Until this day, I’d always thought there was only one real reality!
“It’s just being home, playing against my hometown team,” Howard said. “I don’t know. I think it’s when guys get a chance to play in front of their hometown team, where it all began, family and friends, it’s something different. It’s just, I guess, maybe a little bit more natural.”
This, of course, is just one more thing about Howard that will make the sabermetricians cringe. There is no number, after all, that can ...
Wasted $7.75 Saturday night (senior citizens half-price ticket - age has its privileges) to view Moneyball. While it is a nice baseball movie, there isn’t much substance to it.
Right up front, I am not a Moneyball guy. I don’t subscribe to many of the Bill James theories on which Moneyball is based. He doesn’t believe in sacrifice bunts (a waste of an out) and puts no value into stolen bases (one of baseball’s exciting plays).
The Rangers are making another World Series bid, and A’s fans might wonder what might have happened had Ron Washington managed in Oakland.
Washington has an idea.
“If I took this team over when I went to Texas, I believe the same thing we did in Texas, we’d be doing here,” said Washington, referring to Oakland. “Billy (Beane) had that chance. I’m not saying he didn’t want me, but he went in another direction, and another team wanted me.”
Tub Spencer, former Philly backstop, who was sold to Louisville a few weeks ago by the Phillies, announced today he had retired from baseball…Spencer’s father, who is a millionaire presented Eddie with a check for $50,000 as soon as he made his decision.
Tubby Spencer, ex-Saint, given $50,000 by a fond papa for retiring from the Phillies, immediately tried to become a financier by betting $5,000 to $4,200 on the Athletics [in the ...
And after eight innings from [Verlander] in a 5-4 win, the Tigers are a win away from taking this AL Division Series with a 2-1 lead.
Minutes after Brett Gardner’s game-tying two-run double in the seventh inning brought a Verlander gem to a halt, Delmon Young’s second home run of the series gave him the lead back. Verlander didn’t waste it, working through the middle of the Yankees order. He had another two-out walk, the flaw that began New York’s tying rally an inning earlier, yet recovered ...
A.J. Burnett ERA+ 86 vs Rick Porcello ERA+ 86 ~ Loser gets 86’d!
The pitching matchup on Tuesday between A.J. Burnett and Rick Porcello shapes up as one of the worst in postseason history—unless, of course, you’re a hitter.
The Yankees’ Burnett and the Tigers’ Porcello meet in Game 4 of the American League Division Series with a combined regular season ERA of 9.90—the sixth highest in baseball history. Porcello finished 2011 with a 4.75 ERA. Burnett’s was even worse at an unfortunate ...
Rafael Advanced Defense System now fully functional.
“You know that 3,000th hit, going through that was a nightmare,” Palmeiro said now, signing baseballs in a side room at the Hilton. “‘Cause I was going through the issues I was having with the commissioner’s office (with his failed steroid test). I don’t look back on 3,000 hits as a celebration. I look back on that as a nightmare.”
After the season, Palmeiro went back to Texas in disgrace. He more or less dropped out of sight after that. ...
The Rangers scored four runs in the top of the seventh inning Monday and are now one win away from advancing to the American League Championship Series after holding on to 4-3 victory over the Rays.
Mike Napoli, with the Rangers down, 1-0, in Game 3 of the AL Division Series, hit a two-run home run off of Rays starter David Price to put his team ahead, and Josh Hamilton later added a two-run single.
Colby Lewis earned the victory by allowing one hit—a home run to Desmond Jennings in the ...
I posted this news a few weeks ago but here’s new video from AM 570, the new radio home for the Dodgers.
Now they will be at a all sports radio station. I’m hoping better and longer coverage for the Dodgers. How about a longer pre-game show? What’s up with only 30 minutes? I know the Angels have about a 2 hour show before the first pitch.
Or to quote blowfishin’ Mark Teixeira...“All of the hoopla surrounding the game, from the roll call to God Bless America in the seventh inning, it’s all a part of reminding you that we’re the Yankees.”
Welcome to Sabathia-Verlander II, which ought to be much more compelling than Sabathia-Verlader I, which was shortened by rain. But first, some old business.
In his pregame session with the media today, Tigers manager Jim Leyland was asked about Jose Valverde’s declaration that the American ...
There’s also the case of the disappearing bats. Max Scherzer made 33 starts in the regular season, and the fewest hits he gave up in a game were four. Again, that was his lowest total. Yesterday, pitching against the best offense in baseball in their house, he took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and left the game with just two hits conceded.
This, too, is becoming a common Yankee phenomenon. Aside from his brilliance during the 2009 World ...
Media drinking? What was it Nucky Thompson said about there being any sober reporters at the
Philadelphia Inquirer
Boston Globe?
Youkilis was asked about a published report that singled him out as a potential problem in the clubhouse.
“Jackie MacMullan, I’ve always respected and every time she comes in the clubhouse, which this year was maybe three times, that one really irked me,” Youkilis said. “It really irked me for two things. One, she comes around three times a year, so she really ...
A few weeks ago, Epstein was the subject of a glowing Sports Illustrated profile that portrayed the Red Sox as the leading practitioners of the new Moneyball.
Now, after one month of horrid baseball, culminating in a historic collapse, the entire operation needs to be torpedoed?
Enough.
...Staying the course. What a concept.
The Red Sox should have told Francona: “Terry, you are part of the solution. We want you to take control of the clubhouse. We want you to lead us to another World ...
Some usual, and some not so usual, managerial suspects from John Perrotto.
They call it the Silly Season in NASCAR. It is that time right after the stock car season ends, in which drivers and pit crews began jumping from one team to another, the sport’s version of free agency.
What happened last week could be described as Major League Baseball’s version of the Silly Season for managers.
Magpie at Batters Box covers the last 80 years of MVP’s and explains which categories can get you the award, which positions win most often, and how players on contending teams fare.
It’s commonplace to say that the MVP will (or should) come from a contender. Are you wondering just how often it does?
Wonder no more.
How often? Well…pretty much all the time, essentially.
The modern MVP award begins in 1931. There have been 80 seasons since then, and 161 MVP awards handed out (the NL had a ...
A statistical analysis breaking down the trade that may have eventually cost Reagins his job after the first season utilizing advanced statistics.
Why did Tony Reagins “resign”? Well in this trade, he gave up almost 5 wins while adding $7 million in salary for the 2011 season. He also added $69 million in future salaries…however it is important to note that his team did finish 10 wins above .500 and 2nd in their division. The Rangers ended up the big winner with a player who added over 5 ...
President Navin of the Detroit baseball club yesterday awarded the contract for the construction of a new ball park to the Hunkin, Conkey Construction Company of Cleveland.
...
The contract calls for the construction of the new park by April 1. The plant will be one of the finest in the country.
And it was. The new ballpark was the home of the Tigers for 88 seasons.
The Phillies lost on Sunday Night. That was the bad news. On a positive note, and as a byproduct, you get to hate Tony La Russa for at least two more games.
La Russa was booed when he complained about the strike zone. He was booed when he took trips to the mound to give his bullpen time to warm up. He was booed when he argued with the umpires and when he made double switches (plural) each time he brought in a new pitcher.
At the time, as I was becoming more and more recognized as a member of the LGBT community, I was sure that Billy was getting the short end of the stick. It was OK for me to be confused with a general manager of a Major League Baseball team, but I wasn’t so sure how he felt about people thinking that he was “the gay baseball player.” He’s a straight Republican, who’s married with kids, and I’m a gay Democrat with two Jack Russell Terriers. To make ...
Fox will formally announce Monday that the active baseball player who will be able to build a video résumé by appearing on the network’s World Series coverage will be A.J. Pierzynski.
The Chicago White Sox catcher, says Fox spokesman Dan Bell, will join host Chris Rose and analyst Eric Karros in on-site pregame and postgame shows. Pierzynski, who has appeared in pro wrestling shows and has played 14 big-league seasons, is opinionated and sometimes an agitator.
The Phillies entered the 2011 postseason with high hopes behind the strength of their four aces.
The Cardinals got to one of them Sunday in Game 2 of the National League Division Series. Cliff Lee, who was a postseason hero for the Phils in 2009, tied a career high by allowing 12 hits and gave up five runs in six-plus innings in a 5-4 loss to St. Louis, evening the best-of-five series at 1.
...
The Phils’ offense went into hibernation after the second. Carpenter retired the last four batters ...
After closing out the Detroit Tigers’ win over the New York Yankees in Game 2 of the ALDS on Sunday, closer Jose Valverde believes the Tigers are a lock to win the series.
“I think the series will finish in our house,” Valverde told ESPN Deportes’ Enrique Rojas and other outlets. “They have a good team, but the series is not (coming) back to New York.”
...“We have a big advantage,” Valverde said. “We have Verlander ready for tomorrow. ...
Greinke served up three home runs, but the Brewers stayed perfect in his home starts, taking command of the National League Division Series with a flurry of sixth-inning small ball that included catcher Jonathan Lucroy’s go-ahead squeeze bunt. It led to a 9-4 win over the D-backs in Game 2 and a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series.
...
On Sunday, Ryan Braun had three more hits, including his first career postseason home run, a first-inning shot that accounted for two of his three ...
It happens to all of them, especially in 2011. There are no more Walter Alstons. You won’t find a Bobby Cox anymore. Joe Torre had his magical run in New York, and it ended badly. Now Tony LaRussa looks like he’s near the end in St. Louis. Even while he’s in the playoffs.
I doubt there’ll ever be another eight-year manager in Boston. The corner office at Fenway Park is a combustible space. The Sox field boss has to deal with interference from the front office. Owner John Henry is a notorious ...
While the opening round of the MLB Playoffs has most of his attention these days, Texas Rangers’ starting pitcher CJ Wilson is also admittedly “kind of obsessed” with food, but it’s a vice he’s comfortable with. “I don’t drink; I don’t do drugs; I do food.” But the All Star and soon-to-be $10 million free agent takes his food seriously. “I think I have a sophisticated palate because I’m adventurous. I try to find a spot in every city we visit to satisfy any craving from ...
The Yankees were overmatched by Max Scherzer’s high-octane arsenal on Sunday, as the right-hander carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning and helped the Tigers post a 5-3 victory in Game 2 of the American League Division Series, evening the series at 1-1.
Miguel Cabrera slugged a two-run homer and drove in three runs for the Tigers, who got to New York starter Freddy Garcia for four runs (three earned) in 5 1/3 innings.
Just as we’re settling into the postseason, let’s divulge our annual end-of-the-regular-season awards.
AL Most Valuable Player: Jose Bautista, TOR
AL Least Valuable Player: Carl Crawford, BOS
NL Most Valuable Player: Matt Kemp, LAD
NL Least Valuable Player: Aubrey Huff, SF
AL Cy Young Award: Justin Verlander, DET
AL Belly-Itcher: John Lackey, BOS
NL Cy Young: Roy Halladay, PHI
NL Belly-Itcher: Derek Lowe, ATL
AL Rookie of the Year: Michael ...
They should be erecting a statue of Terry Francona in front of Fenway Park, not shoving him out the back door. Francona, after all, won two World Series with a franchise the World Series had forgotten, two, in fact, only three years apart, the first in 2004 that ended an 86-year drought. ...
In his comments, Francona said he left because he felt the players needed to hear a different voice. Perhaps his view can be linked to the substance of reports that Francona had “lost” the clubhouse, ...
