Sunday notes
by vivaelpujols on Feb 21, 2010 6:27 AM EST
Email
PrintSorry guys, no big analytical post today. I decided to get out of my mother's basement and actually do something this weekend, and didn't have time to complete my loosely scheduled post. In case anybody cares, I had the idea to look at how in the hell Adam Wainwright was able to add 2 strikeouts per 9 last year, with his walk and ground ball rates completely unaffected. Pitch f/x was my tool of choice to investigate that. Wainwright is much easier to deal with than Penny, as he throws 4 distinct pitches and it's much easier to sort through his data. So I was able to make some good headway on the post. Should make for an interesting read next week!
At any rate, with just a few days before spring training, there has been some surprisingly interesting stuff going on over the past few days. In fact, just enough for me to drag it out into a notes style post. That, of course, means bullet points.
- This weekend's "what?!" bit of news comes courtesy of the Astros and their decision to resign Ed Wade through 2012. Over the past three years, the Astros have won 48% of their games and have finished no higher than 3rd place in any of those years. CHONE and PECOTA project them to win 72 and 77 games respectively next year, with the latter projecting a last place finish. Keith Law's recent prospect rankings have them the proud owners of the 28th best farm system in baseball. To top all of that off, the newly acquired basically-Ryan-Fraklin-but-for-3-years-and-15-million Brandon Lyon recently had a cyst in his shoulder removed and is already behind schedule. To be frank, the Astros are in crummy shape as a franchise right now. I don't know enough about Ed Wade to comment on his extension, but he hasn't done much of anything in during his time in Houston so far, and had a pretty mediocre offseason this year by most accounts. Whatever Dayton, it's your ridiculously high valued franchise.
- In another bit of intra-division news, Carlos Zambrano has apparently decided to drop his cut fastball. As Harry Pavlidis shows, his cutter has been one of his best pitches over the past three years, consistently being over a run better than league average per 100 pitches. As Harry states, it's possible that throwing the cutter is causing arm discomfort for Zambrano that could result in an injury. If that is indeed the case, than Z might just have to sacrifice some effectiveness for improved health. I wonder if Chris or Hazel have any opinions on the matter
- Matthew at FanGraphs has been doing some work recently on how ground balls correlate with other aspects of pitcher (Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 - don't worry about the quantity, the articles are very quick reads). Basically, he finds that as a pitcher's ground ball rate increases, other aspects of a pitcher's game are affected as well, including his runs allowed, which goes improves by about a half a run per 9 for a pitcher with a 55% ground ball rate vs. a 35% ground ball rate. However, the R^2 of that relationship is very low, and it's likely not highly significant. When doing my own investigation of ground balls, I found results that somewhat contradicted Matthew's. Furthermore, David Gassko concluded four years ago that having a high ground ball rate, in and of it self, is not of huge importance for major league pitchers. The thing to take away from this is that there is no clear judgment on the advantages of being a ground ball pitcher, and any such advantage would appear to be very small.
- Over at Beyond the Boxscore, Jeff Zimmerman uses Josh Hermsmeyer's newly released injury database to investigate the effective salary loss of each team due to injuries from 2002-2009. Despite the Cardinal's much maligned medical staff and their penchants for fucking over the team with last minute surgery decisions a week before spring training starts, the Cards are in the middle of the pack in terms of salary lost due to injury, with roughly 15% of their total payroll going to the dead weight. Interestingly, at first glance, there appears to be little relationship between a teams healthiness and their success. To be honest, that's shocking to me, as I would have thought injuries to be one of the biggest factor in a team's performance.
- Graham at Lookout Landing has a series of mini primers on the basics of Sabermetrics. He uses a very readable and organized format, and the series looks to be very promising so far.
- John Sickels recently wrote a post regarding the current state of Sabermetrics. From what I surmised, he felt that some of the more recent advances were simply not interesting to him, and he did not enjoy reading about them. As a prospect maven, John is probably more selective about what stuff he finds useful for his work than the average writer so I don't necessarily think his complaints should be taken as an indictment of the current work done. However, it is clear, like with all subjects in life, there are fewer major advancements to be made, and a larger percentage of the research is going to be dealing with more granular and esoteric subjects. That isn't a bad thing, as better accuracy and presentation is always a good thing; however, it does have the possible side affect of causing more disinterest in that work.
So as a writer/researcher myself, I am going to ask you guys what you would like to see more of in current Sabermetric research. Please be as specific as possible (and I swear to god RiverRat if you mention Penny I will banish you to BCB), and don't be afraid to insult everyone but me.
403 comments
|
1 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Two things I'd like to see in sabermetrics:
Neither would tell us anything we don’t know already, and they would require a cultural shift among writers and readers, but they’d improve our sense of what the numbers mean.
1) commensurability – all rate stats expressed in terms of a common denominator, either PA or even better, Outs Made.
2) deprecisioning – three significant digits is one or one and a half too many. Twenty points of BA or OBA looks a lot more significant (i.e., a lot less random) than two percentage points.
ceterum censeo, delendo est Joe Strauss
yes please to PA normalizations for all rate stats (batters' and pitchers')
no thank you to outs-made/outs-recorded/IP/etc
by brackenthebox on Feb 21, 2010 10:27 AM EST up reply actions
Hold the umpires to the same sabermetric standard as the players.
Over the last decade we have seen even the mainstream media, who generally are stuck on their own self-righteousness in a way that would make Rush Limbaugh blush, adopt concepts like OPS, VORP, pitch f/x, and so on — for players. Umpires, who are most definitely NOT all of the same quality let alone the same propensities, are getting a free ride, relatively speaking, in having that quality and those propensities exposed through analysis. Oh, there are specialists out there who analyze the umps’ oddities, but what they’re doing (1) is generally rather superficial, (2) is very carefully muzzled for fear of offending the big bad umpires’ union, and (3) isn’t accepted by mainstream journalism, probably in no small part because of reason #2. I’d like to see that change. A groundswell from increasingly sabermetrically savvy fans might even make it happen. Or not.
by StanTheManFan on Feb 21, 2010 10:01 AM EST reply actions 1 recs
Following each game,
MLB presents each umpire with a report card that grades their work. I’ve said it before, and I’m sure I’ll say it again: every baseball fan needs to read THIS BOOK.
I’m sure the system isn’t perfect and I’m sure there is a lot of room for improvement, but MLB is trying. There is still a lot of unrest among the umpires following the MLB takeover of what were two distinct leagues of umpiring. As the older umpires retire, the umpiring will likely improve.
Forget it, spants. It's Chinatown. - tom s.
It's by Bruce Weber
Sorry, I sweared to never listen to that jerky basketball coach :)
In football, the object is for the quarterback, otherwise known as the field general, to be on target with his aerial assault, riddling the defense by hitting his recievers with deadly accuracy in spite of the blitz, even if he has to use the shotgun. With short bullet passes and long bombs, he marches his troops into enemy territory, balancing this aerial assault with a sustained ground attack that punches holes in the forward wall of the enemy's defensive line.
In baseball the object is to go home! And to be safe! "I hope I'll be safe at home!"
-George Carlin (RIP)
I know i'm in the minority here, because we all love to take our frustrations out on the officials in ANY sport
but I think the standard of officiating in baseball (compared to many other games) is excellent. Maybe ball/strike calling needs tightening up, but I think they do as good a job as is humanly possible, really, without simply having the strikes called by a machine (which I would also be happy with).
I’m always impressed by how often they seem to get bang-bang plays (esp. at 1B) correct, when I’m not sure about the call by the naked eye, and how infrequent the REALLY terrible calls are in a game which is all about inches (or even centimetres!) of doubt. I’ve never tried to call balls/strikes behind a home plate, but, having umpired in volleyball in the past, I know how difficult it is to keep your eye and concentration 100% accurately on a fast-moving sport; I imagine being a home plate umpire is not easy at all.
My biggest area of comparison with baseball is the sport of cricket – I can categorically say that the standard of officiating in baseball is absolutely MILES ahead of that in cricket (and, to use another, arguably even tougher-to-officiate sport you’d be more familiar with, basketball, esp. the NBA).
My only real issue with umps is the ones who make the game about THEM, the Angel Hernandez-types (although it should be noted that, from what I recall, a couple of pitchFX-based independent studies have put Angel somewhere near the top of balls/strikes accuracy).
RELEASE THE CENTIQUID!!!!
by Felonius_Monk on Feb 22, 2010 6:36 AM EST up reply actions
Really?
I think this has been the case for a quite a long time, but the playoffs last year pretty well sealed that we need better oversight of the umpires. In the span of 10 minutes, there were two calls that were clearly missed due to lack of knowledge of the rules (something that an umpire should know like the back of his hand). I agree that they are the best at what they do, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t improve their skill sets through better oversight and more thorough analysis. Most of the veteran guys make in the mid six figures — surely they can find the time to study their craft and learn it better.
As the OP said, we expect this of players, why don’t we expect it of officials?
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
It seems clear that you do expect it of officials (?)
RELEASE THE CENTIQUID!!!!
by Felonius_Monk on Feb 22, 2010 9:26 AM EST up reply actions
I do
but the way they are held accountable for their actions clearly isn’t working when you have blunders regarding rules and regulations. The introduction of Pitch F/X and QuesTEC has vastly improved the strike zone judgement of many umpires through regulation of the zone and required study on their part of calls they missed. I feel like this should be done by a “Officials Handler” after each series of games that they umpire so we are seeing consistent improvement.
This would not be hard to implement and could be done in a 2 hour meeting once a week.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
Yes
Angel has been a pretty good umpire in terms of calling balls and strikes. And umpires as a whole are about 85-90% accurate.
by vivaelpujols on Feb 22, 2010 8:02 PM EST up reply actions
but how accurate are they on marginal calls?
I imagine of that 85-90% of pitches, a good chunk (maybe over half of them) are obvious strikes or obvious balls.
RELEASE THE CENTIQUID!!!!
by Felonius_Monk on Feb 23, 2010 8:00 AM EST up reply actions
you *
(j/k)
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
by Yadi2Second on Feb 21, 2010 10:24 AM EST up reply actions
The Cutter
I am generally not a fan of the cutter, or worse yet the slider, because both usually involve lots of supination at high velocity.
That will tend to increase the load on the UCL.
It’s theoretically possible to throw a cutter or slider more safely, with finger pressure, but that’s debatable. Mariano Rivera throws 80 to 90 percent cutters, but he’s a reliver, which reduces the load on the elbow some.*
Some of this risk can be managed through moderation. Kerry Wood blew up his elbow, but that year he threw slider after slider. Greg Maddux threw a cutter, but only once in a while.
BTW, I was out pitching with my 14 YO son and I have taught him a finger pressure cutter that is nasty; 6 inches of late, sharp, horizontal movement. I can see the appeal of the pitch (thank god it moved away from my head and not into it) but I’m going to be very cautious.
- I thought Mariano had TJ surgery, due to the cutter, but it’s possible he hasn’t. He had some elbow procedure, but I’m not sure what. What I’ve read said he had his UCL “moved,” which doesn’t make sense.
I can't comment on actual measured effectiveness of the cutter
but when watching Zambrano, his sinker is almost ALWAYS going in good games. I think it’s possible that his cutter may be really effective – it’s just that he can’t throw it consistently.
For that matter, someone may have had him concentrate on the cutter all last year and at the end of the year said “good lord we’re not doing that crap again.”
That said, I’d love for him to stick with whatever doesn’t work.
IMO
A true cutter is the safest among the non-changeup offspeed pitches if you teach it right. It’s pretty simple if you “release it like a fastball” and just let the off-center grip do the work, you end up pronating. If you aren’t doing that you’re probably going to be throwing a loopy slider anyway, a safe cutter shouldn’t have much “depth”. Obviously it’s a fine line, but that’s going to be the deal on any off-speed stuff.
In any case I’ve never really heard Zambrano having elbow problems, just shoulder stuff. Not really sure how ditching his cutter would help shoulder weakness.
Not afraid to nitpick
I'm not a big shoe guy,
Pujols arrived in camp with a shoebox that he planted on top of the stool in front of his locker. It was a box from Nike, announcing itself as holding the "20th Anniversary Edition" of some of the coolest shoes in the Milky Way — the Bo Jackson "Bo Knows" cross-trainers. (Best. Commercial. Ever.) On one side, in block print, it read: "BO KNOWS".
Also, I guess this means everyone is in camp except Boog & PJ.
* is an Asshat
Also, Dave Concepcion.
oops...
to finish the quote:
On the other, this was printed:
"ALBERT KNOWS"
* is an Asshat
Also, Dave Concepcion.
i'm disappointed by the lack of rhyme and meter
what do they teach to marketing students these days
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
by Yadi2Second on Feb 21, 2010 11:09 AM EST up reply actions
there we go
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
by Yadi2Second on Feb 21, 2010 11:11 AM EST up reply actions
I sure hope he goes to 11.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
by Yadi2Second on Feb 21, 2010 11:18 AM EST up reply actions 2 recs
rec'd really hard.
RELEASE THE CENTIQUID!!!!
by Felonius_Monk on Feb 22, 2010 6:39 AM EST up reply actions
I don't like nike
but those look pretty rad
I'm gonna need a whole lot more franklins if Franklin is our closer this year
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Feb 21, 2010 1:22 PM EST up reply actions
How to ruin the world with materialism?
I’m with Bill Hicks on the advertising industry. It’s how we get things like “Drinkability” and [politics redacted by joker24 prior to posting]
Not afraid to nitpick
how about "drivers who switched saved XXX on their car insurance"
that is my current pet peeve of marketing tricks
by brackenthebox on Feb 21, 2010 2:50 PM EST up reply actions
they saved pornography
on their insurance?
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
by prophetjohn on Feb 21, 2010 2:51 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
That's my plan
If this whole MBA/JD thing ends up with me homeless and broke, I’m just going to keep switching car insurance. If I save $423 every time I switch, then it stands that eventually they will be forced to pay me for my usage of their insurance. Profit!
If that doesn’t work, I’m dealing prescription drugs.
Not afraid to nitpick
you sound angry. Ooh, good thinking, the anger dollar
that’s a big dollar, huuuge dollar. You’re smart to go after that dollar.
My favorite take on advertizing
Is from “Murder Must Advertise” by Dorothy Sayers. Brilliant.
Play ball!
by IL and StL Fan on Feb 21, 2010 11:45 PM EST up reply actions
Oh, god yeah
“drinkability” is probably one of my least favourite advertising bullshit terms of all time.
I also hate it when they use bullshit science, and in particular bullshit stats – “removes up to 90% of dandruff”. Yeah – dipping my dick in a can of boiling spaghetti hoops removes “up to” 90% of dandruff, too. I’ve done the research.
RELEASE THE CENTIQUID!!!!
by Felonius_Monk on Feb 22, 2010 6:41 AM EST up reply actions
Also! Also! ALSO!
I absolutely HATE commercials that use actors (usually each from carefully selected demographic groups) to espouse the virtues of the product, shot in such an off-the-cuff way (chatty dialogue, home-movie-style digital camera work, shakey production values, but ALWAYS professionally lit) so as to make it seem that the actors are “real customers” giving a genuine personal opinion of the product.
It’s so disingenuous and twatty, and it should be a capital offense for all involved.
RELEASE THE CENTIQUID!!!!
by Felonius_Monk on Feb 22, 2010 6:44 AM EST up reply actions
btw, Goold has an iPhone
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
ot
franklinhausen laments not being able to bring his weapons to the clubhouse. UFB
I may be in a rut, but at least I know where I'm going
I dunno
If I had to share a clubhouse with Julio Lugo I’d probably want some means of protection as well
You know what they call a quarter pounder with cheese in France?
by jd is legend on Feb 21, 2010 11:10 AM EST up reply actions
avert your eyes
and you’ll be fine
I'm gonna need a whole lot more franklins if Franklin is our closer this year
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Feb 21, 2010 1:23 PM EST up reply actions
It sounds to me,
like they’ve had archery day at the ballpark in the past.
* is an Asshat
Also, Dave Concepcion.
"pull!" and then someone slugs a ball into the seats
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
by Yadi2Second on Feb 21, 2010 11:12 AM EST up reply actions
condolences to Whitey and his family
his brother died. …on the other hand, I am glad I wasn’t nicknamed by a Herzog.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
i am hankerin' for a caption contest for that picture.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
This former MLB slugger requested that we not show his face or use his name for this story
but who are we kidding; you all know that it’s Mark McGwire.
by brackenthebox on Feb 21, 2010 11:45 AM EST up reply actions
the disguised voice threw me
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
by Yadi2Second on Feb 21, 2010 12:06 PM EST up reply actions
Hitting coach Mark McGwire's staunch literalism reached new heights on Saturday
when he had the players take batting practice in the dark, instructing them that good hitters should be capable of hitting even “lights out” pitching.
by mattyp on Feb 21, 2010 12:10 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs
"Your eyes can deceive you, don't trust them."
-Obi Wan McGwire
Is it Spring yet?
by Bring Back Tommy Herr! on Feb 22, 2010 2:56 PM EST up reply actions
but mark, with the blast shield on my batting helmet down, i can't even see the ball! - skip.
"It doesn't have to be terribly prolific! Just so that it isn't childish and silly." She reflected. "I prefer stories about squalor." J.D.S.
can saber justify........
batting ludwick 2nd to break up the two lhb’s (skip/rasmus inviting loogy’s), trying to position ludwick back into 2008 all-star form when he spent most of his PA’s in front of albert and glaus. would there be more to gain in ludwick production 2nd than lost in matt 4th, with colby 5th (w/out luds batting 5th protection)?
batting colby 5th and brendan 8th to inject more speed / RS potential into the back of the lineup littered with singles hitters and bunting SP’s?
isn’t rasmus power / speed skillset best suited for batting 5th, rather than getting on and staying put in front of AP?
yadi’s plate patience 6th to utilize base stealing skills from colby 5th and hit and run skills from yadi, to avoid DP’s?
this basically slots 3B / freese / craig / mather / ? as 7th, an rbi role before brendan, sac bunt P, skip, luds, (lineup loop).
i can justify these lineup slots, so if saber can shred / endorse these ideas, i’d like to hear how.
strikes out too much
need as many people on base in front of apulliday as possible
best hope is that boog can sustain an acceptable ops
maybe even tastee on occasion
I may be in a rut, but at least I know where I'm going
Strikeouts =/= inability to get on base
You know what they call a quarter pounder with cheese in France?
by jd is legend on Feb 21, 2010 2:26 PM EST up reply actions
how do you
choose brendan’s career .299 obp from the 2 spot in 108 PA’s, over ludwick’s career .392 obp from the 2 spot in 205 PA’s.
brendan’s K% 12%, ludwick 19.5%…………doesn’t saber look at a batters total value rather than focusing on a single event like K’s?
brendan had a 12% DP rate in 09, ludwick 5%.
is your “best hope”, the opposite of the saber approach?
we can look at their career obp’s, but it still doesn’t favor brendan. we use last 3 seasons it’s no contest in ludwick’s favor.
doesn’t batting second get the 2nd most PA’s every season?
shouldn’t the best 5 batters be in the top top lineup spots, to get those PA’s?
by ball in play on Feb 21, 2010 5:06 PM EST up reply actions
Your answer is correct
but your first bit of working is wrong.
108 PA in one specific position in the order is next-to-meaningless.
Ludwick should hit 2nd (instead of Ryan) because he’s got a better OBP and is a better hitter overall – therefore, he’ll take more plate appearances in any given season. Pretty much what you said at the bottom.
RELEASE THE CENTIQUID!!!!
by Felonius_Monk on Feb 22, 2010 6:48 AM EST up reply actions
most order analysis i've seen
wants the best hitter hitting fourth and second best hitting second. so it’d be something like this:
1.
2. holliday
3.
4. albert
but i think as far as realistic lineups go, luddy batting second is about the best possible scenario.
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
if luddy bats second
do you go with the pitcher 8th?
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
i don't
but the aforementioned optimized lineup actually says yes. worst hitter should bat eighth
but i think the difference between the pitcher batting 8th v 9th was something like 1 or 2 runs over the course of the season
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
as long as Albert is hitting 3rd
I think pitcher 8th is probably the best idea. I’d probably have Boog 9th against RHP.
RELEASE THE CENTIQUID!!!!
by Felonius_Monk on Feb 22, 2010 6:49 AM EST up reply actions
Back to the original question
I’d like to see more analysis of the following:
1. What statistics gleaned from minor league performance are the best predictors of major league performance?
2. What areas of performance are more or less coachable/learnable? Case in point, it would seem that all Tyler Greene needs to do to be a major league starter is improve his pitch selection and work more walks. This seems to be a learnable skill but maybe not.
3. Is there a way that we can reconcile statistics from the steroid era with previous performances? This would seem to be a long term but worthwhile project.
I realize that any or all of these analyses may already be available somewhere of which I’m ignorant.
by easy on Feb 21, 2010 12:33 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
tg needs a lot of work on his way too jerky swing
no question focusing on strikes would help too
I may be in a rut, but at least I know where I'm going
it depends
if his obp can be like 2008, he’d be great for the 2 spot…. but if he has another 2008, maybe batting 4th would be best for him. but I like what easy said about having him before Albert and Glaus (now Holliday of course) would help him offensively. I think if Albert is always batting 3rd, Luddy should be batting 2nd, 4th, or 5th I guess
I'm gonna need a whole lot more franklins if Franklin is our closer this year
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Feb 21, 2010 1:26 PM EST up reply actions
I really like all three of those ideas.
rec.
RELEASE THE CENTIQUID!!!!
by Felonius_Monk on Feb 22, 2010 6:49 AM EST up reply actions
this just in: APu's jinxed us
[cue kanye]
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
more through Leach
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enSYlCEz5VI
You know what they call a quarter pounder with cheese in France?
by jd is legend on Feb 21, 2010 2:28 PM EST up reply actions
Sorry, but this doesn't make sense
Nerve and bone spurs are a signing of any elbow that’s loosening up, not one that’s getting better. It’s possible for the UCL to repair itself as long as the tear isn’t too bad and it is given enough time. Playing 1B certainly may help with that process, but I’m still skeptical.
i dunno
i’m gonna go with what the guys who were digging around in the elbow said
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
So can I mention Penny?
Kidding. :)
Who needs affection when you can have blind hatred?
Evan Lysacek: 2010 Olympic Gold Medalist ♥
Penny confounds
I'm gonna need a whole lot more franklins if Franklin is our closer this year
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Feb 21, 2010 1:26 PM EST up reply actions
we don't want to give away his game plan
I'm gonna need a whole lot more franklins if Franklin is our closer this year
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Feb 21, 2010 1:44 PM EST up reply actions
nor tip pitches
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
our starting pitching seems really hard to predict this year
it could be really amazing, especially if Lohse is more like ‘08 and Penny is effective…. and of course, if Carp and Waino can have anywhere near the years they had last season. to make it even harder to predict, we don’t even know who is #5 in the rotation.
I'm gonna need a whole lot more franklins if Franklin is our closer this year
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Feb 21, 2010 1:58 PM EST up reply actions
If you ask any Cardinals fan what their team’s biggest hole is, they will say, “third base.”
guess i’m not a cardinals’ fan
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
we're screwed!
I'm gonna need a whole lot more franklins if Franklin is our closer this year
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Feb 21, 2010 2:03 PM EST up reply actions
well, we probably did lose quite a bit in DAR
even then, our prospects all together are probably worth one David Wright. (okay, maybe not Pags Lite).
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
WHERE DID HE GO
HE WAS HERE JUST A SECOND AGO
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
by prophetjohn on Feb 21, 2010 2:13 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
he's keeping Todd Wellemeyer company
them and Timmeh’s stash
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
bahahaha.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
I perversely enjoy that none have yet grasped
that you could probably get another baseball team for Pujols.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
I blame omar minaya
must be rubbing off on the fanbase
Now Evan Longoria for Pujols…
"There's a lot of things we say that don't make sense to our viewers. Okay, primarily me." ~Al Hrabosky~
by YesWeOquendo on Feb 21, 2010 2:14 PM EST up reply actions
there's a VEB script somewhere
about the Rays mgmt giggling as they sign Longoria
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
Can you imagine what the haul would be
to pry Longo with that contract loose?
Belief that success is inevitable is as likely to hold you back as a belief that it is impossible.
we can read our own discussion ...
http://www.vivaelbirdos.com/2009/10/15/1086821/trading-albert-pujols
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
I needed that laugh.
(waiting for JD to post that crazy pear pic)
Forget it, spants. It's Chinatown. - tom s.
Okay
You know what they call a quarter pounder with cheese in France?
by jd is legend on Feb 21, 2010 2:33 PM EST up reply actions 3 recs
I enjoy that meme...
Note: Above comment may contain gratuitous amounts of sarcasm.
BOYCOTT HASS AVOCADOS
by vexedtechie on Feb 22, 2010 12:18 AM EST up reply actions 2 recs
I'm incredibly tempted to fisk the whole damn thing, but...
First off, a normal person would say, “Albert Pujols is the best player in baseball. David Wright is good but he is nowhere near being the best player in baseball. This would be a terrible trade for the Cardinals.” However, the point of a trade is not for each side to receive exactly what they gave up. If each team got exactly what they gave, then what would be the point of the trade?
English teachers across the country committed mass suicide as these words were typed out
You know what they call a quarter pounder with cheese in France?
by jd is legend on Feb 21, 2010 2:32 PM EST up reply actions
After reading all of that I feel like I should write a fanpost called
“Can the Cardinals trade Ryan Franklin for Francisco Rodriguez?”
You know what they call a quarter pounder with cheese in France?
by jd is legend on Feb 21, 2010 2:39 PM EST up reply actions
I would hate to make that trade
Have you seen K-Rod’s contract?
by vivaelpujols on Feb 21, 2010 2:40 PM EST up reply actions
True
I was just thinking of trading one okay player for one awesome player. Wasn’t thinking about contracts.
It really bugs me that the author says
The Mets have a star third baseman in David Wright and the Cardinals have a star first baseman in Albert Pujols. Perhaps it would make sense to swap these two players.
He uses the word “star” to somehow equate Albert and Wright. I mean, both Ryan Franklin and Francisco Rodriguez have been all-stars before, are they equivalent?
You know what they call a quarter pounder with cheese in France?
by jd is legend on Feb 21, 2010 2:44 PM EST up reply actions
Kyle Lohse for Johan Santana!
no trade clauses be damned!
"There's a lot of things we say that don't make sense to our viewers. Okay, primarily me." ~Al Hrabosky~
by YesWeOquendo on Feb 21, 2010 2:40 PM EST up reply actions
in fairness, were a lefty starter with a change ever to join the cardinals he would spontaneously combust
"There's a lot of things we say that don't make sense to our viewers. Okay, primarily me." ~Al Hrabosky~
by YesWeOquendo on Feb 21, 2010 2:47 PM EST up reply actions
fire up the van!
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
history will note that all of these teachers
“Hanged” themselves; nary a one “hung” herself.
"It doesn't have to be terribly prolific! Just so that it isn't childish and silly." She reflected. "I prefer stories about squalor." J.D.S.
by tom s. on Feb 21, 2010 2:46 PM EST via mobile up reply actions 2 recs
wow pedantic on pedantic crime
or did I not say that right
Belief that success is inevitable is as likely to hold you back as a belief that it is impossible.
by TomCat009 on Feb 21, 2010 10:50 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
it would be "pedant".
Well the girls would turn the color of the avocado when he would drive down the street in his El Dorado... -the modern lovers
pederast?
Belief that success is inevitable is as likely to hold you back as a belief that it is impossible.
i think you're in the wrong thread
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
spoken like a true pedagogue
Belief that success is inevitable is as likely to hold you back as a belief that it is impossible.
I think you need a pedicure.
RELEASE THE CENTIQUID!!!!
by Felonius_Monk on Feb 23, 2010 8:01 AM EST up reply actions
Oh god
That wasn’t even legible….
I could find a high school freshman that could write better than that.
In football, the object is for the quarterback, otherwise known as the field general, to be on target with his aerial assault, riddling the defense by hitting his recievers with deadly accuracy in spite of the blitz, even if he has to use the shotgun. With short bullet passes and long bombs, he marches his troops into enemy territory, balancing this aerial assault with a sustained ground attack that punches holes in the forward wall of the enemy's defensive line.
In baseball the object is to go home! And to be safe! "I hope I'll be safe at home!"
-George Carlin (RIP)
This comment is awesome.
NO.
Good day.
by wrightttxgirlllx3 on Feb 19, 2010 4:37 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
Who needs affection when you can have blind hatred?
Evan Lysacek: 2010 Olympic Gold Medalist ♥
I have a sudden urge to start a 'trade colby' discussion...
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
Why wouldn't the Mets trade the great Gazoo
for Clobby? They are both star players, and with Beltran having surgery, they have a glaring hole in center.
* is an Asshat
Also, Dave Concepcion.
Really?
I’d trade Rasmus for Wright faster than I could hit X on my controller from my parent’s basement.
Not afraid to nitpick
No.
And I think wrightttxgirlllx3 agrees with me. So does RasmusGirl I’m sure.
Who needs affection when you can have blind hatred?
Evan Lysacek: 2010 Olympic Gold Medalist ♥
I would to, but we are talking about
irrational crushes dictating trades here.
* is an Asshat
Also, Dave Concepcion.
I don't NEED numbers to back up my argument.
I don’t even need to think that’s why it’s awesome.
At least I am not condemning you both to Hell for even contemplating trading Colby like wrightgirl did.
Who needs affection when you can have blind hatred?
Evan Lysacek: 2010 Olympic Gold Medalist ♥
Ummmmm....
Who needs affection when you can have blind hatred?
Evan Lysacek: 2010 Olympic Gold Medalist ♥
With Colby making $0 dollars for another two years?
eh. . . I’m not sure I’d make that trade.
Think; It's not illegal yet.
so the article itself is one thing; that's just one person
As of this posting, 18% of the respondents (33/166 people) have chosen something other than “good for mets, bad for cards” or “stupidest idea ever”. 6 people actually said that that trade is bad for the mets but good for the cards.
by brackenthebox on Feb 21, 2010 2:46 PM EST up reply actions
gaw
I'm gonna need a whole lot more franklins if Franklin is our closer this year
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Feb 22, 2010 12:34 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
So how about we trade for David Wright...
And keep Pujols?
I should preface by saying, no, I wouldn't do this, obviously
but it’s not that ridiculous. Seriously, Wright’s just coming off a really poor year, which must put a big question mark over his future performance, but through 2005-2008 he was only slightly worse than Albert. He’s also under contract until 2013 (two years longer than Albert) for a slightly lower AAV than Albert’s current contract (and obviously MUCH lower than any putative Albert extension).
He’s misguided to think that any such franchise-for-franchise player exchange is ever likely to take place (unless both players are totally pissed off with their respective teams, for whatever reason) so it’s a fantasy trade idea, but I think it’s not unreasonable to say that David Wright plus maybe one or two other good, cost-controlled players would be fair value for Albert. We’d be taking a slight risk that Wright bounces back to his 05-08 numbers, but I see nothing in his approach or peripherals to suggest that isn’t a strong possibility.
If they offered David Wright, one of their better prospects (Fernando Martinez looks like he might end up being Carlos Quentin mk 2, I also like a pitcher called Jenrry Mejia), and/or maybe a cost-controlled MLB-ready arm (say, Jonathan Niese or Mike Pelfrey) I’d have to think pretty hard about it. I don’t think swapping Albert for a worse player is a good move for a team in win-now mode, but given the long-term salary relief, one or maybe two additional cost-controlled pieces, and the fact that we COULD use a long-term third baseman and have options that may work out at 1B (or if we could wind the clock back a week and sign Branyan for $1m+incentives!) I’d consider it. Before you all jump on me for saying this, obviously I wouldn’t take Wright straight up, but it’s probably no crazier than some of the trade proposals I’ve seen on here in the last two years.
RELEASE THE CENTIQUID!!!!
by Felonius_Monk on Feb 22, 2010 7:07 AM EST up reply actions
All sorts of
AJ Pujols photos today. Oh yeah, Albert too.
Forget it, spants. It's Chinatown. - tom s.
Uh yeah.
Because that would imply that AJ would be even better.
Forget it, spants. It's Chinatown. - tom s.
Griffey Sr was 2.58 times worse than Junior according to WAR
Applying that to Albert, AJ would become the WAR leader sometime at the beginning of his 8th season following 8 consecutive 20 WAR seasons.
Not afraid to nitpick
by joker24 on Feb 21, 2010 3:29 PM EST up reply actions 8 recs
Rec'd for research and numbers and such
I need your discipline / I need your help / I need your discipline / You know once I start I cannot stop myself...
AJ is going to catch and play SS on off days?
Belief that success is inevitable is as likely to hold you back as a belief that it is impossible.
Oh a spot starter
Belief that success is inevitable is as likely to hold you back as a belief that it is impossible.
I was promised
there would be no math!
"Have you ever thrown a ball 100 miles an hour? Everything hurts. Even your ass hurts. I see pictures of my face and say, 'Holy shit', but that's the strain you feel when you throw. I had one of those faces you look at it, man, and say, 'Man he's an ass-hole.' Could be, depends on if you pissed me off or not." - Bob Gibson
by ISawGodInGibby'sRightArm on Feb 22, 2010 1:02 AM EST up reply actions
Even if AJ was
more like Bonds or Griffey Seniors, I’d be pretty happy.
Forget it, spants. It's Chinatown. - tom s.
maybe
an AJ Lego2 b2b LHB in 2023?
Belief that success is inevitable is as likely to hold you back as a belief that it is impossible.
We had this convo
last fall…there’s a young Carpenter that runs around as well.
* is an Asshat
Also, Dave Concepcion.
yeah these kind of pics makes me
anxious for my own boys to grow a bit
Belief that success is inevitable is as likely to hold you back as a belief that it is impossible.
someone was stumping for the young Rolen, as well.
Finn?
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
by Yadi2Second on Feb 21, 2010 11:28 PM EST up reply actions
TLR will still be managing then,
(on a one year contract, of course) his father will have none of that.
* is an Asshat
Also, Dave Concepcion.
Does TLR have a son?
You know what they call a quarter pounder with cheese in France?
by jd is legend on Feb 21, 2010 11:31 PM EST up reply actions
Or just cats?
You know what they call a quarter pounder with cheese in France?
by jd is legend on Feb 21, 2010 11:31 PM EST up reply actions
nope
dig deeper. it’s kind of a sordid story.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
by Yadi2Second on Feb 21, 2010 11:32 PM EST up reply actions
Maybe Dunc will loan him one
It isn’t like they are going to be busy elsewhere
Belief that success is inevitable is as likely to hold you back as a belief that it is impossible.
all daughters
including the ones he won’t acknowledge
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
by Yadi2Second on Feb 21, 2010 11:31 PM EST up reply actions
not to mention
AJ does seem to be the ringleader among the 2nd gen – Howard, Fielders, and I think that was a Gonzalez boy.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
by Yadi2Second on Feb 21, 2010 11:30 PM EST up reply actions
how old is AJ?
Belief that success is inevitable is as likely to hold you back as a belief that it is impossible.
Old enough
For what?
To party
You know what they call a quarter pounder with cheese in France?
by jd is legend on Feb 21, 2010 11:32 PM EST up reply actions
"How old are you?" "16" "18? Alright"
Belief that success is inevitable is as likely to hold you back as a belief that it is impossible.
You're never to young to party.
Who needs affection when you can have blind hatred?
Evan Lysacek: 2010 Olympic Gold Medalist ♥
by ClemsonGirl on Feb 21, 2010 11:34 PM EST up reply actions
That's so adorable but yet so wrong.
Who needs affection when you can have blind hatred?
Evan Lysacek: 2010 Olympic Gold Medalist ♥
by ClemsonGirl on Feb 21, 2010 11:39 PM EST up reply actions
ill acknowledge the superbad reference siince no one else seems to get it
I'm like a polygon, I'm edgy.
Resident malcontented betamale
i'm so tempted to buy that print.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
he looks like a ninja
I'm gonna need a whole lot more franklins if Franklin is our closer this year
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Feb 21, 2010 3:32 PM EST up reply actions
and his apprentice
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
don't let that fool you
he is a ninja
I'm gonna need a whole lot more franklins if Franklin is our closer this year
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Feb 21, 2010 5:36 PM EST up reply actions
They have WalMarts in West County?
Who needs affection when you can have blind hatred?
Evan Lysacek: 2010 Olympic Gold Medalist ♥
I know!
Throwing BP to a Pujols without a screen is madness. Looks like Albert got a new glove, too.
Forget it, spants. It's Chinatown. - tom s.
damn...Pujols the elder looks jacked in that first photo
like more so than usual. Best shape of his life!
Best shape of his life!
You know what they call a quarter pounder with cheese in France?
by jd is legend on Feb 21, 2010 3:28 PM EST up reply actions
tee hee
@JoeStrauss: Trimmer, occasionally defiant Pujols enters Cardinals camp, works with M. McGwire in outdoor cages. Accused me of calling him “fat.”
Forget it, spants. It's Chinatown. - tom s.
The less Albert likes Strauss, the more I like Albert.
I didn’t even know that I could like him more.
Forget it, spants. It's Chinatown. - tom s.
by spants on Feb 21, 2010 3:32 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Albert is a unicorn?
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
cue the photoshop
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
I love the look on Lidgeys face
almost as if to say “Aww shit I am going to blow 25% these from now on”
Belief that success is inevitable is as likely to hold you back as a belief that it is impossible.
I like how the unicorn is licking Albert's bat.
(Get your mind out of the gutter!) Everyone knows unicorn spit protects against Ks.
"Have you ever thrown a ball 100 miles an hour? Everything hurts. Even your ass hurts. I see pictures of my face and say, 'Holy shit', but that's the strain you feel when you throw. I had one of those faces you look at it, man, and say, 'Man he's an ass-hole.' Could be, depends on if you pissed me off or not." - Bob Gibson
by ISawGodInGibby'sRightArm on Feb 22, 2010 1:26 AM EST up reply actions
wow, I'm dumb
didn’t realize those were all separate posts, but I’m obviously referring to the one Mr. Eff posted where he’s sharing a laugh with his son by doing a Holliday impersonation.
the kid
is clearly considering how to improve Shelby Miller
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
do I really have seven years to get used to Matt Holliday's head?
I’m not sure I can make it
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
it's just that the more I look at his head
the more it freaks me out
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
...
* is an Asshat
Also, Dave Concepcion.
by RiverRat on Feb 21, 2010 3:43 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
aaaaaaaahhhhh
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
I'm not kidding, it's like an orange on a toothpick.
HEED! Move! He’ll be crying himself to sleep tonight on his huge pillow.
"I think he's the best hitter of all time. I think there has never been a better hitter than him. And I know I didn't see them all, but I just don't think there could be." - Adam Wainwright on The Mang
If he hits .300, 40HR each year and plays GG left field
He could look like the Elephant Man for all I care.
shouldn't AJ be in school?
"There's a lot of things we say that don't make sense to our viewers. Okay, primarily me." ~Al Hrabosky~
by YesWeOquendo on Feb 21, 2010 3:44 PM EST up reply actions
or babysitting
or going to church
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
He is.
* is an Asshat
Also, Dave Concepcion.
by RiverRat on Feb 21, 2010 3:46 PM EST up reply actions 8 recs
Barry, Prince, Jr, Boone,
these guys are in the kind of school that matters
Belief that success is inevitable is as likely to hold you back as a belief that it is impossible.
"AJ, you fart mang?"
I'm like a polygon, I'm edgy.
Resident malcontented betamale
by slu on Feb 21, 2010 8:15 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs
po-lice
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
that is the head of a man who thinks he's stylin'
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
he can hear scott stapp in his head
Belief that success is inevitable is as likely to hold you back as a belief that it is impossible.
so are legwarmers
Belief that success is inevitable is as likely to hold you back as a belief that it is impossible.
nobody would mock him for wearing pants.
Belief that success is inevitable is as likely to hold you back as a belief that it is impossible.
it's florida!
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
by prophetjohn on Feb 22, 2010 12:47 AM EST up reply actions
dgoold says only Lugo and Ryan are missing
…don’t do anything rash, Julio…
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
have also learned that video guy Huy Mach is nicknamed 'Spooner'
no word if Chris Lee has gotten a nickname
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
Bat speed/swing v. pitching speed/location
There is a lot of data and info out there re: pitching match-ups. I was wondering if there is a database which correlates different types of pitchers (speed, release, sort of pitches) to different types of hitters. Yes, there’s the L v. R match-ups and the sort, but what intrigues me most is measurement of bat speed v. pitch speed/type of pitch.
Honi soit qui mal y pense.
b-r.com
has splits against finesse/power pitchers and versus FB/GB pitchers
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
went to the tulane game
vs. boston college friday eve. their coach is good buds with tlr and a big cardinal fan, so their batting practice caps have a bird perched on a bat, only in this case the bird is a pelican sporting a tulane shirt. bought one in the gift shop.
funny part is, i discovered this by asking a tulane booster who was wearing the hat. “coach is a f’ing cardinal fan,” he began…turns out he’s a devout cub fan. needled him about sporting the bird on bat, of course.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
Late to the party
Back to VEP’s question about SABR… I would like to see more data collected and made available so that I can analyze distributions instead of certain sample statistics, most often measures of central tendency. IMHO, SABR has done a lot in terms of regression. I would like to see it go beyond that.
born Dodger blue, now dyed Cardinals red
Sorry for the lateness in the reply.
This is probably too trivial an example, but maybe it will illustrate what I want. How about treat each game as the unit and measure the consistency of a player day in and day out (per day or game)? So a frequency distribution, for example, in terms of offensive productivity. So # of games with 0 hits, 1 hit, 2 hits, … 0 walks, 1 walks, 2 walks, … or however way it’s fair to make an equivalency among different types of hits (e.g. run equivalency). I think I want to differentiate two players with the same exact BA, OBP, WPA, OPS+, but achieved the seasonal average differently because one is very streaky and the other is not. As a trivial example, I want differentiate between a player that gets 4 hits every four days and a player that gets a hit per day every day. Also, there are other units besides a day/game that also may be interesting. I don’t express things very clearly, so apologies if it just sounds like a garbled mess.
born Dodger blue, now dyed Cardinals red
awesome video
Mac and Albert talking hitting
I'm like a polygon, I'm edgy.
Resident malcontented betamale
Standing 5 feet away from Mark F. McGwire and Albert F. Pujols talking hitting?
My God, I think he just became self-aware
You know what they call a quarter pounder with cheese in France?
by jd is legend on Feb 21, 2010 7:32 PM EST up reply actions
two things:
1) who is teaching who in this video?
2) despite everything that has happened, it makes me really happy to see Mac in Cardinals gear again.
SIGN FELIPE LOPEZ
"I knew they were up to shenanigans." --TLR
This makes me so excited for this season.
Who needs affection when you can have blind hatred?
Evan Lysacek: 2010 Olympic Gold Medalist ♥
good point
if mac can tell albert anything that helps him, great. and if albert can tell mac anything, mac can pass it on to the pther hitters, great
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
And their beer sucks
You know what they call a quarter pounder with cheese in France?
by jd is legend on Feb 21, 2010 8:02 PM EST up reply actions
Me too.
Who needs affection when you can have blind hatred?
Evan Lysacek: 2010 Olympic Gold Medalist ♥
WOW
1-0, 41 seconds in
You know what they call a quarter pounder with cheese in France?
by jd is legend on Feb 21, 2010 7:46 PM EST up reply actions
This game reminds me of USA-Brazil Confed Cup
You know what they call a quarter pounder with cheese in France?
by jd is legend on Feb 21, 2010 8:42 PM EST up reply actions
that made me sad
really really thought we would do it….i just hope we beat england and sweep our group
I'm like a polygon, I'm edgy.
Resident malcontented betamale
sounds about right right about now
US 4 – 3 Canada
just need to hang on for 2:30
by brackenthebox on Feb 21, 2010 9:50 PM EST up reply actions
That was seriously intense
I didn’t think we were ever going to get it out of the zone
You know what they call a quarter pounder with cheese in France?
by jd is legend on Feb 21, 2010 9:54 PM EST up reply actions
honestly, I haven't really watched hockey since the strike/leaving STL
but this game has been awesome
by brackenthebox on Feb 21, 2010 9:54 PM EST up reply actions
It's pretty much just a skilled up version of a regular NHL game
Maybe not as intense, but the NHL on-ice quality is really high since the lockout.
Not afraid to nitpick
good to know
I just can’t cheer for the Bruins, and it’s tough to follow anyone else around here. Might need to take another stab at getting back into the NHL.
by brackenthebox on Feb 21, 2010 10:02 PM EST up reply actions
The nearest team to my hometown is the Predators
And they didn’t even exist until like 10 years ago. Me and one of my buddies swear we’re going to dress like pedophiles and show up in a beat up old van at a Preds game. Go Predators!
You know what they call a quarter pounder with cheese in France?
by jd is legend on Feb 21, 2010 10:04 PM EST up reply actions
And no, I don't know how to dress like a pedophile
You know what they call a quarter pounder with cheese in France?
by jd is legend on Feb 21, 2010 10:07 PM EST up reply actions
I know it involves a mustache
and candy
by brackenthebox on Feb 21, 2010 10:09 PM EST up reply actions
and Fredbird
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
by Yadi2Second on Feb 21, 2010 10:10 PM EST up reply actions
i had a friend who dressed as a pedophile for halloween
complete with pedo glasses and a bowl of candy attached to his belt.
I'm like a polygon, I'm edgy.
Resident malcontented betamale
My sell for the NHL
#1. You don’t have ESPN running dumb analysis all the time.
#2. The Power Play is the coolest rule in sports
#3. They are going scary fast.
#4. Teams are literally on the doorstep of scoring a goal 90% of the game.
#5. A weak goal/great save is awesomeness of excitement/heartbreak
#6. The best hockey players are that good not so much because they are fast/strong/athletic as it is because they are creative/tough/smart………..see: Gretzky, Wayne.
#7. and most importantly: Unlike the NFL which can do literally anything and people will still watch (thus you get rules like the 2-minute warning, AKA we’re stopping play at a crucial point in the game in order to squeeze in one more commercial under the highest ratings), the NHL tries to tweak the game to make it more exciting/fun to watch e.g. they eliminated commercials after icings so that the defending team couldn’t get a break.
#8. Goals like this.
If you go to three NHL games live and don’t think “why would someone like the NFL more than this”, I’m a fool.
Not afraid to nitpick
Ya, among my best live sports experiences
is this game
by brackenthebox on Feb 21, 2010 10:42 PM EST up reply actions
I was at that game, and also
the game when we swept the Stars in the playoffs.
Forget it, spants. It's Chinatown. - tom s.
2-minute warning
I believe (could be wrong) it was initially created when refs had to keep the time on the field, thus the teams had no idea of how much time was left in the game.
Never been to an NHL game but been to many minor league and college hockey games, and they were always a ton of fun. Also played for a few years. I’d say hockey was my second favorite team sport to play growing up, behind baseball.
You know what they call a quarter pounder with cheese in France?
by jd is legend on Feb 21, 2010 10:45 PM EST up reply actions
This event dates from the days in the NFL when the official game time was kept by a member of the officiating crew, with the stadium clock being unofficial (as is still the case with international soccer, for example). Its purpose was a checkpoint to ensure that the teams knew how much time remained in the game.[citation needed] Since the late 1960s the NFL stadium clock has been official, but by then television was an important factor in the NFL. So the two-minute warning was retained as a commercial break and to serve as “tension building” time, and thus has become an important part of the game’s flow.
Citations needed but Wikipedia is the most accurate source of information with zero flaws in human history. In any case, the modern NFL has the two minute warning for one reason and that is $$$. I just can’t deal with the sequence of say challenge—-commercial—-1 play—-timeout—-commercial—-fieldgoal—-commercial—-kickoff—-commercial.
Not afraid to nitpick
Yeah, I agree that it's extremely frustrating
I dunno, I’ve been going to college football games since I was 7. I got into it at a young age, and it’s carried over. Nobody in my family really has a passionate interest in baseball, just a passing, check the box score, type interest. I developed that on my own.
Also, re: wikipedia: http://www.textsfromlastnight.com/Text-Replies-13947.html
You know what they call a quarter pounder with cheese in France?
by jd is legend on Feb 21, 2010 11:42 PM EST up reply actions
Oh
College football is not the same as the NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE (no I did not steal this from Bill Simmons, I’ve been saying it for years). College football is a business first, but not nearly to the extent that the NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE has destroyed any semblance of watching a sport.
Not afraid to nitpick
True
I guess I get frustrated at commercial breaks in football regardless of whether it’s college or pro football.
My two favorite sports to watch are college football and MLB, and then there’s a big dropoff. College b-ball, golf, and NFL would all fight for third, depending on the circumstances (teams/golfers involved, what kind of game/tournament being played)
You know what they call a quarter pounder with cheese in France?
by jd is legend on Feb 22, 2010 10:55 AM EST up reply actions
I'm sort of the same
except mine is MLB and NFL… all other sports I don’t care that much about, except the Bulls seem to be doing better, so I’m probably going to start watching them more often. but still, basketball just isn’t as cool as baseball or football imo
I'm gonna need a whole lot more franklins if Franklin is our closer this year
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Feb 22, 2010 12:47 PM EST up reply actions
Yeah, I've started getting into the NBA alot more now that the Hawks are good
I guess I should put that up there in that second tier of mine
You know what they call a quarter pounder with cheese in France?
by jd is legend on Feb 22, 2010 2:01 PM EST up reply actions
clearly, all of the stoppages (especially near the end of games) are extremely annoying as a fan
but it also accommodates the thing that I love most about football. There isn’t another sport that has the intricacy of game planning and in game strategy that football does. Every play is scripted with extreme precision and relies on most if not all of the 11 players at least holding their own if not winning their individual matchup. That level of complexity only developed due to the routine breaks in the game.
by brackenthebox on Feb 21, 2010 11:52 PM EST up reply actions
I disagree
That level of complexity is only developed because they have 6 days off between games. The plays are already constructed they aren’t making huge changes on gameday other than what plays they basically call. Sure there’s some marginal element of strategy added by having 20 timeouts in a row, but the complexity of the blitzes/routes/reads is a result of having 6 days to prepare for each opponent. They still get 40 seconds between plays to make up their mind.
And to be honest I don’t think there’s that much more strategy in football as there is in (college anyway) basketball. If you watch say Mizzou’s defensive changes from possession to possession, they’re every bit as coordinated and complex as an NFL zone blitz. If all 5 guys don’t play their role, it’s a basket. That level of complexity isn’t as obvious on a play to play basis as even with perfect defense the offense can still score, but it builds up in probabilities over the course of the game.
Not afraid to nitpick
all I'm really saying
is that while all those stoppages are annoying as a fan, they’re at least being utilized by the teams as well. You’re probably right that the week off has as more to do with the overall complexity of plays.
I can’t say that I have much appreciation for basketball strategy outside of my crappy high school team, but I find it hard to believe that it’s as complicated as the NFL (due to sheer differences in staff sizes and budgets, if nothing else). I’m sure this was largely sensationalized, but the Martz Rams were purported to rarely run an offensive play more than once or twice in a season. In any event, I’m not sure that the last two minutes of a close basketball game is that much better than the last two minutes of a close football game.
by brackenthebox on Feb 22, 2010 12:20 AM EST up reply actions
arise unicorns
strauss claims intrigue re: prospects.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
is that a teaser?
what’s up?
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
I don't know, but I wouldn't stay up to midnight to find out.
Forget it, spants. It's Chinatown. - tom s.
by spants on Feb 21, 2010 7:55 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
what spants said
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
What's that? You say someone needs a ridiculously esoteric record comparison?
Never fear, fair citizen!
Obviously the two are very different records, with Gulag the more true to the influence, while FCC presents more of a hybridised, slightly more accessibly sound. Of the two, I feel the high points on Gulag are probably a bit higher, with things like Postcards from Italy or Prenzlauerberg being the very best things Beirut has yet recorded. On the other hand, FCC is a much more solid album from beginning to end, I believe, and rarely devolves into self-indulgence nearly as much.
Something like Nantes, while it likely presents the most accessible material of the Beirut catalogue, also presents the best example of how the approach can work so well. I don’t like it quite as well as the best tracks from Gulag, but I think it just might be a better song.
On the whole, I give the edge to Flying Club Cup for a more consistent excellence all the way through; it’s a much leaner-feeling record as well, definitely a plus for an outfit so prone to losing the thread in experimentation. It’s a close call, though.
Make way for the Homo Superior.
by the red baron on Feb 22, 2010 12:33 AM EST up reply actions
Was hoping you would chime in on a couple of our local champs
Denver has produced The Fray(no comment necessary), 3oh!3, Reno Divorce, Tickle Me Pink, and Devotchka in recent years. have you listened to any(all) of these and what do you think
Belief that success is inevitable is as likely to hold you back as a belief that it is impossible.
i've heard of devotchka
not really my thing
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
by prophetjohn on Feb 22, 2010 12:49 AM EST up reply actions
yeah, I am not very captivated
I know this one guy who only listens to them and gogol bordello, not that into either band, but I am not repelled by them either. that said, the new autechre is fucking awesome
I'm gonna need a whole lot more franklins if Franklin is our closer this year
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Feb 22, 2010 1:02 AM EST up reply actions
i haven't heard it
that genre has never really been my thing. hard not to like tri repetae, though. and music has the right to children, of course
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
Really like DeVotchka.
Reno Divorce I’m passing familiar with, but not enough to make a definitive statement. The others I don’t know. (Well, except the Fray, and I’ll just steer clear of that one.)
Make way for the Homo Superior.
by the red baron on Feb 22, 2010 12:56 AM EST up reply actions
Sort of like a modern day richard marx those guys
Belief that success is inevitable is as likely to hold you back as a belief that it is impossible.
3oh!3 was on every station here last year it seemed like every third song
Flowbots toured with Rage I think they have the most staying power
Belief that success is inevitable is as likely to hold you back as a belief that it is impossible.
Saw DeVotchKa in concert
about a year ago, with an opening group called the Haunted Windchimes. My (then) 8-year old son thought DeVotchKa was great, while I thought they were interesting, but very, very loud. Nevertheless, we bought one of their CDs, and the songs are much more interesting when they’re not blaring in a small venue. That being said, the Windchimes were much more interesting.
"Have you ever thrown a ball 100 miles an hour? Everything hurts. Even your ass hurts. I see pictures of my face and say, 'Holy shit', but that's the strain you feel when you throw. I had one of those faces you look at it, man, and say, 'Man he's an ass-hole.' Could be, depends on if you pissed me off or not." - Bob Gibson
by ISawGodInGibby'sRightArm on Feb 22, 2010 1:48 AM EST up reply actions
ah nice
i just listened to gulag for the first time tonight after being really impressed with fcc. definitely the lesser accessible album, and i haven’t a solid opinion on it yet, but so far, iz nice. i asked here because i put up a poll at another board and fcc didn’t get a single vote! i was surprised
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
by prophetjohn on Feb 22, 2010 12:51 AM EST up reply actions
here
listening to tnt by tortoise, finding it remarkable how much my friend’s band sounds like this album
I'm gonna need a whole lot more franklins if Franklin is our closer this year
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Feb 22, 2010 12:40 AM EST up reply actions
So after the Olympics are over I should watch...
High Fidelity, Major League, Miracle, or Night at the Museum 2?
Who needs affection when you can have blind hatred?
Evan Lysacek: 2010 Olympic Gold Medalist ♥
FOUR great choices?
Do women like High Fidelity? Always seemed like a pretty guy-centric story.
I vote Major League.
by brackenthebox on Feb 21, 2010 9:08 PM EST up reply actions
I thought that was odd too.
I love that movie so much though. Completely irrational.
Who needs affection when you can have blind hatred?
Evan Lysacek: 2010 Olympic Gold Medalist ♥
And I really liked the book and LOVE john Cusack...
so I figure the movie can’t be that bad.
Who needs affection when you can have blind hatred?
Evan Lysacek: 2010 Olympic Gold Medalist ♥
It's NOTHING like the book.
Not as bad as sodomizing Fever Pitch, but bad.
It’s a good movie, and I can definitely see it as a chick flick in a way, but it’s not what Hornby wrote, at all.
I've seen clips and I think from the clips I've seen they did the best they could
especially since they felt the need to move it to Chicago.
Who needs affection when you can have blind hatred?
Evan Lysacek: 2010 Olympic Gold Medalist ♥
That movie does a fine job
of showcasing a side of American males that is all but ignored in dominant culture.
Belief that success is inevitable is as likely to hold you back as a belief that it is impossible.
no that area is well covered
but the passionate Beta male with a stack of unresolved issues
Belief that success is inevitable is as likely to hold you back as a belief that it is impossible.
I watched it probably eight years ago
with my girlfriend at the time and she didn’t believe guys could actually be like that.
I personally love any movie where
Tim Robbins gets his face beat in, Hell I ought to loop The Sisters scene from shawshank, Team America, and the phone to the face in High Fidelity into one glorious clip
Belief that success is inevitable is as likely to hold you back as a belief that it is impossible.
know what I am saying? Bro
Belief that success is inevitable is as likely to hold you back as a belief that it is impossible.
Impressive
Quick graph
You know what they call a quarter pounder with cheese in France?
by jd is legend on Feb 21, 2010 9:10 PM EST up reply actions
I was working on something else in google docs
needed a break, apparently
by brackenthebox on Feb 21, 2010 9:11 PM EST up reply actions
How did you edit that?
You DO have special powers!
Who needs affection when you can have blind hatred?
Evan Lysacek: 2010 Olympic Gold Medalist ♥
by ClemsonGirl on Feb 22, 2010 12:44 AM EST up reply actions
He probably changed the data in the spreadsheet
The link is to a google spreadsheet, so it probably updates with the spreadsheet
You know what they call a quarter pounder with cheese in France?
by jd is legend on Feb 22, 2010 10:58 AM EST up reply actions
I still think it's witchcraft.
Who needs affection when you can have blind hatred?
Evan Lysacek: 2010 Olympic Gold Medalist ♥
by ClemsonGirl on Feb 22, 2010 11:11 AM EST up reply actions
As of right now...
High Fidelity, but if USA blows their lead against Canada then you should go with Miracle.
I really probably should since it's from Netflix and I've had it for like a month.
Who needs affection when you can have blind hatred?
Evan Lysacek: 2010 Olympic Gold Medalist ♥
High Fidelity
one of my all time (top 5?) favorite movies
I'm like a polygon, I'm edgy.
Resident malcontented betamale
i see what you did there
"There's a lot of things we say that don't make sense to our viewers. Okay, primarily me." ~Al Hrabosky~
by YesWeOquendo on Feb 21, 2010 9:11 PM EST up reply actions
I will not.
Since apparently I would not enjoy what you consider a good movie because I’m pretty sure those are all pretty diverse movies and cover a wide variety of what I like minus rom-coms and cheerleading movies.
Who needs affection when you can have blind hatred?
Evan Lysacek: 2010 Olympic Gold Medalist ♥
i'm sure there are movie that i like that you could like
eternal sunshine?
amelie?
closer?
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
I like Amelie but don't own it.
I have not seen any of the others but I feel like High Fidelity is pretty close to those. Maybe a little different. But in my head they fall in the same category.
Who needs affection when you can have blind hatred?
Evan Lysacek: 2010 Olympic Gold Medalist ♥
you should see the others
they’re both quality love stories. granted with very different endings, though
eternal sunshine of the spotless mind is well better, but closer has natalie portman and i has a lame celebrity crush
which reminds me: garden state
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
we're on very similar wavelengths
rather than actually put any thought into though I’ll just copy my Facebook favorite movies (even though it’s depressingly incomplete) and tell you all to see all of them:
(500) Days of Summer, Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, Magnolia, Garden State, When Harry Met Sally, Monty Python And The Holy Grail, Wedding Crashers, Wall-E, Juno, Superbad, The Hangover, Knocked Up, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, I Love You Man, Home Alone, Animal House, Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid, High Fidelity, Good Will Hunting, South Park: Bigger Longer and Uncut
I'm like a polygon, I'm edgy.
Resident malcontented betamale
Mine from fb
Pulp Fiction, Fight Club, Boondock Saints, Rudy, The Departed, Beavis And Butthead Do America, There’s Something About Mary, Batman Begins, Old School, Dumb and Dumber, The Big Lebowski, Major League, X-men Trilogy, Requiem for a Dream, Fargo, Saw, Bowling for Columbine, Thank You For Smoking, Dan In Real Life
You know what they call a quarter pounder with cheese in France?
by jd is legend on Feb 21, 2010 9:22 PM EST up reply actions
some good movies in that list
those recs were mainly intended to be 20 year old non-film snob friendly, though
here’s my facebook favorites in no particular order which hasn’t been updated in like a year
Paris, Texas; The Dreamers; Cidade de Deus; American Beauty; No Country for Old Men; Shawshank Redemption; The Fountain; There Will Be Blood; Hable con Ella; George Washington; Trainspotting; The Usual Suspects; Pi; The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover; American History X; Blue Velvet; Schindler’s List; Annie Hall; The Man Who Wasn’t There; The Godfather; The Thin Red Line; Mulholland Drive; Requiem for a Dream; Fight Club; Love Streams; Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind; Breathless; Amores Perro; s The Lives of Others; The Departed; Last Tango in Paris; Apocalypse Now; Lola Rennt; Raising Arizona; Il Conformista; Eight and a Half; Le Mépris;
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
I've seen all of these except
(500) Days of Summer, The Hangover and I Love You Man. Don’t get to see more recent films usually until they’re out on disk or on one of the movie channels. I was a hardcore movie-goer until we had kids.
"Have you ever thrown a ball 100 miles an hour? Everything hurts. Even your ass hurts. I see pictures of my face and say, 'Holy shit', but that's the strain you feel when you throw. I had one of those faces you look at it, man, and say, 'Man he's an ass-hole.' Could be, depends on if you pissed me off or not." - Bob Gibson
by ISawGodInGibby'sRightArm on Feb 22, 2010 1:58 AM EST up reply actions
those little buggers kill your social life deader than getting married kills your dating life
Belief that success is inevitable is as likely to hold you back as a belief that it is impossible.
add Eternal Sunshine to your queue
watch High Fidelity tonight and send it back tomorrow
by brackenthebox on Feb 21, 2010 9:19 PM EST up reply actions
never mind, it's watch it now on netflix
I vote for that
by brackenthebox on Feb 21, 2010 9:20 PM EST up reply actions
I've never had any interest in seeing it.
Maybe some day if some boy wants to watch it with me I will. But tonight I kind of want something I have already seen so I might not even watch High Fidelity.
Who needs affection when you can have blind hatred?
Evan Lysacek: 2010 Olympic Gold Medalist ♥
ehh
it’s okay. it’s gets points for being about baseball, but it’s not exactly a modern marvel of cinema
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
on the bright side, eff missed out on a perfect your mama joke
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
Many of my favorites aren't either
Beavis and Butt-head Do America is one of my favorite movies, and I’m pretty sure I get dumber every time I watch it
You know what they call a quarter pounder with cheese in France?
by jd is legend on Feb 21, 2010 9:17 PM EST up reply actions
those kind of movies definitely have a place
dumb and dumber is a classic
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
Dumb and Dumber is secretly clever though
I love how Lloyd/Harry are the only two dumb people in the whole movie.
Not afraid to nitpick
My mom hates to admit that she likes that movie
You know what they call a quarter pounder with cheese in France?
by jd is legend on Feb 21, 2010 9:46 PM EST up reply actions
and in the interest of full disclosure
i should probably admit that i have seen neither of the latter two movies and barel remember high fidelity
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
Miracle is real good as your typical inspirational sports movie goes.
You wouldn’t like Night at the Museum 2, pretty sure.
Who needs affection when you can have blind hatred?
Evan Lysacek: 2010 Olympic Gold Medalist ♥
Watching...
Miracle! Because we won. Go USA!
Who needs affection when you can have blind hatred?
Evan Lysacek: 2010 Olympic Gold Medalist ♥
by ClemsonGirl on Feb 21, 2010 11:30 PM EST up reply actions
High Fidelity is very, very, very good.
The others, not so much.
"Have you ever thrown a ball 100 miles an hour? Everything hurts. Even your ass hurts. I see pictures of my face and say, 'Holy shit', but that's the strain you feel when you throw. I had one of those faces you look at it, man, and say, 'Man he's an ass-hole.' Could be, depends on if you pissed me off or not." - Bob Gibson
by ISawGodInGibby'sRightArm on Feb 22, 2010 1:52 AM EST up reply actions
Zack Greinke is some kind of machine
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
must be related to albert
I'm gonna need a whole lot more franklins if Franklin is our closer this year
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Feb 22, 2010 12:45 AM EST up reply actions
how can you compare him to Guidry? Guidry won 25 games!!!
Belief that success is inevitable is as likely to hold you back as a belief that it is impossible.
BP team salaries has Cards as 7th highest
19 teams below $100 million. No wonder everyone is signing small contracts. A lot of teams are cutting back. So much so that the Twinkies have the 12th highest team salary
Just win
The guy's who's inherited the team from pappy
is apparently much more willing to “spend to win” in the next few years.
RELEASE THE CENTIQUID!!!!
by Felonius_Monk on Feb 22, 2010 7:32 AM EST up reply actions
On Sabermetrics...
I was involved in part of the conversation on John’s site the other day, and I have to say that I agree with a lot of what he had to say. The one thing that I feel like he didn’t cover though, was the lack of many saberists to properly formulate their data in such a way that a non-rocket scientist can see the advantage of using it while seeing the improvement over the previous measurement usage.
For example, there are two saber friendly pitching statistics in wide use, FIP and tRA. One is scaled to earned runs (FIP) and one is scaled total runs (tRA). Unless you are well versed in how these metrics work, tRA simply makes a pitcher look worse because of the way that it is scaled. When everyone so used to using ERA, FIP makes much more sense and doesn’t requires such a leap of faith.
As John stated, in many of the pitching and offense metrics there are only small, incremental and granular gains to be made, which also means that when looking at the subject as a whole and without understanding mathematical proofs or advanced statistical analysis (as many of us do not), then it’s just “easier” to accept that the old ways of measuring performance were good enough, that there’s some we cannot know, and that incremental gains are simply not worth learning and getting our heads around these “new” statistics. This is also not helped by the fact that many of the non-experts get insulted and torn down when we challenge granular statistical gains based on incremental and precise data for a sport that sometimes is not as precise as an expert statistician would like it to be.
I think we’ve made a ton of progress over the last decade, and many of the ideas I’ve been very welcome to since it’s answered a lot of questions for me that I’ve always carried as a skeptic of the longstanding methods of evaluating performance. That said, I do think that sabermetricians need to look very hard at improving the presentation of their data as well as making real determinations to make sure that their hard work will or actually has produced a result that improves the accuracy and precision of a measurement or understanding of the game without creating a complete wholesale change in the way that people have to think about the game. I also think that unless you can win over a skeptic by explaining your method and comparing it to traditional methods, rather than shouting him down or calling him stupid or stubborn, then perhaps the problem is with you and your method rather than the skeptic. If you can’t make a reasonable argument to a reasonable skeptic, you’re never going to be able to sell your method to the greater populace of fandom.
At that point, you’re only creating a method for other sabermetricians, and the more that continues, the more you become your own club. If that’s what you want, that’s perfectly fine with the rest of us, but then you’ve given up on becoming part of the mainstream statistical community, and that’s something that many sabermetricians truly seem to want — a seat at the table to ply their fare with regular fans and show them why their ways are better. Making granular improvements in methods aren’t going to do that — having a greater respect for presentation and controlling the conversation properly (not being so standoffish and arrogant) are the best way to get that buy in from traditional and new fans alike.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
by fourstick on Feb 21, 2010 10:35 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
i love when people do this
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
by prophetjohn on Feb 21, 2010 11:11 PM EST up reply actions
good points, I think.
RELEASE THE CENTIQUID!!!!
by Felonius_Monk on Feb 22, 2010 7:36 AM EST up reply actions
Very good points.
I think you’ve identified a major problem in the psyche of sabermetricians in that they feel they are superior to everyone else, and also that they believe a quantitative analysis is much more effective than a qualitative analysis, alienating scouts and mainstream fans everywhere who don’t have the time for Sabr research and just enjoy watching games.
But yes, I agree with your main premise that their data needs to better represented so that the public can understand it. I mean, there is a reason beat writers don’t use these statistics, and it’s because the public can’t understand or comprehend these statistics..
In football, the object is for the quarterback, otherwise known as the field general, to be on target with his aerial assault, riddling the defense by hitting his recievers with deadly accuracy in spite of the blitz, even if he has to use the shotgun. With short bullet passes and long bombs, he marches his troops into enemy territory, balancing this aerial assault with a sustained ground attack that punches holes in the forward wall of the enemy's defensive line.
In baseball the object is to go home! And to be safe! "I hope I'll be safe at home!"
-George Carlin (RIP)
What are these crazy people doing with the beards?
Uhhhh… Luckily Grady doesn’t like having facial hair.
Who needs affection when you can have blind hatred?
Evan Lysacek: 2010 Olympic Gold Medalist ♥
by ClemsonGirl on Feb 21, 2010 11:45 PM EST up reply actions
oh and google images did help me at all with this search
it gave me horrible results
oh and I stole this image from here, the word “cute” isn’t in my vocabulary.
I like the Lohan analysis.
Who needs affection when you can have blind hatred?
Evan Lysacek: 2010 Olympic Gold Medalist ♥
by ClemsonGirl on Feb 21, 2010 11:49 PM EST up reply actions
sometimes it's easier not to shave it off
I'm gonna need a whole lot more franklins if Franklin is our closer this year
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Feb 22, 2010 12:49 AM EST up reply actions
I am sporting a beard currently
Both myself and my gf are not a fan of my “clean shaven” look because, although I might score higher on DAR or whatever it was, I also end up looking about 21…
RELEASE THE CENTIQUID!!!!
by Felonius_Monk on Feb 22, 2010 7:38 AM EST up reply actions
It works on some people and anyone who has a beard is allowed to have a beard.
But it is not working on Joe Mauer and Nick Markakis!
And obviously since I’m 20, I’ll probably tend to prefer it when guys look closer to my age.
Who needs affection when you can have blind hatred?
Evan Lysacek: 2010 Olympic Gold Medalist ♥
by ClemsonGirl on Feb 22, 2010 10:23 AM EST up reply actions
Yeah, but when you're my age
looking younger is a plus, not a minus. Every fall, I grow a beard because my wife likes the way I look with one. I generally start it in mid-September, and shave it off when the thermometer starts to hit 65°F on a regular basis, usually around mid-April. I prefer the way I look without one, exactly because I look 10 years younger, and beards are itchy. Granted, I don’t come anywhere near looking 21, but 42 will do.
"Have you ever thrown a ball 100 miles an hour? Everything hurts. Even your ass hurts. I see pictures of my face and say, 'Holy shit', but that's the strain you feel when you throw. I had one of those faces you look at it, man, and say, 'Man he's an ass-hole.' Could be, depends on if you pissed me off or not." - Bob Gibson
by ISawGodInGibby'sRightArm on Feb 22, 2010 12:31 PM EST up reply actions
I think I will always be blessed by looking younger than I am
so I’ll possibly be in the same boat when I’m in my 50s. I’m also well aware that most women aren’t very keen on beards, but mine seems to prefer it and that suits me because I’m quite lazy when it comes to shaving – even when I DO shave it’s once every few days and I have some stubble going on…
RELEASE THE CENTIQUID!!!!
by Felonius_Monk on Feb 22, 2010 1:32 PM EST up reply actions
Same
"Have you ever thrown a ball 100 miles an hour? Everything hurts. Even your ass hurts. I see pictures of my face and say, 'Holy shit', but that's the strain you feel when you throw. I had one of those faces you look at it, man, and say, 'Man he's an ass-hole.' Could be, depends on if you pissed me off or not." - Bob Gibson
by ISawGodInGibby'sRightArm on Feb 22, 2010 5:20 PM EST up reply actions
Hey Chitown, I was just making a few trophies on ESPN
So far I have one for last and and division winners, do you have any name suggestions?
last: the SBNd Nexdefd Cup
first: the golden saber
I'm gonna need a whole lot more franklins if Franklin is our closer this year
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Feb 22, 2010 12:50 AM EST up reply actions
I have division names as well
there will be two
the meme division
SABR-tooth division
could use some adjusting though
I haven't played on espn league before
will the league send out an email reminder for the draft? I still need to set up how the auction works, haven’t done the espn league before though.
I'm gonna need a whole lot more franklins if Franklin is our closer this year
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Feb 22, 2010 12:55 AM EST up reply actions
chitown needs to go to bed
I'm gonna need a whole lot more franklins if Franklin is our closer this year
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Feb 22, 2010 12:59 AM EST up reply actions
I'll send out one to the league a few days before the draft(march 16, at 7pm CST)
so there’s a slight chance you’ll receive two reminders, but it’s probably better to be safe.
that's cool
I will have to get used to the setup
I'm gonna need a whole lot more franklins if Franklin is our closer this year
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Feb 22, 2010 1:02 AM EST up reply actions
hmmmm I forgot these things would be crazy late
that’s like midnight for me. No way I can stay up for 3 or 4 hours of that. maybe I should pull out of the league?
Alternatively, if anyone wants to swap their spot in the yahoo league for my ESPN team, I guess that could work…
RELEASE THE CENTIQUID!!!!
by Felonius_Monk on Feb 22, 2010 7:40 AM EST up reply actions
What if we moved it to a weekend
with an AM time here in the states. I’m flexible, I’d assume we can all work out a time that works.
* is an Asshat
Also, Dave Concepcion.
yeah that'd be fine
I realise I’m not the most flexible of people because of the time difference (i.e. can’t really do US evenings) and also because I play volleyball quite a lot. I’ll try to fit in with whatever and if I can’t I don’t mind dropping out.
RELEASE THE CENTIQUID!!!!
by Felonius_Monk on Feb 22, 2010 1:33 PM EST up reply actions
CodyG if you see this
how about 3/21 @ 10am CST, a Sunday morning?
* is an Asshat
Also, Dave Concepcion.
I did see that, I'd be fine with a move to the weekend.
But 10am on a sunday won’t work for me, I can move it to 3pm if that’s better.
Monk whats a good time?
If we do it before 7PM CST, I’ll be at work.
* is an Asshat
Also, Dave Concepcion.
ahhhhhhh!!!!
there’s so many different schedules to adjust to.
for those wondering here‘s ESPN’s draft rules
Weekend at 3pm works for me
I’m about 5 hrs ahead so that’s 8pm. Saturdays tend to be better for me, but whatever.
RELEASE THE CENTIQUID!!!!
by Felonius_Monk on Feb 23, 2010 8:04 AM EST up reply actions
He. 13th's the only one I definitely can't do.
RELEASE THE CENTIQUID!!!!
by Felonius_Monk on Feb 24, 2010 10:13 AM EST up reply actions
20th then......
And I may miss some, as I’ll be finishing up my inventory. The 27th I’ll be in SLC for the NCAA’s.
* is an Asshat
Also, Dave Concepcion.
saturday march 20th at 3pm it is.
now I have to get the message out to everyone else since this thread is ancient in Internet time.
where do you think gonzaga will go?
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
after losing to
LMfrickingU, they probably still end up with a 4 or 5 playing in Spokane. Probably still be the highest seed from the West Coast. Pac 10 is awful this year.
* is an Asshat
Also, Dave Concepcion.
don't know if we ever discussed
but i always root for gonzaga. biggest heartbreak was the ucla game – fuckin’ batista (was his name, right?). knew daye would go pro, but shouldn’t have – what a talent, if it develops. where is he, and is he getting any significant time? i’ll look it up, but thought you might have some insight.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
Detroit...
and I honestly don’t know how much time he’s getting this year. If he was on this years team…WOW.
That was a crap way to go out of the tourney…..game was fr……nvm…..lol
Yes on Batista.
I try to get to at least a game a year…last year saw them in SLC, this year went to Spokane when they were in the Arena against Oklahoma…..ticket’s at the MAC are damn near unattainable. It’s the toughest ticket to get in the NW US. Anyway, I follow two teams…Cards and Zags in that order. CBB seems to fill the lack of baseball time well…..the rest (NFL, NHL, NBA)….meh.
* is an Asshat
Also, Dave Concepcion.
yeah
i hoped against hope, considering his pops knew the score, he’d stay another year, get stronger, learn to dominate at that level before he moved on. ha, probably pops decision in the end.
anyway, gonzaga my one, and then i always root for mich st – big izzo fan, and like the way he puts a team together (i suppose it’s diametrically opposed to gonzaga)
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
In Association With
Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports
- The Cardinals Hall of Fame can now be found at Bill Clinton’s library in Arkansas (Huh?)
- Will Bryce Harper start the season with the Nationals?
- Mitch Mustain puts football behind him, signs reported rookie deal with White Sox
- Robinson Cano and Denzel Washington face off in Jay Leno’s Yankees trivia contest
- Shane Victorino lands role on ‘Hawaii Five-0′
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
