By Paul Gotham
Try as I might, there are just some things in sports that get stuck in my craw, and I can’t get them out.
Take for instance, Joel Pineiro. Last night, Piniero gave up one earned run over seven innings as the St. Louis Cardinals downed the Houston Astros, 11-2. With the win, the righty improves to 15-11. In 203 innings of work this year, Pineiro has an ERA of 3.24, with 100 strike outs and 25 walks. Let me get this straight. Joel Pineiro has an ERA of 3.24? Isn’t the same guy who spent ’04 – ’07 in the American League with an ERA no lower than 4.67? Pineiro has as many complete games (3) this year as he had combined in ’05-’06 with Seattle. I get the whole idea of the pitcher coming to the plate in the NL being more often than not an out. I get the the idea that with the Red Sox, Pineiro came out of the pen, and that takes adjusting. But he is a professional. In ’07 Pineiro made 31 appearances for the Saux to the tune of a 5.03 ERA. Boston let him go. He finished the campaign with the Cardinals and made 11 starts earning an ERA of 3.96.
Add to Pineiro’s story that of John Smoltz, and I am scratching my scalp raw. Smoltzy made five starts with the Saux . He tossed 25 innings giving up 26 earned runs while fanning 23 and walking six. Boston waived him, and Smoltz headed to the gateway of the west. He has made five starts for LaRussa’s gang: 28 innings, 10 earned runs, 32 Ks, and 4 walks. Let’s just forget about the night that Smoltz pitched batting practice to the Yankees. On July 26th, Smoltz pitched five innings and gave up six runs to the Baltimore Orioles. That’s the Orioles everybody – a team that currently has a record of 60-91. Six runs to the Orioles? That’s as many runs as Smoltz held the Cubs, Braves, Padres, and Nationals to in a combined 22 innings.
How did the Phillies win the World Series last year? How can any team coming from the National League hope to compete in the Fall Classic?
I don’t even want to think about Brad Penny. He goes 7-8 with Boston giving up 27 runs in his last 26 and 2/3 frames of work. With San Francisco? 11 runs in 22 innings. Although, Penny did get shelled (7 runs in 2 2/3 vs. LA) in his most recent outing.
Don’t worry. Baseball doesn’t have a corner on the market of oddities. For some reason, football players – those rough and tumble guys who play the most violent of sports – seem to need a key board to show their bravery. Or, at least for a little while.
Washington’s rookie linebacker, Robert Henson and Green Bay’s Nick Barnett have taken to tweeting to express, of all things, their disagreement with fans. After the home fans booed his teammates (Henson hasn’t been on the field yet during a game) the rookie decided to call ‘Skins fans a bunch of ‘dim wits’ adding something to the effect that they all worked at McDonald’s. Oh boy. Robert, what were you thinking?
That’s okay. Barnett actually gets into the game. It’s just that he decided to celebrate a tackle in the backfield…in the final minutes of a loss to Cincinnati. I applaud the fans who booed Barnett. The only stat that matters is the scoreboard.
Both Henson and Barnett have since closed their Twitter accounts.
At least those guys get a paycheck in the NFL. Marcus Fitzgerald? He hopes to get a job in 
the NFL some day. The brother of Larry Fitzgerald didn’t exactly help his cause when he went a tweeting during and after Sunday’s game. While Kurt Warner was busy going 24-26 for 243 yards with two touchdowns and 0 picks, Fitzgerald decided to play en loco tweetist for his brother, Larry, claiming the wide receiver to be upset about his lack of touches. The younger Fitzgerald has since deleted the above comments. Of course, he then blamed the media for blowing the story out of proportion. Yeah, Marcus seemed to forget that his dad is part of the media.
None of those guys have anything on Michael Crabtree. What’s Mike doing these days? Holding out. How’s that working for ya Mike? At this rate you sure are going to earn yourself a big fat raise when you re-enter yourself into the NFL draft.
Diego Maradona is back in the news. Okay, so he wants to lose weight. How many weight-loss clinics are there in the world? Better yet, how many weight-loss clinics are there in the Western Hemisphere? Why would he choose a weight-loss clinic in Italy? A country where he still owes $54 million in back taxes. And all he had to turn over were his earrings? Geez, those must have been some good size rocks.
If you had a fifteen-year contract for more money than you could possibly know how to spend, would you be in a rush to suit up and have opposing players drill you with a hard rubber object? Consider that when you think about Rick DiPietro of the New York Islanders. What did the Isles do? They signed to the Lewiston, Maine native to a contract that no one in their right mind would offer. DiPietro gets hurt. Yeah, I would take my time rehabbing too. Let someone else play goal. He has what…11 years left to prove himself?
Any stories in sports you can’t wrap your brain around? Share them here.
Casey,
I’m noy buying it. I refuse to believe that the American League is that much better. Because if it was so, there couldn’t be any teams from the National League winning the WS. But since ’01 we have, diamondbacks, marlins, cardinals and phillies.
And Chas please do not give me the “in a small series its all about luck and whoever gets hot wins the series” explanation.
Ok, so you are not buying it. Then please explain how these guys can go from American League batting practice pitchers to top of the rotation guys in National League.
Yes, the American League is that much better. Two questions, Gino?
1. You don’t think it’s possible that the best team in baseball could come from the National League, but the American League could still be a superior league overall?
2. Do you really think the 2006 Cardinals, with their 83-78 record, were the best team in baseball that year? Does that not prove that the best team doesn’t always win?
Here are the results of interleague play over the last five years:
2009: AL 137, NL 114
2008: AL 149, NL 103
2007: AL 137, NL 115
2006: AL 154, NL 98
2005: AL 136, NL 116
That’s a .566 winning percentage for the AL, over 1259 games, or a little less than 8 seasons. That also means the NL has a .434 percentage over that same time frame. It would take me some time to figure out what teams that equates to over that long a period of time, but I would venture to guess it’s like comparing the Angels with the Orioles.
Over the past 8 years are the Angels that much better than the Orioles? Would anyone answer no to that question?
Casey,
You want me to explain to you how a 42 year old in a new situation has a slow start??
Joel Pineiro won 14 games in 02, and 16 games in ’03. With that exact 3.24 era one of the years and 3.74 the other. During this time he averages around 200 innings and over 30 starts.
In 04 he made 21 starts and in ’06 he made 25. I’m not sure if he was injured or not, but I’d say so. In ’05 he reached 30 starts and 190 innings. But with an injury the year before, there are a number of variables that goes into this year. I’m not ready to say that he’s a horrible pitcher, based on the fact that he had 1 bad year. His situation in boston, you explained it already. You take a workhorse and want to put him in the bullpen? He threw 34 innings with the red sox, normally thats around 5-6 starts for him. I think he’s the guy he was in ’02-’03 and the guy we’re seeing this year. If the American League was superior, I can not have good years for him in the American League!!!
Chas,
Unless that national league team has about 20 games up, like the LAA on the rangers last year, NO I don’t believe the national league team can have the best team in baseball while the american league has the best league.
The fact that the Cardinals won the WS with a 83-78 regular season record just tells me how much better the national league is(ok maybe I’m exagerating)
But you know that the team that went 83-78 isn’t exactly the team that plays the playoffs. So I can’t agree with you on this. I told you need to do better than the playoffs is all about luck.
All I’m saying is that there are variables that you’re both not accounting for. You are just interpreting facts to support your own conclusion.
I answered you’re questions, now can somebody answer my question.
Why didn’t Santana’s numbers get better if the NL is JV?
Oh my fault I forgot to acknowledge your interleague stats:
I acknowledge you interleague stats, but I don’t think it tells the whole story!
Did I say the playoffs were all about luck? It’s more about sample size. The Royals could beat the Red Sox in a 7-game series right now (they’d be leading 2-1), particularly with Zack Greinke pitching at least once more. But, if they played each other 162 times, I’m pretty sure the Red Sox would win at least 90.
I don’t know about Santana, but you’re doing the same thing you’re accusing us of by citing Santana. I do know that he had a better 2008 with the Mets than he did 2007 with the Twins, and he’s had injury problems this year, but one person doesn’t tell the story either way.
I rest on my interleague stats. It doesn’t get any clearer than that. The AL is a considerably better league over the last five years or so. Not so much in the early 00s, but definitely in the latter half of the decade.
Gino,
Okay, I see what you’re saying. The Saux wanted Pineiro to start for them. They wanted him as a stop gap until Bucholz was ready for the rotation. Pineiro couldn’t earn a spot in Boston’s rotation, but he goes to St. Louis and becomes an innings eater?
You may want to overlook Smoltz, but his recovery sure did speed up when he went to the senior circuit.
I don’t really want to get into which league is better, but I think it is safe to say that the American League is a hitters league. Lineups in the National League – thanks in partly to the pitcher hittiner, are not as strong as most American League lineups.
I think hitters 7-8-9 in the National League are not as strong as the 7-8-9 hitters in the American League. As a result, pitchers can’t exactly take an inning off, but it has to be easier on them mentally to know they are facing the soft part of a lineup. You don’t get that in the American League – where potentially are facing 20 home run hitters in the 7th or 8th spot of lineup.
I think another difference between leagues is the style of ballparks. Just look at the difference in stadiums built in New York City – Citi Field and the new Yankee Stadium. One is short pop-up to right for a home run (okay that is an exaggeration) and while the other needs to hit a ball almost 400 feet to right field just to get it over a 15 foot wall. In just thinking about for 10 secondds, I can name about 7 or 8 pitchers ballparks in the National League. I can’t do that in the American League
There is a different style that lends to each league and I think pitchers tend to find success when coming from the AL to the NL. Hey – remember Josh Beckett struggled his first year in the American League and he admitted it was a major adjustment.
Casey,
He didn’t become an innings eater, he was an innings eater with the mariners until he got injured. His recovery sped up after a few starts, that’s the definition of slow start!!!
Chas,
I understand what you are saying about interleague. But if it was as clear as you pretend it to be, everything else would line up in the same way. But since it doesn’t, you’re statement is meaningless.
Why is it that you want to take conclusions from half the story? if interleague even accounts for that much.
Difference between me and you is that I don’t take my conclusions and than look for stats to back it up!!!!!
Why so hostile, Gino? Keep in mind that this is Casey’s original point. I found the stats to back up his point. I’m not pretending that anything is clear. I based my point on over 1200 games. You’re telling me that a couple of 7-game series are “half the story.” That’s some pretty questionable math.
Gino,
Pineiro went 6-11 in ’04, 7-11 in ’05, and 8-13 in ’06 before going to the Sox. That’s gotta be the longest start in the history of mankind.
Casey,
I meant 02 and 03. I think I put it in my earlier post. I’ll copy it for you.
Joel Pineiro won 14 games in 02, and 16 games in ‘03. With that exact 3.24 era one of the years and 3.74 the other. During this time he averages around 200 innings and over 30 starts.
The slow start was for Smoltz.
Gino,
Look at your comment from 3:25 this afternoon. Did Smoltz ever pitch with the Mariners? I’m thinking you were talking about Pineiro when mentioning the slow start.
First line Pineiro, 2nd line Smoltz. I was in a hurry and didn’t make it clear enough
Okay – but 04, 05, and 06 were pretty miserable. He can’t earn a spot in sox rotation – which aligns with his performance the three previous years. He goes to the national and voila, he finds his old self.