2012 MLB Regular Season Running Thread

deskslave · Dec 15, 2014

Saw three games over the weekend at the European Championships -- which, yes, is a real thing.

No great vein of talent there, that's for sure. By far the funniest point was when Greece brought in a fat guy in the sixth inning who topped out on the speed gun at 68 mph. Seriously, rec-league softballers would look fit next to this guy.

The Czech Republic, meanwhile, turned out a starting pitcher who was throwing in the mid-70s ... and pitched shutout ball into the ninth against the Netherlands, who are supposed to be the best team around. That one ended up 3-2 to the Czechs in 10; quite the upset, as it turned out. 0-0 through 7, Czechs got the lead in the eighth, then had their shortstop boot a two-out grounder in the ninth to allow the tying run to score. Scored both of their placed runners in the 10th, though.

Only a handful of people at the two games that didn't involve the Netherlands; about 2,400 for the Netherlands, though. The stadium in Utrecht was no better than a high-school field; the one in Haarlem might pass for Division I college ball, possibly low-A, and the Rotterdam stadium wouldn't be out of place in perhaps Class A or AA.

Haarlem:

Utrecht:

Rotterdam:

3OctaveFart · Sep 10, 2012

Eighteen of B.J. Upton's 21 home runs (85.7 percent) have been solo. Highest rate for any player with 20-plus home runs, per ESPN.

Tom Petty · Sep 10, 2012

Gehrig said:
buckweaver said:

Versatile said:

My argument for Babe Ruth isn't based in statistics because eras and playing fields are very difficult to account for by any measure. Ruth was one of the five best pitchers in baseball for a couple seasons, then he was the best hitter in baseball for at least 10. That includes Negro leaguers.
Click to expand...

I tend to agree with this. It's as if early 2000s Randy Johnson all of a sudden became a position player and turned into early 2000s Barry Bonds.

There's no more dominant all-around player in baseball history.

Versatile said:

And revisionists say he was actually a fine fielder and baserunner, much faster than his figure might indicate.
Click to expand...

Ruth's roly-poly, Fat Elvis "figure" that we tend to think of today really didn't take shape until he was getting into his mid-30s, around 1926 or so.

Before then, he was an incredible physical specimen. Easily the strongest and most athletic ballplayer in the major leagues.

If you look up any pictures of him with the Red Sox or pre-1925 with the Yankees, he looks lean and fit as hell. There's a well-known picture (that I can't seem to find on the Internet now) of him lifting weights with his agent, Christy Walsh, around 1925 and you can see just how muscular he is. Here's a good shot, too:

That's what he looked like for most of his career, especially in his prime. He gained weight later on.

Tom Petty said:

and if you ever had the chance to talk to people who actually watched ruth play, they have/had nothing [kind] to say about his defense.
Click to expand...

If you watched Ruth in the outfield either very early or very late in his career, you are completely right. He had no idea what he was doing out there at the beginning in Boston and he was out of shape for his final years in New York.

But he was actually quite a good fielder in his prime until, again, he put on a lot of weight in his mid-30s. He was versatile enough that Miller Huggins could switch him and Bob Meusel interchangeably at both corner positions, allowing the Yankees to take advantage of Meusel's powerful arm in left field for home games (back when Yankee Stadium had 457-foot "Death Valley" in left-center) and in right field for road games. Ruth never would have won any Gold Glove awards, but he was no slouch in the outfield.
Click to expand...

Babe was very good at playing hitters well, and camping under high flies, and had great power & accuracy in his throws. He was known for his judgment in throwing to the right base. He also was a real hustler in going after hits. He was never lazy or inattentive. Early his speed wasn't that much of a problem, but after his stomach ache in '25, his abs weakened, and his girth started to expand, so his speed was a hindrance in his OF work.

His attitude towards his defensive work was positive & strong. His only real weakness was in his lack of being able to catch up to many liners, especially to right-center, which fell away steeply at Yankee Stadium, compared to most of the others in the league.
Code:
[B]Center Fielders:[/B]

Name-------------PO's/g---------Assists/g------------DPs/g---------Errors/g
Max Carey---------2.628----------.140----------------.035-----------.097
Happy Felsch------2.592----------.156----------------.055-----------.071
Tris Speaker------2.515----------.166----------------.051-----------.082
Eddie Roush-------2.455----------.120----------------.022-----------.074
Ty Cobb-----------2.168-(5 of 6)-.133-(5 of 6)-------.036 (3of6)----.092 (4of6)
Clyde Milan-------2.151----------.154----------------.030-----------.113

[B]Corner Outfielders:[/B]

Babe Ruth---------1.983----------.091----------------.021-----------.069
Duffy Lewis-------1.855----------.146----------------.027-----------.085
Joe Jackson-------1.832----------.141----------------.027-----------.077
Harry Hooper------1.742----------.150----------------.035-----------.066
In the work of an OF, there are several aspects. I'd like to take a look at some, with respect to Babe.

He knew by experience, and instinct, how/where to play the various hitters. So he set up position on them very well. And he got a good jump on the ball due to his wonderful reflexes.

But he lacked the acceleration gear, given all good sprinters, that after the reaction to the gun, they smoothly shift into higher speed. That requires fast twitch muscles. Babe only had the initial explosive start.

So, he did need his CF, to shade towards his (Babe's) area. Whenever a ball split his area with his CF, it was a dash to the ball, to see who'd get there first.

Babe had a splendid attitude towards his work. He never loafed, spaced-out, or let his mind wander. He was focused, attentive, never failed to hustle all out. And once he got the ball, he always knew what to do with it. Always understood where it had to go, since he was paying strict attention to the game's situation, moment by moment. He had true BB acumen/wisdom.

Overall, I'd rate Babe's defense, early on as very serviceable. He was passable. I would say that by 1928, his expanding girth had slowed his speed afoot down to being barely serviceable/mediocre.

He was not a bad fielder until around 1931, or thereabouts. By then, he simply couldn't cover his area properly, despite his good hustle.

Concerning his weight, In 1925, things did get out of hand. In January, he weighed 256. However he had lost twenty-one pounds at the time of his collapse and weight 235.

After his bellyache he reformed quite well. From '26 - '31 (ages 32-37), he AVERAGED 50 HR, 155 RBI, 147 R, and a .354 B.A.

-----------1926------------------1928

weight-----230-------------------225.5
neck-------16.5------------------16
chest------41--------------------40
chest exp--45--------------------47
waist------42--------------------39
hips-------42---------------------40
thigh------23.5-------------------23
calf-------15.5-------------------14.5
biceps-----14.5-------------------13.25
forearm----12---------------------10.5

--------------------------------------------------

1923

215 playing weight.

1924

Was up to nearly 240 pounds at the end of January. Went to Hot Springs and ended up getting down to 218 for the season.

1925

Was 256 pounds, and had lost twenty-one pounds just before his collapse.

1926

Entered McGovern training at 254, started season at 212.

1927

Started season at 218, had 37.5 inch waistline. Took McGovern with him for the 22 day shoot for The Babe Comes Home. He was on a strict regimen; in bed at 9. He had to be on the set by 6am and was running five miles a day.

1928

Entered McGovern training at 237, started season at 225.

1929

Entered McGovern training at 234, started season at 222. Began walking five miles a day along with training.

1930

Claire's influence began. He wasn't allowed to drink hard liquor in the house during the season. If people came over, he could get a keg, but no hard liquor. Babe used to routinely eat at around 11pm, mostly steak and beer. Not any more. A club sandwich and milk became the new late night meal no matter where they were. He would often have steak or some mutton chops for breakfast, and then lunch was a sandwich and milk before he headed to the ballpark, where he was on his own. Needless to say, he snuck a hot dog and soda here and there. Claire made sure he never lifted anything heavy, not even luggage. He never used a can opener or changed razor blades when needed. His curfew was 10pm and he never seemed to mind. He had settled down greatly. A night in with a few beers listening to his favorite radio program "The Lone Ranger" suited him fine.

He entered McGovern training at 233 and lost eight pounds in two weeks. He was started the season at 225. At this point however, despite his taking care of himself much better, he slowly gained weight throughout the seasons.

1931

Entered McGovern training on New Years Eve of 1930 at 235 pounds. His waist was 42.5 inches. All that is known is that the results were very good and stayed that way much in part to a lot of golf. I'm guessing between 220 and 225.

1932

Smelser -

Before going to Florida Ruth had started to work with McGovern in his best condition since the early 1920s. His chest, expanded, was forty-eight inches, the largest ever, and his waist for thirty-eight, the smallest in years. McGovern put him to calisthenics three days a week and golf the other three days, which suggests an interest in the legs of an old ballplayer.

1933

"Ruth in mid-January was working mornings in McGovern's gymnasium and playing golf every afternoon....He was in good condition, a pound or two above his playing weight." - Smelser

1934

He entered McGovern training at 235 and started season at 226 and gained weight throughout.
Click to expand...
I tip my cap.

Batman · Sep 10, 2012

Don't look now, but the Phillies are creeping back into a pennant race. Beat the Marlins tonight for their fifth straight win, and ninth in 11 games, and are now 5 1/2 back of the Cardinals for the second wild card (with the fading Pirates and Dodgers in between). And the next seven games are against the Astros and Mets.
I don't know if they have enough time to make up that much ground in three weeks, but I admit I am getting sucked back in just a bit.

buckweaver · Sep 10, 2012

Tom Petty said:

I tip my cap.
Click to expand...

As do I. Well done, Gehrig.

Armchair_QB · Sep 10, 2012

Batman said:

Don't look now, but the Phillies are creeping back into a pennant race. Beat the Marlins tonight for their fifth straight win, and ninth in 11 games, and are now 5 1/2 back of the Cardinals for the second wild card (with the fading Pirates and Dodgers in between). And the next seven games are against the Astros and Mets.
I don't know if they have enough time to make up that much ground in three weeks, but I admit I am getting sucked back in just a bit.
Click to expand...

It would break my heart to see St. Louis shit the bed at the end of the season.

RickStain · Sep 10, 2012

I love seeing fans of mediocre teams come around at this time of the year and say "Oh man, our team isn't *that* far out." The wild card and the new second wild card are working exactly as intended, which isn't something you can often say about baseball.

Of course, last year the cocksucking mediocre Cardinals managed to actually do it and mediocre another World Series. I hate them so much.

Armchair_QB · Sep 10, 2012

There may have been more people in the dugouts than the stands at the end of the Cubs-Astros game.

Tarheel316 · Sep 11, 2012

Armchair_QB said:

There may have been more people in the dugouts than the stands at the end of the Cubs-Astros game.
Click to expand...

And to think the Giants lost a game to the Cubs last week.

HanSenSE · Sep 11, 2012

Tarheel316 said:

Armchair_QB said:

There may have been more people in the dugouts than the stands at the end of the Cubs-Astros game.
Click to expand...

And to think the Giants lost a game to the Cubs last week.
Click to expand...

Seems like they've been listing around 12K in the boxscores. That has to be tickets sold, not number in the yard.

Gehrig · Sep 11, 2012

Elliotte Friedman said:

Very buckweaverish post. And that's a compliment.
Click to expand...

Tom Petty said:

I tip my cap.
Click to expand...

buckweaver said:

Tom Petty said:

I tip my cap.
Click to expand...

As do I. Well done, Gehrig.
Click to expand...

Thanks. That means a lot coming from you guys.

Tom Petty · Sep 11, 2012

my god, there's a lotta love here.

Log in or Sign up

2012 MLB Regular Season Running Thread

deskslave Active Member

3OctaveFart Guest

Tom Petty New Member

Batman Well-Known Member

buckweaver Active Member

Armchair_QB Well-Known Member

RickStain Well-Known Member

Armchair_QB Well-Known Member

Tarheel316 Well-Known Member

HanSenSE Well-Known Member

Gehrig Active Member

Tom Petty New Member

Share This Page

Log in or Sign up

2012 MLB Regular Season Running Thread

deskslave Active Member

3OctaveFart Guest

Tom Petty New Member

Batman Well-Known Member

buckweaver Active Member

Armchair_QB Well-Known Member

RickStain Well-Known Member

Armchair_QB Well-Known Member

Tarheel316 Well-Known Member

HanSenSE Well-Known Member

Gehrig Active Member

Tom Petty New Member

Share This Page

Useful Searches