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biggentleben

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Everything posted by biggentleben

  1. biggentleben
    This either shows how useless GMs are, or how poor the way we evaluate GMs is (or both). Ask any intelligent Braves or Royals fan what they think of Schuerholz, and the response will not be positive. Most Braves fans want him far away from the organization now as he simply cannot keep his hands out of things, and rarely does it end well. Basically, if you believe the 1990s Braves are any sort of positive for John Schuerholz, the research needed for a book like this was not done and certainly evident of my lack of need to spend money on the book...
  2. biggentleben
    Hank is the reason I'm a Braves fan, though he had retired before I ever came around. Wonderful write up. Thank you!
  3. biggentleben
    It's a fantasy article. Joe Mauer's fantasy value was 100% wrapped up in being a catcher. Heck, even his season last year was one of the better catching fantasy seasons, but as a first baseman, it's subpar. Big difference between fantasy baseball and real baseball in individual player value. If there weren't, no one would ever want to play Andrelton Simmons or Juan Lagares on their team.
  4. biggentleben
    I've got three of them, and this one probably has the most immediate impact. I'm very curious how guys rate draft picks vs. international signees in this league. Correct me if I'm wrong on this, but you can pick a guy who isn't signed, correct?
  5. biggentleben
    They simply would have to move a number of early recent picks just to get Russell on the roster. I didn't flop the two Kentucky players. Here's what Chad Ford says about Cauley-Stein: "...as long as he continues to show more toughness and consistency, he's a lock for a top-10 pick. His ability to guard four or five positions on the floor is truly unique."
  6. biggentleben
    Absolutely not Russell. He should not even come into their conversation. I guess it depends on where you want to go with the pick outside of that. Okafor gives you the Kevin Love sort of player with offensive ability galore and a great knack for the rebound as well, but, though it's better than Love's, his defense isn't his strong suit. Towns is a defensive stud, but may be more Samel Dalembert than Tyson Chandler as far as defensive stud centers. Cauley-Stein is very intriguing. He can play inside and out defensively, has a good offensive game, but he also has a very raw body and hasn't responded well to physical teams he's come against so far. I think if you have #1, you take Okafor no question and let teams approach you about acquiring him. Outside of that, it's a decent question.
  7. biggentleben
    Not exactly accurate in the NBA's case. Illegal defense is no longer because zone defense was illegal and is no longer illegal.
  8. biggentleben
    I am pretty sure you're misremembering. Just like the NFL, each division rotated interleague, plus you always played your National League counterpart division. For the Twins, that meant every year they faced Bagwell, Biggio, Pujols, Sosa, McGwire, Braun, Fielder, Junior Griffey, and others each season along with a rotation that would come through depending on the division. When you can see Sammy Sosa at the height of his glory every season, it's not that big an event. When you only get to see Barry Bonds once every four years, folks come out for that, and they did heavily.
  9. biggentleben
    We'll not address the erroneous simplifying of my true points. My point is exactly opposite of what you stated. Sacrifices are not just bunts. They often require as much hitting skill as any 40-homer guy possesses. Teams that don't put in an atmosphere requiring their pitchers to put in the time and effort to be excellent at moving runners are what I'm saying is the issue. Maddux, for instance, was masterful hitting behind a guy on 2nd base because he was excellent at pushing a ball to the right side on the ground, which often was swinging away and making that contact, not just bunting.
  10. biggentleben
    Not banned, but limited. In college, I remember I could get into any game I wanted because the Twins were terrible, plus the stadium was a quick walk from the U of M campus and for $5 I could get into the game and have 2 hot dogs. Even with prices like that, games were usually me hanging out with my 3,000-5,000 best friends. EXCEPT when stars came to town. When Sammy Sosa or Mark McGwire or Barry Bonds came to town, the place was packed. When Greg Maddux or Pedro (pre-Red Sox) was on the mound, the place was packed. It was an event, even in fairweather Minnesota with a terrible team. Now, it's lost that intrigue and special aspect of seeing guys from the other league up close and personal.
  11. biggentleben
    Best pro-DH argument so far! LOL
  12. biggentleben
    I'll agree with this. I grew up without interleague play, but I absolutely prefer the 15 interleague games or so each year all packed into a couple weeks of the year over the current format. Las Vegas and Charlotte both have big baseball fan bases that could quickly support a team.
  13. biggentleben
    Yeah, because that's exactly what I just said...
  14. biggentleben
    You don't have to. Many hitters, however, are too prideful to lay down the bunt, nevermind the way SABR-minded folks would attack a manager for having their cleanup hitter bunt. The other end of things is that pitchers have tons of non-pitching time on their non-throwing days to work on bunting to get to the point where they're experts (something the old Braves starters used to work to a T).
  15. biggentleben
    I believe the NL strategy is perfectly made for the current game, as seen by the Giants and Royals in the World Series in 2014. Focusing on moving runners over and encouraging contact over power is the best way to score runs in today's game. Pitchers that actually take their hitting serious (like Willihammer mentioned) are incredibly valuable. The Braves scored tons of runs in the Maddux/Glavine/Smoltz era due to the dedication the pitchers had to the art of bunting. The pitching staff member with the most sacrifices each year would get free dinner at a group dinner after the season. The Braves in that era often put a second "leadoff" guy at 8 in the order, allowing the pitcher to move him over into scoring position for the top of the lineup. Many managers have little to no idea how to use their pitcher slot in the lineup, and that is a big part of it. The current Braves have a manager who certainly doesn't utilize his pitchers well in the lineup, and it frustrates me no end.
  16. biggentleben
    I didn't. I just somehow deleted that line in typing. I had him tying it up in the bottom of the 9th off of Joe Nathan with a run-scoring double.
  17. biggentleben
    Once again, the beat down version of discussion when approaching the DH issue. Lovely to see not much has changed with many in spite of the move to TD. I watch a LOT of baseball, and you can say there's not strategy in the NL like I can say there's no strategy in AL, but we'd both be wrong. I love the NL game, and many baseball fans do. You're on a team board for a team in the American League, of course most of the (primarily younger) fans will only know a game with a DH, so the fact that there is not one in the NL seems odd and not like the baseball they're used to. Similarly, the family I was raised in was very much an NL team, and to this day my grandfather struggles with the idea of a DH in the game. Perhaps the fact that there is a DH at minor league levels is why people are so frustrated watching pitchers pitch. You try going into the gym and jumping the same height or better than you did 3 years ago without any practice whatsoever. A pitcher is drafted and then never faces live pitching until he gets near the majors and is in spring training doing bunting/hitting drills. I honestly enjoy the duality as it makes for two different brands of baseball coming together each October, but it frustrates me the way people attack one side or the other of the issue.
  18. biggentleben
    October 22, 2015: (AP) Twins fans across the land lament their team as the Baltimore Orioles clinch a World Series appearance tonight. Pinch-hitter Chris Parmelee came through in the bottom of the 10th inning with a runner on base in a dramatic come-from-behind victory. Fellow former Twin J.J. Hardy snagged a tremendous defensive play in the top of the 10th to hold the Tigers to one run, and then he led off the inning with a single into left field. After being moved over by the next two batters, Parmelee stepped to the plate to pinch-hit for a struggling Jonathan Schoop and sent the ball beyond the right field bleachers off of Tigers reliever Tom Gorzelanny, who had not allowed a home run to a lefty the entire year before Parmelee. The Orioles will likely start midseason acquisition Francisco Liriano in game 1 of the World Series against Jon Lester of the Cubs.
  19. biggentleben
    Or every game pitched in modern baseball regardless of league...
  20. biggentleben
    I prefer the NL strategy, but I know that there are folks 100% against a pitcher hitting, and their opinions are allowed, whether I believe they should be or not.
  21. biggentleben
    No, no, 1,000 times no.
  22. biggentleben
    Anyone who had Ernie Banks should be kicked in the groin. RIP, Mr. Cub.
  23. biggentleben
    Pairing him with Zoilo Almonte would be a good platoon in left field if Fredi can actually do it right.
  24. biggentleben
    I have portrayed Matt Foley, and Daniel Norris is no Matt Foley
  25. biggentleben
    Not to be a jerk, but this has been discussed in this thread already.
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