Lee will be forgotten around the same time that Upshall is forgotten
The issue with Upshall is a bit less straightforward than it is with Lee... Upshall shouldn't be forgotten because that whole situation was the product of the intellectual incompetence of our GM.
Amaro simply wanted Halladay more, and I'm entirely convinced the powers that be told him he could not have both -- note: he acquired the NL Cy Young winner most likely in this process. He handled the trade poorly, but I'm fairly convinced that was entirely due to an aversion to the public backlash the organization was going to get (which they were right about). So, it is what it is... and it's fine to wish they got more back for him.
However, at the same time... agitating for signing him is a bit silly given the current roster. Cliff Lee is the last guy they should be blowing the bank on at the moment.
Never, he was a fan favorite in this town and if he leads Texas to a World Series(which I think he will) it will only magnify it.
Roy Halladay is going to win the NL Cy Young... people need a bit perspective here. I don't care how good Lee might have been for us, pitching wasn't really the teams problem in the playoffs.
I didn't mean to compare the situations. Just saying that with Upshal and Lee the fans just have hard ons for them and can't let go. That's where they're similar.
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"I Came Here To Bury Caesar, Not Praise Him" - Roy Halladay
Roy Halladay is going to win the NL Cy Young... people need a bit perspective here. I don't care how good Lee might have been for us, pitching wasn't really the teams problem in the playoffs.
Exactly they couldnt get any timely hits or do the litttle things in baseball. Their defense was also below average.
He's given no solid information, basically leading the reporters on when talking about "waiting til after the World Series." (when he becomes a free agent). In my opinion, he has no intent to come back.
He's given no solid information, basically leading the reporters on when talking about "waiting til after the World Series." (when he becomes a free agent). In my opinion, he has no intent to come back.
GKJ... sending Ruiz was *ing idiotic. Did you not see the Giants make the same mistake on the same exact play and get their guy (much faster than Ruiz... believe it was Torres) gunned at the plate by Victorino?
It was not even remotely close to being the right thing to do with the top of the order at the plate. It immediately cost the Phils a run, and may have cost them a bigger inning.
And Oswalt did not score on a groundball single up the middle that allowed the CF to charge into with all his momentum directed at home plate. Not comparable plays.
You have to send the runner. It's the aggressive base running and manufacturing of runs the entire city was yelling about. They had a chance to score another run on that play for a team that to that point had not been doing it.
Rowand made a good throw (for someone who isn't the best thrower) and Posey made a great tag. Sometimes you tip your cap to the other team for making a great play. It's not like Ruiz was out by 20 feet.
For every play there is like that, there's 10, 20, 40 others where the throw isn't even close.
Again, sending Ruiz was the right thing to do. It took a perfect throw from Rowand to get him. If Oswalt can score from 2nd on a close throw, why can't Ruiz?
If Ruiz rounds third there and hits the brakes and Rowand makes the throw and its four feet to the right of home this board would be littered with people talking about how we dont play small ball enough and we needs to score those kinds of runs. It took a perfect throw and an even better catch on a short hop to make the out. Hindsight is 20/20.
That was a nice way of me saying I strongly, strongly, strongly disagreed with your comment.
Not sure why, a throw and tag like that is extremely rare. It's not easy to throw a ball from centerfield right at the catcher I don't care if he has all his momentum going towards home plate, or he has an hour to line the throw up perfectly.
You have to send the runner. It's the aggressive base running and manufacturing of runs the entire city was yelling about. They had a chance to score another run on that play for a team that to that point had not been doing it.
Rowand made a good throw (for someone who isn't the best thrower) and Posey made a great tag. Sometimes you tip your cap to the other team for making a great play. It's not like Ruiz was out by 20 feet.
For every play there is like that, there's 10, 20, 40 others where the throw isn't even close.
No, it's called stupid *ing base running 101. And, no, for every play like that there are not 10, 20, 40 others where the throw isn't even close. As noted, a much faster runner than Ruiz was gunned at the plate on the same exact play and it was even less close.
The following factors should have crossed Perlazzo's mind:
1) Ruiz is slow.
2) A groundball hit up the middle means that a) the CF is going to be charging that ball with all of his momentum moving directly at home plate; and b) he is going to have a short throw to the plate.
3) The no. 2 hole hitter is coming up next.
4) A sacrifice *ing fly will score him.
And, again, it doesn't matter how close the play was at the plate... because the entire point is that you don't risk a close play at the plate with the top of your order up with less than 2 outs.
Of course, I think we should dwell on the fact that you think Ruiz getting thrown out was so against the odds when we saw it happen exactly the same two games later on the same exact play to the Giants.
Sometimes 3rd base coaches make *ing terrible decisions and run their team into outs... that's what happened there, and why I was screaming at my TV that they should have held him as soon as Rowand released the ball. Compounding that stupidity was the fact that the play was immediately followed by two hits. The Phils should have had at least one more run, perhaps more.
Howard won't get many RBI's when no one is on base. Although the one time there finally was the season ended.
I don't hate Howard, 25 million is steep for him I agree, but he has to be able to make better adjustments. The giants right handers painted the outside corner on him because they know the only way he hits it to left field is when he fights off an inside pitch. Howards stats weren't horrible, but his at bats with runners in scoring position weren't pretty, and they aren't going to get any better without a slugging righty behind him.
It's the beginning of the end for Rollins I feel, even if he comes back and proves me wrong it'll be because he works his ass off in a contract year and then mails it in again. How he didn't score from first on a double to the wall is beyond me. I think a lot of the struggles point to Charlie Manuel, as to me the only thing Charlie does is stay extremely loyal to his guys (sometimes to their own detriment). When they get runners on Charlie wants them slugging the runners home. The struggles with RISP to me point to a lack of preperation, I mean Brian Wilson (who is a hell of a closer don't get me wrong) threw literally the same pitch to lefties. Fastballs outside, and the phils didn't try to just take one and snap it into left. They try to sit and wait for their pitch, instead of being aggressive and to their credit the giants took advantage of that and let the phillies get themselves out.
Not sure why, a throw and tag like that is extremely rare. It's not easy to throw a ball from centerfield right at the catcher I don't care if he has all his momentum going towards home plate, or he has an hour to line the throw up perfectly.
You've never thrown a baseball in your life, have you?
It's pretty *ing easy to throw a ball from short CF to home plate if your momentum is going in that direction. It's harder if you're moving right-to-left.
If Ruiz rounds third there and hits the brakes and Rowand makes the throw and its four feet to the right of home this board would be littered with people talking about how we dont play small ball enough and we needs to score those kinds of runs. It took a perfect throw and an even better catch on a short hop to make the out. Hindsight is 20/20.
That explains why I was screaming as soon as Rowand released the ball...
You do not send the runner in that situation with where we were in our batting order. Especially when it's a slow runner. Running the bases aggressively is not small ball at that. Small ball is sac fly's (which could have happened there) and all that jazz: manufacturing runs.
Ruiz also would have immediately scored... that's where hindsight is really a ***** on this play.
If it's 2 outs with the bottom of the order up... by all means send him and see if you can steal a run. But not with 1 out... and not with Utley and Polanco coming up.
You've never thrown a baseball in your life, have you?
It's pretty *ing easy to throw a ball from short CF to home plate if your momentum is going in that direction. It's harder if you're moving right-to-left.
I wouldn't call it easy. Rowand and Posey both made very good plays in that situation, but I agree the decision to send him was questionable.
I wouldn't call it easy. Rowand and Posey both made very good plays in that situation, but I agree the decision to send him was questionable.
For a MLB baseball player? It's easy.
**** that's an easy throw for any competitive HS/Legion player. Maybe you don't get the guy, but throwing it to the plate? Not hard from that distance.
You've never thrown a baseball in your life, have you?
It's pretty *ing easy to throw a ball from short CF to home plate if your momentum is going in that direction. It's harder if you're moving right-to-left.
If it's so easy, then why does everyone consistently miss? Watching highlights, I might see it once a week (someone being thrown out at home almost always makes SportsCenter or MLB Network). If that ball is off by a half a foot Ruiz scores, and everyone would complain that they didn't send the runner.
Again, they made an incredible play. Full marks to the Giants on that one. Sometimes you get beat. If the turning point came in Game 4, it was Rollins not moving Werth over when the game was tied.
If it's so easy, then why does everyone consistently miss? Watching highlights, I might see it once a week (someone being thrown out at home almost always makes SportsCenter or MLB Network). If that ball is off by a half a foot Ruiz scores, and everyone would complain that they didn't send the runner.
Did you ever pause to consider that might be because most of the time they hold the runner and don't risk the guy getting gunned at the plate?
And, no, I would not have complained if they didn't send him... cuz that was the right decision. Moreover, no one would be complaining because he would have immediately scored.
In all seriousness... once you get past little league, if you have competent players in the OF... they can make that throw with a great deal of consistency. It's when you get people moving to either their right or left where they need to make adjustments to get the ball to the plate (Victorino made such a play in the playoffs, I think, that was quite impressive) that it becomes "difficult."
But coming directly at home plate perfectly lines up throwing mechanics to throw a strike to the catcher.
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Again, they made an incredible play. Full marks to the Giants on that one. Sometimes you get beat. If the turning point came in Game 4, it was Rollins not moving Werth over when the game was tied.
That was not an incredible play. It was an easy throw and a slow runner. The shocking part -- and due to Rowand not having the best arm -- was how close it was... and, even then, it really wasn't that close. There was NO doubt that he was out at the plate.
It was a *ing dumb decision... and directly cost the Phils a run, and, as said, possibly another depending on how the rest of the inning may have played out without that out at the plate.
Just to put this all on a scale:
Werth gunning Ross at 3rd from RF... *ing impressive.
The two throws we saw from Rowand and Victorino? Not that impressive.
All three cases were dumb base running to one degree or another... why Ross was trying to get there and risking the 3rd out at 3rd was beyond dumb, but THAT was a hard throw.
