Home Run Derby

SO on a day where I have what feels like a terminal stomach virus, I have one bit of good news to share with you all. 

Sometime yesterday, Home Run Derby hit 100,000 Unique Visitors during the month of February … February ALONE.  It’s probably nothing compared to some of the big boys (I bet Deadspin gets 100,000 visitors in an hour.

But, HOLY COW!  If you had asked me just over a year ago when I started this website if we’d hit 100,000 Unique Visitors … I would have told you yeah, by 2008 … and I would have meant cumulatively.  Then something funny happened.  People started reading what we were writing.  I’m still kinda in awe that anyone even finds this site.  I want to thank some people for helping make that happen …

• Will Leitch at the incomparable Deadspin
• Jimmy Traina at Sports Illustrated’s Extra Mustard
• Matt Ufford over at With Leather
• David Pinto at Baseball Musings
• Rob Neyer at ESPN.com
• Brooks at Sports by Brooks
• Jesse Pugh over at the fabulous Bugs and Cranks
• Jason and Erin at BallHype
• Yardbarker.com
• Scrap at Epic Carnival and On205th and the old OBOS
• Dex at GasLampBall and the potty mouths at Drunk Jays Fans
• And a whole slew that I just don’t have room for.

A HUGE thanks goes to my wife, who has suffered countless nights of me on the computer typing away at something completely trivial.  Thanks go to Paulke (my tech guy), Nick the Greek, Devine, and The Franchise for either participating or telling me I could do this. 

I’d also like to thank all of you who have stopped by and checked out our work and left comments.  We love comments, because it’s more fun if YOU are involved.

We have some fabulous stuff lined up in the coming weeks and months …

• Our collaboration with Sky to do 30 Team Previews in 30 Days
• The 2008 Home Run Derby Contest will go live next week.  It’ll be tougher.
• A couple more cash prize contests - One for Cub fans and a new monthly one.
• The return of MLB Mascot Brackets
• A project I’ve been working on for a year.
• Whatever else happens

Thanks for being a part of Home Run Derby.

Rich

Home Run Derby is undertaking a collaborative effort with our friend and colleague, SkyKing162. 

We will examine all thirty major league teams in 30 days, beginning Saturday, March 1st.  Given that most sites will do the typical predictions of the season, Sky and the Greek are going to try to be a little different. 

I would even think that our friend and Patron Saint, JoBu, would be proud of the work we embark on.

Sky will certainly utilize his passion for baseball and his stat geek affinity, while the Greek will continue to pull his ideas out of his ass while occasionally glancing at baseball-reference.com.  We may even hear from Richie Rich from time to time (although I officially ban him from trying to hijack the Cubs post, that puppy is mine). 

Like I mentioned, we are going to try to be a little different. 

Yes, we will give a win total prediction for each team.  But look for more interesting aspects of the preview: the bold prediction, the best case for a team, and a focus on the stat we hold near in dear to our hearts here at HRD.  That’s right, the swing that is the most cherished in baseball; the one that has resulted in countless catch phrases such as

• “Ding Dong the Pitch is Dead”
• “Dial ‘8′ for Long Distance”
• “Back, Back, Back …”
• “It’s a Goner” 
• “Hey Hey”
• “Holy Cow”
• “You Can Put It On the Board, YES!”
• “Here’s the Pitch, Oh Shit!” (my personal favorite)

Yep, the Home Run will be featured prominently in our 30 Teams in 30 Days previews.

It all begins March 1st, so stay tuned.  We will be addressing teams in reverse order of team Home Runs hit in 2007.

First up … the Kansas City Royals – Quick some one tell ESPN’s Rob Neyer (subscription required)!

We’ve analyzed the Senior Circuit’s 2008 trip through the American League … let’s move on to the Junior Circuit’s 2008 Interleague opponents. 

Teams from the American League always have a bit of a dilemma for their road Interleague games, because there’s no DH in NL Parks.  On top of that, AL pitchers have to hit for themselves, which they don’t do in their other 144 games. 

Is it a disadvantage?  The AL leads the NL 1,250 to 1,202 in Interleague games over the past ten seasons … so not really.  Then again, maybe that Win-Loss Record would be even more in favor of the AL if DH’s could rake against NL Pitchers.

But it still doesn’t sit well with some AL Managers …

We hate it when our pitchers have to start hitting. We have to do a lot of extra work and take a lot of risks for not that many at-bats.
Ron Gardenhire, Manager, Minnesota Twins (2005)

Gardy’s gonna dislike it even more this season, without the NL-killing Johan Santana in his rotation anymore.

But when you’re 100-75 in ten years of Interleague Play, you don’t seem to mind …

If we played National League teams, the Central Division, we might win 150 games in that league.
Ozzie Guillen, White Sox Manager (2006)

Let’s take a look at the AL Central and see if there’s anyone with an early schedule advantage … on paper.  Matched up against the pitching-rich NL West … someone will surely have an advantage if they avoid two of the tops teams.

(more…)

Home Run Derby continues the analysis of 2008 Interleague Schedules, compared by Division. 

So far we’ve seen that the Cubs have a clear advantage in the NL Central and the East is sorted out according to competiveness.

In 2008, the NL West is matched up against the AL Central.  Or is it?

(more…)

Last season, Chipper Jones griped about the inequities of Interleague Play …

What’s not fun is when they’re all contenders and your competition doesn’t have to play the same competition you do. If you play the top teams in the AL and everybody else doesn’t, it’s pretty unfair.
Chipper Jones, Atlanta Braves OF (2007)

Chipper might not be so chipper about interleague play again this season.  Because the NL East has another tough road against the AL in 2008 …

(more…)

Every season since 1997, Major League Baseball has had Interleague Play. 

But since the AL and NL have a different number of teams, there’s always a bit of a necessary imbalance when it comes to scheduling.  Add to that the doubling up of games between the geographic rivalries … and you get a Grade A Mess.   There’s always  potential for some contending team to be at a competitive disadvantage to another team in its division … because of the resulting imbalance in strength of schedules. 

Players and managers and owners gripe about it …

What’s not fun is when they’re all contenders and your competition doesn’t have to play the same competition you do.  If you play the top teams in the AL and everybody else doesn’t, it’s pretty unfair.
Chipper Jones, Atlanta Braves OF (2007)

The unbalanced schedule is not good for baseball … Some teams are getting a so-called lesser opponent, and other teams are playing powerhouses. 
Art Howe, former Oakland A’s Manager (1999)

I believe in my heart that last year the reason why we didn’t win the division is we didn’t play very well in the Interleague games and the Diamondbacks did.
Dusty Baker, former SF Giants Manager (2003)

I used to be for it, but I’m not for it anymore. It’s too easy for discrepancies
George Steinbrenner, NY Yankees Owner (2003)

Let’s see who gets the shaft this season … based upon 2007 MLB Won-Loss records.  We’ll start in the National League Central …

I think we’re going to hear a lot of bitching this season about the Cubs’ feeble 2008 Interleague schedule. 

(more…)

The Chicago White Sox will officially honor and remember the victims of the tragedy at Nortern Illinois University by wearing NIU caps in their first Spring Training game on February 27th.

After the game, the White Sox players will autograph the hats and give them to NIU so that they can be auctioned off to help establish scholarships in memory of the five victims.

Genuine Class. 

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen and general manager Kenny Williams have already been wearing the caps around Spring Training so far this preseason.

I think I remember Ozzie Guillen wearing a Virgina Tech cap in press conferences after the VT shooting last year.

You can contribute to the February 14 Student Scholarship Fund right here. 

For years, I’ve listened to some friends of mine (who happen to be die-hard White Sox fans) tell me that “Wrigley Field should be torn down with bulldozers.”

A couple months ago, they got their wish - for a little while, anyway.  I think they were out on Sheffield Avenue with bags of popcorn (okay not really).

Ballplayers have complained about Wrigley for years … especially the outfielders who said that the field played like turf, had holes in it, or was just plain hazardous.

“There are like a lot of little holes, you know what I mean?  Sometimes when they hit a ground ball, you have to be careful.”
- Chicago Cubs LF Alfonso Soriano

“It’s rock hard, it’s as fast as turf, but it looks like there’s been a dozen cows out there grazing this week.”
- Pittsburgh Pirates LF Nate McClouth

“That outfield is dangerous … I’m surprised more people don’t get injured out there.  It’s worse than playing in a parking lot.”
- Cincinnati Reds LF Adam Dunn

Gives new meaning to that “Left Field Sucks” chant, now doesn’t it?  Who knew the RF bleacher bums were so prescient?  Is that why the Cubs’ LF Alfonso Soriano always does that little hop thing when he’s about to catch a ball?  So he doesn’t fall in a hole?

Here, you can watch Wrigley Field undergo its transformation … first into a 40,000 capacity sandlot and then into a World Class baseball field.

(more…)

What the heck?

The New York Times says that Pedro Martinez occasionally practices throwing pitches with his eyes closed because it “has helped him develop a consistent arm angle and release point.”

But I’m pretty sure Pedro’s just imagining throwing a ball at the guy that found that video of him at the cockfight.