SB Nation User Blog: blazinrayz

Citrus Park Little League, Tampa in LLWS

blazinrayz — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 00:39:30 -0000

Sorry but I was confused by how to use fanshots, move this if you can. I just wanted to give Citrus Park some love. They have a really good team and a shot to go far in this thing. They have great pitching and a REALLY good overall team. They are on ESPN right now, they are winning 1-0 in the 3rd. I think if they win this game they go to Williamsport. The game on right now is being played in St Pete btw

D Ray origins

blazinrayz — Wed, 28 May 2008 17:20:23 -0000

sorry about the terrible title, but I noticed some cool things about our current 25 man roster...

6 players (Garza, Howell, Percival, Shields, Gomes, Bartlett), and our manager (Maddon) are from CA

2 players from TX (Crawford, Kazmir), both natives of Houston

only 1 player from FL (Riggans)

2 players from IL (Floyd, Zobrist)

5 players born outside the country, surprisingly only 3 latin players (Pena, Reyes- DR, Navarro- Venezuela). The other 2 being Jackson- Germany and Aki- Japan

1 Ray player (Sonny) and 1 soon to be ex-Ray (Glover) from OH

7 remaning players from different states in the US.

I find it interesting that the majority of our team -born outside Cali- are from different places scattered around the country, and planet. Also, it is very odd that only 3 of our players are hispanic, and our team is comprised mostly of whites and blacks. Even our biggest losses from last year, Harris, Norton, Wilson, Camp, Dukes and Young, are either black or white. Our team is kind of unique in this day and age

Lets talk SABRmetrics

blazinrayz — Mon, 19 May 2008 10:20:37 -0000

I think SABR ideas have done tremendous things for the game of baseball. When used with the proper amount of emphasis and in the right context, these principles undeniably make for a more polished game. I think where they lose their effect is when people get so enchanted by these ideas and principles that they ignore the most essential part of the game that gives perspective you cant get any other way, ACTUALLY WATCHING IT

Im becoming more and more convinced that being an all out SABRhead (heavily relying on SABR stats to make points) just allows those who cant make strong evaluations from physical observations alone, to hide behind a protective shell of numbers that frees them from the burden of using their own judgment and intuition and protects them from the criticism that comes from having "projections" that never materialize. Certain core elements of the game can not be measured by calculator. Certain stats may lead you to believe certain things are happening or about to happen, but the game isnt played by robots or on spreadsheets, and I am certain that this is a game that varies for every individual player and evaluations must be centered around physical observation more than anything else.

I think the general principles behind baseball that make the game what it is have been lost on these people. Such things as heart, intuition, and the human factor are ignored as they sift through obscure numbers that they think will alone predict the future.

I hope everyone is able to differentiate between the good that SABRmetrics can do for the game, and the bad they can do, and can tell who exactly I am referring to. Ive been wanting to have this discussion for awhile, and I know a lot of people are going to strongly disagree with my thoughts. My main purpose of this is not to ruffle peoples feathers, because I know a lot of great baseball minds are into SABRmetrics to varying degrees. That does not bother me. It is the SABR groupies who IMO have aided to the dumbing down to a small extent, and oversimplification of what is indeed a stat driven game but also still remains at its core a game of intuition

Edwin Jackson

blazinrayz — Wed, 14 May 2008 20:25:07 -0000

Im starting to wonder where's all the love for this guy? He has pitched against the Yankees 3 times already this year, Boston twice, Toronto, Seattle, and Chicago once each and he sports a 3.47 ERA to go along with a respectable 1.30 WHIP. He has 3 no decisions in games that we won, and he pitched 7+ with 1 ER or less in each of those games.

Although I was a Jackson supporter in the offseason, I'm not going to get a Sonny v Jackson thread going because I like what I see out of both of them. Im just wondering where the Jackson love is. If Sonny had the kind of matchups Jackson has faced, and had the same results, well Im sure we would already have a DRaysBay get together complete with a moonwalk, ice cream cake and fireworks to celebrate.

In Jackson's past 2 starts, he has gone 15 innings, 11 hits, 2 walks, 0 runs allowed in tough division matchups.

Jackson only has a 34:21 K:BB rate, but I dont think anyone can complain. His command and control have been everything we've asked for out of him and his K rates being as low as they are signal that Jackson IS learning how to get guys out and pitch deep into games. I'm not sold that he keeps this up with any consistency, but you got to love what he has given us thus far. I think it will take a complete downspiral for us to be unable to trade Jackson when we find the time is right

Rocco Bal-DL-y update?

blazinrayz — Tue, 13 May 2008 21:29:13 -0000

May 12 OF Rocco Baldelli, on the 60-day disabled list with a muscle fatigue disorder, has resumed full workouts after missing about two weeks with an infection.

I found this on yahoo, does anyone have any more info on Baldelli? Has nothing changed? Is he still just on a wait and see kind of thing where we are just waiting to find out if this mysteriouos illness magically goes away? That's the way I kind of udnerstood things, but hadn't heard any news in weeks until I saw this update on yahoo. Does anyone know what the infection was, and what exactly are "full workouts" for Rocco? Could he possibly be coming back within say, 1-2 months?

Crawford is having a good year

blazinrayz — Tue, 06 May 2008 20:37:37 -0000

Walks have never turned into doubles or triples, and they've never scored the man from 2nd. Im not downplaying the importance of the walk, rather I am accentuating the value of putting the ball in play.

Crawford has hit in the .300 range all year (currently .287), and he has 8 XBH. He is on pace for 90 RBI and 120 runs scored. And some of you actually wonder why he isnt being taught to look at more pitches? You don't tell guys like Vlad Guerrero what not to swing at. Sure these guys make ugly swings and pick up frustrating outs sometimes, but they are who they are because they arent constricted.

I'll take a guy who is going to hit .300 with a .330 OBP over a guy who hits .250 with a .350 OBP. Walks dont produce immediate runs (and with the way this team has hit in clutch situations the past couple years, those runs come around to score at an even lower rate), and guys with low BA cant be relied on in clutch ABs.

His defense has become so consistent and expected, that some people forget that 1/3 of the OF never sees the ball touch the grass. That alone should keep him from the scrutiny some people are directing his way

Why start Jackson and Hammel in NY?

blazinrayz — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 21:16:46 -0000

I understand that you have to begin the season with your unquestioned top 2, Garza and Shields, starting in Baltimore. I was thinking, would it be a better idea to use Jackson in game 3 against Baltimore? Or do we basically concede victory to the Yanks in games 1 and 2 in New York? Maybe having Sonny start in New York wouldnt make a difference anyways, but Hammel and Jackson are being set up for failure

I think if we start Jackson or Hammel in game 3 against Baltimroe a few things will happen...

a) we will win

b) Jackson/Hammel gain confidence

c) we give ourself a chance to win game 1 against New York

My Change of Stance on Del-ME Young

blazinrayz — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 09:44:00 -0000

[url]http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AqJWFFP9aMaoFAgLfLW9EXKFCLcF?slug=ap-thenewdelmon&prov=ap& amp;type=lgns[/url]

article on yahoo, on Delmon Young. Decent read, but lengthy. A lot of it is Delmon's dad talking about the "new" Delmon, and his upbringing.

reading this article HURTS

It hurt knowing Delmon is NOT one of the true greats.

He doesn't have that ability to use his superstar talent to transcend the game in any situation he is put in. With his talent, he should've came on the scene and blown the game away. Rather than needing to be placed in a more historic franchise, with more established players, to bring the game out of him.

He is a fraud, and I feel robbed of my hopes that Delmon would become a 'special' player for my D Rays, and also on the $80 I dropped on what is now a throwback, rookie, Delmon Young Devil Ray jersey.