Everett Turns Barzilla into a Pretzel

[Limey]

That bare-handed pick-up and throw to end the game was sublime.

Oh, and fuck that HP Ump.

[Nate in IA]

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That bare-handed pick-up and throw to end the game was sublime.

Oh, and fuck that HP Ump.

Bill Welke.  Talk about a squeeze, that was a constrictor.

[NeilT]

Everett is going to win the Gold Glove this year.  Spectacular.

[EasTexAstro]

It seemed like a random type of sqeeze. The Astros got some nice calls at times, but nothing any of the pitchers could count on. He was consistantly inconsistant.

[Golden Sombrero]

Give AE .5 SV.  It seems Lidge often has to deal with shrunken strike zones.  Strange game.  The bats went from hot to frozen, and the D was sometimes magical but errors were multiple.

[Limey]

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Everett is going to win the Gold Glove this year.  Spectacular.

He don't need no stinking glove.

[NeilT]

Ain't that right.  He's the first guy who wins the gold glove who don't need no stinkin' glove.

[awrr]

if only fsn had carried the stros instead of the spurs (who were on fsn AND fucking espn here).  glad i could miss all of this.

also, how was munson's debut?  the box score doesn't look too pretty, but was he adequate behind the plate?

[Bench]

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if only fsn had carried the stros instead of the spurs (who were on fsn AND fucking espn here).  glad i could miss all of this.

also, how was munson's debut?  the box score doesn't look too pretty, but was he adequate behind the plate?

Munson looked pretty good behind the plate, compared to when I saw him in person on Saturday night. Catching Bucholz, he seemed to be snatching at a lot of pitches, whereas tonight he was easing each pitch into the strike zone. He's no Bradley (of course), but for a journeyman non-catcher catcher, he seemed pretty comfortable back there tonight.

[Nate in IA]

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if only fsn had carried the stros instead of the spurs (who were on fsn AND fucking espn here).  glad i could miss all of this.

It was on FSN Houston on DirecTv...

[loganck]

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if only fsn had carried the stros instead of the spurs (who were on fsn AND fucking espn here).  glad i could miss all of this.

It was on FSN Houston on DirecTv...

that's great if you have DirectTV.   If you live in Austin and have digital cable (or not) you could watch the Spurs or the Cardinals.
I listened to Milo.

[Bench]

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if only fsn had carried the stros instead of the spurs (who were on fsn AND fucking espn here).  glad i could miss all of this.

It was on FSN Houston on DirecTv...

that's great if you have DirectTV.   If you live in Austin and have digital cable (or not) you could watch the Spurs or the Cardinals.
I listened to Milo.

Which is frustrating enough. I drove home during the third inning, while Milo was "interviewing" some exec from Minute Maid. It wasn't until the fifteen minute trip was over that I found out what inning it was and what the score was. I was screaming at the radio, even turning over to 790 to hopefully catch a sportscenter update to give me an actual score. Of course, Dolan joined as I parked my car and immediately gave a score.

[Waldo]

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Which is frustrating enough. I drove home during the third inning, while Milo was "interviewing" some exec from Minute Maid. It wasn't until the fifteen minute trip was over that I found out what inning it was and what the score was. I was screaming at the radio, even turning over to 790 to hopefully catch a sportscenter update to give me an actual score. Of course, Dolan joined as I parked my car and immediately gave a score.

I often wonder if other teams' broadcasters do this as well.  This crap has been happening for at least six seasons now.

[CrawfordBoxes]

Yeah beautiful play by Everett...I don't know if you noticed but he also had the bat flying at him when it shattered!As far as Munson, he looked fine behind the plate---none of the Marlins' speedsters tried to run on him. He had a nice plate presence as well. He got his cuts!

[Reuben]

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Which is frustrating enough. I drove home during the third inning, while Milo was "interviewing" some exec from Minute Maid. It wasn't until the fifteen minute trip was over that I found out what inning it was and what the score was. I was screaming at the radio, even turning over to 790 to hopefully catch a sportscenter update to give me an actual score. Of course, Dolan joined as I parked my car and immediately gave a score.

I often wonder if other teams' broadcasters do this as well.  This crap has been happening for at least six seasons now.

Joe Castiglione and Jerry Trupiano do all the Red Sox radio games here. I think they do a fine job- it's very easy to follow what's going on, they're knowledgable about the other team's players, and neither is hammy (Trupiano used to work for the Astros, no?). The commercials are unbearable though.

[MusicMan]

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Yeah beautiful play by Everett...I don't know if you noticed but he also had the bat flying at him when it shattered!As far as Munson, he looked fine behind the plate---none of the Marlins' speedsters tried to run on him. He had a nice plate presence as well. He got his cuts!

Speaking of catchers, Olivo has an absolutely sick arm.  I didn't think there was any way to throw Wilson out on that jump last night.  Either Preston has no gas in the tank, or Olivo has a cannon.

[HudsonHawk]

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Either Preston has no gas in the tank, or Olivo has a cannon.

From what little I've seen of him, I think it's the latter.

[S.P. Rodriguez]

Continuing with catcher discussion, HH, would you mind sharing your impression of Munson behind the plate?  I actually thought he was okay.  I've definitely seen worse.  He did a fair job of setting up and framing pitches.  He's no Ausmus but there aren't alot of guys that are.

[Foghorn]

Olivo's throw was fucking beautiful.  I rewound it about 10 times watching it.  Exploded out of the crouch, fired an absolute laser, perfect throw.

Damn good play.

[No? in Austin]

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(Trupiano used to work for the Astros, no?)

Not eggszactly, but close to it.  Troop was the sports department manager at KTRH when they carried the Astros and often did reporting for the pre and post game.  He never called a game for them, even in an emergency basis, like Greg Lucas for example.  Troop, however, was the voice of the old Houston Aeros for a very long time and was fantastic to listen to as a PBP man.  Very good at keeping you informed and bringing the play right into your head, even if you knew absolutely nothing about hockey like I did.

Troop also had a morning sports show in Houston with a former executive of the Houston Oilers whose name escapes me right now.  They did that show together up until the sidekick passed away from illness (cancer I think).  It was, at the time, the best sports show on radio in Houston.

[S.P. Rodriguez]

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Olivo's throw was fucking beautiful.  I rewound it about 10 times watching it.  Exploded out of the crouch, fired an absolute laser, perfect throw.

Damn good play.

I have to agree.  I watched the play, and the replay on TV, and I had no doubts, at the time, Preston had just successfully stolen 2nd.  That is, until Olivo made that throw.  Uggla may have moved a fraction of an inch to apply the tag.  In the back of my mind, I was thinking Olivo just defied all laws of nature with that throw.  It was just a laser.  Wilson was more than half way to 2nd before Olivo seemed to pop up and make that throw.  Too bad no one had a clock on that throw.

[BudGirl]

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Olivo's throw was fucking beautiful.  I rewound it about 10 times watching it.  Exploded out of the crouch, fired an absolute laser, perfect throw.

Damn good play.

I have to agree.  I watched the play, and the replay on TV, and I had no doubts, at the time, Preston had just successfully stolen 2nd.  That is, until Olivo made that throw.  Uggla may have moved a fraction of an inch to apply the tag.  In the back of my mind, I was thinking Olivo just defied all laws of nature with that throw.  It was just a laser.  Wilson was more than half way to 2nd before Olivo seemed to pop up and make that throw.  Too bad no one had a clock on that throw.

Too bad Willingham wasn't behind the plate anymore.

The catch Willingham made in LF on Biggio's hit was pretty good.

[mihoba]

Willingham and Hermida are going to be good players. In fact, they are both damn good already, showing patience at the plate and hitting the ball hard to all fields.

[HudsonHawk]

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Continuing with catcher discussion, HH, would you mind sharing your impression of Munson behind the plate?  I actually thought he was okay.  I've definitely seen worse.  He did a fair job of setting up and framing pitches.  He's no Ausmus but there aren't alot of guys that are.

I did not see him last night.  What very little I've actually seen of Munson behind the plate....he was OK.  Not a lot to go on.  You can bet I'll give you my $0.02 when I see him more.

[pravata]

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Yeah beautiful play by Everett...I don't know if you noticed but he also had the bat flying at him when it shattered!As far as Munson, he looked fine behind the plate---none of the Marlins' speedsters tried to run on him. He had a nice plate presence as well. He got his cuts!

They did double switch with Ausmus for the 9th with Lidge.  It was convienent since Munson made the last out in the 8th. But, there was a slider that Wheeler snapped off for a passed ball that Munson didnt touch.  He moved to his right but came up.  In the 9th, Lidge buried one, not as far off the plate as Wheeler's, that Ausmus handled nicely.

[MikeyBoy]

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Continuing with catcher discussion, HH, would you mind sharing your impression of Munson behind the plate?  I actually thought he was okay.  I've definitely seen worse.  He did a fair job of setting up and framing pitches.  He's no Ausmus but there aren't alot of guys that are.

I did not see him last night.  What very little I've actually seen of Munson behind the plate....he was OK.  Not a lot to go on.  You can bet I'll give you my $0.02 when I see him more.

He looks good catching strikes, but his mechanics are poor at blocking pitches in the dirt, he does better when it appears he's expecting the ball in the dirt, but on balls that catch him off guard...not good. He also tried to glove a few balls in the dirt, again not good. The more he catches the more he should improve and I'm sure he's working with Ausmus as much as possible, but look for more wild pitches out of the staff this year when he's catching. I have not seen him enough to pick up on his control of the running game.

[homer]

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Yeah beautiful play by Everett...I don't know if you noticed but he also had the bat flying at him when it shattered!As far as Munson, he looked fine behind the plate---none of the Marlins' speedsters tried to run on him. He had a nice plate presence as well. He got his cuts!

They did double switch with Ausmus for the 9th with Lidge.  It was convienent since Munson made the last out in the 8th. But, there was a slider that Wheeler snapped off for a passed ball that Munson didnt touch.  He moved to his right but came up.  In the 9th, Lidge buried one, not as far off the plate as Wheeler's, that Ausmus handled nicely.

Speaking of Lidge, the Marlins didn't appear to be chasing his slider in the dirt. Exceptional patience on their part or a problem on Lidge's part?

[Foghorn]

Watching Everett make the play to end the game, got me thinking about one of the best plays of last year's run to the WS--the double play that Everett/Bruntlett turned to end game 4 of the NLCS.  I had forgotten how awesome that was.

[MikeyBoy]

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They did double switch with Ausmus for the 9th with Lidge.  It was convienent since Munson made the last out in the 8th. But, there was a slider that Wheeler snapped off for a passed ball that Munson didnt touch.  He moved to his right but came up.  In the 9th, Lidge buried one, not as far off the plate as Wheeler's, that Ausmus handled nicely.

If Munson remains the back up catcher, then I would expect to see Ausmus come in to catch Wheeler / Lidge in close games. This leaves the Astros vulnerable in the case of an Ausmus injury late in a game (see, also: Using Munson to PH), but I'm sure Phil is aware of this.

[Limey]

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Watching Everett make the play to end the game, got me thinking about one of the best plays of last year's run to the WS--the double play that Everett/Bruntlett turned to end game 4 of the NLCS.  I had forgotten how awesome that was.

I was watching that last week from the online highlights.  This sparked a discussion on OD about how many game winning/saving plays that Bruntlett made last year.  I seem to remember compiling a list at some point, and there being something like 8 plays (at least 2 in Washington late in the year to see off their W/C challenge).

The decision to go for two vs. the 3rds was audacious.  The execution of the lead throw was perfection.  Everett's relay was flawless.  Berkman's stretch and grab as good as anyone's.  And Mabry was still safe (IMHO).

[pravata]

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Yeah beautiful play by Everett...I don't know if you noticed but he also had the bat flying at him when it shattered!As far as Munson, he looked fine behind the plate---none of the Marlins' speedsters tried to run on him. He had a nice plate presence as well. He got his cuts!

They did double switch with Ausmus for the 9th with Lidge.  It was convienent since Munson made the last out in the 8th. But, there was a slider that Wheeler snapped off for a passed ball that Munson didnt touch.  He moved to his right but came up.  In the 9th, Lidge buried one, not as far off the plate as Wheeler's, that Ausmus handled nicely.

Speaking of Lidge, the Marlins didn't appear to be chasing his slider in the dirt. Exceptional patience on their part or a problem on Lidge's part?

I think Lidge's slider may still be in ST. He got them to look at his fastball a couple times though.

[homer]

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Yeah beautiful play by Everett...I don't know if you noticed but he also had the bat flying at him when it shattered!As far as Munson, he looked fine behind the plate---none of the Marlins' speedsters tried to run on him. He had a nice plate presence as well. He got his cuts!

They did double switch with Ausmus for the 9th with Lidge.  It was convienent since Munson made the last out in the 8th. But, there was a slider that Wheeler snapped off for a passed ball that Munson didnt touch.  He moved to his right but came up.  In the 9th, Lidge buried one, not as far off the plate as Wheeler's, that Ausmus handled nicely.

Speaking of Lidge, the Marlins didn't appear to be chasing his slider in the dirt. Exceptional patience on their part or a problem on Lidge's part?

I think Lidge's slider may still be in ST. He got them to look at his fastball a couple times though.

Wasn't he supposed to be developing a changeup? Does anyone know about any progress on that?

[astro pete]

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Wasn't he supposed to be developing a changeup? Does anyone know about any progress on that?

He'd worked on a changeup and split-finger pitch during spring training. He junked the changeup one day when Aus-
mus told him: "You can keep working on it, but I'm never going to call it in a game."

The Link

[strosrays]

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(Trupiano used to work for the Astros, no?)

Not eggszactly, but close to it.  Troop was the sports department manager at KTRH when they carried the Astros and often did reporting for the pre and post game.  He never called a game for them, even in an emergency basis, like Greg Lucas for example.  Troop, however, was the voice of the old Houston Aeros for a very long time and was fantastic to listen to as a PBP man.  Very good at keeping you informed and bringing the play right into your head, even if you knew absolutely nothing about hockey like I did.

Troop also had a morning sports show in Houston with a former executive of the Houston Oilers whose name escapes me right now.  They did that show together up until the sidekick passed away from illness (cancer I think).  It was, at the time, the best sports show on radio in Houston.

John Breen was Trupiano's partner.  And, I'm not sure about this, but I believe Trupiano originally came out of KMOX in St. Louis, along with guys like Bob Costas and the Bucks.

I know in the mid-'80's Trupiano & Breen's show, Sports Beat (I think it was called) on KTRH was on in the afternoons, maybe 4-7 p.m.  It was good, as you say, and the first (and probably last) sports radio call-in show I ever paid much attention to.

[lc_db]

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...The decision to go for two vs. the 3rds was audacious.  The execution of the lead throw was perfection.  Everett's relay was flawless.  Berkman's stretch and grab as good as anyone's.  And Mabry was still safe (IMHO).

An umpire makes an incorrect call??  Heresy!!!

Still.... this is my fav memory of last year.  Thinking there was NO WAY they could turn it once they decided to do so, and then jumping up with the stereotypical "YES!!" once they did.

[Reuben]

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...The decision to go for two vs. the 3rds was audacious.  The execution of the lead throw was perfection.  Everett's relay was flawless.  Berkman's stretch and grab as good as anyone's.  And Mabry was still safe (IMHO).

An umpire makes an incorrect call??  Heresy!!!

Still.... this is my fav memory of last year.  Thinking there was NO WAY they could turn it once they decided to do so, and then jumping up with the stereotypical "YES!!" once they did.

Don't you mean the stereotypical "FUCK YES!!"? To me, one of the best endings to a game I've ever seen.

[homer]

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Wasn't he supposed to be developing a changeup? Does anyone know about any progress on that?

He'd worked on a changeup and split-finger pitch during spring training. He junked the changeup one day when Aus-
mus told him: "You can keep working on it, but I'm never going to call it in a game."

The Link

Seems to be referring to ST 2005. I wonder if this has been put on the shelf forever...

[Gizzmonic]

Brad threw at least one split finger in the opening day game, at least if you trust the sign operator's judgement (which you can't always do).

I heard an interview with Lidge from spring training in which he said he was working on the splitter.

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Wasn't he supposed to be developing a changeup? Does anyone know about any progress on that?

He'd worked on a changeup and split-finger pitch during spring training. He junked the changeup one day when Aus-
mus told him: "You can keep working on it, but I'm never going to call it in a game."

The Link

Seems to be referring to ST 2005. I wonder if this has been put on the shelf forever...

[Bench]

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Wasn't he supposed to be developing a changeup? Does anyone know about any progress on that?

He'd worked on a changeup and split-finger pitch during spring training. He junked the changeup one day when Aus-
mus told him: "You can keep working on it, but I'm never going to call it in a game."

The Link

Seems to be referring to ST 2005. I wonder if this has been put on the shelf forever...

He unleashed the splitter on opening day, but only used it once. It was pretty nasty, almost like a 12-6 fastball, er..., or something like that.

[Kit]

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(Trupiano used to work for the Astros, no?)

Not eggszactly, but close to it.  Troop was the sports department manager at KTRH when they carried the Astros and often did reporting for the pre and post game.  He never called a game for them, even in an emergency basis, like Greg Lucas for example.  Troop, however, was the voice of the old Houston Aeros for a very long time and was fantastic to listen to as a PBP man.  Very good at keeping you informed and bringing the play right into your head, even if you knew absolutely nothing about hockey like I did.

Troop also had a morning sports show in Houston with a former executive of the Houston Oilers whose name escapes me right now.  They did that show together up until the sidekick passed away from illness (cancer I think).  It was, at the time, the best sports show on radio in Houston.

Teddy Taylor flips the puck to Paul Popiel who slaps it back to Teddy, Taylor shoots and scoooooooooooooores another goal for the Go-Go line..... "

Yeah Troop was great...

Loved watching ol Terry Ruskowski go at it...

ah the memories...

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[HudsonHawk]

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He looks good catching strikes, but his mechanics are poor at blocking pitches in the dirt, he does better when it appears he's expecting the ball in the dirt, but on balls that catch him off guard...not good.

Part of the mechanics of blocking pitches is to expect the pitch in the dirt.  If you're expecting that curveball to bounce, and it doesn't, it's an easy catch.  But if you're sitting on your heals and it bounces, your screwed.  Also, it's important to not reach for balls.  I was always pretty good at blocking pitches (still am), and the way I learned was to block pitches without a glove.  If you're not wearing a glove, you learn pretty darn fast not to stick your hand out and try to catch the ball.  It reminds me of the scene in Major League where Tom Berrenger's character is practicing blocking balls in the dirt.  He was wearing a glove.  In reality, you want to do that drill without one.  It'll teach you to not reach for balls, plus it'll learn you to square up to the ball so it hits you in the chest, not in the arm.

[homer]

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the way I learned was to block pitches without a glove.

Similar to Adam Sandler's character in Happy Gilmore?

[No? in Austin]

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(Trupiano used to work for the Astros, no?)

Not eggszactly, but close to it.  Troop was the sports department manager at KTRH when they carried the Astros and often did reporting for the pre and post game.  He never called a game for them, even in an emergency basis, like Greg Lucas for example.  Troop, however, was the voice of the old Houston Aeros for a very long time and was fantastic to listen to as a PBP man.  Very good at keeping you informed and bringing the play right into your head, even if you knew absolutely nothing about hockey like I did.

Troop also had a morning sports show in Houston with a former executive of the Houston Oilers whose name escapes me right now.  They did that show together up until the sidekick passed away from illness (cancer I think).  It was, at the time, the best sports show on radio in Houston.

John Breen was Trupiano's partner.  And, I'm not sure about this, but I believe Trupiano originally came out of KMOX in St. Louis, along with guys like Bob Costas and the Bucks.

I know in the mid-'80's Trupiano & Breen's show, Sports Beat (I think it was called) on KTRH was on in the afternoons, maybe 4-7 p.m.  It was good, as you say, and the first (and probably last) sports radio call-in show I ever paid much attention to.

That's it!  Thanks and yes, it was in the evenings.  I have the faulty memory thingy going on that one (obviously), but one thing I do remember was how well both did as partners and had very in-tune callers (mostly football related) who were as good at asking pertinent questions as Breen was at answering them.

Troop made the show move along well.  As I also recall, Troop also wanted to call Astros games, but was never seriously considered for Milo's sidekick.  Larry Dierker was just too good a compliment at the time.

[No? in Austin]

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He unleashed the splitter on opening day, but only used it once. It was pretty nasty, almost like a 12-6 fastball, er..., or something like that.

That may be the pitch that he got Cabrera to chase after he showed him three very good fastballs on the outside black (that Miguel fouled off somehow).  Perhaps that is what Pete was referring to as well.

[Arky Vaughan]

What's ironic is that he used Dewan's book to write that column damning the Yankees for their poor defense but has not, as far as I've seen, recanted on his views of Everett, despite the fact that Dewan's observation method (and a couple of other approaches written up by Bill James) suggest that Everett is the best defensive shortstop in baseball.

The book, by the way, is an interesting read.

[NeilT]

There was a review of Dewan's book in the NY Times on Sunday.  They said that Dewan had been producing the materials for several years, and was selling them to about 13 teams.  Who knew that teams were interested in lists?  Anyway, they liked it, and I finally ordered it. 13 bucks or so off Amazon.

[homer]

New pitches for Lidge:

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New pitches: Lidge is trying out two new pitches -- a cut fastball and a split-finger -- this year and already likes the results. Lidge has been known almost strictly for his fastball-slider combination in the past.

"I'm probably throwing the cut fastball the most," Lidge said. "I feel I have more control of it right now.

"I'm not really using either of them a lot, just occasionally against certain hitters, and I don't use them as my main pitches for outs," Lidge said. "But I feel good enough about them to use them in games. Now it's just a matter of getting more and more confidence in them."

The Link

[homer]

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That bare-handed pick-up and throw to end the game was sublime.

Oh, and fuck that HP Ump.

The snow cone to end the top of the 4th today was outstanding. I hope the recently returned Borezilla is taking notes.

[Limey]

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The snow cone to end the top of the 4th today was outstanding. I hope the recently returned Borezilla is taking notes.

Three ribs, too!

[Golden Sombrero]

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The snow cone to end the top of the 4th today was outstanding. I hope the recently returned Borezilla is taking notes.

Three ribs, too!

AE...the Complete Package