Yep…and where did they end up? Do you think the Sox are going to tank because La Russa doesn’t understand Instagram etiquette?
In the playoffs.
In an asterisk year, where they lost.
So starting 26-16 is only impressive if Tony La Russa is the manager?
First, as @RickJay notes, they ended up in the playoffs. More precisely, they ended up equal second, one game behind the division winners.
Also, nice moving of the goalposts there.
Remember, your previous post stated that your praise for LaRussa was based on the fact that the White Sox are in first place at this point in the season for the first time since 2008.
But that was wrong. So now your praise for LaRussa is based on what won’t happen, and what he won’t do, during the rest of this season?
As I always say, mein freund, you will see.
I have one question for you: do you understand the difference between the past and the future, between history and prediction, between analyzing what has happened and speculating on what might happen?
I swear, it’s like debating baseball with the reincarnated stepchild of Gonzomax and ElvisL1ves.
You seem to be under the impression that people are arguing that the Sox are not going to succeed this year. Teams contend all the time despite their manager (see: Ron Washington, Ned Yost). If you’re going to credit the success of the team to the manager, it would be helpful to show us actual instances of the manager making moves that make a significant difference in a game situation.
There are a handful of articles in the last day on The Athletic regarding the state of the game that are very interesting. Has anyone taken a look? Apologies to those without a subscription, they’re all paywalled*.
There’s one by Ken Rosenthal that is particularly interesting, regarding pitchers using substances on the ball for better spin rate and movement. I’d long been under the impression that the use of rosin plus other substances was one of those minor rules violations that we should just turn a blind eye towards, since it was a necessary evil for pitchers to just maintain control of their pitches. But it’s gone far beyond that, and players are starting to (anonymously) speak out. It’s a very real problem, as we can all see in the game right now. It’ll be very interesting to see how MLB takes action in the next year.
- if you’re considering a subscription, I think they’re currently running a $1/month promo that lasts a year.
Did Rosenthal explain how that works? Is it some new and better substance? Is the substance applied to the ball in order to alter its flight, like the ol’ spitball did (as scuffing did too.) I keep hearing about this but without the nuts and bolts. And wasn’t MLB supposed to be cracking down on foreign substances this season?
Tom Verducci with an interesting analysis of the increase in the HBP rate:
https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/05/17/corey-seager-injury-hbp-epidemic-the-opener
Some stuff is surprising, and some not so much:
Teams have used 595 pitchers to cover the first six weeks of the season. That’s more than were needed to cover the entire 2001 season (591).
Holy cow that’s a lot of pitchers. Limiting the number of pitchers on the rosters might improve the decline of offense. It’s easy to think up ways to ameliorate a perceived ‘problem,’ but it’s also easy for a tweak to morph into a disaster with such a delicate balance.
More and more batters are wearing protective guards on their lead elbows and upper arms—sometimes both.
The league leaders in being hit by a pitch all wear the elbow guard. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a homeplate umpire rule that the player didn’t sufficiently attempt to avoid being hit. When players are leaning in and get hit on armor, maybe it should just be a ball and not a base. If that.
From 2010 to '11, no hitter was hit by a pitch that was in the strike zone . This season, it has happened twice already: by Michael Conforto and Trout. Both were hit on the elbow pad.
Good stuff.
I wasn’t really aware the HBPs had become a problem because the team I watch the most (Yankees) have only had 13 HBPs. The Dodgers have the most (34) and the Rockies the fewest (7). I’m sure that tells a tale, but of what, I dunno.
No, he just made some vague references to it. I’ll try to pull some quotes later tonight if I can. But he gave a couple of anecdotes of players on a team bus passing around the ball from a rookie’s first hit and marveling at all the remnants of gluey tackiness still on the ball, and pitchers saying things like “what are we even doing?” He got some quotes from JT Realmuto as well, talking about how rare it is to see a pitcher not using it.
As for the league cracking down, it sounds like they’re trying to gather as much evidence as possible, from both actual balls, video, and spin rate data from Statcast.
I’ve seen them do it to some really obvious flops, but it’s rare.
The thing is, offense isn’t that low. 4.36 runs a game is not amazingly little.
It’s just really BORING, because it’s all homers and the ball isn’t being put into play.
Marcus Semien has a double, triple and homer for the Blue Jays and it’s just now the fifth inning, so a decent shot at a cycle.
I don’t have data to back me up but just based on what I’ve seen the last 5 years, the number of pitching changes is constantly increasing and it’s killing the game. I get that analytics helps teams win, but it’s killing baseball. Playoff games almost never end before midnight now.
I hate to say I agree with this, but I do. Acuna wanted to bat left handed in a blow out and was told no.
This just screams fluke injury to me and not unwritten rules.
Pitching changes are down the tiniest bit this year but generally speaking in recent years it’s been the highest it’s ever been.
Personally I am supportive of ideas of limiting how many pitchers a team’s allowed to have.
so the braves kicked the livin shit outta the pirates…are the braves that good or pirates that bad or both?
I know they signed someone recently that everyone was excited about …
Miracle Mets. Have won 3 of the last four with 2/3 of their lineup out. Tonights lineup-
Villar
Lindor
Maybin
Dom Smith
Nido
Drury
Hagar
FargasWon 2 of 3 against the Braves with that lineup but with Alonso in, now out on the 10 day IL.
They win tonight in 12, Khalil Lee, top Mets prospect who was brought up way too early because of all the injuries, who had not only struck out in his first 8 big league ABs, he never made contact, his bat never touched the ball, drives in the winning run. But he made two spectaculer plays in right field in the games before today. As they say, baseball is a game of redemption
Wish I could find clips of those plays in the field, they must be out there