MLB (Thursday 07/01)

[Deftones]

12:35 pm NY Mets at Cincinnati
Leiter (3-2, 2.34) Acevedo (4-6, 5.30)

1:05 pm Cleveland at Detroit
Lee (7-1, 3.86) Johnson (5-7, 4.68)

1:10 pm Chi White Sox at Minnesota
Garland (5-5, 4.84) Santana (6-4, 4.38)

2:15 pm Toronto at Tampa Bay
Batista (6-5, 3.98) Hendrickson (5-5, 4.30)

2:20 pm Houston at Chi Cubs
Munro (1-1, 2.82) Prior (2-1, 3.28)

3:05 pm Milwaukee at Colorado
Santos (6-3, 3.84) Stark (0-2, 16.20)

3:35 pm Anaheim at Oakland
Washburn (8-3, 4.76) Saarloos (0-0, 5.40)

4:35 pm Texas at Seattle
Wasdin (1-0, 5.00) Thornton (0-0, 0.00)

6:05 pm Montreal at Philadelphia
Downs (0-1, 10.13) Wolf (2-3, 2.87)

7:05 pm Boston at NY Yankees
Martinez (8-3, 3.73) Halsey (1-1, 8.00)

7:35 pm Florida at Atlanta
Tejera (0-0, 9.00) Ortiz (7-6, 3.87)

8:10 pm Baltimore at Kansas City
Lopez (5-4, 3.58) Greinke (1-4, 3.48)

9:10 pm San Francisco at Los Angeles
Schmidt (10-2, 2.43) Lima (6-3, 4.64)

9:35 pm San Diego at Arizona
Valdez (6-4, 4.66) Fossum (1-6, 5.84)

[huh?]

Ugg, I go on a business trip for 2 days and the Red Sox Shit the Bed.....

Excellent....

[chrisih8u]

Pedro pitches against a rookie today. Is anyone confident the Sox will win tonight? Anyone??

[sundog]

Wonder if the Twins' ground-crew is re-installing their old turf. It appears part of the Metrodome's mystique has been solved with their newly installed field.

[Mad Dawg]

Originally posted by chrisih8u
Pedro pitches against a rookie today. Is anyone confident the Sox will win tonight? Anyone??

As you pointed out last night, there is a difference these days between pitching well enough to win and winning. So, no, I don't see how anyone can be confident of anything other than the Sox putting up a crooked number in the errors column.

[chrisih8u]

The Red Sox really need to shake things up. I wouldnt mind dropping Nomar in the batting order to 7th or 8th. Bellhorn shouldnt be starting. Have Youk play 3rd and Pokey play 2nd. Millar needs to be sitting on a stool facing the corner of the clubhouse. I think its time for McCarty to start 1st base. Id put the lineup like this:

CF Damon
3B Youk
DH Ortiz
LF Manny
RF Trot
C Varitek
SS Nomar
2B Pokey
1B McCarty

[twikoff]

START THE DAMN GAMES ALREADY!!!

when is elf coming back?

[B.A.]

Cardinals are off today and after the last three days - that is a good thing.


And Julian Tavarez - **** you.

[B.A.]

And hopefully Minnesota can pull out a win on the South Side today.

[MrX]

Hopefully Jon Garland won't have a mental breakdown on the mound against the Twins today and we can get the sweep and get the lead up to 2 games.

[Flashback]

Go Prior.....

[twikoff]

white sox with a quick 2-0 lead on the twins

[MrX]

2-1 White Sox now

[twikoff]

Prior with a no hitter so far :up:

[MrX]

White Sox better hope Garland can hold up becasue Santana is cruising now after gicing up the HR to Lee in the 1st

[rabbit77]

Originally posted by MrX
White Sox better hope Garland can hold up becasue Santana is cruising now after gicing up the HR to Lee in the 1st

My wife is funny. In our fantasy league she benched Santana because he's starting against the White Sox.

[Mad Dawg]

Astros bats looking clutch as always. With 2 runners on and one down, Prior gets two pop-ups on pitches that seemed to miss over the plate.

[chrisih8u]

I think its dumb that they arent showing any games on ESPN right now.

[Mad Dawg]

This might be a tough day for Munro. Neither pitchers are getting the low strike. Prior has the stuff to work around that. Munro doesn't.

[El Scorcho]

Way to jinx Prior's no-hitter twikoff! :up:

[Mad Dawg]

Originally posted by El Scorcho
Way to jinx Prior's no-hitter twikoff! :up:

And it was Vizcaino, no less. -eek-

[sundog]

whew . . . Garland gets out of the seventh after giving up a leadoff walk and letting Mauer on base. 6 more outs.

Definitely think Garland is done for the day.

[Mad Dawg]

rotfl

Dueling doubles. Vizcaino vs. Rey Ordonez.

[MrX]

Originally posted by Mad Dawg
And it was Vizcaino, no less. -eek-
Is that enough to get him off The List

[Mad Dawg]

Originally posted by MrX
Is that enough to get him off The List

He could be swinging a stick of dynamite, but as long as he's doing it from the 6 hole, he's on The List.

[MrX]

Garland went 7 without one of his usual 4 run innings

Hopefully Marte and Shingo can shut them down in the 8th and 9th

[rabbit77]

This is retarded. Ozzie plays Takatsu yesterday and the day before, both non-save situations, and today he's unavailable when the Sox lead the Twins going into the 9th 2-1.

Good job for Garland today, going 7 without having a mental breakdown.

[sundog]

Originally posted by rabbit77
Good job for Garland today, going 7 without having a mental breakdown.

oh, I'm sure he had one, thankfully it didn't result in a 4 or 5 run inning.

And yeah, Takatsu not being available for the save is weak. Hopefully some insurance runs can be made . . .

[B.A.]

The Twins still have a chance - even though it's very, very slim.

[B.A.]

Today would be a great day for some NEWS and NOTES!!!!

[MrX]

Originally posted by sundog
oh, I'm sure he had one, thankfully it didn't result in a 4 or 5 run inning.
I don't know. The Sox haven't made any errors and that's when he usually falls apart.

I was waiting for it to happen after the strike the umpire didn't call that Hawk was bitching about during the 7th inning.

[Mad Dawg]

Cubs lead 2-0. That's probably enough, as the Astros don't look like they'll be getting any timely hits today.

[Jeremy517]

Kerry Wood takes a liner (slightly deflected) off his chin. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1832831

[sundog]

2 outs left for Not-Shingo (Marte)

[rabbit77]

Originally posted by sundog
2 outs left for Not-Shingo (Marte)

He'll blow it.

[twikoff]

Originally posted by Jeremy517
Kerry Wood takes a liner (slightly deflected) off his chin. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1832831

:hscratch:

he should have ducked

[rabbit77]

http://www.cclub.net/Newsletters/V8N3/V8N3Photos/SoxLogo.jpg
http://www.watercare.net/factsheets/images/cartoon-sweep-anim.gif

[MrX]

HE GONE!

[sundog]

Originally posted by rabbit77
He'll blow it.

Joe Mauer strikes out! [John Rooney]A WHITE SOX WINNER![/Rooney]

[MrX]

http://img46.photobucket.com/albums/v141/MrX23/sweep.gif

[rabbit77]

Now the White Sox can have some fun this weekend.

[MrX]

They won't have to see Prior this weekend:up:

Hopefully they'll hit Zambrano tomorrow like they did last weekend

[Mad Dawg]

News and Notes

* Mariners catcher Miguel Oliva, aquired in the recent trade with the White Sox, may be available after having surgery Wednesday to remove part of a kidney stone. An angry Oliva told Seattle reporters, "Where is the fairness? I kept up my end of the deal, but Derek Jeter's going to the All-Star game." Oliva then backtracked from his earlier insistance that he'd rather lose a testicle than see Jeter get another ring.

* Larry Walker became the 234th player to reach 2,000 hits in his career on Wednesday night. Walker hopes to become the first player in major league history to reach 2,000 hits and 2,000 groin injuries by the end of today's game.

* The Yankees hope to have 1B Jason Giambi back tonight as he continues to regain strength following a battle with an intestinal parasite. Giambi's weakness reportedly came less from the parasitic attack, and more from the fact that the microscopic bug had inexplicably grown to 200 times its normal size while in the first baseman's intestines.

* In a related story, Derek Jeter expressed relief that the parasite chose Giambi's colon over that of 3rd baseman Alex Rodriguez.

* ACME Brick has been named as the offical glove manufacturer of the Boston Red Sox.

[chrisih8u]

rotfl I was hoping for some parasite news! :up:

[Mad Dawg]

Beltran HRs again, but it's still 4-1 Cubbies.

[MrX]

Originally posted by Mad Dawg
Beltran HRs again, but it's still 4-1 Cubbies. Favorite Dusty quote before the series "We don't know much about Beltran"

I wonder if he does now that's taken just about every Cub pitcher deep this series.

[sundog]

Originally posted by MrX
Favorite Dusty quote before the series "We don't know much about Beltran"

I wonder if he does now that's taken just about every Cub pitcher deep this series.

Put Dusty on the spot and he immediately pleads ignorance, dude.

[Jeremy517]

Originally posted by twikoff
:hscratch:

he should have ducked

Why didn't you tell him that BEFORE it happened? :rolleyes:

[Mad Dawg]

rotfl

Beltran ties it up with a 3-run shot!

He has one from both sides of the plate.

[MrX]

DUDE, WHY DIDN"T SOMEBODY TELL ME ABOUT THIS ****IN GUY!

[Jeremy517]

Dusty should have traded for some wristbands from the American League.

[Mad Dawg]

Originally posted by MrX
DUDE, WHY DIDN"T SOMEBODY TELL ME ABOUT THIS ****IN GUY!

:lol:

[MrX]

:lol: Found this pic on site

http://www.wild987.fm/images/subpage/wildsquad/twinkie.jpg

[twikoff]

i dont get it :hscratch:

[MrX]

Twins aka The Twinkees

I think the other White Sox fans will see the humor in it

[Mad Dawg]

I'm thinking Beltran is going to look very seriously at the Cubs in the off-season.

[chrisih8u]

I still dont get it.

[Mad Dawg]

Originally posted by chrisih8u
I still dont get it.

It's a flattened Twinkie the Kid.

[sundog]

Originally posted by MrX
DUDE, WHY DIDN"T SOMEBODY TELL ME ABOUT THIS ****IN GUY!

Hah!

oh, and it's a deflated Twinkie . . . get it? eh? . . .

[Mad Dawg]

Uh oh. Weathers is in to face the meat of the order, and Patterson is on first.

[chrisih8u]

I never heard of Twinkie the Kid. :o

[Mad Dawg]

Originally posted by chrisih8u
I never heard of Twinkie the Kid. :o

:eek:

http://www.kittenpants.org/15_hamburger/twinkie_kid.jpg

[twikoff]

i understood the flattened twinkie part and assumed it was a minnesota joke

didnt understand the kid part.. because i didnt remember jr being traded to the twins recently

[chrisih8u]

rotfl When was that? Or is he new? I cant remember ever seeing a twinkie commercial.

[Mad Dawg]

-ohbfrank- Freakin' kids.

[chrisih8u]

And why does the flattened one have a vagina?

[MrX]

David Weathers pitch count this inning alone might be at 100 if you count the number of times he's thrown over to first.

[Mad Dawg]

Come on, Jimy! A pitch-out on 2-1. Cripes.

[SpaceBoy]

Originally posted by MrX
They won't have to see Prior this weekend:up:

Hopefully they'll hit Zambrano tomorrow like they did last weekend

I would rather take on prior then Zambrano. Prior looked terrible last game against the sox. The sox really blew that game, giving it to the cubs with so many unearned runs..


However, way to sweep the twins, and win at least 2 out of 3 against the cubs so I can eat a nice dinner for free. :)

I"m a bit dissappointed, that garcia isn't going against the cubs.. Figured he could pitch again after 4 days rest on sun. Would love to have that guy pitch in the series..

[sundog]

Originally posted by SpaceBoy
. . . and win at least 2 out of 3 against the cubs so I can eat a nice dinner for free.

Hells yes, same here. I'm sitting pretty unless the Cubs sweep (overall tie is a push).

[Mad Dawg]

Slappy Ensberg gets a lead off hit. Stay out of the double play, Ausmus.

[MrX]

OH MY GOD rotfl

[Mad Dawg]

Jesus. :lol:

[MrX]

That might be the funniest thing I've ever seen during a baseball game

[Canadian Bacon]

Run down by the catcher rotfl, talk about embarrassing.

[Mad Dawg]

Ensberg better start hitting HRs, because his base running is doing him no favors.

[chrisih8u]

What happened??

[MrX]

I'd love to know what was going on in Ensberg's mind during that play

[Mad Dawg]

Originally posted by chrisih8u
What happened??

1-2 count, Ensberg takes off for 2nd. Cubs pitch out. Ensberg stops, and gets tagged out by the catcher as he goes back to first.

[MrX]

Ensberg went to steal 2nd and stopped halfway inbetween. The Cubs did a pitch out and Barrett ran from behind the plate with the ball and tagged him out without throwing it once

[Canadian Bacon]

Originally posted by chrisih8u
What happened?? Ensberg was on first base and broke towards second and was run down by the catcher.

[chrisih8u]

So the catcher ran down the 1st base line and tagged out the runner?

[chrisih8u]

MrX wins for the best description. :lol:

[MrX]

Ensberg stopped inbetween and didn't move. The catcher just ran from behind the plate to where Ensberg was standing, when he got close Ensberg broke back towards first and Barrett ran him down in full gear

[Mad Dawg]

He cut right across the middle of the diamond.

[chrisih8u]

That sounds hilarious. Why didnt he just throw? Did he not want to throw it to the wrong base? Like if he threw it to first, the guy would have went to second and vice-versa?

[Mad Dawg]

Cubs against Kirk Bullinger in the ninth.

Well, at least <strike>the Astros</strike> Beltran showed a lot of heart today.

[Mad Dawg]

Originally posted by chrisih8u
That sounds hilarious. Why didnt he just throw? Did he not want to throw it to the wrong base? Like if he threw it to first, the guy would have went to second and vice-versa?

Because Ensberg was just standing there staring at him like he was about to sing the national anthemn.

[MrX]

Originally posted by chrisih8u
That sounds hilarious. Why didnt he just throw? Did he not want to throw it to the wrong base? Like if he threw it to first, the guy would have went to second and vice-versa?
Yeah, Ensberg was just standing there. When Barett got within about 5 feet Ensberg took off back to first and was run down from behind by him

[Mad Dawg]

Todd "Clutch" Walker is up. Any predictions?

I predict a grounder to first.

I win!

[El Scorcho]

Clutch groundout time.

[MrX]

Originally posted by Mad Dawg
Because Ensberg was just standing there staring at him like he was about to sing the national anthemn.
Is that enough to get him on The List?

[Mad Dawg]

Originally posted by MrX
Is that enough to get him on The List?

Oh, you bet your Uncle Charlie it is.

[Mad Dawg]

Beltran up in the 10th. Can he single-handedly win this one?

[chrisih8u]

And the lack of Michael Moore threads drops from The List: -ohbfrank-

[Mad Dawg]

Originally posted by chrisih8u
And the lack of Michael Moore threads drops from The List: -ohbfrank-

:mad: Alright, mister...

[chrisih8u]

-eek-

[El Scorcho]

Come on Carlos, give daddy another HR!

[chrisih8u]

http://rds.yahoo.com/S=96062883/K=sorry!/v=2/l=IVI/*-http://www.crushkill.com/archives/sorry.jpg

[El Scorcho]

Beltran you piece of shit

[Mad Dawg]

Rule #3 of The List:

Don't criticize The List.

[Mad Dawg]

Originally posted by El Scorcho
Beltran you piece of shit

:lol:

[B.A.]

Thanks for the notes, MD. :up:

[Mad Dawg]

Um, Astros...Your bullpen ain't good, and Beltran can't do it all.

[Mordred]

Originally posted by Mad Dawg
Um, Astros...Your bullpen ain't good, and Beltran can't do it all. Someone should have notified Beltran.

[Mad Dawg]

Holy crap. Lidge is in again.

[Mad Dawg]

Sosa wins it.

[Mordred]

Originally posted by Mad Dawg
Holy crap. Lidge is in again. Well that was quick.

[Mad Dawg]

Oh, please, please, please. Fire Jimy now. I beg you. I plead with you, Drayton. Fire him immediately.

[El Scorcho]

As someone who just recently picked up Lidge in a trade:

F***

[Mad Dawg]

Originally posted by Mordred
Well that was quick.

He probably decided that he doesn't want his ****ing arm to fall of by next ****ing week.

[El Scorcho]

Nothing beats a pitching line like:

0.0 IP, 1 pitch, H, R, ER (L)

[chrisih8u]

:lol:

[Mordred]

I secretly was hoping Houston would win so we could have another discussion about how bad Houston is in their final inning :)

[Mad Dawg]

Originally posted by chrisih8u
:lol:

You're lucky you're already on, but Mordred is begging for a spot of his own.

[chrisih8u]

And Im the only one in bold!

http://www.animationusa.com/picts/wdpict/2_Oh-No.jpg

[Mordred]

Originally posted by Mad Dawg
You lucky you're already on, but Mordred is begging for a spot of his own. Jimy Williams for President!

[chrisih8u]

Dont worry about Jimy. It wouldnt be the first time he was canned in the middle of a season. :D

[chrisih8u]

I cant wait until Bust comes back. He will certainly take my place in The List

[Mad Dawg]

0-5 in extra inning games this season. That is all I'm saying.

[chrisih8u]

It hasnt been a good few days for baseball. :(

[Mordred]

Whee.... Texas is currently getting no hit by a guy making his first start ever. Fortunately John Wasdin is helping Seattle out by being unable to find the strikezone except to give up hits.

[chrisih8u]

The List in 5 months:

Aaron Brooks, Crappy defense, MORDRED, penalties for excessive TDs.

[chrisih8u]

John "Way Back" Wasdin is still in the league? rotfl

[Mordred]

Sadly yes. Why this guy is starting is beyond me.

[Mad Dawg]

I'm in a room holding a gun and three bullets. With me are Jimy, Sammy, Barry, and George Steinbrenner. What do I do?

I shoot myself in the face, of course. I'll let you guys deal with those pieces of shit.

[Mordred]

Ichiro is now 3-3 against ole John with 2 doubles. I'm always glad to help raise his Slugging percentage -rolleyes-

[Mad Dawg]

Hell, even the Astros hit Wasdin.

The Red Sox could even put up 3 against him.

[chrisih8u]

Originally posted by Mad Dawg
Hell, even the Astros hit Wasdin.

The Red Sox could even put up 3 against him.

Wasdin has hurt the Sox enough in his career.

[Mordred]

Sweet, I made The List! I look pretty scary with that big font.

[Mordred]

Add Texas brings in Ron Mahay. Let the winning begin!

[chrisih8u]

Originally posted by Mordred
Add Texas brings in Ron Mahay. Let the winning begin!

Ron Mahay is on the Rangers, too? I dont suppose Rich Garces is on the roster, too?

[El Scorcho]

Seattle Mariners -- offensive juggernaut!

[Mad Dawg]

Originally posted by chrisih8u
Ron Mahay is on the Rangers, too? I dont suppose Rich Garces is on the roster, too?

Close. Do you remember Brian Shouse? He's there.

As is Doug Brocail.

Oh, and Imhotep.

[Mordred]

Originally posted by chrisih8u
Ron Mahay is on the Rangers, too? I dont suppose Rich Garces is on the roster, too? No, but we have a Rosmon Garcia. Is that close enough?

Mahay promptly gives up a 2R single to Randy Winn. 7-0 Seattle after 3.

[Mad Dawg]

Originally posted by El Scorcho
Seattle Mariners -- offensive juggernaut!

Randy Winn with 3 RBIs on the day. Frightening, huh?

[Mordred]

Originally posted by Mad Dawg
Oh, and Imhotep. That explains Kenny Rogers' season btw.

The jinx worked. Seattle's Blackley gives up a leadoff double in the 4th. Goodbye no-no.

[Mad Dawg]

Gas Can Percival is back to his old self. Damian Miller hits his second HR of the day.

And how bad is Washburn? He gave up 4 HRs today.

[jookie]

Umm, whats wrong with Wolf?

A homerun and a hit batsman with the first two up :(

[chrisih8u]

Nomar and Nixon are both out of the lineup tonight. But Millar is playing. :rolleyes:

[Mad Dawg]

Originally posted by chrisih8u
Nomar and Nixon are both out of the lineup tonight. But Millar is playing. :rolleyes:

You're f'n kidding me.

[jookie]

Originally posted by chrisih8u
Nomar and Nixon are both out of the lineup tonight. But Millar is playing. :rolleyes:

I understand Nomar cause he's cost them two games, but Nixon?

[Mad Dawg]

Originally posted by jookie
I understand Nomar cause he's cost them two games, but Nixon?

His injured quad is acting up.

[chrisih8u]

Originally posted by Mad Dawg
You're f'n kidding me.



I wish. :( Millar in RF, McCarty at 1st. Pokey at SS. Youk at 3rd. It could be a long night. God forbid Trot sit tomorrow against Atlanta.

[chrisih8u]

He's hurt? Goddammit. I should have known he injured his quad when i saw that cast on his arm.

[Mad Dawg]

His quad is in his leg. He couldn't make it 2nd last night on a ball he hit to the wall.

[chrisih8u]

Mueller returns tomorrow. :up: Youk may be sent down.

[chrisih8u]

Originally posted by Mad Dawg
His quad is in his leg. He couldn't make it 2nd last night on a ball he hit to the wall.

I thought he would battle through it like last time it was acting up. I know the quad is his leg, it was a (unfunny) joke.

[Mad Dawg]

Originally posted by chrisih8u
Mueller returns tomorrow. :up: Youk may be sent down.

If Cesar Crespo survives another roster move, I'm going to run amuck.

[El Scorcho]

He hurt his quad?

Damn, hopefully it's not on his throwing arm.

[Mad Dawg]

Originally posted by chrisih8u
I thought he would battle through it like last time it was acting up. I know the quad is his leg, it was a (unfunny) joke.

:lol: No, good joke. I just took it seriously.

[jookie]

Bases loaded and nobody out for the Phils!

[Mad Dawg]

Nowhere to put Thome.

[El Scorcho]

Can one of you post the Insider article by Neyer about 4 of Gagne's saves being "tough"?

http://proxy.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=neyer_rob&id=1832604

[chrisih8u]

Doesnt look good for Scott Williamson. He has a pinched something. He took some anti-inflammatory medicine and was told he had to "rest". Which may mean that he will be eligible for the Hall of Fame 5 years from today.

[jookie]

Freakin' Burrell!!!

[Mad Dawg]

How impressive are Eric Gagne's 82 straight saves? Tom Gordon converted 54 straight save opportunities, from April 19, 1998 through May 31, 1999. Gagne broke Gordon's record last Sept. 2, and since then he's set a new record 27 times.

That speaks for itself.

But let's dig a little deeper. Saves aside, how well has Gagne pitched during the streak? Below are the pitchers with the five longest streaks, and their numbers from only the saves:

Sv IP H/9 W/9 K/9 ERA
Eckersley 40 46 6.4 0.4 10.1 1.36
Rod Beck 41 46 7.0 2.2 6.3 1.96
T. Hoffman 41 43 5.2 1.3 10.9 0.63
Tom Gordon 54 56 4.3 2.7 10.0 1.13
Eric Gagne 82 86 4.6 2.0 14.2 0.84


Even leaving aside the saves column, Gagne's been about as impressive as anybody, with only Trevor Hoffman matching him in baserunners and ERA.

Now let's look at what all five pitchers did during their save streaks, including games in which they did not record a save.


Eric Gagne's current 82-game streak is more than twice as long as Dennis Eckersley's best

Gm IP H/9 W/9 K/9 ERA
Eckersley 52 63 6.9 0.9 10.4 2.00
Rod Beck 70 72 8.3 2.0 7.4 2.75
T. Hoffman 55 66 5.3 2.7 11.0 1.36
Tom Gordon 81 84 6.0 3.3 9.7 2.58
Eric Gagne 121 130 4.9 2.3 14.6 1.38


Here, Gagne clearly moves ahead, leading to the distinct possibility that Gagne might have put together the most dominant stretch by a reliever since Eckersley and Tony La Russa invented the one-inning closer in the 1980s.

That said, when you're looking at a save streak, it's also worth taking a look at the difficulty of the saves.

In its late, great Baseball Scoreboard books, STATS, Inc. identified three varieties of saves: Cheap, Regular, and Tough. A cheap save is defined as any save in which the first batter faced was not the potential tying run and the reliever pitched one inning or less. A tough save is one in which the reliever enters the game with the tying runner on base. A regular save is anything else.

One might quibble with the definitions, but clearly there's a big difference between these categories. Relievers typically convert roughly one-third of the tough saves, two-thirds of the regular saves, and 90 percent of the easy ones.

Here's how each of the aforementioned five closers stack up:

Cheap Regular Tough
Eckersley 22 17 1
Rod Beck 18 16 7
T. Hoffman 23 12 6
Tom Gordon 28 21 5
Eric Gagne 37 41 4


If there's a knock against Gagne's streak, it's this: among his 82 saves are only four "tough" ones. We cannot assume, but we might surmise, that if Gagne had been asked to convert more tough opportunities, his streak wouldn't have lasted as long as it has.

But again there's that number ... 82. Dennis Eckersley was used in almost exactly the same way that Eric Gagne is used: one inning at a time. Dennis Eckersley's going into the Hall of Fame in a few weeks. And yet somehow current Gagne's save streak is more than twice as long as Eckersley's best.

One more question: How valuable has Gagne been during his streak, just in terms of wins and losses? The best closer over the last five seasons has almost certainly been Mariano Rivera. From 1999 through 2003, Rivera converted 199 of his 225 save opportunities, which works out to an outstanding 88-percent success rate.

If Gagne had converted just 88 percent of his save opportunities, he'd have blown 10 saves rather than zero saves. If we assume that roughly half of those blown saves would have resulted in losses, then Gagne during his streak has been five wins better than ... what we might expect from the best closer in the major leagues.

Thanks to Retrosheet for supplying much of the data used in this article.

Sorry for my lack of DarkElf style code ability.

[Mad Dawg]

Originally posted by chrisih8u
Which may mean that he will be eligible for the Hall of Fame 5 years from today.

:lol:

A pinched something? Damn you, Jeter!! :mad:

[El Scorcho]

Thanks for the article. I don't think Gagne is as impressive as the world makes him out to be.

[the aftermath]

Originally posted by Mad Dawg
I'm in a room holding a gun and three bullets. With me are Jimy, Sammy, Barry, and George Steinbrenner. What do I do?-ohbfrank- Barry Larkin is a standup citizen

[Mad Dawg]

BOSTON NY YANKEES
OBP HR RBI OBP HR RBI
Johnny Damon CF .386 4 35 Kenny Lofton CF .351 1 6
Mark Bellhorn 2B .386 9 44 Derek Jeter SS .331 13 39
David Ortiz DH .359 19 72 Gary Sheffield RF .406 12 48
Manny Ramirez LF .432 20 59 Alex Rodriguez 3B .377 19 47
Jason Varitek C .388 9 29 Hideki Matsui LF .384 15 47
Kevin Millar RF .352 5 21 Bernie Williams DH .369 9 24
David McCarty 1B .316 2 9 Jorge Posada C .369 9 33
Kevin Youkilis 3B .391 3 19 Tony Clark 1B .340 4 20
Pokey Reese SS .298 3 26 Enrique Wilson 2B .253 5 24

Pedro Martinez RHP (8-3, 3.73) Brad Halsey RHP (1-1, 8.00)

Sweet. That code thing works.

Not a good looking line-up, though.

[El Scorcho]

So here's the problem with the Red Sox.

They have a huge lack of power from anyone not named Ramirez or Ortiz, yet refuse to play small ball and bunt anybody over and get people into scoring position.

That and they can't field.

[the aftermath]

Originally posted by chrisih8u
He's hurt? Goddammit. I should have known he injured his quad when i saw that cast on his arm. rotfl

[chrisih8u]

Originally posted by Mad Dawg
BOSTON NY YANKEES
OBP HR RBI OBP HR RBI
Johnny Damon CF .386 4 35 Kenny Lofton CF .351 1 6
Mark Bellhorn 2B .386 9 44 Derek Jeter Pole Sitter .331 13 39
David Ortiz DH .359 19 72 Gary Sheffield RF .406 12 48
Manny Ramirez LF .432 20 59 Alex Rodriguez Ass Bleeder .377 19 47
Jason Varitek C .388 9 29 Hideki Matsui LF .384 15 47
Kevin Millar RF .352 5 21 Bernie Williams DH .369 9 24
David McCarty 1B .316 2 9 Jorge Posada C .369 9 33
Kevin Youkilis 3B .391 3 19 Tony Clark 1B .340 4 20
Pokey Reese SS .298 3 26 Enrique Wilson 2B .253 5 24

Pedro Martinez RHP (8-3, 3.73) Brad Halsey RHP (1-1, 8.00)

Sweet. That code thing works.

Not a good looking line-up, though.

Cool, You can edit other peoples charts. :up:

[El Scorcho]

Originally posted by Mad Dawg
BOSTON NY YANKEES
OBP HR RBI OBP HR RBI
Johnny Damon CF .386 4 35 Jerkoff #1 CF .351 1 6
Mark Bellhorn 2B .386 9 44 Jerkoff #2 SS .331 13 39
David Ortiz DH .359 19 72 Jerkoff #3 RF .406 12 48
Manny Ramirez LF .432 20 59 Jerkoff #4 3B .377 19 47
Jason Varitek C .388 9 29 Jerkoff #5 LF .384 15 47
Kevin Millar RF .352 5 21 Jerkoff #6 DH .369 9 24
David McCarty 1B .316 2 9 Jerkoff #7 C .369 9 33
Kevin Youkilis 3B .391 3 19 Jerkoff #8 1B .340 4 20
Pokey Reese SS .298 3 26 Jerkoff #9 2B .253 5 24

Pedro Martinez RHP (8-3, 3.73) Jerkoff #10 RHP (1-1, 8.00)


FIXED

[Mad Dawg]

Crap. The game is on YES.

This Halsey kid makes Eckstein look like Jason Robards.

[Mad Dawg]

Originally posted by El Scorcho
FIXED

rotfl

And chris, I have no idea how that worked. I just cut and pasted it from another board.

[chrisih8u]

Originally posted by Mad Dawg
Crap. The game is on YES.

This Halsey kid makes Eckstein look like Jason Robards.

Twice in a row you are denied Jerry Remy. :(

[El Scorcho]

Someday, sometime, we'll all have to end up in a Vegas sportsbook during a yankees/sox series together.

[wabio]

C'mon Pedro....I've got your Kryptonite!















and his name is Enrique Wilson!!!!!! :D

[Mad Dawg]

Dodgers are expected to release Nomo tonight, according to Gammons.

Anyone's team looking for 83 MPH heat?

[chrisih8u]

Eat that, bitch!!!

[El Scorcho]

How do you say hanging slider in japanese?

[Mad Dawg]

Originally posted by chrisih8u
Eat that, bitch!!!

Completely unintentional.

*cough*

[the aftermath]

:lol: @ Pedro staring down Sheffield

[Mad Dawg]

Shit. I'm going to have to leave soon, and this one looks like it could get interesting.

[chrisih8u]

I hope theres a fight. Manny would definatly charge the mound.

[jookie]

Originally posted by Mad Dawg
Shit. I'm going to have to leave soon, and this one looks like it could get interesting.

Nah, the grounds crew looks pretty tame this year.

[wabio]

Pedro looks so much worse of a pitcher than he did 3+ years ago. His stuff used to be unhittable.

[chrisih8u]

Originally posted by jookie
Nah, the grounds crew looks pretty tame this year.

:lol:

[Mad Dawg]

Good old Phony Clark. Never ****ing fails.

[chrisih8u]

Scumbag Tony Clark! :mad:

[chrisih8u]

Pedro shouldve just drilled him in the back.

[Mad Dawg]

The only thing that would be worse than watching the Sox lose would be watching them lose on this crappy channel.

[chrisih8u]

How are the Yankee announcers?

[Mad Dawg]

Originally posted by chrisih8u
How are the Yankee announcers?

http://www.ecu.edu/athletics/photos/bkc_slu_030803/images/Cheerleader%203.jpg

[chrisih8u]

Double play. :D

[chrisih8u]

Sheffield must be so pissed.

[chrisih8u]

The Devil Rays got creamed, 14-0.

[KTIK]

How come Tony Clark has looked amazing (For him) this series, and when he played for the Sox a few years back, he hit a home run in the first game, and nothing else all year?

[Mad Dawg]

By the way, here's a good idea about YES. Directly prior to the game, they said that Nomar's day off was scheduled for one of the three games. Now, they're questioning why he begged out of playing. It's like the NY Post in motion.

[chrisih8u]

Remy: They have some Yankee call in show on tv here. I wanted to just jump through the screen. The things the guy was saying made no sense at all. It was driving me crazy.

[Mad Dawg]

I'm looking at a Sox chatroom. Talk about suicide watch. Christ.

[chrisih8u]

I like reading the official message board. Some crazy people. Not that the Yankee one is much better. Some guy started a thread titled "Sheffield should press charges". And he was completely serious. :lol:

[Mad Dawg]

Originally posted by chrisih8u
I like reading the official message board. Some crazy people. Not that the Yankee one is much better. Some guy started a thread titled "Sheffield should press charges". And he was completely serious. :lol:

:lol:

[chrisih8u]

Pedro struck out the side. :up:

[twikoff]

nice start to the game for atlanta


-Bottom of the 1st inning
-R Furcal hit by pitch.
-N Green singled to left, R Furcal to second.
-J Drew walked, R Furcal to third, N Green to second.
-C Jones walked, R Furcal scored, N Green to third, J Drew to second.
-A Small relieved M Tejera.
-J Estrada struck out swinging.
-J Franco popped out to second.
-A Jones doubled to deep left, N Green, J Drew and C Jones scored.
-E Marrero homered to left, A Jones scored.
-R Ortiz lined out to third.

the line for Tejera - 0 innings pitched, 1 hit, 2 walks, 4 runs
not good for your era to give up 4 runs without recording an out

[Mad Dawg]

So what is the story? Does Brown have a parasite, too, or just a virus?

[Mad Dawg]

:lol: Okay, I can't even be angry. The Sox are going to allow themselves to be schooled by a 6 year old.

[chrisih8u]

Originally posted by Mad Dawg
So what is the story? Does Brown have a parasite, too, or just a virus?

I wish they went into detail of what the parasite is or does. Im sure it is very gross and equelly hilarious. His shit is probably white.

[shizawn]

Originally posted by twikoff
nice start to the game for atlanta



the line for Tejera - 0 innings pitched, 1 hit, 2 walks, 4 runs
not good for your era to give up 4 runs without recording an out

huzzah!

[chrisih8u]

Originally posted by twikoff
nice start to the game for atlanta



the line for Tejera - 0 innings pitched, 1 hit, 2 walks, 4 runs
not good for your era to give up 4 runs without recording an out

You think thats good? You havent seen anything yet! Wait for tomorrow.

[chrisih8u]

I hope Posada gets parasites.

[Mad Dawg]

I'm going to start posting on the Sox official board now.

[twikoff]

what happens tomorrow?
lowe pitching?

[Mad Dawg]

Originally posted by twikoff
what happens tomorrow?
lowe pitching?

That used to matter. Now it's just a joy to hear that the Red Sox are coming to town at all.

[chrisih8u]

Originally posted by twikoff
what happens tomorrow?
lowe pitching?

You'll be thinking "I thought my pitching was bad"

[chrisih8u]

Originally posted by Mad Dawg
I'm going to start posting on the Sox official board now.

rotfl

[chrisih8u]

Was that good defense I just saw?

[chrisih8u]

The Yankees have 2 hits. Great. Thats just great.

[Mad Dawg]

Originally posted by chrisih8u
Was that good defense I just saw?

Pokey threw it back to the ump, so they're rewarding Lofton second and charging him with 2 errors.

[chrisih8u]

That should have been a hit.

[twikoff]

Originally posted by chrisih8u
The Yankees have 2 hits. Great. Thats just great.

wow!
throwing a 2 hitter is sweet!

(unless they are both homeruns ;) )

[chrisih8u]

Yay! Now its a double.

[Mad Dawg]

Manny!

[El Scorcho]

yay manny

[chrisih8u]

Manny!! :banana:

[chrisih8u]

A 3-2 loss is much more respectable. :up:

[chrisih8u]

I just realized that Im starting to sound like nickdawgy.

[Mad Dawg]

Originally posted by chrisih8u
A 3-2 loss is much more respectable. :up:

Exactly. A 3-2 loss with 0 errors.

[El Scorcho]

Is that kid's mom at the stadium to pick him up? Is this why he was lifted after 5 1/3?

[Mad Dawg]

Originally posted by El Scorcho
Is that kid's mom at the stadium to pick him up? Is this why he was lifted after 5 1/3?

:lol:

[Mad Dawg]

I really thought Millar was going to come up big there, but he didn't. Who'd a thunk it?

[chrisih8u]

Originally posted by Mad Dawg
I really thought Millar was going to come up big there, but he didn't. Who'd a thunk it?

I bet my retirement fund that he would go 4-4 with 6 RBIs. :(

[chrisih8u]

When Pedro is getting tired, they should just have him throw left-handed. No need for the bullpen tonight.

[Mad Dawg]

I bet my paycheck that he would change the team slogan to "rip-skippidy-habba-habba-ding-dong-filly-kaloo."

Even money.

[stevevt]

Originally posted by chrisih8u
When Pedro is getting tired, they should just have him throw left-handed. No need for the bullpen tonight.

I doubt he could pitch 7 innings left-handed.

[chrisih8u]

Originally posted by stevevt
I doubt he could pitch 7 innings left-handed.

He would only have to pitch a couple.

[chrisih8u]

Originally posted by Mad Dawg
I bet my paycheck that he would change the team slogan to "rip-skippidy-habba-habba-ding-dong-filly-kaloo."

Even money.


I would so totally buy that t-shirt.

[chrisih8u]

Damon should have had that. What bullshit. Oh, wait a minute...

[chrisih8u]

1st and 3rd with nobody out. I will reserve excitement for later.

[dgmayor]

i'm holding my breath. please dial 911 in about 3 minutes

[Mad Dawg]

Originally posted by chrisih8u
Damon should have had that. What bullshit. Oh, wait a minute...

rotfl

Pokey needs to hit one about 520ft. We all know he can.

[chrisih8u]

Its a tie game. Although Pokey grounded into a double play to do it.

[Mad Dawg]

What? Pokey. At least the game's tied.

[Bushdog]

Crap. Ok. Yanks'll make it a little more dramatic. I just wonder when they'll pull Pedro. Hopefully not too late. ;)

[chrisih8u]

He should be ejected!! Or arrested! Theres no need for that stuff.

[Mad Dawg]

Bellhorn, ya prick.

[chrisih8u]

Bellhorn: rally killah

[Mad Dawg]

Originally posted by Bushdog
Crap. Ok. Yanks'll make it a little more dramatic. I just wonder when they'll pull Pedro. Hopefully not too late. ;)

That's just wrong. :mad:

:lol:

[B.A.]

Manny looks like a happily-insane crack addict on the cover of the new SI. Very scary.

Can Manny w/stand the SI JINX?

[chrisih8u]

Damn wind.

[chrisih8u]

Looks like Foulke is gonna come in.

[twikoff]

what the hell is going on in the boston game
espn.com hasnt updated on it in awhile
and one second they showed the bases loaded with 2 outs.. now they show runners at 2nd and 3rd, with 2 outs.. and no runs scoring

:whofart:

[the aftermath]

MLB.com wasnt updating either. Piece o' crap.

[chrisih8u]

Leadoff single by Matsui. This better not end the way the I think its going to. :mad:

[Bushdog]

I hope it ends the way I want it to. That's just me. ;)

[twikoff]

Originally posted by chrisih8u
Leadoff single by Matsui. This better not end the way the I think its going to. :mad:

walk off grandslam? :hscratch:

[chrisih8u]

Originally posted by twikoff
walk off grandslam? :hscratch:

Or a 3 base error. Hey, lets count all the ways!

[chrisih8u]

2nd and 3rd with 1 out.