- 09:51 PM
- 11/07/09
| Name: | JH |
|---|---|
| Location: | Big Sky Country |
| Member since: | November 16, 2007 |
| Last visit: | November 04, 2009 |
BoKnows has posted 142 links and 1086 comments to SportsFilter and 14 links and 451 comments to the Locker Room and 1 column.
Mark McGwire to rejoin Cardinals?: "We're getting closer," La Russa told ESPN.com on Sunday. "But nothing has been decided yet. I can't tell you anything yet."
posted by BoKnows to baseball at 08:08 PM on October 25 - 49 comments
4-year-old performs Miracle speech: Josh Sacco has seen the movie Miracle nearly 150 times. Apparently, the movie has made quite an impression on the young fan.
posted by BoKnows to general at 10:58 PM on October 03 - 0 comments
Top 7 Underrated Baseball Moments since 1990: A short summary of baseball moments since 1990 that have kind of slid under the radar and really should have gotten or should continue to get some pub as some of the greatest performances and records of this era.
posted by BoKnows to baseball at 03:34 PM on October 03 - 2 comments
Zambrano thinking retirement?: "It's been a disappointing season," he replied. "People say, 'Why can't you pitch like that all the time?' It's not all the time I feel like that."
posted by BoKnows to baseball at 01:00 PM on September 28 - 4 comments
"Achievement is not a gift.": A player takes an unchallenged lead off first base, dashes to second and makes it safely without a throw. The runner has advanced, but because there was no attempt to thwart him, he does not receive a stolen base. Instead, an official scorer bellows "defensive indifference" in the press box.
posted by BoKnows to baseball at 01:52 PM on September 23 - 18 comments
Meyer seems to have confused the attacker with the victim. Brandon Spikes does not need their "full support."
I agree. I couldn't figure out what that meant. Would Meyer have been pushing Spikes' finger further into Ealey's eye if given the chance?
On local radio in Jacksonville they're saying that Ealey took some cheap shots at Gators during the game.
I'm assuming that with all the cameras surrounding the Gators, there would be video of that too no?
posted by BoKnows at 08:55 PM on November 02
I also see nothing wrong with this play considering it was in the first quarter, and the score was 13-0 at that point.
I thought it was cool. When trick plays are executed correctly, I find them some of the most exciting plays in football - at any level.
posted by BoKnows at 09:27 PM on October 30
The "Professional Athlete: Broke" article is almost becoming a Mad-Lib. Just fill in the player name, team name and dollar amount. Everything else is the same.
Sooner or later, players will realize that employing a financial adviser is just as important as their agent.
posted by BoKnows at 10:52 PM on October 28
Phillies in 6 Hamels Under 3:27
posted by BoKnows at 10:48 PM on October 27
I never said better without a description of in what facet. You're argueing just to argue. If that is a victory to you, congrats.
posted by BoKnows at 02:12 PM on October 27
I think that's a bit of an easy out when you were a bit coy in the same response:
I was coy because you were correcting my stats with bad addition. And I am not looking for an easy out. I was clear from the beginning that it was my opinion.
Which years would you say McRae was the better hitter than McGwire?
I never said he was a better hitter. I said a more complete hitter. I also said a jack-of-all-trades hitter. A more consistent hitter. A better all-around hitter throughout his enitire career. I said a smart, patient hitter. I never said better. And those qualities are what I would look for when judging the ability to instruct a whole team of players who each have their own style and ability. Like you suggested earlier, if the objective were to draft DHs, McGwire would be the better guy for that job.
posted by BoKnows at 01:49 PM on October 27
you come up with some fuzzy reason why the stats aren't real.
That's not true at all. I recall questioning the application of stats one other time. Usually, I let the stats speak for themselves. Generalize much?
if Mark McGwire was "pitched around" for 3 consecutive years in a way Hal McRae was never pitched around, doesn't that suggest McGwire was a better hitter?
For those 4 years (1996-1999), yes, I agree.
But there's no way you can find someone who would take an in-his-prime Hal McRae over Mark McGwire if they were drafting DHs, is there?
Not even me. In fact, I said something similar:
I don't need to be right here, yerfatma. You don't have to agree with my opinion, because that's all it is, an opinion. I stated that in almost every post in this thread and I gave my reasons to why I think that way. If you and grum want to base it all on numbers, that's okay. We'll agree to disagree.
posted by BoKnows at 10:39 AM on October 27
Well, for their entire careers, intentional walks accounted for 11.3% of McGwire's total walks. For Hal McRae, it accounted for 10.5%.
What that stat doesn't reflect is all the time McGwire was "pitched around" from 1996-1999. On the scorecard it appears as a walk, but the intent of the pitcher was to get him to swing at bad balls and to walk him rather than put something in the strike zone for him to crush. Or, when the count is 3-1, and the pitcher just walks him on the fourth pitch to try his luck with the next batter. Just the same as Bonds. My point is that because of that treatment, which seems unquantifiable, the elevated # of walks and increase in OBP doesn't suggest that he is a smart hitter who earned each of those walks.
The walks were not always a part of his game.
Huh? For 1000 consecutive games (18 seasons, 1992-2000), his OBP was .434.
I'll concede the 18 years that spanned between 1992 and 2000. I don't know how he did it, but it sounds amazing. You have me there on paper, but if you remove 1996-1999, his OBP drops to .369 (1986-1995), still above the AL average during those years, but not near the increase when including 1996-1999. (I think we all can agree that during the years 1996-1999, Mark McGwire was using methods that may have significantly contributed to his power numbers and were eventually banned.)
My opinion isn't that McGwire is undeserving of the job, or the HOF, or being known as a great power hitter. I was there in St. Louis during the entire Home Run chase in 98. It was great and he was great fun to watch. It's that I think Hal McRae was a better all-around hitter consistently through his career. And if consistent player performance translates into coaching ability that generates consistency, I'd choose McRae to coach my teams hitters.
posted by BoKnows at 01:57 AM on October 27
Well, I can't just leave that hanging. There used to be a phrase for this sort of thing around here...
I presented the links of both players stats in an earlier post. But I will do so again.
I guess when I look at McGwire's career stats, I see a bunch of home runs and RBIs, but also a bunch of strikeouts. He was also very inconsistent year-to-year in almost every category.
Looking at McRae's stats I see a more complete hitter, the jack-of-all-trades if you will. Good amount of doubles and triples. A consistent batting average year to year. He never really had a big drop-off in any stat, season to season.
My opinion would be to take Hal McRae over McGwire in the role of a batting/hitting coach due to him just being a more complete hitter. That said, if it was possible to teach every guy in the lineup how to hit dingers, McGwire would be the guy for sure. But that's just not reality. Especially when playing under LaRussa, who manages a very situational type of game.
You have a point with the walks, at least in terms of total number. But that number doesn't take into account the intentional vs. the unintentional vs. the unintentional intentional walks. And 511 (about 40%) of McGwire's walks came from 1996-1999 (only 25% of his 16 year career), when he was receiving what was later dubbed as the 'Bond's Treatment' at the plate. The walks were not always a part of his game. The situations were different, as were the aspects of the game from 1970-1987 (McRae) and 1986-2001(McGwire).
posted by BoKnows at 09:55 PM on October 26
I don't think the quality of baseball has suffered during the 'Yankee-free' years. Obviously the TV ratings were lower during the Cards/Tigers, Astros/ChiSox series, but in my opinion, there are just as many fans that watch to see the Yankees lose than there are to see the Yankees win. And after articles like this, I just want to see the Phillies demolish the Yankees just for the authors sake.
posted by BoKnows at 08:05 PM on October 26
So what exactly makes this an upgrade for the team?
Nothing. It isn't an upgrade at all. Of course, now that I've said it, I'll be proven wrong during 2010 when the Cards have an offensive explosion that will no doubt be contributed solely to McGwire.
posted by BoKnows at 07:49 PM on October 26
Damn ice shavings!
posted by BoKnows at 06:41 PM on October 26
Ask and ye shall receive.
posted by BoKnows at 06:25 PM on October 26
All-Out Brawl Breaks Out at IHL Game
I find it hard to respect minor-league hockey when they allow that kind of stuff to go on for so long. Letting a player fight after he has left the penalty box, instead of immediately stopping it, makes a complete mockery of the rules.
I agree. I have tried to follow minor league hockey a few times but find myself turned off by the excessive fighting. I say that as someone who believes that fighting does have a part in the NHL, just not at the frequency I've seen in minor league hockey.
That said, my experience could be way off, so feel free to tell me how wrong I am.
But how could anyone expect someone named Robin Big Snake to not come out of the penalty box? In a long list of great hockey names, RBS is near the top for sure.