as a spectator (and sort of as a participant*), it's all baseball for me these days...football and basketball have both lost their luster for me...maybe i'd still give a hoot about the other two if i sto;; played some facsimilie of them once in a while...

or is it just that my teams -- the knicks and dolphins -- stink to high heaven?

i think i would still love me baseball even if the yanks spent a year or two in the cellar...then again it has been a while since that theory was remotely tested.

in any case, i am very excited about the yanks this year...and that kid joba almost makes me wet my pants...31 K's in 21.2 innings sure helps...i hope he stays healthy and they keep him in the pen

* sunday-nite softball (and beer)
Anonymous | 09.24.07 - 9:35 am | #

that was me above
deion | 09.24.07 - 9:35 am | #

Hey Deion,
why keep him in the pen? I never understood this kind of argument. 200+ quality innings is more important than 70. If he can make it as a starter (and is good at it), then his value will be maximized by starting.

Most closers are failed starters (or over the hill ones-see: Eck). Having a Rivera is absolutely devastating if you have an A rotation (as the Yankees did in the past). However with holes in your rotation it is not the same kind of overwhelming advantage to have this kind of weapon. Imagine how many more games the Yankees could have won if they had an A-line starter pitching games instead of (take your pick) Pavano, Igawa, Wright, Karstens, Mussina...
kissel | 09.24.07 - 10:05 am | #

hoop is fun. i should like to play more.

as for the baseball postseason lottery theory (BPLT) -- i'm going to say i kind of agree maybe but in fact i'm gonna say the best MLB teams have transcended this peril over the years in the postseason and perservered. so maybe last year's field was just kind of average.

the bidding war for a-rod (SFG, CHC, NYY, LAA is going to be ungodly.)
pbdotc | 09.24.07 - 6:03 pm | #

I'll never forgive fucking George Brett for that dinger in 1980.

Fucking Gossage, too.
Joe | 09.24.07 - 9:38 pm | #

I am just freakin' glad that it's football season. The round-ball is nice and all, but I, for one, like to see a bone-crunching hit and an amazing break-away run.

Does the sorted lot of Bunglers turn an icy shoulder to the pigskin?

Will our hero escape certain death?

Did anyone watch Dr. Who when they were kids? Those Bull things scared the bejesus out of me. Also had an intense fear of Werewolves thanks to some awful werewolf movie I saw when I was five. http://www.werewolf-movies.com/m....php? MovieID=39
PoCho Pete | 09.24.07 - 11:06 pm | #

pocho

i'm a big nfl fan. it's just that my redskins pound me on the nutsack every year and leave me aching with pain and regret.
pbdotc | 09.24.07 - 11:17 pm | #

pocho, I love football (college and pro), but I'm a Jets fan, which comes with its own special misery.
Joe | 09.25.07 - 7:21 am | #

joe

even i can't comprehend the misery of the jets fans.
pbdotc | 09.25.07 - 10:53 am | #

In some ways being a Jets fan is not so bad. I have been one since Lou Holtz was the Jets coach. Even though we had season tickets from 76-83, I only got to go to one playoff game (81 loss to the Bills when Todd tossed a pick on the Buffalo 11 to end a remarkable comeback). That is what makes it rather easy-the low expectations. Last year was a pure joy since nothing was (and really ever is) expected. Being a Skins fan today who saw them in their glory days of the 80's and early 90's must be much harder...
kissel | 09.25.07 - 12:06 pm | #

Since I went to school in and lived in Pittsburgh for many years, I am a big Steelers fan, but since I have been a semi-local off and on for my whole life and have lived in NY for the past 4 years...I took a liking to the Giants...although they are a frustrating team to watch because they have such talent, but seem to lack that extra gear that it takes to make it happen.
PoCho Pete | 09.25.07 - 5:02 pm | #

What happened this past Sunday can never, ever be mentioned again.
pbdotc | 09.25.07 - 9:23 pm | #

It shain't be
PoCho Pete | 09.25.07 - 9:50 pm | #

Sorry to "own" the comments on this one...to much PoCho can't be good.

Just wanted to share that they are shooting a movie at my office "Old Dogs" and I am sitting at my desk and listening to Robin Willams yell and scream. Met him and Travolta yesterday. Sort of a surreal thing to have those people wandering through your office whilst you toil away.
PoCho Pete | 09.26.07 - 11:26 am | #

PoChoPoChoPoChoPoChoPoCho
pbdotc | 09.26.07 - 7:03 pm | #

My dad is a Jets fan and when I was young he would take me to games at Shea. As long as I could fit under the turnstile, I got in free. He even bought me a Jets varsity jacket when I was about 6-7. So althought I don't really claim to be a Jets fan today, I do have a soft spot in my heart for them, Fireman Ed notwithstanding.
ba | 09.27.07 - 10:51 am | #

kissel, further to the joba as reliever vs. starter...

let's assume for the moment that joba is the real-deal...considering how the game has evolved, where 6 innings from a starter is a major accomplishment...i'd rather joba pitch in relief during the season affecting the outcome of 60-70 games...as opoosed to starting 35 games.

in relief, most of the 60-70 games he pitches in are going to be close games where the outcome lays in the balance (why would you use him during 'garbage time'?)...so i think you'll get a lot more mileage from him that way.

given the trend in baseball toward short starts i think the importance of effective middle relief toward winning ball games will only continue to rise.

...all that hot air aside, come post-season i think he's more valuable as a starter.
deion | 09.27.07 - 11:59 am | #

the atlantic antic is this sunday. the weather should be choice. if you come out make sure you holler. i'll take you in, give you a to go cup, and fill it with cold beer.
pbdotc | Homepage | 09.27.07 - 6:35 pm | #

Say I was to have seen the most awful, twisted thing that I have ever seen and found it hysterical...would that be something to share here? I warn you, it is not for the faint of heart. I don't want to send a link if people would be offended and I would be outcast from the world of bungle...it is sick, but funny...at least to me.
PoCho Pete | 09.28.07 - 3:34 pm | #

Deion,
here is where I disagree:
1)Even if you have a roster of starters that average 6 innings, the fact that your closer pitches 60/70 innings DOES NOT MEAN HE FIGURES INTO 60-70 IMPORTANT GAME MOMENTS! Lets look at Mariano this year-of the games that he appeared in that the Yankees won by 1 run, he pitched a combined 17 innings. The fact is that much of the time even you closer is either "getting his work in" or doing a job a less qualified pitcher could do.

2)A game can be won or lost in any inning-if people recognized this and started to use "closers" this way, you would be closer to correct-but they are not.

3)Look at the history of the Yankees-their WS victories of the recent past directly correlate with the starting rotation. Mariano has been there for the bad rotations too (cf-2004+)-it hasn't helped too much.

4)In fact look at all WS winners from 2002-now. How many of those teams had a dominant closer? Look at the teams that got there and lost-dominant closer? Look at the Indians this year. Who cares if Borowski has a 5+ERA? He is the closer on a team with the best record in baseball.

5)An A-line starter goes more than 6 innings:Sabathia-average: 7.09, Carmona-average 6.72, Beckett-average 6.67, Haladay-average 7.26.

6)Maybe on the Yankees 6 innings is the gold standard, but you still have Rivera. You also have no one for relief prior to the 8th inning-so why bother? Use the guy to bolster your weak rotation and make it strong, not add a component you already have...
Kissel | 09.28.07 - 4:05 pm | #

that's nice, kissel.

um. i have to go. bye.
the hottest girl in school | 09.28.07 - 6:30 pm | #

Let it fly, PoChoPete. You're seriously worried about this group? Back before the Man got Hans down he used to write a quip called trayline - i strongly suggest you read it - and in the story "Regret" (Parts I, II, III) we learned our hero woke up one morning after an alcohol-fueled evening to find he'd shared a bed with a naked black man on a mattress in a closet - with a (very slim) possiblity there may have been "relations". just thinking about that story causes me to discount the shock value of your story already...
Finn | 09.30.07 - 1:15 am | #

Please god...don't look if you don't have fortitude and a sick sense of humor...or if you would judge me for thinking this is hysterical...do not watch this at work! and note that this was passed on to me by a female coworker...who is also sick and twisted in the humor department:

www.2girls1cup.com
PoCho Pete | 09.30.07 - 7:23 pm | #

The Mets suck bad.
Joe | 09.30.07 - 10:06 pm | #

ok, i'm sorry i asked for that, pocho. not sure what else to say...
Finn | 09.30.07 - 11:14 pm | #

Can't say there wasn't ample warning...Hans, please feel free to take that down as I may be forever tarnished amongst the Bunglers...I just couldn't stop laughing at it...I don't know why...it was so horrible...
PoCho Pete | 10.01.07 - 8:44 am | #

wow. that 2girlsonecup thing...

i honestly thought porn had run outta ideas. wrong again. I pride myself on being able to one-up disgusting concepts but that clip takes the fecal cake. how much does a girl get paid for that? i think an interview with these girls would be even more facinating than the vid itself. what brought them to this point..what would they NOT do..have they given up on life as they know it..etc.

it's almost creepy.
dlee | 10.01.07 - 8:10 pm | #

i don't think i can watch.

can someone sort of just describe what this is? not in too much detail. just a broad outline is fine.
pbdotc | 10.01.07 - 10:45 pm | #

yeah -- pocho -- your value as a rare discreet reader is unquestioned. but this link...wtf? i only got through like 6 seconds, and my life is worse for having experienced those 6 seconds.
hans | 10.01.07 - 11:35 pm | #

yeah i'm still suffering -- and i'm not sure i even made it to 6 seconds. someone please tell me it was "fake" so i can get on with my daily routine (however unexciting it is/was). i just thought to myself, "that shit ain't right", only to realize the horror of the pun. i think dlee's on to something. those girls didn't get enough hugs or something growing up. they clearly hate their parents...

pbdotc - just stay away; you're better for it

pocho - i love you like a never-met-ya brother, but dude, please...
Finn | 10.02.07 - 2:11 am | #

All I can say is...I'm sorry...I knew it was a bad idea, but something pushed me to share. In my own defense, it came my way from a post from a female coworker labeled as "funny shit"...I don't know why I thought other people would find it funny, but I did. Sorry kids, I shain't never share anything like that again...even for shits and giggles....sorry....I can't stop myself. If I could give everyone the time back that it took to watch that, I would.

As a self punishment, I will refrain from commenting for a while. Sorry.
PoCho Pete | 10.02.07 - 9:10 am | #

PoCho - please keep posting! they're enjoyable and there aren't enough others to fill the void. just, you know, please don't post any more of those crazy links...
Finn | 10.02.07 - 10:42 am | #