Polar Bear
If I have to choose between listening to Al Gore’s Congressional testimony or a world where polar bears are drowning due to melting glaciers, I’ll take the latter. It’s not like I’m a polar bear or anything.
On to more serious matters…
Instead of the highly fallible baseball predictions usually made here at the end of Spring Training, I am going to compare the Sox and Cubs position by position (sort of) over the next few posts (or when I feel like it). I will work in this in terms of Advantage Cubs, Advantage Sox or push. Here we go:
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Catcher
Cubs = 8 Michael Barrett, 24 Henry Blanco (a.k.a. Hank White)
Sox = 12 A.J. Pierzynski, 44 Toby Hall
Advantage SOX. Contrary to what some douches will tell you there is no three year rule on AJ. in Chicago. I think he understands that the bat of Toby Hall will help when facing lefties. He has said as much on MacJurkoHarry. When you look at the numbers from spring and over the past three years between the two catchers, when facing lefties Hall bats almost .300 and AJ bats closer to .200, so if they use the two correctly – NOT JUST FOR THEIR BATS BUT CONSIDERING OTHER DEFENSIVE OPTIONS AS WELL (which when the Sox are winning they are making good plays with their defense) then there will a vast improvement in overall production from the Sox at this position. I think even if the Sox remained unchanged and the cubs improved over last year I’d feel there was every reason to believe that the Sox would still have more production behind the plate than their northside counterparts.
Barrett did an incredible job as a catcher hitting for average last year. For a time he led both sides of town in average but he is terrible – TERRIBLE at handling the cub pitching staff and that staff INCLUDING THE MAN, Z needs to be handled. I wish him well with his home run donation enterprise but the cubs actually had some better games after Barrett became the spokesman for Planters and had some down time and nuttin’ to do. Hank White can’t hit for shit but the cubs improved when Blanco was behind the dish. Maybe Michael B. will improve under the tutelage of a LouP but I hear that Pinella has a low tolerance for guys he perceives as bush league and Barrett’s got more track record on the unprofessional, wiener-not-winner side of the ledger. Forget my stupid beef with Barrett for focusing on the unwritten rules ‘don’t show me up’ bullshit…I don’t think that White’s skill behind the plate can make up for his utter futility at the plate while Barrett will probably not get it together enough (this year) to be a dominant player at his position…at least not this year.
On to more serious matters…
Instead of the highly fallible baseball predictions usually made here at the end of Spring Training, I am going to compare the Sox and Cubs position by position (sort of) over the next few posts (or when I feel like it). I will work in this in terms of Advantage Cubs, Advantage Sox or push. Here we go:
- - - -- - ----------- - - -- ----- --- - - - - - - - - - - - - ----- --- - - - - - - -- - - - - ----- - -
Catcher
Cubs = 8 Michael Barrett, 24 Henry Blanco (a.k.a. Hank White)
Sox = 12 A.J. Pierzynski, 44 Toby Hall
Advantage SOX. Contrary to what some douches will tell you there is no three year rule on AJ. in Chicago. I think he understands that the bat of Toby Hall will help when facing lefties. He has said as much on MacJurkoHarry. When you look at the numbers from spring and over the past three years between the two catchers, when facing lefties Hall bats almost .300 and AJ bats closer to .200, so if they use the two correctly – NOT JUST FOR THEIR BATS BUT CONSIDERING OTHER DEFENSIVE OPTIONS AS WELL (which when the Sox are winning they are making good plays with their defense) then there will a vast improvement in overall production from the Sox at this position. I think even if the Sox remained unchanged and the cubs improved over last year I’d feel there was every reason to believe that the Sox would still have more production behind the plate than their northside counterparts.
Barrett did an incredible job as a catcher hitting for average last year. For a time he led both sides of town in average but he is terrible – TERRIBLE at handling the cub pitching staff and that staff INCLUDING THE MAN, Z needs to be handled. I wish him well with his home run donation enterprise but the cubs actually had some better games after Barrett became the spokesman for Planters and had some down time and nuttin’ to do. Hank White can’t hit for shit but the cubs improved when Blanco was behind the dish. Maybe Michael B. will improve under the tutelage of a LouP but I hear that Pinella has a low tolerance for guys he perceives as bush league and Barrett’s got more track record on the unprofessional, wiener-not-winner side of the ledger. Forget my stupid beef with Barrett for focusing on the unwritten rules ‘don’t show me up’ bullshit…I don’t think that White’s skill behind the plate can make up for his utter futility at the plate while Barrett will probably not get it together enough (this year) to be a dominant player at his position…at least not this year.
posted by edP | 8:53 PM
11 Comments:
Oh, Porkshow... Wise up!!!!
44 Toby Hall...
I think I had an architecture class there as a sophomore at NIU.
After another solid year behind the dish, AJ was rightly ticked that they acquired Hall with the stated intention of batting him against lefties (of which there are many in the division). At first blush it seemed his playing time would be cut in half, so I can't blame AJ for being AJ. The guy deserves 120 starts, no more, no less. Good point about Barrett. He's not really a pitcher's catcher. He's more like a homeless man's Mike Piazza. They seemed to pitch better with Blanco, but as bad as they were last year, the improvement was microscopically small.
I will give slight edge to the Big Pol, what says Chicago more than a big Pol guarding home! The could drastically change if Barrett gets some skills in game management. Physically Barrett is a better player but let’s wait and see if he gotz what it takes upstairs.
If you are doing the position by position to make your self feel better go right on with your bad self. I will even giver you every position a thumbs up for the Sox.
Still won’t get you in the play offs. It is looking better and better for the Cubs. Now with Drinkie (my new cool nick name for Tony) getting popped for passing out while STOP at a traffic light. We shall see how good the Red Birds do, my guess he picked up drinking for a reason. Now I am known to get really shit faced. You can ask folks who have been out with me and I have no lights on but refuse to pass out. I don’t know how I do it, call it years of training.
I don’t drink or drive, anymore. Getting popped for that and going through the nightmare of our judicial process was enough for me. I am one non crime committing citizen. I have no desire to ever be in a spot where I can be asked to toss some ones salad. Back to the subject…
I have never gotten behind the wheel of a car and passed out. That is frickin crazy. Even my little squirrel brain has never attempted that. I have been way to drunk to drive back in the day but passing out while driving, never.
The Cubs may get beat in the first round of the play offs but at least we will be in the first round of the play offs. Actually this works out better than having a good team. Nothing and I mean NOTHING pisses a Sox fan off more. Than a Cubs team that can’t hold there jock but does better than them record wise. I will laugh until I pee myself when we make the playoffs with our crap team and the Sox don’t. This is turning out to be a great year.
Drinkie gets busted being drinkie right before the season for maximum impact. The Cubs are no inspiring confidence but I think the they can have a better record than the Sox. Only because our division sucks, oooooo oooo oooo wouldn’t it be really cool to have the Cubs in the playoffs and not make 500.
Hey, the Cards won the World Series last year and were barely over 500...was it 86 wins? 83 wins?
Seriously, after the last few years, the Cubs making the playoffs would not piss me off...it was scary in 2003 because had the cubs come through the team I love would've been completely irrelevent...the Sox would not have recovered...die hard Sox fans like me would have the social status of C.H.U.D.s...even with the World Series win we are somewhere around the level of half-drunken mullets with most of their teeth (see DC, I made the joke for you)
I will even compare the teams in terms of chances of winning the division (with defective reasons for my opinions)...and the most important comparrison I want to add - which ballclub is in the best shape for the future (there is no way I can be right about that)
.500 - D'OH!
Damn you edp. It can't be shit talking if you are being all nice.
Come on Banner you can't hide it for long. Let the beast out.
So I am reading the Washington Post and catching up on edp’s Gore reference. I think I want to puke. Quote from post:
“When the ex-veep testified on the Hill yesterday, he was trailed by hordes of reporters. His arrival was heralded by a front-page New York Times story on how he is "a heartbreak loser turned Oscar boasting Nobel hopeful globe trotting pop culture eminence." He even has a new nickname: the Goracle.”
Goracle!!! Why won’t he go away. I think Gore is the major cause of Global warming. First there was study on his energy bill. You could power a skyscraper for the power his little complex was sucking up. Not to mentions if he just shut his mouth we would cut out a lot of hot air.
Are people still saying that he won the election?
You mean the Oscar?
The main problem with Barret is he relies on his offense over defense. AJ had that same problem in Minn and san Fran and was also considered a cancer in both of those clubhouses. Ozzie and the pitching coach in Chicago helped him out. I expect the same king of tutelage from Pinella for Barret. Barret's biggesy problem is throwing out baserunners. Oly 16% last year. That is damn awful. One can only balme the staff for so much of that.
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