MLB-Watching (2009)

[spidernat]

Porcello was hilarious with the backtrack, but once Youk got to him he threw down

Yeah he used Youkilis' momentum but it's all good, whatever works. He was clearly scared and turned on self preservation mode.    The plunking was intentional, at least that's how I saw it. What I found messed up about Porcello's teammates is that they knew it was coming and no one stepped up to administer damage to Youkilis for charging their pitcher and throwing a helmet at him. In the replays you can see Youkilis' bald coconut. If I had been playing 3B or SS I would've delivered a knee to Youkilis' cue ball head or something to make him think twice the next time he decides to charge the mound. Of course I am actually of the belief that plunking batters is a punk/nag ass move. 

[DPMOmaha]

No, I disagree, the couple of times I saw it, it looked like it got away from him.  I think if they had known it was coming the other infielders would have been prepared to defend their pitcher, the fact they weren't there and that the catcher wasn't ready to tackle Youk tells me it wasn't intentional.  It's rare the batter actually gets to the pitcher and if he does his teammates are usually right there when he does actually get there.  There was an extra second or two before anyone got in there not counting the couple of extra steps it took when Porcello tried to ole him towards first. (It didn't help that whoever was at first whiffed on Youkilis when he got there either) I don't think it was intentional.  So, unless Porcello is that unliked in his clubhouse, I think everyone was suprised when it happened.

[spidernat]

You may be right Omaha.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

I don't think Leyland called for it, but I think Porcello did it deliberately on his own.  This guy had hit one batter all year in over 100 innings. 

The sequence was Penny hit Cabrera Monday, apparently a deliberate brushback.  Jackson then retaliated against Youkilis, drilling him in the side.  Youk went to first, jawed a little, but no real confrontation.  Tuesday night, Tazawa comes inside, high, and Cabrera cannot pull his bat out of the way and gets hit on the fingers.  No question that was not intentional contact - no one aims at the hands.  Porcello, after two outs in the first, comes way inside to V-Mart and misses him.  Martinez looks back out at him and says something (maybe "kid, what the heck was that for"). He strikes out, Tazawa gets through the top of the 2d, and then Porcello hits Youkilis right on the top of the numbers in his back.  You want to hit someone, you throw behind him a bit because the instinct is to pull back. 

The Tigers were not ready, as noted, because Leyland did not call for him to be hit.  After the benches cleared, Leyland and Francona spoke, mostly with Leyland talking, and Francona smiled.  No way Leyland called for it - it was just a rookie thinking it was the right thing to do.

[bklynnats]

New protective batters helmet introduced

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/13/sports/baseball/13helmet.html



Looks like kind of a cross between a biking helmet and a batter helmet?

Rawlings is about to introduce its newest batting helmet, the S100, a bulkier but far more protective helmet that can withstand the impact of a 100-m.p.h. fastball, according to Rawlings and an independent testing organization. Most other models, when hit flush by a ball, are compromised at speeds in excess of 70 m.p.h.

As helpful as the new helmet may be, there is resistance to it from some major league players who are not prepared to sacrifice comfort and style for added protection.

Gonzalez and others who choose to wear the new model could become pioneers like Ron Santo, one of the first to wear a batting helmet with an earflap, or Jacques Plante, the first hockey goalie to wear a face mask on a regular basis.

Major league players are a fearless and traditional bunch, and for many any kind of change, even for the sake of safety, is anathema.

“No, I am absolutely not wearing that,” Mets right fielder Jeff Francoeur said with a laugh after seeing a prototype, as if he were being asked to put a pumpkin on his head. “I could care less what they say, I’m not wearing it. There’s got to be a way to have a more protective helmet without all that padding. It’s brutal. We’re going to look like a bunch of clowns out there.”

Among a small, informal sampling of players, several said they would likely stick with their current model, even though the S100 has been proved more effective in independent laboratory testing. In the eyes of some major league players, it is just too bulky, too heavy and too geeky-looking.

“I want a helmet that’s comfortable,” Athletics infielder Nomar Garciaparra said, “and that doesn’t look bad.”

Yankee first baseman Mark Teixeira said the new helmet would make him feel as if he were wearing a football helmet in the batter’s box.

“The one I’ve used for my entire career is fine,” he said.

Francoeur took a Brad Penny fastball in the helmet this season and, as he said, “lived to tell the tale.” Even Gonzalez escaped a catastrophic head injury with his old model.

David Halstead is the technical director for the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment, an independent organization that sets safety standards. Halstead said a vast majority of helmets used by major league players are not certified by his organization because they do not have enough interior padding and do not have two earflaps.

“Major league players do not play with a helmet that meets any standards,” he said. “It’s remarkable to me. Once the earflap is removed, it can’t be certified.”

Halstead said that a ball traveling a mere 32 m.p.h. that hits an unprotected head flush will “result in a skull fracture every time.” So what happens when a ball leaves the hand at 90 m.p.h. and hits a helmet? Usually it hurts a lot, and it may result in a concussion. But it rarely causes a fracture.

The reason is that a player who gets hit with a 90-m.p.h. fastball is usually experienced enough to avoid a direct hit and ensure the impact is only a glancing blow. In 24 years of work with the committee on athletic equipment and as co-founder of the Southern Impact Research Center, Halstead said he had seen only three skull fractures from a pitched ball, and two were in girls softball.

The third occurred this season with a player in the Orioles’ minor league system. Halstead examined that helmet and found no structural damage. He said there was a good possibility it did not fit properly and, when the player moved to avoid the pitch, the helmet shifted and the ball may have hit directly against the head.

“If he had been wearing the S100 and it fit properly, he wouldn’t have had a skull fracture,” Halstead said.

The S100 — so named because it can withstand the impact of a ball fired at 100 m.p.h. from 24 inches away — has a layer of expanded polypropylene, the hard, foamlike material used in bicycle helmets.

The helmet also has a composite insert strip built into the frame that helps the helmet retain its protective oval shape upon impact. Even if current major leaguers balk at wearing the bulkier new helmet now, Rawlings is banking on the idea that minor leaguers, as well as high school and college players, will convert to it and the helmet will work its way into the major leagues as they are promoted.

“Our position is to offer the safest helmet on the market,” said Mike Thompson, Rawlings’s vice president for marketing and business development. “If they elect to wear it, that’s their choice.”

To meet the standards of the committee on athletic equipment, helmets must withstand the direct impact of a baseball fired out of an air cannon at 60 m.p.h. from 24 inches away. Most helmets will be dented at 70 m.p.h., but Halstead recently tested the S100 in his Knoxville, Tenn., laboratory. It withstood pitches at 100 m.p.h.

Now, he is making his 8-year-old son, Sean, wear it for Little League games.

But it is hard to predict the number of professionals who will convert to using it.

“If it provides more protection, then I’m all for it,” said Mets third baseman David Wright, who last week dodged a Brad Thompson fastball traveling on a frightening vector toward his head. “I’m not worried about style or looking good out there. I’m worried about keeping my melon protected.”

[ronnynat]

MLBTR:

According to Marc Lancaster of the Tampa Tribune, the Rays have sent 25-year-old first baseman Rhyne Hughes to Baltimore to complete last week's trade for veteran catcher Gregg Zaun.

Hughes is batting .282/.350/.516 with 22 home runs and 72 RBI this season in 440 at-bats between Triple-A Durham and Double-A Montgomery.  He has also struck out 149 times.  Zaun, 38, is 5-for-15 with two doubles and a solo home run in his short time with Rays.

That's a pretty damn nice prospect they got for Gregg freakin' Zaun.

[sportsfan882]

The Birds have not won a series since the All-Star Break.

Today they gave up 9 runs in the 13th inning and 17 runs in total.

[Obed_Marsh]

The Birds have not won a series since the All-Star Break.

Hard to laugh at other teams when you have the worst record in baseball but apparently you value something other than winning. Stay classy and real.

[sportsfan882]

Hard to laugh at other teams when you have the worst record in baseball but apparently you value something other than winning. Stay classy and real.

It's not hard to laugh at the biggest laughingstock in baseball, the O's.

All of their pitching "prospects" continue to do horribly in the Majors and in general they have no future. NO FUTURE. They can only strive to finish 3rd place in the AL East but even that will be difficult.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Aubrey Huff, welcome to a pennant race!  Traded to the Tigers for their 4th round pick fromt he 2008 draft, a relief pitcher in the FSL, Brett Jacobson.  My fantasy team takes another blow, because I guess he'll take time from Marcus Thames.

[bklynnats]

Mariners acquire Bill Hall from the Brewers for minor league pitcher Ruben Flores.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090819&content_id=6506738&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

Flores, 25, was 3-2 with 18 saves and a 4.39 ERA in 44 relief appearances combined between Class A Clinton and Class A High Desert. He limited opponents to a .225 batting average, while walking 35 and striking out 61 in 53 1/3 innings.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

The Globe article is pretty self explanatory.  Montalbano was drafted I think the same draft that the Red Sox took Delcarmen and was very highly thought of as a prospect.
 

In tribute
Before he played yesterday, Kevin Youkilis inscribed “GM’’ in marker on his cap. He then hit two home runs, which he did not believe was a coincidence. Both times as he crossed home, he looked up and pointed to the sky.

Youkilis played minor league ball with Greg Montalbano, a lefthander from Worcester who pitched at Northeastern. They remained friends after they parted as teammates. In the time that Youkilis forged his major league career, Montalbano fought cancer. Late Friday, Montalbano passed away. He was 31. (Obituary, B9.)

Playing in tribute to Montalbano, Youkilis spearheaded the Red Sox offense in their 14-1 victory over the Yankees. In addition to the two homers, he had a double and a total of six RBIs. All along, his thoughts remained with Montalbano.

“That,’’ Youkilis said, “was for him.’’

After the game, Youkilis watched the Rays-Rangers game on a clubhouse television. He saw Carlos Pena, who played with Montalbano at Northeastern, whack a home run. When Pena returned to the dugout, he flashed a sign for the camera that read, “That was for you, Monty.’’

Youkilis is not deeply spiritual, but he felt a connection.

“Great things happen sometimes in life,’’ Youkilis said. “It’s an unbelievable feeling that two guys who played with him both hit home runs today. It was a great thing.

“Not to get religious or stuff like that, but there are some crazy things that have happened in my life. You always feel like there’s somebody out there somewhere pushing balls for you and doing great things.’’

Youk was also my Mom's favorite player.  He homered the game before she passed away and the night before her funeral. That might have been the only time in 2007 he his homers two games apart.   My Mom had non-Hodgkins lymphoma, which eventually led to her death.  Jon Lester, who also had non-Hodgkins lymphoma, through his no hitter on her first birthday after she passed away.

[houston-nat]

Going to the Astros game today to see if Bud Norris can bounce back from his terrible start last go-round. Astros fans are a desperate bunch - since he got called up a month ago, Norris has acquired the same 'savior' aura in everyday conversation as Strasburg has in some corners of this forum. It might be because the Astros farm system has literally nothing in it.

[sportsfan882]

Bud Norris stinks. minor league fodder

[ronnynat]

Bud Norris stinks. minor league fodder

You'd sweat him if he was on our team.

[sportsfan882]

yeah. right.

what is so special about him?

getting his ass beat today at the hands of the crappy D-Backs.

[houston-nat]

Norris got absolutely pwned. Left with two runners on and no outs in the second inning. He just never looked good. On the other hand, Felipe Paulino, who came in with a 7.23 ERA and had to catch something like five "ceremonial first pitches," was very good for four relief innings.

[PC]

I repeat again, Colorado is the luckiest team in baseball!

The Giants scored 3 runs in the top of the 14th against the Rockies.  You think they'd win the game.  All they have to do is hold the Rockies from scoring 3 runs to keep the game going or 4 runs to win.

What do the Rockies do in the bottom of the 14?  They score 5 runs, including a grand slam, and win.  

[KyleScha]

I repeat again, Colorado is the luckiest team in baseball!

The Giants scored 3 runs in the top of the 14th against the Rockies.  You think they'd win the game.  All they have to do is hold the Rockies from scoring 3 runs to keep the game going or 4 runs to win.

What do the Rockies do in the bottom of the 14?  They score 5 runs, including a grand slam, and win.   

I watched this entire game haha. I think its the fans, they have some of the best fans in baseball.  Wow...

[Nat of the Living Dead]

I watched this entire game haha. I think its the fans, they have some of the best fans in baseball.  Wow...

It's the Power of Christ.

Remember this 2006 article?

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/nl/rockies/2006-05-30-rockies-cover_x.htm

[JCA-CrystalCity]

It's the Power of Christ.

Except when Jason Marquis is pitching. 

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Wagner to Boston for 2 mionor league PTBNLs. 

[JCA-CrystalCity]

One writer's all time Jewish MLB team.  Lou Boudreau?

http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/articles/2009/08/31/bases_loaded_with_jewish_ballplayers/

Not a bad current group.

[mikehughes]

http://www.daytondailynews.com/dayton-sports/cincinnati-reds/phillips-reveals-hes-playing-with-a-fractured-wrist-274920.html

CINCINNATI — When Brandon Phillips gets an audience, he is like a stand-up comedian who hears the first few laughs and then pours it on.

After Monday’s doubleheader sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Cincinnati Reds second baseman revealed that he is playing with a hairline fracture of his left wrist.

The fracture came from getting hit by a pitch thrown by Washington’s J.D. Martin, a pitch Phillips believes was intentional. As a result, Phillips scribbled Martin’s name inside his hat to remember, “And I’ll find a way to get back at him. I’ll keep his name in my hat until we meet again. When I hit a home run off him or get a big hit, then I’ll take his name out of my hat.”

When Phillips got hit, the diagnosis was a deep bruise, “But I kept playing and made it worse and it really bothers me. But they said I can’t make it any worse, so I’m not going to sit down.”

Why not?

“I could be on the disabled list, but that’s not me,” he said. “I could sit down, but then that gives another person a time to shine. You never know who might take your job.”
And they have suggested that he take a cortisone shot, “And the pain would go away in two days,” he said. “A shot? A needle? Not me, man. No way. They’re not going to shoot me. I hate needles.”

Phillips said he knows people don’t realize it, or pay attention, “But I’ve played through injuries all year. I broke my thumb and now I’m playing with a broken wrist people don’t even know about. I’m out here grinding, just trying to finish the season.

“I went on the DL one time, and I don’t want to do it again,” he added. “I’m out here trying my best because it is my career, my life and it is the only thing I know. I just go out and make the best of it. Years from now, when I look back, I’d be p.o.’d at myself when I think, “Man, I wish I had stayed in there.’ So that’s what I’m doing.

“I could go on the DL and sit in the clubhouse and eat all the snacks, but I’m not that type of person,” he added.

Phillips said he believes, and some of his teammates believe, that Martin hit him on purpose.


“I still think he hit me on purpose,” Phillips added. “So his name goes in my hat with other people to I can remember and find a way to get ’em back, not fighting, just doing things to beat them.”



Reds 2B Brandon Phillips revealed that he is playing with a hairline fracture of his left wrist. The fracture came from getting hit by a pitch thrown by Washington's J.D. Martin, a pitch Phillips believes was intentional. As a result, Phillips scribbled Martin's name inside his hat to remember, "And I'll find a way to get back at him. I'll keep his name in my hat until we meet again. When I hit a home run off him or get a big hit, then I'll take his name out of my hat." -- Dayton Daily News .....Ben's Take: It's good to see Phillips doesn't hold grudges.

[PC]

Josh Beckett is dropping another load on the mound tonight.