2010 MLB Season

[Chalupa]

It would be really sad if he became the next Mark Prior without, you know, actually having a really good season or two first.

As this interesting article points out, baseball has a long history of pitching flame-outs:

http://joeposnanski.si.com/2010/08/24/all-too-familiar/?eref=sihp

Mark Fidrych and David Clyde. Man, I remember watching those two on TV when I was a wee lad. I wonder what they're doing now.

[papsrus]

From 'This Date In History' (for Wednesday)

1922 — In one of the wildest games ever played, the Cubs beat the Phillies 26-23. The Cubs led 25-6 in the fourth inning, but held on as the game ended with the Phillies leaving the bases loaded.

[Chalupa]

That had to be played at Wrigley.

[Dave James]

Ever heard of Steve Dalkowski?

Steven Louis "Dalko" Dalkowski (born June 3, 1939 in New Britain, Connecticut is a retired left-handed pitcher in minor league baseball. He is sometimes called the fastest pitcher in baseball history and had a fastball that probably exceeded 100 MPH. Some experts believed it went as fast as 115 MPH, others that his pitches traveled at 110 MPH or less. As no radar gun or other device was available at games to measure the speed of his pitches precisely, the actual top speed of his pitches remains unknown. Regardless of its actual speed, his fastball earned him the nickname "White Lightning". Ted Williams faced Dalkowski once in a spring training game and that was enough. "Fastest ever," said Williams. "I never want to face him again."

Perhaps Dalkowski's greatest legacy is the number of stories (some more believable than others) surrounding his pitching ability. One story states that he once threw a pitch that tore off part of a batter's ear and observers believe that this incident made Dalkowski even more nervous and contributed further to his wildness. Another story says that in 1960 at Stockton, California he threw a pitch that broke an umpire's mask in three places, knocking him 18 feet back and sending him to a hospital for three days with a concussion. Dalkowski once won a $5 bet with teammate Herman Starrette who said that he couldn't throw a baseball through a wall. Dalkowski warmed up and then moved 15 feet away from the wooden outfield fence. His first pitch went right through the boards. On another bet, Dalkowski threw a ball over a fence 440 feet away.

Edited August 25, 2010 by Dave James

[Dan Gould]

It would be really sad if he became the next Mark Prior without, you know, actually having a really good season or two first.

As this interesting article points out, baseball has a long history of pitching flame-outs:

http://joeposnanski.si.com/2010/08/24/all-too-familiar/?eref=sihp

Mark Fidrych and David Clyde. Man, I remember watching those two on TV when I was a wee lad. I wonder what they're doing now.

Mark Fidrych is dead. He returned to MA ultimately and started some kind of trucking company, dump trucks or else a hauling service, something like that. He died last fall or this past winter when taking care of a customer by himself, his shirt got caught in the machinery and he asphyxiated. The Globe ran a very moving story about his post-baseball life then. He sounded like a genuinely decent man who took life as it came. Very sad.

[Chalupa]

The Bird, RIP.

Well another night and another ump controversy for the Phillies. Ryan Howard got thrown out for tossing his bat after the 2nd check swing appeal by the 3rd base ump was called a strike. Watch this video of the incident and look at the 3rd base ump's reaction after the first checked swing. Now does Ryan Howard deserve a share of the blame for what happened last night? Absolutely. However, I think in this case the ump Scott Barry, who is up from the minors for a few weeks, needs to show some restraint too. Last week he gave Ryan Zimmerman his first career ejection and last night Howard got his 1st career hook. One of the local writers has this to say about what happened....

But the problem is not their incompetency. It's their obstinacy.

A decade ago, Major League Baseball put a big lasso over an umpires union that had empowered itself to dictate games, which stepped all over the game. And for a while it worked. Umpires convened regularly on close plays, walked away from conflicts rather than toward them, and took a considerable level of guff from the participants before issuing ultimatums and ejections.

But that spirit of collegiality has noticeably eroded over the last two seasons, maybe three. There are still good umpires all over the place, the crew that just went through being a good example.

But guys who act insecure, who lack accountability-well, Gibson and Barry over the last 2 days harken to those bad, old days.

And that's not good. For anyone.

Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/phillies/20100825_Sam_Donnellon__Out_of_his_league.html#ixzz0xcZJfuY7

[BERIGAN]

The Bird, RIP.

Well another night and another ump controversy for the Phillies. Ryan Howard got thrown out for tossing his bat after the 2nd check swing appeal by the 3rd base ump was called a strike. Watch this video of the incident and look at the 3rd base ump's reaction after the first checked swing. Now does Ryan Howard deserve a share of the blame for what happened last night? Absolutely. However, I think in this case the ump Scott Barry, who is up from the minors for a few weeks, needs to show some restraint too. Last week he gave Ryan Zimmerman his first career ejection and last night Howard got his 1st career hook. One of the local writers has this to say about what happened....

But the problem is not their incompetency. It's their obstinacy.

A decade ago, Major League Baseball put a big lasso over an umpires union that had empowered itself to dictate games, which stepped all over the game. And for a while it worked. Umpires convened regularly on close plays, walked away from conflicts rather than toward them, and took a considerable level of guff from the participants before issuing ultimatums and ejections.

But that spirit of collegiality has noticeably eroded over the last two seasons, maybe three. There are still good umpires all over the place, the crew that just went through being a good example.

But guys who act insecure, who lack accountability-well, Gibson and Barry over the last 2 days harken to those bad, old days.

And that's not good. For anyone.

Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/phillies/20100825_Sam_Donnellon__Out_of_his_league.html#ixzz0xcZJfuY7

Even as a Braves fan, have to agree that guy had no business tossing him there....man, some of the umps really suck right now, don't they???

[Matthew]

The Bird, RIP.

Well another night and another ump controversy for the Phillies. Ryan Howard got thrown out for tossing his bat after the 2nd check swing appeal by the 3rd base ump was called a strike. Watch this video of the incident and look at the 3rd base ump's reaction after the first checked swing. Now does Ryan Howard deserve a share of the blame for what happened last night? Absolutely. However, I think in this case the ump Scott Barry, who is up from the minors for a few weeks, needs to show some restraint too. Last week he gave Ryan Zimmerman his first career ejection and last night Howard got his 1st career hook. One of the local writers has this to say about what happened....

But the problem is not their incompetency. It's their obstinacy.

A decade ago, Major League Baseball put a big lasso over an umpires union that had empowered itself to dictate games, which stepped all over the game. And for a while it worked. Umpires convened regularly on close plays, walked away from conflicts rather than toward them, and took a considerable level of guff from the participants before issuing ultimatums and ejections.

But that spirit of collegiality has noticeably eroded over the last two seasons, maybe three. There are still good umpires all over the place, the crew that just went through being a good example.

But guys who act insecure, who lack accountability-well, Gibson and Barry over the last 2 days harken to those bad, old days.

And that's not good. For anyone.

Read more: http://www.philly.co...l#ixzz0xcZJfuY7

Even as a Braves fan, have to agree that guy had no business tossing him there....man, some of the umps really suck right now, don't they???

That was a ridiculous ejection, and that umpire should be sent back to the minors immediately. Just the way he acted after the first call was bush league....

[Dan Gould]

The one credit the ump gets in my book is that it looked like the same length swing. If he calls it a swing the first time, he's got to call it again. But he might have been just lucky in that regard since it happens in real time and its gotta be the toughest call an umpire makes aside from judging traps/catches. But I think his sensitivity goes back to a belief that as a rookie they are going to test you and you have to establish your authority and not back down.

Its not right, I just think that was his approach on his brief call up.

He did make one huge mistake - putting his hands on his hips after Howard did on the first call. You don't react to whatever he does. Thousand yard stare is what you do, unless he escalates. It also brings up the possibility of retaliation and a lack of impartiality on the second call. But as I said, it looked like the same swing.

[paul secor]

The Bird, RIP.

Well another night and another ump controversy for the Phillies. Ryan Howard got thrown out for tossing his bat after the 2nd check swing appeal by the 3rd base ump was called a strike. Watch this video of the incident and look at the 3rd base ump's reaction after the first checked swing. Now does Ryan Howard deserve a share of the blame for what happened last night? Absolutely. However, I think in this case the ump Scott Barry, who is up from the minors for a few weeks, needs to show some restraint too. Last week he gave Ryan Zimmerman his first career ejection and last night Howard got his 1st career hook. One of the local writers has this to say about what happened....

But the problem is not their incompetency. It's their obstinacy.

A decade ago, Major League Baseball put a big lasso over an umpires union that had empowered itself to dictate games, which stepped all over the game. And for a while it worked. Umpires convened regularly on close plays, walked away from conflicts rather than toward them, and took a considerable level of guff from the participants before issuing ultimatums and ejections.

But that spirit of collegiality has noticeably eroded over the last two seasons, maybe three. There are still good umpires all over the place, the crew that just went through being a good example.

But guys who act insecure, who lack accountability-well, Gibson and Barry over the last 2 days harken to those bad, old days.

And that's not good. For anyone.

Read more: http://www.philly.co...l#ixzz0xcZJfuY7

Even as a Braves fan, have to agree that guy had no business tossing him there....man, some of the umps really suck right now, don't they???

That was a ridiculous ejection, and that umpire should be sent back to the minors immediately. Just the way he acted after the first call was bush league....

Didn't look like he went, at least from the angles on the video, but those kinds of judgement calls occur almost every game. Howard is a veteran and should know enough to keep his cool, especially in an extra inning game where his team is short handed.

As for sending the umpire back to the minors, does a team do that when a young player goes hitless in his first game in the majors? Well, maybe if George Steinbrenner was the owner, but he was a unique case. (I'd be more blunt about George, but he's gone, so I'll let it be.) Some players (and managers) want umpires to be held accountable to a higher standard than they are.

[Dan Gould]

I agree with Paul that its premature to reject the guy as a major league ump. He's obviously on the short list for a promotion when an umpire retires or is fired. Hopefully he'll prove himself better than he showed last night.

Now on certain a-holes who have made the game about them and have demonstrated on a very regular basis that they are instigators on top of being incompetent, I sure wish they'd get shit-canned.

[Matthew]

I agree with Paul that its premature to reject the guy as a major league ump. He's obviously on the short list for a promotion when an umpire retires or is fired. Hopefully he'll prove himself better than he showed last night.

Now on certain a-holes who have made the game about them and have demonstrated on a very regular basis that they are instigators on top of being incompetent, I sure wish they'd get shit-canned.

Well, this guy has the makings of Joe West, which nobody wants....

[ghost of miles]

It does seem like umps have gotten a lot quicker on the trigger with ejections (of both managers and players).

[Chalupa]

The Bird, RIP.

Well another night and another ump controversy for the Phillies. Ryan Howard got thrown out for tossing his bat after the 2nd check swing appeal by the 3rd base ump was called a strike. Watch this video of the incident and look at the 3rd base ump's reaction after the first checked swing. Now does Ryan Howard deserve a share of the blame for what happened last night? Absolutely. However, I think in this case the ump Scott Barry, who is up from the minors for a few weeks, needs to show some restraint too. Last week he gave Ryan Zimmerman his first career ejection and last night Howard got his 1st career hook. One of the local writers has this to say about what happened....

But the problem is not their incompetency. It's their obstinacy.

A decade ago, Major League Baseball put a big lasso over an umpires union that had empowered itself to dictate games, which stepped all over the game. And for a while it worked. Umpires convened regularly on close plays, walked away from conflicts rather than toward them, and took a considerable level of guff from the participants before issuing ultimatums and ejections.

But that spirit of collegiality has noticeably eroded over the last two seasons, maybe three. There are still good umpires all over the place, the crew that just went through being a good example.

But guys who act insecure, who lack accountability-well, Gibson and Barry over the last 2 days harken to those bad, old days.

And that's not good. For anyone.

Read more: http://www.philly.co...l#ixzz0xcZJfuY7

Even as a Braves fan, have to agree that guy had no business tossing him there....man, some of the umps really suck right now, don't they???

That was a ridiculous ejection, and that umpire should be sent back to the minors immediately. Just the way he acted after the first call was bush league....

Didn't look like he went, at least from the angles on the video, but those kinds of judgement calls occur almost every game. Howard is a veteran and should know enough to keep his cool, especially in an extra inning game where his team is short handed.

As for sending the umpire back to the minors, does a team do that when a young player goes hitless in his first game in the majors? Well, maybe if George Steinbrenner was the owner, but he was a unique case. (I'd be more blunt about George, but he's gone, so I'll let it be.) Some players (and managers) want umpires to be held accountable to a higher standard than they are.

I think both calls could have gone either way. Anyway, it's not the calls that is important in this case; it's the umps overreaction to the players that I have trouble with. I mean when have you EVER seen a ref mock a player in the NFL, NHL, NBA, etc. before last night?? And this isn't the first time during this call up that he ejected a player after tossing their equipment in disgust after striking out. I can't tell you how many players I've seen toss their helmet/bat after striking out against Halladay or Hamels this season. No, his act belongs in the bush league not in the majors. And to your second point - off the top of my head I can name 3 Phillies minor league call ups(Drew Carpenter, Vance Worley, & Scott Mathieson) this season that where sent down after 1 game. In the case of Worley and Mathieson they were sent down after pitching one inning. So it happens.

There are 2 more games left in this series so I'm guessing Barry will call 1st base/home plate at some point. Or maybe they just stick him at 2nd/3rd. It will be interesting to see what happens.

[blind-blake]

The Bird, RIP.

Well another night and another ump controversy for the Phillies. Ryan Howard got thrown out for tossing his bat after the 2nd check swing appeal by the 3rd base ump was called a strike. Watch this video of the incident and look at the 3rd base ump's reaction after the first checked swing. Now does Ryan Howard deserve a share of the blame for what happened last night? Absolutely. However, I think in this case the ump Scott Barry, who is up from the minors for a few weeks, needs to show some restraint too. Last week he gave Ryan Zimmerman his first career ejection and last night Howard got his 1st career hook. One of the local writers has this to say about what happened....

But the problem is not their incompetency. It's their obstinacy.

A decade ago, Major League Baseball put a big lasso over an umpires union that had empowered itself to dictate games, which stepped all over the game. And for a while it worked. Umpires convened regularly on close plays, walked away from conflicts rather than toward them, and took a considerable level of guff from the participants before issuing ultimatums and ejections.

But that spirit of collegiality has noticeably eroded over the last two seasons, maybe three. There are still good umpires all over the place, the crew that just went through being a good example.

But guys who act insecure, who lack accountability-well, Gibson and Barry over the last 2 days harken to those bad, old days.

And that's not good. For anyone.

Read more: http://www.philly.co...l#ixzz0xcZJfuY7

Even as a Braves fan, have to agree that guy had no business tossing him there....man, some of the umps really suck right now, don't they???

That was a ridiculous ejection, and that umpire should be sent back to the minors immediately. Just the way he acted after the first call was bush league....

Didn't look like he went, at least from the angles on the video, but those kinds of judgement calls occur almost every game. Howard is a veteran and should know enough to keep his cool, especially in an extra inning game where his team is short handed.

As for sending the umpire back to the minors, does a team do that when a young player goes hitless in his first game in the majors? Well, maybe if George Steinbrenner was the owner, but he was a unique case. (I'd be more blunt about George, but he's gone, so I'll let it be.) Some players (and managers) want umpires to be held accountable to a higher standard than they are.

I think both calls could have gone either way. Anyway, it's not the calls that is important in this case; it's the umps overreaction to the players that I have trouble with. I mean when have you EVER seen a ref mock a player in the NFL, NHL, NBA, etc. before last night?? And this isn't the first time during this call up that he ejected a player after tossing their equipment in disgust after striking out. I can't tell you how many players I've seen toss their helmet/bat after striking out against Halladay or Hamels this season. No, his act belongs in the bush league not in the majors. And to your second point - off the top of my head I can name 3 Phillies minor league call ups(Drew Carpenter, Vance Worley, & Scott Mathieson) this season that where sent down after 1 game. In the case of Worley and Mathieson they were sent down after pitching one inning. So it happens.

There are 2 more games left in this series so I'm guessing Barry will call 1st base/home plate at some point. Or maybe they just stick him at 2nd/3rd. It will be interesting to see what happens.

That ejection was uncalled for, plain and simple. That's two bad calls agains the Phils in two days. These umps suck!!

[Chalupa]

It's like what Larry Andersen is wont to say,"what do these umps have to do to get fired?"

[Chalupa]

Documents revealed Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria misled the public to get a new stadium deal.

(excerpt)

The swindlers who run the Florida Marlins got exposed Monday. They are as bad as anyone on Wall Street, scheming, misleading and ultimately sticking taxpayers with a multibillion-dollar tab. Corporate fraud is alive and well in Major League Baseball.

A look at the leak of the Marlins’ financial information to Deadspin confirmed the long-held belief that the team takes a healthy chunk of MLB-distributed money for profit. Owner Jeffrey Loria and president David Samson for years have contended the Marlins break even financially, the centerpiece fiscal argument that resulted in local governments gifting them a new stadium that will cost generations of taxpayers an estimated $2.4 billion. They said they had no money to do it alone and intimated they would have to move the team without public assistance.

In fact, documents show, the Marlins could have paid for a significant amount of the new stadium’s construction themselves and still turned an annual operating profit. Instead, they cried poor to con feckless politicians that sold out their constituents.

Edited August 25, 2010 by J.H. Deeley

[paul secor]

So the owner of a professional team scammed the public. What else is new?

Edited August 25, 2010 by paul secor

[ghost of miles]

Memo to Yankee opponents: please, please keep IBBing Tex. Via the New York Post:

For those keeping count, Teixeira has been intentionally walked 10 times as a Yankee, and batters hitting behind him are 7-for-8 with four grand slams, a walk and a sacrifice fly.

[Dave James]

Manny Ramirez is expected to clear waivers without a claim. The two teams thought have interest in him are the White Sox and the Rays. All that matters to me is what happens in the AL East, so If he eventually winds up in Chicago, I couldn't care less. If he goes to the Rays, I won't know whether to laugh or cry. He could make all the difference one way or the other. You just don't know which. If they get good Manny, watch out. If they get bad Manny, watch out.

[papsrus]

Documents revealed Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria misled the public to get a new stadium deal.

(excerpt)

The swindlers who run the Florida Marlins got exposed Monday. They are as bad as anyone on Wall Street, scheming, misleading and ultimately sticking taxpayers with a multibillion-dollar tab. Corporate fraud is alive and well in Major League Baseball.

A look at the leak of the Marlins’ financial information to Deadspin confirmed the long-held belief that the team takes a healthy chunk of MLB-distributed money for profit. Owner Jeffrey Loria and president David Samson for years have contended the Marlins break even financially, the centerpiece fiscal argument that resulted in local governments gifting them a new stadium that will cost generations of taxpayers an estimated $2.4 billion. They said they had no money to do it alone and intimated they would have to move the team without public assistance.

In fact, documents show, the Marlins could have paid for a significant amount of the new stadium’s construction themselves and still turned an annual operating profit. Instead, they cried poor to con feckless politicians that sold out their constituents.

I think this, along with the release of the Pirates' financial information -- and to an extent the Rays' financial information as well -- could be a story that resonates for a while. At least it should.

The Pirates and Rays haven't engaged in the sort of shenanigans that the Marlins apparently may have. The Marlins could be in some legal jeopardy, I'd think, if they submitted false financial information on any legal documents related to the new stadium. But the Pirates have basically been happy to field a noncompetitive team in order to maximize profits while basically doing nothing.

Pirates ownership came out the next day with some pathetic damage control that they owed MLB a bunch of dough (so?), and bought some new computers (oooohhhh), and some other supposed 'investments' in the farm system (which, ironically, they may actually be starting to invest a bit in the farm system, finally).

The Rays financial information shows they are making less money by fielding a competitive team, so kind of the opposite situation to the Pirates.

The late Buccaneers' owner Hugh Culverhouse made good money with that woeful team for many years in the NFL. But that's a different thing than lying about finances in order to get taxpayers to build you a new stadium. -- Although, I wouldn't be at all surprised if virtually every team that has gotten a new stadium in the past decade or so has lied about their financial situation.

Still, these documents provide some concrete evidence.

Edited August 25, 2010 by papsrus

[PHILLYQ]

On the ump thing, I was watching the Yanks/BJs game on Monday and the hitters on both sides were ticked about the bizarre strike zone. In the 9th in a one run game, the home plate ump punches out Granderson on a ball that came in the other batter's box! Stevie Wonder calls that a ball!!! Granderson, normally a pretty cool guy even argued with the ump.

[Dave James]

Phil Hughes had the snot knocked out of him tonight in Toronto. That forced the Yankees to go to their secret weapon, Javy Vazquez out of the pen. He's pitched one inning so far and gave up just one hit which just happened to be a home run. You know what I like in my life? I like consistency. I like to know that when you try the same thing over and over again, you'll always and without fail achieve the same result. Thank God for Javy Vazquez. He leaves nothing to chance. Nothing.

[ghost of miles]

Yeah, terrible start by Hughes tonight--he's great at getting two strikes on hitters and absolutely terrible at then finishing them off. Curry and Shpigel tweeted that he got to two strikes on the first 10 Blue Jays that reached base tonight; he got to two strikes on 18 Jays overall, and 12 of them reached base. His pitch count went over 100 and he didn't even last four innings, walking 5 and giving up 6 hits.

So again, NY's rotation, as of now, is in no shape for any kind of postseason run. Pettitte won't be back until mid-September, and that's if everything goes perfectly--a big if. Worst-case scenario is that he could be done for the year. After CC, we've got to hope that Burnett gets on a good roll, that Moseley functions effectively as a journeyman starter, and that Nova throws down some more good rookie performances... that's a hell of a lot of hope. Hughes continues to run out of steam and Javy already has; if Pettitte doesn't make it back we're utterly through. Assuming we lose tonight (a safe assumption, given that we're down 6-2 going into the bottom of the 8th), we'll have posted a record, since July 29, of 13-13. And almost entirely because of the rotation, that's what we're playing like right now--a .500 club. It's ironic, as I was worried so much about the bullpen for most of the season, and in the past few weeks they've really stepped it up.

EDIT: Dave, I will say that Javy's fastball has evidently been hitting 90-91 again tonight, and outside of the homer he's pitched decently.

Edited August 26, 2010 by ghost of miles

[Quincy]

He doesn't have the b.s. win counting stat since he plays for the horrible M's, but Felix has almost 60 more innings pitched than Buchholz yet just 2 more walks, never mind the massive K to BB ratio and he didn't miss a month. Another nice job tonight. For some reason you can miss a month and be a hitter and get consideration for MVP (especially in extreme cases like Brett in '80) and get a MVP, but I think missing a month costs too much as a starter to get Cy. But what a shame, another fine year of pitching by Felix for an especially horrid team. I still don't understand how Carlton won 27 for those '72 Phils.

Edited August 26, 2010 by Quincy