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J.A. Happ has many ways to do one thing.

Some of you good buddies wouldn'a seen the little sequence on TV.  They showed a split frame of J.A. Happ's two different changeup grips -- one a classic circle change, the other a splitfinger change.  The two pitches aren't meant to result in different pitches, not meant to fool the hitter in any way.  You know, like a two-seam fastball would run armside to give a different look.  He just does it to dink around.

Blowers and Krueger were kinda like, "that's different."  Hardly ever saw a pitcher do that before.

In Japan you call something "different" when:

• A guy puts the peanut butter and jelly on the outside of the bread
• Somebody decides to see what happens if you plant the shrub with the roots up
• You decide to post a 1,500 article in all caps
• The pitcher throws an eephus pitch with a 35-foot arc
• A golfer decides to see what happens if he holds the club by the blade and swing harder

Different is fine, but you've also got to be aware when something has been done for a long time and --- > there is a good reason for doing it that way.  "Different" sometimes means that you are oblivious to what has gone on before you.  Most cultures in the Eastern Hemisphere value their seniors, much less their ancestors.  The state of American society is unusual, where all people 30 years older than you are assumed to be stupid until proven otherwise.

See how quick Dr. D can get off course?  But you know you love it.  Baseball IS life, b'wana.  :- )

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Krueger pointed out that you dink around with a new changeup grip because --- > the old one blows.  ... Your mind, that is.  It's just good quality entertainment for the whole family.

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We were optimistic about J.A. Happ because, in 2H 2014, he cut his walk rate in half.  That's the fact of the case.

And because, in 2H 2014, he threw 70%* fastballs.  That's the fact of the case.

Dr. D's interpretation of these two facts was that --- > Happ was able to execute, now that he Simplified.  (Simplify is a power verb, like Different is a power adjective.)

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SSI does not care that J.A. Happ has a high ERA.  SSI is simply getting tired of watching horse manure PITCHES.

They asked Happ when he was going to figure out his changeup grip.  He said, "I'll experiment and decide on something before too long."  SAY WHAT WHEN DID YOU SAY THE ANGELS SERIES IS SUPPOSED TO START

Dr. D is trying to figure out what Lloyd McClendon's public comments would be if --- > Erasmo Ramirez had two changeup grips, didn't much care when he figured it out, and left four pitches per inning up on a tee.  

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LO, MID, HI

LO occurs if it turns out that J.A. Happ is a head case of Brandon League magnitude.   His lifetime ERA+ is, as any Dominican schoolboy knows, 95.  And it hasn't been that good in five years.  LO brings his ERA+ in lower than that.  Tough to visualize?  Run the replay of any Happ game this season.

Moe Dawg, here's to you ace.  Right now it's looking like you may have driven the green.  At 18 in Ko'olau :- )

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MID occurs if we get the same old J.A. Happ -- a sort of Jarrod Washburn 90'ish ERA+, benefitting from the park.  Even if Happ turns out to blow ... "our minds," and centers a bunch of pitches?  You can still get BABIP and the park in your favor.  Lots of dumb pitchers have run 4.25 ERA's just through the random numbers generator that is baseball.

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HI occurs if J.A. Happ is just using spring training to get ready for the season.  Or if he's just not sharp yet (which actually is the case with James Paxton).  Happ did run a 68:19 CTL ratio last year, second half.  He showed he's capable.  

Of course, Joe Saunders his ownself was capable of three months of scintillating performance.  Right before we got him.  Pitchers can do that.  Remember Esteban Loaiza?

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HI occurs if J.A. Happ is crummy, but Taijuan and K-Pax are healthy.  Because you have a dreamy 1-4 and many, many, many #5 starting pitchers have ERA+'s worse than 90.

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HI occurs if the M's use the same standards on deciding J.A. Happ's job that they use on everybody else's.  And we get Elias, or Olson, or somebody.  There is no reason, really, not to move Happ into the bullpen except that it's embarrassing to admit your mistake on Michael Saunders.  Imagine 3 K-Pax, 4 Taijuan, and 5 Tyler Olson throwing the way he is throwing right now.  Whew.

You run 6-to-make-5 in the rotation not just to protect against injury.  If an Entitled Vet(TM) pitches lousy in Oakland, he is sunk without a bubble.  'course, this ain't Oakland.

HI occurs if ... wait, check Gordon in the shout box.  Like he sez, Elias has some work to do too.  Less' hope the M's are watching Happ with snake eyes like G thinks they might be.

HI occurs if Dr. D gets the giddy news that Taijuan, Seattle Mariner.  What were we talking about again?

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HI occurs if Mike Zunino swings like this next week.   

Life Is Baseball,

Dr D