Archive for the ‘baseball’ Category

That’s why they play em all

Posted: October 3, 2009 by datechguy in baseball
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You would think a 3 game lead with 4 to play would be a cakewalk, particularly with a manager like Jim Leyland.

You would think wrong.

The Tigers managed to blow a 3 game lead and the Twins managed to win despite facing the person who SHOULD win the AL Cy Young to make it come down to the final game of a 162 game season.

Details of the games at the ever popular Baseball Musings.

If Both teams win or both lose tomorrow a one game playoff takes place in Minnesota.

That’s what makes baseball great.

I must confess I have absolutely no idea how it is going to end but it’s very exciting.

Answer: All three of us think Zack Greinke should win the Cy Young in the AL if there is any justice in the Baseball world.

His ERA is 2.08 for a last place team. He has won 16 games for a team with 63 wins. That’s greater than 25% of the teams wins, or lets put it another way. His winning percentage is .652. He improves the winning percentage of his team by .235.

If that doesn’t remind you of Steve Carlton circa 1972. (27 wins for a team that won 59. ERA below 2). If this was an era of 4 man rotations he would have 7 more start and likely 20 wins.

The greatest stat?

Greinke has allowed just one earned run over his past 35 innings pitched (0.26 ERA), and he’s posted a 1.23 ERA in 13 starts against teams with winning records.

That has Cy Young all over it.

Carlton’s 72 season preceded the Phillies first resurgence, will that be the case for the Royals?

Talk about a pay cut

Posted: September 18, 2009 by datechguy in baseball
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I noticed in the paper today that Worcester’s Cam am entry lost game 3 of the Cam Am championship series:

The Capitales have won the last two games and lead the series, 2-1.

Worcester pitcher Zach Zuercher allowed 7 hits and 5 runs in 7 innings, while striking out 5.

The Capitales took a 2-0 lead in the second, on an RBI single and a Zuercher balk that scored Dany Scalabrini.

Worcester scored its only run in the fifth when Alex Peña led off with a double and took third on a wild pitch before Yohanny Valera (2 for 3) drove him in with a single, cutting the lead to 2-1.

If you don’t know the Canadian/American Association of professional Baseball. Worcester is less than 30 minutes away and they are playing for the Championship. Fun little league, ticket prices a person can afford, nice game. The league draws an average of between 1,100 and 3,500 people a game over 39 games. The real surprise of the day however was the first line of the story:

Worcester couldn’t solve Eric Gagné, as the former Cy Young Award winner threw a complete-game six-hitter while striking out eight to give Quebec a 5-1 win in Game 3 of the Can-Am League championship series last night at Stade de Quebec.

Eric Gagne? I know Quebec is his home town but he can’t be making more than 20-25k pitching for them.

To get some perspective

Eric Gagne 2003

Eric Gagne of the Los Angeles Dodgers became the first relief pitcher in 11 years to win a Cy Young Award, easily beating San Francisco’s Jason Schmidt for the National League honor.

Gagne, who converted all 55 of his save opportunities, received 28 of 32 first-place votes and 146 points in balloting released Thursday by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

Salary $550,000

Eric Gagne 2008

The Brewers have signed Eric Gagne to a 1-year, $10 million dollar contract to serve as their closer

How the mighty have fallen.

Considering the nature of the McCain/Johnson fight I can’t get this clip from the movie One Two Three out of my head. Key moment comes at :45

Although he denies hatred of Yankees citing his wife, when people as universally respected * as James Edwards, Charles Johnson and Michelangelo Signorile talk attention must be paid.

So I have a blockbusting confession to make. Here in Massachusetts the bluest of blue states Yankee hatred is so prevalent that at the Butcher shop there is a photo that says:

Red Sox fan’s 10% off, Yankeee Fans F— Off

With the exception of Berra and Jeter I must confess that I share that unyeilding Yankee hatred.

Oh and I strongly advise not watching the Movie it has horrible scenes of torture.

Where is Human Rights Watch when you need them, drop the Nazi medals and get on the case!

* Full Disclosure I didn’t specify which universe