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From Our Editors

Constantly updated with quick takes from the staff.

SI's Jon Heyman Calls Other Sportswriters Dumb

Allow us to preface this tweet from SI’s Jon Heyman by telling you that this is a man who lobbied for Rick Porcello to win ROY because he had 14 wins and pitched for a team in the pennant chase. Heyman is the posterboy for old-school baseball writer mentality. Which is fine, I guess -- their kind will soon be phased out anyway. But don't call other people dumb for finding statistical flaws in Carpenter's resume:

i dont mean to pick on the voters. but how do 2 of them leave chris carpenter off the ballot entirely? #dumbsportswriters

Will Carroll was one of the two voters who left Carpenter off their ballot. (The other was Keith Law.) Carroll took exception to being called “dumb,” which then prompted an apology from Heyman.

Heyman isn’t alone though. Bryan Burwell at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch is baffled by this new-aged movement to award pitchers based on stats that actually matter instead of wins:

I am not particularly outraged by any of this, but I am confused. […] So tell me again, why is winning not an important stat anymore?

It makes me feel like they’re either trying to out-think themselves or justify their sabermetric fascinations when I hear people tell me that a pitcher’s victories aren’t all that important.

Whatever you do, Mr. Burwell, DO NOT go to this site, where they’re constantly acting upon their dirtiest sabermetric fantasies. It’s a pornographic cesspool of numbers and logic.

0 comments

by Chris Mottram • Nov 20, 2009 10:10 AM EST

Derek Jeter And Minka Kelly On The Beach, Or Why It's OK To Hate Derek Jeter

Because he's rich, successful, plays for the Yankees, doesn't ever say anything interesting, and receives more undeserved love than any sports figure not named Brett Favre? Well, sure. But more than that, your hate should be based in the fact that Derek Jeter wins World Series and then takes exotic tropical vacations with Minka Kelly, who is this person right here. See what I mean? I am so angry right now!

0 comments

by Eamonn Brennan • Nov 19, 2009 7:09 PM EST

Bud Selig: MLB Will 'Tighten Up' Postseason Schedule

The first game of the 2009 MLB postseason was played on Oct. 7; the final out of the World Series didn't come until nearly a whole month later, Nov. 4. It took 28 days to play 24 games (check out FlipFlopFlyBall for a visual representation of the stark differences between the regular season and playoff schedules). That's the bad news. The good news is that it won't happen again.

After AL Manager of the Year Mike Scioscia complained about the current format (the six-game ALCS between the Angels and Yankees took nine days to play), MLB Commissioner Bud Selig said yesterday that Scioscia was right, and changes will be made.

"Oh, we're going to change it for next year," he told the media after a full day of committee meetings had come to an end. "It's tough, but I don't disagree with Mike Scioscia. I think he was right. We're going to tighten it up."

Selig said he'd have a new plan to present to the owners by the spring. [...]

"I've been looking at it every day, looking at what days we can eliminate," Selig said. "In the first round, you have to plan for each series to go five games and then you can make other assumptions. I'm not sure what tact to take. We've spent many hours already going over things. I don't want to get into details now. Let me do it, first."

Selig still hasn't changed his stance on expanding instant replay, though. But hey -- a shortened postseason. Progress! Baby steps here, people. Baby steps.

0 comments

by Ryan Hudson • Nov 19, 2009 10:48 AM EST

Zach Greinke Has Big Offseason Plans

When reached for comment yesterday about winning his first Cy Young award, Royals pitcher Zack Greinke gave some insight into how EXCITED he’s been while waiting for this moment in his offseason Orlando home:

"I’ve been playing this ‘World of Warcraft’ game."

In case you’re more a visual learner, the guys at SB Nation’s Beyond the Boxscore have put the awesomeness of this quote into graph form (click image to see full-size):

0 comments

by Chris Mottram • Nov 18, 2009 9:36 AM EST

A Morsel Of Statistics For The Baseball-Famished

It's been scientifically proven that while an individual can last weeks without food, he or she can only live for about three days without baseball statistics. WIth this in mind, I urge you to check out Beyond the Boxscore's 2010 UZR projections.

For a full definition of what exactly UZR is, please consult FanGraphs' glossary. In short, it's a measure of a player's defensive effectiveness at a given position. Albert Pujols, Chase Utley and Evan Longoria are among those projected to be the best at their respective positions next year. The worst at his position? Brad Hawpe, who is projected to post a miserable -19.3 UZR. Ha! I guess Brad Hawpe's gonna take a lot of bad hawpes! Haaaaa!

0 comments

by Jon Bois • Nov 14, 2009 5:08 PM EST

Ken Griffey, Jr. Has Spent Four Decades With Mariners (Sort Of)

As you may have heard, Ken Griffey, Jr. (is the “junior” still necessary? Not sure the rule there anymore.) signed a one-year deal with Mariners this week. Which means he’ll be with Seattle as a 40-year-old — he is officially over the hill in eight days. Naturally, this got the big brains at Inhistoric thinking …

When he plays in a game for the M’s, he will become just the fourth baseball player ever to play with the same team — at least once — in his teens, 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s. The three previous men to do that are Eddie Collins (a member of the A’s “$100,000 Infield”), Brooks Robinson of the Baltimore Orioles, and Tim Raines with the Montreal Expos. Of those four, only Raines is not a first-ballot Hall of Famer — though he may one day get in himself.

Our apologies for making you feel so old. But yes: Junior really is turning 40 this month and you really are no longer a junior in college.

2 comments

by Chris Mottram • Nov 13, 2009 12:16 PM EST

The Brilliant Animated Story Of Dock Ellis Throwing No-Hitter On LSD

This is just complete brilliance from No Mas: the animated story of Dock Ellis’ 1970 LSD-enhanced no-hitter. Watch it. Love it. But don’t live it, because if there’s anything that will add stress to your day, it is being on multiple hits of acid and benzedrine at work.

If there is one quibble to the piece, it is the omission of this detail from Dock’s account of the day’s events.

I started having a crazy idea in the fourth inning that Richard Nixon was the home plate umpire, and once I thought I was pitching a baseball to Jimi Hendrix, who to me was holding a guitar and swinging it over the plate.

Other than that oversight, yes: absolute perfection.

0 comments

by Spencer Hall • Nov 12, 2009 1:32 PM EST

Mark McGwire's New Job Making Things Just A Little Bit Awkward

And not I'm not even talking about the headline here: "Cardinals Wrestling with McGwire’s Coming Out." That's not the awkward part! The awkward part is that, as CTSB writes, Mark McGwire can't spend every single day of spring training ducking media questions about his potentially steroid-infused past. Or can he? That's what Cardinals GM John Mozeliak seems a little bit confused by:

“There is going to be a wide range of what people are hoping to hear. For me personally, we’re not there yet as far as what it’s going to look like,” Mozeliak said about an eventual press conference. ”Hopefully in the next week or so we can work through that.

“Clearly my energy is focused on players and looking at how to improve our 2010 team. Understanding that, the McGwire situation has to be recognized. I don’t have a timetable yet on when we’re going to do things or how we’re going to do them. But it’s not something we’re ignoring or hoping will go away.”

Which means that in a few months, Mark McGwire will talk about the past. I can only hope it goes as well as that time he talked about the future.

0 comments

by Eamonn Brennan • Nov 11, 2009 8:10 PM EST

Sammy Sosa: Skin Cream Bleached Me

In case you just had to know why Sammy Sosa's skin suddenly looks so sickly, Sosa has his answer: skin cream.

"I'm not a racist," Sosa said. Sosa, in his first public remarks since the famous photos became public, said he's not trying to look like Michael Jackson:

"What happened was that I had been using the cream for a long time and that, combined with the bright TV lights, made my face look whiter than it really is. I don't think I look like Michael Jackson," he said.

Good news, then, and I suppose we can all go back to not caring whatsoever about skin cream, Sammy Sosa's skin tone, Sammy Sosa, or -- yeah, why not? -- Michael Jackson. There, I said it! I'm sick of Michael Jackson. Don't look at me like that.

0 comments

by Eamonn Brennan • Nov 10, 2009 9:21 PM EST

MLB Passes On Expanding Instant Replay

It's no secret that the 2009 MLB postseason had its fair share of blown calls and mistakes made by the umpires (a quick search of this site will confirm that). Many of these gaffes were obvious to anyone watching at home, where they were able to sit on their couch and benefit from high-definition, slow-motion instant replay. And after today, it appears that the average Joe Baseball fan will continue to have better technology than the umpires, as baseball has passed on expanding instant replay.

Major League Baseball's general managers did not propose or vote on an expansion of the league's replay system at the first session of this year's GM Meetings, which conclude Wednesday [...] "It all lies with the Commissioner right now," said Jimmie Lee Solomon, Major League Baseball's executive vice president of baseball operations, who sat in on the meeting. "He'll have to make the determination about whether he wants to start discussions on that. I know some [GMs] have talked off-line about the expansion of instant replay, but the Commissioner doesn't see any reason to consider it."

To be fair, baseball only introduced replay in 2008, so already expanding it does seem a bit premature. And with quotes saying that Bud Selig is "very methodical about making [these] types of decisions," I wouldn't expect any changes in the near future.

0 comments

by Ryan Hudson • Nov 10, 2009 6:42 PM EST

Sammy Sosa's Skin Does Not Look Well

Sammy Sosa says the reason his skin appeared so white in recent photos has nothing to do with being sick, or with having some sort of weird Michael Jackson-esque whitening procedure. Rather, Sammy's skin is supposedly the product of a "skin rejuvenation" that's taking its sweet time to rejuvenute:

"He's not trying to be Michael Jackson," said former Cubs employee Rebecca Polihronis, who talks frequently with Sosa. "He is going through a rejuvenation process for his skin," Polihronis said. "Women have it all of the time. He was surprised he came out looking so white. I thought it was a body double. Part of (the photo appearance) is just the lighting."

Maybe so, but it's sort of hard to explain this away as bad lighting:

Gah! Sammy should probably consider a refund on that skin rejuvenation. That epidermis does not look rejuvenated, we're working with a definition of rejuvenated that does not include the Cryptkeeper as an example.

4 comments

by Eamonn Brennan • Nov 8, 2009 6:08 PM EST

If Only Tim Lincecum Were Caught With 'Panther Sweat'

The sports world was brought to a screeching halt (I guess it should be called the sports locomotive, then) this week when Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum was caught smoking heated-up marijuana. SB Nation's excellent Giants blog, McCovey Chronicles, has come through with a brilliant bit of period-piece satire. A sampling:

[...] Star pitcher Art Nehf was caught with a hip flask full of hooch, besmirching his name and reputation as well as that of his fair team.

Though Nehf's doggy, Joe Brooks appearance has always led this observer to believe that he partook of a belt of giggle water whenever convenient, the official pinch only confirms our suspicions.

Yes, in the Prohibition era, alcohol was sometimes referred to as "giggle water." People were quite imaginative back then, but our generation invented a hybrid of baseball, chess, aerial warfare, and football, so I'd call it even. Wait, we haven't invented that yet? Nevermind.

0 comments

by Jon Bois • Nov 6, 2009 6:54 PM EST