Here's a brief recap of some of the recently recommended comments on the site.  I am going to try to do this more regularly throughout the season.  By the people, for the people...

When Chekhov saw the Long Winter, he saw a winter dark and bleak and bereft of hope. Yet we Tribe fans know that rebuilding/reloading/resucking is just another step in the cycle of life. But standing here amongst the Snowpocalypse people of Chicago, and basking in their hearths and hearts, I can’t think of a better fate, than a long and lustrous winter.

From Lets Go Tribe, it’s cheech99. So long.

by cheech99 on Feb 2, 2011 8:23 PM EST reply actions   4 recs

I prefer Bondo. You know, a temporary filler.

by emd2k3 on Feb 5, 2011 2:21 PM EST up reply actions   4 recs

Bieber. Glee. Charlie Sheen. Super Bowl commercials.

Steel Nick

by nickjs21 on Feb 4, 2011 12:36 PM EST up reply actions   3 recs

He can carry this team on his back.

That probably wouldn’t be good for his shoulder

by APV on Feb 2, 2011 5:52 PM EST up reply actions   3 recs

The problem with Huff is that even though he has average or above-average velocity, he can’t throw his fastball by anyone, and if he doesn’t hit the black, he’s in big trouble. I don’t know what it is, but either he has no movement, he doesn’t hide the ball well, or he doesn’t throw on a downward plane (probably some combination of all 3), but I think it’s less telling to look at what the radar gun says and more telling what the hitters say with their swings.

The hope is that Huff can figure things out like Cliff Lee did, and possibly become a homeless man’s version of him. Huff has a smooth delivery and is a good athlete, similar to Lee. But what Lee did was make his fastball an amazing pitch – he learned to throw it more on a downhill plane, and with great command. His velocity also improved. He went from being incredibly hittable to being very tough to hit. Look at Lee’s fastball value in 2008…34.2! Lee didn’t become the pitcher he is now because he started to throw his cutter more (as I’ve read in some posts). In fact, he didn’t throw it any more often in 2008 than before (since the trade from Cleveland, he’s thrown it a lot more).

Huff has real poor fastball values these past two years (-13.8 and -11.3), and until that changes, nothing will really improve. Because it’s tough to survive in the big leagues if you are afraid to throw a fastball. But once that improves, your other pitches improve as well. Or at least, the hitters react to them differently because they’re worried about your fastball.

So while looking at the radar gun is fine, let’s see if he can do the other things required to make his fastball less hittable.

by TribeJay on Feb 8, 2011 9:19 PM EST reply actions   3 recs

In the NFL, a good team can make a surprise run to the Super Bowl, and a great team can go there three times in four years.

In baseball, a good team can make a surprise run to the World Series, and the Yankees can go there three times in four years.

by Chemo on Feb 3, 2011 3:22 PM EST reply actions   3 recs

Re: Tomlin over the course of a season … oh, yeah, me, too. Because every time I had to watch Sowers cruising into a train-wreck on the mound, I’d think to myself, "Damn, if only he were right-handed."

by Jay on Feb 2, 2011 1:41 AM EST up reply actions   6 recs

More after the jump...

His LOL+ is 76.

You are reading my signature.

by rolub on Jan 29, 2011 12:57 PM EST up reply actions   3 recs

I have a solution! Let’s go to 18 games.

/goodell

by westbrook on Feb 2, 2011 2:23 PM EST up reply actions   5 recs

Castro: Jay, you got it all wrong.
Jay: Ah, that little farce you played with my sister. You think that would fool a Corleone?
Castro: Jay, I’m innocent. I swear on the kids.
Jay: Sit down.
Castro: Please don’t do this to me, Jay. Please don’t.
Jay: Barzini is dead. So is Phillip Tattallgia. Moe Green. Slacci. Cuneo. Today I settled all family business so don’t tell me that you’re innocent. Admit what you did.
[Castro starts sobbing]
Jay: Get him a drink. Don’t be afraid, Castro. Come on, you think I’d make my sister a widow? I’m Godfather to your son.
[Ryan hands Castro a drink]
Jay: Go ahead. Drink. Drink. No, you’re out of the family business, that’s your punishment. You’re finished. I’m putting you on a plane to Vegas. Ryan?
[Ryan hands Jay an airplane ticket]
Jay: I want you to stay there, you understand?
[Castro nods]
Jay: Only don’t tell me that you’re innocent. Because it insults my intelligence and it makes me very angry. Now, who approached you first? Selig or Steinbrenner?
Castro: It was Selig.
Jay: Good. There’s a car outside that will take you to the airport. I’ll call your wife and tell her what flight you’re on.
Castro: Listen, Jay…

by Bogalusa Bomber on Feb 3, 2011 10:31 PM EST reply actions   6 recs

I don’t think we’re all working with the same definition of parity.

Selig and everyone else looks up and each year can point to a small market team and say "Look at the Athletics, errrr….Indians, errrr….Brewers, errrr….Rays, errrr….Marlins, errrr….Padres." Because there’s always a team with a $50M payroll to name, they see it as parity.

Let’s do a better job of defining parity.

Parity is not 8-12 years of rebuilding for a window of three seasons where you might make the playoff once or two if things go right. Not when other teams spend their way year after year into contention. Therein lies the disparity.

There very fact that the commissioner has to name a new small market team every time he wants to support his argument that parity exists is not support for the argument. It supports exactly the opposite — things are not equal, the window is quick, and if your 8-12 year plan works, your fans will be excited for a few seasons until 1) every worthwhile player who reaches free agency leaves or 2) the team retains a worthwhile player to the financial detriment of being able to field the rest of the team.

by xrickx on Feb 4, 2011 9:13 AM EST reply actions   5 recs