EVIL~! alkeiper

For a talk radio show, it's not bad at all.

It was a bad trade, but Milt Pappas is far from a no-name pitcher. Pappas won 209 games, and had similar career stats of Don Drysdale.

MLB- I hate the outfield walls in CBP. Talk about overdoing it. Kaufmann's Stadium is hugely underrated, as is Dodger Stadium. Pac Bell is nice. Camden Yards is an obvious choice. Yankee Stadium deserves props as well, despite the renovations.

1. I agree with Beane and Keith Law. The intentional walk is generally bad strategy anyway. 2. I don't see how any of those proposals could actually work.

The Cardinals effort to win the NL Central via attrition continues!

Braves' fielding looks downright terrible tonight.

Who the ace is doesn't matter until October.

The problem is they listen to themselves too often, while the rest of us have read Moneyball, Bill James, and Total Baseball.

My apologies. Bonds indeed played last year.

To clarify, most of these clauses cover all dangerous activities, and are not that specific. Yankees and Reds are the most obvious teams. The Dodgers could be a dark horse.

I think Ty Cobb's anger was overstated. Yes, he had his incidents, but this was a time in which fistfights were a regular occurance. I think Cobb today would be roughly comparable to Albert Belle, or someone of that nature.

It felt like a limb because nearly everyone seemed to jump on the Cubs bandwagon after the Maddux signing. Every media article listed the Cubs as favorites.

He missed the All-Star game to visit his dying father. I think that situation trumps an exhibition game.

Too bad Coughlin's stuck in the 1910s. Teams don't lose or win games because of "toughness" or "mental fortitude," they win or lose based on luck and talent. They certainly don't lose because they crossed their legs at the team meeting.

Cubs are fucked without Wood and Prior. My Astros prediction is looking pretty accurate right about now.

As per Mondesi, there are rumors that the guy to whom Mondesi owes money has already tried to collect it, and Mondesi is worried about the safety of his family.

Yes. The 1985-87 Cleveland Indians finished 60-102, 84-78, 61-101. They finished first in runs scored in '86, thanks to replacing George Vuckovich with Mel Hall, and major improvements from Pat Tabler, Brook Jacoby, and Julio Franco. They collapsed the next year, as five regulars (Cory Snyder, Joe Carter, Mel Hall, Tony Bernazard, and Chris Bando) compiled OBPs below .310.

He could join the Rockies, who have seen fit so far to give haven to Shawn Estes and Kevin Jarvis. Its like pitchers' purgatory.

This is originally for baseball, but if someone with NFL or NBA expertise has an example, go ahead. Which team has the most Hall of Famers? I've tracked down the 1932 Yankees (9), but I'm not sure if they had the most.

Presenting some different stats which usually don't show up in the sports section... Isolated Power Isolated power measures the pure power of a hitter, beyond simply his base hits. Isolated powers subtracts batting average from slugging percentage. For example, Ron Belliard is hitting .379, and slugging .474. But if we subtract his batting average, his Isolated Power is just .095, meaning most of his slugging percentage is singles. Isolated power identifies the hitters who are crushing the ball, as opposed to slapping it. 1. Barry Bonds .530 2. Troy Glaus .388 3. Adam Dunn .374 4. Richie Sexson .373 5. Jorge Posada .370 6. Jim Thome .362 7. Hee Seop Choi .337 8. Carlos Beltran .327 9. Jason Giambi .316 10. Miguel Cabrera .313 Secondary Average Secondary average measures a hitter's contributions beyond his batting average, taking into account his walks, power, and stolen bases. Last year, Jason Giambi led the American League in this category, remaining one of the game's best hitters despite a .250 batting average. 1. Barry Bonds 1.318 2. Adam Dunn .802 3. Lance Berkman .581 4. Carlos Beltran .566 5. Jorge Posada .554 6. J.D. Drew .549 7. Jason Giambi .537 8. Frank Thomas .534 9. Richie Sexson .530 10. Troy Glaus .524 Walk/Strikeout Ratio How good is a hitter at controlling the strike zone, and selecting pitches? BB/K ratio measures a hitter's effectiveness at bat control. BB/K ratio is not a critical ability for hitters, but it is an interesting view of a hitter. Players hitting poorly with good BB/K ratios tend to improve. 1. Barry Bonds 7.14 2. Rafael Palmeiro 4.00 Paul LoDuca 4.00 4. Albert Pujols 3.33 5. Scott Hatteberg 2.33 6. Edgardo Alfonzo 2.20 Shannon Stewart 2.20 Ramon Hernandez 2.20 9. Juan Pierre 2.17 10. Frank Thomas 2.08 Juan Pierre is worth noting. While he is one of the poster children for smallball, his ability to draw walks and reach bases makes him valuable without stealing a base. Pitches per Plate Appearance How selective is a hitter? P/PA measures purely how many pitches a hitter sees in an at bat. More is usually better. 1. D'Angelo Jimenez 4.5 2. Todd Zeile 4.4 3. Adam Dunn 4.4 4. Jason Varitek 4.4 5. Mark Bellhorn 4.2 6. Miguel Cabrera 4.2 7. Jim Edmonds 4.2 8. Raul Mondesi 4.2 9. Jeff Bagwell 4.2 10. Frank Thomas 4.2 Strikeout to Walk Ratio How good is a pitcher? Some pitchers have low hits allowed totals with bad peripherals. These pitchers almost always decline. And vice versa. K/BB ratio is one of the best tools for measuring a pitcher's true performance. 1. Curt Schilling 7.57 2. Ben Sheets 6.29 3. Brad Radke 6.25 4. Oliver Perez 5.29 5. Kevin Millwood 4.67 6. Randy Johnson 4.36 7. Jose Acevedo 4.14 8. Kerry Wood 3.85 9. Adam Eaton 3.75 10. Josh Beckett 3.43

Watching Harold Reynolds defend speed on Baseball Tonight. Its sad how pathetic some of these guys have become. The point isn't that we don't neglect speed. Its that we'd rather use guys who are more likely to reach base in the first place.

Bullshit. He's been in the majors for five years. Last year, he walked 2.2 batters every nine innings. If he has no control, how the hell is his walk rate so low?! EDIT: His minimal control also netted a grand total of one wild pitch last year.

Yeah, that stupid Theo. Giving contracts to guys with good stats. Doesn't he understand the Red Sox losing tradition??

I was one of those, and I stand by my analysis, with the caveat that I do not know the effects of his injuries. Personally, I'd send Derek Lowe to the bullpen before I sent Kim.

Bill Bavasi sucks. Happy?