Klaw

  (1:01 PM)

Someone get Halladay a margarita, because he is The Master.

Roy Halladay ((Philly))

Imagine what I would have done yesterday if I had some postseason experience.

Klaw

  (1:02 PM)

Exactly.

Jason (Nashville TN)

It has been reported that Derrek Lowe made an adjustment to his mechanics after missing a game in August due to elbow pain. Since then he's been outstanding. Have you noticed a difference in his approach that you think will lead to continued success?

Klaw

  (1:02 PM)

He's actually been throwing his slider more since the All-Star Break. I think that's the main reason for his second-half turnaround.

Mark (Memphis, TN)

Who are your top 3 for NL Cy Young? Halladay has to be #1, but are you going to hate on Wainwright for a 2nd straight year and put him below Jimenez even though he had a better year overall? Or are there others I'm missing as you attempt to fill out the most clever, but not necessarily accurate, ballot?

Klaw

  (1:03 PM)

You're at least three days behind: http://klaw.me/9h7fl0

Cliff (Philly)

Since you did work for Toronto, I would imagine you have some sort of relationship with Roy Halladay. Any thoughts about yesterday's non-no on a personal level?

Klaw

  (1:05 PM)

Talked to him a few times, never at length, so I wouldn't say I know him well at all. I loved watching the guy pitch, the same way I loved watching prime-era Maddux pitch - artists at the peak of their abilities. Of course, I view Halladay differently because I was working for the team, and I'll still root for him in any uniform.

Matt (Philly)

Yo keith, do you know if last night was one of the quickest playoff games ever played? I swear it ended like 45 minutes earlier then TBS predicted.

Klaw

  (1:06 PM)

Not sure how I'd check that, but I'm guessing games were quicker in the era before 6-minute commercial breaks.

John (Woodbridge, NJ)

Hey KLaw, can everyone please stop complaining that we need a salary cap in baseball, or that parity does not exist? Only 2 of the top 9 teams in payroll made the playoffs this year.

Klaw

  (1:07 PM)

I didn't realize that that was the case. At the least, Tampa, Texas, Cincinnati, and Minnesota were built through their farm systems. You'd think some owners would catch on to that.

Bob (Pottstown, PA)

Cholly calls Halladay Greg Maddux with power... accurate?

Klaw

  (1:08 PM)

This was in my Phillies preview, but I love the stat so I'll say it again: Doc was the first pitcher since 1923 to throw 250 or more innings with 30 or fewer walks. So, yeah, I think Cholly's on point with that.

Nate (KC)

Hopefully a bunch of really old guys saw last night that Sabathia's amazing "pitching under pressure" skill really means "hope the Yankees offense scores a buttload of runs in the first 6 innings".

Klaw

  (1:09 PM)

The "pressure" argument is more about defending an outdated way of thinking than it was about a real evaluation of what it means to pitch under pressure. I don't see pitching for a contending club as any more difficult or stressful than pitching for a club that scores a run every other week.

Mike (Reno, NV)

Which team do you think has the best chance at beating the Phillies? Most of what I've read said the Giants because they have the pitching to match them, or at least, almost match them.

Klaw

  (1:10 PM)

Yes, I'd say of the other 3 NL clubs, the Giants have the best chance to beat the Phillies. But I'll still pick the Phillies if that's our NLCS.

Joe (DC)

How do you think Roy Halladay will age? How much longer before we view him as a lock for the Hall?

Klaw

  (1:13 PM)

My wife asked me pretty much the same question about the Hall - what more would he have to do. I think if he gets over 200 wins, he'll have eliminated one major potential criticism of his case. He has one CYA, presumably two after this year, a few All-Star appearances ... he's got a pretty good peak argument already and just needs bulk.

Cody (STL)

If the Cards are seriously stupid enough to trade Rasmus, what is a realistic haul for him.

Klaw

  (1:14 PM)

If they are that stupid, they shouldn't deal him without getting one major-league ready impact prospect in return. For example, if the Blue Jays call, it's "Kyle Drabek or GTHO."

Josh S. (Philly)

Which team stands the biggest threat to beat the phillies? If any at that.

Klaw

  (1:15 PM)

Yanks or Rays.

Greg (Seattle, WA)

Gonna be down in Phoenix for a few days next week. Is it worth checking out the AFL? Is it pretty good baseball?

Klaw

  (1:15 PM)

Hell yes. And two games a day at that. I hope you weren't coming for work because working would be a poor use of your time here.

Aubrey (Houston)

You're a bootlicker.

Klaw

  (1:17 PM)

I still don't know what a "bootlick" is. Same thing? That was pretty funny.

Justin (Boulder, CO)

Does your wife ever read any of the comments to your articles? Is her skin as thick as yours?

Klaw

  (1:18 PM)

She thinks that the fact that users take my baseball opinions personally and respond by calling me names or crying about bias is the funniest thing ever.

Mike (Chicago)

I'm not denying that Wins and RBIs are less than ideal when attempting to discuss a player's worth. However, I think the new school is leaving one group of folks behind by entirely sweeping away the old stats: our Dads. I can try to explain to my Dad what WAR is until I'm blue in the face; but we're talking about a guy that can barely work his remote control and I blew his mind the other night when I paused Chris Matthews for him on his DVR. Baseball is cool because the stats and numbers link generations dating back to the 1800's. This is important. And not at all useless.

Klaw

  (1:19 PM)

Reductio ad absurdum: We shouldn't use email or IM because it's leaving behind the part of the older generation who can't figure out how to use their computers and have been writing letters for 70 years.

Jason (Long Island, NY)

Your taste in music is quite diverse. Do you own Sirius or XM? A lot of great music on there and definitely some of the stuff that you like always see on there playing.

Klaw

  (1:20 PM)

We have XM in one car. If I'm driving, it's probably on XMU. Although I think I could do a pretty good guest DJ spot on Lithium.

Mike (Westchester)

In answer to Joe from DC's question, I think Halladay would make it in now, similar to Koufax. High peak will be enough, even if he doesn't have bulk. Yet no matter. Two more seasons he'll be over 200 wins, and then he's a sure lock. My guess, anyway.

Klaw

  (1:20 PM)

I can't argue with that. I think 200 wins will become a new litmus test ... but it still won't be enough for Blyleven.

jerry (florida)

hey klaw everyone is talking about the yankees question mark pitching rotation but besides the phillies everyone has the same problem? do you agree?

Klaw

  (1:21 PM)

Giants don't have that problem. Not sure if the Braves do - Hudson Hanson Lowe? I'll take that.

Peter (Toronto)

The Jays would be crazy to sign Bautista to a long term deal this off season coming off 54 homers, right?

Klaw

  (1:22 PM)

Yes. I hate the idea of signing a player long-term off one good anomalous year. Doing that helped sink Josh Byrnes here in Arizona between his brother* Eric and Mark "3TO" Reynolds. (*not actually his brother.)

nathan (nyc)

Well, there we go with the CC bashing. As a Yankee fan, i agree that CC is not a CY young pitcher and Felix wins ahnds down. But lets cool the CC hate or is it synonymous with Yankee hate.

Klaw

  (1:23 PM)

There are plenty of good sites on the net where you can look up definitions to complicated words like "hate" and "bash."

DB (Greenwich, CT)

Do you think Jerry DiPoto would be a good choice for the Mets GM? Seems like they want to hire someone with prior GM experience, not necessarily bad, but I think they need to update their player evaluation methods, no?

Klaw

  (1:23 PM)

He'd be an outstanding choice, better than recycling someone who isn't actually the best fit for what the club needs now.

Old Hoss Radbourn (The Ultimate Bullpen)

To answer Matt in Philly's question, K. Law, I threw a CG in the 1884 World's Series in about 17 minutes.

Klaw

  (1:24 PM)

There you go.

SprungOnSports (Long Island)

Is last night's no-hitter the best pitching performance you've ever seen? If not, what was?

Klaw

  (1:25 PM)

Doc threw a 99-pitch 10-inning complete game one-hitter versus Detroit in 2003. That's been my gold standard ... this might beat it.

Jim (Boston)

Do you ever get a headache sorting out all of your conflicting biases? Yesterday, for example, pro-Halladay + anti-Blue Jays would make you root for Roy, but anti-Phillies, anti-East-Coast, pro-Ohio-Valley, anti-beard and pro-hitter would make you root against Roy. I'd just get confused if I were you. Do you keep them on post-its like the guy from Memento?

Klaw

  (1:25 PM)

I'm running out of room for tattoos.

Ray A. (San Francisco, CA)

Keith, The NL West has the best pitching in baseball....And it will be this way for at least the next 2-3 years. How can you not agree?

Klaw

  (1:26 PM)

There's way too much dreck at the back of NL West rotations for me to agree with that.

Grant (Wpg)

Isn't the wisdom of a long-term deal on Bautista a function of price? You've called his HR over under for next year about 28, if he signs 3 years at $8-9M per, that's not bad for an athletic OF with decent OBP and power. Just don't pay him as though he'll hit 50 again.

Klaw

  (1:27 PM)

I'm assuming that he wouldn't sign for that; his agent would discourage it, the union would have a coronary, and he's got an awesome arbitration case for 2011 that will ensure he gets plenty of money either way.

Mark (nyc)

Complicated words like hate and bash eh, you are becoming the Bill O reilly/ Keith Olberman of sports chat, it would be fan if you dont talk down to people like this.

Klaw

  (1:28 PM)

If you come to my chat and talk like a whiny little child, I will talk down to you. You want to be treated like an adult? Fine. Act like one.

First Inning Bunt (Gardy's Arsenal)

I'm ready coach, put me in!

Klaw

  (1:29 PM)

I wasn't even surprised to see it. I'm sorry, but thinking that's a positive offensive move is a major flaw for any manager.

John (Lexington, KY)

It seems to me that the whole "He plays in Colorado, let's dismiss his stats" idea paints with a broad brush. Obviously some players do benefit from it, but there are plenty of examples of players who leave Coors and their next season is extremely similar to the previous with the Rockies. Gallaraga and Holliday come to mind. Are large splits necessarily indicative of a ballpark inflating stats when the same player could just be more consistent overall and reach the same numbers with a different team (IE Holliday). Obviously that's one example and a poor sample size, but the whole issue seems to be more complicated than the Coors makes the hitter argument seems to portray.

Klaw

  (1:29 PM)

I agree. Simply doubling a road player's stats is not a solution.

nathan (nyc)

Oh KLaw, I was addressing the questioner, but you took it personally, aw shucks. And come on, I know what hate./bash and I know what ESPN sells.

Klaw

  (1:32 PM)

I wasn't taking it personally - I'm pointing out that he wasn't bashing Sabathia, but was bashing the whole argument that Sabathia had some mystical pitching-under-pressure mojo. Sabathia's an outstanding pitcher, period. We don't need to give him magical powers to overstate his case. And, besides, the whole bash/hate response isn't conducive to any kind of real discussion of the game.

Brandon (Nashville)

I'm thinking about going as the Reds offense for Halloween ... strike out eight times and be lucky to get to first base once.

Klaw

  (1:34 PM)

You could go as "Invisible Pedestrian." Same effect.

Eric (Sacramento)

The Rays were most of their existance were considered the laughing stock of baseball until a few years ago when they became a World Series contender. How did they manage to put together a great team like this and in what is the most brutal division in baseball?

Klaw

  (1:35 PM)

Good scouting, amateur and pro, and an increased emphasis on statistical analysis in general and on valuing defense in particular.

Jimmy (Chicago)

Have you heard anything about Conan moving to TBS, do you know where I might find something about it?

Klaw

  (1:35 PM)

Looks like some kind of dance show.

Allyson (Dallas)

You tweeted the day the Rangers traded for Francouer that you didn't like the move. You changed your tune on that?

Klaw

  (1:37 PM)

Nope. Haven't changed my tune on Cantu, either.

Phil (SF, Ca)

Guillen left off the Giants postseason roster...good move?

Klaw

  (1:37 PM)

Uh ... yes.

Ryan (east lyme,ct)

Please...PPPPPLLLLLLEEEEEEAAAAAASSSSSSSEEEEEEEE inquire about the mets GM vacancy.

Klaw

  (1:38 PM)

I have a slew of these questions from you guys, and I'm flattered, but I think it's pretty clear they want someone who's been a GM before.

Allyson (Dallas)

Yeah, we agree on Cantu, but Frenchy has been great for the Rangers.

Klaw

  (1:38 PM)

The underlying skills are exactly the same, though. It's a 56-at bat sample.

Bill (AZ)

KLaw, please select two of three (positions aside) likely to most succeed at the ML level over the next three or four seasons: Matt LaPorta, Jarrod Parker, and Rick Porcello.

Klaw

  (1:39 PM)

I'll take the two pitchers if I can add the caveat that we need to see Parker throwing in a game first. If he's back where he was pre-surgery, though, I'd have him 2nd behind Porcello.

Jim (Boston)

Do you take questions from Old Hoss just to fool everyone into think you're two separate people? Like all those times Clark Kent got "phone calls" from Superman?

Klaw

  (1:40 PM)

Hang on, @notmikedunleavy is texting me right now...

Craig (Denver)

Starting at second next year for the Rockies: Eric Young, Jr, Chris Nelson, Jonathan Herrera or Plan D?

Klaw

  (1:41 PM)

I'd like to see Nelson get the shot, but I feel like they're enamored with Young.

John (Lexington, KY)

What are your thought on Jay Bruce's surge? Has he finally arrived or was that September competition aided?

Klaw

  (1:42 PM)

I think he's arrived. Surge started before September. I'll hold off on Smoak and Alvarez, though.

Braves Fan (KLawville)

Can you please forward this to Rangers fans: I know, he's the natural. For your own sanity's sake, don't get over-excited. The Frenchy disappointment is no fun at all.

Klaw

  (1:42 PM)

There you go.

Klaw

  (1:42 PM)

There you go.

Boze (Hattiesburg, MS)

Law, so how bad did last night hurt the Twinkies, are they looking a 3 and out now?

Klaw

  (1:43 PM)

I'm not calling a sweep, but I think losing Game 1 hurt them more than it would have hurt any other team in the playoffs because of the dropoff from Liriano to any other Twins starter.

Jamie (Cincinnatti)

Does the fact that the Reds lost every season series vs. above .500 NL opponents portend to a sweep here in the NLDS, or does that kind of thing not matter much in the playoffs?

Klaw

  (1:44 PM)

I think you could argue that's a proxy for team quality - that many of their players perform better against the mediocre hitting/pitching on bad teams. If you're making a psychological argument, that the Reds don't have the heart or moxie or Rocky Mountain oysters to beat a good team, then I don't buy it.

Mike (Brooklyn)

Keith, did you see Franceour's quote about the Mets? He said they need to focus and get back to playing winning baseball. Hey Jeff, guess what winning baseball entails? Not having a .660ish OPS from your starting RF.

Klaw

  (1:45 PM)

Someone - his agent, a PR guy, Daniels - needs to counsel Francoeur on the joys of discretion.

John (Astoria)

Is Gordon Beckham the next Chase Utley?

Klaw

  (1:46 PM)

Love Beckham but Utley has been a top 3 position player in baseball (when healthy) over the last few years. I'm not putting that ceiling on Beckham.

Justin (Boulder, CO)

With each episode of Just Desserts, my wife and I think your take on Seth to be increasingly likely. Even without confirmation I'm finding the producers' treatment of the situation abhorrent.

Klaw

  (1:48 PM)

Not to turn this into MrsKlawchat, but she thought last night's waiting-room meltdown must have been incredibly bad if the producers chose not to show it. It was really weird. And then the moment he's gone, Heather H goes off the deep end. Are the producers spiking the contestants' cereal or something?

Matt (Florida)

Did anyone notice Philly only had 1 hit after the 2nd inning yesterday? The offense can be stopped.

Klaw

  (1:48 PM)

I'd worry about the Phillies' offense in a series where they were going to face a club with a lot of good LH pitching.

Jason (Nashville)

When comparing players' WARs, is position already taken into account? For example, Heyward's fWAR is 4.9, Posey's is 3.9. If WAR were the end-all, would the discussion be over, or would we have to compare a 4.9 win RF to a 3.9 win C?

Klaw

  (1:49 PM)

That number includes a significant adjustment for position. One thing that's been overlooked in the Heyward/Posey debate is that Posey only caught 76 games in the majors this year.

Brent (Mn)

I actually know the producer for Top Chef and he/she says that if it is close they will keep the person on that's better for TV. Seth makes for good TV.

Klaw

  (1:50 PM)

He makes for water-cooler TV, but at some point the emphasis shifted from the food (admittedly, I love food) to him. And tell your friend I want to be a guest judge. Gail Simmons said it's the best job ever.

Chris (Texas)

If you are a ballplayer what music would you come out to?

Klaw

  (1:50 PM)

The intro to Butthole Surfers' "Who Was in My Room Last Night?" I'm not sure that I'm menacing enough to live up to that music, though.

The Common Man (Regretably, at work)

Keith, his past aside, based on what you know, or have heard and believe, about Josh Luecke's makeup would you want him in your organization?

Klaw

  (1:51 PM)

Would not. I can't really separate what he did from his makeup, though.

Aubrey (Houston)

@Matt in florida...they were just trying to get back on the field quickly to watch Halladay some more

alex (philly)

Hey Klaw, We were chatting about whether Rolen is a HOFer last night...Career OPS+ is 125ish, and played excellent defensive third base. Seems like enough to me, but close...any thoughts?

Klaw

  (1:52 PM)

I asked Jay Jaffe about this earlier in the week; he thinks Rolen falls short by traditional criteria because so much of his value is in his defense and OBP. I think he's probably right, and Rolen right now is borderline enough that the MBM (Mother's Basement Mafia) probably won't launch an assault on the MSM over him.

Josh (NYC)

I can't believe I just had last night's Top Chef spoiled in an espn baseball chat. Some of us had to get some sleep after the Yanks/Twins game ended...

Klaw

  (1:53 PM)

Sorry - but there's plenty left that I didn't spoil. And I don't think I spoiled what you think I did.

Grant (Wpg)

Anthopolous said something to the effect that Zach Stewart was right there with Drabek as a prospect. I seem to recall you being impressed by Stewart in his AA playoff start, but also by Drabek's. Big difference between the two?

Klaw

  (1:54 PM)

Different styles. Not a huge difference in potential. Drabek's a shade better.

Dave (Somerville, MA)

What about Jim Edmonds for the Hall of Fame? He's also a defense heavy argument but his defense was more highlight reel than Rolen which should give him a nice boost.

Klaw

  (1:54 PM)

For me, yes.

David (New York)

Can the Rays overcome this 1-0 deficit?

Klaw

  (1:54 PM)

Yes, by winning three of the next four.

jayson stark (Pa)

Klaw, what do you think of the phillies choice to move failed former first round pick joe savory back to first base? He seemed to have success there at rice. Could this be a smart move?

Klaw

  (1:56 PM)

I don't think it was ever going to happen for Savery on the mound - he was worked very hard as a freshman at Rice and was never the same after his shoulder came up sore. But four years off from hitting (he's had 108 pro AB) is a long time gone.

Andy (Fairless Hills)

Has Britton now surpassed Tillman as the next best pitching prospect for the O's?

Klaw

  (1:56 PM)

Yes, but I'm not giving up on Tillman.

Tom (L.A.)

Yesterday in Neyer's chat, some guy wouldn't let go of the fact that Rob thought there were a bunch of playes more valuable than Ryan Howard. You've been in this business a while. When did we reach this point that people can't simply have a favorite player or enjoy watching someone? No, they need validation for their life from a talking head on TV or a guy writing a free baseball column.

Klaw

  (1:57 PM)

I don't get it either. And if you think someone is the best player on the team, and I disagree, why react like I just smacked your dog?

Chris (Park Ridge)

Travis Snider or Colby Rasmus long-term?

Klaw

  (1:58 PM)

Rasmus.

Bobby (NY)

What is a realistic path for Banuelos to the majors? He is still young for AA right?

Klaw

  (1:58 PM)

Yes, but I've talked to multiple scouts about him (and I think he'll be here next week) and it sounds like he's not very far off.

Braves Fan (KLawville)

Ok, now that we are getting into Hall arguments, what of Andruw Jones. The Braves fan in me wants him to still have a chance, but the past five years have been really really brutal. Still should reach the 400 HR plateau though, and that defense was spectacular for a decade. What say you? Am I just being a homer?

Klaw

  (1:59 PM)

I'd have a hard time with someone who was basically a bench player at 30. Lack of longevity was a major argument against Rice and it has to apply to Jones as well.

matt (omaha)

Top pitching performances I've ever seen: 1. Kerry Wood's 1st 20-K game against Houston. 2. Doc Holliday's no hitter last night. 3. Doc Holliday's perfect game. Agree or disagree? Any others stand out in your mind?

Klaw

  (2:01 PM)

I vaguely remember watching Maddux shut down the Cubs on around 78 pitches in an afternoon game in the summer of '97. I was in the stands when Felix one-hit the Red Sox in Dice-K's home debut in '07 - the classic "one bad pitch" outing. And I'm sure if I think about it I'll have a Pedro outing to add to the list.

Mike C (Chicago)

Is Chris Archer, Cubs minor league pitcher of the year, a legit prospect?

Klaw

  (2:02 PM)

Yes.

Grant (Wpg)

Do you think Yunel Escobar for Rasmus is a reasonable offer?

Klaw

  (2:02 PM)

Seriously?

Mike (San Diego)

Why do you hate my team Keith??? Don't you realize that I don't come to these chats for an objective opinion? You really need to tell me how awesome Wade LeBlanc is or I'm taking my binky and going home.

Zack (CT)

It looks like KRod is talking plea deals with the DA- if it's no felony then no way his contract can be voided right? O's tried it with Ponson after his 2nd DUI (and assault of a judge in Aruba) and they settled 2 years later.

Klaw

  (2:03 PM)

I doubt the Mets get out of that contract without paying him so much money that it makes no sense to void it.

John (Lexington, KY)

I know from previous reading that you don't think UZR measures first basemen very well. In that case, how would you suggest we go about interpreting their fWAR?

Klaw

  (2:04 PM)

You can just back the UZR out of the WAR figure (subtract, roughly, UZR/10). Or you could just do that for all players regardless of position and add a different defensive metric, just keeping the batting runs+position replacement figure.

Ira (Norway)

Is Logan Morrison more of a 15-20 HR annually or 20-25? Why not shift Sanchez to 3rs and slot Morrison at 1B?

Klaw

  (2:04 PM)

I think he's a 20-25 guy more than a sub-20 guy. Pretty amazing half-season for LoMo that got lost in the flood of other great rookie seasons in the NL.

Jack (Chicago)

Now that we can look back at the season, how much was Lou Piniella to blame for the Cubs woes? For example, falling in love with Koyie Hill when you have a top 5-7 catcher in baseball offensively, moving Gorzy to the pen, running ARam out there every day and continuing to bat him 4th, etc, etc, etc.

Klaw

  (2:05 PM)

At some point, the GM has to step in and address those problems, or they become his responsibility as well.

Dan (NYC)

Hosmer or Freeman? Is Freeman an All Star type player or more of an average 1B?

Klaw

  (2:07 PM)

Hosmer.

Drew (Dallas)

As a Cubs fan I just want them to put together a team that can make a legit run at a division title and maybe the World Series. And I would love if Rhino were the one to take them there.

Klaw

  (2:07 PM)

Oh, is that all? Do you want a pony, too?

Kevin (Sunnyvale, CA)

Is Justin Upton still going to be a star? Why the regression from last year?

Klaw

  (2:08 PM)

I'd like to give him another year under a new coaching staff. He wasn't the only D-back to have his approach go to pot this year ... but I have also heard he's getting a little like his brother in resistance to instruction. Raw tools remain the same.

a D u B (Bilbao, Spain)

I rarely get these to get in these chats live while studying in Spain. 2 questions: Is Clint Barmes in the mix for 2B? (Not that I want him, just wondering b/c he wasn't mentioned earlier) and 2) Can Friedrich be a decent #3 behind Ubaldo and Chacin?

Klaw

  (2:08 PM)

I don't think so, and yes if healthy.

Kevin (San Diego)

Keith, it seems to me that the Padres have a surplus of solid back-end rotation guys (Richard, Luebke, Stauffer, Castro). Do any of these guys have more than that in them? Also, thoughts on Ernesto Frieri?

Klaw

  (2:09 PM)

Richard's a little more than that to me now that his arm slot is higher. The other three are all more #3-5 types than

nick (sf)

on the earlier comment about wins and rbi linking generations, i basically agree with your point about email and the internet, but it's not as though we have 100% gotten rid of snail mail for those you dont "get" in the internet. i think that was the point that guy was trying to make about wins and rbi - that we can use them to link generations while also understanding that new metrics do a better job going forward. thoughts?

Klaw

  (2:10 PM)

I don't see how you have that conversation without a discussion of why wins lead us astray. They don't tell the story that the old philosophy thinks we tell ... but the story that pitcher wins do tell is actually not an interesting one. Where do you go from there?

Matt (Florida)

Any logical reason to why Gardy bunted in the 1st last night? Does he know not to play for 1 run when the team he's facing can score 10 on a given night?

Klaw

  (2:10 PM)

No. He doesn't. And that more than anything is why I can't see him as a good manager.

Jason (Boulder, CO)

July 22nd, 1997, first game of a double header against the Cubs. Maddux threw 76 pitches (63 for strikes) earning a line of: CG, 6K, 5H, ER. And of COURSE the W. Otherwise we wouldn't know if he had pitched well.

Klaw

  (2:11 PM)

That sounds about right. It was brilliant.

Ryan (Tulsa)

While we're on the Rasmus question binge, what was the bigger managerial blunder: Tony not playing Rasmus everyday or Mills taking ABs away from Wallace to start Lee at 1B?

Klaw

  (2:12 PM)

I inferred that Lee-1b was partly the front office's doing. I've got my concerns about Wallace, but Lee is just dead weight. Play Wallace every day next year and see what you have, because you already know what you have in Lee.

Bud Selig (MLB)

No mention of the call in the 9th of the Twins-Yankees game?

Klaw

  (2:12 PM)

No one asked. Absolutely atrocious. I didn't think there was any doubt he caught the ball.

Dave (Somerville, MA)

Not to mention that Span is an 87% basestealer against a catcher who isn't all that adept at throwing out runners.

Klaw

  (2:13 PM)

Yes, Posada has to be part of the calculus.

Mike (CT)

Very classy things Larson said about Halladay...i wish the '72 Dolphins would take note

Klaw

  (2:13 PM)

They were too hung over from cheap champagne.

Mike (Cleveland)

Carrasco's ceiling?

Klaw

  (2:14 PM)

I'm a skeptic until I see way better poise and body language from him. He's normally one bad hop away from a meltdown.

Chris (Cambridge, MA)

I picked up the XX album the other day, overall I'm impressed - 6-7 good songs with 2-3 really good songs. Have you heard anything from them?

Klaw

  (2:15 PM)

Just blogged about them a little yesterday (http://klaw.me/bJyq08). I can't really get into it; it's almost like a trip-hop Velvet Underground, and I was never that into trip-hop or VU.

Dick (Tustin, CA)

Are you saying Clayton Richard could be a # 1 or 2? He had a solid season, but I wasn't sure if it was more of a product of Petco.

Klaw

  (2:16 PM)

Sorry, saying he's more than the #5/reliever type I thought he was at the time of the trade, when his slot was lower.

Drew (Mpls)

Is Danny Valencia a league averge 3B for the next 10 years? Maybe more than league average?

Klaw

  (2:16 PM)

I don't see it.

kd (North Carolina)

I am not defending Andruw's admission to the Hall, but rather, I have a question about your reasoning. Considering Andruw started in the majors at 19 and had 11 legitimate seasons as a player in Atlanta (statisitically), how does that argument relate to say Kirby Puckett or Tony Perez, who had only about 14 legitimate seasons? Just curious. I don't think Andruw should go in, but I am curious about your reasoning. I generally appreciate your candor and logic, but I just want to understand. Not being combative.

Klaw

  (2:18 PM)

I don't think Puckett or Perez belong in the Hall, though. I think Puckett got a lot of sympathy votes, and Perez got in because RBIs are overrated and I believe he got in during a weak ballot year.

Brett Favre (Minnesotta)

Did you know that taking pictures of your junk is another way to get your name in the news?

Klaw

  (2:19 PM)

Really not interested in Favre's short game, thanks.

Finn (Detroit)

Does Dayton Moore's farm development excuse his complete incompetence at the MLB level? Those prospects won't do it ALL on their own right?

Klaw

  (2:19 PM)

I'll probably write this up later today, but I saw Jason Adam on Tuesday for 3 innings, and if he'd thrown like that in front of some scouting directors this spring he would probably have been a first-rounder.

Klaw

  (2:21 PM)

OK, I need to wrap this up early so I can head to an instructional league game. I may skip next week's chat for the AFL but will be back in two weeks either way. Thanks for all the questions.