Friday, December 31, 2010
Why the Long Face?
Have you heard of antijoke.com? It goes like this:
A horse walks into a bar. Bartender says, "Why the long face?" The horse does not respond because it is a horse. It can neither speak nor understand English. It is confused by it surroundings, and gallops out of the bar, knocking over a few tables.Get it?
Happy New Year...and Thanks
Happy New Year to all you long-suffering Oriole fans who are goodly enough to read my posts. Thanks for overlooking my clumsy writing, endless typos and meandering rants that, hopefully, make some sense to you guys.
Thanks to the "real" writers who have linked to Dempsey's Army and given me a little attention. Thanks to my fellow bloggers and especially the ones who torture themselves by blogging about the Baltimore Orioles. It is good to have peers who are bright and talented. As I was saying to Stacey of Camden Chat earlier today, the Oriole bloggers have a very low douche bag factor when compared to bloggers for other baseball teams and that makes this all a lot more fun.
We have, yet again, doubled our readership in 2010 and look forward to finding enough material to attract more of you in 2011.
And even if 2011 is a losing season for the 14th straight time...I'm going to make it. We all will...
Thanks to the "real" writers who have linked to Dempsey's Army and given me a little attention. Thanks to my fellow bloggers and especially the ones who torture themselves by blogging about the Baltimore Orioles. It is good to have peers who are bright and talented. As I was saying to Stacey of Camden Chat earlier today, the Oriole bloggers have a very low douche bag factor when compared to bloggers for other baseball teams and that makes this all a lot more fun.
We have, yet again, doubled our readership in 2010 and look forward to finding enough material to attract more of you in 2011.
And even if 2011 is a losing season for the 14th straight time...I'm going to make it. We all will...
The Mountain Goats "This Year" from A Bruntel on Vimeo.
4 Ways Oriole Coverage Got Better in 2010
Before the 2010 season completely slips from memory, I thought I'd throw out a few positives about Oriole coverage in this 13th straight (!) losing season. My thoughts are colored by being a member of the Oriole Diaspora and having little access to MASN or local radio. You fans still in the Baltimore area may have other opinions on local media. Feel free to share them in the comments.
4. No Buck Martinez - The gaggle of former Oriole players who combined to replace Buck Martinez in the booth for MASN television broadcasts were not overly impressive but they were still far better than listening to Buck. If there was a guy going through the motions the last couple of seasons, it was Martinez. His opinions were poorly informed, he was full of non-sequiturs and his mannerisms were just plain irritating. Don't believe me? Tune in to a Toronto broadcast sometime and listen to him do play-by-play. Good riddance. I'll take Mike Boddicker any day.
3. Britt Ghiroli - MLB.com's Oriole coverage before the 2010 season was pretty sparse and, quite frankly, very missable. MASN, The Baltimore Sun and independent blogs did it much, much better. Enter new Orioles beat reporter Britt Ghiroli. Britt began employing Twitter almost immediately and her MLB Pro Blog, Britt's Bird Watch, was actually updated on a daily basis at the very least. Multimedia tweets, interaction with the fans and breaking news on Twitter made her something of a pioneer in social media among Oriole beat reporters. Britt has made MLB's coverage of the Orioles relevant again and brought a fresh, energetic voice to mainstream Oriole coverage. We thank her for the effort.
2. Twitter - Twitter has been a blessing for the Oriole news junkie in 2010. In terms of media members untilizing Twitter, Ghiroli pretty much led the way here, too. But she wasn't the only one. MASN's Jen Royle and Kate Wheeler added a lot of content, as well as the Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. Add to the mix my fellow Oriole bloggers and rabid fans and you had a hodge-podge of news, reaction, debate and factoids. It's a great place to spark conversation and I got a lot of ideas for posts from what began as Twitter conversations.
1. Credentialed Bloggers - This season, finally, the Orioles began credentialing independent bloggers for individual games at Camden Yards. This put civilian bloggers like myself side by side with the pros in the press box at Camden Yards.
This one would seem a bit self-serving but let's be honest; I live in Atlanta and I'm really not going to be able to take advantage of this program very often. But with traditional media shrinking, I love that my Baltimore-based colleagues will be able to offer fresh, alternative perspectives on the team, even in the worst of times. Let's face it, once Ravens training camp starts, Oriole coverage tends to suffer. Hopefully, this program will help fill in the gaps. A diversity of voices is a wonderful thing and as a producer and consumer of Oriole coverage, I love it.
And hopefully, bloggers will eventually get locker room access as well.
4. No Buck Martinez - The gaggle of former Oriole players who combined to replace Buck Martinez in the booth for MASN television broadcasts were not overly impressive but they were still far better than listening to Buck. If there was a guy going through the motions the last couple of seasons, it was Martinez. His opinions were poorly informed, he was full of non-sequiturs and his mannerisms were just plain irritating. Don't believe me? Tune in to a Toronto broadcast sometime and listen to him do play-by-play. Good riddance. I'll take Mike Boddicker any day.
3. Britt Ghiroli - MLB.com's Oriole coverage before the 2010 season was pretty sparse and, quite frankly, very missable. MASN, The Baltimore Sun and independent blogs did it much, much better. Enter new Orioles beat reporter Britt Ghiroli. Britt began employing Twitter almost immediately and her MLB Pro Blog, Britt's Bird Watch, was actually updated on a daily basis at the very least. Multimedia tweets, interaction with the fans and breaking news on Twitter made her something of a pioneer in social media among Oriole beat reporters. Britt has made MLB's coverage of the Orioles relevant again and brought a fresh, energetic voice to mainstream Oriole coverage. We thank her for the effort.
2. Twitter - Twitter has been a blessing for the Oriole news junkie in 2010. In terms of media members untilizing Twitter, Ghiroli pretty much led the way here, too. But she wasn't the only one. MASN's Jen Royle and Kate Wheeler added a lot of content, as well as the Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. Add to the mix my fellow Oriole bloggers and rabid fans and you had a hodge-podge of news, reaction, debate and factoids. It's a great place to spark conversation and I got a lot of ideas for posts from what began as Twitter conversations.
1. Credentialed Bloggers - This season, finally, the Orioles began credentialing independent bloggers for individual games at Camden Yards. This put civilian bloggers like myself side by side with the pros in the press box at Camden Yards.
This one would seem a bit self-serving but let's be honest; I live in Atlanta and I'm really not going to be able to take advantage of this program very often. But with traditional media shrinking, I love that my Baltimore-based colleagues will be able to offer fresh, alternative perspectives on the team, even in the worst of times. Let's face it, once Ravens training camp starts, Oriole coverage tends to suffer. Hopefully, this program will help fill in the gaps. A diversity of voices is a wonderful thing and as a producer and consumer of Oriole coverage, I love it.
And hopefully, bloggers will eventually get locker room access as well.
Low Cost Pitching Depth for the Orioles
You can never have enough pitching. Never.
The Orioles appear to be set in the rotation for 2010 with Jeremy Guthrie, Brian Matusz, Brad Bergesen, Jake Arrieta, Chris Tillman and, waiting in the wings in AAA, Zach Britton. But as we have seen before, injuries happen and these young arms may not all be ready to go. You don't want to have to rush a guy like Britton to the majors because you lack pitching depth. With David Hernandez gone, that just leaves Rick VandenHurk as a guy who could provide emergency starts. Jason Berken is not returning to the rotation.
But Baltimore has enough talent that they don't need to spend a lot of money on pitching depth. There are guys coming off of injury or poor seasons that can be had for cheap and may provide some upside if they rebound. I'm not saying these are great pitchers but they would be available for depth and emergency.
Sign a guy or two from this list and let them compete. They could always be shifted to the bullpen or to AAA if they are not needed.
Here's some candidates listed, more or less, in order of desirability.
Jeremy Bonderman - There is always a chance that Bonderman regains his pre-2008 form when a blood-clot in his shoulder shut him down for the better part of 2 seasons. He pitched a bit better than his 5.55 ERA (xFIP, FIP) and threw 171.2 innings in 2010. Another year removed from the injury, he could improve on those numbers and could provide great value.
Jeff Francis - A lefty starter, Francis pitched much better than his 5.00 ERA (3.88 FIP, 3.95 xFIP). If he's fully healthy, he could be an interesting weapon against the Yanks and Red Sox lefty-heavy lineups. Not a big strikeout guy but has pretty good ground ball rates.
Chris Capuano - The Brewers don't want Capuano, not as a starter anyway, so he's on the market. Capuano didn't pitch badly in 66 innings as a swingman for Milwaukee and even though he would probably see a bump in his ERA (3.95 ERA, 4.22 FIP, 4.08 xFIP), he would still be a slightly better than average starter. Another lefty in the rotation in the AL East couldn't hurt.
Kevin Millwood - Millwood didn't quite live up to expectations but he did provide more than 190 innings and 1.3 WAR last season. Again, he can take the beatings if the youngsters aren't all healthy or ready. He did it last year and you might be able to squeeze one more year out of him.
Freddy Garcia - Garcia is kind of a flyball pitcher which would seem to be a bad fit. Also, there seems to be some competition for his services which may push his price up. Still, he has been right around league average for the last nine seasons so he's a good bet to remain consistent and do that again.
Doug Davis - Davis would be a guy to bring in on a minor league deal. He could be an interesting option as a swingman or 5th starter if he has a good Spring Training.
Noah Lowry - What happened to this guy? He tried to make a comeback before last season, nobody signed him and he didn't pitch anywhere in 2010. Go find him and see if he'll sign a minor league deal. The guy had all kinds of upside as a young lefty for the Giants. It would be worth a look to see what he could do in Spring Training.
John Maine - Why not? Another guy who would come cheap, maybe even on a minor league deal and he could be shifted to the bullpen if needed. He wasn't healthy last season but if he's healthy now , he could give us a half season in the rotation or add depth to the 'pen.
The Orioles appear to be set in the rotation for 2010 with Jeremy Guthrie, Brian Matusz, Brad Bergesen, Jake Arrieta, Chris Tillman and, waiting in the wings in AAA, Zach Britton. But as we have seen before, injuries happen and these young arms may not all be ready to go. You don't want to have to rush a guy like Britton to the majors because you lack pitching depth. With David Hernandez gone, that just leaves Rick VandenHurk as a guy who could provide emergency starts. Jason Berken is not returning to the rotation.
But Baltimore has enough talent that they don't need to spend a lot of money on pitching depth. There are guys coming off of injury or poor seasons that can be had for cheap and may provide some upside if they rebound. I'm not saying these are great pitchers but they would be available for depth and emergency.
Sign a guy or two from this list and let them compete. They could always be shifted to the bullpen or to AAA if they are not needed.
Here's some candidates listed, more or less, in order of desirability.
Jeremy Bonderman - There is always a chance that Bonderman regains his pre-2008 form when a blood-clot in his shoulder shut him down for the better part of 2 seasons. He pitched a bit better than his 5.55 ERA (xFIP, FIP) and threw 171.2 innings in 2010. Another year removed from the injury, he could improve on those numbers and could provide great value.
Jeff Francis - A lefty starter, Francis pitched much better than his 5.00 ERA (3.88 FIP, 3.95 xFIP). If he's fully healthy, he could be an interesting weapon against the Yanks and Red Sox lefty-heavy lineups. Not a big strikeout guy but has pretty good ground ball rates.
Chris Capuano - The Brewers don't want Capuano, not as a starter anyway, so he's on the market. Capuano didn't pitch badly in 66 innings as a swingman for Milwaukee and even though he would probably see a bump in his ERA (3.95 ERA, 4.22 FIP, 4.08 xFIP), he would still be a slightly better than average starter. Another lefty in the rotation in the AL East couldn't hurt.
Kevin Millwood - Millwood didn't quite live up to expectations but he did provide more than 190 innings and 1.3 WAR last season. Again, he can take the beatings if the youngsters aren't all healthy or ready. He did it last year and you might be able to squeeze one more year out of him.
Freddy Garcia - Garcia is kind of a flyball pitcher which would seem to be a bad fit. Also, there seems to be some competition for his services which may push his price up. Still, he has been right around league average for the last nine seasons so he's a good bet to remain consistent and do that again.
Doug Davis - Davis would be a guy to bring in on a minor league deal. He could be an interesting option as a swingman or 5th starter if he has a good Spring Training.
Noah Lowry - What happened to this guy? He tried to make a comeback before last season, nobody signed him and he didn't pitch anywhere in 2010. Go find him and see if he'll sign a minor league deal. The guy had all kinds of upside as a young lefty for the Giants. It would be worth a look to see what he could do in Spring Training.
John Maine - Why not? Another guy who would come cheap, maybe even on a minor league deal and he could be shifted to the bullpen if needed. He wasn't healthy last season but if he's healthy now , he could give us a half season in the rotation or add depth to the 'pen.
New tassels
Tassels and fringes are back this time less rock and more country american style.To add a touch of western feel to your outfit the key pieces are fringed waistcoats,capes, wide sleeved blouses,lace dresses with fringe trimming.We cannot forget the leather jacket that again has tassels but this time made with chains.
Le frangie sono tornate questa volta in un veste più country e americana.Per aggiungere un tocco di vecchio west al vostro look i capi chiave sono gilet con frangie,poncho,top con maniche ampie vestiti con dettagli in pizzo e non dimentichaimo la giacca in pelle questa volta con frangie sulle maniche che questa volta si trasformano in catene.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
YAY! Bridal Reflections is having a sample sale Jan.2nd-9th
Bridal Reflections will be having a Sample Sale at their Fifth Avenue and Carle Place/Westbury salons January 2nd – 9th.
Select designer gowns will be 35% - 70% off! Fifth Avenue can be contacted at 212-764-3040, and Carle Place/Westbury at 516-742-7788.
This is my last post for 2010. It's been a great year here at Lela New York and I am thankful for everyone who contributed and for all the Lela Love!
I want to wish all of you a very happy and safe New Year!
See you all next week, I mean next year ;)
xo
The clear crystal rain coat DIY
Hello sweet readers today i would like to share with you my lasted diy.It's a rain coat.
It is inspired at the work of Irina Shaposhnikova Crystallographica.
Believe it or not it's made with plastic tablecloths sold by meters,i got 2 meters for 5 euros.
I've made a paper pattern,then i've numbered and copied all the pieces,put it on the plastic with paper scotch and then cut leaving seam allowance.Then i've sewn all the pieces together with the paper on and then i've taken off the paper.
I had to make some fixing moving from the 2d pattern to the 3d coat.
It's been an adventure to come to the end because i've started with an idea in mind but in the making i had to find solutions to problems as they presented.
This coat still needs the closure,i still not have in mind the solution to this problem because i don't want to ruin the simmetry of the coat,i'll use maybe a transparent zipper or plastic hooks i'm still thinking.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Around the Oriole Blog-O-Sphere: Who's On First Edition?
The Orioles' top pick in the 2009 Amateur Draft, SP Matt Hobgood, will miss the start of the season as he rehabs from shoulder issues. Hobgood will remain in extended Spring Training before joining his assigned team. Let hope he doesn't need surgery...he can't afford to lose anymore speed on that fastball.
The Orioles, along with a local business, sent jerseys and softball equipment to service members who play in a softball league in Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan.
Dan at Camden Crazies breaks down the J.J. Hardy acquisition, a move he has championed all offseason.
The Wayward O does his annual recap of the Oriole season in his own inimitable style. A must read.
Winter blues got you down? The Oriole Post has some photos from a fall tour of OPACY.
Steve Melewski still likes Matt Hobgood.
Roar from 34 gives tribute to the late Walt Dropo.
The Orioles, along with a local business, sent jerseys and softball equipment to service members who play in a softball league in Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan.
Dan at Camden Crazies breaks down the J.J. Hardy acquisition, a move he has championed all offseason.
The Wayward O does his annual recap of the Oriole season in his own inimitable style. A must read.
Winter blues got you down? The Oriole Post has some photos from a fall tour of OPACY.
Steve Melewski still likes Matt Hobgood.
Roar from 34 gives tribute to the late Walt Dropo.
Super Cute Real NYC Engagement shoot - "Pedro is moving in" by Ananda Lima Photography
When I saw this real New York wedding engagement shoot I thought, "How Cute?!!!" and what a great twist to the classic engagement shoot. The great photography is from New York photographer Ananda Lima. Below is Ky and Pedro's story.
A few weeks ago, Ananda went to Colorado to visit her brother, Pedro, and got to meet his then girlfriend, Kylene.
Ky and Pedro were about to move in together, so at some point Ananda casually said: "hey, why don't we do a moving in photoshoot, for kicks?". Unbeknownst to Ky, it was all part of a plan. Pedro was already planning to propose to her on her birthday (Dec. 2nd)... so the pictures (which she just got) were meant to be their engagement pictures!
I am happy to share that Pedro has just proposed to Kylene and she said "yes"!!!
Congratulations, Ky and Pedro!!!
Ky and Pedro were about to move in together, so at some point Ananda casually said: "hey, why don't we do a moving in photoshoot, for kicks?". Unbeknownst to Ky, it was all part of a plan. Pedro was already planning to propose to her on her birthday (Dec. 2nd)... so the pictures (which she just got) were meant to be their engagement pictures!
I am happy to share that Pedro has just proposed to Kylene and she said "yes"!!!
Congratulations, Ky and Pedro!!!
xo
The chic couple: beige and tangerine
Dries Van Noten
Gary Bigeni
Tory Burch
Bottega Veneta
Louboutin
How chic is pairing beige with tangerine for a fresh spring preview.My favorite match is wide orange trousers with beige/taupe blouse.As you can see above pink makes a pleasant entry in our warm colour palette keeping this outifit seventies inspired and super chic.
Com'è chic abbinare il beige all'arancio per un fresco anticipo di primavera.Il mio abbinamento preferito è costituito da larghi pantaloni arancio con una camicetta in beige talpa. Come potete vedere il rosa entra di diritto nella palette da noi scelta mantendo questo look ispirato agli anni 70 e molto chic.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Is Michael Vick Drunk?
It's a fair question after that half.
UPDATE: Crack?
UPDATE II: Vicks' NyQuil?
UPDATE: Crack?
UPDATE II: Vicks' NyQuil?
Rafael Palmeiro's Case for the Hall
Ahead of next week's Hall of Fame election announcements, I wanted to take a closer look at the candidacy of former Oriole first baseman, Rafael Palmeiro.
When Palmeiro retired, I thought he was a slam dunk and was surprised by those who thought he wasn't. 500 home runs and 3,000 hits? He was only one of four players to reach those milestones, milestones that by themselves have assured players of election to the Hall.
We know the traditional case for Palmeiro and we also know the traditional arguments against him. The first is his link to steroids, having failed a drug test in 2005. He also has been called an "accumulator", a guy who hung around long enough to rack up big numbers but never having elite seasons.
With that, I wanted to take a closer look at Palmeiro's offensive production (since that is what his case for the Hall is primarily based on) as compared to his peers in terms of OPS+ and in terms of WAR.
Here is a look at Palmeiro as he compares to his fellow first basemen. From the years 1986 - 2005, the seasons encompassing his 20-year career, the OPS+ rates of all players who played 1B for 75% of their career (that eliminates Frank Thomas and Jim Thome, although they would probably be considered first basemen by most fans...):
That's a rather sobering comparison. OPS+ is a rough tool but it does show us a level of offensive prowess measured against your peers and the environment you played in. Here, Palmeiro comes in way behind the likes of McGwire, Bagwell, Helton and Delgado and even comes in behind Will Clark and Fred McGriff. If Frank Thomas and Jim Thome were included, he wouldn't be any better than the 8th or 9th best bat at his position for his generation.
Now, career WAR for these guys courtesy of BaseballProjection.com:
As a total player (WAR includes fielding), Palmeiro is rewarded a bit more. Of course, his longevity helps him too since WAR is essentially a counting stat. Do you penalize the player who is consistently valuable over the course of his career because his peak was not high enough? Personally, I don't think so but that's going to be the argument against Palmeiro.
But how does he stack up against other Hall of Fame first baseman? Career OPS+ for some Hall of Fame first baseman.
By this measure, Palmeiro would come in just ahead of Eddie Murray which is a bit ironic since the Murray model is the best case for Palmeiro's induction. Murray was also a steady guy, a player who never won an MVP but was consistently great over a long career. Murray vs. Palmeiro in terms of WAR by season, from highest to lowest:
Palmeiro wouldn't join the HoF elites here but he wouldn't be a bad choice in terms of bat alone.
Career WAR for these players and Palmeiro:
Again, WAR serves Palmeiro well, even amongst stiff competition. He is within a hair of Murray and ahead of Willie McCovey and Hank Greenberg.
Palmeiro does not embarrass himself in terms of WAR or OPS+ against Hall of Fame first basemen. Against his peers? He does not seem to be among the elite. But I'm not a guy who likes to penalize a player just because he was not considered the best of his generation at his position, especially when he is a part of a strong class. There are only 18 first basemen in the Hall of Fame. Among Palmeiro and his peers, there are 5 guys who will probably be elected (Thomas, Thome, McGwire, Bagwell and Palmeiro) and maybe another one could sneak in. (Likewise, there is no sense in rewarding a player for being the Best (Position) of His Generation when the competition was weak...)
But what about the factors beyond the numbers? What about PEDs? I don't care about PEDs and while that issue may concern the people who vote, it will only serve to delay his election, not to scuttle it. There are younger writers from more diverse backgrounds voting for the Hall of Fame every year now, people who understand that there are tools you can use to judge players beyond counting stats. The Steroid Era provides plenty of white noise to the argument but there are measures that help squelch it. PEDs won't be keeping steroid users out of the Hall 10 years from now.
How about the argument that he was never considered among the best in the game? Again, Palmeiro is part of a very strong offensive class of first basemen. While he doesn't have a great peak, he was consistently one of the better hitters in the league for almost 20 seasons. You can't just hang around and "accumulate" 3,020 hits and 569 home runs. 500 home runs doesn't mean what it once did but that's still an impressive number and 3,000 hits is nothing to sneeze at.
Is he the slam dunk I thought he was 5 years ago? No. There are some chinks in the armor when you look closely. But he compares favorably to other first basemen in the Hall of Fame and he's certainly not going to be an outlier in terms of value among them. Not only do I think he is deserving, he has history on his side. 3,000 hits and 500 home runs still means something and he would be the first with either of those totals alone to not be elected to the Hall of Fame, let alone the first with both those milestones. He's going to get in but it may take a few years (as he is overshadowed by stronger candidates) for the voters to recognize his greatness.
He's going in and he's deserving. I predict election in 2017.
When Palmeiro retired, I thought he was a slam dunk and was surprised by those who thought he wasn't. 500 home runs and 3,000 hits? He was only one of four players to reach those milestones, milestones that by themselves have assured players of election to the Hall.
We know the traditional case for Palmeiro and we also know the traditional arguments against him. The first is his link to steroids, having failed a drug test in 2005. He also has been called an "accumulator", a guy who hung around long enough to rack up big numbers but never having elite seasons.
With that, I wanted to take a closer look at Palmeiro's offensive production (since that is what his case for the Hall is primarily based on) as compared to his peers in terms of OPS+ and in terms of WAR.
Here is a look at Palmeiro as he compares to his fellow first basemen. From the years 1986 - 2005, the seasons encompassing his 20-year career, the OPS+ rates of all players who played 1B for 75% of their career (that eliminates Frank Thomas and Jim Thome, although they would probably be considered first basemen by most fans...):
OPS+
McGwire 162
Bagwell 149
Helton 148
Delgado 143
Clark 137
McGriff 134
Palmeiro 132
Vaughn 132
Olerud 128
Hrbek 128
That's a rather sobering comparison. OPS+ is a rough tool but it does show us a level of offensive prowess measured against your peers and the environment you played in. Here, Palmeiro comes in way behind the likes of McGwire, Bagwell, Helton and Delgado and even comes in behind Will Clark and Fred McGriff. If Frank Thomas and Jim Thome were included, he wouldn't be any better than the 8th or 9th best bat at his position for his generation.
Now, career WAR for these guys courtesy of BaseballProjection.com:
WAR
Bagwell 79.9
Palmeiro 65.7
McGwire 63.1
Clark 57.4
Helton 57.3
Olerud 56.6
McGriff 50.5
Delgado 43.9
Hrbek 35.4
Vaughn 25.7
As a total player (WAR includes fielding), Palmeiro is rewarded a bit more. Of course, his longevity helps him too since WAR is essentially a counting stat. Do you penalize the player who is consistently valuable over the course of his career because his peak was not high enough? Personally, I don't think so but that's going to be the argument against Palmeiro.
But how does he stack up against other Hall of Fame first baseman? Career OPS+ for some Hall of Fame first baseman.
OPS+
Gehrig 178
Brouthers 166
Foxx 163
Mize 158
Greenberg 158
Connor 152
McCovey 147
Terry 136
Chance 135
Anson 134
Cepeda 133
Murray 129
Beckley 125
Bottomley 124
Sisler 124
By this measure, Palmeiro would come in just ahead of Eddie Murray which is a bit ironic since the Murray model is the best case for Palmeiro's induction. Murray was also a steady guy, a player who never won an MVP but was consistently great over a long career. Murray vs. Palmeiro in terms of WAR by season, from highest to lowest:
Palmeiro wouldn't join the HoF elites here but he wouldn't be a bad choice in terms of bat alone.
Career WAR for these players and Palmeiro:
WAR
Gehrig 118.3
Anson 99.2
Foxx 94.0
Connor 87.1
Brouthers 83.7
Mize 70.1
Murray 66.7
Palmeiro 65.7
McCovey 65.1
Beckley 61.4
Greenberg 56.9
Terry 55.3
Sisler 50.4
Chance 49.4
Cepeda 46.6
Bottomley 32.3
Again, WAR serves Palmeiro well, even amongst stiff competition. He is within a hair of Murray and ahead of Willie McCovey and Hank Greenberg.
Palmeiro does not embarrass himself in terms of WAR or OPS+ against Hall of Fame first basemen. Against his peers? He does not seem to be among the elite. But I'm not a guy who likes to penalize a player just because he was not considered the best of his generation at his position, especially when he is a part of a strong class. There are only 18 first basemen in the Hall of Fame. Among Palmeiro and his peers, there are 5 guys who will probably be elected (Thomas, Thome, McGwire, Bagwell and Palmeiro) and maybe another one could sneak in. (Likewise, there is no sense in rewarding a player for being the Best (Position) of His Generation when the competition was weak...)
But what about the factors beyond the numbers? What about PEDs? I don't care about PEDs and while that issue may concern the people who vote, it will only serve to delay his election, not to scuttle it. There are younger writers from more diverse backgrounds voting for the Hall of Fame every year now, people who understand that there are tools you can use to judge players beyond counting stats. The Steroid Era provides plenty of white noise to the argument but there are measures that help squelch it. PEDs won't be keeping steroid users out of the Hall 10 years from now.
How about the argument that he was never considered among the best in the game? Again, Palmeiro is part of a very strong offensive class of first basemen. While he doesn't have a great peak, he was consistently one of the better hitters in the league for almost 20 seasons. You can't just hang around and "accumulate" 3,020 hits and 569 home runs. 500 home runs doesn't mean what it once did but that's still an impressive number and 3,000 hits is nothing to sneeze at.
Is he the slam dunk I thought he was 5 years ago? No. There are some chinks in the armor when you look closely. But he compares favorably to other first basemen in the Hall of Fame and he's certainly not going to be an outlier in terms of value among them. Not only do I think he is deserving, he has history on his side. 3,000 hits and 500 home runs still means something and he would be the first with either of those totals alone to not be elected to the Hall of Fame, let alone the first with both those milestones. He's going to get in but it may take a few years (as he is overshadowed by stronger candidates) for the voters to recognize his greatness.
He's going in and he's deserving. I predict election in 2017.
Congratulations to all the newly engaged couples! - Wedding Planning books to help you get started
Hello Newly engaged couples! It is engagement season too, and most pop the question during the holiday season starting from Thanksgiving to the New Year.
To help you get started I picked my favorite wedding planner books and binders, including mine :)
It's the first step that will really help you get organized.
The first one is The Ultimate Wedding Planner & Organizer by Elizabeth Lluch, and Alex Lluch.
This is the one I just finished using myself ;) I found it really helpful, filled with etiquette, folders (very important to hold all your info) and the book is separated into sections that includes you stationery, ceremony, reception, photographer, etc. It's a great way to keep all your contracts in order. And it helps you with timelines and also the most important "day of" timeline". Plus you can add a pretty picture in the front of the cover, super cute!
The next favorite is the ever popular Martha Stewart's Keepsake Wedding Planner [Book] by Martha Stewart. It's a real staple and is overflowing with useful features to help you plan and organize the perfect wedding—in addition, you can preserve those memories for a lifetime.
If you are planning most of your wedding online and want to keep with you the ultimate wedding site to go get The Knot Complete Guide to Weddings in the Real World: The Ultimate Source of Ideas, Advice, and Relief for the Bride and Groom and Those Who Love Them. It has all their famous wedding timelines in this essential wedding planner book.
Now for those offbeat brides who want their wedding "their way" I'm talking to you riding in a harley into their wedding or want their wedding to be super unique and most importantly to reflect them. Then go for The Anti-Bride Wedding Planner: Hip Tools and Tips for Getting Hitched by Carolyn Gerin. Tie the knot outside the box armed with this companion volume to the wildly popular Anti-Bride Guide. Featuring sassy and savvy ideas, useful questionnaires, handy pockets, and space for notes and doodles, the Anti-Bride Wedding Planner provides creative inspiration for brides-to-be who want to kick the conventional wedding to the curb.
This is the first step to planning ladies! Now go have fun and send this link to your bridesmaids, mom or others to buy it for you! LOL!
xo
To help you get started I picked my favorite wedding planner books and binders, including mine :)
It's the first step that will really help you get organized.
The first one is The Ultimate Wedding Planner & Organizer by Elizabeth Lluch, and Alex Lluch.
This is the one I just finished using myself ;) I found it really helpful, filled with etiquette, folders (very important to hold all your info) and the book is separated into sections that includes you stationery, ceremony, reception, photographer, etc. It's a great way to keep all your contracts in order. And it helps you with timelines and also the most important "day of" timeline". Plus you can add a pretty picture in the front of the cover, super cute!
The next favorite is the ever popular Martha Stewart's Keepsake Wedding Planner [Book] by Martha Stewart. It's a real staple and is overflowing with useful features to help you plan and organize the perfect wedding—in addition, you can preserve those memories for a lifetime.
If you are planning most of your wedding online and want to keep with you the ultimate wedding site to go get The Knot Complete Guide to Weddings in the Real World: The Ultimate Source of Ideas, Advice, and Relief for the Bride and Groom and Those Who Love Them. It has all their famous wedding timelines in this essential wedding planner book.
Now for those offbeat brides who want their wedding "their way" I'm talking to you riding in a harley into their wedding or want their wedding to be super unique and most importantly to reflect them. Then go for The Anti-Bride Wedding Planner: Hip Tools and Tips for Getting Hitched by Carolyn Gerin. Tie the knot outside the box armed with this companion volume to the wildly popular Anti-Bride Guide. Featuring sassy and savvy ideas, useful questionnaires, handy pockets, and space for notes and doodles, the Anti-Bride Wedding Planner provides creative inspiration for brides-to-be who want to kick the conventional wedding to the curb.
This is the first step to planning ladies! Now go have fun and send this link to your bridesmaids, mom or others to buy it for you! LOL!
xo
The "Nation of Wimps" Baloney
All this "Nation of Wimps" talk because of the postponing of the Eagles game Sunday night is, well, wimpy beyond belief. There is nothing wimpier than a lot of loud talk from a bunch of armchair second-guessers especially when it comes to a lousy football game.
Would it have been fun to see the Eagles and Vikings in a windy snow storm? Yeah. Would it have been "magical" as manfully suggested by Will Bunch of the Philadelphia Daily News? I kind of doubt it.
No doubt there would have been plenty of Eagles fans willing to brave the snow to see the Birds play in such trying conditions.
No doubt there would have been a few of non-wimps in the stadium with their shirts off drinking beer and throwing snowballs at Santa Claus.
But magical? Please!
We may be a nation of wimps but its not because a handful of corporate bureaucrats and government Democrats decided to postpone a football game.
We're a nation of wimps because we allow government agents to feel up our grandmothers, mothers, wives and daughters in the name of national security.
We're a nation of wimps because we allow our government to take from our children so that we may live more comfortably in our golden years.
We're a nation of wimps because we ask cops to protect us from crime instead getting a gun and protecting ourselves.
We're a nation of wimps because we continue to elect people to government who refuse to be fiscally responsible out of fear of being voted out of their cushy offices.
We're a nation of wimps because we allow government to insinuate itself into just about every facet of our lives from what what we eat and drink to what we drive and how we communicate.
We're a nation of wimps because we ask government to do things like take care of our parents and grandparents when they get old and sick instead of doing it ourselves.
We are a nation of wimps because we've allowed the government to take away rights and responsibilities that were taken for granted by our grandparents and great-grandparents just a few short years ago.
You want to talk wimpy? Go whine about having the pleasure of watching an NFL game in the snow taken away from you like a lollipop. There is nothing manly about watching men, real men, compete in a blizzard from the warmth and comfort of your own livingroom.
And there is nothing manly about casually slandering others for taking away your entertainment for an evening.
Sheesh.
UPDATE: Gov. Ed Rendell followed Bunch's lead:
As for the Chinese. They are not kicking our butt in everything. And certainly not when it comes to freedom, free time and affluence. The One-Party state in China does not allow it's People to go marching anywhere without permission. You do, you get arrested and locked up. Like in China, this decision to postpone was made from the top down by politicians and corporate titans. If there had been a game, Eagles fans would have been at it. (And they certainly would have seen a more interesting game than they did Tuesday night.)
Rendell is auditioning for NFL commish and angling to become the People's Choice by talking and sounding tough.
But what's more wimpy, postponing a football game because of a blizzard, or not being able to come up with an on-time budget in 8 years and constantly looking to the federal government for handouts necessitated by your failure to be fiscally responsible?
Would it have been fun to see the Eagles and Vikings in a windy snow storm? Yeah. Would it have been "magical" as manfully suggested by Will Bunch of the Philadelphia Daily News? I kind of doubt it.
No doubt there would have been plenty of Eagles fans willing to brave the snow to see the Birds play in such trying conditions.
No doubt there would have been a few of non-wimps in the stadium with their shirts off drinking beer and throwing snowballs at Santa Claus.
But magical? Please!
We may be a nation of wimps but its not because a handful of corporate bureaucrats and government Democrats decided to postpone a football game.
We're a nation of wimps because we allow government agents to feel up our grandmothers, mothers, wives and daughters in the name of national security.
We're a nation of wimps because we allow our government to take from our children so that we may live more comfortably in our golden years.
We're a nation of wimps because we ask cops to protect us from crime instead getting a gun and protecting ourselves.
We're a nation of wimps because we continue to elect people to government who refuse to be fiscally responsible out of fear of being voted out of their cushy offices.
We're a nation of wimps because we allow government to insinuate itself into just about every facet of our lives from what what we eat and drink to what we drive and how we communicate.
We're a nation of wimps because we ask government to do things like take care of our parents and grandparents when they get old and sick instead of doing it ourselves.
We are a nation of wimps because we've allowed the government to take away rights and responsibilities that were taken for granted by our grandparents and great-grandparents just a few short years ago.
You want to talk wimpy? Go whine about having the pleasure of watching an NFL game in the snow taken away from you like a lollipop. There is nothing manly about watching men, real men, compete in a blizzard from the warmth and comfort of your own livingroom.
And there is nothing manly about casually slandering others for taking away your entertainment for an evening.
Sheesh.
UPDATE: Gov. Ed Rendell followed Bunch's lead:
Rendell viewed the NFL's decision as a referendum on the toughness, or lack thereof, of the United States.First of all, Rendell belongs to the "Mommy party," the one that has been bent on making as many citizens as possible dependent on and subserviant to the Nanny State.
"My biggest beef is that this is part of what's happened in this country," Rendell said.
"We've become a nation of wusses. The Chinese are kicking our butt in everything," he added. "If this was in China do you think the Chinese would have called off the game? People would have been marching down to the stadium, they would have walked and they would have been doing calculus on the way down."
As for the Chinese. They are not kicking our butt in everything. And certainly not when it comes to freedom, free time and affluence. The One-Party state in China does not allow it's People to go marching anywhere without permission. You do, you get arrested and locked up. Like in China, this decision to postpone was made from the top down by politicians and corporate titans. If there had been a game, Eagles fans would have been at it. (And they certainly would have seen a more interesting game than they did Tuesday night.)
Rendell is auditioning for NFL commish and angling to become the People's Choice by talking and sounding tough.
But what's more wimpy, postponing a football game because of a blizzard, or not being able to come up with an on-time budget in 8 years and constantly looking to the federal government for handouts necessitated by your failure to be fiscally responsible?
Bunny Rings
Nerd Bunny £45.00
Digby & Iona - Big Bunny Ring
Me & Zena
Bunny rings are so cute,have a look at this selection i've made for you!
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