http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080711/SPORTS0101/807110339/1011#pluckcomments
^ read before reading......
SO...yesterday I sit down in the break room eating a delicious iced ginger cookie with some intense chocolate milk and start to take a peek that the local newspaper. Page 2a, as always, is well-known Rochester columnist Bob Matthews' article. Matthews is one of those good-ole boys, a big fish in a little pond, (insert other cliche's). He's known in Rochester, but no where else and for good reason.
First of all, the headline read, "All-Star Game a Joke Minus Howard." Obviously, editing is a lost art.
But moving on, Matthews went on to describe why Ryan Howard should be an all-star. Simply, because he hits a lot of dingers. Thats it. Matthews mentioned the knocks on Howard like they didn't really matter. No BOB 125 K's at the all-star break, 10 fielding errors (both lead the league) and an awful .241 batting avg...they just dont matter.
Matthews also went on to say that Jose Guillen was a top 10 candidate for AL MVP. This put me over the edge, I signed up for an account on the D&C website and wrote Matthews a little comment.
Here is an excerp:
"I'd suggest not putting Jose Guillen in the top 10 for MVP. His .298 OBP is not only embarassing, but its the lowest on the Royals, who are awful. The lowest OBP by an MVP ever was Zoilo Versalles in 1965 at .319. In that same 65 season, the league only averaged a .311 OBP as opposed to .332 here in 08."
Come on, how can he, as a professional sports writer, sit in such a drunken stuper to think that Jose Guillen, hitting .274 with 13 hr and 65 RBI and only 10 walks could possibly be in the MVP race?
As I was running out of room on my comment box, I at least was able to fit in the much more obvious candidate for MVP Joe Mauer. His .328 avg, .420 obp both lead the league among catchers, He's thrown out 17 runners (6th best in MLB) and allowed just one passed ball. More importantly he's the leader of that young Twins squad that is far overachieving. But....he doesnt hit home runs.....ooooohhhhhh nooooooo. There are more important things in baseball than home runs, ask the 95 Seattle Mariners or Cecil Fielder...both hit alot of bomb shots, none was ever all that successful.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
SAL IS BACK!!!!
Sporting a Cleveland Indians jersey, career backup catcher Sal Fasano is back in the major leagues.
In his third game as an Indian, Sal went 3 for 4 with double and a run scored. He also added a fielding error, but despite that it was a triumph.
Cleveland is Fasano's 9th major league team in 12 years of service. He spent some time earlier this season with the AAA Richmond Braves, Atlanta's farm system.
Fasano is a career .220 hitter with 47 home runs in 414 games.
So why do we love Mr. Fasano so much?
Sal represents a group of players that make baseball special. These are backup catchers. They bounce from team to team, move up and down from the minors to the show and no one notices them. Until Victor Martinez gets hurt.
Most healthy starting catchers only play around 120 games per year due to the punishment handed out by the position, so who plays the other 42?
The unnoticed, unappreciated Sal Fasano's of the world. These backup catchers often look like they should be working night stock at the local grocery store chain or fixing the breaks on your SUV.
Similar to Fasano, Catchers like Jason LaRue, Toby Hall and Henry Blanco are all reserve players who play a significant role. They give a manager confidance that he can give his #1 guy a night off, they are intellegent and defensive minded and most of all, they so often act as mentors to other young players.
Most of the time, fans can't name the backup catcher for their favorite team, but a true baseball guru knows that in the dog days of summer, giving Yadier Molina or Jason Veritek a day off can be important to their health come October.
So we solute you Sal Fasano, congratulations on getting back to the bigs and good luck!
In his third game as an Indian, Sal went 3 for 4 with double and a run scored. He also added a fielding error, but despite that it was a triumph.
Cleveland is Fasano's 9th major league team in 12 years of service. He spent some time earlier this season with the AAA Richmond Braves, Atlanta's farm system.
Fasano is a career .220 hitter with 47 home runs in 414 games.
So why do we love Mr. Fasano so much?
Sal represents a group of players that make baseball special. These are backup catchers. They bounce from team to team, move up and down from the minors to the show and no one notices them. Until Victor Martinez gets hurt.
Most healthy starting catchers only play around 120 games per year due to the punishment handed out by the position, so who plays the other 42?
The unnoticed, unappreciated Sal Fasano's of the world. These backup catchers often look like they should be working night stock at the local grocery store chain or fixing the breaks on your SUV.
Similar to Fasano, Catchers like Jason LaRue, Toby Hall and Henry Blanco are all reserve players who play a significant role. They give a manager confidance that he can give his #1 guy a night off, they are intellegent and defensive minded and most of all, they so often act as mentors to other young players.
Most of the time, fans can't name the backup catcher for their favorite team, but a true baseball guru knows that in the dog days of summer, giving Yadier Molina or Jason Veritek a day off can be important to their health come October.
So we solute you Sal Fasano, congratulations on getting back to the bigs and good luck!
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Proud to be an American
Happy Fourth of July Weekend!
Grab some beer, unplug the phone (does anyone do that anymore?) and watch baseball.
Last night every team had some sort of American and pro-American feel to their uni's. As Flash Gordon shows, he's wild about his navy blue Phillies hat.
So when will it end? All these "special" uniform pieces? Cincy was sporting camo jerseys, something usually done by the Padres. Hats off to Milwaukee and Pittsburgh for wearing the throwbacks... because I truly love throwbacks. Though they should make them flannel, for ol' time sake.
Might I digress, these uni's are getting crazy. It's one thing to have white players wear Jackie Robinson's number and another to have special hats for spring training and batting practice but why oh why do we need these special hats. What happened to sewing an American Flag on the sleeve or having veterans get reduced admission. Those guys did something, even though they may not be Thomas Jefferson or John Quincy Adams, they helped make sure the Fourth exists.
What's next, is the NFL going to put "C's" on the jerseys for team captains... oh wait they did.
Sal Says: The NFL ripped off the idea from the NHL, a real sport.
Goodbye Seattle SuperSonics... we hardly knew ye!
So it is official. The Seattle SuperSonics are no more. Someday I'll show my kids episodes of Frasier and they will ask me, "Who were the Seattle SuperSonics." From that moment, I'll get a little tear in my eye and say, "The best damn team.... ever!"
Okay, that's a little overboard. First and foremost, the Cavs are my team and I would probably say the Boston Celtics are the best team ever. Though it's hard to imagine twelve years ago, this team was vying for the championship. Despite the efforts of Kemp, Payton, Detlef and crew, there was no way a rejuvinated Michael Jordan was going to lose the Finals. But the seats were sold, everyone loved Kemp's highlight dunks (before he went to Cleveland and gained thirty pounds during the labor strife) and Sonics apparel was hot, even for Western New York.
I will hate to see the "team" since Seattle owns the likeness and name Sonics, when they move to Oklahoma City. In the long run, I don't know how long this love for OKC will last. Not as long as the Cleveland Barons.
Okay, that's a little overboard. First and foremost, the Cavs are my team and I would probably say the Boston Celtics are the best team ever. Though it's hard to imagine twelve years ago, this team was vying for the championship. Despite the efforts of Kemp, Payton, Detlef and crew, there was no way a rejuvinated Michael Jordan was going to lose the Finals. But the seats were sold, everyone loved Kemp's highlight dunks (before he went to Cleveland and gained thirty pounds during the labor strife) and Sonics apparel was hot, even for Western New York.
I will hate to see the "team" since Seattle owns the likeness and name Sonics, when they move to Oklahoma City. In the long run, I don't know how long this love for OKC will last. Not as long as the Cleveland Barons.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Over-Under...and Robbie
Over and under rated.... two words that are pitched back n' forth through the air waves like shuttle cocks at a country club.
But when anaylists let these terms drip from their lips, its hard to tell if they've really ever taken into account what these words mean. (Since we find these terms used most often in baseball due to the over emphasis on power numbers, we'll explore)
let us define:
Overrated - The idea that a person or organization has been given undue credit for what they have accomplished
Underrated - When a person or organization has been overlooked in some way and deserves more credit for his / her accomplisments
Now class, since we now know the definitions, lets check out some examples. we'll start with an obvious one.
Overrated - Alex Rodriguez. Dubbed the best player in baseball and predicted to go down as a top 5 all time player. While he is on pace to hit around 800 home runs, A-Rod has some overlooked downsides. His strike out ratio. 1 per every 4.8 ABs. Albert Pujols' ratio is closer to 1 k out of every 10.
One must also consider the era of baseball. Yes, Alex is over 500 HRs already. But so are Jim Thome, Frank Thomas and Manny Ramirez. We've seen Griffey and Sosa go over 600.
In 2001, Alex knocked 52 home runs, the American League alone hit over 2500.
Hank Aaron's career high home runs was 47. In that season, the NL only hit 1379. By the way, Hammerin Hank only struck out 58 times that season. Alex went down swinging 131 times in 01.
Alex's HR Comparision Ratio was about .02 (meaning he accounted for only 2 % of the leagues home runs)
Hank's was .034 (3.4% of the leagues bombs)
Ok so thats obvious enough. Lets try underrated...
Omar Vizquel. A classic shortstop who was constantly passed over by All-Star voters for superstars like Garciaparra and Jeter, but overall, was more solid.
Vizquel as 11 gold gloves (2nd all time). In 2000, he made just 3 errors in 156 games, a feat unheard of at short. His .984 career fielding % is higher than Ozzie Smith's (and anyone elses for that matter)
But his ability with the bat is what is so overlooked. OK he didnt hit 50 or drive in 120, but that isnt what a 2 place hitter is supposed to do. Vizquel has 236 career sacrifice bunts, which leads all active players. He has 382 career stolen bases (4th active). His strike out ratio is just 1 k per 9.94 ABs.
So maybe the dim-witted casual fan, the yankee-rooting, Jeter-loving, Joba jersey wearing imbisole wont care enough about the sport to take a peek into what the statistics reveal. If they'd rather wear their 26 world championship shirts in a mind-numbed bliss....i suppose thats fine.
On a semi-related note, I'd like to take a peek into a comment made Chris Russo aka Mad Dog of the Mike and the Mad Dog show.
Russo commented that Roberto Clemente was overrated because he only hit 240 home runs and only drove in over 100 runs twice.
First, statisitcally speaking, we're talking about a player who hit .317 for a career, had 3000 hits and was known for stretching a double to a triple far more than its done today. Also, 240 home runs is a ton for someone who played in the greatest era of pitching in baseball history (see the already mentioned 1971). And of course, Clemente had the undisputed greatest arm of any Rightfielder to ever play the game.
but statistics are just numbers. Clemente was one of the greatest men to ever play professional sports. He was a man who endured the same racial prejudice as Jackie Robinson, but will never get credit for ignoring it. He dedicated his life to making the lives of his people better and eventually lost it in doing so. Few players today would even be allowed to stand near his shadow.
But i guess he just didnt hit enough home runs.....right chris?
But when anaylists let these terms drip from their lips, its hard to tell if they've really ever taken into account what these words mean. (Since we find these terms used most often in baseball due to the over emphasis on power numbers, we'll explore)
let us define:
Overrated - The idea that a person or organization has been given undue credit for what they have accomplished
Underrated - When a person or organization has been overlooked in some way and deserves more credit for his / her accomplisments
Now class, since we now know the definitions, lets check out some examples. we'll start with an obvious one.
Overrated - Alex Rodriguez. Dubbed the best player in baseball and predicted to go down as a top 5 all time player. While he is on pace to hit around 800 home runs, A-Rod has some overlooked downsides. His strike out ratio. 1 per every 4.8 ABs. Albert Pujols' ratio is closer to 1 k out of every 10.
One must also consider the era of baseball. Yes, Alex is over 500 HRs already. But so are Jim Thome, Frank Thomas and Manny Ramirez. We've seen Griffey and Sosa go over 600.
In 2001, Alex knocked 52 home runs, the American League alone hit over 2500.
Hank Aaron's career high home runs was 47. In that season, the NL only hit 1379. By the way, Hammerin Hank only struck out 58 times that season. Alex went down swinging 131 times in 01.
Alex's HR Comparision Ratio was about .02 (meaning he accounted for only 2 % of the leagues home runs)
Hank's was .034 (3.4% of the leagues bombs)
Ok so thats obvious enough. Lets try underrated...
Omar Vizquel. A classic shortstop who was constantly passed over by All-Star voters for superstars like Garciaparra and Jeter, but overall, was more solid.
Vizquel as 11 gold gloves (2nd all time). In 2000, he made just 3 errors in 156 games, a feat unheard of at short. His .984 career fielding % is higher than Ozzie Smith's (and anyone elses for that matter)
But his ability with the bat is what is so overlooked. OK he didnt hit 50 or drive in 120, but that isnt what a 2 place hitter is supposed to do. Vizquel has 236 career sacrifice bunts, which leads all active players. He has 382 career stolen bases (4th active). His strike out ratio is just 1 k per 9.94 ABs.
So maybe the dim-witted casual fan, the yankee-rooting, Jeter-loving, Joba jersey wearing imbisole wont care enough about the sport to take a peek into what the statistics reveal. If they'd rather wear their 26 world championship shirts in a mind-numbed bliss....i suppose thats fine.
On a semi-related note, I'd like to take a peek into a comment made Chris Russo aka Mad Dog of the Mike and the Mad Dog show.
Russo commented that Roberto Clemente was overrated because he only hit 240 home runs and only drove in over 100 runs twice.
First, statisitcally speaking, we're talking about a player who hit .317 for a career, had 3000 hits and was known for stretching a double to a triple far more than its done today. Also, 240 home runs is a ton for someone who played in the greatest era of pitching in baseball history (see the already mentioned 1971). And of course, Clemente had the undisputed greatest arm of any Rightfielder to ever play the game.
but statistics are just numbers. Clemente was one of the greatest men to ever play professional sports. He was a man who endured the same racial prejudice as Jackie Robinson, but will never get credit for ignoring it. He dedicated his life to making the lives of his people better and eventually lost it in doing so. Few players today would even be allowed to stand near his shadow.
But i guess he just didnt hit enough home runs.....right chris?
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Please! Someone Stop Michelle Tafoya
The Boston Celtics won their first NBA Championship since 1986 tuesday night. The moment was biggest for Foward Kevin Garnett, a player who has been long time mocked by puny anaylists in cheap suits for not winning the big one.
As the former MVP was achieving his dream, basketball fans everywhere were wearing an indeering smile. Former teammates were applauding. Former coaches and family members were wiping off tears. As we all were watching this future hall of famer celebrate with raw emotion, Michelle Tafoya enters the picture.
"Kevin, Kevin, Kevin, you just won the NBA Championship, how do you feel?"
I wonder if it took her all four quarters to come up with that question.
Is there any class left in journalism? When Micheal Jordan won the championship after his father was killed and was kissing the trophey, no one stuffed a microphone in his face to ask him how it felt, because we knew how he felt and we felt it along with him.
Why is it that we feel the need to send these women out to run up to athletes in their most euphoric or tragic moments to ask them how they feel? If they ask me how I felt, I'd say, "I feel bad for you because ESPN is making you think that somehow you're a journalist."
There are second graders who's interviewing skills trump that of Tafoya. I'm sure they could come up with more interesting questions. If she asked what Kevin Garnett's favorite crayon is, at least viewers would be hearing something new.
One has to wonder if interview legends like Bob Costas die a little inside everytime Michelle turns on a mic.
As the former MVP was achieving his dream, basketball fans everywhere were wearing an indeering smile. Former teammates were applauding. Former coaches and family members were wiping off tears. As we all were watching this future hall of famer celebrate with raw emotion, Michelle Tafoya enters the picture.
"Kevin, Kevin, Kevin, you just won the NBA Championship, how do you feel?"
I wonder if it took her all four quarters to come up with that question.
Is there any class left in journalism? When Micheal Jordan won the championship after his father was killed and was kissing the trophey, no one stuffed a microphone in his face to ask him how it felt, because we knew how he felt and we felt it along with him.
Why is it that we feel the need to send these women out to run up to athletes in their most euphoric or tragic moments to ask them how they feel? If they ask me how I felt, I'd say, "I feel bad for you because ESPN is making you think that somehow you're a journalist."
There are second graders who's interviewing skills trump that of Tafoya. I'm sure they could come up with more interesting questions. If she asked what Kevin Garnett's favorite crayon is, at least viewers would be hearing something new.
One has to wonder if interview legends like Bob Costas die a little inside everytime Michelle turns on a mic.
One more for the Road
NBA PLAYOFFS
Okay, so maybe some might not get the Celtic Pride reference. But the fact remains the Boston Celtics are NBA Champions. Cars are being turned over, bars are filled with drunk Irish men and maybe some 20 year old female Sox fan might be killed.
Boston played for keeps in the playoffs and they deserved the win. Kobe maybe the best player in the league but Boston is the best team in the league.
I know some of you will be angry, yet another Boston championship and all that smugness from the New England area will rise, but how about that. A region that was held to no championships since the 1980's and that even included some failures from some Bruins teams and all four Boston teams made the playoffs this year and three of which appeared and almost all three won a crown (sorry Pats). Paul Pierce went from relatively known in the NBA to being well known as he was one of the few original Celtics on the roster this season. Rajon Rondo is getting stroked by Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy and Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett can get that dreaded "never won the big one" title off their heads.
The NBA really wanted this series from day one of the playoffs, hoping to increase the fortunes of the revived league. They really didn't want another Spurs Finals. No one wants another Spurs Finals, well except for Brent Barry and maybe Tim "call that a foul, because I fell over" Duncan. This was being promoted as the Magic/Bird Finals, even though these two teams are filled with players who were barely alive when those games happened. Rondo was born months before the 1986 Finals, so those connections are merely mute and blurry. Though it did allow for another poorly executed split screen commercial with the pensive or thoughtful music.
Sal Fasano Says: I remember when John Havilcek was in college, I was playing catcher for the St. Louis Browns farm club. Or was it the Kansas City A's farm team?
Okay, so maybe some might not get the Celtic Pride reference. But the fact remains the Boston Celtics are NBA Champions. Cars are being turned over, bars are filled with drunk Irish men and maybe some 20 year old female Sox fan might be killed.
Boston played for keeps in the playoffs and they deserved the win. Kobe maybe the best player in the league but Boston is the best team in the league.
I know some of you will be angry, yet another Boston championship and all that smugness from the New England area will rise, but how about that. A region that was held to no championships since the 1980's and that even included some failures from some Bruins teams and all four Boston teams made the playoffs this year and three of which appeared and almost all three won a crown (sorry Pats). Paul Pierce went from relatively known in the NBA to being well known as he was one of the few original Celtics on the roster this season. Rajon Rondo is getting stroked by Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy and Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett can get that dreaded "never won the big one" title off their heads.
The NBA really wanted this series from day one of the playoffs, hoping to increase the fortunes of the revived league. They really didn't want another Spurs Finals. No one wants another Spurs Finals, well except for Brent Barry and maybe Tim "call that a foul, because I fell over" Duncan. This was being promoted as the Magic/Bird Finals, even though these two teams are filled with players who were barely alive when those games happened. Rondo was born months before the 1986 Finals, so those connections are merely mute and blurry. Though it did allow for another poorly executed split screen commercial with the pensive or thoughtful music.
Sal Fasano Says: I remember when John Havilcek was in college, I was playing catcher for the St. Louis Browns farm club. Or was it the Kansas City A's farm team?
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