What the VORP?

As promised (and truth be told, I'm not very good at keeping blogging promises), this is the first in my off-season series of posts about stats that were never on any baseball card I traded as a kid (but seem to be important now). First up: VORP.

VORP stands for "Value Over Replacement Player," as explained by the folks at Baseball Prospectus. Invented by MIT grad Keith Woolner, VORP is highly regarded as an important statistic in evaluating a player's performance and market value. Wikipedia has what looks like a fairly good explanation of how VORP is calculated (but it's... uh... kind of dry). But if you want, you can check it out here.

Simply put (if that's possible), VORP analyzes the number of runs a player contributes as compared to the number of runs a replacement-level player would contribute, based on an equal percentage of plate appearances. VORP can be used in either an offensive context, or as a tool for evaluating pitchers. But basically, if I understand it right, the bottom line is that you're looking at a players performance at the most basic level, runs and outs (runs win games, but you only have a finite number of outs to work with).

This stuff is so far over my head it's ridiculous. If ignorance is bliss, I was much happier believing that VORP was the blue one on the left.

For 2008, here were the top five and bottom five in offensive VORP:

• Albert Pujols, 98.7
• Hanley Ramirez, 79.4
• Chipper Jones, 74.7
• Lance Berkman, 72.5
• David Wright, 65.8

• Tony Peña, Jr., -24.9
• Corey Patterson, -18.9
• Jeff Francouer, -17.8
• Andruw Jones, -16.8
• Willy Mo Peña, -16.5

Here are the top five/bottom five for pitching VORP:

• Cliff Lee, 76.5
  
• Johan Santana, 73.6
  
• Tim Lincecum, 72.3
  
• Roy Halladay, 70.6
  
• Jon Lester, 59.6

• Luis Mendoza, -31.6
• Josh Fogg, -18.4
• Matt Morris, -17.8
• Carlos Silva, -17.7
• Greg Reynolds, -16.8
  

That's All Pholks!

Is there a news organization in the country who didn't use "Phinally!" as their headline this morning? Give me a break. I'm glad we don't have to endure any more clever Philly-inspired phonetically modified attention grabbers for a while.

So, I was wrong again. Turned out that the Philadelphia pitching staff looked like the superior group, and the Rays offense suffered because of it. When their 3-4 hitters are 0-for-the-World-Series until Game 5, you knew they were in trouble.

Now, for those of you who do actually check this blog, here's my plan for the off-season: Since interest in baseball won't really pick up until April, I'll only be posting once a week. I have a few ideas of some stuff I'd like to look into, like those odd statistics that were never on the back of any baseball card I ever owned, and maybe a few thoughts on off-season trades and stuff. I don't know. Any suggestions?

Rain, Rain, Go Away

If it weren't for a stolen base and a two-out base hit in last night's Game 5 of the World Series, this season could already be over.

In the top of the sixth inning, the rain continued to get worse. By that time puddles were forming all over the field. Watching the game, I was just so grateful that I was at home watching on TV. It looked every bit as cold as it was wet. The Rays were trailing 2-1. B.J. Upton came to bat with two outs. He hit a ground ball to shortstop and Jimmy Rollins had a long run to get to it. He did, but couldn't come up with it cleanly, and Upton was awarded an infield single.

It then seemed like Cole Hamels attempted five or six pick-off attempts, before Upton stole second base easily on the first pitch to Carlos Pena. That stolen base was even bigger than Jason Bartlet's in Game 1, which triggered the nationwide Taco Bell promotion (free tacos today from 2-6pm). Pena battled with Hamels before lining a single to left field. Upton rounded third and slid safely into home, tying the game and saving the Series and Major League Baseball.

Because it was in the sixth inning, had the Rays not tied the score and the game been called due to weather, the game would have been over, and so would the World Series. I can't imagine the outcry had that been the case.

But, since the score was tied, the League simply suspended the game. It will pick up where it left off, in the middle of the sixth inning. From the forecast, it looks like it won't be until Wednesday night. At least they will get to play the full nine innings to decide Game 5.

'08 World Series: Game 1

The Phillies held off the Rays in last night's opening game of the 2008 World Series. Some of the reaction that I've seen this morning was slanting towards the idea that the Phillies now have the upper-hand in the best of seven series. I still don't think that's the case.

Last night was a bigger game for the Phills that the Rays. The Rays dropped game one to Boston too, remember. But the reason last night was such a big deal for the Phillies was because of Cole Hamels. They can't afford to waste his efforts in a losing cause. He may be the best pitcher on either team (still waiting to see if Tampa Bay's Matt Garza can continue what he started in the ALCS). Game one was all about pitching dominance. And that's where the trouble lies for Philly. The Rays will continue to march out top-tier talent to the mound, while the Phillies won't. After Hamels, there's a considerable drop off. But I'll say this about Philly: their bullpen is outstanding. They really do have the ability to turn these games into seven inning contests.

So here's my prediction: Rays in 6. I doubt that Philly pitchers not named Cole Hamels will be able to keep the powerful Rays offense at bay. Then again, I'm usually wrong about these things, so if I were a betting man (and I'm not, thank goodness), I'd bet against my predictions every time.

Here They Come

The Los Angeles Dodgers got their lesson in how quickly momentum can shift in a League Championship Series. They had just clobbered the Phillies in Game 3, and it was looking like a Game 4 win was in the bag as well, were it not for dramatic late-inning homeruns by Shane Victorino and Matt Stairs, bursting the Dodger bubble. The momentum the Phillies gained by that comeback carried over to Game 5, where they punched LA in the mouth and walked away with the National League pennant.

Could it be that a similar momentum shift took place in Boston last night? Game 4 was a laugher for the Rays. I turned on the radio last night and heard that the Rays were leading 5-0, and I laughed again. "So much for the comeback," I thought. Next time I checked it was 7-0. I chuckled. But, before I went to bed, I looked to see the final score and saw that the Red Sox had tied the game at 7-7. So, I wasn't too surprised to see that they had completed the Game 5 comeback in the ninth inning.

So, here's the million-dollar question: Did the momentum just shift in this series. It now stands 3-2 in the Rays favor, but it has to have been demoralizing to think that they were nine outs away from their first World Series and up seven runs to zip. David Ortiz finally made an appearance. If he gets back on track, the Rays could be in trouble. Also, take this in account: The next two games are slated for Josh Beckett and Jon Lester, two of the Red Sox's best pitchers when they're on. This series isn't over yet (but there were a few times last night when I thought it was).

Just a Few ALCS Thoughts

Last night I had the rare opportunity to watch a full baseball game on TBS. We were watching our friend's son and they have DirectTV, so I pulled up the game on TBS-HD. I would think that FOX's World Series viewership would be higher if the entire country could watch and become invested in both the American and National League teams. Then again, I'm not a television producer, but I am a thinker.

At any rate, I saw last night's Game 4 of the ALCS. I'll say this much, Tampa Bay can play some ball. Going into last night's game I thought that Tim Wakefield might have some trouble. He didn't last very long. Is anyone else enjoying the sight of the mighty Red Sox being humiliated by the Rays, last year's cellar dweller?

Longoria can hit and I wish he was on my team. Upton can swing it to, and I couldn't believe some of the fly balls he tracked down in centerfield last night. I wish he was on my team too. The Rays have some seriously solid starting pitching too.

But, following the game, I was just as worried as I was happy. After all, the Red Sox are still the Red Sox, and now, down 3-1 in the series, they have a day off and three aces in the hole, namely Dice-K, Josh Beckett, and Jon Lester. But the way the Rays are hitting lately (9 runs in Game 2, 9 in Game 3, and 13 last night), the Boston pitchers will need some offensive assistance. They can't win the series if David Ortiz and the Sox's other big hitters continue to stink.

The Rays are one win away from a World Series. They've looked good so far. But I'm sure that the Red Sox aren't going to just go away.

Lunch Break Breakdown:Phillies vs. Dodgers, Game 1

I've said this before, but I hate the postseason television schedule. Because I only have network television, I'll only be able to see the National League Championship Series on FOX. So, here's my brief analysis of what I saw last night in Game 1.

Both pitchers had their good stuff to start the game. Derek Lowe's sinker had some nice, late, nasty action. Cole Hamels' change-up was as good as advertised (and renewed my commitment of helping my future son master it before he starts playing with breaking balls).

I still can't believe that Manny's first double stayed in the park. He definitely got all of that one. That scored the first run. A sacrifice fly scored the second for the Dodgers.

The way Lowe was dealing, it wasn't looking good for the Phillies. When the announcers started to point out how many ground outs he was collecting, you knew he was on a roll (no pun intended). That changed in the 5th inning, however. Sure, the Phillies didn't score until the 6th, but I saw signs that they were finally getting to Lowe in the inning before that.

With two outs in the 5th, Lowe was pitching to the Philly catcher, Carlos Ruiz. Ruiz smacked a ball through the right side of the infield for a solid single. Lowe was visibly upset. Tim McCarver believed it was because he had allowed them to cycle through the pitcher, meaning that Cole Hamels would bat in the 5th instead of leading off the sixth. I don't pretend to know exactly why he was upset. It could have simply been because he missed his location on the pitch that Ruiz hit. But he wasn't a happy camper. No big deal though, right? The pitcher was up to bat and that's an easy out... ish. Hamels actually hits well for a pitcher, especially againsts right-handers like Lowe. Hamels laced a single into right-center and the crowd exploded. So did I.*

I'm not sure if it was because of my pitcher's mentality of, "if one of us gets a hit, we all get a hit," or what. But my jubilant reaction to Hamels single made me realize that I had unconsciously picked a side in this fight.

Next man to the plate was Jimmy Rollins, the reigning NL MVP. Lots of noise in the stadium now. Lowe was definitely flustered at this point. He coaxes Rollins to hit a lazy fly ball to left field, and ends the inning. But, instead of wiping the sweat off is brow because he'd just dodged a bullet, he was talking trash. Funny... When he left in the middle of the next inning, I didn't see the trash talk. Guess that's harder to do with a straight face after surrendering a game-tying homerun to Chase Utley, followed later by a lazer shot over the left field fence by Pat Burrell.

Hamels settled down after allowing two early runs and was tremendous the rest of the way. He made Jeff Kent look downright foolish. And, as many NL opponents learned in the regular season, once the Phillies' starters turn the ball over to the bullpen, the game is over.

Phillies 1, Dodgers 0.

Cubbies, White Sox, Angels & Brewers Done

The field of teams in the postseason has been cut in half. With both the Rays and the Red Sox finishing off their best-of-five series yesterday, the matchups are set for the League Championship Series.

While the Angels and the White Sox put up a bit of a fight, the Cubs and Brewers didn't amount to much this postseason. With a combined record of 0-6, makes me wonder about what that says about the strength of the National League Central Division.

Any team can lose a playoff series, but how do the Cubs, who had a near-dominant regular season, not even show up against the Los Angeles Dodgers? In the three losses, the Cubs were outscored 20-6. I expected them to show better than they did, especially with home-field advantage. Of course, there's always next year for the North-siders.

'08 Season in Review

Just before the regular season started, my anticipation for the 2008 season got the best of me and I decided to try to predict the outcomes of each division. It got really old, really quickly. Putting together something like this is all well and good for someone who makes a living writing a blog or a sports column, but let's be honest–I'm no professional.

Of the twelve teams included in my predictions, I nailed four of them. And hey, since this is baseball, a .333 average is outstanding, right? We're talking Hall of Fame worthy here.

In the National League West Division, I picked the Diamondbacks to lead the pack, and the Giants to bring up the rear. Turns out that although the pitching seemed to be there for the D-Backs, but their young hitting core took a step back. And, while the Giants were indeed bad, they weren't quite as bad as the Padres. Kind of sad, really. The Padres were a single-game playoff away from making the post-season last year. This year, they bombed. So with the Dodgers taking the prize in the West (thanks largely to the mid-season trade for Manny Ramirez), I was 0-2.

The National League Central division was claimed by the Cubs. I referred to them quite a bit in my NL Central preview, but ultimately chose the Brewers as my pre-season pick. As it turns out, the Cubs finished first and the Brew-Crew picked up the final wildcard playoff spot in the NL on the final day of the season. My last place pick was the Pirates. Even I got that pick right. Division, 1-2; Overall, 1-4.

In the East, I succumbed to the hype and picked the Mets as the clear leaders in the division after the acquisition of one Johan Santana (Actually, my picks in the East were based on repeated scientific research involving the EA Sports classic, Triple Play 2002, the simulation feature, and my now broken xBox). But, as happened last year, the Mets and their fans were left out in the cold on the last day of the season. The Phillies and their amazing bullpen won the division. Just to give you an idea, I heard during the Phillies playoff game yesterday some crazy stat that was something like this: if the games had only been eight innings long, the Mets would have won the division by eight or nine games. But the Phillies were 79-0 when leading after eight innings, and well, the Mets blew some late leads. Triple Play 2002 picked the Expos I picked the Nationals to finish last, so again, I was .500 in this division. Division, 1-2; Overall, 2-6.

By the time I got around to predicting the American League, I was sick of the whole pre-season prediction thing, so they all came in one post. My picks for division winners were the Angels, the Tigers, and the Red Sox (though I did give some props to the Rays, however sarcastic that may have been at the time). Once the pennant races had cleared, the actual winners were the Angels, the White Sox, and the Rays. In last place in their divisions were the Mariners, the Tigers*, and the Orioles. I had picked the Orioles, the Twins, and the A's. American League, 2-6; Overall, 4-12.

*You'd think that since I live in Kansas City and I see AL Central teams more than any other division that I'd be better at picking the eventual outcome. I picked the Tigers to stomp everyone in the AL, and they were so bad, and nice enough to replace the Royals as cellar dwellers. But I also picked the Twins to finish in last, and they ended the regular season tied for the division lead, and lost the single-game playoff by just one run. Oh well. Just another reason why I love baseball. You're never sure what will actually happen between the foul lines.

Going Fourth

With one game left to be played tonight between the Chicago White Sox and the Minnesota Twins to determine the final playoff spot in the American League, I'll hold off on my post-season review of my pre-season predictions.

Except for this one: The Kansas City Royals did not finish last.

Sure, in September they had the best month of baseball since what is now referred to as the fluke season of 2003. They won 13 of their last 16 games and finished September with an 18-7 record. They made up at least nine games on the Detroit Tigers in the final weeks of the season, including a three-game sweep in the Motor City last week.

And sure, maybe the Tigers had given up on their season long ago. But that doesn't change the fact that I was practically glued to the radio and the internet to see how the final three games of the season turned out.

After leaving Detroit and taking three in a row from the home team, the Royals took sole possession of fourth place in the American League Central division, leading the Tigers by a half-game. Detroit followed up with a four-game series versus playoff bound Tampa Bay, and the Royals flew to Minnesota for their final series with the Twins. I was fairly certain that the Rays would easily dispose of the Tigers and that the red-hot Royals could steal a game or two from the Twins.

The Royals took two of three in Minnesota, but going into Sunday, the Tigers were looking to sweep the Rays, having won the first three contests. Watching games via MLB.com's Gamecast is agonizing, but I do it anyway. The Tigers had a lead mid-way through Sunday's finale. But, the Rays rallied to take a two-run lead into the ninth inning -- a lead they squandered on their way to extra innings. A Tampa Bay homerun in the top of the 11th inning gave them back the lead and they finished off the Tigers in the bottom-half, securing their last place finish, still a half game behind the fourth-place Royals.

Or, so I thought.

As it turned out, there was a game during the season that was not made-up that had bearing on who would win the AL Central. After Sunday, the Twins held a half-game lead over the White Sox. So, the White Sox had to make-up their game with the Tigers Monday. If the White Sox could win, it would force a tie and a single game playoff with the Twins. If the Tigers could win, they would have tied the Royals for last place.

Thank goodness the White Sox came through. Fourth place isn't much to shoot for, but when your team is the Royals you take what you can get. Besides, I'd rather be a Royals fan today, reveling in the fact of having finished one game ahead of the big-spending Tigers, than a New York Mets fan, facing the cold fact of being eliminated from the playoffs on the final day of the season for the second year in a row.

New Look for the Perfect Game

I'm pretty happy with how this new theme turned out. As far as I can tell, there's a bug in some Internet Explorer 7 browsers where the header is bumped to the right and out of alignment. But if you're still using IE, you deserve it.

As the 2008 season comes to a close, I'm going to review my brilliant pre-season picks, and share my thoughts on the playoffs. For now, I hope you like the new threads.

**UPDATE: I figured out how to fix the layout bug in IE7, so it should render fine for you people now too.

Seriously, finishing fourth means something…

www.kansascity.com | 09/21/2008 | Royals notebook: KC giving fans something to cheer about

40 for the Mexicutioner

Joakim Soria, affectionately known 'round these parts as the Mexicutioner, earned his 40th save of the season last night, becoming only the third Royal to reach that mark. With ten games left to play, it's not entirely impossible for him to tie or break the all-time number at 45. Then again, that would mean that the Royals will need to go at least 5-5 in the final two weeks, so there's definitely no guarantee that will happen.

Currently, there are only two pitchers with more saves than Soria this season: Francisco Rodriguez (58, which broke the single season saves record), and Jose Valverde (42). What amazes me are the big names he's ahead of: Jonathan Papelbon (38), Joe Nathan (36), Mariano Rivera (36), B.J. Ryan (30), and Trevor Hoffman (28, and the all-time saves leader with 552 saves in his career).

We were at the game on Monday night and witnessed Soria's 38th "Mexicution." The Royals were hosting the Seattle Mariners, so not much motivation around town to go out to the ballpark, so, as you'll see, the crowd was a little sparse. The video doesn't do it justice, but it is electric when the eighth inning ends and Soria jogs in from the bullpen. Usually the Hotdog race in between innings gets the biggest crowd response. Soria's entrance, however, has overtaken Relish, Ketchup, and even Mustard. When he's introduced there's a feeling of invincibility that has been rare in Kansas City. And that's a welcome change. Here's to the next 40, Jack.

Why I Love This Game

We're half way through the final month of the regular season. My Kansas City Royals have been out of playoff contention for nearly five months. But, I still can't get enough baseball talk. I'm hoping for a very active off-season to give me plenty of new information to digest while everyone else is talking about the NFL.

When I was four, my parents signed me up for the YMCA tee-ball program. I remember throwing that soft Incredi-Ball to my coach as hard as my little arm could throw, and his pretending that it hurt catching it bare-handed. That’s when I knew I loved this game.

When I was seven, playing coach-pitch, I got the chance to be the catcher. It was finally my turn to put on the mask, the orange chest protector, and the shin guards, all of which were four sizes too big, making it hard to move. After each pitch I waddled back to get the ball that had just been thrown. Each time there was a group of older kids laughing at me because I couldn’t catch the ball, and I looked funny trying. I made up my mind, and I was going to prove them wrong. I was going to catch that next pitch. In it came, the batter swung, made contact, and popped it up ten feet in the air and just behind where I was crouched. I caught it. The crowd cheered. The laughing on the other side of the backstop stopped. That’s when I knew I loved this game.

When I was eighteen years old, I was a high school senior playing for the state championship. We were down by four runs, we were the home team, and we had three outs left. We started off with a solid single, then a blooper dropped in right field. A double off the wall, another single, a fielder’s-choice, followed by another double off the left field wall tied the game. A ground ball through the left-side hole might have been able to score the winning run from second, but he was held up at third. Our backup catcher came to the plate to pinch-hit. Our every-day catcher was going to be drafted, so the backup didn’t see much time that season. When he drove the ball over the heads of the shallow outfielders the game was over. There was a dog pile on the man that scored the winning run. Parents and students rushed the field and joined in the celebration. That’s when I knew I loved this game.

When I was older, and playing in a collegiate summer league after my final season with the local junior college, I was a starting pitcher. I pitched well that summer. I would be attending a university in the fall, and was planning to tryout, but wasn’t sure I’d make the team. I started our final game that summer. I pitched well, but lost. I took my time after the game, raking the mound, removing my cleats, gathering my things, and packing my bag. As I walked across the infield the sun was setting behind the scoreboard. My coach stopped to say goodbye. I looked over his shoulder at the field in the evening twilight and was overcome with emotion. That’s when I knew that I would always love this game.

A Better Bat?

Much thanks to Sam Mellinger for some inspiration for this post. Near the bottom of one of his recent posts there was a link to a story about a new type of wood bat designed by an MIT graduate. I don't know about you, but I think MIT grads are pretty smart, and I like seeing what they come up with. I followed the link and dug a little deeper to find out about Radial Bats.

If you haven't heard by now, there is some growing concern about the safe use of maple bats in the Major Leagues. In junior college I played in one of the nation's only wood-bat conferences, and it was about the time that maple was becoming the wood of choice. I've used both maple and the traditional white ash, and can say from experience that the maple bats seemed to have more 'pop' in them. The ball jumped off the maple bats more than the others. However...

I can also say from experience that the only bats I ever saw explode were also maple. The ash bats would usually just crack, and you would have to tap the handle on the ground to be sure it had. But there was hardly a doubt as to whether a maple bat had broken. The were often liable to shatter, splinter, and sometimes even break in half. That's why there are safety concerns. And, that's one reason that MIT graduate Ward Dill has designed a better bat.

Near as I can tell (and trust me, I don't have time to completely read all of the things I link to either), the bat is ingenious. Any wood bat that comes with a one-year limited warranty deserves closer examination. According to the article in the Sporting News, this bat was just unveiled about a week ago, so it will probably be a while before these start showing up on TV in the hands of your favorite players. But, hopefully the League will take a look at them, and consider allowing them in games.

But, having played in a wood-bat conference in college, and having seen my fair share of Division-I collegiate baseball games (where metal bats are used), I'm really hoping that the durability and performance of the Radial Bat will finally give the NCAA the chance to discontinue the use of those metal clubs, replacing the "ping" of a College World Series homerun with the "crack" of a wood bat -- the way it was intended to be. And who knows... If it also makes the game safer, I don't think many people will complain.

Baseball Explained

Though I would love to take credit for this genius, I can't. According to my brother's email, the original author is unknown, but I had to share this.

This is a game played by two teams, one out, the other in. The one that's in sends players out one at a time, to see if they can get in before they get out. If they get out before they get in, they come in, but it doesn't count. If they get in before they get out it does count.

When the ones out get three outs from the ones in before they get in without being out, the team that's out comes in and the team in goes out to get those going in out before they get in without being out. When both teams have been in and out nine times the game is over. The team with the most in without being out before coming in wins unless the ones in are equal. In which case, the last ones in go out to get the ones in out before they get in without being out. The game will end when each team has the same number of ins out but one team has more in without being out before coming in.

The Code: Lost in Translation

I just finished reading this book, The Code: Baseball's Unwritten Rules and Its Ignore-at-Your-Own-Risk Code of Conduct, by Ross Bernstein. I wanted to read this book from the first moment I heard of it. But, as I said, I just finished reading it, but I didn't actually finish the book. When it came right down to it, there are only so many ways you can say, "If they throw at our guys, we throw at theirs." Turns out, Mosaic Law still rules in Baseball.

There are all sorts of things baseball's "code" dictates. Unlike the Code of the Order of the Brethen, which according to Cap't. Barbosa, "is more of what you call guidelines than actual rules," baseball players adhere to and live by their code. So, with that in mind, here's a list of what will earn you (or someone on your team, if you're a pitcher) a free pass to first base and the mark to prove it.

1. Bunting or stealing late in a blow-out.
2. Sliding too hard into Second Base to break up a double play.
3. Plunking your opposition's all-star with a fastball.
4. Attempting a bunt to break up a perfect game or no-hitter.
5. Stealing signs and passing them on to your hitter, tipping him off to what pitch is on its way.
   
6. Running up the score late in a blow-out.
7. Plowing through the opposing catcher in a play at the plate.
8. Celebrating excessively after a homerun.
9. Celebrating excessively after a strikeout.
10. Celebrating excessively after anything.

So there you have it. Basically, if you do anything that either harms or disrespects your opposition, you'd better be on your toes the next time you come to bat. But even if you're not thrown at in your next at bat, know that you are on someone's list, and sooner or later, you will be the object of retaliation.

With this in mind, did anyone see the game between USA and China in the Olympics?

NO?

I didn't think you did. Well, neither did I, but I did see some highlights. The first time I saw the highlights, there was no sound, so this is what I saw:

In a play at the plate, US player hits the Chinese catcher so hard that Ronnie Lott would have been proud. The two of them exchange glares and words (though it is unknown if they actually understood each other).

Later, a Chinese pitcher throws at US batter, hits him in the head, resulting in a concussion, sending him to the hospital for examination.

The last highlight was a Chinese player blasting a homerun to deep left field, and then holding his index finger high in the air and screaming the entire time he rounds the bases, then stomping on home plate. He meets his teammates in the dugout and they continue to celebrate like it's 1999 (though, to be honest, that whole Y2K thing really ruined the whole celebration, didn't it).

So I'm thinking, nice; way to go guys... Dole out the punishment and the smack only to give up a game-winning dinger to the lowly Chinese. But then (remember, no sound the whole time), I saw the final score: USA 9, China 1, at which point I thought, hmm, that was a lot of celebration for just ruining a shut-out.

At any rate, the game got ugly. I tried to find the highlights on YouTube, but all I could find were the NBC highlights. But, here's the point: Maybe the code hasn't been translated into Chinese yet (I'm looking to you to get on that, Nate), because in that book I mentioned, the only thing said more than "if they hit us, we hit them," was "no matter what, you don't throw at a guy's head." The general consensus, and rightly so, is that you could seriously hurt someone and take away their livelihood by head-hunting. Oh well. I guess it makes for some entertaining baseball.

Olympic Dreams

Okay... I'll admit it. I'm a sucker for the Olympics. Winter, Summer, it doesn't really matter. I'm a sucker for most anything I can wave the Star Spangled Banner for. We missed the opening ceremonies last Friday, but we've watched nearly every minute of coverage since, including some online-only stuff like Badminton and Baseball.

This morning I've had USA vs. Korea baseball game on my iMac streaming live from Beijing. From the looks of things, the Koreans are going to win (though one of our guys just mashed a huge homerun to bring us to within one, and the next batter singled). NBCOlympics.com allows you to watch virtually anything live at the Olympics. And, since the general public would rather watch swimming and gymnastics in prime time, this is only way I'll be able to see any Team USA baseball.

I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but while most kids grew up dreaming of playing in the Major Leagues. Not me. I wanted to be an Olympian. I dreamed of representing my country out there on the mound.

*Update: now there's guys on second and third, no outs, still down one run, top of the ninth.

You see, I knew fairly early in my "career" that I probably didn't have the arm to pitch in the Big Leagues. But, I was pretty sure I could get the job done in college. And I thought that Team USA was comprised of collegiate athletes.

Unfortunately for me, the team is actually a collection of Minor Leaguers, with only a few of the best college players in the country. Oh well.

*Another Update: Matt Brown, member of the Salt Lake Bees, just fought off three or four pitches with an 0-2 count before belting a single to left center to give Team USA the lead 7-6, after the two players ahead of him failed to knock in the tying run.

Anyway, my guess is that you are easily classified as a geek when you sit in front of your computer this early in the morning to watch an Olympic baseball game being streamed live from China. What can I stay? Some dreams die hard.

*And, in the bottom of the ninth inning, after some really stupid plays, Korea comes from behind to win the game 8-7.

Keeping the Mexicutioner Closing

I know there's this push by many Royals fans to move Joakim Soria, the Mexicutioner, to the starting rotation next season. I follow the logic. I understand that 600 outs is worth more than 180 outs in a season (the difference between 200 innings pitched as a starter and 60 as a closer). I understand that other guys at the back of the bullpen have been really good this year too, and that either Ramon Ramirez or Ron Mahay could be competent closers. I get all of that. And the argument isn't a bad one. To be honest, from the time Soria threw the perfect game down in Mexico about a week after the Royals acquired him, I was looking forward to having him throw another one here in Kansas City.

But, here's my hang up: If it ain't broke, don't fix it (at least, not in the middle of the season).

Case in point: Joba Chamberlain was tearing up the league as the set up man for arguably the best closer of time and all eternity, Mariano Rivera (I overheard my cousin's eldest predicting that Joba's number will eventually be retired and on display at Monument Park at Yankee Stadium). Mid-season, the Yankees decided to move Joba to the starting rotation. So, as is the accepted process, his outings gradually lengthened until his stamina and pitch-counts were up to starting levels. And, by all accounts, the kid continued to show that he could mow-down opponents, posting numbers like 3 wins, 1 loss, and a 2.76 ERA since becoming a starter.

But as impressive as the numbers are, they're less impressive if Joba can't lift his golden right arm over his head because of rotator cuff tendinitis. The Yankees had to place him on the DL recently because of this new development. And, though this seems to follow a pattern (not one that I've researched, just something that I think I've noticed) of Yankees pitchers being placed on the disabled list mid-summer and returning fresh, just in time for the playoffs, you've got to believe that they would rather have a healthy Joba starting every fifth day as they try to catch both the Red Sox and the Rays.

I've pitched enough to know the cause of rotator cuff injuries, and it almost always comes down to being overworked. Had Joba stayed in the bullpen for the remainder of this season, I seriously doubt he would have had this set-back. And, what really sucks about rotator cuff injuries is that only time (and a lot of ibuprofen) can heal them.

I was having a hard time thinking of guys that had transitioned from closer to starter. Loads of players have gone the opposite direction. One name that came to me was Rick Dempster, of the Chicago Cubs. He had been the closer for the past few seasons, saving 87 games. But, since starting didn't work out so well for Kerry Wood, he went to the bullpen, allowing Dempster to move back to the rotation. The difference between Dempster and Joba is time. Dempster had four months in the off-season and Spring Training to re-condition himself for starting pitching, while Joba's transition occurred mid-season, and with considerable pressure from fans and media.

So, here's my point: If Soria is to become a starter, it had better happen during this off-season. I'll admit, a starting rotation of Zach Greinke, Gil Meche, and the Mexicutioner (and, of course, an off-season signing of free-agent C.C. Sabathia, as long as I'm dreaming) makes me salivate like I'm sitting in front of a piping-hot deep dish pizza from Edwardo's. But, for that to happen, the Royals need to find a suitable replacement at closer (preferably one with another awesome nickname).

However, have you been to a close game at Kauffman Stadium recently (probably not)? It is exhilarating to hear "Welcome to the Jungle" blaring and to see Soria trotting in from the bullpen to get the final three outs. You know the game is over.

Like I said, I get the whole starter vs. closer debate thing. But, let's face it... right now I'm pitching as much and as well as "The Great Joba" (and for a lot less money...). Besides, it's just so sweeeeeet having a lock-down closer. I just don't want to go back to hoping our guy can hold the lead and get the save. So for now, let's just be grateful that the Mexicutioner is healthy and still, well, mexicuting.

Follow-up on the Manny Trade

As luck would have it, the Red Sox came to town yesterday, so I had a good chance to see their Manny-less lineup. I'm still unconvinced as to whether this was a good move for the Sox. Case in point: yesterday's game, 9th inning.

The Mexicutioner is pitching, of course, so I've already chalked up another win for the Royals. However, leading 4-2, Coco Crisp leads off with a single. J.D. Drew then strikes out on a check-swing with a full count. Had he held up, it would have been ball four. Dustin Pedroia comes to bat and bloops a ball into left field, but because the outfield was playing deep, guarding against a double, the ball drops for a single. So, now it's men on first and second with one out.

A few weeks ago, the man at the plate would have been Manny Ramirez (who has historically man-handled Kansas City pitching). Instead, up comes Big Papi, David Ortiz. Trust me, I'm not glad to see him up to bat in this situation either, but at least it wasn't Manny with Papi still on deck. Soria coerces Ortiz to ground out to the first baseman, and the runners move to second and third, but now there are two outs. The next batter is Kevin Youkalis, who is intentionally walked, bringing up Jason Bay, the man the Sox got in return for Manny Ramirez. With a two-run lead, two outs in the ninth, and the bases loaded, I was practically giddy that the batter was Jason Bay instead of Manny.

As it turned out, Bay hit a soft ground ball between short and third, and Alex Gordon and Tony Peña Jr. collided, so he actually earned an RBI single. Now the lead was down to one, with Sean Casey at the bat. Strike one, strike two, and then, everyone knew what was coming, including Casey. Soria let fly his 65 mph looping curveball. Casey launched it into right field, but right at Mark Teahen, who made the third out.

Not having Manny Ramirez in that lineup changed its dynamic just enough for the Royals last night. Hopefully they'll be able to take advantage again tonight and tomorrow night. Personally, I'm hoping that it affects the Sox so much that a Central team can sneak in and steal the wild card, keeping both the Yankees and the Red Sox out of the playoffs. What would FOX do if that ever happened, huh?

Missing the Trade Deadline

My wife and I just returned from a 17 day road trip. We left our home in Kansas City on July 18th, and got back yesterday. It was quite the vacation. We visited my family the first week, and spent time with my wife's side in Yellowstone and Jackson Hole the second week.

I read a few blogs and baseball news items the week we were in Salt Lake City with my family, but that second week spent in the mountains, I was completely unplugged. So, first thing I did this morning was catch up on my baseball news. Looks like the Royals have won seven of their last ten (of course, now that I'm back, things will probably get back to normal), so that was a pleasant surprise. But what really threw me was pulling up the MLB homepage and seeing a picture of Manny Ramirez in a Dodgers uniform.* It was then I realized that I had missed the Trade Deadline.

*Not sure which was stranger: seeing Manny in Dodger Blue, or seeing him, or any everyday player, for that matter) wearing number 99.As a Royals fan, I'm glad that Manny will no longer tear-up Kansas City pitching. Keep in mind that I haven't read anything but this generic news brief from MLB on this issue. I am just having a hard time imagining why the Red Sox traded him. In return, they gained 29-year old All-Star Jason Bay from the Pirates. Bay is a good hitter, and maybe his numbers will increase when he is surrounded by the big bats in Boston's lineup, but he's no Manny. Then again, that may be a good thing, if you're the Red Sox. And who knows? Besides trading for a more stable personality, perhaps they unloaded Manny just in time. Although, with Andruw Jones not meeting expectations, I would feel really bad for the Dodgers if Manny's production takes a downturn upon his arrival as well.

And Junior is now with the White Sox? Wow. That's hard for me to picture. Then again, he'll probably always be a Mariner in my head. I had heard that the Reds had been looking to deal him, but the White Sox? They must really be pushing hard for other pennant this season. Too bad the Mariners have stunk so badly this year. Otherwise, Junior could have helped his original team with a playoff push. It would have been a nice homecoming for him if he'd have been able to return to Seattle. But now that he's in the American League Central Division, at least I'll be able to see him play before he retires.

Keeping Score

Anyone who says that baseball is a slow, boring game has never kept score. All of the stats that are out there are extrapolated from the score book. There are many different levels of keeping score, ranging from basic tally marks to spray charts, pitch counts, and more. When you keep score at a baseball game, you begin to grasp its complexity and its depth. The game may even seem to move a little faster. As you try to record everything that happens on a sacrifice fly, you might wish that the game was even slower.

I've kept plenty of score books in my day. Some guys, the ones that were too cool to be even mildly intelligent, hardly ever took a turn, claiming they didn't know how to keep the book. In high school and college, the score book would be looked over after the games and data entered into programs that calculate batting averages, on-base percentages, strike-out ratios, earned run averages, and much, much more.

If you'd like to learn how to keep score, I'll do my best to teach you the basics. Feel free to let me know if you have any questions. Here is a pretty good scorecard that I found online to get you started.

The first thing that you need to know is how each defensive position is numbered: 1=pitcher, 2=catcher, 3=first base, 4=second base, 5=third base, 6=shortstop, 7=left field, 8=center field, 9=right field. When I first learned this, it could get a little confusing. It would seem more intuitive for first base to be 1, second base to be 2, and so on. But, everything starts with the pitcher and catcher, so they are 1 and 2. If it helps, you may want to draw a small diagram of the field and place the correct position numbers in their respective places for future reference.

Knowing how to number the defensive positions allows you to record outs. And, since each team will always make 27 outs in a nine-inning game, most of your score keeping will be recording defensive plays. For example, if the lead-off hitter taps a ground-ball to the third baseman, who fields the ball and throws to first base for the out, you would find the lead-off hitters spot on the scorecard and write 5-3. 5-3 simply means that the third baseman threw the ball to the first baseman for the out. If it was the shortstop the play would have been a 6-3. A ground-ball out to second base is 4-3.

A double play ball that starts with a ground ball to the shortstop is recorded as 6-4-3 (shortstop to second, and on to first for the double play). However, the 6-4-3 is only used in the batter's location on the scorecard. To record the out at second base, you would find the runner who is on first base on your card, and write 6-4, because that is how the out was made on him. Fly ball outs are recorded as F8, F9, F7, F6, depending on who catches the ball. "F" obviously stand for fly, or fly-out. Whether you record the out with a hyphen (F-8) or not (F8) is a matter of personal style and preference. So, recording outs is basically just a matter of knowing how the out was made and coding it on your scorecard. Oh, and a strikeout is a "K" (a backwards-K if they strikeout looking).

Hits are a little more intuitive that outs on your scorecard: 1B=single, 2B=double, 3B=triple, HR=homerun. Walks didn't make much sense to me at first, but if you think of them as "base on balls," you'll be fine -- BB=walk. HP is the code for being hit by a pitch, and FC is used when a runner reaches base on a fielder's choice*.

*A fielder's choice, for anyone who doesn't know, is when a batter hits a ball which is fielded, usually by an infielder, and that player chooses to make an out at another base, rather than go for the out at first base to retire the batter. For example, with men on first and second base, and a ground ball hit to the right of the shortstop, he may choose to go with his momentum and record the force out at third base, while the batter reaches first base safely. Since the batter only reached base because the shortstop made an out elsewhere, he is not awarded a hit, and the play is recorded as an FC for the batter, which counts against his batting average just as if he would have been thrown out at first base.

The other part to remember as the offensive team puts runners on base is to trace their paths. When you look at a scorecard, you will see that there are many boxes that correspond with the lineup, which runs top to bottom, and the inning, which stretches across the top. Within those boxes is a diamond of some sort. Different scorecards may use various styling, but they will all have a diamond which represents the four bases on the infield. So, when a player hits a single, you would first record somewhere within that box a "1B" (some scorecards have offensive codes already in the box and in that case all you need to do is circle the 1B), and then, you would darken the line between home and first base on the diamond. If he steals second base, you would darken the line from first to second (and usually write SB (stolen base) above that line). If he then scores on another hit, you would darken the rest of the diamond, and then fill it in (just like the SATs) to show that he scored a run.

There is so much involved in keeping score, and so many situations may not even come up every game. The only way to really get a handle on keeping score is just to do it. If you're unsure about something, you can always ask me and I'll let you know. Just remember that you don't need to use every box and every space on the card if you don't want to. You can total the hits and runs in an inning at the bottom of your card, or not. You can total a player's offensive statistics off to the right after the game, or not. What makes keeping score fun is that it keeps you immersed in the game, so anyway you want to do it is just fine. Here's a completed scorecard I found that might help illustrate some of what I was talking about.

Anthing Better?

My wife and I have tickets to tonight's Royals game. Their hosting the Seattle Mariners, so they ought to have a good chance of pulling out a win. It would be kind of embarrassing if we lost to the worst team in the American League, even if we are the Royals.

Tonight is another promotional night. I guess this weekend they're giving away hats at the games on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Tonight it's straw cowboy hats. Tomorrow it's "Christmas in July" for some reason, and they're giving out Santa hats (just what I always wanted - a furry, red Santa hat in Kansas City in the dead-heat of summer). But because the cowboy hats aren't too bad, and because we'll be going to the Days of '47 Rodeo in Salt Lake City in less than two weeks, we're making our way out to Kauffman Stadium early tonight.

Is there anything better than being in your seats 90 minutes prior to the first pitch? I love it when I'm able to watch the visitors take batting practice. I usually have no idea who's hitting, but I don't really care. For me it's not about watching a Major League slugger like Manny Ramirez hit lazers off the wall during bp. It more like an insight to the game. A backstage pass to be able to seen the inner-workings of a professional baseball team. The next time you're at a ball game early enough to see batting practice, pay close attention and you'll notice all sorts of things going on, not just the starting nine getting their swings in before the game.

You might notice a couple of coaches hitting ground balls to some infielders between pitches, who then throw the ball back across the field to another player at first base, who is protected by a large square screen. The screen at first base is usually one of three screens out on the field. There is another square screen that is just behind second base in shallow centerfield that protects the man with the bucket. When the other players in the field shag the balls being hit by the man at the plate, they throw them in to the player with the bucket. Eventually, the coach who is throwing batting practice (pitching), who is protected by the third screen, the "L-screen," will run out of baseballs, and the bucket is called for to replenish the supply.

Besides batting practice I love to see the starting pitchers go through their routines before the game. It usually starts after batting practice, but you might see them stretching before the visiting team is done. Every pitcher is different, but usually they'll start with a little jog to get the blood going, followed by some stretching, then some throwing. They'll often start close, but by the time they're ready to go to the mound they've usually stretched their throws nearly the entire way from the foul line to the center field fence. After they bring it back in, it's time to head to the bullpen with the starting catcher. Seeing a pitcher throw in the bullpen makes it look so effortless and easy. He might just be throwing 75-80%, saving the good stuff for the game, but some pitchers might cut it loose a few times just to see how the old arm feels that night. This entire ritual can take as long as 45 minutes, so check the clock to see how early the starting pitchers are loosening up for the game the next time you're at the ballpark early.

Another reason to get there early is to watch the magic of the grounds crew. This is an entire post in itself, one that I'm going to do soon, so I'll only say this: the field looks good when you get there, but by the time the crew is done marking the foul lines and the batters box, raking the mound and the infield, and replacing the bases with glowing white "gamers," the field transforms into a place of dreams.

No, there's not much better than being in your seats early at the ballpark. Especially if there's a promotional t-shirt, bobblehead, or cowboy hat involved, on top of everything else.

Popularity Contest Winners: Formerly Known as All-Stars

Sometime ago I must have checked a box on the Kansas City Royals' website that gave my permission to send me Royals-related emails. I've never bothered to unsubscribe because sometimes they'll send good ticket deals and other "insider information." Lately my inbox has been overwhelmed with emails asking for my vote for Jose Guillen as the part of MLB's Final Vote campaign.

The premise of the Final Vote is basically this: There's a list of five guys who are pretty good, but not quite good enough (or not quite popular enough, or not quite in the right clubhouse) to make the All-Star team. The league gives the fans the "final vote" to determine which of the five will be given the opportunity to play in the Mid-Summer Classic. This, along with most of the All-Star selection process is a joke.

Just like determining the next American Idol, the All-Star selection is becoming less and less about talent and more and more about popularity. Honestly, I thought I was done with popularity elections when I graduated high school. I'm all for democracy and everything, but sometimes, like when it comes to choosing All-Stars, the masses shouldn't have much of a say, especially in this world-wide-web world we live in.

Needless to say, the players on the East coast, particularly in Boston and New York, have a decided advantage because those teams have much larger fan bases. Hopefully, most fans are moral enough to understand that their shortstop that is hitting below the Mendoza Line doesn't deserve an All-Star vote, even if he is on their team. That said, however, the old, popular stand-byes are seemingly grandfathered in, even though there may be a better, younger, lesser-known player out there.

And, just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, MLB is also giving us, the fans, the opportunity to vote on who the MVP of the All-Star game should be. A popularity contest within a popularity contest. Now that sounds like a reality television show our Nation can really sink its teeth into.

The Mexicutioner

Once upon a time, there was a boy named Joakim (but we'll call him Jack) who lived in the distant land of Mexico. Jack was a quiet boy. When he was little, he played baseball with his friends. They all wanted Jack to be on their side, because Jack was good at baseball. Jack was a pitcher -- a good pitcher.

Somewhere along the way a scout -- no, not a Boy Scout, a professional baseball scout -- came to Mexico to see Jack and his friends play baseball. The Scout also wanted Jack to be on his side, and, October 31, 2001, when Jack was 17 years old, he signed a free agent contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The following season he pitched a total of five innings for the Gulf Coast League Dodgers, a Rookie-league affiliate of the team he had signed with the year before. But due to injuries, that was all Jack would pitch with the Dodgers. They released him on October 12, 2004.

But Jack continued to play with his friends in La Liga Mexicana de Beisbol (that's "The Mexican Baseball League," for all of you Gringos out there). Then, one day, more than a year after being released, another scout came to see Jack play ball. He also wanted Jack on his side, and he signed a new free agent contact with the San Diego Padres.

The next season Jack played with some new friends on the Fort Wayne Wizards, the single-A minor league affiliate of the Padres. But, Jack only played in 7 games that season, and only threw 12 innings.

Because Jack was still so young, 20 years old at that time, and because he had not thrown much for the Padres, he was not included on their 40-man roster. Jack was still considered a project that would take more time to develop, and the 40-man roster was reserved for players who were ready to play in the big leagues at any time.

But, as in all good fairy tales, there's a twist.

In Major League baseball there is a Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Players Association (the most powerful Union on Earth) and the Owners. Rule 5 of that agreement sets the parameters for an annual draft to be held during the Winter Meeting for General Managers in December. The purpose of this draft is to ensure that no club can stockpile young, talented players in their minor league teams who might otherwise have a shot to play in the big leagues if they were with a different organization. Any player that is not on a 40-man roster is eligible to be drafted by another team. However, the team that selects a player must immediately place that player on their 25-man Major League roster, and the player must remain there the entire season or else he will be sent back to his original club. This is called the Rule 5 draft.

Now back to our story...

In 2006 there was another scout who saw Jack pitch. But this scout saw something the other scouts had not seen. This scout saw something special about Jack and he definitely wanted him on his side. So, a little later that year, in December of 2006, the Kansas City Royals selected Joakim Soria in the Rule 5 draft. He had been left unprotected by the San Diego Padres (and who can blame them, really), so the Royals decided he was worth a shot.

Then, December 9, 2006, just two days later, while Jack was playing with his friends in Mexico, he pitched a perfect game. 27 men came to the plate that day, and 27 men made their way back to the dugout, unsuccessful at reaching first base.

The Royals were glad to have Jack on their side, but he was only 22 years old when the 2007 season began, so they understood that he might still need some time before he would be competitive at the Major League level. But, according to the rules of the Rule 5 draft, the Royals had to keep Jack on the Major League team for the entire season before being able to option him to the minor leagues for further development. So, that year, Jack was going to be pitching out of the bullpen.

On April 4, 2007, the Royals were losing 1-7 against the Red Sox. The game was all but out of hand, so they decided to give Jack a chance to pitch in the Major Leagues. In his debut, he pitched two-thirds of an inning and allowed no runs and no hits, walking one batter. He pitched pretty well in his first time out. But Jack would continue to pitch well. In the next week, he would pitch 5 1/3 innings in four games and allowed no runs, only one hit and one walk while striking out six men and earning his first Major League save on April 10th against the Toronto Blue Jays. He finished the season with 17 saves, 19 BB, 75 SO, with an ERA of 2.48. Not bad for a guy with fewer than 20 innings pitched in the minor leagues.

This season, Jack has been even better. He earned his 23rd save last night (his 23rd in 24 tries), while striking out 41 in 35 innings of work. Jack is now one of the best closers in the game today. The Royals recently signed him to a big contract extension worth a lot of money. Joakim the Dream is living it. He now has many nicknames: Cap'n Jack, Joakim No-Scoria and the Emancipator (because of his sweet Abe-Lincoln beard) just to name a few. But the one that best describes his emotionless efficiency is his new-found title -- the title of The Mexicutioner. Royals fans everywhere -- Jack's new friends -- are overjoyed now that he's on their side.

Amphibious Pitcher

I saw an article this morning about Pat Venditte, drafted in the 20th round by the Yankees. He's what you might call a switch-pitcher. Come to think of it, after watching this piece about him while still in college, "Switch" probably wouldn't be a bad nick-name. In fact, if we were still in the golden age of baseball, when nick-names were prominent and really good nick-names were more recognizable than the first names on birth certificates, I'd be posting about Switch Venditte, not this Pat guy, whoever that is.

Thanks A Lot, Chien-Ming

Prior to my senior year of high school, I played outfield and pitched. When I was 15 years old I also played some third base and even a little shortstop, depending on who was pitching on a given night. I was never a great hitter, but I was pretty good. I had what they call "warning track power." I was good for a nice double in the gap to the wall, but I have exactly one career home run. It was a game-winner in a JV game my junior year of high school. I was more of a line drive guy... That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

I also played some basketball in high school until the coach decided he didn't like baseball players. Truly, he didn't like that baseball players spent their summers playing in tournaments all over the country instead at his little basketball summer camps, but I digress.

My senior year in high school was the year that I became primarily a pitcher. And, no matter what I had done or been in the past, it was also the year I became a non-athlete. Because, as everyone knows, pitchers aren't athletes. Except for, well, I didn't believe it, and I spent the rest of my time in the game trying to prove that I was an athlete, I just happened to pitch better than I hit.

One of the greatest compliments I ever received was kind of an insult. I was playing a little pick-up basketball with some other missionaries one day. After a few games, one said to me, "Geez, Reynolds. You're pretty good. I wouldn't have thought you were athletic at all." By that time in my life, I had put on a few pounds and added a chin. I also had my glasses on, which didn't help matters any, so I couldn't blame him.

Anyway, back to the point. Pitchers get a bad wrap for being non-athletes. Sure, sometimes they look a little goofy covering first base and handling the toss from the first baseman. Occasionally they launch a perfect double-play ball over the shortstop's head and into center field. But overall, pitchers are every bit the athletes as the position players. They just specialize in different things.

But just when you think you might have people convinced, Chien-Ming Wang pulls up lame while running the bases. No, he didn't twist his ankle sliding safely into third base on a close play. It happened when he scored from second base on a base hit to right field. There wasn't even a throw to the plate when he scored. According to the Yankees' web site, he was diagnosed with a "mid-foot sprain of the Lisfranc ligament of the right foot and a partial tear of the peroneal longus tendon of the right foot."

I know what you're thinking, and yes, I'm serious. He did all of that rounding third base and scoring. And, making the situation even more ridiculous, the new Steinbrenner in charge of the Yankees got his panties in a bunch because the National League doesn't use the DH (Designated Hitter). And, since his team was playing an Interleague match-up on the road, his front-line starter had to --gasp-- run the bases.

Hank Steinbrenner might think it was the National League's fault, but maybe this whole thing could have been avoided if only Wang would have had some better arch-supports in his cleats. That, or maybe one of the athletes on the team should have given him some baserunning pointers. Then again, did anyone really expect him to even get on base in the first place? After all, he is just a pitcher, right?

Junior's Immortality

I couldn't let this milestone go by without throwing in my worthless opinion. In case you missed it, and if you did, you probably weren't alone, Ken Griffey Jr. hit career home run number 600 earlier this week. In so doing, he becomes only the sixth player in history to reach that mark, joining Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Barry Bonds, and Sammy Sosa. He'll most likely pass Slammin' Sammy (609) some time this season. It was a shame that he had to do it in Dolphin Stadium in front of the meager Florida Marlin crowd of 16,000. 

Junior has easily earned his ticket to the Hall of Fame. Sure, his stats are impressive, but what really sticks out in my mind when thinking about him is the lack of, well, asterisks. 

Remember when sports stars were immortal? Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Hank Aaron, Ty Cobb, Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente... They used to be larger than life, but in a good, awe-inspiring way. 

Lately we've had the likes of Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, and Robert Clemens break records and reach milestones. But, they were unable arrive at the immortal status of past baseball deity because of their obvious mortality. Relying on artificial substances to increase your performance is proof of imperfection and flaws, the very essence of mortality. 

Maybe the difference is the difference in media coverage between then and now. Professional athletes are under a microscope -- especially those of all-star caliber.  Socially speaking, the country seems less and less trusting, and baseball and its recent plague of performance enhancing drugs hasn't proved itself worthy of trust for some time. It seems like every modern-day milestone is viewed with a hardy amount of skepticism. 

And now there's Junior hitting his 600th homerun, and the general consensus is that he has done so without any pharmaceutical assistance (another than a large supply of Advil, speaking from limited experience). It's refreshing. 

But, I was wrong when I said there were no asterisks. The asterisk next to Griffey's name doesn't allude to a possibility that he cheated during his career. In fact, it's not negative at all. His asterisk says, sure, he was great -- one of the greatest -- but how good could he have been?

Junior's career numbers could be even more amazing if he would have been able stay healthy. Over his 19 year career, he's averaged 125 games a season, which means he missed 475 games. If you figure an average of 3.5 at-bats per game, that's over 1660 at-bats. 475 games is nearly three full seasons. The "Super Griffey" stats, based on his career output and an Iron Man run of health, are really impressive. But the fact he's been as good as he has been, and done so with nothing more than God-given talent and hard work, should place him among the immortal Titans of baseball's past. 

A Little Little League Discussion

I was watching a little league game yesterday - coach pitch, to be exact. It was the Yankees, the team our friends' son plays for, versus the Tigers. Come to think of it, they played the Tigers on Saturday too, but it was a different team. The Tigers from Saturday's game had white shirts with black lettering and black hats which resembled the High School team, who is also the Tigers. Yesterday's opponent had red uniforms with Tigers in white across the front, and a block-letter T on their hats. The Yankees, on the other hand, had official-looking hats and jerseys, with the trademark NY logo. 

During the game, another friend of ours commented that he'd read that Major League Baseball had threatened to sue Little Leagues over Trademark infringement. I hadn't heard anything about it, but it didn't surprise me. I did a quick search and found this article out of Chicago. According to the article, not only the logos, but the team names are trademarked. So I guess the Tigers and the printer that supplied their jerseys had better come up with a new name. But does that go for the high school team too? I don't think so. Otherwise where would the line be drawn? The high school football team's name doesn't infringe on MLB trademark law if they're the Tigers. Besides, what about the University of Missouri Tigers, or the LSU Tigers? Trademarking the Red Sox, the Phillies, the Dodgers, or the Twins is one thing. But trying to own the rights to being named after a mascot from the animal kingdom, like Tigers, Cardinals, Blue Jays, Orioles, and Marlins, could prove more difficult. 

My formative years in baseball were as a Pirate, a Mighty Mite, a Red Sock, a Giant, a Pirate again, a Brave, and a Cardinal. We had fairly official-looking t-shirts on most of those teams. My Red Sox team had royal blue t-shirts and hats (of the trucker variety, foam in front, mesh in back) with RED SOX spelled out in red block lettering. As an nine-year old in an imitation Red Sox t-shirt, I hoped that one day I would play in the majors. No, not THE Majors, though I probably hoped that too, but to be honest, I don't think I was ever good enough to convince myself that it could happen. Eight- and nine-year-olds played in the minor B. Minor A was for ages 10-12, unless you were drafted by the majors. If you were good enough, a team in the majors could draft you when you were nine, but that, of course, was considered controversial at times. It was debatable whether a promising, young ball player would be better served by playing against players his own age, getting more playing time, and being the star of his team, or being "called up" to the majors where he would spend four seasons with the same team, and sometimes, the same coach, playing against the best players the community had to offer. 

Anyway, as I was saying, there I was in my generic Red Sox jersey, and I could hardly wait for the majors because their uniforms were awesome. To a nine-year-old me, they were perfect in their authenticity. And most of the players had what we called "pro-backs." Pro-backs were the fitted hats worn in the major leagues, and I wanted one. I tried out for the majors when the time came, thinking I had an in because I had a cousin on a team, but I wasn't drafted when I was ten, and spent a year in Minor A with the Giants. Sure, we had officially licensed jersey's and hats, but they were lower-tier, as far as I was concerned. The next season I was drafted by the Pirates to the majors, and I couldn't have been happier. I had the sweet uniforms, the team jacket (which was a HUGE status symbol at the elementary school), and my pro-back Pirates hat. I had quite literally made the big time. 

Luckily, if I read that article right, the MLB wasn't outlawing the use of their names and logos, only saying that the teams needed to be buying the official gear MLB produces. So kids all over the country can still be excited to be on the Mets or the Indians or the Pirates, as long as their league can afford the shirts and hats. Otherwise, maybe they can look forward to being on teams like the Sluggers or the Bandits. Hopefully someone has outlawed the Mighty Mites by now, so they won't have to worry about that. 

**Hopefully this post comes through alright. I'm away from home and trying to email this to Blogger to be immediately posted. 

Pressure in the Big Apple

I don't get to see as much baseball as I'd like. I've only had cable TV three times in my life: my apartment in college, my apartment during a three-month summer job in Puerto Rico, and in a basement apartment with my wife for 16 months (but it was basic cable, so no FSN and none of the ESPN channels). If we had cable, I'd watch every Royals game, and many other games as well. 

But today I'm watching the Royals-Yankees game. Always a treat to see a game during the day. And anytime you see the Yankees, some of the League's best talent is on display. The Royals are 3-17 in their last 20 games. The Yankees are, well, the Yankees. The pressure is clearly on the boys in blue. 

Funny how pressure can affect the game. Take a one-run ball game in the ninth inning, for example. Who is feeling the most pressure? The hitter or the pitcher? Depends on the hitter and the pitcher. As a fan of your team, you know your guys better than the other guys. So you know their weaknesses. So you assume the worst. Or, maybe that's just me. There is (or should be) plenty of pressure on the hitter. After all, he has a tough job. He has to hit a round ball with a round bat squarely. Did I mention the round ball is curving, sliding, cutting, and sinking?

Then again, the pitcher's job isn't much easier. This guy has to throw a ball 60 feet, 6 inches, and he has to throw it well enough to be both a strike and hopefully something the batter can do little with. The easiest way for the pitcher to relieve the pressure is to attack the hitter, thereby announcing to the hitter that the pressure is clearly on him, putting him on the defensive. 

The problem with the Yankees is that it never quite seems that the pressure is on them. You can attack the strike zone all you want, but they can just as easily attack you right back. The Royals have had multiple leads in their series with the Yanks, but they have always come back. Except for today. They put some pressure on Joakim Soria in the last inning to the tune of a bases-loaded jam, but Soria recorded the final out for the save and the win. 

Thoughts on the Draft

Growing up in Taylorsville, the Zion of Utah baseball, the Major League Amateur draft had a local flavor. My senior year, we had two draftees - one in the 7th round to the Houston Astros, and one in the 39th round to the Oakland Athletics. 

Now that I'm in Kansas City, the draft has taken on a whole new light. The draft is a big deal when you're team is already out of playoff contention. This was the first year that the flaws in the draft were apparent to me. I'm way behind the curve on this one, I know. But here are a few thoughts. 

The biggest difference between the MLB draft and drafts for the NFL and NBA is the length of time it takes for a drafted player to impact their new team. Eric Hosmer, for example, was the Royals' first round pick in yesterday's draft. Apparently, he has raw power and the potential to be an impact bat that drives in runs and frequently deposits balls in the fountains of Kauffman Stadium. The problem is that the soonest this could happen might be 2012, and that's being optimistic. Eric Hosmer is 18 years old and just graduated from high school. He was drafted on his potential, which seems to be limitless at this point. And that, brings me to my second qualm with the draft.

Despite having as many career at bats in the major leagues as I do, sometime in the next 10 weeks, he may receive a signing bonus upwards of $5 million dollars. Reportedly, he is asking for $7 million, so $5 million might be deal for the Royals. That's a lot of money to pay for an unproven player. In past drafts, that kind of money has dissuaded teams at the top of the draft, like the Royals, Rays, or Pirates, from selecting the top talent available. In the NBA, the debate about who will be the first overall draft pick centers on their talent, their ability. The MLB draft takes talent and ability into account, but it has to be balanced by the players' signability. That's why Tim Melville, a high school RHP (right-handed pitcher) who was possibly one of the best high school arms in the draft, and a projected first-round pick, slid all the way to the Royals in the 4th round (115th overall). Concerns about a high signing bonus and whether or not he will attend college made his signability an issue and kept other teams from selecting him sooner. In this case, he fell far and fell to the Royals. In other cases, the best talent might fall to the best teams, the teams that can afford the multi-million dollar signing bonuses. 

The office of the Commissioner of Baseball is aware of these and other issues with the draft, but changes in baseball can take time. Sometimes even longer than it takes for a first round draft pick to materialize. 

Dave and Fergie

My brother was here for a visit this weekend. We took him everywhere. A pair of Royals games, Culver's, Neighbor's Cafe, Sheridan's, the River Market, Liberty Jail, Big T's BAR-B-Q, and the Negro League Baseball Museum. It was my fourth visit to the Baseball Museum, but this visit was especially cool for me because of the scheduled discussion with Hall of Fame Pitcher Ferguson "Fergie" Jenkins, and World Series MVP and multiple 20-game winner Dave Stewart.

Growing up my team was the Oakland A's. Not sure why, it just was. It was the late 80s, and I was a huge Jose Canseco fan (no worries, I've repented of that), and my best friend had a man-crush on Mark McGwire. But truly, I loved the entire team. Ricky Henderson, Walt Weiss, Mike Gallego, Terry Steinbach, Carny Lansford, Dave Henderson, and Dave Parker. Yeah, I named them all from memory, so I might have mixed up a few seasons, but that was my team. Their pitching staff included Storm Davis, Dennis Eckersley, and Dave Stewart.

Dave Stewart was a stud. I knew that even at age 10. He had this nasty stare-down before every pitch. He looked like he was ready to fight the batter at any time. The term "head-hunter" came to mind. Saturday afternoon, he described himself as the "Assassin" during one story. So you have to believe that I had this image of the guy in my head when I was little. But that came crashing down one afternoon during a postseason interview.

It was back in the day when all postseason games were on network television, and some of them were day games. The A's were playing one afternoon, and I rushed home after school ended. Looking back, I seriously doubt any of my friends were running home to possibly catch the final innings of a baseball game on TV. I was too late that day because Dave Stewart and apparently made quick work of his opponent that day. And that's when it happened... I tuned into the radio for the postgame show, and they were interviewing him. But, instead of hearing the voice of the hero I had built up in my mind, instead of the deep, rough, manly voice of Dave Stewart, I heard what I can only now describe as Michael Jackson on helium. It was the squeak I always imagined would come out Jerry's mouth from Tom and Jerry, but never did.

I was devastated – more than when I discovered the truth about Jose Canseco. It was traumatic. What I was hearing did not match the bull-dog mentality he displayed on the mound. This guy was ferocious out there. It was like dipping your finger in the Cool-Whip for a nice, tasty treat, then discovering that you were sucking on expired sour cream.

So luckily, I was more than prepared for this discussion on Saturday. We arrived a little late, but we mostly just missed the introductions. The crowd of about 80 people were asking these two fine pitchers questions: Who was a tough out for you when you pitched? How did you go about preparing for games? What's your opinion on the way pitch-count has affected the game today? And then, "Do you think the strike zone has changed over the years? It seems to me that umpires never call a pitch above the belt a strike, and that's not the rule." Great question.

Both Dave and Fergie answered that they had seen a change in the strike zone. Then Dave Stewart launched into a little story that began, "I still don't like umpires."

Paraphrasing, the rest of the story was as follows: "I've been retired for 13 years now, and I still can't stand umpires. The other day I was watching the Dodgers game. Brad Penny was pitching and Russel Martin was catching. I don't know how it happened, or how he missed it, but Martin missed a straight fastball – just clean missed it. That poor umpire had no idea what hit him. That fastball hit him right in the head and knocked him out cold. I mean, he was just laying there on the ground, out cold, and I stood up and cheered... I was like, 'Yeah! Nice job Russ! Do it again!'"

I knew there was a reason I loved that guy.

Why Do We Do It?

Why? Why do we subject ourselves to this game? Why do we continue to listen to sports talk radio, read every credible blog on the subject, and bookmark our team's home page so that we can pop in every time we sit down to the computer.

I'm asking you, fellow Royals fan. Or you, Mr. Pittsburgh Pirates fan. Or you, avid Seattle Mariners fan. Hey, you... Yeah. You – in the Giants hat... Why do we do it? Maybe you could shed some light on the picture. If you own a Jake Peavy or a Todd Helton jersey... How come? Doesn't it only make it harder when we lose? The last time the Padres and the Rockies played was almost two weeks ago and the game drew over 28,000 fans on a Sunday afternoon, so I know you're out there.

In case you missed it, the Royals lost their tenth straight game last night. But, it's worse than that. The score was 8-3 for the Royals in the bottom of the ninth inning... with two outs. Yeah. Talk about a two-out rally. Ten in a row? Did you know that the Royals have had nine streaks of eight or more losses since 2004 (Incidentally, the same year I became a Royals fan. Luckily, I know I'm not the cause because their futility extends well beyond that span). That's the most of any team. At this moment, the Royals have spent at least a third of the season mired in losing streaks.

It really sucks.
Some of us live and breathe with our teams. It's like those two G.I. Joe characters from the 1980s... the Cobra Twins: Tomax and Xamot. Remember them? They would finish each other's sentences. They were inseparable. If one of them was hurt the other felt it too. It was like they were one person in two bodies. When you live in a Major League town, that's how it is. When the Royals cough up a five run lead in the ninth inning, it's like getting punched in the gut, and then getting an elbow to the head when you bend down in pain.

So, why do we do it? Because it's our team.

The Comeback

The following was recorded in my journal ten years ago today, and is a great example of how great this game can be.

AP tests are over and done. School is coming to a close. But that isn't why I'm floating on air. I'm on cloud-nine because of the wonderful game of baseball.

We began the state tournament one week after the loss to Hunter [High School]. We opened with Mountain View in a 16-team, double-elimination tourney and we dropped it. We gave up eight runs in the sixth and blew a 7-2 lead. Next thing we knew we were in the losers' bracket. We had a long road ahead of us – we now needed to win eight straight games.*

*I remember how devastated we were after losing the opening game of the state tournament, which was our second loss in three games. We knew we were better than how we had been playing, but we couldn't figure out what had gone wrong. That night, after the loss to Mountain View, we could never have dreamed what would follow.

The next day we got our revenge on Hunter, 13-3. The following week, starting Monday, the games were played at Ken Price Park [in Murray, UT]. We beat West Jordan Monday 9-1. Tuesday we met up with Bingham and their lefty ace Sorenson – who had held us at bay for 14 straight innings during the regular season. I couldn't be at this game because of an AP test, and the stress of not knowing the outcome must have taken six years off my life. I had, however, no need to fear; my boys won 9-7.

Wednesday we had a double-header. We started off with a game versus Skyline and took care of them 11-1. Brighton was next in the bracket and also my next scheduled start. I pitched great, allowing only one run on five hits. We won 8-3.

So far our offensive production had been spectacular. Amazingly enough, despite all these runs and the short fences at Ken Price, we had only hit two homeruns in four games.

After the Brighton win, we were guaranteed third place, but that wouldn't be good enough for us. Following a bye on Thursday, Friday brought a venue change to Franklin Quest and a game versus the loser of Alta-Hillcrest (which was played immediately prior to our game that night). We got Alta. We also got to face Alta's ace – Seth Johnson. He had pitched two days prior and due to lack of rest, he was flat. We killed him and Alta, 11-0.

Saturday was incredible. In order to win the state title, we would need to beat a very good Hillcrest team twice that day.

Franco [Pezely] started the initial game. He shut down their high powered offense. Franco deserves the 5-A state MVP, hand down (and he got it). Our bats were also on fire as we won 12-4. Twenty minutes later we took part in the do-or-die championship.

Jake Jordison was on the mound for Hillcrest. Dan Polhamus started for us. We won the flip and elected to be the home team. Hillcrest scored first, fast, and furiously. Dan allowed five runs in five outs before I had to come in and get the final out of the second inning.

Allow me to digress for a moment and tell you just how nervous I was. I was extremely nervous going into Saturday. At the meeting earlier that morning, I asked the Seminary Council to pray with me. It helped calm me down greatly. When I got my chance in the game, I did not forget to thank my Heavenly Father for the talents and opportunities I have been given. And with his help I was able to perform well.

I pitched the third and fourth innings as well. Coach pulled me in the fifth and put sophomore Mike Lewis in to pitch. He did great and so did Mike Beener, who followed him.

Unfortunately, as we pitched by committee, Jake Jordison was shutting us down by himself. We got three runs in the third, but that was all until the seventh inning. Beener was still pitching for us in the seventh inning, but allowed a few baserunners. Bryan Ball came from right field in relief. Bryan had been having trouble all week and letting him throw was a gamble. It paid off. He was stunning. He came in and shut the door.

At the beginning of the bottom of the seventh inning, we were no closer to solving the problem presented by Jordison's split-finger fastball. But there was something in the air. I felt it. The team felt it. The fans felt it – and Jordison would feel the brunt of it.

Nick Ballard led off with a great at-bat and great hustle to force an error on the shortshop, Adam Castleton. Bryan Ball battledadn dropped a ball in center for a hit. Jeremy Huntington fought hard and hit a ground out, moving the runners to second and third. Pezely dropped another ball into right-center, and Johnny Buck strode to the plate with the tying runs on base.

The first pitch to John was a curve ball – swing and miss. John stayed back on the next pitch just long enough to hit it off the left-field wall for a double, scoring both Ball and Pezely. Tie ball game.

Justin DeKorver had hit well all week and his next at bat was no exception. He hit a ball through the left side of the infield. Johnny was on third and Justin on first. Sophomore Danny Wright was up to bat. With one out, they walked him intentionally and pulled Jordison from the game. Replacing him on the mound was Sean Green.

Jason Rupp (our back-up catcher) was pinch hitting for Beener with the bases loaded and one out. Both the infield and the outfield were in to prevent a run. But it did no good. Rupp drove a 1-0 delivery deep to left field for the game winner. After four runs in the bottom of the seventh and final inning, we piled on John at home plate as the 1998 Utah High School Athletics Association State Champs.

It was an incredible end to an incredible ride. I can't express the feeling of joy I had. We won.



Class of 1998, 5-A Utah State Champions
Top: Bryan Ball, John Buck, Jason Rupp, Jeremy Huntington
Bottom: Derk McDermaid, Nick Ballard, Franco Pezely, Jared Maxfield, Me

Starters Can't Win Without Closers

Here in Kansas City, the Royals have recently reached an agreement with Joakim Soria, their young electric closer, to pay him millions of dollars as far as 2014 if he continues to pitch well. This year he has converted 11 of 11 save opportunities. He currently owns a 0.98 ERA. Before his last save against the Florida Marlins he had not allowed a single run, but with one out in the ninth inning, he surrendered a two-run home run. With the Marlins mounting a comeback, that homerun pulled them to within one run. I wondered how he would react to some adversity, seeing as how he hadn't had any all season. He struck out the next two batters to preserve the win.

He has been so good that there has been much debate as to whether the Royals might be better served with him in the starting rotation instead of anchoring the bullpen. So, which is more important, a good starter, or a good closer?

Stat geeks will tell you that there's not much to debate here. A good starter can provide 200 quality innings per season, whereas an elite closer on a good team might only be used in about 70 games. Therefore, there is much more "value" in a starter than a closer.

But I'm not a stat geek, so I don't see things in black and white. I've played the game and I both appreciate and respect the human element, even if it is difficult to quantify.

Let's look at the case of the Atlanta Braves. The Braves won their division an incredible 14 straight seasons (the next highest division winning streak in history is owned by the Yankees with eight). That is 14 consecutive trips to the playoffs. Do you know how many times they won the World Series? Once. One big reason for this was their closer, Mark Wohlers, was at the top of his game that postseason. They had virtually the same starting rotation for a majority of their postseason run including three future hall of famers: Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz.

Prior to the appearance of El Matador, Joakim "When I pitch, you no Scoria," the Royals had some dismal options at closer. When we moved to Kansas City in 2006, I attended a handful of games towards the end of the season. No lead was safe. Ambiorix Burgos blew a franchise record number of saves that year. He threw really, really hard. Problem was, he couldn't pitch. Then, in the off-season, the Royals picked up a kid from Mexico for a song from the San Diego Padres. A week later, he threw a perfect game in a Mexican Winter League. Before the end of the 2007 season, Soria was the closer, and was doing a great job. The bullpen, which had been a major weakness, had become one of the Royals' strongest assets.

Because the Royals are, well, the Royals, and their offense can struggle to put runs on the board, a lock-down closer is much more important than a starter. Some of the recent Red Sox lineups could afford to close by committee because they could out-hit and out-score most opponents.

Moving Joba Chamberlain to the starting rotation is probably a good idea for the New York Yankees. Their starters are having some trouble and they already have an amazing closer. But moving Soria to the rotation this season is probably not a good idea. Their starters have been good. It's most likely the best starting rotation they've had in years. And, if Soria starts, who is going to close? They have some good pitchers in the bullpen, but right now, they have a bonafide closer who can be counted on to finish games. Closing out games takes a different kind of mentality, and not everyone can do it, no matter how good a pitcher is.

Top-shelf starters are great. But even the best pitchers have to eventually turn the game over to the bullpen. If there's no one to close out the game and preserve the lead, an ace could rack up a load of no-decisions that shoulda, coulda, woulda been wins.

True aces are tough to come by. If you knew for sure that Soria would be an ace, then you should probably find someone to replace him as closer and start the transition. However, there's an old saying that goes something like this: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. For now he's found a niche and he's more important to the club in his current role. But who knows what the future holds?