Thursday, April 26, 2007

More hyping the cookie TOTAL SAVE STAT, 4/26/07

"Defining the Daily Discourse"
JockReport Headline 4/26/07:
"April Has Been A Cruel Month For MLB Closers, Including The Elite"
  • "It's been a cruel month for closers, even for the elite."
I first noticed the JockReport Headline on their site shortly after a game on the west coast had a "blown save" and "loss" by the "closer" Hoffman--so I thought the headline might've included him in the story. How silly of me. Now, at 7:00Pm Thursday, 4/26, with plenty of time to have digested and updated baseball news, The JockReport still has the headline up.
  • Interesting--the story doesn't mention Hoffman--Perhaps it was written just before Hoffman's sad performance in Peavy's big night, or the Minnesota and national writer, Bob Nightengale didn't choose to update it to reflect April performances. BOB IS ONLY CONCERNED ABOUT 1 THING: THE 'TOTAL SAVE' STAT. Read it for yourself.
The secondary point of course, is minimizing the Yankee, Mariano Rivera, leaving out relevant criteria in what is a short hit piece with a few anecdotes. Pumping up the "total saves" stat. That's the main point if you read any Minnesota baseball writers. Since baseball opinion is highly centralized and involves a huge amount of money, most who want in on that will do what's necessary to enhance their own fame and fortune. You've seen media sell the stat even to the players, as in Bartolo Colon saying "maybe Rivera didn't have enough "saves." This article induces similar comments from 2 other players. Even Bill James would laugh at this but he's not obligated to do anything about it. (In 2005, Mariano Rivera came out significantly ahead of Colon in the Bill James/Rob Neyer AL Cy Young predictor but did not win, nor will he ever).
  • Whatever happened to Karl Ravech's minimizing Rivera's 'total saves' stat by saying, "He's just getting more opportunities." Why isn't the "opportunity" factor, much more indicative not emphasized here? 'DEFINING THE DAILY DISCOURSE' CAN MEAN LYING AND MISLEADING, DAY AFTER DAY, YEAR AFTER YEAR.

"The New York Yankees' Mariano Rivera, arguably the greatest closer in history, is looking for his first save of the season. Due to injury or ineffectiveness, five teams (the Houston Astros, Florida Marlins, Kansas City Royals, Toronto Blue Jays and Texas Rangers) have changed closers. The Marlins have used five closers. And the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Angels each blew ninth-inning saves Tuesday — against each other.

Cleveland Indians closer Joe Borowski entered Wednesday with eight saves in eight chances, tied with Chicago White Sox closer Bobby Jenks for the major league lead, but he had a 10.00 ERA.

"It's been a very strange month," Borowski says. "When Mariano doesn't have a save, you know something odd is going on."

Rivera, with the most saves (408) in the last decade," (He actually has 442).

  • This statement, of course, is not true. Nightengale leaves out Rivera's 34 post season "saves." Why does Nightengale fail to mention this? Isn't he supposed to have a high moral code?

"has made seven appearances and blown two save opportunities for the longest drought since he became a full-time closer in 1997, according to baseball-reference.com." SO NIGHTENGALE CAN DISCERN TECHNICALITIES--NOT SO WHEN HE IGNORES RIVERA'S 34 POSTSEASON "SAVES" (over 112.2 IP, so you see he wasn't just in there to accumulate a cheap stat).

In the few inches left in his column, this is what Nightengale references:

  • "appearances without getting a save"
  • "had gone without a save to start the season"
  • "The Yankees have not gone this late in a season without a save"
  • "When Mariano doesn't have a save, you ask yourself, 'What the hell is going on?' ""
Not 1 word about svo's, or other factors. Number of "saves" Rollie Fingers had when he won the Cy Young: 28.
  • UPDATE: JOCKREPORT STILL HAS THIS HEADLINE AT THE TOP OF THEIR SITE, 2:41PM FRIDAY, 4/27/07. STILL LINKING TO THE STORY THAT DOESN'T BEAR OUT THE HEADLINE.
(Anyone is free to check out how many times Jockreport has done something like this before).

***UPDATE: JIM BAUMBACH OF NEWSDAY IN NEW YORK IS ON BOARD WITH TOTAL SAVE STAT--IE EITHER YOU'RE IN WITH ESPN OR YOU'RE OUT. TO BE IN, YOU MUST PUSH 2 THINGS: 1. THE TOTAL SAVE STAT TO THE EXCLUSION OF OTHER RELEVANT STATS. 2. DO NOT MENTION POST SEASON STATS. WHEN YOU MENTION THE REGULAR SEASON STATS, DON'T SAY THEY'RE REGULAR SEASON. THIS WILL CEMENT THE CHANGE IN BASEBALL CULTURE LONG SOUGHT BY THE POWERFUL BASEBALL MEDIA. SO JIM LOOKS TO SECURE HIS CAREER BY OBEDIENTLY DOING ESPN/MLB'S BIDDING.
  • "With 137 saves since 2004, Nathan has become one of baseball's top closers," says Baumbach in his 6/21/07 column.
  • It was quite a lengthy column about one relief pitcher. Why would Baumbach mention no other stats for this late inning reliever? Who other than ESPN in the past 10 years has said this stat--mainly decided by a manager giving save "opportunities"--is the definitive stat? That's what Baumbach is saying by taking this action.

  • From Newsday, 6/21/07, Baumbach's article about Nathan (Twins visit Mets)

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Why has this been such a "Little Known Fact" in Baseball?

  • Here is yet another "baseball club." They play and you don't. One can imagine the opinions and job leads swapped among the media buddies. If you can't, then you've never had a job or had to look for one.
"LITTLE KNOWN FACT
  • During each regular season Yankees-Red Sox series, the beat writers and columnists for the two teams play a game against each other at the ballpark. The writers get very stoked for this. They talk about it for weeks and discuss their exploits prior to that particular night's real game between the Yanks and Sox. The New York crew has a secret weapon: Bob Klapisch, who pitched at Columbia University."
from Will Weiss, Bronx Banter blog,4/16/07
  • Unfortunately, Bronx Banter is seen as a bigtime Yankee blog. It reads to me like a BP blog. Truly pathetic. On 4/16, this individual Will Weiss undertakes the following: why hasn't Jeter been criticized more in the media for his rash of errors? Weiss says he's spent time looking around for criticisms but has only found a couple of sites trashing Jeter. Weiss thinks this is wrong, that Jeter deserves more bashing. I guess Weiss missed the Yankee blog waswatching.com which ran a blistering, cruel post about Jeter on April 10. It was so effective it drew the attention of an even more popular website who asked the waswatching author to help him write a critique of the Yankees. As I said, big money in bashing Jeter. Icing on the cake--Will Weiss advises us to read a great analysis on Jeter by none other than Rob Neyer. Neyer has achieved fame and fortune by criticizing Derek Jeter which is public knowledge. Fine, he can do whatever he wants. But how pathetic that Yankee fans flock to a site obsessed with nailing Jeter to the wall and referring us to Rob Neyer to flesh out the subject. The passivity of the Yankee fan is corrosive and damaging. The few robots that happen upon this post will trash me, as I'm the only one who speaks up about the monopoly of baseball information. You may have heard of the Thought Police?

Fact vs Opinion--Facts are Ok if they agree with my opinion--E. Alterman

"ANA MARIE COX: I think to privilege the opinion writing in Time is to actually…. Opinion journalism is cheap, and it should be cheap. It should be not counted as highly as the reporting.

  • ERIC ALTERMAN: We disagree on this. Deeply.

ANA MARIE COX: Really?

  • ERIC ALTERMAN: Yeah.

ANA MARIE COX: I think the reporting, that’s what we should privilege. That’s what we should say is the most important thing in any magazine.

  • ERIC ALTERMAN: In a better world. But in our world, the—"
From the NY Observer, "Anatomy of a Washington Catfight," by Michael Calderone, 4/24/07, transcript of conversation a day after the White House Correspondents' Dinner
  • Like all facets of baseball media, there are facts and there are opinions. Some believe "deeply" that their opinions should take precedence over the facts.
(Mr. Alterman has subsequently expanded on his 'opinion' position in a memo to Romenesko, 4/25/07).

Saturday, April 21, 2007

Judge orders search of Minneapolis Star Tribune Computers---4/20/07

"A Ramsey County district judge Friday granted a request from the St. Paul Pioneer Press allowing the newspaper to search at least a dozen computers owned or used by Star Tribune employees amid concerns that the Minneapolis paper obtained its main competitor's confidential advertising information.
  • Judge David Higgs also granted a Pioneer Press request that the Star Tribune's director of niche publications, Jennifer Parratt, be temporarily suspended from her job. Parratt, who was hired away from the Pioneer Press, started with the Star Tribune on Tuesday."
From article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, 4/20/07, "Pioneer Press Wins 1st round in Suit Against Star Tribune," by Matt McKinney.
  • FORMER STRIB EDITOR UPSET--THOUGHT THEY WERE 'MOST SOPHISTICATED' IN THE WORLD...HORRIFIED AT PROSPECT OF 'A LONG PUBLIC ROMP.' Their power, in my opinion, only lasted as long as they "romped" in private.
  • From former editor Tim McGuire in a letter to the editor:
  • "For 23 years as managing editor or editor of the Star Tribune I believed Minneapolis-St Paul was the best, most sophisticated, highest-integrity newspaper market in America. The Star Tribune and the Pioneer Press always competed on a high level with dignity, passion and a constant concern for the Twin Cities audience. The readers were the big winners."
This is a logical outcome from believing you're the best and "most sophisticated" newspaper market for a long time. You think you're the only one who can ask questions--you're above the rest of us. I rarely see the word "sophisticated" used in correct context anymore. sm

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

2 Points of the Day: Jeter, Imus

1. If a known Yankee fan makes a big deal about criticizing Derek Jeter, he'll gain immediate exposure on the biggest baseball websites and the widest possible audience for the negative remarks. It compares to Rush Limbaugh who has said, "If I want to bash Republicans I'll be invited on the biggest shows in the country to do so." There is big money in using Derek Jeter's name. Other more newsworthy topics are avoided like the plague.

  • 2. Regarding media reaction to Don Imus' remarks, fine, but where are all you people on the life and death matters that concern us every day? You're nowhere to be found. You're only in the news now because it's easy to be.

Monday, April 09, 2007

Unsubstantiated claims by Minneapolis baseball people

  • Something new and creative by Minneapolis types: bash someone else. As soon as they stop doing this, I'll stop pointing it out.

"But, with all their talent and all their money, the Yankees have spent time salivating over Minnesota ace Johan Santana to the point that many believe it's just a matter of time before the left-hander is wearing pinstripes."

  • The Yankees have salivated (?) to the point that...it's just a matter of time before Santana is in pinstripes? First, this couldn't happen til 2009 at the earliest, and apparently the writer is unaware the Yankees have 2007 and 2008 pitchers to worry about. (The article still has Matsui out for only 3-4 days, but he was put on the DL Sunday). "Salivate?" Who exactly is sitting around doing this?

"MANY BELIEVE?" Name one, please. You don't name any. I found one reference to a New Jersey baseball reporter who wrote a column in January 2007, and with no news to report speculated on possible trades down the road. He mentioned Santana's name as a possibility but completely as speculation from his own imagination, no shred of anyone in the organization saying word 1 about it. The article was picked up by furious Twins bloggers who accepted it as practically a done deal with no evidence whatsoever. I don't know if this is what Smith was using as background. The column was on ESPN.com Insider column by Bob Klapisch.

  • "To that assumption, Santana has little to say.

"Right now, there's no reason for me to talk about that," he said after his seven-inning, one-hit outing Sunday. "I still have two more years, this year and next year, with the Minnesota Twins, and that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to make people feel proud of being on this team, and, hopefully, in the future, we'll find a way to stay here.

From article by Kelsie Smith, St. Paul Pioneer Press, 4/9/07, "Yankees Still Dangerous, Gardy Says." (I was unable to create a link to this-just got a blank page with a Media News Group url in the title. I tried to get to that, but no luck. I found the article originally at twincities.com the Pi-Press website).

I usually check on google for the backgrounds of anyone who writes about baseball. If this is the same Kelsie Smith, she formerly worked at the Boston Globe and is the fiancee (perhaps wife by now) of former Boston Globe Red Sox reporter Chris Snow, who now works in the Minneapolis area as well. (From aarongleeman.com, 3/1/07).

  • It astounds me a mass media reporter is allowed to make apparently unsubstantiated claims without fear of being fired or sued. So far, I've been unable to get the links to work in this post, but I'll keep trying.

Sunday, April 08, 2007

D'OH! A baseball writer eludes ESPN's grasp:

"It's Game 7 of the World Series.

Your team leads by one run going into the bottom of the ninth inning. Mariano Rivera and Francisco Rodriguez are warming up in your bullpen.

Who are you going to call to close out the championship?

If it's me, Rivera remains the man.

  • I want No. 42 because he's the best money reliever in postseason history. Rivera has 34 career postseason saves, including 23 straight.

I want the New York Yankees reliever because, even at the age of 36, Rivera remained at the top of his game in 2006, closing the door on 34 of 37 possible saves. Other relievers had more saves, including Rodriguez, but it was Rivera's stature on the mound that earned him the 2006 MLB.com Closer of the Year award — for the third straight year.

Because the Yankees have fewer save opportunities for Rivera, there is a perception that he is slowing down.

There is no proof of that."

  • WHAT THIS ARTICLE PROVES SO FAR: ITS AUTHOR HAS NO TIES TO ESPN (THAT I CAN FIND ON GOOGLE) AND APPARENTLY ISN'T SEEKING FUTURE EMPLOYMENT WITH THEM. NO BASEBALL WRITER, ESPECIALLY ONE
  • EITHER WRITING FROM OR RAISED WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI
WOULD DARE EXPLAIN THAT:
  • MARIANO IS BEST.
  • THAT THE 'TOTAL SAVES' STAT PROVES NOTHING AND IS RELATED TO OPPORTUNITIES." Eads again:

"Rivera has 30 or more saves in nine of the last 10 seasons.

I can see why others are fascinated with Rodriguez.

With his velocity, K-Rod is more of a threat to strike out the side than any reliever in the game.

Rodriguez appears to give everything he's got with every pitch.

In his first two full seasons as a reliever, Rodriguez has 92 saves.

He may be only the third best closer in the American League."

***Get the next line--The Reporter knows about Fantasy Baseball and its influence on overall baseball perceptions.***

"Many consider Joe Nathan of the Minnesota Twins as the best fantasy baseball reliever.

Over the last three seasons, Nathan has 123 saves and 278 strikeouts. At the age of 32, Nathan may be reaching his prime as a reliever.

Don't forget about Oakland's Huston Street or Toronto's B.J. Ryan."

(Eads discusses the National League also).

Derry Eads is a staff writer for The Star.From Derry Eads' column 4/8/07, The Ventura County Star, "Yankees Rivera Still the Best Closer in Post Season History"











ESPN: We're the gorilla "that defines the daily discourse on sports." Bob Ley

  • ESPN's Bob Ley interviewed 12/18/06 by Sports Media Guide. Ley speaks of ESPN's impact:

"It started with the highlight phenomenon – and this goes back ten years now – the wallpapering of highlights contributed to the “me first – look at me” attitude.

From SportsMediaGuide.com, 12/21/06

------------------------
  • Some people don't mind having reality dictated through one central filter as in third world countries where government and media are one. Many people would love to work for ESPN. ed.

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