"To the future or to the past, to a time when thought is free, when men are different from one another and do not live alone - to a time when truth exists and what is done cannot be undone: From the age of uniformity, from the age of solitude, from the age of Big Brother, from the age of doublethink - greetings!"
Phillies lost to the Twins, 7-3, in the 'Fruit. Hamels got a little bit roughed up, allowing 6 earned runs in 6.2 innings. He did strike out 7 and walk none. So xFIPed! One more week, people. Hang in there.
Phillies:
Oswalt Said He Feels OK
I think the Phillies have played enough meaningless games.
Francisco may have upper hand in rightfield
SURPRISE! No? Okay.
Herndon's slider goes mental
"Herndon hasn't done anything physically different with the pitch...The difference has been mostly mental, the attitude, for lack of a better word, he takes when delivering the pitch to home."
The Scott Proefrock Trophy
Sounds like another scene from the "Untitled Ruben Amaro Project".
Ruben Amaro Jr.: Smug Dealer
"Ruben Amaro doesn’t seem concerned. At lunch at the Penrose Diner on a January afternoon, the 46-year-old general manager looks more like a movie star than a baseball executive, every bit the smooth character we saw splashed on TV screens and front pages when he took over in November 2008. The perfectly coiffed dark hair, the bronzed Latin complexion, the wry, disarming smile. His presentation is impeccable — a sharp suit in a subtle green-and-blue plaid, an expensive-looking brown overcoat folded carefully at his side. As he sips a bowl of seafood chowder, his enormous 2009 National League Championship ring refracts the sunlight in a million different directions every time he lifts spoon to mouth."
The John Dewan Rule
SABERMETRICS
Elsewhere in baseball:
Stacking Up The NL's Fifth Starters
Blanton's "expensive for his role" but his contract is also good for his a pitcher of his skill. Seems counterintuitive.
‘Ozzie Guillen’ and an expletive-filled review of The Great Gatsby
Good for some lulz.
2011 Umpire Projections
I didn't actually read this, but the title sounded cool.
Braves Name Brandon Beachy Their Fifth Starter
He just outCLASSED Mike Minor.
Stupid thing written about baseball of the day: