AngelsWin Today: New Documentary in Theatres Soon - "Facing Nolan" - Update: Now on Netflix

[Spirit]

I absolutely loved it!  He was my first sports hero and I named one of my sons after him, so admittedly I was bias going in.  But it lived up to my expectations and then some.

I loved that they incorporated so much of his youth into the film and that his wife, Ruth, was such a huge part of it.  She's awesome!  I would love to be able to site around their HUGE dinner table with that big family and listen to them tell stories all night. 

If you love baseball, Nolan Ryan, the Angels and/or a good documentary, do yourself a favor and see this.  You won't be disappointed.  (Unless, of course, you go to a theater that botches it with someone not knowing how to frame the screen properly.  Brutal!)

 

 

[Blarg]

There was very little coverage of his minor league playing time but there was very little documentation on film or video back in the mid to late 60's.   

[ten ocho recon scout]

I met Goldman at Tempe a few years back and he guilted me into buying a copy of his Ryan book. After I protested why he wasnt an Angel on the cover.

I literally didnt want the book, and he argued and argued with me about why he wasnt an Angel on the cover. And literally had no interest in the book.

And I bought it.

In case he sees this, Im not complaining about him. Actually giving him kudos for being a monster sales guy.

 

(Even if Ryan was an Angel on the cover, I was drunk on vacation in Tempe and it was 100 degrees. Why the F would I want a book? About literally anything)

[Chuck]

 

[jsnpritchett]

For anyone who's interested in this movie but missed it during its limited theatrical run, it's now available on Netflix. 

[Inside Pitch]

On 5/12/2022 at 6:03 PM, Lou said:

Wins and losses were big back then. 

Yep and what was easily his most dominant season a little thing called Fernandomania happened.   His second most dominant season he went 8-16.   Those were the only two seasons where he lead the league in ERA, ERA+

It's kind of nuts but for all the fanfare -- Ryan's ERA+ for his career was 112.  During his Angels heyday it was only 115.  Chuck Finley posted a career ERA+ of 115 and 118 as an Angel.

 

[Chuck]

2 hours ago, jsnpritchett said:

For anyone who's interested in this movie but missed it during its limited theatrical run, it's now available on Netflix. 

Awesome, thank you! I watched the screening on my laptop. Would love to watch it again on the big screen. 

Absolutely loved it. 

[Angelsjunky]

1 hour ago, Inside Pitch said:

Yep and what was easily his most dominant season a little thing called Fernandomania happened.   His second most dominant season he went 8-16.   Those were the only two seasons where he lead the league in ERA, ERA+

It's kind of nuts but for all the fanfare -- Ryan's ERA+ for his career was 112.  During his Angels heyday it was only 115.  Chuck Finley posted a career ERA+ of 115 and 118 as an Angel.

 

I've often thought that Ryan was a bit overrated. Definitely a Hall of Famer, but a lot of the hype around him was fastball velocity and longevity. Again, a great pitcher - but he isn't in the same category as guys like Maddux, Clemens, Johnson, etc, or never had the peak of Pedro Martinez (but who did?).

I also find myself going back and forth on to what degree modern, advanced statistics accurately reframe the past vs. obfuscate what was once self-evident but has been lost in a morass of "numbers over what is clear watching an actual game."

Take Nolan Ryan vs. Bert Blyleven. Ryan is a player whose legacy has lasted - even casual fans know the name - whereas Blyleven was a top pitcher of the 70s and 80s, but isn't remembered much since then*. Yet if we look at some advanced metrics, we find:

Ryan: 112 ERA+, 106.7 fWAR

Blyleven: 118 ERA+, 102.9 fWAR

When you take into account that Ryan pitched 400 more innings, you could make an argument that Blyleven was a (if only slightly) better pitcher. But no one remembers him that way.

I tend to think that fWAR (etc) give us a more accurate picture of the past: that Blyleven was not only better than shared, conventional wisdom, but that the two were basically similarly as good. On the other hand, I do have a bit of doubt, that maybe something is lost in translation when we overly rely on WAR and such.

*Note: Meaning, if you ask a bunch of baseball fans of various degrees of knowledge the question, "After Roger Clemens, Cy Young, Walter Johnson, Greg Maddux, and Randy Johnson, which pitcher is next on the all-time WAR list?" You'll find that most don't take long in their guesses to come to the name "Nolan Ryan." But if you ask the same question but add Ryan to the list, far fewer fans will quickly come to "Bert Blyleven," who is next on that list.

Edited September 22, 2022 by Angelsjunky

[Slegnaac]

Robin Ventura declined to be interviewed for this Documentary. 

[Blarg]

Both Ventura and Ryan are tired of the same questions about 5 minutes of their shared careers. 

[Chuck]

The story behind the Ventura vs. Ryan encounter from @pinetar:

 

[The Ghost of Bob Starr]

On 5/12/2022 at 1:35 PM, Blarg said:

It needs more Angels footage. It was with the Angels where he learned how to pitch not just throw harder than anyone else. 

Lost me at the 34 uni on the cover. I’ll pass. Glad I saw it in person.

Can we get an update on either the Craig, Ralston Schmidt, or Jeter statue docs?

[eligrba]

Nice story. Enjoyed hearing all of the back stories.

Robin Ventura was a bitch as a player. I wouldn't talk about it either if had my shit handed to me after spouting off about what he would do in that situation. 

Funny, Winfield and Ryan had no problem talking about their incident. I think people forget how "special" Ventura thought he was. Fuck Ventura.

[daygloman]

I've just now finished watching a documentary called: Facing Nolan.

It a documentary about Nolan Ryan.

If you haven't yet, I urge all of you to check it out!

Seeing him on the Halos brought me right back to being an 11, 12, 13, 14 - 18 year old kid again!

Check it out if you can! You'll love it!

https://www.netflix.com/title/81615834

Have a great evening!

[Lou]

*who

 

 

[tdawg87]

*whomst've

[Angelsjunky]

12 hours ago, Lou said:

*who

 

Dick. Not for correcting him, but for taking the opportunity away from me.

[Dtwncbad]

7 minutes ago, Angelsjunky said:

Dick. Not for correcting him, but for taking the opportunity away from me.

*sentence fragments

[Taylor]

1 hour ago, Angelsjunky said:

Dick. Not for correcting him, but for taking the opportunity away from me.

 

 

[Taylor]

1 hour ago, Dtwncbad said:

*sentence fragments

Sentence fragments are acceptable on a message board, as they are a stylistic choice. Using the correct form of who or whom isn't stylistic but a hard and fast rule.

Edge: Lowell

[Dtwncbad]

23 minutes ago, Taylor said:

Sentence fragments are acceptable on a message board, as they are a stylistic choice. Using the correct form of who or whom isn't stylistic but a hard and fast rule.

Edge: Lowell

Excellent distinction.  Now try to distinguish the difference between joking around and serious angst over sentence fragments.

[Taylor]

1 hour ago, Dtwncbad said:

Excellent distinction.  Now try to distinguish the difference between joking around and serious angst over sentence fragments.

[Blarg]

1 hour ago, Dtwncbad said:

Excellent distinction.  Now try to distinguish the difference between joking around and serious angst over sentence fragments.

[daygloman]

Seriously?

Assholes!

[Puget Sound Angel]

Have to admit I did not are for it.

It was done too much from a hero worship perspective.

Not surprising because Ryan's sons were the producers and Nolan was the executive producer.