Roundtable Administrator (9:10:15 AM PT): Welcome to the All-Star Game roundtable, where BP authors engage in a live chat during the event and answer our readers questions. This roundtable does not start until 7:30 PM ET on July 13, but you can submit questions for our authors any time before or during the roundtable by submitting them using this roundtable chat interface.
Kevin Goldstein (4:31:05 PM PT): Hi everyone. It's All-Star Game time. Who's this awful band on MLB Network? I have no idea. But to be honest, I'm as entertained by the ridiculous spectacle as I am by the game.
Kevin Goldstein (4:33:58 PM PT): KynesEscobar (Awesomeville, florida): Who would win a BP writers jimmy-jack contest?
Many tied, with zero. Some of us played at some point in our past, but none of us could hit a ball 400 feet with a wood bat.
Steven Goldman (4:34:09 PM PT): "Red Carpet Show" repeat on MLB channel, showing a parade of ballplayers at Disneyland."Fans just can't get enough" says the host. Actually, as a frequent Disney visitor, the PITA about parades is that they crowd up the sidewalks and you can't navigate to any of the rides. OTOH, Kevin Millar remarking that "It's a Small World" is "Dustin Pedroia's house" is kind of funny.
Kevin Goldstein (4:34:58 PM PT): SaberTJ (Cleveland, OH): Poll AL will win again? yes or no?
I have no idea how anyone can make some kind of intelligent prediction here.
Kevin Goldstein (4:36:27 PM PT): I thought it was live and I was confused as to why they weren't in uniform yet.
Steven Goldman (4:37:18 PM PT): Kynes, one of my first clues that something was going wrong with one of my eyes was when I could no longer make any contact at all in a backyard whiffleball game. I was missing by about a yard... In short, I'm sitting out your proposed competition.
Steven Goldman (4:38:24 PM PT): The mouse with the rubber head is the only one in uniform...
Tommy Bennett (4:39:11 PM PT): Various betting sites have the line at -130/+110 in favor of the AL, and those odds are such that I wouldn't take either bet.
Kevin Goldstein (4:40:26 PM PT): Derek (Atlanta): Do you see the Brewers parting ways with Corey Hart after his oustanding first half?
What are the Braves going to trade away? I'm actually writing about this for tomorrow -- Three teams that don't have a system that allowed for much trading.
Steven Goldman (4:41:18 PM PT): I have never vomited as hard as I did when my parents made me ride the "Magic Teacups" with my younger sister. Fortunately, Disney places many trash cans at convenient locations throughout the park.
Steven Goldman (4:42:05 PM PT): Kevin, the White Sox will be one of those three, right?
Kevin Goldstein (4:42:53 PM PT): Nobody gives a nap-inducing interview better than Jeter, he's an absolute master at this. His ability to always say the right thing in the most boring way possible grades out a pure 80.
Kevin Goldstein (4:43:17 PM PT): Steven. Correct. St. Louis is the third.
Steven Goldman (4:45:29 PM PT): And yet, the irony is that people like Jeter so much better than A-Rod because the latter is supposedly insincere. Rodriguez actually tries harder to say something, he's just not good at it. We don't know Jeter any better than the day he came up.
Tommy Bennett (4:47:13 PM PT): alanbw (Columbia, MO): Not an All-Star game related query. I was wondering if Pitch f/x could help in evaluating catchers, at least in their ability to block balls in the dirt and similar stuff. Any potential there?
The trouble is that you don't have enough data about where the catcher set up. You could perhaps get it if you had video of the catcher as well, but it would be very time-intensive and would require video that I don't believe is publicly available at the moment.
Steven Goldman (4:48:49 PM PT): Trying to figure out what to order off the Chinese delivery menu... Suggestions? I don't eat beef.
Tommy Bennett (4:49:09 PM PT): Okay, I'll give him this: Kevin Millar isn't HORRIBLE in front of a camera. Better than Jeter, at least.
Kevin Goldstein (4:50:05 PM PT): Harold Reynolds just referred to the "nice start" than Ryan Bruan's brother is off to in the minor leagues. Steve Braun is hitting .115/.182/.148 in 27 games.
Kevin Goldstein (4:54:17 PM PT): Is baseball doing anything for big George before the game? Has anyone announced anything?
Steven Goldman (4:58:09 PM PT): They're going to suspend some owners "for life?"
Steven Goldman (5:00:11 PM PT): I'm sorry, but I may not be able to watch Fox tonight. This Fox business promo is making me sicker than the teacup ride did.
Kevin Goldstein (5:01:44 PM PT): Wow, I've seen James Cameron films less overwraught than this intro.
Steven Goldman (5:06:59 PM PT): At_Bat (Mayland): So this is the National League versus NY Yankee 40th annual exhibition Steinbrenner Tribute Game?
That used to be the complaint back in the 1930s, when Joe McCarthy was taking his entire roster to the game (back the there was no bogus "you have to bring a Pittsburgh Pirate" rule). Acknowledging the criticism, one year McCarthy brought all his Yankees, but didn't use any of them. He won anyway.
Kevin Goldstein (5:09:45 PM PT): Gotta admit I'm rooting for a Omar Infante MVP award.
Steven Goldman (5:10:32 PM PT): JT (Battlecreek, Michigan): Sincere question: was Steinbrenner a good owner or just a rich one? The irony of the dev of the dynasty core during his suspension is hard to miss.
That's a very difficult question to answer in a little chat window. He was complex. To restrict purely to his qualities as a baseball man, he was too impatient. He thought you could force team-building, probably because free agency allowed him to do that in the 70s with Catfish and Reggie. It was, for the most part, a one-time thing that was difficult to replicate. OTOH, he believed in reinvesting in the team, understanding that the best way to promote your team was to put a good product on the field. He did this even at times that the Yankees were perhaps less profitable than you might have guessed. I wish that all owners understood that.
Kevin Goldstein (5:11:48 PM PT): JT: We're having Steven on as a guest to talk about Big George on this week's podcast. Look for it late Friday.
Tommy Bennett (5:12:54 PM PT): George Steinbrenner (Heaven): I've already fired Billy and rehired him, Jesus is getting a hair cut... Wait a second... "I thought I told you to get rid of those sideburns!" Its Mattingly all over again.
Your worst legacy was your hatred of beards.
Steven Goldman (5:15:05 PM PT): Tommy, one of the most famous Steinbrenner anecdotes, related by Lou Piniella, was that Steinbrenner was willing to make an exception for Jesus.
Jay Jaffe (5:15:07 PM PT): Kev, any chance you can get Larry David to fill in as the Boss for the podcast?
Kevin Goldstein (5:16:09 PM PT): dianagramr (NYC): How is Scott Boras going to upstage the ASG and Steinbrenner's passing tonight.
Well, it is a game in Anaheim. There's a solid chance he'll be in that box behind home plate the whole time.
Kevin Goldstein (5:17:06 PM PT): Jay: The podcast is doing well, but not THAT well. Plus, we already have Not Jim Tracy, so a Not George would be overkill.
Tommy Bennett (5:18:17 PM PT): JT (Battlecreek, Michigan): "Your worst legacy was your hatred of beards." Didn't that make him an anachronism, again protecting the brand on a wonderful scale?
Only if you think it is ever acceptable to discriminate against those with beards.
Tommy Bennett (5:18:54 PM PT): I'm just saying: Jaffe gets to be a Yankee but I don't? That's weak.
Steven Goldman (5:21:55 PM PT): With the emergence of Brett Gardner, I keep wondering if the Yankees are still going to make their long-rumored free agent bid for Carl Crawford. An outfield of Crawford/Granderson/Gardner with Nick Swisher as the DH seems defensively strange and offensively light--though death to flying things.
Steven Goldman (5:23:12 PM PT): IIRC, Harrison Ford turned 70 a day or so ago.
Jay Jaffe (5:24:38 PM PT): JT (Michigan): "the best way to promote your team was to put a good product on the field". Good call. And he protected the Yankee brand in a way only the Canadiens have elsewhere in sport (Maybe Lakers, maybe Celtics, too. Maybe Packers.) Thank you.
I concur with Steve on this. In light of the fact that the groundwork for his championships was laid in his absence, I think Steinbrenner deserves more credit for the restoration of the Yankees brand, for building it into the most valuable property in all of professional sports, than for the seven World Series wins.
Steven Goldman (5:24:44 PM PT): Can we have the bloody game already?
Jay Jaffe (5:25:25 PM PT): Forget it, Bennett, it's Beardism Town.
Steven Goldman (5:26:04 PM PT): Jay, it should be kept in mind that his "absence" is a relative term. It's a bit naive to think that he was completely out of touch. It's pretty clear that wasn't the case during the 70s buildup.
Steven Goldman (5:27:15 PM PT): Joe Gillis (Confusedville): Yeah. They're good people, but couldn't they put this on a website and sell some light beer? Or, I don't know, show a baseball game?
I keep thinking I've stumbled into a repeat of "American Idol Gives Back."
Kevin Goldstein (5:27:32 PM PT): Franco (MA): Is Kiley McDaniel still working for BP?
Kiley is working for the Baltimore Orioles, Russell Carleton is working for the Cleveland Indians. We love MLB, but we're tired of them stealing guys from us.
Steven Goldman (5:30:06 PM PT): bflaff1 (Phila., PA): Is this infomercial ever going to end?
Apparently Congress adopted a new national anthem while I was napping.
Marc Normandin (5:30:53 PM PT): Harrison Ford's birthday is today! I believe he turned 68. Right about now I would like him to run up to the Glee cast, punch them and say, "Get off my plane!" so we can get on with this show.
Jay Jaffe (5:31:34 PM PT): Oh, absolutely, Steve. Was just reminding myself of that while re-reading John Helyar's Lords of the Realm, about how the Catfish Hunter deal went down. Steinbrenner and Gabe Paul had breakfast the day the deal was struck, and I don't think the topic of discussion was grandchildren.
Steven Goldman (5:32:25 PM PT): kevin (boston): Is this the most painful pre-game ever or is it just me?
It's up there. The best ever was the introduction of Ted Williams at Fenway, with all the ballplayers crowding around him... And Fox didn't let it breathe, they cut it short.
Tommy Bennett (5:33:03 PM PT): At_Bat (Maryland): Beardism? It transcends the Yankees, it's the reason Jeff Beardman (I mean Reardon) can't get into the Hall of Fame!
We shall overcome!
Steven Goldman (5:34:04 PM PT): Well, it also helps that Reardon was vastly overrated.
Tommy Bennett (5:35:20 PM PT): I've just read Tip O'Neill's autobiography and it includes a great anecdote about Steinbrenner getting shaken down by CREEP. That's how I choose to remember him.
Steven Goldman (5:35:26 PM PT): dianagramr (NYC): "Pina Colada donut" ... I'll take oxymoronic foods for $1,000, Alex
More nauseating than the teacup ride.
Tommy Bennett (5:36:08 PM PT): For this crowd, I should clarify that it was the autobiography of the Speaker of the House, not the 19th century outfielder.
Steven Goldman (5:37:03 PM PT): And you, Tommy, should know that Speaker wasn't a 19th C outfielder.
Tommy Bennett (5:38:25 PM PT): Steve: No, but Tip O'Neill, the Boston politico's namesake, was.
Steven Goldman (5:38:39 PM PT): Of course, I'm the idiot, because I was thinking Tris Speaker, not the "All politics is local" guy's namesake. Apologies to Tommy and his Beard.
Steven Goldman (5:39:26 PM PT): Under-over on first pitch before 9 PM EST?
Kevin Goldstein (5:41:30 PM PT): My phone just rang, and I sat outside and caught up with a friend for a bit, and then said I had to go, assuming I missed at least the top of the 1st, maybe more. I was . . . wrong.
Steven Goldman (5:42:04 PM PT): bflaff1 (Phila., PA): @ Steven: Do you mean 9 PM today for the over/under question?
I'm beginning to wonder... And my Chinese delivery isn't here yet either.
Colin Wyers (5:42:26 PM PT): I just saw a lower third graphic saying "Coming up - The All-Star Game!" Good, I was getting worried.
Steven Goldman (5:44:14 PM PT): They should probably mention what the unemployment rate was in 1996 as compared to now, since no one seems to care.
Kevin Goldstein (5:44:15 PM PT): Is this really happening? A little Joe Buck tries to be clever bit? This is amazing to watch on a certain level.
Steven Goldman (5:44:38 PM PT): First pitch coming up... After this 15-minute preview for Fox's fall shows! Come on, you know you LOVE it!
Marc Normandin (5:44:52 PM PT): FOX should realize I have Dragon Quest IX sitting next to me in my DS, and any additional delays will cause me to open it.
Steven Goldman (5:45:36 PM PT): jw124164 (Lilburn, GA): Is it just me, or does McCarver look and sound really old?
You read my mind. I thought, "Tim looks like he's been through something really debilitating recently."
Jay Jaffe (5:45:37 PM PT): Particularly in light of the fact that my dinner order has not arrived, I'm considering chewing a limb off to avoid more pregame "festivities."
Loyal reader Nick Stone just pointed out via Skype, "If you told the 13-year old me that I'd be moved by the passing of George Steinbrenner, I don't he'd ever stop laughing."
Kevin Goldstein (5:45:37 PM PT): So we're guaranteed a game that ends past midnight EST, right? Can someone explain the thinking here?
Steven Goldman (5:48:15 PM PT): Jay, same with me, though I think that represents maturation on our part, an understanding that life isn't reducible to black and white.
Tommy Bennett (5:48:35 PM PT): Okay, the kid saying "and the Angels miss you" to Vlad Guerrero was cute.
Steven Goldman (5:48:45 PM PT): Joe Girardi bats Robinson Cano 8th in his OWN lineup?
Kevin Goldstein (5:48:49 PM PT): I want Esther and Ziere to call the whole game.
Jay Jaffe (5:49:37 PM PT): Once again, Fox's hatred for baseball rears its head. They need to do everything they can to prevent a game from being played. Including reminding us that football is coming.
Kevin Goldstein (5:49:38 PM PT): Here's my one key to the game -- START THE DAMN GAME.
Steven Goldman (5:50:21 PM PT): By my watch... First pitch at 8:51.
Kevin Goldstein (5:51:05 PM PT): First pitch at 8:50 pm. Boras behind home plate, on his phone. I'm going to call him and see if he'll wave to me.
Tommy Bennett (5:53:33 PM PT): Joe Buck calls Robinson Cano's bobbled grounder "a good play." Get your skirt down and square your hips to the ball.
Kevin Goldstein (5:54:32 PM PT): Can't wait to see you guest star on The Baseball Bunch this Saturday, Tommy.
Marc Normandin (5:54:52 PM PT): Ichiro, to this day, remains #1. And still, no one complain.
Tommy Bennett (5:55:34 PM PT): Hey, if Lasorda could do it...
Colin Wyers (5:56:03 PM PT): On a personal note - I used to work on a live newscast for a Fox affiliate. You have no idea how glad I am not to be doing that tonight. Doing a newscast after games that run this late? Painful.
Kevin Goldstein (5:58:30 PM PT): Ok, using Sheppard was cool.
Jay Jaffe (5:58:42 PM PT): The Bob Sheppard tribute for Derek Jeter gave me goosebumps, and I've heard it hundreds of times.
Tommy Bennett (5:58:45 PM PT): I was going to say FOX's gun was a bit hot, but it has Ubaldo throwing 94-97. Weird.
Steph Bee (5:59:43 PM PT): I admit, having Sheppard announce Jeter gave me goosebumps. And hello, everyone. Nice to see they started the game in good time.
Steph Bee (5:59:56 PM PT): I admit, having Sheppard announce Jeter gave me goosebumps. And hello, everyone. Nice to see they started the game in good time.
Steven Goldman (6:00:06 PM PT): It should be noted that GMS III hated the All-Star Game. When Dave Winfield played 87 innings in that one length ASG and then slumped coming out of the break, he was livid.
Marc Normandin (6:00:49 PM PT): There is one person in the entire stadium chanting "M-V-P!" for Miguel Cabrera. I salute you.
Jay Jaffe (6:00:51 PM PT): Just realized that the ticket I have for Friday night's game will be the first one since both Sheppard and Steinbrenner's passing. That's gonna be one to remember regardless of the outcome.
Colin Wyers (6:01:14 PM PT): What's Gameday saying for those pitches, Tommy? (Don't have Flash on my phone so I can't check myself.)
Tommy Bennett (6:01:37 PM PT): dianagramr (NYC): Hey Colin .... loved your turn on the podcast last week. You rocked!
Agreed. Listen to Colin, for Colin is wise.
Marc Normandin (6:02:04 PM PT): I'm glad FOX is showing us the number of hits that a player has! I don't know what I would do without that kind information prior to a player's first at-bat.
Tommy Bennett (6:02:41 PM PT): Gameday has Ubaldo throwing 95-98 and also had Price touching 100. It's...weird.
Kevin Goldstein (6:03:37 PM PT): Guys get amped up for this. Guys were throwing harder in the Futures Game than they normally do.
Marc Normandin (6:03:50 PM PT): Maybe it's a conspiracy, Tommy and Colin. Or maybe they are both overthrowing like 1999 Pedro did when he first came out.
Colin Wyers (6:05:41 PM PT): You also have guys used to throwing 6 innings or so with a hard cap of 2 innings. They can really let it all fly here. (Which isn't to say readings couldn't be off.)
Kevin Goldstein (6:06:51 PM PT): During the commercial break, my girlfriend played with a cat toy, but instead of a cat, she did it with the pit bull. He got the cat toy, and now there is no more cat toy . . . Top of the second and Ryan Howard whiffs against David Price in one of the more predictable matchups of the game.
Steven Goldman (6:06:59 PM PT): That strikeout of Howard by Price was the most predictable event of the evening...
Marc Normandin (6:07:46 PM PT): On Joe Buck's scale, that was a solid miscue.
Tommy Bennett (6:08:02 PM PT): Robinson Cano looks a little lost in the sun out there at second.
Jay Jaffe (6:08:03 PM PT): Dr. Zaius (Norfolk, VA): "The Bob Sheppard tribute for Derek Jeter gave me goosebumps." What do you think of Buck saying he's going to be introduced by that recording for the rest of his time as a Yankee?
Dr. Zaius, Dr. Zaius! Oooh, help me Dr. Zaius!
Jeter had already decided he wanted to use Sheppard's prerecorded intro when ill health had forced the latter from the booth for good in late 2007. Presumably he and the Yankees had considered this contingency, since Sheppard was no spring chicken even then. So long as it's done with the Sheppard family's blessing, I have absolutely no problem with him continuing to use it.
Steven Goldman (6:10:16 PM PT): Ryan Braun's season has to be considered a disappointment so far, no?
Steven Goldman (6:12:29 PM PT): dianagramr (NYC): Cano having an Uggla-type of start to his game in the field.
Gotta be nervous... That's not his normal game, as you know.
Kevin Goldstein (6:12:38 PM PT): Steven: Without question. I thought this was the year he'd move into MVP candidate territory.
Jay Jaffe (6:13:24 PM PT): Not that it really matter with the Brewers' two-man rotation.
Marc Normandin (6:15:42 PM PT): Wait a second, who thought it was a good idea to have two-thirds of the Brewers outfield--the worst defensive team in baseball--on the field at the same time?
Tommy Bennett (6:16:23 PM PT): Marc: and Ethier is the CF.
Marc Normandin (6:17:09 PM PT): And first-time center fielder Andre Ethier playing in center because of it.
Kevin Goldstein (6:18:09 PM PT): C'mon, Ethier played some center at Arizona State.
Marc Normandin (6:18:12 PM PT): To be fair, if you're going to start the horrific outfield unit all at once, doing so with Ubaldo and his groundball artistry on the mound is a good move.
Steven Goldman (6:20:40 PM PT): So grateful that my lifestyle allows me to not even have the option of watching morning shows. And I say that having appeared on some of them.
Steven Goldman (6:21:06 PM PT): Andy Pettitte: don't get hurt, don't get hurt, don't get hurt...
Steven Goldman (6:23:58 PM PT): Tim does Jorge Posada a disservice by not including him in the discussion of possible Yankees HOFers... I guess no one feels that way about Bernie Williams either?
Steven Goldman (6:27:15 PM PT): Marc, Adrian Beltre inevitably turns down his 2011 option, right? IIRC it's on the low side for the kind of year he's having...
Tommy Bennett (6:28:39 PM PT): FOX gives away the AL's signs while Mick Billmeyer sits in the NL bullpen.
Marc Normandin (6:28:42 PM PT): I would think so. Part of his signing with Boston was the Sox needing a third baseman for 2010 during their "bridge" year and Beltre needing a rebound to bring his stock back up, courtesy of Fenway. I would assume if he comes back it would be via an extension.
Kevin Goldstein (6:28:50 PM PT): Steve: Beltre's agent is right behind home plate, so the bet is yes.
Marc Normandin (6:29:26 PM PT): How often does Ichiro! strike out swinging?
Steven Goldman (6:30:09 PM PT): Did Josh Johnson shake hands with Joe Girardi (the man who broke him, as it turns out temporarily) before the game?
Kevin Goldstein (6:30:28 PM PT): Like you Marc, Ichiro wants to get back to the dugout and play Dragon Quest IX.
Marc Normandin (6:32:01 PM PT): Come on Kevin, Ichiro! had a Japanese copy of that a year ago when it released overseas. Of course he's probably replaying it now that his teammates can trade him randomly generated dungeons with new loot.
Steven Goldman (6:32:43 PM PT): I want to play Dragon's Lair, but I don't have a time machine to a 1982 arcade... Although I see there are complete walk-throughs on Youtube. I never did finish that bastard.
Marc Normandin (6:32:46 PM PT): It seems like the pitchers are doing their best to keep this game from hitting midnight.
Marc Normandin (6:34:17 PM PT): Steven, Dragon's Lair has been ported to every device around. If I opened my DS I could download it from the Nintendo shop on the device, and I'm pretty sure it's available on a lot of phone markets as well. It's everywhere.
Somewhat related, at PAX East in Boston this spring, I saw an original Dragon's Lair arcade machine. I didn't even want to touch it, it was like touching something in a museum.
Matt Swartz (6:36:53 PM PT): If Cliff Lee gets traded again mid-game, can he pitch the bottom of the 4th too?
Steven Goldman (6:37:41 PM PT): I played that machine many times. It was really difficult as you had a millisecond to twitch the joystick in the right direction at the right time. It was beautifully drawn and animated (by Don Bluth) but it really wasn't a fair game.
Tommy Bennett (6:39:26 PM PT): Which is worse: "free" credit report companies or the amount of awkwardness when McCarver asked Girardi whose house Lee was renting in Seattle?
Kevin Goldstein (6:40:08 PM PT): Can I go with the "bands" in credit score commercials?
Tommy Bennett (6:40:58 PM PT): Only if you are willing to vote for one to be the winner!
Marc Normandin (6:41:26 PM PT): Joe, I don't know if that word means what you think it means.
Kevin Goldstein (6:41:29 PM PT): As weird as this might sound, I'm excited to see Kuo warming. One of my favorite pitchers to watch.
Steven Goldman (6:42:01 PM PT): I would like 42 runs to score just so we can avoid hearing more of this "steroids are gone/pitchers are back" cheese.
Steven Goldman (6:42:30 PM PT): You were saying about Milwaukee outfield defense, Marc?
Marc Normandin (6:43:10 PM PT): Ryan Braun was diving just so Adrian Beltre wouldn't try to collide with him from the dugout.
Marc Normandin (6:43:52 PM PT): All I'm saying about the Milwaukee defense is that Carl Crawford would have read a book while camped under that liner and still had time to make a phone call.
Steven Goldman (6:43:52 PM PT): bflaff1 (Phila., PA): Batters here not looking anxious to see pitches.
They've been told to speed the game along to make up for the endless pregame.
Kevin Goldstein (6:46:15 PM PT): I would rather see Twilight than a 3D movie with talking animals. And I'd rather rake my face with shards of glass than see Twilight.
Steven Goldman (6:47:46 PM PT): What if the talking animals were vampires?
Tommy Bennett (6:48:36 PM PT): Although the third Twilight was the worst of the series, it wasn't close to the worst movie I've seen all year. For example, it was much better than Iron Man 2.
Kevin Goldstein (6:48:58 PM PT): Don't give 'em any ideas.
Steven Goldman (6:49:23 PM PT): Playing with Posada, Robbie Cano has seen a few of those throws go into center field.
Marc Normandin (6:49:34 PM PT): I'm going to pretend Tommy Bennett is trolling this entire roundtable.
Steven Goldman (6:50:16 PM PT): Neil Gaiman just shelved an intended novel that had a vampire element because he determined the culture is oversaturated with that crap...
Steven Goldman (6:50:57 PM PT): What's the BEST movie anyone has seen this year? I don't get out much. For example, I saw Avatar last week.
Tommy Bennett (6:51:07 PM PT): Look, at least the dad in Twilight always drinks Rainier. I respect that.
Marc Normandin (6:52:21 PM PT): Why haven't we organized a BP Drinking Game for FOX broadcasts yet? I feel like this would be a big hit.
Steven Goldman (6:52:22 PM PT): Tommy, your girlfriend forced you, right? Like at gunpoint?
Kevin Goldstein (6:52:55 PM PT): Best movie I've seen this year is Elevator To The Gallows . . . it was made in 1958. Hey, we have some offensive action!
Jay Jaffe (6:54:01 PM PT): spidersva (Richmond Virginia): Pettitte is 103 games over .500 for his career...is he really that good or is there more to that story?
Well, he's a vampire who drinks the blood of children and baby harp seals... plus he's gotten 5.5 runs per game of offensive support during his career, which will drive a guy's won-loss record sky high.
Marc Normandin (6:54:29 PM PT): Hart keeping his hands that low probably also explains his liner and flyball rates, and his higher HR/FB. Getting under the ball more, but yes, he has problems with pitches that are high. Especially from someone like Verlander.
Steph Bee (6:54:43 PM PT): Now that the game has started, it really has been slipping by pretty quickly. Perhaps the players are looking forward to checking out Summer Nightastic at Disneyland?
Tommy Bennett (6:54:49 PM PT): I will say that I have seen all three with my girlfriend, but it wasn't like she forced me. I like going to the movies. Best movie I saw this year was "Mother," directed by Bong Joon-Ho
Marc Normandin (6:55:11 PM PT): Also more of an offensive threat than Yadier Molina: most of the catchers watching from home.
Steven Goldman (6:56:07 PM PT): Jay, don't you have to normalize the run support for era? 5.5 might not be insanely high for the 90s/early 00s...
Tommy Bennett (6:57:03 PM PT): Hanley really dogged it out of the way of that bat.
Jay Jaffe (6:59:33 PM PT): Steve, it would be helpful to normalize; the Gary Gillete-driven Basball Encyclopedias have a Run Support Index on the scale of the ERA+ metric, adjusting for park and league. But given that scoring levels only topped 5.0 three times during the go-go 90s and 00s, there's no way that 5.5 isn't an extraordinary number.
Tommy Bennett (7:01:04 PM PT): Matt Thornton is warming and I'm officially giddy to be watching this.
Marc Normandin (7:01:53 PM PT): I wish George Takei was announcing.
Kevin Goldstein (7:02:20 PM PT): George Takei and his husband! Best All-Star moment so far. Until Kuo unleashes his crazy nasty stuff.
Jay Jaffe (7:02:53 PM PT): And that's the end of the Andre Ethier era in center field.
Kind of cool to see Hong-Chih Kuo here. Not that having a setup man on an All-Star roster isn't a stretch, but given all the arm troubles he's overcome and how dominant he can be when he's healthy, I'm happy to see anything good come his way.
Tommy Bennett (7:04:22 PM PT): Mauer's at-bat music is "What You Know" by T.I. Nothing to say there but "excellent choice."
Kevin Goldstein (7:04:42 PM PT): Over a five-year stretch from 2000-2004, Kuo pitched a grand total of 42.1 innings. That's remarkable.
Steven Goldman (7:04:54 PM PT): Joe Mauer looks just like the guy who plays him in the video game commercial...
Jay Jaffe (7:05:04 PM PT): I'd like to pour concrete onto Joe Buck the next time he says "pours it in." As Joe Posnanski says via Twitter, it's the new #fisted.
Steven Goldman (7:06:22 PM PT): The whole purpose of having setup men on the AS roster, as I understand it, is to mimic a "real" pitching staff and play the masturbatory matchup game with the AL in late innings.
...And Kuo throws a pass to the halfback in the flat...
Tommy Bennett (7:07:32 PM PT): SaberTJ (Cleveland, OH): Best movie I've seen this year is Green Zone with Matt Damon. Great depiction of the military action in Iraq.
Cf. "Generation Kill"
Jay Jaffe (7:08:46 PM PT): That was Kuo's tribute to the late Otto Graham, at whose 2003 funeral it was revealed that Steinbrenner's health was taking a turn for the worse. Subtle, but effective.
Tommy Bennett (7:09:29 PM PT): Fun fact: lefties batting .000/.086/.000 in 35 PA against Kuo this year.
Marc Normandin (7:10:59 PM PT): dawhipsaw (DC): "pours it in" would fit well with the BP All Star Game drinking game
What do you say, Jay? Shall we add it to the list for future roundtables on FOX broadcasts?
Steven Goldman (7:11:42 PM PT): Jeff (Lilburn, GA): It's cliched, but Toy Story 3 is the best I've seen. Yawn, another superb Pixar offering.
I did see that and it was excellent. It was actually strangely intense. At one point, I was thinking, "What is this, 'Schindler's Toy Story?'" There really is a Holocaust reference in there. I will admit that I wept at the end.
Jay Jaffe (7:14:14 PM PT): If you need an excuse to be drinking while watching a Fox broadcast, you should switch sports. It's medicinally necessary anytime Schmuck and McBuck are on.
Tommy Bennett (7:14:44 PM PT): What was the worst Pixar movie? A Bug's Life, maybe? It's at worst a B+. Damn good track record.
Steven Goldman (7:15:03 PM PT): One of the "crazy guys" with the idea to build rockets was, of course, Nazi Werner Von Braun.
Marc Normandin (7:15:12 PM PT): But I can't switch sports, Jay! The only other ones Fox covers are Nascar (no thanks) and football, which Buck covers.
Marc Normandin (7:16:44 PM PT): Every Old Spice commercial these days is like the best Super Bowl commercial ever.
Tommy Bennett (7:18:05 PM PT): A proof of the T206 series, including the Honus Wagner card, fetched $316K at auction today. That strikes me as low, even considering condition. Don't people have vast sums of disposable wealth anymore?
Steven Goldman (7:20:11 PM PT): Martin Prado, 15 home runs in roughly 400 minor league games, 10 this year alone, 11 last year.
Steven Goldman (7:22:37 PM PT): Reds pitchers have the third-worst team K rate in the NL, a "No" predictor for postseason success.
Christina Kahrl (ASG) (7:23:07 PM PT): I keep coming to the conclusion that I really like the Pads' road unis, because at least they're distinctive and that faint yellow seems appropriately California-hued.
Tommy Bennett (7:24:03 PM PT): Noel (Chicago): Tommy: Worst Pixar movie is Cars, which is a merely okay kids movie.
Really? I liked Cars pretty well.
Christina Kahrl (ASG) (7:24:19 PM PT): That said, a pity A-Gonz did not execute a feat of strength and send Marc into paroxysms of glee.
Marc Normandin (7:24:56 PM PT): Adrian Gonzalez is hitting .350/.412/.644 on the road. Name me five hitters better than Adrian Gonzalez in the majors.
Tommy Bennett (7:25:29 PM PT): Halladay entering the game now.
Matt Swartz (7:26:03 PM PT): And surprisingly with no run support. He should feel right at home.
Christina Kahrl (ASG) (7:26:09 PM PT): Does this mean you're in a permanently paroxysmal state, Marc?
Colin Wyers (7:26:25 PM PT): If the AL wins for yet another year, will there at least be a backlash against the "home field advantage" aspect of this game? Because let's be honest, the AL doesn't need extra help against the NL.
Steven Goldman (7:27:27 PM PT): The funny thing about Cars is that even Disney wasn't real confident it would do well, but it became a merchandising monster, one of the few animated films to really reach young boys, and now they're doing a sequel and rebuilding California Adventure to feature it. Shows it's hard to know, sometimes, what people will buy into.
Steven Goldman (7:28:48 PM PT): Marc, given A-Gonz's career H/R splits, I think it's fair to say that playing for the Padres is keeping him out of the HOF.
Marc Normandin (7:29:42 PM PT): Nothing can bring down my love of Adrian Gonzalez. Especially since Mark Teixeira is already entrenched in pinstripes.
Christina Kahrl (ASG) (7:29:57 PM PT): Just like Nate Colbert... or not.
Matt Swartz (7:30:35 PM PT): Colin, I doubt it's a big deal if it hasn't been before. There hasn't even been a 7-game series since the "this time it counts" inception, and the team with HFA in the WS only has a 51.25% chance of winning. It's the type of thing that people would overreact to after an AL team wins a game 7 in the WS, but I doubt before.
Steven Goldman (7:31:17 PM PT): Christina who was it (Oscar Gamble, perhaps) who said that for the Yankees, old timer's day is seeing Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle take the field, whereas for the Padres it's Nate Colbert coming into the clubhouse and trying to sell you a used car?
Tommy Bennett (7:31:28 PM PT): Did Phillips just block second base with his foot to tag Andrus? That's ingenious.
Jay Jaffe (7:32:31 PM PT): john (ct): Weiters and Adam Jones here next year?
Dunno about colleague Kevin Goldstein, but I'm done predicting positive things for those two until they're hoisting World Series trophies... for other teams. The Orioles brand is too much of a giant vortex of suck for me to have any faith in anything they do anymore.
Marc Normandin (7:32:39 PM PT): Christina and Steve, have you ever looked at the Padres career home run leaders? I believe Tony Gwynn is in the top five. I has a sad.
At least if Adrian sticks around he'll end up #1 eventually. And old friends like Ryan Klesko and Phil Nevin are also amongst the leaders.
Christina Kahrl (ASG) (7:33:10 PM PT): If it wasn't Oscar, maybe it was Graig Nettles or Goose.
Steven Goldman (7:34:37 PM PT): Jay, Adam Jones did have a crazy-hot June at least.
Jay Jaffe (7:36:33 PM PT): Nate Colbert was such a handsome fellow that his teammates called him "the Iguana." True story.
Colin Wyers (7:37:35 PM PT): ...can someone tell me what just happened? Did Matt Capps start throwing left-handed at some point and I just missed it?
Steven Goldman (7:38:33 PM PT): Why is Matt Capps here instead of the other deserving Nats?
Jay Jaffe (7:39:06 PM PT): Jones did hit .320/.352/.600 in June. That followed .223/.245/.388 in April and .279/.303/.375 in May, performances that helped crush any hope of progress in Baltimore this year. He has a 76/10 K/BB ratio. I can't jump off the bandwagon quickly enough.
Tommy Bennett (7:39:31 PM PT): Do you want an All-Star Game with as many players as possible or do you want a strategic showdown?
Besides, that two-seamer from Capps was pretty nifty.
Christina Kahrl (ASG) (7:40:07 PM PT): As I wrote last week, that's one of the selections I really disliked for the ripple effect. Not that we aren't already short of outfielders who can play the outfield on the NL squad, but Dunn or Willingham would have been nice to see in Capps' place.
Steven Goldman (7:40:36 PM PT): Jay, as I've written elsewhere, if the Baltimore hitting coach was someone less venerated than Terry Crowley, he would have been canned awhile ago. That team's approach sucks and they're rowing backwards with all oars.
Colin Wyers (7:40:39 PM PT): Seriously, look at the NL's bullpen - can someone explain to me how Omar Infante is one of the five least-deserving All-Stars?
Jay Jaffe (7:40:57 PM PT): Charlie Manuel thinks either Dunn or Willingham would make a nifty center fielder, Christina.
Kevin Goldstein (7:41:21 PM PT): Sorry, my phone rang and it was a scout who is not watching the game. That said, I'm happy to keep driving the Adam Jones bandwagon. Plus, without all you hangers on I can put whatever I want on the stereo.
Jay Jaffe (7:43:39 PM PT): Bud Selig's dewlap is doing nicely. As is his toupee. Yikes!
Christina Kahrl (ASG) (7:44:14 PM PT): One hopes Joey Votto's much-belabored, too-belated All-Star appearance wasn't about getting him the privilege of a one-pitch plate appearance.
Steven Goldman (7:45:58 PM PT): We really shouldn't turn GMS III into a saint. He did a lot of generous things for people, charitable things, but he was also pure hell to work for and did some fairly unsavory things.
Steven Goldman (7:48:10 PM PT): Jay, Scott Rolen is going to the HOF, right?
Kevin Goldstein (7:48:34 PM PT): I was hoping that Hughes would have a really good inning so I could make a smart-ass comment about moving him to the bullpen so Joba could start. Oh well.
Tommy Bennett (7:48:51 PM PT): Reality check: Scott Rolen is at -1.7 EqBRR this year (but was at +3.0 last year)
Steven Goldman (7:49:02 PM PT): dianagramr (NYC): I wonder if Girardi is looking at his bullpen, and loving/hating that Joba isn't one of his choices.
Diana, I topic I intend to get to in the Pinstriped Bible this week: trade Joba Chamberlain. Now.
Christina Kahrl (ASG) (7:50:05 PM PT): Aborted snark, KG? Pity. But can you use it to heal illing snark?
Jay Jaffe (7:50:21 PM PT): Mike (oakland): Was Catfish Hunter better than Andy Petitte?
He was more famous, and perhaps more colorful, but ultimately, he was not as good at run prevention in his day as Pettite has been in his. Hunter's Pitching Runs Above Average mark is actually in the red, and he was worth just 33.8 WARP over the course of his career; a couple of his seemingly-normal looking seasons come in at replacement level once you adjust for park and era (18-14, 3.81 ERA in 1970, for one). Pettitte is at 58.0 and counting.
And they now have the same number of rings if I'm not mistaken.
Jay Jaffe (7:51:33 PM PT): Is Rolen going to the Hall? I don't know. As I wrote a few weeks ago, he scores very well according to the JAWS scale, but by the traditional merits he appears to have an uphill battle. He may be the modern day ROn Santo in more ways than one.
Steven Goldman (7:52:57 PM PT): Rolen has more rings than Santo...
Tommy Bennett (7:53:44 PM PT): I go on a lot about pop up rates, but Thornton gets Young to pop up foul. He has an 11% pop rate despite a very low 21% fly ball rate and a 42% ground ball rate.
Kevin Goldstein (7:53:56 PM PT): You know how everyone snorted and chuckled last month when the Cubs took Hayden Simpson and the Yankees took Cito Culver? Well, in 1998, Matt Thornton was THAT guy. The 22nd pick in the draft out of tiny Grand Valley State in Michigan, NOBODY had him in the 1st-round mix that year, and here we are an he's an All-Star. That's why you can't get too worked up the day of. Man, I was too serious there for a second.
Kevin Goldstein (7:55:28 PM PT): More pre-majors facts. Byrd almost ate himself out of baseball, getting up near 300 lbs at one point in the minors.
Matt Swartz (7:56:31 PM PT): Tommy, I was thinking Young would pop up. He always has ridiculously high pop up rates. The 42% ground ball rate is anomalous. He typically comes out as one of the guys that should have a low BABIP because of his FB & PU rates.
Tommy Bennett (7:57:15 PM PT): Matt: Sorry, the "he" was Thornton, not Young. But yes, Young does have a high pop rate pretty consistently.
Steven Goldman (7:58:24 PM PT): Matt and Tommy, if you made a batter like Young aware of that, what could he do to change his approach to pop up less? Where in the mechanics of hitting is he off?
Jay Jaffe (7:58:37 PM PT): And Brian McCann clears the bases with a double to right field that gives the NL a 3-1 lead. That matches the NL's run total in each of the past two All-Star Games.
Steven Goldman (8:00:22 PM PT): "Joe Girardi, how does it feel to become the first AL manager to lose an All-Star game since Connie Mack?"
Christina Kahrl (ASG) (8:01:07 PM PT): In a case like Young, I always wonder about the Pavlovian response to playing in bandboxes. Going from Tucson to the (now-Bobless) BOB seems like a great way to get into bad habits.
Tommy Bennett (8:01:25 PM PT): I'm just speculating, but Young's swing is of the "uppercut" variety. I think that has a lot to do with his home runs but also his pop ups. I am not sure, though, that changing him wouldn't ruin his game entirely.
Matt Swartz (8:03:33 PM PT): Yeah, I'm inclined to agree with both Christina and Tommy here. I think he's trying to hit home runs, which is probably a good thing in general. I guess when he starts crossing below 35% ground balls is where you alert him to change his swing, because you don't see many guys succeed much lower than that.
Tommy Bennett (8:03:43 PM PT): /Bartolo Colon trade joke.
Steven Goldman (8:05:52 PM PT): Colbie who?
Kevin Goldstein (8:06:25 PM PT): This person singing has won two Grammys and I've never heard of her in my life. The world just isn't designed for me anymore.
Tommy Bennett (8:06:31 PM PT): Just watch the guy playing guitar's face. It's totally worth it.
Matt Swartz (8:06:52 PM PT): Wait, Fox needs to drag this out more I'm sure...does her Christina Aguilera cover comes after rather than before her patriotic song?
Tommy Bennett (8:09:13 PM PT): Kevin: I'm voting for those guys!
Jay Jaffe (8:11:59 PM PT): dawhipsaw (DC): Over/under on the # of BP writers that could name three Calliat songs?
I doubt you could find three who could name one. Or would be willing to admit so and stand up to the taunts of their colleagues. They'd be shunned like lepers at a nudist colony stir fry.
Tommy Bennett (8:12:02 PM PT): Noel (Chicago): Here's a suggestion: Let's honor America's survival with a song that actually involves it's survival, written during an altercation when the White House was -- gasp! -- burned down to the ground! I know, crazy, right? We'll do that at the beginning of each game, and sing "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" during the Seventh Inning stretch. Deal? Deal.
Have a hot dog with me.
Kevin Goldstein (8:13:07 PM PT): I'm used to seeing Matt Holliday not catch balls on Fox in prime time games in front of millions.
Tommy Bennett (8:18:49 PM PT): redspid (Davenport, IA): Any thoughts on no estate tax for George's sons - saves them about $500 million or so?
Could still be amended for this tax year.
Tommy Bennett (8:20:05 PM PT): rawagman (toronto): for Tommy - regarding pop-up rates - do you include foul types? Might there be any value in doing so? While a foul indicates a mis-hit ball, either push or pull, might the arc of said foul say something about the pitcher one way or the other?
I don't know of any data set that goes back very far that separates them out, but it's an interesting question. I don't know the answer, but I would think park factors would come into play a lot more in these cases.
Steven Goldman (8:20:06 PM PT): Part of the reason behind the abortive YankeeNets merger was to get the Steinbrenners out of the inheritance tax thing. It didn't work out for a variety of reasons, and now it seems to have been entirely unnecessary...
Colin Wyers (8:21:49 PM PT): Ryan (Havertown, PA): With all of this talk about pop-up rates, do you all believe that pop-ups are a product of luck or skill?
Some of both, and some other things besides. Luck and skill aren't exclusive options - it's a question of what the proportion of each is.
There are two ways to look at it. If you're looking at it from the perspective of the batter-pitcher match up, you get pop-ups because the bat comes under the ball at the point of contact. Is there a skill element to this, both for pitchers and hitters? Sure. Is it related to other skills, like hitting/allowing home runs? Probably.
The other perspective is - a popup is just a fly ball caught by an infielder. That's exactly how it's defined by the scorers, at least ones who I've gotten to hear about the actual scoring guidelines of. So a player's popup rate is also influenced by the fielders involved - if you have infielders who call for more fly balls, you see more popups.
Jay Jaffe (8:22:57 PM PT): SaberTJ (Cleveland, oh): Didn't Steinbrenner try and buy the Indians first and the city turned him down?
According to Terry Pluto's column today (http://www.cleveland.com/pluto/blog/index.ssf/2010/07/george_steinbrenner_was_tough.html) - not that it's not available elsewhere - it was then-owner Vern Stouffer who rejected Steinbrenner, not the city.
Stouffer? I'm not thinking about frozen pizza right now. I'm not thinking about frozen pizza right now. I'm not thinking about frozen pizza right now...
Colin Wyers (8:27:02 PM PT): Really? You have Carpenter, Lincecum and Hudson in your bullpen and you go with Brian Wilson?
At least it reminds me to listen to this Barenaked Ladies song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMfneL5eU8A
Steven Goldman (8:28:08 PM PT): Colin, Brian Wilson has been known to sing that song in his shows. Isn't that neat/weird?
Colin Wyers (8:28:56 PM PT): Has he REALLY? That's incredible. I mean, why not?
Kevin Goldstein (8:29:30 PM PT): Dear Mr. McCarver,
Brian Wilson was not drafted 24th in the 2003 draft, he was drafted in the 24th round (723rd overall).
Best friends forever,
KG
Steven Goldman (8:30:10 PM PT): Nice that he was flattered, unlike, say, Joe DiMaggio, who was kind of offended by "Mrs. Robinson." "What do you mean 'where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?' I'm right here, selling Mr. Coffee and the Bowery Savings Bank."
Steven Goldman (8:30:57 PM PT): I'm the Jays, I trade Flukey Bautista yesterday.
Steven Goldman (8:31:26 PM PT): dianagramr (NYC): Mr Wilson? The Netherlands World Cup team wants their shoes back.
Did he kill Big Bird and chop off his feet?
Kevin Goldstein (8:31:39 PM PT): Wilson would have been a Top 100, maybe Top 50 pick, but he had Tommy John surgery that spring.
Jay Jaffe (8:32:12 PM PT): On the topic of the good deeds of George Steinbrenner, Alex Belth's 2008 profile of Ray Negron, a Bronx kid whom he caught spray painting the Stadium in 1973, is worth revisiting. Steinbrenner made Negron a batboy, and he rose through the organization, working in baseball in a variety of capacities to eventually become a Yankees advisor. Negron's more streetwise cousins were not so lucky.
Steven Goldman (8:34:46 PM PT): Very true, Jay, and a fine piece by Alex as well. The question about that is how you weigh that against all the fired secretaries and other harmless people who just happened to run into him on the wrong day... He was a tyrant who could be arbitrarily generous, or a generous man who could be arbitrarily tyrannical. I don't know how you balance those things out in figuring a man's legacy.
Steven Goldman (8:35:35 PM PT): 3.7 hits per nine for Valverde this year, just incredible.
Tommy Bennett (8:36:49 PM PT): "Heath Bell still wearing high-tech 3D glasses. They have absolutely no use if you don't have a 3D television."
My favorite comment of the night so far from Buck.
Christina Kahrl (ASG) (8:36:58 PM PT): Plus Valverde's just fun to watch on the mound.
Kevin Goldstein (8:38:35 PM PT): The people at Sony Corporation thank Heath Bell immensely.
Steven Goldman (8:39:05 PM PT): His post K ritual recalls the late-career George Harrison lyric, "Bow to god and call him sir."
Steven Goldman (8:39:45 PM PT): Heath Bell is auditioning for the role of "Cyclops" in the forthcoming, "X-Men: First Class" movie.
Steven Goldman (8:41:34 PM PT): So can the Yankees beat the Padres in the World Series without home field advantage? Stay tuned...
Jay Jaffe (8:42:06 PM PT): You acknowledge that his was a complex and often contradictory legacy and that as you said above, life isn't reducible to black and white. He was a sonofabitch who had his good qualities; for all of his ruthlessness despotism, he seems to have shown his genuinely humane side when people were in need.
Steven Goldman (8:42:19 PM PT): dianagramr (NYC): Heath Bell, for one, welcomes our new(ish) DEVO overlords.
You beat both my line and Kevin's too, D.
Steven Goldman (8:44:00 PM PT): Jay, I am told that there is so much more of that than people know about. He didn't seek publicity for that. And yet, who was it who said that someone who is nice to you but rude to your waiter isn't actually a nice person? I think there's some truth in that, that we are all no better than our (frequently reenacted) worst moments.
Kevin Goldstein (8:44:15 PM PT): For what it's worth, I had one personal one-to-one encounter with big George, and it happened before I worked in baseball. I'll share the story on the podcast.
Steven Goldman (8:45:21 PM PT): We should all be judged by how we treat those who we have in our power.
Marc Normandin (8:46:47 PM PT): I like that there are fewer catchers on the All-Star roster than on the Mets.
Kevin Goldstein (8:47:14 PM PT): I don't have a rooting interest here as much as I just want to see two runs get scored. I want extra innings, and then I want no runs to score. In other words, I want a disaster.
No mortal human hits that pitch Beltre whiffed on.
Steven Goldman (8:47:58 PM PT): John Buck is a reminder that All-Stars should be actual stars, not just guys that had a fluke first half.
Steven Goldman (8:48:45 PM PT): And I would have spoken too soon, but for Ortiz. With the force at second, no hit for Buck.
Tommy Bennett (8:50:07 PM PT): Congratulations to the Senior Circuit on winning their first All-Star Game since the first Clinton administration.
Matt Swartz (8:50:31 PM PT): And the NL wins. Cue the people who like to make inferences they can't logically make doing so anyway.
Steven Goldman (8:50:48 PM PT): And Phil Hughes, who hadn't really pitched like an All-Star but for once start since mid-May, takes the loss.
Jay Jaffe (8:51:03 PM PT): The FIRST Clinton adminstration, at that.
Steven Goldman (8:51:44 PM PT): We'll see if it matters, Matt.
Kevin Goldstein (8:51:50 PM PT): And it ends before midnight on the east coast!
Kevin Goldstein (8:52:23 PM PT): Our first interview is with Torii Hunter?
Steven Goldman (8:53:08 PM PT): Torii Hunter transcends petty things like league affiliation.
Steven Goldman (8:57:15 PM PT): The "Ted Williams MVP Award" because Ted broke his elbow in the 1950 All-Star Game. He said he was never the same hitter after.
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