Baseball Toaster was unplugged on February 4, 2009.
I can never remember a time in my childhood when my family didn't get the New York Times on Sunday morning. One time, when I was about nine and my dad was still living with us he sent me on my bike to get the paper. I had a heavy-framed, second-hand dirt bike that Kevin O'Conner was kind enough to dump on me for $25. I peddled over a mile to the local grocery store and then struggled to balance the bulky paper on the handle bars of the bike as I wobbled back home. I was so pleased with myself when I made it back that I brought the paper straight into my parents' bedroom. My father was sleeping on his back. I carefully placed the paper on his swollen belly like Indiana Jones replacing a gold headstone in Raiders of the Lost Ark. I thought it would be the best way he could ever get the paper--just wake up and have it there waiting for him. He jolted up and yelled at me to get the damn paper off of him.
I always had to wait until dad was finished with a section--the sports section, in most cases--before I had a chance to read it. Or if I read a section before him, I had to make sure that I returned it to the state it was in when I found it. During those final years when my father lived with us not only did I read the stat leaders on Sunday (the one that was available just once a week) but I cut out the full-page movie ads in the Arts and Leisure section. I still remember the print ads for Altered States, The Competition, Fame, The Shinning, Times Square, Popeye, All Night Long, So Fine. I learned how to become sharp at finding the "Nina's" in Hirsfield's masterful drawings.
The oldest name I know in print is Murray Chass. The Yankees, Times and Chass. I never knew exactly how to pronounce his name but I always remember seeing it. My dad pronounced it CHHHUH'ass, with a thick Semetic, CHHUH. I always said Chase in my head even though I knew it was wrong.
I have a great deal of admiration for all that Chass has accomplished during the course of his career. He's one of the outstanding newspapermen of the free agency era, specializing in covering the business side of the sport. I haven't enjoyed his column for several years now but I still have a certain amount of affection for him because he's the baseball writer I associate with the Times of my childhood. Hey, Ray Negron told me that Chass was the best ball playing sportswriter of his day. Said that Chass really ripped it up in the annual sportswriter's game back in the seventies. I know that Chass has become a favorite whipping boy on-line these days, and why not? he's an easy target who is forever adding fuel to the fire. But I sometimes cringe when I see the abuse he takes. It's his own fault but it doesn't mean it's fun to watch.
Chass doesn't like blogs, though he doesn't seem to know much about them. He has simply dismissed the genre outright. That's fine, but I think he sounds foolish. Jon Weisman wrote a terrific post about Chass, the mainstream press and the blogosphere this past week:
My roots are in sports journalism. I had my first story published in the Los Angeles Times in 1986, covered my first major league baseball game in 1987 and was full-time in the profession by the end of 1989, nearly 13 years before I began blogging. I value how hard it is to be a sportswriter, and I emphasized to Steiner today how that many bloggers rely upon the work of mainstream sportswriters to launch their posts. For that matter, I understand job insecurity. I was the hot new prodigy on staff in '89 - by '92, there was a hotter, newer prodigy, and I was on my way to being marginalized at the ripe old age of 24.But I expect reciprocity. If I've done a good job as an outsider looking in, I expect respect, not dismissal. First, some of the analysis done by bloggers is flat-out better than anything you'll see from a major paper - and it's done without the support system of a major paper, often without any renumeration whatsoever. In some ways, it's harder work.
Second, while there's value in interacting with the players and management of a baseball team, I can testify that there's often value in not interacting with them. It can give you a level of objectivity that is often missing from mainstream reporting. And at a minimum, many kinds of analysis don't require a locker-room presence, yet can be of tremendous value when done right.
...If there's one thing I could live without ever hearing again, it's that stereotype of bloggers working in their underwear from their parents' basements. I mean, I've had it. I'm not going to sit here and let mainstream baseball writers, who spend, God love 'em, 2,000 hours a year inside a ballpark, tell me that I or my blogger colleagues need to get a life. We have lives, thank you very much. Many of us have day jobs - many of us need day jobs - and many of us spend our weekends with our families and friends rather than with A-Rod and Jeter, and we see a world beyond the baseball field. Not saying that the mainstreamers don't - just that we do. Our passion for baseball drives us to write about the game, but hardly monopolizes our existence. If anything, we might have the perspective that insiders lack.
But don't let me dictate to you who's good and who isn't. Judge for yourself. Just judge after you've read an individual's work, not before.
It is overcast and flat-out cold today in New York. What to cook? A stew, a soup, shepherd's pie, a lasagna, a risotto? Mmmm. While I ponder what to make, let me repeat that I think the Yankees will score a bunch of runs this afternoon. Chien-Ming Wang, the Yankees' stopper, is on the hill.
Let's Go Yan-Kees.
That'll feed the troops until mid-week, when we pour it over pasta.
I love chili week!
Be nice to see the bats bust out today. The Yanks offense is like an aircraft carrier. Takes a few minutes to get up to speed, but when she hits full throttle in open water, watch the eff out.
It's just like anything else, there needs to be a balance. If I want to see analysis of a player's performance, I never go to ESPN or really any mainstream media- I go to blogs. This is also true if I want a fan's perspective on the game, put together by folks like Alex in a much more eloquent way than I could ever effort. But the beat writer still does have his place, because only a limited number of people should have access to the locker room, and it's their job to understand whether the dip in performance noted by the bloggers' analysis is because the player tweaked his hammy or has soreness in his forearm. Balance.
As for what to cook: beef stroganoff.
http://tinyurl.com/43om29
mmmmm.
I hope when I'm at his stage of my career, I'm still trying to stay fresh, sharp, and open to different perspectives.
He comes across as stale, and bitter these days: not at all an appealing combination. I don't dismiss old timer's like him easily, but I decided sometime last year that I don't have time for him, or Lupica anymore. Too many more interesting writers to read these days.
Gray and damp here in DC as well. I put a bling new fork on my bike yesterday and am looking for a weather window to take it out for a spin.
Dinner here is gonna be slow cooked short ribs, and potatoes roasted w/ duck fat. Can't wait.
P.S. I'm going to the Sox home opener on Tuesday, w/seats behind (I think) if any of you catch the game or the evening news, I'll be "Yankee Fan Badly Beaten."
I was thinking of a celery risotto when I remembered that I defrosted a package of pizza dough yesterday. I've got a pizza stone, so I'll make a sauce, and then throw together a couple of pies later on.
Spent 13 years on Marlborough st between Mass Ave and Hereford. Everything I needed was literally within 1/2 a block -
Corner bar - check - Last Drop
convenience store - check - Marlb. Mkt
Subs - check - Despinas
Laundry - check etc etc
Even though I'm happily married, 2 kids, and in the suburbs north of Boston - man, I miss those days.....
That was the about the only thing on our bridal registry that I really wanted. Almost 12 years later I still don't understand why we never got one.
Homemade pizza's the best, and we love when our friends, and my brother-in-law treat us to it.
Enjoy!
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/KCA/KCA200709180.shtml)
And a laugher of a 'Stros/Cards game:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN200709200.shtml)
This year? I leave Kansas City Tuesday morning, and the Yanks help the Royals with their home opener that afternoon. So close.
But as for today I'll have a leisurely late lunch at Arthur Bryant's feasting on pit smoked BBQ pork near the old KC Athletics Field after checking out the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum/HoF.
Did you get the chance to check the Negro Leagues museum?
and of course, it's got buck martinez announcing, which isn't quite as bad as joe morgan, but it's close ... yeesh
meanwhile, 3ips 4ks for Nolan Wang
Maybe he has a weakness against young CF's?
http://tinyurl.com/4utfjv
He is better then Melky is every aspect of the game EXCEPT power at the plate and arm strength. He will be fun for Sox fans to watch.
Uh-oh, why is Monahan at the mound? He was there for like three seconds. Wang looks like he planted wrong on the first pitch to Upton, he then shook his leg out like there was a small cramp.
Let's hope Wang keeps it up. It'd be nice to see a run come home here.
martinez spent the whole time during wells' first at-bat blathering on about how the jays couldn't try and wait for homeruns against beckett, how they had to scratch for runs ... like beckett's never had gopher-itis before
meanwhile .... GOJIRAAAAAAA!!!!!!
Oh, def. not a catch!
Changing Me Win
Impressive. A few more runs scored by the Yanks would make it more satisfying though.
Wait a minute - Wang throws a splitter!? I wonder how that thing characterizes pitches . . .
But yeah, that pitch was most assuredly a changeup, but it does have some movement down and to the right.
The Texas leaguer got it's name from my Great Grandfather, Ollie Pickering, who hit seven bloop hits in a row in his baseball debut in the Texas League.
The above is certainly one of the theories on the origin of the term 'Texas Leaguer'. Another is that three players had been traded up to the majors from the Texas League and beat a team with bloop singles in their first game. The synopsis of the game reported the hits as 'dinky Texas Leaguers'. Another theory is attributed to New York Giants second baseman Larry Doyle, who played in the majors between 1907-1920. He said he noticed the Gulf stream breezes had a major effect on fly balls in the Texas League cities. Balls that were seemingly hit hard enough to make it to an outfielder would be knocked down by the strong winds and fall between an infielder and outfielder.
If he can start picking up 6 or so Ks a game in addition to inducing worm-burners, he's going to be a nightmare to face.
It was the fastball, however, that completely fooled Matsui there with the bases loaded...
The Yankees winnings: $103.44
The Sox losing, the Yanks winning, and Beckett with the loss and 5 ERs in 5 innings....
PRICELESS!
I think all the PitchFX stuff is really neat, but I wonder how much reliance we should place on analysis of its data. It seems to have a ways to go before its 'deadly' accurate.
Me, I'd go Joba for two, but that's because I want him stretched out a bit. But Wang for one more seems in order...
Game is going well, I see (Wanger!), but two runs isn't too many.
And it's unacceptable for Robby to be stranded at second after a leadoff double.
Unacceptable.
Oh well.
Joba for two, then?
Has he shown any signs of tiring?
But 94 pitches for a second start seems a bit much. I bet he goes until who's warming up now is ready.
Why let him allow two linedrives in a row?
Thank you, Chien.
Joba??
Please?
This is what "firemen" are supposed to do, so let's see him strike out the side.
welcome joba!
Bodes well...
There's one.
Made him look silly.
That's what I'm talking about!
High heat, just smoked by him.
All right, Joba, here we go, lay in that breaking pitch!
Robby Cano.
(Btw, Joba, I said breaking pitch!)
But it all worked out.
Pfew.
Hard hit liner: Yikes!
Caught by Cano: Yes!
Wheels and fires to first: YES!
Ok, insurance runs would be nice...
ah, the sweet power of muting
Anything to write home about?
And yes, he and I are one and the same. :)
Nice job.
(Fucking locusts.)
Or was the excellent K of Aybar enough work on them for today? =)
"See, 1,2,3 innings are not an impossibility."
"While I ponder what to make, let me repeat that I think the Yankees will score a bunch of runs this afternoon."
Care to revise you remarks, Alex?
But no one listens to me. :(
It should never happen again.
I can't think of a more appropriate time for the low slider.
173 Since Alex can't share whatever he's cooked today (darn; with the 2 little ones, my wife never has enough time to cook the really good stuff) - I'll take a nice, quick, painless 9th from Mo, please.
Sigh.
Some pitching.
SPD BRK PFX PITCH
93 5" 6" Fastball
92 4" 7" Fastball
92 5" 6" Cutter
92 5" 5" Cutter
91 3" 10" Fastball
It's that subtle difference of 1 MPH that makes a cutter not a fastball, I guess...
I'd like to have seen that.
Next time...
1. Not bunting Melky.
2. Bringing in Joba in the 7th immediately. No dicking around because he's the "8th inning guy."
3. Leaving Joba out for the 8th.
There is no way that Joe Torre would have made those moves. Right now, we'd be complaining that we lost this game because Kyle Farnsworth had pitched at some point.
The offense will come around. They can't be that bad with the bases loaded all year. A few more hits in the right places and we'd have had 6 or 7 runs today.
No. No. No. No.
This Pierre situation will be the team's undoing. Seriously, does he have compromising pictures of Torre? This is unbelievable.
....
Ah, they've already discovered the blackmail pictures joke. Those Dodger fans are quick learners ;)
(hey... the thread's over)
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=12224
Hat tip to FJM.
Oh, God, good luck, Joe!
Don't forget to write!
Ron Kaplan
rkasbaseballbookshelf.wordpress.com
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