by
Greek Giant
This is good stuff folks. Mark Melancon, the Christmas gift of closers to Giants fans, explains why he signed with our team in his excellent Player’s Tribune article. In it he talks about the time Hunter Pence joined him for a session of Bikram (hot) yoga in a 90 minute workout at 115 degrees. Melancon also goes on to explore his admiration for the city of San Francisco, Willie Mays Field, and the Giants organization. It’s a sweet and lovey-dovey introduction to an athlete we hope will bring us to the promised land by pitching the last pitch of the 2017 season the same way Brian Wilson, Sergio Romo and Madbum did.
Melancon appears to be a very approachable, down to earth and articulate athlete. In his column he is the type of guy you would want to swap baseball stories with over over-priced beer and hot dogs at the ballpark.
Here is a great tid-bit about warming up in the bullpen in San Francisco:
Since there aren’t any bullpens at AT&T, visiting relievers getting warmed up are forced to spend some up close and personal time with the fans sitting along the first base line.
You grab your glove and sprint down the line knowing that the fans are going to be all over you the entire time you’re throwing. It’s not pleasant. And each time you toss a warmup pitch, they do these sound effects timed with the ball going between the pitcher and the catcher. It’s like a loud whoooop when you throw the ball, and then a wooooo when the catcher throws it back. As an opposing player, I can tell you for a fact that it’s super annoying. But at the same time, I always respected it because those fans have the whole thing down pat — it’s done in perfect unison. And it’s every single time. It’s not like they only do it on Fridays or something. It’s every game.
There’s much more. For those fans who sit near the opposing teams bullpens at Willie Mays Field, it turns out our silly little sound effects do work and do annoy opposing pitchers!
I can see a trend starting: fans coming up with the most annoying, creative, memorable, and grating sound effects to disturb and entertain visiting pitchers…
Happy New Year everyone! Here’s to a 2017 of good health, love, peace, and of course, a Giants World Series Championship!
Breckeroni knew.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93S_l0qZrXA
They did a good job on that song. Born on the Bayou kicked butt.
We got Melancon from rainbows end.
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/01/rainbow-physics/512027/#article-comments
http://www.amiright.com/album-covers/images/album-Pink-Floyd-Dark-Side-Of-The-Moon.jpg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUh7ulgY5E0
Hadn’t hear this – love me some ‘los.
Hemingway had some tales of Kilimanjaro as well.
Luckily for you, you are too young. I was already 34 at that time. An “oldie”…
Sadly, the snow is gone.
what will they call Glacier National Park?
I set foot on one of the tongues years ago when my family went on a trip to Canada and back in our VW camper – Westphalia.
Glacier gulch?
So is the leopard.
Carlos used to live here about that time.
https://www.google.com/maps/@37.9121331,-122.6904804,3a,75y,294.58h,95.11t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sqrr_uWgMAxGnBBQ4mCC8sw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
I lived up the road a piece.
By midsummer, it was easy to see that Melancon was the guy that the Giants had to prioritize to fix the bullpen, but there was little way of knowing that his personality was going to be such a fit.
Using some of that yoga flexibility. Love the hat on the throwback!
http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/4/files/2016/07/mark-melancon-mlb-chicago-cubs-pittsburgh-pirates-850×560.jpg
If this guy loves Bikram, he is an Animal. The Pence anecdote was priceless.
The funniest “whooping” incident I’ve seen was during one of the earliest broadcasts of the NCAA Regionals for the CWS. It was a southeast Regional and the opposing team’s fans were doing it to a pitcher during his warm-ups on the mound. He started to throw a number of times and stopped his delivery as the whoop began. Then stopped. Then faked a pitch, befuddling the crowd. It obviously wasn’t the first time he’d faced this type of harassment. It was hilarious.
As televised coverage increased for NCAA baseball, one could see it often by home crowds during regular season games. No telling how long it had been going on before I saw it, but it’s both funny and effective (sometimes) against some pitchers. Others, not so much. This must go back to the 60’s and early 70’s; who knows, maybe even longer. It still cracks me up. Hoo new it works on MLB guys too.
Okay, for those of you wondering if the Giants will have enough offense next year, I did some research on the Giants’ team offensive stats 2010-2014 when they managed to win 3 World Series, counting every stat for which they were in the top 20% (6) or bottom 20%. Here are the results:
(1) Very little power:
4th lowest in HRs
3rd lowest in HR/FB
and this wasn’t just because of ATT because also:
4th lowest in hard-hit%
(2) Few walks, lots of swinging:
highest O-swing%
3rd highest Z-swing%
highest swing%
6th fewest BBs
(3) Few strikeouts:
3rd highest O-contact% (especially remarkable because they swing at so many pitches out of the strike zone)
5th least Ks
(4) Few steals:
5th fewest steals
(5) Good WPA (Win Probability added) and clutch hitting:
4th best in WPA
4th best in -WPA
Best in Clutch
In terms of total runs scored, they were 23rd out of 30 teams; in the NL they were 10th out of 15. Meh.
The striking statistic is how they managed to be 4th in WPA with such apparently unimpressive general offensive stats (similarly how their Clutch score was so high). The explanation seems to be to a large extent in the low number of both walks and strikeouts–walks produce relatively little benefit in high-leverage situations and strikeouts hurt a lot in high-leverage situations. The same pattern was behind the Royals’ success in 2014-2015.
Clearly the Giants are getting away from this pattern in terms of walking a lot, WPA was only 12th last year, and Clutch was 18th. Pence, Posey, Belt, and Crawford were all clearly about their career walk averages last year.
It’s that ‘professional hitters’ work the count meme. Don’t you love WPA? i was reading a piece on the Cubs win and in it, by WPA, the event that turned that game was weirdly, Heyward’s taking 3B. It kept Almora out of the game and left him available to pinch run. WPA, and RE 24. What RBIs always wanted to be, and failed.
Good post. Really good.
http://www.fangraphs.com/library/misc/re24/
This ‘professional hitters’ idea is the problem. It basically turns hitters into cowards and makes them able to do well against lousy pitchers who can’t throw strikes but lousy against good pitchers who can throw strikes. When you look at the jump in BBs last year and then consider that specifically last year the Giants didn’t come back in the 9th inning a single time all year, you realize that BBs are not all their cracked up to be (this is a big problem I have with Fangraphs BTW). I just hope the trend doesn’t continue this year.
I do love WPA. The question is how much of it is luck, how much is some combination of the the hitters’ general characteristics (low BB and low K), and how much is actual clutch hitting (much less than is popularly thought but when you look at the stats of someone like Eric Hosmer it’s pretty tough to not take it seriously).
I’m less enchanted with RE24 but I have to run now.
Y’know what’s crazy, is that the Giants were 4th in the NL in wRC+ last year, tied with the Dodgers. And he we are clamoring for another bat.
The problem is that a lot of the wrc+ statistic is based on walks, which are radically overrated.
Happy New Year to everyone. MM sounds like he is going to be a good Giant. As usual looking forward to this year with all of you.
Love this guy already!
Man pulls vicious pocket sized raccoon god during MacDonald’s brawl in Ottawa. It’s an odd, odd world, getting odder by the day.
http://www.dailydot.com/unclick/mcdonalds-brawl-baby-raccoon/
I could watch NCAA football Alabama-Washington. Are they two good teams? Is it worth the annoyance?
Giants rumor:
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2017/01/giants-interested-in-jae-gyun-hwang.html
You’re welcome 🙂
I know Bapah got real excited about this rumor earlier, something about jumping on the bandwagon, and his ticker was all a flutter.
But, if this rumor is true, one twist is that this would be a free agent that can likely start out in AAA and show the Giants what he’s got at the plate and plausibly in left field.
Is it about time for the Giants to dip into the Korean market?
I didn’t see Bapah’s excitement. Hopefully this wasn’t a repeat.
Spanning the globe to bring you Winning Baseball Players… the thrill of World Series Victories… and the agony of Blown Saves… the Drama of Multiple Pitching Changes… This is The San Francisco Giants!
If he can play some outfield, get it done.
We all know that Jung Ho Kang can hit, even though he’s a jerk. The Orioles signed a guy from Korea last year, Hyun Soo Kim, that hit .302 with .382 OBP in over 300 trips to the plate.
So maybe Jae-Gyun is ready and the Giants should capitalize.
I’m sure what you thought was excitement was actually nausea and disinterest.
I think you met your bacon quota.
Strike a pose:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaMNvSyy6iM
Rad! I can tell you that’s a lot more pop than Kelby Tomlinson has.
Jae-Gyun Hwang – hmmmm…. I think there is Sum Tin Wong here ….
you know what I’m about to say right?!!
C’mon dude, even in jest, at your age and living in CA you should know better.
I think he’s referring to the KTVU report after the Asiana crash, where they read the ‘names’ of the pilots on the air. We Tu Lo, Sum Ting Wong, Bing Dang Ow, …
It is the third day of January 2017 of our Lord Jesus Christ and it was made to be a Haha. Can’t deal with it? Talk to both my kids who are Japanese-Italian and French.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4V8zkhfDGMw
Ho Lee Fuk is the one that got me.
She READ it off the monitor just free and easy Willy Nilly
Could watch NCAA football Alabama vs. Washington. Is it worth the annoyance?
There was a momentum changing play near the end of the first half. First half was fine. Second half Washington got boat raced by Bama’s defensive team speed.
Reasons to like MM are plentiful like GG wrote about – but one that happened during his first day where local media had access to him was when he was on the Tolbert and Lund show and TT has “why the Giants….and did Vogey talk to you”?
MM said Vogey bent my ear constantly and the dugout railing and IN FACT it was kind of *disgusting* how much he talked about the Giants. You could hear over the radio that Melancon was smiling while sharing this news with Tolbert and Lund.
2:03 on the audio
https://audioboom.com/posts/5365224-12-6-mark-melancon-says-ryan-vogelsong-helped-sway-him-to-join-the-giants?t=0
Being a 49er seems to require a familiarity.
http://49ers.pressdemocrat.com/49ers-gm-head-coaching-search-tracker/
I understand them perfectly well: they have an unqualified owner with his frat brother as his right hand person.
I don’t read about the 49ers at all, but this ownership just seems to be out to lunch in the next county. I’m at a loss for an appropriate adjective. It looks like the rest of FB ownership agrees.
Many are stuck on Jed being this or that but the following facts are stuck in my head. Eddie took over the team in 77 at the age of 31. He went to a 7-5 Monte Clark and said I will double your salary if you give up personnel moves to my new GM Joe Thomas. Smartly Clark said no thanks and Eddie fired him. Eddie hired Joe Thomas and HC Ken Meyer. Fired Meyer after one year and hired Pete McCulley in 1978, Fired Pete McCauley after one year and hired Fred O’Connor. Eddie fired O’Connor after one year and hired Walsh in 1979. Walsh went 2-14, 6-10 and then Super Bowl.
These FOUR hires by Eddie were THE worst hires in most organizations:
GM Joe Thomas and 1977
HC Ken Meyer. 1978
HC Pete McCulley 1978
HC Fred O’Connor
1979 Walsh @ 2-14
1980 @ 6-10 1981 Super Bowl
The Debartolo’s and York’s have a bad gene that they do not shed for about 5-7 years.
* Belichik was terrible before he got to New England (He was there twice) From 1991 until 1995, Belichick was the head coach of the Cleveland Browns. During his tenure in Cleveland he compiled a 36–44 record, leading the team to the playoffs in 1994, his only winning year with the team. Belichick was instead fired on February 14, 1996, one week after the shift was officially announced.
After his dismissal by the new Baltimore Ravens, Belichick served under Parcells again as assistant head coach and defensive backs coach with the Patriots for the 1996 season. The Patriots finished with an 11–5 record and won the AFC championship, but they lost to the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXI amid rumors of Parcells’ impending defection.
New York Jets (1997–1999)
Belichick had two different stints as the head coach of the Jets without ever coaching a game.
Soon after this bizarre turn of events, he was introduced as the Patriots’ 12th full-time head coach, succeeding the recently fired Pete Carroll.
Pete Carroll is another one who had to learn how to be a HC.
New York Jets (1994) Head coach
San Francisco 49ers (1995–1996) Defensive coordinator
New England Patriots (1997–1999)
Head coach USC (2001–2009)
Head coach Seattle Seahawks (2010–present)
the issue with Jed, versus Eddie, is Eddie got there after early bumps. Jed is NOT learning…he had a charmed situation, but didn’t realize it. Jed devolved into later bumps…and keeps digging a deeper hole. As a lifelong fan, I hope he guesses right this time
So far their nasty bumps are identical but Eddie had zero social media, Eddie had Body Guards that would silence hecklers, there was NO Ann Killion as we know her now, No Kawakami. There was Ira Blue as a writer and their beat writer Ira Miller. No Salary Cap. Eddie picked up guys like Jim Burt (89-91)even though when he was with the NY Giants – he put Montana on the back surgery operating table. He picked up Hacksaw Reynolds (81-84) even though he came from the then hated Rams. In 1994 he picked up Richard Dent.
Bottom line is after the 1979 Draft (Montana and Clark, the 80 draft (Jim Stuckey, Keena Turner) and the 81 draft (Lott, Williamson, Eric Wright) Craig in 83 and Jerry in 85 – Taylor/Haley in 86 – Eddie did NOT have to count on the draft because they could buy and plug guys in.
The key under the radar player for Eddie was Dwight Hicks who arrived in 79-80 and became THE back field glue through 1985 with his Hot Licks Teammates.
i think Jed cares. I don’t think he’s as ruthlessly dedicated to winning as Eddie
That’s fair.
I wish in 1998 that Eddie’s goofy corruption case had been settled with less fanfare. That entire Riverboat BS was snarky.
Didn’t Eddie also have something outside of football that he was involved in? Jed has no experience, and expecting him to mature and gain life experience from his insular role is somewhat unlikely. The more likely course is he becomes increasingly bitter against the media, fans, and the world….unless he guesses right as you said above. I don’t sense any real depth to Jed, which may not be surprising, given his life experience.
Great point, Doob. He’s a boy in a bubble …that’s getting arrows shot at it.
I put the over/under on non-playoff years before he’s wearing kleenex boxes on his feet at 8.
Why the NYT is a great newspaper. http://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/03/magazine/one-mans-quest-to-change-the-way-we-die.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=photo-spot-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news
no doubt that its features such as this are the greatest in the land. Thanks for sharing
All this is, is one guy’s take on the whole situation and basically shitting on every idea or person connected with the process.
I’m going to go into the process with an open mind. Of course the odds are the team will screw it up once again, but Matthew said earlier they could luck into another good hire.
I think the fact that Jed has hired a firm and is going out of his inner circle to seek counsel is somewhat positive.
But then again who knows, nether you nor I have a grasp on it more than anyone else.
Surely I’m not gong to pay attention to some idiot rummaging through twitter for “insider” knowledge.
If you operate in the relatively small world of the NFL, and you need to hire some firm to help you make these decisions, it only reveals how incredibly inept you are.
Well, having money does not guarantee you are going to be great at something. Perhaps seeking help is showing a maturity or understanding that continuing the same pattern has not worked. I think it’s a positive step in the right direction.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U31DeYfP_Wg
Orlando – Mike McCormick and Ron Herbel – 1965
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/00280bf433fd1905df974b19250f1ec357d50cdfa982747a6c6b7eeb4073525d.jpg
Richard Gere always said Herbel was his favorite Giants player…gave him special tingly feelings
Gere’s a lucky dude RE the amount of leading lady’s he’s done films with…
Twisted bastardo (not Antonio). ;o)
Herbel…man that guy could hit.
Alright. Another sports page. Better than listening to these guys explain how uptight they get in everyday banalities.
Great share Greek. I watched the introductory news conference and was impressed with how genuine Melancon seemed to be in his gratitude with SF and the Giants organization. San Francisco is an unusual place and it’s not for everyone. It sounds like his family is on board which is huge. Time will tell but this signing smells right.
Being a nice guy is great, but the signing of Melancon which ultimately be judged solely on how well he pitches.
On a scale of 1-10, how nice is The Oracle? Off duty and on duty, self-reporting.
Professionally: 9.5. Off duty: to my kids, 10; mom, 9.5, inner circle, 8.5, general public, 4.5. I’m not big on small talk with people I don’t know, unless they’re attractive women. I love the self-service line at Safeway and other stores. I hate the pointless “Hi, how are you? Good, how are you?” register exchange. I’m happy to remove all human interaction from retail purchases.
Every insincere “How are you?” from a stranger gets a variation of “I’m average, thank you for asking”. Sometimes I tell them the honest truth, especially on a bad day. I always end with “It’s nice you asked” or “Thank you for asking”, but I resent the stupid question every time.
I’ll give them a “fine,” but I won’t return an insincere “how are you.” I’ve never done it, but I’m often tempted to respond to their how are you with something like “well, I just found a lump on one of my balls, and I’m pretty worried about it.” Maybe someday.
I haven’t given the required “fine, how are you” in years. I used “my dog was hit by a car this morning, but thank you for asking” only once. Do it. Mixing it up can spark truly interesting conversations.
My this an anti social crowd. How do you like to be greeted?
Good morning works everytime. Even in the afternoon.
This could be the monologue in movie. I guess As Good as it Gets comes to mind.
Okay, brass tax:
Jeff Samardzija and his rocket arm are cruising along, throwing 94’s and 95’s and he occasionally pops a 97 mph heater.
Do you really think Nolan Ryan and Bob Feller could pop the mitt a full 10 mph harder??
I guess I struggle with that juxtaposition.
ps – I’m probably a 7 across the board.
OK Ryan, I’ve read this puzzle 4 times. Can you summarize please?
Sorry. How fast did Nolan Ryan and Bob Feller throw? Routinely? Max?
Does 106 & 108 sound a bit too high?
Imprecise instrumentation?
Take a look. http://www.efastball.com/
and you’re totally fine with this. No skepticism, and accepted? Different methods, different assumptions…
I know the methodology. People have too much faith in radar as the gold standard, it’s not. In any case, physics is physics. Read a bit about the methodology and satisfy yourself. I did. Is it, particularly the very old stuff perfect, perhaps not, but the stuff from the 1960s on seems rock solid to me. Feller’s is unique, and pretty solid, IMO, too, although an extrapolation. Ryan’s is very reliable, more so than radar.
So you believe without a doubt that if Nolan Ryan at his peak was gunned with today’s pitch f/x, he’d be clocked in the low to mid 100’s and up to 108?
I believe Feller was probably more like a high 90’s guy, and the extrapolated 106 for him seems far fetched.
Yep, all things measured at the same ways. I believe the Feller number as well. A chronograph measure isn’t the motorcycle film one. They’re not just frame counting.
Maybe some day I’ll find someone as skeptical as I. Until then, I guess I’ll take it as some sort of tavern gospel.
Clutch reports seeing Walter Johnson throw 105.
Melancon just seems to bleed Orange and Black even before he signed
…or sucking up
Well, it was a marketing signing, not a baseball deal. The team’s biggest hole clearly is in left field and in the middle of the lineup. But … blown saves, even those that take place in the 6th inning, get headlines and stir the emotions of season’s ticket holders, so that had to be dealt with from a business sense. They still have little power and speed … with a manager who doesn’t deal well with that situation during the regular season.
Masanori upon his arrival to the SF Bay Area Peninsula. Left hand side of paper.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/6f46b749717df16853b74193227064c338b17dde697a52f46a049c4109049514.jpg
This is great. I read the whole sports page. Did you know some of those kids at Burlingame Motors? Or was that you in the photo?
I was there but they only wanted the tater-tot kids in the front. I was 15 at that time.
Thot so. Would expect no less.
Masanori stayed at the Ben Franklin Hotel as did about 20 other Giants. Some stayed at the Hillsdale Inn and others at the El Rancho Motel in Millbrae. All three gave the players at quick route to Candlestick but more importantly all three places were frequented by United Airlines Stewardesses.
Priorities.
Footy: Stay away from these buggers
https://www.cnet.com/pictures/the-24-deadliest-animals-on-earth-ranked/
Uhhh, okay, boss. I just try to keep away from killer bees and snakes that shake their rattles.
This knucklehead gets himself stung and bitten by all kinds nasty critters.
Skip to 10 minutes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnExgQ81fhU
I hear those tarantula hawk stings really hurt. They’re always buzzing around late summer, hovering around milkweed and probably looking for tarantulas to sting and deposit eggs onto.
There is a large ‘hawk’ like that that hunts cicadas in South Texas. Stepping on them by accident while they’re digging cicadas is a memorable event.
Was in the Long Beach airport yesterday and for some reason thought of Greek Giant. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/f8a70ca0c0eae98c8df7345ee51286574df31c0266867448c1ca5763f623b7d2.jpg
He’s our “gyro”.
Our “Gyro Go to Guy”.
Shakespeare: “He once was a Greek God, now he’s a God-Dam* Greek”
He once was a Don Juan – now – after Juan he’s Don.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/bc0b047fbe8bacac8361b39e58855302f78badc7c7cf60f2acca7ed1086c5453.jpg
Hope your trip is going well.
Timeo Danaos
Et dona ferentes.
– Laocoonte (Laoöcon) –
The Way Back Machine
Today’s player – or for the last 10 years hitters would have had ISSUES with former pitcher Ryne Duren who literally could not SEE. Imagine the “Charge of the Light Brigade” of hitters heading out to see Mr. Duren.
http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/7b2de9c9
http://m.mlb.com/news/article/16427934/
Take a peak at Clemente taking out the Cincy middle infielder Chaney. Great photo of Lucious Luke.Easter.
https://90feetofperfection.com/2017/01/04/easter-williams/
I still hate Utley…
That’s fine, glad he’s not your brother. I like him for the way he plays and for THIS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnPBTozqdvY
heh heh heh.
I’ve always liked the way he plays too. We should put together a team sometime, and barnstorm.
How about these two in the same uniform
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/5822321ebe983e9c9db7f959bc8da8ce3d6832578b84fb98f90a8b904acd0c40.jpg
Duke?
Yes ended his career with the Giants .
I think it’s cool, but I’d bet my doger brother would barf.
p.s. Reminds me of Charlie fkg Williams. Just not right.
Cleanses his soul.
You cannot break me…
Ro
Sham
Bo
He broke Ruben Tejada’s leg with a dirty play that’s now illegal and deprived him of playing in the World Series. Then he refused to accept any discipline for it. He was reckless and uncaring about another human being’s safety and career and took zero responsibility. I don’t respect that and I wish him all the bad karma he has coming.
That makes two of you.
It was a hard nosed play that many ballplayers have made over the years, INCLUDING many of our Giants.
MLB based broke down and made changes, must as they did regarding the slide on Posey, but it is a play thousands of ballplayers were taught to make for generations. It actually was on the “paying the game right” column.
Don;t have to agree with it which is fine, but no reason to sensationalize that much.
A classic. What a weird letter.
I like Utley, always have. Plays the game right, hard nosed.
Our Clemente, gittin’ dirty!
Hats off to 84 year old John Pregenzer who has a career Giant record of 2-0. He had a name I could NEVER forget
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/3b35c095b81f0ddeaf2f2cae39b3a9abff46f591d42ec39c7505efb251cf0337.jpg .
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Pregenzer
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/8fdccff4e3d7015d482b527118dc30b4e871f25546c3a36c15c54dc40954c59a.jpg
You’re into jersey numbers, right C/U? Doesn’t #92 say something about your guy?? ;o?
YES!!!!
To Larry Baer and Staci Slaughter. Put down the money clicker-counter and have a nice SPECIAL non Hall of fame day and retire the number 22. Have The Ripper and the Thrill in attendance and then never give the number out again. Will is more well liked of the two but Jack did some things here before he shined in St Louis that put butts in the seats and wins in the W column.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/5bf0a7a959514928f0c44e271698a7a355a905928b75caf307ae6e01dd5da7db.jpg
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/73f3460c294156b3bf8d6359c460a25c7a3a9565795f352e4355785cb0a012b3.jpg
THE MOTHER’S COOKIE CARD! (WC)
No ripper. When you ask to be a former-Giant…see ya! Will turned this franchise around.
Mentally Jack C was a stumble-bum but in hindsight I would still do the deal.
My daughter and I went to a game at Candlestick. Darrell Howdy Doody Evans hit 3 HRs, almost hit 4. But by fR the Hadest Hit ball of the day came from Jack Clark’s homer – Wow!
“That’s right Lon”…
I think Brantley was a bad influence for adult beverages for Will https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/b55f34be143854637e6b15af82a667ee9282a21995bb0a981ccf9863b831db73.jpg
MSU Bulldogs
Those hats were fubar.
Seriously messed up! Snorks would have tinkled on them.
Speaking of the Phillies, yes, they should add a veteran bat.
Bautista on a 1 year deal, boom, get it done!
Shazam! Just like that, the White Sox have a top farm system. The top 4 just came over from the Red Sox and Nats.
http://www.minorleagueball.com/2017/1/3/14156566/chicago-white-sox-top-20-prospects-for-2017
Is there a parade for that?
When top prospects like Posey and Bumgarner materialize into perennial all-stars/plow-horses, yes, Virginia, there can be parades for that.
Both top 10 picks, they better be good .
Damn straight.
Are you starting believe this prospects ranking, farm system ranking is a wishin/hopin scam.
Nope. The best players in the league usually come from the top tiers of prospects. Remember that line about selling uncertainty.
I’m dubious that a lot of it is wishful thinking.
depends where you are on the curve, but yeah, top tier prospects also bear that load of wishful thinking and the potential to disgracefully fall off the map.
http://www.ajpa.co.uk/ajpa/Theory%20notes/pictures/inverse%20proportion.gif
If that told the whole story, that’d be great, but it doesn’t. Look at the original data. It’s nowhere that clear.
these are always fun to look back on. See if you can spot the studs and the duds.
http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/rankings/top-100-prospects/2010/269546.html
What one forgets is that they aren’t just on the curve, like the fitting assumes. They’re sliding up and down it too.
Indeed, they are. Especially the young ones.
Take a slide to the right and see if you can spot some players.
Zach Britton for one…
http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/rankings/top-100-prospects/2010/269553.html
Ooops, one more to the right is more fun:
http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/rankings/top-100-prospects/2010/269554.html
Think about Duvall and what he would look like if al you had was 2nd half numbers.
2nd division slugging left fielder?
Comeon man, that’s not the issue. You plot an average of one year, it doesn’t tell you much absent trending data. We arbitrarily put end of season and beginning of season in as defining points. It’s a continuum, the limits you use are arbitrary.
LOL – I thought that was the answer you wanted to hear. You, sir, are unpredictable.
I suppose Duvall would like someone you want to platoon with, has power, strikes out, low OBP, did surprisingly well in the field.
But hey, I love your notion of uncertainty and planting some error bars above and below each prospect’s potential.
Both of you hate the Duvall type, more into hit it the other way get walks type of players, Duvall like most power hitters is a streak hitter, gets hot for a while, and gets cold for a while, even in the 2nd half he had good stretches .
he hasn’t really been in the league long enough to establish a pattern. stay tuned, slappy…
Pattern he set in the Minor Leagues, where he was a very good run producer at every level he played .
MiLB, the wading pool.
He meant Todd. Linden.
I’m still in Duvall mode, lol.
Are you referring to Todd Linden?
speaking of prospects gone south…
Well, he does hold the all-time homerun record. At Chukchanski Field.
Duvall isn’t a power hitter, or he isn’t yet.
I’m really interested to see how long you’re going to try to maintain your denial.
Don’t you have some socks to fold?
Nah. It’s going to be great witnessing your stubbornness. Originally, your view was that he had a lucky month. It’s one of the things I’m very much looking forward to this season.
I received a total of one dozen new socks for x-mas. All are warmish.
Maybe your jockeys?
Calvin Klein.
I think some popcorn bets are in order. Some folk think Duvall will continue to be the cat’s meow, others are more sanguine on his prospects. Let’s put the money where our mouths are.
I don’t bet. I do look forward to continuing to sarcastically rubbing some noses in it when I’m proven right, and will cheerfully endure the same if this turns out to be one of the rare occasions when I’m wrong.
Understood. Would you care to place a non-bet on Jarrett Parker, who has a better wRC+ than Duvall in a smaller sample size?
Or Mac Williamson?
I don’t make any claims about those two. They’ve never had a 30 HR, 100 RBI MLB season. They also never hit in the minors like Duvall did.
1/2 season.
Parker had 16 HRs in just 222 AAA PAs last year, a 148 wRC+, he was crushing it. Did pretty well in ’15 also. Overall, better or similar rates as Duvall at AAA level.
Duvall hit for power at every stop. I’m not saying Parker can’t do it, but I’m not predicting he will.
Over 30 HRs and 30 doubles, is a power hitter to me, and his track record in the Minors , is good enough for me, not you because your a hater .
He hit 7 HR the 2nd half. It’s silly to generalize a trait on 4-5 weeks of play.
Fact check next time, he hit 10 Hrs in 2nd half with 42 RBI
You’re right, but the data says the same thing. Averaging just hides the issue. If he adjusts, we’ll see. If not then nature takes care of it.
All hitters have hot and cold periods. I think you’re 30 day trends are meaningless.
They’re not 30 days, there averaged, or rolled over 30 days intervals.
hey, don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. Those rolling averages are good stuff.
They identify who’s hot and who’s cold, which doesn’t require a graph.
I don’t know about you, but I find graphical information very helpful.
But you’re right. If you follow the box scores every day and keep tabs on your guys, you don’t really need a graph to tell you whether or not the sun be shining on their ass.
If you believe in sufficient sample size to rely on a stat, they give you a way to look at performance trends with a whole lot more confidence than just averaging over short intervals.
I prefer to look at a full season.
BTW, I don’t hate any player goofball. Duvall is an interesting enough player without putting him in a Godzilla suit.
Duvall’s entire send half was like a different player. If you made the AS one end of the interval, he’s on a list 1st half, and not 2nd half. Categorizing a player based on intervals you arbitrarily set is missing the forest for the trees.
thank goodness they play the game to sort things out.
LOL, indeed.
Ha…Duvall played the game, and had a very good season.
Couldn’t find the second sock, huh.
Yes he did. Really powerful first half. Overall, a very solid season with an Angel Paganesque wRC+.
If every team had the choice of Duvall or Pagan, how many do you think would choose Pagan?
We know who the Giants would choose. Am I right?
I think we know who they would choose now.
Coin flip.
Ha…that’s your best one yet.
I like you rolling your socks,
They’re all the same. I just throw them in a drawer.
That was mean, given the splits.
Kinda like Brandon Belt
Boom! Rajai Davis, back in the Bay Area – across the drink.. A’s were hurting for a CFer.
https://twitter.com/susanslusser/status/816455004907192320
If I was a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I wouldn’t know whether to take “The Problem of Whiteness,” or devote my time to the “Men’s Project'” If only they could combine the two into one class where they could illuminate the evils of white men in one sitting. It would certainly save the “men-identified” students a lot of time.
http://www.thecollegefix.com/post/30561/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2016/12/28/a-professor-wants-to-teach-the-problems-of-whiteness-a-lawmaker-calls-the-class-garbage/?utm_term=.4a1f8b5a37b3
http://www.wikigallery.org/paintings/217001-217500/217438/painting1.jpg
https://devastatingdisasters.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/transatlantic-slave-trade-featured-713×330.jpg
Bravo, hermano.
Kudos to you, Scout.
I’d look into wrestling with the concept of original sin, myself.
A year or so ago you called me out for taking a cheap shot about police violence and Black Lives Matter. You were right and I said so and I’ve tried to be constructive about the topic ever since.
I’m really tired of you taking cheap shots about universities, professors, and students. You’ve done it repeatedly for months. I like nasty cracks and stereotypes about my profession and workplace exactly as much as you like them about yours. And yeah, I’m a little sensitive about all the Fox News BS and the Professor Watchlist a/k/a McCarthyism, etc., etc.
Now, before you say it: I’m not trying to tell you what to say or not say. I don’t believe in that any more than you do. I’m just telling you that it bothers me. You’ll do with that what you like.
Left of Left, blog, me I am a Left on economic issues, and very Conservative on social issues, have voted Democratic all my life, but am Pro Life, my Catholic up bringing, and pro Government helping the poor .
In my observation, very few people are truly “pro life,” but when they are, usually they’re Catholic. Most so called “pro-life” people are also pro death penalty, pro guns and pro war, and they’re fine with letting poor children go hungry and sick people suffer. They’re “anti-abortion” but they’re not “pro-life.” Only unborn babies matter–no one else.
Yeah, and then once they’re born, they don’t matter anymore. They might be anti-abortion, but they’re damn sure not pro-life. Not where living people are concerned.
The history of the cross ain’t always so splendiferous. See figure below.
Saw that.Prety good. Arghh.
That seems a rather harsh generalization about very complex and layered issues…I’m pro-life (part of the reason is protecting those who can’t protect themselves), struggle with the death penalty, but think humans who clearly take the life of another need harsh punishment, but I personally don’t know anyone who are “fine with letting poor children go hungry and sick people suffer”.
Is this hyperbole, because I must live a sheltered life if there are folks that TRULY think that way.
Paul Ryan says free school lunches hurt poor children’s souls. Much better for their souls to go without food during the day. And he and his buddies plan to kick tens of millions of people off their health insurance at their earliest convenience and to gut Medicare. I could go on. So yeah, I’d say many are all misty-eyed about saving hypothetical unborn fetuses in the future and don’t care at all about protecting the most vulnerable–children, sick, and the elderly. They’re “takers,” after all.
I believe in being tough on violent crime but I don’t agree that state-sponsored killing solves anything. I personally don’t believe anyone who’s for the death penalty or against reasonable gun legislation is pro-life. They can call themselves anti-abortion all they want, though. I’m anti-abortion myself, but I believe in compassionate exceptions under clearly defined circumstances.
I don’t think Ryan is truly that “black or white” on that issue, but so be it. There are such deep layers to all of these issues (I support abortion in cases of rape, for example…and i bet you do as well…) . In all the cases in life, there are these convoluted compromises in which one side says “he wants to starve children” or “they want to tax all my money to pay for lazy drug addicts” and the truth is never that clean
http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388197152l/225221.jpg
Talking points of the DNC.
RNC attendants?
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Children_with_Dr._Samuel_Green,_Ku_Klux_Klan_Grand_Dragon,_July_24,_1948.jpg/220px-Children_with_Dr._Samuel_Green,_Ku_Klux_Klan_Grand_Dragon,_July_24,_1948.jpg
Lookey there
Way to go. That’s mature and should help dialogue.
Is this something you deny?
That the RNC equates to the KKK? Yes.
that would be extremis – but that that the KKK and racist factions gravitate to the Rep. Party would be true.
This does not not state that all Rep. are racist. But that the Party has some tilt.
I do believe the NAACP is protesting Jeff Sessions’ offices today.
And felons and illegal immigrants gravitate to the Dems.
so, if anyone (let’s choose Walter) put up an image of some militant who shot an innocent bystander and said “DNC attendants?” , is that acceptable?
Yours was a bullshit post meant to incite, and it’s inappropriate
What does “talking point” mean?
The difference is that Universities are big places, and I’m not trying to blame everyone who’s associated with them for classes like these. I think these two classes are ridiculous, as are trigger warning and safe spaces. But the overwhelming majority of higher education is obviously positive and useful. I think that’s quite a bit different from someone taking a small number of incidents they don’t like or understand, or where cops were flat out way out wrong, and concluding from them that law enforcement is a racist institution.
I have never said or thought anything like that about law enforcement. Maybe Colin Kaepernick has, but I’m not him. I don’t even like him–never did.
And I have never heard you say anything positive about higher education, either. Only mocking cheap shots.
Anyway, I’ve conveyed my feelings, and as I said, you can do with that what you want.
I think I just did, but I certainly believe that teaching people to communicate effectively is important.
But your the guy who just told me today that your whole takeaway from SFState was about a guy who got an a in a class for shaving his balls in public. So which is it, taking a small number of incidents you didn’t like or understand to form a conclusion, or thinking the overwhelming majority of higher education is positive and useful. You’re confused. And Lefty’s very clear.
I also said I enjoyed my time there. One the reasons, in addition to getting a degree, was that it took me beyond the sheltered life I had lived growing up and showed me that the world was much bigger, which is one of the most important and valuable things about higher education, and the reason why today’s safe spaces, trigger warnings and mandated political correctness on college campuses are so wrong.
Actually you left that part out. Gave me the impression that the ball thing was all you got from State. Thanks for fleshing that out a bit.
Good talk. (Downs rest of beer)
Well i teach in a university and i have no problem with criticisms of idiocy like such courses.
Most faculties are 95%+ liberal. Just an oddity I suppose.
What does “liberal” mean?
It means on the left politically. A Democrat.
“Most faculties are 95%+” ?
Wow. Can we get a fact check? Maybe this depends on the department. I bet English and Art rate high and the business school rates low. Am I right?
You must not have gotten the memo. There are no more facts. Only what makes me feel good about what I already believe.
Okay, so it’s only 93% or so. You caught me.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/oct/6/liberal-professors-outnumber-conservatives-12-1/
Right wing slanted bs didnt include business engineering…
Here’s left wing slanted BS:
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-gross-academia-conservatives-hiring-20160520-snap-story.html
Open-minded.
Do you think I’m open minded? I don’t consider myself liberal
So what?
my only issue with that is that universities should be a place of diverse ideas and discussions, and a one-sided ideology doesn’t foster that….what say you as a person who lives within the environment?
The universities and colleges I attended were, and are, places of diverse ideas and discussions, with seminars and wide-ranging exploration.
Mine, too…it didn’t seem as such for my son (it did for my daughter). His experience was a couple of bullying professors, and i get that it’s anecdotal… some of the reactions by very high-up-the-chain universities this election seemed silly…It’s just my uninformed observation and that’s why I asked the Dr.
I have never experienced universities, either as a student or a faculty member, as places of “one-sided ideology.” Yes, I’m sure anecdotally there are bad apples. My daughter, last spring semester, had a statistics professor who was a very conservative Christian who spent the term haranguing the students that women should be in the home and not in college or the workplace. How that applies to learning elementary statistics, I’m not sure. It was so over-the-top that I encouraged my daughter to get 5-6 classmates and go in a group to the department chair or the dean and file a report. So it cuts both ways with the “one-sided ideology” if we want to cherry-pick.
So the question comes up: Is that a requirement for hiring? There seems to be some connection.
No. I’ve been on many hiring committees–I’m on one right now. The job ads, the interview protocols, the committee discussions never touch on this–ever. On the contrary, we bend over backwards to ONLY discuss job qualifications–education, experience, research, etc. Nor have I ever been asked anything about that when I was on the market, either. And I don’t discuss politics in my classes or attempt to influence how my students vote. Not. Ever.
I can see where professors’ views might play into classes in political science and similar fields, but even then, not necessarily. It IS possible to teach your subject matter and keep an objective stance in the classroom, even if you have your own individual opinions, which who doesn’t?
How do you know?
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/oct/6/liberal-professors-outnumber-conservatives-12-1/
So I looked at your links. The “Men’s Project” is a six-week voluntary program that students apply for if they want to be in it. It’s not required for graduation. A lot of the topics seem like they’d be very useful and insightful for men if they want to reflect upon them. The article you linked didn’t say how it’s funded–do students pay for it, is there a grant, or is it out of general funds? I might quibble with it on that account, but I don’t know the answer.
As for “the Problem of Whiteness,” it’s offered in an African studies department. Again, it’s a voluntary course. And since the story didn’t describe the course goals or the reading list, I don’t know, and neither do you, if it’s a bad or bogus course. I’m sure you wouldn’t argue that institutionalized racism has never been a problem in American history. See Slikk’s comment above. It’s just as much a part of American history as the Civil War or the Industrial Revolution or the Great Depression, and no one would protest a class where students learned the causes behind those.
(My previous department had a course in the 70s called “The Lyrics of Leonard Cohen” that could be counted toward the English major. Now, THAT seemed a bit too boutique-y for my tastes, but it was gone way before my time there.).
The problem of whiteness class is being taught by a guy who sent out a celebratory tweet when the five Dallas cops were killed.
But what did he say that so offended you about the class?
OK, so he’s an ass. If I were a student, I’d certainly avoid taking his class. But that’s a different issue than the one you originally raised with these links.
My primary objection is that these classes are intended not as an opportunity to discuss issues, but to push an extreme political viewpoint. Professors are always going to lean left, as they did when I was in college and law school, but I think it’s been taken to an unhealthy extreme by some. It’s one of the reasons a guy with as many negatives as Trump had was able to get elected.
There are millions of white people in this country who have never owned a slave, don’t feel animosity toward any particular group, and have never noticed, as they try to get by in life, that they’ve benefitted from any special privilege. Some of them even voted for Obama. I think they’re tired of being scapegoated at the expense of any mention of personal responsibility. The election was a repudiation of this kind of thinking.
RIP Daryl Spencer, an original SF Giant, hit team’s first homer on the West Coast.
Wichitan and former MLBer Daryl Spencer has died at 88. https://t.co/ROnO8TUxfS
This is the kind of in-depth information that makes the TWG blog so great (I am originally from Wichita).
Glad I could help out with this info.
I received a New Yorker cartoon calendar. This kind of humor is right up my alley…
http://imgc-cn.artprintimages.com/images/P-473-488-90/87/8774/GDWT300Z/posters/jack-ziegler-keister-island-statues-of-butts-instead-of-heads-from-easter-island-new-yorker-cartoon.jpg
That made me laugh.
Well, I see below that the 2017 version of TOGETHER We’re Giants is off to a rousing start!
Reading my mind, cuz…
I just read the Player’s Tribune piece by Melancon. We’re gonna love Mark Melancon.
Forget reading playboy how bout looking at The pics
Warriors breaking ground Tuesday Jan 17th 2017!
I’m not feeling too positive about this Levi’s Stadium” type of move…Oracle has an organic fan base that will be priced out….
Smaller arena i think they can fake excitement
If i hear one more person say Lets make our country great again i swear im gonna puke! When was our country ever great? Blacks were enslaved for decades in the early 1800s throughout the 1900s brought here to speak english when our native language was stripped from us our black women were impregnated by nasty old white men and slavery went on for decades. Black men were hung, beaten, lynched, set on fire alive etc…To hell with lets make our country great again it never was great unless you were a white person during those times then you probably loved life immensely! So please someone tell me when was the United States of America ever great?
Let’s add that women didn’t have the right to vote until 1920!
Darn it Dr how did i forget that!!! Bingo!
There’s a song here:
I believe it’s Suffragette City by David Bowie.
That’s beyond fair.
I’ll take a stab at what i think the ineloquent tag line is meant to be: The USA is not perfect. It never will be, but it will always strive to be. In many ways, it may be considered closer than most other countries. There was a time when civil rights were improving at a very rapid rate, when the country had manufacturing jobs that meant more people were making a better wage , and could afford to build a foundation for their family – my dad drove a cement mixer….but he could afford to build a house, by a brand new car, raise a family of 4 kids and Mom stayed home. Now, that “pollyanna”lifestyle seems impossible…and it may never happen again.
I don’t believe that line has a specific date on a calendar that it points to, but many folks feel that, through all of the progress, we may be losing our way in some important channels. Has America ever been “great” for Blacks? Nope. But was there a time when it was better? Probably. so “Great Again” is not the best slogan. Bill Clinton used a version of it, and I know what he meant. Trump is using it, and I know what he means
It certainly doesn’t mean going back to times of oppression that you point to.
“Has America ever been “great” for Blacks? Nope. But was there a time when it was better? Probably.”
You might want to rethink that one, Matthew.
I’m thinking in the 70’s, when the economy was rolling and manufacturing jobs were aplenty. I just see a vast rise in crime and unemployment. Racial divides seem worsening…that’s what i meant
Maybe there was 15 minutes in 2003 when everything was perfect. I almost said “just peachy” but didn’t want to step on our esteemed commenter’s board name.
I think you’re closer to what i meant…
Is today the best it’s ever been for Blacks? I’m not sure – I’m not black….but it doesn’t feel like all the tumblers are lined up right for them or almost anyone right now
Tell you one thing white America sure does love their black entertainers don’t they lol?
And athletes.
I meant athletes as entertainment also
Blacks who travel back to africa generally come back with a more positive take on america so there’s that.
For me, “Mom stayed home” wouldn’t be a “pollyanna lifestyle.” I have always wanted to have a career, and I combined it with raising kids. It’s not easy but it is possible. I have no problem with women and families who want the wife (or one parent) to stay home and can afford it, but for many “Dad supported the family and Mom stayed home” is code for putting women (back) in their place.
I assume that’s not what you meant because I know your own wife has a career, but that IS what many mean when they say those kinds of things.
My mom stayed home, too, and she was pretty frustrated and pretty oppressed by my father. When I started college, she did, too, and built a later-in-life career that she retired from at age 70–with no support from my father, I would add. On the contrary, he did as much as he could to undermine her so that his life wouldn’t get less comfortable with her out of the house more. She ended up leaving him after 30 years of marriage and has been better off and happier for it.
it was an economic comment – the family didn’t need a second income.
Good on her!
Mom didnt play!
My mom had a short career till she had me and was then a stay at home mom till my younger brother went off to college. Then my dad decided it was important for her to start working again but after more than 20 years out of the work force she had to start at the bottom. Worked a hard job with low pay for a year, made $10,000 and bought a new car for $10,000. The next year she made $10,000 and bought my dad a car for $15,000. Dad was no dummy, he could do the math, she quit the job and never worked again and that probably saved him a lot of money.
You know, I’m not sure very many people ever lived that Norman Rockwell image of a life that make America great again hearkens back to. IMO, it’s mostly a myth.
Fair enough
I think the notion is : “Let’s make America all-powerful again”, and shove aside any obstacles that can impede that “progress”.
I’m already getting tired of that catchphrase too. How about this one?
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/5a7a29ee7b95ce71bd4f3c9ec423889dd1906aadf23b59f14ef51cb406cb9011.jpg
I’m going begin my response by agreeing with you regarding all the oppression-related items in your post *and* agree with you that I’m tired of hearing that marketing-slogan too; especially because of the messenger.
This said, I think “Make America Great Again” has a different meaning for everyone. I mentioned months back that an India-born co-worker was asking me what it meant and said, “Don’t Americans realize how great this country really is?”. Interesting POV from someone that wasn’t born here…and like many…want to come here because of the perceived greatness.
My personal opinion is this means an America where we were the leaders in most everything and people (regardless of their ability to attend college) could carve out a career. Companies took care of their employees and set up pension plans, so their retirement was taken care and not dependent on one’s ability to save via a 401K. Lifelong friendships were made, because people worked together for decades and didn’t experience plant closures…or get laid off every few years. If someone wanted to attend a State College…they could do so, because it was affordable *and* enrollment wasn’t limited to accommodate higher paying out-of-state/country residents.
I have to admit…from a Marketing standpoint…whoever created this did a great job. It gets people thinking in a dream-state; somewhat similar to “How would you spend it?” if you won the lottery. Once again, not a fan of the messenger.
I totally get it thanks for your response
It’s just a stupid campaign slogan, doesn’t really mean anything. Our country has been and is relatively great in many ways. Obviously enslaving and treating a group of people so badly is not part of the “great” legacy but this country has been way ahead of the curve in many respects when compared to other countries both now and in the past. Even now, thousands of people every day leave their own countries to come to this one for a better opportunity at a better life. That is pretty telling to me.
Make America great again
This slogan was selected so that his supporters could rally around the idea that “others” had assumed too large a position in today’s society. It appeals to those who feel life here is not as good as it used to be because people of color, gays, poor people are somehow getting the life that they as good ol’ white boys (and girls) have always enjoyed and felt entitled to. Feeling threatened, they demonize folks for getting “free stuff”. The hats help fuel the resentment.
When I hear these folks talk, two things are evident. One, they really don’t think America is great now, in fact they think it’s been ruined, stained even by the new cultures in our society. Two, they resent people who are seemingly taking their privilege and marginalizing them, while they see themselves as the real true Americans.
This is a scared, reactionary group of people. They hide behind slogans and focus not on how to improve, but on what they think been has been lost. It’s understood what that ridiculous red ball cap with the big letters meant was “Make America White Again.”
Omg Perfect!
When America saved Europe from Hitler first and then from Stalin. It’s enough for we Europeans to call Great the USA.
Hard not to really love MM after reading this. He is going to fit in so well … Off the charts on the ClubHouseFactor™.
WeatherGuy™: 5.5 inches of rain yesterday and out at 2 AM to redirect water off my neighbor’s driveway … One downside of mountain living is Neighbor Nonsense … small price to pay. Slik watch out today for flooded roads and get home safe.
Sand bags?
Hand shovel repairing a rain-bar.
Shut down a septic pump that was being overwhelmed (got to look at sealing it better)
How did you do?
Back on topic:
This is kind of ridiculous how long it is dragging on. Make up your flippin’ minds, it’s 2017. Pitchers and catchers report is less than 6 weeks.
https://twitter.com/jonmorosi/status/816670223268974592
and…
http://www.fanragsports.com/news/heyman-athletics-reached-mark-trumbo/
We definitely need some Hot Stove action to focus us back on the real important stuff, Cuz!!
I’ll bet someone swoops LA on Dozier….
That would blow up the hot stove and make em screech in La La Land.
Twins would be crazy to do a straight up Deleon Dozier swap.
This was discussed on MLB Radio this morning “with” Jon Morosi. He said that everyone agrees that Dozier is more valuable than a 1:1 DeLeon swap. Dodgers need to kick in more.
Morosi does believe that the Twins/Dodgers will eventually work this out, but doesn’t close the door on other teams making it happen.
49ers need to hire a GM, ASAP. Forget about interviewing coaches until you have in place someone who knows winning NFL football. That ain’t you, Jed. I vote for Elliott Wolf. Young, intelligent, grew up in the game. His father Ron and other superb minds will consult. If the Yorks don’t fix this soon, more empty seats will follow.
True, but the empty seats come with highly profitable seat licenses. As Steve Young kinda said, making money seems to make up for losing seasons where ownership is concerned.
Wow … We are proving we are a diverse group but we all …
Worship at Willie Mays Field [or try to take over other remote Fields]
Meditate on the “Psalm 25-Man Roster”
Bleed Orange and Black and
Call each other Brother and Sister at the end of the day.
Not as exciting as why Republicans stink, or how white people “love their black entertainers”, but still a nice little baseball post on how some of the rules of the game evolved the way they did:
http://m.mlb.com/cutfour/2017/01/04/210241338
Can we get an Insider to help celebrate Brandon Belt?
http://www.espn.com/blog/buster-olney/insider/post?id=15474
Pay wall.
Oops. Twirley.
They list Belt as an honorable mention:
“Brandon Belt, San Francisco Giants:
He’s a high-end defender, loves to throw and can hit for power. But
last year, opposing pitchers just challenged him with fastballs –- only
two first basemen saw a higher percentage of fastballs than Belt did — and Belt sometimes struggled to cope with that.”
Question for the group:
Pro football – very popular
College football – very popular
Pro basketball – very popular
College basketball- very popular
Pro baseball – very popular
College baseball – barely a pulse
Why is that? Is it simply that baseball games are frequent and long and we just don’t have the time for college baseball?
College Basketball and even College Football not as popular in bay area , but College Baseball not popular because less coverage , and people do not know the players, and in pro Sports people can follow the same players for decades .
My ranking is exactly opposite of that above.
That’s an interesting question. You’re right. There’s definitely an inconsistency there. Maybe it’s because, with so many players signing out of high school, the overall talent level in college baseball is below that of football and basketball?
Skill level might have something to do with it. Many college football and basketball players can make the jump to the pros right out of school, and many leave school early to go pro. Even the best college baseball players require 2-3 years of seasoning in the minors before they can sniff the majors.
That, and the “ping” of the aluminum bats drive me crazy.
I wonder how many innings of baseball a college player plays in his college career?
If we all had the pleasure of playing for “Coach O” – then college baseball would be more fun. http://devzone.positivecoach.org/resource/audio/team-dynamics-and-role-positive-team-culture-sustained-success
Metal Bats have ruined the games within a game for College baseball. Most college baseball coaches would return to WOOD in a blink of an eye but Easton and DeMarini have lobbied against it.
New Post: http://fe0.84e.myftpupload.com/2017-giants-offseason-news/who-is-jae-gyun-hwang-and-why-are-the-giants-interested-in-him/
A legal tactic to give Mike Trout access to early free agency, Section 2855 of the California Labor Code.
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/how-mike-trout-could-legally-become-a-free-agent/
The longest game ever played in professional baseball. 33 innings in 1981.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/24/sports/baseball/24longest.html