July, 2005 | The Baseball Zealot

7/30 Linescore of the Day – Jonny Gomes

Jonny Gomes, Tampa Bay Devil Rays 3 for 4, 3 HR, 3 runs, 3 rbis Gomes hit the trifecta Saturday and Tampa Bay even won. Gomes’ homers were all solo shots which might be indicative of his season. I have researched this but given that he has 12 homers and only 24 rbis, it wouldn’t surprise … Continue reading “7/30 Linescore of the Day – Jonny Gomes”

Jonny Gomes, Tampa Bay Devil Rays

3 for 4, 3 HR, 3 runs, 3 rbis

Gomes hit the trifecta Saturday and Tampa Bay even won. Gomes’ homers were all solo shots which might be indicative of his season. I have researched this but given that he has 12 homers and only 24 rbis, it wouldn’t surprise me.

Followup: Ok, I decided to research it a little. Of the 6 AL players currently with 12 homeruns, Gomes has the least rbis with 24. Anderson has the most bang for his buck with 68. The average is 44.

Gomes can forgiven a little since he only has 151 ab.

Sandberg to the Hall!

Today Ryne Sandberg is in Cooperstown, NY. He’s had a long journey but his induction is well-deserved. I hope he’s enjoying himself. It’s like a party being thrown in your honor. A very big party. With thousands of people.

As a Cub fan, I’m thrilled. I remember vividly Ryno’s selfless play without the ego we see so much of today. The kind of attitude we need more of now.

As most baseball fanatics do, let’s break his career down by the stats:

Games	2164
AB	8385
Runs	1318
Hits	2386
RBI	1061
Doubles	403
Triples	76
HR	282
Walks	761
Strikeouts	1260
Stolen Bases	344
Batting Average	.285
Slugging Average	.452
On Base Percentage	.344
Gold Gloves	9
All-Star Selections	10

… and one MVP in 1984.

Which leads me to a trivia question. Who was the last NL non-pitcher to win the MVP without hitting 20 homers? The answer of course, is Sandberg. Terry Pendleton came close in 1991 with 22.

If we look at Sandberg’s stats in a vacuum, they look pretty awesome. However, consider that:

Sandberg hit these numbers not as a firstbaseman or leftfielder but as a secondbaseman, a much more demanding position.
His play at second base was clearly superior (hence, 9 Gold Gloves).
and probably most importantly, Sandberg was one of the best if not the best secondbaseman of his era.

So, Cub fans rejoice! We have one more in the Hall.

7/29 Linescore of the Day – Adam Dunn

Adam Dunn, Cincinnati Reds 3 for 5, 2B, 2 HR, 2 runs, 4 rbis Ten total bases in this game for Dunn. He accounted for half of the Reds’ offense. Dunn’s previous high in homeruns is last years’ 46. At this pace, he is bound to pass that total.

Adam Dunn, Cincinnati Reds

3 for 5, 2B, 2 HR, 2 runs, 4 rbis

Ten total bases in this game for Dunn. He accounted for half of the Reds’ offense.

Dunn’s previous high in homeruns is last years’ 46. At this pace, he is bound to pass that total.

7/28 Linescore of the Day – Chase Utley

Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies

3 for 5, HR, run, 5 rbis

Way back in April, a friend of mine encouraged me to post something about Chase Utley. This was back when he was playing half time, splitting time with Placido Polanco. I hesitated but my friend is usually right about this kind of thing so I posted a paragraph or two questioning why the Phillies don’t ditch Polanco and play Utley full-time.

Well, come June 9, the Phillies traded Polanco to the Tigers and Utley has been playing full-time for the Phillies since then. Not only that, he has been on fire! At this point, he is hitting .317 with 15 homeruns and 60 rbis. His stats this year (.317, .549, .393) are a vast improvement over last year’s (.266, .468, .308).

I guess I should listen to my friend more often.

Bite the Hand

There’s a poll over at Bleed Cubbie Blue (a pretty cool Cub blog if you haven’t checked it out yet). Anyway, the question is: Who is your LEAST favorite active ex-Cub? Guess who is ahead in the polls? It’s probably no surprise but Sammy Sosa is currently leading with 22% of the vote. We’re all … Continue reading “Bite the Hand”

There’s a poll over at Bleed Cubbie Blue (a pretty cool Cub blog if you haven’t checked it out yet). Anyway, the question is:

Who is your LEAST favorite active ex-Cub?

Guess who is ahead in the polls?

It’s probably no surprise but Sammy Sosa is currently leading with 22% of the vote.

We’re all entitled to our opinions but I wonder if those who voted for Sammy would be willing to take back his 545 homers and 1414 rbis in a Cub uniform.

Just askin’.

Yanks raise their standards a little… Acquire Shawn Chacon

A day after the Yanks signed Hideo Nomo and his 7.24 ERA, they showed they were a little more serious about making a run for it by trading for Shawn Chacon. That’s more like it. I’m no Yankee fan but I know a good decision from a bad one. And this one is… well, it’s … Continue reading “Yanks raise their standards a little… Acquire Shawn Chacon”

A day after the Yanks signed Hideo Nomo and his 7.24 ERA, they showed they were a little more serious about making a run for it by trading for Shawn Chacon.

That’s more like it.

I’m no Yankee fan but I know a good decision from a bad one. And this one is… well, it’s better than Nomo.

Admittedly, Chacon has had a rough year and half. Last year, he had a 7.11 ERA and 9 blown saves in relief. This year, as a starter, his record is 1-7. And he does have control issues. 36 BB in 73 2/3 innings.

All that said, just two years ago he went 11-8 with the Rockies so he’s capable of putting it together. And this year, he has gotten his ERA down to 4.09 in Colorado. Youth is on his side. He’s still only 27.

Chacon will start on Saturday against the Angels.

7/27 Linescore of the Day – Zack Duke

Zack Duke, Pittsburgh Pirates 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K (ND) This is one of those strange LSOTDs. Rookie starter Duke, who has been on fire, pitched two scoreless innings before there was a rain delay. Unfortunately for the Pirates, he didn’t come back after the rain delay. Reliever … Continue reading “7/27 Linescore of the Day – Zack Duke”

Zack Duke, Pittsburgh Pirates

2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K (ND)

This is one of those strange LSOTDs. Rookie starter Duke, who has been on fire, pitched two scoreless innings before there was a rain delay.

Unfortunately for the Pirates, he didn’t come back after the rain delay. Reliever Ryan Vogelsong came on after the delay and promptly gave up 2 runs in 3 plus innings. That was all the Fish needed to win this one.

As for Duke, it is now necessary to use a microscope to view his 0.87 ERA.

Google Earth

This isn’t baseball-related but I thought I’d pass it on. If you haven’t checked out Google Earth, it’s really worth a look. Google Earth allows you to view any place on the Earth via satellite imagery. Google combines the usual mapping interfacing (i.e directions, nearest businesses etc.) with this and it becomes a useful tool. Here is a … Continue reading “Google Earth”

Here is a screen shot showing a closeup of Wrigley Field (click for larger image).

You can download the free program from Google Earth’s page. You must have a relatively new computer with the video capabilities to handle the imagery.

Nomo goes to the Yankees

This is one I didn’t expect. As desperate as the Yankees are with their pitching situation, I didn’t foresee them looking to Hideo Nomo to ease their problems. Nomo has gone downhill fast since his 16-win 2003 season. Last year’s fiasco of a season ended with an ERA over 8.00. This year has not fared much … Continue reading “Nomo goes to the Yankees”

This is one I didn’t expect.

As desperate as the Yankees are with their pitching situation, I didn’t foresee them looking to Hideo Nomo to ease their problems. Nomo has gone downhill fast since his 16-win 2003 season. Last year’s fiasco of a season ended with an ERA over 8.00.

This year has not fared much better for Hideo. Though he has showed some signs of mediocrity, he for the most part has stunk. In his 18 starts, he has allowed 5 or more runs in 10 of them. Right now, he is 5-8 with a 7.24 ERA.

Nomo will currently be signed to a minor league contract to get some work in as he hasn’t pitched in 10 days.

Good luck to Hideo while he pitches in the lion’s den of Yankees Stadium. Who knows? Maybe he’ll thrive there for his last stand.

7/26 Linescore of the Day – Randy Johnson

Randy Johnson, New York Yankees 8 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 11 K (Win) The Unit shows he still has it allowing only 2 hits (and no walks) against the Twins for his fourth win of the month.

Randy Johnson, New York Yankees

8 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 11 K (Win)

The Unit shows he still has it allowing only 2 hits (and no walks) against the Twins for his fourth win of the month.