|
Post by jonorose on Oct 8, 2006 16:09:47 GMT -5
At least the Red Sox won't win the World Series. I can take anything else.
|
|
|
Post by jonorose on Nov 11, 2006 8:54:53 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by jonorose on Jul 18, 2006 7:16:11 GMT -5
You also sometimes have a situation where a team might favor a wicketkeeper because he is more productive offensively over a guy who plays better "D", as you have in baseball with a guy like Mike Piazza.
A real gem is a wicketkeeper who gives you great defense as well as great offense, like Australia's Adam Gichrist, who is arguably one of the greatest power hitters in cricket history. Gilchrist was actually scouted by the Red Sox a few years ago.
|
|
|
Post by jonorose on Jul 18, 2006 7:07:18 GMT -5
Not many teams today that would keep 5 specialist bowlers AND and an allrounder. I would say that usually you have 5 specialist batsmen, one wicketkeeper (who generally can bat), one allrounder (although often this might be someone who is a good middle order batsmen who can bowl SOMEWHAT) and 4 specialist bowlers.
More than that, in test cricket nowadays the tendency is to go with 3 seamers, 1 spinner and a couple of batsmen that can bowl a bit, unless of course you're playing on a real turner.
Its no surprise that some of the the most valuable players (not neccessarily the ones with the biggest stats) in History are genuine allrounders. Gary Sobers, Richie Benaud, Ian Botham, Imran Khan, Kapil Dev, Richard Hadlee (nowadays Andrew Flintoff and Jacques Kallis). What an advantage it is to have a strike bowler that is also a top order or middle order batsman. Strange that Australia traditionally has not had many top class, genuine allrounders (except of course Richie Benaud).
|
|
|
Post by jonorose on Apr 2, 2006 2:08:09 GMT -5
Its a great story Mets.
|
|
|
Post by jonorose on Jul 4, 2007 7:39:09 GMT -5
check out www.israelbaseballeague.com for more info. They're supposed to have some of the games avaiable online. Also, the opening game was supposed to be shown on PBS at some stage. BTW, there have already been 2 no hitters, and one game where a team game back in the top of the 7th inning (games are only 7 innings) from a 5-0 deficit to win 10-5.
|
|
|
Post by jonorose on Jul 3, 2007 7:07:15 GMT -5
6 games per week. They don't play on Saturdays (Jewish Sabbath)
|
|
|
Post by jonorose on Jun 30, 2007 12:35:23 GMT -5
6 teams, 45 game schedule
|
|
|
Post by jonorose on Jun 30, 2007 1:20:00 GMT -5
Hi Guys. Haven't been around in a long time, but I wanted to give you some news about the Israel Baseball League.
It got underway on Sunday (June 24th) and 3000 people were there for opening day. I didn't go, but the game was televised live on an Israeli sports channel. In fact once a week a game will be televised.
Yesterday I went to my first game - took 2 of my kids.
The crowd was pathetic (maybe 50 people).
The standard was ok. Lots of stupid errors, but I think that was to be expected. They'll get better as the season progresses.
The real surprise was one of the pitchers. Abel Moreno - a 24 year old from the Dominican Republic - was throwing 90 Mph (they had a radar gun). Apparently he was a former prospect in the Angels organization. He threw a 3 hit shutout.
Anyway, it was fun to go to a baseball game in Israel, I will definately go to some more games. Hopefully the crowds will start to build, though I have to say I'm quite pessimistic. Its just not a sport for Israelis.
|
|
|
Post by jonorose on Nov 26, 2006 2:55:53 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by jonorose on Nov 12, 2006 10:55:34 GMT -5
Imagine an all-israeli team with koufax and Hank greenberg on it. Great, now you gave me an idea. All-time Jewish team 1B - Hank Greenberg 2B - Rod Carew (converted) 3B - Al Rosen SS - Lou Boudreau C - Brad Ausmus OF - Shawn Green OF - Sid Gordon OF - Elliott Maddox (converted) util - Kevin Youkalis SP - Sandy Koufax SP - Steve Stone SP - Ken Holtzman SP - Dave Roberts SP - Jason Marquis CL - Scott Radinsky American Spy - Mo Berg (if you don't know his story, look him up. VERY interesting life) Not too shabby! 6 MVP awards (Greenberg 2, Carew, Boudreau, Rosen, Koufax), and 4 Cy Youngs (Koufax 3, Stone) by my count.
|
|
|
Post by jonorose on Nov 12, 2006 10:38:54 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by jonorose on Nov 11, 2006 8:54:53 GMT -5
So I went along to check out the tryouts for the upcoming professional Israel Baseball League.
Overall the outfield talent was dismal, the infielders and catchers a little better, and some of the Pitchers looked pretty good.
Unfortunately all I saw was the fielding and pitching. I didn't hang around long enough to see anyone swing a bat.
I did see Dan Duquette though and he gave a rousing welcome to everyone and expressed confidence that Israel would perhaps be represented in the 2008 WBC
|
|
|
Post by jonorose on Dec 26, 2006 7:25:36 GMT -5
Is Boras the only one, or is he just the agent the press likes to pick on because he is more successful than the others?
|
|
|
Post by jonorose on Dec 10, 2006 3:25:21 GMT -5
Fernando Valenzuela Valenzuela is referenced many times in the baseball film Bull Durham. He was famous for the way his eyes looked as he was delivering the baseball, a technique main character Annie Savoy refers to as "breathing through your eyelids like the lava lizards of the Galápagos Islands." Annie tries to teach this technique to Nuke Laloosh so that it will improve his pitching. She also says that Valenzuela did this because he was a Mayan Indian. Or an Aztec, she can't remember which (and no one else in the film knows either).
|
|