Gazizza.Net

And who can blame him?

Q: Mr. President, I know you're going to hate this, but I'm hoping that we may twist your arm and talk about baseball for just a moment. (Laughter.) Mr. President, you're a Major League Baseball team owner again. Everyone is a free agent. You have a Yankees-like wallet. Who is your first position player? Who's your pitcher?

THE PRESIDENT: That's a great question. I like Ottley [sic] from the Philadelphia Phillies. He's a middle infielder, which is always -- you know, they say you have strength up the middle -- there's nothing better than having a good person up the middle that can hit. And Roy Halladay from the Toronto Blue Jays is a great pitcher. He's a steady guy, he burns up innings.

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I enjoyed this video, but felt a little pain seeing the last out of the 1983 Series and seeing them celebrate their win over the Phils.

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Not only was a Hall fo Fame pitcher for the Phillies, but now, as a US Senator, he's fighting hard to stop rewarding the dishonest and/or incompetent who made or took mortgages they couldn't afford:

According to a summary of all the amendments, Sen. Bunning wants:

“to stop the bailout of the rich”
“to prevent the bailout of illegal aliens”
“to prevent the bailout of homeowners who used their homes as a credit card”
“to stop the bailout of sex offenders”
“to stop the bailout of drug offenders”

Another of Sen. Bunning’s amendments would change the name of the bill from “The Federal Housing Finance Regulatory Reform Act of 2008” to the “Bailout of Irresponsible Lenders and Borrowers Act of 2008.”

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Since Pope Benedict did Mass at their park, the Nationals have been 8-3 at home.

(Source)

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Who really helped the Indians win?

Hat Tip: The Hardball Times

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that the third most popular song in America was officially published:

Katie Casey was base ball mad.

Had the fever and had it bad;
Just to root for the home town crew,
Ev'ry sou Katie blew.
On a Saturday, her young beau
Called to see if she'd like to go
To see a show but Miss Kate said,
"No, I'll tell you what you can do."

"Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and cracker jack,
I don't care if I never get back,
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don't win it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,
At the old ball game."

Katie Casey saw all the games,
Knew the players by their first names;
Told the umpire he was wrong,
All along good and strong.
When the score was just two to two,
Katie Casey knew what to do,
Just to cheer up the boys she knew,
She made the gang sing this song:

"Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and cracker jack,
I don't care if I never get back,
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don't win it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, you’re out,
At the old ball game."

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The Official Site of The Philadelphia Phillies: News: For Phillies, 125 years of baseball

One hundred and twenty-five years ago, there was Phillies baseball, but no television, automobiles, airplanes, radio, NFL, NBA or NHL. Heck, when the Phillies celebrated their 100th anniversary in 1983, there was no Internet, no iPods, no text messaging.

Through last night (Wednesday, April 30th), the Phillies had an all-time record of 8868-10041. As noted, that's over 80 losses a year for 125 years. But wait!

Looking at their all-time season by season record, we see that many of those season featured many fewer games than are no played. For example, in their very first season, the Phillies lost 81 games, just over the historical average. Unfortunately, the only played 98 games for a "disappointing" 17-81 record. The next year, they more than doubled their winning percentage to .348, barely above one win for every two losses. The rest of the 19th Century, though, they were pretty good, to be honest. Then came the Dark Ages.

Between 1918 and 1948, the Phillies had precisely ONE winning season. That was 1932 when the Phightin' Phils went 78-76. Five of those seasons featured sub-.300 winning percentages, with another right at .300. In other words, their winning percentages in those years weren't even good batting averages.

They've won ONE World Series in 125 years; the Florida Marlins have won two in 15. They've made the World Series 5 times in that span.

In order to reach a .500 record for their existence, the Phillies would have to win every game they played for the next 7.24 162-game seasons. If they simply go 91-71, a .561 percentage that will put them in competition almost every year, they will have to repeat that record for the next 57 years to reach .500. If they went 101-61 which would put them in the playoffs almost every season, it would take them 30 seasons to reach .500 for their existence.

For comparison's sake, in their existence, the Cubs have have won over 10,000 games (10,002 to be exact, as compared to 9,469 losses), won the pennant 16 times and won two World Series.

So Cubs fans who whine about how hard it is rooting for a team with a history of losing can shut the hell up. There is no current team with a history of futility like the Phillies. Everyone else whining about how hard it is rooting for their team is a bunch of poser wannabes. Only Philadelphia truly knows the pain of rooting for a losing team.

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SEVERE language warning

Lee Elia Tirade

Earl Weaver on Orioles Hangout

A drunk John Wayne on college protesters

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Click on the image to see it larger.

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The Club For Growth - http://www.clubforgrowth.org

In between innings of the Phillies-Mets game on Sunday, a segment aired on the center field screen asking the Philly players what they would change in the world. While most of the players cited world peace, Cole Hamels said that " there are too many taxes."

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So it seems the Pope won't be performing an exorcism while at Yankee Stadium as I suggested to a friend he should. On the list of reasons for doing it, a prime one would be to remove a great source of evil from the world. On the negative side would be taking Major League Baseball down to 29 teams.

Apparently the Pope decided that damage to Major League Baseball outweighed the good of destroying the great evil that is the Yankees. Personally, I would have asked MLB to suck it up.

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OSV | Newsweekly | April 13, 2008

Trying to explain why I love baseball is like trying to explain to my mother when I was 9 why I tore up my good school pants sliding into a chalk outline of second base on a gravel playground. "But I was safe," I whined, as if this summed up the meaning of the sun, the moon, the stars and all creation.

Read the whole article to see an explanation of why "baseball is quintessentially a Catholic sport":

the rubrics of the rules, so simple and intricate, that create their own liturgy; the hagiography of those who played the game long ago; the timelessness of each game that could theoretically last for eternity; the appeal to all the senses, from the taste of a hot dog to the smell of the outfield grass; and the continuing conversation from the stands that surrounds every pitch.

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"[B]aseball is the professional sport that best embodies conservative principles."

It’s risky to hold baseball’s leaders up as paragons of wise conduct. Just like politicians, they’ll always disappoint you; the steroids scandal is just the latest example. But for the most part, throughout its history, baseball has been governed according to conservative principles: a preference for simplicity and freedom, a reverence for tradition, and a bias against sweeping changes. The result is a sport that may not reflect America as it is, but does the best job of reflecting America as it should be.

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You see all sorts of things you don't expect to see:

The major-league best Baltimore Orioles

ESPN - MLB Baseball Statistics and League Leaders - Major League Baseball

Jason Kendall leading the majors with a .526 batting average
Former Phillie farmhand, and throw-in in two trades this offseason Luke Scott leading the AL with a .500 batting average
Aubrey Huff leading the AL in RBIs
Mark Reynolds (who?) leading the NL with 12 RBIs , 5 home runs, and 9 runs scored

All of these guys should enjoy it while they can; they won't be on the leader boards for long

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The physics of baseball | Geek Gestalt - A blog by Daniel Terdiman - CNET News.com

But why does the ball even curve in the first place? That's what my colleagues and I were there to find out, and Doherty did indeed learn us.

The answer boils down to the fact that the seams on a baseball "interact" with the air around the ball as it spins.

"It acts like a little rocket motor," said Doherty. "The spinning ball throws air down and behind" it.

One thing that's clear is that the ball must be spinning really fast, Doherty said. That explains why not everyone can throw a good curveball: It takes a lot of strength in a pitcher's arm and wrist to make the ball spin so quickly.

Combining science and baseball... (insert Homer Simpson drooling sound)

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Surfing The Mets - NY Daily News

The Mets will have a runoff to determine their new eighth-inning sing-along tune.

The organization received 5 million votes on its Web site after inviting fans to choose from among 10 selections to potentially replace Sweet Caroline. An issue arose, however, when FARK.com readers bombarded the Mets with gag votes for a write-in candidate: Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Give You Up.

The Astley tune actually won.

Bee-yoo-tiful.

Hat Tip: BBTF's Baseball Primer Newsblog

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The words of Crash Davis echoed through my head last night after the second inning of the Blue Season Opener last night. By that time, 4 of the first six Myrtle Beach batters had struck out and five of the first 7 Blue Rocks batters had done the same.

By the start of the fourth inning, I was thinking about how badly I had to go to the bathroom, but couldn't because two no-hitters were in progress. While the Blue Rocks lost their no-hitter (and perfect game) with two outs in top of the fourth, the Blue Rocks batters didn't get their first hit until the bottom of the sixth. (I've never seen a no-hitter in person, so I wasn't going to jinx a no-hitter by anyone, even against my team.)

The starting pitchers were just impressive. While they were likely aided by a large strike zone by the home plate umpire (many batters were disgusted by some of the called strikes), they would have been overpowering even with a smaller target. While this early in the season, both pitchers were on a low pitch count, their game scores are still impressive:

Blake Wood (Blue Rocks): 75
Hanson (Pelicans): 79

The night was much warmer than I expected s I did manage to keep score, tracking every pitch as I like to do. (There are a few pitches I missed. For example, I have no idea whether the pitches on some of the stolen base attempts were balls or strikes as I do prefer to keep my eye on the game.)

I saw a large number of people I knew there, many more than at any other game I've ever been. Former Attorney General and current state judge Jane Brady was in line in front of me with her husband (and actually recognized me before I recognized her), I bumped into former Lieutenant Governor candidate Jim Ursomarso with his family in the gift shop, my former associate pastor brought a group of kids from his high school as well as other friends.

It was a good time. Even with Opening Day being the greatest secular day of the year, it never truly feels like baseball season until I actually attend a game in person. Getting to do it on a night much warmer than past Opening Days was even nicer. It looks like, and the radio announcers seemed to confirm this, that scoring will be a problem this year, but it's still nice to have baseball back.

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1919 - One of the most bizarre off-the-field incidents history takes place in Jacksonville, Florida. New York Yankees outfielder Ping Bodie competes against an ostrich named "Percy" in a spaghetti-eating contest! Bodie wins the competition when Percy passes out after his 11th plate of pasta.

Source: BR Bullpen Today in Baseball History

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...but this headline made me smile:

ESPN - Mets' Martinez out 4-to-6 weeks with strained left hamstring - MLB

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ESPN - Alou says he wouldn't have caught Bartman ball in 2003 NLCS - MLB

"Everywhere I play, even now, people still yell, 'Bartman! Bartman!' I feel really bad for the kid," Alou told Associated Press columnist Jim Litke.

"You know what the funny thing is?" he added a moment later. "I wouldn't have caught it, anyway."

I've always thought that anyway. Moises Alou was a good hitter, but not really known for his defense at that point of his career. It would have been a great catch, but I doubt he would have caught it. (See the video here, and the boxscore and play-by-play here.)

Besides, Baseball Prospectus (I think) analyzed the expected run probability of that inning and found the "killer" moment wasn't the Bartman incident, but rather the error by shortstop Alex Gonzalez later in the inning that turned a possible double play end of inning into a bases-loaded, one out situation. (My search of the Prospectus archives failed to turn up the article, so I can't provide a link, but I'd swear I read it online.) Even had only one out been made, two runners on with two outs is a far less dangerous situation than bases-loaded, one out. The following chart shows the expected number of runs based off runner on base and number of outs. (Source). It's a decade out of for the time span we're looking at, but it'll show the general picture.

AL         0        1        2      NL        0        1        2
-----------------------------------------------------------------
---     .498     .266     .099     ---     .455     .239     .090
x--     .877     .522     .224     x--     .820     .490     .210
-x-    1.147     .693     .330     -x-    1.054     .650     .314
xx-    1.504     .922     .446     xx-    1.402     .863     .407
--x    1.373     .967     .385     --x    1.285     .907     .358
x-x    1.758    1.187     .507     x-x    1.650    1.123     .466
-xx    2.009    1.410     .592     -xx    1.864    1.320     .566
xxx    2.345    1.568     .775     xxx    2.188    1.487     .715

With the bases loaded and one out, the Marlins could expect to score about 1.5 runs. Had Gonzalez turned the double play, the inning would have been over. Had he gotten the out at second, leaving runners at first and third with two outs, the Marlins run potential would have been about 25% lower. Had he gotten the batter-runner at first, it would have been about 10% lower. And that's before we mention the awful performance by Kyle Farnsworth relieving Mark Prior. Farnsworth allowed one hit, walked two and allowed both of his inherited runners to score. Similarly, Mark prior just collapsed in that inning, having pitched a great game until that point. After six innings of shut-out ball, Prior allowed a single, two doubles, a walk and threw a wild pitch.

With those facts in mind, it's clear that the blame for the Cubs failure to make the World Series in 2003 rests not with one fan in the stands, but with some poor defense and awful pitching. Bartman should never have been subjected to the blame and abuse he received.

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Because every Opening Day, they have a parade to celebrate. At least one city gets it. (It begins in 8 minutes.)

Watch Opening Day parade on Cincinnati.Com

UPDATE: Watch the parade online

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Well, beat the drum and hold the phone - the sun came out today! We're born again, there's new grass on the field. A-roundin' third, and headed for home, it's a brown-eyed handsome man; Anyone can understand the way I feel.

[Chorus:]
Oh, put me in, Coach - I'm ready to play today;
Put me in, Coach - I'm ready to play today;
Look at me, I can be Centerfield.

Well, I spent some time in the Mudville Nine, watchin' it from the bench;
You know I took some lumps when the Mighty Casey struck out.
So Say Hey Willie, tell Ty Cobb and Joe DiMaggio;
Don't say "it ain't so", you know the time is now.

[Chorus]

Yeah! I got it, I got it!

Got a beat-up glove, a homemade bat, and brand-new pair of shoes;
You know I think it's time to give this game a ride.
Just to hit the ball and touch 'em all - a moment in the sun;
(pop) It's gone and you can tell that one goodbye!

[Chorus x2]
Yeah!

John Fogerty wrote perhaps the greatest song ever, and what an appropriate day to remember it!

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George F. Will - An 8-Letter Word for the Ultimate Sport - washingtonpost.com

Would that today's subprime wizards of Wall Street had comparable mastery of the numbers important to their business. What Edmund Burke said of the study of law -- that it sharpens the mind by narrowing it -- might be true of baseball, too, but baseball people at least know what they are supposed to know. Long after he retired, Ted Williams ran into a former pitcher who said he once struck out Williams. "Slider low and away," said Williams. "Old men forget," said Shakespeare's Henry V at Agincourt. Old baseball men don't.

Washington was the setting for "Damn Yankees," the most stirring drama since Shakespeare, who didn't do musicals. Opening in 1955, it concerned a Senators fan who sold his soul to the devil in exchange for one terrific season as a Senators outfielder. This is supposedly a Faustian bargain, but such bargains are presumed to be bad. What is a mere soul when weighed against such a season?

Of course, there might be a gender difference here. As the philosopher Dave Barry has noted, "If a woman has to choose between catching a fly ball and saving an infant's life, she will choose to save the infant's life without even considering if there are men on base."

Bill Veeck, who did more for America in one night than most of us do in a lifetime (the night in September 1937 he planted the ivy along Wrigley Field's outfield walls), said that the great thing about baseball -- aside from the fact that you do not need to be 7 feet wide or 7 feet tall in order to play it -- is: Three strikes and you're out, and the best lawyer can't help you. Baseball, which provides satisfying finality and then does it again the next day, is a severe meritocracy that illustrates the axiom that there is very little difference between men but that difference makes a big difference.

I don't think it's an accident that vegetation dies or hibernates when it's time for football, and comes back when it's time for baseball. It's nature's way of telling us what truly inspires, what truly brings life, what's cold and what's warming.

It will be nice to finally hear the words "Play Ball!"

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2001 - Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Randy Johnson kills a dove with a pitch during the Diamondbacks 10 - 6 exhibition win over the San Francisco Giants. The dove makes the mistake of darting in front of a 95-MPH fastball.

I still have the video on my PC. It's pretty cool.

Hat Tip: BR Bullpen Today in Baseball History

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Yes, I am working from home today.

Yes, ESPN is showing a spring training game starting at noon.

Yes, I will still be getting work done while the game is on.

(Seriously, we had a work meeting at lunch time yesterday in a restaraunt near where we work. Once ESPN started showing a game at 1, my attention would wander to the game, but I still managed to pay attention to the meeting. I found out later another guy was doing the same thing.)

UPDATE (12:08 PM): Naturally. The game will be starting late, if at all, due to the Red Sox protest over what they claim is a broken agreement relating to their imminent trip to Japan.

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The700Level.com - Philly Sports & Minutiae: Don't Read This, Just Give Me Your Money Instead

"The Dude" during an interview on his new investment practice:

Host Bernard Goldberg: "Is it true you once said you don't read books because they might hurt your batting eye?"

Lenny Dykstra: "Yeah. You got to rest your eyes, man, plus it makes you think too much."

Goldberg: "Reading?"

Dykstra: "Too confusing."

Goldberg: "Reading?"

Dykstra: "Yeah, I still don't like to read."

Goldberg: "And I'm supposed to follow your investing advice?"

Dykstra: "Only if you like money."

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I got my tickets to Jimmy Rollins Bobblehead night in the mail today!

26 days until Opening Day!

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Spring training games started today. Phillies won 8-1.

Sweet.

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Clemens: You want answers?

Congressman: I think I'm entitled to them.

Clemens: You want answers?

Congressman: I want the truth!

Clemens: You can't handle the truth! Son, we live in a world that has baseballs. And those balls have to be hit by men with bats. Who's gonna do it? You? You,Congressman? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for steroids and you curse HGH. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know: that HGH, while illegal, probably sells tickets. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, sells tickets...You don't want the truth. Because deep down, in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that mound. You need me on that mound. We use words like fastall, slider, splitfinger...we use these words as the backbone to a life spent playing a sport. You use 'em as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and falls asleep to the Sportscenter clips I provide,! then questions the manner in which I provide it! I'd rather you just said thank you and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a bat and dig in. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you're entitled to!

Congressman: Did you order the HGH?

Clemens: (quietly) I did the job you sent me to do.

Congressman: Did you order the HGH?

Clemens: You're gddamn right I did!!

Source

(Typos in the original.)

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Today is truly one of my favorite days of the year. It reminds us of what's truly important, what we love most in this world, what brings us the most joy of all the good the world has to offer.

Because on this day, pitchers and catchers report to spring training!

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I could not sleep for the life of me last night. I'm assuming that it's related to the fact I spent most of Sunday lying down resting, 11 hours asleep Sunday night, most of Monday in bed and much of the rest of it resting and then a full night's sleep Monday night while dealing a cold that seems now to be in its death throes. So, while unable to sleep, I went to watch some TV and caught my absolute favorite X-Files episode, "The Unnatural."

Those of who know me and the X-Files will likely guess that it's the episode dealing with an alien who abandoned his work for "The Project" upon seeing his first baseball game. Despite coming from an alien culture that had no concept of fun or entertainment, he turned his back on it all to devote himself to baseball, ultimately sacrificing his life rather than give baseball. (Highlight text area to view spoiler.) Not even Pete Rose has showed that sort of devotion to the game. (It's also given a fondness for Jesse L. Martin who played the alien baseball fan and was clearly enjoying the role.)

It's filled with great quotes about baseball, like this from Josh Exley (the alien's ball-playing alias) on how he came to love the game:

I saw a baseball game. See, there's something you got to understand about my race. We don't have a word for laughter. We don't laugh. I don't know if you noticed in between all that fainting you was doing but we have very tiny mouths, so no smiling even. ... I tell you, when I saw that baseball game being played this laughter just... it just rose up out of me. You know, the sound the ball makes when it hits the bat?...It was like music to me. You know, the smell of the grass, 11 men -- first unnecessary thing I ever done in my life and I fell in love. I didn't know the unnecessary could feel so good. You know, the game was meaningless but it seemed to mean everything to me. It was useless, but perfect.

At the end of the episode, Mulder, reminded of the joys of baseball, teaches Scully about how it can take you away from all your troubles:

All right, what you may find is you concentrate on hitting that little ball... The rest of the world just fades away-- all your everyday, nagging concerns.

After he continues talking, Scully tells him:

Shut up, Mulder. I'm playing baseball.

We can all use a refresher in the value of keeping that a priority in our lives. Fortunately, pitchers and catchers report tomorrow!!

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The Curt Jester: Another book meme

1) Which book do you irrationally cringe away from reading, despite seeing only positive reviews?
Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton. I tried it once and it gave me a headache, and now I can't get motivated to get back to it.

2) If you could bring three characters to life for a social event (afternoon tea, a night of clubbing, perhaps a world cruise), who would they be and what would the event be?
I don't read much fiction, so this is tough:

• Frodo from Lord of the Rings - You gotta love a guy who thinks Second Breakfast is a no-brainer
• Dumbledore from the Harry Potter Series - It's handy having a guy who's always right around, (Well, always right except for his brief flirtation with racism and his flirtation with other men. Spoiler, highlight text to read.)
• Roy Hobbs from The Natural - That would be a great hitter to hang around with

3) (Borrowing shamelessly from the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde): you are told you can’t die until you read the most boring novel on the planet. While this immortality is great for a while, eventually you realise it’s past time to die. Which book would you expect to get you a nice grave?
Moby Dick. I understand it's one of the most boring books and many people only pretend to have read it.

4) Come on, we’ve all been there. Which book have you pretended, or at least hinted, that you’ve read, when in fact you’ve been nowhere near it?
I can't claim never to have done this, but I can't remember doing it.

5) You’re interviewing for the post of Official Book Advisor to some VIP (who’s not a big reader). What’s the first book you’d recommend and why? (If you feel like you’d have to know the person, go ahead and personalise the VIP).
Roots of American Order by Russell Kirk. It will help anyone understand the importance of conservatism.

6) A good fairy comes and grants you one wish: you will have perfect reading comprehension in the foreign language of your choice. Which language do you go with?
Ancient Greek - it would be nice to be able to read the Bible and the early Christians in the Greek

7) A mischievous fairy comes and says that you must choose one book that you will reread once a year for the rest of your life (you can read other books as well). Which book would you pick?
I'm thinking The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis, an enjoyable read and spiritually enlightening

8) I know that the book blogging community, and its various challenges, have pushed my reading borders. What’s one bookish thing you ‘discovered’ from book blogging (maybe a new genre, or author, or new appreciation for cover art-anything)?
I've learned the value of writing me own reviews of books. It helps me sum up what I read and makes it stick in my mind better.,

9) That good fairy is back for one final visit. Now, she’s granting you your dream library! Describe it. Is everything leather bound? Is it full of first edition hardcovers? Pristine trade paperbacks? Perhaps a few favourite authors have inscribed their works? Go ahead-let your imagination run free.
It would all be hardback, the books are sturdier that way. It would be an actual library, multiple stories tall, spiral staircase. It would contain all the great classic works of Greek philosophy, early Christian and Jewish writing. Lots of astronomy and cosmology books as well.

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The surprising short list

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Stat of the Day - Most games with a SB in the first 50 games of a career

The fifth person on this list? Jeff Stone.

How can a guy have such a great start and suck so badly? I know there's such a thing as a hot streak, but how can someone that bad get that hot?

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Congress Calls on Clemens and 4 Others to Testify - New York Times

Roger Clemens and his former personal trainer Brian McNamee have been asked to testify under oath before a Congressional committee Jan. 16 in what promises to be a compelling showdown.

Andy Pettitte, the retired second baseman Chuck Knoblauch and Kirk Radomski, a former Mets clubhouse worker who has admitted to being a supplier of performance-enhancing drugs to professional baseba