I wasn't going to do this...

But, after re-enforcing to the five readers of this blog how tortured my math skills are in the previous post, I thought that I'd give a pointer to another math/baseball post. This link doesn't involve a made-up stuff. Well, it kind of does...Or, does it.

Famed science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke's Third Law states, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." Applied to the advanced baseball metrics we create, it could probably be paraphrased for the average reader (one unfamiliar with deep statistical musings), as, "Any sufficiently advanced baseball statistic is indistinguishable from a load of computer-generated bollocks."

To be fair, it is tricky to fault them for such a mentality. For most people, applying maths to baseball is neither easy nor particularly enjoyable - it takes a scientifically inclined mind to want to bother with this sort of thing. The stats crowd are, in essence, waving computer printouts and clamouring for attention in a space normally reserved for thoughts no deeper than 'Willie Bloomquist is such a gamer'. If I wasn't so fond of statistical analysis myself, I can see how this would be annoying (I used to think Willie was a good young prospect, after all). However, just because most people do not understand advanced statistical stuff doesn't mean they're dumb, or that they're irredeemable. Sometimes it's simply because we're not doing a good enough job of explaining ourselves.

Right there with you on that last sentence, Graham. Head over there and read the whole post to get an understanding of where the stat-heads are coming from on this issue. There is a flow chart or a diagram or something, too.

Another list

This one is from Ben Badler at Baseball America's Prospect Blog...and I also saw it "last night". The title of the post is self-explanatory:

From the Top: Measuring Which Farm Systems Are Closest To The Majors

In baseball, a team with a farm system in which the top prospects are at the Triple-A and Double-A levels means that team likely has several assets with a high degree of certainty. The more plate appearances a hitter has or batters a pitcher has faced in his professional career, the more reliable data points we have to forecast his future.

A prospect in Triple-A may have a track record of 2,000 minor league plate appearances, including several hundred in the highest levels of the minor leagues. A prospect in the short-season leagues or low Class A, meanwhile, has a much more limited body of work available to evaluate, and it is within the context of the lowest levels of the minors, where weaknesses like poor pitch recognition, an aluminum bat swing or a fringy array of pitches is less likely to be exploited.

Having more plate appearances or batters faced is helpful both in terms of being able to analyze a player’s statistics and by allowing scouts more time to evaluate a player’s tools and skills, to asses his development and to create a better forecast for the player’s future through his observations.

All that playing time doesn’t necessarily make the player more valuable; rather, it increases the certainty with which we can evaluate a player and forecast his future. That doesn’t mean Triple-A Red Sox outfielder Brandon Moss is a better prospect than low Class A Blue Jays outfielder Travis Snider because Moss is closer to the majors—it means there is more certainty to which we can predict the value that Moss will provide to a major league team.

Badler goes through his methodology for his rankings:

It starts with every team's Top 10 Prospects (as rated by BA, of course).

Then: Level Score (5 points for AAA, 4 points for AA, etc); Ranking Score (10 points to #1 prospect, etc.); Individual CTM Score (Jack Bauer is not involved. Just multiply a players level score by his ranking score); Team CTM Score (Add up individual CTM scores and divide by 55...it makes mathematical sense...trust me). There are a few additional tweaks to the formula. Just read the whole post.

Oh, almost forgot, CTM = Close to the Majors

After all of this, it is revealed that the Los Angeles Dodgers are the system closest to the majors with a score of 3.89.

The Mariners check in with a 3.31 which is #12 on the list. I'll try to recreate that score here by showing the work. Columns below go Rank, Player, Ranking Score, Level Score, Individual CTM

1. Jeff Clement..................10........5........50
2. Phillippe Aumont...........9.........0..........0
3. Chris Tillman..................8........3.........24
4. Carlos Triunfel................7........3.........21
5. Wladimir Balentien........6.........5........30
6. Michael Saunders..........5.........4.........20
7. Juan Ramirez.................4.........1............4
8. Mark Lowe.....................3.........5.........15
9. Ryan Rowland-Smith...2.........5..........10
10. Matt Tuiasosopo.........1.........4.............4

Adding up the Individual CTM Scores = 178
Divide by 55...
Team CTM Score = 3.24

Close enough? He may have done this after the trade, which would take Tillman out and everyone else moves up one, the #11 prospect moves up to #10, and a train leaving Chicago at 5pm traveling 95 mph....

Math. It can be your friend and it can be your enemy.

Checking the transaction wire

The post has been up at Baseball America's Prospect Blog for a few days, but I just saw it last night....boy, that's funny. I was looking at the Baseball America website on a Saturday night. I think that may be the funniest thing I've made up since I started this blog...Anyway...Here are some transactions involving ex-Timber Rattlers. Not including the trade:

Milwaukee Brewers
Signed: RHP Melqui Torres

Torres was a Rattler in 1999 and went 13-9. He came back to the Rattlers in 2000 and was 2-3 before being moved up to Lancaster. The M's let him go after the 2001 season. He played in the Mexican League in 2007.

Seattle Mariners
Signed: RHP Rich Dorman

Dorman was a Rattler in 2003 and was 1-2 with four saves in 25 appearances. He was quickly moved to Inland Empire. He spent 2007 in the Florida Marlin system, had a very good winterball season in Venezuela, and just re-signed with the Mariners. He has been as far up as Triple-A with both Seattle (Tacoma) and Florida (Albuquerque).

D'un Bois potentiel pichet de Rattler

A couple of Canadians got together at Mariner Spring Training. One is the M's beat writer for the Seattle Times. One is a potential Timber Rattler pitcher. This was the result:

Ice is right for M's No. 1 draft pick Phillippe Aumont

The pop of his 90 mph missiles exploding in catchers' mitts already has No. 1 draft pick Phillippe Aumont drawing rave reviews here.

But far away from Arizona sunshine and cactus, in a hometown steeped in ice and snow, the Quebec-born pitcher honed the leg strength to drive off a mound with such power.

Much of the talk centers around the 19-year-old's mature physique, specifically the trunk-like thighs that manager John McLaren has likened to those of a speedskater.

Turns out McLaren was dead-on.

Aumont was playing hockey this winter with a group of friends in Ottawa, across the Ottawa River from his hometown of Gatineau, Quebec, when he spotted an outdoor speedskating oval. An idea popped into Aumont's head and the next thing he knew, he was out doing daily sets of sprints on his skates.

"I don't really like to run all that much, so this was something I thought I could do to stay in shape," said Aumont, a 6-foot-7 scout's dream touted as possibly the team's top pitching prospect despite having yet to appear in a professional game. "It is hard, especially for me. It was my first time. I like skating, but you've got to bring your game up to a higher level with this. It's a lot of effort."

Eric Heiden and Dan Jansen would be proud. Or, in this case, Cindy Klassen and Jeremy Wotherspoon would be proud.*

What are the plans for Aumont?

This won't be a repeat of 2007, when No. 1 pick Brandon Morrow leapt almost straight from college to the major leagues. The team hopes Aumont's national-team experience was the equivalent — or better — of playing a full season of rookie ball.

Aumont says he can throw as hard as 98, but usually keeps his pitches between 93 and 95. His 90 mph tosses this week came at roughly three-quarters strength.

That Canadian heat may be at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium.

*-I knew Cindy Klassen from an episode of Corner Gas. I had to look up Jeremy Wotherspoon.

46 Days to Opening Day

Opening Day 2008 for the Timber Rattlers is April 3. That is 46 days from today. This off-season, the countdown will be based on books. Each day between now and Opening Day 2008, I will pick a random book out of my library and excerpt a passage off the page number corresponding with the number of days remaining to the first pitch of the new season. I will try not to repeat a book during the countdown.

Today’s book is The One Tree by Stephen R. Donaldson. This is book two in the Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. I had forgotten this part -- no, not the part about Covenant being at the edge of death...again. One of the characters actually ---- grins...and ---- laughs.

A chuckle widened Pitchwife’s grin. His hale aura stroked Linden’s senses with a steady confidence she could not comprehend. “There, Chosen,” he said. “Hope. We cannot bespeak Covenant Giantfriend, to say that we are well. But we can move Starfare’s Gem. Mayhap he will feel the movement and be consoled.”

Move -- ? Linden’s lips formed words she could not utter. You’re kidding.

Heft Galewrath addressed her stolidly. “I can make no beginning until dawn. We must have light. And then the answer – if I am answered – may be slow in coming. Will the Giantfriend endure so long?”

“He – “ Linden fought the extremity which closed her throat. He brain kept repeating, Move Starfare’s Gem? Without wind? “I don’t know. He has the power. Maybe – maybe what he’s doing will slow down the venom. He’s shut his mind to everything else. Maybe he’s stopped the venom too. If he has – “ She struggled to achieve a coherent assessment. “He’ll live until the venom eats through his heart. Or until he starves to death.”

Put today’s excerpt in a baseball context.

One funny, two serious

Jim Street's Notes from camp story yesterday had these pieces of information.

First the funny:

Take a pal: A little wrinkle has been added to the drill when pitchers are fielding ground balls hit back to them -- the "Invite a Friend" run.

When a batted ball is missed, the pitcher that misses the ball must run a lap around the infield. However, he doesn't have to run alone. He can select one or two of his teammates to run with him.

"I haven't missed a ball in two days but I must have run six or seven times each day," right-hander Miguel Batista said, laughing. "The only word J.J. [Putz] seems to know is 'Miggy.'"

Now, the serious:

Medical update: Minor League coach Scott Budner was released from a local hospital on Friday morning but probably will miss at least two more days because of severe back pain. Coach Terry Pollreisz also spent Thursday night in the hospital after feeling light-headed while throwing batting practice. He was diagnosed with an "elevated heart beat."

Pollreisz is slated to be the Rattler manager this season. Budner was the Rattler pitching coach in 2001. Best wishes and a get well soon to both.

Good excuse

I had noticed that Benjamin Hill had not updated Ben's Biz Blog in a few days. But, he had a good excuse: He was busy working on a bunch of stories for MiLB.com.

The one that is currently on the site that caught my eye was this:

Exporting the Japanese Fan Experience

December's Baseball Trade Show marked Sharp Sangyo's first attempt to break into the American market.

"Japanese and American baseball goods have had a different path," wrote Murai. "We wondered, 'Will our special Japanese baseball goods be accepted in the U.S. baseball market, like many Japanese baseball players have been accepted in the U.S. in recent years?' We believe we can bring a new perspective and provide a breath of fresh air into the U.S. baseball market."

Obviously, the discrepancies between American and Japanese rooting styles creates a problem for Sharp Sangyo, as the appeal of many of their products could quite literally be lost in translation. That's why, for the time being, the company's primary focus is to sell its Seventh-Inning Stretch Balloons. The concept behind these balloons is simple: They are to be blown up by fans during the seventh-inning break, then released into the air simultaneously. When released, the balloons emit a piercing whistling noise as they shoot skyward. The result is a synchronized spectacle of sound and color.

In Japan, the balloons have become an established tradition, and fans often bring them to the game themselves (type "seventh inning stretch balloons" into YouTube, and one can see many examples of the balloons in action). In America, of course, the balloons would have to be given to fans as they enter the stadium, and specific instructions would be needed in order to insure that they are released simultaneously.

The San Jose Giants are the test case...kind of:

Sharp Sangyo's representatives (including Murai) made many contacts during the Winter Meetings and have hired Sportsworld Entertainment, an American marketing firm, to help with their sales efforts. While they are optimistic about their chances for success in America, they have thus far been unable to convince any teams to schedule a Seventh-Inning Stretch Balloon giveaway or take a risk on any of their other promotional products, which also includes the Fortune Teller (perhaps best described as a baseball-themed Magic 8 ball).

Currently, Sharp Sangyo finds itself stuck in a sort of Minor League Baseball catch-22: While teams are always looking to stage new and original ballpark activities, they also want to be assured that a promotion will be successful before investing the necessary time and money into it. Therefore, it can be hard to convince teams to take a risk on promotional concepts that are, quite literally, foreign.

Last season, however, the California League's San Jose Giants distributed Seventh-Inning Stretch Balloons as part of their "Japanese Heritage Night." The San Jose area has a large Japanese population and is in fact one of just three American cities that includes a "Japantown" area.

The Giants' "Japanese Heritage Night" promotion was put together by Kazumichi Sekine, who works for the club as a "international relations executive."

"The reaction to the balloons was really good for a first-time experience, and we think it went pretty well," said Sekine, who was born and raised in Japan. "We made sure we had the ushers explain what we were doing and how to do it. It took some work, but it was a great promotion."

Not surprisingly, one of the primary concerns expressed by American teams regarding the Seventh-Inning Stretch Balloons has been the issue of clean-up. Sekine said this was not a problem.

"It doesn't take much time at all, only a couple of minutes," he said. "We had some of our front-office staff on the field to pick up the balloons, but most of them just go straight up and don't go onto the field at all."

It's worth the read. And I have a feeling this story which Ben preview is going to be worth checking out.

Also, please check out the debut of our new "At Home With" team profile feature. The first subject of this weekly interview column will focus on the Lowell Spinners. Thanks to General Manager Tim Bawmann (who, you may recall, was recently on the losing end of a Super Bowl bet) for taking the time to answer our questions.

This is the same Tim Bawmann who made an appearance in the comments section a few weeks ago. UW-Platteville alums gotta stick together.

Oh, those Snappers

This picture is from snappersbaseball.com and pretty much sums up the feelings of us in the Midwest right about now:

And there is a story to go along with the picture:

The Beloit Snappers front office staff is in their final stages of promotional planning for the 2008 season, and they are considering a unique Opening Day giveaway. Snow shovels.

With another 7-11 inches of snow predicted for Sunday, it’s hard to imagine the baseball season ever starting up.

“We want to make sure we have every angel lined up for the start of the season,” said General Manager Jeff Vohs. “By possibly giving away snow shovels, we can hopefully have our field ready by game time. Every fan in attendance will be expected to help us shovel the snow out the infield, outfield, foul lines, and grandstands.”

Well, I want to have every angel lined up for the start of the season, too. A little divine help from Michael and Gabriel would keep the snow... What? Typo? That is not possibel. I'm sticking with angel instead of angle.

“If anyone is interested in helping shovel from now until the start of the season, let us know,” said Vohs. “The stadium is definitely not going to clear itself and Snappy is starting to struggle with all the shoveling he’s doing this off-season.”

Jeff, the Packers pay $8 an hour to help clear out Lambeau Field. I'll head down to Pohlman Field for that much.

Swiping from Baker

Geoff Baker has posted a few YouTube videos of the M's working out on his blog. The one below is from day two:


See if you can pick out the ex-Rattlers. To get you started, that's Wladimir Balentien ('04) taking hacks in the outdoor batting cage.

Wild Card History

Joel Dinda runs MWLguide.com and also has a blog called a dabbler's journal. He had a post up yesterday that my google alert caught for this morning and it ties in (twice) with a little Appleton baseball history. It is an article from an issue of The Sporting News in 1978

Waterloo May Become Baseball's First Wild-Card Playoff Qualifier

Organized Baseball's first wild-card playoffs could become a reality early in September, provided one of the Midwest League's two first-half divisional champions--Appleton or Quad Cities--finishes on top again in the final second-half standings.

The wild-card arrangements, which will be used only if there is a repeat champion in one division and the other division title is divided between two clubs, were announced August 24 by league President Bill Walters.

If first and second-half divisional championships are split in both the North and South, best-of-three semifinal series will begin in Appleton and Quad Cities on September 1, to be followed by a best-of-three series between the winners for the overall championship.

Should the Foxes and Angels repeat as second-half titlists, there would be no semifinals; the two clubs would begin a best-of-five series September 1 in Appleton.

Click on the link to find out what happened. It is rather odd that this decision about the playoff rules would be made in late August. Shouldn't this possibility have been forseen at, oh, I don't know, some point a whole heck of a lot earlier?

Where is the second tie-in? Near the bottom of the post there is a bit about an intentional walk gone awry.

In the process of issuing an intentional pass to Burlington's Ivan Rodriguez August 20, Appleton (Midwest) pitcher Mark Esser made an eighth-inning pitch a little too good. Opportunist Rodriguez jumped on the offering, which was in the strike zone, and doubled home the final two runs in an 8-2 Bees' victory.

Dinda notes that the Ivan Rodriguez is not Pudge. He found this gem at a site called Paper of Record while researching Esser's career, which Dinda calls odd.

Looking at Esser's numbers at The Baseball Cube, it went a little something like this:

Appleton Foxes, 1978: 9-2, 7 saves, 41 games, 1 start, 4.29 ERA
Iowa Oaks, 1979: 1-5, 3 saves, 43 games, 6 starts, 6.62 ERA
Chicago White Sox, 1979: 0-0, 2 games. 16.20 ERA
Appleton Foxes, 1980: 4-0, 5 games, 5 starts, 1.22 ERA
Glens Falls White Sox, 1980: 3-5, 9 games, 9 starts, 5.14ERA
Iowa Oaks, 1980: 3-7, 11 games, 11 starts, 4.43ERA
Glens Falls White Sox, 1982: 1-1, 9 games, 6 starts, 6.51ERA

What? What?

From...I don't even know where...

GEORGE CLOONEY has been given the chance to live out his sporting dream and spend the summer playing baseball.

The movie star was offered a contract to play for Ohio minor league team the Dayton Dragons during a recent TV interview with top producer Peter Guber, who owns the team.

The Batman producer threw Clooney a curveball on U.S. cable show Shootout, hurling him a team hat and pitching him the chance to play baseball.

Guber said, "We're ready to sign you up, anytime you're ready." The offer isn't as bizarre as it seems - Clooney was considered a prospect for Ohio's major league team the Cincinnati Reds when he was a teenager.

Apparently, Shootout is a show on AMC. Apparently, there is photographic proof of this gift of a hat.

Sorry, not very flattering. How about this one:

Left handed? Who knew?

That doesn't look like an offcial Dayton Dragon game hat. This does:
I really can't think of a way to end this post.

You've gotta get Big Ten Network NOW!

And I mean right now!

The Big Ten Network will televise 25 regular-season games, including: Michigan State at Michigan, 6:30 p.m. April 18; Michigan State at Penn State (doubleheader), 4 and 7 p.m. May 3; Michigan at Minnesota, 7:30 p.m. May 9; Michigan at Minnesota (doubleheader), 3:30 and 6:30 p.m. May 10; Michigan at Minnesota, 2 p.m. May 11; Northwestern at Michigan at 6:30 p.m. May 15. In addition, BTN will show Michigan State's exhibition against the Lansing Lugnuts, a Single-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, at 6 p.m. April 24.

How can we survive without the Big Ten Network?!?!??!??!!

47 Days to Opening Day

Opening Day 2008 for the Timber Rattlers is April 3. That is 47 days from today. This off-season, the countdown will be based on books. Each day between now and Opening Day 2008, I will pick a random book out of my library and excerpt a passage off the page number corresponding with the number of days remaining to the first pitch of the new season. I will try not to repeat a book during the countdown.

Today’s book is Western Civilizations: Their History and Their Culture Sixth Edition (1963) by Edward McNall Burns. This passage is about Egyptian religion.

Egyptian ideas of the hereafter attained their full development in the later history of the Middle Kingdom. Soon after the beginning of this period the religion had come to include the conception on a ba, or “soul,” in addition to the idea of a ka, or “double.” Both were regarded as surviving the death of the individual. The ba took flight in the form of a bird. The ka wandered off in much the same way that the “other self” might travel to distant places in a dream while the body was locked in sleep. Both the ba and the ka would eventually return and revivify the body if it were still in existence. For this reason elaborate preparations had to be made to prevent the extinction of one’s earthly remains. Not only were bodies mummified but wealthy men left munificent endowments to provide their mummies with food and other essentials. As the religion advanced toward maturity, however, a less naïve conception of the after-life was adopted. The dead were now believed to appear before Osiris to be judged according to their deeds on earth. The process of judgment occupied three stages. In the first, the deceased was required to declare his innocence of forty-two sins, including murder, theft, untruthfulness, greed, adultery, blasphemy, loss of temper, pride, and dishonesty in business transactions. Having thus acquitted himself of this catalogue of vices, the deceased was then obliged to assert his virtues. He must avow that he had satisfied the needs of the gods, that he had given “bread to the hungry, water to the thirsty, clothing to the naked, and a ferry to him who was without a boat.” In the third and final stage the heart of the defendant was weighed in balance against a feather, the symbol of truth, in order to determine the accuracy of his testimony. According to the Egyptian notion, the heart represented the conscience, which would betray the person who had testified falsely.

Put today’s excerpt in a baseball context.

While we are on ex-Rattlers in the Mariner bullpen

Geoff Baker's blog has this post about the first day of camp for the Mariners.

Manager John McLaren said it was good, for a first-day workout, noting that he had to tell several players (mostly veterans) to show a little less adrenaline than they were. McLaren was talking about J.J. Putz, Arthur Rhodes and others he doesn't want to see wear their arms out too early. Rhodes is coming off an injury and Putz, well, he's Putz and no one wants him using his arm up on meaningless practise days.

Canadians crack me up. Spell defence with a 'c'...spell colour with a 'u'...spell practise with an 's'.

Another player on the "tone it down" list was Mark Lowe, who is also coming back from serious arm problems and threw today. I asked Lowe afterwards how he felt this spring compared to his aborted major league comeback attempt last fall and he told me it was a night and day difference. He could barely pick a ball up the day after pitching in last season's second half. The M's would like Lowe to regain his form from two years ago and become a late-inning answer. But it's far too early to tell how that will turn out.

There is also link to audio of a chat Baker had with Eric O'Flaherty. It's worth clicking on the link above to take a look and a listen.

O'Flaherty getting ready

Eric O'Flaherty (WI '04, '05) is at Spring Training and ready to go.

O'Flaherty, 23, had to force himself not to ask Sherrill about the art of working the later innings full time — since it hadn't yet come to that. It's clear the Mariners now consider the 6-foot-2 pitcher from Walla Walla, who is 10 pounds lighter this spring after a rigid offseason running regimen, as Sherrill's heir apparent.

Sorry, I couldn't help myself after that last post.

The Sherrill above is George Sherrill, who is now a member of the Baltimore Orioles. The story is really about O'Flaherty and Sherrill as friends and the competition. Here's a look at the competition. Recognize any names?

O'Flaherty is the front-runner to succeed Sherrill, though the team will also take a close look at Class AAA lefty Cesar Jimenez — who missed the 2007 season with elbow surgery — after he posted strong numbers against left-handed hitters while playing winter ball in Venezuela.

Ryan Rowland-Smith is another consideration, but a longshot, given how the team likes him in longer relief situations.

"We've got some candidates," said McLaren, adding he's more likely to go with two lefties in the bullpen this year than the three employed down the stretch in 2007. "We always like surprises. So, there might be someone surprising us. Last year ... almost a year to this day, Brandon Morrow wasn't even in our talks."

Also, this is in the story as well.

The only other real competition in camp is for backup infield or outfield jobs. McLaren already appeared to rule out Jeff Clement having a shot at the team in spring training, saying he'd have to unseat everyday catcher Kenji Johjima or designated hitter Jose Vidro.

Every Spring Training Story in one post

Jeff at Lookout Landing has an hilarious post titled I Hate Spring Training and he didn't have to write a thing.

Here is just the start. Keep in mind that five of the next six paragraphs are from different stories on different websites about different players on different teams. I've differentiated them by alternating italicized text (look who read his thesaurus this morning):

PHOENIX -- Rich Harden reported ship-shape, 100 percent, raring to go. He says he is prepared to put in the full season his injuries have prevented him from doing the past three years.

Molina arrived at spring training Wednesday, a day before Cardinals pitchers and catchers report. And, in the words of his pitching coach, he "looked great, doesn't he?" The 25-year-old catcher not only sports fresh ink on a four-year contract but also a slimmer, lighter build.

Reliever Ray King arrived in camp in the best shape of his life. He lost 23 pounds and hardly has a gut. King decided to stay away from junk food and sodas and start working out with son. He said instead of going to In-N-Out Burger, King ate salmon instead.

After playing at least 137 games for six straight years, Edmonds has been limited to 117 or fewer in each of the last two seasons because of injury. But Towers believes the 37-year-old Edmonds is capable of returning to form.

"When healthy, this guy is a very productive player," Towers said. "We certainly did our due diligence and talked to people who knew him. He said this is the best shape he's been in his career. He wants to play in 150 to 160 games."

"I've had a lot of time to think," Sanchez said Tuesday. "Last summer, all I could do was watch. I kept thinking, 'That should be me on TV. I have what it takes. Why waste it?' Wasting the year wasn't right. I feel I let everybody down -- my teammates, the manager, the coaches. Now I'm in the best shape of my life. I haven't looked like this since I was 19. Everybody can see it. I feel great. I'm ready to do whatever they want me to do."

There are 16....sorry....SIXTEEN more excerpts in Jeff's post. Hold on a second....Ray King doesn't have a gut anymore? Isn't that like Samson cutting his hair?

Hungry

Oh, it's not just an episode of The X-Files. It's a trend in sports.

Good blog post from The Saginaw News, but maybe the worst headline I've seen in a while.

Some teams are doing well they can they can to draw bigger crowds

Saginaw Spirit fans prefer to watch their Ontario Hockey League team play than eat as much as they can while watching the game.

Those who make their way to Dow Diamond in Midland to catch the Midwest League Great Lakes Loons in action feel the same way.

That's not true of some Kansas City Royals' faithful as well as those at a handful of other major league ballparks.

The newest trend in professional stadiums is reserving sections for fans who want to eat all they can while the games takes place. That luxury comes with a price, of course, with the average single-game ticket costing anywhere from $35 to $65 depending on the venue.

There is some stuff about the teams that have adopted all-you-can-eat sections. Then, there is this about how the Saginaw Spirit, a Major Junior Hockey team in the OHL, won't be doing an all-you-can eat section and this about the Great.Lakes.Loooooooooooooooooooons.

Loons President Paul Barbeau acknowledged he and his staff have looked at the trend at the major league-level, but haven't seriously considered adding such an option at Dow Diamond.

"The one thing you have to look at with major league teams is they have an inventory of different seats they have to move," Barbeau said. "They have to find different ways to move them. In our case, he have only a certain number of seats and they are in demand. We don't have to go our of our way to attract fans.

"We offer a wide range of plans that everyone from the casual fan to die-hard fans can find something that works for them."

Where does the writer of the post lean? Here's how the story wraps up:

The trend isn't surprising in today's bigger-is-better portions at restaurants, and it will only continue to grow as more and more professional teams see the wisdom of putting fannies in seats, no matter how.

But I agree with Goslin and Barbeau that at their level the all-you-can-eat craze just don't work. You need 50,000 or more seats to make it viable and the last time I checked Wendler Arena had just 5,527 and Dow Diamond 5,500 seats.

Besides, what happened to the games being the draw, not the extras?

Hello. Minor League Baseball.

Seriously, though. These sections do work at this level. The Miller High Life Home Run Porch was used as a one of these sections at times during 2007. I remember it being pretty popular.

Other teams in the Midwest League have done all-you-can-eat nights. Beloit has done Hungry Like the Wolf Nights for the whole stadium instead of just one section. The time I was at Pohlman Field for that kind of night, the stadium was jam-packed.

48 Days to Opening Day

Opening Day 2008 for the Timber Rattlers is April 3. That is 48 days from today. This off-season, the countdown will be based on books. Each day between now and Opening Day 2008, I will pick a random book out of my library and excerpt a passage off the page number corresponding with the number of days remaining to the first pitch of the new season. I will try not to repeat a book during the countdown.

Today’s book is Dark Force Rising by Timothy Zahn. This is a Star Wars novel, book two in a trilogy that took place after the end of Return of the Jedi. C-3PO has his dream job in this passage.

Leia’s office was grouped with the other Inner Council suites just off the cross hallway that linked the Grand Corridor with the more intimate Inner Council meeting room. Luke and Winter entered the outer reception area, to find a familiar figure waiting there. “Hello, Threepio,” Luke said.

“Master Luke – how good to see you again,” the gold-skinned droid gushed. “I trust you’re well?”

“I’m fine,” Luke told him. “Artoo said to say hello when I saw you, by the way. They’ve got him over at the spaceport helping with some maintenance on my X-wing, but I’ll be bringing him back later this evening. You can see him then.”

“Thank you, sir.” Threepio tilted his head slightly, as if suddenly remembering that he was supposed to be acting as a receptionist here. “Princess Leia and the others are expecting you,” he said, touching the inner chamber release. “Please go on in.”

“Thank you,” Luke said, nodding gravely. No matter how ridiculous Threepio might look in any given situation, there was always a certain inherent dignity about him, a dignity that Luke usually tried to respond in kind. “Let us know if anyone else comes.”

Put today’s excerpt in a baseball context.

Thursday Motivation (2/14)

A self-made motivator from our friends at despair.com.

Pictures of spring

Geoff Baker has a few photos from the first day of Mariner spring training in this post.

He also has an interview with Felix Hernandez (WI '03) in this post. How did the ex-Rattler respond to the Erik Bedard trade and the fact that the new guy is scheduled to make the Opening Day start.

On losing the No. 1 starter's job: "I was thinking about it," Hernandez said of the days leading up to the Bedard trade. "I was thinking that maybe Bedard was going to be the Opening Day starter. They told me yesterday and I said 'fine'."