Head on over to Ladies… and browse the archives, check out the introduction post, and don’t forget to sign up for the RSS feed. C’mon people, you know you want to read more of my random crap! I’ll probably earn the nickname “pitching-obsessed girl” before too long… it’s happened in every other part of my life.

• I’m not doing the stats posts anymore. If that really bothers you, you can leave a comment on this post and complain about it until I start to care.
• I am working on a post about the hottest player(s) from each team, and I keep on forgetting that Rich Harden isn’t on the A’s anymore. If you have any ideas for any of the teams, leave a comment here.
• I follow way too many blogs, and am about to add them all to the Blogroll. I hope it doesn’t implode.

In actual baseball news:

• Jed Lowrie is having surgery on his wrist and will be out for 6-8 weeks. I guess I can stop whining about my carpal tunnel syndrome now.
• UCLA’s Trevor Bauer continues to be the coolest guy in the entire Pac-10, throwing a complete game, 1-hit shutout in a 13-0 UCLA victory. He’s the Louisville Slugger National Player Of The Week, y’all.
• Dan Haren is 0-3 with a 1.89 ERA. Yeah, you read that right. As if we needed more proof that W-L record is stupid.
• The Marlins are 11-1 and currently playing the Pirates. Andrew Miller is pitching, and not particularly well — Jack Wilson just singled, advanced on a wild pitch, and stole third. I happen to know off the top of my head that Jack Wilson has the 3rd most career plate appearances against Roy Oswalt. (Uh, yeah, I know a lot of random stuff about Roy Oswalt. Try not to judge me.)
• Who baldo? Ubaldo! Actually, you’re probably not, but I was at the Rockies-Dodgers game this Sunday and yes, I was totally just looking for a chance to use that joke, and the game was awful, thanks for asking. Not because I like the Rockies — on the contrary, I was rooting for the Dodgers. But to see any team allow that many runs? Disgusting. Appaling. Horrifying. Scott Elbert (the Dodgers’ replacement for the DL’ed Cory Wade) came out of the bullpen and gave up two or three solo shots, but he had a 10+ run lead, so nobody cared. Seriously, I don’t think anyone even noticed.
• I have two fantasy teams, one of which I’m managing seriously (the Europa Eccentrics) and the other of which (the Amoral Astronauts) is a place for me to experiment. The ‘Cents are in 7th and the A’s are in 8th (both are in 12-team leagues) and Jed Lowrie’s injury gave me a chance to add Barry Zito. (I did say I’m experimenting, right? Yeah. Yeah, you never know, dude.)

Click here to view the liveblog

What’s The Point: This is an installment of our “How We’ve Been Found” series, which will appear approximately every Wednesday. The point of this is to give you a bit of information about how we’re doing statistically, and how people (including you, of course,) have been getting to our blog.

Individual Pageviews:

• 04/01: 21
• 04/02: 12
• 04/03: 8
• 04/04: 8
• 04/05: 3
• 04/06: 25
• 04/07: 25
• Total: 102

Search Engine Terms:

• 04/01: “david wright” (5), “david wright wallpaper”, “david wright bright”, “ted lilly”, “david wright pictures”, “jonathan papelbon tattoo”, “chase utley stance”, “funny photo of chase utley”, “david wright girlfriend”, “barry zito girlfriend”, “yu darvish cute”
• 04/02: “david wright” (4)
• 04/03: “david wright” (4), “david wright wallpaper”, “john lennon tattoos”
• 04/04: “potentially ammoral”, “david wright wallpapers mets”, “jonathan papelbon tattoo”, “david wright high socks”
• 04/05: “barry zito adorable”
• 04/06: “david wright” (2), “john lannan tattoo”, “jon lester”, “how to use word ‘amoral’ is sentence”
• 04/07: “david wright” (6), “david wright wallpaper” (2), “chase utley batting stance”, “chase utley stance”, “site:upload.wikimedia.org david wright”, “jonathan papelbon tattoo”, “amoral sentence”

A few quick notes: People, David Wright is not really all that cute … I’d love to know what an “amoral sentence” is, or why someone would spell “amoral” with two m’s … I watched the Phillies ring ceremony today, and they showed some clips of the players talking about what the championship meant to them, and damn does Chase Utley look good in a suit … My fantasy teams are doing surprisingly un-badly … Trevor Bauer is still the best pitcher at UCLA, while Yankees’ first-rounder Gerrit Cole has posted an ERA over 4 despite recording lots of K’s. Bauer’s K/9 stands at almost exactly 9. Cole needs to ease off the strike zone.
]]> http://potentiallyamoral.wordpress.com/2009/04/08/how-weve-been-found-april-1st-to-april-7th/feed/ 0 Crane http://potentiallyamoral.wordpress.com/2009/04/06/official-awards-predictions-2009-complete-with-top-5-voting/ http://potentiallyamoral.wordpress.com/2009/04/06/official-awards-predictions-2009-complete-with-top-5-voting/#comments Mon, 06 Apr 2009 07:27:06 +0000 Crane http://potentiallyamoral.wordpress.com/?p=388 ]]> Figured I’d follow up my divisional predictions with the awards coverage I said I’d have.

Because I’m mean, I’m going to make you follow the jump. You can’t resist the urge to figure out why this post is tagged with “Luke Hochevar”! You know you can’t!

Okay.

Here we go.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Cy Young:

1. Tim Lincecum
2. Roy Oswalt
   
3. Danny Haren
4. Clayton Kershaw
5. Chris Volstad

MVP:

1. Chase Utley
2. Larry Wayne “Chipper” Jones III
3. Hanley Ramirez
4. Tim Lincecum
5. Albert Pujols

RoY:

1. Cameron Maybin
2. J.A. Happ
3. Chris Volstad will be the only other player to receive votes. He will originally receive first place, but will be disqualified when someone points out that he’s not actually a rookie.

Comeback Player of the Year: Barry Zito

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Cy Young:

1. Roy Halladay
2. Jon Lester
3. Luke Hochevar
4. Dana Eveland
5. Cliff Lee

MVP:

1. Grady Sizemore
2. Jason Bay
3. Dustin Pedroia
4. Brian Roberts
5. Jed Lowrie

RoY:

1. Matt Wieters, who won’t actually have a great season but to whom the award will default when people realize that …
2. Jed Lowrie isn’t actually eligible and …
3. David Price’s arm fell off halfway through the season.

Comeback Player of the Year: Bobby Crosby

Just how angry are you now? C’mon, leave a comment. You know you want to.

Actual predictions and pretty pictures are after the jump. (I do have AL predictions, I just don’t like their logo.)

NATIONAL LEAGUE

West:

1. Giants. Out of all the teams in this sorry division, they’re the ones that depress me the least. So I’m picking them to finish first — even though any team except the Padres could conceviably run away with the title. It’s all about the luck, people. Speaking of which, if you know what’s going on with Noah Lowry, shoot me an email or send me a tweet. I think their rotation currently is set to be Lincecum-Johnson-Cain-Zito-Sanchez, but I’m just not feeling it with Sanchez for some reason. Hey kids, don’t get exertional compartment syndrome.
2. Dodgers. I will take a lot of flak for this, but I feel like they aren’t nearly as well put-together as they could be. I also feel like the combination of Torre and Colletti has the unique ability to not look like idiots after signing ridiculously overpriced veterans, which isn’t good for a team at all.
3. Diamondbacks. They don’t have the hitting to support their mostly awesome pitching.
4. Rockies. They’re okay, I guess. They have Troy Tulowitzki, Huston Street, and not much else.
5. Padres. Let me put this politely — they suck.

Central:

1. Pirates. The Central divisions are such a crapshoot this year that basically nobody at all is going to get it right. So I’m going with the randomness pick. Plus, Nate McClouth looks exactly like what you’d get if you crossed Ollie Queen and Clark Kent. (Yes, I just compared a baseball player to Smallville characters. Deal.)
2. Cubs. They’re too good to finish out of the top 2, but they’re not winning the Wild Card. They do, however, have The Terrible Ted Lilly Of The Valley Of The Shadow Of Death.
3. Cardinals. They have Rick Ankiel, who is cool. They also have Khalil Greene, who isn’t very cool but who is pretty good. They also have that dude who stole Chase Utley’s MVP award.
4. Brewers. I can’t name a single pitcher on this team right now. Well, okay, I can name Trevor Hoffman and Yovani Gallardo. But that’s it. However, Ryan Braun’s t-shirts and Prince Fielder’s buffet tables should be enough to keep them out of the cellar.
5. Astros. Roy Oswalt is the difference between 5th and 6th for this lowly ballclub.
6. Reds. They’re just really, really bad. I don’t even have anything else to say about them.

East:

1. Phillies. Chase Utley. Jimmy Rollins. Jayson Werth. Brad Lidge. JA Happ. This, ladies and gentlemen, is a club that can win it all again. Interpret my grammar however you wish, but I like the Phillies to win here.
2. Marlins. Hey, am I dead yet, Mets fans? The Marlins’ pitchers are poised to blow everyone else out of the water, and they could perhaps even take 1st if the Phillies don’t spend every spare moment looking over their shoulders.
3. Mets. They will implode and be eliminated from playoff contention about a week before the season ends … at home … by the Nationals.
4. Braves. They do not have a championship-caliber team. But they do have Jordan Schafer, who is hot, and Chipper Jones, who is actually Larry Wayne Jones III and one of the best hitters ever to play the game.
5. Nationals. They won’t finish more than a couple games behind the Braves, who won’t be that far behind the Mets, who will be quite a ways away from the Marlins.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

West:

1. Athletics. Nobody cares about any of the four teams in this division, so I feel like I’m pretty safe saying whatever I want here. The A’s are just as lame as the Angels, but they are tied with the Marlins for the coolest color scheme in all of baseball. Other predictions: Duchscherer is gone by the trade deadline, and I finally learn how to spell his name just in time to write a post about it.
2. Angels. See above. Lackey’s arm fell off.
3. Rangers. Lame. I don’t care about their offense, they’re lame.
4. Mariners. Like the Rangers, but with many fewer good hitters.

Central:

1. Royals. Luke Hochevar totally almost wins the Cy Young (he’s promoted from AAA when he strikes out every batter he faces in 5 and 2/3 innings). Keep reading to find out who takes first place!
2. Indians. Grady Sizemore is cool. Their bullpen is good, but might not have many leads to protect. Also: CHOO, SHIN-SOO!
3. Twins. Joe Mauer’s sacroiliac joint fell off. Without him, they have nothing.
4. White Sox. Not quite as bad as the …
5. Tigers, who will finish last because they’re cool like that. Maybe. Other predictions: D-Train kicks his leg so high his pitching coach has a heart attack, and Miguel Cabrera hits 43 home runs but finishes the season with only 48 RBI.

East:

1. Red Sox. Way too much talent and awesomeness to finish anywhere other than first, even in this insane division. Jon Lester and Jed Lowrie and Jason Bay and Jonathan Papelbon are just so much better than you are.
2. Rays. Evan Longoria will once again be booed everywhere but the Trop, because he’s the best player on a team full of amazing players who are seriously primed to grab the Wild Card after losing to the Sox on the 163rd game of the season.
3. Yankees. There’s lots of things that this team can do, but the youth on the Sox and the Rays will give those two teams the edge they need to make it through the season and stay healthy.
4. Orioles. Because once Brian Roberts heals up, he’ll have a quietly awesome season but be somewhat outshone by Nick Markakis and Matt Wieters. The three of them will somehow manage to keep the team in contention up until August.
5. Blue Jays. Because Roy Halladay is one of the best pitchers in baseball who just happens to be stuck on one of the worst teams in baseball.

Sound off in the comments, please. Tell me why I’m wrong.

IT IS OPENING NIGHT AND I AM SO FRIGGIN’ PUMPED, MAN.

Your starting pitchers will be:

• For the Phillies, Brett Myers. He’s making his 3rd consecutive opening day start and is 4-8 with a 4.60 ERA in his career against the Braves.

• For the Braves, Derek Lowe. I don’t know about his Opening Day numbers, but I do know that he’s 4-1 with a 3.02 ERA in his career against the Phillies.

Chase Utley doesn’t care what you think, he’s healthy and he’ll be playing today. Jayson Werth will also be playing — he’s the only Phillie or Brave on my Europa Eccentrics.

Individual Pageviews:

• 03/25: 36
• 03/26: 32
• 03/27: 17
• 03/28: 7
• 03/29: 13
• 03/30: 4
• 03/31: 10
• Total: 119

Search Engine Terms:

• 03/25: “yu darvish” (17), “david wright” (2), “wbc japanese team pitchers darvish” (2), “jon lester”, “japan vs korea”, “wbc korea hat”, “yu darvish pictures”, “kelli pedroia”, “david wright home run”, “brian roberts”
• 03/26: “yu darvish” (10), “david wright” (4), “david wright girlfriend” (3), “japan vs korea” (2), “amoral in a sentence”, “wbc japan”, “wbc korea japan”, “wbc japan darvish”, “japan wbc cap”
• 03/27: “yu darvish” (6), “david wright” (3), “darvish sexy” (2), “ted lilly” (2)
• 03/28: “david wright” (3)
• 03/29: “yu darvish” (3), “yu darvish wbc” (2), “using amoral in a sentence”, “blake dewitt girlfriend”
• 03/30: “david wright” (2), “amoral in a sentence”
• 03/31: “david wright” (3), “david wright wallpaper”, “david wright and his girlfriend”

A few quick notes: I hate you, David Wright — I don’t care how many pageviews you’re netting us, I hate you … We are now the official top Google result for “potentially amoral”, so break out the Gatorade and party like mad … No, don’t actually do that … Hey hey, speaking of Ted Lilly, he’s getting the start against the Yankees in their exhibition game — I think it’s the first ever game between two Major League teams at the new stadium, and I actually think that his Cubs will win it … Fear the Terrible Ted Lilly Of The Valley Of The Shadow Of Death, people … Sorry this update is so late. I’m ScriptFrenzy-ing.

Let the blatant homerism ensue!

Oh, and remember Gerrit Cole, whom the Yankees drafted in the first round but who chose to go to UCLA instead? Here’s a graph of his performance vs. Bauer’s. (If the value is positive, it means that Bauer’s been better — if it’s negative, it means that Cole’s been better.)

(Sorry about the excessive whitespace. Click on the graph to see it full-size.)

Here’s what I see when I look at this graph.

1. There are 14 categories.
2. Bauer’s better in 10 of them, and one’s a draw.
3. H/9 is the only non-ERA rate stat on there — I put it up so you won’t be mislead by the fact that Bauer has allowed 5 more hits. I think since you can see that the positive difference in their IP is greater than the negative difference in H, he’d be allowing hits at a slower clip — but maybe that’s just Crane being Crane at one in the morning. (Yeah, that’s a valid excuse now. So hey kids, do as I say, not as I do: go to bed before 11 PM and wake up before 11 AM.)

Dude, I seriously hope I don’t have any typos in here.

Bored yet? Hey, at least I didn’t make you download a PDF.

Individual Pageviews:

• 03/18: 9
• 03/19: 5
• 03/20: 12
• 03/21: 5
• 03/22: 6
• 03/23: 18
• 03/24: 65
• Total: 120

Search Engine Terms:

• 03/18: (none)
• 03/19: “john lennon tatoos”
• 03/20: “yu darvish” (2), “sidney ponson nederland world baseball classic”, “jon lester”, “wbc korea japan san diego 2009″, “eagle tattoos”
• 03/21: “funny picture yes to all”
• 03/22: “yu darvish gallery” (2), “jon lester”
• 03/23: “yu darvish” (3), “wbc japan”, “wbc korea venezuela”, “chase utley girls”, “japan hat wbc”, “kevin mench”, “wbc 2009 korea venezuela”, “sexi darvish”
• 03/24: “yu darvish” (19), “darvish wallpaper” (2), “japan vs korea” (2), “japan wbc 2009 darvish” (2), “wbc yu darvish” (2), “wbc japan darvish” (2), “darvish cute”, “yu darvish japan”, “09 wbc japan”, “wbc korean cap”, “japan yu darvish”, “yu darvish wbc”, “darvish japan”, “wbc japan yu darvish”, “‘david wright’ and ‘puerto rico’ and wbc”, “wbc darvish”, “david wright”, “wbc, darvish”, “wbc korean fans”, “yu darvish sexy”, “world baseball classic 09 yu darvish”, “japan vs south korea wbc 09″

A few quick notes: Please to allow me never to type “yu darvish” ever, ever again … I am sick and tired of hearing about Yu Darvish, and the WBC, and all that, but if it gets us the pageviews … Special shoutout to the people who searched for “jon lester” (2) and “chase utley girls” — you’re bright lights in a sea of “yu darvish”- and “david wright”-inspired darkness … Why do people care so much about Kevin Mench? … Who searched for “funny picture yes to all”, and why did we show up? … When is Talya going to write a post? She hasn’t written anything since her introductory post, meaning that I’ve been responsible for 96% of our posts, plus the fact that I moderate comments … If the WBC gets us this many pageviews, I can’t wait to see how much traffic the real season will bring us … Yu Darvish, go away … I’m adding a new tag, “things that go BOOM on the internets”, to celebrate our massive number of pageviews. Yay pageviews.