Frayed Knot

And here's a copy of the home game so you can play along with our studio audience TEAMMANAGERSigned ThruSTATUSBEGANMETSTerry Collins2017Nov '10PHILLIESPete MacKanin2017 + 2018 optionJune '15NATIONALSDusty Baker2017Nov '15MARLINSDon Mattingly2019Nov '15BRAVESBrian SnitkerStill "Interim"May ‘16CARDINALSMike Matheny2017Nov '13PIRATESClint Hurdle2017 + 2018 optionNov '10CUBSJoe Maddon2019Oct '14REDSBryan Price2016Oct '13BREWERSCraig Counsel2017May '15DODGERSDave Roberts2018 + 2019 OptionNov ’15GIANTSBruce Bochy2019Oct ‘16PADRESAndy Green2016Nov '15DBACKS[crossout]Chip Hale[/crossout]2016 + ’17 OptionFired Oct '16Oct '14ROCKIES[crossout]Walt Weiss[/crossout]2016Resigned Oct '16Oct '13RED SOXJohn Farrell2017 + 2018 optionOct '12YANKEESJoe Girardi2017Oct '07ORIOLESBuck Showalter2018July ‘10BLUE JAYSJohn Gibbons2017Nov '12RAYSKevin Cash2019Dec ‘14TIGERSBrad Ausmus2016 + 2017 OptionNov '13INDIANSTerry Francona2018 + Options for ’19 & ‘20Oct '12ROYALSNed Yost2018May '10TWINSPaul Molitor2017Nov '14WHITE SOX[crossout]Robin Ventura[/crossout]2016Rick Renteria hired - Oct ‘16Oct '16ANGELSMike Scioscia2018Nov '99RANGERSJeff Banister2018 + 2019 OptionOct '14MARINERSScott Servais"Multi-Year" ContractOct '15ASTROSAJ Hinch2018Sep ‘14ATHLETICSBob Melvin2018June ‘11

Frayed Knot wrote: Most breaking pitches are moving downward as much or more than across, and even a pitch with a big side-break (8 inches?) over its near 60-foot run would have only a fraction of an inch of horizontal movement in that final foot or so as it skirts along either of the parallel edges of the plate. Not even a foot as it turns out - as I do some back of the napkin math here. The parallel sides of the plate are just 8-1/2 inches long. If we were to assume a pitch with a full foot of horizontal break, that's an inch of sideways movement for every 5 feet, 1/5" for every foot, or about 1/7th of an inch of break as the ball travels the distance from the front of the plate to the back. So even if we were to tack on to that the additional effect of a pitcher throwing from an extreme angle -- say a long-limbed lefty who stands on the 1st base side of the rubber and delivers the ball across his body and side-arm to where it starts some four feet off the the side of direct center -- you could just about double how much side movement you get over that final 8.5", but even then we're barely up to 1/4" difference from the front of the plate to the back. IOW, unless I'm missing something here, the difference between a tracking system which picks up the ball over the entire plate (a 3D image) vs a 2D pick-up which judges it at the front of the plate only is essentially insignificant. Same thing if you aim the laser at the back of the plate instead, so I guess the idea would be to aim for the middle and split the difference. Either way, the accuracy is almost certain to be better than the human eye considering the speed and movement of pitches these days - assuming that is that this works as well in practice as it does in theory.

Even if the zone is supposed to cover the entire 'air space' above the plate, I think labeling a 2-D image* as "terribly inadequate" overstates things. I know announcers like to make a big deal about pitches with 'late break' or ones that 'bend around the plate' but they're mostly over-selling the movement. Most breaking pitches are moving downward as much or more than across, and even a pitch with a big side-break (8 inches?) over its near 60-foot run would have only a fraction of an inch of horizontal movement in that final foot or so as it skirts along either of the parallel edges of the plate. * if that's what the current technology is, it wasn't clear in the show

Mets Guy in Michigan wrote: I don't like it, but I think Steinbrenner gets in. No other owner with as many rings is on the outside. Of course, no other owner was probably suspended twice and has the general air of ick that surrounds Steinbrenner. Suspended twice including a lifetime ban (later plea-bargained down ... pity), repeated attempts to sabotage the league for his own gains, paid money to dig up dirt for the purpose of blackmailing his own player because he didn't like the fact that he had been out-negotiated at FA signing time, etc. Those aren't just checkmarks against HoF enshrinement, they're complete deal-breakers.

MFS62 wrote: I briefly spoke to Gumbel's brother, Greg (also a sportscaster)many years ago. He told me that they rooted for the Cleveland Indians. You really have to love baseball to do that. I don't think the brothers get along so who knows how things have changed since childhood. Also since then there's been a kind of 'PC' thinking that's taken hold within the sportscasting culture to say that of course you were a fan of baseball back when you were a kid, but to be one now is so mid-20th century that it's enough to get you banished from the cool kids' lunch table. Again, I don't know that any of this applies specifically to Gumbel. I was just taken aback by the vehemence of his objection to even the thought of automated ball/strike calls and to his odd and repeated use of the word "integrity" when arguing that human error was part of the game and that correcting it would reduce this supposed integrity.

I never see a Real Sports piece on baseball without thinking, "Look, I know you put a lot of time into this, a lot of professional-quality editing and writing, but you don't know fact one about this game, do you?" Which isn't to say exceptions aren't out there, but I haven't seen one. Even when they're right, they're right for the wrong reason. But they seem more interested in being oh so correct than right. Jon Frankel was the corespondent on the piece. I have no idea where his background/feelings/knowledge on baseball sit but I'm usually pretty good at sniffing out those supposed sports fans or journalists whose contempt for and/or ignorance of baseball is barely beneath the surface and I didn't get any whiff of that one way or the other. On the wrap-up though Gumbel surprised me, first by starting his chat with Frankel by saying, 'Jon you know what a big baseball fan I am' [news to me, but maybe so], and then when he went on to use that as a launching point to say that of course that means he hates the whole idea of this. Now maybe he really feels this way (claims to hate all forms of replay as well) but, yeah, there is the sense that he maybe was taking that stance as a way to represent [read: mock] the stereotypical baseball fan who many in the sports world deride as "traditionalists" and their feeling that they reflexively hate anything that was invented since the end of the 19th century. Certainly umpire Crawford played into that type: Isn't progress a good thing?, he was asked. 'Not in baseball it isn't', so Gumbel didn't necessarily need to take that stance simply to provide a counterpoint to Eric Byrnes and his passionate argument for a automated system.

Yeah, basically the system as it was demonstrated gave the operators the ability to visually adjust the upper or lower limits of the zone the way you would with computer photo-cropping software. And then the idea is that once you have a particular player's zone in the system you don't have a need to readjust each time he comes to the plate. You couldn't do it strictly with just a height measurement because each particular player's stance figures into things too. I was just worried that someone's idea of a 'solution' was a generic one size fits all type of system which is I suspect what many local networks use in their displays during games which aren't official but are often treated as such by the announcers.

Pretty good piece on the current edition of HBO's 'REAL SPORTS' on the possibility of using laser technology to call balls & strikes. Actually there's virtually nothing on whether it'll come to happen or not as no one from MLB, players or owners, made themselves available for the piece. But it did answer at least three of the four potential objections that I'd have to it if and when it does happen. 1 - Is it accurate? This, I've long suspected, is actually the easiest part of the equation to prove/disprove. And while I can’t say that this 15 minute piece ‘proved’ it so, all indications are that the technology is there to call balls and strikes to within (a claimed) 1/2 inch tolerance. And even if it's not 100% accurate, it's likely to be closer to it than the current system. 2 - Is it instant? And instant has to mean instant, not 'oh it'll just be an extra 2 or 3 seconds’, as that's not good enough. 2 seconds added per pitch adds some 8+ minutes -- and more importantly 8+ minutes of dead time -- to a game already too long and with too much dead time. But in the demo shown (in an indie league game) the calls were instant both audibly, via being spoken into the HP ump's ear-piece from an operator upstairs, and visually, via lights on the CF scoreboard. 3 - Is it adjustable (and, again, instantly adjustable) per batter? You can never tell when watching a game where the carrier superimposes the (unofficial) 'box' on screen whether said box changes for each batter and, let's face it, Aaron Judge and Jose Altuve don't have anywhere near the same strike zone. But the makers (and presumably the operators) of this technology claim to be able to pre-set the upper and lower limits of the zone for existing players and would have the ability for adjust on the fly for new batters and/or changed stances. 4 - My only potential remaining objection, and the only one not specifically addressed in this piece, was whether the control of this could be kept out of the hands of the home team. We know that, given the possibility of gaining an edge somewhere, no matter how slight or how silly (remember the Braves and their expanded catcher’s box?) that a team will take advantage of it if they can. And it doesn’t need to be a large edge or an obvious call that’s rigged, a 1-1 strike in the top half of the inning that becomes a 1-1 ball in the bottom half can be a significant advantage over the long haul, and indeed that’s likely the major source of baseball’s home field advantage today (and presumably throughout it’s history). Recently retired ump Jerry Crawford was the guy who wound up being the counter-point to former player Eric Byrnes’s pro-technology side, and Crawford totally embarrasses himself (as does host Bryant Gumbel during the wrap-up). Look, it’s easy to understand reluctance to take this step, particularly from a second generation umpire who sees his turf being stepped on. But Crawford took a ridiculous ‘unionism-gone-wild’ stance where he totally trashes the idea that technology like this even could work ('I don’t care what some egg-head at Yale says, they’re wrong and I’m right') and claims that All HP umps get “100%” of B/S calls correct. In his later years when umps began to be given CDs with that night’s results after each game Crawford admits [read: ‘Brags’] to tossing the discs right in the garbage. After all, if none of his or any of his colleagues performances can be improved upon, why even bother trying?

Mets Willets Point wrote: This is the poll in which you use your cold, dispassionate logic. I'm a little short of that right now.

... and it's already begun to spin. - Robin Ventura is out in Chicago after five years. Rick Renteria already named successor (apparently he wants to be 'Rick' now even though he was 'Rich' during his playing career). Renteria will become only the second manager to skipper both the Cubs (for one season in 2014 ... then Maddon became available) and the White Sox, and I'm betting none of youse here can name the other*. - Walt Weiss "steps down" as Colorado manager. Of course "stepped down" can often mean pushed. Either way, it wasn't a good day for guys who previously walked directly into the job with no previous apprenticeship. - and now word that the D'Backs have axed both former NYM bench coach Chip Hale and GM Dave Stewart. One would assume this decision was largely Tony LaRussa's although it was announced by 'managing general partner' Ken Kendrick - Oh, and Barry Bonds is out as Marlins hitting coach. Many of the right things were said about BB -- and, let's face it, just by lasting the whole season he beat a lot of folks' Over/Under guesses by about 125 games. But apparently he wasn't hitting it off with Donnie and there were always rumors of 'diminishing commitment' * Johnny Evers (yes, that Evers) who piloted the Cubs in 1913 (as a 31 y/o playing mgr) and again in 1921 (but no seasons in between) and the ChiSox for two disconnected stints in 1924

MFS62 wrote: Looking at the offensive numbers leads me to ask, "Should Familia receive serious consideration for MVP?" I don't think Familia was even the best reliever on the Mets this year.

As pointed out in numerous places down the stretch, the Giants were the best team in baseball until the ASB and then suddenly the worst from mid-July until mid-September. They did manage to pick it up a bit over the final two weeks -- closing with an 8-4 record including their final four to stay ahead of the Cardinals -- but probably not enough to put a lot of CAHNfidence into their sense of even-year inevitability. So what happened to them? C - Posey’s still good but this year has been the worst OPS (full) season of his career, down around 50 points from his norm and more than 150 from his MVP peak back in 2012 1B - Brandon Belt got a big contract to start the year but then tailed badly in the second half after starting hot. Not a ton of pop for a 1st sacker but does get on base a lot (.394 OBA) 2B - Joe Panik is another guy who regressed from his ‘where did this guy come from?’ rookie and second seasons, down 70 points of BA from last year. SS - Brandon Crawford had a now typical top season for him: 772 OPS and GG-level glove. Anyone would take that from their SS 3B - This has really been their biggest lineup hole. Matt Duffy lost 100 points of OPS following his out-of-nowhere 2015 so they dealt him at the deadline for pitching (Matt Moore). They then traded for Eduardo Nunez as a replacement but they, like the Yanquis before them, found out he fields the position like he’s wearing oven mitts which caused them to panic (not Panik) and make a deal w/Atlanta in the final week of the season so that Gordon Beckham could alternate playing 3rd with Conor Gillaspie over the final six days of the season. Beckham, who never recorded a hit as a Giant, won’t be eligible for post-season so I guess it’ll be Gillaspie & Nunez unless they have some peanut vendor they want to try. OF - Pagan, Denard Span, and Hunter Pence make up a good OF even if not exactly a slugging one and a trio that, at ages 34, 32, and 33, are a bit past their collective primes. Pence missed about 1/3 of the season but they oddly played well while he was out then hit the skids almost immediately upon his return. Their pitching depth is a problem but of course that doesn’t really matter in a one-game series. But the back of their pen just might though as they blew more late inning leads than any team this year. Santiago Casilla was drop-kicked from his closer’s spot after his meltdowns prompted Bochy into declaring a Def-Con 1 alert. They briefly tried Hunter Strickland before turning to former closer Sergio Romo less than two weeks ago. Romo had been their main man back in their 2012 WS run before being demoted to set-up duties two years ago in favor of Casilla. Given a new lease, he wound up closing out six wins in six straight outings allowing no runs on just 4 hits over the final 12 games just as it looked like the Giants were going to be the ones on the outside looking in. We went 4-3 against them during the season … Duh, that’s why the game is in our building and THEY are the ones flying cross-country! RS/RA = 39 - 35 This will be our third time seeing Bumgarner this season. Apr 29 - NYM bats smoke Jake Peavy, Matz tosses 7 scoreless http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYN/NYN201604290.shtml Apr 30 - Mets jump out to 4-0 lead vs Matt Cain, hold on for 6-5 win http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYN/NYN201604300.shtml May 1 - Syndergaard (4 runs on 5 Hits in 5.2) gets out-pitched by Bumgarner (6 scoreless on 6 hits + 3 BBs). They had their chances but left 12 on base!! http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYN/NYN201604300.shtml Aug 18 - We get to Bumgarner (4 runs in the 4th) but deGrom gives it all back and more. An unexpected 10-7 final. http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SFN/SFN201608180.shtml Aug 19 - Low water mark of the season record-wise after getting stifled by Cueto http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SFN/SFN201608190.shtml Aug 20 - The turn-around begins by hitting starter Matt Moore hard and reliever Jake Peavy harder http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SFN/SFN201608200.shtml Aug 21 - Sydergaard = 2 hits over 8, Cespedes 2R HR off Samardzija is all the scoring in the game. http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SFN/SFN201608210.shtml

Gwreck wrote: Chicago + New York or Chicago + San Francisco = biggest combined markets for potential viewers. Besides, TV execs are going to milk this Cubs story as long as they remain in it and no matter who they're playing.

If forced to choose one as most deserving I'd opt for Schurholz

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: We need some righthanded hitters to materialize Wednesday, that's what we need. aka: we need Cespedes to be Cespedes and he hasn't been very Cespedespian lately. Would you do something whacky and play TJ or Plawecki at first base? Problem with TJ there is then you won't have a RH bat to play 2nd - unless Wilmer is back and then he plays 1st anyway and the problem with Plawecki is that he hasn't proven he can hit either, and has barely played in over a month (2 for 8 since recall). Yeah he was 300/348/484 in Vegas (200 AB) but that's Vegas and he's still 211/287/285 at this level (365 AB)

Centerfield wrote: Great work. In fact, it's hard to be any more right than you were then. And just to be clear here, I wasn't right in that I thought they were going to finish that way, only that those numbers were right around where they'd need to finish in order to be in the WC mix. But I was subject to blowing hot & cold on this squad as much as anyone. The cool part is that their run began just two days before we started throwing the numbers around (games 3 & 4 of the Giants series) and how, even though it was right on the heels of that stretch of five losses in six games to the DBacks, from that day forward the team stayed almost perfectly on that pace with the mid-Sept Braves series being the only real stumbling block along the way.

Chad Ochoseis wrote: Bumgarner's ERA since August 1: 4.03. Giants also 9-11 over Bumgarner's last 20 starts.

Ahh, claim it as your own. Remember, it's not stealing if you just call it 'research'. And while you're at it you can also note to whomever you're dropping this on that the Mets held off SF for the top WC spot and drop-kicked StL out of the festivities entirely despite each of those teams winning their final four games.

I re-watched THE DROP not long ago, a movie mentioned here recently in one of the threads discussing Tom Hardy. And while the movie set in a Brooklyn bar did have New Jersey’s own James Gandolfini as a major character, his cousin was played by the quite English Tom Hardy with the other two leads in this very New York movie going to Noomi Rapace of Sweden and the Belgian born Matthias Schoenaerts despite English being at least the third language for each of them. Man Trump’s right, all these fur’ners are pouring across the borders and stealing all our jobs.

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: I knew I recognized the guy who played the father but would never have guessed it was Tommy Carcetti from The Wire! Also is quite recognizable as Lord Peter 'Littlefinger' Baelish for those Throne of Games fans. And the part of the mother was played by Maria Doyle Kennedy, who was Natalie, one of the trio of female singers in THE COMMITMENTS, a movie which sadly seems to be out of circulation these days (never on cable, not available through Netflix, etc.). The women from that movie all seem to have gone into acting afterward but I don't think any of the guys did unless you want to count Glen Hansard and even he just went from a musician playing a musician in one movie to a musician playing a different musician in a different movie.

Top Ten NL Teams on the morning of Sat, Aug 20 TEAMRECORDCHC77 - 44WSH72 - 49SFG68 - 54LAD67 - 54StL67 - 54PIT62 - 57MIA63 - 59NYM60 - 62COL59 - 63PHI57 - 66 Record since 8/20/16 - same ten teams TEAMRECORDNYM27 - 13CHC26 - 14LAD24 - 17WSH23 - 18StL21 - 20SFG19 - 21MIA16 - 23COL16 - 24PIT16 - 26PHI13 - 25

And the Braves close out Turner Field with a 1-0 shutout that knocks a team out of the playoffs that isn't even in their league. Kind of weird. Also kind of weird is that they close out twenty years there with [u:25kdt4hq]10 Division Titles[/u:25kdt4hq] but only one WS appearance and zero WS games won. 8-1 Giants, end of 8 Gonna listen to one more inning of Vin.

Bring 'im on!!

First hit of the game for Boston is a game-tying HR by Hanley Ramirez Detroit needs to score!!!

Tigers getting shut out by Teheran and the Braves, 1-0 in the 7th Of course they not only have to come back in that game but also hope one of Balt or TOR lose and both now are winning. Blue Jays' Aaron Sanchez is no-hitting the BoSox