Official 2011 MLB Thread: Playoffs??

[BlackLantern]

'The Natural' is on tv......I won't cry, this time

 

[FCEEVIPER]

Nice ^

 

[Spidey-Bat]

Never seen it.

 

[BlackLantern]

Commie

 

[The Incredible Hulk]

*awaits discussion on Roy Hobbs' VORP*

 

[BlackLantern]

*awaits discussion on Roy Hobbs' VORP*

I will slap someone

....but if someone wants to talk about Nuke LaLooshs' WHIP, knock yourself out

 

[Duke]

'The Natural' is on tv......I won't cry, this time

Awesome, awe-inspiring, movie about baseball.

 

[BlackLantern]

Gonzalez starting out strong

 

[cyborg ninja 14]

*awaits discussion on Roy Hobbs' VORP*

 

[SpideyVille]

The Yankee fan deep down inside of me can't help but feel like Cano's win was so much sweeter because he beat out Gonzalez in the final, even though technically they were on the same team.

 

[Spidey-Bat]

Say good-bye to his slugging percentage in the 2nd half.

 

[KalMart]

Even my friends who are Yankee fans agree he's a below-average fielder.

Good for you.




Congrats to Cano on the HR Derby.

 

[cyborg ninja 14]

No, he has been good, but not one of the best in that area. There's also making great relay throws for key outs, making runners pay for bad baserunning, a little backhand flip play against Oakland in '01 that no player, SS or otherwise, would have had the wherewithal to be there for, and plenty more.

If Jeremy Giambi had opted to slide, the super flip would have been for naught, a lot people tend to agree with this. Nevertheless, the most exciting and noteworthy defensive play of his career.

I think when you judge Jeter defensively, it's a case of this weird area in which his career has been underrated as well as overrated. Jeter's best years as a SS are well behind him, and I think his hitting would benefit from a position change, it worked for Yount. The star power of his name and pinstripe uniform is where a significant faction of Yankee fans overrate his perceived god-like abilities, which is what turn people off. Yankee fans may not like hearing that, but it's true more often than not.

And for his defense, perception is reality. Because Jeter makes a lot of routine plays look flashy and difficult, people can interpret that as him being some great SS, when he may or may not be. You can also extrapolate from highlights that he may be a great SS when you only see the acrobatic ball flips and grounders whisked to first with ease, while not seeing the lack of range up the middle.

Jeter's lauded ability for clutch hitting is also a bit overdone, but I blame the fans falling in line with the media as they overreacted and over covering every split second of Mr. Jeter.

Regular season Jeter- .313/.383/.449
Post season Jeter- .309/.377/.472

Jeter has played 147 playoff games, that's nearly a full season's worth and it's not terribly different from an average season over his long career. We have enough at bats and games from The Captain to see that yes, he has gotten clutch hits, but he's gotten a lot of big hits over his career regardless. The same can be said for Andy Pettitte, who, while he had a good career, his postseason results were very similar to his regular season numbers.

 

[Poeman]

Cano has the best swing in the game

Him and Hanley

 

[Raiden]

Yanks fan may face huge tax bill

He should've just cashed it in.

 

[Spidey-Bat]

Cano has the best swing in the game

Him and Hanley

Not until Albert Pujols retires.

Good for you.

But wouldn't that make them Yankee haters according to you?

Yanks fan may face huge tax bill

He should've just cashed it in.

An accountant was on the radio yesterday talking about this. If the tickets have a price on them, he'll have to pay taxes. If they say "Comped," he won't. He should have sold the ball for an easy $250k.

 

[Spidey-Bat]

EDIT: Double post

 

[The Incredible Hulk]

Unless he negotiated that his price for giving the ball back was all of those items, then those would be looked at as gifts and he shouldnt have to pay any tax on them. From everything I've heard the guy just gave the ball back and the Yankees gave him everything comped.


/takes off tax law hat.

 

[KalMart]

If Jeremy Giambi had opted to slide, the super flip would have been for naught, a lot people tend to agree with this. Nevertheless, the most exciting and noteworthy defensive play of his career.

I think anyone who sees the play will agree that Giambi would have been safe if he slid. But there wouldn't even have been a play at the plate...slide or no slide...had it not been for Jeter, with a throw from the right-fielder that was so far over the original cutoff man and so far of the line. So why not credit Jeter for creating at least a chance for an out when it looked like there wasn't any?

I think when you judge Jeter defensively, it's a case of this weird area in which his career has been underrated as well as overrated. Jeter's best years as a SS are well behind him, and I think his hitting would benefit from a position change, it worked for Yount. The star power of his name and pinstripe uniform is where a significant faction of Yankee fans overrate his perceived god-like abilities, which is what turn people off. Yankee fans may not like hearing that, but it's true more often than not.

Like I said earlier, lots of people resent his celebrity. I credit him for being able to perform so consistently over his career with that kind of attention, scrutiny, and potential for distraction. Put it this way...I respect him more as a baseball fan than as a Yankee fan. This isn't about him being the greatest all-around player of all time. It's about respecting the consistency of his abilities and performance beyond the hype. That, above all else, is what I feel the 3000 hits is a testament to. It speaks about his play, not his stardom, or celebrity, etc. As tiresome as the glorification and hype is surrounding him at times, the backlash can be just as bad.

And for his defense, perception is reality. Because Jeter makes a lot of routine plays look flashy and difficult, people can interpret that as him being some great SS, when he may or may not be. You can also extrapolate from highlights that he may be a great SS when you only see the acrobatic ball flips and grounders whisked to first with ease, while not seeing the lack of range up the middle.

As I said, I never placed him as one of the best SS's in terms of range. But I believe he's near the top in terms of his in-game senses and smart defensive play....a lot of the things that o't always make the highlight reels.

Jeter's lauded ability for clutch hitting is also a bit overdone, but I blame the fans falling in line with the media as they overreacted and over covering every split second of Mr. Jeter.

See above comments about his celebrity.

Regular season Jeter- .313/.383/.449
Post season Jeter- .309/.377/.472

Jeter has played 147 playoff games, that's nearly a full season's worth and it's not terribly different from an average season over his long career. We have enough at bats and games from The Captain to see that yes, he has gotten clutch hits, but he's gotten a lot of big hits over his career regardless. The same can be said for Andy Pettitte, who, while he had a good career, his postseason results were very similar to his regular season numbers.

Speaks to his consistency under the pressure of the playoffs and against better competition, wouldn't you say?

 

[KalMart]

But wouldn't that make them Yankee haters according to you?

I never said anything about Yankee fans who feel differently. Anything else?

 

[SpideyVille]

I was watching SportsNation yesterday and they were talking about what Lopez got in return for the ball and if it was enough, and one of the hosts said a really great thing to do in return would've been if Jeter stepped in and paid his student loans. Very unlikely, but it would've been a great story if Jeter did that and probably would tone down some of the criticism he's getting for skipping the ASG.

But just the idea of Lopez having to paid a tax for the tickets would just further the belief of nice guys finishing last, and would probably make it so that the next time someone has a high price HR ball, they'll be more likely to try to negotiate something than to do "the right thing".

 

[KalMart]

Cano has the best swing in the game

Him and Hanley

Cano has a great 'stride' through the ball that makes it look like he's never really swinging that hard, but the ball jumps off his bat with great backspin and drive. I still like when he hits more line-drives to the left, though. Gotta be careful he doesn't try to jack one out all the time, even though he obviously can in any park. I'd like to see him get back to spraying the ball around and having better at-bats.

In terms of sheer 'effortless power', Miguel Cabrera looks like 'glides' his bat through the zone and the ball becomes a rocket. Wish he had gotten his act together more....even though he can still put up some monster numbers.

 

[KalMart]

I was watching SportsNation yesterday and they were talking about what Lopez got in return for the ball and if it was enough, and one of the hosts said a really great thing to do in return would've been if Jeter stepped in and paid his student loans. Very unlikely, but it would've been a great story if Jeter did that and probably would tone down some of the criticism he's getting for skipping the ASG.

But just the idea of Lopez having to paid a tax for the tickets would just further the belief of nice guys finishing last, and would probably make it so that the next time someone has a high price HR ball, they'll be more likely to try to negotiate something than to do "the right thing".

The IRS will soon have a display shelf with sports memorabilia and awards collected as collateral.

 

[cyborg ninja 14]

Cano has the best swing in the game

Him and Hanley

Throw A-Gone in there, no holes in that one.

Speaks to his consistency under the pressure of the playoffs and against better competition, wouldn't you say?

Yes. But my greater point is that he's preforms the same in April as he would in October. A-Rod is a different story because of just letting his natural* abilities shine, he got caught up in the off-field stuff. It's only cause he's a narcissist.

 

[KalMart]

Yes. But my greater point is that he's preforms the same in April as he would in October.

And I think there are a lot of players who don't do as well under the heavier pressure and better competition/pitching. Again, testament to the value of his consistency.

A-Rod is a different story because of just letting his natural* abilities shine, he got caught up in the off-field stuff. It's only cause he's a narcissist.

A-Rod had a lot of growing up to do. I actually think the humiliation of the PED stuff was one of the best things that could have happened to him because it humbled him and made baseball a sanctuary from all that. In a lot of ways, '09 was his best regular season ever because of that, and it finally carried into the playoffs. If he can get himself healthy again and stay that way, his freaky natural ability (even sans PEDs) should secure huge production from him...and all he's gotta do is relax and just be one of the players....let the game come to him.