dave – Supposedly Whitlock will be healthy for Opening Day, and they plan on using him as a starter. But I agree, who knows … they tend to change their plans on a dime.
I do think the bullpen is strong enough now that Houck can be used as a starter.
This was one of the worst – no, it was THE worst – chats I have ever read. Simon answered basically the same question about the Angels being PO contenders twice. I could care less about what he’s eating for dinner, who the best cricketer in the world is, or F1. It seems he could have picked better questions to answer. If you’re rushed, Simon, then have someone else do the chat.
Do you mean you COULDN’T care less about the host’s dinner?
I don’t follow F1 or cricket as much as I used to, but find it highly amusing that someone is so offended by the two internationally popular sports being discussed on a baseball forum that they feel the need to post an angry comment in disgust 🙂
Grom – It’s very, very difficult to find good help these days.
Unemployment rate is around 3% I believe?
And finding someone like Simon who is willing to work Saturday evenings for probably very little pay is even more challenging.
But to answer your question, they tend to hire people who are familiar with analytics and can navigate Fangraphs well. It really shows in the articles written by the newbies, where they are basically just regurgitating numbers that can be easily found at FG and BR. I’ve pointed out several instances where the newbies have shown they don’t really follow the game itself. But hey, most of us aren’t paying for this place so we really don’t have a right to complain.
I totally agree with you about female writers. They’ve gone out of their way to hire people from different countries and diverse backgrounds, but they’ve ignored the lack of diversity when it comes to gender. Maybe one of the current writers identifies as female?
I haven’t seen your imposter/stalker of late, did they finally ban him?
Can someone please explain to me the purpose of batters getting an automatic strike if they aren’t “ready” 8 seconds before the pitcher runs out of time? The pitch clock should be on the pitcher and if the hitter isn’t ready that would be an advantage to the pitcher right? If the hitter isn’t ready just throw a strike and he gets a strike called. This idea that a batter is only ready with 7 seconds to spare and the pitcher throws a ball outside the zone with no swing but it’s called a strike makes no sense to me. It shouldn’t matter if the hitter is ready because that’s something the pitcher can take advantage of. Let the batter do whatever and if he isn’t ready for that strike then he screwed up. Why give the pitcher a strike call when he wasn’t near the zone? The batter is doing the pitcher a favor by not being ready because the ball is in the pitcher’s hand and he can throw it whenever he wants. Quick pitch if necessary but don’t punish the batter more than he’s punishing himself by not being ready. A batter’s readiness doesn’t slow the game at all. The ball is in the pitchers hand. The pitcher is the only one who matters.
Steve: I agree. The only thing I can think of is they are trying to keep batters from getting hit in the head if the pitcher fires it in there when the batter is not looking. Batters are supposed to be in the box and “alert to the pitcher” with 8 seconds left on the pitch clock.
Yes, this. It’s intended to be a “safety rule” for the batter. The clock is dumb, but that’s just like my opinion, man. The onus to speed up the game should have been on the Umps the whole time as there were rush rules in place to begin with. Nobody enforced them, now we get a silly clock with even more silly rules.
Totally agree. Baseball is the thinking man’s game. The pitcher needs a few seconds to figure out what pitch to throw and where based on previous pitches in the AB and previous times to the plate. The batter also needs time to try to determine what pitch the pitcher might throw next. It’s interesting that some people worry about three hour games but there’s no complaining about three hour football games.
Remember when Garciaparra did this song and dance and I was annoyed back then. My best friends family was MLB and I asked the retired player what he thought. He laughed and said for now it’s fine, but when everyone does it…I’ll stop watching….This was early 2000’s…
Am glad for the pitch clock….
suit – Fans at Dodger Stadium might be seeing just the 4th thru 6th innings when they attend games. Their habit of arriving late and leaving early will cause them to miss even more innings now with the faster pace.
LOL. Yes! Fenway is hard to move around in. I could see missing a lot of the game going to the bathroom and getting food. They will sell less of everything with people in the park for less time.
suit – It certainly is, I am quite familiar with all sections of Fenway and some of what they did to increase seating capacity is absolutely absurd.
For instance on the third base side they installed a row of additional field box seats placed directly in the main walkway that goes between foul poles. The congestion it causes can be very irritating.
Simon thinks Crawford will get a rotation spot over Sale-Pivetta-Kluber-Whitlock-Houck. Not unless one of those guys is also hurt.
Whitlock is hurt and Houck to me isn’t a starter, but who knows.
dave – Supposedly Whitlock will be healthy for Opening Day, and they plan on using him as a starter. But I agree, who knows … they tend to change their plans on a dime.
I do think the bullpen is strong enough now that Houck can be used as a starter.
Yeah latest I saw was “may miss OD”. Houck isn’t off to a great start, but of course plenty of time left.
Simon Hampton is really stepping up in recent weeks. Taking on a big role.
This was one of the worst – no, it was THE worst – chats I have ever read. Simon answered basically the same question about the Angels being PO contenders twice. I could care less about what he’s eating for dinner, who the best cricketer in the world is, or F1. It seems he could have picked better questions to answer. If you’re rushed, Simon, then have someone else do the chat.
Do you mean you COULDN’T care less about the host’s dinner?
I don’t follow F1 or cricket as much as I used to, but find it highly amusing that someone is so offended by the two internationally popular sports being discussed on a baseball forum that they feel the need to post an angry comment in disgust 🙂
I agree Simon is a part timer and a rookie from another country who didn’t follow baseball until recently so let’s lower your expectations
Is he from England?
Fraham – No, from New Zealand.
Yep. I think half of the readers could do a better job than him. I’m not sure how he is employed. Btw, why doesn’t this site hire female writers?
For the same reason your OnlyFans account is not doing very well.
That makes no sense. The fact that you know this much about the site is disturbing, though. This is a baseball site.
Grom – It’s very, very difficult to find good help these days.
Unemployment rate is around 3% I believe?
And finding someone like Simon who is willing to work Saturday evenings for probably very little pay is even more challenging.
But to answer your question, they tend to hire people who are familiar with analytics and can navigate Fangraphs well. It really shows in the articles written by the newbies, where they are basically just regurgitating numbers that can be easily found at FG and BR. I’ve pointed out several instances where the newbies have shown they don’t really follow the game itself. But hey, most of us aren’t paying for this place so we really don’t have a right to complain.
I totally agree with you about female writers. They’ve gone out of their way to hire people from different countries and diverse backgrounds, but they’ve ignored the lack of diversity when it comes to gender. Maybe one of the current writers identifies as female?
I haven’t seen your imposter/stalker of late, did they finally ban him?
He is sporadic. I doubt it.
Grom – I have a mental note that the one without the “s” at the end is the good one ;O)
Can someone please explain to me the purpose of batters getting an automatic strike if they aren’t “ready” 8 seconds before the pitcher runs out of time? The pitch clock should be on the pitcher and if the hitter isn’t ready that would be an advantage to the pitcher right? If the hitter isn’t ready just throw a strike and he gets a strike called. This idea that a batter is only ready with 7 seconds to spare and the pitcher throws a ball outside the zone with no swing but it’s called a strike makes no sense to me. It shouldn’t matter if the hitter is ready because that’s something the pitcher can take advantage of. Let the batter do whatever and if he isn’t ready for that strike then he screwed up. Why give the pitcher a strike call when he wasn’t near the zone? The batter is doing the pitcher a favor by not being ready because the ball is in the pitcher’s hand and he can throw it whenever he wants. Quick pitch if necessary but don’t punish the batter more than he’s punishing himself by not being ready. A batter’s readiness doesn’t slow the game at all. The ball is in the pitchers hand. The pitcher is the only one who matters.
I think it’s the least exploitable method. Otherwise, you would have to remove the quick pitch rule, and then you’re really opening a can of worms.
Steve: I agree. The only thing I can think of is they are trying to keep batters from getting hit in the head if the pitcher fires it in there when the batter is not looking. Batters are supposed to be in the box and “alert to the pitcher” with 8 seconds left on the pitch clock.
Yes, this. It’s intended to be a “safety rule” for the batter. The clock is dumb, but that’s just like my opinion, man. The onus to speed up the game should have been on the Umps the whole time as there were rush rules in place to begin with. Nobody enforced them, now we get a silly clock with even more silly rules.
Totally agree. Baseball is the thinking man’s game. The pitcher needs a few seconds to figure out what pitch to throw and where based on previous pitches in the AB and previous times to the plate. The batter also needs time to try to determine what pitch the pitcher might throw next. It’s interesting that some people worry about three hour games but there’s no complaining about three hour football games.
The Yankees don’t need to pay a king’s ransom for Reynolds. The Cardinals have plenty of outfielders and the two teams have trade history.
Yes, the Pirates get Walker for Reynolds.
I wonder how many readers are old enough to get the Grandpa Jones question.
I’m betting that Simon has never watched Hee Haw.
Call BR549 for a great deal on a used Plymouth.
I bet he has never watched a baseball game either.
Speaking of changes to baseball, here are 2 hilarious videos about how slow the game used to be:
twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/16303290804772536…
An inning took a few seconds longer than a pitch.
twitter.com/darrenrovell/status/163041766153962701…
See how many times Altuve can circle the bases on an inside the park homerun in between pitches.
Remember when Garciaparra did this song and dance and I was annoyed back then. My best friends family was MLB and I asked the retired player what he thought. He laughed and said for now it’s fine, but when everyone does it…I’ll stop watching….This was early 2000’s…
Am glad for the pitch clock….
I’m not in a hurry to go to the ballpark. Looks like I will miss an inning going to the bathroom and for food.
suit – Fans at Dodger Stadium might be seeing just the 4th thru 6th innings when they attend games. Their habit of arriving late and leaving early will cause them to miss even more innings now with the faster pace.
LOL. Yes! Fenway is hard to move around in. I could see missing a lot of the game going to the bathroom and getting food. They will sell less of everything with people in the park for less time.
suit – It certainly is, I am quite familiar with all sections of Fenway and some of what they did to increase seating capacity is absolutely absurd.
For instance on the third base side they installed a row of additional field box seats placed directly in the main walkway that goes between foul poles. The congestion it causes can be very irritating.
poet – Look up Mike Hargrove, they called him The Human Rain Delay for a reason.
Better yet, watch him at the plate.
youtube.com/watch?v=3a_408HLzAI