Did the Cubs Shift Gears Yesterday?
Yes. They won.
Miscellaneous
Of players with at least 80 Plate Appearances, Brett Jackson leads the Cubs in wRC+ (113). (h/t, mb21) He's also fifth on the current roster in batting WAR. For the season. He's played in 23 games.
According to Fangraphs, Darwin Barney has been worth 11.6 runs defensively. Which is still kind of lame compared to the leader on the team in that category: Alfonso Soriano (13.6).
By WAR, Alfonso Soriano is the most valuable player on this team.
This team sucks.
Was yesterday the biggest Cubs win of the season? I don't know, but it was definitely in the top 50.
Crane Kenney has a job, and I don't. I'm trying not to let that get to me.
The Cubs and the Brewers combined for 31 hits yesterday. By contrast, Brett Jackson has about half that many hits for the season, but his bat has still been more valuable than all but four other guys on the team.
Tom Ricketts still leads the league in balls given away to the kids of gullible fans.
The Cubs are only 3.5 games out of the 11th wild card spot.
Next year's slogan is "Because We Have To." Shit. Do we really?
If you go to Wrigley and buy a beer, take a moment to realize that with that money, you could have landed a free agent of greater value to the team than Joe Mather.
Dale Sveum reminds me a lot of the guy who shoved Steve Buscemi into a wood chipper.
Have a happy Friday, Cubs fans. The rest of you don't need me to tell you. Happiness just comes naturally for you. We have to work at it.
Pic of Clint Eastwood’s speech last night:
Since All-star break(arbitrary end point/small sample size alert) Marmol has had 14.2 IP, SO/9 of 10.7, SO/BB of 2.43, WHIP of 1.41 (Pretty high, but in 2009 he had a WHIP of 1.46 with an ERA+ of 131) and an ERA of 1.27.
Since June 12th (I picked this date because he had 5 days off before that and that may have been when he was told not to shake off pitches): 22.7 IP, 2.38 ERA, 2.2 SO/BB, 1.59 WHIP, 13.1 SO/9
I don’t know how to calculate those advanced stats but maybe he is shifting gears.
Also he had some pretty damn good years there for a while. Wow.
Except the guy who shoved Buscemi into the wood chipper knew enough not to say too much.
(dying laughing)
(dying laughing)
(dying laughing)
http://dlewis.net/blog/2012/08/31/the-hopeful-moment/
@ Mish:
@ Mercurial Outfielder:
(dying laughing) (dying laughing)
Anyone wondering why I’ve been out of the routine of doing daily facepalms need look no further than the fact that I don’t even know what day it is.
Campana, Sappelt, Cardenas, Rusin to be called up tomorrow
@ Berselius:
Hope——–>alive again
Hobbitton Daily Gazette-Picayune also says Dolis, Recker, Socolovich (??) to be called up.
I’m very tired today, but my brainslug started thinking today about Roger Clemens’ possible comeback. He would be eligible for the Hall vote this year, but obviously if he even makes one start this year, it would be delayed another 5 years. You suppose that’s his plan? Knowing he probably doesn’t have a shot this year because of all the allegations, maybe he thinks everyone will forget in 5 years? Or at least it will give some of the other alleged steroid guys time on the ballot before he hops on? Just a thought.
@ mikeakaleroy:
If that is his plan, that’s some good strategizing from Clemens. He’d probably have to pull this for another 20 years or so to have a shot at the hall though.
Oh, those must be those quad-A waiver claim guys
@ Berselius:
And maybe his plan is to come back every 5 years. I’m sure he’s got a guy with some stuff to help with that. (dying laughing)
@ mikeakaleroy:
Someone posted a video yesterday where that guy from ESPN said exactly this, that he’s just trying to reset the HOF clock.
And that the Astros are going along with it as a publicity stunt (because Clemens is still a popular figure in Tejas).
@ josh:
As usual, ESPN is stealing my ideas before I think of them. Bastards. Been in training all week, so just catching up.
@ josh:
Seems to be the talk of the town:
http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/08/31/why-roger-clemens-is-going-to-pitch-for-the-astros/
@ mikeakaleroy:
Fixed
As usual, everyone is stealing my ideas before I think of them.
/dumbguy’d
@ josh:
That was Rosenthal, from FOXSports
@ Mercurial Outfielder:
Who is someone who’s never been in my kitchen?
@ josh:
That’s too bad. Rosenthal makes a mean meatloaf.
@ josh:
Speaking of, I replied to your beer query, I think.
@ Mish:
Why the hell did the other team tackle him (dying laughing)
(dying laughing)
Wow.
@ Berselius:
Anything that increases his odds of getting there is fine by me. A Hall of Fame with Roger Clemens is as useless as one without Barry Bonds. A HOF without either of them is irrelevant. There’s no rational argument whatsoever that the steroid use by them changed their careers enough to make then HOF players. Both were HOF players before they started using steroids.
I knew that was Clemens’ plan before all y’alls.
Roger Clemens = Kenny Powers
Minors shit up (I added the title)
http://www.obstructedview.net/minor-leagues/6109.html
Gee. I thought Tampa was going to monopolize cynicism this week–then Roger came along.