We’ll also see how analytics continue to affect the game. Opponents feel the numbers have made the game stiff with silly defensive shifts that take away the effectiveness of some of the biggest sluggers in the game.
No batter in baseball had shifts employed against him more times than David Ortiz, with 626. Chris Davis was next with 517. Last season, Ortiz had only 21 singles that were pulled, down from 33 in 2013 and 29 in 2014.
There will be discussions about limiting the movement of infielders. As one opponent of the shifting pointed out, “The analytics are going to be a wash after a while because it’s getting to the point where all teams have the same information.”
It's like saying "all games will be played to infinity extra innings because all teams have access to the same players."“The analytics are going to be a wash after a while because it’s getting to the point where all teams have the same information.”
Would he be in favor of banning bunting? Because bunting is the offense's version of the shift. Then we wouldn't have defensive players having to play down the line, they could stay in their little zones to make Nick happy. Make the whole area in front of home plate foul ground, the ball has to at least pass the plane of the front of the mound. Bunting is boring.He's not belittling the effectiveness of shifts, he's calling for their banning. He's Lear, bereft of his senses, howling fruitlessly at the wind.
"But Mother, shifts are new and modern ways to play defense."I saw Cafardo on TV last night and he seems like a nice, reasonable guy when he's interviewed. He says a couple of things in a very nice, measured, placid tone and he's not completely offensive to the eyes like Mitch Albom is and I thought to myself, "I can see why people like him and listen to him." Heck, I think that if I met and spoke with Cafardo, I'd like him.
But his TV personality seems to be a complete 180 from his writing style. He writes with arrogance and contempt of anything even remotely considered new or semi-intellectual. I don't know. Maybe he has a dual personality, which would be awesome. I think that's how I'm going to read his columns (assuming that I ever get the Sunday paper delivered to me again).
Was just coming here to note that. I usually think of Nicky as a "lazy, stubborn, dim witted buffoon." I now have to insert "self-absorbed, wildly inappropriate" to the descriptor.7. Saddened to hear of the passing of former Providence mayor Buddy Cianci, a big fan of this column.
Not sure what you're getting at here, because it seems like you know exactly why they would have done this, but this information is presented as something Theo told Cafardo on the record and Nick doesn't express any skepticism over it.Why on Earth would Theo Epstein,upon taking over the Sox, study the development model of the Cleveland Indians, who had just come off a run of development that included Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome and a gazillion others.
Faulty sarcasm meter there, Danny.Not sure what you're getting at here, because it seems like you know exactly why they would have done this, but this information is presented as something Theo told Cafardo on the record and Nick doesn't express any skepticism over it.
I should have included the particular stupidity I was referring to, rather than make people wonder what I was talking about or, even worse, making them mine the column for it themselves.Not sure what you're getting at here, because it seems like you know exactly why they would have done this, but this information is presented as something Theo told Cafardo on the record and Nick doesn't express any skepticism over it.
Theo Epstein said one of the first major things he did when he took over the Red Sox was copy the Indians’ development philosophy. It was interesting to hear, but if the philosophy was so good, why haven’t the Indians won?
I think on first reading I didn't think Nick was being especially critical, but now that I look again, he was being dismissive of Cleveland. So, my fault.I should have included the particular stupidity I was referring to, rather than make people wonder what I was talking about or, even worse, making them mine the column for it themselves.
Anyway, it was directed at Cafardo's bewilderment at Theo's consideration of anything done by a team that "hasn't won."
If the Red Sox can flip Price’s 2-7 postseason record, there could be another banner hoisted at Fenway Park in 2016.
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And now he has to oppose the Blue Jays rather than reap the benefits of that lineup as he did when he compiled a 9-1 record and 2.30 ERA in 11 starts last season after being acquired from Detroit.
But once the postseason started, Price wasn’t the same. He allowed five runs over seven innings against Texas in his only ALDS start. He allowed five runs in 6⅔ innings against Kansas City in an ALCS start.
I mean, holy shit. Could you have picked a more random-ass prospect to drool over? A future LOOGY at best, with no command. He's oo zero prospect lists, and absolutely not a "must see" in any regards.4. Chris Lee, LHP, Orioles — Lee will be one of the must-see pitchers in Orioles camp. Dan Duquette got him from Houston in exchange for two international signing bonus slots. Lee, 23, throws 97 m.p.h. with a “plus” changeup and slider. His mannerisms remind scouts of David Price.
Lee also shows an 84-86 mph changeup with good sink and arm speed, though suboptimal velocity separation.
I mean, holy shit. Could you have picked a more random-ass prospect to drool over? A future LOOGY at best, with no command. He's oo zero prospect lists, and absolutely not a "must see" in any regards.
FG did a short write-up on him last year and had this to say about his "plus" change-up.
Of course he didn't mention that Uncle Jeremy got hired by the Orioles recently.
#3401 Humphrey, Dec 27, 2015
might as well have added: "... unlike another team we know that tried to build a post-championship team using analytics."Dan Duquette, who has shown that he really values veteran advisers who have seen it all.
Morneau must've made himself available for an interview a time or two. Morneau = Jason BayI sense that whichever team gets Justin Morneau as a late-camp signing is going to be happy it did.
I suspect that with no charges against Chapman, that his problems with MLB will blow over pretty quickly. I don't see Yankees fans giving much of a shit about the allegations or his presence doing anything adverse to their revenues."The Yankees decided that a good deal was a good deal."
I wonder if Nick would have written this had the Sox traded for Chapman? Any time you can get a wife beater for four fringe prospects, it's just great business sense to do that.
Chalk up another win for the Yankees!
"The Red Sox picked up Chapman, showing that even with new management they continue to place more emphasis on statistics and numbers on a spreadsheet, than the morals and character that a team like the Yankees have always held as a core component which is one of the reasons they passed on Chapman despite the reasonable price.""The Yankees decided that a good deal was a good deal."
I wonder if Nick would have written this had the Sox traded for Chapman?
I heard callers to Michael Kay show saying they don't want to root for the Yankees anymore because of the acquisition of Chapmann.I suspect that with no charges against Chapman, that his problems with MLB will blow over pretty quickly. I don't see Yankees fans giving much of a shit about the allegations or his presence doing anything adverse to their revenues.
And I see having three flame throwers in their pen making leads after 6 innings pretty safe. Put it this way: I would prefer that he not have joined Miller and Betances.
As to the Sox, I would have trouble rooting for Champman, the man, but I can't claim that I would not have liked to have him in Boston next season, alongside Kimbrell, Koji and Tazawa. Nick would have written something stupid about this, of course.
I'll believe it when I see it. I mean, yeah, a very small percentage of fans falling away is believable, but anything more than that really isn't to me. We shall see. Do we take converts?I heard callers to Michael Kay show saying they don't want to root for the Yankees anymore because of the acquisition of Chapmann.
True. Chapman is more despicable than Purple Lips.ARod didn't beat the shit out of his girlfriend and fire eight bullets into his garage door.
I'm not so sure about that. Sox fans practically ran Wil Cordero out of town when he smacked his wife around with a telephone. But I agree that there probably would be a fair number of Sox fans looking the other way of Chapman was a strikeout machine.Not that Sox fans would behave differently.
Give the guy a break. He's saving his finite units of moral outrage for the things that matter -- Sandoval's weight and Ramirez's lack of fealty to "doing things the right way."I'm not so sure about that. Sox fans practically ran Wil Cordero out of town when he smacked his wife around with a telephone. But I agree that there probably would be a fair number of Sox fans looking the other way of Chapman was a strikeout machine.
However, the point of pointing out what Cafardo wrote isn't the hypocrisy of the fan base (that's a given) but how easily Cafardo bends and does his Yankee yoga while if the Sox (or really, any other team did this) he'd be ranting and raving about it. It's pretty disgusting.
This is true. And if you stuck him in NY, no doubt he'd do the opposite.I
However, the point of pointing out what Cafardo wrote isn't the hypocrisy of the fan base (that's a given) but how easily Cafardo bends and does his Yankee yoga while if the Sox (or really, any other team did this) he'd be ranting and raving about it. It's pretty disgusting.
There are some that regard Manny as a hero, and not the wife beater he is.Not that Sox fans would behave differently.