GAMEBALL and JOKE 5/27 BRAVES at GIANTS

GAMEBALL and JOKE
5/27 BRAVES at GIANTS

GAMEBALL

BIG RAT

299…you got to give him the gameball….but better yet….looks like RJ might have found a little consistency with back to back solid outings following the THRASHING by the Mets…..
Velocity? Check
Release Point? Check
Control? Check
Wow, looks like 1 hell of a #5 starter…..and heck if Sanchez, Zito, and Johnson all keep it up, this team could just stay in the race with this middling offense….

TIP OF THE CAP :
BATS
But it wasn't middling tonight, taking advantage of a less than sharp Kawakami….
The Giants were 2 for 6 with runners in scoring position which was good for 1 RBI (Molina gunned down)…..the Giants proceeded to go 4 for the next 4 chances before ending the game at 6 for 12…..
And contributions came from the whole lineup with 9 players getting hits, 5 players with RBI's and 5 players with Runs Scored……
And the timing was perfect, as every run the Braves scored was answered by the offense the following 1/2 inning, never allowing the Braves any momentum…..
I know there have been more runs scored by the Giants but I would have to say this was my favorite offensive game of the year ….especially after that road trip drought….
And that’s 16-8 at home, and heck if we cant make the playoffs…..I think you have 3 goals
1) Finish above .500
2) Dominate at home
3) Beat the freaking Dodgers
That should keep the fans satiated and the team thinking positive as we build to 2010…….


BURRISS
Mr Slappy made a little error leading to a Braves rally…..but I will go ahead and over look that as a error of youth…and instead look at the bright side
You see that play he made on that Diaz Foul???? LOVE that RANGE…..
And then with the bat….PULLED a ball through the hole to right……nailed a single just to the right of Center, and then smoked one over the head of Francouer to the wall in right……and all of that LEFTHANDED……the kid is growing up before our eyes…..and by the way after a mini slump he's back up to.a .271 average

RESERVE OF's
Schierholtz and Torres looks like they both are making a case for Lewis' AB's……
I especially LOVE Torres's range in CF….if Rowand was still slumping, I would be lobbying for some CF time for Torres….and nice snag in the corner and clutch hitting in a relief role for Nate

MERKIN
It's ok if I have a man crush on my namesake, right?
When Merkin is ON, nobody in the pen has better stuff…….
If you get Merkin, Affeldt, and Wilson going at the same time, you got yourself a bullpen you can build a championship team with…….well…..I know…..that's a very big "IF"

JOKER

LARRY

Freaking Larry……
Now perhaps the chat of "He's a bum" is worn, but it does seem to impress visitors just for coordination (of course, Yankees' fans actually rehearse their chants, but I digress)….but of all the stupid Bleacher Creature taunts I have heard, one sticks in my memory…….from when Chipper was in LF a few years back…..
"HEY LARRY……YOUR MOM CALLED FROM THE PAY PHONE……SHE SAYS THANKS FOR THE TRAILER"……classic stuff…….
And in a conversation I was lucky enough to have with an unnamed overly friendly Giant player at Momo's…..the discussion was about how Chipper lets fans get under his skin…..even more classic……
But if the fans didn't get under his skin, this 3 game set certainly got into his noggin…..
Picture yourself in his shoes, coming off a injury……it's cold, night game, and moist…..deep fence in Right……pinching hitting against a slightly wild high 90's Wilson….then coming back the next night to get schooled by the reigning Cy Young winner…..and THEN the next night, getting 3 K's from the old man Randy….topped off with a 97+ MPH moving fastball from Merkin……..
1 for 9 with 6 strikeouts…..and you are lucky you got one hit….


SMACK OF THE STICK :
PRADO
What the fuck was that????
In the fourth inning, Prado turned the pivot on a 5-4-3 Double Play…..the bad part…..there were already 2 outs……so obviously he didn't have his head in the game…..and then the next inning a chopper by Lewis….and Martin catches the ball and proceeds to think to much…..you see, I could tell because he was blinking….you see him blink?
Look at the pictures….on the left he is thinking/ blinking, on the right he is relaxed

But I digress……
What I think happened, is he had no idea who was running, and he panicked when he saw Lewis flying down the line……he had no chance at a DP on a chopper like that, get the lead runner…..and heck, Lewis almost beat that sucker out after the double clutch……
Good god……you make Lewis look like a natural…….

LEWIS
Speaking of good old bumblefingers…..0 fer……with a K, but did grind out the walk….and of course a little bumble on a Double that cost the Giants nothing…but people will remember……

KUIP
Now, Kruk and Kuip (as if they knew RJ would be pulled after 79 pitches) were going on and on about pitch counts, and I am open minded……but when Kuiper made the analogy about training for the 100 yard dash and now we ask them to run the 140 yard dash, he won't be able to do it……
Ummm, that’s wrong on so many levels…….
Running is more or less and natural motion, and the beating your body takes from a 100 yard dash is nothing like the beating your body takes from the unnatural pitching motion……pitching breaks down muscle….the body needs to heal…..100 pitches may be arbitrary, but so are speed limits……do speed limits save lives? Yes…..do speed limits make sense for every situation they are used? No……..pitch limits are there to protect pitchers arms and the investment clubs have made in them……will they prevent all injuries? No……do they always make sense in every situation? No……do they prevent damage to pitchers arms in some cases? Yes…..just like speed limits they are a check against potential abuse…..now, if you have a coach/ manager that is better at determining pitchers limits than an arbitrary pitch count…great……but as we have seen with the crucifixion of Dusty Baker in Chicago, if that coach/ manager takes responsibility….and an injury occurs, then blood is on their hands……and do YOU wanna be that guy? and with the value of these players, who wants to even take a chance……
And as far as Nolan Ryan, I am glad he has the guts to challenge the status quo…..love to see how that works out……now if we can get a major league club to listen to Dr Mike Marshall now THAT would be worth watching……


Footnote
Home record and vs LA Record
2009: 16-8 at home 4-5 v LA
2008: 37-44 at home 9-9 v LA
2007: 39-42 at home 8-10 v LA
2006: 43-38 at home 6-13 v LA

GAMEBALL and JOKE 5/26 BRAVES at GIANTS

I was farting around Lookout Landing the other day, and noticed they listed win probability as part of their game summary……well….I don't want to get into THAT habit….but for shits and giggles lets take a quick look

You start out at 50% (a flip of the coin) so the max a team can add is 50%, and that’s a win……
Timmy had 30.8% added, (30% pitching, 0.8% hitting) so basically you can think of that as Timmy was 61.6% of a win

Rowand 14.2%
Renteria 9.2%

After Rowand's 2 run double, the Giants had a 75% chance of winning and never looked back

for what its worth, fangraphs link to this game here

GAMEBALL and JOKE
5/26 BRAVES at GIANTS

GAMEBALL

TIMMY

Kid is awesome, what can you say……three plus plus pitches and plus plus makeup..and that Changeup…..oh my god…..When I saw this kid in Single A, he had a rising moving mid 90's fastball and a knee buckling fall off the table curve…..you figure a decent 3rd offering, and he would be golden…..and then he comes up with this fading little change of pace that is almost identical with the fastball….same arm action, same release point…..its almost unfair……You sign this kid up NOW long term……with this kids makeup and feel of pitching….he's gonna pitch for a LONG time…..hell he could probably pitch with a mid 80's fastball and still get outs…….oh yeah….that 2 out walk was CRUCIAL as well…..

TIP OF THE CAP :
ROWAND
What??? I never said a bad word about this guy, always had faith….. =)
Well, that leadoff magic still got legs and the hit of the game

RENTERIA
Pile on baby…..Garrett Anderson was faster than you thought, but all is forgiven with a two run two out single….


JOKER

BOCHY

Hard to get too upset on a night like tonight, and we do have to give him credit for helping break Rowand out of his slump……but WHY THE HELL DID TIMMY GO 121?????
I swear when I saw him come out for the 8th, and saw the 0 up on the scoreboard, I was ready to jump off a bridge if Timmy got to 130 to "get that psychologically important shutout"……
Sure the pen worked hard the night before, but you had Merkin rested, Howry and multiple days rest, and certainly Affeldt and Wilson were available in case of trouble…..
Instead, you send the golden arm out there for what most modern day critics would say was a high pitch outing……
We coddle pitchers the old timers say…."we don't let them build arm strength"
maybe so, but from what I can see there seems to be a correlation between high pitch counts and pitchers breaking down…….
Well Nolan Ryan pitched 150 pitches many times, and he was fine…so whats the big deal?
Well think about this, George Burns drank and smoked cigars and lived past 100…does that mean cigar smoking and drinking is good for you????
Sure tons of pitchers ran up insane workloads years ago……but who knows how many fell by the wayside with dead arm or whatever…..only to drfit into obscurity……
Throwing a ball overhand is an unnatural motion that causes break down of muscle is a fact…….Smoking damages your DNA which can lead to cancer is a fact…….just because some great pitchers and some smokers never have issues does not change these facts…..
So welcome to the 21st century Bochy, ease up on the kid, tomorrow is another day……..
BTW, Nolan Ryan is President of the Rangers……I am curious to see how his "experiment with pitchers working the Nolan Ryan way, is going to come out" My guess…Rangers pitching will still suck

SMACK OF THE STICK :
CSN
When the fuck did you anoint Francoeur a superstar?
Yeah, had some good games against us, but that doesn't mean you have to turn the night into a Francouer love fest…..he is NOT Barry Bonds…..doesn;t have the ability and he is wearing the wrong uniform…..sure Giants highlights might be hard to find, but do we really need to see all the shit he has done against us????? Hell break out some Garrett Anderson highlights from the 2002 Angels while you are at it……

SABEAN
I love Aurilia too….but the jig is up….and sending Jesus down to Fresno AND going with 11 pitchers is just plain DUMB….you are delaying the inevitable and soon your hand will be forced…….and a phantom injury will befall Aurilia from which he won't return…….

GAMEBALL and JOKE 5/25 BRAVES at GIANTS

GAMEBALL and JOKE
5/25 BRAVES at GIANTS

GAMEBALL

ISHIKAWA

Finally, the guy who the Giants hung their first base hopes on this year came through with a 4 hit day including a 3 run BLAST above the bricks in triple's alley….a glimpse of that untapped power that had everyone waiting…… After a solid AA/AAA season, an impressive late season audition, and a spectacular spring, the Giants decided to stand pat at 1st and give Ishi a try….especially in light of the Sandoval 3rd base experiment…..with the Pablo experiment looking good so far (if his arm is ok) the everyone has gotten frustrated by Ishikawa's struggles…where has that line drive power bat gone????? I've said it before….the swing is there, but he is having a hell of a time making contact……I mean, I can't remember seeing so many swing throughs…..and not the slider off the plate, or the behind on the fastball swing through….I mean fastball down the pipe, swing right on time….make no contact swing though that can make a hitter look back and wonder if he has a hole in his bat…….seems like his pitch recognition is good enough……but something weird is going on here…..maybe he is pulling his head off, moving his head around…maybe even "blinking too much"……I don’t know…..all I know is he is good looking and slick with the glove around first…….
all he has to do is hi 260 with a 350 obp and 15 HR and teenage girls all around the Bay Area won't get enough of little Ishi T-Shirts, Ishi Bears, Ishi Pins, etc……..

TIP OF THE CAP :
FLANNERY
Often unnoticed until they screw up, 3rd base coach is a thankless job…..so its about time we showed some appreciation for the animated guitar man…..taking chances that paid off….2x in a pivotal inning

SANCHEZ
5 innings of 2 hit 1 walk baseball…..had it come apart after scoring from 1st on a double….but hey….I'll take this as a positive sign

MILLER/MEDDERS
From obscurity to …..well…..obscurity…..these two guys have been GOLD for the Giants….mixing pitches, keeping the Giants in games, bailing starting pitchers out from early exits…..gotta love it….and they cost very little, and help keep the Giants from turning some of their high value minor league arms into fast track bullpen help ALA Sanchez a couple years back…….

AFFELDT
Wicked…..if Wilson ever loses his job…..I know someone who can get the job done…..

ROWAND/ WINN
As Krukow would say……Stay hot….

RENTERIA
Welcome back and nice to see the stick warm up as well…..

JOKER

BIP

In post game, I quote
"That inning once again he start starts blinking out there, he was starting to get a little tired, he has just scored I believe, from second base on a uh uh uh long single, and I think he started to get tired, he went out there and labored a little bit I saw him starting to blink which means he's starting to think again, and then he started walking guys, gave up a triple, a couple walks, and a base hit, before you know it Bochy was out there talking to him 'Say hey you know what, come on in and sit down, you had a good day'"
What the FUCK was that???
BLINKING?????
Ok, to be fair lets put this into context. I guess they had a pregame segment (which thankfully I missed) about how Sanchez thinks too much, and when he thinks he starts thinking too much, he starts blinking too much…..
Now to illustrate this phenomenon…..they used STILL pictures of Sanchez….."here on the left he is focused, and on the right he is thinking……(looked like a slight squint to me at best)…..
Good god, are you serious????
And even if it's true…HOW THE HELL COULD YOU SEE THAT???? day game, eyes under the hat…..and it certainly wasn't on the TV feed……
Sorry folks, I don't believe that BIP saw a damn thing….if he was even slightly paying attention he might have noticed that Sanchez scored from 1st on a double…..not 2nd on a long single "he believes"……or maybe he was staring too deeply into Sanchez's eyes to notice……


SMACK OF THE STICK :
KNBR
Good god….I spent a couple hours on the road in post game as was "Treated" to SPORTSPHONE 680…….yes…its baseball so I will listen (part of the addiction) but good god these people are stupid…..now sure, I hear a couple good calls now and then, but at that point anything that resembles a rational thought sticks out like a sore thumb……do they screen out anyone with a high IQ????......I am so tempted to call, but I would probably realize just the fact I am on the radio I would lose like 75 IQ points…..
Hey at least it wasn't Damon Bruce, who is even more retarded than some of the callers…..

GAMEBALL and JOKE 5/24 GIANTS at MARINERS

After this past week, this almost felt like a victory……a few big hits and the offense seems like it is back and on track….Felix was dealing some NASTY stuff…what can you do….lick your wounds and hope some home cooking can get us back to the W column….

GAMEBALL and JOKE
5/24 GIANTS at MARINERS

GAMEBALL

FRED LEWIS

Finally, we see that easy power potential from Freddy…and mister "go the other way" has gone deep twice both times jerking the bal to Right…….sure yesterday was the curveball…..but today he turned on a 97 MPH fastball…..sure it wasn’t on the hands,…but I will take this as a good sign…..the kid has TOOLS and needs confidence more than anything……

TIP OF THE CAP :
ROWAND
Kept the lead off magic going with 2 more hits and a nice diving play kept the Giants in the game…….


JOKER

ISHIKAWA

OK, folks….I have been preaching patience with Ishi….but I am almost done……after a brief hot streak that brought his average all the way to .241, he has gone 2 for 17 with 6 strikeouts…..sure 4 walks were nice, but he's still striking out at a nearly 30% clip……
If he can't get his contact rates up, whatever power he has is useless and that slick slick glove of his can go find another home…the clock it ticking Ishi, and I got the feeling that is Jesus ever starts hitting even just a little you will get your walking papers…..
Sure Ishi may figure it out one day…..but if it ain't in the next few weeks he will be figuring it out for another team……

SMACK OF THE STICK :
BOCHY/ SABEAN
Have rode Molina like Alyssa Milano on a date with a fat Pitcher
Molina's bat has gone ice cold, Panda on the shelf, and Holm's 10 day clock ticking led to Whiteside getting the call…..lucky enough Ed performed well…but let the lesson be learned….when a key offensive piece is the catcher…..he needs his rest……
Now about moving Posey off catcher……

SCHIERHOLTZ
See Ishi…..clock isn’t quite as advanced…..but you better do something….and soon……

ZITO
I can't get too down….Zito had an off day….but his stuff was still there….his control was the biggest issue
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GAMEBALL and JOKE 5/23 GIANTS at MARINERS

GAMEBALL and JOKE
5/23 GIANTS at MARINERS

GAMEBALL

URIBE

Here we were facing the same old shit on a different night….and then one solid line drive to the gap later a week of frustration broke and emotions let loose…..
Yes, Juan had his first big hit as a Giant, and it came at a great time, as the pathetic Giants offense was ready to return to the clubhouse and avoiding eye contact with any of the Giants Pitching staff……
God that was fucking awesome…..the best win we have had in a while…..hell…it’s the only win we have had in a while


TIP OF THE CAP :
CAIN
Hard Luck Loser?
Try a new moniker on for size…..STOPPER……

JESUS
First Majoe League basehit wasn't exactly the normal variety ….but hey…..he'll take it…..

LEWIS
DAMN this kid has some pop……a half hearted swing with a Charlie Lau finish resulted in a BOMB 18 rows back in the right field stands……man….this kid is a tease of potential……

JOKER

FRANDSEN

Look Franny…..sure you have hit at every level and done everything the organization has asked of you without a complaint…..
But all the AAA hits in the world won't save you from the axe if you can't do shit in the majors……
5 starts in 6 games and zero hits…..you ain't gonna break yout way into the lineup like that
SO get your act together…..
And By the way…..Happy Birthday on Sunday……I hear you are turning Twenty Suck…….

SMACK OF THE STICK :
SCHIERHOLTZ
Goddamn it……just put the bat on the ball and keep it fair……instead you extend the futility with a fucking K…….is it fair to ask the kid to perform after sitting on the bench for so long…..no, but who said life is fair….you take whatever opportunity you get and seize it…….if not……I'm sure the A's could use another Giants outfield retred…..ask Linden, and Rajai Davis how this worked out….

GAMEBALL and JOKE 5/22 GIANTS at MARINERS

GAMEBALL and JOKE
5/22 GIANTS at MARINERS

GAMEBALL

RJ

Well there is hope after all……Randy came into Seattle off 3 straight horrible outings…..and using the his lowest arm slot of the year (a lot of crap on that here) was able to hold the Mariners at bay for 6+ innings before handing it over to the bullpen

TIP OF THE CAP :
AFFELDT/ MEDDERS/ MILLER
All looked pretty damn good…..if the Giants could only muster some offense

ROWAND
Good god, this leadoff thing really did work…showing a ballplayer psyche is a fragile thing……

SANDOVAL
When did he become the best defensive infielder on the field?

JOKER

GROUNDHOG

You ever get the feeling you are Bill Murray……staring at the TV…..watching the Giants pitching put in a good game, watching the Giants offense maybe scratch out a run……only to realize you just stared at the Television for 3 straight hours….and all you have to show for it is a 1 run loss????
Good god….I could have spent the last three hours spanking it to Baywatch and eating a bag full of Cheetos and it would have been more productive…..in fact…..I can't believe I am even commenting on this…..how many different ways can I say the same damn thing……
This is boring, this sucks, I hate hate hate HATE this team…….
The only moment I thought the Giants even had a chance was when Rowand stole 2nd…….
Other than that it would seem we needed an act of god to score a fucking run……
That’s it, I can't type anymore……
If you want to read more about today's game, I will refer you to yesterdays write up….and the day before that and the day before that and the day before that and the day before that and the day before that and the day before that and the day before that and the day before that and the day before that and the day before that and the day before that……

SMACK OF THE STICK :
BURRISS
One boot, one bad throw from his ass….and since his hot streak Mr Slappy is hitting a robust .132…..

LEWIS
Now to be fair, Lewis isn't a bad defender with questionable instincts…..he is actually suffering from a very serious disease…..Tood Linden Syndrome
It hasn’t been easy to overcome this affliction, and perhaps if I take you through a typical day and you see his struggles you will have a better understanding and perhaps more compassion.
One day this past home stand his say started when his alarm clock rang….. he picked up the phone and after getting a dial tone he proceeded to the bathroom. After shaving with his television remote control, he proceeded to take a bath in the toilet. Once clean and ready for the day, he got into his car pulled out of his garage and then opened the garage door…..realizing he had done it in the wrong order, he pulled back into the garage and tried it again……Arriving at the park, he pulled into Lot A and paid the $30 parking fee, he then proceeded to the ticket window, which was closed……after about 3 hours of waiting the ticket window opened…..the ticket booth lady then reminded Fred that he didn’t need to buy a ticket to get into the park, and directed him to the employee entrance…….
Amazing isn't it?
He has to overcome all this adversity even before he steps on the field……
So next time Fred Lewis runs past a flyball like it wasn't there, or check swings at a ball off the plate for strike 3…….just reflect a moment on this touching human story before you unleash your boos…..

What's Wrong with RJ???

What's Wrong with RJ???

First of all, I would like to say that I am no expert and am not a baseball professional, just an over-zealous Giants fan with a love of numbers and logic..

When the Giants signed Randy this offseason, the perception was that suddenly the Giants had been transformed from a rebuilding team to a team on the fringes of contention. Added to the existing starting pitching was a ageless Randy coming off "strong" second half of 2008. Now healthy and showing dominance in spring, hopes were high. after a few shaky starts, Randy flashed the pitcher we expected for a few games…..and then for the last 3 starts he has got the shit kicked out of him…….

So what's wrong with RJ? Is ANYTHING wrong with RJ????
Since the Mets clubbed him like a baby seal last week, I have been pouring over the data seeing if there was anything of interest.
Velocity? No issue there, his Fastball and Slider are about the same as they were last year, and I can find no correlation between performance and fluctuation with velocity….
Strikeouts…..still good with 9.3K/ 9 IP……
Homeruns are up and Walks are up…..by about 1 per game each……
Lets Compare some data to 2008
Contact rate is slightly down 2.8% ......showing that the stuff looks to be there
Strike rate is down 4.8%, and first pitch strike rate is down 9.5% showing RJ is a little wild
Swing % is down 4.7%, matching the drop in Strike rate showing batters aren't chasing those extra balls out of the zone…..
Strand rates are down 10% and BABIP are up about 20 points, which most eggheads would say is bad luck…….
So a little unlucky, little gopheritis, and a little wild…..

So lets dig into Pitchfx and see if there is anything to be discovered……(some detail on pitchfx is found at the very bottom of this post) Using Bill James Game Score as a measure of performance, I ran as many variables as I can understand, I looked for any correlation….and interesting enough a couple things popped out……The first thing I noticed with the measured release point for the Fastball and the Slider being quite a bit different. The release point for the Fastball averaged about 7 inches difference from the Curve. Good god, is he tipping his pitches!?!....Well maybe, but this difference seems to be relatively consistent from the beginning of 2008 (as far back as I have data) so he was potentially "tipping" last year too. I compared this release point difference to game score and found no correlation, so this didn't seem to be the issue.

After looking at the correlation coefficient for a number of variables, two variables showed a decent correlation was the Horizontal component of release point for the Fastball AND the Slider. I threw out the 1st start of 2008, which seemed to be an outlier for both parameters, and found correlation coefficients of -0.37 for Fastball Vertical Release Point and -0.38 for Slider Vertical Release Point…..certainly not a strong correlation, but considering the inherent randomness of game score as a performance measure, it is worth more investigation.

What could cause the correlation…..I was thinking a higher arm angle could change the movement on pitch…a lefthanded side arm fastball would drop and drift back towards a leftie hitter, where a higher arm angle should result in less drop and less drift……a lefthanded sidearm slider would drop and drift away from a leftie, whereas a higher arm angle would result in more drop and left drift…….
So I looked at the movement values, and although there were possible trends, there was nothing solid to report in regards to correlation with game score or even release point…..

So what could be the issue…..is the Release Point data mean ANYTHING????
Let me slice the data another way……
Fastball Vertical Release Point 6.10 feet and below Game Score Ave = 59.3
Fastball Vertical Release Point 6.13 feet and above Game Score Ave = 41.1
Slider Vertical Release Point 5.80 feet and below Game Score Ave = 61.5
Slider Vertical Release Point 5.81 feet and above Game Score Ave = 42.9
(Graphs of this data is included at the very end)
And in both cases, I sliced the data to give a very bad game on the borderline to the good side to try to even out any bias, and the averages are still quite a bit different…….
I think I AM onto something….but what…….
Lets go to the film

First lets look at the Mets game
In these two GIFs you see Fastball and Slider…..notice not just the arm angle, but the shoulder and the tilt of the head……
Fastball = higher arm angle, shoulders tilted, and head tilted…..
Slider = flat arm angle, shoulders level, and head level…..
pretty obvious slowed down 10x…….



OK, so lets look at 2008……again the Fastball and Slider……but look here…..a lower release point for both pitches seems to disguise the release point difference…….
2008 Fastball shoulders appear level, head upright……2008 Slider shoulders appear level, head upright……compare that to 2009 and it really looks quite a bit different.…..
too be fair, I had limited video to look at, and I chose games at Chase Field to try to get consistency with camera angles. These clips were selected because a fastball and slider was thrown to the same batter, but otherwise these were random clips.

I would like to make clear that I am only speculating...I intend on looking at this further and getting more data as it becomes available. I don’t know if he is tipping and if major league batters have noticed or could even make use of this information, I will leave it to you to interpret.

2008 09/18 FB VRP 5.97 SL VRP 5.69
2009 04/25 FB VRP 6.08 SL VRP 5.77



Here is one more vid of 2008
2008 8/22 FB VRP 6.01 SL VRP 5.73
The 13 K game highlights you can see here


And here are the charts





This last chart I did monthly averages…..Game score is the blue line, and FB Vertical release point is the red box……you can best visualize the correlation here….




Some notes on Pitchfx
1) Release point is measured in feet and calculated from ball location in relationship to ground 50 feet from the front of the plate.
2) Pitch recognition is based upon movement of pitch, and is inherently prone to error, especially when discerning the type of breaking pitch.
3) I believe that quite a few Sliders from 2008 were misclassified as other types of pitches. For sake of objectivity, I have just used the classifications as given to me from Pitchfx.
4) For purposes of this project I considered Pitchfx types of Fastball, Four Seam Fastball, and Two Seam Fastball to all fall within the same category.
5) Pitch movement is measured relative to a ball on the same trajectory moving straight under the influence of gravity

GAMEBALL and JOKE 5/21 GIANTS at PADRES

Just in case you had grown accustom to pain the last two nights, fate had a new twist for us this evening…..and the twisting was the knife in our belly…….
After somehow managing to score more than one run in a game, all looked well……
AND THEN……………

GAMEBALL and JOKE
5/21 GIANTS at PADRES

GAMEBALL

ROWAND

Look at whats happened to Mr Whipping Boy…..after being moved to the leadoff spot, he has found his stroke and become the biggest threat in this anemic lineup……with a BOMB off the wall for a single and a solo shot Rowand is on fire……so leave this fucker in the leadoff spot until he cools off….god knows we need all the offense we can get

TIP OF THE CAP :
WINN
Been the only consistent threat for the Giants in San Diego….with his 3rd straight multi hit game…….

TIMMY
Pitched solid ball and kept the Giants in the game…..

JESUS
Welcome to the club…now if you are gonna be all thumbs around the bag, you better start hitting quick

JOKER

WILSON

From all star to twitter asshole to new favorite goat……..
Brian had a horrible ninth…with a squibber…..two walks …..and a hit batter to tie the game….and then on a 0-1 pitch the Anti Giant Scott Hairston singled home the winning run……and look what Hairston hit….a CURVE……I bet Mr 99 MPH uses this as an excuse to junk that pitch…….fucking JOKER

SMACK OF THE STICK :
ECKSTEIN
Complete bullshit if you ask me……Just happens to hang over the plate….and just HAPPENS to get hit on the arm….flinched about 1 inch but made NO effort to get out of the way…..come on Blue, enforce the rule……if the batter makes no attempt to get out of the way……no HBP……..of course I have only remember 1 time the rule was actually enforced…..Of course it was enforced against the Giants while facing the Dodgers

HAIRSTON
This bad joke keeps getting worse…..this guy owes his Major League Career to the Giants….and now Gerut has been sent packing……which means Scott gets the starts vs Righties now too… OH JOY!!!

PETCO
The House that was built "to be Bonds proof" is having unintended effects…..
This place was never really Bonds proof, but I can tell you its 2009 Giants proof…..in yet ANOTHER 3 game sweep, Petco has been a house of horrors……with the park holding every hard hit the Giants can muster….but its more than that……its very bad juju……..hard hit balls into tailor made double plays…….and then the Padres Chop and Squib and Bloop their runs…….the Giants are obviously hitting the ball too hard……just swing soft and maybe you can get lucky like the fucking Padres….