http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/preview?gameId=280803107

 

According to ESPN's Accuscore, the Royals are favored to win Sunday's game with their chances at success at 57% compared to the underdog Sox who only have a 43% (incredibly these scores add up to 100 thus negating the possibility of a tie).  Also, Buck, Gordon, and Guillen are equally likely to hit a HR this game. 

In an related note, ESPN has proposed to use .001% of their total available coverage on this game versus 61% coverage for Favrervevererv and 53% coverage for NYY or BOS (I assume that some coverage will be speculation on a Yankee - Packers deal). 

---------------------------

Oh yeah, Hi everybody.  I've been busy a lot so I haven't had a lot of time to post / read post / argue with NYRoyal.  I also saw that Ross Gload's mom...err...Joel is back on the site.  Hey Joel!!!

I hope this is appropriate to post here, but I'd like some input from people who come to this site (because you guys are awesome and smart [you are Royals fans after all..and I'm done kissing up]).

I'd like to know what kinds of questions or things that you might like me to look at in my thesis (the abstract will be below)

I'd also like to see if anyone has an interesting or clever idea for a title...  

Continue reading this post »

People at the ESPN message board are annoying.  Apparently, the last game is entirely on Rex.  They think that because his QB rating is 67.1 in 7 games, that he hasn't improved after the benching.

Continue reading this post »

From Baseball Prospectus
Full Article here

Sept 9, 2007

Kansas City and Washington didn't break out champagne flutes this week when it happened but both clubs felt relief when notching their 63rd wins of the season, ensuring neither would finish with 100 losses.

The Royals ended their string of three straight triple-digit loss seasons. The Nationals reported to spring training amidst predictions that might lose 110 games with a pitching staff that appeared ragtag at best.

Of course, a season of less than 100 losses doesn't exactly excite Royals GM Dayton Moore, used to winning division titles on a yearly basis from his days in Atlanta's front office. "I think it would be very easy for us to think this is a major accomplishment or successful season," Moore told the Kansas City Star. "In reality, it's just not."

[for rest of article...follow the above link]

From Baseball Prospectus
Full article here

Byron Gettis, TE, Southern Illinois University

On Saturday night, I went to my first college football game, strolling over to the campus of Northern Illinois University to catch their home opener against Southern Illinois. It was a pretty remarkable game for a number of reasons, including a 20-point, fourth-quarter comeback by the visitors, but it was a 10-second stretch in the third quarter that struck me. After an incomplete pass, the stadium announcer came over the PA system - "... pass intended for number eighty-four, Byron Gettis." I thought it was just a coincidence at first, but then I started wondering. Nearly ten years ago, when the Royals signed Gettis, he was a huge football star with Big Ten scholarship offers, and he was from... the southern part of Illinois.

[this part of the article can be seen from the BP website]

According to his SIU bio, he's also writing a book about his baseball experience; I'm looking forward to reading it.

Here's are some quotations from last night's game...

there is a reason why bell
has one of the worse winning percentages of all major league history..............we are seeing it before our very eyes this september

by smarsh on Tue Sep 11, 2007 at 10:48:32 PM EDT

In response:

I can give reasons
1.Lack of starting pitching
2. Front office not spending money
Every team that fired Bell was WORSE after he left.

by jbrocato on Tue Sep 11, 2007 at 11:04:14 PM EDT

I don't get the support for Bell thought process

Bell's Tigers record (1996-1998) 184W 277L
  Win % = .399

After Bell [Lance Parrish] (1998-1999) 82W 104L
  Win % = .441

Tigers got better when Bell left

Bell's Rockies record (2000-2002) 161W 185L
  Win % = .465

After Bell [Clint Hurdle] (2000-2007) 426W 505L
  Win % = .458

Rockies stayed about the sam after Bell left

Note: All of these teams had a lack of starting picthing and front office support with and without Bell.

A further musing from the article Well, that was pointless

I'm going to keep the initial post short and hope that discussion in the comments below will allow for more illumination.  However, is the old axiom about rushing prospects true?  Why do people believe it to be true?  Is it truly statistically significant or is it a case of people latching onto ballplayers who failed that were bound to fail anyway.  

Continue reading this post »

Apparently, the people at Get Untracked have recently done a blog entry on the negativity of the stat-oriented BP and how they may NOT be the most negative site on the web regarding sports.  

http://getuntracked.blogspot.com/2007/03/bp-hope-and-faith-versus-deadspin-snark.html

Surprisingly, the people at Get Untracked have decided to completely ignore the existance of the Royals (see the two comments toward the end of the page of the above article).

In the interest of Royal fandom, here is the season preview off of Deadspin.  This one is written by Bradford Doolittle from the Kansas City Star.  

http://deadspin.com/sports/baseball/baseball-season-preview-kansas-city-royals-241517.php

Baseball Prospectus is obviously saving the best for last as KC hasn't been previewed quite yet.  However, the following is the front page of the BP season preview project.  Hopefully BP will soon show the glory of the Pena, Jr. Trade.  Yes, it must be in all caps.

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/unfiltered/?p=228

For completionists on this ongoing and tragic story, here is Deadspin's response on their negativity.

http://deadspin.com/sports/baseball/we-are-more-depressing-than-baseball-prospectus-245568.php

I am posting this from my nintendo wii. Weird.  Is that a first for this site?

Anyway, does anyone know what happened to Nunez and Carrasco? I don't remember hearing about them last season.  Similarly, where is Bobby Madritsch?  He looked good before his injury while with Seattle.  Is he still in baseball?  We picked him up for 2006, but I assume that he went straight to AAA.  

Moved from the Diaries...

Joe Dillon

He got hurt and ended up coaching in 2003, but then he came back and began to hit really well in AAA.  He had a brief stop with the Marlins in 2005 and then nothing in 2006.  He could be an interesting pickup for Omaha (and maybe a OF/1B/Sweeney-replacement for the Royals if he worked out) as I'm guessing he'd be cheap.