JFLNYC wrote:I believe the first three letters of Scott Posednik's last name accurately describe his fielding.

ek wrote:debt issues

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=6621842

“I didn’t know much about baseball going in,” said Brian Kingrey, the winner of this year’s contest, at a press event in a Citi Field suite during a Phillies-Mets game last week. “I knew about as much as, hey, you’ve got to hit the ball and then get home runs, you know?”

As a novice to both baseball and baseball videogames -- he had never played a baseball game before -- Kingrey knew that he was going to have to do his homework. Two weeks before the competition began, he traded in Marvel vs. Capcom 3 for MLB 2K11 and “started practicing like crazy,” about four to five hours a day. In addition, he went to MLB.com in order to gain a basic understanding of the rules of baseball. (Some of the intricacies escaped him: in a game of MLB 2K11, I watched him bunt a ball foul with two strikes -- he didn’t know he would be called out.)

Kingrey’s research didn’t end there. He often watches competitive gaming live-streams, and his preparation for the competition was just as in-depth. He looked up batting averages and pitchers, and decided to play the Opening Day matchup of the Astros and Phillies, using MLB 2K11 cover athlete Roy Halladay. Kingrey’s research told him that the Astros were the best target for the right-handed Halladay because of their free-swinging lineup, which features only two left-handed hitters. His strategy during the game was to stick almost exclusively with Halladay’s deadly cut fastball, which moves away from righties and toward lefties; before each pitch, he shifted his fielders to the right so that even if a batter made contact, his chances of getting a hit would be very low.

To top it all off, the Phillies-Mets game that we all watched was a good one. The teams were tied 3-3 going into the 9th inning, where Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez allowed three runs, to my delight. The Mets mounted a rally in the bottom of the frame, closing the gap to 6-4 before Daniel Murphy grounded into a game-ending double play with runners at the corners.

It was the kind of game that even non-fans of baseball might find exciting. But don’t count Kingrey among them anymore -- winning this contest has clearly instilled a budding love for baseball in him. Getting to know the Phillies players in MLB 2K11 has made him a Phillies fan, even though he’s from Louisiana. “Now that I know Rollins, Polanco, and Chase Utley, and all of [the Phillies], I really root for them.” Thanks to MLB 2K11, he told me, “I got a new appreciation for baseball. It’s really an amazing sport.”

Cliff Lee, Phillies – Do you get the sense that Cliff Lee is just really bored?

Lee allowed 0.8 walks per 9 innings pitched last year, the lowest mark since Carlos Silva’s outlandish 0.4 mark in 2005, and one of the very best control rates since they lowered the mounds in 1969. Lee dropped his walk rate by two-third last year…he just refused to walk people.

Having conquered the walk, Lee has turned his sights to getting punchados: he has 78 strikeouts in 66 innings pitched this year, a rate of 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings. His previous high was 8.1, way back in 2004. Last year he was at 7.7/9 IP.

Plenty of pitchers learn to avoid the walks after they hit 30. Lee’s managed to reinvent himself twice since turning thirty…it’ll be interesting to see what he does next.

smitty wrote:A guy named Dave Fleming writes for Bill James online. Had this to say regarding Cliff Lee, thought it was interesting:

Cliff Lee, Phillies – Do you get the sense that Cliff Lee is just really bored?

Lee allowed 0.8 walks per 9 innings pitched last year, the lowest mark since Carlos Silva’s outlandish 0.4 mark in 2005, and one of the very best control rates since they lowered the mounds in 1969. Lee dropped his walk rate by two-third last year…he just refused to walk people.

Having conquered the walk, Lee has turned his sights to getting punchados: he has 78 strikeouts in 66 innings pitched this year, a rate of 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings. His previous high was 8.1, way back in 2004. Last year he was at 7.7/9 IP.

Plenty of pitchers learn to avoid the walks after they hit 30. Lee’s managed to reinvent himself twice since turning thirty…it’ll be interesting to see what he does next.

PSUPhilliesPhan wrote:Met Tommy Greene last night at a party. Incredibly nice guy, said he's moving back up to the area to get more involved with the Phillies. His best friend is still Dutch. Asked him about the no-hitter and he actually was more proud of the next game when he 3-hit shutout the Expo's (same team he pitched the no-hitter against). Doesn't throw at all because of his shoulder. Crazy to think what he would have been if he was never injured.

CalvinBall wrote:we just lost two series. one to the national and one to the pirates. we are still tied for the best record in baseball. lol.