jpa2825

UVa 2x in the last 2 weeks of the regular season should be fun. Gouge out my eyes with a melon baller.

That's a great point. Long term, big $ contracts can actually work out well. Votto has an OBP of .419 and an OPS of .832. It is also not a coincidence that the 2 guys hitting either side of him usually are having career years because they are getting better pitches to hit (Gennett to avoid him being on base when Votto comes up and Suarez because >40% of the time there is someone on base.) I'm sure you were going to post that AUG has traditionally been a very strong month for Votto and that he spent most of the month sidelined with an injury. Sorry if I stole your thunder.

Could be the worst signing in baseball history! His 2018 WAR is -1.7 and he made $20M! Maybe Bruce Sutter for the Braves OR the LHP from the A's that moved to SFG? (Forget his name.)

Clubber Lang is a good quote. UofL only covers if Bama plays vanilla to avoid showing anything to others.

I'd expect Puma to start, but Cunningham or Travis could make an impact. . . . . wait . . . did I misread the thread title? :laugh:

My guess is MLB would have to pay STL more than CIN for taking away 2 home games (since they have much better support, ticket sales, front office, talent, coaching, Hardee's, etc.)

Liked S1 a lot. S2 is growing on me. Lots of different stories and ways each of them could go (and cross paths - obviously).

How can Cooper not have a play calling system? QB ran all the way to the Coach on the sidelines after every play. Must've run a 10k over the length of the game. #3 for Cooper was extremely"pumped up" & vocal for a team that was not very competitive. Whatever motivates you, I guess. Cramer looked rusty on long balls but better when they went to short passing game. Really needs to work on QB sneak. May have been confused by being under C. Stood straight up on a 4th & 1 deep in Cooper territory and got pushed back/ sideways. Defense looked aggressive and did fly to the ball well. Good pass rush. DBs will need to get better against a more precise passing team. 70+ yd punt that went OB at the 2nd yd line was pretty to watch.

I assume the other houseguests are not allowed to yell substantive hints, just general support / encouragement, right? Tyler - he is always on the edge and always comes out smellin' like a rose. No clue how he is planning to blindside all these people and still get their votes when they are on jury. Sam or Angela is gonna be real angry when he turns on them. Brett - why rub salt in the wound to Rockstar when she is on the jury? Ya got to keep playing the game in those goodbye messages.

Good to know. I agree that "contact play" is lazy and bad strategy.

Always interested in the theory behind 2 scrimmages and no bye week v. 1 scrimmage and a bye week. I have always assumed that teams with difficult schedules preferred the bye week late in the year to rest up and prepare for the playoffs. On the flip side, teams that have some cupcakes (whether forced by district play or traditional rivalries OR by choice) don't mind not having a bye week as they use those weeks to rest players who are not likely to play a full game. This rationale would certainly hold true for Beechwood based on their traditional district opponents. Not sure about JC.

Who was the biggest failure in B9? Runners on 2B & 3B (unlucky that ball bounced over wall or Billy likely scores) and 0 out. CANDIDATES Votto - grounded to the 1B. All he needs to do is elevate the ball or hit it anywhere other than 1B and game is tied. (I was actually surprised Indians pitched to him.) Hamilton - he was out by a mile at home on the grounder to 1B. You have to be aware of where defense is playing. 1B was only IF that was positioned to come home. When Joey hits it there, you bluff to see if you can draw a throw, but you don't go. Peraza - did not advance to 3B on groundout. In this situation, you watch the runner in front of you. Once you're certain he's going, you go. It's a tag situation at home, so no jeopardy of getting doubled up. If for some crazy reason they throw directly to 3B, at least the run scores.

I think he can take himself off the block at any point (even after veto is played and he is 1 of the 2 FINAL nominees). I assume HOH gets to put up replacement nominee which, if true, is more important this week. If Bay puts Tyler up using her power, Tyler takes himself down and Angela get to put up the replacement (thereby cutting Bay's power in half).

What are the chances the flipped vote gets pinned on Haleigh for all the time she spent in the hammock w/ Tyler? That kid either plays the game really well OR is the luckiest dude on the planet. Also, will Tyler disclose his power app and try to get put on the block by Bayleigh's power app so that he can take himself down and allow Angela to actually use her HOH? If Tyler doesn't get put up and Bayleigh or 1 of her friendlies wins veto, Angela's HOH was basically worthless, right?

If he's not fully healthy, I agree. If he can play, let him play. Doesn't help anything economically to sit him and he needs reps as he is still young.

This. If he can do this at the MLB level, he can be successful. Hasn't proved he can (in fact, if he has proven anything, it is that he can't), but is too young and too LH to give up on when you have the chance to see more since you are just running out the string.

2018 $5.21M 2019 $5.71M 2020 $5.71M 2021 ARB (likely to be a very high # if performance continues) 2022 FA Agree with the above. If someone knocked their socks off (because of his performance AND control), they should've traded him. Closer is a luxury on a squad not expected to compete even next year. However, no need to move him without a great haul in return. If your progress comes earlier than the plan (e.g., Astros), you already have a solid closer in place. If not, sign him to a few more years or deal him prior to 2020 trade deadline. Allowing him to go to ARB or FA without getting anything in return would be stupid. Lots of easy targets when criticizing the Reds front office, but this signing was a slam dunk success substantively and economically.

Liked Duvall and his UofL lineage, but he's too much of a swing & miss guy for my tastes. I realize the game is trending that direction quickly, but I think the game is more effectively played putting the ball in play and making Ps work to throw good pitches.

Does Dick realize the Reds also need a CF? If they are committed to Hamilton in CF as a defensive asset and a #9 hitter, sign him to a "Suarez-esque" deal (with less $ obviously) and commit to that plan. Even if a better CF develops during Hamilton's contract, he will always have value as a pinch runner / defensive replacement late in close games.

Agree. It was odd. Unless that was his regular "throw on the side" day and they decided he'd warm up and pitch a bit if needed and if not needed, just do his regular session. Given Riggleman's quick hook, bullpen needs all the help it can get.

I thought it was 1 batter and he induced a DP?

But didn't the puzzle they gave her make it seem like they were BEGGING for her to be brought back in? Wonder if Rockstar would have been given as easy a puzzle / challenge?.

Who knew "midget" was a word that needed to be bleeped & blurred on network TV?

Offered to let my son buy out of our bet ($5 at 400-1 odds that the Reds make the playoffs) at $2.50. He let it ride.

1 - Trammell - at a high point off his Futures performance (sell high, buy low); huge ceiling since just starting to focus on baseball, but lots of ???? for same reason 2 - Greene - looks to be the real deal but far from being proven talent at MLB level. Too many intervening things can happen. 3 - Senzel - closest to ready to play. He is also coming back from injury next year so trading partner will want some discount (even if minor). That said, there is NO NEED to deal for a #1 starter at this time UNLESS it is someone like DeGrom that you have under control for a few years. Even DeGrom will get paid huge sums in ARB1, 2 & 3 before FA. Real advantage is not having to give him a monster multi-year contract based on control.