The Yankees were on national television yesterday as most of the country got a chance to see the new ballpark. Chien-Ming Wang was pitching for the Yankees and Carmona for the Indians. Both have been a bit of a mystery to their teams thus far as control problems have plagued Carmona and Wang has been uncharacteristicly whacked around in his two previous starts.
Wang had been one of the winningest pitchers in the majors the previous few seasons by compiling seasons of 19-7, 19-5 and 8-2. His sinker is his out pitch and it is one of the best in the big leagues. Carmona is also famous for his sinker and two years ago led the Indians to the brink of the World Series.
But both pitchers had struggled so far this year. Wang has actually gone beyond struggling. He's been downright ugly. In his previous two starts, he had pitched only 4.2 innings and had given up 21 base runners and 15 earned runs. Yes, that is butt ugly numbers right there.
The Fan couldn't watch the game because of other obligations but had the trusty laptop and was fallowing along with Yahoo's GameDay. Wang came out in the top of the first and had a one, two, three inning. That was surprising, but looking in hindsight, Sizemore struck out, DeRosa popped out and Martinez flied out to left. Not a single ground ball in sight. That should have been a sign.
Teixeira hit a two run homer for the Yankees in the bottom of the second after a Damon walk and the Yankees held a 2-0 lead going into the top of the second. It was the last moment this game was a ballgame.
The Fan was looking at the laptop when the information stated that Hafner singled to third. First of all, Hafner is very slow. So, without seeing the play, the Fan's first thought was that the Yankee infield did not make a play they could have and the Fan said an inward, "Uh oh." Then Peralta singled to left. The Fan's eyebrows raised. Then Choo hit a three run homer. And then the Fan knew this was going to get real ugly again.
And it did. Garko fouled out but then Francisco doubled. Cabrera singled. 4-2. Sizemore doubled. DeRosa doubled. 6-2. Wild pitch. Posada must have been catching. Martinez singled. 7-2. Claggett relieved Wang. Who?? Hafner doubled. Peralta doubled. 9-2. Choo walked. Garko singled. Francisco struck out (Bronx cheer). Cabrera homered. 13-2. Sizemore homered. 14-2. Mark DeRosa then struck out (probably out of sheer exhaustion) and the inning finally ended, thirty-seven minutes after it started.
And the rout was on. The final score was 22-4. This is getting embarrassing for the Yankees. They have a new ballpark, spent all that money and sandwiched one win around two blow outs to the tune of 32-6. The Fan has to wonder how many times you throw Wang out there. Has any pitcher been exposed to three straight blowouts to this proportion in his first three starts of the year? Jayson Stark will probably let us know eventually. But it sure seems historic. Perhaps the Yankees should bring up somebody else and put Wang in long relief for a while until he figures this out.
Until they do, Wang is the Pinball Wizard and is getting clobbered on a regular basis. Wow!
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Gary Sheffield Hits 500th Homer
Honestly, Sheffield has never been a Fan favorite. He's spent a graceless career flapping his gums and making himself more important than anything else. Well, that's the perception he's always created. Fair or not fair, that is what he appears to be. But all that aside, 500 homers is 500 homers. That's still a pretty big deal in this corner's book.
So despite his apparent personality and hints of chemical assistance, he probably has capped a Hall of Fame career with his 1600+ RBI and career .392 OBP to go along with 251 steals. He hasn't been an angel, but he has the numbers.
So a begrudging congratulations come from the FanDome.
So despite his apparent personality and hints of chemical assistance, he probably has capped a Hall of Fame career with his 1600+ RBI and career .392 OBP to go along with 251 steals. He hasn't been an angel, but he has the numbers.
So a begrudging congratulations come from the FanDome.
Diamondbacks in Big Trouble
The Arizona Diamondbacks are now 3-7 and seem to be in a heap of trouble. With a couple of exceptions, the team isn't hitting at all and except for Dan Haren, they aren't pitching well either. Baseball Prospectus projected the Diamondbacks to win 88 games. If they are going to do that, they better get straightened out quite quickly.
The Pitching
Dan Haren is pitching his heart out. So far, he's pitched 19 innings in three starts, giving up only twelve hits and three walks while striking out 17. He's given up only four earned runs and has an ERA of 1.89. Yet, he is 0-3. Doug Davis has been decent as well, with an ERA after two starts of 4.15. His walks are a bit high, but he is giving up 7.6 hits per nine innings. He is 0-2. So the pitchers have a combined VORP thus far of 10 and are 0-5.
Elsewhere, the starters have been abysmal. Branden Webb had one terrible start and then went on the disabled list with shoulder bursitis. Jon Garland has an 8.44 ERA and Yusmeiro Petit is sitting at 7.71. Other than Tony Pena and Doug Slaten, the relief pitching has been terrible as well.
Despite Haren's heroics and a few exceptions noted above, the Diamondbacks are currently 24th in the league in pitching VORP. That's not good at all.
The Batting
Felipe Lopez has been around since 2001. He had a career year for the Reds in 2005 when he hit 23 homers and batted .289 with a .352 OBP. Other than that, he's been rather ordinary and has no other year over 10 homers. He had a small contribution with the Cardinals last year but did very well for them, batting .385 in 156 At Bats. He's carried that over into this year and sits at .381 after 42 At Bats in ten games. Chad Tracy has had a good start as well and is batting .321 with only one strikeout in eight games. But he only has one walk and has shown little power.
Other than those two, there isn't a batter above .258 (Mark Reynolds) on the rest of the team. Chris Young is sitting at .237/.293. Stephen Drew is at .222/.293. Connor Jackson so far is .222/.263. Tony Clark is at .200/.200 and it gets really bad from there. Justin Upton, who had an absolutely terrible Spring Training, has carried that over into the new season. After ten games, he is batting .130 with a .231 OBP. Eric Byrnes, who may have crashed into one wall too many is at .125/.241 and the team's regular catcher, Chris Snyder is batting .100, though he does have a .333 OBP.
Add that all up and you have a team batting .227 with a team OBP of .293, which is reminiscent of the 1966 New York Yankees.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers have won six straight and the distance between the two teams is growing wider apart. The Padres have looked better than the Diamondbacks thus far and we never saw that coming. Fortunately for the Diamondbacks, the season is young. But the trends don't look pretty and unless things start rolling, they could be in for a long, long season.
The Pitching
Dan Haren is pitching his heart out. So far, he's pitched 19 innings in three starts, giving up only twelve hits and three walks while striking out 17. He's given up only four earned runs and has an ERA of 1.89. Yet, he is 0-3. Doug Davis has been decent as well, with an ERA after two starts of 4.15. His walks are a bit high, but he is giving up 7.6 hits per nine innings. He is 0-2. So the pitchers have a combined VORP thus far of 10 and are 0-5.
Elsewhere, the starters have been abysmal. Branden Webb had one terrible start and then went on the disabled list with shoulder bursitis. Jon Garland has an 8.44 ERA and Yusmeiro Petit is sitting at 7.71. Other than Tony Pena and Doug Slaten, the relief pitching has been terrible as well.
Despite Haren's heroics and a few exceptions noted above, the Diamondbacks are currently 24th in the league in pitching VORP. That's not good at all.
The Batting
Felipe Lopez has been around since 2001. He had a career year for the Reds in 2005 when he hit 23 homers and batted .289 with a .352 OBP. Other than that, he's been rather ordinary and has no other year over 10 homers. He had a small contribution with the Cardinals last year but did very well for them, batting .385 in 156 At Bats. He's carried that over into this year and sits at .381 after 42 At Bats in ten games. Chad Tracy has had a good start as well and is batting .321 with only one strikeout in eight games. But he only has one walk and has shown little power.
Other than those two, there isn't a batter above .258 (Mark Reynolds) on the rest of the team. Chris Young is sitting at .237/.293. Stephen Drew is at .222/.293. Connor Jackson so far is .222/.263. Tony Clark is at .200/.200 and it gets really bad from there. Justin Upton, who had an absolutely terrible Spring Training, has carried that over into the new season. After ten games, he is batting .130 with a .231 OBP. Eric Byrnes, who may have crashed into one wall too many is at .125/.241 and the team's regular catcher, Chris Snyder is batting .100, though he does have a .333 OBP.
Add that all up and you have a team batting .227 with a team OBP of .293, which is reminiscent of the 1966 New York Yankees.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers have won six straight and the distance between the two teams is growing wider apart. The Padres have looked better than the Diamondbacks thus far and we never saw that coming. Fortunately for the Diamondbacks, the season is young. But the trends don't look pretty and unless things start rolling, they could be in for a long, long season.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Yankee Stadium Opens - Relievers Give Gifts
Watched the first game at the new Yankee Stadium today. The stadium is a rousing success. Everything about the stadium, from its appearance, to its call to the old traditions, dimensions and facades screams, "New York Yankees." Everyone seemed thrilled and it felt like a Yankee game just like it was supposed to feel...until the seventh inning.
Johnny Damon (Isn't he getting a bit old to still go by "Johnny?") got the first hit in the new stadium and Jorge Posada hit the first homer. All good and the way it was supposed to be. Sabathia pitched 5+ innings of major league Houdini and only allowed one run despite base runners all over the place. And the one run he did give up should have died in the warning track, but Damon pulled up short of the wall on a drive out there with two outs and the ball fell harmlessly on the warning track. Most decent left fielders would have caught that ball.
Sabathia was up to about 458 pitches by the start of the sixth inning and after two outs, gave way to Ramirez, who then gave up a base hit. The inning was bailed out by Phil Coke, who did the LOOGY thing. But it wasn't meant to be as the likes of Veras and Marte imploded and before you could say, "Yogi," it was 10-2 and all the regulars starting becoming spectators.
Both New York teams have now lost their home openers in their new parks, but it's all good as the parks are a big success and now that they are open, we can all try to forget how much they cost and just enjoy them for what they are.
In one last side note, the Yankees can't get A-Rod back fast enough. Though Cody Ransom is trying his hardest, it just isn't working. He made one brilliant play to save a run, but went 0-5 and stranded nine base runners all by himself. Yes. Nine. And he also had a throwing error with a throw in the dirt that Teixeira couldn't pick.
Johnny Damon (Isn't he getting a bit old to still go by "Johnny?") got the first hit in the new stadium and Jorge Posada hit the first homer. All good and the way it was supposed to be. Sabathia pitched 5+ innings of major league Houdini and only allowed one run despite base runners all over the place. And the one run he did give up should have died in the warning track, but Damon pulled up short of the wall on a drive out there with two outs and the ball fell harmlessly on the warning track. Most decent left fielders would have caught that ball.
Sabathia was up to about 458 pitches by the start of the sixth inning and after two outs, gave way to Ramirez, who then gave up a base hit. The inning was bailed out by Phil Coke, who did the LOOGY thing. But it wasn't meant to be as the likes of Veras and Marte imploded and before you could say, "Yogi," it was 10-2 and all the regulars starting becoming spectators.
Both New York teams have now lost their home openers in their new parks, but it's all good as the parks are a big success and now that they are open, we can all try to forget how much they cost and just enjoy them for what they are.
In one last side note, the Yankees can't get A-Rod back fast enough. Though Cody Ransom is trying his hardest, it just isn't working. He made one brilliant play to save a run, but went 0-5 and stranded nine base runners all by himself. Yes. Nine. And he also had a throwing error with a throw in the dirt that Teixeira couldn't pick.
The Nationals Win Their First Game of 2009
Let's give three cheers and a round of huzzahs as the Nationals are "off the schnide" as Chris Berman liked to say. The former Expos won their first game of 2009 in their eighth try. The lineup was shaken up a bit, they got some good pitching and beat the world champion Phillies. Good for them!
The Nationals, who demoted Lastings Milledge on Wednesday, moved little known Anderson Hernandez to the leadoff spot (where Milledge had been flailing) and provided two hits in four at bats and also walked. Nick Johnson, who has looked finished about ten times in his career, but when he plays, he gets on base, was moved to the number two spot and did his best on base thing with three hits and a walk in five plate appearances. Zimmerman remained third and responded with two hits and a walk of his own and Donkey Dunn killed a pitch for a three run homer.
Elijah Dukes, now starting in center instead of Milledge added a homer and Alberto Gonzalez also homered for the Nationals. The team even got a pinch hit homer from Willingham, who has started the season in a terrible slump.
Shairon Martis had a quality start and a trio of relievers, Hinkley, Beimel and Hanrahan threw two and two thirds innings without giving up a base runner.
All in all, it was a fun game for the Nationals who threw a bunch of kids out there and they all did great and at least their winning percentage got off the dreaded .000.
One last note about the game: Why a contender didn't scoop up Adam Dunn is beyond the Fan. The guy is in the best shape of his life and looks fantastic. He sure could have helped somebody.
The Nationals, who demoted Lastings Milledge on Wednesday, moved little known Anderson Hernandez to the leadoff spot (where Milledge had been flailing) and provided two hits in four at bats and also walked. Nick Johnson, who has looked finished about ten times in his career, but when he plays, he gets on base, was moved to the number two spot and did his best on base thing with three hits and a walk in five plate appearances. Zimmerman remained third and responded with two hits and a walk of his own and Donkey Dunn killed a pitch for a three run homer.
Elijah Dukes, now starting in center instead of Milledge added a homer and Alberto Gonzalez also homered for the Nationals. The team even got a pinch hit homer from Willingham, who has started the season in a terrible slump.
Shairon Martis had a quality start and a trio of relievers, Hinkley, Beimel and Hanrahan threw two and two thirds innings without giving up a base runner.
All in all, it was a fun game for the Nationals who threw a bunch of kids out there and they all did great and at least their winning percentage got off the dreaded .000.
One last note about the game: Why a contender didn't scoop up Adam Dunn is beyond the Fan. The guy is in the best shape of his life and looks fantastic. He sure could have helped somebody.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
42 Tribute Good But Not Enough
Everyone in baseball wore Number 42 as MLB honored Jackie Robinson who broke baseball's color barrier in 1946. And while the tribute was worthwhile and very fitting for a man of brave character, the tribute could have been more inclusive. This takes nothing against Robinson's accomplishment and its historic consequences. But others paved the way as well and they could have and should have been included.
For example, all American League clubs could have worn Larry Doby's Number 14. Doby was just as much a pioneer as the first black man in the American League (1947) and his struggle was little different than Robinson's. All the managers could have worn Frank Robinson's Number 20 as Robinson was the first black manager in 1976. And although umpires did not wear uniform numbers in the American League up until 1980, Emmett Ashford could have been celebrated as the first black umpire in 1966.
All the men listed above had great courage, worked hard to achieve what they accomplished and could tell horror stories on top of horror stories. Look up Emmett Ashford in Wikipedia and read what he had to endure just to umpire his first game in the minor leagues. Ashford, who died in 1980 should be recognized by the umpires union and an honorary uniform number should be retired in his honor.
And how about Buck O'Neal as the first black coach in Major League Baseball when he coached for the Cubs in 1962. All the coaches could have worn his number.
Again, this post takes nothing away from Robinson and his place in history. But he didn't suffer--and overcome--alone. Ashford, Doby and Frank Robinson all overcame great hardships through determination and hard work. They deserve their due too.
For example, all American League clubs could have worn Larry Doby's Number 14. Doby was just as much a pioneer as the first black man in the American League (1947) and his struggle was little different than Robinson's. All the managers could have worn Frank Robinson's Number 20 as Robinson was the first black manager in 1976. And although umpires did not wear uniform numbers in the American League up until 1980, Emmett Ashford could have been celebrated as the first black umpire in 1966.
All the men listed above had great courage, worked hard to achieve what they accomplished and could tell horror stories on top of horror stories. Look up Emmett Ashford in Wikipedia and read what he had to endure just to umpire his first game in the minor leagues. Ashford, who died in 1980 should be recognized by the umpires union and an honorary uniform number should be retired in his honor.
And how about Buck O'Neal as the first black coach in Major League Baseball when he coached for the Cubs in 1962. All the coaches could have worn his number.
Again, this post takes nothing away from Robinson and his place in history. But he didn't suffer--and overcome--alone. Ashford, Doby and Frank Robinson all overcame great hardships through determination and hard work. They deserve their due too.
Hillman Lets Farnsworth Blow Another Game
A week ago, the Fan stated that Kyle Farnsworth should not pitch in another meaningful situation for the Royals the rest of the season. As usual, the Fan is spitting into the wind because Trey Hillman, no doubt thinking that he has to use the guy since he cost the team so much money, threw him into another meaningful game Wednesday night and before you could scream, "Stupid!" the game was history.
Jiminy Crickets, man! The Fan just spent 2000 words including the Royals as contenders in the American League West and Hillman has thrown away two games already by throwing Farnsworth out there. Doesn't somebody on that team look at numbers? Doesn't anybody learn from mistakes? This is more intolerable than playing twenty games of Spider Solitaire when another post could have been written. Let's look at Wednesday night's debacle.
The game was tied 2-2 going into the top of the seventh. The Royals had just mounted a comeback in the bottom half of the sixth to tie the game. Sidney Ponson has thrown his second decent game in a row for the Royals (who thought that would happen?). But who does Hillman bring in? Mr. Kyle Farnsworth. This was how his night went:
The first batter Farnsworth faces is Asdrubal Cabrera, the Indian's shortstop. Keep in mind that Cabrera has a career Slugging Percentage of .382. Cabrera doubles. Here we go! Grady Sizemore popped out to the infield (and the poor Royals' fans were starting to hope again). Mark DeRosa came up. He's been mired in a 5 for 30 slump. Farnsworth was just what the doctor ordered. Single to center and Cabrera scored.
This was the point where Farnsworth got creative. He balked DeRosa to second. How does a guy who has pitched for eleven years in the big leagues balk? Anyway, Farnsworth then walked Victor Martinez and Farnsworth's night was done. Unfortunately for him, Ron Mahay came in and threw gasoline on Farnsworth's considerable fire and after a double by Hafner and a sacrifice fly by Choo, the Royals were then down by three runs and were unable to recover.
So to recap, Farnsworth faced four batters. He retired only one of them. The other three scored. He has now given up eight base runners in three and a third innings of relief this year. He has now cost the Royals two games out of their first ten. So if the Royals play 162 games and Farnsworth keeps up this pace, he'll cost the Royals 16.2 losses.
You could blame Hillman for using him in tight situations. But it's sort of like blaming a kid when his mom gives him a match and he sets the house on fire. The front office never should have signed the guy in the first place and put Hillman in a position to fail this way. But Hillman knows now and the Fan will say it again, if Hillman uses Farnsworth in another meaningful situation the rest of the year, the onus is on him and nobody else and all bets are off.
Jiminy Crickets, man! The Fan just spent 2000 words including the Royals as contenders in the American League West and Hillman has thrown away two games already by throwing Farnsworth out there. Doesn't somebody on that team look at numbers? Doesn't anybody learn from mistakes? This is more intolerable than playing twenty games of Spider Solitaire when another post could have been written. Let's look at Wednesday night's debacle.
The game was tied 2-2 going into the top of the seventh. The Royals had just mounted a comeback in the bottom half of the sixth to tie the game. Sidney Ponson has thrown his second decent game in a row for the Royals (who thought that would happen?). But who does Hillman bring in? Mr. Kyle Farnsworth. This was how his night went:
The first batter Farnsworth faces is Asdrubal Cabrera, the Indian's shortstop. Keep in mind that Cabrera has a career Slugging Percentage of .382. Cabrera doubles. Here we go! Grady Sizemore popped out to the infield (and the poor Royals' fans were starting to hope again). Mark DeRosa came up. He's been mired in a 5 for 30 slump. Farnsworth was just what the doctor ordered. Single to center and Cabrera scored.
This was the point where Farnsworth got creative. He balked DeRosa to second. How does a guy who has pitched for eleven years in the big leagues balk? Anyway, Farnsworth then walked Victor Martinez and Farnsworth's night was done. Unfortunately for him, Ron Mahay came in and threw gasoline on Farnsworth's considerable fire and after a double by Hafner and a sacrifice fly by Choo, the Royals were then down by three runs and were unable to recover.
So to recap, Farnsworth faced four batters. He retired only one of them. The other three scored. He has now given up eight base runners in three and a third innings of relief this year. He has now cost the Royals two games out of their first ten. So if the Royals play 162 games and Farnsworth keeps up this pace, he'll cost the Royals 16.2 losses.
You could blame Hillman for using him in tight situations. But it's sort of like blaming a kid when his mom gives him a match and he sets the house on fire. The front office never should have signed the guy in the first place and put Hillman in a position to fail this way. But Hillman knows now and the Fan will say it again, if Hillman uses Farnsworth in another meaningful situation the rest of the year, the onus is on him and nobody else and all bets are off.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
This Year's Surprise Teams - Who Will Last?
The standings in Major League Baseball are all upside down so far this year and after the Bay Rays exciting emergence last year, it's hard to discount another team busting out from the projections and the odds. Let's look at this year's surprise starts and see who is going to be a factor in the long run.
Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles are in first place in the American League East after eight games which is really a surprise. They are getting timely hitting and have won six of their first eight games. But it seems unlikely they can continue at this pace. Guthrie has had a good start for the rotation and has thrown two brilliant games. It is very possible that Guthrie continues in this positive direction, but he doesn't have enough help with the rest of the rotation. Hendrickson can be decent, and newcomer, Koji Uehara is 2-0. But Uehara's first start was against a flat Yankee team and his second start was not very good. He has given up 17 base runners in ten innings of work. The rest of the rotation consists of Alfredo Simon, who has looked terrible and Adam Eaton, who has made terrible a career art form. And Sherrill as a closer is not impressive at all and a big weakness for this team. The overall bullpen has a couple of guys doing decent and the rest is real iffy.
Melvin Mora is getting up there in years and cannot be counted on for upscale production. He'll probably miss some time to injuries like he always has. The offense has five or six guys who can rake pretty well, but it might be the Orioles' insistence on using an ancient Gregg Zaun to eat up at bats (while they squander Matt Wieters in the minors until June so they can save money in the future) that might help in the team's undoing. How many rallies can Zaun kill before they get the right guy in there?
Prediction: The Orioles will sink due to lack of starting pitching depth, questionable closing and two clunkers in their batting order.
Kansas City Royals
The Royals currently sit on top of the American League Central and it's not all that surprising. They have three really strong starters in Greinke, Meche and Davies. If they can win consistently when those three pitch and get an occasional win from Ponson and Ramirez, there's no reason they can't win three of every five games they play. If the Royals can keep that kind of pace, they have a legitimate shot at this weak division.
Coco Crisp gives this team a whole new look in the batting order and though he isn't hitting much for average, his patience at the place thus far still gives him an OBP of .358. If he starts hitting--and he's shown some consistency there over the years--and maintains his patience, he is going to keep the bases clogged for some pretty good hitters behind him. Overall, to this point, the Royals haven't hit well and they are still 5-3. They should get more offense in the weeks ahead with Jacobs and Teahen. Gordon's injury is a concern though. It's hard to think that Buck, who has been their offensive hero to this point, will have that great a year with his history.
Prediction: With strong starting pitching, they should contend. If they lose any of their top three starters to injury, they will be in trouble. The hitting is a bit of a concern. But they look and feel legitimate to this point.
Seattle Mariners
The Mariners sit on top of the American League West and that also is surprising. When a team does as poorly as the Mariners have done in recent years, it seems inevitable that they will return to form. But a lot of things look positive for the Mariners thus far. They are getting good starting pitching from Hernandez, Washburn and Bedard and Silva had a good outing last night after a poor first one.
This team has more excitement so far in their demeanor than at any time in the last two years. Is that a Griffey affect? It's hard to give the old slugger that much credit. Maybe it's the new manager and some of the younger guys that have added a spark. All the Fan knows is that guys like Chavez and Betancourt have been spark plugs. Griffey isn't hitting all that much, but he does have a .400 OBP and Ichiro Suzuki hasn't even played yet. He's back tonight though.
The two glaring weaknesses for the Mariners are not having a stud closer and horrid catching. Morrow has been the closer thus far and though he has two saves in two opportunities, he's walked six batters in 3+ innings. If he keeps that up, blown saves will come in bunches. Johjima and Johnson have been terrible at the plate thus far and both are far below the Mendoza Line. Neither of them walk much and they are rally killers to say the least.
Prediction: This is a weak division and if their starting pitching holds up (Bedard is always in injury waiting to happen), they have a chance to contend. Who would have thought it?
Florida Marlins
There is no team the Fan is more excited about than the Florida Marlins. Emilio Banifacio has given the team a spark on offense as he runs around the bases and he brings excitement when he plays. His ability to bunt for base hits really make him a threat. His one weakness is that he doesn't walk much. If he can develop some patience, look out! Hitting in front of Hanley Ramirez, Dan Uggla and Jorge Cantu has been deadly to this point. Ramirez is really taking to his new spot in the lineup and has been an RBI machine thus far.
But what is really exciting about the Marlins is their pitching. Johnson, Volstad, Nolasco and Sanchez are all potential studs and three of those four have had great starts to their season. The bullpen has not been solid and they are questionable at closer with Lindstrom, but they have a couple of good arms like Penn, Colero and Nunez that could keep them in games.
Prediction: This is a tough division and the Braves look strong. But if the Marlins pitching holds up, they could be the Bay Rays of 2009.
Cincinatti Reds
The Reds have had a good start and are currently a game out of first place in the National League Central. They have two of the grittiest starting pitchers in baseball with Harang and Arroyo but it is really troubling that their two best arms in Volquez and Cueto cannot find a way to be consistently dominating. They have one dominating start and then they get clobbered. Until they can find a way to win when they don't have their best stuff, they will plague this team.
The Fan has watched two of the Red games this year and though Votto is off to a great start, this offense lacks patience and makes it too easy for the other team's starting pitching to get them out. They are very young and this Fan is not convinced that Bruce is the star everyone thinks he's going to be. He looks outmatched far too often.
The Reds have some good news in the bullpen. The veteran Rhodes has had a good start and Cordero is a very good closer. Burton, Weathers and Masset have also pitched well out of the pen thus far.
Prediction: Their inconsistent starting pitching and lack of patience at the plate will continue to sabotage this team and they will not be able to overcome the Cubs and Cardinals.
San Diego Padres
The Padres were expected to be abysmal this year and here they are at 6-2 and leading the National League West division. They have two very good starters in Peavy and Young and are getting a bit more offense than last year. But it seems likely that they will fall to earth in the not too distant future.
The offense is still troubling to the Fan. Giles doesn't seem to have much left. Adrian Gonzalez is a stud at first base, but will the timely hitting of Hundley, Haiston and Gerut continue? It seems unlikely. The rest of the starting rotation is a huge question mark as well. Walter Silva and Kevin Correia cannot find the strike zone often enough and never give the team more than five innings before they run out of pitch count. Shawn Hill gave the Padres a decent start, but his history is hard to overcome in thinking he will be much of a factor.
The bullpen, as always, is a strength for the Padres. Heath Bell looks fantastic as a closer and though the rest of the relievers don't blow people away, they seem very good at keeping the team in the game.
Prediction: The Padres don't seem to have enough offense and starting pitching to continue to contend. It seems inevitable that they shrink back to the pack. They still might be better than predictions though and might be better than the Giants and the Diamondbacks in the long run.
Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles are in first place in the American League East after eight games which is really a surprise. They are getting timely hitting and have won six of their first eight games. But it seems unlikely they can continue at this pace. Guthrie has had a good start for the rotation and has thrown two brilliant games. It is very possible that Guthrie continues in this positive direction, but he doesn't have enough help with the rest of the rotation. Hendrickson can be decent, and newcomer, Koji Uehara is 2-0. But Uehara's first start was against a flat Yankee team and his second start was not very good. He has given up 17 base runners in ten innings of work. The rest of the rotation consists of Alfredo Simon, who has looked terrible and Adam Eaton, who has made terrible a career art form. And Sherrill as a closer is not impressive at all and a big weakness for this team. The overall bullpen has a couple of guys doing decent and the rest is real iffy.
Melvin Mora is getting up there in years and cannot be counted on for upscale production. He'll probably miss some time to injuries like he always has. The offense has five or six guys who can rake pretty well, but it might be the Orioles' insistence on using an ancient Gregg Zaun to eat up at bats (while they squander Matt Wieters in the minors until June so they can save money in the future) that might help in the team's undoing. How many rallies can Zaun kill before they get the right guy in there?
Prediction: The Orioles will sink due to lack of starting pitching depth, questionable closing and two clunkers in their batting order.
Kansas City Royals
The Royals currently sit on top of the American League Central and it's not all that surprising. They have three really strong starters in Greinke, Meche and Davies. If they can win consistently when those three pitch and get an occasional win from Ponson and Ramirez, there's no reason they can't win three of every five games they play. If the Royals can keep that kind of pace, they have a legitimate shot at this weak division.
Coco Crisp gives this team a whole new look in the batting order and though he isn't hitting much for average, his patience at the place thus far still gives him an OBP of .358. If he starts hitting--and he's shown some consistency there over the years--and maintains his patience, he is going to keep the bases clogged for some pretty good hitters behind him. Overall, to this point, the Royals haven't hit well and they are still 5-3. They should get more offense in the weeks ahead with Jacobs and Teahen. Gordon's injury is a concern though. It's hard to think that Buck, who has been their offensive hero to this point, will have that great a year with his history.
Prediction: With strong starting pitching, they should contend. If they lose any of their top three starters to injury, they will be in trouble. The hitting is a bit of a concern. But they look and feel legitimate to this point.
Seattle Mariners
The Mariners sit on top of the American League West and that also is surprising. When a team does as poorly as the Mariners have done in recent years, it seems inevitable that they will return to form. But a lot of things look positive for the Mariners thus far. They are getting good starting pitching from Hernandez, Washburn and Bedard and Silva had a good outing last night after a poor first one.
This team has more excitement so far in their demeanor than at any time in the last two years. Is that a Griffey affect? It's hard to give the old slugger that much credit. Maybe it's the new manager and some of the younger guys that have added a spark. All the Fan knows is that guys like Chavez and Betancourt have been spark plugs. Griffey isn't hitting all that much, but he does have a .400 OBP and Ichiro Suzuki hasn't even played yet. He's back tonight though.
The two glaring weaknesses for the Mariners are not having a stud closer and horrid catching. Morrow has been the closer thus far and though he has two saves in two opportunities, he's walked six batters in 3+ innings. If he keeps that up, blown saves will come in bunches. Johjima and Johnson have been terrible at the plate thus far and both are far below the Mendoza Line. Neither of them walk much and they are rally killers to say the least.
Prediction: This is a weak division and if their starting pitching holds up (Bedard is always in injury waiting to happen), they have a chance to contend. Who would have thought it?
Florida Marlins
There is no team the Fan is more excited about than the Florida Marlins. Emilio Banifacio has given the team a spark on offense as he runs around the bases and he brings excitement when he plays. His ability to bunt for base hits really make him a threat. His one weakness is that he doesn't walk much. If he can develop some patience, look out! Hitting in front of Hanley Ramirez, Dan Uggla and Jorge Cantu has been deadly to this point. Ramirez is really taking to his new spot in the lineup and has been an RBI machine thus far.
But what is really exciting about the Marlins is their pitching. Johnson, Volstad, Nolasco and Sanchez are all potential studs and three of those four have had great starts to their season. The bullpen has not been solid and they are questionable at closer with Lindstrom, but they have a couple of good arms like Penn, Colero and Nunez that could keep them in games.
Prediction: This is a tough division and the Braves look strong. But if the Marlins pitching holds up, they could be the Bay Rays of 2009.
Cincinatti Reds
The Reds have had a good start and are currently a game out of first place in the National League Central. They have two of the grittiest starting pitchers in baseball with Harang and Arroyo but it is really troubling that their two best arms in Volquez and Cueto cannot find a way to be consistently dominating. They have one dominating start and then they get clobbered. Until they can find a way to win when they don't have their best stuff, they will plague this team.
The Fan has watched two of the Red games this year and though Votto is off to a great start, this offense lacks patience and makes it too easy for the other team's starting pitching to get them out. They are very young and this Fan is not convinced that Bruce is the star everyone thinks he's going to be. He looks outmatched far too often.
The Reds have some good news in the bullpen. The veteran Rhodes has had a good start and Cordero is a very good closer. Burton, Weathers and Masset have also pitched well out of the pen thus far.
Prediction: Their inconsistent starting pitching and lack of patience at the plate will continue to sabotage this team and they will not be able to overcome the Cubs and Cardinals.
San Diego Padres
The Padres were expected to be abysmal this year and here they are at 6-2 and leading the National League West division. They have two very good starters in Peavy and Young and are getting a bit more offense than last year. But it seems likely that they will fall to earth in the not too distant future.
The offense is still troubling to the Fan. Giles doesn't seem to have much left. Adrian Gonzalez is a stud at first base, but will the timely hitting of Hundley, Haiston and Gerut continue? It seems unlikely. The rest of the starting rotation is a huge question mark as well. Walter Silva and Kevin Correia cannot find the strike zone often enough and never give the team more than five innings before they run out of pitch count. Shawn Hill gave the Padres a decent start, but his history is hard to overcome in thinking he will be much of a factor.
The bullpen, as always, is a strength for the Padres. Heath Bell looks fantastic as a closer and though the rest of the relievers don't blow people away, they seem very good at keeping the team in the game.
Prediction: The Padres don't seem to have enough offense and starting pitching to continue to contend. It seems inevitable that they shrink back to the pack. They still might be better than predictions though and might be better than the Giants and the Diamondbacks in the long run.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Red Sox Off to a Rough Start
The Boston Red Sox have opened the 2009 season at 2-5 and while a week is a drop in the bucket for the team in a 162 game season, there are some worrisome trends thus far in their season. They aren't hitting very well and they aren't pitching very well. And this was a team expected to do both.
Again, it's not time to panic after only seven games. But outside of Jason Bay and Kevin Youkilis, the team has been anemic at the plate. Here are the OPS figures of several key players: Pedroia .615, Lowell .531, Ellsbury .459, Ortiz .541, Drew .540 and Lowrie .206 (!). The Red Sox were already worried about Ortiz and Lowell coming into the season after injury-filled and off production years last year. They both look slow and old. And one of their few hot hitters, Jason Bay, hurt his wrist last night, which could affect his offense for a while to come.
The real strength of the Red Sox going into the season was their pitching. On paper, they had a monster staff not even counting Buchholz, now at AAA, or John Smoltz. But other than Beckett, the vaunted starters have not started well. Matsuzaka gave up 12 base runners in 5.1 innings of work his first start and Jon Lester, expected by many to be a Cy Young candidate, is 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA to this point. Brad Penny got a win in his only start but gave up two homers in six innings.
The bullpen was also considered a strength. The loquacious Jonathan Papelbon has been shaky thus far, Okijama and Masterson have matching 13.50 ERAs and heralded newcomer Saito is at 7.71. Hardly good starts.
Again, it's early. The team has 155 games remaining on its schedule. But it's a troubling start for the Red Sox and in a tough division where one or two games can make a difference, it's a concern.
Again, it's not time to panic after only seven games. But outside of Jason Bay and Kevin Youkilis, the team has been anemic at the plate. Here are the OPS figures of several key players: Pedroia .615, Lowell .531, Ellsbury .459, Ortiz .541, Drew .540 and Lowrie .206 (!). The Red Sox were already worried about Ortiz and Lowell coming into the season after injury-filled and off production years last year. They both look slow and old. And one of their few hot hitters, Jason Bay, hurt his wrist last night, which could affect his offense for a while to come.
The real strength of the Red Sox going into the season was their pitching. On paper, they had a monster staff not even counting Buchholz, now at AAA, or John Smoltz. But other than Beckett, the vaunted starters have not started well. Matsuzaka gave up 12 base runners in 5.1 innings of work his first start and Jon Lester, expected by many to be a Cy Young candidate, is 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA to this point. Brad Penny got a win in his only start but gave up two homers in six innings.
The bullpen was also considered a strength. The loquacious Jonathan Papelbon has been shaky thus far, Okijama and Masterson have matching 13.50 ERAs and heralded newcomer Saito is at 7.71. Hardly good starts.
Again, it's early. The team has 155 games remaining on its schedule. But it's a troubling start for the Red Sox and in a tough division where one or two games can make a difference, it's a concern.
Mark Fidrych - Dead at 54
Two months ago, the Fan wrote a piece about Mark Fidrych. Looking back, the piece now feels like a eulogy. The "Bird" died today at the age of 54, apparently while working on his truck. His death is a shock as he was an important part of this writer's past and a memory that lingers to this day. It seems strangely fitting that Fidrych would die in such a fashion. He was such a down to earth kind of guy. That's what we all loved about him. We knew he was as genuine as they come. And for a season, he thrilled us.
The old saying is that bad things happen in "threes." Earlier we had the death of Nick Adenhart, then Fidrych and we also learned today of the death of the "voice" of the Phillies, Harry Kalas. The Fan hadn't been aware of Kalas, for some reason, until reading the news stories about his death and the tribute films of him calling memorable moments in Phillies' history. The voice was recognized for his work for NFL Films, where he succeeded another Philadelphia legend, John Facenda. The voice is unmistakable.
Though the Fan was unaware of Kalas, it wasn't long ago that the Fan's childhood "uncle," Phil Rizzuto, passed away and as anyone who grew up watching the Yankees mourned that loss, so must Philadelphia fans mourn their long time voice. Kalas was a fixture in Philadelphia for 39 years. And much like Fidrych, it is fitting that Kalas collapsed at the ballpark, where he was getting ready to announce a game.
It's been a tough week for baseball fans and a very sad one. We wish peace and comfort for all the loved ones of those that have passed from us and we will keep their memory with us.
The old saying is that bad things happen in "threes." Earlier we had the death of Nick Adenhart, then Fidrych and we also learned today of the death of the "voice" of the Phillies, Harry Kalas. The Fan hadn't been aware of Kalas, for some reason, until reading the news stories about his death and the tribute films of him calling memorable moments in Phillies' history. The voice was recognized for his work for NFL Films, where he succeeded another Philadelphia legend, John Facenda. The voice is unmistakable.
Though the Fan was unaware of Kalas, it wasn't long ago that the Fan's childhood "uncle," Phil Rizzuto, passed away and as anyone who grew up watching the Yankees mourned that loss, so must Philadelphia fans mourn their long time voice. Kalas was a fixture in Philadelphia for 39 years. And much like Fidrych, it is fitting that Kalas collapsed at the ballpark, where he was getting ready to announce a game.
It's been a tough week for baseball fans and a very sad one. We wish peace and comfort for all the loved ones of those that have passed from us and we will keep their memory with us.
Head Spinning Day of Baseball
While off the field, there was sad news, on the field, there were strange and head spinning happenings all over baseball. We had a cycle. We had a first baseman pitch. We had the debut of a new stadium and we had two players hit their 300th homers in the same game. Let's recap.
We'll start with the cycle. Orlando Hudson hit an infield single, a homer and a double against Randy Johnson and finished with the hardest part of any cycle, a triple down the right field corner. He just beat the relay throw into third. He was unaware of what he had done until he got into the dugout. A cycle has occurred only 284 times in major league history before Hudson's and his was the first for the Dodgers since Wes Parker did it in extra innings in 1970. The last Dodger to do it in a regulation game was Gil Hodges in 1949.
In other news of the day, Chien-Ming Wang of the Yankees had his second consecutive miserable start and only lasted an inning. The Bay Rays beat up the Yankees so badly that Nick Swisher came on to pitch the bottom of the eighth for the Yankees. Swisher, who has been one of the few Yankee highlights this short season, hit a homer in the game and upped his team lead in RBI to ten. Since the bullpen was gassed, he was given the ball by Girardi in the eighth.
The game was laughable by the time Swisher came in to pitch. Jorge Posada went to play first base while Swisher came in to pitch and the score was 15 - 5. The Fan was following along on Yahoo GameDay and when Swisher walked Upton and Willie Aybar singled to left, the Fan groaned and thought it would soon get very embarrassing. But then Gabe Kapler struck out (he'll never live that down), Carlos Pena popped out to second and Pat Burrell flied out to left. So Swisher will probably retire with a 0.00 ERA.
The Mets had their opening night in Citi Field and lost to the Padres. The winning run was brought in by a Pedro Feliciano balk. That always sucks. The Fan wonders how a home team feels in a new park. They have to feel like visitors themselves, no? At least for a while anyway.
The coolest feat of the day came in the top of the second inning at Detroit in a game that the White Sox beat the Tigers. Jermaine Dye and Paul Konerko both hit their 300th career homers, not only in the same game, but in back to back at bats. How cool is that?
So in the last two days we've had a triple play, back to back 300th homers, a first baseman/outfielder pitching, a cycle and we haven't even mentioned the near no-hitter by Ted Lilly. The Fan can't wait to see what will happen tomorrow!
We'll start with the cycle. Orlando Hudson hit an infield single, a homer and a double against Randy Johnson and finished with the hardest part of any cycle, a triple down the right field corner. He just beat the relay throw into third. He was unaware of what he had done until he got into the dugout. A cycle has occurred only 284 times in major league history before Hudson's and his was the first for the Dodgers since Wes Parker did it in extra innings in 1970. The last Dodger to do it in a regulation game was Gil Hodges in 1949.
In other news of the day, Chien-Ming Wang of the Yankees had his second consecutive miserable start and only lasted an inning. The Bay Rays beat up the Yankees so badly that Nick Swisher came on to pitch the bottom of the eighth for the Yankees. Swisher, who has been one of the few Yankee highlights this short season, hit a homer in the game and upped his team lead in RBI to ten. Since the bullpen was gassed, he was given the ball by Girardi in the eighth.
The game was laughable by the time Swisher came in to pitch. Jorge Posada went to play first base while Swisher came in to pitch and the score was 15 - 5. The Fan was following along on Yahoo GameDay and when Swisher walked Upton and Willie Aybar singled to left, the Fan groaned and thought it would soon get very embarrassing. But then Gabe Kapler struck out (he'll never live that down), Carlos Pena popped out to second and Pat Burrell flied out to left. So Swisher will probably retire with a 0.00 ERA.
The Mets had their opening night in Citi Field and lost to the Padres. The winning run was brought in by a Pedro Feliciano balk. That always sucks. The Fan wonders how a home team feels in a new park. They have to feel like visitors themselves, no? At least for a while anyway.
The coolest feat of the day came in the top of the second inning at Detroit in a game that the White Sox beat the Tigers. Jermaine Dye and Paul Konerko both hit their 300th career homers, not only in the same game, but in back to back at bats. How cool is that?
So in the last two days we've had a triple play, back to back 300th homers, a first baseman/outfielder pitching, a cycle and we haven't even mentioned the near no-hitter by Ted Lilly. The Fan can't wait to see what will happen tomorrow!
Monday, April 13, 2009
First Full Week Is In the Books
It snowed today on Easter in northern Maine. Spring has gotten under way in just about every where else, but not here. It sure was cruel to see those azaleas at the Masters and all that color and green. All we still have here in the frozen tundra is white and gray. And to make matters worse, the wind howled like a banshee all day. The Fan wonders how many more shingles he'll find in the back yard tomorrow. Well, at least a full week has been played in Major League Baseball. And what a screwy week it was.
Starting in the American League East, the three supposedly best teams in baseball have been treading water while the other two supposedly also-rans are on top of the division. The Blue Jays have looked really impressive to date. The Fan has said it before: Cito Gaston is one of the best managers in baseball.
Over in the AL Central, the Tigers are doing surprisingly well and the Indians surprisingly terrible. The Indians are now 1-5 and their lack of pitching is killing them. They may end up with more runs given up than the Rangers. Carl Pavano had one of the ugliest pitching lines in a long time the other day and all Yankee fans smirked.
In the AL West, Seattle, of all teams, is on top of the division with a 5-2 record and getting good pitching so far. The rest of the division is either .500 or just below it. The first team to 85 wins might win the AL West.
The NL East looks surprising as the Braves and Marlins look fantastic while the Phillies and the Mets are at .500. The Nationals might not win a game this year. Okay, they will win a couple. But that's about it.
The NL Central is showing what the Fan feared most, a St. Louis resurgence. The Fan has nothing against that city and its great baseball fans. Just not a big fan of Tony LaRussa, who always seemed like one of my Sicilian uncles down in New Jersey with questionable loyalties, if you know what I mean. But the guy knows how to run a club and win. And with Pujols, Carpenter and Wellemeyer, they could just pull it off.
The NL West is showing the Padres on top of the division. What the heck is going on here? No wonder the Fan is like 40-60 on his BallHype.com picks this week. These guys are making this writer look pretty stupid. The Dodgers should win this division and if they don't, it will be a big surprise the way all those teams look so far.
The league leader board is looking typical for a new and young season. Four players are batting above .500: Theriot, Youkilis, Miguel Cabrera and the Marlins' Bonifacio, who seems like the most exciting new player in the league. He's been scary good. Longoria, who most already knew was scary good is at .481. Longoria and Cabrera already have ten RBI and Longoria leads the league with five homers followed by Inge with four homers. Inge?
Johan Santana already has 20 strikeouts and in a real kicker in the lungs, Adenhart is on top of the leader board with a 0.00 ERA. So sad.
It's early and those standings and leader boards are hard to take seriously, but there are some surprises as there always are in the first week. It's just another reason why we love baseball, isn't it?
Starting in the American League East, the three supposedly best teams in baseball have been treading water while the other two supposedly also-rans are on top of the division. The Blue Jays have looked really impressive to date. The Fan has said it before: Cito Gaston is one of the best managers in baseball.
Over in the AL Central, the Tigers are doing surprisingly well and the Indians surprisingly terrible. The Indians are now 1-5 and their lack of pitching is killing them. They may end up with more runs given up than the Rangers. Carl Pavano had one of the ugliest pitching lines in a long time the other day and all Yankee fans smirked.
In the AL West, Seattle, of all teams, is on top of the division with a 5-2 record and getting good pitching so far. The rest of the division is either .500 or just below it. The first team to 85 wins might win the AL West.
The NL East looks surprising as the Braves and Marlins look fantastic while the Phillies and the Mets are at .500. The Nationals might not win a game this year. Okay, they will win a couple. But that's about it.
The NL Central is showing what the Fan feared most, a St. Louis resurgence. The Fan has nothing against that city and its great baseball fans. Just not a big fan of Tony LaRussa, who always seemed like one of my Sicilian uncles down in New Jersey with questionable loyalties, if you know what I mean. But the guy knows how to run a club and win. And with Pujols, Carpenter and Wellemeyer, they could just pull it off.
The NL West is showing the Padres on top of the division. What the heck is going on here? No wonder the Fan is like 40-60 on his BallHype.com picks this week. These guys are making this writer look pretty stupid. The Dodgers should win this division and if they don't, it will be a big surprise the way all those teams look so far.
The league leader board is looking typical for a new and young season. Four players are batting above .500: Theriot, Youkilis, Miguel Cabrera and the Marlins' Bonifacio, who seems like the most exciting new player in the league. He's been scary good. Longoria, who most already knew was scary good is at .481. Longoria and Cabrera already have ten RBI and Longoria leads the league with five homers followed by Inge with four homers. Inge?
Johan Santana already has 20 strikeouts and in a real kicker in the lungs, Adenhart is on top of the leader board with a 0.00 ERA. So sad.
It's early and those standings and leader boards are hard to take seriously, but there are some surprises as there always are in the first week. It's just another reason why we love baseball, isn't it?
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Celebrating a Halladay on Easter Sunday Morning
Stating that Roy Halladay is a really good pitcher is sort of like stating that Easter is a pretty important holiday in the world of Christianity. The statement is as obvious as that and yet is very much understated. Simply put, Roy Halladay is the bomb.
Halladay has won 67% of his games (132-66) since his first full year in 1999. In that same time frame, his team has a winning percentage of .504 (819-806). It was no surprise that in 2004, when he missed significant time with injuries and missed more than ten starts, the Blue Jays had their worst year and lost over 90 games. If you take out that one year, where he obviously wasn't himself, Halladay has won 70% of his games since 2002.
But Wins aren't the end all as we all now know when it comes to pitching statistics. Halladay's career WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) is 1.21. But in the last seven years his WHIP line looks like this: 1.07, 1.35 (the injury year), 0.96, 1.10, 1.24, 1.05 and 1.00 so far this year in two starts. His OPS over that time looks like the entire league was played by Juan Pierre. Since 2003, his strikeout to walk ratio is 4.19 to 1. Wow! Take out that injured 2004 and it is 4.58 to 1.
Throw into his mix of statistics that he has 40 complete games in his career in the age of the closer and eleven shutouts and you have one terrific pitcher. But because of him playing in Toronto and on the wrong side of the border, and on a team that hasn't contended in a while and he is vastly under appreciated.
The Blue Jays have started 5-1 this year and Halladay is already 2-0. He won 20 games last year and seems to be a pretty good bet to do that again this year if he stays healthy. He's only won a single Cy Young award but should have won it again last year. He had the lowest WHIP in the league despite pitching the most innings and facing the most batters. Also consider that against the division's two best teams, the Red Sox and the Yankees, they have a career OPS against him of .725 and .649 respectively.
Halladay is a horse and he is one of the gems of his generation.
Halladay has won 67% of his games (132-66) since his first full year in 1999. In that same time frame, his team has a winning percentage of .504 (819-806). It was no surprise that in 2004, when he missed significant time with injuries and missed more than ten starts, the Blue Jays had their worst year and lost over 90 games. If you take out that one year, where he obviously wasn't himself, Halladay has won 70% of his games since 2002.
But Wins aren't the end all as we all now know when it comes to pitching statistics. Halladay's career WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) is 1.21. But in the last seven years his WHIP line looks like this: 1.07, 1.35 (the injury year), 0.96, 1.10, 1.24, 1.05 and 1.00 so far this year in two starts. His OPS over that time looks like the entire league was played by Juan Pierre. Since 2003, his strikeout to walk ratio is 4.19 to 1. Wow! Take out that injured 2004 and it is 4.58 to 1.
Throw into his mix of statistics that he has 40 complete games in his career in the age of the closer and eleven shutouts and you have one terrific pitcher. But because of him playing in Toronto and on the wrong side of the border, and on a team that hasn't contended in a while and he is vastly under appreciated.
The Blue Jays have started 5-1 this year and Halladay is already 2-0. He won 20 games last year and seems to be a pretty good bet to do that again this year if he stays healthy. He's only won a single Cy Young award but should have won it again last year. He had the lowest WHIP in the league despite pitching the most innings and facing the most batters. Also consider that against the division's two best teams, the Red Sox and the Yankees, they have a career OPS against him of .725 and .649 respectively.
Halladay is a horse and he is one of the gems of his generation.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Why It's Hard to Like National League Baseball
Watched two games today and both are reminders of why National League baseball is harder to like than American League baseball. The games in question were the Cubs/Brewers game and the Mets/Marlins. Before we get to the action, let the Fan say ahead of time that the game's purists might be a bit put off by this post. But keep an open mind.
Let's start with the Mets and Marlins. First, the Marlins look very tough right now. They play with a lot of enthusiasm, swing with aggression and seem to enjoy each other as teammates. They have a solid young core of players and if their pitching holds up the way they have started, they are going to be interesting to watch.
Okay. The game was still close. John Maine of the Mets had only given up two hits in five innings. Unfortunately, those two hits were monster homers by Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla. He had thrown 83 pitches through those five innings. On the other side, Anibal Sanchez kept the Mets scoreless through five innings but had a high pitch count (98) due to pitching deep into the count while striking out five and walking three. It was obvious that Sanchez wouldn't make it deep into the game.
In fact, Sanchez was replaced by Dan Meyer to start the top of the sixth. Meyer promptly gave up a homer to Carlos Beltran and then a single to Church. Schneider then sacrificed but Luis Castillo flied out making it two outs. Maine was due up next and according to the logic of current National League baseball, Sheffield was called upon to pinch hit. Sheffield walked but Reyes then flew out to end the inning.
And so Maine was out after only five innings. Sean Green was called in to pitch the sixth for the Mets and gave up a run but also struck out the side. The Mets scored two runs to tie the score in the top of the seventh. But the Mets were then forced (having used Green already) to bring in inexperienced Bobby Parnell, who has thrown a total of six innings in his big league career. Parnell gave up the go ahead run.
Though the Mets did tie the game up against the Marlins' closer, Matt Lindstrom--a real weakness for the Marlins by the way--in the top of the ninth. The feisty Marlins then won the game in the bottom of the ninth.
Now the point of all this is that in National League baseball's silent bylaws, the Mets had to pinch hit for John Maine. If this was American League baseball, Maine would have pitched at least another inning which would have set them up perfectly to bring Green in the seventh, Putz in the eighth and their closer in the ninth. Exposing their bullpen another inning led to a weaker pitcher being relied upon with the expected bad results.
Now many of you might be wagging your finger at the Fan stating that this is purist baseball and much better than that DH business. Well, if you say so. But the Fan has been around long enough to know that in purist baseball, the Drysdales, Koufaxes, Gibsons, and other National League pitchers of the past wouldn't have come out after five innings and 83 pitches. That is totally a modern phenomenon just as the DH is in the American League. In the "good old days," you would only pinch hit for the pitcher if he was getting roughed up or very late in the game.
Okay, let's go to the Cubs game against the Brewers. This is a tale of how a 4-3 game can take three hours and twelve minutes. Harden started for the Cubbies and Looper for the Brewers. Harden was fantastic and struck out ten batters in six innings, but was dinged for two runs, one of them earned. Looper only gave up one run in his five innings but had trouble with his control.
And so Seth McClung came in the top of the sixth and that's when the fun started.
First, McClung couldn't McCling to the lead and gave up a two run homer to back-up catcher Koyie Hill, who to this point in his career had a .292 slugging percentage in 240 big league at bats. Harden dispatched of the Brewers quickly in the bottom half of the sixth and then McClung got through the top of the seventh despite two more base runners.
Piniella then brings Heilman in to start the bottom of the seventh and he promptly walks Bill Hall, which is historically pretty hard to do. Jason Kendall successfully sacrifices Hall to second and out comes Piniella to summon Neal Cotts to LOOGY Craig Counsell, who is batting for McClung. Cotts promptly plunks Counsell who trots to first base.
So for those keeping score, we've had 16 warm up pitches and only 11 real pitches and a runner is on first and second and out pops Piniella again, because, Cotts is only a LOOGY. In comes Marmol who throws 8 more warm up pitches (we're up to 24 for the inning and two commercial breaks). Marmol, once presumably warm, got lucky when Weeks lined hard to second. He then walked Corey Hart to load the bases. Fortunately for the Cubs, Braun flew out to right to end the inning. No runs, three base runners, 24 warm up pitches and 27 real pitches.
Ted Coffey comes in for the Brewers in the top of the eighth and promptly gives up a double to Fontenot. TheRiot grounds out and then Coffey plunks the immortal Koyie Hill who trots to first. Aaron Miles pinch hits for Marmol (since this IS the National League) and promptly hits into a double play to end the inning.
Sean Marshall, not a LOOGY by definition and normally a starting pitcher, comes in for the Cubbies to face the lefty, Fielder. But he walks him. Up pops Piniella from the dugout using his National League exercise program and replaces Marshall with Vizcaino. So now we have sixteen warm up pitches and only five real pitches have been thrown.
Vizcaino gets lucky and J. J. Hardy's line shot is caught in deep left field. He then induces Cameron to dribble the ball back to him and Cameron is thrown out at first, Fielder moving to second. Piniella again pops out of the dugout and replaces Vizcaino with Kevin Gregg, the Cubs' closer. So we are again up to 24 warm up pitches, two commercial breaks and only 13 real pitches have been thrown. Oy. Gregg finishes out the inning without incident.
The Brewers go down easily in the bottom of the eighth and Gregg comes out for the ninth and promptly (the Fan is using that word far too often...must be this week's catchy word) blows the save.
The bottom line here is Piniella's fiddling with all those pitchers meant that Gregg was asked to have more than a three out save, not a good idea with this generation of closers (See? Not so purist). Plus, the fans had to endure 48 warm up pitches, four commercial breaks to account for 47 real pitches and a whole bunch of idle time. Wasn't that fun?
Let's start with the Mets and Marlins. First, the Marlins look very tough right now. They play with a lot of enthusiasm, swing with aggression and seem to enjoy each other as teammates. They have a solid young core of players and if their pitching holds up the way they have started, they are going to be interesting to watch.
Okay. The game was still close. John Maine of the Mets had only given up two hits in five innings. Unfortunately, those two hits were monster homers by Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla. He had thrown 83 pitches through those five innings. On the other side, Anibal Sanchez kept the Mets scoreless through five innings but had a high pitch count (98) due to pitching deep into the count while striking out five and walking three. It was obvious that Sanchez wouldn't make it deep into the game.
In fact, Sanchez was replaced by Dan Meyer to start the top of the sixth. Meyer promptly gave up a homer to Carlos Beltran and then a single to Church. Schneider then sacrificed but Luis Castillo flied out making it two outs. Maine was due up next and according to the logic of current National League baseball, Sheffield was called upon to pinch hit. Sheffield walked but Reyes then flew out to end the inning.
And so Maine was out after only five innings. Sean Green was called in to pitch the sixth for the Mets and gave up a run but also struck out the side. The Mets scored two runs to tie the score in the top of the seventh. But the Mets were then forced (having used Green already) to bring in inexperienced Bobby Parnell, who has thrown a total of six innings in his big league career. Parnell gave up the go ahead run.
Though the Mets did tie the game up against the Marlins' closer, Matt Lindstrom--a real weakness for the Marlins by the way--in the top of the ninth. The feisty Marlins then won the game in the bottom of the ninth.
Now the point of all this is that in National League baseball's silent bylaws, the Mets had to pinch hit for John Maine. If this was American League baseball, Maine would have pitched at least another inning which would have set them up perfectly to bring Green in the seventh, Putz in the eighth and their closer in the ninth. Exposing their bullpen another inning led to a weaker pitcher being relied upon with the expected bad results.
Now many of you might be wagging your finger at the Fan stating that this is purist baseball and much better than that DH business. Well, if you say so. But the Fan has been around long enough to know that in purist baseball, the Drysdales, Koufaxes, Gibsons, and other National League pitchers of the past wouldn't have come out after five innings and 83 pitches. That is totally a modern phenomenon just as the DH is in the American League. In the "good old days," you would only pinch hit for the pitcher if he was getting roughed up or very late in the game.
Okay, let's go to the Cubs game against the Brewers. This is a tale of how a 4-3 game can take three hours and twelve minutes. Harden started for the Cubbies and Looper for the Brewers. Harden was fantastic and struck out ten batters in six innings, but was dinged for two runs, one of them earned. Looper only gave up one run in his five innings but had trouble with his control.
And so Seth McClung came in the top of the sixth and that's when the fun started.
First, McClung couldn't McCling to the lead and gave up a two run homer to back-up catcher Koyie Hill, who to this point in his career had a .292 slugging percentage in 240 big league at bats. Harden dispatched of the Brewers quickly in the bottom half of the sixth and then McClung got through the top of the seventh despite two more base runners.
Piniella then brings Heilman in to start the bottom of the seventh and he promptly walks Bill Hall, which is historically pretty hard to do. Jason Kendall successfully sacrifices Hall to second and out comes Piniella to summon Neal Cotts to LOOGY Craig Counsell, who is batting for McClung. Cotts promptly plunks Counsell who trots to first base.
So for those keeping score, we've had 16 warm up pitches and only 11 real pitches and a runner is on first and second and out pops Piniella again, because, Cotts is only a LOOGY. In comes Marmol who throws 8 more warm up pitches (we're up to 24 for the inning and two commercial breaks). Marmol, once presumably warm, got lucky when Weeks lined hard to second. He then walked Corey Hart to load the bases. Fortunately for the Cubs, Braun flew out to right to end the inning. No runs, three base runners, 24 warm up pitches and 27 real pitches.
Ted Coffey comes in for the Brewers in the top of the eighth and promptly gives up a double to Fontenot. TheRiot grounds out and then Coffey plunks the immortal Koyie Hill who trots to first. Aaron Miles pinch hits for Marmol (since this IS the National League) and promptly hits into a double play to end the inning.
Sean Marshall, not a LOOGY by definition and normally a starting pitcher, comes in for the Cubbies to face the lefty, Fielder. But he walks him. Up pops Piniella from the dugout using his National League exercise program and replaces Marshall with Vizcaino. So now we have sixteen warm up pitches and only five real pitches have been thrown.
Vizcaino gets lucky and J. J. Hardy's line shot is caught in deep left field. He then induces Cameron to dribble the ball back to him and Cameron is thrown out at first, Fielder moving to second. Piniella again pops out of the dugout and replaces Vizcaino with Kevin Gregg, the Cubs' closer. So we are again up to 24 warm up pitches, two commercial breaks and only 13 real pitches have been thrown. Oy. Gregg finishes out the inning without incident.
The Brewers go down easily in the bottom of the eighth and Gregg comes out for the ninth and promptly (the Fan is using that word far too often...must be this week's catchy word) blows the save.
The bottom line here is Piniella's fiddling with all those pitchers meant that Gregg was asked to have more than a three out save, not a good idea with this generation of closers (See? Not so purist). Plus, the fans had to endure 48 warm up pitches, four commercial breaks to account for 47 real pitches and a whole bunch of idle time. Wasn't that fun?
Friday, April 10, 2009
A Real Tragedy
Roughly 37,000 people die each year in automobile accidents. That's roughly 20 per 100,000 licensed drivers. Unless it touches you personally, it's hard to understand how many people are anguished by that number. My dad died in a car accident in 1966, so it hits home. So why then does something like Nick Adenhart's death in an accident feel so much worse?
Two others died in that accident and another was seriously injured. Apparently, it was a drunk driver. The other two fatalities were mentioned in all the stories, but to a far lesser degree than Adenhart's. One of the fatalities was a 20 year old female. It all hurts. The families must be devastated.
It's big news when it happens to a celebrity or an athlete. They function in the realm of make believe. They are like the Santa Clauses we still believe in. And so it seems much more jarring when we learn of one of their demises among the thousands of others we hear about all the time. They are supposed to be super human. They are supposed to be immortal. It's supposed to be a game or a movie. It's not real life.
But it is real life. These players we watch and place somewhere above where our own lives are become our escape, our vicarious thrill. They are supposed to take us beyond our own misery and lift us to a place where our own pain is numbed for a little while. They aren't supposed to die. Not when they are 22 and gifted with a whole career and life in front of them. But they do and it reminds us all that life is a gift and can be taken at any moment and these players are flesh and blood and mere mortals that bleed and can be broken.
And it always seems worse when the victim seems innocent and fresh and so young. We can somehow stomach players who self-destruct and die before their time because of their own self destruction, whether it be drugs, alcohol or living too far in the fast lane for far too long. But when the pictures show a bright young kid with a home town smile, that isn't supposed to happen.
But the good book tells us that our days are numbered and known from the beginning of time. The cycle is longer for some than for others and it's a mystery we may never know until it becomes our time.
At least Adenhart was living his dream and was reaching his goals. How many of us can say that about our lives? His last game was masterful and won't be forgotten because of its timing. His father got to see it happen and can cherish that memory forever. That won't lessen the pain, but it should bring a smile between the tears now and then.
The truth is, my friend, that each one of those 37,000 is a tragedy. And tragedy is happening around us all the time. With television so gritty and so in your face, we get desensitised and numb to the pain all around us. Perhaps it's time to not only mourn Nick Adenhart, but all those who lost loved ones this past week or month or year. Maybe it's time to shake off the Novocaine and start reaching out to those who hurt.
Real life intruded on our fantasies again, just as spring felt so new and refreshing after such a long hard winter. But reality is what it is. We may numb ourselves with television, with the Internet or with booze and drugs, but reality is always there. Some times it can be breathtakingly beautiful and other times, it can be a real ugly pit.
Nick Adenhart had a wonderful smile. Maybe we can honor him and all those 37,000 by showing someone a real kindness today and tomorrow. Maybe we can take a moment to stop fearing and hating people we don't understand or know. Maybe we can mourn and rejoice. Either life condition is far better than being numb.
Two others died in that accident and another was seriously injured. Apparently, it was a drunk driver. The other two fatalities were mentioned in all the stories, but to a far lesser degree than Adenhart's. One of the fatalities was a 20 year old female. It all hurts. The families must be devastated.
It's big news when it happens to a celebrity or an athlete. They function in the realm of make believe. They are like the Santa Clauses we still believe in. And so it seems much more jarring when we learn of one of their demises among the thousands of others we hear about all the time. They are supposed to be super human. They are supposed to be immortal. It's supposed to be a game or a movie. It's not real life.
But it is real life. These players we watch and place somewhere above where our own lives are become our escape, our vicarious thrill. They are supposed to take us beyond our own misery and lift us to a place where our own pain is numbed for a little while. They aren't supposed to die. Not when they are 22 and gifted with a whole career and life in front of them. But they do and it reminds us all that life is a gift and can be taken at any moment and these players are flesh and blood and mere mortals that bleed and can be broken.
And it always seems worse when the victim seems innocent and fresh and so young. We can somehow stomach players who self-destruct and die before their time because of their own self destruction, whether it be drugs, alcohol or living too far in the fast lane for far too long. But when the pictures show a bright young kid with a home town smile, that isn't supposed to happen.
But the good book tells us that our days are numbered and known from the beginning of time. The cycle is longer for some than for others and it's a mystery we may never know until it becomes our time.
At least Adenhart was living his dream and was reaching his goals. How many of us can say that about our lives? His last game was masterful and won't be forgotten because of its timing. His father got to see it happen and can cherish that memory forever. That won't lessen the pain, but it should bring a smile between the tears now and then.
The truth is, my friend, that each one of those 37,000 is a tragedy. And tragedy is happening around us all the time. With television so gritty and so in your face, we get desensitised and numb to the pain all around us. Perhaps it's time to not only mourn Nick Adenhart, but all those who lost loved ones this past week or month or year. Maybe it's time to shake off the Novocaine and start reaching out to those who hurt.
Real life intruded on our fantasies again, just as spring felt so new and refreshing after such a long hard winter. But reality is what it is. We may numb ourselves with television, with the Internet or with booze and drugs, but reality is always there. Some times it can be breathtakingly beautiful and other times, it can be a real ugly pit.
Nick Adenhart had a wonderful smile. Maybe we can honor him and all those 37,000 by showing someone a real kindness today and tomorrow. Maybe we can take a moment to stop fearing and hating people we don't understand or know. Maybe we can mourn and rejoice. Either life condition is far better than being numb.
Thursday, April 09, 2009
Box Score Mayberry RFD
The Fan likes the box scores over at Yahoo Sports. Unlike some other sites, they seem very straight forward. You can go right to the the main baseball page and the list of games is there and you are only one click away from the information you crave.
If you have read the Fan's previous post, you know the Fan was furiously flipping back and forth between two exciting innings--one between the Tigers and Blue Jays and one between the Yankees and Orioles.
Even when watching the games, the Fan still likes keeping the box scores going because it adds to the experience. Hey, so the Fan is weird. What else is new. In the midst of these two bizarre and exciting innings taking place hundreds of miles, and two countries apart, the Fan came across these two pictures. The one on the left is Zack Minor, the Tigers' pitcher. The one on the right is Adam Lind, who was batting against Minor with the bases loaded.
And in the middle of all that, the Fan busts out laughing because of those two pictures. Minor looks like Gomer Pyle and Lind looks like Opie. "Holy cow," says the Fan, "Gomer's pitching to Opie!"
Two Games. Two Simultaneously Weird Innings
Baseball is such a great game. Yes, the stats are fun. Yes, the analysis is great. But the games themselves provide so many unexpected moments. Two really weird innings happened at the exact same time in two different ballparks. One didn't factor greatly in the results of the game. The other really did. In the words of Randy Jackson, "Check it out, Baby."
First, we start in Toronto. The Tigers had scored three runs in the top of the first on a Miguel Cabrera homer. Zack Minor (check out the next post for more on him) comes out to pitch the bottom of the first for the Tigers. Marco (Polo!) Scaturo immediately greets Minor with a double to left. Aaron Hill hits a bomb to deep center for another double that scores Scaturo. Alex Rios singles to right field but Hill is held up at third. Vernon Wells then walks to load the bases. So a run is in and the Tigers are in some Minor trouble.
At the same time, in Baltimore, the Yankees are trying to win their first game of the year. But they went scoreless in the top of the first despite a walk by Jeter. Chien-Ming Wang comes out in the bottom of the first for his debut for the year after an injury-filled 2008. It doesn't start well at all for Wang. After Roberts grounded out to start the inning, Adam Jones hits a ground rule double to deep right. Nick Markakis pounds the ball to deep center for another double that scores Jones. Sounds familiar doesn't it? Aubrey Huff breaks the pattern and his the third consecutive double and plates Markakis. Melvin Mora is up next and Wang is in a heap of trouble.
The Fan, at this point is flipping back and forth to both games as all this is happening...well...simultaneously. We now flip back to Toronto. Remember the bases are loaded, one run is already in and there are no outs. Lind is up for the Blue Jays and he has already had a hot start. But he grounds it to the infield and a force is made at home and Aaron Hill is out. Runners still fill the bases and there is still only one out.
First, we start in Toronto. The Tigers had scored three runs in the top of the first on a Miguel Cabrera homer. Zack Minor (check out the next post for more on him) comes out to pitch the bottom of the first for the Tigers. Marco (Polo!) Scaturo immediately greets Minor with a double to left. Aaron Hill hits a bomb to deep center for another double that scores Scaturo. Alex Rios singles to right field but Hill is held up at third. Vernon Wells then walks to load the bases. So a run is in and the Tigers are in some Minor trouble.
At the same time, in Baltimore, the Yankees are trying to win their first game of the year. But they went scoreless in the top of the first despite a walk by Jeter. Chien-Ming Wang comes out in the bottom of the first for his debut for the year after an injury-filled 2008. It doesn't start well at all for Wang. After Roberts grounded out to start the inning, Adam Jones hits a ground rule double to deep right. Nick Markakis pounds the ball to deep center for another double that scores Jones. Sounds familiar doesn't it? Aubrey Huff breaks the pattern and his the third consecutive double and plates Markakis. Melvin Mora is up next and Wang is in a heap of trouble.
The Fan, at this point is flipping back and forth to both games as all this is happening...well...simultaneously. We now flip back to Toronto. Remember the bases are loaded, one run is already in and there are no outs. Lind is up for the Blue Jays and he has already had a hot start. But he grounds it to the infield and a force is made at home and Aaron Hill is out. Runners still fill the bases and there is still only one out.
Flip back to Baltimore. Huff is on second and Mora is up. Two runs are already in. Inexplicably, Huff heads for third. Wang fires over to Ransom and Huff is tagged out. What the? What was he thinking? To make matters worse, Mora then singles and is on first with two out. The single would probably have scored Huff. But with two outs, Luke Scott grounds to the infield and Mora is forced at second to end the inning.
Flip! Toronto still has the bases loaded with one out. A run has already scored, but Zack Minor induced a ground ball force out at the plate, so that's the one out. Scott Rolen is up next and hits a fly ball to right field. Josh Anderson catches it and throws a strike to Gerald Laird and Rios is out, double play! Wow!
Two innings, lots of guys running around, lots of base runners and two very bizarre happenings. Only three runs score when it seemed like there would be a dozen between the two innings. The Orioles went ahead and won anyway, because Wang just didn't have anything tonight. But in Toronto, the Blue Jays never scored again, so that inning really did win the game for the Tigers.
Baseball is so great.
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Well, That Didn't Take Long for Darnsworth
The Royals spent the preseason hearing for the first time in a long time that they might have an outside shot at competing in the weak American League Central division. That was something we haven't heard about the Royals in a long time. And for seven innings, they did everything right.
They got a great start from Gil-ga-Meche who pitched seven innings of seven hit ball with no walks and one earned run. He left the game with the lead. Young Alex Gordon knocked in two runs with his first home of the season in what Kansas City fans hope are the first of many. Young David DeJesus threw out a runner at home and a runner at second. Everything was going great.
And then the Royals manager brought in Kyle Farnsworth. Cubs fans, Tigers fans and Yankee fans all gave each other knowing and smirking looks. And they were all correct in knowing what was coming.
First, Josh Fields surprised everyone with a bunt single towards third. Great play. Dewayne Wise flied out to center (which is the only time the guy put a ball in play all day after three strikeouts). Young Chris Getz singled to right and Fields raced to third. Now it's first and third, one out. But Farnsworth then strikes out Carlos Quentin and you could see all the Royals' fans get some hope. Suckers!
Next up is the aged Jim Thome, now 39 years old and sitting at 541 homers. Farnsworth delivers, and in the immortal words of Stuart Scott, "Boo-yaah!" Thome clobbers the pitch to deep center, three runs score. The Royals fans now know what so many have come to learn before. He's Farnsworth, never your Money'sWorth. Jermaine Dye then singles, but mercifully decides to try to steal second and is thrown out to end the inning.
Bobby Jenks comes in the next half inning to close the game for the White Sox and the game is over. What a pity for the Royals, who could have had a real nice start to their season.
Today was the thirty-second time in Farnsworth's career that he has blown a save. He has now given up sixteen homers in his last 61 innings. He has allowed 93 base runners in those 61 innings.
Farnsworth used to throw 100 MPH and now throws around 95 to 96. Not bad in today's game, but the thing about his fastball is that it is dead straight. He gets no movement at all. You would think that in all these years, he would have picked up something from somebody on how to make his ball move a little bit. But no, nothing. So if someone like Thome is sitting dead red and a straight fast ball comes in there even at 95, he is going to crush it.
The Fan shouldn't be so mean to the guy. He might be a very nice guy and a good family man, who knows. But this much has been proven, he just can't do it when he needs to and has shown that time and time again. The Royals paid him a lot of money. But they should just swallow it and bury him in long relief. That's the only place he can't really hurt them. If he pitches in another meaningful situation for them for the rest of the year, they might as well get a gun and play Russian Roulette.
It is a pity. The Royals could have set a tone. And even though it's only the first game of the year, it's a kick in the pants on what could have been a great ballgame for them. But Chicago, New York and Detroit have all been there with Darnsworth and the results are never pretty.
They got a great start from Gil-ga-Meche who pitched seven innings of seven hit ball with no walks and one earned run. He left the game with the lead. Young Alex Gordon knocked in two runs with his first home of the season in what Kansas City fans hope are the first of many. Young David DeJesus threw out a runner at home and a runner at second. Everything was going great.
And then the Royals manager brought in Kyle Farnsworth. Cubs fans, Tigers fans and Yankee fans all gave each other knowing and smirking looks. And they were all correct in knowing what was coming.
First, Josh Fields surprised everyone with a bunt single towards third. Great play. Dewayne Wise flied out to center (which is the only time the guy put a ball in play all day after three strikeouts). Young Chris Getz singled to right and Fields raced to third. Now it's first and third, one out. But Farnsworth then strikes out Carlos Quentin and you could see all the Royals' fans get some hope. Suckers!
Next up is the aged Jim Thome, now 39 years old and sitting at 541 homers. Farnsworth delivers, and in the immortal words of Stuart Scott, "Boo-yaah!" Thome clobbers the pitch to deep center, three runs score. The Royals fans now know what so many have come to learn before. He's Farnsworth, never your Money'sWorth. Jermaine Dye then singles, but mercifully decides to try to steal second and is thrown out to end the inning.
Bobby Jenks comes in the next half inning to close the game for the White Sox and the game is over. What a pity for the Royals, who could have had a real nice start to their season.
Today was the thirty-second time in Farnsworth's career that he has blown a save. He has now given up sixteen homers in his last 61 innings. He has allowed 93 base runners in those 61 innings.
Farnsworth used to throw 100 MPH and now throws around 95 to 96. Not bad in today's game, but the thing about his fastball is that it is dead straight. He gets no movement at all. You would think that in all these years, he would have picked up something from somebody on how to make his ball move a little bit. But no, nothing. So if someone like Thome is sitting dead red and a straight fast ball comes in there even at 95, he is going to crush it.
The Fan shouldn't be so mean to the guy. He might be a very nice guy and a good family man, who knows. But this much has been proven, he just can't do it when he needs to and has shown that time and time again. The Royals paid him a lot of money. But they should just swallow it and bury him in long relief. That's the only place he can't really hurt them. If he pitches in another meaningful situation for them for the rest of the year, they might as well get a gun and play Russian Roulette.
It is a pity. The Royals could have set a tone. And even though it's only the first game of the year, it's a kick in the pants on what could have been a great ballgame for them. But Chicago, New York and Detroit have all been there with Darnsworth and the results are never pretty.
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
Observations While Watching Today's Opening Day Games
The Fan overdosed on televised baseball today while working on a contract book. Needless to say, the book didn't get as much attention as needed while the baseball got rapt attention. Here are some observations while watching today's Opening Day games:
- Cincinnati has very good pitching but unless their hitters can find some patience, it's going to be a long season. Santana was good, but not THAT good. When he wasn't striking batters out on pitches that were balls, he was getting easy outs on first swing outs, as did all Mets pitchers.
- The Fan still can't believe that the Reds can't find someone better than Hairston in left.
- The new Mets bullpen did exactly what it was hired to do. Putz closed out the eighth and K-Rod closed out the ninth. Ball game.
- Steve Phillips is even more annoying when he doesn't have to share time during a broadcast. If he mentions one more time what he did while a GM for the Mets, the Fan is going to barf bacon bits.
- That kid, Murphy, looks like a natural hitter. Sheffield should not take any at bats away from him.
- In the Yankee game, Sabathia didn't have his fastball. That was obvious. But it should be nothing to worry about. It was cold and rainy. He'll be fine. What is more worrisome was that he looked uncomfortable. Was it Posada? The pitcher and catcher didn't look in sync. This will bear watching.
- As will Posada's catching. He did hit a homer and didn't have to throw anyone out, but he missed several pitches that he should have caught that resulted in wild pitches. He also failed to block an easy ball in the dirt...well, as easy as a ball in the dirt can be. It looked like he was too slow to get down. His catching will bear watching.
- Gardner did what he was supposed to do. Got on base, made something happen and played well in center while throwing out a runner at the plate.
- With all due apologies to Xavier Nady, the guy is a bum. Put Swisher in there! Nady killed one rally by overrunning third, then just stood there like a dummy when he did so. Try getting in a run down for crying out loud. Then he ruined another rally with a double play.
- Girardi may have cost the Yankees the game in the eighth inning. Phil Coke did a great job for an inning and two thirds and got the first out (a lefty) in the eighth. The Fan said, "Time to bring Bruney in." Girardi didn't. Five runs later, the game is over.
- Jeter looked great until he didn't wait for his pitch with the infield in. That was a rookie mistake that ruined a great game for him.
- Ludwick looked like a hero for the Cardinals with a homer to put the red birds up on the Pirates. But LaRussa put Motte in as closer instead of Ryan Franklin and the Pirates took the game. The Pirates are in first place! And the Cardinals are going to have a lot of fun closing games.
- Did Soriano clock Oswalt's second pitch or what? Wow!
- Griffey hit a homer in his first game back with Seattle. How sweet is that? Oh, and the Mariners beat the Twins as the Mariners' best pitcher looked much better than the Twin's best pitcher.
After all that, the Fan's wife wanted to watch Dancing With the Stars, so that was the end of baseball for the day. But it sure was fun while it lasted. The season has begun and as the English say, "the game is afoot!"
- Cincinnati has very good pitching but unless their hitters can find some patience, it's going to be a long season. Santana was good, but not THAT good. When he wasn't striking batters out on pitches that were balls, he was getting easy outs on first swing outs, as did all Mets pitchers.
- The Fan still can't believe that the Reds can't find someone better than Hairston in left.
- The new Mets bullpen did exactly what it was hired to do. Putz closed out the eighth and K-Rod closed out the ninth. Ball game.
- Steve Phillips is even more annoying when he doesn't have to share time during a broadcast. If he mentions one more time what he did while a GM for the Mets, the Fan is going to barf bacon bits.
- That kid, Murphy, looks like a natural hitter. Sheffield should not take any at bats away from him.
- In the Yankee game, Sabathia didn't have his fastball. That was obvious. But it should be nothing to worry about. It was cold and rainy. He'll be fine. What is more worrisome was that he looked uncomfortable. Was it Posada? The pitcher and catcher didn't look in sync. This will bear watching.
- As will Posada's catching. He did hit a homer and didn't have to throw anyone out, but he missed several pitches that he should have caught that resulted in wild pitches. He also failed to block an easy ball in the dirt...well, as easy as a ball in the dirt can be. It looked like he was too slow to get down. His catching will bear watching.
- Gardner did what he was supposed to do. Got on base, made something happen and played well in center while throwing out a runner at the plate.
- With all due apologies to Xavier Nady, the guy is a bum. Put Swisher in there! Nady killed one rally by overrunning third, then just stood there like a dummy when he did so. Try getting in a run down for crying out loud. Then he ruined another rally with a double play.
- Girardi may have cost the Yankees the game in the eighth inning. Phil Coke did a great job for an inning and two thirds and got the first out (a lefty) in the eighth. The Fan said, "Time to bring Bruney in." Girardi didn't. Five runs later, the game is over.
- Jeter looked great until he didn't wait for his pitch with the infield in. That was a rookie mistake that ruined a great game for him.
- Ludwick looked like a hero for the Cardinals with a homer to put the red birds up on the Pirates. But LaRussa put Motte in as closer instead of Ryan Franklin and the Pirates took the game. The Pirates are in first place! And the Cardinals are going to have a lot of fun closing games.
- Did Soriano clock Oswalt's second pitch or what? Wow!
- Griffey hit a homer in his first game back with Seattle. How sweet is that? Oh, and the Mariners beat the Twins as the Mariners' best pitcher looked much better than the Twin's best pitcher.
After all that, the Fan's wife wanted to watch Dancing With the Stars, so that was the end of baseball for the day. But it sure was fun while it lasted. The season has begun and as the English say, "the game is afoot!"
Monday, April 06, 2009
Watching the First Game
The Fan is camped out on his special recliner with ESPN on high definition watching the first game of the year on Opening Day, 2009. Here we go. The season is finally here!
While this isn't intended on being a live blog, here are some observations as the game goes on:
- Brett Myers looks awful. Derek Lowe looks great.
- The Braves' shortstop, Escobar, looks fantastic. He's slick, really slick.
- The third man in the booth isn't working for ESPN. The Fan is irritated every time Steve Phillips speaks. He's like an intruder. Ugh! Get him out of there.
- It's always fun when a rookie hits a homer in his first major league at bat. The rookie? Jordan Schafer. He also got a single his next at bat.
- Casey Kotchman must be the slowest runner in the major leagues. He's hit two grounders and looked each time like he was running in mud.
- Ryan Howard looks much slimmer.
- Man, Derek Lowe looks great. Reminds the Fan of his performance against the Yankees in the playoffs.
- Why wasn't Escobar's double reviewed? Why didn't ESPN even show a replay? It looked like an iffy call. Is this going to be a pattern?
- Joe Morgan had a great observation about Franceaur's open stance. Morgan said that those who are new to an open stance tend to pull inside pitches off the plate into foul territory giving up strikes. Nice.
- Myers settled down and gave the Phillies six good innings.
- Philadelphia's ball park looks fantastic. Beautiful green grass.
- Have you seen those Dustin Pedroia/Playstation commercials? Obviously, it's tongue in cheek, but it sure makes Pedroia look like a big-headed oaf.
- Ibanez has been up three times and pounded the ball into the ground all three times. Three ground outs. Not a good start.
- Scott Eyre = LOOGY. LOOGY baseball is annoying. Two batters. Bring a new guy in. [sigh]
- Not sure what Crown Royal is trying to prove. But their commercials feature scruffy looking people that aren't impressive at all.
- Why do the Phillies keep swinging at the first pitch?
- The Fan had forgotten how weird Brad Lidge throws a pitch. It really is a weird motion. But it sure is effective.
- The Braves' closer sure looked iffy. He pulled the game out with two strikeouts of Howard and Ibanez. Gonzalez is going to be an adventure for the Braves.
And so the game is in the books. The 2009 season begins with the Braves in first place and the Phillies in last. After a long wait, the season has started and it sure is wonderful to get going again. Wahoo! Here we go.
While this isn't intended on being a live blog, here are some observations as the game goes on:
- Brett Myers looks awful. Derek Lowe looks great.
- The Braves' shortstop, Escobar, looks fantastic. He's slick, really slick.
- The third man in the booth isn't working for ESPN. The Fan is irritated every time Steve Phillips speaks. He's like an intruder. Ugh! Get him out of there.
- It's always fun when a rookie hits a homer in his first major league at bat. The rookie? Jordan Schafer. He also got a single his next at bat.
- Casey Kotchman must be the slowest runner in the major leagues. He's hit two grounders and looked each time like he was running in mud.
- Ryan Howard looks much slimmer.
- Man, Derek Lowe looks great. Reminds the Fan of his performance against the Yankees in the playoffs.
- Why wasn't Escobar's double reviewed? Why didn't ESPN even show a replay? It looked like an iffy call. Is this going to be a pattern?
- Joe Morgan had a great observation about Franceaur's open stance. Morgan said that those who are new to an open stance tend to pull inside pitches off the plate into foul territory giving up strikes. Nice.
- Myers settled down and gave the Phillies six good innings.
- Philadelphia's ball park looks fantastic. Beautiful green grass.
- Have you seen those Dustin Pedroia/Playstation commercials? Obviously, it's tongue in cheek, but it sure makes Pedroia look like a big-headed oaf.
- Ibanez has been up three times and pounded the ball into the ground all three times. Three ground outs. Not a good start.
- Scott Eyre = LOOGY. LOOGY baseball is annoying. Two batters. Bring a new guy in. [sigh]
- Not sure what Crown Royal is trying to prove. But their commercials feature scruffy looking people that aren't impressive at all.
- Why do the Phillies keep swinging at the first pitch?
- The Fan had forgotten how weird Brad Lidge throws a pitch. It really is a weird motion. But it sure is effective.
- The Braves' closer sure looked iffy. He pulled the game out with two strikeouts of Howard and Ibanez. Gonzalez is going to be an adventure for the Braves.
And so the game is in the books. The 2009 season begins with the Braves in first place and the Phillies in last. After a long wait, the season has started and it sure is wonderful to get going again. Wahoo! Here we go.
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Weekly Romp Through the Transaction Wire
The Fan is all messed up. Not quite full recovered from his 40 hour internet blackout earlier in the week, he is consistently a day behind. Like jet lag for bloggers, the Fan is bleary-eyed and seriously messed up. So, though they are a day late and a dollar shortstop, here are this week's look at the transaction wire:
- Boston got down to its opening day roster. Van Every player is accounted for as Jonathan and four others were placed on the disabled list, which is beginning to look like a baseball equivilent of football's practice squad. In other Boston news, Buchholz's hopes to make the opening day roster appear to be a jar of Clay and he was sent down.
- Down in Florida, Rick VandenHurt was placed on the disabled list.
- In Houston, Abercrombe was sent to the minors and he was Fitch to be tied.
- The Fan is in deNile and can't believe that Cairo made the Phillies' opening day roster.
- Daric the Fan ask if Barton made the opening day roster? He didn't. He was sent down.
- In poetic justice to the Red Sox organization, Josh Bard made the Nationals opening day roster. In other Nationals news, the team Wil let Ledzema start the season with the big club. The Fan expected them to scratch him.
- The Nationals also ended their Mock epic and sent Garrett to Syracuse.
- The Braves' pitcher, Chris, was sent down and he hopes they don't keep Medlin with his mechanics. In other Braves' news, Brooks Conrad was also sent down river.
- The Orioles Jim Hoey wasn't digging the fact that he had to go to AA.
- The Nationals Kory Casto was a Castoff to the minors.
- The Orioles let Robby Hammock swing between the tees as they sent him down to the minors.
- Apparently, Edward wasn't Mujica to the ears for the Indians so they traded him to the Padres.
- The Twins put Scott on the disabled list for a Baker's dozen days plus two.
- In Detroit, Rapada, Raburn and Williamson were all packed like Sardinha to the minor leagues.
- The Braves went, "Here Chipper, Chipper, Chipper," and gave him three years worth of new bones. Oops. The Fan promised not to do that anymore. Bummer.
- In a singing telegram, the Indians sung: "Tell Lara we love him. Tell Lara we need him. Tell Lara not to cry. Here's a minor league contract for you and I." You have to be really old to get that one...
- Will "Busta" Rhymes was rapped to the minors by Detroit.
- And finally, Norris was sent to the Hopper as the Reds optioned the outfielder.
- Boston got down to its opening day roster. Van Every player is accounted for as Jonathan and four others were placed on the disabled list, which is beginning to look like a baseball equivilent of football's practice squad. In other Boston news, Buchholz's hopes to make the opening day roster appear to be a jar of Clay and he was sent down.
- Down in Florida, Rick VandenHurt was placed on the disabled list.
- In Houston, Abercrombe was sent to the minors and he was Fitch to be tied.
- The Fan is in deNile and can't believe that Cairo made the Phillies' opening day roster.
- Daric the Fan ask if Barton made the opening day roster? He didn't. He was sent down.
- In poetic justice to the Red Sox organization, Josh Bard made the Nationals opening day roster. In other Nationals news, the team Wil let Ledzema start the season with the big club. The Fan expected them to scratch him.
- The Nationals also ended their Mock epic and sent Garrett to Syracuse.
- The Braves' pitcher, Chris, was sent down and he hopes they don't keep Medlin with his mechanics. In other Braves' news, Brooks Conrad was also sent down river.
- The Orioles Jim Hoey wasn't digging the fact that he had to go to AA.
- The Nationals Kory Casto was a Castoff to the minors.
- The Orioles let Robby Hammock swing between the tees as they sent him down to the minors.
- Apparently, Edward wasn't Mujica to the ears for the Indians so they traded him to the Padres.
- The Twins put Scott on the disabled list for a Baker's dozen days plus two.
- In Detroit, Rapada, Raburn and Williamson were all packed like Sardinha to the minor leagues.
- The Braves went, "Here Chipper, Chipper, Chipper," and gave him three years worth of new bones. Oops. The Fan promised not to do that anymore. Bummer.
- In a singing telegram, the Indians sung: "Tell Lara we love him. Tell Lara we need him. Tell Lara not to cry. Here's a minor league contract for you and I." You have to be really old to get that one...
- Will "Busta" Rhymes was rapped to the minors by Detroit.
- And finally, Norris was sent to the Hopper as the Reds optioned the outfielder.
Opening Day!
Well...only one game is scheduled and the rest of the teams will open tomorrow. But still! It's opening day and Derek Anderson Lowe will face Brett Allen Myers in Philadelphia as the Phillies begin their title defense against the Atlanta Braves.
It seems only fitting that here in Maine, the robins returned just two days ago and the little wild portulaca the Fan saved from the garden, threw out its first flower yesterday on its window sill perch. After an extremely tough winter of harsh temperatures, huge snow storms and economic woes, hope begins again and baseball is a part of that and the Fan feels it in his bones.
After tonight's game, being aired on ESPN2 for those that want to watch, there will be crooked numbers in the standings. The stats page will have some real numbers and the fun will begin. Both teams playing tonight have some serious questions. Each has rotation issues. The Braves don't have an established closer. The Phillies have weaknesses at third and behind the plate and the Braves have question marks in two thirds of their outfield and two fourths of their infield. It should be interesting.
Sure enough, tomorrow will bring the full bloom to the season as all the other teams open their seasons and from now until the end of the season, the full spectrum of baseball thought and analysis will move from speculation to actuation. It's grand and it's time.
The Fan is ready!
It seems only fitting that here in Maine, the robins returned just two days ago and the little wild portulaca the Fan saved from the garden, threw out its first flower yesterday on its window sill perch. After an extremely tough winter of harsh temperatures, huge snow storms and economic woes, hope begins again and baseball is a part of that and the Fan feels it in his bones.
After tonight's game, being aired on ESPN2 for those that want to watch, there will be crooked numbers in the standings. The stats page will have some real numbers and the fun will begin. Both teams playing tonight have some serious questions. Each has rotation issues. The Braves don't have an established closer. The Phillies have weaknesses at third and behind the plate and the Braves have question marks in two thirds of their outfield and two fourths of their infield. It should be interesting.
Sure enough, tomorrow will bring the full bloom to the season as all the other teams open their seasons and from now until the end of the season, the full spectrum of baseball thought and analysis will move from speculation to actuation. It's grand and it's time.
The Fan is ready!
Saturday, April 04, 2009
Trying to Rationalize The Mets Signing Sheffield
So it looks like the Mets have struck a deal with Gary Sheffield. The Fan's first reaction was, "Huh?" The second reaction was, "Why?" and the third reaction was, "Okay, let's see if this makes sense." Got to tell you that the first inclination is to think that it doesn't. But let's take a fair look.
Okay, if we look at the Met's roster, they will probably go with eleven pitchers. They currently have thirteen on their roster, but Wagner and Redding will be on the Disabled List. They have two catchers. That's thirteen. They have five infielders, that's eighteen. In the outfield, Beltran, Church and Murphy should be safe bets, that's twenty-one. You should also include Tatis, the comeback player of the decade who has also had a really good spring. That's twenty-two.
So that leaves three spots. There is Marlon Anderson, 34 years old with his lifetime OBP of .314 and OPS of .705. There is Angel Pagan, 28 years old, with a lifetime OBP of .316 (we're getting a pattern here) and an OPS of .712. Then there is Nick Evans, 22 years old, who only has 109 ML at bats and in a small sample size, has a lifetime OBP of .303 and an OPS of .707. The last one to list is Jeremy Reed, 28 years old, who has a lifetime OBP of .314. Hmm... and an OPS of .679.
Not a very savory group to choose from. Maybe we're onto something here. Can they at least field their positions?
2008 stats from FanGraphs:
Okay, if we look at the Met's roster, they will probably go with eleven pitchers. They currently have thirteen on their roster, but Wagner and Redding will be on the Disabled List. They have two catchers. That's thirteen. They have five infielders, that's eighteen. In the outfield, Beltran, Church and Murphy should be safe bets, that's twenty-one. You should also include Tatis, the comeback player of the decade who has also had a really good spring. That's twenty-two.
So that leaves three spots. There is Marlon Anderson, 34 years old with his lifetime OBP of .314 and OPS of .705. There is Angel Pagan, 28 years old, with a lifetime OBP of .316 (we're getting a pattern here) and an OPS of .712. Then there is Nick Evans, 22 years old, who only has 109 ML at bats and in a small sample size, has a lifetime OBP of .303 and an OPS of .707. The last one to list is Jeremy Reed, 28 years old, who has a lifetime OBP of .314. Hmm... and an OPS of .679.
Not a very savory group to choose from. Maybe we're onto something here. Can they at least field their positions?
2008 stats from FanGraphs:
- Jeremy Reed - LF: -0.6; RF: -2.9; CF: -0.8 Not very good there.
- Nick Evans - LF: 1.8; 1B: 0.1 That's better.
- Angel Pagan - LF: 0.3; CF: 0.5; RF: -0.2 Well, at least he is above average on two of them, but both were the first above average recordings of his career.
- Marlon Anderson - LF: 1.8; CF: -0.2; RF: -0.6 Left field is okay. Anderson started as an infielder and can still play second or first occasionally.
In addition, Reed, Pagan and Anderson all have minus arms. Evans' arm is rated above average.
All projections for Gary Sheffield point to him (the Fan is sure the projectionists thought he was going to DH for Detroit) batting anywhere from .236 to .250 with an OBP of .334 to .356 and an OPS of .734 to .818. All those figures should beat the OBP and OPS of any of a collection of Reed, Evans, Pagan and Anderson. Sheffield played 46 innings in LF last year and believe it or not, had a positive number for a UZR (with a minus arm).
As weird as it is to admit, it seems that Sheffield is a better player, even at his age, than any of the four listed with the possible exception of Nick Evans, who is young and unproven. If Sheffield has a league average year at the plate, he could help the Mets. Hard to believe, but this might make sense after all. Of course, the big "IF" is whether he can get out there in the field and "IF" he can hit even a little bit at this stage of his career and "IF" he can be content with a part time role.
Friday, April 03, 2009
Great Article on Fielding Statistics
In one of the best articles the Fan has read on fielding statistics, the linked and long article does a great service on educating fans on how they came to be and how they work. Many writers make mention of these ratings but fail to educate readers on what they mean. It's okay to tell the fans that Derek Jeter had a UZR of -0.1 in 2008, but what does that mean exactly?
The article also points out that these statistics aren't quite perfect in their analysis yet. The creator of UZR admits that his system is only 90% there and they have 10% to go. The 10%, when it comes to statistical analysis is a big deal. The article also points to the future when routes to balls hit and other factors will be analyzed and added to the statistical analysis.
The latter part of the previous paragraph is why, in the Fan's opinion, the current fielding stats have some degree of skepticism built in. While they do help baseball figure out where fielders rank in ability and success rate, there are some variables missing such as positioning and other things that make up what a fielder does.
The article does a great job of pointing to fielding stats to show why the Bay Rays climbed successfully to the top of the food chain last year. And while they make a great case for the Rays, it doesn't totally explain how a poor fielding team like the Yankees finished in first place in 2007. There are some intangibles in the game that are yet to be accounted for.
Don't get the Fan wrong. These stats are extremely rewarding and very encouraging and the more the merrier.
The article also points out that these statistics aren't quite perfect in their analysis yet. The creator of UZR admits that his system is only 90% there and they have 10% to go. The 10%, when it comes to statistical analysis is a big deal. The article also points to the future when routes to balls hit and other factors will be analyzed and added to the statistical analysis.
The latter part of the previous paragraph is why, in the Fan's opinion, the current fielding stats have some degree of skepticism built in. While they do help baseball figure out where fielders rank in ability and success rate, there are some variables missing such as positioning and other things that make up what a fielder does.
The article does a great job of pointing to fielding stats to show why the Bay Rays climbed successfully to the top of the food chain last year. And while they make a great case for the Rays, it doesn't totally explain how a poor fielding team like the Yankees finished in first place in 2007. There are some intangibles in the game that are yet to be accounted for.
Don't get the Fan wrong. These stats are extremely rewarding and very encouraging and the more the merrier.
New Way to Evaluate Umpire Strike Zones
In what is a positive step for MLB, there is a new way to evaluate the balls and strikes calls of major league umpires. The previous method was not employed in all ball parks and had some issues. The first issue was that it interpreted home plate as a rectangle, which misses some of the nuances of a five sided plate. For example, a curve could miss the front of the plate and cut across the back portion of it. The ump could correctly call that a strike, but would be judged wrong by the system.
Naturally, the umpires aren't too happy about the whole thing. Nobody likes to have someone looking over their shoulders as they do their jobs. That's understandable. But when the technology is there to improve the game and make it as standardized as possible, MLB has to take that opportunity. Let's face it, fans that watch the game see most of the game from behind the pitcher and to see the inconsistencies of umpires around the league drives fans nuts.
The umpires have three things going against them in their angst. First, there is a perception that the umpires are arrogant and think they are as important as the game and players themselves. Second, most fans think umpires have a great job and get paid really well for what amounts to nine months of work. Finally, umpires are found all over the minor leagues and in colleges and high schools around the country. If these guys aren't happy with their jobs, then there are thousands who could take their place.
Anyone who has watched games over the last ten years knows that the strike zone has been a joke. Most pitches above the belt are considered high by major league umps. Tom Glavine and others made a career of moving the strike zone two or three inches off the outside corner. Anything that improves the calling of the zone by umpires is a great thing.
Umpires may not be happy, but they should just accept this because there is no turning back. The technology is in place and there will be oversight. From the Fan's perspective, it's about time.
Naturally, the umpires aren't too happy about the whole thing. Nobody likes to have someone looking over their shoulders as they do their jobs. That's understandable. But when the technology is there to improve the game and make it as standardized as possible, MLB has to take that opportunity. Let's face it, fans that watch the game see most of the game from behind the pitcher and to see the inconsistencies of umpires around the league drives fans nuts.
The umpires have three things going against them in their angst. First, there is a perception that the umpires are arrogant and think they are as important as the game and players themselves. Second, most fans think umpires have a great job and get paid really well for what amounts to nine months of work. Finally, umpires are found all over the minor leagues and in colleges and high schools around the country. If these guys aren't happy with their jobs, then there are thousands who could take their place.
Anyone who has watched games over the last ten years knows that the strike zone has been a joke. Most pitches above the belt are considered high by major league umps. Tom Glavine and others made a career of moving the strike zone two or three inches off the outside corner. Anything that improves the calling of the zone by umpires is a great thing.
Umpires may not be happy, but they should just accept this because there is no turning back. The technology is in place and there will be oversight. From the Fan's perspective, it's about time.
Commissioner's Fan Initiative
Just like any other business these days, MLB is going to have to fight for every entertainment dollar they can. To facilitate the fight, the commissioner, Bud Selig, announced an initiative pointing to MLB.com to where a bunch of special promotions will be listed for each team. While the Fan is usually skeptical of anything Selig does, after reading it through, the initiative makes good business sense.
Selig, who looks like Bill Gates, is rightly concerned about attendance. And this is a correct step to create special programs that make it affordable for a family to attend a game and have a good time. Many of the events listed look like a lot of fun and offer great prices on either special nights or for special occasions. The Fan took note of some of the comments the piece generated, and recognized a whole lot of jaded people out there.
Some mentioned that scalpers can get a hold of those special seat prices and make even more money than they normally make. One thing the Fan learned in business a long time ago is that you can't make policy based on what a few bad eggs might do. Sure, this may happen a time or two. But if hundreds of struggling families can be together and share an American tradition, that's a good thing.
Selig, who looks like Bill Gates, is rightly concerned about attendance. And this is a correct step to create special programs that make it affordable for a family to attend a game and have a good time. Many of the events listed look like a lot of fun and offer great prices on either special nights or for special occasions. The Fan took note of some of the comments the piece generated, and recognized a whole lot of jaded people out there.
Some mentioned that scalpers can get a hold of those special seat prices and make even more money than they normally make. One thing the Fan learned in business a long time ago is that you can't make policy based on what a few bad eggs might do. Sure, this may happen a time or two. But if hundreds of struggling families can be together and share an American tradition, that's a good thing.
Thursday, April 02, 2009
How Did We Live Before the Internet?
Whoa! That was awful. The FanDome went dark as good old Time Warner went down for 40 hours. It was terrible! The Fan didn't know how much money he had or what was going on in the world. And worst of all, there was a 40 hour blackout of baseball news. Egads, that was the pits!
Yeah, yeah, the Fan could have gone and turned the television on and turned to ESPN or something. But who wants to wait 35 minutes to get through college basketball and the NBA and NHL? And those nice, colorful guys and gals who read the headlines don't always say who got released and who got sent down to the minors.
Shaking vehemently and shivering at the frozen ordeal just lived through. It might be better to lose water or something. The Fan can stand his own smell but to go without baseball news? To go 40 hours without being able to look at a box score?
And this poor site. It was lonely and dark. There was nobody home to write semi-meaningful drivel that a few dozen of you read now and then. But it was probably all good in the end. We are just on a holding pattern until Opening Day Sunday. Is it Sunday!? Holy crap! Call the Fan, Rip Van Winkle!
Never mind the Fan. He's just drinking in a long, on-line drink of water to parch his dry and dusty throat. Whew! Glad that's over.
Yeah, yeah, the Fan could have gone and turned the television on and turned to ESPN or something. But who wants to wait 35 minutes to get through college basketball and the NBA and NHL? And those nice, colorful guys and gals who read the headlines don't always say who got released and who got sent down to the minors.
Shaking vehemently and shivering at the frozen ordeal just lived through. It might be better to lose water or something. The Fan can stand his own smell but to go without baseball news? To go 40 hours without being able to look at a box score?
And this poor site. It was lonely and dark. There was nobody home to write semi-meaningful drivel that a few dozen of you read now and then. But it was probably all good in the end. We are just on a holding pattern until Opening Day Sunday. Is it Sunday!? Holy crap! Call the Fan, Rip Van Winkle!
Never mind the Fan. He's just drinking in a long, on-line drink of water to parch his dry and dusty throat. Whew! Glad that's over.
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Just Passing Time...
So the heck with the 30 questions. It was gimmicky and it was just a way to pass the time. It ended up passing gas too because there was no heart in it. Let's face it, we just want the season to start. After the longest Spring Training in the history of baseball and the WorldBullCrap tournament, it's time to sing, man! "Like the winter needs the spring, you know I need you. I need you. I need you."
When nothing real is happening and only fake games have been going on for an eternity, inspiration seems to lag. The Fan wonders if the veteran players feel it too. "Man, I'm tired of this stuff!" The good news is that Wednesday is April 1. Good golly, never thought the month of March would end. But at last it has and soon, the standings won't keep showing every team at 0-0.
Of course, April means different things for different people. Around here, we call April, "Mud Season." It's when the snow starts to melt (though we could have several more storms before it is over) and the frost in the ground starts to loosen and the earth becomes one big mud puddle. And not only do our feet squish wherever we walk, we can think about all those lovely mosquitoes and black flies breeding in that lovely ooze. And the Fan lives in northern Maine because...?
But at least today had some powerful stories. Let's start with Gary Sheffield. Now that one was a shocker. What a bummer for the big man to be out of a job right before the season starts and one homer away from the magic 500. Imagine all the plans Shef was making to celebrate that milestone? Now he's packing his bags and hoping his phone will ring. The Fan can hear the narrator from the Twilight Zone intoning: "Gary Sheffield, you have entered the Frank Thomas, Sammy Sosa zone." DOOdoodoodoodoo doo doo.
That took a lot of guts to throw away that much money. Too bad Sheffield couldn't convince some doctor that he had an anxiety disorder or something. But the Tigers have stunk up the yard all spring and they had to "Man Up" and do something. They did the right thing. Too bad they couldn't dump about eight more players.
This weird headline was found on ESPN.com: "Committee to study A's park; Boxer weighs in". Now isn't that weird? How is a boxer weighing in related to the A's park? Or if the boxer is weighing in an opinion about a baseball field, how is that relevant? Okay, just fooling around here. It just looked silly as a headline. Boxer, of course, is Barbara Boxer, the popular junior senator from California. Her husband, Stewart, is a lawyer, which makes an oddity as there are many times when Boxer files briefs.
Oh, speaking of headlines, if any of you English majors are reading, what's up with headlines not being capitalized anymore? Did some law pass or something? It's kind of like growing up when mass was always in latin and then one day we showed up and the priest was playing a guitar and the nuns threw away their habits and everyone could eat meat on Friday. How did that happen? Anyway, if one of youz guyz or galz can shed light on this development, can you let the Fan in on it?
Tom Browning, the former Cincinnati pitcher noted for his perfect game and scuffed up baseballs found himself in jail for back child support. Apparently he owes, $99,000+. Ouch. Before you go calling him a deadbeat, consider that he hasn't had a big paycheck since he retired and that's the problem for athletes. Their career ends and ex-spouses want to keep living the life of luxury. Don't know if that's the case, or if Browning really is just a deadbeat, but, the guy is in a pickle now.
Joba Chamberlain's DUI situation was delayed again. If this keeps up, The Hut will never get his driver's license back. But the Yankees might be happy about that. This is the arraignment that keeps getting postponed. The guy can't even get charged for crying out loud. The Fan has seen millionaire divorces ended quicker than this.
How can you tell that the baseball season needs to start very soon? How about all the major sports sites featuring a headline about a stupid four pound hamburger. Geez, Louise, is the news THAT slow?
And now that the Fan has wasted enough of your time while he muddles (remember, it's mud season) through another pre-season post, here is a nice story to leave you on a high note.
When nothing real is happening and only fake games have been going on for an eternity, inspiration seems to lag. The Fan wonders if the veteran players feel it too. "Man, I'm tired of this stuff!" The good news is that Wednesday is April 1. Good golly, never thought the month of March would end. But at last it has and soon, the standings won't keep showing every team at 0-0.
Of course, April means different things for different people. Around here, we call April, "Mud Season." It's when the snow starts to melt (though we could have several more storms before it is over) and the frost in the ground starts to loosen and the earth becomes one big mud puddle. And not only do our feet squish wherever we walk, we can think about all those lovely mosquitoes and black flies breeding in that lovely ooze. And the Fan lives in northern Maine because...?
But at least today had some powerful stories. Let's start with Gary Sheffield. Now that one was a shocker. What a bummer for the big man to be out of a job right before the season starts and one homer away from the magic 500. Imagine all the plans Shef was making to celebrate that milestone? Now he's packing his bags and hoping his phone will ring. The Fan can hear the narrator from the Twilight Zone intoning: "Gary Sheffield, you have entered the Frank Thomas, Sammy Sosa zone." DOOdoodoodoodoo doo doo.
That took a lot of guts to throw away that much money. Too bad Sheffield couldn't convince some doctor that he had an anxiety disorder or something. But the Tigers have stunk up the yard all spring and they had to "Man Up" and do something. They did the right thing. Too bad they couldn't dump about eight more players.
This weird headline was found on ESPN.com: "Committee to study A's park; Boxer weighs in". Now isn't that weird? How is a boxer weighing in related to the A's park? Or if the boxer is weighing in an opinion about a baseball field, how is that relevant? Okay, just fooling around here. It just looked silly as a headline. Boxer, of course, is Barbara Boxer, the popular junior senator from California. Her husband, Stewart, is a lawyer, which makes an oddity as there are many times when Boxer files briefs.
Oh, speaking of headlines, if any of you English majors are reading, what's up with headlines not being capitalized anymore? Did some law pass or something? It's kind of like growing up when mass was always in latin and then one day we showed up and the priest was playing a guitar and the nuns threw away their habits and everyone could eat meat on Friday. How did that happen? Anyway, if one of youz guyz or galz can shed light on this development, can you let the Fan in on it?
Tom Browning, the former Cincinnati pitcher noted for his perfect game and scuffed up baseballs found himself in jail for back child support. Apparently he owes, $99,000+. Ouch. Before you go calling him a deadbeat, consider that he hasn't had a big paycheck since he retired and that's the problem for athletes. Their career ends and ex-spouses want to keep living the life of luxury. Don't know if that's the case, or if Browning really is just a deadbeat, but, the guy is in a pickle now.
Joba Chamberlain's DUI situation was delayed again. If this keeps up, The Hut will never get his driver's license back. But the Yankees might be happy about that. This is the arraignment that keeps getting postponed. The guy can't even get charged for crying out loud. The Fan has seen millionaire divorces ended quicker than this.
How can you tell that the baseball season needs to start very soon? How about all the major sports sites featuring a headline about a stupid four pound hamburger. Geez, Louise, is the news THAT slow?
And now that the Fan has wasted enough of your time while he muddles (remember, it's mud season) through another pre-season post, here is a nice story to leave you on a high note.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
It's Time to Man Up About Chipper Jones
In the words of Barney of How I Met Your Mother, sometimes you have to "Man Up." It's time the Fan manned up about Chipper Jones. This is an official purging of some inner demons. The Fan has always hated Chipper Jones. It wasn't just a rational hate based on solid reasons, it was unnatural and consuming. The Fan even used the hatred as one of his security questions on an account. In fact, the Fan and the Fan's wife have a long standing joke that whenever we hear his name, we gleefully run around and start mimicking: "Chipper! Here Chipper, Chipper," like we were calling some mythical dog. But it's time to put it away. It's time to Man Up about Chipper Jones.
This whole thought process came about after reading on MLB.com that Jones was close to a three year extension with the Braves. Well, the guy is 36 and it might not be the smartest move for the Braves. But it is justified as an expense for one of the best players that ever put on a Braves uniform. Okay, for all you therapists in the room, that was a major admission for the FanDome. It just made the morning coffee a little bitter to state, but it's true nonetheless.
Last year, at the age of 35, Jones only won a batting title with a batting average of .364. He had an OPS of 1.014. He has played fourteen full seasons now and has averaged, despite many partial seasons due to injury, 29 homers, 32 doubles, 98 RBIs and 98 Runs Scored. He has a lifetime On Base Percentage of .400. He has a lifetime OPS of .940. He has more walks in his career than strikeouts. He has a lifetime Batting Average of .310. And he's been a fierce competitor and a fierce supporter of his team and his teammates.
While it's doubtful that he gets to some of those "magical" milestones (due to a late career start) that land a player in the Hall of Fame like 3000 hits or 500 homers, his OPS and OBP and overall numbers should make a strong case for inclusion once he is done. He was a major part of the Braves run of first place finishes. He was a perennial All Star. And if Atlanta fans are lucky, will end his career in the same place he started.
So where did this unholy hate come from? It probably goes back to 1996. The Fan was passionately rooting for the Yankees to win their first World Series in many years. After a magical season, Jeter and the boys were down 2-0 in the World Series with the Braves great pitching staff, it seemed the dream would be over. And through it all, watching the games, Chipper Jones just had a way of walking and playing like he was better than anyone else. He just seemed overly arrogant and full of himself.
Now the Fan doesn't know if he was or he wasn't. Several accounts of the series written after the fact state that the Yankee players felt like the Braves' players were acting like the series was already won and the Yankees used that as motivation to come back and take the series. Jones must have been part of that motivation if the Fan's eyes were any indication.
The hatred built from there. It grew to mythical proportions to the point of denigrating anything Jones had accomplished in baseball. "He's a baby and he's just hurt all the time." "He only won one World Series." "Even his beautiful wife, Karin Jones, came to hate him." It has become unhealthy and in the end denies how good a player Jones has been.
As hard as it is to put this away, it's time. Chipper Jones is and has been a great player, one of the best of his generation. The Fan still doesn't like him. But it's time to put the childish hate behind and move on. Not that it means anything in the cosmic world of sports, but the Fan no longer denies the greatness of Chipper Jones.
This whole thought process came about after reading on MLB.com that Jones was close to a three year extension with the Braves. Well, the guy is 36 and it might not be the smartest move for the Braves. But it is justified as an expense for one of the best players that ever put on a Braves uniform. Okay, for all you therapists in the room, that was a major admission for the FanDome. It just made the morning coffee a little bitter to state, but it's true nonetheless.
Last year, at the age of 35, Jones only won a batting title with a batting average of .364. He had an OPS of 1.014. He has played fourteen full seasons now and has averaged, despite many partial seasons due to injury, 29 homers, 32 doubles, 98 RBIs and 98 Runs Scored. He has a lifetime On Base Percentage of .400. He has a lifetime OPS of .940. He has more walks in his career than strikeouts. He has a lifetime Batting Average of .310. And he's been a fierce competitor and a fierce supporter of his team and his teammates.
While it's doubtful that he gets to some of those "magical" milestones (due to a late career start) that land a player in the Hall of Fame like 3000 hits or 500 homers, his OPS and OBP and overall numbers should make a strong case for inclusion once he is done. He was a major part of the Braves run of first place finishes. He was a perennial All Star. And if Atlanta fans are lucky, will end his career in the same place he started.
So where did this unholy hate come from? It probably goes back to 1996. The Fan was passionately rooting for the Yankees to win their first World Series in many years. After a magical season, Jeter and the boys were down 2-0 in the World Series with the Braves great pitching staff, it seemed the dream would be over. And through it all, watching the games, Chipper Jones just had a way of walking and playing like he was better than anyone else. He just seemed overly arrogant and full of himself.
Now the Fan doesn't know if he was or he wasn't. Several accounts of the series written after the fact state that the Yankee players felt like the Braves' players were acting like the series was already won and the Yankees used that as motivation to come back and take the series. Jones must have been part of that motivation if the Fan's eyes were any indication.
The hatred built from there. It grew to mythical proportions to the point of denigrating anything Jones had accomplished in baseball. "He's a baby and he's just hurt all the time." "He only won one World Series." "Even his beautiful wife, Karin Jones, came to hate him." It has become unhealthy and in the end denies how good a player Jones has been.
As hard as it is to put this away, it's time. Chipper Jones is and has been a great player, one of the best of his generation. The Fan still doesn't like him. But it's time to put the childish hate behind and move on. Not that it means anything in the cosmic world of sports, but the Fan no longer denies the greatness of Chipper Jones.
30 Questions for the American League East
Several posts have been floating around the blogsphere with a series of questions about the upcoming season. Some have focused from team to team, and some on individual players. This is a very normal process of anticipation which all baseball fans feel right now. Not wanting to miss out on the fun, we'll do our own list of questions by division for the next six nights, which will take us to the start of the season! Yesssssss...
1. Will Oriole fans be just passing the time until Matt Wieters comes up and then the real fun starts?
2. Will the Orioles find any pitching at all beside...umm...Guthrie?
3. Can Halladay stay healthy for Toronto and win a Cy Young he seems able to grasp every year?
4. Is Vernon Wells still a star?
5. Will sending David Price to the minors cost the Rays two valuable games in the American League East?
6. Evan Longoria has gotten lost in the shuffle this spring. Will his performance continue to soar and make us all remember how good he can be?
7. Will the post season have any lag affect on the Rays' young pitching?
8. Can Josh Beckett challenge Halladay for the Cy Young and have that big year we've all been expecting?
9. Will David Ortiz, J. D. Drew and Mike Lowell hold up?
10. Will Lugo's absence cost him his starting job once he returns?
11. Is Andy Pettitte's fantastic spring a tease or does he have one more really good year in him?
12. Will Jorge Posada hold up?
13. Will the Orioles finish ahead of Toronto in the standings?
14. Will John Smoltz even matter with the Red Sox so loaded with pitching?
15. Will the Yankees stay patient if Gardner starts slowly?
16. Is Matt Joyce the next big star for the Bay Rays?
17. Will the Rays have trouble finishing games without a clear stud closer?
18. Melvin Mora is 36 years old. Can he make it through the year healthy and put up anything for numbers?
19. Will Felix Pie prove Lou Piniella wrong?
20. Is Nick Markakis destined to be another Mike Sweeney? A great player stuck on a losing team?
21. Will 38 year old Greg Zaun have enough Geritol in his locker to get him until June?
22. Can Derek Jeter make it through the year without getting hit on the hands at the plate which ruins his game?
23. What will happen when A-Rod comes back?
24. Who will break down first, Jason Varitek or Jorge Posada?
25. Does Mariano Rivera have one more dominant year in him?
26. How patient will the Yankees be with Joba Chamberlain as a starter?
27. Does David Purcey's spring give Blue Jays' fans a little hope after days Halladay pitches?
28. Does Scott Rolen have anything left in the tank?
29. Will every series between the Red Sox, Yankees and Bay Rays feel like the playoffs?
30. Which one of those teams will end up on top of the division?
1. Will Oriole fans be just passing the time until Matt Wieters comes up and then the real fun starts?
2. Will the Orioles find any pitching at all beside...umm...Guthrie?
3. Can Halladay stay healthy for Toronto and win a Cy Young he seems able to grasp every year?
4. Is Vernon Wells still a star?
5. Will sending David Price to the minors cost the Rays two valuable games in the American League East?
6. Evan Longoria has gotten lost in the shuffle this spring. Will his performance continue to soar and make us all remember how good he can be?
7. Will the post season have any lag affect on the Rays' young pitching?
8. Can Josh Beckett challenge Halladay for the Cy Young and have that big year we've all been expecting?
9. Will David Ortiz, J. D. Drew and Mike Lowell hold up?
10. Will Lugo's absence cost him his starting job once he returns?
11. Is Andy Pettitte's fantastic spring a tease or does he have one more really good year in him?
12. Will Jorge Posada hold up?
13. Will the Orioles finish ahead of Toronto in the standings?
14. Will John Smoltz even matter with the Red Sox so loaded with pitching?
15. Will the Yankees stay patient if Gardner starts slowly?
16. Is Matt Joyce the next big star for the Bay Rays?
17. Will the Rays have trouble finishing games without a clear stud closer?
18. Melvin Mora is 36 years old. Can he make it through the year healthy and put up anything for numbers?
19. Will Felix Pie prove Lou Piniella wrong?
20. Is Nick Markakis destined to be another Mike Sweeney? A great player stuck on a losing team?
21. Will 38 year old Greg Zaun have enough Geritol in his locker to get him until June?
22. Can Derek Jeter make it through the year without getting hit on the hands at the plate which ruins his game?
23. What will happen when A-Rod comes back?
24. Who will break down first, Jason Varitek or Jorge Posada?
25. Does Mariano Rivera have one more dominant year in him?
26. How patient will the Yankees be with Joba Chamberlain as a starter?
27. Does David Purcey's spring give Blue Jays' fans a little hope after days Halladay pitches?
28. Does Scott Rolen have anything left in the tank?
29. Will every series between the Red Sox, Yankees and Bay Rays feel like the playoffs?
30. Which one of those teams will end up on top of the division?
Monday, March 30, 2009
Weird Box Score Sighting
It sure was weird to see a fellow named Dent in the Red Sox lineup and he played shortstop. The Dent in this case is Ryan, not Bucky, and apparently, there is no relation?
Dent is the supplemental draft pick from 2007 and is 19 years old going on 20.
Dent is the supplemental draft pick from 2007 and is 19 years old going on 20.
The Boone Family Legacy
The Boone family is not only the first family in Major League Baseball to have three straight generations play in an All Star game, the legacy goes all the way back to one of our greatest country heroes. Let's start at the beginning, or at least as far back as history can take us. The Boone family can be traced back to Normandy, France and a Geoffrey de Bohun was born before 1000 A.C.E. Part of the Norman invasion of England, the de Bohun family were given title and and became noblemen that married into other noble families. No doubt, such a family, if it were possible to identify, was probably originally from the Norsemen who settled in Normandy after an invasion there. Only such descendents would be trusted and given title after the British conquest.
The de Bohun name was gradually anglosized to Bohn and then finally Boone. Almost seven hundred years after such a titled family came in conquest of England, Squire Boone was born in Bradninch, England in 1696. Squire was a humble Quaker and soon sought refuge in the New World.
Squire Boone settled in Pennsylvania in a Quaker community there in New Britain, and later Exeter. There he met and married his wife, Sarah Morgan, and the couple had twelve children. Two of the children married outside of the Quaker faith and when challenged by the Quaker leadership, Squire Boone defended his children and was thrown out of the Quaker church. The humble blacksmith, farmer, carpenter then took his large family to North Carolina where he and Sarah spent their remaining years.
Squire and Sarah would just be another plotline in the building of America but their sixth child happened to be a fellow by the name of Daniel Boone. And Daniel became one of the biggest and best of all of the American legends as an adventurer, war hero and politicion.
Daniel Morgan Boone is a name that every kid of the Fan's generation knew from movies, television shows and books. This space won't be used to recount that history. It's available all over the Internet for those who are interested.
Let's leave it that Daniel, born November 22, 1734, died September 26, 1820, married Rebecca Bryan. They had a son named Daniel Morgan Boone, the "Morgan" of course, in honor of Daniel's mother. Daniel Morgan Boone was born December 23, 1769 in North Carolina and married Sarah Griffin Lewis on March 2, 1800. Daniel Morgan Boone died in Missouri like his father.
Sarah and Daniel had a son named Alonzo Havington Boone who was born in Missouri on March 22, 1817. Alonzo married Elizabeth Treble Stewart in 1840. The couple had a son named Edward H. Boone who was born in 1843 in Missouri. Edward married Georgeann Brown.
Edward and Georgeann had a son named William Shelby Boone, born May 28, 1865 in Missouri. Some time after William was born, the family moved to Kansas. William met and married Lulu Michaels of Kansas and they married in 1891.
William and Lulu had a son named Donald Ernest Boone, who was born in Kansas on July 16, 1901. Donald married Beulah Lagretta Garrison of Kansas and the couple moved to California and had a son named Raymond Otis Boone, our baseball patriarch.
Raymond was born in San Diego on July 27, 1923. He signed as an amateur free agent with the Cleveland Indians in 1943. But due to the war, did not actually play for the team until 1948. He started as a shortstop and though the statistics show good range at short, he made a lot of errors including 87 errors in a stretch of 425 games at short for the Indians. He didn't do a whole lot for the Indians at the plate either. He did hit .301 in 1950, but slumped back to .233 and .263 the following two years.
Ray had another bad start in 1953 and was batting only .241 for the Indians when they traded him to the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers immediately shifted Boone to third base and he had a super season with them, hitting .312 with 23 homers and 93 RBIs in just 101 games. He went to finish eighth in MVP voting.
He had three more very good years with the Indians, making the All Star teams in 1954 and 1956. He hit a homer in the 1954 classic. But he dropped off in production in 1957 and the Indians traded him to the Chicago White Sox. He was never a starter again and bounced around from the White Sox to the Royals and then to the Milwaukee Braves and finished with the Boston Red Sox in 1960. He finished with a lifetime .275 batting average and a .361 OBP. He had great stats as a third baseman, unlike his years as a shortstop and finished his career above league average in fielding percentage and range factor as a third baseman. He played mostly first base for the last five years of his career.
Ray Boone died in 2004.
Ray's son, Bob Boone, was born on November 19, 1946 and spent his childhood surrounded by baseball. He went to Stanford University and was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the sixth round of the 1969 draft. He made his major league debut in 1972 and played for the Phillies until 1981. He never was a great hitter but is credited as a gold glove (he won seven of them) catcher and made four All Star teams (and went 2 for 5 in those games) and was part of the 1980 championship season in Philadelphia.
After the strike of '81 (Boone was a union rep) and a poor showing that season, he was traded to the California Angels where he probably had his best two seasons as a catcher. In 1982 and 1983, he threw out an incredible 115 base runners out of 226 attempts. The Angels won the A.L. West in 1982 with him behind the plate. He also caught Ernie Whitt's no-hitter in 1984.
Boone played for the Angels until 1988 and was released after that season. He signed with the Royals in 1989 and had a good season for them (batting .274) at the age of 42. But he broke a finger in 1990 that cut that season short and he retired as the all time leader in games caught at 2225, a record later broken by Carlton Fisk.
He had a couple of unsuccessful stints as a manager and later served in the Nationals front office.
Two of Bob Boone's sons became major league baseball players, Bret and Aaron. Both of them made the All Star team during their careers making the family four for four. Bret, the older of the two, was born in 1969 and went to USC. He was drafted by the Mariners in the fifth round of the 1990 draft. He made his debut with that team in 1992. He played part time for two seasons with the Mariners and then they traded him to the Cincinnati Reds in 1994.
His first year with the Reds was a good one where he batted .320 in 108 games but he then had three mediocre years with that team until having a good power year in 1998 when he had his first All Star year with 24 homers and 95 RBI. The following year, the Reds traded Bret to the Braves.
Bret had a fair year power-wise with the Braves, but was overall not very good at the plate that year. He did hit .538 in the World Series against the Yankees, but the Yankees won the series. After that one year in Atlanta, they traded him to San Diego. He had an unspectacular year for the Padres in 2000 but filed for free agency after that season.
He was signed by the Seattle Mariners, his original team. His first season there, 2001, was his career year when he batted .331 with 37 homers and 141 RBI. He came in third in MVP voting that year. He had three more productive years with Seattle, but each year was a little less productive than the year before. But his career fell off the cliff after the 2004 season. After a horrible 2005 season, his career was over.
Bret Boone finished with 252 homers and 1021 RBI. He also won four gold gloves during his career.
Aaron Boone is four years younger than Bret and followed his brother's footsteps to USC. After his college career, he was drafted in the third round of the 1994 draft by the Cincinnati Reds. He had brief stints with that club in 1997 and 1998 and finally stuck with the team in 1999. He had pretty good batting averages his first three years with the Reds but his batting averaged dropped to .241 in 2002, but had his best power year when he hit 26 homers and drove in 96 runs.
Aaron had a good start to the 2003 season with the Reds and made the All Star team that year in his only selection. The Yankees had a need for a third baseman for the pennant run and traded for Boone for the last 54 games. He was nondescript for them until he hit that fateful home run off of Tim Wakefield that put the Yankees on their way to the World Series (they lost to the Marlins that year). Other than that dramatic homer, he was terrible in the post season and the Yankees released him.
He then signed with the Indians and had two poor seasons there. He signed as a free agent with the Marlins in 2007 and had decent success in limited action. He then signed as a free agent with the Nationals in 2008 and had a poor year in limited action.
Aaron just had open heart surgery this past Thursday which, fortunately, went well. In one of the weirder transaction wire notes, he was put on the 15 day disabled list by the Nationals due to the heart surgery. It is doubtful if his career continues but at least his life will.
And there you have it. Probably more information than you ever wanted about the Boone family, but this author had fun with it and that's all that matters at the moment.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Dad says Aaron Boone Doing Well
It is very good news to read this article at MLB.com that Aaron Boone has gone through his operation successfully and will be released soon from the hospital. The Fan is very happy to hear that Boone has been through the worst of his ordeal and that prospects look good for him to have a healthy life. That's great!
Coming soon in the FanDome will be a Boone retrospective on this longtime baseball family.
Coming soon in the FanDome will be a Boone retrospective on this longtime baseball family.
Should Wakefield Be Number 4 Starter?
A story at MLB.com sized up Terry Francona's starting rotation at the start of the season with Beckett on top, Lester following and Dice-K after that. But then the story goes on to list Tim Wakefield, the 42 year-old knuckleballer, as the fourth starter followed by perhaps Penny or Buchholz as the fifth starter. Should Wakefield be listed at Number 4?
There is no doubt that Boston has a monster pitching staff from top to bottom and there really doesn't seem to be a losing combination here. Wakefield is a known commodity. He will get his 30 starts (if things stay as they are) and have an ERA in the 4.00 to 4.50 range. He will win at least half of his games or better. He does offer a known change of pace after three power pitchers ahead of him. The Fan would love to see some stats of what Wakefield does to batter's timing after facing him. A batting average study of teams the day after a Wakefield start would be interesting.
At the same time, you have Brad Penny and Clay Buchholz who have been brilliant all spring. Buchholz in particular had a lot of buzz in 2007 when he came up and threw a no-hitter. But last year was a disaster for him and he could not find the strike zone. That problem has seemingly been resolved if spring results can be relied upon.
Brad Penny is a former All Star who had a miserable year last year with the Dodgers. Not only did he pitch miserably, but he was called lazy by the Dodger's coaching staff. He hasn't appeared lazy with the Red Sox and has looked really good all spring.
So what should the Red Sox do? If you go with: Beckett, Lester, Dice-K, Penny and Buchholz, you have power all the way through. Stick Wakefield in there in place of one of the last two and you have a change of pace. It's an interesting conundrum that most teams would love to face.
Personally, the Fan would go with power all the way and put Wakefield in the bullpen. He's done that before and succeeded fairly well. It would seem the best way to go to have all your best arms 1-5 and just blow teams away.
It remains to be seen how it all plays out, but either way, one really good potential pitcher will be the odd man out. And don't forget you have Smoltz out there too in June. Pity the poor Red Sox for having more pitching than they have room for.
There is no doubt that Boston has a monster pitching staff from top to bottom and there really doesn't seem to be a losing combination here. Wakefield is a known commodity. He will get his 30 starts (if things stay as they are) and have an ERA in the 4.00 to 4.50 range. He will win at least half of his games or better. He does offer a known change of pace after three power pitchers ahead of him. The Fan would love to see some stats of what Wakefield does to batter's timing after facing him. A batting average study of teams the day after a Wakefield start would be interesting.
At the same time, you have Brad Penny and Clay Buchholz who have been brilliant all spring. Buchholz in particular had a lot of buzz in 2007 when he came up and threw a no-hitter. But last year was a disaster for him and he could not find the strike zone. That problem has seemingly been resolved if spring results can be relied upon.
Brad Penny is a former All Star who had a miserable year last year with the Dodgers. Not only did he pitch miserably, but he was called lazy by the Dodger's coaching staff. He hasn't appeared lazy with the Red Sox and has looked really good all spring.
So what should the Red Sox do? If you go with: Beckett, Lester, Dice-K, Penny and Buchholz, you have power all the way through. Stick Wakefield in there in place of one of the last two and you have a change of pace. It's an interesting conundrum that most teams would love to face.
Personally, the Fan would go with power all the way and put Wakefield in the bullpen. He's done that before and succeeded fairly well. It would seem the best way to go to have all your best arms 1-5 and just blow teams away.
It remains to be seen how it all plays out, but either way, one really good potential pitcher will be the odd man out. And don't forget you have Smoltz out there too in June. Pity the poor Red Sox for having more pitching than they have room for.
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