The 2014 Major League baseball season

[YmoBeThere]

Destination Cooperstown in about 2.5 weeks and taking my wife who has never visited there. BB HOF in am, Ommegang Brewery for early afternoon lunch, tour and tastings. Wait, should this post be in Ymm, Beer thread now?

Post it in both, you want to make sure all your bases are covered.

[weezie]

Bring plenty of money. They'll get you at every opportunity...

I'm not sure id be out of the garage by now, a day later, if I drove all the way.

That's what I was thinking, too, so thanks for the tips. Weehawken Ferry it is.

[Olympic Fan]

Being a big Derek Jeter fan, I was pretty pumped up with his three hits last night, giving him 3,420 for his career -- and pushing him past Carl Yastremski for seventh place on Major League Baseball's all-time hit list.

At least, that's the official list.

I usually go to baseballreference.com for my stats, but their list is very different. Oh, they did have Jeter passing Yaz last night ... but they have him moving into a seventh-place tie with Honus Wagner.
Not only is Wagner's hit total different, but they have Cap Anson in sixth place with 3,435 hits -- about 400 more than he has on the official list. Checking his numbers, it looks like they credit him for five seasons (1871-75) in the National Association, which is not recognized as a Major League.

At ESPN, they have Jeter in sixth place -- five hits ahead of Wagner (at least, that's what's on their website ... they reported last night's game with the official version -- that Jeter passed Yaz for seventh place).

Officially, Wagner had 3,430 hits -- still 10 hits ahead of Jeter. Barring a season ()and career) ending injury, Jeter will pass Wagner for sixth place very soon. Tris Speaker, in fifth place, is another 90 hits away so he looks to be out of reach.

[throatybeard]

Destination Cooperstown in about 2.5 weeks and taking my wife who has never visited there. BB HOF in am, Ommegang Brewery for early afternoon lunch, tour and tastings. Wait, should this post be in Ymm, Beer thread now?

Yeah dude. Ommegang is also all over the restaurants. I'm about the Doppelbock, as you could have predicted.

[throatybeard]

I'm probably going to regret this in the morning, but I'm going to combat the nasty hatred towards Tony La Russa in this thread.

Don't get me wrong; TLR's not my main guy. All of y'all familiar with my baseball posts know my story. I am an ancestral Braves fan, but, but, but, I moved to StL in the exact year that the Braves and TBS severed their relationship, so I can't follow the Braves on TV, and I went to Glavine's and Maddux's jersey retirement ceremonies, and I had a son the year Glavine retired, when living in StL. My little son is a Cardinals fan, and it makes no sense given his residence to try to force him to be a Braves fan, and Chipper was really my last tie to that club. Then the Braves decided to give the city of Atlanta two middle fingers up and move to the worst intersection in Cobb, and my convictions about traditional neighborhood design cannot abide such a betrayal. So this may make me a traitor, but I have officially jumped teams, for very, very good reasons. I even bought my kid a Lego Glavine at the HOF this weekend. But it wasn't a Lego Andrelton Simmons. I just went to considerable expense and effort to attend the HOF inductions for Maddux and Glavine. Cox and TLR were cherries on top. I'm okay with Tony.

But given all that, all this hatred towards TLR is only founded if one indicts every single manager of the steroid era, and that includes the other two managers who went into the HOF on Sunday, Torre and Cox. Furthermore, TLR won two of his three World Series after the crackdown on steroids, in 2006 and 2011. (I know this is America, and facts don't matter, but that's a fact). Further furthermore, a lot of the hatred is based on only two players having played for him, McGwire and Canseco, while people ignore all the other un-juiced players who played for him, and most of all the other juiced players who played for most of all of the other managers. Cox. I love Cox. We all mostly think Chipper was clean. (Although I'm not so sure). Take a look at Andres Galarraga in the late 1990s. The guy's muscles had muscles. Torre had ARod playing for him.

TLR is a funny guy. I said to my wife during his speech on Sunday, "this guy is so anhedonic, he can't even enjoy his own HOF induction." (Indeed, I think he suffers from clinical depression, although I'm not a medical professional and I base this mostly on guesstimates). I suffered through a lot of his press conferences. I said to my wife in 2011, "this poor guy has aged about a year per week this season."

All that said, I think some of the unbelievably hate-filled comments directed towards him in this thread are unfounded, especially at the time of his HOF induction. What an incredibly rude time to pick, especially when all of the factors I mentioned are in evidence. He's not my favorite guy. But he's not the devil people accuse him of being.

[Duvall]

Wow, Puig can air it out.

[chris13]

Throaty:

Loved the Cooperstown write up. Must have been great to see your childhood heroes go into the Hall. Thanks also for the spirited defense of TLR. Anhedonic is a perfect one word description for him. Someday I hope to get back to St Louis and see the new Busch stadium.

As for the broader steriod issue, I'd let all the so-called cheaters l in if their numbers are HOF worthy. I'd do it for three reasons

1) Players were abusing greenies all during the 1970s with no repercussions.
2) Players for whom there is no actual evidence (Craig Biggio) are excluded from the Hall on suspicion only.
3) The owners looked the other way because the Home Run craze of the late '90s restored interest to a sport they almost destroyed after the '94 lockout.

ARod = Hall of Famer
McGwire = Hall of Famer
Bonds = Hall of Famer

Rob Neyer says it better than me

http://www.sbnation.com/2012/1/12/27...-fame-steroids

The biggest injustice, though, is that Marvin Miller wasn't inducted into the Hall of Fame while he was still alive.

But given all that, all this hatred towards TLR is only founded if one indicts every single manager of the steroid era, and that includes the other two managers who went into the HOF on Sunday, Torre and Cox. Furthermore, TLR won two of his three World Series after the crackdown on steroids, in 2006 and 2011. (I know this is America, and facts don't matter, but that's a fact). Further furthermore, a lot of the hatred is based on only two players having played for him, McGwire and Canseco, while people ignore all the other un-juiced players who played for him, and most of all the other juiced players who played for most of all of the other managers. Cox. I love Cox. We all mostly think Chipper was clean. (Although I'm not so sure). Take a look at Andres Galarraga in the late 1990s. The guy's muscles had muscles. Torre had ARod playing for him.

TLR is a funny guy. I said to my wife during his speech on Sunday, "this guy is so anhedonic, he can't even enjoy his own HOF induction." (Indeed, I think he suffers from clinical depression, although I'm not a medical professional and I base this mostly on guesstimates). I suffered through a lot of his press conferences. I said to my wife in 2011, "this poor guy has aged about a year per week this season."

All that said, I think some of the unbelievably hate-filled comments directed towards him in this thread are unfounded, especially at the time of his HOF induction. What an incredibly rude time to pick, especially when all of the factors I mentioned are in evidence. He's not my favorite guy. But he's not the devil people accuse him of being.

[Blue in the Face]

Nice moment in LA - the dodgers announce on the jumbotron, with some creativity, that Vin Scully will be back next year, and the fans let him know they appreciate the news.

http://m.mlb.com/video/v34916389/bre...ully-to-return

To put the length of Scully's tenure in perspective, when he started...

The Dodgers had 8 seasons still to go in Ebbets Field
Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays were a year away from mlb
12 mlb teams had not yet broken the color barrier
Harry Truman was president

[Olympic Fan]

Great moment in today's Pittsburgh-San Francisco game ...

The Bucs have runners on second and third with one out when catcher Chris Stewart draws a walk. It turns into a double play.

Snyder on a second has a brain lock and starts walking to third (thinking, I guess, that the bases were loaded). He's caught in a rundown and tagged out. While that's going on, Sanchez tries to come home from third and he's thrown out. Double play and end of the inning. Final score: Giants 7, Bucs 5

It's reminds me of the famous Babe Herman play where he "tripled into a triple play" ... officially, he doubled into a double play. Herman hit a ball the wall with two runners on base in Ebbets Field one day and when the dust cleared, Herman and the two runners were all hugging third base. Two of the three were out (including Herman) and even though he reached third safely, he was officially credited with a double.

Doubling into a double play is bad ... but walking into a double play is worse.

BTW: As to the steroid debate -- I'm a hard-liner on the cheaters -- to me, Bonds, Clemens, A-Roid should NEVER get in. I hate the "everybody does it" excuse -- everybody didn't do it (best evidence is that at its pre-testing height, about 15 percent of the MLB players were juicing). On the other hand, I think it's a crime that Biggio and more especially Bagwell should be punished because they played in an era when there were a lot of cheaters -- even though there is absolutely no evidence that either one of them ever cheated. As for the three managers that just went in, I have no problem with their induction -- but I think the debate is interesting -- a debate LaRussa has helped inflame with some particularly boneheaded comments in the last two weeks.

[awhom111]

How many games does Samardzija have to win to negate the effect of all the games that Hammel loses?

[Jim3k]

How many games does Samardzija have to win to negate the effect of all the games that Hammel loses?

I'm hoping he's done and that Milone is on his way back.

[Blue in the Face]

A's pick up Jon Lester and Jonny Gomes for Yoenis Cespedes. Wow.

https://twitter.com/ESPNRadio980/sta...43034841137153

[FerryFor50]

A's pick up Jon Lester and Jonny Gomes for Yoenis Cespedes. Wow.

https://twitter.com/ESPNRadio980/sta...43034841137153

I think this is a pretty fantastic trade for the Red Sox, and a bit mind boggling for the A's.

The Athletics already had one of the best pitching staffs in baseball. They were 4th in ERA, 2nd in WHIP, and they had already landed Jeff Samardzija.

Their offense was not as solid, but still very good - middle of the pack in batting average, 5th in HR, 1st in RBI and runs scored.

Lester is no sure thing to re-sign in Oakland. In fact, there has been talk of him re-upping with Boston after the season.

Cespedes was owed 10.5 million next season and, if not re-signed, would be released entirely. But he was at least signed for next season. Losing Cespedes (.256, 17HR, 67 RBI, 62 runs, 26 doubles) and replacing him with Gomes (.234, 6 HR, 32 RBI, 22 runs, 7 doubles) not only hurts the A's power, but also their average. Plus, Gomes is FAR worse in the OF (-1.1 dWAR vs .6 dWAR for Cespedes).

I understand the A's are trying to win now, but getting Lester and giving up Cespedes seems unnecessary.

[Olympic Fan]

As a Yankee fan, I agree with Ferryfor50 -- wow! great deal for the Red Sox.

The A's, which already have the best starting staff in the AL, pick up an ace starter -- but they get him for just two months.

The Red Sox pick up an all-star outfielder -- one of the most dynamic outfielders in the AL -- and they have him cheap for the last two months this year and all next year.

Financially, it doesn't make a lot of sense.

The only other thing I can think of is that Billy Beane doesn't like Cespedes as much as the rest of us -- his on-base percentage is terrible (which is the single most important stat of the SABR guys), although he has great power and speed.

He was actually 5th on the team on OPS ... Gomes has a better OBP (.354), but his power is lacking -- his OPS is .683. Plus, you gave up a 28-year-old plus defensive outfielder for a 33-year-old with a -1.1 dWAR.

Are you sure he's the replacement? The A's just called up a 24-year outfielder named Billy Burns who had consistently high OBP (career .398) in the minors. I don't know a lot about him. Maube they want him in the lineup. Seems to have great speed, but little power.

Of course, the answer might be John Jaso, a utility guy who hasn't played the outfield yet -- but we all know Beane believes defense doesn't matter and anybody can play left field, right? Jaso is a far superior hitter to Cespedes or Gomes -- .358 OBP and .824 OPS. Got to find him a steady place in the lineup ...

Just guessing -- truth be told, I don't think this makes much sense for the A's.

[tommy]

Curious to hear Jim3k's take on this trade. To me, I think the A's figured a couple of things. First, maybe they're not as enamored with Cespedes as people assume they are. Pretty undisciplined hitter. Next, they've got pretty good outfield depth already, and now with Lester, they've got a very, very solid four man rotation for the post-season. Sure, they could lose him after this year, but this is what big-market teams do all the time -- get a guy late in the season to help them over the top, even if they overpay for him and then lose him -- because when a ring is within your grasp, you've got to go for it. The A's are not a big market team, obviously, and they don't get many chances. They had one here, to get one of the premier lefty starters in baseball, to strengthen an already very strong team and make a run at the big prize, and they're going for it.

[Duvall]

Curious to hear Jim3k's take on this trade. To me, I think the A's figured a couple of things. First, maybe they're not as enamored with Cespedes as people assume they are. Pretty undisciplined hitter. Next, they've got pretty good outfield depth already, and now with Lester, they've got a very, very solid four man rotation for the post-season. Sure, they could lose him after this year, but this is what big-market teams do all the time -- get a guy late in the season to help them over the top, even if they overpay for him and then lose him -- because when a ring is within your grasp, you've got to go for it. The A's are not a big market team, obviously, and they don't get many chances. They had one here, to get one of the premier lefty starters in baseball, to strengthen an already very strong team and make a run at the big prize, and they're going for it.

I agree. It looks like the A's preferred to try one title run with Lester over trying two title runs with Cespedes, since neither would be in Oakland after next season. Seems like a plausible tradeoff.

[Jim3k]

Frankly, I'm stunned. I think Duvall is right in his contract consideration discussion. Even so, I'm not sure what this does for the A's except to add a solid pitcher. I've always liked Lester and it looks like Jason Hammel is not working out.

I do think that while Cespedes is an exciting player, he really is not the most solid guy at the plate. I'm not sure what they will do with Gomes, though we loved him when he was here before. The A's have used a committee of DHs based on right-left matchups. Plus Gomes is a pretty decent outfielder.

Billy Burns is known for his speed, not his glove or bat, so I don't regard him as a replacement for Cespedes. The A's can move Gentry to left and not miss a beat. There is a risk for the outfield in that Crisp has been having neck problems and Reddick has been on the DL twice. If those injuries worsen or recur, that will put Stephen Vogt (a catcher and a good athlete as a reserve outfielder) and a Burns-Gentry-Gomes combo as all that's available.

Woops. Just saw that Fuld was acquired from the Twins for Milone. Fuld almost made the team in the spring but the Twins picked him up after Gentry returned.

Have to think about Fuld's impact in the outfield. Hate to lose Milone, but for the short term, Lester is a better choice.

[Blue in the Face]

These seem like good days to be a AAAA pitcher in the Red Sox organization, as Lackey follows Lester out of town, becoming a Cardinal in exchange for Allen Craig and Joe Kelly.

https://twitter.com/pgammo/status/494886818702438400

[FerryFor50]

These seem like good days to be a AAAA pitcher in the Red Sox organization, as Lackey follows Lester out of town, becoming a Cardinal in exchange for Allen Craig and Joe Kelly.

https://twitter.com/pgammo/status/494886818702438400

Wow. Another great pick up for the Sox. Craig is very good at the plate (when healthy). Joe Kelly is more than good enough as a rotation guy (10-5 last year with a 2.69 ERA) and is only 25. Lackey has been on the decline the past few seasons (mostly due to injury) and is 35.

Sox have managed to shed salary AND inject life into their offense.

[Olympic Fan]

Wow. Another great pick up for the Sox. Craig is very good at the plate (when healthy). Joe Kelly is more than good enough as a rotation guy (10-5 last year with a 2.69 ERA) and is only 25. Lackey has been on the decline the past few seasons (mostly due to injury) and is 35.

Sox have managed to shed salary AND inject life into their offense.

Wow! This is even more flabbergasting that the Lester-Cespedes deal. At least you can see that the A's are planning to roll the dice on one postseason run.

What is St. Louis thinking? They give up two solid young players -- both of which they control until 2019 -- to get a 35-year-old pitcher. Is Lackey (and Justin Masterton) going to push the Cards into the playoffs ... and to the world title?

It sounds more like a move my Yankees would make (and have been making over the years).

As a Yankee fan, I hate to see what the Red Sox have done over the last week -- they've dumped four aging pitchers (Lester, Lackey, Peavy and Doubront, who is not old, just terrible) and added a bunch of cheap young talent. Plus they are in position to resign the one pitcher worth keeping (Lester) in the offseason.

If that happens, you have to say that renting out Lester for two months and getting Cespedes in return is a brilliant deal.

I hate it!