polwonks

just signed- no time lost there

Don't forget Justin Lehr Kinda reminds me of the Red Sox fans who couldn't believe we took Gagne

PLEASE retire the Davey/Craig duo!

PLEASE Brian- no more "well-hit" balls or we charge a word tax

0 for 4, 2Ks, 4 LOB

low and away puts Corey away

is it still possible to e-mail the booth? like to see if they'd comment on Braun's health

probably best that Brad stays silent based on that scintillating exchange

Craig and Davey to the Nationals for Bo

Someone please take Hall (watch the hittable groover down the middle and then go fishing ) but wait, there's another Kendall grounder to third

or the bonehead call by the third base coach...

I'm feeling a hit, Hart gets sent, and gets thrown out...hope I'm real wrong...

should be 1-not sure what the formula was that BA referred to but it might need a remix

Perez and Upton out for opener and beyond...Gabe's the backup...time for trade talks?

Now that Tampa has no starting center-fielder (Perez and Upton out), why not a trade with the Rays? Much as I love Gabe,...

How about David DeJesus? I know- another left-fielder, but...

Maybe this just helps Boras in making the case that Prince simply needs a "change of scenery and a manager who understands him." If he keeps acting out, at least the "getting out of town" part should be simple. But would John Russell or Tony La Russa take him? Maybe with required anger management classes and an unlimited prescription drug budget...

There's Ricky's hit

Muscle it for the Win!

One other message of haplessness: flailing swings to produce 5 Ks in three innings on a get-away day....

1. Last few times I've watched Prince run-seems he's favoring his right leg (limping)-anyone else see it? 2. So if the team wanted to send a message to the world re: manager Yost, maybe plays like Braun's error are good candidates -no attention, mind wandering,...not really ready to concentrate and play...

Lost in the Crabbe shuffle- Abraham released, picked up by the Mets and assigned to NO-maybe old news- just saw it today on the wire

sorry 1992 casey- that was my post on the blog I transferred here (for better or worse)

shameless repost of item on Tom's blog: From my vantage point- Ned has a Pollyannish public face about this team - "we all go through hard times, they're battlers, they come to play every day, no one's perfect ..." Truth is- he isn't inspiring the club, he wants to be loved so he backs everybody up all the time, there's no sense of accountability, e.g. guys are benched "for a rest" not because "they're not producing" (note how the TV broadcast crew can't even bring themselves to comment on the team's shortfalls, e.g. Ricky's wild swings with 2 strikes- I gain much more perspective from the out-of -market broadcasts on MLB.com.) Somebody noted a ways back that the team seems to be going through the motions. The results would suggest that's the case, and that Ryan's comments are making that permissive/enabling atmosphere an issue. Not sure it's time to throw the bats in the shower, but it does seem that Ned has lost the ability to motivate the club and instill some sense of urgency, driven perhaps too much by feeling like he's one of the boys, not the manager, and empathizing too much. Hooking pitchers earlier, risking angering ball players by benching them occasionally- at least it looks like you're not satisfied with performance and expect more. The Gagne episode was truly ridiculous- how much respect do I get from my players when I relent after 48 hours? Hey- if Mom won't say yes, maybe I'll talk to Dad. Ryan's clearly sending a message to management- we need someone with fire in the gut and the ability to convey that urgency in a respectful and firm way. Not realistic to think you remake people at this stage in life, and I don't know who the likely candidates are, but it intrigues me to think that going to Robin Yount or Pauly and offering them the world might not be a bad place to start. Connect with the historic pride of the organization and the sense of obligation to be prepared and produce or accept the consequences- which will come. Cue Leo Durocher on the standings.

couple things (have'nt read through the whole thread so apologizre for duplication) 1. Hershisher's take on Gagne yesterday on ESPN: in better days, the differential between his fast ball speed (95-96) and his off-speed pitches was intimidating to hitters, i.e. which am i going to get?. Now his speed is down to maybe 91 and is only 8-10mph faster than the off-speed- hence batters are "teeing off on him.." (In addition to pitching from behind...) 2. Watching him yesterday, I wondered whether there was something clinical going on- the bouncing around, the odd self-fanning bit (I actually thought initially he was motioning the outfield in during Pie's AB), attack-pawing the mound like a feisty stallion- surely he's not nervous after all these years? Mannerisms maybe, but almost looked like some obsessive behavior. And what was that intervention by the plate ump about concerning the back of his pants? I thought maybe he had a waiter's notebook crammed in his belt. Odd. Maybe an Ipod. I used to think Turnbow was a case- maybe it's the bullpen water.