Blogs
  • Getting Blanked

    • Ten (Not So) Stray Thoughts On A Friday

      By Dustin Parkes in TSTOAF on Friday, May. 17, 2013
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      Typically, at this point in the day – at this point in the week – I’d introduce a column in which I offer ten thoughts on some of the newsier items around baseball. I like doing it because, well, I really like baseball, and I really like sharing what I think about baseball. In this sense, it’s not surprising that occasionally my thoughts will admittedly drift toward becoming self-indulgent.

      In fact, the whole premise of offering up my thoughts as something that...

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    • The Getting Blanked Podcast #130: Dead By the Holidays

      By Drew Fairservice in Podcast on Friday, May. 17, 2013
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      The Getting Blanked podcast for a Friday! We grab the old standings and decide, definitely, which teams playoff chances are dead and which are still alive. It’s very scientific and totally binding. As for the sock? You have to wait for that one.

      Listen to the podcast directly here.

      Subscribe to Getting Blanked on iTunesto ensure the podcast, daily video show and other life-changing materials goes straight to your device of choice each week. Or, you can hook...

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    • Enjoy Some Deliciously Dated Rockies Promos

      By Drew Fairservice in Colorado Rockies, HardBall Talkin' on Friday, May. 17, 2013
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      The languid pace of these slightly bizarre Rockies marketing videos is almost refreshing. Though, without any actual game footage to lean on, what else was the ad company going to use to sell the team? Ummm, rocks! And height! And the height of rocks! It’s all deadly, really.

      Just think about creating a similar piece now. It would be all smash cuts and WUBWUBWUB dubstep beats and that infernal dinosaur making children cry and haunting the dreams of young and...

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    • Today in Heart Melting: A Surprise Reunion

      By Drew Fairservice in HardBall Talkin' on Friday, May. 17, 2013
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      Video: Rays reunite military family

      “I was really excited and then I felt like it was a dream”

      This is nothing if not incredible. A heart-warming reunion between a US service member and his adolescent daughter. Delightful. Enjoy and then hug somebody who matters to you.

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    • MLB GIFs of the Week: It’s a Slide Thing

      By Scott Lewis in Riffin' And GIFfin' on Friday, May. 17, 2013
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      …And just like that, your browser collapsed. Here’s your roundup of GIFs from around Major League Baseball (and Taiwan). Ian Kinsler leads off this slide heavy edition with a bit of misjudged attempt at diving headfirst into third base. We can only applaud.

      MOAR GIFs after the jump

      The curious case of Daniel Murphy’s disappearing double

      …And you will know his name is Juan Lagares

      Mike Trout’s longform slide

      Jeremy Guthrie’s awful night part I

      Jeremy Guthrie’s awful night part...

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    • URL Weaver: A New Frontier

      By Drew Fairservice in Link Dump, Podcast on Friday, May. 17, 2013
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      It was bound to happen eventually. Even with the Nationals’ natitudinal meddling, Stephen Strasburg is simply too talented to go his entire career without pitching eight complete innings. He’s a power pitcher and a strikeout guy who racks up big pitch counts, which simply doesn’t gel with the Nationals persistent fear that one day he might just fall apart before their eyes.

      After 53 starts, over which he amassed more than 360 strikeouts, Stephen...

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    • Fogging the Measure: Stephen Drew Becomes a True Red Sock

      By Matt Klaassen in Boston Red Sox, Fogging The Measure on Thursday, May. 16, 2013
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      Way back in 2002, when Jason Giambi was in his first season with the Yankees after signing (for the time) a huge free agent contract, people doubted him. Filling the Super-Big Shoes of Tino Martinez is a bid deal; a core Yankee and close personal friend of Derek Jeter, after all.

      Giambi got off to a slow start in New York in that first season. Well, “slow” being a relative term. Giambi was hitting “only” .282/.378/.456 (126 wRC+) at...

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    • Big Papi Calls On the World to Donate Some F*%king Money

      By Drew Fairservice in David Ortiz, HardBall Talkin' on Thursday, May. 16, 2013
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      make sure you check out bigpapi.com to help raise money for the boston marathon victims #PapiLovesBoston twitter.com/davidortiz/sta…

      — David Ortiz (@davidortiz) May 16, 2013

      Well, those weren’t his exact words but that is the sentiment, an awesome one indeed. David Ortiz is kind of a little bit the best and he is running a promotion on his website bigpapi.com benefiting victims of the Boston Marathon bombing.

      A $500 donation to The One Fundearns you an autographed custom red, white,...

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    • My Approach: Tim Lincecum

      By Drew Fairservice in My Approach, San Francisco Giants, Tim Lincecum on Thursday, May. 16, 2013
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      It is tough to establish new ground when discussing Tim Lincecum. The two-time Cy Young award winner has been analyzed, dissected, and scrutinized to within an inch of his life over the past three years. What is wrong with Tim Lincecum? What will become of Tim Lincecum?

      While he isn’t the pitcher he was in years past, he is still a very good and very exciting starter. Only four other qualified startersmanage his strikeout, ground ball, and swinging strike...

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    • Roto-Relevant Research: Expected Walk Rate

      By Eno Sarris in Kris Medlen, Madison Bumgarner, Roto Relevant Research on Thursday, May. 16, 2013
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      Sometimes, finding nothing is interesting. It’s obviously not exciting as finding *something*, but it’s not a waste of time.

      For example, Blake Murphy went looking for an expected walk rate for pitchersgiven different plate discipline peripherals. You’d think, if given a pitcher’s percentage of pitches in the zone, and batters’ propensity to reach (and miss) for pitches outside the zone, you might be able to get a sense of their future walk rate. After all, not walking a guy...

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    • Live From The Mexican League All Star Game

      By Craig Robinson in Getting Blanked Special on Thursday, May. 16, 2013
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      At the weekend, the Mexican League had its Juego de Estrellas–its All-Star Game–in Oaxaca de Juárez, the capital of the state of Oaxaca. It’s around 290 miles southeast of Mexico City where I live; six hours or so on a bus. I’ve never been to a Major League All-Star Game before, I’ve barely watched one all the way through, frankly; but I have a friend in Oaxaca, so it seemed like a good chance to see how Mexico does these...

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    • Vernon Wells, Super Utility Guy

      By Drew Fairservice in HardBall Talkin', New York Yankees, Vernon Wells on Thursday, May. 16, 2013
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      First, he came for our third baseman. Then, Vernon Wells came for our souls. The former dead money contract is now one of the best offensive contributors in baseball as we near the first quarter pole. Vernon Wells, inexplicably, owns a .387 wOBA and 10 home runs, hitting another in last night’s 12-2 loss to the Mariners.

      He also owns a new notch in his infielder’s belt, as recovering five tool stud Vernon...

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    • The Getting Blanked Podcast #128: Rangers Good, Orioles Less So

      By Drew Fairservice in Melky Cabrera, Podcast, Texas Rangers on Wednesday, May. 15, 2013
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      Podcastery! Talking about the Melkpocalypse, the Orioles defiance of God’s will, and the thoroughly excellent Rangers. FUN STUFF, Y’ALL!

      Listen to the podcast directly here.

      Subscribe to Getting Blanked on iTunes to ensure the podcast, daily video show and other life-changing materials goes straight to your device of choice each week. Or, you can hook up the RSS feed here if that is more your style.

      Some (underlined) Mint Musical Interludes courtesy of The Constantines and Arts & Crafts...

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    • Greatest Bat Flip in the Long, Storied History of Bat Flips

      By Drew Fairservice in Riffin' And GIFfin' on Wednesday, May. 15, 2013
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      There are bat flips and then there are Bat Flips. This is both. This is everything. This is all that a bat flip video needs to be. It is story. A saga of human achievement. The heights of euphoria and the depths of despair.

      It is also encoded to prevent embedding. So we shall embark together on a journey. A journey to the very core of our own humanity. We will learn of both the agency of a man...

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    • Fans Vote on the Minor Leagues’ Best Ballpark Food

      By Scott Lewis in HardBall Talkin' on Wednesday, May. 15, 2013

      Minor League Baseball is giving fans the chance to cast their vote in a competition to declare the Greatest of the Gut Busters. Calories and high cholesterol levels for all!

      MiLB is asking fans to vote on their website, or by using the hashtag #FoodFight. There are 16 food items to choose from, including the Lake Elsinore Storm’s ‘Homewrecker’ (pictured above), which is made of “three half-pound all-beef hot dogs, 1.5 pounds of French fries, two pounds of chili,...

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    • Phillies Sign Carlos Zambrano to a Minor League Deal

      By Scott Lewis in News And Notes, Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday, May. 15, 2013
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      The Philadelphia Phillies have signed free agent right-hander Carlos Zambrano to a minor league deal, Ken Rosenthal reports. As it was reported yesterday, Zambrano walked away from an agreement with the Long Island Ducks of the Independent Atlantic League in an effort to concentrate on landing a deal with a Major League team. A sound decision from Big Z’s camp, if he can crack the roster.

      Zambrano bounced between the starting rotation and bullpen with the Miami Marlins last...

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    • Jeremy Guthrie’s Unusual Evening

      By Drew Fairservice in Analysis, Kansas City Royals, Mike Trout, Riffin' And GIFfin' on Wednesday, May. 15, 2013
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      To his eternal credit, Jeremy Guthrie is having a very unusual season. Unusual for Jeremy Guthrie in that he’s pitched very well and Jeremy Guthrie is the human embodiment of serviceable. He has a very low ERA and a sparkling 5-1 won/loss record. Before last night, it was a 5-0 record.

      Last night, Jeremy Guthrie posted one of the weirdest pitching lines you’ll ever see. It was the anti-FIP start for the ages. And that was tip of Guthrie’s weirdness...

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    • URL Weaver: Melkmania

      By Drew Fairservice in Link Dump on Wednesday, May. 15, 2013
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      They call it a language “barrier” for a reason. It seems very easy for words and thoughts to be twisted, misconstrued or even misrepresented when passed through the many channels and filters required to turn one set of words into another.

      Last night in Toronto, Melky Cabrerafaced his former team for the first time since he was suspended 50 games for failing a drug test. Melky’s departure from San Francisco was an odd one, as he simply vanished from...

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    • Today in Adorable: Hyun-Jin Ryu Plays Catches with a Fan

      By Drew Fairservice in HardBall Talkin', Hyun-Jin Ryu, Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday, May. 15, 2013
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      Well if this isn’t just too cute I don’t even know what is. Something about Ryu brings out the best in people, be they K-Pop stars or little kids named Deuce.

      This kid has quite an arm, I’m sure this clip will play well in his 2028 NL Rookie of the Year video montage.

      Hat tip to Joe of Bleed Blue Crew

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    • The Getting Blanked Podcast #127: Machado About Nothing

      By Scott Lewis in Manny Machado, Podcast on Tuesday, May. 14, 2013
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      Forgive us for coming at you so late in the day, but the Getting Blanked podcast is here. We talked about the struggling Los Angels of Anaheim and the death of Scioscialism, and the great Bryce Harper-Mike Trout-Manny Machado discussion. Hit us up with your earholes.

      Listen to the podcast directly here.

      Subscribe to Getting Blanked on iTunesto ensure the podcast, daily video show and other life-changing materials goes straight to your device of choice each week. Or,...

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    • Matt Harvey, SI Cover Boy

      By Drew Fairservice in HardBall Talkin', Matt Harvey on Tuesday, May. 14, 2013
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      Now we know for sure that Matt Harvey has arrived…in 1988, when the print edition of Sports Illustrated dominated the sports media landscape!

      But seriously, it’s pretty cool that Matt Harvey gets the full Verducci treatment here. Hit the jump for a good sized image of the man at work.

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    • The Battle of Los Angeles: Week 7

      By Riley Breckenridge in Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, The Battle of Los Angeles on Tuesday, May. 14, 2013
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      Ed. Note: MORE LIKE LOST ANGELES, AMIRITE? Poor Riley.

      The Week That Was

      LAA

      WHAT : 3-4

      LAD

      THE HELL? : 2-4

      Southern California’s Burgeoning Pissing Contest: The Leader In The Clubhouse

      Cal State Fullerton? They’re 41-8 and ranked No. 5 in the nation. I’d almost rather drop $15 to watch Rick Vanderhook’s squad bunt and grit and grind their way to wins en route to Omaha than dump a hundred bucks (for parking, tickets, food and beer) to...

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    • Report: Carlos Zambrano Has Not Signed with the Long Island Ducks

      By Scott Lewis in News And Notes on Tuesday, May. 14, 2013
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      Multiple reports from last week indicated that Carlos Zambrano had signed a contract with the Long Island Ducks of the Independent Atlantic League. According to a Danny Knobler piece at CBS Sports, Zambrano has decided not to sign with the club, and will continue to pursue a deal with a Major League team.

      Zambrano pitched for the Miami Marlins last season after he was acquired from the Chicago Cubs. The Marlins agreed to pay $2.5 million of the $18...

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    • Joe Blanton’s Face Tells the Story of Joe Blanton’s Season

      By Drew Fairservice in Joe Blanton, Scorn on Tuesday, May. 14, 2013
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      Joe Blanton is not off to a good start to his Los Angeles Angels career. Most of that stems directly from the fact that, well, Joe Blanton isn’t an especially good pitcher. He’s serviceable, or was, before the start of 2013. In his eight starts for the Halos, Blanton has been very bad.

      He was especially bad last night. He was quintessentially 2013 Joe Blanton bad. He didn’t give up a home run, which tends to be a Joe Blanton...

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    • URL Weaver: The Cubs Cup Overflows

      By Drew Fairservice in Link Dump, anthony rizzo on Tuesday, May. 14, 2013
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      The Cubs made their first baseman Anthony Rizzo a rich man on Sunday night, signing the oft-traded slugger to a seven-year contract extension which includes two additional options. The first seven years of this deal are worth $41 million, with the two options valued at $14.5 million each, as per breaker of news and destroyer of souls Ken Rosenthal.

      The deal was met with universal praise, as Dave Cameron of Fangraphs calls it“another steal” for the Cubs, who...

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Scoreboard for May 19