A Handful Of Drug Store Andre Dawson Cards

 As I start to dig in deeper and deeper into the assortment of Andre Dawson cards that are out there, I am often amazed by what I come across.  While the subsets of the 1980’s and early 1990’s cannot compare to the bonanza of parallel cards from this decade, there was certainly more to tackle [...]

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http://bapple2286.wordpress.com/2009/07/03/a-handful-of-drug-store-andre-dawson-c
ards/

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Yanks Interested in Top Cuban Pitcher

While recently playing in a tournament in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Cuba's top pitching prospect, Aroldis Chapman defected from the Cuban national team. Apparently, the Yanks are interested. Here's more from SI.com:

Aroldis Chapman, whose age was reported to be 21 years old, walked out of his hotel room in Rotterdam and did not return, a spokesman for the Dutch baseball team said Friday. Chapman told cubaencuentro.com he was in Europe, but refused to reveal his location.

Chapman, whose fastball reportedly exceeds 100 mph, is widely considered the No. 1 pitching prospect in Cuba. The New York Times reported the Yankees, who have been at the forefront of signing international pitchers, will have discussions about whether they should pursue the left-handed Chapman.

Chapman pitched for Cuba during the World Baseball Classic in March, where he posted a 5.68 ERA in 6 1/3 innings. Reports during that tournament listed Chapman's age as 26.

In an interview with the Times, Yale University professor Roberto González Echevarría, the author of The Pride of Havana: A History of Cuban Baseball, called Chapman "the most promising young pitcher" to leave Cuba since Fidel Castro took over in 1959.

"He throws at a 100 miles per hour, he is more polished than most young pitchers at his age," González Echevarría told the Times. "He is a really hot property, and it will be interesting to see how much teams pay to sign him."

Here's some more from ESPN's Buster Olney:



ESPN is also reporting that could receive a contract worth anywhere from $30 million to $60 million. And that "Yankees senior vice president Mark Newman, when contacted by ESPN The Magazine, said it's "safe to assume" the Yankees would have interest in Chapman."

So, do you think the Yanks should go for it and sign the 21 or 26-year-old? I do. "A left-handed Steven Strausburg" who has three pitches? Why the heck not?

I don't know about you, but I have no problem with the Yankees taking financial risks on international free agents. They have all the money in the world, so a bust here or there isn't going to hurt them.

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SlidingIntoHome/~3/kGAX2JyvEDU/yanks-interested-in
-top-cuban-pitcher.html

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Yanks Interested in Top Cuban Pitcher

While recently playing in a tournament in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Cuba's top pitching prospect, Aroldis Chapman defected from the Cuban national team. Apparently, the Yanks are interested. Here's more from SI.com:

Aroldis Chapman, whose age was reported to be 21 years old, walked out of his hotel room in Rotterdam and did not return, a spokesman for the Dutch baseball team said Friday. Chapman told cubaencuentro.com he was in Europe, but refused to reveal his location.

Chapman, whose fastball reportedly exceeds 100 mph, is widely considered the No. 1 pitching prospect in Cuba. The New York Times reported the Yankees, who have been at the forefront of signing international pitchers, will have discussions about whether they should pursue the left-handed Chapman.

Chapman pitched for Cuba during the World Baseball Classic in March, where he posted a 5.68 ERA in 6 1/3 innings. Reports during that tournament listed Chapman's age as 26.

In an interview with the Times, Yale University professor Roberto González Echevarría, the author of The Pride of Havana: A History of Cuban Baseball, called Chapman "the most promising young pitcher" to leave Cuba since Fidel Castro took over in 1959.

"He throws at a 100 miles per hour, he is more polished than most young pitchers at his age," González Echevarría told the Times. "He is a really hot property, and it will be interesting to see how much teams pay to sign him."

Here's some more from ESPN's Buster Olney:



ESPN is also reporting that could receive a contract worth anywhere from $30 million to $60 million. And that "Yankees senior vice president Mark Newman, when contacted by ESPN The Magazine, said it's "safe to assume" the Yankees would have interest in Chapman."

So, do you think the Yanks should go for it and sign the 21 or 26-year-old? I do. "A left-handed Steven Strausburg" who has three pitches? Why the heck not?

I don't know about you, but I have no problem with the Yankees taking financial risks on international free agents. They have all the money in the world, so a bust here or there isn't going to hurt them.

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SlidingIntoHome/~3/kGAX2JyvEDU/yanks-interested-in
-top-cuban-pitcher.html

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Walk Off...

Hank Blalock hit his first walk off home run of his career on Wednesday. It was only his eighth multi-homerun game of his career. It came in a clutch position that won the game and the series against the Angels for the Rangers. Hopefully we can continue this streak against the Rays. GO RANGERS!


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http://rangersnewsbag.blogspot.com/2009/07/walk-off.html

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Braves place 2B Johnson on 15-day DL (AP)

Struggling Braves second baseman Kelly Johnson has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with right wrist tendinitis. The move was made before Atlanta opened a three-game weekend series against the Washington Nationals on Friday. Braves manager Bobby Cox said Johnson's recent slump could be traced to the wrist problem.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.mlbnewsblog.com/2009/07/03/braves-place-2b-johnson-on-15-day-dl-ap/

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A Strange Manny Video For Your Pre-Return
Indulgement

video details and more



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http://6-4-2.blogspot.com/2009/07/strange-manny-video-for-your-pre-return.html

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Will Manny Get Wood On The Ball

Rants & Raves:

• Thanks to Roger Dodger for the best “Get Well Pot” I have ever seen!  Very cool!  I guess that means I have to allow hom to keep ragging on me.
• My Physical Therapy is progressing very well.  I can walk for short distances and up and down stairs without a cane or walker.  I have two more PT sessions and I am released… 3 weeks early!  My therapist says my recovery is the fastest she has seen.  I’m excited!
• Clayton Kershaw has a 0.76 ERA over his past 23 2/3 innings.  Not bad.   He’s not where we want him to be, but he’s still awesome.
• Cole Hamels ERA is 4.98. 
• C-Bill has been one of the most consistent starters in all of baseball since last years All-Star game.
• Matt Kemp should make the All-Star Team.  Other Dodgers I think should be on the team: Billingsley, Broxton, Hudson and Martin (JUST KIDDING ABOUT MARTIN, JUST KIDDING!)
• Hiroki Kuroda could do a lot to make Manny’s return easier by throwing  BB’s and shutting down the Padres to shut up the fans.
• I guess when you have a Million Dollars tied up in a bum like Vargas, you have to actually see him do bad before releasing him.
• Josh Lindblom was “lights out” in his AAA start last night.  If we want a pitcher, most teams will demand him.  Do you want to trade him?  I don’t!!!
• The fans at Petco threw a syringe at Barry Bonds.  I wonder what they will throw at Mann?
• I still believe that Ron Artest has an amazing innate ability to create a train wreck for the Lakers.  I think the Lakers will rue the day they let Ariza walk.

CHECK BACK FOR TONIGHT’S LINEUP

1.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.ladodgertalk.com/2009/07/will-manny-get-wood-on-the-bat/

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Game Preview: Mets at Phillies [Game 79] July 3,
2009

New York Mets (39-39 Road: 17-22) at Philadelphia Phillies (39-37 Home: 13-22) 7:05 pmLivan Hernandez (5-3 4.04) vs. Rodrigo Lopez (0-0 0.00)TV: SNY  Radio:  WFANWhat to watch: The Mets take their two game winning streak into Philly tonight. The Phils just got swept in Atlanta and have lost six of their last eight games. Hernandez hasn’t [...]

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http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MetsReport/~3/gQf-ChE-mS4/

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Kelly Johnson to the DL

Kelly Johnson to the DL

I knew last night Brooks Conrad was going up to Atlanta. Now we know who's spot he's taking.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.talkingchop.com/2009/7/3/936975/kelly-johnson-to-the-dl

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Actual vs. expected record using WAR

I got to thinking, with the performance of this year's team, what really is to blame for the Royals' sickly performance  thus far in 2009? We know that the team as constructed weren't going to be world-beaters, but my sense is that the team has significantly underperformed it's talent level so far.

So, I decided to do a quick and admittedly rough analysis of our beloved Royals. I then wanted to see what our performance looked like compared to the other teams in the league, to see if I could come up with any conclusions.

 

I took each team's hitting and pitching WAR, then added a hypothetical 24 wins for replacement level since we're at about the halfway point. I then compared this number to the team's actual record and sorted by the difference. Where a team hadn't played exactly 81 games I "fudged" just a little bit by projecting what their record would be for 81 games, so that everybody was on the same level. Another note: since not everybody has played the same number of games, and this was done just prior to the 81 game mark, the results are probably a bit skewed, and the difference is probably a little understated for all teams. However, I was just looking for overall "trends" and then wanted to see what some of the causes might be. Here's the data:

Team

 HITWAR

 PITWAR

 TOTAL

 REPL

EXPW

 ACTW

 DIFF

Dodgers

       12.1

          9.4

        21.5

        24.0

        45.5

        50.0

          4.5

Marlins

         6.7

          6.9

        13.6

        24.0

        37.6

        41.0

          3.4

Reds

         7.0

          4.8

        11.8

        24.0

        35.8

        38.0

          2.2

Padres

         5.8

          2.2

          8.0

        24.0

        32.0

        34.0

          2.0

Giants

         5.7

        10.5

        16.2

        24.0

        40.2

        42.0

          1.8

Cardinals

         8.8

          7.8

        16.6

        24.0

        40.6

        42.0

          1.4

Brewers

       12.9

          4.0

        16.9

        24.0

        40.9

        42.0

          1.1

Cubs

         4.9

          7.0

        11.9

        24.0

        35.9

        37.0

          1.1

Astros

         7.2

          4.1

        11.3

        24.0

        35.3

        36.0

          0.7

Phillies

       13.0

          1.7

        14.7

        24.0

        38.7

        39.0

          0.3

Mets

         8.2

          5.7

        13.9

        24.0

        37.9

        38.0

          0.1

Rangers

       11.0

          7.3

        18.3

        24.0

        42.3

        42.0

         (0.3)

Red Sox

       11.7

        12.7

        24.4

        24.0

        48.4

        48.0

         (0.4)

White Sox

         6.1

        11.0

        17.1

        24.0

        41.1

        40.0

         (1.1)

Angels

       11.5

          7.8

        19.3

        24.0

        43.3

        42.0

         (1.3)

Tigers

       11.7

          8.7

        20.4

        24.0

        44.4

        43.0

         (1.4)

Rockies

         7.3

        11.1

        18.4

        24.0

        42.4

        41.0

         (1.4)

Yankees

       16.5

          6.7

        23.2

        24.0

        47.2

        45.0

         (2.2)

Braves

         4.2

        11.0

        15.2

        24.0

        39.2

        37.0

         (2.2)

Orioles

         8.1

          5.2

        13.3

        24.0

        37.3

        35.0

         (2.3)

Mariners

         8.5

          9.1

        17.6

        24.0

        41.6

        39.0

         (2.6)

Twins

       10.5

          7.8

        18.3

        24.0

        42.3

        39.0

         (3.3)

Pirates

       11.5

          4.0

        15.5

        24.0

        39.5

        36.0

         (3.5)

Athletics

         3.4

          9.6

        13.0

        24.0

        37.0

        33.0

         (4.0)

Blue Jays

       12.2

        10.4

        22.6

        24.0

        46.6

        42.0

         (4.6)

Royals

         3.9

        11.6

        15.5

        24.0

        39.5

        33.0

         (6.5)

Indians

       10.2

          4.9

        15.1

        24.0

        39.1

        31.0

         (8.1)

Diamondbacks

         7.3

          9.1

        16.4

        24.0

        40.4

        31.0

         (9.4)

Rays

       21.8

          7.9

        29.7

        24.0

        53.7

        44.0

         (9.7)

Nationals

         6.3

          3.0

          9.3

        24.0

        33.3

        22.0

       (11.3)

 

Some brief takeaways-

I was surprised to see the Reds up so high, considering how poorly they played against us.

Not surprisingly, the Royals are near the bottom of this list. Luckily, the Indians have been even worse than we are, thus keeping us out of last place.

The Diamondbacks standing makes sense, given the fact that they seem to have some real talented young players and seem to have severely underperformed.

The Rays being next to last? I don't get that at all.

So, I guess what I'm trying to figure out from this data is, what causes the difference? I can think of three things, but this is probably not all-inclusive, and this is in no particular order:

1. Random chance
2. Baserunning
3. "Non-error" errors, things like throwing to the wrong base, missing a cutoff man, etc. that I'm assuming also don't show up on zone ratings

What else might be a cause? In the Royals' case, I kind of worked backwards, knowing what some of our problems have been thus far, but I'm sure that there are things I'm missing.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.royalsreview.com/2009/7/3/936927/actual-vs-expected-record-using-war

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