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Talk Zone / Changes coming to Minor League Baseball
« on: October 19, 2019, 11:58:54 am »
This is interesting: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/18/sports/baseball/minor-league-changes.html
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Talk Zone / The bullpen
« on: October 06, 2019, 11:20:34 am »
Anybody worried?
There doesn't seem to be the McCullers/Morton/Peacock option this year as in '17. Who steps up if the usual reliables fall through?
There doesn't seem to be the McCullers/Morton/Peacock option this year as in '17. Who steps up if the usual reliables fall through?
4
Talk Zone / Race to the bottom
« on: September 25, 2019, 01:18:24 pm »
So it looks like there will be four 100-loss teams and maybe as many as nine 90+ loss teams this year. Imagine a 90 loss season only being good for the 13th pick in the draft. Is this historic?
5
Talk Zone / YouTube broadcast
« on: August 26, 2019, 07:57:25 pm »
There's a number of reasons I might have particularly enjoyed YouTube's broadcast of the Braves at Rockies today (it was an excellent game, the Braves are a lot of fun and ordinarily blacked out for me, no commercials, and Worrell button engaged) but it was also just a slightly better broadcast than I'm accustomed to seeing. Lots of different angles. I liked it. It seemed as if someone had done some serious thinking about subtle ways to tweak a game's presentation, and for me today it definitely worked.
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Talk Zone / Strange rulings
« on: April 21, 2019, 04:08:42 pm »
Mets @ Cardinals, top 7, Cano on a count of 0 and 1 is struck on the wrist by an Andrew Miller fastball, reels backwards several yards and goes down in a heap. Several minutes later, after Mickey Calloway has been ejected, Juan Lagares pinch hits with an 0-2 count. Announcers befuddled. Resolution comes after the inning break: though he was never publicly asked for a ruling, the third base umpire told the home plate umpire that Cano had offered at the pitch.
Subsequent replays indicated that perhaps Molina exchanged a word with the home plate umpire. Maybe asking him to ask for help from the third base umpire.
Subsequent replays indicated that perhaps Molina exchanged a word with the home plate umpire. Maybe asking him to ask for help from the third base umpire.
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Talk Zone / Tom Hamilton
« on: April 10, 2019, 02:57:58 pm »
The Indians' famously affable radio PBP guy just said that 29 teams enjoyed a champagne toast when the Red Sox eliminated the Astros last year. Prior to this he'd called the Houston front office "corrupt" and "paranoid." He and his partner chuckled at the excuse given by the Astros for the dugout photography incident during the ALCS and said that a fellow announcer or producer figure nearly came to blows with the Astros official who took issue with a Cleveland camera during the later stages of an ALDS game. Completely ruined my attempted nap.
How much of this is sour grapes? Is their reputation really so bad? Fucking champagne toast for Boston?
How much of this is sour grapes? Is their reputation really so bad? Fucking champagne toast for Boston?
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Beer and Queso / VPNs
« on: April 03, 2019, 07:24:18 pm »
Anybody got any advice concerning virtual private networks? Or know of other ways to bedevil MLBTV into not blacking out any teams?
9
Talk Zone / Dece piece on Bregs
« on: March 25, 2019, 08:22:32 am »
Hadn't seen this linked-to anywhere yet. Adds some interesting (if not exactly satisfying) background to Alex's dubious decision last year to post the Eovaldi smack in the postseason. And paints a very colorful picture, in general, of the insane life of a millionaire millennial jock.
https://www.si.com/mlb/2019/03/20/alex-bregman-houston-astros
https://www.si.com/mlb/2019/03/20/alex-bregman-houston-astros
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Talk Zone / Tacos Across America
« on: February 05, 2019, 03:05:05 pm »
Customer comes into my shop today for a triple mocha and a blueberry muffin, pays with a Visa card. I check the name because I always check the name, say, "Any relation to Cameron?" She smiles brightly, "He's my husband."
I explain how cool this is, being that I had made Cameron a sandwich when working at a different coffee shop the year he was drafted out of high school, and that I am most likely Asheville's biggest Astros fan, and that he in Game 2 of the 2017 World Series had one of the most consequential base hits in the franchise's history. I am basically geeking out.
She says she told him before the game started that he needed to steal a base so that everybody could get free Doritos Locos Tacos. I thanked her.
Later, leaving the gym, I got to tell the cute girl at the front desk who calls herself "the future Mrs. Bregman" that I met someone who knows him, and have thus become a very important person in her life.
Cameron is still a free agent. His wife, Courtney, who is a lovely person who attended North Henderson High School here in WNC, and who drives a flashy little thing with preposterous rims, told me they don't really care where he winds up as long as it's not the West Coast. She lives here in Asheville year-round with the kids regardless.
I explain how cool this is, being that I had made Cameron a sandwich when working at a different coffee shop the year he was drafted out of high school, and that I am most likely Asheville's biggest Astros fan, and that he in Game 2 of the 2017 World Series had one of the most consequential base hits in the franchise's history. I am basically geeking out.
She says she told him before the game started that he needed to steal a base so that everybody could get free Doritos Locos Tacos. I thanked her.
Later, leaving the gym, I got to tell the cute girl at the front desk who calls herself "the future Mrs. Bregman" that I met someone who knows him, and have thus become a very important person in her life.
Cameron is still a free agent. His wife, Courtney, who is a lovely person who attended North Henderson High School here in WNC, and who drives a flashy little thing with preposterous rims, told me they don't really care where he winds up as long as it's not the West Coast. She lives here in Asheville year-round with the kids regardless.
11
Talk Zone / Postseason roster questions
« on: September 26, 2018, 05:11:00 pm »
Do Valdez and James make the cut over some combo of Peacock/McHugh/Rondon/Devenski?
Do you play Bregman at short for the ALDS and bench Correa?
I heard Hinch on the pregame today saying he was going to be playing Correa "hard" over the remaining games. If he can't cut it do they leave him off the postseason roster entirely?
Some interesting decisions to be made, it seems.
Do you play Bregman at short for the ALDS and bench Correa?
I heard Hinch on the pregame today saying he was going to be playing Correa "hard" over the remaining games. If he can't cut it do they leave him off the postseason roster entirely?
Some interesting decisions to be made, it seems.
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Beer and Queso / Wonderfully written article about broadcasting
« on: September 25, 2018, 10:59:27 am »
Specifically it's Mets-centered, but those guys really are fun to watch, and the writing is terrific and funny, and includes lots of spot-on Yankees hate.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/25/magazine/mets-baseball-gary-keith-ron.html?action=click&module=Editors%20Picks&pgtype=Homepage
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/25/magazine/mets-baseball-gary-keith-ron.html?action=click&module=Editors%20Picks&pgtype=Homepage
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Beer and Queso / LLWS
« on: August 19, 2018, 02:25:22 pm »
Watching Michigan and Hawaii. An interminable bottom of the second just ended after Hawaii put up six runs on maybe two hits. There was a call at home on a force play where the throw clearly beat the runner, who slid into the catcher and caused him to drop the ball. Not with the best vantage, the home plate umpire called him safe after seeing the ball rolling. But a review should’ve confirmed that he’d made the catch. Yet the call was upheld. Can anyone shed some light on this for me? I’m watching, as always, sans commentary.
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Talk Zone / Mets Starters
« on: June 28, 2018, 03:19:53 pm »
Interim NYM GM says Mets will “consider” offers for Thor and deGrom.
If you’re Luhnow, do you try and make something happen? Perhaps if for no other reason than blocking the AL East?
If you’re Luhnow, do you try and make something happen? Perhaps if for no other reason than blocking the AL East?
15
Talk Zone / Food for thought
« on: June 11, 2018, 11:46:17 am »
My brother-in-law had the good idea of buying my dad the new Mike Pesca book of sports what-ifs for Father's Day. (What if Nixon had been really good at football is one of the topics.) Also he suggested that he and I write our own. I could only think of two right away: what if Jordan had excelled at baseball, and this one. I thought y'all might enjoy.:
Three months after successfully organizing investors in an $89 million purchase of the Texas Rangers and convincing them to make him managing general partner, George W. Bush was approached by team president Tom Schieffer and G.M. Tom Grieve ("the two Toms", he called them) with a trade proposal. Coming off a season in which they'd finished 21 games under .500, good for 6th place in the AL West, the new management team was eager to make their mark. Already they'd inked Nolan Ryan to anchor an eclectic staff featuring Bobby Witt, the ancient Charlie Hough and the intriguing young sinker-artist Kevin Brown. Ruben Sierra was entering his prime and the farm was swimming with potentially explosive hitting prospects. What we need, the two Toms pitched, is a seasoned, veteran, professional hitter; a sage middle-of-the-order presence. They'd agreed in principle already with the Chicago White Sox for three-time All Star Harold Baines, and all they had to do was give up Wilson Alvarez and a long-shot minor leaguer.
Up til now George's life had been marked by rash decisions to such an extent that he hadn't really enjoyed what one might call a "career." He'd lost an election for the House of Representatives. He'd birthed and buried an energy company. But where before he'd done what he thought he was supposed to do, now, with baseball, he felt he'd found his calling. His first instinct was to sign off on the trade. The two Toms had been in baseball a long time, after all, and who was he? The scion of a family of political nobility, a former cheerleader, the son of a one-time first sacker for Yale. But something gave him pause: Samuel Kelvin Peralta Sosa was tearing it up that year for AA Tulsa.
The two Toms explained to George that while the young Dominican had promise, no doubt, his track record since signing as a free agent in '85 had been one of stops and starts. He was a raw talent with excellent speed and projectible pop and he'd always been young for the level of competition, but his strike zone judgment was dismal and his swing Swiss'd with holes. Honestly, George, this guy tops out as a B, maybe a B-plus, they told him. Even say he puts it together, it ain't gonna be for another four, five years. And we got to sell tickets today. Hey, they said, take a look at his numbers in the Florida State League last year--this guy can collapse at any time. Honestly, George, this might be the most valuable he'll ever be. One Tom leaned across the table and extended the pen, the other leaned back and whispered: Harold. Baines.
It was early in the morning, July 29th, 1989. The day before, the Rangers had lost by 12 runs to the Brewers, while in Anaheim Baines had notched a pair of base hits off Bert Blyleven. The young Sosa hadn't much enjoyed his cup of coffee in the bigs that year, striking out in fully a quarter of his 80 at bats, homering exactly once. Meanwhile, his Tulsa teammate and fellow corner outfielder Juan Gonzalez was ruining the Texas League.
Young, streaky, projectible, raw. Abstracted, George took the pen and prepared to sign.
Talented but inconsistent. Unpolished.
This'll keep for a minute, guys? If I wanna go for a run?
At around the three mile mark, George decided to check and see where the Drillers were playing that day. After showering, he drove the four and a half hours to Tulsa, becoming more convinced with every RPM that he'd made the right decision. They'd had a torrid start to the year, the Rangers, going 17 and 5 in April, but they'd cooled off since. Selling the farm for a stable if unspectacular piece like Baines was precisely the sort of thing new ownership teams were always doing. Baines didn't even play a position anymore. When he discovered that Drillers Stadium was located on Yale Avenue he wondered if it might not be a sign from God. He surprised himself by preferring anonymity for that night's game, buying a General Admission ticket, peanuts and a Coke.
The young Dominican struck out twice, swinging as hard as Jose Canseco, but in the seventh the ball chimed off his bat: a low line drive that split the right- and center-fielders practically before they'd even had a chance to move. Sosa was a blur legging it into third standing-up. George had seen enough.
___
The Rangers finished fourth in the West that year, but in '90 Sosa came up to stay. Joined to the core of Pudge Rodriguez, Juan Gonzalez and Rafael Palmeiro, and playing in the new launching pad ballpark George had finagled through eminent domain and a sales tax boost, they'd remain competitive throughout the 90s.
When the labor strife came in '94, George proved himself an indefatigable and moderate force, viewed as reasonable by all sides. Though he briefly entertained the idea of running against Ann Richards for the governorship of Texas, he felt he'd truly hit a groove in MLB. When during the endless work stoppage a group of owners suggested to him that he put his name in for Commissioner, a post officially vacant though nominally held by Bud Selig since Fay Vincent's resignation in '92, he gracefully accepted.
Sometimes he imagined himself in that other life. If he hadn't proved himself as a baseball man he might have done it, after all, yet a slave to the son's need to at least equal his father. Might have thrown his hat in the ring, tried to beat Ann Richards, moved to a mansion in Austin. From which of course it would've been only a short hop to a mansion in D.C.
Oh, it was something to think about, but how glad he was he hadn't done it. How glad he was he'd stayed his hand and talked everyone back from the brink of trading Sosa.
This way the whole family would get to concentrate its formidable powers behind Jeb when it got to be his time. This way 9/11 was John McCain's mess.
Three months after successfully organizing investors in an $89 million purchase of the Texas Rangers and convincing them to make him managing general partner, George W. Bush was approached by team president Tom Schieffer and G.M. Tom Grieve ("the two Toms", he called them) with a trade proposal. Coming off a season in which they'd finished 21 games under .500, good for 6th place in the AL West, the new management team was eager to make their mark. Already they'd inked Nolan Ryan to anchor an eclectic staff featuring Bobby Witt, the ancient Charlie Hough and the intriguing young sinker-artist Kevin Brown. Ruben Sierra was entering his prime and the farm was swimming with potentially explosive hitting prospects. What we need, the two Toms pitched, is a seasoned, veteran, professional hitter; a sage middle-of-the-order presence. They'd agreed in principle already with the Chicago White Sox for three-time All Star Harold Baines, and all they had to do was give up Wilson Alvarez and a long-shot minor leaguer.
Up til now George's life had been marked by rash decisions to such an extent that he hadn't really enjoyed what one might call a "career." He'd lost an election for the House of Representatives. He'd birthed and buried an energy company. But where before he'd done what he thought he was supposed to do, now, with baseball, he felt he'd found his calling. His first instinct was to sign off on the trade. The two Toms had been in baseball a long time, after all, and who was he? The scion of a family of political nobility, a former cheerleader, the son of a one-time first sacker for Yale. But something gave him pause: Samuel Kelvin Peralta Sosa was tearing it up that year for AA Tulsa.
The two Toms explained to George that while the young Dominican had promise, no doubt, his track record since signing as a free agent in '85 had been one of stops and starts. He was a raw talent with excellent speed and projectible pop and he'd always been young for the level of competition, but his strike zone judgment was dismal and his swing Swiss'd with holes. Honestly, George, this guy tops out as a B, maybe a B-plus, they told him. Even say he puts it together, it ain't gonna be for another four, five years. And we got to sell tickets today. Hey, they said, take a look at his numbers in the Florida State League last year--this guy can collapse at any time. Honestly, George, this might be the most valuable he'll ever be. One Tom leaned across the table and extended the pen, the other leaned back and whispered: Harold. Baines.
It was early in the morning, July 29th, 1989. The day before, the Rangers had lost by 12 runs to the Brewers, while in Anaheim Baines had notched a pair of base hits off Bert Blyleven. The young Sosa hadn't much enjoyed his cup of coffee in the bigs that year, striking out in fully a quarter of his 80 at bats, homering exactly once. Meanwhile, his Tulsa teammate and fellow corner outfielder Juan Gonzalez was ruining the Texas League.
Young, streaky, projectible, raw. Abstracted, George took the pen and prepared to sign.
Talented but inconsistent. Unpolished.
This'll keep for a minute, guys? If I wanna go for a run?
At around the three mile mark, George decided to check and see where the Drillers were playing that day. After showering, he drove the four and a half hours to Tulsa, becoming more convinced with every RPM that he'd made the right decision. They'd had a torrid start to the year, the Rangers, going 17 and 5 in April, but they'd cooled off since. Selling the farm for a stable if unspectacular piece like Baines was precisely the sort of thing new ownership teams were always doing. Baines didn't even play a position anymore. When he discovered that Drillers Stadium was located on Yale Avenue he wondered if it might not be a sign from God. He surprised himself by preferring anonymity for that night's game, buying a General Admission ticket, peanuts and a Coke.
The young Dominican struck out twice, swinging as hard as Jose Canseco, but in the seventh the ball chimed off his bat: a low line drive that split the right- and center-fielders practically before they'd even had a chance to move. Sosa was a blur legging it into third standing-up. George had seen enough.
___
The Rangers finished fourth in the West that year, but in '90 Sosa came up to stay. Joined to the core of Pudge Rodriguez, Juan Gonzalez and Rafael Palmeiro, and playing in the new launching pad ballpark George had finagled through eminent domain and a sales tax boost, they'd remain competitive throughout the 90s.
When the labor strife came in '94, George proved himself an indefatigable and moderate force, viewed as reasonable by all sides. Though he briefly entertained the idea of running against Ann Richards for the governorship of Texas, he felt he'd truly hit a groove in MLB. When during the endless work stoppage a group of owners suggested to him that he put his name in for Commissioner, a post officially vacant though nominally held by Bud Selig since Fay Vincent's resignation in '92, he gracefully accepted.
Sometimes he imagined himself in that other life. If he hadn't proved himself as a baseball man he might have done it, after all, yet a slave to the son's need to at least equal his father. Might have thrown his hat in the ring, tried to beat Ann Richards, moved to a mansion in Austin. From which of course it would've been only a short hop to a mansion in D.C.
Oh, it was something to think about, but how glad he was he hadn't done it. How glad he was he'd stayed his hand and talked everyone back from the brink of trading Sosa.
This way the whole family would get to concentrate its formidable powers behind Jeb when it got to be his time. This way 9/11 was John McCain's mess.
16
Beer and Queso / Books (2018)
« on: May 26, 2018, 11:17:06 am »
It's been a terrific year already for books over here so I thought, why not?
Just finished Grace, by the Irish novelist Paul Lynch. Takes place during the potato famine. Extraordinary prose, a bit challenging at first, very idiosyncratic. I think you'd classify it a bildungsroman.
Finished the Mars trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson this year. This is hard sci-fi, but KSR is so smart and intellectually widespread and such a good writer it doesn't feel geeky. (His Shaman from a few years back is one of the best novels I've ever read--it was inspired by Werner Herzog's documentary Cave of Forgotten Dreams about 45,000 year-old cave paintings in northern France, and so far every one I've turned on to it has loved it--and been surprised by it--as well. KSR rules.) Blue Mars wasn't the book its predecessors (Red Mars and Green Mars) were, but I'm so glad I read the trilogy. Really makes one think about new beginnings, and though he wrote them in the 90s they seem particularly of the moment right now.
Our book club's read Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich and The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead so far this year. The former I put down in exasperation a third of the way through. The latter I finished and found very thought-provoking, though probably not always in ways Whitehead intended. It was good but the Pulitzer and the National Book Award?
I'm really excited about two books I just started: The Overstory by Richard Powers and Farewell to the Horse by Ulrich Raulff. The Overstory is actually about trees. A sprawling novel that took like four pages to change the way I see the world. Pretty sure I'm going to have to read all the Richard Powers books now. And Farewell is a perhaps unclassifiable history of the end of the era of horses. (In the intro he references a fellow historian who separated human history into three eras: before horses, horses, after horses.) It promises to be incredible. Raulff and Powers both have astonishing brains, and it's fun to binge on horses and trees at the same time.
The quantum leap in my life this year has been discovering that I prefer listening to audio books while at the gym than music/podcasts, and that I prefer listening to audio books in the car than music, and that absolutely anything (especially an audio book) is preferable to listening to the news. So I listened to Mary Renault's Alexander trilogy and am two and a half books into Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad series. The Renault was a revelation. Really lush historical fiction with serious plotting excellence and crystalline characterization. I feel like the third book might have served as a specific inspiration for Game of Thrones. The second was terrific, if a bit too eunuchy, and the first I just flat adored. Oliver Stone's amazingly terrible Alexander was based on these beautiful books. Tana French was recommended to me by my sister in Austin. The first book (Into the Woods) was so-so, the second (The Likeness) I loved, and so far the third (Faithful Place) is the best yet.
Let's see, what else?
Oh yeah, read Tim Kreider's second book of essays, I Wrote this Book Because I love You. His first book, We Learn Nothing, stands as one of my favorite exposes of a fellow human mind. This one I liked a lot but you can't ever have first love again, I guess. Where the first was variously about his friendships, politics, aging, love, sex and family, this one is almost exclusively about women he's been with. And it doesn't have any of his brilliant cartoons 'cause I guess he doesn't want to do cartoons anymore. Oh well. C'est la vie. It's still a book filled with jewel-like essays.
Just finished Grace, by the Irish novelist Paul Lynch. Takes place during the potato famine. Extraordinary prose, a bit challenging at first, very idiosyncratic. I think you'd classify it a bildungsroman.
Finished the Mars trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson this year. This is hard sci-fi, but KSR is so smart and intellectually widespread and such a good writer it doesn't feel geeky. (His Shaman from a few years back is one of the best novels I've ever read--it was inspired by Werner Herzog's documentary Cave of Forgotten Dreams about 45,000 year-old cave paintings in northern France, and so far every one I've turned on to it has loved it--and been surprised by it--as well. KSR rules.) Blue Mars wasn't the book its predecessors (Red Mars and Green Mars) were, but I'm so glad I read the trilogy. Really makes one think about new beginnings, and though he wrote them in the 90s they seem particularly of the moment right now.
Our book club's read Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich and The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead so far this year. The former I put down in exasperation a third of the way through. The latter I finished and found very thought-provoking, though probably not always in ways Whitehead intended. It was good but the Pulitzer and the National Book Award?
I'm really excited about two books I just started: The Overstory by Richard Powers and Farewell to the Horse by Ulrich Raulff. The Overstory is actually about trees. A sprawling novel that took like four pages to change the way I see the world. Pretty sure I'm going to have to read all the Richard Powers books now. And Farewell is a perhaps unclassifiable history of the end of the era of horses. (In the intro he references a fellow historian who separated human history into three eras: before horses, horses, after horses.) It promises to be incredible. Raulff and Powers both have astonishing brains, and it's fun to binge on horses and trees at the same time.
The quantum leap in my life this year has been discovering that I prefer listening to audio books while at the gym than music/podcasts, and that I prefer listening to audio books in the car than music, and that absolutely anything (especially an audio book) is preferable to listening to the news. So I listened to Mary Renault's Alexander trilogy and am two and a half books into Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad series. The Renault was a revelation. Really lush historical fiction with serious plotting excellence and crystalline characterization. I feel like the third book might have served as a specific inspiration for Game of Thrones. The second was terrific, if a bit too eunuchy, and the first I just flat adored. Oliver Stone's amazingly terrible Alexander was based on these beautiful books. Tana French was recommended to me by my sister in Austin. The first book (Into the Woods) was so-so, the second (The Likeness) I loved, and so far the third (Faithful Place) is the best yet.
Let's see, what else?
Oh yeah, read Tim Kreider's second book of essays, I Wrote this Book Because I love You. His first book, We Learn Nothing, stands as one of my favorite exposes of a fellow human mind. This one I liked a lot but you can't ever have first love again, I guess. Where the first was variously about his friendships, politics, aging, love, sex and family, this one is almost exclusively about women he's been with. And it doesn't have any of his brilliant cartoons 'cause I guess he doesn't want to do cartoons anymore. Oh well. C'est la vie. It's still a book filled with jewel-like essays.
17
Albert Pujols just made the second out of the inning at third base after earlier reaching on a dropped third strike. If runs score, will they be earned or unearned? I’m always confused about the rules concerning plays involving wild pitches and passed balls and the like, not errors technically but...
ETA: he’d reached on a wild pitch strike 3.
ETAA: can a player be counted as an out twice in one inning, or does the actual out made just rectify the initial mistake? FWIW, I don’t think Semien makes an out on the grounder if Pujols isn’t chugging to third. I think he pockets it and there’s runners on first and second. But I did have a lot of fucking coffee today.
ETA: he’d reached on a wild pitch strike 3.
ETAA: can a player be counted as an out twice in one inning, or does the actual out made just rectify the initial mistake? FWIW, I don’t think Semien makes an out on the grounder if Pujols isn’t chugging to third. I think he pockets it and there’s runners on first and second. But I did have a lot of fucking coffee today.
20
Talk Zone / Word of the Day
« on: October 10, 2017, 10:16:51 am »
Courtesy Dictionary.com:
Astrobleme: Geology. 1) An erosional scar on the earth's surface, produced by the impact of a cosmic body, such as a meteorite, asteroid, or Houston nine. See: Globe Life Park, September 25-27 and Fenway Park, October 9th, 2017.
Astrobleme: Geology. 1) An erosional scar on the earth's surface, produced by the impact of a cosmic body, such as a meteorite, asteroid, or Houston nine. See: Globe Life Park, September 25-27 and Fenway Park, October 9th, 2017.
21
The Championship Season Game Zone 2017 / ALDS Game 3: Astros vs. Red Sox
« on: October 08, 2017, 01:37:02 pm »
Here we go, ladies and gents.
22
Talk Zone / Streaming the postseason
« on: October 03, 2017, 06:39:53 pm »
OK, so personally I can stream ESPN and I can sort of watch Fox if we get astonishingly lucky and make it to the dance, but I am SOL for FS1, TBS, and MLB Network. I'm planning on signing up for SlingTV for the ALDS (apparently the first week is free), but an experiment with Sling of a couple years ago (I think pertaining to GOT) didn't leave a good impression, and I'm worried the feed will be shit.
Does anyone have any suggestions for otherwise streaming the postseason? I can and will attend watering holes for these affairs but 2005 was an experience of singular alienation I am not enthusiastic about repeating.
Any and all help welcome.
Does anyone have any suggestions for otherwise streaming the postseason? I can and will attend watering holes for these affairs but 2005 was an experience of singular alienation I am not enthusiastic about repeating.
Any and all help welcome.
25
Talk Zone / Altuve and strikeouts
« on: April 26, 2017, 12:20:32 pm »
Altuve struck out for the 19th and 20th times on April 25th. This is the first time in his career he's struck out that much in April. In each of his previous full seasons he's notched number twenty on the following dates:
2016: May 17th (40th)
2015: May 30th (49th)
2014: June 3rd (59th)
2013: May 11th (37th)
2012: May 15th (36th)
*ETA 2011: 20th K in 39th game after being called up
Of course he's also got an OPS of .828 right now and seven swipes, so who's complaining. I'm just wondering what everybody makes of this--if there's anything to make. Has the reduction in strikeouts from the team in general reduced pressure on him to make contact all the time? Is he experiencing a residual effect from struggling in the WBC rather than having fun in Spring Training? Is this related in some way to last year's power surge? Is it just a totally random bad luck start?
ETA: Yesterday's was the 20th game of the season. Just for shits and giggles I've added parenthetically the game number in which he reached 20 Ks for the previous years.
2016: May 17th (40th)
2015: May 30th (49th)
2014: June 3rd (59th)
2013: May 11th (37th)
2012: May 15th (36th)
*ETA 2011: 20th K in 39th game after being called up
Of course he's also got an OPS of .828 right now and seven swipes, so who's complaining. I'm just wondering what everybody makes of this--if there's anything to make. Has the reduction in strikeouts from the team in general reduced pressure on him to make contact all the time? Is he experiencing a residual effect from struggling in the WBC rather than having fun in Spring Training? Is this related in some way to last year's power surge? Is it just a totally random bad luck start?
ETA: Yesterday's was the 20th game of the season. Just for shits and giggles I've added parenthetically the game number in which he reached 20 Ks for the previous years.
26
Talk Zone / the New Guy
« on: March 01, 2017, 08:39:08 am »
I thought Todd Kalais did a fine job in his first turn at PBP yesterday. Wasn't paying the closest attention, but he's got a nice voice, didn't seem panicked by the occasional silence, worked well with Blummer and evinced evidence of a cultural IQ extending beyond the diamond. Mostly, however, he was not ever, not for one second, Alan Ashby. Which was amazing.
I might actually watch the TV feed some this year. Which would be nice, since I like Julia.
I might actually watch the TV feed some this year. Which would be nice, since I like Julia.
27
Talk Zone / TOOTBLAS (?)
« on: March 01, 2017, 08:34:50 am »
Listening to Monday's game against the Mets I heard that some Astro was thrown out trying to take an extra base in order to ensure that the throw didn't go home to contest a run. Seems like this happens more and more these days and seldom if ever used to happen. Am I wrong about that? It feels like another tweak--like the shift, stolen-base hate and increasing tolerance of strike outs--that, though grounded in sound statistical analysis, contributes to asymmetry and therefore unbeautifulness in the game. It directly depresses two of baseball's most glorious features (plays at the plate; rallies) to increase the likelihood of a single run scoring while tending to result in guys being thrown out by a bunch--like, walking into the defender's glove "a bunch."
Anyway, I thought this observation rhymed with the pace-grumbling some of us have been engaged in elsewhere. Thrown Out On the Basepaths Like A...Sabrematician?
Anyway, I thought this observation rhymed with the pace-grumbling some of us have been engaged in elsewhere. Thrown Out On the Basepaths Like A...Sabrematician?
28
Beer and Queso / Quickbooks question
« on: February 22, 2017, 11:24:06 am »
I'm in the preliminary stages right now of hopefully opening a coffeehouse (meaning, I guess, that I hope it happens as well as I'm doing it in a hopeful manner). One of the myriad decisions to make is about accounting software.
1) Is Quickbooks the best option?
2) Is Quickbooks Online that much more convenient than the stand-alone version?
If I had my druthers, I'd just buy the stand-alone version outright (there's a sale right now on the Plus version--which upgrades annually--for $179) rather than end up subscribing for $30 a month. But I've never done this before. What seems to be the online version's biggest advantage is that it automatically syncs your transactions to your business banking account. Can anybody tell me how huge a time-saver that is? Am I overlooking or paying short shrift to other advantages/drawbacks of either platform?
I've also read that the writing's on the wall that they're sooner or later going to abandon the stand-alone applications entirely. So there's that.
Anyway, riveting stuff, I know. Grateful for any expertise on this score.
1) Is Quickbooks the best option?
2) Is Quickbooks Online that much more convenient than the stand-alone version?
If I had my druthers, I'd just buy the stand-alone version outright (there's a sale right now on the Plus version--which upgrades annually--for $179) rather than end up subscribing for $30 a month. But I've never done this before. What seems to be the online version's biggest advantage is that it automatically syncs your transactions to your business banking account. Can anybody tell me how huge a time-saver that is? Am I overlooking or paying short shrift to other advantages/drawbacks of either platform?
I've also read that the writing's on the wall that they're sooner or later going to abandon the stand-alone applications entirely. So there's that.
Anyway, riveting stuff, I know. Grateful for any expertise on this score.
29
Beer and Queso / 2016 Music Thread
« on: November 11, 2016, 09:43:07 am »
...seeing as we're almost finished with the year, some highlights:
Kevin Morby, his entire oeuvre (which currently consists of three albums, the most recent being Singing Saw, absolutely outstanding.
Ditto Bahamas.
Maybe most excited about the horribly named Car Seat Headrest: hard to peg, but elements of Weezer and LCD Soundsystem and bad punk here. Their Teens of Denial is currently in heavy rotation.
The new Angel Olsen is excellent.
Lianne La Havas is my favorite lady of the year. Blood is great from start to finish, "Green and Gold" irresistible.
Ezra Furman's "Lousy Connection" may be my favorite track of the year, though the old Monkees song "Goin' Down" competes.
San Antonio's NIna Diaz just put out a reallyintriguing strange album with some, I think, big winners on it. Album is self-titled, no it isn't, it's called The Beat is Dead, "Rebirth" and "January 9th", at least, are terrific.
*ETA: RIP, Leonard Cohen. What a voice. Shoulda been you winning that Nobel prize. In a sideways way, Kevin Morby could go on to have such a career.
Kevin Morby, his entire oeuvre (which currently consists of three albums, the most recent being Singing Saw, absolutely outstanding.
Ditto Bahamas.
Maybe most excited about the horribly named Car Seat Headrest: hard to peg, but elements of Weezer and LCD Soundsystem and bad punk here. Their Teens of Denial is currently in heavy rotation.
The new Angel Olsen is excellent.
Lianne La Havas is my favorite lady of the year. Blood is great from start to finish, "Green and Gold" irresistible.
Ezra Furman's "Lousy Connection" may be my favorite track of the year, though the old Monkees song "Goin' Down" competes.
San Antonio's NIna Diaz just put out a really
*ETA: RIP, Leonard Cohen. What a voice. Shoulda been you winning that Nobel prize. In a sideways way, Kevin Morby could go on to have such a career.
30
Beer and Queso / PC laptops
« on: September 13, 2016, 03:16:07 pm »
I'm thinking of getting a PC laptop. I've never had one. What's there to say about Dell's Inspiron series these days? Lenovo? Acer?
Thought I'd throw this one out to the good people of OWA. I want 8GB system memory, 1080p resolution, an Intel i5 processor, and to spend as much less than $1,000 as I can, without having purchased a piece of shit.
Thought I'd throw this one out to the good people of OWA. I want 8GB system memory, 1080p resolution, an Intel i5 processor, and to spend as much less than $1,000 as I can, without having purchased a piece of shit.
31
Talk Zone / Dreams from my Astros
« on: September 07, 2016, 08:33:09 am »
For the past ten days or so I've been visited regularly by Astros dreams. This never used to happen. I don't know why now all of a sudden unless it's just that my subconscious has exhausted its usual fare (into which I'll not delve). We're in a big transition at the moment: our house for the past five years (the first we've owned) will close tomorrow, and we've temporarily moved into my wife's parents' basement while our new house completes construction. So suddenly we're in a room the size of a Manhattan studio with two cats that aren't used to it. I watched last night's harrowing ninth on my desktop with tinny sound bleeting from the Mac-Mini, the wi-fi stuttering in and out like to twist a knife in your skull, folding laundry I could put away without moving. Anyway.
The Astros were in the playoffs, and in the middle of the game it became, literally, a shooting war. Castro led a flanking maneuver and brutally put down the opponent (Mariners, I think) with a relentless enfilade.
Another time, the baseball game became a football game in the late innings when the opponent threw a Hail Mary. In this dream, I'm not kidding, Coach offered to teach me how to "tackle the knees."
In another one, Ashby was making a comeback as a catcher on the current squad. (Addition by subtraction? Subtraction by addition? You be the judge.)
Anyway, just thought I'd share. I figured if anyone else was having, or had had, Astros dreams, it was probably someone on OWA.
The Astros were in the playoffs, and in the middle of the game it became, literally, a shooting war. Castro led a flanking maneuver and brutally put down the opponent (Mariners, I think) with a relentless enfilade.
Another time, the baseball game became a football game in the late innings when the opponent threw a Hail Mary. In this dream, I'm not kidding, Coach offered to teach me how to "tackle the knees."
In another one, Ashby was making a comeback as a catcher on the current squad. (Addition by subtraction? Subtraction by addition? You be the judge.)
Anyway, just thought I'd share. I figured if anyone else was having, or had had, Astros dreams, it was probably someone on OWA.
32
Talk Zone / Papi in the Hall
« on: August 16, 2016, 02:12:01 pm »
It's been my experience this year that a broad swath of commentators consider Ortiz a virtual shoe-in for the Hall. This has grated on me a bit given:
1) he once failed a PED test;
2) he's a DH;
3) Jeff Bagwell.
But I appreciate the fact that my homerism might be coloring my perspective on this. Does Ortiz belong in the Hall? As of today he's racked up 530 home runs and a slash line of 285/379/550 over a 20-year career. What do you think?
1) he once failed a PED test;
2) he's a DH;
3) Jeff Bagwell.
But I appreciate the fact that my homerism might be coloring my perspective on this. Does Ortiz belong in the Hall? As of today he's racked up 530 home runs and a slash line of 285/379/550 over a 20-year career. What do you think?
34
Talk Zone / Trueblood on the Astros
« on: June 30, 2016, 01:23:20 pm »
What's the technique for embedding a hyperlink in text, so that you don't always have to do this: http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=29696 ?
36
The Bus Ride Discussion Forum / Darryl Robinson
« on: May 09, 2016, 03:01:43 pm »
Good stuff in this article about how they're training the boys in Lexington: http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=29116
37
Talk Zone / Worth $30...
« on: April 08, 2016, 05:06:56 pm »
...and signing up for an eBay account for the first time:
A remote control for my early-90s-model Kenwood receiver (the original having been lost in a move probably fifteen years ago), that I might never have to listen to this LG commercial during MLB TV commercial breaks ever again.
A remote control for my early-90s-model Kenwood receiver (the original having been lost in a move probably fifteen years ago), that I might never have to listen to this LG commercial during MLB TV commercial breaks ever again.
38
Talk Zone / Not exactly tamping down the excitement here...
« on: March 11, 2016, 10:19:12 am »
...is this piece from Baseball Prospectus: http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=28636
The Correa bit was eye-popping.
The Correa bit was eye-popping.
39
The Bus Ride Discussion Forum / So (or should I say, "sew") much love for this.
« on: February 25, 2016, 04:41:19 pm »
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/mlb/article/Houstons-Astros-minor-league-affiliate-to-roll-6852606.php
Who are the three featured amigos?
Who are the three featured amigos?
40
Talk Zone / The Rancher
« on: January 20, 2016, 11:31:33 am »
http://m.astros.mlb.com/news/article/162342464/colby-rasmus-feeling-at-home-with-astros
...in which the outfielder sheds some light on the pastoral qualities of the clubhouse:
"I guess it's kind of like managing my own baseball team, but I'm not dealing with human beings," Rasmus said. "I'm dealing with cows and they can kind of come and go, and eat and feed as they please."
...in which the outfielder sheds some light on the pastoral qualities of the clubhouse:
"I guess it's kind of like managing my own baseball team, but I'm not dealing with human beings," Rasmus said. "I'm dealing with cows and they can kind of come and go, and eat and feed as they please."
41
Talk Zone / 8th inning, game 4
« on: January 13, 2016, 12:16:36 pm »
Probably a lot of you have seen this already, and probably a lot of you don't want to, but I found it eased my pain a bit--though I'm not sure why. The excellent Sam Miller autopsies one of life's worst innings:
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=28123
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=28123
42
Talk Zone / I'll just leave this here...
« on: October 29, 2015, 11:32:35 am »
For all of you maybe hoping for a different workplace jargon to loathe:
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=27776
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=27776
43
Talk Zone / Streaming TBS / FS1
« on: October 08, 2015, 09:59:05 am »
I have a ROKU at home, no cable, and the equation of me + Astros playoff game + a bar was treacherous (and expensive) enough when I was ten years younger. Anybody know of any streaming solutions?
44
Talk Zone / the Stem...
« on: June 25, 2015, 06:04:12 pm »
...are under .500 for the first time since April 11th. They've got scads of pitching. What say we make a deal with our sister org. What's it look like?
I know these conversations are next to pointless but the urge isn't lessened for logic. Matz is dominating in Las Vegas, of all places. What plus Fontana does it take to land him, and would you want to? That sort of thing.
I know these conversations are next to pointless but the urge isn't lessened for logic. Matz is dominating in Las Vegas, of all places. What plus Fontana does it take to land him, and would you want to? That sort of thing.
45
Does anybody listen to the Crawfish Boxes podcast? http://www.crawfishboxes.com/2015/5/26/8656457/astros-podcast-fin Is it worth an add?
I've recently subscribed to the Baseball Prospectus podcast (Effectively Wild), which I find I quite enjoy--definitely more than BA's.
I've recently subscribed to the Baseball Prospectus podcast (Effectively Wild), which I find I quite enjoy--definitely more than BA's.
47
Beer and Queso / Recommendations for Houston Weekend
« on: April 14, 2015, 09:59:27 am »
So my wife and I are surprising my dad for his birthday at the May 1st game. We're staying in a Hyatt Regency near MMP and will be looking for places to eat/things to do Saturday. Breakfast, lunch, dinner--the works. We're foodies, on the drinky side, and looking to spend a little money. On Sunday I think we'll be brunching with my folks en route to the airport. All suggestions appreciated!
48
Talk Zone / Brilliant Astros programs from the 60s
« on: February 18, 2015, 09:55:32 am »
http://deadspin.com/1960s-astros-programs-were-weird-1686501644
I think I need someone to explain the Indian one, for me.
Love the dosing of the Cub and the depiction of the Mets...
I think I need someone to explain the Indian one, for me.
Love the dosing of the Cub and the depiction of the Mets...
49
Talk Zone / "I Remember 2012"
« on: August 20, 2012, 05:24:27 pm »
Obviously it was weird when Raider Jeff coaxed the Tank Commander out of retirement to helm the flooding vessel into the strange waters of the AL West. Obviously Springer being what Springer is wasn't what those of us who let hope in the door hoped for, and the Ming Santana flirtation with greatness has reminded one of Reeshard (and the perpetual gnashing of teeth signified therein), obviously we still strike out too much and, with the exception of the Kid, send to the bump a rotation of #3s, but Jesus when we hit we knock the crap out of the ball, and the defense shows up and then some, and the bullpen throws smoke, and his 31 peers in GM offices around the country tremble when Raider Jeff shows up on caller ID, and our rangy righthander in the owner's box seems to have the measure of the rangy righthander in that of the Hated Foe (4K strikeout differential notwithstanding), and the Yankees fans don't outcheer the hometown crowd anymore (quite as often, anyway), and nobody relaxes when the Houston Astros come up on the schedule.
What a shock it was to approach the deadline back in 2016 and realize that there was a chance, just a shitty little glimmer of a chance, that we'd actually be buyers; though I think it had to've been the midseason call-up of Correa that year that really changed the game. "Correa to Deshields to Singleton--and that's your ballgame, folks!" It was suddenly clear that here we had not a new kind of rookie exactly, but a rare bird, one that in spite of his slender years brought a peculiar charge and stability to what for the better part of a decade had been more or less a permanent traveling horseshit show that even those millenial Stros would've been embarrassed to swat down. Solitary episodes triggering hope-related symptoms jump out now: CJL following the Brad Lidge path to shut-down dominance (missing nary a stop on the DL en route); the "Jason Castro Era" giving over to the "Deshields Era"; Kid McCullers K'ing Pujols to record his first major league out--what a cracking thing of beauty that was... And now that there's three left to play, all against the Hated Foe, and a sweep puts us into the playoffs, it occurs to me that though no one of any relevance is talking about it, the spirit of 2012 is the real galvanizing force here, the nasty fucker of a demon these 26 honest-to-Cartwright ballplayers are doing battle with...not the Foe under the Old Man's grumbling despotism, not Selig or the legion of skeptics or their own burgeoning rivalries. It's that interminable season of Cleveland Spiders-level futility, that season of jaw-dropping ineptitude (remember "the bunt"?), of strikeouts suffered in humiliating quantities, walks and wild pitches and errors so generously distributed, the astonishing pace at which we, as fans, inured ourselves to the indignities of anticipated failure. Oh Lord, the fucking unholy destruction. When, if you were an optimist, you scoured the Web for news of 17-year olds in Greeneville, you began counting down to draft day the day after draft day, and were made fleetingly content by the successful execution of routine plays. I remember 2012.
I remember 2012 and they do too. Even given the revolving door, the attrition that's turned the club entirely over, even though not a single surname adorns the blue and gold that once disgraced the brick and mud, they remember too. A red line links these Astros of 2018 to the hapless bunch of NLers who meekly exited the Senior Circuit stage at about 3:30 on October 3rd from Wrigley Field in '12, expressing in their final act the the nadir of a once-proud franchise. That we're proud again today reveals that the red specter of that abysmal season is at least partially exorcised. And that there's fight in this team after such endless brutal shellacking makes me want to call my mother and tell her I love her, makes me want to lift a glass high and stroll down the street crying tears of joy for America, because I remember 2012.
Say it with me:
What a shock it was to approach the deadline back in 2016 and realize that there was a chance, just a shitty little glimmer of a chance, that we'd actually be buyers; though I think it had to've been the midseason call-up of Correa that year that really changed the game. "Correa to Deshields to Singleton--and that's your ballgame, folks!" It was suddenly clear that here we had not a new kind of rookie exactly, but a rare bird, one that in spite of his slender years brought a peculiar charge and stability to what for the better part of a decade had been more or less a permanent traveling horseshit show that even those millenial Stros would've been embarrassed to swat down. Solitary episodes triggering hope-related symptoms jump out now: CJL following the Brad Lidge path to shut-down dominance (missing nary a stop on the DL en route); the "Jason Castro Era" giving over to the "Deshields Era"; Kid McCullers K'ing Pujols to record his first major league out--what a cracking thing of beauty that was... And now that there's three left to play, all against the Hated Foe, and a sweep puts us into the playoffs, it occurs to me that though no one of any relevance is talking about it, the spirit of 2012 is the real galvanizing force here, the nasty fucker of a demon these 26 honest-to-Cartwright ballplayers are doing battle with...not the Foe under the Old Man's grumbling despotism, not Selig or the legion of skeptics or their own burgeoning rivalries. It's that interminable season of Cleveland Spiders-level futility, that season of jaw-dropping ineptitude (remember "the bunt"?), of strikeouts suffered in humiliating quantities, walks and wild pitches and errors so generously distributed, the astonishing pace at which we, as fans, inured ourselves to the indignities of anticipated failure. Oh Lord, the fucking unholy destruction. When, if you were an optimist, you scoured the Web for news of 17-year olds in Greeneville, you began counting down to draft day the day after draft day, and were made fleetingly content by the successful execution of routine plays. I remember 2012.
I remember 2012 and they do too. Even given the revolving door, the attrition that's turned the club entirely over, even though not a single surname adorns the blue and gold that once disgraced the brick and mud, they remember too. A red line links these Astros of 2018 to the hapless bunch of NLers who meekly exited the Senior Circuit stage at about 3:30 on October 3rd from Wrigley Field in '12, expressing in their final act the the nadir of a once-proud franchise. That we're proud again today reveals that the red specter of that abysmal season is at least partially exorcised. And that there's fight in this team after such endless brutal shellacking makes me want to call my mother and tell her I love her, makes me want to lift a glass high and stroll down the street crying tears of joy for America, because I remember 2012.
Say it with me:
50
Talk Zone / A request for frank assessments...
« on: July 25, 2012, 04:20:17 pm »
Having listened to more Astros baseball than watched this year, I'm curious to know what the dwellers honestly think of the current roster and their possible development. That's all.
Thanks!
Thanks!
51
Talk Zone / New playoff rules
« on: May 17, 2012, 05:05:52 pm »
Since Selig insisted on grafting an added WC to a schedule that'd already been set, owners have agreed to a 2-3 format for the divisional series'. This means that the team with home-field advantage will play the first two games of a best of five...on the road.
If you want to read a lot more crap, here it is: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/selig-oakland-move-might-considered-170107301--mlb.html;_ylt=AgZ8sDOlA5J_u7JnsZ3w6Rk5nYcB
If you want to read a lot more crap, here it is: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/selig-oakland-move-might-considered-170107301--mlb.html;_ylt=AgZ8sDOlA5J_u7JnsZ3w6Rk5nYcB
52
Talk Zone / Dr. Gary...
« on: April 22, 2006, 10:51:09 pm »
...on Preston Wilson's recent struggles:
"Only he really knows how he feels at the plate," hitting coach Gary Gaetti said. "Until he wants to really open up to me and wants to maybe go to a different place, there's not a whole lot I can do. I can just encourage him."
Tres interesant. A man with a neanderthal's brow and a heart of gold. A patient man, our batting coach. A wise man.
Maybe Pres disdainful of Dr. Gary?
"Only he really knows how he feels at the plate," hitting coach Gary Gaetti said. "Until he wants to really open up to me and wants to maybe go to a different place, there's not a whole lot I can do. I can just encourage him."
Tres interesant. A man with a neanderthal's brow and a heart of gold. A patient man, our batting coach. A wise man.
Maybe Pres disdainful of Dr. Gary?
53
O.K. so, if we begin a season exactly opposite how we ended the previous one (a 1-0 loss), does that mean we'll end that season exactly opposite (a World Series victory)?
Or, would exactly the opposite be a last place finish?
Or, am I wasting valuable bandwidth with my idiotic meanderings?
Or, would exactly the opposite be a last place finish?
Or, am I wasting valuable bandwidth with my idiotic meanderings?
54
Talk Zone / *The* Game of Inches
« on: October 11, 2005, 03:06:00 pm »
I haven't had an internet connection for some time now, but I spent all five hours and fifty minutes at a local place here in Asheville watching Game 4, reaching the trough of despair and then the height of elation and then the long sustained heart attack of extra-innings futility and desperation, followed of course by the blast and ensuing giddy idiocy. I think it would be appropriate, given the Scott homer that almost was, the AJones double that almost was, the fielding miscues that made it possible, and of course the Ausmus homer that could, to dub this game officially in OWA lexicon "THE Game of Inches."
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