5/26/11 RSS Feed Favorites, with Coffee

BRYCE HARPER

Photo by Tug Haines

Today's pick o' the RSS Feed, with a substantial dose of caffeine...

Beyond the Box Score:
How Do Ultimate Base Runs and Equivalent Base Running Runs Compare? by Chris St. John
More fun on the basepaths…I mean it, really! Starting 5/24/11, Fangraphs is adding UBR (Ultimate Base Runs), Baseball Prospectus uses EQBRR (Equivalent Base Running Runs)…so what in the heck is the difference and why in the heck should you care?

Cubby-Blue:
Mike Quade and the “two to one” finger thing by Tim Souers
So…what do you think? And BTW, how about them throwback unis? Do you think I can get a Lou Montañez jersey in this style at Wrigleyville Sports
…or no?

Joe Blogs:
Splitt by Joe Posnanski
Joe remembers Paul Splittorff, who died yesterday…

Old Time Family Baseball:
Wilson Valdez may have been brought in to pitch the top of the…
You need to know…fun facts about the Reds @ Phillies 19-inning mayhemic contest from yesterday, 5/25/11

The Greatest 21 Days:
Mike Loggins, Learned French - 187 by Steve78
The part about learning French comes from a statement made by then-Arkansas Razorbacks-freshman Mike Loggins’ assessment of the famous outfield wall at the original George Cole Field, read about the rest of this future Omaha Royal’s career...

Tug Haines: Casual Fan:
BRYCE HARPER by Tug Haines
Tug is taking a few days off…this post was from Monday, but hey…enjoy this wisdom regarding Bryce and his performance during this game!! Do you think you've heard the last word on Bryce Harper? No, you haven't...

Eien no tomodachi,
Stevo-sama

Paul Splittorff 1946-2011

Splitt is gone. He confirmed the extent of his illness just last week, and very much like Harmon Killebrew before him, passed so quickly we hardly had a chance to consider the man and his career.

Paul Splittorff was born in Evansville, IN, attended Morningside College in Sioux City, IA, and pitched for the Kansas City Royals for his entire career, 1970-1984. Splitt retired with a 166-143 win-loss record and career 3.81 ERA over 2554.2 innings pitched during his 15 seasons as a Royal and is well-known as “the winningest pitcher” in Royals history.

Splittorff wasn’t the snazziest pitcher in the Royal ‘pen, but his presence was unforgettable. His icy stare as he struck out opposing batters could stop deadly lava flow instantly. He was a solid craftsman with a true heart of gold, one of the hardest working pitchers I can think of…he didn’t have heat but he had a trunk full of uff-da and was adept at using any of his pitches and excellent command when he needed to. He was inducted into the Royals Hall of Fame in 1987.

You can revisit Splitt’s 3.2 IP in relief of Dennis Leonard during the 1976 ALCS Game 5 here



Splittorff was great in the broadcast booth, I enjoyed his appearances during pre- and post-game shows as well as during games…even after his voice became slurred, apparently due to his illness. He always seemed like he was actively living the part of being one of the nicest people on earth.