Old Time Family Baseball

A-Rod's Special Diet

michaelclair — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 04:48:06 -0800

Because he’s a finely tuned physical specimen who requires only the highest quality ingredients, Alex Rodriguez will no longer accept the food served up at restaurants. And we’re not talking about PF Chang’s here, but places that serve real food.

From Page Six:

“The Yankee slugger was spotted at the Mondrian Hotel pool in South Beach on Saturday afternoon having lunch with girlfriend Torrie Wilson. But A-Rod didn’t order from the menu — sources say he’s following a special high-protein diet and travels with a cooler of his own grub. Rodriguez was seen asking a waitress to heat up his special meal in the kitchen, while Wilson nibbled on the poolside cafe’s chips and guacamole. A-Rod’s rep declined to comment.”

But what was in the container you ask? A few healthy guesses:

Turkey jerky
Egg whites and mineral water
Nutrisytem microwavable meal
Pepperoni Pizza Hot Pocket
Half a burrito
This guy:

(image via The Ringmaster’s Realm)

The sabermetrician’s dilemma. (Ex Machina #45 by Brian K....

michaelclair — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 03:54:06 -0800

The sabermetrician’s dilemma.

(Ex Machina #45 by Brian K. Vaughn and Tony Harris)

Ichiro Changes His Stance, The Assault on Aestheticism Begins

michaelclair — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 20:09:00 -0800

Nothing beautiful can last forever. It’s why James Dean and Marilyn Monroe are still so popular—their looks will never see the damage of time and being out in the sun without sunscreen. For a while, Ichiro Suzuki seemed to be the one person immune to all of that. He’s still tall and thin, avoiding the middle aged expansion that happens to even the best of us. (Some say that by the time Ken Griffey Jr retired, his butt could hold a collection of Encyclopedia Britannicas). Ichiro was a real life Dorian Gray, though without all the murdering and such.

Last year, Baseball Prospectus wrote in their annual:

“Suzuki will be 37 on Opening Day, and while he won’t continue to cheat Father Time forever, the next [crack] in his armor will be the first.”

Sadly, 2011 saw Ichiro fail to record 200 hits, hit .300, or post an above-league average OPS+ (84) for the first time in his career. Time seemed to have finally caught up with The Flash in Stirrups, necessitating a drastic change. Just as Craig Counsell stopped holding his bat high above his head like a 1950s housewife attacking a mouse when his batspeed deserted him, Ichiro has widened his stance and cut down on all the moving parts. New swing below (via Lookout Landing by way of Larry Stone):

Gone is the leg kick and the strange hesitation where his body thrust forward while the bat remained silent and poised to strike. It was a swing that defied all kinds of logical thinking, one that I failed to ever properly impersonate even in wiffleball, and he has now joined the ranks of the average and boring Major Leaguers surrounding him. The next logical step is a scraggly goatee.

In some way, Ichiro may have convinced himself that the switch was done to emphasize his power potential now that he’ll be batting in the three hole, but the truth lies in time’s onward march. Baseball is a better sport with Ichiro playing and doing so at a high level, and if making his swing a little more conventional is the way to do it, then so be it. But life is a little less fun now that Ichiro has had to step down from his mount and join the rest of the athletically gifted mortals that are his teammates and peers.

UPDATE: I’ve changed the wording of Baseball Prospectus’ paragraph in light of recent issues. While I don’t believe there was any racial intent on behalf of the original writer, unlike the ESPN headline, it’s an issue that will only detract from the point of the post.

winstonwolfe: jerkasaurus: According to reddit, this pic was...

michaelclair — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 19:10:48 -0800

winstonwolfe:

jerkasaurus:

According to reddit, this pic was taken at the Red Sox’s new JetBlue Park, and it’s pretty much the best thing ever. I’ve long thought MLB could do more about melanoma awareness, especially since fans and players spend so much time in the sun during the course of a day game. Hopefully we’ll soon see something like this at every ballpark.

As a victim of melanoma, this is just a very cool sight. Every MLB park, not just the ones in warm climates, should have these as a free option for fans when they first enter a stadium.

My pale skin looks at these dispensers and laughs.

Bryce Harper, Not the Devil Incarnate?

michaelclair — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:11:06 -0800

Sure, you may not like his eye black, his weaselly little mustache, or his habit of showboating, but you have to admit that he takes his on-field work very seriously. Harper recently told Adam Kilgore:

“I’m going work as hard as I can, keep my mouth shut and play. I’m going to make their decision hard as much as I can. I want to be up here. I want to play, and I want to play in D.C.”

While Harper will never be the next Ken Griffey Jr who was blessed with talent and a marketable charisma, it’s important to remember that he’s only 19. And 19 year olds do lots of dumb things. Like sneaking in booze to a concert and then getting lost on the subway home and crying in the middle of a city street. Not that I have ever done such a thing.

Athletics are filled with unlikable players and Harper may just be the next one. Or he could mature a little and be viewed as a baseball eccentric. As long as he busts his butt on the field, he’ll have the respect of his teammates and that’s all he needs to be concerned with.

In case you don’t like politicians mixed up with your...

michaelclair — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 09:17:05 -0800

In case you don’t like politicians mixed up with your baseball, I’ll tell you this: Rick Santorum met Kent Tekulve with dog piss on his pants. The full transcript can be found over at The Washington Post.

And, no, this really isn’t helping Santorum with his internet problem.

(h/t BLS, RumBunter)

Things You May Have Missed While You Were Living Your Life

michaelclair — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 08:18:00 -0800

While I try to detox from my own President’s Day weekend (I can feel the casino smoke still trapped inside my pores), here’s a little catch up post of things you may have missed during your own celebrations.

Better than that, every team has now reported to spring training. The long winter is nearly over.

Baseball in the Dominican Republic. I don’t even have a joke for this one, it’s just an article that I demand you read.

The Worst Pitches in 2011. It’s not nice to revel in another person’s failures, but it sure can be fun.

Raul Ibanez signs with Yankees. And all the Yankees had to do was jettison AJ Burnett. Flip Flop Fly Ball breaks this down the only way necessary: with a .gif.

Cubs and Red Sox close to compensation for Theo Epstein. But how can you put a price on a broken heart?

Add published author to Sam Fuld’s resume after this fantastic look inside Game 162.

Manny Ramirez signs with the A’s. How long before the “It’s just Mannyball being Mannyball” refrain is heard?

Buster Posey will not be allowed to block the plate. You know those overprotective mothers who won’t let their children go outside because they once heard of a child catching an untreatable disease? I’m guessing the baseball gods may be angered by this and will see to it that Buster Posey gets a real nasty blister while on a hike next weekend.

Bob Wickman used to throw up to make weight. He’d rather throw up than slim down? My hero.

Jon Niese got a nose job and Carlos Beltran paid for it. You know, Jon, real friends love you for who you are, not what you look like.

Mike Cameron to retire. I wrote a little about Cameron when it looked like he was going to retire this past September. Now it’s official.

The Making of “Homer at the Bat.” This is the kind of journalism I care about.

Tim Wakefield is retired. Long live Tim Wakefield! Also, Jeff Sullivan put together gifs of Wakefield striking people out with his low-70s fastball. It’s beautiful.

badspringtrainingtwitpics: Looks like Jon Morosi tried for the...

michaelclair — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 20:44:06 -0800

badspringtrainingtwitpics:

Looks like Jon Morosi tried for the Rule of Thirds in this mess of canvas, netting and aluminum. Extra points though for clarity. Easy to make out the desolate landscape in the background. Thanks, Jon!

This arrived the same day I lost my laptop charger. Who said...

michaelclair — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 19:52:26 -0800

This arrived the same day I lost my laptop charger. Who said there was no balance in the universe?

My reading material for the next month and a half has been chosen.

Charitable Contributions to the City of Las Vegas' Chamber of Commerce

michaelclair — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 16:27:00 -0800

This weekend, I’ll be visiting Las Vegas, the city of romance, for the first time ever. I’m not the Vegas-type, even with Celine Dion there, but I do plan on taking advantage of the variety of 51s gear that’s available. I assume that’s the reason most people go?

I’ll also be every bookie’s wet dream. My plan is to walk into the nearest sports book and, with cash in hand, say “Hello good sir. I do not know how to operate within this betting apparatus, but I would like to give you my money. All of my money.”

This is what I’m putting down for the 2012 season. Are these bad ideas?

$10 on the Pirates winning the World Series.
$20 on the Tigers winning the World Series.
$30 on Jose Canseco looking for a job on Twitter.
$800 on Jose Canseco looking for love. On Twitter.
$50 on Craig Counsell making a triumphant on-field return.
$100 on Jamie Moyer making a triumphant on-field return.
$200 on a starting pitching prospect blowing out an elbow.
$500 on Juan Pierre bunting in his first at-bat.
$1,000 on Adam Dunn striking out in his first at-bat.
$4,000 on Adam Dunn crying after that at-bat.
$8,000 on Carlos Zambrano punching someone.
$12,000 that an undeserving player will be elected to the All-Star game
$15,000 that a sportswriter will make up a stat when mocking sabermetrics
$20,000 on a sabermetrician making up a word when mocking a writer.
$50,000 on Jim Leyland changing to menthols.

So if any of you get a phone call this weekend from a guy screaming about missing kidneys and broken kneecaps, please remember this post and help a brother out.

pitchersandpoets: Best prospect in all of baseball, the world...

michaelclair — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 15:33:06 -0800

pitchersandpoets:

Best prospect in all of baseball, the world at his fingertips, and Bryce Harper is just as obsessed with throwing a nasty knuckleball as every other kid warming up for a spring game. Baseball!

via SI

Tim Wakefield Retires, the Sun is Less Bright, the Sky is Less Blue

michaelclair — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 14:36:27 -0800

In 2012, there will be one less knuckleballer in the Major Leagues; one less weirdo who doesn’t even need a full wind-up and relies on tricks and witches brews to get outs; one less pitcher whose fastball is that in name only. The mighty Tim Wakefield has retired.

I like to imagine that Wakefield will hole up somewhere in northern Iowa and pitchers, young and old alike, will flock to him in a Field of Dreams-esque sequence. Pitchers without a fastball that breaks 86, pitchers with an arm injury they just can’t lick, pitchers who enjoy trickery and the dark arts, will all convene on Wakefield’s farm. Wakefield will usher in a terrifying new era of knuckleballers that will spread through the land like a zombie virus, devouring 95 mph fastballs on their way. Sadly, that’s probably not going to happen.

Growing up, I had two favorite players. One was Ken Griffey Jr for his natural talent, his graceful swing, his monstrous home runs. The other was Tim Wakefield who possessed none of those traits. While sick with the stomach flu in 1996, I opened up a pack of Topps Metal Universe cards which cemented my love. Surprisingly, the Internet does not hold an image of this card, but let’s just say it looked a lot like this but with 100% less jerkbag:

(image via Miller Cards)

Though my modern tastes recoil at the atrocious design, my 9-year-old self thought it was perfection in cardboard. “Just look at all that shiny and exxxxxxtreme silver,” I thought. And when I flipped over my metallic Wakefield, gazing at his 16 wins and his 2.95 ERA from the season before, I thought “why doesn’t he earn more respect? Why isn’t he a constant Superscenter highlight?” I was already a baseball blogger at heart, though I had no idea how to express it.

I followed his career closely, dumbfounded at the Red Sox refusal to use him in the rotation during the late 90s and early 2000s, but glad to see how easily Wakefield could switch between roles. I reveled in his ability to baffle the Yankees in 2003, only to be crushed when Aaron Boone ended their season and ruining Wakefield’s narrative on that dinky home run.

After winning his ring in 2004, Wakefield selflessly removed himself from the 2007 World Series roster, knowing that the team’s best chances were with him watching from the clubhouse. It lead to one of the most endearing moments in TV history when he was interviewed with Mike Timlin:

So when Wakefield was pushing for win number 200 last season, despite evidence that he perhaps should be bumped from the rotation (in place of who? Well, that’s another story), Red Sox fans everywhere begrudged him nothing. He had long ago earned it, especially after giving the Red Sox the most team-friendly contract since Curt Flood’s days, a perpetually renewing $4 million team option. He gave all of us hope—he didn’t look like an athlete and he sure as hell didn’t throw like one. Somewhere in the back of my brain, Tim Wakefield gave me hope that if I just worked hard enough, I too could become a Major League pitcher. Despite a fastball that wouldn’t break 50 mph.

While RA Dickey will continue to hold the flame of the knuckleball aloft, Wakefield must now join the cabal of knucklers teaching their occult practices to willing apprentices. It’s the natural order of things.

Knuckleballs Float Forever.

losangelespast: Various views of old Gilmore Field, home of the...

michaelclair — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 11:05:05 -0800

losangelespast:

Various views of old Gilmore Field, home of the minor league Hollywood Stars from 1939-1957 (see below.)

The Punch Brothers - Movement and Location Like music? And...

michaelclair — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 09:17:05 -0800

The Punch Brothers - Movement and Location

Like music? And banjos? And Greg Maddux? Yes, that Greg Maddux. Then the Punch Brothers’ “Movement and Location” is for you. From Spinner Magazine:

“That song is about Greg Maddux. And it’s also obtusely about the impact that seemingly disparate elements have on each other. Like, for me, I’ve always garnered an intense amount of inspiration from sports. Greg Maddux, to me, is one of the great artists of our time. And Federer, even though he may be in his decline, I’ve probably had more hours practicing fueled by watching Roger Federer rather than even watching great mandolinists.

But to me, the lines are totally blurred. And then the lines are blurred between the pursuit of excellence in your field and the pursuit of a satisfying relationship. In the second verse, a relationship is referenced: “If she’d raised her voice, ever sparkling, shallow eyes to indict my movement and location, will the battle be lost?”

So it’s like Maddux’s obsessive focus on making a good pitch. If you listen to him in interviews, he sounds like an idiot savant, “I’m just trying to make good pitches!” He had an extreme amount of movement on his pitches, and he also could control that movement. I came home from my favorite bar, Milk and Honey, where one of the bartenders is a big fan of Maddux, and I just came home with those words, looping in my head, and I starting writing the lyrics that night. The lyrical content of that is just to express that connection a little bit.”

I can only hope this ushers in a new era of lyrical poetry. Imagine songs about taking it one day at a time, giving it 100%, and needing to hit the showers. It would revolutionize the music industry.

(Expertly located fist bump to Dan for sending me the article.)

The Utility Giveaway of 2012

michaelclair — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 08:23:05 -0800

Get ready, utility nuts (and I know there are at least fifteen others out there because they filled the Old Time Family Baseball Utility fantasy league), for the greatest giveaway of the 2012 season. I’ll let Alyson Footer ruin the surprise, emphasis mine.

“Great Moments bobbleheads: most Astros fans remember Mike Scott’s no-hitter, Jeff Kent’s walkoff homer in Game 5 of the 2004 NLCS and Chris Burke’s game-winning homer in Game 5 of the Division Series in 2005. Those moments, and more, will be recreated in the form of bobbleheads, to be given out at various games this year.”

After years of fans holding letter writing campaigns and stalking members of the Astros promotions department, it’s finally here: Chris Burke’s greatest moment will forever be immortalized in…plastic? Are they made of plastic? Or are they ceramic? Or…like…a really hard glass? Let’s say plastic. He’ll be immortalized in plastic.

Burke’s reaction this morning?

(Photo by David E. Klutho/SI)

The part of the article most are concerned with, non-Chris Burke division, is that the Astros will be wearing throwback uniforms throughout the season, but the gun has been removed from the Colt 45’s uniform. I guess they’ll replace it instead with malt liquor.

Baseball Card of the Week: Man, Oil Can Boyd was high...

michaelclair — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 07:01:20 -0800

Baseball Card of the Week:

Man, Oil Can Boyd was high in two-thirds of his baseball card photos, too.

Transactions of Note and Import

michaelclair — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 03:54:05 -0800

Rays sign Chris Gimenez. Gimenez earned some ill repute in Seattle last year when he tried to bunt with two outs. Turns out, the Mariners were lucky he was even at the plate.

Reds sign Brett Tomko. He’s been stuck on 100 wins since 2009. That’s some dedication.

Ross Ohlendorf signs with Red Sox. If he’s finally healthy again, he could be of great help to the Sox. If he’s not, he’s got a great backup career.

MLB to void deal between Orioles and Seong-Min Kim. Dan Duquette nearly destroyed all diplomatic ties with South Korea. Think on that for a moment.

Giants sign Ramon Ortiz. Nice guys may finish last, but they’ll also keep jobs until the end of time. So…it’s a tradeoff.

My God. We've Gone Back in Time.

michaelclair — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 21:17:11 -0800

Jon Heyman on February 13th:

Jon Heyman on February 16th:

The biggest question isn’t when the AJ Burnett trade will go down, but how we will set the time stream back to normal. Dear god, when are we?

Brandon Inge to Try Out Second Base This Spring

michaelclair — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 21:02:00 -0800

The pros? He wears a uniform well and works really hard. The cons? Jim Leyland has the cons:

“Don’t know how he will handle the pivot, plus he has to hit.”

Oh. Then I don’t think this is going to work out.

(h/t Bless You Boys)

The Costs of WAR

michaelclair — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:23:05 -0800

Thanks to WAR, that fancy stat that tries to boil all on-field activity down to a single number, we have a general idea of how much it costs for one win. Sure, the number is not perfect and WAR will probably be replaced by another number in the future as we continue to zero in on mathematic perfection, it allows us to know that the general purchasing value for a victory comes between $5-$6 million. It’s a handy way to see what your team would probably need to dole out if they wanted that big bat, assuming there are no crazy owners ready to and willing to throw wheelbarrows of money at a shiny new bauble.

But Matt Swartz of FanGraphs thought that wasn’t good enough and wanted to look at the general cost per WAR separated by position. The findings are pretty shocking. Despite the general dearth of catching talent, it was one of the cheapest positions to field last season. Meanwhile, despite the ease of replacing their talent, designated hitters and relief pitchers are the most expensive. In fact, relief pitchers have been paid $16.4 million per WAR since 2007.

While that doesn’t make much sense, as long as bullpens continue to grow and relief help is one of the few places many teams can even look to make significant upgrades, that’s probably not going to change much. Check out Swartz’s article for a great way to examine free agent value.