Caleb

[ziggy]

So how do you feel about the season?

Only a 1/2 point out of first, tough to take that.  Made your mind up on your keepers yet?  I was thinking ARod and Mulder, but the chance of me getting with in 6 miles of Mark Mulder is ZERO!!!!  Schilling is now the guy.

You know I recalculated my stats assuming I hadn't made the blunder of the year, and assuming I hadn't traded for Mr Mulder and Clement, and I would have finished with about 132 points.  That is tough to swallow when I traded for Mulder and he was the leading candidate for the Cy, and his ERA for me was approaching 6.00, and Clement pitched 2+ months and had 1 win for me.

Just goes to show you should trust your gut.

How about Brad Lidge?  That guys numbers after becoming the closer are incredible, 157 k's in 94 IP, 58 hits in 94 IP, 29 saves and only 2 blown.

I keep hearing the Bill James line of closer by committee and if season ever proved that theory wrong none will.  Look at the closers for teams that made the playoffs

Rivera
Foulke
Nathan
Percival/KRod
Smoltz
Lidge
Isringhausen
Gagne

The only "Premier" closers not on this list would be Hoffman and Benitez.  That is basically 8 of the top 10 closers in baseball on the 8 playoff teams.  That isn't a coincidence.

Look at the teams that were close but didn't make it
San Fransico  (Herges, Rodriguez, Christianson and Hermanson)  17 blown saves
Chicago (Borowski, Farnsworth, Mercker and Hawkins)  18 blown saves
Oakland  (Rhodes, Hammond, Bradford, Rincon, Mecir and Dotel) 25 blown saves

Does anybody believe that if any of these 3 teams had the worst closer above (Percival or Isringhausen) that SF, Cubbies, or A's would not have blown into the playoffs with ease.

BTW thanks for playing it was a great league and a great season.

[Wolverine]

I'm deciding between three guys: Vlad, Bonds and Schmidt.

Vlad is a given, for the most part.  He's been everything the Angels hoped he'd be.

I have to decide between Bonds and Schmidty.  Do I want to keep two position players or one position player and one pitcher?  It's tough.  If I keep Bonds, I'm almost guaranteed to finish near the top or at the top in OBP.  That's a big plus.  But then I'd be short-handed going into the draft with no pitchers.  It's a tough decision...

As for the closer question, I ABSOLUTELY agree with James.  You *have* to have a good closer to do well in the playoffs.  It's a must.  With starters throwing less innings than they did twenty years ago, a dominant closer and bullpen are essentials to success.  It's no coincidence that the past few World Series winners have had great closers AND great bullpens (for the most part).  The pen is one of the most important parts of the game going into the postseason these days.  It's why I love my Cards so much.

By the way, the bullpen dominated tonight in our second 8-3 win in this series against the Dodgers.  Marquis wasn't at his best, but the pen picked him up.

[Wolverine]

I'm deciding between three guys: Vlad, Bonds and Schmidt.

Vlad is a given, for the most part.  He's been everything the Angels hoped he'd be.

I have to decide between Bonds and Schmidty.  Do I want to keep two position players or one position player and one pitcher?  It's tough.  If I keep Bonds, I'm almost guaranteed to finish near the top or at the top in OBP.  That's a big plus.  But then I'd be short-handed going into the draft with no pitchers.  It's a tough decision...

As for the closer question, I ABSOLUTELY agree with James.  You *have* to have a good closer to do well in the playoffs.  It's a must.  With starters throwing less innings than they did twenty years ago, a dominant closer and bullpen are essentials to success.  It's no coincidence that the past few World Series winners have had great closers AND great bullpens (for the most part).  The pen is one of the most important parts of the game going into the postseason these days.  It's why I love my Cards so much.

By the way, the bullpen dominated tonight in our second 8-3 win in this series against the Dodgers.  Marquis wasn't at his best, but the pen picked him up.

 :ding:    OOPS!  I mean I DISAGREE with James on that one.  I read his statement wrong!

[Reality]

How about Brad Lidge?  That guys numbers after becoming the closer are incredible, 157 k's in 94 IP, 58 hits in 94 IP, 29 saves and only 2 blown.

 

rrrrrr.

I want the Astros.  What a time for Lidge to blow the win.
Altho the O blew it IMO the inning with 2 on 0 out.  Blown bunt by Bigs, double play.  Still had a man on 3rd.  Then Beltran gets suckered into swinging late on a ball.  Not that Atlantas baserunning didn't choke also.  Little league.  

Concur that most WS teams have an excellent closer.  But also concur that playoffs and series of past are littered with managers who misplay their bullpen.  Also with great closers who inexplicably throw either the wrong pitch or walk peanut hitters in front of good hitters.  Ie Dennis Eckersley.  He had a .198 hitter at 0-2.  Ended up nibbling and walked the guy.  Next batter?  Kirk Gibson.

Ditto that Atlanta closer who opened up the huge can of Skunkie worms that was all but sealed shut.  1996 before the Skunks had won even 1 modern day series, Atlanta was up 2 games to 1.  Had but an out or two to go in a Game 4 they lead comfortably.  Ace closer Mark Wohlers best pitch was by far his fastball.  He had been blowing Skunks away and the batter, Jim Leyritz would recount that early in the at bat he had no chance as he whiffed at a couple of Wohlhers fastballs.  Wohlers decides to dick around and gets cutsie cue and hurls a fat curve that Leyritz connects for a 3 run homer to tie the game.  They win in OT.  Skunkies evade being down 1-3 and instead even at 2-2.  Its baseball 101 that when you close you go with the pitch that got you to the dance, especially when you're up 3 runs and are blowing away previous batters including Leyritz early in the count.  

Bubba Cox has had numerous gaffs re when to/when not to bring in closer.  He got it right today tho in bring in Smoltz early.  Still I think the Astros blew another chance to add to Bubbas post season woes.  Oh well they are 18 straight at home.  Go 'Stros.

zig or any who know.  Jose Lima last pitched Sept 30.  Thats 5+ days rest.  He is 13-5 and has been supurb the last month and a half.  Instead the Dogers started Weaver and are down 0-2 on the brink.  What up?