Monday, May 31, 2004
Pretty fly
Man... even major league players don't know the infield fly rule.
Mmm. There's a nice possibility of a fake play which takes advantage of people's ignorance of the tag rule - on an infield fly, the batter's out anyway. So the fielder should drop the ball on purpose but make it look like an accident, and see what the runner does. If the runner is confused enough to go, get ready for the tag...
Man... even major league players don't know the infield fly rule.
With one out, Mike Sweeney popped up with the bases loaded. Doug Mientkiewicz dropped the ball in short right, but umpires already had called out Sweeney on the infield fly rule.Runners advance at their own peril, force is off, Beltran had to be tagged. So Berroa (who was on second) was at fault, it seems - since Sweeney was down and everyone was confused and it seemed Relaford had time to score, Berroa should have had time to run to third. The story's only improved my estimation of Beltran and his baseball mind...
Mientkiewicz threw to first in an attempt to double up Carlos Beltran, but his throw struck Sweeney in the back. As Sweeney lay on the ground, Desi Relaford scored from third. Catcher Henry Blanco ran down the ball and threw to first, where Jones tagged out Beltran off the bag for the final out.
Mmm. There's a nice possibility of a fake play which takes advantage of people's ignorance of the tag rule - on an infield fly, the batter's out anyway. So the fielder should drop the ball on purpose but make it look like an accident, and see what the runner does. If the runner is confused enough to go, get ready for the tag...
Random baseball thoughts
1. Tomo Ohka, he of the Pawtucket Perfect Game (pre-Bronson Arroyo), batted 8th today. While it didn't work, I always wondered about why that strategy hasn't been employed as an occasional shake-up tool in the NL - you could always put two speedsters or on-base machines at #9 and #1...
2. Which is worth more, pitching two innings to preserve a two-run lead, or pitching one inning to preserve a one-run lead? I'm sure I could calculate it, but I'm lazy...
3. Man, it's been almost two weeks (a "fortnight", as us non-Americans say) since I hit my head and my vision's still blurry. Johnny Damon, I feel your pain.
4. And I sure am glad the Angels have Mondesi, not the Sox. I feel sorry for his current situation, but he always seemed overrated. Hopefully Trot will be back in time for interleague... I like the idea of Trot hitting the winning homer off Joe Kennedy and reading a "Nixon defeats Kennedy" headline. Actually, if Trot's back in time for the Rockies game, we could see Kennedy pitching, Johnson catching, and Nixon batting. Now all the Sox need to do is sign Lew Ford...
1. Tomo Ohka, he of the Pawtucket Perfect Game (pre-Bronson Arroyo), batted 8th today. While it didn't work, I always wondered about why that strategy hasn't been employed as an occasional shake-up tool in the NL - you could always put two speedsters or on-base machines at #9 and #1...
2. Which is worth more, pitching two innings to preserve a two-run lead, or pitching one inning to preserve a one-run lead? I'm sure I could calculate it, but I'm lazy...
3. Man, it's been almost two weeks (a "fortnight", as us non-Americans say) since I hit my head and my vision's still blurry. Johnny Damon, I feel your pain.
4. And I sure am glad the Angels have Mondesi, not the Sox. I feel sorry for his current situation, but he always seemed overrated. Hopefully Trot will be back in time for interleague... I like the idea of Trot hitting the winning homer off Joe Kennedy and reading a "Nixon defeats Kennedy" headline. Actually, if Trot's back in time for the Rockies game, we could see Kennedy pitching, Johnson catching, and Nixon batting. Now all the Sox need to do is sign Lew Ford...
Major League? Back to the Minors
I can't remember a year where I ended up so closely scrutinising the PawSox, but this year it seems half the team will make its way up to Fenway to play. Yay Andy, yay Nasty Martinez. Youkilis seems ready to stay in the majors. And big up to Tito for actually letting McCarty hit on 3-0. Amazing. You'd think all the Sox opponents know the green light's on by now, but apparently not. Go "Mr Harvard".
Foulke had to implode sometime. Nice that he came back on in the 9th though, like the 8th inning was just a bad memory. And, since I'm feeling generous apres a Sox win, nice for Guardado, one of those non-Sox players that I like, that he bounced back in the 9th too. It's almost as though they came on in the 8th and went, "what the hell am I doing here in the 8th, my setup guys should've done this..."
And finally - isn't Putz a horrible last name to have grown up with?
I can't remember a year where I ended up so closely scrutinising the PawSox, but this year it seems half the team will make its way up to Fenway to play. Yay Andy, yay Nasty Martinez. Youkilis seems ready to stay in the majors. And big up to Tito for actually letting McCarty hit on 3-0. Amazing. You'd think all the Sox opponents know the green light's on by now, but apparently not. Go "Mr Harvard".
Foulke had to implode sometime. Nice that he came back on in the 9th though, like the 8th inning was just a bad memory. And, since I'm feeling generous apres a Sox win, nice for Guardado, one of those non-Sox players that I like, that he bounced back in the 9th too. It's almost as though they came on in the 8th and went, "what the hell am I doing here in the 8th, my setup guys should've done this..."
And finally - isn't Putz a horrible last name to have grown up with?
Seattle Marooned Us
Ick. I saw the ground-rule double that could've, should've scored Bellhorn and was mortified. Sometimes, you see one moment and you know it's not meant to be. Ah well. And Lenny "No, I wasn't the guy in Titanic" DiNardo's a lefty specialist now? He seemed capable of more.
Schilling schleps to the mound soon... hope his schplitter's on.
Ick. I saw the ground-rule double that could've, should've scored Bellhorn and was mortified. Sometimes, you see one moment and you know it's not meant to be. Ah well. And Lenny "No, I wasn't the guy in Titanic" DiNardo's a lefty specialist now? He seemed capable of more.
Schilling schleps to the mound soon... hope his schplitter's on.
Friday, May 28, 2004
No Dance of Joy
Bronson, Bronson, Bronson. On the ridiculous-to-tough scale of Bronsoness i.e. Bronson Pinchot vs Charles Bronson, Mr Arroyo verged dangerously close to being Balki Bartokomous today. Oh well, a no. 5 starter can't win them all... and I guess I'd rather he just melts down every now and then while otherwise being solid otherwise. One bad start following a mediocre start does not a panic make.
So, 12-2, 9-6, 15-2... wait, wasn't this series supposed to be about pitching?
Meanwhile, Schilling played cop in catching an allegedly drunk driver. Good on him.
Bronson, Bronson, Bronson. On the ridiculous-to-tough scale of Bronsoness i.e. Bronson Pinchot vs Charles Bronson, Mr Arroyo verged dangerously close to being Balki Bartokomous today. Oh well, a no. 5 starter can't win them all... and I guess I'd rather he just melts down every now and then while otherwise being solid otherwise. One bad start following a mediocre start does not a panic make.
So, 12-2, 9-6, 15-2... wait, wasn't this series supposed to be about pitching?
Meanwhile, Schilling played cop in catching an allegedly drunk driver. Good on him.
Wednesday, May 26, 2004
Blue Ribbon performance, but Millar Lite
Great game today. The box score line of the first four hitters in the lineup says it all:
AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG
J Damon CF 6 2 3 0 0 0 3 .293
M Bellhorn 2B 6 4 3 5 0 1 2 .244
D Ortiz DH 6 2 4 2 0 2 1 .287
M Ramirez LF 4 2 2 3 1 1 1 .355
Gaudy, gaudy. 10 runs, 12 hits, 10 RBIs, 1 BB - from 4 hitters. And the next 5 hitters (a certain Mr Millar excepted) all did a great job too, walking an obscene amount.
B Daubach 1B 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 .236
J Varitek C 3 0 3 1 2 0 0 .313
K Millar RF 4 0 0 0 0 0 9 .263
K Youkilis 3B 2 2 1 0 2 0 0 .318
P Reese SS 4 0 2 0 0 0 2 .256
So yeah, I like this pattern. #1 and #5-9 hitters get on base, #2-#4 push them in. I watched the game as I changed and got ready for work (do workers manning the graveyard shift in Boston do this too?) and it just seemed that the Sox couldn't stop running the bases. Except for Millar, who seemed to keep grounding out with runners in scoring position. Youklis keeps getting on base, which is nice since Mueller seems to be out for the next few weeks. And Andy Dominique called up, yay - the Sox farm system seems to finally be developing players.
***
I love cheering for underdogs (except against the Sox, natch) so it left me befuddled as to who to favour in the Detroit-KC series. Amazingly, the Tigers managed to have a line up with four .300 hitters hitting #1-#4.
Great game today. The box score line of the first four hitters in the lineup says it all:
AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG
J Damon CF 6 2 3 0 0 0 3 .293
M Bellhorn 2B 6 4 3 5 0 1 2 .244
D Ortiz DH 6 2 4 2 0 2 1 .287
M Ramirez LF 4 2 2 3 1 1 1 .355
Gaudy, gaudy. 10 runs, 12 hits, 10 RBIs, 1 BB - from 4 hitters. And the next 5 hitters (a certain Mr Millar excepted) all did a great job too, walking an obscene amount.
B Daubach 1B 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 .236
J Varitek C 3 0 3 1 2 0 0 .313
K Millar RF 4 0 0 0 0 0 9 .263
K Youkilis 3B 2 2 1 0 2 0 0 .318
P Reese SS 4 0 2 0 0 0 2 .256
So yeah, I like this pattern. #1 and #5-9 hitters get on base, #2-#4 push them in. I watched the game as I changed and got ready for work (do workers manning the graveyard shift in Boston do this too?) and it just seemed that the Sox couldn't stop running the bases. Except for Millar, who seemed to keep grounding out with runners in scoring position. Youklis keeps getting on base, which is nice since Mueller seems to be out for the next few weeks. And Andy Dominique called up, yay - the Sox farm system seems to finally be developing players.
***
I love cheering for underdogs (except against the Sox, natch) so it left me befuddled as to who to favour in the Detroit-KC series. Amazingly, the Tigers managed to have a line up with four .300 hitters hitting #1-#4.
Tuesday, May 25, 2004
OBP? nah, I'll take OCD
So Nomar says he wants to stay in Boston. Loves that dirty water, he does. I hope he stays. For one, my personal obsessive-compulsive nature (full details upon request) feels a warm tingly sense of recognition when Nomar adjusts his gloves. Plus, it was cool that he held the fifth Nomar Bowl. (I love bowling. Have my own ball and everything.) Actually, the Nomar contract negotiations are starting to resemble his batting approach. Adjust. Adjust. Fiddle. Adjust.
Meanwhile, the other Sox, over yonder in Chicago, have created Bullpen Day. The idea's intriguing - if you don't have a genuine #5 starter, why not use up a couple of long relievers et al to do a whole game? I'm not sure it'll work, but I like experiments. Pity Clint Hurdle ended the four-man experiment in Colorado.
So Nomar says he wants to stay in Boston. Loves that dirty water, he does. I hope he stays. For one, my personal obsessive-compulsive nature (full details upon request) feels a warm tingly sense of recognition when Nomar adjusts his gloves. Plus, it was cool that he held the fifth Nomar Bowl. (I love bowling. Have my own ball and everything.) Actually, the Nomar contract negotiations are starting to resemble his batting approach. Adjust. Adjust. Fiddle. Adjust.
Meanwhile, the other Sox, over yonder in Chicago, have created Bullpen Day. The idea's intriguing - if you don't have a genuine #5 starter, why not use up a couple of long relievers et al to do a whole game? I'm not sure it'll work, but I like experiments. Pity Clint Hurdle ended the four-man experiment in Colorado.
Monday, May 24, 2004
You must be my lucky star
Oh yeah, don't forget to write in Ortiz for 1B into your All-Star ballots. Something in me says that even if the write-in votes aren't enough, Ortiz should be featured on that final "30th Man" ballot (the one that got Damon and Varitek named as All-Stars)...
Oh yeah, don't forget to write in Ortiz for 1B into your All-Star ballots. Something in me says that even if the write-in votes aren't enough, Ortiz should be featured on that final "30th Man" ballot (the one that got Damon and Varitek named as All-Stars)...
Sweep Takes: Wake sleepwalks to a win, Double-O doubles pleasure, and a Youkilidean treatise
Great win by a sleep-deprived Wakefield. His last name's like a partial description of his life now: Change diaper. Go back to sleep. Wake. Field. Back home. Repeat.
Also nice to see David "Double-O" Ortiz's twin doubles. I've come to expect them doubles by now. Here's a marvelous quote from him:
Well, yeah, except for the whole being-Dominican-vs-being-white/Thai, the lack of caveman hair, the difference in body size... yeah, the speed's the main difference. :)
As for Ortiz's real nicknames - shouldn't Ortizzle be Ortizay?
Oh, and Youklis worked two walks today. The main problem with Youklis' name is that it's hard to chant fast. Maybe Bellhorn faces the same problem? "Pokey, Pokey, Pokey" is great to chant. "Bellhorn, Bellhorn, Bellhorn" sounds terrible. I'm actually a football fan too (yes, the game that Americans call "soccer") and instead of just calling the name they have long, often unprintable, sing-alongs in the stands... will try to dig up some of the more wholesome ones one day.
Speaking of chants, a curse upon the scene in the Simpsons softball episode where Bart chants "Darryl - Darryl". Ruined kickball games for me, even if it was a great episode:
Great win by a sleep-deprived Wakefield. His last name's like a partial description of his life now: Change diaper. Go back to sleep. Wake. Field. Back home. Repeat.
Also nice to see David "Double-O" Ortiz's twin doubles. I've come to expect them doubles by now. Here's a marvelous quote from him:
"I kind of look like Johnny Damon in slow motion," Ortiz said.
Well, yeah, except for the whole being-Dominican-vs-being-white/Thai, the lack of caveman hair, the difference in body size... yeah, the speed's the main difference. :)
As for Ortiz's real nicknames - shouldn't Ortizzle be Ortizay?
Oh, and Youklis worked two walks today. The main problem with Youklis' name is that it's hard to chant fast. Maybe Bellhorn faces the same problem? "Pokey, Pokey, Pokey" is great to chant. "Bellhorn, Bellhorn, Bellhorn" sounds terrible. I'm actually a football fan too (yes, the game that Americans call "soccer") and instead of just calling the name they have long, often unprintable, sing-alongs in the stands... will try to dig up some of the more wholesome ones one day.
Speaking of chants, a curse upon the scene in the Simpsons softball episode where Bart chants "Darryl - Darryl". Ruined kickball games for me, even if it was a great episode:
Well Mr Burns had done it... the power plant had won it... with Roger Clemens clucking all the while... Mike Scioscia's tragic illness made us smile... while Wade Boggs lay unconscious on the barroom tile... we're talking softball! from Maine to San Diego... talking softball - Mattingly, Canseco... Ken Griffey's grotesquely swollen jaw... Steve Sax and his run-in with the law... we're talking Homer... Ozzie and the Straw
Sunday, May 23, 2004
Brimful of Asha on the... 45...
More time to digest this morning / last night's game: Pedro seems to have found a way to get rid of his cold-weather blues. Now, whether those blues are a physical thing, an annoyance that affects his mental game, or just a convenient excuse is a subject of further study. And a Manny ball lands in Lansdowne again. Man, someday some driver on the Turnpike is going to get a ball through his or her windscreen. I can see why they call his homers moon shots - one smooth swing for Manny, one giant leap for Manny's kind.
Speaking of ol' 45, he of the Naked Rally Laps, I dug up this old pic of one of my favourite Sox moments.
Ah, one thing I've always liked about Pedro is that when he's not pitching he seems like a great goofball.
More time to digest this morning / last night's game: Pedro seems to have found a way to get rid of his cold-weather blues. Now, whether those blues are a physical thing, an annoyance that affects his mental game, or just a convenient excuse is a subject of further study. And a Manny ball lands in Lansdowne again. Man, someday some driver on the Turnpike is going to get a ball through his or her windscreen. I can see why they call his homers moon shots - one smooth swing for Manny, one giant leap for Manny's kind.
Speaking of ol' 45, he of the Naked Rally Laps, I dug up this old pic of one of my favourite Sox moments.
Ah, one thing I've always liked about Pedro is that when he's not pitching he seems like a great goofball.
Roger and Me
I still get a laugh from Debbie Clemens' website. Those photos of Roger and her at the bottom of the front page are a hoot. And I'm amused by the $100+ cushions, autographed by the Rocket. There's a market for that? I guess eBay has shown there's a market for everything...
I still get a laugh from Debbie Clemens' website. Those photos of Roger and her at the bottom of the front page are a hoot. And I'm amused by the $100+ cushions, autographed by the Rocket. There's a market for that? I guess eBay has shown there's a market for everything...
Boston 5, Toronto 2, Me Happy
Quick thoughts on the game: Keith Foulke is the most economical closer I've seen. And Pokey, Pokey - nice 9th inning snag. I really don't know how to resolve the Pokey-Bellhorn logjam when Nomar comes back... I thought it was weird bring on an unproven player like Nasty Martinez (okay, I don't know if that's his real nickname, but it should be) in a tie game, but he survived the baptism of fire nicely... Mirabelli is finally DHing against lefties! Brilliant. Poor Ortiz, first game after signing a contract (yay!) and he gets left off the starting lineup. Pinch-hitting Kapler for Dauber and Dauber for McCarty seems an exercise in futility.
And is it just me or has Youklis been on base every game he's played? I can hear the chants now. "O B P" "O B P". Okay, maybe not.
Quick thoughts on the game: Keith Foulke is the most economical closer I've seen. And Pokey, Pokey - nice 9th inning snag. I really don't know how to resolve the Pokey-Bellhorn logjam when Nomar comes back... I thought it was weird bring on an unproven player like Nasty Martinez (okay, I don't know if that's his real nickname, but it should be) in a tie game, but he survived the baptism of fire nicely... Mirabelli is finally DHing against lefties! Brilliant. Poor Ortiz, first game after signing a contract (yay!) and he gets left off the starting lineup. Pinch-hitting Kapler for Dauber and Dauber for McCarty seems an exercise in futility.
And is it just me or has Youklis been on base every game he's played? I can hear the chants now. "O B P" "O B P". Okay, maybe not.
Saturday, May 22, 2004
La Passion du Giambi
You've heard of 'roid rage? Apparently there's 'roid age too:
Left knee, left hip, back, right ankle? I see Giambi has elected to take on the suffering of the whole team upon himself. Come on, spread the wealth.
And yes, I'm so freakin' bored of seeing another game against Roy Halladay and the Barnum and Bailey's bullpen that Toronto puts out that I've decided to indulge my Yankee-hating instead of commenting on the win. Just couldn't get excited about it. Do you think if I wore a Jays uniform and threw nothing but eephus pitches I'd still get better results than de los Santos? Hey, I could do with an MLB-minimum salary.
Speaking of the Jays, the first baseball stadium I ever saw was the Skydome, on my first ever trip to North America, way back in 1993. Those were good baseball days for Toronto, but even back then my uninitiated eye could sense that turf was a weird surface. Fortunately Fenway disabused me of the notion that baseball was played on that freaky-looking material...
You've heard of 'roid rage? Apparently there's 'roid age too:
With one out in the ninth, Yankees designated hitter Jason Giambi left the game after sustaining an injury, apparently to his right ankle, while rounding first base on a hit to right field. Giambi, who has been bothered lately by problems with his left knee, left hip and back, was clearly in pain.
Left knee, left hip, back, right ankle? I see Giambi has elected to take on the suffering of the whole team upon himself. Come on, spread the wealth.
And yes, I'm so freakin' bored of seeing another game against Roy Halladay and the Barnum and Bailey's bullpen that Toronto puts out that I've decided to indulge my Yankee-hating instead of commenting on the win. Just couldn't get excited about it. Do you think if I wore a Jays uniform and threw nothing but eephus pitches I'd still get better results than de los Santos? Hey, I could do with an MLB-minimum salary.
Speaking of the Jays, the first baseball stadium I ever saw was the Skydome, on my first ever trip to North America, way back in 1993. Those were good baseball days for Toronto, but even back then my uninitiated eye could sense that turf was a weird surface. Fortunately Fenway disabused me of the notion that baseball was played on that freaky-looking material...
Friday, May 21, 2004
What do you do when a health salesman comes to your door? Vitamin.
Many thanks to all who're dropping in via Boston Sports Media Watch. Took a look at my traffic and was surprised to see such a jump. The compliments are much appreciated - nice to know I'm not talking in a vacuum! Or maybe it's just that the Boston Sports Media mafia have put off people so much that people like to read opinions from as far from Boston as they can get.
I guess that means I actually have to take care when I write. Now if someone would let me on SoSH... who IS ManilaSoxFan anyway? I wonder how big/small the community of Sox fans in South-east Asia is.
On to baseball proper... I just read the New Yorker article on the knuckleball. Fascinating - especially the part on the pan-MLB fraternity of knuckleballers. Do I like knuckleballers because they are Everyman's revenge, a pitch seemingly for those not born with raw arm power, or do I like knuckleballers because Tim Wakefield is a knuckleballer? Yes. :) Love how the Sox are stocking up on knuckleballers. Now if someone could just bring back the eephus...
Many thanks to all who're dropping in via Boston Sports Media Watch. Took a look at my traffic and was surprised to see such a jump. The compliments are much appreciated - nice to know I'm not talking in a vacuum! Or maybe it's just that the Boston Sports Media mafia have put off people so much that people like to read opinions from as far from Boston as they can get.
I guess that means I actually have to take care when I write. Now if someone would let me on SoSH... who IS ManilaSoxFan anyway? I wonder how big/small the community of Sox fans in South-east Asia is.
On to baseball proper... I just read the New Yorker article on the knuckleball. Fascinating - especially the part on the pan-MLB fraternity of knuckleballers. Do I like knuckleballers because they are Everyman's revenge, a pitch seemingly for those not born with raw arm power, or do I like knuckleballers because Tim Wakefield is a knuckleballer? Yes. :) Love how the Sox are stocking up on knuckleballers. Now if someone could just bring back the eephus...
Low Derek: How many puns on Lowe will tomorrow's headlines bring?
Sinker: Lowe, Lowe, Lowe. Lowe's pitching is like some sort of Biblical cycle: 7 years of feast, 7 years of famine. And his body language smacked of '01. Lowe looks like the kind of guy who can't stop focusing on what's going wrong. It's like he's a pitching savant: his sinker works, but he doesn't know why, so he can't adjust it accordingly. So maybe the solution is to restore him back to a Zen mood. Maybe instead of a chat on the mound, we need Francona to bring in one of new portable PlayStations. Damon can play him.
Tailor: Foulke being used the night before to extinguish a Rays rally was good, but how does one even know a rally's going to be on? That's an issue about using a relief ace the 'ideal' way to kill rallies - got to warm him up first. I suppose the Joe Torre tactic of improbably long mound chats is one way of doing so...
(For situations in which a relief ace is brought on in tie games - definitely, no question. Why let a statistic like saves get in the way of giving you a chance at winning?)
Sinker: Lowe, Lowe, Lowe. Lowe's pitching is like some sort of Biblical cycle: 7 years of feast, 7 years of famine. And his body language smacked of '01. Lowe looks like the kind of guy who can't stop focusing on what's going wrong. It's like he's a pitching savant: his sinker works, but he doesn't know why, so he can't adjust it accordingly. So maybe the solution is to restore him back to a Zen mood. Maybe instead of a chat on the mound, we need Francona to bring in one of new portable PlayStations. Damon can play him.
Tailor: Foulke being used the night before to extinguish a Rays rally was good, but how does one even know a rally's going to be on? That's an issue about using a relief ace the 'ideal' way to kill rallies - got to warm him up first. I suppose the Joe Torre tactic of improbably long mound chats is one way of doing so...
(For situations in which a relief ace is brought on in tie games - definitely, no question. Why let a statistic like saves get in the way of giving you a chance at winning?)
Thursday, May 20, 2004
A lonely teenage broncin' buck
Who doesn't love Randy Johnson after Game 6 and Game 7 of the 2001 World Series?
In this Boston Globe story on Pedro and Schilling's reactions to Randy Johnson's perfect game, Pedro's quote is quite interesting:
A clear distinction between 'throwing' and 'pitching' then. Clearly, the pitching mind of Pedro knows at some point in the past he could get by on pure heat. (Of course, Pedro's being modest. He didn't know how to pitch back in 1997? As if.) Part of the reason I'm somewhat obsessed about this Pedro-becoming-Maddux idea is that I'm intrigued by the ongoing tale of a man who could once rely purely on fury and now, faced with intimations of mortality (or at least of physical limitations), has to mix in craft... an old tale, old as Prince Hal become King Henry...
Who doesn't love Randy Johnson after Game 6 and Game 7 of the 2001 World Series?
In this Boston Globe story on Pedro and Schilling's reactions to Randy Johnson's perfect game, Pedro's quote is quite interesting:
I was a young buck with good stuff who threw over [the plate]. Mine was thrown. His was pitched.
A clear distinction between 'throwing' and 'pitching' then. Clearly, the pitching mind of Pedro knows at some point in the past he could get by on pure heat. (Of course, Pedro's being modest. He didn't know how to pitch back in 1997? As if.) Part of the reason I'm somewhat obsessed about this Pedro-becoming-Maddux idea is that I'm intrigued by the ongoing tale of a man who could once rely purely on fury and now, faced with intimations of mortality (or at least of physical limitations), has to mix in craft... an old tale, old as Prince Hal become King Henry...
Monday, May 17, 2004
The leg bone's connected to the...
Man. So Manny was DHing with a sore groin today? What's with the variety of injuries on this Sox team? Let's look at the foot up:
Achilles - Nomar
Left knee - Burks
Right knee - Mueller
Groin - Manny
Back - Trot
Left elbow - Brad Thomas
Right elbow - Reynaldo Garcia
Shoulder - Ramiro Mendoza
Head case - Kim (heh... cheap shot. I still believe in Kim for the future, just not now)
Okay, it's not like we're missing the three relievers on the DL, but the point is the variety of injuries. It's a veritable game of Operation out there! Next thing you know someone will get butterflies in the stomach or a charley horse.
Man. So Manny was DHing with a sore groin today? What's with the variety of injuries on this Sox team? Let's look at the foot up:
Achilles - Nomar
Left knee - Burks
Right knee - Mueller
Groin - Manny
Back - Trot
Left elbow - Brad Thomas
Right elbow - Reynaldo Garcia
Shoulder - Ramiro Mendoza
Head case - Kim (heh... cheap shot. I still believe in Kim for the future, just not now)
Okay, it's not like we're missing the three relievers on the DL, but the point is the variety of injuries. It's a veritable game of Operation out there! Next thing you know someone will get butterflies in the stomach or a charley horse.
My Johnny Damon Impression
No, not the caveman look. Spent last night in the hospital observation ward no thanks to my klutziness - while playing with the dog at obedience school I got up and banged my head on a low-lying shelf, and so got treated for concussion. Great. I'm at home now, but postings may be a bit less frequent. Tough loss for Pedro.
No, not the caveman look. Spent last night in the hospital observation ward no thanks to my klutziness - while playing with the dog at obedience school I got up and banged my head on a low-lying shelf, and so got treated for concussion. Great. I'm at home now, but postings may be a bit less frequent. Tough loss for Pedro.
Sunday, May 16, 2004
Greek God of Walks, meet Human Questec. Human Questec, Greek God.
Youklis!!!! A pleasant surprise to see the Greek God of Walks in the lineup today, and how awesome is it that he hit a HR in his first game? The Youklis-Bellhorn combination seems designed to just annoy people by taking pitches and running up pitch counts.
Meanwhile, Arroyo's pitched super-efficiently - 8 IP, 0 BBs. BH Kim, we hardly knew ye.
Youklis!!!! A pleasant surprise to see the Greek God of Walks in the lineup today, and how awesome is it that he hit a HR in his first game? The Youklis-Bellhorn combination seems designed to just annoy people by taking pitches and running up pitch counts.
Meanwhile, Arroyo's pitched super-efficiently - 8 IP, 0 BBs. BH Kim, we hardly knew ye.
Friday, May 14, 2004
Messy, messy
Grrr. Today's game. Slop all around. People looked tired. It's a strong argument for getaway day games to be, well, day games. Grrr.
I know people are saying DiNardo in the 6th wasn't a good choice, but why not? Hindsight's 20/20 (or 6/6 as we metric users like to say), of course, but DiNardo wasn't pitching badly prior to this game and it's not like Embree was much better.
Grrr. Today's game. Slop all around. People looked tired. It's a strong argument for getaway day games to be, well, day games. Grrr.
I know people are saying DiNardo in the 6th wasn't a good choice, but why not? Hindsight's 20/20 (or 6/6 as we metric users like to say), of course, but DiNardo wasn't pitching badly prior to this game and it's not like Embree was much better.
Kim cheesed off
Fascinating article in the Boston Globe on the issues with BK. It seems that BK is the anti-Pierzynski. Where the Giants' catcher seems to be disliked for playing cards when he's supposed to be going through the lineup, the issue with BK is that he works out so fanatically to the point where teammates like Damon just want him to relax and play PlayStation:
MacMullan notes that this work-to-the-bone attitude is common among Asian athletes. In defence of my continent, we're not all industrious worker-bee types. Some of us watch way too much baseball for that. :) And if you've ever watched Singaporean athletes, many would unfortunately disprove the notion of Asian athletes wanting to work out too much. For that matter, speaking of Asian athletes, has anyone ever thought Hideki Irabu - Steinbrenner's favourite fat, pussy toad - worked out too much?
So nationality and culture play a part in BK's current state, but so does the fact that he's a petulant 25-year-old man who doesn't seem to always want to take advice. Weird that no one ever seems to mention that Damon is half-Asian, not even when he's quoted in the context of a discussion on how culture may affect work the ethic. Of course, culture is a function not just of ethnicity but of nationality, and Damon's as American as all get out. Oh well, here's hoping Pawtucket is a good shake-up. The kids at Brown and RISD have, um, materials that will help you get you more relaxed, so I hear.
(Incidentally, no quote from Schilling? He's known BK the longest, presumably.)
But that's why baseball's a great game. Some pitchers can work too hard. Some pitchers look like David Wells and succeed like him. Some players look like the buff Gabe Kapler and hit like, well, Gabe Kapler. Whereas others look like Calvin Pickering and hit at obscene XXX levels (admittedly against AAA pitchers). In how many sports could someone who looks like El Guapo ever get a decent shot of making it to the top of the profession?
Incidentally, if the sinker supposedly sinks a bit better when pitching on short rest (i.e. tired arm), would a submarine pitch not have as much effective movement with a tired arm, since it might have unwanted sinking action instead of that nice nasty movement?
Fascinating article in the Boston Globe on the issues with BK. It seems that BK is the anti-Pierzynski. Where the Giants' catcher seems to be disliked for playing cards when he's supposed to be going through the lineup, the issue with BK is that he works out so fanatically to the point where teammates like Damon just want him to relax and play PlayStation:
You don't ever see him on the road except at the park. And, when you see him, he's working on his mechanics. We want him to play PlayStation with us.
MacMullan notes that this work-to-the-bone attitude is common among Asian athletes. In defence of my continent, we're not all industrious worker-bee types. Some of us watch way too much baseball for that. :) And if you've ever watched Singaporean athletes, many would unfortunately disprove the notion of Asian athletes wanting to work out too much. For that matter, speaking of Asian athletes, has anyone ever thought Hideki Irabu - Steinbrenner's favourite fat, pussy toad - worked out too much?
So nationality and culture play a part in BK's current state, but so does the fact that he's a petulant 25-year-old man who doesn't seem to always want to take advice. Weird that no one ever seems to mention that Damon is half-Asian, not even when he's quoted in the context of a discussion on how culture may affect work the ethic. Of course, culture is a function not just of ethnicity but of nationality, and Damon's as American as all get out. Oh well, here's hoping Pawtucket is a good shake-up. The kids at Brown and RISD have, um, materials that will help you get you more relaxed, so I hear.
(Incidentally, no quote from Schilling? He's known BK the longest, presumably.)
But that's why baseball's a great game. Some pitchers can work too hard. Some pitchers look like David Wells and succeed like him. Some players look like the buff Gabe Kapler and hit like, well, Gabe Kapler. Whereas others look like Calvin Pickering and hit at obscene XXX levels (admittedly against AAA pitchers). In how many sports could someone who looks like El Guapo ever get a decent shot of making it to the top of the profession?
Incidentally, if the sinker supposedly sinks a bit better when pitching on short rest (i.e. tired arm), would a submarine pitch not have as much effective movement with a tired arm, since it might have unwanted sinking action instead of that nice nasty movement?
Thursday, May 13, 2004
Catchers on the Rise
ESPN has a piece on the recent explosion of young catchers. Why do some positions get hot? In the 90s, shortstop suddenly became a superstar position in the AL - Nomar, A-Rod, Jeter - and, assuming those highlighted by the article (Gerald Laird, Johnny Estrada, Miguel Olivo, Victor Martinez, Joe Mauer) do blossom, it seems another defence-oriented position may be in for a power upgrade. As an economics graduate, one wonders whether it's a supply-and-demand thing...
Random notes: Speaking of catchers, as a Sox fan, I hope the Sox re-sign Tek, but I'm also excited about Shoppach.... James (okay, Jamie) Brown's now a member of our pitching staff. I can see the nicknames coming in now: James "Get Up (I Feel Like Being An) Out Machine" Brown... now that Brooks Kieschnick has made the retro concept of a pitcher/position player palatable, what I want to see is a switch-hitting switch-pitching utility player...
ESPN has a piece on the recent explosion of young catchers. Why do some positions get hot? In the 90s, shortstop suddenly became a superstar position in the AL - Nomar, A-Rod, Jeter - and, assuming those highlighted by the article (Gerald Laird, Johnny Estrada, Miguel Olivo, Victor Martinez, Joe Mauer) do blossom, it seems another defence-oriented position may be in for a power upgrade. As an economics graduate, one wonders whether it's a supply-and-demand thing...
Random notes: Speaking of catchers, as a Sox fan, I hope the Sox re-sign Tek, but I'm also excited about Shoppach.... James (okay, Jamie) Brown's now a member of our pitching staff. I can see the nicknames coming in now: James "Get Up (I Feel Like Being An) Out Machine" Brown... now that Brooks Kieschnick has made the retro concept of a pitcher/position player palatable, what I want to see is a switch-hitting switch-pitching utility player...
The Tribe has spoken
So we started the season with powerful pitching performances, but lately the Sox have been such teases. There's now winning a la 2003 with last at-bats and late-inning heroics. What seems more common this year is, sadly, games like today's, where a late 9th-inning rally gets extinguished just when the going gets good.
So we started the season with powerful pitching performances, but lately the Sox have been such teases. There's now winning a la 2003 with last at-bats and late-inning heroics. What seems more common this year is, sadly, games like today's, where a late 9th-inning rally gets extinguished just when the going gets good.
Wednesday, May 12, 2004
More weird lineups - The Jays vs the Ezzes
The Johnsons, Jones, and Jacksons (a largely NL team)
C Charles Johnson, Rockies
1B Nick Johnson, Expos
2B Damian Jackson, Cubs
3B Chipper Jones, Braves
SS hmm... can't come up with one
LF Jacque Jones, Twins
CF Andruw Jones, Braves
RF Reed Johnson, Jays
SP Randy Johnson, D-Backs
SP Jason Johnson, Tigers
RP Bobby Jones, ex-Sox
RP Todd Jones, Reds
RP Mike Jackson, White Sox
vs
The Gonzalezes, Martinezes, and Rodriguezes (is that the right plural?)
C Ivan Rodriguez, Tigers
1B Tino Martinez, Rays
2B Luis A. Gonzalez, Rockies
3B Alex Rodriguez, Yankees
SS Alex Gonzalez, Marlins
LF Luis Gonzalez, Rockies
CF hmm... can Alex S. Gonzalez or Victor Martinez play here? :)
RF Juan Gonzalez, Royals
DH Edgar Martinez, Mariners
SP Pedro Martinez, Sox, duh
SP Jeremi Gonzalez, Rays
RP Felix Rodriguez, Giants
RP Francisco Rodriguez, Angels
RP Dicky Gonzalez, Rays
The Johnsons, Jones, and Jacksons (a largely NL team)
C Charles Johnson, Rockies
1B Nick Johnson, Expos
2B Damian Jackson, Cubs
3B Chipper Jones, Braves
SS hmm... can't come up with one
LF Jacque Jones, Twins
CF Andruw Jones, Braves
RF Reed Johnson, Jays
SP Randy Johnson, D-Backs
SP Jason Johnson, Tigers
RP Bobby Jones, ex-Sox
RP Todd Jones, Reds
RP Mike Jackson, White Sox
vs
The Gonzalezes, Martinezes, and Rodriguezes (is that the right plural?)
C Ivan Rodriguez, Tigers
1B Tino Martinez, Rays
2B Luis A. Gonzalez, Rockies
3B Alex Rodriguez, Yankees
SS Alex Gonzalez, Marlins
LF Luis Gonzalez, Rockies
CF hmm... can Alex S. Gonzalez or Victor Martinez play here? :)
RF Juan Gonzalez, Royals
DH Edgar Martinez, Mariners
SP Pedro Martinez, Sox, duh
SP Jeremi Gonzalez, Rays
RP Felix Rodriguez, Giants
RP Francisco Rodriguez, Angels
RP Dicky Gonzalez, Rays
The Namesakes
Double-takes at the box score every morning!
C: J Valentin, Reds
1B: A Gonzalez, Rangers
2B: Luis Gonzalez, Rockies
3B: Matos, Expos
SS: Alex Gonzalez, either the Cubs or the Marlins :)
LF: R Johnson, Jays (okay, I know he's an RF)
CF: E Chavez, Expos
RF: M Sweeney, Rockies
SP: R Ortiz, Angels
SP: O Perez, Pirates
SP: C Lee, Indians
RP: Javier Lopez, Rockies
RP: T Walker, Giants
RP: Beltran, Dodgers
RP: D Lee, Indians
RP: S Stewart, Indians
Bench: Palmeiro, Astros
Bench: D Jeter, Yankees - oh wait, this is the real Jeter. Sorry, was fooled by the Mendoza-line .200 BA :)
Double-takes at the box score every morning!
C: J Valentin, Reds
1B: A Gonzalez, Rangers
2B: Luis Gonzalez, Rockies
3B: Matos, Expos
SS: Alex Gonzalez, either the Cubs or the Marlins :)
LF: R Johnson, Jays (okay, I know he's an RF)
CF: E Chavez, Expos
RF: M Sweeney, Rockies
SP: R Ortiz, Angels
SP: O Perez, Pirates
SP: C Lee, Indians
RP: Javier Lopez, Rockies
RP: T Walker, Giants
RP: Beltran, Dodgers
RP: D Lee, Indians
RP: S Stewart, Indians
Bench: Palmeiro, Astros
Bench: D Jeter, Yankees - oh wait, this is the real Jeter. Sorry, was fooled by the Mendoza-line .200 BA :)
Lost in Translation?
Sometimes it's funnier to read a game report in translation:
Yeah, go Red Averages! And how about that serpentinero (which is one heck of a cool thing to be called, actually) Alan Tars? Proving that wins by relievers are sometimes more luck than anything else. And it's nice to see Pedro's 11 ponchos, and to see that baseball brain consider his pitch count and amazingly just up and decide to be a crafty pitcher rather than a power pitcher. Still, what's up with Pedro and first innings?
Around the horn with this translation gag:
Ooh, I like a party too! Even if Clemens at a party would probably just talk about his workout routine and insist everyone join in. But if you go to the party, better watch out near the left garden... Ramon castrates!
There's some real news here, although somewhat minor - Bartolo Colon wants Pedro in Anaheim. But translating his last name so that he now has the "dream of Columbus" gives a nice mythic ring to it.
Ah, Google translations.
Sometimes it's funnier to read a game report in translation:
The emergent batter David McCarty connected an impelling triple of two races that broke the deadlock the party and the Dominican Pedro Martinez poncho to 11 so that the Red Averages of Boston last night overcame 5-3 to the Indians of Cleveland.
Alan Tars (1-0) was the winning serpentinero in spite of allowing to a solitary home run to Victor Martinez in the eighth, only the unstoppable one that allowed. Keith Foulke closed in the ninth for his seventh rescue.
Yeah, go Red Averages! And how about that serpentinero (which is one heck of a cool thing to be called, actually) Alan Tars? Proving that wins by relievers are sometimes more luck than anything else. And it's nice to see Pedro's 11 ponchos, and to see that baseball brain consider his pitch count and amazingly just up and decide to be a crafty pitcher rather than a power pitcher. Still, what's up with Pedro and first innings?
Around the horn with this translation gag:
Astros 6, Marlins 1: Extinguished the attack of the Marlins was led by the Puerto Rican receiver Ramon I castrate, who took near the left garden in the second episode, in the only error of Clemens in the party.
Ooh, I like a party too! Even if Clemens at a party would probably just talk about his workout routine and insist everyone join in. But if you go to the party, better watch out near the left garden... Ramon castrates!
Anaheim: In another order, the dream of Columbus, is to have to Pedro Martinez to its side in a same equipment. "it would really be a great satisfaction that my Pedro friend plays for us", he indicated.
There's some real news here, although somewhat minor - Bartolo Colon wants Pedro in Anaheim. But translating his last name so that he now has the "dream of Columbus" gives a nice mythic ring to it.
Ah, Google translations.
Bank of America now want to rename the Fleet Center, apparently. One thing about the Fleet Center, soulless as it could be, was that the name of the bank seemed to fit (fleet = athletic). At least it wasn't as monstrous a name as SBC Park. (Although, again, sometimes it's just the way the companies' names sound: Pac Bell Park had a nice ring to it.)
Boston.com has a list of readers' suggestions, of which naturally Boston Garden is the most popular name (the compromise "Bank of America Garden" isn't bad either - at least it acknowledges the roots). To that list I'd add:
The BoAston Garden (okay, that was awful)
The Bank of America Free Body Checking Arena (since the Bruins own the place)
I never did understand what use companies saw in getting naming rights. Has anyone ever felt more compelled to buy or use something because they heard it in a ballpark's name? Maybe they should squeeze the whole tagline into the name: Bernie and Phyl's Quality Comfort and Price Park.
Note to marketing types: I'm being facetious.
Boston.com has a list of readers' suggestions, of which naturally Boston Garden is the most popular name (the compromise "Bank of America Garden" isn't bad either - at least it acknowledges the roots). To that list I'd add:
The BoAston Garden (okay, that was awful)
The Bank of America Free Body Checking Arena (since the Bruins own the place)
I never did understand what use companies saw in getting naming rights. Has anyone ever felt more compelled to buy or use something because they heard it in a ballpark's name? Maybe they should squeeze the whole tagline into the name: Bernie and Phyl's Quality Comfort and Price Park.
Note to marketing types: I'm being facetious.
Tuesday, May 11, 2004
Pitcher Abuse
More non-Sox baseball stuff: Alan Schwarz has an article on ESPN on pitch counts, something Sox fans have become obsessed with partly because of Pedro. I'm of the personal opinion that CGs are cool - and perhaps even cooler now that they're so rare - but not necessarily worth the extra pitches both in terms of increased chances of letting in runs and in leading up to injury. But I'm with the Baseball Prospectus people (okay, Rany Jazayerli) in saying it's pitch count, not days of rest, so I could see a 4-man rotation on strict pitch counts. Yeah, CGs are great, but with modern offense and the DH (surprisingly not mentioned in the article's reasons for increased number of pitches per game) it's hard to throw a 110-pitch CG these days. Am following the Rockies' 4-man rotation experiment with interest. Heck, can't be worse than their previous starting pitching.
Ah, the depths to which the nursing of Pedro's shoulder has furthered my desire for general baseball knowledge.
More non-Sox baseball stuff: Alan Schwarz has an article on ESPN on pitch counts, something Sox fans have become obsessed with partly because of Pedro. I'm of the personal opinion that CGs are cool - and perhaps even cooler now that they're so rare - but not necessarily worth the extra pitches both in terms of increased chances of letting in runs and in leading up to injury. But I'm with the Baseball Prospectus people (okay, Rany Jazayerli) in saying it's pitch count, not days of rest, so I could see a 4-man rotation on strict pitch counts. Yeah, CGs are great, but with modern offense and the DH (surprisingly not mentioned in the article's reasons for increased number of pitches per game) it's hard to throw a 110-pitch CG these days. Am following the Rockies' 4-man rotation experiment with interest. Heck, can't be worse than their previous starting pitching.
Ah, the depths to which the nursing of Pedro's shoulder has furthered my desire for general baseball knowledge.
Manny Ramirez, American
Congrats to Manny for getting his US citizenship! Now come back and hit cleanup - the lineup misses you!
Interesting that Ortiz isn't a citizen. If/when the baseball World Cup is held, how will they determine country of eligibility? Does Manny play for the Dominican Republic, the US, or does he get to choose?
Congrats to Manny for getting his US citizenship! Now come back and hit cleanup - the lineup misses you!
Interesting that Ortiz isn't a citizen. If/when the baseball World Cup is held, how will they determine country of eligibility? Does Manny play for the Dominican Republic, the US, or does he get to choose?
The Hook
Incidentally, DiNardo's 2 1/3 innings today could explain why it was Malaska on yesterday - saving DiNardo for long relief today given that Kim probably can't make many pitches. Not sure if that's right. On the good side, I noted Francona's willingness not to put his whole trust in his own observations in this ESPN article:
The article also notes that it's pretty stupid to ask pitchers when they're done, or at least to take their word for it without reading their body language. Duh.
Incidentally, DiNardo's 2 1/3 innings today could explain why it was Malaska on yesterday - saving DiNardo for long relief today given that Kim probably can't make many pitches. Not sure if that's right. On the good side, I noted Francona's willingness not to put his whole trust in his own observations in this ESPN article:
Francona understands he was hired in Boston as much for his ability to handle people as for his ability to use a laptop. But he has come to believe that you can't make the right calls on handling the people if you don't see what's inside the computer -- because "your eyes can deceive you," he says.
"If you see a bunch of numbers, that's the truth," he says. "If something has happened 99 times out of 100, there's a pretty good chance it's going to happen again."
The article also notes that it's pretty stupid to ask pitchers when they're done, or at least to take their word for it without reading their body language. Duh.
Messy, messy
Ick. Kim's not quite all there today, is he? And the bullpen's having a bit of an off-day. Good ol' Lou Merloni though, nice that he's trying to help his old team by grounding out in the 7th and even getting himself caught stealing in the 6th (although McCarty flubbed that one). What's with a lineup with Millar in cleanup?
Ick. Kim's not quite all there today, is he? And the bullpen's having a bit of an off-day. Good ol' Lou Merloni though, nice that he's trying to help his old team by grounding out in the 7th and even getting himself caught stealing in the 6th (although McCarty flubbed that one). What's with a lineup with Millar in cleanup?
Monday, May 10, 2004
On yesterday's loss, in musical form
How do you solve a problem like Malaska?
How do you make our Derek throw a strike?
Can't we use the pitcher from Alaska?
No double-play grounder!
The bases get cleared!
The clowns!
So Darrell May gets the victory in May? He probably has the most wins by a pitcher in the month of his last name.
Edit: oops, a check on Baseball Reference brings up Rudy May. So Darrell's got a long way to go.
How do you solve a problem like Malaska?
How do you make our Derek throw a strike?
Can't we use the pitcher from Alaska?
No double-play grounder!
The bases get cleared!
The clowns!
So Darrell May gets the victory in May? He probably has the most wins by a pitcher in the month of his last name.
Edit: oops, a check on Baseball Reference brings up Rudy May. So Darrell's got a long way to go.
Quality, Comfort, and Price
On other non-Sox baseball matters: why is it Bill James, Rob Neyer, and Rany Jazayerli, three of the most prominent sabermetricians, are all Kansas City fans? Back in college when I was studying urban economics we looked at agglomeration - how the act of gathering into cities can cause locales to sprout very specific industries (the button district in Manhattan), and perhaps this is an example of one...
Having never been anywhere near Kansas City, my impression of the city is shaped by: Kauffman Stadium; that recent New Yorker article about Hallmark; the Royals and Rob and Rany's writing on them; the sound of Kansas City jazz and the American Jazz Museum; and the local ads I see when they show the KC feed of Sox-Royals games. How skewed is that? It's like learning about Boston through seeing Fenway Park, Aerosmith, and Bernie and Phyl's ads.
On other non-Sox baseball matters: why is it Bill James, Rob Neyer, and Rany Jazayerli, three of the most prominent sabermetricians, are all Kansas City fans? Back in college when I was studying urban economics we looked at agglomeration - how the act of gathering into cities can cause locales to sprout very specific industries (the button district in Manhattan), and perhaps this is an example of one...
Having never been anywhere near Kansas City, my impression of the city is shaped by: Kauffman Stadium; that recent New Yorker article about Hallmark; the Royals and Rob and Rany's writing on them; the sound of Kansas City jazz and the American Jazz Museum; and the local ads I see when they show the KC feed of Sox-Royals games. How skewed is that? It's like learning about Boston through seeing Fenway Park, Aerosmith, and Bernie and Phyl's ads.
Sunday, May 09, 2004
From the horse's mouth
Curt has his own take on throwing the CG on Sons of Sam Horn (his ID is gehrig38)... good to hear that Francona's plan was to let him pitch but take him out as soon as someone got on. And I agree with the fan who said that better to let the pitcher get the CGs in a blowout (boosts the pitcher's ego without straining him too much) rather than making him insist on staying in in close situations.
Incidentally, I love that the timestamp on Schilling's message is 6.04pm... so I presume Schilling pitched a CG, cleaned up, went home, and almost immediately logged on to talk about his own pitching?! When I read about his Everquest combat with Doug Glanville, it was clear that he was a computer geek, but I love the levels to which he takes it. I can see it now... on his off days he plays High Heat against the computer version of himself...
Curt has his own take on throwing the CG on Sons of Sam Horn (his ID is gehrig38)... good to hear that Francona's plan was to let him pitch but take him out as soon as someone got on. And I agree with the fan who said that better to let the pitcher get the CGs in a blowout (boosts the pitcher's ego without straining him too much) rather than making him insist on staying in in close situations.
Incidentally, I love that the timestamp on Schilling's message is 6.04pm... so I presume Schilling pitched a CG, cleaned up, went home, and almost immediately logged on to talk about his own pitching?! When I read about his Everquest combat with Doug Glanville, it was clear that he was a computer geek, but I love the levels to which he takes it. I can see it now... on his off days he plays High Heat against the computer version of himself...
Pokey monster!
A multihomer game? Sitting on that fastball up and in, hitting it out of the park... who is this big-hitting man and what has he done with Pokey Reese?
And can I just say I love inside-the-park homers? There's something I find quite thrilling about the sprint to beat the throw home. Those weird bounces of Fenway's right field are really doing the Sox good. Schilling got the CG with a great performance. 120 pitches isn't too bad for him, but the paranoid Sox fan (is that tautological?) in me worries about his insistence on keeping the ball...
On yesterday's game: given Manny's broken finger from sliding a few years back, I'd say Manny shouldn't slide - sure, sometimes it's nice to see hustle, but it's so against Manny's Zen-like peaceable state I feel can create bad situations..
A multihomer game? Sitting on that fastball up and in, hitting it out of the park... who is this big-hitting man and what has he done with Pokey Reese?
And can I just say I love inside-the-park homers? There's something I find quite thrilling about the sprint to beat the throw home. Those weird bounces of Fenway's right field are really doing the Sox good. Schilling got the CG with a great performance. 120 pitches isn't too bad for him, but the paranoid Sox fan (is that tautological?) in me worries about his insistence on keeping the ball...
On yesterday's game: given Manny's broken finger from sliding a few years back, I'd say Manny shouldn't slide - sure, sometimes it's nice to see hustle, but it's so against Manny's Zen-like peaceable state I feel can create bad situations..
Saturday, May 08, 2004
Control? Nasty? What Have You Done For Me Lately?
The Soxaholix ask, what's up with Pedro and his homers this year, which made me think of an old Rany Jazayerli article in Baseball Prospectus on pitchers who'd given up more homers than walks... The article specifically mentions Schilling, but also notes how Robin Roberts, the all-time HR server, relied on his control to get himself into the HOF. So, as advanced here as in other places, maybe Pedro really is on his way to becoming a control pitcher, refusing to walk people but paying occasionally by surrendering (hopefully solo) shots. Having said that, the fastballs were in the 90s yesterday...
And yes, the title of this blog entry is just the names of the 1-2-3 tracks of Janet Jackson's "Nasty" album. See, you can mention Janet and sports without talking about her wardrobe malfunction. Oh wait, I just talked about it. Dang.
The Soxaholix ask, what's up with Pedro and his homers this year, which made me think of an old Rany Jazayerli article in Baseball Prospectus on pitchers who'd given up more homers than walks... The article specifically mentions Schilling, but also notes how Robin Roberts, the all-time HR server, relied on his control to get himself into the HOF. So, as advanced here as in other places, maybe Pedro really is on his way to becoming a control pitcher, refusing to walk people but paying occasionally by surrendering (hopefully solo) shots. Having said that, the fastballs were in the 90s yesterday...
And yes, the title of this blog entry is just the names of the 1-2-3 tracks of Janet Jackson's "Nasty" album. See, you can mention Janet and sports without talking about her wardrobe malfunction. Oh wait, I just talked about it. Dang.
Friday, May 07, 2004
If only free agents really came free
From the Hartford Courant, an unfortunate choice of words from Tek on Pedro's performance:
From the Hartford Courant, an unfortunate choice of words from Tek on Pedro's performance:
"After that," catcher Jason Varitek said, "he was money."
What a Tangled Web
More on Spider-Man 2: Bases Loaded: I think the biggest turn-offs in the idea were the way MLB tried to present this as a way of attracting kids to the game (pathetic - if it's all about the money, then say so - or do the execs really think this will attract people to baseball?), and the paltry sums every team got. Hell, even New York, biggest market around, would have gotten $100k. A-Rod probably makes that amount each time he sneezes. If the amount was closer to $10 million per team and small market teams got the same as big markets, then maybe fans could go, well, I don't like these ads but they help KC keep Beltran. Right now it looks like MLB is trying to scrounge for every inch of advertising space without any thought for dignity. Bud Selig seems to keep finding ways to erode MLB's brand value, to use corporate-speak. Now, if you put Selig's photo on the bases and let people stomp on him on the way to first... Just imagine, major leaguers would never forget to tag, and players would have an incentive to perform the safer feet-first slide rather than risk looking like they're kissing up to Bud.
Still, if the powers that be want a great amount of free white space for ads and really don't care for dignity, I have a suggestion: C.C. Sabathia's pants.
More on Spider-Man 2: Bases Loaded: I think the biggest turn-offs in the idea were the way MLB tried to present this as a way of attracting kids to the game (pathetic - if it's all about the money, then say so - or do the execs really think this will attract people to baseball?), and the paltry sums every team got. Hell, even New York, biggest market around, would have gotten $100k. A-Rod probably makes that amount each time he sneezes. If the amount was closer to $10 million per team and small market teams got the same as big markets, then maybe fans could go, well, I don't like these ads but they help KC keep Beltran. Right now it looks like MLB is trying to scrounge for every inch of advertising space without any thought for dignity. Bud Selig seems to keep finding ways to erode MLB's brand value, to use corporate-speak. Now, if you put Selig's photo on the bases and let people stomp on him on the way to first... Just imagine, major leaguers would never forget to tag, and players would have an incentive to perform the safer feet-first slide rather than risk looking like they're kissing up to Bud.
Still, if the powers that be want a great amount of free white space for ads and really don't care for dignity, I have a suggestion: C.C. Sabathia's pants.
Balls on Bases
Mmm. I'm personally very glad the idea of putting the Spider-Man promotion on the bases was shot down. I know I'd criticised Nader for protesting ads on uniforms, but that was more for his making a mountain out of a molehill - I feel a national politician seems diminished when he weighs in on such issues. Still, while I feel MLB can do what it wants politically, I can't deny that aesthetically the idea of ads on bases was really off-putting to me, and I'm glad fans responded by raising such a stink that MLB pulled the idea.
*Comic Geek Ideas* Why not put Spidey in the outfield before a game and have him using his webslingers to pull in balls hit to left, right, center? Now that would be a web gem. Or have him hang from Pesky's Pole throughout a game. It's Spidey vs the Green Monster!
Mmm. I'm personally very glad the idea of putting the Spider-Man promotion on the bases was shot down. I know I'd criticised Nader for protesting ads on uniforms, but that was more for his making a mountain out of a molehill - I feel a national politician seems diminished when he weighs in on such issues. Still, while I feel MLB can do what it wants politically, I can't deny that aesthetically the idea of ads on bases was really off-putting to me, and I'm glad fans responded by raising such a stink that MLB pulled the idea.
*Comic Geek Ideas* Why not put Spidey in the outfield before a game and have him using his webslingers to pull in balls hit to left, right, center? Now that would be a web gem. Or have him hang from Pesky's Pole throughout a game. It's Spidey vs the Green Monster!
Sox split
Now that's a good way to start the morning. When I flipped the game on (NESN this time, yay), Ortiz hit into a run-scoring double-play, but that was quickly followed up by Manny's homer. And somehow when Pokey came on I felt my Spidey-sense go all tingly (ha). Whatever Papa Jack was doing with Reese seems to be working - who knew he had the power for extra-base hits? So C.C. was chased clean out of the game. Looking at his line, you'd think Sabathia was a Jamie Moyer-style control pitcher, what with no walks and no Ks.
Pedro looked good, although admittedly I missed what looked like a shaky first inning, although I saw clips of the Lawton homer. He seemed to be throwing lots of cutters today - well, placing my faith in Jerry Remy's calling of the pitches - which seemed like a new thing. Sometimes it seems like Pedro uses the first inning to find out which of his vast repertoire of pitches are on and then goes to them later. Still can't forget an interview he did on TV (7 News?) a long while back where he showed the reporter how he gripped all his various pitches - those big hands, and the way his fingers so confidently found each pitch, very impressive.
Now that's a good way to start the morning. When I flipped the game on (NESN this time, yay), Ortiz hit into a run-scoring double-play, but that was quickly followed up by Manny's homer. And somehow when Pokey came on I felt my Spidey-sense go all tingly (ha). Whatever Papa Jack was doing with Reese seems to be working - who knew he had the power for extra-base hits? So C.C. was chased clean out of the game. Looking at his line, you'd think Sabathia was a Jamie Moyer-style control pitcher, what with no walks and no Ks.
Pedro looked good, although admittedly I missed what looked like a shaky first inning, although I saw clips of the Lawton homer. He seemed to be throwing lots of cutters today - well, placing my faith in Jerry Remy's calling of the pitches - which seemed like a new thing. Sometimes it seems like Pedro uses the first inning to find out which of his vast repertoire of pitches are on and then goes to them later. Still can't forget an interview he did on TV (7 News?) a long while back where he showed the reporter how he gripped all his various pitches - those big hands, and the way his fingers so confidently found each pitch, very impressive.
Thursday, May 06, 2004
Hail hail rock and roll
More reasons to like Arroyo:
Nice to see him still doing the tourist thing. Has he ever jammed with Theo?
So, which Bronson is Arroyo more like - Charles Bronson or Bronson Pinchot?
More reasons to like Arroyo:
Bronson Arroyo, who effectively began his stint this season as a regular member of the bullpen by picking up the win, paid his first visit before the game to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. An amateur musician, Arroyo was so impressed he may return today
Nice to see him still doing the tourist thing. Has he ever jammed with Theo?
So, which Bronson is Arroyo more like - Charles Bronson or Bronson Pinchot?
Cinco de Mayo
Finally, a win in May. Two three-run dingers from Ortiz and Mueller - Earl Weaver would be proud. So Mueller atones, and the offence that Damon hath started in the 9th last night continues. Ortiz is the man. Meanwhile, Reese is not Todd Walker, but I like his 6-game hitting streak, and his BA is about 50 points above the #1 and #2 hitters for that danged New York team. Watched the game on Fox Sports Net, since MLB.tv didn't carry NESN this time, and they showed Jerry Remy operating the camera - looked like he was having fun.
Kim wasn't sharp, but the pen was mighty, as always. Is it really fair to throw Arroyo, Embree, Williamson, and Foulke at a rebuilding team? Heh. That's Powell Doctrine pitching for you, overwhelming the opponents. Admittedly, one wonders whether it was worth using Williamson and Foulke with a 3-/4-run lead, but I'm taking the win. Second-guessing Francona's not like second-guessing Little, I find - you may not always agree with his decisions, but you can often see his point of view. "Reasonable people could differ", as they say.
Finally, a win in May. Two three-run dingers from Ortiz and Mueller - Earl Weaver would be proud. So Mueller atones, and the offence that Damon hath started in the 9th last night continues. Ortiz is the man. Meanwhile, Reese is not Todd Walker, but I like his 6-game hitting streak, and his BA is about 50 points above the #1 and #2 hitters for that danged New York team. Watched the game on Fox Sports Net, since MLB.tv didn't carry NESN this time, and they showed Jerry Remy operating the camera - looked like he was having fun.
Kim wasn't sharp, but the pen was mighty, as always. Is it really fair to throw Arroyo, Embree, Williamson, and Foulke at a rebuilding team? Heh. That's Powell Doctrine pitching for you, overwhelming the opponents. Admittedly, one wonders whether it was worth using Williamson and Foulke with a 3-/4-run lead, but I'm taking the win. Second-guessing Francona's not like second-guessing Little, I find - you may not always agree with his decisions, but you can often see his point of view. "Reasonable people could differ", as they say.
Walk don't run
Incidentally, what would Mike Stenhouse - he of the .095 BA / .424 OBP in 1986 (12 walks in 21 games, which is, I know, a small sample size, but Stenhouse also walked a bit in his other stints in the majors) - make of Mark Bellhorn? Bill James has said that Stenhouse didn't get enough of a shot to prove himself, and perhaps these days an on-base machine gets more chances than in the 80s.
I mention this because on a personal level, Stenhouse is a fellow alumnus of my college and one likes to maintain some school pride - but more importantly I mention this because Stenhouse was Tito Francona's minor-league roommate. Any influence on Tito's baseball thinking?
Things I didn't know, but a Google search told me: Stenhouse and Francona's third roommate was Bryan Little. Yup, Little, as in Grady's brother. How weird is that?
Incidentally, what would Mike Stenhouse - he of the .095 BA / .424 OBP in 1986 (12 walks in 21 games, which is, I know, a small sample size, but Stenhouse also walked a bit in his other stints in the majors) - make of Mark Bellhorn? Bill James has said that Stenhouse didn't get enough of a shot to prove himself, and perhaps these days an on-base machine gets more chances than in the 80s.
I mention this because on a personal level, Stenhouse is a fellow alumnus of my college and one likes to maintain some school pride - but more importantly I mention this because Stenhouse was Tito Francona's minor-league roommate. Any influence on Tito's baseball thinking?
Things I didn't know, but a Google search told me: Stenhouse and Francona's third roommate was Bryan Little. Yup, Little, as in Grady's brother. How weird is that?
Wednesday, May 05, 2004
Nader at a nadir?
Ralph Nader's protesting ads on uniforms? Okay, being also a "soccer" (what most of the world calls football) fan, I shall say that I like the retro look of "soccer" jerseys, before they introduced ads on the uniforms, but I can't say I'm incensed about the ads. (Lots of people walk around Singapore wearing Manchester United jerseys, thus providing Vodafone with free advertising here. But Vodafone doesn't operate at all here.) I guess people either don't mind the ads, or they won't like it and won't buy any replica uniforms and then the ads will become but a wistful memory.
I like the sneakily snarky initial clause here:
What makes the uniforms so sacred, given that firms plaster their names on stadia (Petco Park - where the bullpens are in play) and ESPN plasters advertising behind home plate? And surely, surely a spoiler Presidential candidate has better issues on which to run? (Maybe that's his proof that the Democrats and the Republicans are one and the same - neither is doing anything about attempted advertising in baseball!)
Baseball always seems surrounded by these prelapsarian myths: the whole idea that Abner Doubleday invented this urban sport in the countryside, or the idea that it was never commercial in the past (see Veeck, Bill... or see the fact that one of the most beloved sights in baseball is the ball flying over the ads of the Green Monster, way back, way back, with the Citgo sign in the backdrop). I'm as much for a faux idyll as the next guy, but what're you gonna do?
Ralph Nader's protesting ads on uniforms? Okay, being also a "soccer" (what most of the world calls football) fan, I shall say that I like the retro look of "soccer" jerseys, before they introduced ads on the uniforms, but I can't say I'm incensed about the ads. (Lots of people walk around Singapore wearing Manchester United jerseys, thus providing Vodafone with free advertising here. But Vodafone doesn't operate at all here.) I guess people either don't mind the ads, or they won't like it and won't buy any replica uniforms and then the ads will become but a wistful memory.
I like the sneakily snarky initial clause here:
While the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs wore similar ads when they played in Tokyo in 2000, and baseball said in advance that the Yankees and Devil Rays would wear patches, Nader said the ads this year "ambushed fans across the country and left them shaking their heads at this obscene embarrassment."
What makes the uniforms so sacred, given that firms plaster their names on stadia (Petco Park - where the bullpens are in play) and ESPN plasters advertising behind home plate? And surely, surely a spoiler Presidential candidate has better issues on which to run? (Maybe that's his proof that the Democrats and the Republicans are one and the same - neither is doing anything about attempted advertising in baseball!)
Baseball always seems surrounded by these prelapsarian myths: the whole idea that Abner Doubleday invented this urban sport in the countryside, or the idea that it was never commercial in the past (see Veeck, Bill... or see the fact that one of the most beloved sights in baseball is the ball flying over the ads of the Green Monster, way back, way back, with the Citgo sign in the backdrop). I'm as much for a faux idyll as the next guy, but what're you gonna do?
Eternal Optimism of My Spotless Mind
Man. It's like the Sox world turned upside down once the bullpen let in a run. I can understand losing to the Indians when Westbrook's pitching - I guess his 7 perfect innings in relief impressed me - but to Davis? Sigh. No room for errors when you have a ground-ball pitcher.
Pollyanna moments:
1. Dinardo looked great. The Mets let him go on a Rule V draft? But then, let's just say the Mets haven't been the best at talent spotting. Hmm. I wonder what the last name of the Mets GM is....
2. Bellhorn batting second and Mueller eighth seemed to do both good, although Mueller behind McCarty was a strange choice. Am I the only one worried that Pokey has a higher BA than Mueller? (Pokey's been hitting well lately, actually. Or at least, it seems every time I tune into the games Pokey gets a little slap hit.)
3. I'm hoping the 9th inning marks the start of something for the hitters. Captain Caveman hit homer #1.
Man. It's like the Sox world turned upside down once the bullpen let in a run. I can understand losing to the Indians when Westbrook's pitching - I guess his 7 perfect innings in relief impressed me - but to Davis? Sigh. No room for errors when you have a ground-ball pitcher.
Pollyanna moments:
1. Dinardo looked great. The Mets let him go on a Rule V draft? But then, let's just say the Mets haven't been the best at talent spotting. Hmm. I wonder what the last name of the Mets GM is....
2. Bellhorn batting second and Mueller eighth seemed to do both good, although Mueller behind McCarty was a strange choice. Am I the only one worried that Pokey has a higher BA than Mueller? (Pokey's been hitting well lately, actually. Or at least, it seems every time I tune into the games Pokey gets a little slap hit.)
3. I'm hoping the 9th inning marks the start of something for the hitters. Captain Caveman hit homer #1.
Tuesday, May 04, 2004
Happy Manny Returns
Manny is going to be such a Fenway favourite just for offering to defer his salary for the Sox to keep Pedro. I know, it's only a deferment, but it's still a generous offer. At this rate he'll approach Fisk/Yaz levels of Fen-love. You know, in between his website, his newfound willingness to talk to the media (and the quite-endearing humility he shows), his running out bases hard (okay, we'll let occasional brain freezes go), Manny is doing everything perfectly. What happened? How does a guy get put on waivers, almost get traded away, and come back not just all right but a seemingly truly happy camper?? Maybe he just can't hold a grudge. Maybe in the magic run of last October, for the first time since he's been in Boston, he's realised how great a baseball town Boston in the postseason can be. (I remember that night in 1999 when Pedro stepped to the mound in the ALDS and no-hit the Indians. I don't remember a city ever feeling so electric.)
Or maybe Johnny Damon taught him to turn the other cheek. Lord knows, but I'll take it. Now, if only we knew why he stopped hitting once Daubach got slotted behind him in #5... oh, for the lineup of Damon-Mueller-Nomar-Manny-Ortiz-Trot-Tek-Millar-Bellhorn.
And Bernie Williams' statement on Pedro, "I think he would want an opportunity to play for a team that wins", just sounds so snide that I'm now glad he's in decline.
Manny is going to be such a Fenway favourite just for offering to defer his salary for the Sox to keep Pedro. I know, it's only a deferment, but it's still a generous offer. At this rate he'll approach Fisk/Yaz levels of Fen-love. You know, in between his website, his newfound willingness to talk to the media (and the quite-endearing humility he shows), his running out bases hard (okay, we'll let occasional brain freezes go), Manny is doing everything perfectly. What happened? How does a guy get put on waivers, almost get traded away, and come back not just all right but a seemingly truly happy camper?? Maybe he just can't hold a grudge. Maybe in the magic run of last October, for the first time since he's been in Boston, he's realised how great a baseball town Boston in the postseason can be. (I remember that night in 1999 when Pedro stepped to the mound in the ALDS and no-hit the Indians. I don't remember a city ever feeling so electric.)
Or maybe Johnny Damon taught him to turn the other cheek. Lord knows, but I'll take it. Now, if only we knew why he stopped hitting once Daubach got slotted behind him in #5... oh, for the lineup of Damon-Mueller-Nomar-Manny-Ortiz-Trot-Tek-Millar-Bellhorn.
And Bernie Williams' statement on Pedro, "I think he would want an opportunity to play for a team that wins", just sounds so snide that I'm now glad he's in decline.
La-la-la-my-hands-are-in-my-ears-I-can't-hear-you
Sigh. Let's not talk about the 4-game skid, shall we? Even this cut-rate blog gets more hits then the Sox at the moment.
An amusing story from ESPN: "Alou says the secret to hitting without batting gloves is to harden your hands and prevent calluses. One of his methods might win someone the prize money on the TV show, "Fear Factor." He urinates on his hands. That's the honest truth. Alou said he isn't sure where he learned this distasteful folk medicine, but it wasn't from his famous father. And it works for Moises." Great. What do his teammates think when they win and have to do the hand-slapping thing? And who gets the job of picking up his bat after he gets a hit? I guess when Alou strikes out, he gets pissed off.
Thank you ladies and gentleman! I'll be here all week! Remember to tip your waiters!
Sigh. Let's not talk about the 4-game skid, shall we? Even this cut-rate blog gets more hits then the Sox at the moment.
An amusing story from ESPN: "Alou says the secret to hitting without batting gloves is to harden your hands and prevent calluses. One of his methods might win someone the prize money on the TV show, "Fear Factor." He urinates on his hands. That's the honest truth. Alou said he isn't sure where he learned this distasteful folk medicine, but it wasn't from his famous father. And it works for Moises." Great. What do his teammates think when they win and have to do the hand-slapping thing? And who gets the job of picking up his bat after he gets a hit? I guess when Alou strikes out, he gets pissed off.
Thank you ladies and gentleman! I'll be here all week! Remember to tip your waiters!
Sunday, May 02, 2004
Labour and the means of production
Incidentally, I don't agree with the implication that since he's earning $17.5 million Pedro should shut up and "know his place", because the ownership has so generously given him money. Bull. The ownership pays him $17.5 million not because they're kind-hearted, but because they (or at least, whoever negotiated the previous contract) believe that's at least how much he can bring in to the club - in terms of sales of Martinez 45 jerseys, extra Fenway tickets if he pitches well enough to bring the Sox into the post-season. $17.5 million is a lot of money, but just because he's paid well doesn't mean he must shut up. (Now, as to whether speaking out - and risking the bad PR - was a good tactic, we shall see.)
All this doesn't mean I necessarily want Pedro to re-sign. Or to resign, for that matter. I'm worried about his on/off performances (and concomitantly the fact that his curveball sometimes shows up and sometimes doesn't) and his 4+ ERA. But for me, it's all what he does on the field. (Unless his words affect that most ephemeral of things, team "chemistry", so much that it affects performance.)
Having said all that, I have faith that Theo, John W Henry, and the rest of Sox management will get a good price and won't overpay for Pedro. Theo's statement was a masterful model of dignity:
No criticism of Pedro, no disrespect, shows a measured understanding that this is merely a dispute over perceived value. Theo rocks.
Incidentally, I don't agree with the implication that since he's earning $17.5 million Pedro should shut up and "know his place", because the ownership has so generously given him money. Bull. The ownership pays him $17.5 million not because they're kind-hearted, but because they (or at least, whoever negotiated the previous contract) believe that's at least how much he can bring in to the club - in terms of sales of Martinez 45 jerseys, extra Fenway tickets if he pitches well enough to bring the Sox into the post-season. $17.5 million is a lot of money, but just because he's paid well doesn't mean he must shut up. (Now, as to whether speaking out - and risking the bad PR - was a good tactic, we shall see.)
All this doesn't mean I necessarily want Pedro to re-sign. Or to resign, for that matter. I'm worried about his on/off performances (and concomitantly the fact that his curveball sometimes shows up and sometimes doesn't) and his 4+ ERA. But for me, it's all what he does on the field. (Unless his words affect that most ephemeral of things, team "chemistry", so much that it affects performance.)
Having said all that, I have faith that Theo, John W Henry, and the rest of Sox management will get a good price and won't overpay for Pedro. Theo's statement was a masterful model of dignity:
"We respect our players. We tell our players the truth. We listen to our players. We protect our players. We negotiate with our players in good faith, and we make every effort not to discuss these negotiations in public. We want our players to succeed, and we do everything we can to help them win.
Sometimes, however, our commitment to building winning teams, every year, means that we will have disagreements with our players about the length and precise value of their next contracts. These disagreements are unfortunate but they are inevitable. They will be resolved in time. In the meantime, we continue to focus on our most important mission: winning."
No criticism of Pedro, no disrespect, shows a measured understanding that this is merely a dispute over perceived value. Theo rocks.
Deconstructing Danny
Dan Shaughnessy is back to his usual Pedro-hatin' form, although it was good to see the self-deprecation that came with it, acknowledging that his role on the Boston Globe rotation is to be the complainer, the one for whom nothing is ever good enough.
But ultimately, the article is arguing from the point of view that Pedro is really mad, whereas Pedro's move strikes me more as a negotiating tactic, using the press as a means of putting pressure to come to a deal. More importantly, it seems Theo and the rest of the management (pace Lucchino?) know that, give how nice and measured Theo's response was. So it's not necessarily the moral battle Shaughnessy paints it out to be.
Shaughnessy's main source of anger seems to be that Pedro is acting "uppity", viz:
To which I'd argue:
1) Pedro pitched like hell after he thought that fan booed him, and I'll take that kind of pitching. Whatever drives him.
2) The media doesn't automatically have the right to talk to him. They do have the right to write about him, and if he doesn't want to speak and ends up being misunderstood, that's a risk he has the choice of taking.
3) Calling the owners liars is bad, I agree. Pedro's words: "I just don't like people lying, trying to fake that they're signing us when they never made an effort strong enough to make us actually think about anything". This implies that the management made some effort, but it wasn't good enough. Pedro's words were more like calling in poker though ("you're bluffing") than a vicious statement.
4) "given all the things that are happening in the real world, it's silly and offensive" - now this is the cheap shot in the article. All sports can be said to be "silly" "given all the things that are happening in the real world", after all. But we still care about them, and it would be a poor sports fan or sports writer who claimed not to care. (Unless, of course, Shaughnessy means the word "lying" shouldn't be used on the Sox management, and instead be reserved for the really serious lies and the lying liars who tell them. Heh.)
Man, this whole post makes me sound like a Pedro apologist. I'm not: I just like it when workers feel empowered to speak up against management.
Dan Shaughnessy is back to his usual Pedro-hatin' form, although it was good to see the self-deprecation that came with it, acknowledging that his role on the Boston Globe rotation is to be the complainer, the one for whom nothing is ever good enough.
But ultimately, the article is arguing from the point of view that Pedro is really mad, whereas Pedro's move strikes me more as a negotiating tactic, using the press as a means of putting pressure to come to a deal. More importantly, it seems Theo and the rest of the management (pace Lucchino?) know that, give how nice and measured Theo's response was. So it's not necessarily the moral battle Shaughnessy paints it out to be.
Shaughnessy's main source of anger seems to be that Pedro is acting "uppity", viz:
"The front office and fans in our town have done nothing but kiss his forehead for six-plus seasons here, but it's never enough for Pedro. One fan boos him, he thinks he's getting the Sidney Wicks-Tony Eason treatment. One columnist makes a sarcastic remark, he stops talking to everyone in the media. He doesn't get a contract extension when four of his teammates are in the same boat, his owners are liars. This is Pedro's world, and given all the things that are happening in the real world, it's silly and offensive"
To which I'd argue:
1) Pedro pitched like hell after he thought that fan booed him, and I'll take that kind of pitching. Whatever drives him.
2) The media doesn't automatically have the right to talk to him. They do have the right to write about him, and if he doesn't want to speak and ends up being misunderstood, that's a risk he has the choice of taking.
3) Calling the owners liars is bad, I agree. Pedro's words: "I just don't like people lying, trying to fake that they're signing us when they never made an effort strong enough to make us actually think about anything". This implies that the management made some effort, but it wasn't good enough. Pedro's words were more like calling in poker though ("you're bluffing") than a vicious statement.
4) "given all the things that are happening in the real world, it's silly and offensive" - now this is the cheap shot in the article. All sports can be said to be "silly" "given all the things that are happening in the real world", after all. But we still care about them, and it would be a poor sports fan or sports writer who claimed not to care. (Unless, of course, Shaughnessy means the word "lying" shouldn't be used on the Sox management, and instead be reserved for the really serious lies and the lying liars who tell them. Heh.)
Man, this whole post makes me sound like a Pedro apologist. I'm not: I just like it when workers feel empowered to speak up against management.
More composed thoughts
1. If the rule was 'don't get too excited' about the sweep of the Yankees, the inverse should be true too: losing two to Texas shouldn't cause a Tobin Bridge crowd.
2. The Sox still have the best record in baseball.
3. Goto 1.
1. If the rule was 'don't get too excited' about the sweep of the Yankees, the inverse should be true too: losing two to Texas shouldn't cause a Tobin Bridge crowd.
2. The Sox still have the best record in baseball.
3. Goto 1.
Sox 3, Texas 4
Man, tough loss. I figured the bullpen would eventually cough up a run or two, but I was hoping that it would be a tail-end-of-a-blowout cough, not a lose-the-lead, blow-the-save moment. Arroyo looked sharp, but still I don't blame Francona for going to the bullpen - who would? (Francona's hook has been good since that Schilling grand-slam game. Hope that doesn't change.) Man, I love that our long man would be an effective 5th starter on other staffs. Good to let Scott Williamson pitch the 8th after that bad 7th - hopefully it restored some of his confidence.
Pedro really not looking sharp. This won't help his standing with the fans one bit.
Man, tough loss. I figured the bullpen would eventually cough up a run or two, but I was hoping that it would be a tail-end-of-a-blowout cough, not a lose-the-lead, blow-the-save moment. Arroyo looked sharp, but still I don't blame Francona for going to the bullpen - who would? (Francona's hook has been good since that Schilling grand-slam game. Hope that doesn't change.) Man, I love that our long man would be an effective 5th starter on other staffs. Good to let Scott Williamson pitch the 8th after that bad 7th - hopefully it restored some of his confidence.
Pedro really not looking sharp. This won't help his standing with the fans one bit.
Saturday, May 01, 2004
Pedro - Free Agent With Every Happy Meal
Pedro fires off a salvo saying the Sox have dissed him in contract negotiations. General mood seems to be that this is merely a negotiating tactic, which I agree with. What worries me is his diss of Larry Lucchino:
Pedro fires off a salvo saying the Sox have dissed him in contract negotiations. General mood seems to be that this is merely a negotiating tactic, which I agree with. What worries me is his diss of Larry Lucchino:
"If you look at the background of those people in management, who was there with the Orioles when the team went from a competitive team to a noncompetitive team?" Martinez said. "Who was behind the Orioles? I don't know. You take your pick. I'm not going to mention their names." (from Boston.com)Wasn't Lucchino also indirectly fingered as the guy by A-Rod? Note the omission of Lucchino's name in the following quote from A-Rod:
"They've built a wonderful team over there and they've made some great moves. We got close. A couple times. All I can say is that I really enjoyed meeting Theo and spending time with Mr. Henry and I just think he's done a great job over there in that franchise, but I'm glad I'm a New York Yankee."
NL watch
Where-is-Ro-ger? *clap clap clap clap clap*
Actually, Roger's probably taking a curtain call or two... Clemens is 5-0, and at this pace a Cy Young looks possible, nay, likely. And good to see the Padres - the other team that honours Ted Williams - doing so well. Combined with the opening of Petco, it must be a great boost for the franchise.
Where-is-Ro-ger? *clap clap clap clap clap*
Actually, Roger's probably taking a curtain call or two... Clemens is 5-0, and at this pace a Cy Young looks possible, nay, likely. And good to see the Padres - the other team that honours Ted Williams - doing so well. Combined with the opening of Petco, it must be a great boost for the franchise.
The Rain in Fort Knox Falls Mainly on the Sox
Rain again! My word. We get monsoons over here in Singapore, so I know from continual rain, but this is silly. It's like a monsoon ambles along with the Sox plane. Good thing we carry 12 pitchers. While momentum is hot I hope the game gets underway or a quick makeup date is arranged...
Nothing to do, so checking out the Sox blogosphere... Joe Torre really likes Tim Wakefield, apparently. Wonder if that has to do with general baseball appreciation, Wake's general dominance of the Y*nkees in last year's ALCS, or Torre's own experience catching Phil Niekro's knuckler?
Oh, and now that I've seen the game, Derek Lowe getting only 1 ER despite what looked like not his sharpest pitching may prove the adage that it's better to be lucky than to be good...
Rain again! My word. We get monsoons over here in Singapore, so I know from continual rain, but this is silly. It's like a monsoon ambles along with the Sox plane. Good thing we carry 12 pitchers. While momentum is hot I hope the game gets underway or a quick makeup date is arranged...
Nothing to do, so checking out the Sox blogosphere... Joe Torre really likes Tim Wakefield, apparently. Wonder if that has to do with general baseball appreciation, Wake's general dominance of the Y*nkees in last year's ALCS, or Torre's own experience catching Phil Niekro's knuckler?
Oh, and now that I've seen the game, Derek Lowe getting only 1 ER despite what looked like not his sharpest pitching may prove the adage that it's better to be lucky than to be good...