The Truth Shall Set You Free...or So Cole Hamels Thought

Cole Hamels of the Philadelphia Phillies decided to plunk rookie phenom Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals in the back in the first inning of their game Sunday.

When asked about it after the game, he admitted he had done it on purpose. His reward for telling the truth? A 5-game suspension from Major League Baseball.

Maybe he shouldn't have been so honest. Or quite frankly, maybe he shouldn't have hit Bryce Harper in the first place...

Cole Hamels Pleads Guilty!

Joey Votto's OPS is now .939. Just Sayin'. Joey Votto Jersey Fund!

I have never bought a player's jersey in any sport. It's time to buy Joey's. Gonna start a savings fund. $10 every time Joey is responsible for 3 or more runs (runs+RBI) in a ball game. Today's win against the Astros primes the pump with $10! 1 run, 4 RBI!

A Big Milestone for the Reds!

Woot!

Moneyball? Meh...Movie Review - Moneyball (2011)

I love baseball. I am a statistics freak. I've been known to keep a scorecard at baseball games. I have a formula that I use to determine weekly Major League Soccer Power Rankings and predict Major League Soccer matches.

I monitor RottenTomatoes.com to see the critics' consensus on movies to determine if I want to see the movie in a theater. Rotten? Forget about it. Ripe? I might consider it, as long as the subject matter interests me.

So out comes a movie, Moneyball. A story about Oakland A's General Manager Billy Beane (played by Brad Pitt), who has to figure out how to form a team with a limited payroll to compete against the big money clubs in Major League Baseball. He hires an economics major as his assistant (played by Jonah Hill) who has the ability to analyze statistics to measure the value of baseball players, thus uncovering "undervalued" players to form a team.

This method of scouting goes against the cultural norms of baseball scouting, providing a great backdrop for the movie.

This movie was ready-made for me.

Baseball? Check.

Statistics? Check.

Great actors? Brad Pitt? Jonah Hill? Philip Seymour Hoffman (playing Manager Art Howe)? Check.

A 94% ripe rating on RottenTomatoes.com? Check!


This movie can't fail!

I was completely underwhelmed.

Don't get me wrong. The movie is OK. The premise is good.

However, I couldn't empathize with the Billy Beane (or Brad Pitt's portrayal of him) in the movie. Maybe it was his ego. The movie tries to show Billy Beane's vulnerabilities, but came up short.

Jonah Hill's character, Assistant General Manager Peter Brand, was somewhat funny. I just felt like I had seen it before, the stereotypical shy nerdy smart-type who is trying to make his way amongst the grizzled veterans in the sport. And how many times do I need to see Jonah Hill do the uncomfortable high five in a movie? Seen it before.

Moneyball misses the mark as it tries to be too many things. Is it a drama about the conflicts of work versus family, or an "us against them I'll be proven right" story, or a biopic on Billy Beane as the trailblazer in the application of sabermetrics to build a successful baseball team?

The movie seems to run too long. Heavy on dialog, as would be expected, but short on the interesting banter I would have expected in the interactions between the characters.

My expectations may have been too high. I can take responsibility for that. But for me Moneyball was, well, meh...

New foursquare Badge, The ESPN Foam Finger Badge!

I'm on a bit of a hot streak. Yesterday I unlocked the Man v. Food Nation Badge, today I unlocked the ESPN Foam Finger Badge.

I have looked at several blogs to try to figure out how I actually earned the badge. I know when I earned it. My wife Tammy and I went to the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies Baseball game tonight at Great American Ball Park. When I checked in on fourquare, I got the badge.

To get the badge I know you have to be following ESPN on foursquare.

The game tonight was nationally televised on ESPN. As best as I can figure if you check-in to a venue that ESPN has left a tip for (and they have left a tip for Great American Ball Park) you earn the badge. I think...Or it may have something to do with the fact that an ESPN event (Monday Night Baseball) was going on there.

ESPN Foam Finger Badge

ESPN Foam Finger

Your voice is raspy. Your legs are sore. Your team couldn’t do it without you. High five, you’re a true sports fan.

Unlocked by jiresell on Mon Aug 29, 2011 at 6:49 PM at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, OH.

 Philadelphia Phillies vs. Cincinnati Reds

Brandon Phillips! Winner, Winner Cardinals Dinner! Reds Win! 7/15/11

What a way for the Reds to start their post All-Star break run to the National League Central Division Title! Brandon Phillips hits a two-run, walk-off home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to beat the St. Louis Cardinals!

Brandon Phillips Greeted at Home! (Associated Press)

My wife Tammy and I went to the game at Great American Ball Park tonight. We were both there for the brawl between the Cardinals and Reds last year. Tonight's game was an emotional roller-coaster for me, but boy was it nice to see Brandon Phillips stick it to the Cardinals tonight!

One game at a time. Let's go Reds!

Remember Reds' fans, keep those (Pete) Rose-colored glasses on!

Stay Classy Derek Jeter

Derek Jeter is one of the greatest shortstops to ever play the game. He is also one of the greatest New York Yankees ever. He is the Yankees' Captain, and has won 5 World Series'.


Derek Jeter has also been known to be one of the class acts in all of baseball.


Derek Jeter is 36 year's old. Last year he had the worst season of his career at the plate, and even though he won the fifth Gold Glove of his career, he certainly showed signs of aging.


This year he is off to a horrible start, judged not only by the standards he has set for himself, but also by baseball in general. After 28 games he is batting just .250, with 0 home runs and 6 RBI. His OPS is only .580 and his WAR (Win Above Replacement Player) is -.1, both numbers by far the lowest of his career.


It is tough to watch a great player's skills decline. But it's inevitable. Some handle is with grace and class, others, well, not so much...


I would like to think that Derek Jeter would fall in to the former category. But it sure feels like he could slip into the latter. When the Yankees rewarded him this past off season with a 3-year, $51 million dollar contract (which by all accounts he would not be worth based on his statistics and age, but was more than worth based on intangibles such as leadership and as a fan favorite) Jeter reacted impetuously. He was accused of being money hungry and selfish during the negotiation, and reacted in the press conference announcing his signing by saying: 


"I was pretty angry about it, but I let that be known," Jeter said. "I was angry about it because I was the one that said I didn't want to do it, that I wasn't going to (test the market). To hear the organization tell me to go shop it when I just told you I wasn't going to, if I'm going to be honest, I was angry about it."


"It all started with my (reported) salary demands, which still cracks me up," he said. "What position am I in to demand a salary? Give me this, or what? Where am I going?"


This Thursday, Yankee's Manager Joe Girardi decided to give Derek Jeter the day off. The Yankees were 12 games into a 16 game stretch and Girardi, as is his job, is certainly looking to make sure his star shortstop is healthy throughout the whole 162 game season. In addition, Jeter was 0-9 in his career hitting against Tiger's starter Rick Porcello.

Again Jeter did not react well. When asked for his reaction he said:

"It's always difficult not to play, but yeah, anytime you feel like you're having good at-bats and you're swinging the bat well, you want to continue," he said. "But today, that's not the case."

Asked if he was "upset" about not playing, Jeter said: "Upset? You mean like I want to fight somebody? No. I'm not happy, but I'm not upset about it."

Derek Jeter is going to reach 3000 hits for his career this summer. He is a lock for the Baseball Hall of Fame. His reputation as a player and a person is impeccable. He needs to come to terms with where he is in his career and maintain the decorum we have come to expect from him.

Stay classy Derek Jeter!

Opening Day in Cincinnati-"And This One Belongs to the Reds!"

This year it was my youngest son Michael's turn to go to the Cincinnati Reds' Opening Day with me. Cincinnati's Opening Day traditions are unlike any other in baseball.

Michael and Me at Great American Ballpark Today

It begins with the Findlay Market Opening Day Parade in downtown Cincinnati. Cincinnati Reds' Hall of Famer Joe Morgan (one of my all-time favorites) was this year's Grand Marshall. Over 190 bands, dance groups, floats, politicians and businesses marched in the parade, which followed a route from Findlay Market in the Over The Rhine neighborhood past Fountain Square, a total of 2 miles.

Of course Great American Ballpark was sold out for the game between the Reds and the Brewers. The sun was out, which made the 45 degree temperature quite bearable.

(The Enquirer/Cara Owsley)

The Reds won the game 7-6 in the bottom of the 9th on a walk-off 3-run homer by catcher Ramon Hernandez! It was a great way to end an Opening Day Game. Maybe this will lead to a wire-to wire World Championship like the 1990 Cincinnati Reds. My son Michael posted this on his Facebook Page:

Michael Sell

Best Reds game of my life. Perfect way to end opening day. Walk off by Hernandez. Unbelievable.




He is right!

Ramon Hernandez Greeted at Home Plate in the Bottom of the 9th

You can read all about the game on the Reds website:
Hernandez's Heroics lift Reds on Opening Day

Pete Rose at Opening Day 2011

It wouldn't be Opening Day in Cincinnati without a Pete Rose sighting in the ballpark. The crowd got a glimpse of Pete Rose in the 3rd inning, and he of course drew a big cheer.

I love Pete Rose, but the jacket and hat...someone needs to dress that guy!

The best lines about Pete's outfit were from Scott Van Pelt's (ESPN anchor and radio host) Twitter posts:

notthefakeSVP Scott Van Pelt 

Pete Rose.....transcendent http://twitpic.com/4fer6m

notthefakeSVP Scott Van Pelt 

Worth one more look @ ole Chuck Hustle just murdering fools in his Lid lifter get up (no annoying channel id) http://twitpic.com/4fesbx

notthefakeSVP Scott Van Pelt 

What happens to a dude? You just wake up one day and go- where's my clown hat and my Joseph and the amazing techincolor dreamcoat jacket at?

Happy Birthday to Me!

You Say It's Your Birthday Na Na Na Na NaNa NaNa! (think Beatles)

Today is my Birthday! I'm 48 years old...

I won't dwell on getting older, but I'll use the opportunity to list the things I wish to happen for my Birthday:

I want my Daughter Mallory to have a successful academic career at University of Pittsburgh now that she has been accepted to graduate school there. Oh, and I'm very proud of her getting her Athletic Training degree at The Ohio State University this Spring!

I want to figure out how to get my son Brian to New York City! His dream is to live and work there...we're going to figure out how to get it done!

And soon my youngest son Michael will graduate from High School! I want him to find a college that fits his interest and makes him happy!

On a much less serious note...

I want a  2011 National League Pennant for the Cincinnati Reds!

And a 2011 Supporters Shield for The Columbus Crew!

I Think I Need to Get Out of the Prediction Game

I picked the Pittsburgh Steelers to win this year's Super Bowl.

I only predicted two of tonight's Oscar winners correctly. Aaron Sorkin for adapted screenplay (The Social Network) and a lucky guess on Natalie Portman for best actress in Black Swan. I didn't even see her performance.

I suck at predictions. Based on my track record, I am not picking the Cincinnati Reds for this year's National League Central Division Champs.

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

MLS looking to unveil regular-season schedule on Feb. 10

MLS Commish Don Garber-Thinking About Releasing the 2011 Regular Season Schedule

I am a huge Major League Soccer Fan and a season ticket holder of the Columbus Crew. The first match of the season is Tuesday, March 15th, 2011. 39 days away.

Guess what? The MLS hasn't released their regular season schedule! Crazy right? For a league on the upswing this is very disheartening for me.

I have seen quite a few complaints on Twitter from fans and soccer journalists/bloggers about this situation. Today's press release from MLS soccer says they will unveil the regular season schedule on February 10th. That is 33 days from the first match.

I am not aware of any major sports league in the United States who waits this long to release their schedules.

Quote from the press release: “Assembling the schedule begins after MLS Cup and involves several interdependent factors including competitive fairness, international competitions, stadium availability, broadcast windows and club preferences,” the league said in a statement released Friday. “The 18 home openers were announced Dec. 20, and we have waited until the entire schedule is complete before making it public.”


What an insult to MLS fans. Major League Baseball has 30 teams that play 162 regular season games each. They released their tentative schedule on September 14th, 2010, before the end of last year's season. Does the MLS really think they have more factors to consider than Major League Baseball?


I drive 4 hours round-trip to Columbus from Cincinnati to watch the Crew play. I also subscribe to MLS DirectKick on DirecTV. There are thousands of other fans that invest time and money to follow their favorite teams. MLS is disrespecting it's fans by not releasing it's regular season schedule in a timely fashion.

Happy for Bert Blyleven!

One of the most deserving players that should be in the Baseball Hall of Fame received that honor today!

Bert Blyleven, in his 14th year of eligibility, made the Hall of Fame today, along with Roberto Alomar.

I have always thought it was a travesty that Blyleven wasn't in the Hall. He played in the Major Leagues from 1970-1992. He was known to have a devastating curve ball. He currently ranks 5th all-time in strikeouts (3,701, one of only 16 pitchers who have more than 3,000 in their career) and has 287 wins. He played for 6 teams and won the World Series with the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates and the 1987 Minnesota Twins.

The rise of sabermetrics as the measure of a player's real value was probably the reason that Blyleven finally made the Hall. One of my favorite websites is http://www.baseball-reference.com/. This site has everything you would want to know statistically about every ballplayer that has played the game. WAR is a statistic that measures a player's value in terms of runs saved or created for his team and then into the number of wins the player adds to his teams total. It then compares that win total to a replacement players total. Bert Blyleven ranks 13th amongst all pitchers all-time in that statistic! In fact, Blyleven ranks above Hall of Fame pitchers Christy Mathewson, Bob Gibson, Nolan Ryan, Steve Carlton and Fergie Jenkins!

Blyleven's inclusion in the Hall is well deserved. I am very glad to hear he has made it. My attention now to shifts to Barry Larkin, who finished third in this year's voting. 2012 will be his year!

RedsFest 2010 (Professing My Undying Love For All Things Reds!)

RedsFest 2010 Program Cover

This past Saturday my wife and I decided to go to the annual Cincinnati RedsFest held at the Cincinnati Convention Center.

I grew up in Las Vegas. I remember listening to Dodger games and Vin Scully on a local radio station. It would have been 1972, when I was nine years old. At the time the Western Division of the National League had the Dodgers, Braves, Padres, Giants, Astros and the Cincinnati Reds. For some reason I remember liking the Reds; Johnny Bench, Pete Rose, Tony Perez. I think it may have been that at the time there was only two baseball games on TV a week, the NBC Saturday game of the week and a Monday night game. It seemed as though the Reds played in more of those games than any other. I listened to the Reds on the radio when they played the Dodgers (at that time 14 times a year). I also played the APBA baseball board game with my friends, and always used the Reds team cards.

Of course, the seventies was the Reds' decade. I remember Pete Rose and Bud Harrelson of the New York Mets fighting in the 1974 playoffs, the Carlton Fisk World Series game 6 home run, but the Reds clinching in game 7 in 1975 and the 1976 playoff and World Series sweeps.

in 1979 our family moved to Cincinnati, and although the Big Red Machine had been dismantled by then, my favorite Red, Johnny Bench, was still here.

Fast forward to today. Baseball is still my favorite sport (although I blog more about soccer) and the Reds are still my favorite team. This past summer I went to 10 games, including my first opening day, the game Steven Strasburg of the Nationals pitched, the brawl with the Cardinals, and the home playoff game against the Phillies. The rest I either listened to on the radio (Marty Brennaman and Jeff Brantley have to be the most entertaining radio pair since...Marty Brennaman and Joe Nuxhall!) or watched on TV.

I don't think any other team holds an event like RedsFest. $17 admission included a voucher for a view level ticket for a game this summer, a Reds mug and a Reds string bag. There was an opportunity to get free autographs and photos with the players (and it seemed as though all the players were there). There was lots of memorabilia to peruse, Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame displays to see, and entertainment for kids. Joey Votto walked right by my wife and me on the RedsFest floor (bigger than I thought) and I bought a Yankees Flex 4-pack of tickets (Yankees coming to Cincinnati this year). I even got my picture taken with George Foster!

A Blurry Picture of Me and George!

I understand a record 21,000 people attended RedsFest this year. Optimism is obviously running high in anticipation of another National League Central Division Championship!

Nothing could be better for a Reds fan like me to get ready for the 2011 season!

Cincinnati Reds Website

Opening Day Haiku's!

Cincinnati Reds
Opening Day. Father and
Son, Living a Dream!

A Parade With Grand
Marshall, Johnny Bench. Driving
In Style Down Race Street!

Pete Rose, Where Are You?
Cincinnati Has Left Seats
at Will Call For You!

The Harangotang
Striking Out Pujols, For An
Opening Day Win!

And This One Belongs
To The Reds! Another Win
Broadcast by Marty!

Pete, Ken, Joe, Johnny,
Tony, George, Davy, Cesar.
Best Line-Up Ever!