EVIL~! alkeiper

Is determining the best games of a foregone era by looking at game logs silly? After all, how can you fairly judge a game where no audio or video call exists? Quite the opposite. In the years before radio and television, fans would gather around newspaper and telegraph stations for live play-by-play readings of a game in progress. Many establishments during World Series games would receive game results in progress and display them on giant chalkboards or electronically operated scoreboards for interested fans. In essence, it was MLB Gameday 80 years before the advent of the internet. Reading the play-by-play of a game account is exactly the same as fans not in attendance would have received the game in that era. http://www.baseball-almanac.com/boxscore/10021908.shtml Cleveland 1, Chicago White Sox 0 October 2, 1908 With one week left in the 1908 pennant race, the Cleveland Naps trailed the Detroit Tigers by just half a game. The White Sox trailed by a game and a half. Ed Walsh pitched a complete game, striking out 15 batters and giving up a single run, unearned. Opposing pitcher Addie Joss pitched a perfect game. http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BO...191210160.shtml Boston Red Sox 3, New York Giants 2, 10 Innings October 16, 1912 (Game 8, World Series) Thanks to a game two tie, this game eight meant do-or-die for both clubs. Christy Mathewson vs. Hugh Bedient. The Giants took the lead in the third, the Red Sox tied the game in the seventh. Red Sox ace Smokey Joe Wood took over in the eighth. In the tenth, Fred Merkle singled in the go-ahead run. The bottom of the inning however saw Fred Snodgrass's famous muff, and the Red Sox scored two runs to win the game. http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/WS...192410100.shtml Washington 4, New York Giants 3, 12 Innings October 10, 1924 (Game 7, World Series) The lowly Senators had their first chance in franchise history to win a World Series. Trailing 3-1 in the eighth, Bucky Harris drove in two runs with a two-out single to tie the game. Walter Johnson, loser of two previous Series games, came in relief in the ninth. Johnson held the Giants scoreless for four innings. In the twelfth, Muddy Ruel doubled, Walter Johnson reached on an error, and Earl McNeely's double drove in Ruel for the win and the World Championship. http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NL...193407100.shtml AL All Stars 9, NL All Stars 7 July 10, 1934 If you know anything about this game, it is Carl Hubbell's five consecutive strikeouts. The rest of the game was a barn burner. Trailing 4-0 early, the AL stars came up with two in the fourth and six in the fifth. The bottom of the fifth saw the only steal of home in All-Star history, as Pie Traynor took home on the tail end of a double steal. Mel Harder relieved in that inning, with the score at the end 8-7 AL. Harder pitched five scoreless innings, keeping the NL stars at bay for the win. http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BR...194710030.shtml Brooklyn Dodgers 3, NY Yankees 2 October 3, 1947 (Game 4, World Series) The Yankees led 2-1 in the ninth, up two games to one on the Brooklyn Dodgers. While putting the Dodgers in a three to one deficit would be big, the bigger story was Bill Bevens carrying a no-hitter into that inning. (The Dodgers run in the fifth came on two walks, a sacrifice bunt and a fielder's choice.) Leadoff hitter Bruce Edwards flew out to center. Carl Furillo walked, while Spike Jorgensen fouled out to the first baseman. Bill Bevens was one out away from World Series immortality. Dodger manager Burt Shotten sent Al Gionfriddo to pinch-run for Furillo, and Pete Reiser to pinch-hit for pitcher Hugh Casey. Gionfriddo stole second, prompting an intentional walk. The next batter, Cookie Lavagetto, hit a deep fly ball double to score both runs. The no-hitter was broken, and a 2-1 deficit became a 3-2 win for the Dodgers. Series tied at two games apiece. Why walk Reiser to put the winning run on base? Reiser was an elite offensive force in that era. He finished in the top ten of the MVP balloting his three previous seasons (his resume would no doubt look more impressive had he not missed three years due to the war). Lavagetto had a good season, but was more or less a utility infielder with some plate discipline. He had batted just 69 times in 41 games that year, showing management valued his glove more than his bat. (In today's era, he would be an Oakland Athletic.) It is easy to see why Bucky Harris made that decision. Bevens was simply gassed. While no pitch count exists, Bevens had walked ten batters and struck out five. If not for the no-hitter in progress, there is no way he stays on the mound. New York Giants 5, Brooklyn Dodgers 4 October 3, 1951 No boxscore handy, but you all know this one. Bobby Thomson hits a three-run home run to give the New York Giants a 5-4 victory and the National League pennant. The win is made more incredible by the fact that the Giants once trailed in the pennant race by 14.5 games. Books have been written on the game. I can not do it any justice with my own meager writing. http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PI...196010130.shtml Pittsburgh 10, NY Yankees 9 October 13, 1960 (Game Seven, World Series) Most of you know Mazeroski's home run I assume. Serious fans (especially Yankee fans) know the Yankees outscored the Pirates 55-27 in this series. Still, the Pirates hung on to force game seven. The Bucs took a 4-0 lead in the game's first two innings. The Yankees fought back, scoring one in the fifth and four in the sixth. In the eighth, the Yankees scored two insurance runs to pad their lead to three. Things fell apart for the Yankees in the eighth. Two singles started the inning, the second of which hit shortstop Tony Kubek in the throat and forced him to depart. Two more singles cut the lead to one. With two outs and two on, Hal Smith hit a home run to give the Pirates a 9-7 lead. The Yankees fought back, scoring two in the ninth off Bob Friend to tie the game. Bill Mazeroski led off the ninth with a home run, and the Pirates pulled a miraculous upset. http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BO...197510210.shtml Boston 7, Cincinnati 6, 12 Innings October 21, 1975 (Game Six, World Series) With ace Luis Tiant on the mound, the Red Sox took a 3-0 lead in the first. The Reds came back, scoring three in the fifth, two in the seventh and one in the eighth. With two out and two on in the bottom of the eighth, pinch hitter Bernie Carbo hit a home run on a 2-2 count to tie the game. Some brilliant defensive play kept the score tied until the bottom of the twelfth, when Carlton Fisk hit a leadoff home run to win the game. http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/HO...198610150.shtml NY Mets 7, Houston 6, 16 Innings October 15, 1986 (Game Six, National League Championship Series) Take note of how many great games end with 7-6 scores. In any case, the Mets led the series three games to two, but a loss would put them in the Astrodome for game seven against the then untouchable Mike Scott. The Astros jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first inning. For eight innings, the Mets collected just two hits and a walk, with just one batter reaching second base. The Mets finally caught up to Bob Knepper in the ninth, scoring three runs and tying the game. The Mets took a lead in the 14th inning on Wally Backman's single. In the bottom of the frame, Billy Hatcher hit a one-out home run off the left field foul pole. The Mets again struck in the 16th, scoring three runs. The Astros refused to go quietly. With one out, Davey Lopes walked, Bill Doran singled, and Hatcher singled as well, scoring Lopes. Denny Walling grounded out for the second out. Glenn Davis singled, scoring another run and putting the tying run in scoring position. Pitcher Jesse Orosco struck out the dangerous Kevin Bass to end the game finally, giving the Mets the National League pennant. http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/AT...199910190.shtml Atlanta 10, NY Mets 9, 11 Innings October 19, 1999 (Game Six, National League Championship Series) The wild card era and extra round of playoffs have cheapened the postseason, in my opinion. But expanded the playoffs from two to four in 1969 gave us a plethera of new classics, including this one. The Braves won the first three games of this series. The Mets though refused to go quietly. The Mets scored two in the eighth to win game four 3-2. In game five they scored two in the 15th inning to win; Robin Ventura's famous "grand slam single." Al Leiter gave up five runs in the first inning, failing to record a single out. For most teams, comeback over. The Mets scored three in the sixth to make it a game. The Braves got two back in the bottom of the frame. The Mets tied it in the seventh. Unfortunately the Mets could not put the game away. They took leads in the eighth and tenth only to see those leads slip away. In the 11th, pitcher Kenny Rogers issued a bases loaded walk to Andruw Jones to lose the game, sending the Braves to the World Series. http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NY...200310160.shtml NY Yankees 6, Boston 5, 11 Innings October 16, 2003 (Game Seven, American League Championship Series) Most of you are familiar with this one. Pedro Martinez, running on fumes, coughs up a three-run lead in the eighth inning after his manager refuses to take him out of the game. Aaron Boone hits a walk-off home run in the 11th. Was it a bad decision by Grady Little? Defenders will tell you it is easy to second-guess that move in hindsight. My sitting on the cough screaming "take Pedro OUT!" was hardly hindsight. He was not fooling anyone, and it was only by luck that he even escaped the seventh. I hate this game. It would be an exercise in masochism to watch it again and it's a grueling experience. So why was it the best game of the decade? I think it is because of the pure emotion is exhibits. The heights of exhilaration are possible only after the depths of depression. Games such as this one make winning later a bit sweeter. You notice many of the truly great games involved exercises in futility. The Red Sox lost game seven in 1975. The Astros fought back twice only to fall short. Ditto the Mets in 1999. The Giants lost the 1951 World Series in six games. The excitement is not in the result, it is the process. These were some difficult choices, so I look forward to hearing your thoughts and feedback.

Sure you can. Plus defense at SS is worth many times more than plus defense in left. Hell, average defense at short is worth more than plus defense in left field. Rollins said his team was the one to beat. Then he put up a 1.057 OPS against the Mets, while his team won eight straight against them. He stepped up his game, hit 30 home runs, 20 triples, won the gold glove and played every game. That's what this award is about. He boasted and backed it up.

Hilarious. Actually third if you count Dave Roberts, who is half-Japanese and was born in Okinawa.

As for Baseball Prospectus, WARP and VORP do not measure defense. If you can't measure it adequately, you can't just sweep it under the rug. It's part of the discussion.

Second. Kaz Tadano was an Indian.

Homer. Maybe. But you give me a reason why I should discount the 403 more plays that Rollins made in the field over Matt Holliday. David Wright, that's a matter of his team not making the playoffs and I can't defend that decision. Pitching failed the Mets. By any purely objective measure, Rollins is in the top 5. That makes him a viable candidate and if he wins from there, it's hardly a bad choice.

I have no problem with the award. Rollins played a key defensive position and won the gold glove. He played every game and all but 17 defensive innings. You can show all the offensive ranks you want. But most of the guys ahead of him were playing lesser defensive positions. Look at runs created. He's 5th, 16 behind leader Matt Holliday. But if you take SS vs. LF, Philadelphia vs. Coors Field, you make up the difference in a hurry. As for Win Shares, Rollins is actually tied for 6th if you use round numbers, seventh if you take it to a decimal point. Two win shares is easily within a margin of error, that gives you two guys only who are clearly, statistically more valuable. Then you haven't yet factored in intangibles. Rollins is hardly a bad choice at all.

I'm fully aware how blood is impactful, and I'm not campaigning for it's elimination. I'm just saying that it seems like something a respectful athletic commission might not allow. It is really kind of silly when you think about it.

The idea has crossed my mind to do a draft based on players in a past year like 1980 or so. What would people think about this?

I decided to check out Baseball America's evaluation. This quote stood out. It's not quite collusion. Still, "we passed on good players because the commissioner told us to" is deplorable. Good teams have slaughtered themselves in the draft to save a few pennies.

I think the reason for the difference is apparent of course. Here is what really amazes me though. Those runs could only come from home runs, of which he has seven. That means Wang allowed only two multi-run home runs all season (and both of those were two run shots). In fact, just for fun because we can do these type of searches now. Only once did Wang even allow three-runs in a single At Bat (Alex Gordon cleared the bases with a double on Sept. 9).

My point is, how is it that a group of suits gets together and decides intentionally bleeding is a good idea in the first place?

The rule against blading is interesting. When you think about it, is intentionally cutting one's self really something that should be allowed as long as it has?

If a deal for good pitching is out there, they could trade Gomez. But you don't move a player like that in the first deal that comes along. He and Martinez are the only positional prospects worth a damn in the entire Mets system. On a team with a lot of bad contracts they are going to need good, pre-arb talent to fill out the squad in coming years. Do they really have a lot of bad contracts? Beltran is an All-Star caliber player, so is Billy Wagner. Moises Alou and Carlos Delgado are committed only for this coming season. Pedro should be off the books after this season, correct? I can't think of a single bad contract they have after this season.

All that stuff can be taken care of by eliminating rules 18 onward. It's not like they are sprinkled liberally. Here is the direct document. http://sos.georgia.gov/GAEC/pdf/Rule%20Ame...ing%20Rules.pdf

I think Gomez is third on the young player depth chart behind Milledge and Martinez. If a deal comes along, particularly for pitching, they should take it.

Horseshit commission? Any competent state HAS an athletic commission of some sort, and they serve a useful purpose. It's haggling over the specifics here that's the problem.

Her version was short. I like.

I was genuinely surprised not to see Ron Simmons.

Snitsky. Awesome.

$399. If only there was a place where you could rent books for free.

Rijo did come back after a six year absence, it was in 2001-02 and more than a cup of coffee.

Over the next couple days you'll see a lot of teams purchase contracts from their minor league affiliates. Reason is there are players teams must place on their roster or expose to the Rule V draft next month.

You're thinking of Eric Milton.

King of the Ring '93 had a video screen, Doink the Clown taunted Crush after his match.