No brainer. He plays short until the late innings when he closes. No need to worry about anything getting hit to short while he's pitching anyway.
i'd put the 'stros ahead of the indians and ahead of the mets, so far. i have no problem with the white sox being ranked higher. i'd put the cards/stros at a push.
i'd push the cards/stros also.. but i think the mets are slightly ahead right now.. and I have no problem w/the white sox or indians higher. cleveland's lineup is just too too sick, and victor martinez is absolutely going nuts this year (even lance and morgan have had a short slump)
Who is hyping him? All I said was let's see what he can do, where is the harm in that? You saw one throw and you made your mind up? One? Even Tmac shoots airballs occasionally. I am happy with Adam at SS as long as he is hitting above .265 or so, but when he dips below that, his defense prowess does not compensate for his shortcommings on offense. This year however, as I said earlier, he has looked great....so no complaints. DD
Although I would also like to see more of Burke, Buck is just parroting the Astros thinking. They apparently hate Burke.
Because they just won a series by pounding the Red Sox... and ESPN realizes that if you play well against their team, you must be good.
I can't speak for Buck, but I can't tell you how many times the point has been made that *historically* dude has neither footwork nor the arm to play SS everyday at the ML level. People have been saying since before the "one throw", and accurately piont to the most recent "one throw" as an example. Why is that so hard to digest? I'm not asking you to agree, just wondering how someone can keep saying, "It's only ONE THROW!!!!!" when nobody is pointing solely to that "one throw" to prove anything.
Because in spring training the GM of the Astros said they would give him a look at SS as his arm significantly improved by playing LF last year. And whomever said SS and 2B are too entirely different positions is right...sort of....it is relatively easy for a SS to go to 2B but harder for 2B to go to SS. Burke started out as a SS....so he can play either IMHO. Just like Lance was a firstbaseman before going into the outfield because Bags was at first, or Biggio moving from catcher to 2b to CF....or Bags going from 3rd to 1st, or well you get my point....changing positions is not really all that hard.....at least for some players. I played SS and had to play a little 2B every now and then and it was a very easy transition, just had to get my steps right at 2nd, but that was not all that hard... I coulda been a contender..... DD
Right..they hate him. Uhhuh. That's why he's on the team, was a starter last year, is backing up at 3 positions this year, and why he's spoken of very highly by Purp & Garner. Okiedokey. And if "parroting" means I've formed an opinion based on what Astros management & scouts (former & current) have said, what people who have watched him much, much more than any of us (and are immensely more qualified) have said, what I've heard first hand from very knowledgable folx who watched him daily at RR, and what I saw with my own eyes in the dozen or so games I watched him in RR...then yes, I'm "parroting". Or judging him based solely on one play. Or something. DD..."where's the harm" in playing a guy regularly at a position he's unfamiliar with/unskilled at, on a team competing for the World Series, just so we can see how he does? Is that really what you're asking?
Buck, Please read my first post, all I wanted to know is how he looked. Of course I am not saying he should learn on the job. However, being that Everett is hurt, what happens if Burke plays really well over these next 2 weeks and hits about .350, then Everett comes back and his batting average drops to .230.....would you consider replacing him, or at least rotating him? As of now, I have NO problem with Everett at all, he has been great offensively and defensively, and that ROCKS !! DD
And of the top 5 teams (and even top 6), we're the only ones with a negative comment. Forget the team's consecutive games with a homer (9) or Ensberg's hr streak (7). Forget that Wandy is 4-0 with a 2.53 ERA or that our young guns are currently 5-1 with a 2.67. And you can certainly forget that the starting rotation has a collective ERA of 2.91 or that we have the best record in the NL after facing and nearly sweeping a pretty good Dodger team (tougher than the Pirates at least). But no, they focus on Lidge.
They hate him as a starter and are bound and determined to to not play him much. So be it, no biggie. I think you only confirmed that you are parroting the Astros line. They may be right, but they are not always perfect.
2 weeks? Hell, Everett said he wants to go tonight! Kid's gonna get his PT, ton of road games over the dog days of summer means lots of rest for Biggio & Wilson. AE needs days off too. Alls I'm saying is that there's little to nothing in his skillset or reputation that suggests he should be looked at as a regular/starting option at SS for a contender built around it's pitching staff. p.s. As poor as AE was at the plate in '05 (and we'll both admit he struggled pretty badly, for a variety of reasons), Bill James formulates that the difference between him & Derek Jeter - taking into account runs prevented on defense & runs created on offense - was only about a dozen runs in Jeter's favor. That surprised me. I know whatcher saying, and we could go round & round for awhile, but pretty much everything that can be said, has been.. We'll see how it plays out. Oh...you can leave out the "H" in "IMHO"...there's very little that's humble in either of our opinions.
What's wrong with that? Sounds a lot like what everyone on this board is focused on too. There a huge thread on Lidge and his problems - nothing about Wandy or Buchholz, though. In the long-run, Wandy and Buchholz aren't likely to continue their pace. Its very possible, though, that Lidge's problems continue.
still, how many teams have two starters that are 4-0? not many sports sites are even giving any recognition to that fact... they focus on Beckett, Maddux, and every other 4 game winner, they dont even acknowledge Wandy and roy... of course, since the Cubs played a day game, yahoo is all over Maddux's jock as "the first pitcher in the majors to reach a 5-0 start"...
Roy getting completely squeezed in his pitches to Dunn.... Maybe the ump needs to realize that this is Roy freakin Oswalt, and Dunn is a strikeout machine (ie - he's not being selective like Bonds is... he just couldn't get the bat off his shoulder). Roy struck him out anyways... love him.
What's wrong with that is they're not focusing on the reasons why this team is currently ranked 5th in the rankings and stands at 15-6. In the long run Wandy and Buchholz probably will slide a little. But we're not talking about the long run. Power rankings are about the here and now. And right now, the Astros have a better record than the 4 other teams above them and have won 5 of their last 6.
