Cainednoun: A derisive term to describe a pitcher who pitches well enough to win a game, but his team doesn't give him enough run support to pick up the victory.
Usage Example: Cliff Lee was Cained last night pitching eight innings giving up five hits, one run, only to pick up the no-decision.
Word History: The term Cained originated from McCovey Chronicles. San Francisco Giants pitcher Matt Cain knows the school of hard luck all too well. Cain would be just as well known as Tim Lincecum by casual baseball fans, but is not because he's been Cained relentlessly through the years.
2008 was a particular rough year for Matt Cain. Cain finished the year with a 8-14 record but had stats good enough to easily have a record of 20-5. Look at his 2008 stats. Cain only gave up 95 earned runs, 19 home runs, 91 walks, with an ERA of 3.76, WHIP 1.36, and a WAR of 3.7. Because of a lack of run support though, Cain's record is not what it should have been. I've gone on tirades before about how wins are irrelevant in baseball now and Matt Cain is proof to that theory.
My all-time favorite Cained moment happen last month. In a game against Oakland, Cain gave up one unearned run and still lost. Unbelievable isn't it? As we like to say about Cain over at McCovey Chronicles, "Cain is a winner disguised as a loser."
Brooksisms, noun: A terse saying embodying a general truth, or an astute observation by former US Hockey coach Herb Brooks.
Usage Example: Brooks once said, "You know, Willie Wonka said it best: we are the makers of dreams, the dreamers of dreams."
Word Origin: With the 30th anniversary of the "Miracle on Ice" coming up next Monday, I thought I would take a look at the coach of that famous US hockey team, Herb Brooks.
Herb Brooks could be best described as a "tell it like it is" type of person. He wasn't afraid to speak his mind and make his players uncomfortable. It was all his grand plan to motivate his players and make them play at a level higher. Part of Brooks' motivation was to use catchphrases that he created over and over again.
One of the way Brooks motivated his players was by making fun Soviet Union players and coaches. Specifically Brooks would make fun of the Soviet Union Captain and at the time the best hockey player in the world Boris Mikhailov. Brooks would mockingly call Mikhailov, "Stan Laurel", the famous comedian from the group Laurel and Hardy.
Three of Brooks' players, John Harrington, Dave Silk, and Captain Mike Eruzione, kept a notebook of Brooks' favorite aphorisms that he kept repeating to a regularity that they made an impression on the players. Here are a few of the "Brooksisms":
- "You're playing worse every day, and right now you're playing like the middle of the next month."
- "Gentlemen, you don't have enough talent to win on talent alone."
- "Boys, in front of the net it's bloody-nose alley."
- "Don't dump the puck in. That went out with short pants."
- "Throw the puck back and weave, weave, weave. But don't just weave for the sake of weaving."
- "You look like you have a five pound fart on your head."
- "You guys are getting bent over and they're not using vaseline."
What else can you say about Coach Brooks? He was definitely an intelligent coach and a master motivator/button pusher. It was sad day when coach Brooks passed away back in 2003.
Stiff, Noun: An NBA player who is 6' 10" and taller. He is unable to move and operate. He is also unable to bend or flex. And he is always rigid and firm.
Usage Example: Greg Ostertag is the greatest stiff of all-time.
Word Origin: Describing a tall, awkward, slow big man in the NBA as a stiff is not all that uncommon. What I never knew was where that word was created. Reading the Denver Stiffs blog I have finally found the origin of that word.
While Doug Moe was the coach of the Nuggets he had a 7 foot center named Blair Rasmussen. Rasmussen never averaged more than 12 points and 1.9 blocks a game. Moe coined the phrase stiff to describe Rasmussen as a big, white, stiff of a player. Moe wasn't uncommon with stiffs. After all he coached an all-time stiff in Danny Schayes.
Needless to say the word has stuck around to describe some of the biggest stiffs to have inhabited the NBA.
My Favorite Stiffs of All-Time
Kwame Brown- Oh, you thought the word "stiff" only implied to white guys? Well your wrong. Brown was the number 1 pick overall in the 2001 NBA draft by the Washington Wizards. Brown came into the NBA with huge expectations. He was the first high schooler drafted number 1 overall and Michael Jordan was the one who drafted Kwame for the Wizards.
Brown's rookie season, which should have been an indicator, was marred with a lack of maturity and criticism from Jordan and the media. Brown is also one of the worst kind of stiffs to have on your team, he's been on the wrong side of the law. In 2006, Brown was accused of sexual assault. The charges would be dropped, but Brown wasn't done getting into trouble. In 2007, Brown was accused of "grand theft of a person" when he threw a cake at a man. Yes, he threw a birthday cake at a man. Those charges were also dropped. Somehow Kwame is still playing in the league with the Detroit Pistons.
Greg Ostertag- One of the greatest stiffs of all-time. Ostertag somehow managed to play in the NBA for 11 years despite moving on the court like his shoes were filled with razor blades. True story about Ostertag, while he was playing for the Sacramento Kings he once stopped by my hometown to go duck hunting with Brad Miller. Supposedly both Ostertag and Miller bought donuts at the local donuts shop.
Shawn Bradley- Also one of the greatest stiffs of all-time. No one has been dunked on more times than Bradley and that's because he was so easy to dunk on besides being 7 foot 6 inches. Bradley and his concrete shoes was able to find a niche in the league has a reliable shot blocker and had a couple of productive years in Dallas. Bradley's nicknames while playing the NBA included, "The Stormin' Mormon", "The Deathstick", "Missionary Impossible", the "Mormon Mantis", the "Praying Mantis", and "The Human Toothpick." If those are your nicknames in the league, then your a stiff.
Tony Battie- While Shawn Bradley was at least able to block shots, Tony Battie wasn't even able to do that. Battie only averaged .9 blocks a season over a 12-year NBA career. After his rookie season with the Denver Nuggets, Nuggets GM Dan Issel labeled him "El Busto". Battie though did do some good while he was in the NBA. When Paul Pierce was stabbed outside a club in Boston in 2000, Battie rushed Pierce to the hospital and saved his life. So Battie was at least productive for the Celtics. Danny Schayes- What would an all-time stiffs list be like without the immortal Danny Schayes? The son of Hall of Famer Dolph Schayes, Danny somehow managed to play in the NBA from 1981 to 1999. Yes he played in the league for almost 20 years! Schayes best season was back in 1988 when he averaged 13 points and 8 rebounds a game. How this stiff lasted so long will always be a mystery. Maybe he had naked photos of David Stern?
If you haven't noticed, these stiffs were all able to last in the league for more than 10 seasons. This proves that no matter how athletic you are, if you are 6' 10" and taller, you will be able to last in the league. Cole Aldrich has a long future in the NBA.
Black Hole, noun: A Black Hole is a basketball player who never passes the ball and always shoots.
Usage Example: Luol Deng was a Black Hole last night for the Chicago Bulls shooting 7-for-16 with 24 points and 0 assists.
Word Origin: Black Hole has been used for years to describe ball hogs on the basketball court. The first time it was used to describe a NBA player was for Kevin McHale. McHale was known as somewhat of a ball hog. He was always a shoot first, pass second player. The first person to call McHale a Black Hole was Danny Ainge.
Ainge called McHale "The Black Hole", joking that when the basketball was passed inside to McHale it disappeared because he rarely passed it back.
Since then, players such as Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant have been described as Black Hole's.
Modern Examples: The biggest Black Hole so far this year resides in Charlotte. Gerald Wallace has made 18 field goals in 54 attempts with no assists on the season. So in four games this year, Wallace has attempted 54 shots, and no assists. Maybe if Wallace passed the ball more, the Bobcats wouldn't be 2-2 including a 33 point loss to Boston on opening night.
I already talked about Luol Deng's performance last night, but Deng has been a Black Hole for the entire season so far. Deng has attempted 58 field goals and only has 3 assists on the season. It's not surprising that both Deng and Wallace lead their teams in Points while both of their teams are .500.
But both Wallace and Deng are not point guards. Their not expected to pass the ball. They are reallied upon to score to keep their teams in games. Now point guards are expected to pass. And the worst Black Hole point guard has been Indiana point guard T.J. Ford.
Ford has attempted 24 attempts with only five assists on the season. No wonder the Pacers are the worst team in the league. In one particular game, Ford played in 20 minutes, attempted 8 field goals with no assists and 2 turnovers. Look on the bright side though Pacer fans, Tyler Hansbrough is expected to make his professional debut on Friday.
Crabtree, noun: A professional athlete that thinks he's worth more money than what the team is offering.
Usage Example: Back in 1997 the Philadelphia Phillies drafted J.D. Drew. Drew's agent Scott Boras said his client wouldn't sign for anything less than $10 million. The Phillies didn't offer him the $10 million to Drew and he decided to play for the independent league team St. Paul Saints.
Word Origin: Here is the deal with Crabtree. Before the draft everyone said Crabtree was the best receiver. So Crabtree thinks he should be paid like the best receiver from the draft. Only one problem though, not a single team drafted him until the 49ers took him with the 10th pick. Now Crabtree believes he should be paid like the first receiver chosen, when the Raiders chose Darius Heyward-Bey.
Crabtree has been sucked in by his own hype. He believes the NFL slotting system that pays rookies doesn't pertain to him and he should be paid like a top 5 pick. Crabtree is budging on the money that he wants. And with every game that Crabtree misses, the 49ers keep reducing their offer. If Michael Crabtree ever plays for the 49ers, it will be a miracle.
Albert Pujols Theory, noun: When a dominate closer gives up a gut wrenching home run and never regains control over his pitches again.
Usage Example: After giving up a game-ting home run in the 96 World Series, Mark Wohlers was never a dominate pitcher again.
Origin: We go back to Game 5 of the 2005 NLCS. With the Astros on the verge of clinching the Astros called upon closer Brad Lidge. Then Lidge promptly gave up a game-winning three-run home run to Albert Pujols that I'm sure hasn't landed yet. Sure the Astros eventually won the series between them and St. Louis, but this was only the beginning of Lidge's problems.
In the 05 World Series, Lidge gave up a game-winning home run to Scott Podsednik, which was only the second home run of the year for Podsednik. Houston went on to be swept by the White Sox. Lidge though continued to struggle in Houston. He was eventually demoted from the closers role in Houston then traded to Philadelphia.
Lidge did redeem himself last year with the Phillies. Lidge converted all 41 saves last season and recorded the final out of the World Series win for the Phillies. Lidge has struggled this season and has been placed on the DL for a nagging injury. It will be seen if Lidge can regain his 08 form or slip right back into the Albert Pujols Theory.
Other Examples: Let's go back to the Mark Wohlers example. Wohlers was a dominate closer for the Atlanta Braves in the mid-90's. Then in the 96 World Series, Wohlers gave up a game-ting home run to Jim Leyritz. The Yankees would eventually win that game and series. Wohlers never recovered.
Byung-Hyun Kim will forever be burned in the minds of Diamondbacks fans. During the last exciting World Series, Kim gave up game-winning home runs on back-to-back nights. The Diamondbacks eventually won the series. Kim wouldn't show any lingering affects of his World Series performance at first, but after a while he was never as dominate again.
What's the Difference?: Some of you might ask, what's the difference between Steve Blass disease and the Albert Pujols Theory? Steve Blass disease affects starting pitchers and position players. A starting pitcher will inexplicably lose control and never recover, that's Steve Blass disease. I will discuss Steve Blass disease another day.
Albert Pujols Theory is when either a relief pitcher or a closer gives up a gut wrenching home run and then loses control. And it really only affects relief pitchers. Relief pitchers have to have a strong mental strength to begin with. But it seems like if they give up a gut wrenching home run, their mental strength is gone. And with the case of Brad Lidge, a change of scenery is what a person needs.
Operation Shutdown, noun: When a professional athlete quites on his team.
Example: Randy Moss went into 'Operation Shutdown' while playing his final season with the Oakland Raiders.
Word History: Former Houston Astros player Derek Bell came up with the phrase 'Operation Shutdown'. While at the end of his career, Bell was at the Pittsburgh Pirates spring training. He was struggling and wasn't aware that he was competing for a starting job. He felt like he didn't need to prove himself worthy of a starting job.
"Nobody told me I was in competition. If there is competition,somebody better let me know. If there is competition, they better eliminate me out of the race and go ahead and do what they're going to do with me. I ain't never hit in spring training and I never will. If it ain't settled with me out there, then they can trade me. I ain't going out there to hurt myself in spring training battling for a job. If it is [a competition], then I'm going into 'Operation Shutdown.'Tell them exactly what I said. I haven't competed for a job since 1991."
Needless to say the Pirates released Bell at the end of spring training. Derek Bell went into permanent 'Operation Shutdown' mode. The Pirates gave Bell $4.5 million not to show up ever again. Bell's time with Pittsburgh was considered one of the biggest free agent busts of all-time.
Other Examples: Manny Ramirez went into 'Operation Shutdown' twice while playing with the Red Sox. In the middle of the 06 season, Ramirez basically quite on the team while his name was being mentioned in trade talks.
But the worst was in the middle of last season. Ramirez was involved in altercations with Red Sox 1st baseman Kevin Youkilis and the teams traveling secretary. Then during a series with the Yankees, minutes before the first pitch, Manny through a bench coach informed manager Terry Francona that he wasn't playing. Even though he was scheduled to start that game. He complained about a knee injury, but a lot of people speculated about Ramirez not being happy about not receiving a new contract offer from Boston. Needless to say he was gone only a couple weeks later. Just Manny being Manny I guess.
Randy Moss has also gone into 'Operation Shutdown'. In his last game with Minnesota he walk off the field with two seconds left in the game. He didn't think Minnesota would recover the onside kick. He was right and Minnesota still loss, but that is still not an excuse to walk away from your team.
Moss also quite on the Oakland Raiders. Moss showed a lack of effort during his time in Oakland. He would routinely quite on plays because he was on a losing team. Look I know the Raiders have sucked, but just because they are losing doesn't give you the right to quite on the team. He was eventually traded from the Raiders and went on to have the greatest season of all-time with the Patriots.
Levels of 'Operation Shutdown': There are certain levels that a player will be in before he goes into 'Operation Shutdown' mode on his team.
Level I: A player doesn't feel like he is worthy of competing for a starting job.
Level II: A player is frustrated by his current contract status.
Level III: A player is frustrated by losing games.
Level IV: He's frustrated about a lack of playing time.
Derek Bell and 'Operation Shutdown' will live in infamy. I'm sure there is another player out there who will go into 'Operation Shutdown' again.
Sports Hate, noun: To hate a player, coach, or a sports team.
Usage Example: I hate the Los Angeles Dodgers. I hate Vin Scully. I hate their blue uniforms. I hate their fans. I hate Kirk Gibson. I hate Mike Piazza. I hate everything about the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Word History: Sports brings out the hate in us. We are so passionate about our own teams, that we hate anyone who could possibly stand in their way. Also though there will always be a certain player or coach that we just hate. A lot of people hate Bill Belichick. We hate that he wins and we hate the fact that he cheated to win. No will ever forget SpyGate and that will always be a dark cloud hanging over his head. Also there is certain types of hatred.
Real hatred is never a good thing. That is how most crimes are committed. Sports hate is fine. Let Bill Simmons explain Sports Hate.
"There's hate and there's sports hate. Real hate is not OK. Sports hate is OK. We are fans. We are allowed to "love" certain athletes and "hate" others. It doesn't mean we actually love them or hate them."
So there you go. Every sports fan hates a certain team, player, or coach. Let's take a look at Coach K and Duke. I think I can say positively, the majority of people in this country hates Coach K and Duke. We hate both of them because of the over-hyped coverage they get from ESPN and Dick Vitale. We hate the fact that a bunch of UN-athletic white guys playing basketball get so much coverage. We hate Greg Paulus because Dick Vitale said he would be the greatest college basketball player ever, when he came out of high school. That's why we love this video so much.
College athletics have always amassed me this way. A lot of people either hate or love a certain college team or player. Let's look at Tim Tebow. I would say that their is a majority of people that don't like Tebow. We don't like him because of that speech. We don't like him because he circumcises babies in the Philippines. We don't like him because he has won two national championships.
College athletics, MMA, and NASCAR all have that certain someone that you hate. But it's a different story with professional teams.
If you love a certain professional sports team, then most likely you hate their rival. Like I said above, I hate the Los Angeles Dodgers. And I am sure their fans hate me right back. It doesn't matter that I am better than them. Either way there is a certain team that you hate. If you love the Phillies than you hate the Mets. You love an NFC East team besides the Cowboys, than you most likely hate the Cowboys. That's just who we are as fans. Our fathers hate a certain team and that is breed into us. It's a part of life.
Remember hatred is never a good thing. Sports hatred on the other hand though, is always a good thing. We are fans and we are passionate about sports. Hatred is brought out of us and sports is always a good way to vent.
Who Do You Hate?: Who in the sports world do you hate. Leave a comment or e-mail me why you have sports hate for a certain athlete, team, or coach and I will post it.
UPDATE!: JFein of Fire Andy Reid Now! has given me a list of teams he hates.
*Dallas Cowboys - Jerry Jones, Tony Homo (Artie Lange was not the first person to ever think of that), arrogant, obnoxious, media bias, and they actually brought in Pacman Jones and T.O. (okay, I can understand T.O., but Pacman?????)
*New York Mets - It's fun to pick on losers!
*Sidney Crosby - Not to be sexist or chauvinistic, but girls should not be playing hockey.
*New Jersey Devils - Game 7 of the 2000 Eastern Conference Finals is forever embedded in my mind.
*Duke Basketball - Dickie V, Mike Patrick, Jay Bilas, and everyone else at ESPN become hard when they think of Duke.
*North Carolina Basketball - See Duke.
*University of Michigan football - Idiot coach and stubborn superiority
*Ohio State University football - See Michigan.
*Dick Stockton - Old, can't keep up with the game anymore, and despite being from Philly, has an anti-Philly bias...
*Colin Cowherd - I need to give an explanation for why I hate this douche bag?
*New England Patriots - Obnoxious to the nth degree. ESPN's constant cumming over them does not help either.
*This is probably one of the first times in my life I would not have included the New York Yankees on this list....
Milton, noun: An baseball player who is inherently insane.
Usage Example: Jose Guillen is an Milton.
Word History: Of course this word of the day is named after Mt. Milton Bradley. Not the board game maker, the baseball player. Good ole Milton is flat out insane. His blowups are legendary and well talked about. Let's take a look at them.
- While with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Milton blew up at an umpire and threw a bag of baseball's on the field.
- While with the San Diego Padres, Milton blew out his knee arguing with an ump and was out for the season. This was a crucial injury to the Padres because they blew their lead to the Colorado Rockies and eventually lost out on a spot in the playoffs after that memorable one-game playoff.
- Last season while with the Kansas City, Milton attempted to confront the Royals tv announcer. He was eventually stopped in the locker room.
There are so many Milton Bradley meltdowns that I couldn't possibly list them all.
Characteristics of an Milton: There are characteristics of an player you have to look at to decide whether or not, that player is an Milton.
1) How many teams have they been on? Milton has been on seven teams in his nine year career.
2) How long they are with a team. Milton has never been on a team longer than two years.
3) How often do they have a meltdown? Bradley himself has at least one good meltdown a year.
4) Has to of been injured in a strange or weird way. See above for Bradley. My favorite though is another famous Milton, Jose Guillen. Jose decided to remove an ingrown toenail by himself. Needless to say he injured himself and had to sit out a couple of days. The best though is his description of removing the toenail.
"The doctor saw me (Wednesday)," Guillen said, "and he said we’ll see how it feels in the morning. If it wasn't any better, he wanted me to have surgery. I thought, 'Whoaaa.'
"So I went on my own (Wednesday) to the pharmacy, got some tweezers, came home and pulled it out myself. Let me tell you, I cried. I had one tough hour. But I got it out."
5) Has to of had a run-in with a manager. Guillen most famously clashed with Angels manager Mike Scioscia in 2004. And of course Milton himself has had run-ins with his managers over the years.
There are several Miltons playing baseball today. Carlos Zambrano, Kyle Farnsworth, and Brett Myers immediately come to mind. Who's your favorite Milton?
Grab some pine, meat!,noun: A phrase typically used to taunt a baseball player after he strikes out.
Usage Example: "Strike three! Grab some pine, meat!"
Word History: San Fransisco Giants announcer Mike Krukow has popularized this phrase over the years. Via Grabsomepinemeat.com.....
And the famous four-word phrase -- “Grab some pine meat…”
Anyone that has ever played the game -- at a competitive level -- is familiar with the term, “meat,” but Krukow has made the word part of the vernacular for San Francisco Giants fans.
So much so that you will find countless signs dotting the sea of orange at AT&T Park proclaiming, “Hey Meat!”
The word "meat" is a way to describe a baseball player. If you remember the movie 'Bull Durham' the Kevin Costner character always called the Tim Robbins character "meat".
The picture: I had no idea Krukow once played for the Phillies. I knew he started his career with the Cubs. But apparently he did play for the Phillies. In 1982, Krukow was traded from the Cubs to the Phillies. During the season Kruk was second on the team in wins behind Steve Carlton. But after the end of the year, the Phillies traded Krukow, Mark Davis, and Charlie Penigar to San Fransisco for Joe Morgan and Al Holland. Morgan and Holland helped the Phillies reach the World Series in 1983, which they lost to Baltimore, and Krukow and Davis became a big part of the Giants success in the late 80's.
Selig Face, noun: A look of embarrassment, confusion, and awkwardness. Usually you see this face during an embarrassing moment of someones life.
Usage Example: When Pablo Sandoval committed three errors in one game against Anaheim, you saw Bud Selig Face.
Word History: In 1992, baseball owners voted in no-confidence of old commissioner Fay Vincent. And in his place Allan Huber "Bud" Selig became the de factocommissioner of baseball. The first two years in his reign of commissioner went very well for Selig. He suspended racist owner Marge Schott and reinstated George Steinbrenner. But after this is where it went all down hill.
In 1994, baseball players went on strike. Realizing that the owners and players would not reach a new deal by October, Selig was forced to cancel the 1994 World Series. During the press conference, we witnessed the Selig Face for the very first time. It was a look of embarrassment and awkwardness. There was no confusion in his face yet, but we will see this part of the Selig face later.
Other Examples of Selig Face: After baseball returned to play in 1995, Selig made some changes to baseball. He created the Wild Card which could be looked at in a good way or a bad way. Some people like the Wild Card because it adds more teams to the playoffs. Baseball purists hate it because you eliminate pennant chases. Also Selig added interleague play in the late 90's.
Things were going very well for Selig. He was elected as the full-time commissioner in 1998 and baseball saw a resurgence in that same year. Although it would be short lived, more on that later. In 2002, Selig oversaw baseball avoid another baseball strike. But after that is where it has all gone downhill for Selig.
At the 2002 All-Star game in Milwaukee, Selig used to own the Brewers and at that time his daughter owned the team, the All-Star game ended in a tie in the bottom of the 11th. And sure enough we saw confusion in the Selig face. He was embarrassed, he was awkward, and he look confused when he had to stop the game at a tie.
That was the least of Selig's worries. In 2003, was when the BALCO case was leaked. Barry Bonds became the face of the steroid problem that had been plaguing baseball since the magical year of 1998. Once again, the Selig face reared it's ugly head.
Then congress called baseball to capital hill for testimony in 2005. Selig appeared at the hearings, but the steroid cat was out of the bag. Since these hearings, the biggest names in baseball were implicated as steroid users as a part of the Mitchell Report. We have seen the Selig face at each press conference concerning Roger Clemens, Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, and recently Sammy Sosa. And I am sure we will see Selig face when another name is dropped as a steroid user.
But that's not all. We have seen the Selig face recently that doesn't involve steroids. During the 2008 World Series between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Philadelphia Phillies, play had to be stopped during the middle of game 5 in Philly. Usually when games are rained out after the fifth inning, whoever is leading wins the game. But because this was a World Series game, Selig called the game, and it was restarted two days later. Selig is lucky the Phillies won the series in Philadelphia, or we would be buried right next to Jimmy Hoffa. Anyways we saw the Selig face, but this time he had a rule book in his hands.
I am sure we will see more Selig face in the future from Bud. I mean, he is the baseball commissioner until 2012. Until then, keep an look out for Selig Face across the nation.
This is a fallow up post from yesterday's word of the day, launching pad. Also the great JFein found a site which averages how many home runs are hit in a park.
Graveyard, noun: A baseball stadium that doesn't allow an exuberant amount of home runs.
Usage Example: In San Diego, PETCO Park is an graveyard.
Word History: A graveyard is just the opposite of an launching pad. It's a place where home run hitters go to die. Take Aaron Rowand for example. When Rowand played his last season in Philadelphia, at a very friendly home run park, he hit 27 home runs. Rowand signed a huge free agent contract with the Giants. When he played his first season in San Fransisco, in a graveyard of a park, Rowand only hit 13 home runs. Graveyards are a great measuring stick to see if a power hitter is just an product of his launching pad environment, or a truly great hitter.
Hit tracker keeps track of how many home runs are hit in a ballpark and averages it out. Here is the bottom ten.
20. Washington Nationals - Nationals Park - 1.81
21. St. Louis Cardinals - Busch Stadium - 1.78
22. Seattle Mariners - Safeco Field - 1.67
23. New York Mets - Citi Field - 1.66
24. San Diego Padres - PETCO Park - 1.63
25. Oakland Athletics - McAfee Coliseum 1.61
26. Los Angeles Dodgers - Dodger Stadium - 1.44
27. Kansas City Royals - Kauffman Stadium - 1.40
28. Pittsburgh Pirates - PNC Park - 1.28
29. San Francisco Giants - AT&T Park - 1.27
30. Atlanta Braves - Turner Field - 1.13
There are no real surprises here. San Fransisco is real bad. You have a large right field wall, with a deep center field, and a deep left field. You have to have some serious power to hit home runs at AT&T Park.
Also I do find it amazing that the two brand new ballparks in New York are completely different. Yankee Stadium is a launching pad. And Citi Field is a graveyard. Also besides Manny Ramirez, Dodger Stadium is an old graveyard. It has and will never be a hitter friendly ballpark.
Also graveyards do chase away free agents. The only reason why San Fransisco keeps signing hitters is because they don't mind paying for someone. And the only reason why hitters still go to LA is because you are in beautiful Southern California. But besides these two teams, others have a hard time attracting free agents.
Good thing the majority of these graveyards are beautiful.
Launching Pad, noun: A baseball stadium that gives up an huge quantity of home runs.
Usage Example: The launching pad at New Yankee Stadium gave up three home runs last night.
Word History: Anyone who listens to the Jim Rome Show knows Jim calls Coors Field, Coors Canaveral. He calls Coors Field that name because the stadium is like Cape Canaveral where the Space Shuttle is launched. Up until the Colorado Rockies started using a humidor, Coors Field was the place where an average Joe probably could hit a home run.
But for the longest time, Coors Field was the only ballpark where you could see home runs leave faster than they came. Unless you count the Roid heads who knocked out home runs, thats a different story though.
Recently though, we have seen a Renaissance with new ballparks being built. And with new ballparks being built, we have seen new launching pads being built.
The first launching pad built was Enron Field, er Minute Maid Park. With it's short left field porch, a new launching pad was built. Still the most incredible home run I have ever seen was hit there. Remember the 05 NLCS? With Brad Lidge closing the game for the Astros, he gave up a moon shot to Albert Pujols. I still don't think the ball has landed yet.
There has been other launching pads built recently. Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, The Ballpark in Arlington, and new Yankee Stadium. New Yankee Stadium has been the center of the launching pad controversy lately. New York spent a cool $1 Billion on the new ballpark. Well within the first week of opening that place, new Yankee Stadium was the newest launching pad. People went crazy wondering why so many home runs were being hit out of the new home. They thought there was some sort of jet stream running through the place. They have still not figured out why so many home runs have been hit and probably never figure out why.
I actually enjoy the launching pads in baseball. They are better than the graveyards where the Giants, Mets, Padres, and Florida play in. But that's a different word of the day.
Sandoval, noun: When a position player in baseball commits a trifecta of errors.
Word Usage: Last night there was a Sandoval when Pablo Sandoval committed an throwing error, catching error, and a ground ball error.
Word History: There really isn't a word history, since I made this word up last night. Pablo Sandoval committed three errors last night for the Giants against the Angels. He killed the Giants at first base last night by committing a throwing, catching, and ground ball error. I have never seen anything like it, and may not see anything like it again. If you know of an instance where this has happened before, e-mail me at 49er16@gmail.com and I will update this post.
What's the difference between an Sandoval and a Emilio?: Glad you asked. An Emilio is a player who commits an UN-Godly amount of errors over a season. A Sandoval is a player who commits three errors in a single game.
UPDATE!: The Great RJBO pulled through for me, like usual. He pointed out that former Reds 2nd baseman Pokey Reece committed four errors in one game, including three in one inning. Maybe I should rethink the word of the day and rename it, Pokey? Nah, Pokey will always be the name for prisons.
Farnsworth, noun. A Farnsworth is a Major League League pitcher who doesn't mind fighting and might even encourage it.
Usage Example: Roger Clemens went Farnsworth after he threw a piece of broken bat at Mike Piazza.
Word History: Anyone who listens to the Jim Rome Show, has heard Rome talk about that certain guy who will do something. I remember listening to Rome one day, when he talked about "Likes to Fight Guy". He's the guy who wants to fight and he doesn't mind challenging anyone to a fight. And if you listen to Rome, you have heard him talk about Kyle Farnsworth a major league pitcher who doesn't mind fighting.
Farnsworth is "likes to fight guy." You just don't mess with this cat. He can loose his cool at any second and will look for a fight. If he throws at you don't try and fight him. He encourages it and might even enjoy it. There has been at least two incidents where Farnsworth has been in a baseball fight, and one other time where he was trying to entice a fight.
Example 1: Back in 2003 when Farnsworth was with the Cubs, he was a part of a bench clearing brawl with the Cincinnati Reds. Reds pitchers stepped out of the batters box after an inside pitch and started to yell at Farnsworth. So Farnsworth went Farnsworth and rushed home plate and speared Wilson. The bench's cleared and Farnsworth became a household name. He was suspended two games for his actions.
Example 2: Farnsworth, now with the Detroit Tigers, charged at and speared Kansas City Royals pitcher Jeremy Affeldt. This was after order had been restored after another bench clearing brawl. Farnsworth will never let order to be restored unless he gets a piece of the action.
Example 3: Farnsworth, now with the Yankees, starts throwing behind Manny Ramirez. This was after the Red Sox hit Alex Rodriguez. If you need someone to dot an opposing batter for retaliation, you call Farnsworth.
Other Farnsworth's: Chan Ho Park went Farnsworth was he was with the Los Angeles Dodgers. After grounding out to Angels pitcher Tim Belcher, Park was tagged out. Belcher pushed him and Ho Park went Farnsworth. He droped kicked Belcher on the first base line. A moment that will live on forever.
Roger Clemens went Farnsworth when he threw a piece of bat at Mike Piazza in the 2000World Series. But that could have been the steroids?
He's still around!: Kyle Farnsworth is now with his sixth team in 10 years. And best of all, he's on the same team as Jose Guillen! I can't wait till the Royals get tired of losing and both Farnsworth and Guillen look to knock some one's lights out. You know it's coming.
Update!: As RJBO pointed out, Farnsworth once had to be placed on the disabled list after kicking a fan. Still with the Cubs, Farnsworth injured his knee kicking a fan after he was pulled from a game in which he gave up six runs. Just another legendary tale from the Farnsworth.
Editors Note: One of my favorite Internet sites is Urban Dictionary. You can type almost any word in the site and you will get meaning to that word. Well my friends and I use words when talking about sports that some people might not pick up. In the radio world this is called jargon. In reality it is just slang or a certain lingo. And since I use jargon in some of my posts, I thought I would create a thread of words that I might use in posts. Here is your first Word of the Day.
Emilio, noun: A player who commits endless amounts of errors in a short amount of time.
Usage Example: Nick Green is playing like an Emilio.
Word History: This word was created after the immortal Emilio Bonifacio. I started using this word last night after watching Emilio commit a costly throwing error which allowed an Milwaukee Brewers player to score.
In 46 games this season, Emilio has committed nine errors. That is roughly an error ever fifth game. Need more proof that this stat sucks.
In 18 straight games the Yankees, as a team, did not commit an error. If Emilio was on that team, he would have committed three errors in that stretch of games.
What about Nick Green?: Truly this word should be named after Red Sox player Nick Green. He has committed 9 errors in 30 game. So he commits an error every fourth game. But I didn't use his name because Nick isn't as cool as Emilio.
Other Examples: Last year Mark Reynolds of the Diamondbacks played like an Emilio. In 150 games last year, Reynolds committed 34 errors. That is also an error every fourth game.
Bill Almon is a hall of fame Emilio. In 1977, Almon played in 155 games and committed 41 errors. That is an error every third game. In his 17 year career, Almon played in 1188 games and committed 173 errors. He averaged an error every six games in his career. Needless to say he played like an Emilio.
Ivan De Jesus is also an hall of fame Emilio. In 1987, De Jesus played in nine games with the San Francisco Giants. In those nine games, he committed 4 errors. That is an error for every two games. In his career De Jesus played in 1337 games and committed 230 errors. That is an error every fifth day.
UPDATE!:JFein pointed out an interesting post about Ivan De Jesus, when he played for the Phillies.
Before the Phillies won the World Series last year, they were cursed by Ivan De Jesus. Via Russakoff Rules....
In the ’83 Fall Classic, the Phils split the first two games at Baltimore, and came home to the state-of-the-art Vet for three games in front of a raucous crowd. Game 3 saw Philly jump out to a lead behind Steve Carlton, who was pitching a gem. But then came the seventh inning. Dan Ford hit a weak grounder to short. Our anti-hero, Ivan Dejesus, booted it. Benny Ayala crossed the plate with the winning run. And the Phillies’ fate (as well as Philly's fate) was sealed. The Phils would not win another game in that World Series.
Philadelphia's four professional sports teams have been shut out ever since.
Worst of all, the Phillies traded Ryne Sandberg to acquire that error machine named Ivan De Jesus.
Emilio doing what he does best! Committing an Error!
Cained noun: A derisive term to describe a pitcher who pitches well enough to win a game, but his team doesn't give him enough run support to pick up the victory.
