Ah, sorry, my youthful inexperience shows itself. For a certainty though, '95s MVP.
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Ah, sorry, my youthful inexperience shows itself. For a certainty though, '95s MVP.
Just noticed your age. For you to know anything about 1995 is actually pretty impressive.
The Bearded One
Love is not admissable evidence.
Stormtrooper
Championship Contender
The NL will never add the DH. There is a better chance of abandoning the DH then there is of adding it. If the PA can get more roster spots (25 man active roster + 3 or 5 inactives is ideal) maybe they'd consider dropping the DH.
They are yet to decide what to do with the 2 Wild Card Teams. The rumor that was going around all year was that the 2 WC teams would play a 1 game playoff. This would keep the teams with a "bye" from not playing for a while and getting out of rhythm, while still allowing them some rest and the ability to set their rotation.
It bothers me to all hell. It's a shit caricature of Tebow, and it looks like the number on the side of his jersey is a 7 instead of 15. If it was just the Bronco and the mountains it would be pretty badass actually.Does this bother anyone else as much as it does me?
George Steele's Barber
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Does this bother anyone else as much as it does me?
In a few years he will be out of the league, she is going to be so distraught that she goes in to porn and gets paid big time money to let some guy that looks like Kyle Orton blow a load all over it.
The only part that bothers me is if I don't get to see it and her poor father kills himself because of it.
George Steele's Barber
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Runs are good for baseball's finances, pitchers hitting is more likely to go away than the DH. I think we are more likely to see baseball get to a point where we have separate offenses and defenses than lose the DH (alright maybe not this part).
Goliath Uterus
Getting Noticed By Management
Does this bother anyone else as much as it does me?
That's ******ed, he should've got Elway on that bitch. Also, TEEEEBOOOW!!!
Stormtrooper
Championship Contender
The DH was started to create runs, yes. The thing is now they don't need it, as offenses have gotten strong enough that runs are created enough without the DH.
Stormtrooper
Championship Contender
Sad news.
Oklahoma State Womens head coach Kurt Budke and assistant Miranda Serna were killed in a plane crash.
Ten years ago, Oklahoma State lost 10 people affiliated with the Mens Basketball program in a plane crash. Now a second plane crash cost the school 2 more people.
Oklahoma State Womens head coach Kurt Budke and assistant Miranda Serna were killed in a plane crash.
Ten years ago, Oklahoma State lost 10 people affiliated with the Mens Basketball program in a plane crash. Now a second plane crash cost the school 2 more people.
George Steele's Barber
Advertise Here $9.95/month
Runs are great but homeruns sell more tickets. If NL owners don't feel like they are making enough money: lowering the mound, decreasing the stirke zone, altering the ball and DHs will be high on the list of possible changes.
This is the sport that needed action from Congress to get what we think is a serious steroid policy and testing. They like homeruns.
One Punch Doug Crashin
I AM INVINSIBLE!
Anyone else bothered by this?
1: LSU
2: Alabama
3: Arkansas
1: LSU
2: Alabama
3: Arkansas
Stormtrooper
Championship Contender
Ladies and Gentlemen. History in the American League.
Justin Verlander has been named the American League Most Valuable Player. Deservingly so. He was the best player in the AL, and there was no batter who was dominant.
Justin Verlander has been named the American League Most Valuable Player. Deservingly so. He was the best player in the AL, and there was no batter who was dominant.
JVP!
I heard all the bitching by so-called baseball purists who complained that the Cy Young is the only award pitchers need, I thought that I was going to have to write a diatribe about how Verlander got screwed out of it. Glad to see my fears weren't justified.
I heard all the bitching by so-called baseball purists who complained that the Cy Young is the only award pitchers need, I thought that I was going to have to write a diatribe about how Verlander got screwed out of it. Glad to see my fears weren't justified.
Stormtrooper
Championship Contender
Agreed. If there was a hitter who had a similar impact on his team, then I'd have gone with the hitter, but there was none.
The MVP really isn't as based on statistics to me, it's based on who had a bigger impact on his team. Verlander was the reason the Tigers won the AL Central, no hitter was that important to his team. As such, Verlander deserves the award, and I'm glad that voters finally came to their senses.
Apparently only 1 voter left him off, and 2 others had him outside of the top 5 or something.
Unsold Bacon
Shucky Ducky Quack Quack
Crosby is back to his old self who could of predicted he would have this type of game. Ridiculous.
Have I just not paid close enough attention over the years or is MLB just making up new stats now? MLB Network was just talking about how Jose Bautista led the league in WPA (win probability added). What the hell is that? They explained it but I was only half paying attention. Sounded like a bogus stat to me. A stat made up for the sake of discussion that doesn't have anything valid to support it. Same with WAR. I'm happy to admit I may just be missing something here but I think these analysts are really reaching to make up some new numbers for players.
Stormtrooper
Championship Contender
You don't know how much I agree with this. I'm all for the "advanced metrics," but so much of it just seems entirely random and as such useless to me.
And Ryan Braun has been named NL MVP. I do not disagree at all with that. Kemp was awesome, but he didn't help his team win, because his team didn't win; they sucked.
I'll admit I'm somewhat of a sabermetric mark, so my views are slightly biased. However, I've come to realize that many of the traditional stats have some ridiculous flaws or don't tell the whole story.
Take average for example. While it is nice to have a .300 hitter, if the guy only has an OBP of .347 (or some other random number) then I'm not gonna want him as much as a guy that hits .270 but gets on .380 clip. Sure, that extra .03 on the BA looks nice, but a higher OBP gives you a better shot to win games.
Wins for pitchers is another stat that I've come to terms with is highly overrated. A guy can go 5 IP and let by 5 ER but if he's up 6-5 and the bullpen closes it out, he'll pick up the win. Conversely, a pitcher can go 8 innings, give up 1 an unearned run (let's say by a dropped sac fly in the 2nd) and picks up the loss because his team couldn't score for him or play reliable defense. Its not the pitchers fault they can't score and that the guy dropped a catchable ball, yet he's looked as the goat of the game because he's given the loss. Its an awful way to measure how good a pitcher is, and I'm never going to change my stance that the best pitcher is the one with the most wins. While some years the best pitcher does have the most wins (such as Verlander this year) other years guys just get the unfortunate luck of landing on a bad offense (Greinke in 09 and Hernandez last year). WHIP, ERA (although it has slight flaws is quite effective), ERA+, IP, OBA, K/9, BB/9, HR/9 are a much better measurement of who's the best (when combined together).
(Sorry I just went on a tangent there. Just needed to give my opinion on sabermetrics).
I don't know if you were looking for an explanation, but I'll try to give as simple of one as I can.
WPA goes like this - a player hits a HR in the first inning to give his team a 1-0 lead. His WPA will go slightly up (ever so slightly) due to the fact that theres still 8 innings to play. The game gets tied up and another HR is hit in the 8th inning, giving that players team the lead for good. His WPA will go up much more significantly, since there's only an inning left. While both score 1 run and are at equal value, the one hit is hit in the 8th has a higher WPA due to the scenario it is hit. Somewhat like a 'clutch' meter, if you will. The HR in the 8th gave that players team a higher probability of winning then the 1st inning HR, so of course his individual WPA is higher.
Not a bad stat when you think about it. The players with a higher WPA normally are more vital to their team. Look at the AL hitting leaders in WPA, 11 of the 13 there were on the MVP ballot (Abreu and Hamilton I believe weren't), and they were pretty much in the order of how WPA was distributed (except Ellsbury was voted above #1 and #2 in WPA). It's obviously not the be all, end all stat (none are) but I think it helps determine who's helped their team the most. A guy that hits a 2 run double to give his team a one run lead is more helpful then the guy that hits a 2 run double when they have a 10 run lead.
That's an ignorant statement right there. The Dodgers were slightly over .500 (83-79 I believe) and while they weren't in playoff contention they would've been a 70 win team, at best, without Kemp (and Kershaw). That was about as two man of a team as you'll get. I didn't realize Kemp should be blamed for his teammates sucking, even though he spent half his season playing in a pitchers park and a played much tougher position at a more successful rate of defense. He also didn't have another bat behind him like Braun did with Fielder. I realize value is subjective, but to say he didn't help his team win is just straight out wrong.
That's the problem with MVP voting. People think just because a guy isn't on a playoff team he isn't valuable. In fact, I might go the exact opposite, since most of the time the guy on the playoff team has a bunch of teammates that have great seasons. Look at the winners this year
Verlander had Cabrera, Avila, Peralta, Martinez, Boesch (for most of the year), Valverde, and Fister (for the last 2 months) who were all just as influential. Was Verlander the best player, yeah. But there's 6 guys right there (combining Boesch and Fister as one) that were just as important in his teams success.
Braun had Fielder, Weeks (for part of the year) Nyjer Morgan (who helped out a lot on D) and a pretty strong pitching staff and closer. Thats 8-9 guys there, and again they were just as important. Was Braun the best, yeah, but those guys were just as important.
Bautista on the otherhand had... Ricky Romero and... Brett Lawrie for a few months? That Blue Jays team wasn't much special (aside from Bautista) yet they still managed to be .500 in the best division in baseball.
Kemp had Kershaw, and that's about all who you could say was a contributing factor. Their offense blew and their pitching staff wasn't more then maybe slightly above average.
Bautista and Kemp had the best seasons in their league, yet they aren't getting recognized it because their teammates couldn't help them out enough. Just seems like a dumb way to determine who's most 'valuable', to me.
EDIT: I'm not trying to say the MVP should go to the best player on an average team. I'm saying it should go to the guy who gave his team the most value and where would they be without him. The Tigers won the division by 14 or 15 games. Would they have still won the division if he was only average, probably. Same with Braun. They still probably would've made the playoffs. Would the Dodgers or Blue Jays have cracked the 80+ win total without Kemp or Bautista, probably not, since there's not as much talent around them.
Take average for example. While it is nice to have a .300 hitter, if the guy only has an OBP of .347 (or some other random number) then I'm not gonna want him as much as a guy that hits .270 but gets on .380 clip. Sure, that extra .03 on the BA looks nice, but a higher OBP gives you a better shot to win games.
Wins for pitchers is another stat that I've come to terms with is highly overrated. A guy can go 5 IP and let by 5 ER but if he's up 6-5 and the bullpen closes it out, he'll pick up the win. Conversely, a pitcher can go 8 innings, give up 1 an unearned run (let's say by a dropped sac fly in the 2nd) and picks up the loss because his team couldn't score for him or play reliable defense. Its not the pitchers fault they can't score and that the guy dropped a catchable ball, yet he's looked as the goat of the game because he's given the loss. Its an awful way to measure how good a pitcher is, and I'm never going to change my stance that the best pitcher is the one with the most wins. While some years the best pitcher does have the most wins (such as Verlander this year) other years guys just get the unfortunate luck of landing on a bad offense (Greinke in 09 and Hernandez last year). WHIP, ERA (although it has slight flaws is quite effective), ERA+, IP, OBA, K/9, BB/9, HR/9 are a much better measurement of who's the best (when combined together).
(Sorry I just went on a tangent there. Just needed to give my opinion on sabermetrics).
I don't know if you were looking for an explanation, but I'll try to give as simple of one as I can.
WPA goes like this - a player hits a HR in the first inning to give his team a 1-0 lead. His WPA will go slightly up (ever so slightly) due to the fact that theres still 8 innings to play. The game gets tied up and another HR is hit in the 8th inning, giving that players team the lead for good. His WPA will go up much more significantly, since there's only an inning left. While both score 1 run and are at equal value, the one hit is hit in the 8th has a higher WPA due to the scenario it is hit. Somewhat like a 'clutch' meter, if you will. The HR in the 8th gave that players team a higher probability of winning then the 1st inning HR, so of course his individual WPA is higher.
Not a bad stat when you think about it. The players with a higher WPA normally are more vital to their team. Look at the AL hitting leaders in WPA, 11 of the 13 there were on the MVP ballot (Abreu and Hamilton I believe weren't), and they were pretty much in the order of how WPA was distributed (except Ellsbury was voted above #1 and #2 in WPA). It's obviously not the be all, end all stat (none are) but I think it helps determine who's helped their team the most. A guy that hits a 2 run double to give his team a one run lead is more helpful then the guy that hits a 2 run double when they have a 10 run lead.
That's an ignorant statement right there. The Dodgers were slightly over .500 (83-79 I believe) and while they weren't in playoff contention they would've been a 70 win team, at best, without Kemp (and Kershaw). That was about as two man of a team as you'll get. I didn't realize Kemp should be blamed for his teammates sucking, even though he spent half his season playing in a pitchers park and a played much tougher position at a more successful rate of defense. He also didn't have another bat behind him like Braun did with Fielder. I realize value is subjective, but to say he didn't help his team win is just straight out wrong.
That's the problem with MVP voting. People think just because a guy isn't on a playoff team he isn't valuable. In fact, I might go the exact opposite, since most of the time the guy on the playoff team has a bunch of teammates that have great seasons. Look at the winners this year
Verlander had Cabrera, Avila, Peralta, Martinez, Boesch (for most of the year), Valverde, and Fister (for the last 2 months) who were all just as influential. Was Verlander the best player, yeah. But there's 6 guys right there (combining Boesch and Fister as one) that were just as important in his teams success.
Braun had Fielder, Weeks (for part of the year) Nyjer Morgan (who helped out a lot on D) and a pretty strong pitching staff and closer. Thats 8-9 guys there, and again they were just as important. Was Braun the best, yeah, but those guys were just as important.
Bautista on the otherhand had... Ricky Romero and... Brett Lawrie for a few months? That Blue Jays team wasn't much special (aside from Bautista) yet they still managed to be .500 in the best division in baseball.
Kemp had Kershaw, and that's about all who you could say was a contributing factor. Their offense blew and their pitching staff wasn't more then maybe slightly above average.
Bautista and Kemp had the best seasons in their league, yet they aren't getting recognized it because their teammates couldn't help them out enough. Just seems like a dumb way to determine who's most 'valuable', to me.
EDIT: I'm not trying to say the MVP should go to the best player on an average team. I'm saying it should go to the guy who gave his team the most value and where would they be without him. The Tigers won the division by 14 or 15 games. Would they have still won the division if he was only average, probably. Same with Braun. They still probably would've made the playoffs. Would the Dodgers or Blue Jays have cracked the 80+ win total without Kemp or Bautista, probably not, since there's not as much talent around them.
Stormtrooper
Championship Contender
While all the info you said about the stat is true, that doesn't mean shit.
Bautista played in meaningless games for pretty much the entire 2nd half of the season. Who cares what he does in the 8th inning, if the Blue Jays are 30 games out of first with absolutely no chance of making the playoffs?
The Dodgers were out of contention all year. They tried to crawl back in, but never got close enough to warrant discussion.
How can you be considered valuable if the the team has no value. You can't help your team win when the team doesn't win. The Dodgers didn't win shit, so as such Kemp wasn't more VALUABLE. If the award was "Best Hitter" Kemp wins going away. It's not. As such, Braun deserved it more, and rightfully won the award. Same with Verlander, who not only was more valuable, but even was a better player.
How about Blue Jays fans and teams within the division. Maybe some of those wins were against the Red Sox or Rays, effecting the WC race. The Jays weren't out until mid September, and as the Rays and Cards showed, you're not out until you're eliminated. They just didn't have enough talent around Bautista to make a late charge like the Rays did in September. That shouldn't be his fault.
Look at that Blue Jays roster, it was horrible. There were only 3 hitters that had a WAR north of two (which is considered starting capable). Brett Lawrie was one, incredibly, but he only had 171 PA. Yunel Escobar was one with a 4.4 WAR (very good year). And the other? Bautista with an 8.5, tops in the AL. Ricky Romero was the only pitcher with a WAR above starting capable as well. That's 4 good players on a 25 man roster. Conversley, the Tigers had 9 guys north of 2 (5 hitters and 4 pitchers). A lot more quality players on the team. Geez, I wonder why they won 95 games.
Why is it Kemps fault that James Loney, Andre Ethier, Casey Blake, and all of the other shit they have for position players didn't produce? This isn't football or basketball where one player can directly elevate his teams performance, no matter how good their talent is. If you do your job as well as Kemp did in playing good defense, being a producer, and getting on base, his teams performance shouldn't hinder that. If he goes and hits 2 solo HRs and the team loses 3-2 on a walkoff 3 run HR, is that Kemps fault? Of course not. But you're gonna penalize him for not helping them win, when he completely did? That's just ridiculous.
Plus, the difference in how (and where) they played should be accounted. Braun played LF and played alright. Kemp played CF (obviously the toughest OF position) well enough to receive a gold glove. Kemp was IBB'd 24 times because there was no threat behind him. Braun? Just twice. Why? Prince Fielder. Kemps WAR - 10.0. Braun - 7.7. Both guys had great seasons, but Kemps was much more superior.
And answer me this - if Kemp and Bautista didn't deserve it this year, why did A-Rod get it in 03 on a much worse Rangers team? Especially when Jorge Posada, who was on a playoff team, had a very comperable year?
Goliath Uterus
Getting Noticed By Management
KU/Duke should be epic
Stormtrooper
Championship Contender
Some NFL roster moves:
1. Former Denver Bronco and Tim Tebows predecessor Kyle Orton was claimed by the Kansas City Chiefs. They'll likely be starting him ASAP, since he's a much better option then Tyler Palko.
2. Bills Running Back (and AFC Offensive Player of the Year candidate) Fred Jackson has been placed on IR, ending his season. The Bills picked up Tashard Choice off waivers, but CJ Spiller looks to be the top guy for the foreseeable future. Crippling for the Bills, as Freddy was the top player on the team.
1. Former Denver Bronco and Tim Tebows predecessor Kyle Orton was claimed by the Kansas City Chiefs. They'll likely be starting him ASAP, since he's a much better option then Tyler Palko.
2. Bills Running Back (and AFC Offensive Player of the Year candidate) Fred Jackson has been placed on IR, ending his season. The Bills picked up Tashard Choice off waivers, but CJ Spiller looks to be the top guy for the foreseeable future. Crippling for the Bills, as Freddy was the top player on the team.
