Damn Santana...

[pomplona's finest]

LBJ, what was your basis for saying Loaiza would have a good year?

I thought most agreed that last year was an abberration even before the season began.

[LBJackal]

I don't want to get into it since there have been multiple threads about it.........

but basically, he was a new pitcher last year. He learned the cutter and splitter, and was fairly consistent over the length of the season. Obviously I thought he'd decline, but not as much as he has so far....... I think I predicted an ERA in the high 3's, but that doesn't seem very likely

[TheRawDAWG]

I remember ZIG's post of predictions.....I found it extremely funny at the time and find it more so now. I believe he said Santana, Schmidt, Chavez and Soriano were all going to be worth less than where they would get drafted (I'm using nicer language). In my eyes Santana and Schmidt are the favourites for the Cy Young awards, while Chavez has torn up the league and would be near the top in numerous categories had he not been out 6 weeks with an injury. Of course, Soriano isn't having his best year but he's still the best 2nd bagger by far and not hitting near the .260 I believe someone expected of him.

All that seems accurate........... except Soriano being the #1 2B. Look no further than his MI partner Michael Young for somebody whose been better. Mark Loretta is pretty close to Soriano's production, too. Other than that 2B's have been a bust this year.

And I think we should leave ZIG alone now....... he might not feel welcome back, which IMO he is. If somebody's wrong about something they shouldn't feel unwelcome. If at the end of the year Loaiza has a high 4's ERA, I won't vanish from the face of the earth, even though some people might not have a problem with that

If anything, he's a better person for it, since he's learned if you make bold predictions like that you might get burned. Like I will with Loaiza, despite my fairly accurate predictions for Nathan (compared him to Gagne before the season), Zito (said he'd suck - so did everybody else though), Ensberg (said he stinks, Lamb was better and should be the starter), Rhodes (said he'd be bust of the year and was not a top reliever), among others. People only remember the bad so don't take it to heart when they rip you for it.

If anybody ever notices my comment on Ben Sheets in the 2004 predictions forum I might be lynched

But Young plays ss this year. I know he's still 2nd base eligible at 2nd cause of last year but I was just comparing him to other 2nd baggers from this year.

As for ZIG, I don't have any problem with him except for the fact he didn't stay around to get burned. Coming out with the predictions and then standing up to face the music is gutless. I'm sure he'd still be here saying how great he is if these guys all fell on their face.

[CubsFan7724]

My theory is that Johan read all the ZiG predictions, waited until he got really hot, then murdered Zito is God in his sleep. He then dumped the body in the harbor. Maybe Zito is God changed his name, I think that may be a possibility too.

[Mustangs989]

My theory is that Johan read all the ZiG predictions, waited until he got really hot, then murdered Zito is God in his sleep. He then dumped the body in the harbor. Maybe Zito is God changed his name, I think that may be a possibility too.

I think ZIG became Rico the Retard

[pomplona's finest]

When I looked up his name the first topics that came up where short responses in the general talk forum to retard's thread.

[Mustangs989]

Actually I'm sure Menyak could look up ZIG's IP and see if there's anyone else who posts with the same IP address.

[G-Man]

here is how good our boy has been (from a jayson stark column):

Santana has ripped off 10 straight starts of four hits or fewer and no more than two earned runs (in 6 IP-plus). And no other pitcher in the expansion era (1961-present) has had a streak that long of starts like that. The previous longest streaks, according to the Elias Sports Bureau:

1989 Mike Moore, A's, 8
2002 Andy Benes, Cardinals 7
1994 David West, Phillies 7
1973 Bill Parsons, Brewers 7

[AKhomebrewer]

Is it just me or does it seem Zito is God has fallen off of the cafe planet since Johan's great two months?

Further proof of my theory!!!!

That is freakin' hysterical!

Let me add a corollary: The instant Santana ever allows more than 3 runs and strikes out less than 10, or gets hurt, ZIG will instantaneously reappear in the cafe, posting triumphant I told you so's in every Santana thread from the past 3 months.

Another corollary to Tavish's ZIG/Jeter principle: Whenever a new SP callup gets off to a hot start, any post plugging him as a must-pickup will immediately be bombarded by Matt Riley references (see Lowry, Noah, currently at 2 pages and counting in Fantasy Baseball Talk).

[rockpilefan]

Go easy on the vanishing Houdini. Something could have happened to him.