"Don't trust any statistics you did not fake yourself."--Winston Churchill
And I'll give Ross the benefit of the doubt on the injury.
As far as figuring him out, this is the most Ross has ever played; it's the most exposure NL pitchers have had to him. His career #'s: 233/.312/.470/.782, and that's including this year, which everyone admits has been an aberration, as compared to his past.
The only year he played nearly this much was 2004 with LA: .170/.253/.291/.544.
I hope Ross turns out to be the player it looked like he was prior to the ASG; but I have many doubts about that. If we go into next year with Ross/Valentin as the catchers, it could be a long year for Reds receivers. I don't think LaRue is the long term answer, either.
I'd like to see a younger guy thrown into the mix, but I have not heard of any catching prospects on the AA or AAA level.
sorry we're boring
Great point. If the Reds do end up winning the WC, that Sb might go down as the turning point in the season. I think without that SB the Reds fail to score in the inning, and then they get Hoffman (who's as automatic as it gets). It was a risky move by EE and it payed off. With Peavy pitching tonight, yesterday's game was an absolute must, and that EE SB was the biggest difference to me.
I think the "hustle" aspect of the play was overemphasized on all accounts. It was a chopper that probably only doubles up a below average runner. Phillips did show the enthusiasm, which apparently is important, but why give out a bunch of accolades for guys doing their jobs, which is all that play was. Run hard to first, slide hard into second on a DP ball, hit a fat pitch out of the park...
If announcers are going to go out of the way to point out a guys shortcomings on a consistent basis, then they should at least point out when the same guy does the job in a key moment in the ballgame. If Freel did it, they'd have stopped the game for an on-field ceremony in his honor.
I wasn't looking for Dunn to get a medal. But the analyst breaking down the play should point out that a 6-6, 280 lb. player barrelling down and flipping the 2nd baseman (or SS, I can't remember) probably played a role in the Reds scoring the tying run.
My 8 year old son asked me this summer, "Daddy why do people cheer so much when we make routine plays? We're just doing what we're supposed to be doing."
Good numbers Cyclone.
Ross is stinky in September, but a couple dingers straightens that OPS right out.
I keep trying to find big fault in the guy, but not having a full month OPSing under .900 is really crazy. His average dipped to .222 in August, but still managed to have a .367 OBP.
Ross isn't LaRue behind the dish, but his numbers are still pretty good....except for a few goofy errors.
Baseball is like church. Many attend, few understand
Yeah, well, you just called Ross (who'll be 30 when next season starts) "young". And I think you're compelled to "comfortably predict" pretty much anything you want about a player you've never liked despite what key indicators actually tell us.
I heard the same stuff after Valentin's career year last season.
"The problem with strikeouts isn't that they hurt your team, it's that they hurt your feelings..." --Rob Neyer
"The single most important thing for a hitter is to get a good pitch to hit. A good hitter can hit a pitch that’s over the plate three times better than a great hitter with a ball in a tough spot.”
--Ted Williams
Board Moderators may, at their discretion and judgment, delete and/or edit any messages that violate any of the following guidelines: 1. Explicit references to alleged illegal or unlawful acts. 2. Graphic sexual descriptions. 3. Racial or ethnic slurs. 4. Use of edgy language (including masked profanity). 5. Direct personal attacks, flames, fights, trolling, baiting, name-calling, general nuisance, excessive player criticism or anything along those lines. 6. Posting spam. 7. Each person may have only one user account. It is fine to be critical here - that's what this board is for. But let's not beat a subject or a player to death, please. |