Thursday, May 5, 2011

SweetSpot Roundup 5/5

Ghostrunner on First (Blue Jays): Ferrell's Favorite Toys
Using some pretty awesome graphics, Drew breaks down the Blue Jays as only he can.

It's Pronounced "Lajaway" (Indians): Underrated, Under the Influence
"Yes, players are human. Yes, we’ve all made mistakes. But putting aside any concern for the potential injury or harm you might bring upon another person if you drive while drunk...if your livelihood depends upon you being at your physical peak, why would you risk serious injury by driving while under the influence?"

Baseball Time in Arlington (Rangers): When It Rains, It Pours
"In the last three and a half weeks, any and all delusions of .600-plus winning percentage grandeur have been thoroughly shattered, the body count on the disabled list has piled up alarmingly fast, and public sentiment has devolved from complete and utter joy into something that more closely resembles a brew of concern, disgust, and perhaps even mild panic."

The Ray Area (Rays): Tampa Bay-Generation 3.0
"This feels like the point marking a new era in Tampa Bay sports.  For the first time, all three of the area’s major professional teams are contenders.  That is especially sweet for the newest generation of local sports fans who, like my daughters, will grow up knowing this community only as a major sports epicenter."

Fire Brand of the American League (Red Sox): The Struggling Bobby Jenks
"I’ve been hearing a lot of people compare Jenks to Eric Gagne over the last few days.  While that’s understandable given his recent performance, the comparison is neither fair nor one that fits.  Do people have cause for concern with respect to Jenks?"

Royals Authority: Frency Wins It While Yost Naps
Jeff Francoeur claims another victim: "So I’m thinking of just giving up and joining the French Quarter section in right field and becoming a member of the Jeff Francoeur Fan Club.  Why not? The guy continues to rake."  Don't go upstairs alone with him!

Nick's Twins Blog: The First Step
Ah, optimism.  Sweet, blissful, naive optimism: "A dreadful start to the season has had just about everyone in the clubhouse on edge. Last night, Liriano and the Twins finally got to smile. Remembering how to do that could be the first step toward getting things turned around."

It's About the Money Stupid (Yankees): In Which I (sort of) Defend Jeter
Brien Jackson disagrees with the Blogfather, Rob Neyer, who thinks Jeter should grab some pine, and gets practical: "Putting Jeter aside, who replaces him if you take him out of the lineup? Ramiro Pena?"

Capitol Avenue Club (Braves): Braves 8, Brewers 3; Braves 8, Brewers 0
Recaps of an awfully nice day for the Braves against Milwaukee.

Disciples of Uecker (Brewers): Let's Get This Out Of The Way
"At this point, it seems that almost everything surrounding Zack Greinke will lead back to his social anxiety disorder. But over the past three or four years, Greinke has overcome his anxiety issues to become one of the best pitchers in the game."


Fungoes (Cardinals): Liriano's no-hitter one of worst in history
I agree. Pip uses a fancy stat called fielding independent game score to come up with a list that, at the top, looks not too terribly unlike mine.


View from the Bleachers (Cubs): Game 30: Cubs take two out of three in L.A.
Recap of the Cubs' 5-1 win over a Dodger lineup that, without Ethier, looks hardly capable of scoring even that one run.

Dodger Thoughts: Maury Wills, Pete Gray, Chicken elected to Shrine of the Eternals
The Dodger shortstop, the one-armed outfielder and the guy who was the San Diego Chicken were elected to Baseball Reliquary's Shrine of the Eternals, a thing I don't come close to understanding but would really like to.

Mets Today: Mets Game 30: Loss to Giants
"This was sort of reminiscent of a game from the 1970s; it could have been John Montefusco and Jon Matlack on the mound facing lineups that include “hitters” like Chris Speier, Ken Reitz, Marc Hill, Roy Staiger, Mike Phillips, and Del Unser."


Nationals Baseball: .235
That's the highest batting average any National in Tuesday's lineup ended the night with. Harper seems rightly perturbed.


Ducksnorts (Padres): "Still Kicking" Isn't Just a Metaphor, It's Also Annoying
The Padres are still kicking, in the way your kid might kick the back of your seat when you're driving. This is a great, great metaphor. Man, do I hate that.

Redleg Nation: Following the Reds
With 14 different start times in their first 38 games, the Reds are making that pretty hard to do.

Blake Street Bulletin (Rockies): First-Place Rockies Need to Plug Giant Leak at Third
Between Jose Lopez and Ty Wigginton has been one big pile of stink. Logan thinks the return of Ian Stewart should help.

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