HR DERBY AND CELEB SOFTBALL OMNICHATTER 2014

Tonight on ESPN.

Batter Patience as a Team Sport

If plate patience was so important, why don’t they put it on the scoreboard?

But the problem with this narrative goes deeper than that. In truth, there is little evidence of any ultimate connection between team plate patience and production, on either side of the ledger. So far this season, the Red Sox (4.02 P/PA), Mets (3.87 P/PA), and Phillies (3.87 P/PA) all have significantly above-average plate patience, and significantly below-average offensive production. The Blue Jays, Athletics, and ...

Alex Gordon: The Eugene Cernan of the 2014 MLB All Star Game

Full disclosure, this writer works for me on another site. Also full disclosure: Alex Gordon is my favorite player, and Eugene Cernan is my favorite astronaut.

Alex Gordon, on the other hand, is a little bit more like Eugene Cernan, the 24th—and last—man to walk on the moon. Maybe you’ve heard of him, but probably not. “The 24th Man to Walk on the Moon” doesn’t have much musicality to it. His achievement is far from being as historical as Armstrong’s, but still, he’s been to ...

WATCH IT: Joey Gallo Takes Batting Practice - BaseballAmerica.com

Yesterday was Joey Gallo Day!

Rangers third baseman Joey Gallo has 31 home runs this season, more than anyone in the minors or majors. If we’re being realistic, his power is well past 80 on the 20-80 scouting scale. And on Sunday at during batting practice at the Futures Game, he showed off in a major way. He hit 13 balls out during the session, most of the soaring, majestic, sky-scraping variety. Here’s two rounds of his batting practice. Sit back, relax and enjoy.

Joey Gallo’s homer backs stellar U.S. pitching in Futures Game win | cubs.com: News

Does anyone have a link to see the game online? I missed a couple of innings on the cable broadcast.

New York Post:  Familar Cry of ‘Ya Gotta Believe’ Begins to Ring out Again

The Mets’ pythagorian record right now is 50-45.  Are they secretly good, or is there a talent-related reason they are so far below that record at 45-50?  Wright, Granderson, and D’Arnaud have all begun to live up to expectations. Murphy is better than expected.  Lagares has continued to perform at a high level. The starters have been solid, though oversold as a team strength.

Conventional wisdom is that with a record so divergent from the run differential, we should expect a strong ...

Arguello: Would you rather be the Cubs or the Yankees right now?

Ensign Cottrell...reporting for double-duty.

For those that may say you never know how prospects are going to pan out, the Yankees have shown that spending money is no guarantee either.  Even when they turn out reasonably well, as it has with the Yankees, it doesn’t necessarily tranlsate to more wins overall.  Some fans want to see the Cubs sign a star player they can identify with, but be honest here.  Would you really be more willing to go to a ballgame to watch Brian McCann or even Jacoby ...

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 7-14-2014

Harrisburg Telegraph, July 14, 1914:

“Baseball-football,” a combination of the diamond and gridiron sports originating in the mind of Herman Brosoweska, director of the [Detroit] board of education’s model playground center, was conceived to satisfy 200 schoolboys.

A very large, but light, ball is used. The pitcher tosses the ball to the batter at a level of one foot above the ground. Football tactics are employed by the batter, who kicks the ball. The usual rules for fielding and base running ...

Giants’ battery of Bumgarner, Posey provide charge heading to All-Star break

Posey and Bumgarner became the first battery to hit grand slams in the same game, driving in every run of an 8-4 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.  [...]

Players and coaches credited Posey for stirring a slumping group with his fifth-inning slam. The catcher was more impressed by Bumgarner, who also hit a grand slam April 11.

“You’re just kind of shaking your head,” he said. “I was asking Rags (pitching coach Dave Righetti) how many pitchers have hit two in one season.”

The answer is two, ...

Braves Suspend Dan Uggla For One Game

No, Braves fans, you can’t void his contract for being late.

The Braves have issued a one-game suspension to Dan Uggla, the team announced… Atlanta manager Fredi Gonzalez declined to comment on the specifics of the suspension but David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution hears it was due to Uggla being late (Twitter links).

... O’Brien speculated yesterday that with [Phil] Gosselin on the way up, the Braves could have designated Ugggla for assignment today.  The suspension gives ...

OC Register: Garrett Richards misses out on All-Star Game…again

Garrett Richards came up empty in another opportunity to make the All-Star team tonight, when Seattle Mariners closer Fernando Rodney was named to replace David Price.

Price, one of the players originally selected for the team, had his start pushed back from Saturday to Sunday because of an illness, knocking him out of Tuesday’s All-Star Game. Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell, in conjunction with major league officials, had the discretion to replace Price.

They took Rodney, who leads the ...

OMNICHATTER 7-13-14

The “Last Day Before ASB and also the Futures Game” OMNICHATTER

‘Battered Bastards of Baseball’ review: Portland Mavericks’ story is true to the team’s name

I give it 4.5 Rob Neyer flannel shirts out of a possible 5.

First-time directors Chapman and Maclain Way are the grandsons of Bing Russell, the cowboy actor who founded the independent, minor-league Portland Mavericks in 1973, so “Battered Bastards” is an affectionate family valentine rather than a hard-hitting exposé.  But the Ways’ family connections probably helped convince a number of erstwhile Mavs to sit for interviews, not least of them Bing’s movie-star son Kurt, who rhapsodizes about ...

MLB: Brewers heartbroken by death of Jean Segura’s 9-month-old son

Just awful. Nothing else to say.

MILWAUKEE—Sometimes life trumps losing streaks. Saturday was one of those sometimes for the Milwaukee Brewers.

Players spent the morning trying to focus on an ostensibly big game against the rival Cardinals while hurting inside for shortstop Jean Segura, who was informed following Friday’s series-opening loss that his nine-month-old son, Janniel, had died suddenly in the Dominican Republic. [...]

Segura’s return to the team is open-ended. A player can remain ...

Cardinals execute bizarre 5-8 forceout at second base

The ole dropped-bunt-throw-to-center-fielder-covering-second-base. All those drills in practice have finally paid off.

5-8 on a hop is strange.  Really though, something like this should be infield fly rule.

Aroldis sets MLB record with K in 40th straight game

His streak began on Aug. 21, 2013.

Chapman surpassed Bruce Sutter, who did so in 39 straight games from June 1-Oct. 2, 1977.

Given the current environment, I would have guessed that this record was like five minutes old.  But 1977…that impressive.  I guess.

OMNICHATTER 7-12-2014

The “Last Saturday Before The Break” OMNICHATTER

Seinfeld Had Backup Plan In Case Keith Hernandez Couldn’t Cut It On The Set

It turned out the writers and producers had a backup plan if Hernandez’s nerves got to him. If the memorable performance was average, Hernandez could have seen his scene cut. The hour-long double-episode could have been a single episode, with a greater emphasis on George Costanza’s subplot.

Bullet dodged.  I love that episode.

Brooks: Baseball or Soccer?

Is life more like baseball, or is it more like soccer?
...
Most of us spend our days thinking we are playing baseball, but we are really playing soccer. We think we individually choose what career path to take, whom to socialize with, what views to hold. But, in fact, those decisions are shaped by the networks of people around us more than we dare recognize.

If life were anything like that Argentina-Netherlands semifinal, I would have swerved into oncoming traffic years ago.  That was 120 ...

Fangraphs: Let’s Imagine a Baseball-Playing LeBron James

Fun with stats!

Obviously, the first step is figuring out James’ single-season value, and this is why we’ll have two approaches. One idea: last year, James was worth about 2.3% of all basketball WAR. Because a baseball season has 1,000 total WAR, that would give us a target of about 23. The other idea: James is projected for about 21 WAR. That’s over an 82-game season, so over a 162-game season, you’d be talking about almost 42 WAR. I don’t know which way to go, so I’ll go both.

Texas Rangers catcher Geovany Soto arrested Wednesday on marijuana possession charge

Texas Rangers catcher Geovany Soto was arrested Wednesday night in Grapevine on a marijuana possession charge.

Soto, 31, was pulled over for speeding around 10 p.m. in the 3500 block of Ira E. Woods Avenue, said Grapevine police spokesman Sgt. Robert Eberling.

He has been charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana under 2 ounces. Eberling said Soto was cooperative during the arrest.

Soto is free on a $500 bail. The Tarrant County district attorney’s office filed his charges Friday. ...

CCB: Cubs Wind Landmarks OK for Wrigley Redo

The team finally got the news they’ve been aiming to hear for years.

Adrian Beltre sets a major league record (3B total bases)

1) Yesterday, Rangers 3B Adrian Beltre set the major league record for career total bases by a 3B and he is 8th vs. the league average.

MOST CAREER TOTAL BASES, 3B

1    Adrian Beltre             4272   Dodgers/Mariners/Red Sox/Rangers
2    Brooks Robinson            4270   Orioles
3    Eddie Mathews             4224   Braves/Astros/Tigers
4    Chipper Jones             4171   Braves
5    Mike Schmidt               4112   Phillies
6    Wade Boggs          ...

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 7-11-2014

Washington Herald, July 12, 1914:

Boston, July 11—The Red Sox took a fall out of the tail-end Naps here to-day, beating them 4 to 3 in a game that was hard-fought all the way. “Baby” Ruth, the $25,000 Baltimore star, opened in the box for the winners, but game way to a pinch hitter in the seventh, when the score was three all. Leonard finished up. Mitchell did the hurling for Cleveland and was hit hard at opportune times by the home team.

Duffy Lewis: The first man to pinch-hit for Babe Ruth in ...

When a bat boy went to a Paul McCartney concert with Mark Fidrych and Tom Veryzer

The Old Red Rose Speedway Barn…ugh. Guess the Death gig was sold out.

On Saturday, May 8, just a few weeks prior to The Bird becoming the most famous player in all baseball (at least all baseball in 1976), I had the good fortune of hanging out with him. Paul McCartney and his newly formed band were in the middle of their “Wings Over America Tour,” and Tiger shortstop Tom Veryzer and I planned to go hear them the night after an afternoon game between the Tigers and the White Sox. We decided ...

OMNICHATTER 7-11

The “Insert Lame 7-11 Joke” OMNICHATTER

DMN: After 15-6 loss to Angels, Washington gives ‘fire-and-brimstone’ blistering of Rangers

Manager Ron Washington resorted to a fire-and-brimstone blistering of the Rangers after a 15-6 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night at Globe Life Park.

In a post-game clubhouse meeting that lasted about 30 minutes, Washington vented his unhappiness at the way his club has been playing in this current dreadful stretch. The Rangers have lost five consecutive games and 19 of their last 22 games.

“I needed to remind them of some things,” Washington said.

Right-hander Colby Lewis, ...

Rockies Owner: ‘Maybe Denver Doesn’t Deserve A Franchise’

This guy needs to mellow out.  Anyone know a good way to do that in Colorado?

[A] season ticket holder… sent an email to the Rockies fan feedback line July 5t, writing, “The Monforts have no business owning a baseball team and their missteps in hiring ‘the good old boys’ for front office and management positions is solid evidence of their ineptitude. They have ruined pro baseball in this region while generating millions of dollars in profit.’ ”

... the next day, July 6 at 6:47 p.m., ...

Calcaterra: The first Derek Jeter Publishing title is available for pre-order

Last fall we learned that Derek Jeter was starting his own publishing business in a partnership with Simon & Schuster. The first book is coming out in September. You can pre-order it now. It’s called “The Contract” and it’s for middle school readers. This is the description:

As a young boy, Derek Jeter dreams of begin [sic] the shortstop for the New York Yankees. He even imagines himself in the World Series. So when Derek is chosen for the Little League Tigers, he hopes to play ...

Sale, Rizzo Win 2014 All-Star Game MLB.com Final Vote

I assume Keuchel got 0.0 votes.

The creative campaigns are over. Twitter voting ended in a furious rally. And at the end of the four-day online voting program, it is Chris Sale of the Chicago White Sox and Anthony Rizzo of the Chicago Cubs who were chosen by fans as the winners of the 2014 All-Star Game MLB.com Final Vote Sponsored by Experian. Sale and Rizzo earned the final two AL and NL All-Star Team roster spots through online voting on MLB.com, the individual Club sites and Twitter, where ...