The Baseball Project

Blog on DL

2009-06-12T11:32:00.004-04:00

Now all news will be on the Baseball Project page of the Yep Roc site.

Sign up for the mailing list there and be notified when Vol 2 is complete.

-Rocpile

Matt Marine Wins Baseball Project Contest

2008-11-03T11:08:00.002-05:00

Matt Marine correctly guessed that the Phillies would win the World Series in 5 Games. For this he'll receive a baseball project T-shirt, baseball and a copy of the JC Bradbury book, The Baseball Economist.

Congrats to Matt!

See you all next April!

-Rocpile

Phillies Win

2008-10-31T15:51:00.002-04:00

Well, the Phillies took the crown in five games in six days. Now there is a future trivia question...

I was rooting for the Rays, since half of their team was made up of former Durham Bulls, our triple-A affiliate here in central NC. But hey, I like the Phillies, too. I just wanted them to come in second.

You have to admit, though. The Rays did more than anyone could have guessed. Going from the team with the worst record in baseball last year to going all the way to the World Series is quite a feat.

But seriously, congrats to the Phillies too. They have a terrific team and a helluva bullpen.

Talk to your more next year. We'll probably be blogging again. I know for a fact that we'll be doing our music celebrity fantasy baseball league (Oscar Gamble's Afro) as well. We'll probably cycle out a few of the bands and pick some new ones, so look for a lineup next year. Congrats again to the American Princes for winning it all this year.

Until next year...see ya. Now I'm off to watch some football.

-Rocpile

JC Bradbury blogs for The Baseball Project

2008-10-13T13:46:00.005-04:00

The Baseball Project is thrilled to have J.C. Bradbury, baseball blogger extraordinaire and author of The Baseball Economist, guest blogging for us. Want to win his book (as well as some other Baseball Project goodies)? Check out this entry to find out how! - Rocpile

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Thanks For Having me

I'm J.C. Bradbury, and I normally do my baseball blogging at Sabernomics.com. My take on the national pastime is a bit unique. I'm an economist, and like many economists (the ones who actually like what they do), I enjoy using economics to analyze most every aspect of life. Because I'm a huge baseball fan---I root for the Braves---I couldn't help but see the economics in the game. So, I started a blog on the subject, and I ended up writing a book, too: The Baseball Economist.

I was asked to provide a few posts for you here, and I'll do my best to provide a week's worth of them. If you like what you see, I'll keep posting at Sabernomics. I've been doing it for four years, and don't plan to stop any time soon. I hope you enjoy what I have to offer.

JC

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Ted Fucking Williams

OK, I'm supposed to be blogging about statistics, but let me start off by writing about the opposite: heart. "Heart", as baseball commentators often use it, refers to a player's competitive drive. Sometimes, those of us who like to follow baseball statistics are accused of not understanding the human side of the game.

We sometimes hear baseball insiders praise or condemn players for their heart, even when stats say something different about the quality of a player. For example, earlier this season, Toronto Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi criticized Adam Dunn for not liking baseball. I don't know whether or not Adam Dunn likes baseball, and frankly, I don't care. Dunn has a career OPS (that's On-base Plus Slugging) of .900, which is about 30-percent higher than the league average hitter according to Baseball-Reference.com. Having a player like Dunn in your lineup is going to produce many runs, which is something the Jays could have used this year---the Jays are 11th in the American League in runs scored while they are first in ERA. I believe that all top-level athletes have heart, and if you didn't you wouldn't be in the big leagues at all. If Dunn lacked heart, he wouldn't be near the player that he is; and, I think Ted Williams would agree.

Williams is arguably the best hitter in the history of the game. He hit for average, power, and knew how to draw a walk. Yet, as he stood alone against a batting practice pitcher he would yell, "I'm Ted Fucking Williams...Jesus H Christ himself couldn't get me out!" before each pitch. As good a player as he was, Teddy Ballgame understood his own doubts were his greatest enemy. If he doubted himself, he wouldn't perform up to his capable level.

Do you ever wonder why athletes are stereotyped as assholes? There are plenty of good guys out there, and we understand that the weight of being a recognizable public face can grow tiresome. We give them some room to snarl and bark; but still, stories of marital infidelity, drunken bar fights, and profanity-laced tirades are regularly reported. Why does this happen? I think it is because you can't just be Ted Fucking Williams on the field. Even the best hitters produce outs in two-thirds of their at-bats.

Williams did a little better than that with a career .344 batting average. The omnipotent Jesus Christ would have no problem getting Williams to fan on three straight, yet Williams had to believe the rules that governed everyone else didn't apply to him. He was somehow special. I imagine this is how most professional athletes feel. For most of their lives, they've been the best player on the team---they are special.

But deep down, they all know it's a lie. And they know that believing their doubts could be the beginning of the end. That's why the greatest hitter in baseball history started every game with a vulgar self-affirmation that would have offended Stuart Smalley, but he would have understood completely. And this doesn't just apply to baseball players. In school, work relationships, etc., confidence impacts success and failure, no matter how talented you are or how hard you work. So, on you way out the door every morning, be sure to give yourself a four-word pep talk: "I'm [First name] Fucking [Last name]!" If Ted Williams needed a confidence boost, then so do you.

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Gratitude (for Gerald Scully)

Curt Flood is an important player in baseball history for his contribution to the current economic climate of major league baseball. Flood is famous for demanding higher wages for himself, and standing up to owners for not meeting his demands. Though he lost his court case, his discontent helped pave the way for the players union to successfully win concessions from owners (such as salary arbitration and free agency) that would boost the baseball player salaries.

Why should we celebrate this man, as The Baseball Project does? These people play a child's game and make millions of dollars. Flood himself was no pauper---he turned down a $90,000 contract because he didn't want to play for Philadelphia. Why should we feel sorry for any of these money-grubbing athletes?

The answer lies in the work of economist Gerald Scully. Using economic theory as a guide, Scully viewed Major League Baseball as a monopsonist employer---the sole buyer of a particular type of labor. Being the only organization that purchased major league baseball talent, players had little bargaining room to negotiate their pay. And MLB understood this, enforcing its reserve clause that required players to play for the team that they previously played for, or to play for no team at all. Scully understood that the impact of this relationship between teams and players meant that owners collected a large percentage of revenues that players generated by playing baseball.

Using estimates of team revenues and performance metrics (SLG for hitters and K/BB for pitchers) Scully estimated how much performance affected winning and how much winning affected revenues. Thus, he was able to generate a dollar-value estimate of the revenue that players generate. When he compared what players made to what the players actually earned, the difference was striking. Players earned 90-percent less than the revenue they generated through their play. This means that a player like Flood, who earned around $100,000 year was generating nearly $1 million in revenue. What was at stake was how this was shared between owners and players. It is easy to see why players were upset, owners were profiting from the low salaries of players.

The Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally cases in 1975 finally led to the repeal of the traditional reserve clause, and player wages rose accordingly. Now that players were no longer bound to a single team during free agency, teams compete for players and offer to pay them salaries commensurate with the revenues they expect players to generate.

Gerald Scully published his paper in 1974 in American Economic Review, and it most certainly had an impact on the atmosphere; although, I can't say how much. In almost any history you read of about free agency, Scully doesn't receive a mention. There is no doubt that once Scully's conclusions were published that the reserve clause would soon fall. Either a rogue league would enter the market to pay players higher wages or the courts or Congress would finally be convinced of the damage being done to players.

Players earn high salaries because they possess unique skills that fans will pay to watch. While it is had to sympathize with the plight of wealthy players in their labor struggles with owners, it is important to understand that what players don't get goes to the owners, who tend to be much wealthier than players.

Can You See Into the Future?

2008-10-10T12:12:00.004-04:00

If the answer is yes, we'd like you to use your powers to try and guess the World Series winner. Email your pick (and in how many games) to thebaseballproject@gmail.com, with the subject reading: "World Series Pick." The winner will receive a Baseball Project t-shirt and baseball as well as a copy of J.C. Bradbury's The Baseball Economist.

If the Phillies are your pick and they end up winning, congratulate yourself because you'll have won some life bonus points.

FRANKIE DOES NOT GO TO HOLLYWOOD

2008-10-06T09:09:00.000-04:00

Interesting thing about Francisco Rodrigues. He's neither the best reliever this year (that would be Mariano Rivera—check the stats!) or the best pitcher (Cliff Lee who will most likely win the Cy Young Award unanimously). But MVP? Without a doubt that would be ol' Frankie. Which leads to an interesting turn of events. Could Francisco Rodriguez win the MVP but not the Cy Young Award? Hard to believe but this amateur sports scribe says Yes He Should. Breaking Bobby Thigpen's 18-year old record is an amazing achievement and his 60+ saves is a record that may never be broken. But he's been fortunate to be on a winning team with most of its wins coming on a small margin. Without Francisco we'd be watching the Rangers in the playoffs (and enduring more endless yarns about Josh Hamilton's drug abuse and recovery tales). But the Halos with Frankie? They might go all the way. That's an MVP. Cy Young? Give it to Cliff Lee—he's having the best year any starter has had since Dwight Gooden in 1986. And Mariano? Oh Lord, please give him a decent team next year. - Steve

NL MVP rant

2008-09-19T13:06:00.001-04:00

Does Ryan Howard deserve the NL MVP award? Aside from the battle for a couple playoff spots, that question is one of the biggest in the baseball world. I have trouble giving the MVP to a guy who's hitting below .250. The fact that we're even discussing his credentials in this context shows just how much the whole what-have-you-done-for-me-lately argument is what really wins over the voters. In September, Howard's hitting .379 with 8 HR's, 24 RBI and a 1.379 OPS. I guess his .234 average pre-all star break, has been completely forgotten.

This makes you feel really bad for Albert Pujols, who's been the picture of consistency.
Pre-All Star: .350, 18 HR's, 50 RBI, 30 Strikeouts and a 1.074 OPS
Post- All Star: .375, 15 HR's, 51 RBI, 20 Strikeouts and a 1.172 OPS

I realize his team is no longer in the playoff race, but he kept them in it for most of the season. Doesn't that count for anything?

The Baseball Project hits a homerun with indie record stores!

2008-09-05T14:52:00.009-04:00

Yep Roc is proud to announce Finders Records & Tapes, of Bowling Green, OH, as the winner of the 2008 Baseball Project Display Contest! We had quite a few awesome submissions, so it was hard to choose just one, but the folks at Finders worked hard and their efforts paid off. Check out their display below:

Finders will receive a grand slam prize pack for this great display. These honorable mentions deserve serious kudos for their efforts as well:

Rock-A-Billy's, from Michigan, used tons of old school baseball memorabilia to create this display. They even sold some sunflower seeds and Cracker Jacks as part of their promotion.

Music Millennium, from Portland, OR, created their own pennant for their display.

Waterloo Records, in Austin, TX, really got creative when they arranged the baseball elements into this display.

Thanks to everyone else who got on board with this!

In Memoriam: Ted Williams

2008-08-26T13:42:00.004-04:00

It's Ted Williams week, which means it's time for us to remember one of the best hitters of all time. How great was The Splendid Splinter? Well, the man ranks 13th on the list of career RBI leaders. What's amazing about that you ask? Maybe it has something to do with the fact that he managed to compile 1,839 RBI while missing 5 seasons to two separate wars. He was a pilot in World War II during the '43,'44 and '45 seasons. Being in his prime at the time, he probably would have averaged 120 RBI/season during those years. That alone would've brought his career total up to 2,199, which would put him in third place behind Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth. What if he hadn't missed two seasons as a pilot in Korea? He was still putting up monster numbers in the surrounding seasons. If we once again give him 120 RBI/season (which is conservative in my opinion), it puts his career total up to 2,439; first place by a large margin. Along with the RBI numbers he also lost approximately 660 walks (again i'm being conservative) which would put him at the very top of the list ahead of Barry Bonds. Imagine a hitter having 2700 walks and less than 1000 strikeouts? Those are extraordinary numbers. Unfortunately, he like Barry Bonds and Ernie Banks, never got a coveted World Series ring. What a travesty. He was a truly extraordinary pure hitter. Not to mention he had incredible eyesight that allowed him to pick up the spin on any pitch quicker than any other hitter could even think about doing it.

An Ode to Closers

2008-08-26T11:54:00.004-04:00

Here it is: an ode to the man who finishes the game - closers.

Should we change it up with Hoffman...

Or cut(ter) it up with Rivera...

How about neither? We're going to take our off to one of the original handlebar mustachio'd "closers," Goose Gossage.

The man epitomized the closer role. He had the fastball, the perfect name and most importantly, the pristine mustache. A man who anchored his bullpen before lefty specialists and the 'hold' statistic.

inspired by "The Closer" by The Baseball Project.

A beautiful afternoon at Comisk---, I mean U.S. Cellular Field

2008-08-19T11:14:00.011-04:00

An awesome fan by the name of Chris Castaneda recently attended a game between the first place Chicago White Sox and the 2nd place Boston Red Sox and snapped some amazing photos in the process! Check out the Baseball Project in the wild.

Who would've guessed Luis Aparicio was such a big fan of the Baseball Project?

Some bad baseball blood in the Olympics?

2008-08-19T11:01:00.003-04:00

Looks like the Chinese and the Americans decided to play the old fashioned way and bring it back to the 1950's. Did anyone see Nate Schierholtz (Giants prospect) take out the Chinese catcher, Yang Yang, on a sacrifice fly (picture below)? It helped spark a bean ball parade which ended in 6 hitters from the two teams getting plunked. The worst of which was Matt LaPorta, (Indians Prospect) who received a pitch to the head and had to leave the game with a mild concussion. Here's wishing a speedy, Baseball Project recovery to Mr. LaPorta.

A Stretch Run For the Ages

2008-08-19T10:44:00.003-04:00

As August begins to come to a close, things are starting to heat up in Oscar Gamble's Afro. Ruthian Blast is still holding down that top spot, though Los Gigantes are making a big push for it, due undoubtedly to their 12 transactions in a 3 day period. Can Oliver Perez and Brian Wilson's recent hot streaks help carry Los Gigantes' to first place?

Meanwhile, Rocpile made an incredible acquisition in Brian Roberts, yet they're still running in the middle of the pack. Maybe Roberts will be able to finally bring some stolen bases to this speed challenged team.

In other news, there's a picture of the Red Seat in the Rock team on the side of a milk carton because they're nowhere to be found. Oh wait, I think I see them there at the bottom of the standings.

Good luck to all the teams and here's hoping Red Seat in the Rock doesn't discourage them from staying at it.

Scott McCaughey to chat with ESPN

2008-08-11T11:23:00.003-04:00

Friends and fans of the Baseball Project!

Our very own Scott McCaughey (Los Gigantes) will be participating in a live chat on ESPN.com this Wednesday at 5pm eastern.

Send in your Baseball Project or baseball related questions here and make sure to join Scott on Wednesday at 5pm!

USA vs Canada

2008-08-04T09:16:00.000-04:00

Yesterday Rocpile went and saw the USA Olympic baseball team slaughter the Canadian team. It was a muggy afternoon at the Durham Bulls stadium, which only got hotter when Nate Schierholtz hit a grand slam in the eighth. Hot prospect Matt LaPorta also homered earlier in the day in the second.

The US won 9-1.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

IMG00021.jpg

2008-07-23T17:49:00.000-04:00

Rocpile is playing hooky from work today to watch the red sox versus the mariners at safeco field in Seattle.

Buchholz is pitching for the sox. Rocpile saw him pitch in the minors a few months ago. Judging by the homer that Ibanez just blasted off him, we are thinking he should still be there.
-Rocpile
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Darren Daulton

2008-07-23T15:33:00.003-04:00

Darren Daulton was my favorite baseball player when I was 8 or 9 years old. Back then he was scruffy and buff yet kind of handsome (for a guy with a mullet) and an inspiration to the clubhouse and his fans.

Then he got old, got a DUI, beat his wife and "time traveled" (see here). He recently did a book signing at a place called the Chicken Coop. His book is about metaphysics, numerology and chatting with plants and animals. (buy it right here).

Isn't it great when the people you used to look up to turn out to be total weirdos?

See also: Wikipedia

- the female third of Rocpile

The Baseball Project

2008-07-16T09:36:00.002-04:00

We thought it would be fun to show everyone the top selling cities for the Baseball Project's new album in the US after the first week. In keeping with the theme, though, we've decided to rank these not only by the standard markets, but by ballclub. Will the Portland Beavers eventually take the top spot from those NYC teams? Scott McCaughey is rooting for them.

1. New York Yankees/Mets
2. Portland Beavers
3. Boston Red Sox
4. LA Dodgers/Angels
5. Baltimore Orioles
6. Seattle Mariners
7. Philadelphia Phillies
8. Milwaukee Brewers
9. SF Giants/Oakland A's
10. Chicago Cubs/White Sox
11. Minneapolis Twins
12. Washington Nationals
13. Atlanta Braves
14. Knoxville Tennessee Smokies
15. San Diego Padres
16. Houston Astros
17. St. Louis Cardinals
18. Daytona Cubs/Lakeland Tigers (FL)
19. Cincinnati Reds
20. Texas Rangers (Dallas)

-Rocpile

Trade Alert

2008-07-08T18:13:00.002-04:00

The sports news is all abuzz with the CC Sabathia trade to the Brewers. The real news is that in our fantasy league, Oscar Gamble's Afro, Rocpile and Los Gigantes worked out the following trade:

Chase Utley traded to Rocpile
Ryan Doumit, Mark DeRosa, Kerry Wood to Los Gigantes.

Rosters updated.

it's here!

2008-07-08T10:11:00.004-04:00

The Baseball Project: Vol. 1 Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails is finally out! If you haven't already, grab a copy at your local store or check out YepRoc.com to order.

Happy 4th

2008-07-04T18:09:00.002-04:00

Today is the day we all need to celebrate our Americaness. Hopefully you are doing that by grilling out, eating some hot dogs, washing them down with a cold one (or three) and watching some baseball.

Oh, and listening the Baseball Project album, of course.

-Rocpile

Rest in Peace, Big Ed Delahanty

2008-07-03T16:14:00.008-04:00

Yesterday was the 105th anniversary of the death of Big Ed Delahanty, the hall-of-famer who died in his prime after having a run in with the majestic Niagara Falls. Was it the fall that killed him, or did he drown? Did he do it on purpose, or was it a tragic accident? Who knows. Ultimately, I think we can all agree that alcohol had something to do with it (buy this book, read his entry on wikipedia or just google search the terms "big ed delahanty booze").

So pour one out for our fallen friend this Independence Day weekend and celebrate the life of one of baseball's best, Big Ed Delahanty.

THE DEATH OF BIG ED DELAHANTY

from Vol. 1: Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails

(My brother wrote a poem –I bastardized it and blended it and put a beat to it, and now Big Ed’s mysterious death can be discussed, fantasized, danced to. I’m sure he deserves all the above. One thing seems quite certain: the days of the boozing and brawling ballplayers are mostly behind us, no slight to the occasional throwbacks like David Wells, a man mentioned twice elsewhere on this album.)

Sometimes, hungover, he might lose a pop fly in the glare of the Washington sun. And yes, he swung at bad pitches, and let the Irish in him sharpen up and boozy-bloat his tongue. Nights on the road he led a bachelor’s life, with the bright short blaze of a shooting star. But he soaked some homers—yeah, four in one game--when the ball was dead and the fences far. Big Ed don’t let them weigh you down. Big Ed don’t let us weigh you down.

In July 1903 he was hitting .333; for him that was a little bit under par. On the 2nd he jumped the team and jumped a train from Detroit to New York, went straight for the dining car. He was boozing it up good, they say, making trouble, cursing, shouting, Delahanting in the bar. At Fort Erie, Ontario, he was bumped from the train, wandered out on the bridge but he didn’t get too far.

The night watchman said he’d seen a man, ended up wearing his bowler hat; he heard a splash but he didn’t see him fall. For a week no one found a clue of him. What good’s it do to question death when it makes a bad call? But I don’t think he killed himself. I think some strange notion drew him to Niagara Falls, across the curve of day and night, like the perfect arch of a high fly ball.

The Bronx Is Up and the Battery’s Down

2008-07-02T15:39:00.002-04:00

Hey, Scott. When do you leave town again? I'll send baseball tidbits to you while you're overseas. Things you might have missed. like this--did you know that on the morning of his major league debut, a start against the Yankees at the stadium last Saturday, Reds pitcher Daryl Thompson and a few other rookie teammates decided it would be fun to take the subway instead of the team bus from their midtown hotel? Hey, why not? Except they ended up going the wrong way and ended in Brooklyn, standing on the platform and asking people how to get to Yankee Stadium (practice?). They were set straight by the helpful locals and got to Yankee Stadium at 11am, two hours before his start. And then he blanked the Bombers for six innings. YOu can't make this stuff up. And that's why I love the game..... - Stevie Baseball

How 'Bout That?!

2008-06-27T23:26:00.011-04:00

The Baseball Project on This Week In Baseball

Yes, it's true. The Baseball Project will be featured on This Week In Baseball this weekend.

Here is what mlb.com had to say about the upcoming episode:

In the "Baseball Is..." segment, TWIB will profile a band called The Baseball Project, a group of artists brought together by their love of baseball. They created a CD entirely devoted to the sport, which includes a song about Harvey Haddix's 1959 perfect game that turned into a loss in the 13th inning with a rhyming chorus naming all 17 pitchers to throw a perfect game in baseball history.

The show will close out with The Baseball Project's song "Past Time" providing the sound track for the great plays and bloopers reel in "How 'Bout That."

Splendid Splinters singing the National Anthem at the Red Sox vs. Astros game on 6/27

2008-06-27T20:07:00.000-04:00