DLD 10/18/07: AfterMach + Diego 3.4
Well, we thought we'd have a little breathing room before facing the whole Zito-leaving drama and whatever big moves Billy's got planned. But nooooo, he had to fire Macha. May you live in interesting offseasons.
In case you missed it, Slusser gets a raft of players kicking Macha on the way out the door. I am personally torn, because I DO want to know what the players are thinking and what the mood of the clubhouse is. But on the other hand, it would be classier to just let Macha go and speak no ill of the fired.
DISCONNECTED / Gorilla off his back: 'It's OK'
In terms of wins and losses, Ken Macha knows the A's were successful on his watch as manager, especially for a team with a relatively moderate payroll that relies more on its farm system than free agency. "Eighty-eight games over .500," Macha said in a...
Knapp says the next manager needs Tough Love.
Dave Newhouse boosts Dusty for the manager job. Then FireJoeMorgan promptly rips Newhouse.
-----
Diego runs through the rest of the week, updating the Dialogues of Plato for the Moneyball generation.
- Season One
- Season Two
- Season Three So Far (1. Grover Woos Tapir, 2. Thunderbutt Takes Year-Long Dump, 3.Kyli Thinks Slusser is Kinky )

0 recs |
183 comments
Comments
Mmm...
by suprjo on Oct 18, 2006 1:24 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
with piping hot pepper jack cheese
by ohtobe21likehuston on Oct 18, 2006 5:41 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
i want some carne asada fries!
*mmmmmmmm*
by gotgreen on Oct 18, 2006 9:13 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
No! It must be poutine!
by Ozzz on Oct 18, 2006 1:17 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
<flings poutine>
by monkeyball on Oct 18, 2006 1:20 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Oh man
by grover on Oct 18, 2006 6:29 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm viewing with text only
by monkeyball on Oct 19, 2006 10:17 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
is he eating a carrot in the first panel?
by xbhaskarx on Oct 18, 2006 2:26 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I think it's an icicle,
by whiteshoes40 on Oct 18, 2006 4:27 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Except that guy doesn't really have a neck.
by whiteshoes40 on Oct 18, 2006 4:28 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
wow
by Apricot on Oct 18, 2006 8:17 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Great.
by whiteshoes40 on Oct 18, 2006 9:54 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Cracks me up
I'm glad you said something about the players throwing Macha under the bus. Totally classless after the team had their best season in 16 years.
by ohtobe21likehuston on Oct 18, 2006 5:42 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
More funny from The Dugout...
Click convo for link.
by JLaff on Oct 18, 2006 7:05 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
heh heh
by Apricot on Oct 18, 2006 8:23 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
That movie was fabulous.
"No. It's Oakland."
by Kyli on Oct 18, 2006 8:31 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, did you see the links in the text?
by hunter on Oct 18, 2006 8:39 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Also the last time Mark Prior
by jeepers on Oct 18, 2006 8:37 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Idiocy from a moneyball reactionary
by rfloh on Oct 18, 2006 7:45 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
<dies laughing>
How DARE he call up his AAA catcher? HOW DARE HE? I'm sure if the reporter asked Beane how much playing time Brown should have gotten, Billy would have said, "Oh, he should start the next four games." Because playing time always was, and always will be, the responsibility of the Oakland manager.
by jeepers on Oct 18, 2006 8:18 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Christ, what an asshole.
Other errors and stupidity: Moneyball isn't Billy Beane's book. It is about the way he builds teams, but it's not his book.
I'm not getting tired of the name or the concept of Moneyball. So as long as you don't include me in your little "we" group, that's fine. (Nice going using the term "we" everywhere, as if you have some quorum that justifies it.)
Moneyball is not about on field strategy. It is about economics.
It doesn't matter if the author thinks that Moneyball is old and not edgy. Sending a 75 year old man in a beat up pickup truck 1500 miles per week around Texas to find boys with good baseball faces is old and not edgy, but everyone seems to do that crap. So how is that relevant?
Jimenez isn't the worst starting 2nd baseman in a playoff game this decade. He wasn't even the worst starting 2nd baseman in this post season series. That belongs to Neifi Perez.
by hunter on Oct 18, 2006 8:56 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Slusser on ESPN Cold Pizza
- Tigers will stick with ALCS rotation, but the Gambler may start game 1. If Cards advance, Bonderman starts game 2. (Yawn.)
- Zumaya and Casey ready for ALCS. (Why do they have a writer from the SF Chron talking about the ALCS?)
- A's now looking for a new manager. Geren, Wash the main inside candidates. (Duh.) Wash's interview w/Texas went well. Other outside possibilities: Bowa, Jamie Quirk, Bud Black. Black might also go to Padres.
by JLaff on Oct 18, 2006 7:51 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
And by ALCS
by JLaff on Oct 18, 2006 8:05 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
pleasantly surprised
by Apricot on Oct 18, 2006 8:19 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Rare is the pitching coach
by sslinger on Oct 18, 2006 9:19 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
So, Slusser gets a raft...
There's no justice in this world.
by McFood on Oct 18, 2006 8:01 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
T-Rex is so unclutch.
by jeepers on Oct 18, 2006 8:19 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
<sails over head>
by jeepers on Oct 18, 2006 8:31 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
You're dirty and sweet, oh yeah
Somehow you missed this cultural touchstone.
by FreeSeatUpgrade on Oct 18, 2006 8:39 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Indeed I did.
Boy
Man
God
Shit
Wash uffitzi, drive me to Firenze.
by jeepers on Oct 18, 2006 8:43 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
why are you comparing t-rex
by xbhaskarx on Oct 18, 2006 9:30 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
The non-sensical lyrics.
by jeepers on Oct 18, 2006 9:59 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
20th century boy
by xbhaskarx on Oct 18, 2006 9:30 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
But what about the
21st century digital boys
Never played baseball
And alway want Hee Choi
by salb918 on Oct 18, 2006 9:34 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
i think they died
by xbhaskarx on Oct 18, 2006 10:00 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
and Stegosaurus not Mexican enough
by monkeyball on Oct 18, 2006 10:02 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
LOL
by pickinmachine on Oct 18, 2006 10:11 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
But how did it taste on a tortilla?
by FreeSeatUpgrade on Oct 18, 2006 11:30 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Tell that to Carl Everett
by Helloooo 1st on Oct 18, 2006 10:47 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Lowell Cohn defends Macha
"I just stood up and said, 'I appreciate the opportunity. I put my heart and soul into everything I did.'" Macha said. "I shook everyone's hand and said, 'Good luck,' and walked out."
http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061018/NEWS/610180351/1010/SPORT01
by TurnTwo on Oct 18, 2006 8:27 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Eh, text box faux pas
by TurnTwo on Oct 18, 2006 8:28 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
sympathetic but
by Apricot on Oct 18, 2006 8:31 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I guess that makes up
by jeepers on Oct 18, 2006 8:38 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
And Chuck Thomas... and Bobby Kielty...
by Ozzz on Oct 18, 2006 1:25 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Uh...Chuck Thomas ruined his own career.
by salb918 on Oct 18, 2006 1:27 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
The same could have been said for Milton Bradley.
by Ozzz on Oct 18, 2006 1:28 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
A different take
The kicking the guy while he's down, perahps not so much, but that's of less consequence than having put success in the 2006 season first.
by FreeSeatUpgrade on Oct 18, 2006 8:42 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
i agree
by xbhaskarx on Oct 18, 2006 9:33 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
something that always bothers me
Not to say that kids hadn't played baseball at the time, but it was invented for men's recreation, and has been played by adults for it's entire history.
by hunter on Oct 18, 2006 9:10 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
<stops dead in tracks>
by monkeyball on Oct 18, 2006 10:08 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Good points
So if it's a mischaracterization, it's one that has at least some historical basis (given the relationship between baseball and genuine kids' games), and is also one that has been around pretty much since the game's inception. And isn't tradition a part of baseball?
by Nick on Oct 18, 2006 2:16 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
What utter horse doody.
The players said not. One. Word.
They did their jobs, they kept their complaints to themselves, and when the season was done (a season in which they, not Macha, made the ALCS) and the button was pressed to let Macha go, the players did the courteous thing (from the fans' perspective anyhow) and explained why it was necessary.
Macha can dry his eyes on the $2m he gets paid to leave - which incidentally is the same number of reasons there was to let him go.
by Ozzz on Oct 18, 2006 1:24 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
oh, no, they didn't
It's pretty clear to me from the various articles that many players were actuvely talking among themselves about their displeasure with Macha over the course of the season, that perhaps certain players even actively proselytized against Macha in the clubhouse during the season, that perhaps certain players approached Beane over the course of the season, and that players were definitely talking to the media at or near the end of the season prior to "the button being pressed" to eject Macha.
I'm not saying that any of those actions, or the ultimate outcome, were necessarily wrong; and I'm certainly not in the camp that thinks all this crap should have been aired publicly during the season.
But describing the actions of the players as "courteous" is ... well, quite frankly, bizarre.
by monkeyball on Oct 18, 2006 1:37 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Probabilities the Mets vs. Cards series
by hunter on Oct 18, 2006 8:34 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
in other words
by xbhaskarx on Oct 18, 2006 9:34 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hell, using historical statistics to predict
Y'know, you can just see it in their eyes. They want it more.
<looks around conspicuously />
<snickers to self />
by hunter on Oct 18, 2006 10:30 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I have to say,
by Zonis on Oct 18, 2006 9:08 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
and as I explained yesterday
by Apricot on Oct 18, 2006 9:10 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Is this a dancing anime?
by senork on Oct 18, 2006 11:36 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Since everything on the site is for your enjoyment
by Ozzz on Oct 18, 2006 1:29 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
MLB labor agreement talks progressing well
I'd like to see the luxury tax and/or revenue sharing strengthened, and would also like to see a "salary floor" for certain teams. But there's no mention of my greatest concern--whether or not compensatory draft picks for free agents will continue. Their elimination would be a big blow to the green and gold.
by jeepers on Oct 18, 2006 9:20 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
The union already has a salary floor.
What I would like to see toward those ends is a guarantee that any team receiving revenue sharing money must put that money toward player salaries not only at the major league level but minor league level as well (including the draft and international signings). The union of course would never go for that because they don't represent minor leaguers.
by salb918 on Oct 18, 2006 9:28 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
They already do that.
What they need to do is decide upon a minimum percentage of revenue that must be used on salary, and fine clubs that don't hit that point, just like they do with teams that spend too much.
Either that, or start promoting successful AAA teams whenever a major league team stays on the bottom of their division for three seasons straight.
Now THAT would see some teams spending some money, I'd wager.
by Ozzz on Oct 18, 2006 1:32 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
And when a team with a new stadium
by rfloh on Oct 19, 2006 5:44 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
OT dumb question
Meaning nothing for Zito.
by pickinmachine on Oct 18, 2006 9:48 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Possably
Don't forget though, the reason the MLB is doing this is as long as the draft picks were tied to free agents the players union had control over the picks. Now that they've gotten rid of the draft pick compansation the MLB can start doing things like allowing teams to trade draft picks, or having a standardized singing bonus to keep those first round draft picks from costing $4M a piece. I'd personaly like to see draft picks tied to a salary cap where you loose a draft pick for every $25M over $100M you are.
Also, there WILL still be some sort of compansation, there is no way any team but the Yankees, Mets and BoSox would have agreed to ending draft pick compansation without an alternative.
by Threepwood XX on Oct 18, 2006 1:29 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Compensation will be..
Isn't that how it works in hockey?
by Ozzz on Oct 18, 2006 1:33 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
isn't that what what is done right now???
by Zonis on Oct 18, 2006 2:20 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
To an extent.
So rather than us getting the Yankees' 1st rounder and one comp, we'll get an amount of picks considered 'equal' to the FAs new contract. For example, if he gets paid $10m a year, then we get their 1st and 3rd pick, whereas if he gets $6m a year, we get 2nd and 3rd.
At the lower end, Jay Payton signing with someone for $2m a year might get us a 5th rounder or so.
Feh, the more I think about this, the more my head hurts.
by Ozzz on Oct 18, 2006 4:00 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
thanks for the info
by pickinmachine on Oct 18, 2006 3:21 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
lyons gets a new job before macha does
by xbhaskarx on Oct 18, 2006 9:40 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
is there a ralph's around here?
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/10/18/sports/NA_SPT_BBL_MLB_to_the_Grave.php
by xbhaskarx on Oct 18, 2006 9:46 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
sweet!
Each urn will be stamped with a message saying Major League Baseball officially recognizes the deceased as a lifelong fan of that team.
by gigglingone on Oct 18, 2006 10:40 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
yesterday, mike tyson said he would fight
Mills claims McCartney abused her
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/15318251/
(i think both are b.s.)
by xbhaskarx on Oct 18, 2006 9:51 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
What, she's leaving home?
by jeepers on Oct 18, 2006 9:59 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I would pay to see
by Jennifer on Oct 18, 2006 10:06 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'd prefer
by jeepers on Oct 18, 2006 10:08 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'd prefer to see them play chicken..
by Ozzz on Oct 18, 2006 1:37 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
They could follow it up with an appearance
I'd pay to see Tyson attempt a toe loop.
by TurnTwo on Oct 18, 2006 10:22 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Tyson: "I just want everyone to know
by hunter on Oct 18, 2006 10:31 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Minus the intentional humor.
by senork on Oct 18, 2006 11:37 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Man
by ArakSOT on Oct 18, 2006 1:16 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
are Kotsay and Melhuse complaining about it?
by monkeyball on Oct 18, 2006 1:21 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hmmmmm
by mikeA on Oct 18, 2006 1:25 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I haven't even seen the server!
by salb918 on Oct 18, 2006 1:27 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
You want a server?

by Ozzz on Oct 18, 2006 1:39 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Uh...give two pair, please.
by salb918 on Oct 18, 2006 1:45 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Our office network is cranky today, too.
<hands servers Midol>
by Jennifer on Oct 18, 2006 1:45 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I used to get Midol confused
by salb918 on Oct 18, 2006 1:53 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
<wakes up groggy with cramps>
by jeepers on Oct 18, 2006 1:54 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
who's groggy ...
by monkeyball on Oct 18, 2006 1:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I used to get Midol confused
by monkeyball on Oct 18, 2006 1:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Who the fuck you calling cranky?
by grover on Oct 18, 2006 6:39 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Dirty bomb threat against NFL this weekend
The feds seem to feel this threat is not credible, which is good to hear. I've wondered on occasion what's to prevent a suicide bomber from leaping into a baseball dugout midgame.
by FreeSeatUpgrade on Oct 18, 2006 2:31 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
You can sneak any weapon you want
by jeepers on Oct 18, 2006 2:36 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I never understood
by Jennifer on Oct 18, 2006 4:01 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
If the bomb makes
by salb918 on Oct 18, 2006 2:43 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I know Lew wants the A's out of Oakland
by mikeA on Oct 18, 2006 2:55 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
terrorism = tired act
by monkeyball on Oct 18, 2006 2:58 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Carl Everett doesn't believe in the GWOPt
by monkeyball on Oct 18, 2006 3:12 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
But is that a baby pterodactyl?
by salb918 on Oct 18, 2006 3:19 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Was Zito your source on that?
by FreeSeatUpgrade on Oct 18, 2006 3:02 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
no, a composite character ...
It's from vol 3 of my series "Beane at War."
by monkeyball on Oct 18, 2006 3:29 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Subtitle: State of Denial
by FreeSeatUpgrade on Oct 18, 2006 3:51 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hilarity
(HT: FJM
by jeepers on Oct 18, 2006 3:23 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Somethings wrong.
by eamb on Oct 18, 2006 3:27 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Also, why isn't A-Rod an option
by salb918 on Oct 18, 2006 3:29 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
The NL is SO un-clutch.
by jeepers on Oct 18, 2006 3:30 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Surely this is just a glitch
by JLaff on Oct 18, 2006 3:30 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Actually, I'd be pissed if
by salb918 on Oct 18, 2006 3:31 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
More to the point...
Would A-Rod or popular AN whipping boy Eric Chavez be at the hot corner?
by JLaff on Oct 18, 2006 3:34 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm being subpoened (sp) to testify;
by saint on Oct 18, 2006 3:34 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
The Frank Francisco one?
by jeepers on Oct 18, 2006 3:48 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Oh that's true...
by baseballgirl on Oct 18, 2006 3:49 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Seriously?
by baseballgirl on Oct 18, 2006 3:49 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yep...The Bueno One.
It was the ugliest thing I have ever seen at a baseball game.
http://www.sportsbarinfo.com/smf/index.php?topic=38.0
This is what I wrote afterward
by saint on Oct 19, 2006 3:53 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
fuson v beane?
by xbhaskarx on Oct 18, 2006 5:35 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
A very fascinating
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=lukas/061018&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab1pos1
by salb918 on Oct 18, 2006 3:38 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
ESPN repeatedly showing the ball
Nah.
by Checkswing HR on Oct 18, 2006 4:49 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Those Boston crazies.
That might be hard to control. "No, teacher, we're not playing tag, we're just practicing our sprinting, because that girl has cooties..."
by whiteshoes40 on Oct 18, 2006 3:39 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
If I were a sig changer,
by salb918 on Oct 18, 2006 3:45 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Recess is a crap shoot
by monkeyball on Oct 18, 2006 4:04 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Not since they got rid of the monkey bars
by Ice Cream on Oct 18, 2006 4:25 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
au contraire!
by monkeyball on Oct 18, 2006 4:39 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I can't stop laughing at this
by Poppy on Oct 18, 2006 5:46 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
When did tag become a contact sport?
I kinda sorta get the dodgeball bans, because that game always seemed like an exercise in recreating "Lord of the Flies" to me. But tag?
Has it been that long since I was a kid? "Kill the Carrier" (or its more offensively named cousin) and "Butts Up" were staples of my childhood. We even played stickball with broomhandles...until some kid let go of the bat by mistake and broke a kid's nose.
by jeepers on Oct 18, 2006 3:52 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Youse gwuys wonnas play sum stickbawl?
by salb918 on Oct 18, 2006 3:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
That's about what he sounded like.
by jeepers on Oct 18, 2006 3:58 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
(more offensively named cousin)
by monkeyball on Oct 18, 2006 4:06 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
You must have played in
by salb918 on Oct 18, 2006 4:10 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
With Jason Kendall!
by FreeSeatUpgrade on Oct 18, 2006 4:13 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
2007 tenative schedule
http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/schedule/tentative.jsp?c_id=oak&year=2007
by roscoe on Oct 18, 2006 3:57 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Brutal
by eamb on Oct 18, 2006 4:12 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Lots of long trips w/no off days.
by jeepers on Oct 18, 2006 4:21 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Does anyone have the spring training schedule
by alamedagirl on Oct 18, 2006 6:25 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
The players love off days at home...
by Dr Pez on Oct 18, 2006 4:36 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
All My Children has nothing on the A's
Another story about the Beane/Macha rift. This time it involves Billy taking over Macha's office.
by TurnTwo on Oct 18, 2006 4:57 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Macha walks in wearing nuthin' but his spankies...
by Jennifer on Oct 18, 2006 5:26 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Macha AND Young in their spankies?
by Poppy on Oct 18, 2006 5:53 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
no, just shoes and shirt
by monkeyball on Oct 18, 2006 5:55 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
<hums "Hot Cross Buns">
by Jennifer on Oct 18, 2006 7:04 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
that's a great story
bottom line is, any a's coach should be well aware by now of the importance of managers in the a's organizational philosophy.
by xbhaskarx on Oct 18, 2006 6:03 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
<Paging Apricot>
I have installed the stuff I need to use KillFile. (Even FireFox... even though I hate it). So...now... how the heck do I use it???
by AsGirl on Oct 18, 2006 5:33 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
it should just magically work
Basically, all AN comments appear with a [kill][hide comment] next to it. You can kill all comments of a person from your sight, or just one at a time by clicking. It is easy to undo, so just try it...
by Apricot on Oct 18, 2006 5:44 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I don't see any [kill] or [hide comment]...
by AsGirl on Oct 18, 2006 5:47 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Anyone?
I promise I won't Killfile whoever helps me! :)
by AsGirl on Oct 18, 2006 6:39 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Maybe I'm the only one who hasn't killfiled you.
but I can't help... sorry :(
by Poppy on Oct 18, 2006 6:48 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Did you install the script itself?
by eamb on Oct 18, 2006 7:16 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I e-mailed the article to FMJ earlier today
http://firejoemorgan.blogspot.com/2006/10/i-dont-see-any-problem-with-this.html
by Zonis on Oct 18, 2006 5:34 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
We'll take dual credit :-).
by jeepers on Oct 18, 2006 6:03 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
pffff
Just like the A's, Ozzy doesn't know how to do the little things anymore. When was the last time you saw Ozzy lay down a sacrifice bunt and give himself up for the team? Not recently enough, if you ask me.
I want to see Milton Bradley stop breaking baseball bats, and start biting the heads off of fruit bats.
by Poppy on Oct 18, 2006 6:17 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm looking for some input
Here's what I've come up with so far:
(Sorry about the large image size, it's unreadable any smaller...)
The blue bar represents batting average; the green bar on-base percentage; the red bar slugging, and the brown bar OPS.
The tick marks indicate the number of home runs hit.
The vertical black bars represent American League average numbers for AVG/OBP/SLG/OPS, in that order.
So, for instance, you can see that while Nick Swisher had a below average batting average, his OBP was higher than the league median, as were his slugging and OPS.
Thanks for any feedback you guys can give me, I'm sure it'll be helpful. Collectively, you're some of the sharpest folks I know.
by Ryan Armbrust on Oct 18, 2006 6:48 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Nice idea
-Leave off the bar for OPS. It's redundant information, and leaves things looking too busy.
-Maybe leave off the ticks for HRs too, as they don't really fit in with the rest of the information. (On the other hand, they don't really get in the way either, so leaving them in is fine).
-For what's left consider stacking your red and green bars on top of each other and make the blue twice as wide like
BBBBBBBBBBGGGGG
BBBBBBBBBBRRRRRRRRRR
since AVG is a component of both OBP and SLG and the remaining parts are more or less independent. (I hope that makes sense)
by andeux on Oct 18, 2006 7:10 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
those are good ideas
And I like the idea od doubling up the AVG bar, and having SLG and OBP stacked after it.
I think the HR ticks are important, because they help show how much of the SLG is based on doubles, and people always want to know HR numbers.
Thanks for the suggestions
by Ryan Armbrust on Oct 18, 2006 7:22 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Very creative idea.
by salb918 on Oct 18, 2006 7:42 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
those are good suggestions
by xbhaskarx on Oct 18, 2006 7:44 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah
Have you looked at fangraphs.com? They've gone in a different direction with this sort of thing (mostly looking at the graph of a single stat vs. league average over time).
If you want to get really serious about this sort of thing, you might also want to look at some books by Edward Tufte.
by andeux on Oct 18, 2006 11:18 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
actually
by Ryan Armbrust on Oct 19, 2006 10:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
some thoughts
That said...
- I find the graphics somewhat confusing. The issue with stacked bars is that it is very hard to compare anything other than the first stack and the total stack. Also, you throw in comparing against the league average, but only in obvious cases will it be easy to compare as the OBP bar won't line up with the league average bar. In brief, I think that if you want to compare avg/obp/slg/ops across batters and against league average, it would be clearer just to have four little bars with either accompanying league average bars or some kind of tick.
- If the goal is to have a visual way to see what kind of hitting a batter does, one idea would be for each batter to have a stacked bar of all ABs.
I'm going to sketch out two possibilities... these models are definitely not quite right, but I think there is the kernel of something good in them. The prototypes suck, but were the best I could do on short notice.
The first possibility would account for the results of all at bats with slices left to right:
# of singles
# of 2B
3B
HR
BB & HBP
GB outs
FB outs
K outs
So at a glance you could see what their batting average was by coloring the first four in a sympathetic way. You could see the OBP by adding in the BB slice (colored in some clever way to attach to the hits). You could cleverly mark the league average AVG and OBP somehow (perhaps a darkening of the outside of the bar, or maybe just big tick marks on the perimeter).
It could also be done as a pie chart.
A second graph (possibly a supplement and not a replacement for the first) would help visualize SLG, so it would just focus on the distribution of total bases, so there would be a slice for
all bases achieved on singles
bases from doubles
... triples
... homers
It would be normalized so a 1.000 SLG would have the same length as the first graph.
Here's are two quickie prototypes.
First, I used data for Swisher that is partly right (couldn't figure out the right number of GB/FB outs). From left, you read singles, 2b, 3b (thin slice), hr, bb, hbp, Ks, GB outs, FB outs. The two lines show the league average AVG and OBP. The bar could always be normalized to the same length, but in some ways would be more interesting left in absolute length.

Here is another brainstorm idea, where 2b, 3b and HR are shown on the same graphic as before but, proportional to their total bases:

Okay, I've spent too much time on this already! It's an area that could use some good thinking, though. Maybe someone could build on some of the ideas in this post.
by Apricot on Oct 18, 2006 9:36 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I like where you're going with that
I would love to see that much data incorporated into a graphic, but it may become too dense.
I'll ponder and tinker more, and keep you updated on what I come up with.
Oh, and as far as I'm concerned, this is a community project. Things generally turn out better when more minds toss out ideas, I've found. It's something to keep us occupied in the offseason, too, when we're not debating rumors and pretending to make trades... or reading the brilliant adventures of Diego Chavez and company.
by Ryan Armbrust on Oct 18, 2006 9:53 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
another option
I want these to be comparable between players, and I'm not sure this helps.

What do you guys think, though? What would you look for in a graphic like this? What would you want to see?
by Ryan Armbrust on Oct 18, 2006 10:30 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
needs more facial hair
by xbhaskarx on Oct 18, 2006 10:55 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
And glitter.
by Poppy on Oct 19, 2006 7:22 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

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