Matt Hobgood Left His Fastball in High School...Or Did He?

This from ESPN, Kevin Goldstein runs down a list of 10 prospects who need to have big years in 2011. Oriole pitching prospect Matt Hobgood is included:

Matt Hobgood, RHP
Baltimore Orioles


Hobgood looked like a budget-minded selection when Baltimore nabbed him with the fifth overall pick in the 2009 draft, and while the Orioles said he was at the top of their board at the time, he's looked like a mistake so far by any measurement. His beefy (or chubby, depending on the observer) frame was a concern for many, and he's simply never matched the stuff he showed in high school, as what was once a low-90s fastball now never escapes the 80s, while his regressing command and control has created further issues. He's gone so far backwards that he's already facing a pivotal year in his development.


First, I have a hard time believing that a 20-year old kid needs to have a big season or fall by the wayside. He has one professional season under his belt and evidently, it wasn't a fully healthy one.

Second, Goldstein (and others) imply that the stuff that Hobgood showed in high school has never shown itself in the minors, that his fastball can't break 90 in the pros. I don't dispute that point as it applies to how he was pitching for most of the season. But I saw that live fastball in 2010.

Here were my observations on Hobgood when I watched his first start for Delmarva against Greenville in 2010:

You can see why the Orioles like Hobgood so much. Though only 19, he was sitting at 92-93 mph all night and hitting 95 with his fastball on occasion. He has a wicked 79 mph curve that was buckling the knees of the opposition and his stuff was dominant when he was putting it over the plate. Only two batters made solid contact and he only gave up 3 hits while striking out 4.


Unfortunately, he wasn't putting it over the plate consistently. At one point in the 3rd, he walked three straight batters. Early in his career, this will be his Achilles heel. He has the stuff to dominate low-A, he just needs to throw strikes more consistently.

There's more if you follow the link but the point is...there it was. A fastball that was sitting in the low 90's and hitting 95. Breaking stuff that befuddled the opposing hitters. There is a danger in believing the stadium gun but I don't think it was off by that much. Hobgood didn't leave his velocity in high school, he had it, if ever so briefly, at the beginning of 2010.

Thirdly, Goldstein points to "regressing command and control". For the season, Hobgood had a 3.6 BB/9 and a 5.6 K/9 rate. But his last 10 games he posted a 3.1 BB/9 rate against a 5.2 K/9, this with declining velocity.  It's not great control but it hardly looks like he was regressing as the season went along.

Other positives include his GB/FB ratio of 2.07 (2.39 over his last 10 games) and his 0.6 HR/9 rate.

There's a lot to be concerned about as far as Hobgood's development goes. The control is not good at this point and the shoulder injury isn't exactly encouraging. But there's no need to overstate other deficiencies or overlook the things he has done well. The guy the Orioles drafted did show up in the pros...whether he makes it back to that ability is another story.

Space sunglasses

The Daft Punk


Cyclope X-Men



Margiela L'incognito sunglasses


80s mask sunglasses

I've just seen Tron Legacy and i really enjoyed the visual part of the film,the costumes,the light and the music by Duft Punk.These elements in the film in my opinion are better than the story itself.The electronic music from this film is insane.
But let's get back to Daft Punk,the duo always appear dressed like robots.I always admire the efforts to imagine the future of fashion.
Today i would like to concentrate on the mask sunglasses that often appear in sci-fi films.They're made of metal,lightened by leds,or with a screen on it.
They're shields from the elements or computers or weapons.
Sunglasses in general protect eyes from the damages of sunlight but more they are a key accessory to give a strong impression of your personality or the feel of your outfit. They hide and reveal.
To bring to reality the futuristic feel of the film you can choose the Martin Margiela incognito sunglasses.The cleanest design like a carbon bandage to be unidentifiable,incognito means unknown,unregognizable.
If you can't afford margiela's sunglasses below there are much cheaper 80s inspired frames.




Ho appena visto al cinema Tron Legacy e ho molto apprezzato l'esperienza visiva e sonora del film,i costumi, la luce, l'ambientazione e la colonna sonora.Questi elementi sono meglio della storia stessa.La colonna sonora del film è stata creata dai Duft Punk gruppo di riferimento nell'ambito della musica elettronica.I componenti del gruppo appaiono sempre vestiti da robot e sono rare le foto dei due senza costumi futuristici. Ammiro e guardo con curiosità a tutti gli sforzi che vengono fatti nei film per immaginare la moda del futuro.
Concentramoci sugli occhiali a fascia che spesso appaiono nei film di fantascienza.Fatti di metallo o accesi da led sono computer, armi o scudi per proteggersi dagli elementi.
Gli occhiali da sole sono un accessorio chiave per comunicare la vostra personalità o l'idea dietro al vostro outfit.Nascondono e rivelano.
Per portare nella realtà un tocco di cibernetica date un'occhiata agli occhiali firmati Martin Margiela.Il più essenziale dei design,come una benda ma di carbonio per cancellare lo sguardo e rendersi inidentificabile,per rimanere in incognito.
Se non potete permettervi gli occhiali firmati Margiela ecco a voi un assaggio di occhiali decisamente più accesibili a fascia ispirati agli anni 80.

Just forgot to share with you a song and some film's images

Multilingual UDC Summary update - 40 languages to date

UDC Summary (udcS) translations continue with great intensity, using our online, web-based tool and multilingual spreadsheets for offline work. We now have 40 languages online in over 10 different scripts: Armenian, Basque, Bengali, Catalan, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Esperanto, Estonian, Finnish, French, Galician, Georgian, German, Greek, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian,

Multilingual UDC Summary update - 40 languages to date

UDC Summary (udcS) translations continue with great intensity, using our online, web-based tool and multilingual spreadsheets for offline work. We now have 40 languages online in over 10 different scripts: Armenian, Basque, Bengali, Catalan, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Esperanto, Estonian, Finnish, French, Galician, Georgian, German, Greek, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian,

Cool blog alert: Morgane the leopard legs

Today i would like to share with you one of the blog i often visit,maybe you already know it.
In this blog the sweet writer will share with you her cool fashion outfits in fine sketches,how is fashion in Tel Aviv where winter is like summer and where the brave girl parties in the desert!
I love her DIY projects too, my favorites are the clever faux fox schrug not only in faux fur but in the shape of a fox and the beaded collar, a hint to give a twist to a normal blouse,decor the collar!
Visit Morgane the leopard legs now


Oggi vorrei condividere con voi uno dei blog che visito spesso.In questo blog la graziosa autrice condividerà con voi i suoi outfit più cool in bellissimi schizzi,come è la moda a Tel Aviv in cui l'inverno è caldo come l'estate e dove la coraggiosa ragazza festeggia nel deserto!
Seguo con ammirazione anche i suoi lavori fai da te e i miei preferiti sono il divertente coprispalle a forma di volpe e la camicia con il colletto decorato in perle,un suggerimento intelligente su come dare un tocco originale ad una semplice camicia:decoratene il colletto!
Visitate Morgane the leopard legs ora

Cosmic print dresses

Galaxies and parallel universes in your wardrobe thanks to these cosmic print dresses by Christopher Kane.

Cannot have the expensive version?Here's the oasis's one

Jonah, Michael & Barack

Jonah Goldberg weighs in on Michael Vick:

As a dog lover of the first order, I can sympathize with the sentiment behind pundit Tucker Carlson’s hyperbole about wanting Vick executed for his crimes. But at the end of the day, nearly two years in jail, personal bankruptcy, and the loss of some prime playing years is a reasonable punishment. Though I think lifetime banishments should be more common in professional sports. (Why is betting on, say, basketball more of a reason to ban someone than betting on dogfights? No one drowns the Celtics when they lose.)

He also gives Obama a shot for waiting until Vick's comeback was a success on the field before congratulating Jeff Laurie for giving him a second chance. It's a fair shot. But it's also very understandable for the president to wait before weighing such an emotionally charged matter.

As it is, it would be nice if the prez also personally congratulated the many families who gave Vick's dogs a second chance when groups like the Humane Society and PETA were arguing that they couldn't be rehabilitated and should be put down.

That, however, might be a little awkward for the president given the fact that the federal judge who ruled in favor of saving the dogs, Henry Hudson, was the very same judge who recently ruled against the Obamacare insurance mandate.