I hear that NASA has confirmed that Russell Branyan has become the single greatest threat to satellites in low earth orbit.
Oh, and speaking of NASA, do you think Luke French would be terribly opposed to them building a strike calling robot for him? There were some quite frankly silly calls by Angel Hernandez today, and one of them is probably the difference between a good start and an awful looking no decision:
I know that there were some bad calls benefiting both teams today but could we please please please start evaluating pitchers on their own merits rather than some chimeric conjuration living entirely in the umpire's head? Luke French's line would have looked much better with one less run, one less walk, and one more strikeout .
0 recs | 55 comments
Drayer says that Rob Johnson has a bit of a sore elbow, so Joh is getting a few starts in a row.
msb - August 10, 2009
Sore elbow...
amirite
Snowman1025 - August 11, 2009
One is the lonliest number :(
JamMasterJesus - August 10, 2009
I agree with your conclusion
But doesn’t this picture show that the umpire got it right, at least mostly? Pitch 7 seems to be the disputed pitch, and it’s borderline. Sorry if I’m missing something obvious. I am new here.
johjimagic - August 10, 2009
Pitch 7 is a clear strike and calling it as such would have changed the situation from bases loaded, one out to two on, two out
Graham MacAree - August 10, 2009
Yes, pitch seven was borderline.
kentroyals5 - August 10, 2009
It's a difficult pitch to call but that doesn't stop it being clearly a strike
Graham MacAree - August 10, 2009
Not to mention he called a lower pitch a strike on Gutierrez earlier.
It’s either a strike, or it isn’t, Hernandez. Make up your fucking mind.
The Typical Idiot Fan - August 11, 2009
Brooks has that as being solidly a strike
The chart is 6th inning pitches thrown by French. That pitch is the only one labeled ‘7’.
Malcontent1 - August 10, 2009
Just saw the replay of Branyan's shot
I’m not sure I’ve ever seen somebody hit a homerun that hard before. I mean, he fucking obliterated that pitch. Why use lasers to kill satellites when Branyan could just hit a baseball that would knock the satellite all the way to Jupiter?
tootthekazoo - August 10, 2009 via mobile
I was on the CF landing and off the bat I wasn't sure it'd get out (have enough height/speed) and then it kept going.
He is amazing.
kentroyals5 - August 10, 2009
Click on the highlights from this game.
Mark Teixeira hit the longest home run I have ever seen at Safeco. It is difficult to see where the pitch landed, but it went over and beyond the UW Medical sign.
Wilder. - August 10, 2009
It almost clips the furthest part of the third deck.
Wilder. - August 10, 2009
I really don't understand how we're only 4.5 GB of Boston.
Mariner John - August 10, 2009
Woooo Playoffs!!
Woooo!!
I don’t care if the odds of catching even a single team 4.5 games ahead of us at this point is small…and passing three teams makes it even less likely. I’m enjoying this season one Branidro (a unit of measure equaling the average awesome contained in a Russell Branyan home run divided by the amount of goodness in a season of Jose Vidro playing DH) more than any season since 2003.
The M’s are GOING to pull this thing off somehow. I have no idea how. Perhaps it will involve the entire Boston starting rotation being suspended for buying beer and porn for minors. I DON’T KNOW. But it WILL happen!!
short - August 10, 2009
So a Branidro is worthless?
I am waiting for the day when Griffey brings back ‘Refuse to Lose’ banners and places them in the dugout. The odds are stacked against us, but we can pull off some 1995 magic!
Wilder. - August 10, 2009
I see what you did there.
I was busy doing the math on the Branidro without finishing the sentence.
Wilder. - August 10, 2009
My back-of-a-napkin estimate
1,000,000 / .0000002 = 1 fuckton
short - August 10, 2009
Is that a standard or metric fuckton?
James F'n X - August 11, 2009
I'll do my best to get Josh Beckett to buy me beer.
Even though I’m not a minor, technically. Probably Lester too.
I Lick Squirrels - August 10, 2009
6 game losing streak + Branyan Cock Rockets
= Magic
uw_chris - August 11, 2009
Just to sum up my opinion of umpires this year:
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Jack Moore - August 10, 2009
His name is Angel
He has to take it out on someone.
OceanBird - August 11, 2009
Does he have a wife?
d0nkey - August 11, 2009
No.
He is a dirty homosexual with AIDS in his ass.
I Lick Squirrels - August 11, 2009
Poor Joh. :(
Coach Owens - August 11, 2009
I feel bad.
I don’t see any reason why he couldn’t possibly put up good offensive numbers after a down season last year, and he just got edged out for Johnson.
And while Johnson’s so-called ability to handle pitchers is something I’ve come to terms with as a fan, it’s gotta suck for a player who can’t really know how to become more like Rob. I hope the removal of Wash and Bedard gives him a bit more catching time with the new guys.
Fuckmikereilly - August 11, 2009
That sucks.
This catcher situation has gotten to the point that some fans feel more comfortable seeing Johnson behind the plate. Hyphen said that Joh calls a good game, and Frenchy was pretty sharp tonight before the 6th.
svart aske - August 11, 2009
I always have a bit of a problem with the "calls a good game" argument.
I mean I understand it, but ultimately it’s the pitcher who controls what he’s gonna throw.
SethGrandpa - August 11, 2009
True
But some pitchers are probably more willing to let catchers make the decision for them than others.
svart aske - August 11, 2009
But the gameplan is setled on by everyone plus the manager befor the game
so its just a matter of executing what has already been determined.
Bearskin Rugburn - August 11, 2009
In the recent ESPN there was an article on Yadier Molina.
I found it interesting that they pointed out that Latin American catchers are often much better at calling games because they start so young and learn the nuances of “calling a game” whereas American catchers aren’t usually allowed to call games in high school because of the coaches who are so intent on winning and having control.
I wonder if Johjima got to call games early on in his baseball life.
Kenny Knows Sports - August 11, 2009
I played baseball for a couple years in Japan.
It was middle school so I don’t know how much it shows, but from what I saw the coaches seemed even more controlling than American ones. In short, I doubt it.
I Lick Squirrels - August 11, 2009
What school did you go to in Japan?
Wilder. - August 11, 2009
Some tiny school in some tiny village in Hokkaido.
Nishiokoppe Junior High, but you haven’t heard of it.
I Lick Squirrels - August 11, 2009
Just wondering.
I graduated from ASIJ in Tokyo. Another person on LL teaches at YIS.
Wilder. - August 11, 2009
Play better
Rudy4three - August 11, 2009
I was at Kauffman the other day for a game and
I went to check out Vargas warm up and saw Rob turned to the side and could only see the J-O of his jersey and thought i twas Johjima. I decided I would yell out his name only to have Rob look over at me and incredulously remark “Johjima?” I felt pretty stupid but it was pretty funny. I tried to save face by asking him about how he likes starting all the time and he only grunted.
hcoguy - August 11, 2009
Sounds like a nice guy.......
Rudy4three - August 11, 2009
poor Joh nothin'
if he were a better player he wouldn’t be in that position in the first place.
pdb - August 11, 2009
I think he would anyways.
Wash would continue to complain until he started getting Rob to catch for him every start, the others would see the “success” he’s had “because” of Rob and they would all want him to be their catcher as well.
Coach Owens - August 11, 2009
Is it any wonder the caliber of online commenting elsewhere is crap, when the commentors get their baseball knowledge from minds like this:
Millen: How does a guy [Branyan] go 20 years spraying the ball around, and suddenly start hitting like this?
Mitch: That’s a conversation we have to have off air, if you know what I mean.
msb - August 11, 2009
BLOGS SPREAD RECKLESS INNUENDO
marc w - August 11, 2009
But how does that happen?
Call me dumb, but how did Branyan improve from a part time player to a full time sex god in one season? Did he have good numbers like this in the minors?
Fin - August 11, 2009
Branyan doesn't control his own playing time
He’s had wOBA’s of .365, .359, .360 and .383 as a part-time player. This year it’s .376 as a full-timer. Maybe a bit higher than you’d imagine given how much people thought he’d struggle vs. lefties, but not shockingly so.
His career minor league slash line is around .260/.360/.560, which looks a lot like his line this year of .255/.355/.530.
Branyan’s always been good, but some people hate K’s.
marc w - August 11, 2009
And he's been better than .255/.355/.530 this year
his BABIP the last month and a half has been abysmal
seattlebruin - August 11, 2009
Yeah, and it was amazing in the first year.
His BABIP this year now stands at .305. His career BABIP? .305.
His LD% is 17.5, so that .305 doesn’t strike me as particularly lucky or unlucky – he’s just arrived at it by being incredibly lucky for a while and incredibly unlucky for a while.
marc w - August 11, 2009
Huh, I should really look up stats before I post stuff like this
I just assumed his awful June/July would drag him down
seattlebruin - August 11, 2009
I'd say the thing I was most surprised with was his high batting average for the first two months of the season.
And now even that is where it should be.
I would’ve been more hopeful that he would have more RBI’s if you had told me before the year he would be hitting this many home runs. But that’s neither here nor there.
Kenny Knows Sports - August 11, 2009
RBI are completely out of his control.
Aaron Campeau - August 11, 2009
Yep.
Branyan had something like 8 HR and 15 RBI at the beginning of the season. Not his fault people weren’t getting on base before him.
Wilder. - August 11, 2009
I was thinking about this earlier. I wonder where Branyan ranks in the league in terms of RBIs coming from HRs as a percentage of total RBIs
It seems like a large percentage of the runs he drives in come from his home runs
Dewey N - August 11, 2009
Which shouldn't come as much of a surprise.
Three true outcomes: HR, BB, K
Wilder. - August 11, 2009
Oh, right. Duh.
Dewey N - August 11, 2009
I agree they are out of his control. That's why it's neither here nor there, it just is.
Kenny Knows Sports - August 11, 2009
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