Wednesday June 25th DLD, "The Day the DFA Died"?

by nevermoor on Jun 25, 2008 6:40 AM PDT

First off, since people are complaining about the AN ads:

If you're using Firefox (and, honestly, if you're not you should be) you need two plugins.

Adblock: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/10
It blocks ads. Lots of them. Which is nice.

Customize Google: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/743
It cleans up the Google interface, mostly targeted towards the search results screen.

These'll fix your "seeing boobies" problem. Which must be hard for you.

Also, while we're on the subject, my absolute favorite Firefox add-on is here (no longer in production, but works for now): http://mozilla.code65536.com/sdag/

Second, as much as I do love me some "DFA Brown" posts, our "friend" Emil is absolutely raking over his last two starts. I know what they say about sample size, but I refuse to believe that this is not a guy who can continue to go 3/5 with 2BB, 1HR, and 5RBI every two games. There is absolutely no reason to believe he's really a platoon player with no power. (Vs. Lefties: .308/.341/.359, which makes for a super-sexy .700 OPS).

What the hell, let him have his roster spot until he goes 0-fer again. He does, after all, still have the most RBIs on the team.

While we're on the baseball subject, maybe the next trade rumor should be Jimmy Rollins. I assume he'd be interested.

Also, Zook 0, Victorino 1 which is about the only negative from last night.

Finally, because I can't resist: Resisted

4 recs | Comment 190 comments

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at the risk of taking you at your word, that's crazy talk

(regarding our buddy Emil)

I know what they say about sample size, but I refuse to believe that this is not a guy who can continue to go 3/5 with 2BB, 1HR, and 5RBI every two games.

Let’s see. Assuming he goes 0-fer on the other night he plays, that’s a season line of batting .300 with 162 BB, 81 HR and 405 RBI.

by rebus on Jun 25, 2008 8:01 AM PDT 0 recs

I think that was partly tongue in cheek,

by theblackpearl on Jun 25, 2008 8:58 AM PDT up 0 recs

There is NO room on this team

For someone who can only hit 81 HR a year.

by nevermoor on Jun 25, 2008 9:01 AM PDT up 0 recs

agreed

by rebus on Jun 25, 2008 9:05 AM PDT up 0 recs

I'd be happy if the team hit 81HR's this year

The Stockton Ports pitching staff is better than the Orioles.

by gdub171 on Jun 25, 2008 10:09 AM PDT up 0 recs

Hell is settle for 18 HR's apiece

from Suzuki, Ellis, and Crosby

by A'sfaninNC on Jun 25, 2008 11:07 AM PDT up 0 recs

sorry

should of said I’d instead of is

by A'sfaninNC on Jun 25, 2008 11:13 AM PDT up 0 recs

yes, it is hell to settle for such a thing.

by phastphill on Jun 25, 2008 11:49 AM PDT up 0 recs

So, what does your fave add-on do, exactly?

Also, “landslide” timed-out for me. For others?

Firefox rocks. Agree with your assessment.

The meaning of life is not so much 'found,' as it is 'made.' --Opus

by The Dogfather on Jun 25, 2008 8:05 AM PDT 0 recs

I could not get landslide to work either

by easyraider on Jun 25, 2008 8:56 AM PDT up 0 recs

It worked for me, but I suggest nevermoor take it out of his DLD. Too political.

by theblackpearl on Jun 25, 2008 8:57 AM PDT up 0 recs

Fine

by nevermoor on Jun 25, 2008 9:02 AM PDT up 0 recs

I thought it would be interesting only b/c it's a pure-statistics look (all non-partisan polls aggregated in one place)

by nevermoor on Jun 25, 2008 9:04 AM PDT up 0 recs

Super Drag and Go

If you drag a link (not to anywhere, but just click/drag/release) it opens in a new tab in the background.

Say you open AN and start browsing through, you just drag and release every Post/FanPost/etc. of interest and when you’re done finding them they’re loaded in the background.

I find myself going nuts when I use other people’s computers and can’t browse through sites that way.

by nevermoor on Jun 25, 2008 9:06 AM PDT up 0 recs

Is it really so much harder to just do

right-click then “open in new tab”?

"Dispatch knuckleheadedness with Bond-like aplomb." –74mk

by iglew on Jun 25, 2008 1:40 PM PDT up 0 recs

the new link dialog box has a specific "open in new window?" checkbox

Personally, I think the default should be “yes” (with the option to not).

Can an aging lemur suffer from dementia? @('.')@

by monkeyball on Jun 25, 2008 1:43 PM PDT up 0 recs

Boo

Usually I want links to open in a new tab, and I do that by middle-clicking. But I find it annoying when links spawn new windows (or tabs) without my having asked for it.

"May a nit suck Cajun geese?" wonders Red. No, we see gnu Jack Cust in a yam.

by andeux on Jun 25, 2008 1:55 PM PDT up 0 recs

itchy trigger finger?

A mouseover will show whether it’ll spawn.

Can an aging lemur suffer from dementia? @('.')@

by monkeyball on Jun 25, 2008 2:04 PM PDT up 0 recs

100% agree with Andeux

Except for me it’s right-click, not middle-click.

I hate unrequested new windows.

"Dispatch knuckleheadedness with Bond-like aplomb." –74mk

by iglew on Jun 25, 2008 2:07 PM PDT up 0 recs

do y'all have single-click-linking right/middle buttons?

When I right-click on links, in order to actually open (whether in a new window, tab, or otherwise) I have to select the option off the right-click pulldown menu.

Auto-spawn = less work

Can an aging lemur suffer from dementia? @('.')@

by monkeyball on Jun 25, 2008 2:09 PM PDT up 0 recs

Drag and Go is the least work

Which is why I like it. No using the right click menu isn’t super hard, but it certainly takes longer than just dragging the link an inch down.

All I can really say is try it and see if you like it. I guarantee it’s worth every penny.

by nevermoor on Jun 25, 2008 2:13 PM PDT up 0 recs

For me

left click = open
middle click = open in new tab
right click = brings up menu including choices of new window or new tab

auto-spawn = less choice

"May a nit suck Cajun geese?" wonders Red. No, we see gnu Jack Cust in a yam.

by andeux on Jun 25, 2008 2:20 PM PDT up 0 recs

pro-spawn vs pro-choice?

Can an aging lemur suffer from dementia? @('.')@

by monkeyball on Jun 25, 2008 2:36 PM PDT up 0 recs

I'm pro-Spahn

but I was always a big Warren fan…

Florida ain't no place for a self-respecting A's fan.

by Leopold Bloom on Jun 25, 2008 2:39 PM PDT up 0 recs

Two buttons on my mouse

both at home and at work.

When I say right-click, yes, I mean the pulldown menu. But “open in new tab” is second on the list, so it’s just a tiny little drag. Less than the one inch nevermoor describes.

I’m not trying to convert anyone to my way, just answering the question.

More generally, I’ve never been one of those speed freaks who wants to save every microsecond of productivity. Even if the computer were instantaneous in everything, I’d still take a few seconds to look out the window, or a few minutes to get up and walk around.

"Dispatch knuckleheadedness with Bond-like aplomb." –74mk

by iglew on Jun 25, 2008 4:48 PM PDT up 0 recs

Does a chord-click do anything?

Can’t you can emulate a middle-click by clicking both left and right buttons at the same time?

by calgbear on Jun 25, 2008 6:21 PM PDT up 0 recs

At home on the Mac now

Your “chord-click” behaves the same as right-click. If I remember, I’ll try it at work tomorrow. (Mostly just out of curiosity, I’ve never had any desire to emulate a middle-click….)

"Dispatch knuckleheadedness with Bond-like aplomb." –74mk

by iglew on Jun 25, 2008 10:16 PM PDT up 0 recs

Weird.

For links that navigate to a different area within the same site, sure – if I’m paging through the Washington Post or something, I don’t want a zillion tabs opening all over the place. But those sorts of links are never set to auto-open new tabs, so it’s really a non-issue.

But links that propel you to a different site? If you’re choosing the “open in new tab” option most of the time, why wouldn’t you want that to be the default behavior? It seems counterintuitive (and illogical) to prefer the default to be the thing you don’t usually do. If it happens to be one of those (exceedingly infrequent, for me) times that you didn’t want the new tab, just close the tab you’re in, and all is well.

In any event, the add-on allows you to differentiate: To open with normal behavior, just click the link. To open in a new tab, drag and drop the link. Plus the drag/drop search function is mildly useful.

by 74mk on Jun 25, 2008 2:20 PM PDT up 0 recs

See, I'm just the opposite

When I go to, e.g. sfgate or AN, I tend to read through the index page, middle clicking on articles or diaries in which I am interested, and then read those articles, closing the new tabs as I go. But if I’m reading on article with just a single interesting link to some other site, I tend to finish the original article and then (left) click through to the reference, without any need to open/close an extraneous new tab.

But the point is that the choice is up to me, and is only a single click either way. Why would I want to install an add-on and retrain my fingers just to restore the same functionality that I would have in the first place if people didn’t insist on the “target=blank” nonsense?

"May a nit suck Cajun geese?" wonders Red. No, we see gnu Jack Cust in a yam.

by andeux on Jun 25, 2008 2:39 PM PDT up 0 recs

{clicks with middle finger}

Can an aging lemur suffer from dementia? @('.')@

by monkeyball on Jun 25, 2008 2:41 PM PDT up 0 recs

Huh.

For those of us with no middle-click, it’s more annoying: right-click plus another click. Though I suppose [ctrl]+[click] is a bit faster.

1. I’d put my “open new sites in a new tab” behavior at close to 100%.

2. I get really aggravated when I forget to right-click, and accidentally change the page I’m on to the thing I wanted to see in a different tab. This, to me, is far more problematic than very occasionally enduring the affront of a new tab opened against my will.

3. Ergo, default auto-spawn is preferable.

Different strokes, I suppose. We need a poll, clearly.

By the way: If you read a bunch, and tend to flag lots of items to read later, this (no new tab, never fear) is a pretty good tool.

by 74mk on Jun 25, 2008 3:04 PM PDT up 0 recs

what's more

If you click on a link without opening a new window, and then go back to the AN page from whence you came, you often default to a previous iteration of the page, and “lose” comments.

Can an aging lemur suffer from dementia? @('.')@

by monkeyball on Jun 25, 2008 4:15 PM PDT up 0 recs

Now THAT is annoying

I wish I could set AN so that it doesn’t mark everything unread unless I tell it to.

For me it comes up not so much when I accidentally leave the page (which I rarely do), but rather when I don’t have time to finish reading a long thread and I want to close it up for later, or (at work) when stupid IE crashes on me.

"Dispatch knuckleheadedness with Bond-like aplomb." –74mk

by iglew on Jun 25, 2008 5:01 PM PDT up 0 recs

this whole thread reminds me of a class i had in college

where we learned the “click”, the “click and drag”, the “double click”....ahhh, computers in the early days….(only ten years ago)

There's no crying in baseball!

by gigglingone on Jun 25, 2008 7:49 PM PDT up 0 recs

I was thinking it reminded me of high school.

“I like this clique”

“well I like this one”

“well you couldn’t get into any of them you band dork”

“WELL F%#@ YOU”

uhhh..maybe I shouldnt go to the next reunion after all.

"Camelot sure fell apart, didn't it?"-Steve McCatty

by 5Aces on Jun 26, 2008 8:37 AM PDT up 0 recs

That sounds familiar

My web-reading habits are about the same as yours, Andeux.

I’d guess that I want a new window about 60% of the time, a new window 5% of the time, and the same window/tab about 35% of the time.

More relevant to my preferences is that I just don’t see what the big deal is between a single click and a click-drag-click. They’re all negligible, so I don’t care. But I hate having to download crap and fuss with my preferences.

If the preference gnomes were to hack my computer in the middle of the night and change it to the behavior that 74mk or nevermoor is recommending and I would have to download a plug-in to switch it back to my way, I wouldn’t do that either. I’d just get used to the new way. Because bottom line, it’s just not worth screwing with it.

"Dispatch knuckleheadedness with Bond-like aplomb." –74mk

by iglew on Jun 25, 2008 4:58 PM PDT up 0 recs

But you should resist

both because it’s a no-go area and because the Woofing Gods don’t only follow baseball.

Don't blame me, I voted for Ice Cream

by Englishmajor on Jun 25, 2008 8:07 AM PDT 0 recs

Meh

All that site does is pure statistical compilation. No bias/projection/etc.

by nevermoor on Jun 25, 2008 9:07 AM PDT up 0 recs

Anybody happen to see the completely ridiculous situation from the Mets game last night?

Talk about an umpire abusing his power, huh?

I mean, the dude came out after Beltran, then bumped into Manuel, then ejected them both.

He had better get suspended.

by mikev on Jun 25, 2008 8:40 AM PDT 0 recs

Eventually, the umps may drive MLB to a technological solution to their over-reaching.

I continue to believe the best ones are consistent, accurate and invisible—three attributes that seem to be in eclipse among the current crop. I do not believe that much of the game’s soul would be lost by going to an automatic balls-n-strikes caller, assuming it’s accurate beyond reproach and the systems are set up so that they are utterly impervious to tampering.

These umps are a tired act.

The meaning of life is not so much 'found,' as it is 'made.' --Opus

by The Dogfather on Jun 25, 2008 8:56 AM PDT up 0 recs

I think it would be a really really hard adjustment

Since I firmly believe that the majority of marginal breaking balls are called “wrong” by all umpires. As an example, curveballs that start high and break just down enough feel really high and are always called balls. I think the theoretically perfect automated system would “miss” those calls and drive everyone crazy.

by nevermoor on Jun 25, 2008 9:10 AM PDT up 0 recs

"Bug" or "Feature?"

I say the latter.

The meaning of life is not so much 'found,' as it is 'made.' --Opus

by The Dogfather on Jun 25, 2008 9:45 AM PDT up 0 recs

Possible.

But pitchers would probably all be pissed when backdoor sliders that miss the plate but hit the glove don’t get called either.

My prediction would be mass hysteria (complete with human sacrifice + dogs and cats living together)

by nevermoor on Jun 25, 2008 10:23 AM PDT up 0 recs

They need to institute a rule that allows teams to eject umps from a game.

In search of a new signature. Say something funny and you may see your comment here!

by DMOAS on Jun 25, 2008 9:11 AM PDT up 0 recs

my ONLY problem with going to any automated system ...

... is the Diebold Effect, where a party on the receiving end of any negative outcome blames les eminence grises for gaming the system to favor the other (more popular/more populous/more Seligulous) team.

Can an aging lemur suffer from dementia? @('.')@

by monkeyball on Jun 25, 2008 9:51 AM PDT up 0 recs

Sunshine = disinfectant?

The publicker the calls are shared in realtimey-ness the better, as the less susceptible to shenanigans.

I wish I felt differently, as I’d rather argue for tradition and “humanity” (for want of a better term for a series of other, related factors), but these umps have exhausted my goodwill.

The meaning of life is not so much 'found,' as it is 'made.' --Opus

by The Dogfather on Jun 25, 2008 10:00 AM PDT up 0 recs

I'm assuming that Pitch F/X would not be going away...

making anything along those lines really noticeable.

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Jun 25, 2008 10:03 AM PDT up 0 recs

I wasn't clear

I don’t fear actual shenanigans to favor BOS/NYY/CHN, but the litany of fan/blog/podunk-newsman paranoid conspiracy-mongering about the presumed shenanigans.

Can an aging lemur suffer from dementia? @('.')@

by monkeyball on Jun 25, 2008 10:50 AM PDT up 0 recs

Is that any different or any worse than all the conspiracy theories we already see?

Hawk Harrelson is absolutely convinced the umpires are out to screw the Sox. I hear fans talking about it about various teams all the time.

And we did have a situation in the NBA that makes this sort of speculation not totally crazy.

http://bocropleasestopswingingatbadpitches.blogspot.com/

by thejd44 on Jun 25, 2008 12:33 PM PDT up 0 recs

Two thoughts

1: Totally egregious. That guy definitely deserves a suspension and to have any post-season appearances taken away.

2: Props to MLB.com for putting (or at least allowing) the video on the front page. I can’t tell if it’s on there b/c it’s most watched, but even in that case they could easily block it NFL style.

by nevermoor on Jun 25, 2008 9:17 AM PDT up 0 recs

I was watching that game live at the time...

I could not believe the overreaction from the blue…..It was like he wanted to toss Beltran and was just provoking him..was wild.

Bring back Hammer.

by OaktownPower on Jun 25, 2008 10:05 AM PDT up 0 recs

Grrrr.

"God doesn't pay attention to your cute little hypotheticals." -- Jeff from LL

by oblique on Jun 25, 2008 11:30 AM PDT up 0 recs

Brian Runge is one of the umpires whose name I always remember because he's a jerk (and bad)

I can’t even remember what the original call that made me notice him was, but it was years ago and now whenever I see him I expect bad things.

http://bocropleasestopswingingatbadpitches.blogspot.com/

by thejd44 on Jun 25, 2008 12:35 PM PDT up 0 recs

Who was the third Hawaiian last night?

Or did I misunderstand the comment in the game thread?

"Dispatch knuckleheadedness with Bond-like aplomb." –74mk

by iglew on Jun 25, 2008 9:27 AM PDT 0 recs

shane komine.....

the original hawaiian punch… ;)

by rh40 on Jun 25, 2008 9:38 AM PDT up 0 recs

Oh, so I did misunderstand then.

I thought someone was saying there were three Hawaiians in the game.

I mentioned this on the game thread, but it was just after the new thread opened, so I think most people didn’t see it: Ron Darling and Sid Fernandez were both born in Honolulu. They were both in the Mets rotation for several years in the late 1980s. It seems probable that the Mets played a team some time during that period that had another Hawaiian on it. Whether that counts as three Hawaiians in the game depends on what you mean by “in the game”, since it’s doubtful Darling and Fernandez would ever both pitch in the same game.

"Dispatch knuckleheadedness with Bond-like aplomb." –74mk

by iglew on Jun 25, 2008 1:47 PM PDT up 0 recs

I'm just glad Lenn Sakata got his props...

He’s the greatest emergency catcher of all time!

"I'm tying my dog to the railroad track, choo choo train's gonna break his back; We used to call him Spot, but now he's called Splat; That's the kind of person we are... Oh baby won't ya come home with me?"- 'The Dicky & Dino Show' from The Young Ones, 1984

by Gaijin_Suketto on Jun 26, 2008 5:47 PM PDT up 0 recs

Nice job

embedding that link – maybe i’ll try it now….

"...in baseball you wear a cap." -- george carlin

by Hot Cup Joe on Jun 26, 2008 7:33 PM PDT up 0 recs

Emil's supposed platoon advantage

I haven’t found his minor-league splits, but his MLB splits are totally inconsistent—some years he has a trad platoon advantage, some years he hits both lefties and righties, and some years he has a reverse platoon advantage. I’d love to see someone with better stat chops than myself do a fanpost on it.

All due credit and appreciation to Emil for his HR last night, but I’m just not sure he should be starting even against LHSPs.

Can an aging lemur suffer from dementia? @('.')@

by monkeyball on Jun 25, 2008 9:47 AM PDT 0 recs

one quick thin from his batted ball stats

since 2005, his LD% has dipped and his IFFB% has risen. they’re nearly even this season.

fangraphs

I do think it’s somewhat valuable to have guys up there hacking now and then as a change of pace for the pitcher.

by rebus on Jun 25, 2008 10:37 AM PDT up 0 recs

If you want that, why not just tell all your current hitters to swing at the first pitch once a game?

(Note, I don’t think that’s a good strategy either. But at least it would remove the need to explicitly go out and sign a crappy hitter to implement it.)

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Jun 25, 2008 10:58 AM PDT up 0 recs

crappy doesn't necessarily mean impatient

I mean, look at Kendall.

Not that Emil is anything special (or even anything average), but he does present a different batting style. Of course it would be nice if the results were more Vlad than Betancourt, but it can be somewhat useful in close games.

by rebus on Jun 25, 2008 12:39 PM PDT up 0 recs

Most impatient hitters suck

Not all, but most. And the ones that don’t, like Torii Hunter, tend to be seriously overvalued.

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Jun 25, 2008 12:51 PM PDT up 0 recs

The rule-proving exception, of course, is Vlad

It is very hard to have a respectable OBP without being patient, and for all the Moneyball jokes, OBP did fuel our franchise’s resurgence before everyone else caught on.

by nevermoor on Jun 25, 2008 12:55 PM PDT up 0 recs