Between the Lines

RSS Feed Homepage

Articles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

The Eternally-Maligned K
2007-09-17 04:56:00
Strikeouts really don't deserve the abuse they take from the mainstream baseball media. It's no coincidence that many of the best players in baseball are also prone to the K, but this relationship too often goes unnoticed in favor of scapegoating like this:Manager Ozzie Guillen says he'd like to see more emphasis on on-base percentage among White Sox hitters next season, and one place to start is cutting down on strikeouts. Sox hitters fanned 12 times Saturday night against the Angels and have struck out 1,045 times in 148 games, or about seven times per game, fourth worst in the American League. That's seven unproductive at-bats on which nothing happens because the ball isn't put in play.Is that really the place to start? Having a high strikeout total doesn't preclude a team from also enjoying a high OBP; on the contrary, teams which feature selective hitters who reach base with great frequency often strike out a lot, too, simply because they're willing to go deep in counts....
More About: Ally

Only on Fox
2007-09-15 22:31:00
During the Yankees-Red Sox game Josh Lewin threw it downstairs to the least charismatic man in show business, Ken Rosenthal. Ken? (This is all verbatim through the magic of DVR...no, it's not mine.)The last two nights Jason Giambi has looked rather shaky at first base, but before that he had played a little bit better. He's recovered from the tear of the plantar fascia in his left foot, and he says with the orthotics now, that he's wearing in his two...feet - in his shoes - that he feels a lot better physically. The bottom line is the Yankees need Giambi to play an adequate first base, because their best defensive outfield alignment is Johnny Damon in left, Melky Cabrera in center, and Bobby Abreu in right, with Hideki Matsui as the DH. If they play the Angels in the playoffs, Giambi at first could be problematic because the Angels put that running game into effect, and he has difficulty throwing to second base.Josh: That's good stuff.Did you all get that? The Angels will exploi...

Lisa Kennelly Loves the Wang
2007-09-15 08:11:00
Chien-Ming Wang might be on the verge of stealing the Cy Young Award from a number of better-qualified candidates. So, Lisa Kennelly of the Neward Star-Ledger asks, why doesn't anybody love him? What Wang is doing is making a quiet case as one of the majors' best, compiling a big-league best 37-12 record the past two seasons. He is 5-0 in his past six starts and has not lost since Aug. 8 in Toronto. He has a 3.69 ERA, and has allowed only eight home runs. And yet Wang's achievements are often overshadowed by pitchers such as Beckett, 5-1 with a 2.90 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 49 2/3 innings over his past seven starts, or the Indians' C.C. Sabathia, also a Cy Young contender at 17-7 going into last night's start. "I have no idea (why)," Posada said. "He is underappreciated. I think he's been very good all year."No idea, huh? Could it be that he's simply not as good as Beckett and Sabathia? Or Johan Santana? Or Dan Haren, Erik Bedard, Fausto Carmona, John Lackey, Kelvim Escob...
More About: Jorge Posada

Presenting the New "Pitcher of the Year" Awards
2007-09-13 02:44:00
These are the awards that Philadelphia Daily News columnist Bill Conlin would like to see. Bill has appeared here multiple times, usually for cockamamie ideas just like this one. I know what you're all thinking: we already have the Cy Young award for pitchers. Well, Bill wants an award that includes relievers too! Wait, what are you thinking now? You say we already have the Rolaids Relief Man award? Bill scoffs at that award, so much so that he wants to make an entirely new category just because the one we have isn't good enough.When I'm King of the World...A Pitcher of the Year Award will be added to the Cy Young Award in each league. The Cy has long been the property of starting pitchers. When a relief pitcher is honored by the BBWAA, it is usually with MVP - Jim Konstanty in 1950 and Willie Hernandez in 1984 were two. But as starters play an increasingly diminished role, the closers and setup men need something a little more substantial than an award backed by an antacid. Mayb...
More About: Awards , Presenting

Please, Please, Don't Give This Man a Vote
2007-09-12 06:38:00
Bernie Lincicome has penned/typed an extraordinarily bad defense of Troy Tulowitzki's candidacy for the NL Rookie of the Year Award. In addition to being a truly disastrous piece of prose, it's also completely illogical, not to mention mildly offensive. The best way I can illustrate this is simply to allow you to read it, so, without further ado...Oh, come on. Who's having a better rookie year than Troy Tulowitzki?Ryan Braun . The name that keeps coming up is Ryan Braun of Milwaukee, but anything baseball that happens in Milwaukee must be taken with the same faith as anything baseball that happens in Denver, so who knows?Congratulations are in order for anticipating my response. It's almost like you know that Braun is better, but you're just going to forge ahead anyway. You're a Denver columnist, after all! It's not your job to promote people from Milwaukee! Also, I have no idea what the latter part of that sentence means.It is not that Braun is necessarily better than Tulowit...
More About: Vote , Give

How Not to Handle a Steroid Press Conference, Part Two
2007-09-12 03:31:00
A while ago we documented the exploits of San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman as he addressed the media regarding his steroid suspension. There was a lot of double talk, wherein Merriman tried to earn credibility by admitting his guilt before turning around and decrying the drug manufacturer, telling us all that he was not a cheater, and-most hilariously-repeating the line, "It could happen to anyone."Now we have Rick Ankiel, a week ago the most inspirational story in baseball this year, today a prime suspect in the ongoing steroid investigation. Ankiel allegedly received HGH from a Florida-based pharmacy under the scope of a steroid investigation. You would think that being named in such a report would be bad enough for a player's PR. But if we've learned anything from this whole steroid mess, it's that the players don't sully their reputations by doing steroids nearly as much as they do while addressing the media after they get caught. Below are some of Ankiel's and...
More About: Press , Press Conference , Part , Conference , Handle

A Questionable Statement, Indeed
2007-09-11 19:56:00
Tigers manager Jim Leyland might think his opinions are above reproach, but BTL begs to differ:The Mariners showcased a lot of offense Sunday, but what left the biggest impression on both teams was the defense of shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt, who had as impressive a day as you're ever likely to see. Betancourt made three highlight-reel plays, saving runs and earning high praise from teammates and Detroit manager Jim Leyland. "He's unbelievable," Leyland said. "He's the best defensive shortstop in the league, without question. He's tremendous.""Without question?" Not exactly. OK, so Leyland is probably just trying to be a good sport by demonstrating his appreciation for an opposing player who helped defeat his team, but making a definitive statement like this indirectly slights other shortstops around the league--at least a few of whom are clearly superior to Betancourt in the field. Let's check the stats.Betancourt comes in tied for 3rd (with Jason Bartlett) among AL qualifier...
More About: Statement , Temen

Randy Moss Wants to Be a Millionaire
2007-09-11 17:30:00
When asked if he thought he made a statement in Sunday's shellacking of the J-E-T-S, Randy Moss said:"I'll leave that up to you guys. That's what the talk shows and the game shows are for, to tell the people the nonsense you all believe in."The game shows, Randy? Boy, I can't wait to see Meredith Viera breakdown your performance on today's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire ...
More About: Football , Randy Moss

Who is the "Truest" Yankee of Them All?
2007-09-10 06:28:00
Mike Lupica of the NY Daily News feels that Joba Chamberlain's career path should mimic that of the greatest Yankee of the last decade. But Chamberlain's future isn't the only thing he's wrong about. In addition, the man doesn't even realize who the best Yankee of the last decade is:Joba Chamberlain is going to be a big Yankee starter, I get that. Going to be such a tremendous Yankee starter that they can't pitch him two days in a row while he's a reliever. I get that. And good for Brian Cashman to take the long view on a guy pitching short relief. What I don't get: Why can't Joba Chamberlain be groomed to be the Mo Rivera of the future?He could be. And from the looks of it, he'd have considerable success in the closer role. But great closers aren't as valuable as great, or even very good, starters. The most innings Mariano Rivera has ever thrown in a year is 107 2/3, as a setup man in 1996. Since becoming a closer, his highest IP total is 80 2/3, in 2001. Since succe...
More About: Jorge Posada , Derek Jeter

The Context of Clutch-ness
2007-09-07 18:58:00
Buster Olney left out some critical information when he wrote about how valuable Alex Rodriguez has been for the Yankees in 2007: Twenty of Alex Rodriguez?s 48 homers have either put the Yankees ahead or tied the game. Last year, just 13 of his homers put the Yankees ahead or tied the game. Wow, sure sounds like A-Rod has been a lot more clutch this season than he was in 2006. Or has he? See, what Buster didn?t mention is the fact that A-Rod only hit 35 all of last year; while he has hit more ?clutch? homers this year, he has also hit quite a few more homers, period. The percentage of his home runs which resulted in a tie or a Yankee lead has risen from 37.1% to 41.7%. Statistically significant? I think not. Incidentally, it would be interesting to know the average percentage of game-tying or lead-changing homers in MLB. If you, dear reader, know, or care to find out, please pass that information along. It could be that A-Rod?s accumulated ?important? homers do little to ...
More About: Clutch , Ness , Context , The Con

When Winning When it Counts, Doesn't Count
2007-09-05 18:51:00
BTL veteran Murray Chass has a baffling opinion on which New York team deserves to make the playoffs:This team, Team A, deserves to make the playoffs. It loses all four games of a four-game series to the team closest to it in its division, then when it could be on the brink of collapse, improbably sweeps three games in its next series, playing its thorniest rival in that team?s home park, where only bad things seem to happen.This team, Team B, doesn?t deserve to make the playoffs. It sweeps three games from its fiercest rival, the team it needs to catch to win the division title, then loses two of three to the team with the worst record in the major leagues, scoring only three runs in the two losses against the worst pitching staff in the majors.This makes very little sense. Why does the team that displays an inability to defeat the team it needs to defeat in order to advance, deserve to advance? OK, so they managed to win the next series, but still, they were swept in a 4-game seri...
More About: Mets , Yankees , Count , Winning

Joe Maddon: Tactical Genius
2007-09-03 08:42:00
I'm well aware, dear readers, that some of you may be quick to belittle the impact a manager has on his team's performance. I've been guilty of harboring these doubts myself. But my crisis of faith came to an end once I read about Devil Rays manager Joe Maddon's brilliant strategic maneuvering during Saturday's Yanks-Rays game:Rays manager Joe Maddon made it clear that he didn't believe there was anything illegal about Alex Rodriguez 's bat, but he still requested it be confiscated Saturday afternoon an inning after Yankees manager Joe Torre did the same to Rays 3B Akinori Iwamura.Confiscation without suspicion? A highly unorthodox move. Only a true master of the "game within the game" could attain such heights of...gamesmanship.Rodriguez's bat didn't have a flat barrel end like Iwamura's (Torre reasoned he had never seen that before), but the majors' home run leader had just hit his 45th of the season in the first. "It was just retaliation," Maddon said after the Rays' 9...
More About: Genius

Sticking Up for the Little Guy
2007-09-02 09:11:00
Jimmy Rollins won't be eligible for the Hall of Fame for many years, but Philadelphia Daily News columnist Bill Conlin is already clumsily making the case for his induction:Jimmy's already a lot bigger than Pee WeeNot so fast there, Bill. First of all, "Pee Wee" was actually taller than Jimmy. Reese was 5'9", and Rollins is listed at 5'8". Reese even had 15 pounds on Rollins. And if you're referring to their production, well, just wait and see. They used to be baseball's welterweight division. Legs and leather were their skill set. Lumber was a plus.I assume you're referring to shortstops. Well, lumber was a plus, but some exceptions to the norm still, you know, swung a good deal of it.With extremely rare exceptions, they could bat only leadoff, No. 2 or No. 8. The 2-hole guy usually lacked the foot speed to lead off and often was a second baseman. But he was an expert at taking pitches so the leadoff man could steal second. He also could hit behind a runner or bunt him over....
More About: Jose Reyes , Jimmy Rollins , Litt , Tick

He is the Very Model of a Modern Major Leaguer
2007-09-02 08:20:00
Indians manager Eric Wedge, and Cleveland Plain Dealer columnist Bill Livingston, have gone to tremendous lengths to notify us of Asdrubal Cabrera's chosen profession: Eric Wedge doesn't have the crow's-feet eyes a man gets from seasons of squinting into the sun, looking at prospects. He is not going to fracture the language, the way Sparky Anderson would. Still, the Indians' manager is part of the fraternity of baseball men. Since when has being a major league manager, without possessing crow's feet and spouting malapropisms, been grounds for entry into the "baseball men" fraternity? The game is changing too fast. Wedge has never forgotten how hard the game is. Maybe that's why he doesn't criticize players publicly, no matter how egregious the mistake. He has a deep sense of the integrity of the game. It is why his team plays hard almost every game.Maybe. Maybe they play hard because they want to make more money, or because they enjoy success. Who knows. So when Wedge says...
More About: Model , Modern , Major

There's Something Happenin' Here, What it is Ain't Exactly Clear
2007-09-02 07:34:00
Buffalo Springfield might as well have written those words about the 2007 Minnesota Twins , at least if you ask their starting center fielder, or Phil Miller of the St. Paul Pioneer Press:Torii Hunter looked around the Twins' cemetery-quiet clubhouse after Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the Indians and shook his head. "It's different. It's different than in the past, I think," the Twins' most senior player concluded. "We've got more talent, but there's something different."Gee, I don't know, Torii...if you asked me why I thought a team that finished 96-66 (93-69 Expected) last year was only 69-67 on September 2nd of the following year, I'd probably agree that there was "something different," but I'd conclude that the difference was almost certainly the presence of less talented players (or less production from the same players). The team is clearly much worse than it has been in previous seasons, and the obvious culprit is a relative lack of talent. Yet instead of reaching this lo...
More About: Clear , Some

A Very Broad "Category"
2007-09-02 07:04:00
Cardinals manager Tony La Russa wouldn't exhibit nearly the same aptitude for triage as he does for unorthodox lineup formation, excessive bullpen usage, and awe-inspiring ego:St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Juan Encarnacion will miss the remainder of the season and his career is in jeopardy after sustaining multiple fractures of his left eye socket when struck by a foul ball Friday night."This is a serious hit, career-threatening," manager Tony La Russa said Saturday. "The other ones are not to be diminished, like Carpenter's arm, but they're not in the same category. It's like Josh."So a run-off-the mill season-ending arm injury isn't so bad, but sustaining an eye socket fracture is like...dying in a car crash. Right. Because those two incidents threaten one's career to approximately the same degree.
More About: Category , Tego , Broad

Expletives Removed
2007-09-02 06:56:00
White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen has apparently decided to turn over an old leaf:Gather the children, tell them to press their hands to the sides of their heads and ''make earmuffs,'' because Ozzie ''Bleeping'' Guillen is back, and he doesn't care whom he offends. That was the emphatic message from the White Sox manager on Friday, when he even apologized for his attempt at playing the nice guy the last three months. ''I really regret the way I was for three months,'' Guillen said, hours before the latest meltdown by the Sox bullpen in an 8-5 loss to the Cleveland Indians. ''Spring training, I said, 'Ah, let me change a little bit.' Spring training I tell my family, 'I'm going to be nice.' ''[Expletive] it, I'm the crazy [expletive], but I have to win.''All those who were aware that Ozzie wasn't acting like a "crazy [expletive]" for the past three months, raise your hands. Anyone? Anyone at all?

Our Bad
2007-09-01 06:34:00
It has just come to light that we, and others like us, deserve the blame for Juan Pierre's dismal performance this season. It's not yet clear whether or not we're responsible for his woeful 2005 and 2006 campaigns, but it's a distinct possibility. And all this time you probably thought that Juan himself had something to do with it! We would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for Tony Jackson of the LA Daily News, who deserves major kudos for bringing the real culprits to justice.He has hit .300 or better over a full season three times, and he has an outside shot at making it four. He has finished either first or second in the National League in stolen bases in each of the past six seasons and is a lock to make it seven.Pierre also stole 18 in a row at one point and has been caught just 11 times. He also has 17 doubles and seven triples, and he still doesn't strike out much, just 33 times in 596 plate appearances for an average of once every 18.1 times he steps into t...

You Know Your Team is Bad...
2007-09-01 06:25:00
...When one of its players gets traded to a team that's 11 games under .500 and starts raving about his new team's commitment to winning. Let's see what ex-Ray Jorge Cantu has to say about those never-say-die Cincinnati Reds :Jorge Cantu doesn't play every day and he doesn't care. It is not that he doesn't want to play every day, but he is happy to be wearing red instead of green and he'll take whatever playing time manager Pete Mackanin tosses his way. "I haven't been in this (part-time) role, but I like it," said Cantu. "You know why I like it? Because I love the way this team plays. We give everything we've got every day. I'm just glad to be part of a team that really wants to win."Memo to Devil Rays fans: your team is really, really bad. But I suspect that you knew that already.
More About: Team

Can I Make a Suggestion?
2007-08-31 10:51:00
Padres' GM Kevin Towers had some (overly) kind words to offer about one of his division rivals' offensive performance:San Francisco - Praise was nice, but not necessary. San Diego general manager Kevin Towers didn't have to gush about the Rockies ' lineup two weeks ago as the two teams were finishing a series at Petco Park. It's easy, however, if you believe it. "They are arguably the best offensive team in the league. Not the division. The entire league," Towers said. "I don't know of a better one when they are healthy. As a pitcher you don't have a lot of time to breathe."Sure you don't know of a better one? Allow me to offer a couple alternatives. The Rockies have scored 672 runs in 133 games. They've also played about half of those games in the best offensive park in the Major Leagues, which sports a Park Factor of 1.202 for runs. Yet their run total is only good for 3rd in the National League. The Atlanta Braves have managed to score 677 runs, and while they have played...
More About: Suggestion , Make , Phillies

Where's Burgess Meredith When You Need Him?
2007-08-29 06:54:00
Apparently, two division leaders, the Chicago Cubs , and New York Mets , suffer from a common flaw. Here's the Cubs' bugaboo, according to The Chicago Tribune's Paul Sullivan:The standings say they're still in first place, 1 1/2 games ahead of the Brewers after a 5-4 loss to Arizona on Sunday at Chase Field.But they're also only three games over .500 at 66-63, and seem to lack the killer instinct that most championship-caliber teams possess.And without further ado, the Achilles Heel of the Mets, courtesy of The Newark Star-Ledger's Dan Graziano:By this time last year, the division was decided, and had been for months. But this year, those pesky Phils are sitting just those five games behind, bolstered by the return of their best player just in time for the big four-game series against the big, bad, first-place Mets. And the Braves, as lousy as they've played over the past couple of weeks, lurk just behind, knowing they've had the Mets' number all year in their head-to-head ma...
More About: Edith , Urge

Define "Impact"
2007-08-27 08:53:00
Phil Rogers doesn't feel that acquiring Javier Vazquez was worth parting with the player it took to get him:Sure, Ken Williams knew he was taking a risk when he traded Chris Young to the Arizona Diamondbacks two years ago. He was living dangerously, and he knew it, but he couldn't foresee how little impact Javier Vazquez would have on the White Sox.Most Major League pitchers wish they had an impact as "little" as Javier Vazquez's. Javy's currently sporting a 117 ERA+ for the season, along with a 3.89 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 3.57 K/BB, and 8.04 K/9. That's not too shabby for the American League, folks. Do 175 2/3 IP (and counting) of that caliber have only a "little impact?" Do they have a smaller impact than 466 AB from a below average National League hitter, such as...oh, how about...Chris Young? The answer to both of those questions is a resounding "no." Because despite Young's gaudy HR and SB stats, (28 and 21, respectively) he just hasn't been that great at the plate in 2007 (.75...
More About: Define

Sean Hillenbrand?
2007-08-27 02:46:00
Sunday Night Baseball; top of the second. Joe Morgan just referred to Shea Hillenbrand as "Sean Hillenbrand" twice. Moments later he correctly called him Shea. You think somebody whispered in his ear?Not quite finished, Joe picked up where he left off in the next half-inning, referring to Marlon Anderson as "Marlon Byrd." Byrd, of course, plays for the Rangers, whereas Anderson is a Met.

Wanted: Guaranteed Victory
2007-08-24 07:33:00
Kurt Streeter of the LA Times thought long and hard before concluding that the Angels would be unwise to acquire Alex Rodriguez next season (I included photographic evidence in case you didn't believe me). The headline and subtitle of the article say it all: Adding Rodriguez is a gamble Angels should avoid His contract would ruin their salary structure and his presence wouldn't guarantee a World Series titleWhose presence does guarantee a World Series title? If there were a player who fit that description, the bidding for his services would be astronomical. There also wouldn't be much incentive to actually play the games once he'd signed a contract. However, although A-Rod certainly isn't that guy, he's closer to that guy than just about anybody else (probably everybody else). Does Marc Gwyn's presence guarantee a World Series title? No, but GM Bill Stoneman inexplicably called him up on August 19th. How about Ryan Budde? His contract was purchased on July 28th, and the Angel...
More About: Victory , Torii Hunter , Wanted

The Win-Maker
2007-08-24 03:06:00
CNNSI's Jon Heyman has graciously elected to treat us to his latest epiphany:You know who I've decided is a really good player? Orlando Cabrera. Maybe it's me, and I'm way late to that party. But he makes a team win, and I can think of no higher compliment.I wouldn't call you particularly late to the party, since Cabrera hadn't been a really good player prior to this season. However, his current year is of the "career" variety, and as a result, he has at least temporarily graduated to the upper echelon of shortstops--though far below the true elite. Cabrera's 31.7 VORP currently ranks 7th among shortstops, behind only Ramirez, Reyes, Rollins, Renteria, Jeter, and Guillen. There's a significant gap between Cabrera and Guillen, (40.3) and Ramirez's contribution has been more than twice as valuable (68.2) as Cabrera's, but "The OC" is no slouch. He's also pretty handy with the leather, having contributed 27 FRAR, and 10 FRAA, on the defensive side (which brings his total con...
More About: Maker

Just How Impressive was 30-3?
2007-08-23 21:00:00
ESPN's David Schoenfield took the occasion of the Rangers 30-3 beatdown of the Orioles as an opportunity to publish a list of the 100 Greatest Beatdown's in Sports History. This sort of list is always fodder for discussion and argument--that is, it is the type of fodder we here at BTL love.Schoenfield's top 10:1) Secretariat at the Belmont (You'd have to be a lunatic to take issue with this one)2) Tiger at the 2000 US Open3) "1940 NFL championship: Bears 73, Redskins 0."4) Tyson kills Spinks. (Given who this involves, I feel the need to clarify that Tyson did not, in fact, literally kill Spinks)5) Nebraska over Florida, 1996 Fiesta Bowl6) Bears over Pats, Super Bowl XX7) Tiger at the '97 Masters (a performence that, in the Intern's not-so-humble opinion, was even better than his aforementioned US Open)8) Rangers over Orioles.9) Billie Jean King beats Bobby Riggs10) Muhammed Ali beats Sonny ListonDoes the Rangers/Orioles game really belong this high? Consider this: of the ...
More About: Impressive , Impress

Wish You Were Here (Maybe)
2007-08-23 01:28:00
Injured Padres starter Chris Young may or may not be missed, depending on how long he's unavailable:Major League ERA leader Chris Young returned to San Diego on Wednesday to get his ailing back examined, and the playoff-contending Padres weren't sure when he would pitch again. The All-Star righty was forced to leave Tuesday night's game against the Mets after only five innings because of lower back pain. Manager Bud Black said the team expected to know about Young's status on Thursday after doctors tested him. "If he misses one start, that's a big bonus. If it's two starts, it's a bit of a blow," Black said.It's a "big bonus" if he misses one start? I'm not sure I follow. If missing two starts is a blow, isn't missing one just a...smaller blow? As far as I can tell, it blows either way.
More About: Were

Neglecting the Company Man
2007-08-22 12:25:00
There's plenty of crying in baseball, but loyalty is in much shorter supply. And for good reason; teams can't afford to pay much more than lip-service to such considerations in a business as competitive as Major League Baseball. Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star, however, feels that the Blue Jays are remiss for failing to observe such old-fashioned conventions. Of course, even suggesting that a respect for prior allegiance was pervasive at one time in baseball is suspect; for many years, the reserve clause ensured that fealty was enforced, to the detriment of the players, and as Steven Goldman observes in Baseball Prospectus' Mind Game, great teams of the past, such as the Yankee dynasties of the 30s and 40s-50s, pursued any means available to remain competitive--even when that meant jettisoning those who had accumulated many years of faithful service. Even if we accept that Griffin's idyllic labor-management relationship ever existed outside of the mid-19th century, the prese...
More About: Company , Reed Johnson , Matt Stairs , Compa

The Raissman Rules
2007-08-22 12:23:00
Bob Raissman writes a column, if one can call it that, for the NY Daily News, in which he criticizes what he perceives as bad sports broadcasting. One would think that this would endear him to BTL, since that's something we do, too, but alas: what Bob Raissman perceives to be bad sports broadcasting is often simply either an excess of advertising, or, even more frequently, good sports broadcasting. Also, get a load of that moustache.Here's Raissman's latest koala-eyed catch; you be the judge of whether this really deserved criticism (and for those of you who don't know your Jack Hanna, former zoo keeper, from Jack Hannah, former Disney animator, koalas can't see very well).Just when it seemed the micro-managing Mullahs at the Yankees Entertainment & Sports Network had filed the edge off Al Leiter, turning him into one of their Bland Brothers, he pulled the dagger out and yapped like he used to when he first entered broadcasting.Isn't this fun? He has alliterative nicknames for...
More About: Joe Torre , Rules , Rule

Excuses, Excuses
2007-08-22 08:03:00
I have nothing against excuses; I'm a firm believer in the fact that in baseball, as in life, there is such a thing as a good excuse. All too often, I hear players and executives refrain from attributing their team's struggles to injuries or bad luck, even though those are often completely legitimate reasons for poor performance. Of course, they do it for a good reason; the majority of their club's fan base is likely composed of people who don't understand that baseball is essentially a probabilistic game, and that, as a result, luck plays a factor in the outcome of every season, if not every game. Anyone who dares to insist that his team had been victimized by bad luck, instead of a lack of "desire" or "fundamentals," would be crucified on every talk radio show in America (with the possible exception of this one).However, sometimes the rationalization can go a little too far. Here's an example of the dark side of excuse-making: Brandon Inge isn't accustomed to game-time deci...
More About: Excuses