Of Course

The terror suspect's most obvious nods to Western culture were a well-worn Mets cap and a can of Axe body spray - a favorite of teenage boys.

via Josh Levin

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This Week in Schadenfreude

This Week in Schadenfreude has nothing to do with baseball, but I couldn't resist.

Ted and I have long been die-hard fans of the University of Miami's football team, ever since we started attending games in Orange Bowl with our parents in 1991. Like all Canes fans, we harbor a special distaste for Ohio State University (if you don't know why, don't ask). So you can imagine my joy when I read Chris Brown's takedown of Jim Tressel today at Dr. Saturday. Read it, and try not to break into uncontrollable giddy laughter.


Image via The 7th Floor.

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Tech Miscellany

The dumb nerds visionaries at Baseball Reference have answered the prayers of many lazy baseball bloggers and made their data tables embeddable. Now it is ridiculously easy for me to point out that Emilio Bonifacio is terrible at getting on base.

Emilio Bonifacio                                                     
Year    Tm   G  PA  AB   H BB SO   BA  OBP  SLG  OPS OPS+
2009   FLA 115 494 449 113 33 93 .252 .303 .310 .613   63

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 9/3/2009.



Thanks to everyone at Baseball Reference for making my life easier.


Image via chantastic's flickrstream.

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MDH Off-Topic: Questions To Avoid During Hall of Fame Weekend

Note: I've inveighed against a lazy trope employed by sportswriters once before, and it was fun, so let's do it again.

For one weekend every summer, fans, journalists, and retired ballplayers assemble en masse in Cooperstown for the annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony. It is widely regarded as one of the most enjoyable experiences a baseball fan can have, taking in the history of the game at its designated mecca among some of the greatest players in baseball history. I've never been to Hall of Fame weekend at Cooperstown, but I would like to someday.

As much as fans love Hall of Fame weekend, sportswriters love it even more. They get to take the same pilgrimage as the fans, only they get paid to go by their employer, plus they get media credentials and access to Hall of Famers. Not only does this make for an enjoyable business trip, but an easy week of columns. In the week following Hall of Fame weekend, we get to read almost every baseball scribe in America write about what Hall of Famers think about the scandals du jour in Major League Baseball. Some examples from this week:

• Should steroid users be allowed in the Hall of Fame? (Answer: We all disagree.)
• What do you think about pitch counts? (Answer: DO NOT WANT!)
• What about Pete Rose? (Answer: Why not, other than the fact that he agreed to a lifetime ban from baseball?)
  

The problem with this is that I do not care at all what other Hall of Famers have to say about anything. Just because they all show up in one place does not mean we need to ask them about the pressing questions of the day. What do we gain when we learn Tom Seaver does not like pitch counts? I say not much. If his salary depended on young pitchers not getting injured, I bet he'd be a little more forgiving of the pitch count. Same with asking former players about who belongs in the Hall of Fame. If they could vote for the Hall of Fame, then maybe it would be newsworthy. But in the grand scheme of things, Hank Aaron's opinion on these matters means about as much as mine (which is to say, not much). So please, stop telling me what a bunch of retired ballplayers think. Thank you.

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Just a Thought...

I'm not sure who is the luckier party here; Willie Mays for getting to ride on Air Force One with the President, or Barack Obama for getting to hang out with Willie Mays.

On second thought, I'll go with Obama. Presidents come and go, but there is only one Willie Mays...


Official White House Photo by Pete Souza via WoW

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What in the name of Vishnu...

This post has nothing to do with anything, but even so, after seeing this picture, how can we take Michael Jordan seriously as a human being anymore?



Image via Page 2

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MDH Off-Topic: Stop Invoking the NFL

Perhaps you have not noticed, but baseball tends to have an inferiority complex vis-a-vis the NFL (Okay, there's no way you haven't noticed that, I'm sorry for suggesting otherwise). The source of this is quite clear: Major League Baseball, once America's Pastime, makes less money and generates less interest (but more controversy), than the NFL (or "King Sport," as Greg Cote puts it fondly). Because of this inferiority complex, it is not uncommon to see baseball scribes invoke the NFL when discussing any of MLB's biggest sources of criticism. This week, on the subject of scheduling inequities as a result of interleague play, ESPN's Jayson Stark writes,

Baseball isn't the only sport with schedule inequities. The NFL is loaded with them. Just a quick for-instance: The Jets and Patriots will play 14 games against common opponents (or each other) this year. But in the other two games (that's one-eighth of the schedule, remember), the Patriots draw the Ravens and Broncos, while the Jets get the Raiders and Bengals. Have you heard one complaint about that? From anybody? So how come baseball takes all the heat?

This is not the only subject in which the NFL gets invoked as a kind of smokescreen. Whenever the subject of competitiveness comes up, many writers gladly point out that MLB has seen a higher percentage of its teams make playoffs and win championships than the NFL. In January, Steve Caimano at Dugout Central wrote:

The NFL has more parity than MLB. Really? In the last ten years there have been eight different Super Bowl winners. There have also been eight different World Series winners. In the last ten years 15 different teams have played in the Super Bowl. There have also been 15 different teams in the World Series. In the last ten years 23 different teams have played in the AFC and NFC Conference Championship games. There have also been 23 different teams in the AL and NL League Championship Series. The NFL has made it a priority to sell parity and they’ve succeeded. They would have you believe that every team has a chance to win in their league. Tell that to the fans in Kansas City, Oakland and Detroit.

Then there is the subject of steroids, of course. The NFL has seen its share of steroids problems, and sportswriters are happy to let you know. Take Hat Guy, for instance (apropos of this, Jesus do I miss FJM...):

Barry Bonds couldn’t get a contract endorsing hemorrhoid cream, but guys who tested positive in the NFL, which Bonds never did in baseball, are valued pitchmen for Nike and video games.

Can you say hypocrisy?

I get it, the NFL isn't perfect. But isn't setting the NFL up as a straw man when discussing any of MLB's numerous shortcomings a bit overdone by now? I propose we retire this practice once and for all, and move on. Who's with me?

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Defining Baseball

Last month, Slate ran a reader contest asking for a definition of baseball in 150 words or less. They announced the winners today. I like to apply the Louis Armstrong definition of jazz ("Man, if you gotta ask you'll never know") - if only to repel anyone who would ask that question.

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Quick Question

MLB Network's Mitch Williams:


Grey's Anatomy's Eric Dane:
Separated at birth?

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MDH Off-Topic: The Draft

MLB announced this afternoon that the first three rounds of the amateur draft will be broadcast live from the studios at the MLB Network. The draft will begin at 6 pm on June 9 (a Tuesday), allowing seamheads to drool over not-yet-fully formed prospects and question their teams' collective IQ a la the NFL Draft. The rest of the draft will be held over the following two days via telephone conference call, which is the usual protocol.

I think this will probably be a good thing for MLB, though I doubt the MLB draft will ever approach the cultural cache of the NFL Draft (though I'm sure no one expects it to). But now that the MLB has decided to make its amateur draft a television event, who will become baseball's Mel Kiper? Judging from the MLB Network's roster of personalities, it does not appear the network has a draft guru on staff.

Allow me to throw my hat in the ring. If MLB is looking for someone to offer uncertain evaluations with uncommon certainty, somone unafraid to criticize general managers for bad picks, and someone whose unconsciounably bad hair will distract viewers, then I'm their man. I've already submitted my resume, so it's pretty much a done deal. I won't be able to do it alone, though. If you'd like to be my personal assistant, please submit a resume and cover letter in the comments.

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MDH Off-Topic: Should Curt Schilling Be in the Hall of Fame?

Ed. note: Since there is plenty going on in the baseball world outside the purview of the Florida Marlins, we are starting a new series, MDH Off Topic, in which we discuss something non-Marlins-related.

Curt Schilling is calling it a career, as he announced on his blog this week, and discussion of his Hall of Fame credentials has already begun. Dugout Central posted a good thread on the subject yesterday, in which Thomas Wayne weighed Schilling's decent career stats versus his stellar postseason career before opening up the floor for discussion. He asks,

Is Schilling’s post season dominance strong enough to get his really-good-but-not-great career numbers over the Hall of Fame hump?

You can read the discussion here, but I thought I would make a few points on Schilling's chances here. I think Schilling is a borderline candidate, but I expect him to be selected to the Hall, maybe even on the first ballot. We could argue about whether he deserves to be elected, but since I don't have a vote, my opinion on that matter does not mean much. Instead, I would like to take a look at two factors which could weigh on the minds of voters as they pore over their HOF ballot in five years.

1. Hall of Fame voters have shown that they are not yet prepared to elect any players connected to steroids use. This certainly was the case with Mark McGwire. However, I would not be surprised if, in five years, some of the voters who come out in favor of Schilling cite his role in the steroid scandal as a reason for election (in addition to the stats). Schilling undoubtedly won a decent amount of goodwill from voters by talking to SI on the record for their big steroids expose and appearing in front of Congress to testify about performance-enhancing drugs. Goodwill goes a long way in Hall-of-Fame voting.
2. Hall-of-Fame voters tend to like waxing poetic about baseball, and Schilling’s contribution to his 2001 and 2004 World Series teams will help get him elected. Between the bloody sock and the slaying of the Yankee dynasty, Schilling's place in postseason lore is secure. Winning championships changes your legacy completely. Just ask John Elway.
   

I think these two factors help get Schilling elected. I'm still not sure whether I would vote for him, but my vote accounts for nothing.


Photo via Orioles Card "O" the Day

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