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Jun-30-09
 | | Phony Benoni: I'm sure that the pitch on a steal of home counts as a pitch, unless the pitcher has stepped off the rubber or something before throwing. And the batter has a perfect right to swing at the ball, but I don't think he'd want to try. Take a look at this picture of Jackie Robinson stealing home: http://lancemannion.typepad.com/pho... A batter who stayed in the box would be more likely to interfere with the runner, and cut down his options. Even a left-handed hitter would want to get out of the way; you can see Robinson heading straight for the left-hand batting box. |
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Jun-30-09
| | Phony Benoni: And you can't steal second against Pettite; you might as well try to steal home. |
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| Jun-30-09 | | Jim Bartle: It's just I think a hitter can distract the catcher for a moment before getting out of the way. |
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Jun-30-09
| | Phony Benoni: Probably. I don't know how to check on this, but I'll bet most steals of home come with right-handed hitters. But he can probably get called for interference if he sticks around too long. |
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Jun-30-09
| | Phony Benoni: With the coming of a new month, it's time for another obligatory chess-related post. After all, this isn't the Kenneth Rogoff page or something. Besides, I won another game and have a chance to chortle at my opponent's expense. What greater pleasure could there be? Well, maybe if the Tigers can stomp Oakland tonight ... NN-Moooy (FICGS, 2009)
<1.Nf3 Nc6 2.e4 e5 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 O-O 8.c3 d5> I've been playing the Marshall Gambit for around 35 years now, out of desperation. Whenever I play the Black side of a Ruy, I inevitably hang a pawn. Might as well sacrifice one instead. <9.d4 dxe4 10.Nxe5 Bb7 11.Ng4 Na5>
click for larger view<12.Bh6?!>
One reason to sacrifice material is to open up lines around the king. 12.Bh6 gets a "?" because it is not a particularly good way for White to open lines. It gets a "!" because it does succeed in doing so. <12...Nxb3>
Perhaps White calculated 12...gxh6 13.Nxh6+ Kh8 14.Nxf7+. If so, this takes care of any such dream. <13.axb3 gxh6 14.Nxh6+ Kh8 15.Nf5 Rg8 16.c4 Qd7 17.Nxe7 Qxe7 18.Nc3 bxc4 19.bxc4 Ng4 20.f3>
click for larger view
Yes, the line-opening has been quite successful. Now let's see some real sacrifices. <20...Nxh2! 21.Kxh2 Qh4+ 22.Kg1 Rxg2+! 23.Kxg2 Rg8+ 24.Kf1 Qh2> 0-1 |
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| Jun-30-09 | | Jim Bartle: NN seemed in a bit of a hurry there. But he sure did open some lines, for you. I don't understand making that sort of sacrifice when almost none of the pieces have been developed. |
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Jun-30-09
| | Phony Benoni: It surprised me, too, especially at correspondence. The charitable explanation would be that he intended 12.Bg5 and didn't notice his mouseslip in time. But it still boggles my mind. |
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| Jul-01-09 | | Jim Bartle: Anybody following Albert Pujols' season? This is getting ridiculous: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/ba... Two more homers off Randy Johnson tonight. |
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Jul-01-09
| | Phony Benoni: Wow! Pujols has a chance for 20 steals!
You have to wonder if Pujols is working on the best career ever for a first baseman. Another half-dozen years at this pace, and I think he'll be there. |
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Jul-01-09
| | Phony Benoni: <Game of the Day>: July 1, 1979 http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/... "The 13-12 Overture".
In honor of Independence Day fireworks, a few days of big boomers. |
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| Jul-01-09 | | Jim Bartle: The A's really had a bad team in '79, 108 losses. Looks like a Double-A team, plus Rickey Henderson. Pitching staff gave up 860 runs, which has to be among the most ever. |
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| Jul-01-09 | | Jim Bartle: I'd really like to see more articles like this: http://www.slate.com/id/2221384/ It's a discussion of the two possible locations of the centerfield camera, and which is best for seeing the pitches. Very interesting. |
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Jul-01-09
| | Phony Benoni: Interesting, but I don't know how much good it does to switch from a bad left-right view to a bad up-down view. |
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Jul-01-09
| | Phony Benoni: These seem to be the top ten teams in runs allowed:
1899 NL Cleveland 1252
1890 NL Pittsburgh 1235
1930 NL Philadelpha 1199
1894 NL Washington 1122
1996 AL Detroit 1103
1895 NL Louisville 1090
1984 NL Cincinnati 1085
1897 NL St. Louis 1083
1894 NL Chicago 1066
1936 AL St. Louis 1064
Of course, any number put up in the mid-1890s just after the pitching mound was moved back to 60' 6" should be disregarded. The Pittsburgh team of 1890 was hurt by the defection of its best players to the Pittsburgh entry in the Player's League. And the 1930s were a mad hitting era--that Phillies team in 1930 finished last despite a team batting average of .315. However, I cannot explain the Tigers of 1996. Maybe they were just bad. |
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| Jul-01-09 | | Jim Bartle: OK, but 860 is still pretty bad. I'd always thought the modern standard was 957 given up by the 1987 Indians,but the 96 Tigers just blew them away. The funny thing is, Billy Martin came in and turned it around for the A's, getting good pitching until he wore out the arm of every single starter. I like the centerfield camera most of the time, but I wish they'd show a few from behind the plate. The centerfield camera has to zoom in so much that the distance to the plate looks like 30 ft., and therefore the pitches don't seem thrown nearly as hard. Whenever I go to a game (rarely these days), I'm always surprised at how hard the pitchers throw, having watched so many games via centerfield. |
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Jul-01-09
| | Phony Benoni: Possibly the worst thing about the 1996 Tigers was that their only pitcher with a winning record was Gregg Olson, the closer. Think about that.
I must be a real throwback about viewing games, since I like the ooverhead view. When I did go to a game, I always preferred to sit in the upper deck. But I don't go anymore for a couple of reasons. First, my eyesight has gotten so bad that I can't follow the flight of the ball. Second, and more important, Comerica Park has got absolutely the worst hot dogs I have ever tasted. I think they're supposed to be healthy or some perversion like that. |
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| Jul-01-09 | | Deus Ex Alekhina: Those "hot dogs" sold at Comerica Park are actually ground up, re-cycled octopi from red Wing playoff games |
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Jul-02-09
| | Phony Benoni: <Game of the Day> July 2, 1963 http://retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1963... OK, so I lied about the fireworks. |
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| Jul-02-09 | | Jim Bartle: Listened to that game on the radio.
I recently saw an interview with Marichal on ESPN Internacional, where he said Herman Franks wanted to take him out after 9 or 10 innings, but Marichal said, "I'm not coming out as long as that warrenspahn is still pitching. He can do it and he's 42, so I can do it, too." Interesting lineup for the Giants. The first six hitters were All-Stars at least once, and Felipe Alou was stuck in the middle of the Mays-McCovey-Cepeda power trio. And Harvey Kuenn, 3b? |
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| Jul-02-09 | | Travis Bickle: Hey Phony great name for your forum! You need to insert this picture in here somewhere. ; P http://imagecache5.art.com/p/LRG/12... |
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| Jul-02-09 | | playground player: <Phony Benoni> Those 1930 Phillies could hit, all right, but their pitching...! Team ERA over 7.00. My favorite 1930 Phillies pitcher was Claude "Weeping" Willoughby. Well, you'd weep, too, if you had his stats. I do like the new name for your forum. Is it true, or only legend, that Ernie Banks, right after saying "Let's play two," conked out with heatstroke in the very next doubleheader he played? |
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Jul-02-09
| | Phony Benoni: Kuenn began as a shortstop, and was the AL starter in the All-Star game from 1955-1957, before Aparicio began his run. In 1958, Kuenn was moved to the outfield to make room for the tandem of Billy Martin and Coot Veal. No, that didn't work out. Kuenn had some experience at 3B, and with the Giants outfield is it was natural to try him there on occasion. |
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Jul-02-09
| | Phony Benoni: <playground player>: The 1930 Phillies had another pitcher named Les Sweetland, which led a sportswriter to come up with a little ditty: "My country 'tis of thee,
Sweetland and Willoughby
Of thee I sing."
You'd think they'd be too busy keeping score for that sort of foolishness. Here's a typical 1930 Phillies game: http://retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1930... |
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| Jul-02-09 | | Jim Bartle: Thanks for that info on Kuenn. I either never knew that, or more likely, forgot. Man, if he'd ever formed a DP combination with Nellie Fox, that would have been the all-time tobacco-chaw pair. http://education.baseballhalloffame...
http://www.findagrave.com/photos/20... |
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| Jul-02-09 | | Deus Ex Alekhina: Anyone that knows about he 1930's Phillies, well, that is not the David Moody that I knew for years. (Either that or he conceals his age very well) Dearborn Mafia? more like the Marshmellow Mafia |
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