allstars

Also, hmmmmm.......player helping out another?  Harper and Trout started on the same day and are trying to race to see who is awesomer.  Per me anyway.  I bet Ian was more than willing to rest to give Bryce a shot.  But again, I'm sure Ian would have liked to have been a part of it as well.  So, could be something fishy, could be just one guy needing to rest.  If he didn't play on the last day prior to the break and bang out a homer, I might not be as suspicious of this:

Desmond (oblique) went 2-for-3 with a solo homer in Saturday's win over Colorado.

Recommendation: Desmond leads all major league shortstops with 16 homers, and has gone deep five times since June 27. Desmond will skip next week's All-Star Game due to his lingering oblique injury, although he hasn't missed any game action because of the issue.

(Rotowire.com)

Harper has been named to the NL All-Star squad to replace Giancarlo Stanton.

Recommendation: Harper's storybook major league debut continues. He'll be the youngest position player in All-Star Game history, and only the third teenager after Bob Feller and Dwight Gooden.

(Rotowire.com)

Run down

I just watched a thing of beauty.  I listened to Vin Scully (c) call the Reds versus the Dodgers.  And it is just fantastic.  He just called a run down and in the process, completely busted on the entire league.  Almost a challenge to those who are listening, like the Yankees (meaning the Yankees can do this and they listen).  By 'calling out the whole league', I mean that he said that his only gripe about major leaguers and their skills is their ability to do the run down.  This particular one resulted in a 5 - 2 - 6 - 1 and the play was headed home instead of back towards third.  It was a thing of beauty - Vin's recap and observation that is.  They replayed the play in super slo-mo and from about 3 different angles.  Vin lit it up.  It was so fantastic.  He busted on their initial throw to catcher (down and low, and I think it bounced?), he busted on the catchers throw to the SS (high and outside making the SS have to jump), and then he busted on them because it was the P who got the final out and had to lunge far to his left to even get the tag on the guy.  The play also resulted with the runner on their  way towards home instead of towards third, which is the worst way to have a rundown end.  Towards third is the safer way.

Meanwhile, from my view, I saw a complete other play going on and didn't even see what Vin saw (until the replay).  I saw the Dodgers using their smarts to advance runners.  I saw a perfectly executed play by their 3 runners - Juan Rivera, some guy #47 named Cruz (Luis Cruz), and Mark Ellis.  With the two latter base runners advancing to 2nd and 3rd as the first runner got tug out at home, delaying just enough time to get everyone where they needed to be yet get the inevitable out.

Here's the "play by play", minus Vin:

Also I just heard that Verlander has 60 games in a row of pitching at least 6 innings.  Carlton was better, the record is 69.  I don't know if this is okay, but I'm going to say what I just heard...."he's his own closer" - care of the MLB Network (c).  It's the 8th and he just threw pitch 86 with 2 outs already.  JJ had 60 by the end of the 2nd tonight.  Verlander is efficient.

ol' Kepp

After missing nearly a month, Kepp came back yesterday to play against the Phils (would have been the day before, but there was a rain out).  Season to date, he has officially struck out only 5 times in 93 ABs, including 4 in May (2 in the same game) and 1 in April.  The Phils couldn't get him out yesterday, much less strike him out as he went 5-5, including a game changing RBI hit in the 9th off Jonathan Papelbon.  The dude is legit.  I'd love to see what he can do at clean-up all year for the Rays.

Jeff has 147 career Ks in 2,167 ABs, in just over 600 games played.

This year: Rick Porcello, C.C. Sabathia, Brian Matusz, Brian Matusz again, and Scott Atchison are the only ones to get Jeff to wiff.

Rollins and Pettite

couple of things and MOOOOOOSE!!

1. what would Lincecum look like with short normal hair?
2. Bill "Moose" Hall tonight looked like a rendition of Randy Milligan on his homer swing, amidst O's magic (as last I heard, they have the highest HR total in baseball - even with Hammer's rash of dingers)...but, it feels different than Randy Milligan.  I just looked up Randy on wikipedia.  Barely an article.  Man, wikipedia give me a call...I can write about guys that had like 10 major league seasons...geez.  Anyway I learned they apparently used to call Milligan Moose (maybe when he was an Expo?).  I guess I'm more on the Mussina-Moose ride - but then again he did go to the dark side....so I'm okay with erasing that from bird-land history and creating a Bill Hall "Moose" reference for a bit.  Maybe it will click.  
3. Keppinger doubled his k total tonight, but it was against the O's so who can blame him....haha!
4. Should we believe in any of the following?  It's odd to say these out-loud:

• A's
• Orioles
• Nats (not in that order...and now two more):
• Indians?????
• Brodeur? (too soon or jinx) edit

box score

I'm in a very deep fantasy baseball league.  Something like 14 managers.  And we start 2 at each position plus some more UTIL spots.  To make it worse...it was an auction.  However, in this league...I own the man!  So I thought I'd check in to see what he was up to tonight in the box score.  I need to ensure he's still deserving of being my penciled in starting second basemen - along side Robinson Cano (remember, 2 per position).  Speaking of Keppinger, someone just nabbed Jed Lowrie in my 'other-much-smaller-league-but-where-we've-been-back-so-many-years-running-it's-super-competitive' league.  Ha!  Maybe my team will end up just fine in the end eh?  I need to figure out pitching now...that's the key to this league.  I already got the disciplined guys...starting at the top, with Jeff Keppinger.

Some of you might remember my post about Keppers, where I mentioned Ol' Joe Sewell....I mean, Kepp's no Joe Sewell....for you see and might well remember - Joe is the all-time leader in strike out percentage at 1.7% for  his career.   And my Duke boys friends...this late breaking news is no good.  I'm sorry to say tonight's box score was grim.  1 for 4 with a .313 average for the year in 68 ABs.  And Jeff......struck out.  That makes 2 strike-outs in 68 ABs.  Can someone calculate where that puts him against Sewell??? 

first time in a long time...

I own Clay Buchholz in my fantasy league.  But today, for the first time in quite some time...I'm actually rooting hardcorps against my fantasy pitcher.  Go O's.  JJ Hardy has gone yard against him in the first two ABs.  I'm down with that....who cares if I lose that category as long as the O's keep doing what they are doing.  Their young nucleus coupled the fire in their eyes is like a euphoria to me.

Who'da thunk it?

Franky

Rooting for Franky Liriano over the years has me feeling similar to the way the fantasy coach that has stuck through thick and thin with Edison Volquez feels.  Basically, it's fantastic!  Like, Fantastic Mr. Fox fantastic!  That's how fantastic (subtle sarcasm here).  No real offense to Volquez intended with that set of statement(s).  But do you feel what I’m laying down?  They are similar players in a way.  It’s very apparent that I am aware of that potential he’s got lurking around in there....and I’m sucked fully back in each year.  Then I ride along as we find out which Franky we will get.  when he throws a gem (or is it jem?) I become elated and say I told you so during my banter.  but then get slapped in the face 6 times in a row between these jem outings - with something along 3 homers allowed, 4 BB and 6 ERs.  Why do I even believe?  I guess because he’s a phenom.....much like Bryce H.  If he can just live up to the fact that he's being watched by about 1/16th of the planet and then just let it loose - he could be the best ever (on a scale of best ever players; 1 - 1,000).  That fact right there is actually the only one, but I'll pretend there is another one in convincing fashion in the next few sentences and paragraphs, but really these won't be that important). That coupled with the fact that he has only really ever had one good year.  I mean, it really wasn't even that good.

1. 28 games
2. 16 starts
3. 12 - 3 record
4. 1 save
5. 1 hold.  reminder to self to look up BABIP)
6. 121.0 IP
7. 89 hits.  Do you believe that, 89!  In 121.0.  What's his WHIP you ask?  Let's first get to his BBs
8. moving on....29 ER, 9 HR allowed
9. 32 BBs
10. 144 K.  So, per inning, is that over 1.00?  Just barely I think.  Just over 1 K per inning is good per what I've heard over the years.  If you can ever get around 1.00 or even 0.98 K per inning at the end of a statistical count, you win my friend.  so, let's just chalk 144 K over 121.0 IP pretty good.
11. on to ERA....it was 2.16.  Averagewinkwink.
12. 1.00 WHIP
13. .205 op-BA

That was 2006 above, by the way.


In 2010 he had 191.2 innings and put down 201 K with a respectable 3.62 ERA and a .252 opponents BAA.  Only 9 HR allowed during this 191.2, whereas in the previous year he struggled and allowed 21 HR over 136.2 IP. 


So which Franky do we get?  Well....tomorrow is the night when we find out.  Franky versus Albert in Anaheim.  Someone will have a story line - and I'm rooting for them both actually as a true fan.  Good luck boys.


If only he could have other success like this.  I would wake up from a Francisco Liriano dream a very happy man. 

Dear TB DEVIL (c) Rays

Dear Devil Rays - you are smart, but only once a series...I don't like you and want you to stop winning.  Leave the O's alone.  If you were smarter, you would do it in each game of the series rather than just in one.  And that is.....play Jeff Keppinger.  I wish the O's had him.  What a hitter.  Not flashy...but what the Money Ball guys had in mind.  If I could make a team out of the player universe, I would pick him.  2126 career at bats....143 K.....and a .280 career average.  Pretty good type of bat to have around.

Let's compare Jeff's entire career to solely the 2011 totals.  What's a typical number of ABs per year for a healthy guy?  About 600?  Here's the list of guys that had more than 143 K last year alone: Willingham, Uggla, Jay Bruce, MVP Matt Kemp, Werth, lesser Upton, Pena, K. Johnson 2B, Giancarlo, Danny Espinosa, not just an Anderson - but a Granderson, drum roll.....Ryan Howard and surprisingly Adam Dunn, Austin Jax, Mark Reynolds, and finally Drew Stubbs.

I mean, he's no Joe Sewell.  Joe is the all-time leader in strike out percentage at 1.7%.  Who in one season, averaged 167.7 ABs per K.  Totally crazy stat!  Jeff averages 6.7% for strike out frequency, which would put him at approximately 125th all time on this list: http://www.baseball-almanac.com/hitting/histrkop1.shtml.  But at this time he doesn't even qualify for this listing because of his total games played.  He's in the low 600s right now for MLB games and they say he needs at least 1,000 career games to make the list.  Maybe in a few years Jeff, I'm pulling for you.  Hopefully the Rays will play you in 130 or so this year

For the record, Keppinger has 1 K this year in 52 ABs.  (Alberto Callaspo already has 8 in 43 ABs)

Rays, keep using him.

For Phils fans, Juan Pierre has a career K frequency of 6.2% (103 on all time list) and Placido Polanco sits at 7.6% (166 on the list).

[Abreu to the Phils?  Thoughts?]

Larry...

Last night the 40 year old Chipper Jones did a bow and arrow gesture up to the stands after a clutch hit.  He was looking up in the stands as if he knew exactly where someone he knows was sitting, and he was sending them a signal.  Ah, the little things.  I love baseball.  The MLB Network (c) does a really really good job of coverage.  Last night the guys were so enthralled with life - the end of the show was fantastic!  They are doing the best job in the world.  Also they were making fun of Plesac for being a fan first (at heart) who happened to be good at the game.  LIMH!

Someday I'll get a picture or video of this Larry bow and arrow thing, if I remember.  But just know this: I looked up "Chipper Jones bow and arrow" and apparently he has been on some sort of show about major league bowhunters and has done some stuff with Buck Commander and Hog Commander.  Whoever they are.  Ha.

What's his name again? (punk rockers stand up!! He's our new boy!

and that's about the time she walked away from me....everybody likes you when your 19....let's go Bryce.  And later on, on the drive home, I called her mom, from a pay phone....and I figured, I got room on my squad right now to deal with some growing pains - He's going to a good spot - for a winning club and I heard He can hit.  I'm going to youtube (c) now to watch his highlight reel.  Good timing with the NFL draft actually....LOLitizer.

It's time for the middle of the DC area to open up.  Bring the fans yes.  This is the place to congregate near now, NY is still right there, and so is Philly.  Love can spread.  It's like a mecca of sporting fun and nightlife, shaped like an L but backwards.  Giant area.  Come visit says baseball, but, not till hockey is over.

Oh and San Fran, if you think Alex Smith is the next Brady, then I'd advise that you stop having...WRs that don't have the drive.  Get a few good ones and see what can happen.  Like Brandon Lloyd.  Your bad.)  Just kidding about the WR sentence.  Come to the east coast.

Devils win yes and thank you

Sorry to post so late in the evening.  The Devils just now - made it to the next round.  

The O's swept the Jays.  

This moment for me is pretty fantastic.  I had to just note that here.

Heck, even the Rams had some buzz tonight with their Jeff Fischer moves.  Very fun night.  I love sports for sure.

OLE!~

I just heard the OLE, OLE song at the Panthers game.  Prior to that, I heard a sarcastic Let's Go Yankees chant - I think.  Does anyone have the recording?  Play back the DVR.  Lastly, did they just call him Zidlisky?  Is that right?  Or is it Zidlicky?  As in, Licky.  As in Lick??

O's announcers the other day.

I was listening to the broadcasters on an orioles extra inning game the other day, they were all tied up at the yankees and it was a really exciting moment in this game.  Instead of the announcers talking about the pitch by pitch count and the scenarios, they were discussing old stories about their interactions with players from the past.  "I have a great story Bob....one time Boog and I were eating and fishing...." meanwhile, WTF the game is in extra innings.  Get on the damn play by play!!!  As a vast fan, I wanted to hear that pitch by pitch breakdown and know and discuss exactly what was going on the game.  I guess that's me being a little bit critical, however in this instance - this early in the young season - I want everybody who is watching to have the hope that the orioles are going to prevail.  We can leave the stories from the past to when they are have fallen to fourth place later in the season.  Sorry for that last sentence.  I believe.

fant. baseball tip

note to self: watch one of those podcasts next year where they talk about the guys who were most on the winning coaches team.  Then, figure out why all off season.  Then scout what's in tap for next year...and figure out who will be the ones that fit that bill in the coming year.  Then do that and you will win probably.  Also you have to factor in the way that teams market their guys, and their guy's willingness to be marketed and allow it to pump himself up.  Like what Brandon Phillips said about being famous in that special you watched on MLB network just prior to the season.

Phillies fans and Yankees fans will let anyone play for them.  Don't mean that in a bad way.  They give everyone at least one shot.  Maybe 3 shots depending on the guy.  This isn't a fantasy tip though.  This is real for baseball in real time "life".  As long as they can do their thing and deal with the constant badgering and scrutiny.  I wish the O's fans would read this?

Another tip: the guys who are "textbook" are the guys you want.  Fundamentals.

Oreoles

Tonight at dinner my wit lead me to asking my wife who she thinks is in the lead in the AL East. She said JRoll. So then I opted to give her choices. Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays, D. Rays, or Orioles. Ai chimed in that he likes the Orioles. Man was I proud. All these years as having the O's as my favorite team, and it had rubbed off on my 1st offspring. I haven't really even pushed them on him yet, I just let him watch and like what he wants. My wife and I looked at each other in amazement and then Ai continued on by saying, "yeah, I like their creamy middles. They are good cookies." Uh oh, someone tricked Daddy and was really talking about Oreos. Somehow, someway, he then said he also likes their (referring to the oreos) red socks. Hehe, interesting.