[TreeRol]

Seagulls? I guess that's what they get for building a stadium on the ocean.

[BigSlick]

TreeRol, on Jun 12 2009, 01:01 PM, said:

Seagulls? I guess that's what they get for building a stadium on the ocean.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_L5aU9SvCApI/SVy2jaOqwII/AAAAAAAARCo/CUPYvfqKRpg/s320/87F%20OilCan.jpg

This post has been edited by BigSlick: 12 June 2009 - 12:08 PM

[Malzone64]

TreeRol, on Jun 12 2009, 10:01 AM, said:

Seagulls? I guess that's what they get for building a stadium on the ocean.

The Erie Ocean, huh? Dem birds wuz pretty clean (no oil stains apparent). ESPN, running replays in slomo showed the ball hitting one of the gulls and diverting it, then Coco acting like an outfielder does when the ball gets lost in ivy or gets stuck under a fence. I know he was frustrated, but what could an ump do at that point.

[jackson]

yazgoesbacklooksupitsgone, on Jun 12 2009, 12:49 PM, said:

I'm thinking the grounds crew at progressive needs to get really progressive and have black Labs stationed on each foul line. One bird lands on the field, no problem. Two, 3, 4, even 5, no big deal. A group of 5 + clustered together, then it's "release the hounds" Birds leave the field, dogs get exercise and fans get a show. Winners all around.

That kind of show might draw some fans to The Jake. One question: Can Jhonny Peralta run with the dogs? He has been playing like one.

[MrNewEngland]

http://www.redsoxnation.net/public/style_images/redpro/snapback.png' alt='View Post' />BigSlick, on Jun 12 2009, 01:08 PM, said:

I thought it was Ricky Henderson that said that about the fog in Cleveland...

[rominer]

MrNewEngland, on Jun 12 2009, 11:02 AM, said:

I thought it was Ricky Henderson that said that about the fog in Cleveland...

Are you suggesting that at some point in Rickey's career Rickey said something that didn't have the word "Rickey" in it?

Ludicrous.

[BigSlick]

MrNewEngland, on Jun 12 2009, 02:02 PM, said:

I thought it was Ricky Henderson that said that about the fog in Cleveland...

Nope... it's even on Boyd's wiki page

[yazgoesbacklooksupitsgone]

Wild Willis walks 8 in 3 2/3

Quote

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Dontrelle Willis fought with his control for the third consecutive start by walking eight in 3 2-3 innings, leading to all of Pittsburgh's scoring, and Robinzon Diaz drove in three runs to help the Pirates beat the Tigers 6-3 on Sunday.

Willis' eight walks — he has walked 18 in 11 innings in his last three starts — directly produced five runs. Craig Monroe and Eric Hinske walked with the bases loaded during a three-run first and three batters who walked eventually scored.

Since beating Texas 4-0 on May 19 by permitting only one hit over 6 1-3 innings, Willis (1-4) has fought again with the control problems that led the former 20-game winner to go down to the minors. He has walked 24 in 22 2-3 innings, helping elevate his ERA to 7.49.

I know the Tigers are on the hook for a ton of money for Dontrelle Willis, but this can't go on much longer. He's either got to go to the minors and find his control or be DFA'ed. I feel bad for the guy, but you can see when he's pitching that he's just all messed up

[yazgoesbacklooksupitsgone]

Frank Thomas says he may pack it in

He say's he's 95 percent ready to retire but 25 percent of him still wants to play.
Ok, so they called him the Big Hurt, not the Big Mathematician.
The last several years of his career he was known for a big, slow, slugging DH. It's easy to forget when Thomas came up he put up numbers like few others in the history of the game. His first 10 years in the league were simply mammoth:

Quote

344 hr, .321 BA, .440 OBP, .579 SLG., 1.018 OPS, 168 OPS+

Hr finished with 521 HR a .300 ba, .419 OBP, and even though it angers Harold Reynolds when you mention it, a .974 OPS. And if he he is to be believed, given he was one of the most vocal players against steroids, he did it all clean.

[Malzone64]

yazgoesbacklooksupitsgone, on Jun 25 2009, 06:14 PM, said:

Frank Thomas says he may pack it in

He say's he's 95 percent ready to retire but 25 percent of him still wants to play.
Ok, so they called him the Big Hurt, not the Big Mathematician.

Kinda like me: I say I'm 100.00% Red Sox fan, and 20% Giants fan (and growing because the Giants are fun to watch this year).

Or, Yogi: "Baseball is ninety percent mental and the other half is physical."

[yazgoesbacklooksupitsgone]

Another example of ball players being math deficient.

Lenny Dykstra declares bankruptcy

Quote

The 46-year-old Dykstra, a former World Series champ with the Mets and spark plug with the Phillies, faces upward of 20 suits from creditors coast to coast, most related to The Players Club, a problem-plagued magazine he launched last year.
Among those claiming they were stiffed by the player known as "Nails" are a pair of private jet rental companies, his brother, a Las Vegas printing business, a former lawyer and several former employees.
Dykstra's wife is also suing him for divorce, and his $18 million California mansion is in foreclosure.
"In a move that will shield his property from a host of meritless claims, Mr. Lenny Dykstra filed a petition for Chapter 11 protection," his California lawyer, Walter Hackett, said in a statement.

It doesn't say it in this article but the wire story in my morning paper said he has debts of $35 million. Know how much he made during his playing days? I checked with baseballreference.com. The answer $36.5 million.
Lenny's bank account is like Jack Clark's bank account on steroids.

[Malzone64]

yazgoesbacklooksupitsgone, on 09 July 2009 - 11:53 AM, said:

Another example of ball players being math deficient.

Lenny Dykstra declares bankruptcy



It doesn't say it in this article but the wire story in my morning paper said he has debts of $35 million. Know how much he made during his playing days? I checked with baseballreference.com. The answer $36.5 million.
Lenny's bank account is like Jack Clark's bank account on steroids.

Dykstra's investment company was considered pretty good for a while. Speaking of steroids, there were accusations about Lenny using them himself. He really bulked up toward the end of his career. And yes, he was the center fielder on that GD 1986 Mets team, or make it he played against the GD 1986 Red Sox in the Series. He didn't participate in the fateful bottom of the tenth inning though. More about Dykstra than you needed to know.

[yazgoesbacklooksupitsgone]

Malzone64, on 09 July 2009 - 01:01 PM, said:

Dykstra's investment company was considered pretty good for a while.

I was surprised to read that he actually formed an investment company, because my impression of him when he was a player was he wasn;t too bright. I thought I read he didn't like to read because he didn't want it to affect his batting eye.

[jackson]

yazgoesbacklooksupitsgone, on 09 July 2009 - 01:08 PM, said:

I was surprised to read that he actually formed an investment company, because my impression of him when he was a player was he wasn;t too bright. I thought I read he didn't like to read because he didn't want it to affect his batting eye.

A buddy of mine who has covered the Phillies for 20 years told me a story about meeting Dykstra in an elevator of a Milwaukee hotel after a game in 1994 or 1995. Dykstra had a case of beer in his arms and proudly announced he was going to drink it all by himself that evening. That's impressive. :blink:

[BigSlick]

You have to respect a player who would go back to the clubhouse between innings so he could smoke cigarettes.

[jackson]

BigSlick, on 09 July 2009 - 10:26 PM, said:

You have to respect a player who would go back to the clubhouse between innings so he could smoke cigarettes.

Jim Leyland still does it.

Did I see Tito dipping some nasty brown stuff the other day in the dugout?

[Sox Sweep Again]

yazgoesbacklooksupitsgone, on 09 July 2009 - 01:08 PM, said:

I was surprised to read that he actually formed an investment company, because my impression of him when he was a player was he wasn;t too bright. I thought I read he didn't like to read because he didn't want it to affect his batting eye.

Mike Fish of ESPN ("Dykstra's business is a bed of 'Nails'") really... nailed it.

[chicowalker]

For anybody interested, article on front pg of today's NYTimes about implementation of digital camera system throughout MLB and implications for, among other things, fielding stats.

[rominer]

chicowalker, on 10 July 2009 - 11:08 AM, said:

For anybody interested, article on front pg of today's NYTimes about implementation of digital camera system throughout MLB and implications for, among other things, fielding stats.

Dear Christ. I know it's a New York paper, but...

Quote

Certainly, some fielding matters will defy quantification, like Derek Jeter’s famous grab-and-flip to catcher Jorge Posada that saved a game in the 2001 playoffs. Yet baseball’s delicate balance between statistics and aesthetics will continue to sway. If nothing else, we will finally know who really is hitting line drives directly at fielders, and who is just making excuses.

Jeter was out of position. Giambi was absolutely, unequivocally safe. And from the replays I've seen, it's possible that the ball didn't even need to be cut off.

I will never let that one go. Maybe it turned out to be a great play. But it was the defining moment in the circle jerk that is the baseball media and Derek Jeter.

--

Anyhow...in addition to statistical analysis, I wonder if this can be used in any kind of instructive capacity.

[The Love Below]

BigSlick, on 09 July 2009 - 10:26 PM, said:

You have to respect a player who would go back to the clubhouse between innings so he could smoke cigarettes.

That's why Yaz is even more respected; keeping a pack of cigs in the Monster so he could smoke during pitching changes.