Does Verducci read this site?

Way to get it going, Cap!

I don't understand how he can bat with that many sunflower seeds in his mouth.

It seems to me that if you assume that a run in the first inning is the same as a run in the 9th inning (and I know that not everyone agrees on that point), and that a defensive "run saved" is equivalent to an offensive "run created" (again, same disclaimer), that you want to maximize your ability to outscore your opponent, whether through increased offensive production or increased defensive prowess.

I see the value in having a backup if you need to use a pinch hitter/runner, and I suppose a case could be made if it is unlikely that the substituted player will come up to bat (e.g., his turn in the lineup has just passed with only 1 inning to go). But if you have a lead at the end of 6 or 7 innings, does your probability of winning really go up if you pull Giambi for Phillips (I know, it's not a great example, but you get the gist).

If they don't have him locked up...he'd look mighty fine in pinstripes. :)

As for Toronto, I'd say Dave Steib was probably more valuable than Carter, but of course if you hit a walk off HR to win a Serious . . .

Oh, and go Yanks! Is it wrong to hope for a Lidle implosion, so that Rasner makes the postseason roster? Lidle's career numbers vs the Twins are great, but awful vs Detroit and Oakland, FWIW.

Do you really need to have that blank filled in

Wait, it's Big Papi! Clutch!

Actually, the voting was done by fans.

I'm envisioning a .330, 30 HR, 100+ RBI year next year for Cano.

The way he glides to the ball on defense, the way he seems to be such a natural hitter in the box, he looks like the future. All he's gotta do is keep it together.

I haven't been this excited about a homegrown Yankee hitter in a long time, and he's got a while before he hits his prime.

For instance, with a 1-run lead going into the 9th, is pulling the hypothetical Giambi for Phillips the right move? How likely is it that the tying/go-ahead/winning run will score with Giambi at the bag vs. Philips? How often does the move end up hurting you because the game went to extra innings? It just seems to me that the reasoning behind using LIDR is mainly that you just don't want the psychological blow of giving up the lead in late innings due to a boneheaded error. And maybe this is a perfectly valid rationale.

Anyway, I'm probably just overthinking all this. :) Now back to your regularly scheduled game chatter.

I find it easy to get behind Wright, even though he isn't that good, but I have a hard time getting behind Lidle. Part of me wants to see him get rocked. Hard. And, while I don't speak for Cliff or Alex, I feel it's safe to say that if you choose Long you will no longer be welcome around here.

I seriously doubt there are any Long jerseys, though.

67 I think Cano's turning 24 every soon. He will be closer to 25 in next season. Cano looks like he even has room to develop physically. Man...can you imagine Cano with a bigger size? On the same note, I think Wang looks stronger physically this year.

There's no swing until a hitter has gone around, demonstrating intent to "strike" at the pitch.

Haha.

I can tell you're a good teammate.

I'm the guy who's willing to play anywhere, bunt, hit-and-run, the little things that help my team win.

We're good teammates.

From the frying pan into the fire.

{170] No more sunny-side-up eggs, now how about some deep fried chicken wings?

170 I like the new nickname you've given him. "Great Villone". Doesn't the "-one" ending mean 'big' in Italian?

I hate to think about where this team would be without Mo.

Glad that's over. Extra inning with the O's... Now I'm a gamer, but I want to get back in the clubhouse where I do my best work. Bama, we should bounce some ground balls to Robbie after we finish with the team meeting we organize every week.

180 Who is Aaron Small?

A year ago, almost to the day, Wright imploded on the mound against the Jays. Then got hit by comebacker or a piece of broken bat or some such thing. Small, recently moved to the bullpen, came out of the pen and restored order. The Yanks couldn't quite climb out of the hole Wright had dug. (Well, it wasn't just Wright. Three earned runs for Wright, four thanks to errors by Matsui and Cano.) But Small stopped the bleeding, and gave them a chance. I thought that night that the Yanks had put the wrong guy in the pen.

I thought I saw Garcia on the video striking out. Brought back good memories.

Thanks for reminding me of his name. I was meaning to look it up.

I've always wondered what the outcome of the '64 Serious would have been if the Yanks had played the Phillies instead of the Cards. It might have changed a few fortunes in Yankeeland . . .

I think his problem is that he's injury-prone. Perhaps related to his age; he's no spring chicken. Groin strain kept him out of spring training, and he never quite recovered. Like many finesse pitchers, he needs regular work to keep sharp. And it takes him some time to find his groove. When he was sent down to Columbus, he started pitching well after a rough start...then strained his groin again. And when he came back, he was terrible.

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My favorite, check out these Halloween costumes: http://tinyurl.com/ny6nq

208 Thanks for the photos. If that was Garcia I saw playing in Japan I wonder if we could score some photos of he and the local umpires / fans.

Cardinals are about ready to give up more runs. They might actually blow this thing.

214 The guy on the left could almost pass for Nelson, but the guy on the right doesn't look a thing like Karim Garcia.

The funny thing is, I've always been grateful for Karim - not because of the bullpen incident, but because of his '02 season with the Indians. He helped me get out of last place in my fantasy league.

213 The Pads look about ready to tack on a few more runs. BP had Houston's chance of winning the division at 7.something this morning. I wonder what it will be tomorrow if the Cards do lose?

All you want to know about Karim is there, if it hasn't been posted yet.

Following his major league career, García has been playing for the Orix Buffaloes since 2005 as the cleanup hitter and right fielder. Thanks to the advice of Hideki Matsui, he has become more patient than before, adapting to his new environment in Japan.

On August 10-11, 2005, García hit three home runs in each game against the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, becoming the only player in Japanese baseball history to accomplish that.

Mike would probably know...

AB - it's "Cory" - but, don't feel bad, I've been messing it up for two months now on my own.

"We'll sit down and talk about it,'' Joe Torre said. "One's going to pitch as a starter and the other is going to pitch out of the bullpen. They'll both have important roles.''

Guess no Rasner.