OV Daily Facepalm

In Facepalm by berselius99 Comments

dailyfacepalm

McDonald hurt, fifth starter competition winding down

James Mcdonald threw two pitches in his start yesterday, the second one to the backstop before being pulled from the game. The Cubs are calling it shoulder soreness, which is not great news for McDonald as he only pitched in six games last year because of shoulder problems. It looks like Chris Rusin is going to win the honor of keeping Jake Arrieta's seat warm by default.

Speaking of shoulder problems

Mike Olt was pulled from Monday's game with "shoulder fatigue", related to whatever has been bothering him all spring and keeping him from playing 3b. That said, he might be starting at 3b tonight so I guess they're just taking it easy. I'm still hoping that he wins the 3b job.

Another look back at the greatest* pitching performance of all time

BP's Sam Miller ($) dives through the mlb.tv archives to watch Wood's 20K game. I could watch recaps/gifs of this game half a hundred times and still be blown away by Wood's stuff. 

*Wood's is the highest by Game Score, but I'd still put Don Larsen's perfect game in the World Series ahead of it due to the context. But that's it. 

FYI

BPro is offering a 20% discount on mlb.tv for BP subscribers. Mine auto renewed 3-weeks ago, so I'm hoping I can get this discount retroactively applied. I'm not holding my breath though, it looks like they won't do it.

Rany on the Cubs

Grantland's always eloquent Rany Jazayerli wrote a long piece on the state of the Cubs franchise yesterday, and it's a great read. Perhaps the biggest surprise was that the Cubs offered to hire Rany to a full-time front office job last year, but he didn't want to give up his medical practice. I'm kind of curious what the Cubs would want him for – Rany's a smart guy and a great writer but I don't know how his medical background in dermatology would necessarily be of use, and while he uses advanced stats he doesn't strike me as a guy who is going to squeeze a database or two. 

Cubs fire team psychologist

I wonder who in the organization this guy had compromising pictures of. Via the NDB (and the Trib's paywall)

Not only was Strickland available for consultation with players, the specialist in sports psychology had his own locker at home and on the road, dressed in team workout gear and played catch and shagged balls before games during batting practice.

Early in his first year in the majors, Strickland even stood in the dugout tunnel at Wrigley Field after victories, bumping fists with players as though he was part of the team.

Hendry apparently wanted to fire the guy while he was still running the show, and he hung around another 3 years. When asked what Strickland's purpose was, Nate Schierholtz replied "I'm not really sure"

Tedious Grammar moment of the day

The new 538 launched yesterday, and I give them +1 Rec'd LSA applause NAMBLA for making the right decision on this crucial issue.

We finally decided on “data is” on the basis that our writing style would be more approachable if we avoid sentence structures that aren’t often used verbally.

This is an argument I've had half a million times in science. We don't say "the rain are heavy today", there's no need to make a distinction between datum and data if we never use the word datum. The data is the pile of information, much like how an agenda is a list of stuff to do, not a bunch of individual agendum.

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  1. Like You Care

    11. TEN: Anthony Barr, OLB, UCLA – Switching to a 3-4, eh? Put this raw edge rusher in space and let him live in the backfield. Great value here.

    NYG…

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  2. Like You Care

    12. NYG: Timmy Jernigan, DL, FSU – Not the top DT, imo, but he’s a perfect fit for this DLine. Wasn’t a great fit for FSU’s scheme, so I think he’s undervalued a bit at this point.

    STL…

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  3. Like You Care

    13. STL: Mike Evans, WR, aggy – If they’re committing to Sam Bradford, this is the way to do it. TE size, enormous and enough speed to be the missing piece for this offense.

    Bears are up. Aaron Donald or Kony Ealy?

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  4. GW

    @ Berselius22:

    Nope. I was glad the Cubs didn’t hire him; I hate it when forced to see a former player who I like do poorly as a coach (or an announcer, for that matter). Looks like that’s going to be an issue regardless. Too bad he didn’t latch on with someone like the Padres. Nobody in the national press gives them a moment’s notice.

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  5. EnricoPallazzo

    re: tedious grammar…i’m glad to see that they made that decision. i don’t mind if people do it the other way, but when they defend it as being the only correct option, it really pisses me off. a colleague had the nerve to correct me on that in the middle of a presentation a few days ago and i asked the guy to get up and leave.

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  6. Like You Care

    @ Edwin:

    I think that’ll be the consensus, and that’s the way I was leaning anyway. So…

    14. CHI: Aaron Donald, DT, PITT – Inside pressure will become more important with the trend in offenses, and no one tops Donald in that category. The phrase “lives in the backfield” is thrown around, but this man truly does. Insane first step and always toward the QB.

    PIT…

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  7. Author
    Berselius, Cubs #12 prospect

    @ EnricoPallazzo:

    When I was in grad school my advisor hired me to do technical proofreading for the journal that he runs. I’d get into arguments with authors 3-4 times a year over this issue when I tried to change it. It was nice essentially having unilateral authority over the journal’s style.

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  8. Like You Care

    This one was kind of tough. PIT needs help at CB and there’s a good one available in Justin Gilbert, but PIT usually spends firsts in the trenches…

    15. PIT: Louis Nix, NT, ND – Mild overdraft, imo, but they need help on the defensive line badly. Nix had a down year, but seems like some combination of BJ Raji and Vince Wilfork. Ideal 1- or 2-gapping NT and a must follow on twitter.

    DAL…

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  9. Like You Care

    16. DAL: Kony Ealy, DE, Mizzou – DeMarcus Ware was miscast as a 4-3 DE. Replacing him with Ealy will greatly improve that defensive front. Ealy is a poor man’s Aldon Smith.

    On to BAL…

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  10. Like You Care

    17. BAL: Xavier Su’a-Filo, OG, UCLA – With defenses focused on inside pressure, interior OL is becoming more valuable. Su’a-Filo is a classic BAL OL and I think capable of playing G or C.

    NYJ…

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  11. Like You Care

    18. NYJ: Eric Ebron, TE, UNC – Help Geno out. They need to get him a WR, but a TE is a young QB’s best friend. I hate to keep doing the “poor man’s” thing, but Ebron really is a poor man’s Vernon Davis.

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  12. Like You Care

    19. MIA: Zack Martin, OL, ND – I’m not sure he’ll be able to handle T in the NFL, but I think he’ll stick at G if he can’t. Either way, MIA needs help all over the OL and Martin’s a decent value here.

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  13. Like You Care

    20. ARI: HaHa Clinton-Dix, FS, Alabama – ARI needs help in the secondary. This draft is deep at CB and thin at S, so the value is in Clinton-Dix. HCD looks like a CB in coverage.

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  14. Like You Care

    21. GB: RaShede Hageman, DT, Minn. – BEAST. Inconsistent motor will push him down boards, but this is a violent man and exactly what the GB defense needs. Put him anywhere on the line. Go ahead, anywhere.

    If Hageman’s there, he’s an easy choice for GB, imo. CJ Mosley and Justin Gilbert are still on the board, though. I know there’s a GB fan in the house, so what do you think?

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  15. Like You Care

    22. PHI: CJ Mosley, OLB, Alabama, OLB, Alabama – A little undersized, but otherwise perfect LB for PHI. He’s also a little beat up (like most Tide players), which is why he falls. Novorro Bowman potential.

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  16. Like You Care

    23. KC: Marquise Lee, WR, USC – This time last year, Lee was considered a top-10 pick. What usually happens to those guys? That’s right, injuries and poor production dropped him, but I think he’s a steal here. Excellent route runner and enough athleticism to be productive opposite Dwayne Bowe.

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  17. Like You Care

    24. CIN: Morgan Moses, OT, Virginia – Moses is sneaking up draft boards and it’s a good thing for CIN. They need a DE too, but there aren’t any of value at this spot.

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  18. Like You Care

    25. SD: Justin Gilbert, CB, OkSU – Someone finally ended his slide. A lot of people love this guy, but I’m not one of them. Physically, he’s a top CB. I think he plays passively too passively against the run and too aggressive in coverage. Great value here, though.

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  19. Like You Care

    Well, CLE should have picked Watkins and waited, because Carr’s still out there…

    26. CLE: Odell Beckham, Jr., WR, LSU – Big play waiting to happen at WR and returner. If he can bulk up a bit without losing quickness, he’s elite.

    Manziel and Beckham isn’t as good as Watkins and Carr, imo, but it’s not bad.

    Re: Carr – I think he’s a candidate to go at No. 20 to ARI. So I’d say any pick from 19-31 is a good spot to trade with a team like OAK who passed on a QB early.

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  20. Just plain BVS

    @ WaLi:
    I think there is a pretty long list of teams that wouldn’t consider computer analysis 5 years ago:
    Pittsburgh
    Philly
    LA Angels of Anaheim California Pacific Time Zone
    Texas?
    Detroit
    Minnesota
    NYY
    NYM
    Florida
    Houston
    CWS
    Cubs
    …and probably 5 more. But of that list, the Cubs and Yanks seem most likely to drop 1/2 a mil on a cray, then I’d guess Houston.

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  21. josh

    I’m in agreement on “data is” but as an editor I’m guessing I’ll still have to change it to “data are” in the foreseeable future. Maybe if the Chicago Manual of Style finally gets on board.

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  22. Like You Care

    Gonna see Blake Bortels today and Derek Carr tomorrow. The opportunity for Blake today is even bigger after TB's "off" day Monday. Wide open— Paul Burmeister (@PaulWBurmeister) March 19, 2014

    I’ve read/heard a lot of bullshit like this. If you think a scripted workout in shorts affects three years of film…well, I guess that’s your problem.

    Bridgewater is still the best QB prospect in this draft. Any team that passes on him because of a bad pro day deserves to not have him.

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  23. Aisle424

    I still can’t stand when a sports team like the Heat has a sentence like “The Heat is probably going to kick the crap out of the Bulls in the playoffs.” But then, “The Pacers are going to kick the crap out of the Bulls in the playoffs.”

    A either a sports team is a singular entity that’s going to kick the crap out of the Bulls in the playoffs regardless of its name, or it’s a plural collection of players that are going to kick the crap out of the Bulls regardless of the name. Pick one, news media.

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  24. Suburban kid

    @ Aisle424:
    Don’t get me started on collective plurals. I hate the British version where “U2 are a band” and “the government are going to raise taxes,” “Apple are going to release the iPhone 47” etc etc

    However, your Heat/Pacers example doesn’t bother me at all.

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  25. Like You Care

    @ Aisle424:

    I’m no fancy, big-city wordsmith, but it seems like it’s OK to interchange if you’re referencing mascots. I’d say you’re right if you insist that referencing a team by mascot implies “players” (e.g. The Heat [players] are going to kick the crap out of the Pacers [players]).

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  26. JonKneeV

    Someone help me temper my excitement.

    If Mike Olt returns to his All-Star potential form, I can actually see a pretty potent line up for THIS year if the players we expect to progress actually progress.

    Olt, Rizzo, Castro, Baez, Bryant, Schierholtz/Ruggiano, Castillo can all be above average bats at their position. Not to mention anything you get from Lake, Sweeney, and Alcantara.

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  27. dmick89, Sweatpants Guru

    @ JonKneeV:
    Wasn’t exactly a good offense last year and what’s his face at 3rd base was pretty good the first half of the season.

    I think you could take Miguel Cabrera and put him at 3rd base for the Cubs and the Cubs still won’t have a potent offense.

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  28. Like You Care

    Since I don’t think we have any fans of the late teams, I’ll just post the entire mock:

    1. HOU: Jadeveon Clowney, Edge, S.C. – Most talented edge defender I’ve seen.
    2. STL: Greg Robinson, OT, Auburn – Orlando Pace-level upside.
    3. JAX: Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Lou. – Franchise QB, imo.
    4. CLE: Johnny Manziel, QB, aggy – Manziel has amazing upside, but a few flaws.
    5. OAK: Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson – A shorter, healthier Julio Jones.
    6. ATL: Khalil Mack, OLB, Buffalo – Reminds me so much of Brian Orakpo…but healthy.
    7. TB: Jake Matthews, OT, aggy – Better than Joeckel, imo, and fills a need.
    8. MIN: Blake Bortles, QB, UCF – This might be the best spot for Bortles of all the QB-needy teams.
    9. BUF: Taylor Lewan, OT, Mich. – Needs to work on technique, but is elite physically.
    10. DET: Darqueze Dennard, CB, MSU – Lock. Down.
    11. TEN: Anthony Barr, OLB, UCLA – Great value here.
    12. NYG: Timmy Jernigan, DL, FSU – Not the top DT, imo, but he’s a perfect fit for this DLine.
    13. STL: Mike Evans, WR, aggy – If they’re committing to Sam Bradford, this is the way to show it.
    14. CHI: Aaron Donald, DT, PITT – Insane first step and always toward the QB.
    15. PIT: Louis Nix, NT, ND – Ideal 1- or 2-gapping NT and a must follow on twitter.
    16. DAL: Kony Ealy, DE, Mizzou – Poor man’s Aldon Smith.
    17. BAL: Xavier Su’a-Filo, OG, UCLA – Classic BAL OL and I think capable of playing G or C.
    18. NYJ: Eric Ebron, TE, UNC – Help Geno out.
    19. MIA: Zack Martin, OL, ND – MIA needs help all over the OL and Martin’s a decent value here.
    20. ARI: HaHa Clinton-Dix, FS, Alabama – Looks like a CB in coverage.
    21. GB: RaShede Hageman, DT, Minn. – BEAST. Put him anywhere on the line.
    22. PHI: CJ Mosley, OLB, Alabama, OLB, Alabama – Novorro Bowman potential.
    23. KC: Marquise Lee, WR, USC – Excellent route runner and enough athleticism to be productive opposite Dwayne Bowe.
    24. CIN: Morgan Moses, OT, Virginia – Moses is sneaking up draft boards.
    25. SD: Justin Gilbert, CB, OkSU – Physically, he’s a top CB. I think he plays passively too passively against the run and too aggressive in coverage.
    26. CLE: Odell Beckham, Jr., WR, LSU – Big play waiting to happen at WR and returner.
    27. NO: Dee Ford, OLB, Auburn – Pass-rushing demon (along with the addition of Jairus Byrd and the return of Kenny Vaccaro) will help take this defense to the next level. Undersized, but technique and speed more than compensate.
    28. CAR: Kelvin Benjamin, WR, FSU – Please give Cam at least one WR. Benjamin’s insane size and catch radius give him unlimited potential. Throw it up and let him go get it.
    29. NE: Kyle Van Noy, OLB, BYU – This might be an overdraft, but I think he fits what NE is trying to do on defense. Gets lost in the fold of a deep draft, but was considered a first-round lock after last season.
    30. SF: Calvin Pryor, S, Lou. – There’s a decent chance the top three safeties are gone by this point. SF has no glaring need, but DB and WR are the biggest. SF likes to disguise coverages and Pryor is the quintessential SF S.
    31. DEN: Jason Verrett, CB, TCU – Undersized CB whose game is tougher and more physical than nearly any CB in this draft. Plug and play from Day 1.
    32. SEA: Jace Amaro, TE, TTech – SEA should run more 12 personnel than they do. Drafting Amaro would help that immensely.

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  29. Aisle424

    I’ve started a round-by-round bracket pool on my sort-of brother-in-law’s app on iTunes. You get bonus points for picking upsets and you pick one round at a time so if you have a bad day, you can totally recover with a good next round. There is no entry fee, I’m just doing it for fun and bragging rights. If you want to play:

    – Go to iTunes and download the app (cost $.99) for iPhone, iPod, or iPad
    – Search the available pools for “Aisle 424 Invitational”
    – The password is: ClarktheCub
    – Make your first round picks
    – Watch the points accumulate and get ready to make your 2nd round picks after the first round of madness is over.

    This is open to anyone, so if you know someone who might be intrigued by the round-by-round format, feel free to pass the info along. The more the merrier.

    https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=834105884&mt=8

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  30. Aisle424

    This is basically the same app as I used last year, but my brother-in-law had to change the name because the NCAA didn’t like our use of the word “Madness.” He wanted to have it available for the Android this year, but because there was a possibility he wouldn’t even be able to do the app at all, he didn’t spend the money on converting it for the Droid. Hopefully next year.

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  31. Like You Care

    Bortels told me right after workout "I've never been a guy who exceled in shorts and a t shirt." More likely to shine in game. This is good— Paul Burmeister (@PaulWBurmeister) March 19, 2014

    Hey Blake, shhh… The other QB looked better in games than you. You did better in shorts.

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  32. GW

    While Rick Porcello made his scheduled start in an intrasquad game against a lineup of mainly Double-A level hitters, Tigers teams at other developmental levels were playing on the rest of the back fields at the Tigertown complex. The audience included a handful of scouts, with the Cubs and Phillies among teams represented.

    http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20140319&content_id=69636432&notebook_id=69636750&vkey=notebook_det&c_id=det

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  33. WaLi

    Like You Care wrote:

    8. MIN: Blake Bortles, QB, UCF – This might be the best spot for Bortles of all the QB-needy teams.

    Not only that, Minnesota has a history of drafting UCF QB’s in the first round. They drafted Daunte Culpepper in 1999 and that turned out pretty well for them I think until getting injured. Based on this, Minnesota won’t let Bortles pass by them.

    /one point makes a trend

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  34. Just plain BVS

    @ Rice Cube:
    Giansanti either needs to yell “I got it” louder because I assume Baez as a Puerto Rican is bilingual enough to understand it. (Didn’t he grow up in Florida anyway?) In fact, I assume anyone who’s played more than 5 innings in the USA understands “I got it.”

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  35. Like You Care

    @ WaLi:

    Except Culpepper is black, so that comparison doesn’t work.

    I do think it’s funny how people are so desperate for patterns that they force connections.

    “Team X has a an X-X record in X City since 19XX…even though none of the current roster has played there.”

    “I don’t want my team to draft position Suck from Suck University because that one Suck from Suck U was the suckiest suck who ever sucked.”

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  36. Myles

    GBTS wrote:

    Myles wrote:
    Berselius, Cubs #12 prospect wrote:
    http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/03/19/the-astros-are-playing-dirty-pool-with-a-top-prospect/

    This seems like an issue where the MLBPA has to get involved. If this is true, it’s really, really damning to the Astros.

    I’m sure the MLBPA will rush to the aid of a player who is not in the union and who was intentionally screwed over by said union in the last round of negotiations.

    Hey, a guy can dream.

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  37. GBTS

    I guess Springer was a 2011 draftee, which means he was the last class right before the MLB went full “fuck ’em” with the 2012 CBA, but the fact of the matter is you’re largely non-existent to the MLBPA until you reach the 40-man.

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  38. Myles

    GBTS wrote:

    I guess Springer was a 2011 draftee, which means he was the last class right before the MLB went full “fuck ‘em” with the 2012 CBA, but the fact of the matter is you’re largely non-existent to the MLBPA until you reach the 40-man.

    The current system is pretty terrible, in my opinion.

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  39. WaLi

    @ Myles:
    While I agree it sucks for the draftees, it accomplished what they wanted it to do: more money is being spent on the 40-man. Contracts are being dealt out to younger players to stay on the team and free agency prices have gone up (although this is also due to increased revenue as well). Mission accomplished for those currently in the CBA. Sucks for the current future CBA members.

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  40. WaLi

    @ Myles:
    But the worst part is that this would be hard to prove unless this Springer guy comes out and says “they said they wouldn’t play me unless I signed this contract.” Otherwise due to the fail rate of prospects and the hole in this guys game with K’s, the Astros have every right to hold him back.

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  41. Mucker

    I knew a guy who was runner up to Daunte Culpepper for Florida High School Player of the year. He was a QB also and played at Clemson. He had the strongest arm I’ve ever seen. I met him playing flag football in South Carolina and he warmed up by standing on one sideline and having his receivers run along the opposite sideline and he would throw to them with passes that went about 90 mph and were about 8 feet off the ground. It was one of the more impressive things I’ve ever seen.

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  42. Like You Care

    @ Edwin:

    Amazing how that works, isn’t it? I maintain that losing the shell of Randy Moss caused the dip in SF’s offensive production last season.

    Offencive DVOA by year…

    2011: -3.9% (Alex Smith, no Randy Moss)
    2012: 16.5% (Smith/Kaepernick, Randy Moss)
    2013: 9.1 % (Kaepernick, Anquan Boldin instead of Randy Moss)

    Just the threat of Randy Moss running deep keeps at least one safety back and opens the rest of the field.

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