Homebrewer

Plus the Angels needed a real left handed hitter. Morales is only a switch hitter, in that he can stand on the other side of the plate. I also see his body type, and plodding style, as possibly making him injury prone. Wouldn't surprise me at all, to see him do some DL stints this season.

I think this subject needs to be more thoroughly discussed and debated.

Gotcha. I wish I had the time to get back into FBB, and utilize the concepts you detail so well, to build my team.

I'm going to eat like Adele for a few days. My famous mushroom and garlic meatloaf going into the oven tonight. Thought I bought a bag of baby spinach at Trader Joe's, but when I got home I had bought two, so spinach salads for a few nights too. No need to decide "What's for dinner" for a while.

I don't think this was ever a Hunter vs Hamilton decision. Torii wanted years on his contract that he, most likely, doesn't have in him. It all hinged on Greinke, and I am willing to bet that Dipoto knew full well, going into the off-season, that his chances of retaining Grienke were slim to zip. The Grienke money then went to signing Hamilton. Torii moved on to Detroit long before Hamilton was signed. The numbers work out well, but I doubt that signing Hamilton and letting Torii walk, although it worked out that way, was the master plan.

Runner hustling down the line to first on a ground ball, always runs past the bag trying to beat the throw, never turns and heads for 2nd. Jus sayin..

The contact play, with 1 out, has no impact whatsoever on playing for the big inning or not. If the runner stays at 3rd, most likely the batter is out and you have two outs. If the contact play fails...you have two outs. In either scenario the common denominator would be...two outs.>>> Which is better? 2 outs with a runner @ 1st, or 2 outs with a runner @ 3rd? The annoying ATT commercial.

The problem I have with the "Contact" play...is having a runner go on any contact. The guy on 3rd should be able to decide. If the ball is grounded to the right side of 2nd..it is a decent play. (again depending on the score, who is on deck, etc) A ground ball to short or 3rd is almost always a sitting duck situation. To me, (and this is clearly IMO), the total "contact play"...meaning the player goes home on any contact...is a bad play. No better than a squeeze, and "probability" wise, worse. One of my biggest beefs with Scioscia is, and always has been, his tendency to play for ONE run. Look at this new lineup. This is a power style AL lineup. My opinion is, with this team, unless you are trying to TIE a game in the late innings, and you are playing at home and have a bunch of slumping players coming to bat next, and have nobody on the bench that can get the ball out of the infield.... The contact play is a chump bet. It is a low percentage, 1 run, desperation move, IMO equal to a squeeze bunt. NOT something that should even be considered before the 7th or 8th inning. My problem with the way Scioscia uses it, is he uses it in early and middle innings. Scioscia needs to stay out of this 2013 Angel team's way, and let them play for big innings....not micro-manage to manufacture single runs.

Just trying to be a new improved poster, on this new improved board, and keep Chuck happy by not getting too personal, and keeping my irritations a bit more contained..

I get my Motas and Rojases mixed up.

Like most of baseball, too many variables to work the play out statistically. Score of the game, inning, who is coming up in he next AB.. and has the team been scoring runs or struggling to get guys home.. Just way too many things to consider, to ever say whether it is a good play or not. Scioscia is addicted to it in every situation, and for that reason alone, teams know it is coming.

Mota went through the whole "Nobody does the contact play as often, or as well, as these Angels" "Some people don't like it, but the fact is, it works" a couple games ago. Then later in the game, it didn't work...and Mota blamed the guy on third for not doing it right. I know Jose comes here, and is gracious enough to post here now and then, and that is appreciated....But I respectfully disagree with both him and Scioscia when it comes to the contact play. It is over-used by the Angels to the point where it isn't effective.

Ball coming out of his hand well.

Tip Top! Brats..... and the shortribs. Had relatives in Carlsbad and used to hit that place regularly. Glad to hear it is still going.

I agree, she couldn't have paced that horse any better, and I thought she had it. I was bummed for her too. Bummed for me too. $$ .I knew Drosselmeyer was the real deal, but not feelin it that day. Like they say around here, sometimes you just gotta tip your cap.

Mike continues to snap Chantel's bra-strap every chance he gets.

And to think...when they were shoving money into your thong, they didn't even know that you could cook.

6-5 chalk no money on that Cap....Ron The Greek out of the money. I get excited about Game On, because I really liked his daddy..Awesome Again.

Game on Dude won the cap???? Cool! I began my descent into degenerate horse-playing at the Cap. Ferdinand and Alysheba. Freaking $2 exacta paid over 30 bucks. Still a legendary Santa Anita exacta. I had a $200 box on it and $100 on Alysheba. 2 horse race. Back in those days (mid 80's) that was a major score. Still like to get out to the track now and then. Luckily for me, I live high in the Sierras now...so it really is only now and then.

My worst "job" ever was community service. It was 20 years ago, but I still have nightmares about it. Spent a week cleaning the public bathrooms at Huntington State Beach a bright orange vest.

If you are serious about becoming part of this extended family... Learn to belch loudly! A good, deep, ralph...and they should be satisfied.

English muffins, nooks and crannies filled with real butter, and good (Laura Scudders is my personal favorite) PB. Thats livin', jack.

Guess it isn't "Yen Saki Night" at the WBC. Kinda like an afternoon game in Miami will be this season.

I thought Barry Larkin was like the Governor of Ohio, Mayor of Cincinnati, or something..

That is interesting. Lots of Japanese in So America. I think it was Argentina or Chile that had a Japanese President? Peru maybe?