Because really, Brett Myers is not a better pitcher than a certain portly Brewer hired gun who will make a cazillion dollars next season.
Ted Keith thinks otherwise.
THE NL'S BEST PITCHER OF THE LAST MONTH IS NOT NAMED CC SABATHIA
Maybe this is a trick and it'll be like "His name is Carl Christopher Sabathia" and be a really well-written article about how freakin' nuts Sabathia has been over the past month+.
But since returning to the Phillies in early August, he has been far and away the team's best and most dependable starter and -- brace yourselves, Brewers fans -- arguably the best pitcher in the National League. In fact, Myers is 6-1 since his return with a 1.55 ERA, and as the intensity of the moment has increased, so too has his performance. In 31 innings pitched over his last four starts, Myers has yielded only two runs (for a 0.58 ERA), while winning all four games, striking out 35 and walking just six.
So much for that.
Let's look at the August splits, shall we?
CC Sabathia: 5-0/3 CG/2 SHO/48.1 IP/1.12 ERA/51 K/8 BB
Brett Myers: 4-1/1 CG/1 SHO/43.2 IP/1.65 ERA/42 K/7 BB
Keith says "arguably." If he argues Myers is better, he is wrong. It's not an argument.
Oh wait, one less walk. Mrs. Myers can sleep a little better tonight.
Saturday, September 06, 2008
Friday, September 05, 2008
Musical Chairs: Girl Talk and the 2006-07 Golden State Warriors
[This is the first in what I hope to be regular comparison series of sports teams and musical artists.]
I wrote briefly about the Warriors when they toppled the heavily favored Dallas Mavericks in last year's NBA playoffs. To me and many others, they were the most exciting team in the playoffs and one of the most entertaining teams to watch in a long while. They (and, to a lesser degree, the Suns) breathed life into a boring league, reinvigorated a great NBA city and were simply a great sports story.
I've also written about one Gregg Gillis (Girl Talk) at length. His album, Night Ripper, remains one of my most heavily played records - with play counts for a majority of the tracks nearing the 30s in less than a year. With his new offering, Feed The Animals dropping yesterday online and proving itself to be a worthy successor, I thought "what sports team resembles Girl Talk?" and, as you can tell from the opener, I believe it is the Warriors.
The History
It is difficult for many to call what Girl Talk does as music - at least in the traditional sense of the word. Sure, he arranges sounds in a pleasing way, but the way he does it - sewing together bits and pieces of hip-hop, pop and anything other music he sees fit - leads many to say "what's the big deal? I could do that."
Over four full-lengths and six-ish years, Girl Talk has managed to get to the top of the mashup DJ mountain. His albums are intricate, deep and far-reaching. His records feature hundreds of samples that go as soon as they come - half the fun of a Girl Talk records can be playing "guess the sample."
The 2006-07 Warriors offense (and team philosophy overall) can be described as free-wheeling, high-octane, run-and-gun and a myriad of other sports buzz phrases. They were one of the highest scoring teams in the league at nearly 107 points per game. They needed a do-or-die winning streak to sneak into the playoffs on the last day of the season at 42-40. They were matched up against one of the best regular season teams ever - the 67 win Dallas Mavericks, armed with MVP Dirk Nowitzki.
The deck was stacked against the Warriors to win - they were too small, too soft, too flawed to beat the Mavs. But something happened - the Mavs bowed to the Warriors style. After all, this Warrior team had beaten them twice in the regular season and had former Mavs coach Don Nelson at the helm. By going with a smaller lineup and trying to out gun the Warriors, the Mavs were doomed from the start. Six games later, the Warriors bested the Mavs and advanced to the West semifinals, only to fall to the Jazz in five games.
The parallels
There is something beautiful about something which is fatally flawed and succeeding. It's the underdog story with a twist: you just know, deep down, that it's going to fail. You are just waiting to see when and how. Girl Talk and the Warriors share this trait.
As wonderful as it was to watch the Warriors play basketball - jacking up deep threes four seconds into the shot clock, swarming a player in an attempt to get a steal and an easy lay-up on the other end and racking up pinball-like scores - you just knew they couldn't win forever that way. Someone was going to stop them - probably themselves.
Girl Talk operates on the same principal. His music is only as relevant as the source material. Sure, that bass line from "Cannonball" is awesome, but what about that Purple Ribbon All-Stars rhyme? The criticism always lobbed at Gillis is that his records are "fun" - not necessarily "good" and won't stand the test of time.
The reason these two are so great is also the reason why they're so bad. The Warriors had no chance at the NBA title because of the style they played. But they also only beat the number one seed because of that same style. Similarly, Gillis has garnered a huge cult (and more and more mainstream) following because of his straight-up fun and clever dance music. Will he sell a million records or get the number one Billboard single? No way in hell. Will he even make enough money to keep doing this, as what he does is maybe-sorta illegal? I don't know. His music is based on unlicensed (illegal) samples and thus, if he ever achieved gigantic success, the original artists lawyer's could come calling.
Both got where they were/are because of a particular style. The thing is, that style has a ceiling.
Going deeper
A basketball phrase that can be attributed to the Warriors is "the only bad shot is the one that doesn't go in." Shoot with 20 seconds left on the shot clock? Sure, as long as you make it. Take 100 shots a game? Why not, as long as 50 go in. Fade away three with someone in your face? If you can make it, do it. They go against every fundamental players are taught in rec basketball.
This is the diabolical genius of the Warriors. Nelson saw what he had - a ton of scorers and quick slashers who all had range at nearly every position and little size/rebounding - and said "Screw it, I'm playing my way." Centers shooting threes, triple teaming opposing guards to get a steal and causing absolute chaos on the court. I just imagine opposing coaches going to bed that night after losing to the Warriors 120-110 screaming in a cold sweat, seeing three after three drop in his dreams.
Listening to a Girl Talk album for the first time can be a similar experience. There's a flurry of familiar sounds flying at you from all angles. "'Jesse's Girl?!' 'Tiny Dancer!' The Cure? Biggy? 'Soulja Boy?!' What is this?!" It can be a dizzying, insane ride. Feed The Animals has over 300 samples crammed into it's less than an hour runtime. Sounds like a record coach Nelson could be proud of.
I wrote briefly about the Warriors when they toppled the heavily favored Dallas Mavericks in last year's NBA playoffs. To me and many others, they were the most exciting team in the playoffs and one of the most entertaining teams to watch in a long while. They (and, to a lesser degree, the Suns) breathed life into a boring league, reinvigorated a great NBA city and were simply a great sports story.
I've also written about one Gregg Gillis (Girl Talk) at length. His album, Night Ripper, remains one of my most heavily played records - with play counts for a majority of the tracks nearing the 30s in less than a year. With his new offering, Feed The Animals dropping yesterday online and proving itself to be a worthy successor, I thought "what sports team resembles Girl Talk?" and, as you can tell from the opener, I believe it is the Warriors.
The History
It is difficult for many to call what Girl Talk does as music - at least in the traditional sense of the word. Sure, he arranges sounds in a pleasing way, but the way he does it - sewing together bits and pieces of hip-hop, pop and anything other music he sees fit - leads many to say "what's the big deal? I could do that."
Over four full-lengths and six-ish years, Girl Talk has managed to get to the top of the mashup DJ mountain. His albums are intricate, deep and far-reaching. His records feature hundreds of samples that go as soon as they come - half the fun of a Girl Talk records can be playing "guess the sample."
The 2006-07 Warriors offense (and team philosophy overall) can be described as free-wheeling, high-octane, run-and-gun and a myriad of other sports buzz phrases. They were one of the highest scoring teams in the league at nearly 107 points per game. They needed a do-or-die winning streak to sneak into the playoffs on the last day of the season at 42-40. They were matched up against one of the best regular season teams ever - the 67 win Dallas Mavericks, armed with MVP Dirk Nowitzki.
The deck was stacked against the Warriors to win - they were too small, too soft, too flawed to beat the Mavs. But something happened - the Mavs bowed to the Warriors style. After all, this Warrior team had beaten them twice in the regular season and had former Mavs coach Don Nelson at the helm. By going with a smaller lineup and trying to out gun the Warriors, the Mavs were doomed from the start. Six games later, the Warriors bested the Mavs and advanced to the West semifinals, only to fall to the Jazz in five games.
The parallels
There is something beautiful about something which is fatally flawed and succeeding. It's the underdog story with a twist: you just know, deep down, that it's going to fail. You are just waiting to see when and how. Girl Talk and the Warriors share this trait.
As wonderful as it was to watch the Warriors play basketball - jacking up deep threes four seconds into the shot clock, swarming a player in an attempt to get a steal and an easy lay-up on the other end and racking up pinball-like scores - you just knew they couldn't win forever that way. Someone was going to stop them - probably themselves.
Girl Talk operates on the same principal. His music is only as relevant as the source material. Sure, that bass line from "Cannonball" is awesome, but what about that Purple Ribbon All-Stars rhyme? The criticism always lobbed at Gillis is that his records are "fun" - not necessarily "good" and won't stand the test of time.
The reason these two are so great is also the reason why they're so bad. The Warriors had no chance at the NBA title because of the style they played. But they also only beat the number one seed because of that same style. Similarly, Gillis has garnered a huge cult (and more and more mainstream) following because of his straight-up fun and clever dance music. Will he sell a million records or get the number one Billboard single? No way in hell. Will he even make enough money to keep doing this, as what he does is maybe-sorta illegal? I don't know. His music is based on unlicensed (illegal) samples and thus, if he ever achieved gigantic success, the original artists lawyer's could come calling.
Both got where they were/are because of a particular style. The thing is, that style has a ceiling.
Going deeper
A basketball phrase that can be attributed to the Warriors is "the only bad shot is the one that doesn't go in." Shoot with 20 seconds left on the shot clock? Sure, as long as you make it. Take 100 shots a game? Why not, as long as 50 go in. Fade away three with someone in your face? If you can make it, do it. They go against every fundamental players are taught in rec basketball.
This is the diabolical genius of the Warriors. Nelson saw what he had - a ton of scorers and quick slashers who all had range at nearly every position and little size/rebounding - and said "Screw it, I'm playing my way." Centers shooting threes, triple teaming opposing guards to get a steal and causing absolute chaos on the court. I just imagine opposing coaches going to bed that night after losing to the Warriors 120-110 screaming in a cold sweat, seeing three after three drop in his dreams.
Listening to a Girl Talk album for the first time can be a similar experience. There's a flurry of familiar sounds flying at you from all angles. "'Jesse's Girl?!' 'Tiny Dancer!' The Cure? Biggy? 'Soulja Boy?!' What is this?!" It can be a dizzying, insane ride. Feed The Animals has over 300 samples crammed into it's less than an hour runtime. Sounds like a record coach Nelson could be proud of.
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Giants 'irrefutable' as number one team in football
At least according to my favorite site, Cold Hard Football Facts.com.
The 10-6 Giants whom outscored opponents by 22 points/game, won every playoff game narrowly, have Eli Manning as QB, blah blah blah.
If they are better than 8-8 this season I will personally email someone at CHFF and apologize. I mean it.
The 10-6 Giants whom outscored opponents by 22 points/game, won every playoff game narrowly, have Eli Manning as QB, blah blah blah.
If they are better than 8-8 this season I will personally email someone at CHFF and apologize. I mean it.
The Giants kick off the 2008 NFL season tonight as defending Super Bowl champs and No. 1 in the almighty CHFF Power Rankings. The wisdom behind our ranking is irrefutable: the last time an NFL game was fought with real bullets, the Giants were the only team to emerge from their foxhole in one piece.
Clearly the best team always wins the SB in a three game round of Russian roulette.
Clearly the best team always wins the SB in a three game round of Russian roulette.
But that's not to say the Giants will be the best team in football this year.
But good enough to be IRREFUTABLY ranked as number one this season.
But good enough to be IRREFUTABLY ranked as number one this season.
Hell, many "pundits," including the Cold, Hard Football Facts, wonder if they’ll even reach the playoffs this year in the rough-and-tumble NFC East, let alone march through another Manhattan ticker-tape parade.
Broken record say: Good enough to be ranked number one, irrefuckingfutably.
And come on CHFF, why rank them number one when they aren't?
Broken record say: Good enough to be ranked number one, irrefuckingfutably.
Fans and "pundits" also wonder: is the real Eli Manning the unflappable rock who guided the Giants to four straight postseason wins and produced the greatest championship-winning drive in the history of the game? Or is the real Eli Manning the dough-faced goober who was mired below mediocrity (note the career 73.4 passer rating) right up until January?
Is Eli Manning the dude we saw for four fucking games in the playoffs or the other 57 games of his career?
The rest of this is actually reasons why the G-men are flawed. Nothing too egregious. But really, go read this if you want to see just how terrible the Giants were/are.
Is Eli Manning the dude we saw for four fucking games in the playoffs or the other 57 games of his career?
*****
The rest of this is actually reasons why the G-men are flawed. Nothing too egregious. But really, go read this if you want to see just how terrible the Giants were/are.
And come on CHFF, why rank them number one when they aren't?
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Do announcers ever have to check anything? Ever?
During the telecast of the Tampa/NY Yankees, the indelible Rick Sutcliffe (who was repeating someone else, I assume the TB pitching coach) said something to effect:
"He [Edwin Jackson] could have 15 wins with some run support."
Thirty seconds later I found...
Edwin Jackson: 5.37 runs scored per nine.
That is in the top 35 in baseball. Fifteenth in the AL. Come on Tampa, get over 6.5 runs, Eddy needs some wins!
Also, Sutcliffe's wing man said, "Jeter is having a good year, near .300 with the bat."
Jeter's dum-dum line: .295/8/63
Jeter's much worse smarty pants line: .355 OBP/.398 SLG/.753 OPS with 10 steals and four CS. His even 100 OPS+ means he is a completely average baseball playing human this season.
Jeter is, by all accounts that don't include the fatally flawed BA, having an AWFUL year. For him. An average one for a faceless player. Go figure.
"He [Edwin Jackson] could have 15 wins with some run support."
Thirty seconds later I found...
Edwin Jackson: 5.37 runs scored per nine.
That is in the top 35 in baseball. Fifteenth in the AL. Come on Tampa, get over 6.5 runs, Eddy needs some wins!
Also, Sutcliffe's wing man said, "Jeter is having a good year, near .300 with the bat."
Jeter's dum-dum line: .295/8/63
Jeter's much worse smarty pants line: .355 OBP/.398 SLG/.753 OPS with 10 steals and four CS. His even 100 OPS+ means he is a completely average baseball playing human this season.
Jeter is, by all accounts that don't include the fatally flawed BA, having an AWFUL year. For him. An average one for a faceless player. Go figure.
Can Pedroia and Youkilis split the MVP? Please?
Just kidding. But over here in MA, it seems a forgone conclusion that one of these pasty fellers will win it. I mean come on, they're on the Sawx, they're white (one's even Jewish!) and - most importantly - they hustle. Not like that lazy-ass (see: non-white) Manny Ramirez.
From fan chantin' (always the best barometer for who should win the MVP) to Ozzie Guillen lovin' to media drummin' - it seems as though the pint-sized second sacker will win the award.
Chad Finn - boston.com blogger - loves him the White Squirrel (nickname mine).
He'd be one of the smallest MVPs of modern times
Irrelevant.
- he's listed at 5 feet 9 inches and 180 pounds, which, according to baseballreference.com, makes him allegedly two inches taller and 20 pounds heavier than two-time NL MVP Joe Morgan.
No one cares.
But Pedroia's numbers are staggering for a hitter of any stature. He's leading the American League in batting (.330),
"Staggering?" Really? Great - I suppose. MVP-worthy - maybe. But "staggering?"
And BA is lame.
hits (188), multiple-hit games (55) and runs (108)
Runs are teammate dependent.
and third in doubles (43) and total bases (283). He has knocked in 22 runs in his last 19 games, is batting .600 over his last seven games, and has nine hits in 14 at-bats in the cleanup spot.
All very cool.
From fan chantin' (always the best barometer for who should win the MVP) to Ozzie Guillen lovin' to media drummin' - it seems as though the pint-sized second sacker will win the award.
Chad Finn - boston.com blogger - loves him the White Squirrel (nickname mine).
He'd be one of the smallest MVPs of modern times
Irrelevant.
- he's listed at 5 feet 9 inches and 180 pounds, which, according to baseballreference.com, makes him allegedly two inches taller and 20 pounds heavier than two-time NL MVP Joe Morgan.
No one cares.
But Pedroia's numbers are staggering for a hitter of any stature. He's leading the American League in batting (.330),
"Staggering?" Really? Great - I suppose. MVP-worthy - maybe. But "staggering?"
And BA is lame.
hits (188), multiple-hit games (55) and runs (108)
Runs are teammate dependent.
and third in doubles (43) and total bases (283). He has knocked in 22 runs in his last 19 games, is batting .600 over his last seven games, and has nine hits in 14 at-bats in the cleanup spot.
All very cool.
According to the Elias Stats Bureau via Buster Olney's blog, Pedroia is the first player in Red Sox history with a five-run, a five-hit, and a five-RBI game in the same season. Considering the hitters who have graced this franchise, that is an incredibly impressive accomplishment.
No, this is an incredibly odd, nuanced and pointless "stat" that means nothing. This is like Jimmy Rollins' 20/20/20/15/10/5/2/1/0.5 season in 2007.
And control your hyperbole rager there, Finn.
And while we'll get into a comparison of these Sox to the dynastic late-'90s Yankees another day, an astute Sons of Sam Horner poster pointed out that Pedroia's season at 24 years old is very similar to Derek Jeter's at the same age, when he hit .324, with 19 homers, 84 RBIs, and an OPS+ of 124
127, but who's counting (editing)?
in 1998.
It's worth noting that Jeter finished third in the MVP race that season, behind Texas's Juan Gonzalez and a certain expatriated Red Sox shortstop. But Jeter's competition, at the pinnacle of the steroids era, compiled far flashier numbers
I'll agree with this, to a point. Juan Gon hit 45 bombs with a .996 OPS. Nomar hit .323 with 35 homers, 12 steals and a .946 OPS.
Then there's Jeter. But Griffey - who finished fourth - hit 56 (!) homers with 20 steals. Manny, Mo Vaughn, Albert Belle (171 OPS+) and A-Rod all hit 40+ homers, had higher OPS+s and should have finished ahead of Jeter. But he's JETAH, so he finished third.
Now there aren't like 20 guys with 40 homers in 2008, but some dudes are putting together awesome seasons. Many of them are not on Finn's following list.
than have Pedroia's fellow candidates, who include:
Josh Hamilton: Wonderful numbers,
Which I would assume are a top priority in this award (even though I know it's not).
wonderful story, but the Rangers are an afterthought; his most meaningful moment of the season probably happened during his siege on Yankee Stadium at the Home Run Derby.
Thoughts. Memories. Scrapbooks. Acid flashbacks. These are the keys to winning an MVP award.
K-Rod: Sure he's having a season for the ages, but there a few stats more fraudulent than saves, and had he decided to take the season off to follow the Jonas Brothers on tour, the Angels still would hold a double-digit lead in the AL West.
All reasons to include him on the MVP list, even though he's maybe in the top five in the Cy running.
Carlos Quentin: The White Sox slugger might be his stiffest competition. He's walloped 36 homers, driven in 100 runs, and compiled a .965 OPS while anchoring surprising Chicago's powerful lineup. If Chicago makes the postseason, it would not be unjust if he claimed the honor.
Get this competency out of here.
Justin Morneau/Joe Mauer: Someone deserves credit for keeping that mediocre Minnesota roster in a pennant race, but Pedroia and Quentin are superior candidates to both Twins cornerstones.
Again, so include them!
Alex Rodriguez: I'm pretty sure I actually heard you snicker there.
Is it because I am a Red Sox fan??!?!?! Well-played and funny, Finnster.
Actually, he's a better candidate than the Twins dudes and certainly K-Rod. Probably better than people realize.
31 homers/.999 OPS/161 OPS+/16 steals with three CS/.315 BA for those who care.
So yeah, yet again one of the best all-around players in baseball, even when he only has 119 games played at this point.
Other things:
Kinsler Quentin Hamilton Pedroia A-Rod
OPS+: 134, 149, 135, 124, 161,
Runs Created: 105, 109, 110, 108, 107,
VORP: 55.1, 50.3, 47.8, 55.6, 63.2,
Pedroia has nearly the exact same stats (and plays the same position) as Kinsler - only with less steals (17 to 26) and homers (17 to 18). Oh yeah, and Kinsler is only batting .319, compared to Pedroia's .330.
So Pedroia = not best player at his position in his own league and behind a number of other players in most meaningful stats.
But the trump: He's on the Red Sox.
Start engraving the trophy now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)