just so we have one

nothing to say right now

well, okay: the Red Sox paid $50 million for the rights to negotiate with -- just that, negotiate with -- and then signed Daisuke Matsuzaka, the best pitcher in Japan.

The exciting thing about all of this, besides the fact that he is a very very good pitcher, is that some say he throws a new pitch -- the "gyroball"

i.e., "a pitcher with good mechanics could throw the baseball in a way that it spun like a bullet – or, in sporting sense, like a perfect football spiral – and broke like nothing anyone has ever seen." LINK

The pitch may not actually exist; it's only been hypothesized, never proven. It's all very interesting and makes baseball seem like theoretical physics.

I went to college with a guy who played Pro baseball in the US for a while.... :unsure:

He was a right nutter as well so that probabkly helped

A guy who lives in a batting cage

:good:

http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/sport...cle_1750502.php


btw, the Red Sox still have the best record in the Major Leagues :clap:

Also. As I'm sure you all know, Barry Bonds is about to break the record for career home runs. This is a very big deal. But the record itself isn't nearly as impressive as this one:

Eugene Kuiper managed only one home run in 3,379 at-bats.

There are more members in the 750 Homer Club (two) than there are in the One Homer In 3,000 At-Bats Club (one).

In the 62 seasons since World War II, no other members of the One Homer in Their Whole Darned Career Club have come within 1,000 at-bats of Kuiper's lifetime total. And just two one-homer men made it to 2,000 career at-bats: Woody Woodward (1 in 2,187 at-bats) and Al Newman (1 in 2,107).

In that same time span, every other player who batted as many times as Kuiper managed to hit at least five home runs -- with the exception of longtime ping-hitter Frank Taveras (who hit two).

And even if we take in all of baseball's eras -- live-ball, dead-ball, gloves-without-fingers, mound-45-feet-from-home-plate, etc. -- you'd still have to go back to 1886 (to the retirement of the mysterious Davy Force) to find another player who hit just one homer and came within 450 at-bats of getting as many shots to hit one as Kuiper did.

I wonder how many steroids he will take to get him over that milestone. :1run:

ah, so the story has made it over there, even in a country that doesn't care about baseball.

to answer your question: none. I think he's already taken enough to get him through the next few years -- and, of course, by then his penis will have fallen off and he'll be dead.

Oh well yes probably but I take a vague interest in all sports. :ninja:

It really is shocking that this is happening and will be recorded as a record in the history books.

It is tantamount to Athletics having recognised Ben Johnson's 100m record until it was recently beaten.

Bonds is a cheat and it is disgusting for him to be mentioned alongside Hank Aaron, let alone to be usurping a true sporting hero.

the problem is -- it's endemic in baseball. Why refuse to recognize Bonds when everyone is else doing it too? This is simply "the steroid era" in baseball.

We're in the first round of the playoffs now -- best 3 games out of 5.

The Red Sox are up 2-0 on the Angels. This is Manny Ramirez, one of our best players, who won last night's game with a walk-off home run off the Angels' relief pitcher:

:lol: He's awesome.

Also, the Indians are up 2-0 on the Yankees. :scarf: We all hate the Yankees.

And, in other league that no one cares about, the Diamondbacks are up 2-0 on the Cubs and the Rockies are up 2-0 on the Phillies. I bet the Rockies will make the World Series.

Watched the Indians beat the Yankees last night. Could have done without the extra innings though. Especially when my son woke up just after 5 am.

Saw this article in the Independent today - you might find it an interesting read.

http://sport.independent.co.uk/general/article3033367.ece

Somehow I don't see Arsenal going this way.

No Baseball sweeps? :unsure:

That is truly fascinating. What else is interesting is that, apparently, God cheats:

(It was really a great game. I stayed up -- not quite as late as you with the Indians-Yankees -- to watch the whole thing.)

btw, check out what I'm about to paste into the NFL thread.

He cheats in mysterious ways. :lol:

I do try to keep abreast of what goes on in MLB, especially with the Red Sox so stop me if I'm wrong, but hasn't Bonds tested negative every time he has been tested for steroids?Or was he finally caught? And wouldn't that make him NOT a cheat if he hasn't been caught?

Nice to see Manny is still knocking the ball around, although still slightly bitter that Johnny Damon went to the Yankees, he was cool, he looked like an alien, and he hit the ball a long way a lot.

How much of this is true about the 'gyroball'? Also, Jens' Face, is Schilling still pitching for the Red Sox?

Hi Tuman, tbh, I've not been following the Bonds thing very closely -- which, of course, doesn't stop me from making definitive judgments. So I don't know about the testing. One thing is he's certainly not taking them now, because, well, that would be real dumb. The controversy is whether he was taking them a few years ago when he hit 70 home runs and had the best hitting year anybody's ever had. The other thing is that there's testimony by former teammates that he was taking them.

Johnny Damon had a great game for the Yankees on Saturday. Roger Clemens got knocked out in the early innings, though. :violin: Though they ended up winning that game, the Indians won the next and the series. :violin: :violin:

Gyroball -- still a mystery to me. I wish someone would study Matsuzaka to clarify it once and for all.

Schilling pitched a shutout to allow the Red Sox to sweep the Angels. :good:

Mr Face what's with all the? :violin:

Have we been given our teams yet? I'd like the tallest team in the league please. :good:

No they haven't been done yet Tiny. And it's Basketball we are waiting for. ;)

1. we hate the yankees -- as obnoxious as ManU with the class of Chelski :good:

2. you will absolutely get the tallest team in major league baseball when I do the sweeps for next season. I promise.

Can I have the Expos?

I really miss them. :crying:

sure, you can, sweetie.

I know, shhh, it'll be all right, shhh.

The Expos had a wonderful team in the early 80s. Tim Raines stealing bases was a sight to behold. I think that the team with Carter, Cromartie, Parrish, Dawson and Raines is the best team never to have played in or won the World Series.

I remember my Social Studies teacher letting us watch afternoon games on TV and even taking us out for an impromptu game of baseball when the afternoon games were over.

Wonderful memories. Expos rip :rose:

Tim Raines and Gary Carter especially are legends, imo, and Andre Dawson is right up there as well. I hated Gary Carter, I remember, because he homered in an all-star game and won it for the NL. :lol: When you're 10 (or so) it really matters who wins the all-star game.

Is Parrish Lance Parrish, who played for the Tigers?

We played Baseball in PE yesterday. :)

Should be Rounders. <_<

No, when you play Baseball proper like, its actually quite fun. Better than Rounders Id say.

I doubt that. There's nothing fun in having to drop your bat when you play baseball. You can't hit anyone with it on the way round...

at the risk of turning this into a "Rounders" thread, what is Rounders?

English baseball.

More fun than original baseball

ah, an English explanation.

Leaving things more obscure than the conditions of the original question.

Rounders explanation

Thanks, Cripps. That was interesting.

This makes rounders a PROFOUNDLY less interesting game than baseball -- the pitcher/batter duel is the most fascinating thing about the American sport.

And maybe some genealogical connection between the sports, too:

It's more fun seeing someone be forced to run. ;) Makes it a much quicker game too. :D

that's might be true for those who don't appreciate subtlety, nuance, strategy and the like.

much the way a person might find Mad Magazine more fun than The Tempest. :good:

Oh I appreciate it, just not in that game...In any case I never really liked The Tempest, it's just another William re-hash...

Nope, it was Larry Parrish - he played 3rd base for the Expos.

I have just wiki'ed him and he is now manager of the Toledo Mud Hens!

so we've got the league championships up now -- decide who wins the pennant and who gets to play in the world series

American League: Red Sox-Indian Preview

National League: Diamondbacks-Rockies Preview

And I also found something for the rest of you, actually. And I didn't even know it was a real sport ...

Rounders Championship Preview

Baseball shits on Rounders.

:good:

Jens' the bookies here are making the Bosox hot favourites against the Indians. 4/7 for the Series and 4/6 for tonight's game.

I wouldn't have thought it that one-sided. What is your view?

I want you P.O.V, not from the heart, but rather as investment advise!