Wednesday, October 28, 2020

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE DODGERS

 With the Dodgers perennially a force to be reckoned with, it seems impossible that it's been 32 years since the last time they won. Here's an interesting note: The Dodgers have now won the championship seven times, three times they beat the Yankees. 

The Dodgers rode a powerful lineup, great starting pitching and a strong bullpen to the Championship. I believe they won the battle of the managers, too. They displayed good sportsmanship at the end and throughout the series. They kept their mouths shut and played like professionals. I congratulate them.

MANAGERS SHOULD NOT TRY TO OUT-THINK THE GAME

Originally, I was going to use this headline, but I felt it would take away from the Dodgers accomplishment, so I'll use it as a sub-headline.

Between Commissioner Manfred and baseball analytics, they are changing the sport. I feel they are ruining it. Yes, those statistics, however complicated, have their place, but they shouldn't completely control they way the game is played. Last night, Tampa Manager Kevin Cash, backed solely by those analytics, lost the game for the Rays when he pulled his starting pitcher with one out in the fifth. Snell had allowed only two hits and no runs.  Cash's defense was that he didn't want Blake Snell to face the Dodger lineup a third time since statistics showed that a teams batting average was significantly higher the third time they faced a pitcher in a game. He should have used his eyes instead of his notebook. Even the Dodgers admitted after the game that they weren't even close to hitting Snell. In fact, they were energized by his removal. The on-deck hitter, Mookie Betts, even looked into the dugout and smiled when cash removed Snell.  Cash claimed he had complete confidence in Anderson to shut the Dodgers down. He couldn't have known that; what he DID know was that Snell was currently untouchable. Add to that the knowledge that every time you bring in a reliever, you run the risk of that pitcher not having his good stuff. Snell wasn't done, he was still on top of his game. Watch the game, Kevin, watch the game.

Statistics say that trying to steal a base is not a profitable enterprise. but look at the pressure it puts on the pitcher. Are there any stats on how effective a pitcher is when he is trying to prevent a stolen base? Isn't stealing second a good thing? If not, why did baseball change the rules and start a runner on second base in extra innings? I have yet to see this stat - RTP (Reacts To Pressure). That would be just as foolish as WAR (Wins Above Replacement). Maybe (Maybe!!) a substitute will be more effective, but by how much? Sabermetrics tries to put an exact number on this and rely on this number to run the game. 

We could argue this all day and night and I won't change the sabermetric fans and they certainly won't change me. How about this stat:

In 1968 Bob Gibson of the St. Louis Cardinals, started 34 games, was 22-9 with a 1.12 ERA. He threw 23 complete games. If Kevin Cash was his manager that year, he would have completed none, and probably wouldn't have won 22 games either, which the sabermetrics people say doesn't matter anyway, since wins don't count when evaluation a pitcher. Tell that to the 268 people he struck out that year. Bob Gibson counts.

Well, baseball is over for this year. Hopefully, next season will be played without COVID-19 hanging over our heads. 

**Here's another puzzlement for you. Why did we need to have two "travel days" built into the World Series schedule. All the games were played in Arlington Texas!  How far away were the hotels?

**Are they putting something special in the Gatorade?

I noticed the last few weeks in baseball, it seems that no one in the dugouts  wear masks except the manager and the staff. Why is that? In football - pro and college - the head coaches wear their masks below their noses or even around their necks. These are brave (stupid) men who don't care about the people around them either.

Sorry, I couldn't let this go: The Yankees beat the Dodgers in the World Series eight times.

***THEY SAID IT***

"Antonio Brown has signed with Tampa Bay. As if Tom Brady weren’t reason enough to hate the Buccaneers."  -- Janice Hough

"Belichick won the Breeders Stakes, the final leg of the Canadian Triple Crown. And despite rumours to the contrary, the horse wasn’t wearing a hoodie."  -- RJ Currie

"Nebraska — vocal critics of the Big Ten shutting down its football season in August — now opening on the road under the revamped schedule as 26-point underdogs at Ohio State: “This is almost like a modern version of the old TV show from the 1950s, ‘You Asked For It."  -- Jack Finarelli

"The Nebraska football team is ranked by USA Today! Sure, the team is ranked 57th in the nation, only 19 spots below Appalachian State, but it's a start."  -- Brad Dickson

"Rays pulled Snell in Game 6 of World Series. I don’t think Bruce Bochy would have dared even TALK to Madison Bumgarner on the mound in that situation. -- Janice Hough

"As if Green Bay losing 38-10 to the Bucs last Sunday wasn’t bad enough, Jamaal Williams’ pants tore open during the game, exposing his right buttock. So how do they list him on the Packers’ roster now — running back or split end?"  -- Dwight Perry

"Last week in Maine, competitors raced in the North American Wife Carrying Championship. Or as some people call it, Wife in the Fast Lane."  -- RJ Currie

"Predicting the outcome when the Eagles (1-4-1) and Giants (1-5) met on Thursday: “Eagles 20, Giants 10, Interest 0.”  -- Mike Hart

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday, October 17, 2020

WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR

We're almost to the end of the 2020 baseball season, truncated though it was. I have a few observations that make sense to me, at least. 

**It was a good idea to expand the playoffs to include more teams, but to run the seven-game series without any off days made for some funky moves. Teams using seven pitchers in a game and making a lot of those pitching changes during the inning makes for long delays and many more commercials. Lord knows we need both of those. The broadcasters accepted it without question because everyone knows that managers know the "best" way to run these games. 

They're trying to keep pitchers fresh because, you know, there are no days off. I think we heard that phrase at least 10 times a game. So the way to do that was to use everybody for a short amount of time, right? Get the starting pitcher out of there as soon as possible because the bullpens are strong, right? Bring in six relievers in a game and you know somebody is going to have an off night and there goes the ball game. This is a lesson that Kevin Cash learned in Game Six of the AL Championship. He took Snell out in the fifth, having thrown just 82 pitches to bring in his top reliever and bye-bye ballgame.

Here's a scoop: If an idea is wrong but a lot of people do it, then a lot of people are wrong. It reminds me of a line out of "Moneyball," when the manager explains to the GM why he makes certain moves. "I'm managing so I can explain my moves when I interview for a job in the off season." It doesn't matter if it's the right way, only that it's the accepted way.

**I noticed that for the most part, the only people in the dugout wearing masks are the manager and the staff. Not only don't the players wear them, they do everything but kiss each other on the mouth in celebrations. No mention of this from any of the broadcasters, of course.

Speaking of broadcasters,  is anyone else as sick of Ron Darling as I am? There was a rumor earlier that MLB was going to use Davis Cone but they haven't. He can be wordy but at least he's insightful and funny. Ron Darling sometimes sounds like he's putting himself to sleep. 

**Just a suggestion that may only interest Yankee fans. There is a suggestion mentioned by a few analysts that the Yanks should trade Luke Voit, move LeMahieu to first, move Torres to second and sign a shortstop. Makes sense because Gleyber Torres is no major league shortstop. If you saw him play in 2019, you know he wasn't much of a second baseman either. I have a suggestion: move Torres to first base and leave the gold glove winner LeMahieu at second. But that's just me.

Yeah, and bring back Didi Gregorious!

***THEY SAID IT***

"Biologists claim Washington is one of 24 states with proven cases of the so-called "Zombie Virus." As good an explanation as any for the Seattle Mariners. -- RJ Currie

"Sunday has been declared LeBron James Day throughout Red China. All Nike factories will remain open late."  -- Phil Mushnick

"The LSU-Florida game has been canceled. Not sure if this is due to Covid or somebody realized that Bo Pelini's defense can't tackle anyone so what's the point?"  -- Brad Dickson

"Will the Red Sox bring back exiled manager Alex Cora, banned this past season for his role in the Astros’ signal-stealing scandal?A lot of signs certainly point to it. And advocates are banging the drum for him. … OK, sorry."  -- Dwight Perry

"We recently lost  Lou Brock, Whitey Ford, Bob Gibson, Tom Seaver and other Hall of Famers this year. Nice try, 2020, but these guys are immortal."  -- Argus Hamilton

"The Giants (0-5) play Washington (1-4) Sunday. Chances are very good that one team will win the titanic clash … But it’s hard to see how."  -- Bob Molinaro

"Bad news for the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos – due to positive COVID-19 cases, their Sunday game was postponed. Worse news for the 0-5 Atlanta Falcons, their Sunday game wasn’t."  -- Janice Hough

"Washington against NY Giants - Here we have the third game in the dead-heat as the Dog-Breath Game of the Week.  You almost have to root for a tie game here because neither team gives any indication that it deserves to win one"  -- Jack Finarelli, The Sports Curmudgeon

Chad Picasner



 

 

 

 

 


Friday, October 09, 2020

HERE WE GO AGAIN

**Back in the day in my old neighborhood, the rule was if you can't win the game, win the fight afterwards.

Giant wide receiver Golden Tate and Rams defensive back Jalen Ramsey got into a little fisticuffs just as their game ended on Sunday. For the record, the Giant's lost the game but the fight was a draw. So, for the year, the Giants are 0-4-1. You guys would never make it in Oswego.

**Maybe I'm old fashioned (MAYBE?), but I prefer my sports described in English. My playesr jump, they do not elevate. Running north and south only works if the stadium is facing that way. In my day, if someone punched your ticket, either you were allowed into the stadium or you got killed. You did NOT advance to the next round. Jessica Mendoza, in an effort to show she belongs, told us about a "non-competitive breaking ball." I can't dispute this one because I have absolutely no idea what that is. 

**Sometimes,  what's said doesn't make sense in any language. Consider this bit of double talk from the master, Alex Rodriguez: “Strikeouts don’t matter, it’s just an out, as long as you hit with enough power.”  A few minutes later: "Putting the ball in play is essential, strikeouts don’t create scoring opportunities."

When he worked games, Joe Garagiola used to say, "I'm gonna shut up. The crowd will tell what happens." Of course, now there's no crowds, so they must feel they have to fill the void with nonsense.

**A few weeks ago, Tampa Bay & the Yanks played one of those series where everybody was being thrown at. This doesn't make for good baseball, it's just macho madness. In the playoffs, when the season is up for grabs, teams usually go back to serious baseball. Monday, these two teams square off for the right to play for the AL Championship. The sports writers won't let it go. They keep bringing up the "Feud" in every story they write. Both managers have indicated that they have no time for this bull, they are there to win the game. But that's not a big enough story for the writers. They won't let it go. Tonight is the deciding game and so far there hasn't been any brawls and I doubt we'll see one.

**David Schoenfield wrote a column for ESPN today asking, "How should you feel about the Houston Astros playing in the AL Championship". It's a long article but it came down to this: They cheated and we're mad they made it this far - or - we're Astros fans and we're thrilled. Other than Atlanta, the remaining teams have all indicated that they feel the Astros won because they cheated and want to beat them badly. 

Whoever iit is, I hope they succeed.

***THEY SAID IT***

 "I know it’s not currently cool to root for the Astros after the cheating scandal. But if anyone in baseball deserves a ring, it’s Dusty Baker. Life is complicated."  -- Janice Hough

"On Tuesday, MLB Network flatly reported that the Astros’ George Springer had surpassed Babe Ruth for total “postseason home runs.” Makes sense. Ruth went homer-less in wild-card, divisional championship and league championship games."  -- Phil Mushnick [Side note: Mickey Mantle hit 18 World Series homers, a record that will never be broken. - CP]

"The Yankees - for the first time in their 120-year history - hit into 5 double plays and committed 4 errors in the same game, a 4-3 loss to the Marlins. Or as the 1962 Mets used to call this occurrence - Friday."  - Dwight Perry

"An 88-year-old man has completed a walk around the world. Bad news: somewhere along the way he lost his keys and now he has to retrace his steps."  -- Brad Dickson

"A streaker who disrupted a high school football game in Florida avoided security by climbing over a chain-link fence. The bad news is police found him. The good news is the school choir has a new soprano."  -- RJ Currie

"If I tried to tell you that I understand the reasoning behind most of the Texans’ off-season moves, I would be a big enough liar to run for the US Senate.”  -- Jack Finarelli

"Asked why Mississippi State had to open the season at No. 6 LSU? Because New England, Green Bay and the Chiefs already had somebody scheduled."  -- Coach Mike Leach

"LSU is going to stop temperature checks for fans entering the football stadium this weekend, AND start selling alcohol. What could possibly go wrong?"  -- Janice Hough

"The only thing more shocking than the Marlins making the NL playoffs? They also tied for the MLB lead in home attendance."  -- Baseball writer Jim Street

"Alex Rodriguez returned to insulting even the moderately intelligent, anointing Gary Sanchez a “great hitter” no matter what he’s batting. Well, he was batting .147, which is why Aaron Boone benched him."  -- Phil Mushnick

"The Cubs’ Willson Contreras pinwheeled his bat high in the air after hitting a three-run homer against the White Sox, then got drilled in the back his next time up. Adding further insult, bench-jockeys are now referring to Contreras as Flip Willson."  -- Dwight Perry

Chad Picasner