This is also the last date before Opening Day at Heckscher Field in Central Park on April 11th. Come get some hitting in while searching for Easter eggs!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
EASTER SOFTBALL
Yes, SFLOI will be playing this Sunday at Zinsser Park in Hastings @ 10:00AM. As always Havelock will be making pick-ups at 96th Street at 9:15am sharp!
This is also the last date before Opening Day at Heckscher Field in Central Park on April 11th. Come get some hitting in while searching for Easter eggs!
This is also the last date before Opening Day at Heckscher Field in Central Park on April 11th. Come get some hitting in while searching for Easter eggs!
Monday, March 29, 2010
The Records Dep't: How We Got Here
Provided the weather and the pitchers cooperate, I fully expect several more single-season hitting records to join Phil Kotik's 25-HR mark by the wayside in 2010. First-- the possible record breakers: Ian, Alex, Zach, Freddy, Derek, and perhaps Bill McLaughlin, off to a 19-for-33 start in 2010. Second-- the records being threatened: Hits, runs, RBI, doubles. Lastly, how we got here.
Single season hits. Joe Gerber had 139 in 1995. Larry Savell held the record for only one year, when he had 132 hits in 1994. He superseded Phil Kotik, who had 116 hits in 1992. Phil was SFLOI's first 100-hit man, and he took the hit record from Jorge Loarte, who had 84 in 1990. Before that, the record belonged to Gary Alvarez (1989), Bobby Naranjo (1988), John Decker (1986), and the commish, Havelock Hewes (1985). Ian Parfrey (now referring to himself in the 3rd person) came closest to breaking Gerber's mark with 134 hits last season.
Runs scored. Joe Gerber scored 103 runs in 1995. Phil Kotik scored 95 times in 1992, Bobby Naranjo 74 times in 1991, breaking his own records set in 1990 and 1988. Earlier record holders were John Decker (1986) and Havelock (1985). Bill Vernick's 99-run campaign in 1998 was the best attempt since Gerber's record.
RBI. Larry Savell drove in 92 in 1994. This broke Kurt Hettler's 1992 record of 84 RBI, which broke Jeff Miller's 1991 record (59 RBI), which broke Jose Balento's 1990 record (56 RBI). Earlier record holders were Gary Alvarez (1989), Jose Balento (1988), Bill Weinberg (1987 and 1986), and Joe Picciano (1985). Jose Balento almost took back the record when he drove in 88 runs in 1999.
Doubles. Phil Kotik had 34 in 1992. The only other 30-double season was Joe Gerber in 1995. The doubles record had belonged to John Decker (25 in 1986), breaking his own record from 1984. Doubles totals were very high in the early years of SFLOI. Was this due to a ground rule and a short fence?
And-- as a bonus feature, I present the SFLOI record that fell, and the one that's almost unbreakable. Derek Martinez hit 26 home runs in 2009, breaking Kotik's record of 25 (1995), which broke Kurt Hettler's record of 23 (1992), Jeff Miller's 11 (1991), and Jose Balento's 9 (1988). Prior to that, the record belonged to Joe Signore, who crushed 7 home runs in 22 at bats in 1987. Dave Metzger had 6 in 1986, and Joe Picciano hit 3 in 1985. Derek, by the way, broke Kotik's record on the last day of the season, with a line drive down the RF line at Hastings #2, and then he ran the bases backwards.
Lastly, in 2000, Larry Savell had 66 hits in 106 at-bats, for an average of .623. SFLOI played a significantly shorter season, so he was eligible for the batting title. In 1998, Joe Gerber had been 90-for-146 (.616), which broke Bill Weinberg's .605 mark, set in 1983. In 2006, Phil Ciccone was 64-for-106 (.604), and this has been the strongest challenge to Savell's record. Notice that all of these seasons are small samples. None of the .600 hitters batted 150 times. The highest batting average ever in 200+ at-bats is .565, by Carl Weinberg. I don't expect anyone will ever break Larry's record. Even Alex Rivera.
Single season hits. Joe Gerber had 139 in 1995. Larry Savell held the record for only one year, when he had 132 hits in 1994. He superseded Phil Kotik, who had 116 hits in 1992. Phil was SFLOI's first 100-hit man, and he took the hit record from Jorge Loarte, who had 84 in 1990. Before that, the record belonged to Gary Alvarez (1989), Bobby Naranjo (1988), John Decker (1986), and the commish, Havelock Hewes (1985). Ian Parfrey (now referring to himself in the 3rd person) came closest to breaking Gerber's mark with 134 hits last season.
Runs scored. Joe Gerber scored 103 runs in 1995. Phil Kotik scored 95 times in 1992, Bobby Naranjo 74 times in 1991, breaking his own records set in 1990 and 1988. Earlier record holders were John Decker (1986) and Havelock (1985). Bill Vernick's 99-run campaign in 1998 was the best attempt since Gerber's record.
RBI. Larry Savell drove in 92 in 1994. This broke Kurt Hettler's 1992 record of 84 RBI, which broke Jeff Miller's 1991 record (59 RBI), which broke Jose Balento's 1990 record (56 RBI). Earlier record holders were Gary Alvarez (1989), Jose Balento (1988), Bill Weinberg (1987 and 1986), and Joe Picciano (1985). Jose Balento almost took back the record when he drove in 88 runs in 1999.
Doubles. Phil Kotik had 34 in 1992. The only other 30-double season was Joe Gerber in 1995. The doubles record had belonged to John Decker (25 in 1986), breaking his own record from 1984. Doubles totals were very high in the early years of SFLOI. Was this due to a ground rule and a short fence?
And-- as a bonus feature, I present the SFLOI record that fell, and the one that's almost unbreakable. Derek Martinez hit 26 home runs in 2009, breaking Kotik's record of 25 (1995), which broke Kurt Hettler's record of 23 (1992), Jeff Miller's 11 (1991), and Jose Balento's 9 (1988). Prior to that, the record belonged to Joe Signore, who crushed 7 home runs in 22 at bats in 1987. Dave Metzger had 6 in 1986, and Joe Picciano hit 3 in 1985. Derek, by the way, broke Kotik's record on the last day of the season, with a line drive down the RF line at Hastings #2, and then he ran the bases backwards.
Lastly, in 2000, Larry Savell had 66 hits in 106 at-bats, for an average of .623. SFLOI played a significantly shorter season, so he was eligible for the batting title. In 1998, Joe Gerber had been 90-for-146 (.616), which broke Bill Weinberg's .605 mark, set in 1983. In 2006, Phil Ciccone was 64-for-106 (.604), and this has been the strongest challenge to Savell's record. Notice that all of these seasons are small samples. None of the .600 hitters batted 150 times. The highest batting average ever in 200+ at-bats is .565, by Carl Weinberg. I don't expect anyone will ever break Larry's record. Even Alex Rivera.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
THIS WEEK IN SFLOI
1. As some of you already know, veteran pitcher Dave Rosengard had a heart attack last week. He is doing well, and is expected to be home by midweek. Wishing you a speedy recovery, Dave!
2. Dues are $30 for the season and can be paid to Secretary of the Treasury Gil Schmerler.
3. The Easter weekend will be our last in Westchester. We may play Saturday, we may play Sunday. Zinsser Park is the probable location.
4. Recaps of Sunday 3/28:
Game 1-- Hewes 12, Martinez 5
Havelock had another good outing, backed by Zach Nilva's 3-for-3, 4-RBI game. Zach's 3-run triple broke a 3-3 tie, and Hewes's team never looked back.
Game 2-- Parfrey 24, O'Connor 16
Both teams scored 7 times in the 1st inning of this slugfest. Parfrey's team scored 5 times in the 5th and blew it open with 8 more in the 7th. The big play of this game was Carl Weinberg singling into a double play in the 6th inning. O'Connor's team was threatening, with first and second and none out. Carl lined a single up the middle, and Mike Sulyman got hung up between second and third. He slid back into second, and appeared to be out, though as later events would prove, he had been called safe. Nate Sillman broke for the plate and was thrown out. Carl advanced to second on the throw, and now there were two runners on second! Carl was tagged out returning to first. Derek Martinez led O'Connor's team, going 3-for-4 with 3 RBI, and the winners were paced by Freddy Melendez's 4-for-4, 6-RBI performance, Robert Rodriguez Sr's homer and 6 RBI, and Parfrey's 3 hits and 4 RBI.
2. Dues are $30 for the season and can be paid to Secretary of the Treasury Gil Schmerler.
3. The Easter weekend will be our last in Westchester. We may play Saturday, we may play Sunday. Zinsser Park is the probable location.
4. Recaps of Sunday 3/28:
Game 1-- Hewes 12, Martinez 5
Havelock had another good outing, backed by Zach Nilva's 3-for-3, 4-RBI game. Zach's 3-run triple broke a 3-3 tie, and Hewes's team never looked back.
Game 2-- Parfrey 24, O'Connor 16
Both teams scored 7 times in the 1st inning of this slugfest. Parfrey's team scored 5 times in the 5th and blew it open with 8 more in the 7th. The big play of this game was Carl Weinberg singling into a double play in the 6th inning. O'Connor's team was threatening, with first and second and none out. Carl lined a single up the middle, and Mike Sulyman got hung up between second and third. He slid back into second, and appeared to be out, though as later events would prove, he had been called safe. Nate Sillman broke for the plate and was thrown out. Carl advanced to second on the throw, and now there were two runners on second! Carl was tagged out returning to first. Derek Martinez led O'Connor's team, going 3-for-4 with 3 RBI, and the winners were paced by Freddy Melendez's 4-for-4, 6-RBI performance, Robert Rodriguez Sr's homer and 6 RBI, and Parfrey's 3 hits and 4 RBI.
Monday, March 22, 2010
RECAPS OF SUNDAY's GAMES
With unseasonably warm and beautiful weather, Zinsser Park in Hastings was packed to the gills with softballers. We had a near-record 27 players in Game 2.
Game 1
O'Connor 21, Rosengard 18
Jim's team built a quick 16-5 lead and then had to sweat it out, as the Rosengarders stormed back with a 9-run 5th inning to close within 17-16 before Alex Rivera (3-for-3, 3 RBI) tripled to key a 4-run rally that proved to be decisive. Ken Walker also drove in three runs for the winning side. Ian Parfrey had a home run and 5 RBI for the losing team. Freddy Melendez added a home run, Joe Geller drove in 3 runs, and Sal Cipriano was 3-for-4 with 2 RBI.
Game 2
Hewes 11, Melendez 5
Havelock was sharp in his first outing since the Massacre at Riverdale, scattering 11 hits and allowing very little after a 3-run first inning. Freddy matched him until a 6th inning defensive collapse led to 7 runs scoring. The winning team was led by Rich Rowlands and Alex Rivera (2-for-3, 2 doubles each). Parfrey was 3-for-3 with an RBI and a boneheaded baserunning mistake for the losers.
Game 1
O'Connor 21, Rosengard 18
Jim's team built a quick 16-5 lead and then had to sweat it out, as the Rosengarders stormed back with a 9-run 5th inning to close within 17-16 before Alex Rivera (3-for-3, 3 RBI) tripled to key a 4-run rally that proved to be decisive. Ken Walker also drove in three runs for the winning side. Ian Parfrey had a home run and 5 RBI for the losing team. Freddy Melendez added a home run, Joe Geller drove in 3 runs, and Sal Cipriano was 3-for-4 with 2 RBI.
Game 2
Hewes 11, Melendez 5
Havelock was sharp in his first outing since the Massacre at Riverdale, scattering 11 hits and allowing very little after a 3-run first inning. Freddy matched him until a 6th inning defensive collapse led to 7 runs scoring. The winning team was led by Rich Rowlands and Alex Rivera (2-for-3, 2 doubles each). Parfrey was 3-for-3 with an RBI and a boneheaded baserunning mistake for the losers.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
COHEN'S CONCOCTIONS #6
POSTERITY SCORNS ITS FAME-SMITTEN SUITOR
So the long-retired ballplayer dies. His egocentric ghost tries to grab posthumous fame-mongering admiration from the current generation of fans and players. Well, good luck to that enterprising ghost, who hires a live-wire publicity agent, who sends long-ago statistical reminders to all the media outlets: which fails to make an impression enough to get printed notices, because when alive the ghost client's major-league career topped off at mediocre. No fielding award, no hitting award, no post-season appearance, add up to forgettableness, especially given the current generation's attention-span disorder, creating the phenomenon known as oblivion. The ghost's egocentricity is grandiosely way out of its depth in trying to rouse remembrance of long-ago non-heroics. None of his contemporaries is alive to contribute any remembering, so historical archives would have to be pointed out, which gathers total indifference among callous posterity. For that old ballplayer to try to fame-hype a career via his wealthy ghost's hiring a "look-down-the-ages" agent, just doesn't seem to work. Death is ignoble enough, but to add a deficiency of fame glory to the dirty dust of coffined skeletal decay is what you'd call "piling on," unanswerable by death's smothered passivity. So the ghost flees, and nothing's left, except the hired agent who takes his commissioned fee, unmerrily, to the bank.
Marvin Cohen is the author of several books including Baseball The Beautiful (1974) and a former creative writing teacher at the New School. Marvin plays first base for Softball For The Love Of It.
So the long-retired ballplayer dies. His egocentric ghost tries to grab posthumous fame-mongering admiration from the current generation of fans and players. Well, good luck to that enterprising ghost, who hires a live-wire publicity agent, who sends long-ago statistical reminders to all the media outlets: which fails to make an impression enough to get printed notices, because when alive the ghost client's major-league career topped off at mediocre. No fielding award, no hitting award, no post-season appearance, add up to forgettableness, especially given the current generation's attention-span disorder, creating the phenomenon known as oblivion. The ghost's egocentricity is grandiosely way out of its depth in trying to rouse remembrance of long-ago non-heroics. None of his contemporaries is alive to contribute any remembering, so historical archives would have to be pointed out, which gathers total indifference among callous posterity. For that old ballplayer to try to fame-hype a career via his wealthy ghost's hiring a "look-down-the-ages" agent, just doesn't seem to work. Death is ignoble enough, but to add a deficiency of fame glory to the dirty dust of coffined skeletal decay is what you'd call "piling on," unanswerable by death's smothered passivity. So the ghost flees, and nothing's left, except the hired agent who takes his commissioned fee, unmerrily, to the bank.
Marvin Cohen is the author of several books including Baseball The Beautiful (1974) and a former creative writing teacher at the New School. Marvin plays first base for Softball For The Love Of It.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Parfrey and Martinez Declared Co-MVP's
Dear Players,
Assigned the task of recasting his ballot using the criteria of performance, Seung Lee voted as follows...Ian Parfrey (3 pts), Derek Martinez (2 pts) and Alex Rivera (1 pt). The final point count is 42 points for Parfrey and 42 points for Martinez. Also, Seung changed his gold glove vote at shortstop to Sommers, giving David the Gold Glove at shortstop. Parfrey and Martinez are co-MVP's for 2009.
In my last missive I gave alcohol and excessive attention to child-rearing as possible reasons for Seung's error in judgment. I was not basing this on any observation of such behavior. I was merely giving Seung possible excuses (alcohol was served and Mycroft was there). Seung was not drinking at the party.
See you on the ballfield! -Havelock
Assigned the task of recasting his ballot using the criteria of performance, Seung Lee voted as follows...Ian Parfrey (3 pts), Derek Martinez (2 pts) and Alex Rivera (1 pt). The final point count is 42 points for Parfrey and 42 points for Martinez. Also, Seung changed his gold glove vote at shortstop to Sommers, giving David the Gold Glove at shortstop. Parfrey and Martinez are co-MVP's for 2009.
In my last missive I gave alcohol and excessive attention to child-rearing as possible reasons for Seung's error in judgment. I was not basing this on any observation of such behavior. I was merely giving Seung possible excuses (alcohol was served and Mycroft was there). Seung was not drinking at the party.
See you on the ballfield! -Havelock
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Sancho Panza. . .
I wanted some time to flesh out my explanations for my adjusted ballot (the results of which should not come as a surprise to anyone), but as was pointed out to me, dragging this thing out hurts the league.
As I stated before in one response or another, while I may not always understand Havelock's decisions, I respect him as commissioner of the league.
Therefore, here is my REVOTE:
Gold Glove SS: Dave Sommers (Respect and sympathy for Phil aside). Dave truly deserves the Gold Glove this year.
MVP:
1: Ian Parfrey
2: Derek Martinez
3: Alex Rivera
RATIONALE: Alex's hitting, fielding and running (he's faster than me, by alot, no question) is nothing short of sick. But he's up against two really really good pitchers. So it's a two horse race.
Derek had a great season. He led the league in Slg (higher than Brian Hernandez!), rbis and slg. He struck out more guys than Ian. He had the most extra base hits. He tied (with Ian) for the league lead in runs. I'm forgetting something aren't I? Something about HRs (Even though the HRs were Dobbs Ferry aided). Bah, I guess it isn't that important :).
Few would complain if Derek won the MVP. In fact, if the award were based *entirely* on statistics, especially hitting statistics perhaps I should vote for Derek.
Ian's stats are nothing to sneeze at, though. Most hits. Most triples. Better OBP (though slightly lower average) than Derek. He was also (statistically and I would say observably) the better pitcher this year. Most pitching wins. Best winning percentage (for pitching). Lowest WHIP.
And he finished 2nd in too many (hitting) categories to list, though I will mention that he was tied for 2nd for the pennant. That's important later.
But the MVP is awarded for performance not purely statistics. So what separates a great hitting year And if his season was a performance, I say he put on a pretty good show. He got more ABs and played more games than anyone last year. More than Havelock. That was partly because he was helping to organize the games (Weather, location, getting enough players). He also does all the peripheral stuff that makes the game go: managing the lineup, defensive substitutions, umping etc. he must be good at it, too, because he wins some games that look absolutely ridiculously lopsided the other way.
Heck, he even keeps the ridiculous amount of statistics that we ask him to track. AND he comes up with more things for the numbers minded people (like me) to think about. Before you call shenanigans on that, know that when there is no clear 2nd or 3rd place player, I've voted for Gil and Havelock in other years. While they are not statistically superior, they are immensely 'valuable.' And at least I'm consistent.
COMMENTS: Would it have helped if I had stated that while I did vote for people I liked, I don't get ridiculous with it? That I was exaggerating a bit because I enjoyed writing it? Because I don't vote for people who clearly have no business getting the award (I never would nominate myself for MVP for instance). Other than the names I have mentioned, the only other people I can remember ever voting for MVP are Phil, Carl and Zach. And if my opinions about showing up and contributions outside the white line are off, it's because I had no business winning the ROY in 2004, from a statistical perspective. Paul Grabowski. . . had to look up the name to remember. . . who was also a great guy, had a FAR better season hitting and fielding.
Besides, in a democratic process, weird stuff happens. Deserving people lose. Bush gets elected. Twice.
I could make some comment about how this league is supposed to be about love of the game, or about the ballot, but honestly, you're all intelligent people, you've probably heard what I would say before and I don't care that much about looking smart or being right. (Oh wait there is something: I was NOT drunk at the meeting. Drinking while watching your child is completely irresponsible and I was upset at Havelock for suggesting it). Or looking smart :). I just try to say what I think and have a good time. I will say THIS incident further proves that I have no business having a Facebook or Twitter account.
Let's just call it a day, and play some softball, soon.
Hope everyone (especially Havelock, Ian and Derek) have a wonderful weekend.
As I stated before in one response or another, while I may not always understand Havelock's decisions, I respect him as commissioner of the league.
Therefore, here is my REVOTE:
Gold Glove SS: Dave Sommers (Respect and sympathy for Phil aside). Dave truly deserves the Gold Glove this year.
MVP:
1: Ian Parfrey
2: Derek Martinez
3: Alex Rivera
RATIONALE: Alex's hitting, fielding and running (he's faster than me, by alot, no question) is nothing short of sick. But he's up against two really really good pitchers. So it's a two horse race.
Derek had a great season. He led the league in Slg (higher than Brian Hernandez!), rbis and slg. He struck out more guys than Ian. He had the most extra base hits. He tied (with Ian) for the league lead in runs. I'm forgetting something aren't I? Something about HRs (Even though the HRs were Dobbs Ferry aided). Bah, I guess it isn't that important :).
Few would complain if Derek won the MVP. In fact, if the award were based *entirely* on statistics, especially hitting statistics perhaps I should vote for Derek.
Ian's stats are nothing to sneeze at, though. Most hits. Most triples. Better OBP (though slightly lower average) than Derek. He was also (statistically and I would say observably) the better pitcher this year. Most pitching wins. Best winning percentage (for pitching). Lowest WHIP.
And he finished 2nd in too many (hitting) categories to list, though I will mention that he was tied for 2nd for the pennant. That's important later.
But the MVP is awarded for performance not purely statistics. So what separates a great hitting year And if his season was a performance, I say he put on a pretty good show. He got more ABs and played more games than anyone last year. More than Havelock. That was partly because he was helping to organize the games (Weather, location, getting enough players). He also does all the peripheral stuff that makes the game go: managing the lineup, defensive substitutions, umping etc. he must be good at it, too, because he wins some games that look absolutely ridiculously lopsided the other way.
Heck, he even keeps the ridiculous amount of statistics that we ask him to track. AND he comes up with more things for the numbers minded people (like me) to think about. Before you call shenanigans on that, know that when there is no clear 2nd or 3rd place player, I've voted for Gil and Havelock in other years. While they are not statistically superior, they are immensely 'valuable.' And at least I'm consistent.
COMMENTS: Would it have helped if I had stated that while I did vote for people I liked, I don't get ridiculous with it? That I was exaggerating a bit because I enjoyed writing it? Because I don't vote for people who clearly have no business getting the award (I never would nominate myself for MVP for instance). Other than the names I have mentioned, the only other people I can remember ever voting for MVP are Phil, Carl and Zach. And if my opinions about showing up and contributions outside the white line are off, it's because I had no business winning the ROY in 2004, from a statistical perspective. Paul Grabowski. . . had to look up the name to remember. . . who was also a great guy, had a FAR better season hitting and fielding.
Besides, in a democratic process, weird stuff happens. Deserving people lose. Bush gets elected. Twice.
I could make some comment about how this league is supposed to be about love of the game, or about the ballot, but honestly, you're all intelligent people, you've probably heard what I would say before and I don't care that much about looking smart or being right. (Oh wait there is something: I was NOT drunk at the meeting. Drinking while watching your child is completely irresponsible and I was upset at Havelock for suggesting it). Or looking smart :). I just try to say what I think and have a good time. I will say THIS incident further proves that I have no business having a Facebook or Twitter account.
Let's just call it a day, and play some softball, soon.
Hope everyone (especially Havelock, Ian and Derek) have a wonderful weekend.
HAV, WHY DON'T YOU JUST DECLARE A TIE?
Rather than censures and revotes and public invoking of commissioner fiat, give the 2009 Weinberg award to the composite player, Derian Parfrinez, who set basically every SFLOI record ever by batting .488 with 33 home runs and 172 RBI and 196 runs scored, while also going 32-13 on the mound.
Seung, don't be so damn candid on the internet anymore.
Problem solved.
Seung, don't be so damn candid on the internet anymore.
Problem solved.
MVP VOTE INVALIDATED BY HAVELOCK
Dear Players, On Sunday, I assumed that our deliberations on awards were over and the new winners crowned. To my surprise, in a blog on our official website (www.sfloi.com) Seung Lee declared that he had voted for the players he liked best. When given an opportunity to explain himself, Seung reiterated that this was true. As Commissioner, I have no choice but to censure Seung for doing this. I understand that he may have had some blood alcohol content at the time and that he had the added burden of taking care of his son, Mycroft, which may have distracted him. Still, voting for the players one likes is not acceptable. In addition to a league censure, I thought, initially, of not counting Seung's vote. However, as I thought about it, I realized that Seung's admission that he voted for players he liked best is the sign of principal, truthfulness and, perhaps, integrity. Instead, I have asked him to vote again, based only on the performance of the players. I have given Seung until 6 pm on Friday to send me a revised ballot based only on performance. If I receive a revised ballot by 6pm I will retally the vote and announce the winner. If I do not recieve a revised ballot I will declare Seung's vote invalid and Derek Martinez will be announced as our 2009 Weinberg Award winner. I ask that there be no politicking with Seung by others in the league. -Havelock Hewes, Commissioner
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Pennant Fever
Some of us have been giving some thought to the idea of a "team" pennant. Taking the 32 active players from the SFLOI trading cards, I ranked players on fielding, hitting and base running. Once ranked, eight "core four teams" were created by using the formula as below. Every other team was assigned to the same league and this is how the 2009 SFLOI Pennant would look.
Team assignment formula based on my subjective/semi-objective ranking:
32,1,16,17
31,2,15,18
30,3,14,19
29,4,13,20
28,5,12,21
27,6,11,22
26,7,10,23
25,8,9,24
Top two teams in each league could combine then "draft" four more players from their own league to form the two 12-man squad to face off in the World Series.
COHEN'S CONCOCTIONS #5
HARD TO WRITE ABOUT SUCH INFLEXIBLE SOFTNESS. A SUSPENDED STORY, UNRESOLVED
A ballplayer's impotence was to be kept secret, off the record. All the sports writers were in the know, but their sportsmanship of fair play kept their computers silent on this embarrassing subject. The ballplayer was well liked and respected. No journalist would break this benevolent conspiracy of silence about the ballplayer's chronic curse: the inability to get it up, not just keep it up, despite women's frantic but silkily sexy maneuvers to remedy his stubborn condition. Even women who were sex therapists tried their hand, but still, the ballplayer's shrunken bat never attained the requisite size to hit a line drive.
Medical science was put to the test--or testicle. Nothing worked. The ballplayer was a good fielder, a good hitter, a valuable member of a competing team. But gossip columns were silent about this eligible bachelor's non-linkage with the prominent or not name of any girlfriend.
An aspiring young sportswriter was about to be fired for writing not only dull but uninteresting articles covering the local team that the impotent ballplayer happened to be on. This desperate sportswriter's only chance of saving his job was to betray the unlucky ballplayer's sacred secret, thus breaking the code of silence that his colleague journalists had loyally held to. All the other journalists would jump in once the iron curtain was broken, like a snapped condom that allows sperm to rush through unhesitatingly, in a merry stampede that tramples the holding-back philosophy in riotous frenzy to give the sweet id something to pin a celebration on.
The ballplayer's shame would become common knowledge not just to the baseball community but to the vulgar celebrity world beyond, giving the public a new victim to play with while dangling merciful compassion before the bloodshot squints of his eyes.
The young sportswriter about to be fired would suffer contempt for breaking rank with his colleagues, but not ostracized from the hard-won journalistic profession. He and his wife were poor and expecting twins. Losing his job would be a sheer drop into poverty, as well as ambition assassination. His editor had dangled temptation that had irresistibility prominently embossed on it.
This story's writer ran out of potency to forge an ending. His typing fingers are all mushy soft, in low-pressured droop. He couldn't keep it up. But unlike the ballplayer, at least he was able stiffly to start what failed to be sustained to a spell-binding orgiastic length that keeps children hammered out with the bat to counter the spin the world puts on every wickedly pitched ball from its bag of mixed tricks. That's how the spinning world turns, challenging men's bats to keep it afloat with children batted out hard in collision with battered wombs.
Marvin Cohen is the author of several books including Baseball The Beautiful (1974) and a former creative writing teacher at the New School. Marvin plays first base for Softball For The Love Of It.
A ballplayer's impotence was to be kept secret, off the record. All the sports writers were in the know, but their sportsmanship of fair play kept their computers silent on this embarrassing subject. The ballplayer was well liked and respected. No journalist would break this benevolent conspiracy of silence about the ballplayer's chronic curse: the inability to get it up, not just keep it up, despite women's frantic but silkily sexy maneuvers to remedy his stubborn condition. Even women who were sex therapists tried their hand, but still, the ballplayer's shrunken bat never attained the requisite size to hit a line drive.
Medical science was put to the test--or testicle. Nothing worked. The ballplayer was a good fielder, a good hitter, a valuable member of a competing team. But gossip columns were silent about this eligible bachelor's non-linkage with the prominent or not name of any girlfriend.
An aspiring young sportswriter was about to be fired for writing not only dull but uninteresting articles covering the local team that the impotent ballplayer happened to be on. This desperate sportswriter's only chance of saving his job was to betray the unlucky ballplayer's sacred secret, thus breaking the code of silence that his colleague journalists had loyally held to. All the other journalists would jump in once the iron curtain was broken, like a snapped condom that allows sperm to rush through unhesitatingly, in a merry stampede that tramples the holding-back philosophy in riotous frenzy to give the sweet id something to pin a celebration on.
The ballplayer's shame would become common knowledge not just to the baseball community but to the vulgar celebrity world beyond, giving the public a new victim to play with while dangling merciful compassion before the bloodshot squints of his eyes.
The young sportswriter about to be fired would suffer contempt for breaking rank with his colleagues, but not ostracized from the hard-won journalistic profession. He and his wife were poor and expecting twins. Losing his job would be a sheer drop into poverty, as well as ambition assassination. His editor had dangled temptation that had irresistibility prominently embossed on it.
This story's writer ran out of potency to forge an ending. His typing fingers are all mushy soft, in low-pressured droop. He couldn't keep it up. But unlike the ballplayer, at least he was able stiffly to start what failed to be sustained to a spell-binding orgiastic length that keeps children hammered out with the bat to counter the spin the world puts on every wickedly pitched ball from its bag of mixed tricks. That's how the spinning world turns, challenging men's bats to keep it afloat with children batted out hard in collision with battered wombs.
Marvin Cohen is the author of several books including Baseball The Beautiful (1974) and a former creative writing teacher at the New School. Marvin plays first base for Softball For The Love Of It.
In Response...
Seung, seemingly unwittingly (but really quite wittingly), is hoisted on his own petard when he says he voted for people he liked the most. The end result of his listing Ian first, Alex second and Derek third was to change the final tally to make Ian the winner, not Derek. Had Seung not voted at all, the MVP vote would have ended in a tie. In listing only the three candidates this year, I wanted to minimize the effect of popularity and/or rigging such as this. The template for the problem of allowing votes for anyone in the top three is the famous Ted Williams/Mickey Mantle showdown in the fifties. Williams and Mantle were listed 1-2 (more first place votes for Williams) on almost all the ballots. However, one Boston writer, ticked-off by Williams lack of charm, left the splendid splinter entirely off his top-ten ballot. Mantle won. While I voted for Ian first and Derek second, I would not have minded if the vote had been tied. By requiring that everyone include the three players on their ballot we at least had a result (42 points for Ian and 41 points for Derek) that reflected how brilliantly both played. In most years, either one player is an obvious enough choice or there are an array of candidates, so leaving the vote open to choosing any player makes sense.
Maybe I should have been more politic in explaining why rightfield got its own category. If I'd described "the cutting spin on the ball hit to right which can only be measured by the astute and experienced rightfielder"...rather than saying "the worst outfielders" I might have made people feel better. Just as I could wax poetic about pivoting on the double play over "if you're not as good as the shortstops you play secondbase." The more I think about this, the more I think someone else, a kinder, more concerned, better bullshitter should be running the awards part of the meeting.
I am sorry I didn't mention that Bob Holzwasser won the pennant. I believe this is the single most important number, because I attempt to give every player an even chance to win each game. With every game that a player excels he is punished by me by making the team around him worse. Also, this year, the pennant was dramatically decided on the final day when Bob stayed home and both Alex Rivera and Ian Parfrey lost two games.
Also, I agree that either Ian or Derek should have won the Havelock. I did not vote for myself. My finishing second makes me think I should have only listed Derek and Ian on the ballot.
The Marvin Cohen Award is for "Sportsmanship." To paraphrase Don, the award should go to someone who shows up every week and enjoys and appreciates playing the game. We already have "The Naranjo Award" for service to the league. Bobby Naranjo played with us for many years and was the first to arrive and last to leave. He rescued hundreds of forgotten bats, balls, gloves, shirts and caps. If anyone needed a lift, Naranjo would give you one, even if it was a state or two out of his way. The Naranjo Award was designed to be voted on only by those who had won the award. It was not given every year and has not been awarded in several years. Next year the previous winners - Bobby Naranjo, Tony Connor, Havelock Hewes, Joe Gerber, Larry Savell and Gil Schmerler - will vote on the next winner.
I voted against the World Series, which was, in its first carnation, my idea. One of the reasons for it was to create interest in October when we were losing players to geography (moving to Westchester) and touch football. Ian's proposal to play it in August or September, I thought, might create too much interest and we would have 40 players at games. Also, I foresaw some of the problems I dealt with repeating themselves. When one team doesn't have Phil Ciccone and Derek Martinez because they mysteriously take up fishing the game becomes a travesty. I built in a system of filling in that guaranteed a competitive series, if not always close games. If we come back to the league with a proposal which addresses these problems I think we could revive the World Series.
There were several issues which I did not get a chance to bring up because people were walking out. Perhaps, we should open some on-line discussions and have some cyber-votes as the season goes on.
Maybe I should have been more politic in explaining why rightfield got its own category. If I'd described "the cutting spin on the ball hit to right which can only be measured by the astute and experienced rightfielder"...rather than saying "the worst outfielders" I might have made people feel better. Just as I could wax poetic about pivoting on the double play over "if you're not as good as the shortstops you play secondbase." The more I think about this, the more I think someone else, a kinder, more concerned, better bullshitter should be running the awards part of the meeting.
I am sorry I didn't mention that Bob Holzwasser won the pennant. I believe this is the single most important number, because I attempt to give every player an even chance to win each game. With every game that a player excels he is punished by me by making the team around him worse. Also, this year, the pennant was dramatically decided on the final day when Bob stayed home and both Alex Rivera and Ian Parfrey lost two games.
Also, I agree that either Ian or Derek should have won the Havelock. I did not vote for myself. My finishing second makes me think I should have only listed Derek and Ian on the ballot.
The Marvin Cohen Award is for "Sportsmanship." To paraphrase Don, the award should go to someone who shows up every week and enjoys and appreciates playing the game. We already have "The Naranjo Award" for service to the league. Bobby Naranjo played with us for many years and was the first to arrive and last to leave. He rescued hundreds of forgotten bats, balls, gloves, shirts and caps. If anyone needed a lift, Naranjo would give you one, even if it was a state or two out of his way. The Naranjo Award was designed to be voted on only by those who had won the award. It was not given every year and has not been awarded in several years. Next year the previous winners - Bobby Naranjo, Tony Connor, Havelock Hewes, Joe Gerber, Larry Savell and Gil Schmerler - will vote on the next winner.
I voted against the World Series, which was, in its first carnation, my idea. One of the reasons for it was to create interest in October when we were losing players to geography (moving to Westchester) and touch football. Ian's proposal to play it in August or September, I thought, might create too much interest and we would have 40 players at games. Also, I foresaw some of the problems I dealt with repeating themselves. When one team doesn't have Phil Ciccone and Derek Martinez because they mysteriously take up fishing the game becomes a travesty. I built in a system of filling in that guaranteed a competitive series, if not always close games. If we come back to the league with a proposal which addresses these problems I think we could revive the World Series.
There were several issues which I did not get a chance to bring up because people were walking out. Perhaps, we should open some on-line discussions and have some cyber-votes as the season goes on.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Winter Meeting Crime Scene
Ian, Sal & Seung,
Don did file a report of the theft of a gold glove to the NYPD. The cops said it was unlikely he would ever see it again.
P.S. A search of the home of Havelock Hewes only turned up a badly mangled "half" gold glove that could not be identified. The only markings were:
Da
Som
BeSBALL TALK ATTENDS THE WINTER MEETINGS
Welcome to BeSBALL Talk's total coverage of yesterday's SFLOI Winter meetings. BT is comprised of SFLOI's Sal Cipriano, Ian Parfrey, and Seung Lee.
Ian-First, the ballots were mighty strange this year. Like Havelock was trying to steal an election.
Sal-Weird is a definitely where Mr. Hewes started, but not uninteresting; as is always the case with our Commish.
Seung-I was distracted during the meeting so I remember thinking: Screw it, I'll vote for people I like. I remember voting for Ian 3 or 4 times, Sal 3 times and Alex for MVP 2nd. It ended up affecting a couple of close races.
Ian-I think Derek Martinez won the Gold Glove for pitcher. I'm all right with that, I don't think there's an obvious choice. The pitcher has to make some unusual throws sometimes, and I don't think there's anyone among us who hasn't thrown a potential 1-6-3 DP into centerfield. Also, the voters are saying, sorry about shafting you on everything else, Derek.
Sal-Well it was definitely you or him. No one else has the snap reflexes of you two. I voted for you on this one, but I can't recall a winner as well!
Seung-I voted for Ian, but oh, whatever. It's a decent token gesture by the league. Derek had a very good season, and it would have been a bit much if he ended the season with NONE of the awards.
Ian-Seung Lee is the Gold Glove catcher. This is a near-unanimous selection and Seung deserves it, whether he agrees or not. He backs up first base. Half of our other catchers have the pitcher cover the plate.
Sal-I just won a Gold Glove for catch at DC. If my knees weren't already shot, I'd be down for giving Mr. Lee a run for his money. His backing up of first base is top-notch, though, so he'd have me on that every day. ;)
Ian-Fred Melendez is the 1B Gold Glove. I agree with this. You could make a case for Ian Lebowitz, but Hav decided to list him at third. Most of the other good first basemen were also listed elsewhere--Bill Vernick and Gil Schmerler for example.
Sal-I voted Fred as well, who is pretty good at both corners. Bill Vernick would have been my choice, though, had he been listed. Screwed!
Seung-Where's Bill? I woulda voted for Bill. Oh well, Freddie's good. I'll vote for Freddie.
Ian-Ben Indek wins at 2B. Since Jeff chased away Sue Kostner, this was not a surprise. Ben probably should have won last year--he's a good fielder and we don't really have too many other regulars at 2B. In fact, most of our positions don't have regular tenants.
Sal-Ben is a consummate pro here. I was shocked that I was even nominated, as I played mostly Right.
Ian-Bob Holzwasser wins at 3B. Bob had a really good year with the glove, and split time between third and short, where he wouldn't have won. The rest of the 3B field cleared the way--Ian Lebowitz and Gil limited because of injuries, me pitching (and not really fielding all that well when I did play there)
Sal-Was Bob nominated for 2B? I forget, because in my head he's one of the best there, and while overall he's pretty good at all of these infield positions, third is probably the least of the three. I voted Ian Lebowitz here because I feel the guy is solid despite his injuries. He's got a magnet in that glove.
Ian-Now, here comes some controversy. How do Dave Sommers and Phil Ciccone tie for a shortstop Gold Glove? Sommers played B+ defense for 36 games, Ciccone played A defense for 15 games. I don't think you should have a Gold Glove for playing 15 games. Phil is our most talented shortstop, but he wasn't around much this year, and won half a Gold Glove on reputation.
Sal-Dave all the way here because of the reasons you mentioned. I think I would have you ahead of Phil as well just on time and quality of play.
Seung-Didn't Ian and I talk about this at some point? Several times? Oh, I don't remember. Whatever, I'll vote for Phil...oops. Does the fact that Phil's playing time was reduced because of an on-field injury affect voting? I think so. He probably got a few sympathy votes.
Ian-In the outfield, Havelock decided to give three gold gloves for LF/CF, and one for RF. I'd like some of whatever he's smoking. Yes, the four outfield gold gloves go to our 4 best CF's every year, but I'm not sure I see the problem with that. So Don Weiss was robbed of a Gold Glove (in fact, I'm reconsidering my vote right now--how could I leave off the inventor of the Vernick shift?), and the three OF gloves went to Zach Nilva, Alex Rivera, and Brian Hernandez, all of whom make spectacular catches on a regular basis. The RF Gold Glove went to Glen Lawrence.
Seung-Not giving Don Weiss the 4th OF Gold Glove was a travesty.
Sal-OK, there are so many problems here it is not even funny. First, let me say that while Havelock sited me as the one that suggested this RF award, I did not. What I suggested was that we select for 4 separate positions to avoid 4 center fielders, as I do see a problem with that. No one would ever do that for the infield, right? I feel that each OF station has a unique way of playing it, and so the awards should reflect that. Instead we got a version that just gave us just RF's, and in given us this it was explained this is where the bad players play! Wow, I was hurt and shocked by that, and I'm sure others are as well. Why bother to have this then? It was equated to 2B, too, which, hey, tell that to Ben Indek! So, yes, while RF has been determined as spot to hide bad players in many leagues, in our game a lot of balls go to Right so there is a specialized way to play there. Also, on a related note, how is that players that have not played this year got to vote? I'm sorry, but this isn't fair, and RF is one position where the voting showed this. No offense to Mr. Lawrence, who's a fine outfielder. The voting rules need to be analyzed and overhauled.
Ian-The pennant, which we do not vote on, was won by Bob Holzwassr.
Seung-Forgetting the pennant was bad.
Sal-Congrats to Bob.
Ian-Rookie of the Year was a crowded field of 6 players, and Sal Cipriano won decisively. I thought Sal should be rookie-eligible, since Alex Rivera was allowed to keep his rookie eligibility for most of the last decade. It's interesting to speculate on who wins it if Sal wasn't eligible.
Sal-I felt weird about this, but I appreciate the vote, folks. Thanks! I voted for Bill McLaughlin, the only real rookie in my eyes.
Ian-Best pitcher went to me. I did have a 14-game winning streak and finished 18-7. What's strange is that Havelock finished 2nd, and not Derek, who was 14-6. That's what happens when the award is named for you, and the ballot, designed by you, is in the spirit of Florida in 2000.
Sal-I felt you were the way to go on this. You seemed like hardest worker on the mound last year, and the most unflappable.
Ian-And the MVP--I get by one vote over Derek, 42-41. On the one hand, Derek hit 26 home runs, and had about 200 more points of OPS (1474 to 1265). On the other hand, I out-pitched him by a little, played in 14 more games, and my teams finished 8 games over .500. To me, that's too close to call, and the voting agreed with me. Truthfully, I would not have minded a tie. Havelock's ballot only listed three possible candidates. Not sure I--or anyone there--agreed with that.
Seung-A tie would have been fair, but I'm perfectly happy with the results. I'd rather Ian win by a point than lose by a point.
Sal-This was a tough one, and could have gone either way, depending on how you read stats. I do think this was a two horse race, with Alex finishing a distant third in every scenario. Freddie was a guy that could have been nominated as well. He came on very strong late in the year.
Ian-We invented a new award (proposed by Jim O'connor, I think?)--The Marvin Cohen Award, and promptly voted it to Marvin Cohen. This will be an award for the player who makes the greatest contribution to SFLOI outside of the game.
Sal-I think this is a fantastic idea, and I applaud Jim for it. I was a little perturbed that there was a some resistance to it. Huh?
Seung-The Cohen Award was suggested by Don Weiss. I thought it would be a nice touch to recognize people for contributions outside of pitching and hitting. I could think of three people who deserve it: Havelock for putting up with everyone, Gil for umping when he can't play, and Don for being willing to ump pretty consistently. I remember Dave being adamantly against the wards, for what I thought was a fairly good reason (we don't need to recognize EVERYTHING with an award). But, how do people vote against giving the award to Marvin once we vote it into existence?
Ian-As far as rule changes and proposals went, pretty uneventful. I proposed a vote on bringing back the World Series. It didn't pass, probably because of all the communists in the game. There was discussion of the selection of teams, which I thought provided a good opportunity to discuss this civilly, instead of in screaming matches between games.
Sal-For the WS to work, I think it should be related to the Pennant somehow, but I'm not sure how that would/could play out. I voted against this year, but I feel given the proper spin it should happen.
Ian-There was the annual resolution to play the winter league in central park, but it didn't come to a vote. Hav said he'd look into getting a better field than east 10th, which seemed to satisfy most people. I like the way we play the winter season. i always have. The fields are nicer in central park, sure, but I also like the variety of fields we see in the winter, and they tend to make you feel better about yourself as a hitter. I don't remember what else we discussed.
Sal-I, too, like the nomadic nature of the fall-winter season, so I was opposed to this Central Park thing last year as well. It is not easy to get permits, so to just give them up is not smart. Why bother trying for other unpermitted fields, unless you have to? Because you don't like a field? The area? What is it? You play where you have permits-that's it, end of discussion.
Seung-Don and Sal were specially recognized at the meeting, which I remember bringing up, 'cause I thought it was important that they get all the recognition we could give em. It was the least the league should do. Waiving their dues for the year was a really nice touch (Though I don't remember who suggested that part). Of course, I also wonder if the treasury could also absorb optional due waivers for the three officers (Havelock, Gil and Ian), since you know, they also do unpaid work for the league.
Sal-I agree with this. Those three should be waived, without question. I appreciate the waiving. I'm also making test SFLOI shirts, so this helps!
Seung-Random thoughts: Myc-y had a big bowl of dumplings right before the meeting, 2 clementines and some bread during the meeting and a big bowl of egg, rice and tomato after the meeting. And he didn't take a dump, either. I'm glad I'm not changing his diapers today. Gil apparently is addicted to Pepsi. I only know this because that's the reason Anne has straws in the house. That was good. Cause Myc-y spilled pretty much a half cup of water on his shirt prior to that. Glen and his book. Havelock trading baseball cards. Bill and Ian and his video...This year's meeting was pretty surreal.
Ian-Thanks to Gil & Anne for hosting...and now that this is over with, let's play some fuckin' ball.
Seung-In closing: I concur with Ian: Thanks Gil, and Anne. Now, let's play three!
Sal-I would have went straight to a field after the Meetings! Bring it!
The BeSBall Talk blog is a collection of thoughts, comments, and opinions on America's Favorite Pastime. http://www.besballtalk.com/
Ian-First, the ballots were mighty strange this year. Like Havelock was trying to steal an election.
Sal-Weird is a definitely where Mr. Hewes started, but not uninteresting; as is always the case with our Commish.
Seung-I was distracted during the meeting so I remember thinking: Screw it, I'll vote for people I like. I remember voting for Ian 3 or 4 times, Sal 3 times and Alex for MVP 2nd. It ended up affecting a couple of close races.
Ian-I think Derek Martinez won the Gold Glove for pitcher. I'm all right with that, I don't think there's an obvious choice. The pitcher has to make some unusual throws sometimes, and I don't think there's anyone among us who hasn't thrown a potential 1-6-3 DP into centerfield. Also, the voters are saying, sorry about shafting you on everything else, Derek.
Sal-Well it was definitely you or him. No one else has the snap reflexes of you two. I voted for you on this one, but I can't recall a winner as well!
Seung-I voted for Ian, but oh, whatever. It's a decent token gesture by the league. Derek had a very good season, and it would have been a bit much if he ended the season with NONE of the awards.
Ian-Seung Lee is the Gold Glove catcher. This is a near-unanimous selection and Seung deserves it, whether he agrees or not. He backs up first base. Half of our other catchers have the pitcher cover the plate.
Sal-I just won a Gold Glove for catch at DC. If my knees weren't already shot, I'd be down for giving Mr. Lee a run for his money. His backing up of first base is top-notch, though, so he'd have me on that every day. ;)
Ian-Fred Melendez is the 1B Gold Glove. I agree with this. You could make a case for Ian Lebowitz, but Hav decided to list him at third. Most of the other good first basemen were also listed elsewhere--Bill Vernick and Gil Schmerler for example.
Sal-I voted Fred as well, who is pretty good at both corners. Bill Vernick would have been my choice, though, had he been listed. Screwed!
Seung-Where's Bill? I woulda voted for Bill. Oh well, Freddie's good. I'll vote for Freddie.
Ian-Ben Indek wins at 2B. Since Jeff chased away Sue Kostner, this was not a surprise. Ben probably should have won last year--he's a good fielder and we don't really have too many other regulars at 2B. In fact, most of our positions don't have regular tenants.
Sal-Ben is a consummate pro here. I was shocked that I was even nominated, as I played mostly Right.
Ian-Bob Holzwasser wins at 3B. Bob had a really good year with the glove, and split time between third and short, where he wouldn't have won. The rest of the 3B field cleared the way--Ian Lebowitz and Gil limited because of injuries, me pitching (and not really fielding all that well when I did play there)
Sal-Was Bob nominated for 2B? I forget, because in my head he's one of the best there, and while overall he's pretty good at all of these infield positions, third is probably the least of the three. I voted Ian Lebowitz here because I feel the guy is solid despite his injuries. He's got a magnet in that glove.
Ian-Now, here comes some controversy. How do Dave Sommers and Phil Ciccone tie for a shortstop Gold Glove? Sommers played B+ defense for 36 games, Ciccone played A defense for 15 games. I don't think you should have a Gold Glove for playing 15 games. Phil is our most talented shortstop, but he wasn't around much this year, and won half a Gold Glove on reputation.
Sal-Dave all the way here because of the reasons you mentioned. I think I would have you ahead of Phil as well just on time and quality of play.
Seung-Didn't Ian and I talk about this at some point? Several times? Oh, I don't remember. Whatever, I'll vote for Phil...oops. Does the fact that Phil's playing time was reduced because of an on-field injury affect voting? I think so. He probably got a few sympathy votes.
Ian-In the outfield, Havelock decided to give three gold gloves for LF/CF, and one for RF. I'd like some of whatever he's smoking. Yes, the four outfield gold gloves go to our 4 best CF's every year, but I'm not sure I see the problem with that. So Don Weiss was robbed of a Gold Glove (in fact, I'm reconsidering my vote right now--how could I leave off the inventor of the Vernick shift?), and the three OF gloves went to Zach Nilva, Alex Rivera, and Brian Hernandez, all of whom make spectacular catches on a regular basis. The RF Gold Glove went to Glen Lawrence.
Seung-Not giving Don Weiss the 4th OF Gold Glove was a travesty.
Sal-OK, there are so many problems here it is not even funny. First, let me say that while Havelock sited me as the one that suggested this RF award, I did not. What I suggested was that we select for 4 separate positions to avoid 4 center fielders, as I do see a problem with that. No one would ever do that for the infield, right? I feel that each OF station has a unique way of playing it, and so the awards should reflect that. Instead we got a version that just gave us just RF's, and in given us this it was explained this is where the bad players play! Wow, I was hurt and shocked by that, and I'm sure others are as well. Why bother to have this then? It was equated to 2B, too, which, hey, tell that to Ben Indek! So, yes, while RF has been determined as spot to hide bad players in many leagues, in our game a lot of balls go to Right so there is a specialized way to play there. Also, on a related note, how is that players that have not played this year got to vote? I'm sorry, but this isn't fair, and RF is one position where the voting showed this. No offense to Mr. Lawrence, who's a fine outfielder. The voting rules need to be analyzed and overhauled.
Ian-The pennant, which we do not vote on, was won by Bob Holzwassr.
Seung-Forgetting the pennant was bad.
Sal-Congrats to Bob.
Ian-Rookie of the Year was a crowded field of 6 players, and Sal Cipriano won decisively. I thought Sal should be rookie-eligible, since Alex Rivera was allowed to keep his rookie eligibility for most of the last decade. It's interesting to speculate on who wins it if Sal wasn't eligible.
Sal-I felt weird about this, but I appreciate the vote, folks. Thanks! I voted for Bill McLaughlin, the only real rookie in my eyes.
Ian-Best pitcher went to me. I did have a 14-game winning streak and finished 18-7. What's strange is that Havelock finished 2nd, and not Derek, who was 14-6. That's what happens when the award is named for you, and the ballot, designed by you, is in the spirit of Florida in 2000.
Sal-I felt you were the way to go on this. You seemed like hardest worker on the mound last year, and the most unflappable.
Ian-And the MVP--I get by one vote over Derek, 42-41. On the one hand, Derek hit 26 home runs, and had about 200 more points of OPS (1474 to 1265). On the other hand, I out-pitched him by a little, played in 14 more games, and my teams finished 8 games over .500. To me, that's too close to call, and the voting agreed with me. Truthfully, I would not have minded a tie. Havelock's ballot only listed three possible candidates. Not sure I--or anyone there--agreed with that.
Seung-A tie would have been fair, but I'm perfectly happy with the results. I'd rather Ian win by a point than lose by a point.
Sal-This was a tough one, and could have gone either way, depending on how you read stats. I do think this was a two horse race, with Alex finishing a distant third in every scenario. Freddie was a guy that could have been nominated as well. He came on very strong late in the year.
Ian-We invented a new award (proposed by Jim O'connor, I think?)--The Marvin Cohen Award, and promptly voted it to Marvin Cohen. This will be an award for the player who makes the greatest contribution to SFLOI outside of the game.
Sal-I think this is a fantastic idea, and I applaud Jim for it. I was a little perturbed that there was a some resistance to it. Huh?
Seung-The Cohen Award was suggested by Don Weiss. I thought it would be a nice touch to recognize people for contributions outside of pitching and hitting. I could think of three people who deserve it: Havelock for putting up with everyone, Gil for umping when he can't play, and Don for being willing to ump pretty consistently. I remember Dave being adamantly against the wards, for what I thought was a fairly good reason (we don't need to recognize EVERYTHING with an award). But, how do people vote against giving the award to Marvin once we vote it into existence?
Ian-As far as rule changes and proposals went, pretty uneventful. I proposed a vote on bringing back the World Series. It didn't pass, probably because of all the communists in the game. There was discussion of the selection of teams, which I thought provided a good opportunity to discuss this civilly, instead of in screaming matches between games.
Sal-For the WS to work, I think it should be related to the Pennant somehow, but I'm not sure how that would/could play out. I voted against this year, but I feel given the proper spin it should happen.
Ian-There was the annual resolution to play the winter league in central park, but it didn't come to a vote. Hav said he'd look into getting a better field than east 10th, which seemed to satisfy most people. I like the way we play the winter season. i always have. The fields are nicer in central park, sure, but I also like the variety of fields we see in the winter, and they tend to make you feel better about yourself as a hitter. I don't remember what else we discussed.
Sal-I, too, like the nomadic nature of the fall-winter season, so I was opposed to this Central Park thing last year as well. It is not easy to get permits, so to just give them up is not smart. Why bother trying for other unpermitted fields, unless you have to? Because you don't like a field? The area? What is it? You play where you have permits-that's it, end of discussion.
Seung-Don and Sal were specially recognized at the meeting, which I remember bringing up, 'cause I thought it was important that they get all the recognition we could give em. It was the least the league should do. Waiving their dues for the year was a really nice touch (Though I don't remember who suggested that part). Of course, I also wonder if the treasury could also absorb optional due waivers for the three officers (Havelock, Gil and Ian), since you know, they also do unpaid work for the league.
Sal-I agree with this. Those three should be waived, without question. I appreciate the waiving. I'm also making test SFLOI shirts, so this helps!
Seung-Random thoughts: Myc-y had a big bowl of dumplings right before the meeting, 2 clementines and some bread during the meeting and a big bowl of egg, rice and tomato after the meeting. And he didn't take a dump, either. I'm glad I'm not changing his diapers today. Gil apparently is addicted to Pepsi. I only know this because that's the reason Anne has straws in the house. That was good. Cause Myc-y spilled pretty much a half cup of water on his shirt prior to that. Glen and his book. Havelock trading baseball cards. Bill and Ian and his video...This year's meeting was pretty surreal.
Ian-Thanks to Gil & Anne for hosting...and now that this is over with, let's play some fuckin' ball.
Seung-In closing: I concur with Ian: Thanks Gil, and Anne. Now, let's play three!
Sal-I would have went straight to a field after the Meetings! Bring it!
The BeSBall Talk blog is a collection of thoughts, comments, and opinions on America's Favorite Pastime. http://www.besballtalk.com/
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Saturday, March 6, 2010
CHANCE OF GAME SUNDAY 3/7
Folks, we've had a positive report on the condition of East 10th Street field and we're gonna try to get a game together. I'm already close to having enough players-- please get back to me and let me know if you'd be able to play.
The game would be 10:00am at FDR Drive and East 10th.
The winter meeting is still at 4:00pm at Gil's.
--Ian
The game would be 10:00am at FDR Drive and East 10th.
The winter meeting is still at 4:00pm at Gil's.
--Ian
Friday, March 5, 2010
Free pack SFLOI cards
For the first 15 attendees of this Sunday's Winter meeting there will be a free pack of SFLOI trading cards. Each pack contains 8 cards plus gum. Players can trade for their own card, their favorite SFLOI all-star or start their collection. One pack per attendee please and if you already own the entire set hands off! There will also be a limited number of full sets available for purchase at $25. All proceeds go to the SFLOI treasury.
Celebrate, it's Spring Training!
Monday, March 1, 2010
COHEN'S CONCOCTIONS #4
ABOVE THE LAW OF GRAVITY. INTRODUCING BETWEENNESS
The Law of Gravity was lawfully convicted of a crime so bad, I'm not allowed to reveal it here. May the reader's frustrated curiosity forgive me. The court made him pay an unspecified fine, and his other punishment was to be suspended for a crucial play in the deciding seventh game of the world series that coincidentally was to be played the very following night, between the Cubs and the Tigers. I'm not kidding, these things do and can happen. Anyway, to continue: It was the last half of the ninth inning, with the Cubs ahead, five to four. There were two outs with the potential tying run on first and the potential winning run at the plate. Speaking of tension!
Yes, the world series was in the balance. Excitement was at a frenzied height. That moment, two new records were set for television-watching, one nationally and one internationally. A breathtaking suspension, unreleased in its mounting intensity, worked its way through heart attacks. Audience suspension reflected the Law of Gravity's suspension, by court edict, that was about to be enacted, on the field itself. The Tiger batter lifted a towering fly ball toward the distant bleacher barrier, just far enough to be indeterminate whether it would be a game ending homer or a game ending catch by the outfielder, who waited with an anxiously upheld glove eagerly wide open in professionally concentrated anticipation.
Under suspension, the Law of Gravity was legally helpless to enact itself, so the well-batted ball kept its suspended height at that undetermined length of play. It seemed like a mathematical puzzler from on high. How would it be measured? By an expert professional measurer whose airborne skills were put into play by an instantly rented helicopter put into service only for this occasion, but whatever the expense it was by all measures worth it.
Was it a game winning homerun or a game winning put-out? Or to put it another way, was it a game losing homerun or a game losing out? That depended on whose point of view it was. It's not an absolute world, it's a relative world. Beyond dispute, you can depend on this, by all absolute means.
The outcome? I leave the faithful reader in a bewilderment of suspense, which I share with him, so we're in the same boat, or in this case helicopter. My apologies that this twisted enigma remains unresolved through authorial indecision, or sadism, or abrupt bloodless withdrawal, or sheer disinterestedness, having made my point, though it's a blunt point, now a diffused point, spread out into just bland blankness, ended with cowardly or bored indifference, a let-down; or an abandonment of the writer-reader contract, which I never signed anyway, so it too is hereby under suspension, like an eternally lofted fly ball poised between win and loss, between two teams, between the bleacher section and the playing field, in that world-compelling area of Betweenness, much commented and debated upon.
Marvin Cohen is the author of several books including Baseball The Beautiful (1974) and a former creative writing teacher at the New School. Marvin plays first base for Softball For The Love Of It.
The Law of Gravity was lawfully convicted of a crime so bad, I'm not allowed to reveal it here. May the reader's frustrated curiosity forgive me. The court made him pay an unspecified fine, and his other punishment was to be suspended for a crucial play in the deciding seventh game of the world series that coincidentally was to be played the very following night, between the Cubs and the Tigers. I'm not kidding, these things do and can happen. Anyway, to continue: It was the last half of the ninth inning, with the Cubs ahead, five to four. There were two outs with the potential tying run on first and the potential winning run at the plate. Speaking of tension!
Yes, the world series was in the balance. Excitement was at a frenzied height. That moment, two new records were set for television-watching, one nationally and one internationally. A breathtaking suspension, unreleased in its mounting intensity, worked its way through heart attacks. Audience suspension reflected the Law of Gravity's suspension, by court edict, that was about to be enacted, on the field itself. The Tiger batter lifted a towering fly ball toward the distant bleacher barrier, just far enough to be indeterminate whether it would be a game ending homer or a game ending catch by the outfielder, who waited with an anxiously upheld glove eagerly wide open in professionally concentrated anticipation.
Under suspension, the Law of Gravity was legally helpless to enact itself, so the well-batted ball kept its suspended height at that undetermined length of play. It seemed like a mathematical puzzler from on high. How would it be measured? By an expert professional measurer whose airborne skills were put into play by an instantly rented helicopter put into service only for this occasion, but whatever the expense it was by all measures worth it.
Was it a game winning homerun or a game winning put-out? Or to put it another way, was it a game losing homerun or a game losing out? That depended on whose point of view it was. It's not an absolute world, it's a relative world. Beyond dispute, you can depend on this, by all absolute means.
The outcome? I leave the faithful reader in a bewilderment of suspense, which I share with him, so we're in the same boat, or in this case helicopter. My apologies that this twisted enigma remains unresolved through authorial indecision, or sadism, or abrupt bloodless withdrawal, or sheer disinterestedness, having made my point, though it's a blunt point, now a diffused point, spread out into just bland blankness, ended with cowardly or bored indifference, a let-down; or an abandonment of the writer-reader contract, which I never signed anyway, so it too is hereby under suspension, like an eternally lofted fly ball poised between win and loss, between two teams, between the bleacher section and the playing field, in that world-compelling area of Betweenness, much commented and debated upon.
Marvin Cohen is the author of several books including Baseball The Beautiful (1974) and a former creative writing teacher at the New School. Marvin plays first base for Softball For The Love Of It.
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