
davethebutcher
Mar 17, 2008 Apr 21, 2010 21 992
a fan of
St. Louis Cardinals
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Rube Waddell, St. Louis Browns
And that was just 1903. In one game against the Athletics, Waddell was at bat in the eighth inning with two out and a tying run on second. The catcher threw to second, trying to pick off the runner, but overthrew, and the ball went into the outfield. The runner took off for home. As he rounded third, the center fielder hurled the ball in to home plate …
… and Waddell, to everyone’s horror, knocked it out of the park.
He was declared out for interference. "They’d been feeding me curves all afternoon," he told a flabbergasted Connie Mack, "and this was the first straight ball I’d looked at!"
From futilitycloset.com
Pujols and the Sabermetric Triple Crown
Pujols looking good for the sabermetric triple crown.
ESPN Baseball Tracking
Interesting, but still Meh.
Free Trial of MLB.tv
For a week, 7/11 through 7/18.
Boog ballin
This actually went on about three times as long as I have, took me a bit to get the camera out.
Pujols and Bengie before Friday nights game.
The break of the curveball
Check out the link for a cool optical illusion.
Description:
"In baseball, a curveball creates a physical effect and a perceptual puzzle. The physical effect (the curve) arises because the ball’s rotation leads to a deflection in the ball’s path. The perceptual puzzle arises because the deflection is actually gradual but is often perceived as an abrupt change in direction (the break). Our illusions suggest that the perceived "break" may be caused by the transition from the central visual system to the peripheral visual system. Like a curveball, the spinning disks in the illusions appear to abruptly change direction when an observer switches from foveal to peripheral viewing."
Found on reddit.com
Daily Spring Training Slideshow
Some great pictures from the Post DIspatch. You can order prints online.
The last man to steal first base.
Germany Schaefer stole first base. On Aug. 4, 1911, playing for the Washington Senators, Schaefer stole second base conventionally, hoping to draw a throw from the catcher so a teammate could steal home. The catcher didn't throw, so on the next pitch Schaefer ran back to first.
That was legal at the time, but rule 7.08i now forbids a player to run the bases in reverse order "for the purpose of confusing the defense or making a travesty of the game."
From http://www.futilitycloset.com/2008/11/25/clockwise/ , a great site in case you haven't heard of it before.
Go Cards. Restaurant Fail.
From PECOTA to Politics
"Nate Silver is a number-crunching prodigy who went from correctly forecasting baseball games to correctly forecasting presidential primaries—and perhaps the election itself. Here’s how he built a better crystal ball."
http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/
Mission:
"Most narrowly, to give you the best possible objective assessment of the likely outcome of upcoming elections."
What's with all the dumb baseball commentary on television?
"During the baseball playoffs, the best place to see comprehensive highlights of all the games is ESPN's Baseball Tonight. Just make sure to watch with the sound off, lest lead analyst John Kruk pulverize the parts of your brain responsible for logical reasoning..."
Is this what a Motte fastball looks like?
Out of the Zone: Jet-Lagged Baseball Teams Suffer Disadvantage
Article on Scientific American about Jet Lagged baseball teams.
Scientific American: Baseball Science Podcast
"Dan Gordon, editor of the new book "Your Brain On Cubs" from the Dana Foundation, talks about the neuroscience of baseball players and their fans. And statistician Shane Jensen of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School discusses attempts to get a statistical handle on defense in baseball. Plus we'll test your knowledge of some recent science in the news."
Listen to the podcast here -
http://www.sciam.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=E7C749BE-E982-2B21-2AADBDF1AF968B99
An interesting podcast. Talks about the Cubs loosing and the impact of that on fans as well as the importance of looking the stats of defense, two things Cardinal fans enjoy. In a study they found that the most important defensive position is center field, since if a shortstop does not make a play it will end up a single. Also, a higher pitchers mound puts more stress on a pitchers arm and a pitcher recovering from an injury should start out pitching on flat ground.
Molina's "Play Like A Cardinal" commercial.
2008 Season in Google Calendar
Was looking around on the internet and didn't find one, so I thought I would make this to share with you all.
Another good one with a bit more information can be found here -
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