Friday’s Child (Part 2)

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 …

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Friday’s Child (Part 1)

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 …

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The Lost Tribe and the Usual Suspects

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 …

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The All-Star Break is No Time For a Break

So I watched the Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game this year, which is out of character with my recent history, though last year’s game at Yankee Stadium did bring me back into the fold. I couldn’t have done it without my TiVo, however, which reduced my total time expenditure to about three hours …

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Back in the Saddle Again

Gene Autry or Aerosmith, it’s all good: [#1 Dodgers] Prodigal Sons: The Dodgers regain the Hit List top spot as Manny Ramirez returns from a 50-game suspension. He goes 6-for-18 with two homers and seven RBI, drawing louder jeers for being ejected after an awful strike three call than for his transgression. With Juan Pierre …

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Answers: Free. Correct Answers: $20

A few choice cuts from yesterday’s Baseball Prospectus chat: strupp (madison): Jay. Thanks as always for the chat. Are we about to see a long “drought” of pitchers being elected to the Hall Of Fame because of the change in usage and other factors that prevent pitchers from reaching milestones? Maddux, Glavine, Unit seem locks, …

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Midterm Report

On Sunday the baseball season reached its midway point in terms of total games played, and this week at Baseball Prospectus and ESPN Insider, we’re using that as an opportunity to examine how our PECOTA forecasts have held up over the course of the first half. Yesterday, Christina Kahrl examined team-level performances. The top six: …

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What’s Eating A-Rod?

For the Baseball Prospectus/ESPN Insider soup du jour, I join forces with Will Carroll to examine Alex Rodriguez’s struggles, which saw him benched for Friday and Saturday’s games amid an 8-for-55 June swoon that dragged his overall line down to .212/.370/.462. Here’s a taste: The schadenfreudians might believe that Rodriguez is receiving a cosmic comeuppance …

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