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Flashman

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Everything posted by Flashman

  1. Flashman
    Very possible, of course, but it is important to keep the scouting department accountable.
  2. Flashman
    Still stings to think the Jays passed on Chris Sale to pick McGuire. I remember following the draft thread that year, and those who seemed knowledgable about prospects were screaming for AA to pick Sale.
  3. Flashman
    What has become clear in the last 24 hours is that most players across baseball will be like this. Why? Because of the ******** unwritten rules for the media. This revelation that critics are expected to go to the clubhouse to face those they criticised is censorship through intimidation. I don't think the players are dumb -- they must know they are playing poorly to have such defensive reactions.
  4. Flashman
    They ARE supposed to lie to their viewers. That's the whole point. I have listened to countless TV, radio and podcast broadcasts, but I do not ever recall hearing that critical analysts/pundits are supposed to face the players in the changing rooms. To me, that is shocking and borders on censorship. This whole thing has been a clusterf***, but I'm really glad that it happened. It's been a real eye-opener. Now I understand why so many broadcasters act as nothing more than apologists for poor baseball.
  5. Flashman
    One of the most revealing things to come of all this is learning that analysts and commentators are expected to show themselves in the dressing room after criticising players. Something to do with 'integrity'. Something to bear in mind any time one accuses such people of being 'corporate homers'; it's more likely they don't want to face the players. Considering this, it also makes more sense as to why Wilner supposedly cojone'd-up to criticise Cito: because he was being briefed off-the-record by the players that they had no time for him. Sycophantic actions. I never bought into the idea that Wilner was some rebel who had been silenced by The Man, but there was always a hole in the narrative. Now it all makes sense to me. What. A. Shitshow.
  6. Flashman
    Wilner's inevitable spin on it: "Before you all start complaining, the Jays are 14 and 8 for their last 22 games. That is on pace for a 92 win season."
  7. Flashman
    It makes me think of kettlebells as physiotherapy. For anybody who doesn't know what kettlebells are, they are like cannonballs with handles. They can be swung and manipulated in a number of ways. They gained popularity in the US in the mid-2000s and there has been a whole raft of anecdotal evidence from people saying that their use has eased long-term back problems and such. More than that, people find they can develop tremendous strength and power without necessarily building mass. Perhaps Delabar's weighted velocity program works along the same lines. It'd be kinda ironic if Dusty needed the heavy duty overload all this time rather than the gently-softly TLC.
  8. Flashman
    McGowan has had multiple surgeries, been rehabbed in a hundred different ways, has been tried as a starter, a reliever, a starter again, a reliever again. I just don't think there can every be any certainty over his health. There is no reason to believe he would be any more liable for injury as a starter than as a bullpen arm (didn't they once say that he'd benefit from the regularity of starting?) The Jays should ask Dustin himself, and if he's comfortable with it? Go for it.
  9. Flashman
    It's a shame that Parkes and Stoeten no longer do that post-game live video stream. Only lasted a while, but the criticisms were spot-on. A big difference from the lazy writing at DJF that beats the fan pinata.
  10. Flashman
    Not Romero. At least, not yet. Make sure he has things 100% figured out rather than bouncing him up and down again.
  11. Flashman
    Ah, nothing like seeing the bullpen get exhausted for the sake of a washed-up pitcher with two games to run in a tough series ... Go Jays!
  12. Flashman
    Fair play to Wang. He had earned a couple more starts, but it didn't work out. Tough to get annoyed about this one. Let's hope the Bluebirds can get back into it.
  13. Flashman
    It's a theory that has gained popularity, but I don't think Wilner has changed one bit. His agenda isn't to be a corporate shill -- it is to be the proverbial big fish in a small pond. He's a small man who gets satisfaction from patronising callers, securing followers, and 'winning' arguments, whilst being a sycophant to his media friends and the baseball fraternity (you can actually detect a change in his tone of voice). I'd be totally on board with those who champion Wilner if I felt he was genuinely interested in being rational and reasonable. But to call him a contrarian is to give him too much credit because contrarians do tend to be interested in searching for the truth. Wilner will break his own rational-and-reasonable mantra to commit any number of logical fallacies when he lines up against a caller. The only ones who survive are those who agree with his stated talking points of the night and/or give him a pat on the back.
  14. Flashman
    Wilner's latest logically fallacious defence of Arencibia: "Some people think every player in the lineup should hit .300" Um?
  15. Flashman
    I don't think that's true on either level. I'm singling Buck's silences out because they strike me as exceptional compared to other broadcasters. As for 'running out of things to talk about', that should not be true for a skilled commentator. Every pitch brings its own set of data and talking points. You can talk about the hitter's form, the pitcher's recent form, how the hitter and pitchers perform on the relative pitch count, as well as any anecdotes/trivia concerning the players involved. If anything, the skill is in discerning which information to present and commentate on.
  16. Flashman
    Buck may be a great colour commentator, but he's very poor at play-by-play. Pronunciation of names and garbled calls aside, he leaves too much dead air with long silences.
  17. Flashman
    Blue Jays undoing the good work of the 11 game streak, one series at a time. Tough to root for. A mercurial rotation, questionable defence, and shocking lack of game awareness. The most grimace-inducing moment was Bautista flying out on his first pitch of the first inning, following a short AB by Reyes. Even my girlfriend, who has only been following baseball for a year, is able to recognise how the likes of the Yankees and Red Sox soak up pitches and build pressure in a way that the Jays don't.
  18. Flashman
    I'll never bet on the Yankees to finish last. Wherever they go, whoever they play, they are the Yankees. I know it's unsexy to talk about intangibles, but I can't help thinking that the pressure on them to win makes for a greater team (e.g. not such selfish, individualistic plate appearances, situational awareness, the higher 'baseball I.Q.') I like the Orioles. Well-rounded team makes up for the rotation's deficiencies. Not hard to upgrade that and they probably will. The Rays are fragile. One or two injuries could spell a poor run, so I'll pick them for fifth. The Red Sox have too much of a lead to truly tank, but it wouldn't surprise me if the Farrell honeymoon came to an abrupt end as they come to terms with the general mediocrity and unreliability of their roster.
  19. Flashman
    Ah, typical Wilner. Asked to do the impossible and shield Arencibia's defence, so he pulls out the ol' "you said he was TERRIBLE, which he is not." Semantic horseshit.
  20. Flashman
    Can't wait to get out of Tampa. The most predictably depressing road trips of the season for Jays fans.
  21. Flashman
    Tabler Wisdom: "The way for the Jays to beat Matt Moore is to make him pitch. Run up that pitch count and get him out of the game."
  22. Flashman
    This ain't aimed at you, bzapple. Just my thoughts on a broader subject. My local BBC radio station here in England gets exactly the same 'special' callers for the phone-in about the football team. I have two thoughts on this: 1. every sports team around the world likely has its 'casual fans' shouting loudest. 2. the more thoughtful fans cannot complain if they themselves do not call in. It is generalising, of course, but you'd think that those who do call in do so because of an emotional, passionate need. That doesn't usually tally with thoughtful commentary. But I'd couple that with another suggestion: nobody should blame fans for being 'casual'; many people are up at 7am for work, home after 6p, time for a shower and dinner and seeing the kids, and then just enough time to squeeze in a little sport on TV, i.e. too many other things to do other than invest time into one sport.
  23. Flashman
    If you get paid to do that job, you are being paid to be a professional, i.e. not swearing your head off (the job security is a pretty good self-disciplinary tool). The odd thing is that I salute much of what Wilner has to offer, it's just the way he delivers it. Egocentric broadcasting at its worst. He could be a much, much better broadcaster.
  24. Flashman
    There is a distinction. I get it if fans call up after three losses in a row and cry tragedy. But the Jays had an awful start, and nobody would have bet on them coming back from that. A moderate approach would be to say it's surprising, it's great, maybe we'll get fewer doom and gloom calls. But the way Wilner's handling it, the whole "it's SUCH a long season", is a I-told-you-so attitude which both defies rational analysis and any implication that he called this.
  25. Flashman
    "Three, THREE wins off the playoffs. It is such a shame the season was over in April." That's before taking any calls. As a rational and reasonable fellow, I would have thought Wilner would understand the statistical unlikelihood of the Jays getting to the playoffs. It's taken a historic streak to get back into contention.
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