NY Post: Sherman: Umpires need to be held accountable like players and managers

That is why two items should be changed immediately. Neither will improve, say, replay judgment. Again, replay helps, but no system is ever going to be perfect. This is about providing a greater sense of umpire accountability, a greater belief that the umpires are being held to high standards:

1. Umpires involved in on-field issues should be available to the media after games, like any other on-field personnel. It was not long ago that was the general rule. Now, at best, a pool reporter is ...

Baseball Prospectus: Baseball Therapy - Should I Worry About My Favorite Pitcher?

Well, we quickly have an idea of strikeout rate, ground ball and fly ball tendencies, and (somewhat less quickly), walk rate. Over a season, you can get a pretty good idea of a pitcher’s single and HBP rates. Strangely enough, singles stabilize a lot faster than the alleged “true” outcome of HR rate. Some of the classic one-number rates (OBP, SLG) can stabilize over the course of a year for a full-time starter. And yes, BABIP still needs a lot of data (roughly 2000 balls in play), but that ...

BtBS: Not You Again! What Pitchers Throw Different Times Through the Order

The average starter establishes the fastball early, throwing it the most the first time through the order, much like a reliever does in facing a hitter only once. This makes sense to me given that I would assume velocity could be higher at the start of the game when the pitcher is fresh, so why not make use of the extra ticks on the fastball while they are available. As starters work their way through the order the second time and beyond, we see offspeed pitch usage rise, at the expense of the ...

Fangraphs: Cameron: Welcome Back, Scott Kazmir

Kazmir threw 73 fastballs yesterday [against Oakland], and they were getting progressively harder as the game wore on. The last three fastballs he threw were all 96 mph, and they were pitches 101, 102, and 103 on the day. A guy who lost his spot in Major League Baseball because his fastball was sitting at 86 ended yesterday throwing 96.

Kazmir hasn’t thrown this hard since his early days with Tampa Bay, and yesterday, we saw what Scott Kazmir with a lively fastball can look like. 72 of his ...

OMNICHATTER for May 12, 2013

Maybe today somebody will throw a no-hitter. I mean, jeez, it feels like everything other than a no-hitter has been thrown this season.

NY Times: Kepner: In the Name of a Legacy [A Younger Yastrzemski Makes His Way At Vanderbilt]

“Everything that guy did was about skill, about playing the game right,” Corbin said. “If you looked at Carl Yastrzemski, I don’t know if you’d say ‘five tools.’ Well, no, probably not. But everything he did was a winning play.” 

Now Corbin coaches Yastrzemski’s grandson Mike, a senior right fielder who opened the weekend hitting .333 and has started every game since the middle of his freshman season. Carl Yastrzemski has seen two games in person, against Louisiana State in ...

Red Sox closer Joel Hanrahan to undergo season-ending surgery

Red Sox closer Joel Hanrahan is done for the 2013 season. CBSSports.com’s Jon Heyman reports that Hanrahan will soon undergo season-ending surgery to repair his right flexor tendon. As things stand now, Hanrahan faces a six-to-nine-month rehab process. However, Dr. James Andrews, who will perform the procedure, may determine that Hanrahan needs Tommy John surgery, which would of course necessitate a much longer recovery period.

Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal describes Hanrahan’s ...

Cardinals’ Shelby Miller retires 27 straight in 1-hitter

Shelby Miller gave up a single to start the game then nothing else. Not a walk or a hit batter. No one even reached on an error.

The St. Louis Cardinals rookie was perfect after that leadoff single by Eric Young Jr., retiring 27 in a row for his first career complete game, 3-0 over the Colorado Rockies on Friday night.

“I feel really good,” Miller said. “It’s definitely the best game I’ve thrown in my life. How it finished was unbelievable. It was a great experience. Yadi (catcher Yadier ...

Jack Morris apologizes to Buchholz

Bullshiit Sunscreen ~ Engineered to stay put…in and out of the HOF.

Blue Jays broadcaster Jack Morris, who last week in Toronto said Clay Buchholz was throwing a spitball after watching video of the right-hander’s performance, said he sought out the Red Sox pitcher and spoke to him before Friday night’s game at Fenway Park.

“I told him I was sorry that I had taken attention away from what he was doing—that’s not what I was trying to do,” said Morris, who won 254 games in the big leagues. “I ...

Davidi: Bautista upset with Ortiz allegations

Sounding more like Bats Battaglia than Joey Bats…

“I think it’s a cheap shot and uncalled for to say something like that without having some sort of evidence to back it up,” Bautista said Friday in the visitor’s clubhouse at Fenway Park. “Comments and articles like that is what sometimes makes us wonder what’s the true intention of somebody that’s in the media. It blows my mind that somebody would just go out there and do something like that, and write an article where you’re ...

Salisbury: Emotional Halladay sends message to Phillies fans

Sufferin’ seeds of terror, I was hoping for…

“I’ve been thinking the last couple of days. I just felt like I should address the fans.

“I know there is a lot of mixed opinions on pitching, not pitching, all that kind of stuff. I know there are people who are disappointed about how I pitched the last two years. I know there are a lot of people who are very supportive. So, one, I just wanted to thank them for their support. And my heart goes out to all of the people who spend all of their ...

Rogers: Ozzie Guillen could be good fit for Dodgers, Angels

Ozzmosis: New L.A. tomorrow?

Guillen is an excellent manager. His teams consistently win more games than their talent level suggests they should (plus-19 in Pythagorean standings over his eight years with the White Sox). It’s easy to picture him getting a bump out of the Dodgers or Angels, should changes be made.

But will he get a chance?

Restoring his reputation will be a huge battle for Guillen. He might not be ready to get back in the dugout if the information I got Friday was correct.

...

MLB whiffs by banning competitors’ pink bats on Mother’s Day

What started off as a wonderful tradition and homage to breast cancer survivors everywhere, the use of pink bats on Mother’s Day, has turned into another ugly example of corporate greed. Hopefully sometime between now and Sunday, Major League Baseball and Louisville Slugger will realize there are few greater sins than monetizing disease, and fix that.

Baltimore outfielder Nick Markakis and Minnesota third baseman Trevor Plouffe, both of whose mothers are breast cancer survivors, received ...

OMNICHATTER for MAY 11, 2013

BBTF Productions presents OMNICHATTER, a Primate joint. Starring Pete Kozma, Clay Buchholz’s arm, Justin Verlander, Yu Darvish, Manny Machado, Francisco Liriano (making his Pirates debut!), Andrelton Simmons, Angel Hernandez as “The Root Of All Evil” and many more!

Alex Cobb fans 13 in 4 2/3 innings

Harold Reynolds: “This is what happens when the umps start calling the high strikes!”

Alex Cobb struck out 13 in fewer than five innings and Ryan Roberts and Ben Zobrist drove in two runs apiece to help the Tampa Bay Rays rally for a 6-3 victory over the San Diego Padres on Friday night.

Cobb became the first pitcher in major league history to fan that many batters and fail to make it through the fifth. The right-hander left after throwing 117 pitches. He recorded 12 of 14 outs on strikeouts ...

Astros investigating fan who pretended to expose himself during broadcast

Is that an Altuve in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?

The Astros said that the fan who stood up and pretended to expose himself while inside Minute Maid Park’s exclusive Diamond Club is not a season ticket holder and that the team would work with “the proper authorities” to investigate.

Sitting in the section that became famous as the seats for former President George H.W. Bush and first lady Barbara Bush, a fan appearing to hold either a cigar or a hot dog weiner stood up ...

Kettmann: The S.F. Interview: Bruce Bochy

Ever since Michael Lewis’s Moneyball came out in 2003, there’s been this conception that baseball managers’ hunches and instincts don’t matter that much. But it seems to me that in your managing during last year’s postseason, you were definitely following a few hunches, weren’t you?

Sure. [Laughs] All the information you can get, it’s critical to your decision making. We have great advance scouts and an operations staff who really do a tremendous job of helping me. But at the ...

Harper’s: Lucas Mann on hope and change in a minor-league-baseball city

There are thousands of young men on minor-league baseball rosters working toward a spot in the majors. Most of them won’t make it. With this in mind, essayist Lucas Mann spent the 2010 season in Clinton, Iowa, watching the city’s Class A team, the LumberKings. In his new book, Class A: Baseball in the Middle of Everywhere (Pantheon), Mann writes about becoming intimate with the players, the fans, and the town, and explores the themes of nostalgia, failure, and hope.

The link is a question ...

MLB.com: Umpires disciplined for misapplying rule

Umpire Fieldin Culbreth, the crew chief in Thursday night’s game between the Angels and Astros at Minute Maid Park in Houston, has received a two-game suspension and a fine for the misapplication of Rule 3.05(b) in the top of the seventh inning, Major League Baseball announced Friday afternoon.

The other members of Culbreth’s crew—Brian O’Nora, Bill Welke and Adrian Johnson—received fines stemming from the same sequence of events. Culbreth’s two-game suspension will be served at a date to be ...

Keidel: Should Derek Jeter Retire?

And I was the shortstop for the New York Yankees! But like the rest of you I’ve outlived my usefulness! No one wants me around any more!

Father Time is finally throwing Jeter some serious chin music, snapping his ankle in October, and then taunting him back to practice before chipping it again. But Jeter is the Bernard Hopkins of baseball, swinging until he’s literally carted off. The Yankees surely hope he makes that decision before they have to.

“Jeter’s not a quitter!” you bark. ...Read More...

Repoz Posted: May 10, 2013 at 05:32 PM | 50 comment(s)
  Beats: yankees

Posnanski: Warren Spahn and the Brooklyn Dodgers

I thought this was sorta common knowledge…

Brilliant Reader Wendell has wandered through some baseball numbers and comes up with what seems a fascinating question, at least if you’re kind of a crazy baseball history buff.

From 1954-1957, Warren Spahn started 136 games—fourth-most in baseball. He pitched 1,081 innings—second only to Robin Roberts. He won 79 games, more than any pitcher over that time. Well, that was Warren Spahn, right? Hall of Famer. A workhorse. A constant force. He was a ...

WSJ: Robinso Cano: 1,501 Hits Down, 1,499 to Go

Not to dump water on this…but he’s tied with Tim McCarver.

Jeter has long been known for his ability to rack up 200-hit seasons, the hallmark of any 3,000-hit campaign. Cano, with only two 200-hit seasons, and perhaps because of his status as an elite power hitter, has often been left out of the discussion of players who could reach 3,000.

But Cano isn’t far off Jeter’s pace. Jeter notched his 1,500th hit at age 29, in his ninth season. Cano hit the mark at age 30, also in his ninth year. It ...

Frustrated by low attendance, Indians players give out free tickets on Twitter, team president follows

The Cleveland Indians have the lowest average attendance in baseball. Lower, even, than the Miami Marlins, who most people would assume own that dishonor. In fact, Miami is only fifth worst.
Cleveland’s average of 14,205 makes places like Miami, Tampa Bay and Kansas City look somewhat decent. The Royals, in fact, are second worst in baseball and average 4,000 more per game than the Indians.

On Monday and Tuesday, the Indians drew 9,514 and 9,474 with the Oakland Athletics in town. This was ...

Catellier: Baseball HOF Discussion: Gil Hodges, Los Angeles Dodgers

Plus he’d wait on line for an Ebinger’s black-out cake just like the rest of us!

Is former Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers great Gil Hodges the best eligible position player not in the Hall of Fame? No, Barry Bonds is…or maybe Jeff Bagwell. But five years ago, the answer very well may have been “yes”.

Without all this newfangled steroid nonsense clouding the picture, Hodges’ case depicts perhaps the most lopsided argument in history regarding a player’s Hall of Fame merit. It seems ...

Curt Schilling: ‘As a player, this is our fault’ that players like David Ortiz face PED questions

Next he’ll be spray painting “Aus der Traum!” on the ESPN studio wall!

“I love David. I love him to death. And I think a lot of what Dan has done in his life has been personally driven. But he didn’t ask a question that people aren’t asking themselves,” Schilling said. “And I keep going to back to, as a player, this is our fault. We did this. We let this happen. We had a chance to stop it and we didn’t. I think the way it was done was kind of cheesy. But there are people asking ...

Baseball America: Jim Callis: Mock Draft 1.0

More like a Hunter’s guide for big game…

15. DIAMONDBACKS: After an early run on pitchers, position players will be the strength of the middle of the first round. Count Arizona as one of several teams in this area who would love an unexpected shot at Meadows. Renfroe and California high school shortstop J.P. Crawford are better bets to be available.

PROJECTED PICK: HUNTER RENFROE.

30. RANGERS: Since 2006, Texas has used eight of its nine first-round picks on high schoolers. Most of the best ...

School teacher dies after choking on hot dog at Wrigley Field

Maureen Oleskiewicz, a 28-year-old middle school teacher, died on Sunday after choking on a hot dog at Wrigley Field, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Oleskiewicz and her brother, Martin Oleskiewicz, were eating before the game started when she fell to the floor choking. CPR was administered, but she died after undergoing cardiac arrest.

Maureen Oleskiewicz, a 28-year-old middle school teacher, died on Sunday after choking on a hot dog at Wrigley Field.

Before Oleskiewicz passed away, ...

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 5-10-2013

Washington Times, May 10, 1913:

The United States League will have its formal opening at Union League Park today, when the Brooklyn team meets the Washington team. There will be no admissions charged, Manager Carsey throwing open the gates to the fans and offering the first engagement between the clubs gratis.

The 1913 US League season lasted two days. New York and Newark folded up shop after 100 people showed up to their season opener, and the other six teams gave up after the second game.

ESPN Boston: David Ortiz says PED suggestions discriminatory

“Yesterday, the guy came to see me and asked some questions about steroids, and when you see the writing, it basically focuses on the fact that I’m Dominican and that many Dominicans have been caught using steroids. And what about the Americans?” Ortiz said.

“If you’re from the Middle East, because there are some people there who put bombs and terrorize civilians, I have to see you like that, as well? If you are a white American, I have to call you a racist because white Americans were in the ...

J.R. Gamble: Chill With The Pitcher’s Helmet Talk

Hey, take it easy…probably only Scott Radinsky and Jack McDowell ever discussed early Amphetamine Reptile sides.

The average pitcher is more likely to die in a car crash over his lifetime then get hit in the head by a line drive during his MLB career.

If this is where society is going, then we have a lot of other culprits to fix before we start imposing more safety legislation on baseball.

Let’s ban the X-games, where Snowmobiler Caleb Moore died in January, as a result of injuries he ...