Over the last few years as blogs have entered the mainstream for people seeking information on the internet, there's been a lot of controversy over what's kosher and what isn't with blogs. Whether people are getting upset about a blog saying they think a player may be using steroids without concrete proof, or posting pictures of athletes out at a bar with a bottle of Jack Daniels in their hand and a bevy of beauties on their arm, there are plenty of examples of blogs dancing back and forth over the line of what's responsible reporting and irresponsible.
But don't worry, this isn't another post about which side is right, and which side is wrong. No, this is just a post being put up on a blog to let the world know that it's not just bloggers who step over the line from time to time.
Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action, with a quick nod to what is ahead.
You Oughta Know ... That things got weird, awfully weird, at Petco Park on Sunday. The Diamondbacks carried a five-run lead into the ninth inning against San Diego thanks to seven innings of one-run ball by Dan Haren and a scoreless inning of relief by Tony Pena.
Then the wheels really fell off.
Juan Gutierrez and Chad Qualls surrendered five runs in the ninth, the last three of which came on a game-tying home run by light-hitting David Eckstein. Eckstein has 20 career homers in nine professional seasons, and a career slugging average of .359. So if you're keeping score, one of the most punchless players in the majors went deep in the most cavernous park in baseball, and things were only starting to get interesting.
From the Windup is Matt Snyder's extended look at some aspect of America's pastime each Thursday.
We're getting close to having three full weeks of baseball in the books. Astute fans know that it's definitely not enough to reveal the outcome of the season, but it's certainly enough of a sample to start drawing preliminary conclusions. Of course, you still have the occasional instance where home crowds boo their own players for one reason or another. Wednesday, for example, CC Sabathia was booed by about half the Yankee Stadium crowd when he departed after allowing six earned runs in 6 2/3 innings, upping his ERA to 4.81 on the season.
San Francisco Giants shortstop Omar Vizquel isn't playing in that many games this season, as he's only partaken in 14 of the Giants 51 games on the year. This after playing in no less than 144 games in the last 13 years (save for 2003 when injuries limited Omar to 64 games). It says a lot about Omar that he's been able to play in that many games throughout his career, and after playing on Sunday, there's nobody in the history of Major League baseball that can say they've played in more games at shortstop than Vizquel.
On Sunday, the 41-year-old established a new record when he played in his 2,584th contest, surpassing fellow Venezuelan Luis Aparicio for most MLB games ever played by a shortstop. Aparicio's record dates back to 1973.
"This is truly big and amazing," Vizquel said. "I'm proud of my accomplishment, considering that it was done against all odds. No one believed that I would play for so long, perhaps because I'm so short, or maybe because I didn't have a good throw, or simply because my offensive performance was not up to expectations. Today, however, we are here talking about records and history, which makes me feel truly proud of myself."
When Omar Vizquel gets his next hit, he will have tied Cal Ripken Jr. for career hits as a shortstop (Ripken still had about 700 more as a third baseman) with 2,478. Yes, as hard as it is to believe, Omar Vizquel is in the same breath as Cal Ripken Jr. -- as a hitter. For his career, Vizquel has 2,483 hits, placing him 85th on the All-Time list, and 5th amongst active players behind just Craig Biggio, Barry Bonds, Julio Franco, and Steve Finley. Because of his wizardry in the field, Vizquel's growth as an offensive player has often been overlooked. He went from hitting in the mid .200s early in his career, to regularly hitting over .290 with an OPS in the mid .700s. Vizquel's power numbers rose concurrently, as he boasts 73 career dingers, with a high of 14 in 2002. The Hall-of-Famer to whom Vizquel is most often compared,Ozzie Smith, had just double Vizquel's 2002 total during the his 19 year career.
So why bring all of this up? For one, Tony DeMarco brought the data to my attention. But on top of that, I've always gotten the sense that not enough fans appreciate Vizquel. Take for instance the three All-Star games Omar has made. He was trapped in a time when A-Rod, Tejada, Jeter, and Nomar ruled the AL, and offense took precedence over defense. Place him in any other league at any other time period, and he would've been a Midsummer Classic mainstay. Additionally, the man has been a truly amazing fielder, winning 11 Gold Gloves at shortstop, all the while playing on grass, not turf, and being robbed of a few others (please see Derek Jeter, 2004). So while Omar Vizquel's career winds down, take the opportunity to truly appreciate him for what he is -- one of the greatest shortstops of All-Time. He has always been a master in the field, and hasn't compromised much at the plate. Yes, in Omar Vizquel we have witnessed one of the best shortstops ever.
So far the start of the 2007 campaign has been a nightmare for Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge. Hitters always want to get that first hit of the season out of the way early because the longer they go without one, the more they start pressing, and it can lead to a pretty bad season.
The Tigers are six games into their season, and Inge is still looking for that first hit. He's 0-for-20.
As a result, Jim Leyland decided to give his third baseman a day off on Tuesday to get his head together.
"He's obviously struggled, so let's just get him away from it for a day," Leyland said of Inge. "Sometimes you're fighting to get that first hit, [and] people will keep reminding you, you don't have a hit, and sooner or later you start playing mind games. Just getting him away from it for a game [could help], and Neifi's 4-for-8 off this guy. We're checking out Neifi as well."
There is some good news for Inge because according to the Elias Sports Bureau his horrible start has increased his odds to make the Hall of Fame.
Brandon Inge, 0-for-20 in the Tigers' first six games, is on pace for a career year. How do we know? Because, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, two of the previous three players to go 0-fer after six games were Hall of Famers - Willie Stargell, 0-for-21 in 1970, and Ozzie Smith, 0-for-26 in 1979.
In those seasons Stargell ended up hitting .264 with 31 home runs and 85 RBi, while The Wizard of Oz finished up with a .211 batting average in his second big league season. (Special thanks to The Baseball Almanac for helping with Stargell and Smith's numbers)
Ok, so maybe Inge--who only hit .253 last season--shouldn't be very optimistic after all.
Over the last few years as blogs have entered the mainstream for people seeking information on the internet, there's been a lot of controversy over what's kosher and what isn't with blogs. Whether people are getting upset about a blog saying they think a player may be using steroids without concrete proof, or posting pictures of athletes out at a bar with a bottle of Jack Daniels in their hand and a bevy of beauties on their arm, there are plenty of examples of blogs dancing back and forth over the line of what's responsible reporting and irresponsible.
Starting Five
San Francisco Giants shortstop 
So far the start of the 2007 campaign has been a nightmare for Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge. Hitters always want to get that first hit of the season out of the way early because the longer they go without one, the more they start pressing, and it can lead to a pretty bad season.
