Games aren’t played on paper

Posted on March 15, 2013 by danglickman

With Team USA’s 4-3 loss to Puerto Rico and elimination from the World Baseball Classic, there are certain to be many theories as to why, once again, the Americans failed. Some are legitimate (lack of conditioning compared to teams from Asia and Latin America, the various dropouts from the event), some aren’t (the claim that the American players “didn’t care” about the games or their outcomes is easily disproved by Vinnie Pestano‘s post-game Tweet), and some are probably somewhere in between. But, ultimately, the fact that Team USA fell can be brought down to this:

It’s baseball, and in baseball, games aren’t played on paper. And that means weird things can happen, and even small mistakes can doom giants, especially in settings such as tournaments where the margin of error is small.

Consider: Who could have expected that the Team USA lineup would be so anemic (sans David Wright, now resting from his wounds in a S.H.I.E.L.D. Heli-Carrier until he is needed in 2017, and Joe Mauer, who reminded the world about how beautiful a swing he has) for much of the tournament? On paper, you wouldn’t have expected it, but the games aren’t played on paper.

Or consider Nelson Figueroa, who hadn’t thrown a pitch in the Majors since 2011. Who could have expected him to have the night of his life? Or that the umpiring would have had such a… unusual strike zone? Nobody. There are countless other variables that determine this tournament and any given game. And tonight, those variables helped put Puerto Rico on top.

So, before you go ripping into Team USA, or calling for the WBC to be cancelled (it won’t be), just remember: this is baseball. The best team doesn’t always win. Some of the greatest teams in baseball history* haven’t won. It’s what makes the sport great. It’s why we watch. And sometimes, it can be very cruel and fickle game.

So enjoy the rest of the World Baseball Classic, people, because, like all baseball, we have no idea what’s going to happen.

*The 1906 Cubs, the 1954 Indians, the 1969 Orioles, the 2001 Mariners…

Picture of the day: Erick Aybar, Hero of the Dominican

Posted on March 15, 2013 by danglickman

After his go-ahead hit last night in the instant-classic game between the Dominican Republic and Team USA, it’s unlikely that Erick Aybar will ever have to pay for a drink in the Dominican again.

This photo was taken by Keith Allison and is used under a creative commons license.

Famous for Something Else: Danny Ainge

Posted on March 14, 2013 by danglickman

Danny Ainge was an All-Star with the Boston Celtics, and later would become an award-winning executive for them after he hung up the uniform. But before he started his professional basketball career, the BYU grad had a short career with the Blue Jays. Go below the jump to see his major league and minor league stats:

Continue reading →

Picture of the day: Kirby in Cooperstown

Posted on March 14, 2013 by danglickman

Today would have been Kirby Puckett‘s 53rd birthday. In honor of that, here’s what his plaque in the Hall of Fame reads:

This picture was taken by “Islespunkfan” and is used under a creative commons license.

Coming up on the Baseball Continuum (March edition)…

Posted on March 13, 2013 by danglickman

As the WBC continues and Opening Day draws near (Thank the Baseball Gods!), here’s a look at what you can expect from the Continuum by the end of the month:

Perhaps the most out-of-left-field (pun intended) “Bizarre Baseball Culture” since Rockets Rigby. And considering that series has had Martians, exploding baseballs, and Atomic Super-Wood, that is saying something.
A list of 162 things I think will happen in the 2013 season, both honest and facetious.
A few ideas on things that would make good baseball movies (I’ve done similar things in the past, but this will be more in depth).
More of the usual features of the Continuum, such as “Famous for Something Else”, “Cool Baseball Links”, “Picture of the Day” and “Video of the Undetermined Amount of Time”.
And, of course, the latest WBC coverage and overall coverage of baseball in general.

Jurickson Profar will be playing for Team Netherlands after all- here’s why that matters

Posted on March 13, 2013 by danglickman

Jurickson Profar will be playing for Team Netherlands after all, taking over for the injured Yurendell de Caster.

So why does that matter?

Well, for one Profar (a switch-hitting middle infielder) is the top prospect in baseball, according to MLB.com and other sources such as Baseball America. He’s only 20, but has already played a short stint in the majors last season, even having a home run in his first AB. But it’s what he’s done in the minors that is especially impressive… take a look:

Year	Age	Tm	Lg	Lev	Aff	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	TB	GDP	HBP	SH	SF	IBB
2010	17	Spokane	NORW	A-	TEX	63	288	252	42	63	19	0	4	23	8	3	28	46	.250	.323	.373	.696	94	8	0	6	2	0
2011	18	Hickory	SALL	A	TEX	115	516	430	86	123	37	8	12	65	23	9	65	63	.286	.390	.493	.883	212	7	11	6	4	2
2012	19	Frisco	TL	AA	TEX	126	562	480	76	135	26	7	14	62	16	4	66	79	.281	.368	.452	.820	217	11	5	2	9	5
3 Seasons						304	1366	1162	204	321	82	15	30	150	47	16	159	188	.276	.367	.450	.817	523	26	16	14	15	7

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 3/13/2013.

And, what’s more, it provides another MLB-level (or close to it) bat into the Dutch lineup, something that will come in handy against whoever they play in the semi-finals. Okay, that isn’t really that much of analysis, but it is true. And, what’s more, it could provide a psychological boost for the Dutch: they are now heading into the semi-finals round and now they are going to be joined by one of the best future stars of baseball.

Should be interesting to see how it all turns out.

The WBC-is-fine Update

Posted on March 13, 2013 by danglickman

A few days ago, I wrote about why the World Baseball Classic probably isn’t going anywhere, despite the doom-sayers. So, here are some things that further back up my that the World Baseball Classic is going to continue:

The ratings for MLB Network have been very good

The USA-Canada game was the most watched non-postseason game ever shown on MLB Network, and last weekend was the most watched weekend in MLB Network’s history. While the TV audience is down from previous WBCs that had games on ESPN, this was almost certainly expected when they moved the games to MLB Network, which, of course, isn’t on as many TVs as ESPN.

Attendance broke the previous record for the first round

463,017 people attended WBC games in round one, almost 10 thousand more than the previous record in 2009.

The ratings elsewhere in the world have continued to be high

As I and others elsewhere have pointed out, this event isn’t really about the United States, it’s about the rest of the world and how MLB can spread baseball in it, leading to more players and, even more importantly, more profit. And, guess what? The WBC still is getting record ratings in other parts of the world.

Add that to the big social media buzz (“#WBC” and similar things are trending during nearly every game, it seems), and the picture is becoming further clear: The WBC is here to stay.

Picture of the day: Captain America

Posted on March 13, 2013 by danglickman

David Wright had five RBIs in Team USA’s victory over Puerto Rico last night, and now has 10 RBIs in the tournament overall. Adding that to his stellar performance back in 2009, and he has been dubbed by Matt Vasgersian of MLB Network- along with parts of the internet- as “Captain America”.

Sadly/thankfully, there are no images of David Wright in a Captain America costume that are in either the public domain or Creative Commons (or, indeed, anywhere), so this picture will have to do: