Junkballer

I agree with this one.  

And someone's early for work
 

well, first you get introduced to the other players at camp:

I'm sending a nurse.
 

How do players relate to the newer metrics like tunneling, spin rate, exit speed etc.?  How does this data impact their approach or coaches approach, if at all?  It seems to me that they are primarily evaluation tools for the GM's staff but how does it change the way things are done on the field?

I was thinking something along those lines. "Dear Amazon, I am returning the underwear I just received 10 days ago because every pair had skid marks in them"

I've been stuck in Escondido for work this week and have in n out for dinner every day. 
 
I've noticed that the people who take your order at all in n outs greet you with "hi how are you" and I reply with "good how are you" and about half of them don't respond to that question.

We have more 5's than a bar in Orange County.  

In an article published last year titled, "The Hardest Pitches in Baseball to Lay Off," Petit's Curveball made the list.
Curveball – Yusmeiro Petit

Thrown out of the zone: 68% of the time Swung at, when out of the zone: 61% of the time Meaning: 42% of the time this pitch is thrown, it’s both a) out of the zone and swung at Petit has, by far, the most extreme chase rate numbers for any curveball in the game. And, surprise, it’s another pitch about which Eno has written! Eno is pretty good at this stuff. In what is one of my favorite pieces in recent memory, Eno wrote about Petit’s “invisiball” — the ability he has to momentarily hide the ball with his mechanics, which can be seen in this illuminating series of screencaps:

Just like Ziegler, there’s the deception, and then there’s the location:

Petit is able to expand that outside edge of the plate to right-handed batters, as seen in the .gif above to Yadier Molina. Of the 121 pitchers who threw at least 200 curveballs last year, Petit’s has the very highest swing rate, by 11 percentage points (!!!), a whiff rate in the upper 25%, and the very highest pop-up rate.
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-hardest-pitches-in-baseball-to-lay-off/

Old Chubs learned the hard way

Is it because, like Rickey, the stadium gets runny when it is game time?
 
http://www.mercurynews.com/2014/03/29/oakland-coliseum-greets-as-with-another-sewage-backup/

Mound visits are more disruptive than IBBs.  I'm fine with just signaling the IBB but I'd like to see mound visits drastically curtailed, with injury exceptions of course.  In a pro game, signals and strategy should be worked out in advance and why give a pitcher time to gather himself?

I would love to see them eliminate 'timeout' all together. Or at least give teams something like 9 per game. Coaching visits would likely cease if the manager knew it might impact their ability to make substitutions later in the game. Currently there is no cost to 'timeout' so teams are using it at every convenience. Put a limit on it and teams and players will be far more selective when it comes to stopping the game.

Mound visits are more disruptive than IBBs.  I'm fine with just signaling the IBB but I'd like to see mound visits drastically curtailed, with injury exceptions of course.  In a pro game, signals and strategy should be worked out in advance and why give a pitcher time to gather himself?

Whenever I hear Ackley's name I always think of this:
 

I do the typical workout supplements (whey/casein protein, glutamine, bcaa's) but the thing that helps me more than anything is melatonin and getting enough quality sleep.  I was having trouble concentrating at work and feeling fatigued until I stopped watching tv late in the evenings, at least during the week, and taking melatonin.  

Aaron in 1952, on his way to the minors. He had $1.50 in his pocket and a change of clothes. He was 18 years old.
I hadn't seen this photo until today.
 

Optimistic in the sense of improvement.  Still feels like a bridge year setting up for next year though.  Happy about filling in the major areas of deficiency and adding a lot of depth and flexibility with position players.  Still feel pitching can end up being what keeps this team from competing for a playoff spot though. 

My uncle told me of a time they had an event at the sports arena or the olympic auditorium. Said the best part was Roddy Piper came out and almost caused a riot by saying he was going to play the Mexican national anthem on bagpipe to please the fans, and proceeded to play La Cucaracha instead.

We'd be just as well off wishing a happy birthday to two 35-year-olds.

started watching Taboo on FX. the show with tom hardy.
i love it.
has some of my favorite criteria for film/television: period piece (early 1800s jack-london era nasty london), history, dark and creepy, violence, drama, great writing/acting, and lots of whores.

I took my girlfriend to see Aliens and her brother tagged along. The scene where the egg opens and Hurt is attacked freaked her out,  her brother nearly crawled under the seat.  
The dinner scene I thought for sure she was done and asked if she wanted to leave. We had just started dating so she was trying hard to stick with it. 
It was possibly the scariest film I had ever seen,  Carol spent half the time with her eyes closed. Her brother was just plain in shock through the whole film. It was awesome. 
 

2017 strikes again!

You're Billy Eppler. It's late at night in Anaheim. You and your buddy Steve Martone had planned on staying late tonight to catch up on some scouting reports of recently DFAed top pitching prospects, but he had to leave early when Eric Chavez slipped on the stairs on his way out and sprained his ankle and needed a lift home. The storm has passed outside, but thunder is still rumbling in the distance, and aside from the dim glow of your laptop, the occasional flash of lightning is the only illumination the Angels' front office sees on this grim evening. You've just read the last report on your desk, and you've grown tired of your phone ringing from Boone Logan's agent. It's time to go home. 

You step into the hallway - it's dark save for the light in the elevator. You see that Eric Chavez's briefcase is laying inside, papers strewn about. "He must have tripped on his way in", you surmise. You close your door and lock up, and look back at the elevator and jump when you see AARON SELE standing there. 

"'Aaron? Wow, it's been years? How are you? Are you okay?"
"Silence mortal" he responds. 
"Aaron?"
"I am no longer Aaron Sele. I am but a nameless member of GUILD," he responds, pulling a crimson hood over his head.
"Guild?" you ask, puzzled. 
"Yes the Guild of GUILD - Group of Uninspiring, Injured, Leftover Depth."
"..."
"I am here to inform you that you are in violation of our agreement," the beast responds.
"Agreement?" you reply, casually glancing at your phone, looking for Tony Reagins' number. 
"YES our agreement. You may be unaware of this, but for generations our organization has an agreement with the teams of baseball. All teams are to have under their employ one member of our great guild," the humanoid known as Sele responds.
"What about last year?" you query, confused as to why you don't know about this. 
"Weaver, Lincecum, Wilson...." the beast responds, unfurling a scroll of paper. He reads on, but you see a text notification from Bud Black: Hey Billy, just letting you know we're going to DFA Eddie Butler tomorrow. You know, he was a top prospect, so I thought..
"Hey sorry, can we get on with this?" you interrupt. 
"Very well, mortal. Per our agreement, you must agree to take under your employ one of the following by end of week, and they are to remain under your employ through at least the month of June. Do not question their age, mortal, nor there splits, lowly human, for they are all members of our great Guild of GUILD, of which we do not discriminate such trivial aspects. Do not fret the financial details or cost, it will be minimal. Besides, Arte knows how to write it off as a charitable deduction. Pick your poison."

You are handed a terrifying briefcase that looks to have been stitched together from old baseballs. It reeks of Axe body spray and dirt. You open it, and see a simple sheet of paper. You look back up at the creature known as Sele, but all that remains is a crimson hood, lying next to Chavez's briefcase, which also reeks of Axe bodyspray and dirt. Maybe this means something. Anyway, you look back inside this garish baseball briefcase at the depressing sheet of paper inside. 

PICK YOUR POISON. CHOOSE WISELY, MORTAL. YOUR ADVANCED STATS CANNOT SAVE YOU. 


"Sweet Jesus," you wonder. "How am I going to do this without considering where they ranked on prospect lists years ago?"
You look up and around the dark hallway. "Did Dipoto have to deal with this shit? Where was their GUILD member in 2014 when they won 98 games?"
"THAT was a violation," a voice growls in disgust. You turn, and a crimson-hooded Joe Blanton emerges from the shadow. 
"I did all I could, gollum, gollum, to ensureses I would pitch in 2014, yes, yes...we signed a precious contract we did, yes, two years it saidses," Blanton shrieked. 
"But Jerry saw things differently," speaks a warm, comforting voice. You turn to see Ian McKellan and see from Bill Stoneman's office. "Jerry decided to cut Blanton, you see. You may think Jerry resigned in 2015, my dear Fro- Billy.  But that is not the truth. The truth is, the dark agents of Guild were in pursuit of him, so he ---," 
"Fled?" you finish. 
"Yes my boy. He fled. Eventually to Seattle."
"It all makes sense now. That's why he---"
"Dealt for Gallardo" you say in unison with Ian McKellan. 

You smile and nod. Then realize you're talking to Ian McKellan and a naked, crimson-hooded Joe Blanton while holding a briefcase made of baseball skins. Life comes at you hard, man. It matters not. You get to work. You are Billy Eppler.