# Baseball Thread June 2008 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** baseball-mlb\ **Created:** [June 1, 2008, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-thread-june-2008/451344 "2008-06-01T13:18:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-thread-june-2008/451344/141 "2008-06-18T02:47:31Z")
Well, what do you know? The Dodgers remember how to win a game. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-thread-june-2008/451344/142 "2008-06-18T03:15:36Z")
[QUOTE=Hawkeyeop] That is like saying other than Utley, Howard, and Rollins, there is not much talent in the Phillies lineup. 3 huge talents should be enough to make any lineup good. [/QUOTE] But the lineup IS good. They’re the fifth highest scoring team in a 16-team league. It’s the pitching that’s been shaky. Now, the Blue Jays… Christ, shut out again. You want to see a team that’s given up, watch a Blue Jays game. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-thread-june-2008/451344/143 "2008-06-18T12:29:38Z")
It looks like Andy Pettitte might have just went through a slump. He just gave the Yanks 2 starts for 15 innings and only 1 ER. This comes at a great time. I think I heard a Jeter interview where he thinks the Yanks can get through the Wang injury as Pettitte is pitching great again and Joba is off his pitch count limits. Many of the minor leaguers are nearly ready after returning from DL stints. Jason Giambi, who I can’t wait to see leave and would have traded to anyone that would have taken his salary has now hit 17 homers and has pulled his average into the .260s. Sometimes it is really nice to be very wrong. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-thread-june-2008/451344/144 "2008-06-18T14:01:41Z")
[QUOTE=What Exit?] I think I heard a Jeter interview where he thinks the Yanks can get through the Wang injury as Pettitte is pitching great again and Joba is off his pitch count limits. [/QUOTE] Well, that settles it, then. 🙂 What else is Jeter going to say? Perhaps something like, “Well, the Wang injury has probably killed our chance at a playoff spot. We’re hitting like demons, but those goddamn pitchers just keep serving up hanging sliders and letting the opposition score runs”? Derek Jeter saying he thinks the Yanks can get through the Wang injury is like Steve Ballmer predicting a good year for Microsoft. You expect it, but it’s a pretty non-objective source. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-thread-june-2008/451344/145 "2008-06-18T15:45:14Z")
[QUOTE=silenus] Well, what do you know? The Dodgers remember how to win a game. [/QUOTE] Everyone makes mistakes once in a while. As usual, all credit goes to our pitching staff for yesterday, as we still only managed three runs on offense. By the way, I want to echo your comments about the devastating absence of Furcal. We’ve been forced to juggle people in his place that are completely unable to produce behind the plate, and a loss of offensive production is something we didn’t have room for in the first place. The idea that he might be gone for the season just sickens me. Although I agree with you about being in front of the Giants, at least. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-thread-june-2008/451344/146 "2008-06-18T22:00:27Z")
Barry Zito with only two innings pitched today against the Tigers. Pathetic. 5 runs. What can the Giants do with him? I’m sure the Dodgers fans on here would say, " Start him every 5 games!" Release him and end the misery? ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-thread-june-2008/451344/147 "2008-06-18T22:06:04Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by **What Exit?** > > Jason Giambi, who I can’t wait to see leave and would have traded to anyone that would have taken his salary has now hit 17 homers and has pulled his average into the .260s. Sometimes it is really nice to be very wrong. I railed against him earlier too. Baseball’s a funny game to predict sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-thread-june-2008/451344/148 "2008-06-18T22:06:19Z")
[QUOTE=dalej42] Barry Zito with only two innings pitched today against the Tigers. Pathetic. 5 runs. What can the Giants do with him? I’m sure the Dodgers fans on here would say, " Start him every 5 games!" Release him and end the misery? [/QUOTE] Are you kidding me? I think he’d do much better on only three days’ rest. 😃 Seriously, though – I can’t for the life of me understand why you continue to allow him to affect the outcome of your games. As many Dodger fans have said about Andruw Jones this year, it would be worth it for you guys to pay Zito to NOT play at this point. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-thread-june-2008/451344/149 "2008-06-18T22:31:46Z")
Please, Giants, please release him. I’m betting there’s at least a dozen teams, possibly including the Royals who would jump at the chance to bet the league minimum salary that they can try to fix what’s wrong with him. The Giants picking up the rest of the tab is a great incentive for anyone to try. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-thread-june-2008/451344/150 "2008-06-18T22:49:00Z")
I hear the Yankees are looking for pitching. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-thread-june-2008/451344/151 "2008-06-19T01:00:17Z")
[QUOTE=Asimovian] Seriously, though – I can’t for the life of me understand why you continue to allow him to affect the outcome of your games. As many Dodger fans have said about Andruw Jones this year, it would be worth it for you guys to pay Zito to NOT play at this point. [/QUOTE] Because baseball teams have always, always struggled to deal with the ramifications of sunk costs. It just doesn’t look good to the fans or your ownership when you, as a GM, have to say “The money we’re paying this guy is money out the window. He sucks, and we’re gonna have to eat the contract and get someone else.” Of course it is logical, perfectly economical, to say at this point that Zito should be released or bought out or something. He’s cooked. But how does Brian Sabean go to the ownership and say “Uh, guys, you know Barry Zito, that pitcher we still owe, like, $110,000,000 to? Well, um, we have to get rid of him, even though we still owe him all the money. We’re better off giving his job to a minor leaguer.” That’s a hard thing to say and keep your job. Blue Jays being shut out again tonight. This is now the fourth consecutive game in which they have no hits in the first three innings. They have the AL ERA leader on the mound, Shaun Marcum, and he’s doomed; he gave up one run, and that’s enough to beat the Blue Jays. He’s posted a 2.43 ERA so far in 14 starts and has only five wins. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-thread-june-2008/451344/152 "2008-06-19T02:15:49Z")
Two in a row! Wheee! Of course, we also have Penny on the 15 day DL, Kuroda out for an unspecified number of starts, and we can’t play the Reds every game. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-thread-june-2008/451344/153 "2008-06-19T12:38:15Z")
Sidney Ponson? Sidney Ponson? What are they Yankees thinking? I think I need a drink. Perhaps Sidney still has an open tab somewhere. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-thread-june-2008/451344/154 "2008-06-19T12:47:41Z")
[QUOTE=dalej42] Sidney Ponson? Sidney Ponson? What are they Yankees thinking? I think I need a drink. Perhaps Sidney still has an open tab somewhere. :rolleyes: [/QUOTE] They are thinking that at this point, it is very cheap to throw 10 pitchers of unknown quality at the wall to see what sticks then to make a potentially costly trade for a pitcher that might not work out and will cost them prospects they don’t want to give up. They, like most teams, have been burnt far more often from the mid-season pitcher pick-up then helped. The David Cone trades are the rarities. The Yanks have had some nice surprises since then with trash-heap and bargain bin pitchers helping the team out. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-thread-june-2008/451344/155 "2008-06-19T12:54:24Z")
You might as well get the official word on the why of Sidney Ponson: > [@](#): > > The Yankees have assigned Ponson to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He will throw a bullpen session today and could start for Scranton Saturday. If Ponson does well, the start after that could be for the Yankees in the June 27 split doubleheader against the Mets. When asked if Ponson is a candidate, Cashman said “he’s coming into Scranton not to try to help us in the International League. He’s coming in to try to pitch his way up here to be a choice for us in the big leagues. How soon that could be, I can’t tell you.” > > With the Rangers, Ponson made nine starts and went at least five innings in eight of them. > > Cashman said there were no incidents in Ponson’s first stint with the Yankees. “He did everything we asked. Even there was a position change for him where we asked him to go to the bullpen and he did that without complaint,” Cashman said. “At that point, the performance didn’t follow.” ---
**Author:** ![Hawkeyeop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/958977/32.png) [@Hawkeyeop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hawkeyeop)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-thread-june-2008/451344/156 "2008-06-19T18:45:46Z")
[QUOTE=RickJay] Now, the Blue Jays… Christ, shut out again. You want to see a team that’s given up, watch a Blue Jays game. [/QUOTE] But you don’t have people who don’t like baseball… [http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/postedsports/archive/2008/06/19/jays-notebook-ricciardi-trashes-adam-dunn-on-radio-show.aspx](http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/postedsports/archive/2008/06/19/jays-notebook-ricciardi-trashes-adam-dunn-on-radio-show.aspx) At least your team is doing the noble service of keeping the Orioles company. ---
**Author:** ![storyteller0910](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@storyteller0910](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/storyteller0910)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-thread-june-2008/451344/157 "2008-06-19T19:17:44Z")
[QUOTE=Hawkeyeop] But you don’t have people who don’t like baseball… [http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/postedsports/archive/2008/06/19/jays-notebook-ricciardi-trashes-adam-dunn-on-radio-show.aspx](http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/postedsports/archive/2008/06/19/jays-notebook-ricciardi-trashes-adam-dunn-on-radio-show.aspx) At least your team is doing the noble service of keeping the Orioles company. [/QUOTE] Good Lord. Adam Dunn would lead that Blue Jays team in OBP and slugging, and it wouldn’t even be close. He’d outhomer the entire Toronto outfield (who, I guess, like baseball?). I thought J.P. Ricciardi was supposed to be, like, a good GM or something. Whew. ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-thread-june-2008/451344/158 "2008-06-19T19:58:39Z")
[QUOTE=Hawkeyeop] But you don’t have people who don’t like baseball… [http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/postedsports/archive/2008/06/19/jays-notebook-ricciardi-trashes-adam-dunn-on-radio-show.aspx](http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/postedsports/archive/2008/06/19/jays-notebook-ricciardi-trashes-adam-dunn-on-radio-show.aspx) At least your team is doing the noble service of keeping the Orioles company. [/QUOTE] What the Jays need is someone who DOESN’T Have a passion for baseball. They need someone completely unaffected by situational hitting and if you don’t have a passion for baseball, who really gives a $hit if there are two out in the bottom of the ninth. Just my personal opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Kid\_A\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Kid\_A\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kid_A_1)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-thread-june-2008/451344/159 "2008-06-19T20:06:59Z")
[QUOTE=storyteller0910] I thought J.P. Ricciardi was supposed to be, like, a good GM or something. Whew. [/QUOTE] I think everyone up here realized that he wasn’t about 2 years ago. He’s an idiot. How he still has a job is beyond me…he better be gone by the end of the year. ---
**Author:** ![Hawkeyeop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/958977/32.png) [@Hawkeyeop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hawkeyeop)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-thread-june-2008/451344/160 "2008-06-19T20:11:27Z")
Overbay breaks up the no-hitter. I was hoping Bush could pull it off. Would have been so fitting. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-thread-june-2008/451344.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-thread-june-2008/451344.md?page=9)