happy VEB day!
by tom s. on Jun 19, 2010 1:15 PM EDT
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Print* sorry to anyone logging on this morning. i could not get on the site to post today's story. i put this together in a separate word document which led to the unorthodox capitalization.
Today is, unless I misremember, viva el birdos day. I will not be there but I am sure that fun will be had by all, several people will drink too much, and spants will infect everyone with her current illness, which will turn out not to be a conventional cold but rather a new and exotic ailment that will be called "viva el birdos disease" forever more. It will be the first illness to be named for a baseball fan blog, sort of like legionnaires’ disease, which was named for a hotel convention that went hideously wrong when some microbes in the ventilation shaft gave all the Legionnaires attending the convention a previously unknown respiratory disease.
Have a good time, everybody!
Last night was a good game to win, with some unique contributions from two important players.
The first is matt holliday, who went 3 for 4 last night with a two-run homer. Matt has been much-maligned this year. Not so much for how he’s hitting generally, which has been fine – but only just fine – at a wOBA of .363, far off his recent season totals of .390, .418, .428, and .409. when the cardinals dropped that massive chunk of money on him, they thought they were getting that .400 wOBA hitter.
Before I go further, I have to point out an ad on matt holliday’s B-R page. His sponsor – who will remain nameless so I drive no more business to him – is a clothing merchandiser whose ad states: "WEAR WHAT THE THE BIG LEAGUERS LIKE MARK REYNOLDS AND DOUG DAVIS WEAR." I’m not sure if the author of the ad is a big d-backs fan, someone unfamiliar with the game, or some kind of Taiwanese spambot conjoining English words and names via a complex algorithim. You would think, though, that the number of folks walking around saying "I wish I could dress like doug davis" is a fairly small one.
returning to holliday, he’s hitting more or less like usual. His walk, line drive, and strikeout rates are close to his career norms. His BABIP for 2010 is .323 which sounds like he’s not getting bad luck, until you see that his career BABIP is .349. I think his production is going to come back and he’ll look much more like that .400 wOBA hitter we signed as the season progresses.
But what has really gotten people up in arms is matt’s situational hitting. Matt has had 277 PA’s so far this season. Out of those 277 PA’s, 86 have come with runners in scoring position. Matt is hitting .197/.241/.250 with runners in scoring position.
Yes, those numbers are terrible. But even the whole of his season so far, all 277 PA’s is a fairly small sample size. 86 PA’s is tiny and meaningless. That’s like worrying why matt holliday doesn’t hit on Tuesdays, or on dates that are multiples of three. We just assume that there are "clutch" hitters out there and that the distinction between hitting in a clutch situation and a non-clutch situation is meaningful.
Matt holliday has never had a problem hitting under pressure. His lifetime OPS with RISP is .868 v. a career OPS of .925, which is within the normal range of variation. He doesn’t "struggle" hitting with RISP more than in the sixth inning, say – where he has a lifetime OPS of .875. SIXTH INNING CHOKER!
More important for the team, though, is skip schumaker’s poor production so far. skip also went 3 for 4 last night, hitting a key double. Hopefully, that’s something we’ll see more of.
Skippy has always been a weird hitter. Skip’s calling card is the ground ball, which is sort of an odd calling card, like a pitcher having a hanging slider as a signature pitch. Skip’s lifetime ground ball rate is 58.5%. last year, he led the league in groundball rate, just ahead of luminaries like luis castillo, michael bourn, derek jeter, and orlando hudson. It’s weird that he should be a generally strong hitter with such a profile, since groundballs still don’t seem like a terribly successful tactic for him (OPS of .393 this year and .470 career on groundballs).
Nevertheless, skip has put together numerous seasons of high contact, high average, low power hitting. While never a tremendous hitter, he’s been above average (wOBA’s of .336, .341, .353 the last three years), a serviceable outfielder, and a surprising secondbaseman. By surprising, I mean, surprising that he is playing second base, not that he’s been particularly adept at second base.
So, what’s going on? Did skip just run out of whatever pixie dust that was making him somehow hit tolerably, even though he specializes in making contact that’s highly likely to create outs? The answer, I think, is again that he’s having a surprising run of bad luck. Skip’s actually hitting the ball harder than ever – with a 24% line drive rate that would be a personal best over a full season. For that effort, he’s been rewarded with a .285 BABIP. As with matt, I fully anticipate skip to do much better going forward without changing anything.
In the long term though, skip is a slightly above average hitter who doesn’t play second base very well and who simply must be platooned. down in the high minors, we have daniel descalso who is tolerable, but probably not much better than skippy in the long run at the plate. descalso's defense is probably about average, as opposed to skip’s below average defense. tyler greene could make a push for a position change to second, especially as he could begin as skippy’s platoon partner. greene has been a hard talent to read, at times showing flashes of being a power-hitting plus-defending shortstop, at others looking overmatched at the plate and making simple errors on routine plays. In his age 27 season, greene’s window of opportunity is rapidly closing. The pieces are all still there; the question remains whether he can put them together.
While we’re on the subject of first-round shortstops with unrealized potential, pete kozma is a right-handed shortstop who has demolished left-handers in springfield this year (.906 OPS). While that is a small sample size, he has a huge platoon split for his career in the minors (.782 v. LHP, .620 v. RHP). He is a plausible platoon partner in future years for skippy or descalso at second. My pet prospect, Matt Carpenter, has an .857 OPS after a promotion to Springfield, including a .390 OBP to follow a preposterous .437 OBP in Palm Beach. While Matt is in his age-25 season, he was only signed last year, following the patented David Freese delayed-development path. Freese is showing no sign of letting go of the 3B position in upcoming years, so a shift to second might be a good plan for Matt, who is a very strong defender at third, though he does not project as a power hitter.
edit - okay, i can't not link this - pittsburgh fires racing pierogi for disparaging the ballclub.
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So far, I've decided to refrain from attending VEB day.
“Viva el birdos disease” will have to wait.
If I can stop coughing like I’m dying, then perhaps I’ll change my mind.
Regression, bitches.
somewhere, a pulmonologist sheds a single tear.
feel better soon.
"We were men - flesh and blood - and we played baseball in the sunshine. We hit doubles off the wall, slid hard into second base. We had fights, and we made love. We sang songs and prayed on Sundays. . . . We felt pain. And we felt joy. There was a lot wrong with the world. But we weren't sad, man. We had the times of our lives." Buck O'Neil, from "The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's America."
You can get a doctorate studying Bill Pullman?
"In 2035, 25 young men will be able to call themselves world champions. Some of those guys haven’t even been born yet. And some of them are Asian." -Mike Shannon
by Alxfritz on Jun 19, 2010 1:35 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
You could also get a doctorate studying Paxtonology
A lot of people don’t really know the difference.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
by mattybobo on Jun 19, 2010 1:58 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
I'm not a doctor
but it sounds like you need a good dose of 95 degree weather, baseball, and awkward chatting with internet friends. And a Sprite.
"In 2035, 25 young men will be able to call themselves world champions. Some of those guys haven’t even been born yet. And some of them are Asian." -Mike Shannon
nothing cures illnesses
Like internet friends! See you all tonight.
"...and pujols has given st louis the lead"
The Best Defensive Play I Have Seen in Person
follow me on teh twitterz @greenfieldt
by tgreenfield on Jun 19, 2010 1:40 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I hate Sprite/Ginger Ale
Because the only time I ever drank it as a kid was when I was sick
by jd is legend on Jun 19, 2010 2:36 PM EDT up reply actions
The only time I EVER drink ginger ale is on airplanes, and that's all I ever drink on airplanes
Of all sad words of tongue or pen; the saddest are these: 'It might have been!'
so true.
"...and pujols has given st louis the lead"
The Best Defensive Play I Have Seen in Person
follow me on teh twitterz @greenfieldt
SPANTS! GET WITH IT!
THIS IS HAPPENING!
follow me on twitter @nickg105
by stlcardinalsfang on Jun 19, 2010 3:48 PM EDT up reply actions
I can't. I'm running a fever again.
Look – I’m pretty much always in town. The St. Louis faction of VEB really has no excuse for not meeting more often.
Regression, bitches.
We weren't feeling well.
"In 2035, 25 young men will be able to call themselves world champions. Some of those guys haven’t even been born yet. And some of them are Asian." -Mike Shannon
by Alxfritz on Jun 19, 2010 4:02 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Yes.
"In 2035, 25 young men will be able to call themselves world champions. Some of those guys haven’t even been born yet. And some of them are Asian." -Mike Shannon
by Alxfritz on Jun 19, 2010 4:22 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
You have a migraine.
And your flying car got a flat hover tire. Bad day, really.
"In 2035, 25 young men will be able to call themselves world champions. Some of those guys haven’t even been born yet. And some of them are Asian." -Mike Shannon
by Alxfritz on Jun 19, 2010 4:23 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Do you want me to show up and cough on you?
Regression, bitches.
by spants on Jun 19, 2010 4:26 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
Just so everyone knows...
…I went through this exchange and REC’d them all because I found it funny. Now, carry on.
VivaElBirdos: Celebrating glorious mustaches since 2009
by redbirdnation8206 on Jun 19, 2010 5:13 PM EDT up reply actions
if your sig was still STAB STAB STAB
i would recommend you change it to a similarly effective COUGH COUGH COUGH
"He’s in his own world out there. He says he doesn’t cuss. I disagree." - Skip Schumaker on Jason Motte
Austin Wilson, please don't be a tease!
The other thing is that my voice is pretty much gone.
So my snark would be inaudible anyway.
Regression, bitches.
i know, right
if i lived in st louis, it’d be awesome to watch baseball with cardinal fans at a bar or something
last time i was in columbia, i was floored by the fact that the game was playing in this bar and grill.
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
I've never understood the hating on Skippy
He’s batting .249 at the moment. He doesn’t strike out all that much. He (now) plays decently at 2B. He is the prototype player the Cardinals will be depending on for the next several years. Specifically, they need players to back up the Pujols / Holliday, who won’t be a liability. Skip fits that to a “T”.
I predict he will be at or very near .300 by the season’s end. And we’ll probably look back on this early spring angst, scratching our heads…
Spring ends in two days!
"In 2035, 25 young men will be able to call themselves world champions. Some of those guys haven’t even been born yet. And some of them are Asian." -Mike Shannon
Winter solstice is an undeniably good thing
but it makes me sad to know the days will be getting shorter starting Monday.
Guys like Bradley are exactly why we can't have a pumpkin patch anymore.
They shoulda put the solstices in the middle of summer and winter...
not at the beginning.
DFA Miles, Call up Cox
yeah damn you sun!
be more convenient!
"...and pujols has given st louis the lead"
The Best Defensive Play I Have Seen in Person
follow me on teh twitterz @greenfieldt
i don't understand how evaluating a player = hating on them.
tom s. specifically says he’s having a run of bad luck.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
what he means i presume is not that tom s is hating on him
but in recent days, many people have called for him to not be a regular starter (not even the only “face righties”… sit completely)
im not sure where i stand, but i am on the boat that skip will end up batting .280-.290
Rasmus can hit lefties
cardinalred
St. Louis Sports blog
by stlcardsfan4 on Jun 19, 2010 1:52 PM EDT up reply actions
i would never hate on schumaker.
now i’m gonna go home and put some water in skippy’s mama’s dish.
"We were men - flesh and blood - and we played baseball in the sunshine. We hit doubles off the wall, slid hard into second base. We had fights, and we made love. We sang songs and prayed on Sundays. . . . We felt pain. And we felt joy. There was a lot wrong with the world. But we weren't sad, man. We had the times of our lives." Buck O'Neil, from "The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's America."
What could I say about Skip's luck on balls in play that hasn't already been said about Afghanistan.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
Skip's balls?
ohhh you mean BBABIP.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
"decently" is open to interpretation
but I would say that he does not play second base all that decently. So if his offense stinks too, what’s his value? I’d rather have Lopez regularly starting at 2nd. I think it’s an improvement offensively, probably defensively, and it keeps Lopez in the lineup but out of the SS position.
Skippy plays 2B decently
the same way Yadi runs decently.
Carry the battle to them. Don't let them bring it to you. Put them on the defensive and don't ever apologize for anything.
Specifically, they need players to back up the Pujols / Holliday, who won’t be a liability.
But Skip is a defensive liability by UZR. He’s been a negative fielder at 2nd for his entire time there, and while he’s gotten better, or so it would appear, he’s still no ace.
His great skill is his high AVG, decent OBP profile vs. RHP, but when he’s not hitting RHPs than he brings nothing to the table. He’s not a bad player, in fact I would argue he should get the bulk of the AB’s against RHPs, but he’s still kind of limited. That’s not hate, that’s a simple analysis of what he is. Hate would be calling him a One-Eyed Pus Licker or something.
VivaElBirdos: Celebrating glorious mustaches since 2009
by redbirdnation8206 on Jun 19, 2010 5:19 PM EDT up reply actions
above average offensively (over his career), below average defensively
I’d rather have someone else, but he ain’t that bad.
blarg
As far as being a second baseman goes
he has been barely average to below average offensively and way below average defensively. Last year, in spite of what many may think was a good offensive year, Skip was 16th out of the 21 MLB 2Bs who qualified as full-time players per fangraphs. He was 18th out of 21 defensively and posted a total of 1.5 WAR. I believe 2 WAR is considered an average player.
Carry the battle to them. Don't let them bring it to you. Put them on the defensive and don't ever apologize for anything.
eh
i think a .340-.350 wOBA is above average… I’m not sure how much i trust WAR. But I see the point, and he is bad defensively. However, he comes cheap and not being in a huge market you can’t afford to have a team without weaknesses unless you are really good at player development / drafting / farm teams (or, you are the Rays) which the Cardinals have not been. So I’m fine with having Skip for now.
blarg
You are certainly free to believe
whatever you like, but I would say he has been barely average at best offensively as a 2B. .336wOBA last year and .284 this year. The total package is definitely below average to me. I wonder who else would have been available for 2 yrs/$4+MM?
Carry the battle to them. Don't let them bring it to you. Put them on the defensive and don't ever apologize for anything.
You and my cursory glance at fangraphs convinced me.
I don’t know who else we could’ve gotten as an upgrade though
blarg
greene is currently available for 2yrs/less than a mil
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
LaRussa tax
Carry the battle to them. Don't let them bring it to you. Put them on the defensive and don't ever apologize for anything.
well, greene starting at 2b would put skip on the bench and knock
somebody off the end – my guess would be miles.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
Unbeknownst to me previously, I will be at the game today
If anybody sees a short guy with longish hair, an old old Cardinals t-shirt, and a very very cute 18 month-old, that’s me.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
come say sup to us in the bleachers!
"...and pujols has given st louis the lead"
The Best Defensive Play I Have Seen in Person
follow me on teh twitterz @greenfieldt
have fun at the game everyone!
wish i could be there. maybe next year…
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
Angels leading the Cubs 4-0
"When you play with the Cubs, it's like playing with heavy shoes on. I had to be de-Cubbed." - Pete LaCock
...did anyone see the Albert spot for some kind of soap? because there's a whole pile of old photos of him.
holy sweater vests.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
aha, it's
this thing
i saw a video ad on the mothership
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
going to VEB day, but i won't see any of you
going with my little brother and frankly, it would be awkward if i met up with VEB with what is sure to be people older than me (not to mention who i don’t know)
“Oh, these are my… uhh… internet friends…. this is uhhh….”
Rasmus can hit lefties
cardinalred
St. Louis Sports blog
we need some kind of code
“these are my friends from the grocery store! yeah, this guy’s in… packing. that’s it. how’s the packing industry?”
then start talking about wOBA.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
wOBA
…Weight of Boxes-Aggregate?
VivaElBirdos: Celebrating glorious mustaches since 2009
by redbirdnation8206 on Jun 19, 2010 5:20 PM EDT up reply actions
Don't be a stranger if you see the CheBird staring back at you
by FlimtotheFlam on Jun 19, 2010 2:26 PM EDT up reply actions
thanks for the warning
might have gotten a “get the fuck away from me” if you didn’t tell me
Rasmus can hit lefties
cardinalred
St. Louis Sports blog
by stlcardsfan4 on Jun 19, 2010 2:31 PM EDT up reply actions
come on now
i’m not that much older than you.
follow me on twitter @nickg105
by stlcardinalsfang on Jun 19, 2010 3:23 PM EDT up reply actions
well if i was by myself, then it'd be different... but its probably the little brother thing
besides, im not even close to the bleachers….
Rasmus can hit lefties
cardinalred
St. Louis Sports blog
by stlcardsfan4 on Jun 19, 2010 3:38 PM EDT up reply actions
where you sitting?
follow me on twitter @nickg105
by stlcardinalsfang on Jun 19, 2010 3:39 PM EDT up reply actions
redbird club
on the third base side right next to bank of america sitting section… its a great view, wouldn’t think it would be a tremendous view of the game, but it really is
Rasmus can hit lefties
cardinalred
St. Louis Sports blog
by stlcardsfan4 on Jun 19, 2010 3:43 PM EDT up reply actions
oh i've been there.
i hate you. those seats are baller.
follow me on twitter @nickg105
by stlcardinalsfang on Jun 19, 2010 3:45 PM EDT up reply actions
yes they are magnificient
if there is a downside, its that balls never come close – like 10 seats is the closest, i don’t even flinch when the ball comes my way
on the bleachers, a home run ball is possible – and i hope you guys can catch one too (from a Cardinal, need to be specific)
Rasmus can hit lefties
cardinalred
St. Louis Sports blog
by stlcardsfan4 on Jun 19, 2010 3:49 PM EDT up reply actions
Holliday's RISP issues
One thing that many sabermetrically-inclined folks tend to do is to respond to complaints about actual past performance with a comment about how a player is likely to do in the future, as if every complaint about past performance is itself a prediction about future performance. But every complaint about past performance is not invalid merely because one should expect better performance in the future.
Holliday’s failings with RISP this year is a good example. As tom s. points out, he has been terrible this year with a line of .197/.241/.250 over 86PAs. I don’t know what his LD% is over that sample but I think it’s likely to be poor, with a disproportionately high % of IFFs, Ks, and rolled-over grounders. (Someone is welcome to show that he’s just hit tons of LDs right at people if that is really the case.)
So, I would disagree with tom s.’ point that “86 PA’s is tiny and meaningless.” While it is true that those 86 PAs are a tiny and meaningless sample on which to base our predictions of Holliday’s future performance, that same sample of PAs has not been “tiny and meaningless” with respect to Holliday’s effect on the Cards’ actual record over the first part of this season. Again, given that there were RISP, you would think that those 86 PAs were some of the most important PAs in the season so far. (Someone could probably figure out Holliday’s WPA over those 86 PAs to see just how important or unimportant they were).
In any event, these back-and-forths, which are all too common on this site – one side complaining about past performance and the other side expecting better performance in the future – never resolve anything because each side’s point is not mutually exclusive.
I am a big Holliday fan. I liked the contract extension and still like it. I expect Holliday to resume hitting at about his career levels from this point forward. But I also think he has royally fucking sucked with RISP position so far and that that performance (which I don’t expect to continue) has already cost us games this year in what is currently a close race.
by Willie McGee's Twin on Jun 19, 2010 2:26 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
exactly.
can you imagine if holliday was hitting even just .250 with RISP? surely a line of .250/.280/.310, which is still awful, could have netted us another win or two. so i agree. his performance w/ RISP is not likely to be predictive of how he will do going forward, b/c its such a SSS, BUT it IS meaningful in the sense that WMGT describes: it probably cost us some wins.
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
Sure, no doubt about that
Just like his ridiculous performance late in games last year probably net us an additional 4 wins or so
Of all sad words of tongue or pen; the saddest are these: 'It might have been!'
well, i think in addition to concerns about future predictability, the larger point is that, while everyone is welcome to get
annoyed about holliday’s performance with runners in scoring position, it’s just not something that matt has any control over.
in point of fact, holliday’s LD rate is higher in high and medium leverage situations (20.0%) than it is in low leverage situations (17.5%). it just so happens that his BABIP is .240 in high leverage situations and .356 in low leverage.
getting mad at matt holliday for not making his line drives not go to fielders in high leverage situations is just dumb. maybe it’s what happened, but it’s still dumb to get mad at him. just as getting mad at him for not hitting on tuesdays would be. it’s not simply that it’s not predictive, it’s that it does not reflect any diminished skill or effort on holliday’s part. it’s like getting mad at jaime garcia for not getting a win because the game got rained out in the fourth inning.
"We were men - flesh and blood - and we played baseball in the sunshine. We hit doubles off the wall, slid hard into second base. We had fights, and we made love. We sang songs and prayed on Sundays. . . . We felt pain. And we felt joy. There was a lot wrong with the world. But we weren't sad, man. We had the times of our lives." Buck O'Neil, from "The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's America."
by tom s. on Jun 19, 2010 2:35 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Interesting
So Holliday’s bad luck is costing us in the standings? Somebody bake this guy a rabbit foot and four-leaf clover pie or something (actually that sounds gross).
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
i mostly agree with this
but come on, he does have SOME control over how he hits. its not like he’s hitting a line drive every time and it just HAPPENS to go straight to someone. maybe he’s unlucky as a generalization, but not every at-bat can be chalked up to bad luck. i think its BS to suggest that a hitter’s mentality and physical approach does not change in various situations. runners on, nobody out, down by one run vs. two outs, nobody on, down by four runs. your approach HAS to be different in those two situations.
i’m not mad at matt, but i am frustrated. and i think it lets him off the hook too easily to simply say he has no control over what is happening out there when he’s standing in the box with a bat in his hands.
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
then what's he doing differently
than every single other year of his career?
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
i don't know, but if i ever see him, you can bet that's the first thing i ask!
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
honestly, though, he's doing a lot of things differently.
living in a different city, hitting in a different ballpark (and other NL central ballparks much more frequently), facing different pitchers, hitting at a different elevation, with different temperatures, dealing with different teammates and a different manager and coaching staff, making a lot more money, having a much bigger contract, etc. etc.
i agree that he’s generally been unlucky, and i do expect matt to get better moving forward. i’m just saying that i think its way too easy to call the whole thing luck-related and discount the fact that other external factors may be affecting the situation.
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
i guess my predisposition is to assume luck until shown otherwise.
a better way to state my point would be that there’s no evidence that supports the notion that luck is not the primary factor in his poor performance with RISP.
a lack of evidence is not affirmative proof. it just doesn’t shift me off my presumption that luck is the primary factor.
"We were men - flesh and blood - and we played baseball in the sunshine. We hit doubles off the wall, slid hard into second base. We had fights, and we made love. We sang songs and prayed on Sundays. . . . We felt pain. And we felt joy. There was a lot wrong with the world. But we weren't sad, man. We had the times of our lives." Buck O'Neil, from "The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's America."
i think it's way too easy to let emotions overshadow objectivity
and onlly two of those things in your list (which happen to be the same thing) are different than the second half of last year where he absolutely mashed in all situations
so of your theories, the only one that could be applicable is that he’s not hitting with RISP because he’s making $3.5MM per year more than last year. i think i’m gonna stick with random variation
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
you're right.
but those were just examples off the top of my head. truth is, no one really knows whats going on mentally besides matt. i agree that its probably mostly luck, but i just don’t agree that its EXCLUSIVELY luck.
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
it might not be
he might be suffering from the worst case of hemorrhoids known to man and that’s affecting his performance. i can only go off of things i have evidence for. random variation and luck make pretty strong cases
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
i don't think it's luck so much as others
he hasn’t been putting together good at bats that i can tell. i’m more barking up the random variation tree
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
extremism in the defense of batted-ball non-self-determinism is no vice.
seriously, though, the fact that he’s hitting line drives in high-leverage situations yet getting little to show for it strongly suggests that he’s mostly a victim of bad luck. i won’t say every at-bat is bad luck or that he has no control at all, just that a reading of the background stats strongly suggests that bad luck is a major factor here.
"We were men - flesh and blood - and we played baseball in the sunshine. We hit doubles off the wall, slid hard into second base. We had fights, and we made love. We sang songs and prayed on Sundays. . . . We felt pain. And we felt joy. There was a lot wrong with the world. But we weren't sad, man. We had the times of our lives." Buck O'Neil, from "The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's America."
by tom s. on Jun 19, 2010 2:50 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
well, when you break the SSS split into even smaller SS
one thing that stands out is that he’s K’ing twice as often in med-high situations as he is in low leverage situations. He definitely has control over that, and it implies he may be doing something differently in low leverage situations.
Or he may not be- it’s only a difference of about 12 K’s per 100 PA’s, so it could be random variation. I know there’s been a couple called third strikes that were clearly not strikes, and it could be that he’s just having bad luck with bad umpire calls.
Well the girls would turn the color of the avocado when he would drive down the street in his El Dorado... -the modern lovers
fair point. i think for now i'm going to keep assuming bad luck.
his career k rate is 8.4%/9.5/9.0 (L/M/H leverage). the 20% K rate is somewhat concerning, but i’d want to see a bigger sample size before worrying too much on that point.
"We were men - flesh and blood - and we played baseball in the sunshine. We hit doubles off the wall, slid hard into second base. We had fights, and we made love. We sang songs and prayed on Sundays. . . . We felt pain. And we felt joy. There was a lot wrong with the world. But we weren't sad, man. We had the times of our lives." Buck O'Neil, from "The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's America."
he also
has looked mystified in some of those situations
swinging at pitches far out of the zone
i think these really bad looking ABs affects people’s opinion re his performance
re approach, i think many, if not most, modern ball players do not take a different approach in risp and 2-strike situations
I may be in a rut, but at least I know where I'm going
yeah, i thought about mentioning that
I think it’s part of the reason people still hate on Colby, and hated on Duncan even when he was OPS’ing .900. When a power-hitting player performs badly, he often LOOKS really, really bad.
Anyway, this is the kind of thing that pitch/fx could be really useful for… if there was a simple way to get a plot of RISP vs non-RISP PA’s (preferably sortable by count) it could be helpful.
Well the girls would turn the color of the avocado when he would drive down the street in his El Dorado... -the modern lovers
I am pissed at him
When you build a 17 million dollar man, he is supposed to be able to hit further, run faster, and throw harder than a mere mortal. Steve Austin would have kicked his ass for only 1 million (thats probably about 12 million when adjusted for inflation).
by Macarver hater on Jun 19, 2010 4:42 PM EDT up reply actions
Just give Steve Austin a case of beer.
Should cover the cost.
In baseball the object is to go home! And to be safe! "I hope I'll be safe at home!"
-George Carlin (RIP)
Wrong Steve Austin
Steve Austin (The six million dollar man) old tv show.
by Macarver hater on Jun 20, 2010 2:23 AM EDT up reply actions
lee majors - married farrah fawcett
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
You're the fail to my win?
"There is not a better feeling in the whole world than knowing that you are the best team in both leagues."- Bob Forsch on winning the 1982 World Series.
by MaytheForschbewithyou on Jun 20, 2010 9:30 AM EDT up reply actions
well, like I said, if over those 86 PAs, he's driven LDs right at people and just been unlucky, then the complaints aren't justified.
But it has seemed to me anecdotally that he’s had a disproportinate number of Ks, IFFs/pop ups, and rolled-over grounders in RISP situations. I’m prepared to be proven wrong; I wish I had video of those 86 PAs and could audit them so I’d know for sure (I think simply knowing his BABIP over this small sample is not as useful).
by Willie McGee's Twin on Jun 19, 2010 2:55 PM EDT up reply actions
if you follow the link in the above post, you'll see his high-leverage at-bats have the lowest incidence of grounders (40%)
and IFFB (10%)of the three categories – high, medium, and low leverage. he has a high flyball and line drive rate yet not a single HR in high leverage situations. everything reads to me like bad luck.
high-leverage is not the same as RISP, but that’s what i can find for splits re: batted balls.
"We were men - flesh and blood - and we played baseball in the sunshine. We hit doubles off the wall, slid hard into second base. We had fights, and we made love. We sang songs and prayed on Sundays. . . . We felt pain. And we felt joy. There was a lot wrong with the world. But we weren't sad, man. We had the times of our lives." Buck O'Neil, from "The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's America."
Yeah, the link is helpful but lacks what I'd like to see, especially over this small sample (and it's not exactly the same sample as the 86 PAs, as you say)
Looks like his K rate in high leverage is twice as high as in low leverage. I can see that his batted ball profile is similar across leverage situations but can’t discern hard hit ground balls versus dribblers or cans of corn/pop-ups versus gappers that got caught.
In any event, like I said, I’m prepared to accept that he’s been unlucky (or mainly unlucky) in RISP situations so far, but I’d need to see more, especially given my sense (perhaps biased, since I certainly can’t remember all 86 PAs) that he’s just not hit the ball hard or taken good at-bats in RISP situations.
by Willie McGee's Twin on Jun 19, 2010 3:11 PM EDT up reply actions
sleepy raises the same point re: k rate above, and i do think that's well-taken.
"We were men - flesh and blood - and we played baseball in the sunshine. We hit doubles off the wall, slid hard into second base. We had fights, and we made love. We sang songs and prayed on Sundays. . . . We felt pain. And we felt joy. There was a lot wrong with the world. But we weren't sad, man. We had the times of our lives." Buck O'Neil, from "The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's America."
here's what's killing me:
matt has ZERO sacrifice flies and ZERO sacrifice hits.
he’s had 11 PAs with a runner on third and less than 2 outs.
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
irrelevant really, but you don't get a sacrifice hit
only a sacrifice fly… its weird like that… for instance, a groundout with a man on third is simply a groundout RBI and not a “sac groundout”
Rasmus can hit lefties
cardinalred
St. Louis Sports blog
by stlcardsfan4 on Jun 19, 2010 3:40 PM EDT up reply actions
that's always bugged me
worse, those aren’t even tracked afaik. It would be nice to be able to get that data from B-R.
Well the girls would turn the color of the avocado when he would drive down the street in his El Dorado... -the modern lovers
As compared with Ludwick's
4 for 7, 8 RBI with a runner on third <2 outs
.571/.400./.857/1.257
Pujolsian numbers
"They're so stunned they didn't even boo!"
John Rooney 5/3/10 referring to Philly fans on Cards 5-run 7th inning
There is a thing to take note of (ignoring whether or not Holliday should be at “fault” for his RISP performance – this has been addressed by others) is that there’s a flip side to the equation. If he’s underperforming in runner-on-base situations, there’s also the strong mitigating factor of overperforming in bases-empty situations.
Hits with runners in scoring position are more valuable than hits with nobody on, but people generally vastly overrate the difference in value. If you have a team that’s hitting .270 in all situations and another .270 team that has a 50 point RISP vs. empty advantage, the latter team will score more runs but not that many. A team with 6000 PA in a season and Holliday’s BA split, as extreme as it looks, would be expected to underperform their RC by about 100 runs, or about 1 run per 60 PA, so in Holliday’s case, we’re only talking about 4 runs with no reason to think that it’s a skill going forward.
--
Dan Szymborski
BTF
Dan on ESPN Insider
by D.Szymborski on Jun 19, 2010 6:21 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
This assumes that the baseline...
is somewhere in between his bases empty performance and RISP performance. We want the bases empty performance all the time!
DFA Miles, Call up Cox
And I’d like to date Monica Bellucci.
--
Dan Szymborski
BTF
Dan on ESPN Insider
by D.Szymborski on Jun 19, 2010 10:49 PM EDT up reply actions
CJ Beatty laughs at A-Ram
cjbeatty44 We need one win to clinch playoffs! We going to do it tonight….to stop us the Cubs called Aramis Ramirez down to rehab in Peoria…lol 3 minutes ago via Echofon
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
i love that guy
"He’s in his own world out there. He says he doesn’t cuss. I disagree." - Skip Schumaker on Jason Motte
Austin Wilson, please don't be a tease!
god bless you.
i just browsed through the team store…no Hotme Hotcia shirts. sad.
"...and pujols has given st louis the lead"
The Best Defensive Play I Have Seen in Person
follow me on teh twitterz @greenfieldt
it is sad.
follow me on twitter @nickg105
by stlcardinalsfang on Jun 19, 2010 3:38 PM EDT up reply actions
Wow. The NL Central is on fire!
"In 2035, 25 young men will be able to call themselves world champions. Some of those guys haven’t even been born yet. And some of them are Asian." -Mike Shannon
Ugly.
It’s sad how we’re the division leader with the worst record, but adjusted record is at the top of the league. At least according to the expected win-loss at mlb.com and the BP adjusted standings.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
It's frustrating that we haven't run away with it.
Yet.
"In 2035, 25 young men will be able to call themselves world champions. Some of those guys haven’t even been born yet. And some of them are Asian." -Mike Shannon
i deem it pierogi related.
"We were men - flesh and blood - and we played baseball in the sunshine. We hit doubles off the wall, slid hard into second base. We had fights, and we made love. We sang songs and prayed on Sundays. . . . We felt pain. And we felt joy. There was a lot wrong with the world. But we weren't sad, man. We had the times of our lives." Buck O'Neil, from "The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's America."
Now I understand what this means...
go figure… Re-sign the GM, fire the Pierogi. Thank God for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
DFA Miles, Call up Cox
if the pierogi could catch they'd be a much better team
doumit has 51 sb’s against, only 5 caught-stealing. and that’s only one aspect of his all-around poor defense and catching ability.
they do have their recent first-round pick, tony sanchez, progressing well in the minors. he’s touted for his defense, and so far his power hasn’t declined as was expected for him in transitioning from aluminum to wood bats. along with their other top prospects already called up – alvarez, tabata, and walker – they could be pretty decent positionally other than ss:
of: tabata, cutch, jones
inf: alvarez, walker, doumit (1b), ss other than cedeno
c: sanchez
sanchez isn’t quite ready and they don’t presently have a ss other than cedeno, but both could change by the end of the year, or next year for sure, and then that wouldn’t be a bad starting eight for the money.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
Heh, remember early in the season when Pittsburgh was sitting at like 14-13
with a -80 or so run differential? Predictive statistics strike again!
Now, if the Cards could just catch up to where they are supposed to be, all will be right in the world.
"If I'm in a slump, I ask myself for advice" - Ichiro
Milwaukee is the hottest team in the division with that incredible 5-5 last 10 games!
by jd is legend on Jun 19, 2010 2:45 PM EDT up reply actions
there are only three teams in the NL with winning records over the last ten (braves, mets, giants).
hooray interleague!
"We were men - flesh and blood - and we played baseball in the sunshine. We hit doubles off the wall, slid hard into second base. We had fights, and we made love. We sang songs and prayed on Sundays. . . . We felt pain. And we felt joy. There was a lot wrong with the world. But we weren't sad, man. We had the times of our lives." Buck O'Neil, from "The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's America."
We're 66-74 with 112 to play...
we got this. At 0-7 in interleague the Pirates have underperformed their true talent level.
DFA Miles, Call up Cox
12 game losing streak for Pittsburgh
Hot damn. The losing season streak will undoubtedly carry on too, unless of course their manager is visited by an angel who offers miraculous intervention in exchange for a moratorium on swearing. It happened in a movie, so it could actually happen…. right?
VivaElBirdos: Celebrating glorious mustaches since 2009
by redbirdnation8206 on Jun 19, 2010 5:27 PM EDT up reply actions
hey
it could happen
"He’s in his own world out there. He says he doesn’t cuss. I disagree." - Skip Schumaker on Jason Motte
Austin Wilson, please don't be a tease!
from the Cards MLB.com site
Cardinals: If at first …
The Cardinals are 25-5 (.833 winning percentage) when scoring first this season, the best record in the National League. They trail only the New York Yankees for the Major League lead in this category; the Yankees are 27-5 (.844) when scoring first. … Outfielder Colby Rascal has six home runs in 13 games in June, tying his output from April for the most prolific home run month of his career./blockquote>
http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2010_06_19_oakmlb_slnmlb_1&mode=preview
(i cant get the link generator to work, but that’s the url)
C'mon you Redbirds, lets prove em' wrong, again!
it worked without me doing anything
Win!
C'mon you Redbirds, lets prove em' wrong, again!
by yer dog first on Jun 19, 2010 3:14 PM EDT up reply actions
Colby Rascal?
Baseball makes the world go 'round, or at least in my world it does.
by Whiteyballer on Jun 19, 2010 3:14 PM EDT up reply actions
isn't that just last year's colby meme?
the dude has the 6th best wOBA in the NL.
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
That is why I posted the quote
Its still funny to me that his name still eludes people.
C'mon you Redbirds, lets prove em' wrong, again!
by yer dog first on Jun 19, 2010 3:22 PM EDT up reply actions
its Rasmus
i don’t get it.. its not a bizzare last name, its pretty simple… why can noone spell his name (its also not like he’s a bench player who is hot right now… he’s been at the top of the league)
Rasmus can hit lefties
cardinalred
St. Louis Sports blog
by stlcardsfan4 on Jun 19, 2010 3:42 PM EDT up reply actions
because FESPN
a mid-market non-east or west coast team in the NL is fatal.
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
but it's not leach,
so it might have been written by a generic MLB writer who knows nothing about the cardinals
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
Or just an errant spell-check mistake.
"...and pujols has given st louis the lead"
The Best Defensive Play I Have Seen in Person
follow me on teh twitterz @greenfieldt
i think its happened so many times
that its not just a spell-check mistake (and if it is enter RASMUS onto the words)
Rasmus can hit lefties
cardinalred
St. Louis Sports blog
by stlcardsfan4 on Jun 19, 2010 4:01 PM EDT up reply actions
or it might have been a closet hat-tip to VEB
Well the girls would turn the color of the avocado when he would drive down the street in his El Dorado... -the modern lovers
theyre a year late
"He’s in his own world out there. He says he doesn’t cuss. I disagree." - Skip Schumaker on Jason Motte
Austin Wilson, please don't be a tease!
When does Skip become too expensive to bother with, even assuming he returns to his normal offensive output?
At some point we need to trade him, right? He’s just not gonna light the world on fire, and he will only be cheap for so long.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
After his contract's up in a year in a half
Of all sad words of tongue or pen; the saddest are these: 'It might have been!'
I would like to see other clubs' opinions
of Skippy’s trade value.
Carry the battle to them. Don't let them bring it to you. Put them on the defensive and don't ever apologize for anything.
zero.
follow me on twitter @nickg105
by stlcardinalsfang on Jun 19, 2010 3:27 PM EDT up reply actions
would YOU take schumaker on your team?
follow me on twitter @nickg105
by stlcardinalsfang on Jun 19, 2010 3:32 PM EDT up reply actions
if i had a need
for a decent hitting, versatile MIF/OF and the cardinals didn’t want too much for him, definitely
especially at $2MM or whatever he’s making this year. now, his trade value probably isn’t that high now since he’s been struggling, but i think he’s a valuable piece
is there a bunch of skip hate going on based on his performance? i thought VEB used to be a big skip lovefest
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
i love skippy
i just don’t think he has much trade value.
follow me on twitter @nickg105
by stlcardinalsfang on Jun 19, 2010 3:46 PM EDT up reply actions
not right now
if he were hitting like he’s capable, though, i’m sure a few teams would like to have him for the right price. i mean, come on, he’s an above average hitter who can play like 5 positions
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
5 positions?
i’d give him two. 2b and the three OF positions = 4; 4 x half-assed = 2.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
above average hitter?
Carry the battle to them. Don't let them bring it to you. Put them on the defensive and don't ever apologize for anything.
Ankiel and Schumaker!
best outfield-to-home relay in the bigs!
"He’s in his own world out there. He says he doesn’t cuss. I disagree." - Skip Schumaker on Jason Motte
Austin Wilson, please don't be a tease!
Several buckets of baseballs...
…and perhaps a coupon to a mid-level restaurant in that city, redeemable on Tuesdays and Wednesdays only, and only for lunch.
Unless we’re talking about the Royals, who would probably snatch Skippy up and have him hit third or something because the only thing keeping him from stardom is the fact that he’s not yet had a change of scenery.
VivaElBirdos: Celebrating glorious mustaches since 2009
by redbirdnation8206 on Jun 19, 2010 5:30 PM EDT up reply actions
any team where mike aviles has to fight yuniesky betancourt for playing time has some serious problems in the MIF.
"We were men - flesh and blood - and we played baseball in the sunshine. We hit doubles off the wall, slid hard into second base. We had fights, and we made love. We sang songs and prayed on Sundays. . . . We felt pain. And we felt joy. There was a lot wrong with the world. But we weren't sad, man. We had the times of our lives." Buck O'Neil, from "The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's America."
i'm hanging out in the westin lobby or whatever
waiting for landsickness, but come visit if you’re around the stadium!
"...and pujols has given st louis the lead"
The Best Defensive Play I Have Seen in Person
follow me on teh twitterz @greenfieldt
Ted Lily nearly threw a no-hitter last time out.
Against the Angels today: 5.1 IP, 9H, 7ER.
I'm out of champagna. How about some 7-Up and Mad Dog 20/20?
by The Continental on Jun 19, 2010 3:49 PM EDT reply actions
regression's a bitch
Rasmus can hit lefties
cardinalred
St. Louis Sports blog
by stlcardsfan4 on Jun 19, 2010 3:50 PM EDT up reply actions
i wonder
if it has anything to do with him throwing like 140 pitches last time
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
You might be on to something there.
Also- Nicely done Castro.
I'm out of champagna. How about some 7-Up and Mad Dog 20/20?
by The Continental on Jun 19, 2010 3:53 PM EDT up reply actions
Now would be a great time...
…for the video of Lilly firing his glove into the mound.
VivaElBirdos: Celebrating glorious mustaches since 2009
by redbirdnation8206 on Jun 19, 2010 5:34 PM EDT up reply actions
OT: If your not going to VEB day see the roller girls tonight!
My roller girls are cute on the news!
"How depressing is it being you? Would you equate it to being a lifelong Cubs fan?"
Heh, pretty nice.
I thought they were the Arch Rivals, though.
John Fuller looked pretty awkward, but I’ll give him credit for getting out from behind the weather desk at least.
I'm out of champagna. How about some 7-Up and Mad Dog 20/20?
by The Continental on Jun 19, 2010 4:06 PM EDT up reply actions
The league name is the Arch Rival Roller Girls
they’re broken down into 3, possibly 4 by next season teams.
The 4 girls where Ms. Lippy, Deathica Steele and Smarty Mcfly all from the Stunt Devils, last year champions. The tall one in the glasses, camo and cracking herself up over asking the weather man about the weather was my derby wife Davey Blockit, who’s on the Smashies who they’re playing tonight and will play in the championship double header (were my team the Gatekeepers are playing before them) next month.
They have a travel team they call the ARRG All stars and thier B team, the lunachix.
"How depressing is it being you? Would you equate it to being a lifelong Cubs fan?"
Happy Birthday by the way rocK.
You're the fail to my win?
"There is not a better feeling in the whole world than knowing that you are the best team in both leagues."- Bob Forsch on winning the 1982 World Series.
by MaytheForschbewithyou on Jun 19, 2010 4:54 PM EDT up reply actions
thanks buddy, i'm stuck at work at the moment and its brutal
I’m totally gonna make up for it tonight. I’m drinking until i’m somebody else’s problem.
"How depressing is it being you? Would you equate it to being a lifelong Cubs fan?"
Sounds like a great time.lol
If I were a few years younger and single I would totally show up to see it.
You're the fail to my win?
"There is not a better feeling in the whole world than knowing that you are the best team in both leagues."- Bob Forsch on winning the 1982 World Series.
by MaytheForschbewithyou on Jun 19, 2010 5:13 PM EDT up reply actions
hfs john fuller is old. also that camera work is making me seasick.
looks like fun.
"We were men - flesh and blood - and we played baseball in the sunshine. We hit doubles off the wall, slid hard into second base. We had fights, and we made love. We sang songs and prayed on Sundays. . . . We felt pain. And we felt joy. There was a lot wrong with the world. But we weren't sad, man. We had the times of our lives." Buck O'Neil, from "The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's America."
I thought the dude retired.
Or at least they had a retirement thing for him on Channel 5. Maybe it was a “get the hell outta here” thing.
You're the fail to my win?
"There is not a better feeling in the whole world than knowing that you are the best team in both leagues."- Bob Forsch on winning the 1982 World Series.
by MaytheForschbewithyou on Jun 19, 2010 6:17 PM EDT up reply actions
They asked him to take pay cut, again.
He’d already complied several times, but he didn’t want to take another one. So they forced him to quit.
Regression, bitches.
I woulda walked out, too.
You're the fail to my win?
"There is not a better feeling in the whole world than knowing that you are the best team in both leagues."- Bob Forsch on winning the 1982 World Series.
by MaytheForschbewithyou on Jun 20, 2010 9:33 AM EDT up reply actions
Good heavens, where are my manners?
I'm out of champagna. How about some 7-Up and Mad Dog 20/20?
by The Continental on Jun 19, 2010 4:09 PM EDT up reply actions
it's ok
the cubs are the exception to the "manners’ rule.
Albert's grand slam, 7/3/09
@zoomzoomj88
Boog's stache is back!
Jeff Passan is an asshat
Cardinal draft pick
John Gast (LHP) is coming in vs. TCU right now on the wwl.
Carry the battle to them. Don't let them bring it to you. Put them on the defensive and don't ever apologize for anything.
Thanks for the heads-up
and just in time for the Angels to finish off the Cubs.
I'm out of champagna. How about some 7-Up and Mad Dog 20/20?
by The Continental on Jun 19, 2010 4:07 PM EDT up reply actions
What's the catcher looking at on his wrist?
The signs?
I'm out of champagna. How about some 7-Up and Mad Dog 20/20?
by The Continental on Jun 19, 2010 4:18 PM EDT up reply actions
Yea,
lots (all?) of college teams use those similar to the ones quarterbacks use to call plays.
by ArkansasTravs on Jun 19, 2010 7:53 PM EDT up reply actions
So, low 90s FB
some promising breaking stuff. Spotty command.
That about right?
I'm out of champagna. How about some 7-Up and Mad Dog 20/20?
by The Continental on Jun 19, 2010 4:21 PM EDT up reply actions
Sounds right
I liked the cutting action on his FB, should translate very well to wood bats. Given his spotty numbers at FSU, he looked better than I expected.
Carry the battle to them. Don't let them bring it to you. Put them on the defensive and don't ever apologize for anything.
on espn?
Carry the battle to them. Don't let them bring it to you. Put them on the defensive and don't ever apologize for anything.
i actually haven't used it that much
the first day i had the phone i tried to watch some padres game, but it just cut out and went to something else after like the second inning
occasionally i watch the espn news. i keep forgetting to try to watch BBTN
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
i am insanely jealous of all the different mobile viewing shit when i get gameday on my BB and that's it.
still, it’s against my nature to leave someone hanging. . . . .
\o
"We were men - flesh and blood - and we played baseball in the sunshine. We hit doubles off the wall, slid hard into second base. We had fights, and we made love. We sang songs and prayed on Sundays. . . . We felt pain. And we felt joy. There was a lot wrong with the world. But we weren't sad, man. We had the times of our lives." Buck O'Neil, from "The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's America."
Is that Karl Rav-his-face calling the game?
I'm out of champagna. How about some 7-Up and Mad Dog 20/20?
by The Continental on Jun 19, 2010 4:58 PM EDT up reply actions
good call. i meant to throw in a link that FR had put up to the signing status of our draftees.
the cards are doing pretty good. they’ve gotten our third-rounder signed already and 30+ of the 53 or so that we drafted signed already.
"We were men - flesh and blood - and we played baseball in the sunshine. We hit doubles off the wall, slid hard into second base. We had fights, and we made love. We sang songs and prayed on Sundays. . . . We felt pain. And we felt joy. There was a lot wrong with the world. But we weren't sad, man. We had the times of our lives." Buck O'Neil, from "The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's America."
Manute Bol died today of kidney failure.
Just 47 YO.
I'm out of champagna. How about some 7-Up and Mad Dog 20/20?
by The Continental on Jun 19, 2010 4:17 PM EDT reply actions
His transition to a deadly three point threat...
was one of the more unlikely turns in sports history.
DFA Miles, Call up Cox
I wonder how long it'll be until announcers just stay in the studio
and call the game from TV feeds.
I'm out of champagna. How about some 7-Up and Mad Dog 20/20?
by The Continental on Jun 19, 2010 5:04 PM EDT reply actions
ESPN did that at the last World Cup, ifing I recall correctly.
It did not translate well.
"In 2035, 25 young men will be able to call themselves world champions. Some of those guys haven’t even been born yet. And some of them are Asian." -Mike Shannon
Yep. I think they did that in 2002 as well.
Cheapskates.
>Pitcher Change: Felipe Lopez replaces Ryan Franklin, batting 7th, replacing third baseman Felipe Lopez
I Live in Atlanta
and while listening to a braves game during their recent stand against Arizona the color commentary fellow mentioned Reynolds and Davis were business partners in a clothing company. I’m betting there might be a correlation between that and the random ad.
Moz=Bad GM
hah!
re: vuvuzelas -
Boggs: tragic
Franklin: annoying, but can be ignored
Motte: sure! that’d be great!
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
by Yadi2Second on Jun 19, 2010 6:52 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Rec'd for Motte
(Out of fear)
>Pitcher Change: Felipe Lopez replaces Ryan Franklin, batting 7th, replacing third baseman Felipe Lopez
if he's charging you, just throw water at him
he’ll remember that he’s thirsty, and you’ll have time to get away
you can’t outrun the heater, that’s for sure.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
by Yadi2Second on Jun 20, 2010 12:35 PM EDT up reply actions
there's Soup showing his value
making Carp laugh.
he entertains him. so he stays.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
6:30 start time, btw.
grounds crew and Joe West decided.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
Delayed start
Gametime is now 6:30 for those of you at the bucks. Mother of fuck. My punishment for not arriving in redbirds garb.
check out VEB on facebook...just search groups for Viva El Birdos
by Dttl89 on Jun 19, 2010 6:58 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Hey guys, Brad Lidge just imploded!!
I know I’m supposed to root for the NL in interleague, but I just love watching him lose it.
blarg
So, for people like me that are challenged in the time zone department.
How long hour and minute wise till the game starts?
In baseball the object is to go home! And to be safe! "I hope I'll be safe at home!"
-George Carlin (RIP)
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