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Monday, October 7, 2002 |
This was fun, but perhaps not very useful
So the game is over, the Giants have won, and my experiment with
blogging a baseball game has come to an end.
I posted 29 messages during the game, which means an average of one
every six minutes. The pace felt good. I didn't start with a plan.
If you've read through this, I'd appeciate your feedback. Was this
interesting? Would you have enjoyed reading this in more or less real
time as the game unfolded? Lots of people enjoy being around me during
sports events because as a former sports writer and an absolute fanatic,
I often have insights they find interesting. So I thought I'd try to
replicate some of that here.
Thoughts?
9:32:36 PM 
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Great Giants Victory!
Tense. Close. Played tough. What a great win for the Giants and for
Barry Bonds and Dusty Baker. Everyone contributed to this.
My prediction was 4-2. Actual final was 3-2. Or was it 3-1? They're
still debating. It doesn't matter.
Now here's another fearless prediction for you: Giants over Cards in six
and on to the Series, which they win handily.
9:26:46 PM
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These broadcasters are pissing me off
McCarver goes out of his way to say that Nen is 0-6 against the Braves,
and how many saves he's blown. It's not Nen's job to get wins. No
mention of his saves vs. opportunities record. I don't know what it is,
but objective coverage would dictate that he should have mentioned it.
The lead baserunner's not entirely Nen's fault. It sucks, but it's not
his fault. Entirely.
Smart stolen base by Furcal. Breaks up the double play. Man, that guy's
fast.
Nen strikes out Sheffield. Whew. This game is just too close for comfort.
How about a double play? I could go for that.
WOOHOO!!!!!! We got the DP. What a nice ending.
9:23:15 PM
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Ninth Inning Notes
That was no strike that Reggie Sanders took for the third one. It was at
least six inches outside. This umpire has gotten progressively worse as
the night wore on.
McCarver is questioning Dusty Baker's "percentages." Who does he think
he is? Dusty has won NL Manager of the Year three times. McCarver was a
smart catcher and he's a very good student of the game, but he's no
Dusty Baker.
The "appeal" to the first-base ump on a checked swing has become sort of
routine, but this one with Bell at the plate was stupid. It wasn't even
close, but they showed everyone -- pitcher, catcher, and Cox --
screaming about it. I mean, not even close! Sheesh.
An insurance run here would be big. Not huge, but big. Now two
insurance runs...that'd be way cool. It's not going to happen, of
course, but it would be monstrous if it did.
Shit. I was sort of hoping for a run. Oh, well
9:10:26 PM
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Nice job by Worrell
Clutch pitching by Worrell, getting through the heart of the order and
then taking care of the back end with no sweat. The Braves are down to
their last three outs and they have to face Smoke on the Water, aka Rob Nen.
I'm starting to feel like this one may go our way for a change.
8:59:55 PM
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Smoltz' 50-game streak isn't that remarkable
OK, it is, sort of. But figure it out. The Braves have won the last 50
games Smoltz has pitched in because Smoltz only comes in when they're
ahead. He's their closer. This is an unusual situation for him tonight.
He's a great closer, but that winning streak isn't quite as impressive
as it sounds if you don't think behind the numbers a bit.
8:42:25 PM
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The tension is palpable
Phew. I haven't been posting for the last inning or so. Too tense to
type. This is a real nail-biter.
Nice play by J.T. in the bottom of the 7th there. Saved a much more
tense situation.
Ouch. The Jones boys do us in again. I could learn to hate these guys.
Worrell is not looking very sharp here. I'm thinking Dusty ought to be
thinking "yank time." Javy is a dangerous hitter to be facing a pitcher
who's not in a groove.
Phew. Great job against Javy.
8:37:36 PM
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Every run is nice to have, but...
Bases loaded and nobody out and we manage a single run? Gotta do better
against these guys. Heart of their order due up in the 7th. Cox has
wasted his entire pinch-hitting crew, so it feels like this is the
decisive inning.
Hey, I can hope!
8:24:45 PM
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Now THAT was close!
I thought Furcal's line-out to center was hit on such a line that it
might actually be a hit. Whew.
End of 6. Giants up 2-1.
8:09:46 PM
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So, Fultzie doesn't get it done.
Felix Rodriguez now. Which one shows up? If he's "on", this inning will
be over and the Giants will be in the home stretch. If it's the "bad"
Felix, watch out.
8:05:06 PM
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I like this decision by Dusty
Russ got us 5+ solid innings in a must-win situation. He's given up two
straight singles. Time to declare him tired and move on. I'm not sure
I'd have brought in Fultz, but I reckon he's as good as anything else we
have in the pen right now. I'd have preferred Witasick. He throws harder
and is a bit more seasoned.
Time will tell.
7:59:15 PM
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"Tying run at the plate."
The announcers keep talking about the tying run being at the plate. I
understand the necessity of maintaining a sense of urgency in the
audience, but the fact is that every time the Braves get a runner on,
the tying run is at the plate in a 2-0 game. Continuing to say it feels
a bit insulting to me as a knowledgeable fan.
7:55:45 PM
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Everyone knows the Braves have very little O
Ortiz is two-hitting these guys on a night when he's really off,
control-wise. He's been in trouble, largely of his own making (though
the Bell error didn't help much) a few times tonight but he's never broken.
Looking good so far.
(BTW, I have no clue how the Register commentary got posted twice, one
of them in the middle of this blogging effort. Clearly an obscure bug
somewhere deep in Radio. I'll post something on the Radio site later.)
7:46:26 PM
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Register is "Spot On" in Assessment of OS X Browsing Experience
The IT Register of the UK reviewed Jaguar and gave it mixed ratings as I would. One comment I found was right on the money. It was the last paragraph in the story but for me easily the most telling:
The third, and I'd suggest biggest drawback of using a Macintosh right now - and this is worse, not better in Jagwyre - is that the web browsing experience is awful. The lovely OmniWeb browser is undergoing a major overhaul, Chimera is promising but immature, and while the Mac version of Internet Explorer is preferable in several ways to the Windows version, in its OS X incarnation it's a serious disaster. To sell Macintosh computers to that huge middle ground between novices and geeks, Apple needs to offer a great browser.
7:24:19 PM
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OK, I'm breathing again
Some play by Rich Aurilia to grab that bad hop that almost got by him
here in the bottom of the 5th. Whew. Russ got out of trouble. Good news:
it wasn't all his fault. Bad news: too much of it was. Watch for
Witasick in the sixth, seventh at the latest.
7:23:16 PM
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Only in Atlanta...
Guy is safe on an error. Organist excites the fans into a chop. No other
stadium in baseball would react that way in that situation. Another
reason to hate Atlanta, as if I needed more.
7:11:36 PM
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This is why I like the NL
If we had a designated hitter rule like the American League, Millwood
would still be pitching, but down 2-0 Bobby Cox has to pull his starter
for strategic reasons. This is the way the game was invented, the way
it's supposed to be played.
Of course, it doesn't hurt (for me) that Millwood has been pitching so
well. So my prediction was true: Millwood goes only five. But not for
the reason I expected, so I won't take credit for this one being
correct, OK?
7:09:16 PM
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Millwood isn't showing signs of slowing yet
I didn't honestly think Millwood would get out of the fifth. He's
pitching better than I'd anticipated...or hoped.
End of 5 the guy has seven K's. His breaking stuff is fooling everyone.
I thought the final would be 4-2 Giants.
7:05:46 PM
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I wasn't expecting a no-hitter, but...
Did Chipper Jones, of all people, have to get the first hit? This guy's
a hot dog who just annoys me by being on the planet.
Typical Ortiz tonight. All over the place. Getting into trouble. Then
getting out again. Just another day at the office.
6:56:26 PM
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McCarver's wrong...
LaRussa is Manager of the Year<.h4>
TimMcCarver says Bobby Cox is NL Manager of the Year. Wrong. It's not
Bake, either. Both of these guys had talent and were expected to get
here. But LaRussa's Cards were not highly favored and a 3-0 rout of the
D-Backs in the first round should clinch it for him.
6:55:16 PM
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If Bonds keeps getting better...
Barry has his two best years at ages 37 and 38. So if he gets better
next year just give him a lifetime contract and a blank check.
What a blast. Opposite field. Holy mackerel!
Giants 2, Braves 0.
6:40:06 PM
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Crappy Umpiring
Neither the second nor the third strike to Kent was in the zone. Umpires
take the bats out of hitters' hands when they call strikes that badly. I
had been just about to write a note complimenting the home plate ump,
but those two calls were egregiously bad.
I used to be an official in six sports, including baseball. I also wrote
sports professionally for a lot of years. I think I know a little about
the situation. A good official is one you don't notice and don't
remember. In baseball over the past few years, umpires have become focal
points. They've changed the course of far too many games. This is
another case. Runner at 2nd, the ump makes it impossible for the guy to
hit.
Not a good move.
6:30:46 PM
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First-pitch swinging
Rich Aurilia just hit a soft fly to right on the first pitch from
Millwood. I think the Giants should be exerting more patience tonight.
Millwood will likely tire soon. Let's get his pitch count up. Let's not
jump on first and second pitches unless they're right in the wheelhouse.
FWIW.
6:27:16 PM
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I learned something here
I didn't play Little League, so I didn't know about what McCarver was
saying about why a runner at first holds his batting glove(s) in his
right hand...to avoid a splayed hand for spiking by the second baseman
on a slide. Cool insight.
6:11:07 PM
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Reggie! Reggie!
McCarver points out that Reggie Sanders hits the breaking ball and stuff
low in the zone better than high heat. Millwood misses twice high, then
goes to the curve low. Slap. Giants up 1-0.
So far, so good.
6:06:37 PM
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Timing of the game is suspect
There was no reason other than TV's demands for the Giants and Braves to
have to play a game after a cross-country flight. The players' safety,
the fans' enjoyment, the fairness of the game...all takes a back seat to
the money in the coffers. In a post-season that goes through October,
would it have killed the schedulers to put a travel day between games 4
and 5 of all of these series?
Nope. But TV wouldn't have it.
5:54:56 PM
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Are Braves fans the worst in baseball?
No sellout for a major, do-or-die game. The Chop (professional sports'
most offensive and meaningless fan gesture/chant). Completely
unappreciative of visiting superstars and teams. Just boorish.
I can't wait until the next round. If the Giants win tonight, we'll have
an NLCS with two of the best fan bases in baseball. The St. Louis fans
are awesome: knowledgeable, respectful, boisterous.
5:46:57 PM
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Nobody's Talking About Bonds and Money
Everybody is aware of the year Barry had. It was beyond awesome. It was
much better than last year, which only seemed better because of
the huge home run production. But I haven't heard anyone say something
that I think bears pointing out.
There is a tradition in pro sports that once a superstar gets his final
contract (or what appears to be the final contract anyway), he slacks
off. It's like the attitude is, "I finally got paid now for all the
stuff I've been doing for years, so I'm just going to sit on my laurels
knowing I'm secure." I'm not sure that's ever been real across the
board, though it has been true in some individual situations.
But here's Bonds, whom the media don't like to begin with, playing his
best baseball ever after signing his crowning agreement and we get
silence. All we're hearing now is how Barry isn't Mr. October. Hey, I
know that I'd love to see Bonds carry the Giants through to the World
Series. So would a lot of folks, including (lest we forget) Barry
himself. But you have to remember something: without Barry the past few
years, the Giants don't even make the playoffs. And this year, he
carried a team that was wounded, lacked a legit leadoff hitter, had too
little speed, and a slightly above average pitching staff.
I'm just saying.
5:44:39 PM
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I always enjoy Tim McCarver
McCarver is one of my favorite baseball commentators and writers. I
don't necessarily go with his comparison tonight in which he says Barry
Bonds sort of parallels the Braves in that both of them have been to the
post-season a lot but not been successful. I don't think you can compare
a team and an individual in that way, so I find the analogy wanting.
Still, McCarver is insightful and I expect we'll learn something very
interesting from him before the night's over.
5:39:57 PM
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I'm on AIM, too
On the ridiculously outside chance that you might actually be reading
this blog in real time, I wanted you to know that I've also got my AIM
open. I'm alkaline420 (yep, thatAl Kaline!). If you want to chat
during the game, ping me.
I am sooooooo wired. And I'm sooooooo wireless. This is sooooooo cool
for me, even if nobody's "listening".
Hmmmm. Wonder what that says about me. I probably don't want to know,
actually.
Thirteen minutes after scheduled start time for the game and we're still
listening to the sword rattler. (At least I assume most people are. I
have the TV on mute.)
5:16:38 PM
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Clinton and Reagn Would Never Have Done This
I'm trying something new. Blogging a baseball game. SF Giants in Atlanta
vs. the Braves in a must-win for both teams.
So what happens? Our current selected president decides to take this
time -- of all the times he could have chosen today -- to give a
freaking speech on a subject polls show Americans do not believe is the
most important topic facing us as a nation. Hell, it's not even second.
The only good I see coming out of this stupid move is that maybe his
popularity will drop enough that even his illegal attempts to remain in
office for another term will fail in the face of further degraded public
opinion.
The man is not worthy of the office.
5:06:29 PM
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Register is "Spot On" in Assessment of OS X Browsing Experience
The IT Register of the UK reviewed Jaguar and gave it mixed ratings as I would. One comment I found was right on the money. It was the last paragraph in the story but for me easily the most telling:
The third, and I'd suggest biggest drawback of using a Macintosh right now - and this is worse, not better in Jagwyre - is that the web browsing experience is awful. The lovely OmniWeb browser is undergoing a major overhaul, Chimera is promising but immature, and while the Mac version of Internet Explorer is preferable in several ways to the Windows version, in its OS X incarnation it's a serious disaster. To sell Macintosh computers to that huge middle ground between novices and geeks, Apple needs to offer a great browser.
1:40:15 PM
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Giants Will Win Tonight
OK, despite my somewhat dismal recent record in such things, I am going out on a public limb (all eight of you who read this Weblog) and predict that the San Francisco Giants will win tonight's game in Atlanta, 4-2. The difference: starting pitching. Kevin Millwood is going on three days' rest. Shouldn't be a big deal for a pro, but it is. Statistically, in fact, it's huge. Russ Ortiz, OTOH, goes with the customary four days' rest.
Some of the media have made a big issue of the fact that Millwood was sent to Atlanta early Sunday to rest up for the game while Ortiz was held back and had to red-eye to Atlanta with the rest of the team. I don't think that's nearl as big a deal as three-days-rest is. At least there's no statistical evidence of it.
And we all know stats don't lie, right? Right.
12:22:20 PM
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Good advice for how to write a Weblog
A List Apart by Jeffrey Zeldman is one of my favorite sites. I got to know the Z-Man when I was running the edit side at CNET Builder.com and spending all my time focusing on Web builders. Zeldman is one of the clearest thinkers and finest communicators (to say nothing of superb designers) in the space.
Some how, I missed this piece which Jeffrey published but didn't write. It's a good start on some basic ideas for writing a better Weblog. Obviously, not every blogger cares about this subject; the vast majority of people with Weblogs don't care if anyone outside their coterie of friends ever reads it. That's cool.
But if you're one of those people who fancy themselves as having something worthwhile to share with the world and you want a bigger blog audience, read that article as a starting point. This is a topic to which I'm going to devote some substantial effort over the next few weeks, so maybe I'll have some things to say to amplify what Dennis A. Mahoney says in that article.
11:42:47 AM
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Meta-Weblog Services
Does anyone know of Weblog sites that perform services for Webloggers?
Things like directories of Weblogs, places to announce new Weblogs,
central indexes of Weblog content?
I'm going to be spending some time today researching this question and
I'll post any helpful findings I encounter here but I wondered if anyone
had any ideas that might either not occur to me or be really valuable.
Thanks.
9:09:26 AM
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Hard to Believe I Could Be This Wrong
So the A's lose in the first round to the Twins. Huh? There's no
way that should have happened. The A's are far and away the better team of these two.
But the two teams I love to hate -- the Yankees and the Diamondbacks
-- are out in the first round. High payroll --- early exit. I love it!
So now it's Twins-Angels in the AL, Cards and either Giants or Braves
in the NL. I like my Giants' chances given Ortiz on the mound with
four days' rest and the Braves having to use a non-ace starter on
three days' rest. The home field advantage in Atlanta is all but zero.
I may have to give up altogether this predicting business. I used
to do it for a living. I think I was better at it then.
8:25:06 AM
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No Business Model YET
The Mass Amateurization of Journalism? [Dan Gillmor's eJournal]
Clay Shirky gets most of it right. Dan's reservations echo my own. There will be a business model. It may require us to factor in co-opetition, information brokering, and bionomic models.
But thinking about it is such fun!
2:05:43 AM
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If the Giants Let Bake Get Away, They Deserve to Lose Forever
OK, forever could be a bit of an exaggeration. But for a long time, OK? The inevitable barrage begins. My prediction: Dusty will be back with the Giants and he'll get a longer-term deal. He deserves it, the fans and players want him here, he wants to stay in SF if he can.
But the Mets job could be interesting to him if the Giants balk.
Giants' Baker On Mets' List. The Mets will likely contact Giants Manager Dusty Baker after the playoffs. Baker is in the final year of his contract. By The New York Times. [New York Times: Sports]
1:57:07 AM
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I'll stay with non-proprietary stuff, thanks. But interesting!
An interesting IE toolbar for writers: the Merriam Webster toolbar. [John Robb's Radio Weblog]
I love dictionary.com and I'm not at all sure what I'd do some days without Rhyme Zone, but I'll pass on this new IE toolbar from Merriam-Webster even though I think the idea's kind of interesting.
Both IE and Merriam are proprietary stuff. I understand why the toolbar has to run on IE for Windows only, but I don't like using stuff that imposes those kinds of restrictions. But if you have no such compunction, it looks intriguing.
1:55:00 AM
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Commercial Use of Weblogs?
I may have created a monster.
I was talking enthusiastically with a client this weekend about Web logs and how they work. He is an online marketer of some repute. He now wants to talk with me about putting together an eBook on using Weblogs as the next generation of online selling. He sees both the immediacy and the easy maintainability as being huge wins for folks who sell online information (eBooks, membership sites, eZine subscriptions, that sort of thing).
Does anyone know of any examples of folks using Weblogs for such purposes yet or will my client be a pioneer if he heads in this direction?
Any general thoughts (other than, "Omigod here come the spammers!")?
1:19:24 AM
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© Copyright 2002 Dan Shafer.
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