Peter Gammons and a bad analogy

We like Peter Gammons here at REALBBBB, we really do, but there's just one thing I saw in his latest column which had to be mentioned:

"But these are two very good, fun teams. Sizemore is the Derek Jeter of The Rustbelt,"

The only problem with that analogy is that it is dead wrong on 3 counts.
1. Sizemore hits for power, Jeter clearly doesn't
2. Sizemore is a very good defensive, whereas Jeter is not. Yes, we know he has won 3 Gold Gloves, but look at any advanced Fielding Metric (+- system, FRAA, Range Factor) and Jeter is average at best)
3. Sizemore is not overhyped in the national or even local media like Jeter is. Take a poll of national beat writers and see how many list Jeter as one of the top 10 players in the game and how many list Sizemore. Has anyone ever talked about Sizemore's "aura" or "prescence" or as a "True Indian"?? No, didn't think so..

More Proof that former baseball players are terrible analysts

Exhibit A-John Kruk on BBTN on Wednesday(?) maybe saying that Vlad Guerrero was AL Player of the Month. Not Alex Rodriguez. You compare the Numbers.

Player	HR	RBI	AVG	OPS	RC
AROD	14	34	.355	1.297	30.3
Vlad Guerrero	7	23	.366	1.165	24.3

But because the Yankees were in last place, Kruk asks, the Yankees are already in 5th, where would they be without AROD??

The real statistic to compare regarding each team's success would be this:
TEAM ERA LAA 3.65 (8th in baseball); NYY 5.02 (27th).

Exhibit B: From BBTN, on Friday May 4th, 11 PM edition. The host (I forget his name) asks Buster Olney and Fernando Vina to name the three best pitchers (it might have been NL--I forget) at this point in the season. NOT overall in baseball, but so far through the first 4 1/2 weeks of the season. Olney named Olswalt, Hudson, and Rich Hill. Vina named Jake Peavy, Brandon Webb, and..........Carlos Zambrano (is it just a coincidence I had all 3 of these pitchers on my 1st place fantasy team last year?). Yes, the same Carlos Zambrano who is 87th in ERA (5.80), 3rd in walks (22), who K/BB ratio is a miserable 1.32, has a WHIP of 1.61, and a DIPS of 6.26 (which ranks right up there with other standouts like Kei Igawa, Tomo Ohka, and Sidney Ponson). Yet he is one of the 3 (or 6 because Buster gave his 3 picks first) best pitchers so far this year...

Joe Morgan--babbling fool

Joe Morgan has a long documented history of saying things which are completely ridiculous, weird, ambiguous, and downright laughable. But how often does he say something that is completely wrong/false multiple times in a row, only to finally admit his mistake when confronted with video evidence. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner. Flashback to Sunday April 8, 2007 Boston vs Texas on ESPN. Bottom of the 1st, Mark Teixeira up, count 2-2, take it away Joe and Jon Miller:

Morgan - “He’s asking for a fastball away”

Joe Miller – “Strike Three called , a fastball away it was and that froze Teixeira.”

Joe Morgan – “I don’t think that was really a fastball away, I think it froze him, but I don’t think it really was away; It was supposed to be away. Let’s take a look here Jon, the pitch was supposed to be away but it wasn’t. He threw him a lot of offspeed pitches……Now this is supposed to be away, but watch.

<ed. note: Was the pitch away???? Joe sure doesn't seem to think so. Click here to find out if the pitch really was away>

<well, Joe???> Oh wait, I guess it is away. It was away on the outside corner.”

Brilliant, just brilliant. Now if only someone could fax him a copy of the Moneyball cover page to prove that Billy Beane had not part in writing it, we'd be in business.

P.S. To see his idiocy in full visual and audible detail, go here and use your MLB.TV subscription. Fast forward to about 23:35 and enjoy the magic.