Mike Radano vs OFJOAB

by dajafi on Aug 24, 2007 11:40 PM EDT in News Comment 13 comments

Update [2007-8-27 12:38:36 by dajafi]: If you haven't seen it, check out this article about the wind currents at OFJOAB--the secret behind its baffling power to turn broken-bat popups into home runs.

For anyone who watched the game tonight, Padres outfielder Milton Bradley wasn't tossing his bat when he hit the three-run homer that turned around a 3-2 deficit into a 5-3 lead and sparked an eventual 14-3 blowout win. Bradley threw his bat in disgust that he'd popped up a pitch he could have driven.

The ball just went out anyway, another home run thanks to OFJOAB--my new official acronym for Our F---ing Joke Of A Ballpark. Though this came to me during the game, based on Radano's blog I think Bradley himself would approve:

Milton Bradley took a shot at the Park and again, what can be done.

Bradley broke his bat on a home run to left. He threw his bat in disgust and then realized what a "(expletive deleted) joke" CBP is.

True or not - and I'm not picking a fight with swordsman like some other beat guys are rumored to have done - this Park has a bad reputation aroudn the league. The Phillies won't sign a pitcher at cost, but instead have to wildly overpay to get an arm (Read: Eaton). Whomever said fans come to see home runs didn't realize titles bring in fans and that pitching wins titles.

Read that again, Bill Giles and the rest of you imbeciles. Read it until it sinks in. Send for some coffee and maybe a change of clothes. Yes, the Phils get those cheap ones too. But they play half their games by, if not a different set of rules, a different set of conditions and strategies. And the evidence suggests they don't even play it very well--as in signing flyball pitchers like Eaton and Moyer in a park that's more likely to kill them because of the way they pitch.

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Re: Mike Radano vs OFJOAB

Level it. Seriously. Just flatten it and try again. And build a hill in CF, with a windmill ontop of it.

by FTN414 on Aug 25, 2007 9:54 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Re: Mike Radano vs OFJOAB

The only thing you can do at this point is drop it. Dig out the ground and drop it about 10 feet. It might even add in another row of seats or something like that. You can't move home plate back and the walls are probably the furthest that they can go.

I don't even have a problem with the homeruns. They seem like a lot more than they really are and we get them too.

by jonk on Aug 26, 2007 1:08 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I Can Dig It. <g>

Jonk,

You're a genius! I thought that I'd covered every possibility that could be considered to make the park less homer-happy, but raising the fences by lowering the field never occurred to me. I wonder how often this has been done, and how expensive it would be to do.

I'd imagine that lowering the field might even reduce the effect of the winds a bit, as it'd be a little harder to get the ball up into the jetstream.

by Dalton Bouchee on Aug 27, 2007 9:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Re: I Can Dig It. <g>

It could definitely add a few more issues with the dugouts and stuff liek that, but it has to be a lot easier than moving walls.

by jonk on Aug 28, 2007 6:43 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Re: Mike Radano vs OFJOAB

Myers seemed to blame the HRs he gave up on the park saying they were "just pop ups"

Bleeding Green Nation Philadelphia Eagles Blog

by JasonB on Aug 26, 2007 11:11 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Re: Mike Radano vs OFJOAB

Myers has a history of bitching about CBP. The Kouzmanoff homer looked good to me off the bat, but Sledge's was a joke.

Of course I made an ass out of myself in the bar where I was watching the game when Iguchi flew out to semi-deep right in the bottom of the 9th.

by 21McBride on Aug 26, 2007 1:43 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Re: Mike Radano vs OFJOAB

er..... left, Taguchi flew out to left and that rotten bastard Milton Bradley.

by 21McBride on Aug 26, 2007 10:04 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Re: Mike Radano vs OFJOAB

Are we certain that Bradley really threw the bat in disgust? I'm not so certain I'd take his word for it, after he'd had a bit of time to absorb some of the reaction. At the time, it really did look like an F-you bat flip, and of course he followed it up by jawing at the home bench and fans, and he didn't appear to be advising them that they should consider remodeling their park.

by The Navigator on Aug 27, 2007 11:56 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Re: Mike Radano vs OFJOAB

You don't need to take his word for it; he broke his bat on the pitch. Not even Milton Bradley tries to show up the opposition when he breaks his bat.

by Seth on Aug 27, 2007 1:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Re: Mike Radano vs OFJOAB

Fair enough - good point.

by The Navigator on Aug 27, 2007 3:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Re: Mike Radano vs OFJOAB

I might be the only Phillies fan who found Bradley to be a tiny bit endearing this weekend. I like that feistiness.

I'd boo him all the same if I were at the ballpark, of course.

by taco pal on Aug 27, 2007 12:11 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Re: Mike Radano vs OFJOAB

No, I'm with ya. I like Bradley. The only reason I wouldn't want him on my team is because he gets hurt so much. But the guy is a serious talent, and he seems to play hard all the time--which IMO differentiates him from a lot of "bad seed" type players.

by dajafi on Aug 27, 2007 12:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs