tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941261488380355005.post2000994129745538896..comments2024-03-15T06:52:56.445-07:00Comments on Raising Matt Cain: B-Craw!M.C. O'Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12258035192484655635noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941261488380355005.post-73361332877222925392013-12-30T13:40:57.169-08:002013-12-30T13:40:57.169-08:00Spitting ... or worse - don't forget about Moi...Spitting ... or worse - don't forget about Moises Alou & his callous treatment.Ronnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941261488380355005.post-57857919052025326952013-12-30T13:16:50.000-08:002013-12-30T13:16:50.000-08:00It's interesting how fraternization between pl...It's interesting how fraternization between players has really changed in our lifetimes. It was verboten back in the day. Now they jaw with each other all the time. I remember that Barry always yakked with the field umps whenever there was a break in the action. I always thought that was smart--he respected them and, in turn, got a lot of borderline calls. He was a different animal between the lines than he was in the real world.<br /><br />Don't Japanese players salute or bow to the homeplate ump before on their first at-bat? I think that's a pretty cool custom. I don't know about handshakes--with all that damn spitting going on, I'm not sure I'd go there.<br /><br />M.C. O'Connorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12258035192484655635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941261488380355005.post-9203645482465990342013-12-30T11:56:20.906-08:002013-12-30T11:56:20.906-08:00So, yesterday, I found out that we get a channel c...So, yesterday, I found out that we get a channel called Latin American Sports. It is pretty cheesy (poor video quality, amateurish [mostly Mexican business hotels] ads, etc.), but what really caught my attention was Cuban League Baseball! After watching the end of a Puerto Rican League game, I watched several innings of a match-up between Industriales & Holquin. From what I've been able to gather on the Internet, I think that the game was actually played on Saturday. It was quite interesting. The broadcast seemed to be legit (from Cuba, with guys who had Cuban accents). Their crowd shots were very short - I'm pretty sure that that was on purpose. There were occasional pans of Havana - I recognized one building from photos I've seen before. The unit of measure for the fence distances were only feet??? Most of the equipment had unrecognizable logos, although there were a few UnderArmor wristbands & a couple of familiar looking mitts. Only about 50% of the guys wore batting gloves. I got to see Alexander Malleta hit his 200th career HR in the 'National Series'. The coolest thing about Cuban league baseball? When a batter comes to the plate for the first time in a game, he shakes hands with the Umpire & the other team's Catcher!Ronnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941261488380355005.post-27413618503567314602013-12-23T08:02:08.596-08:002013-12-23T08:02:08.596-08:00IIRC Crawford also had a unsustainably high HR/FB%...IIRC Crawford also had a unsustainably high HR/FB% during the early part of last season - all the rest of his numbers were mostly in line with or slightly improved on his career numbers, but for whatever reason a ton of his FB were getting out of the park. So I'm not sure whether the second half was him being injured, or the random luck falling back to earth. The HR/FB% ended up being around 7% (his career rate is around 5%) but for a couple months there it was like 20% or something ridiculous like that.<br /><br />That said he's a fantastic defensive SS, and it's reasonable to think that he's going to improve as he matures, and I really enjoy watching him play, and I hope he hits fantastic next year.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941261488380355005.post-48366935022321972612013-12-23T07:58:56.473-08:002013-12-23T07:58:56.473-08:00Funny - my wife has a thing for catchers, too. Pa...Funny - my wife has a thing for catchers, too. Particularly catchers who tend to be reliable at the plate. Matheny caught her fancy and, of course, Buster. But let's say B.Craw's stats weren't trending up. Would that mean he was less valuable? He was put there as a young man because of his glove. The Giants needed strength up the middle, hence they got Pagan, Crawford and Scutaro in the line-up, and it worked. Crawford's glove put him on the team and his bat is a bonus. But yes, I think that with his confidence level and potential, he can be a better contributor to the offense than he has been in the past. And that's a good thing - more offense from everyone.Zonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941261488380355005.post-56532540774472336262013-12-22T15:27:09.843-08:002013-12-22T15:27:09.843-08:00When you think about the young talent the organiza...When you think about the young talent the organization has produced since drafting Cain in 2002, it is mind-blowing: Timmeh, MadBum, Romo, Belt, Posey, Hanchez, BCraw, Panda, and lest we forget Wilson and JSanchez.<br />M.C. O'Connorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12258035192484655635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941261488380355005.post-79986542085732955702013-12-22T15:09:25.443-08:002013-12-22T15:09:25.443-08:00Love it. As a paying member of the peanut gallery...Love it. As a paying member of the peanut gallery, gotta say your choice is top shelf.<br /><br />Last years stats really have to be taken with a grain of salt, that wrist injury he sustained sliding into the base messed with his hitting big time. <br /><br />One of the biggest stories people missed on was Craw's injuries. So playing through the pain, that was big time. But the injuries, particularly in the Eastern, covered up his stat line and made him look like a lesser prospect. As we've found out, he is a greater prospect.<br /><br />Love for him to hit ST in the best shape of his life, go grab some headlines.Shankbonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04803824507120403397noreply@blogger.com