Sheffield doesn't play well with most others

"I would never sit out," Sheffield said. "I would go play for them. It doesn't mean I'm going to be happy playing there. And if I'm unhappy, you don't want me on your team. It's just that simple. I'll make that known to anyone."

On Tuesday, Sheffield said that he would not join another team if he were traded and would forfeit his salary. After the trade discussions between the Mets and the Yankees were reported in The New York Post on Wednesday, Sheffield quickly changed his mind about possibly leaving. But he was adamant about being a divisive influence if the Yankees ever moved him.

"If I'm not happy, you don't want me on your team, period," Sheffield said. "That's just the way it goes. That's life. I have to deal with what they dish out, they got to deal with what I dish out, period. That's just the way it's going to be."

Sheffield, who agreed to defer $13 million when he signed a three-year, $39 million deal with the Yankees before the 2004 season, said his words were intended to prevent potential suitors, including the Mets, from pursuing him. Sheffield said that the deferments were his concession to the Yankees, so, if displaced from the Bronx, he would seek a lucrative contract extension.

"I'll ask for everything," he said. "Everything. You're going to inconvenience me, I'm going to inconvenience every situation there is."

===================================

Poor baby ... having to concede to deferring part of his salary ...

If he were so adamant about staying in the Bronx, why didn't he demand a "no-trade" clause?

Biggiowwwww!

"Biggio broke the modern record for getting hit by pitches on Wednesday when Colorado's Byung-Hyun Kim plunked him on the left elbow in Houston's 7-1 victory over the Rockies. It was the 268th time Biggio has been hit, moving him one past Don Baylor's post-1900 record."

===============================

The game was stopped for 15 minutes ... to celebrate the record, and to check Biggio's life insurance policy.

First a water cooler, now a camera

"Kenny Rogers' angry close-up with a couple of television cameramen put one of them in the hospital and could result in a suspension for the Texas Rangers' ace.

Rogers shoved two cameramen before the Rangers' game against Los Angeles on Wednesday in a videotaped tirade that included throwing a camera to the ground and threatening to break more.

"Kenny is having anger issues right now," Rangers general manager John Hart said. "I don't know what's going on inside. We're responding to something that's very unusual."
=============================================

Hopefully MLB will give Rogers a nice, long "time out" in the corner ....

The Royals Matt Stairs and Alberto Castillo, in a novel attempt to "re-write" history, decide to videotape their own version of the day's game.

Their season already an abject horror, Rockies Garrett Atkins and Preston Wilson managed to find joy in "PattyCake".

Perhaps it should have been marketed as a house in the Hamptons, rather than Hampton's house?

"Mike Hampton's former home -- complete with a free-standing gym, caretaker's home and five-stable equestrian center -- sold at auction for more than $1 million less than what the former Colorado Rockies pitcher paid. The winning bid Monday for the four-bedroom, six-bath, two-story, 10,743-square-foot estate was $3.08 million. Hampton paid $4.25 million for the home in February 2001 and it recently was listed at $4.95 million."

====================================

But as we all know, stats generated in Colorado are vastly inflated compared to the rest of the league ...

So Steinbrenner is calling yet ANOTHER meeting of his executives today ...

Betcha they go out and overpay for yet another quasi/former all-star to plug the leaky ship.

When they HAVE brought in young talent, they didn't let them settle down for a year ... they just traded them away (Vazquez, Weaver, Lilly) for the older ex-all stars.

They signed Wright, knowing his medical history and one good year under Mazzone.

They signed Pavano, perhaps turning a blind eye to the fact that he relied a great deal on the sterling Marlins defense, and that the Yankees defense was putrid.

They traded for Johnson, knowing his age, his balky knee, and his demeanor.

They signed Womack, who at 35 was coming off a couple of career years, and couldn't be expected to keep that up (and even IF Cairo had his career year in 2004 ... he was 6 years younger, and wouldn't backslide as much at age 30).

In 2004, they signed a downsliding Kenny Lofton, who on the margins was barely better than Bernie in CF at this point in his career, and then, with no backup plan in place, let Lofton go for 2005.

And the biggest "oops" of all, the monster contract given to Giambi. True he was coming off an MVP year, but you don't give a 30y.o. first baseman with "old" skills (power, lack of foot speed, mediocre defense) a 7-YEAR deal! Even if he DOES give you 3 good years (to age 33), the skill set ages a LOT faster than other players, and by age 34/35, he becomes a liability on both sides of the game. (and notice that NONE of this has ANYTHING to do with steroid use).

The Yankees have reaped what they have sown. They have thrown good money after bad ever since losing the 2001 Series. I'm only shocked that Torre hasn't walked away on his own terms to this point.

Diane
- ESPN Baseball Tonight wannabe analyst

Here are some wild stats regarding the 2005 Astros:

First, an update on the road woes in terms of winning percentage ...

As of Sunday morning, the Rockies, Reds and Astros are still over .500 at home and at .250 or under on the road:
                  w     l     pct.    home    h%       road   r%     diff.
Houston      32    40   .444    23-13    .639    9-27    .250    .389
Cincinnati   30    44   .405    23-19    .548    7-25    .219    .329
Colorado     24    48   .333    19-17    .528    5-31    .139    .389

(which has NEVER been done in the post-expansion era, and only 2 times since 1900, as follows:)

(site/team/year/games/wins/losses/pct./pct. differential)
home PHA 1945 77 39 35 .527 road PHA 1945 76 13 63 .171 .356
home BLA 1902 64 32 30 .516 road BLA 1902 77 18 57 .240 .276

And the Astros and Rockies .389 home/road win % differential would break the all-time record of .356 by 1945 PHA
=============================

Now for the anemic offense ... The Astros' offensive decline has somehow been limited to only the road, with historic ramifications:

(site/games/runs/runs per gm/BA/OBP/SLG through games of 6/25)
Home/36/168/4.66/.280/.343/.446
Road/36/107/2.97/.206/.276/.323

This first sent me to baseball-reference.com, to generate the list of teams that averaged less than 3.00 runs per road game for a season.  Here they are from 1962 post-expansion on:

Team Year Rd Gm Rd runs Rd avg
CLE 1972 79 209 2.65
CHC 1981 48 131 2.73
NYM 1963 81 225 2.78
HOU 1963 81 228 2.81
SDP 1969 81 229 2.83
HOU 1968 81 231 2.85
NYM 1967 84 240 2.86
NYM 1965 82 237 2.89
ATL 1978 81 236 2.91
TEX 1972 77 226 2.94
CHW 1968 81 238 2.94
CHW 1972 76 225 2.96
TOR 1981 53 157 2.96
HOU 2005 36 107 2.97

Next, I sought to determine the greatest differences in home/road run production in history, and see where the Astros rank:

Team Year Rd avg Hm avg Diff
COL 1996 3.74 8.12 -4.38
COL 2000 4.14 7.81 -3.68
COL 1999 4.12 7.06 -2.94
BOS 1950 5.22 8.12 -2.90
COL 1998 3.70 6.49 -2.79
COL 1993 3.32 6.04 -2.72
COL 2002 3.46 6.15 -2.69
COL 1995 4.17 6.74 -2.57
COL 2001 4.56 6.84 -2.28
BOS 1955 3.75 6.03 -2.28
COL 2003 4.15 6.38 -2.23
PHI 1932 4.38 6.58 -2.21
PHA 1932 5.31 7.43 -2.12
NYY 1906 3.10 5.20 -2.10
PHI 1922 3.75 5.83 -2.08
PHI 1925 4.26 6.34 -2.07
COL 1997 4.67 6.73 -2.06
MON 2003 3.40 5.38 -1.99
PHI 1930 5.08 7.05 -1.98
COL 2004 4.16 6.12 -1.96
SLB 1927 3.69 5.64 -1.95
BLA 1902 4.21 6.11 -1.90
ATL 1977 3.23 5.14 -1.90
CIN 1966 3.40 5.28 -1.88
PHA 1902 4.66 6.53 -1.88
BOS 1946 4.14 6.01 -1.87
BOS 1952 3.40 5.27 -1.87
CHC 1970 4.09 5.89 -1.80
SLB 1920 4.26 6.06 -1.80
CLE 1931 4.84 6.62 -1.78
PHI 1933 3.15 4.93 -1.78
BOS 1951 4.35 6.13 -1.78
BOS 1949 4.90 6.68 -1.78
PHI 1935 3.49 5.27 -1.77
LAA 1961 3.71 5.45 -1.74
BLA 1901 4.78 6.52 -1.73
CHC 1979 3.49 5.22 -1.73
WSH 1902 4.29 5.99 -1.70
HOU 2005 2.97 4.67 -1.70

Of course, the Rockies show up a LOT on this list .... but I also wanted to try and normalize the stats for the different offensive eras, so I then decided to
show that difference in % terms (home-road diff. divided by home avg.):

Team Year Rd avg Hm avg Diff % Diff
COL 1996 3.74 8.12 -4.38 54%
COL 2000 4.14 7.81 -3.68 47%
COL 1993 3.32 6.04 -2.72 45%
COL 2002 3.46 6.15 -2.69 44%
COL 1998 3.70 6.49 -2.79 43%
COL 1999 4.12 7.06 -2.94 42%
NYY 1906 3.10 5.20 -2.10 40%
WSH 1903 2.35 3.87 -1.53 39%
COL 1995 4.17 6.74 -2.57 38%
BOS 1955 3.75 6.03 -2.28 38%
ATL 1977 3.23 5.14 -1.90 37%
MON 2003 3.40 5.38 -1.99 37%
HOU 2005 2.97 4.67 -1.70 36%

Lots of Rockies teams still on that list, but the Astros disparity is now more noticeable ... what REALLY gets the Astros noticed is the year-to-year differences .... The Astros have scored 1.14 fewer runs per game
overall, a 23% decrease from 2004.  They've scored 7% fewer runs per game at home this year, but 40% less in their 2005 road games .. and when was the last time THAT happened …. (answer in a moment)

I found 106 instances in which a team scored at least 23% less runs from year to year overall … here are the ones that had a 30% or greater decrease in either their home or road production.

Team Year Runs/gm Change % chg.   Rd runs Rd %chg Hm runs Hm %chg
WSH 1903 3.12 -2.00 -64% -1.94 -45% -2.11 -35%
STL 1902 3.69 -1.88 -51% -2.07 -36% -1.70 -31%
BRO 1904 3.23 -1.57 -49% -1.29 -28% -1.84 -37%
PIT 1931 4.10 -1.68 -41% -2.14 -36% -1.23 -22%
BAL 1972 3.37 -1.33 -39% -0.92 -20% -1.74 -36%
SDP 1971 3.02 -1.19 -39% -1.39 -31% -0.98 -25%
STL 1988 3.57 -1.36 -38% -1.81 -36% -0.90 -19%
BRO 1902 4.00 -1.43 -36% -1.00 -20% -1.87 -32%
NYY 1908 2.97 -1.01 -34% -0.66 -19% -1.37 -31%
PIT 1952 3.32 -1.12 -34% -0.65 -17% -1.58 -32%
PHA 1915 3.54 -1.20 -34% -1.55 -31% -0.82 -18%
NYG 1902 2.88 -0.97 -34% -1.38 -33% -0.58 -16%
PHI 1906 3.43 -1.14 -33% -0.57 -13% -1.71 -37%
DET 1904 3.12 -1.02 -33% -0.77 -19% -1.29 -30%
BAL 1988 3.42 -1.08 -32% -1.47 -31% -0.71 -16%
BSN 1931 3.42 -1.08 -32% -1.46 -31% -0.71 -17%
MIN 1978 4.11 -1.27 -31% -0.67 -14% -1.89 -32%
PHA 1942 3.56 -1.06 -30% -0.57 -13% -1.57 -32%
CIN 1982 3.36 -0.93 -28% -1.33 -30% -0.53 -13%
DET 1957 3.99 -1.10 -28% -2.17 -39% -0.04 -1%
HOU 1963 2.86 -0.79 -28% -1.24 -30% -0.35 -11%
STL 1913 3.42 -0.89 -26% -0.42 -10% -1.37 -30%
ATL 1968 3.15 -0.74 -24% -0.12 -3% -1.37 -32%
HOU 2005 3.82 -1.14 -23% -1.94 -40% -0.33 -7%

See that 1903 Washington team at the top?  See their 45% decline in road production from year-to-year?  That is the ONLY one that surpasses the Astros 40% drop …. in ML history.

Coming down the home/road stretch now … The Astros are 7% worse at home, and 40% worse on the road, a difference of 33%.  How does that rank amongst all the “team season pairs”? (example … the '72 Sox were 29% worse on the road than their '71 counterparts, but 27% better at home, a roughly 57% swing):

Team Year Road    Home    Diff.
CHW 1972 -29% 27% 57%
PIT 1909 0% 54% 54%
CLE 1970 -13% 40% 52%
STL 1924 -23% 27% 50%
BOS 1955 -16% 33% 49%
KCR 1982 4% 53% 49%
BSN 1935 -35% 10% 45%
BSN 1945 1% 46% 45%
DET 1962 -30% 15% 45%
NYY 1940 -35% 10% 44%
BAL 1973 18% 62% 44%
CHW 1969 15% 56% 42%
BOS 2003 -7% 34% 42%
BOS 1946 12% 53% 42%
BRO 1907 -26% 15% 41%
NYY 1995 -31% 10% 41%
MIL 1985 -10% 30% 41%
HOU 1972 10% 51% 40%
CHW 1914 -21% 19% 40%
MIL 1978 7% 46% 39%
DET 1927 -11% 28% 38%
DET 1957 -39% -1% 38%
CLE 1944 -11% 27% 38%
PHA 1921 1% 39% 38%
DET 1909 -17% 20% 37%
CLE 1992 0% 37% 37%
PHI 1973 5% 42% 37%
PIT 1985 -24% 13% 36%
WSH 1902 -14% 22% 36%
HOU 1966 -9% 27% 36%
BSN 1910 -6% 30% 36%
CIN 1962 -10% 26% 36%
PHI 1922 1% 36% 35%
CHC 1995 -7% 29% 35%
NYY 1944 -16% 19% 35%
NYY 1906 -12% 23% 35%
PHI 1907 -14% 20% 35%
PHA 1918 -26% 8% 34%
MON 1987 0% 34% 34%
CHW 2000 10% 44% 34%
SLB 1920 18% 52% 34%
CHW 1939 -13% 20% 34%
OAK 1974 -23% 10% 33%
HOU 2005 -40% -7% 33%

Finally, how rare is it for a team to score less than 40% of its total runs for the season while on the road?

Team Year Rd %     Hm %
COL 1996 31.5% 68.5%
COL 2000 34.6% 65.4%
CHC 1981 35.4% 64.6%
COL 1993 35.5% 64.5%
COL 2002 36.0% 64.0%
COL 1998 36.3% 63.7%
COL 1999 36.9% 63.1%
WSH 1903 37.1% 62.9%
BOS 1955 37.7% 62.3%
PHA 1918 37.9% 62.1%
COL 1995 38.2% 61.8%
NYY 1906 38.3% 61.7%
PHA 1902 38.5% 61.5%
ATL 1977 38.6% 61.4%
MON 2003 38.7% 61.3%
HOU 2005 38.9% 61.1%
BOS 1950 39.1% 60.9%
PHI 1922 39.2% 60.8%
BOS 1952 39.2% 60.8%
SLB 1927 39.2% 60.8%
PHI 1935 39.3% 60.7%
ATL 1978 39.3% 60.7%
COL 2003 39.4% 60.6%
PHA 1908 39.5% 60.5%
DET 1906 39.6% 60.4%
CIN 1966 39.7% 60.3%
CHW 1972 39.8% 60.2%
PHI 1919 39.8% 60.2%
PHI 1925 39.9% 60.1%
PHI 1981 39.9% 60.1%
LAA 1961 39.9% 60.1%
PHI 1932 39.9% 60.1%

Hello I must be going!

"The St. Louis Cardinals ran into an unusual double play against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the fourth inning Sunday when Yadier Molina hit a liner off the right-center fence but passed a teammate who had stopped between first and second.

The play came with one out and runners on first and second. Abraham Nunez, who was on first, apparently thought Molina's drive was caught by right fielder Matt Lawton and was retreating to first as Molina rounded the bag and passed him while gesturing to his teammate to turn around. Molina was called out for passing Nunez on the basepaths, and the stunned Nunez was standing near second when he was tagged out by second baseman Jose Castillo for an inning-ending double play."

====================================================

I'm sure the Pirates worked on that play every day in Spring Training ...

Minky done in by the on-deck circle?

"Doug Mientkiewicz was placed on the 15-day disabled list Sunday by the New York Mets after injuring his right hamstring in the on-deck circle. The first baseman had an MRI Sunday that revealed a slight tear. He said he had never pulled a muscle in his life. Mientkiewicz was hurt warming up for his first at-bat during the Mets' 10-3 victory over the Yankees on Saturday. He stayed in and batted twice before leaving in the fifth inning. "It was fine til I went and stretched before my first at-bat," Mientkiewicz said. "I have my little routine I do on deck since I was probably 7 years old, and this time for some reason I felt a pop."

=======================================

"Just when you thought it was safe to approach the batter's box ... you can't get to it!"

Humberto Cota of the Pirates, and the Cardinals Albert Pujols go through a dry run of their Olympic synchronized swimming routine.

Who let the cars out ... who who who?

"Security will be tightened around RFK Stadium after 12 vehicles belonging to Washington Nationals' players and employees were broken into, and Marlon Byrd's SUV was stolen from a gated parking area while the team was on a road trip."

===================================

In fact, police are still looking for the bullpen car used by the Washington Senators.

We all knew the Astros were gonna have trouble scoring runs this year, with the departure of Kent and Beltran.  What is REALLY surprising though is the offense seems to have disappeared only on the road.

(site/games/runs/runs per gm/BA/OBP/SLG)
Home/34/158/4.65/.281/.344/.445
Road/36/107/2.97/.206/.276/.323

This sent me to baseball-reference.com, to generate the list of teams that averaged less than 3.00 runs per road game for a season.  Here they are in reverse historical order, from 1962 post-expansion on):

Team Year Games RS runs/gm
CHC 1981 48 131 2.73
TOR 1981 53 157 2.96
ATL 1978 81 236 2.91
CLE 1972 79 209 2.65
TEX 1972 77 226 2.94
CHW 1972 76 225 2.96
MIN 1972 80 238 2.98
SDP 1969 81 229 2.83
HOU 1968 81 231 2.85
CHW 1968 81 238 2.94
NYM 1967 84 240 2.86
NYM 1965 82 237 2.89
NYM 1963 81 225 2.78
HOU 1963 81 228 2.81

As an extra special bonus, the Rockies have scored 106 runs in their 36 road games.

Next, I'm gonna have to determine the greatest differences in home/road run production in history, and see where the Astros rank.

A's skipper Ken Macha gives the "poke the runner in the eyes" sign to first baseman Scott Hatteberg.

Tired of getting pitched inside all the time, Giants outfielder Moises Alou adopts a "marking one's territory" batting stance.

First comes July 31 ...

Then comes a trade ...

Then comes Zito in Dodger blue ...

From 10-2 up to 20-11 down ... AGAIN!

"The 17-run turnaround matched the largest victory after trailing by eight runs in major league history. The Devil Rays led the Cleveland Indians 10-2 before losing 20-11 on May 5, 1999."

==========================================

One can only wonder if the Rays will go into a "4-corners offense" the next time they go up 9-2.  It might be like "Speed 3", in which Lou Piniella has to keep the team from reaching a 10-2 lead, or else they'll explode.

Upon further review, it DOES appear that this could be the first time in post-expansion history that a team may play .500+ at home while playing .250 or worse on the road

We have exactly 2 instances pre-expansion:

The 4 2005 teams also have a chance to set the all-time record for greatest home/road win pct. differential:

Currently, the Astros 20-12 (.625) home record is .375 better than their 9-27 (.250) road record, and would set the record if they somehow kept up those trends.  The Rockies (.353 better at home), Reds (.325) and Rays (.324) are in hot (cold?) pursuit.

Here are all teams in ML history to compile a home winning pct. at least .300 better than their road winning pct.:

Over on www.baseballprospectus.com, columnist Jim Baker points out what I've mentioned before ... how we have no less than 4 teams gunning for the worst season road record in modern MLB history:

Year   Team       W    L     Pct.
2005    Rox       5    29    .147
2005    Rays      6    28    .176
2005    Reds      6    24    .200
1981    Cubs     11    35    .239
1988    O’s      20    61    .247
2003    Tigers   20    61    .247
2005    Astros    9    27    .250
1977    Braves   21    60    .259
1979    Jays     21    60    .259
1989    Tigers   21    60    .259

What Jim failed to mention, and makes this feat even MORE remarkable, is that all the previous bad road clubs also finished below .500 at home that year (Atlanta's 1977 mark of 40-41 coming closest to escaping mediocrity).  However, all 4 of the 2005 road sloths currently have home records of .500 or better!  This makes their road ineptitude more newsworthy.

We therefore have a decent chance of possibly having our first team to go .500+ at home while going .250 or worse on the road in the same year.

Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling finishes his warm-ups before starting his Sega MLB 2K5 game.

A. Apparently the Devil Rays, whose cleanup hitters have amassed a mere 17 XBH (including only 1 homer) all year.

Here are the team stats for cleanup hitters, in SLG. % order:

Giles: "Hey man ... shouldn't that be a RUBBER glove you're using?"

"So George ... do you have any .. umm ... interns working for you?"

He came out through the bathroom window

"A judge said Friday that former Colorado Rockies pitcher Denny Neagle should not have been allowed to use a back exit to avoid reporters and photographers after a court appearance. Neagle, who faces a Sept. 21 trial on a misdemeanor charge of soliciting a prostitute, appeared in Jefferson County Judge Roy Olson's courtroom Thursday for a conference to set the trial date."

==========================================

"Candy" probably was waiting for him in the back alleyway.

Yours truly gets mentioned in Stark's "Useless Info" column

"First prize

Loyal reader Diane Firstman was the first on her block to lock in on one of Eric Milton's most mesmerizing stats this season: 22 home runs allowed, 23 walks."

==========================

Nope ... I'm not quitting my day job ...

Catcher: Do you think he understands how we wanna pitch this guy?
Pitching coach: From the look on his face ... not a chance.

Barrett: What do you think it is Greg?
Maddux: I'm not sure, but it sure does stink. I *think* it looks like a remnant of Sosa's ego.  He must have left it behind when he blew us off during the last game last year.

Jonny Johnson Gomes?

Dear Mrs. Gomes,
Why did you decide to give your son virtually the same first and middle name?

Signed,
Confused

I mean I could understand if his first and LAST name were similar ... Jonny Johnson is not THAT odd.

And don't get me started on Cleveland SS Jhonny Peralta.  MS Word spellcheck must have fun the first time it sees THAT.

The Tigers latest wacky promotion, offering discounted box seats if you  "Dress up like a Marshmallow Peep", draws only a handful of fans who risk melting in the heavy rains.

Lasorda the new Secretary of State?

"Tom Lasorda is going to Japan at the request of President Bush.

The former Los Angeles Dodgers manager was asked to represent the United States as a delegate at the World Exposition on June 17-22 in Aichi, Japan."
======================================================

Will Norihiro Nakamura try and stow away in Lasorda's luggage?

Pat Burrell does his best "Tequila" dance, in a publicity shot for the forthcoming movie "Pee Wee's Big League Adventure".

Young fan offers birthday wishes to Mets' Jose Reyes.  Unfortunately, he appears to have forgotten to bring the gift of patience at the plate.

Piazza argues his way to a day off

NEW YORK -- Mike Piazza was ejected in the first inning of the New York Mets' game against the Los Angels on Sunday after being called out on strikes.

======================================

Maybe he just didn't want to have to catch Pedro?

There is a new leader in the race for worst road record.  The Devil Rays latest losing streak has left them with a 4-26 (.133) mark in road games.  They are now firmly ahead of pace for the worst season road record since the expansion to 162-game schedule, as shown here:

Team Year W L Win%

NYM 1963 17 64 .210

NYM 1962 18 62 .225

NYM 1964 20 61 .247

BAL 1988 20 61 .247

DET 2003 20 61 .247

TB 2005 4 26 .133

Even with that sorry mark, they are STILL above .500 at home.

D'oh ... a deer!

"Barmes blames fall on deer meat, not groceries or ATV"
"DENVER -- Colorado Rockies rookie shortstop Clint Barmes says he was lugging a package of deer meat he got from teammate Todd Helton, and not a bag of groceries, when he fell and broke his collarbone."
=============================================================
I would find it more believable if he got hurt lugging Rob Deer ...

Baseball Reference.com birthday list

Players Born on June 9 (and thus sharing my birthday)

	Player		Year Born	Years Played
	Jason Anderson		1979	2003-2004
	Justin Kaye		1976	2002
	Scarborough Green		1974	1997-2000
	Randy Winn		1974	1998-2004
	Tom Edens		1961	1987-1995
	John Fulgham		1956	1979-1980
	Billy Baldwin		1951	1975-1976
	Dave Parker		1951	1973-1991
	Tom Egan		1946	1965-1975
	Bruce Look		1943	1968
	Doug Clemens		1939	1960-1968
	Julio Gotay		1939	1960-1969
	Jake Jacobs		1937	1960-1961
	Bill Virdon		1931	Manager
	Roy Smalley		1926	1948-1958
	Jim Pearce		1925	1949-1955
	Ray Shore		1921	1946-1949
	Sal Madrid		1920	1947
	Frank McCormick		1911	1934-1948
	Paul Gregory		1908	1932-1933
	Mike Ryba		1903	1935-1946
	Lee Dunham		1902	1926
	Marty Callaghan		1900	1922-1930
	Bill Narleski		1899	1929-1930
	Charlie Kavanagh		1893	1914
	Irish Meusel		1893	1914-1927
	Mack Wheat		1893	1915-1921
	Harry Glenn		1890	1915
	Bill Cunningham		1888	1910-1912
	Clarence Kraft		1887	1914
	Bill Lauterborn		1879	1904-1905
	Larry Hesterfer		1878	1901
	Frank Norton		1845	1871

A. You might have the road performance of the 2005 Astros.

The following stats reflect the Astros batting stats in road games this year:

NAME	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	TB	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
M. Ensberg	26	92	11	21	4	0	5	40	15	11	30	3	4	.228	.308	.435	.742
Craig Biggio	26	89	10	20	10	0	0	30	0	4	17	0	1	.225	.281	.337	.618
Adam Everett	26	89	7	17	5	0	2	28	9	5	15	0	2	.191	.247	.315	.562
Willy Taveras	27	88	5	14	2	1	1	21	4	3	21	5	0	.159	.187	.239	.425
Jason Lane	24	83	8	13	4	1	4	31	11	4	18	1	0	.157	.205	.373	.578
Mike Lamb	25	75	5	13	5	0	1	21	8	4	16	0	0	.173	.213	.280	.493
Lance Berkman	15	52	2	11	3	0	0	14	3	7	11	1	0	.212	.305	.269	.574
Brad Ausmus	17	50	3	9	2	0	1	14	4	6	8	0	1	.180	.293	.280	.573
Jose Vizcaino	18	41	3	8	4	1	0	14	2	3	6	0	0	.195	.250	.341	.591
Raul Chavez	12	40	2	11	3	0	0	14	3	0	8	0	0	.275	.293	.350	.643
Jeff Bagwell	10	37	4	10	3	0	0	13	5	7	10	0	0	.270	.370	.351	.721
Chris Burke	11	35	4	6	0	0	1	9	2	3	11	1	1	.171	.237	.257	.494
O. Palmeiro	21	32	3	9	0	1	0	11	4	5	3	1	1	.281	.385	.344	.728
Todd Self	8	25	3	6	2	0	0	8	1	1	5	0	0	.240	.269	.320	.589
E. Bruntlett	14	19	1	4	1	1	0	7	1	1	7	0	0	.211	.286	.368	.654
Luke Scott	8	14	1	3	0	0	0	3	1	3	6	1	0	.214	.353	.214	.567
NAME	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	TB	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
Astros	28	905	76	183	49	6	15	289	74	Posted on June 8, 2005 at 1:21 PM Permalink Comments (0) Tags: Stats Report any abuse or spam The Astros have a Rocket ... and a Rockette? Craig Biggio auditions for a gig at Radio City ... Posted on June 8, 2005 at 12:46 PM Permalink Comments (0) Tags: Caption time! Report any abuse or spam ***** Eye for the Straight Changeup They may know how to accessorize, but will they know what to do with Schilling's cranky ankle? Posted on June 7, 2005 at 7:41 AM Permalink Comments (0) Tags: Caption time! Report any abuse or spam Running with the bulls and bears (and Cards) "We're looking for a mix in our portfolio in terms of high-risk picks and those who might be considered more certain. At the same time, some of those high-risk [picks] could be college picks. There are quite a few college players who fit the description of high risk, high return. And there are high school kids who might be considered medium risk but with a lower projected return." --Cardinals Vice President for Baseball Development Jeff Luhnow ======================================= Perhaps they should just invest in BALCO ... Posted on June 6, 2005 at 7:56 AM Permalink Comments (0) Tags: Quotes of note Report any abuse or spam The baseball version of "The Shawshank Redemption"? Royals outfielder takes a cue from a homerun ball and attempts to flee his pre-free agency imprisonment in Kauffman Stadium. Posted on June 5, 2005 at 10:25 AM Permalink Comments (0) Tags: Caption time! Report any abuse or spam Angels in the bedroom It was good for the Angels. Was it good for you? "Halos go from ejection to jubilation" =========================================== So if they started celebrating a bit early, would it be considered .... "Premature Ejectilation" Posted on June 5, 2005 at 10:07 AM Permalink Comments (0) Tags: Teams Report any abuse or spam Nowadays, being an O's catcher is akin to being a drummer for Spinal Tap Paging Chris Hoiles .... Mr. Hoiles, please report to the catcher's area in Camden Yards ... stat! Top 10 Major League Baseball high-turnover jobs/positions: 10. Closer for Giants 9. Closer for Reds 8. Closer for Braves 7. Catcher for Mariners (Pat Borders?????) 6. Sprinkler operator - Shea Stadium 5. Clubhouse chair wrangler - Wrigley Field 4. Traveling secretary for Dewon Brazelton 3. Personal trainer for Juan Gonzalez 2. Psychiatrist for Alex Rodriguez 1. Catcher for Orioles Posted on June 5, 2005 at 9:51 AM Permalink Comments (0) Report any abuse or spam Oooooooouch Canada! Do HBPs hurt less in Canada? "OAKLAND -- In the fifth inning of Thursday night's loss in Oakland, A's pitcher Kirk Saarloos hit Frank Catalanotto with a pitch. Two batters later, he did the same to Shea Hillenbrand. There was absolutely nothing unusual about that, considering Toronto batters have been plunked 31 times this year, more than any other team in the Majors." ================================================= However, given the exchange rate, this would be equivalent to roughly 21 HBPs for any team within the U.S. Posted on June 4, 2005 at 11:11 AM Permalink Comments (0) Tags: Stats Report any abuse or spam Don't let the Boss near the checkout line ... Mr. Torre? .... its HIM, line 1 No truth to the rumor that Boss George saw new Royals manager Buddy Bell's perfect 4-0 record, and implusively tried to hire him to replace Torre. Posted on June 4, 2005 at 11:04 AM Permalink Comments (0) Tags: Teams Report any abuse or spam Do they send Saint Bernards to rescue fans? Lone fan, apparently paralyzed with fear by the awful play of the Rockies, sits trapped in the cheap seats of Coors Field, awaiting help. Posted on June 3, 2005 at 10:03 AM Permalink Comments (0) Tags: Caption time! Report any abuse or spam Sprinkle sprinkle little argh! Someone left their Mets out in the rain Pedro Martinez investigates the new infield shower facilities at Shea. Posted on June 3, 2005 at 9:49 AM Permalink Comments (0) Report any abuse or spam Eric Milton continues the chase tomorrow Tomorrow night, at Coors Field, Reds pitcher Eric Milton (he of the 20 HRA in 60 IP), will continue to chase one of the more obscure records in baseball history. In 1998, while a member of the Diamondbacks, Brian Anderson gave up 39 dingers, while walking only 24 all year (208 innings).  Thus, he holds the single-season record for most homers allowed with fewer walks than homers allowed.  (thanks to Lee Sinins Baseball Encyclopedia for helping determine that one!) Brian Anderson - Obscure recordholder However, Milton has thus far only walked 15. Posted on June 2, 2005 at 7:39 AM Permalink Comments (0) Report any abuse or spam Lf_view_of_outoftown_board_and_bullpens Posted on June 1, 2005 at 5:40 PM Permalink Comments (0) Tags: Safeco Field May 2005 photo gallery Report any abuse or spam Left_field_corner_with_infield_scoreboar Posted on June 1, 2005 at 5:40 PM Permalink Comments (0) Tags: Safeco Field May 2005 photo gallery Report any abuse or spam Safeco_roof_and_rf_fair_pole Posted on June 1, 2005 at 5:32 PM Permalink Comments (0) Tags: Safeco Field May 2005 photo gallery Report any abuse or spam Side_view_of_roof_and_rf_pavilion Posted on June 1, 2005 at 5:32 PM Permalink Comments (0) Tags: Safeco Field May 2005 photo gallery Report any abuse or spam View_from_rf_corner Posted on June 1, 2005 at 5:32 PM Permalink Comments (0) Tags: Safeco Field May 2005 photo gallery Report any abuse or spam View_from_rightcf Posted on June 1, 2005 at 5:32 PM Permalink Comments (0) Tags: Safeco Field May 2005 photo gallery Report any abuse or spam Wider_view_from_lf Posted on June 1, 2005 at 5:32 PM Permalink Comments (0) Tags: Safeco Field May 2005 photo gallery Report any abuse or spam Ichiro_ready_in_the_vast_outfield Posted on June 1, 2005 at 5:19 PM Permalink Comments (0) Tags: Safeco Field May 2005 photo gallery Report any abuse or spam Behind_the_lf_fair_pole Posted on June 1, 2005 at 5:19 PM Permalink Comments (0) Tags: Safeco Field May 2005 photo gallery Report any abuse or spam Another_view_from_between_home_and_1b Posted on June 1, 2005 at 5:19 PM Permalink Comments (0) Tags: Safeco Field May 2005 photo gallery Report any abuse or spam View_from_between_home_and_1b Posted on June 1, 2005 at 5:19 PM Permalink Comments (0) Tags: Safeco Field May 2005 photo gallery Report any abuse or spam Ken Harrelson ... proud "Homer" "Broadcasting has changed so much in the last 20 years, it's unbelievable. When I came in in '75, you could say anything you wanted to say." --White Sox announcer Ken “Hawk” Harrelson (Arizona Republic) "I've been associated with the 'homer' tag for so long that I love it. I mean, I wouldn't have it any other way. D.J. [partner Darrin Jackson] and I both want this ball club to win every day they go out on the field and we pull for them. And I think that's one reason that we've had such good acceptance over the years. Because fans want their announcers to root for their team." --Harrelson =================================== I for one DON'T want MY announcers to root for MY team.  I want them to REPORT the game, even if they ARE employed by the club. Sigh ... Posted on June 1, 2005 at 9:06 AM Permalink Comments (2) Tags: Broadcasters Report any abuse or spam Ah ... he was hiding under helmet number 3! In a live-action edition of the between innings staple "Video shell game", Padres' pitcher Adam Eaton reveals under which helmet Khalil Greene was hiding. Posted on June 1, 2005 at 8:27 AM Permalink Comments (0) Tags: Caption time! Report any abuse or spam Juan Gonzalez's 1 AB for the Indians Here today, Juan Gone tomorrow When we look back on Juan's stay in Cleveland, we'll say "man ... that was one great at-bat he had, wasn't it?" Posted on June 1, 2005 at 8:20 AM Permalink Comments (0) Tags: Injuries Report any abuse or spam Safeco Field ... wow! I was in Seattle this past weekend, and got a chance to see a game there. My oh my that is one great ballpark .... great sightlines throughout the park, wide concourses, lots of different food choices, well-stocked team merchandise store, lots of restrooms (clean too!), very friendly staff (they even have their ushers stationed at the top of the stairs to keep people from walking through the rows (and ruining your viewing of the game) during at-bats ... the upper deck affords a spectacular view of the mountains or downtown Seattle. If you ever get a chance to, you MUST make a trip to a game there ... Update: I now have a photo album for this post (check left side 3/4 of way down page) Posted on June 1, 2005 at 8:11 AM Permalink Comments (0) Tags: Ballparks Report any abuse or spam « previous month | back to blog | next monthly » About diamondsareforhumor Read about me Subscribe Subscribe to this blog's feed