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links for 2010-02-05

• ESPNRadio.com - PodCenter - ESPN - Bill Simmons - The B.S. Report
  I found the podcast with Simmons and Adam Carolla to be laugh-out-loud funny. Part of the reason I did was where the two talk about fake -- yet believable -- movie scripts. You can almost see a studio making these. The one stereotypical script they left out is one that irritates me to no end. It's the romantic comedy where the guy is laid back with a bit of a Peter Pan complex while the woman is overachieving, multitasking, uptight, etc. The two hate each other but then fall in love when she learns to relax and he grows up a bit. If you think about it, that general framework encompasses at least 8 of 10 romantic comedies made in the last 15 years.
  (tags: Movies Podcasts)
• Suns Showing Interest in Iguodala
  Interesting since no one in Philadelphia is...
  (tags: 76ers basketball)

links for 2010-02-03

• YouTube - Sawyer's Nicknames Seasons 4 - 5
  Gizmo... Red... Bruce Lee... Kenny Rogers... Whiz Kid
  (tags: Television LOST)
• YouTube - Sawyer's Nicknames - Seasons 1-3
  Skeletor... Cowboy... Freckles...
  (tags: LOST Television)
• Kulturblog » LOST: “LA X” (Season 6 premier)
  If Sepinwall is a must-read the morning after a new LOST episode, then "BTD Greg" at kulturblog.com is must-must-read the morning after. Now one is on top of links and obscure but meaningful observations more than Greg.
  (tags: Television LOST)
• What's Alan Watching?: Lost, "LA X": Multi-tasking
  Alan Sepinwall's LOST final season premiere review. The morning after a new LOST episode makes Sepinwall a must-read.
  (tags: Television LOST)
• Phillies may have themselves a new outfielder - Beerleaguer - Phillies Blog, Baseball News, Trade Rumors & Spirits
  Speaking of Jason Weitzel, God bless him. I don't understand how he has the enthusiasm to write about Freddy Guzman's minor league deal with the Phillies. Thank you Jason, we need you on that wall.
  (tags: Baseball Phillies Phloggers AFewGoodMenReferences)
• The Fightins » Cole Hamels: Ace
  This piece by Dash Treyhorn is one of many that have been written in recent months predicting the return to form of Cole Hamels in 2010. I couldn't agree more. I don't think he is going to reach 2008 levels, but I think his 2007 numbers, which were quite good don't forget, are very realistic. I've got more on the topic in the upcoming Maple Street Press season preview, edited by Jason Weitzel [beerleaguer.com].
  (tags: Phillies Phloggers Baseball ColeHamels)

Polly Probably Going to be Busy at Third Base

According to news reports, Placido Polanco has been working out all winter with his neighbor in Florida, Raul "Raaaaaa-uuuuuuul!" Ibanez.  Besides hitting and lifting weights, Polanco has also been fielding grounders at third base.

That's good to hear, because Polly is going to be busy at the hot corner, since many of the Phillies pitchers are either low-strikeout types or high-groundball types, or both.  Couple that with the fact that he hasn't logged any time at third base since 2005 when he played 57 innings there in Philadelphia and Detroit and you have the makings of a possible problem for the Phillies.  

In 2009, Phillies third basemen [quick! name all four players who logged time there in '09! answer below in the comments section] ranked third in the National League in total chances [putouts plus assists plus errors] with 468 [see graphic].  Now, total chances does not include balls that were hit in that direction but were not fielded, so in actuality, there were even more batted balls in the direction of third base.  I couldn't come up with the exact number that were hit at third base, but I did find that of the 6,261 plate appearances by opposing batters, 1,085 were either pulled by a right-handed batter or hit the opposite way by a left-handed batter, or, 17% of all plate appearances.

Again, hard to know the exact number of batted balls were the third basemen's responsibility in 2009, but I think we can all agree, Polly's got his work cut out for him.

links for 2010-01-31

• A strong bond between Contreras, Baez | The Phillies Zone | 01/29/2010
  After reading this, I just became a Danys Baez and Jose Contreras fan. Makes me want to stand up and sing the Star-Spangled Banner too.
  (tags: Phillies Baseball)

links for 2010-01-29

• The Zo Zone: Thursday Morning Notes
  Apparently, Roy Halladay isn't checking out the "Pitchers & Catchers Countdown Clock" on BS&S.com because he's already showing up at Bright House Networks Field in Clearwater. Everyday. At 7 A.M. Something tells me we are really going to enjoy watching this guy for the next 4 or 5 years.
  (tags: Baseball Phillies RoyHalladay)

links for 2010-01-28

• The Sabermetric Library « FanGraphs Baseball
  This is the same exact reason I started Baseboogle.com a couple of years ago.
  (tags: Baseball)
• Philadelphia Phillies: Top 10 Prospects « FanGraphs Baseball
  Fangraphs.com ranks the three prospects the Phillies got for Cliff Lee in the team's top 6 prospects. Dom Brown is still numero uno.
  (tags: Phillies Baseball)
• PhoulBallz.com: Charlie Hated on Scott Eyre & Chan Ho Park?
  Hated is probably too strong a word, but this post does a nice job of fleshing out who Charlie Manuel was likely indirectly referring to when he commended the staminas of Danys Baez and Jose Contreras. Hey, we're all wondering right?
  (tags: Baseball Phillies Phloggers)
• Macho Row: Why MLB fans will love the Apple iPad
  I'm more of an Android guy (most of these Linkology posts, including this one, are done via my Droid), but the thought of taking this baby out on the deck on a summer night with a beer is, well, intoxicating. Great idea, by the way, put forth in this post to create a scorebook app.
  (tags: gadgets Phloggers Baseball)

links for 2010-01-26

• Valet. > Gordon Gekko Returns - Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps
  Gordon Gekko wears the "white hat"? Not sure Im buying it.
  (tags: Movies)
• crashburnalley.com » Ruiz Makes It 25
  In this analysis of the Carlos Ruiz contract extension, there are some very interesting links to work done on catcher defense. One such link shows that Chooch is among the best at blocking balls in the dirt. Interesting.
  (tags: Baseball Phillies Chooooch!)

links for 2010-01-25

• ESPN NFL Vick's TV series will debut next month
  When the Eagles signed Michael Vick, my question was "why?" Now, after the season is over, I still don't have an answer. Do you?
  (tags: Football Eagles)
• Obama to skip jury duty in Chicago suburbs - washingtonpost.com
  I don't begrudge him one bit for getting out of it, but I'd love to have seen him sit down and write up the paperwork, particularly when he got to the box for "Occupation".
  (tags: CurrentEvents)

links for 2010-01-24

• Flip Flop Fly Ball
  I wish there was more blue on this graphic.
  (tags: Baseball)

links for 2010-01-21

• iSportacus » It’s Time for McNabb to Go
  This post makes the case that just because you want McNabb to be traded, it doesn't mean you dislike him or think he stinks. Believe it or not, it's actually possible to think he's a good quarterback AND he needs to be traded. Count me in.
  (tags: Football Eagles)
• The Zo Zone: Phils Hope to Lock Up Victorino, Blanton and Ruiz
  I like this news. While I don't think either one of these three are critical components to the Phillies, they are all necessary given that there is no heir readily apparent to any of them in the minors, particularly Carlos Ruiz.
  (tags: Phillies Baseball)

If This Baseball Thing Doesn't Work Out, There's Always Esquire and G.Q.

Wow, look at Charlie Manuel:

Apparently, in the offseason, Manuel kept up with the Nutrisystem diet he began during the 2009 season and it's paid off. He's supposedly gone from 286 pounds to 230 pounds [story and picture].

He looks like a new man.  Geez, I hope he still drinks whiskey and drawls.

links for 2010-01-18

• The Baseball Analysts: Crowding the Plate
  This was published over a month ago, so I'm obviously a bit behind in my reading, but what's interesting is that Chase Utley is 449% more likely to be hit by a pitch than your average batter. Pretty funny. Unless you are Utley's wrist.
  (tags: Baseball Phillies ChaseUtley)
• Don't. Look. Behind You. - Wade Phillips - Deadspin
  If Wade Phillips wasn't so overweight, that stare would be burning a hole right through him.
  (tags: Football Cowgirls Schadenfreude)
• Ultimate Ears 18 Pro Custom Monitors | Uncrate
  While I'm not suggesting you should spend $1350 on earphones, but, there is certainly something to be said for having earbuds that fit properly. By using a custom-made earpiece, the sound is "aimed" better down your ear canal. It can make less expensive earphones sound a bit better. Plus, they block out ambient sound better, allowing for lower volume settings.
  (tags: music gadgets)
• Problems in the Big Apple | FanGraphs Baseball
  A certain part of me feels bad for Mets fans. It vacillates between 10% and 12%. The other 88-90% of me giggles at their dysfunctionality.
  (tags: Baseball Mets Schadenfreude)
• Pirates Next MLBPA Target? : baseballmusings.com
  I tend to agree with David Pinto here. You can't make the Pirates spend a certain amount on payroll until they get their farm system straightened out. If you look, the teams that struggle are also the ones that never develop a good young player. The Pirates and Royals are classic examples of this, as were the Phillies in the 90's and early 00's.
  (tags: Baseball)

links for 2010-01-17

• YouTube - Jimmy Kimmel on Jay Leno's 10 at 10
  On the Bill Simmons podcast last week, Simmons told a story about how when he was working as a writer on the Jimmy Kimmel show, Leno did all sorts of backstabbing type stuff to stunt the growth of Kimmel's show. After hearing that story, this clip is even better.
  (tags: TV)
• iSportacus » Philly Baseball History
  A great collection of posts with links to articles, pictures and videos about the Phillies and the Athletics. Great stuff, great stuff.
  (tags: Baseball Phillies Phloggers History)
• Amazin Avenue: Mets Organizational Decision-Making Flow Chart ver. 1
  As a Phillies fan, this is just fantastic. And really, it seems to make sense too.
  (tags: Baseball Mets)

The Phillies Disillusionment with Math

Rob Neyer at ESPN.com and Bill Baer at CrashburnAlley.com both brought to our attention a quote from Phillies front office exec/scout Charlie Kerfeld [link]:

"Since I've been here, we don't have an in-house stats guy and I kind of feel we never will. We're not a statistics-driven organization by any means. I'm not against statistics. Everybody has their own way of doing things. But the Phillies believe in what our scouts see and what our eyes tell us and what our people tell us."

It shouldn't be a shock that the Phillies don't pay much attention to advanced statistics.  Take a look at the way they tend to obtain pitchers with mediocre strikeout to walk ratios or high fly ball rates.

What's amazing to me is how good a team the Phillies put together with one hand tied behind their back.  Most of the best teams these days use two hands, advanced statistics and scouting, to compose their player personnel.  The question I would ask is, how long can the Phillies do this?

It remains to be seen of course.  One thing that helps is having a top-ten payroll.  Then, when you make a mistake in scouting, such as, oh, say... Adam Eaton, you can cover up your mistakes.  You can afford to release him and pay him to stay at home rather than torpedo your season.

-----------------

I've never understood the idea of ignoring sabermetrics.  If you do, it means that somewhere, you are drawing a line and not crossing it.  In other words, lets say the Phillies are oblivious to wOBA but they do look at OPS.  Why did they draw the line there rather than at, say, batting average?

To me, if you once saw a value in batting average, it stands to reason that you should then see a value in on-base average, and then later a value in OPS and then later wOBA and so on.  You mean to tell me the Phillies don't even look at batting average?  Of course they do. So if you are into numbers to that extent, why not do a few more mouse clicks and look at more advanced stats?

links for 2010-01-13

• CBS News Mobile:Assessing Google's Showdown with China
  Good for you Google, good for you.
  (tags: CurrentEvents media)
• What if they threw a bullpen and nobody came? | Philliesflow.com
  A very interesting breakdown of the use and situational trends in the Phillies pen last year. 2010 is going to be interesting down there.
  (tags: Phillies Phloggers Baseball)
• Philly.com: McGwire interview highlights changes in sports media
  EXTRA! EXTRA! Newspapers no longer carry as much influence! The fact that this article is even published tells you a lot about the dying industry.
  (tags: media MarkMcGwire)
• Conan O'Brien Rejects NBC's Offer -- The Full Statement | Movieline
  Good for you Conan, good for you.
  (tags: TV)
• Phuture Phillies: Aumont moving back to the starting rotation.
  This decision makes a TON of sense to me. There's all the time in the world to make him a reliever, he's only 21 years old, if you find he can't develop his secondary pitches. If Aumont become a No. 3 type starter, the suddenly the Cliff Lee deal looks a bit better.
  (tags: Phillies Baseball)
• Redskins Insider - Why Redskins fans should root for Cowboys [via ProFootballTalk.com]
  Perhaps there is a small sliver of silver lining to come out of the Eagles loss to the Cowgirls in the playoffs. The following was sent to me by a good friend who is a Redskins fan: "During the uncapped year, the eight clubs that make the divisional playoffs in the previous season have additional restrictions that limit their ability to sign Unrestricted Free Agents from other clubs. In general, the four clubs participating in the Championship Games are limited in the number of free agents that they may sign; the limit is determined by the number of their own free agents signing with other clubs. For the four clubs that lose in the Divisional playoffs, in addition to having the ability to sign free agents based on the number of their own free agents signing with other clubs, they may also sign players based on specific financial parameters."
  (tags: Football Eagles)

links for 2010-01-12

• The Fightins » You Could Field An Entire Team With Ed Wade’s Ex-Phillies
  At the rate Ed Wade is going, the Houston Astros should have no problem finishing right behind the Mets or the Braves in the NL East standings this year.
  (tags: Baseball Phillies Phloggers)
• ESPN 3D | Uncrate
  Sorry, I just can't see this whole 3D thing catching on until there's no need for the silly glasses. Until then, it will just be a curiosity or novelty. And I'm a gadget guy willing to try all sorts of things.
  (tags: TV)
• Big Mac comes clean, finally - SweetSpot Blog - ESPN
  Rob Neyer has an interesting perspective: "Here's my question to any Hall of Fame voters reading this ... If you suffered, over the course of a few years, a series of maladies that limited your ability to write, or write well -- to thrive in your profession -- what would you do? Would you find someone who could give you a pill that would clear your mind of that encroaching intellectual haze? Would you accept a friendly offer of an ointment that might relieve the sharp pain in your fingers every time you tried to type more than a few dozen words? I would."
  (tags: Baseball MarkMcGwire)

Charles Barkley and The Haney Project [According to Saturday Night Live]