September 2006
Your 2007 Red Sox … presented by ….
If their season stinks, will their sponsor want its money back?
"For sale: The 2007 Boston Red Sox season.
Just be ready to ante up several million.
The Sox may have lost some of their luster on the field after the team’s late-season crash landing.
But the franchise’s front office is just hitting its stride.
It’s a group, led by legendary baseball executive Larry Lucchino, that never seems to run out of ideas for keeping the cash pouring in, whether it’s Green Monster seats or investing in race cars.
And selling the naming rights to a season may be one of the next money-raising gambits by financier John Henry’s business savvy ownership group, the team’sspokesman, Charles Steinberg, confirmed."
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Given the recent hubbub surrounding the naming of the football Cardinals new stadium, I think the Diamondbacks 2007 season should be presented by the "Pink Taco".
Rays tragic number is 5
Loyal readers may remember my June 2005 post regarding the history of large team home/road winning percentage disparities …
The last iteration of the home/road splitsville discussion
Well, with 6 games to go, your 2006 Tampa Bay Devil Rays have a shot at becoming the first team in over 60 years to play at least .500 ball at home while playing UNDER .250 ball on the road.
The others … (with home and road records respectively)
Team Year GM W L Win% Team Year GM W L Win% diff.
PHA 1945 77 39 35 .527 PHA 1945 76 13 63 .171 .356
BLA 1902 64 32 30 .516 BLA 1902 77 18 57 .240 .276
Tampa has finished its home games for the year, going 41-40 (.506). They currently sit at 19-56 (.253) on the road, with 3 games in Boston and 3 in Cleveland to end the season. If they can lose 5 of those 6 games, they will finish 20-61 (.247) on the road.
The stats geek in me is rooting for 5 losses …
Giants new version of “Dirty Dozen”
With tonight’s 10-8 loss to Milwaukee, the Giants have now given up a remarkable 113 runs over their past 12 games, while scoring 73. (They’ve actually been able to win 3 of those games, including a shutout). When is the last time a team has given up that many runs over a 12-game stretch?
Tm StartDate EndDate Games W-L RS RA
—+—–+———–+———–+———–+———————–
CHC 1999-06-20 1999-07-03 66-77 4-8 81 130
(The pre-humidor Rockies gave up at least 113 runs over a 12-game stretch on numerous occasions, but the Cubs allowed the MOST runs over a 12-game stretch in recent history. Three of those 12 Cub games DID take place at Coors. The Giants played 3 of their games at Coors during their current streak.)
Now, if you exclude ANY games involving Coors Field, you have to go all the way back to 1977 to find a worse 12-game stretch for runs allowed ….
Tm StartDate EndDate Games W-L RS RA
—+—–+———–+———–+———–+———————-
ATL 1977-04-24 1977-05-07 15-26 0-12 37 114
38 runs, 50 hits … in 1 INNING!
Gashouse Gorillas vs. Bugs Bunny scorecard?
Something VERY quirky was going on with the GAMEDAY report on tonight’s Mariners/White Sox game.
According to GAMEDAY, in the Mariners half of the 2nd innings:
1) They set all-time records with 38 runs and 50 hits in one inning.
2) Brandon McCarthy relieved Jose Contreras three different times.
3) Richie Sexson homered three times.
4) Sexson also played the field, and made a putout.
Hmmmm …. I think this was the premise for that film "Groundhog Day", wasn’t it?
Fan VERY Appreciated Day
Oh those wacky folks at Deadspin (no, I’m not gonna post the picture here)
Children of the Corn – Shea Stadium edition
Undeniable proof that the ball is juiced … (and that "juice" is beer)
Did you ever get the feeling you were being … watched?
Scott Spiezio manages to make the catch in the outfield, despite the smiling presence of the man who hit the ball, Jeff Cirillo, lurking directly behind him.
Sensitivity training working for the Twins
Justin Morneau shows us the only reasonable situation in which to call someone a "T***lhead".
A little help here … someone?
Dodger fans are notorious for leaving games early.
And even worse, they seem more concerned with catching an $8 baseball than catching their left fielder Marlon Anderson, who went headfirst into the stands.
dianagram
“Game of Shadows” authors sent to jail
I understand the authors’ point of view, but it WAS leaked testimony was it not? I’m not saying whether it was right or wrong for the BALCO investigation to require a Grand Jury, and the accompanying non-publication of details around this, but this WAS part of an ACTIVE government investigation, wasn’t it?
Did the publication of details of the testimony damage the government’s case against Conte et al. … probably not, but it COULD have, and I think we have to respect that, and balance it against the general public’s "need to know".
Now …. if the testimony was "leaked" well after the government’s investigation (and subsequent trials) had been completed, I don’t think the authors should have/would have been brought up on charges.