bicyclemike

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  • bicyclemike
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    I think Gorman sealed his fate, if there was any doubt. Course Miz is a tough cookie to have your fate depending on.

    It does seem like the campaign flew by. I worked a bunch of Rockies games this year and it only seems like a few weeks ago I was working the home opener.

    Hopefully we see improvement next year, assuming the powers that be are not too dumb and work out an agreement. You never know. I looked at the 1960 NL standings and the Reds finished sixth, 28 games behind Pittsburgh. They won the pennant the next year. Bill James called it the “miracle on Western Avenue.”

    bicyclemike
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    Looks like our club will finish 8 games below break even. I believe at one time we were 9 over, thus we lost 17 more than we won after that. Abysmal.

    bicyclemike
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    I am rooting for Noot and Nado to get that last spot, but they need a win and a Quaker loss. Skippy needs a win and ‘Stro loss to get in.

    bicyclemike
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    Mathews sort of replaced May in our rotation, so an interesing match-up here.

    The Crew are a good regular season team, but have not tranlated that success to post season. I think their lack of power hurts their post season play, but would like to see them get to the NLCS this year, and would love it if they ran the table. Also I am good with the Padres winning it. In the AL I am for either the White Sox or Guardians.

    It would be something in the AL if say the Rangers win the division at 81-81 or 80-82, and end up doing a “2006 Cardinals” and get to the Series.

    in reply to: How Many and Which Prospects Graduate in 2027? #319664
    bicyclemike
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    I think Church has been fine, with a 1.9 WAR in under 500 ABs. The problem though is he is 26, so a bit on the older side to have a pretty good rookie season. Still he is servicable and could see his production rise over the next couple of years.

    I like what Sagesse has done the last month or so. Also watching him in person in San Francicso a couple of weeks ago, I like his approach and “look” on the field. He would get a good opportunity next Spring to take hold of a roster spot, possibly even a starting slot at third if I was in charge.

    • This reply was modified 1 week, 4 days ago by bicyclemike.
    • This reply was modified 1 week, 4 days ago by bicyclemike.
    in reply to: State of the Races #319662
    bicyclemike
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    Craziness abounds. The Phils and Cubs have not exactly seized their places, while in the ALW the winner will be at best a .500 club, and to do that at least one of the Rangers and Astros needs to win their final two.

    Meanwhile the ALC has two teams really going for it, as both the Guardians and White Sox have played well down the stretch.

    I was thinking about this AL West deal, and wondering if there should be a rule where if a division winner is at .500 or lower, and what would be a non-playoff team from another division has a winning record record, that team gets the post season berth instead of the division winner. But then I looked and no one would qualify in the AL anyway. It could be that the Rangers and Astros lose their final two and end up 79-83, and the Orioles win their final two and end up 80-82. So maybe you give the O’s the final slot even though they also would have a losing record, but that is not saying much.

    in reply to: Former Cardinals in the News (new thread) #319631
    bicyclemike
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    We will never know. Marmol’s first year of managing he got great production from the veterans Arenado, Goldschmidt and Pujols. I can’t say he can’t get veterans to step up, but again, we will never know. So many intangibles and variables in any given big league season.

    bicyclemike
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    Gasser throwing some gas at the Redbirds the first time through, as Victor takes one right there to follow up Pages’ strikeout with one of his own.

    Pages probably playing his last series as a Cardinal. Think Victor will be given another shot.

    • This reply was modified 1 week, 4 days ago by bicyclemike.
    bicyclemike
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    Those Brewer city connect uni’s are really “state connect” outfits.

    bicyclemike
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    ATM, my condolences to you on losing your dad. Like many my dad and I bonded on sports a lot, and he’s the reason I am a Cardinal fan.

    Wishing you strength during this difficult time.

    in reply to: MLB Labor Negotiations 2026-2027 #319523
    bicyclemike
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    That snip talks about how teams will be required to handle the cash if they are under the salary floor, but does not say how the floor will be computed. Will it be a flat amount, or some percentage of total revenues?

    bicyclemike
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    I think this is the game Skenes finally gets a win against us.

    in reply to: Former Cardinals in the News (new thread) #319515
    bicyclemike
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    Along with Arenado, both Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras have been great for Boston. Each has over a 4 WAR. Man, with us needing more production at third base, left field, and the starting rotation, had we kept those guys to mix with the kids we would have likely been a playoff team.

    If Burleson could have been at least passable in left field, with Contreras at first and those guys all approaching what they are doing elsewhere this year could have been special. I understand the plan, but just sayin’….

    bicyclemike
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    Bernal has ceased the opportunity, whereas Crooks did not.

    bicyclemike
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    I was listening to KMOX in Boulder, CO the night of Brock’s record setting stolen base, and had the cassette player recording it. I still have that tape with Jack Buck at the mike. The audio is a bit crackly, but those west coast games came in pretty good back in the day so it’s not bad at all.

    bicyclemike
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    Oops, make that 6 in a row for the Guards – they are going after #7.

    bicyclemike
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    In that ALC the Guardians are hot at the right time, running off 7 victories in a row. Can they carry that momentum into a post season run? We will find out in a couple of weeks.

    in reply to: 2026 Recap – Has it been a success? #319452
    bicyclemike
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    Next year’s main goals – a third baseman and pitching upgrades in both the rotation and ‘pen. And boosting the win total to at least the mid 80s.

    And I guess we should say that the gains accomplished this year do not regress, at least not too far. Some guys might not attain their ‘26 numbers, but just don’t fall way off. Chances are some guys may not be quite as good but others will hopefully advance and offset them.

    in reply to: 2026 Recap – Has it been a success? #319299
    bicyclemike
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    Chiming in again, I call this season a success. Without getting into the weeds too much but looking at a top level, we are farther along towards a post season caliber team today than we were in February. I think that was the goal coming in, and it was accomplished. This late season dive has tarnished things a bit, but still there is a lot to like and overall we passed the test.

    Now for next year, to be successful we need to take the next step. Assuming the 2027 season is played, have a better winning percentage than 2026, and continue to see some organizational players come up to the big league club and have an impact.

    in reply to: Oli Marmol Extension #319291
    bicyclemike
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    Good assessment Blues86. I tend to agree. He has had to do OJT and seems to get a lot out of the personnel he is given, and it seems the younger guys especially go all out for him. He didn’t always handle things well in his first couple of years, but has upped his game as he has gotten experience.

    IMHO he really should have managed in the minors a few years first and he would have come on better prepared, but it is what it is and the big league club had to suffer the consequences of inexperience.

    My sense is he is respected among the manager’s fraternity as well, with Dave Roberts calling on him to be part of the All Star experience this year.

    Not a smooth ride, but one that has leveled out and he is pretty good at his craft these days.

    As for the sort of parabolic shaped record, I think gscottar has some good insight on that. Who knows, maybe the schedule had something to do with it as well.

    bicyclemike
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    A gorgeous somewhat Fall-like afternoon here has your Denver Broncos hosting the Jags of Jacksonville – one of three NFL teams from Florida.

    Meanwhile I napped through our contest as I will be up late tonight helping the step-daughter move to a new apartment. She is working today so the move is scheduled as a Sunday “night game.”

    It seemed like Walker has not homered in quite awhile, and I see from 1TD he has not even RBI’d since Sept 5. That was two days before the two Giants-Cards games I saw in the City by the Bay. Even some contact last night in the ninth inning might have won that game, but he went down swinging on the dreaded outer half slider that he still bites on now and then. He’s been better going the other way on that this year, but the pitch last night was unhittable and out of the zone.

    Din-din before the move is homemade chicken pot pie the Lovely Lady Bike is preparing, and your choice of store bought cherry pie or homemade carrot cake for dessert. Yours truly made the “from scratch” cake, although the cream cheese frosting is Duncan Hines.

    bicyclemike
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    Yeah, playing out the string, and playing poorly at that. Most people are probably either looking at post season match ups, or have switched to football.

    in reply to: State of the Races #319262
    bicyclemike
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    Looks like the Cubs, Padres and Phillies will be the three non-division winners in the NL post season, with the seeding order going down to perhaps the final game of the season

    In the AL, the Yankees and Red Sox pretty much have the first two wild card seeds sown up. The final contender looks to be either the Guardians or White Sox, whichever team does not win the division. The ALW is still a dog fight, with two .500 teams from the Lone Star state battling it out.

    • This reply was modified 2 weeks, 2 days ago by bicyclemike.
    • This reply was modified 2 weeks, 2 days ago by bicyclemike.
    in reply to: Former Cardinals in the News (new thread) #319141
    bicyclemike
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    That year seemed to be a fluke. I remember thinking it seemed like a “video game” year. We had two guys reach 60 homers in almost 100 years of baseball, and then out of nowhere two guys in the same season smash the record. Add to that both guys were so much more physically built than they had been in their earlier years.

    The whole thing did not pass the smell test. You knew something had to be going on.

    in reply to: State of the Races #319140
    bicyclemike
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    Same here ATM although I am also pulling for the ChiSox. But I like the Guardians as well. Whoever wins that division I would love to see get through a couple of rounds of post season, or more.

    And like you I thought the Mariners would ride to the ALW in a cake walk, but our buddy Donny never got untracked and Cal Raleigh’s production fell off the table. They just never got things in order this year.

    If they had an anti-comeback player of the year award, I think Raleigh would be the AL “winner” and Kyle Tucker in the NL.

Viewing 25 posts - 26 through 50 (of 7,295 total)

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