Since I missed the Filter for yesterday (sorry, couldn't see straight because of a pounding headache), here's some of the links that would have worked better yesterday:
5 YEARS AGO TODAY...WE WERE KINGS - Masshole Sports
Amazing to see the immediate reactions again with more hindsight.
2004: Where Are They Now? - Full Count
Excellent link if you want to see how much things can change in five years.
Chat with Jacoby Ellsbury - ESPN Boston
Darn, I would have asked him about his reads. Oh well, maybe someone will catch him next time.
Aroldis Chapman and a bucket of cold water - Yawkey Way Academy
Calm it down, peeps. Even if he is visiting and throwing for us today, doesn't mean we're going after him - especially because we probably shouldn't, based on the information available.
Bloggers Assemble! - The Bottom Line
Any views expressed in there that you'd like to comment about? Interesting to see how different sites form different opinions.
After the jump, an MVP ballot, talking about defense, and more nostalgia (but not about the same subject).
My AL MVP Ballot - The Joy of SoxGrienke. Not even close. I don't care what other people are voting, Grienke deserves it.
Yankees' combo of Johnny Damon and Nick Swisher has been quiet during playoffs
The Red Sox are going to be looking to upgrade their offense this winter and have apparently decided not to try to re-sign Jason Bay - whose rep, Scott (Avenging Agent) Boras, has had a long, acrimonious history with them, most recently on display during last winter's Mark Teixeira negotiations
FAIL.
Rob Bradford | In Defense of Jason Bay's Defense
"I think the only defensive statistic that I know for sure that is easily measurable is outfield assists and errors committed, and Jason is just the third outfielder in major league history to lead the league in outfield assists while not creating an error all season, the last guy being Carl Yastrzemski," the agent said. "It used to be that those statistics were enough. In baseball we all need a better evaluation of defensive ability but the defensive metrics we have out there are so debatable, and in most cases proprietary, that it is hard to quantify a player’s ability to play defense.
GET A NEW AGENT, JAYBAYBAY. Just because the data isn't 100% perfect doesn't mean we should rely on the traditional statistics that have been proven, both numerically and logically, to be less-than-effective indicators of defensive ability. Aside from all the issues with the scoring of errors, there's a major issue with comparing Bay's assists to most other fielders': he plays in a very short field that also traps runners by causing them to misjudge hits off the Monster. Even if you don't like UZR, there are plenty of statistics that wipe the floor with errors and assists:
Bay's not on this list (fortunately), but there are a few shocking names; most of them correlate with UZR though, so they may not be too amazing.
Dustin Pedroia's hidden improvement - Yawkey Way Academy
MVP!
Trade Market: Catchers - MLBTradeRumors.com
Talkin' Baseball with Seth Swirsky [Owner of the Buckner Ball] - The Hall of Very Good
Much like the Bartman incident or Gibson hobbling around the bases, that ball going under Buckner’s mitt is one of baseball’s most widely known images and to one man…it is the cornerstone of a rather unique collection.
Trades Of The Decade: Griffey To The Reds - MLBTradeRumors.com
Interesting to see where the pieces drifted off to.
Comments, links, suggestions, etc. You know the drill.