Facepalming: Real Quotes from Confused Fans
I have been meaning to write a different style of article for a while now, with the intention to bring more humor, while still attempting to educate readers.
Over past two weeks, I've been gathering actual statements showcasing an utter lack of baseball knowledge. Someday, maybe some of the people will learn. Unfortunately, others will have no hope.
The hot topic this week was Ryan Howard.
As you'll see, quotes are in bold with my commentary in regular text.
Ryan Howard....Better Than a 'Buy One Get One' Free Coupon
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""Howard’s five-year extension will prove to be a bargain"
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Just no. His extension hasn't even kicked in yet. He gets $20 million per for 2012 and 2013, $25 million per for 2014, 2015, and 2016, and gets $23 million for 2017, unless the Phillies opt to pay him $10 million not to be on the team, which will be very likely come 2017.
He needs to achieve at least four or five wins above replacement each year to make it at least break even. Sadly, he's only had two such years in his career.
While We're at It, Kendrick, Worley, and Baez for Justin Verlander. Do It Amaro!
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Made up trade proposals are ridiculous more often than not, but this takes the cake.
""Blanton, brown, ibanez for Toronto blue jays Batista. Cures the outfield and a great bat!!!"
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I'm sure that's just what the Blue Jays need, an injured pitcher, a horrendous 39-year-old outfielder and a few extra million dollars for the best hitter in baseball.
Still Some Valdez Supporters out There, Sadly
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"“I think the Phillies got to start thinking about moving Chase Utley to the outfield, I don’t think he’s fully fully ready with that knee, I don’t think he can play second base as well anymore. They’ve got some good options there- Wilson valdez and pete orr. I think they have too many weak players in the outfield now."
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He still plays a very good second-base, certainly better than Valdez and Orr. And if by pretty good options, you mean having the worst second-base tandem in the majors, then yes, they'd be good options.
Get on base, hit for power, and tip- three things Valdez doesn't do very well.
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The 6th Inning from a Game in 2005 Means You Suck as a Closer Now.
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Amazingly, two different people shared the same view on Ryan Madson.
""For his career, Madson has only recorded 35 saves while blowing 25. Not very impressive, if you ask me."
"Let me rephrase that: Madson was putrid, saving only 20 of his first 44 save chances (45 percent)."
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Not exactly sure if either of these two people know you can get credited with a blown save in innings before the ninth, but I get the feeling it would not make a difference in their minds.
After I commented about him being credited with blown saves early in his career in games he entered the sixth, seventh, or eighth innings, it did not make a difference. The response:
""That doesn't make his 45% conversion rate any better."
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Actually it does. By my count, 18 of those blown saves came in games entered before the ninth inning. 35/42=83%.
Or if you want to go the other way and simply add holds which would come to (112+35)/(112+35+25)=85.5%. Pretty basic arithmetic.
Halladay Should Be Able to Throw Left-Handed, Too!
5 of 6""I wish that Howard would lay down a bunt once and again. I wish that Howard would go to the plate and show hitting right-handed periodically. I wish that Howard would do something different from time to time"
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Watch the video. Sadly, I think this guy was serious. Surprised he didn't suggest using an aluminum bat instead of wood.
Not Sure If Serious
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Lately on fangraphs there has been some discussion about Ryan Howard. I think(hope) most of it was tongue in cheek or sarcasm, but I think there was one in particular who may actually have been serious.
And if he wasn't, I'm sure there are plenty out there who hold the same line of thinking. This slide is dedicated to the many quotes of this one fellow or those with the similar mindset. It's long, so bear with it.
""This sabermetric crap just ruins baseball. No one understands guys like Howard and Jeter - all the value they give you in the clutch and with their leadership. You can throw out WAR and VORP and all that stupid stuff but Howard just drives in runners every year and Jeter wins Gold Gloves every year."
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Don't want to expand too much on it yet since there's a lot more to come but pretty sure the majority of teams front offices use advanced statistics in at least some form. And using Jeter winning Gold Gloves every year as an argument is a joke. Most people in the know agree he did not deserve those Gold Gloves.
""Even though Howard can't help a team win the right way by bunting and stealing bases, he just knows how to turn it on in the clutch. Howard is the kind of guy who makes his teammates better, and his defense is vastly underrated too - he hasn't made a single error in 60 games this season. You can take all those wasted walks with a guy like Joey Votto, give me the guy who goes out there and takes his aggressive hacks."
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Good old bunting, nice waste of outs. The correct situation to bunt is so few and far between. Not going to argue stolen bases, those are good assuming you succeed at a high enough rate. Using errors to solely judge a player's defense?
Apparently, he does not know the concept of what it means to have range. Walks being described as a waste it too dumb to comment yet. Wonder if that means he'd prefer A.J. Pierzynski over Carlos Santana now too?
""I love TLR(Tony La Russa) - the guy is just ahead of the curve. He invented the closer and now he invented "the second lead off man" batting the pitcher 8th. That lets him put a nice hitter behind him to serve as a spark plug. I don't know why they don't put the pitcher even higher like 7th to compound that effect.
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And too right on Harper - I don't even think he's doing that impressively in the minors anyway. If he was really about the team, he'd be playing catcher. Clearly he's too prima donna for a gritty position like that. It's too bad we are idolizing him nowadays instead of real grinders like Jason Kendall. That's a man who knew how to battle his tail off."
The pitcher in the 8th sometimes isn't a bad idea, but using him in the 7th? Before you know it, Halladay is our new No. 2 hitter. Bryce Harper now impressive this year? Nope, .330/.429/.586 not impressive at all obviously. Kendall use to be good, fortunately zombie-Kendall appears to have been finally laid to rest.
""Getting into the PEDs though, I can't believe that we are legitimately going to have to sit and watch guys who played the game the right way like Mickey Mantle, Hank Aaron, Ty Cobb and Jim Palmer get compared to those roided-up meatheads like Barry Bonds, Alex "Choke" Rodriguez and Sammy Sosa. That kind of steroid usage wouldn't have gone down in Mantle's day - he knew how to play the game the right way. And that's what guys like Howard, Jeter, and Juan Pierre do. They don't always make the flashy play, but they do it when it counts and just know how to get on base."
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I'm certainly not condoning the steroid-users but Ty Cobb would never be confused as a stand-up guy. If they played back in Mantle's day, perhaps they would have been more preoccupied getting "favors" under the bleachers. Making the flashy play was one of the things Jeter was known for. The routine grounder to his sides was his struggle.
""But back to Howard, it's really important to note that even though the Phillies keep losing their best offensive players, Howard stays productive. He's near the top of the league in RBI's again despite not having Jayson Werth giving him protection in that lineup. That's amazing, because the order of the lineup can have a drastic effect on production, but Howard just uses his mental toughness and focus to overcome those distractions. I don't see "WAR" accounting for that."
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The theory of protection has been shown to not have much difference (please read http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/pitching-around-batters). He's still getting RBI because he's had more opportunities. The players in front of him, Rollins, Victorino, and Polanco, have been getting on base.
""If I were voting, he'd have a few more MVPs. The man just knows how to win. No question he's the kind of guy who makes his teammates better too - why else have Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels improved so much?"
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Thank god he's not voting. Amazing that in 2006, Pujols still had over two full wins above replacement more than Howard- despite missing 16 more games. While they may have put up similar offensive numbers, Pujols was and is in another class defensively.
Obviously, Hamels and Halladay have been getting the most from Ryan Howard's pitching tips. I hear he's going to be taking over for Rich Dubee once his extension begins in 2012.
""He just reminds me of a Minnesota Twins type player. He steps it up when it counts, gives 110% all the time, plays great (gold glove caliber in my opinion) defense, and hustles on the basepaths. And guess what, it's not accident that guys like Howard and teams like the Twins win every year. Billy Beane is out plugging in formulae on his computer but the Twins scout their way to success. How else do you think they get so deep in pitching with so much great infield defense? How have the A's done this century? Oh, yeah, that speaks for itself."
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Now this is odd, since 2000 the Athletics have had 1004 wins and the Twins have had 988. It can't be the same Twins team that have won just 2 of 17 games in their last five playoff appearances.
""Baseball is about hitting, and Ryan Howard is a guy who comes up looking to swing the bat. He's a tough out every time because of that approach, and because of that he's even more deadly in the clutch. You can take Votto all you want, but I know when my team is down 1 in the bottom of the 9th, there is no one I want on my team more than Howard. He knows how to ratcheup it up to the next level."
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I'll take Votto all day, any day, every day.
""Absolutely right Ryan Howard rules. The guy simply produces year after year. Forget the guys that are around him, he's the cog in that offense that makes it tick. He's the engine that makes the Phillies go. And what do you know, they have the best record in baseball right now. No surprise to the real fans of the game."
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Howard's RBI skills are so good he's able to knock in Herndon while in the pen. I guess pitching hasn't been the main reason for their record? Ah, spewing out nonsense makes one a real fan.
""Howard already has 53 RBIs, good for 4th in all of baseball. Votto can't even come close to that kind of run production, as his 42 RBIs pale in comparison. He's on pace, once again, to post a 130+ RBI campaign."
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Again with the RBI. Apparently, Ryan Howard could even put up 130 RBI with no runners on base. Some food for thought, anyone want to take a guess at how many more runners have been on base than for Votto? The answer is at the end of this slide.
""Howard is one of the best run producers in baseball and guys like Dave Cameron write these blatantly bias and shallow articles saying he's worse than Shane Victorino. It's absurd. Howard is on a near record pace for RBI's, and Cameron is so quick to point out that he's not the best baserunner (then criticizes him for his defense despite the fact that the guy has made 1 error all year). What about all the stuff Howard does to make his teammates better? How many runs and wins does he generate that way? What about how clutch he is in September and late-game situations? Nary a mention there.
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It's garbage. More people should know about Howard. Guys like him and Jeter have taken so much criticism I think they are now among the most underrated players in baseball."
In case you missed Dave Cameron's article, go here http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/shane-victorino-is-better-than-ryan-howard/. As we all know, the best way to judge defense is by the amount of errors a player makes. Range be damned!
Again, with the he makes his teammates better argument. Where is this evidence? What's the excuse for Raul Ibanez, David Herndon, Danys Baez, Wilson Valdez, Juan Carlos Romero, Ross Gload, and Michael Martinez?
The answer to earlier: 46.
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.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
