Terry, I'd put good management at the top of the list. Madden is getting maximum effort from the offense and the defense. Pitching is OK, not good enough IMO to win an extended playoff series. The team as a whole is very young, and recently drafted youngsters like Kyle Schwarber are contributing. They're in the fight for a playoff spot. Personally, I don't care if they miss the playoffs as long as they can sustain the effort they've shown so far and end the season with a winning record. If that happens, I believe they can be a major player in the very near future. (Translation: Wait 'til next year. )
thanks Sid..Don't know whats worse...no heat in winter or no air cond. in summer. My wife wanted a full scale generator 30 years ago...maybe its time!!
thanks Sid...maybe its time for a full scale generator that I have been putting off for 40 years now!
Pirates sweep Dodgers, and last place Oakland takes 3 out of 4 from the 1st place Astros...didn't see either of those coming. Astros really having road woe's. now lost 6 out of last 7 on the road.
Interesting end to the Reds/Dbacks game. Lots of rules broken here... <iframe src='http://m.mlb.com/shared/video/embed/embed.html?content_id=352382383&topic_id=6479266&width=400&height=224&property=mlb' width='400' height='224' frameborder='0'>Your browser does not support iframes.</iframe> Sid can interpret this one! Rule 7.08 says: Any runner is out when -- (a) (1) He runs more than three feet away from his baseline to avoid being tagged unless his action is to avoid interference with a fielder fielding a batted ball. A runner’s baseline is established when the tag attempt occurs and is a straight line from the runner to the base he is attempting to reach safely; or (2) after touching first base, he leaves the baseline, obviously abandoning his effort to touch the next base; Rule 7.08(a) Comment: Any runner after reaching first base who leaves the baseline heading for his dugout or his position believing that there is no further play, may be declared out if the umpire judges the act of the runner to be considered abandoning his efforts to run the bases. Even though an out is called, the ball remains in play in regard to any other runner. This rule also covers the following and similar plays: Less than two out, score tied last of ninth inning, runner on first, batter hits a ball out of park for winning run, the runner on first passes second and thinking the home run automatically wins the game, cuts across diamond toward his bench as batter-runner circles bases. In this case, the base runner would be called out “for abandoning his effort to touch the next base” and batter-runner permitted to continue around bases to make his home run valid. If there are two out, home run would not count (see Rule 7.12). This is not an appeal play..
Interesting. The rule you cited does not directly address what happened. I looked up the game recap on SI.com and found this explanation: I don't know why having only one out negated the Reds' appeal, but apparently that's covered elsewhere in the rules. Good job, Terry, for catching that weird play. By the way, how do you embed a non-YouTube video? You can email me at your convenience with the explanation.
Another night and another loss for the road weary 'Stros. Bumgardner looked unhittable last night...watch out Dodgers if he is ready to rock from here on out.
The Yankee swoon continues as they lose another 2-1 game. I have never seen a team stop hitting in unison like this. Pitching has been outstanding but they cannot score. Now in second place. Blue Jays are unbeatable since Tulowitzki arrived.
Any of you guys fans of all the "new" stats for baseball? I was complaining about the Astros batting averages the other day to a friend of mine who is a stats geek. Altuve is our only guy hitting over .300, next is Correa at .280 and then look out below. Yet we still have a good record and leading our division and we are in the top 10 in run in MLB. So he whips out this stat on me wRC+ anything above .100 is above average in MLB. Says that's why we are doing well. Correa: 147 (11th in the MLB) Lowrie: 142 Springer: 130 Conger: 123 Rasmus: 116 Tucker: 112 Altuve: 107 Gonzalez: 101 Valbuena: 100 I'm sure Sid has this one down, maybe even has an App that keeps track of these things!
No, Terry. There are several new terms used in today's game that are greek to me. This is the first time I've heard of the wRC+. It must be a result of the current generation's search for relevance. I'm like you. I just look at the traditional stats that measure a player's value, you know, the stats that determine whether or not a guy qualifies for the HOF. I don't think that the HOF voters are going to waste their time weighing a position player's wRC+ if his career batting average, HRs, RBIs, etc., are not up to HOF standards. For this reason, I'll let the geeks use their (to me) meaningless calculations, and I'll stick with the old school stats.
8) Let's use the JO'Co standard to measure baseball success. Altuve is the only Astro I've heard of...
Spider Jorgenson once told me that there's a lot of snake oil salesmen in baseball who keep trying to rebrand the god damned slugging percentage, which isn't worth a darn. Hit-Run-Throw that's what the player needs Effective coaching teaches defense and inside game. With those things, and execution, you are nearly unbeatable. I agree with the late Spider, and I believe these new baseball stats fit into that category of snake oil.
More stats ... Does Adrian Beltre need to make it to 3000 hits to make it to the HOF? He'll have to play a couple of more years to do it. But what if he doesn't? Does being a member (#6 on the all time list) of the 400hr/500 doubles club assure him no matter what?
In today's modern baseball, could a guy like Early Wynn even exist? He was quite a character: Wynn was remembered for his toughness and for the frequency with which he threw at batters. He once stated, "I'd knock down my own grandmother if she dug in on me."[34] He also said to reporters: "Why should I worry about hitters? Do they worry about me? Do you ever find a hitter crying because he's hit a line drive through the box? My job is getting hitters out. If I don't get them out I lose. I don't like losing a game any more than a salesman likes losing a big sale. I've got a right to knock down anybody holding a bat."[35] When he was then asked whether he would have the same opinion if the batter were his own mother, he paused and responded, "Mother was a pretty good curveball hitter."[36] In fact, when Wynn was with the Indians, he actually threw a pitch at his own 15-year-old son, Joe. Wynn was throwing pre-game batting practice to Joe, and Joe hit two long drives in a row. Ushers in the nearly empty stadium began to clap. Moments later, Joe was lying flat on his back in the batting cage, frightened by his father's knockdown pitch. Wynn said later, "He was leaning in on me, and I had to show him who was boss."[37]
:arrow: re: Early Wynn There are quite a few guys like that in modern baseball, they just don't talk to reporters about it. The exception was Pedro Martinez. When asked if he would throw at Babe Ruth, he replied, "I'd drill him in the arse too." My old pal Kevin Gross once told me proudly that he "led the league in hit batters "7 or 8 times." He never spoke about it publicly, but he was very proud of that stat. re Adrian Beltre When he first came up with the Dodgers, I said on here that he had a chance to be one of the greatest 3rd basemen ever. I caught all kinds of flak for that. Well...how do you like him now?