Owner: Between the Lines URL:http://between-thelines.blogspot.com Join Date: Sat, 21 Jul 2007 18:45:11 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: Our Mission here at Between the Lines is twofold: First, to expose bad sports commentary in all its forms, for the mindless, poorly written and uttered drivel it is; Second, to go all Teddy Roosevelt on the monopoly that uninformed "experts," di Site statistics:Click here
A Real Nuisance 2007-07-21 18:01:00 When Jason Giambi went down with plantar fasciitis, members of the media throughout the tri-state area lined up to celebrate the benefits that would supposedly accompany the loss of one of the Yankees' most potent bats. The Yankees won nine in a row shortly after Giambi's disappearance from the scene, and many were quick to perceive a causal relationship where one did not exist. Now Giambi's activation is approaching, and the same writers who applauded his loss (in this case, Bob Klapisch of the Bergen Record) are now bemoaning his return: Giambi's comeback a potential problemIt might be a potential problem in that the roster can only accommodate 25 players, and consequently someone will have to be sent down to make room for the Giambino's ample frame. But I'm guessing that whoever it is will be of lesser value than one of the best offensive producers of the last decade.Slowly but surely, one rehab day at a time, Jason Giambi is working his way back to the Yankees, baggage and
You Win, Blogger 2007-07-20 17:49:00 We held out with old Blogger
as long as we possibly could, but those new expandable/collapsible archives in new Blogger are just too tempting to pass up. Please excuse any temporary ugliness while we make the transition, and if we don't make it for any reason, well, it has been one hell of a ride. Tell Morgan, Morrissey, Plaschke, and all the rest of the gang that we might love them, somewhere way deep down inside that we don't even know about, but probably not.
The Heroic Anti-Hero? 2007-07-20 11:05:00 Bad sportswriters habitually concoct shocking, counterintuitive topics for their columns, hoping that the very idiocy of their ideas will attract readers who want to verify for themselves whether or not said authors could really be that stupid--a reaction somewhat akin to rubber-necking a gruesome car crash. The fact that these guys keep their jobs year after year leads me to believe that the tactic does attract readers; I, for one, am drawn inexorably to these columns, though that could just be because I write for a blog devoted to them. On second thought, it's far more likely that I write for this blog because I'm so drawn to them. But although these columns may increase the audience and fame of their authors, the inescapable fact remains that they're still utterly ludicrous. To illustrate this phenomenon, I present you withe the latest from Philadelphia Daily News' Sam Donnellon. Here's the headline:Thanks, Barry, for Being Baseball's SaviorSam Donnellon said what? Oh, I have Read more:Heroic
A Team in Denial 2007-07-20 10:53:00 The Pittsburgh Pirates are currently occupying their customary place in the standings, 14 games under .500, a mere half game out of the NL Central cellar. Yet as far as I can tell, they remain blissfully unaware of their predicament. Someone should tell them.Several players involved in that Tuesday meeting between manager Jim Tracy and his team leaders confirmed yesterday at PNC Park, where the Pirates' losing streak reached a season-high six with a 5-3 clubbing by the Colorado Rockies, that their declared objective is to finish above .500 for the first time since 1992.Eighty-two wins.The Pirates have 40 wins on July 20th. They haven't been unlucky; according to BP's adjusted standings, they should really be 39-55. They're definitely not making a major deadline acquisition (Cesar Izturis doesn't count). They're a bad team, plain and simple. A bad team that actually convened a meeting to declare their commitment to an impossible goal."That's it ... 82. That's our main goal for t Read more:Denial
Jayson Stark: Even More Useless Than Previous Indicated 2007-07-19 13:35:00 ESPN's Jayson Stark
delights in uncovering information that is, by is own admission, useless (or more accurately, publishing useless info that others uncover and send to him). Yet, while his columns are rarely worth reading, at least they're usually accurate--possibly because Stark himself is responsible for so little of the research. The same cannot be said of his latest vital contribution to the greater body of baseball knowledge, which has escaped the boundaries of the "Useless Information Department" and infiltrated the confines of "Rumblings and Grumblings."TrivialityTwo of the biggest names on the trading block this month -- Mark Teixeira and Jermaine Dye -- both had seasons of at least 43 homers and 120 RBIs last year. We bet you can't name the only player since 2001 who was traded, in either the offseason or midseason, following a season of at least 43 homers and 120 RBIs. (Answer later.)And we bet that you can't come up with an error-free trivia question. The Dye part is c
Can GM's Take Mulligans? 2007-07-19 00:36:00 Despite some things you may have heard or read, Cubs' recent acquisition of Jason Kendall is not an "impact move." It is not a prime example of "reloading for the stretch drive." It is not a case of "filling a hole." It is none of these things, because Jason Kendall is very, very bad at baseball. You'd really have a hard time finding anyone worse on a major league roster. You could do it eventually, but it would take more time than it's worth. I said all these things, out loud, to my computer, when I first heard the news of the grade. Gordon Wittenmeyer of the Chicago Sun-Times begged to differ. I granted his request, and allowed his column to be published, but it turned out so badly that I'm regretting my beneficence, and you're now reading my attempt to rectify the error.If the Cubs don't make another trade before the non-waiver deadline at the end of the month, their deal Monday night for catcher Jason Kendall should make them one of the winners when the trading season is eval
Words to Live By 2007-07-19 00:09:00 Tony La Russa enjoys a reputation for managerial genius, and while it may not be completely deserved, it's probably here to stay nonetheless. But what is it that sets him apart from his peers? You can talk about his predilection for micro-managing, his frequent pitching changes, or his willingness to defy convention all you want, but I'm here to tell you that I know the true secret behind his success. I became privy to this secret, (which is now "out") as did thousands of other inquiring minds, when I perused Buster Olney's latest blog entry, and found it right there in black and white, courtesy of Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt:"He's got this motto that you play nine innings every night, and good things happen."There you have it, ladies and gents. The secret to La Russa's winning ways is his commitment to playing nine innings every night (I think we can safely assume that the motto does not apply to off days). When you think about it, it makes more and more sense; after all, team Read more:Words
When Sportswriting Mirrors Art... 2007-07-18 23:43:00 ...Something has gone seriously wrong, unless we're dealing witht Roger Angell. And we are definitely not dealing with Roger Angell; we're dealing with Bill Plaschke, who is about as far away from Roger Angell as one can get without ceasing to be a sportswriter altogether. A little excerpt from Plaschke's latest piece of pseudo-profound absurdity should tell you all you need to know: Nomar Garciaparra welcomes you to his locker in the middle of a Tuesday afternoon, same nice guy, different nice guy. His smile is like his swing. Huge but vacant. His voice is like his power. Once resounding, now soft. In the middle of the strangest of Dodgers seasons, Nomar Garciaparra is the strangest of Dodgers. He's there, but he's not.I'm looking at the Dodgers' 25-man roster right now, and I'm pretty sure that he's just there; you can leave it at that. Plaschke thinks the power of his words will bring us to tears, and he's right, but for the wrong reasons. If you've ever wondered why his Read more:Mirrors
Perfection, Thy Name is Diamondbacks 2007-07-18 15:01:00 The normally reliable Dayn Perry has betrayed our trust with his latest offering, a FOX Sports article which fails to fulfill its stated goal. The article promises to tell us what every contending team needs at the deadline, but instead, only delivers the goods for 11 out of the 16 contenders.Dayn didn't simply forget to cover 5 teams. Instead, he asserted that 5 teams simply don't need anything. That's right. They are perfect. Who are these lucky teams, you wonder? None other than the Diamondbacks
, Red Sox, Cubs, Dodgers, and Brewers. So rejoice, fans of these teams; you were just imagining those nagging little (or not-so-little) problems that you thought existed on your hometown nine (or twenty-five). Your team is so good that it cannot improve in any way.This is the case, despite the fact that two of the teams (Diamondbacks and Cubs) are not even sniffing 1st place in their own division; the Dodgers have a 1-game lead. The Diamondbacks are 49-46, and they haven't even been unluc Read more:Perfection
The Worst Stat Ever 2007-07-18 11:03:00 Catcher ERA. Easily the worst stat I’ve ever encountered in baseball. As such, I was naturally upset when Eric Karabell, who normally gives sound fantasy advice over at ESPN, referenced this abomination of a stat. Worse yet, he used it to defend Jason Kendall, who is quite possibly the worst starting position player in baseball right now.I think the Cubs wanted a veteran presence behind the plate, someone who can handle pitchers. Kendall can't hit a lick, but he does currently have the lowest catcher's ERA in baseball, among the 21 qualifiers at the position.Ugh. For those of you who don’t know, catcher’s ERA is a compilation of every pitcher’s ERA when throwing to that particular catcher. Take one guess: does this have more to do with the pitchers, or with the catcher?In a related phenomenon, catchers who play on the same team generally have similar Catcher ERAs! This couldn't possibly be because the quality of pitching on the team remains the same. Teams must be signing ba
Farnsworthless 2007-07-18 09:19:00 Kyle Farnsworth, professional sourpuss and "eighth-inning guy," has pitched more like a mopup man this year, but Joe Torre, bullpen mis-manager of the New York Yankees, continues to throw him out there in high-leverage situations, where he inevitably either coughs up the lead or requires a rescue by a more effective reliever. Both Farnsworth and Torre are to blame for this situation, but neither one cares to accept any blame. Here's Farnsworth's take on the situation:"If they think they can do any better," he said, referring to his critics among the media and Yankees fan base, "then I'll give them my cleats, my glove and my uniform, and see what they can do."No, Kyle. They don't think they can do any better. I don't think I can do any better. But they (and I) do think that another major league pitcher who is already on the team, and already possesses the necessary baseball equipment, can do better. The Yankee bullpen is far from "lights-out," but really, pick any other reliever in
A Mind of Their Own 2007-07-17 00:21:00 Joe Morgan's deepest, darkest fears have come to pass:Computer Finds RamirezThe market for highly paid, ill-informed "analysts" who Played the Game is disappearing before our very eyes!If anyone deserves credit for the Yankees' discovery of Edwar Ramirez, it's a computer. "Statistics found him," Billy Eppler, the team's director of professional scouting, said yesterday.Joe was the first to raise the alarm when a computer wrote a best-selling sports book (which also happened to be about computers and "computer numbers"). We mocked him. Now they're taking over, and it's too late to stop them. Is it too late to apologize?
That's Just Tough 2007-07-16 23:31:00 For someone who makes his living by disseminating the written word, Joe Henderson of the Tampa Tribune exhibits frighteningly poor reading comprehension. Henderson managed to turn in an entire vitriolic column based solely upon a misinterpretation, or willful misrepresentation, of a comment by Yankee manager Joe Torre. See for yourself:Uh, Joe? Joe Torre? We have to talk.No, this isn't an interview of some sort. It's a monologue. Beginning a column by addressing the oblivious subject in an informal manner was covered in the 2nd lecture of Shoddy Journalism 101.You're a fine manager - one of the best ever.Eh. Maybe. Many intelligent Yankee fans would disagree.You'll go into the Hall of Fame when you're done managing the Yankees.Probably.You've conducted yourself with dignity and class throughout your reign, now in its 12th season.I suppose.You've won nine consecutive division championships and four World Series rings. You've earned the right to say what's on your mind.He had th Read more:Tough
Gordon Comes Up Lamer 2007-07-13 09:52:00 Gordon Damer, of New York's own 1050 ESPN Radio, is a superb sidekick and "update guy," but his performance while filling in for the superlative Max Kellerman on the Max Kellerman Show today, while easily superior to the horrendous Stephen A. Smith/Mike Missanelli tandem which followed him, was far from flawless. "GD" asserted that the Mets' recent struggles can be attributed to nothing more than a sense of boredom or malaise. But Gordon, the Mets hold a mere 2.5 game lead over Atlanta in the NL East! What do they have to be bored about?If you ran a computer simulation, ran it 100 times, the Mets would always be the NL East champions. They would never lose. Maybe the Braves would win 3 times. The Phillies would never win.First of all, if you only run the simulation 100 times, there's a lot of chance involved; the more repetitions you have, the more regression to the mean occurs, and the more accurate the results become. But fortunately, we don't have to speculate about whether Gord Read more:Gordon
Behind Every Chest Protector Lies a Human Heart 2007-07-12 11:11:00 Dick Heller of the Washington Times believes that umpires should be seen and not heard. Actually, scratch that; he doesn't think they should be heard either. And they most certainly should not be recognized for their contributions to the game. I don't know why he feels this way; perhaps he was abused by umpires during his formative years. But whatever his reasons may be, I feel obliged to stick up for the boys in blue.Normally, I have nothing but the greatest respect for Fay Vincent, baseball's last real commissioner before the dunderheads who run the sport chose Bud Selig to be their personal lapdog in 1992. But now Vincent has struck out with a silly idea that gained exposure this week on the op-ed page of the New York Times, of all places.Do tell.Vincent, who served as commish from 1989 to 1992, delivered a nice tribute to game officials of all stripes, then added that "no major sport takes the time to pat officials on the back, to recognize the fine ones who do their jobs well a Read more:Chest
, Heart
David Steele Definitely Does Not Dig the Long Ball 2007-07-12 10:58:00 Chicks may or may not dig the long ball, but Baltimore Sun columnist DavidSteele
, for one, has a powerful aversion to the four-bagger. He fights a losing battle to contain his disgust every time a ball flies out of the park (inside-the-park shots are not only permitted, they're welcomed enthusiastically). If David Steele controlled the universe, every game would end a 1-0 affair, decided by a bunt single, followed by a sacrifice bunt, then a steal of 3rd, and finally a suicide squeeze. That is why Mr. Steele has a man-crush on the one player whose game approaches the Steele ideal, the one star who holds forth a shining beacon of hope in these dark times: Ichiro Suzuki. And why? Not because he does a lot of things well; no, that would be far too logical. According to David Steele, Ichiro deserves to be revered above all others because he doesn't hit home runs.Nobody in Tuesday's game in San Francisco was more fun to watch play than Ichiro. Nothing that happened during the two days o
The Decline and Fall of Peter Gammons 2007-07-09 19:48:00 For a legendary journalist and recipient of the J.G. Taylor Spink Award, Peter
Gammons sure does churn out a lot of mediocre drivel. Last week he brought his considerable literary talents to bear on the pressing question of which players wanted iPhones on launch day, and this week his contribution is yet another puff piece, this time entitled:Players with energy are invaluableWell...I guess they're better than players with no energy. But I can't really think of any professional baseball players who have no energy, aside from Casey Kotchman when he had mono last year. By "energy," don't just you mean skill? Neifi Perez hopped up on greenies is as energetic as the next guy, but his performance isn't quite as notable as his energy level, so I'm guessing he's not going to crack this list. I should point out, because I reproduce all the quotes in bold face and you wouldn't know otherwise, (unless you looked at the article) that Peter writes all the names of the energetic players in b Read more:Decline
Revisionist History 2007-07-09 19:17:00 Texas Rangers owner Tom Hicks, who signed off on the Chris Young/Adrian Gonzalez/Terrmel Sledge for Adam Eaton/Akinori Otsuka debacle of 2005, has conveniently changed his tune these days, insisting that he was against the swap from the beginning: "I didn't want the organization to trade Chris Young because he was a local kid, not based on anything from a baseball point of view," he said. "How often do you have a local hero?" First of all, if you didn't want the organization to trade him, you could have prevented it from doing so. That's one of the perks of owning the organization. Secondly, maybe you should have focused more on the "baseball point of view," rather than the heartwarming but ultimately unimportant matter of Chris Young's birthplace. Thirdly, the question to ask was not "How often do you have a local hero," but instead, "How often do the Texas Rangers, who play in the hitters' haven of Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, have a good pitcher?" The answer, "alm Read more:History
Alfred E. Nomar 2007-07-09 18:44:00 It's somewhat sad when a formerly productive player can no longer produce at an elite level, and it's even sadder when he pretends that nothing has changed. Nomar Garciaparra has become one of these unfortunate souls. Nomar owns a career 127 OPS+, and in recent years remained a threat, at least when healthy. However, this year his game has taken a dramatic turn for the worse; he's not getting on base, and he's not hitting for any power. That deadly duo is good for a 72 OPS+. Yikes. But at least Nomar isn't worried:"I worry about wins and losses," he said. "I don't worry about myself. Why should I start now?"Because while you may not have had too much to worry about in the past, you do now. You used to be good; now you're not. In fact, if you keep playing like this, you'll be out of a job in no time. And since you insist on being one of those phonies who insists he only cares about the team's performance, and not his own, I'll frame this in terms you can understand: the team' Read more:Alfred
News from the Injury Front 2007-07-09 13:49:00 Cheer up, Yankee fans; your team is still under .500, but the Giambino is on the mend:Jason Giambi (torn left plantar fascia) has been removed from a walking boot, but he is still out indefinitely.Well, I guess that's progress. But can it be a good sign for his mobility that they're removing the Giambino from the boot, and not the boot from the Giambino? Read more:Injury
, Front
Bill Plashcke Soars to New Lows 2007-07-05 14:51:00 I honestly debated about whether I should post something about this article. It’s about a man, dying of cancer, who fulfills a lifelong dream by finally traveling to Dodger Stadium. I have no desire whatsoever to mock a dying man’s last wish, but the pomposity and ridiculous sappiness of this column forced my hand. The subject matter is just the sort of thing one would expect Bill Plaschke (of the LA Times) to jump all over. Plaschke lives for heartwarming stories that he can pounce on and milk for every last drop of emotion they contain. He usually goes overboard, but in this particular example, he embarrasses not only himself, but the man about whom the column is written. Ultimately, I have no desire to mock the column’s protagonist, but I have no problem with mocking Plaschke’s insanely pretentious writing style.He walks onto the concourse, stares down at a Dodger Stadium field dotted with current players and past legends, grabs his camera and immediately begins snapping pho
Consider Him Thoroughly Chass-ened 2007-07-04 00:27:00 For someone who's been a Baseball Writers Association of America member for 45 years, Murray Chass is surprisingly bad at baseball writing. Case in point: the Chassmaster's latest, an incomprehensible ode to what might have been. Here's the headline:If They Had Done Their Job, the Yankees Could Have LedBasically, Murray is trying to explain in layman's terms the complex idea that if the Yankees had played well enough to be in first place, they would...be in first place. Other news broken in Chass columns of old: if Hitler had been a better painter, we could have avoided that whole World War II thing; if Israel Kamakawiwoʻole had done a little cardio, he might still be with us today; and lastly, if Murray Chass had been born a little nearer to the present day, he might have been thinking more clearly when he wrote these words, and as a result, would have been less likely to end up with such a nonsensical excuse for a column.Who said the Yankees would pass the Red Sox by July 4?Well
I Would Also Be Better Off Amputating My Left Leg 2007-07-03 15:01:00 Mike Missanelli, normally the babysitter for Stephen A. Smith during Smith's eponymous radio show on 1050 ESPN Radio in New York, has been forced into the role of The Village Idiot this week while Stephen A. takes some much-needed time off. I needed it, not Stephen. Anyway, over the normal two hours it's common to hear Stephen A. take ridiculous stances on the issues of the day, while Mike tries to rein him in. With Stephen A. on holiday, however, Mike wants us to hear his best Stephen A. impersonation:(Apologies for paraphrasing, although c'mon, it's New York sports talk radio, not exactly the King's English in the first place)Mike's catchy intro: Yanks win one last night, but if A-Rod goes on the DL, will the Bombers be....BETTER off?No, the Yankees will not be better off without A-Rod. Just in case you were having any doubts about the guy who already has 17 win shares this year. Anyway, Missanelli then starts talking about what Bill Simmons' readers know as the Ewing Theory,
Gotta Get Me Some of That Veteran Leadership 2007-07-03 14:21:00 Isn't it touching when baseball veterans feel the need to impose their knowledge on talented young players who may not need it? Especially when one of them has never, ever been good at baseball?When Hunter Pence went 0-for-4 the other night, Craig Biggio pulled him aside and offered some advice. "Look, go back to the cage right now," he said. "Don't wait until tomorrow. You'll go back there mad and hit until you're exhausted. By the time you leave, it'll feel right again."Hunter Pence is batting .342, in his first season, at the age of 24. He's OPS-ing .948. Does he really need Mr. 3000 to send him back to the cage because he went 0-4 in one game? Obviously, whatever he's doing is working very well. Craig Biggio, on the other hand, is OPS-ing .701. Hey Craig, I know you're 41 and all, but get your ass back in that cage until you're OPS-ing .916 like you did in 1997 (which was a career high, and still worse than Pence is hitting in his rookie year). By the time you leave, it'l Read more:Gotta
, Veteran
, Leadership
Let the All-Star Festivities Begin 2007-07-03 13:36:00 There seems to have been a dearth of shoddy sportswriting for a while, so we here at BTL haven’t had great material lately. Fortunately, every year the All-Star game rolls around, and sportswriters all over the country come crawling out of the woodwork to lament a snub of their favorite player, or else laud some other All-Star team appointment. In other words, BTL is quickly back in business. This time around, it’s Phil Sheridan of the Philadelphia Inquirer, who chooses not only to applaud the selection of the three Phillies who made it, but also to offer up a couple more would-be Phillies All-Stars.It's always easy to debate All-Star Game selections and even easier to criticize a voting process that sometimes rewards reputation over merit. But as far as the Phillies are concerned this year, the system worked.Well, maybe it worked as far as the Phillies are concerned, but does that mean it’s fair?Ryan Howard probably should be on the National League team. Despite his slow start
Have You Heard About This New "Lively Ball?" 2007-07-23 14:02:00 Breaking news, from Paul Oberjuerge of the Los Angeles Daily News: pitchers no longer throw many complete games.Dodgers Starters Aren't FinishersYou heard it here first. Right? This definitely has to be the first place you've ever heard cutting-edge observations like this.Where is Don Drysdale when you really need him?Dead?Sandy Koufax? Fernando Valenzuela?Heck, even Don Sutton? Retired. Retired. Retired. Maybe these questions were supposed to be rhetorical.The 2007 Dodgers are carrying seven relief pitchers ... and it isn't enough. Because those porcelain dolls who double as their starting pitchers can't finish what they start. Where have you been, Paul Oberjuerge? Complete games are few and far between these days. The average major league starting staff completed only 5 games last year. That number has been falling for a long, long time. This shouldn't come as a surprise.The Dodgers entered Sunday's game with 12 pitchers on their 25-man active roster, but they lost Read more:Heard
, Lively
"Thus," Spoke Woody Paige 2007-07-23 10:02:00 Reading a column by The Denver Post's WoodyPaige
is somewhat akin to listening to a William Shatner record; it sounds approximately like singing, you know that he thinks he's singing, but somehow, it's not really a song. Woody Paige's columns are indisputably composed of letters, just like other columns, and those letters do form words in the English lexicon, but something about the way they're put together makes the reader fear for his or her sanity. Of course, it's not the reader who should be afraid; it's Woody himself. Here's Mr. Paige's take on the Rockies' upcoming schedule:Thus, the preponderance of available evidence suggests that the most consequential seven-game homestand against division adversaries in the Rockies' 14(and almost two-thirds)-season history begins tonight."Thus?" The first word of your column is "thus?" A word for which the first meaning listed in the dictionary is "in the way just indicated" is the first word to appear in a column in which you hav
More Morrissey Madness 2007-07-20 16:05:00 You may have thought Chicago Tribune columnist Rick Morrissey was gone, but even so, he was never forgotten. Turns out he wasn't gone, either. In fact, Rick is making his triumphant return to the BTL stage right now, with an article which demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of segregation's effect on competitive balance in baseball: The Rev. Jesse Jackson had some interesting thoughts the other day about Barry Bonds' pursuit of baseball's all-time home-run record, but one statement stood out. Talking about the cloud of steroid allegations hanging over Bonds, Jackson said that if Major League Baseball is going to start putting asterisks in its record book, a lot of players should have asterisks by their names.And what was the good Reverend's rationale?"My question is if 400 guys tested positive, do you put asterisks by all their names?" Jackson told the Sun-Times. "Do you put asterisks by [spitballer] Gaylord Perry's name? Do you put asterisks by guys who had the ultimat Read more:Madness
And All it Took Was One Tantrum... 2007-07-24 11:47:00 As the Cubs continue their speedy rise towards the top of the NL Central, and are now contending with the Brewers, theories intended to explain to their sudden spurt are arising everywhere. Of course, those of us “in the know” are not surprised. The Cubs had been underperforming their run differential for a long time, and those who knew this also knew that it was likely that they would eventually play well again. Those who didn’t know this, however, have taken to theorizing about the galvanizing effect of Lou Piniella’s ejection a month or so ago. Jeff Passan, over at Yahoo! Sports is one of these people, as is Alfonso Soriano, so let’s hear their feelings on the topic."The biggest thing to me is when Lou got kicked out of the game," said outfielder Alfonso Soriano, whose story begins with the events of June 2.That was the biggest thing to Soriano. Not his own enhanced performance, nor the rebound of Carlos Zambrano from mediocrity, nor a number of improvements made by other
It's All in the Socks 2007-07-24 08:42:00 Ready for one of those stirring encomiums of a mediocre player which manages to insult him more than it praises him? I am! In fact, I've never been more ready in my life! Your Encomiast today is Lonnie Wheeler of the Cincinnati Post.On the day that all the tools were divvied up between all the ballplayers, Jeff Keppinger was cut off at one. His mission is to build a career with it.Just makes you wanna root for the guy, doesn't it? He could be any of us. I identify with him!What he was given was the ability to hit for a high average, an old-school statistic that has become less and less valued as baseball has become more and more digitized. What he missed out on were speed, arm, glove, power and an aptitude for wearing his pants in the contemporary, sock-concealing fashion.The pants/socks thing will definitely come in handy. Who needs speed, power, an arm, (hosiery beats hose any day) and a glove if you have that? Unfortunately, all I see when I turn on a baseball game these days is a Read more:Socks
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