A weblog of baseball news and analysis
Wednesday, May 12, 2004
Mariners drop the ball in 7-6 loss to Twins. The bullpen blew a 6-2 lead, and the Twins won in the 11th. (Seattle Times)
David Cameron: "The M's made a point of acquiring a bunch of impatient hacks who can't drive the ball, and it's no surprise that they can't score runs. You just can't single your way to blowouts. Screw the broadcasters and their love for little ball and moving runners along; good offenses draw walks and hit home runs. The Mariners do neither, and until they learn the value of patience and power, they are going to be a poor offensive club." (U.S.S. Mariner)
Massachusetts town uncovers evidence about its place baseball history.
Transaction Analysis: May 5-10. "I suppose Ben Christensen deserves something. How about good riddance? It would be hard to imagine a more despicable act on the field than his cowardly attack on Anthony Molina, but among any roster of second-tier sins are the apologies made on his behalf by some in the working press and within the Cubs' organization. For his crimes, I had hoped he'd never make it, and I remain hopeful that in this one small case, the universe continues to have a sense of justice." (Baseball Prospectus)
Project Knuckleball. "There is no right way to hold a knuckleball when throwing it (seams, no seams; two fingers, three), and no predictable flight pattern once it leaves the hand. 'Butterflies aren’t bullets,' the longtime knuckleballer Charlie Hough once said. 'You can’t aim ’em—you just let ’em go.'" (The New Yorker)
David Cameron: "The M's made a point of acquiring a bunch of impatient hacks who can't drive the ball, and it's no surprise that they can't score runs. You just can't single your way to blowouts. Screw the broadcasters and their love for little ball and moving runners along; good offenses draw walks and hit home runs. The Mariners do neither, and until they learn the value of patience and power, they are going to be a poor offensive club." (U.S.S. Mariner)
Massachusetts town uncovers evidence about its place baseball history.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. (AP) -- City officials and historians released a document Tuesday that they say shows baseball was being played in Pittsfield in the late 1700s, long before legend credits Abner Doubleday with drawing up the rules of the game.(Yahoo!)
The evidence comes in a 1791 by-law to protect the windows in Pittsfield's new meeting house by banning anyone from playing baseball within 80 yards of the building.
"It's clear that not only was baseball played here in 1791, but it was rampant,'' said historian John Thorn, who was researching the origins of baseball when he found a reference to the law in an 1869 book on Pittsfield's history. "It was rampant enough to have an ordinance against it.''
Transaction Analysis: May 5-10. "I suppose Ben Christensen deserves something. How about good riddance? It would be hard to imagine a more despicable act on the field than his cowardly attack on Anthony Molina, but among any roster of second-tier sins are the apologies made on his behalf by some in the working press and within the Cubs' organization. For his crimes, I had hoped he'd never make it, and I remain hopeful that in this one small case, the universe continues to have a sense of justice." (Baseball Prospectus)
Project Knuckleball. "There is no right way to hold a knuckleball when throwing it (seams, no seams; two fingers, three), and no predictable flight pattern once it leaves the hand. 'Butterflies aren’t bullets,' the longtime knuckleballer Charlie Hough once said. 'You can’t aim ’em—you just let ’em go.'" (The New Yorker)