‘Lion King’ Holds Box-Office Lead, Topping ‘Moneyball’

Right on the tail of “Lion King” were baseball drama “Moneyball” from Sony Corp.‘s Sony Pictures and the family film “Dolphin Tale” from Time Warner Inc.‘s Warner Bros. Pictures. According to early studio estimates, the former grossed $20.6 million from 2,993 theaters while the latter grossed $20.3 million from 3,507 theaters.

An adaptation of the non-fiction book by Michael Lewis, “Moneyball” stars Brad Pitt as Oakland As general manager Billy Beane and appealed primarily to older audiences. ...

MLB.com: Kershaw wins No. 21 as LA tops San Diego

Clayton Kershaw put the finishing touches on his Cy Young Award resume Sunday by pitching the Dodgers to a 6-2 win over the Padres, concluding his remarkable season with a likely pitching Triple Crown (leading the league in wins, ERA and strikeouts).

At 21-5, Kershaw tied Arizona’s Ian Kennedy for a share of the victory title and finished the season with a 2.28 ERA and 248 strikeouts. Kershaw would still be credited for the Triple Crown even if he tied for the victory lead. Kershaw would be ...

Gammons: Kemp most valuable in trying times for Dodgers

Without him, the Dodgers would be .ladamad Anna v v V V V V v v v V V V V V V v nv In buns ee V Petty’s Freefallin’...

Start with the consideration that on July 6 [the Dodgers] were 14 games under .500 and had been outscored by 44 runs. When [Matt] Kemp homered Friday night, it meant the Dodgers were 42-26 since that night and had outscored their opponents by 72 runs, with a mass of injuries, including the knee that hobbled Andre Ethier and forced an operation…

at the risk of setting off yet ...

AL Wildcard race: September 25, 2011

BOS 89-70 [6-18 in SEPT]
TBR 88-71 [14-10 in SEPT] (1 GB)
LAA 86-73 [13-10 in SEPT] (3 GB)

MLB.com: Ellsbury gives Sox room with homer in 14th
MLB.com: Sox’s grip on Wild Card slips to a half-game

MLB.com: Four homers help Rays gain ground
MLB.com: Halos’ WC chances take hit in crushing loss

Brian Matusz breaks Roy Halladay’s major league record

I bet most people here can guess which one.

Starting against the Tigers, [Brian] Matusz gave up six runs in five innings on Sunday, just slightly increasing his ERA from 10.68 to 10.69.  It’s the worst ERA ever for a pitcher who made at least 10 starts in a season.

1. Brian Matusz (Bal, 2011): 10.69 ERA in 49 2/3 IP
2. Roy Halladay (Tor, 2000): 10.64 ERA in 67 2/3 IP

Jim Thome made what could be his last appearance at Progressive Field—as a third baseman

hellodes adds…“Fantastic news for people who have Jim Thome in leagues with a “one appearance” eligibility rule:”

The crowd got a big surprise when Jim Thome made what could be his last appearance at Progressive Field—as a third baseman. The 41-year-old slugger took the position for one pitch in the ninth.

Thome got a standing ovation as a pinch-hitter in the eighth. When he walked, the crowd booed Twins pitcher Glen Perkins. Moments later, they cheered again as Thome went to third—where he ...

NL Wildcard race: September 25, 2011

ATL 89-70 [9-15 in SEPT]
STL 88-71 [16-7 in SEPT] (1 GB)

MLB.com: Braves blanked by Nats; WC lead down to 1

MLB.com: One giant leap: Cards a game back in Wild Card

Upcoming: PHI vs. ATL, STL @ HOU

BB-REF:Brandow Morrow Finally Gets a Ground-ball Double Play

We should probably just have an RSS feed of Baseball Reference’s blog around here:

The other night Brandon Morrow finally registered his first ground-ball double play of the season. It came against Desmond Jennings of all people, in a game against Tampa Bay.

Morrow has pitched 173.1 innings!

According to Baseball Reference, Morrow now has induced 1 GIDP in 137 opportunities.

MLB.com:200,000th MLB game: Colorado at Houston

It seems like BBTF should mark this occasion even if the participants in the historic game were underwhelming representatives:

The 200,000th regular-season game in Major League Baseball history was recognized Saturday night at Minute Maid Park in Houston, where the milestone was announced after the Rockies-Astros game became official.

At about 8:45 p.m. ET, Colorado and Houston were tied at 2 after five innings. MLB officials then checked with Elias Sports Bureau for a final authentication, ...

Mets’ Mike Pelfrey still searching for a new pitch after disappointing season

Seems like he needs the Weaver-Dalkowski “throw the ball over the white thing” treatment.  (And has for five years.  Hello?)

In five major-league seasons, [Mike Pelfrey] has attempted to utilize a curveball, a changeup, a slider and a splitter. None have proved useful…

After Pelfrey failed to build on a 15-win campaign in 2010, the Mets must consider how much he is worth. It appears likely they will tender him a contract, which figures to include a raise to around $5 million to $6 million. ...

‘Duk: Art Howe isn’t happy about his portrayal in ‘Moneyball’

We didn’t get it today, but we battled and we will be back at the Oscars next year!

Former Oakland Athletics manager Art Howe (above, right)  hasn’t seen ‘Moneyball’ yet, but he’s talked with people who have and he says he isn’t thrilled with the way he’s portrayed in the film.

Here’s Howe on SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Radio:

  “Considering the book wasn’t real favorable to me to start with I figured it would be something like this but to be honest with you it is very disappointing to know that ...

SoSD: A swan song for Cox’s Channel 4 and Padres baseball

Lucky Lucchino…instrumental in the development of the “Local Cable Syndicate”.

On March 13, 1997, Cox Communications Channel 4 wrapped up its first live broadcast of Padres spring training baseball when Dan Novak’s cellphone rang.

It was Padres then-President Larry Lucchino, a tough East Coast lawyer known for scathing critiques. Novak, who at the time ran Cox’s fledgling effort to produce Padres games, didn’t know what to expect. Cox’s local cable system had acquired the Padres’ TV ...

JS Online: Clutch hits help Braun’s bid for MVP

And Braun promptly lined an RBI triple to right to tie the game at 1-1.

Just another night at the office for No. 8.

“The more you’re around the game, the more you see the difference in the guys that want to be out there with the game on the line,” manager Ron Roenicke said before Saturday’s game. “I’ve played with a lot of great players, and they’ve not wanted to be out there with the game on the line.

“Braunie’s one of them (that does). Prince (Fielder) is one of them. There’s not a lot of ...

YESNetwork: Yankees honor Maris’ 61 homer season

Hey…who’s minding the West Acres Mall?

Fifty years have passed and others have since broken the season home run record. To the families of Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle, Maris’ 61 in 1961 remains the legitimate number.

“The family feels that it’s his record, also knowing that is arguable with a lot of people,” Roger Maris Jr., said Saturday before the Yankees culminated a season-long commemoration of the Maris-Mantle home-run chase with a ceremony at Yankee Stadium.

...“I think there needs ...

Moneyball Review thread

Saw Moneyball last night. I thought it was excellent, I’ll elaborate later. Until then, how about we have a big review thread where we can all give our impressions?

Alfonso Soriano no fan of seventh spot

“I’m not a guy that fights with people,” Soriano told ESPNChicago.com. “The way they treat me this year, I don’t like it. The way they have me hit in the No. 7, 5 and 6 spots, I have trouble concentrating on the job hitting in those different spots. But (Mike) Quade is the manager and does his best to try to make the team better.

...

Asked why he didn’t go to Quade earlier in the season to voice his displeasure about his spot in the lineup, Soriano said: “I don’t think I should go to his ...

WEEI: Lester: ‘It’s not a good time to have this stretch’

Stretched tuning…bad pitch.

In its own right, the outing was disconcerting enough for the Red Sox. At a time when his team is trying to cling to a postseason berth, Jon Lester delivered one of the worst outings of his career.

The left-hander pitched just 2 2/3 innings, his shortest outing of 2011. In that brief time on the mound, he permitted as many runs (8, a season-high) and hits (8) as he recorded outs in the Sox’ 9-1 loss to the Yankees.

...The pitcher could offer no explanation for ...

Yahoo: Phils lose 8th straight, longest skid in 11 years

With nothing left to play for in the regular season, the Philadelphia Phillies are playing as if they have nothing left.

Hunter Pence dropped a deep fly ball for an error that led to five unearned runs, and the New York completed a doubleheader sweep with a 6-3 victory Saturday night that handed the NL East champions their eighth straight defeat.

Having already secured homefield advantage throughout the postseason, the sluggish Phillies remained winless since clinching their fifth consecutive ...

Jayson Werth calls for a Teddy Roosevelt victory on Sunday

After trying to interfere on Teddy Roosevelt’s behalf for the second day in a row, Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth made clear his intentions.

“If Teddy can’t win, no one wins,” Werth said in the postgame press conference Saturday at Nationals Park, adding “I must be the last remaining member of the Bull Moose party, I guess.”

On whether Saturday’s ambush was planned, Werth said “I can’t really comment. When you stage a coup, it’s better to keep it quiet.”

Baseball is ...

AL Wildcard race: September 24, 2011

BOS 88-69 [5-17 in SEPT]
TBR 87-71 [13-10 in SEPT] (1.5 GB)
LAA 86-72 [13-9 in SEPT] (2.5 GB)

MLB.com: Lester off as Red Sox’s progress stalls

MLB.com: [Alex] Torres rescues Rays as they gain on Red Sox
MLB.com: Hunter helps Halos gain in Wild Card race

Maury Brown: In Bold Move, MLB Files to Force Frank McCourt to Sell Dodgers

In a move that will test the powers of sports leagues over the control of their franchises, Major League Baseball has asked the bankruptcy judge overseeing the Chapter 11 case of the Dodgers to force Frank McCourt to sell the club and the associated assets of it, which includes Dodger Stadium, ...

[...]

In their filing the league said, ‘[T]he sale proposed in the Media Rights Motion—the centerpiece of the Debtors’ sole reorganization strategy—is dead on arrival and cannot be completed. ...

NL Wildcard race: September 24, 2011

ATL 89-69 [9-14 in SEPT]
STL 87-71 [15-7 in SEPT] (2 GB)

MLB.com: Braves fall in DC; Wild Card lead down to two

MLB.com: Cards gain game on Braves with wild win

Weisman: The myth and reality of ‘valuable’

Baseball asks you to run out a ground ball even when you’re sure you’re going to be out. It asks you to put your best effort even if you’re team is 50 games out of first place. The sport asks this, for one, because fans and TV networks have been promised this in exchange for their hard-earned money. And because it’s a belief that virtually all of us share. Do your best.

To then turn around and say that “Oh, by the way, we aren’t paying attention to you anymore, so your effort doesn’t matter,” ...

NYT: Megdal: Actually, Citi Field Is Not That Bad for the Mets

notto Frank (1 fer 12) Catalanotto…

Since they began play at Citi Field, the Mets have a .731 O.P.S. at home, .704 on the road. That is an O.P.S. advantage of 27 points, compared with 37 for the National League over all. That is a negligible difference, largely caused by the recent offensive woes. (Take out the previous homestand, and the Mets’ advantage is virtually identical to that of the league.)

But Mets pitchers have a huge edge over the typical advantage pitchers have at home. From ...

Danny Litwhiler, former MLB player, dies at 95

So he won’t make it to Jim Furtado’s wedding today.

Miklasz: Fall at home puts Herzog in hospital

The tumble is now complete.

The beloved Whitey Herzog is in the hospital recovering from a head injury suffered when he fell on a pool deck at his home in South St. Louis County.

The Cardinals’ Hall of Fame manager was still in the intensive care unit as of Friday morning, and friends and family are understandably concerned.

Whitey’s son, Jim Herzog, provided an update and made a request via email:

“Whitey Herzog suffered a fall at home Monday which caused a head contusion and bruised ...

Barra: Brad Pitt Aside, Here’s a Baseball Quiz: Why Does Moneyball Leave Out Steroid Ball?

As “Franko” Cassavetes repeatedly repeated in The Dirty Dozen...“You SLOB! You SLOB!”

Why are Beane, author Michael Lewis and the A’s getting a free pass from the sports media on this?

...What other dopers did the A’s have on that team? Well, Jeremy Giambi later confessed to the use of anabolic steroids, but did not specify 2002. Reserve outfielder-third baseman Adam Piatt says he dealt steroids to other players but has been ambiguous about whom besides Tejada he dealt them to.

Is it ...

Dodgers’ Matt Kemp hits 37th home run, has his eye on a ‘triple crown’

Wonder if Ahnold will help produce Kemp Bread…

Matt Kemp quietly took the field in a half-empty ballpark on his 27th birthday with a chance to do something no National League player has done in 74 years.

Win the triple crown.

Kemp launched his 37th home run in the seventh inning of the Dodgers’ 2-0 victory over the San Diego Padres at cavernous Petco Park on Friday, moving into a tie for the league lead with Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Kemp’s 119 runs batted in top the league. ...

Sherman: Sources: MLB adding wild-card teams, holding one-game playoff

My #### REALLY doesn’t work in a one-game playoff!

Negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement for major league baseball are moving at a fast pace and one issue the sides have all but agreed upon is adding two wild-card teams and holding one-game playoffs in each league to determine which of the wild cards advances, The Post has learned.

One person involved in the talks described that scenario as a done deal and another hedged a little by saying it is likely to play out that way, ...

The Economist: Catcher framing finding shows Moneyball lives

The Economist’s new sports blog mulls the implications of Mike Fast’s study on catcher framing for the efficiency of the game’s labor market.

Hurlers who have been throwing to poor-framing catchers are probably severely undervalued, and smart clubs should seek to stockpile them for cheap. Conversely, a savvy general manager could invest in a great-framing catcher and see his skills reflected in better numbers for his pitching staff. Those pitchers would then become overvalued, and could be ...