You know, I'm absolutely on board with having his number retired across the entire game, but part of me thinks it'd be a neat tribute if players who made their debut on Jackie Robinson Day were allowed to wear #42 for their entire careers. It would keep his legacy just a bit more present on the field, which is where he forever should be remembered.
I'm sure the owners would find a way to turn that into a gimmick within a year or two, though.
They'd use that as another excuse to keep a player down on the farm until later.
Or there'd be lobbying of certain players to debut on that day to get that number. Or complaints that this player got called up on that day instead of that player, considering the races of this and that.
The decision would have to be randomized - the Commissioner could have a randomized process whereby it is determined at the end of the day whether players could keep that number on a per-player basis. Not a complete deterrent to owners/front offices, sure, but it's something.
As for it being a reason to keep a player down on the farm, I can see it cutting both ways. Teams that are smart about service time might feel pressure to bring up guys they're keeping in the minors, though something as insignificant to field performance as a player's number should never dictate such a decision. As for teams keeping some players down at AAA for the beginning of the season, is that such a bad thing?
[selig shrug.jpg]
Chris Jaffe writes about the pitchers who held the whammy against AL franchises. I lobbied him via email for Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte (especially including the postseason bonus) over David Wells, but he wouldn't budge. Any other pitchers who absolutely owned the Twins that I forgot?
there are just soooo many choices from that list. Pettitte's not even in the top 60 for ERA on that list (Wells is 6th, but first amongst starters with 15+ starts). Pretty cool, sean.
Wells is a pretty defensible choice.
I'm not saying Wells was a bad choice. Still, from what I could tell, he wasn't even planning on mentioning Mussina until I kept poking at him.
I never remember "fearing" Wells facing the Twins; Mussina, on the other hand...
That fear-talk got Jim Rice into the Hall of Fame, you know.
those quotation marks don't translate well with the old-timers
[not here]
If we're cool with relievers, Troy Percival.
Heh, here's the last email I sent him:
In my mind, the list is:
Mussina
Pettitte
Big gap:
Wells, Halladay, Chuck Finley, Clemens
Oh, and hat tip to Troy Percivil coming out of the bullpen
Looks like Finley doesn't hold up as well as I remember.
A great case could be made for Mike Mussina. He actually had a better record: 22-6 against Minnesota. (Man, those Torre-era Yankee pitchers sure did devastate the Twins)
Didn't Mussina actually have a much better record against the Twins as an Oriole? Those Ripken-Mussina O's just owned the Twins from my recollection.
Any time a rally would get going in the late innings, Jesse Orosco would come in and retire Matt Lawton.
So . . . anyone want to join the mantis shrimp fan club with me?
Signed on.
Any insect crustacean that can smash through aquarium glass is cool by me.
Yeah, how do I secondy second something?
You won't think it so cool when a few of those things invade the Delta and start blowing up the levees with their death rays.
Now I'm wondering how they would taste in a Shrimp Creole. Might have to give the shrimp boats hazard pay, though.
sashimi fugu is for wussies. Killer Shrimp Creole is for Real Men.
Also, "These are my murder sticks. There are many like it, but these ones are mine." wins the internet today.
Some parts of the Bismarck area got over 20 inches of snow yesterday. Areas around SBGville got a foot. I swear to Jeebus that if it would have been about four degrees colder here, we would have had a foot, too, what with all the rain. What a terrible day weatherwise yesterday.
Now this is hilarious (h/t Bob Collins):
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8orI75g4M4
(Why is that not embedding? Did the code change?)
edit: - You can't have the "player_embed" part of the URL. It only works if it's just "watch?v=ABCDEF1" -Mags
That happens several times a year. You give a little kid a ball, what do you think he's going to do with it? Duh.
I love how the big brother first ratted him out and then is just sitting there stewing.
He ended up striking out 37 of 39 at bats (he got a line out to Right Field in his final at bat, which if I'm remembering right is the only time he got the ball out of the infield). He did draw eight walks, though. He's a solid football prospect, though, so he's unsurprisingly done with playing baseball.....
maybe because he doesn't want to have to repay parts of the signing bonus? (just speculating; I don't know how that bonus was constructed)
Thompson gave up the sport in the sixth grade, but the 6-foot-2, 215-pounder was a good enough athlete to be taken in the 18th round of the baseball draft last June.
He received a $45,000 signing bonus from the Red Sox on a four-year, $100,000 contract.
Seems likely. Nowhere to go but up, right?
One of the things that Bud Selig has done right: everyone wears #42 on April 15th every year. I'm not so charged about baseball right now, what with my club being sucktastic, but I will enjoy seeing the guys with their number 42s on today.
Baseball commissioners have long left a lot to be desired, but baseball has typically done right by Jackie. Well, Judge Landis wouldn't have, but eff him.
Just thought I'd mention that that bum Kevin Slowey, whose mere presence on the Marlins roster shows how lousy that team is, has a 2.04 ERA in three starts (17.2 innings).
Awesome.
They're testing the fire alarms here at work this morning. Honestly, by the time they're done, I'm going to be deaf for the day. Can it really be necessary to do this for 10+ minutes straight?
We had a fire alarm "test" this morning too. Apparently, some jerk came into our building lobby, turned out the lobby lights, then pulled the fire alarm.
More Fargo weather stuff, because I'm currently obsessed with it: in the last 55 days, there has been one (1) day where the recorded high temperature has been above the average high temperature for that day. No day in the next 10 is even close to the average. The only day where it was warmer than the average was March 14th, when it was 39 (average 35). Brutal.
I read somewhere yesterday that April 17th is the record for latest day where Fargo hit 50º F in Spring. We're going to shatter that record this year. It sucks.
Average high here is 64 degrees. Forecasted high of 41. I am thankful it's above freezing though, as I do not want even more snow.
Boston Globe reporting 2 deaths and over 100 injuries.
NYPost making some other, as yet uncorroborated claims.
That's pretty much standard operating procedure for the Post.
Oh good. That will definitely improve the discourse around this event.
Disgusting day in Boston. My younger brother had the best race of his young career - finishing in 2:56:33 - but was still only a block or two away with family (mom, sister, other brother) when the bombs went off. He loves to run...loves it. I pray this doesn't spoil the thing for him. Same for the rest of the field.
The Mauer hitting second experiment is over? (I guess it could be that since Willingham is out, Gardy wanted Mauer third, but I'm not sure why.)
Is Parmelee really a better outfielder than Arcia? Arcia has played primarily right field in the minors, but does have some time in center.
I'm going to conclude the Mauer hitting second 'experiment' is over.
I think it is more about Parmelee being more familiar with the RF wall. He has played it very well so far this year.
I hypothesized that before and ubes called bollocks. I agreed with him then and agree with him now.
Well, whether you agree with that assessment or not, I'm sure that is what Gardy will tell the media why Arcia is DHing. Or he would if the question comes up.
Joe Mauer has one RBI this season, and it was himself on his solo homer. Given who's batting in front of him, that sounds about right.
Hicks needs to swing and miss at those wild pitch third strikes more often.
He's got the swinging-and-missing part down already.
Four lefties in a row with a switch hitter batting in front of them. Do the Angels not have lefty relievers?
Only three.
Only three lefties in a row or three relievers? Arcia is a lefty, so that would be four in a row.
Three lefty relievers.
in a row?
Patrick Reusse @1500ESPN_Reusse
Wrong lineup Tweeted by me: Hicks out, Arcia in left, Doumit DH, Mastroianni CF.
Half-baked Reusse crap.
And now the "can't move someone from right to left" debacle. At least Arcia can probably adapt well enough and still be a positive.
I enjoyed it. Never heard Andrew's voice before. As for future podcasts, I think user-submitted questions would be great, and I think like the original BKAC's, there should be some automatic questions, like how did you find the WGOM, favorite Twins players, etc.
Re: Bob Feller. You weren't imagining things, Spooky. Feller said this many years ago re Jackie Robinson.
"He's tied up in the shoulders and can't hit an inside pitch to save his neck," Feller said. "If he were a white man, I doubt if they would even consider him big league material, except perhaps as a bat boy."
He also said in a 2005 interview that Caribbean players don't know the rules of the game, and when implied he was sounding racist and asked to give an example, he hung up the phone.
Also, a separate post would be a good idea, I think
You know, I'm absolutely on board with having his number retired across the entire game, but part of me thinks it'd be a neat tribute if players who made their debut on Jackie Robinson Day were allowed to wear #42 for their entire careers. It would keep his legacy just a bit more present on the field, which is where he forever should be remembered.
I'm sure the owners would find a way to turn that into a gimmick within a year or two, though.
They'd use that as another excuse to keep a player down on the farm until later.
Or there'd be lobbying of certain players to debut on that day to get that number. Or complaints that this player got called up on that day instead of that player, considering the races of this and that.
The decision would have to be randomized - the Commissioner could have a randomized process whereby it is determined at the end of the day whether players could keep that number on a per-player basis. Not a complete deterrent to owners/front offices, sure, but it's something.
As for it being a reason to keep a player down on the farm, I can see it cutting both ways. Teams that are smart about service time might feel pressure to bring up guys they're keeping in the minors, though something as insignificant to field performance as a player's number should never dictate such a decision. As for teams keeping some players down at AAA for the beginning of the season, is that such a bad thing?
[selig shrug.jpg]
Chris Jaffe writes about the pitchers who held the whammy against AL franchises. I lobbied him via email for Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte (especially including the postseason bonus) over David Wells, but he wouldn't budge. Any other pitchers who absolutely owned the Twins that I forgot?
Haven't figured out how to get Play Index to filter the results of this query easily, but here's the top 300 games started against the Twins.
there are just soooo many choices from that list. Pettitte's not even in the top 60 for ERA on that list (Wells is 6th, but first amongst starters with 15+ starts). Pretty cool, sean.
Wells is a pretty defensible choice.
I'm not saying Wells was a bad choice. Still, from what I could tell, he wasn't even planning on mentioning Mussina until I kept poking at him.
I never remember "fearing" Wells facing the Twins; Mussina, on the other hand...
That fear-talk got Jim Rice into the Hall of Fame, you know.
those quotation marks don't translate well with the old-timers
[not here]
If we're cool with relievers, Troy Percival.
Heh, here's the last email I sent him:
Looks like Finley doesn't hold up as well as I remember.
Didn't Mussina actually have a much better record against the Twins as an Oriole? Those Ripken-Mussina O's just owned the Twins from my recollection.
Any time a rally would get going in the late innings, Jesse Orosco would come in and retire Matt Lawton.
So . . . anyone want to join the mantis shrimp fan club with me?
Signed on.
Any
insectcrustacean that can smash through aquarium glass is cool by me.Yeah, how do I secondy second something?
You won't think it so cool when a few of those things invade the Delta and start blowing up the levees with their death rays.
Now I'm wondering how they would taste in a Shrimp Creole. Might have to give the shrimp boats hazard pay, though.
sashimi fugu is for wussies. Killer Shrimp Creole is for Real Men.
Also, "These are my murder sticks. There are many like it, but these ones are mine." wins the internet today.
Some parts of the Bismarck area got over 20 inches of snow yesterday. Areas around SBGville got a foot. I swear to Jeebus that if it would have been about four degrees colder here, we would have had a foot, too, what with all the rain. What a terrible day weatherwise yesterday.
Now this is hilarious (h/t Bob Collins):
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8orI75g4M4
(Why is that not embedding? Did the code change?)
edit: - You can't have the "player_embed" part of the URL. It only works if it's just "watch?v=ABCDEF1" -Mags
That happens several times a year. You give a little kid a ball, what do you think he's going to do with it? Duh.
I love how the big brother first ratted him out and then is just sitting there stewing.
the still shot on the embedded MLB clip is heartbreaking.
nice note that stadium staff apparently gave both kids souvenir balls to take home.
Hicks with the record for most strikeouts in his first ten career games. It should be noted that all is not lost, if you read the article. A month or two in AAA would be good for him.
He's no Shaq Thompson.
He ended up striking out 37 of 39 at bats (he got a line out to Right Field in his final at bat, which if I'm remembering right is the only time he got the ball out of the infield). He did draw eight walks, though. He's a solid football prospect, though, so he's unsurprisingly done with playing baseball.....
...wait, he's going to rejoin the GCL this June??
maybe because he doesn't want to have to repay parts of the signing bonus? (just speculating; I don't know how that bonus was constructed)
Seems likely. Nowhere to go but up, right?
One of the things that Bud Selig has done right: everyone wears #42 on April 15th every year. I'm not so charged about baseball right now, what with my club being sucktastic, but I will enjoy seeing the guys with their number 42s on today.
Baseball commissioners have long left a lot to be desired, but baseball has typically done right by Jackie. Well, Judge Landis wouldn't have, but eff him.
Just thought I'd mention that that bum Kevin Slowey, whose mere presence on the Marlins roster shows how lousy that team is, has a 2.04 ERA in three starts (17.2 innings).
Awesome.
They're testing the fire alarms here at work this morning. Honestly, by the time they're done, I'm going to be deaf for the day. Can it really be necessary to do this for 10+ minutes straight?
We had a fire alarm "test" this morning too. Apparently, some jerk came into our building lobby, turned out the lobby lights, then pulled the fire alarm.
More Fargo weather stuff, because I'm currently obsessed with it: in the last 55 days, there has been one (1) day where the recorded high temperature has been above the average high temperature for that day. No day in the next 10 is even close to the average. The only day where it was warmer than the average was March 14th, when it was 39 (average 35). Brutal.
I read somewhere yesterday that April 17th is the record for latest day where Fargo hit 50º F in Spring. We're going to shatter that record this year. It sucks.
Average high here is 64 degrees. Forecasted high of 41. I am thankful it's above freezing though, as I do not want even more snow.
As if you needed another reason to despise the Yankmes.
killer last sentence on that piece:
Yikes, two explosions went off at the finish line of the Boston Marathon.
This is not good.
A third explosion was reported, but it apparently was set off by police. I assume intentionally.
Here's a live update from Yahoo!
Boston Globe reporting 2 deaths and over 100 injuries.
NYPost making some other, as yet uncorroborated claims.
That's pretty much standard operating procedure for the Post.
Oh good. That will definitely improve the discourse around this event.
Disgusting day in Boston. My younger brother had the best race of his young career - finishing in 2:56:33 - but was still only a block or two away with family (mom, sister, other brother) when the bombs went off. He loves to run...loves it. I pray this doesn't spoil the thing for him. Same for the rest of the field.
The Mauer hitting second experiment is over? (I guess it could be that since Willingham is out, Gardy wanted Mauer third, but I'm not sure why.)
Is Parmelee really a better outfielder than Arcia? Arcia has played primarily right field in the minors, but does have some time in center.
I'm going to conclude the Mauer hitting second 'experiment' is over.
I think it is more about Parmelee being more familiar with the RF wall. He has played it very well so far this year.
I hypothesized that before and ubes called bollocks. I agreed with him then and agree with him now.
Well, whether you agree with that assessment or not, I'm sure that is what Gardy will tell the media why Arcia is DHing. Or he would if the question comes up.
Joe Mauer has one RBI this season, and it was himself on his solo homer. Given who's batting in front of him, that sounds about right.
Hicks needs to swing and miss at those wild pitch third strikes more often.
He's got the swinging-and-missing part down already.
Four lefties in a row with a switch hitter batting in front of them. Do the Angels not have lefty relievers?
Only three.
Only three lefties in a row or three relievers? Arcia is a lefty, so that would be four in a row.
Three lefty relievers.
in a row?
Half-baked Reusse crap.
And now the "can't move someone from right to left" debacle. At least Arcia can probably adapt well enough and still be a positive.
Los Angeles: where the Rubbers have hit the road
Regarding the BKAC.
I enjoyed it. Never heard Andrew's voice before. As for future podcasts, I think user-submitted questions would be great, and I think like the original BKAC's, there should be some automatic questions, like how did you find the WGOM, favorite Twins players, etc.
Re: Bob Feller. You weren't imagining things, Spooky. Feller said this many years ago re Jackie Robinson.
He also said in a 2005 interview that Caribbean players don't know the rules of the game, and when implied he was sounding racist and asked to give an example, he hung up the phone.
Also, a separate post would be a good idea, I think