Angel Pagan something of a stud at 8

Posted on February 14, 2011 by Ted Berg

In the Valentine’s Day spirit, several Mets recap their first kisses. Angel Pagan’s story is the clear winner.

Donate to a not-at-all worthy cause

Posted on February 11, 2011 by Ted Berg

Detroit citizens are raising money to build a statue of Robocop. I can think of about a thousand more deserving charities, but I pledged $10 anyway. Because hey, statue of Robocop.

NASA needs your help, provided you have the resources and expertise to build a starship that could last a century

Posted on February 11, 2011 by Ted Berg

And just a reminder: The 100-year starship plan calls for a group of pioneers to be shot into space and never return. Let me be the first to say: Not it. After all, Mars ain’t the kind of place to raise a kid.

Slash lines

Posted on February 11, 2011 by Ted Berg

The excellent Emma Span makes a hilarious debut at Baseball Prospectus, but be warned: It’s not for the faint of heart, or for anyone who does not want to read about imagined trysts involving Kyle Farnsworth and Vance Wilson.

A conversation about Matt Cain

Posted on February 11, 2011 by Ted Berg

Interesting read for baseball nerds. Dave Cameron and Rory Paap try to investigate why Matt Cain consistently outperforms his peripheral numbers. If you’ll recall, I struggle a bit with xFIP. I have no doubt that most pitchers’ HR/FB rates will normalize over time, but I’m unwilling to go all-in on the idea that no pitcher can consistently yield weak fly-ball contact. Also, I wonder if the organizational angle that Cameron and Paap seem to settle on would also pertain to the A’s. I think it’s eminently reasonable to consider that the nerds in Major League front offices and dugouts could be a step ahead of us nerds on the Internet on this one.

I agree with this

Posted on February 11, 2011 by Ted Berg

At the Braves blog Talking Chop, Martin Gandy says, “Bring BBQ to the Ted.” I’ve decided to read only the headline and draw my own conclusions as to what Ted he’s talking about. And he’s absolutely right.

Remembering Rick Reed, even if the video games didn’t

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Ted Berg

Patrick Flood continues his countdown of the greatest Mets of all time with No. 27, Rick Reed, who crossed the picket line during Spring Training in 1995 and was thus excluded from MLBPA-licensed video games. I remember John Franco had a great quote when the Mets’ clubhouse finally came around to Reed in 1997 — something about it being hard to hold a grudge when a guy’s got an ERA under 2 (as Reed did until early June that season).

John Kruk hits 50

Posted on February 9, 2011 by Ted Berg

Alex Remington does a nice job reminding people that before someone decided John Kruk should be poured into a suit and broadcast in high definition, he was something of a hero — Phillie or otherwise. Now he is 50. He is also probably Meat Loaf.