# I have the Splendid Splinter's ball! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 13, 2000, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-the-splendid-splinters-ball/25455 "2000-07-13T17:10:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Zion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b5e925/32.png) [@Zion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zion)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2000, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-the-splendid-splinters-ball/25455/41 "2000-07-16T15:02:13Z")
I should be beaten and left for dead, since TOTALLY forgot about A-Rod, Jeter, and Garciaparra. At least Vizquel is still the best defensive catcher. I believe he is still perfect on the year, with no errors. And yes, as much as I love the Yankees, I have to admit that Alex Rodriguez is the best shortstop in the game. ---
**Author:** ![lurkernomore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@lurkernomore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lurkernomore)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2000, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-the-splendid-splinters-ball/25455/42 "2000-07-16T18:15:48Z")
This year, certainly, you have to go with Vizquel for the glove. Anybody else think A-Rod is filling out so much he may have to move to another position soon? He is the youngest of the 3 big AL SS. Third? Didn’t Schmidt play SS in the minors? 1B - like Banks? OF - a Molitor type? (yeah\< iknow he wasn’t SS) (or reverse Russell) ---
**Author:** ![Frannie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Frannie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frannie)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2000, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-the-splendid-splinters-ball/25455/43 "2000-07-16T20:00:31Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by lurkernomore \* > \*\* This year, certainly, you have to go with Vizquel for the glove._\* Not only _this_ year, but that’s only my _very_ humble, Indians fan mentality speaking. 😉 And **DRY**? Thanks. That was a nice thing to say. I really _do_ feel outta my league (pun intended) in this thread though; I am surrounded by _real_ experts. Perhaps I should go watch the end of the Indians game and gasp as Omar pirouettes around making _unbelievable_ defensive plays. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![DRY](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a87d85/32.png) [@DRY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DRY)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2000, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-the-splendid-splinters-ball/25455/44 "2000-07-17T12:28:47Z")
[QUOTE] \*Originally posted by Frannie \* \*\* > [@](#): > > And **DRY**? Thanks. That was a nice thing to say. I really _do_ feel outta my league (pun intended) in this thread though; I am surrounded by _real_ experts. Perhaps I should go watch the end of the Indians game and gasp as Omar pirouettes around making _unbelievable_ defensive plays. 😉 \*\* You’re welcome, Frannie. And I meant what I said–you clearly picked out some good defensive statistics to support your position re Omar Vizquel. Oh, and it’s no shame to be out of your league in this group of fans. Russ Branyan on your team is an interesting player: All or nothing swinger–strikes out a ton, doesn’t hit for average, but walks some and has 13 homers in LESS THAN 100 AT BATS. He also has only 4 doubles, which is a very low number of doubles for a guy with 13 homers. He must be interesting to watch. ---
**Author:** ![Frannie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Frannie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frannie)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2000, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-the-splendid-splinters-ball/25455/45 "2000-07-17T16:30:03Z")
Oh geeeeeeez… I had to go back to those stat sites! Yep, in 99 at bats, he’s homered 13 times, doubled four times, walked 14 times, and struck out _forty-one_ times! In the last game I attended (July 5), he struck out once, walked once, hit two singles, and hit “only” one HR. My father’s comment on his singles: “What’s wrong with Branyan tonight? Singles?” Tomorrow, I’ll be sitting in the bleachers once again. Hopefully, one of his HR balls will land in my lap (I certainly can’t imagine actually _catching_ one). ---
**Author:** ![DRY](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a87d85/32.png) [@DRY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DRY)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2000, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-the-splendid-splinters-ball/25455/46 "2000-07-17T18:23:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Frannie \* > \*\*Oh geeeeeeez… I had to go back to those stat sites! Yep, in 99 at bats, he’s homered 13 times, doubled four times, walked 14 times, and struck out _forty-one_ times! > > In the last game I attended (July 5), he struck out once, walked once, hit two singles, and hit “only” one HR. My father’s comment on his singles: “What’s wrong with Branyan tonight? Singles?” > > Tomorrow, I’ll be sitting in the bleachers once again. Hopefully, one of his HR balls will land in my lap (I certainly can’t imagine actually _catching_ one). \*\* I think that Branyan’s typical game might be something like 1-4 with a homer and 3 strikeouts. I also wonder how many times he hits the ball on the ground relative to how many times he hits the ball in the air. I imagine that when he makes contact, he’s pretty much a flyball hitter. Certainly Branyan’s not going to be able to keep up with his current home run pace–he’d break McGwire’s record if he did! However, the guy does have prodigious power–though, again, I can’t believe that he has only 4 doubles to 13 home runs. Any guy who can hit that many home runs should have more doubles than that. He must be pretty slow, but speed doesn’t matter if you hit the ball out. Have a great time at the game, and good luck catching a ball! The Cleveland bleachers must be raining baseballs, what with Branyan, Thome, Manny Ramirez, Sexson, Robbie Alomar… ---
**Author:** ![lurkernomore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@lurkernomore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lurkernomore)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2000, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-the-splendid-splinters-ball/25455/47 "2000-07-17T19:14:09Z")
thread’s doing pretty good for one expected to die a swift death… ---
**Author:** ![Crunchy\_Frog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ebca7d/32.png) [@Crunchy\_Frog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crunchy_Frog)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2000, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-the-splendid-splinters-ball/25455/48 "2000-07-17T19:17:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lurkernomore \* > \*\*thread’s doing pretty good for one expected to die a swift death… \*\* Thanks to the hijacks, that is. 😉 (When was the last time Ted Williams was mentioned?) ---
**Author:** ![BigJoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9bd4f/32.png) [@BigJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigJoe)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2000, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-the-splendid-splinters-ball/25455/49 "2000-07-17T19:36:31Z")
Ted who? :: ducks & runs away very, very quickly :: ---
**Author:** ![Sunshine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Sunshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunshine)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2000, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-the-splendid-splinters-ball/25455/50 "2000-07-17T19:51:36Z")
Ohhhh…this is about _Baseball_?! Hm. Nevermind. ::: slinking away ::: ---
**Author:** ![Frannie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Frannie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frannie)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2000, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-the-splendid-splinters-ball/25455/51 "2000-07-17T20:37:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BratMan007 \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by lurkernomore \* > > \*\*thread’s doing pretty good for one expected to die a swift death… \*\* > > Thanks to the hijacks, that is. 😉 (When was the last time Ted Williams was mentioned?) \*\* Oops, sorry! Hey, that Ted Williams sure was _something_, wasn’t he!?! ---
**Author:** ![Frannie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Frannie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frannie)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2000, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-the-splendid-splinters-ball/25455/52 "2000-07-17T20:43:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DRY \* > **Certainly Branyan’s not going to be able to keep up with his current home run pace–he’d break McGwire’s record if he did!** “Certainly”? You never know! (OK, so I suffer from delusions of grandeur. Whatever.) 😉 ---
**Author:** ![DRY](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a87d85/32.png) [@DRY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DRY)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2000, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-the-splendid-splinters-ball/25455/53 "2000-07-18T09:32:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Frannie \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by DRY \* > > **Certainly Branyan’s not going to be able to keep up with his current home run pace–he’d break McGwire’s record if he did!** > > “Certainly”? You never know! (OK, so I suffer from delusions of grandeur. Whatever.) 😉 > > \*\* If you want to root for the guy on your team with the the best chance to break it, try Manny Ramirez. Assuming the Indians don’t trade him. Bratman–I’d talk about Ted Williams more, but since I can’t draft him in my scoresheet and rotisserie leagues, what’s the point? ---
**Author:** ![Frannie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Frannie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frannie)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2000, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-the-splendid-splinters-ball/25455/54 "2000-07-18T14:32:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DRY \* > **If you want to root for the guy on your team with the the best chance to break it, try Manny Ramirez. Assuming the Indians don’t trade him.** ::Sigh:: I hope _like crazy_ that he stays. If things go _my_ way, the Justice/Ledee trade was made in order to free up the money needed to resign Manny. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-the-splendid-splinters-ball/25455.md?page=2)