SFHoya99
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Post by SFHoya99 on Sept 1, 2011 9:30:30 GMT -5
Denard Span is a fantastic defensive center fielder, young and a pretty good hitter. Storen and Clippard are easily worth that, though I like them both.
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rosslynhoya
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Post by rosslynhoya on Sept 1, 2011 9:37:26 GMT -5
Its never a good sign if you are coming to the same conclusions as the local MN media. Obviously, Mauer's injuries aren't good (and the trend is definitely not good), but all the crap about him being soft is just classic MN press tactics--anytime anything goes poorly, attack the stars. Also, the Twins need to fire their training staff (and their GM!), b/c it is ridiculous how often they turn 2 week injuries into months on the DL. No it actually comes from fans--and if you are going to have an injury, put off surgery to do commercials and one of the commercials is for a local Health/Fitness club and you proceed to miss 4 games due to "strainging your neck looking for a pop up", are in the 1st year of a huge contract extension, have hit less HR's in history of Target Field then Russell Martin hit in 1 game, you are going to start catching some heat. Mauer has missed games due to: heat, weakness in legs, fatigue, neck strain due to looking for a pop up, a sore foot, ear infection, etc......and whether you want to admit it or not-perception becomes the reality. When you are about to be a 29 year old veteran ballplayer and you state "I promise to follow a rigourous conditioining program in offseason" the question has to be why wouldnt that already have been the case? He openly wanted more endorsements and got them and had the worst year he's had in Big leagues and missed games while other players played hurt. I do agree about the GM though. Twins are better being the little engine who could because spending money they proved to not have a clue as to what the hell they are doing, which they'll likely prove again by giving an average player in Cuddyer a big extension when they should let him go. It amounts to the same fanbase, doesn't it? www.onionsportsnetwork.com/articles/media-blasts-minnesota-vikings-for-doing-little-to,21221/
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hoyainspirit
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Post by hoyainspirit on Sept 1, 2011 11:45:01 GMT -5
Span is indeed a nice young player. The Nats plan to play Bryce Harper in center this fall in the AZ instructional league. They envision a lineup of Werth(a big bust, thus far), Michael Morse, and eventually, Harper. They are really high on both Storen and Clippard. Clippard has excelled as a set-up man. He looks like he can close for someone in the league, which does make him a possible trade asset.
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SFHoya99
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Post by SFHoya99 on Sept 2, 2011 2:32:23 GMT -5
I don't think the Harper in center thing is going to work. He's not slow now, but he's not super fast and is only going to get bigger. He's going to play a corner. Furthermore, a Werth-Morse-Harper outfield...the pitchers would revolt.
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hoyainspirit
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Post by hoyainspirit on Sept 3, 2011 10:10:49 GMT -5
I don't think the Harper in center thing is going to work. He's not slow now, but he's not super fast and is only going to get bigger. He's going to play a corner. Furthermore, a Werth-Morse-Harper outfield...the pitchers would revolt. I, too, have doubts. He's played left for the majority of his time in the minors, though he came up as a right fielder. Werth has been ok defensively in right. He just can't hit this year. Center is an issue. Ankiel has been adequate(great arm), but Roger Bernadina has been shipped back to AAA. Long term, center needs to be addressed. The fall league should be interesting for us Nats/Harper fans.
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hoyainspirit
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When life puts that voodoo on me, music is my gris-gris.
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Post by hoyainspirit on Sept 7, 2011 15:43:49 GMT -5
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Post by HometownHoya on Sept 7, 2011 17:24:53 GMT -5
Missed the game but on SC they had a highlight of a few of his different pitches including an 88 mph changeup, 99 mph changeup, 99 mph fastball, and 93 mph fastball. I've been a huge fan since they drafted him but his variety always blows my mind.
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hoyarooter
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Post by hoyarooter on Sept 7, 2011 20:49:03 GMT -5
99 mph changeup? I assume that's a typo.
Dodgers were effusive in their praise of Strasberg, except for Ted Lilly, who said the Nats would be better off trading him to the Dodgers. ;D
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SFHoya99
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Post by SFHoya99 on Sept 8, 2011 1:41:56 GMT -5
Saw some pitch f/x on Stras. He was about a mph slower than before he got hurt, and a few of his pitches had some different movement and release points. Not sure if that's rust or something different. Either way, it's really great to see him come back really, really close to 100% if not actually there. I love watching great pitching at that level, and I would've hated to see him go the route of Kerry Wood or Mark Prior.
On Harper, there's no reason he won't play RF. He has a fantastic arm. If he's going to be a RF, they should just do that. Mike Morse shouldn't be a consideration, and neither should Werth, even with all that cash.
The Nats have two HOFers on their roster, health permitting, the instand Harper is promoted. I don't tend to oversell these things, but you simply cannot oversell Harper at this point in my mind.
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hifigator
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Post by hifigator on Sept 13, 2011 15:50:58 GMT -5
All of a sudden, the Devil Rays are only 3 games back of the Red Sox for the AL wild card. Stranger things have happened, but not this time, I don't think. The Rays have a much tougher remaining schedule -- at least on paper. The Sox have 7 games left with Baltimore, while the Rays pretty much play the Yankees, Red Sox and Blue Jays the rest of the way. They're going to have to hope to take their games from the Red Sox, and then gain ground playing the Yanks and Blue Jays while the Sox stumble against the Orioles. That's not very likely, but as I said, stranger things have happened.
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Boz
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Post by Boz on Sept 16, 2011 13:55:16 GMT -5
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GIGAFAN99
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Post by GIGAFAN99 on Sept 19, 2011 16:03:05 GMT -5
Saw some pitch f/x on Stras. He was about a mph slower than before he got hurt, and a few of his pitches had some different movement and release points. Not sure if that's rust or something different. Either way, it's really great to see him come back really, really close to 100% if not actually there. I love watching great pitching at that level, and I would've hated to see him go the route of Kerry Wood or Mark Prior. On Harper, there's no reason he won't play RF. He has a fantastic arm. If he's going to be a RF, they should just do that. Mike Morse shouldn't be a consideration, and neither should Werth, even with all that cash. The Nats have two HOFers on their roster, health permitting, the instand Harper is promoted. I don't tend to oversell these things, but you simply cannot oversell Harper at this point in my mind. Harper is the biggest hyped prospect since Ken Griffey Jr. and because that one was such a wild success, I'm on board with this one as well. It's hard to be can't miss in baseball but once every 25 years or so it happens.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 20, 2011 11:00:41 GMT -5
I hear Joe Mauer had an arm hair infection, so he'll be sitting out the rest of the season. A lot of fans rocking Mauer jerseys in Twin Cities with his name covered in tape and saying "General Soreness". Twinkie fans not happy with "The Balsa Man". Its never a good sign if you are coming to the same conclusions as the local MN media. Obviously, Mauer's injuries aren't good (and the trend is definitely not good), but all the crap about him being soft is just classic MN press tactics--anytime anything goes poorly, attack the stars. Also, the Twins need to fire their training staff (and their GM!), b/c it is ridiculous how often they turn 2 week injuries into months on the DL. thebiglead.com/index.php/2011/09/19/joe-mauer-vitrol-now-reaching-obituaries/
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hoyarooter
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Post by hoyarooter on Sept 28, 2011 11:22:11 GMT -5
So long, Ozzie. I'll always have a soft spot for you since you managed the team that won the championship (although how much you contributed to that is open to debate), but you've long since worn out your welcome. I wonder how a team that ships a player to the minors for doing tweets that they didn't like is going to cope with the king of the loose cannons?
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The Stig
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Post by The Stig on Sept 28, 2011 23:16:44 GMT -5
WOW......
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Post by HometownHoya on Sept 28, 2011 23:18:17 GMT -5
Well...I'm glad I decided to watch my first baseball game of the season tonight . Quite an ending and night of baseball...I was sure the Sox were going to pull it out in the end but then...down goes the Sox and into the playoffs the Rays go off that HR! Anyway...probably won't watch again til the league finals or maybe the world series...hope all you fans enjoy some post season baseball!
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Post by AustinHoya03 on Sept 28, 2011 23:33:33 GMT -5
Unfortunately you could just see that blown save coming for Papelbon. The Sox strategy was apparently to invite the O's to turn on the fastball repeatedly. Announcers said that the Baltimore hitters had "done their homework," but no homework was needed, Papelbon pitched every batter in the 9th more or less the same way.
Even so....you GOTTA make that catch in left, right?
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RDF
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Post by RDF on Sept 29, 2011 0:07:54 GMT -5
Sox meltdown is understandable considering their injuries (Youkilis loss was major) and let's just put it this way--when you are talking of trying to acquire Chris Capuano and Bruce Chen to pitch key games for you in September to make the postseason, you are in deep trouble.
Karl Ravech acting like a complete jackass talking of Yankees removing players and making implied suggestions that they should've thrown frontline guys/risk injury when they've clinched is so ignorant/bitter and most of all pathetic. If Sox win 2 out of 7 games against Rays--they are in. If they don't lose 5 of 7 to Baltimore they are in. Can't look for help and hell they got it from the Yankees--who beat Tampa while having to get into postseason--they took 3 of 4 and Sox were up 3 in loss column last Friday. So they controlled their own fate and yet Ravech--ever the bitter chowderheaded tool--showed his bitterness like a complete jackass. Pathetic.
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HoyaFanNY
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Post by HoyaFanNY on Sept 29, 2011 5:12:10 GMT -5
last nights games reminded me of the first day of the ncaa basketball tournament. teams choking, miracle comebacks and game winning heroics. i'm hoping the postseason is half as exciting as last night.
anyone but the yankees....please
jose reyes is a coward.
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DanMcQ
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Post by DanMcQ on Sept 29, 2011 7:34:54 GMT -5
There is almost always one guy who does not want the ball hit to him in games like that. Last night Carl Crawford was that guy.
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