Stand Up Triples

Who knew that Miguel Tejada had a penchant for hitting triples?

	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	OPS
Tejada	100	19	34	7	2	4	20	6	.950
Scott	77	7	24	9	0	1	8	10	.866

	G	IP	W	L	K	ERA	WHIP
Albers	9	16.1	2	0	10	1.65	0.980
Sarfate	11	10.2	2	1	13	5.06	1.312

If we multiply Tejada's numbers by 6 (figuring on the durable shortstop to get 600 at bats) he's on pace for a classic season. Albers had a rough 9th inning trying to close out the first game of a doubleheader in Chicago on Saturday. He managed to turn a 5-0 lead into a save situation for George Sherrill. Sarfate had a pretty good week, shaving almost a full point off of his ERA. He has 13 K's in 10 2/3 innings. Thats a nice number. He also has 7 Walks in 10 2/3 innings. Not a nice number.


--April is almost over. The young season has already provided a number of compelling story lines. The Tigers' horrible start, the suddenly talented Tampa Bay Rays, and feelings of hope among Cubs fans probably top the list of April surprises. There are hitters off to hot starts (Chipper Jones and Chase Utley) and others still in hibernation (Ryan Howard and Troy Tulowitzki).

April has been particularly memorable/forgettable for alot of relief pitchers. Mariano Rivera and Jonathon Papelbon are up to their usual tricks. But, a number of normally reliable closers and set-up men have been stinking up ballparks for the first month of the season.

Some stats to show where I’m headed with this:

Pitcher	G	IP	ERA	WHIP	BB	HR	SO	SV%
J. Walker (07)	81	61.1	3.23	1.207	17	6	41	7/13
J. Walker (08)	12	7.2	5.87	1.435	2	3	4	0/3
M. Corpas (07)	78	78.0	2.08	1.064	20	6	58	19/22
M. Corpas (08)	13	14.1	6.91	1.744	9	2	6	4/8
T. Hoffman (07)	61	57.1	2.98	1.116	15	2	44	42/49
T. Hoffman (08)	9	8.2	7.27	1.615	4	2	8	4/6
J. Valverde (07)	65	64.1	2.66	1.119	26	7	78	47/54
J. Valverde (08)	11	12.0	7.50	1.917	6	4	15	4/7
A. Heilman (07)	81	86.0	3.03	1.070	20	8	63	1/6
A. Heilman (08)	14	14.0	6.43	1.714	8	4	16	0/1

Jamie Walker, left-handed set-up man extraordinaire of the Baltimore Orioles, has surrendered 3 game-tying homeruns already this month to left-handed hitters. He only allowed 6 total homeruns in 2007.

Manny Corpas has lost his closers job in Colorado to Brian Fuentes, the pitcher from whom Corpas wrested the job last summer. Now what?

Is Trevor Hoffman done? Was that blown save in the 1-game playoff against Colorado a sign from the sporting gods that Hoffman's time had come?

Jose Valverde is allowing just a sliver under 2 runners on base per inning. If he keeps that up, Valverde won't be saving very many games for the Astros. The Diamondbacks (18-7 with a 6 game lead already in the West) don't seem to be missing their portly former closer all that badly.
By the end of next month, some or all of the above relievers statistics may have begun to look more impressive. The law of averages may work its magic. But, still, its cause for a doubletake when one sees such crooked numbers from normally reliable relief pitchers.

Misc. Notes this week:

-- Reed Johnson has my vote for Play of the Month for April. His incredible diving catch sliding into the wall against the Nationals on Friday may very well end up as the finest catch of the season. Despite Johnson's defense and Carlos Zambrano's pitching the Cubs dropped 2 of 3 this weekend to Washington. Thats no cause for alarm for the Cubbies, but, could winning the weekend series possibly mean that the Nationals putrid April will not turn into a 100 loss season? Maybe there are signs of life in the new ballpark on the scenic Anacostia River.

-- Theres a sign outside of AT&T Park in San Francisco which features a picture of Barry Zito and the slogan "Throws left until theres nothin' left. Barry is a Gamer!" It it looking more and more like there is nothing left in the tank for Zito. Gamer or not, he's a very expensive total bust in San Francisco.

-- I would like to thank the 750 players on major league rosters for a great month of April. The unfortunate episodes of this past offseason have been effectively removed from headlines. Bill Veeck once said "Baseball must be a great game because the owners haven't been able to kill it." That statement can easily expand to "Baseball must be a great game because the owners, the players, the union, strikes, scandals, rule changes, umpires, and annoying commentators and pundits combined still have not been able to kill it!"

Heres to 6 more great months of baseball in 2008!

Advantages of Living in Honolulu and a New Trade Comparison

Living in Honolulu has its advantages. I spent my off day today here.

By virtue of Hawaii's lack of a professional baseball team, the powers that be have placed these islands in the Los Angeles viewing area for baseball coverage. There are worse teams to have on TV every afternoon than the Angels and Dodgers. The angels broadcast is nothing to write home about. The Dodgers, on the other hand, feature the soothing play-by-play voice of Vin Scully.

Scully has been calling Dodger baseball for so long that his was actually the voice which proclaimed to the world in 1955, "Ladies and Gentlemen, the Brooklyn Dodgers are the Champions of the World!" These days, Scully works without a color man with whom to share air time. He handles play-by-play, provides stats and commentary, and fills in downtime with stories and observations. He has his quirks: He still seems surprised whenever there are multiple Asian players on the field. He occasionally begins sentences with somewhat unenlightened generalizations such as "you know those Dominicans...". But, the occasional awkward phrasing notwithstanding, Scully has a voice meant for calling baseball. He doesn't try to make clever jokes. He doesn't preach. He calls the game in such a way that the broadcast feels like a pleasant conversation between Scully and his unseen listeners.

Dodger broadcasts also provide occasional commercials featuring Joe Torre proclaiming "We are all Dodgers!" Alot of Yankee fans will die a little inside when those commercials make it to youtube.

The other surprise advantages of living in the middle of the Pacific are the occasional broadcasts on local tv of Japanese Baseball. Games usually start about 11pm here. I cannot understand a word of the play by play. The TV graphics are all in Japanese characters. The ballpark scoreboard is no help either. But, randomly enough, the players uniforms are entirely in western characters. My only hope of knowing who is batting is to get a close-up of the back of the players uniform. Or, in the case of Yokohama BayStar OF/1B Larry Bigbie, have a face thats so burned into my brain from several frustrating years in Baltimore that I couldn't possibly not recognize it. Bigbie looks like the incredible hulk in the Japanese league. I think we all learned last December how he pulled that off.

The language gap still doesn't prevent those games from being enjoyable. Baseball, well played, is always a joy to watch. When its 11pm here, its nice that there is live high-level baseball to be found on TV.


If I am going to keep score of the results of the Tejada trade, it has been brought to my attention that reports on the Orioles other big offseason swap, Bedard for 5 Mariners, would also be appropriate. I couldn't agree more.

To the Mariners

	G	IP	W	L	Sv	K	ERA	WHIP
Bedard	2	11.0	1	0	0	10	3.27	1.455

To the Orioles

	G	IP	W	L	Sv	K	ERA	WHIP
Sherrill	10	9.1	1	0	8	8	4.82	1.209
Mickolio(AA)	7	11.1	0	0	0	10	2.38	1.235
Tillman (AA)	4	16.1	1	0	0	14	3.31	1.347
Butler (A)	5	23.0	1	1	0	15	4.30	1.174

	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	OPS
Jones	74	6	20	6	0	1	8	2	.705

Bedard's numbers are low because, well, he's having his annual bout with injuries this season earlier than usual. Adam Jones hit a huge double tonight against Seattle which barely missed clearing the wall in left-center and George Sherrill pitched a scoreless 9th for yet another save. The minor league crew looks sharp. I'm looking forward to seeing the crowd at Double-A pitch once or twice this summer. If Tony Butler manages to get himself promoted to the Orioles highest A-level team in Frederick (he's currently pitching for Delmarva) I may get to see him in person in a couple of weeks.

And They Get Older

Weekly Tejada Trade Update:

	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	OPS
Tejada	71	11	22	5	1	3	13	4	.886
Scott	61	6	22	9	0	1	8	9	1.000

	G	IP	W	L	K	ERA	WHIP
Albers	6	13.1	2	0	9	0.68	0.687
Sarfate	8	8.0	2	1	11	6.75	1.625

New Stat this week: YAABYUICLA (Years Added to Age Because You’re Under Investigation and Can’t Lie Anymore)

Scott: 0

Albers: 0

Sarfate: 0

Tejada: 2

A good week on the field for Tejada. Not his finest week off the field. Albers made a couple of scoreless relief appearances and Luke Scott had a couple of big hits during Orioles wins over the Yankees and White Sox. Sarfate had a second straight rough week. His strikeout total is still looking good, but, the strike zone is eluding him far too often.

“Runners whom renown outran and the name died before the man…”

When did I get old? The young stars from my formative years are being put out to pasture. Mike Piazza is unemployed. Ryan Klesko was unemployed until he announced his retirement on Wednesday. Randy Johnson got smacked around today in his second start since his return from the DL. Mike Mussina can’t get anybody out. Hideo Nomo was waived today by the lowly Royals. And, most incomprehensible, Frank “The Big Hurt” Thomas got his walking papers today from the Blue Jays. It was a rough week for mid-1990’s superstars.

This is probably it for Nomo. He wasn’t the first Japanese-born player to arrive in North America, but, he was the first imported star from Asia to turn into a huge hit in MLB. In his wake came some true superstars (Ichiro, Daisuke, Fukadome), some really solid talent (Wang, Matsui, Okajima) and one absolute bust (Hideki Irabu) who was so bad that he even got a shout out in a rant during the disappointing final episode of Seinfeld. If imitation is the highest form of flattery, then Nomo was something above a mere-mortal when he first came to the majors. His wind-up was, by a long shot, the most-imitated during little league warm-ups. I prided myself on doing a particularly good Nomo imitation.

The talking heads seem to think that today’s action by Toronto does not mean that Frank Thomas is done for good. He is still a respected Designated Hitter/Pinch Hitter. He can still hit the ball hard enough and often enough to have a spot on a major league roster. For the decade of the 90s, Thomas was one of the most feared hitters in the majors. Before their was “Big Papi” there was “The Big Hurt.” I cringed every time he swung when playing against the Orioles. He was larger than life. His arms seemed twice the thickness of my legs. Thomas even had his own video game: “Big Hurt Baseball.” He did a Reebok commercial in which he famously stated “When I slide into home, it’s like two trains colliding. I’m the Big Train.” Somehow, a player who was so big and so good ought to stay young forever.

On August 4, 1991, Mike Mussina made his major league debut for the struggling Baltimore Orioles. He pitched great but lost a 1-0 decision to the Chicago White Sox. His 1 big mistake, an RBI Double by Frank Thomas. By 1992, both men were bona fide stars. Both would appaear on any respectable list of the “Team of the 90s.” As the end nears, Mussina most likely will remain well outside the Hall of Fame debate. Thomas will merit serious consideration. Nomo and Klesko will likely land on a ballot for 1 year, provide fans 5 years from now with a quick moment of nostalgia, and then officially move into the land of distant memories. Randy Johnson? Well, we’ll see. No one really knows how this era’s pitchers will be treated by Hall of Fame voters.

Skip Bayless Doesn't Know his Elbow from...

Last night/This morning, the Padres and Rockies played a 22 inning marathon which ended in a 2-1 Rockies win. With the tying run on first base and 2 outs in the bottom of the 22nd, San Diego reliever Glenden Rusch had to bat for himself (all position players had long since been used up) and, predictably, struck out looking. The game lasted a bit over 6 hours.

On ESPN's "First and 10" this morning, the CEO of the International Association of Hot-Air Blowers, Mr. Skip Bayless, argued that a game like last night is unfair to fans and to players. He suggested altering the rules so that starting in the 15th inning, teams will receive 4 outs instead of 3. Thus increasing the chances of runs scoring. Thats an idea. But, then again, deciding to go out and play in traffic is also an idea.

Bayless' suggestion is lame for several reasons.

1) Simply scoring runs does not end baseball games. So what if the visiting team scores a run in the top of the 15th thanks to receiving 4 outs instead of 3? They still have to record 4 outs in the bottom half of the inning in order to win the game. That won't shorten the game. Actually, it will prolong it as each half inning takes longer. And, as it won't actually facilitate the ending of the game, its just plain dumb.

2) Most fans left Petco Park this morning well before the final out. Diehard fans will stay regardless, but, fans who show up at the game with their families or casual fans who come for the heck of it will leave after getting their 3 or 4 hours of entertainment, or whatever amount they hoped for. Lets not pretend that baseball games hold unwilling spectators hostage until the final out. Leaving baseball games early is an American tradition.

3) For diehard fans, 13 Extra innings is the baseball equivalent of Christmas. Extra innings aren't like ordinary middle of the game innings, which, even this baseball fan will admit are not the most thrilling time of the game. Extra innings are edge-of-your-seat time. Any pitch can be the deciding moment. The last 3.5 hours of that game were tense. I dare say that if asked, there wouldn't be too many among the fans who stayed for all 22 innings who would say that they hadn't enjoyed themselves. Just because Skip Bayless is jaded, bitter, and (though this hasn't been historically verified) responsible for starting the War of the Roses, doesn't mean that his dislike of long games is universally shared.

In short, Mr Bayless, there is nothing wrong with a 22 inning game. Those that have other things to do can leave whenever they like. Those who crave high-tension well-played baseball can bask in the glory of 22 innings worth. I only hope I'll be so fortunate as to see an epic like last night's game in person someday!

Weekly Trade Update and Thoughts on the Yankees

The weekly update on the Miguel Tejada for Luke Scott, Dennis Sarfate, Matt Albers, and Troy Patton. Patton is hurt. So here are some key stats for the other four.

(OPS= On-Base Percentage + Slugging Percentage)
(WHIP= Walks + Hits / Innings Pitched)

	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	OPS
Tejada	47	9	15	4	1	2	9	3	.939
Scott	40	3	15	6	0	1	6	5	1.044

	G	IP	W	L	K	ERA	WHIP
Albers	4	11.1	2	0	8	0.79	0.794
Sarfate	5	4.2	2	1	6	5.79	1.285

A tip of the cap to Miguel Tejada for his late game heroics this past week for the Astros. I wish him all the best. I'm still very happy with the group of players the Orioles received for Mr. B-12. Even if this was a rough week for Sarfate and Scott stopped his Ted Williams impersonation, Albers made a great start today against Toronto. So, all is well.

I Can't Believe I'm Saying This:
Theres a great Simpsons episode in which Homer becomes the mascot for the Springfield Isotopes, the local minor league baseball team. He's an instant success and after several games as a minor league mascot, Homer gets promoted to the big leagues. Arriving at the major league park in Shelbyville, Homer explains that Bart was quieter than usual because "he was confused by feelings of respect for me."

I rooted for the Yankees yesterday in their loss to the Red Sox. I even spoke the words "Go Yanks" into my cell phone. It was a confusing feeling to find myself hoping that Giambi would hit a ball into the seats, that Damon would run down a ball in center, and that A-Rod would hit one over the Green Monster. But, so help me, I really wanted the Yankees to win last night. I just can't take so much about the Red Sox anymore. When the Pinstripes take on "The Nation," I cheer for Gotham. (A small part of me still roots for an earthquake.)

Watching Phil Hughes struggle mightily yesterday to retire any of the Boston batsmen, I got to thinking about the Yankee pitching staff. ESPN helped out this train of thought by bringing up the Great Joba Debate. Now, ESPN gushing over young Mr. Chamberlein is nothing new. If I had a nickel for every time ESPN mentioned the “Joba Rules” last year I could drop out of grad school, buy beachfront property, and retire from academic/professional pursuits. By mid-September I simply wanted to shout at the TV “Look, I get it! He’s a prize pitching prospect whose arm the Yankees would like to preserve!”

There was a terrific article linked in The New York Post this week which featured an interview with Goose Gossage on the topic of Joba Chamberlein’s future. I could not agree more with Mr. Gossage. If the Yankees are serious about turning Joba into a starter this year and would like to leave him in limbo with his role gradually evolving from set-up man to starter, then, well, they deserve what they get. The Yankees seem determined to allow Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes to grow at the big league level despite that pair's rough start this season. They've got a good thing going right now with Joba in the 8th and Rivera in the 9th. Chamberlein is also the insurance policy covering Rivera's aging arm.

To be clear, when they're not playing the Red Sox, I want the Yankees to lose and lose badly every time they take the field. But, the baseball fan in me cannot in good conscience root for a team to hose up the development of a player, Chamberlein, who could become one of the game's brightest pitching stars. If the Yankees are serious about making him a starter now and try to mutate Chamberlein into a starter this season it will either be the dumbest gamble ever to pay off or (and i think this is more likely) prove that the Bronx pitching staff is in shambles. To enact this mid-season metamorphosis without screwing with Joba's head would be tantamount to the Yankees waving the white flag this year and treating it as a development year for Hughes and Kennedy and an evolutionary year for Chamberlein. That sounds oddly like pitching staff rebuilding in New York. Would the Yankees actually do that?