MLB 2012

[Ingmar]

I forgot to make any predictions this year, but the Dodgers and Orioles both caught me by surprise, and the AL Central is making me go   as usual. I expected the Nats and Reds to be good. Yankees are still not having the age-related shit season I expected to start last year. Everything else seems pretty normal. Well, the Mets being good is a surprise too I guess.

EDIT: In other news, Roy Oswalt finally signs a deal, with the Rangers. Supposedly he'll be in the bigs at the end of June. I can only assume that he was asking for some crazy amount of money for it to have gone on this long, since there are plenty of worse pitchers than Oswalt pitching in the majors, back trouble or no.

[JWIV]

Good times - nothing like arguing balls and strikes from behind the plate to get your first career ejection.

[Paelos]

Eddings isn't a shitty ump either. I can think of several guys I'd go after for being terrible about balls and strikes. McClelland, Angel Hernandez, Jerry Meals, Joe West. Those guys are dicks.

[WayAbvPar]

I don't see CB Bucknor on that list, and he should be at the top. I am pretty sure he just trolls everyone with his asinine calls- he seems to thrive on confrontation. God he is an asshole.

[Paelos]

I don't even classify CB as an ump. That's why he's not on the list.

[WayAbvPar]

Heh. Angel Hernandez is definitely a good call too. I have heard West's name, which almost always means he has been awful. I really wish I could sit in on a meeting with all the umps and see them confronted with the pitch-tracking data...would love to hear the excuses. Probably a lot of 'the tracking system is bullshit'.

 At this point I am ready for an automatic system. No more feeling around to see what the ump is calling a strike today, no egregious missed calls, and MORE OFFENSE. If strikes had to actually be strikes, the batters would have a hell of a lot better chance to put the ball in play with some authority.

[Ingmar]

I am against any change that reduces the number of red-faced manager freakout meltdowns.

[Paelos]

The worst umpires are typically the ones where the scores are always low when they are behind the plate. The best place that tracks that kind of data is unsurpisingly, gambling sites.

Angel Hernandez has the lowest runs scored average for any ump in the majors. He's a complete shithead. Chipper Jones once got into his face and told the media later that Angel forgot 40,000 people didn't show up to watch him umpire.

Some other bad ones in terms of low scoring: Larry Vanover, Chad Fairchild, Tim Tschida, and Jerry Layne.

On the flip side, you have the guys that won't call anything: Bob Davidson, Mark Carlson, Paul Emmel, and Gary Darling.

[Azuredream]

Umps are players too, you have to do scouting on them and everything!

I believe the sign of a good umpire/referee/whatever is when he is never mentioned.

[Paelos]

I have a list of favorites I like to see behind the plate:

Laz Diaz
Eric Cooper
Lance Barksdale
Jim Joyce
Brian Knight
Brian Runge
Ed Hickox
Jeff Kellogg
Derryl Cousins

[Sjofn]

No one told me the Orioles catcher was hot. Why was I not informed?

[ghost]

Who are the Orioles?   

[Sjofn]

lolrangers

[Paelos]

Ha, it's a football score in Texas.

[Sjofn]

I love football score games, I don't know why.


EDIT: Man I am getting tired of hearing "And Lincecum missed BADLY on a <enter pitch here>." I am waiting for the meltdown to begin in earnest.

[Paelos]

I love football score games, I don't know why.

Perhaps because the Giants aren't know for a particularly robust form of offense?

[Sjofn]

Hey man, they scored a run so far today! A whole run!

Also I thiiiink they haven't gotten shut out yet this season, which ... which surely means something, right?


EDIT: Also for a brief moment I thought you meant the REAL Giants, which ... I don't think they're considered an offensive powerhouse either, so I insist my confusion was totally understandable.

[Paelos]

Hey I can't throw stones, my team just got off the 8 game shnide where they couldn't hit their way out of a wet paper sack.

Two game winning streak now though! 

[Teleku]

I don't know what the actual numbers are, but it sure feels like we have some good offense this year for once (though not tonight obviously.  But we were close to crushing their pitcher several times!).

[Sjofn]

Yeah the offense has not been 100% painful like it was last season, so that's nice. They were absolutely fucking awful with runners in scoring position for a while, but less lately!

[Paelos]

Freddie Freeman came back last night after not being able to see for days. He finally got his new pair of goggles and went running around the clubhouse yelling, "I CAN SEE, I CAN SEE!"

He then proceeded to take a ball deep in his first AB, go 3/5 with 3 RBIs and a double.

[JWIV]

What in the fucking fuck Arrieta?  He's completely untouchable the first time through a line-up, and then completely fucking unravels and it's not like he's only got one pitch.

[Sjofn]

It sort of pains me that Lincecum is the Giants' worst starter right now, but I am happy Barry Zito is pretty good this season!

[Teleku]

Nice of Bochy to let all the starting pitchers in the last 3 games attempt to throw a complete game.  To bad none of them could stick it out, heh.  But thank you very much Chicago! 

[HaemishM]

Nice of Bochy to let all the starting pitchers in the last 3 games attempt to throw a complete game.  To bad none of them could stick it out, heh.  But thank you very much Chicago! 

We offer a friendly free service getting opposing pitchers off the schnide.

[Teleku]

Unfortunately, these four games are against our four pitchers who are all doing great.  We needed your services for Lincecum damnit!

[Sjofn]

Poor Lincecum has to settle for pitching against the Padres. 

[WayAbvPar]

Holy shit, Mariners! Even more surprising, I was actually watching the game and saw it happen. The other two in Ms history I missed (heard some the the RJ one in my buddy's car otw to a party).

[Sjofn]

I feel bad for the pitcher that got hurt and had to leave!

I am glad it happened to the Dodgers, too. <3

[JWIV]

I was downtown this afternoon and it was insane just how much red was wandering around.  Thanks for coming down Philly! (course, NY and Tampa both won today as well, so we're in 3rd and 1 game out of first.  This fucking division) 

http://www.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=22191735&c_id=bal&partnerId=aw-5080223247358208131-1021

[Ingmar]

wooooooooooooooooooooo

[Sjofn]

Matt Cain is pretty good.

[JWIV]

Matt Cain is pretty good.

Pft, 21 people did it before him - how good can he be? 

[Sjofn]

Didn't even hit a home run.

[ghost]

It wasn't that impressive.