Remember how Jaff Decker got off to a horrendous start this season after missing extensive time due to a hamstring injury? Nathaniel at Chicken Friars advised us not to worry and he was right. Decker has shaken off the rust in a big way: Month(s) PA BA OBP SLG BB% K% May 62 .140 .210 [...]
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Friday Links (16 Jul 10)
Before we get to the links, I have two questions for you: Do you find these link dumps useful and/or interesting? Are there any baseball blogs/web sites I should be reading that don’t show up here? While you’re thinking, let’s take a little trip… Second-half previews: National League (SweetSpot). Rob Neyer takes a quick look [...]
Me, Elsewhere: Not Tall, Just Good
My latest Hardball Times article focuses on the little people. I’m not talking metaphorically here: I thought it might be fun to highlight some players who enjoyed considerable success despite being “vertically challenged.” Since I’m such a fan of creating fake teams, I decided to assemble a squad of short players who were also very [...]
Friar Forecast’s Padres 2010 Trade Deadline Primer
Friend of Ducksnorts Myron Logan (Friar Forecast) has teamed up with John Bonnes and the gang at TwinsCentric to produce an e-book called the 2010 Trade Deadline Primer. Myron contributed the chapter on the Padres (duh) and did a terrific job with it. I will steal from the marketing folks for this next bit: Whether [...]
Friday Links (9 Jul 10)
I’m glad Jerry Hairston Jr. finally hit a home run away from San Diego Thursday night. That’s his first road homer of the year, to go with the five he’s hit at home. I was beginning to fear that maybe Hairston’s power was just a product of Petco Park… Tagg, You’re It: A Conversation with [...]
With Half a Season Remaining, I’m Already Running Low on Ellipses
One of the joys of east coast road trips is that, thanks to the day gig, I almost never catch any of the action. I heard exactly two pitches as I started driving home on Tuesday evening: strike one and game over. Well, that was a nice way to pass the time during my commute. [...]
Me, Elsewhere: Call Him Deacon Blues
My latest at Hardball Times recounts the career of former Padres farmhand Warren Newson, who could have had a darned good career if given the chance. The Padres selected Newson in the fourth round of the 1986 January draft (they’d tabbed right-hander Doug Brocail in the first round) and he proceeded to post silly numbers [...]
Stuff on My Mind: Stolen Bases, Broadcasters, Poet Laureates, and Such
I keep notes in a book that resembles nothing so much as a mess. Typically I use these notes as the basis for articles here, there, and everywhere. Sometimes stuff doesn’t get used right away, so I periodically flip through my book to see if there’s anything that interested me at one point that might [...]
Stay Healthy, My Friends
Congratulations to Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez on being named to the National League All-Star team. Now that you have been thus honored, I make a humble request: Don’t play in the game. If that is not possible, don’t engage in any risky behavior that could jeopardize your chances to help a team that surprisingly [...]
That Was Fun… and So Was That
by Geoff Young on Jul 12, 2010 (9) Comments
Thoughts on Sunday’s win I don’t know if that was a must-win game (aren’t they all?), but it sure was nice to avoid the sweep in Colorado headed into the All-Star break. The Rockies are a talented team, and they always seem to get stronger as the season progresses. I’d be lying if I said [...]