardinals (according to the experts) are at best a 76 win team this year and yet somehow the Cardinals are staying in this race until the end.
I mean the Brewers best player can't dress himself before a game, what is wrong with getting your manager to get in Fielders face and say, this is the ####### major leagues, look like a professional and tuck in that shirt you fat tubalard. You won't see unprofessionals on a TLR team.
I'm not sure that Izturis is the worse pick though as pointed out. And sorry but Molina batting in front of Molina is not a good thing. I know stat guys think speed doesn't matter, but it does. It may not be the first, second or third reason to bat a guy leadoff, but with Alberts agressiveness on the path and his ability to successfully pull it off, you do not want a slow guy clogging the bases in front of him limiting Alberts ability to make great running plays. Molina is faster this year than he has been in the past, but he is still slow as heck. I honestly think John Kruk would beat him in a foot race today.
I hate the choice of Izturis leading off, heck I hate the choice of Izturis on the roster, but almost everyteam has one player that doesn't belong according to a fan or few.
http://www.baseballthinkfactory.org/files/newsstand/discussion/peeyourpantsforthebrewerscom/
Make an argument? Did I miss where you made one? You're trying to have a nanny-nanny-boo-boo type exchange.
Yep, Glaus is a whiner. He's no Paul O'Neill, but he's a whiner. Yes, TLR orders brushbacks/beanings/purpose pitches on occasion. So does, well, every other manager in baseball. It's part of the game. Always has been, always will be. If you have evidence that La Russa perpetrates such things more often than your average bear, then by all means present it. Otherwise, I'm not sure what your point is.
This is true. It's hard to clog up the bases if, like Izturis, you're never on base.
Not Ron Gardenhire. I can't think of a single player intentionally brushed back by the Twins. Instead, Gardy likes to get himself ejected when the dugout is warned and rant and rave against a the "warning" and how his team never got a chance to respond in spite of the fact that his teams have never responded.
And now back to our regularly scheduled pissing match.
Molina's the poster boy for why there's more to leading off than OBP.
Miles or Mather (we know a little more about his ability to hit LHP than what's in a 60-PA sample) are probably the best choices now. Barton would've been if he hadn't been hurt.
Sure, but if you have a choice between a guy who can't run and a guy who can't do anything else...
i freaking hate TLR but if he would agree to manage MY team so we could get rid of phil-clone i'd do it in a eeensy beensy piece of a second. he's the best manager i've ever seen.
GO BREWERS!!!!!!!
and if they can't geterdone, then GO CARDS!!!
but heck will freeze before i evah root for cubbies
I'm not an Izturis fan by any stretch, but it would not shock me if the more sophisticated sims that reflect baserunning say he's a better leadoff hitter than Molina. The baserunning difference is about as large as it can be.
EDIT: This is based in part on my memory of MGL pwning Baseball Prospectus over TLR's decision to let Womack hit leadoff in 2004.
I watched him on numerous occasions last year, and I think he was the single most flailingly helpless hitter to play for the Pirates during my period of fandom. This includes post-injury Pat Meares, who was physically unable to grip the bat with one of his hands.
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