Understood. The original post made it sound like Ausmus should have blocked it. An inch either way and it is probably blocked with no problem.
Think I rather see Astros lose to any other team besides the Cardinals this offense is making me sick again.
Light-hitting is not the problem. There are plenty of light-hitting 2nd basemen and few of them can put up numbers like Loretta. Now, you are starting to get it by acknowledging his age... something you didn't do in the first post... that was one of the points I made. You are trying to weasel your way out of your original comment by using some of my points and twisting your argument. The reason he doesn't play everday is that you aren't going to put a younger player like Matsui or Wigginton on the bench because they are going to potentially be your starters for the next few years. He certainly won't be taking Tejada or Berkman's spot. He is barely able to play SS at this point even if we didn't have Tejada. In general, Loretta is a below average defensive player at this point of his career despite his versatility. The reason he comes off the bench is his age, his slightly below mediocre defensive abilities and the fact that he won't be taking Tejada or Berkman's spot for obvious reasons. The MAIN reason he is still valuable enough to be making 2-3 million per season is his hitting ability, despite the lack of power. After that is the fact that he can play multiple infield positions if you need him to which allows players to rest and gives you an option if somebody gets injured. It doesn't mean he is great at any position, just that he CAN play the positions. Many players can't even begin to play certain positions. You can find plenty of other younger, versatile infielders that can't handle the bat. The reason Loretta still garners interest, and dollars, from teams is primarily due to the fact that he is still a very capable hitter. You just can't admit that you were wrong in your initial post on this topic much like you couldn't admit you were wrong about the bottom of our order this year. You took the easy way out by joining the small bandwagon of idiots who can't deal with someone who stands his ground.
Fail. simply put, you're clueless. i know i can't get that through your head, but just do me a favor and keep it deep in your thoughts as you progress through life that that just may be a possibility. if mark loretta was a great hitter, his defense is adequate enough for him to be starting somewhere. that's really not debatable, unless you are just arguing because you have nothing better to do than instigate fights on internet message boards, which admittedly came to light to me well after the majority of the posters on here. You need to cheer up, Charlie. Game over. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Fail, again. Loretta is a great hitter. You don't have to hit for power to be a great hitter. The reason Loretta isn't starting is his age and the fact that you aren't going to bench Wigginton or Matsui at this point and he certainly won't start over Tejada or Berkman. The reason he gets paid is mainly his hitting ability and secondly, it's his versatility which allows players to rest and gives you a back up option if somebody gets hurt. Believe it or not, I don't like to argue. What I do is freely challenge points that I don't agree with. It is usually somebody else that starts the name-calling and turns it into childish banter. For evidence, go see your comments compared to mine and decide who started the argument. You just can't take the heat like certain others I've come across. Like those others, instead of acknowledging that you're wrong, or making a reasonable argument, you resorted to name-calling and jumping on the weakling bandwagon.
I've been away for the weekend, just got back in time to catch the end of that game and read through this thread. Looks like all I missed was: 1) Astros taking the first game of the series against the Cards but still ending up losing it 2-1 2) BrooksBall starting an arguement needlessly with someone who was previously fairly civil towards him 3) Our pitching still sucking and us giving up at least one massive inning in most games 4) Ausmus continuing to be not very good Looks like I didn't miss much at all then actually. Same as every series
You are just part of the bandwagon of weaklings. It's so much easier to join a crowd than stand up for your point. I remained civil throughout the debate. He was the one that resorted to name-calling and childish banter exactly like you did the other day. I'm proud to be on the opposite side of the table as very, very weak-minded people like you two.
Actually his argument is pretty much right. Age is the reason Loretta is not a starter. He has always been a decent hitter for an infielder.
Another thing that annoys me about you is that you endlessly edit your posts after people have already replied to them. Is this a deliberate attempt to make their comments look silly and out of context or are you just a complete muppet as we all suspect?
It's my right to correct my posts and 99% of the time it's to correct spelling. Not even ONCE has it been to change context after somebody else replies... not even ONCE have I done that. The question is why does it REALLY bother you? I know why but do you?
Never said it wasn't your right, said it annoys me and asked you why you do it all the time after people have already replied. Anyway, I'm not getting drawn into another arguement with you. You're a troll and a petty one at that.
no. age isn't the primary reason he cited as him not being a starter (and it isnt anyway). his, to paraprhase: "below mediocre defense in spite of him being a great hitter" is his reason.
Thank you. So far, that is one person that agrees with my POINT. I have not seen one person that agrees with cardpile's point about Loretta. Let's leave the personal crap out. I'd like to hear from more people as to why they think Loretta isn't an everday player.
Chalk another name-calling instance up for the babies. Again, I most often edit my posts because of typos and have never once done it to twist an argument. I don't do it to annoy you. If it bothers you, tough. It's one of the functions you get access to on this forum. Feel free to use it. It's called "edit" for a reason.
That is his original response to your post and it is pretty much spot on. You cited his below average hitting as the reason for him being a bench player. Which of course is not true.
By the way, here are Loretta's career stats: http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/players/playerpage/7830 I hope it doesn't bother you that I'm using the hyperlink feature. He is a career .297 hitter with a .362 OBP. He has also remained consistent throughout his career, including this season and the last. Other than his lack of power, something he's never had, those are OUTSTANDING numbers. He is and, always has been, a GREAT hitter. He is not even just good and this is the main reason he still commands a few mill per year despite his age. His versatility is definitely a factor, too, which I stated first in this discussion, but it is his HITTING that is the biggest factor. Nobody has agreed with pile yet. I'd still love to hear from others about Loretta.
