Harper finally gets #1

5/14/2012 8:06:58 PM

Old men are beating off all over the DC area.

5/14/2012 8:11:47 PM

On the next episode of Ow my balls

Quote :

"Stephen Stasburg was bothered by stray Hot Stuff in his groin during Tuesday's loss to the Padres. Hot Stuff is an analgesic ointment like Icy-Hot that is often used as a muscle-loosener. But it can cause quite a bit of pain when applied to ... more sensitive skin. "I can’t really tell you what the problem was, but some Hot Stuff got misplaced," manager Davey Johnson said. "It was on his shoulder and evidently – I don’t know how it got to where it got, but it was uncomfortable, to say the least." Strasburg allowed four runs in four innings. Source: Washington Post May 15 - 6:46 PM"

5/15/2012 11:32:59 PM

5/15/2012 11:37:25 PM

I would've gone with "If the Angels offense scores any runs"

5/16/2012 2:04:36 AM

Can we talk about how badly Brett Lawrie should have murdered that ump

5/16/2012 12:28:58 PM

haha i came here to opine on this topic
http://tinyurl.com/6m9r7sj
such BS

5/16/2012 1:50:31 PM

Yeah, that was a ridiculous sequence. And the 3rd strike came b/c the ump's pride got dinged a little when he took off to first on the 2nd strike, which was also a bad call.

Fuck spiking the helmet. If you're going to get suspended, make it count.

5/16/2012 1:50:31 PM

the 3rd strike wasn't even THAT bad of a call



still, i'd be pissed if i got a called strikeout on a sequence where only 1 pitch was in the zone

5/16/2012 2:29:43 PM

It's obviously an inconsistent call, as evidenced by ball 1 being even further outside and ball 2 being in fucking Saskatchewan.

Lawrie acted like a twat, but I can understand it. At least he didn't go full Roberto.

5/16/2012 2:33:57 PM

Lawrie should have swung the bat and not have been such a pussy. Both of those pitches were in the wheel house.

5/16/2012 2:42:43 PM

miller called a couple other pitches around the same spot as lawrie's over the course of the game, so other people got those called against them too unless they all happened during lawrie's at-bats (they could've). i hate using that as an excuse for bad calls because i also hate defending umpires, but lawrie screwed up throwing the helmet. i don't think he meant to hit miller though, otherwise he would've chucked it straight at him

5/16/2012 2:50:56 PM

lawrie suspended 4 games. so you can throw a 93mph fastball at someone intentionally and not miss any time, but if you throw a helmet down that happens to one-hop and hit an ump you get an arbitrary 4 game suspension. well done, MLB.

edit: holy shit. will rhymes passed out after getting hit by a pitch. jesus.



[Edited on May 16, 2012 at 10:53 PM. Reason : .]

5/16/2012 10:26:27 PM

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/17/will-rhymes-collapses-injury-rays-red-sox_n_1523191.html

listen to the hit and look at the instant swelling...wow.

95 mph to the arm...eff that

[Edited on May 17, 2012 at 2:21 AM. Reason : ya]

5/17/2012 2:20:36 AM

damn

5/17/2012 3:03:53 AM

they just need to finally bite the bullet and call up Doug Beavis

[Edited on May 17, 2012 at 3:29 AM. Reason : s]

5/17/2012 3:18:49 AM

they called up pitcher/rapist josh lueke the other day. not sure why they keep giving that piece of shit chances.

5/17/2012 7:41:28 AM

Quote :

"lawrie suspended 4 games. so you can throw a 93mph fastball at someone intentionally and not miss any time, but if you throw a helmet down that happens to one-hop and hit an ump you get an arbitrary 4 game suspension. well done, MLB."

You can't fuck with refs/umpires in any sport. That's like getting suspended for pushing a teacher in high school. They are an authority...don't do it.

5/17/2012 7:44:40 AM

Quote :

"You can't fuck with refs/umpires in any sport. That's like getting suspended for pushing a teacher in high school. They are an authority...don't do it."

it's never good when a player loses their cool, but several times each year players will get in an ump's face over a call and get tossed with no suspension. dude shouldn't have thrown his helmet, but if he really wanted to clock bill miller, he could've. i really doubt he decided, "i'm going to throw this helmet down so it bounces once and hits this umpire because i'm very upset about this call." and i don't care if umpires are "an authority." too many of them think they are above reproach because of that.

5/17/2012 10:46:59 AM

Quote :

"several times each year players will get in an ump's face over a call and get tossed with no suspension. "

If Lawrie had only done that, he wouldn't have been suspended either.

There's a precedent here and it was followed.

Quote :

"i really doubt he decided, "i'm going to throw this helmet down so it bounces once and hits this umpire because i'm very upset about this call.""

Fucking of course he didn't. His intention is irrelevant.

[Edited on May 17, 2012 at 11:01 AM. Reason : If you throw shit like a Little Leaguer, be prepared to answer for the collateral damage]

5/17/2012 10:59:53 AM

see: Young, Delmon

5/17/2012 11:13:16 AM

Quote :

"Rhymes said he feels lucky nothing worse happened. When medical staff asked usual questions like who he was, he said "Batman""

5/17/2012 11:27:33 AM

i don't understand how intention is irrelevant here. he didn't purposefully spit in the umpire's face or go after him to physically harm him. ok yeah, he shouldn't have thrown the helmet, but essentially this boils down to him being suspended for throwing a helmet. people are on camera throwing helmets, bats, gatorade containers, gloves, etc in the dugout. have managers been suspended any time they've kicked dirt on an ump or thrown/walked off the field with a base? honest question. they're acting like little leaguers aren't they? it's dumb to just say, "welp, ump was touched by something. case closed. suspend."

i get WHY lawrie was suspended and that there's a stupid precedent that if you breathe on an umpire you get a suspension because of some kind of papal authority they possess. my issue is with the way the league conducts its discretion of who gets suspended an arbitrary amount of games for whatever incident because they don't dish them out fairly. what happened last night to will rhymes could've (didn't, but could've) happened to bryce harper. cole hamels could've (didn't, but could've) legitimately hurt another player and openly admits his intent to hit harper on purpose, but he misses no time whereas brett lawrie loses his cool and has to sit out 4 games. granted, 4 out of 162 isn't a huge deal. it's just a matter of principal.

Quote :

"see: Young, Delmon"

i think you have to look at throwing a bat at someone in a different context than throwing a helmet on the ground

[Edited on May 17, 2012 at 11:32 AM. Reason : .]

5/17/2012 11:30:10 AM

Quote :

"i get WHY lawrie was suspended and that there's a stupid precedent that if you breathe on an umpire you get a suspension"

This also is not what happened.

[Edited on May 17, 2012 at 11:45 AM. Reason : Hard to argue with your hyperbole. Just go suck Joe West's dick already.]

[Edited on May 17, 2012 at 11:47 AM. Reason : http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2891897]

5/17/2012 11:45:23 AM

Quote :

"This also is not what happened."

yeah, no shit.

Quote :

"http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2891897"

note i said ANY time. that wasn't the first time he had kicked dirt on an ump, and he threw bases plenty of times before that, but i don't think he was suspended every single time for that despite throwing shit like a little leaguer.

and what other than the breathing comment is hyperbole?

5/17/2012 12:02:33 PM

Rat Soup for MLB Commissioner 2013!!!

5/17/2012 1:09:43 PM

all jokes aside, that wouldn't be any worse than selig

5/17/2012 1:39:22 PM

http://mlb.sbnation.com/2012/5/16/3024397/american-league-east-standings-pythagorean-record-runs-scored

kind of an interesting (but premature) article. it'd be kinda nice if it's the start of a trend for the sake of more people talking about league realignment

[Edited on May 18, 2012 at 10:38 AM. Reason : .]

5/18/2012 10:37:50 AM

Baseball players act like petulant children. Umps are even worse, and managers are the worst of the lot. I don't know what it is about the baseball culture in particular, but no sport produces more whiny pricks than baseball.

5/18/2012 11:01:07 AM

Quote :

"Kerry Wood reportedly will announce his retirement from baseball Friday afternoon, but still plans to be available in the Chicago Cubs bullpen for the start of the City Series."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/chi-kerry-wood-announces-retirement-report-20120518,0,5284008.story

Lou Piniella
Kerry Wood

Cubs can't handle life after the Braves come to town

5/18/2012 11:05:33 AM

Quote :

"Baseball players act like petulant children. Umps are even worse, and managers are the worst of the lot. I don't know what it is about the baseball culture in particular, but no sport produces more whiny pricks than baseball."

the culture kind of promotes it, really. throwing tantrums is just something that is acceptable for whatever reason. generally the only repurcussion is being thrown out of the game, so you really have nothing to lose. a lot of the times players and their teammates are just on the wrong end of a string of bad calls or have lost a few games, and guys just snap at some point.

i disagree about managers being the worst, though. they definitely get the most animated, but umpires are the biggest babies by far. they have this mindset that they are completely infallible and above the law and anyone who disagrees with them is automatically wrong or disrespectful or whatever. there's rarely ever admission of fault when a blatantly bad call is made because that's just not how things work and The Human Element and this and that and whatever. Umps suck, and the league allows it and encourages it.

5/18/2012 11:31:36 AM

baseball umps and basketball referees like to think people came to the ballpark/arena to watch them and not the players

5/18/2012 11:32:35 AM

i spoke too soon

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/05/18/bravo-umpire-bob-davidson-suspended-for-a-game-mlb-announces-it-loud-and-clear/

Quote :

"This is clearly the result of his run-in with Charlie Manuel the other day when, after Manuel barked something from the dugout, Davidson made a point to unleash an obnoxious and defensive expletive-filled rant at Manuel. Which is nothing new for Davidson. He has repeatedly picked fights with players and managers over the years, escalating situations that should have been innocuous and otherwise not acting like the voice of reason and authority that an official in any capacity — be they umpire, referee, judge, cop, teacher or parent — should be."

there really needs to be more of this

[Edited on May 18, 2012 at 12:37 PM. Reason : needs to be more than a 1 game suspension too]

5/18/2012 12:36:40 PM

The next commissioner needs to eliminate umpire in favor of cameras and computers. The home plate ump could be done away with by k-zone and the the only thing the umpires at firatsecond and third do is fuck things up. Of tennis can utilize cameras down the line then so can baseball.

5/18/2012 12:44:56 PM

then we can get robot pitchers and robot hitters

5/18/2012 1:05:00 PM

^^ While that is crazy, I do think baseball needs an instant replay system similar to football.

5/18/2012 1:21:02 PM

that would require people in the commissioner's office to stop saying "welp, Human Element" and then laying down to take a nap any time a controversial missed call happens.

5/18/2012 2:42:02 PM

Another great post from Rat Soup. He's completely correct in stating that MLB has refused to add or expand instant replay, full stop.

5/18/2012 2:50:00 PM

another great post from Ernie taking everything i say 100% literally

it took them years just to implement home run reviews, and that's all they've done in what, 3 years? and how much clamoring did it take just to get there? but i'm sorry. they've done a thing, so that's good enough, i guess.

5/18/2012 3:41:44 PM

[Edited on May 18, 2012 at 7:39 PM. Reason : .]

5/18/2012 7:37:54 PM

Scherzer with 15 strikeouts through 7

pitch count is pretty high though

5/20/2012 2:54:47 PM

So AJ ellis has a .460 OBP and don mattingly has him batting 7th, probably just because he's a catcher or some shit

5/20/2012 8:25:01 PM

"More instant replay would make the games too long."

I can't believe people actually continue to use this argument. I know, it wasn't you guys, but I heard it again today from an actual human being.

Obviously it's quicker for the manager to trot his fat ass out there and make a pointless argument for a minute and a half rather than have someone reviewing a play as it happens and then getting a definitive answer.

If there are actually concerns about making baseball games shorter why not stop letting the batter step out of the box every 15 seconds, or limit mound visits between catcher and pitcher or force pitchers to throw within a set time limit. There are any number of things that could be done if you just wanted to shorten the game.

Baseball just refused to utilize technology because old fucking writers would scream and yell just like they did when they outlawed the spitball.

[Edited on May 20, 2012 at 8:45 PM. Reason : asdf]

5/20/2012 8:43:06 PM

nevermind

[Edited on May 20, 2012 at 8:51 PM. Reason : sdfs]

5/20/2012 8:45:12 PM

it also doesnt help that managers bring in a pitcher to face 1 batter and then immediately bring in another pitcher to face the next guy and like 15 minutes are wasted

5/20/2012 9:53:01 PM

They should get rid of any pitcher who can't throw 90+ every pitch

Slow pitches are killing the game

The math works out

5/20/2012 9:55:19 PM

Yes, but that's a legitimate strategic move. I don't mind that, but stepping out for 20 seconds between every pitch to readjust your batting gloves and bullshit around is not.

5/20/2012 9:55:52 PM

But that's a legit strategic move when the pitcher's trying to hold a base runner

[Edited on May 20, 2012 at 9:57 PM. Reason : They should ban Nomar-style equipment adjustments, though]

5/20/2012 9:56:53 PM

Frank Drebin should be the homeplate ump during every game, he can save time by calling balls or strikes before the pitch even hits the catcher's glove

5/20/2012 10:02:47 PM

Anyway, the point I was trying to make is that baseball is a slow, ponderous game to begin with. It's not like a few seconds to review a close play at second on a manager's challenge would be detrimental to the nonexistent flow of the game.

5/20/2012 10:02:52 PM