Is the AL actually better?
Written on 25 June 2008 by AneelReal research is supposed to be done without bias, without an expected outcome. This is not real research. This is just one NL fan who is sick to death of hearing that the AL is plain “better” than the NL based solely upon Interleague records. I know there’s not a TON of data (Interleague play has been around only since 1997), but you’d think SOMEONE would take a closer look. Even some baseball minds I deeply respect (Rob Neyer) seem to be concerned only with each league’s overall record in Interleague play.
So, let’s dig just a tiny bit deeper, shall we? Not much deeper… just Interleague records at home and away. Why? Well, I believe the AL’s Interleague dominance has MORE to do with the DH than anything else.
The last time that the NL won more Interleague games than the AL was in 2003, so lets begin in 2004. Overall, the AL is 663-530 (.556) in Interleague games since 2004. Oh, the humanity!!!
At home, the AL is an even more dominant 373-222 (.627), but on the road, they’re just 290-308 (.485). Oh, the humani… waaaa?? The AL is below .500 in road Interleague games since 2004?
Alright, it’s not MUCH below .500, but it is more losses than wins. What could that possibly mean? Could it be that the AL has a greater advantage than the NL when playing with home rules? The NL’s pitchers aren’t any better at hitting than the AL’s, pitchers, are they? But the AL’s designated hitters are certainly better than the NL’s. Since ‘04, AL designated hitters (overall) have a combined .262 BA and .794 OPS while the NL’s DHs have hit just .251 and own a .731 OPS. That difference is not exactly insignificant.
So the DH may very well be a huge advantage for the American League when playing at home. Not a bad explanation for why the AL wins more Interleague games if you ask me… the teams are basically evenly matched when pitchers bat in NL parks, but when the DH is in use in AL parks, the junior circuit dominates.
Is this definitive, undisputable evidence? No, obviously not. It is, however, enough to hopefully make broadcasters, analysts, and fans pause before saying “The AL is just better.”
The Amazing Bengie Molina
Written on 29 May 2008 by AneelThanks to my employer (STATS), I can give you some perspective on how tremendous and rare Bengie Molina’s current hot-streak has been: Molina has at least two hits in seven consecutive games… no Giants player, since the team moved to San Francisco in 1958, has enjoyed a longer streak. In other words, if Bengie collects at least two hits tonight, he will have the longest streak of consecutive games with 2+ hits in San Francisco Giants history.
Other San Francisco Giants with 7 game multi-hit game streaks are: Willie Mays (1958 & 1962), Orlando Cepeda (1963), Garry Maddox (1973), Jack Clark (1984), Stan Javier (1996), Jeff Kent (2002), and Marquis Grissom (2003).
It’s amazing what one hot-hitter can do to a lineup, isn’t it?
Fun Fact: The last time both the Mets and Yankees were below .500 on the same day this late in the season was 1995.
Mark Purdy Doesn’t Speak for Me
Written on 28 May 2008 by AneelAnyone else bothered by Mark Purdy’s most recent work?
Hey Mark Purdy - You know who misses Barry Bonds? I do. Me. Giants fan.
You know who else misses him? At least 6,000 other fans per night who aren’t buying tickets to Giants games. San Francisco’s average attendance in 2008 is 33,708 compared to 39,792 in 2007.
Oh yeah, and guess who else misses Barry? The Giants, whose pathetic offense manages just 3.75 runs per game.
You know what I, me, the Giants fan don’t care about? How Barry treated you. But my gut tells me that you care about it, and continue to do whatever you can to exact your revenge.
Stop. Enough already. Why continue to ignore how much the fans and team miss Barry? You don’t miss him. Fine. But don’t try to tell me that ‘no follower of the Giants’ misses him. We do.
Fun with Google Search
Written on 26 May 2008 by Aneel* Sunday nights are hard for me. In almost any occasion, I’d rather be watching a ballgame than not watching one. That said, listening to Joe Morgan spew his nonsense for 3 hours is not high on my list of favorite activities. And considering the miserable double-header in Florda I made the choice to skip Sunday night baseball this week. But just like the lookie-loos on the freeway who have to look at the accident, I couldn’t help myself this morning. I just had to check in and see if Morgan embarrassed himself. So here’s my point: I did a Google search for “Joe Morgan” and was pleasantly surprised at the #2 result. Fire Joe Morgan has made me laugh on many, many occasions, but this time I chuckled simply because of its location on the inter-web. Imagine if a search on your name yielded a site dedicated to your firing? Fire Joe Morgan finds a place on Google ahead of even Morgan’s impressive career stats! Good times.
* Joe Posnanski has coined a new term that I will immediately insert into my vernacular: Jeterate.
May Numbers on a Double Header Sunday
Written on 25 May 2008 by Aneel- The Giants have split each of their last nine double headers. They have not been swept, nor have they swept a double header since July 4, 2000, when they took both games from the Rockies.
- Remember how high we all were on Fred Lewis? Don’t get me wrong, I still prefer Lewis to other outfield options, but dude is hitting an Andruw Jones-like .188 this month.
- For some reason, many of my fellow Giants-bloggers out there are down on Keiichi Yabu… I’m not sure why. He’s not a power arm, but Yabu hasn’t allowed an earned run in May, and is making $390,000 this season. In my opinion, Yabu’ signing is an example of a good, under-the-radar Brian Sabean move. I’m not defending the guy, and I’d love to see him gone, but in the spirit of fairness… Sabean took a shot on a guy who had been out of the league for a couple years, and it appears to be working.
- Ray Durham apparently has a little more left in the tank than most of us thought. He’s hitting .366 this month (but is just 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position).
- I made another appearance in Jayson Stark’s blog this week.
A Scary Sentence
Written on 16 May 2008 by AneelThis… from Henry Schulman’s report in the SF Chronicle frightens me.
General manager Brian Sabean, whose contract runs through 2009, is expected to survive the management change and could emerge with more authority if Neukom takes a less visible role than Magowan did.
… more authority? Yes, yes… let’s give more power to the guy who said:
“You’re seven games under .500. That’s where you don’t want to be, but I really feel good about the energy around the club and I feel good about some of our choices. We’ve now got a solution at first base. We’ve got a solution at third. We’ve gotten Omar (Vizquel) back. Freddie Lewis has come into his own and (Emmanuel) Burriss has been a real factor lately.
“I don’t think we’re going to lose as many games as we did last year. If anything, we’re going to be a second-half team.”
Does anyone know what the #1 characteristic of a good leader is? Self-Awareness. I’ll let you decide how “aware” Sabean is.
The most frustrating part of Sabean’s statement is that if he truly believes the Giants are contenders, there’s little chance any veterans will be traded… not that there’s much interest in Aurilia, Winn, or Durham anyway.
Ugh. I’m frustrated.
Shawn Estes Returns?
Written on 13 May 2008 by AneelI don’t believe Giants fans would boo Santa Clause, but we can certainly be unreasonably harsh towards players who’ve hurt us. The boo-birds were out for Jose Cruz Jr. last night, probably because of his drop of a routine fly-ball in a game-3 post season loss against the Marlins in 1997. Giants fans also mercilessly boo Salomon Torres, because of his stinker on the final game of the 103-win-no-division-title 1993 season.
Later this month, one of my favorite Giants may be suiting up for the Padres at Mays Field. And if he does take the mound in San Francisco, I hope fans remember the good times and give Shawn Estes the standing ovation he deserves.
Anyone who followed the Giants in the late-90’s was both thrilled and mystified by Estes’ seemingly infinite upside. When his slow, sweeping curve-ball was working, Estes was unhittable. In Estes’ best season, 1997, he was 12-2 with a 2.51 ERA in his first 17 starts. In those first 17 games, Estes had three complete games, including two different 2-hit, complete game shutouts. He finished the season 19-5, and the team was 23-9 in his 32 starts.
Best Team Record When Pitcher Starts - Giants Since 1958
(Min 20 GS)
| Pitcher | Season | Record | Win% |
| Jason Schmidt | 2003 | 24-5 | .828 |
| Bill Swift | 1992 | 17-5 | .773 |
| Juan Marichal | 1964 | 25-8 | .758 |
| Kirk Rueter | 2002 | 25-8 | .758 |
| John Burkett | 1993 | 25-9 | .735 |
| Bob Shaw | 1965 | 24-9 | .727 |
| Juan Marichal | 1966 | 26-10 | .722 |
| Shawn Estes | 1997 | 23-9 | .719 |
I hope Estes does pitch at Mays field when the Padres are in town… and I hope you stand and thank a good Giant and a good guy.
The Beginning of the End?
Written on 6 May 2008 by AneelMany of the youngsters have performed well above their heads thus far in ‘08, and to me, tonight’s loss in Pittsburgh feels like the beginning of the end. No evidence, no analytical support… just a feeling.
* Barry Zito never made an appearance during his time in the bullpen… does anyone actually expect him to be better tomorrow?
* A-Rod is a pansy. Kidding, of course… this is actually the most humanizing story I’ve heard about A-Rod. I heard he fainted after someone ran into the delivery room and screamed “Mine!”.
* Time to move Countrywide to the top of the evil corporations list… unbelievable.
* Speaking of lists, this one made me laugh.
Brian Wilson likes eggs
Written on 4 May 2008 by AneelThere’s a really weird, but interesting piece about Brian Wilson’s diet in ESPN the Magazine. The more I read about Brian Wilson, the more he intrigues me. I generally respect people with strong convictions… in Wilson’s case, it’s his faith (and apparently his diet).
Bissinger… and catching up on some links
Written on 2 May 2008 by AneelI don’t live in my parents’ basement, and I maintain this site only because I enjoy the outlet. If in some small way, my existence makes life a little harder for sports journalists, so be it. I try to be fair, but this site is mine and I’m free to say what I feel. With that in mind, let me just say this: Buzz Bissinger was a huge jerk on Bob Costas’ show. Joe Posnanski recaps the circus quite well.
* ESPN The Magazine has written an open letter to Barry Zito. Pretty funny stuff. But Max Klinger is significantly more optimistic than I am about Zito’s chances of rediscovering his confidence.
* The NY Daily News reports that Mindy McCready confirms the alleged affair with Roger Clemens. That a professional athlete was unfaithful to his wife is hardly news, but her age (15) at the time the affair began makes this a huge story.
* I’ve been mentioned in two more Jayson Stark columns, here and here.
* And finally, this guy imitating 1980’s players batting stances may be the best thing I’ve seen in a long time…