Killeverything's (New)NeverEndingBaseballThread

[dmbrocker]

Yeah, that sucks about Fernandez. RIP...

[MurrayFiend]

Brutal news. He was a monster pitcher and obviously was as beloved by his fellow players as by fans. Sucks his child won't get to know him

[killeverything]

Brutal news. He was a monster pitcher and obviously was as beloved by his fellow players as by fans. Sucks his child won't get to know him

Absolutely brutal. It sounds more and more ( nothing confirmed yet ) that he was fishing with friends and with combo of thunderstorms and poor visibility this tragedy occured.

I'm still in shock and can't think of a time our sport, or any for that matter was robbed of such a huge potential talent.

This season shown his recovery from Tommy John surgery. You could see he was starting to learn how to actually pitch. All young pitchers get by on talent at first ( throwers ) until they learn the nuances of the game ( pitchers ). What he could have become is devastating.

Not only was he possibly up for the biggest free agent contract in sports history ( I think he would have blown hair flip boy's upcoming Yankee contract out of the water ). His numbers at only 24 have surpassed Pedro.

You can cherry pick anything, but check this out:

Best FIP in Live-Ball era by starting pitchers (min. 400 IP)

Jose Fernandez - 2.43
Clayton Kershaw - 2.54
Sandy Koufax - 2.69

Unreal. Those other two guys he's ahead of are and were kind of alright themselves.

[Machado]

tuned in for the Jose Fernandez pre game ceremony in Miami tonight.
every Marlins player is wearing a #16, Fernadez jersey

at the end of the national anthem, the Mets players met the Marlins players on the field
to shake hands or hug them all.


a lot of class exhibited by both Organizations

[killeverything]

Nats catcher Wilson Ramos has torn ACL. Sone for season.

[Machado]

Kill,
Ortiz begins his final series in The Bronx tonight. Should the Yankees give him a bottle of pills
or maybe some needles as a going away present?

I heard some fans are trying to organize a going away gift to Ortiz on Thursday. Giving the PED abuser
the full moon times 50,000 strong

[killeverything]

Kill,
Ortiz begins his final series in The Bronx tonight. Should the Yankees give him a bottle of pills
or maybe some needles as a going away present?

I heard some fans are trying to organize a going away gift to Ortiz on Thursday. Giving the PED abuser
the full moon times 50,000 strong

Again show me where his positive result is. All those suspensions. Wait.

The fans are planning on mooning him? I would say "no way," but a douchebag organization and douchebag fanbase? It's a modus operandi really.

[Machado]

Kill,
Ortiz begins his final series in The Bronx tonight. Should the Yankees give him a bottle of pills
or maybe some needles as a going away present?

I heard some fans are trying to organize a going away gift to Ortiz on Thursday. Giving the PED abuser
the full moon times 50,000 strong

Again show me where his positive result is. All those suspensions. Wait.

The fans are planning on mooning him? I would say "no way," but a douchebag organization and douchebag fanbase? It's a modus operandi really.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2015 ... story.html
Baseball was in crisis. Steroid use seemed rife, and performance enhancers were readily available, perhaps nowhere more conveniently than over the counter in the loosely regulated pharmacies of Ortiz’s native country.

Ortiz was a regular at those drugstores, though he insists he never knowingly bought steroids.

Nine days before he arrived in Fort Myers he was crowned the Most Valuable Player of the Caribbean World Series for leading his Dominican team to the title. In the following years, at least five members of that Dominican club, including Ortiz, would be publicly linked to performance enhancers.

“I was taking whatever supplements were good at the time, stuff that everybody was using that would sustain me in my workouts,’’ he said.

Which supplements? The substance that triggered his positive test result has yet to be identified.

“It’s been a long time,’’ Ortiz said. “I don’t know.’’

He must have a clue, he was told. He had previously stated he was “careless’’ about the products he put in his body.

“All I can tell you is, I was using what everybody was using at the time,’’ Ortiz said. “It’s not like I was picky about it.’’
There you go, Kill. From the Boston Globe. Go ahead and refute the reporting.
Ortiz failed a test in 2003. Just like 100 other players did that year. Only a year before stricter testing began in MLB.

[killeverything]

Kill,
Ortiz begins his final series in The Bronx tonight. Should the Yankees give him a bottle of pills
or maybe some needles as a going away present?

I heard some fans are trying to organize a going away gift to Ortiz on Thursday. Giving the PED abuser
the full moon times 50,000 strong

Again show me where his positive result is. All those suspensions. Wait.

The fans are planning on mooning him? I would say "no way," but a douchebag organization and douchebag fanbase? It's a modus operandi really.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2015 ... story.html
Baseball was in crisis. Steroid use seemed rife, and performance enhancers were readily available, perhaps nowhere more conveniently than over the counter in the loosely regulated pharmacies of Ortiz’s native country.

Ortiz was a regular at those drugstores, though he insists he never knowingly bought steroids.

Nine days before he arrived in Fort Myers he was crowned the Most Valuable Player of the Caribbean World Series for leading his Dominican team to the title. In the following years, at least five members of that Dominican club, including Ortiz, would be publicly linked to performance enhancers.

“I was taking whatever supplements were good at the time, stuff that everybody was using that would sustain me in my workouts,’’ he said.

Which supplements? The substance that triggered his positive test result has yet to be identified.

“It’s been a long time,’’ Ortiz said. “I don’t know.’’

He must have a clue, he was told. He had previously stated he was “careless’’ about the products he put in his body.

“All I can tell you is, I was using what everybody was using at the time,’’ Ortiz said. “It’s not like I was picky about it.’’
There you go, Kill. From the Boston Globe. Go ahead and refute the reporting.
Ortiz failed a test in 2003. Just like 100 other players did that year. Only a year before stricter testing began in MLB.

Fuck. I thought the whole thing was a false trigger. I didn't look into it post 2005 though.

He hasn't failed a test since though.

[Machado]

Kill,
The key words in that article is how Ortiz was using what everybody else was using.
Meaning, any other cheaters on his team, any other latin players who were cheating on that team, well
it has to mean that Ortiz was also cheating.
Just get over it. Your boy was cheater like the rest of them. All he has to do is admit that and everybody
can move on. He brought this on himself. His peers who cheated have faced the music and gone through
the hell that was well deserved because they cheated. Now it is time for Ortiz to face the music and
stop hiding behind having his named leaked to the public.

He went from a marginal player, barely on the roster, to a superstar in a matter of months back in 2003.
You mean to tell me it was only hard work and him getting a bus ride to the stadium daily or was it
whatever he was ingesting that helped him rise to an elite level?

[killeverything]

Kill,
The key words in that article is how Ortiz was using what everybody else was using.
Meaning, any other cheaters on his team, any other latin players who were cheating on that team, well
it has to mean that Ortiz was also cheating.
Just get over it. Your boy was cheater like the rest of them. All he has to do is admit that and everybody
can move on. He brought this on himself. His peers who cheated have faced the music and gone through
the hell that was well deserved because they cheated. Now it is time for Ortiz to face the music and
stop hiding behind having his named leaked to the public.

He went from a marginal player, barely on the roster, to a superstar in a matter of months back in 2003.
You mean to tell me it was only hard work and him getting a bus ride to the stadium daily or was it
whatever he was ingesting that helped him rise to an elite level?

I'm all for he admission thing. As for his transformation it was always there.

When he played for Minnesota, Gardenhire wanted him to be a singles hitter. Yes. You read that right. They told him do not swing for the fences.

He was injured in 2002 and a fat guy turned out not to be that good at hitting like a leadoff hitter. Who saw that coming? So he was cut.

The story goes is his swing was noticed by Theo and Co. who felt it was tailor made for Fenway Park. Back in the DR, Pedro also told the brass they should give Ortiz an invite to spring training. They're really good friends.

Papi was told to swing how he wants and the monster you know today was born. He's always been the same size.... kind of the reason I argued that Clemens was not using. We all know how that turned out

Ortiz's emergence was one rival GMs were embarrassed about. The Twins felt they really fucked up with their use of him ( I always liked Gardenhire, but come on ), the Boss screamed at Cashman for having Ortiz available on waivers and not seeing his ability. The rumor was it almost cost him his job. Billy Beane ( this was at the height of Moneyball fame ) said a lot of GMs were ashamed at not being able to see what he could do.

So I believe it wasn't a transformation persay. He just was able to play how he wanted.

The 2003 test pisses me off now. Just fucking admit it. Now I'm convinced he did. There were a lot of false flags on it. He apparently wasn't one.

[killeverything]

SF acquires IF Gordon Beckham from Atlanta for cash. Nunez to the DL? Crawford had a finger jam so I guess it makes sense.

[Machado]

D. Ortiz goes 0-5 tonight in The Bronx. K's to end the game with the tying run on 1st.

[killeverything]

D. Ortiz goes 0-5 tonight in The Bronx. K's to end the game with the tying run on 1st.

So? They already made the playoffs. Hey! How many times has he done the exact opposite, against the great Mariano? I seem to recall a time that made NY a laughingstock with the biggest choke job in sports history.

Without looking it up there was more times than that. So you have one. In a meaningless game.

[johnk5150]

D. Ortiz goes 0-5 tonight in The Bronx. K's to end the game with the tying run on 1st.

Your schottenfraud is weird.

[Facedown]

D. Ortiz goes 0-5 tonight in The Bronx. K's to end the game with the tying run on 1st.

Yeah, how could he possibly do that against a LOSER team like the Yankees?

[killeverything]

The Five Toughest Pitchers I’ve Ever Faced
DAVID ORTIZ
DESIGNATED HITTER / BOSTON RED SOX

I have stepped up to the plate more than 9,000 times in my career. In my mind, you know how many hits I thought I was gonna get? More than 9,000. Some of these pitchers out here are filthy, but that’s the mentality you have to have in the big leagues. I don’t really even look at the pitcher on the mound. I just see a body. But I’ll tell you more about that later.

The Players’ Tribune asked me to name the five toughest pitchers I’ve ever faced. I don’t want this to be boring, so I’m going to mix it up a little bit and give you three legendary guys who are retired and two younger guys who have really impressed me recently.

I’m even gonna give some respect to a couple of Yankees. But let’s start with my bro …

Pedro Martinez

Pedro had the best stuff I’ve ever seen from a pitcher. Period. At best, most pitchers will have three great pitches. Pedro had four. He had a nasty cutter, a devastating changeup, a 12-6 breaking ball and a fastball that he could make look like a two-seamer or a four-seamer.

I faced young Pedro in probably only 30 at-bats when I was with Minnesota. But it felt like all 30 times, I walked back to the dugout shaking my head in disbelief. I mean, seriously, whenever we would come to play Boston, guys would look up on the board in the clubhouse and pray to God they didn’t see his name as the starting pitcher. You’d see he was scheduled to pitch the third game in the series, and you’d look at your teammate like, “Okay, we better get our hits in off these first two guys, because it’s gonna be a long day with Pedro.”

Pedro’s changeup was the best I’ve ever seen. It was so good that he could have walked right up to the plate and told you, “Hey bro, I’m about to throw you the changeup.” And you still wouldn’t be able to hit it. It would start right on the plate, then it would fade out. Most changeups have some movement, but Pedro’s would move about 10 inches away from you. Now he winds up for the next pitch and it’s the exact same motion, same delivery, same release. Oh okay, I’m about to hit this changeup into the cheap seats. Nah! It’s a 95 mph fastball.

He would make you look silly out there.

Mariano Rivera

He threw one pitch, man. He threw one pitch. And it was so damn good that it didn’t matter. That’s why, to me, he’s the most amazing pitcher in the history of the game. You knew the cutter was coming. The ball would come out of Mariano’s hand and you were sure it was going right over the plate. All of a sudden, you were hitting it with your finger. Jam sandwich.

I actually had a pretty decent average against him, but it was blooper, strikeout, walk, blooper. For all the times I went up against him over the years, I only had two home runs. You know why? Because Mariano was so smart as a pitcher. In tie games, or when the Yankees were up by a run, he would force you to swing at pitches off the strike zone. You don’t want to swing? Okay, fine. Go to first base. He did that with me in so many situations. He always made you do it the hard way.

It didn’t matter what adjustments you tried to make — move back, crowd the plate, whatever — he was already a step ahead of you. Mariano had the command of a starting pitcher. His cutter was the single best pitch I’ve ever seen, but the really amazing thing is how he was able to do it for so many years. Are there guys now who have stuff as nasty as Mariano? Maybe for one year, two years. But nobody could maintain it like he did. I mean, 652 saves? That’s stupid.

Mike Mussina

My first 20 at-bats against Mussina, I didn’t have a single hit. The thing that made him so tough is he had variations on all his pitches. He really had two types of fastballs, two changeups and three different breaking balls. His breaking ball would come from different angles, so you had no idea where the ball was going to go. Mussina wouldn’t overpower you, but he was totally unpredictable. You never knew what pitch he was going to throw.

I remember one game when I still didn’t have a hit off this guy and I worked him late into the count. The fastball comes in and I got pretty good wood on it, and I’m watching it go into the outfield gap. I’m thinking, Yeah! It’s my birthday party! Finally! And the f****** Orioles outfielder makes a crazy diving catch.

I couldn’t believe it. It took me hours and hours of studying Mussina on tape to finally figure out how to attack him. He was just nasty.

Sonny Gray

The last few seasons, the toughest guy I’ve faced is Sonny Gray from Oakland. This kid’s stuff is legit. Normally, I don’t really look at the pitcher on the mound. I mean, I see him standing there, but what I’m paying attention to is his delivery and the way the ball comes out of his hand. The reason is because you want to look at everybody the same. If you see these big guys and you’re thinking about how nasty they are, you’re already out before you take a swing.

But the first time I see this Gray kid on the mound, I can’t help but notice he’s 5’10” and skinny. He looks like the guy who fixes my computer at the Apple Store. I’m thinking, Here we go. This is gonna be fun. Then he took me for a ride, man. Fastball. Sinker. Slider. Curve … Whap. Whap. Whap. You have no idea what this kid is going to throw. He drives me crazy.

I go back to what I said about Pedro: As a hitter, you always want to simplify things. When a guy only has two good pitches, your job is pretty easy. Okay, I’m going to sit back and wait for this breaking ball. When a guy like Gray has three or four pitches, hitting ain’t simple. I’ve seen him about 15 times, and I haven’t been able to figure out what pitch is coming. And I’ve seen a lot of shit. That’s a sign that he’s going to be something special in this game.


Carter Capps

I’m including this kid because we played Miami this season and I have never seen anyone pitch like him before. Capps has this funky release where he kind of jumps from the mound and holds the ball behind him until the last second, so you can’t see the release point.

I’m telling you, I had no idea where the ball was going until it was on me. Every pitcher tries to hide his release point now, but this was a whole different level. I’m standing there watching the pitches come in and I don’t even know what to do.

Luckily, he walked me. I walked to first base like, What the hell just happened?

The reason why pitching is so good now isn’t because everyone can throw 97. It’s because the pitchers are getting so good at hiding the ball coming out of their hands. These kids out here are trying all kinds of stuff to fool me. Or like my wife says, maybe I’m just becoming a grumpy old man.

Don’t even bring up “pace of play” rules unless you want to hear me yell for an hour.

[Machado]

When will Ortiz name his 5 favorite PED's? Now that would make for some excellent reading

[killeverything]

When will Ortiz name his 5 favorite PED's? Now that would make for some excellent reading

I'll bet it's the ones he got from Roger Clemens, Andy Pettite, Jason Giambi, Alex Rodriguez, or Gary Sheffield. That was some good shit.

Maybe he got it from David Justice, Jose Canseco, Chuck Knoblach, or Jason Grimsley. The shit in pinstripes is primo.

[Machado]

When will Ortiz name his 5 favorite PED's? Now that would make for some excellent reading

I'll bet it's the ones he got from Roger Clemens, Andy Pettite, Jason Giambi, Alex Rodriguez, or Gary Sheffield. That was some good shit.

Maybe he got it from David Justice, Jose Canseco, Chuck Knoblach, or Jason Grimsley. The shit in pinstripes is primo.

Or maybe from Manny, huh? Yeah, Manny Ramirez. Remember him? Nomar, Varitek, etc...
The shit in Boston had a slight hint on chowda w/a little bit of Rye

[killeverything]

When will Ortiz name his 5 favorite PED's? Now that would make for some excellent reading

I'll bet it's the ones he got from Roger Clemens, Andy Pettite, Jason Giambi, Alex Rodriguez, or Gary Sheffield. That was some good shit.

Maybe he got it from David Justice, Jose Canseco, Chuck Knoblach, or Jason Grimsley. The shit in pinstripes is primo.

Or maybe from Manny, huh? Yeah, Manny Ramirez. Remember him? Nomar, Varitek, etc...
The shit in Boston had a slight hint on chowda w/a little bit of Rye

While I believe Nomah used, he wasn't on the list. Neither was Varitek. So there's Manny and Ortiz. And?

[Facedown]

I had no idea that last night was only the 2nd time in Red Sox history that they clinched the division on the road.
The other was 1988.
Something doesn't seem right about that but I'm not going to bother to look it up.

[Machado]

I had no idea that last night was only the 2nd time in Red Sox history that they clinched the division on the road.
The other was 1988.
Something doesn't seem right about that but I'm not going to bother to look it up.

what a game that was. Yankees stormed back with 5 in the 9th. Grand Slam by Tex to end the game. He is having a heck of a final
week in his long career.

For those who are interested, Ortiz went 0-4 last night. After 2 games, 0-9 in the series.

[killeverything]

I had no idea that last night was only the 2nd time in Red Sox history that they clinched the division on the road.
The other was 1988.
Something doesn't seem right about that but I'm not going to bother to look it up.

John Farrell was only the 2nd mgr. ( the first being Joe Morgan ) to win 2 division titles. So yeah, it's probably true.

[killeverything]

Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer and Rep. Xavier Becerra introduced a resolution honoring Vin Scully as a "national treasure."

Damn straight.

[Machado]

Ortiz goes hitless in his final series in The Bronx

Obviously he is saving the PED abuse for the playoff run.

So happy the Yankees downplayed honoring him last night. Only 2 former Yankees were in attendance.
Mo and David Cone. Yankees gave him a photo booklet and an oil painting
(Ortiz seemed genuinely excited about the oil painting)

SWEEP!!!!

[Ham Stroker's Ejacula]

With that win last night the Yankees were mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.

CONGRATS!!!!

[Machado]

With that win last night the Yankees were mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.

CONGRATS!!!!

oh no, say it isn't so
all in all the season turned out to be very positive for the Yankees. the youth movement has begun but more imporantly
the young players are looking like they can turn into very, very good players.
Sanchez just might win ROY, which is saying something since he has about 195 at bats heading into the weekend series.
disappointed that the old veterans did not show up for the most part this season but things are looking good
in the very near future.
Didi and Castro both hit 20 HR's. Bird should return to play 1st base next year
Judge in RF is a huge upgrade

[killeverything]

Ortiz goes hitless in his final series in The Bronx

Obviously he is saving the PED abuse for the playoff run.

So happy the Yankees downplayed honoring him last night. Only 2 former Yankees were in attendance.
Mo and David Cone. Yankees gave him a photo booklet and an oil painting
(Ortiz seemed genuinely excited about the oil painting)

SWEEP!!!!

I watched his ceremony. I thought it was nice. The fans gave an ovation and I thought there were funny signs like "Papi thanks for the bad memories." All in all out of all teams that was the one I wanted to see.

Boston is in the playoffs and the MFY is going home. Why weren't you there Mr. New Yorker?

His PED abuse is why he was suspended for a year.

Wait.

[killeverything]

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