I didn’t watch the entire season opener, but something several noted reminded me of something I learned in the Moneyball book I recently completed. At one point in the game the Braves had hit four balls with an exit velocity of over 99.6 mph. All four were outs. The Reds had hit five balls at 67.1 mph or less. Three fell for bloop hits, and the Reds scored three runs. Had Max Freid pitched poorly?
In Moneyball a good pitcher was defined as one who didn’t walk many batters, didn’t allow many home runs. Got batters to hit the ball on the ground, as opposed to in the air. They didn’t have to throw the ball through the wall. A pitcher can’t control bloop hits that land just beyond the reach of an outstretched glove, so it’s hard to judge a pitcher based on how many hits he allows.
Rookie reliever Spencer Strider pitched two scoreless innings, striking out 5 of the 6 batters he faced.
Mark Bowman’s bold Braves predictions:
1) 100-win season: The Mets already begin to unravel. Perhaps we should say “Metsing” instead of “Clemsoning”. Philadelphia’s defense will once again be a liability. This is the most complete team the Braves have carried in nearly 20 years. For the first time since 2003, Atlanta will produce a three-digit win total.
2) Max Fried will win the Cy Young Award: Fried posted an MLB-best 1.74 ERA after last year’s All-Star break, then enjoyed a strong postseason capped by throwing six scoreless innings in the decisive sixth game of the World Series. Armed with both a great curveball and the slider he added in 2019, the lefty has surrendered one of the game’s lowest average exit velocities over the past two seasons. Look for him to add a Cy Young Award to his collection this year.
3) Austin Riley will hit 40 homers: It’s easy to predict Matt Olson might hit 40 homers as he moves from Oakland’s spacious stadium to the lefty-friendly Truist Park. Riley collected exactly 33 doubles and 33 homers last year. The 25-year-old slugger is no longer susceptible to sliders. He slugged .507 against fastballs, .530 against breaking balls and .614 against offspeed pitches. He is poised for a breakout.
Adam McCalvy wrote about how 88-year-old Bob Uecker has returned to the Brewers broadcast booth after undergoing two surgeries and burying his daughter this past winter.
The Braves’ gold-trimmed uniforms received a thumbs-up from Uni Watch. The Mets fan usually dislikes anything that has to do with teams with Indian iconography.
https://uni-watch.com/2022/04/08/a-uni-watch-recap-of-mlbs-opening-day/
Today coworker Crazy John was wearing his cap from the 70’s, autographed by Dale Murphy, Bruce Benedict, Phil Niekro, and others.
Why caddies at the Masters wear white.
https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/masters-caddies-white-uniforms-why-explained
Cool things in the merchandise shop at Augusta National…
Tiger made the cut, his 22nd straight at the Masters. But for the first time in his old man FootJoy gold shoes.
Eli Manning was nominated for an Emmy award, for his ESPN+ series on college football.
Thursday: worked until almost 6 pm before leaving for home. Watched the Masters for an hour. Supper was a cheesy sausage and noodles dish, with broccoli and English peas on the side.
Ceil had spent the day taking care of Shivonne, and brought home W&MC’s dog Okie for the weekend, while they luxuriate at the Masters. Winnie tries to boss Okie around, not wanting the larger dog to get away with anything on her turf.
Went to lunch with my boss today. Ceil scheduled a meetup tomorrow morning with a couple from Sunday School, so I guess I won’t be playing my usual round of golf. Will need to make a point of playing one morning next week.
CAL RIPKEN [SABR Bio] was the first AL shortstop to have a season with 30 home runs, a batting average of .300 or better and at least 100 RBI. In 1991, Ripken won his second MVP with 34 HR, BA of .323, and 114 RBI. He is the only player to win MVP for a team that lost 95 games the same season. In 1991, Baltimore’s record was 67-95. He once played 90 consecutive games without making an error, from 14-Apr- through 27-Jul-1990.
DENISON: Americans trust The Weather Channel more than all other media organizations (by a large margin). It is clear media agendas are undermining trust in media. Bills that would legalize infanticide have been introduced in Maryland and in California. Carl R. Trueman's new book is titled Strange New World: How Thinkers and Activists Redefined Identity and Sparked the Sexual Revolution. See my overview. Trueman believes contemporary society made catastrophic decisions that are undermining our culture and endangering our future - we have decided that we are whatever we feel ourselves to be. Trueman defines "the modern self" as "one where authenticity is achieved by acting outwardly in accordance with one's inward feelings." Any attempt to express disapproval of someone's decision to act in accordance with their feelings is seen as a blow "against the right of that person to be whoever they wish to be." It is therefore unsurprising that Twitter and other media platforms would censor speech with which they disagree (ignoring the illogic of being intolerant with the "intolerant"). Christians can expect this narrative to continue and escalate. Our First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and freedom of religion are more imperiled than at any time in American history. Paul warned that "the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:4).
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