St. Patrick's Day Bantering and Game Thread
by Tom Dakers on Mar 17, 2010 12:59 PM EDT
in News
206 comments
Happy St. Patrick Day, the day for the patron saint of Ireland. The man who drove the snakes out of Ireland, one of those misunderstood things, I think it means he chased Druids out of Ireland. It does make for an interesting mental image, a guy chasing snakes into the ocean. I don't know how you go about chasing a snake. Anyway to celebrate people pour green dye into beer, everywhere except Ireland. A true Irishman would never let you dilute his Guinness with anything.
Back in the 19th century, when baseball started there were many Irish born baseball players, which makes sense since the game grew out of the British game of rounders. Royals Review has a post up about Irish baseball players if you want to read more about them.
- Yesterday, when were arguing about who the 4th outfielder should be, I figured there would be some better choices coming available as the season grew nearer. This morning the Nationals released Elijah Dukes. He would be a better ball player than any of the possible 4th outfielders we have but he comes complete with more baggage than any 3 other players you could name, including a murderer for a father and his own assault (one) and battery (three) arrests.
- Richard Griffin, in the Star, thinks the Jays should follow the Tigers plan. As much as I don't want to lose 119 games, anything that gets us to the World Series is a good thing, but the Tigers play in a much easier division than the Jays.
- Dave Perkins also in the Star thinks signing Adeinis Hechavarria is a good sign, whether he makes the majors or not. It show that Rogers is willing to spend a few bucks.
- And at his blog on MLB.com Jordan Bastian talks to Jay's pitching coach Bruce Walton about Shawn Marcum, David Purcey and Brett Cecil. Walton talks about how he likes the pitchers to start spring working on their two best pitches and building from there.
- Jays play the Tigers Orioles today at 1:00 eastern, the game is on MLB audio, with the Tiger Orioles announcers. Tallet, Camp, Frasor, Downs and Gregg are to pitch. Looks like mostly the b-side batters made the bus trip: Hoffpauir 3B Gonzalez SS Reed CF Ruiz DH Dopirak 1B Snider LF Emaus 2B Lubanski RF Chavez C.
Enjoy your St. Patrick's Day. Don't drink too much green beer.
Update (Hugo): Let's use this as the game thread for today's game - after the game, we'll put the 10 reasons to watch this season back on top!
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the greening of the Chicago river is pretty cool to see in person
"Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our closed rooms... The game of ball is glorious." - Walt Whitman
Elijah Dukes
A world of no. This is one of the very few times I’ll ever play the ‘character’ card about a ballplayer, but Dukes is an undisciplined thug that I don’t want anywhere near any young Jays player. He’d be more disasterious off the field for the club than he’d ever contribute onfield.
apparently rizzo said today he tried to trade dukes many times and had not takes, so I
think the jays won’t be picking him up now either
Minor League Updates
It would be nice if Bastian would blog once a week on things happening in the minor league camp. Does anybody have his twitter ear?
he's pretty solid at answering twitterations
so, is this the game thread, then?
"Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our closed rooms... The game of ball is glorious." - Walt Whitman
i thought so
But I twittered him twice about minor league camps and got no response
by NHfishercatsfan on Mar 17, 2010 1:09 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
starting lineup
Hoffpauir, J, 3B
Gonzalez, A, SS
Reed, CF
Ruiz, R, DH
Dopirak, 1B
Snider, LF
Emaus, 2B
Lubanski, RF
Chavez, R, C
2 LOB
hopefully not an indication of regular season to come
really?
he was 21 last season, one of the youngest players in the league, and OPSed .788 after being called up. He’ll be fine.
"Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our closed rooms... The game of ball is glorious." - Walt Whitman
Signing Dukes would be a great idea
I imagine you’re buying low, and sure, he has issues, but hes damn good at baseball too.
Onions Baby Onions
issues don't begin to describe it
I hope they stay far, far away
"Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our closed rooms... The game of ball is glorious." - Walt Whitman
.250/.337/.393 last season, 7SB 10CS
I don’t consider that damn good. Dukes is very talented, but has not put things together yet, and with his absolutely horrific record of issues, he represents a big step back for the Jays if they pick him up.
rizzo said he tried many times to trade dukes and nothing, so I'm guessing the jays
could have got him for a c prospect and passed, so likely they won’t sign him now either
bad defense, too
"Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our closed rooms... The game of ball is glorious." - Walt Whitman
yea, his numbers did not look that exciting to me … his OBP is ok, other than that, nothing exciting IMHO
It's possible Duke might be following the Barry Bonds way out of baseball, a little
collusion with nobody wanting to sign him, although Matt Bush still has a job….
Collusion
I think it gets tossed around a little bit too much. Frankly, a player with a toxic attitude, poor work ethic and numerous problems with the law not getting signed sounds like they engineered their own way out of baseball without any kind of coordinated agreement between the owners.
I think someone will take a chance on him
just hope it’s not us
"Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our closed rooms... The game of ball is glorious." - Walt Whitman
Likely
I just think there’s a perception that there’s a lot more deliberate coordination between the clubs than there actually is.
Well I do think Bonds was a deliberate coordination especially when guys
like Matt Bush or Milton Bradley still have jobs and Bonds couldn’t get one at the major league minimum.
I think there’s a pretty good case to be made for not signing Bonds, and he’s never come out and said “I’d accept major league minimum anywhere just to play”. So you don’t know whether or not teams have sounded his people out and not considered the price worth it.
Unfortunately for Bonds, it’s not just his numbers you’re getting but also all the stigma of being Barry Bonds, the ‘roided up arrogent selfish slugger who juiced himself past one of baseball’s greatest records. I’m not saying that coordinated collusion couldn’t be the case, but I can understand from a number of factors how it might not be the only answer.
His agent said he would play for the minimum anywhere, Bonds
doesn’t talk to the media, only through his agent.
actually the Bonds Camp said he'd play for league minimum and
donate the money to charity to pay for tickets for children to attend the games.
I guess I don't really get the accusation in Bonds' case
to me if owners are going to collude, it’s going to be to save themselves tons of money by driving down the price of labor – that’s how market collusion works – not agreeing to blackball one person who could help many of their teams. That’s certainly possible, but it’s not really “collusion” in the sense I think of it
"Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our closed rooms... The game of ball is glorious." - Walt Whitman
I do get the feeling Bud Selig said 'don't sign him'
which amuses me since he couldn’t get his picture taken with McGwire often enough. Maybe not collusion, but might be enough for Bonds to sue if he wanted.
it's funny, since I've just seen emaus at spring training this year and last
I think he’s a much better player than he likely really is….just eveyr time I see him he is hitting.
Possible 3B
Apparently his defense at the hot corner is improving quickly, and while he doesn’t have the kind of power you normally want from 3B, they have a slugging 2B to make up for it if Emaus continues to produce.
exactly
Hill might have to move to 3rd at some point, too. Right now he’s still a great defender, but he does look a bit bulked up and may slow down at some point. I’m not so worried about getting power from 3rd base – we have some solid power at and coming up at other spots – Hill, Arencibia – that aren’t traditional power spots. If Emaus can hit and play good defense at third he could be a useful player for us. At worst we’d have a solid super-utility type guy.
"Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our closed rooms... The game of ball is glorious." - Walt Whitman
hes not bad
He is a very streaky hitter though
by NHfishercatsfan on Mar 17, 2010 1:48 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
true, lots of hitters are though
the trick is sustaining your streaks and minimizing the slumps by maintaining your approach and getting good at-bats
"Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our closed rooms... The game of ball is glorious." - Walt Whitman
lots of releases and rule 5 pick moves happening today, I wonder if the jays will try
to trade for Zincola, play him or offer him back
interesting tweet from SI's Jon Heyman
“<em>SI_JonHeyman #rangers manager ron washington tested positive for cocaine last year. on si.com: ”http://tinyurl.com/ykb68zb" target="_blank">http://tinyurl.com/ykb68zb"
I like this Twit
craigcalcaterra
Team statement on Washington: “one-time transgression.” At the risk of insensitivity, how many people try coke for the 1st time at age 57?
Is Dunn still in left field for the Nats? If so an outfield with Dye and Dunn at the corners
might be scary bad
a giant leap for the Cuban Hechevarria?
I speak the spanish of an Italian
"Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our closed rooms... The game of ball is glorious." - Walt Whitman
Maybe we can go the rest of the day without being told how terrible he is.
or anything else guessing ‘why he has troubles’
an inner exorcism, obviously
"Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our closed rooms... The game of ball is glorious." - Walt Whitman
What the Hey?
Why would they take Snider out of the game when he is finally getting on a roll?
The guy finally has two decent at bats and they take him out of the game?
Talk about a way to ruin a groove!
you get your three plate appearances
and it’s time for the next guy
"Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our closed rooms... The game of ball is glorious." - Walt Whitman
Thames is a solid prospect
if he can only stay healthy
"Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our closed rooms... The game of ball is glorious." - Walt Whitman
Twittering:
MLBastian
Cito said today that he will name a primary closer (Gregg, Frasor or Downs), ruling out a possible shared role to open the season.
grounds out...
Rick Dempsey on Orioles radio says: Gathright has bounces around teams, all because of a lack of ‘consistency of contact’. You think?
twitter stuff
LottOnBaseball
Sad news: Johnny Mac leaves Jays’ camp to be with his father, who has advanced liver cancer.
Hechevarria?
Has anything been made official yet?
Is it a sure thing?
Is there still a chance he signs somewhere else?
I'd say top 10
"Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our closed rooms... The game of ball is glorious." - Walt Whitman
lest people think
we are sockpuppeting one another
"Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our closed rooms... The game of ball is glorious." - Walt Whitman
Now all we have to do..
Is sign our actual draft picks and it will feel like we are getting somewhere on our prospect rankings
this draft is going to be a monster
"Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our closed rooms... The game of ball is glorious." - Walt Whitman
2011
could be another big draft depending how Frasor, Downs and Overbay get their free agent status.
definitely
Overbay might be a reach for Type B, he would need a good year. Frasor will likely make it, as will Downs but it will be interesting to see whether the team trades any of them
"Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our closed rooms... The game of ball is glorious." - Walt Whitman
Some Nutcracker
Will say he’s our #1
Probably Roesenthal, lol
I was going to say 8th
"Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our closed rooms... The game of ball is glorious." - Walt Whitman
good to see him settle down after last time
"Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our closed rooms... The game of ball is glorious." - Walt Whitman
that's a repeatable skill....right?
"Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our closed rooms... The game of ball is glorious." - Walt Whitman
I wonder whether there's any correlation
between speed on the bases and reaching on errors. Intuitively it makes some sense, but I wonder whether it’s actually true. You would have to control for speedsters often being groundball hitters.
"Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our closed rooms... The game of ball is glorious." - Walt Whitman
I'd think there'd have to be some
If only because you can misplay a ball and still get a slow runner out.
"Look at me! I'm Tomokazu Ohka of the Montreal Expos!"
That's why I hate guys walking down the line
If a defender sees you walking, then they can be patient and make an easy throw
If you are running hard, then the defender has to rush it a little bit
has our pitching been that good?
or has the O’s hitting been that atrocious?
"Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our closed rooms... The game of ball is glorious." - Walt Whitman
the guys on the radio are saying that hoffpauir missed catching a popup
but it must have been Kyle Phillips
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