Date: Tue, 24 Jul 2001 10:47:32 -0500 Reply-To: Texas Rangers MLB Discussion <RANGERS@TAMU.EDU> Sender: Texas Rangers MLB Discussion <RANGERS@TAMU.EDU> From: Beau Sharbrough <beau@SHARBROUGH.NET> Subject: Billy Preston, Barry Bonds, Jeff Kent, Gabe Kapler
Um, that was Billy Preston. Likely, he was referring to what Stevie Wonder saw.
Billy, by the way, put at least two extra years into the Beatles experiment. They were beyond Geritol in terms of energy and enthusiasm and Billy "Ripkin" Preston came along. He hustled, played, and made it fun enough for them to make it around the track one more time before the wheels fell off.
The talk out here on the coast (and I can't wait to fly home today, these 70 degree days are for wimps) is the Barry Bonds might not reach 50 homers. I'm astounded at his 100 walks already this year. What does it tell you if the other team puts on a "giant shift" for you and then doesn't give you anything to hit? Yesterday, Bonds grounded into a 4-6-3 DP, but it didn't look like any I ever saw before.
For those of you who haven't seen it, the Snakes and the Stones put the 3rd baseman where the shortstop usually goes, the shortstop where the second baseman usually goes, and the second baseman plays rover, in shallow right field. The outfielders stand on the warning track, next to ladders.
Bonds lines a base hit to right, or what would have been one with a normal defensive alignment. The "rover" picks it up on one hop, fires to second (where the shortstop is making a turn that is very unusual for him) and the relay to first got Barry.
I don't know how it is with other clubs, but these clubs don't even pretend to let Bonds in the game. It's like when the two weakest players vote the best player off the weakest link - the weak teams just walk Bonds so they can gore Jeff Kent. Kent is having an absolutely Kapler season - the ball seldom leaves the infield.
I asked myself, what if this was ARod? What if we didn't have anyone else who could hit, and teams just made a joke out of him like they do with Bonds? How long before that sweet swing turns into something more like my golf swing? It's not easy to tell, but I think that Raffy isn't protecting Alex - Pudge and Ruben are. Imagine that both of them are gone next year, and that Raffy has a decline. We could be watching ARod 2002 every time that some team walks Barry Bonds.
If that happens, we'll be talking a lot next year about how ARod's walks just show that the other team doesn't get the basic idea of good sportsmanship. We'll boo when the other team gets to 3-0 on him. They'll walk him without fear of our disapproval. Then Gabe Kapler, batting 4th, will pop up and the inning will be over. Seriously, think about next year's lineup with Sierra and Pudge gone.
1. Catman
2. Young
3. ARod
4. Raffy
5. Kapler
6. Lamb
7. Greer
8. Ledee
9. Haselman
Will the Rangers become the Stars, hoping to win 2-1 most of the time?
While I'm picking on Kapler, what will it take to send Gabe to OKC where he
can make some outs without being a black hole in the Rangers lineup? I admit
that he's typically a much better player than Bo Porter, but right now Gabe
is really hurting. I watched him when I was at the game on the 17th, and he:
o popped to first, didn't even reach the dirt;
o fouled out to first, this one was deeper, almost to the outfield grass,
and foul;
o grounded out
I think that GaryC is hitting better these days. As much as I like Gabe, I'm
not wanting to watch him suffer any more.
-----Original Message-----
From: Texas Rangers MLB Discussion [mailto:RANGERS@TAMU.EDU]On Behalf Of
Gary Collard
Sent: Tuesday, July 24, 2001 9:39 AM
To: RANGERS@TAMU.EDU
Subject: Re: 7-24 NMLR
Stevie Wonder said it best:
"Nothin' from nothin' leaves nothin'."