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Old 04-27-2008, 09:35 PM   #146 (permalink)
1998 Yankees
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Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Yankee Stadium
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Quote:
Originally Posted by yankeesrule View Post
Sign Mike Piazza!!!, then we can have 2 catchers that cant throw
I'd rather find a big fat guy, cushion him up plenty, and let him stop baseballs back there with his body. Of course, singles would instantly become triples due to lack of catcher mobility but the pitcher could always run with the ball toward the plate if they tried to steal home.

EDIT: Let me expand on this, because I have come up with something that has piqued my own interest. OK, you say, if this big fat guy does not throw, why do we need him at all if runners are going to move up immediately? Well, we do need something to stop the baseballs from going to the backstop, as that might annoy the umpire enough to award the win to our opponents due to massive delays of game. Who throws the stopped balls back to the pitcher, you ask? Why, nobody. The pitcher runs back and forth, retrieving his own pitches.

What is the key to this strategy? Plate blockage. You see, this guy would be trained to lay across the plate when a runner approaches, covering it and preventing the runner from scoring. While the runner dances around, trying to figure out how to move this bulk, the defense has more than enough time to retrieve the ball, even from the outfield stands if necessary, and run it back home for the tag out. Brilliant, eh?

Speaking of brilliant: Chien-Ming Wang so far. 5-0.
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The 1998 Yankees are considered to be among the The Best Major League Baseball Teams Ever From 1902-2005 by Baseball Almanac. They were 68-20 at home that year (including playoffs and World Series) in the original Yankee Stadium (1923-2008), "Where Players Became Legends."

Last edited by 1998 Yankees : 04-27-2008 at 09:50 PM.
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