Baseball All Day

The New DiamondbacKKKKKs

2008-08-12T09:30:00.000-07:00

With the acquisition of Adam Dunn, the Diamondbacks will most likely have three players with over 160 strikeouts at the end of the season

Player	Current K	Projected K
Reynolds	147	202
Young	122	167
Dunn	120	165

No team has ever had more than one with this many K's

Dunn is having a better than average year for him regarding strikeouts. 165 strikouts would match his lowest total since 2003 when he fanned 126 times in only 116 games.

Now if the D'backs could acquire Jack Cust, there'd be a real breeze in the desert.

No HR in SF

2008-08-06T11:02:00.000-07:00

The Giants are the only team without a player in double-digit Home Run total. (Rowand and Bowker are tied with 9)

They are dead-last in the majors in Home Runs

Does anyone miss Barry?

MLB Strikeout Leaders (Jul 8 2008)

2008-06-30T09:07:00.000-07:00

	Ryan Howard	124
	CC Sabathia	123
	Tim Lincecum	122
	Edinson Vólquez	116

Another K Record?

2008-06-18T13:11:00.000-07:00

It's clear that Ryan Howard is well on his way to breaking his own single season strikeout record from last season (currently projected: 224, 25 more than 2007 total)

There's an outside chance he can do something no other batter has ever done: Record more strikeouts as a batter than anyone records as a pitcher.
In 2007, 7 pitchers had more strikeouts than Howard's record-setting 199. As of now, only one does.
With his 4 K performance yesterday, Howard now has 101 strikeouts, only 4 fewer than the 105 batters that Edinson Volquez has struck out.

Also of interest, Chase Utley is the only batter with more home runs (22) than Brett Myers has allowed (20). And they are both on the Phillies. Imagine if Utley could bat against Myers?

Bengie Ball

2008-05-29T10:22:00.000-07:00

I no longer joke about him being the slowest man in baseball (ever since I saw him ground into a triple play where he was out by 5 ft.)

Benjie Molina's last 10 games (as of May 29):
AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI AVG OBP SLG OPS
39 8 23 8 0 2 16 0.590 0.619 0.949 1.568

... raising his average from .267 to .339, and his slugging pct over 100 points from .415 to .534

And you know there are no infield hits in that bunch

Jim Beauchamp 1939 - 2007

2007-12-28T10:45:00.001-08:00

For some reason I remember Jim Beauchamp as being a much better player than he was. Upon hearing of his death from leukemia, I looked up his stats and was surprised to see he only hit .231 in a 10 year career, with a total of 14 home runs. My memory of his playing days is stronger than it deserves to be since he spent time with my beloved Mets in my prime baseball fanatic days. I collected autographs of pit-stop Mets like Jim, Bill Sudakis, and Phil Hennigan.

The day that Jim Beauchamp got etched in my Mets memory bank was Aug. 21, 1972. That was Jim's birthday, and he hit two home runs. He only hit 5 total in his two seasons with the Mets, but I thought he had a lot more based on that summer day. I remember Ralph Kiner's call as the second one was leaving the yard: "going, going, going, happy birthday Jim Beauchamp!". On the post-game Kiner's Korner, Ralph asked him if he's ever hit 2 home runs on this birthday before ( a quick glance at the back of his baseball card would have shown how unlikely that was). Jim, in a shy, southern drawl, said "Nah, I may have hit one on my daughter's birthday in the minors"

You only had 181 at bats in a NY uniform, but you're always a Met. R.I.P. and Happy Birthday Jim Beauchamp!

Ichiro 3000?

2007-11-07T14:18:00.001-08:00

Ichiro has 1,592 hits in only 7 seasons . That's an average of over 227 hits per year! The only question on whether he'll reach the 3000 hit milestone is how long he'll be able to play. Since he didn't start playing in the major leagues until he was 28, he'll need to keep up his pace into his 40's to get the additional 1,408 hits needed. He currently has fewer hits than several other players his age (33), such as Jason Kendall, Shannon Stewart, and Bobby Abreau. Nobody's talking about Jason Kendall being a 3000 hit guy.

You should note that it took Pete Rose and Hank Aaron 9 seasons to have as many hits as Ichiro has in 7.

And when Pete Rose was Ichiro's current age, he went on to get 1,919 more hits

My prediction: hit #3000: May 2015

Dodgers vs Giants

2007-11-06T11:00:00.001-08:00

Big news around Dodgertown with the Joe Torre signing. San Franciscans who have never seen a World Series parade in their streets should remember that they've had a better post-season run than their rivals from the south.

Since the Dodgers last championship year (1988), they are 2 and 12 in the post-season. In the same time, the Giants are 16 and 21. If they could only close the deal ...

Milestone predictor - ARod

2007-10-29T11:50:00.001-07:00

Will Alex Rodriguez put up even more super-human numbers outside of the Bronx, or will his numbers start a slow steady decline?

Currently, he is 31 years old and has 518 Home Runs and 2,250 Hits.
When will he break Barry Bonds career home run record?

When will he get his 3,000 hit?

Place your predictions now.

My guess?
Break Bonds' record (whatever it winds up being) in 2014 (when he is 37)

3000 hit: 2012

World Series Debut: Most HR

2007-10-29T11:02:00.001-07:00

At the start of the 1986 season, only one player made his World Series debut with more than 300 career home runs (Johnny Mize: 316 in 1949)
In that '86 Series, the Red Sox had two players playing in their first World Series with over 300 homers:
Jim Rice: 351
Don Baylor: 315

(Remember, Rice was injured in 1975 so didn't play in that series against the Reds)
For Baylor, this was the first of three consecutive seasons playing in the World Series for three different teams. (Twins in 1987, A's in 1988)

It wasn't until 2002 that another player with over 300 HRs made his WS debut. Barry Bonds came to the fall classic with 613 home runs)

In the last 4 years, 3 more players joined this club:

2004:	Larry Walker	368
2005:	Jeff Bagwell	449
2007:	Todd Helton	303

Remember when Ernie Banks was the only 500+ HR player without a World Series appearance? Now there are six.

Sammy Sosa	609
Ken Griffey Jr	593
Rafael Palmeiro	569
Alex Rodriguez	518
Frank Thomas	513
Ernie Banks	512

Not likely that Griffey or Sosa will see the Series soon - but A-rod? Now that he's off the Yankees, he has a chance.

9 pitch, 3 strikeout inning

2007-10-26T10:32:00.001-07:00

A feat I would have thought was more common:
Striking out three batters in an inning on nine pitches.
How many times has this been done in the history of baseball?
According to Baseball Almanac, only 37 pitchers have done this.

Only 3 pitchers have done it twice:
Lefty Grove did in twice for the A's in the same season (1928)

Sandy Koufax did it in 1962 and 1964

Nolan Ryan did it for two different teams: Mets in 1968, Angels in 1972

Trivia: Who is the only pitcher to strikeout 4 batters in one inning twice?
(Hint: he did it three times in two years)

Answer

(source: Baseball Almanac)

Already talking Sweep?

2007-10-25T10:53:00.001-07:00

The media is already jumping on the Rockies and declaring the Series is over after the trouncing they took in Fenway last night. Predictions are now whether Colorado will manage to win one game, or will this be the 5th sweep in the last 9 years?

(From 1966 to 1989, there was only one 4-game sweep: 1966 Orioles over Dodgers)

Before you get out your brooms, remember the 2004 ALCS Game 3 when the Yankees put a 19-8 beat down on Boston to go up 3 games to none. A sweep was considered a "slam-dunk" after that game. Anyone remember how that turned out?

World Series Sweep Trivia:

Which team has been swept the most times?

Answer (3 times)

Which team won the most World Series in a sweep?

Answer (8 times)

Which team scored the most runs in a 4-game sweep?
(37 runs! over 9 runs per game)

Answer

Which team scored the fewest runs in a 4-game sweep?
(only 2! and the winning team only scored 13)

Answer

Expansion Teams - Single Season Win Total

2007-10-22T11:42:00.001-07:00

Before winning 90 games this year, the single-season high for the Rockies was 83 (1996, 1997). Now, the only team in history to never win 90 games is, you guessed it, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Their glorious high point was 70 wins in 2004.

Also of note, the Florida Marlins have won the World Series twice, yet never won their division. Thank you wild card!

The Expos/Nationals best year? They won 95 games in 1979, but their best record came in the strike-year of 1994 when they went 74-40. Projected over a 162 game season, this would be 105 wins.

Which expansion team has the highest single season win total?

[ Answer ]

African Americans in World Series

2007-10-17T16:10:00.001-07:00

Much has been written about the decline in African Americans playing major league baseball.
If the 2007 World Series features the Rockies vs. the Indians (sorry Red Sox nation), the Rockies will have the same number of African American players on their roster as the Indians did the last time they won the World Series ... in 1948! Yes, one year after Jackie Robinson became the first, the Indians went to the World Series with Larry Doby and Satchel Paige. Fifty nine years later, the Rockies will have 2 also. How far we've come.

In 2004, the Astros went to the Series with zero African Americans on their roster, so this could be looked at as an improvement.

Trivia question: Who was the last African American to win the Cy Young award?

Answer

More on Expansion Teams

2007-10-16T13:03:00.001-07:00

Of the 14 expansion teams that joined MLB starting at 1961, who has the best overall record?
* Angels with 3690 wins and 2794 losses (0.569)

Thanks to their 90-win season, the Diamonbacksjoined them this year as the only expansion teams with a winning record (818 - 802)

The Astros started the year only 4 games below .500, but losing 89 games puts them 20 games below (3652 - 3672)

Which expansion team has won the most pennants?
* Mets (4)

Most losses?
* Texas Rangers (3,976; 160 more than 2nd place Mets)

Class of '93: Marlins and Rockies

2007-10-15T12:50:00.001-07:00

The year 1993 saw two new teams join the Major leagues, the Florida Marlins and the Colorado Rockies. Both were placed in the National League, to create balance with the American League which expanded 16 years earlier with the addition of the Toronto Blue Jays and the Seattle Mariners.

Interestingly enough, both teams have an almost identical record in their 15 year history with a .471 winning percentage
Rockies 1115-1253 0.471
Marlins 1112-1251 0.471

The biggest difference in success of the franchise has been post season performance.
Before this year, the Rockies made one visit as a wild card team after winning 77 games in strike-shortened 1995. The Marlins have been to the post season twice and both times came home with a World Series trophy.

btw, the class of '98 has had very different levels of success: The Diamondbacks with 4 division titles and one World Series championship, and the Devil Rays who managed to crawl out of the cellar in only one year of their existence.

Diamondbacks 818-802 0.505
Devil Rays 645-972 0.399

Byrnes, baby Byrnes

2007-10-09T13:09:00.001-07:00

If you're like me, you are glad the Diamondbacks are advancing in the
post-season for one reason. As long as they're playing on the field, Eric Byrnes
is not in the ESPN studio. I love his playing style and can even
listen to his Red-Bull amped post game talk, but please spare me his on
camera analysis in his Johnny Dangerously suit and bed-head glare.

Go D'backs! (and can you draft F.P. Santangelo while you're at it?)

So long, Joe

2007-10-09T10:54:00.001-07:00

While I'm a life-long Yankee hater, I've always admired Joe Torre. I wish he could have won more than 40% of the games he managed for the Mets, instead of 60% of his Yankee games. I guess he got a lot smarter when he had a team of all-stars.

Before the Red Sox reversed-the-curse in Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS, Torre's post season record with the Yankees was 72-34 (68%). Since Dave Roberts stole that base on Mariano, his post season record is 4-13 (23%).

We no longer have an ex-Met managing the Yankees and an ex-Yankee managing the Mets. (with both having very disappointing autumns)

Congratulations Randy!

2007-10-02T10:43:00.000-07:00

One bright spot from the Giants 2007 season: Randy Winn finished with a .300 average.
With 6 games left to play, he was sitting on .290. He went 12 for 21, finsihing with a double in hist first at bat in game 162 to make the .300 milestone.

Congratulations on the best non-Bonds batting average by a Giant since 2002 when Jeff Kent hit .313

(Note: Moises Alou had some .300 years without the required 502 plate appearances)

New King of K's

2007-09-28T13:53:00.000-07:00

When I used this space to declare Adam Dunn the new King of K's, predicting he could possibly eclipse Reggie Jackson's career record of 2,597, it looked like he was going to break his own single-season record of 195.

Dunn's strikeouts slowed down considerably in the second half, and Phillie phenom Ryan Howard came on strong breaking the record last night with 2 K's to total 197.
Don't expect Howard to sit out in the last weekend of a pennant race, so it's a good chance he'll crack 200.

Howard also broke the record for strikeouts in 2 consecutive seasons. Bobby Bonds held the record with 376 in his first two full seasons(1969: 187, 1970: 189). Note: Bonds never again struck out more than 150 times in a season.
With 181 last year, Howard now has 378 strikeouts over the last 2 years.

Bobby Bonds held the single season record for 35 years with 189. That number has now been topped three times in the last four years.

Good article on the men who came close to this record, and those who chickened out.

Hard Luck Cain

2007-09-26T17:20:00.000-07:00

The best 7-16 pitcher in the game.
In his last four starts, Matt Cain has an ERA of 2.08 and a WHIP of 0.88
Sounds pretty good, until you see he's 0-2 in those starts.

In games where he's given up 2 or fewer runs, he is 5 - 7 with 6 no-decisions.
With a little run support, Cain could be 16 - 7 instead of 7 - 16.

Bummer in Baltimore

2007-09-13T11:57:00.000-07:00

When I first discovered baseball, the Orioles were the big threat of the American League. Frank Robinson, Boog Powell, Brooks Robinson, four 20-game winners in one season!

Now, they are a game away from the AL East cellar, a place almost exclusively reserved for the Devil Rays.

Since their embarrassing for the ages 30-3 loss on Aug. 22, the O birds have gone 3-18, and their bullpen has an ERA of 11.19. These are the guys you count on to shut things down giving up more than one run/inning. More of a concern is that the bullpen is averaging close to 7 walks/9 IP and 14 hits/9 IP in this time. Allowing over 20 baserunners per 9 innings is not a formula for success.

Like the Giants, a team with a beautiful ball park but nothing to show

Rick Wise - HOF trade bait

2007-08-28T15:24:00.000-07:00

36 years ago, Rick Wise, pitcher for the Phillies, hit two home runs to against the SF Giants. It was the 2nd time in that season of '71 that he hit two home runs in a game. The other time (Jun 23rd vs. Cin) he also pitched a no-hitter. Now that's a good day of baseball!

He finished the year with 6 home runs, 17 wins and a 2.88 ERA. And then he was traded to the Cardinals for Steve Carlton.

It wasn't the last time he was traded for a future Hall of Famer. In 1978 he was part of a trade from the Red Sox to the Indians for a Dennis Eckersley

Who has been traded for the most Hall of Famers in their career?

Cain is Able

2007-08-24T16:05:00.000-07:00

The Giants have had trouble scoring runs for their starters all season. Recognizing this, Matt Cain after dropping to 3-12, decided to take matters in his own hands.

In the month of August he leads the Giants in slugging percentage (.900) and the only players with more home runs are Bonds (6) and Molina (3)

Hopefully, his teammates will get inspired.

New K King in Town

2007-08-20T10:09:00.000-07:00

Earlier in this space, I predicted that Adam Dunn would break his won record of 195 strikeouts in a season, possibly even breaking 200.

Dunn has slowed down his strikeout pace. With 138 he's now on pace for 182.
Plus, it looks like he won't lead the league for a fourth straight year.
Ryan Howard has shot past him, sitting on 149 K's before reaching 100 Hits for the year. Howard is on pace for 196 strikeouts so he could take a run at Dunn's record.

The last player to lead the NL in K's for four straight years was Vince DiMaggio (1942-45). Mr. K himself, Reggie Jackson, led the AL in K's from (1968-71)

If Dunn should pass Howard, he would be the only one to lead the majors in 4 straight years.

Dunn has already passed Sosa for most strikeouts for a four year span (2004-2007). With 25 more K's this year (which he should have by early Sep), he'd average a whopping 180 strikeouts a year for 4 years! Hear footsteps, Reggie?

Maps

2007-08-12T06:25:00.000-07:00

Frandsen vs. Hennessey

2007-08-09T10:04:00.000-07:00

One of the young guys the Giants are counting on for their post-Bonds era is Kevin Frandsen. Maybe they should instead take Brad Hennessey out of the bullpen and give him a few more ABs.

Career stats:
Frandsen .219 Avg, .300 Slg
Hennessey .222 Avg, .325 Slg

Also, Hennessey homers an unimpressive once every 40 at bats. Unimpressive until you see that this is more than twice as often as Frandsen who homers once every 82 at bats

Omar Still Rolling

2007-08-03T14:50:00.001-07:00

Early this year, 40 year old Omar Vizquel was hitting in the low .220's and it looked like it may be the end of the road for the perennial Gold Glover. A true professional, he quietly built his average up to .257.

In the last two months, he's hit .292, the most of all Giants who've played in 20 or more games.

And he's still playing better shortstop than most players 15 years younger than him. Check out his recent play on the best plays of the year tapes.

With 2,564 career hits, he's solidifying his Hall of Fame credentials.

A-Rod and Barry: Men of the Month

2007-08-01T11:25:00.001-07:00

Get ready for a huge August from Alex Rodriguez and Barry Bonds. Based on there pattern this season, they will alternate between a great month and a sub-par month.
After a phenomenal April, A-Rod had a dismal May. June looked like he was back on track, yet July disappointed again (primarily since he finished the month going 0-15 while trying to get that 500th home run)

Barry Bonds:
Apr & Jun: .360
May & Jul: .190

Alex Rodriguez:
Apr & Jun: .379
May & Jul: .221

A-Rod Stats:
H HR TB AVG SLG
Apr 33 14 82 0.355 0.882
May 24 5 43 0.235 0.422
Jun 39 9 75 0.402 0.773
Jul 20 7 46 0.206 0.474

Look at the sub-totals for the hot months (Apr-Jun) and the cold (May-Jul)
He batted .379 in Apr / Jun but only .221 in May / Jul

	H	HR	TB	AVG	SLG
Apr / Jun	72	23	157	0.379	0.826
May / Jul	44	12	89	0.221	0.447

... so the pressure is on for a huge August (followed by a tepid September)

Adam Dunn - King of the K's

2007-07-24T17:14:00.001-07:00

Adam Dunn is on a pace to break his own record for most strikeouts in a single season, probably being the first in history to top 200 Ks

As of 7/24, Dunn has a nine game hitting streak going. During that streak, he has raised his batting average from .256 to .259. That's right, only 3 points. Usually during a hit streak, there are a few multiple hit games to bring your average up. Dunn has 10 hits in those 9 games. Ironically, he has 12 strikeouts during that same period.

Bonds - Aaron meter

2007-07-05T14:24:00.001-07:00

	751	752
Bonds	July 3, 2007 at Cin.	?
Aaron	June 19, 1976 at Oak	June 22, 1976 vs. Det

Most from last 10 years

2007-07-05T14:21:00.001-07:00

Who hit the most home runs in the last 10 years?

If you guessed Barry Bonds, try again. He's third with 397

#1: Alex Rodriguez - 439
#2: Sammy Sosa - 414

Most hits?
Derek Jeter - 1972

Most Wins?
Randy Johnson - 169

Hot and Cold

2007-07-05T14:08:00.000-07:00

After a torrid April, A-Rod went through a horrid May. It looked like all was right again in June, and now July is off to an even worse start.

In April and June, Alex Rodriguez hit .381 with an OPS of 1.291
In May and so far in July, he's hit .205 with an OPS of .698

The DL may be coming at just the right time, as he's now 0 for his last 19 at bats.

Also of not, in April and June he hit a home run every 8.2 at bats.
In May and July, he hit one every 23.4 at bats.

Why the slow down?

Barry on the Basepaths

2007-06-25T10:31:00.002-07:00

Maybe Barry Bonds has replaced his HGH supplements with another drug ... speed. Yesterday (6/24) he caught the Yankees by surprise by stealing a base and scoring on a short sacrifice fly.

In his last 39 games (since May 9th), he has as many stolen bases (4) as home runs

If he can only start bunting away from the shift, he'd be batting .400

Gold Gloves - ARod vs Jeter

2007-06-25T10:22:00.000-07:00

Last year, much was made of Alex Rodriguez problems with the glove at third base (E-Rod)
He finished the year with 24 errors, compared to 15 for the teammate on his left, Derek Jeter.
Since 2004 when Rodriguez joined the Yankees, he has 49 errors at third compared to only 43 for Jeter at short in the same period.

Yet, this year things are looking different. In addition to his success at the plate, A-Rod is much more comfortable at third while Jeter is having more trouble at short.
A-Rod has only 5 errors so far while Jeter has more than twice that (12) and is on pace for his worst defensive year of his career.

Bonds - Mr. 3000?

2007-06-19T16:55:00.000-07:00

Once Barry Bonds breaks the home run record, will he be able to hang up his elbow-pad while he is so close to another milestone: 3000 hits.

As of this writing, he has 2890 hits. With all the walks he receives, he doesn't get enough opportunities to rack up that number too quickly.

The great Frank Robinson retired with 2,943 hits. He had the dignity not to hang on for another season (or two) to limp across the 3,000 finish line.

My prediction:
He will finish the 2007 season with 2,960 hits
He will reach 3,000 hits on June 8, 2008

Will he come back next year as a DH? Who will have him?

Undeniable Class Act

2007-01-25T12:14:00.000-08:00

The Yankees have had there share of troubled souls who come to NY for a few years, make their contributions and move on. And they've had their legends ... the men who build their careers ... and their legends ... in pinstripes.

All time greats like Reggie Jackson and Roger Clemens pass through the Bronx putting up big numbers and winning championships, but their careers aren't all about being a Yankee. Randy Johnson and Gary Sheffield had great careers before coming to NY and may go on to have great seasons in their new homes but the fans didn't have as much trouble saying goodbye to them as they will with the aging, light hitting centerfielder, Bernie Williams.

He won't be a Hall of Famer and he won't be immortalized in Yankee stadium's Legends park.

But he will be remembered as a true class act. I still say my biggest failure as a father is that my son is a Yankee fan. But I'm proud that he's a Bernie Williams fan.

Bernie Williams Career Stats

G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG	OBP	SLG
2,076	7,869	1,366	2,336	287	1,257	0.297	0.381	0.477

Game 6 - Red Sox vs. Mets

2007-01-16T14:04:00.000-08:00

From NationalHighFiveDay.com

A great recreation of a World Series Classic

(This is a short version)

So I was wrong

2007-01-11T15:31:00.000-08:00

You can add my Zito prediction to the list of things I was wrong about

- The Borat skits are funny, but no one will pay to watch 2 hours of this
- Britney finally found her lifelong soulmate in K-Fed
- A Bush/Cheney presidency can't be as bad a people predict
- '24' is a great idea, but can't last more than 2 seasons
- Transfats are actually good for you
- A third Godfather movie could be better than the first two
- Jose Canseco is a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame

Zito Coming to Giants ... NOT

2006-12-22T08:20:00.000-08:00

As Giants fans sit by their KNBR waiting for that Christmas present of a durable, young left handed former Cy Young winner added to their rotation, they should look at what Barry Zito himself is saying. Through all the speculation about whether he could be attracted to the big lights of New York, the big money from Arlington, TX, or the comfort of staying close to his home of the last few years, San Francisco, no one seems to pick up on the clues Barry is throwing our way. He wants to win. He wants to be a champion. With the A's, he reached the post-season 5 times, only recently got to see what it was like to win a series, yet has not sniffed the grand stage of the World Series. This is not something the big money of the Rangers can deliver (ask Alex Rodriguez). After a 50+ year drought, the Giants are less poised for a title run than they've been for close to a decade with their aging re-treads.

Zito will be a Met.

Bagwell Retires

2006-12-15T20:56:00.000-08:00

Jeff Bagwell announced today that he will retire, ending his career as he started it: a Houston Astro. Bagwell is a member of a dieing breed in baseball: a star who plays his entire career with one team. Coincidentally, his teammate Craig Biggio is also a member of this club.

You'll hear much more about this phenomena at next years Hall of Fame induction. On the dais will be two of the biggest stars who wore only one name on their chests - Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn.

Bagwell is the active leader in career home runs for a player who's only played for one team (449). With news of his retirement, that distinction falls to Chipper Jones (357). Like Bagwell, Jones also has a star teammate who has only played for one team - Andruw Jones.

Big Mac to go?

2006-12-05T13:32:00.000-08:00

Maybe this is what Mark McGwire had in mind when he told the congressional hearing that he wanted to focus on the future. Is the Hall of Fame in Big Mac's future? His name now appears on the ballot along with other

When he retired, McGwire was considered a first-ballot shoo-in. 583 career home runs. The best at-bat/home run ratio in the history of the game (One home run every 10.6 at bats, compared to Babe Ruth's one every 11.8 at bats). Sixty home runs in a season had been a herculean milestone ever since 1927 when Ruth first reached that pinnacle. McGwire averaged over 61 home runs over a four year period (1996-1999). There was no denying his dominance in the power aspect of the game.

Yet his induction speech has been put on hold following the specualtion and allegation of steroid use. From 1993 - 1995, he was plagued by injuries that didn't seem to heal, managed to appear in only about one third of his teams games. He always had the home run swing, as demonstrated by setting a home run record for a rookie in 1987 with 49. But his durability was what kept him from matching that total for the next 8 years. Then, suddenly in 1996 he became an iron man.

What makes McGwire's case tougher this year is that he shares the ballot with legends Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn. Both these giants are examples of the greatness of the game. Both scandal free role models who played their entire careers with one team, demonstrating a hard working diligence and respect for the game. The thought of these ambassadors of baseball sharing the podium with the cloud-covered McGwire could be too much for the voters to take.
Don't detract from these great men's ultimate baseball day with volumes of stories and debate on how to handle the steroid users. Big Mac will have to sit out this year.

Borat or Bream?

2006-11-30T21:41:00.000-08:00

Who knew that Sid Bream, former first baseman for the Pirates and Braves, had Kazakhstani roots?

Bream was immortalized in baseball history for his laggard run from first base to score the winning run that put the Braves into the '92 World Series. More notable of this play was how it highlighted the weak arm of the young Pirate left fielder, Barry Bonds.

Bonds to the A's?

2006-11-17T15:40:00.000-08:00

Now that the A's lost their power hitting designated hitter, Frank Thomas, might they look across the bay for another slugging, high on-base percentage, slow as tar future hall of famer?

Compare the stats for the two big guys from 2006:

	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Bonds	0.270	0.444	0.545	0.989
Thomas	0.270	0.378	0.545	0.923

While they matched each other for batting average and slugging percentage, Bonds has the clear edge for on-base percentage. This is largely due to the early season wave of pitchers not challenging him.

Red Sox outbid Yankees?

2006-11-17T14:57:00.000-08:00

First the Democrats have a successful election, and now the Yankees are outbid for a star player? By the Red Sox? Have we gone through the looking glass? Next we'll be hearing how Twinkies are good for you and vegetables cause obesity.

The Bosox bid over $51 million for the right to negotiate with Daisuke Matsuzaka, a star pitcher from Japan who has never pitched in the major leagues. On top of that, they'll need to actually pay him a salary north of $12 million/year. This is a big event for several reasons.
- It keeps the Yankees from getting a star starting pitcher which they desperately need.
- It shows that the Red Sox are not content with one World Series title every eighty years or so
- Inflated salaries are back! Watch for other star players (or more importantly their agents) to smell blood in the water and punce on owner's wallets.

Are you listening Barry Zito?

Yankees Slide

2006-10-10T22:17:00.000-07:00

The Yankees recently won their 6th consecutive division title without winning the World Series. The only team with a longer streak are, of course, the Braves (10 years)
The Indians are the only other team with more than 3
Braves 1996 - 2005 10 yrs
Yankees 2001 - 2006 6 yrs
Indians 1995 - 1999 5 yrs

... and the streak continues

Yankees in 2006

2006-10-06T12:39:00.000-07:00

We've known it since they acquired Bobby Abreu. We've known it when they added Matsui and Sheffield to their already insanely deep lineup.
The Yankees are going to win the World Series in 2006.
They will march through the post season with little or no opposition.
They will embarrass all opponents.

Given their riches and talent, anything less will be looked at as a failure of a season.

Gidyup in that Fastball

2006-10-06T11:41:00.000-07:00

There's a lot being made about Detroit reliever Joel Zumaya's fastball, which is understandable after he uses it to blow away the Yankees on the national stage of post season play. It's said he hit 102 MPH on the radar gun, and that got me thinking: "How different does 102 mph look to a hitter than 100 mph?" Granted, there aren't that many guys throwing in 3 digits, but the big leaguers do get to see it and are expected to hit it.

A 100 mph fastball will reach the plate in 0.41 seconds. In that much time, a 102 mph pitch will travel 61.7 feet, ie. it will be just over one foot past the front of the plate. So as fast as a batter's reaction time needs to be to make solid contact with a 100 mph pitch, he'll still be way late on the 102 mph.

How about the difference between 95 mph and 102 mph?
If your swing is timed for the 95er, the 102er will be a good 4.4 feet past you by the time your bat crosses the plate.

Should Giants resign Bonds?

2006-10-05T15:38:00.000-07:00

Are you crazy? The only reason I hear why the San Francisco should resign Barry Bonds is so that he could break the ultimate home run record in a Giants uniform. Big deal! Don't sacrifice the whole season for this.
They will have a new manager and, hopefully, a set of new players to fill in for their departing free agents. Why subject them to the Bonds sideshow?
There are too many open questions

How many games can he play?
How many innings of each game will he be able to limp out to left field?
Will he be in jail?

Even if you can get him at an incentive-laden discount from this year (which he's already said would be unacceptable), you can't build a winner around a guy who will play less than 20 innings a week.

... and if he goes to an American League team and has a Frank Thomas kind of year, don't say it was a mistake to let him go. He can do so much more offensively as a DH when he can ice down his joints while his teammates play the field. Remember, if it weren't for the DH rule, Frank Thomas would have been out of baseball years ago.

Jeter vs. Rose

2005-03-22T17:18:00.000-08:00

2006 UPDATE
===========
Jeter had a great 2006 with 214 hits at the age of 32. When Rose was 32, he had an even better year, banging out 230 hits.

Career total for 32 year olds:
Jeter: 2,150
Rose: 2,152

2005
====
Derek Jeter is now 30 years old and has 1,734 hits
When Pete Rose was 30, he had 1,724 hits.

Now, Pete played another 15 years to amass his 4,256 hits, but if Jeter can stay healthy he should be putting #3000 on the shelf before hanging up his cleats.

Here are some other players with more than Jeter's 1734 hits at this age who did not reach 3,000 hits are:

Player	Hits at 30	Hits - Career
Rogers Hornsby	2,083	2,930
Mel Ott	2,061	2,876
Jimmie Foxx	2,049	2,646
Vada Pinson	2,007	2,757
Joe Medwick	2,004	2,471
Willie Keeler	1,955	2,932

More recently, we have to look at Roberto Alomar, once thought to be a lock for membership in the 3000 hit club
Roberto had 1,825 hits at age 30, but with his decline over the last few years, he's retiring with 2,724.

	H	HR	TB	AVG	SLG
Apr	33	14	82	0.355	0.882
May	24	5	43	0.235	0.422
Jun	39	9	75	0.402	0.773
Jul	20	7	46	0.206	0.474