Youkilis actually has hit this well before...in NCAA and his last bit of time in AAA ball when he was 26 years old, which means it's somewhat less impressive (great looking numbers post-age 25 are suspect). Youkilis in his 5 years in the minors had this line:
1407 AB - 30 HR/.444 OBA/.441 SLG
He gets on base a ton. I am perfectly willing to give him credit for this. It's super-valuable, especially when hitting in front of Ortiz and Manny (at least he should be their number 2 hitter, I think I've seen him hitting 5th in the lineup too). He's a very disciplined hitter with so-so pop. The latter is what's driving me nuts. He has fucking so-so pop and yet he's slugging .561 right now (17 2B and 8 HR, one being an incredibly fluky inside-the-parker). This is a little ridiculous. Mike Lowell is also swinging on another planet right now with 15 2B and 10 HR adding up to a .573 SLG. Just goes to show you how things just refuse to go wrong for those Bostonian fucks. Gotta love their home/away splits:
Blowell (2007 home/away): 1.027 OPS/.856 OPS
Pukelis (2007 home/away): 1.057 OPS/.924 OPS
And Pukelis' OPS on the road is definitely luck (projected OPS is .866 and actual is .987) and no worries, it will go down. The big difference between home and away for both of them demonstrates how Fenway Park is a shithole-haven for crappy hitters to revitalize their careers. Let's look at some other great home/away splits:
Kevin Pukelis (2006 home/away): .844 OPS/.774 OPS
Jason "I'm a bullshit captain, a huge prick, and I have a surname that sounds like a pathetic, bankrupt technology company" Varitek (2007 home/away): .910 OPS/.729 OPS
Mark Loretta (2006 home/away): .787 OPS/.622 OPS
Kevin "Cowboy (take it) Up (the ass)" Millar (2004 home/away): 1.017 OPS/.689 OPS
Bill "No one will ever remember I won the 2003 Batting title" Mueller (2004 home/away): .992 OPS/.638 OPS
Johnny Damon (2005 home/away): .837 OPS/.780 OPS (Though I will give him more of a pass since he left that overly bearded asylum for assholes and morons.)
I fucking hate ballparks that favor hitters like that, especially shitty ones. I also hate ballparks that have classless dumbass fans fill up 80% of the seats. I strongly prefer parks that help pitchers in this ridiculous live ball era.
Fenway Park Park Factors:
2003 - 105/104
2004 - 106/105
2005 - 101/101
2006 - 102/101
Yankee Stadium Park Factors:
2003 - 96/97
2004 - 96/97
2005 - 103/102
2006 - 95/96
Over 100 favors the batters. Under 100 favors pitchers.
Come on, Yankees. Pull off another 1978.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Kobe Demands Trade...Backs Off....Shaq Backs Kobe....Pigs Fly!
Stephen A. Smith: You're still under contract with them. Are you saying right here, on this show, that you want to be traded?
Kobe Bryant: Yeah, I would like to be traded, yeah.
A few seconds later...
Stephen A. Smith: Are you saying now emphatically, regardless of what they done, you want out of Los Angeles?
Kobe Bryant: Yeah. I would like to be traded...as tough as it is to say that, as tough as it is to come to that conclusion. There's no other....there's no other, there's no other alternative, you know? They obviously want to move in a different direction in terms of you know rebuilding, I wish they would have, you know, told me that, you know, prior to me resigning with the team.
Shortly after, the nail in the coffin...
Stephen A. Smith: Is there anything that the Los Angeles Lakers can do to make you change your mind and decide that you do not want to be traded?
Kobe Bryant: No
Stephen A. Smith: Nothing?
Kobe Bryant: No
Convincing enough, right? Kobe is demanding a trade! Holy shit! This is big news. I wonder if Isiah is giving Mitch Kupchak (Lakers GM) a call right now. Wow, I can't believe this!
Later though, Bryant talked to Dan Patrick on ESPN Radio and seemed to reconsider.
"I'm so tired of talking," Bryant said. "It's tough. I always dreamed about retiring as a Laker. I just hope and hope that something can be resolved. Something can be figured out. Just something so I can stay here and be in this city and be with the team I love."
Wait a mintue? Didn't Kobe say earlier today that under no circumstances would he change his mind about demanding a trade? All of a sudden, he flip-flops as much as John Kerry did in the 2004 presidential debates?
"When Phil and I spoke, he was optimistic and determined that we'll both be back," Bryant told Patrick. "Phil is somebody I listen to. I lean on him a lot. He assured me things are going to be OK. Things are going to be all right. Don't go full bore just yet. Take a deep breath and let us work these things out and everything will be all right. Which was very encouraging.
I don't want to go anywhere else. I want to be here for the rest of my career. It was encouraging to hear that."
Confused yet? Great. Things get even better.
Earlier in the day, Bryant said Buss masterminded the trade of Shaquille O'Neal -- and Shaq later confirmed Kobe's account.
"I believe Kobe 100 percent," O'Neal said when reached in Los Angeles. "Absolutely. There's no doubt in my mind Kobe is telling the truth. I believe him a thousand percent."
Woah! Did Shaq just back up Kobe? This has been one fucked up day. Does this mean they are like screwing each other? I guess we'll know for sure if Kobe has to buy his wife another expensive diamond ring.
So what the hell is going on? No one seems to know for sure except the superstar himself. One thing is for sure though, if Kobe truly demands a trade to the Lakers, Isiah Thomas better be ready to do whatever is necessary to bring the whiny bitch to New York. I don't care if he has to blow Mitch Kupchak in the process. Anything it takes Isiah. Bring Kobe to NY.
Kobe has a trade kicker in his contract that will add $9.5 million to his total contract value, a cost to be absorbed by any team that acquires him. Thankfully, absorbing contracts is what the Knicks do best.
Yes, it's a huge longshot at best. The Knicks have some good young talent (Curry being the biggest piece, the one guy we'd try to keep in any Kobe deal to re-create a Shaq-Kobe kind of thing), but let's be real, other teams can offer more in that department.
Kobe wants NY though. The endorsements are there and he'd be playing on the biggest stage. The two serious threats the Knicks would face in the Kobe Bryant sweepstakes are the Celtics (very good young talent to offer along with the 5th pick in the draft) and the Bulls (top-notch prospects and probably the most attractive destination for Kobe since the team would be a contender with him and he'd still be playing in a huge market).
Still, if there is any truth to this Kobe wanting to leave crap. Isiah better do everything and anything he can to try to get him. I don't care if that means offering Quentin Richardson, Jamal Crawford, David Lee, Channing Frye, and the 22nd pick in the draft for him (Lee is my favorite Knick, but this is Kobe we're talking about, the best wing player in the game right now). If the Lakers want Curry, I'd gladly trade him for Kobe (although I wouldn't add much to that, definitely not Lee).
Anyway, should fun to see how this plays out. Odds are this day will produce a whole lot of nothing. The Lakers will find a way to satisfy Kobe (not that way you sick bastards) and he'll probably stay in LA. Still, we can't dream, can't we?
Kobe Bryant: Yeah, I would like to be traded, yeah.
A few seconds later...
Stephen A. Smith: Are you saying now emphatically, regardless of what they done, you want out of Los Angeles?
Kobe Bryant: Yeah. I would like to be traded...as tough as it is to say that, as tough as it is to come to that conclusion. There's no other....there's no other, there's no other alternative, you know? They obviously want to move in a different direction in terms of you know rebuilding, I wish they would have, you know, told me that, you know, prior to me resigning with the team.
Shortly after, the nail in the coffin...
Stephen A. Smith: Is there anything that the Los Angeles Lakers can do to make you change your mind and decide that you do not want to be traded?
Kobe Bryant: No
Stephen A. Smith: Nothing?
Kobe Bryant: No
Convincing enough, right? Kobe is demanding a trade! Holy shit! This is big news. I wonder if Isiah is giving Mitch Kupchak (Lakers GM) a call right now. Wow, I can't believe this!
Later though, Bryant talked to Dan Patrick on ESPN Radio and seemed to reconsider.
"I'm so tired of talking," Bryant said. "It's tough. I always dreamed about retiring as a Laker. I just hope and hope that something can be resolved. Something can be figured out. Just something so I can stay here and be in this city and be with the team I love."
Wait a mintue? Didn't Kobe say earlier today that under no circumstances would he change his mind about demanding a trade? All of a sudden, he flip-flops as much as John Kerry did in the 2004 presidential debates?
"When Phil and I spoke, he was optimistic and determined that we'll both be back," Bryant told Patrick. "Phil is somebody I listen to. I lean on him a lot. He assured me things are going to be OK. Things are going to be all right. Don't go full bore just yet. Take a deep breath and let us work these things out and everything will be all right. Which was very encouraging.
I don't want to go anywhere else. I want to be here for the rest of my career. It was encouraging to hear that."
Confused yet? Great. Things get even better.
Earlier in the day, Bryant said Buss masterminded the trade of Shaquille O'Neal -- and Shaq later confirmed Kobe's account.
"I believe Kobe 100 percent," O'Neal said when reached in Los Angeles. "Absolutely. There's no doubt in my mind Kobe is telling the truth. I believe him a thousand percent."
Woah! Did Shaq just back up Kobe? This has been one fucked up day. Does this mean they are like screwing each other? I guess we'll know for sure if Kobe has to buy his wife another expensive diamond ring.
So what the hell is going on? No one seems to know for sure except the superstar himself. One thing is for sure though, if Kobe truly demands a trade to the Lakers, Isiah Thomas better be ready to do whatever is necessary to bring the whiny bitch to New York. I don't care if he has to blow Mitch Kupchak in the process. Anything it takes Isiah. Bring Kobe to NY.
Kobe has a trade kicker in his contract that will add $9.5 million to his total contract value, a cost to be absorbed by any team that acquires him. Thankfully, absorbing contracts is what the Knicks do best.
Yes, it's a huge longshot at best. The Knicks have some good young talent (Curry being the biggest piece, the one guy we'd try to keep in any Kobe deal to re-create a Shaq-Kobe kind of thing), but let's be real, other teams can offer more in that department.
Kobe wants NY though. The endorsements are there and he'd be playing on the biggest stage. The two serious threats the Knicks would face in the Kobe Bryant sweepstakes are the Celtics (very good young talent to offer along with the 5th pick in the draft) and the Bulls (top-notch prospects and probably the most attractive destination for Kobe since the team would be a contender with him and he'd still be playing in a huge market).
Still, if there is any truth to this Kobe wanting to leave crap. Isiah better do everything and anything he can to try to get him. I don't care if that means offering Quentin Richardson, Jamal Crawford, David Lee, Channing Frye, and the 22nd pick in the draft for him (Lee is my favorite Knick, but this is Kobe we're talking about, the best wing player in the game right now). If the Lakers want Curry, I'd gladly trade him for Kobe (although I wouldn't add much to that, definitely not Lee).
Anyway, should fun to see how this plays out. Odds are this day will produce a whole lot of nothing. The Lakers will find a way to satisfy Kobe (not that way you sick bastards) and he'll probably stay in LA. Still, we can't dream, can't we?
Pure absurdity
Yankees lose again, this time because of a steal of home plate and a continuing lack of offense from a nearly-unchanged lineup that scored 930 runs last year.
Mets win because of 2 balks by their former closer Armando Benitez. Delgado homered to win it, but still, two fucking balks.
Red Sox win because Kevin Youkilis is hitting better than he has ever hit in his entire life.
Can it get any more annoying?
I think the only way I can stop this is by going in to pitch so I can fucking nail Youkilis in his ribs with a fastball. I'd go headhunting but his scumbag goatee is too fucking big to allow the fastball to hurt enough. Also, I would love to come in to pitch against the Mets so I could fucking kill Reyes with a fastball right to his head. Did you see his fruity dancing in the dugout last night?! Or his trot home after the balk that was clearly mocking Benitez? Someone needs to fucking knock him out. I hope Reyes suffers some sort of career ending injury someday soon so Mets fans won't have his "excitement" to jerk off to. I wouldn't even care if the player they got was better than Reyes. Just someone who isn't sucked off for any minor thing he does and doesn't act like a fucking 6 year old brat in little league.
Mets win because of 2 balks by their former closer Armando Benitez. Delgado homered to win it, but still, two fucking balks.
Red Sox win because Kevin Youkilis is hitting better than he has ever hit in his entire life.
Can it get any more annoying?
I think the only way I can stop this is by going in to pitch so I can fucking nail Youkilis in his ribs with a fastball. I'd go headhunting but his scumbag goatee is too fucking big to allow the fastball to hurt enough. Also, I would love to come in to pitch against the Mets so I could fucking kill Reyes with a fastball right to his head. Did you see his fruity dancing in the dugout last night?! Or his trot home after the balk that was clearly mocking Benitez? Someone needs to fucking knock him out. I hope Reyes suffers some sort of career ending injury someday soon so Mets fans won't have his "excitement" to jerk off to. I wouldn't even care if the player they got was better than Reyes. Just someone who isn't sucked off for any minor thing he does and doesn't act like a fucking 6 year old brat in little league.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
And Torre continues to piss me off
Yesterday he brings in Vizcaino who manages to pitch out of a bases loaded jam by striking out Frank Thomas and then after a walk in the next inning, induces a double play and a weak popout. He is actually pitching well. Gotta figure it's worth letting him take the 7th inning, too. You don't want to eat up 3-4 guys in your bullpen for this game. Wait, he was pulled?! Why might you ask? Why in the name of all that is holy, sacred, blessed, stoned, shitfaced and mildly retarded? Because Joe Torre said so and he knows best. He's going to bring in Ron Villone (speaking of holy and sacred, Jesus himself had to be responsible for repairing this guy's left arm and shoulder after Torre used him in like 148 games last year because only Jesus could repair the destructive results of Joe Torre bullpen management). Villone comes in and sucks, then Myers comes in to continue his tradition of lefty specialist suckage. And guess what, we have then used 3 pitchers from the bullpen for the night. Brilliant, Joe, just brilliant.
Of course there are those who defend Torre to death with shit like, "He managed the team to 4 World Series in 5 years along with 2 other trips to the World Series and the AL East title in every year but 1997! And he made lots of brilliant, gutsy moves that paid off"
Let's break down some of Joe Torre's "brilliant, gutsy" moves in the World Series Championship years:
1. 1996 World Series, Game 5:
Top 9th, runner on 3rd, 2 out
Doesn't pinch hit for Pettitte so he can pitch, who flies out, and then allows a double to Chipper Jones to lead off the bottom of the 9th. That was gold.
2. 1998 World Series, Game 1:
Starts Ricky Ledee in Left Field instead of Spencer.
Ledee hits a big 2 run double and draws a big walk off Kevin Brown in the game. This was a genius move? Left fielders for the Yankees in 1998 were all pretty ordinary aside from Shane Spencer's 67 video game at bats. And at by that point, the video game had been turned off. So he puts in Ledee, an unproven player at that point, who has proven to be terrible, and got lucky.
3. 1999 World Series, Game 3:
Starts Chad Curtis in left field instead of Ricky Ledee who actually had been hitting pretty well in that postseason (3 doubles, a grand slam, 3 walks). Curtis had never had a hit off the Braves' starter that night, Tom Glavine. Curtis got a ball in the air to right, the ball was carrying ridiculously well that night, and it found its way into the right field seats. And then he hit probably the longest HR he ever hit in his life off Remlinger to win the game in the 10th. Great move by Torre? It worked, but not everything that works is necessarily a genius move and is sometimes a dumb move. And in this case, starting mediocre-to-bad Chad Curtis instead of hot-hitting Ricky Ledee was a dumb move. Oh wait, now I know why. Lefty vs. lefty! Even if the lefty is OPSing 1.500 against the southpaw, the righty (who is 1 for 197 with no walks) will get the start because Torre knows in his own mind that lefty vs. lefty = bad and lefty vs. righty = good.
Those are the ones that stick out the most to me. But the general idea is this: Joe Torre did not win these championships by great managing, he won because he had an offense that put up OBAs over .360 in 3 of the 4 championships (.354 in the other year) and a pitching staff that boasted above average to good ERAs in all four championships. If I were manager, I think just sitting back and letting these guys handle all the shit would be the intelligent thing to do. You know? That's just me. I don't think even Ozzie Guillen or Dusty Baker could have fucked up those teams.
Of course there are those who defend Torre to death with shit like, "He managed the team to 4 World Series in 5 years along with 2 other trips to the World Series and the AL East title in every year but 1997! And he made lots of brilliant, gutsy moves that paid off"
Let's break down some of Joe Torre's "brilliant, gutsy" moves in the World Series Championship years:
1. 1996 World Series, Game 5:
Top 9th, runner on 3rd, 2 out
Doesn't pinch hit for Pettitte so he can pitch, who flies out, and then allows a double to Chipper Jones to lead off the bottom of the 9th. That was gold.
2. 1998 World Series, Game 1:
Starts Ricky Ledee in Left Field instead of Spencer.
Ledee hits a big 2 run double and draws a big walk off Kevin Brown in the game. This was a genius move? Left fielders for the Yankees in 1998 were all pretty ordinary aside from Shane Spencer's 67 video game at bats. And at by that point, the video game had been turned off. So he puts in Ledee, an unproven player at that point, who has proven to be terrible, and got lucky.
3. 1999 World Series, Game 3:
Starts Chad Curtis in left field instead of Ricky Ledee who actually had been hitting pretty well in that postseason (3 doubles, a grand slam, 3 walks). Curtis had never had a hit off the Braves' starter that night, Tom Glavine. Curtis got a ball in the air to right, the ball was carrying ridiculously well that night, and it found its way into the right field seats. And then he hit probably the longest HR he ever hit in his life off Remlinger to win the game in the 10th. Great move by Torre? It worked, but not everything that works is necessarily a genius move and is sometimes a dumb move. And in this case, starting mediocre-to-bad Chad Curtis instead of hot-hitting Ricky Ledee was a dumb move. Oh wait, now I know why. Lefty vs. lefty! Even if the lefty is OPSing 1.500 against the southpaw, the righty (who is 1 for 197 with no walks) will get the start because Torre knows in his own mind that lefty vs. lefty = bad and lefty vs. righty = good.
Those are the ones that stick out the most to me. But the general idea is this: Joe Torre did not win these championships by great managing, he won because he had an offense that put up OBAs over .360 in 3 of the 4 championships (.354 in the other year) and a pitching staff that boasted above average to good ERAs in all four championships. If I were manager, I think just sitting back and letting these guys handle all the shit would be the intelligent thing to do. You know? That's just me. I don't think even Ozzie Guillen or Dusty Baker could have fucked up those teams.
Monday, May 28, 2007
It just keeps getting worse
Friday night
What would any human being with a brain do in this instance:
Tyler Clippard, your starter, has gone 4 innings, allowed 3 runs, got knocked around a little bit on some pitches up (not to mention that one or two of the doubles he gave up Damon could have caught), but made some big pitches when he needed to in order to limit the damage and did not walk anybody. And even more importantly – Clippard, a young arm, has only thrown about 75 pitches. Here are your two options:
(a) Let him continue because, while his command is not perfect, he is not walking people and would probably benefit from, as Clemens would call it, “grinding it out”. It’d likely help build up his confidence.
(b) Pull him, which basically says to him, “I have no confidence in your ability to get guys out when you don’t have your best stuff.” Bring in Matt DeSalvo, who has never made an appearance out of the bullpen before and considering the fact that, while he has pitched fairly well, has walked 10 people in 17 innings = recipe for disaster.
Logical choice is (a), but leave it to the great genius Joe Torre to choose otherwise. And what did DeSalvo do? You guessed it! He walked 2 people, allowed a single and then a double! Pure awesomeness. Then of course Vizcaino comes in, walks the ballpark and allows 4 ER as well as the first HR of 2007 for the incredibly average/below average hitting Chone Figgins while recording only 3 outs in the process. Another fantastic job by this bullpen.
Another thing I’d point out about Chone Figgins. Over his career he has a .726 OPS. Against the Yankees, it’s fucking .862. I can’t stand seeing his scrappy ass constantly getting on base and being a fucking polyp in the Yankees’ bowel so much more often against them than against any other team because he’s not that fucking good and he’s overrated just like 95% of all fast, scrappy, gritty players. Sportswriters try to prove these guys are just as important as the Thomes and the Howards through the use of annoying clichés in lieu of stats which happen prove the opposite.
And of course, Torre’s move begged the question “Why did you pull Clippard?” for his postgame interview. What could possibly be his reason for doing so?
“Oh it was location. He was all over the place. Getting the ball down to some batters, others not. Yeah, I know it was only 75 pitches, but he had to work hard the whole time.”
I guess all over the place for Torre is throwing strikes, considering he walked NOBODY. Yes, he had a little bit of trouble getting the ball down at times, but come on, everyone has to battle when they don’t have their best stuff. Mussina clearly did not have his best stuff on Tuesday night (Clippard was just missing some spots here and there, Mussina’s fastball wasn’t coming in harder than like 87 MPH!!! Big difference.) and Torre let him go 6 2/3 innings. But Clippard after having allowed just 3 runs in 4 innings, not terrible, gets pulled because his stuff wasn't perfect. Terrible decision. And as far as I know…I mean, I’m a physics major. I do lots of stuff with math and shit. You know, B.A. Baracus don’t like no liberal arts jibba jabba! I don’t bother with that crap because I feel that many of those majors are exercises in futility leading to degrees in irrelevance and misleading, inflated GPAs that prove nothing other than that you are proficient in meaningless bullshit (i.e. Classics, Art History, English, etc. Quite frankly a degree in Advanced Jerking Off Techniques might be more useful. At least the benefits of the degree would be tangible.). Anyway, enough of my opinion on indolent people who feel like wasting 4 years studying inane crap versus something useful. Back to the matter at hand...as far as my knowledge of math in baseball goes…1 pitch doesn’t equal 1.5, or 2.9, or 193.2 pitches, Joe. 75 pitches = 75 pitches = 75 pitches => He’s not that tired (he is quoted as saying he wanted to stay in) => Leave him in = what Torre should have done ≠ what Torre did => Torre is a fucking senile idiot.
Typical conversation with Mattingly in middle innings:
Torre: Uh oh, bloop single. Gotta get the bullpen up.
Mattingly: This is the 13th time this game that you’ve had the bullpen warm up in this game. You’ve probably overworked them already.
Torre: Nah, I doubt it. Get Proctor going.
Mattingly: But he’s thrown 51,849,294 pitches in the past week. Monahan had to use your daughter's Elmer's glue stick to reattach his arm that fell off when you took the ball from him last time.
Torre: Get him and Villone going.
Mattingly: But you destroyed Villone’s arm last year and now he sucks.
Torre: Ortiz is coming up soon, get Myers going.
Mattingly: But Ortiz is 5 for 14 with a 1.018 OPS against him. Lefty vs. lefty only works when the lefty batter doesn’t hit the lefty pitcher.
Torre: Get Paul Quantrill up.
Mattingly: He’s not on the team anymore.
Torre: Let’s get those guys along with Tanyon Sturtze, Tom Gordon, Jeff Nelson, Mike Stanton, Graeme Lloyd, David Weathers, and John Wetteland, too.
Mattingly (thinking to self): Dr. Kevorkian's getting out of jail next week. I think I'll give him a call.
Torre’s gotta go after 2007.
What would any human being with a brain do in this instance:
Tyler Clippard, your starter, has gone 4 innings, allowed 3 runs, got knocked around a little bit on some pitches up (not to mention that one or two of the doubles he gave up Damon could have caught), but made some big pitches when he needed to in order to limit the damage and did not walk anybody. And even more importantly – Clippard, a young arm, has only thrown about 75 pitches. Here are your two options:
(a) Let him continue because, while his command is not perfect, he is not walking people and would probably benefit from, as Clemens would call it, “grinding it out”. It’d likely help build up his confidence.
(b) Pull him, which basically says to him, “I have no confidence in your ability to get guys out when you don’t have your best stuff.” Bring in Matt DeSalvo, who has never made an appearance out of the bullpen before and considering the fact that, while he has pitched fairly well, has walked 10 people in 17 innings = recipe for disaster.
Logical choice is (a), but leave it to the great genius Joe Torre to choose otherwise. And what did DeSalvo do? You guessed it! He walked 2 people, allowed a single and then a double! Pure awesomeness. Then of course Vizcaino comes in, walks the ballpark and allows 4 ER as well as the first HR of 2007 for the incredibly average/below average hitting Chone Figgins while recording only 3 outs in the process. Another fantastic job by this bullpen.
Another thing I’d point out about Chone Figgins. Over his career he has a .726 OPS. Against the Yankees, it’s fucking .862. I can’t stand seeing his scrappy ass constantly getting on base and being a fucking polyp in the Yankees’ bowel so much more often against them than against any other team because he’s not that fucking good and he’s overrated just like 95% of all fast, scrappy, gritty players. Sportswriters try to prove these guys are just as important as the Thomes and the Howards through the use of annoying clichés in lieu of stats which happen prove the opposite.
And of course, Torre’s move begged the question “Why did you pull Clippard?” for his postgame interview. What could possibly be his reason for doing so?
“Oh it was location. He was all over the place. Getting the ball down to some batters, others not. Yeah, I know it was only 75 pitches, but he had to work hard the whole time.”
I guess all over the place for Torre is throwing strikes, considering he walked NOBODY. Yes, he had a little bit of trouble getting the ball down at times, but come on, everyone has to battle when they don’t have their best stuff. Mussina clearly did not have his best stuff on Tuesday night (Clippard was just missing some spots here and there, Mussina’s fastball wasn’t coming in harder than like 87 MPH!!! Big difference.) and Torre let him go 6 2/3 innings. But Clippard after having allowed just 3 runs in 4 innings, not terrible, gets pulled because his stuff wasn't perfect. Terrible decision. And as far as I know…I mean, I’m a physics major. I do lots of stuff with math and shit. You know, B.A. Baracus don’t like no liberal arts jibba jabba! I don’t bother with that crap because I feel that many of those majors are exercises in futility leading to degrees in irrelevance and misleading, inflated GPAs that prove nothing other than that you are proficient in meaningless bullshit (i.e. Classics, Art History, English, etc. Quite frankly a degree in Advanced Jerking Off Techniques might be more useful. At least the benefits of the degree would be tangible.). Anyway, enough of my opinion on indolent people who feel like wasting 4 years studying inane crap versus something useful. Back to the matter at hand...as far as my knowledge of math in baseball goes…1 pitch doesn’t equal 1.5, or 2.9, or 193.2 pitches, Joe. 75 pitches = 75 pitches = 75 pitches => He’s not that tired (he is quoted as saying he wanted to stay in) => Leave him in = what Torre should have done ≠ what Torre did => Torre is a fucking senile idiot.
Typical conversation with Mattingly in middle innings:
Torre: Uh oh, bloop single. Gotta get the bullpen up.
Mattingly: This is the 13th time this game that you’ve had the bullpen warm up in this game. You’ve probably overworked them already.
Torre: Nah, I doubt it. Get Proctor going.
Mattingly: But he’s thrown 51,849,294 pitches in the past week. Monahan had to use your daughter's Elmer's glue stick to reattach his arm that fell off when you took the ball from him last time.
Torre: Get him and Villone going.
Mattingly: But you destroyed Villone’s arm last year and now he sucks.
Torre: Ortiz is coming up soon, get Myers going.
Mattingly: But Ortiz is 5 for 14 with a 1.018 OPS against him. Lefty vs. lefty only works when the lefty batter doesn’t hit the lefty pitcher.
Torre: Get Paul Quantrill up.
Mattingly: He’s not on the team anymore.
Torre: Let’s get those guys along with Tanyon Sturtze, Tom Gordon, Jeff Nelson, Mike Stanton, Graeme Lloyd, David Weathers, and John Wetteland, too.
Mattingly (thinking to self): Dr. Kevorkian's getting out of jail next week. I think I'll give him a call.
Torre’s gotta go after 2007.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Come on, Giambi...
Giambi tested positive for amphetamines. It's not HGH or steroids, but still. What are you doing?! Don't you know that you're a big time target for drug testing? Really fucking stupid...
And what bothers me also is that there is still no talk of the possibility that Ortiz is/was on them. I am not saying that he is on them, but look at these pictures, take into consideration his strange irregular heartbeat, and then tell me you're not suspicious of him at all:
http://www.homeruncards.com/imagesrc/david-ortiz-ultra.jpg (1997)
http://onlineathens.com/images/090705/21746_512.jpg (now)
It's not just fat people, he's massive. Also consider his defense of Bonds and his strange statement about how he might have taken steroids accidentally while drinking protein shakes he got at GNC in D.R. But no mention of him possibly being a steroid guy, because he's lovable Big Papi that always gets the clutch hits and kills the Yankees. Irritating...
And what bothers me also is that there is still no talk of the possibility that Ortiz is/was on them. I am not saying that he is on them, but look at these pictures, take into consideration his strange irregular heartbeat, and then tell me you're not suspicious of him at all:
http://www.homeruncards.com/imagesrc/david-ortiz-ultra.jpg (1997)
http://onlineathens.com/images/090705/21746_512.jpg (now)
It's not just fat people, he's massive. Also consider his defense of Bonds and his strange statement about how he might have taken steroids accidentally while drinking protein shakes he got at GNC in D.R. But no mention of him possibly being a steroid guy, because he's lovable Big Papi that always gets the clutch hits and kills the Yankees. Irritating...
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
From Jail Blazers to Damn Lucky....The 2007 NBA Draft Lottery
Top Stories
1. Oden to Portland
On Tuesday, May 22nd, 2007, the Portland Trail Blazers struck gold. Perhaps its fitting that a month after David Halberstam passed away (author of the classic book "Breaks of the Game" which chronicled the 1979 Portland Trail Blazers), the Blazers walked into the draft lottery with only a 5.3% chance of landing the first pick and walked out the winners of the Greg Oden Sweepstakes.
Just like that, Portland is selling season tickets at a rapid pace. Not only will they have Greg Oden next season (I don't believe for a minute that they would take Durant over him), but, they will also bring back Brandon Roy, who just happened to be the NBA Rookie of the Year this season. It truly is a match made in heaven. Have fun trying to double team Greg Oden next season when he can simply kick it out to Brandon Roy, one of the few players in the present day NBA that can shoot. Not many guards can average close to 17 points per game while shooting over 45% from the field (around 20 guards averaged over 15 ppg last season while shooting above 45%, a bunch of them being point guards and combo guards). For a rookie to do that in the present day NBA is just rare. Roy is the epitome of an efficient shooting guard.
Of course, I haven't even talked about why getting Oden is such a big deal. We all know the details by now. He's been called the best big man prospect since David Robinson and rightfully so. He is everything a center in the NBA should be.
Not only is Oden a game-changing shot blocker the moment he steps on the court, but, he has evolved into a dominant individual defender as well. Anyone that wants to know about his offensive game just needs to watch tape of the title game against Florida where he abused top NBA prospect Al Horford.
The kid has it all. He has been a "winner" at every level so far which should satisfy those that have that requirement.
Either way, Portland is back on the NBA map. Oden, Roy, and company will give Portland a contender for many seasons to come. Watch out for the Blazers. They'll be back relatively soon.
2. Durant Saves Sonics
The SuperSonics will end up with a player who would have gone No. 1 in most drafts. Kevin Durant might even be more than that. The Sonics haven't been able to get a new arena and aren't guaranteed to be in Seattle past next season. Consequently, Durant could help save the NBA in Seattle. Either way, Durant fits Seattle's uptempo offense perfectly and the Sonics should be a fun team to watch again. Getting Durant kills a ton of leverage that Rashard Lewis would have had on Seattle in free agency. The All-Star SF will likely end up somewhere else (hell, maybe the Knicks via sign and trade).
3. Too Bad for Boston....Not (Celtics drop to 5th overall pick)
Bill Simmons must be crying somewhere. You want to talk about a franchise with bad luck? Can you say Lenny Bias? How about Reggie Lewis? The Rick Pitino era?
The Celtics have been a mess ever since Red Auerbach handed over the keys to the franchise. After Red's death, one would think that Boston would at least get some luck in the lottery. No chance. The Celtics, with the second worst record in the league, shockingly dropped to the 5th overall pick in the draft. No Oden, no Durant, no Al Horford even.
Why don't I feel any sympathy then for Celtics fans? Quite frankly, I'm glad the Knicks won't have to deal with facing Oden or Durant in the Atlantic Division four times a season. When the Celtics also happen to be the premier franchise in NBA history, its pretty easy not feeling bad for them.
4. Knicks Don't Give Away Oden or Durant!
Had the Knicks given away Greg Oden because of Eddy Curry, I would have had a heart attack...true story.
Luckily, there will be no riots at MSG.....and Isiah can sleep like a baby.
1. Oden to Portland
On Tuesday, May 22nd, 2007, the Portland Trail Blazers struck gold. Perhaps its fitting that a month after David Halberstam passed away (author of the classic book "Breaks of the Game" which chronicled the 1979 Portland Trail Blazers), the Blazers walked into the draft lottery with only a 5.3% chance of landing the first pick and walked out the winners of the Greg Oden Sweepstakes.
Just like that, Portland is selling season tickets at a rapid pace. Not only will they have Greg Oden next season (I don't believe for a minute that they would take Durant over him), but, they will also bring back Brandon Roy, who just happened to be the NBA Rookie of the Year this season. It truly is a match made in heaven. Have fun trying to double team Greg Oden next season when he can simply kick it out to Brandon Roy, one of the few players in the present day NBA that can shoot. Not many guards can average close to 17 points per game while shooting over 45% from the field (around 20 guards averaged over 15 ppg last season while shooting above 45%, a bunch of them being point guards and combo guards). For a rookie to do that in the present day NBA is just rare. Roy is the epitome of an efficient shooting guard.
Of course, I haven't even talked about why getting Oden is such a big deal. We all know the details by now. He's been called the best big man prospect since David Robinson and rightfully so. He is everything a center in the NBA should be.
Not only is Oden a game-changing shot blocker the moment he steps on the court, but, he has evolved into a dominant individual defender as well. Anyone that wants to know about his offensive game just needs to watch tape of the title game against Florida where he abused top NBA prospect Al Horford.
The kid has it all. He has been a "winner" at every level so far which should satisfy those that have that requirement.
Either way, Portland is back on the NBA map. Oden, Roy, and company will give Portland a contender for many seasons to come. Watch out for the Blazers. They'll be back relatively soon.
2. Durant Saves Sonics
The SuperSonics will end up with a player who would have gone No. 1 in most drafts. Kevin Durant might even be more than that. The Sonics haven't been able to get a new arena and aren't guaranteed to be in Seattle past next season. Consequently, Durant could help save the NBA in Seattle. Either way, Durant fits Seattle's uptempo offense perfectly and the Sonics should be a fun team to watch again. Getting Durant kills a ton of leverage that Rashard Lewis would have had on Seattle in free agency. The All-Star SF will likely end up somewhere else (hell, maybe the Knicks via sign and trade).
3. Too Bad for Boston....Not (Celtics drop to 5th overall pick)
Bill Simmons must be crying somewhere. You want to talk about a franchise with bad luck? Can you say Lenny Bias? How about Reggie Lewis? The Rick Pitino era?
The Celtics have been a mess ever since Red Auerbach handed over the keys to the franchise. After Red's death, one would think that Boston would at least get some luck in the lottery. No chance. The Celtics, with the second worst record in the league, shockingly dropped to the 5th overall pick in the draft. No Oden, no Durant, no Al Horford even.
Why don't I feel any sympathy then for Celtics fans? Quite frankly, I'm glad the Knicks won't have to deal with facing Oden or Durant in the Atlantic Division four times a season. When the Celtics also happen to be the premier franchise in NBA history, its pretty easy not feeling bad for them.
4. Knicks Don't Give Away Oden or Durant!
Had the Knicks given away Greg Oden because of Eddy Curry, I would have had a heart attack...true story.
Luckily, there will be no riots at MSG.....and Isiah can sleep like a baby.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)