OT: The Perfect Game

[johnnymossville]

I haven't been much of a baseball fan lately, but I still find something really beautiful about the sights, sounds and pace of baseball, especially with a beer in my hand. Here he is with his grandmother.

http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2010/0510/espn_g_braden_600.jpg

Dallas Braden's perfect game on Mother's Day. Pretty darn cool.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100509&content_id=9934838&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

I've gotta get my butt downtown to an Orioles game this summer.

[fiamme red]

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2010/05/09/2010-05-09_arod_nemesis_dallas_braden_throws_perfect_game_ for_oakland_as_beating_tampa_bay_.html?page=1

As Braden was shown hugging his grandmother, Sunday night's starter A.J. Burnett then quipped, "I love you, Grandma, but don't cross my mound."

[Ray]

I haven't been much of a baseball fan lately, but I still find something really beautiful about the sights, sounds and pace of baseball, especially with a beer in my hand.

I've gotta get my butt downtown to an Orioles game this summer.
The older I get, the more I love baseball, and I've liked it a lot for a long time. Of course, it helps actually having a serious contender to follow every day. A perfect game is something to behold. So's a no-hitter. Hell, so's a two hitter or a 9-hitter if the pitcher is tough enough to work out of the jams.

My wife and I caught a Phillies game yesterday. It was brutally windy and damn cold for May. The Phils eeked out a win despite really shaky starting pitching. A find time was had by all (except the Braves). Here are a few pics, if interested - it was not a perfect game...:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3385/4593884994_afacf851f7_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1265/4593885472_fbb1b6153b_o.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4009/4593268027_05842acf35_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3295/4593268277_96c756fa6c_o.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4071/4593268207_7ff61c9d22_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1203/4593268537_2ffc54850b_o.jpg

[rugbysecondrow]

The older I get, the more I love baseball, and I've liked it a lot for a long time. Of course, it helps actually having a serious contender to follow every day. A perfect game is something to behold. So's a no-hitter. Hell, so's a two hitter or a 9-hitter if the pitcher is tough enough to work out of the jams.

My wife and I caught a Phillies game yesterday. It was brutally windy and damn cold for May. The Phils eeked out a win despite really shaky starting pitching. A find time was had by all (except the Braves). Here are a few pics, if interested - it was not a perfect game...:

]


Keep that ***** up and they will have to ban all baseball threads buddy! :beer:

Looks like a good time and a great way to spend Mothers Day. My wife takes the kids and me to the Orioles game on Fathers day when they are in town...that is always a good time.

[nahtnoj]

Thanks Ray, great photos.

I shed a few years watching Moyer on Friday night.

[rdparadise]

Thanks Ray, great photos.

I shed a few years watching Moyer on Friday night.

Jon:

Don't get me started on Moyer. ***, the guy comes back to life finally and breaks a record at the same time. We won't see that again. We have to remember the Braves came in in a collective team slump and Moyer must have added to their agony seeing those softballs come in at them like a lollipop.

Ray, thanks for sharing the pictures. I was at Saturday's game and of course they lost. 7 & 3 on a 10 game homestand and I see two losses started by Blanton. Just my luck I guess. I'm still waiting for a few of my tickets to line up with a Halladay start so I can see a real pitcher!

Take care boys.

Bob

[Ray]

Yeah, Moyer was a trip on Friday night. I was thinking about all the stuff you'd said about him while he was putting that 2-hitter up, Bob. As a 5th guy, he only has to be great a few times per season to justify his spot in the rotation. He's had a couple of really good starts already and its only May. With his lack of velocity, he may be able to keep going at this level until he's about 70. :cool:

-Ray

[ergott]

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2010/05/09/2010-05-09_arod_nemesis_dallas_braden_throws_perfect_game_ for_oakland_as_beating_tampa_bay_.html?page=1

As Braden was shown hugging his grandmother, Sunday night's starter A.J. Burnett then quipped, "I love you, Grandma, but don't cross my mound."


Priceless!

[johnnymossville]

Ray, really nice pics. REALLY nice.

[wc1934]

Pitching a perfect game is the ultimate -(Don Larsen in the world series), but just pitching a no hitter is unreal - in my opinion the one baseball record that will never be broken (not jd's 56 game hitting streak), but Johnnie Vander Meers 2 consecutive no hitters - thus to break his record one would have to pitch 3 no hitters in a row -

[rdparadise]

Yeah, Moyer was a trip on Friday night. I was thinking about all the stuff you'd said about him while he was putting that 2-hitter up, Bob. As a 5th guy, he only has to be great a few times per season to justify his spot in the rotation. He's had a couple of really good starts already and its only May. With his lack of velocity, he may be able to keep going at this level until he's about 70. :cool:

-Ray

Ray:

Thank God the Phillies score a ton of runs when he pitches. Until Friday, he had given up 5 runs or more every time out. 5th starter or not, frankly that sucks and isn't good enough. The week before he was down 5-2 before the Phillies blew away Santana from the Mets with 9 runs in the 4th.

2 years ago, Moyer won 16 games and the Phillies won the World Series. He held out for a two year contract and the Phils only wanted to give him a one year deal. In the end they opted for 2 years at about 7 million a year. $7 Million is a significant amount of money for a # 5 starter. I would have been happy with a one year deal and then let him retire.

I don't believe the Phillies will offer him a contract after this year no matter how many wins he gets. Additionally, I'm confident nobody else will offer him a major league deal either.

That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it. :p

Bob

[rounder]

Pitching a perfect game is the ultimate -(Don Larsen in the world series), but just pitching a no hitter is unreal - in my opinion the one baseball record that will never be broken (not jd's 56 game hitting streak), but Johnnie Vander Meers 2 consecutive no hitters - thus to break his record one would have to pitch 3 no hitters in a row -

I never saw a no hitter but my father saw the Don Larsen game when we lived in New Jersey (he was a Dodger fan). I always liked baseball though. We don't go to the stadium to watch the Orioles. Instead, we have a block of tickets for the class A Aberdeen Ironbirds. Driving and parking...no probem. Most of the players are right out of college or second year pros. Some of them have made it to the majors. The games are great..the players go for it because, for most of them, this may be their only chance to really make it. We have ridden on some of the bus trips to Brooklyn and Staten Island. The Brooklyn game was in Coney Island and we got to walk the boardwalk and ride the Cyclone roller coaster (before they tore it down). At Staten Island, we got to ride the ferry to lower Manhattan and back, before the game started. The games are fun and affordable.

[Ray]

Ray:

Thank God the Phillies score a ton of runs when he pitches. Until Friday, he had given up 5 runs or more every time out. 5th starter or not, frankly that sucks and isn't good enough. The week before he was down 5-2 before the Phillies blew away Santana from the Mets with 9 runs in the 4th.

2 years ago, Moyer won 16 games and the Phillies won the World Series. He held out for a two year contract and the Phils only wanted to give him a one year deal. In the end they opted for 2 years at about 7 million a year. $7 Million is a significant amount of money for a # 5 starter. I would have been happy with a one year deal and then let him retire.

I don't believe the Phillies will offer him a contract after this year no matter how many wins he gets. Additionally, I'm confident nobody else will offer him a major league deal either.

That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it. :p

Bob
I'm sure you're right that they'll cut him loose after his contract runs out and the only reason he beat Kendrick for the 5th spot was because of his contract. But he's pitched better than Kendrick since the season started too. Hopefully, Kendrick is starting to relax and pitch like he can, but he's not much better than Moyer when he's at his best. As for run support, the only guy on this staff who hasn't needed a load of it so far is Halliday. Hamels will throw some great games, but too soon to say if he'll ever be able to do it consistently again. And Blanton, Happ, and ???? are as good as the Phillies offense. Which, fortunately, is DAMN good. Shoulda kept Lee for one more year - THAT would have been a rotation...

-Ray