With Mike Timlin taking the mic tonight beside Don Orsillo, it feels like a good time to reflect on the past. In Faithful, Stephen King and Stewart O’Nan followed the Red Sox 2004 season day-by-day, game-by-game. On September 24 of that year, the Sox lost to the New York Yankees. On September 23, 2004 the …
Monthly Archives: September 2013
Flashback: John Burkett
Ten years ago today (September 19, 2003) the Boston Red Sox played the Cleveland Indians in Jacobs Field. Progressive Insurance was still five year away from buying the naming rights to the stadium, the Indians’ Eric Wedge was in his first season as a manager, and the winning pitcher was John Burkett. While he didn’t …
Thinking About: King Richard’s Faire
Immersive events are everywhere these days. Whether it’s one of the bi-coastal PAX weekends, San Diego Comic-Con or one of many local Comic Cons, Dragoncon, or a renaissance faire, cultural events creating a world are happening all the time. Cosplayers and fans dress up at conventions, movie launches, and any time that going out in …
Billy Hamilton Excites Us About Stolen Bases Again
Unlike nearly any other sport, an individual baseball game can be broken down into individual moments, isolated from some events during the game and connected with others. On the offensive side of the game, two outcomes stand out above all others: home runs and stolen bases. This week the Cincinnati Reds called up Billy Hamilton …
Continue reading “Billy Hamilton Excites Us About Stolen Bases Again”
The Long Odds of the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Playoff Path
Entering play on Sept. 4, the Arizona Diamondbacks were 12.5 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for the lead in the NL West, and 8 games back in the race for a Wild Card spot. Entering July, the Diamondbacks led their division by 1.5 games over the Colorado Rockies, and as of July 21 still …
Continue reading “The Long Odds of the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Playoff Path”
Yankee Offseason: Is A $300 Million Payroll Possible?
The number 300 has a special meaning in baseball. 300 wins is the traditional Hall of Fame measure for a starting pitcher. Striking out 300 batters in a season hasn’t been done since Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling in 2002. The other men on that list include Pedro Martinez, Nolan Ryan, and Sandy Kofax. A …
Continue reading “Yankee Offseason: Is A $300 Million Payroll Possible?”
Melky Cabrera Revisited
After the 50-game suspension which removed him from the San Francisco Giants’ playoff run and, by his own choice, the batting title, Melky Cabrera will always be tied to PEDs. His breakout in San Francisco — .346/.390/.516 before being suspended — included the 2012 All-Star Game MVP award during the good times and a fake website in the …
Game Review: Out of the Park Baseball 14
August is a tough month for baseball fans. The All-Star Game is in the rear-view mirror, the trade deadline has passed, and, outside of one or two teams every year that put an amazing run together in the final two months, the playoff race is settled with 12 or 13 teams competing for 10 spots. …
San Francisco Giants: Rotation Questions
When the San Francisco Giants won the World Series in 2010 they did so with a rotation comprised of Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez, and Madison Bumgarner. Barry Zito, their free agent acquisition from a few years earlier, didn’t even make the postseason roster. By 2012, Sanchez had been traded and Lincecum spent most …