Borb Brenly is the Truth.

[Tinker to Evers to Chance]

He must have had the wrong pitcher or pinch-hitter or something. Either way he was not teh truth vis-a-vis Graeme Lloyd, was he? But who among us ever is?

The game occurred May 2, 2001, so it was exactly this time of year. Lloyd came in to face the left-handed Grace. So Brenly's memory as to why he did what he did is off, but the anecdote checks out.

Yeah, except he said the statistics say that "Colby" is really good against "this guy".  There's a chance he meant in general, righty-vs-lefty statistics, but it definitely sounded like he was citing specific numbers on that matchup.

Intrepid Reader: Borb Brenly


Fuckin' internet.  It was just a goddamn story. 

I like the cut of your jib.

[Yeti]

Not only do kids need to stay off Huey's lawn, but they need to beware of Borb Brenly's

(Thankfully this is from one of his minions, who's not a ruhtard..)

Now I like Bob, but he is prone to "Old Ballplayers" disease from time to time. Tonight he was (justifiably) complaining about the fundamental mistakes made by Starlin Castro and Hanley Ramirez, but then he said something stupid. He said "It used to be that you were expected to play at least 500 games in the minors [before getting called up to the majors] to learn the fundamentals" or words very close to that. I was eating dinner at the time so I didn't write down the exact words, but that's what he said.

Besides the fact that Hanley Ramirez actually played 400 games in the minors, it's complete nonsense. That has never been the case.

Bob didn't give a time frame for this "old baseball rule," but I think from context it's pretty clear the era that Brenly was speaking of. It was the 1970s and 1980s, when ballplayers were men who played the game right and waited their turn to take the field.  It also just happened to be the era that Bob himself toiled in the minor leagues.

Sure enough, Mr. Brenly played almost 600 games in the minor leagues before he got the call.

His teammate on the Giants, "Hackman" Jeffrey Leonard, played over 500 games in the minors before getting the call and over 700 before he finally stuck. Of course, Leonard was also an undrafted free agent, and he was also still 17 when he started in the minors. His fellow rookie on the '82 Giants, Chili Davis, played 450 games in the minors. So not quite 500,  but still a lot.

But while Brenly, Leonard and Davis all turned themselves into good players, Bob isn't talking about ordinary players. One of the players he's talking about is Hanley Ramirez, who's probably the second-best player in the National League. The other is Starlin Castro, whom we have no idea how he's going to turn out, but is certainly considered a much better player in the minors than Brenly, Leonard or Davis were.

Look at any of the big stars of the 1980s, and you'll see that most of them played far fewer than 500 games in the minors. Dale Murphy played 434. Darryl Strawberry played 312. Mike Schmidt played 205. Fred Lynn played 174. Ricky Henderson played 252. Robin Yount played 64 games. So did Paul Molitor. Ozzie Smith played 68 games.

Even a guy like Ted Simmons played only 333 games in the minors. Andy Van Slyke played 395.

Dave WInfield and Bob Horner played zero games in the minor leagues. Remember that, Bob?

That's no reason for Bob Brenly to go off on him and Ramirez for not knowing the fundamentals like he did back in the day. We're all frustrated. Bob's frustrated. But in case Bob forgot, he spent over 600 games in the minors and that didn't stop him from making four errors in one inning which is a major league record. (OK, he was playing out of position.)

Like most of you, I like Brenly. I enjoyed his verbal stripdown of Ryan Braun last year. He's a decent color guy and generally fun to listen to, but he does have some MEATHEAD in him that filters out like it did last night.

[MAD]

I watched about 3 innings of the game last night and heard that comment and called BULLSHIT in my mind.  I'm glad this guy did the heavy lifting.  I also like Bob, but as soon as he made that "500 minor league games" comment I thought back to guys like Dimaggio and Ted Williams.  I highly doubt either of those guys played 500 minor league games.  The hell's he talking about?

[Quality Start Machine]

I watched about 3 innings of the game last night and heard that comment and called BULLSHIT in my mind.  I'm glad this guy did the heavy lifting.  I also like Bob, but as soon as he made that "500 minor league games" comment I thought back to guys like Dimaggio and Ted Williams.  I highly doubt either of those guys played 500 minor league games.  The hell's he talking about?

328 for Teddy Ballgame (age 17-19)
463 for the Yankee Clipper (age 17-20)

[MAD]

I watched about 3 innings of the game last night and heard that comment and called BULLSHIT in my mind.  I'm glad this guy did the heavy lifting.  I also like Bob, but as soon as he made that "500 minor league games" comment I thought back to guys like Dimaggio and Ted Williams.  I highly doubt either of those guys played 500 minor league games.  The hell's he talking about?

328 for Teddy Ballgame (age 17-19)
463 for the Yankee Clipper (age 17-20)

It's more than I would of guessed, but it's still short of 500.

[Quality Start Machine]

I watched about 3 innings of the game last night and heard that comment and called BULLSHIT in my mind.  I'm glad this guy did the heavy lifting.  I also like Bob, but as soon as he made that "500 minor league games" comment I thought back to guys like Dimaggio and Ted Williams.  I highly doubt either of those guys played 500 minor league games.  The hell's he talking about?

328 for Teddy Ballgame (age 17-19)
463 for the Yankee Clipper (age 17-20)

It's more than I would of guessed, but it's still short of 500.

Also take into account they were owned by independent minor league teams, and the teams were holding out for the highest bid. Today they would of been drafted, and there's no way they would have let Dimaggio or Williams spend 3 years in the sticks hitting .360.

[Tinker to Evers to Chance]

OK, so he wasn't the truth there.

But the cleansing fire of Borbs anger was the only reason to watch this team last year and it is quickly becoming the only reason to watch this team this year.

I can put up with the occasional meatball line as long as he continues calling the players out for being the goddam gutless fucking assholes they are.

[Simmer]

I didn't see the game or hear the comment, but I think Bob was making a valid point, that the kid gloves are off and Castro is now open to fair-minded scrutiny.  If you can't criticize a rookie for making errors, what can you do?  This is less about the trees/Castro's errors and more about the forest/Castro's future (or some other ghey analogy, gheynalogy as they're sometimes called).

I agree that "500 games in the minors" is arbitrary at best, but who ever said Starlin was Teddy B. Game?  It just seems like a comment that would rile up some basement-dwelling faptards, but not us red blooded men. 

[Oleg]

I didn't see the game or hear the comment, but I think Bob was making a valid point, that the kid gloves are off and Castro is now open to fair-minded scrutiny.  If you can't criticize a rookie for making errors, what can you do?  This is less about the trees/Castro's errors and more about the forest/Castro's future (or some other ghey analogy, gheynalogy as they're sometimes called).

I agree that "500 games in the minors" is arbitrary at best, but who ever said Starlin was Teddy B. Game?  It just seems like a comment that would rile up some basement-dwelling faptards, but not us red blooded men. 

Yes, but one can easily make this point without using some convoluted assumption that is clearly untrue.  And, if you can't call out an announcer for a momentary loss of lucidity, what can you call him out for?

[Bort]

I didn't see the game or hear the comment, but I think Bob was making a valid point, that the kid gloves are off and Castro is now open to fair-minded scrutiny.  If you can't criticize a rookie for making errors, what can you do?  This is less about the trees/Castro's errors and more about the forest/Castro's future (or some other ghey analogy, gheynalogy as they're sometimes called).

I agree that "500 games in the minors" is arbitrary at best, but who ever said Starlin was Teddy B. Game?  It just seems like a comment that would rile up some basement-dwelling faptards, but not us red blooded men. 

Yes, but one can easily make this point without using some convoluted assumption that is clearly untrue.  And, if you can't call out an announcer for a momentary loss of lucidity, what can you call him out for?

His moustache, circa 1985?

[Simmer]

I didn't see the game or hear the comment, but I think Bob was making a valid point, that the kid gloves are off and Castro is now open to fair-minded scrutiny.  If you can't criticize a rookie for making errors, what can you do?  This is less about the trees/Castro's errors and more about the forest/Castro's future (or some other ghey analogy, gheynalogy as they're sometimes called).

I agree that "500 games in the minors" is arbitrary at best, but who ever said Starlin was Teddy B. Game?  It just seems like a comment that would rile up some basement-dwelling faptards, but not us red blooded men. 

Yes, but one can easily make this point without using some convoluted assumption that is clearly untrue.  And, if you can't call out an announcer for a momentary loss of lucidity, what can you call him out for?

I agree as mentioned.  As for your question, that is best answered in the form of Chip Caray and/or Kent Mercker.  Only a bullpen phone stands between us and the truth!

[Dr. Nguyen Van Falk]

Like most of you, I like Brenly. I enjoyed his verbal stripdown of Ryan Braun last year. He's a decent color guy and generally fun to listen to, but he does have some MEATHEAD in him that filters out like it did last night.

Bob is like everyone's favorite uncle. His jokes and stories are as cheesy as they are predictable. And, yeah, he sometimes says just plain dumb shit. But it's all good, because he's just your favorite goofball uncle.

You just fetch him another beer and listen to the story about that time he wore blue shoes again. And you sure as hell don't fact check him.

[thehawk]

I didn't see the game or hear the comment, but I think Bob was making a valid point, that the kid gloves are off and Castro is now open to fair-minded scrutiny.  If you can't criticize a rookie for making errors, what can you do?  This is less about the trees/Castro's errors and more about the forest/Castro's future (or some other ghey analogy, gheynalogy as they're sometimes called).

I agree that "500 games in the minors" is arbitrary at best, but who ever said Starlin was Teddy B. Game?  It just seems like a comment that would rile up some basement-dwelling faptards, but not us red blooded men. 

Yes, but one can easily make this point without using some convoluted assumption that is clearly untrue.  And, if you can't call out an announcer for a momentary loss of lucidity, what can you call him out for?

His moustache, circa 1985?

Maybe Borb should anounce Hockee

[Slaky]

Like most of you, I like Brenly. I enjoyed his verbal stripdown of Ryan Braun last year. He's a decent color guy and generally fun to listen to, but he does have some MEATHEAD in him that filters out like it did last night.

Bob is like everyone's favorite uncle. His jokes and stories are as cheesy as they are predictable. And, yeah, he sometimes says just plain dumb shit. But it's all good, because he's just your favorite goofball uncle.

You just fetch him another beer and listen to the story about that time he wore blue shoes again. And you sure as hell don't fact check him.

Maybe you're being meta-post-ironic but if you're not I totally agree. I love Borb and can put up with anything dumb he might say. I'm going to get more upset about shitty baseball than the guy who agrees with me that I'm watching shitty baseball.

But if you are being meta-post-ironic, then, yeah. I totally got it.

[Bort]

Like most of you, I like Brenly. I enjoyed his verbal stripdown of Ryan Braun last year. He's a decent color guy and generally fun to listen to, but he does have some MEATHEAD in him that filters out like it did last night.

Bob is like everyone's favorite uncle. His jokes and stories are as cheesy as they are predictable. And, yeah, he sometimes says just plain dumb shit. But it's all good, because he's just your favorite goofball uncle.

You just fetch him another beer and listen to the story about that time he wore blue shoes again. And you sure as hell don't fact check him.

Maybe you're being meta-post-ironic but if you're not I totally agree. I love Borb and can put up with anything dumb he might say. I'm going to get more upset about shitty baseball than the guy who agrees with me that I'm watching shitty baseball.

But if you are being meta-post-ironic, then, yeah. I totally got it.

I agree with whatever everyone is saying here, even if I don't.