Ask Rotoman

ESPN.com – MLB – BROOKSSCORE

Yesterday a homer, today an honestly deserved win. Might it soon be a problem (in deep leagues, of course) to figure out where to slot this guy in?

ESPN.com: Brandon Inge

He has always been a dreadful hitter, but earned his PT because of a good glove. Now he’s pushed into the outfield by Pudge and he’s on fire. It’s a small sample size, of course, but the interesting thing is that his strikeout rate is the same as last year. The HR rate and the 2B rate aren’t that much improved, but his walk rate thus far has doubled and that projects to twice as many Hits, Runs and RBI. Approximately.

He’s not going to keep this up, but if catching is such a burden there could be a little bit of a butterfly buried underneath the cocoonish tools of ignorance. A little bit.

And if not, well, it’s a heckuva nice start anyway.

Major League Baseball : Ask Rotoman

The new one is up. Lots of numbers this time, about Vulture wins, closers in waiting, and ways to deal with maximum innings limits.

ESPN.com – MLB – MLB GAME LOG:

“MILWAUKEE 7TH
-Bottom of the 7th inning
-K Ginter doubled to deep left.
-B Clark hit by pitch.
-W Helms struck out looking.
-K Ginter to third, B Clark to second on wild pitch by R Johnson.
-C Moeller walked.
-B Hall hit for B Ford.
-B Hall grounded out to third, K Ginter scored, B Clark to third, C Moeller to second.
-S Podsednik tripled to deep right, B Clark and C Moeller scored.
-R Choate relieved R Johnson.
-C Counsell walked.
-O Villarreal relieved R Choate.
-J Spivey singled to left center, S Podsednik scored, C Counsell to third.
-G Jenkins doubled to deep left center, C Counsell and J Spivey scored.
-K Ginter homered to left, G Jenkins scored.
-B Clark singled to center.
-W Helms singled to center, B Clark to second.
-C Moeller lined out to shortstop.”

At first glance the box score looks ugly for the Big Unit, but then it becomes obvious that he ran out of gas. The good news is that this should be containable. If he really loses it after 100 pitchers or so he becomes a lesser pitcher, but still a very good pitcher if this game is any indication.

The bad news is that he ended up throwing 125 pitches. All indications are we should be more worried about his knees than his arm, but in either case it seems like a good idea to ration his use in an attempt to find out what works. It isn’t like he’s getting any younger.

Satellite DIRECT Magazine – This Month’s Features

I talked to Greg Djoc one morning at the start of spring training, it appears just as the coffee was kicking in. The subject was teams that might surprise, for the Direct TV magazine. I’m still keen enough on the Padres and Reds, though I think it’s the Reds’ pitching that would put them over the top. If they were to go over the top.

If you aspire to track everything I’ve ever said, this is for you.

ESPN.com – MLB – D-Backs’ Alomar hit by pitch, breaks hand

The batspeed was pathetic and the get-out-of-the-way speed clearly was a problem. All the hype on Robbie this spring was negative, which is why I thought he was worth a shot. Nope.

And yet I’ll be giving him a shot next year for $4, on the chance…

ESPN.com – MLB – BOXSCORE: Ryan Wagner Meltdown

He looked so good his first time round, but this year isn’t starting out the way it was supposed to. Reports are that his arm is fine but he’s having a hard time blocking out his surroundings, and the pressure that can come with it. This is a place a good coach and a good organization help frame things in a productive way.

For now it looks like Wagner’s not nipping at Danny Graves’ heels.

cleveland.com:Milton Bradley Explains it All

I won’t say I buy Milton’s “god bless us everyone” sendoff, but his explanation of what happens sure makes more sense to me than the hysteria that followed the incident.

He doesn’t have to be a saint to not be a sinner. I just wish he’d come back to the AL.

Yahoo! News – Rove Rues ‘Mission Accomplished’ Banner: “Last October, Bush said the White House had nothing to do with the banner; a spokesman later clarified that the ship’s crew asked for the sign and the White House staff had it made by a private vendor. It wasn’t clear who paid for the sign.”

I’ve been a low-end TV producer for long enough to know that grubbing for good pictures is reflex, not science.

For publicists, creating good pictures is the reason they draw a paycheck.

ESPN.com – MLB – Stark: Rumblings & Grumblings

While the capsule about Smoltz in my magazine is total gobshite, Jason Stark seems to have some real information about Smotz’s condition.

The magazine deadline precluded post-surgery info, but the profile was still very weak. It should have been better.