random off-topic thread

[Newman]

SD fans were very civil to Barry.

Q: do we think he injected himself with a syringe, when he was doing the clear and the cream OR do we think he was just rubbing it in like you would do with flaxseed oil or ben gay?

It just seems so much more abhorent to be shooting yourself in the ass with a needle, just to get a home run record. Why don't we think he did that? That's what Big Mac and Sammy did, don't we think? And Canseco. And many of the others.

It'll be good when 756 is here and gone. Will Barry even play next season? Who will pay him?

Are we even sure that steroids are out of baseball now? I'm not. I heard rumors that they may be in golf as well. No way Tiger Woods is on steroids, man. (although he does look pretty ripped).

Bill Rhoden, on the sports reporters this morning, I mean, I could write his column. All black people are good. Never have committed a crime. Are innocent til proven guilty. Have never been guilty ever of anything, unlike us white people who screw up every day of our lives.

Well, we hit the Brewers at a good time. They just lost a heartbreaking game this pm, a 6-3 lead, with their closer in the game, and two outs, and they couldn't shut the door! At home no less.

[Newman]

Let's meet after the game in the chat room to dissect it.

This Chat function can be a lot of fun.

Make it a habit. Talked to Drew briefly after the Sunday day game in CHAT.

Why is Arizona so hot right now? Annoying.

[John Cocktoston]

I don't know why Arizona is on such a heater right now, but they seem to be doing it with smoke and mirrors sometimes. Do you realize that they've surrendered 29 more runs than they've scored?

Their Pythag projection is 53-60 or a full 10 games below their actual record. I'm hoping that catches up with them sometime soon...

For what it's worth, the NL West Pythag Standings look like this today:

Pyth Proj. +/- Actual
SD 62-48 (-2)
LA 58-53 (EVEN)
CO 57-53 (-1)
SF 53-56 (-6)
AZ 53-60 (+10)

[HoyaRoxFan]

Barry Bonds' HR Record Tainted by Elbow 'Armor'?

This article claims that Bonds' elbow armor contributed to more home runs than steroids. It's an interesting piece and gives some perspective.

[Newman]

What did Pythagerus know about baseball anyway? I read your blurb and didn't understand it. AZ 53-60 (+10) . Has no meaning. May as well be speaking Greek.

Right now AZ has 63 wins. Pythagerous thought they'd have 53 at this time? Why? Did P not anticipate Reynolds coming up to play 3B or Tracy stinking it up as usual or BK Kim getting traded back or Davis and Liv being the bullwarks of a normal staff that has a better than average bullpen?

Hank didn't wear no body armor. You never hear the apologists for BB say that on espn. Never hear Orestes Destrade or Fernando Vina talk about that huge elbow pad (no fear).

Was fitting that Clay Hensley served up #755, since he had been previously suspended in the minors for using steroids himself. Hopefully Mota will serve up 756.

I wonder what the tv ratings are on these loser SF Giant tv games that The Deuce is serving up to watch the Bonds record breaker? Who wants to watch a last place team? You can always catch the special moment, in highlight form, when it happens, later on.

And why did Bud Selig bother to go to the 755 game? He had to be told by someone to stand up. He never cheered or clapped. No speech. Just shoved his hands in his pockets. Why go if that's the plan?

Bud allowed the steroid era to happen. So, now he's paying the price. Why have your sour puss plastered on tv. Stay hidden, like Donald Rumsfeld.

[John Cocktoston]

I would surmise that it has something to do with the likelihood of a winning team (let alone a team that is 6 or 7 games over .500) being outscored by 29 runs is fairly low.

Pythag is a tool. I don't necessarily love it and think it has some real holes (namely accounting for blowouts) but that's still a pretty extreme result and you could make an argument that AZ has been the luckiest team in baseball this year...if you put stock in Pythag.

[DieHardRoxFan]

Arizona is 25-15 in 1 run games this year so far and has been blown out on numerous occasions. Colorado is 11-16 in 1 run games so far and LA and SD have positive records in 1 run games. Our record in 1 or 2 run losses the last 3 years has been ugly.

[Newman]

And do we attribute that to luck, bad managing, poor relief talent, bad clutch hitting, general lack of talent or Pythag?

[Dante Bichette]

Well, just like many of us thought, Barry finally breaks the record at home, in front of the bay area myopians who act like it is the best thing to ever happen in baseball. Too bad it didn't happen in LA.

[Newman]

Did anyone watch the two hour Barroid love fest on espn after the game, or during it, now that SF games are totally meaningless?

I don't get John Kruk. What was his point? He loves Barry and calls him the greatest player ever, BUT if things were to come out later that PROVE that Barroid was doing steroids then he might have to rethink things? I guess that covers all the bases John.

If Barry had done it the right way, without steroids, he woulda wound up with 680 homers maybe and been an untainted member of the HOF. He chose to do it his way. Apparently spurred on by all the adulation Sosa and Big Mac got from their home run race in 1998. Jealousy. Bonds knew he was better than those two and wasn't getting the public acclaim. Human nature.

Still, he made his decision to juice up, turn baseball into track and field, and he tore at the fabric of the game like Pete Rose. Unforgiveable says this judge.

[Roxpert]

Here's another excellent link to an article by the conservative British magazine, The Economist. It describes the decline of the conservative movement in America. Very well-written.

The American right | Under the weather | Economist.com

[Newman]

I sent the link to my Conservative Republican twin brother in Richmond. Thanks.

[indianadrew]

hey karl rove left the bush admin. is this symbolic of the rats leaving a sinking ship?

[John Cocktoston]

I often wonder how much of what Karl Rove does and says is due to an earnestly held belief and how much of it is simply a man who is exceptionally good at his job. Say what you will about the man (and there's a lot to say) but he took George W. Bush from Yale to Texas to the White House and he did it by executing a plan. I think that, in many ways, he's responsible for how fractured this country is politically, but it's not an accident. He was the first one to look at issues like abortion, religion, taxes, etc and say "to hell with trying to please everyone or not alienate anyone- we're going to use these issues to drive wedges into the American people because, if we initiate the fractures in the right places, the fallout will help us get more electoral votes."

He's an incredibly destructive figure in American politics, but he's also one of the most innovative and impactful political figures in a good long while. For people who know him privately, I wonder if they think he's just a devious and scheming prick or whether he's simply a terrific political consultant?

[Roxpert]

Originally Posted by John Cocktoston

I often wonder how much of what Karl Rove does and says is due to an earnestly held belief and how much of it is simply a man who is exceptionally good at his job.

Good at his job? You have to be kidding. Karl Rove singlehandedly may have destroyed his own party's chances to control the agenda in Washington and statehouses around the country, for a generation to come.

As usual, Arianna Huffington has the spot-on analysis of the Rove era. Read it here:

Arianna Huffington: Rove Exits with His Usual M.O.: Delusional, Fanatical, and Deceptive - Politics on The Huffington Post