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Izzy Pop Playing SOTH BALL

Izzy_medium

Friday night's game against the Dodgers may appear on the surface to have been giftwrapped by Joe Torre and served to us on a silver platter by the Dodger players, but it was a textbook illustration of Soth Ball that Mike "The Soth" Scioscia has tailored an aggressive, pressuring basepath battle that is the death by a thousand cuts to many a baseball team's defense.

The Angels have been a bit flat of late and the absence of Chone Figgins has been no coincidence. In the ten games leading up to his injury, Figgy reached base at least once in every game. The Angels went 6-4. Without Figgins they were 5-6 with a flat offense before tonight's game.

Soth Ball demands a feisty leadoff hitter to create havoc and take advantage of the mildest miscue. Tonight, Maicer Izturis (himself a Disabled List resident until just recently) aptly illustrated how Soth Ball works - even when the sluggers are not slugging, getting on base, going first to third, throwing a Jedi-Mind-Trick on weak-minded sinkerball pitchers to aim below their catcher's crotch and hit the backstop - find the weakness, exploit the weakness, don't wait for a 3-run-homer, be the 3-Base-Headache and destroy that fundamental confidence in their own abilities.

The leadoff man doesn't just set the Soth Ball table, he runs around the dinner party drinking out of anyone's glass, using the wrong fork, licking the butterknife and beating the throw to the catcher on a weak grounder to a drawn-in infield. As a leadoff hitter, Figgy is integral to Soth Ball. Izzy showed he can get Figgy with it, as has Reggie Willits. Quite the opposite of the "Wait for the 3-Run Homer" approach, Soth Ball is NOT the proverbial "National League" offense that it is accused of being. Soth Ball goes beyond the nuances of productive outs and heads-up baserunning. At its finest, Soth Ball is a mind-f**k of an approach to offense. Maddening, disruptive and statistically unquantifiable, sliding hard into a catcher’s scrotum as he juggles the throw is the epitome of Soth Ball. Welcome back, Izzy Pop, thanks for playing hard. Thanks for playing Soth Ball.

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Taking chances and throwing the dice with aggressive base running

is one of the most fun things to watch about this team. That’s really why we like Figgins, Willits and Izturis so much.

It’s funny Rev, Rex Hudler summarized the game this same way about Soth’s agressive style of play in the post-game show but not nearly as eloquently or entertaining as you did here. Thanks for the great post game wrap/rap.

Scioscia, "Roll the hole!"

by 44FAN on May 16, 2008 11:22 PM PDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I laughed so hard...

when I saw that picture of Izzy.

by docescobar07 on May 17, 2008 5:53 AM PDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

More Soth Ball

It’s not just on offense, either. Rory et al. were talking last night about the play where he got Andruw Jones called out (correctly). Soth ball requires that players be focused and thinking about the game, making the so-called “heads-up” play. Napoli was standing on first, ready to make the play if Kotchman couldn’t apply the take. Being aware of what’s going on and emphasizing the fundamentals of all facets of the game is Soth Ball.

Why didn’t the Soth get kicked out after the foul ball argument? Probably because he actually convinced the ump he got it wrong; there was just no way to reverse the call at that point.

by jjackflash on May 17, 2008 9:07 AM PDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Notice how

Sosh was very carefully holding his hands behind his back during that… ummm… discussion?

Angels fan since '67

by red floyd on May 17, 2008 11:33 AM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

The 11th Commandment...

“Thou shalt not take Scioscia’s name in vain…”

He is not a tree sloth; not a sloshy drunk; not a member of the White Soxh.

Let us always address him by his FULL last name: S – C – I – O – S – C – I – A.

Peace. Out.

"At some point, a veteran player will more often than not find his stroke. You just have to show them a little bit of patience."

by Downing Rules on May 20, 2008 2:17 PM PDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

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