Every so often when I’m on the road* and have a few moments to spare, I like to buy a “Baseball Weekly,” stop for breakfast or lunch at a a Bob Evans or Perkins or some such place and just catch up with what’s going on in the game. The last time I got to do that was at spring training in Surprise, Ariz., and I remember looking over the rosters and projected starting lineups of every team and thinking, “Holy shmoly, Tampa Bay is read to contend RIGHT NOW.” Yeah, the expletives in my mind are things like “Holy Shmoly.” And also, “Mercy!” And “Great Scott!”
*Yeah, I’m in Florida now for some book research — did I mention I’m writing this book about the 1975 Reds? — and I just want to say this: From what I can tell, every state in the country CLAIMS to have the worst drivers in the union. It seems a bizarre point of pride. And there are bad drivers from the mountains to the prairies to the oceans and across the fruited plain. But Florida wins. Hands down. Here’s why:
New York and Boston and Philly have those psycho aggressive drivers who have spent too much of their lives trying to find parking places and fighting off rogue taxi drivers, and now their main goal is not exactly to get to where they’re going to but to beat YOU to where they’re going. And to let you know, with a creative burst of horn blowing, that you are the biggest idiot who ever lived.
Southern drivers, generally speaking, have the opposite goal. Driving is a religious experience. Do unto others. You let people out no matter the circumstance. You wave people in front of you, no matter what it means to the larger traffic picture. Drivers there routinely cause 20 minute traffic jams because they need to let some grandmother turn left out of the Food Lion. And of course, the Grandma wants to do her good deed of the day too, so she’s waving them on, but no, they’re not having any of it, so they’re waving HER on, and it goes on like this, I wave, you wave, I wave, you wave, until the pileup goes all the way back to Salisbury.
Midwestern drivers, as mentioned here, get in traffic jams that have no apparent origin or point. You get stuck in long lines, and then, after a long period of being frozen, the traffic clears, like fog, and you go: “What the hell was that all about?” And you will never find out. Midwestern drivers also rubberneck worse than any drivers in America, at least that’s been what I’ve seen. I think we’re just curious folk. Also, for reasons I cannot explain, road construction is worse in the Midwest than anywhere else, though this might only be St. Louis.
California drivers, in my experience, seem to believe they live in a Beach Boys song. They’ll be plotzing along in the right lane, laid back California doing about seven miles below the speed limit, but as soon as you try to pass in the left lane they will suddenly believe their minivan is a little deuce coupe, and they’re coming down the line, trying to blow you out of the water. In California, you’re never going fast enough, and you’re never going slow enough, all at the same time.
But Florida is the worst because Florida is ALL those things — tourists, New Yorkers, Southerners, speed racers, senior citizens, Disney characters, families, pickup trucks the size of small motels, people who are still driving by the rules of their native countries — all thrown into one, gigantic melting pot of driving horror. It’s no wonder people down here want to live in places where they can get around on golf carts.
ANYWAY, I got the chance to relax with a Baseball Weekly for a little while, and they had a little section where they asked some of the writers what they got right in their preseason predictions and what they got wrong. It was a mixed bag. Some of the writers, I thought, seemed to give the classic job interview, “My biggest weakness is I work too hard, and I care too much, and I’m just such a perfectionist” kind of answer. They would say, “My biggest mistake was picking Detroit to win, but I think the Tigers will still win.” Or something like that.
Most of them, though, said their biggest mistake was picking the Seattle Mariners, who are now an absolute fiasco. As an aside, I’m told by some pretty good insider types that Ichiro is now more or less running the club, which I can’t believe is a good thing. Though, I would hope it’s not Ichiro’s idea to give 500 combined plate appearances to Kenji Johjima (58 OPS+) and Jose Vidro (61 OPS+).
Yeah, Seattle is a disappointment. But, I think people are overplaying that a bit … the Mariners had a very fluky year in ‘07. They won 88 games even though they were outscored for the season. They did not sign or replace Jose Guillen, who had a very good year. The heart of their lineup is mostly made up of Ichiro, Raul Ibanez, Richie Sexson, Vidro, guys in their mid-30s who are, at any point, ready to go freefalling. It should have been apparent to the people paying close attention that the Mariners were NOT one or two players away. But it’s never readily apparent. Those are the people who traded for Erik Bedard and paid preposterous bucks for Carlos Silva. It’s a classic mistake — the Royals in 2004 did the same thing. They came off a fluky 2003 season, thought it was real, went for broke, and busted. It’s a familiar sad story.
In the meantime, there’s another American League team that is a REAL disappointment, a team that had been building for three years, that seemed very much for real, a team that came within one victory of the World Series last year, a team now in LAST PLACE in the American League Central. Wow. This Cleveland Indians is one infuriating team right now. True, they’ve had injuries. True, the bullpen has collapsed. True they’ve outscored their opponents this year and they’re STILL 11 games under .500. True, they probably will need to trade C.C. Sabathia in the next few weeks, meaning they would be left with like two healthy starting pitchers. True, Travis Hafner — either because of a bad shoulder or his deal with the devil running out — went from being one of the great sluggers in the American League to utterly unplayable. And Ryan Garko. And Jhonny Peralta hitting cleanup. And Franklin Gutierrez. And JoBo. And Jeremy Sowers. And so on.
But to me, the thing that stands out about those Cleveland Indians is simply this: Grady Sizemore* is still leading off. And this just baffles me beyond words. We’ve talked a lot here about how lineups are not as significant as we fans would like to make them but … why in the hell would you keep hitting your best hitter and your best power hitter (and the guy leading the American League in home runs) leadoff every day? Why? WHY? WHYYYYYYYYYYY?
*Is Grady Sizemore, by virtue of his name, the opposite of Grady Little?
Seriously. Why? If you were running a softball team made up Cleveland Indians, wouldn’t you KNOW to hit Sizemore third or fourth? Wouldn’t you? Here’s what I see: Grady Sizemore this year has hit 16 of his 21 homers with nobody on base. He has had only 53 at-bats with runners in scoring position. Heck DAVID DELUCCI in 150 fewer plate appearances has 60 at-bats with runners in scoring position. Casey Blake — hitting sixth, seventh, eighth and even ninth — has had 70 at-bats with runners in scoring position. Ryan Garko, who has been really struggling, has had 75 at-bats with runners in scoring position. Even Ben Francisco has had more at-bats with runners in scoring position.
Jhonny Peralta leads the team with 78 at-bats with runners in scoring position.
Now, admittedly, part of the reason they’ve had more chances is because Grady himself gets on base at a pretty good clip (.372 on-base percentage) and he still steals bases, and he hits some doubles and triples. But that’s not the point — the point is that from my perspective Grady ain’t that player anymore. He’s not a set-the-table guy. No, he’s made the jump now to full-fledged power hitting monster, and it’s like the Indians haven’t noticed. It’s like Eric Wedge is Woltz from the Godfather. He has the three slot open (hell, he’s hitting Ben Francisco there these days) and it’s perfect part for Grady, it’ll make him a big star but he ain’t gonna give it to him.
It’s hard to know what to make of Eric Wedge as a manager. The players seem to like playing for him. He seems loyal and decent and hard-working. He’s had success. He did lead that Indians team to the World Series brink last year. In ‘06, though, the Indians were one of the great underachieving teams in baseball history — they outscored their opponents by 88 runs and finished with a losing record. In ‘05, he guided the Indians to the shadow of the playoffs, and then they fell apart. And now they’re underachieving again. At some point, you gotta wonder. There’s a wide range of opinions about how much managers matter. All I know is I’d feel a lot better about the guy if he would just freaking hit Grady third for a while.
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57 Comments, Comment or Ping
Chris
As an Indians fan, and a Midwest drvier, all I can say is … God Bless you Joe … God Bless you.
Jul 4th, 2008
Sirk
Of course, if Grady were hitting 3rd, he’d still have 16 solo homers out of 21. He’s the only one who gets on base.
The Indians are toast, so I don’t think it’s going to matter where you stick him from a winning standpoint. I think maximizing his plate appearances is the best gift the Indians can give to their fans this season since he’s the only one worth watching.
Jul 4th, 2008
Adrian
On the traffic front, I moved from Kansas City to northern California four years ago and my experience is opposite yours. I’m constantly getting into inexplicable backups and it’s because I think California drivers are the worst rubberneckers,
I distinctly remember driving to work one morning in K.C going south on I-35. I was doing 75 at least and I passed a car along the side of the highway. Flames were shooting out of the engine compartment!
I’m certain that if there were a flaming car along my current commute route of I-80, that traffic would be backed up for miles–in both directions!
Best. Blog. Ever.
Jul 4th, 2008
Jhohnnhy
As a ’speed racer’ Florida driver, I agree with your assessment, though not only do we have crazy foreign drivers from the Caribbean/South American countries, we also have a lot of Europeans. Not to mention prostitute serial killers who’ll befriend you at the gas pump, when you’re vulnerable..
If you weren’t such a good guy, I’d suggest a future blog entry about players whose parents misspelled their names when it came time to fill out the birth certificates.
Jul 4th, 2008
Aaron M.
Maybe the Royals and the Indians should swap their leadoff problems. DeJesus sure isn’t a leadoff hitter either, though he does the job. He seems more like a #2 hitter to me, and this year, he could even pass for #3. Surely they would trade us Grady straight up for DeJesus?
We could throw in Grudzielanek and Pena Jr too if they didn’t like that! I’m sure they’d jump at Pena, wow what a player!
Jul 4th, 2008
Henry
Since Wedge has been manager, I have marveled at how stubborn he can be. Hitting Grady in the middle of the order is a no-brainer.
And Wedge briefly dropped him to No. 3 or 4 last summer, but Grady didn’t hit very well there, so after a week or two that experiment ended. Now the logic seems to be that since Grady is comfortable in the leadoff spot, it’s his as long as he wants it. Absolutely absurd. The guy is 26 years old and a budding star. Shin -Soo Choo or even Francisco could probably get on base at a decent enough clip to hit first. Makes too much sense to try, I guess. Just like designating Dellucci for assignment.
Jul 4th, 2008
CharlesH
*Is Grady Sizemore, by virtue of his name, the opposite of Grady Little?
Is there a Pozterisk Hall of Fame? I nominate this one.
You never cease to amaze.
Jul 4th, 2008
Aaron B.
I have to politely disagree with you Joe. Texas has the worst drivers, mostly because of one reason: after the written test at the DMV, parents are allowed to “teach” their children to drive, and after 6 months (I think), those children receive their license. No driving test.
Either Texas or D.C. (which isn’t a state and the city is treacherous to navigate, I know, but that’s still part of the reason the drivers suck so much).
Jul 4th, 2008
Steve
As someone above mentioned, Grady was dropped into the 3 spot for a couple weeks after we acquired Lofton last year. Wedge is now convinced that because Sizemore sturggled last year, he just hits better as a leadoff hitter.
My opinion is, it’s not going to matter much. This team is not ready to contend this year, and we need to either resign C.C. or trade him to the Brewers for LaPorta.
Jul 4th, 2008
Pop Fisher
It’s called Sports Weekly now, isn’t it? I used to read Baseball Weekly all the time. Can’t remember the last time I did that.
I hope Joe posts about the newspaper industry sometime. As a former member of the Fourth Estate, I can’t believe how rapidly it’s dwindling.
Jul 4th, 2008
McKingford
Re: The poll
I was conflicted between Gibson and Pedro. As great as Gibson was, he did get to pitch in a low offense era, while Pedro put up some simply astounding numbers in a high offense era. But…
I then realized that one thing you could take to the bank, in his prime, was Gibson giving you *at least* 9 innings. And with that, I picked him.
Jul 4th, 2008
Sirk
Oh, and Joe, you might be amused to learn that a guy in my strat-o-matic league hit Grady 5th behind Miguel Cabrera and Justin Morneau. These would be the 2006 cards, when Grady led the AL in XBH, and this guy’s home park was Texas. Grady won the league MVP award, hitting .310 with 37 HRs and a league-leading 138 RBI, and his team won the championship.
It’s completely out of context, of course, but moving Grady to the middle of the order certainly worked out for that guy.
Jul 4th, 2008
Tribe update
Joe Borowski was designated for assignment today. So that should help.
Jul 4th, 2008
JeffSol
As a side note on the poll, I just want to express my continued amazement and dismay that for some unknown reason, the mass of baseball fans somehow think Nolan Ryan was better than Tom Seaver. Now, I am biased. I grew up a Met fan, and part of me died when they traded Seaver, every Met fan’s favorite, in ‘77. I think Seaver is one of the handful of candidates for “best right handed starter since WW II”, along with Clemens, Maddux, Pedro and maybe Gibson (maybe). I don’t want to get into that discussion, and obviosuly I’m not adjusting for steroids.
Ryan isn’t even at the front of the next group, which would likely include Marichal, Palmer, Blyleven, Ryan, perhaps Smoltz? I think it’s clear that Palmer and Marichal are the class of that group.
And yet somehow, whenever there’s any kind of poll, Ryan finishes ahead of Seaver (the Milennium team being just one embarassing example — Ryan didn’t belong anywhere near that team). Ryan was, as Joe says, unique and special, and man was it fun to watch him pitch, but the idea that he was better than Seaver is so preposterous that I really don’t understand how any baseball fan with a 3 digit IQ would think so. Seaver won, and deserved, 3 Cy Youngs, perhaps more (See 1970 & ‘71). Ryan won none, and probably never deserved to win. Why is this so hard for people to understand
Jul 4th, 2008
Devon Young
YES! I’m not crazy! I was watching the Indians a couple weeks ago… and wondering the same thing. I’ve noticed the Dodgers have a similar problem… non-efficient lineups can kill a team some days. It’s just logical… get guys on in front of a big slugger. String hits together. The stuff that is just assumable, because it’s so common sense.
PS. I can’t believe people keep picking Pedro over Sandy Koufax in your latest poll. I just wrote a blog entry on why, that started as a comment here but grew too big for that. I just can’t believe it.
Jul 4th, 2008
Ron
Grady Sizemore hit .258 .410 .581 .991 batting 3rd in 2007 (8 games). 2 doubles 2 HR and 7 walks.
How is that not “hitting well” or “struggling”?
Jul 4th, 2008
Pokey Joe
If you go by track record, how can anyone not choose Bob Gibson to start a game seven? Talk about a warrior. Pedro was great, but I can’t seem to recall him being nearly the warrior in big games as Gibson was for the Cardinals.
Was Gibson as good a regular season pitcher as Koufax or Martinez? Nope.
Would I rather have one of those guys start for me instead of Gibson in a game seven? Nope.
Oh, and one more time: NO WAY there should have been a poll for the best players ever that didn’t include Musial. No way.
Jul 4th, 2008
Jhohnnhy
>>”If you go by track record, how can anyone not choose Bob Gibson to start a game seven?
Oh, and one more time: NO WAY there should have been a poll for the best players ever that didn’t include Musial. No way.”<<
Word.
Jul 4th, 2008
Steve
Ron:
Grady’s first few games in the 3 hole he was on fire, but he was only 2 for his last 16 ABs in the 3 spot and the team started to scuttle, plus Lofton couldn’t get on base when he was leading off.
Grady batting lead-off is not the real problem with this team, and to me it seems like a bit of a red herring. Why distract yourself with something as miniscule as lineup construction when the REAL problems of this team are plain as day?
Jul 4th, 2008
Paul McC
I don’t think your loyal readers can say it enough, so here is a small contribution - a huge thanks for your blog! Witty, funny, thought-provoking and something always to brighten a day. Long may you continue!
And have you ever seen drivers in London….
Jul 4th, 2008
Jason
Agreed that Florida drivers are otherworldly horrible. But another regional quirk that I noticed living in Minneapolis for two years: the upper-midwesterners are so non-aggressive that the only way they’ll take a left is if the hand of Martin Luther comes down to direct traffic. Incredibly safe, but quite annoying if you actually want to get anywhere involving left turns.
Jul 4th, 2008
MattieShoes
an old 2001 list of most dangerous interesections has them in these states:
1. FL
2. PA
3. PA
4. AZ
5. OK
6. OK
7. AZ
8. TX
9. LA
10. CA
Having lived in CA and AZ, I’ve got to say the drivers in AZ are worse. It’s a haven for old rich people with mansions on the east coast who dislike cold winters. They all flock to AZ in the winter for the 60 degree lows, and they all LOVE to drive 15 miles under the limit and then change lanes in their white cadillacs without looking. The other problem is illegal aliens. It’s not that they drive poorly, it’s that they have no license or insurance, so the occasional fender bender can become a fiasco.
Jul 4th, 2008
Black Francis
Damn Joe. This is the best sports blog bar none. I check 3-4 times/day hping, hoping something new was posted. Please keep it up.
Jul 4th, 2008
Frank
I believe that Albuquerque New Mexico (where Bugs should have taken that left turn) has one of the highest car insurance rates in the country. I thought Missouri drivers along I-70 were the worst until I was visiting out West. On the rare occasion one does get rain, I-25 makes its own gravy.
Jul 4th, 2008
Dusty
my life would probably be complete if that was the real black francis, reading and posting a comment on this blog
Jul 4th, 2008
Oddibe Kerfeld
Hope everyone had a great Independence Day.
Also, does anyone know why ESPN doesn’t show games any more on major holidays like Memorial Day and Independence Day? It seemed like every year you could count on the them and ESPN2 to bring you 3 or 4 games on that day and often it was teams that you wouldn’t get to see much. What happened?
Jul 4th, 2008
Justin Zeth
Pennsylvania has the worst construction in the country. Open and shut, no questions asked, and I DARE you to try and drive across Pennsylvania, on any road you choose, if you doubt it.
Jul 4th, 2008
gogiggs
I had a long, carefully documented post about this that got lost due to a careless click switching between tabs. /sigh
I’m not going to recreate it but I will try to summarize some points.
1) Why not bat Grady first? Who would you put ahead of him? What difference would it make?
2) Wedge may have some fine clubhouse qualities that will be forever hidden from the average fan, but he is a terrible game manager and an especially terrible manager of pitchers.
3) The 2006 Indians RS/RA totals are very deceiving. The Indians won 10 games that year by more than 10 runs, 7 of those by more than 12 (including one 19-1 game). These games account almost entirely for the team’s positive run differential.
I think the games of July 4-July 22 provide an excellent snapshot of the 2006 Indians’ season. On July 4, 2006, the Indians beat New York 19-1. On July 22, 2006, the Indians beat the Twins 11-0. For the period from 7/4/2006 to 7/22/2006 the Indians outscored their opponents 88-87 and went 5-10.
Jul 5th, 2008
caryn
apropos of nothing besides the 4th of july, and the fact that you’re on the road, here’s a link to AMAZING tv footage of the springsteen show in sweden today:
http://gptv.gp.se/player/play/49673
Jul 5th, 2008
Paul
To be fair to Pedro, he was pretty darn good in the playoffs in ‘99 even with a bad back, though I’m not sure I’d take him over Gibson based solely on postseason performance. If we’re taking a Pedro start from ‘99 or ‘00 and saying he’d do that in a game 7, well, hard to argue with that.
Jul 5th, 2008
Eric
hanley ramirez is caught in the same trap..
its the curse of the fast guy whose speed is valued higher than what he does with the bat
Jul 5th, 2008
ajnrules
I don’t know about worst drivers, but a recent study by Allstate showed that the drivers in Washington DC are the most unsafe, averaging an accident once every five years.
Jul 5th, 2008
Fran
I don’t know the stats but Hanley was moved lower in the order earlier this year & he really did stop hitting. I had to put him on the bench on my fantasy team to get him to start hitting again. Maybe it had nothing to do with the move, but he is back in leadoff & he is hitting better. Maybe these changes are better made over the winter.
Jul 5th, 2008
Mikey
Hope everybody here has a chance to read Tom Verducci’s story about Tim Lincecum and his mechanics. Possibly the best story you will read about baseball this year:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/tom_verducci/07/01/lincecum0707/index.html?eref=fannation
This kid has become maybe my favorite player in the league and I CAN’T WAIT to see him pitch in person for the first time this week at Shea.
Jul 5th, 2008
erik
I once read a terrific travel journal published by the Italian Government for American travelers in the Mediterranean. In it, they suggest that under no circumstances should Americans attempt to drive in Rome…unless they are from Boston. I have found this to be true…
Jul 5th, 2008
Jim Haas
Having driven in both Rome and Boston, I’d say they are comparably harrowing. Only had to drive in Los Angeles a few times, and the experience was thoroughly enjoyble, kind of like that Randy Newman video — except for the parking lot at Angels Stadium, which was the textbook definition of ‘bottleneck.’
Jul 5th, 2008
Jay
It kind of saddens me, Joe, that I have no answer for you other than that which I’d give the most unwashed, unsophisticated fan on LGT, because you don’t really make any real argument for having Grady bat 3rd other than your feelings:
“All I know is I’d feel a lot better about the guy if he would just freaking hit Grady third for a while.”
And here’s that standard answer: If the making out a lineup were about making the fans feel good — the fans who’ve been raised on uncritical lineup habits for decades — then obviously batting Grady in the #3 spot would be the right move.
One hope the lineup is a little bit more about, for example, getting the best hitters the most trips to the plate than it is about the fans’ feelings. Grady hits leadoff because not only does he excel in leadoff-ish skills (and others), but he clearly should have more trips to the plate than anybody else on that team.
Of course the Indians’ travails have nothing to do with Grady’s leadoff job, and everything to do with the rest of the lineup making Grady’s leadoff job seem absurd. Move Grady to #3 and nothing much will really change (other than you and many other fans feeling better). What will change the Indians’ fortune is having a complete lineup where batting Grady at leadoff doesn’t seem quite so ridiculous.
Jul 5th, 2008
matt
Joe, your rant on driving is the funniest thing I’ve read this month.
Jul 5th, 2008
Dan
You have to wave Grandma out of the Food Lion because in the South, every store in town is on the same road. So every car in 5 counties is clogged onto that same road. Urban planning is apparently not on the agenda down here.
Now, my wife and I have lived in many of the nominees for worst drivers–Albuquerque, DC, and now Florida (Go Air Force!!) but we still measure bad driving by units of “Alabama”.
A guy backing up on the shoulder to get to the exit he missed is a “full Alabama.” Simply exiting the interstate from the left lane is a “half-a-Bama”
Jul 5th, 2008
Eric Enders
It’s very rare that I disagree with Joe on anything, but I just don’t get why the Sizemore thing is an issue. Leadoff seems as good a choice as anything else. I’m not saying you SHOULDN’T bat him third; that’s a defensible view. But there’s no real compelling reason why you should bat him third, as opposed to leadoff.
Batting third, he’d have significantly more RBI opportunities. Whoop-de-doo. Batting leadoff, he has significantly more opportunities to score runs.
You could say you’re wasting his home runs in the leadoff spot, but are you really? How many of his home runs have actually come leading off an inning? And it’s not like Sizemore plays in the NL, where his RBI opportunities would be dependent on pitchers reaching base. The AL has real players in the 9-spot. It doesn’t depress his RBI opps all that much. The Indians offense is pretty uniformly stinky, anyway, so Sizemore isn’t going to get the RBI opportunities he deserves no matter where he hits in the lineup.
And Sizemore has tremendous leadoff skills. Tons of walks, a great OBP, and he’s one of the best base stealers and baserunners in the league. If we were talking about hitting a low-OBP power hitter, like Bo Jackson, leadoff — then I’d agree with you, Joe. But Sizemore is a fantastic leadoff hitter. If you argue that it’s dumb to bat Grady leadoff, then that pretty well forces you to also argue that it was dumb to bat Rickey Henderson leadoff in the years when he had 20-25 HR power. They have essentially the same skills. Decent batting average, tons of walks, good power, and tremendous baserunning. I don’t recall anyone bemoaning Rickey’s presence in the leadoff spot.
Objectively, how many runs have the Indians lost this year because Sizemore was batting leadoff? Two? Four? It’s something small like that. Remember, if he were batting in the middle of the order, then you’d be relying on the crapola 6-7 hitters to drive him in.
Most importantly, there is really no argument anyone can make that would justify sacrificing the additional 35-40 plate appearances that Sizemore will get this year because he bats leadoff instead of third.
Jul 5th, 2008
Walter
Grady in leadoff for the reasons mentioned above (on base skills particularly) certainly makes more sense than say, Alfonso Soriano.
Jul 5th, 2008
Walter
Also, I think it’s the “in their prime” qualifier that is making people (self included) select Pedro Martinez. That means you pick the year in which they pitched, and there’s no way you ever pick against the pitching cyborg known as Pedro 2K and his stupid 291 ERA+. (By comparison, Koufax’s best year was a sublime ERA+ of 190)
Jul 5th, 2008
mike from Rockville md
as a former army vet who has traveled the world as well as seen or lived in about 40 states.D.C. drivers are the absolute worst drivers any where.1 in 5 drivers are college students in a city that is VERY easy too get lost in,most of them come from small towns with only 2,3 years driving exp.The real scary drivers are the Diplomat “TAGS”these people are from every country on the planet and they all drive differently depending on thier country of origin.Top that off with “Diplomatic Immunity”they dont care about any one on the road but them selves.Blinkers,stop signs,low beams,speed limits(high or low)red lights or green lights,ALL,optional depending on thier moods because remember,only they count.D.C. wins(loses)hands down
Jul 5th, 2008
Vincent
Mike, due to the United Nations, Manhattan has much the same problem as D.C. where diplomats are concerned.
Sorry, Joe, but when I see Grady Sizemore, I can’t help but think he should be a Washington National now, just like Vladimir Guerrero (thanks, Omar). Of course, if he were a National, he’d probably be injured; this has to be the most cursed team, healthwise, for a single season that I’ve ever experienced — and given the lack of talent in the upper reaches of the minor leagues, another residue of MLB’s stewardship of the Montreal franchise, the replacements are nobodies, Quadruple-A players at best.
You could blend Casey Stengel, John McGraw and Sparky Anderson into one supermanager, and they’d find it hard to avoid losing 100 games with this depleted outfit, so blaming Manny Acta is absurd. And bring free agents? Who’d want to come here? This is like the Phillies of ‘96-’97 or so, when nobody wanted to play for them, even draft picks (J.D. Drew). The difference is that Philly fans were perceived as being negative; D.C. fans are perceived as being defeatist.
The residue of Washington’s losing baseball culture from its Senators days has fully returned — and if ownership wants to change things, it must dismiss Jim Bowden ASAP and bring in someone with a fresh, aggressive attitude to complement the job being done in the lower reaches of the farm system. Despair is enveloping the fan base, and season ticket sales will plummet in 2009 (unless the Red Sox come in for interleague play, in which case all those damn Ivy Leaguers in high government posts will buy plans for one year only, in order to see their beloved Bosox).
Jul 6th, 2008
gogiggs
Hey, look! Someone, somewhere criticized Eric Wedge and, like the cavalry riding to the rescue, here is Jay Levin of Let’s Go Tribe to insult them and misrepresent their words in that special way of his.
With the skill that comes from years of practice, Jay leaps right in with this first sentence:
“it kind of saddens me, Joe, that I have no answer for you other than that which I’d give the most unwashed, unsophisticated fan on LGT, because you don’t really make any real argument for having Grady bat 3rd other than your feelings:”
This is a real tour-de-force! We’ve got condescension (he’s saddened, like a disappointed parent. really, he expected better). He’s insulting to both Joe and the readers of his own blog (they’re unwashed and unsophisticated and Joe’s deserving of the same kind of answer). And then we wrap it up with a blatant lie, that Joe didn’t make any real argument other than his feelings. Except of course that he did make an argument that had nothing to do with his feelings, which was that Sizemore is now one of the premier sluggers in the AL and he would get more chances to drive in runs batting third. Now, you may disagree with this argument, but it’s certainly a real argument that has nothing to do with feelings.
We then proceed to a ridiculous straw man argument, still dripping with condescension:
“And here’s that standard answer:”
He has a standard answer, because it is his duty to inform the ignorant masses. It’s terribly wearying for him, don’t you know.
“If the making out a lineup were about making the fans feel good”
Except of course, that nobody has suggested that it is. Joe’s argument was clearly grounded in the desire to score more runs.
” — the fans who’ve been raised on uncritical lineup habits for decades — then obviously batting Grady in the #3 spot would be the right move.”
Ah yes, those idiot fans again. So unwashed. So unsophisticated. Soooo tiresome. And so irrelevant, since it wasn’t “the fans” that made the post. It was Joe Posnanski, professional sports writer and personal friend of Bill James.
“One hope the lineup is a little bit more about, for example, getting the best hitters the most trips to the plate than it is about the fans’ feelings.”
Really? Because I would hope that the lineup would be about scoring the most possible runs and that getting the best hitters to the plate the most often would be a goal only to the degree that it served the primary goal of scoring the most runs. Also, nobody made the argument that the lineup should be based on feelings. Still. Not even since the last time you said it.
“Grady hits leadoff because not only does he excel in leadoff-ish skills (and others), but he clearly should have more trips to the plate than anybody else on that team.”
Hey, an actual argument! Still I’m pretty sure that while studies have shown that lineup construction has less effect than it’s often assumed to, they have also shown that batting your best slugger 3rd or 4th results in more runs scored than batting him 1st. So, credit for finally making an actual argument, debit for it being, you know, wrong.
Otherwise, great post! Thanks for coming by and reminding me why I stopped going to LGT.
Jul 6th, 2008
Deaner
I love the Florida driver comments Joe! You ever read any Tim Dorsey?
Jul 6th, 2008
Pop Fisher
So does Matt LaPorta bat leadoff now and Sizemore go down to 3rd?
Jul 6th, 2008
Michael
“How many of his home runs have actually come leading off an inning?”
9 of 22.
Jul 6th, 2008
Ron
Quote from Steve
“plus Lofton couldn’t get on base when he was leading off.”
Uh Steve, he had a .387 OBP when Grady batted 3rd. How is that not getting on base?
And your small 4 game sample size included a game when Greinke held the Indians to one hit and then a lefty was brought in. It also included a game where Jurrjens held the Indians to one hit into the 7th.
You also conviently left out his 3 walks in those games.
“How many of his home runs have actually come leading off an inning?”
The better question is, how many HR were solos (16 of 22)? Since the Indians have poor hitters abtting 8-9, they are rarely on base for Grady.
Jul 6th, 2008
Jay
Wow, a massive personal attack! I don’t want to start a ridiculous little flame-war here, so I will try to restrict my comments to correcting Gogiggs’ misstatements.
1. I don’t have a massive retort to every criticism of Wedge — many of which are my own crticisms.
2. Of course I’m disappointed to see Joe write something that any uneducated casual fan might write. He’s one of my favorite writers, and in particular writes an incredible stream of sharp and insightful things about baseball.
3. I never wrote anything insulting to the readers of LGT — who are, without a doubt, among the very smartest, funniest and observant readers of any sports blog, anywhere, including this one. The percentage of LGT posters who could be called “unsophisticated” in any sense is astonishingly low, particularly considering it’s a sports site. (The “unwashed” percentage possibly is a little higher, but that was a bit of literary license.) What I actually wrote was that what Joe wrote was comparable to something that THE MOST IGNORANT person at LGT might have written, not what a typical LGT regular would write at all.
This is important to me — nobody is a bigger fan of the reader/contributors at LGT than I am, and I consider it a serious slander to say otherwise.
Of course, that whole comparison was hyperbole anyway. Joe has never shown ignorance in anything I’ve read and is a very good writer on his very worst day. The “shock” is that there could be any resemblance at all in a point Joe would make.
4. I wrote: “One [would] hope the lineup is a little bit more about, for example, getting the best hitters the most trips to the plate than it is about the fans’ feelings.” (I left out a word.) Gogiggs viciously responds that “getting the best hitters to the plate the most often would be a goal only to the degree that it served the primary goal of scoring the most runs.” I say “viciously responds” only because that’s the style. In terms of content, he’s not contradicting my point, he’s amplifying it. I agree with him, so I’m only correcting the idea that I woudn’t agree with that.
Lots of fans gripe about where Grady is batting. They’ve been doing it for years. More knowledgable fans tend to understand that the point is unimportant at best and very possibly dead wrong. It is a tiresome subject for someone who writes about the Indians every day to a sophisticated audience. Sometimes I lapse into a condescending tone, intending it as mock-condescending, the kind of thing that might work out fine in person, but the “mock” part gets lost in the plain text. Something I should work on.
Jul 7th, 2008
Thomas
In Boston, there are 2 things you don’t want to be:
1) a Yankees fan, and
2) the person driving the car in front of someone else.
All in all, though, it’s really not THAT hard to drive here. 5 or 10 years ago, when the roads changed from day to day, maybe it was.
But the Big Dig is finished now! And only $300 billion dollars over budget!
Jul 7th, 2008
Creston
“an old 2001 list of most dangerous interesections has them in these states:
1. FL
2. PA
3. PA
4. AZ
5. OK
6. OK”
5 and 6 were both here in Tulsa, and have been fixed, so they’d no longer be on that list.
Jul 8th, 2008
Creston
Btw, for all your complaining about how hard it is to drive in XXX, USA, all of you would go into shock once you tried to drive in Amsterdam. It takes a special “I don’t care who gets killed” kind of attitude to survive driving in Amsterdam.
Jul 8th, 2008
Richard
Here’s the thing. When they retire from everyplace else, they come down here to Florida to die. And they figure driving is as good a way as any.
Jul 8th, 2008
Buchholz Surfer
I agree with Walter’s post above that “in his prime” is the key to to the poll results. People remember Martinez best from the 2003 to 2004 postseasons, but he was much better from 1997-2001 (he got hurt in 2001 and that was pretty much the end of his prime.)
He was almost like Kareem Abdul Jabbar: most people remember Kareem from his shaved-dome days of trotting slowly down the court behind the other Showtime Lakers, but the prime-of-his-career Kareem (probably his first 4 seasons, when he was a 30+ppg, 16+ rpg 4+ apg dominator) was just an ungodly great player, so different from the lesser guy who was still good that more people saw and remember.
1999-2000 Pedro Martinez was definitely the best pitcher I’ve ever seen, and I go back to the late 1960’s.
Jul 8th, 2008
Ranter and Raver
One of the main reasons the midwest has so much road construction is because they use salt during snow storms to clear the road. While it clears the road well it damages the road almost each and every year. This past year with all the snow has caused a ton of construction. God, I hate the midwest.
Jul 8th, 2008
Douglas Triggs
Nah, DC is the worst… For exactly the same reasons you say about Florida.
Jul 9th, 2008
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