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What 12,000 pictures can do

post from lenNY's Yankees - A Bronx Bombers Blog on 20 November 2009 07:00:00 AM. © lenNY's Yankees - A Bronx Bombers Blog

If you like the sound of a piano, and you like the Yankees, you?ll enjoy this.

Just found this sweet time-lapse of Game 6 by Robert Caplin. Go figure, it was on a blog named after me.

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http://www.lennysyankees.com/2009/11/what-12000-pictures-can-do.html

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Pondering the Astros free agent offer to LaTroy
Hawkins

post from The Crawfish Boxes on 20 November 2009 07:00:00 AM. © The Crawfish Boxes

More photos » by Alan Diaz - AP

Browse more photos »

On the eve of full fledged free agency, the Astros have made an offer to LaTroy Hawkins. I sincerely hope that Hawk is back in the fold next season. While needs exist in the rotation as well as in the infield, LaTroy should demand a contract that's worth between $2 million and $4 million this season. True, investing that kind of money into a man who will pitch fewer than 60 innings may seem like a waste, but Hawkins may be valuable than most late inning relievers for a couple of reasons:

1) Despite being 37 years old, Hawkins' skills should not diminish much if any going into 2010. His K rate isn't what it once was, but as long as his BB numbers stay respectable Hawk will be able to provide valuable innings either as a set up man or closer. A look at his FIP vs. ERA from 2009 shows that luck was definitely in play, and a normalizing trend should occur in the upcoming season. Still- a huge part of being a bullpen contributor is not being yourself. Someone like LaTroy will be asked to maintain a lot of leads, and I would prefer to have a more proven commodity in that role than a younger player who is prone to bouts of combustability.

2) Drayton may be saying all the right things about running a tighter ship, but the reality is that the Astros' payroll is still going to be large and our resources will not be allocated efficiently. Such is life with a franchise whose minor league operations are in shambles and whose major league contract commitments are laughable in some regards. As much as we may want the Astros to be run in a sabermetrically oriented fashion, the simple fact is that it's not going to happen.

The club may spend foolishly, but Drayton has never shown that he will skimp on overall payroll. He may not have always made the moves we wanted him to, but money is available to be spent, he will spend it. We may not agree with his decisions all the time, but the track record is there. My point is that the Astros aren't like our government and its continually growing debt. At some point the chickens will come home to roost, and it won't be pretty. You can argue that the Astros' chickens are roosting as we speak, but in general the effects of the Astros' overspending is not like the effects of a government overspending. Prospects can come out of nowhere, veterans can find the fountain of youth en route to surprising seasons. The housing market isn't going to miraculously improve, and China won't embrace a more equitable exchange rate just because. Inefficiency in sports is more often the rule than the exception, but it's not always a death sentence.

What was I talking about? Oh, yea- LaTroy Hawkins. He fits in with that whole inefficiency idea I was going on (and on) about. Maybe $4 million is a little bit too much for a 5th place team with no farm system to be spending on a reliever. Ed Wade loves relievers, we know this. I'd rather him spend that $4 million on LaTroy than any other bullpen option. And yes, he is going to spend that money on a reliever. Remember Oscar Villareal? I know you do..

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http://www.crawfishboxes.com/2009/11/20/1165995/pondering-the-astros-free-agent

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Another Cubs, Mets three-way

post from First2Third on 20 November 2009 06:59:00 AM. © First2Third

Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune reports multiple sources telling him that the Cubs are actively looking for ways to trade Milton Bradley, while bringing back Luis Castillo. The latest rumor has the Texas Rangers getting involved. It's known that the Rangers have interest in bringing Bradley back. In the latest proposed deal, the Rangers would send Kevin Millwood to the Mets.

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http://www.first2third.com/2009/11/another-cubs-mets-three-way.html

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Season in Haiku: Texas Rangers

post from Knuckle Curve Semi-Drop on 20 November 2009 06:42:00 AM. © Knuckle Curve Semi-Drop

Neftali Felizjust struck us out and we're noteven in the Emm Ell Bee.[...]

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ku-texas-rangers.html

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Happy BirthdayNovember 20

post from The WGOM on 20 November 2009 06:30:08 AM. © The WGOM

Joe Sommer (1958)Kenesaw Landis (1866)Clark Griffith (1869)George McBride (1880)Leon Cadore (1890)Larry Benton (1897)Jay Ritchie (1936)Herm Starrette (1938)Billy Scripture (1941)Rick Monday (1945)Jay Johnstone (1945)Alex Arias (1967)Gabe White (1971)J. D. Drew (1975)

Clark Griffith, of course, was the owner of the Washington Senators. His adopted son, Calvin, brought the team to Minnesota. Other than that, it appears that [...]

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http://stickandballguy.com/blog/2009/11/20/happy-birthday-november-20/

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Did You Know

post from 30-Year Old Cardboard on 20 November 2009 06:00:25 AM. © 30-Year Old Cardboard

There are only two pitchers in major league history with more than 3,000 strikeouts and fewer than 1,000 walks – Ferguson Jenkins and Greg Maddux.**factoid courtesy of ‘Armchair Reader – Grand Slam Baseball’My take – 2 of my favorite pitchers of all-time, these two players and their magnificent careers are intertwined for life!!! [...]

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http://bapple2286.wordpress.com/2009/11/20/did-you-know-68/

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Will Wang Reunite With Torre

post from Sliding Into Home: A Yankees Blog on 20 November 2009 06:00:00 AM. © Sliding Into Home: A Yankees Blog

From Diamond Notes (hat-tip to MLB Trade Rumors):

Yankees pitcher Chien-Ming Wang, a non-tender candidate, told Taiwanese reporters Thursday that his first choice was to remain with New York. But if the Yankees cut him loose, Wang said he would not be opposed to going to the Dodgers.

?Not bad,? Wang said of the scenario presented by reporters that would have him going to Los Angeles. The two-time 19-game winner indicated that he would feel comfortable playing for a manager in Joe Torre who knows him well. Wang also went to middle school with Dodgers reliever Hong-Chih Kuo, and the two remain friends.

If the Yankees don't decide to bring him back, this kind of move wouldn't surprise me at all. Either way, I still think the Yanks should give him a contract.

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ith-torre.html

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Lincecum Repeats As Cy Young Winner

post from Baseball Notebook on 20 November 2009 05:25:00 AM. © Baseball Notebook

Tim Lincecum won his second consecutive NL Cy Young Award on Thursday narrowly outdistancing Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright.

Tim Lincecum won his second consecutive NL Cy Young Award yesterday winning in a close battle with Chris Carpenter with 94 points and Adam Wainwright with 90 points.

Lincecum garnered 100 points to take the top prize for pitchers. Lincecum won despite recording only 15 wins while Carpenter won 17 and Wainwright won 19.

Led NL in Strikeouts With 261

Being a strikeout pitcher worked in Lincecum’s favor as he whiffed 261 batters to lead the NL while Wainwright struck out 212 and Carpenter was way down the list with 144.

Carpenter led Lincecum in ERA with a 2.24 mark with Lincecum second with 2.48 and Wainwright was fourth with a 2.63 ERA.

Bullpen Blew Wainwright’s Chance For 20 Wins

Wainwright was coasting along with a 6-0 lead after five innings over the Brewers in his last start of the season. He gave up a run in the sixth and two runs in the seventh before leaving the game but the Cardinals bullpen imploded and allowed nine runs to score ruining any chance Wainwright had of winning 20 games as the Brewers won the game 12-6.

The failure to win that game may have cost Wainwright the Cy Young Award which would have given him five more wins than Lincecum. Without the 20th win Wainwright was just another pitcher who failed to win 20 games.

Lincecum finished second behind Rich Harden in K’s/9 innings with Harden posting 10.91 K’s per 9 innings while Lincecum struck out 10.42 batters per 9 innings.

Carpenter 2nd in WHIP With 1.01 Mark

Carpenter was second in WHIP with 1.01 mark with Dan Haren leading the NL with a 1.00 WHIP. Lincecum was fourth with a 1.05 mark behind third place Javier Vazquez who registered a 1.03 WHIP in 2009. Wainwright posted a 1.21 WHIP for 10th best in the NL.

Lincecum was 10-2 before the All-Star break but was 5-5 after the break. Opponents hit .150 against him after a 3-0 count showing his ability to battle back and he didn’t allow a run to score in six bases loaded situations.

Lincecum Eligible For Arbitration

Thirteen Giants earned more money than Lincecum in 2009 with his $650,000 salary but with arbitration looming this offseason he should be cashing in his chips after back to back Cy Young awards.

Meanwhile Barry Zito was paid $18.5 million in 2009 for a 10-13 record with a 4.03 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. He has posted a 31-43 record in his three seasons with the Giants while taking home $33 million.

In those same three seasons Lincecum has posted a 40-17 record while earning $650,000 in 2009, $405,000 in 2008 and since there is no figure listed for his 2007 earnings it must be assumed that he made the $400,000 minimum at the most and probably less in 2007 since he made only 24 starts.

Lincecum won’t be 26 till next June and is line for 150 wins by the age of 30 barring any longterm injuries.

Less Emphasis On Wins

In Hall of Fame Voting

Maybe Hall of Fame voters will place less emphasis on wins like the AL and NL Cy Young voters have and finally admit Bert Blyleven into the Baseball Hall of Fame in January.

Blyleven is 13 wins short of 300 wins but is fifth in strikeouts with 3,701 and is eighth in shutouts with 60 which is one behind Nolan Ryan and Tom Seaver and three behind Warren Spahn.

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http://niteowl049.wordpress.com/2009/11/20/lincecum-repeats-as-cy-young-winner/

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AOL Fanhouse's Top 50 Free Agents

With the free agent market officially open AOL Fanhouse has listed their top 50 free agents. Toping the list is John Lackey.

You can find all the characteristics of an ace in Lackey. He has the big-game experience, has thrived in that environment, and the ability is obviously there. You can bet all the usual suspects will be in on the action for the 6-foot-6 right-hander. This isn't a guy you need to worry about falling flat after he signs either. Lackey is a pitcher who isn't afraid of adjustments. He knows how to change things on the fly and fight through his struggles.

Here's the rest of the top 10: 2. Matt Holiday, 3. Jason Bay, 4. Andy Pettitte, 5. Chone Figgins, 6. Rich Harden, 7. Randy Wolf, 8. Johnny Damon, 9. Jose Valverde, 10. Aroldis Chapman. The rest of the list can be viewed here.

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http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SlidingIntoHome/~3/1T9GvYB3hzU/aol-fanhouses-top-5
0-free-agents.html

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Dave Cokin’s Hardcore Football 11/20/09

I’ve been on a big roll lately, sparked by a great start to the college basketball campaign. But Thursday night was a bad one for me, my first losing night of the new season. The Friday slate looks solid, though, so I’m very confident of the rapid rebound.

On the football front, my 30th Annual College Game of the Year goes tomorrow. Anyone wishing to purchase this game should leave contact info, and I’ll get back to you with the details.

This week’s free opinion in college is on the Army-North Texas game. The Mean Green are the home team, but the crowd may actually be 50-50. The Cadets have a load of Texans on their roster, and they will also garner support from nearby military bases. Army has four wins, so they still have a chance to win their last two games and get bowl eligible, although they would have to upset Navy to accomplish that feat.

Fundamentally, this is an ideal opponent for Army. They run the option, which will be pretty unfamiliar to North Texas, and the Mean Green are not good against the run at any rate.

Army has been a major money burner all season, but North Texas is favored for just the third time in three seasons, and teams that are rarely chalk frequently struggle in that role. I’m impressed with the strides the Mean Green have made on offense this year, but they remain one of the weaker defensive entries in the land.

This figures to be pretty tight as neither team is very good. But the physical matchup appears to favor Army, and I make the Cadets the right side as small underdogs.

Back on Saturday sometime with my free NFL play.