You could fly from Davis Island to the airport there in downtown St Pete but those kinds of flights are too brief for drinks service so I’m afraid the ferry idea wins.
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Ferries are fun, too. The one crossing the English Channel served free champagne.
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My Ferry experience in Greece, from Naxos to Athens, didn’t really live up to what I’d hoped. Felt more like Greyhound than my expectation of a Greek ferry. Whenever we go back, we are definitely flying back from whichever Island, it basically the same price and 1/10th the time.
I SAID GET IN!
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Hadn’t seen this, but in case you were wondering why you hadn’t seen “Perfect Pat” Hoberg this season…
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Wow. I had flashbacks of the SA restaurant The Bull Moose (on Blanco), and the Bruce Spruce Lodge, outside Pagosa Springs. Both were outstanding. I’ve not seen the Simpson’s episode however.
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That was incredibly disappointing to hear
He’s the best umpire in the game, by a wide margin. Very disappointing.
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Weird thing is no one can figure out how gamblers could infiltrate the unassailable moral fortress that is MLB.
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I’m not sure what the hell he did, other than betting on sports (which is very bad for a guy in his position). Did he bet on baseball games, whether he worked them or not?
Also, didn’t even take 2 weeks for a repost: Baseball Miscellany - #5241 by Lefty
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Small Astros anecdotal tidbit from South Bend that I wasn’t sure where to deposit…
Sitting at dinner and close by are two Notre Dame baseball players talking enthusiastically about the organizations they’d most like to play for. There was some light Pirate talk which I found interesting but then shortly after they were just going on and on about how much they’d love to play in the Astros organization. Couldn’t hear every detail but lots of talk about how they have the “best on the field instruction” in the business and the remarkable systems that have been created from scratch in the organization.
Not trying to be a homer, but I thought I’d pass it along after a miserable game today.
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That’s a very real thing. Young players want access to the most data, the best instruction, anything that can help them improve. It’s a very different dynamic for amateurs/draftees vs major leaguers who may have achieved success without that stuff.
Most of the time these guys don’t want to go to the White Sox or other organizations like that. They want to go to the Dodgers, Astros, etc. And it’s not just about playing under the lights one day—the difference in development could mean millions of dollars gained or lost down the road.
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Apologies if this should really be in a different thread… but for those of you that are still heavily following the minors, does this track? I know I was far more involved in the Bus Ride during the Correa/Springer days but I’m now a spoiled TWO TIME World Series winning fan of the Astros… the development of pitchers is obvious. But these dudes were not pitchers, unless the new pitcher build has trended more towards Frank Thomas than Greg Maddux.
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My understanding—secondhand at best—is that they’re not what they were under Luhnow but are still much better than average on the data-based coaching front. And by data I don’t mean their on-field stats, I mean data gathered from body/bat/ball-tracking cameras and whatnot.
According to the Driveline guy, they’ve backed off somewhat because the standard Luhnow set for minor league coaches was grueling. They’d have to establish individual coaching plans for each player, set performance goals, write up individual player reports frequently (every game maybe?), all in between their regular duties and actually working with the players. It was incredibly effective but it burned coaches out. It sounds like under Click they eased up on that stuff.
That doesn’t mean they aren’t still heavy on it. It’s a big part of what Bagwell was publicly criticizing a year or two ago. He thinks the org was overfeeding hitters data and not letting them go to the plate with clear heads. He was careful to say the results in pitching development (with the same methods) have basically been unimpeachable.
I have no idea what changes, if any, the org has made with hitters since then. But I’m still under the impression that they’re able to get hitters more of that information they want than other orgs are.
Anyone and everyone please correct me if I’m misinformed.
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Pre-and-Post-Luhnow the Stros have done a very good job of taking mid/late draftees (and older Intl signees) and getting them close or into MLB, hitters and pitchers. I would think other players coming after notice these things.
Betts HBP on the left hand results in a fracture. Surgery probably not needed, but he’s going to be out for a while.
Betts seems like a decent fellow, but… well, fuck the Dodgers.
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Long way to go but impressive nonetheless:
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Wasn’t Todd Helton the last player to make a serious run at .400? He was at .399 after 120 games in 2000 and had been over .400 in June. Funny how the article doesn’t mention him.
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