Last week Mark Buehrle caught us all by surprise by throwing the 18th perfect game in major league baseball's history. And while it's probably the most memorable (given that only 9 of these have occurred in my lifetime and this one happened about 3 miles from my house), I started to think about how it's probably one of the least dominant perfect games in the history of baseball.
Now that might be the equivalent of wondering where Mona Lisa's eyebrows are but the MAN only generated 6 swing and misses. So the question is, is the more impressive perfect game the one that comes from a pitcher like Buehrle, would would be pumping gas if he took the mound with a Farnsworthian approach to pitching, or one that comes from sheer dominance like Sandy Kolfax?
When nitpicking a perfect game you have to look at the competition. Was the opposing lineup the 1962 Mets or the 1927 Yankees? For example, David Wells' perfect game came against a lineup that featured a 42-year old Paul Molitor and nothing else. Unless you significantly overvalue the skills of former Cubs Matt Lawton or Ron Coomer, and even Jim Hendry released those two guys. Buehrle's no hitter came against a pretty stacked lineup... BJ Upton, Carl Crawford and Evan Longoria will probably be permanent fixtures at the All Star Game for years to come. And folks like Carlos Pena, Jason Bartlett and Central Illinois' own Ben Zobrist are professionals at the plate to say the least. But the top of the list probably is Sandy Koulfax's no hitter against a Cub lineup that featured Billy Williams, Ron Santo and Ernie Banks in their prime. Or Charlie Robertson's no hitter against a Tigers team featuring Hall of Famers Ty "I Make Pete Rose Look Like a Good Citizen" Cobb and Harry Heillman.
You also have to consider the situation. Nothing compares to Don Larson's World Series perfecto (against a stacked Dodgers lineup nonetheless). Buehrle's game came in a game that can best be described as one that would have been forgotten if he had "merely" pitched a complete game shutout unless the performance sparked a run to the title. And anyone who watched the Tigers series this past weekend (with Hawk Harrelson being the exception) knows that the 2009 version of the White Sox will be booking flights back home on October 1.
So let's consider the dominance of the pitcher. Buehrle struck out three while throwing 116 pitches. Which is the third highest pitch count of anyone throwing a perfect game. Addie Joss only threw 74 pitches while striking out three but that occurred during the Teddy Roosevelt administration so we'll discount that. On the other hand Kolfax three 113 pitches while striking out 15 Cubs and David Cone struck out 10 on only 88 pitches.
So while Buerhle's performance might not be the Mona Lisa of perfect games, you can can't find much fault with Starry Night.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
Free Advice, When Antoine Already Paid
It's easy to judge in hindsight. Was it a good idea to give Soriano an 8-year, $140 million contract... should I really let Billie Joel drive my family home tonight... I think that last week's Chinese takeout is still edible. Well, Antoine Walker made one of these such mistakes this week when he was arrested on an outstanding warrant for bouncing checks at a casino. But it's not the crime or total lack of financial acumen that really bothers me here, it's the fact that he was arrested in another casino.
Now Antoine is not in a good position lay low in the first place. He's 6'6" and "weighed" (a better term might be "he was listed at") 250 pounds in his playing days, and knowing Antoine's love for Harold's Chicken Shack I'm guessing that 250 might be more than a little light. On top of that, I doubt he can get within fifty feet of a basketball hoop without hoisting up an off-balance three and shimming down the street... even if he's surrounded by 35 autograph seekers and Paul Pierce is wide open cutting through the lane.
Now I'm not a criminal mastermind but my first instinct is that if you're wanted for cutting bad checks to a casino, it's probably best to stay out of the casinos for a while. Or, if that's too much to ask, just stay out of casinos in the state that has issued the warrant. Or, if that also is too much, stay out of casinos in that state that are owned by the same company you bounced three quarters of a million dollars in checks to.
Think about this. You probably have no idea if that guy walking down the street has a warrant for cutting bad checks to cover gambling losses. And you probably don't care. He's no risk to you and his mugshot probably won't be on your wall at the post office. On the other hand, I'm pretty sure a casino employee is going to recognize a three-time NBA All-Star wanted for cutting $750,000 in bad checks to the company that signs his paychecks. While hard work and solid problem solving skills are sure ways to rise through the ranks, it can't hurt to turn in someone that owes your company a nice chunk of change.
Sorry I couldn't pass this along sooner Antoine, but I guess this goes to show you that sometimes bad shot selection carries over to off-the-court activities.
Now Antoine is not in a good position lay low in the first place. He's 6'6" and "weighed" (a better term might be "he was listed at") 250 pounds in his playing days, and knowing Antoine's love for Harold's Chicken Shack I'm guessing that 250 might be more than a little light. On top of that, I doubt he can get within fifty feet of a basketball hoop without hoisting up an off-balance three and shimming down the street... even if he's surrounded by 35 autograph seekers and Paul Pierce is wide open cutting through the lane.
Now I'm not a criminal mastermind but my first instinct is that if you're wanted for cutting bad checks to a casino, it's probably best to stay out of the casinos for a while. Or, if that's too much to ask, just stay out of casinos in the state that has issued the warrant. Or, if that also is too much, stay out of casinos in that state that are owned by the same company you bounced three quarters of a million dollars in checks to.
Think about this. You probably have no idea if that guy walking down the street has a warrant for cutting bad checks to cover gambling losses. And you probably don't care. He's no risk to you and his mugshot probably won't be on your wall at the post office. On the other hand, I'm pretty sure a casino employee is going to recognize a three-time NBA All-Star wanted for cutting $750,000 in bad checks to the company that signs his paychecks. While hard work and solid problem solving skills are sure ways to rise through the ranks, it can't hurt to turn in someone that owes your company a nice chunk of change.
Sorry I couldn't pass this along sooner Antoine, but I guess this goes to show you that sometimes bad shot selection carries over to off-the-court activities.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Smarter GPS!
For those of us who have to find our way around unfamiliar cities or trek across rural route after rural route to reach our destination the GPS Navigation device is quite simply the greatest thing since the free weekends of Skin-e-max when you were 13. And now comes word that the GPS is going to get smarter. Great news, but just like Magellan rounding Cape Horn, we've still got aways to go.
I'm the first to admit that my navigation device saved me while driving across the city of Los Angeles. I spent 18 months out there and I still couldn't tell you where Pasadena is in relation to Malibu. But like the article says "“The navigation systems are not intelligent enough today to make this information contextual. Ultimately navigation must become much more ‘situational aware.’ Today it is only ‘locational aware." For example, it will keep you off dirt roads (unless you're in certain parts of the South... then you're stuck back there with the Duke boys.
In the article this refers to the current GPS devices inability to take into account things like road closings and traffic and how the next generation of devices will consider "historical and current traffic conditions." Amen, but we have much work to do.
I'll give you a personal example. On the way back to LAX I'd often have to stop and fill the rental car up before dropping it off. No problem, the GPS lists gas stations within a certain distance of the exits you're passing. What it doesn't tell you is that it might not be the best idea to get gas on Compton Avenue at 10:30 at night. And for those of you who told your kids that listening to rap music would never pay off, you are now proven wrong.
Wouldn't it be great if the GPS could also provide some data on crime rates for specific neighborhoods? It could be like the Doppler radar map for precipitation... green for areas that are a bit seedy but OK for urban pioneering (for all you unfamiliar with the term think Bucktown circa 1995) and red for anything outside of the three block area around Commercia Park and Ford Field in Detroit.
But it's not just crime. Wouldn't it be great to know if that Jack 'n the Box had any health code violations before you throw down that Horse, err Ham, burger? Or that a store/restaurant's Yelp rating before you virtually commit yourself with the request to see the menu? Heck, everyone with an iPhone is doing that already... now we can just get them looking at the road instead of their awesome new toy.
I'm the first to admit that my navigation device saved me while driving across the city of Los Angeles. I spent 18 months out there and I still couldn't tell you where Pasadena is in relation to Malibu. But like the article says "“The navigation systems are not intelligent enough today to make this information contextual. Ultimately navigation must become much more ‘situational aware.’ Today it is only ‘locational aware." For example, it will keep you off dirt roads (unless you're in certain parts of the South... then you're stuck back there with the Duke boys.
In the article this refers to the current GPS devices inability to take into account things like road closings and traffic and how the next generation of devices will consider "historical and current traffic conditions." Amen, but we have much work to do.
I'll give you a personal example. On the way back to LAX I'd often have to stop and fill the rental car up before dropping it off. No problem, the GPS lists gas stations within a certain distance of the exits you're passing. What it doesn't tell you is that it might not be the best idea to get gas on Compton Avenue at 10:30 at night. And for those of you who told your kids that listening to rap music would never pay off, you are now proven wrong.
Wouldn't it be great if the GPS could also provide some data on crime rates for specific neighborhoods? It could be like the Doppler radar map for precipitation... green for areas that are a bit seedy but OK for urban pioneering (for all you unfamiliar with the term think Bucktown circa 1995) and red for anything outside of the three block area around Commercia Park and Ford Field in Detroit.
But it's not just crime. Wouldn't it be great to know if that Jack 'n the Box had any health code violations before you throw down that Horse, err Ham, burger? Or that a store/restaurant's Yelp rating before you virtually commit yourself with the request to see the menu? Heck, everyone with an iPhone is doing that already... now we can just get them looking at the road instead of their awesome new toy.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
The Non-Mitchell Report List
With Sammy Sosa and Alex Rodriguez being named as two of the 104 players who tested positive when the league did its "confidential" testing of major league players in 2003 there's a lot of folks out there speculating who else is on that list. But there aren't too many folks speculating who's not on the list, except for this guy. But let's face it the other Donald has a bit of a vested interest here.
So let's do a favor for all of those poor, beleaguered major leaguers and come up with a few of the folks who are definitely not on the list.
The 160 pound studs: I'm looking at you Pedro and Greg. We all know that pitchers benefit from steroids with a quicker recovery time but they also tend to leave one with the ability to bench press something north of 125 pounds. And while they may have spent some time in the weight room working on their hitting stroke, I'm pretty sure these guys weren't walking up to Sosa and McGwire and asking them if they were going to the gun show. And while Pedro had a bit of a mean streak it was more of a calculated rage, juicers like Clemens had were prone to fly off the handle for no good reason. If Pedro was on the juice Don Zimmer would have never made it back to the dugout.
The fat kids: Think CC Sabathia and Lance Berkman. If these guys used steroids it was strictly for the purposes of frying bacon. Yes, steroids make you bigger. Yes, steroids can make you grow man boobs. Yes, steroids make bacon taste even better (I imagine). But no, steroids don't lead to a 52 inch waist and the inability to stand on your feet for 10 minutes without breaking into an uncontrollable sweat. Until Ben & Jerry add a Steroid Chocolate Dream flavor to their shelves these guys are safe.
Paul Bako: If you're on the juice and still can't hit .200, you'll probably retire. It's just not worth the side effects. Five years later Paul is still making the argument that the double play ball is not a pitcher's best friend... it's Paul Bako at the plate.
Frank Thomas: I'm pretty sure that if Frank Thomas ever took a performance enhancing drug he'd end up fighting Godzilla and destroying a good portion of Tokyo. The dude was, is and always will be large... and probably the last guy you'd ever consider throwing at as a pitcher. In over 10,000 plate appearances a 6'5", 260 pound man was hit by a pitch exactly 18 times. And if Nolan Ryan beaned him instead of Robin Ventura, the Ryan Express would have given his Hall of Fame induction speech from a wheelchair. (As a bonus you get a nice reminder of Keith O with a mustache with that last link).
Suffice to say that if you had to hit a batter in retaliation you not only waited until Frank was back in the dugout but you waited until he went back to the clubhouse. And for additional evidence the guy played SEC football at 250 pounds. In 2005 his weight was listed as 270. 15 years, 20 pounds equals no juice. 15 months, 20 pounds equals juice.
Ken Griffey Jr.: Steroids mean quicker recovery time from injury. Griffey never met a hamstring injury that couldn't sideline him for 18 months. Think about that. With modern medicine you can shred your ACL and every ligament in your knee and get back on the football field in under a year. Yet Griffey's annual spring training hammy strain would have him cashing checks from his yacht for 18 months.
So let's do a favor for all of those poor, beleaguered major leaguers and come up with a few of the folks who are definitely not on the list.
The 160 pound studs: I'm looking at you Pedro and Greg. We all know that pitchers benefit from steroids with a quicker recovery time but they also tend to leave one with the ability to bench press something north of 125 pounds. And while they may have spent some time in the weight room working on their hitting stroke, I'm pretty sure these guys weren't walking up to Sosa and McGwire and asking them if they were going to the gun show. And while Pedro had a bit of a mean streak it was more of a calculated rage, juicers like Clemens had were prone to fly off the handle for no good reason. If Pedro was on the juice Don Zimmer would have never made it back to the dugout.
The fat kids: Think CC Sabathia and Lance Berkman. If these guys used steroids it was strictly for the purposes of frying bacon. Yes, steroids make you bigger. Yes, steroids can make you grow man boobs. Yes, steroids make bacon taste even better (I imagine). But no, steroids don't lead to a 52 inch waist and the inability to stand on your feet for 10 minutes without breaking into an uncontrollable sweat. Until Ben & Jerry add a Steroid Chocolate Dream flavor to their shelves these guys are safe.
Paul Bako: If you're on the juice and still can't hit .200, you'll probably retire. It's just not worth the side effects. Five years later Paul is still making the argument that the double play ball is not a pitcher's best friend... it's Paul Bako at the plate.
Frank Thomas: I'm pretty sure that if Frank Thomas ever took a performance enhancing drug he'd end up fighting Godzilla and destroying a good portion of Tokyo. The dude was, is and always will be large... and probably the last guy you'd ever consider throwing at as a pitcher. In over 10,000 plate appearances a 6'5", 260 pound man was hit by a pitch exactly 18 times. And if Nolan Ryan beaned him instead of Robin Ventura, the Ryan Express would have given his Hall of Fame induction speech from a wheelchair. (As a bonus you get a nice reminder of Keith O with a mustache with that last link).
Suffice to say that if you had to hit a batter in retaliation you not only waited until Frank was back in the dugout but you waited until he went back to the clubhouse. And for additional evidence the guy played SEC football at 250 pounds. In 2005 his weight was listed as 270. 15 years, 20 pounds equals no juice. 15 months, 20 pounds equals juice.
Ken Griffey Jr.: Steroids mean quicker recovery time from injury. Griffey never met a hamstring injury that couldn't sideline him for 18 months. Think about that. With modern medicine you can shred your ACL and every ligament in your knee and get back on the football field in under a year. Yet Griffey's annual spring training hammy strain would have him cashing checks from his yacht for 18 months.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Capital Idea Phil!
I used to think all that it took to make a horrible trade proposal was a phone and an open line on your local sports talk station. "Yeah, this is Ed from Calumet. I used to play a little in high school and probably would have gone pro if that JV coach wasn't so blind to my potential so I know what I'm talking about. What do you think about trading Milton Bradley and Mike Fontenot to the Marlins for Hanley Ramirez? I'll hang up and listen to your response." But apparently it helps if you also have a national baseball column for a major newspaper.
Now Phil Rogers is one of my favorites, right below Buster Olney, Tom Verducci and Keith Law. As a matter of fact, now that Sam Smith is no longer with the Trib he's one of the only reasons I still subscribe to the Sunday Trib. But his idea to unload Carlos Zambrano is about as smart as a morally corrupt man running for office on a platform of family values.
First off, the title of the article "Perfect Time for the Cubs to Waive bye-bye to Carlos Zambrano" goes against everything they teach you in business school. Or in elementary school for that matter. I don't think the apex of Carlos' value is on the heals of two of his more epic meltdowns. If you are going to unload him it might make sense to wait until things quite down and Z is sitting on a 14-6 record with a 3.50 ERA.
Second, the wheels of the Cubs' bus are hanging on by the same thread that's keeping Lou sane. These guys are getting old. Not old in the sense that you and I know, but old in the sense of dressing up in a uniform and playing in the dirt 162 times a year. Bill James knows more about math and stats in general than the combined readers of this blog (I'm using the plural pretty loosely). And when it comes to baseball he's discarded more than most of us will ever know. He's a big believer, and has proven, that most positional players start to drop off at about the age of 33.
Well, here's list of the Cubs starters under the age of 31. Theriot, Fontenot and Soto. Not exactly an Upton, Longoria and Barlett core. So when the wheels start to fall off you'll have to rely on your farm system, free agents or trades to replace that production. Let's summarize those options for the Cubs.
Farm System: The Cubs system consists of Josh Vitters and 125 guys not named Josh Vitters. Plus the Cubs will probably trade him for Bobby Howry this month.
Free Agents: All signs indicate the Cubs are topped off salary wise. And even if they weren't, would you trust Jim Hendry with the remainder of your spending money?
Trades: That leaves one last option and it's not much of an option. The Cubs already have untradable anchors, errr contracts, in Fukudome, Bradley and Soriano. Lee, Lilly and Dempster all probably have limited value with their respective ages and/or contracts and Harden is limited due to the fact he's a free agent and about as brittle as Glass Joe from Punch Out! That leaves Ramirez, Zambrano and probably Soto and Theriot as the only players with meaningful value (don't bring up Fox until he gets to 100 MLB at-bats).
So knowing that, does it make sense to trade Z for the first offer "from a bag of balls to a 32-year-old minor-leaguer?" The Cubs are going to need him when the open up the next era of their 100 year rebuilding process.
Now Phil Rogers is one of my favorites, right below Buster Olney, Tom Verducci and Keith Law. As a matter of fact, now that Sam Smith is no longer with the Trib he's one of the only reasons I still subscribe to the Sunday Trib. But his idea to unload Carlos Zambrano is about as smart as a morally corrupt man running for office on a platform of family values.
First off, the title of the article "Perfect Time for the Cubs to Waive bye-bye to Carlos Zambrano" goes against everything they teach you in business school. Or in elementary school for that matter. I don't think the apex of Carlos' value is on the heals of two of his more epic meltdowns. If you are going to unload him it might make sense to wait until things quite down and Z is sitting on a 14-6 record with a 3.50 ERA.
Second, the wheels of the Cubs' bus are hanging on by the same thread that's keeping Lou sane. These guys are getting old. Not old in the sense that you and I know, but old in the sense of dressing up in a uniform and playing in the dirt 162 times a year. Bill James knows more about math and stats in general than the combined readers of this blog (I'm using the plural pretty loosely). And when it comes to baseball he's discarded more than most of us will ever know. He's a big believer, and has proven, that most positional players start to drop off at about the age of 33.
Well, here's list of the Cubs starters under the age of 31. Theriot, Fontenot and Soto. Not exactly an Upton, Longoria and Barlett core. So when the wheels start to fall off you'll have to rely on your farm system, free agents or trades to replace that production. Let's summarize those options for the Cubs.
Farm System: The Cubs system consists of Josh Vitters and 125 guys not named Josh Vitters. Plus the Cubs will probably trade him for Bobby Howry this month.
Free Agents: All signs indicate the Cubs are topped off salary wise. And even if they weren't, would you trust Jim Hendry with the remainder of your spending money?
Trades: That leaves one last option and it's not much of an option. The Cubs already have untradable anchors, errr contracts, in Fukudome, Bradley and Soriano. Lee, Lilly and Dempster all probably have limited value with their respective ages and/or contracts and Harden is limited due to the fact he's a free agent and about as brittle as Glass Joe from Punch Out! That leaves Ramirez, Zambrano and probably Soto and Theriot as the only players with meaningful value (don't bring up Fox until he gets to 100 MLB at-bats).
So knowing that, does it make sense to trade Z for the first offer "from a bag of balls to a 32-year-old minor-leaguer?" The Cubs are going to need him when the open up the next era of their 100 year rebuilding process.
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