As a Johnny-Come-Lately to New York City and the Yankees, I never really got what dyed-in-the-pinstriped-wool fans found so special about Phil Rizzuto, who passed away yesterday at the age of 89. While he certainly held a link to the Yankees’ glory years as part of seven world champion teams, objectively he wasn’t as great …
In today’s Prospectus Hit and Run, I turn my attention to the re-revamping of the Baseball Hall of Fame’s Veterans Committee. Changes to the New VC, which has gone a self-congratulatory 0-for-3 since it was last restructured — were announced a couple weeks back, but amid the Bonds home run chase, the trading deadline, and …
Very briefly, amid what’s already shaping up to be a crazy and somewhat stressful week full of deadlines and mortgage agita (the closing process on my apartment has finally begun, at precisely the wrong time): • A quick trip to Barnes and Noble’s Astor Place branch in New York City revealed a pleasant surprise: It …
Our long national nightmare is finally over. On Tuesday night, Barry Bonds finally hit his 756th home run, topping Hank Aaron’s record, a record that stood for over 33 years as perhaps the most hallowed statistical accomplishment in the annals of sport. Surprisingly, the world didn’t end. I missed the home run. Or rather, to …
The post-trade deadline Hit List is up at Baseball Prospectus, with a look at which teams improved themselves, which ones dropped the ball, and which ones merely treaded water. The Yankees, thanks to their recent offensive onslaught, climb all the way to #2 behind the Red Sox, with the Mets third. The Dodgers come in …
The trading deadline is a great time to be part of Baseball Prospectus. Not only is it fun to watch guys and gals like prospect guru Kevin Goldstein, transaction maven Christina Kahrl and yenta hotliner Will Carroll do the voodoo that they do so well, but kicking the deals around on our internal mailing list …
Fabulous weekend here at Futility Central, with baseball on the back burner after I delivered this week’s Hit List… • Friday night, we caught the opening of the long-awaited Simpsons Movie, and while it wasn’t a gut-busting revelation, it didn’t need to be. [Semi-spoiler alert; skip to next bullet]. Other than the expanded length, the …
It’s a big day here at Futility Central. Those of you who are regular readers of the Hit List may have noticed that last week’s edition weighed in a bit lighter than normal, which is to say that for once it was of manageable length. There’s a reason for that. After two and a half …
I could quibble with the headline (“Stats Geek: Clemente, Waner almost an even match”), but once I learned that it was the title of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette columnist Brian O’Neill’s regular offering and not another example of a P-G writer pejoratively yanking my chain (I tip my cap to Gene Collier’s phrase “seamheads on crystal math” …
Reason #10,001 why Vin Scully is the greatest announcer ever, from the broadcast of last night’s game: “Yes, the Phillies have lost 10,000, but it’s not been all beer and skittles for the Dodgers either.” When I heard this, at first I thought the esteemed voice of the Dodgers was referencing a great Simpsons quote …