Allstarjim

I'm so sick of getting our asses handed to us on a nightly basis. Sosa has an 0-2 count and gives up a homerun to Betemit on a fastball waist high middle outer half of the plate. Then he has a 1-2 count in the next at bat and gives him the SAME PITCH. And Betemit rips it into center for an RBI single. I've seen several Mets pitchers give up 0-2 homeruns lately, and it's shit like that that's pissing me off about this team right now. They are not sharp, they are just playing bad baseball. In every facet. Bad pitching, undisciplined hitting, bad defense, bad baserunning. And that is why they are going to be out of first place by middle of next week. I get so disgusted with sweeps, and the Dodgers are going to do it to us when the Phils just did it to us. They're turning into the fucking Mutts again. FUCK!

I have some criticism for Willie. With the bats just not hitting, why not shake the lineup... Lo Duca back to the 2 hole at least for the time being. I do agree with him moving Delgado down to the 5 hole and Wright up to cleanup. But more must be done. Green seemingly hasn't hit well from the 2 hole, and I like him more as an RBI guy, anyway. Perhaps Gomez in the #2 hole, because at least you have a chance to have 1 of 2 rabbits to get on in front of Beltran, Wright, and Delgado. As I type this the Mets give up 3 runs this inning and now have allowed the Dodgers to come back yet again. They are playing sloppy baseball as well. I'm seeing errors not typical of some players, and even moreso, some VERY sloppy baserunning. It seems like everyone is making mistakes running the bases lately. Tonight it was David Wright, but Reyes has made a couple mistakes running as well. And they are not working the count like they were earlier in the season. Opposing pitchers are getting to the 7th and 8th innings only throwing 80 pitches or so. Just some of my observations, they need to get their collective head out of their collective ass.

I friggin' hate Wilson Betemit. And the Dodgers as a whole.

Well like we said before we agree to disagree. At least the Pads pen are holding leads for their starters.

Actually, the Giants went into week 10 vs. the Bears 6-2, and were very much in the game when LUKE PETITGOUT broke his leg and was lost for the season. We ended up tanking the rest of the game and the rest of the season as Eli's blindside was completely undefended with geriatric Bob Whitfield trying to block guys half his age. It was Luke Petitgout who showed just how important he was to this team when he went down last year. Good thing we replaced him....

The Padres have the best bullpen in the National League. But I still maintain the Mets 1 through 5 starters are better than the Pads 1 through 5 starters. Mets just got swept by the Phillies at home, thanks to a lack of hitting and a bullpen that inherited a lead or a tie (game 1 they inherited a 2-2 tie) every game of the series and blew it. The numbers in the series for the bullpen: 10 IP 15H 10R 10ER 7BB 9K 3HR 9.00 ERA They actually pitched pretty well in game 1, holding the Phils scoreless for 3 innings until the 11th, when Feliciano couldn't get an out. The starters (Glavine, El Duque, and Maine) were brilliant: 20 IP 17H 4R 4ER 5BB 9K 0HR 1.80 ERA They did everything they could in all three games to make winners out of the Mets, and the bullpen and the hitters let them down. I don't understand why Willie took out a dominant and still sharp El Duque in game 2 after 6 innings, who were baffling the Phils with his array of pitches, only allowing 3 hits, although he did walk 4. Still, he didn't allow a run to score and was still very sharp through the 6th. Willie yanks him, and IMMEDIATELY Heilman blows the game. I know Willie is trying to conserve his starters, especially El Duque, for the postseason, but for crying out loud, let him at least get through the 7th and see how he's doing, because that game was so deflating. Then last night, Wagner blows the save giving up the homerun to Burrell in the 9th, tying the game. What's worse, is that when we didn't score in the bottom of the ninth, and the announcer said Schoenweis was coming in to pitch the 10th, I said to myself, "GAME OVER." I have ZERO confidence in Schoenweis to have a scoreless inning, or to hold a lead or tie AT ALL. And once again, Schoenweis f's it up. His ERA is now OVER 7! It's a traveshammockery that he has a spot on the team and Burgos, who pitched relatively well, was optioned. Shoenweis hasn't pitched well to leftys OR rightys, and usually walks the leadoff batter. SO, Admiral Awesome, I apologize for my arrogance and blind faith in the Mets bullpen. The Pads 'pen is definitely superior and probably the best in all of MLB. And while Peavy and Young maybe the best 2 pitchers in the NL, I still say the staff of El Duque, Glavine, Perez, Maine, and Sosa are the best collection of 5 in the NL, though. I give props to the Pads though, they are a great team who I expect to be in the playoffs.

I didn't even say anything about Hank, because that is only speculation based on productivity. There were, and could be more, variables and factors that explain Hank's continued power output other than 'roids. I also contend that they were not being used like you suggest in the late 60's and 70's. Even Mike Schmidt, who played in the 70's and early 80's, said he would've used them "if they were around." The implication is that he didn't, because they weren't. I believe Mike Schmidt, although even if you don't, I believe that something like that would've been leaked a long time ago if it was as prevalent and widespread as you suggest, like the current scandal was. Additionally, the roids that they could've used were unsafe. Even Alzado using the roids from the late 70s and early 80s, had tremendous adverse health effects. There was no great physical metamorphisis from those players, either, and none of them have suffered the complications they would have had they been on them. I just don't buy Hammerin' Hank on the 'roids. You can't go by stats alone.

A lot of baseball fans who remember when acheivements were earned honestly.

These are all facts of the case, I have never even read Game of Shadows, homey. Seriously. This is all information that has come to light during the investigation. I didn't even go into his extra-marital girlfriend who says that he even talked to her about doing it, because she *COULD* have selfish motivation for lying, but it really would be icing on the cake, anyways.

What annoys me the most is people saying that it's speculation that Bonds used steroids, too. This is not true. Barry himself testified that he used steroids, albeit unknowingly. If you believe that he was taking a regular regimen of "the cream" and didn't know what it was, you are likely a SF fan. The stuff was being supplied by his OWN personal trainer, Greg Anderson, who was being supplied from BALCO. Andersen has at least served some time in jail for distribution and may still be there. Andersen will not say if he gave them to Barry. His silence is deafening. Additionally, Barry pressured the SF Giants to hiring Anderson when they didn't need or want another trainer. He was hired just to appease Barry. Barry has known Anderson for a long time, they are good friends. This went beyond a client/trainer relationship. They were workout partners, close friends, and Anderson is a convicted dealer who Bonds pressured the Giants into giving him a job. There's no doubt in my mind that Barry knew that he was getting the cream and what it was. Besides the cream, there's the clear, and HGH (all supplied by BALCO and Victor Conte, all distributed to Anderson, who distributed it further), which Bonds could still be using, because baseball still can't test for it... only a blood test can ID the use of HGH. There's much less evidence that McGwire used them, and I reject his accomplishments as tainted as well... At least Mota served a lengthy suspension. People that believe that it's just a witchhunt and all the evidence is speculatory and shaky have not actually studied the facts of the Bonds case. People don't hate Bonds because he's not a media darling. They just don't want him recognized as the homerun king when he cheated for so long, and he has continually deceived MLB, baseball fans, and the rest of the sports world. Prior to the grand jury hearing when he testified, he repeatedly denied EVER using steroids at all. He stood there and lied to us, telling us he was clean. Then, all of a sudden, when he has to testify in front of a federal grand jury under oath, his story changes! "Well I used, but I didn't know it was steroids when I took it." When did you know Barry? Did your buddy Greg tell you a week later? Perhaps AFTER your 73 homerun season? So he kept you in the dark about what it was when he gave it to you but you found out later how? My belief is that Barry said he didn't know because he was afraid that sometime someone would be able to prove that he did, even Greg Anderson. Maybe he was even afraid that Greg would snitch on him to get a lesser sentence. But nobody would be able to prove that Barry knew what was going into his body. The "I didn't know" excuse is as lame as "the dog ate my homework" but it works to dissuade a burden of proof. His records are tainted. Just because other players have done it still doesn't make what Bonds did ok. I hold the same contempt for Palmeiro and others. If Barry would come clean about his usage (including HGH), I would actually have some respect for him, like I hold a smidgeon of respect for Giambi (but not much). But it's the continual deception and the constant debate of 'did he or didn't he' that I can't stand. He did use, and we know that by his own half-assed admission. There is no debate, at the least, about the cream. We should never celebrate the accomplishments of someone who acheived something through dishonesty and outright cheating just because others did it too. It doesn't, and never will, make it ok. If I made it rich by stepping on the little people, I'm still an asshole even though a lot of other people make it rich that way, too. And yet, people want to diminish Hank based soley on production. I would never accuse Barry soley on production. It's the radical physical metamorphis (to include the increase in the size of his head), the testimony of particulars, his closeness with Anderson (who Giambi was supplied from as well), and Barry's own inconsistency of his own defense. He's just like OJ, he did it, everyone knows he did it, but he got away with it. I hope that when Barry breaks the record, he will be on the road. And I hope that when he hits that homerun, the fans, in unison, turn their backs on him in a hushed silence. Because that is what all baseball fans should do to commemorate an accomplishment won with the power of the juice. That would send a message that we all still believe that cheating is not ok. And SF fans should do the same. If you cheer this accomplishment, what does that say about what you think about fairness and integrity? Do those values exist only when it's convenient? If Mota was going to surpass Hoffman's saves record one day, I would hold contempt for it, even though he's a Met. But at least he's had to answer for his actions to some degree. And if he does it again, he loses an entire season.

El Duque only 2H, 2ER, and 1BB in 7 IP last night once again. He's been magnificent. If he could just stay injury free the rest of the way, there's your ace. I think Perez will be considered an ace in all circles by the end of the season as well. Rick Peterson should get a bonus for that one. Perez is back to 2004 production.

You can see through his actions? What does that mean? What of all of Tiki's good deeds are you able to conjure up a reason to dislike him? You are a negative person that looks to see the bad in people, likely because you don't want to see that people can do good things in the world, and can be a success story. I wonder why that is? Does others' success make you look upon your own shortcomings? It's like the bully at school who beats up on the little kids to make them feel better about themselves. If you bring everyone else down in your own mind, then you don't have to aspire to great things, is that it? We drafted Ron Dayne because Rodney Hampton retired and those other guys you mentioned didn't get the job done. At the same time, they only saw Tiki as a 3rd down back, and he excelled in that role. It's not like he was garbage when he was on the field. And sure, Tiki didn't fully achieve his peak performance right away, but not many rookies come right into the league and light the world on fire. Even Reggie Bush wasn't given the opportunity to be the workhorse last year for New Orleans. And another thing, the fact that Tiki has worked hard to achieve everything he has, he may not have been on the Today show if we released him, but he would still be a success no matter where he went. Because people like him work hard. And when you work hard, you get results. You and others think that just because Tiki was in New York that he was handed everything he got and didn't have to work for it. If that's the case, then why hasn't so many other players done the same thing? Plus, there are plenty of players who never did anything in NY who made it in broadcasting. In fact, moreso than there are NY guys. Nice try, though.

If he's not then he's not far off. You did, after all, say he was a HOFer, just not a 1st ballot one. I don't even know what that means. He's not good enough the first time around but some other year he will be good enough? You are being a homer because you can't look at that trade objectively, or Rivers objectively. You blindly praise Eli and think he's better despite ALL evidence to the contrary. He hasn't got the job done well enough, and that is why we've been a mediocre team the last two years, despite having one of the best running backs in football having record breaking seasons. You do have a point about Tom Coughlin. Coughlin treats his accomplished vets like there all rookies. He alienated his entire team in Jax and he's already hurt our team. And Tiki probably would've stayed if Coughlin was shown the door. Unfortunately, they'll probably end up firing Coughlin a year too late.

We will see. I may be wrong and I definitely have some bias towards Tiki, but the only reason I gave the other stuff about Tiki was because fans like you seem to trash him unnecessarily and undeservedly.

I don't think the Cowboys will be a bad team. It all rides on Romo. If he performs well, then the Cowboys will be a good team. The defense is there. Demarcus Ware is an animal. And if Anthony Spencer turns out to be a gem like a lot of people think your defense can be scary good. A lot of it has to do with how teams finish out games. Every year, there are more than a couple games that are won or lost in the last few minutes, and a lot of that has to do with discipline, not making stupid mistakes, rising to the occasion, and good coaching. These handful of games usually determine the playoff teams from the middle of the pack teams. I think the division can be won by the Giants, Cowboys, or Eagles. I certainly don't expect the Redskins to make it, and I think there's your cellar dweller. Eli has to step up, but I'm most optimistic about our defense. With Strahan, Osi, and Kiwi all on the field at the same time, our defense has a chance to be scary, too. Injuries will play a big part of it as well. Just like last year, I believe Luke Petitgout's injury in week 10 cost us the season. Deihl cannot let that happen to him. I think David Deihl is the key player on our team this year, and other than Eli Manning, it is most critical for him to stay healthy over anyone else on the roster. For you guys, obviously it's always the QB, but other than him, I would have to say Marion Barber III. I don't think Julius Jones is that good, and if the Cowboys can't run the ball, then Romo will have to do it by himself and I'm not sure that can happen. A close 2nd would be T.O., because he's still such a playmaker despite everything else. He has to keep his head on straight and his mouth shut and stay injury free. But even if you lose T.O., there is still Terry Glenn and Patrick Crayton, who is an underappreciated wideout.

It's a shame that some so-called Giants fans don't respect Barber for what he did and who he was to the NY community. He is called a media whore because he set himself up for a career after football. Because he used the press to his advantage, not disadvantage like so many other athletes. Tiki is a role model for young football players. I'm going to talk about his off-field stuff first. Because where Tiki came from, he should not be the success story that he is. Tiki came from a single mother household, he did not have a father to push him or teach him how to be a man. His mother worked several jobs to provide for him and Ronde so you know that she wasn't around very much either. I don't need to tell you how most kids that are brought up like this turn out. They usually don't finish valedictorian of his high school graduating class. He also earned his MIS degree at University of Virginia BEFORE making the jump to the NFL. Tiki recognized the importance of acheivement academically. He and Ronde donated $1,000,000.00 to University of Virginia a couple of years ago. When an Army captain saw Tiki at a hotel in Hawaii a few years ago (when Tiki was there for the Pro Bowl), he invited him to run PT with his company at probably 5:00am, because that is usually when Army PT happens. Tiki didn't say, "Hey, I'm on vacation with my family" like a lot of guys would. Tiki didn't pull an ego trip and think he was too good for that, like some players would. Tiki got up early and ran with the troops. That's the kind of person he was. Tiki also gave of himself to the community and is still active in various other charitable efforts, such as the Verizon Literacy Campaign, Fresh Air Fund, Robin Hood Foundation and the Children's Miracle Network. He does more than anyone sitting on this message board does to make the world a better place. A lot of players leave the NFL and have nothing to do but burn through their money. Tiki set himself up for a highly successful career after football. That's to his credit. Tiki gave himself options and went about things the right way, and because of it, he will remain successful after his football career. On the field, Tiki played through injuries the last couple of seasons. When he came into the league, he was stuck behind Rodney Hampton for a few years. Then the Giants drafted Ron Dayne and decided to do the ill-fated thunder and lightning experiment. After that bombed, Tiki was FINALLY given a chance to be the feature back in the 2002 season. He responded with 1,387 rushing yards, and 597 receiving yards. Even in 2000, the first year of "Thunder and Lightning", Barber amassed 1,006 yards rushing and 719 yards receiving. Tiki had some fumbling issues. in 2002 and 2003 he fumbled a combined 17 times in 32 games, 12 of which were recovered by the opposing defense. That is a blemish, but that blemish doesn't override his accomplishments. Tiki was great for a good 7 years, not just the last 3 years. Even during Thunder and Lightning, he performed well. The only year since 2000 he failed to amass 1500 yards from scrimmage was 2001 season, a Thunder and Lightning year, and also one in which he played in only 14 games due to injury, and he still amassed 1,442 yards from scrimmage, with a 5.2 ypc avg (I think that's close enough). Tiki's career rushing avg is 4.7 ypc. Tiki gained over 2,000 yards from scrimmage 3 times, and a 4th season he fell just short (1,984 yards in 2002). Tiki had the misfortune of getting his shot at the same time as LaDanian Tomlinson, who will likely someday be regarded as the greatest running back of all time, and Shaun Alexander, another likely HOFer. It's too bad Tiki didn't play for another 2 or 3 seasons, because then he would be a lock. In my mind, he should be a Hall of Famer. He is only the 3rd player all time to have more than 10,000 yards rushing and 5,000 yards receiving. The other two are Marshall Faulk and Marcus Allen. Allen is a HOFer, Faulk will be one. When I've heard fans of opposing teams talk about Tiki, even those from the Eagles and Cowboys, they regard him with the utmost respect and admiration. When I hear fans of the Giants talk about Tiki, they are mixed. Fans from other teams say that when the Giants beat their team, it was because of Tiki's herculean efforts. It's a shame Giants fans don't appreciate him the way the rest of the NFL does. Tiki worked hard to get where he is, harder than most people on this board have ever had to work for something in their lives. But people like Golfingkid sit at some computer in their cushy little chair and trash a player who was a class act and did a lot for the organization. I have a lot of respect for not only what Tiki did on the field, but for who he was off it. He's an inspiration to me and one of the few athletes in today's sporting world I truly admire.

Barber is 17th on the all-time NFL rushing list even after leaving in his prime. In 2005, Tiki had the 2nd best season EVER by a running back in yards from scrimmage. By the way, he's 10th all time in the NFL in yards from scrimmage in between two guys named Dorsett and Dickerson. 1st ballot. BTW, Tiki also had the NFL's best season in Yards from scrimmage in 2004 with 2,096 yards. And in 2006 he had 2,127 yards from scrimmage. 3 seasons in a row with at least 2000 yards from scrimmage, and you don't think he's carried the Giants offense the last 3 years? Barber played for 10 seasons, but only 5 seasons was he given a chance to be the feature back. He was one of the greatest RB's of all time for those 5 seasons, and I think that's enough to punch his ticket to Canton.

And you're reasoning for that is? He's one of the greatest Giants ever to put on a uniform, of course LT is the greatest, but Tiki is the greatest RB we've ever had. He has been one of the great RB's in the game and has had some of the greatest offensive seasons in terms of yards per scrimmage OF ANY PLAYER in NFL history.

You will not find this Giant fan under appreciating Tiki Barber. He carried our offense for the last 3 years and Jacobs has a long, long way to go before he is mentioned in the same breath as Tiki Barber, who should be a 1st ballot HOFer. We are a basement team without him the last couple of years, however, I do not agree that Jacobs won't do a good job, if he can stay healthy. And I think the Giants can challenge for the division if David Deihl can hold down the LT position and play at least 14 games.

Jury is still out on Roethlisberger, but Eli so far has not performed as well as Rivers, so that argument is foolish. After 3 years, Giants fans need to stop making excuses for him, Accorsi, and the rest of the Giants brass and Eli needs to ACTUALLY PLAY BETTER.

AND? Tiki set up most of the TD's for the Giants. That argument is so stupid... you guys are being homers. How many TDs did Brandon Jacobs have because Tiki got us down to the goalline? If you think Tiki hasn't carried the offense the last couple of years, you've been watching different games than I have. I don't have to argue this point. Rivers numbers speak for themselves. You're also wrong that Rivers was considered a long term project. Even San Diego wasn't sure if Brees would win the starting job that season. Nobody drafts a QB that early in the first round as a long term project. You do it a year or two if you can. Just like the Giants were going to do with Eli except Warner didn't perform. You guys cannot look at the situation from an unbiased position. I love the Giants, they are my team, but your blind allegiance to Eli is disgusting. Is LT better than Tiki, sure, but Tiki was still an All-Pro and the greatest running back in Giants history, and had his best seasons ever the last 2-3 years. LT is better, but Rivers is a great QB, and had we had him with Tiki... guess what? Tiki might still be here, and we more than likely would have had a better fortune in the playoffs than we had the last 2 years. Rivers is the better QB, and we fucked up by trading up. I still think Eli has a chance, but just about everyone outside of the Giants homer fans recognize that the Giants were wrong for making that trade. Even Rivers college numbers were better, and he won every bowl game he started as well. He even took NC State to a BCS if I remember correct and won that game, too. The ONLY 2 reasons Rivers wasn't more highly regarded is because of his slightly diagonal arm angle and that Eli had "Manning" on the back of his jersey. And time (although it already has) will tell that I'm right about this. Rivers is a fantastic QB, a pro bowl caliber QB already. I don't care if he's sat for 2 years or not. He still came in against NFL competition and lit it up when he had to.

I probably would take Peavy and Young over any two of the Mets starters (so far, but especially Peavy). But any 3 of the Mets 5 starters I would take over Germano, Maddux, and Wells. And we're not even talking about Pedro yet, who will be with the team sooner than August 1st, write it down, I wouldn't be surprised if he showed up immediately after the all-star break in early July. And Pedro says he hasn't felt this good since his Expos days. He thinks he will be back in the mid-90's again. And Perez has been awesome this year. He is an ACE as well. He's beaten Atlanta 3 times and they Yankees once in 4 starts while striking out 31 in 28 and 1/3 innings in those starts. He has a 2.69 ERA facing some of the toughest competition in baseball with a 1.02 WHIP. He's also had 9 starts, more than double Germano. My point is he hasn't had enough time yet. For that matter, El Duque has had ONE start where he has given up more than one run. He has TWO 2 hitters, a 3 hitter, and a 4 hitter out of 6 starts, with a 2.13 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP! It's closer than you think. You also have to look at the level of competition. Germano has beaten a slumping Milwaukee team, the abysmal Mariners, and the almost equally bad Cardinals. I would like to see him be dominant against ONE GOOD lineup before you crown him better than Perez, or Sosa for that matter (who's beaten the Dbacks, Cubs, and Marlins, all better competition thus far than what Germano has faced). He's had 4 starts, and I give him more credit for his performance against the team he lost to (the Braves) than any of the teams he's beaten thus far. And I would not be surprised if Heath Bell begins to let you down. And if we get Duaner Sanchez back this year, who was the best set up man in baseball prior to his injury in early August last season, then this conversation would certainly be over.

We're talking semantics here. My point is that the Giants line would be leaps and bounds better and could rate up there with the best had we drafted Staley. Staley, IMO, is not a project LT like Guy Whimper. Not even Jemarcus Russell or Calvin Johnson is a lock to pan out to be a great player, though.

Just because I worded it that way doesn't mean that your point is proved. I fully expect Staley to be a very good if not great LT year one. The truth is, with every draft pick there is a degree of uncertainty. As you pointed out with Gallery, and I pointed out with Allen, Peterson, and Webster. You draft on need, and we desperately needed a LT and the Giants DID NOTHING. They waited until round 6 to draft a tackle! That is stupid! What happens if Ross doesn't pan out just like all the other CB's the Giants have drafted in recent years? Then they have wasted another 1st rounder on a CB that is not significantly going to help the team. Staley would do that, and better, he would've helped the entire offense by allowing Eli to succeed. As I said, if the learning curve was too great for him year 1, we would still be in the same spot by drafting CB Wright in the 2nd round, instead of another WR we don't NEED. And we would still have Staley for 2008 and beyond. Simply put, it is MUCH MORE difficult to find a dominant LT in the draft OR in free agency than a CB. There are plenty of CBs out there, but how many dominant LT's are there in ALL OF FOOTBALL? Not many! And worse, that's exactly what Eli needs to be a great QB! A dominant LT! Not average, not good, but a GREAT LT.

You're not saying he sucks, but you're not giving him his due either. Eli had Tiki Barber, and he has played up and down. Rivers has played stellar. Even when he's needed to throw, he has been one of the top QB's in the NFL. The guy is damn good, and deserved his Pro Bowl spot BASED ON HIS PERFORMANCE. The Tomlinson argument as I stated doesn't wash when you compare the two Quarterbacks, because Eli also had Tiki, and in fact, Tiki is one of the only reasons we haven't been in the cellar the last couple of years. The fact is, Tiki helped Manning by masking his deficiencies, because Tiki could move the chains by himself. Tomlinson has not NEEDED to do that for Rivers because Rivers has performed in his own right. Therefore, instead of Tomlinson carrying all the weight, they have complemented eachother, making them that much more dangerous, which is why they went 14-2 last year. By contrast Tiki has HAD to carry our team. The difference is that the Chargers can win by running Tomlinson 30 times a game, or by Rivers throwing the ball 40 times a game, while the Giants could only win with Tiki dominating the offense the last couple of seasons, and that's the truth. And my point is that a big reason for that is because we have not given Eli help by shoring up LT. He needs that so desperately and we are seemingly unwilling to give it to him.