Game chat: Rollins reaches for 2K milestone

Jimmy Rollins needs another hit to reach 2,000 in his career. He'll have a shot tonight against Mat Latos and the Reds in the second of three from Great American Ballpark. First pitch is 7:10. Kyle Kendrick (8-9, 4.01) tries to take another step toward a double digit-win season, which would be his fourth. The Phillies are hoping for more success against the Reds; they've won nine of their last 11 against them and 14 of their last 17. Meanwhile, Nate Schierholtz earns his first start since coming off the disabled list (big toe). The Phils are hanging around the Wild Card discussion, but need a number of teams, like the Cardinals and Braves, to go ice cold. A couple of opponents - the Pirates and Diamondbacks - have started falling by the wayside. [Jump to the newest comments]

Comments

[Chuck A.]

I'm done trying to figure the Minimart thing out. DONE. Just don't understand the logic there AT ALL.

BUT.... I AM rooting for him to go 0 for 26. Why the hell not.

[NEPP]

Pretty silly that the Reds cant honor him.

I get the HOF ban but the total baseball ban is dumb.

[NEPP]

There's a distinct possibility that 2011 was Mini-Mart typical career year at Age 28. In it, he put up a .540 OPS/48 OPS+. He might really be a 2 OPS+ player most years.

[DH Phils]

Fatalotti: Thanks for sharing. I love hearing about people's trips to different ballparks. The uniqueness of each stadium (both on and off the playing field) is one of my favorite things about baseball.

[Fatalotti]

Yeah NEPP, I don't get it, either. If the fans in the area love him (as they do), and the organization wants to honor him, I don't see why the MLB should really have any say over that.

Another funny thing about Reds park (at least I found it funny), was that Toyota sponsors a gimmick in which a player who hits one of two Toyota signs with a HR ball wins a Toyota Tundra (the actual Tundra is parked on top of a large sign in left center). Pretty standard type gimmick, with the RF sign being about 450 feet away.

But the crazy part: the LF sign is 575 feet away from home plate!! What a ridiculous distance. No one has ever, nor will ever come close to hitting that sign (the RF sign has never been hit, either).

To Toyota's credit, they do give away the truck every year to some charitable organization, so they're not being sheisters. But, still...575 feet???

[GBrettFan]

WAR has him 7th all-time as a 3B.

Posted by: NEPP |

Who are the top 6, pray tell?

* * *

Fata, I enjoyed hearing about your trip. You didn't by any chance go to the Underground RR Museum in Cinci, did you? I'd really like to do that.

I guess it's called the UGRR Freedom Center. Link if you're interested: http://www.freedomcenter.org/visit-the-center/

[Fatalotti]

Glad to share, DH. Never got out to any ballparks other than the Vet as a youngster (and CBP as a college student), due to being dirt poor.

But now that I'm making a little bit of money, I've been trying to make it out to a couple new parks every year.

Did PNC and Nationals Park a couple years back. Went to Miller Park last year, and got out to Rogers Centre, Turner Field and Great American this year.

Already putting together plans to hit 3 west coast parks next year.

[NEPP]

***Who are the top 6, pray tell?***

1. ARod (who probably doesnt count as half that is as a SS) 114.2 WAR
2. Mike Schmidt 110.6 WAR
3. Eddie Mathews 107.2 WAR
4. Wade Boggs 94.8 WAR
5. Brooks Robinson 94.6 WAR
6. George Brett 91.6 WAR
7. Chipper Jones 90.6 WAR

[can_of_corn]

Fat, love the trip summary! Where else but BL would one be able to detail a baseball-oriented trip to such an avid audience?

I'm not sure of the rules for how fluid the 40-man is after Sept. 1 (anyone?) but I was really hoping Orr was brought up to replace MM once Ruf finished his playoffs.

But WHAT is the reason for using him, really? He clearly can't be given a look-see any more. He clearly won't contribute to a win. It is the most mystifying thing about this season.

[Fatalotti]

GBrett, didn't get to do that tour, but I was able to squeeze in a Riverducks tour of the Ohio River. The tour guide did point out a specific area in Covington (right across the river in Cincinnati) where there were underground tunnels that were the last access point in Kentucky before the slaves tried escaping across the Ohio river an into Ohio. Very cool, and I would absolutely love to go to that museum. Thanks for the link!

In fact, after my time in Cincinnati, I would just love to visit the city again, even if not solely for baseball reasons. I never knew just how historically significant and how culturally energized that city was. They have the world's second largest Oktoberfest coming up this fall, they had a fireworks display on the Ohio river Sunday night (before I got there) that drew nearly 1.5 million tourists/locals, the architecture is beautiful, the bridges are really cool up and down the Ohio, and the city is surprisingly clean.

Also, stayed at an historic hotel called the Mariemount Inn. If you ever are in Cincinnati, stay at this hotel. Wow!

Alright, I'm starting to sound like a salesman, haha.

[donc]

So Mini needs to go 0 for 26 huh? Stop dreaming. He's nowhere near that good a hitter.

[NEPP]

You've made me actually want to go to Cincy and Louisville...so there's that. Many, many years ago, I was driving cross country and we chose Cleveland over Cincy because the Indians were in town and the Reds werent.

That's as close as I've ever come.

The only other thing I'd want to see is the Air Force museum in Dayton which is supposed to be ridiculously awesome. Puts Air & Space to shame from all reports and I've been to both parts of that when I lived in N. Virginia.

[Dollar Dog]

"The Phils are hanging around the Wild Card discussion"

Does this discussion include anyone over the age of eight? If so, they should be cockpunched until they pass out.

[Willard Preacher]

Remember, as a kid, when you'd daydream that they'd pluck you out of the stands to take an AB, or play in the field for an inning or two, for whatever reason? That all you really needed was your once chance, to say that you did it, even you you fully knew that it would never come to pass?

Why do I feel like Michael Martinez won some sort of obscure "fan of the day" challenge, only it's gone on for multiple years now?

And even when he came back from injury and was promptly designated to AAA and we thought they were finally coming around? NOPE!!!!

WTF with this guy?

[Bonehead]

Nice list, NEPP.
Interesting to see Brooks that high, since I don't trust defensive metrics.

I lived in the Baltimore TV market during his prime; and, like you, I personally rank him #2 all-time at 3B

[GBrettFan]

Thanks, NEPP. I thought George Brett would be on that list. :)

You've made me want to go to Cincinnati even more now, Fata. Thanks for the trip info.

[NEPP]

Cincy also has that mini version of the Brooklyn Bridge...FWIW. Same engineer designed both and the Cincy one was his first effort.

[Fatalotti]

NEPP, I've only been to Louisville twice, and both times I was there was on a holiday (Memorial Day beforehand). Both days, the city was pretty much empty. A few people lolligagging around, but not much else. But, I've always enjoyed the food there, it is located directly on the Ohio River bordering Indiana, so there are some natural sights. But the Slugger museum is the gem of the city, in my opinion.

[NEPP]

I think Brett gets overlooked at times these days. He was a fantastic 3B but just not the defensive guy that Schmidt was so he'll always be "the 2nd best 3B of his era".

Kinda sucks for him.

[NEPP]

***Why do I feel like Michael Martinez won some sort of obscure "fan of the day" challenge, only it's gone on for multiple years now? ***

Anyone remember the episode of Wonder Years where Kevin wonders why he keeps making the cut during baseball tryouts and then thinks its because his dad and the coach are war buddies?

I figure its something like that. Or my old standby that Mini Mart's dad helped Monty & Rube Sr disappear a hooker back in the '80s.

[Fatalotti]

NEPP, tour guide provided a great story about that bridge (John A. Roebling bridge). Apparently, when that bridge and the Brooklyn Bridge were built, people were afraid to travel across for fear that the bridge would break, and they would fall to their deaths.

Well, the way they assuaged people's fears with the Brooklyn Bridge was to have P.T. Barnum march 20 elephants across the bridge to show everyone it was safe.

Since they couldn't get those elephants to Cincy to do the same, Roebling decided to throw a large "mock" Oktoberfest party on the bridge, and offered free beer and general refreshments to any and all parties would care to join them up on the bridge. Apparently, the people came out in droves (yay, free beer, right?), and the public fear was essentially no longer an issue. The main reason why, to this day, Cincy still hosts the 2nd largest Oktoberfest party in the world.

Or so the legend goes. Maybe it's all made up and I'm just a sucker, but sounded like a really cool story!

[SLO Phan]

NEEP: Completely off topic, but "The Great Bridge" by David McCullough is an amazing story about the design and construction of the Brooklyn Bridge (and the engineer behind its construction).

Ok, enough of that....now back to bitchin' about MM.

[Joe D]

Do other MLB teams have their GM on the pregame radio show? I'm always amazed at how accessible RA Jr. makes himself by doing the show. It's one of the few things I give him credit for.

[Sil Campusano]

Or maybe Rube's a huge coke fiend and MM has connections to a cocaine cartel in the Dominican. They only deliver if MM gets playing time.

Or something. Who knows.

[NEPP]

*** Completely off topic, but "The Great Bridge" by David McCullough is an amazing story about the design and construction of the Brooklyn Bridge (and the engineer behind its construction).***

Yeah, its on one of my bookshelves. I was a history major so I have several hundred history books both heavy and lighter on shelves in my house. Among all the other books that is.

[Fatalotti]

As for Mini-Mart, I've never been reticent to share my disdain for Mini-Mart the player, and the Phillies continually unfounded decision to use him, or even have him on the 40 man roster.

It's one of the more perplexing decisions that I've ever seen the Phillies make. Even if you are of the belief that his inclusion on the roster has had a marginal effect on the state of the team over the last two years (and you'd likely be correct), from a purely academic and talent standpoint, it is just a puzzling move.

[SLO Phan]

We can't possibly be the only people wondering about why MM is getting playing time. Don't any of these talk show hosts ask Rube about him?

[Meyer]

I'm sticking to the unholy wager after the Werth signing. Must be a GS or game appearances wager. Mini needs more than 50% of Werth's over the 7 year contract. I have 5 more years to work out the details.

[Willard Preacher]

Is yesterday's game thread pulling double duty?

[NEPP]

Perhaps Mini Mart is some sort of social experiment by Rube? Maybe he minored in psychology at Stanford and this is his way of locking people in a room and slowly turning the heat up a couple degrees at a time to see how long till they snap.

[Kendrick Appreciation Society]

This sucks. I'm blacked out on MLB.tv despite the fact Cincinnati has no home broadcast today. And it's not like I can drive the 3+ hours to go to the game. Stupid.

[NEPP]

There's also another possibility: The Duke brothers bet Rube a dollar that he couldnt get Mini Mart a WS Ring and Rube will keep trying until he does it.

[NEPP]

Its the little things in life...like when I call out sick from work on the same day as a Phillies day game without realizing it.

Love it when things like that break my way.

[Kendrick Appreciation Society]

Reds had the 6th highest home attendance in baseball yesterday. That pretty much tells you how awful baseball attendance was on the day after Labor Day.

[GBrettFan]

It is a fun story of the origin of Cincinnati's Oktoberfest, Fata. When I toured Fenway, I heard many great stories, the veracity of which that I've since wondered about - but they made the tour entertaining.

NEPP, Brett once joked: "If I stay healthy, I have a chance to collect 3,000 hits and 1,000 errors."

But in truth, he worked at improving his defense and became a decent defender. He was no Mike Schmidt, but he held his own, at the very least. I thought he was pretty good at 3B, but I admit I would have been pretty biased at the time.

[NEPP]

Utley seems to be slumping a bit of late. Wonder if his knees are acting up.

[GBrettFan]

JoeD, I was also wondering how many GMs do a pre-game Q&A once a week like RAJ.

[NEPP]

Brett was a monster offensively.

[EastFallowfield]

Yo, new thread

[GBrettFan]

Ah, there's the game thread.