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

 

 

 

 

 

 

No comments: