2011 MLB Season Discussion: Joey Votto MVP Edition

[Conrad]

why "lolgrantland"?

Eh, I read Simmons, but I don't quite consider it hard-hitting commentary and honestly I find a lot of the contributors better. At least some of them actually write about non-Boston teams and/or baseball

[archibaldcrane]

@Archie, Elisios

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/...alued-sluggers

lolgrantland, but eh

Yeah, I read that yesterday. Funny thing is...Brewers team defense is top-half of the league in errors per game (0.6) and team UZR (1.0). They are basically completely average defensively, and that's even with Yuni B. completely shitting up the shortstop position (at -9.4 UZR).

It's like the guy had an idea and ran with it, either not looking at defensive metrics or not caring if they didn't fit his narrative.

[Akiyama]

Saw this coming.

Yep lol. Braves are boned.

[archibaldcrane]

Gotta be honest, I hate the Yankees, but Jeter going 5-5 with a homer as his 3,000th hit is pretty fucking sweet.

[Akiyama]

Yeah.. I couldn't believe it when I saw it, honestly. That shit's gonna be talked about for a while now, haha.

[Akiyama]

Braves giving up a dinger to Cliff Lee, LOL. Incoming sweep.

[Trichocyst]

Cliff Lee is really gunning to win that bet he made with Halladay, Oswalt, and Hamels. It was such a non-call on Fox too. Jair Jurrjens just apathetically going, "Aww, aww, no."

[Akiyama]

Haha.. well not much JJ could have said. Pretty sure he wanted to just say 'SHIT!' rofl. Worst time to have a Brave on the mic.. ever. He got ahold of that one, though. Hanson won't hear the end of it, and why does the Braves pitching staff like giving up homers to pitchers?

[Pringles]

Fan who caught Jeters 3000th hit said he was gonna turn it into Jeters is getting 4 free tickets for every home game for the rest of the season including playoffs.

[pohibaba]

Does anyone actually consider it Bonds' record? Anyone that actually got caught can piss off as far as i'm concerned.

The real tragedy is, it should have been Jr. that broke the record.

Then it's not Aaron's record either:

House, perhaps best known for catching Hank Aaron's 715th home run ball in 1974 in the Atlanta Braves bullpen, said he and several teammates used amphetamines, human growth hormone and 'whatever steroid' they could find in order to keep up with the competition.



"I pretty much popped everything cold turkey', House said. "We were doing steroids they wouldn't give to horses. That was the '60s when nobody knew. The good thing is, we know now. There's a lot more research and understanding."



House, 58, estimated that six or seven pitchers per team were at least experimenting with steroids or human growth hormone. He said players talked about losing to opponents using more effective drugs,



"We didn't get beat, we got out-milligrammed", he said. "And when you found out what they were taking, you started taking them".

Compare Hank Aaron's stats at the beginning of his career and then notice how his HR% began to increase beginning when Hammerin' Hank was 37 years old.
HR% is defined as being the number of HRs per 100 ABs.



Age HRs HR%
33 44 7.3
34 39 6.5
35 29 4.8



Nothing unusual about these statistics; it is a typical profile of a slugger in decline as he ages. But then Hank began to undergo an 'enhancement.'
Age HRs HR%



36 44 8.0
37 38 7.4


What explains this spike at a latter age? Expansion? Perhaps. But then what happens?


Age HRs HR%
38 47 9.5
39 34 7.6


Hank...What's going on buddy? Aaron's HR% were TOPS in the NL in both 1971 and 1972. Hmm.


Age HRs HR%
40 40 10.2


Which leads us to 1973 when at age 40 in just 392 at bats, juiced 40 HR's for a HR% of 10.2. Once again TOPS in NL for the THIRD STRAIGHT YEAR and the HIGHEST HR% in the ENTIRE 23 year career of Hank Aaron.

[archibaldcrane]

Aaron Harang, no-hitter through 6, and at 95 pitches he didn't come out for the 7th. wtf.

1 total hit in the top of the 8th now for this Dodgers/Padres game.

[Gregorio]

They probably pulled him since he just came off the DL. Crappy.

I have Harang in my fantasy league too. And De La Rosa.

[Alderaan]

What in the fuck....my FOX decided to go to commercial in the middle of the Ruiz AB in the 10th.

[Trichocyst]

This blown game brought to you by Ryan "Butterfingers" Howard.

[Akiyama]

What in the fuck....my FOX decided to go to commercial in the middle of the Ruiz AB in the 10th.

Yeah, I had problems with it momentarily too. Didn't miss the Seabass hit (Gonzalez) or McCann's homer, so yay. Here's hoping Kimbrel doesn't blow it. I'm stunned we didn't see Proctor in the 10th. Stunned!

[Alderaan]

Good win for Atl in an overall really good series so far. I know Atl is, but is Phi this bad against lefties also?

[Akiyama]

Just think.. it could be 2-0 in the series if Frediot didn't use Proctor last night

[Alderaan]

I was about to flip when he didn't bring in Kimbrel in the 10th with the bases loaded and the game on the line.

[Trichocyst]

I think the Phillies have a good winning percentage against left handed starters, but it's usually in a squeek by fashion.

[Headspace]

Y'all ready for the D-Train tomorrow?