tmwiese55

Curveball right over the plate to open this AB. Hitter doesn't swing because they don't expect it. Let's try that a bit more

True. But he could be a factor in not helping correct the mechanics as to why they're missing and/or pitch selections or strategy of only throwing 2 pitches with Burnes and essentially 1 with Freddy.

The FB and slider both look good though. you'd think have to start throwing off speed pitches though. He supposedly has a curve and a change. I know they might not be great at this point but they really don't need to be in order to keep the hitter honest.

[pre]Year Pull Center Opp 2018 32.7 % 44.9 % 22.4 % 2019 47.6 % 33.3 % 19.0 %[/pre] Could you easily pull first half last year vs second half? Obviously he was a different player at the end. If it's a lot of work don't bother. Thanks

And yes in the 8 spot the theory is you won't get as many pitches to hit. But you also should rack up a ton of free walks to have a good OBP and OPS. More importantly, it helps your team to just take the walk and clear the pitcher. I guess I'm just saying the negative that comes from 8 hole should be balanced by the easy walks you should be able to get.

Raptors also have maturity of Pros. I hate the argument against the Bucks that since they haven't been here before means they won't win, its just not supported by history at all. So I won't make that argument for Philly that since they have some young guys they can't win. It's that two of their star players seem to still act like HS kids out there in their attitudes. Kawhi will have that focus at all times you want. Then add in guys like Green, Gasol too. Lowry has typically been shaky in the playoffs but still, these guys aren't out here to screw around and have fun. They're focused on winning and that's it.

Point is the same, they've seen him up close with the most info and seemingly are passing. Also, because they might have missed it one guy doesn't mean they were wrong on this one. Starter/reliever is different too. Sale was also dominant last year before the injury, would've won Cy Young. So they could view his as an injury that needs recovery while simultaneously viewing Kimbrel as just done due to him falling apart without an actual injury. Oh, and Boston has won two of the last five or six titles so I do think they know a bit about what they're doing. IDK, I don't view Boston as ever maxed on payroll. Again, just saying if he is actually willing to take this little now. When it was 100 mil yea that's different. But essentially that's what I'm saying, they're that close to him and don't view him worth the money. But again, if he has dropped this much I'm at least intrigued and curious if something can get worked out. Chances are he's way better than everyone we're running out besides Hader right now. But is that money best or most efficiently spent on a reliever is the question.

Just ran through his offensive stats and was surprised they weren't a bit better. I know the first several games were awful but have felt like he's been ok since, or at least the type of mediocrity that's good enough considering his D. Positive things I quickly noticed is his K rate is down and his walk rate is almost double last year. Small sample of course, but still good signs. Already as many HRs as last year. Another odd thing with him and I heard Stearns say it last night is that he seems to do better in big moments as seen by the end of year/playoffs last year and how it seems a disproportionate amount of hits come at key winning situations. Which leads to the possibility or theory that it could be a lack of focus holding him back a bit, find a way to be that dialed in all the time and maybe you can be an adequate hitter. ETA: agree with Jericho just said next. His stance/swing/approach is just not good and I can't believe it hasn't been changed.

Well I don't know how much you're joking/mocking but chances are they knew this was happening any day so might as well use him while they can knowing he'll be off for a few days. And it could explain why Petricka was sent to Appleton so that he can come right back now, I assume this would fall in the exception that allows him to be recalled before the normal timeline. If that doesn't apply then I guess not though.

If the price has come down that much I guess I'm intrigued due to our BP issues/injuries. Even as one who generally thinks Kimbrell is about to hit a wall due to his finish last year. And I'm guessing lots of teams feel the same way based on him not getting signed. But now that his price is reasonable it's a lot less risky. I still think I pass though. If his price is this low now though I just don't know how Boston doesn't pay it, if anything that's a tell tale sign here it's that Boston seemingly doesn't want him back. They must think he's cooked. Could be a spite thing at this point though so take that with a grain of salt.

Yea I was surprised when Wilson came in last night, it all makes sense now. Just have to remember the guys running the team aren't idiots, there is usually a reason for all moves, even the questionable ones, we just might not be privy to the info.

I can agree with this. Maybe my memory and perception isn't the same as what reality is, but the 80's game seems like it was a lot more run and gun and fast break. I hated the 90's and early 2000's NBA where it seemed like there was a lot of low 90's and high 80's scores that would win games, with grinding defense and tons of stoppages. We're back to the high scoring NBA, but it's more of a perimeter game now,with almost every team putting a huge emphasis on volume 3's. Heh. Just looked up the 98-99 Bucks, and with a record of 28-22 (strike shortened season) the Bucks averaged 91.7 ppg and allowed 90.0 ppg. oof. This is exactly right and exactly why they've tweaked the rules the way they have. What the Pistons/Bulls brought in during the 90s made it low scoring physical beat on each other game rather than skill based like it had been previously. I think the Pistons/Spurs type NBA Finals with like 82-77 scores was the last straw. I want it this way as well so I'm happy with it. Casual fans though have this nostalgia about how it was so physical in years past and how great D was. Well in that 15ish year window, yea probably true but go back to the 80s (agreed upon glory years) and actually watch games and it's not super physical by any means. Plus one has to remember in that 90s timeframe it was much easier to play D because the skills on O were so much less than now. Now, almost every player will drill 3s if left open and almost every player can handle the ball so it makes playing D incredibly difficult. Yet everyone just say it's because they don't try on D. Go back and look at the scores and pace of the 80s and before. There was a reason Wilt/Russel would get 25 rebounds a game, it was because more shots were being taken and therefore more rebounds.

I had the chance to sit in the 1st row on the baseline a few years back, and agree completely. Unbelievable how physical it is! Also, I don't get the "jogging up the court" comment. The NBA is a transition game now more than ever, guys are sprinting up and down the court on most possessions. completely agree. I've sat first 10 rows at a few Bucks game and you would be shocked how big these guys are and how physical it is under hoop. The little bumps and shoves they have to manage the whole time on the perimeter and while handling the ball. For the hockey comparison. Note i'm not an expert so take this as a bit of discussion points/questions, not me lecturing as if I'm right. First, isn't it accepted that playoff hockey is at a whole different level of physicality than regular season? I only watch playoffs so I of course like that, but doesn't that inherently mean they're taking it easy in the regular season just like folks complain about in the NBA? Second, hockey games are 60 minutes but most players only play 22ish minutes and only 45-60 seconds at a time. And keep in mind they get two 15 minute breaks as well. So, they're obviously resting a lot. As they should be due to the physicality and how tiring full speed skating can be. IDK if the mega stars play significantly more minutes or not, but if you wanted to keep Crosby out there 30+ mins instead of normal low 20s he'd obviously have to coast on D and rest just like NBA stars have to do to play 36-40 mins.

That rule is gone. I think you just can't transfer within your conference. They can go anywhere outside the Big East. Well then. If Wisconsin screws up chance number two at these guys, fire Gard. Somewhat kidding... Chance 1 wasn't his fault as it was Bo's call to not take Sam. Chance 2 is a clear longshot as they have just been playing for their rivals and Joey probably had to deal with tons of BS grief from idiot UW fans since he picked MU. Both could easily be a bit anti-UW at this point, and it's understandable why. Still they would fit really well IMO.

With what they've invested elsewhere on this roster, they don't really have the luxury of waiting much beyond April for the 3 unproven guys to start showing some consistency. Yeah it might not be ideal for their development but this team is in it to win it. Anderson is waiting in the wings and if I had to bet, I'd bet he's in the rotation by Mother's Day. We'll see on Nelson, and the possibility of Kuechel. Yup, that's the odd predicament they're in. I think everyone sees enough in these guys that they'd want to generally give them the Jimmy Nelson type rope of a few years ago. however, the rest of the roster is in clear Win Now mode so it might not be possible. Combine that with the BP injuries and how these guys did well in the pen last year, so they could help that issue in different roles. Very interesting and tough balance for management to juggle right now. I think they have a plan though, like you said they know they have Anderson and Nelson waiting in the wings along with the young guys likely needing some breaks to reduce innings. This is going to be interesting to watch as the year goes on, after what happened last year i think we all just have to trust management on this at this point and allow them a leash without too much freaking out. They were obviously well ahead of conventional and general fan thinking with pitching last year, they've earned some trust.

Let me get this straight... I post essentially what amounts to "small sample alert" in response to people saying Peralta needs to go back to AAA after 1 start, and I'm the one playing the "told you so" game. I simply cited the folly of making sweeping judgements from one game and directed it at no one specifically. I didn't say anything demonstrative like "Peralta is going to win Cy Young". Then start #3 happens and YOU'RE the one who decides to stir the pot referencing one person specifically (ME). Your post reeks of someone trying to start something. But I'm the problem, got it. I saw your first post directed at me and did the right thing which was to ignore it. You felt the need to double down. Ignore it? This response is the opposite of ignoring, haha. You argued aggressively, combatively, condescendingly all off season with everyone on Peralta and did a 'told ya so' post after game 2. So I don't know how you don't consider that stirring the pot looking for an argument. Moreover, there is literally no Peralta 'haters' here for you to even argue with. Everyone is rooting for the guy but you took anyone willing to trade him for a big name as a hater. Or anyone suggesting that a 3rd pitch would be good as a hater. That said, I'll acknowledge I don't know what everyone said here after game 1. I was at Game 1 so obviously not online and then it was the weekend after that game so wasn't on here. So yes I don't know if a bunch of people gave you grief, but I know I wasn't one. But overall one should take any stupid comments in the IGTs with a grain of salt as folks overreact so crazy in IGT. And I now see how you view it as a shot at you, but that wasn't meant to be the case as my whole point was exactly that these gotcha type things are pointless game to game and don't make for good discussion as every just argues. These guys are all gonna get a big chunk of games and baseball is a long season, folks need to chill. One can probably view that as a general theme of mine a lot on here. Freddy goes again tonight and it's against the STL team that were all over him game 1. Here's hoping for a strong bounceback and hopefully the coaches have a better gameplan for him to use. We're all on his side.

Other than Moose having been awkward and possibly botching some DP relays I haven't noticed any issues. I'd guess he has better range than Shaw out there, if you recall there was plenty of Shaw range issues last year that people freaked out about. At 3B, haven't they basically checked out as roughly even over the last few years? Correct if wrong, but I thought people have posted that here. Keep in mind two years ago Shaw could've made a strong case for gold glove at 3B. But essentially if they're roughly even at 3B over the last 3 years it will work out that way in a larger sample, 12 games doesn't matter.

I saw someone put 85K on Tiger to win. Pays out like 1.2 Mil or something like that.

Good last two posts from brewman and xi. You see the stuff is there for these guys, just gonna take some time and learning/maturity for them to put it all together. I pretty much agree, just let them settle in and get comfortable and see where they're at after a few more starts. Continue to help tweak and coach as much as you can. I'm happy they're going this route instead of watching 4 out of 5 guys be soft tosser types like we've seen in the past

Yea the original seasons are pretty much gold. The new Netflix added stuff isn't as good but still it's better they made it than not. It will be a show that struggles to hold up years and years down the line due to so many current affairs related things like Iraq/Bush, etc. But for people above like 25 it should be good for everyone.

FV, you're not the person I was thinking of and I was just kidding anyway. I just found it funny how the other said nothing after game 1, said something after game 2, and then nothing after game 3. It's just not good to get into the told ya so's game by game. I remember the same thing around Jabari Parker, whenever he'd have a good game folks would get all cocky to the 'Jabari haters'. It's just a petty argumentative thing that doesn't need to happen. I agree with your point on the pitch selection, it's probably not his fault as someone else is calling it. But they just have to use it more than they have and to throw it for a strike to keep them honest. If you let MLB hitters sit on FBs they're gonna figure it out. And the Goldy was just an example as he had a ton of foul balls that game. I'd be curious that stat but it seemed like that whole game (all players) he couldn't get a swing/miss, Goldy was just the most extreme example since it was so many. I wanna say I saw something regarding his swing/miss % being off from last year or maybe it was game to game on Twitter, I doubt it was the TV broadcast. Could be wrong though as it's been a few days now. Still I'm not trying to hate on him or give up. You can see the potential in him and all these guys. The increased velocity is a great addition and of course he's the youngest. Now, like you said, I think they have to coach him the right way to be as effective as he can be. Use more curves. Think of Sheets, he only had 2 pitches but he threw the curve a lot. Granted he had the best curve in the league, but the main point is that if the hitters are sitting on the FB a ton of the time a basic Curve thrown for a strike is a free strike as they won't even swing. Actually Knebel is a great example of this too.

Must Win game, haha

I agree we can't overreact as I think everyone can see the 'stuff' is there for these guys. There is growing pains and coaching that needs to be done to use it as effectively as possible, gaining control, etc. Think Nelson when he first came up. That said, as a contending team it's tough to take those lumps right now but if we can get two of them performing how it looks like they're capable that is huge for the team. I'd also guess the plan is that when Jimmy is healthy he'll come in as a starter because you can just control his throwing much more being on a set plan like that. At that point one of the starters will be hurt or they'll choose one to put in the pen based on performance. So they'll all have 5-6 starts under their belts by then and have more sample to from. I'm guessing the extreme Peralta supporter didn't chime in with his 'told ya so' like he did after the last start? haha. Peralta really has to add another pitch, you just can't survive with only a fastball and now he's seemingly barely using the curve. I know his game 2 was amazing but in the STL and this one he couldn't get swing and misses at all, generally that's a bad sign. Seemed like Goldy fouled off a dozen pitches from him, and all were hit really hard.

I agree it should be Giannis due to the long term held standard of importance placed on best player on best team. It's a different argument if you want to discuss if its BS to weigh that so heavily, but the reality is it's always been a big factor. After that I see very strong cases for either and understand voting either way. I see no need to disparage Harden. I've long been a defender of him as people said he's a chucker and can't win going back several years. I'd often have to remind them he carried a garbage team with the shell of Howard to the final 4 several years ago. And of course he's kept winning ever since in spite of constant roster turnover around him. I'd also guess those statistical type breakdowns just mentioned heavily skew towards offense. Whereas Giannis obviously has a massive edge on D. They're also skewed due to counting stats accrued by playing so many more minutes than Giannis. OF course I see how one could argue not playing as much makes you less valuable, and normally I'd agree if it was due to missing a big chunk of games due to injury. But when it's primarily because you're playing so well that you're blowing teams out a near historic level combined with resting games at the end of year due to having the best record locked up I don't think it should be held against someone.

that is a very good way to put it.