The Coming of the Goldman Sachs Yankees

Ads on a team’s jerseys? They could interfere with or at least make more complicated certain players’ individual sponsorship opportunities. Listen to this cool Freakonomics podcast. So if the Miami Heat, say, mandated that every member of the team wear, oh, Carnival Cruise jerseys, then LeBron James almost certainly couldn’t shill for Royal Caribbean.

It’s hard, I guess, to think this way when everybody involved seems so rich (and for the most part is so rich), but it’s the ...

Leigh Steinberg: What went wrong with the Angels?

Leigh-on-Angelsdip.

The team cannot seem to hit consistently and the biggest disappointment is the performance of Pujols. His batting average has been hovering below .200 and it took him over 100 at bats to hit his only home run this year. Switching leagues after spending his career in St. Louis is certainly a factor. He doesn’t know the American League pitchers and has no book on them. He is adjusting to a new environment. But generally if a hitter can succeed in one park he will at least be ...

No relief in sight for 38 Studios

But apparently today’s meeting between 38 Studios owner Curt Schilling and Rhode Island governor Lincoln Chafee resulted in… absolutely nothing. Specifically, Rhode Island’s Economic Development Corporation will take no immediate action to prevent the studio from going under, with Chafee on record as asking, “How do we avoid throwing good money after bad?”

This won’t end well.

Brett Lawrie suspended 4 games

This really sucks…for Pedro Alvarez is my back-up 3B.

Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Brett Lawrie will be suspended four games, CBSSports.com Insider Jon Heyman reports.

Lawrie was ejected after arguinga called third strike in the ninth inning of Tuesday night’s game against the Rays in Toronto. After he was ejected, he slammed his helmet on the ground and it bounced off the ground and hit umpire Bill Miller.

Vintage Baseball: Covering the Bases

Playing vintage baseball in Houston ...

You never know what might happen when you go to cover a vintage base ball game. Early in the second game of the Babies’ two-game slate, one of the “cranks” (fans) rooting for the Houston team was overwhelmed by the day’s crushing heat, causing one of the players to leave the game to render assistance. I was suddenly handed a uniform and pressed into service against the Boerne White Sox. I kicked off my flip-flops and joined the fray barefoot, thus ...

Diamondbacks: Catching up with Arizona Diamondbacks prospect Trevor Bauer

Artist formerly known as Levski, points us to…”...a great interview that Nick Piecoro has done with Trevor Bauer, it’d a sin not to link it on BTF. Awesome conversation.”

If I’m not mistaken that was the night you went on Twitter and said something about not liking ground balls. It sort of seemed like a lot of people were like, ‘Wait, what?’

“Yeah. It was controversial. I knew that when I posted it. It was part of the reason I posted it. I like to post things that make people think. The ...

Ron Wolfley: Justin Upton’s responsibility

In football you receive a penalty.
In baseball you make an error.
In media you get Ron Wolfley blogging.

Being the man sucks buttermilk. It’s a no-win situation. You either do your job congruent to your ability and people say that’s what you’re paid to do or you don’t and people blame you for the woes of the world. Fair? No. Reality? Yes.

Fair or not, greatness doesn’t hide from responsibility. Justin Upton needs to take responsibility for playing great baseball…or not. And this is Upton’s ...

Advanced pitch data helps explain pitchers’ improved results – USATODAY.com

Unless throwing the slider has caused physical issues, how can a manager and pitching coach let this happen?

Luke Hochevar of the Kansas City Royals has had a number of bumps in the road in his big-league career. In the second half of 2011, though, Hochevar posted a career-best clip of 7.8 strikeouts per nine, a nice spike from 4.3 in the first half. He accomplished this largely by throwing more sliders (17.9% from 9.9%) and fewer sinkers (15.7% from 21.4%).
He threw his second-half sliders just ...

Kevin Hickey, who pitched for Sox after open tryout, dies at 56

Kevin Hickey was the South Side’s Natural — a punk kid from Burroughs Playground in Brighton Park who by sheer will, talent and a little the luck of the Irish made it to the big leagues to pitch for the Chicago White Sox, his favorite team.

Hickey, a batting practice pitcher for the club, died on Wednesday. He was 56.

He was 16-inch softball hero without a lick of baseball coaching when the Sox signed Hickey to a minor league contract in 1977. He agreed to a minor league deal — $500 a ...

Can the Orioles Buck History and Stay Above .500?

Rany Jazayerli assesses Baltimore’s fast start.

“You can be forgiven if, as a fan of another team, you are captivated by the Baltimore Orioles’ hot start and you start believing in their playoff chances. If you are a fan of the Orioles, you have no such excuse.”

Miami Marlins: We have no plans to move in the fences

But we have eased back on booster seat limitations!

Marlins President David Samson said the team has no plans to move in the fences at Marlins Park following the season.

The park has gained a reputation as being pitcher friendly and ranks as the fifth-most difficult in the NL to hit a home run, with 20 in the first 15 games, or 1.33 per game, entering Tuesday. Of the Marlins 32 home runs, just 13 are at home.

“We want it to be pitcher friendly, but fair to hitters who get all of it,” Samson ...

When Robin Ventura’s slow hook meets the mean - South Side Sox

What’s the hook like in Texas? Is this a related phenomena? I did a quick search but couldn’t find any team comparisons. Does anyone know where I can find such data online?

Ventura has shown a slow hook so far, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Certain situations call for it, especially if the good relievers need a break. However, it often seems like he’s slow to even get the bullpen stirring as the starter approaches or crosses any of the above thresholds, which leads to situations like ...

Olbermann: Hershiser Won’t Auction Record-Breaking Baseball After All

Collectors were jonesing a ton for this item!

The auction house explained to me today that Orel just couldn’t bear to part with it. That would be a natural emotion for any of us collectors, so one can only imagine the emotional tug when it’s the baseball you threw to set the record which happens to be yours. I mean, I own the ball that pinch-hitter Cookie Lavagetto bazooka’d off the right field fence at Ebbets Field with two outs in the ninth inning when Bill Bevens of the Yankees was an ...

ESPN: Szymborski: Hamilton a good Triple Crown bet (INSIDER)

In 1967, Carl Yastrzemski hit .326 with 44 home runs and 121 RBIs, leading the American League in all three categories. You might not be able to quote these numbers off the top of your head, but if you’re a hardcore baseball fan, you likely know that Yaz’s 1967 numbers represented baseball’s 16th and most recent Triple Crown season. Given that the median age of Americans is 37 and Canadians is 41, the majority of North American baseball fans (myself included) weren’t yet born the last time ...

Don Malcolm: JOHNNY DAMON AND VADA PINSON

(pulls Kinfolk Kimmy doll’s string…awaits answer)

But Damon isn’t in any way a better player than Vada Pinson, another lefty-swinging centerfielder who played the bulk of his career for the Cincinnati Reds, whose career counting stats are remarkably similar to Damon’s. When you adjust for era, Pinson is a better player, and he was certainly a better player at his peak than Damon.

Vada still has about 30 more hits than Damon; he has more homers (and triples—ha!) than Damon. It’s clear that as ...

Brown: Umpire hit with Brett Lawrie’s helmet, full beer cup at Blue Jays game

Kinder Labatt. Doubtful.

Toronto Blue Jays slugger Brett Lawrie apologized later for his tantrum, and he seemed to mean it, but video of him slamming his batting helmet to the ground and it hitting umpire Bill Miller in the right hip is incriminating. Lawrie deserves a long suspension, and one is likely.

Adding to the miserable ending of Miller’s night, a disgruntled fan in the stands at Rogers Centre tossed a mostly full cup of beer and hit Miller in the right shoulder as he walked off the ...

David Wright gives Terry Collins earful in dugout after manager pulls star

David Wright: Ace Attorney…pleads his case.

“You want to know why I took him out of the game?” Collins said later, his voice sharp and loud. “He wasn’t getting hurt. I’m not accusing anybody of the possibility of retaliation. . . .I don’t blame the other team for any perception they had.

“But I’ve got news for you: In this game there are unwritten rules and one of the unwritten rules is, ‘You hit my guy — I’m hitting your guy.’ They were not hitting my guy tonight.” ...Read More...

Repoz Posted: May 16, 2012 at 05:31 AM | 24 comment(s)
  Beats: mets

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 5-16-2012

The [New York] Sun, May 16, 1912:

The Detroits beat the Highlanders yesterday and Ty Cobb beat a spectator. The score of the regular mill was 8 to 4, but though there was no official decision in the Cobb vs. Spectator fight, the unanimous verdict was that Cobb won. There couldn’t have been any other decision. Cobb did all the punching.
...

It was while the fourth inning was being played that the delectable sight of the hotheaded Cobb punching a spectator for all he was worth took place…There ...

Hardballtime.com: Angels fire hitting coach Mickey Hatcher

From beat writer Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com comes word that the Angels fired longtime hitting coach Mickey Hatcher late Tuesday night.

Triple-A Salt Lake hitting instructor Jim Eppard has been promoted to serve as Hatcher’s replacement.

Clemens’ trainer saved steroids

And for his next trick—saving Kony!

LATimes: New Dodgers owners: They just don’t get it

The best thing Guggenheim Baseball Management had going for it wasn’t Mark Walter’s deep pockets or Stan Kasten’s expertise running a sports franchise or “that community’s” love affair with Magic Johnson. It was the same thing any new owners would have had—they weren’t Frank McCourt.

Only, of course, for some reason Guggenheim paid McCourt a half-billion dollars more than the next known bid and still allowed him to keep a half interest in the 300 acres surrounding Dodger ...

Wa Po: Stephen Strasburg had issue with Hot Stuff ointment in rocky outing, Davey Johnson says

“I can’t really tell you what the problem was, but some Hot Stuff got misplaced,” Johnson said. “It was on his shoulder and evidently – I don’t know how it got to where it got, but it was uncomfortable, to say the least.”

Zipperholes Posted: May 15, 2012 at 08:56 PM | 9 comment(s)
  Beats: injury, nationals

AP: Mets to host 2013 All-Star Game at Citi Field

The person spoke on condition of anonymity Tuesday because MLB did not reveal the purpose of the news conference at Citi [sic] Hall with baseball Commissioner Bud Selig, Mets owner Fred Wilpon and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Baseball decided at least four years ago that the Mets would host the game at the ballpark, which opened in 2009, but held off an announcement until it reaching agreements with the city.

Indians Sweep Twins, Derek Lowe throws 6-hit, 0-K shutout

Lowe (6-1, 2.05) won for the sixth time in his first eight starts as an Indian. The infield turned four double plays behind him and just missed a fifth.  The big right-hander came out for the ninth with 108 pitches and walked leadoff man Josh Willingham, but Ryan Doumit hit into a double play. Brian Dozier singled, but Chris Parmelee grounded out.

Lowe threw 127 pitches. He walked four and didn’t strike out a batter. It was the first complete-game shutout by an Indians starter this year. It ...

Silva: The 9th Inning is Different, Here’s Why

Holy twitch of the death nerve! This isn’t Mitch Williams…it’s Mike Silva!

There is plenty of analysis that disciples of Bill James will cite when discussing the closer situation. Having the responsibility of the final outs throws all the numbers away. It’s the process, not the outcome, which managers need to evaluate when it comes to bestowing the ninth inning on someone. Terry Collins clearly has some work to do. Joe Girardi has gone with Rafael Soriano, an experienced closer, for 2 of the ...

COMPASS Unveils Announcers For L.A. Angels National Broadcasts

[full schedule]

Longtime NEW JERSEY NETS radio voice CHRIS CARRINO and former SAN DIEGO PADRES TV broadcaster STEVE QUIS will handle play-by-play on the COMPASS broadcasts.  Former major leaguer DARRYL HAMILTON and former NEW YORK METS GM and ESPN analyst STEVE PHILLIPS will serve as analysts.

Steve Phillips is on the Albert Pujols beat for at least 25 games nationwide in 2012, starting May 29. [full schedule]

Longtime NEW JERSEY NETS radio voice CHRIS CARRINO and former SAN DIEGO PADRES ...

Beatty: If Mariano Rivera did not exist, would we have to invent him?

As Michael the QUE?! points out…“Yankees are playing .636 ball, AM (After Mariano)....542 before.”

Baseball observers schism into intuitionists and empiricists over the matter of closers. Some have been ripping on saves, and the men who make them, as overrated, for decades, and seemingly every year a team—with varying degrees of success—announces an attempt at closer-by-committee. Just as often, sports-talk ululationists and tabloid backpages make the case that teams need brand-name ...

Why Wrigley Field Must Be Destroyed

1. The park is schizo.

A few years ago, when I was traveling with the Cubs for a story, I had a long talk with Andy MacPhail, then the team’s president. MacPhail had just come from Minnesota, where he won two World Series.

In Chicago, he told me, the big challenge was building a team that could win in Wrigley, a stadium that suffers multiple-personality disorder. In Minnesota, he’d been able to fashion a roster designed to win in the Metrodome, where the Twins played; as the Yankees were ...

Manny Ramirez eagerly awaits return to majors

On his 40th birthday on May 30, Manny Ramirez is eligible to rejoin the A’s, who will be in Minneapolis.

He eagerly anticipates that day, and Ramirez said that A’s fans also should be excited.

“I will be ready,” he said in a phone interview Monday from Arizona before Oakland’s 5-0 win over the Angels. “I’m going to go crazy to please the fans.”

IATMS: Is Curtis Granderson that bad a center fielder?

Yes…even Billy Curtis had more range!

According to Fangraphs, currently, Curtis Granderson is the worst fielding center fielder in baseball with a UZR of -9.7. Baseball-reference.com pretty much agrees and assigns him a -6 runs lost in fielding thus far. Baseball Prospectus has him at -2.7 thus far but rated him in the “horrendous” category last year. In fact, Fangraphs rates only Angel Pagan worse than Curtis Granderson if you combine last year with this one. What gives here? Is ...