Once again, delivering top-notch, late-breaking news long after it happens, Bases Loaded Balk has learned that Cliff Lee has decided to join the Philadelphia Phillies after coming to an agreement on a 5-year, $120 million deal with a vesting option for a sixth year. Lee personally let the Rangers know, and his agent broke the news to the Yankees.
Here's what we have learned:
1) Players don't always want the maximum years and the maximum dollars. Lee turned down more years and more dollars from both the Yankees and Rangers to go back to Philadelphia, where he spent the last half of the 2009 season and went to the World Series for the first time.
2) The Yankees can't get whoever they want if that person doesn't want to be on the Yankees. Don't worry, Yankee fans, I'm sure this had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that you spit on the guys wife during the playoffs. I'm sure he felt safe and welcomed by that reception.
3) The Phillies will be the overwhelming favorite to win the National League in 2011. In fact, some are already arguing that this may be the best rotation in baseball history... before Spring Training even starts. There is certainly that possibility. Two years ago, Hamels was the staff ace, since then, they have traded for Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cliff Lee - three guys that would be the ace on just about any other staff in all of baseball. However, let's hold off on the accolades until the season is over.
4) The mystery team is not always a fabrication by the agent. ESPN's Buster Olney had tweeted the other day that most of the time, a "mystery team" is simply created by the player's agent in order to gain some leverage in the negotiations. Clearly, the Phillies were the mystery team that was involved - quite unexpectedly because...
5) Just because you trade a player away, don't assume that he's never going to come back. The Phillies traded Lee to the Mariners last offseason as part of a three-team deal that brought Roy Halladay to Philadelphia. The reason they traded Lee: they didn't think they could work out an extension with him.
6) The Yankees are no longer the Yankees of old. Just a couple of years ago, the Yankees would have signed at least one, if not two, of the top free agents. This year, they looked like Alex Rodriguez in a playoff game - going 0-3 on the big fish. In fact, with the signing of Crawford and acquisition (and extension) of Gonzalez, I'd say the Red Sox have become the very thing they hated.
Finally, the Yankees and Rangers have to move on, and perhaps their respective fanbases will be excited to hear the rumors that are flying around regarding Plan B for these teams.
Apparently the Rangers have expressed interest in former Yankee Chien-Ming Wang, and the Yankees could possibly be the next stop in the Mark Prior comeback trail. Yeah, that's what happens when you put all your eggs in one basket... or some other metaphor that conveys a similar idea.
Showing posts with label Phillies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Phillies. Show all posts
Giants Advance to NLCS
The San Francisco Giants have advanced to the NLCS by virtue of another 3-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves. One thing is for sure about this year's NLCS - there probably isn't going to be a lot of runs scored. The Giants and the Phillies have put together phenomenal pitching performances so far this postseason, led by Roy Halladay and Tim Lincecum.
I think that I'll be rooting for the Phillies in this particular series. Not so much because I like their mascot better than the Giants' mascot, but because I can't stand Tim Lincecum. For a stoner, girly-haired, foul-mouthed pitcher, he's pretty good, but I can't root for a guy who has absolutely no control over his language. To get an idea of what I'm talking about, you can check out this highlight from mlb.com (he's the girly-haired dude whose profanity doesn't get drowned out by the fan noise), or jump back to this post.
I think that I'll be rooting for the Phillies in this particular series. Not so much because I like their mascot better than the Giants' mascot, but because I can't stand Tim Lincecum. For a stoner, girly-haired, foul-mouthed pitcher, he's pretty good, but I can't root for a guy who has absolutely no control over his language. To get an idea of what I'm talking about, you can check out this highlight from mlb.com (he's the girly-haired dude whose profanity doesn't get drowned out by the fan noise), or jump back to this post.
Phillies Advance to the NLCS
The Philadelphia Phillies advanced to the NLCS following another embarrassing game by the Cincinnati Reds, who were no-hit, shut-out and gave the other away with 4 errors. If you were looking for a way to lose at something, then just take a look at this series. I guess you could say the Reds really dropped the ball on this one....
Obviously the talk of the series was Roy Halladay's no-hitter, and the ensuing whining perpetuated by some players... okay, it was mostly just Orlando Cabrera. The talk of the next series will be on whether or not the Phillies can make it to their third straight World Series, something that hasn't been done since the Yankees made four straight at the turn of the century. "Turn of the century" makes it sound like it was a long time ago.... it was just ten years ago.
In other, less exciting, news, that now makes it 12 straight playoff losses for the NL Central, who haven't won since the Cardinals wrapped up the 2006 World Series. The Cubs were swept in 2007 & 2008, followed by the Cardinals last season, and now the Reds. Way to go NL Central!
Obviously the talk of the series was Roy Halladay's no-hitter, and the ensuing whining perpetuated by some players... okay, it was mostly just Orlando Cabrera. The talk of the next series will be on whether or not the Phillies can make it to their third straight World Series, something that hasn't been done since the Yankees made four straight at the turn of the century. "Turn of the century" makes it sound like it was a long time ago.... it was just ten years ago.
In other, less exciting, news, that now makes it 12 straight playoff losses for the NL Central, who haven't won since the Cardinals wrapped up the 2006 World Series. The Cubs were swept in 2007 & 2008, followed by the Cardinals last season, and now the Reds. Way to go NL Central!
Why I Don't Pay Attention to Advanced Stats
Apparently baseball writer Bill James has devised some sort of thing called a "game score metric" that helps us gain a better understanding of a dominating pitching performance. To give you an idea of how the Game Score Metric works.... well, I'm not going to take the time to explain it. Click on this link if you really want to know what it is before going forward; however, this should tell you all you need to know - Tim Lincecum's 2-hit, 14K shutout of the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of their NLDS scored higher than Roy Halladay's 1 BB, no-hitter the day before. That's right, once again, we see how strikeouts are overvalued by some people. An out is an out, and it doesn't matter if it is a weak grounder to the pitcher, a strikeout, or a fly ball to the left fielder. Guess what, they are still outs.
For this reason, I propose that we abandon the new ways of thinking when it comes to baseball stats (also known as sabremetrics). I know how to calculate batting average and on-base percentage. I know how to count RBIs and HRs. I don't know, or care to know, what VORP or WAR mean. You tell me that a fielder's UZR is better than another's, and I might mistakenly punch you for fear that you are speaking to me about hockey in Russian, and I don't need that kind of pressure from a Commie ice skater!
For this reason, I propose that we abandon the new ways of thinking when it comes to baseball stats (also known as sabremetrics). I know how to calculate batting average and on-base percentage. I know how to count RBIs and HRs. I don't know, or care to know, what VORP or WAR mean. You tell me that a fielder's UZR is better than another's, and I might mistakenly punch you for fear that you are speaking to me about hockey in Russian, and I don't need that kind of pressure from a Commie ice skater!
How Good was Halladay?
The playoffs supposedly started yesterday. One of the games was the Reds visiting the Phillies. A lot of the talk prior to the game revolved around how pitcher Roy Halladay would fare in his playoff debut. We see it all the time, a star pitcher who has never been in the playoffs before then throws a mediocre game his first time out. Fairly, or unfairly, he gets labeled by that appearance until he has about 10 more games to turn it around.
Halladay..... well, he fared pretty well in his playoff debut.... by throwing just the second post-season no-hitter in history. Touche, Year of the Pitcher, touche.
However, after the game, Reds SS Orlando Cabrera said, "Another umpire, he [Halladay] wouldn’t have thrown a game like that,” Cabrera said. “He was getting every pitch. We had no chance. We had to swing."
I know a lot of people think things like that during the game, especially if you go 0-3 with a strikeout. However, Brooks Baseball has a pretty neat little graphic displaying pitch location, and for Halladay's debut, it looks a little like this:
Now, I know that it's a little difficult to see, but let me just tell you what the chart says. Basically, its says that Orlando Cabrera is a whiner with no factual basis for his comments, or, as teammate Brandon Phillips may say.... well, we won't go there.
There is exactly one called strike that was located outside of the strike zone. In fact, there were four pitches inside the strike zone that were not called strikes. There are several pitches outside of the strike zone that were swinging strikes, but the Reds have nobody but themselves to blame for that.
Big congratulations goes out to Halladay for following in the footsteps of Don Larsen, the only other person to throw a post-season no-no (and his was the perfect game in the '56 World Series). And just to point out something, an NL Central team still has not won a post-season game since Game 5 of the 2006 World Series when the Cardinals ended it against the Tigers.
Halladay..... well, he fared pretty well in his playoff debut.... by throwing just the second post-season no-hitter in history. Touche, Year of the Pitcher, touche.
However, after the game, Reds SS Orlando Cabrera said, "Another umpire, he [Halladay] wouldn’t have thrown a game like that,” Cabrera said. “He was getting every pitch. We had no chance. We had to swing."
I know a lot of people think things like that during the game, especially if you go 0-3 with a strikeout. However, Brooks Baseball has a pretty neat little graphic displaying pitch location, and for Halladay's debut, it looks a little like this:
Now, I know that it's a little difficult to see, but let me just tell you what the chart says. Basically, its says that Orlando Cabrera is a whiner with no factual basis for his comments, or, as teammate Brandon Phillips may say.... well, we won't go there.
There is exactly one called strike that was located outside of the strike zone. In fact, there were four pitches inside the strike zone that were not called strikes. There are several pitches outside of the strike zone that were swinging strikes, but the Reds have nobody but themselves to blame for that.
Big congratulations goes out to Halladay for following in the footsteps of Don Larsen, the only other person to throw a post-season no-no (and his was the perfect game in the '56 World Series). And just to point out something, an NL Central team still has not won a post-season game since Game 5 of the 2006 World Series when the Cardinals ended it against the Tigers.
Phillies Win NL East
The dominoes are all falling into place now, as the Philadelphia Phillies have won the National League East, and look to represent the NL in the World Series for the third straight year. Is anybody else getting tired of their shtick? "Oh no, we're playing so awful at the beginning of the year! Oh no, we've lost six starters to injury, hopefully they'll be back soon! Oh no, we're passing you in the standings! See ya, fools!"
For your edification, you may now bask in the bearded glory of Phillies outfielder Jayson Werth.
For your edification, you may now bask in the bearded glory of Phillies outfielder Jayson Werth.
Matt Diaz is Straight Trippin', Yo!
Ever since this incident:
The police have not been allowed on the field at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Consequently, when someone does decide to be an idiot and runs out onto the field, Citizens Bank Park security are the ones who have to chase him/her down. They, as you'll see in the clip below, aren't all that effective at "running."
That's where Braves outfielder Matt Diaz comes in. Diaz had clearly seen enough of this clown in a red suit, and decided to pull a dirty soccer move on him.
Rumor has it, as the Braves are slowly playing themselves out of playoff contention, Diaz has been contacted by Citizens Bank Park security for a postseason position.
The police have not been allowed on the field at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Consequently, when someone does decide to be an idiot and runs out onto the field, Citizens Bank Park security are the ones who have to chase him/her down. They, as you'll see in the clip below, aren't all that effective at "running."
That's where Braves outfielder Matt Diaz comes in. Diaz had clearly seen enough of this clown in a red suit, and decided to pull a dirty soccer move on him.
Rumor has it, as the Braves are slowly playing themselves out of playoff contention, Diaz has been contacted by Citizens Bank Park security for a postseason position.
Moyer Remembers Teammate
Earlier this year, Robin Roberts, former pitcher for the Phillies and Orioles, passed away. Roberts had a great career pitching for 14 seasons with Philadelphia (1948-'61) and parts of other seasons with the Baltimore, Houston and Wrigleyville ballclubs.
The picture below captures a tender moment in which Jamie Moyer remembers his friend and teammate. When asked to reflect on his fondest memory of Roberts, Moyer gazed off into the distance and recounted the story of a swirly he received from Roberts shortly after his first career win.
The picture below captures a tender moment in which Jamie Moyer remembers his friend and teammate. When asked to reflect on his fondest memory of Roberts, Moyer gazed off into the distance and recounted the story of a swirly he received from Roberts shortly after his first career win.
On This Date...
...in 1917, Grover Cleveland Alexander of the Philadelphia Phillies pitched complete games in both games of a doubleheader, defeating the Dodgers 5-0 and 9-3.
When asked about the recent news regarding Stephen Strasburg, "the Cleve" said, "What a sissy! Back in my day, we just called that [a torn tendon] 'fatigue.' If only Rob Dibble was around to show that kid the ropes."
When asked about the recent news regarding Stephen Strasburg, "the Cleve" said, "What a sissy! Back in my day, we just called that [a torn tendon] 'fatigue.' If only Rob Dibble was around to show that kid the ropes."
Halladay Returns to Toronto... Sorta
For the first time since being traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in the offseason, Roy Halladay took the mound against his former team, the Toronto Blue Jays. It was Halladay's first appearance in Toronto as a member of the opposing team. To mark the occasion, the Blue Jays decided to make it easier for Halladay by playing the home game in Philadelphia, allegedly because of the G20 Summit (yeah, like that's a real thing!)
The Blue Jays also made it easier on Halladay by barely swinging the bat, getting only 6 base hits in Halladay's 7 innings. Jays CF Vernon Wells: "We really wanted to do all we could to make this a pleasant experience for Doc. He's just been such an important part of this organization for so long."
The Blue Jays also made it easier on Halladay by barely swinging the bat, getting only 6 base hits in Halladay's 7 innings. Jays CF Vernon Wells: "We really wanted to do all we could to make this a pleasant experience for Doc. He's just been such an important part of this organization for so long."
Jays Fans Surprised by Games
The Toronto Blue Jays avoided a sweep at the hands of the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday night, but the big news coming out of the series was not that Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday and 3 of the Cardinals top pitchers played. The big news was that reportedly just over 43,000 people attended the games. Not each game... all the games. For a three game series against the Cardinals, the Blue Jays drew in less than 15,000/game.
When asked about the reasons for the poor attendance, Fred Madeupguy said, "It's really not surprising. We have tried to model our organization after the Montreal Expos - the only other successful Canadian baseball team. As you can see, as far as our attendance goes, we are tracking right where we should be. We have no doubt that by 2020, we'll be the first professional team from the big four sports to be playing our home games in Las Vegas. I know it sounds like a gamble, but we figure it worked for the Expos. A definite plus to this long-term plan is the fact that we will no longer have to play the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays. Give us a break. We're having a great year, and we're still in 4th place."
In related news, the Jays are looking for a boost in home attendance numbers as they host the Phillies in Philadelphia because of the G20 Summit in Toronto.
When asked about the reasons for the poor attendance, Fred Madeupguy said, "It's really not surprising. We have tried to model our organization after the Montreal Expos - the only other successful Canadian baseball team. As you can see, as far as our attendance goes, we are tracking right where we should be. We have no doubt that by 2020, we'll be the first professional team from the big four sports to be playing our home games in Las Vegas. I know it sounds like a gamble, but we figure it worked for the Expos. A definite plus to this long-term plan is the fact that we will no longer have to play the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays. Give us a break. We're having a great year, and we're still in 4th place."
In related news, the Jays are looking for a boost in home attendance numbers as they host the Phillies in Philadelphia because of the G20 Summit in Toronto.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)