Recent Comments

1. about 5 hours ago on Win, Lose, Drew

   Josh Gibson is a great example. No MLB catcher has a lifetime batting average above .323. But we’re supposed to accept Josh Gibson’s .372, nearly 50 points higher? Really? (Gibson is now credited with playing in fewer than 700 games, hardly a basis for a career batting average record.)

   Another about Gibson: they USED to say he hit “nearly 800 home runs.” Now that number is 174. But the former figure? That, again, would be amazing for a catcher, since the record number of home runs for a guy who played primarily (but not exclusively) at catcher is Mike Piazza at 427 (399 as a catcher).

   Baseball statistics are the most meaningful of any team sport in the U.S. They matter to baseball fans. The integrity of the record book is sacrosanct, and this move feels PC. As I said earlier, if the MLB wanted to establish different records to reflect pre- and post-integration, I’d understand that. But the inclusion of unreliable statistics—for whatever reason—is misguided.

2. about 5 hours ago on Win, Lose, Drew

   Obviously, you don’t understand the purpose of manners.

   This isn’t about social justice. It’s about baseball statistics.

3. about 21 hours ago on Win, Lose, Drew

   I want the players in the Hall of Fame, but I do not feel the statistics deserve the same weight in the MLB record books. The seasons were short, the games often against spotty competition, and the record-keeping was inconsistent.

   One way to look at it is the performance of those players as they entered the MLB. Some were good. Some were great. But even the great ones did NOT have out-sized statistics in the MLB compared to what they could do in the (their) Leagues. The competition in the MLB was simply superior. (The site’s algorithm won’t allow the word that properly describes them.)

   Did the exclusion of Black players skew the performances of pre-integration White players? Perhaps. The 1930s were a big decade for offensive performance, for example, followed by WWII and then integration in rapid order. Personally, I’d be fine with a pre-integration and post-integration (and pre-Modern era—1900 and earlier) statistical records. You’d have to figure out a way to deal with those, like Ted Williams, who had careers that overlapped eras. But it could be figured out.

4. about 22 hours ago on Chip Bok

   Technically, yes. But practically, doubtful.

   The purpose of the gag order was to stop the defendant from interfering with a fair trial. But now that trial is over, except for sentencing. The prosecution and the jury are done here. What’s left to protect?

   So, yeah, he could still say something so egregious Merchan would hit him for it. But, more likely, the effects of Trump’s contempt will show up at sentencing. And that will not go well for Trump.

5. 1 day ago on Al Goodwyn Editorial Cartoons

   There were all kinds of sanction and enforcement tools in that agreement. Breaking it was a horrible idea.

6. 1 day ago on Chip Bok

   No, the gag order is not lifted. The case isn’t closed yet.

7. 1 day ago on Chip Bok

   Well, seeing that “the Democrats” had nothing to do with it, I’d say not. Former President Donald Trump is a convicted felon. Get used to that.

8. 1 day ago on Lisa Benson

   How the Right will spin it: Trump’s defense team brilliantly reduces the number of pending felony charges against their client from 88 to 54.

9. 1 day ago on Al Goodwyn Editorial Cartoons

   Uh…WHO busted the Iran agreement?

10. 2 days ago on Dana Summers

    Already gearing up for a loss, I see. Good.