Hot on the heels of this week’s New York magazine appearance discussing the Baseball Prospectus “Secret Sauce,” I’m quoted in this week’s Philadelphia CityPaper regarding the Phillies’ bullpen: Last October, the Phillies weren’t the only World Series competitor with the best bullpen in their league — the Rays’ pen paced the AL. That’s not a …
I’m pleased to announce my debut in this week’s issue of New York Magazine, with an article about the Baseball Prospectus “Secret Sauce” metric, first introduced by Nate Silver and Dayn Perry in Baseball Between the Numbers in 2006 and discussed at length here. With Nate having moved onto politics, the NY Mag editors were …
I’m not somebody who believes ballplayers either past or present should be held up as role models, but Derek Jeter has long stood as one of the few exceptions in that category. He plays hard, he stays out of trouble, he handles himself with class at all times, and never embarrasses himself or the game. …
One of my favorite musicians is the late, great pop genius Lee Hazlewood. As a singer he brought a wry sense of humor, world-weary view and distinctive baritone to both originals and covers. As a writer, he wrote “These Boots Are Made For Walking” and other hits which turned Nancy Sinatra into a superstar. As …
Has it been that long since I posted here? Shame on me once again, but I’ve had my reasons… • Back on Wednesday I examined the potential Hall of Fame fates of Vlad Guerrero and other contemporary right fielders, including Manny Ramirez, Gary Sheffield, Bobby Abreu, Ichiro Suzuki, Sammy Sosa and Larry Walker. There’s not a …
Since we last spoke… • Tuesday’s Todd Helton piece generated enough discussion and had enough leftovers that I took a second look at Helton’s Hall case, this time in the context of his contemporaries at first base — much as I did here. • Along with colleagues Kevin Goldstein, Marc Normandin and John Perrotto, and ESPN Insider’s …
That Kevin Youkilis wound up on the short end of Tuesday night’s brawl may explain why he’s the favorite target for payback among Red Sox hitters. Much fun discussing the incident Wednesday night on my ESPN 890 Boston radio hit. Our discussion even provided a chance to cite a favorite precedent:
Today’s Baseball Prospectus/ESPN Insider double dip concerns the Rockies’ Todd Helton, and in particular his Hall of Fame chances. If you were quietly minding your business by not thinking about Helton’s Cooperstown case, you weren’t alone; I was somewhat surprised when I was offered the assignment: Is Todd Helton bound for the Hall of Fame? …
Still trying to catch up on my z’s from a fun but draining weekend at SABR where my trade deadline-related work cost me face time with some folks I only get to see once a year, not to mention a handful of missed presentations and a foregone ticket to Camden Yards (when the professional meteorologist …
Having a blast at the SABR Convention in Washington, DC, despite a few snafus on the navigation front (a city where the subway closes? WTF?) and a good chunk of both Thursday or Friday holed up in my hotel room working on this week’s Hit List and the BP Hot Sheet. Given the travel and …