Tonight:
6 PM: SIlver Slugger Awards announced, MLB Network
9 PM: Arizona Fall League. Salt River Rafters (Prospects from D-Backs, Rockies, Cardinals, Rays, Blue Jays ) at Scottsdale Scorpions (Braves, Mets, Yankees, Pirates, Giants)
Stuff today to view:
6 PM: Finalists for BBWAA awards revealed on MLB Network.
7:30 PM: Dominican League Baseball (Tigres del Licey vs. Toros del Este) on the WatchESPN app.
9 PM: Arizona Fall League: Mesa Solar Sox (prospects from Cubs, Tigers, Angels, A’s and Nationals) at Salt River Rafters (prospects from Diamondbacks, Rockies, Cardinals, Rays and Blue Jays). MLB Network.
On internet and TV, here’s some games to keep the fire burning… all times are Eastern (note that they might bet screwed up by the daylight savings switch):
1:30 AM– JWBL “Japan Cup” Dione (JWBL) vs. Shobi University (College Team), will be streamed here.
Various Australian League Baseball Games, which can be accessed here. There are several doubleheaders and are on at various times from 1 AM all the way to 7:20 AM.
8 PM– Arizona Fall League All-Star Game on MLB Network.
8 PM- JWBL “Japan Cup” Saitama Sakae (High School Team) vs. “The Lady Hornets”, will be streamed here.
10 PM– JWBL “Japan Cup” Participants TBD, will be streamed here.
(In addition, the Boston victory parade will be tomorrow starting at 9 and will no doubt receive coverage on MLB Network and ESPN)
Today, I went up to Frontier Field to see the Rochester Red Wings unveil their new logo. They’d had their previous logo since the late ’90s, and I was curious to see what they’d do. Would they go retro and go fully to the ball-and-wings logo that they’d introduced as an alternate the past few years? Would it be something completely different, perhaps something with talons?
Well, it turned out to be like this:
Not bad. Keeps the old logo’s main theme while changing it up a bit, with other logos for home, road and alternate caps. The alternate cap logo “R”, in particular, serves as a retro touch that brings to mind Specs Toporcer and Rip Collins, while also serving to make the wordmark look classy.
(JUMP… note that this is an image-intensive post)
Well, now that the World Series is done, you probably are wondering what I’ll be doing to waste away the winter, especially since I won’t have any World Baseball Classic news to fill time with?
Well, here’s a run-down of what’s going to be happening:
The Obama administration’s nominee for new ambassador to New Zealand is Mark Gilbert. While his role at Barclays Wealth (banking and management) and his previous roles in fundraising for the 2012 campaign are likely the main reasons he was nominated, Gilbert is also a former MLB player, having had a cup of coffee with the White Sox in 1985:
| Year | Age | Tm | Lg | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | TB | GDP | HBP | SH | SF | IBB | Pos | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 28 | CHW | AL | 7 | 26 | 22 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | .273 | .385 | .318 | .703 | 93 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | /879 |
| 1 Yr | 7 | 26 | 22 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | .273 | .385 | .318 | .703 | 93 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 162 Game Avg. | 162 | 602 | 509 | 69 | 139 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 69 | 0 | 0 | 93 | 116 | .273 | .385 | .318 | .703 | 93 | 162 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
In addition, here are his minor league stats:
| Year | Age | Tm | Lg | Lev | Aff | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | TB | HBP | SH | SF | IBB | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 21 | Geneva | NYPL | A- | CHC | 65 | 319 | 263 | 83 | 89 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 37 | 35 | 7 | 48 | 36 | .338 | .444 | .407 | .851 | 107 | 3 | 4 | 1 | |
| 1979 | 22 | Quad Cities | MIDW | A | CHC | 117 | 487 | 407 | 80 | 128 | 12 | 7 | 0 | 55 | 50 | 22 | 65 | 51 | .314 | .416 | .378 | .795 | 154 | 8 | 4 | 3 | |
| 1980 | 23 | Waterbury | EL | AA | CIN | 49 | 172 | 154 | 12 | 31 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 13 | .201 | .276 | .214 | .491 | 33 | 2 | 2 | 0 | |
| 1981 | 24 | Waterbury | EL | AA | CIN | 105 | 442 | 360 | 60 | 89 | 15 | 5 | 5 | 31 | 26 | 8 | 71 | 47 | .247 | .374 | .358 | .732 | 129 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 5 |
| 1982 | 25 | Waterbury | EL | AA | CIN | 109 | 453 | 380 | 65 | 114 | 17 | 1 | 5 | 41 | 41 | 10 | 64 | 78 | .300 | .403 | .389 | .793 | 148 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| 1983 | 26 | Indianapolis | AA | AAA | CIN | 117 | 509 | 445 | 73 | 124 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 62 | 18 | 5 | 55 | 57 | .279 | .362 | .326 | .688 | 145 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 2 |
| 1984 | 27 | Wichita | AA | AAA | CIN | 137 | 572 | 486 | 84 | 136 | 18 | 7 | 6 | 46 | 55 | 18 | 77 | 86 | .280 | .382 | .383 | .765 | 186 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| 1985 | 28 | Buffalo | AA | AAA | CHW | 119 | 498 | 428 | 67 | 114 | 20 | 5 | 3 | 33 | 14 | 8 | 54 | 78 | .266 | .350 | .357 | .708 | 153 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 3 |
| 8 Seasons | 818 | 3452 | 2923 | 524 | 825 | 114 | 28 | 20 | 311 | 242 | 82 | 448 | 446 | .282 | .382 | .361 | .742 | 1055 | 30 | 37 | 14 | 14 | |||||
| A- (1 season) | A- | 65 | 319 | 263 | 83 | 89 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 37 | 35 | 7 | 48 | 36 | .338 | .444 | .407 | .851 | 107 | 3 | 4 | 1 | |||||
| A (1 season) | A | 117 | 487 | 407 | 80 | 128 | 12 | 7 | 0 | 55 | 50 | 22 | 65 | 51 | .314 | .416 | .378 | .795 | 154 | 8 | 4 | 3 | |||||
| AA (3 seasons) | AA | 263 | 1067 | 894 | 137 | 234 | 34 | 6 | 10 | 78 | 70 | 22 | 149 | 138 | .262 | .371 | .347 | .717 | 310 | 8 | 12 | 4 | 6 | ||||
| AAA (3 seasons) | AAA | 373 | 1579 | 1359 | 224 | 374 | 54 | 13 | 10 | 141 | 87 | 31 | 186 | 221 | .275 | .366 | .356 | .722 | 484 | 11 | 17 | 6 | 8 | ||||
If my WordPress is to be believed, this is my 1,000th post on the Baseball Continuum! So, let’s take a look back at some of the best posts here:
The First “Big” Post
The first “big” post here, the first to get any attention beyond the small group of friends and family that I told about the Continuum, was Baseball in the Year 2044: A look at “Rockets on the Mound”. The look I did at the obscure 1950s baseball sci-fi story was written about over on Hardballtalk, and It provided the template and something of a prologue to the Bizarre Baseball Culture segments I’ve done, which are probably the most popular things on this site.
The Most Viewed Posts
The top 10 most-viewed posts on the site all have to do with the World Baseball Classic, which isn’t surprising, given the fact I was one of maybe eight on the baseball blogosphere (at least in English) to give it the time of day and may well have been the first to start projecting out rosters. The most popular post that isn’t WBC related? Why, it’s the first Marvel/AAA Baseball Crossover. In case any of you who have read it missed it, I’ve actually talked to that comic’s writer as well as Chris Hill, who was one of the main people who made that promotion happen. The most viewed post that doesn’t involve the WBC or Bizarre Baseball Culture in any way was the post about strangest stadiums.
My Favorite Posts to Write
Two posts come to mind as my favorite to write, in no particular order:
The first is the one about international team names, just because it was so fun looking at all of the creative names abroad. One team, the Bolton Robots of Doom, liked it so much they sent me a t-shirt. I really need to find that t-shirt, it’s around here somewhere….
The second was the one on favorite baseball memories, simply because I was so glad and a little surprised at all of the ones I got back. I was expecting some from some of the bloggers I’d been in contact with before, but I was pleasantly surprised when I heard from some big-name writers and/or editors like Joe Posnanski, Howard Megdal and John Manuel. Besides, it was just cool to see all those memories.
Stupidest Post
This one. What was I thinking?
Most hilarious-in-hindsight post
The time I wrote an obituary for the 2012 Baltimore Orioles’ playoff hopes.
The One With the Most Photos
Probably the post on the Pepsi Legends game.
The post that got the most attention in my hometown
The Rochester Red Wings tweeted and Facebooked about my post about Jeff Clement and a miracle comeback.
The one that got the most attention in Hollywood
My recent post on Parks and Recreation‘s tie-in book got the attention of both show co-creator Michael Schur and Mets reliever David Aardsma.
And finally…
Thanks to everyone who has been reading the Continuum, promoting/linking to it, and helping to make it possible! The best is yet to come, and here’s to 1,000 more!
Todd Helton, as you no doubt heard, is retiring at the end of this year. I decided to look up what the Diamond Mines Scouting Reports database had to say about what he looked like as a young prospect.
The first in the database, from Expos scout Ed Creech in 1992, looked at him as a senior in High School. Creech didn’t seem too impressed, as projected him as having below average hitting ability.
Another Expos scout, Pat Sullivan, was more optimistic, seeing him as having an average future at the plate but noting he was still “crude” and had a ways to go with the bat.
There are a bunch of ones from later in the decade. One of the more interesting ones include a 1995 one by Russ Bove of the Brewers, which projected Helton as being a .265 hitter in the big leagues. Note that Helton has only four times in his 17-year career been under .265 hitter, and three of those times have been in the past four years and the other one was during a year where he had injury problems. Another one, by George Bradley of the White Sox, is interesting if only for the fact it compares Todd Helton’s physical form to an old man and not a big-name school’s quarterback (Helton infamously was replaced by Peyton Manning at the University of Tennessee). Of the reports, perhaps the one that came closest to seeing Helton’s potential was Ed Pebley, also of the White Sox, who saw him as being a .280-.300 hitter.
In other words, none of the scouts really saw Helton’s career- one that may land him in the Hall of Fame- coming. At least, they didn’t see it as being a possible Hall-of-Fame one.
Max Patkin was a famous “baseball clown” during the second half of the 20th century, even making an appearance in Bull Durham. But before he became the Clown Prince of Baseball, he had a brief minor league career that was interrupted by WWII:
| Year | Age | Tm | Lg | Lev | Aff | W | L | G | CG | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HBP | WP | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | 21 | Wisconsin Rapids | WISL | D | CHW | 10 | 8 | .556 | 3.94 | 27 | 13 | 178.0 | 170 | 94 | 78 | 95 | 134 | 9 | 13 | 1.489 | 8.6 | 4.8 | 6.8 | 1.41 |
| 1942 | 22 | 2 Teams | 1 Lg | D | CHW | 3 | 4 | .429 | 3.74 | 13 | 65.0 | 59 | 32 | 27 | 39 | 1.508 | 8.2 | 5.4 | ||||||
| 1942 | 22 | Green Bay, Wisconsin Rapids | WISL | D | CHW | 3 | 4 | .429 | 3.74 | 13 | 65.0 | 59 | 32 | 27 | 39 | 1.508 | 8.2 | 5.4 | ||||||
| 1946 | 26 | Wilkes-Barre | EL | A | CLE | 1 | 1 | .500 | 5 | |||||||||||||||
| 3 Seasons | 14 | 13 | .519 | 3.89 | 45 | 13 | 243.0 | 229 | 126 | 105 | 134 | 134 | 9 | 13 | 1.494 | 8.5 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 1.00 | |||||
| D (2 seasons) | D | 13 | 12 | .520 | 3.89 | 40 | 13 | 243.0 | 229 | 126 | 105 | 134 | 134 | 9 | 13 | 1.494 | 8.5 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 1.00 | ||||
| A (1 season) | A | 1 | 1 | .500 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||
When announcing lineups, the Rochester Red Wings often play “Love Rollercoaster”. It fits this season, as the AAA Twins affiliate seemed to be on one that had highs, lows, loops, 
corkscrews and no shortage of screaming and yelling. And now, after a blowout 13-3 victory on the final day of the season and a stunning 1-0 extra-inning defeat by the Norfolk Tides (AAA Orioles), the Wings now have made the playoffs for the first time since 2006 by virtue of holding a tie-breaker against Norfolk.
It was by no means a sure thing. Then again, there was very little “sure” about this season. The Wings started 2-11, they were in last place as late as May 29, they were in first later in the year, only to lose both that lead and also seemingly the wild card in a late skid after their best player (Chris Colabello) and best pitcher (Andrew Albers) were called up… and then, finally, at the end, they were able to pick themselves up and get to the playoffs, with a little luck.
(Go below the jump for more)
The Baseball Continuum 
