Normally I'd never agree with anything that comes out of the mouth of a member of the White Sox but, in this instance, LHP Mark Buehrle speaks for me.
Mark, I couldn't have said it any better myself.
Showing posts with label MLB. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MLB. Show all posts
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
The Colonel's Back!!!!/So are the Redlegs
Back from the front lines of dealing with kids texting in class which was a worse nuisance than the tiger traps in the bush, I feel like writing a blog entry.
Finally the youth of the Cincinnati Redlegs are making a run at possibly making the playoffs for the first time since Davey Johnson brought them to the NLCS in 1995.
Johnny Gomes, Joey Votto, Johnny Cueto, The Thirteenth Earl of Jay Bruce, the return of Edinson Volquez, Mike Leake and Travis Wood all probably combine for about 3.5 million dollars total but they have totally transformed this team around to being a offensive juggernaut. With the return of Volquez who is pitching faster after his Tommy John surgery, they have two pitchers in Cueto and Volquez that can keep them going through October.
Lets not forget that Joey Votto is having an MVP year, that could be the first time a 1B not named Pujols has won it for the past couple of years. Right now, the man from the Great White North is ranked first in SLG (.580), 3rd in BB (with 20 less IBBs than Pujols), 1st in HR (23), 1st in OPS (.995) and 1st in OBP (.415). This makes him a definite candidate for the MVP. My guess is the 1B who takes his team to the NL Central title will be the one that wins the MVP in the NL.
We can't forget the unbelievable turnaround of the 40 year old set up man in Cincy, Arthur Rhodes. He has found the fountain of youth and has a 1.46 ERA with a 0.92 WHIP this year and 16 holds. Plus there is this guy named Chapman who last I heard threw a 102 MPH fastball that is playing for the Louisville Bats that might help join the bullpen. (My hope is that they keep him in AAA and use him as starter next year)
Of course a main question for the Reds is whether the young arms will fall off. The Reds do have Dusty Baker as their manager. But with the easiest schedule in all of the Major League over the next couple of months, it looks like the Reds will be a contender come October. Too bad I didn't use Mighty's money when I was in Vegas and beat on them to win.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Knowledge Is The Key To Enlightenment (Or, Don’t Make Accusations Before You Are Armed With Facts)
There is racism in America. It exists in implicit and explicit forms and it is pervasive across all regions of the country as well as the broad socioeconomic spectrum. There has also been a great deal of progress in combating racism through both legal measures and attitudinal changes. Progress is being made, even if the goal of a color blind society has not yet been achieved.
But I so tire of hearing athletes talk of racism and then offer flimsy examples to support their claims. Most recently, this rubbish came from the mouth of Minnesota Twins second baseman Orlando Hudson. To support the theory that African-American baseball players are the victims of racism in Major League Baseball, Hudson cited the continued unemployment of Jermaine Dye and Gary Sheffield, now a full week into the 2010 season.
While it would be impossible to argue that baseball doesn’t have a racist past –– after all, April 15th commemorates the 63rd anniversary of the day when Jackie Robinson ended baseball’s 71-year segregated history –– it is simply no longer the case. Baseball is now a meritocracy where teams are most interested in paying enormous sums of money to the most qualified individuals in order to turn a sport into a profit-making endeavor. Why would financially-motivated owners deprive themselves of earning every last penny by hiring substandard talent that wouldn’t help teams win or draw paying customers to watch?
Gary Sheffield may be a unique case. Baseball has certainly blackballed its own outspoken members before and Sheffield is certainly outspoken (to put it mildly). But even in ostracism, baseball has been an equal-opportunity offender, as pitcher-turned-author Jim Bouton can attest.
Perhaps, then, Hudson should be asked to look at the players he uses as his case study. In case he hadn’t noticed, MLB general managers have become far more judicious in their allocation of resources and baseball has seen a trend of teams going younger, cheaper and more athletic whenever possible. In other words, the days of simply signing veteran hitters to multi-million dollar contracts are over. Furthermore, as defensive metrics become more and more commonly-accepted around baseball, teams are valuing a player’s defensive capabilities in the overall equation. There will always be 14 openings in the American League for designated hitters but, even there, teams are opting to either go with a primary DH for his slugging capabilities or using that spot in the lineup to cycle players in order to give everyone a day off from fielding duty.
So, then, let’s examine the most recent statistical data on Sheffield and Dye. Using traditional metrics (AVG/OBP/SLG), sabermetrics (OPS+/wOBA/WAR) and defensive metrics (UZR/150), I will attempt to illustrate why Hudson’s point is entirely without merit.
Gary Sheffield (2007-2009):
Traditional: .253/.358/.437
Saber: 108/.351/1.1
Defense: inconclusive*
Jermaine Dye (2007-2009):
Traditional: .267/.334/.496
Saber: 112/.354/0.33
Defense: -22.46
Since the decision to offer contracts to players ultimately come down to finances, one must look at how a player’s output directly correlates to wins. Thus, according to WAR, Sheffield was worth only one win above a replacement player over the previous three seasons, and was worth only half a win over a replacement player over 2008-2009. In other words, for the money it would cost to pay Sheffield (let’s assume he would accept no less than twice the MLB minimum salary of $400,000, or $800,000) a team would do just as well signing a player for the minimum salary and receiving exactly the minimum level of output.
For Dye, the situation is even direr. Over a three-year period, Dye was worth only one-third of a win and, in fact, was worth less than a win in 2007 and 2009. Despite his offensive output –– slightly better than league average, according to wOBA and OPS+ –– his defensive decline was so steep that it actually cut into his offensive value. As such, the Chicago White Sox would have actually been better off playing a replacement player over Dye given how Dye cut into the team’s win chances in those two seasons. It was reported that the Nationals, Cubs and Brewers were interested in signing Dye this offseason but that he balked at signing contracts worth less than $3M. Given this data, Dye should be lucky to even be offered the minimum salary, given how he brings absolutely nothing to the table.
Racism exists in all walks of life and it might even exist in baseball’s front offices. But on the playing field, I just don’t see it. It would behoove Orlando Hudson and other players who share his opinion to educate themselves on baseball statistics because these tools play a determining factor in how much they are entitled to earn.
*The three-year defensive data for Sheffield is inconclusive because Sheffield was a DH for 2007 and 2008 and thus did not log enough innings in the field for data to be reliable. For 2009, Sheffield played 502 defensive innings and registered -31.0, third-worst in baseball among all players that played at least 500 defensive innings in the outfield. Incidentally, Dye was eighth-worst among all outfielders that played at least 500 defensive innings in 2009 and fourth-worst among all outfielders that played at least 1100 defensive innings in 2007 and 2008.
But I so tire of hearing athletes talk of racism and then offer flimsy examples to support their claims. Most recently, this rubbish came from the mouth of Minnesota Twins second baseman Orlando Hudson. To support the theory that African-American baseball players are the victims of racism in Major League Baseball, Hudson cited the continued unemployment of Jermaine Dye and Gary Sheffield, now a full week into the 2010 season.
While it would be impossible to argue that baseball doesn’t have a racist past –– after all, April 15th commemorates the 63rd anniversary of the day when Jackie Robinson ended baseball’s 71-year segregated history –– it is simply no longer the case. Baseball is now a meritocracy where teams are most interested in paying enormous sums of money to the most qualified individuals in order to turn a sport into a profit-making endeavor. Why would financially-motivated owners deprive themselves of earning every last penny by hiring substandard talent that wouldn’t help teams win or draw paying customers to watch?
Gary Sheffield may be a unique case. Baseball has certainly blackballed its own outspoken members before and Sheffield is certainly outspoken (to put it mildly). But even in ostracism, baseball has been an equal-opportunity offender, as pitcher-turned-author Jim Bouton can attest.
Perhaps, then, Hudson should be asked to look at the players he uses as his case study. In case he hadn’t noticed, MLB general managers have become far more judicious in their allocation of resources and baseball has seen a trend of teams going younger, cheaper and more athletic whenever possible. In other words, the days of simply signing veteran hitters to multi-million dollar contracts are over. Furthermore, as defensive metrics become more and more commonly-accepted around baseball, teams are valuing a player’s defensive capabilities in the overall equation. There will always be 14 openings in the American League for designated hitters but, even there, teams are opting to either go with a primary DH for his slugging capabilities or using that spot in the lineup to cycle players in order to give everyone a day off from fielding duty.
So, then, let’s examine the most recent statistical data on Sheffield and Dye. Using traditional metrics (AVG/OBP/SLG), sabermetrics (OPS+/wOBA/WAR) and defensive metrics (UZR/150), I will attempt to illustrate why Hudson’s point is entirely without merit.
Gary Sheffield (2007-2009):
Traditional: .253/.358/.437
Saber: 108/.351/1.1
Defense: inconclusive*
Jermaine Dye (2007-2009):
Traditional: .267/.334/.496
Saber: 112/.354/0.33
Defense: -22.46
Since the decision to offer contracts to players ultimately come down to finances, one must look at how a player’s output directly correlates to wins. Thus, according to WAR, Sheffield was worth only one win above a replacement player over the previous three seasons, and was worth only half a win over a replacement player over 2008-2009. In other words, for the money it would cost to pay Sheffield (let’s assume he would accept no less than twice the MLB minimum salary of $400,000, or $800,000) a team would do just as well signing a player for the minimum salary and receiving exactly the minimum level of output.
For Dye, the situation is even direr. Over a three-year period, Dye was worth only one-third of a win and, in fact, was worth less than a win in 2007 and 2009. Despite his offensive output –– slightly better than league average, according to wOBA and OPS+ –– his defensive decline was so steep that it actually cut into his offensive value. As such, the Chicago White Sox would have actually been better off playing a replacement player over Dye given how Dye cut into the team’s win chances in those two seasons. It was reported that the Nationals, Cubs and Brewers were interested in signing Dye this offseason but that he balked at signing contracts worth less than $3M. Given this data, Dye should be lucky to even be offered the minimum salary, given how he brings absolutely nothing to the table.
Racism exists in all walks of life and it might even exist in baseball’s front offices. But on the playing field, I just don’t see it. It would behoove Orlando Hudson and other players who share his opinion to educate themselves on baseball statistics because these tools play a determining factor in how much they are entitled to earn.
*The three-year defensive data for Sheffield is inconclusive because Sheffield was a DH for 2007 and 2008 and thus did not log enough innings in the field for data to be reliable. For 2009, Sheffield played 502 defensive innings and registered -31.0, third-worst in baseball among all players that played at least 500 defensive innings in the outfield. Incidentally, Dye was eighth-worst among all outfielders that played at least 500 defensive innings in 2009 and fourth-worst among all outfielders that played at least 1100 defensive innings in 2007 and 2008.
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
Dishing Out the 2009 Hardware: American League
As the American League Fellow of the Buck O’Neil Institute for Baseball Excellence, it is my distinct pleasure and honor to present the following analysis of the 2009 postseason awards for the Junior Circuit. Hitman, my colleague at the Institute, has already posted his picks for the NL here.
(One little note: The Trustees at the Buck O’Neil Institute for Baseball Excellence permit their Fellows to use various modes of analysis. In my case, I prefer to analyze things sabermetrically and, as such, I have picked my winners based on who I think should win based on the advanced metrics. I will add my actual “who will win” picks in the comments field).
Manager of the Year: Mike Scioscia, Los Angeles. There seems to be a groundswell of support for Scioscia’s candidacy, based in large part to the fact that he managed a team coping with the loss of pitcher Nick Adenhart, who was killed on April 9th in a drunken driving accident. Personally, I find the principle behind that line of reasoning to be specious at best but, abiding by the saying that instructs us to either say something nice or nothing at all, I will simply move on to who I think should win.
In a perfect, unsentimental world, the voting for the Manager of the Year Award would go to Ron Washington (Texas Rangers). I don’t believe anyone picked the Rangers to contend for a playoff spot in 2009, certainly not if you told them that last year’s feel good story Josh Hamilton would only play in 89 games and hit 10 homers a year after playing 156 games and hitting 32. The Rangers faded down the stretch and missed the playoffs for the 10th consecutive season but, thanks to the deepest farm system in the majors, the future finally looks a little bit brighter. Ron Washington led the team to eight more victories and the team’s best record since 2004. Runners-up: Joe Girardi, New York; Don Wakamatsu, Seattle.
Rookie of the Year: Andrew Bailey, Oakland. This was a very tough choice. Despite the fact that I find the save statistic to be utterly meaningless, I am not able to completely discount the fact that closers, in some cases, enter ballgames in high leverage situations and have a critical impact on the outcome of a baseball game. As a result, I’ve decided to give this award to Andrew Bailey, the terrific rookie closer for the A’s based on his impressive 2.33 WPA (Win Probability Added^). In context, only 13 other relievers had a higher WPA and of those 13, none scored as high as Bailey on the WPA/LI index which measures the win probability when divided by the leverage of a game situation. In other words, no relief pitcher in baseball was tested more than Bailey and no one scored higher. That’s impressive on its own merit and doubly impressive for a rookie.
Because the field of potential award-winners was so close, I created a quick-and-dirty test where I added each finalist’s WAR (explained directly below) and WPA and picked my winner according to the results. Bailey (4.73) scored considerably higher than the other deserving players. Toss in his conventional stats –– 6-3 record, 1.84 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 91 strikeouts, 26 saves/30 chances –– and there’s your winner. Runners-up: Brett Anderson, Oakland; Rick Porcello, Detroit; Elvis Andrus, Texas.
Cy Young Award: Zack Greinke, Kansas City. Using a stat called WAR (Wins Above Replacement*, and a logical successor to VORP (Value Over Replacement Player)), Zack Greinke was a 9.3 WAR player this year. Translation: Greinke contributed 9 pure wins to the Royals this year or, put another way, a 10-man staff of the ’09 version of Greinke would’ve contributed 90 wins to the team. Incredible! To further put this stat into context, you have to go back to 2004, when Randy Johnson posted a 9.9 WAR to find another pitcher that has posted a WAR above 7.7 (CC Sabathia, 2008). Simply put, a 9-win above replacement pitcher is practically unheard of given that starting pitchers only factor into roughly 20% of a team’s season. But if we must stick to conventional stats, Greinke’s 17 wins, 2.16 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 242 strikeouts and three shutouts ranked him third, first, first, second and second in the American League in those categories. Runners-up: Felix Hernandez, Seattle; CC Sabathia, New York.
Most Valuable Player: Joe Mauer, Minnesota. Sticking with WAR, Joe Mauer was an 8-win above replacement player. Playing 127 games primarily as a catcher –– acknowledged as the most difficult and physically taxing position in baseball –– any player that finishes second to only Albert Pujols in BRAR (Batting Runs Above Replacement) is the clear MVP of his league. Mauer also led the league in AVG (.364), OBP (.442), SLG (.586), OPS (1.027) and finished with 28 HR, 96 RBI and 94 R. The Twins might not have even been a .500 team without him and yet they’re playing for a playoff spot this afternoon. Runners-up: Mark Teixeira, New York; Ben Zobrist, Tampa; Kevin Youkilis, Boston.
^For an explanation of WPA and win probability metrics, click here.
*For an explanation of WAR and win-value metrics, click here.
(One little note: The Trustees at the Buck O’Neil Institute for Baseball Excellence permit their Fellows to use various modes of analysis. In my case, I prefer to analyze things sabermetrically and, as such, I have picked my winners based on who I think should win based on the advanced metrics. I will add my actual “who will win” picks in the comments field).
Manager of the Year: Mike Scioscia, Los Angeles. There seems to be a groundswell of support for Scioscia’s candidacy, based in large part to the fact that he managed a team coping with the loss of pitcher Nick Adenhart, who was killed on April 9th in a drunken driving accident. Personally, I find the principle behind that line of reasoning to be specious at best but, abiding by the saying that instructs us to either say something nice or nothing at all, I will simply move on to who I think should win.
In a perfect, unsentimental world, the voting for the Manager of the Year Award would go to Ron Washington (Texas Rangers). I don’t believe anyone picked the Rangers to contend for a playoff spot in 2009, certainly not if you told them that last year’s feel good story Josh Hamilton would only play in 89 games and hit 10 homers a year after playing 156 games and hitting 32. The Rangers faded down the stretch and missed the playoffs for the 10th consecutive season but, thanks to the deepest farm system in the majors, the future finally looks a little bit brighter. Ron Washington led the team to eight more victories and the team’s best record since 2004. Runners-up: Joe Girardi, New York; Don Wakamatsu, Seattle.
Rookie of the Year: Andrew Bailey, Oakland. This was a very tough choice. Despite the fact that I find the save statistic to be utterly meaningless, I am not able to completely discount the fact that closers, in some cases, enter ballgames in high leverage situations and have a critical impact on the outcome of a baseball game. As a result, I’ve decided to give this award to Andrew Bailey, the terrific rookie closer for the A’s based on his impressive 2.33 WPA (Win Probability Added^). In context, only 13 other relievers had a higher WPA and of those 13, none scored as high as Bailey on the WPA/LI index which measures the win probability when divided by the leverage of a game situation. In other words, no relief pitcher in baseball was tested more than Bailey and no one scored higher. That’s impressive on its own merit and doubly impressive for a rookie.
Because the field of potential award-winners was so close, I created a quick-and-dirty test where I added each finalist’s WAR (explained directly below) and WPA and picked my winner according to the results. Bailey (4.73) scored considerably higher than the other deserving players. Toss in his conventional stats –– 6-3 record, 1.84 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 91 strikeouts, 26 saves/30 chances –– and there’s your winner. Runners-up: Brett Anderson, Oakland; Rick Porcello, Detroit; Elvis Andrus, Texas.
Cy Young Award: Zack Greinke, Kansas City. Using a stat called WAR (Wins Above Replacement*, and a logical successor to VORP (Value Over Replacement Player)), Zack Greinke was a 9.3 WAR player this year. Translation: Greinke contributed 9 pure wins to the Royals this year or, put another way, a 10-man staff of the ’09 version of Greinke would’ve contributed 90 wins to the team. Incredible! To further put this stat into context, you have to go back to 2004, when Randy Johnson posted a 9.9 WAR to find another pitcher that has posted a WAR above 7.7 (CC Sabathia, 2008). Simply put, a 9-win above replacement pitcher is practically unheard of given that starting pitchers only factor into roughly 20% of a team’s season. But if we must stick to conventional stats, Greinke’s 17 wins, 2.16 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 242 strikeouts and three shutouts ranked him third, first, first, second and second in the American League in those categories. Runners-up: Felix Hernandez, Seattle; CC Sabathia, New York.
Most Valuable Player: Joe Mauer, Minnesota. Sticking with WAR, Joe Mauer was an 8-win above replacement player. Playing 127 games primarily as a catcher –– acknowledged as the most difficult and physically taxing position in baseball –– any player that finishes second to only Albert Pujols in BRAR (Batting Runs Above Replacement) is the clear MVP of his league. Mauer also led the league in AVG (.364), OBP (.442), SLG (.586), OPS (1.027) and finished with 28 HR, 96 RBI and 94 R. The Twins might not have even been a .500 team without him and yet they’re playing for a playoff spot this afternoon. Runners-up: Mark Teixeira, New York; Ben Zobrist, Tampa; Kevin Youkilis, Boston.
^For an explanation of WPA and win probability metrics, click here.
*For an explanation of WAR and win-value metrics, click here.
Dishing Out the 2009 Hardware: National League
As the National League Fellow of the Buck O'Neil Institute for Baseball Excellence, it is my distinct pleasure and honor to present the following analysis of the 2009 postseason awards for the Senior Circuit.
Manager of the Year: Jim Tracy, Colorado. This is one of two easy award selections. When Tracy took over the reins on May 29, the Rockies were 18-28, in last place in the NL West, 14.5 games back. Under his leadership, Colorado went an astounding 74-40 on its way to an unlikely wild card berth. Managers often get too much credit for a team's success and too much blame for failure - but this seems like a textbook case of a new manager finding a way to get the most out of his team, in a way his predecessor couldn't. Tracy did a terrific job and deserves all the accolades coming his way, no matter what happens during this "Rocktober". Runners-up: Tony LaRussa, St. Louis; Bobby Cox, Atlanta.
Rookie of the Year: Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh. This is one of the two tough ones - there are four other worthy candidates for this award. But I'm going with McCutchen, who not only hit .286 with 12 HR, 54 RBI, and 22 SB in less than a full season, but also showed real skill with the glove. This gives him the nod over Florida's Chris Coghlan, who hit an impressive .321; McCutchen's teammate, Garrett Jones, who hit .293 with 21 homers in just three months; Atlanta's Tommy Hanson, who went 11-4 with a 2.89 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 116 Ks in only 127.2 innings; and J.A. Happ, whose first-half everybody knew about, and who finished 12-4 with a 2.93 ERA, and 1.23 WHIP. These numbers are all award-worthy, but McCutchen's prowess in the field seals the deal.
Cy Young Award: Chris Carpenter, St. Louis. Pundits everywhere are calling this the closest CYA race in years, if not in history. Carpenter was an incredible 17-4 with a 2.24 ERA and 1.01 WHIP - and was lights-out in the second half as the Redbirds steamed toward the playoffs. But he may not have even been the best pitcher on his team: Adam Wainwright led the NL with 19 wins, to go with a 2.63 ERA in a whopping 233 innings. He, too, was a huge part of his team's success. And then there's that Lincecum kid, who followed last year's Cy Young campaign with a 15-7 record, 2.48 ERA, and an amazing 261 Ks in 225.1 innings. Lincecum has the most electric stuff of this group, but I'm going with Carpenter because of his impact on the pennant race, and because Lincecum got a little weaker in September. Truth be told, any of these three is a terrific selection, and it's a shame they can't all be honored.
Most Valuable Player: Albert Pujols, St. Louis. The other easy selection. Prince Albert was just sick, again: .331 average, a league-leading 47 dingers, 135 RBI - oh, and he's actually a pretty good fielder, too. Every year there's a debate about whether the MVP should go to the guy who is most valuable to his team, or to the guy who has the best raw season. I usually go with the former, except in those years when one player is so head-and-shoulders better than the rest that there's no way to deny him the hardware. So it is with Pujols in 2009 - who, incidentally, may also qualify if one uses the "most valuable to his team" method. Runners-up: Prince Fielder, Milwaukee; Hanley Ramirez, Florida; Matt Kemp, Los Angeles.
Manager of the Year: Jim Tracy, Colorado. This is one of two easy award selections. When Tracy took over the reins on May 29, the Rockies were 18-28, in last place in the NL West, 14.5 games back. Under his leadership, Colorado went an astounding 74-40 on its way to an unlikely wild card berth. Managers often get too much credit for a team's success and too much blame for failure - but this seems like a textbook case of a new manager finding a way to get the most out of his team, in a way his predecessor couldn't. Tracy did a terrific job and deserves all the accolades coming his way, no matter what happens during this "Rocktober". Runners-up: Tony LaRussa, St. Louis; Bobby Cox, Atlanta.
Rookie of the Year: Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh. This is one of the two tough ones - there are four other worthy candidates for this award. But I'm going with McCutchen, who not only hit .286 with 12 HR, 54 RBI, and 22 SB in less than a full season, but also showed real skill with the glove. This gives him the nod over Florida's Chris Coghlan, who hit an impressive .321; McCutchen's teammate, Garrett Jones, who hit .293 with 21 homers in just three months; Atlanta's Tommy Hanson, who went 11-4 with a 2.89 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 116 Ks in only 127.2 innings; and J.A. Happ, whose first-half everybody knew about, and who finished 12-4 with a 2.93 ERA, and 1.23 WHIP. These numbers are all award-worthy, but McCutchen's prowess in the field seals the deal.
Cy Young Award: Chris Carpenter, St. Louis. Pundits everywhere are calling this the closest CYA race in years, if not in history. Carpenter was an incredible 17-4 with a 2.24 ERA and 1.01 WHIP - and was lights-out in the second half as the Redbirds steamed toward the playoffs. But he may not have even been the best pitcher on his team: Adam Wainwright led the NL with 19 wins, to go with a 2.63 ERA in a whopping 233 innings. He, too, was a huge part of his team's success. And then there's that Lincecum kid, who followed last year's Cy Young campaign with a 15-7 record, 2.48 ERA, and an amazing 261 Ks in 225.1 innings. Lincecum has the most electric stuff of this group, but I'm going with Carpenter because of his impact on the pennant race, and because Lincecum got a little weaker in September. Truth be told, any of these three is a terrific selection, and it's a shame they can't all be honored.
Most Valuable Player: Albert Pujols, St. Louis. The other easy selection. Prince Albert was just sick, again: .331 average, a league-leading 47 dingers, 135 RBI - oh, and he's actually a pretty good fielder, too. Every year there's a debate about whether the MVP should go to the guy who is most valuable to his team, or to the guy who has the best raw season. I usually go with the former, except in those years when one player is so head-and-shoulders better than the rest that there's no way to deny him the hardware. So it is with Pujols in 2009 - who, incidentally, may also qualify if one uses the "most valuable to his team" method. Runners-up: Prince Fielder, Milwaukee; Hanley Ramirez, Florida; Matt Kemp, Los Angeles.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
Shut Your Piehole! Double Play Edition
Today's special Shut Your Piehole! features two moronic statements about baseball:
1. On today's ESPN.com home page, the tagline for the article about last night's Yankees win over the Red Sox reads:
"In one swing Sunday, Mark Teixeira proved he's worth his $180M deal as he catapulted the Yankees into completing a four-game sweep of the Red Sox."
Um, no. Big Teix is having a terrific season and certainly has justified his big contract to date. But the only time that "one swing" justifies an entire contract, if ever, is when that one swing scores the winning run in the last game of the World Series. Yanks-BoSox is always a big deal - but hey, it's only August. There's plenty of time (and 6 more regular season games) for overhyping and overanalyzing every little aspect of a Yankees-Red Sox contest. Let's celebrate the moment and the terrific show by the Bombers - but please, Bristol, for once can we not get ahead of ourselves? If you need some help with that, may I suggest that you SHUT YOUR PIEHOLE!
2. Indians team president Paul Dolan had this to say as a partial explanation for his team's pathetic salary-dumping:
"The larger market teams have managed to take their money and, in fact, manipulate the amateur draft situation."
Damn those larger market teams for drafting well - and at the bottom of the draft order, no less! If you want someone to blame, Paul, take a look in the mirror: since your daddy bought the Tribe in 2000, only four of your team's 19 first-round picks have even made the bigs - the most notable of which are Jeremy Guthrie and Jeremy Sowers. Quit your whining and finger-pointing, and take some fucking responsibility for your train wreck - and in the meantime, please SHUT YOUR PIEHOLE!
1. On today's ESPN.com home page, the tagline for the article about last night's Yankees win over the Red Sox reads:
"In one swing Sunday, Mark Teixeira proved he's worth his $180M deal as he catapulted the Yankees into completing a four-game sweep of the Red Sox."
Um, no. Big Teix is having a terrific season and certainly has justified his big contract to date. But the only time that "one swing" justifies an entire contract, if ever, is when that one swing scores the winning run in the last game of the World Series. Yanks-BoSox is always a big deal - but hey, it's only August. There's plenty of time (and 6 more regular season games) for overhyping and overanalyzing every little aspect of a Yankees-Red Sox contest. Let's celebrate the moment and the terrific show by the Bombers - but please, Bristol, for once can we not get ahead of ourselves? If you need some help with that, may I suggest that you SHUT YOUR PIEHOLE!
2. Indians team president Paul Dolan had this to say as a partial explanation for his team's pathetic salary-dumping:
"The larger market teams have managed to take their money and, in fact, manipulate the amateur draft situation."
Damn those larger market teams for drafting well - and at the bottom of the draft order, no less! If you want someone to blame, Paul, take a look in the mirror: since your daddy bought the Tribe in 2000, only four of your team's 19 first-round picks have even made the bigs - the most notable of which are Jeremy Guthrie and Jeremy Sowers. Quit your whining and finger-pointing, and take some fucking responsibility for your train wreck - and in the meantime, please SHUT YOUR PIEHOLE!
Friday, July 31, 2009
Charles Bronson's Take on the Steroids Issue
I just got done finishing an article that discusses Bronson Arroyo's view on the steroids issue. He admits to saying that his name is probably on the list (I would assume if he knows his name is on the list). He continues by saying that this was just the culture of sports and that andro made him feel like "he could jump and hit his head on the basketball rim". Now I don't know how tall he is but that is pretty cool that he could hit his head that high up. I could have hit my head on the basketball rim but that was when my friends and I were having a dunk contest on a 6 foot rim. I think this is a good reaction from a player. Just admit that you did it and move on...don't try to hide anything.
PS Bronson Arroyo is 6'4 so if he couldn't hit his head on the rim that would be pretty pathetic. He is also 194 so he needed to take something to bulk him up.
PS Bronson Arroyo is 6'4 so if he couldn't hit his head on the rim that would be pretty pathetic. He is also 194 so he needed to take something to bulk him up.
Friday, May 15, 2009
No Love for the NL Central
I was talking a little bit to Mighty and I came up with the fact that I have a little rant inside of me. I was looking at the standings in the NL Central and there are four teams that are just about tied for 1st place. I know the same argument about how ESPN and other major sports centers focus on where they have the majority of fans. I understand that. But come on this is looking to be a great duel off in the NL Central. I think that baseball has generally not been covered all that much at all. Maybe that is because I am in the land of the NL West but it seems like we are fixated on A-rod and Manny to totally overlook what is actually going on in baseball. Did anyone know that the Rangers are 20-14 and leading the AL West. Or that Doc Halladay has been incredible in leading the AL East leading Blue Jays to victory. The Reds have a 22 year old that is off to a tear in HRs, a guy that is leading the NL in batting (not seen since Hal Morris came up to the plate, and yes this is a joke), the saves leader and Geez, Bronson Arroyo has 5 wins so far!!!! There really hasn't been anything about how the Royals are actually playing decent baseball. I think that the media needs to actually focus on some of the great stories that are happening in baseball vs. wondering what Manny's testesterone level is or if A-rod had Fiber One this morning for breakfast to help him with the constipation from all the painkillers he probably had to take from his surgery. I am looking at the "news" stories right now on ESPN and the stories are "Ripken Seeks Answers from A-rod on Drug Use", "Rose Says A-Rod Deserves to be in the HOF, "The Latest on Manny", "Dodgers Get In Person Apology from Manny", "Did Manny Parlay Steroids into the Dodgers Deal", "A-rod's Path To Redemption", and an article about a former Red Sox who unfortunately is an alcoholic. Wake up and actually watch some of the games that are going on around you. I might be just blind of the coverage but I really am not seeing it.
Friday, May 08, 2009
On Steroids
(I originally penned this in a private email to MJ, and then thought to put it here. As has been discussed publicly on this blog before, MJ and I have divergent reactions to the whole steroid scandal. Rather than just debate it with him on email until we're (a) blue in the face, and (b) cursing the other for not agreeing with our strongly-held positions...I thought I'd open it up here. MJ and I are probably the biggest baseball fans on this blog, and so maybe our views aren't representative of the general sports-following populace.)
I think how one reacts to the steroid scandal depends on answers to the following questions:
1. Is it ok for an athlete to take - for lack of a better term - "unnatural" products that artifically boost their ability to compete in their sport?
- If the answer is no, we stop here. The fan who thinks that steroids are ok in a vacuum will obviously not care about this issue in any capacity, except to get upset about the fact that it is an issue.
- if the answer is yes, we move on.
2. Is the steroid-taking athlete excused from culpability because the use of steroids was (or is) widespread?
- This is the meat of the issue for MJ, I think. It's the "if everyone else was doing it, why can't I?" defense. But it also reflects a question about the impact of a player's use on the game in general, i.e. if stats were inflated across the board, and if the foundation of the game for 10 or 15 years was in part reliant upon steroids, then the playing field was more or less evened by the widespread use.
3. Whatever the answer to #2, is the use of steroids a problem because of the statistical-historical impact on baseball?
- Those who say "no" often argue that players throughout history have sought illegal edges, and that we don't know what guys in past generations might have been taking, so we can't assume that they were clean and that it's only current players who are dirty.
- Those who say yes respond to the opposing argument generally with the notion that - unlike this era - there is not evidence to support widespread cheatng in past eras, and so it is unfair to assume that the sins of today are equivalent to the sins of yesterday.
4. Is the use of steroids excused because of management complicity?
- I don't know anyone who argues this outright, but many argue that players cannot be solely blamed for the steroid scandal. In any event, once you get to this question, you've already concluded that steroids is an issue and that someone must take the blame.
I think how one reacts to the steroid scandal depends on answers to the following questions:
1. Is it ok for an athlete to take - for lack of a better term - "unnatural" products that artifically boost their ability to compete in their sport?
- If the answer is no, we stop here. The fan who thinks that steroids are ok in a vacuum will obviously not care about this issue in any capacity, except to get upset about the fact that it is an issue.
- if the answer is yes, we move on.
2. Is the steroid-taking athlete excused from culpability because the use of steroids was (or is) widespread?
- This is the meat of the issue for MJ, I think. It's the "if everyone else was doing it, why can't I?" defense. But it also reflects a question about the impact of a player's use on the game in general, i.e. if stats were inflated across the board, and if the foundation of the game for 10 or 15 years was in part reliant upon steroids, then the playing field was more or less evened by the widespread use.
3. Whatever the answer to #2, is the use of steroids a problem because of the statistical-historical impact on baseball?
- Those who say "no" often argue that players throughout history have sought illegal edges, and that we don't know what guys in past generations might have been taking, so we can't assume that they were clean and that it's only current players who are dirty.
- Those who say yes respond to the opposing argument generally with the notion that - unlike this era - there is not evidence to support widespread cheatng in past eras, and so it is unfair to assume that the sins of today are equivalent to the sins of yesterday.
4. Is the use of steroids excused because of management complicity?
- I don't know anyone who argues this outright, but many argue that players cannot be solely blamed for the steroid scandal. In any event, once you get to this question, you've already concluded that steroids is an issue and that someone must take the blame.
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
My Experience At Safeco Field
This past weekend I went to my in-laws' retirement ceremony up in Seattle. Since, Sunday was my birthday, I decided to get tickets to see the Mariners play at Safeco. Here are my observations and a couple of pictures from the occasion. We got to the ball park in the middle of the 1st inning After
taking the exit off the freeway, we meandered through a warehouse district to the stadium. We crossed railroad tracks and passed the Starbucks world headquarters on our way to Safeco. This was actually quite a daunting drive through the bowels of warehouse land of Seattle. We parked i
n the parking lot right across from the stadium which was also a parking lo
t for Qwest Field (where the Seahawks play). A forewarning to those people used to traveling. If you order a full size car from Hertz, stick with the full si
ze car, dont go with the upgrade to the premium. We ended up getting a Mercury Grand Marquis tha
t was the size of the Edmund Fitzgerald. This made parking quite interesting.
We walked into the stadium and a bar looking place that was right next to
the bullpen.
You could just stand and look down the center field area. We were hungry so we decided to sample the local fare. Both of us went to the pub that was right next to the
bullpen and ordered this behemoth spicy italian sausage that was toppe
d with bbq pork. I had twice the desire to get swine flu with this amazing amount of pork. To add to this great food, I decided to be Northwestern and get an Alaskan Ale. I do have to say this
this b
eer is quite tasty. The guy who was serving me the beer noticed that it was my birthday and said that if I brought the cup back he would refill it all night...ok I liked the Northwestern hospitality. My wife and I just decided to stay in the bullp
en bar area because we would be getting free Alaskan Ale. Of course we could not ask for autographs, but this guy was trying to raise a stink with John Wetteland. Yes, I am sure that MJ would be happy about his former closer being the bullpen coach o
f the Mariners.
I went to further my gastronomical endeavor wit
h an order of garlic fries that seemed to be at every food place. They served a full pound of french fries that had fresh garlic on top of it. i do have to say that it was quite tasty especially with another free Alaskan Ale.
My experience at the ball park was ok. I was
n't really awed by the atmosphere. The park seeme
d to be randomly placed on a train track in a warehouse district of Seattle. I would think it would be better if it was actually on the Puget Sound, but I guess Nintendo couldn't get land there. All in all, it was an ok experience. I appreciated the birthday beers and the tasty treats but the ambience of the ballpark did not thrill me. I would have to say this park is behind Camden Yards, Coors Field, Comerica, Great American and any of the "newer" parks I have been to.
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