Batter's Box Interactive Magazine - Game 66: Aaarrrrrrrrr

Pirates are funny. Granted, they weren't much fun to encounter when they sailed the seven seas back in the day, or even nowadays for that matter. Nasty brutes. And folks like Microsoft and the RIAA get mighty steamed about software and music piracy. But the whole pirate ouevre, the parrot and the pegleg and the cutlass and the yo-ho-hoing -- that's funny (see pirate joke, below). Pirate movies are splendid bombs at the box office (Hook, Cutthroat Island, and Pirates of the Caribbean any day now). Overboard is a pretty funny pirate comic strip. And those old Pittsburgh Pirate uniforms in the '70s, the black-and-yellow bumblebee numbers they'd stuff Willie Stargell into, they were pretty stinking hilarious too.

So yeah, pirates are funny, but not when they score eight runs off your #2 starter, as Pittsburgh did last night. It was a rare offensive outburst for this somnolent team: the 2003 Pittsburgh Pirates are 4th from the bottom of the National League in runs scored, 2nd-last in home runs and 2nd-last in team OPS, at 702 (would you believe the Dodgers are dead last, at 669?) Expect this group to revert to its usual form tonight against Roy Halladay, seeking a team-record ninth straight win. Doc will face The "Good" Jeff D'Amico, the gargantuan (6'7", 255 lb) hurler who's as fragile as ice crystals (he's never started more than 23 games in any of his seven seasons). This should be pretty straightforward for the home squad. But pirates are sneaky folk; look alive, Mr. Halladay!

Posted by Jordan on Wednesday, June 11 2003 @ 06:17 AM EDT.

Game 66: Aaarrrrrrrrr | 71 comments | Create New Account

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_Jordan - Wednesday, June 11 2003 @ 06:27 PM EDT (#13496) #

Reed Johnson gets perhaps his last start in the leadoff position for awhile -- Shannon Stewart is scheduled to come off the DL tomorrow. Think about that: the Jays have been smashing pitching staffs across baseball without last year's #1 and #2 hitters. But Johnson won't be going back to Syracuse: he's earned a fourth-outfielder role in Toronto with hustle and a .263/.341/.395 line. All the other usual suspects are in place; Dave Berg gets the start at third. Question: who are the two players left on the Pirates roster from the infamous Carlos Garcia/Orlando Merced supertrade several years back? Answer: on the bench, Abraham Nunez, and batting sixth, Craig Wilson.

Pepper Moffatt - Wednesday, June 11 2003 @ 06:33 PM EDT (#13497) #

http://economics.about.com
Aaarrrrrrrrr

The correct spelling is "Yaarr". Sort of like Yars' Revenge.

Whenever I talk about SARS, I say it like a pirate. SAARRS. If you hear someone do it, it's impossible to resist doing it yourself. The whole Division of University Advancement at U of T is doing it thanks to me. :)

I really wish I could go to this $2 game tonight. I went to the first two, but I'm stuck in Rochester this week.

Mike

_Jordan - Wednesday, June 11 2003 @ 06:37 PM EDT (#13498) #

Okay, here's the pirate joke:

This young sailor is sitting in a bar talking to a pirate -- the real deal, totally decked out with the wooden leg and the hook for a hand and a patch over his eye, the works. But the young sailor is having a hard time believing it.

"So are you really a pirate?" says the sailor.

"Aaaaarrrr, that I be," says the pirate.

"Okay, then," says the sailor, "how'd you get the wooden leg?"

"Aaaarrrr!" says the pirate. "T'was a great battle we did have with a giant squid in a stormy gale. A huge wave threw me overboard, and before my men could pull me back, the squid did tear off my leg."

"Wow!" says the sailor, impressed. "Okay, how'd you get the hook on your hand?"

"Aaaarrrrr!" says the pirate. "T'was a great battle with our sworn enemy Blackbeard. We did board his ship and take his gold, but in the fierce battle between us, he did cut off my hand with his fearsome cutlass."

"Incredible!" says the sailor. "Okay, how'd you get the patch?"

"Aaaarrrrr!" says the pirate. "A seagull dropping did fall into my eye."

The sailor is puzzled. "What did that have to do with it?"

"Aaaarrrrr," says the pirate. "First day with the hook."

_Jordan - Wednesday, June 11 2003 @ 06:45 PM EDT (#13499) #

Aaaarrr, yaar, potayto, potahto.

_Chuck Van Den C - Wednesday, June 11 2003 @ 07:05 PM EDT (#13500) #

Pirate movies are splendid bombs at the box office (Hook, Cutthroat Island, and Pirates of the Caribbean any day now).

Gideon, don't stop it there! There's any of the umpteen version of the Pirates of Penzance (notably horrid was the 1983 version with Rex Smith and Linda Ronstadt), Roman Polanski's Pirates, and of course Cam Bonifay's Honey, I Shrunk My Brain (working title, Three Men -- Meares, Benjamin, Bell -- and a Rabie).

Gitz - Wednesday, June 11 2003 @ 07:11 PM EDT (#13501) #

I'm watching the Cards/Red Sox game, and apparently Pedro Martinez is on a 45-pitch limit. Forty-five pitches?

No movie starring Kevin Kline is too bad, but certainly the pirate movie he did in the mid-80s was wretched. But don't call him stupid.

_benum - Wednesday, June 11 2003 @ 07:12 PM EDT (#13502) #

Did anyone else read that joke with the Simpsons crusty sailor voice in their head ? (owner of the Seafood Restaurant).

"Yarrr, that be no man..."

I'm always surprised how deep that show has subverted my subconcious mind over the years...

Pepper Moffatt - Wednesday, June 11 2003 @ 07:14 PM EDT (#13503) #

http://economics.about.com
Gideon, don't stop it there! There's any of the umpteen version of the Pirates of Penzance (notably horrid was the 1983 version with Rex Smith and Linda Ronstadt), Roman Polanski's Pirates, and of course Cam Bonifay's Honey, I Shrunk My Brain (working title, Three Men -- Meares, Benjamin, Bell -- and a Rabie).

None of those can top the MST3K classic, Manhunt in Space. Space pirates are even cooler than regular pirates because it's in space!

Mike

Craig B - Wednesday, June 11 2003 @ 07:23 PM EDT (#13504) #

Pedro Martinez is on a 45-pitch limit

Against the Jays, that's two innings.

_Jordan - Wednesday, June 11 2003 @ 07:26 PM EDT (#13505) #

I'm always surprised how deep that show has subverted my subconcious mind over the years.

It is scary --- I find myself talking like Comic-Book Store Guy now and again. In public, too. But when typing out the joke, I was thinking more of Captain Bayle Domon. I'll be pleasantly surprised if anyone knows the reference.

Craig B - Wednesday, June 11 2003 @ 07:26 PM EDT (#13506) #

Man, I *really* like Vic Rauter (listening to him dozens of hours a week during the curling bonspiels over a few years means that I'm as comfortable with him as an old pair of jeans). He's the anti-Rod Black. Vic might not be a baseball expert, but it's refreshing.

Everyone has the Jays' "saber" principles on their lips these days, from Delgado giving credit to the guys ahead of him getting on base, to Pat Tabler speaking of the wisdom of seeing lots of pitches and not giving up outs... everywhere you look with this team, people are trumpeting their approach. Nothing succeeds like success!

_Jordan - Wednesday, June 11 2003 @ 07:39 PM EDT (#13507) #

Back-to-back jacks from the DP combo, as the O-Dog and Woody go deep; now it's 3-0 Jays. Halladay has struck out four in two innings. Aye, mate, steady as she goes.....

Dave Till - Wednesday, June 11 2003 @ 07:40 PM EDT (#13508) #

Pow! Crash! Bam! Woo hoo!

Mike D - Wednesday, June 11 2003 @ 07:40 PM EDT (#13509) #

I wish I could get the TSN feed tonight, just to hear Vic's bizarre (and grammatically-challenged) "MAKE the final!"

Joe - Wednesday, June 11 2003 @ 07:46 PM EDT (#13510) #

I almost posted yesterday how much I preferred Rod Black to Vic. He had some very awkward moments and really didn't know what he was talking about.

I might even prefer Faulds to him. Yikes.

_A - Wednesday, June 11 2003 @ 07:53 PM EDT (#13511) #

Toronto's baseball colour analysts are probably among the worst play-by-play announcers in the game...To resolve this I propose that we get Bob Cole and Harry Neal to give it a shot.

I Wonder what odds you'd get if you placed money on O-Dog/Woodward back-to-back homeruns?

Dave Till - Wednesday, June 11 2003 @ 07:53 PM EDT (#13512) #

I can't hear Vic Rauter without recalling his soccer coverage. Romarrrriooooo!

Modern-day pirates communicate by cellphone text message: R MT8E.

George Bell joins Vic and Pat in the broadcast booth in the 5th.

Pepper Moffatt - Wednesday, June 11 2003 @ 07:59 PM EDT (#13513) #

http://economics.about.com
Toronto's baseball colour analysts are probably among the worst...

Top 5 former baseball personalities that should be colour guys:

5. Jim Bouton
4. Lee Elia
3. Lenny Randle
2. Doug Glanville (soon to be former)
1. Earl Weaver

The comedy potential of a Vic Rauter/Earl Weaver broadcast is incredible.

Mike

Joe - Wednesday, June 11 2003 @ 07:59 PM EDT (#13514) #

Colour isn't so bad. In particular, I've rather liked Cerutti recently. Nobody is as good as the Dan & Buck combination, in particular just before Buck became the Jays' manager, but Cerutti has what it takes, I think.

_Donkit R.K. - Wednesday, June 11 2003 @ 08:16 PM EDT (#13515) #

One of the networks , preferrably whichever one does the bulk of the games, just has to get Buck back!

_Brent - Wednesday, June 11 2003 @ 08:26 PM EDT (#13516) #

Jordan: Who could forget, everyone's favourite, the Captain of the Spray from the Wheel of Time. What do I win?

SAILOR: "Arrr, we must save the precious cargo!" FIRST MATE: "You mean the hot-pants, sir?" SAILOR: "Ay, the hot-pants."

_Shrike - Wednesday, June 11 2003 @ 08:26 PM EDT (#13517) #

Jordan, count one more BB regular who reads a different Jordan. Sadly, the man still hasn't found an editor yet.

A Fish Called Wanda is perhaps my favourite comedy ever, tied with MP's The Holy Grail.

_Brent - Wednesday, June 11 2003 @ 08:37 PM EDT (#13518) #

Hijack again. I don't know if this was posted elsewhere, but the Jays signed 23 draft picks today including Matt Foster, which surprised me. Here's the release.

_Lefty - Wednesday, June 11 2003 @ 09:06 PM EDT (#13519) #

Cripes, show Halladay some respect. Sturze possibly coming in to pick him up?

_Lefty - Wednesday, June 11 2003 @ 09:08 PM EDT (#13520) #

Phew

Craig B - Wednesday, June 11 2003 @ 09:15 PM EDT (#13521) #

I love Arcade Baseball.

_the shadow - Wednesday, June 11 2003 @ 09:25 PM EDT (#13522) #

Really happy to see the Jays signed Matt Foster, what I found really interesting on his stat sheet was not his K/W ratio but the fact that he has very long arms

_Jordan - Wednesday, June 11 2003 @ 09:37 PM EDT (#13523) #

I hate the bullpen.

_Jordan - Wednesday, June 11 2003 @ 09:45 PM EDT (#13524) #

Great to see a couple of fellow WOTers at Da Box! Though I gotta tell you, Winter's Heart was a tough slog and Crossroads of Twilight was like getting a root canal. That series really went off the rails.

I still hate the bullpen, but at least they didn't blow Roy's record-breaking 9th straight win. Totally cool.

_Jordan - Wednesday, June 11 2003 @ 09:48 PM EDT (#13525) #

Glad to see the raft of draft-pick signings. Conspicuous by his absence on the dotted line (so far, anyway) is Aaron Hill. I'm sure it won't be much longer before Hill's in the fold, but by way of comparison, Russ Adams signed almost as soon as the Jays selected him last year. Third-rounder Shaun Marcum is still unaccounted for, too.

_Dr B - Wednesday, June 11 2003 @ 09:55 PM EDT (#13526) #

The Jays can't sign Hill immediately; they have to wait until the college baseball season ends. Don't know why that is the case, but that's probably the reason he hasn't been signed.

Pepper Moffatt - Wednesday, June 11 2003 @ 09:56 PM EDT (#13527) #

http://economics.about.com
Glad to see the raft of draft-pick signings. Conspicuous by his absence on the dotted line (so far, anyway) is Aaron Hill. I'm sure it won't be much longer before Hill's in the fold, but by way of comparison, Russ Adams signed almost as soon as the Jays selected him last year. Third-rounder Shaun Marcum is still unaccounted for, too.

Having 6 of the top 10 and 12 of the top 18 (endpoint, I know) signed already isn't too shabby.

What I was surprised by was the fact that 42nd round pick Jeremy Knicely was signed. Guys after round 35 or so are almost always draft and follows, so it's interesting to see that one signed so quickly.

Also note that not a single highschool player signed... they have more options than college players, so I'm sure it's a much tougher decision for them.

Mike

_the shadow - Wednesday, June 11 2003 @ 10:04 PM EDT (#13528) #

Yankees no runs no hits, final

Pepper Moffatt - Wednesday, June 11 2003 @ 10:09 PM EDT (#13529) #

http://economics.about.com
Yankees no runs no hits, final

Wow.. *Six* pitchers combined to throw a no hitter?!? Weird.

Does anybody remember the game from about 12 years ago when four Orioles combined for a no hitter?

Mike

_Cristian - Wednesday, June 11 2003 @ 10:15 PM EDT (#13530) #

The Captain McAllister (Simpsons pirate) line that best sums up the Pittsburgh organization:

Yaarrrr, I don't know what I'm doing.

_A - Wednesday, June 11 2003 @ 10:29 PM EDT (#13531) #

A pirate? That's hardly the image we want for Long John Silver's! (Just thought I'd get in on the semi-relevant Simpson's quotes :)

_Jonny German - Wednesday, June 11 2003 @ 10:57 PM EDT (#13532) #

Consider the 2003 stats of the proverbial Player A and Player B:


           G   AB   R  HR  RBI  BB  SO   AVG   OBP   SLG   OPS
Player A  59  208  35   8   38  34  40  .288  .387  .481  .868
Player B  59  240  49   6   38  16  29  .329  .372  .533  .905

Player A earns $1.1M, Player B $2.2M. Player A is 28 years old, Player B, 29. Both players have a track record of injuries. Player A has very little defensive value, Player B is an adequate left fielder or second baseman. Beyond their salaries, Player A will cost you two very good AA prospects while Player B is an unrestricted free agent with no draft pick compensation required to his former team. Which would you rather have?

The players, as you've guessed, are Erubiel Durazo and Frank Catalanotto. Did the student, J.P., outdo the mentor, Beane?

Cat was on with Mike Wilner after the game and absolutely gushed with great things to say about Toronto, the Jays organization, and Ricciardi. I don't expect an in-season multi-year contract extension as a caller suggested (and Frank said he'd be agreeable to), but I'll be very surprised if he's not back for next year. This guy is a poster boy for everything positive about the current Blue Jays.

Joe - Wednesday, June 11 2003 @ 11:02 PM EDT (#13533) #

It can't be long now until the Jays take first, even if it's short-lived.

As for WoT: I have read every one, but stopped caring long ago. I picked up the "Wizard's FIrst Rule" series to fill its place, but the last two novels in that series have been terrible - much worse than WoT. Sad, because both started off very strong.

_NCAA - Wednesday, June 11 2003 @ 11:39 PM EDT (#13534) #

The Jays can't sign Hill immediately; they have to wait until the college baseball season ends. Don't know why that is the case, but that's probably the reason he hasn't been signed.

Because if he signed a contract, he'd no longer be considered an amateur by the NCAA and would thus be ineligible to continue playing in the College World Series.

The Jays still have at least two other players in Omaha - Shaun Marcum and Chad Mulholland, both of Southwest Missouri State.

_R Billie - Wednesday, June 11 2003 @ 11:50 PM EDT (#13535) #

I have to believe the Jays are searching for any kind of pitching help they can find via begging, borrowing, or stealing. I know they're waiting to see how things go in the 12 games remaining before the end of July with the Yanks and Sox, but this team, this offensive lineup, has things going far too well not to do everything possible to hang with the big boys. There's no guarantee things will go this well next year or the year after.

I know they won't be able to do it if they don't get a passable 4th and 5th starter and if they don't get a couple more relievers they can go to for an inning without requiring a 7 run lead. Four pitchers is a heck of a lot to find, but if they can somehow get two more effective arms heading into the Yanks/Sox showdowns, they have a chance.

_R Billie - Wednesday, June 11 2003 @ 11:52 PM EDT (#13536) #

Justin James is their 5th rounder who was highly touted by the Baseball America guys...he has yet to sign too. If they can get him under contract they will have had another successful signability draft.

_Geoff North - Thursday, June 12 2003 @ 12:11 AM EDT (#13537) #

Did you guys hear about the new pirate movie?

It's rated "Yaaarrr!"

I've read all of WoT except for the latest release - normally I would consider rereading a good book or series, but the thought of doing that with Jordan is positively frightening. He needs to adopt "Less is More" as his mantra.

Craig B - Thursday, June 12 2003 @ 12:20 AM EDT (#13538) #

Yaarrrr, I don't know what I'm doing.

LOL. Thanks Cristian.

Though I should mention that Dave Littlefield has done, in my estimation, a pretty good job with the Pirates, trying to dig them out of the ungodly hole they were left in by one of the worst GMs of all time. Cam Bonifay's tenure was as disastrous as any in major league history; even more perplexing was that he was given seven years in which to tear the franchise down from being one of baseball's best franchises to being a sad joke, a neverending treadmill operation that finally blew up completely.

robertdudek - Thursday, June 12 2003 @ 12:32 AM EDT (#13539) #

...by one of the worst GMs of all time.

Cam Bonifay versus Randy Smith. Discuss.

Gitz - Thursday, June 12 2003 @ 12:41 AM EDT (#13540) #

What's also perplexing is that the D-Rays hired Bonifay. Now, I know the D-Rays are an easy target, but it's not like Bonifay had a successful stint, as Craig indicates. It's the same as the Proven Veteran theory: better get a guy in there's who proven he can't do it, rather than give the job to an unproven player. Nothing new there, of course.

Those early 1990s Pirates squads were easy to root for, even with the presence of Mr. Wonderful, Barry Bonds, and his evil twin, Bobby Bonilla -- although their pernicious ways were in their infancy. So too, for that matter, was Bonds' career. It is hard to believe how much better he is now than when he was with Pittsburgh.

Gitz - Thursday, June 12 2003 @ 12:45 AM EDT (#13541) #

Ah, good point, Robert. Smith was terrible, too, but at least he pulled off some monster deals; those 24-player, four-team, three-league, bizarro-world/regular world trades were always fun. They never amounted to much, but they were fun.

You know, I meant to say when I wrote my review of Rich Harden's start vs. Tacoma that I SWEAR Smith was in the stands as a scout. He has that unique look: the 1970s hairdo, the eyes that have received too little sleep, the withered face crisped from hours in the sun, God bless him. Does anyone (perhaps one of our "lurkers") know if Smith is still in baseball?

My vote is for Bonifay.

_Dr B - Thursday, June 12 2003 @ 12:48 AM EDT (#13542) #

Not sure if this has been posted elsewhere. This is from the ESPN game recap.

"The Blue Jays recalled right-handers Corey Thurman and Mike Smith from Triple-A Syracuse after the game. Toronto manager Carlos Tosca said they would announce more roster moves Thursday."

Here's a longer article here from the SLAM site.

Not too surprising and an excellent move in my opinion. The Jays are showing that they mean to go for it (at least for now).

Craig B - Thursday, June 12 2003 @ 01:01 AM EDT (#13543) #

Great to see Corey Thurman back.

The D-Rays hired Bonifay to do what he does best: draft and supervise minor leaguers. He has a very good eye for minor league talent.

So good, that he went out and signed a bunch of minor league talent at major-league prices for the Pirates. Still, it's simply a classic case of the Peter Principle at work... something that every single MLB owner and GM should think long and hard about in making their hiring decisions.

_Chuck Van Den C - Thursday, June 12 2003 @ 06:57 AM EDT (#13544) #

Great to see Corey Thurman back.

I had posted this elsewhere but received no response. Any ideas on why Thurman has been so dramatically babied in AAA? He's logged just 41 innings in 9 starts.

_Jordan - Thursday, June 12 2003 @ 08:33 AM EDT (#13545) #

Very good news on Thurman and Smith. I'll start up a new thread on that. As for Thurman's low IP count/start, I agree it's strange. All I can assume is that his pitch count gets too high early in the game, and he runs out of gas by the fourth or fith. Certainly he seemed to hit the wall in the fifth inning when I saw him last week. Maybe he adapted too well to the bullpen last season.

normally I would consider rereading a good book or series, but the thought of doing that with Jordan is positively frightening. He needs to adopt "Less is More" as his mantra.

Hey! ... Oh, you meant Robert Jordan. Sorry. :-)

_Gwyn - Thursday, June 12 2003 @ 09:00 AM EDT (#13546) #

Judging from Sturtze's reaction to seeing Tosca striding in from the dugout to take him out last night we are not the only ones driven to distraction by the skippers use of the 'pen.

TSN had a close-up on Tanyon and you didn't need advanced lip-reading skills to see his reaction was along the lines of 'oh for ***** sake!'.

Tickled me immensely.

_EddieZosky - Thursday, June 12 2003 @ 09:06 AM EDT (#13547) #

A pirate walks into a bar with a steering wheel in his pants.

The bartender says: "Hey Capn, what's with the steering wheel?"

The pirate says: "Yarrr, it's drivin me nuts!"

_Matthew Elmslie - Thursday, June 12 2003 @ 09:46 AM EDT (#13548) #

http://www.georgerrmartin.com
Forget Robert Jordan and Terry Goodkind. George R.R. Martin is your man. His 'A Song of Ice and Fire' series is the best thing going in contemporary fantasy. The only problem with them is that they're so good and so long that it takes him forever to come out with a new book - there's about a year and a half to two years wait between books. So far there are three books in the series (A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords) out of what will ultimately be six or perhaps seven books. The fourth one is due out probably later this year sometime (Amazon has a tentative publication date, but they're just making it up; the only reliable information is to be found at the homepage link).

_Mick - Thursday, June 12 2003 @ 10:07 AM EDT (#13549) #

Pirate joke I heard yesterday (maybe not funny in Toronto):

Why did the pirates leave China?
SARrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrS!!!

Yankee joke (maybe not funny in New York):
George Steinbrenner is considering firing Rick Down after seeing his boys no-hit. (OK, that's not a joke.)

_R Billie - Thursday, June 12 2003 @ 10:13 AM EDT (#13550) #

I had posted this elsewhere but received no response. Any ideas on why Thurman has been so dramatically babied in AAA? He's logged just 41 innings in 9 starts.

Corey spent some time on the DL, with a strained groin I believe. But he's also a nibbler...keeps his hits under control but walks a fair bit. His WHIP really isn't all that pretty and I'm sure he has high pitches per inning. That doesn't equal going deep into a lot of games.

I think his ideal role will be long relief for a stumbling starter and semi-close game mop-up. I.E. he can probably protect a 5 run lead for a couple of innings.

_Matthew Elmslie - Thursday, June 12 2003 @ 10:18 AM EDT (#13551) #

Anybody else disappointed that there was no Sturtze vs. Ramirez at bat in last night's game? D'Artagnan vs. Aramis; straight out of Alexandre Dumas.

_Geoff North - Thursday, June 12 2003 @ 10:58 AM EDT (#13552) #

The George R.R. Martin books are excellent, consider this another vote for them. Even my wife, who is not a fan of high fantasy literature, loved them.

My wife and I also enjoy making up Yaaaarrr! pirate jokes:

What's the pirate's favorite vegetable?
Yaaaarrr!tichoke
What was the pirate's favorite subjects in pirate school?
Yaaaaarrrr!ithmatic

and so on.

_Spicol - Thursday, June 12 2003 @ 11:00 AM EDT (#13553) #

I had posted this elsewhere but received no response. Any ideas on why Thurman has been so dramatically babied in AAA? He's logged just 41 innings in 9 starts.

Here's the breakdown of Corey's starts (not the be confused with Corey Hart). I don't have pitch count info but a lot of baserunners allowed usually infers a lot of pitches thrown:

Game 1: 4 IP (With 9 baserunners allowed it was merely an ok start but was still building endurance, thus the short outing)
Game 2: 5 IP (Likely yanked since it was a bad start; 3 ER but 5 walks and 4 hits)
Game 3: 5 IP (Again, yanked due to a bad start; 5 ER and 9 hits)
Game 4: 6 IP (Great start; 0 ER and only 3 baserunners allowed)
Game 5: 3 IP (0 ER allowed but left with the groin issue)

He then went on the DL for much of May.

Game 6: 2.2 IP (First start back from the DL, pitched well but was being babied)
Game 7: 5 IP (7 baserunners, 0 ER but was yanked anyway)
Game 8: 5.2 IP (3 ER, 7 baserunners)
Game 9: 5 IP (3 ER, 7 baserunners)

So, some of Corey's short starts have been due to injury and some likely due to inflated pitch counts. Also, remember that Syracuse has played a LOT of doubleheaders so far and in the minors, each DH game is only 7 innings. Starters may be getting yanked a tad early to get other guys some work.

_Shrike - Thursday, June 12 2003 @ 11:31 AM EDT (#13554) #

Martin is indeed great, but I'm starting to see similar problems with his work as Jordan's. Namely, he needs to pare down and distill his ideas, as his narrative is starting to lose its rhythm. And it's well known that he's been suffering from some writer's block in getting the fourth book done, sad to say.

_Tom Wright - Thursday, June 12 2003 @ 01:44 PM EDT (#13555) #

Long (mid?) time lurker, first time poster, but discussions of fat fantasy never fail to draw me out of the woodwork. Anywho, I'm a huge fan of Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen. Four books thus far (Gardens of the Moon, Deadhouse Gates, Memories of Ice, House of Chains) with the fifth (Midnight Tides) to be released this December. It kind of reminds me of Glen Cook's Black Company series but the scope is mindbogglingly epic. Miles better than Martin in my opinion (not that I dislike Martin). Plus, Erikson seems to be churning 'em out on a steady basis (about a book per year).

I don't think the series has seen release in the States yet (although Erikson recently cut a deal with Tor), but all four books are readily available in the Frozen North. Highly recommended!

_Jordan - Thursday, June 12 2003 @ 02:03 PM EDT (#13556) #

Apparently, Thurman's owie was to his hamstring, so the organization brought him back slowly; that would explain the low IP/start. But I agree that he tends to nibble more than he should; of course, if he has confidence in only two pitches, that may explain his hesitancy.

_Brent - Thursday, June 12 2003 @ 02:10 PM EDT (#13557) #

Gents (and ladies for PC purposes):

It seems that we have quite the faction of Fantasy readers, but do we have any Science Fiction fans out there? Any recommendations? Jordan? Shrike?

_Jordan - Thursday, June 12 2003 @ 02:54 PM EDT (#13558) #

Brent, most of my sci-fi formative years were a few decades back, so I never really got past guys like Larry Niven, Frederick Pohl and Ray Bradbury. I suppose I should re-read the Foundation series one of these days, but I can't work myself up to it.

_Ben - Thursday, June 12 2003 @ 03:10 PM EDT (#13559) #

One of the best sci-fi books out there is Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. Its the first of four but the other three arent as good as this one.

_Eric - Thursday, June 12 2003 @ 04:48 PM EDT (#13560) #

I thought there was at least 6 or 7 in the Ender series. I agree though, Ender's Game is a good book.

_Dr B - Thursday, June 12 2003 @ 05:34 PM EDT (#13561) #

TSN had a close-up on Tanyon and you didn't need advanced lip-reading skills to see his reaction was along the lines of 'oh for * sake!'.

He-he! I was going to comment on Tosca yanking the mop-up man with a six run lead but I did that the day before...

_Geoff North - Thursday, June 12 2003 @ 08:51 PM EDT (#13562) #

I really enjoyed "Fire Upon the Deep" and "A Deepness in the Sky", both by Vernor Vinge. The two books have some incredibly fascinating depictions of aliens as well as technology that seems both plausible and miraculous. I think they both won the... Hugo? Nebula? One of the big Sci-Fi awards. Highly recommended!

_Shrike - Thursday, June 12 2003 @ 09:18 PM EDT (#13563) #

I've read Fire Upon the Deep, very good book.

Ender's Game and its sequel, Xenocide, both won the Huge *and* Nebula; they're fantastic.

_Brent - Thursday, June 12 2003 @ 09:56 PM EDT (#13564) #

Speaking of good books, I just picked up "The Hidden Game of Baseball" from my university library. So far so good.

_StephenT - Thursday, June 12 2003 @ 11:57 PM EDT (#13565) #

The sequel to Ender's Game was Speaker for the Dead (yes, both were great, and quite different; they weren't originally intended to be related stories. Card got in trouble with teachers because the first book is great for kids, so of course the kids try to read the sequel next, which turns out to have much more adult themes.) Xenocide was the 3rd book (when the series started going downhill; I think the publisher was making Card write them at that point.)

_Shrike - Friday, June 13 2003 @ 02:43 AM EDT (#13566) #

Thanks for the correction. I own both; brain cramp on my part. I prefer the second novel, actually.

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