Baseball Insider: May 31, 2009 - June 6, 2009
Moment of Levity: The Big Picture
PART MAN, PART BEAR, ALL BROXTON How else can you describe the Dodgers' closer? He looks like a trucker, but throws rockets. He has the build of a bear with the arm strength to go with it. We're told he's human, but we're not entirely convinced. Have you ever...
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Cameron Smith
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June 5, 2009; 4:44 PM ET |
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Dodgers
| Tags: Dodgers, Jonathan Broxton, Moment of Levity: The Big Picture
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Talking Behind Their Back: Mariners
Thanks to the team's first 1-0 victory since 2007, the Orioles were able to avoid a three-game sweep in Seattle. In Game 1 of the series Rich Hill looked like the guy projected to be one of the top left-handers in baseball just a few years ago to keep Baltimore's...
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CJ Holley
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June 5, 2009; 3:12 PM ET |
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Athletics
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Mariners
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The Wrap: AL
AL Quote of the Night "That's a terrible stat." -- White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko, who may not be a sabermatrician, but certainly recognizes that being shut out five times at home already this season is not a good thing. Oakland Athletics 7, Chicago White Sox 0 Chicago was...
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CJ Holley
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June 5, 2009; 7:56 AM ET |
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The Wrap: AL
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When It Clicked: Braves OF Nate McLouth
Since we began asking players the question(s) behind this feature -- When did it click for you, and why? -- no answer has been more common than the one that is perhaps the least introspective possible: Just getting an opportunity to play. We normally stop the tape recorder, say thank...
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Dave Sheinin
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June 5, 2009; 7:36 AM ET |
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Moment of Levity: The Big Picture
YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO SHAVE IT OFF If it wasn't for the headset, you might that that A's rookie pitcher Vin Mazzaro was really, really naive about the ways of the world. Or that he just doesn't own a razor. We're pretty sure he actually received this shaving cream pie...
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Cameron Smith
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June 4, 2009; 3:21 PM ET |
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Athletics
| Tags: Athletics, Moment of Levity: The Big Picture, Vin Mazzaro
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La Russa Takes on Twitter
For a spell, you could follow someone alleging to be St. Louis Cardinals Manager Tony La Russa on Twitter. Now Twitter is following the real La Russa into the courtroom. La Russa looks to be the first celebrity (baseball managers count as celebrities, right?) to seek legal action against Twitter...
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CJ Holley
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June 4, 2009; 2:42 PM ET |
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Cardinals
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The Wrap: AL
AL Quote of the Night "Sometimes, it's more mental than fundamental." -- Mariners third baseman Adrian Beltre offering a good philosophy for life while explaining how he's shaking off a slow start to the season after driving in the game winning run Seattle Mariners 3, Baltimore Orioles 2 Adrian Beltre...
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CJ Holley
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June 4, 2009; 7:59 AM ET |
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The Wrap: AL
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The Wrap: NL
NL Quote of the Night: "It was simply luck. Sometimes it goes your way." -- Chicago's Micah Hoffpauir on his game-winning, bloop single in the 11th inning against the Braves. Giants at Nationals, postponed OK, by now you probably noticed the ridiculous rain in the area, and the fact that...
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Cameron Smith
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June 4, 2009; 7:50 AM ET |
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Moment of Levity: The Big Picture
TOOTHPICKS FOR SALE Sometimes you've got a bat that you really like, that you're just in a groove with, and it still shatters on an inside fastball when you can't get the barrel around on the ball. That's just the breaks. But when life gives you lemons, you make...
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Cameron Smith
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June 3, 2009; 3:31 PM ET |
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Diamondbacks
| Tags: Diamondbacks, Eric Byrnes, Moment of Levity: The Big Picture
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Forever Linked?
Yesterday Texas slugger Josh Hamilton and Cincinnati pitcher Edinson Volquez both went on the disabled list. While this may appear to be a seemingly innocuous pairing of players, what is truly interesting is the fact that since the two were traded for each other, their careers have followed a staggeringly...
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CJ Holley
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June 3, 2009; 12:34 PM ET |
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Rangers
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The List: The Next 300-Game Winner
On the day Randy Johnson turned 28 years old - Sept. 10, 1991 - he owned exactly 43 big league wins, fewer at that exact moment than either Chris Bosio or Jose Guzman, to name two contemporaries of the same birth year, fewer even than Allan Anderson or Greg Swindell,...
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Dave Sheinin
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June 3, 2009; 8:08 AM ET |
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The Wrap: AL
AL Quote of the Night "He was a doctor today. You have got to give it to him. He had surgery on all of us." -- Angels outfielder Torii Hunter, a three-time strike out victim of Roy Halladay. Toronto Blue Jays 6, Los Angeles Angels 4 Roy Halladay struck out...
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CJ Holley
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June 3, 2009; 7:58 AM ET |
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The Wrap: AL
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The Wrap: NL
NL Quote of the Night: "Memphis is a nice place and all. But I like it a little better here." -- Cardinals outfielder Nick Stavinoha, who intends on making the most of his stay in St. Louis. Nationals 10, Giants 6 It was moving day over at Nationals Park. Not...
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Cameron Smith
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June 3, 2009; 7:50 AM ET |
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The Wrap: NL
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Moment of Levity: The Big Picture
NEW INITIATIVE: IN-GAME STRETCHING Sure, Dodgers shortstop Orlando Hudson was just trying to ensure that Stephen Drew could do no more to break up a double play after he was forced out at second place (for the record, Drew did break up the DP), but it looks like he's...
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Cameron Smith
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June 2, 2009; 3:23 PM ET |
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Diamondbacks
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Dodgers
| Tags: Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Moment of Levity: The Big Picture, Orlando Hudson, Stephen Drew
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Yankee Stadium Homers: Of Design or Negligence?
New wind patterns may be the culprit behind the rash of home runs flying out of Yankee Stadium. The bigger question that needs to be answered is why those patterns weren't studied more fully.
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Cameron Smith
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June 2, 2009; 12:15 PM ET |
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Yankees
| Tags: AL East, Jeff Passan, Yankee Stadium, Yankees
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The Wrap: AL
AL Quote of the Night "I started to see them coming, I'll be honest. I actually swallowed one when I was walking around the mound to start (the eighth)." -- Yankees starting pitcher Joba Chamberlain on seeing the midges again in Cleveland New York Yankees 5, Cleveland Indians 2 Joba...
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CJ Holley
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June 2, 2009; 7:56 AM ET |
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The Wrap: AL
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The Wrap: NL
NL Quote of the Night: "You know what, this wasn't our game plan going in, because they've pretty much had a sturdy bullpen all year." -- Pirates infielder Andy LaRoche on his team's five eighth inning runs to top the Mets. Pirates 8, Mets 5 LaRoche brothers > Mets. That's...
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Cameron Smith
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June 2, 2009; 7:50 AM ET |
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The Wrap: NL
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May Wrap-Up: The Best and Worst, So Far
How much can change in a month of baseball? At the start of play on May 1, the Kansas City Royals, Seattle Mariners and Florida Marlins were all in first place; "Manny Ramirez" and "steroids" had never (okay, rarely) been used in a sentence together; Alex Rodriguez had not played...
By
Dave Sheinin
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June 1, 2009; 7:23 PM ET |
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Moment of Levity: The Big Picture
AND NOW, FOR MY NEXT TRICK ... Sure, this may have just counted for one half of a double-play, but shouldn't A's shortstop Orlando Cabrera get some kind of extra credit for this ridiculous splitsville leap above Rangers shortstop Omar Vizquel? Don't style points count for something? They've got...
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Cameron Smith
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June 1, 2009; 4:51 PM ET |
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Athletics
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Rangers
| Tags: A's, Athletics, Omar Vizquel, Orlando Cabrera, Rangers
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Talking Behind Their Back: Tigers
After taking the first two of a four-game set against Detroit, Baltimore settled for a 2-2 split after facing Justin Verlander and Edwin Jackson who pitched extremely. How well? In the words of Aubrey Huff, "Honestly, I've played nine years and [Verlander and Jackson] are probably the best back-to-back I...
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CJ Holley
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June 1, 2009; 3:13 PM ET |
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Mariners
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Orioles
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Tigers
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Three Up, Three Down
The Fire Acta Movement: Blogs, message boards call for manager's head in wake 13-36 start. Is it a bad sign that Clint Hurdle called and invited Acta on long fishing trip this week? Wieters: "Switch-hitting Jesus" makes highly anticipated debut behind the plate for O's, goes 2 for 8 in...
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Dave Sheinin
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June 1, 2009; 10:47 AM ET |
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The Wrap: AL
AL Quote of the Night "Zack's human. He's not going to throw a shutout every time." -- Royals outfielder Willie Bloomquist on ace Zack Greinke who gave up a season-high four runs Sunday Chicago White Sox 7, Kansas City Royals 4 Chicago rallied for a sweep of Kansas City by...
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CJ Holley
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June 1, 2009; 7:55 AM ET |
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The Wrap: AL
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The Wrap: NL
NL Quote of the Night: "Yeah, it's the separator. They play good defense, we don't, and we lose." -- Nationals catcher Josh Bard creates his own "Bush-ism" to explain why teams keep beating Washington. Phillies 4, Nationals 2 First Jamie Moyer. Then Randy Johnson? It could happen. Moyer came through...
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Cameron Smith
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June 1, 2009; 7:50 AM ET |
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The Wrap: NL
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