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Fat Athletes With Wood - aka The Baseball 2014 Thread


Keyrock

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More Tony Gwynn:

 

http://blogs.mercurynews.com/kawakami/2014/06/16/tony-gwynn-interview-july-2002-sometimes-technique-works-better-whole-lot-things/

 

-Q You had a great relationship with Ted Williams, but you’ve also said he could be very harsh in an instructive way. What was the toughest thing he said to you?

 

-A Once, I was trying to explain to him why hitting the ball out of the ballpark for a hitter like me wasn’t that important. Because if you could handle both sides of the plate, all that matters is when they came in, you hit the ball hard somewhere, then they wouldn’t come in anymore.

 

And he was livid. He said, “Major league history’s made on the ball inside.” It took me two years to figure out what he was talking about. But what he was saying was, when you hit a ball inside out of the ballpark, they don’t come in anymore. And my bread and butter was the ball away. Two years later, when I finally realized what he was talking about, I told him, “I have to thank you for giving me that piece of advice that you gave me, because it’s really made a huge difference.”

 

And he looked at me and just winked. Didn’t say a word, just winked at me. It’s one of those moments, when it happened, I got a better understanding of how he felt. I think if you enjoy teaching, if you enjoy talking about your craft, that’s probably the best way to do it . . . because once a player starts to get it, once he figures it out, he’ll never forget it.

 

...

 

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/tony-gwynn-1960-2014/

 

"Maddux was one of several pitchers who deftly described the challenge of retiring Gwynn at the plate. You didn’t get Tony Gwynn out, Maddux used to say. You threw it down the middle and prayed that he’d get himself out. When Tom Boswell wrote about Maddux’s approach to pitching, Mad Dog explained that the key was to change speeds. Maddux said he could outduel any hitter that way. “Except for that [expletive] Tony Gwynn.”

"Things are funny...are comedic, because they mix the real with the absurd." - Buzz Aldrin.

"P-O-T-A-T-O-E" - Dan Quayle

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Wow, TG was far too young.

"While it is true you learn with age, the down side is what you often learn is what a damn fool you were before"

Thomas Sowell

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Cannot lie. I've shed many a man tear over this remarkable fat athlete with wood today.

Edited by Leferd
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"Things are funny...are comedic, because they mix the real with the absurd." - Buzz Aldrin.

"P-O-T-A-T-O-E" - Dan Quayle

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It's pretty crazy that as bad as the Sawx have been this year, and they've been terrible, they're only 6 1/2 out as we near the halfway point.  Really, everybody in the AL East is still in it, the only team that's in any real trouble is the Rays.  Ironically, they were everybody and their grandmother's sexy pick to win the division.  I haven't been following them, what happened?  Are they riddled with injuries?  Are they eating fried chicken and drinking beer in the locker room?*

 

 

 

 

 

 

*As a Sawx fan, the fried chicken and beer joke will never get old.  Remembering that fateful season where the Sawx had that EPIC collapse down the stretch and Terry Francona became the scapegoat as John Henry and Larry Lucchino threw him under the bus, drove over him, put it in reverse, backed up on top of him, put it in neutral, mashed the gas, then threw it in 1st and peeled out on top of his mangled body...  only to drop the tranny and come to a stop a few feet down the road.  Ah, memories.

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🇺🇸RFK Jr 2024🇺🇸

"Any organization created out of fear must create fear to survive." - Bill Hicks

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The Kansas City Royals have won 10 straight. The Kansas City Royals.

"Things are funny...are comedic, because they mix the real with the absurd." - Buzz Aldrin.

"P-O-T-A-T-O-E" - Dan Quayle

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Not us. Padres GM fired today. 

 

In other news, Marine Corporal Kyle Carpenter, eighth living Medal of Honor recipient from Afghanistan, threw out first pitch at Petco today. I definitely teared up a bit. Amazing guy. Said he was just doing his job, like any Marine. Whew, man ...

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All Stop. On Screen.

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It's pretty crazy that as bad as the Sawx have been this year, and they've been terrible, they're only 6 1/2 out as we near the halfway point.  Really, everybody in the AL East is still in it, the only team that's in any real trouble is the Rays.  Ironically, they were everybody and their grandmother's sexy pick to win the division.  I haven't been following them, what happened?  Are they riddled with injuries?  Are they eating fried chicken and drinking beer in the locker room?*

 

 

 

 

 

 

*As a Sawx fan, the fried chicken and beer joke will never get old.  Remembering that fateful season where the Sawx had that EPIC collapse down the stretch and Terry Francona became the scapegoat as John Henry and Larry Lucchino threw him under the bus, drove over him, put it in reverse, backed up on top of him, put it in neutral, mashed the gas, then threw it in 1st and peeled out on top of his mangled body...  only to drop the tranny and come to a stop a few feet down the road.  Ah, memories.

Injuries, underperforming pitchers, no hitting. It's just a perfect storm of crappiness.

"While it is true you learn with age, the down side is what you often learn is what a damn fool you were before"

Thomas Sowell

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Lincecum throws a No-Hitter. Dude is mercurial.

san diego is less mercurial. worst hitting team in baseball by a large margin. so let's give some credit to the real heroes o' this no-hitter. 

 

am kidding 'course... sorta.

 

HA! Good Fun!

"If there be time to expose through discussion the falsehood and fallacies, to avert the evil by the processes of education, the remedy to be applied is more speech, not enforced silence."Justice Louis Brandeis, Concurring, Whitney v. California, 274 U.S. 357 (1927)

"Im indifferent to almost any murder as long as it doesn't affect me or mine."--Gfted1 (September 30, 2019)

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True. San Diego is on pace to set break the MLB record for worst ever team OBP.

"Things are funny...are comedic, because they mix the real with the absurd." - Buzz Aldrin.

"P-O-T-A-T-O-E" - Dan Quayle

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True. San Diego is on pace to set break the MLB record for worst ever team OBP.

a no-hitter is an amazing achievement, regardless o' the opponent. that being said, san diego offense is just so darn hapless.

 

'course, we hasn't genuine followed baseball close since the strike year. is too bad too as the white sox finally won a series in 2005 and we couldn't even manage enough interest to watch. 

 

HA! Good Fun!

"If there be time to expose through discussion the falsehood and fallacies, to avert the evil by the processes of education, the remedy to be applied is more speech, not enforced silence."Justice Louis Brandeis, Concurring, Whitney v. California, 274 U.S. 357 (1927)

"Im indifferent to almost any murder as long as it doesn't affect me or mine."--Gfted1 (September 30, 2019)

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I haven't either. Touchdowns seem more glorious than homeruns, to me for some reason. 

 

Tony's memorial is tonight at Petco. Pretty amazing turnout, according to the news. Starts at 7:19pm ... nineteen minutes from now. 

All Stop. On Screen.

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Well if anyone is wondering WTF happened to the Rays this year, hows this: Most runners LOB in the majors, leading the AL in most DPs against, highest OBP against lead off hitters in the MLB and 3rd highest oAVG on hitters with 2 outs. Only the Astros & Rockies were worse on that one.

 

Did anyone else get that sense of finality from David Price's last start against the Pirates on Wednesday? I'm betting his next start will be in San Francisco.

"While it is true you learn with age, the down side is what you often learn is what a damn fool you were before"

Thomas Sowell

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http://blog.sfgate.com/athletics/2014/07/04/as-send-3-top-prospects-to-cubs-for-samardzija-hammel/

 

A's picked up Shark and Hammel from the Cubs.

 

They are is going for it, though Beane may be giving up too much by including Addison Russell. I suppose you can justify it in that prospects are overvalued right now...

 

Lets Go Oakland!!

Edited by Leferd

"Things are funny...are comedic, because they mix the real with the absurd." - Buzz Aldrin.

"P-O-T-A-T-O-E" - Dan Quayle

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http://blog.sfgate.com/athletics/2014/07/04/as-send-3-top-prospects-to-cubs-for-samardzija-hammel/

 

A's picked up Shark and Hammel from the Cubs.

 

They are is going for it, though Beane may be giving up too much by including Addison Russell. I suppose you can justify it in that prospects are overvalued right now...

 

Lets Go Oakland!!

Yep, your boys just went all in!

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"While it is true you learn with age, the down side is what you often learn is what a damn fool you were before"

Thomas Sowell

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In Taiwan they do baseball better than u...  at least the ceremonial first pitches.

 

 

At first I was mildly creeped out by how pencil thin she is, then the ill-fitting bikini won me over.

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🇺🇸RFK Jr 2024🇺🇸

"Any organization created out of fear must create fear to survive." - Bill Hicks

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I hate Grant Balfour. Unreliable sumbitch.

"While it is true you learn with age, the down side is what you often learn is what a damn fool you were before"

Thomas Sowell

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http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/billion-dollar-billy-beane/

 

Billy Beane: Art, you got a minute?

Art Howe: Yeah. Take a seat.

Billy Beane: You can't start Peña at first tonight. You'll have to start Hatteberg.

Art Howe: Yeah, I don't want to go fifteen rounds, Billy. The lineup card is mine, and that's all.

Billy Beane: That lineup card is definitely yours. I'm just saying you can't start Peña at first.

Billy Beane: Well, I am starting him at first.

Billy Beane: I don't think so. He plays for Detroit now.

Art Howe: You *traded* Peña?

Billy Beane: Yeah. And Menechino, Hiljus, Tam are all being sent down.

Art Howe: You are outside your mind.

Billy Beane: Yeah. Cuckoo.

Jeremy Giambi: [knocking on door] You wanted to see me?

Billy Beane: Yeah, Jeremy, grab a seat.

[Jeremy sits down]

Billy Beane: Jeremy, you've been traded to the Phillies. This is Ed Wade's number. He's a good guy, he's the GM. He's expecting your call. Buddy will help you with the plane flight. You're a good ballplayer, Jeremy, and we wish you the best.

[Jeremy sighs, and exits]

Billy Beane: Jeremy's gone, too.

Art Howe: [shaking his head in disbelief] You're killing this team.

 

"The John Friggin Mabry" trade was legendary.

"Things are funny...are comedic, because they mix the real with the absurd." - Buzz Aldrin.

"P-O-T-A-T-O-E" - Dan Quayle

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Lester, Gomes, and cash to Oakland. Cespedes goes to the Sawx.

 

 

...In Billy We Trust?

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"Things are funny...are comedic, because they mix the real with the absurd." - Buzz Aldrin.

"P-O-T-A-T-O-E" - Dan Quayle

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It's an Arms Race.

 

David Price to the Tigers.

 

A's should now trade Billy Beane to Seattle for Felix Hernandez.

"Things are funny...are comedic, because they mix the real with the absurd." - Buzz Aldrin.

"P-O-T-A-T-O-E" - Dan Quayle

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