Daily Notes: Featuring Analysis from the Author’s Grandfather
Table of Contents
Here’s the table of contents for today’s edition of the Daily Notes.
1. Analysis from the Author’s Grandfather
2. Today’s MLB.TV Free Game
3. Today’s Complete Schedule
Analysis from the Author’s Grandfather
The author, as he writes this, is presently sitting across a breakfast table from his 92-year-old grandfather, a man who not only has opinions, but whose opinions themselves have opinions.
What follows is a small collection of that same grandfather’s opinions on the Boston Red Sox and AL East.
On the Red Sox This Season:
Well, they got a good chance to win their division. I don’t know about the World Series. Depends on who they’re playing against. Did they win yesterday? [Author checks. “They did win.”] Well, then how about the Rays? [Author checks. “They lost.”] Good. They got it down to three games now. I’ve got the papers saved downstairs for three or four days. I’ve got so much paper. I’ve got a stack this high. I’ve got to bring it down to the dump.
[…]
I think they’ll win their division. It’s three now, they need to get it to five games. They lost to a poor team the other day. They’re capable of winning, but they’re not the strongest team.
On the Strongest Team:
Well, the team that — they fell behind more — was Baltimore, but the Rays have got a good team, and they’re capable of beating the Red Sox. But they lost yesterday. If the Sox are capable of getting it up to five games, they’ll win the division. Out of five games against the Rays, it’s probably three and two. The Rays are a good hitting team, and they’ve got a couple of real good pitchers.
On the Yankees This Season:
The Yankees are too far gone. I don’t even think they’ll come in third or fourth.
[They’ve had] a lot of disabilities. And then they have the controversy — what’s his name, the third baseman who’s been suspended till after 2014? He’s fighting it. And he can play as long he’s in appeal. So he says, “I’ll keep appealing.” He’s got the money, the right lawyers. The Yankees have to be careful how they’re dealing with him. It’s obvious, the Yankees owe him $96 million.
It seems as though the action against him is more severe than some other players in the same position. He should appeal on the basis of that. Some other players got 65 games; he got 214 games or something.
I’m glad to hear the Rays lost yesterday.
Today’s MLB.TV Free Game
Baltimore at San Francisco | 19:10 ET
Bud Norris (138.0 IP, 109 xFIP-, 2.1 WAR) faces Matt Cain (139.0 IP, 102 xFIP-, 1.1 WAR). Here’s the former’s line over two starts with Baltimore following a deadline trade from Houston: 12.0 IP, 27.1% K, 8.3% BB, 50.0% GB, 3.22 SIERA, 78 xFIP-, 0.2 WAR. And here are Baltimore’s playoff odds, per Cool Standings, both now (40.7%) and on July 31st, when the trade was made (38.4%).
Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: San Francisco Radio or Television.
Today’s Complete Schedule
Here’s the complete schedule for all of today’s games, with our very proprietary watchability (NERD) scores for each one. Pitching probables and game times aggregated from MLB.com and RotoWire. The average NERD Game Score for today is 5.7.
Note: the following table is entirely sortable.
| Away | SP | Tm. | Gm. | Tm. | SP | Home | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jerome Williams | LAA | 3 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 8 | CLE | Justin Masterson | 13:05 |
| Justin Verlander | DET | 6 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 5 | NYA | Andy Pettitte | 13:05 |
| A.J. Griffin | OAK | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 9 | TOR | R.A. Dickey | 13:07 |
| Ian Kennedy | SD | 4 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 4 | CIN | Mike Leake | 13:10 |
| Hend. Alvarez | MIA | 7 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 8 | ATL | Mike Minor | 13:35 |
| John Lackey | BOS | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | KC | James Shields | 14:10 |
| Kevin Correia | MIN | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 5 | CHA | Jose Quintana | 14:10 |
| Martin Perez | TEX | 7 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 6 | HOU | Dallas Keuchel | 14:10 |
| Edwin Jackson | CHN | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | STL | Joe Kelly | 14:15 |
| Bud Norris | BAL | 3 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 5 | SF | Matt Cain | 16:05 |
| Wily Peralta | MIL | 6 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 9 | SEA | Felix Hernandez | 16:10 |
| Jon Niese | NYN | 4 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 5 | AZ | Zeke Spruill | 16:10 |
| Jeff Locke | PIT | 3 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 8 | COL | Chad Bettis* | 16:10 |
| Kyle Kendrick | PHI | 3 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 10 | WAS | St. Strasburg | 17:05 |
| Jeremy Hellickson | TB | 4 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 10 | LAN | Clayton Kershaw | 20:05 |
To learn how Pitcher and Team NERD Scores are calculated, click here.
To learn how Game NERD Scores are calculated, click here.
* = Fewer than 20 IP, NERD at discretion of very handsome author.
Carson Cistulli has published a book of aphorisms called Spirited Ejaculations of a New Enthusiast.
Did he have any opinions on the Jays?
I would like to know this as well.
Your grandfather sounds awesome.
Visit your grandfather more often.
My 89-year-old grandmother is nearing the end, now. She’s been showing signs of Alzheimer’s for going on ten years – or possibly several decades; she was present when I walked for the first time, and a week later asked my parents if I had walked yet. In the last 4-5 years the disease has advanced rapidly and severely, and has added anxiety and paranoia to the mix. (Whenever she misplaces something, it’s been stolen.) Yesterday I learned that she fell out of her chair and suffered a spinal compression fracture, and that she’s lost her ability to speak, mumbling incoherently. She refuses to eat anything but ice cream. Honestly, the sooner her misery ends the more humane it will be.
Her older sister, who is I think 91, is so crippled she can hardly move. But her mind is as sharp as mine. When I call her she tells me about football strategy, or the performance and attire of every single competitor on a reality TV show, and her mastery of American college athletics is such that I usually have to say, “I’m sorry, Mac, I missed that game,” or “I don’t know who that is.” She is happy to fill me in.
I guess one thing I’m saying is, it’s funny how life works out. One of the sisters can’t think and the other can’t move. I guess another thing I’m saying is, one of those things is much worse than the other. I guess the last thing I’m saying is, talk to your grandfather more. And tell him random strangers on the internet wish him the best.
My grandparents have all been dead since I was in the 6th grade, so I’ll take your word for it.
I am also glad when the Rays lose.
We all know Alex Rodriguez has some kind of disability, but what are the others?
Tell Your Grandpa That I Am From Tampa And A Local Church Has A Sign Outside Reading “Even Red Sox Fans Welcome”
Definitely from Tampa.
How does one go about watching the MLB.TV free game?
I think you only need to sign up for an account.
Bought the mlb.tv package. Living in China, so I find that the games tend to become quite low quality or altogether unwatchable around 10pm EST. Replays are usually high quality though.
I checked out this a bunch because my team (Jays) are not always that enjoyable to watch, or I’d pay attention to the score because I couldn’t wait. Ended up watching tons of Pirates games, because they all seem (but aren’t actually) 1 run games.
I think you only need to sign up for an account on the website.
Bought the mlb.tv package. Living in China, so I find that the games tend to become quite low quality or altogether unwatchable around 10pm EST. Replays are usually high quality though.
I checked out this a bunch because my team (Jays) are not always that enjoyable to watch, or I’d pay attention to the score because I couldn’t wait. Ended up watching tons of Pirates games, because they all seem (but aren’t actually) 1 run games.
You can also download the app for Xbox or Playstation to watch the free game.
Will Grandpa Cistulli make another return to Fangraphs audio?
I shaved my beard last time your Grandfather was on the podcast, I look forward to his future advice.
When I had a paper route as a kid, there were 4 or 5 older people with whom I’d always talk about baseball during my weekly collection. Good times. Now that I’m their age, it’s hard to find any kids interested in baseball.