The Yankees placed slumping pitcher Phil Hughes on the disabled list.Source: http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/news/story?id=6363085&campaign=rss&source=MLBHeadlines
Sunday, 17 April 2011
New York Yankees place slumping pitcher Phil Hughes on DL
The Yankees placed slumping pitcher Phil Hughes on the disabled list.
Saturday, 16 April 2011
Game 1: Balanced attack helps Hawks stun Magic
Joe Johnson scored 25 points, Jamal Crawford finished with 23 and the Atlanta Hawks beat Orlando 103-93 in Game 1 of their playoff series on ...
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In for Crawford, Lowrie keys Red Sox win (AP)
Josh Beckett's fine start has been overshadowed by Boston's miserable opening to this season. Beckett had his second straight strong outing, holding Toronto to one run over seven innings, and Jed Lowrie provided a spark at the top of Boston's lineup with a two-run homer to lift the struggling Red Sox to a 4-1 victory over the Blue Jays on Saturday.
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Daniel Sedin scores twice, Canucks beat Blackhawks
Daniel Sedin scored his second goal midway through the third period and added an assist to lead the Vancouver Canucks to a 4-3 victory over the ...
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Adrian Gonzalez, Red Sox finalize $154 million extension
What was thought to be inevitable is about to become reality - Adrian Gonzalez's $154 million contract with the Red Sox has been finalized.
Source: http://rssfeeds.usatoday.com/~r/UsatodaycomSports-TopStories/~3/7rsT4SXl_fM/1
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Giants World Series Treasures Now on Display in Cooperstown
Lincecum?s jersey, Renteria?s bat highlight newest additions in Autumn Glory exhibit
Museum News
As the San Francisco Giants celebrate their first World Series championship, treasures from the baseball's most memorable moments from the 2010 postseason are now on display in the Autumn Glory exhibit at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown.
Following the Giants' World Series-clinching win on Nov. 1, the Museum acquired nearly a dozen artifacts from the both the Giants and the Texas Rangers. Artifacts donated by the Giants from the 106th World Series include:
- Road jersey worn by Giants starting pitcher Tim Lincecum in Game 5; Lincecum won two games in the Fall Classic.
- Bat used by World Series Most Valuable Player Edgar Renteria to hit his game-winning home run in Game 5.
- World Series batting helmet worn by Cody Ross, who scored five runs in the World Series.
- Cap worn by Madison Bumgarner in Game 4 when the rookie pitched eight shutout innings.
- Cap worn by Matt Cain in Game 2; Cain allowed no earned runs in 21.1 postseason innings this year.
- Left spike worn by Aubrey Huff in the Series; Huff drove in eight runs in the 2010 postseason.
- Catcher's mask and spikes worn by Buster Posey throughout the Series; Posey hit .300 in the Fall Classic.
- Press pin from the World Series.
Additional items from the Giants World Series title may be added to the exhibit in the coming weeks. In addition to these treasures, the exhibit also features artifacts from the American League champions Rangers from the 2010 World Series postseason, including:
- Bat used by the Rangers' Mitch Moreland to hit his Game 3 home run, the first World Series round-tripper in Rangers' history.
- Ceremonial first pitch ball from Game 4, delivered by former President George W. Bush and former President George H.W. Bush, signed by both men.
- Dirt taken from around the pitching mound following Game 3 at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington to mark the first World Series game in North Texas history.
The 2010 World Series exhibit in Autumn Glory will be on display through the 2011 Major League Baseball postseason. Entrance to the Autumn Glory exhibit is included with Museum admission.
For images of the Autumn Glory exhibit, please call Hall of Fame Director of Communications Craig Muder at 607-547-0227.
The Museum collections contain many artifacts documenting the entire history of World Series and postseason play, including Don Larsen's cap and Yogi Berra's mitt from Larsen's 1956 perfect game; Bill Mazeroski's (1960) and Joe Carter's (1993) bats from their Series-ending blasts; and World Series rings from the last century of Fall Classic competition.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is open seven days a week year round, with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. The Museum observes regular hours of 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. from Labor Day until Memorial Day Weekend. From Memorial Day through the day before Labor Day, the Museum is open from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. Ticket prices are $16.50 for adults (13 and over), $11 for seniors (65 and over) and for those holding current memberships in the VFW, Disabled American Veterans, American Legion and AMVets organizations, and $6 for juniors (ages 7-12). Members are always admitted free of charge and there is no charge for children 6 years of age or younger. For more information, visit our Web site at baseballhall.org or call 888-HALL-OF-FAME (888-425-5633) or 607-547-7200.
Source: http://baseballhall.org/news/museum-news/giants-world-series-treasures-now-display-cooperstown
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Braves? Jurrjens says he?s ready for debut (AP) (Lone Star Mets)
Jair Jurrjens says he's ready to help the Atlanta Braves, who need a boost after a slow start to the season. "I'm ready to pitch," Jurrjens said Friday. "I'm ready to help this team. That's the only thing that matters rig...
Source : Lone Star Mets
Explore : Atlanta Braves, Baseball Blogs, Baseball Players, Jair Jurrjens, Sports
Source: http://wik.io/info/US/260257362
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Friday, 15 April 2011
Jackie Robinson Day
In Alabama, August of 1942, a black soldier got into an argument with a white bus driver. The situation escalated and the soldier eventually told the driver to "drive your bus and leave me alone." Shortly thereafter the bus driver pistol-whipped the soldier. Then, for good measure, he shot the private three times as he left the bus. The soldier died instantly.
Two years later, a white bus driver ordered a black soldier to move to the back of the bus bound for Fort Hood in Texas. Again, a soldier refused. Again, a soldier told the driver, in so many words, to stick to driving his bus. Once he reached his destination, the driver relayed his account of the conflict to white civilian and military police. Arguing intensified when the soldier angrily reacted to racial slurs directed toward him from someone in the group. This soldier was quickly court-martialed.
Two days later, in North Carolina, a white bus driver ordered another black soldier to move to the back of the bus. That soldier conformed. But, he did not move quickly enough for the driver's taste. His reluctance did not lead to a court-martial. Instead, his unhurried compliance prompted the driver to shoot the private dead.
Today, Major League Baseball celebrates the soldier who stood up to a bus driver in the 1940s and was fortunate only to be court-martialed for doing so, considering the era in which he lived.
As nearly every baseball fan knows, in the spring of 1947 Jackie Robinson became the first black man to play for a major league baseball team in the 20th Century. Robinson, a multi-sport athlete in high school and college, as well as a former Army lieutenant, has earned a place in baseball's Hall of Fame for his on-field accomplishments and his role in helping break baseball's color barrier.
On the field, his bold style of play was as radical to the league as the color of his skin. Robinson combined speed and power in ways we often see today, but were not as prevalent in the 1940s. He withstood intense pressure from white players (including many of those on his own team), managers and fans who hoped he would fail and prove their prejudiced assumption that black players could not cut it in the big leagues.
This is what I, and I assume some other baseball fans, have always focused on in the story of Robinson's integration—the incredible strain he was under to succeed on the field. The burden of hope from his fans could hardly match the desire for his failure held by most everyone else. Of course, these pressures were in addition to his own lofty expectations as an athlete who had excelled in any previous undertaking. These demands always stood out to me as extraordinary circumstances to overcome. Baseball is hard. Harder still, I'd imagine, with the added burdens Robinson carried with him.
Despite those pressures, Robinson was successful right away at the big league level. He stole 100 bases in his first four seasons without getting thrown out. He would walk two or three times for every strikeout and go on to post a career .409 on-base percentage. Despite his unprecedented daring on the base paths, he was an extremely difficult out. Most baseball fans know about his Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards, as well as his World Series appearances.
Impressive as it was to play so well under so much scrutiny, playing the game at a high level was actually not the toughest part of his breaking into the big leagues. While much attention has been paid (and rightfully so) to Robinson's first major league season and resulting Hall of Fame career, he faced a far greater threat just trying to make the team in the Deep South. And, it had nothing to do with the sore throwing arm he brought to camp.
When Dodger general manager Branch Rickey signed Robinson the previous fall, he began what historian Jules Tygiel and others later called "the noble experiment." The idea was that since baseball represents so much of America's culture, a black player who competed alongside whites might open the door for desegregation across the country.
There has been some debate over Rickey's levels of social consciousness in contrast to his love of showmanship in connection with the Robinson signing. We may never know how far the Brooklyn GM's interests went beyond the success of his own team. However, even Rickey's detractors should admit that he took great risk in signing a black player in 1945. It made future signings far more likely.
But, before Robinson could even try out for the team and potentially inspire future social change, he'd have to confront overt racism in the South. For instance, Robinson and his wife saw a preview of things to come even before meeting up with the team when they were relegated to the "colored" motel at a layover during their flight to Florida for spring training in the spring of 1946.
Clashes with Jim Crow laws would be a recurring theme on Robinson's travels with the team throughout Florida. Towns sometimes threatened to cancel games if Robinson took the field during exhibition games. Jacksonville once barred Robinson from competing. This led Rickey to cancel the Dodger game there. Who had signed another black player. Johnny Wright, in January, said that his team would no longer travel to towns promising to ban his controversial players from play. Only the threats to cancel games (and the resulting revenue they provided) in Florida cities kept local officials from forcing Robinson off the field.
While Rickey had an instrument to fight discrimination in Florida due to the marketability of his Dodgers, he and Robinson had some unusual and unexpected help dealing with Jim Crow laws that spring.
Communist newspapers, like the Daily Worker, had called for the integration of baseball for years before the "Experiment." They had even contacted Rickey in the 1930s demanding tryouts for black players. These non-traditional sources, along with African-American dailies, relayed much of the true difficulties Robinson encountered in the spring of 1946. In contrast, mainstream newspapers had purposely left out the potential for physical violence Robinson faced. They hid ugly episodes of racism. That way, white readers would continue to follow the story.
Alternative newspapers' highlighting of the difficulties Robinson actually faced probably helped force the issue in the South and raise awareness in the North about the level of discrimination still found in the country at that time.
With help from his general manager and some rogue newspapers, Robinson made the team easily. After a year in the minors, he debuted in the majors in 1947. His stoic response to racial insults—prompted by an agreement he and Rickey made beforehand—and his dynamic play on the field essentially opened major league baseball to African-American players.
MLB will honor Robinson's number 42 today. It serves as a reminder of a time, not long enough ago considering its embarrassing conditions, when Jim Crow "laws" bled into baseball and owners had an unwritten rule that relegated black players to segregated semi-pro leagues.
Robinson's success on the field and the social awareness it inspired not only made it possible for black baseball players to compete at the highest level, it later opened the door for other dark-skinned players as well. Considering the number of exceptionally talented minority players who have played in the majors since 1947, Robinson's integration not only stands as an extremely important point in the social history of our country, but also made the game we love more enjoyable sooner, rather than later.
(A version of this article first appeared online at Baseball Daily Digest. Books used- Tuck- Beyond Atlanta, Davis- Civil Rights Movement, Shapiro- White Violence and Black Response, Tygiel- Baseball?s Great Experiment and Extra Bases, Dorinson and Warmund- Jackie Robinson, Rampersad- Jackie Robinson, Robinson- I Never Had It Made, Lamb- Blackout)
Read more great baseball stuff at The Hardball Times.
Two years later, a white bus driver ordered a black soldier to move to the back of the bus bound for Fort Hood in Texas. Again, a soldier refused. Again, a soldier told the driver, in so many words, to stick to driving his bus. Once he reached his destination, the driver relayed his account of the conflict to white civilian and military police. Arguing intensified when the soldier angrily reacted to racial slurs directed toward him from someone in the group. This soldier was quickly court-martialed.
Two days later, in North Carolina, a white bus driver ordered another black soldier to move to the back of the bus. That soldier conformed. But, he did not move quickly enough for the driver's taste. His reluctance did not lead to a court-martial. Instead, his unhurried compliance prompted the driver to shoot the private dead.
Today, Major League Baseball celebrates the soldier who stood up to a bus driver in the 1940s and was fortunate only to be court-martialed for doing so, considering the era in which he lived.
As nearly every baseball fan knows, in the spring of 1947 Jackie Robinson became the first black man to play for a major league baseball team in the 20th Century. Robinson, a multi-sport athlete in high school and college, as well as a former Army lieutenant, has earned a place in baseball's Hall of Fame for his on-field accomplishments and his role in helping break baseball's color barrier.
On the field, his bold style of play was as radical to the league as the color of his skin. Robinson combined speed and power in ways we often see today, but were not as prevalent in the 1940s. He withstood intense pressure from white players (including many of those on his own team), managers and fans who hoped he would fail and prove their prejudiced assumption that black players could not cut it in the big leagues.
This is what I, and I assume some other baseball fans, have always focused on in the story of Robinson's integration—the incredible strain he was under to succeed on the field. The burden of hope from his fans could hardly match the desire for his failure held by most everyone else. Of course, these pressures were in addition to his own lofty expectations as an athlete who had excelled in any previous undertaking. These demands always stood out to me as extraordinary circumstances to overcome. Baseball is hard. Harder still, I'd imagine, with the added burdens Robinson carried with him.
Despite those pressures, Robinson was successful right away at the big league level. He stole 100 bases in his first four seasons without getting thrown out. He would walk two or three times for every strikeout and go on to post a career .409 on-base percentage. Despite his unprecedented daring on the base paths, he was an extremely difficult out. Most baseball fans know about his Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards, as well as his World Series appearances.
Impressive as it was to play so well under so much scrutiny, playing the game at a high level was actually not the toughest part of his breaking into the big leagues. While much attention has been paid (and rightfully so) to Robinson's first major league season and resulting Hall of Fame career, he faced a far greater threat just trying to make the team in the Deep South. And, it had nothing to do with the sore throwing arm he brought to camp.
When Dodger general manager Branch Rickey signed Robinson the previous fall, he began what historian Jules Tygiel and others later called "the noble experiment." The idea was that since baseball represents so much of America's culture, a black player who competed alongside whites might open the door for desegregation across the country.
There has been some debate over Rickey's levels of social consciousness in contrast to his love of showmanship in connection with the Robinson signing. We may never know how far the Brooklyn GM's interests went beyond the success of his own team. However, even Rickey's detractors should admit that he took great risk in signing a black player in 1945. It made future signings far more likely.
But, before Robinson could even try out for the team and potentially inspire future social change, he'd have to confront overt racism in the South. For instance, Robinson and his wife saw a preview of things to come even before meeting up with the team when they were relegated to the "colored" motel at a layover during their flight to Florida for spring training in the spring of 1946.
Clashes with Jim Crow laws would be a recurring theme on Robinson's travels with the team throughout Florida. Towns sometimes threatened to cancel games if Robinson took the field during exhibition games. Jacksonville once barred Robinson from competing. This led Rickey to cancel the Dodger game there. Who had signed another black player. Johnny Wright, in January, said that his team would no longer travel to towns promising to ban his controversial players from play. Only the threats to cancel games (and the resulting revenue they provided) in Florida cities kept local officials from forcing Robinson off the field.
While Rickey had an instrument to fight discrimination in Florida due to the marketability of his Dodgers, he and Robinson had some unusual and unexpected help dealing with Jim Crow laws that spring.
Communist newspapers, like the Daily Worker, had called for the integration of baseball for years before the "Experiment." They had even contacted Rickey in the 1930s demanding tryouts for black players. These non-traditional sources, along with African-American dailies, relayed much of the true difficulties Robinson encountered in the spring of 1946. In contrast, mainstream newspapers had purposely left out the potential for physical violence Robinson faced. They hid ugly episodes of racism. That way, white readers would continue to follow the story.
Alternative newspapers' highlighting of the difficulties Robinson actually faced probably helped force the issue in the South and raise awareness in the North about the level of discrimination still found in the country at that time.
With help from his general manager and some rogue newspapers, Robinson made the team easily. After a year in the minors, he debuted in the majors in 1947. His stoic response to racial insults—prompted by an agreement he and Rickey made beforehand—and his dynamic play on the field essentially opened major league baseball to African-American players.
MLB will honor Robinson's number 42 today. It serves as a reminder of a time, not long enough ago considering its embarrassing conditions, when Jim Crow "laws" bled into baseball and owners had an unwritten rule that relegated black players to segregated semi-pro leagues.
Robinson's success on the field and the social awareness it inspired not only made it possible for black baseball players to compete at the highest level, it later opened the door for other dark-skinned players as well. Considering the number of exceptionally talented minority players who have played in the majors since 1947, Robinson's integration not only stands as an extremely important point in the social history of our country, but also made the game we love more enjoyable sooner, rather than later.
(A version of this article first appeared online at Baseball Daily Digest. Books used- Tuck- Beyond Atlanta, Davis- Civil Rights Movement, Shapiro- White Violence and Black Response, Tygiel- Baseball?s Great Experiment and Extra Bases, Dorinson and Warmund- Jackie Robinson, Rampersad- Jackie Robinson, Robinson- I Never Had It Made, Lamb- Blackout)
Read more great baseball stuff at The Hardball Times.
Source: http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/blog_article/jackie-robinson-day/
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Prospect Three-Day Weekend
Trout's off to a hot start.
Click the title to read more.
Read more great baseball stuff at The Hardball Times.
Click the title to read more.
Read more great baseball stuff at The Hardball Times.
Source: http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/prospect-three-day-weekend6/
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Pavelski's overtime goal puts Sharks over Kings
Joe Pavelski scored 14:44 into overtime to give the San Jose Sharks a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings in Game 1 of their all-California ...
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Utley feels 'pretty good' after running on field
Utley feels 'pretty good' after running on field
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Thursday, 14 April 2011
Court won't give definitive judgment of Barry Bonds; ultimately, will MLB?
We probably will never get closure on the steroids problem in baseball from the last generation of players. History will judge these players -- both guilty and innocent -- differently that past generations, knowing that the power stats were exaggerated. Hall of Fame voters will likely keep those with clear evidence of cheating out of Cooperstown, but those players still made big money because they extended their careers, or pushed them to new heights.
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Bryant to appeal $100K fine for slur, but takes responsibility
Los Angeles Lakers superstar guard Kobe Bryant seemed to mouth an expletive-filled homophobic slur toward a referee during Wednesday night's ...
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Mitchell among those honored at Ellis Island
Mitchell among those honored at Ellis Island
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Maybe horrific beating of fan can have a positive side effect
Typically at a big-league baseball game, there are many fans wearing the colors of the road team. It comes with the territory that they should have thick enough skin to endure a few taunts and gentle ribbing, but they should never fear for their safety.
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Wednesday, 13 April 2011
A winning personality
Sparky ignited flame for three World Championship teams
Museum News
Watch a video of Sparky Anderson's Hall of Fame Induction Speech
View Text of Sparky Anderson's Hall of Fame Induction Speech
List of artifacts of Anderson's in the Museum's collection
View a Photo Gallery of Sparky Anderson
More on Sparky Anderson
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. ? They called him Sparky for a reason.
George "Sparky" Anderson was humble and upbeat, candid and sincere, and baseball has lost one of its most beloved and successful managers.
Anderson passed away on Thursday at the age of 76. The first manager to win World Series titles in both the National League and American League, Anderson was inducted in to the Hall of Fame in 2000 by the Veterans Committee. His exceptional managerial career lasted from 1970-1995.
"Sparky was a brilliant manager whose successes between the white lines, in both leagues, are well documented ? 2,194 wins, five pennants, three World Series and two manager of the year awards," said Hall of Fame President Jeff Idelson. "Not only did his jovial disposition, warm demeanor, infectious smile and innate ability to build confidence allow him to get the most out of his players, but assured him of befriending everyone he touched. He will be missed in Cooperstown, especially during Hall of Fame Weekend where he was a favorite among the fans and his fellow Hall of Famers."
George Lee Anderson was born on Feb. 22, 1934 in Bridgewater, S.D. He began his playing career by signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers prior to the 1953 season as an amateur free agent. In 1958 he was traded to the Phillies, and in 1959 Anderson made his major league debut playing second base for Philadelphia. Sparky finished out the 1959 season with the Phillies ? playing all of his 152 career big league games that season ? then played the next four seasons in Triple-A with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Anderson managed in the minors in the mid-1960s, then returned to the majors in 1969 as a member of the coaching staff for the San Diego Padres. In 1970, was offered the opportunity to step into the role of manager for the Cincinnati Reds.
During his first three seasons, Anderson led the Reds to two National League pennants. In 1975, the Reds won 108 games, the NL championship, and battled the Red Sox in the World Series, coming out on top in the seven-game set. The Reds triumphed again the next season as the "Big Red Machine" swept the Fall Classic of '76 against the Yankees.
During his time with the Reds, Sparky obtained the nickname of "Captain Hook" for his, at the time, unorthodox habit of relying heavily on the bullpen. Also while in Cincinnati, Anderson racked up the highest win total (863) and best winning percentage (.596) of any manager in franchise history.
In June of 1979, after two second-place seasons in Cincinnati, Sparky moved to Detroit, signing on with the Tigers. The Tigers experienced some success immediately under Anderson, but it wasn't until 1984, when the club set a major league record by opening the season with a 35-5 record, that they reached the postseason ? where they swept the Kansas City Royals for the American League Championship. The Tigers then completed their championship season by defeating the San Diego Padres in five games in the World Series.
"Sparky's got style and charisma ? and knows how to manage and get the best out of his players," said Champ Summers, who played under Anderson in both Cincinnati and Detroit.
Anderson had become the first manager to win World Series for both NL and AL teams, and since then only one other manager, Tony La Russa, has reached that milestone. Anderson continued to manage the Tigers until 1995, when he retired after the season.
Sparky won Manager of the Year Awards in 1972, 1976, 1984 and again in 1987 (after leading the Tigers to the majors' best record that year). He also became the first manager to have 600 career wins in both the NL and AL. Upon retiring, Anderson had managed 4,030 games total racked up 2,194 victories ? still the sixth-best total of all-time.
"Baseball is a simple game," Anderson said. "If you have good players and if you keep them in the right frame of mind, then the manager is a success."
Karyn Tucker was a public relations intern at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
Source: http://baseballhall.org/news/museum-news/winning-personality
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Tips on wading through the fantasy baseball dumpster
So there are few things to regret already in the fantasy baseball season. You banked on a Manny Ramirez comeback, for example. Or thought your bullpen would be solid with Ryan Franklin and Fernando Rodney on the back end.
...Source: http://baseball.about.com/b/2011/04/10/tips-on-wading-through-the-fantasy-baseball-dumpster.htm
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MLB -- Curtain Call: Doug Glanville on the changing culture for center fielders
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Bonds jury still hasn't reached verdict (AP)
Jurors will try again to reach a verdict in the Barry Bonds perjury trial when they return to the courthouse for the start of their fourth day of deliberations. The eight men and four men are scheduled to return at 8:30 a.m. Pacific time Wednesday. They failed for a third day Tuesday to reach a verdict.
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Pledge Drive Update
The Baseball Musings Pledge Drive is up to $2295 through the first two weeks of donations. With 16 days to go, continuing that pace would make this the best pledge drive in the history of Baseball Musings. Peter Gammons donated...
Source: http://www.baseballmusings.com/archives/031388.php
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Tuesday, 12 April 2011
Ramirez's second blast lifts White Sox in 10
Ramirez's second blast lifts White Sox in 10
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The Duke of Hazard
Edwin "Duke" Snider died last Sunday at the age of 84. We're talkin' baseball here. Willie, Mickey, and the Duke. Three Hall of Famers who patrolled center field in New York during the 1950s.
There have been countless tributes written about Snider during the past week, including one titled simply "The Duke" by the prolific Joe Posnanski. In addition, Duke's death has been a topic of conversation on the Society of American Baseball Research's SABR-L message board. The latter has focused on the time when Snider hurt his arm trying to throw a baseball out of the Los Angeles Coliseum in April 1958.
Posnanski mentioned that Snider "had a powerful arm when he was young but hurt it and was never quite the same after he turned 30" but doesn't provide any details. SABR members Bob Timmermann and Lloyd Davis provided excerpts from articles in the Los Angeles Times and Associated Press. I also found one from The Milwaukee Sentinel.
This story got me thinking about what my Dad, who covered the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1958-1968 for the Long Beach Independent, Press-Telegram, had to say about the matter. I pulled out his scrapbooks and found three separate stories on this subject.
The first was published in the morning newspaper (then known as the Independent) in a separate boxed insert on Thursday, April 24, 1958 as part of the Dodgers-Cubs game coverage from the previous night.
Clowns, Hurts ArmDuke Snider, who so far has failed to hit a ball out of the Coliseum, tried to throw one out Wednesday night with the adverse results.
Clowning around before batting practice, the Duke attempted to clear the concrete wall bordering the 79th row. He came close once, tossing one into the 77th row, but pulled a muscle in his arm on the final try.
Manager Walter Alston had to yank Snider from his announced lineup and he may miss today's game, too.
The second was the lead to a longer story with the headline spanning the entire newspaper of that evening's newspaper (known as the Press-Telegram).
Snider in Dodger DoghouseBy GEORGE LEDERER
There are some strained feelings among the Dodgers today, both physical and otherwise.
Physically, the strain is in Duke Snider's right elbow. Otherwise, it is between Snider and manager Walter Alston and the Dodger front office.
The Duke learned the hard way Wednesday night that he is paid roughly $40,000 per season to try and hit, not throw, the ball out of the park.
In a bit of pre-game horse play with utility infielder Don Zimmer, Snider strained a tendon in his right elbow as he tried to heave a ball out of the Coliseum, 79 rows high and some 120 feet deep.
Alston, who had already announced his lineup, was forced to make some quick changes. He not only yanked Snider, but suspended him without pay until he is ready to play again.
[snip]
Snider, who had succeeded in tossing a ball as far as the 77th row before straining his elbow, watched the action from the bench and was not informed of his suspension until after the game. His injury is believed to be not serious, but may keep him out another day or two.
Alston said he would not tolerate such antics. Snider, hitting only .217, was still showing the effects of last December's knee operation that sidelined him until late in the exhibition season.
The third article appeared in the newspaper the following day.
DAFFY DODGERS---AGAINClowning Costs Duke Day's Pay
Duke Snider was in a surprisingly good mood Thursday when he was reinstated in the Dodger lineup by Manager Walt Alston after some extra-curricular clowning cost him a day's pay.
The Duke was forced to sit out Wednesday night's 7-6 loss to the Cubs when he strained his right elbow in trying to throw a ball out of the 79-row Coliseum.
Snider was suspended for the night and docked a day's pay, which amounted to $275.
When asked how the arm felt, Snider said, "Peachy. I can't afford to lose another day's pay and neither can Uncle Sam. You know, I'm the guy who's firing all those missiles."
Alston was still somewhat sore about the incident. He also fined utility infielder Don Zimmer $25 for his part in the throwing contest. "Zimmer was just as much a part of it as Snider. The only difference is that he didn't get hurt. I would have liked to have Snider in there last night."
Dodger relief pitcher Ed Roebuck also commanded the spotlight briefly during Wednesday night's three-ring circus. Roebuck drew a $25 fine for trying to hit the scoreboard clock with fungoes in pre-game practice.
"He was supposed to hit fly balls to the outfielders," Alston said. "Instead, he was fooling around and knocking balls into the peristyle end. You won't see him hitting any today."
Snider showed no signs of being affected by the elbow injury. He threw well from left field and beat out an infield hit in his first time at bat. Rookie Don Demeter replaced Snider in the seventh inning.
There you have it ... the real story behind how the Duke of Hazard hurt his arm in 1958.
While I'm not a fan of leaders by the decade*, I found it interesting that Snider led MLB in home runs (326) and RBI (1,031) during the 1950s. You know, the decade that featured Ted Williams, Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Stan Musial, and Eddie Mathews. Williams missed virtually all of the 1952 and 1953 seasons to the Korean War. Mays and Mantle were rookies in 1951, and Mays missed a large portion of '52 and all of '53 to the military as well. Mathews slugged 299 HR despite debuting in 1952. Many other superstars like Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, AL Kaline, and Frank Robinson didn't make it to the majors until the mid-1950s. By the way, Snider's teammate Gil Hodges was No. 2 in HR that decade with 310. Mathews was third, followed by Mantle (280), Musial (266), Yogi Berra (256), Mays (250), Ted Kluszewski (239), Gus Zernial (232), and Banks (228).
*Jack Morris led the majors in wins during the 1980s and Mark Grace led in hits during the 1990s.
Source: http://baseballanalysts.com/archives/2011/03/the_duke_of_haz.php
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The Cubs in 2011
Sometimes it just all goes wrong. You could say that was the story of the 2010 Red Sox. They suffered injuries all over the roster. Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, Mike Cameron, Josh Beckett, you name the Red Sox player and it's likely they missed a chunk of time. John Lackey also fell short of expectations, Jonathan Papelbon imploded down the stretch, and the end result was a 3rd place finish.
But then again, what about the MVP season Adrian Beltre put up? And didn't Clay Buchholz somehow post a 2.33 ERA? Jon Lester had another Cy Young caliber season. Jed Lowrie posted a better OPS+ than Troy Tulowitzki in limited time. You get the point. There were bright spots for the Red Sox, and it's how they managed to win 89 games.
For the Cubs, things went south quickly. They started terribly out of the gate, and a short-tempered Lou Piniella, on his last managerial legs, reacted poorly. He mishandled Carlos Zambrano, whose awful April and delicate temperament seemed to overwhelm Piniella. Inexplicably, Piniella actually played Koyie Hill regularly while one of the game's best hitting catchers sat on the bench. In an unceremonious end to his career, Pinella quit over the summer when the Cubs were 51-74.
It wasn't just Piniella's fault, of course. From 2004 to 2009, Aramis Ramirez hit .303/.368/.551 in over 3,300 plate appearances. In 2010, he hit .241/.294/.452 on the heels of his worst BABIP, .245, since his 21-year old season for the Pirates. Derrek Lee hit .304/.384/.515 from 2007 to 2009 and then fell to .251 /.335/.416 last season for the Cubs. Sure it's probably just one of those things and not attributable to much at all, but the fact that Lee went and hit .287/.384/.465 for the Braves over the last 39 games does little to discredit the notion that there was a corrosiveness surrounding the Cubs in 2010.
There were also the 412 plate appearances of .647 OPS output that Ryan Theriot contributed. Indeed, the most productive Cubs infielder in 2010 was Starlin Castro, an exciting development that bodes well for the North Siders' future. But let's be honest. If a 20-year old shortstop is your best hitting infielder, chances are you're doing it very, very wrong.
On the pitching side, Zambrano notwithstanding, things started out pretty good for the Cubs. The problems arose over the summer. In June and July, they yielded 323 runs over a 55-game stretch. That amounts to 5.87 runs per game, or 951 allowed extrapolated over a full season. No National League team in the last 10 seasons has managed 951 runs. It was a disaster. On the bright side, the Cubs did finish 24-13 under new Manager, Mike Quade, who returns this season.
So what about 2011? Lee is gone and Carlos Pena is in. While it may be a lot to ask of an antsy fan base to grin and bear such a low batting average and a ton of strikeouts, Pena looks poised for a big bounce-back. Dan Szymborski's ZIPS has Lee at .239/.363/.508 with 31 home runs. On the other corner, Ramirez is another great candidate to return to form. At second, Theriot's out of the picture and while Blake DeWitt and Jeff Baker might not amount to much, Theriot gone, and playing for the rival Cards no less, may well amount to addition by subtraction. Baker has hit .308/.363/.545 in his career against lefties, so Quade may have a tactical lever to pull in order to squeeze a bit more production out of second. At short, Castro's another year older and projects as a star one day. He might not get there this year but you never know when a player of his talent might make that leap. They're not the Phillies, the Red Sox or the Yankees but it should be a productive infield, which is a lot more than the Cubbies could say in 2010.
Behind the plate, Quade's mandate is simple. Play Geovany Soto. Play him as much as possible without risking injury. DH him in the AL parks. It was only nine games but I found this to be one of the very saddest things about the 2010 Cubs. Their pitchers hit .132/.170/.159 last season. In their nine interleague games in AL ballparks, Cubs DH's hit .154/.175/.179. They might as well have stuck with their pitcher. Sorry to get off topic but the point here is straightforward. Play Soto a lot. Play Hill as little as possible.
The outfield of (left to right) Alfonso Soriano, Marlon Byrd and Kosuke Fukudome returns in place and while it's old and not the most prolific bunch, it's also steady. None of them figures to turn in a stinker of a season provided they can stay healthy. I'm not a big Tyler Colvin fan but he's versatile and fine enough as a fourth option.
On the pitching side, Ryan Dempster returns and Quade has already named him the Opening Day starter. It's a small thing but I like the early announcement for a few reasons. First, it shows that Quade appreciates what Dempster has managed to accomplish over the last few seasons. Since 2008, he ranks 14th in Fangraphs Wins Above Replacement among all Major League pitchers. Rewarding Dempster for that sort of output reflects well on Quade. Second, it takes a hint pressure off of Zambrano and newcomer Matt Garza. Zambrano hasn't always reacted well to the expectations that come with a big paycheck in a media market like Chicago. And, like Zambrano, Garza is a fiery competitor who can feed off of, or be done in by, his emotions. Again, it's not a big deal but it reflects a level of thoughtfulness that was lacking during the Piniella days. The Cubs had a 103 team ERA+ last season, they return four of five starters, swap Garza in for Tom Gorzelanny and have added Kerry Wood to a bullpen that returns key pieces Carlos Marmol and Sean Marshall.
If the Cubs fail to make a playoff push this season, it will likely be due to a lack of depth. That's a shame for a club with Chicago's payroll but it's the reality. A Soriano injury means everyday Tyler Colvin. If Pena or Ramirez miss time, does Baker move to a corner infield position? There's not much rotation depth at all, and outside of the top three or four or five options depending on how you feel about live arms Andrew Cashner and Thomas Diamond, the bullpen gets thin quickly.
Nonetheless there's a path to success for the Cubs this season. It's tenuous because of how thin they are, but it's there. With health, more of the same from the pitching staff, above average corner infield production, continued excellence and more playing time for Soto and a leap forward from Castro, the Cubs have the look of a contender. They look even more like one with yesterday's Adam Wainwright news, and if you compare the Cubs' reaction to the news to Cincinnati's, who knows? Karma monitors these things, and maybe the Cubs will find it on their side this year?
Source: http://baseballanalysts.com/archives/2011/02/the_cubs_in_201.php
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New Look Coming
We're in the process of porting the blog from Movable Type to WordPress. My goal is to have the new look in place later today. My apologies for the lack of updates today....
Source: http://www.baseballmusings.com/archives/031391.php
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Pledge Drive Update
The Baseball Musings Pledge Drive is up to $2210 through the first dozen days of donations. With 18 days to go, continuing that pace would make this the best pledge drive in the history of Baseball Musings. Peter Gammons donated...
Source: http://www.baseballmusings.com/archives/031378.php
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Monday, 11 April 2011
Historic April bashing
What players have had the best homer totals in April?
Click the title to read more.
Read more great baseball stuff at The Hardball Times.
Click the title to read more.
Read more great baseball stuff at The Hardball Times.
Source: http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/historic-april-bashing/
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Konerko moves on quickly from honor
Konerko moves on quickly from honor
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The Cubs in 2011
Sometimes it just all goes wrong. You could say that was the story of the 2010 Red Sox. They suffered injuries all over the roster. Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, Mike Cameron, Josh Beckett, you name the Red Sox player and it's likely they missed a chunk of time. John Lackey also fell short of expectations, Jonathan Papelbon imploded down the stretch, and the end result was a 3rd place finish.
But then again, what about the MVP season Adrian Beltre put up? And didn't Clay Buchholz somehow post a 2.33 ERA? Jon Lester had another Cy Young caliber season. Jed Lowrie posted a better OPS+ than Troy Tulowitzki in limited time. You get the point. There were bright spots for the Red Sox, and it's how they managed to win 89 games.
For the Cubs, things went south quickly. They started terribly out of the gate, and a short-tempered Lou Piniella, on his last managerial legs, reacted poorly. He mishandled Carlos Zambrano, whose awful April and delicate temperament seemed to overwhelm Piniella. Inexplicably, Piniella actually played Koyie Hill regularly while one of the game's best hitting catchers sat on the bench. In an unceremonious end to his career, Pinella quit over the summer when the Cubs were 51-74.
It wasn't just Piniella's fault, of course. From 2004 to 2009, Aramis Ramirez hit .303/.368/.551 in over 3,300 plate appearances. In 2010, he hit .241/.294/.452 on the heels of his worst BABIP, .245, since his 21-year old season for the Pirates. Derrek Lee hit .304/.384/.515 from 2007 to 2009 and then fell to .251 /.335/.416 last season for the Cubs. Sure it's probably just one of those things and not attributable to much at all, but the fact that Lee went and hit .287/.384/.465 for the Braves over the last 39 games does little to discredit the notion that there was a corrosiveness surrounding the Cubs in 2010.
There were also the 412 plate appearances of .647 OPS output that Ryan Theriot contributed. Indeed, the most productive Cubs infielder in 2010 was Starlin Castro, an exciting development that bodes well for the North Siders' future. But let's be honest. If a 20-year old shortstop is your best hitting infielder, chances are you're doing it very, very wrong.
On the pitching side, Zambrano notwithstanding, things started out pretty good for the Cubs. The problems arose over the summer. In June and July, they yielded 323 runs over a 55-game stretch. That amounts to 5.87 runs per game, or 951 allowed extrapolated over a full season. No National League team in the last 10 seasons has managed 951 runs. It was a disaster. On the bright side, the Cubs did finish 24-13 under new Manager, Mike Quade, who returns this season.
So what about 2011? Lee is gone and Carlos Pena is in. While it may be a lot to ask of an antsy fan base to grin and bear such a low batting average and a ton of strikeouts, Pena looks poised for a big bounce-back. Dan Szymborski's ZIPS has Lee at .239/.363/.508 with 31 home runs. On the other corner, Ramirez is another great candidate to return to form. At second, Theriot's out of the picture and while Blake DeWitt and Jeff Baker might not amount to much, Theriot gone, and playing for the rival Cards no less, may well amount to addition by subtraction. Baker has hit .308/.363/.545 in his career against lefties, so Quade may have a tactical lever to pull in order to squeeze a bit more production out of second. At short, Castro's another year older and projects as a star one day. He might not get there this year but you never know when a player of his talent might make that leap. They're not the Phillies, the Red Sox or the Yankees but it should be a productive infield, which is a lot more than the Cubbies could say in 2010.
Behind the plate, Quade's mandate is simple. Play Geovany Soto. Play him as much as possible without risking injury. DH him in the AL parks. It was only nine games but I found this to be one of the very saddest things about the 2010 Cubs. Their pitchers hit .132/.170/.159 last season. In their nine interleague games in AL ballparks, Cubs DH's hit .154/.175/.179. They might as well have stuck with their pitcher. Sorry to get off topic but the point here is straightforward. Play Soto a lot. Play Hill as little as possible.
The outfield of (left to right) Alfonso Soriano, Marlon Byrd and Kosuke Fukudome returns in place and while it's old and not the most prolific bunch, it's also steady. None of them figures to turn in a stinker of a season provided they can stay healthy. I'm not a big Tyler Colvin fan but he's versatile and fine enough as a fourth option.
On the pitching side, Ryan Dempster returns and Quade has already named him the Opening Day starter. It's a small thing but I like the early announcement for a few reasons. First, it shows that Quade appreciates what Dempster has managed to accomplish over the last few seasons. Since 2008, he ranks 14th in Fangraphs Wins Above Replacement among all Major League pitchers. Rewarding Dempster for that sort of output reflects well on Quade. Second, it takes a hint pressure off of Zambrano and newcomer Matt Garza. Zambrano hasn't always reacted well to the expectations that come with a big paycheck in a media market like Chicago. And, like Zambrano, Garza is a fiery competitor who can feed off of, or be done in by, his emotions. Again, it's not a big deal but it reflects a level of thoughtfulness that was lacking during the Piniella days. The Cubs had a 103 team ERA+ last season, they return four of five starters, swap Garza in for Tom Gorzelanny and have added Kerry Wood to a bullpen that returns key pieces Carlos Marmol and Sean Marshall.
If the Cubs fail to make a playoff push this season, it will likely be due to a lack of depth. That's a shame for a club with Chicago's payroll but it's the reality. A Soriano injury means everyday Tyler Colvin. If Pena or Ramirez miss time, does Baker move to a corner infield position? There's not much rotation depth at all, and outside of the top three or four or five options depending on how you feel about live arms Andrew Cashner and Thomas Diamond, the bullpen gets thin quickly.
Nonetheless there's a path to success for the Cubs this season. It's tenuous because of how thin they are, but it's there. With health, more of the same from the pitching staff, above average corner infield production, continued excellence and more playing time for Soto and a leap forward from Castro, the Cubs have the look of a contender. They look even more like one with yesterday's Adam Wainwright news, and if you compare the Cubs' reaction to the news to Cincinnati's, who knows? Karma monitors these things, and maybe the Cubs will find it on their side this year?
Source: http://baseballanalysts.com/archives/2011/02/the_cubs_in_201.php
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Weaver fans 15 Blue Jays in Angels' 3-1 win (Seattle Times)
The Toronto Blue Jays sensed that they were going to have another tough time scoring runs against nemesis Jered Weaver, and they were right.
Source : Seattle Times
Explore : Baseball Players, Jered Weaver, Sports, Toronto, Toronto Blue Jays
Source: http://wik.io/info/US/259101842
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Top games: March 31 to April 9
Remember the best-games-ever series of articles which ran during the past offseason? In December, the series ranked games from 1974 to 2010 according to their "excitement factor." In the ensuing weeks postseason games (LDS, LCS, World Series) and series were also ranked.
All the hard work of ranking the games from best to worst leaned on the shoulders of an algorithm which shuffles Win Expectancy and Leverage Index data in several ways (please refer to the original articles for the detailed explanations).
With a week (and then some) of the 2011 season already in the books, it's time to acknowledge the most exciting games played so far.
Here they are:
Games are assigned a number of stars ranging from one to five, where five stars indicates one of the best games ever, four denotes a potential best-of-the-decade contest, three marks duels that have a chance at ranking as season-best, two tags matches you can expect to watch at least once a month, and finally the lone star is assigned to the remaining games.
Read more great baseball stuff at The Hardball Times.
All the hard work of ranking the games from best to worst leaned on the shoulders of an algorithm which shuffles Win Expectancy and Leverage Index data in several ways (please refer to the original articles for the detailed explanations).
With a week (and then some) of the 2011 season already in the books, it's time to acknowledge the most exciting games played so far.
Here they are:
date game stars 04-08 Rockies @ Pirates *** 04-09 Blue Jays @ Angels *** 04-05 White Sox @ Royals ** 04-05 Nationals @ Marlins ** 04-07 Astros @ Reds *
Games are assigned a number of stars ranging from one to five, where five stars indicates one of the best games ever, four denotes a potential best-of-the-decade contest, three marks duels that have a chance at ranking as season-best, two tags matches you can expect to watch at least once a month, and finally the lone star is assigned to the remaining games.
Read more great baseball stuff at The Hardball Times.
Source: http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/blog_article/top-games-march-31-to-april-9/
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Sunday, 10 April 2011
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