EVIL~! alkeiper

Because there's something vaugely troubling about trading last year's MVP runner-up for a utility player.

The All-Time All-Star Game For an upcoming column, I plan to compile All-Time All-Star teams for each league, and sim a game between them. I'm going to select the reserves and pitchers, but I am leaving the starters up to you guys. Vote on the eight starters for each league. Send your picks via PM, please do not post them. Voting will last for a week, and the teams will appear in my June 21st column. NL C: 1B: 2B: SS: 3B: LF: CF: RF: AL C: 1B: 2B: SS: 3B: LF: CF: RF:

2 HRs for Bobby Abreu.

Since I did a little research for this rant, here are the save pcts. for closers this season..... Graves: 83.8% Benitez: 95.8% Herges: 84.2% Kolb: 94.1% Mesa: 100% Hoffman: 93.3% Izzy: 81.3% Gagne: 100% Looper: 91.7% Biddle: 78.6% Dotel: 83.3% Chacon: 71.4% Smoltz: 90% Borowski: 81.8% Wagner: 88.9% Valverde: 71.4% Worrell: 80% Hawkins: 66.7% Mantei: 57.1% Disregard Hawkins, as he's 4-6, and those blown saves came as a set-up man. Set-up men are charged with blown saves when they blow a lead but don't usually get the opportunity to collect saves, thus distorting their percentages.

Nomar collects a hit with his first at bat.

Cross-posted at SNKT On ESPN's MLB Page, they have a writeup on Danny Graves. Graves leads the majors with 26 saves, and is on pace to shatter Bobby Thigpen's single season saves record. Here's the problem. He's nothing special as a pitcher. His ERA is pedestrian. Billy Wagner, John Smoltz, Octavio Dotel, Eric Gagne, Braden Looper, Trevor Hoffman, Jose Mesa, Armando Benitez, and Danny Kolb hold better ERAs. His K rate is pedestrian for a closer, and his home run rate (9 in 33 IP) is absolutely abysmal. For what its worth, his DIPS ERA is 5.41, an indicator that he has been lucky. Moreover, his saves have been the sole result of opportunity. He has received 31 opportunities, and saved 26. 83.8%. That's around the league average, maybe a little lower. Put almost any closer in Graves' spot, and he saves 26, and maybe 27. So why is everyone so obsessed with Graves?

Defense.

Perhaps part if the reason is that Nascar holds more local events than Indy Racing.

That's a carbon copy of Bill James' list, with Puckett and Hamilton flip-flopped, and Averill moved up three spots from 14.

I don't object to it making the list, but not ahead of championship games.

Yes, the rules state you should make an effort to avoid the ball, regardless of location.

Looks like the Reds magic doesn't work in Oakland. A's lead 11-1.

A great line from another board.....

Ok, now its full of shit. I'm a hardcore baseball fanatic. I don't really remember MLB's mass retirement of Jackie's number. It certainly does not overshadow actual CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES.

Anyone catch AJ Pierzynski last night? In the eighth, with his team up 9-2, and the bases loaded, he stuck his elbow out, and claimed he was hit by a pitch, when he was not. The ump awarded him the base, and pitcher Steve Reed flipped out and was ejected. First off, Pierzynski is a complete bastard. Next, the league needs to do something about batters getting hit by pitches. If you don't make an effort to get out of the way, you don't get the base. Hitters should not reach base by sticking their elbows out over the plate.

I happen to have the Phillies draft on my screen. MLB obviously knows nothing about MacFarlane.

A minor league game last night between the SWB Red Barons (Phillies AAA Affliliate) and the Louisville Bats (Reds) deserves mention. A seven inning game, with one hit between the two teams. Robert Ellis of the Barons pitched a no-hitter, giving up just one walk. Jesus Sanchez walked one, gave up a home run to Mark Davis, struck out 8, and lost the game.

Each team has 30 seconds to make a pick. Its easy as they have them planned in advance, and there's no trading picks as there is in the NBA and NFL. Good thing, because otherwise the draft would last months. Glad to see the Phillies taking college pitchers. The payoff for college players in general is 2-4x that of high school players. For every Josh Beckett, there are dozens of Brien Taylors.

Welcome to aging. I'm older than the Phillies big two pitching prospects, and there are now porn stars younger than my younger sister.

There's barely anything representing a catcher in the system, let alone one with prospects. Great commercial for Oakland A's merchandise aired, featuring Chad Bradford calling Ken Macha from the bullpen. "Bradford, for the last time, I call you, not the other way around!"

Figures the Reds and Brewers roll the dice with high school pitchers. Scott Boras continues to turn the draft into an auction, which is troubling. Jared Weaver falls to the Angels, and some think he could be MLB ready by late this year, although unlikely. Interesting to see Paul DePodesta take a high school pitcher with the Dodgers first pick. The Moneyball philosophy is indeed flexible.

I figure the draft deserves its own thread. I'm just looking over the results now.

Maddux vs. Moyer, age in the cage? Yeah, that's probably lame. On the plus side, the new column is up.

Just as a matter of sport its an amazing moment. The Angels had a three run lead, with three outs to go. Up three games to one, on their way to their first World Series, and they collapsed. That Dave Henderson made up for letting a home run bounce off his glove made it sweeter.

I dislike interleague play, as it really fucks with the schedule, as teams play drastically different schedules. If the schedule was balanced, I'd be ok with it.