Aww, Crap
I was just getting excited about the Giants’ prospects this year:
David (Florida)
Hey Joe! Who do you think is the best improved team this year?
Joe Morgan (12:02 PM)
I guess you would have to say the Giants in the National League because they have made the most moves. If their moves work out or not, we’ll have to wait and see. In the American League I’ll say Seattle. On paper both teams did a good job of improving themselves.
We’re doomed.
PS Sadly, the professionals are long since retired, but I’m guessing they’d agree that ‘because they made the most moves’ is not, strictly speaking, particularly rigorous reasoning for why you are selecting a ballclub as the most improved. The word Joe may be looking for is ‘best’, as in ‘because they made the best moves’.
Oddly, David (Florida) uses the word ‘best’ in the construction ‘best improved’, when he seems to mean ‘most’ as in ‘most improved’. There is always a bizarre kind of aphasia in Joe Chats … and this little exchange is a most best example of it.
Brad adds: The Giants are going to be competitive based on their pitching alone. Lincecum is a special talent, Cain isn’t far behind and Zito… well, he pitches a lot of innings. Offensively, Sandoval is a mid-order bat but he’s pretty much alone out there. Buster Posey will be an asset when he comes along. They’ve got enough chips to acquire another bat during the season. They should be pretty good.
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Word Press not doing job it was hired to do. (And if I have any trouble posting this comment, I’m gonna be fucking pissed.)
That’s just sports-speak, D.
If you can understand it, it’s fine.
I’d like to request that the spampost be removed.
And it’s nice to see that Seattle’s getting noticed for all its moves over the off season.
By the bye, I do have a Giants hat and a Croix de Candlestick but really the A’s were our team when we lived in the Bay Area. Back in the era of the Bash Brothers. When men were men and steroids were not spoken of.
Damn!
And I’m a Mariners fan, too….
That unbroken string of Golden State championships under Don Nelson testifies to that.
Giants, or Judases?
According to family lore, my great-grandmother used to take the roundabout subway route from the Bronx to Upper Manhattan to watch the Giants play.
We’re gonna win Twins, we’re gonna score…
Well, now my post makes no sense, but whatever.
“If their moves work out or not, we’ll have to wait and see.”
Classic JoeChat. The Giants made some moves, and as a result they may be better or they may not be better, depending on what happens in the games. The real key will be if the Giants are consistent. “Consistent” is JoeSpeak for “good.”
According to family lore, my great-grandmother used to take the roundabout subway route from the Bronx to Upper Manhattan to watch the Giants play.
My father took the bus from Tremont down…
I believe that this is where we Massholes post the traditional…
{Ducks, runs for cover behind screaming two-year-old WarriorBabyGirl.}
FYWP. I had the Brady-love embed in preview. Son of a bitch.
Click here, then damn your eyes.
“Consistent” is JoeSpeak for “good.”
“Consistent” is JoeSpeak for “I don’t really know what makes team succeed and fail in this league.”
Lincecum is a special talent, eh? On our beloved Red Sox, he’d be the long reliever, kinda like Bronson Arroyo was.
Yeah, I know I shouldn’t be rubbing the NLs nose in it (and I love the Pirates and Mets). But the NL is AAA compared to the AL.
But we know this, right?
I’m watching for the Pads this year. After they hit bottom 2 weeks after the break, their record with their young players, people coming back from injury, and what they reaped from the Peavy trade extrapolated to a win total in the low 90’s.
Phillies still win the pennant, though.
I do miss Fire Joe Morgan
Granted, Lincecum is awesome and Cain is pretty good. but the rest of the rotation? Sanchez, Zito and “unknown Mr. 5” (possibly AAA kid Bumgarner), aren’t anything to get too excited about.
Panda is pretty good, but probably can’t hit 30 hrs, and neither can anyone else, nor can anyone else bat .300. Molina, Rowand, Renteria, and Huff are all old, over the hill, and overpaid. Sanchez is more banged up than we know. Posey ain’t ready and can’t catch a fastball. Wilson is over-rated.
Compare them to the Cards or the Phillies and it is quite clear that although they may go over .500, they are not a serious threat in the league.
Nylund – my thought was that the Giants revert a bit this season and drop off a bit from last season’s 88 wins. The offense is just really not promising. Molina being re-signed means we’ll waste 400 ABs on not just the slowest guy in the league but also maybe the worst OBP guy who’s a regular player. Last year in friggin’ June he had a quote in the Chron about how proud he was that he’d only drawn 4 walks so far … not a good sign.
The rotation, though — obviously Timmy’s great but I think Cain was maybe a little lucky last year. J Sanchez is kind of a wild card, emphasis on wild, but he’s got some really good stuff so if he can figure out how to control it … he might be good enough to trade for a bat before the deadline.
Moving on, Zito really has to pick it up earlier in the season. Here’s hoping some of this shit is in his head and he returns to his A’s form. No. 5 is Baumgartner’s to lose … he’s lost some velocity in recent years, apparently, but is still meant to be a pretty good pitcher.
BTW, Dhalgren – it’ll be interesting to see how Halladay does with the Phils. If the AL’s as great as you say, he should be markedly better in the NL. That’s going to be a tall order, though, but as Joe might say, we’ll have to wait and see.
Wait. So the Mariners are fucked too? Maybe Milton Bradley wasn’t the best get, but we have Cliff Lee (once he recovers from foot surgery.) Oh, shit. Fuck fuck fuck.
Richie Sexson is the Babe Ruth of Liberal Fascism.
Joe Morgan also “thinks” Dusty Baker is a great coach… despite Dusty’s aversion to base runners.
I know I’ll be called horrible horrible names but, as a Yankees fan, there is little reason to believe they won’t repeat. Their rotation is stacked with the addition of Vasquez and the lineup should be even more potent than ever; like Kramer. The only question is age. The Yanks are going to get really old in a hurry. Here’s to the Fountain of Youth aka World Series Rings!
Esteev,
They’ll be lucky to beat out the Blue Jays.
They’re old, and they rely too much on Martiano (sic) to get them out of trouble. Granderson is not either Matsui or Damon, and neither of them was much last two seasons anyway. Nick Swisher got lucky last year, and will return to his usual splinter-picking ways.
So the entire offense will consist of Jeter, A-Rod, Texiera, and maybe Cano. Not bad, but not enough to beat Boston.
Here is how it will go down this season. First, the games in Virginia and Georgia, and they’ll be declared for the Giants. You’ll be disappointed, but “no big deal, change can’t come overnight” will be your comment. Florida will lose to them, and a little nervousness will creep in. The usual suspects will fall into the usual categories. As the season drags on, games with Ohio, Colorado, and (much to your horror) Pennsylvania will be too close to call.
My advice at this point to you will be to go to bed. You will wake up to a Giants series and the Great Baseball Freakout will be on.
Bookmark this, baseball fans, as this is exactly how it is going to go down. You will be wonder how the hell I was able to call this.
LOL!
Tig? Can I have your baby?
It’s not ripe yet.
Dammit! I have a beaujolais nouveau that I’m dying to open.
BTW, Dhalgren – it’ll be interesting to see how Halladay does with the Phils
Oh dude — I expect Halladay will ROCK with the Phils. He’s a ground ball pitcher who will have two of the best defensive players in the league — Utley and Rollins — playing behind him. Add in the fact that 3B Polanco is a converted third baseman and you’re looking at 20 wins for the Doc.
I expect Halladay will ROCK with the Phils.
I think they gave up a little more in Cliff Lee than they got back. Short term, bad deal. Longer term, probably for the best: they get a younger pitcher of almost equal value, especially if the Seattle prospects actually turn out to be the real deal.
@ dhalgren: i miss “fire joe morgan” too. nothing annoys me more than having to watch a game called by miller and morgan (except, perhaps, having to watch it on fox). you’re lucky if they can get the player’s names correct.
also, it’s cruel to call the NL a AAA league. they’re AAAA.
It’s only to be expected that you liberal bastards would be rooting for Nancy Pelosi’s hometown team!
At least it’s a National League team. The DH rule sucks.
also, it’s cruel to call the NL a AAA league. they’re AAAA.
Whereas AL is really AA.
And I mean the group that meets Monday nights in the church rectory.
So the entire offense will consist of Jeter, A-Rod, Texiera, and maybe Cano
Actor, that ain’t bad at all. And Swisher is an on-base machine! Toss in 30 homers and what? he got lucky? He’s not an avg. guy. Don’t need him to be.
As for Granderson, the jury is still out on that trade. If he is down in the order he could do some damage in that park.
Martino (sic) is a freak of nature I’m not too worried about him. If the Yanks are smart Chamberlain will set-up and Hughes will start.
But again, they are getting old.
And Swisher is an on-base machine! Toss in 30 homers and what?
He turns 30 this year. I expect that his numbers last year were inflated by the protection he got hitting in that line-up. I don’t expect him to be in 150 games again this year. Maybe 130-135. That alone knocks probably 20 points off his BA, and drops his HR total by five.
Plus the age thing…I don’t see him hitting 20 HRs.
Teixiera also turns 30. He had an aberrant year last year, so I expect his production to decline, too.
A-Rod, of course, is 35. His numbers have long shown a drop-off (after you factor in his steroid use).
Curiously, if I was MLB, I’d be testing Jeter.
his (Swisher) numbers last year were inflated by the protection he got hitting in that line-up.
And thats going to change? He’s not an everyday guy. Having that eye off the bench is a great asset.
And Teixiera was insane last season (helped me win a Fantasy Baseball Championship!) I find it hard to believe that at 30 he’s going to decline sharply enough to cause problems.
This lineup looks purrrty good to me.
Jeter’s another story. It’s time to look for a new SS.
May I assume your allegiances lie with the Metropolitans?
May I assume your allegiances lie with the Metropolitans?
You may. You may also assume I am a Rangers, Jets, and Knicks fan.
Go ahead, laugh. I do.
Wow, we’re complete opposites besides politics?
I’m an Islanders fan so I do hate you more for being a Rangers fan more than anything else. Those other teams are just Cute.
It’s OK, Esteev…I won’t hold it against you…
*koffkoff1983clapclapclapclapclaclap1983clapclapclapclapclaclaphock*
Stop talking about the Islanders. You people are triggering me .
I think they gave up a little more in Cliff Lee than they got back.
Depends on the Cliff Lee. The one from 2007 was demoted. The one from 2008 was awesome. Halliday, on the other hand, is a rock. More consistent, more reliable, a better overall pitcher.
The one big thing is that the Phils play in an AL-style bandbox and that plays very small for lefty power hitters, so his NL numbers might not be that much better than his AL, but his AL numbers were awesome anyway. Pencil him in for 18 to 20 Ws.
That said, the Phils need what’s his name to bounce back. The defeatist lefty, that guy.
The Yanks are unbeatable. Better, by far, than anyone else. The Sox and Rays, both improved, will be lucky if they don’t call their Yankee games after 7 innings. They don’t have a single weakness. More Gods, than men, actually.
The Yankees don’t have a single weakness, except for maybe the Early Bird Special at IHOP.
I thought they did fire Joe Morgan, but he just didn’t notice.
Stop talking about the Islanders.
Hospodar was to enforcers what Bush was to Presidents.
There. I said it. But then I was pretty good friends with Nick Fotiu.
The Yanks are unbeatable.
Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeea…no.
However, I’m not going to say “Bookmark this, libs,” cuz I know how brutal you guys can get 😀
Is Brad really just an alias for Damon Bruce? Drinking the Kool-Aid is no excuse to post meaningless babble about how the Giants have the pieces to obtain hitting.
You see, they don’t. They’re missing something important. Mainly, a GM that can evaluate talent and the guts to make a deal with some impact. If they even sniff the playoffs this year, it’ll be because everybody else in the West sucked out loud.
I predict Bumgarner takes over as #3 starter this year. The Jints have good pitching. Offense, not so much. I doubt it will be enough to catch the Dodgers, but it may be good enough for 2nd.
Joe Morgan also “thinks” Dusty Baker is a great coach… despite Dusty’s aversion to base runners.
. . .and his inability to handle a pitching staff.
Yes, I’m a Cub fan, and yes, I’m still pissed about 2003.