Cubs start deciding who will start the games to start Spring Training.
Rodrigo Lopez pitches Sunday, Dempster on Monday, and Garza on Tuesday. Sunday's game is on mlb.com radio broadcast, presumably with Len Kasper, and the latter two games are on WGN radio with Pat Hughes. The first WGN TV game is next Saturday.
Is there a Cubs game today?
No.
Cubs TV deal news
Aisley wrote a post yesterday about the Cubs TV contracts. They are locked in to CSN through 2019 but their WGN deal runs out in 2014. Will WGN pony up the cash to keep the Cubs on the network? The Cubs are only getting 45 million per year for the right right now, compared to recent teams like LAAoLAoAoGPoDL who are getting more than three times that. The "small market" Texas Rangers are also pulling in that amount. Even the Padres are getting $75m per year. We'd probably see an end to the Cubs on WGN if the prices get that high – though since CSN gets most of the Cubs game the package should be diminished by that percentage. As MB pointed out in the thread, I think there's a good chance the Cubs start their own network on the BTN/YES model and own it themselves. Leave your suggestions for the callsign/acronym for this network here (though GBTS already won the competition yesterday).
Star Wars conversation I was recently puzzled by
Adam posted a link about suggested viewing order of Star Wars yesterday. I don't see what the fuss is about – there are only three Star Wars movies and it's pretty clear what order they should be watched in.
Picture I was recently disturbed by
I think F7 is going to start making out with that ball any second now.
Teenage Wasteland
Lessons from History
After Castro was hit by a Kerry Wood pitch yetserday, ESPN's Doug Padilla wonders who can replace Castro at short if he goes down. We all learned from Aramis Ramirez's 2009 injury that to win you have to have an all-star backing up every position, so that when the best player on your team goes down you can just simply replace the production just like that. Clearly, the Cubs need to flip Brett Jackson and Anothony Rizzo (and Cash) for Hanley Ramirez so Starlin has an appropriate backup.
Comments
(dying laughing) @ face —> palm
WaLiQuote Reply
Very nice new shit post in the last thread. (dying laughing)
MishQuote Reply
What’s the significance of the video?
Is it because the Cubs are deciding “Who” will be starting the starting games?
If so, fix the headline.
Suburban kidQuote Reply
@ Suburban kid:
I like the whole thing the way it is. (dying laughing)
MishQuote Reply
Either that or Courtney Love is the Cactus League ace.
Suburban kidQuote Reply
@ Suburban kid:
Suburban kidQuote Reply
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/fp/flashPollResultsState?sportIndex=frontpage&pollId=134082
America is BOTHERED.
GBTSQuote Reply
@ GBTS:
I saw a Fedex van this morning and immediately thought of Ryan Braun’s piss. I was bothered by that.
Suburban kidQuote Reply
@ Suburban kid:
I don’t know whattle you are talking about.
BerseliusQuote Reply
There’s a “Wong” in the background of MO’s Big Puma picture in the last comments section. I didn’t know the Cards had a Wong.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
@ GBTS:
Can we take a poll to see who is bothered by this graphic?
joshQuote Reply
@ Rice Cube:
Must be this guy:
http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110606&content_id=20126836&vkey=news_stl&c_id=stl
Rice CubeQuote Reply
I thought the rocks promo last night was kinda weak
bubblesdachimpQuote Reply
Suburban kid wrote:
MishQuote Reply
@ GBTS:
Why isn’t South Carolina included in the international results?
mb21Quote Reply
So do the cubs get $45m from WGN, or from WGN/CSN combined? also, i would think that if the cubs got their own channel, they’d be doing themselves a disservice by not being on a national cable channel any longer. i have to assume that they’d lose a pretty decent portion of their viewing audience, right?
EnricoPallazzoQuote Reply
@ mb21:
The average IQ is so low that other nations are refusing to acknowledge its sovereignty.
MishQuote Reply
How is Carlos Silva’s money going to affect the new TV deal?
MishQuote Reply
@ EnricoPallazzo:
I’m unclear if it’s $45 million total or just from WGN too. WGN carries less than half the games so that may not be as bad as it sounds if it’s WGN alone. It’s an underpayment, but doesn’t WGN only carry something like 60 games these days?
I don’t think WGN as a national channel matters as much as it once did. It’s how I became a fan and many others did too, but these days you have mlb.tv and MLB Extra innings. ESPN airs at least a game or two each week and MLB Network does too. There are more nationally televised games today than there were when I was growing up.
I would also expect that the Cubs Network will air in many parts of the country like the BTN does. Even here in the heart of Big 12 country we get the BTN.
mb21Quote Reply
@ Mish:
All of the revenue will be used to pay Carlos Silva.
mb21Quote Reply
.
Suburban kidQuote Reply
I count 62 games on WGN this year. I think it’s been 62 now for a few years with about 80 or so on CSN.
mb21Quote Reply
I fixed the typo in the post, but only after thinking about buying plane tickets so I can go and piss on SK’s curtains. I realized that it might make him think of Ryan Braun so I decided not to.
I also updated the post with an article I bookmarked yesterday to throw in a DFP, but forgot about (dying laughing).
BerseliusQuote Reply
mb21 wrote:
I’m surprised, somehow I thought that number was somewhere in the 40s.
BerseliusQuote Reply
@ mb21:
I think NESN or YES is a good comp to what the Cubs network could get, national coverage-wise. I think having CSN around is going to hurt that network though. The Cubs probably need to grab some other viewing draw – I think NESN also has the Bruins. What network do the Blackhawks play on, usually?
BerseliusQuote Reply
EnricoPallazzo wrote:
I guess that part of the argument is that most people have moved beyond simple cable and so a station on premium cable is more profitable. In the short run, that is surely true. Even with the CSN deal, I wonder if this just robbing Peter to pay Paul though. I’ve never lived in the Chicago TV market, and I know a lot of Cubs fans in their late 30s or older who became Cubs fans because they got to see them on WGN on cable TV all the time. Now most cable outside of Chicago doesn’t carry CSN so that ability to hook kids when they were young is gone. That is partly how I got hooked too. We didn’t have cable, but my grandparents did, they were fans and so we watched the Cubs all summer when I was there.
So the question is: How much is the future investment worth? It’s a question baseball has to ask on a broader level too, since it has been losing young fans too.
But the second question is: If baseball were on TV every day, would kids watch it, or would they be too busy on Xbox or Facebook to care? I don’t know the answer to that one. My daughter is only 5. She doesn’t care about Xbox or Facebook, but she does like baseball and football.
I think Ricketts should just buy the Tribune Company, aside from their TV division they are only worth about as much as two cans of beans and a bicycle-spoked Dickie Noles card. Keep WGN and sell off the rest. I hear Rupert Murdoch is looking into new properties since his London holdings have done so well.
SkipVBQuote Reply
EnricoPallazzo wrote:
I think just as many cable packages carry YES and NESN as carry WGN America right now, so I don’t think it would damage their reach as much as it would have back when WGN was one of 30 or so channels carried by most cable packages. I think they might even gain viewers since they could get back to ALL of their games being carried by a single station. Right now, Cubs fans don’t have a good option to watch all of the Cubs games. Even if they have MLB.tv, they end up sometimes getting screwed by blackout restrictions.
As far as I can tell, the $45M is from the combination of WGN and CSN, but that is just a small detail that I’m sure isn’t as important as whether Ian Stewart is stewed about replacing Aramis.
Aisle424Quote Reply
EnricoPallazzo wrote:
I’m pretty sure it’s just WGN. They’d lose a portion of their viewing audience, but given how ubiquitous WGN is on almost all cable/satellite networks they should have the money to pay for a lot more than what they’re doing now. If Texas/LAAoLAoDL can pull in $150m for what’s basically a regional network, WGN should be able to pony up a lot more than anything else (barring some other national network like NBC Sports, for example). If the Cubs start their own network they get the advantage of actually owning it and can keep all of the profits in the long run and don’t have to worry about things like the current lousy deals relative-to-market they have with WGN and CSN.
BerseliusQuote Reply
@ mb21:
WGN as a national channel matters (to me anyway) because i don’t have cable or satellite and most of the bars that i frequent just have basic cable (or else satellite but w/o a baseball package). FOX games are regional. Basically, if a game isn’t on WGN, there is very little chance that I get to watch it. There are almost zero bars around my house that have a baseball package. I live in Baltimore and this is not a baseball town. I realize that I can watch games online but i would much rather go sit at a bar with a few friends and watch the game over a few beers. for people that watch games in this manner, it will make a big difference to not have games on WGN. not sure if this is a big percentage of fans or not though.
I’d just rather not have to depend on a cable carrier picking up the cubs network when i know for sure that they’ll have WGN.
EnricoPallazzoQuote Reply
@ EnricoPallazzo:
They’re going to lose audience if they’re not on WGN, but if they’re not getting money from that audience, does it really matter? That audience should translate into more $$ from WGN, if the Cubs can get more money from elsewhere, that’s what should matter more.
BerseliusQuote Reply
@ SkipVB:
My parents aren’t very technically minded, but they get most of the games on satellite, and the rest with MLB.tv, out in Nebraska. I didn’t even have to set it up for them. Which is good because my dad is like flypaper for IE add-on bars.
joshQuote Reply
Buy TribCo? Hell no. Ricketts ought to take that money and invest in some pirate cripplers.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
What’s up with those Berkman pictures? He looks like a Rhode Island State Trooper.
MuckerQuote Reply
Now that WGN only carries 60 or so games, does anyone buy WGN specifically for Cubs games anymore? Plus, I think there are fewer games on WGN America, which is what is aired outside of the Chicago market. I never understood why they created Bizarro WGN that insists on airing Matlock reruns where Friends reruns should be.
Aisle424Quote Reply
@ Berselius:
agreed. If they lose a few fans, but increase their revenue then it was a good decision. I figure since YES and NESN are good enough for the two most popular franchises that a Cubs Network ought to be good enough for the Cubs, which is probably the 4th or 5th most popular franchise.
mb21Quote Reply
@ Mucker:
That’s his “big dumb asshole” look.
joshQuote Reply
@ mb21:
They’d probably see some secondary blowback in ticket/merch sales from out-of-towners if they only go to a regional network, but if they get more money and invest it in the team = more winning, which draws a hell of a lot more fans than Bob Brenly.
BerseliusQuote Reply
@ Mucker:
I also got the state policeman vibe. Or, a Mark Riggins-wannabe thing.
Suburban kidQuote Reply
@ Mucker:
He and JefF7 are starting a Village People cover band.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
@ mb21:
I basically will never get to see them on TV if they drop WGN, admittedly. I’m too cheap to subscribe to CSN et al. $15 a year for mlb audio. I wonder if the radio deal would also be affected. I’m able to pick up WGN radio on most days in Champaign, because it’s AM.
joshQuote Reply
@ Aisle424:
I’m kind of surprised that WGN hasn’t been booted off/back in priority by most cable carriers. I don’t really get the business models of most cable networks these days. In the age of DVR, Hulu, etc. having cable networks that show 5 billion reruns a day doesn’t seem like it would be very profitable. Live sports/new shows should be driving the market…though I also suspect that these regional sports network type deals are also incredibly overvalued.
I don’t channel surf at all though, so I’m biased here. I’m thinking of dropping my cable tv, mostly because of shitty service but also because about 95% of what I watch I can get legally from other sources (if not right as it airs).
BerseliusQuote Reply
Suburban kid wrote:
He looks like one of Charlie Bailey Gates’ fellow troopers from “Me, Myself and Irene”.
MuckerQuote Reply
I’d like if if they went FM and got a repeater down in this area. I can get the Bears games because they have a local station that transmits the signal, which is cool for times when I’m doing other stuff and can’t sit and watch a game. AM is kind of annoying.
joshQuote Reply
I just don’t think it will be a regional network. I’m guessing most cable operators and satellite services will carry it. It might be a slightly more expensive package than what it takes to get WGN, but this idea that WGN is a “Superstation” anymore is nonsense. I doubt WGN is any more available than the Food Network now.
It would be interesting to see what they do with the 95% of the air time that doesn’t involve a game. What the hell airs on YES when the Yankees aren’t playing?
Aisle424Quote Reply
@ Berselius:
I dropped my cable about 2 years ago for that reason. I have basic cable now, but only because I get a discount on my internet greater than the cost of basic cable for having a package deal.
joshQuote Reply
Aisle424 wrote:
Old championship parades.
. . .
GBTSQuote Reply
josh wrote:
I don’t know what the status of their contract with WGN Radio is. That deal is probably fairly safe as long as Ricketts feels he’s getting near to market value and that the listening habits of fans continue to migrate primarily towards over-the-air radio. But once satellite radio gets more traction in the market, then I would imagine the Cubs would jump to the highest bidder.
Aisle424Quote Reply
@ Aisle424:
Won’t it be hours and hours of David Kaplan and Paul Sullivan bitching at lack of hustle, interspersed with replays of heroic wins from the Cubs’ glorious past?
Suburban kidQuote Reply
@ Berselius:
I’ve seen Blackhawk games on both WGN and CSN-Chicago.
As long as I’m in the Chicagoland area I can get to WGN radio and usually the highlights are on MLB.com within two or three hours post game so it doesn’t bother me too much. Plus as long as the FCC and NSA and Homeland Security don’t get too vigilant, there are always…alternatives.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Todd will get a show, too.
Suburban kidQuote Reply
Berselius wrote:
Live sports creates the most revenue because of the age of the people watching. Though with baseball the age is getting older and less valuable to networks. I haven’t looked into what the news shows generate, but my guess is their audience is mostly useless to networks (older people don’t buy shit). Young people get their news online and occasionally check out CNN or something like that. The older people are glued to their sets watching CNN. The cost to air the news is cheaper than a sporting event, but there is a significant amount of difference in the revenue.
Part of the problem with networks these days is that the younger people are watching Hulu, Netflix and other instant streaming services. Those are the people the networks used to make money off of and now they’re not. They’re left with the least profitable viewers.
mb21Quote Reply
@ Aisle424:
Aw! Stupid satellite radio. Do people really use that? It seems like it came out right before live streaming was possible on the internet. I’ve never felt compelled, but then, I’m always within arms reach of a computer, so there you go. Still, it should still be available through MLB audio, unless MLB itself does something different.
joshQuote Reply
@ GBTS:
With 27 to choose from (plus artist renditions and re-enactments for the pre-TV ones) it’s like its own syndicated TV show.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Aisle424 wrote:
http://web.yesnetwork.com/schedule/index.jsp
mb21Quote Reply
WTF? Did the Astros really just make Brett Myers a closer?
Rice CubeQuote Reply
@ mb21:
Networks seem to be a dying idea. Of course, there are bandwidth problems with everyone watching all TV over the internet. Either way, we’ll probably see a sharp increase in advertising and cost of internet, or at least some kind of restructuring, as companies figure out how to make money off the young people.
joshQuote Reply
@ Rice Cube:
It has more episodes than Downton Abbey.
GBTSQuote Reply
I’d imagine the Cubs Network would air throughout much of the country. There are a lot of Cubs fans around and they will demand their cable provider carry it. It’s the same way that the BTN is on in as many locations as it is. It won’t cost the same each place though. It will be cheaper here in Kansas than it is in Chicago. I don’t remember what the BTN costs per subscriber in the Big Ten footprint (the states with Big Ten schools), but elsewhere the cost is less. We pay less to get the BTN here than those in Iowa do. The appeal to going national for the Big Ten is that the cost per subscriber is set the same across the country. I don’t think the Cubs Network will be in demand for that, but I think we’ll see it many parts of the country.
mb21Quote Reply
@ josh:
We’re watching the death of NBC right now. It’s been ongoing for several years, but they’d be better off airing movie reruns than paying for new nightly episodes. I expect that will happen before long. NBC will basically become a national cable channel like TBS and USA. I expect they’d continue to have their NBC Nightly News at least for awhile, but that network is done.
mb21Quote Reply
@ mb21:
That’s crazy to think about, given how absolutely dominant they were in the ’90s.
joshQuote Reply
@ mb21:
They still have that NFL contract that’ll keep them afloat for a bit. Ebersol torpedoed their sports coverage with the ND and Olympics stuff, though.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
@ Mercurial Outfielder:
True. I’m more or less thinking about them being a viable network like the others that air new episodes each night. I don’t think it will be too long before NBC completely remakes their network, limiting the amount of new show they have to something more comparable to USA or TNT.
mb21Quote Reply
http://www.alternativehero.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=si
The punctuation is a bit off, but this T-shirt was inevitable.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
@ mb21:
It hasn’t been the same since the CBS talent raid of 1949, when William Paley doubled Amos n Andy’s salary to defect from NBC, and also stole Burns and Allen, Edgar Bergen, Red Skelton and Jack Benny. And that ridiculous 30-year contract they signed with Milton Berle was a noose around its neck….
Suburban kidQuote Reply
@ Suburban kid:
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
@ Suburban kid:
(dying laughing)
(dying laughing)
SK is 80 years old.
GBTSQuote Reply
@ Suburban kid:
They never really recovered after the switch from tubes to transistors.
joshQuote Reply
@ josh:
Joe Morgan thinks your transistors need to come out of their moms basement and play the game.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
@ Mercurial Outfielder:
I really liked that scene because you could almost feel Clint’s character wanting to destroy his family (dying laughing)
Rice CubeQuote Reply
@ GBTS:
I’m not saying anything different than Jack Donaghy on 30 Rock. And, he’s older than me.
Suburban kidQuote Reply
why would the Astros take a guy who can give 200 IP at a decent ERA and make him a closer?
dylanjQuote Reply
This is tonight, but I’m not sure if tickets are still available:
http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/02/28/the-cubs-will-play-with-computers-live-on-video-tonight/
I was going to go but I got tix to the Bulls game. #humblebrag
MishQuote Reply
dylanj wrote:
Question —–> Answered
MishQuote Reply
Tonight!
http://www.csnchicago.com/pages/digital_chalk_talk/
h/t HBT and/or Mish
Rice CubeQuote Reply
@ dylanj:
The lame rationale was that because they traded Melancon and Brandon Lyon is hurt, that they won’t have an experienced guy to close out games, so Brett Myers was the logical choice. It’s about as dumb as putting Carlos Zambrano in the setup role though, especially since the Astros probably won’t have more than 30 save opportunities all season (dying laughing)
Another reason I’ve read is that they’d like to flip Myers at the deadline in case some team needs a closer, but that makes even less sense to me. If you want him as a trade chip, you let him continue to be a starter so that he brings more value back.
Of course, this could be a ploy to take 200ish good innings out of the rotation, thus making the team worse and more likely to lock up the #1 pick in 2013.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
@ Rice Cube:
One other thing to consider is that maybe Myers has some type of injury that will prevent him from going 5+ per outing, but if that is the case he probably shouldn’t even be pitching.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Suburban kid wrote:
NBC: The Biggest Loser Network
BerseliusQuote Reply
@ Rice Cube:
It sounds like, on the surface, a case of a team overvaluing the closer position, but maybe there are extenuating circumstances.
joshQuote Reply
mb21 wrote:
NBC is pretty boned right now, despite having some of the smartest comedies on TV on Thursday nights. They’ve been out-ratinged by Univision in primetime at times lately. That said they still have the foothold to rebuild the network, they just need to develop some good new shows. Or people need to start watching Community/Parks and Rec, dammit.
BerseliusQuote Reply
He has closed before. That may be it more than anything.
joshQuote Reply
GBTS wrote:
Vastly more than Cougarton Abbey. Those British shows are good because they can give you closure.
BerseliusQuote Reply
@ Aisle424:
if you get the standard (cheapest) cable package in any place i’ve lived in the past 7 years (CA/MD/CO/IL/WI/WY), you will get WGN. any bar you walk into, regardless of how shitty the bar is, will have WGN. and i usually go to shitty bars to watch cubs games.
granted, no one in any of these non-chicago markets knows what WGN is, but they do get it. sample conversation:
me: hey, would you mind turning on the cubs game?
bartender: i guess not. what channel is it on?
me: WGN.
bartender: what the fuck is WGN?
me: umm…it’s like TBS.
bartender: (hands me the remote and tells me to find it myself and also lets me know that the cubs suck)
EnricoPallazzoQuote Reply
dylanj wrote:
I thought they had hired a relatively saber-friendly FO. Though anything is better than the low bar set by Ed Lynch and his fetish for middle relievers.
BerseliusQuote Reply
@ Berselius:
30 Rock crashed hard. It was good the first season, and then just got worse and worse. I can’t explain why. I always watched community on the internet. I’ve done Neilson ratings twice (despite not owning a TV for one), and the last time they were asking about shows you watch on the internet, so they are trying to gather that data. I would guess shows like that have a bigger following on Hulu than on TV.
joshQuote Reply
I could care less what happens to Brett Myers. He’s a disgusting piece of shit.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
@ Berselius:
I heart British TV. Granted, there’s probably a filter of what they bother to export.
joshQuote Reply
@ josh:
I disagree. 30 Rock season 2 was one of the best seasons ever for a comedy. It hit a speedbump in season 4 but is still quite good.
BerseliusQuote Reply
I know you’ve been dying (or (dying laughing)) for my mock offseason, dj, so here’s version 1.
Sign WR Marques Colston or Pierre Garcon
Sign G Carl Nicks
Re-sign Alex Smith
Re-sign Carlos Rogers
Re-sign Jonathan Goodwin
Draft
1. Mark Barron, S, ‘Bama
2. Vinny Curry, OLB, Marshall
3. Chris Givens, WR, Wake
4. Casey Hayward, CB, Vandy
5. Desmond Wynn, OL, Rutgers
6. Nicolas Jean-Baptiste, DT, Baylor
7. Levy Adcock, OL, OkSU
I’d bring in Aaron Corp to compete with Scott Tolzien for QB3.
Dr. Aneus TaintQuote Reply
Mercurial Outfielder wrote:
Fixed.
I do agree about Myers though.
BerseliusQuote Reply
Speaking of 30 Rock, I hope all of you are ready for a visit from Leap Day William tomorrow
BerseliusQuote Reply
@ Berselius:
I haven’t watched any of the newer ones, but last season was kind of a snoozer. The first couple of seasons I liked. I watched most of the rest of it, except the new stuff, but I just don’t feel it’s as good. There were good episodes sprinkled throughout.
joshQuote Reply
Mercurial Outfielder wrote:
joshQuote Reply
I only enjoy 30 Rock once in awhile. I couldn’t watch it regularly. It can be very funny though.
Suburban kidQuote Reply
30 Rock and Parks and Rec go back and forth for my favorite comedy that’s aired recently. I love Community too but it bugs me when it gets a little too cute with its meta-ness.
BerseliusQuote Reply
josh wrote:
Suburban kidQuote Reply
@ Berselius:
Parks and Rec is probably my favorite, but it battles Archer with me. I like 30 Rock but I don’t watch it regularly. And agreed on Community.
MishQuote Reply
@ Berselius:
Yeah, sometimes. This discussion is just making me more apathetic about tv.
joshQuote Reply
@ Suburban kid:
Revision: I like a small sample set of British TV shows.
joshQuote Reply
So here is the headline for an ESPN blog post about Starlin Castro getting hit on the wrist.
Beaning is when you get hit in the head, right? Like you got hit on the bean? Or are we just making up definitions for words to get people to click the link? Because if so, we have to do a better job of naming our posts.
Aisle424Quote Reply
@ Berselius:
From what I’ve read it appears NBC doesn’t want to make shows people want to watch. Based on their ratings year after year that is definitely true. They’re basically TNT already. The only difference is that TNT knows people don’t want to watch the shit they have, but will air it for those who do anyway. That’s what NBC is doing.
mb21Quote Reply
@ Aisle424:
This was discussed on ACB, or some other place I frequented, like three years ago. Try to keep up.
Suburban kidQuote Reply
@ mb21:
They’ve been a mess from the creative side for the past few years, no leadership at all. Now that Kabletown is firmly in control of the team they’ll actually have some direction. IIRC the guy running programming now used to be the head of showtime. They’ll probably renew several of their shows despite their poor ratings because they don’t have anything better to replace them just yet, but these things can turn around pretty quickly.
BerseliusQuote Reply
@ Aisle424:
i always thought a “beanball” conveyed intent rather than location but we may have used this term wrong as youths. i seem to remember that an NES game (bases loaded 2?) called it a “beanball” when you would intentionally peg the batter. i think that’s where we got it from. the ball would usually hit the batter in the back.
EnricoPallazzoQuote Reply
Here’s why Myers was moved into the closer’s role:
2007: .8 rWAR
2008: .8 rWAR
2009: .4 rWAR
2010: 4.7 rWAR
2011: .7 rWAR
He’s a consistently bad pitcher with the exception of his 2010 season.
mb21Quote Reply
Suburban kid wrote:
Pretend I didn’t know ACB existed 3 years ago (which is pretty close to being true), are we just re-purposing words to suit our needs in general or just the word “beaning”?
Aisle424Quote Reply
Also, FWIW it looks like The Voice is picking up the torch that the former ratings juggernaught American Idol has dropped, so NBC has that going for it. Not that I’m interested in watching either of those shows.
BerseliusQuote Reply
@ mb21:
It’s not like the Astros have a bunch of Wandy Rodriguezes that he’s blocking in the rotation though.
BerseliusQuote Reply
Webster has it simply:
Aisle424Quote Reply
The best Molina brother ———-> 5 year, ~70-75 million extension with StL
BerseliusQuote Reply
I really don’t get the love for Community. If you’ve seen one episode of that show, you’ve seen them all, and Senor Chang is one of the worst, one-note characters on TV.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
@ Aisle424:
Yep. bean = head. Case closed.
But language does evolve, so no biggie.
Suburban kidQuote Reply
http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/02/28/luke-scott-brought-seven-foot-long-pig-killing-spears-into-rays-clubhouse/
What is this I don’t even
BerseliusQuote Reply
@ Suburban kid:
Rob G. agrees.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
@ Mercurial Outfielder:
Chang was great in season one, he’s been awful since then.
BerseliusQuote Reply
@ Berselius:
WHY DO YOU HATE OUR FREEDOMS, BERSELIUS? IF THAT’S YOUR REAL NAME, YOU COMMIE EARTH-LOVING MANKISSER.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
I’m glad the Rays brought in the nicest smile in baseball (Pena) and the craziest fuck in baseball (Scott).
MishQuote Reply
@ Aisle424:
You’re missing the meaning of the word “beaning”. It refers to his offseason job of picking beans on a coffee plantation.
MishQuote Reply
@ Berselius:
If there weren’t scripted shows on 300 different networks, I might agree, but that period of tv is over. It’s not just NBC that’s going to die, but all the local networks will eventually. At least with regards to scripted television. Look at the audience of the people watching those shows. I read recently about how NCIS is the most watched show on television, but its audience has an average age of 197. As a result, they make next to no money. The younger audience is tuning into HBO, Showtime, AMC and FX where good tv is actually on. Reality tv has taken over for many of the time slots that these networks used to air scripted shows because they’re cheap. The networks won’t take chances on hits like Breaking Bad and Mad Men. Right now the audience is way too old to accept Breaking Bad as anything other than garbage. If it ain’t CSI science, it’s bogus. The cable networks like FX wouldn’t even take a chance on Breaking Bad. They initially picked it up and then decided against airing it. So we’ll continue to get mostly trash on the local networks and the younger audience isn’t tuning in like they once did.
mb21Quote Reply
@ Berselius:
FanGraphs need to adjust the Arms numbers for the Rays that feed into UZR…between Longo’s AK and Scott’s spears, they clearly have the best arms in the majors.
MishQuote Reply
@ Berselius:
I don’t have any interest in those shows either. Bubbles might. My parents do like The Voice and they hate reality tv so that’s kind of funny. Good point about NBC having that show. Now they need about a dozen others and they’ll be good to go.
mb21Quote Reply
@ mb21:
CBS crushes in the 18-49 demo too, despite its rep as the old people network. BBT and Two and a Half men crush all other comedies by a mile.
BerseliusQuote Reply
@ Berselius:
I’m surprised Two and a half men still does. It was nowhere as good as it once was in the last few years Sheen was there and now it’s just bad. Big Bang Theory is hilarious though. I don’t watch many comedies. In my opinion, Shameless is the best comedy on tv and it’s not even listed as a comedy. It’s also funny in a non-stupid way, which I enjoy.
mb21Quote Reply
@ Mercurial Outfielder:
It’s one of the few shows I actually laugh while watching. Also, the first paintball episode was magic. When it’s good, it’s really good.
joshQuote Reply
@ mb21:
Will his fraction of a win still be better than whoever the #5 starter was supposed to be though?
I guess it doesn’t really matter.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
@ Berselius:
I hate 2.5 Men. Every second of it.
joshQuote Reply
@ Aisle424:
I would tend to agree with you. If it’s anywhere else on the body I say “he got plunked”, but if it’s in the head, “he got beaned”. In the NES example, I think 8-bit rendering doesn’t really distinguish well between whether the guy was hit in the chin or the elbow so they just default it to “beanball”.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
@ Rice Cube:
Fangraphs had an article about it. Basically, he’s not taht great, he can close, and they can audition some of their young guys, who aren’t great either, but at least have an upside. Basically it’s a situation where they don’t have great options, but might find a diamond in the rough.
joshQuote Reply
@ Rice Cube:
I don’t know. The question to me is whether or not Myers will be as valuable as a closer. I’d guess the bullpen is improved by about half a win and the rotation is probably worsened by the same amount. The guy can give you 200 innings like Livan Hernandez can or could, but it doesn’t mean they’re good 200 innings.
mb21Quote Reply
I thought they made some good points: http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/myers-to-close-in-houston-but-why/
joshQuote Reply
Over the last few days it appears a couple comments were marked as spam even though they were not. They’re published now, but they’re in a previous thread. ACT posted this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CiVRAH0Bb4
RC posted this: http://www.steroidsrx.com/Articles/Detection_of_Anabolic_steroids.cfm
mb21Quote Reply
@ josh:
That makes sense to me now. MLBTR said they had to rework the contract’s vesting option to reflect that he’s now a closer as well. I guess this is one of those situations where the Astros literally have nothing else to lose (shitty team, kicked out of the NL, etc) so they might as well try something different.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
josh wrote:
Correct.
Suburban kidQuote Reply
Did we ever learn what the synthetic testosterone in Braun’s system was? Victor Conte has had some great things to say about drug testing over the last few months. The most interesting to me was that athletes are no longer using anabolic steroids like they once did. It’s too easy to be caught. Instead, they’re using fast-acting steroids that often disappear from the system by the next morning.
mb21Quote Reply
He argues that MLB and other sports must forget about the T/E test that they use to flag samples prior to doing the CIR testing. He says with these new drugs the T/E test is going to result in very few positive results. As we’ve seen in baseball, there are very few of them. He says the CIR test is what should be used initially rather than a secondary test. If you want to catch those doing the drugs then I agree. If you want to make it look like you care about it then you keep doing the T/E test.
mb21Quote Reply
@ mb21:
The second one.
joshQuote Reply
@ mb21:
He never had to make up an excuse, because the test itself was invalidated, so officially he’s clean, and he can just ignore it until it all dies down.
joshQuote Reply
I personally have always equated “beaning” with “hit by pitch.” I did not know they weren’t necessarily the same. I shall forego three nights of dinner as penance.
GBTSQuote Reply
@ josh:
I’m sure opposing fans will accept this line of thinking and continually remind him of his innocence.
GBTSQuote Reply
Bears are raising prices for non-STH seats. I expect that will be as well received as an Easter ham in a synagogue.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
Phil Rogers’ dog says the Used Car Salesman in a Short-Sleeved Dress Shirt is still trying to ram through the extra wild card teams.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
@ Mercurial Outfielder:
They’re just catering to their best customers, MO.
BerseliusQuote Reply
@ GBTS:
He’s screwed either way on that front. I think the smart move is claiming innocence and never speak of it again. He’s done part 1.
joshQuote Reply
Mercurial Outfielder wrote:
I thought that was already decided on, and it would apply this year. I’m surprised it’s still up in the air. Given the Ent-like speed that MLB moves I find it hard to fathom they could make a big change for an upcoming season so soon. I guess all they’ve decided so far is that Tony LaRussa is not an orc.
BerseliusQuote Reply
@ Berselius:
At the rate they’re raising ticket prices, those will soon be their only customers.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
GBTS wrote:
What innocence? I don’t know why the fans are bothered by it, but he wasn’t shown to have not taken any performance enhancers. Braun can claim whatever he wants, but he’s an idiot if he thinks people see the overturned suspension as proof of him having not used any drugs.
mb21Quote Reply
According to cubs.com, the Cubs are confident Soriano can produce. I’m confident I’m going to have sex with a dozen super models in the near future.
mb21Quote Reply
It should come as no surprise but Bubbles loves Luke Scott..
Also he gave negative faget points to anyone talking trash about South Carolina earlier.
bubblesdachimpQuote Reply
mb21 wrote:
They didn’t say what he was producing. I would do a great job at producing outs in MLB.
BerseliusQuote Reply
@ Berselius:
(dying laughing), I guess the deadline is Thursday, but since it’s self-imposed and this is Selig’s new favorite thing (with the exception of this cherry Trans Am which only has 230K miles on it and has a brand new chassy thanks to that accident and can be yours for a low APR of 17%, rising to as high as 35% but we totally wold never do that you so here’s the keys), I expect it will be moved if he can’t get the union and the network on the same page.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
Went too far, Bubbles. It was good shtick while it lasted, though.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
By the way, at least traditionally a bean ball is one that hits the head (the bean). It’s most often used in that way, but in recent years it’s been any ball that has hit a batter. When I hear someone say bean ball I immediately think of someone getting hit in the head.
mb21Quote Reply
@ mb21:
I’m confident if someone pitted Luke Scott against Terry Bradshaw in a spelling contest it would take the rest of the year, and that would just be for the two of them to get straight on what the rules are.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
@ bubblesdachimp:
I’m an Amerikan and I hate all foren countrys including Sowth Carolina.
mb21Quote Reply
@ mb21:
It’s what you might call a red flag.
joshQuote Reply
@ bubblesdachimp:
(dying laughing)
I like you bubbles, but GBTS sometimes wonders what it is that keeps bringing you back.
GBTSQuote Reply
@ mb21:
Fair enough. Should have said “not guilty” instead.
GBTSQuote Reply
@ Mercurial Outfielder:
I’ve never really liked or disliked Bradshaw, but I’m always reminded of this story a friend told me. He grew up in Alaska and at some point Bradshaw was there (still a player at the time). They lived next to one another. The entire town hated Bradshaw.
mb21Quote Reply
Luke Scott is just a great american
bubblesdachimpQuote Reply
@ bubblesdachimp:
What did Luke Scott do that makes him a great American?
mb21Quote Reply
bubblesdachimp wrote:
Fixed for intelligence accuracy.
joshQuote Reply
Isn’t Scott the one who said Obama wasn’t born in the US? I’m no fan of Obama, but that’s just stupid. Maybe he is a great American, but that speaks poorly of us if he’s one of our greats.
mb21Quote Reply
@ josh:
(dying laughing)
mb21Quote Reply
@ bubblesdachimp:
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
@ mb21:
Did you personally witness his birth? Otherwise GTFO.
GBTSQuote Reply
@ GBTS:
(dying laughing) I don’t even care if he was born in the US. I’m pretty fucking sure any foreigner could run this place better than any American. Do we even need this shit about needing to be a citizen anymore? It ain’t 1776 anymore. Even the Cubs finally realized that.
mb21Quote Reply
I think they have to get that extra wild card in place before spring training games start, or at least before last cuts. Otherwise it’s going to look really stupid when they announce just before the trade deadline, “Oh by the way, an extra team from each league can make it to the playoffs this October, sorry about that.” March 1 sounds like a reasonable deadline that not even Selig can fudge, in my opinion.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
@ Rice Cube:
This is the man that declared a draw in an ASG. He could fuck up a wet dream.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
@ Mercurial Outfielder:
Of course, there are something like 6-9 teams vying for 4 spots by the trade deadline, so an announcement then wouldn’t exactly shift strategies all that much. I still don’t think it’s ideal, but as you said…
Rice CubeQuote Reply
I just like a guy who is not afraid to speak his mind about communists
bubblesdachimpQuote Reply
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fEjJ4Ecy9Q
joshQuote Reply
mb21 wrote:
Probably charity work.
jtsunamiQuote Reply
Or something about Felix Pie and racism.
jtsunamiQuote Reply
@ bubblesdachimp:
In theory, communism works. In theory.
WaLiQuote Reply
@ bubblesdachimp:
So Obama is a communist? Is every person not in America and South Carolina communist? I’ll quote a couple things I read earlier today:
and
and
Thems the facts.
mb21Quote Reply
@ mb21:
I bet he could beat the current Republican candidates in a debate too.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Around this time we should see a “THE POLITICAL TALK WILL STOP NOW” post.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
I’m pretty much a communist. You can tell by the beard.
joshQuote Reply
@ bubblesdachimp:
ROCKY! ROCKY! ROCKY!
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
@ josh:
Rice CubeQuote Reply
@ jtsunami:
(dying laughing)
(dying laughing)
(dying laughing)
GBTSQuote Reply
MO out, fuckfaces. Off to a union meeting with rest of my fellow communists to learn why our university thinks it’s okay to continue to pay us below poverty line wages. AMERICA! FUCK YEAH!
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
@ Rice Cube:
You beat me to the punch, I was digging this one up:
joshQuote Reply
bubblesdachimp wrote:
Throw in a reference to the evils of secular humanism and our trip back to the early 80s will be complete.
uncle daveQuote Reply
New shit: http://obstructedview.net/chicago-cubs/kate-upton-dancing-and-a-cubs-bunting-tournament-update.html
Aisle424Quote Reply
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estasmanoQuote Reply