August 2016
Snuffy Smif Dept.
Posted by jemanji on 08/30/16
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Any of you older amigos remember Barney Google and Snuffy Smif? :- ) One of my all-time fave catch phrases, when one of the characters would panic, gird up their skirts, and run off the comic panel with the signature line. No word, though, on whether Colin Kaepernick is ready to sell his wartime 'brand' to the U.S. Army for 0 dollars and 0 cents. Heh.
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At +5 over .500, in a big pack that is -3 games to the dubious Orioles, the M's are out of time. In a coin-flip mode their chances are 1-in-6. From here they'll need to play very well to ... earn ... a playoff spot. Which brings up... Read More
Posted by jschario on 08/28/16
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Every year since Russell Wilson's rookie campaign it seems like the preseason has led to fans worrying about the state of the first-team offense. Russ' rookie year if you remember, Matt Flynn was tabbed as the starter, and the offense looked pretty bland while Russ was tearing it up with the second and third stringers.
Last year we feared that Russ might never even see Week 1 as he was getting sacked left and right. And this year through the first two weeks fears were arising as the first-team unit had failed to score a touchdown together.
Come week 3, they could not have picked a better... Read More
Real Madrid take three points
Posted by jschario on 08/27/16
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Atlético Madrid may not be losing, but they are leaving precious points on the table to begin the season, even after spending big to bring in shiny new reinforcements. Every point matters especially in a league where you're competing with the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona, both clubs that are expected to take three points every match, unless they are playing each other.
That's why there's reason for concern for the club on the Mazanares, even if the season has not even finished its second week. However when one looks closer at the teams they are drawing against, concern can turn into... Read More
ain't no thang, Dept.
Posted by jemanji on 08/27/16
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We've asked RockiesJeff to keep us posted on his son's career with the Royals. He was good enough to send this along to Moe and I. Jeff never calls attention to himself, but I think he tolerates it if we share ...
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I had to share with you guys that tonight Wade Davis pitched an inning of rehab with the AZ Royals. I was shocked when my wife asked me who Wade Davis was????? Same one who is one of the best in baseball obviously. Anyway, after the game Jeremy text me and said it was fun to chill with Wade Davis in the bullpen.Jeremy had a couple of hiccup innings that hurt the stat side of... Read More
Kam Chancellor is back and ready to hit someone
Posted by jschario on 08/27/16
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If the rest of the NFL was not already scared of Seahawks strong safety Kam Chancellor, then they probably have not seen him play. If they have, and still have the gaul to say that they hold no fear whatsoever of the man, then I commend them. But for normal humans, they fear him, and their fear must enhance when they read that he has been “itching” for contact.
That is the adverb he used to describe how he has been feeling now that he is back practicing after sitting out since the beginning of camp with a groin injury. If anyone should be scared it should be Pete Carroll, has the hardest... Read More
Posted by jemanji on 08/27/16
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LET MY GLOVE OPEN THE DOOR, Dept.
Three nifty plays by Shawn O'Malley -- one good, one great, one heretofore unseen. And the man does not play third base. The good one: a pulled bouncer takes him over into foul territory; O'Mall sets his back foot and fires a 30.06 that hits Adam Lind chest high. Didn't know he had that plus of an arm.
The great one: a hot, low two-hopper to the glove side spins him around -- and the ball hit just in front of him for a short hop. Good play even by Seager's standards.
The heretofore unseen: bases loaded, one out, swinging bunt, can he get the out at... Read More
Posted by jemanji on 08/27/16
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KING Felix to you, Dept.
The postgame swoooon reached ever-greater heights after Felix beat Sale, as though that should be a big hurkin' surprise from your Hall of Famer. It ain't. Felix has been winning these kinds of pitchers' duels on the road forever. Some pitchers are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them. Felix gets a gin rummy on those three things.
Personally thought he was only solid by his recent standards - by no means his best stuff. Several "atom" balls made the box score look like Felix twirled a classic. No, he scuffled, in his... Read More
the hobbit is even tricksier than anybody bargained for
Posted by jemanji on 08/26/16
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Saw some yokels on NinersNation grousing that Wilson is still cherry-picking his good games against weak opponents. That his playoff record leaves much to be desired and he's still way overrated.
But another yokel chimed in with "Really? You don't think he was elite even LAST year? With a 34/8 ratio and 4,000 yards while running for his life every play?" Resistance to that was decidedly lacking in spirit.
Another guy added on, "What do you think a Hall of Fame quarterback looks like after his fourth year?"
Imagine Wilson with the Cowboys' offensive line and some feature receivers. But... Read More
fear and excitement are the same thing, or so they tell you
Posted by jemanji on 08/26/16
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7 Comments
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K-PAX
The White Sox got 5 hits and 3 runs in the first inning. It's getting so it's weird to see batters take good swings off Paxton, isn't it?
The first inning was one tablespoon bad luck on grounders, two ounces rustiness on Paxton's part, and half a cup of "Don't throw 15 of your first 19 pitches into the strike zone." Sometimes pitchers forget that it is just as bad to tip WHERE the pitch is going as it is to tip WHICH pitch is coming.
The Sox swung in pre-set time to the fastball, knowing the ball would be there. If they'd had to wait and see first, whether the pitch was a strike... Read More
a question so simple even Dr. D has a hard time deluding himself
Posted by jemanji on 08/26/16
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3 Comments
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Jonez sez,
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Hey, Doc
Where did you get 'If you were wrong, how would you know?'
I've got a whole bunch of quotes from some of history's greatest philosophers (Jefferson, Socrates, Washington, Zhuge Liang, Jesus, Sun Tzu, etc..) up on the walls of our common room and I'd like to put that one up on the wall in some form with proper attribution.
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Thanks amigo! (Jonez and I get on famously, offsite, in case you were interested.)
The first time I remember reading it was in a 1980's Thomas Sowell column. He visited UCLA, or someplace like it, to discuss science with grad students,... Read More
Meaty saber stuff here
Posted by jemanji on 08/24/16
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Keith sez,
Mays, Aaron, Dick Allen, Piazza all had about 100 pt OPS differences.
McCovey and Boog Powell were about 140 pts. Thome was 300 pts. Junior was 90 pts. Reggie Jackson was about 100 pts.
Edgar was only 55 pts and Billy Williams had a 100 pt reverse split.
I picked them all at random and haven't left anybody out. That was the entire list of historic guys I looked up. Surely some people run nearly zero split difference. Edgar wasn't at zero...but had a reduced platoon advantage. Billy Williams was just weird. A mashing, RH hitting Aoki.
But if some of the best hitters... Read More
cross-sports training Dept.
Posted by jemanji on 08/23/16
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6 Comments
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As y'know, we live to serve.
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AIKI MECHANICS - RELAX, RELAX, RELAX
Aiki-Doc thinks that there are times when we simply must go outside the beaten path to understand an unusual situation. The beaten path helps us recognize and step around / through the 80%, 90% most common situations we run into. The beaten path is a sine qua non, whether in chess or in baseball or in anything else. You ain't going to assess a chess position properly if you can't point at an average position and say "This is a Maroczy Bind minus the light square Bishops." 80% or 90% isn't everything, but it's more... Read More
Theory and praxis, Dept.
Posted by jemanji on 08/23/16
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15 Comments
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Bill James Online is still only $3 per month. Right now there is a great discussion going on platoon hitters. An excerpt:
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To say that it is caused by the asymmetry of the mechanics. . I don't think that's EXACTLY right unless it is interpreted in vague terms. It is caused by the break of the pitch and the line of vision of the hitter. A right-hander's pitch normally breaks away from a right-handed batter and in to a left-hander. It is just a little bit easier to hit a pitch which is moving toward you than it is to hit a pitch which is moving away from you, but in the high-... Read More
Both Barça and Madrid take three points
Posted by jschario on 08/22/16
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Real Madrid and Barcelona each got off to positive starts to their respective domestic campaigns, as expected. The Spanish La Liga kicked off its 2016-17 season this weekend with Real playing Real Sociedad in San Sebastian today and Barcelona playing at home in the Camp Nou against Real Betis of Sevilla.
Barcelona, playing without Neymar who the previous day left his mark on the gold medal game against Germany at the Olympics (wonder if that victory serves as any sort of compensation for the inexplicably poor loss they had against Germany in the 2014 World Cup - also on home soil). Neymar of... Read More
Both Barça and Madrid take three points
Posted by jschario on 08/22/16
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Real Madrid and Barcelona each got off to positive starts to their respective domestic campaigns, as expected. The Spanish La Liga kicked off its 2016-17 season this weekend with Real playing Real Sociedad in San Sebastian today and Barcelona playing at home in the Camp Nou against Real Betis of Sevilla.
Barcelona, playing without Neymar who the previous day left his mark on the gold medal game against Germany at the Olympics (wonder if that victory serves as any sort of compensation for the inexplicably poor loss they had against Germany in the 2014 World Cup - also on home soil). Neymar of... Read More
zuuuumball has our prospect mood skyrocketing, for the moment anyway
Posted by jemanji on 08/21/16
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3 Comments
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WASTING TOP-10 PICKS, Dept.
We always mourn the passing of Smoak, Ackley and Montero. But ... look again and there are some Seattle blog-o-sphere hopefuls who are panning out.
1) Kyle Seager is morphing from very fine ballplayer to franchise player
2) Michael Saunders is still slugging .500, and we spent the first half of the season moaning how we missed out on him
That would be 2-for-5, if you count Saunders, out of the "Great White Whale" prospects under Zduriencik. But:
3) Jury's out on Zunino, and at the moment it's leaning towards vindication
4) Brad Miller has gone nuts, slugging .... Read More
130 MPH and ... hitting the upshift lever
Posted by jemanji on 08/20/16
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... Tomorrow's news today, babe.
The Orioles got thrummed by a 12-2 score and fell to within a single game of the surging M's, who won nice and smooth. With the O's schedule, it feels like the Mariners have passed them already. Any day now, the feeling will translate to reality. Pass the Yoo-Hoo, Rick?
Okay, maybe it isn't a TOTAL wrap JUST yet. But ..
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TOR and CLOSER
Without any question, Felix is back to Top of Rotation (TOR) form. It's true that the Brewers' offense is a joke against righties, but it's also true that Felix' changeup is dropping to the bottom of the kneecaps. He... Read More
timbuk3, Dept.
Posted by jemanji on 08/20/16
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ZUUUUUUUUMBALL
One U for each homer this month. One time Bill James said about Bret Boone in a Player Handbook, "he hit 7 homers in September; he might hit seven a month from now on."
It was a 95 MPH fastball down-and-in, the wheelhouse for lefties, but right hand batters have their thumbs more on top of the bats. Blowers pointed out that Zunino took a nice soft front step that wouldn't have crushed a grape, and this kept his whole body quiet, with his shoulder and head locked in. SSI grokked that his followthrough was pretty golfy, with excellent knee action and a relaxed half follow. ... Read More
Pictured below: a man who can talk championships
Posted by jemanji on 08/20/16
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3 Comments
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Not sure, but each Japanese player I've ever heard comment about it, resists shortening of his name. Daimajin used to say, What's with calling me Kazu. It doesn't anger me, but I don't understand it. Would a Timothy be called Timo? Apparently Nori is an exception, the first one I've ever noticed.
Wily Peralta may be the most extreme "here it is, hit it" flamethrower in the majors right now. Not only does he hit upper 90's, but his fastball percentage is way up there. The first time through the lineup Saturday, it looked like 100% fastballs except to Nelson Cruz. (Which tells you... Read More
M's MOTO enforcing order in the AL pennant race
Posted by jemanji on 08/20/16
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EDWIN DIAZ
For a while, it had looked like Diaz would go 300-for-300 in saves for his career. The last two outings, he showed us what it looks like when he has an off-day. That being, "Tough" as opposed to "impossible."
It's part of the human condition that --- > we show our true colors in the bad times, not in the good times. If Diaz weren't willing to hang tough when it looked like he could lose, he wouldn't deserve to be in baseball, much less deserve to close. The last two game, my own impression was that he battled very well when things were going wrong. If and when he starts... Read More
Brooksie played a bit part in Earl's .583 winning percentage, prolly
Posted by jemanji on 08/18/16
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BROOKS ROBINSON Dept.
The first few games of Dr. D's childhood? The 1970 World Series, in which Johnny Bench hit about three game-winning doubles down the left field line ... only to be snared by Brooks Robinson laying full out, popping up and throwing Bench out at 1B. If you didn't see Wednesday's game:
Bottom of the 9th, with 3 men on base, only 1 out
Mariners clinging to a 1-run lead like a cat with its claws on a screen door at a height of 6 feet
Edwin Diaz finally getting enough pressure that he could show his competitiveness
Diaz fans Jefry Marte, avoiding the sac fly and immediate... Read More
M's playoff chances soar to 94.4%, more or less
Posted by jemanji on 08/18/16
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BALMER
Was very happy to see that the Red Sox crushed the Orioles 8-1 on Friday to shunt the O's back into the last Wild Card spot. Would just as soon the Red Sox beat them 7 more times this fall. Would also be fine with the Blue Jays beating them another 6x times. Here's to the Yankee$ going about 7-2 against them in those games (six in the Bronx), and the Rays maybe getting their share of the seven Rays-O's games. On TV, they pointed out that we are now chasing the AL East in the wild card - who are going to do serious damage to each other. So far, so good.
The M's won't have to play... Read More
Posted by jschario on 08/17/16
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Rumors are swirling around Barcelona players both current and old, with one of the latter rumored to headed to their rivals in the Spanish capital.
Barcelona goal keeper Claudio Bravo has his bags all but packed, prepping to move to Northern England to play for former Barça manager Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. Current Barcelona manager Luis Enrique has been using a goalie rotation between Bravo and the Catalan's other keeper Marc Andre ter Stegen. Bravo has featured mostly in Barcelona's domestic matches, while the German ter Stegen patrols goal for their Champions League and Copa del... Read More
Injuries playing their part
Posted by jschario on 08/16/16
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In the NFL, players are always one injury away from getting thrown into the starting lineup, or as we can see with a couple current Seattle Seahawks, being dropped from the starting lineup.
The Seahawks brass brought in one somewhat noteworthy offensive lineman, after losing two stalwarts along the line in Russell Okung and JR Sweezy. Enter J'Marcus Webb most recently from the Oakland Raiders, who was projected to start at right tackle. However as is known to happen in the NFL, injuries have kept him off the field, and he is still listed as questionable for Week 2 of preseason.
In his place,... Read More
M's haven't gotten hot yet
Posted by jemanji on 08/16/16
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6 Comments
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ADAM LIND
Big time, big money, big TV sports have progressed. The majors are now packed with dazzling talent. Nobody knows whether Ken Griffey Jr. had more talent than Willie Mays, but you can be sure that a decent player like Adam Lind than a decent player like Willard Marshall did two generations ago.
That ball that spun madly out of control, that he had to bare-hand as a reflex action ... on TV the ball looked like medium velocity. We can assure you that at field level it had some hair on it. It took a boxer's reflexes for Lind to get his hand to it.
But! How does the spin on that... Read More
Win Spanish Supercopa
Posted by jschario on 08/15/16
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Watching their rivals capture the first available trophy of the season couldn't have been too pleasant for Barcelona players or their fans. Luckily, they did not have to wait too long, and they even got to try their luck against the same team Real Madrid played in the European Supercup, Sevilla.
Barça technically won both the Copa del Rey and La Liga titles, and of course the champions of each competition face each other for the Spanish Supercopa. But of course Barcelona can't play themselves, so Copa del Rey runners up Sevilla were on the chopping block yet again. This time however, the... Read More
the Counselor raises the stakes ...
Posted by jemanji on 08/15/16
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29 Comments
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Pure Konspiracy Korner here, complete with Donald Trump commentary and all the trimmings. If that ain't your bag, move along. Nothing to see here. :- )
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The "Greed" thread, two cubicles right, is loaded with wonderfully nuanced essays, is chock full of wit and wisdom. One of the Think Tank's best.
Editor's Choice, though, goes to a defense lawyer who lives the trenches with disadvantaged men, watches them make self-destructive choices, and still has a great "largeness of heart" towards them. Hopefully the Counselor will forgive Dr. D's audacity in providing annotations:
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Greed and... Read More
today the Orcs, tomorrow Middle Earth
Posted by jemanji on 08/15/16
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13 Comments
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A few random thoughts and, in Dr. D's dream world, one comment sentence from every Denizen towards the joy of victory Sunday. :: anthony hopkins smile :: Don't forget that your best way to reinforce the shtick is to volley a little of it back each day. Love love love seeing comments, to go with the Shouts.
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Meaningful games in September. If your very life depended on it, would you rather chase down one mediocre team from -5 behind, or two good teams from -2 behind? Well, that oversimplifies it. But Fangraphs gives us a 27% chance of catching the Rangers and an additional 20% chance... Read More
appetite for destruction, Dept.
Posted by jemanji on 08/15/16
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30 Comments
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Q. Can you blame any athlete for maximizing his contract? Would YOU give up money?
A. It depends on many variables. What is your own definition of the word "greed" as a personality trait?
Greed in my definition is an intense and self-focused desire for much more of a thing than one actually needs, especially pertaining to money, power, and reputation. George Washington "gave up" power when he refused to become King of the new republic. About 90%, 95% of the discussions you see in sports argue that athletes should not fail to maximize the cash they extract from their original signing... Read More
Familiar storyline: Christine Michael impresses
Posted by jschario on 08/14/16
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Normally, a Seattle Seahawks win in Arrowhead Stadium would be welcomed with more excitement, especially when it comes on a last second Hail Mary and converting the subsequent two-point conversion to nab the W. But, this is Week 1 of the preseason so the Hawks' 17-16 on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs is but a foot note when compared to the evaluation of second and third-string players.
Whoever said don't get excited never said that to Pete Carroll though, or at least he didn't listen as he got all pumped about the performance of Christine Michael. Most Seahawks fans likely are... Read More
are we stalking the Tigers ... or the Rangers?
Posted by jemanji on 08/13/16
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2 Comments
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PLAYOFF READY
RBI #1: Down 1 run, Nelson Cruz gets a hard 88 MPH cutter/slider on the black. 0-0 count, Pitcher's pitch. Boomstick takes it to straightaway center, hard and far, over the fence. That ain't cherrypicking; Kendall Graveman has been throwing very well, and he threw that pitch very well. That's a "hard RBI," baby.
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RBI #2: Ketel Marte in scoring position, two out. Graveman throws a 3-2 pitch at 93 MPH, exactly knee high, exactly on the outside corner. Seth Smith laces it hard into left field for the game-winning "hard RBI." Running on the pitch, Marte scores without... Read More
Storylines for Week 1 of preseason
Posted by jschario on 08/13/16
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Jimmy Graham made his return to the field for the first time since going down in Week 12 with a ruptured patellar tendon that ended his 2016 season. Of course, Pete Carroll and the staff are easing him in there, not participating in any drills that might be too grueling. And considering that he had to relearn how to walk, much less run and run routes, let's give him all the time in the world.
Word around camp is that he's come back in incredible shape, looking bigger and leaner, despite having his leg immobilized for three months. Despite the apparent enhanced physique, Graham says he's lost... Read More
jemanji is never quite sure in which direction SSI is deluded
Posted by jemanji on 08/13/16
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4 Comments
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JOE WEILAND
First inning?, SSI was pleasantly surprised -- despite the three runs and the (seemingly) 5 missile shots off Weiland. Is 'cause he has one of the few 75 MPH yellow hammers that plays in the major leagues. It's got an Aaron Sele break to it, LEFT handers swing through it, and often he can spot it to either side of the plate.
He's got an interesting overhand angle on the 90-92 fastball, so if he could locate like Sele or Blyleven, he could put together a game kind of in their template. That was the way with Joe Blanton, and Blanton was nothing to sneeze at. As an org #8-9... Read More
M's going with vintage WWII armament in this one
Posted by jemanji on 08/12/16
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2 Comments
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JOE WEILAND and the BULLPEN PROSPECTUS
Here come the fire-sale'd A's minus their Two Big Guns. Seeing that Monday is also a spray can into the flat tire, we're into bullpen questions before we even begin here.
The plumped for Weiland on Monday. He has got a lifetime FIP of 5.59 based on an unlikely combination of 90 MPH fastball, oodles of 75 MPH change curves, and the inclination to throw 3-1 fastballs that take plenty of the strike zone. Few walks but plenty of upper-tank shots to take their place.
But! Weiland is on the run of his life in AAA. Last start, he fanned 10 men (!)... Read More
yes, in these games, as in all such games
Posted by jemanji on 08/12/16
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11 Comments
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The right wing, where I stood, was exposed to and received all the enemy's fire ... I heard the bullets whistle, and, believe me, there is something charming in the sound. - George Washington, letter to his brother, 1754
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I dunno but I've been tolllldddd ... someone here is gettin' old ...
Some readers like the approach that says Sports Is Life. Other Gentle Readers are less inclined to getting their Life mixed with their Sports at the author's whim. Peace, brother :- ) and click on to the next article forthwith.
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Amigo axs, What's wrong with #KeepFighting? You got something against the... Read More
Suggestions May Be Flushed, But Hey! You Never Know...
Posted by DaddyO on 08/11/16
16 Comments
Well, well, well, here we ARE, scoreboard watching in mid-August. The sweep of the Tigers and THE WAY THE M's DID IT has made us entertain hopes that this might be a special year, the year that breaks the team's fifteen year playoff drought.
Monday's and Tuesday's comeback wins made me think of how it felt my first August in the Pacific Northwest in 1995. My wife pregnant with our second child, temporatily living with my Mom after moving from California, I listened on the radio in our bedroom to a series of miraculous plays and wins that catapulted the M's from a significant deficit to their... Read More
Seager's runs per 27 outs sail from 5.0 to 6.4
Posted by jemanji on 08/11/16
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3 Comments
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Two cubicles to the left, DaddyO suggests a couple of visual similarities between the 1995 miracle crew, and this one. My fave comparison is probably the Rangers' pathetic run differential, vs. the 1995 Angels ... who as of August 11th, were 61-37 but were about to rip off an impressive streak of +11 -28.
M's playoff odds stand at 48.8% on Fangraphs, again that not fully grokking Zeus and Mr. Electricity. Add Price and Chapman to Fangraphs' 'puter and see where the numbers go.
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Be that as it may, DaddyO liked the "way" the Mariners beat the powerful Detroit Tigers, that is to say,... Read More
Know, O prince, that between the years when Grover reigned and JeDi arrived ...
Posted by jemanji on 08/11/16
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1 Comments
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MtGrizzly sez,
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A well rested Felix Hernandez is something this team has never had in the second half. Years past, they had to lean on him so hard that he seemed a bit gassed coming down the stretch. We know he's capable of running off insane stretches of "ultra-quality" starts like last night's vs the Tigers. If the M's truly have The King back leading the rotation, I like thier chances.
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That's a good point about this being an unprecedented situation, Felix going deep into the year without deep mileage on his arm. ... if the M's had twin 50mm mini-guns at the top of their rotation, and... Read More
Edge Sevilla in the European Supercup
Posted by jschario on 08/10/16
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Somewhat ironically, the two teams in the European Supercup had to travel to nearly the opposite side of the continent to play each other even though they both play in the same domestic league. Real Madrid and Sevilla left Spain's sunny skies for the legendary Norwegian summer for the battle between the UEFA Champions and Europa League winners.
It was closer than Zinedine Zidane and Florentino Perez would have liked, but the match was a perfect display of Real's depth within the squad. Zidane was without the all-world attacking trident, BBC of Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo... Read More
reserve now, beat the rush
Posted by jemanji on 08/10/16
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13 Comments
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At the start of the Angels - Tigers - A's - Angels - Brew - Yank$ - White Sox run, Dr. D pounded his spoon on the table and demanded some 15-8 gruel. If not 16-7. The M's have complied with a 5-0 serving of bacon and hash browns, so rather than move the goalposts, we'll just call that a 10-8 or 11-7 run to the finish line.
The Mariners have already raised their playoff chances to 44%. Since Fangraphs' microprocessor has no way to crunch James Paxton or Edwin Diaz, we'll cheerfully slide that to 50.1% baby. Be there or be square.
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THREE FOOT PUTT TO WIN THE MASTERS
'twas fun, last night... Read More
M's setting up a Volcano Brigade
Posted by jemanji on 08/10/16
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3 Comments
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[CONTINUED]
SABRMATT sez:
Usually you'd be all about ...the bullpen remake and Dipoto's willingness to keep fiddling until he gets it right, etc!
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Q. So, why would the Pirates let Caminero go?
A. We'll assume that everybody reading knows that --- > a Caminero with one day's rest is going to throw every fastball between 98-101 MPH. This makes him truly one of the five hardest throwers in baseball. This guy for a PTBNL or two?
Let's start with the lizards in the cellar, which is that the MPH has not translated. Either to "closer" nor to "ace setup." His lifetime slash line is 8/4/1... Read More
Posted by jemanji on 08/10/16
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2 Comments
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SABRMATT sez:
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Hey Doc...you OK? Usually you'd be all about posting a six part series dissecting the martial arts majesty of Kuma's 7 innings of glory or commenting on the bullpen remake and Dipoto's willingness to keep fiddling until he gets it right, etc!
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Taking questions 1-4 in order, my own opinions are:
1. I'm more than OK, in the broadest sense of the word. In the short-term sense of the word, I've got to figure out where the spellchecker is, so I can get the word "short" correct ... :-)
That's to the denizen's benefit. He gets a rough-hewn product that is by its nature more... Read More
Don't forget to enjoy it!
Posted by moethedog on 08/09/16
6 Comments
I offer you a brief respite from your growing M's optimism. This is just a reminder not to miss the show to the south of us.
As if you really need this reminder!
Breaking News! Stop the Presses! Clark Kent plays in Anaheim.
Well, Mike Trout does and it is all nearly the same thing.
Trout, who turned just 25 years old two days ago (so you can think of this as a birthday homage if you wish), is running a 169 OPS+ so far in '16. Assuming he finishes there this season, he will have had a 5-year run of 168-179-168-178-169. Most likely he will have finishd no lower than 2nd in MVP... Read More
Posted by jschario on 08/08/16
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It has been an odd summer in Madrid. Normally, the south side team, Atlético Madrid are the ones with rumors swirling around about players leaving while their northern neighbors are the ones bringing in talent. In 2016 however, it seems the roles have reversed.
Monday marked another departure from the Santiago Bernabeu outfit, with former star-in-waiting Jesé Rodriguez finally completing a move to French club Paris Saint-Germain, to play for new coach and fellow Spaniard Unai Emery. The exact transfer fee was not announced, although PSG did say that Jesé signed a five-year contract through... Read More
K-Pax getting ready to press the SMITE button on his keyboard
Posted by jemanji on 08/08/16
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Oddly enough, on Sunday morning Dr. D was driving a rental car and in a VERY near car wreck. Residential area 25 MPH, an SUV pulled to the side as if to catch a Pokemon, I gave him a wide berth on the left, eased by ... WHOOM! HE PULLS A U-TURN WITH THE PEDAL TO THE METAL! How my car missed his, who knows.
Point is: you know the feeling, right, the shot of adrenaline that gives you faster-than-Spiderman reaction? You could make a Konspiracy Korner out of the way that animals react as if in a time warp. Just a little fun driveby thought: how do flocks of birds turn in synch? They... Read More
you know, there is a blinkin' good reason for right handedness
Posted by jemanji on 08/06/16
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According to Greg Bear, it would be better if humans were MORE one-handed than they are. I think he's the guy who wrote about an alien race that could hold up a car with one huge arm and tinker on the engine with the other delicate arm. 'course sci-fi writers are fond of saying there are no absolutes.... :- )
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Q. How good IS Venditte from the LOOGY standpoint?
A. He's been better, LH-on-LH, than anybody the M's currently have, until Furbush returns. For his career, ML lefties have batted a piddling .175 with a 5:18 EYE and power well below average. Dr. D does not expect this to... Read More
M's 6, pesky rodent angels 4
Posted by jemanji on 08/06/16
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EDWIN DIAZ
Everything we say after that game would be trite, probably. If you missed it, though ... Mike Trout is good, ahead of Ken Griffey Jr's numbers at the same point of his career. Albert Pujols is good, number 11 on the career home run list. Somebody was hitting fifth. They were all overmatched, way overmatched.
Like does anybody here remember Jeff Kemp and Steve Largent crossing the picket line to connect 15 times against a strike team? Edwin Diaz looked like he just crossed a strike line. Against Trout and Pujols!
Odd how long Dr. D has been watching baseball, and it hadn't... Read More
Rumblings and grumblings around Renton
Posted by jschario on 08/05/16
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Seahawks camp is still full of optimism, as all NFL camps should be at this point in the summer. No major injuries (knock on wood) and no holdouts. Still though, that doesn't mean there have not been fireworks in the first weekend change of the 2016 Seahawks training camp.
Waking up in the midwest today, opening my laptop and checking the headlines I see that Pete Carroll tossed Michael Bennett from practice. This, combined with Bennett's outspoken nature and not to mention his publicly known desire for a new contract set off an alarm in my head. But upon clicking on the link and reading... Read More
let's get our arms around it, first 'v all
Posted by jemanji on 08/05/16
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THE WORST THING ABOUT HIM
So the kid has a Matt Thornton-as-Mariner style floaty, high, non-accelerated movement down the centerline ... scratch that, his movement isn't down the centerline. As a completely separate problem, Miranda also leans back for extra vertigo as he "hits the top" of his backstroke, like a "pause at the top" in golf. As a separate separate problem, he tilts his head back again at the very moment he releases the ball.
And that's why his release point chart looks like graffiti sprayed on the wall by a junkie on a bad trip. He doesn't vary arm slot by design; the... Read More
Dr. D will take him and his $$$ and his fungibility over Jase, can tell y'that
Posted by jemanji on 08/05/16
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CHANGE SPEED GAME
We can go into 9,000 "crosschecks" of this pitch against that pitch. They would all miss the point, which is that Miranda's game is that he can get hitters in-between. And he can do it effortlessly. He's a natural for that.
The important question is, how does a pitcher's arsenal jell against itself. Miranda's arsenal is peanut butter and jelly, grilled cheese and tomato, pancakes and syrup. This balances against the fact that he's got little command of these pitches. He's wild in the zone with all of them, but for him, that looks okay.
Here's that Brooks movement... Read More
Posted by jschario on 08/04/16
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It's August and we are less than 30 days away from the end of the transfer window. Real Madrid and Barcelona are always teams to watch come summer time, what with their endless surpluses of cash, title hungry fans and all-or-nothing philosophies.
However this summer Barça have remained quiet, making a couple low-key moves that are more frugal and splashy. Real Madrid as well, for the second summer in a row have remained uncharacteristically quiet, and this year are more likely to make headlines for their departures than their arrivals.
Last year at least club president Florentino Perez had... Read More
Posted by jemanji on 08/04/16
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4 Comments
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GRIZZLY SEZ
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Cishek is a classy guy. “I’m not concerned with that,” Cishek said of his losing his job to Diaz. “This was his first Major League save and I was excited for him. It’s not like I hold a grudge because he’s a better pitcher than I am. He’s got amazing stuff. He deserves the job and I’m happy for him.”
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An amazing quote. How amazing? Reuben Fine once beat a lesser master, the guy resigned, and simply said "You play better than I do." It's like a quote of the century, it's so rare. But that was the rookie saying it to the star, not the other way around.
In the TNT, Servais... Read More
Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of ... their fire dance
Posted by jemanji on 08/04/16
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3 Comments
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WBC-san
Turned on the game a few innings in, and first pitch we zero'ed in on ... Iwakuma shook Zunino off three (3) times. That's saying a whale of a lot, that Zuumball's first three guesses (as a hitter) would have been way wrong. 2-2 pitch to a lefty:
Shuuto? nope
Fastball away? nope
Slow curve? nope
Slider into wheelhouse, Super Tempter, breaking a little too far in? Yep
Result: garbage swing K
Then it happened again, and again, and again. The next guy, Kuma whip-sawed ladder fastballs and finished with a change curve, low and slow, baby. A third guy in, Kuma buried him with a... Read More
scripted rookie closers, Dept.
Posted by jemanji on 08/03/16
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2 Comments
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DIDEROT SEZ
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Wed 11:39am: diderot Diaz with 2K/inning.Yep, only 26 innings.But not one has ever done that--ever!Wed 11:43am: diderot I should specify--with 20+ innings.Maybe some guy pitched one career inning in 1944 and struck out three guys, I don't know.
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What a great stat. Had no idea.
Only a slight contextual add: Industry-wide, guys swing the bat harder, get more velocity off the bat, and are happy to trade strikeouts. So we can be confident in the accuracy of Diderot's stat.
No matter how you slice it, 2 whiffs per 3 outs, this being the MAJOR LEAGUES?!, is one whale of a stat... Read More
Not pictured below in Photo 1: anything resembling the actual Go app
Posted by jemanji on 08/03/16
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4 Comments
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1. YOU RARELY HAVE TO CATCH A 98 MPH RELIEVER TO USE IT.
Well, we fans don't.
You have to drive to Pt. Defiance to catch a Charmander - that is not a joke - but baseball conveniently starts you off with a 25-man roster before the game even begins. (The same is true for the 32 chess pieces. There is no "flash crowd" sprinting after a Queen sighting.)
Also, in Go it's impossible to come up with "nicknames" that don't make you look like a Kanji-speak wannabe. (Suggested improvements desperately welcomed.) In baseball, it's rather easier to come up with nicknames, both real-life and SSI-... Read More
What were the take aways?
Posted by jschario on 08/01/16
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The calendar has turned to August and the first weekend of football in the Pacific Northwest is officially in the books. Monday concluded Day 3 of Seahawks training camp and the first day Richard Sherman and co. strapped on shoulder pads for the first time.
There are some familiar faces back at camp, and of course there's the familiar energy in the air that surrounds any Pete Carroll training camp. And this year contrasts greatly from the start of 2015's camp, where the big news was the sudden holdout by Kam Chancellor, which of course lasted through camp and until Week 2 of the regular... Read More
Posted by jemanji on 08/01/16
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2 Comments
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PLAYOFFS
Fangraphs has us at 23.7%. Like DiPoto sez, we're one winning streak away.
Frustrating of course to watch all the "key turnaround games" flare up in smoke like magicians' flash paper, but objectively speaking, the horror show Sunday merely canceled the fraction on the miracle of beating Aroldis Chapman the day before. After the Red Sox, we enter a long stretch of enemies who are not Jake Arietta? And they have their King Talisman back.
OPS+ 108, ERA+ 100, ERA going forward to be forged sans one Wade Miley. See you at the ballpark.
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DECONSTRUCTING THE TRADE
When the M's... Read More