first pitch: 5:05 p.m., PT
television: ESPN
matchup: Woody Williams (7-5, 3.91 ERA) vs Matt Morris (10-12, 4.54 ERA)
previews: Padres.com | SI.com | ESPN
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A possible solution to the steroid problem in baseball would be to allow each team to field one player who can do absolutely anything to his body. Everyone else would have to be clean, but there would always be one RoboPlayer™ on the roster. Then, everything is out in the open and all teams are playing by the same rules. We’d still have to figure out a way to explain the presence of RoboPlayer to children, because some of them might want to be that guy, and who among us would wish that for our kids?
Well, except for the desperately poor folks, of course.
In unrelated news, the Padres try to avoid being swept by the Giants in San Francisco on Sunday evening. Game will be televised nationally, which means good exposure for the Pads at the cost of ignorant commentary from folks who don’t really know who we are. Enjoy…
I couldn’t hear most of what they were saying…I was busy trying to jam the remote into my ear to make the sound of these two stop…
Someone should also remind Jon Miller that Trevor doesn’t pitch a lot with a 4 run lead..
re: 48 … this just in … Ryan Howard is good … *VERY* good! I’m not watching nor listening to the M&M babble … but I will say this: what Ryan Howard is doing is worth raving about. 2nd best player on the Phillies? Dudes the best player in MLB, right now!
“We’re getting into Trevor Hoffman territory now.” Not to be a hater, but if they were paying more attention to the game than to Howard, they’d realize this won’t be a save situation for the Pads in the ninth. C’mon, guys; get your heads in the game.
Ryan Howard is not in the top 5 in MLB.
Turns out Bochy said he was gonna use Hoffy save situation or no.
Ryan Howard Ryan Howard, is he on Sunday Night baseball?
That God they managed to keep up the Ryan Howard banter even after the break. Is that the ability to focus or Obsessive Compulsive Behavior?
Thanks, Richard. That probably is something they should have mentioned before the break.
And now back to Howard/steroids talk as Giles drives in a run.
I dunno, but they still haven’t acknowledged Giles’ RBI double.
It is fun, though, watching Bonds chase down doubles in the gap.
Has there even been any steroid rumors about Howard? I haven’t heard any. He’s just a big guy who hits home runs, like Ortiz.
Good lord….my ears are bleeding from this….. these two clowns are killing this game and the football game has John Madden going down on the Manning family… I should’ve gone into broadcasting..
this game is big for the wild card lead to stretch it to 2.5 over the Giants who are in 2nd in the WC hunt. I thought a .500 record on this trip would be huge in taking the wild card.
Giant killer Terrmel Sledge sighting.
You know if Morgan and Miller just wanted to broadcast the game about Ryan Howard, they should have just told ESPN radio to simulcast their radio call on ESPN.
It’ll be a cold day in hell before I defend Joe Morgan, but this is kinda odd from Jon Miller, I usually find him to be a pretty insightful and informed PBP guy.
I agree with Nick. I like Miller. This is insane, though. Howard has been the sixth best hitter in the Majors (3rd in the NL) before park effects are taken into account. That’s an accomplishment, sure, but is it so great that they should talk about him during a game in which he doesn’t even appear? I don’t get it at all.
Jon Miller usually is pretty good…but this is just stupid now…
At least they’re talking about the Padres now.
Is there a Phillies game on ESPN this week? Or maybe it’s because Philly is the closest team to the ESPN studios that’s involved in this race.
The funny thing is that they are completely ignoring the game at this point.. Gonzalez had seen two pitches before they even mentioned his name..
Hi guys. Just wanted to let you all know that I’m awesome. And I don’t do steriods, Joe Morgan says so.
Gonzalez has to be hating this park.
Thanks for stopping by Ryan…
Ugh, that’s embarrassing. Even Bonds would’ve gotten a double out of that one.
What does Adrian have to do to get a ball out of this park?
re: 55 … Richard, what’s your criteria? I’ll ammend my statement to “best hitter in MLB, right now” … good cases can be made for Hafner and Pujols also, obviously … Howard’s August OPS was 1.214 … so far in Sept it’s 1.997 … Hafner had a great August also (1.339), but now he’s done with a hand injury … Prince Albert’s just steady-as-she-goes (‘cept for an injury-riddled June) …
See Barry’s trainer
Yeah, I’m a big Miller fan normally and I don’t dislike Morgan nearly as much as a lot of folks do, but they’ve totally dropped the ball tonight. On the bright side, we’re pounding the snot out of the Giants. Can’t stop Manny Alexander, baby!
Howard has become overhyped, and I’m not even watching this game.
He will probably win the NL MVP award, but I would go with Carlos Beltran right now.
Pile On!
Hafner, Pujols, Ramirez, Beltran and Dye have all hit better than Howard this season. And that’s cutting it off at guys with at least 500 PA already.
Bonds is due to lead off the bottom of the ninth, with a chance to cut the lead to 10-3. Dude is clutch, he’ll probably hit one out here.
re: 77 … sorry, probably not the best time for me to want to talk about Ryan Howard
Where’s that Giants fan that was here earlier talking about the Giants pitching??
Carlos Beltran is the OBVIOUS NL MVP as things stand.
Btw, my “criteria” is wOBA because it’s the best rate stat available.
I’m going to throw out the possibility that the guys in the truck are telling M&M to play up the Howard angle, b/c the game is out of hand and they need a good story to talk about…much like NBC has beaten the Peyton/Eli matchup into the ground the past week. Just a thought.
Awesome catch by Gonzalez.
That’s exactly what I was thinking, Stu. Gotta keep those east coast viewers from turning off the tv and going to bed.
The two major things that MVP voters and MVP talkers still ignore are park effects and fielding. Howard “loses” big on those two counts, and Beltran “wins” big on those two counts.
Nice to have a Pads BLOW OUT on national TV.
BTW, can anyone give me a Ryan Howard update? I’ve only got the ESPN Gamecast at work here in Japan. Thanks in advance.
I would think all that talk would’ve put people to sleep on the east coast… speaking of that..how many east coasters are going to see the Charger game tomorrow night since it starts at 10:30 est..
Most MVP voters don’t deserve to vote.
What’s up with the radar gun? Brocail at 96mph? I thought he was low 90s guy.
re: 82 … so, Richard, it’s sounding like you’re using a park-adjusted stat? Got a link to that?
(I’ll be stun’d if M&M didn’t already say this … but at the ASB, RH’s OPS was .923 … now it’s 1.094 … that’s all I’m trying to emphasize)
I think Miller and Morgan have been doing this long enough — not doing this well, mind you — but they have been doing this long enough that I don’t think anyone tells them what to talk about.
The chant of “Let’s Go Giants” is kind of cute, but kind of sad.
I agree, Richard. Buster Olney, who is a good writer but doesn’t pay much attention to the new stats (new, meaning of the past 25 years), said the MVP race in the NL is over. He, of course, said he was that guy in Philly.
GY… LOL…
wOBA is not park adjusted. I don’t have my spreadsheets set up to do park adjustments. And no link. The formula is:
(.72*UBB+.75*HBP+.9*1B+.92*ROE+1.24*2B+1.56*3B+1.95*HR)/PA
It’s the most accurate measure of a player’s production at the plate.