February 2012
1 post
Developing Pitchers
Since the dawn of the free agency era when pitching became scarcer and more expensive, teams have stopped treating pitchers like a fungible, replaceable commodity. Unfortunately, their strategies for keeping their pitchers straddling that mythical line between healthy and effective have been, at best, hit or miss. In fact, there’s almost no science in pitcher development. The training...
January 2012
3 posts
Geek
So I need your help …
… but first, an exciting announcement! I’ll be joining forces with the crew at 5by5.tv. It’s *the* top podcasting network for tech podcasts. It’s filled with people I love listening to (and reading) like John Gruber, Jason Snell, and Tony Siragusa … wait, I mean John Siracusa. It’s a tech wonderland over there and I’m excited...
TechSports
We’ve known for a while that PandoDaily was going to launch. It’s essentially TechCrunch rebuilt. Sarah Lacy is at the controls instead of Mike Arrington, but it looks to be the same. John Gruber says that Pando is to TC as The Verge is to Engadget. Pretty much nails it.
The controversial thing is that Pando took a bunch of VC money from the people they’re going to be covering....
The Inside Value
It was about a month ago that I was sitting in a large conference room in Dallas. It was tiered, futuristic even, and several men that came in made jokes about it. At the front of the room, Jack O’Connell, the longtime treasurer of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA.) In the front row was Bob Elliott, who would soon be named the Spink Award winner to rousing applause.
Around the...
December 2011
4 posts
That One Thing
Every baseball stadium has “that one thing” that makes it stand out. Sometimes it’s something big, like the view of the skyline in Pittsburgh’s PNC Park. Sometimes it’s something small, like John Adams pounding a drum in left center of Cleveland’s Progressive Field.
So, on Twitter, tell me - what is your stadium’s “one thing”?
Braun Possibility
One possibility I heard from a very credible source today was that there’s a new possibility for Ryan Braun. Forget all the talk about “false positives” and “medications”; I’ve gone over why those defenses probably aren’t winners before. This new possibility is focused on the second test. Remember, Braun had an independent testing agency test him according...
Top Ten Albums of 2011
I can look back at 1984 and see just how good a year for music it was. Purple Rain. Born In The USA. Reckoning. Building The Perfect Best. Heartbeat City. The Warrior. The Unforgettable Fire. Welcome To The Pleasure Dome. Sports. Like A Virgin. Band Aid. Spinal Tap … SPINAL TAP! It felt like that, in ways, during 2011. At the start of the year, it seemed like every week, there was another good...
False Positive
Ok, I’m going to explain this one more time:
There is no danger of a “false positive” in testosterone testing. This discussion is specific to Ryan Braun, but it’s also the case in all modern sports testing. I thought I’d detailed this enough in my recent SI piece, but I guess it’s worth making even more clear.
The initial testing done is a simple ratio....
September 2011
1 post
Twitter Rules for Injury News
I am putting this here so I can save myself some headaches, some carpal tunnel, and some time.
Rule 1: Game Time Decisions mean just that. I do not have a time machine. If you ask me before game time, I will not have an answer.
Rule 2: Your joke might be funny. But I have a bunch of followers and probably see the same clever line over and over. It ceases being funny.
Rule 3: I am providing a...
July 2011
1 post
All is forgiven.
americanmccarver:
Five minutes ago my phone rang. The display showed Gruber’s name. I pick up.
“Hey, Mike, this is Pete Rose and I just wanted to say ‘Fuck the Yankees’.”
June 2011
6 posts
Summer Tour
It’s going to be more than a three-hour tour — more like five days of front row baseball, luxury hotels, and easy travel — but time is almost out to be part of Big League Tours’ Midwest Plus package. Check the link for details. I’ll be the host, so who knows what could happen! I’m putting together some secret bonuses along the way, things that no one else gets...
iConfused
I’m as excited as the next Apple geek about iCloud. What I’m not so sure about is how it will actually work. I’m not talking about the magic that happens in the big data center or the functions of syncing things through the air, but rather how things actually integrate onto the devices.
I don’t think my setup is that unusual. I have four devices:
An iMac which is...
Elbows and Velocity
Some guy on Twitter asked me why a system couldn’t be built based on PitchFX that would serve as an early warning system for injuries. Now, it can, to a small extent, but not a pure heuristic system like this guy wanted. A = B is not the case. There are things we can see, but they serve as notes and have to be put into context by someone and then hope that the pitching coach and organization...
Amazing
Today at 1p Eastern, Steve Jobs will step on stage and talk about a bunch of new stuff. It’s something all Apple users anticipate and I’m no different.
At the same time, I have to take my car in to get inspected after the hail last week damaged it. Annoying but necessary.
The two events happening at the same time is one of those things that, just a few years ago, would have sent me...
Paul's BoutiCloud
A couple weeks back, Amazon had Paul’s Boutique on sale for five bucks. FIVE BUCKS. I realized I didn’t have a complete copy and since I’ve probably bought that album five times - first time on cassette - I figured why not one more? Added bonus is it got me the extra space on the Amazon Cloud Player. I’m not using it, but I like Amazon and I figure fine, free bonus. I could...
The Next New Thing
For years, I’ve been walking around with voices in my head.
It’s not like that. They seldom tell me to do things, but for me, writing is almost like being narrated to or watching a movie and describing it. The worst part is having the idea, but not all of it. For six months before I started my novel (in progress!), I was listening to the main character define himself. I knew what he...
May 2011
1 post
What I Use
Shawn Blanc did a great series on the stuff he uses to work and to write, so I figured I’d do the same, not that anyone really cares. My work process is very, very unusual and I don’t really recommend it to anyone, but here’s what it is:
WRITING:
Google Docs - I write all my stuff in Google Docs. It’s got the word processing features I need and none of the bloat. When I...
April 2011
5 posts
The New Tool
There’s nothing more annoying than something that mostly works. The microwave in my house suddenly started not working at times — the sensor would occasionally trip or it would just reset itself — and that’s just not acceptable. You don’t realize how much you use something until it stops working. Worse still is the “kinda working” that was going on.
So a...
Un-Masking Agent
HCG and other drugs are often referred to as masking agents. I have no idea why, since they don’t mask anything. They’re detectable, just like the steroids that they’re often paired with. They’re a co-agent, something used to either have an additive effect (“stack”) or to counteract an unwanted effect. It’s the latter for hCG. If you take anabolic...
Manny's Gone
I don’t know Manny Ramirez any better than any of you. Never interviewed him. I saw him play a couple times and he was, you know, damn good. He could hit. He smiled. I’ve heard the same stories you have. Showing up at parties and trying to teach people the new dance he liked. Selling his BBQ on eBay. Getting busted in the elevator. The dreads, the lack of focus. The hard work in the...
Idol Final 9
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a huge, broad theme, so no one should have trouble. The downside of themes like this is picking something too safe, or even thinking you’re playing to strength and overplaying it. If Scotty picks a Johnny Cash song, it’s just too damn simple. So let’s see how they do, if Pia picks something uptempo, if Casey melts down again, and if Stefano or Paul...
March 2011
7 posts
Idol Final Eleven (Again)
The Idol contestants take on Elton John as they follow up the Casey save last week. Two will be gone tomorrow, so it’s a big deal. I think the save has been misunderstood. Yes, Casey was talented, but he was neither likeable or popular. The way he reacted after being saved didn’t help with that. He’s going to have to really pull something out this week to avoid wasting the save....
Idol Top 11 (Mike)
Here are my quick thoughts on the Top 11 performances…Overall I thought it was a pretty good night with only a few semi-disasters:
Casey - Casey did Casey. He sounded unique and awesome as usual and he showed fire in his performance. I could see how some people wouldn’t be into his style but you can’t take away from his ridiculous talent.
Thia - I like her voice and I’m...
Idol Final Eleven
Forgot to post this last night, since I was distracted by the penultimate Top Chef. Here’s my take on the Final Ten as we continue to count down. I was a bit surprised that there was no mention of the tour. Usually this is the last cut and it’s a big deal (though not really a big deal since it’s my understanding that the tour doesn’t pay well.) As usual, this is done on my...
Idol Top 12 (Mike)
First things first: I’d like to pat myself on the back for correctly predicting that Ashton would be sent home last week. Now to this weeks performances (this post will be short and sweet….lots of law school stuff to take care of):
Naima - I agree with Will that she’s comfortable on stage, however I still find her extremely awkward. Like last week she sounded good at times and...
Idol Week 2
I sat down with my iPad, my TiVo, and idol. Heres my thoughts, put down in real time without significant edits:
Naima. Whats love got to do with it. Pitchy but she’s very comfortable on stage. Moves well, confident. She’s probably not bad enough to go, but she’s not moving forward either. I think the judges are right that the pitch thing is going to get her if she doesnt...
Idol Top 13 (Mike)
This is my recap of the Top 13 performances. I’m using the Adam Lambert scoring system - basically a 1-5 with a 5 being an Adam Lambert-esque performance (Probably won’t be too common) and a 1 being a performance worthy of ending the contestants run on the show.
Lauren Alaina – “Any Man of Mine”
This performance proves how much stronger the contestants are this season versus last. ...
Idol Top 13 (Will)
Here’s my early, quick takes on this year’s American Idol. My friend Mike Gillberg is going to be squawking in as well. I’m surprised that I’m as engaged by this season. It’s not Lopez or Tyler, since they added little and certainly add little at this stage. There actually seems to be a bit more talent than in the last few seasons, for whatever reason. My picks are based on my own opinions, but...
February 2011
3 posts
Adele - "21"
Scarlett Johansson did a whole album of nothing but Tom Waits tunes. Some say that proves Annie Savoy was right - that some men will listen to anything if they can delude themselves into thinking it’s foreplay. To me, it was a reminder of just how great Waits’ songs are. Many can’t handle Tom’s gravelly voice, a percussive instrument like much of his later music, but his...
Risky Business
I’ve been working on what we’ve known as Team Health Reports for the last couple weeks, really digging in over the last few days. It’s mostly an intellectual exercise for me, since I don’t have a place to publish them. At worst, I’ll put the matrix up somewhere.
The biggest issue is that one of the components of “The System” — and I’ve taken...
Soshlsprts
The Daily launches tomorrow, promising a big rush of media hype and a new hope that people will support quality journalism. The thing is, while I’m curious about The Daily, I’m not too interested in another newspaper. Once a day content, even if it looks like the newspapers in Harry Potter, seems … quaint. My bigger concern is that I’ve never heard of any of the people on...
January 2011
1 post
"A Year's Salary"
Peter Maass did a nice article in The New Yorker called “The Toppling.” It gave details behind the truth of the Baghdad statue of Saddam Hussein being pulled down in the early stages of the Iraq invasion. I’m huge fan of both the New Yorker and long-form journalism like this, but even so, I was left thinking “ok, nice piece” rather than “get the Pulitzer...
December 2010
3 posts
Top Ten Albums, 2010
The Guitar Song, Jamey Johnson
Double albums are the bane of the music industry. It’s usually an indulgent affair, topped off with filler or worse. There’s the occasional one that works, but for an artist that’s not established like Jamey Johnson, it takes some serious balls to sell this. There’s a “dark” album and a “light” album, but it’s...
Ron
A few years back, in the early days of my radio show, I had Ron Santo on as a guest. I was still a Cubs fan and it was just after the Veterans Committee had failed Santo again. Towards the end of the interview, I lost my objectivity completely and told him that Cubs fans everywhere loved him. I got mocked mercilessly for “marking out” on that one.
I’m glad I said it.
Ron Santo...
November 2010
2 posts
Time Change
I wanted to let everyone know that due to some changes, I’ll be spending much less time monitoring Twitter. I’ll continue to do my best to answer NFL questions through the end of the season, but I thought it would be better to let everyone know up front.
Twitter has become the front end of choice for journalists, especially in sports, but at the same time there’s two major...
On Hold
A couple months ago, I sent out a tweet saying “Radio shows that call me and ask if I’m ready then put me on hold for five minutes are going to not get me back on.” I did this while on hold. It lasted eight minutes actually. It went on to be the start of what’s gotten to be a very nasty run of insults thrown at me on the SBN blog Lone Star Ball.
I want to tell my side of the...
October 2010
7 posts
Walt's Successor
Let’s get a couple things out of the way:
1. I own Apple stock. I’ve owned it a long time. (I am long Apple, in other words.)
2. Yes, I’m an Apple Fanboy. I use an iPhone, an iPad, and several Macs. I even have an Apple TV.
3. I received nothing from Apple for this post.
That out of the way, this article from the Wall Street Journal was less about remotes than the cable...
Don't Need A Weatherman ...
Last night on Twitter, I wondered aloud why NFL shows like Sunday Night Football used their news and rumors guy (in this case, Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk) to talk about injuries. Florio later tweeted back that injuries were news, and while I agree with him at some level, Bob Costas first discussed with him the helmet-to-helmet issue and then threw it back to him saying “tell us about the...
The Hive Eye
A friend of mine who’s just a little too into Adam Lambert sent me this video. Glambert covering Metallica? Umm, ok.
What stands out to me is that there has to be fifty people taping this. Err, recording it on their phones. Most of the people at the concert wouldn’t know what magnetic tape looks like, let alone spooled a casette back together with a pencil … get off my lawn...
Failure
I have failed as a journalist. I have succeeded as a fan.
Yesterday, I tweeted about something I heard and had confirmed by a very solid source, stating that Mike Quade would become the manager of the Cubs on a two-year deal, with Ryne Sandberg as his bench coach. On the surface, I’m not sure this works. First, Sandberg’s said “he’s ready” and doesn’t want to...
Piece of the Ad Pie
Someone HAS to be doing this, but I can’t find it.
I’ve been thinking about some things I heard at the ConvergeSouth convention a couple weeks back. (It really opened my eyes on a lot of things net-related.) The Keynote was by Brent D Payne, the SEO director for Tribune. In it, he talked about how Google’s AdSense was very tough to make work. This wasn’t news, but he...
Strike?
MLB needs to do this, and now:
Take Gameday, it’s groundbreaking presentation of each pitch. Put it in “real time” - pitches come in at the appropriate velocity out of an animated pitcher’s hand. There’s an animated batter. There’s loud sounds, including some rude people talking about your mother. Now, call it a ball or strike. Do this over and over for about...
What's Next
I want to again thank everyone. The idea that anyone cares what I did or what I’m doing next still dumbfounds me. I’m still mostly the guy who couldn’t believe a hundred people read my email about injuries and nearly died when Peter Gammons mentioned me. Nine years later, Gammons said UTK was “the most important column of the decade.” I don’t think so, but you can only imagine...
September 2010
16 posts
SB Nation: David Price on Twitter →
matthewcerrone:
Rays pitcher David Price had this to say on Twitter this week:
Naturally, this resulted in a back-and-forth, online battle with Rays fans, as some people felt his comment showed an insensitivity to those not making $1 million a year, like Price, and their inability to…
Tracy's Wishbone
I read Tim Layden’s very solid Blood, Sweat, and Chalk a couple weeks ago and I learned something about Huston Street. I knew he was a Longhorn (and thoughts go out to the campus after today’s incident), but I’d never connected him to Jim Street. The elder Street was the initial wishbone QB for Darrell Royal’s Longhorns when they introduced the formation and proceeded to...
The No Decision
I’m hoping this doesn’t resemble the debacle that was “The Decision.”
Unfortunately, I am going to have to ask you to wait a couple more days before I can say anything. As many of you probably saw, Baseball Prospectus announced that my column on Wednesday will be my final one there. I think it stands on its own and I hope you’ll read it. but it doesn’t say much...
The Injury Calendar
I love Twitter for the interaction, but I hate it for the amped-up expectations it gives people. Just because we have a real-time tool for communication and broadcast doesn’t mean writers and reporters suddenly get mystical powers or that teams and players (for the most part) communicate things any more quickly.
Here’s the injury “calendar” - how things break down through...