When the other team commences an intentional walk against, say, a #8 hitter, why doesn't he swing at the 3-0 pitch? What's the risk? What's the harm? You swing and its 3-1. Either the pitcher throws another intentional ball (and is a little aggrevated in the process), or he decides to pitch to you (which you probably want anyway).
At worst, the guy's thrown an extra pitch. Once in a while, he might even balk or throw a wild pitch.
No risk, all reward.
Unless your #8 hitter is Jeff Francouer, in which case he might dive across the plate to actually try to make contact.
(See how I turned this into a Francouer post? You like that don't ya!)
Monday, June 7, 2010
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Kiner-ism
As a preliminary matter, I was wrong about Francoeur. At least for the week.
That's not what I am here to say, though.
Early in the game, Chip Hale held the runner at third, even though there were two outs and the Marlins were going to walk Cora and get the pitcher out.
This sparked a discussion about how great Chip Hale has been this year. That is true. He has been great.
Gary Cohen, in response to Ron Darling's comment to that effect, said: "I couldn't agree more, Chip Hale has done a great job."
Ralph Kiner chimed in with: "Yeah! Certainly much better than last year!" This was followed by the sound of crickets....
Lest we forget, Razor Shines (last year's third base coach) is still with the team (as the all important 1st base coach).
If Kiner and Shines meet in the clubhouse after the game, this could get ugly. I am betting on Kiner. Shines was off the mark so often last year, he would probably try to punch Kiner, and miss!
That's not what I am here to say, though.
Early in the game, Chip Hale held the runner at third, even though there were two outs and the Marlins were going to walk Cora and get the pitcher out.
This sparked a discussion about how great Chip Hale has been this year. That is true. He has been great.
Gary Cohen, in response to Ron Darling's comment to that effect, said: "I couldn't agree more, Chip Hale has done a great job."
Ralph Kiner chimed in with: "Yeah! Certainly much better than last year!" This was followed by the sound of crickets....
Lest we forget, Razor Shines (last year's third base coach) is still with the team (as the all important 1st base coach).
If Kiner and Shines meet in the clubhouse after the game, this could get ugly. I am betting on Kiner. Shines was off the mark so often last year, he would probably try to punch Kiner, and miss!
Friday, June 4, 2010
Solving Instant Replay and Saving Time
Here is the solution.
Each manager gets one incorrect challenge per game. The manager can challenge any call he wants, and the umps will go into the booth to look at it. If the manager is right, he still has a challenge in his pocket.
The manager's challenge can be invoked in two ways: 1) A "red flag" (like in football) is thrown out on to the field, or 2) the manager comes out of the dugout to question any judgment call, in which case the replay is immediately invoked.
There could also still be umpire driven replays on boundary calls (like there are now).
This would not slow the game down, as managers would not waste their challenge on an unimportant (or too-close-t0-call) call. Moreover, it would actually speed the game up, because managers would not come out of the dugout to argue every little thing, as he would risk the umpire raising his hand (or whatever) to indicate that the challenge had been invoked.
Also, unlike football, these decisions would be made instantaneously, because there would be no review after the next pitch, or, at the end of an inning, when the defensive team has left the field.
Problem solved. Next question?
Each manager gets one incorrect challenge per game. The manager can challenge any call he wants, and the umps will go into the booth to look at it. If the manager is right, he still has a challenge in his pocket.
The manager's challenge can be invoked in two ways: 1) A "red flag" (like in football) is thrown out on to the field, or 2) the manager comes out of the dugout to question any judgment call, in which case the replay is immediately invoked.
There could also still be umpire driven replays on boundary calls (like there are now).
This would not slow the game down, as managers would not waste their challenge on an unimportant (or too-close-t0-call) call. Moreover, it would actually speed the game up, because managers would not come out of the dugout to argue every little thing, as he would risk the umpire raising his hand (or whatever) to indicate that the challenge had been invoked.
Also, unlike football, these decisions would be made instantaneously, because there would be no review after the next pitch, or, at the end of an inning, when the defensive team has left the field.
Problem solved. Next question?
This is a conspiracy...that's what this is!
Dave Trembley is getting fired.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=5249088
Juan Samuel (the Orioles 3rd base coach) is replacing him.
Wednesday night, I flipped on the Yankee game, and happened to see Miguel Tejada get thrown out at the plate with one out in the 8th inning of a game the Orioles trailed 8-1. It was base running play that reeked of Angel Pagan-ness.
This kind of base-running stupidity is exactly the kind of thing that should get a manager fired.
The problem? Tejada was waived home by....Juan Samuel, the Orioles new manager!
Granted, the writing had been on the wall about Trembley's firing for some time. But is it possible Samuel sent Tejada to seal Trembley's fate? I hope not.
I report, you decide...
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=5249088
Juan Samuel (the Orioles 3rd base coach) is replacing him.
Wednesday night, I flipped on the Yankee game, and happened to see Miguel Tejada get thrown out at the plate with one out in the 8th inning of a game the Orioles trailed 8-1. It was base running play that reeked of Angel Pagan-ness.
This kind of base-running stupidity is exactly the kind of thing that should get a manager fired.
The problem? Tejada was waived home by....Juan Samuel, the Orioles new manager!
Granted, the writing had been on the wall about Trembley's firing for some time. But is it possible Samuel sent Tejada to seal Trembley's fate? I hope not.
I report, you decide...
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Umpiring is hard....I get it!
I was an umpire. It looks a lot easier on TV, believe me.
On day one of umpiring school, they teach you...slow the game down, wait a beat, make your call.
Gallaraga's perfect game was broken up by what is tied for the worst call of the season. The guy was out by 1/2 a step. It wasn't even close!
http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=300602106&teams=cleveland-indians-vs-detroit-tigers
Find a TV tonight, see the play. You won't believe it.
What was the upside to "kicking" a call like that? Call him out! Who would complain? Shouldn't you be leaning that way?
Miguel Cabrera almost got ejected with the ball in play while he was playing first base. I bet that would have been a first.
Jim Leyland almost got ejected from a game he had already won! That would DEFINITELY have been a first.
There was almost a riot on the field. The Tigers were literally attacking the ump.
Is it me, or has there been an outbreak of egregious umpiring lately? Joe West opining on the Yankees and Red Sox, then hiring a publicist and scheduling interviews. Hahn calling 2 balks on MarK Buehrle in the same game, then ejecting him!
Now this.
They have to be stopped.
On day one of umpiring school, they teach you...slow the game down, wait a beat, make your call.
Gallaraga's perfect game was broken up by what is tied for the worst call of the season. The guy was out by 1/2 a step. It wasn't even close!
http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=300602106&teams=cleveland-indians-vs-detroit-tigers
Find a TV tonight, see the play. You won't believe it.
What was the upside to "kicking" a call like that? Call him out! Who would complain? Shouldn't you be leaning that way?
Miguel Cabrera almost got ejected with the ball in play while he was playing first base. I bet that would have been a first.
Jim Leyland almost got ejected from a game he had already won! That would DEFINITELY have been a first.
There was almost a riot on the field. The Tigers were literally attacking the ump.
Is it me, or has there been an outbreak of egregious umpiring lately? Joe West opining on the Yankees and Red Sox, then hiring a publicist and scheduling interviews. Hahn calling 2 balks on MarK Buehrle in the same game, then ejecting him!
Now this.
They have to be stopped.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
A moment of silence...
Today, we mourn the loss of a vast and beloved place.A monument to greatness (the '86 Giants) and all that we love about sports (the Jets' Monday night comeback against the Dolphins.
Today we mourn the loss of Giants Stadium. The picture above is of the old stadium, semi-demolished. Metaphors abound!
Thursday night, I went to the "New Meadowlands Stadium" for the first time. Here are some thoughts.
--The upper deck concourse is not covered. So when it rains or its windy (that never happens during football season, right?) all the commoners in the upper deck will get soaked and windblown.
-- There are special "rich people" only exit lanes. In other words, if you bought a PSL, you leave first. If you didn't, you can wait!
--The upper deck is 40 feet higher than it was at Giants Stadium, owing to the extra two rows of luxury boxes.
--The parking lot is separated by class. Rich people over here, poor people over there. I am going to have to take the George Washington bridge to get to my "assigned" parking area.
--To avoid any appearance of favoring the Jets or Giants, the whole stadium is grey. It looks like one of those computer avatars before you choose a color scheme.
-- THERE IS NOTHING BETTER ABOUT IT, at least for the 30,000 of us in the upper deck.
--To borrow a phrase from Titanic (and, I guess, actual cruise ships) the upper deck is STEERAGE (a place where they cram in as many poor people as possible).
In short, I am as disappointed with NMS as I was impressed by CitiField.
To quote Kramer: I may have to take it, but I don't have to like it!
Friday, May 21, 2010
Ryan Zimmerman, Hanley Ramirez, and "hustle"
I am sure you have seen the uproar about Hanley Ramirez not hustling after a ball he booted into the left field corner. Both the play and his comments about manager Fredi Gonzalez were pretty egregious. Basically indefensible.
Last night in the 5th inning, Ryan Zimmerman fell down trying to catch a pop-up that went over his head. After he missed it, he sat on the ground watching the shortstop chase the ball, rather than getting up and playing baseball. He sat there for several seconds watching the play as though he were a fan in the stands. Because he didn't get up and cover third, Francoeur made it to third and later scored on a sacrifice fly.
The only difference between these two plays was that Ramirez at least jogged after the ball, and Zimmerman laid on the ground like a dog.
I am not a big believer in systemic racism, particularly in professional sports. However, these two plays, happening only days apart, lead to an interesting conclusion.
Zimmerman is thought of as Mr. Hustle. See: http://zimsfoundation.org/news/news/washington-nationals-third-baseman-ryan-zimmerman-nominated-for-mlbpaa-heart-hustle-award/
Indeed, during the game, Gary Cohen compared him (in PHYSICAL APPEARANCE!!!) to Scott Rolen, a malcontent who "hustled" his way out of St. Louis.
Hanley Ramirez is thought of as wasting his natural gifts.
I couldn't even find a story about Zimmerman's lack of hustle, let alone a reporter questioning him about it. Who knows what he might have said if he was asked about whether he would apologize to his team and his manager (as Hanley was)?
Everything is about perspective. People are looking for examples of Hanley not hustling, and are ready to jump on him. Zimmerman meanwhile gets awards for his hustle.
I am not condoning not hustling. Not at all. But I think EVERYONE has a mental lapse every now and then. The Hanley play and the Zimmerman play had the same cause (they were both frustrated that they had missed the ball and now would make SportsCenter looking goofy). Who reporters choose to focus on and question about it severely colors (no pun intended) our perception.
Last night in the 5th inning, Ryan Zimmerman fell down trying to catch a pop-up that went over his head. After he missed it, he sat on the ground watching the shortstop chase the ball, rather than getting up and playing baseball. He sat there for several seconds watching the play as though he were a fan in the stands. Because he didn't get up and cover third, Francoeur made it to third and later scored on a sacrifice fly.
The only difference between these two plays was that Ramirez at least jogged after the ball, and Zimmerman laid on the ground like a dog.
I am not a big believer in systemic racism, particularly in professional sports. However, these two plays, happening only days apart, lead to an interesting conclusion.
Zimmerman is thought of as Mr. Hustle. See: http://zimsfoundation.org/news/news/washington-nationals-third-baseman-ryan-zimmerman-nominated-for-mlbpaa-heart-hustle-award/
Indeed, during the game, Gary Cohen compared him (in PHYSICAL APPEARANCE!!!) to Scott Rolen, a malcontent who "hustled" his way out of St. Louis.
Hanley Ramirez is thought of as wasting his natural gifts.
I couldn't even find a story about Zimmerman's lack of hustle, let alone a reporter questioning him about it. Who knows what he might have said if he was asked about whether he would apologize to his team and his manager (as Hanley was)?
Everything is about perspective. People are looking for examples of Hanley not hustling, and are ready to jump on him. Zimmerman meanwhile gets awards for his hustle.
I am not condoning not hustling. Not at all. But I think EVERYONE has a mental lapse every now and then. The Hanley play and the Zimmerman play had the same cause (they were both frustrated that they had missed the ball and now would make SportsCenter looking goofy). Who reporters choose to focus on and question about it severely colors (no pun intended) our perception.
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