Apparently this kid isn't going away, though it feels like he's a 10 year vet already. All this excitement and he hasn't even had his first tommy john procedure. Joe Lemire realizes this, and he knows the heartache of falling in love to fast (someone should write a song about that). This guy Strasburg's already been dating our daughter for the last month and what do we know about him? Thank goodness Joe put together a list of things we need to find out before Strasburg gets to take our daughter to prom in LA this year. (Hint: prom = all-star game; how clever) Joe's words will be in Italics as usual.
Three things we still need to learn about Stephen
Making his fourth start for the Nationals, Stephen Strasburg set another strikeout record.
Lemire hold on, I gotta get to the baseball reference page for Strasburg.
He also suffered his first loss, falling to the Royals 1-0 in Wednesday afternoon's blistering 93-degree heat.
Tough break kid. Just one of the many reasons wins for pitchers is an unfair stat.
He took the defeat through little fault of his own, as his teammates didn't score and managed just five hits.
Welcome to pitching for the Nationals. Good luck kid.
The team's sixth hit? Yep, Strasburg himself got into the act, with a grounder through the right side of the infield on a tough 1-2 inside fastball.
Dear lord, please don't tell me he's an awesome hitter too. (I know it's just one hit)
And so we learned that the rookie phenom can hit as well as pitch, but through four starts against poor-to-middling competition, a few questions still remain:
1. How will he fare against a power-hitting club?
The Royals had nine hits but none went for extra bases. There were so many singles that Rob Dibble quipped on the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network the game was starting to look "like speed dating." At some point Strasburg will start getting tagged by a team with more pop.
To date only three of the 19 hits he's allowed have been for extra bases, and the opposition is a key reason why. The Pirates rank 28th in home runs and 28th in slugging percentage; the Indians rank 25th and 25th in those categories; the White Sox rank eighth and 22nd; and the Royals rank 24th and 15th. Strasburg has faced only two likely All-Star hitters in Chicago's Paul Konerko and Pittsburgh's Andrew McCutcheon, so the jury's out about how he'll fare with multiple threats in each lineup.
A solid point. As an outsider I would say the Nats picked the right time to bring the kid up.
2. How will he do with a serious scouting report?
After his brilliant 14-strikeout debut against the Pirates, Strasburg revealed after the game that the Nationals didn't bother giving him a scouting report of the opposing lineup. "They just told me to go out there and enjoy it," he said at the time.
That's seems horribly irresponsible on the National's end. I get that you don't want to overwhelm the kid but still. He might have struck out 20 instead of 14 if he had one.
Presumably, that component has been slowly incorporated into his preparation,
I don't know, this is the Nationals.
...but now it's time to incorporate a serious game plan to go alongside his preternaturally brilliant stuff.
The Royals, for instance, are a team of hackers. Their .280 team batting average leads the majors, but the 55-point difference between their average and their on-base percentage (.335) is the second-worst differential in baseball behind the Astros, indicating Kansas City's impatience at the plate. Their 201 walks entering the game were third-worst among all teams. Four of their nine hits came on one of the first two pitches of the at-bat, three of them on grooved fastballs. Even though he averaged 96.7 mph on his 54 fastballs, a major league hitter can catch up if he knows it's coming. While it's a good thing to start 23 of 28 hitters with a strike, as Strasburg did, he did so by using a fastball on the first pitch 21 of those times, including 11 of the first 12. Using a few more curves or changeups to begin an at-bat -- pitches Strasburg has shown he can reliably throw for strikes -- will keep opponents more off balance.
Way to break it down Joe. Really, good analysis of his start.
3. Can he keep it up?
What's been most impressive are Strasburg's situational pitching stats. On Wednesday he threw 75 strikes in 95 pitches. He's only allowed three two-strike hits in his four starts. He has yet to walk a hitter leading off an inning. In three of his four outings he didn't walk a single batter. The lone exception came in Cleveland when he had obvious trouble with the condition of the mound and walked five; when he builds a greater sample size, that one may get washed away as a statistical outlier.
That's crazy considering his age and his pitching style as a power guy.
The buzz of "Strasmas" as a holiday has waned slightly, as the Nationals drew 31,913 fans, which is about 8,000 more than their average but about 8,000 fewer than a sellout. Then again, it was a hot, humid Wednesday afternoon.
I just listened to a pod-cast of Wrestling Observer Live where Dave Meltzer discussed and broke down wrestling promoter's various excuses for not being able to draw:
It's too cold, people don't want to leave their houses
It's too warm, everyone want to be outside
It's raining, people don't want to drive
The sun's out, people are at the beaches
My point being that the hot, humid thing is bull.
And so it remains to be seen: Can Strasburg keep performing well enough to turn every start into a must-see event?
Let's hope so because he is definitely an exciting talent to watch.
Case Closed.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
St. Louis is Losing It.
No, not in employment, that already happened. Their writers are losing it when it comes to baseball. Just look at this article here:
Matt Holliday hit parade is also bashing Cardinals' books
Do you bat in the order where you should because of your production?
Before we go on look here or here for just a couple examples of what batting order means.
There's 20 or 30 studies you can find just by Googling 'batting order.' Conclusion, it matters very little. You can put the pitcher in the 3rd spot and it'll cost you team 1 or 2 wins a year. Obviously, you should be fired as a manager if you do that, but still, having Pujols bat 3rd or 4th is relatively meaningless.
Or should your production be judged by where you are in the batting order?
No, your goal, no matter where in the line up you hit, is to get on base. If you get on base 40% of the time and the manager bats you 8th it's not your fault. And you're not better than a guy batting 4th who's getting on base 41% of the time just because you're hitting 8th and less is expected from that spot.
That’s the $17-million question that St. Louis Cardinals’ management is now facing since Matt Holliday’s resurgence while batting second in the lineup.
The reigning NL Player of the week hit .435 with four home runs and eight RBIs during the seven days ending Sunday. The four home runs came against one of Holliday’s former teams and the one who traded him to the Cards last season, the Oakland A’s.
How ironical!
His torrid weekend also began two nights after he heard many boos after a rally-killing strikeout in the third game of the Seattle Mariners’ series, a 2-1 loss.
"They're not saying boo, they're saying 'Boo-urns'.
Holliday, for now, seems comfortable in the No. 2 slot. He hit another homer and had three hits, including an RBI double, in the Cardinals' 9-4 win Tuesday night in Toronto.
Wow, Holliday is "Man On Fire" staring Denzel Washington. Wish he played for my favorite team, they could use the offense in any spot in the their order.
But the organization is paying him to bat fourth behind Albert Pujols. Holliday was a flop in that role because of his lack of RBIs and home runs.
If he wasn't producing he was a flop in any place in the order. It's not like you shouldn't care that you're 8th hitter can't get on base. It hurts the team, no matter what spot it happens in.
The natural thought would be to move Holliday back to the No. 4 hole now that the pop seems to have returned to his bat.
This would be a mistake. But I can see why the Cardinals would want to do this as soon as possible.
I actually agree, don't mess with something that's working. It might not make any difference logically, but hey, if Holliday is hitting like a beast out of the two spot and was hitting like Juan Pierre in the fourth spot then leave well enough alone.
The franchise is faced with paying Pujols a huge amount of money in the next year. If he wants to be a Cardinal, he might have to forego asking for an MLB record contract. But he could still be the game’s highest-paid player.
I kinda get it. I'm not sure. Some numbers would have been helpful here. For instance A-Rod is making 33 Mil a year (The top 4 players in salary this year are ALL on the Yankees/Number 5 is on the Mets). Pujols is not even in the top 25 this year. He's making 14.5 Mil this year. Less than all these players. (Geez, Todd Helton makes more than Pujols.)
The Cardinals certainly have a financial plan that includes having Pujols as a member of the team. But that plan also has $17-million allotted annually to the guy who is supposed to bat fourth. But that player is now batting second in the order.
4th or 2nd, I don't see how it matters, you had the money to spend, you spent it, you're getting production. Seems like it worked out to me.
Holliday’s contribution helped the Cardinals take over first place from the upstart Cincinnati Reds over the past weekend. If his hot streak continues, the Redbirds would be a favorite to win the NL championship and play in the World Series.
I’ve always figured that winning the title was the goal of any season, and if you accomplish that, what difference did it make who batted where in the lineup?
Boom! You nailed it on the head Alvin Reid.
That still makes sense for the Cardinals - but only for this season.
If Holliday is the No 2 hitter, does that make Ryan Ludwick your No. 4 hitter? Last time I looked the guys who bat fourth in the majors make a lot of money.
Not if he plays for the Royals. He makes more than like, a teacher, but he's also vastly more important than teacher. Guillen and Butler have split time batting 4th for the Royals. Butler makes $470,000 and Guillen makes...WOW 12 frickin million. Jose Guillen only makes 2 Mil. less than Pujols. I guess I was wrong there.
Alright better example for me, Pittsburgh. Garrett Jones makes $425,000.
Or, Oakland: Kouzmanoff makes 3.1 Mil; Suzuki makes $420,000.
There point proven. Guys how bat 4th tend to be the guys with the most power potential on the team. They don't bat there just because they're getting paid a lot.
Look no further than Holliday to prove that point. His dollars are based on him batting fourth.
I guess if you're going on the loose theory that he is supposed to "protect" Pujols, then yes that's what he was paid for. But mostly, he was paid to produce. And that is what he's doing. At the exact same rate as last year when you went out and got him. Seems like you got what you paid for. In fact his fielding has been twice as good as last year. Nice little bonus.
Every game in which Holliday hits second is more ammunition for Ludwick’s agent to demand more money for his client in the upcoming contract negotiation battle.
Yeah, but if his agent is purely arguing that Ludwick should get more for being a 4th hitter, you should laugh in his face and look for other options.
After all, he’s batting fourth. By the way, he’s also in a slump.
Yes, over the last 11 games he's in a slump. 11 games. Out of a 162 game season. And he was playing out of his mind earlier in the year, Ludwick was bound to come back to Earth. He's at his yearly average this season in OPS and well ahead of last year.
So is Colby Rasmus. Rasmus’ sudden rapid decline came about the same time he surrendered the No. 2 slot to Holliday.
Colby has fluctuated over the same amount of time (though he has 5 homers in those 11 games), it has not been a sudden decline. It's been gradual due to a poor OBP. He's well above where he was last season.
My advice to the Cardinals is to not move Holliday back to the No. 4 slot. For at least this year, let him do his thing before Pujols bats.
Sounds good, I agreed earlier with that.
Pujols has not responded in kind to Holliday’s hot streak.
Why would he? Do they have some sort of mind meld going on?
But, like so many other fans, I really do think he will have a stunning second half of the season.
Pujols' OPS is .962 this year. Sure, that's not great for PUJOLS, but still. Over the same time period of the last 11 games he's putting up the same stats as Rasmus, but for opposite reasons (getting on base a lot, not much power). The point being, no one in the line up is in that bad of a slump. Reid is seeing something that is not there.
Well, let me temper that by adding that Pujols’ second half will be super if he stays free from injury. I still wonder if he is injured right now.
That's a scary concept if this is how he plays when he's hurt. He's only ARGUABLY the best hitter in the league as opposed to INARGUABLY the best.
By keeping Holliday at No. 2, the Cardinals are straying from what accountants know is best for the franchise. In other words, what the best way is for the Cards’ owners to earn a profit while also competing for the playoffs.
What do accountants care if the No. 2 hitter is better than the No. 4 hitter?
I was a strong advocate of the St. Louis Rams drafting Sam Bradford with the NFL’s first pick not only for his talent, but also because of the investment.
If I were an owner I would not pay a defensive tackle – even one as gifted as Ndamukong Suh – as much money a quarterback drafted in the first round.
I agree there, but that is not an apt comparison.
The position being played does make a difference. It is very dramatic in football. It is much more subtle in baseball when it comes to the batting order. But it does make a difference.
No it really doesn't. Not at all. Paying a great #2 hitter a lot of money is just as valuable as paying a great #4 hitter the same money for the same production.
That’s where the Cardinals are right now; they are happy for Holliday’s hit parade. Yet, the franchise is faced with the fact his move to No. 2 throws a wrench in the financial mechanism.
Are you serious that the Cardinals base their budget on batting order? That's completely ridiculous if it's true. That means you're accepting mediocrity from certain batting positions since you won't pay players in them above a certain amount. Well, that works for the Yankees right?
The move could easily lead to Ludwick being low-balled in contract negotiations and his moving on to another team.
Because of where he bats you're going to low-ball him? Don't teams generally try to do that anyway? If he expects more money because he's producing more, then he's right to do so. If he expects more money for the same production at a different spot in the lineup then I'd say "bye, bye, bye" (BOOM!!! A 90's N'sync reference. Frickin sweet. That's how you lower the comedic hammer).
The move could also lead to further offensive woes this season for Ludwick and Rasmus.
Read above, they're not doing that badly.
But the move could also help put the Cards in the World Series.
If you believe the move would make your better hitters worse than how would it help get you to the World Series? Magic and Fairy dust? (I wish I had seen Avatar because I bet I could make a reference to that movie right here.)
Isn’t that the object of the game?
No, apparently it's to make sure your players bat in an order based on what you paid them.
Case Closed.
Matt Holliday hit parade is also bashing Cardinals' books
Do you bat in the order where you should because of your production?
Before we go on look here or here for just a couple examples of what batting order means.
There's 20 or 30 studies you can find just by Googling 'batting order.' Conclusion, it matters very little. You can put the pitcher in the 3rd spot and it'll cost you team 1 or 2 wins a year. Obviously, you should be fired as a manager if you do that, but still, having Pujols bat 3rd or 4th is relatively meaningless.
Or should your production be judged by where you are in the batting order?
No, your goal, no matter where in the line up you hit, is to get on base. If you get on base 40% of the time and the manager bats you 8th it's not your fault. And you're not better than a guy batting 4th who's getting on base 41% of the time just because you're hitting 8th and less is expected from that spot.
That’s the $17-million question that St. Louis Cardinals’ management is now facing since Matt Holliday’s resurgence while batting second in the lineup.
The reigning NL Player of the week hit .435 with four home runs and eight RBIs during the seven days ending Sunday. The four home runs came against one of Holliday’s former teams and the one who traded him to the Cards last season, the Oakland A’s.
How ironical!
His torrid weekend also began two nights after he heard many boos after a rally-killing strikeout in the third game of the Seattle Mariners’ series, a 2-1 loss.
"They're not saying boo, they're saying 'Boo-urns'.
Holliday, for now, seems comfortable in the No. 2 slot. He hit another homer and had three hits, including an RBI double, in the Cardinals' 9-4 win Tuesday night in Toronto.
Wow, Holliday is "Man On Fire" staring Denzel Washington. Wish he played for my favorite team, they could use the offense in any spot in the their order.
But the organization is paying him to bat fourth behind Albert Pujols. Holliday was a flop in that role because of his lack of RBIs and home runs.
If he wasn't producing he was a flop in any place in the order. It's not like you shouldn't care that you're 8th hitter can't get on base. It hurts the team, no matter what spot it happens in.
The natural thought would be to move Holliday back to the No. 4 hole now that the pop seems to have returned to his bat.
This would be a mistake. But I can see why the Cardinals would want to do this as soon as possible.
I actually agree, don't mess with something that's working. It might not make any difference logically, but hey, if Holliday is hitting like a beast out of the two spot and was hitting like Juan Pierre in the fourth spot then leave well enough alone.
The franchise is faced with paying Pujols a huge amount of money in the next year. If he wants to be a Cardinal, he might have to forego asking for an MLB record contract. But he could still be the game’s highest-paid player.
I kinda get it. I'm not sure. Some numbers would have been helpful here. For instance A-Rod is making 33 Mil a year (The top 4 players in salary this year are ALL on the Yankees/Number 5 is on the Mets). Pujols is not even in the top 25 this year. He's making 14.5 Mil this year. Less than all these players. (Geez, Todd Helton makes more than Pujols.)
The Cardinals certainly have a financial plan that includes having Pujols as a member of the team. But that plan also has $17-million allotted annually to the guy who is supposed to bat fourth. But that player is now batting second in the order.
4th or 2nd, I don't see how it matters, you had the money to spend, you spent it, you're getting production. Seems like it worked out to me.
Holliday’s contribution helped the Cardinals take over first place from the upstart Cincinnati Reds over the past weekend. If his hot streak continues, the Redbirds would be a favorite to win the NL championship and play in the World Series.
I’ve always figured that winning the title was the goal of any season, and if you accomplish that, what difference did it make who batted where in the lineup?
Boom! You nailed it on the head Alvin Reid.
That still makes sense for the Cardinals - but only for this season.
If Holliday is the No 2 hitter, does that make Ryan Ludwick your No. 4 hitter? Last time I looked the guys who bat fourth in the majors make a lot of money.
Not if he plays for the Royals. He makes more than like, a teacher, but he's also vastly more important than teacher. Guillen and Butler have split time batting 4th for the Royals. Butler makes $470,000 and Guillen makes...WOW 12 frickin million. Jose Guillen only makes 2 Mil. less than Pujols. I guess I was wrong there.
Alright better example for me, Pittsburgh. Garrett Jones makes $425,000.
Or, Oakland: Kouzmanoff makes 3.1 Mil; Suzuki makes $420,000.
There point proven. Guys how bat 4th tend to be the guys with the most power potential on the team. They don't bat there just because they're getting paid a lot.
Look no further than Holliday to prove that point. His dollars are based on him batting fourth.
I guess if you're going on the loose theory that he is supposed to "protect" Pujols, then yes that's what he was paid for. But mostly, he was paid to produce. And that is what he's doing. At the exact same rate as last year when you went out and got him. Seems like you got what you paid for. In fact his fielding has been twice as good as last year. Nice little bonus.
Every game in which Holliday hits second is more ammunition for Ludwick’s agent to demand more money for his client in the upcoming contract negotiation battle.
Yeah, but if his agent is purely arguing that Ludwick should get more for being a 4th hitter, you should laugh in his face and look for other options.
After all, he’s batting fourth. By the way, he’s also in a slump.
Yes, over the last 11 games he's in a slump. 11 games. Out of a 162 game season. And he was playing out of his mind earlier in the year, Ludwick was bound to come back to Earth. He's at his yearly average this season in OPS and well ahead of last year.
So is Colby Rasmus. Rasmus’ sudden rapid decline came about the same time he surrendered the No. 2 slot to Holliday.
Colby has fluctuated over the same amount of time (though he has 5 homers in those 11 games), it has not been a sudden decline. It's been gradual due to a poor OBP. He's well above where he was last season.
My advice to the Cardinals is to not move Holliday back to the No. 4 slot. For at least this year, let him do his thing before Pujols bats.
Sounds good, I agreed earlier with that.
Pujols has not responded in kind to Holliday’s hot streak.
Why would he? Do they have some sort of mind meld going on?
But, like so many other fans, I really do think he will have a stunning second half of the season.
Pujols' OPS is .962 this year. Sure, that's not great for PUJOLS, but still. Over the same time period of the last 11 games he's putting up the same stats as Rasmus, but for opposite reasons (getting on base a lot, not much power). The point being, no one in the line up is in that bad of a slump. Reid is seeing something that is not there.
Well, let me temper that by adding that Pujols’ second half will be super if he stays free from injury. I still wonder if he is injured right now.
That's a scary concept if this is how he plays when he's hurt. He's only ARGUABLY the best hitter in the league as opposed to INARGUABLY the best.
By keeping Holliday at No. 2, the Cardinals are straying from what accountants know is best for the franchise. In other words, what the best way is for the Cards’ owners to earn a profit while also competing for the playoffs.
What do accountants care if the No. 2 hitter is better than the No. 4 hitter?
I was a strong advocate of the St. Louis Rams drafting Sam Bradford with the NFL’s first pick not only for his talent, but also because of the investment.
If I were an owner I would not pay a defensive tackle – even one as gifted as Ndamukong Suh – as much money a quarterback drafted in the first round.
I agree there, but that is not an apt comparison.
The position being played does make a difference. It is very dramatic in football. It is much more subtle in baseball when it comes to the batting order. But it does make a difference.
No it really doesn't. Not at all. Paying a great #2 hitter a lot of money is just as valuable as paying a great #4 hitter the same money for the same production.
That’s where the Cardinals are right now; they are happy for Holliday’s hit parade. Yet, the franchise is faced with the fact his move to No. 2 throws a wrench in the financial mechanism.
Are you serious that the Cardinals base their budget on batting order? That's completely ridiculous if it's true. That means you're accepting mediocrity from certain batting positions since you won't pay players in them above a certain amount. Well, that works for the Yankees right?
The move could easily lead to Ludwick being low-balled in contract negotiations and his moving on to another team.
Because of where he bats you're going to low-ball him? Don't teams generally try to do that anyway? If he expects more money because he's producing more, then he's right to do so. If he expects more money for the same production at a different spot in the lineup then I'd say "bye, bye, bye" (BOOM!!! A 90's N'sync reference. Frickin sweet. That's how you lower the comedic hammer).
The move could also lead to further offensive woes this season for Ludwick and Rasmus.
Read above, they're not doing that badly.
But the move could also help put the Cards in the World Series.
If you believe the move would make your better hitters worse than how would it help get you to the World Series? Magic and Fairy dust? (I wish I had seen Avatar because I bet I could make a reference to that movie right here.)
Isn’t that the object of the game?
No, apparently it's to make sure your players bat in an order based on what you paid them.
Case Closed.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Interleague Smitterleague
I've been waiting for someone to write this article so I could tear them apart. Thanks Rob Rains, that's a hell of a sweater. Me in regular typeface/Rob in Italics
Rains: Cardinals-Blue Jays? Yes, interleague play is for the birds
The Cardinals open a three-game series Tuesday night in Toronto. Pardon me if I yawn.
Understand, I have nothing against Canada. It is a fine country.
Communist.
I used to enjoy going to Montreal twice a year.
Pansy
I could tolerate Youpi, and the chorus of The Happy Wanderer from the fans at Olympic Stadium. I didn’t even mind going through customs, telling the nice agent that I had no intention of visiting a farm while I was in their country.
Which was a lie, Rob Reins smuggled trough 2,000 tons of Candian corn into our country during his tenure as a baseball beat writer. I can't prove this, but why would he prematurely deny it?
I
t’s interleague play that I can’t stand.
Here we go.
Having watched the Seattle Mariners and the Oakland A’s play the Cardinals for the past week, I realized once again how much I dislike one of Bud Selig’s favorite changes to the game. I will admit that when Bud created the wild card, I was against it too, but over the years I have changed my mind and realize that it has generated some extra excitement and interest late in the season that otherwise would not exist.
That is not the case with interleague play, however. It is an idea whose time has come and gone. If you are a National League club not named the Dodgers, Giants, Cubs or Mets, there are only two AL teams you would like to see on your schedule – the Yankees or Red Sox.
Really? I would think those were the LAST teams you would want to see. Unless you were the owner I suppose.
Those four NL clubs have built-in rivals who play in their same market, so those games are naturally appealing to fans in those areas. For all of the other match-ups going on over this two-week period? Forget it.
In addition to the Cardinals-Blue Jays excitement, fans in Washington are no doubt doing cartwheels about the Royals coming to town.
I'm going to guess that Rob has not been paying attention this year or he would know the Blue Jays are arguably the 4th best team in the AL. I think one would welcome a match up of two top teams in their respective leagues. Fans in Washington are still doing cartwheels over Strasburg being the second coming. But I'm sure when they see they get to beat the Royals for a few games they'll be even more ecstatic.
Thirty minutes up the road, fans in Baltimore are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Florida Marlins. The Pirates certainly will have fans of the Texas Rangers excited, and I hope the Tampa Bay Rays have brought in extra ushers to handle the throngs of fans who will turn out with the Padres in town.
Because watching the Orioles play the Royals is much more exciting. Or the way people turn out to see the A's come into town.
Before anybody who likes interleague play, for some reason, points out there are a lot of uninteresting match-ups the rest of the season when the NL plays the NL and the AL plays the AL too, I will agree with you – with one major exception.
Alright he caught me there. Go on.
These teams are in the same league. They have to play each other. It’s how they decide who will win the division, and advance to the postseason.
Really? The A's vs. the Royals is how we decide who advances to the postseason?
I know the interleague games count in the standings too, and that’s part of the problem. It creates a tremendous imbalance in the schedule, especially for the teams that don’t have a natural rival, like the Cubs-White Sox, Mets-Yankees, etc.
Valid point number one, except EVERYONE has that imbalance. If you're not playing in the AL East, you have an advantage of playing a weaker schedule than anyone in the AL East. Schedules are not fair and balanced in any case.
The only true and fair way to decide a champion is by having every team in a division play the same opponents an equal number of times. That can’t happen with interleague play. Want just one example? The Dodgers play the Angels six times. Their division rival, the Padres, play the Mariners six times. The Dodgers also play a series each against the Yankees and Red Sox while the Padres get the Orioles and Blue Jays.
That's a rough break, but it's the luck of the draw. And it creates bigger matchups that generate more interest in the game. Kinda the price you pay if you are going to be one of the big boys.
Think the Dodgers won’t have a gripe if they lose the NL West to the Padres by a game?
Not really, I mean they have plenty of other games to make up the difference.
I also believe that interleague play has watered down the “importance” or at least interest in the All-Star game.
Using quotes around importance kinda ruins your own argument.
It used to be if you were a fan of an AL or NL team, it was your one chance to see your players play against the stars of the other league. Now, we have seen Ichiro, so there really is nothing special about seeing him in the All-Star game.
Yes, as you can tell Rob does not watch any baseball that doesn't directly involve his team. So the All-Star game is the only time he can watch Ichiro.
Interest in the All-Star game was so bad a few years ago that Bud came up with the idea of having the game decide home field advantage for the World Series. And, worse, he still believes it is a good idea. I would laugh if it wasn’t so sad.
Yes we all hate that idea except Bud.
One of the things which used to be special about the World Series was facing a team that you might never have played at all, or only in spring training. Now we get World Series match-ups that could be the third series those teams have played in that season. That will do a lot for the television ratings.
Because nothing hurts interest between competators like history. Wrestling and MMA know this. That's why they never do rematches. Plus the next season you get to see the previous World Series competetors face off again. Why? Because it's a premium matchup that can only be created if you have interleague play.
Baseball fans in St. Louis don’t care about the Toronto Blue Jays.
Damn!
If we wanted to watch that team play, all we have to do is buy the package from MLB and we could watch all of their games we want. I hope the phone lines aren’t overloaded when you call to place your order.
Do you not like baseball Rob? I love the MLB package. But I'm a baseball fan, so...
Baseball has always been, and I believe always will be, a regional sport. People generally cheer for one team.
As opposed to what sport where you cheer for multiple teams? How did this line get through the editor? What does that have to do with Interleague play anyway?
We like the Cardinals, or the Cubs, or the Reds, or the Phillies. We watch a game or listen on the radio because our team is playing. We watch and pay attention to match-ups in our league because they affect our team. If the Reds are playing the Giants, we care, because a Reds loss helps the Cardinals. A Tampa Bay loss, or another loss by the Orioles, does nothing for us.
That has nothing to do with interleague play. And why wouldn't pay just as much attention to the Reds playing the Giants as you would the Reds playing the Mariners?
The opinion of the people in charge of baseball, of course, is that fans love inter-league play. They will throw out statistics about attendance figures, and how the inter-league games out-draw other games on an annual basis.
Stupid statistics, proving Rob wrong.
Of course they do – because of the Yankees, the Red Sox, the Cubs, the Dodgers and those inter-city games.
Rob, I know you don't pay attention to teams not in your league, but the Yankees and Red Sox draw the same no matter what. So do the Dodgers and Cubs. Interleague play probably means less to them than anyone else.
I think there’s also some funky arithmetic going on. The Cardinals said they had a sellout crowd of more than 42,000 fans for Sunday’s game against the A’s. Funny, but right after that figure was announced, I took a close look at one section in the upper deck in right field. I counted 13 people and 225 empty seats. I guess all of those folks picked the same time to go to the restroom or buy a hot dog.
There were several other sections, also down the left field line, which seemed to be about the same. How could that game be counted as a sell out?
Because they go by tickets available vs. how many seats are available. If you never make a back section available for purchase then it can't count against you.
Because Bud wants us to believe how great interleague play is.
Yes, it's a grand conspiracy.
I know there will be some Cardinal fans in Toronto for this series, even though it won’t be as many as will pack Kaufmann Stadium in Kansas City this weekend. That still doesn’t mean inter-league play is a good idea. Those same fans would be in Cincinnati or Pittsburgh or Atlanta too, if the Cardinals happened to be playing there.
Well traveling with your team is an expensive proposition. Maybe MLB should work out deals with the airlines to make it more accessible for fans.
This is the 14th season of inter-league play, and the original stated intention was that it would give baseball fans a chance to see all of the stars of the other league come through their city. Yes, that’s why the Cardinals have never played in Baltimore, and the Texas Rangers have never played in St. Louis, and why the Cardinals went to Detroit three years in a row.
In those 14 years, the Red Sox have played three regular-season games in St. Louis, the same number as the Yankees. Both series came in 2005, the final year at Busch Stadium II. I guess we will have to start building Busch Stadium IV to get those teams to come back again.
Either that, or play them in the World Series. Now, that sounds like an idea that not even Bud Selig or baseball could screw up.
I have no witty ending. I like interleague play, I think it freshens things up. On a small sample size I always try to get tickets to whatever team from the other league my local team plays. I mean if your a Brewers fan wouldn't you get tired of play the Pirates 20+ times a year? Well maybe not.
Case Closed.
Rains: Cardinals-Blue Jays? Yes, interleague play is for the birds
The Cardinals open a three-game series Tuesday night in Toronto. Pardon me if I yawn.
Understand, I have nothing against Canada. It is a fine country.
Communist.
I used to enjoy going to Montreal twice a year.
Pansy
I could tolerate Youpi, and the chorus of The Happy Wanderer from the fans at Olympic Stadium. I didn’t even mind going through customs, telling the nice agent that I had no intention of visiting a farm while I was in their country.
Which was a lie, Rob Reins smuggled trough 2,000 tons of Candian corn into our country during his tenure as a baseball beat writer. I can't prove this, but why would he prematurely deny it?
I
t’s interleague play that I can’t stand.
Here we go.
Having watched the Seattle Mariners and the Oakland A’s play the Cardinals for the past week, I realized once again how much I dislike one of Bud Selig’s favorite changes to the game. I will admit that when Bud created the wild card, I was against it too, but over the years I have changed my mind and realize that it has generated some extra excitement and interest late in the season that otherwise would not exist.
That is not the case with interleague play, however. It is an idea whose time has come and gone. If you are a National League club not named the Dodgers, Giants, Cubs or Mets, there are only two AL teams you would like to see on your schedule – the Yankees or Red Sox.
Really? I would think those were the LAST teams you would want to see. Unless you were the owner I suppose.
Those four NL clubs have built-in rivals who play in their same market, so those games are naturally appealing to fans in those areas. For all of the other match-ups going on over this two-week period? Forget it.
In addition to the Cardinals-Blue Jays excitement, fans in Washington are no doubt doing cartwheels about the Royals coming to town.
I'm going to guess that Rob has not been paying attention this year or he would know the Blue Jays are arguably the 4th best team in the AL. I think one would welcome a match up of two top teams in their respective leagues. Fans in Washington are still doing cartwheels over Strasburg being the second coming. But I'm sure when they see they get to beat the Royals for a few games they'll be even more ecstatic.
Thirty minutes up the road, fans in Baltimore are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Florida Marlins. The Pirates certainly will have fans of the Texas Rangers excited, and I hope the Tampa Bay Rays have brought in extra ushers to handle the throngs of fans who will turn out with the Padres in town.
Because watching the Orioles play the Royals is much more exciting. Or the way people turn out to see the A's come into town.
Before anybody who likes interleague play, for some reason, points out there are a lot of uninteresting match-ups the rest of the season when the NL plays the NL and the AL plays the AL too, I will agree with you – with one major exception.
Alright he caught me there. Go on.
These teams are in the same league. They have to play each other. It’s how they decide who will win the division, and advance to the postseason.
Really? The A's vs. the Royals is how we decide who advances to the postseason?
I know the interleague games count in the standings too, and that’s part of the problem. It creates a tremendous imbalance in the schedule, especially for the teams that don’t have a natural rival, like the Cubs-White Sox, Mets-Yankees, etc.
Valid point number one, except EVERYONE has that imbalance. If you're not playing in the AL East, you have an advantage of playing a weaker schedule than anyone in the AL East. Schedules are not fair and balanced in any case.
The only true and fair way to decide a champion is by having every team in a division play the same opponents an equal number of times. That can’t happen with interleague play. Want just one example? The Dodgers play the Angels six times. Their division rival, the Padres, play the Mariners six times. The Dodgers also play a series each against the Yankees and Red Sox while the Padres get the Orioles and Blue Jays.
That's a rough break, but it's the luck of the draw. And it creates bigger matchups that generate more interest in the game. Kinda the price you pay if you are going to be one of the big boys.
Think the Dodgers won’t have a gripe if they lose the NL West to the Padres by a game?
Not really, I mean they have plenty of other games to make up the difference.
I also believe that interleague play has watered down the “importance” or at least interest in the All-Star game.
Using quotes around importance kinda ruins your own argument.
It used to be if you were a fan of an AL or NL team, it was your one chance to see your players play against the stars of the other league. Now, we have seen Ichiro, so there really is nothing special about seeing him in the All-Star game.
Yes, as you can tell Rob does not watch any baseball that doesn't directly involve his team. So the All-Star game is the only time he can watch Ichiro.
Interest in the All-Star game was so bad a few years ago that Bud came up with the idea of having the game decide home field advantage for the World Series. And, worse, he still believes it is a good idea. I would laugh if it wasn’t so sad.
Yes we all hate that idea except Bud.
One of the things which used to be special about the World Series was facing a team that you might never have played at all, or only in spring training. Now we get World Series match-ups that could be the third series those teams have played in that season. That will do a lot for the television ratings.
Because nothing hurts interest between competators like history. Wrestling and MMA know this. That's why they never do rematches. Plus the next season you get to see the previous World Series competetors face off again. Why? Because it's a premium matchup that can only be created if you have interleague play.
Baseball fans in St. Louis don’t care about the Toronto Blue Jays.
Damn!
If we wanted to watch that team play, all we have to do is buy the package from MLB and we could watch all of their games we want. I hope the phone lines aren’t overloaded when you call to place your order.
Do you not like baseball Rob? I love the MLB package. But I'm a baseball fan, so...
Baseball has always been, and I believe always will be, a regional sport. People generally cheer for one team.
As opposed to what sport where you cheer for multiple teams? How did this line get through the editor? What does that have to do with Interleague play anyway?
We like the Cardinals, or the Cubs, or the Reds, or the Phillies. We watch a game or listen on the radio because our team is playing. We watch and pay attention to match-ups in our league because they affect our team. If the Reds are playing the Giants, we care, because a Reds loss helps the Cardinals. A Tampa Bay loss, or another loss by the Orioles, does nothing for us.
That has nothing to do with interleague play. And why wouldn't pay just as much attention to the Reds playing the Giants as you would the Reds playing the Mariners?
The opinion of the people in charge of baseball, of course, is that fans love inter-league play. They will throw out statistics about attendance figures, and how the inter-league games out-draw other games on an annual basis.
Stupid statistics, proving Rob wrong.
Of course they do – because of the Yankees, the Red Sox, the Cubs, the Dodgers and those inter-city games.
Rob, I know you don't pay attention to teams not in your league, but the Yankees and Red Sox draw the same no matter what. So do the Dodgers and Cubs. Interleague play probably means less to them than anyone else.
I think there’s also some funky arithmetic going on. The Cardinals said they had a sellout crowd of more than 42,000 fans for Sunday’s game against the A’s. Funny, but right after that figure was announced, I took a close look at one section in the upper deck in right field. I counted 13 people and 225 empty seats. I guess all of those folks picked the same time to go to the restroom or buy a hot dog.
There were several other sections, also down the left field line, which seemed to be about the same. How could that game be counted as a sell out?
Because they go by tickets available vs. how many seats are available. If you never make a back section available for purchase then it can't count against you.
Because Bud wants us to believe how great interleague play is.
Yes, it's a grand conspiracy.
I know there will be some Cardinal fans in Toronto for this series, even though it won’t be as many as will pack Kaufmann Stadium in Kansas City this weekend. That still doesn’t mean inter-league play is a good idea. Those same fans would be in Cincinnati or Pittsburgh or Atlanta too, if the Cardinals happened to be playing there.
Well traveling with your team is an expensive proposition. Maybe MLB should work out deals with the airlines to make it more accessible for fans.
This is the 14th season of inter-league play, and the original stated intention was that it would give baseball fans a chance to see all of the stars of the other league come through their city. Yes, that’s why the Cardinals have never played in Baltimore, and the Texas Rangers have never played in St. Louis, and why the Cardinals went to Detroit three years in a row.
In those 14 years, the Red Sox have played three regular-season games in St. Louis, the same number as the Yankees. Both series came in 2005, the final year at Busch Stadium II. I guess we will have to start building Busch Stadium IV to get those teams to come back again.
Either that, or play them in the World Series. Now, that sounds like an idea that not even Bud Selig or baseball could screw up.
I have no witty ending. I like interleague play, I think it freshens things up. On a small sample size I always try to get tickets to whatever team from the other league my local team plays. I mean if your a Brewers fan wouldn't you get tired of play the Pirates 20+ times a year? Well maybe not.
Case Closed.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Good Article Part VIII
This article by Steve Kelley. My second ever article on here was about me falling for a columnists bad prediction. Steve Kelley actually has the guts to call himself out on his poor prognostication (after he gets an email about it at least). It's good to see a journalist taking responsibility for their poor guesses and not assuming everyone has the memory of a mouse.
How to Cherry Pick Stats
By Mark Potash. (Me in regular/him in Italics)
Like a shot of "5-Hour Energy," interleague play gives the White Sox a boost when they need it most. No crash later? We'll see about that.
On paper, the Sox are the second-hottest team in baseball, having won six straight games and 10 of their last 11 to reach the .500 mark (34-34), still 5 1/2 games behind the Twins and four behind the Tigers in the AL Central. (The Rangers have won eight straight and 11 of 12).
The big question is whether or not this is fool's gold. The bulk of the Sox' recent streak has come against the Cubs, Pirates and Nationals. The Cubs are in a season-long funk, losing 12 of their last 19 games; the Pirates have lost 18 of their last 23, including 12 in a row; the Nationals have lost 15 of their last 21 -- three of their six victories in that span came against the Pirates.
So far those are some pretty good reasons why this was a mirage. The White Sox Pythagorean btw is 32-36.
There's no doubt that interleague play is a drop in class for American League teams. It has been for years and this one is no different. The AL leads the NL 92-76 so far in 2010. American League pitchers in particular have an easier time against National League teams -- and vice-versa. Roy Halladay is 8-3 with a 1.51 ERA against NL teams this season. He's 0-3 with a 6.86 ERA against the AL. And he's been in the National League for less than three months.
Yes, let's take his ERA from this year as opposed to the 07-09 when he had an ERA of 3.03 in the AL (does include interleague games from those years. But still). And let's keep in mind he put those numbers up in the AL East. That is example #1 of cherry picking stats.
This is old hat for Sox fans. In 2008, a 12-6 record in interleague play helped keep them afloat in the AL Central and they barely hung on to win the division title. Last year the Sox were 28-33 when interleague play (they were 12-6 again) sparked a 15-5 run that put them 2 1/2 games back in the division. The momentum kept them in contention until August, when they lost nine of 10 against the Red Sox, Yankees and Twins and were done.
That right there just screams "We are not a playoff caliber team."
But as dubious as the competition has been of late, the current streak has a better feel to it this year.
So one reason this year is different is Mark feeeeeels differently about it. Solid.
The Sox are winning because they've been playing better baseball -- and not just because they're playing weaker competition.
Um, you just spent half the article pointing out how they were facing weaker teams. They beat the Cubs, Pirates, and Nationals. Went 8-1 against them. What was their record against the Red Sox, Yankees and Twins last year again? It seems you mentioned it earlier.
Stephen Strasburg literally looked like Sandy Koufax on Friday night...
Here is a picture of Koufax. Here is one of Strasburg. Or is this Koufax and this Strasburg? (side note, the chest hair in the second picture is nuts.) I can't tell because they LITERALLY look alike.
...and the Sox found a way to win. I don't recall that happening too often in previous years.
That's cause Strasburg wasn't in the league in previous years. And I'm willing to bet the White Sox won other games 1-0. Hey here's one now! (45 second to find that on bbref.com. Most of that was loading time.) Here's a game a Chicagoan should probably remember, especially if it's their job to cover sports. That's being specific. If I want to be a jerk I'll point out that the White Sox 'found' a way to win 79 times last year.
In the current 10-1 streak, the Sox have won with timely pitching,
I don't have any clue what that means. The pitchers get people out during the course of the game. Not before the game or after the game, but during. That's timely.
timely hitting and timely defense.
See previous joke.
They're 4-1 in one-run games (14-8 for the season). They've won four games with three runs or less.
One-run games are mostly luck. The other stat...I don't know what that signifies. At all.
They've pitched 32 of 34 scoreless innings with a one-run lead.
They have a good bullpen, but that stat seems more like luck than anything. Not the scoreless innings part, but when they come.
They've allowed 14 runs in 11 games after the fourth inning -- eight of them while they had leads of four runs or more.
I love baseball and baseball stats. I have NO IDEA what the first half of that means. He just randomly picked 11 games and randomly picked an inning as a cut off. It means less than nothing. Mark, listen, just say the White Sox bullpen is doing well and give their ERA.
They're scoring runs for Freddy Garcia (55 in his last nine starts) and playing defense for Jake Peavy.
I can imagine Paul Konerko standing up in front of all the starters on opening day:
"Alright, so we, the offense, have come to the decision that we are only going to play the games half-assed. So each of you have to choose: we can play immaculate defense for you; or we can rock the ball on offense for you."
Buehrle: "Why can't you do both?"
Paul sighs, "Mark you just don't understand baseball. Now everyone choose quickly, I gotta get to the Blackhawks game."
"But we have a game tonight!"
Paul shakes his head: "Mark, you're really starting to become a problem."
When Garcia allowed three runs in the fourth inning to fall behind 3-1 against the Nationals on Sunday, the Sox responded with six straight hits and four runs for a 5-3 lead. Garcia pitched two scoreless innings and the Nationals didn't score again.
Yeah the relief staff really shut the Nats down. Shame they don't get any press from Potash. I mean you can't even mention Putz (ERA+ 203)? Or Santos (ERA+ 173)?
Yes it was the Nationals. And the Cubs. And the Pirates. But I would submit that while the Sox aren't as good as Kenny Williams thought, they've been an underachieving team all season.
According to their Pythag they're OVERachieving.
Sometimes a team like that just needs a little boost to get them on track. Of course you have to see it to believe it -- this is the White Sox we're talking about. But I have a feeling this season is not over yet.
And as we already established, Mark's feeeeelings are what matter. That and his horrible interpretations on statistics.
Case Closed!
Like a shot of "5-Hour Energy," interleague play gives the White Sox a boost when they need it most. No crash later? We'll see about that.
On paper, the Sox are the second-hottest team in baseball, having won six straight games and 10 of their last 11 to reach the .500 mark (34-34), still 5 1/2 games behind the Twins and four behind the Tigers in the AL Central. (The Rangers have won eight straight and 11 of 12).
The big question is whether or not this is fool's gold. The bulk of the Sox' recent streak has come against the Cubs, Pirates and Nationals. The Cubs are in a season-long funk, losing 12 of their last 19 games; the Pirates have lost 18 of their last 23, including 12 in a row; the Nationals have lost 15 of their last 21 -- three of their six victories in that span came against the Pirates.
So far those are some pretty good reasons why this was a mirage. The White Sox Pythagorean btw is 32-36.
There's no doubt that interleague play is a drop in class for American League teams. It has been for years and this one is no different. The AL leads the NL 92-76 so far in 2010. American League pitchers in particular have an easier time against National League teams -- and vice-versa. Roy Halladay is 8-3 with a 1.51 ERA against NL teams this season. He's 0-3 with a 6.86 ERA against the AL. And he's been in the National League for less than three months.
Yes, let's take his ERA from this year as opposed to the 07-09 when he had an ERA of 3.03 in the AL (does include interleague games from those years. But still). And let's keep in mind he put those numbers up in the AL East. That is example #1 of cherry picking stats.
This is old hat for Sox fans. In 2008, a 12-6 record in interleague play helped keep them afloat in the AL Central and they barely hung on to win the division title. Last year the Sox were 28-33 when interleague play (they were 12-6 again) sparked a 15-5 run that put them 2 1/2 games back in the division. The momentum kept them in contention until August, when they lost nine of 10 against the Red Sox, Yankees and Twins and were done.
That right there just screams "We are not a playoff caliber team."
But as dubious as the competition has been of late, the current streak has a better feel to it this year.
So one reason this year is different is Mark feeeeeels differently about it. Solid.
The Sox are winning because they've been playing better baseball -- and not just because they're playing weaker competition.
Um, you just spent half the article pointing out how they were facing weaker teams. They beat the Cubs, Pirates, and Nationals. Went 8-1 against them. What was their record against the Red Sox, Yankees and Twins last year again? It seems you mentioned it earlier.
Stephen Strasburg literally looked like Sandy Koufax on Friday night...
Here is a picture of Koufax. Here is one of Strasburg. Or is this Koufax and this Strasburg? (side note, the chest hair in the second picture is nuts.) I can't tell because they LITERALLY look alike.
...and the Sox found a way to win. I don't recall that happening too often in previous years.
That's cause Strasburg wasn't in the league in previous years. And I'm willing to bet the White Sox won other games 1-0. Hey here's one now! (45 second to find that on bbref.com. Most of that was loading time.) Here's a game a Chicagoan should probably remember, especially if it's their job to cover sports. That's being specific. If I want to be a jerk I'll point out that the White Sox 'found' a way to win 79 times last year.
In the current 10-1 streak, the Sox have won with timely pitching,
I don't have any clue what that means. The pitchers get people out during the course of the game. Not before the game or after the game, but during. That's timely.
timely hitting and timely defense.
See previous joke.
They're 4-1 in one-run games (14-8 for the season). They've won four games with three runs or less.
One-run games are mostly luck. The other stat...I don't know what that signifies. At all.
They've pitched 32 of 34 scoreless innings with a one-run lead.
They have a good bullpen, but that stat seems more like luck than anything. Not the scoreless innings part, but when they come.
They've allowed 14 runs in 11 games after the fourth inning -- eight of them while they had leads of four runs or more.
I love baseball and baseball stats. I have NO IDEA what the first half of that means. He just randomly picked 11 games and randomly picked an inning as a cut off. It means less than nothing. Mark, listen, just say the White Sox bullpen is doing well and give their ERA.
They're scoring runs for Freddy Garcia (55 in his last nine starts) and playing defense for Jake Peavy.
I can imagine Paul Konerko standing up in front of all the starters on opening day:
"Alright, so we, the offense, have come to the decision that we are only going to play the games half-assed. So each of you have to choose: we can play immaculate defense for you; or we can rock the ball on offense for you."
Buehrle: "Why can't you do both?"
Paul sighs, "Mark you just don't understand baseball. Now everyone choose quickly, I gotta get to the Blackhawks game."
"But we have a game tonight!"
Paul shakes his head: "Mark, you're really starting to become a problem."
When Garcia allowed three runs in the fourth inning to fall behind 3-1 against the Nationals on Sunday, the Sox responded with six straight hits and four runs for a 5-3 lead. Garcia pitched two scoreless innings and the Nationals didn't score again.
Yeah the relief staff really shut the Nats down. Shame they don't get any press from Potash. I mean you can't even mention Putz (ERA+ 203)? Or Santos (ERA+ 173)?
Yes it was the Nationals. And the Cubs. And the Pirates. But I would submit that while the Sox aren't as good as Kenny Williams thought, they've been an underachieving team all season.
According to their Pythag they're OVERachieving.
Sometimes a team like that just needs a little boost to get them on track. Of course you have to see it to believe it -- this is the White Sox we're talking about. But I have a feeling this season is not over yet.
And as we already established, Mark's feeeeelings are what matter. That and his horrible interpretations on statistics.
Case Closed!
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