MW: Why wouldn’t the Phillies try to Chase Utley? That’s what you do when you have the best of something, right? I think that package might work, actually, but wow is that a lot to give up. Far too much, in fact, when you’re already doing just fine at second base.

“Walks are for your 1-2 and maybe 9 hitters. I’m not saying you should strike out 200 times a season but sometimes a strike-out is better than hitting into a double-play… something the Jays are great at this season.” – Kelly Pfeiffer

This makes no sense. Sometimes a strikeout is better than a double-play (unless you’re scoring a run on the DP or MAYBE if you’re advancing a runner), but a walk is much much better than both. No DP, you advance any runners on first, and no outs. Why would you not want all your batters walking? If they never get out then it’s hard to lose (actually if they never get out it’s hard to win too because you’ll be playing the first inning forever).

Also, there is no such stat as On Base Average. I believe the stat you were looking for is OBP.

MW: If every hitter walked all the time, you’d never lose a game. You’d never finish a game, either, but you’d never lose one.

I think with a legitimate SLG threat from our LF (something Shannon, even with his best OBP, will never be) this team could be seriously lethal. Dunn flat out rakes, would love the Dome, and would provide the Jays with the “power” everyone seems to yearn for.

MW: Dunn would be a spectacular addition, though a lot of people would have to get past the strikeouts. Considering the Reds traded Josh Hamilton for Edinson Volquez, and Hamilton was cheaper and under control a lot longer than Dunn, it may only take one superior pitching prospect. I think Purcey or Brett Cecil would do it, but I’m not sure I’d make that deal. Maybe if it comes to the point where Dunn is a “put you over the top” guy later in the season, you pull the trigger and say screw what could be a big piece of the future.

First time blogger love your shows before and after games to chicken to call!!

Just wanted to let you know I was really happy to see Eckstein batting 9th. I hope Gibby keeps him there for the rest of the season. No need for him to get 4 or 5 AB’s instead of Hill. Also if Gibby could make sure that Eckstein and McDonald could share playing time evenly it would be better for the team. I love Mcdonalds defence and Eckstein has not shown me he is better then Mcdonald in any other facet of the game.

I hope you enjoyed my input, I needed to get this off my chest.

Sincerely,

Dave from Guelph

MW: Thanks

Anyway, I read about how Jesse Litsch is actually left-handed in Jordan Bastian’s blog, and I was wondering why he never tried to use that as an advantage earlier in his career. Pat Venditte, a college baseball player, can pitch with both hands and he was incredibly successful with it. By the by, I’m not suggesting Litsch starting to pitch left-handed. I’m kind of just skeptical why he never gave it a shot.

MW: It’s frightening to imagine that there’s an infant out there named after me, so I’ll instead choose not to believe you. Congrats on the offspring, though, and good luck sleeping for the next two years or so. I was there for the Litsch conversation with Bastian and a few other guys (I started the conversation, in fact – dig me!), and Litsch said, plain and simple, that the first time he picked up a ball he did it right-handed, and he’s never even thought about throwing lefty.

MW: I’m finished with the Overbay comments, I can only repeat myself so often. Rehab Beej hasn’t been all that scary, though, besides tonight. The phantom balk helped gum up the works at Fenway, but he’s been pretty clean other than tonight and a flare hit here and there.

MW: I haven’t yet, and I won’t get the chance now until at least Wednesday, because I can’t talk to him before the game tomorrow.

MW: Jason Frasor has no value right now, he hasn’t pitched in almost two weeks.

MW: Wow. Did I shoot your dog or something? You know what, though? I’m glad you sent this comment in when they’ve won five in a row, because I’d have dismissed you almost totally otherwise. Instead, I’m only going to dismiss you partially.
Anyone who fails to get out more 40% of the time he’s at-bat (yes, against righties) is doing very well, regardless of how much power they hit for. Kevin Youkilis hit 16 home runs last year playing first base for the World Series champs, but had a .390 on-base percentage. So please, give it a rest.
I do complain that callers are negative, because those negative callers are willing to write off an entire 162-game season because of two bad weeks, which is idiotic, to say the least. Most of them are all happy now that the Jays have won five straight. Think they can get back to .500 by June? Maybe?
The fact that you think what you think about walks means we’ll never see eye to eye. To me, the best thing you can do at the plate is not get out, and I don’t care how you don’t get out. Walks are for 1, 2 and 9 hitters? That’s ridiculous. All those great power hitters never walked 100 times a season. Except for Babe Ruth, Barry Bonds, Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig, Frank Thomas, I could go on – you know, those top and bottom of the order-type hitters.
I don’t believe I ever said what you think I said about Thomas, though the truth is that I thought he’d pull out of it, and I continue to think he’ll pull out of it and have a very, very good last 2/3 of the season. On this I have never wavered. But he deserved to be benched, the way he was going, and wouldn’t stand for it. Since he was untradeable, they had no choice but to release him.
Finally, you’re at least the second person to comment on how much money I make. You have NO idea whether I’m paid well or paid poorly, whether I made more money waiting tables than I do doing this, whether I’m scraping by trying to make car and house payments or not. And I would daresay that I’m never the first to comment on “having a rough night” with callers, anything I say in that regard (other than “be better than the last guy”) is always as a response to a sympathetic caller. I love what I do, and I count myself as spectacularly lucky that I get to talk baseball for a living. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be frustrating listening to and reading people like you. Hell of a lot better than working in a coal mine.

Four game sweep — sweet!! (But a scary ninth!)

I have a huge question concerning the 2nd base umpire’s handling of the Eckstein/Zaun DP call.

First, the TV replay showed clearly (at least in my opinion) that Zaun beat the throw — he was sitting on the bag when tagged!

Second, what was he (the ump) doing looking back at first base? On the TV, Sam Consentino tried to give some kind of cock-a-mamy explanation that he had to find out whether the tag was required, before making the call. This would have made sense if he was calling him “safe”, (since the SS wasn’t in contact with the bag, hence no force), but since he called him out anyway, why bother to check? Makes no sense, and only makes him look less certain of what he was doing.

All in all, a bad call, I thought.

MW: I thought it was a bad call, too. Zaun beat the throw and the tag. But I’m with Sammy, that’s the only reason I can think of that the ump would be looking back at first base, though that doesn’t mean he was right to do it.