EVIL~! alkeiper

Two more things. One, Brett Myers has made an incredible turnaround. His miniscule ERA is backed up by a 10:1 K/BB ratio. Second, Steinbrenner made some of the more idiotic comments I have ever heard. Criticizing the team after 12 games? Half the problem is that the Boss's insistance on "win now" strategies, leading to a squad where only three of the 25 players (A-Rod, Pavano and Bubba Crosby) are below the age of 30. The relief pitching is built on names rather than talent, and there is no one on the bench who can hit worth a damn. The only legitimately good hitter on the bench was just optioned to AAA to make room for Kevin Brown. The Yankees could turn it around. But there is a part of me that feels this team is toast. Bernie Williams, Jason Giambi, and Tino Martinez could very well be washed up. Tony Womack (surprise) can't hit. This could be a fun season.

Thanks to XM, I listened to the radio call featuring Dave Campbell and some PBP guy. Campbell is wasted on ESPN radio. He is really damned good, describes things without insulting the viewers' intelligence.

Well, technically it wasn't a blown save.

The post Dead Ball era record appears to be 36, set by Bob Feller in 1946. The most in the last 25 years was 28 by Rick Langford, for Billy Martin's Oakland Athletics. The team was famous for their starters' overuse, and not surprisingly the pitching collapsed not long after.

It's hard to say, because ESPN never aired the full incident after the fact, just conveniently edited clips.

In my defense, I then looked up Macias and saw that he was an average defender at best. DuBois is worse though. But there is no reason that DuBois should not be starting for the Cubs right now. Contrast the Cubs with the Athletics, who handed rookie Nick Swisher the right field job, and watched him score the winning run against the Angels today.

This is usually my thought on these lists. If you are willing to overlook the rankings, they can be enjoyable reads. That said, I find it odd that Pink Floyd is nowhere to be found on this list.

Ok. Next question is, what is the big problem with card counting? Is keeping track of the cards really such a heinous activity?

I'm going to make an honest effort, without looking. A couple are easy. Tris Speaker in center, Duffy Lewis in left. Heinie Wagner played in the lineup, he's easy because H. Wagner reminds one of Honus. Everett Scott played on that team, if I remember correctly. I keep thinking Jimmy Collins, but wasn't he gone at that point. Ditto Harry Hooper, who keeps coming to mind. After that, I'm stumped on the lineup. The rotation consisted almost entirely of Smokey Joe Wood. Eddie Cicotte did play briefly on the team as well. Looking at this, I missed Bill Carrigan, Jake Stahl, Steve Yerkes, and Larry Gardner. Everett Scott did not play on the team, nor did Jimmy Collins. Both did play on the Red Sox at some point, however.

The schedules are done automatically by the simulation.

Flaherty pinch hits for Womack. This is one of those examples where it is nice to have something called a bench, which the Yankees have ignored.

That's not unusual. That's the universal platoon split.

Oklahoma is home of the National Softball Hall of Fame and Museum. You can also catch a home game of the AAA Oklahoma Redhawks. You can also catch the AA Tulsa Drillers, and be sure to visit the Bill Humphrey Baseball Museum in Enid. Oklahoma is also the birthplace of 218 past and present MLB players, including Mantle, Johnny Bench, Harry Brechen, Paul Blair, Phillies great Johnny Callison, Phillies enemy Joe Carter, Harlond Clift, "Indian" Bob Johnson, "The Wild Horse of the Osage" Pepper Martin, current Yankees announcer Bobby Murcer, Willie Stargell, Mickey Tettleton, Jim Thorpe, Lloyd and Paul Waner, Lindy McDaniel, "Super Chief" Allie Reynolds, and legendary Braves manager Bobby Cox. So Kelvin Sampson can go fuck himself.

Not as much as you think. Lefties don't really effect Matsui, and he hit a monster HRer off him last week. Matsui's career OPS falls 150 points when facing lefties.

Lefties hit .094 against BJ Ryan last year. Hideki Matsui was doomed.

Some of us in the analytical community call it "lack of talent." Although for what it is worth, Womack's one legitimate talent is percentage basestealing.

I'm pretty good with football knowledge, but not even close to that much. Wow. Someone as a joke asked me who the starting lineup of the 1932 Yankees were, and I started rattling off names.

I think the game time temp was lower in Salisbury last night but I'm not sure. But it was the wind that was a damn pain in the backside and the reason I didn't go out to the game. If there wasn't any wind, 40's really doesn't bother me since I usually stand out in much worse in the winter time. As long as I'm dressed for it, I'm fine. I find it comical fans who are bundled up in blankets and parkas, and players who are wearing ski cap.

I've been to a Red Barons game this week that featured a gametime temperature of 47 degrees, and that was at 7pm. Considering it was a blowout game, all but maybe 50-100 spectators were left by the end.

Why? In reality, not much really happened.

Gavin Floyd punched his ticket back to Scranton today. Jesus, the Phillies never even give you a glimmer of hope.

Fun INsider column from some asshat named Gary Gillette, suggesting Derek Jeter is the today's closest comparison to Jackie Robinson... Also in the article, somehow Jeter being 6'3" and Robinson being 5'11" is a point in favor of their comparison. Now, Jeter and Robinson have very similar career batting statistics. In fact, Jeter's top comp is Jackie. But Jackie Robinson's closest comparison is a hitter slightly further under the radar, Edgardo Alfonzo. Then you hit Jeff Cirillo and Ray Durham, and then Jeter. There is some truth to this, of course. Both were comparible as hitters. Both are excellent basestealers. Jeter is one of the best at taking third, while Jackie was the master of stealing home. Of course, this exercise misses one important thing. Jeter couldn't pick up a bundle of $100s rolled two feet to his left. Jackie Robinson was one of the greatest defensive players in baseball history.

Perhaps because Hernandez has a career .818 OPS against left handed hitters, including a .310/.383/.627 line last season.

Maybe if Sheffield had done anything to spark the incident. He did not. The fan was clearly the instigator. And remember, Sheffield did not have the benefit of instant replay to help him decide the fans actions and intentions. You can't suspend someone for making a gut reaction like that, when he never even hit the other fan.

Alright, now where is everything that was so bloody convinced that Sheets would be a Sock or Yankee by the trading deadline? The Braves called up John Foster from Richmond. Since Foster was with Richmond when they played here Monday-Thursday and the Braves are in Philly tonight, it turns out to be an easy trip for him.