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Man the Twinkies are exciting to watch. Gomez gets on. Pickoff attempt goes array. He goes to third, would've taken home if the 3rd base coach didn't stop him. The next batter Castilla pushes a bunt down first for a safety squeeze and beats it out. And they just hit and ran. Good thing too, it would've been a double play.
I forgot how exciting small ball could be.
Small ball is overrated and without meaning. The Red Sox have a lead off hitter that steals a ton of bases......does that mean they play small ball? The guy throws a ball away during a pickoff attempt allowing the leadoff batter to get to third, that is small ball???? A squeeze play......I guess if you want to call that small ball than that is fine, but I don't see how the Sawx or half a dozen other heavy hitting teams would've played it much differently.Quote:
Originally Posted by gosensgo101
I guess there is something to be said about a 'small ball mentality'.....but I don't think many teams if any really have this mentality. The ones who 'analysts' prescribe to be small ball teams (twins for ex.) simply don't have much power hitters so when they do bunt a guy in that gets more play.
Small ball is a good way, in my opinion, for a weaker team to overachieve.
However, to be a great team, you need a mix of both small ball and big ball, so to speak. You can't win 100+ games (including playoffs) by just stealing and bunting, etc. But you also can't do the same with the "homer or nothing" mentality. There needs to be a balance. You need a few spark plugs in your order and some big guys to drive them in once they get on.
Small ball is a marketing ploy used by small power teams to overhype things that most teams do in similar situations.Quote:
Originally Posted by gosensgo101
I remember how the media was ranting and raving about how the 2005 White Sox used small ball to win games, and they were so good at "doing the small things" and then they all booed when the White Sox got Jim Thome and traded away "smallball" Aaron Rowand and made other such changes. Then the White Sox did worse and the media blamed it on the fact that the White Sox decided to stop playing smallball.
Yet the real reason the 2005 White Sox did so good was because they had an incredible pitching staff. Four starters with 200+ innings and 116+ ERA+. 3 relievers with 220+ ERA+. They scored 741 runs (with 200 home runs, a high total). The 2006 White Sox didn't do worse because they traded their "grinder smallball" mentality for home runs. They actually scored
over 100 more runs - 868 and hit 236 homers. They did worse because the pitching went from a team ERA+ of 124 to 103.
In other words, I agree with what dickay's saying.
The mighty Yankees Derek Jeter was thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double late in the game yesterday. **** bonehead play, how dare he try to do that.....thats the reaction from most of the Yankee radio shows & fans calling in today.
When it works, they're brilliant users of 'small ball'. When it doesn't, they're boneheads. Small Ball is 'largely' overrated.
True...and our Canajun Ehs play it all the time....and very successfully, as witness their feats in the "Dynasty" forum...Quote:
Originally Posted by gosensgo101
Hear! Hear! Gose...that works for me -in BM, anyway - again, I offer the Ehs' exploits as proof...Quote:
Originally Posted by gosensgo101
Or use one successful steal and suicide squeeze bunt to try and prove that small market teams without big HR hitters greatly benefit from 'small ball'.Quote:
Originally Posted by yankee hater