Go Back   Professional Soldiers ® > At Ease > The Arena

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 07-10-2017, 16:38   #16
Badger52
Area Commander
 
Badger52's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Western WI
Posts: 6,817
Quote:
Originally Posted by Badger52 View Post
The NL Central continues so far to be the usual tooth & nail hairball with the Cubs not getting out of one of their pitching acquisitions what they'd hoped for.
Here let me fix that...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Badger52 View Post
The NL Central continues so far to be the usual tooth & nail hairball with the Brewers playing pretty good ball and the Cubs not getting decent/consistent pitching out of ANY of their rotation, while leaving things up to the bullpen has become a coin-flip (with the exception of the closer who's the only Cub going to tomorrow's All Star Game).
Holy cow indeed.

So how's everyone else's favorite team doing at The Break?
__________________
"Civil Wars don't start when a few guys hunt down a specific bastard. Civil Wars start when many guys hunt down the nearest bastards."

The coin paid to enforce words on parchment is blood; tyrants will not be stopped with anything less dear. - QP Peregrino
Badger52 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-11-2017, 08:18   #17
bblhead672
Area Commander
 
bblhead672's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Texas, USA
Posts: 1,585
Quote:
Originally Posted by Badger52 View Post
So how's everyone else's favorite team doing at The Break?
Both the Cardinals and the Rangers are mired in mediocrity.
bblhead672 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-11-2017, 10:54   #18
Badger52
Area Commander
 
Badger52's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Western WI
Posts: 6,817
Quote:
Originally Posted by bblhead672 View Post
Both the Cardinals and the Rangers are mired in mediocrity.
Yeah, what's up with STL? I thought with Dexter Fowler (who the Cubs miss terribly, as player & friend) they'd get something solid going.
__________________
"Civil Wars don't start when a few guys hunt down a specific bastard. Civil Wars start when many guys hunt down the nearest bastards."

The coin paid to enforce words on parchment is blood; tyrants will not be stopped with anything less dear. - QP Peregrino
Badger52 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-11-2017, 11:05   #19
rsdengler
Area Commander
 
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: Maryland
Posts: 1,235
Ha...my team...The Orioles, well they just plain "suck"....I am disappointed, but who knows maybe, just maybe they will get it together. At least they better before I go on August 5th....
__________________
“Freedom is not a gift bestowed upon us by other men, but a right that belongs to us by the laws of God and nature.”

-Benjamin Franklin

Rita
rsdengler is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-11-2017, 11:12   #20
bblhead672
Area Commander
 
bblhead672's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Texas, USA
Posts: 1,585
Quote:
Originally Posted by Badger52 View Post
Yeah, what's up with STL? I thought with Dexter Fowler (who the Cubs miss terribly, as player & friend) they'd get something solid going.
Honestly, I don't know if the problem is Mike Matheny being unable to manage a team after the one Tony LaRussa put together for him, GM Mozeliak got overwhelmed by too much work or that Jeff Luhow moving to the Astros impacted the team's ability to field quality players.
The Astros have certainly improved a great deal since Luhow's move to Houston.

Hopefully the Cards promotion of Mozeliak to Pres. of Baseball Operations and Mike Girsh to GM will yield better results on the field. But I'm not holding my breath. I like Matheny, great guy and was a good player for the Cardinals, however the team's performance under his leadership continues to deteriorate.

At this point, the Cards are fortunate that the NL Central is such a wasteland.
bblhead672 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-12-2017, 16:59   #21
Airbornelawyer
Moderator
 
Airbornelawyer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,937
The weirdest thing to me so far is that every team in the American League is still technically at least in wild card contention. The worst teams, the Chicago White Sox and the the Oakland A's, are 7.5 games out. Obviously, their chances are little better than slim, but one consequence is that teams that might be sellers at this point don't really know what to do. Do teams like Baltimore and Detroit give up and unload at the deadline, or do they bet that their underperformers like Miguel Cabrera and Manny Machado will pick it up in the second half and all they really need is to get some improved pitching to get back in it?
Airbornelawyer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-13-2017, 03:20   #22
Ret10Echo
Quiet Professional
 
Ret10Echo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Occupied America....
Posts: 4,740
Quote:
Originally Posted by Airbornelawyer View Post
The weirdest thing to me so far is that every team in the American League is still technically at least in wild card contention. The worst teams, the Chicago White Sox and the the Oakland A's, are 7.5 games out. Obviously, their chances are little better than slim, but one consequence is that teams that might be sellers at this point don't really know what to do. Do teams like Baltimore and Detroit give up and unload at the deadline, or do they bet that their underperformers like Miguel Cabrera and Manny Machado will pick it up in the second half and all they really need is to get some improved pitching to get back in it?

In the AL East, even for those who might consider going "sell" who would they go after? Everyone is looking for pitching whether starters (Baltimore) or bullpen (New York). Boston actually starting to perform as predicted has moved them up, but a set against the Yankees out of the break could make a big difference early in the second half.
Those with deep pockets will have the advantage as always. But even then the pickings are slim at best. Why sell off if things are that tight? As much as fans might be clamoring for some change
__________________
"There are more instances of the abridgment of freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations"

James Madison
Ret10Echo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-13-2017, 11:38   #23
Airbornelawyer
Moderator
 
Airbornelawyer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,937
I think Boston is looking for a third baseman.

The Yankees could use a first baseman, but I agree their biggest need is pitching. Maybe they make a deal with Oakland for 1B Yonder Alonso and a pitcher or two.

The Nationals biggest hole is a reliable closer, but with all the injuries to position players (Trea Turner, Jayson Werth, Adam Eaton, etc.), they might look for additional bench options. Baltimore has a fair number of players they might give up, if they go the seller route, but I'm not sure that the Nats have what Baltimore needs.

I think a lot of people in baseball still expect Toronto to turn it around in the second half. I'm not sure how many of them are in the Blue Jays' front office, though.

Of course, almost as soon as I observe that few AL teams might be sellers at this point, the White Sox trade Quintana to the Cubs, so what do I know. Maybe now that they are selling, the White Sox will make a deal with the Nats for David Robertson.
Airbornelawyer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-13-2017, 19:44   #24
Badger52
Area Commander
 
Badger52's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Western WI
Posts: 6,817
Quote:
Originally Posted by Airbornelawyer View Post
Of course, almost as soon as I observe that few AL teams might be sellers at this point, the White Sox trade Quintana to the Cubs, so what do I know.
Thanks for that. Here I get a day off (to clean up downed limbs) and this comes along, right here on PS.COM = Not Fake News. Am definitely glad to see this. They said they were able to do this without touching their 25-man roster; which only means that some guys that were on the up/down elevator to AAA are going to be there longer rather than keeping a Chicago bag packed. (It is a BidenBig Freakin' Deal to get even 1 day of MLB service on your record when in AAA because it generates a permanent bump into your Minor League salary ceiling.)
__________________
"Civil Wars don't start when a few guys hunt down a specific bastard. Civil Wars start when many guys hunt down the nearest bastards."

The coin paid to enforce words on parchment is blood; tyrants will not be stopped with anything less dear. - QP Peregrino
Badger52 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-24-2017, 20:01   #25
Badger52
Area Commander
 
Badger52's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Western WI
Posts: 6,817
Well, Quintana or not, the Cubs' pitching staff (the bullpen tonight) seem to be unable too often to close the deal on close games. Big bats working tonight? No problem; but the little close ones are frustrating. (File under "The enemy gets a vote, or quit giving the other guy 4 outs."). Everyone seems to want to bring heat, as if the rest of MLB hasn't been studying the Cubs for awhile. Damn! As Crash Davis would say, "Be more democratic; throw some ground balls..."

The Cubs keep leaving these little openings for the fur-ball that is the NL Central. How are everyone's teams shaking out to this point? (Yeah, ok, if you're a Dodger fan you don't have to play.)
__________________
"Civil Wars don't start when a few guys hunt down a specific bastard. Civil Wars start when many guys hunt down the nearest bastards."

The coin paid to enforce words on parchment is blood; tyrants will not be stopped with anything less dear. - QP Peregrino
Badger52 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-25-2017, 06:37   #26
Ret10Echo
Quiet Professional
 
Ret10Echo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Occupied America....
Posts: 4,740
Pitching, pitching, pitching....

You'd think with pitch-counts, and the myriad of specialty roles you'd have a better crop out there to choose from and consistency.

Sox (the Red ones)... Thinking Sales was solid and he gets disassembled by the Tribe last night. Speedbump but the East seems to be settled in barring some anomaly. A bunch of AL East games with the Yankees on the road and Houston at home APPEARING to be the only challenges.

Orioles - Facepalm Winning 2 games in a row is now a streak for the Birds 3 games out in the wildcard but I don't see that being a realistic expectation given the serious inconsistencies in pitching and the all or nothing offense.

Sad to see Britton's save record come to a close at 60. Unfortunate that the unwritten rule on Cy Young awards didn't give it to him last season for the streak of 47 saves a 0.54 ERA and 0.836 WHIP.
__________________
"There are more instances of the abridgment of freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations"

James Madison
Ret10Echo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-25-2017, 07:34   #27
Last hard class
Quiet Professional
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Where the Trade Winds blow
Posts: 675
Once again this year I am dreaming of a Dodgers/Tribe world Series. I also dreamed of winning the Powerball. About the same odds.


LHC
__________________
"Just call on me brother, when you need a hand..."
Last hard class is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-25-2017, 12:10   #28
Badger52
Area Commander
 
Badger52's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Western WI
Posts: 6,817
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ret10Echo View Post
Unfortunate that the unwritten rule on Cy Young awards didn't give it to him last season for the streak of 47 saves a 0.54 ERA and 0.836 WHIP.
Agree, that's felony-stupid. A guy that, if you manage to not step on it & scratch out a lead, and can hand it to him, will still give your fingernails back to you.

__________________
"Civil Wars don't start when a few guys hunt down a specific bastard. Civil Wars start when many guys hunt down the nearest bastards."

The coin paid to enforce words on parchment is blood; tyrants will not be stopped with anything less dear. - QP Peregrino
Badger52 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-13-2017, 14:47   #29
Badger52
Area Commander
 
Badger52's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Western WI
Posts: 6,817
21 Straight for Cleveland

Kudos to the Cleveland Indians for capturing the AL record for consecutive wins!
No easy feat! (For comparison, all-time record EV-UH is NY Giants - in 1916.)

The Tribe is now tied with the 1935 Chicago Cubs. They're playing the KC Royals tomorrow (who're playing .500 ball) so you can bet if you want, but my money is staying in my wallet. Like "Crash" Davis said, "you have to trust the streak."
__________________
"Civil Wars don't start when a few guys hunt down a specific bastard. Civil Wars start when many guys hunt down the nearest bastards."

The coin paid to enforce words on parchment is blood; tyrants will not be stopped with anything less dear. - QP Peregrino
Badger52 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-13-2017, 15:46   #30
Ret10Echo
Quiet Professional
 
Ret10Echo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Occupied America....
Posts: 4,740
Quote:
Originally Posted by Badger52 View Post
Kudos to the Cleveland Indians for capturing the AL record for consecutive wins!
No easy feat! (For comparison, all-time record EV-UH is NY Giants - in 1916.)

The Tribe is now tied with the 1935 Chicago Cubs. They're playing the KC Royals tomorrow (who're playing .500 ball) so you can bet if you want, but my money is staying in my wallet. Like "Crash" Davis said, "you have to trust the streak."
Congrats to the Tribe. I like Terry Francona so I hope they can keep the momentum into the post season.
__________________
"There are more instances of the abridgment of freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations"

James Madison
Ret10Echo is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump



All times are GMT -6. The time now is 03:55.



Copyright 2004-2022 by Professional Soldiers ®
Site Designed, Maintained, & Hosted by Hilliker Technologies