This is probably only my second or third post here, but I had a question that you stats folk will help me answer. The question being posed by myself, to myself. I was wondering, how does a players injury record play into stats like VORP or WAR (I think thats the one). The question arose from me playing a game of Baseball Mogul, where I'm using Joe Mauer as a leadoff hitter. Unfortunately, being a quasi man of glass, he's generally injured 20 to 40 games a year. However, in the game at least he's quite valuable to the team I'm using (The Orioles, just for shits and giggles). So despite his injured days, is he still more valuable than a player that may be injured less, but whose offensive prowess is marginally less than his? I'm not asking in terms of advice for the game, as that would be incredibly lame but more so as the question popped into my head as he went down for 16 days with a sprained lower back and had to replace him with Dioner Navarro.

There are sabermetrics in baseball. As a relative newcomer to basketball and its statistics are there advanced metrics in basketball? There are some ridiculously complicated ones in baseball and I was wondering if there is an equivalent here. Advanced metrics that is. And if anyone would care to explain them in brevity that would be awesome. For I am extremely curious. For instance, range factor is I suppose a relatively new stat which evaluates defenders ability to get to balls in play based upon an immaculately deconstructed range of the field that say the right fielder should get to. Do rebounders face such a range? Should the center be able to reach certain balls in his area based upon general averages and is this calculated? I am no statician, but as I am still grasping the +/- system, these things are great for me to know as I don't like my eyes to be betrayed into thinking a performance is particularly great when statistically, it may have well been pedestrian.

I have looked at Lookout Landing over the past one and a half seasons but have never had the courage to post. Five beers in tonight and I'm finding.

However, the question hasn't to do so much with the Mariners as it does with the Diamondbacks and a certain Brandon Webb and Dan Haren. With all of the new fangled stats that I frankly still have problems wrapping my brain around (tRA, babib, other stuff) though someday hope to understand, are they as awesome as their ERA, K, WHIP and other easy stats seem to indicate? I am sorry if this is stupidly off topic, but damn. You guys know stuff. That I do not.

Though I'm not sure as to how much people are going to particularly care, tonight I was able to go and watch the Sidewinders up here in rainy Portland. Unfortunately, the Diamondbacks inability to score runs with the bases loaded seemed to follow the team up here tonight, as the Sidewinders loaded the bases in the ninth only to have some guy named Trent Oeltjen ground into a double play to the first baseman (albeit a very close double play, had the first basemen not dove it would have been a sure double.) However, I did get a chance to see a couple of players really shine tonight, as both Tim Raines Jr. and Wilkin Castillo hit a home run a piece and watch D'Antona get a couple of solid base hits. The game itself was exciting, as the Sidewinders were blanked for the first five innings, getting no hit through four by a pitcher with an ERA over 9.00. However, in the top of the sixth down 3-0 the Sidewinders hit the two home runs and pulled ahead 4-3. The bullpen coughed up the lead though and the game ended with the Beavers winning 6-4.

A couple diaries back I recall discussion over D'Antona's defense and I have to say seeing it in person, that he kind of is a brick over at third base. He doesn't seem to move particularly well and when I saw the ball hit over to him I found myself cringing.

Also of note was the Petite units pitching. He got into trouble a lot early, getting behind in the count to almost every batter he faced. Also, I can't recall how fast he pitched when he was up with Arizona but I don't think I saw a ball he pitched top 89 miles per hour. His ending line wasn't horrible with three earned over five innings, but none of the innings seemed to be particularly pretty.

Really, I think I came away from the game how I expected. A little bit disappointed with the current prospects but still excited enough to write a little blurb about them. Also, no Chad Tracey or Trot Nixon sightings. (I'm assuming Chad may be on his way to Atlanta.)

Mark Reynolds was on ESPN First Take today, answering some questions about the Diamondbacks quick start. Also included in the interview were questions about the Diamondbacks clubhouse, and who Reynolds enjoyed watching take batting practice, who was easiest to prank etc etc. (Brandon Webb, because he can't hit and Justin Upton as he's so young, respectively.) Everyone here already knew that the clubhouse was loose in Arizona, but apparently they keep the fun going by enjoying Connect Four tournaments, in which Juan Cruz is the the current champion.

Overall, a nice little interview for Mark Reynolds. He seemed humble, if not a little spacey and disjointed in his conversation. However, a nice interview to wake up to.

For any of you out there who don't live in Arizona and don't have Fox Sports Net Arizona, their is a game on WGN tomorrow at 12:00 o clock. I have a sneaking feeling that this, combined with a Trail Blazers game at 4:30 is going to severely disrupt my studying that I had planned for tomorrow. However, I think the first televised (for me) spring training game may be just a little bit more important. (If only Dan Haren was pitching tomorrow!)

[editor's note, by Jim McLennan] Good catch, isoldout. Promoted to front-page, so it can also act as a GameDay Thread. I hope to catch a lot of the game myself, but since we are helping Mrs. SnakePit's mother move this morning, I may be a bit late arriving.

Scheduled pitchers, according to Nick P: Owings (3), Qualls (1), Lyon (1), Petit (2), Buckner (2)

I have a question. I live in the North West and am this year considering buying a baseball package that would allow me to see a bunch of out of market games. (Needless to say, I'm already pretty inundated with Mariners games, which albeit cool, isn't really what I want.) For any of you who live outside of the Arizona area, would this be a wise decision? I don't really want to invest in a package that would black out half of the games I actually want to see. Is that a pretty common problem, or should I be pretty safe doing this?  If it helps in your input, I have comcast cable.

I have got a question. I've been a follower of baseball for a long time and only this season really gotten involved with watching professional basketball. I've followed the Blazers on and off for a while, but it has never been what I would consider to be a passion. However, this years team has changed all that. With that said though, I still don't know very much about the sport that I've really just began to pay attention to. So my question is, why isn't McRoberts played more often? Is he a particular liability? With the poor play since really the New Jersey game, wouldn't a fresh face off the bench provide a boost for a team that seems to really need one at this point? How is a rookie supposed to develop if he isn't in the D-league or at least grabbing a few minutes every week? As implied, this is my first post on this site and I hope that it is not a candidate for speedy deletion.

I suppose a couple of these guys weren't really busts, but I suppose inclusion in this list is indicative of their career since they left Arizona. I find at the beginning of spring training every year I find myself rooting for a couple of players who have had ties to Arizona or another team I've liked, and finding that inevitably, their was a reason they were invited to spring training. I think Bret Boone in New York a few years ago was the greatest example of this.
I'd be rooting for Matt Kata this year, if he was playing for someone outside of the NL West. In addition, I didn't even know we had gotten rid of Daigle. Didn't know if anyone would care about this, but I figured I'd write it down.

Andy Green - Cincinatti
Koyie Hill - Chicago
Stephen Randolph - Houston
Mike Gosling - Toronto
Mike Koplove - Los Angeles (NL)
Chad Moeller - Washington
Luis Terrero - Baltimore
Jeff Davanon, Shawn Estes - San Diego
Casey Fossum, Elmer Dessens - Pittsburgh
Matt Kata - Colorado
Matt Mantei, Timo Perez - Detroit
Casey Daigle - Minnesota