One way to look at things is that the Oakland As are down 0-2 in the ALDS. Another point of view is that they are picking up steam and will overtake the Detroit Tigers.I (a Moneyball fan), prefer the latter. ... (Continue reading)
The San Francisco Giants had a hard time getting TO the 2010 postseason, having overtaken the San Diego Padres at the end of the season. But having now attained "critical mass" for the first time in 56 years, winning the ... (Continue reading)
Coming into Friday night's games, it appears that the Oakland A's may have come out of the starting gate with a small, although not decisive, lead in the division race. That's in spite of the fact that the four teams of ... (Continue reading)
In "Moneyball," Michael Lewis reported that former Oakland Athletics' assistant general manager Paul dePodesta believed that extra on base percentage (generated via walks) was worth three times as much as a similar amount of extra slugging percentage (a function ... (Continue reading)
The Los Angeles Angels have gotten off to an uncharacteristically bad start. "Regression to the mean" suggests that they will do better. But it won't be enough better to allow them to contend, or even necessarily to take them to .500. ... (Continue reading)
The Dodgers have most of what it takes to enter, or even win, the World Series. But they need to be more "clutch." FanGraphs had them ranked first in National League teams in raw hitting ability for 2009. But they were ... (Continue reading)
No, that would have been that of Paul DePodesta, in 2005. As a Moneyball fan, I was sorry to see DePodesta go. And in fact, it may have cost the Dodgers the 2009 World Series, as discussed below. Shortly after ... (Continue reading)
What happens to a team when its strongest attribute goes south? Although the Dodgers' hitting was nothing to write home about, what really ruined them was their pitching. A 5.30 ERA in the postseason. A 7.30 ERA in the NLCS. Starters ... (Continue reading)
It could be a "Freeway Series," between Los Angeles and Anaheim for two southern California teams. Or it could be a (New Jersey) "Turnpike Series" for two teams in major cities in different Mid-Atlantic states, just off the one turnpike. Or ... (Continue reading)
The next series is one that the Pittsburgh Pirates should be able to win. It is at home, against a non division team. And the opponent, San Diego, is near the bottom of Western Division. We're not talking about the ... (Continue reading)