tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31808065Tue, 13 Oct 2009 04:39:03 +0000Commentary and statistical analysis on the most interesting team in baseballhttp://redsoxstatsguy.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (MC)Blogger300125http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/rssgbloghttp://feedburner.google.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31808065.post-1295699737531925372Mon, 20 Oct 2008 03:20:00 +00002008-10-19T22:42:46.800-05:00Random ThoughtsI watched the entire game, but I wasn't taking notes until the 8th inning."Roccotober" - Another cute Tampa Bay sign in the crowd.Coco Crisp's slide away from second is going to be HUGELY controversial Monday morning.I believe it was Buck Martinez who mentions that some people may wonder why Francona doesn't pinch run for Ortiz in the 8th so they can score on a double. "If they get to extra http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rssgblog/~3/dfnAVtfedc8/alcs-game-7-random-thoughts.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (MC)0http://redsoxstatsguy.blogspot.com/2008/10/alcs-game-7-random-thoughts.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31808065.post-5190181502537008164Mon, 20 Oct 2008 00:03:00 +00002008-10-19T19:09:51.300-05:00Random ThoughtsHey, look: MSNBC has a headline that reads, "Opinion: It's do-or-die time for Rays, Red Sox." Wow. That really makes me want to read it.Even better is the picture posted on this Deadspin story. It's like they're all staring at George Costanza as he unlocks his car in a handicapped parking spot.Can I ask that the TBS announcers be a little more McCarver-esque tonight? I complain about McCarver, http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rssgblog/~3/Q_XwKAiEmc0/alcs-game-7-pre-game-random-thoughts.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (MC)0http://redsoxstatsguy.blogspot.com/2008/10/alcs-game-7-pre-game-random-thoughts.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31808065.post-6841255155581835388Sun, 19 Oct 2008 03:56:00 +00002008-10-18T23:01:28.338-05:00Random ThoughtsSunday will be another late night, as the Sox and Rays meet for game 7. If you doubted it, you're an idiot. Most people went to bed early on Thursday night and missed the comeback. The Sox did this in 2004 and 2007. You need to stick around.Who has the pressure now? Certainly the Rays. They're likely to be tight and nervous in game 7. But should they be? They're kind of playing on borrowed time. http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rssgblog/~3/kiJVi6D2NrA/alcs-game-6-final-thoughts.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (MC)0http://redsoxstatsguy.blogspot.com/2008/10/alcs-game-6-final-thoughts.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31808065.post-9186280828406282628Sun, 19 Oct 2008 02:54:00 +00002008-10-18T22:43:00.576-05:00Random ThoughtsFor my 300th RSSG post, a continuation of the Random Thoughts series...Not much going on in the top of the 7th, so the announcers naturally go to the "tightness" of the Rays, due to the big comeback in game 5 and the late lead here in game 6. Expect this to be a theme for the rest of the game.Hideki Okajima, pre-all-star break: .255 BAA, 1.41 WHIP. Post-ASB: .134, 0.76 WHIP.Same thing for Coco http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rssgblog/~3/k6HBH1fjikU/alcs-game-6-random-thoughts-innings-7.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (MC)0http://redsoxstatsguy.blogspot.com/2008/10/alcs-game-6-random-thoughts-innings-7.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31808065.post-7116136656587500330Sun, 19 Oct 2008 01:58:00 +00002008-10-18T21:54:22.180-05:00Random ThoughtsNext round of random thoughts...One of the announcers (Buck Martinez?) says that this is a typical BGJ start because he didn't start well, but "here he is pitching well in the 5th." What?The same announcer then says BGJ is having a quick 5th. Next pitch: double by Drew.BGJ just pitched himself into a 6th inning, with a 9-pitch 5th.So Beckett has a conversation with Farrell and Francona between http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rssgblog/~3/v7cm3wdm7IA/alcs-game-6-random-thoughts-innings-5.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (MC)0http://redsoxstatsguy.blogspot.com/2008/10/alcs-game-6-random-thoughts-innings-5.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31808065.post-6319422398368638205Sun, 19 Oct 2008 00:49:00 +00002008-10-18T20:57:31.228-05:00Random ThoughtsContinuation from innings 1 and 2...Big Papi might be pulling out of this slump. I will now reverse the jinx I just put on by saying that his recent surge is surely done now.So you've got the bases loaded in the second inning. Who would you want up in this situation? Certainly not Mark Kotsay. I typed all that prior to them showing the stat that Kotsay has left the most men on during the ALCS. http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rssgblog/~3/xT1D1gOC2bk/alcs-game-6-random-thoughts-innings-3.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (MC)0http://redsoxstatsguy.blogspot.com/2008/10/alcs-game-6-random-thoughts-innings-3.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31808065.post-3466057174448913545Sun, 19 Oct 2008 00:37:00 +00002008-10-18T20:09:14.804-05:00Random ThoughtsA popular feature during the 2007 playoffs, I've been too busy for Random Thoughts this year. But, here goes:The Sox are swinging at a lot of first pitches. Unusual for them. Must be a scouting report on Big Game James Shields. Hopefully we'll be calling him Big Shame James before too long.Jason Bay beats out a double play ball. Manny would have been thrown out by 2 steps.5 pitches to Varitek, 0 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rssgblog/~3/btLf5yhjyK0/alcs-game-6-random-thoughts-innings-1-2.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (MC)0http://redsoxstatsguy.blogspot.com/2008/10/alcs-game-6-random-thoughts-innings-1-2.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31808065.post-1695280728495932158Sun, 19 Oct 2008 00:27:00 +00002008-10-18T19:28:22.758-05:00YankeesSo TBS sucks and can't air ALCS game 6, but at least I have this to keep me all warm inside.http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rssgblog/~3/BJfgUSQkpPQ/tbs-and-yankees-suck.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (MC)0http://redsoxstatsguy.blogspot.com/2008/10/tbs-and-yankees-suck.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31808065.post-7717891881588236902Mon, 13 Oct 2008 23:37:00 +00002008-10-13T18:43:30.272-05:00And the "little" in the post title doesn't refer to Grady.You're watching the game right now. The Sox are getting killed by the Rays. The Rays! And you think they're done. Wake is pitching game 4 and the Sox are down 2-1.But then you remember that the two teams are "on serve," to steal a tennis term. The Rays have two home games, the Sox one, and that's the score of the series.And then there's http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rssgblog/~3/44eTzrSPqs0/little-perspective.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (MC)0http://redsoxstatsguy.blogspot.com/2008/10/little-perspective.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31808065.post-7045580464216418613Sat, 11 Oct 2008 01:02:00 +00002008-10-10T20:43:30.381-05:00Tim McCarverSchillingManny RamirezJoe SheehanOn Wednesday I wrote that I agreed with most of something Tim McCarver said, which was a first. The "most of" part was the opinions; the part where McCarver called Manny's actions in Boston "despicable."Now Joe Sheehan from Baseball Prospectus has taken a swipe at McCarver's lack of facts. I loathe McCarver. I respect and admire Sheehan; he's a brilliant baseball analyst. They couldn't be any http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rssgblog/~3/iusxp6SZhWs/mccarver-debunked.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (MC)0http://redsoxstatsguy.blogspot.com/2008/10/mccarver-debunked.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31808065.post-4387688124535108368Wed, 08 Oct 2008 18:59:00 +00002008-10-08T13:59:59.870-05:00Tim McCarverManny RamirezI agree with Tim McCarver on something. At least mostly.I'm sure I'll write more about Manny if he faces the Sox in the World Series.http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rssgblog/~3/yx6KMWvl2VU/stop-presses.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (MC)1http://redsoxstatsguy.blogspot.com/2008/10/stop-presses.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31808065.post-8801835259436528236Wed, 08 Oct 2008 02:36:00 +00002008-10-07T21:37:49.494-05:00Craig Sager gets most of the pub in this video, but it's just another example of Papelbon being a jackass. Can't the Sox brass order him to shut his mouth? He's a great pitcher, but I just don't like the guy.http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rssgblog/~3/-Yz0Gfn0xL4/papelbon-needs-to-shut-up.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (MC)1http://redsoxstatsguy.blogspot.com/2008/10/papelbon-needs-to-shut-up.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31808065.post-5077173594338928000Mon, 06 Oct 2008 22:59:00 +00002008-10-06T18:01:27.953-05:00Jason BayJohnny DamonYears ago Bill Simmons said he didn’t like watching or reading interviews with his favorite players because they invariably showed how dumb they were. This was always evidenced by Johnny Damon. But now, Jason Bay: What is your ideal time for a playoff game to start?"Ideally would be seven o'clock Eastern, whether that's four o'clock Pacific—is that four o'clock? Is that right? Yeah.And yes, I http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rssgblog/~3/EaPXfxdqmug/clutch-canuck.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (MC)0http://redsoxstatsguy.blogspot.com/2008/10/clutch-canuck.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31808065.post-5963003734740869492Sat, 04 Oct 2008 02:29:00 +00002008-10-03T21:46:03.184-05:00Frank CaliendoI'm too tired to do a Random Thoughts post, after an absolutely insane September at work. But all the FrankTV commercials have me worked up enough for a post.I used to think Frank Caliendo was brilliant. His impressions were spot-on. This was before he became really famous. He kind of had a shitty website with ringtones of his best celebrity impressions. They were great. And he stuck to the ones http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rssgblog/~3/ek-L9D8B7wc/my-beef-with-frank-caliendo.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (MC)1http://redsoxstatsguy.blogspot.com/2008/10/my-beef-with-frank-caliendo.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31808065.post-7451411352224693107Fri, 03 Oct 2008 01:21:00 +00002008-10-02T20:24:06.229-05:00Dale SveumCC SabathiaWhy is everyone so surprised that CC Sabathia imploded? I prophesied this back in August.Look, you can pitch that many innings that many years in a row and expect to be fine. And then he goes and pitches on three days' rest four starts in a row. Seriously, Dale "Sink or" Sveum? That's gonna be your legacy? Overworking the best pitcher in the NL so you ruin your chances in the NLDS?That's sad.http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rssgblog/~3/pqPVWNQwb38/not-surprised-about-sabathia.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (MC)0http://redsoxstatsguy.blogspot.com/2008/10/not-surprised-about-sabathia.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31808065.post-3882342074062123143Thu, 02 Oct 2008 02:11:00 +00002008-10-01T21:13:25.910-05:00Random ThoughtsJacoby EllsburyManny Ramirez1. I hate Manny Ramirez.2. Jacoby's line drive to right to lead off the game was OBVIOUSLY a double or triple, right off the bat, and yet the announcer lazily says, "Ellsbury with a pop fly that is playable for the leftfielder." Then he's shocked when it falls in and goes on to say the ball "found another gear" and talks about how the ball has been "flying out of the park all afternoon." Really? http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rssgblog/~3/wBHh_dAZxXI/alds-game-1-notes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (MC)0http://redsoxstatsguy.blogspot.com/2008/10/alds-game-1-notes.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31808065.post-5420175388689910989Sat, 27 Sep 2008 16:29:00 +00002008-09-27T12:46:13.498-05:00The Red Sox will match up against the Angels again this year, a matchup the Sox have dominated in recent years. How will things play out in 2008? The best way to determine that is by comparing each position, and I'll use a very simple statistic of OPS+ to compare offenses, which works since we're comparing same positions. I'll use ERA+ and WHIP to compare starting pitchers. None of these is http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rssgblog/~3/kVQynQhikR8/alds-comparison.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (MC)1http://redsoxstatsguy.blogspot.com/2008/09/alds-comparison.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31808065.post-8411883070205339871Wed, 24 Sep 2008 20:46:00 +00002008-09-24T15:48:38.031-05:00Peter GammonsSchillingNomarFrom yesterday's article by Peter Gammons (italics are mine, for emphasis):Garciaparra, who had rejected a four-year, $60 million contract that wouldhave expired at the end of this season, was a megastar in Boston, and whenthe Red Sox struggled for two weeks after the trade, Epstein and the baseballpeople were second-guessed to the media by some of their promotional gurusupstairs. Eleven weeks http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rssgblog/~3/FVEsI5Mgo5g/eye-opening.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (MC)0http://redsoxstatsguy.blogspot.com/2008/09/eye-opening.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31808065.post-4067241665193510436Mon, 15 Sep 2008 01:44:00 +00002008-09-14T20:48:04.636-05:00Random ThoughtsFrom today's Peter Gammons blog:It's hard to talk about the MVP Award for Manny when the team that paid the Dodgers to take Ramirez is 27-13 without him through Sunday and have seen their runs per game increase from 4.94 at the time of the deal to 6.22 since. Peralta is the only AL shortstop to make the top six in OPS (.786, tied with Derek Jeter for sixth among major league shortstops, behind http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rssgblog/~3/riYl3NgjIQs/quick-hits.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (MC)1http://redsoxstatsguy.blogspot.com/2008/09/quick-hits.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31808065.post-8506157180286501492Tue, 02 Sep 2008 00:57:00 +00002008-09-01T20:17:10.843-05:00Free AgentsHankenstein opened his fat mouth this week and said that "everyone" is looking at AJ Burnett. Well, that may be the case, but you can have him - and overpay him.You may recall when I prophesied the downfall of the Zito Empire. (And when I tooted my own horn when I was proven right.) Burnett may not be that bad, but he's way overrated.Burnett's ERA+ is a pedestrian 95 this season, and just 109 forhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rssgblog/~3/2I0lL9cZ2Sc/yankees-can-have-aj-burnett.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (MC)1http://redsoxstatsguy.blogspot.com/2008/09/yankees-can-have-aj-burnett.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31808065.post-4176895060312152241Sun, 31 Aug 2008 21:19:00 +00002008-08-31T16:36:13.418-05:00We all remember what happened to CC Sabathia last postseason, right? He wore down, presumably due to an innings-pitched overload.Well, he's at it again. With 5 starts likely remaining in the regular season, Sabathia has thrown 210.1 innings already. Rounding his innings-pitched average up from 7.9 to 8.0 since joining Milwaukee, that would put him at 250 innings by the end of the regular season. http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rssgblog/~3/7iX27ykVvuA/sabathia-overworked.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (MC)0http://redsoxstatsguy.blogspot.com/2008/08/sabathia-overworked.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31808065.post-1873736795245462264Sun, 31 Aug 2008 00:01:00 +00002008-08-30T19:13:27.786-05:00NomarI was just thinking about how often Nomar swung at the first pitch, and got wondering how many pitches he saw per plate appearance when he was with the Sox.The answer is ugly.In 2004, Nomar's last year in Boston, he averaged 2.93 P/PA. He didn't qualify due to a lack of at-bats, but the lowest qualifier was notorious free-swinger, Vlad Guerrero, with 3.17. That's a huge disparity.In 2003 Nomar http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rssgblog/~3/0EXp_GPnVmU/just-out-of-curiosity.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (MC)0http://redsoxstatsguy.blogspot.com/2008/08/just-out-of-curiosity.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31808065.post-9026299574075731688Sat, 30 Aug 2008 01:15:00 +00002008-08-29T20:24:12.599-05:00Jason BaymancrushI know RBI is a mostly-meaningless stat, but when you have 27 RBI in your first 25 games with the Red Sox, I take notice. That's a 178 RBI pace. Not that Bay is a 178 RBI guy, but this is a key time and he's proving that he can handle the pressure of Boston better than Eric Gagne.Plus, his OPS is .908. Manny's was .927 with Boston.This guy's gonna be fine.http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rssgblog/~3/RfN6kNWF7Bs/official-mancrush-jason-bay.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (MC)0http://redsoxstatsguy.blogspot.com/2008/08/official-mancrush-jason-bay.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31808065.post-508762030234793562Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:06:00 +00002008-08-29T19:09:23.764-05:00Jerry RemyDon OrsilloIn the middle of an inning NESN decided to show an awful clip of a comedian making terrible jokes about names of Red Sox players. Even the audience where this "comedian" was performing didn't find her funny.Then they cut back to the game as a White Sox player grounds into an inning-ending double play.Orsillo: "Nothing funny about that."Remy: "About what?" (alluding to the commercial)Orsillo, http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rssgblog/~3/zu_nQhIn5Y8/funny-exchange-between-remy-and-orsillo.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (MC)0http://redsoxstatsguy.blogspot.com/2008/08/funny-exchange-between-remy-and-orsillo.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31808065.post-5108447838368631132Thu, 28 Aug 2008 01:15:00 +00002008-08-27T20:26:36.741-05:00Kenny Rogers today blamed the Yankees for instant replay, because of a game back in May. How about all the other times the umps have gotten the call wrong?"It’s the beauty of the game. Mistakes are made.”But if you have a chance to reduce those errors, wouldn't you take it? What if someone told you that MLB was going to (legally) institute a new policy that gave pitchers an advantage over hittershttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rssgblog/~3/NfyC3cBZeYg/some-old-dude-whining-about-replay.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (MC)2http://redsoxstatsguy.blogspot.com/2008/08/some-old-dude-whining-about-replay.html