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Trot Times for May 17, 2013

2013-05-18T21:31:59+00:00

Star Trek beckons, so let's get right to the trots!

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Home Run of the Day: Justin Upton, Atlanta Braves - 22.89 seconds [video]
Some big home runs Friday night. Paul Goldschmidt's second home run of the game in Miami came at the end of a 13-pitch at-bat. Pedro Alvarez crushed a ball into the depths of the Allegheny in Pittsburgh. Joey Votto hit a ball so hard that the Cincinnati announcers said "they better get a GPS to find that baseball!" Even with all of those blasts, this grand slam from Justin Upton, which Hit Tracker Online called 461 feet, was tops.

Except for maybe Adam Rosales' sprint mentioned below...

Slowest Trot: Aramis Ramirez #1, Milwaukee Brewers - 26.43 seconds [video]
A big day for Aramis Ramirez, who hit two three-run home runs in the Brewers' 7-6 loss to the Cardinals in St. Louis. His first trot took over 26-seconds to complete. You can blame part of that on Ramirez watching the ball to see if it had the distance/trajectory, but, considering his second trot was also 24.86 seconds long, you can't put too much of the blame there. Outside of Ramirez, the next slowest trot around the league was 24.55 seconds from Kendrys Morales.

Quickest Trot: Adam Rosales, Oakland Athletics - 16.31 seconds [video]
How many more times can I say that I love watching Rosales sprint around the bases? This 16.31 second "trot" is the second fastest of the year, behind only Rosales' single other trot which came in at 16.24 seconds. (As always, you can see the full 2013 Tater Trot Tracker leaderboard here.) Amazingly, both of these trots suffered from Rosales slowing down at the end of the trot in order to more easily turn towards his third base dugout. If the A's had a first base dugout, we might be looking at more 15-second trots from our favorite trotter.

All this only one day after Todd Helton joined the 30-second club!

The next quickest trot was over three seconds slower: Rosales' teammate Josh Donaldson clocked in at 19.36 seconds despite the fact that he sped past second base because he thought the ball was still in play after it bounced back over the wall.

All of Today's Trots

Aramis Ramirez #1....26.43   Raul Ibanez..........21.33
Aramis Ramirez #2....24.86   Scott Van Slyke #2...21.3
Kendrys Morales......24.55   Jordan Pacheco.......21.15
Pedro Alvarez........24.1    Jay Bruce............21.04
Geovany Soto.........23.84   Chad Tracy...........21.04
Carlos Gonzalez......23.04   Kelly Johnson........20.79
Adam LaRoche #1......22.94   Paul Goldschmidt #2..20.67
Adam LaRoche #2......22.94   David Wright.........20.66
Justin Upton.........22.89   Drew Stubbs..........20.62
Joey Votto...........22.79   Paul Goldschmidt #1..20.62
Jimmy Rollins........22.5    Alex Rios............20.39
Jedd Gyorko..........22.43   Scott Van Slyke #1...20.38
Adam Dunn............22.33   J.J. Hardy...........20.25
Jason Kipnis.........22.17*  Andrew McCutchen.....20.11
Buster Posey.........22.16   Daniel Murphy........20.07
David Freese.........22	     Chris Dickerson......19.94
Ryan Zimmerman.......21.87   Pedro Florimon.......19.58
Eric Chavez..........21.8    Josh Donaldson.......19.36
Matt Dominguez.......21.65   Adam Rosales.........16.31

Click here for the ongoing 2013 Tater Trot Tracker Leaderboard. You can also follow @TaterTrotTrkr on Twitter for more up-to-the-minute trot times.

Welcome to the 30-Second Club, Todd Helton!

2013-05-17T22:49:16+00:00

On September 28, 2012, Bobby Abreu, in what looks to be his final career home run, blasted a shot down the right field line in Dodger Stadium. After strutting out of the box, Abreu took his sweet time rounding the bases. Vin Scully even said, after Abreu rounded second, "And Bobby's going to take his time and enjoy the ride."

Abreu's trot ended up clocking in at 31.56 seconds. It was the slowest trot in the Tater Trot Tracker era that was not the result of an injury.

(For a look at the other 30-second trotters, see this post on Bobby Abreu's slow trot.)

Thursday afternoon, Colorado's Todd Helton put himself in a virtual tie with Abreu for slowest non-injury related trot with a 31.54 second trot off of San Francisco's Matt Cain in Coors Field.

View Todd Helton's slow trot here

(Click "Read More" to continue reading.)

Much like Abreu, the home run on Thursday was a towering pop-fly down the right field line that could very easily have ended up foul. In fact, the ball had a hang time of close to seven seconds and seemed to land only one or two seats on the fair side of the pole. Anyone can be excused for slowing down to see where that ball would land.

And it's clear that the uncertainty of the ball affected Helton. There is no good video evidence of exactly what Helton did while waiting for the ball to land. The replays don't show too much of it and the home run from Nolan Arenado on the very next pitch quickly takes the broadcast's focus away from Helton. However, before Cain got off that next pitch, the Colorado feed does show Helton regaining his balance and watching the ball fly. He doesn't appear to move towards first right away but, according to video shown on the San Francisco feed, he is well on his way to first base by the time the ball is ruled fair.

So what does that mean? Unless someone can show clear evidence that Helton took a few steps out of the box towards first base and then stopped his trot before resuming it, this is assuredly an uninterrupted trot and therefore counts in the official statistics. The slow start as everyone waited for the ball to go fair or foul combined with Helton's natural tendency towards a slow trot (since 2010, Helton's average tater trot is a very slow 25.3 seconds) to give us one of the slowest trots in Tater Trot Tracker history.

And it was glorious!

Click here for the ongoing 2013 Tater Trot Tracker Leaderboard. You can also follow @TaterTrotTrkr on Twitter for more up-to-the-minute trot times.

Trot Times for May 16, 2013

2013-05-17T22:28:17+00:00

The Tracker has been away for a few days and we've got a lot of catching up to do. Let's get to the trots!

Home Run of the Day: Todd Helton, Colorado Rockies - 31.54 seconds [video]
We'll talk about Helton's home run separately. In the meantime, enjoy the Manny Ramirez home run above. With continued thanks to Manny Does Taiwan, this was Manny's sixth home run in Taiwan. His trot was a bit tough to clock thanks to the camera angle used at home plate, but the trot clocked in at no slower than 26.92 seconds (and possibly even 26.3 seconds). That's a quick one for Manny.

Slowest Trot: Todd Helton, Colorado Rockies - 31.54 seconds [video]
Again, we'll talk about this trot in a separate post. We would be remiss if we didn't mention that David Ortiz had a 28.72 second trot on Tuesday night. That would be the slowest trot of the year (with five of the ten slowest in Papi's name) if not for what Helton did Thursday afternoon.

Quickest Trot: Ryan Roberts, Tampa Bay Rays - 18.28 seconds [video]
One of only two trots to clock in at the 18-second range over the last three days. The other was Nolan Arenado's home run on Thursday, hit one pitch after Helton set a record. Between the two of them, Helton and Arenado were on the bases for just about 50 seconds!

All of Today's Trots

Todd Helton.......31.54     Alex Rios.........21.64
Wilin Rosario.....24.87     Bryce Harper......20.96
Brandon Phillips..24.76     Travis Snider.....20.77
Jhonny Peralta....23.29* Michael Morse.....20.74*
Nelson Cruz.......23.13     Juan Pierre.......20.1
Adam LaRoche......22.88     Don Kelly.........19.16
Albert Pujols.....22.47     Nolan Arenado.....18.92
Geovany Soto......21.97     Ryan Roberts......18.28

Wednesday's Trots

Nick Swisher.......24.69  Reid Brignac.......21.28
Jason Kipnis.......24.24  Shin-Soo Choo #2...21.05
Nelson Cruz........23.94  J.J. Hardy.........21.03
J.P. Arencibia.....23.93  Adam Lind..........20.98
Adam Dunn #1.......23.42  Dayan Viciedo......20.88
Vernon Wells.......23.25* Shin-Soo Choo #1...20.64
Adam Dunn #2.......23.15  Raul Ibanez #2.....20.57
Matt Wieters.......23.07  Kyle Seager........20.25
Avisail Garcia.....22.96  Kyle Blanks........20.22
Alexi Amarista.....22.86  Will Middlebrooks..19.78
Rickie Weeks.......22.86  Jeff Samardzija....19.77
Adam LaRoche.......22.66* Stephen Drew.......19.7
J.D. Martinez......22.13* Chris Stewart......19.6
Rick Ankiel........21.99  Mike Aviles........19.4
Raul Ibanez #1.....21.79  David DeJesus......19.28
Eduardo Escobar....21.36  Carlos Corporan....19.02
Mike Trout.........21.3

Tuesday's Trots

David Ortiz.........28.72  Mitch Moreland #2...21.84
Carlos Beltran......26.18  Mike Trout..........21.59
Miguel Cabrera......25.27  Carlos Gonzalez #1..21.21
Albert Pujols.......24.48  Marlon Byrd.........21.2
Dayan Viciedo.......24.07  Jean Segura.........20.9
Billy Butler........23.92  Jon Jay.............20.6
Adrian Beltre.......23.76  Carlos Gonzalez #2..20.52
Adam Dunn...........23.52  Ryan Flaherty.......20.5
Darwin Barney.......23.38  Josh Hamilton.......20.43
Carlos Quentin......23.1   Howie Kendrick......20.36
Domonic Brown.......22.22  Eric Young..........20.11
Pablo Sandoval......22.2   Kevin Frandsen......19.8
Brandon Belt........22.07  Raul Ibanez.........19.54
Mitch Moreland #1...21.92  Andrew McCutchen....19.44*

Click here for the ongoing 2013 Tater Trot Tracker Leaderboard. You can also follow @TaterTrotTrkr on Twitter for more up-to-the-minute trot times.

Trot Times for May 13, 2013

2013-05-14T21:41:03+00:00

A pretty great day for home runs, all things told. Let's get right down to the trots.

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Home Run of the Day: Justin Upton, Atlanta Braves - 19.6 seconds [video]
I for one am shocked to learn that Justin Upton hit the ball a really, really long way while playing a game in Chase Field. Shocked.

If it weren't for Justin Upton's return to Arizona, this category might be nothing but Aaron Hicks. Not only did he hit a pair of bombs for the Twins on their way to a victory over the White Sox, Hicks also made this outstanding catch to rob a home run from Adam Dunn. It's basically unfair.

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Slowest Trot: Jason Kipnis, Cleveland Indians - 25.64 seconds [video]
Just another inexplicably slow trot from an Indians player. This one doubly so considering that Kipnis typically runs out his trots to the tune of 21 or 22 seconds. The next slowest trot was Andy Dirks' first career grand slam, which he ran out in 23.71 seconds.

Quickest Trot: Josh Rutledge, Colorado Rockies - 19.06 seconds [video]
One of five trots (out of fifteen) to finish in under twenty seconds.

All of Today's Trots

Jason Kipnis......25.64
Andy Dirks........23.71
Matt Holliday.....23.63
Victor Martinez...23.44
Chris Johnson.....23.27
Alfonso Soriano...23.09
Brian McCann......22.56
Mitch Moreland....21.93
Yoenis Cespedes...21.6
Aaron Hicks #2....20.13
Paul Goldschmidt..19.82
Justin Upton......19.6
Brandon Moss......19.52
Aaron Hicks #1....19.47
Josh Rutledge.....19.06

Click here for the ongoing 2013 Tater Trot Tracker Leaderboard. You can also follow @TaterTrotTrkr on Twitter for more up-to-the-minute trot times.

2013 Tater Trot Tracker Leaders

2013-05-14T19:00:00+00:00

This is an on-going list of 2013's slowest and quickest tater trots. To see daily updates about each and every home run, visit the Tater Trot Tracker at Baseball Prospectus. You can also follow the Tater Trot Tracker on Twitter at @TaterTrotTrkr.

Leaderboard Updated On: May 17, 2013
Most Recent Post: May 17

Slowest Trot

1. Todd Helton - May 16, 31.54 secs.
2. David Ortiz - May 14, 28.72
3. David Ortiz - Apr. 26, 28.44
4. Ian Kinsler - Apr. 2, 28.36
5. David Ortiz - May 1, 27.87
6. Wilin Rosario - Apr. 13, 27.75
7. David Ortiz - Apr. 25, 27.51
8. David Ortiz - May 5, 27.33
9. Billy Butler - Apr. 22, 26.79
10. Aramis Ramirez #1 - May 17, 26.43

(Click "Continue Reading" to see the rest.)

Quickest Trot (non-Inside-the-Park)

1. Adam Rosales - May 3, 16.24 secs.
2. Adam Rosales - May 17, 16.31
2. Peter Bourjos - Apr. 15, 16.96
3. Jean Segura - May 4, 17.02*
4. Chris Heisey - Apr. 23, 17.12
5. Francisco Cervelli - Apr. 18, 17.21
6. Collin Cowgill - Apr. 6, 17.55
7. Everth Cabrera - Apr. 17, 17.56
8. Bryce Harper #1 - Apr. 1, 17.61
9. Austin Jackson - Apr. 14, 17.63

Inside-the-Park Home Runs (Total Hit: 0)

1. --none--

The single-slowest trot tracked belongs to Luke Scott at 35.76 seconds, who pulled his hamstring during the trot. John Buck also pulled a hamstring during his trot, but his 36.62 second trot time is invalidated because he stopped moving during the trot. The slowest non-injury related trot was 31.56 seconds on Bobby Abreu's (likely) final career home run.

The single-quickest trot tracked belongs to Billy Hamilton, a minor leaguer who completed an inside-the-park home run in 13.8 seconds. In the majors, the quickest trot ever belongs to Peter Bourjos at 14.02 seconds, whose inside-the-park home run was ruled an error.

See also: the 2012 Tater Trot Tracker Leaders, the 2011 Tater Trot Tracker Leaders and the 2010 Tater Trot Tracker Leaders.

Trot Times for May 12, 2013

2013-05-13T20:10:46+00:00

According to Old Time Family Baseball, there were only nine home runs hit with pink bats on Sunday compared to the 23 hit in the two years prior (and though there were only 8 pink bat home runs last year, that was out of only 26 home runs total as opposed to 35 home runs this year). That's a disappointing trend on the pink bat front.

But let's get to the trots!

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Home Run of the Day: Edwin Encarnacion, Toronto Blue Jays - 24.93 seconds [video]
One of five home runs for the Blue Jays. This one just happened to land outside of the stadium. In Texas, Adrian Beltre hit another of his beautiful, knee-on-the-ground home runs. He had to stop at second before the play was reviewed, however, which takes away a lot of the fun in it.

Slowest Trot: Edwin Encarnacion, Toronto Blue Jays - 24.93 seconds [video]
Encarnacion barely beats out Kendrys Morales (24.2 seconds) for the slowest trot of the day. On a day where 35 home runs were hit, the spread of trot times is rather narrow.

Quickest Trot: Brayan Pena, Detroit Tigers - 19.25 seconds [video]
Pena is a big guy who sprints hard. On a normal day that only goes so far, but it was enough for the quickest trot of the day on Mother's Day. Houston's Jason Castro was right behind him with a 19.47 second trot.

All of Today's Trots

Edwin Encarnacion..24.93  Troy Tulowitzki....22.08
Kendrys Morales....24.2	  James Loney........22.01
Chris Davis........23.94  Pedro Ciriaco......21.86
David Murphy.......23.76  Emilio Bonifacio...21.37
Pablo Sandoval.....23.69  Mike Napoli........21.23
Jose Bautista #1...23.54  Donald Lutz........21.18
Vernon Wells.......23.08  Marco Scutaro......21.04
Robinson Cano......23.04  Lucas Duda.........21.01
Clint Barmes.......23.01  Brandon Belt.......20.94
Xavier Paul........22.93  Scott Van Slyke....20.84
Justin Ruggiano....22.86* Alexi Amarista.....20.69
Jose Bautista #2...22.59  Charlie Blackmon...20.5
Gerardo Parra......22.55  Steve Pearce.......20.11
Chris Carter.......22.31  Adam Jones.........19.55
Leonys Martin......22.3	  Jason Castro.......19.47
Brett Lawrie.......22.29  Brayan Pena........19.25
Brandon Barnes.....22.12  Adrian Beltre......N/A
Jason Bay..........22.12

Click here for the ongoing 2013 Tater Trot Tracker Leaderboard. You can also follow @TaterTrotTrkr on Twitter for more up-to-the-minute trot times.

Trot Times for May 11, 2013

2013-05-12T19:50:51+00:00

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there. I hope it's a beautiful spring day for all of you out there. In Major League Baseball, it means we get base hits and home runs coming off the barrels of pink bats. It's always a fun day. Ask Bill Hall.

Let's get to the trots!

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Home Run of the Day: Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays - 20.44* seconds [video]
A walkoff home run from Evan Longoria. Ho-hum.

Also in this game were two big home runs. One was a monster blast from James Loney (shown above); the other was a game-tying grand slam from Jesus Guzman (video). It's hard to say who celebrated their home run more between the two of them, but you can be sure of one thing: the Pirates will go ahead and plunk them both for it.

Slowest Trot: Billy Butler, Kansas City Royals - 25.37 seconds [video]
I'm seriously considering renaming this the "Billy Butler Slowest Trot of the Day Award".

Quickest Trot: Ian Desmond, Washington Nationals - 18.25 seconds [video]
Desmond is on a tear right now, which is great for the Tater Trot Tracker. He loves to sprint out those home runs.

All of Today's Trots

Billy Butler.......25.37  Josh Donaldson.....21.18
Ryan Doumit........24.87  Matt Dominguez #1..21.08
James Loney........24.75  Mike Trout.........20.94
Jhonny Peralta.....23.47  Brandon Moss.......20.64
Adrian Beltre......23.41  Evan Longoria......20.44*
Vernon Wells.......23.37  Jordy Mercer #1....20.33*
Miguel Olivo.......23.26* Jay Bruce..........20.04
Matt Dominguez #2..23.12  Dee Gordon.........20.04
Nelson Cruz........23.08  Daric Barton.......19.84
Matt Wieters.......23.04  Adam Lind..........19.65
Chase Headley......23	  Andrew Brown.......19.62
Lance Berkman......22.94  Jean Segura........19.5
Norichika Aoki.....22.57  Jordy Mercer #2....19.43
Jesus Guzman.......22.19  Kelly Shoppach.....19.25
Jose Tabata........22.13  Ian Desmond........18.25
Pablo Sandoval.....21.47

Click here for the ongoing 2013 Tater Trot Tracker Leaderboard. You can also follow @TaterTrotTrkr on Twitter for more up-to-the-minute trot times.

Trot Times for May 10, 2013

2013-05-11T21:41:38+00:00

A day off means we need to get right to the trots.

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Home Run of the Day: Prince Fielder, Detroit Tigers and Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers - 23.44 seconds and 24.43 seconds [video and video]
Can you remember any two more mirror-image identical home runs in a game? I love 'em.

Slowest Trot: Jordany Valdespin, New York Mets - 25.06 seconds [video]
Valdespin's trot was the slowest verifiable trot on Friday, but there was likely a slower trot. In Cincinnati, Brandon Phillips took his sweet time rounding the bases before doing an elaborate step-on-home-plate routine. However, neither broadcast gave a clear view of Phillips' foot touching the plate, so I cannot say precisely how long his trot was. It could be anywhere between 24.5 and 26.0 seconds long. I'm leaning towards the longer side, but I can't say for sure.

Quickest Trot: Derek Dietrich, Miami Marlins - 17.71 seconds [video]
A great first career tater trot from Dietrich, who sprinted around the Dodger Stadium infield in less than 18 seconds. Milwaukee's Jean Segura had the second-quickest trot of the day at 18.0 seconds.

All of Today's Trots

Jordany Valdespin..25.06  Raul Ibanez........20.57*
Adrian Gonzalez....25	  Anthony Recker.....20.18
Miguel Cabrera.....24.43  David Murphy.......20.17
Carlos Beltran.....24.01  Jarrod Dyson.......19.85
Ryan Braun.........24	  Ian Desmond........19.32
Nelson Cruz........23.87  Alejandro De Aza...19.02
Lyle Overbay.......23.51* Angel Pagan........19.01
Prince Fielder.....23.44  Trevor Crowe.......18.94
Miguel Montero.....22	  Jeff Baker.........18.85
Brian McCann.......21.84  Jimmy Rollins......18.44
Andy Dirks.........21.62  Will Venable.......18.18
Brendan Harris.....21.47  Jean Segura........18
Mike Moustakas.....21.1	  Derek Dietrich.....17.71
Carlos Quentin.....21.04  Brandon Phillips...N/A
Derek Norris.......20.82  Garrett Jones......N/A
Ichiro Suzuki......20.57

Thursday's Trots

Pedro Alvarez....24.76	 Eric Hosmer......21.97
Chris Davis......24.36	 Brendan Harris...21.22
Mark Reynolds....23.72	 Robinson Cano....21.12
Yunel Escobar....23.39	 Buster Posey.....20.61
Jason Kipnis.....23.15	 Josh Donaldson...20.44
Mike Moustakas...23.11	 Matt Tuiasosopo..20.01
Alex Gordon......22.86	 Oswaldo Arcia....19.83
Nick Swisher.....22.69	 Josh Hamilton....19.69
Brian McCann.....22

Click here for the ongoing 2013 Tater Trot Tracker Leaderboard. You can also follow @TaterTrotTrkr on Twitter for more up-to-the-minute trot times.

Exciting News

2013-05-09T22:52:39+00:00

It is with great excitement that I announce that I will be writing for Baseball Nation on a regular basis now. I'm stoked to be joining the likes of Rob Neyer and Grant Brisbee, who have been some of my favorite writers for a while.

My first post went up today. It talks about the trials of being a Larry. Others who share my name will understand. Some of your favorite Larrys you love to hate are included.

I'd also like to take a minute to thank the folks over at Baseball Prospectus for giving me a chance to be a part of their crew for more than two years. It was a lot of fun and I'm proud to have been a part of BPro for as long as I was.

My Baseball Nation posts should go up once a week, usually at the end of the week.

The Old Time Family Baseball Blogathon

2013-01-19T22:54:17+00:00

Friend of the blog MIchael Clair (@clairbearattack), who runs one of the best baseball Tumblrs around, is running a blogathon this weekend to raise money for Doctors Without Borders. Beginning this morning, Mike will post a new, not-previously-written blog every 30 minutes for 24 hours. Tomorrow, a series of guest posts - including one from me - will go up as well.

It's a great cause that should be a lot of fun. Check it out at Old Time Family Baseball. You can also donate here.

Arrested Development Baseball Card Set, Pt. 2

2012-11-05T08:37:40+00:00

Part 2 of the baseball card set from the Terrific ~~Girlfriend~~Fiancee. Part 1 can be found here.

Kitty - Red Sox
Don't promise crazy a World Series*!!! Kitty is fiercely loyal and yes, kind of crazy. But hey, if you aren't crazy you aren't living.

Say goodbye to THESE!!!!
*It sure felt that way for the past two years.

(Click "Read More" to continue reading.)

J. Walter Weatherman - Detroit
Grizzled and has seen it all. Jim Leyland would chop his arm off to teach us a lesson, "And THAT'S why you don't get swept in the World Series!"

Lindsay - Cardinals
Lindsay Bluth and La Russa are experts at false outrage. If there's anyone who would start an argument over the brightness of stadium ribbon boards, it's her.

Maggie - Diamondbacks
She's pretty much a snake. They're snake-y.

Larry Middleman - Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Hired to be the surrogate while George was under house arrest. Angels are kind of the surrogate team of LA/Anaheim/Disney World/San Juan Capistrano or wherever they end up next.

Rita - Mets
I imagine the Mets refer to World Series as pop pop too. And the fact that they call it that shows me that they aren't ready for it yet.

Staircar - Baseball Hall of Fame

Cornballer - Management

Arrested Development Baseball Card set

2012-10-29T01:54:40+00:00

Part one of a series from the Terrific ~~Girlfriend~~Fiancee...

Cubs - George Oscar Bluth- 'G.O.B'.
Cursed oldest child in the Bluth family; cursed franchise in MLB. Prone to delusions of grandeur. Can't quite pull off a World Series victory or successful illusion.

Click Read More to continue reading...

Royals* - Byron 'Buster' Bluth.
If any team suffers from debilitating panic attacks it would be the Royals since they can't seem to get ahead these days. If Buster thinks the blue part is land then the Royals think that hosting the All Star game is just as good as hosting the World Series.

*I love the Royals and their fans. You'll get there buddy.

Marlins - Franklin Delano Bluth
Introduced as a 1950's-80's stereotype of African Americans. Marlins could be viewed by some as a stereotype of Miami culture.

Franklin is treated as a real person just as the Marlins are treated like a legitimate franchise since they won a world series.

Reds - Annyong Bluth
"Hello." "Annyong!"

Brewers - STEVE HOLT!!! \ o /
Lovable and occasionally frat boyish. Who doesn't want to party with STEVE HOLT!! \ o /

Nationals - Bob Loblaw
The joke here is that Bob Loblaw was introduced to skew to a slightly younger crowd (see Scott Baio replacing Henry Winkler in Happy Days). The Nationals were revived to replace an aging franchise (Expos).

Pirates - Tobias Funke
The Pirates after their late-season collapse this year: "I’m afraid I prematurely shot my wad on what was supposed to be a dry run if you will, so I’m afraid I have something of a mess on my hands."

Astros Senior Skip Day a Success Because Adults Are Dumb and We Totally Have Senioritis

2012-08-02T04:58:47+00:00

The latest inspired piece from the Terrific ~~Girlfriend~~Fiancee. Remember, you can find regular Wezen-Ball and Tater Trot Tracker posts at Baseball Prospectus.

With their time in the NL winding down, the Astros have been suffering from a major case of Senioritis that recently resulted in their own Senior Skip Day. With a few nerds deciding not to participate because they smelled weird and didn't have any friends, it was pretty remarkable that the coaches didn't find out, suspend anyone or prevent anyone from graduating into the AL.

According to Jordan Lyles, the initial plan was to meet alum Jeff Bagwell by the 7-Eleven, maybe get some Subway and then head on over to Six Flags because Jeff had a cool Camaro and was a decent bro. "Also I don't have my license yet because my parents are fucking stupid," said Lyles. "Yeah, not a lot of us have cars or the access to funds that J-Bag has," said Brett Wallace. "I don't know where he gets his money. We all like to joke that he's a drug dealer but really he works at Jamba Juice. Maybe he lets the ladies touch his biceps to get those mad tips". A few Astros players nod and high five each other. "It's cool he's willing to help the guys out even though he's graduated," said Lyles. "He's a real success story, getting a job after graduation and all".

When asked about how senioritis has affected their playing, a few offered some insight. "Fuck it dude. I was supposed to be in Milwaukee today but I decided to skip and go to the Cubs game with my best friend and his girlfriend. If I had played by the rules, I'd have been in batting practice right now," said Brian Bogusevic. Ultimately, according to MLB experts, senioritis is completely normal. "It's not like the AL is going to rescind their offer and make the Astros stay in the NL. You don't see the Royals going anywhere, for example, and they've been in the AL for a long time," said an expert.

The bravado disappears and the room gets silent when the graduation ceremony is mentioned. The ache is palpable. "We've been best friends since spring training," says Altuve, "That's like 10 years in ballplayer years". It's a known clubhouse fact that the highlight of the year was the coed naked slip'n'slide at Wallace's parents house (they were away for the weekend). "We bought a few barrels of lube for the slip'n'slide and a couple kegs of Keystone," added pitcher Bud Norris. "It was awes'".

Father's Day

2012-06-17T18:52:48+00:00

Just a reminder that there is still plenty of Wezen-Ball content going up at Baseball Prospectus every day. Just this week I wrote about the favorite activities of lesser known 1980s players thanks to Topps Big baseball cards and rooting for Matt Cain during his perfect game despite Charlie Brown's advice. There's also daily Tater Trot Tracker updates. For Father's Day, please enjoy this piece on dad's from the Terrific ~~Girlfriend~~Fiancee.

I'm the oldest of four girls and we grew up in a small town where dad was known and respected. He wasn't rich or anything, just salt of the earth, honest, and a good man. He was a music teacher. In his youth, he also piloted small planes and skied a lot. He was a man of action as well. He had his challenges but who doesn't. In the end, I'm not mournful of my past but of the memories I'll never have.

Dad died in August of 1996 when I was a sophomore in college. The night before he died, I was watching Field of Dreams. He had prostate cancer but the surgery weakened his heart which was in bad shape already due to lifestyle choices and an illness when he was a child (some in the family say). As I get older, the memories fade a bit but some are strong as ever. I still remember the sound of his voice, but what I remember the most are his hands. That's because I have hands like his. I don't have man hands but I don't have lady-like dainty hands either. I have hands meant for work. I always loved holding hands with my father. He had such strong hands. They were musician hands: tough and calloused but elegant.

(Click "Read More" to continue reading.)

For being only a small town man born in the 30's, he was a really progressive dude. He believed that his daughters should never ever be limited in physical or mental capacity because of their gender. It was his mission and goal to raise women, not girls. He wanted us to be strong and independent. So naturally we were little ladies and tomboys. Let's put it this way, we played Barbies, but we also set the Barbies on fire or gave them mudbaths. We played dress-up, but Star Wars dress up with lightsabers. We also played baseball in the backyard. After the Red Sox went to the World Series in 1986, we played World Series in my mom's old bridesmaid dresses.

One of the things I always regretted was never knowing exactly who dad's favorite baseball player was. I'm sure he told me and I'm sure I was listening to my walkman at the time or spaced out (I space out a lot). Dad was definitely a Red Sox fan, but I also wonder if he was a Brooklyn Dodgers fan as well, especially when he was growing up, which is 100% possible. We're from Western Massachusetts, pretty close to the Yankees/Red Sox Mason-Dixon line in Connecticut. My cioci (Polish for aunt) was a diehard Yankees fan and I think a few others in my dad's family were (not that there's anything wrong with that). I'd stop by her place on the way home from school and talk baseball with her. It was awesome. She was awesome. That's how I want to be when I grow up. Of this I can be sure, from college onward he was definitely a Red Sox fan. He went to BU and got to see Ted Williams play (seriously how awesome was that). I'm not saying dad was a Dodgers fan and then a Red Sox fan. I wonder if he loved both and, when the Dodgers left town, the Red Sox were it for him but with a special place in his heart for them. When I was a kid, I always remember watching Dodger games and knowing the players pretty darn well. Dad and I LOVED Fernando Valenzuela. I love the Brewers and Red Sox both equally, so it's definitely possible.

In any case, I know his favorite players were Jimmie Foxx, Tony C, Ted Williams, Fernando, and for sure Sandy Koufax. Dad and Koufax were almost birthday twins and born a year apart. Maybe this is all I'll ever know or discover without a TARDIS or ouija board. It seems like back then you had your favorite team but it was completely ok to love players on different teams because they were larger than life and transcended rivalries.

Since this is a baseball blog, on this Fathers Day, I implore all of you to find out who your parents favorite ballplayers are. I say parents because my dad would have wanted it that way. Write it down and always know these things because favorites change. You have the all time favorite players and the favorites right now (who may or may not make it to the echelon of all time). As time progresses, knowing your parents favorite ballplayer is a vital link to unlock a treasure trove of memories.

Make baseball less about a father/son type of thing (which dad thought was so stupid) and more about a bonding experience with your child regardless of gender. MLB and the marketing companies will hate that but screw 'em. Remember, you can be a pal with a son but father to a girl. Ultimately watching baseball with a child or a parent isn't about what you say, it's about what you don't say. I'd give anything to have my dad back, to just sit quietly and watch the game, Star Trek, or Doctor Who together (I'm on the verge of a Ray Kinsella moment here). Also, eat healthy and take care of yourself.

What sustains me now is that I DID have my father for as long as I did. His passing made me into the woman I am today and I have the experiences I have because of that. I am stronger and more determined to fight because of that.

What the Beastie Boys Teach Us About Baseball

2012-05-07T01:56:55+00:00

Just a reminder: posts are still going up regularly at Baseball Prospectus, with recents posts looking at the sad execution of a Negro Leaguer, a fantastic Richard Marx video involving Dennis Eckersley, and a comparison of search results from Google.com and Google.co.uk. There are also, of course, the daily Tater Trot Tracker posts (with the 2012 leaderboard here). This post comes from the Terrific Girlfriend, after the sad news of Adam Yauch's death. Major League Baseball might learn a thing or two from the way the Beastie Boys matured since their debut album.

I was out of sorts this weekend after hearing that Adam Yauch, aka 'MCA', and my favorite Beastie, had passed away. Hearing the news via Twitter instead of Kurt Loder (as I had when Kurt Cobain died) added to this out of sorts feeling. Kurt Loder (to me) was the Vin Scully of the MTV generation. Indeed, it made me feel a little nostalgic for when MTV played real music and was the authority on cool. I had a similar ache of sadness when Joey, DeeDee, Johnny Ramone and Joe Strummer died a few years apart from each other. I thought these guys were too tough to get cancer and die. Twenty years earlier, it was Keith Moon and John Bonham. Mostly the ache comes from the realization that we're all mortal.

The Beastie Boys were always cool because they successfully matured without getting old. I think a lot of people think that growing older means giving up childish pursuits and become absolutely boring. Growing older and maturing mean completely different things. I think you have the choice to fit a mold, let yourself naturally evolve, or force yourself to get to that next level. The Beastuie Boys they did the latter. Enlightenment doesn't have to mean that you also can't be a badass. Part of growing older is accepting the undiscovered country of adulthood and taking advantage of all the benefits.

In applying this thought to baseball, for some odd reason, I started thinking about the Brewers and their uniforms. People love the old ball and glove logo from the 80's. It's a good logo. However, the team was sick of hearing about '1982' when they made it to the World Series. We live in a city that celebrates being 'almost champions'. Anyway, the Beasties (in contrast) used to perform with a giant phallus on stage and dancing girls in cages. In the latter half of their career they didn't even perform 'Fight For Your Right' anymore because that was the 'old' them and they were on a different path. They wanted to shed that frat boy image because they wanted to transcend to that next level of musicianship.

Baseball and music are two industries that prize youth over anything else and are afraid of change. There aren't many (if any) women that call Major League baseball games on t.v or radio. In 1987, Chicagoans gave themselves a nosebleed when Wrigley finally added lights and night games. "That's not how it was when I was a kid!!!" Well guess what, you aren't a kid anymore and really, it isn't about you. It's about other people. Music and baseball are both individual and communal undertakings. In regards to change, the Beasties didn't fight for their right to party so much as fought for their right to be themselves and have their career on their own terms. Same thing with ballplayers. Nostalgia and archaic rules are forced down their throats. For these people, it's a job but it's also an art form. It's an incredibly difficult industry to be in already when you're considered 'old and disposable' before you reach 30.

I think the ultimate lesson is to let it all go and enjoy athletes and musicians for their individual gifts and for maturing into the people that they ultimately become. The creative and athletic processes can be incredibly difficult and the person that taps into and harnesses it and evolves is utterly wonderful. I'm sure people told Robin Yount that he couldn't excel at two positions.

If we look at where baseball is at in terms of Beastie Boys albums I'd say we're at around the 'Ill Communication' phase with the "Paul's Boutique" age being somewhere around the 1960's. Now that I think about it, maybe baseball's "Paul's Boutique" still eludes us because we haven't pushed the boundaries of what baseball can really do. I think ultimately what the Beastie Boys taught us about baseball is that the the past is an important touchstone but it is only a building block of what is yet to come. It's like people who had one amazing year in 1987 and still dress that way because they're afraid to change.

Scattered thoughts on Fenway and Growing Older

2012-04-20T21:59:58+00:00

On the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park's first game, here are some thoughts on the stadium - and life - from the Terrific Girlfriend (aka @ladywezen)...

When I was 9 years old, my parents took my sisters and me to Fenway Park. We didn't have a lot of money and even back then a trip into Boston for a game was still spendy. Not to mention the fact that, if I'm the oldest at 9 years old, my 3 younger sisters were still pretty young (while we were prone to mischief, we were well behaved girls) and carting your kids around, especially Boston in the 1980's, could get tiresome. I always have been, and always will be, grateful for the sacrifices that my parents made. When the Sox were in the World Series, we were allowed to stay up late (though I never made it past 8 p.m.). Even though the Sox lost, my sisters and I prolonged that season by playing "World Series" in the back yard. Somehow, "My Little Pony" and obstacle courses were involved too - which, looking back on it was rather a bit strange, but, you know what? If you don't have an active imagination, you're an idiot.

For the life of me, I want to say that it was in July that we went, but I could be wrong. One of my younger sisters got a baseball with a shiny puffy Red Sox logo on it. It was later lost and I think it was probably my fault (which truly haunts me to this day, along with losing my other sister's Barbie in the woods at Stanley Park - I was an expert at Barbie catapults). Anyway, what matters most was that it was a big deal. We sat under the Polaroid sign and we thought it was the most magical thing ever. Part of my love for "Field of Dreams" comes from the fact that they filmed it not long after our first visit so it serves as a 'living photograph' of what I experienced that day. "Field of Dreams" was also the movie I was watching the night before my father died in 1996, ten years after our visit.

In any case, my father was a forward looking kind of guy. He wanted us girls to grow into strong and independent women, to learn how to face our demons, work through problems, and conquer things bigger that we are. He wanted to teach us that age is just a number and that you're only as old as you feel. He went to Boston University in the 1960s, was a music teacher and, later, returned to school for a Masters in Computer Science in the early 90's and was working on his Ph.D when he passed away.

I don't like to hold on to memories too much or dwell on the passing of my father. However, James T. Kirk said something wise about this, "How we deal with death is at least as important as how we deal with life". When I look at Fenway, I see my dad and what he held dear to him. Maybe it's because I think that dad is chatting up a storm with Jimmie Foxx and Ted Williams in baseball heaven but I feel close to my dad again.

Just because something is old doesn't mean that it isn't important. More importantly, holding on to the past can prevent you from fully living in the present. Just like my dad going back to school because he wanted to, because he envisioned a life and future for himself. Sure, Fenway is 100 years old but, considering it's limitations, the Red Sox have done an amazing job of it and should be commended. They should also keep an eye on the future because there may come a time when the current stadium might not work anymore, but a brighter future (an undiscovered country in terms of ballpark design) may await.

I've mentioned before about baseball's romanticism of youth and going back to when we were all young and how it drives me nuts when fans bemoan certain aspects, "IN MY DAY WE PLAYED IN THE DARK!!!". Sure it's fun but really it doesn't do any good. We get older, things break, people die, but as long as we exchange our quest for a fountain of youth for one of wisdom and a desire for the future, we'll be alright. We end up staying young as a result.

Lastly, I'm grateful that I finally have more recent memories of Fenway. In 2008, my sweet fella took me on an anniversary trip. It was different than I remembered (obviously) some for better, some for worse. I never felt compelled to return until I had someone special with me. Fenway has such a deep, deep place in my heart that I didn't want to give it up for some loser. Some people feel that way about restaurants and songs, I feel that way about baseball stadiums. Although my fella and my dad had never met, being at Fenway with him felt right, that my dad was giving a cosmic stamp of approval.

So Fenway, happy birthday. Red Sox fans, happy birthday to you too. And thank you.

Ryan Braun and "Confidentiality"

2012-02-24T20:18:01+00:00

In the wake of the Ryan Braun news yesterday - which, if everything had been done properly, we should never have heard about - I wrote something for Baseball Prospectus looking at how badly the confidentiality of drug tests has been handled since the initial "survey testing" of 2003. In short, the players have always made confidentiality the primary foundation for their support of the program, but Major League Baseball has done little to ensure it.

Give it a read: Major League Baseball's Lack of Confidentiality.

Doctor Who's On First

2012-01-16T09:40:04+00:00

And now for the latest post from the Terrific Girlfriend. It's a topic that I approve of whole-heartedly, even if I do think she shortchanges ol' Flopsy a little at the end there...

As you may (or may not) have noticed, Wezenlandia has been taken over by Doctor Who.

I used to watch this series religiously when I was a kid at the encouragement of my father (who was also a big Doctor Who fan). I loved the series SO much that I used to pretend that our yellow toy chest was the TARDIS and tried in vain to time travel in the back yard. I'm pretty sure I was trying to go someplace that had an amazing assortment of candy as well as an epic swimming pool. I forgot about it for a couple of years only to watch the TV movie in 1996. I have a special place in my heart for the TV movie and Paul "My Thumbs Have Gone Weird" McGann. It was the last Doctor Who that my father and I shared because he passed away later that year. I saw a few episodes of the reboot but didn't commit to it because it wasn't something that I could watch on a regular basis until we acquired BBC America, iTunes, and Netflix. There was no going back after that.

There is a certain amount of similar romanticism in both Doctor Who and baseball. You can get involved in all the timey-wimey sci-fi numbers aspects of both or look at the more humany wumany aspects. Either way, they're escapism at it's best and I think that's why people love them both so much and why they are the best that humanity has to offer itself. Sure, people make the 'return to your youth' argument, but I think they're each really about the willing suspension of disbelief that is really healthy. Plus, there's a similar level of attachment that comes with, say, your favorite 3rd baseman or Doctor. There is also a certain level of purism between baseball fans and Doctor Who fans. You have the Whovian fanbase freaking out because the Doctor fell in love with some lady while you have baseball fans giving themselves a stroke about the DH/instant replay/women wearing pants/when it was a REAL game/blah blah blah...

With that being said, I thought to myself, "what is the nerdiest thing that I could possibly do that involves both Doctor Who and baseball?" That nerdy thing, of course, is figuring out which version of the Doctor would be best at each position on the field (and in the front offices). Now, keep in mind that these are only suggestions; if you disagree, be my guest.

Oh, for those not in the know, the Doctor is from a planet called Gallifrey and is a Time Lord. If you have any other questions, that's what the interwebs are for. (Ed.'s note: Or you could watch the show - because it's excellent.) One last disclaimer, it should be noted that this information was taken from Wikipedia and edited accordingly. I have also given them nicknames, because everyone in sports has a nickname. Nicknames are cool.

Management:

Doctor #1

William Hartnell, General Manager
The Wizard of Trades

William Hartnell described the Doctor as "a wizard", and "a cross between the Wizard of Oz and Father Christmas". This version of the doctor has been described as grandfatherly. True; I wouldn't describe Ben Cherington or Theo Epstein as grandfatherly, but I might Doug Melvin. Maybe it's the mustache and sweaters.

(Click "Read More" to continue reading.)

Doctor #7

Sylvester McCoy, Manager
The Question

The Seventh Doctor displayed perhaps the most profound change in attitude of any of the Time Lord's personae, beginning as perhaps the most outwardly amiable and bumbling (to the extent of putting himself in danger, but not at the cost of his overall great intelligence and benevolent intentions) and progressing into a driven, dark gamemaster whose plans to defeat his adversaries, both old and new, would play out across space and time. He generally displayed an affable, curious, knowledgeable, easygoing, excitable and charming air. However, as he began to choose his battles and keep a tighter grip on his secrets - from his plans to his very identity - he also presented more serious, contemplative, secretive, wistful and manipulative sides with undercurrents of mischief and authority, constantly giving the impression that there was more to him than met the eye.

I discovered McCoy rather late in the game and absolutely adore this guy; he even might be one of my favorites of all time. His managerial equivalent might be Joe Maddon and a lesser batshit version of Bobby Valentine, or even Casey Stengel. I'm sure at 'dark gamester' you thought, 'oh, that's LaRussa'. Yeah, no. Absolutely not.

The Battery

Doctor #9

Christopher Eccleston, Pitcher
Dr. Laser Rage or Black Ops

I didn't make up the nickname Dr. Laser Rage, it comes from the brilliant writers of the Sarah Silverman Program. Eccleston and McGann (Doctor #8) are easily the most accomplished and best actors out of the bunch. Eccleston is also from Manchester so there's that.

Most gritty, and informal, masking a lonely, guilt-ridden and melancholic personality with a jovial, witty, forthright and almost manic exterior. Did not shy away from using force in situations he would deem necessary. Anyway, you'd want Eccleston and his battery-mate controlling the show. Not really sure of canon here, but I think both fought in the Time War or something. I guess the baseball equivalent to the Time War would be... nothing, unless you had Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada fighting the war on roids and killing every juicer or something. Basically 8 & 9 kill every timelord because the timelords have gotten too powerful and will wreck the universe.

I'd say maybe the 9th's equivalent might be Zack Greinke, Jonathan Papelbon, or Brian Wilson - something along those lines. That one is tougher to figure out.

Doctor #8

Paul McGann, Catcher
Blackout

Encouraged those around him to seize life instead of withdrawing from it. He also seemed to enjoy giving people hints of their own futures, probably to prod them into making the right decisions. It is unclear if the eighth Doctor's knowledge of people's futures comes from historical expertise, psychic power or precognitive ability. Is prone to forgetfulness. He's more of a central heroic figure than an enabler, encouraging his companions and other people he meets to act upon their more positive impulses. His sidekick, however, looked like Vida Boheme. Which is too bad because she's a great female character (one of my big gripes is that Doctor Who is pure shit when it comes to female companions, excluding Sarah Jane and Martha Jones).

I selected the 8th Doctor at catcher primarily because of his ability to control the situation while also being able to detach from the situation. He's a good Carlton Fisk or Gary Carter.

Side note, Paul McGann was also this guy from Three Musketeers. Well done sir. Well. Done.

Infield

Doctor #5

Peter Davison, 1st Base
Old Chap

Vulnerable, sensitive, and reserved. #5 treated his young companions as parts of a team, and often willingly participated in situations under the leadership of someone else who had the strong command presence that he apparently lacked. Greatly abhorred violence and often hesitated about taking matters into his own hands

Ah, the 5th. He was one of my first crushes when I was little. Him and Luke Skywalker*. I actually liked him a lot more than Tom Baker after I got over the whole, 'Doctor Who isn't BLOND!' thing. Anyway, he's a pretty cool one, a little more emo and might be better off at first base. I think he's along the same lines as Harmon Killebrew and Lou Gehrig.

*Now that I'm older, Han Solo is where it's at. He's a babe.

Doctor #2

Patrick Troughton, 2nd Base
Plaid the Impaler

Scuffy, childlike, clever. Calculating schemer who would not only manipulate people for the greater good, but act like a bumbling fool in order to have others underestimate his true abilities. Loves hats. Always acted heroically and morally in his desire to help the oppressed. I'd say he's a Ryne Sandburg or Rogers Hornsby.

Doctor #6

Colin Baker, 3rd Base
Rainbow Shitstorm

Kind of a twat. Unpredictable and somewhat petulant egoist, whose garish, multicoloured attire reflected his volatile personality. His unpredictability was made even wilder by his mood swings, manic behaviour, bombastic outbursts and glib, unflappable wit. His personality also displayed occasionally fatalistic overtones. He was wicked smart, though.

I feel really bad for Colin Baker. NO one likes this version. I mean, it's hard to like but really, it's more the writers' fault than anything else. Plus, it's kind of like having to play the villain after Ricardo Montalban's brilliant turn in "Wrath of Khan". It's just hard. The writers of this incarnation were also rubbish, so you really can't fault him too much for trying. I align him with Wade Boggs and maybe Chipper Jones. You have to have an aggressive yet slightly psychotic streak to play third successfully. I think in C-Bake's case, he's kind of like Kenny Powers.

Doctor #11

Matt Smith, Shortstop (he plays shortstop now, shortstops are cool)
The Oncoming Storm

Energetic, eccentric and lively soul who possessed a sense of arrogance and a short temper. While the Doctor was usually cheerful and full of manic energy, traits he shared with his previous incarnation, he also had a darker side and was capable of becoming furious if his loved ones were threatened. Less forgiving and more aggressive than his previous incarnation, showing considerable hatred towards his arch enemies. Notable for his self loathing, claiming that he was "a stupid selfish man" and even saying that he hated himself more than anyone else in the universe.

#11 is the Robin Yount or Cal Ripken of the series. He's awesome. In the Christmas special, he put a lemonade faucet in a house. Robin Yount makes lemonade. Boom. Honestly, if you put a faucet of Robinade in our home, you'd be my hero.

Outfield

Doctor #3

Jon Pertwee, Centerfield
The Editor

The Third Doctor was a suave, dapper, technologically-oriented, and authoritative man of action, who not only practised Venusian Aikido or karate, but enjoyed working on gadgets and riding all manner of vehicles. Basically a badass. If this Doctor had a somewhat patrician and authoritarian air, he was just as quick to criticise authority, too, having little patience with self-inflated bureaucrats, parochially-narrow ministers, knee-jerk militarists or red tape in general. He's kind of like a less dickish Ty Cobb, but I'd say Ken Griffey Jr. is more like it. He seems to be the most Ron Swanson of the bunch.

Doctor #4

Tom Baker, Rightfield
The Franchise

One of the most unpredictable in terms of emotional depth, slightly more distant and alien than his other incarnations. Displayed whimsical charm, offbeat humor, permeated by his manic grin, more aloof and somber than his previous incarnations. He could become intensely brooding, serious and even callous. He's the dude with the Gali-fro and the scarf.

This is the incarnation that everyone associated with Doctor Who. Same can be said for Tom Seaver and pitching, or something. ANYWAY, in the days of yore known as the 1970's, when dinosaurs roamed the earth, the BBC syndicated the show to PBS and that's how most of us came to know this version of the Doctor. Which is cool. I really like PBS.

Famous right fielders include Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente and so on. So, 'The Franchise' seems fitting.

Doctor #10

David Tennant, Leftfield
Flopsy

Displays a light-hearted, talkative, easy-going, witty and cheeky manner, but repeatedly demonstrates a vengeful and unforgiving streak as well. Tendency to babble, mixing apparent nonsense with vital information, sometimes acting erratically to put his enemies off-guard. He is prone to making comments that to outsiders seem obtuse or rude, sometimes to his own embarrassment. Describes human beings as both brilliant and stupid in the same sentence while arguing the necessity of emotions.

Also, this guy cries all the time. You're a Time Lord. You've seen shit. Nut up. I'm sure many Whovians would say that he's the Ted Williams of all the incarnations. Ted Williams didn't cry though, because Ted Williams is a man.

Talking About the Brewers with SNYtv

2011-06-08T00:31:31+00:00

The Brewers begin a three-game series in Milwaukee tonight against the Mets, a team not exactly living up to its fans' expectations. Watch me talk with Ted Berg of SNYtv about the upcoming series.

Tater Trot Tracker: June 5

2011-06-06T23:14:28+00:00

I usually do my best to keep abreast of the day's goings on in the baseball world (through Twitter and whatnot) so that I don't accidentally miss something home run-related when I watch through the videos. There are times, though, when I don't get a chance to do that and, as such, go into the home run videos pretty blind only to discover some pretty interesting things happened. Sunday was a day like that.

Let's get to those trots.

Home Run of the Day: Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals - 24.26 seconds* [video]
I could get away with not giving the Home Run of the Day to Pujols' walkoff yesterday because of the terrific play by Torii Hunter in the Yankees/Angels game. There is no valid excuse to skip over Pujols today, when he hit a walkoff home run for the second night in a row. I can only imagine how excited Cardinals fans are by the back-to-back walkoffs. You don't have to imagine how excited Pujols is, though - you can see it in his trots. Just watch Saturday's walkoff trot and then Sunday's trot. That's excitement right there.

Dodgers pitcher Chad Billingsley also had a big game, hitting a home run, a double, and earning a run-scoring walk in Cincinnati. Almost any other day that would be enough for Home Run of the Day, but it pales in comparison to Pujols today.

For the rest of today's trots (including trot times for all home runs and one of the most blatant cases of intentional showboating I've yet seen), head over to Baseball Prospectus.

Tater Trot Tracker: May 31

2011-06-01T22:46:45+00:00

Family issues kept me from posting Monday's trots yesterday. There were 46 hit that day - the biggest day of the year, I believe - but I still had to go back and time then. The times are included below. Tuesday's home run haul was a little smaller, but it was still a pretty good day for taters.

Let's get to those trots!

Home Run of the Day: Mitch Moreland, Texas Rangers - 23.46 seconds [video]
This home run is from Monday, but I can't let it slip by. Watch the video. Now that is a home run. I'm pretty sure he just hit it out of Tropicana and all the way to Tampa. Pretty darn impressive.

For the rest of today's trots (including trot times for all home runs), head over to Baseball Prospectus.

Tater Trot Tracker: May 29

2011-05-30T20:53:19+00:00

I know everyone is anxious to get out to their grills for some hot dogs and beer, so I won't keep you waiting.

Let's get to the trots!

Home Run of the Day: David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox - 24.45 seconds [video]
For only the fourth time in his career, David Ortiz hit a pinch-hit home run. Also for only the fourth time in his career, David Ortiz trotted out a 24-second trot.

I kid, I kid. Papi busts out a quick trot every now and then, and it's nice to see it come on Sunday, after a late-inning, go-ahead, pinch-hit bomb. Very appropriate.

Houston starter J.A. Happ hit his first career home run on Sunday, coming in at a league-average 22.06 seconds. The Astros would win the game 4-2. The home run hit by Jay Bruce was not measurable. Being the ESPN Sunday Night Baseball game, the Cardinals/Braves game had only one video feed, and that feed chose not to show Bruce touching home plate. What a shame.

For the rest of today's trots (including trot times for all home runs), head over to Baseball Prospectus.

Tater Trot Tracker: May 23

2011-05-24T23:06:38+00:00

I'm not sure I've ever had a day with such a tight competition for the Home Run of the Day. Here in Milwaukee, Corey Hart hit his first, second, and third home runs of the year in the Brewers' 11-3 rout of the Nationals. In San Diego, Albert Pujols hit his first home run in over 100 plate appearances (that didn't stop him from admiring the blast). Jose Bautista continued his torrid pace of making obnoxious sportswriters say inane things with his 19th home run of the season. In Detroit, Andy Dirks hit his first career home run. Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz returned to the Rangers' lineup down in Texas and proceeded to each hit a home run to celebrate their return. For a day with only twenty-one home runs hit, it certainly seemed like every one of them was meaningful.

So what was the Home Run of the Day? Let's get to the trots!

Home Run of the Day: Jim Thome #2, Minnesota Twins - 23.19 seconds [video]
As excited as I am for all the home runs mentioned above (and, believe me, it's great seeing Corey Hart playing well), the one that made me most excited was Jim Thome's second blast of the game. The home run came in Target Field and was the 593rd of Thome's career. Like Cruz and Hamilton, this was Thome's first time in the lineup for a few weeks, having recently returned from the disabled list. What makes this more special than any of the others, though, is that the Twins were honoring Harmon Killebrew during the game. Thome is often described as the Killebrew of his generation, so the fact that he managed to sock two home runs on the day Killebrew's memory was honored takes it to a whole other level.

For the rest of today's trots (including trot times for all home runs), head over to Baseball Prospectus.

Tater Trot Tracker: May 22

2011-05-24T00:07:18+00:00

The first weekend of interleague play is now concluded, and what have we learned? Players can hit balls just as hard off opposing league pitchers as they can off their own league's pitchers. It's pretty amazing, really. I can't way for when interleague arrives in June for real (for five series in a row instead of just one) so we can learn the same lesson again.

Meanwhile, let's get to the trots!

Home Run of the Day: Asdrubal Cabrera #2, Cleveland Indians - 22.04 seconds [video]
Cabrera finished this game against the Reds a perfect five-for-five with two home runs and five RBIs. You can't ask for a more perfect game at the plate than that. For that, he bests San Francisco's Nate Schierholtz for Home Run of the Day. Schierholtz hit a blast out of AT&T Park in the bottom of the eighth inning to tie the game up. I couldn't tell if it hit the sidewalk before splashing into McCovey Cove, or if it splashed on the fly. The Giants would go on to win in the eleventh.

For the rest of today's trots (including trot times for all home runs), head over to Baseball Prospectus.

Catching up with Baseball Prospectus

2011-05-12T00:15:01+00:00

I know I've done a poor job of keeping Wezen-Ball updated over here with links and info to my other writings. I apologize for that. I'll try to keep things up-to-date a little more often. As an apology, here are a few links to some of my favorite pieces over the last month or so. Enjoy!

A (nearly) exhaustive look at every mascot in Major League Baseball history. Help me fill in any gaps.
A story called "How 'Scientific Baseball' Has Changed the Game" originally published in 1911.
The umpire behind the plate for Johnny Vander Meer's second no-hitter was also an NHL ref and a Stanley Cup wining coach!
There are three managers in baseball named Ron. Which is baseball's version of Ron Swanson?
A boardgame from the mid-1960s called "Challenge the Yankees". Nice looking card set too.
Remembering Manny Ramirez upon his retirement. This one gets a little Cardboard Gods-y (in a good way, I hope).
In Tater Trot Tracker news, Peter Bourjos sets a new bar (14.02 seconds!) and we have a look at Duane Kuiper's lone trot.

I'll do a better job of keeping everyone in the loop here. In the meantime, you can see my latest posts with this Baseball Prospectus RSS feed.

I will also be doing a chat at BPro Thursday afternoon at 1pm Eastern. Everyone is welcome. Hope to see you over there!

Quick Predictions Contest Update

2011-04-03T08:18:50+00:00

Just wanted to let everyone who submitted a Predictions Contest entry know that, now that the contest is closed, the full list of entries is available.

Head over to the 2011 Wezen-Ball Predictions Contest form to see your (and everyone else's) contest entry. There were 143 entries total, which is pretty fantastic. I can't wait to see how this plays out come October or so.

I'll have a little more about the contest in the upcoming week or so. Thanks for playing, everyone!

Last Day for the 2011 Wezen-Ball Predictions Contest

2011-04-01T21:04:48+00:00

Today is the last day to get your predictions in to the the 2011 Wezen-Ball Predictions Contest. I hope everyone who waited until today saw what they needed to see in yesterday's six games to make up your mind!

We now have over 130 entries for the contest. Let's try to pick it up to 150 and beyond by the end of the day. Feel free to let everyone know about it. Can't hurt, right? Yankees fans, in particular, might like to know that something like 98% of entries are picking the Red Sox to win the division.

So get to it. One last day for your chance to win 2 Free Tickets to any 2012 baseball game*! Go here for the rules.

Now go get your vote in!

The 2011 Tater Trot Tracker

2011-03-31T16:12:10+00:00

Opening Day is finally here!

And, along with it, comes the 2011 edition of the Tater Trot Tracker! Let's all do the dance of joy.

As you may know, I am now doing most of my writing over at Baseball Prospectus. This will include the Tater Trot Tracker for the 2011 season. As was the case last year, a Tater Trot Tracker post will go up around 1pm everyday; it will just go up over at Baseball Prospectus instead of here.

The Tater Trot Tracker at Baseball Prospectus.

You will be able to find updated stats here as the season progresses, as well as the full 2010 Tater Trot Tracker archive. I'll keep this post updated with other news about the Tracker through the season, as I'm certain I will come up with more and better ways to give everyone the data.

In the meantime, if you're dying for some Tater Trot Tracker immediately, please see this breakdown of the average tater trot or this listing of some of 2010's top trots (or this one as well).

Now let's start this 2011 season!

Reminder: Wezen-Ball Predictions Contest! Due Friday.

2011-03-30T22:28:52+00:00

I just wanted to give everybody a quick reminder that the 2011 Wezen-Ball Predictions Contest is still going on. Entries are due on Friday (so you're free to wait for the Opening Day returns before deciding on your World Series winner - I'm that generous of a guy!).

I know I said I'd update the form so that we could review what everybody's picks were, but I just haven't had the time to do that yet. I'll have to do that over the weekend. In the meantime, though, I thought some updates on the picks everyone are making might be fun. There are a whopping 116 entries as of this writing, which is just fantastic. I'm glad everyone seems to like the new form.

The most common pick is the Mariners finishing in last place, with 107 people making that pick. The next most common is the Red Sox finishing in first, with 103 picks. They are the overwhelming division favorite.
The Phillies have a big lead as the favorite in the NL East, with 94 picks. No other division winner has more than 69 picks in their favor (the Rangers).
Despite Boston's edge in the predicted finishes, the Phillies have more people predicting 100-win seasons for them than do the Red Sox. It must be a comment on the difficulty of that AL East.
On the flip side, the Royals and Pirates are virtually tied in the number of predicted 100-loss seasons. Kansas City edges out Pittsburgh in this race, with 24 predicted 100-loss seasons to Pittsburgh's 23.
Not surprisingly, the Red Sox have more predicted World Series wins (38) than any other team, with Philly close behind (30).
Teams getting one (and only one) World Series championship prediction include: the White Sox, the Reds, the Twins, the Marlins, and the A's. The Brewers have as many World Series Champions predictions (8) as the Yankees, and one more than the Giants.
Adrian Gonzalez is killing the vote for AL MVP, with 53 picks. The only other candidate with double-digit picks is Evan Longoria, with 12. In the NL, it's Albert Pujols leading the way by a wide margin, with Troy Tulowitzkia, Ryan Braun, and Prince Fielder fighting for second.
Jon Lester and Roy Halladay have strong margins in the Cy Young race, with CC Sabathia, Felix Hernandez, Cliff Lee, and Tim Lincecum also getting some votes.
Finally, Jeremy Hellickson and Freddie Freeman are both destroying their competition in the Rookie of the Year races.

That's enough for now. I'll give a more detailed breakdown next week, once all the submissions are in. Go here for the rules. The winner of the predictions contest will receive 2 Free Tickets to any 2012 baseball game*!

Now go get your vote in!

New Wezen-Ball Predictions Contest

2011-03-16T05:22:17+00:00

I'm happy to announce, for the second year in a row, the Wezen-Ball MLB Predictions Contest 2011!

If you're a Wezen-Ball reader and would like to register your 2011 MLB predictions somewhere - including team wins for all 30 clubs, postseason series, and award winners - click on over here to view the Wezen-Ball MLB Predictions 2011 contest. Just follow the instructions within the document; it shouldn't be too complicated. (Currently it's not set up to review submitted entries, but I should have that fixed in the next few days. In the meantime, trust me - I received your entry!)

The winner of the predictions contest will receive 2 Free Tickets to any 2012 baseball game*!

Sweet, right? Okay, that's not exactly accurate. Because not everyone lives near a major league (or minor league) team, and because not all ticket prices are the same, the winner will actually receive a $30 gift certificate to either MLB.com or the team of their choice. In theory, that's enough money to get two tickets to any game in any city and should be nice enough incentive for those who can't make it to a game.

So here are the basic rules and scoring details for the contest.

(Click "Read More" to continue reading.)

One entry per person. Entries must be complete by the end of the day, Friday, April 1.
Entries must be associated with an email address.
The scoring will be as follows:
- For correct predictions of teams finishing 3rd place or worse: 1 pt
- For correctly predicting 1st or 2nd place finishers (even if flip-flopped): 3 pts
- For correctly predicting the 1st place team: 3 pts (in addition to the previous 3 pts)
- For exact predictions of team wins: 5 pts
- For predictions within 2 victories (plus or minus) of the actual finish: 2 pts
- For correct postseason participant predictions: 2 pts
- For correct Wild Card participant predictions: 2 pts
- For correct LCS participant predictions: 3 pts
- For correct WS participant predictions: 4 pts
- For correct WS winner predictions: 5 pts
- For correct award winner predictions: 3 pts

The scoring is pretty similar to last year, with a few additional points given to postseason participants.

I think that does it. If anyone has any questions about the scoring, or if something doesn't look right, please let me know. It's much better to re-examine things today than it is in, say, October.

Thanks again, everyone. I hope you have fun. Join the contest!