disarcina

SF Giants / AZ D-Backs game is in the 8th inning --- tie score heading into the 8th -- and 5 to 4 Giants -- when D-Backs pen guy (not sure if he's set up or closer , perhaps soon to be neither) Fernando Rodney does another one of his high wire acts we saw so often in Anaheim.........this time Rodney is aided by his battery mate, Jeff Mathis -- Rodney throws fastballs into the dirt and Mathis doesn't stop them behind the plate........run scores and runners advance on two wild pitch/ pass ball type plays (take your pick, the scorers called them WPs) Two former Halos - at least performing down to the playing standard they had while playing for the Halos. Giants lead 5 to 4 bottom 9th now - Melancon on to close for SF.

just back from Sacramento. some exciting basketball and some not very (and terrribly played) hoops as well. I thought the winner of the Creighton - Rhode Island game should have 'advanced' to the next round of the NIT instead of moving on in the NCAA bracket. But it may have been a case of Rhode Island playing down to the level of its competition because Creighton looked terrible at both ends of the floor........Rhode Island woke up and played a solid game against Oregon on Sunday........Rhode Island essentially had the game won........and then Oregon Brooks was fouled in the act of shooting an off-balance, bad angle three pointer with the shot clock running out --- he probably misses the off-balance three and Rhode Island gets the ball with the lead and time off the clock (this is inside 5 minutes left) Instead the dumb foul bails out Oregon, Brooks, an 85 percent free throw shooter, goes to the line, sinks all three and the game is tied......Oregon gets a stop and then their other solid guard hits the jumper that turns out to be the game winner...... Rhode Island had Oregon beat and let it slip away. Cincinnati looked great against Kansas State - they shot something like 65 percent from the floor, made their free throw shots -- Kansas State did not offer up much competition. UCLA sort of struggled early in both games.........Cincinnati lead 33-30 ( if i remember right) at the half....and Kent State kept hanging around . In the first round Kent State- UCLA game, UCLA led it pretty much wire to wire but just couldn't shake them completely. UCLA seemed to dominate with a "Showtime" like performance but despite that -- you'd look up a the scoreboard and UCLA would be up only 6 to 8 points while putting on a dazzling display of offense. In Sunday's game, UCLA came alive in the second half, overcame Cincy's 33-30 half time lead and at times looked better than half a dozen current NBA teams.UCLA really gets back quick on defense.........Lonzo Ball made some incredible threes as did other Bruins in a very balanced scoring game among the UCLA starting 5. My brackets are busted -- so I guess I didn't get out of the first round UCLA seems to turn on and off the Showtime Show at will. They had some incredible runs.........and, at times, both Rhode Island in Friday's game and Cincinnati in Sunday's game were just over matched. UCLA,if they can play the way they did on a few of the runs I saw and do so for a sustained period of time -- well, they look like they could be playing in the Championship round. Overall --

early yet, but a good test nonetheless.......need more of these from Skaggs stretching him out to four innings next appearance.

well, some hope to be optimistic.

Is Skaggs pitching tomorrow -- may have been a report from earlier - but I thought he was having arm issues and may have to re-set his ST regimen a bit. If he's pitching tomorrow -- it'll be an important test/ outing for him.

At Bat listed the scores for all games ST, obviously, and WBC. What I cannot find -- and I looked -- was BOX SCORES for the WBC games. Or even the earlier pre-WBC games where some of the WBC teams played MLB teams in ST games -- no box scores for those games.

nice to see Shoemaker having a good outing and a good spring training. if he can return to his 16 win form -- that would really help the rotation. meanwhile, if we have starters pitching a quality 6 - 7 IP we need the pen to get at least 6 outs. last year, if I remember correctly - the rotation did OK first half of the season but our pen faltered pretty much all season. Particularly the pre-set up and set up guys.

I will be at the games in Sacramento.........March Madness first/ second round week is THE BEST SPORTS WEEK of the YEAR !!

LOU -- UCLA really played good ball - the best of the season, really, the last month of the regular season. that loss at Galen Center to USC seemed to wake them up -- that was a terrible game for them but they played lights out after that. and, then, the PAC -12 tournament.........a different UCLA team showed up. They beat USC again in a game that neither team should have been given a W. If the UCLA team that played the last month of the Pac 12 season shows up, UCLA has a chance. Oregon has a key player out for the NCAAs......

Homebrewer - thanks for organizing this -- I was able to sign up -- should be fun........

I have yet to see a WBC box score in the newspaper and they're hard to find even on-line. MLB's AT BAT app which I have, lists all the Spring Training box scores but not for the WBC games........ you know, I don't need a lot of commentary and stories about baseball games -- just print the box score and it tells me everything I need to know. newspapers and other media seem to be downplaying the incredible importance and the amount of information contained in box scores. It's sad, really.

that Mexico OUT on the questionable tie -breaker analysis is really awful. So if they get an out in the inning where Italy has the five run walk off inning - that changes the calculation because it counts as an inning --- but if the pen is so pathetic they don't record a single out while the opposing team scores five runs --you're rewarded because there's no inning to record the runs against. kind of like saying giving up 5 runs with no outs gives the pitcher an INFINITY ERA which is lower than everyone else's -- huh? And bad for the WBC because not only was Mexico's team good -- they would have packed the house in San Diego -- which is good because the WBC doesn't seem to be getting much attention in the US newspapers and media-- other than MLB channel.

see prior post above.

HALOS23 -- thanks for the post and the memory -- appreciate the box score. I remember that Mike Harkey pitched that game because the Halos had just acquired him to bolster the rotation -- someone went down with an injury. Look at that Halos line up !! Pretty good line up -- for all his troubles on an off the field, Tony Phillips was a pretty good lead off hitter for the teams he played for. My kids were Little League age and it was a hot blistering day in Anaheim - my favorite Halo was, of course, Gary DiSarcina and his opposite number that day was Omar Vizquel who I considered the best defensive SS of the good SS's in the league at the time -- A-Rod, Jeter, Garciaparra etc. and who I rated as being in a league with Ozzie Smith all time......I'm sure we were focused on the MIF'ers that day. Chili Davis' shot was just inside the RF foul pole. And, YES, the mood in the Stadium leaving the park that day was giddy with excitement -- there was no doubt in my mind that the Halos had a head of steam heading into the post-sesaon that my favorite Halos of all time, Number 26, was going to ride a winner........ That it unraveled so quickly it was unreal. DiSar went down and the team collapsed. And it wasn't like DiSar was having a 'carrying the team' type performance year (a la Mike Trout every year) with his stats.......but he must have just been that glue in the clubhouse that kept the team together..........

Wally World was one of those special sports times in S. Cal. tied to a particular player -- and I am not just talking about having a star player on the team that sort of carries the team (Koufax, Kershaw, Trout etc.) - I am talking about a phenomenon type following for the team and the player tied to that player -- Fernandomania comes to mind as does (and some folks won't like this) the year and a half or so that Manny Ramirez came to the Dodgers and just went on a tear that got them into the playoffs........I guess Maury Wills GO, GO, GO, was sort of that way. David Eckstein - the X factor - for sure. A little different aspect of this and for a more compressed time -- but back when Jimmy Edmonds was patrolling center field for the Halos and was in his prime -- that one season he made a number of spectacular catches in back to back series including that one in Kansas City -- which I still think ranks as one of the best catches of all time -- and others -- it was as if --'what sort of catch is this guy going to make tonight.......' Torrii Hunter had some 'take away HR catches' in a row sort of like that as well. Mike Trout ? He does everything so well all the time, every game, at the plate, in the field, on the bases, with his arm -- it's not quite like Wally World but it's clearly a reason why Anaheim Stadium has decent crowds even if the team isn't in the thick of the race. Bottom line -- Wally World was a special time in Anaheim and will always be considered so.

well, Gene evolved but initially did not like paying out the big money for players - letting Nolan Ryan get away and having to live down the two 8-7 pitchers comment by the GM may have had something to do with it. But to be fair to Autry and all owners of that era -- free agency was still relatively new back then (thanks to Curt Flood for paving the way -- and Curt Flood, ironically never really benefited from it) -- also, I think Autry kind of reverted to his prior ways a bit after some of his big free agent signing did not produce a championship or even a World Series appearance.... that's why 1995 was such a disappointed -- when the bottom fell out of the team and the season from mid-August to September -- the Halos had a 10 game lead in the West in mid-August and won a 'getaway mid week Business persons day game' against ( I think Cleveland - not sure ) It was a vacation day for me and I took my then little league aged kids. Chili Davis hit a homerun (might have been a grand slam) for the Halos -- the Halos were headed out on a road trip and I think almost every fan in Angels Stadium that day felt that finally the Halos would make the playoffs and finally get Gene Autry's team into a World Series...... then the collapse -- and that's what made it so difficult -- the general feeling was -- this was the last chance to win one for Gene.........and it didn't happen during his lifetime. The good guys in the white hats don't get to go to the World Series, apparently..........Goodnight Irene.

Gene Autry came from a different era -- and it was tough for him to spend money on players -- Jackie Autry, who was Gene's second wife, didn't know much about baseball but was his longtime secretary and no doubt absorbed his flint skin ways........ remember, it was Gene Autry's front office (Buzzie Bavasi) who let Nolan Ryan go saying he could 'get two 8-7 pitchers' to replace him. Joyner's career was never quite the same after he left Anaheim -- but I also think had he stayed in Anaheim with everything going on here with the fans and Wally World --he probably would have preformed better. Gene Autry's first wife may have given Gene his best career (most lucrative to this day!!) advice - she convinced a very reluctant Gene Autry to record a Christmas season tune entitled "Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer" -- it turned out ok so she convinced him to record another one -- "Here Comes Santa Claus" Today - NOW - years later - these recordings rank near the top of all Holiday season recordings behind only Bing Crosby's "White Chriistmas" -- the royalties from these songs are still producing a revenue stream today..............

hey -- it's almost time for SELECTION SUNDAY SHOW !!!!

AngelsLakersFan -- well, things have come a long way since the day when players needed to take off-season jobs to make ends meet. Bob Gibson, one of the greatest pitchers of all time IMO, went to Creighton University on a basketball scholarship -- he was a great basketball player. Once he signed with the Cardinals and started staring down hitters with one of the intimidating stare downs from the mound of all time -- during the office season he signed to play professional basketball with the Harlem Globetrotters (with a full schedule of games vs. their perennial nemesis, the Washington Generals)......Augie Busch, the somewhat thrifty owner of the Cards with his GM (might have been Bing Devine at the time) wouldn't pay Bob Gibson an extra piddly sum ($25,000 or so) by today's standards -- so Gibson suited up for the Globetrotters for about two seasons or so -- finally GIBSON, who with each season showed the type of form that made him one of the best starting pitchers of all time -- was asked by Busch -'how much are they -- the Globetrotters - paying you?" "$25,000" Said Gibson. Busch said here's $30,000 extra per season NOT to play basketball. I don't blame owners with today's million dollar contracts for thinking the same way Augie did about $30,000 and Bob Gibson back when.

Vladdy -- I think there's that runs scored tie-breaker analysis -- however that works -- and then if things are still tied between at least two of the teams -- there's a tiebreaker game on Monday and perhaps if three teams tied some sort of round robin playoff -- all on Monday. If US cannot beat Canada, perhaps USA should just come home........I don't think MLB team owners would mind at all.

if I were an MLB team playing a star player millions over multiple years -- i wouldn't want them anywhere near the WBC. cant' blame the MLB team owners....... Salvador Perez went down with an injury (reports today are that it's not as serious as it may have been first thought) being run into by the KC Royals back up catcher -- Am sure KC front office cringes at this. Four years ago, an already injury plagued Angel Pagan got hurt in the WBC and missed a lot of playing time for the SF GIants. Oh, and that Angel Pagan guy? the SF Giants somehow played .600 ball when he was in the line up and closer to .450 ball when he wasn't.

what's the extra inning rule again? is this the dumb thing where they put a runner at second base or something? I like the blocking the plate rule for WBC -- but not the extra inning rule.

it seems the 'Buster Posey' rule for catchers is not in effect for the WBC. Catchers actually get to block the plate -- What a refreshing change -- REAL baseball again.

Frieri was a great deal for us all around -- you may recall we got him from San Diego for not much (can't remember who we gave up - I think another ineffective reliever) and at the time we obtained him from the Padres -- he had had about six straight bad relief appearances to the point, the Padres manager (was it Bud Black at the time? might have been) lost faith in using him. Freiri was never the closer or even the primary set up in San Diego, he was a pen depth guy and he fell out of favor in that role. Get dealt to the Angels and spent what? about two seasons with us? Maybe two plus. He was effective in relief and suddenly when others went down with injuries or just plain ineffectiveness, became the Halos closer and held that role for about a season and a half........had 30 plus saves or whatever it was that one season..... And, again, we got him for not much. He easily exceeded the low to no expectations Halos had for him, And then, just as quickly as he rose to be the Halos closer (I think he may have even made the All Star team??) some switch clicked to the OFF position and he started getting rocked to the point that he was no longer a reliable closer, couldn't do much in the set up role after being replaced as the closer and then was pretty much back to where he was when we got him from the Padres -- having a sucession of ineffective relief appearances - some of them in mop up roles... I think we traded him to Pittsburgh (right?) and got a well traveled vet relief guy who actually pitched well for us the rest of the year and I'm not sure if we kept him for the next season or not -- but that guy -- having lost favor with the Pirates, pitched well enough to interest teams during the off season. Frieri and others could easily get deals from MLB teams based on their WBC performances. Which reminds me -- why isn't OF Angel Pagan (last few seasons with SF Giants,-injury riddled and before that the NY Mets) signed by some team. He's playing for Puerto Rico in the WBC.........

four years ago USA did not get out of the first round. must win game tomorrow. Fortunately we are playing an 0-3 Canada team that looks as if they're having trouble competing. some of the Latin American teams appear to be just loaded with talent.......they could probably make a run for the MLB championship.