6/3/11 RSS Feed Favorites, with Coffee

Scott Cousins…most EVIL baseball player since Pete Rose…uh, I mean…since Barry Bonds!!!


After a brief work-inspired hiatus, here’s today's pick o' the RSS Feed, and a hefty cup of joe to go with it…

I may also have been recovering from a deep gash in my skull, which I may have earned from possibly beating my head against a pleasant but firm brick wall as the Cubs were swept by the Astros, but I might be not willing to admit this publicly, as most are probably already tired of hearing about similar possible self-inflicted injuries from other sources…this is totally off the record, of course…

Beyond the Box Score:
Winless Streaks Further Illustrate the Problem with Wins as a Statistic by Bill Petti
I’m sure many folks have been following this story…a streak 28 consecutive starts without a win ends for Jo-Jo Reyes on the 1st of June, but the story isn’t over. Bill Petti, along with many others, has recently used this unusual circumstance to underline the hokey-ness of the Win-Loss statistic for pitchers. Is it a problematic stat? Well, I guess it depends on how you look at it; I never consider a Win or Loss (or even a Save) for a pitcher as being as much of a statement of their performance as it was a statement of the team’s performance in support of that pitcher. I also believe I espouse the pragmatic view of this, and I am pretty sure that MLB and ‘the rest of civilization’ just consider a W or L next to a pitcher’s line and think “eh, he screwed that game up.” Overall, the discussion is great, and is continuing to give more exposure to FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching), which is a better statistic to evaluate a pitcher’s performance, but If one is prone to look at the pitcher independently as a point of focus, then the team performance may be understated in some instances. Nevertheless, this is a fine article that isolates the top 100 winless streaks since 1901, and then…naturally…provides interesting data.

Cubby-Blue:
Cubs 3 Astros 7. Squirrels peeled my skin. by Tim Souers
Weasels ripped my flesh, the reference was not lost on me…while you’re at it, let’s double up…

Cubby-Blue:
Presenting The I Hate The Astros Page, 2011 by Tim Souers
FECK!

Goat Riders of the Apocalypse:
Cubs Manager Mike Quade is really pissing me off by Rob Letterly
Rob, he’s pissing me off a little as well, after reading your article…there are LOTS of “the Cubs suck” rants happening in the Blogoverse, especially after the recent Astros debacle (oooh, my head…) this one is a couple of days old but it’s nice and direct and you should read it.

Goat Riders of the Apocalypse:
Is DJ LeMahieu’s call up trade-related? by AJ Walsh
On a more positive note (seriously), let’s look at the future for a moment, this is an interesting speculator review of the calling up of one DJ LeMahieu…you remember him, his walk-off HR win was the most exciting moment of Spring Training for the Cubs. I know, that seems like it was 2 or so months ago. It was.

Joe Blogs:
How To End The Intentional Walk by Joe Posnanski
While some of us (that would be me) really doubt the overall strategic effectiveness of an Intentional Walk, it can have a killjoy effect in some games, and here Joe vents about it (as well as discusses the matter with Bill James on his “Poscast,” for which a link can be found within this article…

Kings of Kauffman:
John Lamb Hits a Roadblock by Michael Engel
John Lamb. Tommy John Surgery. Nuts…

NPB Tracker:
The English NPB Blogosphere, 2011 Edition by Patrick Newman
Fill your blog roll with these Japanese yakyu blog links…and some folks to follow on Twitter as well!

Old Time Family Baseball:
A Manager .Gif That is Better Than Face-Off, That Old Movie You Probably Forgot About
This is great!

…and even though he was my ‘featured photo,’ no post links and/or discussion about Scott Cousins and Buster Posey. Discussion is over. Some folks need to grow a pair.

Enjoy your weekend…just like that I have several games to scan and post.

Eien no tomodachi,
Stevo-sama

5/27/11 RSS Feed Favorites, with DECAF

The Return of the OSAKA TIGERS?!?

“Focus on these GREAT SOCKS!!”

Today's pick o' the RSS Feed, going DECAF today for the weekend...

NPB Tracker:
2011 Uniform Roundup, Volume 1 by Patrick Newman
First of a two installment semi-annual review of NPB uniforms so far, check out the assortment of alternate and throwback unis this season…of course, my favorite are the Hanshin Tigers, are you surprised? Those socks, when I first saw them (thanks, Tug!), made me want to sing "Rokko Oroshi" on the spot!!

Kings of Kauffman:
Luke Hochevar: An Infographic by Gage Matthews
This post was my main reason for even doing RSS favorites today, as I actually have other things to do this morning but just had to share this…I really really like Luke Hochevar, when he loses it I am often reminded of the pain I used to feel when Carlos Zambrano would have one of his “bad days” back in 2008 and 2009…before anger management and his amazing and consistent performance since then. But I digress…I am not a fan of printing these things, but I feel obligated to keep a copy of this in my scorekeeping clipboard so it’s handy for games Hochevar is pitching, that way I can understand his tendencies…especially the ones that are pushing my stomach through a paper shredder…

Enjoy your weekend…I’m still getting caught up at updating posts of games I’ve scored, look for a recap soon.

Eien no tomodachi,
Stevo-sama

Wally Yonamine 1925-2011

I couldn’t think of a catchy title for this post, there’s so much more to this man and the way I feel about his passing that I think focusing on an interesting tagline would detract from the comments I could make here.

The news of Wally Yonamine’s passing on Monday, Feb 28 at the age of 85 after a long battle with Prostate cancer definitely brought my Spring Training elation to a unique numbing point. Wally was and always will be one of my favorite baseball players of all time, a guy who loved the game, broke a significant barrier in the Japanese world of the sport (a barrier that opened doors for just as many folks worldwide as the barrier in the states broken by Jackie Robinson), and beyond all that, embraced the opportunity to single-handedly change the behavior of an entire nation and ultimately, the way that nation played and cherished the great American game of Baseball, in a way that Americans can truly appreciate.



You don’t have to have seen him in a game to admire his gutsy attitude and his passion for baseball, you only need to read "Wally Yonamine: The Man Who Changed Japanese Baseball” by Robert Fitts to understand just about any aspect of his career and personal life. I had always admired him deeply, but I felt that my relationship with his essence was absolutely sealed when I read this fantastic book.

(You should also read Fitts’ excellent “Remembering Japanese Baseball: The Oral History of the Game” which features lengthy discussions with Yonamine, and was the catalyst for the Yonamine book itself)

Wally was born Kaname Yonamine in Hawaii in 1925, even though he was of primarily Japanese ancestry this still made him a foreigner to the Japanese, a Nisei (second generation) in their own terms. The stoic xenophobia of the Japanese restricted him from being considered a countryman by heritage. He was a stunning athlete from a very young age, with considerable skill and ability in Football – in fact, he was drafted and signed by the San Francisco Giants in the late 40s and played on their squad in 1947. It was by principle that he ended up playing baseball to mitigate his risk and recovery from Football injury, and by chance that his success in baseball eventually led to his signing by the Yomiuri Giants as the first American to play professional baseball in Japan since World War II.

When you consider the duality of this situation, the true enigma of Wally’s achievement shines through. As a Japanese American in the late-40s, he was the subject of suspicion due to the resilience of wartime distrust of these people. On the other side of the coin, derision prevailed when he existed as an interloper into the starch-encrusted traditional and nationalistic game of Japanese Baseball during the very same period of time. There was no win-win for Wally, the only thing he had to hold on to…was WIN.

His achievements in NPB (Nippon Professional Baseball) not only set a personal standard he consistently set out to improve upon, but also showcased a new style of playing to the Japanese…yes, an American style of playing. He was an American, and was unique in not accepting but in joyfully professing this trait.

Wally’s premise as a player and his attitude towards the game – and aggressiveness on the field – turned heads in Japan to the point of enabling (not forcing) the traditional pundits of the game to heed and ultimately adopt his style and love of the game over a brief period of time. You see, this was one person who changed the way an entire nation enjoyed, as well as played, the American game of Baseball. Just think what a Wally Yonamine could do today, here, to break the ice that has hardened so many hearts to the National Pastime. A guy who enters the arena with no love, and proves everything you think about him, his people, and the game he plays with a smile and an effective hook slide.



Wally made it possible for players from other countries, not just America, to enter and share the unique karma that is Japanese Baseball. Matt Murton, who broke Ichiro Suzuki’s single season record for hits in 2010, would have never been afforded that opportunity if Wally hadn’t pushed that door open in the manner that he did. Here is where you consider the similar actions of Jackie Robinson, who never blew his cool, thus improving the electricity and opportunities of Baseball in the U.S.

Wally was also a practicing Catholic, again in a country that systematically rejects this type of Christian faith (and Christian faith as a whole). Always flashing that smile, Yonamine flew the Baseball Flag proudly.

It was Japanese Baseball that changed the way I felt about American Baseball many years ago, it was Wally Yonamine to whom I will always endow the credit for his part in making Japanese Baseball – and American Baseball, too – the institution I love so much today.

Thanks, Wally…you are in a much better place today, and shagging fly balls with the best of the best. It’s our personal pain in missing your presence in our lives here that will someday translate into the benefits of our lives everlasting. Rest in peace, champ!

Sayonara, Hirumanu-san!!

As if we didn't know this was coming, what we call a textbook 'visit from the inevitable' occurred immediately following a great Royals game on Wednesday.

Trey Hillman was no doubt informed when the Royals returned from their road trip that he should start packing right away; the club made the announcement at the end of the Indians @ Royals series. 5 minutes after I turned the game off, the messages started pouring in...



It's pretty fair to say that this just didn't work out right from the start. I was optimistic about the possibilities, but in all fairness...I've been a Japanese baseball fan for many years (longer than MLB in recent times) and Hillman's success in NPB just can't translate over here.

Nick at Broken Bat Single hit the nail on the head during his 5/13/10 Podcast: Trey 'knew everything' and this pretty much led to his downfall. I want to take that assessment one step further and attempt to grasp this - he thought he "knew better" than everyone else. In the Japanese leagues, this works most of the time, but if the front office disagrees, you submit to them and that's that (dependent upon which club you are managing). Hillman in MLB pretty much took his headstrong way into the Royals organization, without any checks and balances from the Royals front office, and this is one way you can speculate on his early exit as the club manager.



So, "that didn't work" and it's time to move on. Trey will make a fantastic bench coach for any team, probably better in the AL unless he shows some signs of strategic flexibility. As a bench coach, he can still profess that he 'knows better,' but has a direct voice next to him in the dugout that can rule out when he's wrong and not carry an unpredictable situation on the field into a predictable disaster.

He probably won't be returning to Japan...he burned a few bridges there.

Hillman really is one of my favorite people in baseball, here's a toast to Trey...you gave it your best shot (seriously) and here's hoping you find something soon in the type of position for the type of organization that can utilize your prowess to a harmonious advantage.

As for the Royals...this team does deserve better. Kauffman is Holy Ground, and there seems to be enough talent on the team that can make a difference with the right leader. Ned Yost probably isn't that leader, but who knows?