Baseball Thread Rated X -- Mature Audiences Only

Boo. I'm ready for Bears-Packers.

 

It wouldn't be a night in baseball without another collapse by the Reds Bullpen.

4-2 lead in the eighth
Harang stays in a few pitches too long, gives a Bonds game-tying dong

4-4 in the 10th
David Weathers gives up a solo job to locker room cancer Shea Hillenbrand

Kiss any hopes of the Central goodbye; now 3 out in the wild card.

THe Reds cannot beat the West; hell, the Reds cannot play with the West. 1-9 in their last 10.

68-70

 

I think Jason Giambi shaved his stache in the middle of Monday's game.

 

Utley and Barfield hit walkoff HRs to keep the Marlins 2 games back of SD and a half back of Philly.

 

I realize this post is a day old and the Reds have lost another game in the interim, but a.) David Wells didn't get the win and b.) why are you surprised the Reds were flummoxed by Wells? Dude was outstanding the last month in the far superior and hitter-friendly AL, as long as he stays healthy (no sure thing now that he's running around the bases), it'll be a surprise if he doesn't continue to pitch well in the NL.

I'm not sweating the Reds. With 13 games left against the dog-ass Cubs and Pirates, there's enough opportunity to finish .500.

 

Yeah, and I'm sure the Red Sox thought they would be fine last month going to Tampa and Kansas City for back-to-back series. But they won one game and were essentially done from the Royals series on, ending with Boston Massacre 2.

The Reds might have a soft schedule, but I won't assume they can beat anyone until their pitching improves.

 

What the hell do you know? Julian Tavarez is the ace who will lead the Red Sox to the playoffs!

 

Not after the Royals sweep Boston in Fenway this week. Afterward, Bill Simmons will write a 300-inch column/obit in which he will swear never to compare Papi to Larry Legend again for fear of the curse he brought on the team this season, then go into mindless comparisons for this Red Sox team to characters from 90210. It will be a lovely day.

 

Something I noticed tonight, Tavarez points to the base where the ball should be thrown to EVERY time. If I'm an infielder I'm telling the guy, hey, nobody's on, I think I know what to do with it. And stop telling me what to do, you're the one that's pitched like shit all season long.
But he pitched great tonight, 2 bad pitches when he ran out of gas.
And that's got to be a great feeling for Carlos Pena, local kid.

 

If you're the Padres and Wells is pitching, do you send him up to the plate and order him not, under any circumstances, to swing at a pitch? Hell, don't even give him a bat. Just stand there, take three, and head back to the dugout.

And if they walk you, walk down to first, then take a lead of about 20 steps off base, get picked off, and trudge back to the bench. If you're trailing in the game, and need a runner, simple -- pinch hit.

 

Book it. Hopefully that quiets the certifiably insane talk that he deserves the MVP. Softer than Charmin.

And hey, how about those Mets? Roy Oswalt carried a perfect game into the seventh Sunday and the Mets got all of one hit against those big bad Braves Monday. Pretty darn impressive for the best junior varsity team in the land!

That team is not making the World Series. And if they have to play the Padres or Dodgers in the first round, they're not even getting to the NLCS. F-R-_-_D-S. would you like to buy a vowel?

 

Yes. That's a damn good idea.

Of course, yesterday's hit is probably the only one he'll get this month. But I wouldn't want that guy doing anything more than running from the dugout to the mound (which is almost surely all he wants to do, as well).