Baseball Toaster was unplugged on February 4, 2009.
I haven't mentioned it yet, but I can't let the seventh anniversary of Jay Jaffe's seminal baseball blog Futility Infielder pass without comment. Jay was the first person connected with the blog world that I ever met in person. It was right around this time, the spring of 2003. We had lunch at Christine's, a polish diner on Second avenue just south of 14th street that I frequented often as teenager with my friend Mary Lou, who lived right around the block.
Jay and I have remained friends ever since. We generally go to a couple of games at the Stadium every year, and we watch a handful more together at our respective cribs (Brooklyn, Bronx). Jay is one of the all-time baseball conversationalists. I always come away from our conversations knowing more, curiosities satisfied, others stimulated. And we never fail to have laughs. A spontaneous schtick that we did watching Paul LoDuca late last season has forever altered my ability to take LoDuca seriously ever again. I can't not laugh at Paulie when I see him, read about him or hear his name.
And more than just that, respect due, cause Jay is strictly OB: Original Blogga. He's one of a small group of guys, which include Geoff Young, whose Ducksnorts started in 1997, that is still around. And even if he doesn't blog as frequently as he has in the past, Jay's writing--particularly the work he does at Baseball Prospectus--is better and more prolific than ever. He's polished when talking in front of audiences at bookstores, he knows his s*** when talking on the radio. He's a pro.
Anyhow, I'm happy to call him a pal, and I'm really impressed with how he's developed and honed his work over the years. And I wanted to say as much.
Now, come on you guys, let's git 'em!
If the rotation lines up they way I think it lines up, Hughes is pitching! I'm fired up.
mlb.tv's audio is going bezerk!
I got tix to Yanks at B-More this Friday, where Hughes will be pitching. Lower deck seats even, can't remember the last time I had that!
No comments on Cano's socks?! It's really quite a big deal.
I'm surprised there isn't an ESPN game tonight focusing on Jackie.
Andy "Houdini" Pettitte escapes! The Rays do have some good young hitters, they aren't cupcakes anymore.
Good news- double play ends the inning.
The reason I signed up for MLB.tv was so I could watch the games when I travel to the mid-west and west (75%/month), but the blackout is based on my billing address. Thus, I can have MLB.tv while in sunny CA, but not be able to watch the Yankees because of my NY zip code.
What I'm really worried about, actually, is next year. Sure, the team will struggle this year with the young pitchers, but it's not like next year they'll all be 100% good to go - they'll still struggle. And next year the offense could fall off some goodly amount. And that's even assuming they go out and get Tiexiera, which would seem to be a requirement. Dunn might be nice too for DH.
Nice ARod!
Nice ARod!
The rotation is:
Wang
Moose
Hughes
Kennedy
Pettitte
Pettitte tonight
Wang 4/16
Moose 4/17
Hughes 4/18
Kennedy 4/19
Pettitte 4/20
Off Day 4/21
Wang 4/22
Moose 4/23
Hughes 4/24
Who are these guys?
I like it.
"UPDATE, 8:33 p.m.: Nice at-bat by Jeter there, working nine pitches then driving in Damon. … Jackson is not long for this tilt as he's at 90 pitches. … Andy Pettitte has put nine runners on base in four innings and somehow allowed no runs."
51 ugh - i filed a few months ago - but i'm still bitter about oweing ma state taxes
61 saw that too - i was trying to think if somehow it was an unearned run and that's what he meant (but it's not) - but yeah beat writers snoozing - or being hypnotized by those blooming cowbells
Sign of a dull game: Banterers are more interested in talking about taxes.
(Only it's a pretty good game. So maybe it's a sign of April 15th.)
71 oh what could have been
Now I'm really wondering why ARod went to second on the previous groundout instead of third....
76 That's a damn embarrassing shame...
How about less potentially contentious talk of politics, and more baseball banter?
84 good point! just funny how all the pols who rage against "big government" oversaw such a massive increase in spending the last 8 years
86 Andy at 89 pitches, so I would agree, Given no Joba and possibly tired Mo, and no Bruney (or Traber?)... Yikes.
I've looked at the roster list--who am I missing?
Sweet. I like this Howell dude now.
Pavano jokes. Ok, here's one:
Carl Pavano.
Another nice one Derek.
98 Oh boy...
I have dibs on ny2dc2sf2chi
97 but i hope flaherty is right that molina being in the bullpen is a good sign that he'll be back soon
btw, is CLeveland even trying to win?
I think I'll stick with rbj
Wow, ugly from Abreu and ARod.
111 I used to like chemistry, but those kind of formulas eventually drove me to filmmaking >;)
So is 42 available for tonight's game?
Just love him.
man who would have thought pettite could get through 7 after the fisrt 2 innings
just can't have too many clunkers for wang or him this year
111 Detail omitted for brevity ;) But you got me beat no matter.
116 I used to live on 15th & Mass (btw L & N sts). They most definitely have replaced a lot of the empty lots. There's a Whole Foods (and surrounding yuppie neighborhood of which I was a part, until we wanted to buy and couldn't afford it) at 14 & P by Logan Circle, and U street from about 10th to Adams Morgan is hopping. You wouldn't recognize the place. I've only been here 3 years, and it's changed a lot.
Can someobe please call me when the 9th starts?
You guys should check out Cardboard Gods on the Toaster -- great picture of Kelly Leak over there.
BUBUBUC BB again.
Damnit. If Farns blows this...
I don't mind it when we've already scored four runs in the inning. And the sixth (wasn't it?) was worse, because we had 'em loaded with just one out.
I have bad dreams that begin like this.
tell me it's not Farnsworth coming in..
2"?! On a slider? Seriously?
I could reminisce all night about DC, except that I thoroughly hated it when I was there, even though I considered it my second home for years. Favorite place in DC: Georgetown and the Lincoln Memorial at night.
HOLY MOTHERFUCKIN CANOli
Anyway, he certainly had good stuff that inning.
The "Pitch-f/x" value is currently defined as the measurement of the distance between the location of the actual pitch thrown over the plate, and the calculated location of a ball thrown by the pitcher in the same way, with no spin; this is the value we provided in Enhanced Gameday last season as "Break". The new Break value, which we feel is more appropriate for the common understanding of the term, is defined as the measurement of the greatest distance between the trajectory of the pitch at any point between the release point and the front of home plate, and the straight line path from the release point and the front of home plate. By this definition, a Barry Zito curveball will have a much greater Break value than a Brad Penny fastball.
Mo sighting. So with Latroy warming earlier than Farns, yet not coming in, does that mean Hawk is lower on the depth chart than Farns? Not that it matters
175 Best DC site..VACE Italian deli on Connecticut Ave, near the zoo...still dream about their sandwiches
I think.
Now, as I read it, PFX is the difference between the actual pitch, and the same pitch thrown with no spin on the ball. Hence, I'd expect a curveball to have a very high PFX (since it spins a lot), and a fastball to have a low one. Yet it seems to be opposite.
We have another case of anal fissures. Nice job Mo.
207 you could also throw an underhand fastball that actually does rise.
But a 4-seam fastball can have a large pfx, because it could cross the plate much higher than a (theoretical) no spin pitch would. Right? And in that case it would, as you say, have a very small break.
I don't know if they have a hard hit ball against him all year.
That good Mo feeling.
Have you looked at the sliders thrown by good pitchers?
At any rate, this is clearly confusing, I wish they'd provide several examples and how to work through them.
But that's just a guess.
258 That one too.
In case anyone is interested, I've been tracking each game this season on a pitch by pitch basis, I have Kennedy's start up on my blog right now and will be putting up the rest of the games in the next few days.
No analysis, but it might be of interest.
http://schteeve.wordpress.com
But we're proving some kind of point, I suppose.
Then you can sleep at night. ;-)
All in all, a nice game tonight. Seems like one of those Pettitte outings I come to expect, where he's on the edge of total disaster all game and yet goes 7 only giving up a few runs and gets the W. And very nice to see the O alive to games in a row, somewhat at least. Too bad they are leaving the friendly warm confines of the Trop
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