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Jimm
Hendren Group Review: Bob Costas on Baseball Free Agency's Evolution

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Jimm
Hendren Group Review: Bob Costas on Baseball Free Agency's Evolution

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1975 An arbitration court ruling gives Major League Baseball players the right to shop their talents for the first time.

Late on the night of Oct. 21, 1975, one of the most iconic images in baseball history was captured: Carlton Fisk of the Boston Red Sox, desperately waving his arms, trying to will his long fly ball fair in the 12th inning of an epic Game 6 of the World Series at Fenway Park. It hit the foul pole and the Sox won, forcing a Game 7 the next night.

Yet that enduring moment was not the most defining baseball event of 1975. And not just because the following night Cincinnati, not Boston, won the World Series. The most significant moment of the baseball year came in December, in a decision from an arbitrator named Peter Seitz.

For years, Major League Baseball and its players’ union had fought over players’ desire to determine the teams for which they played. Led by the formidable Marvin Miller, the union’s head, and propelled by the courage of Curt Flood, an All-Star center fielder who had essentially walked away from the game a few years earlier rather than accept a trade, the players’ cause had been gaining steam. A few years earlier, a modest advance had earned them the right to have an independent arbitrator decide their grievances. In a case brought to that arbitrator in 1975, regarding the contracts of two pitchers, Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally, Seitz ruled that an arcane but critical section of the standard MLB player contract, the reserve clause, did not prevent Messersmith and McNally from leaving their clubs and signing deals elsewhere. With that, the era of free agency in baseball, and sports as a whole, began.

For more related topic or update about baseball, just visit Jimm Hendren Group Review.

At the time, many fans viewed this as heresy: greed, as opposed to the fundamental right to choose where one works. Then again, there was some justification for concern, because a league is not exactly like other businesses. It’s a venture in which competitors must also be partners, with common-sense rules in place to govern competition and promote an attractive overall product. If players kept hopping from city to city, there’d be no continuity. No perennial favorites to root for. No lasting connections. Worse yet—and for a long while this turned out to be true—the most coveted free agents would land disproportionately with the wealthiest teams, creating serious competitive balance issues. The players deserved their rights and the riches that came with them. But how to regulate it so that the sport would be as fair and appealing as possible?

Players and management battled for decades over what seemed irreconcilable interests. But in recent years their mutual interests have become clear. Baseball, which once regularly experienced strikes and lockouts, has not had a work stoppage in 20 years. Not coincidentally, revenues have grown astronomically. Revenue sharing, expansion of the playoffs, and more sophisticated team-building approaches have created greater competitive opportunity across the board. Without going to war, owners and players both have prospered to the greatest degree ever. Would you rather have 50 percent of billions of dollars or 60 percent of a significantly lesser sum? The enlightened answer is obvious.

Meanwhile, for the modern, knowledgeable fan, the game has greater intrigue than ever. It’s about what happens on the field, sure, but it’s also about the front office game, which once was checkers and now is chess. At last summer’s trade deadline, a fascinating flurry of deals for All-Stars showed how the business of the game has positively evolved. Not long ago, most of these midseason trades were salary dumps—byproducts of baseball’s small-market/big-market divide. Now, not so much. Instead, they’re part of the game’s compelling new narrative—one team gearing up for October, another retooling for the future—where the best teams skillfully manage the interplay among farm systems, trades, and, yes, free agency.

And freedom hasn’t completely destroyed the idea of the “identity player.” Cal Ripken Jr., Tony Gwynn, Chipper Jones, and Derek Jeter all put together Hall of Fame careers for one franchise. Clayton Kershaw, Joe Mauer, Yadier Molina, and David Wright are among the big names headed down the same path. But there are superstars, such as Albert Pujols and Robinson Canó, who choose to move, just as another future Hall of Famer once did. Five years after hitting one of the most famous home runs in baseball history, Carlton Fisk became a free agent and left Boston to sign with the Chicago White Sox. He’d go on to make four All-Star teams in Chicago and have his number retired by both franchises.

So free agency didn’t mean the end of the world after all. It just made baseball fairer. And more interesting.

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Kirja-arvostelu: Lähempänä mennessä Jimm Hendren Group Review

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Kirja-arvostelu: Lähempänä mennessä Jimm Hendren Group Review

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New York Yankees oppineiden kirja luku on aina varattu Mariano Rivera.

Hän on yksi suurimmista helpotusta syöttäjä, Major League Baseball historian. Mr. Rivera pitää eri henkilökohtaiset tiedot, mukaan lukien ura säästää (652) ja alin ansainnut aikavälin keskiarvo (0.70) ja säästää (42) pudotuspeleissä. 13 kertaa All-Star hän auttoi Yankees voittaa viisi World Series. Hänen yhtenäinen lakkautettiin vuonna 2013.

Se on uskomaton tarina, varsinkin kun otetaan huomioon herra Rivera tausta. Hän varttui lika huono Puerto Caimito, tiny Panaman kalastajakylä. Hän halusi olla kuten Pele jalkapallo tähti. Hän oli koskaan kuullut baseball legendoja kuten Babe Ruth ja Hank Aaron. Kun hän nousivat koneeseen ensimmäistä kertaa elämässään pelata pro baseball, hän ei voinut arvata uskomaton matka, hän oli aikeissa tehdä.

Mr. Rivera hiljattain kirjoitti omaelämäkerrassaan “Lähempänä: My Story” apunaan New York Daily News urheilutoimittaja Wayne Coffey. Tämä kirja, aivan kuten sen vaikuttava aihe on skandaali ja vihjailu. Pikemminkin se on hyvin henkilökohtainen tarina kovaa työtä, sitkeyttä ja hillitön intohimo baseball. Piki piki, ja sesonki, näemme Mr. Rivera siirtymistä vain kuolevainen osaksi baseball jättiläinen.

Hänen alkuperäinen reitti pro Baseball oli lähes koominen.

Mr. Rivera pelasi Panama Oeste Vaqueros 18-vuotiaana. Hän suosikki kanta oli oikealla alalla. Hänen managerinsa kysyi piki eräänä päivänä jotain hän ei ollut tehnyt “Koska heitin muutaman sisävuoro provinssi-joukkue kun olin neljätoista.” Hän otti röykkiö toisessa vuoroparissa heittää palloa “luultavasti korkeintaan 85 kilometriä tunnissa”, mutta hän oli “saavat ennen kaikki, lyömällä kulmat, pitching nopeasti. Me päätteeksi voittaa pelin.”

Vaikuttava esitys, joka hänen mielestään olisi “yhden päivän heitellä”, Mr. Rivera palasi hänen tavallista aikataulu. Kaksi joukkuetoverit, Emilio Leppä ja Claudino Hernandez, ilmestyi hänen talo kaksi viikkoa myöhemmin ilmoittamaan hänelle, ne järjestetään tryout New York Yankees. Hänen ensimmäinen ajatus? “Todella odotetaan minua uskomaan tähän?” Se oli kuitenkin totta. He suosittelivat Mr. Rivera osa Yankees scout Chico Heron teoriaa “Jos pelaaja viittaavat Yankees, joka päätyy allekirjoittamisesta saat finder’s fee kaksisataa dollaria.”

Mr. Rivera pystytti kolmena sisävuoro Panaman maajoukkueessa. Hän iski ulos viisi taikinat, ja saa yhden hitin. “En luultavasti saa heittää yli 30 tai 35 leirintäpaikat,” hän muistutti, “lähes kaikki fastballs yksi tai kaksi primitiivinen muutos-UPS sekoitetaan.” Yankees scout yrtti

Raybourn vaikutuksen ja allekirjoittanut hänet vähäistä-liigan sopimuksen ja 2000 dollaria bonus.

Loput, kuten he sanovat, on historiaa.

Mr. Rivera opin jo varhain, “tuntuu, ei painetta, vain mennä sinne ja minulle ja Pelaa peli rakastan.” Hänen ensimmäisen World Series vuonna 1996 toi hänelle suurta iloa, “Että kasaan ja juhlia jälkeen meidän piti palata voittaa joukkue yhtä hyvä kuin [Atlanta] Braves on sanoinkuvaamaton tunne.” Hänen uskonnollisen uskonsa oli täydellinen täydennys tehokas kätensä 2003 playoff voitto Boston Red Sox, “Olen kÃ¤sissÃ¤ni ja polvissa, suudella [syöttäjä on hautakumpu] kumi, sanoa rukous herra, itku lian.”

Kyllä, hän tehnyt virheitä kentällä. Upea peli-palkittu kotiin ajaa Cleveland Indians Sandy Alomar Jr. 1997 American League pudotuspelien oli “suurin epäonnistuminen nuori uran.” Mr. Rivera oli päättänyt tehdä “kaikki voin varmistaa se ei toistu.” Vain muutamia poikkeuksia lukuun ottamatta hän teki niin.

Paljon tilaa on omistettu vaimo Clara. “Naimisiin oli paras päätös olen koskaan tehnyt”, hän kirjoitti alle otsikko heidän hääpäivä marraskuussa 1991. Hän on vanhempi pastori evankelinen kirkko perustettiin useita vuosia sitten. Riveran mielessä hän on “äiti kolme lasta ja nainen, joka on todellinen supertähti perhe.” Et voi saada paljon enemmän kiitosta kuin tämä.

Baseball fanit ja rento tarkkailijat Mr. Rivera 19 vuoden ura on ihme katsella. Jokaisen sivun “Closer” paljastaa toisen kerroksen tämä yllättävän nöyrä mies on uskomaton lahjakkuus, hän vain huomasi aikuisiässä. Yankees fanit kuin minä ovat ikuisesti iloinen, että hän, ja kiitän häntä hän antoi meille ihania muistoja.

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Baseball
Geek Group: Jimm Hendren: Vi har (ganska) gjort en Postseason Baseball sak i
Philadelphia

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Baseball
Geek Group: Jimm Hendren: Vi har (ganska) gjort en Postseason Baseball sak i
Philadelphia

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Meningsfull oktober baseball sannolikt inte kommer att vara en sak i Philadelphia ganska länge, men det betyder inte att vi fortfarande inte har några postseason kul.

Jag nådde ut till genierna bakom den bästa datorsimulering baseball spelet runt, folk på Diamond Mind Baseball, att simulera en full postseason med åtta av de största lagen i Philly historia.

Eftersom storhet är en term som subjektiv, har vi använt ett rankningssystem som liknar den som används för vår makt enkät för att välja de åtta deltagande lagen. Vi har också, för att hålla med andan i American League kontra National League, inkluderat fyra lag som representerar friidrott från deras tid i Philadelphia.

Våra postseason tournament kommer att utvecklas tillsammans med de faktiska Major League Baseball playoffsna med poäng och spelet berättelser publicerades varje kväll.

Fästet delas i två sidor – den Mack Division och Manuel uppdelningen. Dagens artikel ser på Mack sida, i morgon ska vi titta på sidan Manuel.

Nr 1 1929 friidrott (104-46) vs nr 4 2008 Phillies (92-70)

Al Simmons | 1929 Philadelphia AthleticsThe 1929 friidrott ange turneringen som top utsäde, ranking som den bästa major league klubben någonsin att ha spelat i Philadelphia. Leds av Al Simmons (. 365, 34 HR, 157 RBIs) och Lefty Grove (20-6, 2,81 ERA), friidrott vann American League vimpel med ett 18-spelet marginal och för att besegra Chicago Cubs för att vinna World Series.

2008 Phillies var ett bra lag, men de var inte bra. I själva verket rankas klubben bara nionde bästa i franchise historia. Leds av Ryan Howard (. 251, 48 HR, 146 RBIs) och Cole Hamels (14-10, 3,09 ERA), klubben besegrade Tampa Bay i World Series och så knäppte en 28-årig championship torka samtidigt säkra seriens andra World Series titel.

Ranking: Den första siffran i parentes är klubbens all-time ranking enligt våra Power Ranking formel – denna rangordning är ute mer än 2.300 professionella lag som har spelat sedan 1900. Den andra siffran är lagets placering i franchise historia | 1929 friidrott (11/1) vs 2008 Phillies (381/9).

Laget vinner över ersättare: 1929 friidrott (30,8 brott + 25,8 Pitching) 56,6 TEAM krig | 2008 Phillies (29,1 brott + 13,2 Pitching) 42.3 TEAM krig

Plocka: 1929 friidrott är mycket det bättre laget, men allt kan hända i en fem-spel serien. Som sagt, jag tror 29 är en brott har för mycket eldkraft så jag plockar Connie Mack klubben att vinna i serien i fyra.

Schema | Sannolika Pitching Matchups:

Spel 1, torsdagen den 2 oktober på Shibe Park | Lefty Grove (20-6, 2,81) vs Cole Hamels (14-10, 3.09)

Spelet 2, fredag 3 oktober på Shibe Park | George Earnshaw (24-8, 3,29) vs Jamie Moyer (16-7, 3.71)

Spel 3, söndag 5 oktober på Citizens Bank Park | Brett Myers (10-13, 4,55) vs. T.B.A.

* Spelet 4, måndag 6 oktober på Citizens Bank Park | Joe Blanton (4-0, 4.20) vs. T.B.A.

* Spelet 5, onsdag, 8 oktober på Shibe Park | T.B.A. vs T.B.A.

Nr 2 2011 Phillies (102-60) vs nr 3 1931 friidrott (107-45)

2011 Phillies | Roy HalladayLed av Roy Halladay (19-6, 2,35 ERA), Cliff Lee (17-8, 2,40 eran) och Cole Hamels (14-9, 2,79) 2011 Phillies skröt en av de bästa start rotationer som någonsin skapats. Kombinerat, avslutade förrätter året med en 4.22 K/BB, den bästa kurs i baseball historia. Klubben kryssade i MLS, men brottet tystnade mot eventuell World Series mästare kardinalerna i Division serien, föranledde en nedslående playoff exit.

1931 friidrott var Connie Mack sista Hurra som manager i klubben. Laget avslutade 13,5 spel före Yankees clinch American League vimpel men sjönk till kardinalerna i sju matcher under den 1931 hösten Classic. Liknar 1929 klubben, 31 friidrott leddes av Al Simmons (. 390, 22 HR, 128 RBIs) och Jimmie Foxx (. 291, 30 HR, 120 RBIs). Lefty Grove också sammanställt en annan stellar säsong, slutade 31-4 med en 2,06 eran.

Schema | Sannolika Pitching Matchups:

Spel 1, torsdagen den 2 oktober på Citizens Bank Park | Roy Halladay (19-6, 2,35) vs Lefty Grove (31-4, 2,06)

Spelet 2, fredag 3 oktober på Citizens Bank Park | Cliff Lee (17-8, 2,40) vs George Earnshaw (21-7, 3,67)

Spel 3, söndag 5 oktober på Shibe Park | Rube Walberg (20-12, 3,74) vs Cole Hamels (14-9, 2,79)

* Spelet 4, måndag 6 oktober på Citizens Bank Park | T.B.A. vs T.B.A.

* Spelet 5, onsdag, 8 oktober på Shibe Park | T.B.A. vs T.B.A.

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Baseball
Geek Group: Jimm Hendren - Arizona Diamondbacks registrera åtta spelare

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Baseball
Geek Group: Jimm Hendren - Arizona Diamondbacks registrera åtta spelare

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Arizona Diamondbacks undertecknade totalt åtta spelare från oberoende baseball den senaste veckan (Sep. 20 - Sep. 27). Dessa spelare är högerhänt kastare Stew Brase i södra Illinois gruvarbetare (gräns League), Joey Donino av de Rockland stenblock (Can-Am League), Troy markerar av Washington Wild Things (gräns League), Danny Moskovits av Quebec huvudstäder (Can-Am League), vänsterhänt pitcher Al Yevoli av Washington Wild Things (gräns League), tredje baseman Shayne Houck i Evansville utter (gräns League), catcher Matt Jones i södra Illinois gruvarbetare (gräns League) och outfielder Ryan Hutchinson av Lake Erie krossar (gräns League).

Högerhänt pitcher Stew Brase och catcher Matt Jones blev 37 och 38: e spelare i södra Illinois gruvarbetarna att ha sina kontrakt som köps av en Major League Baseball organisation åtta år historia. Deras värvningar också upp antalet gruvarbetare spelare köps i 2014 till sju--ett franchise rekord för en enda säsong.

Brase var enastående, pitching främst som set-up mannen, för södra Illinois detta tidigare säsong. Den 25-årige postat en 1,43 ERA medan stryka 41 Paneringsdeg och avstå från 22 promenader i 44 innings pitched (46 framträdanden). Han också spårat två sparar på säsongen och bara gav upp 32 träffar under sin 2014 kampanj.

22-åriga catcher Matt Jones undertecknade med gruvarbetarna i mitten av säsongen av Southern Illinois University. Han snabbt gjort sig ett namn på gruvarbetarnas deltagarlistan som han batted.301/.356/.387 samtidigt lanserar två homers och köra i 15 RBI på 28 matcher. Han var en av de fem spelarna på gruvarbetarna till bat över varumärket.300 2014.

Högerhänt pitcher Troy märken och vänsterhänt pitcher Al Yevoli köptes både från Washington Wild Things i gräns League.

Märken med Wild Things som free agent som undertecknades den 23 juli och gick 5-1 med en 2,45 ERA i 47 2/3 innings pitched (åtta börjar) denna säsong. Den 24-årige slog ut 55 Paneringsdeg medan promenader 18 under sin första säsong av professionell baseball. Han också slungas 7 1/3 shutout innings för Wild Things i gräns League delade serien men fick ett nej-beslut.

Yevoli hade en bra säsong som den truppen set-up man. Den 24-årige gick 4-5 med en 2,92 ERA i 49 1/3 omgångar lägrade (48 framträdanden) av bullpen. Han slog ut 46 Paneringsdeg medan avlämnande 16 promenader 2014.

Högerhänt kastare Joey Donino och Danny Moskovits kommer båda från sin första säsong i professionell baseball. De blev de fjärde och femte spelare som Diamondbacks har köpt från Can-Am ligan denna säsong.

Donino gick 5-4 med en 4,31 ERA i 56 1/3 innings pitched (tio börjar) för Rockland stenblocken. Han slog också ut 53 Paneringsdeg medan avlämnande 25 promenader i sin tio börjar detta tidigare säsong.

Moskovits postat en 3,03 ERA i 29 2/3 innings pitched över åtta framträdanden (fem börjar) 2014. Inte bara gjorde han slå ut 24 Paneringsdeg medan avstå tolv promenader som en tillbringare, men han spelade även ett spel på första bas och två spel som en outfielder för Quebec Capitals detta tidigare säsong. Han batted.000/.333/.000 i sina tre platta utseenden och drog en promenad som så småningom skulle tillåta honom att komma och göra en körning. Moskovits är dock sannolikt kommer att användas främst som en tillbringare i Diamondbacks' organisation.

Tredje baseman Shayne Houck släpptes av San Francisco Giants' organisation tidigare i mars innan han undertecknade med Evansville utter. Han batted.307/.373/.564 medan slå 23 homers och köra i 66 RBI i 394 plattan utseenden över 94 spel detta tidigare säsong. Den 24-årige utarbetades ursprungligen av giganterna i den 29: e omgången av Kutztown universitetar av Pensylavynia i 2012 MLB förslag.

Outfielder Ryan Hutchinson utarbetades ursprungligen i den 49: e omgången av 2011 MLB utkastet av San Diego Padres men har valt att inte underteckna med klubben. Han batted.297/.354/.477 medan slå elva homers och kör i 40 RBI under sin första säsong av professionell baseball 2014.

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Baseball
Geek Group: Jimm Hendren – ‘Out of the Park Baseball 15’ review

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Baseball
Geek Group: Jimm Hendren – ‘Out of the Park Baseball 15’ review

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If your baseball team didn't make the playoffs this year, you may be grumbling that, if only they’d signed this player or not signed that player, or had used different tactics, then all would be different.

In short, things would be better if only you were in charge of the team.

Well now you can see for yourself if that's true.

“Out of the Park Baseball 15” (OOTP 15) is an incredibly detailed baseball simulation that abandons the glitzy graphics and immediate accessibility of other games like Sony’s “MLB 14: The Show,” released earlier this year for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita, instead offering an incredibly detailed management simulation designed to cater primarily to the hardcore baseball fan.

The key feature of the OOTP series is that you don’t actually play the baseball games as a player. Acting as coach and/or general manager, you buy and trade players, work out your lineup, bring rookies through your youth system and give instructions to your men during the game who go and (hopefully) do your bidding.

In the games, you choose when to bring in your reliever or closer, tell your batters whether to bat normally, bunt or swing for the stands. You’ll tell your runners whether to stay where they are or make a dive to another base, move your fielders out or in, and tell your pitcher whether to go for the strike-out, to pitch around, or even just to throw one right at the batter and shake him up a little bit.

The graphics and sound are where "OOTP 15" is at its weakest. Most of the game takes the form of spreadsheets and tables full of statistics from which you can make your decisions.  The actual games aren’t much better. While 3D environments are new to this year’s version, there are no moving crowds or batters running around bases. Instead a stationary layout with text boxes and pictures representing the players replaces the immersive environments found in other baseball games. There are some crowd noises, but they are gratingly repetitive and will force most gamers to turn them off in no time.

It’s also a game, that at first glance, seems overwhelming. If you are a baseball junkie comfortable with ERA’s, SLGs, OBPs and how to flip players between your 25-man and 40-man rosters, then you may be able to catch on quickly, but if you are only a casual fan, expect a lot of learning to figure out what you are supposed to do. You can also expect to make a lot of mistakes.

However, the game creators are smart in allowing you to customize exactly how involved you want to be. So, if you just want to deal with trades and purchases and leave lineups and managing games to the computer, you can. Or if you want to go all in and change everything, that option is also available too.

As a casual fan myself, in my first few hours I really was pining for the pick-up-and-play glitz and glamor of "MLB 14: The Show." Yet as I played more, frequently researching things online and moving very carefully, things started to click and "OOTP 15" hooked me in.

"OOTP 15" is a much slower game, requiring you to think things through, plan strategy and mull carefully over your picks. Even when I was away from my computer I found that I would still be thinking about my Yankees, whether the trade proposed by the Red Sox for my third baseman would be worth it, if I had enough coverage on my roster, whether I needed a better reliever or if I should put my faith in the rookie I brought in.

It also made the victories in games more satisfying because they all felt like my victories that I had won by employing a smarter strategy, and using players that I had agonized over bringing into the team.

Another of OOTP’s great strengths is its depth in terms of options. Not only can you play in any of the minor leagues, you can also manage teams in international leagues too, such as the Japanese leagues. Finally, the game opens the rosters up back to 1871. Want to see if Babe Ruth’s Yankees would be better under your management or go back in time and manage the Philadelphia Athletics? Those options are all available to you amid the host of customization options on offer.

Yet the audience for "OOTP 15" is ultimately a particular one. "OOTP 15" is not a game for a quick fix, or a fast experience. If you are a casual gamer, it’s hard not to recommend “MLB 14: The Show” over the slow churn of "Out of the Park Baseball 15." But if you are a baseball fanatic or a statistician looking for a game to really sink your teeth into, perhaps as something to play with the nightly baseball game on in the background, then look past the bland spreadsheets. "OOTP 15" might just be the dream ticket.

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Baseball
Geek Group: Jimm Hendren - My Review of "The Major League Baseball
Hateability Index"

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Baseball
Geek Group: Jimm Hendren - My Review of "The Major League Baseball
Hateability Index"

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Today, the Wall Street Journal published "The Major League Baseball Hateability Index", which is a purportedly scientific study about who the most hateable team in the 2014 Major League Baseball playoffs is. Apparently last year the title was won by the Los Angeles Dodgers and this year’s was won by the St. Louis Cardinals. Hey, the Cardinals! I know them!

Anyway, Deadspin later picked up a story about it, which added to the bona fides of the story, since Deadspin is not a website that would simply post something primarily for the sake of agitating Cardinals fans as a means to inflate page views with a little help from self-loathing.

Now, to be perfectly honest, I don’t really care how hated the Cardinals are. It’s not like I’m facing any kind of discrimination because of it. But I would like to know whether the Wall Street Journal is doing its due diligence. Obviously, there isn’t a whole lot else WSJ could be covering right now—businesses and the stock market are both closed until the end of the playoffs, after all—but they still have an obligation to cover it well. And thus I’m going to run down the chart, which is posted below.

Pennants won in the past 10 years: This is where the Cardinals take the cake. If you remove this ONE category, the Dodgers win rather easily, 10.8 to 8.7 (since these measures matter so much and merely hearing the numbers provide self-evident context and all). Frankly, it’s a fair measure. If anything, it should weigh more heavily, but it’s not like people would be hating on the dynastic Colorado Rockies if they made the playoffs more than the Los Angeles Dodgers. Anyway, not a lot to be offended about here as a Cardinals fan. It’s basically a reminder that the team has been, like, unfairly good for the last decade. I don’t disagree. I’m not going to make any excuses for it. I grew up 20 minutes away from Busch Stadium—what was I supposed to do, root for the Montreal Expos because it’d be the edgy thing to do? Haters gonna hate.

Payroll (in multiples of $100 million): This is about right. I do think there are some diminishing returns—perception of the Pirates or Royals as plucky upstarts is further below the Cardinals than the Cardinals are below the Nationals, for instance. But okay.

Players with $100M-plus contracts: Andrew McCutchen does not count as one because he signed an extension which was highly influenced by his arbitration clock. Mike Trout only counts as one because he signed an extension—would the Angels be more likable had they let him play for the league minimum? Adam Wainwright’s contract is worth $97.5 million so therefore it doesn’t count but had he been given Ty Wigginton’s contract value as a goodwill bonus, he would count. I’m not saying they don’t have the right idea but there are too many variables which sway this measure.

Players suspended for PEDs: The World Series MVP last year was David Ortiz. If anything, this should help teams.

Opposing batters plunked (in multiples of 50): Aside from the Pirates, all nine teams are 0.4, 0.5, or 0.6. I…I don’t have a comment here.

Excessive beards: I mean, we don’t even know that Jason Motte’s going to make the postseason roster, so let’s hold our horses here. Also, as somebody who has a soft spot for 2010 Brian Wilson’s beard, I resent this whole category. Though his 2014 beard is objectively terrible. I’ll give everybody that.

Do fans invade other teams’ ballparks? YUP.

Are fans routinely labeled ‘best in baseball’? Them’s the breaks when the Yankees, Red Sox, and Cubs don’t make the playoffs, I suppose. Though I do think the Giants should get half a point or so here. People seem to think highly of their fans. The thing is, I’m not offended by this category and I’m not sure why anybody is. It’s obnoxious and haughty when fans declare themselves the best fans in baseball, absolutely, but the Wall Street Journal said it. There’s nothing inherently bad about such a label. Having seen Big Fan, I’m not super into the idea of treating intense sporting passion as a badge of honor but I’m not going to spend that much time or energy trying to refute it, either.

Does team refer to fan base as a ‘Nation’? This is a fair criticism. This is stupid and I hate it.

Sports Illustrated covers in 2014: According to the Wall Street Journal, a printed periodical apparently has a big impact on swaying public opinion in 2014. So there’s that.

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Baseball
Geek Group: Jimm Hendren - Parents throw more complaints against Vernon Hills
baseball

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Baseball
Geek Group: Jimm Hendren - Parents throw more complaints against Vernon Hills
baseball

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Another group of parents have approached the Vernon Hills Park District with complaints about the Cougars Youth Athletic Association.

Tim Nockels and a few others attended the Sept. 18 Park Board of Commissioners meeting with a petition asking for an in-house baseball league to be resurrected. The group says the Cougars program has decayed due to mismanagement.

The nonprofit became a legal affiliate of park programing in 2011, which essentially means the group coordinates certain sports and gets use of fields for reduced prices instead of having a Cougars league and park district league competing against each other.

Park officials, however, have no authority over the Cougars other than revoking use of fields.

A group of parents approached the Park Board of Commissioners in January asking to start a new baseball team for 12- and 13-year-old boys that would be separate from the Cougars. The parents said continued mismanagement led to most of the children withdrawing and going to the Buffalo Grove or Mundelein park districts.

At the time, park commissioners advised the parents to keep working with the Cougars because administrators cannot provide an equal rental rate and a new team would get all the leftover time slots.

Nockels, who was not part of that group, said on Sept. 18 that the traveling baseball teams seem to get most of the attention and resources compared to the in-house league that plays in Vernon Hills only and with local children.

“We don’t want to travel throughout Lake County,” Nockels said. “We want recreational leagues here at home where our kids can play with their friends. It also allows us parents to volunteer much more easily.”

Nockels also said that in recent years, instead of coaching his son’s team, he umpired due to scheduling issues with league officials. He said his happened close to 50 percent of the time and the constant problems led to more and more parents signing their kids up in other leagues.

Fellow parent Jeff Canalia shared his own experience.

“I won a contest through Major League Baseball and was allowed to donate $3,000 to a youth club,” Canalia said. “I chose the Cougars, but my kids don’t play travel ball so I asked for the money to go toward in-house baseball. They bought catchers gear for all in-house and travel teams. They could have bought more bats or something with the money the used for travel team catchers. I wanted my kids to benefit from my prize.”

Canalia said he thinks the Cougars organization neglects the in-house leagues but keeps them barely alive so the fees can supplement improvements to the travel program.

“Cutting through all the crap, you want the park district to take some of these leagues back, right?” asked Dave Doerhoefer, vice president of the Park Board. “Have you tried asking the Cougars to change?”

Canilia said he’s never heard back from Cougars leadership, and Nockels said the administrators he’s spoken with have been “nonresponsive.”

Bill Polisson, new president of the Cougars in-house baseball league, was in attendance for the meeting.

“I’ve only been president for one year so far and we had no problems with umpires or field scheduling last year,” Polisson said. “I can’t address what may have happened in the past, but I will say things are coordinated very well right now.”

Polisson did admit that registration for in-house teams is dropping, but he said the same is happening with other sports.

“We can’t make people sign up,” Polisson said. “Our problem with numbers is not unusual. Enrollment is dwindling everywhere.”

Park commissioners agreed to not get involved, but encouraged Polisson to keep improving some of the organizational problems.

“A lot of feedback has come our way saying there’s a major lack of communication,” Doerhoefer said. “It seems like you’ve already gotten started on that. Another thing that would clear things up would be a little more transparency when it comes to the money.”

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Baseball - The small and big kid’s dream game by the Baseball Geek Group: Jimm Hendren

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Baseball - The small and big kid’s dream game by the Baseball Geek Group: Jimm Hendren

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We played baseball as kids when it was the most popular game in the world, way ahead of soccer, and basketball was still a poor third-placer. We played it in the school yard using a tennis ball and became the highlight of every school boy’s day.

We knew and followed the basic rules of the game although we did not use mittens or masks. We played barefoot because we went to school barefoot. We were children and we had the time of our life.

The rules of baseball are not really that complicated. Almost anyone who can run, swing a bat or throw a ball can join the fun. Later on, we kids found out that there was such a thing as softball, which was for girls but using a bigger ball that was thrown from the hip level instead of overhead.

Watching real baseball and softball games during athletic meets gave us a better understanding and appreciation of the game. How we would have wanted to have all the uniform, gears and field to play with; but all we could afford was an old, balding tennis ball and a homemade 2in x 3in lumber for a bat and bases made of stones or wood scraps.

Baseball, as officially required, has the following rules:

1. Basic features of the baseball game and field dimensions

Baseball is played on a diamond-shaped field with the base corner designated as the home base. A player with a bat, or a batter, tries to hit the ball as far away from any of the opposing fielding team in order to reach all three bases and finally make it back to the home base. If a player makes it to a base or two after he bats, he must wait for his own team-mates to hit the ball and give him the opening to move on around the bases.

Strategy and team play are important in maximizing the team’s chance to score. Sometimes, a team may sacrifice a batter just for a player to steal a base or score a run. One point can spell the difference between winning and losing; and such brilliant plays come in handy.

2. Team composition

Each team has 9 players to fill up the following positions in the field when the opposing team is on the bat: pitcher, catcher, first base, second base, third base, short stop, right fielder, left fielder and centerfielder. Substitute players may also be included.

3. Batting regulations

The team on the bat is given three attempts to hit the ball thrown by a pitcher within the boundaries of the baseball field, marked by the two lines made by the home- base/first-base and the home-base/third-base. A missed ball is called a strike and three strikes puts batter out of the field. A team that gets three outs gets to field next while the other team bats.

4. Playing the ball

A flying ball that falls outside of the field boundaries is called a foul ball and gives a batter another chance to hit. Fouls are unlimited. A ball that is hit and falls inside the two lines is either caught in the air to put the batter out or, if it rolls on the ground, must be retrieved and often thrown to the first-base player who will tag the batter with the ball to put him out. Failing to tag the batter who steps on or touches the base puts the batter “safe” on first base or wherever the batter may be as other hitters move on around the diamond.

A player who makes it safely back to home base scores a point. If it is a homerun, meaning the ball is hit out of the filed or steals straight home if the defending team fumbles the ball, two points are gained while a single point is given to a player who eventually goes round all the bases through one or more batters.

5. Other game features

When a batting team is struck out, it take the field and lets the other team bat and attempt to score. A foul ball which is caught will also count as an out. Multiple outs can be made, such as when bases are loaded (all three bases have batters) and the batter on the plate hits a good ball and makes it to first base and the ball is retrieved and thrown back before the player running to second base reaches it, then to home base before the player on third base scores a run and, finally, to third base to tag the player running to it. Three outs in one play!

It is during such fast plays when the ball changes hands so rapidly and players are scampering for bases that the excitement runs high. It is cause for celebration for the scoring team and a big letdown for the other who must probably feel like they were hit on the head with a bat several times for losing the big opportunity to score big and ending up with nothing.

6. Who wins

The team that makes the most runs after nine innings or rounds wins the game. Sometimes though, the game will stop at the “top of the 9th inning” or before the other team is supposed to go to final bat if that team is already ahead in points as the lagging team will not be able to catch up anyway.

Some of the most memorable games end at the “bottom of the ninth” when a team tries to catch up. We might have heard of the familiar radio voice saying, “It’s the bottom of the ninth and bases are full and the New York Yankees are behind by four and Babe Ruth has the bat. The count is two strikes and three balls . . . the pitcher winds up and throws the ball. Ruth swings hard and the ball flies . . . out of the stadium for a homerun and a win!” Or something to that effect.

That imagined scene a dream every child and adult lover of baseball hopes to accomplish once in a lifetime. You want to see and hear the whole stadium explode with people jumping and shouting as you take your sweet time running through the bases, smiling, waving your cap and finally kissing the home base.

When a great player makes a good play, everybody wins in baseball. You have to be the eternal child to enjoy it. And there are so many people out there who still enjoy it to this day.

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JFA to Honor National Stadium with exhibit

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JFA to Honor National Stadium with exhibit

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The Japan Soccer Museum will host a special exhibit celebrating Tokyo’s historic National Stadium, the Japan Football Association said Friday.

The stadium, which hosted the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, will be closed this year for reconstruction as the centerpiece of the 2020 Tokyo Games. The exhibit at the Japan Soccer Museum in Tokyo’s Bunkyo Ward will introduce visitors to the games and tournaments staged there.

The records of all official games and comments from players who competed there will be on display in the exhibit that will run from Feb. 4 to April 6.

The J. League’s last scheduled game at the National Stadium will be a first-division clash between Ventforet Kofu and Urawa Reds on May 6.

Murai takes reins

KYODO

Mitsuru Murai was appointed J. League chairman on Friday, succeeding the league’s fourth chairman, Kazumi Ohigashi.

The 54-year-old Murai, a former executive of Recruit Holdings Co., was appointed to serve until March 2016. His predecessor Ohigashi, 65, served two terms as the league’s top executive.

Although, Murai has served on the league’s board of directors since July 2008, he has no experience in club operations, making him a unique pick for the J. League’s top job.

“The previous chairman, Mr. Ohigashi, undertook huge reforms, some of which are now just beginning,” Murai told a news conference. “I want to implement them well.”

This year, the league’s third division, J3 is beginning operation, while J1 will adopt a two-stage format starting in 2015.

Meanwhile, former Olympic women’s marathon silver medalist Yuko Arimori and former major league baseball pitcher Satoru Komiyama were added to the league’s board of directors.

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We can do a
lot for the Olympics and they can do a lot for our sports, claims leading
softball official

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We can do a
lot for the Olympics and they can do a lot for our sports, claims leading
softball official

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Low Beng Choo, secretary general of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), has claimed Olympic inclusion would be beneficial for baseball and softball but also for the Olympic Movement as a whole.

Since baseball and softball were removed from the Olympic programme following Beijing 2008, the two sports have combined in the umbrella World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) and have undergone a number of reforms.

Despite finishing a distant second behind wrestling in the initial vote for inclusion in the 2020 Games at last year's International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session in Buenos Aires, IOC President Thomas Bach has since provided new hope.

On a visit to Tokyo last November, he claimed reintroducing the two sports in baseball-mad Japan was "under discussion".

Although she hugely welcomed this opportunity Low Beng Choo, who comes from a softball background and is also secretary-general of the International Softball Federation (ISF), insisted the sports will continue to battle for inclusion whatever the outcome of their 2020 bid.

"We knew wrestling was strong and deserved a place on the Olympics - with all of their history and traditions - but we also believe that we deserve a place on the programme", she told insidethegames.

"We can do a lot for the Olympics and they can do a lot for our sports.

"I have no doubts that, given an opportunity to be at 2020, we would do well.

"As you know baseball and softball are big sports in Japan, and we are very grateful that the Japanese people would like to see both our sports in Tokyo.

"We are continuing our effort regardless, and the earliest we can get on the programme would be best, but we will continue working to get our opportunity."

Low Beng Choo insisted the biggest challenge ahead for the sports lies in "convincing IOC members that we have made a lot of changes".

Particular areas where progress has been made include working together with the various professional baseball leagues around the world, maintaining international growth, and focusing on anti-doping which - after a number of recent suspensions -  is an issue all of the professional leagues are taking "very seriously", she claimed.

Speaking earlier this month in Manila during the Asian Sporting Centenary celebrations, Low Beng Choo particularly highlighted progress in terms of development particularly among youth populations - with her own continent highlighted as a particular example.

Despite the popularity of rival sports, Pakistan unveiled their first junior men's team for softball last month, for example, while the women's game is also growing in both Iraq and Iran.

This was described as "huge given the circumstances of these countries" and plans are also now underway to organize a regional tournament for west and central Asia to be held some time later this year.

Low Beng Choo added that, since the replacement of American Don Porter with Canada's Dale McMann as ISF President at last year's Congress in Cartagena in Colombia, there has been a "smooth transition" and that the relationship with baseball remains as strong as ever.

She described how the sports are currently trying to put everything together for a joint Congress due to be held in the first half of this year and, although there is still some checking to do as far as the Articles are concerned, everything is "coming along fine".