61 Responses to “2011”

1. Chuck Says:
   January 1st, 2011 at 2:47 pm

   Happy New Year everyone.

2. Kahuna Tuna Says:
   January 1st, 2011 at 3:52 pm

   Leave us not forget Jeff Newman (2011 career putouts as catcher), Ron Hansen (2011 career putouts as shortstop), or Mel Hall or Austin Kearns (2011 career putouts as outfielders).

3. Thomas Says:
   January 1st, 2011 at 8:01 pm

   Have I overlooked where on the site the expansion draft information is or is it not on here?

4. SW Says:
   January 1st, 2011 at 9:57 pm

   Amazing to notice - first time for me - that Adrian Beltre could reach 3,000 hits. Maybe not likely, but very possible.

5. Raphy Says:
   January 1st, 2011 at 11:23 pm

   @3 http://www.baseball-reference.com/draft/expansion-draft.shtml

6. John Autin Says:
   January 1st, 2011 at 11:40 pm

   2,011 batters faced: Reliever Hal "Porky" Reniff (1961-67), a member of the 1961-62 World Champion Yankees.

   A 20-11 W-L record has been done 26 times, most recently by Adam Wainwright this past year; also by HOFers Warren Spahn, Bob Feller, Jim Palmer and Robin Roberts, future HOFers Greg Maddux & Tom Glavine, 2-time CYA winner Roy Halladay, and of course, the illustrious Bobo Newsom, the only one to split the feat among 2 teams. No one has ever done it more than once.

   No pitcher has ever gone 2-0 with 11 saves.

   P.S. While searching for 2011s, I noticed that Jim Thome has a small chance of breaking Reggie Jackson's career record of 2,597 strikeouts. Thome is 202 back, at 2,395; no other active player is within 700 Ks of Jackson.

   Thome fanned 82 times last year, 123 the year before. The odds seem against him; he turned 40 in August, and at last year's pace he would need 3 more seasons to pass Reggie. He did have a very productive 2010, but it's still unlikely that he'll play more in 2011 than he did last year, when he had 340 PAs.

   But hey, Reggie managed to rack 212 Ks at ages 40-41.

   Happy New Year, everyone.

7. John Autin Says:
   January 2nd, 2011 at 12:20 am

   201.1 career IP: Bill Kelso.

   Kelso, a big righty reliever, came up with the Angels in 1964, though it's hard to see why; he had a 5.22 ERA in AAA that year, and the Angels had a good pitching staff, 2nd in the AL with a 2.91 ERA. Kelso worked out of the bullpen for 8 games, then got his first career start in the final week of the year -- and tossed a 4-hit shutout against the Twins, retiring eventual batting champion (and ROY) Tony Oliva in all 4 trips. Kelso got his 2nd career win a few days later with 4 innings of solid relief, despite allowing Harmon Killebrew's 49th HR. (That would stand as the highest AL HR total between Maris/Mantle in '61 and Cecil Fielder in 1990.)

   Kelso posted a 2.28 ERA in 23.2 IP that year, with 21 Ks and 9 walks. But he must have had a bad spring in '65, because he spent the entire year in the minors, getting the tar kicked out of him at AA (even though he'd already done a full year at AAA). He came back strong in 1966, with a 2.09 ERA in the PCL and a 2.38 mark in a brief call-up to the Angels. In '67, Kelso served as California's secondary closer (behind AL saves leader Minnie Rojas), notching 11 saves and a 2.97 ERA in 112 IP, as the young club posted its 3rd winning season in 7 tries.

   In the winter, Kelso was sent to Cincinnati in a deal that landed Sammy Ellis, who'd gone 22-10 in '65 but had struggled since then. The deal didn't work out for either team: Ellis never recovered his winning form, while the youngster Jorge Rubio who also went to CIN got hurt and never pitched in the majors again, and Kelso posted a 3.98 ERA (very bad for a reliever in 1968). In the spring of '69, the Reds sold him to the Red Sox, but the Sox sent him back 2 weeks later, and Kelso spent the year in the minors. He would pitch 4 more seasons on the farm, but never made it back to the big leagues.

   P.S. John Hudek, runner-up to Raul Mondesi in the 1994 NL ROY race and an All-Star that same year, also had 201.1 career IP. Hudek averaged over a K per inning for his career, but his career was eventually sunk by walks and HRs, and he finished with a 4.43 ERA and 95 ERA+.

8. Spartan Bill Says:
   January 2nd, 2011 at 8:04 am

   Roy Thomas is also in the 20-11 W-L club; but in his case it is a career record and not a single season record.

9. Tmckelv Says:
   January 3rd, 2011 at 9:47 am

   Nice way to start the new year...Sarge and Jumpin' Joe.

10. Cabriael Says:
    January 3rd, 2011 at 10:54 pm

    And 2011 mistakes by your sacred umpires and 2011 reasons to kiss their asses by you and other umpire worshippers.

11. Cabriael Says:
    January 3rd, 2011 at 10:54 pm

    May 2011 be the first year when an umpire is killed at the ground by an irate player or manager.

12. Johnny Twisto Says:
    January 4th, 2011 at 12:20 am

    I'd say umps made a lot more than 2011 mistakes.

    I don't know that I'm actually rooting for one to be "killed at the ground" (whatever that means), but it would certainly be compelling television.

13. Mike Felber Says:
    January 4th, 2011 at 3:41 am

    Sounds psychotic Cabriael. Just what the Inter-tubes needs: more mindless excuses to channel limitless hatred & rage!

    Who are the supposed umpire worshipers here anyway? If we ever find any, lets see if we can convert them to mere Idol worship.

14. Cabriael Says:
    January 4th, 2011 at 8:00 am

    Umpires are causing more harm than good nowdays, but they are never punished for their misdeeds.

    The only way to punish them is at the ground, and making the bad umpire never be able to walk into a playground ever again would be enough.

15. Stu Baron Says:
    January 4th, 2011 at 9:49 pm

    Are you serious, Cabriael? This is a game, not life and death.

16. Michael T Says:
    January 4th, 2011 at 11:00 pm

    God, I hope Castillo gets to 2011 hits. That would mean a half-decent year for him, for once.

17. Cabriael Says:
    January 5th, 2011 at 3:20 am

    >Are you serious, Cabriael? This is a game, not life and death.

    For some people it's more than life and death.

    Umpires mess up too much game, and Bud Selig just sucks up to them. So the only way to stop their abuse and constant mess-ups is to physically harm at least one of them so the rest of them will have to fear for their own health before going forward with their controversial decisions.

    Life and death are ephemeral, records stay forever.

    Quite a few people mentioned in these blogs are only known by the stats they have left.

    Frankly speaking, I think Galarraga should have broken the neck of Jim Joyce. But since he has set an example of someone having the grace (and promptly sent to the minors), nobody will act as foolish as him any more.

18. Mike Felber Says:
    January 5th, 2011 at 3:43 am

    Cabriael, I should not & will not be sarcastic or mean here. But please consider my case carefully: what you are saying not only makes no sense, but it signals a serious emotional issue to free yourself of.

    The "grounding" practicalities: having a record sometimes altered in a call is nowhere near as important as life & death, let alone maiming someone vindictively. Doing so would 1) not improve officiating-there is no reason to believe umps are not trying, or making calls to cause strife & 2) anyone who did so would be severely punished, & have his reputation & award prospects stained for life. The "record" of what we do, in memory & recorded, is forever too. Look where just spitting at 1 umpire got Alomar: much grief, regret, compromised HOF prospects, & deeply disdained by many.

    Most importantly, it is Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs to really believe that doing bodily harm here would be ethical, forget about working out for the player or solving the problem. Chill out, consider if you are too tightly wound, & consider that staying mired in seething hatred over this-or anything-mainly harms you, man.

    Thanks for listening. G'nite fellow night owl.

19. Locode Says:
    January 5th, 2011 at 8:38 am

    This guy has a serious issue with umpires. His rants go back some time.

    Something tells me he's not quite with it. Someone should figure out who he is and make sure he gets some mental help.

20. JMac Says:
    January 5th, 2011 at 1:03 pm

    The projection for who might get to 2,011 hits is very conservative:

    Paul Konerko is at 1861 hits; he is 35 yrs old and had 171 hits last year.

    Mike Young is at 1848 hits; he is 34 years old and had 186 hits last year.

    Derrek Lee is at 1843 hits; he is 35 years old and had 142 hits last year.

    Juan Pierre is at 1842 hits; he is 33 years old and had 179 hits last year.

    Andruw Jones is at 1840 hits; he is 34 years old and had 64 hits last year.

    Placido Polanco is at 1836 hits; he is 35 years old and had 165 hits last year.

    All of the above are between 150-175 hits from 2011, and I'd say all except Jones (in an apparent steep decline and the only guy not projected to be a regular) are no worse than 2:1 odds to reach the "2011" milestone (and more importantly, the 2000 milestone).

21. JMac Says:
    January 5th, 2011 at 1:05 pm

    I'm also going to agree that Cabriael sounds pretty scary. Dude, switch to decaf.

22. Andy Says:
    January 5th, 2011 at 1:07 pm

    JMac, my projections were for players who could reach 2,011 hits in the 2011 season.

23. JMac Says:
    January 5th, 2011 at 2:44 pm

    Andy: I understood that.

    You don't think Konerko or Young, presuming they remain reasonably healthy, are likely to get 150 hits/163 hits, respectively,. in 2011?

    It's not death & taxes certain, but it's something close to even money, no?

24. John Autin Says:
    January 5th, 2011 at 3:26 pm

    JMac @23 re: Konerko getting 150+ hits in 2011:
    Looks like a bit less than even money to me.

    Yes, "Nerks" had 171 hits last year -- but he also hit .326 on balls in play, which is 41 points above his career average.
    Konerko has averaged 142 hits over the past 3 years, 149 hits over the past 5 years.

    Factor in an expected modest decline in playing time and performance due to being a year older (he turns 35 in March), and I'd set the unscientific over/under at about 140.

    BTW, only 5 MLB hitters age 35+ had at least 150 hits last year.

25. JMac Says:
    January 5th, 2011 at 3:47 pm

    Thank you: I think you've proved my point: If Konerko's best guess projection for '11 is 140 hits, his getting 150 hits isn't really especially unlikely...just a little less than even money.

    A few bloops, a couple cheap grounders "past a diving Jeter", and we're pretty much within the margin of error.

26. Cabriael Says:
    January 5th, 2011 at 9:42 pm

    >The "record" of what we do, in memory & recorded, is forever too.

    Who remembers Galarraga? I do. Apparently you don't. 7 month is not 'forever'.

    >Look where just spitting at 1 umpire got Alomar: much grief, regret, compromised HOF prospects, & deeply disdained by many.

    Alomar shouldn't have regretted this . He did it. No grief, etc.

    There is no way to hold umpires accountable for their misrulings. Bud Selig and the cohort of umpire worshippers support them blindly.

    I would have been content to suspend the umpires one month (without pay of course) for a minor misruling, one year for a major misrulng and a ban for lifetime like Joe Jackson for a Major, Major misruling (starting with Denkinger).

    But since there is no 'painless' way to hold the umpires responsible for their decisions, the only way available is to make them physically feel the pain.

27. Cabriael Says:
    January 5th, 2011 at 9:43 pm

    Oh, and Alomar just got elected to the Hall of Fame. Guess it's now OK to spit on umpires at least! (LOFTLMAO)

28. Johnny Twisto Says:
    January 5th, 2011 at 11:24 pm

    I would have been content to suspend the umpires one month (without pay of course) for a minor misruling

    What constitutes a minor misruling? I'm as anti-umpire as any non-psychopath I know, but even a great ump (if there were such a thing) would miss a ball/strike call occasionally.

29. Locode Says:
    January 5th, 2011 at 11:31 pm

    Cabriael:

    Here's what you do. Go get yourself a job with MLB, and work your way up to where you're involved in decision making, then you can press for your illogical and idiotic ideas.

    Oh yeah, none of that will ever happen, so all you'll ever do is continue to post your psychotic ideas proving ever more that you are a danger to society. I suggest you get some self inflicted shock treatment.

    I'll tell you one thing I've never come across on the internets. Any group of people that worship umpires, or referees, or any sports officials. Duh, they're human and unfortunately they make mistakes. That's not enough of a reason to think it's ok to physically harm them.

30. Cabriael Says:
    January 6th, 2011 at 12:00 am

    If someone makes mistakes about 20% of the time, would you hire that person to do anything important?

    And would you respect that person's opinion?

    Yet the umpire worshippers are saying that the opinion of a group of people who have already shown to be incompetent on what they are doing, and are not showing any intention to change, reform or whatever. In fact they are getting more arrogant and defensive.

    Respecting these sad sack of people is close to 'worship', hence the term of umpire worshipping.

    Incompetent umpires should be flushed out by the Umpires Union or whatever, but it is not doing that. All checks and balances have failed and they grow more stiff.

    So , like what someone has already said, a 'shock therapy' is needed to break their arrogant egos and realize that they are simply f*cking up the game and the lives of players but up to now were never held responsible for any harm they were causing.

    Umpires belong to the age when computers were not invented. They should be eventually phased out, just like electric lights phased out gaslights.

31. Cabriael Says:
    January 6th, 2011 at 12:03 am

    >Yet the umpire worshippers are saying that the opinion of a group of people who have already shown to be incompetent on what they are doing, and are not showing any intention to change, reform or whatever. In fact they are getting more arrogant and defensive.

    Should read as:

    Yet the umpire worshippers are saying that the opinion of a group of people who have already shown to be incompetent on what they are doing, and are not showing any intention to change, reform or whatever and in fact are getting more arrogant and defensive,

    should be respected and followed.

32. Locode Says:
    January 6th, 2011 at 12:36 am

    "If someone makes mistakes about 20% of the time, would you hire that person to do anything important?"

    Funny thing. The best major league hitters only do their job between 3 and 4 times out of 10, yet they get paid millions.

    It's a game. No ones lives are being f*cked up. You need help. Get some.

33. Johnny Twisto Says:
    January 6th, 2011 at 12:42 am

    The best major league hitters only do their job between 3 and 4 times out of 10

    Not a fair comparison. Someone else is being paid just as much to do the job of preventing hitters from doing their job.

    It's a game. No ones lives are being f*cked up.

    The "game" is a livelihood to many people. Some people's lives could get effed up by an umpire making the wrong calls. (Though if he made the right calls, it's just as likely someone on the other team would have their life effed up.)

34. Cabriael Says:
    January 6th, 2011 at 1:47 am

    >Funny thing. The best major league hitters only do their job between 3 and 4 times out of 10, yet they get paid millions.

    >It's a game. No ones lives are being f*cked up. You need help. Get some.

    Would you trust a smoke detector which fails about 20% of the time?

    Hitters are expected to do 'reasonably', not make a hit every time.

    Umpires are supposed to be making 'correct' calls most of the time. They are being paid to do so.

    But they make horrible mistakes over and over again.

    Before the arrival of HD TVs, the mistakes were not apparent and they could get away with their f-ups.

    But now technology has advanced enough to show what a bunch of f*ckups the umpires are, yet they still demand obedience and respect.

    Jim Joyce cost Galarraga at least a million dollar. Dallas Braden, the 'last' perfect game winner, will get at least a million dollar through arbitration. Galarraga will never see a million. If that's not f'ing somebody's life, I don't know what it is. I haven't heard about Jim Joyce being fired or otherwise reprimanded for anything. The checks and balances of umpires have completely collapsed, and only physical harm to them will make them reconsider now.

    The days of umpires now belong to history. They were needed in the past, but not any more since technology made them obsolete.

    Defending the umpires' incompetence and obsolence is nothing short of blind worship for my eyes.

35. JMac Says:
    January 6th, 2011 at 2:09 am

    No one is objecting to criticism of umpires' performance. Our objection is to your threats of lethal bodily harm. That's just out of bounds in regular discourse.

36. Locode Says:
    January 6th, 2011 at 5:01 am

    "But they make horrible mistakes over and over again."

    Really? Over and over? Sorry, I don't see it. Do they make mistakes? Sure, unfortunately they do. Horrible mistakes? Sure, it happens. Over and over again? No, absolutely not.

    You seem fixated on 2 things. Armando Galarraga and HDTV.

    Was it a shame that Armando didn't get the perfect game? Yes, it was. So in your world, he should have attacked the umpire after the call was made, and pummel him senseless. Had he done that, he would be in jail at this very moment, his career finished.
    As it happened he took the decision like a man, shook the umpire's hand the next day, got his free corvette, and will almost certainly be remembered as a true sportsman. The reality of Armando Galarraga is that he's not really a very good pitcher, and perfect game or not he'll probably be out of the game within 3-4 years without ever reaching the big money contract level.

    As for HDTV. You should spend your time watching your Justin Bieber HDTV DVD's, and leave baseball for sane people. Your constant desire to attack people is not a sane thing. Perhaps the UFC, or the WWE would be better for you to watch. Perhaps you could form your own Fight Club. Heck, you probably have enough personalities to make an entire club without having to invite anyone else.

37. Cabriael Says:
    January 6th, 2011 at 8:35 am

    >"But they make horrible mistakes over and over again."

    >Really? Over and over? Sorry, I don't see it. Do they make mistakes? Sure, unfortunately they do. Horrible mistakes? Sure, it happens. Over and over again? No, absolutely not.

    I think you have forgotten another series of bad officiating during the NLDS and ALDS.

    An umpire judged Buster Posey of Giants was safe while actually he was not in one NLDS game. That 'safe' eventually lead to a run, which won the game for Giants, and that eventually led them to World Series Victory.

    And that ended Bobby Cox's career in a shame, with a defeat at home field. If the officiating was good it might have went the other way.

    And similar officiating disasters continued during the Rangers-Rays ALDS, etc.

    Worshippers can't see the failings of their object of worship. I don't know whether you actually watched the division series of last year.

    The umpires fail over and over again, but are continuing to be unrepetant and arrogant. It is time for someone to teach a lesson, and since Bud Selig and the Umpires Union will do nothing, only a physical lesson will cause enough stir to crush the umpires' pride and stiffness.

38. Locode Says:
    January 6th, 2011 at 9:18 am

    Ok, so you're a Braves fan who was pissed that your team lost. Blame the ump! I ask you this. How many games does a team win when they score ZERO runs?
    Do you blame the umps for Brooks Conrad making 3 errors?

    Interesting thing about the Posey call. None of the Braves on the field argue it at all. It's a bang bang play, and only on replay does it even appear that the tag beat the runner.

    Not to mention that it was only Game one. The Braves were going to lose that series regardless of the Posey call. Duh.

    So anyways, you think that Umpires are redundant and all that anyways. So how do you want your games to go? Every single call is based on video review? Balls and strikes? Plays at bases? Fair/foul ball? What do you want here, 8 hour games? Do you have even a basic idea of how stupid your idea is?

    And really, how exactly was Joyce "unrepetant and arrogant" about the Galarraga call? He was contrite and apologetic. He admitted he screwed up. What else can a man do? You think it's be ok to beat the crap out of him? That makes you insane.

    I don't worship anything or anyone. No sports are perfectly refereed or umpired, replay or not. It's part of the game. It's life. And that's something you seem to need some help in living in an acceptable way.

    It's not ok to suggest that ANYONE should be beat up if they don't do their job the way you want them to. Although I'd love to see you try it. No really. Because the only thing that would happen is that you would end up in a lot of pain and in jail.

    You don't happen to live in Chicago do you? Ever had an issue with a first base coach?

39. Johnny Twisto Says:
    January 6th, 2011 at 1:02 pm

    Jim Joyce cost Galarraga at least a million dollar.

    Absurd. In the long run it probably works out better for Galarraga.

40. Cabriael Says:
    January 6th, 2011 at 11:27 pm

    >>Jim Joyce cost Galarraga at least a million dollar.

    >Absurd. In the long run it probably works out better for Galarraga.

    Reason? Galarraga will probably not be able to stay in the Majors this year, while Braden will probably be a fixture at Oakland for at least most of this decade.

    I don't really see the reasoning on that, but at least it is not absurd.

    ----

    >And really, how exactly was Joyce "unrepetant and arrogant" about the Galarraga call? He was contrite and apologetic. He admitted he screwed up. What else can a man do? You think it's be ok to beat the crap out of him? That makes you insane.

    Did Joyce resign? No. Did Joyce lose anything? No. In fact he probably enjoyed the most fame in his life by screwing up!

    That brings another issue. Umpiring is probably the only occupation on the world who becomes famous by screwing up. Don Denkinger's name will be remembered long after he dies. I think Denkinger is probably glad he made that 'Call' since it gained him an eternal fame.

    At that time the umpires still had an 'aura' of invincibility. But now times have changed, and the fans now know umpires are just nothing more than a bunch of overpaid , bumbling jocks who mostly exist to cause trouble.

    The umpires and their followers continue to show arrogance, unrepentance, unwillingness to change , unreason, self-righteousness, and perverse perception that they hold power over the game.

    Convincing true believers is a next to impossible task and I am not going to do that.

    True umpire believers will keep on saying that no matter how many mistakes the mistakes the umpires make and how many games and records they ruin, they should be immune from any responsibility or consequences and protected like sacred cows.

    I still wish this year is the first year when umpires are going to be striken back because of their actions, and they learn they can't get away after messing up a crucial call.

    Some cohorts of baseball fans are truly reactionary. They are still upset about expansion teams, night games, designated hitters etc. But baseball evolves, leaving these staunch but getting-smaller-by-each-year holdouts behind.

    About 50 years from now, umpires would be remembered as something which existed when tech were still primitive, although the names of Denkinger and Joyce will probably survive even at that time.

41. Locode Says:
    January 7th, 2011 at 12:16 am

    Galarraga's being in the majors or not will have nothing to do with pitching a perfect game or not, same with Braden. Galarraga's performance will determine if he stays in the majors, just as Braden's performance will do the same.

    The bottom line is that Galarraga isn't a very good pitcher, so he probably won't be in the majors for a long career. That's got nothing to do with Joyce.

    You are a psychotic nutjob. I strongly suggest you get mental help.

42. Cabriael Says:
    January 7th, 2011 at 12:48 am

    Umpires feel they are marginalized by fans and have no friends. So they tend to be very defensive and act like pit bulls when their 'authority' is challenged.

    And they tend to denigrate the players and managers as not being their equals, since that's the only place where they can feel any power over the folks at the ground who will make more than they do.

    It seems umpires' supporters share same qualities, calling someone names because the person refuses to go along with the 'main line'.

    All revolutions began when the existing power refused to see what was wrong and refused to adapt at all.

    Umpires and their followers are simply not capable of adapting to the tech-savvy world. They are still stuck in the 20th century when there were no techonological means to tell whether an umpire f*cked up or not.

    So, unfortunately, they will have to be left behind, like the dinosaurs and the dodo.

    As long as Selig is there they will be content and not change anything. But 20 years from now, if there is an 'umpire' it would be someone who analyzes the pictures most accurately, in a back room and way out of sight from the players, fans. etc.

43. JMac Says:
    January 7th, 2011 at 12:49 am

    Is there a moderator anywhere??

44. Cabriael Says:
    January 7th, 2011 at 7:15 am

    >Is there a moderator anywhere??

    Classic umpire attitude. Umpires eject managers and players just because the latter suggested that the former had made mistakes.

    The ejection power should be greatly reduced as well, since umpires have abused it so much too.

    I simply don't under stand why just suggesting that umpires should be accountable and pay the price of their bad decision is so objectionable for some.

    Even bad judges are sometimes replaced in elections. Not always, but often. Bad umpires stay on the job no matter what!

    That should be changed, too. I don't understand why they and their supporters are so adamantly against adapting to the new technological world. Perhaps because they know umpires are now obsolete and if they budge one step they would lose everything?

    When machines were invented many artisans doing similar work by hand lobbied the politicans to curtail the spread of machines, and they succeeded for a few years until the machines simply overwhelmed them.

    The younger people of today play computer baseball games where there are no missed calls and no famous umpires who gain their fame by blowing big calls.

    When they come to power over time, umpires will be phased out and the whole debate would have been as moot as the debates people had 200 years ago whether to keep the artisans or introduce the much-faster and more-efficient machines to manufature this and that.

45. Andy Says:
    January 7th, 2011 at 8:40 am

    As for moderation, I'm reading all the comments but haven't yet seen anything here that deserves censoring.

46. JMac Says:
    January 7th, 2011 at 10:10 am

    Death threats & incitements to violence are OK?

    Eh, I guess you're right. It was late at night and I was exasperated, but everyone's got a right to be a moonbat if they want.

47. Johnny Twisto Says:
    January 7th, 2011 at 3:28 pm

    Galarraga will probably not be able to stay in the Majors this year, while Braden will probably be a fixture at Oakland for at least most of this decade.

    What are you talking about? See Locode's post. It doesn't make one bit of difference to Galarraga's career whether that was called an out or safe. Nor to Braden's. It's one game, either way. They both have to keep performing, or they'll be replaced.

    Other than that, I actually agree with 75% of what you say about umpiring. They do a poor job, are unnecessarily combative, and care more about protecting themselves than improving the game.

48. Cabriael Says:
    January 7th, 2011 at 10:02 pm

    I am not going to waste my time about who was a better pitcher, Braden or Galarraga. I know that while Galarraga was sent to the minors less than 2 months of the incident, Braden was continuously given the chance even after dropping ten games in a row. Without the perfect game Braden would never have had that chance, and Braden is now a fixture.

    Galaraga did win more than ten games in a prior year, and if Jim Joyce didn't f*ck his f*cking call it is more than probably that G would have another decent, if not great year. Joyce is responsible for that.

    However that's not the point I am trying to make.

    Umpires think they can get away with anything as long as they have Selig on their side, and refuse to adapt, change, or accomodate the reality that they mess up more than they should and there are better options than relying on their obsolete experiences.

    There is a saying; if you don't want to change,change will be forced on you.

    Cripping an umpire for life is just the kind of 'shock' to reform the whole mess, since it would probably produce a knee-jerk reaction by the umpires who would only succeed to anger fans even more and alienate them, to the point of a complete overhaul of officiating which would probably not be in favor of the umpires and their supporters.

    Another saying is that the tree of freedom grows best with blood. Freedom from the whims of incompetent umpires and the inaccuracies of human eyes.

    I think I have said what I wanted to say, and will not be back till the next major umpire gaffe, which we are going to see at least once in this year.

49. Locode Says:
    January 7th, 2011 at 10:12 pm

    It's quite clear that you are psychotic and insane.

    Braden didn't lose 10 games in a row, and Galarraga didn't pitch poorly because of an umpire.

    I hope that in the future the hospital revokes your day passes.

50. Cabriael Says:
    January 9th, 2011 at 1:36 am

    This will really be my last post. I have to say that I have never been to a psycharist and will not be in a long time.

    No wins for 10 games and still given chance. Not too many pitchers get that kind of chance very often, especially someone at that level.

    Somehow questioning the unlimited power of the umpires, even when they are wrong, and asking for responsibility (not a cheap ass apology which I can do a million times) for their actions, qualify for psychosis for some people, which I don't understad.

    They have failed to explain why umpires should be immune from all consequences of their calls, correct or not, and why they should not be penalized for any mistakes. Any factory worker who makes too many mistakes would be fired, and the same logic works for any job in the world except the umpires.

    Somehow they seem to believe in the "Divine Rights of Umpires".

    What's needed is accountability on the Umpire's side, and just suggesting it seems to be repugnant for die-hard umpire supporters who think the umpires are somehow devine and should be free from taking any responsibility or accountability, and do whatever they feel like at the spur of the moment.

    Since it's unlikely that I will get a reasonable answer to the points I made above, I will stop on here and wait till the next umpire gaffe.

    And, no, ad hominem attacks without a fact is not a 'reasonable answer'. It's more like the ejections umpires give whenever they feel like, like a favorite weapon.

51. Locode Says:
    January 9th, 2011 at 6:45 am

    Braden had a stretch of 9 starts without a win, something that is not at all uncommon.

    During those 9 starts, his ERA rose from 3.33 to....... 3.74. When he WON the 10th start, his ERA rose to 3.77. In the 9 starts without Braden winning, the team scored a total of 18 runs. His continuing to pitch had nothing to do with having pitched a perfect game.

    Clearly you don't have a single clue about baseball. Anything about baseball.

    "I have to say that I have never been to a psycharist and will not be in a long time."

    Please, please, PLEASE! Go see one. Tell me where you live, and I'll have one sent to you directly. Gratis. I'll need your full name and address.

    I notice that your spelling is going downhill, which is often a first sign of a mind about to snap. Where you overly excited by the shootings in Arizona? Is that the kind of thing that makes you happy?

    I'm quite sure that MLB has an internal process for reviewing umpires, and when needed "punishing" them for their mistakes. And I completely agree that further video review is needed, and not just in baseball. However the ludicrous idea of completely removing the umpire from the game would create games that take WAY too long to complete, and is clearly something that will not happen.

52. Andy Says:
    January 9th, 2011 at 7:13 am

    #51 be careful. You're picking on the spelling of someone who speaks English as a second language. You sound like quite an ass.

53. Locode Says:
    January 9th, 2011 at 7:21 am

    #52. What makes you think that he speaks English as a 2nd language? Is that an ASSumption on your part? Who's the ASS if that's the case?

    But hey, thanks for stepping in with your amazing insight. No go back to work on something clever to do with 2012. Get ready for next year.

54. Andy Says:
    January 9th, 2011 at 7:23 am

    You are way out of line. I am not making an assumption about him--I have information about him that is not available to readers of the blog. Why you would then criticize my blogging and writing is beyond me.

55. Locode Says:
    January 9th, 2011 at 7:29 am

    Ah, I see. So you ASSume that because he's probably posting from a foreign country that english isn't his first language? No one would know from his/her writing that they were ESL.

    Anyways, in case you were unable to comprehend, I wasn't "picking on his spelling". Go back and read it again, slower this time.

    I'm out of line? Calling someone an ASS for no good reason gets you the same treatment in return. What a shocker.

    You've got some nut job who wants to kill umpires and I'm the ass?

56. Andy Says:
    January 9th, 2011 at 7:32 am

    You're making assumption after assumption. I know he speaks Spanish as a first language. I don't condone his support of violence against umpires and disagree with some of the other things he has posted here (though not all). But I don't appreciate the way you are attacking him personally, such as suggesting he needs therapy. I feel you are out of line.

57. Locode Says:
    January 9th, 2011 at 7:39 am

    Suggesting someone needs therapy isn't an "attack", nor am I the only one here to do so. Please make sure you call out everyone who has reacted the same way.

    I would also suggest that if you know so much about this guy, you should alert the authorities to his strangeness. If more people stepped up and reported those that might SEEM to be harmless whack jobs, stuff like the shootings in Arizona might not happen.

    Apparently the irony of your not appreciating with what you think were personal attacks by calling me an ass is beyond you.

58. Andy Says:
    January 9th, 2011 at 7:41 am

    What makes you assume that I haven't reported him?

59. Locode Says:
    January 9th, 2011 at 7:49 am

    I'm not assuming anything in that matter. I made a suggestion. Bit of a difference.

    Kind of like calling someone an ass for no reason.

60. Andy Says:
    January 9th, 2011 at 7:52 am

    I called you an ass because of my opinion about your behavior. Sorry you don't agree, and sorry that you apparently don't appreciate my blogging.

61. Locode Says:
    January 9th, 2011 at 8:02 am

    Again, I love that the irony of your not appreciating what YOU thought were personal attacks by making a personal attack against me by calling me an ass is beyond your understanding.

    is that so hard to understand?

    Suggesting that someone needs mental help because they want to kill umpires is not an attack. It is a sane reaction to an insane argument

    Calling someone an ass for doing so IS an attack.