BASEBALL 2017---Bring it On!!!

[EasyAce]

A look into Albert Pujols’ terrible 2017 - Pujols isn’t getting any younger and his hitting isn’t getting any better

Career stats

ISO - Isolated Power

Author cites several sabermetrics stats that I'm unfamiliar with.

@EasyAce

Is it time for Pujols to hang up his spikes for good?

@Machiavelli
It probably is. He hasn't been anywhere near the player he once was since that heel issue
that dogged him in his first couple of Angels seasons. He may be one of those men who's
good to have in your clubhouse even when he isn't playing well, but if I were him I'd call
it a career after this season and wait for the call telling me I've been elected to the Hall
of Fame.

[dfwgator]

Dodgers' Magic Johnson guarantees World Series victory

Post season series’ are a crapshoot, Magic.

Still.  Winning 38 out of 44 games is pretty damn impressive.

[Jazzhead]

The future of the Philadelphia Phillies is starting to reveal itself.   Three wins in a row now,  two by mashing the baseball and the last one by grinding out a walk-off victory,  make me optimistic about the shape of things to come. 

The outfield may at last be set - Altherr,  Herrera and Williams.    It just may have it all - power, athleticism, speed and defense -  and Odubel Herrera showed what he means to this team last night when he tied the game in spectacular fashion and helped spur the winning rally in extras.   

The veterans are departing now, and the new breed have their jobs assigned.   Franco's still a work in progress,  but a classic power stroke like he has is not something to give up on.   Freddy's a Gold Glove shortstop.   First base and second will work themselves out; significantly, here the competition is no longer between young and old.  May the best men win.   

@Polly Ticks,  I'm sure you're disappointed to see your Bravos drop two,  but that double play started by Freddie Freeman was something to see.   Freddie's been one of the better stories to come out of baseball this year, with his unselfish move to third to keep Adams in the lineup.   Who knows, maybe he'll make you forget Chipper Jones!

[Polly Ticks]

The future of the Philadelphia Phillies is starting to reveal itself.   Three wins in a row now,  two by mashing the baseball and the last one by grinding out a walk-off victory,  make me optimistic about the shape of things to come. 

The outfield may at last be set - Altherr,  Herrera and Williams.    It just may have it all - power, athleticism, speed and defense -  and Odubel Herrera showed what he means to this team last night when he tied the game in spectacular fashion and helped spur the winning rally in extras.   

The veterans are departing now, and the new breed have their jobs assigned.   Franco's still a work in progress,  but a classic power stroke like he has is not something to give up on.   Freddy's a Gold Glove shortstop.   First base and second will work themselves out; significantly, here the competition is no longer between young and old.  May the best men win.   

@Polly Ticks,  I'm sure you're disappointed to see your Bravos drop two,  but that double play started by Freddie Freeman was something to see.   Freddie's been one of the better stories to come out of baseball this year, with his unselfish move to third to keep Adams in the lineup.   Who knows, maybe he'll make you forget Chipper Jones!

@Jazzhead
I absolutely adore Freddie, but there will never be another Chipper! And speaking of amazing plays on the left side of the infield -- that play from Galvis in the 1st yesterday was spectacular.

We've lost a couple of squeakers in a row to your guys, but they've been some fun games to watch.  Mostly.
 

[EasyAce]

This just in . . .

Dodgers acquire right-hander Yu Darvish from Rangers

. . . just a few hours after . . .

Yankees reach deal for A's starter Sonny Gray

[EasyAce]

Leave us not forget . . .

Cubs issue World Series ring to Steve Bartman

I hate to beat a dead horse to death but a) there was no guarantee Moises Alou would have caught that
foul; and, b) nobody told Alex Gonzalez to let that double play ball bounce off his chest. So there!

[GrouchoTex]

Astros Aoki and minor leaguer Teoscar Rodriguez traded to Toronto for Francisco Liariano.

[Joe Wooten]

This just in . . .

Dodgers acquire right-hander Yu Darvish from Rangers

. . [/b][/url]

They also acquired Tony Cingrani from the Reds. He's the son of a good friend of my wife. I remember when he was born, watched him growing up, playing the kid leagues and high school ball around here. Good kid. Went to Rice on a full ride baseball scholarship then was drafted by the Reds.

[catfish1957]

Astros Aoki and minor leaguer Teoscar Rodriguez traded to Toronto for Francisco Liariano.

Really let loose a blockbuster didn't we?  /s

[Bigun]

Astros Aoki and minor leaguer Teoscar Rodriguez traded to Toronto for Francisco Liariano.

I don't get this one at all.  Teoscar has been in the bigs for 12 years already and has a mediocre record at best. 

[EasyAce]

I don't get this one at all.  Teoscar has been in the bigs for 12 years already and has a mediocre record at best. 

Addition by subtraction?

[Bigun]

Addition by subtraction?

New math!   

[EasyAce]

New math!   

heheheheheheheheheh

(Think about it: Liriano is still serviceable if the Astros hold to their plan to put him in the bullpen.
He'll help them there. The Astros got him for pretty cheap, extremely spare parts.)

[Bigun]

heheheheheheheheheh

(Think about it: Liriano is still serviceable if the Astros hold to their plan to put him in the bullpen.
He'll help them there. The Astros got him for pretty cheap, extremely spare parts.)

Yeah I suppose and after digging a litte deeper, his entire career has been spent with teams not known for their run production.

[EasyAce]

Yeah I suppose and after digging a litte deeper, his entire career has been spent with teams not known for their run production.

Liriano's lifetime ERA: 4.15. Lifetime fielding-independent pitching: 3.75. He's pitched in some hard luck in his career
and he can be a solid pitcher, but I think he's been compromised by a) the Tommy John surgery that caused him to
miss all 2007; and, b) shoulder issues in his later seasons with the Twins. (That hit in the back of his head he took last
year didn't help, either.)

[Bigun]

Liriano's lifetime ERA: 4.15. Lifetime fielding-independent pitching: 3.75. He's pitched in some hard luck in his career
and he can be a solid pitcher, but I think he's been compromised by a) the Tommy John surgery that caused him to
miss all 2007; and, b) shoulder issues in his later seasons with the Twins. (That hit in the back of his head he took last
year didn't help, either.)

You must have the encyclopedia of baseball on your computer!   

[EasyAce]

You must have the encyclopedia of baseball on your computer!   

I have three: Baseball-Reference, FanGraphs, and Retrosheet.
Plus Total Baseball in a big fat Manhattan phone book-thick hardcover. ;)

[Machiavelli]

You must have the encyclopedia of baseball on your computer!   

@Bigun The stats are there for all of us to read, but @EasyAce can actually interpret them and put them into perspective.  ^-^

[Bigun]

I have three: Baseball-Reference, FanGraphs, and Retrosheet.
Plus Total Baseball in a big fat Manhattan phone book-thick hardcover. ;)

WOW!   

[Bigun]

@Bigun The stats are there for all of us to read, but @EasyAce can actually interpret them and put them into perspective.  ^-^

Yeah that's the site I use but it doesn't have the encyclopedia stuff Ace is reporting.

[TomSea]

Pete Rose having serious allegations made against him but the allegations are from the '70s; they should give it a rest. The accuser should have said something long ago. This is 40 years later now.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/court-document-alleges-rose-committed-statutory-rape-in-70s/ar-AApazt3?OCID=ansmsnnews11

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/20208447/woman-accuses-pete-rose-statutory-rape

[EasyAce]

Pete Rose having serious allegations made against him but the allegations are from the '70s; they should give it a rest. The accuser should have said something long ago. This is 40 years later now.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/court-document-alleges-rose-committed-statutory-rape-in-70s/ar-AApazt3?OCID=ansmsnnews11

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/20208447/woman-accuses-pete-rose-statutory-rape

They were brought forth because Rose has sued John Dowd---who originally investigated him for baseball government---for defamation,
over an interview Dowd gave in 2015 in which he claimed Rose had sexual relations with underage girls during spring training back in
the year. I'll wait until whatever the final disposition of the case might prove to be---Rose says he believed the girl to be of legal age
at the time, the woman says she was just shy of her sixteenth birthday---but I'll say also that there are usually reasons why such girls
end up staying quiet about such things for so long. Unless I'm very wrong, there's no statute of limitations on statutory rape.

[Wingnut]

They were brought forth because Rose has sued John Dowd---who originally investigated him for baseball government---for defamation,
over an interview Dowd gave in 2015 in which he claimed Rose had sexual relations with underage girls during spring training back in
the year. I'll wait until whatever the final disposition of the case might prove to be---Rose says he believed the girl to be of legal age
at the time, the woman says she was just shy of her sixteenth birthday---but I'll say also that there are usually reasons why such girls
end up staying quiet about such things for so long. Unless I'm very wrong, there's no statute of limitations on statutory rape.

Lets be real here.  Most likely she was a Baseball Annie. Half the Reds probably put the pine tar to her.  It was the 70's

[EasyAce]

Lets be real here.  Most likely she was a Baseball Annie.

Does that give a (presumably? allegedly?) grown man the right to take advantage of her? Especially
if she was just a teenager?

[Wingnut]

Does that give a (presumably? allegedly?) grown man the right to take advantage of her? Especially
if she was just a teenager?

Ah yeah.  That is exactly what I'm saying.  Groupies were groupies.  Don't mater if it is baseball or rockstars.  I never checked an ID when a willing partner was waving me around 3rd base  and sending me to home plate.