Monthly Archives: May 2009

Falcons sweep Flames to set up four-way tie for first in NBL

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I’ve just got back from Grovehill Ballpark, where the Herts Falcons enjoyed two 1-run victories over the Richmond Flames. The decisive run in game 1 (7-6) came in the bottom of the seventh, while the go-ahead score in game 2 (5-4) came in the sixth.

The results mean that Bracknell, Herts, London, and Richmond now sit in a four-way tie at the top of the National Baseball League (NBL). Croydon, the fifth NBL team, are five games back from the cluster.

London’s wins include four against Croydon, while Herts and Richmond have both taken two from the Pirates. Bracknell are yet to play the cellar dwellers, and therefore could be seen to have the advantage among the four tied teams.

This Week in MLB

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ThisWeekMLBFirstly, apologies for this column’s non-appearance last Sunday. I know it was only my second week on the job, but this writer was enjoying a previously planned holiday, taking a break from the game of baseball and instead enjoying the natural joys of a warm and sunny Hawaii.

Continue reading →

Weekly Hit Ground Ball: The excitement never ends

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One thing that always amazes me about the MLB season is that a week never goes by without moments of great excitement.  As a seemingly endless supply of games goes by day-after-day, you would think that there would come a time when the drama cools off for a while.  But no, it just keeps on coming.

This week was no exception as we saw some highly-charged antics on the field and one of the most eagerly anticipated Major League debuts of recent years.  Continue reading →

Great Britain players in college ball: 2009

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Last Saturday I wrote about how the Great Britain players involved in continental European leagues in 2009 were faring so far. Today, I’m instead looking at members of the Great Britain national team programme who competed in college baseball this season. There were some notable achievements, including a GB player being named to the Collegiate Baseball Foundation’s National All-Star Lineup for the first week of April. Continue reading →

Replays, earned runs and shortstops at second base: Rangers-Astros 23 May 2009

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Last weekend saw the first instalment of Interleague play during the 2009 MLB season.  There are plenty of reasons to dislike the now traditional sight of AL and NL teams coming together outside of the World Series, but it does at least give fans in two-team cities and states the chance to gain bragging rights for a few weeks. 

The Lone Star Series is one such example.  The Houston Astros and Texas Rangers come together to try to gain Major League wins and to capture the ‘Silver Boot’ trophy.  Continue reading →

You Are the Scorer: Number 30

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YouAreScorer

Scenario: The batter hits a fizzing liner straight back at the pitcher, who instinctively tries to turn away from the pitch. The ball loops up off the pitcher’s back and bounces in front of the shortstop, who scoops the ball up and fires it over to first to retire the batter-runner.

How would you put the play down in your scorebook?

A – 1-6-3.
B – 6-3.

Highlight the text below to reveal the answer:

Answer: A – 1-6-3.

Rule 10.10(a)(1) Comment states:
Mere ineffective contact with the ball shall not be considered an assist. “Deflect” shall mean to slow down or change the direction of the ball and thereby effectively assist in putting out a batter or runner.

While unintentional, the pitcher’s involvement is clearly assisting the putting out of the batter-runner, as without it the ball would probably have got through to the outfield.

The Twilight League article: “The writing of”

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Cobb (128x128)As part of my research for the article published just below on the London Twilight Baseball League, I have been enjoying a long email correspondence with Jeff Archer, the league’s central figure. There are many great stories that Jeff has shared with me that unfortunately did not fit into the article, but one of them definitely deserves an airing regardless, not least because Jeff went to the trouble of taking some reconstructive photos for what he describes as “one of the funniest things [he] ever saw on a baseball field.” Continue reading →

Baseball’s Great Experiment: Jackie Robinson and his Legacy by Jules Tygiel

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Baseball’s Great Experiment: Jackie Robinson and his Legacy by Jules Tygiel (Oxford University Press, 2008) 415 pages.

Baseball is rightly proud of the Jackie Robinson story.  When he ‘broke the colour line’ on 15 April 1947, he didn’t just set in motion the desegregation of baseball, he helped to pave the way for seismic changes throughout American society. 

Jules Tygiel’s book has been widely regarded as one of the seminal texts on this subject since it was first published in 1983.  It is therefore an important addition to any baseball fan’s collection.  Continue reading →

Who can stop SWAT?

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BgbFantasyIt’s BaseballGB fantasy roundup time again. Matt, Russ and myself had good weeks, but Joe may want to look away now. 
 
 
R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
SWAT 24 6 29 3 .269 .741 4 2 51 2 3.75 1.30 9
the gas 17 6 18 4 .210 .587 3 0 32 0 2.83 1.31 2
 
Another week, another win for SWAT. A 9-2 win over The Gas was helped by Adam Jones (2 HR, 6 RBIs) and nice weeks from Hamels and Jurrjens. The Gas had speed and an impressive ERA and were only 0.01 away from a tie in WHIP. Nelson Cruz (3 HR, 8 RBIs, 3 SB) was the star hitter.
 
 
R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
The Wright Stuff 38 15 40 7 .252 .872 4 8 47 0 2.86 1.15 10
Rio Crande Typos 16 5 18 3 .203 .651 2 4 29 0 2.49 1.24 1
 
The Wright Stuff gave he Typos a pasting with a comfortable 10-1 win. The Stuff took all six hitting categories and only a tie in holds are the Typos’ ERA prevented a 12-0 score. The Stuff had big weeks from Hunter (HR, 10 RBIs, 3 SB) and four homers each from Uggla and A-Rod, as well as an impressive eight saves. For the Typos, McCann and Votto were the pick of the hitters, with more impressive pitching from Halladay and Buerhle.
 
 
R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
stevenston angels 23 12 30 0 .319 .975 1 3 56 0 3.97 1.17 4
RussDev Giants 45 13 47 14 .310 .948 3 1 34 0 2.27 1.04 7
 
Russ saw hit hitters have a huge week in a 7-4 win over the Angels, scoring 45 runs and driving in 47 with 14 steals. Ibanez (4 HRs) was the star man in a very productive team. The Angels had a better average and OPS. It is unlucky 12 HR in a week doesn’t get you a win in that category. The Giants also posted impressive ERA and WHIP and although James Shields and Josh Johnson were winless, they combined for 25 Ks. For the Angels, Joe Mauer had an icredible week, scoring 12 runs, hitting 4 HRs and driving in 13 with his .458 average.
 
 
R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
Josh & Jonny Whos 23 6 24 6 .234 .685 2 2 30 2 5.65 1.39 4
The Cheddar Chasers 33 5 24 4 .301 .838 1 2 34 2 2.51 1.53 5
 
A close matchup saw the Chasers edge JJ’s Whos 5-4. Justin Morneau (HR, 8 RBIs, .458 AVG) was the Chasers’ star hitter while JJ paid the price for rough weeks from De La Rosa and Parra.
 
 
R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
Tribal Warfare 21 5 22 5 .259 .738 1 1 24 1 4.46 1.66 3
Syracuse Nationals 26 7 27 7 .277 .793 1 5 24 0 8.62 1.76 7
 
The Nationals picked up a 7-3 win over Tribal Warfare despite a lot of the categories being pretty close. Jason Bartlett (8 Runs, 2 HR, 13 RBIs, 3 SB) was the star man for the Nationals. Warfare have five players on the DL to deal with if they are to have any chance of competing.
 
 
R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
Bonestalkers 24 4 17 7 .278 .765 1 2 50 0 2.38 0.94 4
Borders Bats 27 7 25 4 .289 .794 1 3 37 0 6.32 1.53 6
 
The Bats took a 6-4 win over Bonestalkers thanks to their hitters winning five out of six categories. Mark Teixeira (5 HR, 10 RBIs) was the top hitter. Bonestalkers’ pitchers posted a very impressive ERA of 2.38 with a miniscule WHIP of 0.94 thanks to strong efforts from Lincecum, Sabathia, Scherzer, Becklett, Cueto and Street.
 
 
R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
Orpington Isotopes 28 13 39 3 .266 .818 5 3 42 3 1.61 1.19 9
Braughing’s Bangers 26 7 24 2 .286 .819 3 4 38 1 4.01 1.28 3
 
My Isoptopes had a good week (for once!), beating the Bangers 9-3. My bats were hitting for power, with 3 HRs from Adam Dunn and a pair from Saltalamacchia, Howard and Lowell. My pitchers also had an all to rare stingy week on the ERA and WHIP front. The Bangers hit for a better average, took OPS by .001 and picked up four saves from Rodney, Coke and Lidge.
 
The results leave SWAT still on top, 6 games ahead of the Chasers and 6.5 ahead of the Whos. Only 9.5 games separate the top 9 teams, so there’s still plenty to play for.