Daily Links - The Human Element Edition
by Matthew Kory on Jul 6, 2011 6:01 AM EDT
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PrintEdwin "E5" Encarnacion was thrown out at home plate to end Tuesday night's game, and give the Red Sox a 3-2 win over the Blue Jays. Except, he wasn't. Jason Varitek missed the tag and Encarnacion got his foot in. Tough way to win a ball game.
Link time!
After DFA'ing him a few days ago, the Red Sox successfully dealt the decaying remnants of what used to be Mike Cameron to the Florida Marlins for something so valuable it is only known as 'not Mike Cameron.' Cameron will have a chance to play regularly for the Fish mostly because of the putrid Cameron-esque line put up by their parade of so-called center fielders. The irony that the Marlins are replacing a horrific group of center fielders with a center fielder who's line has actually been worse isn't lost on RJ Anderson at Baseball Prospectus. He isn't optimistic that Cameron will be much of a boost to the Marlins hopes of sucking less, but on the other hand... Make sense now? The Sox will likely receive cash in return. As usual, they'll probably just blow it all on house plants.
WEEI.com's Alex Speier detais the poor track record that Red Sox GM Theo Epstein has with larger free agent dealss during his tenure in Boston. In fairness, I wouldn't be shocked to see a similar league-wide history to larger free agent signings, but the Red Sox under Epstein have not done particularly well. Mike Cameron's $15.5 million was a total waste (though it was at least partially if not more-so due to injury) and John Lackey's $85.5 million deal is not looking much better.
We, collectively as baseball fans, are getting down to the trade deadline. The trading season doesn't look to be a particularly intense one, but stranger things have happened. The Red Sox should be able to acquire some help, probably a right handed outfielder and, depending on what is available and at what cost, possibly a reliever as well or instead. GM Theo Epstein spoke to NESN's Peter Gammons about what the Red Sox expect to do during this, the trading season.
Now a few quickies:
Beyond the Boxscore has power rankings. They're numbered 'n everything!
Should Adrian Gonzalez be leading the AL MVP race? SI.com's Cliff Corcoran argues no, but puts him there anyway. Let Mr. Cliff explain.
The Astros are in a tough spot. You can line up to play the world's smallest violin for them here.
Finally, the power of the Citgo sign which hovers over Boston's Kenmore Square is, in the words of Globe writer Sebastian Smee, drugs the mind. Is it art? Maybe.
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Ehhhh
The first batter of the inning should have been struck out and not a base hit so it evened out with the blown call at the plate.
True
Same ump-and it’s not even open to debate. It is right there in Brooks and it was strike 3
pretty much right down the pipe. A crappy ump giveth and taketh away.
Also-comparing the Cameron signing to the Lackey one is silly.
By
“right down the middle” I mean a clear strike. The entire ball was in the strike zone. Are you arguing that is not a strike? How can Jays fans look one way when Patterson was a clear K victim but got off the hook by a bad call and cry about another bad call that never would have happened if the first call was made correctly. Seems hypocritcal to me.
because strikezones are controlled by the umps. they shrink and increase to their will
the home plate doesn’t.
my main point was that the ball was clearly not right down the middle. was it a strike, sure
Choose me, Ash!
when they shrink and increase to their will
that is bad umpiring. I mean, really? The width of the strike zone IS the home plate- which as you pointed out, doesn’t change. The play at the plate was a bad call. The ball call was clearly a bad call. They happen.
For the record, that’s also the way I respond when the Sox lose games on bad calls. Until they find a more accurate way to judge these things or institute replay, there will be bad calls. Over the course of a season, they’ll tend to go both ways and relatively even out.
like last year's "Dale Scott" game
vs. the Jays in Fenway when Scott gave about 6 pitches to Gregg that were a foot off the plate in the other batter’s box with the Sox trying to tie the game in the bottom of the 9th. I think 2 of the 3 outs recorded by the Jays in the 9th were a clear result of some of the worst strike calls in recent memory. But that is the way it goes…
That is really, really stupid.
“because strikezones are controlled by the umps. they shrink and increase to their will”
Ok-let me get this straight-the strikezone, which is clearly defined in the rulebook (and thus not set by umps) and further defined by the UNCHANGING home plate width (and in particular mark #3 in the above box was likely deemed “outside” since it is closer to that boundary than the upper one) is something that Umps just make up as the go along, and are perfectly withing their right to change as the game goes on. If you look at the zone results for the entire night by Knight, the ONLY ball in the upper right part of the zone that was called incorrectly was the pitch in question. THE ONLY ONE. Thus if you think it is ok to just call one ball out of 20 incorrectly, then you have a strange notion of what a blown call is. See:
http://www.brooksbaseball.net/pfxVB/cache/zoneplot.php-pitchSel=all&game=gid_2011_07_05_tormlb_bosmlb_1&sp_type=1&s_type=7.gif
Dude-the call was a mistake, just like the play at the plate. The paly at the plate is probably a harder one-it was bang-bang. The ball beat the runner, and the runner’s front leg was blocked before his back leg made it to the plate ahead of the tag. The umps get that wrong half the time.
This may be but a pipe dream...
But I think the Red Sox find the money to make a big deal at the deadline.
If he is made available, the Red Sox should pounce on Jose Reyes.
The cost would be huge, yes, but what do you guys think of this as a starting point
Iglesias
One of Lin/Reddick/Kalish(as a ptbnl)
Balcom Miller-esque prospect
AA prospect
The Red Sox suck, and I am the dirt that was sucked in, I am a dirty.
It would be nice to have his dynamic play in the line-up
But the injuries over the last couple years concern me. It seems these guys who rely on intense speed are always more prone to hammy or quad strains. Jose plays at 110 MPH which I love, but that also means he’ll have situations like last week where he is hitting the base at an intense speed which isn’t great for the hammy/quad.
by The Name is Dalton on Jul 6, 2011 10:46 AM EDT up reply actions
for a rental? No.
And Reyes is someone I wouldn’t give a long term deal too, as awesome a player as he is. I think if the Sox find money at the deadline, it’s going to be spend on either pitching, with our pitchers dropping like flies, or on right field. Some place where we haven’t been getting average production.
It would take
A whole Hell of a lot more than that to get Reyes. You’re talking Ranaudo (as a PTBNL due to signing less than a year ago), Reddick/Kalish, Middlebrooks/Iglesias, and Britton/Doubront.
For a rental or another $100+ million contract.
I like sexy trades, too, but they aren’t always worth it.
Hi ho, Duke!
by The Duke of Silver on Jul 6, 2011 12:16 PM EDT up reply actions
That might be a bit of an exaggeration
to me, that sounds like a good amount more than we gave up for a whole year of Gonzalez who, in that whole year is making exactly what Reyes is making in the second half of the year.
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