Game 28: Twins at Red Sox

Even casual fans, with proper coaching and education, are able to see that the Win is a flawed statistic for measuring pitcher performance. We can all take consolation in just how flawed the statistic is as the Twins begin a four-game series this evening at Fenway with Clay Buchholz taking the mound for Boston. Because Buchholz has notched six wins this year in his six starts and will be going for this seventh straight tonight. Earned Run Average is another pitching stat that's been maligned in recent years, though it certainly has more evaluative utility than the Win. So don't put too much stock in that 1.01 ERA that Buchholz will take to the mound with him, either. It's still early in the year, the sample size still small. And the fact that Buchholz is 3-0 with a 2.49 ERA against the Twins since 2010 shouldn't matter to you too much, either. Remember, numbers don't win games, players do. If you can repeat that mantra throughout the night about every ten minutes, in Joe Morgan's voice, you'll be just fine (or, ready for institutional commitment). There is still reason to hope for a Twins win tonight. Because just like warm weather in the spring, regression to the mean can come a lot later than you expect.

On the mound for the Twins tonight is Vance Worley, also tossing his seventh start of the year but with nary a Win to his credit and a 7.22 ERA to boot. But again, forget about the numbers. The beauty of this game is that anything can happen. Buchholz might get food poisoning or the gout. Somebody might shoot him in the arm with a tranquilizer dart during warmups. He could slip on a banana peel or some other less trite but equally slippery fruit rind and wrench his back. The point is that there's always hope. For Worley, who the Twins seem to be souring on a bit lately, the best hope is to keep the ball from flying out of the ballpark and to miss a heck of a lot more bats. Let's hope he can figure out how to do that tonight. And remember, hope is a good thing. It's just not a good basis for wagering.

Play ball!

First Monday Book Day – Hugo Awards (and others)

It's that time again, to survey the various science fiction and fantasy awards and see what kinds of interesting short fiction we can find.

2013 Hugo Award Nominees

2012 Nebula Awards

2012 British Science Fiction Association Shortlist

I've read the majority of the short story nominations for those three awards. The three up for the Hugo are all excellent. My favorite is probably "Immersion" by Aliette de Bodard. It's about a society that uses avatars to keep harmony between conqueror and conquered, and the identity confusion that results.

Of all the awards, my favorite story might be "Limited Edition" by Tim Maughan about a group of hoodlums going after a load of precious cargo.

I'll put more extensive links in the comments if people are interested, but that should at least get us started on some book talk.

Players of the Week

Rochester:  Chris Colabello was 11-for-24 with two doubles, a home run, and three walks.  Clete Thomas was 9-for-21 with two doubles, three homers, and two walks.

New Britain:  Antoan Richardson was 9-for-25 with three doubles, three walks, and three stolen bases.

Fort Myers:  Miguel Sano was 10-for-20 with four doubles, a home run, and four walks.

Cedar Rapids:  Byron Buxton was 9-for-26 with two doubles, a triple, two home runs, five walks, and four stolen bases.  Jose Berrios was 2-0, giving up three runs on ten hits, striking out sixteen and walking none in 12.2 innings.

Happy Birthday–May 6

Bonesetter Reese (1855)
Walton Cruise (1890)
Mike McCormick (1917)
Willie Mays (1931)
Russ Gibson (1939)
Bill Hands (1940)
Masanori Murakami (1944)
Steve Staggs (1951)
Larry Andersen (1953)
Al Williams (1954)

John “Bonesetter” Reese worked with many baseball players and other famous people in the first part of the twentieth century.  Today we might call him a physical therapist, although he did not have a formal degree.  “Bonesetting” is a Welsh term for the treatment of muscle and tendon strains.

Infielder Steve Staggs was drafted by Minnesota in the fourteenth round in 1970, but did not sign.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–May 6

Game 27: Twins 4, Indians 2 (& the WILD WIN A PLAYOFF GAME!)

Pelfrey strikes out 7 in 6 innings while allowing only 4 hits and 1 run. One of his better outings.

Plouffe! with his 4th homer on the season, a 2-run shot in the 2nd.

M&M Boys with the other 2 RBI.

Perk 'n Play with his 7th save (though he did allow a couple of hits and a run on a solo HR by Santana.

In other news: Continue reading Game 27: Twins 4, Indians 2 (& the WILD WIN A PLAYOFF GAME!)

2013 Game 27: Twins at Indians

Big Pelf faces Corey Kluber.

I don't want to overstate the healing power of baseball here, but I need this game. The last couple of days since Nayasha's death have been harsh as reality starts to set in. Baseball, though, brings me together with you folks, with my wife (who's been humoring me by watching more games lately) and with Pat Neshek, who routinely helps me board the train to the next level on Candy Crush Saga (really).

Though I'm not totally hopeless, I doubt we'll stick this close to .500 much longer, specifically with Pelfrey up there. Still, I need this game, and I'm anxious for it to start.

Go Twins. Surprise me a little.

Remodeled basement. Same half-baked taste.