Category Archives: Sports

Baseball

Your Math Teacher Was Right: Graphs Can Be Fun!

I have no idea how this escaped my notice up until this point. But I’ve seen several people post and/or tweet about it in the past few days, so allow me to jump on the bandwagon way too late.

This thing is a site called Flip Flop Fly Ball, wherein artist Craig Robinson has created a whole slew of awesome baseball-related infographics. These graphs answer such questions as, how long did it take to assemble (and disassemble) the 1986 Mets? If bases were literally stolen, how much would it cost each team? How do the Indians reflect the Native American population of Cleveland? (As you might guess, not very much.)

And the best one of all: a complete box score for “an Eastern Division Tiebreaker Game that Exists in My Head” between the Wu-Tang Clan and the E-Street Band. As you might expect, the starting pitchers were RZA and The Boss.

This just scratches the surface. There’s a buffet of awesomeness here–including an 8-bit page header with many subtle nods to baseball touchstones both real and fictional (see if you can figure out what “game” is referenced on the scoreboard). So click and enjoy.

Baseball

Omar Minaya and Mike Francesa Star in *M*A*S*H*, CitiField Edition

fran1.jpgWelcome bu-hack to the program. My next guest is the general manager of the Mets, Omar Minaya, who’s gotta be feelin pretty blue these days. Run it down for me. What’s the litany of injuries?
minaya.jpgWell, Carlos Delgado’s got a torn labrum, Carlos Beltran’s got a bone bruise, Jose Reyes got hit by a fire truck, Ollie Perez has got seven swans a-swimming, and John Maine’s got six geese a laying. Although I’d rather be laying those eight maids a milking, right, Mikey? *honk* *honk* Say Mikey, I haven’t gotten a word in edgewise since I got here. You must’ve been vaccinated with a phonograph needle!
fran1.jpgSince when do you talk like Groucho?
minaya.jpgSince when are you such a grouch, Mikey? Boy, if this room gets any livelier, a funeral’s gonna break out!
fran1.jpgAnd what’s that in your hand, a martini glass?
minaya.jpgI would’ve brought my brandy snifter, but it got shattered by a mortar at the 38th Parallel!
fran1.jpgMets fans think you’re not taking this situation seriously, that the season will soon slip away because of your inability to make a move to bolster the offense.
minaya.jpgI take this very seriously! You should see how much serious drinking I’ve been doing!
fran1.jpgWhat is your plan to fix the glaring deficiencies in this team?
minaya.jpgI’m not too worried, Mikey. You know what they say–there’s always more de-fish-in-the-seas. *honk* *honk*
fran1.jpgAre you gonna make a trade for this team, or are you just gonna sit around and crack jokes while the team falls apart?
minaya.jpgListen, I’ve seen enough blood and pain and horror to last me three lifetimes. I patch these kids up just so they can run right out and get torn up again. What’s the sense of it all? Sure, I tell jokes, Mike. But is it any worse than the joke that’s been played on me? So laugh! Laugh at all, cause it’s one big joke, isn’t it? And the punchline is, we all die alone and afraid, stranding men in scoring position.
fran1.jpgWow, this front office used to be light hearted and satirical, but this season has really changed you. Made you all…morose and dramatic.
minaya.jpgYou should see what it’s done to Fred Wilpon.
Klinger.jpgColonel, I request a section 8!

1999 Project

1999 Project: Games 48-53 (A Homestand from Hell)

Click here for an intro/manifesto on The 1999 Project.

May 28, 1999: Diamondbacks 2, Mets 1

The Mets began a six-game homestand with the news that both Jason Isringhausen and Bobby Jones were ailing. Things didn’t improve much at game time. Rick Reed pitched well in his 7 innings of work, but gave up two runs in the second on a walk, a single, and triple. That seemed to be all the offense would Arizona would need, as Omar Daal shut the door on the Mets.

A homer by Benny Agbayani in the seventh (his fifth on only 43 at bats) cut the deficit in half, and the Mets threatened in the bottom of the ninth, loading the bases on two singles and a walk. But Luis Lopez struck out looking, thanks in part to a strike zone the Mets thought had suddenly shifted.

To add another layer of weirdness to the proceedings, Turk Wendell was forced to leave the field in the eighth inning because, as Diamondbacks manager Buck Showalter pointed out, he was using a two-colored glove, which was apparently illegal. Wendell swapped the glove and returned to the mound to pitch a scoreless frame. “It’s Showalter’s little antics,” Wendell told reporters. “He’s a stickler aboutlittle things like that. Power to him. It didn’t work. I’m sure Bobby Vdoes the same thing.”

May 29, 1999: Diamondbacks 8, Mets 7

This game saw yet another Mets pitcher go down. Allen Watson, starting in place of the injured Isringhausen, tried to kick-stop a line drive with his foot. This unwise move resulted in Watson limping off the field, and the Mets’ usually reliable bullpen did not hold up.

Every reliever but Armando Benitez made an appearance, but to no avail. Pat Mahomes and Rigo Beltran had both been stingy in their recent appearances, but they gave up three runs apiece this day, and the offense could not bail them out. Armando Reynoso, who’d been with the Mets the previous two seasons, gave up five runs in his five innings of work, but that was sufficient to earn a victory. In his first major league appearance, Byung-Hyun Kim pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for the save.

The team’s frustration was clearly mounting. Brian McRae was tossed in the first inning for arguing balls and strikes. Rickey Henderson was picked off of second, which could have cost the Mets a precious run. And Rey Ordonez suddenly needed two days’ rest for a knee injury that came as a total surprise to manager Bobby Valentine.

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