Frayed Knot

In the words of the immortal Jerry Koosman about having to pitch with a lack of run support: "shut 'em out and hit one out"

And that other league ... TEAMWins thru 81Proj2009 WinsDiff +/-RAYS489684+12RANGERS489687+9WHITE SOX438679+7BLUE JAYS418275+7ROYALS367265+7A�s408075+5RED SOX499895+3TIGERS448886+2TWINS448887+1INDIANS326465-1YANKS50100103-3ANGELS459097-7ORIOLES255064-14MARINERS346885-17

A quick look at how each team looked after completing their 81st game, where that pace has them headed, and how that compares to last year's finish. TEAMWins thru 81Proj2009 WinsDiff +/-PADRES489675+21METS459070+20REDS469278+14NATS357059+11BRAVES489686+10CARDS448891-3PIRATES295862-4DODGERS459095-5BREWERS377480-6ROCKIES438692-6GIANTS418288-6D�BACKS326470-6PHILS438693-7ASTROS326474-10MARLINS387687-11CUBS357083-13

Benjamin Grimm wrote: To be fair, though, I get the sense that many of the new-agers are equally dismissive of the value of decades of watching, calling, and playing professionally. Oh yeah, there's a definite "know-it-all-ness" that permeates from parts of the on-line stats crowd, a sense that because they delve heavily into these new metrics that automatically makes them smarter than 3/4 of the personnel in ML front offices and media folks. But the retort to that shouldn't be to just cover your ears and go 'LA-LA-LA-LA ... I can't hear you' without actually having to come up with a counter-argument. * "Stats people" Gary once spit out with barely contained furor, "say there's no such thing as clutch, but I know Jeter is therefore they're wrong" * OK that may not be an exact quote but it's pretty close

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Think he's being willfully dismissive (latching on to an apparent "weakness" of the metric and refusing to be dissuaded), or is this just a genuine misunderstanding (on which-- to be sure-- he ladled a couple of goopy cheap shots)? I thought it was the latter. But then, he's surrounded by guys like Baumer and Berg and literally dozens of other people-- Met statheads, SNY statheads, young and sorta-mathy producers-- who could probably have given him a reasonable explanation of BABIP/regression-to-the-mean/the limits of certain metrics by now... and probably have. It would be really disappointing to me if he were the latter. I don't really see much hope for Howie in this regard, but he really does seem a different animal. I suspect it is the latter. I have no idea how much he does associate with guys like Baumer and whoever but my guess is not much. Plus, although there must be young producers and so on in the SNY stable, I suspect Gary (and Keith, although maybe less so w/Ronnie) 'pre-dismiss' whatever 'new age' stuff that might come over the transom as nerdy amateurism masquerading as knowledge that falls several cuts below their accumulated smarts born out of decades of watching, calling, and playing professionally.

I can't remember is Matthews is one of those declared steroid absolutists - one who wants everyone who ever took them even once to be HoF-ineligible forever. He might not even have a vote now that I think about it but I'm sure he has an opinion he's been willing to shou ... I mean share. Point is, if he is, it seems to me that (him or anyone) wanting Steinbrenner in while taking the purity angle on players would be pretty hypocritical. Actual, multiple bans from the sport = OK, while infractions that could have resulted in temporary suspensions had there actually been rules against them at the time = unforgivable

Isn't this where someone asks Nieve what he feeds his gopher?

Conveniently, a day after discussing the need for an extra pitcher, a spare part gets hurt and one is brought up. Funny how that happens.

I know that, as of the moment, the Reds are the highest scoring team in the NL - by 20 runs over 2nd place Milwaukee Yeah the home park helps, both in terms of games played there to date (46 Home - 37 Away) and in RS/G at home vs on the road (5.39 vs 4.54) but 1st is still 1st.

Was hearing some comparisons between George (b July 4, 1930*) and Al Davis (b. July 4, 1929) over this past weekend. Maybe the best point I heard was that Davis - at least before he became a crazy old fool - worked towards the betterment of his whole league during his time as a coach, innovator, owner, commissioner (AFL), and worked to bring about the NFL/AFL merger (well, he wasn't thrilled with it but played nicely for a while once he realized HE wasn't going to run the whole show). All that as opposed to St. George whose Yanquis have long acted as if the rest of MLB was beneath them to the point of bucking whatever steps the league was taking unless such moves benefitted [$$] them directly. And while the argument about how the Yanx do indeed enrich the rest of the league is true that happened despite them, not because of them. * and just for the heck of it, has anyone besides me ever wondered about the authenticity of this birth date? I mean it's certainly possible that it's real and I have no evidence to suggest otherwise -- but folks have been known to lie about birth specifics for image reasons - Hollywood & politicians mostly but others as well - and for a guy who has been known to bullshit aplenty and also likes to act as if he invented patriotism it's not a big stretch to think that that's a fudged date.

Takahashi - 1.5 Dessens - 0.6 Rodriguez - 0.7 Pagan - 1.6 Bay - 2.1 Francoeur - 0.7 Davis - 1.7 Wright - 1.1

Dickey - 4.0 Bay - 1.2 Thole - 1.6 Wright - 1.6 Davis - 0.8 Cora - 0.8

What can be better than 4-hour game on a 90+ DC day in July? ... one that you lose I guess. Still pissed off that we need this one just for a series split.

Vote Votto in the run-off if you're given towards that sort of stuff. He's having a great year - as is his team - while Zimmerman is slumping and I'm sick of stacking the AS pitching staffs with closers so fuck Bell & Billy.

How 'bout, instead of sitting on this lead while letting opportunities slide by, we bury these mutha-fuckas today so I can stop fretting and then go eat some of whatever animal my bro-in-law is smoking in his backyard?

A stunning 10 of our 24 road losses (42%) this season have come via walk-offs. Re-live 'em and weep: - April 14 @ Colorado Mets score one in the 8th and one in the 9th to tie it 10th inning: Jennry Mejia pitching: leadoff HR Chris Ianetta - May 3 @ Cincinatti 2-2 after regulation 11th inning: Manny Acosta; one-out HR Lance Nix - May 5 @ Cincinatti Francoeur�s SacFly w/2 outs in the 9th ties it 10th inning: Pedro Feliciano; leadoff HR Orlando Cabrera - May 13 @ Florida 1-1 thru 9 after Johan throws 7 innings of 1-run (none earned) ball 9th inning: Fernando Nieve; FO, walk, single, WP - May 18 @ Atlanta 7 innings of 2-run ball from Santana 9th inning: Feliciano; single. Replaced by Mejia; walk, Melky Cabrera RBI single - May 28 @ Milwaukee Dueling shutouts by Santana (8 IP) and Gallardo (9) 9th inning: Feliciano GO (Fielder). Replaced by Igarashi: single, PO, 2R-HR Corey Hart - June 2 @ San Diego Padres tie the game at 1-1 in the 9th off Rodriguez 11th inning: Raul Valdes; double, FC (out at 3rd), single, HBP, Adrian Gonzalez GS - June 29 @ Florida Mets score twice in the 9th to tie it Bottom 9: Pedro Feliciano; K, K, double, single - July 1 @ Washington 7 innings of 1-run ball from Santana Bottom 9 tied 1-1: Pedro Feliciano; GO, BB, single, single. Relieved by Igarashi: Ryan Zimmerman Sac Fly - July 3 @ Washington 5-3 NYM lead in the 9th Francisco Rodriguez: BB, GO, single, BB, 2RBI-2B, IW, RBI-single

I was in and out of this game much of the day and didn't catch any wrap-up stuff* - mainly because I had hit the 'Off' button on the remote before Pudge's single had hit grass. So what was Jerry complaining about concerning Ike? * Hours later I did catch about 15 minutes of Tony Paige on FAN and, as usual for him, he was using the loss to rant about Castillo - as if the Tejada turn a sure GiDP ball into a 2-run inning hadn't happened.

Strasburg's (up to now) lack of walks has been the biggest surprise for me so far in his young career.

Making this sucker work on a hot day.

I just tuned in - who's the colorman teamed with Buck?