10.30.07
Posted in Baseball at 5:26 pm by Valentine
Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Lowell was drafted by the Yankees in the 20th round of the 1995 draft out of Florida International University. His minor league lines were initially underwhelming, as he hit for a .651 and .748 OPS in his first two minor league seasons. Nonetheless he was promoted to Norwich (AA) in 1997, where he exploded for a .344/.438/.561 line. That earned him a mid-season promotion to Columbus (AAA) where he continued to mash to the tune of .276/.348/.562.
On another team, a performance like that might have earned Lowell an immediate shot at the majors. Instead, the Yankees traded the disappointing Kenny Rogers and cash to Oakland for the equally disappointing Scott Brosius, leaving Lowell in the minors for another year. Read the rest of this entry »
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10.11.07
Posted in Baseball at 10:38 pm by Valentine
The Red Sox and Indians have comparably strong rotations and bullpens for the ALCS. How do their lineups compare? I’d love to compare position-by-position, but these teams get their production from very different spots on the field. So I’ll try to match the hitters according to their role on the team and style of play (as much as possible). These comparisons are strictly looking at offense, not positional or defensive value. The latter considerations are already reflected in the pitchers’ ERAs.
Power Bats:
David Ortiz (DH) .332/.445/.621
Victor Martinez (C) .301/.374/.505
Victor Martinez may be a similarly valuable player to Ortiz when his position is taken into account, however offensively there is no comparison. This is a key difference between the teams; Martinez is very good, but Ortiz is one of the most dangerous hitters in the majors.
Advantage: RED SOX
But… Both players are terrific clutch hitters. The key will be getting them clutch opportunities in which to perform. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted in Baseball at 11:50 am by Valentine
I’ve been resisting the urge to make predictions (since a short series is practically a coin flip anyways), but how do the Red Sox and Indians pitchers compare?
#1 Starting Pitcher
Sabathia 3.21 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 7.80 K/9
Beckett 3.27 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 8.70 K/9
Pick your poison. Sabathia was dominant throughout the regular season, tossing four complete games (a stat that has some predictive value for post-season success). Beckett has been used more cautiously but is just as good.
Advantage: EVEN
If pressed: Take Beckett on the basis of his three post-season shutouts.
Read the rest of this entry »
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10.09.07
Posted in Baseball at 3:50 pm by Valentine
This year, for the first time, there is an extra off day in the League Championship Series between games 4 and 5. This is not a travel day, nor does it appear to be motivated by weather concerns. Most likely, the networks asked that the late-series games be staggered to avoid scheduling two deciding games on the same night. Under the new schedule, that can only happen if the NLCS goes a full seven. This is good for the networks, good for the bullpens, and irrelevant to most fans. But what implications does it have for strategy? Read the rest of this entry »
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10.05.07
Posted in News at 2:56 pm by Valentine
From the Boston.com Business blog:
Dunkin’ Brands Inc. said today it is recalling about 1 million pink-and-orange glow sticks distributed as part of a promotion at its Dunkin’ Donuts coffee-and-baked goods chain.
The Canton-based company said it is voluntarily recalling the glow sticks because they were not labeled properly to warn customers that the cap and lanyard are a choking hazard to children under the age of three when the pieces are dislodged from the glow stick.
Dunkin’ Donuts distributed the glow sticks free with every purchase of a box of 25 or 50 Munchkins donut holes beginning the week of Sept. 24.
The company said it has not received any complaints or reports of injury.
Dunkin’ Brands recommended taking the glow sticks away from children and throwing them away. (AP)
Are they seriously throwing away thousands of perfectly good glow-sticks? These won’t explode in a shower of mildly noxious chemicals. They aren’t coated with lead paint. They won’t give you splinters. The only danger is that the lanyard doesn’t warn unsuspecting parents of the potential for strangulation. Those boxes of munchkins they are sold with are more likely to kill somebody than the glow-sticks.
Send them over to my house and I’ll take my chances. I’ll even eat a munchkin or two if I’m feeling really daring.
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