2013 Major League Baseball: World Series- Boston Red Sox vs St. Louis Cardinals

tboon wrote:

You ain't missing anything. Domes are a blight on sports.

Spoken by someone who doesn't live in Canada......

AndrewA wrote:
tboon wrote:

You ain't missing anything. Domes are a blight on sports.

Spoken by someone who doesn't live in Canada......

Doesn't make it less true though

Eh, it'd be impossible for Tampa to finish a season without the dome. From June-Sept it rains pretty much every day down here.

Kush15 wrote:

But I'm sure Bud Selig wouldn't do anything stupid, like say, I don't know, schedule an interleague series in Minnesota in April to make it damn near impossible to make up the game later in the year...............

BTW, when I wrote this, I was knocking the fact that he scheduled Mets at Minnesota in April. I am JUST realizing that the Marlins are the opponent this week. Two interleague opponent, in Minnesota, in April. WTF is MLB thinking? I understand that Bud probably doesn't make the schedule, but he signs off on it. You can't make sure you have some division games in Minnesota in April? You know, in case it f***in snows, or in case the temperature is 10 degrees. In case you haven't heard Selig, it tends to do that up north......

tboon wrote:

You ain't missing anything. Domes are a blight on sports football.

FTFY

Moreso in football, certainly. But baseball should be played outside too.

Travis Hafner is batting .319 with 5HRs, yet the Yankees sit him 1/3 of the time in favor of Ben Francisco (.091).

How in the hell are the Yankees winning at this point?

Kush15 wrote:

Travis Hafner is batting .319 with 5HRs, yet the Yankees sit him 1/3 of the time in favor of Ben Francisco (.091).

How in the hell are the Yankees winning at this point?

The long ball. 28 HRs in 18 games.

Kush15 wrote:

You know, in case it f***in snows, or in case the temperature is 10 degrees. In case you haven't heard Selig, it tends to do that up north....

Except it doesn't. The last week has been weird. Yesterday was the first time they've had a game postponed because of snow. The temperature is usually in the 40's or 50's in April. It's supposed to be 70 this weekend, five days after it snowed. Again, this one week has been weird in that it's been in the upper 30's so your "10 degrees" comment is just ridiculous. Considering the amount of public money that was spent on this stadium already putting a largely unnecessary roof on the thing would have been stupid.

Re: Schedules - I'd like to think that the people making the schedules would try to prioritize warm-weather cities and cities with some sort of roof (so Seattle is ok, even if it's cold) for April. That said, the average April temperature in places like Denver and Minneapolis isn't all that different from the average in St. Louis, so what do I know?

iaintgotnopants wrote:
Kush15 wrote:

You know, in case it f***in snows, or in case the temperature is 10 degrees. In case you haven't heard Selig, it tends to do that up north....

Except it doesn't. The last week has been weird. Yesterday was the first time they've had a game postponed because of snow. The temperature is usually in the 40's or 50's in April. It's supposed to be 70 this weekend, five days after it snowed. Again, this one week has been weird in that it's been in the upper 30's so your "10 degrees" comment is just ridiculous. Considering the amount of public money that was spent on this stadium already putting a largely unnecessary roof on the thing would have been stupid.

From what I heard, when the Mets played the Twins on April 12th, the temperature dipped down to 10 degrees at one point in the game, because they started the game around 8pm. So when you tell me my comment is ridiculous, maybe you should look at the weather in your area recently. THAT is why I said what I said. Now, if the source I heard that from is wrong, so be it. All I know is, it was pretty f***in cold when they were playing. And yesterday was the first time a game was postponed because of snow since....................oh yeah, Sunday, April 14th, less than 2 weeks ago. It's not out of the realm of possibility that snow will fall in April in Minnesota. Does it happen often, no. My point is, why not schedule games against teams you will see once a year, I don't know, in June, July and August as opposed to April when there is still a decent chance of bad weather.

The braves just played today in 23 degree weather, and they have another game tonight...

Home plate umps need to have their ability to call balls and strikes eliminated. We have the technology to call an accurate strike zone - get these bums out - they ruin far too many games with their inaccurate calls.

Some drama in Chicago this afternoon.

Facing his last batter of the game in the seventh inning, Price took a step toward the dugout after he thought he threw strike three to Dewayne Wise. After Price retired Wise on a comebacker, Price and Hallion exchanged words as Price walked to the dugout.

Hallion, the crew chief, walked toward Price as the two appeared to be yelling at each other.

"It was a perfect pitch. It is. I really don't know why he (Wise) swung at the next one, because it was in the exact same spot," Price said. "I'm walking off the mound I'm just mad at myself. I didn't say a single word or look at him. He (Hallion) yells at me."

According to the Tampa Bay Times, Price said Hallion told him to "throw the ball over the f------ plate."

"My own dad doesn't speak to me that way," Price added.

Hallion vehemently denied Price's claim.

"I'll come right out bluntly and say he's a liar," Hallion told a pool reporter. "I said, 'Just throw the ball.' That's all I said to him."

Price disagreed and teammate Jeremy Hellickson, standing along the dugout railing, did as well. Hellickson was tossed after shouting at Hallion from the dugout.

"He was told to knock it off, him and Morse (Matt Moore) were at the dugout rail and I told them to knock it off," Hallion said, "and he thought it was OK for him to have his final comment, at which time he was ejected."

Rays manager Joe Maddon was surprised that the mild-mannered Hellickson was thrown out even though Maddon didn't hear the exchange.

"He's one of the most vociferous players on our team. He finally had an umpire get him," Maddon said jokingly. "It definitely led to the victory. Everybody was pumped up at that point."

I missed the exchange, as I was flipping back and forth between the NBA playoffs and the Rays game at the time. I did see the 3-run 8th inning that sealed the win. Didn't realize what had got the boys so fired up, but thanks to the ump I guess.

Looks like lots of people still talking about it on twitter the last few hours.

Baseball umps tend to think that they're more important to the game than the players, and use their rulings as weapons when they decide that they have an axe to grind.

AndrewA wrote:

Baseball umps tend to think that they're more important to the game than the players, and use their rulings as weapons when they decide that they have an axe to grind.

Some of them do. Tim McClelland certainly comes to mind.

Evan Longoria... doing that thing he does again. Walk-off 2-run HR.

Miklasz: Cards' pitchers making it look easy

The Cardinals’ starters took their brilliance to a supreme level during the first two games of the weekend series against Colorado.

Friday night, Shelby Miller allowed a broken-bat single to the first hitter of the evening, then buzzed down the Rockies for 27 consecutive outs to complete a one-hit, no-walk, 13-strikeout shutout.

Saturday afternoon, Adam Wainwright followed with another shutout, but added drama with an earnest bid for a no hitter. Waino went 71/3 innings until Nolan Arenado flared a single to center. Wainwright had to settle for a two-hit, one-walk shutout decorated with seven strikeouts.

Over the two games, Miller and Wainright faced 49 consecutive batters without allowing a hit, and retired 40 in a row at one point.

Their starting pitching now has an ERA of 2.11, a full run better than the second place staff of the Detroit Tigers who were 3.22. And it was their bullpen that was supposed to be their strength. And while the bullpen started rough, losing Motte for the season, and Boggs and Rzepczynski getting sent down, suddenly the young arms are cranking, too.

Stele wrote:

Evan Longoria... doing that thing he does again. Walk-off 2-run HR.

They needed it, their bullpen has not been up to typical levels so far this year.

karmajay wrote:
Stele wrote:

Evan Longoria... doing that thing he does again. Walk-off 2-run HR.

They needed it, their bullpen has not been up to typical levels so far this year.

Back to .500, I hope they keep it up. I'm excited I get to come back to Tampa (July 4th week) during baseball season this year for a game or two.

Joba Chamberlain is complaining that Mariano Rivera asked him to quiet down while he talked to reporters. Joba Chamberlain said that no one shushes him. Here's something he should realize:

1) Joba had major league talent for a little less than a full major league season.

2) If you need a set of "rules" for pitching, you shouldn't be classified as a major league pitcher.

3) If the greatest closer in the history of baseball asks you nicely to pipe down, even though he doesn't have to because he is a first ballot hall of famer and more of a man than you'll ever be, then you best just STFU.

I am surprised that not one Yankees player is stepping forward and putting this little POS in his place. What a washed up has been.

The Cardinals have the best looking alternative uniform in the major leagues. Bar none.

IMAGE(http://imageshack.us/a/img585/8208/saturdayuniform.jpg)

Kush15 wrote:

3) If the greatest closer in the history of baseball asks you nicely to pipe down, even though he doesn't have to because he is a first ballot hall of famer and more of a man than you'll ever be, then you best just STFU.

Who gives a sh*t how good he is, Joba was interacting with fans. That's more important than Rivera's precious interview. They're doing an interview on a baseball field, there's plenty of room to move it elsewhere. And, shushing somebody is not asking "nicely".

Jayhawker wrote:

The Cardinals have the best looking alternative uniform in the major leagues. Bar none.

IMAGE(http://imageshack.us/a/img585/8208/saturdayuniform.jpg)

Agreed. I love it. I might order one to go with my old Rolen jersey. Who do we want to leave?

Kush15 wrote:

Joba Chamberlain is complaining that Mariano Rivera asked him to quiet down while he talked to reporters. Joba Chamberlain said that no one shushes him. Here's something he should realize:

1) Joba had major league talent for a little less than a full major league season.

2) If you need a set of "rules" for pitching, you shouldn't be classified as a major league pitcher.

3) If the greatest closer in the history of baseball asks you nicely to pipe down, even though he doesn't have to because he is a first ballot hall of famer and more of a man than you'll ever be, then you best just STFU.

I am surprised that not one Yankees player is stepping forward and putting this little POS in his place. What a washed up has been.

Couldn't agree more. This guy has been demoted to the bullpen more times than I can count. I put him right up there with A-Rod, I wish they both would just go away!

I'm a pretty big proponent of eliminating humans from calling balls and strikes, so I thought this was an interesting piece.

I'm not sure it makes a case either way, but it looks at skill catchers have to frame pitches to get more strikes called. Is it an ability worth rewarding? Maybe, maybe not.

The Art of Pitch Framing

Take a look at these two pitches from 2012:

IMAGE(http://ia601701.us.archive.org/31/items/JoseMolinaryanDoumitGifs/MolinaFrame1.gif)
IMAGE(http://ia801701.us.archive.org/31/items/JoseMolinaryanDoumitGifs/DoumitFrame1.gif)

They're both four-seam fastballs thrown by right-handed pitchers to left-handed hitters. They both pass through the strike zone 21 inches off the ground, between 11.7 and 12.9 inches from the center of home plate. They both hit their targets, so the catchers know where they're headed and have time to prepare. And they're both called by the same umpire, Sam Holbrook.

In fact, the two pitches are similar in just about every respect but their outcomes. The top one, thrown by James Shields last July, is a strike, but the bottom one, thrown by Liam Hendriks last June, is a ball.

We can't say for sure why only one was a strike; maybe Holbrook was just feeling generous when the first pitch crossed the plate. But we do know one important variable that differs between the two pitches — the catcher. The pitch on the top was caught by the Rays' Jose Molina, one of baseball's best receivers. The pitch on the bottom was caught by the Twins' Ryan Doumit, one of the worst. And that may have made all the difference.

Focus on how catchers "frame" pitches to make them look more like strikes, or talk to guys who are good at it, and the distinction between players like Molina and Doumit starts to stand out. Depending on how they're caught, two pitches that are almost identical on their way to the plate can look a lot different once they get to the glove.

Concentrate on the catchers in those clips. Molina sets up farther outside, so even though the pitch to him is farther from the plate, he catches it in the center of his body. Doumit has to reach for the ball, drawing attention to its distance from the strike zone. The bases are empty in both clips, giving the catchers the freedom to set up any way they want without worrying about base runners. But only Molina goes down to one knee to present a lower, more stable target. Doumit's head jerks sharply downward the instant after he catches the pitch. Molina's remains still. And Doumit's glove, descending to meet the pitch, dips even more after he catches it. This sends the ball farther outside the zone and forces him to jerk the glove back up in an exaggerated fashion. Molina's glove never gets any lower than it is when he receives the pitch. He makes a much more subtle upward movement, and it takes about half as much time for his glove to come to rest.

Jayhawker wrote:

I'm a pretty big proponent of eliminating humans from calling balls and strikes, so I thought this was an interesting piece.

I'm not sure it makes a case either way, but it looks at skill catchers have to frame pitches to get more strikes called. Is it an ability worth rewarding? Maybe, maybe not.

I'd say "no" - it's not something that should be rewarded.

Yeah the game isn't a simulation. If a catcher is able to influence the calls then that's part of the game.

Might I mention, Yankees are in first place so all is right with the world!

Top seeded St. Louis loses to #13 seed Baltimore in battle of best uniforms

The polls have closed, our Battle of the Uniforms is officially over and the No. 1-seeded St. Louis Cardinals wound up suffering their toughest defeat since at least the final three games of last season's National League Championship Series -- and perhaps as far back as the 1985 World Series. And Cardinals fans can't blame this one on a bad call by Don Denkinger, either. The Baltimore Orioles decisively beat the Cardinals in the championship round -- also known as the Battle of the Birds -- receiving 59 percent of vote compared to 41 percent for the Cardinals.

St. Louis fans must be getting really tired of losing to teams with orange- and black-colored uniforms.