Friday, October 31, 2014

Madison Bumgarner overload? But initially getting a win instead of a save?

Madison Bumgarner had his name repeated as nauseam before, during and after game seven of the Major Baseball League (MBL) finals on both the MLB Network and Fox.  Maybe that influenced the THREE official scorers to initially give Bumgarner credit for the win.

Win or Save? A Rule Based on Judgment
In Reversal, Scorers Give Giants' Madison Bumgarner a Save and Jeremy Affeldt a Win
By BENJAMIN HOFFMAN  The New York Times  OCT. 30, 2014
Jeremy Affeldt
Madison Bumgarner of the San Francisco Giants was credited with the victory ... About 50 minutes after the game, it was announced that the official record would be changed to give the victory to Jeremy Affeldt, the pitcher of record when the Giants took the lead, 3-2, in the fourth inning...

The scorers for the game were David Boyce, the Royals’ regular scorer; Jeff Passan of Yahoo; and Jose de Jesus Ortiz of The Houston Chronicle...

In general, if a starting pitcher does not complete five innings, and the score is tied, a victory is assigned to the pitcher of record when the lead changed hands. The exception is when the scorer determines the reliever of record was ineffective.
____________________________________________

Not only was Affeldt the pitcher of record when his team took the lead, which it never relinquished, but Affeldt relieved starter Tim Hudson in the  bottom of the second inning with two runs in, two out and runners on first and second.  Affeldt retired Aoki to end the inning with the score tied 2-2.  In the third inning Affeldt allowed a leadoff single to Cain, got Hosmer to ground into a DP and retired Butler.  In the top of the 4th the Giants scored the final run of the game and took a 3-2 lead.  Affeldt then pitched the bottom of the 4th and retired Gordon, Perez and Moustakas in order.  Affeldt stopped a rally, held for an inning and protected the lead for an inning.


PitchingIPHRERBBSOHRERABFPitStrCtctStSStLGBFBLDUnkGScIRISWPAaLIRE24
Tim Hudson1.23221104.291028171034343041-0.1641.26-1.5
Jeremy Affeldt, W (2-0)2.11000000.007322116145110200.1641.221.4
Madison Bumgarner, S (1)52000401.0317685026121231040000.6032.012.4
Team Totals96221502.00341288852162011158041200.6031.632.4
On what planet would Affeldt not be credited with the win?  You may not like the concept of awarding wins and losses to individual pitchers but it's what drove the three stooges of official scoring to try to make an even bigger deal of Madison Bumgarner than even he deserved, which is saying a lot since Madison Bumgarner was a pretty damn big deal.

What in the name of MBL commissioner Allan Huber "Bud" Selig could have provoked such stupidity?

I fell asleep and missed the entrance of Madison Bumgarner and his first two innings.  When I awakened I turned off the sound for most of the rest of the game.  So I was not as influenced as most and did not hear any chatter about who was the pitcher of record should the Giants hold their lead.  I had recently done research on the 13 pitchers to win three games in a single World Series:

Pitchers winning three games in a World Series.  Sunday, October 26, 2014

So I was acutely aware of the significance of Bumgarner possibly winning a third game even if it was in relief.  Bumgarner's performance was certainly worthy of three wins but only if the wins were awarded according to the scoring rules as applied in 99.9% of the cases.  It seems scandalously shocking that the first relief pitcher was denied the win for even a short time.  It tracks with Bumgarner's name being mentioned continuously.  Maybe there should be a 211 game suspension.

I watched some of the post game stuff.  I turned it off when Bumgarner was about to receive his well deserved MVP trophy from a regional Chevrolet executive, who spoke about the Chevrolet vehicle that Bumgarner would also receive despite his $3,750,000 2014 salary.  Standing on the other side of Bumgarner was a beaming Bud Selig, who made his pre-baseball fortune leasing cars, maybe some from Chevrolet.  As Dinah Shore used to sing: "See the USA in a Chevrolet".

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Selig sucks. Commissioner of Milwaukee leads baseball into small time.

Clearly I have a difference of opinion with The Times writer below and I wrote mine before the vendetta against Alex Rodriguez had played out with commissioner in waiting Rob Manfred acting as hatchet man for Allan Huber "Bud" Selig, commissioner of the Major Baseball League (MBL) and former owner of the Milwaukee Brewers, including during much of his time as commissioner..

As He Bows Out, Bud Selig Sees Positive Signs  OCT. 29, 2014
By TYLER KEPNER The New York Times

Bud Selig has been a disaster as commissioner.  Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Tyler Kepner has been in the Selig camp for some time.  A couple of my more recent posts:

Selig's Folly: home field and home RULE advantage in game seven.  Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Is Kansas City a good baseball town?  Thursday, October 23, 2014

Why no World Series games this weekend? Fear of football.  Saturday, October 18, 2014

Baseball fans watch their team but not the spectacle of the MBL tournament, not even the MBL finals or World Series as misguided types like Kepner insist on calling it.  Football and basketball fans will watch even if their own team has long since been eliminated.  Kepner and Selig insist that low TV ratings for national games is not a good way to judge the state of baseball.  They point to fat new national TV contracts.  And high attendance.

1. Much of prime time on the big three traditional TV networks is bloated with "reality" shows. i.e., mindless junk.  Baseball fits in just fine, especially if the demographic objective is old people who actually sit there and actually watch TV commercials instead of channel surfing or performing other mindless junk on their computer devices.

2. Attendance is bloated with people who have little or no interest in or understanding of baseball.  Try taking a ten year old kid to a game and NOT bribing the kid with outrageously overpriced food, merchandise and distractions from the game in all corners of the ball park.  Better yet, wait for the kid to ask to be taken to a game with no giveaways or manufactured event.

Gambling is a major factor in the massive viewership of sports on TV.  Both football and basketball have point spreads to make gambling on their games competitive.  Baseball by its nature does not lend itself to gambling.

On TV football has long since driven baseball from the prime TV viewing times.  The most recent daytime World Series game was in 1987 and that was indoors.  The most recent daytime World Series game outdoors was in 1984.  It's over.  Football has won.  And Selig and Kepner are arguing the opposite?  The late comedian Richard Pryor had a punchline: who you going to believe, me or your lying eyes?

So this morning Selig and his apologists are enjoying the fact that their "World Series" was bottoms up, a battle between bottom seed and survivor San Francisco Giants and second from the bottom seed Kansas City Royals.  It' finally over and, outside of those two towns, who cares?

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

World Series: Best of seven that went seven.

Click link to view this and more.  CAPS: home team.  2014: to be determined.

YearWinnerLoserGameswinslossestiesStartEndDays12345678
1909Pittsburgh PiratesDetroit Tigers7430Friday, October 08, 1909Saturday, January 16, 19099PITdetpitDETPITDETpit
1912Boston Red SoxNew York Giants8431Tuesday, October 08, 1912Tuesday, October 15, 19128bostieny1bosBOSNY1ny1BOS
1924Washington SenatorsNew York Giants7430Saturday, October 04, 1924Friday, October 10, 19247ny1WS1NY1ws1NY1WS1WS1
1925Pittsburgh PiratesWashington Senators7430Wednesday, October 07, 1925Thursday, October 15, 19259ws1PITWS1WS1pitPITPIT
1926St. Louis CardinalsNew York Yankees7430Saturday, October 02, 1926Sunday, October 10, 19269NYAslnSLNnyanyaslnsln
1931St. Louis CardinalsPhiladelphia Athletics7430Wednesday, October 01, 1913Saturday, October 10, 193110phaSLNslnPHAslnphaSLN
1934St. Louis CardinalsDetroit Tigers7430Wednesday, October 03, 1934Tuesday, October 09, 19347slnDETSLNdetdetslnsln
1940Cincinnati RedsDetroit Tigers7430Wednesday, October 02, 1940Tuesday, October 08, 19407detCINDETcinDETCINCIN
1945Detroit TigersChicago Cubs7430Wednesday, October 03, 1945Wednesday, October 10, 19458chnDETchndetdetCHNdet
1946St. Louis CardinalsBoston Red Sox7430Sunday, October 06, 1946Tuesday, October 15, 194610bosSLNBOSslnBOSSLNSLN
1947New York YankeesBrooklyn Dodgers7430Tuesday, September 30, 1947Monday, October 06, 19477NYANYABROBROnyabroNYA
1952New York YankeesBrooklyn Dodgers7430Wednesday, October 01, 1952Tuesday, October 07, 19527BROnyabroNYAbronyanya
1955Brooklyn DodgersNew York Yankees7430Wednesday, September 28, 1955Tuesday, October 04, 19557NYANYABROBROBRONYAbro
1956New York YankeesBrooklyn Dodgers7430Wednesday, October 03, 1956Wednesday, October 10, 19568BROBRONYANYANYABROnya
1957Milwaukee BravesNew York Yankees7430Wednesday, October 02, 1957Thursday, October 10, 19579NYAml1nyaML1ML1NYAml1
1958New York YankeesMilwaukee Braves7430Wednesday, October 01, 1958Thursday, October 09, 19589ML1ML1NYAml1NYAnyanya
1960Pittsburgh PiratesNew York Yankees7430Wednesday, October 05, 1960Thursday, October 13, 19609PITnyaNYApitpitnyaPIT
1962New York YankeesSan Francisco Giants7430Thursday, October 04, 1962Tuesday, October 16, 196213nyaSFNNYAsfnNYASFNnya
1964St. Louis CardinalsNew York Yankees7430Wednesday, October 07, 1964Thursday, October 15, 19649SLNnyaNYAslnslnnyaSLN
1965Los Angeles DodgersMinnesota Twins7430Wednesday, October 06, 1965Thursday, October 14, 19659MINMINLANLANLANMINlan
1967St. Louis CardinalsBoston Red Sox7430Wednesday, October 04, 1967Thursday, October 12, 19679slnBOSSLNSLNbosBOSsln
1968Detroit TigersSt. Louis Cardinals7430Wednesday, October 02, 1968Thursday, October 10, 19689SLNdetslnslnDETdetdet
1971Pittsburgh PiratesBaltimore Orioles7430Saturday, October 09, 1971Sunday, October 17, 19719BALBALPITPITPITBALpit
1972Oakland AthleticsCincinnati Reds7430Saturday, October 14, 1972Sunday, October 22, 19729oakoakcinOAKcinCINoak
1973Oakland AthleticsNew York Mets7430Saturday, October 13, 1973Sunday, October 21, 19739OAKnynoakNYNNYNOAKOAK
1975Cincinnati RedsBoston Red Sox7430Saturday, October 11, 1975Wednesday, October 22, 197512BOScinCINbosCINBOScin
1979Pittsburgh PiratesBaltimore Orioles7430Wednesday, October 10, 1979Wednesday, October 17, 19798BALpitbalbalPITpitpit
1982St. Louis CardinalsMilwaukee Brewers7430Tuesday, October 12, 1982Wednesday, October 20, 19829ml4SLNslnML4ML4SLNSLN
1985Kansas City RoyalsSt. Louis Cardinals7430Saturday, October 19, 1985Sunday, October 27, 19859slnslnkcaSLNkcaKCAKCA
1986New York MetsBoston Red Sox7430Saturday, October 18, 1986Monday, October 27, 198610bosbosnynnynBOSNYNNYN
1987Minnesota TwinsSt. Louis Cardinals7430Saturday, October 17, 1987Sunday, October 25, 19879MINMINSLNSLNSLNMINMIN
1991Minnesota TwinsAtlanta Braves7430Saturday, October 19, 1991Sunday, October 27, 19919MINMINATLATLATLMINMIN
1997Florida MarlinsCleveland Indians7430Saturday, October 18, 1997Sunday, October 26, 19979FLOclefloCLEflocleFLO
2001Arizona DiamondbacksNew York Yankees7430Saturday, October 27, 2001Sunday, November 04, 20019ARIARINYANYANYAARIARI
2002Anaheim AngelsSan Francisco Giants7430Saturday, October 19, 2002Sunday, October 27, 20029sfnANAanaSFNSFNANAANA
2011St. Louis CardinalsTexas Rangers7430Wednesday, October 19, 2011Friday, October 28, 201110SLNtexstlTEXTEXSLNSLN
20147430Tuesday, October 21, 2014Wednesday, October, 29, 20149KCAsfnkcaSFNSFNKCA
YearWinnerLoserGameswinslossestiesStartEndDays12345678