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Sunday, April 13, 2008

ESPN : How in the World did this guy win 347 games?

Maddux wound up and threw. By now, pitching coach Darren Balsley was watching, along with a few other Padres who had received word that a strange experiment was taking place involving a catcher attempting to catch without the benefit of vision. The ball left Maddux’s hand, and Akerfelds yelled “Now!” and Risinger clenched his mitt around the ball.

He opened his eyes. There it was, in the mitt.

Penny, figuring he’d take advantage of the situation, asked Maddux to call a game for him against the Cubs. And so, on the night of Sept. 13, Penny glanced into the dugout before every delivery and found Maddux, who signaled the next pitch by looking toward different parts of the ballpark. Penny threw seven scoreless innings with no walks and beat the Cubs 6-0. “Maddux probably won’t tell you that story,” Penny says

A fantastic article about my favourite pitcher. Nuff said.

Teheran's Uranium Enriched Missiles Posted: April 13, 2008 at 01:07 PM | 32 comment(s)
Related News: Atlanta, Chi Cubs, LA Dodgers, San Diego

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1. Still Waiting on Pork Chops (John R.) Posted: April 13, 2008 at 12:31 PM (#2741938)

Could Greg Maddux take the Mike Marshall approach and start his own pitching camps? I'd sell my kidney to send my (mythical) kids through a Maddux camp, because he seems like he could teach ME to be a successful big-league pitcher.

2. Miko Supports Shane's Spam Habit Posted: April 13, 2008 at 12:34 PM (#2741947)

Has Maddux ever been injured? Looking at his GS column on bb-ref, it doesn't look like he's been on the DL. He might not have even missed a start.

His durability has been as amazing as any of it.

3. Boots Day Posted: April 13, 2008 at 12:43 PM (#2741963)

I really hope that after Maddux retires, he lets some really good writer pick his brain for a book. That would be the best book on pitching ever written.

4. Robert S. Posted: April 13, 2008 at 12:46 PM (#2741968)

I'd love it if the D-backs paid Maddux to hang out with Webb for a year. They have the same repertoire.

5. Chuck Van Den Corput Posted: April 13, 2008 at 12:48 PM (#2741979)

bats right, throws right, farts left

Just what we need to see on the back of 21st century baseball cards.

Maddux is a nice tonic in these steroid-obsessed times, particularly as a dramatic contrast to Roger Clemens in so many ways.

What I really like is that Maddux doesn't look like an athlete, much like Wayne Gretzky didn't. Their excellence was derived, in large part, from their abilities to see aspects of their games that others couldn't. Whether they are intelligent by MENSA standards or simply savants of their sports doesn't matter. It's brains over brawn, something many fans can appreciate, particularly denizens of these quarters.

6. Gold Star 4 Robot Boy Posted: April 13, 2008 at 12:50 PM (#2741988)

The bit about knowing when a foul ball is coming, I've heard of other players doing that.

7. Hello Rusty Kuntz, Goodbye Rusty Cars Posted: April 13, 2008 at 12:51 PM (#2741990)

His children should be taken away.

Apparently I don't follow pop culture or other sports enough. Is that P-Diddy on the cover of the magazine?

8. rLr Is King Of The Romans And Above Grammar Posted: April 13, 2008 at 12:55 PM (#2741999)

Apparently I don't follow pop culture or other sports enough. Is that P-Diddy on the cover of the magazine?

It says it's Darren McFadden. Sean Combs doesn't have biceps like that.

9. jwb Posted: April 13, 2008 at 12:59 PM (#2742010)

How in the World did this guy win 347 games?
1. Know where you want to throw the ball.
2. Throw it there.

10. Teheran's Uranium Enriched Missiles Posted: April 13, 2008 at 12:59 PM (#2742011)

He has been on the DL once in his life. Early 2000s sometime.

11. Misirlou had a hedge back home in the suburbs Posted: April 13, 2008 at 01:12 PM (#2742038)

He has been on the DL once in his life. Early 2000s sometime.

Really? Because since 1995 (strike year), he has started between 33 and 36 times every year.

Ah, it must have been in 2002, when his first start of the year was the team's 11th game.

12. Dag Nabbit: formerly tolerant of lactose Posted: April 13, 2008 at 01:14 PM (#2742046)

He has been on the DL once in his life. Early 2000s sometime.

In 2002, he didn't appear until the team's 11th game. Having checked 1997-2007, that's his only absence longer than one start. And I found damn few times he missed his turn in the rotation.

13. Miko Supports Shane's Spam Habit Posted: April 13, 2008 at 01:20 PM (#2742060)

The cube has it, I should have googled in the first place:

Disabled List:
[Apr 5,2002] - 15 Day Disabled list - (inflamed nerves in lower back) [Apr 12,2002] - Activated

2002 (199.1 IP) broke a 200+ innings streak that had stretched from '88 though '01, including the '94/'95 strike seasons.

14. Howie Menckel Posted: April 13, 2008 at 01:29 PM (#2742081)

Maddux's ratio of 1.24 last year was his 2nd worst since 1991 (he was 1.35 in 1999 and went 19-9 anyway). In fact, from 1991-2004, that was the only one over 1.20 (he's 'slipped' since, going 1.22, 1.22, 1.24).

That's amazing, even in the NL.

15. El Hombre Triple MVP (Alex) Posted: April 13, 2008 at 01:36 PM (#2742098)

Ratio of what? I feel dumb right now.

16. Nasty Nate Posted: April 13, 2008 at 01:38 PM (#2742102)

I think the world baseball community should come together and agree to give Maddux that 2/3 of an inning in 2002. All in favor?

17. Hello Rusty Kuntz, Goodbye Rusty Cars Posted: April 13, 2008 at 03:03 PM (#2742230)

I think the world baseball community should come together and agree to give Maddux that 2/3 of an inning in 2002. All in favor?

The two outs he didn't get? Steroids.

18. Greg Pope Posted: April 13, 2008 at 03:23 PM (#2742263)

Ratio of what? I feel dumb right now.

Rotisserie baseball term, also known as WHIP. It's (Walks + Hits)/IP. It was a simple way of saying "baserunners per inning" back when Rotisserie baseball was first started and stats were hand-entered from USA Today.

19. Santanaland Diaries Posted: April 13, 2008 at 03:24 PM (#2742265)

I think the world baseball community should come together and agree to give Maddux that 2/3 of an inning in 2002. All in favor?

Hell, you might as well give the two innings from last year, while you're at it, and make it a cool 20 years in a row.

20. El Hombre Triple MVP (Alex) Posted: April 13, 2008 at 03:41 PM (#2742321)

Ah yeah, I know WHIP but not having played rotisserie baseball "ratio" confused the hell outta me.

21. Yankee_Redneck Posted: April 13, 2008 at 03:56 PM (#2742346)

The two outs he didn't get? Steroids.

I concur. Motion seconded.

22. the Tuque of Flatbush

Posted: April 13, 2008 at 05:49 PM (#2742425)

Now somebody needs to catch Daniel Cabrera with their eyes closed.

23. Gambling Rent Czar Posted: April 13, 2008 at 05:52 PM (#2742432)

348

24. Teheran's Uranium Enriched Missiles Posted: April 13, 2008 at 06:01 PM (#2742437)

349

25. Gambling Rent Czar Posted: April 13, 2008 at 06:05 PM (#2742440)

349

thanks for that, i didn't even look. I just went off the headline

349

26. Voros Posted: April 13, 2008 at 06:35 PM (#2742457)

Somewhere, Jacob Shumate shakes his fist in anger.

27. TheHitman Posted: April 13, 2008 at 09:09 PM (#2742857)

I would like to see Malcolm Gladwell write a book on Maddux. But I'm guessing Maddux's brand of genius is not something that would be transferable to students. Sure, he could teach them how to be more effective based on what he sees, but he could never teach them to see what he sees.

28. battlekow Posted: April 13, 2008 at 09:59 PM (#2743010)

I think it would be interesting to read a book on Maddux by John McPhee.

29. Slinger Francisco Barrios (Dr. Memory) Posted: April 14, 2008 at 07:29 AM (#2743332)

I would like to see Malcolm Gladwell write a book on Maddux.

If he did, he would rave about Maddux's preternatural control and uncanny ability to keep hitters off balance, and folks would go, "OMG, Gladwell's right, why did we never see that before?"

30. Slinger Francisco Barrios (Dr. Memory) Posted: April 14, 2008 at 07:32 AM (#2743335)

And I would like to read a book on Maddux by Kevin Henkes. He could call it Greggy's Brown and Beat-Up Mitt.

31. Shooty Did Not Kill McGurk

Posted: April 14, 2008 at 08:03 AM (#2743358)

I think it would be interesting to read a book on Maddux by John McPhee.

I was just going to say this.

32. Gambling Rent Czar Posted: April 14, 2008 at 09:34 AM (#2743435)

Happy 43rd you old fart.

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