Finally, ESPN Ziggy Love

by Imaseasonticketholder on Jul 27, 2008 9:40 PM PDT

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Brad Ziegler spent the first two months of the season pitching in the minors. Now the Oakland reliever is making plans to send some of his gear to Cooperstown.

Ziegler set the major league record for scoreless innings to start a career as the Athletics' bullpen threw 4 1/3 shutout innings to bail out starter Dana Eveland in a 6-5 win over the Texas Rangers on Sunday.

Ziegler gave up two singles in two innings to extend his scoreless streak to 27 and break a record that had stood since 1907.

Afterward, the 28-year-old right-hander kept two balls from his outing but planned to send the rest -- along with a pair of his shoes and a hat -- to the Hall of Fame.

"I don't know if that's something I'd ever thought I'd have to do as long as it wasn't a real embarrassing moment or someone else's highlight, but it's pretty incredible," Ziegler said. "It's real special. I feel like I've worked real hard to get here. Thankfully it's not over yet. Hopefully we can keep it going."

This is only partial of the article so I hope I don't get us sued. I dont know how to post links. Can anyone enlighten me? This is from the Espn page.

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Read it and weep, baby!

by mikev on Jul 27, 2008 9:50 PM PDT 0 recs

But how do you do it?

By the way, we couldn’t expect ESPN to give up any of their valuable time devoted to the non-stories of Favre & Manny Rivera to possibly talk about this rookie setting this record. Baseball Tonight clearly had more important news in the hopper as well.

Beane, put down the crack ( er) trade pipe. Do not, I repeat do not try to trade Ziggy.

"We get two outs, and I was sure, and I had a plan, and I shook Tek off," Schilling said. "And I get a big 'What if?' for the rest of my life."

by Imaseasonticketholder on Jul 27, 2008 10:01 PM PDT 0 recs

When you're posting, click the little picture that looks like a chain link.

Paste the URL of the article into the box that pops up and hit OK.

Then you’ll have a big funky looking line of code in your fAnPoSt, with a > and a < that the words of your link go into.

by mikev on Jul 27, 2008 10:05 PM PDT up 0 recs

does it really count if it is just in the game recap?

I mean there isn’t even a link on the frontpage.

Of course if the A’s don’t even care enough to announce it at any point of the game.. why should any media outlet care… oh but hey Manny wants out of Boston!!!

by buddahead9 on Jul 27, 2008 10:07 PM PDT 0 recs

It's on the MLB frontpage now

FWIW…
ESPN still sucks

by ohmangoAs on Jul 27, 2008 10:16 PM PDT 0 recs

I was watching ESPN and BBTN and never heard them mention a word about Ziggy.

So the article is nice but they should ahve mentioned it on TV too IMO.

by IM4Oakgal on Jul 27, 2008 10:31 PM PDT 0 recs

They did on Sportscenter.

Bring back Hammer.

by OaktownPower on Jul 28, 2008 1:05 AM PDT up 0 recs

No points to ESPN... that's the AP article

by calgbear on Jul 27, 2008 11:53 PM PDT 0 recs

The article on the ESPN page

(which is apparently AP) also makes reference to JEREMY Blevins.

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

by oblique on Jul 28, 2008 12:24 AM PDT 0 recs

Ziggy is also on the front page of Yahoo

There is a link to the story in the headlines/featured section

http://www.yahoo.com/

by A'sfaninNC on Jul 28, 2008 11:19 AM PDT 0 recs

and its mentioned as the top story in the Yahoo Sports minute

by A'sfaninNC on Jul 28, 2008 11:22 AM PDT up 0 recs

That's actually pretty cool.

ESPN can bite me.

"There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want" -Bill Watterson

by nevermoor on Jul 28, 2008 11:25 AM PDT up 0 recs

Haha..yea.

He was only shown on Sportscenter and discussed last night…and was singled out as Baseball Tonight’s Stat of the Night on Friday night.

Oh, and Gammons and Olney have written articles about him.

What exactly do you want from them, my god.

Bring back Hammer.

by OaktownPower on Jul 28, 2008 11:42 AM PDT up 0 recs

Have they?

I see a Gammons article called “Manny’s all about the money” and an Olney article called “Mariners would be wise to trade Washburn.”

I only see Ziggles as the 8th bullet point in the “MLB News” box.

"There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want" -Bill Watterson

by nevermoor on Jul 28, 2008 1:11 PM PDT up 0 recs

Olney wrote a piece about him

a couple weeks ago….was the headline of the blog that day and had his picture on the front page of ESPN.com with a link to the story. Very cool piece.

Bring back Hammer.

by OaktownPower on Jul 28, 2008 3:07 PM PDT up 0 recs

And he was just on PTI.

He is all over ESPN

Bring back Hammer.

by OaktownPower on Jul 28, 2008 3:26 PM PDT up 0 recs

What I want is for you

to not be so snarky. I watched ESPN & Sport Center all night Sunday and did not see it. Dollars to Doughnuts if he was with an east cost team, ther would have been an innings countdown.

"We get two outs, and I was sure, and I had a plan, and I shook Tek off," Schilling said. "And I get a big 'What if?' for the rest of my life."

by Imaseasonticketholder on Jul 28, 2008 1:23 PM PDT up 0 recs

I saw it on Sportscenter.

And he’s on pretty much every sport site. But yes, most places are using the same AP blurb. He also gets mentioned in the various game recaps.

But yes, it is unfortunate that he’s not playing for a bigger market team because he most certainly would be getting more press.

Amazing accomplishment anyway.

27 and counting...

by ZigFan31 on Jul 28, 2008 1:45 PM PDT up 0 recs

Not snarky...

Just commenting how ESPN has covered it extensively and curious what exactly people want…He was all over it last night, including the web site and ESPNews.

Bring back Hammer.

by OaktownPower on Jul 28, 2008 3:07 PM PDT up 0 recs

I have to disagree

I watched the entire BBT that was on before the NY-BOS game last night. This is supposed to be ESPN’s flagship show about baseball, and not one reference to Ziggy’s accomplishment in the entire hour. If they had been following it as closely as you seem to imply, they would have made note of the record actually being broken. They have had a couple nice pieces on him, but c’mon NO mention when a 100 year old record is broken? On the network’s flagship show about baseball? If it was Joba putting up zeroes to start his career we would have broken in to live action to see if he could break the record (although maybe that is redundent since the NY game would already be televised on ESPN anyway).

by AsFanInLA on Jul 28, 2008 3:26 PM PDT up 0 recs

Not redundant

They would have cut away from the in booth interview to actually show the game when Joba was going for it.

"There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want" -Bill Watterson

by nevermoor on Jul 28, 2008 3:31 PM PDT up 0 recs

It may not have made it there in time

On the later BBT, they did a whole segment on Zig.

So, bring on Bonds! Or, not... then, bring back Langerhans!! -One won lost one

by baseballgirl on Jul 28, 2008 4:09 PM PDT up 0 recs

Glad to hear it.

because I watched an entire episode of BBTN os Sunday and all of the pre-game hype before the Yanks/RS game and not a word . They reviewed games without ever mentioning Brad’s accomplishment. I guess they got a clue later on and finally decided to notice it.

by IM4Oakgal on Jul 28, 2008 10:16 PM PDT up 0 recs

Hmmm..

What do you think we could get for Ziegler in a trade right now?

There’s no reason to trade him, but I’m just saying, his value’s pretty high.

by Eggman on Jul 28, 2008 12:12 PM PDT 0 recs

He's finally gettin some love..

Go check out the main page on yahoo.
“101-year-old record broken”

Second time in several months i’ve seen two A’s on the front of Yahoo..

by AthleticsMatt on Jul 28, 2008 1:10 PM PDT 0 recs

Gosh dang it

Why does everyone keep saying “scoreless innings”? That’s not correct.

The record is for consecutive innings without an earned run. Some of the innings were not scoreless.

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

by iglew on Jul 28, 2008 2:52 PM PDT 0 recs

Technicalities

Ziegler has allowed a few runs, but they’re inherited runners.

He has not allowed a run that got on base because of him.

Last of the Ninth - Photography Site / jamesvenes.com - Blog

by Flashfire on Jul 28, 2008 2:57 PM PDT up 0 recs

Right

Those runners are charged to earlier pitchers (because Ziggles didn’t let them on base)

"There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want" -Bill Watterson

by nevermoor on Jul 28, 2008 3:32 PM PDT up 0 recs

No, you are not correct

First of all, the earned/unearned distinction you seem to bring up is not relevant. He did not give up any unearned runs.

It’s “scoreless innings” where “innings” is defined according the rules of the pitcher stat “innings pitched” rather than literal innings in a game.

The A's colors are green and gold.

by mikeA on Jul 28, 2008 3:04 PM PDT up 0 recs

OK, I get it.

You’re saying that if Brad pitches the last 2/3 of an inning, and an inherited runner scores, then technically that runner scored in the other guy’s 1/3, even though Brad was on the mound when the guy crossed the plate. Is that right?

Let me ask you this. Suppose Embree comes in to start the 8th inning, puts two guys on base and then is pulled. Ziegler comes in, gets all three outs to end the inning but only after allowing one of the inherited runners to score. In such a case, Embree pitched zero innings, Ziegler pitched one inning. Would that still be a “scoreless inning”? If so, in what inning did the runner technically score? Can’t be the 8th, because that’s Brad’s. Can’t be Embree’s partial inning, because he didn’t have one. Surely it didn’t score in the 7th, so when?

(As far as I know, that situation never happened. I think all of Ziegler’s inherited runners scored were in inning where he took over after the previous pitcher got at least one out. But I’m still curious. It’s a weird terminology that describes a partial inning as “scoreless” on grounds that the inherited runner really scored in the part of the inning that’s already over.)

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

by iglew on Jul 29, 2008 6:29 PM PDT up 0 recs

The only thing this applies to is a run charged to Ziegler. Nobody else.

In the Embree example, though, it’d be “Embree pitched to 2 batters in the 8th” and he’d have a run charged to him. Ziegler would have 1 IP with no runs charged to him.

Last of the Ninth - Photography Site / jamesvenes.com - Blog

by Flashfire on Jul 29, 2008 6:44 PM PDT up 0 recs

Yes, I understand what the record is

I just don’t understand how they justify calling it a “scoreless inning”.

“Pitched a scoreless inning” and “pitched an inning in which no runs were charged to him” are not the same thing.

My bad earlier for bringing up earned-vs-unearned, when that’s not the issue. The issue is inherited batters vs one’s own batters. If you allow an inherited runner to score, I know that’s not charged against you, but does it still count as “scoreless”? I don’t think so.

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

by iglew on Jul 29, 2008 7:23 PM PDT up 0 recs

By definition of the rules, yes, it's still scoreless.

Inherited runners are just a different stat with no connection to this. You could have a pitcher who had 20 inherited runners and allow 15 of them to score while never allowing a run of his own and we’d justifiably say he stinks at cleaning up the messes made by others while being great at not creating any of his own that he pays for. He’d have a scoreless streak, though.

Last of the Ninth - Photography Site / jamesvenes.com - Blog

by Flashfire on Jul 29, 2008 8:27 PM PDT up 0 recs

By the way, Ziggy's allowed 25% of his inherited runners to score this year

Date	Opp	Runners	Scored
5/31/08	TEX	1	1
6/3/08	DET	3	1
6/7/08	LAA	2	1
6/8/08	LAA	2	0
6/20/08	FLA	1	0
7/7/08	SEA	3	0
7/12/08	LAA	2	0
7/13/08	LAA	1	0
7/25/08	TEX	1	1
	TOTAL	16	4

Last of the Ninth - Photography Site / jamesvenes.com - Blog

by Flashfire on Jul 29, 2008 8:48 PM PDT up 0 recs