MLB 2007

[Lammycat]

He's got about 15 years before he clears waivers.

[Analogman]

Tom Glavine took the mound for baseball's first game April 1 and went six solid innings to earn a win. In the ensuing week, John Smoltz, Curt Schilling, Jamie Moyer and Orlando Hernandez all recorded victories as well.

 

On Saturday night, Sammy Sosa and Frank Thomas each blasted a home run that traveled over 400 feet. Not to be outdone, Barry Bonds showed that he still has a little speed to go with his power, stealing a base to go along with homer No. 735 in Week 1.

 

Wait a second, is this 2007 or 1992?

 

Last April, 47-year-old Julio Franco became the oldest player in major league history to hit a home run. For good measure, he did it again in September -- more than a month after turning 48. Franco broke into the majors in '82 -- that's right, a quarter of a century ago -- and is back with the New York Mets this year as a reserve first baseman with intentions of playing until he's 50.

 

While Franco is used only in a supporting role, however, many of his contemporaries will make or break their team's season. The Mets' Glavine (41), Boston's Schilling (40) and Atlanta's Smoltz (turning 40 on May 15) are all staff aces. San Diego expects key contributions from pitchers Greg Maddux (40) and David Wells (43), as does Philadelphia from the 44-year-old Moyer.

 

And then, of course, there's Bonds, who hit seven homers in spring training for the Giants and, at age 42, appears nearly certain to get the 21 more he needs to break Hank Aaron's all-time record -- performance-enhancing drug allegations notwithstanding.

 

All told, 21 players on active major league rosters have seasonal ages -- their age as of June 30 -- of 40 or higher. Move the benchmark up a few years, and more than 15 percent of major leaguers (115 of 750) have a seasonal age of at least 35. And those figures don't include players on the disabled list -- like Arizona pitcher Randy Johnson (43) -- or 44-year-old free agent Roger Clemens, who will receive untold millions if and when he makes his annual midseason return.

 

This bounty of older players is a recent phenomenon. At least 113 players 35 or older have appeared in the majors each season this decade. Through the rest of baseball history, 100 players of at least age 35 had appeared in only one season: 1945, when 106 older players appeared while young stars like Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio were fighting in World War II.

 

Fewer teams existed in years past, but the percentage of older players has also risen. In the 1970's, 5.1 percent of players were 35 or older. That figure rose to 8.2 percent in the 1980's. After a dip to 7.0 percent in the 1990's, the proportion ballooned to 10.6 percent this decade -- more than double what it was only 30 years ago.

 

And these players aren't just taking up a roster spot and playing the role of clubhouse veteran. Prior to 1982, batters with a seasonal age of 35 or older had never hit more than 232 home runs in any season. They've homered at least 565 times in each season this decade, including 588 last year and a record 756 in 2004, when Bonds hit 45 long balls at age 39.

 

Older pitchers have been just as productive. Thanks in part to Tommy John surgery, more pitchers can enjoy long careers now than in any previous generation. In the 1970's, pitchers with a seasonal age of at least 35 accounted for only 6.2 percent of all wins recorded in the major leagues. Through the first seven years of this decade, that percentage has jumped to 12.7.

 

In 2006, older pitchers combined for 316 wins -- more than double the 148 they recorded just 10 years earlier, in 1996.

 

The simplest, yet most telling, measure of how important these players are may be the number of All-Star games in which they've appeared. In that category, the numbers are undeniable. In the 1960's, a total of 36 players made the All-Star game with a seasonal age of 35 or older. Fifty-nine such players earned the honor in the 1970's, 55 in the 1980's and 60 earned the honor in the 1990's.

 

So far this decade, 67 players age 35 or older have been named to All-Star teams. That's already a record, and if the pace sustains itself the number will reach 96 after the 2009 Midsummer Classic.

 

The surge is not for a lack of young talent either. Last year's MVPs and Cy Young award winners -- Justin Morneau and Johan Santana in the AL, Ryan Howard and Brandon Webb in the NL -- were all 27 or younger. But the numbers show that more players are now remaining productive through their late thirties, and even into their forties, than in any other era.

 

Why is that? The reasons vary. Advancements in medicine. A focus on nutrition. Year-round training. The dangling carrot of multimillion dollar contracts has made long-term fitness more profitable than ever for high-caliber athletes. All of that has combined to make 40 the new 30 in baseball.

 

I wonder what Ricky Henderson is up to these days.

[Lammycat]

Felix Hernandez pitched a gem of a game against the Sox: complete game shutout/one-hit.

[MrRain422]

CRAIG MONROE!!!

 

*pumps fist*

[Duck-Billed Catechist]

He kinda does that a lot, doesn't he?

 

I was following the box score of that game and wondering what the hell kind of bullpen strategy the O's were using. Don't have any relievers that can go more than one inning? Bradford threw only 9 pitches!

[bobbob1313]

He kinda does that a lot, doesn't he?

 

I was following the box score of that game and wondering what the hell kind of bullpen strategy the O's were using. Don't have any relievers that can go more than one inning? Bradford threw only 9 pitches!

 

I was hoping you'd be on aim tonight because I wanted to tell you about the Joe Borchard sighting tonight. He hit a homer.

 

It was amazing. The dude in the stands who caught it caught it with his bare hand while talking on the phone.

 

To recap: Joe Borchard; home run; dude catches home run; bare handed; one handed.

[Sir Stewart]

Walking home from watching the first few innings of Daisuke's Fenway cherrypop, I saw LUIS TIANT eating dinner in my hood's Cuban restaurant!!! I walked by twice, giving thumbs up the second time, but he didn't see me. EL TIANTE!!!

[Lammycat]

Sweet on the Tiant sighting. One of my favorite pitchers to ever don a Sox uni. Great pitcher, especially in the post-season.

 

You should have fired up an El Tiante cigar with him....

[Sir Stewart]

What's cool is I was already thinking about him as I watched Daisuke take the mound. My friend, who's gone now, went to Pedro's first Fenway game as a Sox pitcher - and sat in front of El Tiante. He had Luis sign his ticket, and kept that ticket on his fridge up to the day he died. Somethin' in the air last night.

[Lammycat]

That's cool. Sorry about your buddy.

 

Pedro (among many other pitchers) has always looked up to Tiant and has mentioned the impact he's had on his career and as a human in the past.

[cryptique]

I walked by twice, giving thumbs up the second time, but he didn't see me.

That's because he had turned his back to you.

[darkstar]

Sweet on the Tiant sighting. One of my favorite pitchers to ever don a Sox uni. Great pitcher, especially in the post-season.

 

You should have fired up an El Tiante cigar with him....

 

 

When I was a kid and we were playing ball I would always try to pitch like El Tiante....you know that crazy almost cork screw motion he had. As much as I love the Sox still it's those guys from the 70's I always remember.

 

Louie, Yaz, Dewey, Rico...etc

[tongue-tied lightning]

Mr. Zambrano is going to get one rotten contract if he keeps pitching this way

[PigSooie]

I didn't see this posted anywhere, but the Twins released the renderings for their new ballpark. It should be interesting playing in an open air stadium in MN in early April or October. Sweet yard though.

 

http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/news/articl...sp&c_id=min

[cryptique]

I didn't see this posted anywhere, but the Twins released the renderings for their new ballpark. It should be interesting playing in an open air stadium in MN in early April or October. Sweet yard though.

 

http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/news/articl...sp&c_id=min

It looks like they haven't learned from the mistakes of new Comiskey, at least in terms of how their upper deck will sit.

 

Also: seriously, an open-air park? I know they had one before the Humpdome, but I guess I expected them to go with some kind of roof.

[PigSooie]

Also: seriously, an open-air park? I know they had one before the Humpdome, but I guess I expected them to go with some kind of roof.

 

 

They said that a retractable roof was going to cost too much money, but if you're building a new stadium do it right.

[MrRain422]

They've been fighting for that stadium for so long, though, that I think they probably were just happy to get anything. I agree that a dome or retractable dome is the best option for Minneapolis, but I think in this case the option was open-air stadium or no new stadium at all. And hey, other cold weather cities have done okay with open air stadiums. Sometimes it's cold early on in the season, but it usually isn't too big of a problem in places like Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland (okay, really bad example).

[rareair]

Mr. Zambrano is going to get one rotten contract if he keeps pitching this way

 

he is consistently horrible in april, but still wtf was today? ugh.

 

at least soriano is crushing the ball, prior and wood are back on track and the cubs bullpen is in solid shape.

[MrRain422]

I thought Prior got hurt in his rehab start the other day.

[Duck-Billed Catechist]

Yes, all of that is sarcastic.

 

Prior and Wood are both seeing specialists today, Soriano is slumping, etc.

 

Great Lou Pinella press conference right now, but he may be playing the Lou Pinella character.

[MrRain422]

Ah, I guess that shows how closely I follow the Cubbies. And I don't think the frowny face was showing up for me before. Or else I'm just blind. Oh well.

[MrRain422]

Congratulations Indians fans (are there any here?). It looks as though you'll finally be getting your home opener tonight.

[rareair]

the closer debate's latest chapter:

 

papelbon in with a three-run lead, two on, and no one out in the eighth.

[Lammycat]

the closer debate's latest chapter:

 

papelbon in with a three-run lead, two on, and no one out in the eighth.

(There was one out, actually).

 

Facing Vlad. Throwing all fastballs, gets him out on a 97 mph pitch. Out of the 8th with only six pitches.

[Lammycat]

Sox tacking on 6 runs to a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the same inning ensured Papelbon to have effectively done the job, and Timlin closes in the 9th.

 

A good use of the closer in a situation cited earlier in this thread, though there are still plenty of managers who would not have made the move to put Papelbon in to clean out the heavy hitters in the 8th.