sbrylski

It seems like Munson is the front runner. Which sucks. Remember Chad Moeller?

The guy from NBA Jam.

(Just to clarify, my original post takes offense to the logic behind his pick, not necessarily his pick. I agree with much of what has said.)

If the arguement is that the #3 hitter comes up most with 2 outs, nobody on, couldn't an arguement then be made to put your pitcher in that spot? Of course, no manager would ever do that. These models take expected PA into account too, you don't want you're pitcher getting all those PA right in the heart of the lineup. The number 3 spot is still more valuable than 6-9, it just takes a hit relative to 1,2,4,5 because of the situations it hits in, like 0 on and 2 out.

I thought that he said that if they got Roberts they then would clearly be the team to beat. Which I think they would. They won the division last year, and I think they are a better team then they were last year. I think they will win it again this year. I don't think he had enough time to go into detail on why he thought they would win the division. The reason they have a good chance to repeat as division champs is because they won it last season and no team in the Central appeared to substantially improve, including the Cubs. Not because "they might figure out their bullpen" or "they might get Brian Roberts". Fukudome just allowed them to about keep pace with other team's improvements around the division.

Was that post made in jest so that the Cards would have a lousy lineup? Reed, that's the point of this thread. You are obviously a hard core traditionalist, at least when it comes to lineup construction. On the other hand, there's the new wave statistical model lineup construction that goes against some of your assumptions. Is one better than the other? Maybe, maybe not. But the point is that LaRussa is hitting is pitcher 8th, which is part of the new wave lineup construction, while he's keeping Pujols in the #3 spot, which is part of the traditional lineup model. Its rare that someone would mix and match these theories. That was the observation. You want your guy batting second to be able to bunt, and take pitches for steals, and be able to advance the runner, not somebody who can hit 40 homers. Do you? Why? (Because its always been done like that doesn't make it right.) 1) Bunting sucks in nearly all situations. Sorry, but you can't convince me otherwise. It is mathematically proven and even observed to cost you runs, even a successful bunt. Basing a lineup around this skill doesn't make sense. 2) Who says Albert Pujols can't take pitches? He's the best hitter in that lineup, and he'd be the one I trust most to take pitches if needed. (Arguing the value of a SB attempt is for another thread.) 3) Albert Pujols, the best hitter in the lineup, is the best at advancing the runner, because he's the best hitter. 4) If you hit 40 HR in the #3 spot, you'll hit 42 in the #2 spot with the extra plate appearances. Bringing this post full circle, moving your best hitter to #2 is complimented by moving you're #8 hitter to #9, to get him that possible extra baserunner while still getting him the extra AB's. And that's why its odd that LaRussa would do one but not the other.

Maybe a designated thread, with all the predictions that will be pouring out over the next few weeks... Tim Kurkjian on ESPN news just cited the Cubs as his team to beat. Which is fine, but this was his reasoning: "I think they'll figure out their bullpen." - Gave no reason why he'd think that. "Fukudome adds something to their lineup." - Why is he hailed as a superstar without question? He is a huge unknown. "They might get Brian Roberts" - They might. You can pick the Cubs, but that's horrible logic he cited, IMO. Edited title per Brewguru's insight...

TC, that's really good. (For a poem. Eww, emotions.)

I've been dying to go overboard for 5 months, twobrewers. And you know what, if feels great!

mletto, that's mine too.

I love Bill Hall, but Branyan starting on OD would have been nuts! (And Braun is not ever moving back to 3B.)

My TV isn't broken, but it's not HD.

I expected good answers, but the interview turned out a lot better than I expected. Boo! I take that as a well hidden diss. Just kidding. Excellent interview.

It sounds like more of the writer's assumption to me. Though he hasn't hit anywhere other than 3rd to start a game since 2003. Maybe Albert says he feels the most comfortable there. Pujols to #2 makes the most sense to me.

Putting out feelers on the desktop that I built last year, as I find myself wishing I had a laptop more and more. Current specifications: Processor - AMD Athlon 64 x2 Dual Core 3800+ Memory - 1 GB Hard Drive - 120 GB Video Card - nVidia GeForce 6800, and motherboard has SLi capability to run two video cards at one time Firewire Hauppauge TV card (WinTV-350) Anything else you'd want to know? Never had any hardware problems at all. I'd be willing to upgrade anything presale if desired, so it'd be all set to go for you. Not really sure how much I want to charge, just posting this on a whim to see if anyone around here would be interested. (At least $300, I would think)

(And not to be a total advising nerd, but also think a little bit about the courses offered, how they fit into your plan, etc. I know that's not very sexy, but it's worth considering.) Definitely. I went through and ruled out all the programs that wouldn't offer a few somethings I'd need. Among your choices I would go with Brussels since it houses the primary institutions of the EU. Along with its centralized location, this is why I picked it over other European cities.

"He's going to have to come back. Ain't got to apologize for nothing, but my son will come back one day, and we'll have a great relationship." We of course don't the whole story, but I believe Cecil is wrong here. (Among other places.)

I do think we have a legit 3B in Hall, but by moving him yet again you risk making a clubhouse leader unhappy about his value to the team and his role on it. We should really organize a fan sponsored Bill Hall day at the park. He really deserves it. Write a Bill Hall song to a well known tune and pass out flyers and get everyone singing it along the 3B line.

Alright, now where to go? Narrowed it down to two top choices: Sydney, Australia or Brussels, Belgium Copenhagen, Denmark is currently my #3 (and cheaper, I believe) (Other options I would consider would include Milan, Galway, Vienna, or Cairo) Any suggestions?

I think Doug Melvin did everything he could to improve the team. You could wish for a more "sure things" in the bullpen, or having gotten a LH bat or 3B (or both) instead of Mike Cameron, but its not like DM wasn't looking hard for these things. He got the best pieces he could and filled all the major holes on our team that could reasonably be expected to be addressed. For that, I'd give him a strong B grade.

One of the guys in the intro to Chappelle's Show?

Kind of weird, that first one was created by people at Umea University in Sweeden, where I'm considering studying abroad. Odd to see that.

You're only focusing on the negatives though. Jason Kendall is not likely (relatively) to drive in those runs anyway, with a .250 average and a .330 SLG. The positive is we improve the OBP infront of Weeks from .171 to .330 - that's ~100 more times from the spot right in front of Rickie. And closer to ~33 when you take into account that the pitcher isn't always the 3rd out. So we lose ~17 PA for Kendall with RISP that he could have gotten batting 8th, but we add 33+ baserunners ahead of Weeks.

Nobody was getting anywhere until the movie hint. But yes, John McEuen, main claim to fame as a founder of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

mletto, I see what you're saying but its not going to make enough of a difference. Coming up with 2 outs and nobody on happens by far the most in the first inning for the 3rd hitter. If you have two .340 OBPers batting 1st and 2nd, the odds that neither of them get on base is .660^2 = .436. If you move two .380 OBP hitters to 1st and 2nd, the odds become .620^2 = .384. Over 162 games, that's only 8 times less, which is minor compared to the total number of times (which I don't have available but are somewhere in the 100's, IIRC).