Disco Hayes tag:discohayes.mlblogs.com,2008-03-29:/67631 2009-09-23T21:58:31Z The groovings of Royals pitching prospect Chris HayesEmail Disco at fanmail@discohayes.com. &nbsp &nbsp Follow him on Twitter at @discohayes. var sc_project=4900858; var sc_invisible=1; var sc_partition=57; var sc_click_stat=1; var sc_security="3225041d"; Movable Type Pro 4.25 Getting Defensive tag:discohayes.mlblogs.com,2009://67631.1239471 2009-09-22T15:15:06Z 2009-09-23T21:58:31Z Disco Hayes discohayes.mlblogs.com
I find it amazing because, over the course of a game, the action never changes.  Every single "play" is exactly the same.  In basketball half the game is on one end of the court and half is on the other.  The players are constantly in flux and running all over the place (unless you're watching the NBA, of course).  In football, not only does the action move from one side of the field to the other (unless you're watching the SEC's early season tune-up games) but there are times when the players are all still and in formations that look different every time.  In hockey...well, no one really watches hockey any more, do they?

But in baseball it's the same every time; nothing changes.  Nine guys in the field and a guy at bat.  The ball goes back and forth from the pitcher to catcher.  Sure, guys can be on base and a batted ball sends the defense into a frenzy, but it's the same thing over and over again.  Even when the uniforms switch colors and the other team takes the field, it all looks the same.

And perhaps part of the reason the intricacies of the game are fascinating and beautiful to true baseball fans is because, to the casual observer, the game looks exactly the same.  When the 1-1 pitch gets taken for a borderline strike, the next pitch is going to look exactly the same as if it were called a ball.  To the casual observer, nothing changed.  But the true baseball fan knows the batting average in a 2-1 count is over a hundred points higher than a 1-2 count.  The casual fan takes a sip of beer when the umpire yelled ball; the true fan pumps a fist or slams it on his seat depending on his allegiance.  He knows.

Baseball isn't easy to fully grasp and understand; that's why so many people find it boring.  There is a learning curve.  Having climbed the curve and being on the top makes you appreciate all the little things you've learned that much more.  You worked your way up and now you get to enjoy the game.  I certainly do.

But the people who haven't scaled the curve yet have it right, too.  Sort of.  Baseball doesn't change.  It hasn't changed for over a century.  It so subtly changes pitch to pitch, the changes can go unnoticed, but even the most observant baseball fan will be hard-pressed to find changes from year to year.  And I don't mean that in a bad way.  Again, it's a unique strength of the game.  In 2008 the AL and NL best hitters got a hit 33- and 36-percent of the time, respectively.  In 1908 the leaders did so 32- and 35- percent of the time, respectively.  Whether the Jerseys are insanely baggy and made of light-weight wicking performance fabric or insanely baggy and made of unbearably-hot wool, or the players names are Chipper and Mauer or Ty and Honus; the game has essentially been the same.

In 1908, Basketball consisted of 13--and only 13--rules, one of which was "The ball may be batted in any direction with one or both hands (never with the fist)."  In 2008...well, you can fill in your own anecdote for why basketball is far from the same game 100 years later.  One hundred years ago football was nowhere close to the same game it is today.  The "forward pass" was a revolutionary idea and a touchdown was worth five points.

Baseball is different from other sports, and that's why I love it.  It subtly changes from pitch to pitch, but stays the same from year to year which makes its history as relevant as its present.


Alright, I'm off the "Baseball is Great" soapbox (for now) and I'll get to what I set out to write about in this post...

Defensive Ideas.

Lets start with the rules...

Rule 5.05 in the Official Major League Rulebook states:

The defensive team's objective is to prevent offensive players from becoming runners, and to prevent their advance around the bases.

I don't know how long this rule has been in the book, but I'm again willing to bet it's been a while.  So why haven't teams come up with any better ways to follow this rule over the years?


The idea of a defensive shift is one thing you can point to that has been "invented" within the past 100 years of baseball.  I am no fancy historian, and I won't claim to be, but I have been told it started in the 1940s with Ted Williams.  From my knowledge, it was ground-breaking and controversial then.  It is no longer ground-breaking nor controversial because the "change" itself--the idea of the shift--has not changed since the '40s.  At least not to my knowledge.  When a dead-pull lefty comes up, the shortstop moves over to the first base side of second and bumps the second baseman over a few steps and into the outfield a bit.  And the announcer talks about it.  Baseball fans point to the field and whisper to casual fans.  It's genius.

And maybe it is.  But why haven't any more ideas like this come up?  Late in games fielders will move a few feet in a "no doubles" defense, but that isn't very ground-breaking.  You could make the case for one other defensive idea, and that would be pulling in an outfielder to become a 5th infielder in situations involving the game-winning run at third base with less than two outs.  But even that doesn't seem to happen much.  I remember growing up learning about it and getting excited, but now that I'm older, I honestly can't remember the last time I've seen it.



I have had some ideas for quite some time now and have been keeping them to myself until I could unveil them to the world in dramatic fashion and be remembered for years as a revolutionary.  This is not quite the grandiose unveiling I had in mind, but I'm getting tired of watching games and shouting to myself, "Why aren't they doing X, Y, or Z?."  Either way I'm fine with it, but more than anything I'm excited to hear why these ideas are stupid and would never work.

To follow the rule book some more, we are given these guidelines when a team goes on defense:

4.03 When the ball is put in play at the start of, or during a game, all fielders other than the catcher shall be on fair territory.

(a) The catcher shall station himself directly back of the plate. He may leave his position at any time to catch a pitch or make a play except that when the batter is being given an intentional base on balls, the catcher must stand with both feet within the lines of the catcher's box until the ball leaves the pitcher's hand.

PENALTY: Balk.

(b) The pitcher, while in the act of delivering the ball to the batter, shall take his legal position;

(c) Except the pitcher and the catcher, any fielder may station himself anywhere in fair territory.


With that being noted...


Why don't the fielders ever swap positions?

I think it's safe to assume every team in the majors does not employ two corner outfielders with exactly the same defensive abilities.  I honestly have not watched a single nine inning MLB game on TV yet this year (that's sad, I know...what kind of baseball fan have I become now that I watch 140 games per year from the bullpen?), but I would have to think some teams employ a set of outfielders with varying defensive abilities.  So lets say a team has a better defensive right fielder than left fielder.  When a right-handed dead-pull hitter comes up to bat, why would the team merely shade the center fielder over to left field to help out the weaker left fielder, yet keep their better outfielder away from the action?

Why not have him jog over and switch with the left fielder for that batter?  I know the ball flight is different in right field than it is in left field, but I don't think it's impossible to think corner outfielders could adapt to being able to play both spots.

Maybe you wouldn't do it all the time, but it really seems like a no-brainer that at some point, throughout the course of over 100 games and 1000's of at bats, this would prove to be effective during a season.  Let's assume center fielders are so valuable they should never be interchanged with the corner guys and leave them out of this discussion; probably not the case, but we'll assume it.  That leaves us with left- and right fielders.  Inevitably the outfielder with the better arm goes in right field to make a throw to third base.  Well, let's say, by some crazy stretch of the imagination, that fielder with the better arm also happens to have better range.  It may not always be the case (I'm no scout, but Carl Crawford stands out in my head as a guy who may have a lot of range, but not enough arm to play right, so he's in left field in Tampa), but I'm willing to bet it has taken place before in baseball history.  So let's pretend you have a superior fielder in right and a comparatively inferior one in left...

If Cecil Fielder comes to bat with no runners on base (again off the top of my head, I'm using Cecil as a slow-footed pull-hitting righty), the only time you would need the superior arm in right is if Cecil hits a triple to right field.  I don't have career stats with batted ball trajectory at my fingertips (if any of you do, please feel free to interject) but I would be willing to bet Cecil hasn't hit many triples to the right fielder in his career. In fact, in 5,939 career plate appearances, Fielder amassed 7 triples:  that's all of one every 850 At Bats.  Even if all of them have gone to right field, that's hardly something to plan for.  And even if he does hit a triple to the right fielder, who's to say there will even be a close tag play at third with a good throw?  Who knows, maybe he's been thrown out trying to dig for third base ten times, but I'm willing to bet he hasn't.

He has, however, hit 787 singles and 200 doubles.  I'd be willing to guess more than a fair share have gone to left field.  Again, I don't have data on direction of batted balls, but let's say his spray chart shows 34% of his singles and doubles have gone to left, 33% to center, and 32% to right.  Again I'm willing to bet the split is way more left-field heavy than this, but even with this safe assumption, it would still tell us an additional 20 singles and doubles went to left than to right.  Even if all 7 of his career triples went to right field AND he pulled balls only 2% more often than he goes the other way, your left fielder would still be getting more action than the right fielder.  It's a simplified and completely fabricated example, but it has to make you think, right?  If you have a superior defender in right, why not move him to left in this instance?

If you had all the numbers in front of you and told me Fielder created X runs on non-home-run balls hit to left field and X+Δ on balls to right field, I would be shocked if Δ was positive, but I would be willing to admit in the case of Cecil Fielder you shouldn't switch fielders.  But I would figure there may be some hitters with a negative Δ.  And, I would argue, despite Fielder's negative Δ, the outfield switch could still be effective on him.  The only reason the better-armed outfielder goes in right field is so he can make the longer throw to 3rd base.  The throws to second and home are equally long, so with 2 outs and no one on, let's say Cecil has a positive Δ, there's now a marginally smaller value of Cecil stretching a double into a triple anyway, so my idea would have to have some value.  You see what I'm getting at?

Despite looking mostly the same all the time, we know baseball has so many different scenarios if you drill down and take a deeper look, even if this idea isn't universally beneficial, I'm willing to bet it would be in certain instances.  Sure, with a man on first and one out, even for a pull hitter, you may want your strongest arm in right field to stop the runner from getting to third with less than two outs on a single, but with two outs and no one on base, does arm strength really make much of a difference?

If convention was to express batting averages to the tenths place, drilling down further to the hundredths place would provide quite a bit of information.  Doing so to the thousandths place would do the same.  I'm not arguing to "drill down" and move batting average to the ten-thousandths here, rather I feel like switching the corner outfielders is like admitting batting average even exists.  I'm fine admitting the outfield switch may not always be the right move with a right-handed batter up, but then drill down and do it only with two outs and nobody on base.  Do it with a right-handed pull hitter at the plate and one out and a runner at third to put your best arm in left field in defense of a sacrifice fly.  Do it with the score tied in the bottom of the eleventh with the winning run on second and an opposite-field slap-hitting lefty at the plate to try to gun down the winning run at home.  Heck, who knows, maybe some hitters always sky the ball to right and center, but hit snap-hooks down the line in left so you should put your speediest outfielder in left field.  With all the data taken these days (both on hitters and on fielders), and all the situations that come up on a regular basis, the positional shift has to provide value somewhere.


Maybe a shortstop is so valuable you should put him at second base against some hitters.  Maybe there's a time where you should swap your corner infielders.

Managers play the odds all the time with pitching match-ups and relief pitchers and double switches galore.  But situationally the varying skill sets of the defenders apparently make no difference.  Or maybe they do, but no one ever thought to have them jog 300 feet once or twice an inning.

Or maybe they did, but it's a gamesmanship thing or, perhaps, they don't want to intrigue the casual fan too much.



Why doesn't one of the infielders move out into the outfield instead of shifting?


Big Papi has grown accustomed to the shift.  So, too, have fans.  I have to start this by admittedly pleading ignorance on any stats backing up the efficacy of the shift.  Has it taken many hits away from Ortiz?  I'm sure my fans can tell me (and I'll look forward to hearing).  But Papi has hit only 31% of balls on the ground this year.  So, when he steps to the plate, could a defensive shift take away more?  Why not move the shortstop into the right-center-field gap?  OK, OK, I know, the second baseman IS in right field when he shifts.  But I mean like, IN right field.  IN the gap.  Wouldn't a 4th outfielder make more sense than a 3rd infielder on the right side?  With 52% of Ortiz's balls being fly-balls, this seems to at least have a chance to make sense, right?  Maybe his fly balls are towering shots that a center fielder has time to run into the gap and camp under, but maybe not.  Who knows, maybe managers talked about this years ago and all decided it was dumb or doesn't hold up the honor and integrity of the game, but to me it just seems the shift keeps 4 infielders because, well, because you are supposed to have 4 infielders when you employ "the shift".  Oh, and not to rock the boat too much, but now that I think of it, maybe send your third baseman into the outfield and keep your shortstop where he is assuming he's better at fielding grounders.

Again, maybe the four infielder shift will take away more hits than shifting to have four outfielders.  But with two outs and no one on base, why not put four guys in the outfield on Ortiz in a situation where a double is significantly more detrimental than a double.  Again, not perfect reasoning here, and the stats are all fabricated, but let's say with Ortiz at the plate with the bases empty and two outs, and he only can hit a single or double and never strikes out.  Let's also say him hitting a single is worth 0.2 runs to the offense and a double is worth 0.5 runs to the offense.  Now, if you employ the shift the way we have become accustomed to with four infielders and three on the right side of second base, maybe Ortiz goes from hitting a single 20% of the time to hitting one 10% of the time.  If you employ my shift with four outfielders, maybe he goes from hitting a double 20% of the time to 15% of the time.

My shift makes Ortiz go from a .300 hitter to a .350 hitter--which on the surface seem like a bad thing--but he actually produces .005 fewer runs per at bat with two outs and no one on.  That is minuscule and (as mentioned) it's made up, but you can see where, despite appearing counter-productive on the surface, this may make for a viable strategy.


Along the lines of idea two...why can't you pull an outfielder in to the infield for more than the situation with the winning run on third and less than two outs?

This one is more far-fetched than the previous idea because it is very high-risk, but why not think of it?  Does anyone get tired of Ichiro hitting no-doubter ground ball singles?  Does that even make sense?  He has made a living off it long enough, we all know we have seen a game where he hits one in the hole to the left side and it's as no-doubt as an Adam Dunn mammoth home run.  Ichiro can hit a ground ball in the hole at short and unless another fielder was standing between the third baseman and shortstop it's a guaranteed hit.  So...why not put another fielder between the third baseman and shortstop?  Those grounders would become grounders right at someone.

Like I said, this is high-risk, and Ichiro is probably a bad example.  He seems to be legendary for his swing control and he would likely be able to hit the ball exactly where the vacated outfielder used to stand for a no-doubt inside-the-parker, but hey, not everyone is Ichiro.  Maybe uber-ground-ball-hitters like Luis Castillo (62% grounders hit this year) would lose 20 infield singles per year if you added a fifth infielder and would only pick up a few extra doubles.  Like I said, this one will be the hardest sell, but with batted ball info being what it is today, maybe we find Luis Castillo has hit 40 balls in the hole at shortstop and only hit 5 to the right fielder.  Maybe two outfielders (one in each of the gaps) will actually retire Castillo--or players like him--more efficiently than the normal 3 outfielder arrangement.  (Some guys are "gap" hitters, so why not fill the gaps and add an infielder?)  Like I said, this is the toughest sell in my mind as it seems a bit like pulling the goalie in a sport with no time clock, but, hey, it's at least worth the look.  A quick glance will tell us with two outs and no one on, a runner on first is worth .251 runs and a runner on third is worth .344 runs.  So if you cut down 20 of Castillo's singles, you'd save 5.02 runs--the equivalent value of 15.5 triples.  Maybe he would hit 16 extra triples.  Maybe he wouldn't, but I fear even if someone did try this, they'd pull the plug after the first triple.

So let's go on to another idea I'm more gung-ho about...


Why can't organizations teach their specialty and late relievers to play first base?

Pitchers are notoriously bad fielders, but after all, haven't most organizations taught their bad fielders to play first base already?  No offense to first basemen out there, but even they can probably admit they are at first because of their exceptional bats and not exceptional gloves.  Seriously, I mean no offense at all and I'll go on to say many first basemen have become quite good at the position through hard work.  It's a testament to them, but couldn't a pitcher do the same through hard work?  First base--which sits firmly at the bottom of Bill James' totem pole of the Defensive Spectrum--is a conglomeration of guys who, at one time or another, had to "learn" the position.  The saying goes, "everybody in the majors grew up pitching and playing short"...not first.  If everyone else had to learn it, why can't specialty relievers?

Casey Kotchman is the best defensive first baseman in the league with a 6.6 UZR/150--a measure of how many runs per 150 fielding games the player is above average--according to FanGraphs (at the time I began writing this, which was a few weeks ago).  As "disclaimered", this post isn't statistically sound, but lets say 150 games consist of 5700 At Bats (I reached this based off the fact the qualified relievers I'm about to talk about averaged 4.27 BF/IP, and assume 9 innings per game--losses on the road are less, but extra innings are more...ah it's close enough), so that leaves Casey Kotchman, the best defender in the league, worth 0.00116 runs per At Bat.  Second best in the league is 0.00054 runs per At Bat.  Over the course of a season, this is a credit to Kotchman and quality first basemen like him, but on an At Bat per At Bat basis, it's really not that many runs.

Darren O'Day has faced 215 batters and his RE24 is at 17.98 (RE24 uses this table to determine how many runs a player has created or saved for his team...I'm using it here because it compares runs to runs and gives a tangible feel for my argument).  That means, on a per-batter basis, he saves 0.09293 runs.  That's 80 times what the best first baseman in the league can do.  One hundred seventy-two times as many as the second best defensive first baseman in the league.  This isn't rocket science, nor should it be surprising, as the guy on defense with the largest hand in how many runs a batter will create is undoubtedly the pitcher.  Which is exactly my point.  I promise I have one and will get to it eventually...

But first, why do I use Darren O'Day for this example?  Is he way above the rest of the league in RE24/BF?  No, he's good, but not off the charts.  Rather, there are a few factors in why I picked him.  Namely, I played against him in the Midwest League in 2006 and we were both "side-arming" righties who had a decent amount of success.  He went on to the big leagues in 2008 and I have, of course, have followed him since.  What's more, being a side-armer implies "situational-ness," so he seemed like a good candidate.

On the flip side, he's a Ranger and therefor in the American League.  Why does this matter?  Well, Rule 6.10(b) in the official MLB rulebook states, among many other things:

Once the game pitcher is switched from the mound to a defensive position this move shall terminate the Designated Hitter role for the remainder of the game.

This is idiotic if you ask me, but hey, who asked me?  But in the NL this works with no flaws, and again, if we drill down to certain situations, in the AL, double-switches and pinch-hitting are possibilities and often situational relievers are used very late in the game when, perhaps, a DH wouldn't even come to bat again.  Regardless, when you have situational relievers in the game, usually you are trying to hang on to a lead and prevent runs rather than create runs in subsequent innings (even so, the DH with the highest RE24/PA is Adam Lind at .06, which means the best DH in the league creates fewer runs per PA than O'Day saves per BF--I'm just saying...).


So, late in the game, if an opposing team's batting order goes righty, lefty, righty, why take O'Day out of the game when the lefty comes up and not stick him at first base with the idea of putting him right back on the mound for the next batter?  If he's twice as bad as the worst first baseman--let's say -0.00112 runs per batter, which is two times the runs the worst first baseman costs his team--in the league and is replacing the best, for that one left-handed batter, he will cost 0.00228 runs, but then for the next batter, the righty, he will return to the mound and save 40 times that, or 0.09239 runs, a net 0.09065 positive runs.  To begin with, he was only worth 0.09239 runs, and he just added .09065; you could say he has doubled his value.  And this makes sense, have him pitch to two batters instead of one and he's twice as effective.

Now, this doesn't quite compare apples to apples, but it's an interesting elementary look into the idea.  We would have to look at O'Day's RE24/BF splits against righties and lefties, and then look at how many runs the left handed pitcher you brought in to face the lefty would save.  Plus we didn't take into account how many runs the next righty out of the bullpen may save or what if a pinch hitter bats?  Not to mention, a first baseman's value is undoubtedly magnified with a lefty at the plate and we haven't taken into account the weighted value a fielder would have in, say, a bases loaded situation rather than bases empty.  I will leave all that to the guys who get paid to have this stuff left to them.  But all these caveats aside, the fact a pitcher can save runs more effectively than the first baseman by multiple orders of magnitude should make sense and should make you think.


Additionally, I don't want to use up space on this post to get into how much I despise intentional walks, but isn't it possible, bringing in an opposite-handed specialty reliever and sending the current pitcher to first base could be more run-effective than simply walking the batter?  In many cases, an IBB stems from a right-handed pitcher facing a left-handed batter or vice versa.  I remember reading somewhere on Hardball Times an Intentional Walk is worth 0.2 runs.  Pitchers could make really bad first basemen, but 0.2 runs is 400 times worse than the worst first basemen in the league.  Again, not apples to apples, but it is runs to runs.  I know in many instances an Intentional Walk is of a batter who is of no significance:  In the bottom of the ninth, with a tie score and a runner on second, if the batter gets walked intentionally, it makes no difference if he scores.  But this isn't always the case.  It has to matter at some point.  Again, drill down to more situations and there has to be some value.

Maybe this doesn't seem to be that big of a deal, and it really isn't.  Baseball is only a game and this is a very tiny part of the game, but Darren O'Day is on pace to be worth $6.4 million dollars in WAR terms.  That's a big deal.  Darren O'Day has pitched in 57 games and 44 times has been pulled in the middle of an inning or has been asked to walk a batter intentionally (as of a week or so ago).  That's 77% of his innings.  It's incredible how much value he has, yet how often he's asked to not add value by either walking a batter or walking to the bench.  There has to be some potential value in moving him to first base.  Not to beat a dead horse, but 77% is actually quite low for Major League Relievers.  Of the 146 relievers that qualify on Fangraphs, ironically 77 of them have a higher percentage than 77%.  Twenty-three players have been pulled or asked to intentionally walk a batter in greater than 90% of their outings.  If you look at the number of times a pitcher has been pulled mid-inning plus the number of IBBs they have and divide by the number of appearances they have, Luke Gregerson, Brian Sanches, Darren Oliver, and Eric O'Flaherty all have ratios greater than one!

In case you're not a math junkie (and kudos to you for getting this far if you're not), I'll spell out the case of Gregerson, who happens to be a friend of mine and happens to be putting together an incredible season in SD.  He has pitched in 66 games this year and has been pulled mid-inning 61 times and has 8 IBB.  That means 69 times in 66 appearances he, despite having an outstanding 2.32 FIP (a defense-independent stat on same scale as ERA), has been asked to not try getting the next hitter out.  Many times this may be the result of a closer coming in or maybe he hit his pitch count, but I'm willing to bet many of these pulls and IBBs are a result of him facing a left-handed batter.  Why not move him to first base for a batter or two and then let him come back to the mound?


I realize this isn't something that should happen every 7th and 8th innings, but I doubt it would never be effective.  Maybe Darren O'Day IS 400 times worse at first base than the worst first baseman in the league.  But, on the same token, maybe some situational relievers are actually better than the worst first baseman in the league.  Managers often go Righty, Lefty, Righty out of their bullpen for consecutive batters and let's say this is equally--if not more--effective as my idea to move the reliever to first base.  If so, maybe there's value in saving one right-handed arm in the bullpen and having the first righty play first base for one batter, only to return to the mound.  

Right now O'Day is on pace to be worth $6.4 million this year, and he could potentially double this if he just played a little first base.  For $6 mil extra, I'll take a few short-hops here and there.  Granted, this is very elementary and basic, because it doesn't deal with splits and all the details I mentioned above.  When the left-handed batter steps up to the plate and O'Day waddles over to play first, he may cost more because with a lefty batting, the first basemen is more important.  Maybe his value is just as high on the mound against lefties.  Maybe the next two pitchers in the bullpen has an equally high value, so the manager can sub a lefty for O'Day and come right back with another equally good righty for the next batter.  Maybe I grew up playing the infield, so I'm just trying to go back to my glory days.  Either way, drill down.  Pull off a double switch.  Use your bench a little.  Give us something else to whisper about in the seats or announcers to wax all-knowing in the booth.




You can't go one series in the NFL (or even one quarter in College Football) without the announcer saying something about the Cover-2 or Nickel or Dime packages on defense.  It's commonplace.  When the offense lines up with 5 wide-outs, switch to a Dime package.  A tight end and a guy in the slot?  Go to Cover-2.  The right defense is predicated by the offensive formation.

Well, in baseball, when a dead-pull right-handed slugger comes up with no one on and two outs, why not change formations?  If an added wide-out in football calls for a completely different personnel and formation, why then, when Cecil Fielder stepped to the plate in 1989 did he not call for a different formation than when his left-handed son does the same in 2009?...let alone Ichiro!

Despite the fact the game looks the same every pitch, we know it isn't.  Yes, Ty Cobb stood exactly as far from the pitcher and first base as Ichiro does today.  Honus Wagner went after balls in the hole and had to throw to first just like Jeter does today (well maybe not in the air or with such defined cheek bones, but you get my drift).  The game hasn't changed over time, but batter to batter--within a game--it does.  Bases empty with two outs is a significantly different situation than a runner on third with one out or bases loaded and no outs.  Adam Dunn is an all-together different hitter than Adam Everett or Adam Kennedy or Adam Jones.  So maybe it's time for the game to change over time just a bit.

I dread a day where the umpire does call the 1-1 a strike and the count runs to 1-2 and the pitcher steps off the back of the mound and looks at the play book on his glove wrist and calls out a defense and the fielders scatter.  One issue baseball already has is the time of games are too long.  I don't want to add to this at all, but who knows, maybe these ideas can be employed twice a game and will get an extra out, reducing the time of games.

Baseball is already way better than football, basketball, hockey, or any other sport out there.  That's not to say I don't enjoy other sports, it's just baseball is a deeper enjoyment.  But maybe baseball can take after other sports, even if only a tiny bit.  I'm not saying to change personnel to add to a prevent defense or switch to man-to-man or change line shifts.  But why not occasionally switch corner outfielders?  Why not pull in an outfielder or push out an infielder?  Why not let O'Day or Gregerson play first base?

I'd be perfectly willing to admit these ideas weren't good if someone could explain to me why.  If it's a result of an unwritten rule within baseball that you just don't switch fielders because, perhaps, it will make one of the fielders look less adept than others, well, I can understand that.  If it's something where there's more honor in taking on a hitter the "right way" and still getting him out, well then OK, fine, I'll accept that too.  It seems unfortunate that these would stand in the way of strategic moves to increase a team's chance of winning, but I could stomach it nonetheless.  I doubt the reason is because no one has thought of these before, but maybe it is.  I haven't ever heard anything about any of these and I'd be curious to find out why they aren't used in practice. 

I'm not trying to change the game I love or call for unnecessary defensive formations to get football and basketball fans to come over to baseball.  I am thinking out loud of strategies that may make sense within the game.  I would have no idea how to come up with a new defensive scheme against football's Wildcat offense, but baseball allows us to think within the game.  A relief pitcher moving over to play first base for a batter while another pitcher comes in for one batter would be an exciting move.  Two outfielders switching positions for a batter would make sense to true fans and would be, if nothing more, interesting to casual fans.  But much like Dave Roberts leading off in the 9th inning of game 4 of the 2004 ALCS, the true fans who knew the significance of the situation and the numerical consequences behind it, such a defensive strategy could be that much more exciting. 

There very well could be a good reason as to why these are dumb ideas and would be less effective than just playing everything straight up.  I'd be first to admit I'm an idiot who has been wondering for years why ineffective strategies haven't been employed.  But I'd like to think there may be some merit to them and over the course of a season they could help a team eke out a few extra wins.




Either way, I will still love baseball.



]]> 1 Minute Monday, September 21st tag:discohayes.mlblogs.com,2009://67631.1239461 2009-09-21T19:09:51Z 2009-09-21T19:14:51Z Disco Hayes discohayes.mlblogs.com

]]> 1 Minute Monday, September 14th tag:discohayes.mlblogs.com,2009://67631.1228641 2009-09-15T03:30:38Z 2009-09-15T04:35:12Z Disco Hayes discohayes.mlblogs.com Apple IIGS back in the day.  So I will be on here and will be posting during the off season I just haven't been  ]]> 1 Minute Monday, September 7th tag:discohayes.mlblogs.com,2009://67631.1214761 2009-09-07T06:08:20Z 2009-09-07T06:12:17Z Disco Hayes discohayes.mlblogs.com
Threw tonight and blew a save to send us into 15 innings which was terrible, but I guess on the bright side, I did strike out the side for the first time....ever that i can re
]]> Fan Mail Friday, September 4th tag:discohayes.mlblogs.com,2009://67631.1214751 2009-09-05T02:47:17Z 2009-09-07T14:37:38Z Disco Hayes discohayes.mlblogs.com
This will be a relatively short and quick post.  We're coming down to the end of the season and between planning for off season travel back home and packing up, I'll admit I didn't have a ton of time to work on this.  I will say I have another post to come out soon that I'm looking forward to hearing your comments about.  In the meantime, if you want one of your questions answered on an upcoming Fan Mail Friday, email me at disco@discohayes.com.


The last time I wrote (and you kindly answered) I asked about what pitches you threw.  This time I have 3.5 questions: 1) Do pitchers generally only throw fastballs in the 8 pitches they get to warm up when they come into the game (or at the beginning of the inning) or do they try all of their pitches? 1.5) Do you have certain routine you go through with these pitches?  2) What glove do you use (make, model)?  3) Besides working on your book and updating your blog, what are you going to do in the off season?
Adam S. Arlington, VA

<2.) Most pitchers have a specific routine they go through for their warm-up pitches.  For example, I typically throw 2 fastballs, 2 sliders, a change-up, a rise ball, and then finish with two fastballs.  Between innings, typically I throw 7 pitches and will often take out the rise ball.  Some days I will throw an extra slider or change-up depending on how the first ones felt.  I think most pitchers are that way.  If a particular pitch doesn't feel right, they will throw an extra one or two.  But for the most part, they throw fastballs.  When you get on the mound, you should already be ready to throw, so for the most part you are just getting used to the mound and the visuals of the park.

2.) Since college, I have always used Rawlings Gloves.  Do you hear that Rawlings?  I have used your gloves uninterruptedly for ten seasons now and have had the option to freely go to another company.  Who better to represent your company as a spokesperson than a loyal customer with thousands of fans who don't play baseball themselves?  That's right, I don't have a sponsorship.  Yet.  Oh, the model?  I have had a Rawlings ProS15TC.

3.) To be honest, I really don't know what the off season will hold for me and Mrs. Disco.  We have been nomads for two years now since selling Mrs. Disco's condo, so we will probably be visiting friends and family for a decent part of the winter months.  I will probably take a month or two off from throwing and then will start getting in shape for next season around December.  Being married to a yoga/pilates master and personal trainer, even if I tried taking a week off from working out and being in good physical shape after the end of the season, she wouldn't let me.  So needless to say I'll be working out in the gym all off season.  I will be looking for work (so if anyone is hiring, let me know) and hopefully will get some freelance web design work which allows me to maintain a flexible workout and travel schedule.  Mrs. Disco will work as a trainer and yoga/pilates instructor as well.  We are looking forward to the off season as it will really be one of our first opportunities to be a "normal" married couple for a few months.

I may play winter ball.  We are waiting to hear about that.



Big fan of the blog. What's your take on stirrups as part of the baseball uniform?  Some guys wear their pant legs down to their shoes, while others (seemingly, just a few), pull up their pant legs to show some stirrup.  I have to admit, I'm an old school guy, and I like the stirrups.  Seems like from your picture, you do too.
Keep up the good work,
EJ S.,

The Royals minor league affiliates made a uniform switch to stirrups in 2007.  I have worn my pants up at my knees since high school, so I've always been a fan of the high socks, but now that we have mandatory rules regarding pants, I'm not that unique anymore.  That being said, when I get to the big leagues, I'll have the opportunity to be unique.  As most everyone is aware, the pant style currently in the big leagues has become one of extremely baggy and extremely long pants.  Like over the shoes long.  I posted in spring training about the cognitive dissonance I experienced with my pants when I backed up a big league spring training game.  My consensus was at home I would wear my white pants down and on the road I would wear my pants up with stirrups.  We'll see how that evolves.

I have been planning to do something on the 29th of every month in honor of Quiz.  If you guys have any suggestions, I'm open to them.  I may go with the mid-calf pants and high stirrups (see below) because I can't grow a mustache on command and besides, let's be honest, I need a few Rolaids Relief Man awards under my belt before I've earned such a supreme mustache above my lip.





Mr. Disco, (haven't called anyone that since that one video in college, but I was young and needed the money), I am new to the Disco Mania, and have read the entire archive, but still have not found the fake interview that started it all, is it somewhere to be found?
J, Kansas City, KS

The guest blog that started it all can be found at this link.  You can also find the link from my bio, which you may enjoy reading.

 



]]> 1 Minute Monday, August 31st tag:discohayes.mlblogs.com,2009://67631.1203601 2009-09-01T03:11:31Z 2009-09-01T19:48:33Z Disco Hayes discohayes.mlblogs.com
I have to give a shout out to Disco fan Nick O., who submitted this video to show me fans across the world are taking notice of my blog and my suggestions and though this wasn't the money making idea I had proposed, it's nice to see people are reading and paying attention.

Now, as many fans have pointed out, if only Adrian Beltre had read



]]> Fan Mail Friday, August 28th tag:discohayes.mlblogs.com,2009://67631.1200691 2009-08-29T01:44:23Z 2009-08-31T19:09:46Z Disco Hayes discohayes.mlblogs.com
Each Friday Disco takes the time to answer your fan mail questions.  If you have a question of your own, please email it to fanmail@discohayes.com.

This question is directed to Mrs. Disco:
Mrs. Disco, what are the steps I need to take in order for me to score a ball player?  
Tina C., Boston, MA.   
 
Tina,   
For whatever reason, the way you asked "score a ball player" I can already tell you're a cool chic, so hopefully this answer will turn out to be the "Official Guide on How to Score A Ball Player" for many years to come.

Initially Chris didn't realize this question was directed towards me, and the poor sap gave you this reply:

"Well, if he's on third with less than two outs, there's tons of ways.  A sacrifice fly, ground out to short or second, or any type of base hit will do. With two outs, you're gonna need a hit of some kind or a wild pitch or error to score him.  From second, try a single--or better yet a double--to get him in.  And from first, go ahead and just lean back and hit a towering Home Run.  But don't ask me, I've got all of zero career RBI's in pro ball."

Thanks, honey, but I'm pretty sure she was asking how to score one for herself ... getting to second WITH a player, not for a player.
 
First and foremost, whatever you do, don't go the groupie route.  Trust me on this one.  
Ironically, I just had a funny conversation about groupies the other night with one of Chris's fellow teammates.  The teammate said to me, "What's the deal with those girls hanging all over Player X, Player Y, and Player Z?" 

"They're groupies."  

"Groupies? I can't believe those are groupies ... I've don't think I've ever seen one before.  What makes them groupies?"

"Well, they're the kind of girls who will put out for pretty much any player and I wouldn't doubt that they get passed around a little bit.  She's hoping she'll be the one girl he can't live without." 

He was astonished.  "But those guys??" 

"Yea.  They don't really care what he looks like; they're just hearing cha-ching because they're professional athletes."

He says, "That's so weird," and then chuckles as he says, "Well they're going for the wrong guys then because they obviously don't know minor leaguers are poor.  That's just nasty."

I'm pretty sure that sums it all up.  Groupies are not respected by players and solely looked at as a fresh piece of ***.  Yes, I did just say that.  Though, if you are lucky enough to get yourself knocked up, then you may end up being more than a groupie.  Within the year you'll get a promotion to "baby mama", but hey, still better than a groupie.
 

So... how to score him?  You could always send me your resume and pictures for review and I could try to pair you up. (I think I'm up to 5 couples who have met through me and have gone on to get married.)  No, that won't work, but one way is by working out in the off-season at a gym players are known to use. (Disco scored me at the gym.  But as soon as I found out he was a professional athlete, I laced up my running shoes and sprinted the other way.  (Too bad I was only on the treadmill, though, otherwise I might have gotten away.))

See, working out and being athletic will increase your chances because these guys spend the majority of their day running around, so a girl who enjoys staying fit will help your case. I've experienced guys rating girls for their 'breed-ability' - as in "Look at those long legs, we would totally make 3rd round babies."  Or "She's a bit clumsy, my genes are gonna have to carry our kid hopefully into the top twenty rounds."  Or "She's kinda got cankles, our kids are gonna have to play soccer."  A 3rd round breeder is obviously way better than a 30th rounder or non-drafted altogether.  For some guys, the cutoff is whether or not he's going to be able to retire off your first male child's signing bonus.  In fact, one particular baseball wife (who is now a good friend of mine) would be considered a First Pick Overall breeder for her Division-I volleyball experience and 5-foot-11 frame with 30 inch vertical leap.  Imagine the star athletes those two will have?  Combine her with her 6'4, 92-mph-throwing pitcher husband and Scott Boras is practically slipping her rufies and cranking the Marvin Gaye as we speak.

Why'd I go with a non-drafted guy who throws 92 yards per hour?  Well, I didn't know about this ahead of time, that's why I've made it my mission to fill you in now.

To be honest, Tina, scoring a baseball player sounds way more glamorous than it is... which leads me to my next question:


Mrs. Disco,
Where are the best and worst parts of being married to a baseball player?
Jordan R., Monmouth, OR  

Jordan (and still Tina),  
Thanks to both of you - I love getting my own questions!  As I was saying, this lifestyle (in the minor leagues anyway) sounds much more glamorous than it really is.  Tina, if you want to score one, be ready to live alone every other week, know you'll never have a weekend together between February and September, plan to jam all of your clothes, shoes, and anything else you'd need for 8 months into one or two suitcases, attend all weddings or summer events by yourself, and also be secure enough with yourself to pay for groceries with a food stamp ATM card. 

Oh what's that Tina? You're starting to change your mind?

The good parts about this lifestyle?  Hmm.  Can I finish this question next Friday so I have some time to think about it?












Kidding.  I would say the best part is, I know this is going to sound cheesy, but the best part is having the opportunity to experience this dream together.  How many people do you know who are not only striving towards their life's dreams, but also on the verge of realizing it?  The lifestyle overall has taken a lot of getting used to, specifically trying to figure out how to make my passions fit in with his schedule and travel, but now that I've found a groove, I'm a lot happier and it's exciting to encourage one another to achieve bigger and greater goals.  Like writing our book, for example.  It gives us both an achievable goal to work towards and we're having a blast bouncing ideas off one another.

Another aspect that goes under both columns is the travel.  The week-long road-trips and 5 AM flights after a game that ended only 6 hours earlier is tough, but I've seen more of the United States this year than I have in my entire live.  In fact, prior to meeting Chris I had been to more countries than states (26 vs. 22) and in the past 2+ years I've added an additional 11 states to my list!  I've always wanted to visit Portland, OR and finally got my chance a couple weeks ago when the Royals played there and I L-O-V-E-D it. Totally my kind of city and discovered one of the most gorgeous beaches I've ever been to - Cannon Beach a little over an hour from Portland.  (See pics below.  Isn't it beautiful??) 

Cannon Beach for Blog.jpgCannon_Beach.jpg
My suggestion to Tina is if you happen to bump into a baseball player definitely do not chase him.  In fact, run as fast as you can in the opposite direction and don't look back.  If somehow (other than you  mistakenly being on a treadmill) he catches up to you (or beans you with his fastball...good thing I was on that treadmill because I can run faster than my man's heater) to prove he's not the usual groupie-seeking player, then I look forward to meeting you in the stands someday.  Otherwise, I'm willing to bet marrying a golfer, lawyer, or engineer will suffice. ;)

Best, Mrs. Disco




Now back to your regularly scheduled Disco Friday Fan Mail...


What would happen if you hired two private investigators to follow each other?
Aaron D., Kansas City, MO

Aaron, thank you for this question.  You will find out why I am glad you asked.

One of the things that comes along with the minor league lifestyle (along with countless scrunched up eyebrows and squished faces asking, "You're an athlete?  Like a real one?") is a lot of moving.  Since graduating college in 2005 I have lived in 16 different residences--some on multiple occasions (and 11 of those 16 have been since I met Mrs. Disco in Nov. 2006).  The reason I mention this is two of the past three we have lived in have had a roundabout within a quarter mile of the residence, which was necessary to use on a daily basis.  I have come to hate roundabouts.  Here are some reasons why:


  • I don't know where to look while driving on a roundabout.  Especially the one-lane roundabouts.  Do you look at the curb so you don't drive up on it (and the pointless bushes that are always in the middle), or do you look ahead of you to see if there's a car entering that you're about to hit because no one actually yields at a one-lane roundabout.
  • No one actually yields upon entering a residential, one-lane roundabout.
  • No matter where you are coming from and where your destination is, if you plan to return from whence you came, you have to travel 360 degrees around the roundabout.  I even tried leaving the roundabout early and make a U-Turn to enter the roundabout again, but this left me with 3 trips which added up to 360 degrees instead of two.  Much worse.  Don't try that.  It's like driving in a roundabout with your Geometry Teacher in the passenger seat.
  • It takes longer than a stop sign (which you can always kinda roll through).
  • It makes the GPS lady sound like she's stuttering or laying down a verse for the next Top-40 Hip-Hop remix.
  • Going left into the roundabout is incredibly tempting (as it defies everything roundabouts stand for) but once you actually do it--er theoretically do it--you realize exiting the roundabout becomes tough because they put those little curb wedges at each entrance/exit to stop people from doing stupid things like going left in the roundabout.
  • If drunk driving is illegal, why do they force me to dizzy myself in order to exit my neighborhood and enter the outside world?
  • Multiple-lane roundabouts are even worse.  I have this thing about on merging to the left when I have my wheel turned to the left.  The fact I can merge right while turning the wheel to the left leaves me more confused than does anything involving the international dateline or a freshly washed sports bra that needs folding.
  • Which blinker do you engage when you use a roundabout?  Me?  I go with flashers, hi-beams, and a constant horn blow.  If I knew how to manually deploy the airbag I think I would.
  • At night, a roundabout makes sure every house in every direction in the neighborhood gets a solid dose of headlights in their bedroom window.
  • I have more reasons, but I don't have time to type them all here as I have to leave six hours early so I have time to muster up the courage to finally exit the roundabout and go on my way to the park.
  • Oh, and lastly, doesn't it seem like more than coincidence the same group that sings Roundabout also sings Long Distance Runaround, Perpetual Change, Hold On, Leave It, and Siberian Khatru [1]?  The answer is both eponymous and obvious:  "Yes".

A few weeks ago I called a local boyscout troop and asked them to build me some entrance and exit ramps for the roundabout out of balsa wood as a community service project.  I was very impressed with the craftsmanship and lack of desire to eat the glue the kids showed and the end result was beautiful.  I was confident the problem was going to be solved and the ramps worked perfectly until someone tried to actually use them.

So that was a failure and again I was left succumbing to the roundabout.

I felt hopeless (and dizzy) like there was no way I was going to be able to outsmart the stupid roundabout.  I even went so far as to organize an art fair on the pavement of the dreadful piece of neighborhood infrastructure it would effectively boycott it.  It rained that day, so again, I was left without a means to put an end to the roundabout.  If only I could figure out a way to make the roundabout completely obsolete in our driving culture, I could put an end to the nonsense and make city planners get their heads out of the exit of their digestive roundabout.  It's not just about me, it's about my kids and your kids.  And our kids' kids.  But I had no creative way to bring a roundabout to a complete, useless patch of gravel.

Until your question.

I have since called two private eyes and cross-hired them to "investigate" each other and told them the other one lives just off the roundabout on my block.  This was on Tuesday, and ever since, the two investigators have been in their creepy vans chasing each other at wildly varying speeds in circles around the roundabout.  The traffic has backed up for miles with no openings to enter and the horn honking can be heard throughout the night.  Enough neighbors have complained, there have been city planners looking into a way to bypass the circle with a normal road a half block east.

So, as I said, thank you Aaron, I hope to never again have to switch my sun visor location six times in the span of four seconds in the mornings all while turning left but going right and signaling where I intend to end up with my flashers.



Dear Disco,
When you get called up to KC, I would like to come out and see you pitch.  However, I was trying to think up a clever poster idea to wave over the bullpen and show my Disco fandom.  After a lot of thinking, and realizing how not-funny I am (somehow, "Poop Stick!!" on a poster didn't seem overly hilarious), I thought, who better to ask than the funniest blogger I know?!  So, when you envision your major-league debut, what do the posters being waved over the bullpen say?
Jessie F., Kansas City, MO


First I'll let the craziest Disco fan, Dan-O show off some art work he has done.  He promised to submit some artwork of me on a weekly basis, and though he has fallen a bit short, he still has done some flattering work.  It's been too long since I've featured him on here, so it's about time.  I'll let him take it home by using his own words for the captions:


discohayes1.jpg
I have no question, but I have enclosed two Fan Art pieces.  The first one is an advanced piece that I developed after your inspirational answer to my first question.  The depth in your pitching secrets led me to imagine plotting and concocting the most deceptive ways to get outs.  Then I gave you mischievous eyebrows.  It is aptly titled "discohayes1."



discohayesfastball.jpg
Then the other is just historical fact.


Despite his hours of work on shading my eyebrows, I'm worried these posters just aren't going to perfectly convey what we want to get across.  So I'll take a stab.  And I'll admit, much like Dan-O, this is still a work in progress.  I don't know how great a sign it makes for, but I think I have come up with a decent slogan for my blog and perhaps myself.  I'll let you decide if it's poster-worthy.

I wanted something grandiloquent that people wouldn't really understand.  See, I have this theory the only reason everyone lllllloved The Matrix is because they didn't understand it.  The safest route, though, is to profess love for it, so it doesn't seem they missed the meaning.  I have tested this theory on countless people and no one can sit down and explain to me the concept of that movie without it playing in the background.  It's like trying to sing American Pie without the song playing.

Anyway, not to sound cocky here, I'll admit, I have no clue what the hell the Matrix was about and until last night, I really had little idea what these words in my motto meant.  But you are going to absolutely love this motto.  Or tag line.  I guess it's more of a tag line.


Diagonally Ipsilateral, Sophomorically Corrigible Opinions.


It's genius.  It's gonna be on T-Shirts and tattoos across the globe.

Or a poster:

Diagonally
Ipsilateral
Sophomorically
Corrigible
Opinions

The way I throw is diagonally ipsilateral in that my one arm (ipsilateral means pertaining to one side of the body) goes down and out in a diagonal motion.  My opinions are expressed on the blog in a manner that is immature and in need of refinement (sophomorically and corrigible, respectively).  It fits me like a glove.

And the best part...look at the Acronym. Take one letter at a time from each of the words in order.  It spells D-I-S-C-O.


Good, but not genius, right?.  Does it leave you wanting more?

My tag line should be a tribute to things that people have come to know and love about me:  how "hard" I throw, what I spend my free time doing, and then the story of the stick that set me free to Triple-A.

So, let's revisit this genius poster which unveils a beautiful poem about those exact things people love about me:


Diagonally       dIagonally       diAGonally        
Ipsilateral      iPsilateral      ipSilateral
Sophomorically   sOphomorically   soPhomorically
Corrigible       cOrrigible       coRrigible
Opinions         oPinions         opInions


As you clever readers had probably already noticed, if you had gone levels further with alternating one letter from each word, you would have found a beautiful poem had already written itself.


Disco.
I poop.
A sprig.


I've tried going further with the pattern and found some stuff that makes no sense like "I hr no loi in am go".  I think it's Keanu Reeves trying to tell us something.  But I don't quite get it.





But I lllllllove it.








[1] Khatru means "plunger" in Siberian and I don't think it has anything to do with a Roundabout.  I included it because the Bass is just sick.  Although, maybe the part "Who holds the ring? and ring and you will find me coming. / Cold reigning king, / Hold all the secrets from you / As they produce the movement." does have some deep Roundabout meaning.  [back]






]]> "Ouch, My BABIP" or "Living the Single Life" tag:discohayes.mlblogs.com,2009://67631.1186441 2009-08-25T13:07:45Z 2009-08-25T19:05:52Z Disco Hayes discohayes.mlblogs.com
First, some background on the "Ouch, My BABIP":

While mired in a mini-slump to start my Double-A season this year, I wrote a blog post complaining about my BABIP [1] publicly in hopes of bringing it back towards the mean (approximately .290).  At the time I wrote the post, Double-A hitters had gone 14-40 off me when putting the ball in play, which makes for a BABIP of .350.  I complained about it, and from that point forward, batters went 19-for-92 off me when they put the ball in play; a BABIP of .207!  It made for a combined BABIP of .250 which was a tick higher than years past for me, but much more stomach-able than .350.

I hope that post didn't come off as whiny, but rather was informative and interesting.  I will attempt to do the same here because I'm nearly at my wits end.  After the success I had in Double-A this year, I was promoted to Triple-A.  I started out in Omaha doing decently, but even so, felt a bit unlucky again.  What I experienced to start the season was nothing compared to what came next.  It only got worse from there.

I didn't want to have to write this.  Seriously I didn't.  But it seems every time I take the mound, I'm in a messed up way making my case "better" for the post and it's killing me on the field.  I have had this saved as a draft for a week now, and after giving up 21 hits in my last 10.1 innings pitched, it's high time I update the numbers and finally post something to put an end to it.


Here are some stats from my Triple-A season so far this year.  I've made 21 appearances, and below I have broken down the stats into my first 10 appearances and my last 11.  I left my ERA blank on the second half to build the suspense, but judging by the background info, I'm sure you can guess where this is going.


  ERA XBH/9 HR/9 BB/9 K/9 GO/AO Strike % P/PA
First 10 2.66 3.0 0.4 0.8 3.8 1.5 68% 3.7
Next 11 ???? 1.6 0.0 1.6 3.8 1.4 66% 3.3


Not much really has seemed to change from my first 10 appearances to my next 11, right?  I have cut down on my extra base hits per nine innings (XBH/9), which seemed to be a slight problem for me to start.  I have maintained my strikeout rate at 3.8 per nine innings (yeah, I know that's not good, but my K rate has never really been that high; it's a product of my style of pitching, which I have deemed: "Make them hit it softly, not hardly") and my ground-out to air-out ratio (GO/AO) has stayed almost the same at about 1.5.  The rate at which I'm throwing strikes (Strike %) has been almost identical and my pitches per plate appearance (P/PA) have actually decreased, which is something I like to see.  So what's different?  Well those of you paying attention would immediately notice my walk numbers (BB/9) have doubled!  That's the problem, I'm walking too many guys.  Well, Greg Maddux's career BB/9 rate was 1.8, so in my worst moments having a better walk rate than Maddux isn't anything I feel guilty about.  I don't think the walks are the issue.

Alright, enough with the suspense.  I'm embarrassed to say this, but my ERA in my last 11 games is 6.48.  

That's horrible.  Like terrible, horrible.  I have given up 12 ER in my last 12 games.  Nine of those earned runs have come in my last five outings.  So what's the difference?

I went from giving up 6.5 singles per nine innings in the first half to 13.5 singles per nine since.  I have given up 19 singles in my last 10.1 innings.  It's bizarre.  I have given up 3 or more singles in one inning in five of those last 11 appearances.  I gave up 7 singles last outing.  For some reason beyond my comprehension, despite being head over heels for Mrs. Disco, I find myself again "Living the Single Life"...

It's bad now, but even in my first 10 outings, it seemed like everything was falling in for hits (when my BABIP was .324) so I did everything I could to not walk guys and limit the damage.  Despite the "bad luck" and higher-than-average BABIP, I was able to do so and maintained a 2.66 ERA.  But in my last 11 outings, my BABIP has gone to .412 and my ERA has suffered almost three-fold.


If, at the point of my promotion, you told me through my first 40.1 innings in Triple-A I would have surrendered only one home run, and walked only five batters, I would have been happy to hear the news.  I would have figured I'd be pretty happy with my results.  Let the rest of the chips fall where they may, but by keeping the ball in the ballpark and making guys swing the bat, those facts would indicate I had been executing the way I set out to (again "Make them hit it softly, not hardly"...it's clever...I swear...It's kind of a pun..."hardly"?...Bueller).  If you added that I would give up eight doubles and two triples, I wouldn't be ecstatic because backing up bases is never fun, but 11 extra-base hits in 40.1 innings is pretty darn good.  Now, if you added that my ERA was 4.24 due mostly to the fact I've surrendered more than a single per inning (42 in 40.1 IP), I would be left scratching my head.  It wouldn't really make sense.  And I would respectfully decline.


For the Triple-A season my BABIP is .366 which is way "above" average.  The difference between .366 and .290 may not seem like that much---a .366 hitter is good, but so is a .290 hitter--so go the other way and think of the difference between a .290 hitter and a .214 hitter.  That's stark.  Look recently at the difference between .424 and .290 and we can go from Mauer to Mendoza pretty quickly.  In my case, the difference between .366 and .290 is an extra 11 hits on the year.  In only 40 innings, I could definitely use 11 hits being erased off the board.

Further, as I will get to in a second, if I were able to repeat my last two years' Double-A .250 BABIP performance, you'd have to erase 17 hits!  Could 17 hits scattered over the course of the year lead to 10 runs?  It's not inconceivable to think so.  In a heartbeat I'd take the same performance on my part, but shave off 10 runs to now have a 2.01 ERA instead of a 4.24.  If my BABIP repeated itself, I wouldn't have pitched any different so far this year, but could have a 2.01 ERA.

I was asked in an interview this off-season about my low BABIP in 2008 and whether my 1.64 ERA was maybe lower than it deserved to be and if my BABIP would perhaps regress to the mean in 2009.  In the interview I argued I had more control over BABIP because of my submarine pitching style and my ability to induce soft contact.  And, as I mentioned above, despite an "unlucky" start, I supported my theory and was able to have a low BABIP in Double-A again this year and rode that to a 0.98 ERA in 36.2 innings.  My BABIP ended up being .270 overall in Double-A this year, and at the time of my promotion, I can guarantee I was more than happy to claim proud responsibility for my continued low BABIP in 2009.

If I claimed responsibility when things were going well, then when they aren't, I can't just chalk it up to bad luck.  If I had a hand in making my BABIP .250 in two Double-A seasons, I have had a hand in making it .366 and .424 recently here in Triple-A.  So has the .366 BABIP here in Triple-A made me a believer I have no impact on what happens after the batter makes contact?  Absolutely not.  I still take credit for the low BABIP in Double-A and I will--gulp--take credit for it now in Triple-A.

Maybe Triple-A hitters are just that much better?

Maybe, but even that doesn't quite add up.  Through my first four games in Triple-A my BABIP was .268:  I was still inducing soft contact.  Through seven games and 20 innings (exactly half of my innings here in Triple-A to date) it was .283, not amazing, but still I was keeping it under average.  Well, in my next 21 innings it has been .424.  Not huge sample sizes, but it does seem like my first 20 innings everything was just about on par with my past performances and then the wheels came off.  Again, what happened?

I really don't know.  Honestly I don't.  I've been trying to answer that question myself for over a month now.  I have used the term "luck" in quotes in this post to indicate the BABIP theory hints at the rate of hits being random chance.  I don't fully discount the theory (and more in-depth reading will indicate I have dumbed it down and even BABIP-believers admit 7% of BABIP is attributed to skill) I take full responsibility for this upswing in BABIP, though.  I have been giving up more line drives than I ever have before.  Now, in my defense, the fact I have given up only two doubles in my last 11 games, I will say, for the most part, the line drives haven't all been hit squarely on the sweet spot.  I have given up a lot of hits that have been struck decently--not great--but have had a trajectory to drop them out over the infielders and in before the outfielders.

If these hits had left the bat at a downward trajectory, they would almost certainly be ground-outs as, typically, only very hard hit and well-placed ground balls get through for hits (though, again in my defense, in my last two outings I have given up three chopped infield hits).  So, it seems I need to get more ground balls.  But last year, when I had a 1.64 ERA and a BABIP of .235, my GO/AO was 1.57.  This year in Triple-A it's 1.5.  As a submarining sinker-baller, you'd perhaps expect higher numbers, but my slider is more of a pop-up pitch because, in comparison to my sinking fastball it appears to float and guys typically hit it in the air.  As a quick example, in my recent outing in Tacoma, I recorded 4 "air outs" and three of them were soft flies to the short stop off of my slider.  I haven't had many air outs where the outfielder has tracked the ball to the wall and made a great catch.

When the batter puts the ball in play, there are three types of contact: Ground Balls, Line Drives, and Fly Balls.  Hitters like to hit line drives and BABIP info here will show you why.  For me, it has seemed like I still get ground balls and I get some balls in the air, but it's the middle ground--the line drives--that I have inadvertently induced more of.  Line drive gives a connotation of "hard hit", but I don't think I've been giving up harder-hit balls, just balls that have the right trajectory to fall in for hits.  It could be something as simple as a tiny mechanical flaw that is limiting the sink on my pitches.  It could be a matter of poor location of pitches or poor pitch selection.  It could be that I have unconsciously been trying to get my BABIP so ridiculously high this blog post would be a bigger hit.  It could be a quick fix or something that will come with time and experience.  I am acutely aware of it and will find the solution if I die trying.  

I have tried a number of things so far and I had a quick glimpse of success that I'm holding on to.  Every athlete will talk about certain days where they are "in the zone" or "feeling it".  Those feelings come about in every day life as well.  Certain days I stand on the mound and if you ran the '27 Yankees up the plate I would mow them down.  Other days, it feels like the Dutch Little Leaguers--even minus the Curaçoans--would be impossible to get out.  For whatever reason, I have had a higher percentage of the latter than I've ever had in my career and look forward to the former coming to visit and stay for a while.  In Portland last week, I switched something minuscule in my arm-swing on my slider and everything seemed to click that day.  I came in with runners on in a 1-run game and got the last four outs in 14 pitches (12 for strikes) on three weak grounders and a soft pop-up.  It was the Beavers I was facing, but I had that glimpse of being in the zone and sending the Yankees down in order.  It's a euphoric feeling and I'm holding on to it.

I will be the first to admit I haven't thrown well in Triple-A.  I haven't been happy with how I've felt out on the mound and haven't been happy with the results.  It's been beyond frustrating at times, but it can also be a learning experience.  I have been lucky in my short submarining career to have had success at each of the levels at which I've played.  I am not deterred in my on-field goal to pitch successfully for a long time in the major leagues by these recent struggles; I plan to use it as an opportunity to better prepare me.


In the meantime I will hold on to that feeling from Portland and I will take solace in the fact that despite not having thrown well at a new level of competition and perhaps seemingly getting a bit unlucky [2], I still have an ERA under a million [3], which is perhaps a good sign.  

I take even more solace in the prospect of using this post as a means to now actively change things around like last time.




[1] First, I should probably stop and explain what BABIP is really quickly.  If you know already, go ahead and skip this paragraph.  BABIP stands for Batting Average of Balls In Play.  There is a theory behind it that almost all of what happens after the batter puts the ball in play (meaning in fair territory and not over the outfield fence) is chance.  I'm dumbing this down, but the average BABIP of major league pitchers has been right around .290 for years and doesn't seem to move much at all.  So, if you give up a home run or walk the batter or strike him out, you had control over that.  But once he hits it in play, he should get a hit 30% of the time.  The idea is, if a pitcher has a breakout season, yet you look at his BABIP that year and it was .200, he wasn't much better, he was just lucky.  In other words, the batted balls just happened to land in fielders' mitts that year. [back]

[2] Again, I don't intend to fully equate BABIP with luck as I said before, but regardless of how poorly I've thrown, .424 is .069 points higher than current worst BABIP of any pitcher in the big leagues and is exactly double the BABIP of Sean Burnett who has pitched in 62 games for the Pirates and Nationals. [back]

[3] It's cumulatively at 4.24 now, which isn't abysmal, but up to this point is the highest ERA I've ever sported. [back]



]]> 1 Minute Monday, August 24th tag:discohayes.mlblogs.com,2009://67631.1186411 2009-08-25T02:59:41Z 2009-08-25T07:07:22Z Disco Hayes discohayes.mlblogs.com Fan Mail Friday, August 21th tag:discohayes.mlblogs.com,2009://67631.1183731 2009-08-22T01:13:47Z 2009-08-24T06:57:25Z After a trip to the west coast which featured no internet in the hotel and then an extra inning game Friday night before a 5am (PT) flight Saturday morning before a 7pm (CT) game followed by a Double Header Sunday,... Disco Hayes discohayes.mlblogs.com
After a trip to the west coast which featured no internet in the hotel and then an extra inning game Friday night before a 5am (PT) flight Saturday morning before a 7pm (CT) game followed by a Double Header Sunday, this was tough to get out on time.  Sorry for the wait.  I have been asked this question a number of times in person, and got it in my fan mail, so I decided to answer it.  I went a bit long on it, so this was the only question I got to this week.  Keep the questions coming to fanmail@discohayes.com and I'll keep on answering.


What do you think about the deal that Stephen Strasburg got without having pitched to a Major League hitter?  Do you think anyone is worth that kind of money coming out of college?
Chris H., Glendale, AZ

Chris, you ask a good question, but unfortunately you have put me in an awkward position a few times over.  First, as an "insider" and someone invested in being paid to play baseball, this question is a bit tough to answer honestly.  More importantly though, with a name like Chris H., you are undoubtedly going to raise questions about whether or not you are real or if I just made you up [1] .  Which makes it that much more awkward were I to make up a question which put me in an awkward position to answer.  Perhaps that's awkward enough people will realize I would never do that to myself.

As background, I'll lay out all the facts I know on the subject: this guy has never thrown in a Major League game and he just got paid $15,100,000 [2].  That's it.  I haven't seen Strasburg throw, so keep that in mind as I answer this.  I don't know his stats all that well either.  And at the time of writing this, I currently don't have Internet access at the hotel, thanks La Keentah [3], so I am unable to do a whole lot of research on him.  Or is it Him?  Either way, I will do what I can to answer honestly.  I will mostly think out loud and hope my thoughts will be of interest and perhaps lead to new insights on your part.

Now that I'm done with my disclaimers, I will go on to answer your question.



What do you think about the deal?

I think it's insane.  Before you start nodding your head and think, "There, see!  Even the players think it's ridiculous..." keep reading.

I do think it's insane, I do think it's way too much money upfront for someone coming out of college.  I also am, of course, insanely jealous, but that's beside the point.  I know first-hand how difficult it is to make it to the big leagues and how difficult the grind of a daily professional baseball schedule is.  The difficulties reach well beyond the batter 60-feet 6-inches away.  Both on and off the field, being a successful professional is more than velocity and pitch location.  I think back to my team in 2006 which was full of recent draftees and only a select few of us are still in the game.  The attrition in this profession is worse than Freshman Organic Chemistry.  As I said before, I don't know much about Strasburg, but there are a lot of variables to him being a success.


What I do know about him is he has incredible "stuff".  I have heard he throws ridiculously hard and locates and has great off speed pitches.  He isn't just a hard thrower who an organization could plan on teaching how to pitch.  He already knows how to pitch and does so as well, now, as many major league pitchers.  He is polished and a can't miss prospect.  He's potentially a major league caliber pitcher right now.  A "no brainer".

Well, there have been "no brainers" and can't-miss guys before, and in the past some of them have missed (maybe because they had no brains).  I don't want to put out a list of biggest busts because that doesn't seem fun and I'm sure other people have done it plenty of times over in the past, but suffice it to say, there have been a lot of highly touted players ready to "step in to the majors right now" that haven't panned out.  One of the most prevalent indicators of how cool a game baseball is is that it's so hard to evaluate which players will have success.  It shows baseball is more than a game of talent or ability.  In the NFL there are seven rounds of the draft.  And realistically, the difference makers are all taken within the first few rounds.  Yeah, Tom Brady this, Tom Brady that, but dimples aside, let me make my point.  The NHL has seven rounds as well.  In the NBA there are two rounds.  Two rounds.  How can baseball have 50 rounds and the other major sports have so few?  Is it that much harder to evaluate talent in baseball?  No.  But in baseball the correlation between talent and success is not nearly as certain as other sports.  It is not at all uncommon to know a basketball player is going to be an NBA star when he is 17 years old.  In baseball, it happens (thanks A-Rod for weakening my argument), but extremely rarely.

From what I've heard Strasburg's talent is undeniable.  The Nationals evaluated this, but paid him a seemingly ridiculous sum banking on his success.  For their sake let's hope the talent correlation with success holds more like it did for LeBron than it did for Matt Bush or Brien Taylor or Steve Chilcott (the notable #1's who didn't even make the Majors).



Do you think anyone is worth that kind of money coming out of college?

Yes, I do.

Wait, you just said all this stuff about how it was insane to give him that much money and how he could be a terrible investment.  How can you turn around and answer "Yes" to this second question?

There are a few approaches I could take here, and in my opinion (which is the only opinion expressed [4] on my blog), they all point to the answer "Yes".  As crazy as it sounds, I think Strasburg very well may be worth that kind of money.

If you are a baseball stat geek and in your mind "WAR" first and foremost means "Wins above Replacement", this section of my answer is for you.  Sort of.  If you really want to get that in-depth with it, read stuff that's more interesting and much better thought-out other places like Rany Jazayerli did for Baseball Prospectus or this from hardballtimes.com.  If you want the Disco spin, I will give it quickly and hope even you non-stat-geeks can enjoy.  Wins Above Replacement (WAR) is a stat that indicates how many wins a player is worth above a Triple-A replacement at his position.  For example, it would attempt to answer the question how many extra games would the Yankees have won if A-Rod were healthy and in the lineup to start this year?  Granted it's a tough question to answer, but trust me, there is a ton that goes into these calculations.  And if you look on fangraphs.com at a sorted list of which pitchers this year have the highest WAR, it's a who's who of sorts, which should give credence to the calculations.  At the time of writing this, Lincecum is currently the top pitcher on the list with a WAR of 7.2  In other words, the Giants have won 7.2 more games this year than they would have if Lincecum hadn't started a game and a Triple-A pitcher was filling in for him instead.  I won't go into the math behind it here, but I will use the results in a quick, completely dumbed-down manner for even the non-statistician.

But first, I will throw another number out there for you.  The value of winning one game is worth approximately $4.5 million on the open market to a major league franchise (if you visited that fangraphs link, you'll see they've used approx. $4.5 million on the WAR table to come up with a dollar value).  Again, you ask me how that is calculated and I will tell you to dig around online to find it (I'll give you a hint, it's not as simple as Revenue / Wins), but it takes into account added ticket sales and concession sales and merchandise sales and TV revenue to spit out a number for how much a win is worth to a franchise.  Granted, getting a win on the last day of the season to finish 63-99 instead of 62-100 is not as valuable as the difference in finishing 90-72 vs 89-73 which may mean the difference in a playoff birth.  But again, people much smarter than me (yes there are a select few, and if they aren't, they disguise it behind hours of free time spent crunching numbers) created this value so lets use it.

Alright, now we are ready to go.  The Nationals will have made a made a good deal if, over the four years of his contract, Strasburg is 3.36 wins better than a replacement pitcher (at $4.5 million, 3.36 wins is worth $15.12 million).  That comes to .839 wins per year for four years.  Right now, the Nationals have 4 starting pitchers who have surpassed the .839 WAR threshold already this season: Jordan Zimmerman (1.9), John Lannan (1.2), Craig Stammen (0.9), and Ross Detwiler (0.9).  And there's still a quarter of the year to go.  If, in response to this question, I asked you if Strasburg had the chance to be the next Craig Stammen, would you have said yes?  You probably would have asked who Craig Stammen was and then said yes.

For the people who didn't run to their junior high math class with their binder already out of their backpack in excitement, here's some more down-to-earth reasoning.


I can think of two paths of reasoning from here.

Reasoning A:

You asked if anyone is worth it.  All signs point to Him being better than anyone ever at baseball, but lets just assume he isn't.  Is there anyone in the majors right now who played in college and is now worth more than $3.775 million per year?  That's a ton of money, yes.  But the market would certainly indicate there are plenty of guys in the majors right now who are worth more than $3.775 million per year.  So, if there's anyone who played in college and then has gone on to be worth over $3.775 million per year in the Majors, the answer to your question--it could be argued--is "yes".  Now, the Nationals have Strasburg for the next four years, not four years in his prime, so maybe that changes things.  But names like Longoria, Lincecum, Verlander, Price, et al could quickly help this case.  Even if he is worth nothing his first two years and then $5 million the third year and $10 the fourth, it was a good signing for the Nats.  I'm not prophesying he will be, that's not my job.  All I'm saying is:  it's possible.  Other, seemingly lesser mortals have been worth it.  Will Tim Lincecum be worth $15 million over his first four years to the Giants?  If you're struggling to answer this one, I'll give you a nudge.  Fangraphs says he's worth $32.5 million through the first ¾ of THIS YEAR so far (no, this doesn't discount anything Fangraphs has to say as being bloated, it's just he's that good).  Oh, and did I mention Lincecum came out of college?  It is entirely possible Strasburg won't be worth $15 million, but it's entirely possible he will (plus or minus that pesky "point one").


Reasoning B:

It always is important to look at things in perspective, and a number like $15.1 million is easy to take out of perspective, because, after all, it's insane.  I now make $1,050 per paycheck (before taxes) for ten paychecks a year.  That's $10,500 for the entire year (and it was much lower when I was in the lower levels).  How can I put $15.1 million into perspective?  How can--god forbid this is actually happening on my blog--Joe the Plumber put it into perspective?  It seems outrageous.  And at a glance it is.  But think about it a little more.

The price of things can be difficult to fairly assess.  Lets say you are debating buying something.  If its price is less than the value of the inconvenience of not purchasing the item, you should buy it.  I'll give you an example a friend of mine shared with me.  He had been mailed a contract to play baseball in France and had to sign it and mail it back to France.  He went to the post office worrying it would cost an arm and a leg.  After mailing it from the post office, he called me and asked how much I thought it cost.  I think I guessed $60 with a chuckle.  It was $1.89.  A dollar eighty nine!

Without the $1.89 option, my friend could have hopped on a plane or boat and deliver the contract himself.  Which, despite Southwest's "no hidden fees" policy, I doubt he could have done for less than $1.89.  Of course mailing it was more than cost-effective.  If the Nationals didn't sign Strasburg but instead wanted to sign a replacement pitcher, odds are they would have had to pay more than $3.775 million per year.  To get a number one starter in the major leagues can cost you easily over $10 million a year.  If you don't believe me, go here to check out some of the names you know and see what they make.

   This may be true, but Strasburg isn't ace caliber, he hasn't proved it yet.

OK, maybe they wanted a guy who throws 100mph with plus off-speed pitches.  Well that's gonna cost you, too.  Who else does that?  Verlander, maybe?  $3.675 million (and that's through arbitration, not free agency...and I'm willing to bet Justin has a pretty nice raise coming here shortly).

    Yeah but you said so yourself, it's not stuff, it's how effective a pitcher is.

Perhaps, but the Nationals are running a business and, though ideally winning is a large part of it, we are talking dollars and cents here (mostly dollars) and whether or not Strasburg is worth it.  If he doesn't add to wins and losses (though earlier arguments show he doesn't need to add to wins by that much to be worth it), he is a big name now and I'm sure the Nationals are hoping people will pay to come see him pitch.  A household-name starting pitcher in the majors will, again, easily run you over $10 million per year, which, again, is way more than $3.775.

When I told you about my friend having to "decide" between flying to France or mailing the contract for $1.89, it was a "no brainer", right?  He was saving thousands of dollars.  Using the same reasoning, the Nationals may be saving millions by going with Strasburg for $3.775 million per year.  That's a no brainer a thousand times over, right?


Another way to look at the value of mailing the contract to France would be from the postal carrier's perspective.  If it marginally cost them less than $1.89 to mail the envelope, then they are making a good deal by charging $1.89.  Assuming a long-standing company would not be in business if they consistently lost money, they must have a positive marginal revenue from charging $1.89.

Will the Nationals make money off Strasburg if they pay him $15.1 million?  Well, this isn't as easy a call as the $1.89 the postal carrier charged, but you'd have to assume there has been some thought that went into it.

Again, it has to be in perspective.  Does it make sense the Nationals will benefit on spending $15.1 million on a guy who's never faced a Major League hitter?  No.  For all the reasons listed above, there's a chance this will be a bust.  But does it make sense a hot dog and a beverage costs $12 at a major league park?  No.  Does it make sense tickets cost $50?  How about parking for $35?  What about jerseys for $100 and TV deals worth millions?  Those don't make sense either.  But what if the average fan spends $150 on a trip to a ballgame between parking, ticket costs, concessions, refreshments, souvenirs, and apparel?  What if, over the course of 324 home games over the next four years, an extra 400 fans come to see the Nationals play each of those games?  That doesn't seem outrageous, does it?  Only 400 fans isn't much.  Well, if we guess a fan spends $150 per game, some quick math shows 400 fans really is a lot: 400 x 324 x $150 = $19.44 million.

Sure, Strasburg will only pitch one out of every five of those games.  But if I had said 2,000 extra fans for each of his starts, I doubt you would have objected.  Maybe 400 fans come to get his autograph even if he doesn't start.  We aren't even including TV revenue which would perhaps increase for road games, too.  This is all speculation, but you can see why $15.1 million is no longer sounding so ridiculous.  Sure, he could pitch in one game and get hurt and never play again, it's all possible.  But maybe he becomes Lincecum and 5,000 extra fans come to each of his starts.  Maybe he leads them to the playoffs and the Nationals got a steal at $15.1 million.


The Nationals are paying pitchers Mike MacDougal and Scott Olsen $2.65 and $2.8 million respectively this year.  Nothing against those guys at all, I'm just a dude in Triple-A who throws 78, so I can't say anything, but the casual sports fan probably hasn't discussed their contracts over dinner.  The simple fact someone emailed me this question about Strasburg shows his popularity, which may make him worth an extra million per year more than MacDougal and Olsen to the Nats.


There are tons of factors here.  Yes, he could be a bust.  Yes, he could get hurt.  Yes, he could develop a crippling case of agoraphobia.  The $15.1 million is a risk.  The draft is risk vs reward at it's finest in the player development game.  At a glance, $15.1 million is an insane amount of money and seems like way too much.  But it is all relative.  Did it seem insane and unreasonable for the Nationals to hope Strasburg becomes at least the next ... oh .... what's that guy's name?  You forgot too?  Well, it's Stammen, but I think I've made my point.


If you wanted cruise control on your car and a mechanic tried to charge you $5,000 to install it, you'd say he's crazy and the cruise control is way over-priced.  If NASA wanted to put cruise control on the space shuttle, and that mechanic gave the same quote, the $5,000 would seem laughably beyond petty.

So, what do I think about the deal?  It's insane, it really is.  Put $8 million away and live off the half-a-million-dollar interest for the rest of your life without facing a single major league batter?  That's nuts.

Do I think anyone's worth it?  Paradoxically, yes.



What I'm trying to say is: It's all relative.




Except for Chris H.  I swear he's not [1].




[1] I swear I did not make this person up. [back]
[2] I wrote it out fully so as to not neglect the "point one".  I make less than point one of "point one" per year, so I become ornery when people say "He got signed for fifteen million, can you imagine that?"  I can't imagine being signed for "point one" let alone 150 times that! [back]
[3] I have changed the name of the hotel to protect the innocent. [back]
[4] On days that don't start with Wednesda. [back]



]]> Wed=Wife, 2 Frees for the Price of One tag:discohayes.mlblogs.com,2009://67631.1174941 2009-08-20T01:46:45Z 2009-08-20T06:48:51Z Disco Hayes discohayes.mlblogs.com
So, let me first start off by saying I love Nike clothing.  As someone in the fitness profession, this kind of gear has been my entire wardrobe like Banana Republic might be for you business folks, so the opportunity to be a Nike VIP for a day was pretty awesome... especially under the top secret conditions by which we were admitted.

The deal is if you work for Nike, you get a 50% discount off Nike merchandise and have premiere access to their Employee Store (the only one of its kind) in Beaverton, Oregon.   Each Nike employee is allowed five guest passes per year for family and friends, but come on, how many Nike employees do you actually know who would also be willing to share their coveted guest passes?

Well, this is where we start feeling like total VIPs.  Somehow, some way, someone within the Portland Beavers knows someone who knows someone who was able to put the entire Omaha Royals team on 'the list' for admission to the Employee Store on Saturday, August 15th between the hours of 9:30 AM and 4:30 PM ONLY.   If you're not on 'the list', no matter how you swing it, you will not be admitted.  In fact, my name was not on it and when Chris inquired about getting my name on, he was met with, "Sorry, 'the list' already went out and we can't get anyone else on it."

Chris says, "Okay, I'm sure they'll just let her in right?"

"Oh heck no.  They are super tight with security over there.  She has to be on 'the list' or she won't be allowed in." 

So, not only do I need to be on the list like everyone else, but the team was strongly advised not to wear any athletic items that didn't say Nike.  If you only had Adidas shoes, you had to borrow a pair or go barefoot.  One player admit that since he was sponsored by a competitor, he had nothing to wear except his dress slacks and button down he wore on the plane, so he was strongly advised to wear that while everyone else was in jeans.    

They run a tight ship over there, huh?  In an effort to get me in, Chris made a call to the Beavers front office to see if they could help, but their response was,  "We're really sorry, but once the list goes out, there's no way to put anyone else on and if she's not on it, she can't get in.  Heck, we're not even allowed in."

"Well then who do I call?"  Chris practically has to beg to get the number of a guy who knows a guy over at Nike, who might be able to help, but it's now 6 PM on Friday and we're supposed to be going at 10 AM tomorrow.

Chris leaves a message for the guy who knows a guy, pleading to get me on 'the list' and when he doesn't hear back, he calls his agent who is all sorts of connected.   They've got big leaguer after big leaguer, and a bunch of clients with Nike deals, so piece of cake, right?  If the guy who knows a guy doesn't call back, at least we've got a full proof way through the agent.   

Well, come Saturday morning, Chris's agent calls back shocked to admit he doesn't know what kind of store we're trying to get into, but he went through every contact he had and they weren't able to get me on.  If Chris had a Nike contract, I could get in with no problem, but not otherwise.

You've got to be kidding me.  

So now we're on the train heading to the Employee Store and I'm still not this secret list!  Chris decides to try the guy who knows a guy one more time and if he couldn't reach him we devised a method where Chris would take a picture of something he thought I'd like, email it to me standing outside the security gates and we'd make purchases that way.  I was totally about to be the ugly girl eagerly waiting outside the velvet rope while all the cool kids walk right past me into the hottest nightclub in town.  Sigh.  But I was prepared.

We get off the train in the middle of NOWHERE, look around, and there are no signs, no arrows, nothing pointing us in the direction of the store.  Luckily one of the guys knew where to go, but even he had a little bit of trouble navigating the team through tall grass, roaring streams, and barbed wire fences in order to spot a "big building with a white roof" as we were told.  Okay, we didn't have to jump a stream, but it is in the middle of nowhere and only if you know where you're going would you be able to find it from the train.  Just as we're walking up to the entrance with a line out the door jetting into the parking lot, Chris's phone rings and it's the guy who knows a guy!  Good news.  I'm on 'the list'!  Ahem.  I can now huff on my fingers and shine my nails on my shirt cause I'm now kind of a big deal, too.

After waiting in line for thirty minutes amongst all the other VIPs, we were called to a counter where our IDs were checked with 'the list' and given a small piece of paper with the date, which goes to the cashier when you check out.  So, even if you're able to find this place and somehow sneak past security, without the piece of paper, you'd be sh!t out of luck and shown the door. 

We walk in to find a huge warehouse filled with Nike everything: clothing, shoes, golf clubs, bags.  You name it they had it.  And it wasn't the stuff you'd find at the Outlet stores, either.   This was the real deal, a Niketown on steroids.  It was huge and I was in heaven.  Chris and I split up and as we browsed separately, the store just continued to get more and more jammed with people.  After our second hour there, it was hot, the aisles were packed, and luckily for me, everything was my size; unlike Chris who only found "ah" shirt.  That's it?  Just one shirt?? The only downside to the store is if you weren't an X-Small or an X-Large, you might only luck out with a single shirt like Chris did because by Saturday all the middle sizes had been picked through already.

Once you've battled the crowds and survived the line to check out, your last step is making it past the cashier cause as soon as you hand that little piece of paper over, that was it.  No turning back so you better make sure everything fits and you like what you got, because they don't allow exchanges; just returns.

In the end, I made out pri-tty darn well with two pairs of Nike Free 5.0s for the price of Chris's single pair he got two weeks earlier and workout clothes for half price.  Can I get a heellllls yea!  And just to make sure we were getting the best of the best, we checked out a Niketown in Seattle today to find the exact same stuff, but double the price.

So, moral of the story here is if you want Nike gear for half the price, you have to be a pretty darn big deal, have a contract with them, or know a Nike employee who doesn't mind sharing one of their passes.  Otherwise, plan on paying full price because getting into the Nike Employee Store is harder to get into than a virgin's pants Harvard Law.  
]]> 1 Minute Monday, August 17th tag:discohayes.mlblogs.com,2009://67631.1171001 2009-08-17T15:00:32Z 2009-08-18T20:10:35Z Disco Hayes discohayes.mlblogs.com Multnomah Falls near the gorge and hike after a day game yeste


*more on this later from the Mrs.



]]> Fan Mail Friday, August 14th tag:discohayes.mlblogs.com,2009://67631.1159831 2009-08-14T20:37:24Z 2009-08-15T06:14:55Z Disco Hayes discohayes.mlblogs.com
Each Friday Disco takes the time to answer your fan mail questions.  If you have a question of your own, please email it to fanmail@discohayes.com.


Dear Mr. Hayes,

I am new to learning anything about baseball. I have a person named Ryan M. B. who just graduated High School here in Arlington Texas. He is going to Texas Tech in Lubbock, I believe to better himself with the game. He is a true lover of the sport I am being told & shown. I believe he will indeed make something of himself in a career that will lead to the major leagues.

This is how I stumbled onto your blog. Not knowing anything about the order of things in baseball I figured that minor comes before major. So I feel that Ryan would do minor first the reason I followed it & found you. I would like to know how all this works. If Ryan is doing baseball as a study at TTU and is good at it what happens next up to how someone gets to the Major leagues? Would you know how to find the information on all the steps? I am curious to find out how a person makes it to the major leagues. If I know more I might be able to assist him  somehow along the way.

One thing I might be able to help you with in your game ability. Your nickname & the type of song style you are seeking. First of all what you are focusing on is a 'Disco type of music', you got this title as well from the speed of your throwing capabilities. What I believe you need to improve your skills is a different type of music & drop the 'Disco' from your name. You will be whatever you focus on.

You need a more power driven type of music. One that is energetic based, more speed. I have just the music style I believe that you need. If you listen & focus on all this, I believe you will indeed improve your skill. I am enclosing some music by a band called, 'Volbeat' that are from Denmark. A uniqueness in power driven, smoothness & style.

Tell your fans & others that you are officially dropping 'Disco' from your name & stop using it. That is unless you are happy where you are. Plus you will get that 'Chick' off your back, I believe she calls herself,'Lady Gaga'. I doubt if she can compete with Volbeat's music. I have never heard her personally, I do hear that she has a bad taste in fashion though.


Take Care & Blessings,
Janette S., Arlington, TX

Janette,
Jeg er ny på den måde, du taler. Jeg har konkluderet, at du har skrevet noget på et fremmed sprog og oversat det til engelsk for at sende til mig. Sikke en fornøjelse for mig! Jeg føler mig beæret over at have fans fra hele verden, selv om det betyder kun, Texas. Jeg havde aldrig hørt om VOLBEAT, så jeg gjorde en hurtig Wikipedia-søgning og fundet det er et dansk rock band, der fik det navn fra "Vol" stående for "bind" og "Beat" stående for "Beat". Åh, disse vanskelige dansk. Så I'm guessing du er dansk og så jeg håber du er Værdistigningen det sjove ved at have mig svare dig på dit modersmål, selv om det kan være brudt i oversættelse en smule.


Jeg researchede VOLBEAT, men jeg har ikke hørt nogen af deres sange endnu. Jeg har en fornemmelse jeg må stick med Disco stuff, i det mindste for nu, selv om. I beg i halvfjerdserne er en sætning, ikke mange mennesker kan sige, selvom jeg er sikker på, at de fleste af VOLBEAT's lyrics er temmelig svært at sige, også. Med hensyn til din bemærkning om "du er hvad du fokuserer på" Jeg er helt enig, og jeg er en dominerende Pitcher grund af præcis hvordan jeg kast. Jeg takker Dem for Deres tips og overvejelse.

Jeg ønsker din ven Ryan de bedste på Texas Tech. Det er en god skole for at studere baseball, så han er på rette vej.

De vigtigste for ham vil være at spille godt i college og derefter håber spejdere vil kunne lide ham og ønsker at udkastet til ham. Mere end noget, jeg vil fortælle ham at falde helt kæmpe bomber og forsøger at kaste langt over hundred miles i timen. Jeg tror i kilometer, der er over hundrede og tres. Hvis han ikke gør nogen af disse to, han bare har at være virkelig konsekvent og udbudt gode numre. Som freshman, fortælle ham, at bare arbejde virkelig hårdt og komme i virkelig god form, så en Sophomore og Junior han vil være stærk og klar til at klare sig godt. Når han kommer i kontakt med spejdere, de normalt har spillere udfylder oplysninger pakker så de organisationer vide noget om ham. De er ofte spørge ting som, hvor mange penge, han ønsker at underskrive for, og selvom jeg aldrig oplevet dette, eller har jeg haft råd til det, blot i form af forhandlingstaktikker vil jeg anbefale forlader disse ting tomt. Det ser ud til en ung knægt med stor spænding at få underskrevet vil sandsynligvis sige noget, og måske give de organisationer, alt for meget information. Gøre dem svede det ud og lad dem tilbyde noget først.

Når han gør få underskrevet, er det en lang vej til at komme til de store ligaer. Jeg skriver en bog om det, og meget af min blog taler om det, så hvis du holder læser her, kan det være nyttigt. Din ven har i mindst tre år, indtil han kan få udarbejdet, så min bog vil være ude af derefter, og det bør kaste ganske lidt lys over processen.

Jeg håber, at dette hjælper, og du deler min blogs med dine danske venner.

Godspeed,
Diskotek [1]



Hey Disco,
I'm from the Omaha area originally, and now reside in Florida. Could I mail you an item to have you autograph it for me?
Sincerely,
Cord C., Port Charlotte, FL

Cord, this seems silly to respond on my blog, but I've tried a number of times via email to reply to you, and I keep getting "Return to Sender".  Perhaps this is better, because other people may have the same question, so I'll answer publicly:

Rosenblatt Stadium attn: Disco Hayes
1202 Bert Murphy Ave.
Omaha, NE 68107

Feel free to send anything with a self-addressed, stamped return envelope and I will sign it and put it in the mail for the next day.  This happens on a daily basis in the clubhouse, though I have only had the honor of signing two things in such a way (both to the same guy in Florida on consecutive years).  I would be thrilled to sign something, so send away!  Again, Cord, sorry my previous emails didn't go through, so I hope you're checking back to read the blog.


In ancient times (roughly 1979), a fellow with a rather odd, underhanded delivery, also given to bouts of wit, was promoted from Omaha to Kansas City.  He drank coffee in the bullpen until the eighth inning, came into games throwing baseballs rarely touching 80 miles per hour in velocity, yet somehow persuaded real athletes to beat their bats into plowshares and the ball into the ground, where Frank White, U.L. Washington and various firstbasemen cooperated to turn doubleplays, upsetting the sense of fair play and providing the Royals Baseball Club with two pennants and one World Championship.  For years now, masochistic Royals fans such as myself have wandered in the desert, listening on our radios as people with names like [Censored] made a mess of things. We have been waiting for "THE ONE".  I really don't care about all this "Disco" nonsense.  Ever since I heard about your promotion and modus operandi, I've been wanting to watch you in action.  That other fellow was 26 when he was promoted from Omaha to KC.  I hope history repeats itself.  I prefer to call you "Chrisenberry."

Suitcase [2]


Suitcase,
For as much crap I have thrown on you and made you carry my baggage for me all these years, I feel it is the least I can do to change my name for you.  I'll take out that little cardboard label in the "American Tourister" tag and change my name to Chrisenberry.  I should probably update my address from the house I moved out of eight years ago, too.

When I make it to KC and we get two pennants and a World Championship, you can call me "Carry On" if you'd like for all I care.  You just may have to go around the luggage carousel a few extra times because I doubt I will catch on right away that the bag passing by shouting, "Carry On," is calling for me.  I'll be used to "Chrisenberry".



Dear Disco,
I am also a little annoyed you didn't give me a "shout out" as the person who got your blog put up on The Big Lead.  Just as your wife was about the Lady Gaga song.
Jeff W., Omaha, NE

Jeff, I have a number of bones to pick with you here.  First, leave the sentence fragments to me.  That's my job.  Secondly, I'm surprised you're selfish enough to try to take some of the credit away from me for being such a big hit on The Big Lead.  After all, the point of this blog is to give credit to me.

Was I aware you were the one who got me on The Big Lead in the first place? [3]  And what has The Big Lead done for me anyway? [4]  I mean, you asking to be shamelessly promoted on my blog is like me begging to get back on The Big Lead by continuing to link to it from my blog.  But why would I even want to be on their site anyway? [4]

If I had known [3] you were involved in the exposure to The Big Lead [4], I would have been more than happy to give you props as I did with Chris M on my awesome Twitter background design and will do in weeks to come when web developer Dan P. from Austin, TX may help me with some poll ideas for the blog.  But I had no idea you were involved [3] and that's why I didn't give you any credit for my blog becoming insanely more popular than ever before on one particular day. [4]

So, if you want to get full credit for submitting my blog to The Big Lead, IF you claim you already have once [3], perhaps you can do it "again" [3], even though we all know you never did [3], and though any increase in ratings [4] will obviously come, not due to the exposure [4], but rather due to pure chance [4] or just a particularly funny day [4] on the blog.

But seriously, thanks for submitting, and any time anyone wants to help make me more famous, I'll be happy to give you props at the bottom of a post most people gave up reading half way through.

So, thanks Jeff, keep up the good work.  You are now the proud owner of a lifetime VIP pass to the "Discotheque".  Any other readers out there doing work to broaden my fame?  Email me and I'll probably forget about you too.  But the thousands of fans and future dollars you bring in for me will never be forgotten (unless they, in turn, do something nice and email me about it).


[1] As saddened as I was Google Translator had nothing for "Godspeed", I was even more elated with what it did with "Disco". [back]
[2] I swear I did not make this up, he/she actually signed it "Suitcase". [back]
[3] Turns out I went back and checked and sure enough, you did send me an email making it unequivocally clear you submitted my blog to The Big Lead. My bad on that one. [back]
[4] It did increase my page hits TENFOLD on the day it debuted on The Big Lead. [back]




]]> One Minute Monday, August 10th tag:discohayes.mlblogs.com,2009://67631.1151981 2009-08-11T03:38:09Z 2009-08-11T04:48:51Z Disco Hayes discohayes.mlblogs.com strikeout looking" from last post, which was basically the highlight of my day.  We have a literary agent looking over our book proposal and if she likes it, it will make for a busy offseason writing ]]> Fan Mail Friday, August 7th tag:discohayes.mlblogs.com,2009://67631.1150271 2009-08-07T18:11:53Z 2009-09-01T19:46:11Z Disco Hayes discohayes.mlblogs.com
I had three sets of visitors this weekend between my mom and two very close family friends, so I wasn't able to get to Fan Mail questions very easily.  I have some quick, odds and ends, baseball-related questions I'll answer, even if it's a few days late.  I've been getting quite a few new fans emailing in, but just a reminder to everyone, if you have a question, no matter how wacky or weird, please send it to fanmail@discohayes.com and I will do my best to answer it for you.



Do pitchers really hit batters on purpose?  If so, have you ever hit a batter on purpose?
Ginny P., Goodyear, AZ

This is one of those "unwritten rules" in baseball, so I'm finding it hard to write an answer for you.  I will now do an interpretive dance in front of my computer to explain.



Lots of dramatic thrashing and arm waving with short pauses for reflection.

I look shocked and run backwards in place.

I begin jumping frantically in the air kicking my legs.

I crouch down and pull my face into my knees with my hands.

The crowd grows silent.

I erupt into action and fling myself high into the air with my hands over my head.

I drop my head back behind my body and stare into the sky.

Scene.








I hope you understand now.


What is that white pillow-looking bag on the mound?  Is that a dumb question?  I assume it's something for your hands or grip as guys usually grab it and powder comes up, but I can't imagine baby powder in there.  What is it used for?
Kate K., Joplin, MO

It's called a rosin bag.  Rosin is made by vaporizing resin from trees and plants until it becomes a solid crystal-like rock.  Typically the bat boys fill a long tube sock with rosin and then they crush it to form a powder.  The sock is then tied off and cut making the little pillow-shaped marshmallow on the mound.  When you toss it up and catch it or hit it with your hand, the powder comes out bit by bit.  Rosin is used for grip and keeping your hand dry.  Some guys' hands sweat profusely when they pitch and so they use a ton of rosin to keep it dry and get a good grip.  On the other hand, they wear a glove.  Bada bing.  Get it?  On the other hand?  Cause they are pitchers.  I digress.

On the other hand, some guys don't like the sticky feeling you get with the rosin.  It's a personal preference.


It's not a dumb question, Kate, in fact I'm glad you asked because I bet it's one a lot of people have.  Guys like to have an especially good grip on their breaking pitches to try to maximize the spin.  Fastballs and change-ups often are better served to have less spin (which makes them sink), so it's not as beneficial on a fastball.  That doesn't mean if you see a pitcher go to the rosin bag he's about to throw a breaking ball; that would be too obvious a tell, but it gives you a little better understanding.  Some guys who are obsessed with rosin will end up with a patch of white powder on their hat or jersey so they can get extra rosin for each pitch without having to walk back and pick up the bag.

Personally, I used to never touch the rosin bag because I didn't like the stickiness.  I felt like the ball wouldn't come off my fingers as well and I never had a problem with sweaty hands.  As I've become more of an experienced pitcher, I use just a bit of rosin on my pointer and middle fingers.  So if you see me pitch, I'll bend over and tap the bag with those two fingers instead of tossing the bag in the air or smacking it against my whole hand.  Because I throw underhand, I like the added spin it gives me on my fastball because it's topspin and adds to the sink.


I have heard cards are often played in baseball clubhouses.  Do you slough aces when you play a game like Spades or Bridge?
Tom H., Queens, NY

Pluck is the big game in most clubhouses.  Aside from the fact it is the most dumbed-down trick taking game in history, I have no idea why everyone chooses to play it.  It's pretty stupid.  Anyways, I do slough Aces depending on the situation, of course.  Typically if I have three or less of one suit with the Ace, I will slough it if I'm in second position (meaning the player to my right leads that suit).  Otherwise, I play it straight.  Most of the time.


Do all pitchers wear a cup?  Do you wear a cup?  What's that like?
Jordan B., Kansas City, MO

I would say most pitchers wear a cup.  As I'm typing here, I'm trying to figure out what I'm basing that on, and it's an awkward mental exercise, so I'll just go with no "supporting" facts for my argument and say most do wear a cup.

I wear a cup.  I played a lot more catcher and shortstop than I did pitcher in the early part of my baseball career, so I got used to wearing a cup.  For me, it now feels really weird to wear a uniform without a cup.  As much time as we spend on the field in uniform before the game practicing and shagging, I have started to get used to it, but if I were to walk on the mound in a game without a cup, I don't know what I'd do.

Everyone has their own method for wearing a cup and everyone thinks theirs is the best.  But I KNOW mine is the best, and so, whether you wanted to hear or not, I'll share with you how to properly wear a cup.

If you go to the store and buy an "athletic supporter" it comes with 2 parts:  the cup and a jock strap with a sleeve into which the cup is supposed to slide.  I would recommend throwing out the jock strap with the sleeve.  If you're a parent and you're planning on buying your little-leaguer a cup for perhaps the first time, listen carefully, you will save your child years of discomfort, ridicule, and chafing.  You can thank me later.

You can't wear a cup directly on your ... hmmmm ... how do I finish this sentence without being lewd?  Let's use an At Bat as an allegory, here.  The pitcher throws three pitches.  The first is a ball, the second is a foul tip, and the third is a ball.  The umpire happens to be terrible that day, so he calls the balls strikes.  That means, on this day, two balls and a foul tip turn into a "strikeout looking".  So from this point forward, I'll refer to the "balls" and "foul tip" as a "strikeout looking".  I hope I haven't lost you and now that the anatomy is set, we can continue.

If you were to put the cup in the jock sleeve and put that directly on your strikeout looking, it would chafe terribly on your groin.  So, everyone in baseball wears something underneath the cup as a layer of protection over their strikeout looking.  When I was young, I remember it being cool to wear boxers in general, and as a result, kids wore boxers under their cup.  Boxers are designed for maximum freedom and are therefore meant to be loose-fitting, so when you plop a cup over them, all freedom and comfort is not only lost, but you have an excess of material that gets folder over and scrunched up against your strikeout looking.  Boxers are also not designed to stretch much so they don't allow for much movement once they are smashed into place.  Result:  boxers TKO'd.

I'll give a quick brief on briefs.  They don't provide a layer of material far down your leg enough to prevent chafing on the upper thigh and groin.  So, tighty whities are out.

That leaves us with what have come to be called "sliders".  For those of you moms out there writing this all down, first off, you're welcome, your sons will thank me some day, and who knows, maybe if you hadn't read this your son wouldn't wear a cup and someday wouldn't be able to provide you grandchildren.  Man, do you owe me!  Back to "sliders".  If you go to a sporting goods store, you probably won't see the term "sliders" on any products.  They are typically called "compression shorts" and are mass-produced by companies like Nike and UnderArmour.  They are spandex-like material and are long enough to go down at least half way down your thigh, but not all the way to your knee.  Buy two pairs of these sliders.  Then, while you are buying a cup, buy a regular jock strap, not one with a sleeve, I can't stress this enough.

The method for wearing these articles of clothing goes like this: put the first pair of sliders on.  They should fit tight and be stretchy across your legs.  Pull the bottoms of the sliders (which should be sitting down on your thighs) UP towards your strikeout looking so the inseam is shorter than it was.  This should allow for a snugger fit on your strikeout looking.

I need to digress again for a minute.  The key to wearing a cup is you want it as form-fitted to your strikeout looking as possible.  Let's picture this for a minute: you have to wear a hat, but you decide to balance a large dinner plate on the top of your head first before putting on the hat.  When the hat goes on, it has to sit on the dinner plate and is way up and off your head.  When you move or spin around (let's assume you have excellent balance and don't knock over the plate) the hat is bound to bounce around on the plate.  Now, let's say instead of having a plate on your head, you have a swim cap.  When you put your hat on, it now fits snugly over your head and will stay in place and is more comfortable.  It also does not stick as far up off the top of your head.  This is the idea behind the best method for wearing a cup on your strikeout looking.

When you pull the first pair of sliders up, you don't want to give yourself a wedgie, but you want your strikeout looking to be under the swim cap, not under the dinner plate.  Capeche?  OK, no put the jock strap on over the first pair of sliders.  The jock strap should fit the same as if you didn't even have the sliders on.  Now, put the second pair of sliders on over the top of all of this.  Don't hike the second pair of sliders up.  Leave them be for the time being.  Now you are ready to insert the cup.  I've harped on this, but one last check...don't use a jock strap with a sleeve.  Take the cup and put it between the first layer of sliders and the jock strap.  You will notice the jock strap forms nicely over the cup and the cup forms nicely over the strikeout looking.  There should be no uncomfortable pinching or chafing because you have the bottom protective layer.  There should be no sliding bouncing of the cup because it is in the jock strap, and the cup should not be sticking out far and should be held perfectly in place because you have the second pair of sliders over the top of everything.

Gone are the days of painful, awkward running and chafed and pinched thighs.  Let's rejoice.

A special thanks to my assistant high school baseball coach, Ray Werner, for telling me about this method as I have used it every day for the past ten years since he showed me.

Oh, and how could I forget?, use a generous amount of baby powder for maximum comfort.


Do you keep in touch with former Northwestern teammate and current Phillie, J.A. Happ?
Jerry D., Wheaton, IL

I do keep up with J.A.  It's been an exciting season.  It is hard to imagine 2009 would be anywhere near as exciting as 2008 was for J.A., but he's throwing so well it's been really fun to watch.  I remember being so fired up watching last year's playoffs and World Series because I wanted J.A. to get a ring in his first trip to the post season.  This year was a entirely different set of circumstances for him because of his name being mentioned in much of the deadline trade talk, but he's been a true professional and gone out and thrown the ball well all year.

I typically send him a text after his starts and rate how well he did based on the number of hits he gets at the plate.  Only just recently did he get his BA over the .100 mark, so that should give you an idea how supportive a friend I am.  He's a ridiculous athlete and used to be a very good hitter in college, so I like to give him a hard time about his swing.  He's got something like 3 career hits in the big leagues.  I think in scrimmages in college I was 4 for 20 off him with 3 bunt singles, so I feel I can still give him a hard time.
Hayes_Blesoff_Happ.jpg

Here I am (left to right) with teammates Evan Blesoff (who's playing Independent ball now) and J.A. Happ (currently with the Phillies) during the National Anthem in a game at Northwestern.


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