SB Nation User Blog: tobias

Derek Jeter: SI Sportsman of the Year

tobias — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:31:22 -0000

Derek Jeter: SI Sportsman of the Year

This registers a victory for clutchness and New Yorkness and Calm Eyeness.

Hopefully, 2010 will be a better year for Jeets than 2009 was for Michael Phelps.

LOL Zimmerman wins Silver Slugger over Pablo

tobias — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:36:26 -0000

MLB Managers and Coaches once again fell prey to the siren song of DINGERZZ and RIBBIEZZ. Proof, once again, that chicks dig the long ball.

Link

Zimmerman had 8 more home runs and 16 more RBIs than Pablo.

However...

* Pablo had 11 more hits than Zimmerman (189 - 178)

* Pablo had 7 more doubles than Zimmerman (44 - 37)

* Pablo had 2 more triples than Zimmerman (5 - 3)

* Pablo had 38 points higher batting average than Zimmerman (.330 - .292)

* Pablo had 23 points higher on-base percentage than Zimmerman (.387 - .364)

* Pablo had 31 points higher slugging percentage than Zimmerman (.556 - .525)

* Pablo had 54 points higher OPS than Zimmerman (.943 - .888)

Pablo destroys Zimmerman in those last four stats. It's not even close.

I mean, OK, it's just the Silver Slugger. But, wow... as jaded a guy as I am, I'm still kind of stunned by the level of ignorance here.

SI Revisits Marichal-Roseboro Incident

tobias — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 16:22:30 -0000

Along with the article on Lincecum and Cain, the latest SI also has a piece in "The Vault", recounting the incident involving Juan Marichal and John Roseboro. As has frequently been the case where this story is concerned, the article (reprinted from 1965) is a ridiculously slanted account of what actually took place.

A few of the more laughable quotes and lines from the article:

"...Giants pitcher Juan Marichal, swinging his bat like a headsman's ax, had opened a two-inch gash and raised a swelling the size of a slice of cantaloupe on the left side of Roseboro's head..."

"I've never seen one human being attack another with a club," said mild-mannered Wally Moon, who offered to take on Orlando Cepeda in the 60-man melee that followed the clubbing."

"I thought it had knocked Roseboro's eye out," said Dodgers manager Walter Alston. "There was nothing but blood where his left eye should have been. A man might as well have a gun as use a bat like that."

I found a better article in The Seattle Times, of all places. It's an AP story from 1990, written by Steve Wilstein, who actually appears to have done some research, and even manages to give background and history leading up to the incident.

A few facts:

1) According to Tom Haller, Maury Wills instigated the bad blood between the two teams during the Friday night game, by intentionally hitting Haller in the mask on the follow-through of his swing during an at bat. Wills was actually awarded first base as a result of his act, due to "catcher's interference".

2) When Matty Alou attempted to retaliate (again, during the Friday night game) by tapping Roseboro on his glove during a subsequent at bat, the umpire ignored it. But Roseboro began threatening the Giants, growling, "The next guy who does that gets it in the head".

3) On Sunday, Marichal threw a pitch near Wills' head.

4) During Marichal's subsequent at bat, with Sandy Koufax choosing not to retaliate, Roseboro began firing his return throws to Koufax next to Marichal's ear. When one throw came especially close to Marichal's head (possibly even nicking him on the ear), Marichal turned around and asked Roseboro to stop.

5) At this point, Roseboro came out of his crouch, yanked off his mask, and began advancing on Marichal in menacing fashion. Marichal (even according to the SI piece) began backing away, while holding the bat up in a gesture of self-defense.

6) As Roseboro continued to advance, and Marichal continued to retreat, Marichal felt that Roseboro was about to swing his mask at him. So he raised his bat and hit him twice, before being restrained.

7) Roseboro suffered a 2-inch wound to the scalp, which bled profusely and required 14 stitches to close.

A few thoughts of my own:

1) If you've seen the famous Neil Liefer photos of the incident, or even footage, you'll see that Marichal was not "swinging his bat like a headsman's ax". Had he swung the bat with that kind of force, Roseboro undoubtedly would've suffered much more traumatic injuries than he did. He certainly would've suffered a larger wound and a concussion, if not a fractured skull.

2) Oh, poor, sweet, mild-mannered Wally Moon! I felt a tear form in the corner of my eye as I read of Moon's tender innocence lost. How brave of him to offer to take on big, mean, ethnically menacing Orlando Cepeda!!

3) Not mentioned anywhere is the fact that there aren't many wounds that bleed like a scalp wound. A 2-inch wound to the scalp is not something anyone would hope for, but relatively speaking, it's not a major injury. Roseboro did not suffer even a concussion. Contrary to what Walter Alston said, both of Roseboro's eyes remained firmly ensconced in their respective sockets.

4) What Marichal did was wrong, and horrifying, and largely inexcusable. It's right that he was punished. But there definitely was an element of self-defense to what Marichal did, and Roseboro also should've been punished (to a lesser degree) for his part in what took place. It was Roseboro who was throwing the baseball at Marichal's head, and it was Roseboro who advanced on Marichal wearing full catcher's gear and wielding a mask. I think Marichal's options at that point were to:

Run--this was never going to happen in the macho world of pro sports
Fight Roseboro--an unfair fight, with Roseboro fully protected and wielding a mask
Drop the bat and continue backing away until his teammates came to his defense--this probably would've been the best option
Use the bat like a pole to keep Roseboro at bay
Hit Roseboro with the bat

5) It's understandable that people on the scene were shaken up--particularly Roseboro's teammates. But that's no excuse for the writer of the SI piece transfering their one-sided hysteria to print.

I found another account, by a Dodger fan, which gives a brief and fairly even-handed summary. The fan's account of another incident from 1987, involving Mike Marshall and Scott Garrelts, is also worth reading. It actually reads more like a Giants fan's account.

I also found the beginnings of what looked like longer studies on the incident. But they were archived and not accessible without paying a premium. Some of you may have access to more complete accounts of what actually took place.

I want Brian Sabean to be fired. Tonight.

tobias — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 22:16:59 -0000

I know this sounds extreme. But when I look at the Giants' problems and deficiencies--and they are legion--I keep seeing Brian Sabean as the one who ultimately is responsible for the things that are wrong with the Giants, and the one who is keeping them from getting where we all want them to be. Today's game simply provided several more examples.

This season, on balance, qualifies as a pleasant surprise. But (for me at least) it’s not just that today’s loss was particularly disappointing. It’s what losses like today’s keep saying, over and over, about this team and its management—that we’re pretty good, but because of our glaring, ridiculously deficient areas of weakness—from the fail offense, to the lack of power hitting, to the relentlessly bork-headed manager, to the first-pitch hacking (and the coaches who only advocate same) to the ever-sloppy execution, station-to-station hitting and base-running, and poor fundamentals (from a team that supposedly was going to EXCEL in those things), to the head-scratching trades and free agent signings—that we will NEVER be good enough. Games like today’s just leave me with a cold, solid-as-granite sense of certainty that the Giants will never win a World Series with the current cast of characters running things.

The Giants have two top-notch, dominant pitchers. Any team would kill to have just one pitcher with the talent of either Tim Lincecum or Matt Cain. The bullpen is competent-to-very good. With ANY kind of offense in place, this team could win not just one, but MULTIPLE World Series over the next few years. But my fear is that, sooner than we think, we’ll see that window rapidly close. Brian Sabean will keep making foolish trades and signings. Lincecum and/or Cain will tire of waiting for the Giants to provide some real help in the lineup—or even just a cleanup hitter—and when free agency approaches, they’ll be open to going elsewhere. When that time comes, Sabean will not be willing to pay the kind of big bucks necessary to keep pitchers like Cain and Lincecum on the roster for years to come. He will over-confidently and arrogantly believe that he can simply keep drafting and developing pitchers who are every bit as good as Lincecum and Cain. He’ll let one or both of them walk, or he’ll trade them for bats that are past their prime, and who never were that good in the first place.

Since 2003, being a Giants fan for me has been like being on a long journey to a destination that is so far away…well, it almost seems mythical. The destination is so distant—so unreachable, really—and the vehicle we are in seems so ill-suited to get us anywhere near where we’d like to go, that we quit worrying so much about reaching that destination, and we try to just enjoy what parts of the ride we are able to enjoy. Then suddenly, unexpectedly, we round a bend, lurch over a rise in the road, and…we SEE it! We can actually see that destination. It does exist! And…it seems so close. "We can get there!", we cry! "We can do this!".

But then, as we pick up our pace and attempt to breach those last few miles between our vehicle and that promised land, the vehicle abruptly coughs and sputters, veers badly off course, and finally grinds to a halt. It’s only then that we realize that the vehicle that we had imagined was a powerful vehicle—strong and hardy, yet nimble and quick, and designed to get us over difficult miles and tough terrain—well, that vehicle isn’t a powerful Humvee or Range Rover. It’s not a Ford Ranger, a Pathfinder, or a Jeep. In fact, it isn’t even a car, really. It’s actually…well, it’s a bunch of 2X4’s nailed together with wheels that were last used as training wheels on your sister’s bicycle. The guy that built the car keeps kicking the tires and saying things like, "I could’ve gotten that shiny, expensive car you all wanted; but then I couldn’t have afforded all these nice new bottle caps we just added to the rear bumper." The driver…he’s actually not even human. He’s just a big friendly dog with an enormous head, who slobbers all over everything while steering the car left when he hears a bell, and right when he hears a whistle.

It’s now that you realize the horrible truth; that, as close as you may be to that destination you’ve so longed to reach, and as happy as you are to be this near it, you have absolutely no chance of traveling those last few miles of road between where you are now, and where you want to be.

…That is what is bothering me right now.

Trading Matt Cain? (Poll)

tobias — Sun, 24 May 2009 19:38:59 -0000

For the second straight year, the Giants offense is completely toothless. They've spent the past season and a half at or near the bottom of the league in runs scored, home runs, pitches/at bat, BB, OBP, SLG, OPS, OMG, WTF, and BBQ. They have nothing even remotely similar to a genuine, consistent power hitter. Brian Sabean has brought in a new emphasis on speed and moving up runners, but the roster he has assembled continually fails in this aspect of the game.

Now, talk has begun that Sabean is in the market for a bona fide hitter. Matt Cain is being mentioned as someone Sabean might consider trading to bring in a real offensive threat. Clearly the Giants have to look outside their organization if they want to beef up their offense.

The question is, do we want to see Matt Cain traded in order to do that? And do we trust Brian Sabean to make a trade that will help the Giants?

Poll

On the topic of trading Matt Cain...

He shouldn't be traded under any circumstances.

131 votes

I'm not against trading him, but I don't trust Brian Sabean to make a good trade.

170 votes

I'm in favor of trading him now, while his value is high, and have confidence that Sabean and his braintrust can pull off a good deal.

42 votes

343 votes | Poll has closed

Renteria says "Hello DL"?

tobias — Fri, 15 May 2009 14:47:53 -0000

"Juan Uribe receives word that he'll be getting a lot more playing time as a result of the injury to Edgar Renteria. And someone shoves a trumpet in his face."

If Edgar Renteria goes to the DL with his hamstring injury, who picks up the slack? Last night we talked about the idea of Emmanuel Burriss moving over to short and Kevin Frandsen being called up. I'd be happy if this happened, but I don't think it will. Burriss has worked hard to get comfortable at second base. I don't think the Giants will want to mess with that.

I almost sort of picture Bruce Bochy thinking long and hard about giving Rich Aurilia a week of starts at short, just to "get Richie going". This would be unfortunate, since the only use of the phrase "get Richie going" should be in relation to helping him clear out his locker, or giving him a ride to the airport.

I think Juan Uribe gets slotted in at shortstop until Renteria comes back. Burriss stays at second base and Eugenio Velez maybe gets a turn or two as Burriss' backup.The result: there's really no need to call up another middle infielder to replace Renteria.

OK, so who replaces Renteria, then? If it was up to me, I'd bring up what the Giants need most--more than another middle infielder, more than another relief pitcher...a hitter. Why not use this as an opportunity to call up Jesus Guzman? Give him a few starts at first base, particularly against LH pitching, see how he is progressing defensively, give him a few pinch hit opportunities. The Giants get to add a badly needed bat, (taking away a lot of AB's from Aurilia in the process), and they still have Ishi for late-inning defense. It's low-risk, potentially high reward.

That's what I'd like to see them do.

Wow Teemu...Bitter much?

tobias — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 19:36:58 -0000

Wow Teemu...Bitter much?

Teemu Selanne seemed to have a need to go out of his way to send a little disrespect Yevgeni Nabokov's way.

From the linked OC Register article:

"...Despite plenty of pressure on Nabokov, including eight shots during two third-period, power-play opportunities, the closest the Ducks came to scoring was a Teemu Selanne shot from low in the right-wing circle that clanged off the far goal post near the 17-minute mark.

"It was just one of those nights when the goalie was standing on his head," Selanne said. "He’s a good goalie, but not that good."

First off, I had to laugh at Selanne hitting the pipe with that shot late in the third period. Hey, at least he's improving. It's not like he completely missed an open net at a key moment in a playoff game vs. Detroit, right?

But thought his little snipe at Nabokov was pretty childish for someone who is supposed to be one of the class acts of the NHL.

BSG Feature at Mays Field

tobias — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 11:36:19 -0000

I got an email from my friend Gar, who has gained a little bit of notoriety this past year as "Batting Stance Guy". He's been on MLB Network a bit lately.

Anyway, the Giants are going to have a "Guess the Stance" feature between innings on JumboTron this season, and Gar asked if I could help him get the McCoven's esteemed input on the following two questions:

1) Who are your favorite current Giants' hitters? (Top two or three)

Mine = Bengie, KF Panda and FLew

2) Which current Giants have the most weirdest, most memorable, most unique stances and swings? Here I'd go with Richie (with fake bunt), Winn and Bengie.

Please help out and post your answers to these two questions. Thanks...

Giants promote Evans, Shelley

tobias — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 21:07:17 -0000

Giants promote Evans, Shelley

More evidence that Sabean and the Giants are embracing the ways of Sabermetrics.

Batting Stance Guy on MLB Network

tobias — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 00:42:19 -0000

My friend Gar sent me a link for a piece he did on MLB Network recently. It's fun to see these stances shot in a studio with clear picture and different camera angles, instead of just the usual fuzzy youtube video shot in the backyard from a single camera. I also enjoy the way he interacts with Harold Reynolds and Mitch Williams. Dude seems really at ease.

Look for three ex-Giants: Jack Clark, Ryan Klesko and Joe Carter. He does both a "Braves Klesko" and a "West Coast Klesko", and the "West Coast Klesko" pretty much captures the famous "Klesko pose" shot that used to grace MCC when Klesko was a Giant in '07. Watching him do Carter's HR in <em>front of Mitch Williams</em> is pretty surreal. Then he turns around and does a creditable Mitch Williams. Pitching Stance Guy. Williams seems like a good sport and looked like he really enjoyed it.

Not sure what's up with the MLB Net guys and their matching sweat suits. Looks like they're in some weird cult or something.