Player of the Game 2/26 also Nicholl Park Feedback

Post by **Baseball=Life** » Mon Feb 27, 2006 2:05 am

We managed to get in 9 innings before the floodgates opened somehow. It was an exciting, close game that went back and forth toward the end, and came down to the 9th inning, a huge gem at 3B by Pat to stop extra bases and a rally, drama...

I can't believe the team with 3 home runs (including a grand slam) and with many fewer strikeouts................. LOST THE GAME

It was fun. I think if I had to dole out a player of the game, it would go to Dan R., with the edge over Ken D (both had 3 doubles). Similar in terms of quality defense and offensive production.... But Dan had the luxury of having lots of people on base to drive in ----- 5 RBI, and he didn't have that pesky K Ken had. So, yeah, Player of the Game to Dan R. in my opinion.

Now, as for Nicholl Park. I think this field has a lot of pluses. Obviously the outfield needs mowing, evening out, etc. We did lose some baseballs--the foul ball coverage is not ideal there. But a big plus is it appears it will be accessible. I'm figuring at the very least this should be the default backup field, maybe more.

The infield was very smooth and accurate bounces, way more than at Curt Flood. Not true for the outfield though, the ball can take some crazy bounces/hops out there. I like the size of the field, although Will homering twice in the game already.... if he does that every time we play there, that's too much I think. We need to really check those dimensions in RF compared to Curt Flood again, and to also verify the other field at Nicholl Park (in the upper left in the photo) is useable or not. When I strolled through it it seemed like the infield was way too small.

tallguy · Post by **tallguy** » Mon Feb 27, 2006 8:44 am

I'm pretty sure I remember Will's second homer was also hit with a metal bat. It got so wet that some of the wood bats couldn't be gripped properly, that's probably why he switched back, to be fair. I had to do the same, and was going to call a second homer (if it happened) a double, it just didn't come up.
On a dryer day the wood bat rule could be enforced better, and we would have fewer HR. I'm sure Will could still hit them out, but it would be less often.
Next game, wherever we go we may have some trouble with standing water. The forecast I saw this morning basically said rain every day this week. Someone who lives close to Nicholls should go and take a look at it on Friday or Saturday, we need that info to help us decide where to go. Also I have demonstrated that standing water can be removed the night before a game to good effect, even over a cold night some drying occurs, and if nothing else it is less to do in the morning.

Post by **retep** » Mon Feb 27, 2006 11:40 am

Well, pine tar is the answer. I nearly lost my bat in my 7th AB, but used pine tar in my 8th and was just fine.

Also, I think that its worth a shot to play at the other field, where the RF line in about 20 feet deeper, and LF is about 10 feet shorter.

I agree that Daniel should get player of the game, but just want to shout out Ollie's game tying AND game winning hit in the 9th, and his 4 runs scored batting up in the order for the first time with us.

Also, I am happy with my own job... I felt for the first time in a while I did most of the little things right, had soem good ABs, and picked it clean enough at 1B. Man, I had been suckin' for a while there. I'm with ken, and we are both getting out of our slumps, I think!

Joe shmoe · Post by **Joe shmoe** » Mon Feb 27, 2006 1:12 pm

yes i also agree that you guys appear to be coming to be coming out of your slump. basically i feel things are returning normal with the league avg rising considerably and and mine falling like a rock.

Post by **retep** » Mon Feb 27, 2006 5:59 pm

Can I also bring back the fact Scott and Nick were scared that the teams were so mis-matched? HAHAHA!

I can attest to how good the infield was at first base. For example, that Web Gem plan Pat made came in on a single bounce that I scooped up: it was such a clean bounce.

However, it is much faster, which is a good thing (more DPs) but I did notice at SS some balls wouldn't bounce right the second times, and would flatten out.

Post by **Baseball=Life** » Mon Feb 27, 2006 6:24 pm

retep wrote:...the fact Scott and Nick were scared that the teams were so mis-matched..."

Yeah, you guys really did a great job winning that game. It was like the teams were "POWER" versus "CONTACT" and contact won. It certainly didn't help us that Pablo R. had to leave mid-game! He was 4/4 when he left!

Yeah, I LOVED how smooth that infield dirt was. I would completely be willing to dive for a ball on that dirt (unlike DeFrem and Curt Flood, where I'll dive, but not so willingly). Good point about more double plays with the faster infield.

I really hope the outfield speeds up when dry/mowed. I remember having that same concern about Raimondi a year ago (when we played an entire game with only a few extra base hits)....

It's somewhat out of the way, but not too bad.

Pat K · Post by **Pat K** » Mon Feb 27, 2006 7:05 pm

I agree Daniel would have to get the nod for player of the game. And Peter thanks for picking me up on that play in the 9th.

I think the field is a good middle ground between Flood and Defrem. It has the smooth all dirt infield, like Defremery. But with 90' bases it is not to fast for grounders. Infield grass is great, BUT when it is thick as shit(like Flood) it really slows all infield play. The 2 negative factors of the park would be the Outfield grass/bush and the distance from our beloved Oakland. The outfield ........ well thats for the outfielders to talk about. The distance well as long is not every Sunday(all season), I think it is a good alternative and I could deal with it. Just my 2 cents.

Post by **retep** » Mon Feb 27, 2006 7:18 pm

Coming from SF, it was only a bit longer of a trip than to CF, for those who wanted to know (however, the signage to get on the freeway was wack!)

Blancito21 · Post by **Blancito21** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 2:00 pm

Gentleman, thanks for the player of the game nod. Peter, I agree wth you that Ollie displayed a knack for clutch hits and should be seen as a 3-hole hitter on a weekly basis. Kudos to Pat for the game saving web gem (and the ride home).

I thoroughly enjoyed that field and would certainly wake my ass up a little earlier to play there if available everyweek. The ambiance is also to my liking because of the trees hovering behind home plate and the BART train passing by ever so often. Now, that being said, I don't know how much I would enjoy the outfield but hey, no field is perfect. Out of all the fields I've played on (GG, Defrem, CF) I would rank that one the best. Scott, your comments struck a chord and I have challenged myself to lay out if given the opportunity this week (at Nicholls). There were some balls I can clearly see in my head that I should have dove for. Pussy.

Quick mlb vs. park baseball rule clarification because it may affect my (and potentially everyones) stats:

In the ninth, Ollie was on 2nd and I hit a fly ball to right which Jason caught. On the catch Ollie tagged and advanced to third. Though he didn't go home, is this considered a sac fly and if so, do I get an at bat removed from my totals making me 5-7 instead of 5-8? Anyone?

Based on what I've heard so far the rain should stop by Friday eve./Saturday morn. but there is a chance for a repeat of last Sunday's conditions for us.

Post by **Baseball=Life** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 4:11 pm

Hey Dan, thanks for posting... To answer your question, yes AND no.

Yes, that would've qualified as a Sac Fly (and thus no AB). HOWEVER, we have a policy that stats cannot be changed retroactively. This is why it is crucial that everyone verify the scoresheet at all times. Minimally, people need to check the scoresheet before leaving the game. It's easier to confirm the validity of a scoring discrepancy when not much time has passed... the more time, the more difficult to confirm. Hence, everyone must make sure the Scoresheet is valid in-game and right after the game.

By the way, I saw you doing a good job of checking the scoresheet, this one must've just slipped by you.

Blancito21 · Post by **Blancito21** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 4:36 pm

Thanks for the clarification Scott. Actually it's funny, when I came back from the at bat Seth was doing the scoresheet and he was the one who informed me that under MLB rules that did not count as an at bat. Must've slipped by him or he wasn't quite sure as to where to remove the AB. (The conspiracy theorist in me believes since he and Richard were openly discussing going home to view the Yankee debacle vs. the Sox and I gave them the dirtiest look imagineable, he took it upon himself to stick it to the only Yankee fan around) Well that sucks...it changes my avg., aps. and slg. pretty significantly. I'll keep my own unofficial stat tracker with that one deleted at bat for my sanity.

On your other comment, I love doing the scoresheet, albeit when it's not disgusting outside and almost impossible to write and correct in pencil. I've played in organized leagues all my life and outside of college freshmen ball I never got a chance to keep track of my stats so I have a true vested interest in not only making sure my own are getting recorded but everyone elses for comparative purposes. I'm eyeing that hits lead big guy!!!!

Post by **Baseball=Life** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 10:30 pm

Hey, Daniel, check out this thread:

http://gohlkusmaximus.com/parkbaseball/ ... scotts+hit

Now check out how that impacted my season 2 stats:

http://www.geocities.com/dparkbaseball/stats-2.html

Note that Nick and I are "tied" for hits for Season 2. If I was given the hit I still feel was accurate/valid, I would've gotten more hits than Nick in the season (important to me). So, I can totally relate to what you're saying about how one mere hit or AB (or non-AB) can have far-reaching statistical impacts.

Joe shmoe · Post by **Joe shmoe** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 12:19 am

dan this is richard and your wrong

you werent the only yankee fan there was james. and on the red sox alcs note no team has ever come back from being 0-3 and won ever!! and as you are a misguided yankee fan that you are (one day i hope you will see the the light and realize that the yankees are evil) you must realize that you love the yankees or hate them.

however being player of the game is enough for you, you have to whine about one trival at bat. =P

Post by **retep** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 12:22 am

Joe shmoe wrote: however being player of the game is enough for you, you have to whine about one trival at bat. =P

HAHAHAHAHAHA.

Sorry Daniel, but... hehehe.

Joe shmoe · Post by **Joe shmoe** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 1:55 am

also while i am an oakland A's fan, first im a baseball fan. i just love the game. and thats why i dont like the yankees when a teams #9 hitter is robinson cano thats just wrong. i have felt that baseball needs to have an extraction ie the royals or the rockies or the devils rays. now i feel that if the yankees werent hogging all the talent the gaame would be way more interesting. i mean alex rodriguez SHOULD NOT be playing 3rd base, HE IS A FUCKING SHORTSTOP FOR CHRISTSAKE!!! (breathe richard breathe)

ok now i feel better (puff)

all i am saying is imagine the yanks only have 5 superstars instead of 12 also im not just dogging the yanks but all the big spenters

baaseball needs a salary cap

well i probaally should have maade this another thred :shrug: