“I don’t know if he throws a spitball but he sure spits on the ball. “ Casey Stengel
Here’s what you missed on Tuesday 5/20/10 at TRDMB:
- This Day In Mets Infamy With Rusty The †Ike Like It!†Edition 04-20-10 by rustyjr
- These are not tough decisions by gonzowill
- Mets Minors 4/19 AND Jon Niese by metro
- Real Dirty Mets Forecast 04-20-10Â by prismo
- Video: Pie-Ala-Francoeur! by Mr North Jersey
- Video: Watch Niese As He Strikes Out Seven Cubbies by Mr North Jersey
- Real Dirty Mets author to throw out the first pitch in tonight’s Mets game! by trs86
- Game Thread: Mets (5-8) vs Cubs (5-8)Â by dirtysanchez
- Seth Everett Says “I don’t call myself a reporter†Regarding BBTN Mets Unhappy Story by Mr North Jersey
- Post Game: Reyes Comes Alive by GravediggerHebner
- Man Up Awards For Tuesday Night by dirtysanchez
Answer to Monday’s Trivia: Craig Shipley
Today’s Trivia:Â What Met player hit a homrun in his first at bat in 1974?Â
You got something to say? Say it on The Real Dirty Mets Blog! We Believe in Getting Real Dirty!
122 comments
CaseStreet
4/21/2010-9:08am at 9:08 am (UTC -4)
Let’s Go Mets! Who has the better year, Ollie or Silva?
rustyjr
4/21/2010-9:10am at 9:10 am (UTC -4)
Silva – Ollie is just too fugazi
CaseStreet
4/21/2010-9:20am at 9:20 am (UTC -4)
“If I come out alive, this guy, Lefty, ends up dead. That’s the same thing as me putting the bullet in his head myself.”
Kingman 26
4/21/2010-10:27am at 10:27 am (UTC -4)
HAHA!
Donnie Brasco seems like it has been on the movie channels on digital cable every day for the last couple of months.
Great movie.
Pistone wrote a follow-up book to the original a year or two ago; excellent read.
trs86
4/21/2010-9:22am at 9:22 am (UTC -4)
It’s daggone Carlos Silva though. He’s not even been Jekyl and Hyde. He’s been terrible for a long time.
njstuckintx
4/21/2010-9:12am at 9:12 am (UTC -4)
Ollie! (i hope)
ceetar
4/21/2010-9:30am at 9:30 am (UTC -4)
My vote’s on Ollie Pitcher.
metsfan4decades
4/21/2010-9:38am at 9:38 am (UTC -4)
I chuckle every time I see this now ‘Ollie Pitcher’.
GravediggerHebner
4/21/2010-11:25am at 11:25 am (UTC -4)
Silva has the better April (check out his career splits, he’s the April Cy Young) but Ollie Pitcher has the better May-October.
rustyjr
4/21/2010-9:09am at 9:09 am (UTC -4)
Rusty staub ?
trs86
4/21/2010-9:20am at 9:20 am (UTC -4)
I cheated so I will not participate.
ceetar
4/21/2010-9:30am at 9:30 am (UTC -4)
Rusty will be at the game tonight, he’s going to the museum.
udontmesswthejohan
4/21/2010-9:21am at 9:21 am (UTC -4)
As someone who was very critical of the starting rotation going into the season, I am more than happy to eat some crow. Pelf has looked great thus far, and its wonderful to see him pitch like he’s got a pair out there. This what we’ve been waiting for. I hope he can keep it going.
That said, while it was good to see Jose have a nice game yesterday, and perhaps that can get him going, I’m still a little worried about the hitting. The news that Beltran can’t do any baseball activity kind of hurts.
trs86
4/21/2010-9:23am at 9:23 am (UTC -4)
Just as those who doubted the rotation were told the same can be said for those now praising the rotation…. it’s too early for either.
CaseStreet
4/21/2010-9:32am at 9:32 am (UTC -4)
5/1 should be the first marker
metsfan4decades
4/21/2010-9:39am at 9:39 am (UTC -4)
Yup. According to Ronnie: ’5 times through the rotation’…..
CaseStreet
4/21/2010-9:57am at 9:57 am (UTC -4)
Would be nice to have 15 wins by then. That would take another 9 wins in 9 games. No pressure
udontmesswthejohan
4/21/2010-9:33am at 9:33 am (UTC -4)
Agreed. Just giving credit where credit is due (for the time being). Trust me, I have no illusions that everything is hunky dorry now.
DNDJohan aka kistics
4/21/2010-9:51am at 9:51 am (UTC -4)
Same here. I was critical of the rotation, but have been impressed thus far.
ceetar
4/21/2010-9:51am at 9:51 am (UTC -4)
3 starts though, is at least enough to get excited about.
Mr North Jersey
4/21/2010-10:21am at 10:21 am (UTC -4)
Just think of how far Pelf has come in just 3 starts from where he was just before his final Spring Training start?
Now just think of how far he can go in either direction good or bad in another 3 starts.
Everyone has their own benchmarks for when to be getting excited and there are no wrong ones.
Me, I am happily surprised by Niese and Pelf so far. Ollie will show me something today if he pitches well against what looks like a struggling Cubs team. I want to see Pelf in a big game vs Atlanta the Phillies or the Yankees to see if he finally has arrived.
metsfan4decades
4/21/2010-10:23am at 10:23 am (UTC -4)
I can’t help but think that Pelf really has turned a corner. 19 scoreless innings is no fluke….
Mr North Jersey
4/21/2010-10:28am at 10:28 am (UTC -4)
it’s crazy looking back that since giving up a 2 out triple in the 2nd inning to the Nats Ian Desmond that drove in the only 2 runs of the game for the Nats. Pelfrey has not given up a earned run since.
trs86
4/21/2010-10:25am at 10:25 am (UTC -4)
Just proves the value of ST stats. Pelfrey proves they’re worthless while Maine proves they’re valuable. Both together prove that is too inconsistent to matter.
Mr North Jersey
4/21/2010-10:34am at 10:34 am (UTC -4)
Spring Training stats simply are just that Spring Training stats nothing more.
You have to weigh every one on a case by case basis and even then you still are never sure till the bell rings.
gategem
4/21/2010-10:37am at 10:37 am (UTC -4)
As I said earlier I had hopes for both Pelfrey and Niese because they had successfully developed new pitches in the off-season and spring. Niese has made good use of the cutter and Pelfrey has made some hitters look bad with the splitter. I’m sure some hitters have been caught by surprise when facing Pelfrey. They can no longer sit on the fastball and the addition of the splitter effectively “speeds up†his fastball to the hitter. But most important it seems to have added light years to Pelfrey’s confidence. But we’ll get a better read on both of them when they go through a period of adversity.
Mr North Jersey
4/21/2010-10:38am at 10:38 am (UTC -4)
Yes it will be interesting especially Niese how he adjusts as hitters start studying that cutter of his.
ceetar
4/21/2010-9:54am at 9:54 am (UTC -4)
Anyone feel like getting ahead of ourselves? Great.
Rotation for Philly is currently Niese, Pelf, Ollie. All on extra rest, which means you could conceivably skip Niese and go Pelf, Ollie, Santana.
metsfan4decades
4/21/2010-10:04am at 10:04 am (UTC -4)
No worries who the starters will be for that series. All we have to do is wait for their BP to come in…..
ceetar
4/21/2010-10:06am at 10:06 am (UTC -4)
They’d be well advised to work the counts early. Especially in the first game. Or just clobber them. Due to streakiness, I assume Wright and Bay will be blazing hot then anyway.
GravediggerHebner
4/21/2010-11:29am at 11:29 am (UTC -4)
I’ll take your word for that rotation, I haven’t checked it myself. I did read elsewhere a couple days ago that it would line up as our 2,3,4 meaning Maine, Niese, Pelfrey, which to me was the worst case scenario in this context: the Mets would seemingly want to throw as many LH pitchers at Philly as possible and 2,3,4 is the only permutation of the Mets rotation that does NOT throw two lefties at them.
DNDJohan aka kistics
4/21/2010-9:54am at 9:54 am (UTC -4)
I know it’s still early, but are you guys worried about the Wright, Bay, Frenchy struggles of late?
We knew these guys strike out a lot, but one thing that disturbs me is the fact that the Ks come with 0-2 or 1-2 count rather than 3-2 or even 2-2. Zambrano made it look so easy with these guys last night that it almost looked like you can throw anything at them and they would swing and miss.
metsfan4decades
4/21/2010-10:06am at 10:06 am (UTC -4)
I don’t know if worried is the right word but frustrating, to be sure.
I have to believe that Wright and Bay will come around. Frenchy is anyone’s guess.
trs86
4/21/2010-10:06am at 10:06 am (UTC -4)
Nope, not really.
trs86
4/21/2010-10:10am at 10:10 am (UTC -4)
LOL, he’s on pace for 150 K’s and 170 Walks. Seriously, neither of those will hold.
DNDJohan aka kistics
4/21/2010-11:57am at 11:57 am (UTC -4)
150K is certainly possible for all three guys.
trs86
4/21/2010-12:25pm at 12:25 pm (UTC -4)
Considering Frenchy struck out 92 times last year that would be a big jump.
DNDJohan aka kistics
4/21/2010-12:41pm at 12:41 pm (UTC -4)
If you consider past 4 year average Ks/162 games
Frenchy 119 Ks
Wright 128 Ks
Bay 159 Ks
I think 150 Ks are within reach.
ceetar
4/21/2010-10:08am at 10:08 am (UTC -4)
Wright still leads the league in walks. Bay is annoying me, but too early to actually worry.
Frenchy has less of a track record, but I certainly didn’t think he was going to hit .400 and have no adversity this year. Hopefully he bounces back, makes the adjustments, and gets back on track.
udontmesswthejohan
4/21/2010-10:09am at 10:09 am (UTC -4)
Expected Francouer to come back to earth, so not really surprised there. As long as he continues to play good D and hit consistently, I’m fine with that.
Bay has looked downright awful at the plate at times, and is clearly pressing. I think his struggles may have as much to do with him putting too much pressure on himself. It’s definetly frustrating, but I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
I’m a little concerned about DW, cause he has been here the longest, and thus can’t rely on the “pressure” and things like that. The mroe I watch this team, the more it becomes apparent to me that Wright and Reyes are more or less tied at the hip. If one struggles, then more often than not the other is struggling as well. I have no doubt that he can and will turn it around, but right now he’s pulling his head on everything and they are just pounding him down and away. I wouldn’t say worried, but a little concerned (if there is a difference). That said, a nice 2 or 3 hit game and he will be right back to where he needs to be.
ceetar
4/21/2010-10:18am at 10:18 am (UTC -4)
Another reason I think Wright is the captain and leader of the team is that he’s very much defined by it. When Reyes is stealing 70+ bases and EVERYONE is running all over the place, he was a 30-30 guy. When Beltran and Delgado were blasting the ball, so was he. It’s like he fits right in with the team’s approach.
So Reyes went 4-5 or whatever last night. I expect a 2-HR bombs from Wright today.
udontmesswthejohan
4/21/2010-10:26am at 10:26 am (UTC -4)
Yeah, but at the same time in order to really be the leader, he has to be able to step up when others around him are not producing. I know that he can, and I’m throwing out last year since he had no protection, but part of the problem with this team over the last 3 or 4 years is that it is too dependendant on Reyes. if he leads off with a single, they come out of the gate scoring 2 or 3 runs, if he slumps then the whole team slumps. That’s an issue.
ceetar
4/21/2010-10:33am at 10:33 am (UTC -4)
well, Wright hit like .800 in September of ’07 and ’08. Can’t do it alone.
trs86
4/21/2010-10:12am at 10:12 am (UTC -4)
Thing that confuses me is if he is swinging at everything how is he leading the league in walks?
ceetar
4/21/2010-10:16am at 10:16 am (UTC -4)
hard concept, but it seems he’s probably identifying the pitches well, but missing them. So he takes the walks when he can get them, but isn’t hitting the balls he should. This is, to me at least, the sign of a maturing player. Instead of going into a slump and never getting on base, he’s finding the walks and at least giving the rest of the team a chance to make up for it. of course, Bay..
udontmesswthejohan
4/21/2010-10:31am at 10:31 am (UTC -4)
Cause they started the year with Jacobs in the clean up spot, and then Bay, who has only been slightly better than Jacobs.
trs86
4/21/2010-10:40am at 10:40 am (UTC -4)
Exactly.
DNDJohan aka kistics
4/21/2010-12:01pm at 12:01 pm (UTC -4)
But this means that Wright’s walk numbers are out of whack and K numbers should hold.
trs86
4/21/2010-12:26pm at 12:26 pm (UTC -4)
That K rate would be much higher than his career average.
DNDJohan aka kistics
4/21/2010-12:35pm at 12:35 pm (UTC -4)
Well… Last year’s number indicates that 150k is certainly within the reach
gategem
4/21/2010-10:39am at 10:39 am (UTC -4)
One word answer, no!
DNDJohan aka kistics
4/21/2010-9:58am at 9:58 am (UTC -4)
Off Topic,
GKR mentioned this yesterday, but Soriano looks like he’s having a miserable time. He’s turning out to be more of a bust than I thought especially with him not running.
trs86
4/21/2010-10:16am at 10:16 am (UTC -4)
By the way, here is
Prince Fielder’s line:
.224 .356 .286 .642
Wright’s line
.229 .439 .458 .898
Aramis Ramirez’s line:
.145 .213 .345 .559
Just for the fun of it Melky Cabrera’s line:
.119 .245 .143 .388
trs86
4/21/2010-10:22am at 10:22 am (UTC -4)
More
Adam Dunn
.163 .379 .279 .658
Justin Upton
.200 .302 .382 .683
Vicki
.228 .279 .421 .700
Carlos Lee:
.115 .132 .135 .267
Overbay:
.127 .222 .218 .440
Ortiz:
.146 .222 .268 .491
Tex:
.125 .300 .229 .529
Raul Ibanez:
.186 .327 .256 .583
Figgins:
.204 .344 .265 .609
Abreu:
.220 .258 .373 .631
Nick Johnson:
.146 .407 .268 .675
I could go on.
Mr North Jersey
4/21/2010-10:31am at 10:31 am (UTC -4)
please don’t we get it many good hitters are struggling.
udontmesswthejohan
4/21/2010-10:34am at 10:34 am (UTC -4)
Uh, none of those guys, other than Wright, plays for the mets, right? Cause I couldn’t really give a flying you know what otherwise.
trs86
4/21/2010-10:39am at 10:39 am (UTC -4)
Point is that it’s too early to be concerned about any of our hitters.
trs86
4/21/2010-10:43am at 10:43 am (UTC -4)
Well except for maybe Frenchy because he does not have a track record of great success. The rest of these guys do.
stickguy
4/21/2010-10:44am at 10:44 am (UTC -4)
I am. You named half of my fantasy team in that list!
udontmesswthejohan
4/21/2010-10:50am at 10:50 am (UTC -4)
Well, I do have the Prince, so I guess my statement wasn’t 100% accurate.
Kingman 26
4/21/2010-10:28am at 10:28 am (UTC -4)
Benny Ayala I think!
Good question!
Is it Benny Ayala?
CaseStreet
4/21/2010-11:00am at 11:00 am (UTC -4)
You’ll have to tune in to tomorrow’s open thread or just google it.
stickguy
4/21/2010-10:48am at 10:48 am (UTC -4)
like some of us said in ST. Stats don’t matter. Health, getting work, what they are doing and how they look matters.
That is why Pelf was less of a concern. He looked in great shape, was throwing hard, and we knew he was working on hit stuff. So a perfect cases of having to throw out the early results.
But Maine, he looked lousy (velocity, mechanics) and didn’t seem to be doing anything special (not throwing all cutters say trying to master it). So in his cse, room for concern.
Even Ollie, always an outlier it seems, was rebuilding his entire approach. But he was in much better shape, and seemed (and reported to be) 100% healthy. So him, you had to really wait for the season to start to have any clue, but at least the trends were pointing up.
ceetar
4/21/2010-10:53am at 10:53 am (UTC -4)
Maine was working on his new delivery. Was focusing more on secondary stuff.
stickguy
4/21/2010-10:55am at 10:55 am (UTC -4)
Yeah, I gorgot about the new delivery. But having nothing and looking like crap is still a problem!
Mr North Jersey
4/21/2010-11:01am at 11:01 am (UTC -4)
The problem with Maine is he simply doesn’t seem to be fooling anyone.
Righties are hitting .400 against him.
Lefties are hitting .318 against him.
gategem
4/21/2010-10:55am at 10:55 am (UTC -4)
Ollie hasn’t had to my knowledge any arm problems and he is still only 28 so what the bleep happened to his fastball? Is the drug cartel holding it for ransom?
stickguy
4/21/2010-11:05am at 11:05 am (UTC -4)
taking something off trying to throw tstrikes?
CaseStreet
4/21/2010-11:08am at 11:08 am (UTC -4)
yeah, trying to throw strikes instead of letting it go
trs86
4/21/2010-11:29am at 11:29 am (UTC -4)
It’s down 1-2 MPH from his average FB in 2007 of 90.5.
ceetar
4/21/2010-11:39am at 11:39 am (UTC -4)
I’m gonna blame arm strength. I don’t feel Warthen/Manuel got them properly prepared during the spring.
Mr North Jersey
4/21/2010-11:40am at 11:40 am (UTC -4)
According to Inside Edge it is more drastic then what you are saying.
“Inside Edge data reveals Maine’s average fastball velocity is down 4.9 mph since ’07, from 91.2 mph to 86.3 mph. He has topped out at 91 mph this year, compared with 99 mph during the 15-win season.”
Mr North Jersey
4/21/2010-11:41am at 11:41 am (UTC -4)
All I know is Maine used to be able to hit 93,94,95 mph in 2007 and now he can’t.
trs86
4/21/2010-11:50am at 11:50 am (UTC -4)
Ollie, Ollie, Oxen Free.
Mr North Jersey
4/21/2010-11:53am at 11:53 am (UTC -4)
Case fiiled me in. Just remove where it says “it is more drastic then what you are saying.”
The stat is still worrisome.
trs86
4/21/2010-11:55am at 11:55 am (UTC -4)
I don’t consider 1-2 mph early in the season as worrisome but go ahead and worry.
Mr North Jersey
4/21/2010-12:02pm at 12:02 pm (UTC -4)
If we are talking about Maine then I believe it is almost 5mph according to above link I posted and not 1-2mph as you suggest.
trs86
4/21/2010-12:29pm at 12:29 pm (UTC -4)
I was talking about Ollie the entire time. Maine is VERY troublesome.
gategem
4/21/2010-12:48pm at 12:48 pm (UTC -4)
You’re quoting Ollie’s average fastball of 2007. However, he at times could hit 93 mph. I haven’t seen him break 90 mph this year. There are times when as they used to say you reach back for a little extra. 3 mph is a major difference at that instance. BTW I’m not the only person in the universe that has noticed the drop in velocity. If you’ve watched the Mets telecasts you will notice the announcers have on more than once occasion discussed it. Also the local beat writers have written about it.
Mr North Jersey
4/21/2010-12:58pm at 12:58 pm (UTC -4)
Clearly I was not talking about Ollie I was talking about Maine the entire time. I am more worried about Maine of course but Ollie also worries me. I don’t know what you need to see but I need to see the Ollie that pitched against the Yankees in 2007. The Ollie that was throwing 93mph in the 6th and 91mph in the 7th and could get it up to 94mph.
Here is a link to that performance to freshen your memory.
-Link
CaseStreet
4/21/2010-11:48am at 11:48 am (UTC -4)
Ollie, not Maine.
Mr North Jersey
4/21/2010-11:51am at 11:51 am (UTC -4)
Thanks Case for the heads up.
ceetar
4/21/2010-10:51am at 10:51 am (UTC -4)
btw, voting has begun for All-Stars. sure, not even 10% of the season is underway yet, but who cares. Reinforces that it’s a popularity contest.
whataputz
4/21/2010-11:04am at 11:04 am (UTC -4)
Livan Hernendez for starter!
stickguy
4/21/2010-10:53am at 10:53 am (UTC -4)
Frenchy concerns me, since it seems like he might be dealing with his first bad stretch by falling back into his old bad habits. Need to get him to stay patient and swing at better pitches. But, hopefully he rebounds.
Bay, streaky guy, and I doubt he totally forgot how to hit. Just needs to get in a groove.
Don’t know what to make of Wright. The fact that he can still drive the ball, and is getting all those walks, is good. But the Ks continue to mount (not good). But the escalating futility in big spots is getting frightening.
It really looks like he is trying too hard and putting too much pressure on himself to come up big. And he gags on it. Yes, I am insinuating the “C” word (shoking).
But since this goes back to last year, no idea what fixes it. What will make him relax and not press?
I think he just needs A) a few big hits and B) a couple guys behind him crushing the ball. That serves 2 purposes. 1 he wil get better pitches to hit (never a bad thing) and 2, it might relax him knowing the pitcher is just digging a bigger hole.
Too bad Beltran isn’t coming back. That would help a lot. So it will be up to Bay to start it, and Ike and Frenchy to chip in too.
Oh, reyes on base a lot will also benefit him.
CaseStreet
4/21/2010-11:04am at 11:04 am (UTC -4)
don’t forget Castillo and Pagan
stickguy
4/21/2010-11:07am at 11:07 am (UTC -4)
Case, I do my best every day to try and forget Castillo.
Especially him hooked up with Jerry (Mr. sacrifice).
CaseStreet
4/21/2010-11:14am at 11:14 am (UTC -4)
One of these days I’ll get you on the Castillo bandwagon.
stickguy
4/21/2010-11:29am at 11:29 am (UTC -4)
never in a million years.
ceetar
4/21/2010-11:37am at 11:37 am (UTC -4)
Walkoff double to clinch the NLDS over the Giants?
ceetar
4/21/2010-11:38am at 11:38 am (UTC -4)
After a Reyes walk to break up Lincecum’s perfect game?
ceetar
4/21/2010-11:06am at 11:06 am (UTC -4)
the hack Will Carroll stirring up crap about Beltran again too.
Mr North Jersey
4/21/2010-11:16am at 11:16 am (UTC -4)
Hearing that Beltran’s exam was more negative than is being let on. “No progress, none at all.” Curious if Boras will comment.
35 minutes ago via Tweetie
injuryexpert
Will Carroll
http://twitter.com/injuryexpert/status/12579879395
Mr North Jersey
4/21/2010-11:18am at 11:18 am (UTC -4)
Flies in the face of what Mets said,
NEW YORK — The Mets announced Tuesday that Carlos Beltran was “making progress” in rehabbing his surgically repaired right knee. Whatever that vague declaration suggested, it hardly prompted rejoicing in the organization. Beltran remains unfit for baseball activities — i.e., running.
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100420&content_id=9440256¬ebook_id=9447500&vkey=notebook_nym&fext=.jsp&c_id=nym&partnerId=rss_nym
GravediggerHebner
4/21/2010-11:36am at 11:36 am (UTC -4)
Apparently FanGraphs passed the Mets-bashing baton to Will Carroll
Mr North Jersey
4/21/2010-11:54am at 11:54 am (UTC -4)
Out of curiosity Is the guy ever right?
GravediggerHebner
4/21/2010-12:07pm at 12:07 pm (UTC -4)
To be fair to Carroll “I don’t know” would be my best answer.
To elaborate, I don’t read his work except when it’s brought to my attention, which means when he says something about a Met that makes news. I haven’t kept track of his statements, injury related or otherwise, to have any “win-loss” record for him.
His Wikipedia page doesn’t list his educational background, so I don’t know if he’s received education or training in medicine. You’d think they’d list that but they don’t.
His career seems to be largely based on discussing injuries, he’s done so for multiple sports over multiple years.
Perhaps the most illuminating part of his Wikipedia page (for me anyway) was the fact that it has a “Controversies” section, which says:
Carroll is sometimes criticized in sports forums for his reporting of injury and trade rumors.[3][4]
For example, critics cite his statements:
* That a trade of Manny Ramirez to the Florida Marlins had been completed and sent to the commissioner’s office for perfunctory approval.[5] Ramirez was later traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
* That a trade of Johan Santana to the Boston Red Sox was all but done at the 2008 deadline [6][7]. Santana stayed with the Minnesota Twins and later joined the New York Mets.
* Ramirez having a torn meniscus in 2008.[8] He finished the 2008 season with one of the best performances by any hitter in 2008.
In his defense, Carroll explains that the rumors he reports on constantly change, and in any case he does not state them as definite facts. One of Carroll’s columns is aptly titled ‘the Rumor Mill’.[6]
Carroll was the co-writer, with Derek Zumsteg, of an article in 2003 for Baseball Prospectus stating that Pete Rose had come to an agreement with Major League Baseball that would allow him to be reinstated with no admission of wrongdoing.[9] Carroll’s sources within baseball had provided him with this information. The report was denied by Major League Baseball, and Rose has not yet been reinstated, even though he has since admitted to gambling on baseball. When asked in an interview in October 2007 whether he still stood behind his story, Carroll responded: “Absolutely. Rose himself has been quoted as saying he had a deal”.[10] Carroll has suggested in interviews that the source for his story was Rose himself. Zumsteg has refused comments, but his break with Baseball Prospectus was in large part due to having to cover for Carroll’s failed story.[citation needed]
Mr North Jersey
4/21/2010-12:10pm at 12:10 pm (UTC -4)
Thanks for that info Grave.
metsfan4decades
4/21/2010-11:59am at 11:59 am (UTC -4)
Yeah, but define ‘making progress’. Does that mean actual progress or just that he hasn’t had a setback?
Something is not quite right with this.
I still cannot help but think this was more than just a routine scoping/cleaning of the knee. I know everyone is different, even with the same surgery, but to me, the original expectations for when he would return were on the high side of what one would expect with this surgery to begin with….
stickguy
4/21/2010-11:28am at 11:28 am (UTC -4)
what, that he is purposely dogging it? That I don’t believe.
And why would the doctor say no playing? Unless they think he is flat out lying about pain that he doesn’t really have?
DNDJohan aka kistics
4/21/2010-11:28am at 11:28 am (UTC -4)
Who is this guy? I’ve never heard of him until yesterday
ceetar
4/21/2010-11:36am at 11:36 am (UTC -4)
He’s just a guy that thinks he’s an injury expert reporter or something. writes/blogs for some site. baseball..prospectus? I always forget. I find him egotistical and ignorant, and not just because he attacked me for my opinion during the offseason.
He’s also the guy that basically said Beltran needed microfracture surgery early last year, or before that. (which, wehther or not that ends up ultimately happenining, was obviously not true)
Mr North Jersey
4/21/2010-11:44am at 11:44 am (UTC -4)
He attacked you? Spill it.
trs86
4/21/2010-11:47am at 11:47 am (UTC -4)
I jumped all over him for the Beltran report and the Reyes report. Using sensationalism to get Twitter hits.
ceetar
4/21/2010-11:58am at 11:58 am (UTC -4)
When he announced that tehre would be “two big surprises” huger than any player signing during the Winter Meetings, I replied to him with a guess “Salary Cap”? I didn’t really expect that anyway, but he basically called me an idiot and told me to stop following him (i wasn’t anyway)
to be fair, I attacked him back (called him a Yankees fan) and he didn’t really answer my questions/prods about why he’s against it or whatever. cited rich owners should spend their own money and stuff like that. Wish I could search twitter easily to find it.
Mr North Jersey
4/21/2010-12:07pm at 12:07 pm (UTC -4)
He’s just sensitive.
Who knew the word “salary cap” would get that type of reaction.
Thanks for the story Ceet.
DNDJohan aka kistics
4/21/2010-12:10pm at 12:10 pm (UTC -4)
This guy must be the Yankees version of MC.
MC again forgot to give credit where the credit is due. I saw his “The Baseball Show” couple days ago where he said his stance looked like Berkman’s. I heard the exact same thing on the radio (I think Joe & Evan) way before he has said that. What’s up with that? He makes it sound like it was his own thought and analysis.
And have you seen his in game Verizon crap? A Player Power Ranking by polling who the favorite player is and who’s the MVP this season? How the heck do you draw a conclusion of Power Ranking out of those two polls? I thought it was incredibly stupid. I’m going to go to the site and vote for Castillo like 5,000 times so he’s the most powerful player in the team.
DNDJohan aka kistics
4/21/2010-12:13pm at 12:13 pm (UTC -4)
I meant to say Wright’s stance at the plate.
Kingman 26
4/21/2010-1:06pm at 1:06 pm (UTC -4)
Beltran is going to sit most or all of the year, then come to ST incredibly healthy and have his best year since 2006 next year, so he and his parasite agent can make the most money possible.
Probably PRECISELY why Beltran waited to have the surgery until he did, so he could sit most of the year.
Anyone who laughs this concept off when Boras is involved simply is not being realistic.
GravediggerHebner
4/21/2010-1:32pm at 1:32 pm (UTC -4)
I’m definitely not laughing it off, but before embracing it I’d like to see some evidence that supports it.
In saying that I’m in no way saying “Ha! No evidence exists!” but rather I’m saying that’s a difficult position to support, as far as I can tell, with much more than cynicism.
Show me the evidence and I’ll then be what you’re saying is realistic about it.
Mr North Jersey
4/21/2010-12:17pm at 12:17 pm (UTC -4)
Seems like it is an Inside Edge stats day for me.
I 1st commented that according to Inside Edge,
“Inside Edge data reveals Maine’s average fastball velocity is down 4.9 mph since ’07, from 91.2 mph to 86.3 mph. He has topped out at 91 mph this year, compared with 99 mph during the 15-win season.”
Now I have another interesting stat from Inside Edge regarding Pelfrey,
“Inside Edge does video review of every pitch thrown in the major leagues and compiles that information into a database. From that, we found:
* Pelfrey has ended 13 plate appearances with a down-and-away fastball, and allowed only a single and two walks. Tuesday, he ended five at-bats with that pitch, and four more with his split-fingered fastball, yielding only two baserunners via those pitches. Perhaps most telling about the splitter: Inside Edge charts him with 10 thrown to a spot down-and-away. Hitters have swung at seven of those without yet getting a hit.
* He’s ended nine plate appearances with a up-and-in fastball this season, and allowed only a single and a walk. That pitch was a trouble spot for Pelfrey previously, particularly in 2008, but not so yet in 2010.
* Perhaps the best sign for Pelfrey. Of the 102 pitches Pelfrey threw to the Cubs, only one was given the location “middle-middle†(basically a meatball pitch) and it went for no harm. Last year, a typical Pelfrey start featured four such pitches, and not surprisingly, they get pasted (opponents hit .509 against them vs Pelfrey last season).
* By adding the splitter, Pelfrey has made himself a less predictable pitcher, something we noted might have been on his mind this spring. He’s gone from throwing nearly 80 percent fastballs to throwing them about 68 percent of the time through three starts and a 20th-inning relief outing.
And the splitter is not just a two-strike weapon. Inside Edge counts 23 splitters for Pelfrey this season, 13 coming with two strikes, 10 with other counts.”
GravediggerHebner
4/21/2010-12:24pm at 12:24 pm (UTC -4)
If you’re into pitch F/X data you can click on Mike’s name below to check out his 2010 data. On the right side of the page you can click on individual games too.
Mike Pelfrey
Mr North Jersey
4/21/2010-12:32pm at 12:32 pm (UTC -4)
Wow Grave that is some serious crunching of numbers.
Mr North Jersey
4/21/2010-12:22pm at 12:22 pm (UTC -4)
Heyman is tweeting that Joe Morgan will be named special advisor to Reds.
http://twitter.com/SI_JonHeyman/status/12585036893
DNDJohan aka kistics
4/21/2010-12:28pm at 12:28 pm (UTC -4)
I hope that would prevent him from Broadcasting
Mr North Jersey
4/21/2010-12:30pm at 12:30 pm (UTC -4)
lol
ceetar
4/21/2010-12:22pm at 12:22 pm (UTC -4)
I asked this on Twitter, but maybe one of you know.
I want to make a post about advanced metrics, uzr, park factors, range, etc. But I want to at least be fully educated on the formulas before I bash them, as I’m expecting I’ll end up doing. It doesn’t seem to be that easy to find the actual formulas that are used to create these statistics though.
GravediggerHebner
4/21/2010-12:26pm at 12:26 pm (UTC -4)
I have some links for you from a post I did on the subject on New Year’s Day, I just have to find them. One moment…
GravediggerHebner
4/21/2010-12:29pm at 12:29 pm (UTC -4)
Here’s a couple links:
Baseball Think Factory explanation part 1
Baseball Think Factory explanation part 2
My post
Mr North Jersey
4/21/2010-12:29pm at 12:29 pm (UTC -4)
Does this help?
http://www.baseballthinkfactory.org/files/primate_studies/discussion/lichtman_2003-03-14_0/
trs86
4/21/2010-12:34pm at 12:34 pm (UTC -4)
Very hard to calculate those things because some of them are based on expected range. Good luck.
GravediggerHebner
4/21/2010-1:13pm at 1:13 pm (UTC -4)
The conclusion I’ve come to is I just don’t have the combination of patience and mathematical intelligence to affirm or dispute anything UZR and it’s creators/supporters claim.
Given that it’s constantly evolving Ceet you might also want to check this out:
UZR updates
Given that I don’t comprehend it, perhaps the nicest thing I can say about it is even (many of) it’s creators/supporters acknowledge both that it’s imperfect and that it’s still evolving.
Also as someone who doesn’t comprehend it, as someone who is much better at words than numbers and maybe that’s a tragic flaw for me that prevents me from seeing the genius of it, I can’t escape the concept that was articulated by Mike Silva the other day when he said “each stat has man-made bias towards (it’s) creators view on baseball. In the case of WAR, part of the player’s value was tied into how ‘difficult’ their position was.”
Having the ‘privilege’ of watching Mark Teixeira play 1B pretty regularly I simply cannot wrap my head around how much UZR disrespects his play. I think it will always be a mystery to me, unless what you write unlocks some previously locked place in my mind. Good luck with that!