The art of winning
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Apr 09, 2010 
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On Saturday, April 17, the Pop International Galleries in SoHo will display 30 to 40 art pieces covering the history of Yankees baseball.
Included in the show will be a piece by Opie Otterstad, who painted a tribute to the Yankees 2009 championship. There will also be three portraits by Stephen Holland: One of Derek Jeter, one of Mariano Rivera and one of Alex Rodriguez.
I don’t know much about art, but this one’s pretty cool. 
nice piece
REPOST
f Tiger doesn’t win, Im hoping Freddie or Watson win as well.
Maybe Mickelson, he’s not a Sox fan, and he loves the state of NY!
I think Watson falls off
Wow! Leroy Neimann-esque.
This is pretty cool. I see Jorge, Cano and, I think Melky. I think I see AJ (the figure directly under the red sign next to the Hess sign). Mo is next to CC; I think that’s Frankie under CC? Tex is northeast of Jorge, with his right arm raised, and Alex is pretty obvious.
That is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen!
So since i rarely post this much, I’m reposting:)
———————————————–
I guess I just don?t understand why game duration is such a big deal. They are playing a game with no time limits?that?s how it was designed.
What would be the purpose of changing the ?rhythm? of the game?
Who thinks they are going too long? Why do they think that?
If we were concerned with ?kids?/people having to stay up too late to watch, why do post season games start so late?
If you are paying (the alledged crazy high prices) to see a game, don?t you want more to watch? No one is preventing you from leaving the Stadium or turning your TV off?
I mean ? I guess you could say Yankees and Red Sox players deserve to get paid more since they actually ?work? longer hours
I guess that?s my issue ? I don?t really understand why this is an issue?
I watch when I can, follow online/on my iPhone when I can?t?it is entertainment, people ? are we rallying because movies are either tooo long (3 hours plus) or ridiculously short for the $10 you have to pay to get in there!
MTU,
Right…an apology would be wise I think, but who knows if he’ll give one.
Again, its not like he doesn’t have a point, but address the issue professionally.
Oh well, I’m over it. Looking forward to the game tonight, however long it happens to go.
Van Gogh lives !
murphy
Did you see my question from last night?
Why haven’t the Feds just issued a subpoena to Alex? Is there a downside for them to do that?
that is a rad picture!
Swisher is directly to the left of Cano.
I want that picture.
Too bad I can’t afford it.
Melky is the one hanging onto Cano
Johnny Damon is just left of the Casio sign
That’s beautiful! I want one. Maybe they’ll print some replicas….
Just spotted Godzilla next to CC
repost:
“According to SJ the Yankees are hotter on CC than a two-peckered Billy goat is to find a mate.:
——————
we’ll see.
I feel like Granderson filled that need.
Crawford is a very good player, but not elite. He has poor OBP so he’s not an ideal leadoff hitter.
Add to that the fact that he struggles a bit against lefthanded pitching and I’m not sure he’s the best fit.
I’d be happy if they got him, for sure, but maybe Werth is a guy who would fit in better? Or someone else?
Too many variables at this point… but we’ll see
MLB is forgetting the game should be the fans who are paying for tickets inside the stadium.
Yanks and Sox sell out games against each other and draw on the road better than any other teams. Doesn’t sound like the length of games they play is upsetting fans.
Classic Swisher
RE: that painting
If anybody hears of reprints being sold, please pass the info along!
I’d love to have that framed.
I’ve been working on a couple framed collages from last year’s team and that would be a fantastic addition.
See that’s the thing about art and an artist.
A photograph can be wonderful and inspiring but a GOOD artist transforms the subject into
something extraordinary.
That painting might not be for lovers of absolute realism but for me it is just awesome.
Roger. One of of your countrymen perhaps ?
just googled that Opie fellow and it seems like he has done a painting for every World Series champion (saw one as far back as 1955 Dodgers)
pretty awesome
pat,
Re: your post on declining payroll. With all the budget talk from the Yankees, I was surprised to see our OD payroll was actually higher this year. Is that right?
I think Hinske is next to Cervelli…
“Wow! Leroy Neimann-esque.”
—————-
I’ve been a fan of Neimann since I got my Howard Stern painting back in 94′
Too bad they closed that gallery at the stadium.
As if fans were were going to be more interested in checking out some paintings than say a pink & white camouflage Yankee hat (officially licensed of course)
Jeter needs to have that painting hanging in his mansion.
This characters that are popping up in posts are really annoying.
Betsy – Hughes rules (Pleading the Fifth) April 9th, 2010 at 11:52 am
I think Hinske is next to Cervelli?
***********************
Betsy, I thought that was Joba next to Cisco???
If Watson were to win the Masters or even be around the lead on Sunday then that would have to be one of the more remarkable achievements in sports history. At his age that would be much more impressive than what he did at the British (which was really impressive) just because of the type of course Augusta is. Watson said himself during one of the press conferences at the British that there was no way he could do what he was doing at Augusta.
“I guess I just don’t understand why game duration is such a big deal. ”
It’s not a big deal. If it was we’d be talking about a rule change or a demonstrative enforcement of the 12 second rule (the time in the rule book a pitcher has between pitches, the actual average is 24) rather an an umpire making some stupid comments.
It’s simply a small matter the league is trying to stay ahead of and have it not turn into a trend they’ll have to address with a rule change later. It’s only “big” because Joe West said something dumb that riles some people up.
“What would be the purpose of changing the “rhythm” of the game?”
Baseball isn’t inherently of a particular pace. The players HAVE slowed down over the years. This has been well established.
“I guess that’s my issue – I don’t really understand why this is an issue?”
People need to be able to distinguish what they like and what other people like. And you also need to distinguish between attendance and TV viewing, with are completely different animals.
if people would like me to go into the psychology of the difference between 3:00 and 3:30 when it comes to entertainment, I will, but I suspect most of you could do without that..
Stephen Holland’s work is outstanding
http://www.popinternational.co.....s.baseball
“# BD (Boston Dave) – NJ walk tracker = 5 April 9th, 2010 at 11:47 am
repost:
“According to SJ the Yankees are hotter on CC than a two-peckered Billy goat is to find a mate.:
——————
we’ll see.
I feel like Granderson filled that need.
Crawford is a very good player, but not elite. He has poor OBP so he’s not an ideal leadoff hitter.
Add to that the fact that he struggles a bit against lefthanded pitching and I’m not sure he’s the best fit.
I’d be happy if they got him, for sure, but maybe Werth is a guy who would fit in better? Or someone else?
Too many variables at this point… but we’ll see
”
Crawford has been a #2 a hitter for a while now
Erin, it could be – hmm, we have a mystery on our hands.
I don’t see Phil, though
Don’t we all want our last name to be Holland…
This Joe West thing is stoopid. The Yankees-Sox games are classic, even the sloppily played ones are dramatic and tense. Who’s going to complain about that? Now, if we’re talking a Royals-Jays game, the quicker the better.
There were a couple of at bats in the Sox series were umps would not give the batter a timeout and they had to jump in the box as the pitcher was in his wind-up. Someone’s going to eventually get hurt that way, not being completely set to begin with and a fastball headed at your noggin is not a good thing.
Stuckey –
I guess my issue is two-fold:
– the ding-dong pointing fingers at the actions of others that are leading to slow-downs and not his own
– the assumption that you can’t pick up the pace of the game without making a big deal out of it. Consider what someone posted in the last thread about the Umpire last night making calls that didn’t make sense and daring hitters to say something about it in the name up “picking up the pace”.
Give me a break.
There are ways to make your point/make change without resorting to poorly thought-out statements and “dares”.
m
Give or take a million about the same from the numbers I’ve seen depending on how it’s calculated.
They were just shy $207 last year I believe and I’ve seen it listed anywhere from $204 to $213 this year depending on who was doing the writing and what they were including- bonuses, Igawa, etc…
# MTU(aka GBURL) April 9th, 2010 at 11:53 am
Jeter needs to have that painting hanging in his mansion.
__
Which mansion?
“murphy
Did you see my question from last night?
Why haven?t the Feds just issued a subpoena to Alex? Is there a downside for them to do that?”
Sorry, but I am just catching up on things baseball
The downside is that a subpoena is a formal step, changing an informal “inquiry” into Dr. Galea to a formal “investigation” into Alex as far as the media is concerned. It’s largely semantics outside the business, but a subpoena is like a dirty bomb, it taints the client and makes it look like he isn’t cooperating when he may be, even if it is tentative cooperation. It also makes it look like there is “something” there, even if there isn’t. It’s a step that hardens each side’s response to the other and means that defense counsel may go into full stonewall mode, depriving the Government of any voluntary disclosures it may have got if only they had not issued the subpoena. Finally, if it turns out to be all smoke and no fire, the Governemnt is rightly accused of going on another fishing expedition, somethign they really don’t need to have in a high profile case. There are also some restrictions on the use of and ability to share the info with other agencies and individuals if the info is obtained through a Grand Jury Subpoena.
The Government wants voluntary cooperation from Alex but will only wait so long. We don’t really know the tenor of the give and take between Alex’s team and the Government so we can only guess based on recent leaks that the Government is getting testy.
i would love to have that piece of art in my possession. thanks for sharing!
looking at this piece just makes me think about winning the world series last year. damn good times!!
I hope they make prints available. A print of that painting would look really good hanging in my office.
“Crawford has been a #2 a hitter for a while now”
————-
I understand that. I should have said he has a low OBP for a top of the order guy.
That isn’t much of an issue for some teams, but teams like the Yanks and Sox really like high OBP guys to get on base for the heart of the order.
I like Crawford alot, just saying he might not be an ideal fit for the Yankees now that they have Granderson.
Perhaps a guy like Werth or someone else would fit better (though Werth has his own concerns).
# MTU(aka GBURL) April 9th, 2010 at 11:53 am
Jeter needs to have that painting hanging in his mansion.
__
Arod needs to have that painting hanging in his mansion next to his centaur portrait.
“There are ways to make your point/make change without resorting to poorly thought-out statements and “dares”.”
I don’t disagree. I referred to West’s comments as “dumb” and “stupid”, but because he said something stupid does not automatically invalidate the larger subject of the pace of games…
“but teams like the Yanks and Sox really like high OBP guys to get on base for the heart of the order.”
———–
course’, that’s been one of their biggest problems with Ellsbury and caused them to move him down in the order last year.
back to the Yankees…
any predictions for tonight?
Javy? Price?
Crawford would bat 9th on the Yankees.
Joe Maddon on the Rays and tonight’s game:
http://www.myyesnetwork.com/16.....f_tab=blog
murphy
Thanks for the info and staying on retainer for us.
As for Joe “Wild, Wild” West, his comments suggest that certain proven, winning strategies are detrimental to the best interests of the game. Curious. I suppose he also wants heavyweight boxers to punch like flyweights.
Not sure how Joe got to his comments logically, since winning within the rules is the goal of the game as I understand it. Then again I’m not as smart as Joe West. Or as fat. Based on his highly subjective, biased comments he should be banned from working any Sox or Yankee games and Cash and Theo should insist. Or he could just be booed and disrespected from now on every time he calls a game at the Stadium.
We could get Fat Joe masks and T-Shirts proclaiming: Winning screws up the Game.
“murphy
Thanks for the info and staying on retainer for us.”
Wait till you see the bill
We can guarantee Theo wont be wanting Joe West off of umpiring their games!!
Very cool art. Even cooler is that the fact that I’m selling awesome seats for Opening Day on ebay and unfortunately for me, and good for you, is that the bidding isn’t very high with just a short time to go. Please make a bid if you’re still interested in 2 awesome Terrace seats. See link below.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISA.....500wt_1024
?’If he wants to help the pace of play, then he should call more [expletive] strikes,? said one member of a front office.’”
That was my premise.
I think I would really love to have that picture for my den.
Gotta go back and read the particulars – if there are any.
Numbers:
Average MLB game: 2:52
Avengers Red Sox game: 3:02
Avengers Yankee game: 3:04
Avengers Yank-Red Sox game: 3:30
You don’t need to be John Nash to recognize there is more going there besides their cumulative patience.
Joe, I am considering going to opening day but unfortunately I have acrophobia and so have to sit as close to the ground as I can. I’ve been looking around for field boxes but not a lot of people want to sell single tickets. I lucked out last year but the ticket didn’t appear until the day before the game.
lol…can you tell I grew up reading comic books???
stuckey,
are those 2009 #s?
what are the #s for TV ratings?
That artist is going to have to be commisioned to make another copy so Jeter can have one in hanging in his Tampa Mansion, and A-Rod can have one hanging in his.
These guys are friends now so we can’t have any hard feelings developing.
I can’t afford opening day tickets…
but if anyone has a link to the “Squirrel’s Nest” selling Richmond Flying Squirrel’s merchandise…
stuckey April 9th, 2010 at 12:24 pm
Numbers:
Avengers Yankee game: 3:04
**************************
An Avengers Yankee game sounds fun
Trisha-
If you buy that painting I will always envy you.
nevermind:
http://flyingsquirrels.milbsto.....tore_id=85
I don’t believe in predictions, but I always take the tack that the opposing team/pitcher is going to be tough.
Guess the Line Up is now open!
For rules, please click on my name.
Good luck!
Yahoo having some fun with Sterling’s Granderson home run calls
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/bl.....ng-content
“Yankee game: 3:04″
Roughly the same time it takes to get over the George Washington Bridge on a Friday evening in July and infinitely more enjoyable.
Murphydog, if I’m the Yanks or Sox, I refuse to play games where West is the umpire. Selig is a wimp, so he won’t do anything about this.
Erin April 9th, 2010 at 12:30 pm
stuckey April 9th, 2010 at 12:24 pm
Numbers:
Avengers Yankee game: 3:04
**************************
An Avengers Yankee game sounds fun
***************
IS that different from Erica’s Avengers??? (My fantasy baseball team)
SS Jeter
DH Johnson
1B Teixeira
3B Rodriguez
2B Cano
C Posada
CF Granderson
RF Swisher
LF Gardner
Thanks!
BD-
What your fascination with flying squirrels ?
Big Rocky and Bullwinkle fan ?
Erica – always OPPC – Sesame Street Mafia and GTLU supporter April 9th, 2010 at 12:32 pm
IS that different from Erica?s Avengers??? (My fantasy baseball team)
******************
LOL I was picturing the superheroes. Good team name, though!
pat April 9th, 2010 at 12:32 pm
?gYankee game: 3:04??
Roughly the same time it takes to get over the George Washington Bridge on a Friday evening in July and infinitely more enjoyable.
******************
Erin-
Didn’t Ernie once have a song called “George Washington Bridge???????” Or is my memory making that up
Until somebody provides proof or a study that shows that the length of Red Sox-Yankees games alienate potential fans or current fans, then I do not see the big deal.
There should be no deal at all about this, but rather than the media hyping the Yankees newest acquisition CG (after his performance this week), or our pitching staff, they’d rather focus on a non story!
If the Red Sox won 2 of 3 games against us at YS, with their newest acquisition being the center of the win, that’s the story that would be all over the news.
You notice that after Games 4 and 5 of the 2004 ALCS, there was no talk of the length of games!!!
But after last year’s 4 game YS sweep by us, and 2006 Fenway Boston Massacre II by us, the talk was about the length of games!!!
MTU, I don’t know if it’s in my budget. I’d sure like to know how much it costs!
BD, I can afford Opening Day tickets. I just don’t know if I can find what I’m looking for.
Erica – always OPPC – Sesame Street Mafia and GTLU supporter April 9th, 2010 at 12:34 pm
Erin-
Didn?t Ernie once have a song called ?George Washington Bridge???????? Or is my memory making that up
***************************
That does sound familiar. I don’t know if it was a song, or if it was just one of his routines with Bert.
Doreen-
Here’s mine:
SS Jeter
DH NJ
1B Tex
3B A-Rod
2B Can Do
C Posada
RF Swisher
LF Thames
CF Grandy
Thanks.
Betsy
The last thing the Sox want is to not allow West to umpire their games!
Erin-
It was a song!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.lyricsdownload.com/.....yrics.html
Guys if you think this is great, check out this guy. He is amazing!
http://www.graigkreindler.com/
“BD, I can afford Opening Day tickets. I just don’t know if I can find what I’m looking for.”
————
well, I assume you know where to look (and when).
I spent my tickets budget on Games 5 and 6 of the World Series last year
of course I’ll be at least one game this year for sure.
I think the Yankees practice the ART of war.
And the ART of the deal.
But not ART for ART’s sake.
“are those 2009 #s?”
According to RAB, yes.
“what are the #s for TV ratings?
”
I get the question, but it’s really a misleading one.
Again, MLB isn’t concerned with a micro-issue, they are trying to stay out in front of a macro-issue, which is lead-wide expansion past the 3-hour mark. They are sending a message to the entire league.
I know it’s easy to say “more of a good thing is better”, but that not looking at the big picture – which is NATIONAL TV contracts.
Networks don’t want programming that cuts into their regular programming block. Ideally they want to be able to go with their scheduled 10pm or 11pm programming. Going past it involves ALL sorts of issues I’m not going to get into in detail.
Let’s simply say baseball needs (very much) to keep games under or around the 3 hour mark. If the norm starts going past 3 hours signifinicnatly, it’s a major problem for the game.
stuckey-
I understand what you are saying, but CBS doesn’t seem to mind when football wreaks havoc on its Sunday schedules. And Cold Case starts at 10:34 instead of 10pm
Baseball evolved as a game to be played in about 2 hours, and I do think as games start approaching 4 hours they begin to lose some dramatic tension as most fans’ attention span begins to waiver and what happened three innings ago begins to seem like yesterday.
But, it’s hard to see how games can be shortened much. The factors that lengthen games seem mostly here to stay.
Pitch count. Probably the number one cause of long games. Are pitchers going to quit nibbling? Are batters going to go back to hacking? Unlikely. You get a competitive advantage by pitch count tactics that lengthen games.
Throwing over to first. Holding runners on consumes a lot of time. It’s a direct result of speed and the running game. Are we going to go back to the fifties or the thirties when nobody ran? Are pitchers going to quit holding runners on? Unlikely.
Mound visits by the catcher. Jorge is a big culprit in this. This is one area where maybe some restrictions could speed up the game without giving up to much.
Pitching changes between innings. Caused by the modern tendency to bring in relievers to match up with a batter, and then bringing in another reliever after the first reliever has faced only 1 or 2 batters. Will baseball go back to using relievers in 3 inning stints? Probably not, although hurray for the way Girardi used Park on Wednesday.
Longer time between half innings. Shortening the time translates directly into loss of money, so don’t count on quicker transitions.
BD, the only game I caught last year was opening day. I pretty much spent my budget on that.
I wouldn’t mind doing it again. By the time playoffs roll around, I might have some more money saved, though where I want to sit I probably couldn’t afford in the playoffs. If I can’t sit in a field box it’s not worth it to me – UNLESS – I sit in the first row of the bleachers. Other than that, it’s too claustrophobic for me. Plus I can see better at home. Last year’s Opening Day ruined me, I’m afraid.
The Joe West thing is simple: Who @#%^&* asked you, Joe? Forget what he called the Ynkees and Sox (disgusting, pathetic). That alone is enough to fine the pants off that guy and my, what big britches you have, Joe.
More to the point, he should be fined and suspended for getting into issues regarding a series he just umpired, and teams he will umpire again when the issues are not violations of rules or misconduct but Wild Wild Joe West’s OPINION on how to play baseball. He shouldn’t have an OPINION in his official capacity as the neutral, objective, fair to everybody, baseball official at the game. He’s frustrated? To hell with him. Let him get his fat butt behind a cash register at Stop and Shop if he doesn’t like his job. (Joe West the Cashier: “It’s disgusting and pathetic that some people have hundreds of coupons. We’re trying to speed up the checkout process and they’re trying to save money using coupons we give them. I give up”)
Z-Mac pitching for Scranton tonite.
“If the Red Sox won 2 of 3 games against us at YS, with their newest acquisition being the center of the win, that’s the story that would be all over the news.”
Ah yes, now umpire Joe West is in on the Red Sox conspiracy.
The ONLY reason anyone is talking about this (including a handful of riled up fans here who are talking about Joe West and NOT Curtis Granderson of their own choosing) is because of West’s comments.
So what you’ve implied is UMPIRES are in on it.
Are you genuinely that far gone?
“He shouldn’t have an OPINION in his official capacity as the neutral, objective, fair to everybody, baseball official at the game.”
HAHAHAHA
You had me at neutral!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
stuckey,
That is ideal, yes… but there are surely bigger fish to fry for MLB. Why start trying to fix something that is working when there are other broken parts?
And if you ever want to share the psychological impact of exceeding the 3 hour threshold in the world of entertainment, I’d read it
Murphy, your rants are the best – and I totally agree.
who is on the right side with blue on his face?
“But, it’s hard to see how games can be shortened much. The factors that lengthen games seem mostly here to stay.
Pitch count. Probably the number one cause of long games. Are pitchers going to quit nibbling? Are batters going to go back to hacking? Unlikely. You get a competitive advantage by pitch count tactics that lengthen games.”
Number one cause and most easily addressed.
Expand the strikezone.
Doreen,
SS Jeter
DH Johnson
1B Teixeira
3B Rodriguez
2B Cano
C Posada
LF Thames
RF Swisher
CF Granderson
Thanks.
“but there are surely bigger fish to fry for MLB. Why start trying to fix something that is working when there are other broken parts? ”
———–
though I definitely agree, West made this in issue with the (poor) delivery he chose to use.
the underlying premise has merit.
I just don’t think it’s a huge deal considering the success of the league in general, particularly with Yankees/Sox games.
“So what you’ve implied is UMPIRES are in on it.”
There is no implication about it!!! I’m pretty sure I’ve flat out stated it time and again!!!!
Let me say this again, and I am not trying to be facetious. When a flippin pitcher is getting squeezed by an inept ump, that pitcher has to throw that many more pitches to get a batter out. The more outs one needs to get per inning, the longer the inning will take and the greater the propensity for runners to get on base and runs to score. Naturally that shapes the strategy of the rest of the game. Additionally, a pitcher who has no clue about the strike zone needs to slow the game down and try to figure out where to throw his pitches. Andy is slow by nature. For him to have had to try to figure out why in hell his pitches that were right in there were NOT strikes, and then to figure out where he had to throw them in order for them to be considered strikes, well that had to be a slow and tedious process. And when you have a donkey that doesn’t call a certain pitch a strike but then calls it for the other side, well it is even more confusing than ever.
The guy is a jerk with a big mouth. Too damned bad if he doesn’t like longer games. I can see if he called a superb game and then blitched. But to look like a jackass behind the plate and then run his mouth, well that makes him nothing more than a moron.
I AM WRITING A LETTER AND SENDING IT OUT! I don’t care how sophomoric it sounds. Maybe our guys can help me get it published. I will send it to Buster Olney. He and I were buds when he wrote for the Times. Maybe he’ll publish it for me and at least give me hints on how and where to get it published. I’ve had it!
(insert growly emoticon)
“Number one cause and most easily addressed.
Expand the strikezone.”
That would reduce offense and fans like offense. However, calling it per the rule book would be nice.
“That is ideal, yes… but there are surely bigger fish to fry for MLB. Why start trying to fix something that is working when there are other broken parts?”
Making the game most attractive to national TV networks is THE big fish, bar none.
“And if you ever want to share the psychological impact of exceeding the 3 hour threshold in the world of entertainment, I’d read it
”
When I have more time… suffice it to say the figure is by no means arbitrary.
In a perfect world all humans would be replaced by robots and that includes umpires.
Hey murphydog, want to co-author a letter with me?
I would absolutely love to see some of your stuff published. My letter will be sarcastically factual. But your stuff is priceless!
“There is no implication about it!!! I’m pretty sure I’ve flat out stated it time and again!!!!”
So why do umpires favor the Red Sox?
“In a perfect world all humans would be replaced by robots and that includes umpires.”
At the very least in baseball, robots or machines just for the strike zone. I mean, they have Kzone and all these things, which HAVE to be more accurate than these HP umpires.
murphydog – for better or worse, MLB will probably never disclose how they discipline umpires. Unless West is suspended, fired, or never again umpires Yankee and Red Sox games – things which can be detected. Fines or reprimands may not become public. However, I do think MLB does need to show fans that some action was taken, even if the specifics are not disclosed. Personally, I think he should be barred from doing Yankee and Red Sox games, as he has shown that he cannot be impartial.
Now, for GTLU –
Jeter 2B
Johnson DH
Tex 1B
Alex 3B
Cano 2B
Posada C
Swisher RF
Thames LF
Curtis CF
“Andy is slow by nature. For him to have had to try to figure out why in hell his pitches that were right in there were NOT strikes, and then to figure out where he had to throw them in order for them to be considered strikes, well that had to be a slow and tedious process.”
trisha, check out this article based on pitch f/x data from Wednesday night. It mostly deals with Chan Ho Park’s pitches, but it supports your point:
http://itsaboutthemoney.net/ar.....ow-strike/
That’s an awesome picture. I’d like to buy it!
“Making the game most attractive to national TV networks is THE big fish, bar none. ”
——————-
sure, problem is…. the 3.5 hour Yanks/Sox games ARE the most attractive to the national TV networks.
why not try to make other matchups more attractive to the national TV network and worry about “fixing” your biggest asset another time?
In Joe Worst’s case, discipline consists of taking a way his candy for life.
Steven,
Just clicked on http://www.graigkreindler.com holy moly!!!!
His work is amazing! I haven’t seen his stuff before. Is he includedin this exhibition?
He is better than anyone I have seen so far.
Thanks,
Damien
And his rubber duckie.
If they want to speed up the game, call the real strike zone and raise the pitcher’s mound. And then I don’t want to hear anybody whining about the lack of offense and how boring the game has become. We all know how much most “fans” appreciate pitching over hitting
But if there is any failed recollection as to the popularity of pitching over hitting you might want to look up a guy named Babe Ruth.
This kind of thing is so typical of myopic, self-absorbed, officious bureaucrats like West who know better than anybody what should be done. Just one big fat man’s opinion. Actually, no. Thats’ not true. The immortal baseball writer Wallace Matthews shares Big Joe’s view. Big Wally and Fat Joe, perfect together.
Doreen,
Here is my entry:
Derek. SS
Johnson DH
Tex 1B
Alex 3B
Robbie 2B
Jorge C
Thames LF
Swisher RF
Curtis CF
Thanks for hosting.
MTU(aka GBURL) April 9th, 2010 at 12:58 pm
And his rubber duckie.
************
I don’t know what the rest of your argument is- but you have me at Rubber Duckie
Just picture Joe West with no more candy, and no rubber duckie to keep him company in the tub.
That’s truly sad.
Hey murphydog, want to co-author a letter with me? I would absolutely love to see some of your stuff published. My letter will be sarcastically factual. But your stuff is priceless!
trisha:
Feel free to quote me without attribution
SS Jeter
DH NJ
1B Tex
3B ARod
2B Cano
C Posada
RF Swisher
LF Thames
CF Granderson
I’ll tell ya what I think happened. I think after the first two games went as long as they (normal for these two teams when they play each other), the commissioner called Joe West and called him on the carpet for not doing anything to speed the game up. Joe West then pointed the finger directly at the Red Sox and the Yankees, which was not right. There are rules in place that can at least do a little bit to quicken the pace of the game (though not really shorten it by much), and his umpiring crew wasn’t aggressive enough (I would assume this is what the commissioner might have said to him) in enforcing those rules.
That’s my guess as to why the nastiness to Joe West’s tone.
I gotta run. Let me know how the Joe from Below situation turns out.
wow, this is so cool!
All I know is that the MLB, West, whomever has absolutely NO business telling the Yankees or the Red Sox how to play the game. Both teams are going to go about their business as they normally do – too bad for the umps. Wally Matthews actually blames NJ for being patient? I know I’m repeating myself, but Joe Schmo should never be allowed within 3 states of a Red Sox or Yankee game.
murph, how much of a public figure is Joe West? How much of a defamation suit would we have on our hands? Hmmm, slander per se, yada yada yada.
Hi Doreen – I can believe the umps are getting pressure from MLB/Bud.
Why Bud should feel bad about these games going longer than other teams’ I don’t understand. I don’t think ESPN is complaining when they cash the sponsors’ checks. If Bud wanted, he could tell ESPN the games will start an hour earlier. I don’t understand why anyone should think that this is bad for baseball’s image.
I think it’s really a reflection of somebody’s sensibilities being offended.
Regardless, West popping off should not be tolerated. Let him learn the strike zone.
“murph, how much of a public figure is Joe West? How much of a defamation suit would we have on our hands? Hmmm, slander per se, yada yada yada.”
Truth is a complete defense. Moreover he thrust himself into the public domain by speaking with the Bergen Record and inviting a response.
Libel or slander per se is pretty limited, involving certain categories of comment. As long as you don’t accuse West of having a loathesome disease you’re probably OK.
And what do you mean by “we,” paleface?
Rays don’t mind slow play….
“Those are two big-market teams,” said James Shields, who is Sunday’s scheduled starter for the Rays. “More often than not, those two teams are on (national) TV. I remember a couple of times I pitched against them and we were on ESPN or Fox, whatever, and I had to wait 21/2 minutes between innings before I even went out to warm up.
“Right there, that’s 20-30 minutes of the game that’s TV time.
http://www2.tbo.com/content/20.....w-yankees/
“All I know is that the MLB, West, whomever has absolutely NO business telling the Yankees or the Red Sox how to play the game. ”
The problem is Betsy, no one said what you’re extrapolating they said.
No one, including Joe West said or implied the Yankees and Red Sox should swing at more pitches.
The home plate umpire denied three timeouts by batters in the batting box.
It’s fairly clear the umpires are focusing on simply the pace on which players play the game, not how many pitches they swing at or take.
I fully understand I’m not going to talk you down from your indignation, I’m simply suggesting you’re apparently upset about something never said or implied.
Not since William Shatner covered ” Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds ” has a more pathetic and embarrassing recording been produced.
Yes folks it’s Cowboy Joe West in ” Diamond Dreams ”
Be sure to catch the final words as Joe waxes poetic on the “timing of the game”
http://www.cowboyjoewest.com/Diamond_Dreams.mp3
murphydog –
I was using the corporate we. The slander per se aspect is his livelihood. I’m talking about the part where he should go work at Stop and Shop!!!
And it would be pretty difficult for me to say there was no mal intent with some of your better comments!!!
“This kind of thing is so typical of myopic, self-absorbed, officious bureaucrats like West who know better than anybody what should be done. Just one big fat man?s opinion.”
While we may consider that truth, I think I’d have a difficult time proving it!
I saw Mariano’s reaction to West’s statement in todays NY Post. Has anyone else from the Yankees responded?
Damien,
Don’t know. A buddy of mine turned me on to his stuff. When I first saw it I thought they were photographs. The guy has amazing attention to detail and only seems to do vintage photos. Glad you liked it!
Stephen
Steven,
Just clicked on http://www.graigkreindler.com holy moly!!!!
His work is amazing! I haven?t seen his stuff before. Is he includedin this exhibition?
He is better than anyone I have seen so far.
Thanks,
Damien
“Regardless, West popping off should not be tolerated. Let him learn the strike zone.”
Yep.
I think Joe needs to run Brett or Winn out there tonight instead of Thames just to help cut the ball off in the gaps on the carpet. D in LF wins out over O in Tampa tonight.
The following people have submitted lineups for today’s GTLU:
Erin
MTU(aka GBURL)
muffinstump
Joe from Long Island
Fran (the original)
RayVT
Kyle (Boston)
Jayson, should parity in MLB be a major concern? Or is Terry Francona right that these things are cyclical?
Jayson Stark (1:11 PM)
Parity is always a concern. But at least we’ve reached the stage, I think, where any team that blames the system for its problems is just looking for a copout. You CAN be in the bottom third in payroll and make the playoffs. It might be tougher to sustain it than it would be for the Yankees. But with nearly a half-billion dollars in revenue sharing moving around, it’s not the system’s fault if you finish under .500 eight years in a row. Not anymore.
And I can’t find a good video of Shatner singing “Lucy” but his version of “Rocket Man” is just sublime.
At least catch the first few lines. Classic.
“And I’m going to be…. Hiiiighh! …..”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....re=related
Well I have to go and protect my interests. I have Rick Porcello on my fantasy team and they’re playing right now. I’m going to take a watch. (I have David Price on my fantasy team also, but that’s a story for another day…)
In the meantime I am going to write some kind of rejoinder to what West said. It may never see the light of day in terms of publication but it will sure make me feel better.
Later y’all.
Erica, Johnny has not been very good to me so far. I never got to set my lineup for the first go round but you can bet that Vernon Wells will replace Johnny for next week!
Erica – always OPPC – Sesame Street Mafia and GTLU supporter April 9th, 2010 at 12:37 pm
Erin-
It was a song!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.lyricsdownload.com/…..yrics.html
***************************
Awesome! Thanks for the link
Bronx Jeers April 9th, 2010 at 1:15 pm
Not since William Shatner covered ” Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds ” has a more pathetic and embarrassing recording been produced.
****************************
Damien,
OMG. I have been to a few baseball exhibitions with my partner but I have never seen work this good. It makes the Oppie painting above look amateur.
Thank you for the info, I will pass it on.
Damien April 9th, 2010 at 12:55 pm
Steven,
Just clicked on http://www.graigkreindler.com holy moly!!!!
His work is amazing! I haven’t seen his stuff before. Is he includedin this exhibition?
He is better than anyone I have seen so far.
Thanks,
Damien
BG starts today against the lefty…
SS Jeter
DH Johnson
1B Teixeira
3B Rodriguez
2B Cano
C Posada
CF Granderson
RF Swisher
LF Gardner
“While we may consider that truth, I think I?d have a difficult time proving it!”
If you can’t prove Joe West is fat, then I give up
Furthermore, comments made that are clearly intended to be humourous are arguably not defamatory because nobody would or should take them to be an assertion of the truth, given the context and content of the remark.
Trisha-
Your team goes head to head with Erica’s Avengers next week!!!
Doreen-
I am still pondering my GTLU entry
Doreen,
Here’s my GTLU for today -
SS Derek
DH NJ
1B Tex
3B A-Rod
2B Robbie
C Posada
RF Swisher
LF Thames
CF Grandy
P – Vasquez
Erica -
Take your time…
murph – I think I would have a difficult time proving that calling West myopic, officious, and self-absorbed was meant to be humorous!!!
I’m with you on the fat though. That is definitely truth as an absolute defense.
Rick Porcello is a cutie!
Erica, I don’t my team as a huge threat to anyone but me. Ha ha.
How’s this for potential? I have Porcello going now, Jorge De La Rosa going at 4:10, and David Price going tonight! Gonna watch De La Rosa too. Gotta keep tabs on my boys!
GTLU
Derek Jeter SS
Nick Johnson DH
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Jorge Posada C
Nick Swisher RF
Marcus Thames LF
Curtis Granderson CF
Thanks Doreen
“No one, including Joe West said or implied the Yankees and Red Sox should swing at more pitches.
The home plate umpire denied three timeouts by batters in the batting box. It?s fairly clear the umpires are focusing on simply the pace on which players play the game, not how many pitches they swing at or take.”
Respectfully disagree. In fact, in extended coverage of his remarks that I have read today, the teams’ focus on OBP and taking pitches was specifically cited by West and acknowledged as a tactic employed by both teams in his discussion of the nature of the teams’ gameplay. What’s clear to you is not clear to me or countless others that I have read and heard yesterday and today including ESPN’s Kurkijian.
West’s ill advised, unauthorized and poorly articluated rant has left him open for all of this and really provides little or no support for your contrarian efforts to hold back the people hectoring West as a result.
trisha:
“myopic, officious, and self-absorbed”
Maybe I should have written: myopic, officious, and self-absorbed
Erica,
You’ve got a good team. Glad I don’t have to face you yet.
Trisha,
Good luck except for David Price.
West popping off should not be tolerated. Let him learn the strike zone.”
Yep.”
Yep, as well.
__
And of course, Jayson Stark gets asked a question by a Sox fan, and asks about Terry Francona, and the transparent Starkie decides to mention the Yankees.
Typical!
Rick Porcello is a cutie!
————————————-
And I especially like him in this photo!
http://blogs.suntimes.com/spor.....-fight.JPG
Fran, you know what I have to hope for in those games. Price no hits the Yankees and then their bullpen gives it up.
anyone know what game West’s team is umpiring tonight?
I’d be interested to see if they “speed the game along”, or if it’s another pathetic embaressing one
“And I especially like him in this photo!
http://blogs.suntimes.com/spor…..-fight.JPG”
OH YEAH!!!!
I can’t laugh without going into coughing spasms, so please withhold all humor!!!
Trisha,
That works for me
Porcello is definitely hott!
i cant get the pic to open,….is it of him man handling Youk?
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gZ18.....rcello.jpg
Porcello is to lips
as
Cervelli is to eyes
and as a total aside, the kid can pitch!!!
Doreen
My lineup (I hope it’s okay to post now) is
SS Jeter
DH Johnson
1B Teixeira
2B Cano
C Posada
CF Granderson
RF Swisher
3B Rodriguez
LF Gardner
I set the artwork in the post as my desktop …looks great …
. Thanks Chad ….
Go Yankees 2010 !!!
Fran-
Thanks!!!! But its still really early. Anything can happen.
I do happen to like my team a lot
Back to court… to look out for the drunks and idiots God doesn’t have time for.
Well I have a title:
Joe West’s Rant and the Case for Automation Behind the Plate
never get in a land war in Asia… and never get in a debate with murphydog without having ALL the facts!
Tomorrow is a Fox game already.
murphydog you’re a better person than I am. The only thing I could ever promise drunks and idiots is that I wouldn’t allow their constitutional rights to be trammeled. Other than that, I’d be the first to lead them to the jail cell (where jail was part of the sentence).
Tomorrow is a Fox game already
——————-
It’s a good thing though. This Week in Baseball stars CC, Swisher, Robertson, and Granderson.
Erica,
You do have a good team. And you said you were new to Fantasy Baseball
Erica I like my team a lot too, truth be told. Even though some were a product of the screen freeze, since I believe all players have dignity, I get very protective of my guys. Doesn’t matter if I end up in last place, I love them all. And seriously no matter who we got we certainly got the top of the heap. I actually like going with the potential players (Porcello and Price for example).
As Fran can tell you, last season I got kind of fond of last place. I feel at home there!
Austin Jackson up with the bases loaded…
AJax up with the bases loaded, 1 out, down 2 runs
Nice job by Jackson. Everyone safe.
infield RBI single
Ajax def looks like he is “pull happy” and opens up too early… but I’m sure the Tigers are pleased with the youngster’s first 4 games.
Oh noooooo.
Bases loaded for Johnny…
Maybe, just maybe?
Crap. Johnny popped up.
Mags cut his mop. Looks much better. Hopefully his ‘roids karma is in the past.
Damon with another broken bat…
there will be far fewer splinters at YS this season.
OH MY GOD!!! Bad play in the field, the Tigers get 3 runs in! That was a definite out!!!
Trisha,
You may have been fond of last place but I wasn’t very far ahead of you!
Cool beans. Now Porcello is in line for the win. Still lots of baseball left.
BD, want to come and watch Scranton play the Pawsox at some point?
My GTLU
Derek Jeter SS
Nick Johnson DH
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Jorge Posada C
Nick Swisher RF
Randy Win LF
Curtis Granderson CF
Jeter SS
Johnson DH
Tex 1B
A-Rod 3B
Cano 2B
Posada C
Granderson CF
Swisher RF
GGBG LF
Not sure, but I decided to go standard
Thanks Doreen!
Swisher will have a good game, just a hunch…has good numbers at the Trop
Now Phil Coke is in. And he’s looking good so far.
Fran, but I think for the amount of time I spent in last place, I would have squatter’s rights.
“Ajax def looks like he is “pull happy” and opens up too early… but I’m sure the Tigers are pleased with the youngster’s first 4 games.”
Interesting, cause all the scouting reports I’ve read said he took the ball the other way a lot.
<The following people have posted lineups in GTLU:
Erin
MTU(aka GBURL)
muffinstump
Joe from Long Island
Fran (the original)
RayVT
Patrick from CT
RL15
Dave F
CR9
BBFan
Erica
I am taking lineups until 3 p.m.
GTLU, to Thames or not to Thames…
Hey Doreen
I’m too lazy to think of anything different today
, so:
Jetes SS
NJ DH
Tex 1B
Alex 3B
Robbie 2B
Jorge C
Granderson CF
Swish RF
GGBG LF
SS Derek
DH NJ
1B Tex
3B A-Rod
2B Robbie
C Posada
RF Swisher
CF Granderson
LF Winn
“Respectfully disagree. In fact, in extended coverage of his remarks that I have read today, the teams’ focus on OBP and taking pitches was specifically cited by West and acknowledged as a tactic employed by both teams in his discussion of the nature of the teams’ gameplay.”
I might not have been privy to those… link please?
“West’s ill advised, unauthorized and poorly articluated rant has left him open for all of this and really provides little or no support for your contrarian efforts to hold back the people hectoring West as a result.”
I’ll say it again, no one, including me, is defending the remarks or West.
If you have additional context in regards to the substance of what he was trying to say, I’d appreciate any help as to where to find it…
Jeter-SS
Johnson-DH
Tex-1B
A Rod-SS
Cano-2B
Swisher-RF
Granderson-CF
Thames-LF
Cervelli-C
If anyone wants a treat
And you’re also into heat
Come on and watch Zumaya
His flamers can’t be beat!
Zumaya warming. Not sure when he’s coming in.
Jeter SS
Johnson DH
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Cano 2B
Posada C
Swisher RF
Thames LF
Granderson CF
Probably wrong.
D. Jeter SS
N. Johnson DH
M. Teixeira 1B
A. Rodriguez 3B
R. Cano 2B
J. Posada C
C. Granderson CF
N. Swisher RF
B. Gardner LF
6 minute warning for GTLU
The following people have posted lineups:
Erin
MTU(aka GBURL)
muffinstump
Joe from Long Island
Fran (the original)
RayVT
Patrick from CT
RL15
Dave F
CR9
BBFan
Erica
NYY626
KT22
Warning Track Power
steveoh
IDCWYT
If you don’t see your name and you entered a lineup, please let me know. Thanks!
BryanHoch Must be the 1st day of a series – #Yankees are taking early BP on the field at the Trop. @NickSwisher is in the cage right now.
Well, it WAS 6 minutes when I started typing and before I thought I had clicked on submit and realized I didn’t!
Last call for GTLU!
Stuckey – http://www.northjersey.com/spo.....ball_.html
Lineup on twitter now
D. Jeter SS
N. Johnson DH
M. Teixeira 1B
A. Rodriguez 3B
R. Cano 2B
J. Posada C
C. Granderson CF
N. Swisher RF
R. PENA LF
Thanks Steveoh.
GTLU is now closed.
Thank you to everyone who played.
Coke is so maddening! Puts the first two hitters on. How can he be so erratic?
Zumaya came in with 2 on, nobody out, and got a fly bal and a DP. His FIRST pitch was 100 mph.
NJ Pete,
Already read that of course… which is why the charge of not understanding the context of what was said kind of confused me.
If that if the full text of West’s remarks, my earlier comments stand.
benshpigel Not surprising considering the greatness of Mariano, but still: since 1996, #Yankees are 1190-32 when leading after 8 innings #wow
2 minutes ago via web
“Zumaya came in with 2 on, nobody out, and got a fly bal and a DP. His FIRST pitch was 100 mph.”
Looks like he’s finally healthy again. When he is, he’s almost unhittable.
Austin Jackson just stole a base. He’s one heck of a player.
“1190-32″
That is just an unbelievable number. That means they’ve won a little over 97% of the time when leading after 8.
Buck, I love watching Zumaya pitch. He’s one of those guys that makes it look almost effortless. I definitely wouldn’t have guessed 100 mph.
does anybody know when IPK will make his 1st start of the season for the d’backs?
if he can stay healthy, i predict IPK can win at least 10 games this season in the NL
does anybody know when IPK will make his 1st start of the season for the d’backs?
–
I predict 2 days ago. When he did. 5 IP 6 H 3 R 0 BB 8 K 1 HR
That is one ugly painting.
The pine-tar game is on MLB network right now.
Mattingly’s wearing # 46 and is sans mustache.
Hard to believe he started as many games at RF as he did at 1B in that rookie season.
Line up !!!!
Winning competitions is not new to Blackwell- a few years ago he earned the title of “Distinguished Pastelist” after winning three awards in succession in this same competition. … GARY BLACKWELL received his Bachelor of Fine Arts