WBC Game Thread: March 22, 2009
by Ryan on Mar 22, 2009 7:40 PM EDT
in Game Threads
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PrintUnited States vs. Japan, 8:00 PM (ESPN)
World Baseball Classic, Semifinal #2
Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, California
The starting pitchers are Roy Oswalt (USA) and Daisuke Matsuzaka (JPN).
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Rare Sunday night off for me, psyched to see some “real” baseball. I haven’t been caught up in the WBC like some people around here and elsewhere, but I’ve been watching the tourney on TV for about 5 straight hours and will happily get into a baseball game.
Is it wrong to hope that Derosa lines one off of Dice-K’s knee-cap?
Il faut d'abord durer.
I feel like there’s been a lot of talk about it. Certainly more than I would have guessed coming in. That’s all I meant.
Il faut d'abord durer.
I think only because it’s been a long death-march of an offseason.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
It certainly has been that. This endless spring training isn’t helping, either.
Il faut d'abord durer.
I wonder if it will become a tradition for some A-rod bashing to start each year from mid-feb through march.
Its not enough to replace baseball obviously but the story about a-rod and the ny prostitution service is some preseason fodder
As General Manager of this team, I demand to know when I'm getting a start.
A fun stat for the back of Jeter’s baseball card would be how many games — both for the Yankees and any other team — he’s appeared at shortstop and while not the best shortstop on the team.
Il faut d'abord durer.
Derosa is using garko’s glove at 1st according to booth.
That things got 2 errors in it for tonight methinks
As General Manager of this team, I demand to know when I'm getting a start.
Did Morgan just call Fukudome a top-of-the order hitter? I wouldn’t even call him a “major-league-average hitter”
Travis Hafner is overrated. Clarity is underrated. David Dellucci is David Dellucci.
Nice. Wright with a dhouble.
Also, with Meloan getting optioned, I need a new sig. Any suggestions?
Don't be stupid. PUT IN MELOAN.
No. MLB hits. Don’t know if you’re being sarcastic, but he meant 5 more years with 200 hits.
Il faut d'abord durer.
Ichiro is 1195 hits short of 3,000 ML hits going into his age 35 season. 4,000 ML hits would seem to be out of reach — his Mariners teammates might kill him before then.
"I've never complained about it. I'm thankful to have a jersey." Mark DeRosa, 22 Aug 2007
Is Adam Dunn so bad at 1B that DeRosa is really the best option there?
Don't be stupid. PUT IN MELOAN.
Yikes. Phillips answered your question.
Travis Hafner is overrated. Clarity is underrated. David Dellucci is David Dellucci.
Is there any statistical or logical reasoning behind the old “Left-handers like the ball down, right-handers like the ball up” maxim? As a (pretty bad) left handed hitter, I certainly liked the pitches down, but have never had it satisfactorily explained as to how that could be true across the board.
Il faut d'abord durer.
Maybe someone can explain to me what would have been wrong with:
SS – Rollins
1B – Jeter
DH – Dunn
RF – DeRosa
Same lineup, better defensive alignment. Is keeping Jeter off of first base really worth losing Rollins as a defensive option and leaving Dunn out there in the field?
The need to flatter Jeter by keeping him at shortstop is hurting this team.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
Dunn specifically signed with an NL team so that he didn’t have to DH. Is it possible that Davy Johnson asked him to and he refused?
"I've never complained about it. I'm thankful to have a jersey." Mark DeRosa, 22 Aug 2007
I don’t want to be an alarmist, but…
DeRo is normally a short-sleeve guy, unless the weather is very bad. Tonight he is wearing a long sleeve on his left arm only. Does he have a sore elbow? Or is he just trying to create a fashion statement?
"I've never complained about it. I'm thankful to have a jersey." Mark DeRosa, 22 Aug 2007
I’d be so confliced if Jake faced Grady.
Travis Hafner is overrated. Clarity is underrated. David Dellucci is David Dellucci.
I was wondering, conflicted about what? Which Jake?
Tribe in '09!!
by indiansfan20062000 on Mar 22, 2009 10:15 PM EDT up reply actions
DeRosa threw that softly so Jeter couldn’t drop it.
Travis Hafner is overrated. Clarity is underrated. David Dellucci is David Dellucci.
Perhaps you would prefer that Jeter play 1B and DeRo play SS?
"I've never complained about it. I'm thankful to have a jersey." Mark DeRosa, 22 Aug 2007
Now that would be funny
Tribe in '09!!
by indiansfan20062000 on Mar 22, 2009 10:26 PM EDT up reply actions
Yes.
"...leading the league in most offensive categories. Including nose hairs."
by sarcasmdave on Mar 22, 2009 10:27 PM EDT up reply actions
That’s too bad. A Japan-Korea showdown would be kind of compelling, but we’ve sent a pretty good team to play in this. Not the very best team imaginable, but a good one. I want us to do better than this. A loss here is a little humiliating; maybe it’ll stoke my interest in the next classic.
YEAAAAAAAAA ROSAAAAAA
Travis Hafner is overrated. Clarity is underrated. David Dellucci is David Dellucci.
I think we can honestly say that third base won’t be a major issue for us this year.
by supermarioelia on Mar 22, 2009 10:49 PM EDT reply actions
CA-NA-DA! CA-NA….ah cripes, I feel left out.
by supermarioelia on Mar 22, 2009 10:52 PM EDT up reply actions
Not a great episode, stick with the baseball.
by supermarioelia on Mar 22, 2009 10:52 PM EDT up reply actions
Say, sorry for a lame comment in advance, but if Kobayashi was any good, wouldn’t he be playing for Japan right now?
That’s working off the assumption that the general opinion on Kobayashi is that he doesn’t suck. And that assumption is incorrect.
I guess that’s what I was getting at. He must suck if his homeland team didn’t even want to put him on the roster.
You imply that Japan baseball is vastly different than the baseball we watch. It isn’t. It’s very competitive. We didn’t sign away a superstar like Ichiro. We got one of their pretty good relievers who happened to be a FA at a time when we were after one.
Right, so if a Japanese player is good enough to play in America, doesn’t that mean he’s good enough to play in Japan. I know the reverse may not be entirely true.
Someone who knows nothing about baseball actually asked me about this. And I figured it made sense that a lot of guys go to Japan for an every day job, that perhaps they couldn’t get in American MLB.
That is true, but there’s only 25 guys on these teams. The 30th best Japanese player is more than good enough to be a minor role player — a middle reliever — on a major league team, but isn’t good enough to be on Team Japan. Is this really that hard to grasp?
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
Most likely—probably 49 times out of 50. They have fewer teams there—like 12 I think, so maybe a pool of 480-500 trus pros to chose from. This is Japan’s All star team. He might conceivably miss it and still be someone who’d make a decent MLer. I think afh4’s case is the best of all—he ran out of gas last year, and I bet the Indians were adamant about keeping Masa out of this.
I’m not so sure DeRosa doesn’t make that play if he’s playing short.
"...leading the league in most offensive categories. Including nose hairs."
Jeter is TER-RI-BLE.
He’s a 1B that can’t hit. He’s a 2B with no range. He’s a 3B with no arm. He’s a SS with no anything. Why do we keep running him out there???
Don't be stupid. PUT IN MELOAN.
I’m just saying, he’d make a better 1B than Garko.
Also, he had 599 hits over past three seasons. That ain’t nothin’.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
For $41m I think we could do a little better than a 360 OBP slap hitter.
Don't be stupid. PUT IN MELOAN.
Yeah, but you’re forgetting that he makes everyone else around him better.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
You mean he makes everyone look better because he’s so bad?
Tribe in '09!!
by indiansfan20062000 on Mar 22, 2009 11:17 PM EDT up reply actions
Do Nats fans really have to watch Dunn play defense for two years?
"I've never complained about it. I'm thankful to have a jersey." Mark DeRosa, 22 Aug 2007
Good Lord, they’re putting in Darvish for a five-run save? WTF?
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
i was looking forward to him pitching tomorrow if they won
Travis Hafner is overrated. Clarity is underrated. David Dellucci is David Dellucci.
Who says he won’t? As long as he doesn’t throw 30 pitches, he can pitch tomorrow.
"I've never complained about it. I'm thankful to have a jersey." Mark DeRosa, 22 Aug 2007
That would be asinine.
Travis Hafner is overrated. Clarity is underrated. David Dellucci is David Dellucci.
I’m not certain it’s asinine, but I think it’s likelier he’ll be available in the pen again.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=darvish
Travis Hafner is overrated. Clarity is underrated. David Dellucci is David Dellucci.
It’s good – I read it when it was new, whenever that was.
Travis Hafner is overrated. Clarity is underrated. David Dellucci is David Dellucci.
Farnsworth and Turk Wendell need to be on the team. Up the crazy factor a little bit.
Don't be stupid. PUT IN MELOAN.
Yeah, but i think the Korea-Japan matchup is better for Choo.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
Good job Dunn for making my hatred of you that much more rational tonight.
Travis Hafner is overrated. Clarity is underrated. David Dellucci is David Dellucci.
Harold Reynolds making a good point … leaving Oswalt in was a failure to recognize that this was an elimination game. (He didn’t say it quite that way, but that was his point.) I would say the same for the defensive alignment, but whatever.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
Well, this is also a weak spot for the US in this competition. Davey Johnson? Not technically alive.
That, plus it highlights the logistical problem scheduling this “tournament” the way MLB does. The Asian rosters are a combination of guys that have been playing for a while now and a handful of US major leaguers (or in the case of Korea, just one MLB stud). The American squad is full of guys that would otherwise be in Spring Training, supplied by teams that want them to be managed as if they were still in Florida or Arizona. If last night’s game had been a Grapefruit League start is Osceola County Stadium, the Astros would certainly have left Oswalt in, and fully expected Johnson to do the same, lest he come back from the Classic at a deficit in his program to get ready for April 6.
The same holds true for position players, albeit to a lesser extent. Logistics dictated that Johnson bring an All-Star game strategy to an elimination game, and putting Rollins at SS and Dunn at DH where they clearly belonged wouldn’t completely address the problem.
Why didn’t they use Mastny in the 9th with a 5-run lead?
Travis Hafner is overrated. Clarity is underrated. David Dellucci is David Dellucci.
There’s no way for you to have known this, but Mastny’s actually from Indonesia.
Though I look right at home, I still feel like an exile
by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Mar 23, 2009 1:04 PM EDT up reply actions
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