tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post6536448072139684404..comments2023-10-16T07:13:12.123-05:00Comments on A plain blog about politics: Friday Baseball PostJonathan Bernsteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15931039630306253241noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-28680525851702614812013-01-29T17:21:29.614-06:002013-01-29T17:21:29.614-06:00In reading this, (and having recently read the Tru...In reading this, (and having recently read the True Story of Shoeless Joe Jackson) I wonder why no one mentioned him in their All-Dead team. Cobb and Lajoie of the same era (and team in Lajoie's case) were mentioned multiple times. Joe Jackson was the best of his era at fielding, throwing and hitting for average and power. <br />He was screwed over by his team mates and that jerk Comiskey and falsely implicated in the 1919 Black sox scandal but he still holds several records. One being 12 hits in a WS (1919 in fact).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-7444141845113113132013-01-28T15:05:27.216-06:002013-01-28T15:05:27.216-06:00Definitely Brett over Boggs, just in its own right...Definitely Brett over Boggs, just in its own right, but also because Brett played something like 4-5 years at first base after Seitzer was called up to the Royals.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-45078326629864379132013-01-28T00:14:02.097-06:002013-01-28T00:14:02.097-06:00no way carew over biggio any dayno way carew over biggio any dayAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-58644837301838042013-01-27T13:15:29.095-06:002013-01-27T13:15:29.095-06:00Dear Jonathan,
My nephew Steve Northup sent me yo...Dear Jonathan,<br /><br />My nephew Steve Northup sent me your all-time baseball teams.<br />Excellent choices. Here's a link to <br />Harry Northup's picks for All-Time Poets' Baseball Team<br /><br />http://timestimes3.blogspot.com/2012/07/harry-northups-picks-for-all-time-poets.html<br /><br />Best wishes,<br /><br />Harry E. NorthupAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-38482580864051614842013-01-26T23:36:41.449-06:002013-01-26T23:36:41.449-06:00Omar Vizquel, Omar Vizquel! Get rid of Rodriguez, ...Omar Vizquel, Omar Vizquel! Get rid of Rodriguez, start Smith instead, and have Vizquel be the backup defensive infielder.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-80108144202951794842013-01-26T21:34:33.827-06:002013-01-26T21:34:33.827-06:00So, as the perpetually unwelcome guest at the part...So, as the perpetually unwelcome guest at the party, I got to thinking about this in the context of PEDs, in part because Frank Thomas is in the news critizing users, you know, that Top-20 OPS+ guy who merits only passing mention in this thread.<br /><br />I pointed out the other day that Bonds' late-30s OPS+ figures are about 40% or so higher than his career totals, while (ex-Ted Williams) all other HOF-caliber players are about 20% inferior to their overall selves in their late 30s. We have a pretty good idea why Williams was better (he stopped stubbornly hitting into the shift). Bonds, we are to believe, simply "tried a lot harder in his late 30s".<br /><br />If Bonds only achieved max effort in his late 30s, and the career trajectory of every other great says that the results of "max effort, late 30s" ~ 20% worse than "max effort, overall career", this would suggest that Bonds was only trying at something like 60% or so of his personal capacity up till age 35. That is, if his observed late 30s totals, net of an inevitable 20% dropoff, were 40% better than his younger self, he must have previously only been trying at about 60% his personal capacity, assuming effort fully explains his observed late-30s results.<br /><br />No one knows how hard another person tries. In Bonds' case, by age 33 - having implicitly only tried at about 60% his personal capacity - he became the first (and surely only) member of the 400/400 club, and won his 8th Gold Glove. At (apparently) 60% capacity, Bonds became the Greatest Five-Tool Player Ever.<br /><br />If he naturally had the capacity to be 40% better still than the Best Player in History, why on earth wouldn't he have put forth that effort before 1999?CSHnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-43669283496453949732013-01-26T19:19:18.531-06:002013-01-26T19:19:18.531-06:00That's fair enough, but OTOH it's worth no...That's fair enough, but OTOH it's worth noting that by and large everyone basically accepted integration when it did happen...I'm not certain that the racists of earlier eras would have lived with it, but I think it's more likely than not.<br /><br />As I said, I'm pretty much insisting on modern or semi-modern pitching usage, so a five-man rotation and relief pitchers, although of course the great starters before the war had experience pitching in relief, so that's a factor. Anyway, 10 pitchers.<br /><br />Jonathan Bernsteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15931039630306253241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-31850711888977180672013-01-26T19:12:56.409-06:002013-01-26T19:12:56.409-06:00Tired? Figured I'd have something to leave for...Tired? Figured I'd have something to leave for a follow-up post? Also, I had a movie to get to watching.<br /><br />Might do it next week, I suppose.Jonathan Bernsteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15931039630306253241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-77588122250605578352013-01-26T17:10:04.293-06:002013-01-26T17:10:04.293-06:00I would replace Rodriguez with Berra.
And I thin...I would replace Rodriguez with Berra. <br /><br />And I think a "living" team should probably have a couple of relievers rather than 10 starters. Actually, the "dead" team could have relievers like Wilhelm and Quisenberry as well.<br /><br />I would also add Edgar Martinez as my DH. And take Brett over Boggs.Robert Rittnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15861796761524996440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-21082022564976496662013-01-26T16:23:14.639-06:002013-01-26T16:23:14.639-06:00Sandberg as the backup 2B guy, although as a Cubs ...Sandberg as the backup 2B guy, although as a Cubs fan I'd probably start him over Morgan...Surprised he didn't even rate a mention here.Larry Boodrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-87164882533874316832013-01-26T16:19:04.088-06:002013-01-26T16:19:04.088-06:00No Koufax?No Koufax?Sam Butlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09038834556201336243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-30634508448846775692013-01-26T16:19:02.105-06:002013-01-26T16:19:02.105-06:00No Koufax?No Koufax?Sam Butlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09038834556201336243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-76249112270668033782013-01-26T16:18:02.731-06:002013-01-26T16:18:02.731-06:00No Koufax?No Koufax?Sam Butlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09038834556201336243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-67726365212545059962013-01-26T16:12:25.120-06:002013-01-26T16:12:25.120-06:00If building an actual team, you need to consider t...If building an actual team, you need to consider the racism. You have Robinson on the team, Speaker and Hornsby need to be gone, if you accept that Cobb was just a jerk and not actually racist. I suggest Josh Gibson to have another black player and Ed Delahanty would be a good choice to replace Speaker. There are tons of true CFs to replace Speaker with who were very good. Another issue would be having players who would accept being the backups on this team, so I would get some defensive-minded players and not have my starters/backups be so equal in skill. <br /><br />I personally would have two at every infield position, but I see the merit in the utility players so you can get more pitchers. At the time of these players, though, you wouldn't need extra pitchers. Jennings I think would be a good shortstop. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-24605344190320311342013-01-26T15:47:33.637-06:002013-01-26T15:47:33.637-06:00I'd probably take Brett before either Rikpen o...I'd probably take Brett before either Rikpen or Ozzie...still lacking a back-up second baseman...Sandberg? Carew? Whitaker? Grich?Don Coffinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07198988872512792834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-47610661479550106992013-01-26T15:24:15.461-06:002013-01-26T15:24:15.461-06:00I'll play.
Dead
C Dickey, Carter
1B Gehrig, Mu...I'll play.<br />Dead<br />C Dickey, Carter<br />1B Gehrig, Musial <br />2B Hornsby, Collins<br />SS Wagner, Vaughan<br />3B Mathews<br />Uti Lajoie <br /><br />OF Ruth<br />OF Cobb<br />OF Williams<br />OF Speaker<br />OF Mantle<br /><br />P WJohnson<br />P Young<br />P Mathewson<br />P Alexander<br />P Spahn<br />P Grove<br />P Nichols<br />P Roberts<br />P Walsh<br />P Hubbell<br /><br />Alive<br />C Bench, Rodriguez<br />1B Pujols, Bagwell<br />2B Morgan<br />SS Rodriguez, Ripken<br />3B Schmidt, Boggs<br />Uti Rose<br /><br />OF Bonds<br />OF Mays<br />OF Aaron<br />OF Henderson<br />OF Robinson<br /><br />P Clemens<br />P Maddux<br />P RJohnson<br />P Seaver<br />P Gibson<br />P Martinez<br />P Blyleven<br />P Carlton<br />P Perry<br />P Niekro<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Jimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05482891070201124196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-45245596415199447972013-01-26T15:20:33.334-06:002013-01-26T15:20:33.334-06:00I can't disagree with your reasoning, but I do...I can't disagree with your reasoning, but I do think Vaughan provides at least as much value. He played almost 200 games at 3B and 60 in the outfield, so he does have some positional flexibility as well, although Davis played more at both positions, and was used in CF while Vaughan was in LF. <br /><br />I think Vaughan was a significantly superior hitter. When BB-Ref neutralizes their hitting stats, Davis has a .282/.345/.386 line while Vaughan's is .318/.406/.453. <br /><br />Vaughan did, by the way, lead the league in steals one year-albeit a war year.<br /><br />There is a problem comparing the two as the eras were so different. Many players in the 1890-1910 period played multiple positions; fewer did in the 1930s. So I am not sure it is helpful to consider positional flexibility. Vaughan obviously had the ability to play positions other than shortstop but did so less often because of the style of play. The same can be said about base stealing which was far more the norm earlier than in the 1930s.<br /><br />As noted in the comment below, it is a fun topic. Thanks for stimulating some thought on the matter.Robert Rittnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15861796761524996440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-44295455936723956482013-01-26T13:06:05.879-06:002013-01-26T13:06:05.879-06:00I love your blog, Jonathan, even if I will never u...I love your blog, Jonathan, even if I will never understand the appeal of baseball.<br /><br />Zombie baseball, maybe. As a sequel to Zombieland. If I was drunk.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-78586509670868977912013-01-26T11:58:18.745-06:002013-01-26T11:58:18.745-06:00The trouble with "Lineups" that transcen...The trouble with "Lineups" that transcend generations is that both players and the game itself change. Pitchers and hitters are an obvious subject for discussion.<br />That said, it is a fun topic for the Hot Stove League.DAYhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05020334090852640605noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-20391240258811276692013-01-26T10:47:42.340-06:002013-01-26T10:47:42.340-06:00Yeah, there's a bit of Giants bias on that one...Yeah, there's a bit of Giants bias on that one. I'm really not much of a Carew fan...I'm not sure what he gives you over Rose or Molitor. Jonathan Bernsteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15931039630306253241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-50872940475679520752013-01-26T10:45:18.477-06:002013-01-26T10:45:18.477-06:00Really? My 5th OFer is going to be PRing as often ...Really? My 5th OFer is going to be PRing as often as PHing, and the hitting overall is close enough that I'll send up Henderson with the bases empty. Jonathan Bernsteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15931039630306253241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-16122878446259005882013-01-26T10:39:44.699-06:002013-01-26T10:39:44.699-06:00Vaughan's awful good...for a bench player, I l...Vaughan's awful good...for a bench player, I like Davis's positional flexibility (although it doesn't really matter much on this team, which has plenty), and he's a switch-hitter, and presumably a better pinch-runner, although I suppose it depends on how you think about era effects. <br /><br />But I may be showing a bit of Giants bias on it. I don't know.Jonathan Bernsteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15931039630306253241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-23881922879865505952013-01-26T10:26:57.917-06:002013-01-26T10:26:57.917-06:00Thanks for the link.
I agree that Gibson was prob...Thanks for the link.<br /><br />I agree that Gibson was probably the greatest catcher ever, almost certainly the greatest dead catcher, and I should have at least mentioned that. Jonathan Bernsteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15931039630306253241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-15277565236632140352013-01-26T08:34:25.719-06:002013-01-26T08:34:25.719-06:00If you absolutely want a backup shortstop, I would...If you absolutely want a backup shortstop, I would probably prefer Arky Vaughan to George Davis. Robert Rittnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15861796761524996440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-708397592491024502013-01-26T07:45:56.631-06:002013-01-26T07:45:56.631-06:00On Gibson, see this discussion of his numbers and ...On Gibson, see this discussion of his numbers and his major league equivalencies at the Hall of Merit:<br /><br />http://www.baseballthinkfactory.org/hall_of_merit/discussion/josh_gibsonMCoAnoreply@blogger.com