Strength of Schedule
Sky says the Rays have had one of the easiest paths to this point.
Fantastic...
9 months ago
R.J. Anderson
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I agree, they've played the A's, Indians, O's, Twins. White Sox
M’s and Marlins none with a 500 record
No games v TEX, LAA, TOR or DET
Sternberg’s comments a bit fuzzy
by Raymondo on Jun 1, 2009 2:34 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I also feel like we've been the most unlucky team so far.
Sign lady must die.
by EminenceFront on Jun 1, 2009 2:42 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
yesterday's game was the epitome of the 'tale of two seasons'
by Raymondo on Jun 1, 2009 2:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
That was a good game.
I would rather lose 100 of those than 10 blow-outs.
Sign lady must die.
by EminenceFront on Jun 1, 2009 2:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah. I know. I agree.
Sign lady must die.
by EminenceFront on Jun 1, 2009 2:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The MOST unlucky? Probably not.
Unlucky to some extent other than the MOST unlucky, other than in schedule strength. Probably.
Beyond the Boxscore // Calling BJ Upton lazy is lazy.
by Sky Kalkman on Jun 1, 2009 11:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I've been saying this for awhile, yet I always get bashed for it
The typical draysbay retort was that the O’s, A’s, M’s and Indians are somehow “good” teams.
by matthan on Jun 1, 2009 2:43 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Maybe we shouldn't have traded Edwin Jackson for a new schedule then.
/getting that dumb meme out of the way
by R.J. Anderson on Jun 1, 2009 2:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
If Jackson keeps up the year he's having
Joyce will need to be Markakis, for it to be an equal value
But we were able to sign, Kapler and Nelson, by dumping salary—Yay
by Raymondo on Jun 1, 2009 2:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
OH MY GOD DOES EVERY DISCUSSION HAVE TO BE ABOUT EDWIN JACKSON
by mittens on Jun 1, 2009 2:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Shouldn't have dealt Delmon Young either.
by R.J. Anderson on Jun 1, 2009 2:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It's too bad he doesn't get more love.
by R.J. Anderson on Jun 1, 2009 2:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I wouldn't mind having him in RF right now....
Sign lady must die.
by EminenceFront on Jun 1, 2009 2:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Should have got in a bidding war for Julio Lugo
Rays Win!
by Sandy Kazmir on Jun 2, 2009 9:49 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
A's and Indians are highly touted here
I think the writers respect Beane and Shapiro
by Raymondo on Jun 1, 2009 2:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Uh, because they are good teams.
The O’s, A’s, and Indians are in the top 5 for toughest schedules. Therefore their record doesn’t indicate how good they are.
Sign lady must die.
by EminenceFront on Jun 1, 2009 2:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
No they aren't
If they are good teams then there are no such thing as bad teams. What teams are worse than those teams in the American league??
You have to make the cut-off for great/good/average/bad/horrible at some point. You can’t realistically say the teams that will end up with the worst records in the league are in fact good. That just destroys the meaning of the word.
by matthan on Jun 1, 2009 2:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
CLE fans refer to guys like him as shappies, supporters of Shapiro, whatever he does
by Raymondo on Jun 1, 2009 2:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm not a fan of Shapiro.
Sign lady must die.
by EminenceFront on Jun 1, 2009 2:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Not a good one.
Sign lady must die.
by EminenceFront on Jun 1, 2009 2:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
All four of those teams will be at or around .500 at the end of the year.
Based on the fact that they played the toughest schedule in the bigs in the first two months. They should right themselves based on the remaining SoS.
Sign lady must die.
by EminenceFront on Jun 1, 2009 2:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
That is ridiculous
By the same logic you can say the Rays are the worst team in the American league.
by matthan on Jun 1, 2009 2:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Either way you didn't answer my question
Who are the M’s, A’s, Indians, and O’s going to finish ahead of?
The Royals will finish in that pack somewhere. So that is 1 team.
That is still means those 4 teams finish somewhere clustered in the 10th-14th teams in the AL…and there are only 14 teams in the AL.
by matthan on Jun 1, 2009 2:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I hope the M's finishh in second in the ALW.
by R.J. Anderson on Jun 1, 2009 3:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I like the M's
But I think thats a stretch. It is certainly possible. I think the Indians and As are near locks to finish 13th and 14th in the league. The O’s and M’s do have a chance of moving up a bit. Especially if the Rays and Angels suck it up. Although it is pretty doubtful.
by matthan on Jun 1, 2009 3:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Depends on whether the M's deal Bedard/Beltre.
And if they can find a taker for that joke of a middle infield. Oh and dump Griffey.
by R.J. Anderson on Jun 1, 2009 3:14 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Unless you think the Rays, Jays, Twins or Angels finish near the bottom of the AL?
Possible I guess, but I doubt it.
by matthan on Jun 1, 2009 3:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It's possible to finish 12th-14th in the AL with a .500 record (or close to it).
I wouldn’t call that a “bad” team. Just a tough division.
Sign lady must die.
by EminenceFront on Jun 1, 2009 3:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Finishing deadlast means you failed, had a horrible season, and had a bad team
There is just no other way to slice it. And the team that finishes dead last wont be close to .500. Sure they’ll have a better record than the Nats.
Either way the goal isn’t to finish with a set winning percentage. Winning is based upon a comparative basis. Your record vs their record. If your team ends up with the worst record in the league then guess what? You have the worst team in the league. At best you can make some argument based on runs that you may be the 12th or 13th team. That isn’t cookie worthy.
by matthan on Jun 1, 2009 3:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The A's are under .400
I just find it hard to believe that they will even sniff .500 this year
by matthan on Jun 1, 2009 3:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I didn't say it would happen.
Just that it is possible.
Sign lady must die.
by EminenceFront on Jun 1, 2009 3:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Royals are next.
And then the Nats June 12-14, followed by the Rockies!
Today, we are all Honkballers.
by RATW on Jun 1, 2009 5:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Another way to frame it...
If the Rays are playing such poor ball against the Indians, As, O’s, and M’s then where are we going to make up the ground? Last year we crushed the lower tier teams and did okay against the top teams. This year it has to be reversed.
by matthan on Jun 1, 2009 3:14 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Don't forget that teams above us also hit walls and go through rough patches.
Every team has their ups and downs throughout the season. The only difference right now is that the lower teams in the AL haven’t really hit the good streaks yet. A combination of us doing better and other teams doing worse is how we gain ground.
The A’s aren’t going to lose forever and the Blue Jays aren’t going to win forever. It’s how regression and statistical analysis works.
Sign lady must die.
by EminenceFront on Jun 1, 2009 3:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Actually the A’s, M’s, O’s and Indians lose to everyon else but still beat us.
And that is not how statistical analysis works. What measure says that those teams are going to improve? For example the O’s, M’s and A’s are the last three teams in the AL according to run differential (the Indians are tied for 10th).
What data do you have that shows that the As are not in fact the worst team in the league? They may not end up sub .400, but they’ll be lucky to end up over .425
by matthan on Jun 1, 2009 3:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Josh Outman is a beast
He’s going to put the team on his back and carry them to the playoffs. He will also kill 50 ninjas in one fight.
Rays Win!
by Sandy Kazmir on Jun 2, 2009 9:50 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I know this is off topic, but Outman's looked pretty damn good this year.
He’s probably been the best young Oakland starter this year, with a good K/BB and low HR rate, and most people would not have guessed that. Curious to see if it continues. Oakland’s not done well with the “spaghetti on the wall” strategy with starters this year, but finding out that Outman could be a good number 2 or 3 going forward is one benefit of the strategy. Toronto, now there’s a team with some really sticky spaghetti so far.
Beyond the Boxscore // Calling BJ Upton lazy is lazy.
by Sky Kalkman on Jun 2, 2009 10:37 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Well said Sky.
Who do you see from Toronto lasting? Will it matter if Marcum and McGowan come back and do their thing? Also, I saw THIS on B-Ref, congrats man.
Rays Win!
by Sandy Kazmir on Jun 2, 2009 10:56 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Ha, thanks, it's a lot of luck so far.
And I really just averaged CHONE and PECOTA projections. It was my way of showing the Dugout Central guys that they really don’t know any more than the computers. Although the aggregate human projections are doing quite well.
As for Toronto, and pardon my pulling this out of my ass, I like Romero and Cecil the best long terms (obviously because they’re younger), but Purcey and Richmond might be just as good this year. None are as good as their ERAs would suggest, and tRA thinks only Halladay deserves to have an ERA better than average so far. If they’re going to compete all season, one or two of those four guys really has to step up and BE a 3.50 to 4.00 ERA guy, and one of McGowan or Marcum needs to come back in that range, too. Because of their depth, though, they shouldn’t have to trot out anyone with worse than a 4.75 ERA skillset, and maybe four guys with 4.25 or better talent.
The A’s rotation should improve a lot, mostly because many of their pitchers are better than they’ve shown, and there’s not a lot of room to get worse.
Beyond the Boxscore // Calling BJ Upton lazy is lazy.
by Sky Kalkman on Jun 2, 2009 11:35 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I can't believe this has more comments than that Drafting Catchers piece.
I’m pretty sure there’s an inverse relationship between how long you spend on something and how many comments you get.
by R.J. Anderson on Jun 1, 2009 2:45 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
are you mad that nobody has commented on your new haircut?
by mittens on Jun 1, 2009 2:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Also how well an article is written.
There isn’t much left to comment on in the catcher piece. Everything is pretty well covered.
Sign lady must die.
by EminenceFront on Jun 1, 2009 2:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
That's a secret? Huh, learn something every day. :0
Sign lady must die.
by EminenceFront on Jun 1, 2009 2:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Whew...BFF, Suttree!
Sign lady must die.
by EminenceFront on Jun 1, 2009 3:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
not i RJ--fans realize the 30th pick is a crap shoot
by Raymondo on Jun 1, 2009 2:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I was under the impression that Jeff Mathis was a lot better than -0.1 WAR.
I can’t believe a Niemann for Mathis deal would look better for the Angels at this point in their careers.
by R.J. Anderson on Jun 1, 2009 2:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
When are you going to post it at BtB? DO IT!
Beyond the Boxscore // Calling BJ Upton lazy is lazy.
by Sky Kalkman on Jun 1, 2009 11:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I miss John Halama...
Sign lady must die.
by EminenceFront on Jun 1, 2009 3:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
4.85 FIP with us.
That’s really not all that bad considering he was a 6th starter type.
by R.J. Anderson on Jun 1, 2009 3:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Play it off, Keyboard Cat
Swav or Die
For the lulz
by SRQman on Jun 1, 2009 3:34 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Sext-keyboard cat is 6x teh lulz.
Sign lady must die.
by EminenceFront on Jun 1, 2009 3:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Completely random but what's the deal with DRB merchandise? When are those shirts expected to be available?
by nolesblogger on Jun 1, 2009 3:47 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Not sure when they'll be available. Depends on how many I can get done and the feasability of certain designs.
So far 2-3 completely done.
Sign lady must die.
by EminenceFront on Jun 1, 2009 3:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm assuming the DRB logo is going to be on it's own.
BJ, Logo, and the “8 more years” if we want to go with that one.
Sign lady must die.
by EminenceFront on Jun 1, 2009 4:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The 8MY one didn't work like I originally thought it would.
The fonts are just too hard.
by R.J. Anderson on Jun 1, 2009 4:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Right.
I have time tonight…I’ll see what else I can do.
Sign lady must die.
by EminenceFront on Jun 1, 2009 4:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Just use the hit tracker picture on the back
Get those guys to make you a custom one that has every dinger he’s hit and then give them 10% of the net to update it yearly. By 2016 it will just be a big blue blob overlayed on a baseball diamond.
Rays Win!
by Sandy Kazmir on Jun 2, 2009 9:53 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Is it possible to make each design available as you go?
This might also lead to more people buying more than one design since they won’t be spending more at once.
by nolesblogger on Jun 1, 2009 4:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
That's the plan we just didn't want to "open shop" with just one choice.
Sign lady must die.
by EminenceFront on Jun 1, 2009 4:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
makes sense
You guys just played with our balls for a little bit with that first post about it and haven’t really mentioned it since.
by nolesblogger on Jun 1, 2009 4:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Suspenseful...
Sign lady must die.
by EminenceFront on Jun 1, 2009 4:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
There's an idea for a shirt
BJ GIVES ME BLUEBALLS
Rays Win!
by Sandy Kazmir on Jun 2, 2009 9:54 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Then in smaller font have it say
in play, run(s)
Rays Win!
by Sandy Kazmir on Jun 2, 2009 9:54 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
So here's my shirt
On the front:
BJ GIVES ME BLUEBALLS
On the back:
Rays Win!
by Sandy Kazmir on Jun 2, 2009 10:13 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
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