About a month ago the Boston Red Sox decided to move Jacoby Ellsbury out of the lead-off spot. Many people were taken aback, fantasy managers in particular, feeling that Ellsbury was a natural at this spot. He was hitting around .300 and had over twenty stolen bases. However, when you examine the numbers a [...]
Archive for June, 2009
The Red Sox Genius
Posted in Opinion, tagged Baseball Between The Numbers, Baseball Prospectus, BLOOP, Boston Red Sox, J.D. Drew, Jacoby Ellsbury, James Click, OBP, Optimal Batting Order, Sabremetrics on June 30, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
An Opinion On Small Ball Based on Yesterday’s Jays-Phillies Game
Posted in Opinion, tagged Aaron Hill, Adam Lind, Brad Lidge, Cito Gaston, Harold Reynolds, Jamie Moyer, John Gibbons, John MacDonald, Jose Bautista, Philadelphia Phillies, Russ Adams, Scott Rolen, Small ball, Toronto Blue Jays, Vernon Wells on June 29, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
During yesterday’s game between the Jays and Phillies, Jays manager Cito Gaston made what in my opinion are a couple of questionable decisions. The first I will just mention in passing. The Jays were down 5-4 in the bottom of the eighth with two outs and the bases loaded. Cito elected to remove OF Jose [...]
No Idea What Luis Castillo Was Thinking
Posted in Opinion, tagged Fernando Martinez, Livan Hernandez, Luis Castillo, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Robinson Cano on June 28, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Nothing too fancy with this post, just something I picked up watching the Yankees-Mets game tonight. In the bottom of the 4th, Castillo hit a two-out RBI single to bring in Fernando Martinez, cutting the lead to 3-2. This brought up to bat the pitcher, Livan Hernandez. In this situation it is almost assured that [...]
Cardinals Acquire Mark DeRosa
Posted in News and Notes, tagged CC Sabathia, Chicago Cubs, Chris Perez, Cleveland Indians, Khalil Greene, Mark DeRosa, Mark Shapiro, Milwaukee Brewers, Skip Schumaker, St. Louis Cardinals, Troy Glaus on June 28, 2009 | 3 Comments »
Yesterday, the St. Louis Cardinals filled a huge hole in their team, sending one-time bright prospect Chris Perez and a player to be named later to the Cleveland Indians for versatile infielder Mark DeRosa. This is a perfect trade for both teams. In DeRosa, the Cardinals get a player who can play almost anywhere defensively, [...]
Jeff Bennett Punches A Door, Feels Like An Idiot
Posted in News and Notes, Opinion, tagged Atlanta Braves, Jeff Bennett on June 26, 2009 | 1 Comment »
On Wednesday, Braves reliever Jeff Bennett unleashed his frustration on a door with his non-pitching hand (at least he was smart enough to use his left hand). The end result: a break in his fifth metacarpal below the base of the pinky finger. You might be thinking, hey that is not much of a story. [...]
The Off-Center Camera Angle
Posted in News and Notes, tagged Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Camera Angles, Deadspin, New York Mets, Pedro Feliciano on June 25, 2009 | 2 Comments »
Great link on Deadspin today from Slate about how the angle of the center-field camera skews our perception of the strike zone. It seems so obvious that the best view for fans on TV is from straight-away center, yet only three teams use this angle. The article proves the point by showing a video from a [...]
Rick Reilly As Commissioner: A Pitch Clock?
Posted in Opinion, tagged Albert Pujols, Anothony Reyes, Commissioner, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Dustin McGowan, Edinson Volquez, Ervin Santana, John Maine, Manny Corpas, Pitch Clock, Rick Reilly, Shaun Marcum, Ted Williams on June 22, 2009 | 2 Comments »
A couple of weeks ago Rick Reilly wrote an article detailing the changes he would make if he were MLB commissioner. While there were certainly some valid and well-thought through points, I took serious issue with the first one. We’ll put in a pitch clock. The reason baseball is slower than cold honey tipped over [...]
Sammy Sosa Among The 104 On The 2003 Steroid List
Posted in News and Notes, Opinion, tagged Alex Rodriguez, Mark McGuire, PED's, Sammy Sosa, Steroids on June 17, 2009 | 3 Comments »
One of the worst kept secrets in baseball has come to light, as Sosa has been listed as one of the players who tested positive during the supposedly anonymous testing of 2003. His name follows Alex Rodiguez as the latest star to have his career blemished. I have a couple of problems with this. First [...]
