The Hound Of Ulster

We almost had 47-year-old Barack Obama throwing out the first pitch at the Nationals’ home opener this week, minutes before 46-year-old Jamie Moyer threw out the real first pitch for the Phillies. So it got us to wondering about this momentous matter of vital national interest:

When was the last time any pitcher started a game who was older than the president of the U.S. of A?

The easy guess is during the John F. Kennedy administration, but sorry. That would be incorrect. The actual answer:

When he was 59 years old, Satchel Paige started one game for the old Kansas City A’s on Sept. 25, 1965. Was it a gimmick? Absolutely. But Paige was still 2 years, 1 month and 20 days older than President Lyndon B. Johnson at the time. So a note’s a note.

And that, according to our research, is the only time this has ever happened. In fact, the only other really close call came in 1993, during the Bill Clinton administration. Nolan Ryan and Clinton were both 46 years old for most of that season — but Ryan was 5 months and 12 days younger than the president. Oh, well.

Of all of Ramirez’s glowing statistics and accomplishments, nothing stands out as this: In 16 Major League seasons, he has played on one with a losing record, and his teams (Cleveland and Boston before Los Angeles) have gone a cumulative 368 games over .500.

It appears to be DONE.  I like that Ned and Frank pretty much paid him what they offered him 4 1/2 months ago.  Way to stand firm, guys.  (Not sure what this means for Boras.  I’m sure he’ll spin it into a “win,” though.)

Stark’s got a bit MORE.
 
 

Sort of.  At least this ARTICLE is written by the same guy that wrote Moneyball.  And it tends to focus on the same idea; the “there’s more to the sport than meets the eye, or than is understood by the common man/scout” claim is just as interesting in basketball as it in in baseball.  Actually, it’s probably a bit more interesting, given the increased importance a single player has in the sport.

Interesting side article HERE which suggests that the Rockets have been better this season with Battier playing while “star” McGrady is hurt than with McGrady playing while Battier is hurt.  Course, McGrady’s been trying to play through a pretty serious injury; that might have something to do with it.  Even a Moneyball-inspired GM would be reluctant to pick Shane over McGrady.

I’ve always enjoyed Battier, for some reason.  He seems like the basketball equivalent of Scott Hatteberg: someone that the “traditionalists” can’t (or don’t) appreciate because his skills don’t ”look right.”  But they can be difference-makers in their own right.
 

I don’t really follow the NBA.  I don’t really care about the NBA trade deadline.  And I don’t know enough about the players to understand half of what Simmons is saying HERE.

And yet, I love it.

20. Al Jefferson
(Shaking my head.)

(I happened to be watching when he tore his ACL on Sunday and did the “no, no, no, come on, no” routine and everything. Ruined my night.)

(He’s my favorite non-Celtic, hands down, nobody else comes close. Durant is second, Duncan is third, Ginobili is fourth, Brandon Roy is fifth … and Sasha Vujacic is last.)

(The symmetry between the most ingenious low-post player of all-time coaching the kid with the best current low-post moves — and the kid suddenly making The Leap as a result — was almost too good and too cool to be true. I feel for everyone in ‘Sota. It always sucks when someone gets hurt, but when it’s a good kid who matured as a player and person, took less money to stay on a crappy team, then became The Man with little to no help and no veterans to guide him? Then it really sucks.)

(I can’t talk about it. Hence, the parenthesis. Just know that he was No. 9 on last week’s list.)

Very funny stuff, even if you don’t know anything about the NBA.  Course, I think a large part of my appreciation is the fact that he makes so many movie/TV references.  So I’m guessing that The DUCK will have absolutely no way to relate to this column.  (Not that this will bother him, but I’m just saying…)

BONUS.
 

That was the rookie A-Rod.

And this is the “New and Improved” version.

Definitive?  Of course not.

But then, we don’t really need this sort of guesswork any MORE, do we?

NEYER and WOJCIECHOWSKI have commentary, and The Daily News’ John Harper HOPES we don’t forget about Orza and Fehr.
 

…to find that gambling is going on in HERE.”

Barry Bonds tested positive for steroids four times in drug screenings conducted between 2000 and 2003, according to court documents unsealed Wednesday by the federal judge who will preside over the home run king’s perjury trial next month in San Francisco.

Take it right HERE.

It’s not so much that the fellow writing the blog is a nerd.  (He might be, but I doubt I’m in a position to tell for sure.  There are scouts who certainly think so.)

It’s that those who recognize the guy writing the blog are nerds.

LA Dodger nerds, to be precise.
 
OK, fine.  I recognized him.  And I think I’m actually going to keep track of him.  One of the most unjustly reviled folks in recent Dodger history.

Pipe down, Duck.

(Bonus Nerd Material HERE.)
 

ESPN’s Jayson Stark has his “Strange But True” year-end ARTICLE up.  There’s some truly crazy stuff in there.  My favorite:

• CRAZY EIGHTS DEPT.: But for sheer hits-are-optional creativity, it was tough to beat the eighth inning of a Sept. 5 A’s-Orioles game. How goofy was it? So goofy that the A’s got one hit in the inning — and scored EIGHT runs. Along the way, there were six walks, four bases-loaded walks, a hit batter and the only grand slam in the major-league lifetime of Rakin’ Rajai Davis (who had entered the game that inning, as a PINCH RUNNER). Before that inning, naturally, the A’s hadn’t scored more than five runs in a whole GAME in 40 consecutive games. And no team had scored eight runs or more in an inning while getting just one hit (or zero) since the 1959 White Sox.

(Starks’ got another fascinating ARTICLE over at ESPN this week, as well.  Weird economic times in the MLB, and no mistake.  I noticed Martin’s name on that list.  Is that a bad sign for the FUTURE?  Loney and Kemp can’t be far behind.)