umpires Stories - Beyond the Box Score
Benefit of the Doubt: Pitchers Who Were Squeezed
In my last two posts, I profiled the starters and relievers who earn the benefit of the doubt in the strike zone. On the other side of the spectrum we find the pitchers who weren't so fortunate. Let's take a look at these unfortunate souls and some other pitchers' zones (by popular demand). Over...
Benefit of the Doubt: Starters Who Get the Wide Zone
Last week, we looked at the unusually wide strike zones that both Mariano Rivera and Brian Wilson have enjoyed in recent years. In that post I suggested that wide strike zones aren't just for top-notch relievers. This week, we look primarily at starters who get the benefit of the doubt. Let's...
Benefit of the Doubt: Relievers Who Get the Wide Zone
Okay, to be honest, it wasn't my original plan to write this post. My first idea was for a generic PitchFX analysis similar to my examinations of Barry Zito and Stephen Strasburg from earlier this year. My goal was to find pitch-level data that would explain the (nearly) ageless Mariano Rivera's...
White Sox Come Back Thanks To Royal Gaffes
Here's a list of days since August 4th in which the White Sox won and the Twins lost (when they didn't play each other): August 29th. That's it. That's the list of days in which the Sox picked up a full game on the Twins without the benefit of playing head-to-head. So when the out of town...
Book Review: "As They See 'Em"
I had meant to read "As They See 'Em" when it came out last spring, when the 2009 season began. But you know how that goes with books -- you put some on your list, then time goes by and you forget, and you get busy, and by the time you think about it again, months have gone by. Last week I was...
Why it Matters: Umpires, Computers, Wins, and Dollars
Today, I am not very happy. I'm not happy because my team, the Milwaukee Brewers, lost a game to the Chicago Cubs, our hated rivals, on a walk-off walk. I'm not happy, because my team lost on this pitch, ball 4 to Jake Fox. via i261.photobucket.com Why should you care, unless you're also a...
Umpires Gone Wild
This part of the "General Instructions To Umpires" that appears in MLB Rule 9 has been quoted on this site before, but this morning it bears repeating: You are the only official representative of baseball on the ball field. It is often a trying position which requires the exercise of much...
Milton Bradley is Mad about 3 Pitches and He is Not Going to Take It Anymore
<!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> A few days ago Milton Bradley was wanting to talk to Lou Piniella and luckily for us we had some audio...
Zambrano's Childish Antics Overshadow Cubs' 5-2 Win Over Pirates
Carlos Zambrano is one of my favorite players. He brings passion and joy to playing, he's always out there trying his best and bringing his "A" game every time he steps on the field. He got hurt attempting to catch the Marlins sleeping and beating out a bunt. But really, Z -- it's time to grow...
Apres Le Deluge, Cubs Go For Two In A Row: Cubs vs. Pirates, Wednesday 5/27, 1:20 CT
Jake Fox (who will wear uniform #5) has been called up from Iowa, as first posted here by a friend of Fox's brother. (Yes, really!) As also posted here earlier today, Andres Blanco (uniform #13) and Jason Waddell (uniform #43) have been added to the 25-man (and 40-man, which now stands at 38)...
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