2009 MLB season discussion*

[Saga]

ruh roh, rhaggy

Mariano Rivera and the Case of the Spitball - Chris Littmann - The Sporting Blog - Sporting News

[Cephius]

Yeah, I've heard about that all morning. Anyone who watches Mariano knows that he fumbles with the ball like that ALL THE TIME.

[Correction]

Does he spit on the ball like that ALL THE TIME?

[Cephius]

Alright, first of all, can you see spit landing on the ball? Because to me, the camera cuts away right as he spits. He could be spitting on the ground for all you know.

Second, Mariano throws one pitch. One. A cut fastball, it does the same thing every time. A spitball moves like a forkball or splitter. Wouldn't someone have noticed if all of a sudden Mariano started throwing a forkball?

[Saga]

I'm sure he doesn't do it all the time, it's just a shitty spot to have a camera on you.

Couple screen caps from the vid:

Mariano Rivera caught doctoring the ball ALCS game 3, 10thinning - Halos Heaven

[Ensam]

You can see the spit hit the ball

[Correction]

You actually can't see whether or not it hits the ball, the screegrab right after he spits has too much of Scioscia faded in to see any impact. So you either believe he landed some spit on the ball and it wasn't enough to alter the pitch, or he's an idiot who doesn't think twice before unintentionally spitting near directly at a ball with 5 cameras on him and not realizing what it looks like to the audience.

[Cephius]

You're kidding me right? Spit makes a "halo" now? And yeah, Fox is in a conspiracy with Mariano and the New York Yankees to hide the fact that Mariano has actually been cheating since 1996 and yet was just caught last night. Even though the effect of a spitball is completely different than his cut fastball. Makes perfect sense!

[Correction]

Nobody in the comments in that bought the 'halo' argument, it's the logo on Scioscia's sleeve fading in.

And I don't expect a 13 year veteran to have 'stare directly at ball, spit' locked into his unconscious prepitch concentration routine. Nobody's that careless.

[Cephius]

So what are you trying to prove, that he spit at an inopportune time? Guilty as charged, I guess.

[Cephius]

By the way, I have photographic evidence that Alex Rodriguez is gay. This cannot mean anything else other than what it looks like, because the world is black and white.

http://s3.amazonaws.com/twitpic/phot...SO%2B444czY%3D

He must be paying Kate Hudson to make it look like he's straight!

[Ensam]

I don't understand why you're so hell bent over this.

I mean, there's two ways to reason it. He was spitting and it hit the ball by accident (You see the spit break when it hits the ball), or he did it on purpose and when he joins the hall of fame he'll be amongst the countless others who doctored the ball and made it there.

This is baseball.

[Cephius]

And I don't understand why this is so hard for you to understand. It's not that I'm going crazy because it's accusing a guy on my team of cheating. It's just that it's so obviously a non-story, it blows my mind that people can try to make an issue out of this. Just like when Obama was "caught" staring at a chick's rear end. When the tape was reviewed, it was obviously nothing.

I'll go over - again - why this makes no sense.

A spitball goes down in the zone and/or has action similiar to that of a knuckleball, which is why the pitch is banned - you don't know where it's going. Anyone who has ever watched Mariano knows he relies on pinpoint control and late lateral movement.

Let's say he actually meant to throw a spitball. You don't actually spit on the ball. You lick your fingers, you put pinetar on your cap or hand (hello, Bronson Arroyo and Kenny Rogers) or elsewhere to generate the irregular airflow around the ball. Spitting on it is A) obvious B) ineffective C) doesn't create the desired effect.

If you want to ignore facts and say "This is baseball" be my guest. Please find me one respected Baseball analyst/player/beat writer who thinks Rivera was cheating. (And added that there has not been a single complaint filed against Rivera in his career)

EDIT: And by the way, the MLB already came out and said there's no evidence a spitball was thrown and there will not be sanctions or an investigation.

[Ensam]

It's just that it's so obviously a non-story, it blows my mind that people can try to make an issue out of this.

But you're the one with 30 posts in the thread about it

[Cephius]

But you're the one with 30 posts in the thread about it

Yes, how dare I voice my opinion and try to set the record straight with facts. Also 6 != 30, since we're so obsessed with counting in this thread.

[Ensam]

Yes, how dare I voice my opinion and try to set the record straight with facts. Also 6 != 30, since we're so obsessed with counting in this thread.

I just found it funny that I posted that wasn't as big of a deal as you're making it out to be, and that your response was that it wasn't a big deal as it's made out to be.

And hyperbolic statements are meant to be accurate.

[Reality]

Gordon Beckham named Sporting News AL ROY

:D

[Cephius]

Gordon Beckham named Sporting News AL ROY

:D

Well deserved, he outplayed Andrus down the stretch.

[Reality]

Offensively he outplayed andrus the entire time he was on the big league roster, wonder if this will translate to the baseball writers ROY award (SNews award is based on the votes of 338 MLB players)

[Penthesilea]

http://enrico.blogs.com/.a/6a00d8345...6013cfa970b-pi

That picture is incredible.