Here's probably my first instance of seeking input from fellow bloggers here and on mlbbloggers.com...
Can anyone explain why we are seeing so many more broken bats this year? On games I've watched it seems as if they've had two or three instances of broken bats per game.
We went through a phase a year or two ago where the bats would go flying out of the hitter's hands and into the stands on a semi-regular basis. I am wondering if, to cut costs, they are actually cutting into the bats' longevity and using cheaper material that doesn't hold as well together.
Whether or not the material is cheaper, the sawed-off bats are as much a threat to the infielders and pitcher as ever. Tiger P Andrew Miller had to dance out of the way of a sawed-off end that nearly clipped him on the legs on Sunday.
Remember in the year of the "rabbit ball" (1987), much was made as to the manufacture of baseballs. Could the same hold true in 2007 for bats?
Opinions on this are welcome.
11 June, 2007
1984: Clemens' relief appearance
Finally, I got a 20-year old trivia question answered.
As of this date, Roger Clemens (NYY) has made 692 regular-season appearances. All but one has been as a starter. I had always wanted to see what Clemens' only regular-season relief line looked like.
I finally found out. For those interested, here's some tidbits from that day: July 18, 1984 (thanks to baseballreference.com for the insight; geez, they're as detailed as you want them to be)...
Before 16,470 fans in Oakland on July 18, 1984, Clemens made his only relief appearance in the regular season in his career.
* He was the fourth of six pitchers Boston used in a 7-2 loss to Oakland at the Coliseum. The loss dropped Boston to 45-46 on the year.
* Boston starting pitcher was Oil Can Boyd, knocked out in the first inning having given up five runs. Also preceding Clemens were relievers Rich Gale & Steve Crawford. Following Clemens were pitchers Mark Clear & John Henry Johnson.
* Clemens pitched the fifth & sixth innings, allowing doubles to Carney Lansford & Rickey Henderson, but not allowing them to score.
* The line: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K.
* Dave Kingman of the A's hit his 26th homer of the season that day; he was in a homer race with Boston's Tony Armas Sr. at the time.
* Henderson stole his 45th base.
* The Red Sox were limited to four hits: singles by Mike Easler & Jackie Gutierrez, double by Wade Boggs, and homer by Armas Sr., his 25th.
* Oakland's winning pitcher was Ray Burris, going the distance.
LINE: 9 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K.
You can obviously tell this was an emergency relief appearance for Clemens. This was just before the Red Sox made their July & August push for the AL East lead, dominated at the time by Detroit and Toronto.
Hope this satisfies the curiousities of people like me!
As of this date, Roger Clemens (NYY) has made 692 regular-season appearances. All but one has been as a starter. I had always wanted to see what Clemens' only regular-season relief line looked like.
I finally found out. For those interested, here's some tidbits from that day: July 18, 1984 (thanks to baseballreference.com for the insight; geez, they're as detailed as you want them to be)...
Before 16,470 fans in Oakland on July 18, 1984, Clemens made his only relief appearance in the regular season in his career.
* He was the fourth of six pitchers Boston used in a 7-2 loss to Oakland at the Coliseum. The loss dropped Boston to 45-46 on the year.
* Boston starting pitcher was Oil Can Boyd, knocked out in the first inning having given up five runs. Also preceding Clemens were relievers Rich Gale & Steve Crawford. Following Clemens were pitchers Mark Clear & John Henry Johnson.
* Clemens pitched the fifth & sixth innings, allowing doubles to Carney Lansford & Rickey Henderson, but not allowing them to score.
* The line: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K.
* Dave Kingman of the A's hit his 26th homer of the season that day; he was in a homer race with Boston's Tony Armas Sr. at the time.
* Henderson stole his 45th base.
* The Red Sox were limited to four hits: singles by Mike Easler & Jackie Gutierrez, double by Wade Boggs, and homer by Armas Sr., his 25th.
* Oakland's winning pitcher was Ray Burris, going the distance.
LINE: 9 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K.
You can obviously tell this was an emergency relief appearance for Clemens. This was just before the Red Sox made their July & August push for the AL East lead, dominated at the time by Detroit and Toronto.
Hope this satisfies the curiousities of people like me!
09 June, 2007
A dead horse was beaten
I just got finished watching the FOX Saturday Game Of The Week with the Mets vs. the Tigers. This was my first chance to hear former Dodger 1B Eric Karros do analysis. I came away less than impressed.
Close followers of the Tigers know that the bullpen has been having its struggles. The pitching staff as a whole has not been as effective, mostly due to injury. And fans like me are well too aware about blowing a bullpen out when starters cannot make it to the seventh inning.
In the course of one inning of play, did Karros have to make mention of Tiger starter Jeremy Bonderman not making it too far into the seventh FIVE times?
This honestly is not a rant about announcer bias. Detroit has had its share in recent years, but I would think with a magical season like 2006 behind them, they would at least garner a little respect. Why did Karros have to constantly harp on the point of the starters getting a little further into the game? I am so well aware of it. Watchers of FOX this afternoon are now a little too aware of it.
Take away the injuries to Joel Zumaya and Fernando Rodney, and take away Todd Jones' recent ineffectiveness. Place their bullpen on a par with 2006's. Would Karros be saying those things? He'd be saying it was good for Bonderman to get as far as he did, and now look out below, here come the bad guys. Even if Zumaya didn't throw 100 MPH bullets or Rodney didn't have that devastating changeup... the point about Bonderman may have been mentioned once.
Instead, we hear it all through the seventh and eighth innings. Wasn't there any other action going on in the field?
Blatant biasness is one thing... second-guessing what a manager is forced to do (sometimes beyond his control) comes a very close second.
====================
Okay okay, so Roger Clemens is a success his first time out (6 IP, 7K), and look out, the Yankees have won five straight. One man does not a starting rotation make. We will judge the results over the long haul, not over just one start.
And how long is the Alex Rodriguez curse going to haunt Texas? They have been playing some ugly baseball lately. Three starters with an ERA over six? Their farm system must be barren and devoid of prospects who might lower the team ERA a bit. And star 1B Mark Texiera has made no bones about leaving after the season.
Sloppy results, bad P.R. It's an acid mixture down in Arlington.
Close followers of the Tigers know that the bullpen has been having its struggles. The pitching staff as a whole has not been as effective, mostly due to injury. And fans like me are well too aware about blowing a bullpen out when starters cannot make it to the seventh inning.
In the course of one inning of play, did Karros have to make mention of Tiger starter Jeremy Bonderman not making it too far into the seventh FIVE times?
This honestly is not a rant about announcer bias. Detroit has had its share in recent years, but I would think with a magical season like 2006 behind them, they would at least garner a little respect. Why did Karros have to constantly harp on the point of the starters getting a little further into the game? I am so well aware of it. Watchers of FOX this afternoon are now a little too aware of it.
Take away the injuries to Joel Zumaya and Fernando Rodney, and take away Todd Jones' recent ineffectiveness. Place their bullpen on a par with 2006's. Would Karros be saying those things? He'd be saying it was good for Bonderman to get as far as he did, and now look out below, here come the bad guys. Even if Zumaya didn't throw 100 MPH bullets or Rodney didn't have that devastating changeup... the point about Bonderman may have been mentioned once.
Instead, we hear it all through the seventh and eighth innings. Wasn't there any other action going on in the field?
Blatant biasness is one thing... second-guessing what a manager is forced to do (sometimes beyond his control) comes a very close second.
====================
Okay okay, so Roger Clemens is a success his first time out (6 IP, 7K), and look out, the Yankees have won five straight. One man does not a starting rotation make. We will judge the results over the long haul, not over just one start.
And how long is the Alex Rodriguez curse going to haunt Texas? They have been playing some ugly baseball lately. Three starters with an ERA over six? Their farm system must be barren and devoid of prospects who might lower the team ERA a bit. And star 1B Mark Texiera has made no bones about leaving after the season.
Sloppy results, bad P.R. It's an acid mixture down in Arlington.
07 June, 2007
Standing at the third point
I've been more a silent observer than active discusser so far this season. But since we've passed the one-third point of the season, here are my reflections so far:
AMERICAN LEAGUE
* New York - They always start out slow but always find a way to grab the division crown by the end of the year. If they are on the same agenda, they're taking a little longer to snap out of their funk. The pitching is a mess. A-Rod has had to carry them on his back most of the season. If they win, it's not going to be due to anything Roger Clemens does. He might have been a savior if he had stayed with Houston. The pitching jinx could go on in the Bronx.
* Detroit - They may not make it to the post-season this year, and ironically it's due to the pitching. However, they have taken on Jim Leyland's intensity and never give up. The Cleveland series was a killer, but the team was in every game. Hope for good health for Ordonez and Sheffield; they along with many others have the chance to set some records this season.
* Tampa Bay - * Sigh *... why does Major League Baseball still allow them to play? They don't know anything but fifth place. They've had players and managers with all different styles and it has amounted to nothing so far. How far does the fans' patience go? Or how far do you have to go to even find a fan?
* Kansas City - see above... but makes it more regrettable because the team is a waste of a naturally awesome ballpark. I've always wanted to see Fenway & Wrigley... but I've always wanted to see Kaufmann Stadium too.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
* Atlanta - They have shown a resurgence, but more due to their hitting than pitching. This appears to be a smart team that will once again be in it for the long haul. There seems to be no dread at all when it comes to the team's recent history: even with new ownership on the horizon, I wouldn't forecast a dropoff too much. They say managers don't affect a team by their presence; one look at Bobby Cox and I'm ready to dispute that.
* Milwaukee - They would be in third place in the AL Central and NL East, and fourth in the NL West... but as long as they're in first place somewhere, and known for something other than their sausage races, all the better for Brewer fans. Milwaukee has always been a team I secretly root for and hope for good things to happen to. You remember Cecil Fielder? His son, Prince, will overshadow him before long.
* Arizona - Remarkably competitive. After a slow start, Randy Johnson is showing the way again. You don't hit second place on the career strikeout list for nothing. I hadn't seen their record in awhile, and was surprised when I did so. Possibly the best NL team that no one is talking about.
MISCELLANEOUS
* Jason Giambi - Now that he's on the shelf, Bud Selig wants him to do a favor for the sport. Ah, I don't like the odds of that one. Palmerio kept quiet, McGwire distanced himself, and Bonds won't speak up. The plateau of their investigation came from a clubhouse assistant manager. I don't expect it to go much further -- sorry, Bud.
* Texas Rangers - Wouldn't it be nice if oil money went somewhere else other than the executives -- or the Rangers payroll? What do they have to show for A-Rod? Homer binge in the Bronx. And what do they have to show for Kevin Millwood? Overpaid drastically. Pitchers' careers seem to go in a funk when they hit Arlington (case in point: Chan Ho Park).
* Clint Hurdle - How does he still manage to hold onto his job as the Rockies' manager? They lost their calling card (power) and there's no more 4-million attendees at Coors Field. The fever is still there, but not the results. I'm amazed they've stood pat for so long.
* Lou Piniella - Maybe some of the analysis I've heard the past week about his latest tirade rings true: part of his reaction may be due to the club tuning him out. There's an influx of new blood in younger managers who have a clue about how to treat today's player. Trust me: Piniella still has gate value as a performer for the fans who love to see his tirades, but will it improve the ballclub? Thank goodness for the Cubbies that their fans are among the most loyal in sports. Very admirable.
-----------------------------------
I am looking to make this a weekly blog with summaries of games and my opinions. Sorry that it has not turned out to be daily like I had hoped for... I will be filling in gaps where needed as I make my observations (to cue a disabled list term) retroactive.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
* New York - They always start out slow but always find a way to grab the division crown by the end of the year. If they are on the same agenda, they're taking a little longer to snap out of their funk. The pitching is a mess. A-Rod has had to carry them on his back most of the season. If they win, it's not going to be due to anything Roger Clemens does. He might have been a savior if he had stayed with Houston. The pitching jinx could go on in the Bronx.
* Detroit - They may not make it to the post-season this year, and ironically it's due to the pitching. However, they have taken on Jim Leyland's intensity and never give up. The Cleveland series was a killer, but the team was in every game. Hope for good health for Ordonez and Sheffield; they along with many others have the chance to set some records this season.
* Tampa Bay - * Sigh *... why does Major League Baseball still allow them to play? They don't know anything but fifth place. They've had players and managers with all different styles and it has amounted to nothing so far. How far does the fans' patience go? Or how far do you have to go to even find a fan?
* Kansas City - see above... but makes it more regrettable because the team is a waste of a naturally awesome ballpark. I've always wanted to see Fenway & Wrigley... but I've always wanted to see Kaufmann Stadium too.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
* Atlanta - They have shown a resurgence, but more due to their hitting than pitching. This appears to be a smart team that will once again be in it for the long haul. There seems to be no dread at all when it comes to the team's recent history: even with new ownership on the horizon, I wouldn't forecast a dropoff too much. They say managers don't affect a team by their presence; one look at Bobby Cox and I'm ready to dispute that.
* Milwaukee - They would be in third place in the AL Central and NL East, and fourth in the NL West... but as long as they're in first place somewhere, and known for something other than their sausage races, all the better for Brewer fans. Milwaukee has always been a team I secretly root for and hope for good things to happen to. You remember Cecil Fielder? His son, Prince, will overshadow him before long.
* Arizona - Remarkably competitive. After a slow start, Randy Johnson is showing the way again. You don't hit second place on the career strikeout list for nothing. I hadn't seen their record in awhile, and was surprised when I did so. Possibly the best NL team that no one is talking about.
MISCELLANEOUS
* Jason Giambi - Now that he's on the shelf, Bud Selig wants him to do a favor for the sport. Ah, I don't like the odds of that one. Palmerio kept quiet, McGwire distanced himself, and Bonds won't speak up. The plateau of their investigation came from a clubhouse assistant manager. I don't expect it to go much further -- sorry, Bud.
* Texas Rangers - Wouldn't it be nice if oil money went somewhere else other than the executives -- or the Rangers payroll? What do they have to show for A-Rod? Homer binge in the Bronx. And what do they have to show for Kevin Millwood? Overpaid drastically. Pitchers' careers seem to go in a funk when they hit Arlington (case in point: Chan Ho Park).
* Clint Hurdle - How does he still manage to hold onto his job as the Rockies' manager? They lost their calling card (power) and there's no more 4-million attendees at Coors Field. The fever is still there, but not the results. I'm amazed they've stood pat for so long.
* Lou Piniella - Maybe some of the analysis I've heard the past week about his latest tirade rings true: part of his reaction may be due to the club tuning him out. There's an influx of new blood in younger managers who have a clue about how to treat today's player. Trust me: Piniella still has gate value as a performer for the fans who love to see his tirades, but will it improve the ballclub? Thank goodness for the Cubbies that their fans are among the most loyal in sports. Very admirable.
-----------------------------------
I am looking to make this a weekly blog with summaries of games and my opinions. Sorry that it has not turned out to be daily like I had hoped for... I will be filling in gaps where needed as I make my observations (to cue a disabled list term) retroactive.
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