comes to mind.
We had a plan for a very solid future. When was it decided to throw it out the window and why?
Who in the world is making these horrid player moves and signings?

I can go on, but when Randy had to go visit his college coach to help fix his pitching issues, that pretty much sums up just how inept our staff is. No wonder the kids are struggling so mightily.

to Scherzer getting any kind of dishonorable mention. At least he kept this team in the game, which is more than I can say about 2 “aces” and a Hall of Famer for the past 2 and a half weeks.

Nice job, Max. I look forward to your next start.

or could nobody else access the Snakepit for hours upon hours today?

Also — JON RAUCH!?? YOU BRING IN JON FREAKING RAUCH IN A TIE GAME, BOMEL!!? HAVE WE LEARNED NOTHING!!????

why did we get Jon Rauch, and what can be done about him?

But the Sidewinders’ season is over! Am I going to be sent to start Gameday Threads for Fall League games?

Again, sorry about that. Assuming that the game started in the evening, mrskishi and I took the opportunity to go catch an early movie, and then I’d be home in plenty of time to do a few things around the house and start up the thread.

At least Scherzer put up some good pitches today. Too bad we couldn’t do much more to help him out.

The team’s struggles after the end of April are not an issue of character: it’s an issue of suckage.

Agreed. Rather than the obvious 7th inning miscues, today’s most intrinsic example of that suckage may’ve been the mirror sequence in the 1st inning, when each team managed second and third with one out – LA scoring twice on Loney’s broken bat bleeder while we got nada, after consecutive Young and Reynolds outs. No surprise, but if one jumped to the conclusion that CY and/or Mark struck out, or swung at bad pitches to help Kershaw out of the jam, one would be wrong.

 With the bases jammed (after a CoJack walk), Kershaw threw CY an early breaking ball, but once the count got deep, he pumped fastball after fastball down Broadway, at least five or six of em – Chris appeared “on” each one – but he couldnt do a damn thing with any of em. He fouled each one off, finally popping out. It was really a pretty good at bat in terms of approach. He just couldnt hit the fastball to save his life. Kershaw was wild all day, and quickly got behind Reynolds 2-0 with a pair of 98 mph fastballs. Martin came out to the mound. Kershaw immediately downgraded to 93-94 mph fastballs down the middle – and Reynolds could do nothing with them, eventually grounding weakly to third.

Why do I recount such detail? To suggest that our inherent offensive failure isnt one of day to day “approach”, or preparation or motivation. Young and Reynolds looked as focused as they can be, certainly no less focused than Loney to my eyes. Loney might be a little better hitter, but more than that, he’s a different kind of hitter – and always has been. More contact, more apt to get the ball out of the infield and keep a rally alive. The Dodgers, and most MLB teams, simply have more hitters like that sprinkled through the order. I dont want to rag on CY and Mark as if Kershaw’s 94 is chopped liver, but Loney poked his cheesy bleeder against Scherzer, who was at least the equal of Kershaw today.

Surely a propensity to strike out doesnt preclude individual offensive excellence, but I wonder if a lineup full of power or bust hitters doesnt lend itself to it’s own brand of exploitation, especially against superior pitching or in tight ballgames. It sure feels like it this year, in this series and in today’s game. If Josh Byrnes isnt second guessing the strategic construction of his real game offense, I’m sure that’s OK by the Dodgers – whose staff just de-constructed it for him – in three all too real games.

Aside from all that, today’s game differed from most of our recent freefall in that our starter genuinely outpitched his opposite, making this the first game in a while that, given Max’s advantage, I felt we really SHOULD have won. But we still didnt because of, yes, errors and Rauch, but I think more than anything, an inability to fully exploit a very vulnerable starter. And that’s a structural problem that’s been there for at least two years, imo. Our pitching woes, which have seen one of MLB’s best rotations become one of its worst almost overnight, is, while incredibly maddening, less of a structural problem.

but I’m not giving up yet.

Sadly that’s about the only bright thing about it :(

I can’t help but relate this to Reading’s relegation which ironically occured just as our April form began to disintegrate.

Reading had a football team that had massively overachieved in its first season in the premiership, bursting with young talent they finished 8th ahead of much bigger fish and went into their 2nd season optimistic of more. With the season of success before the club decided not to invest, keeping faith with these same players. Subsequently, after an opening day draw away at Champions Manchester United and early victory at home to Everton the fans looked to another season of joy. However slowly but surely the away losses began to wrack up and those players who had only been predicted to get better were soon found out at the 2nd time of asking. As the rut set in it became almost impossible to get out and even when seemingly clear with 2 months to go a lack of form alongside a sudden ressurgance of another lower team ultimately led to relegation and failure.

My point I suppose is that I largely agree with Unnamed’ the emperor does no longer have his clothes on and I think for the first time he sees it. Whilst talent has a lot to do with the success/failures of a team I think that the front office can be accredited for a large chunk of the failure that this team seems destined to head towards. The complete faith they had in the young players to get better not only shows a lack of foresight into if these guys actually had the consistant skills to suceed in the short term (see Yankess: New York) or the long term talent to be worth such patience.

This complete faith not only set us up for a fall if the aforementioned proved true but also gave the players far too much security (see sale of Player: The or Contract extension, Young: Chris) Basically these guys knew the job was theirs and I can’t beleive it helps in terms of motivation.

The Dunn and Eckstein aquisitions have come too late and whilst the Byrnes and Hudson injuries can’t be helped, the over reliance on those guys going into the season was an accident waiting to happen. Still i’d be a hypocrite for slagging them off too much as I was waving the flag whilst those same guys led us to the Division last year and I too genuinley believed they would get better, but its much better to go into a season with guys who have proved it over 4-5 years rather then on ‘potential’ or on minor league stats.

I don’t know why I’m writing this, I guess it’s just sheer frustration :( I just feel bad for some players who I do see giving it everything they have, but maybe they just don’t have ‘it’ and also to the fans who have been built up this year only to suffer this damp squib at the end. I almost wish LA or the Padres had just romped this division, then going into the last 3 weeks still over .500 with a young team like this might not seem quite so lame :(

This season certainly isn’t over yet based on the standings but the complete breakdown of form in the last 2 weeks and the soul destroying way our big 3 have fallen apart means that knowing where our next win is comming from (yet alone finding 2 extra wins over LA) seems an impossible thing to pinpoint.

Anyway, rant over and im resuming the slumping position

(oh and can somebody open up the Bisons thread, I have more depressing rants to write :( )

Cardinals won, but another losing season awaits.
The Coyotes will be preparing for another disastrous NHL season in October.
The Suns will try (?) to win the Finals with Shaq in October.
McCain will be elected president in November.
Arizona and ASU will be destroyed by USC.
Gila River Resort/Casino/Whatever (sponsors of the ‘08 D-backs) possibly will be sponsoring the Coyotes right now…
I’m disappointed.