Every team in baseball is the subject of at least one book that, if one is to call oneself a fan of that team, rates as a must-read. The Oakland Athletics have Moneyball. The St…. Read more »
Arm Side Run
The offseason is a sad time. Baseball games make being a baseball fan truly joyous. Even as a borderline addict of the game, I find the Hot Stove a bit stuffy at times. The nice… Read more »
Vin Scully does a straight-shot commercial during Los Angeles Dodgers games, promoting the team’s official partnership with 76, the gas-station chain, It’s a long-standing relationship, but if the people who run that company really want… Read more »
The 2013 Boston Red Sox put the lie to every weary narrative the mainstream baseball media has tried to shove down the throats of baseball fans over the past few years. They won without an… Read more »
It’s dark in the hole in which the Chicago White Sox find themselves, and the hardest thing about climbing out might be this: They’ve never really been down here before. The Sox last won fewer… Read more »
“A Balanced Schedule” is my daily feature, sort of an around-the-league-in-30-days thing. I think it’s fun and enlightening to keep tabs on all 30 MLB clubs, but it’s too tough for most fans to do… Read more »
Sorry for going silent at just the wrong moment, as it seems. I’ve been sick; my kids have been sick; my wife just got sick; and I still don’t have home Internet service. Beginning tomorrow,… Read more »
By the time a World Series makes its first scene change, the easy stories have been told, and the stock characters have been introduced. Each teams’ ace or aces have had their days, and even… Read more »
The St. Louis Cardinals stole fewer bases than every other big-league team this season. Contrary to what Tim McCarver told you, they’re a poor base-running team. The only virtue of their running game is that… Read more »
One of the most interesting things about the 2013 St. Louis Cardinals, and there are plenty, is the fact that so many fans and analysts so badly misunderstand how they work. It’s especially true of… Read more »
A series of unfortunate events decided Game One of the 2013 World Series. The St. Louis Cardinals made several mistakes, the Boston Red Sox took full advantage, and it was 5-0 after two innings. Adam… Read more »
It’s not that Game One of the 2013 World Series completely defies analysis. It’s just that, all things considered, it probably engenders more bad analysis than good. Hopefully this Series gives us more competitive and… Read more »
St. Louis Cardinals ace starter Adam Wainwright has a small platoon split, at least flying over it at 10,000 feet, and that might have led Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell into a mistake when… Read more »
I’m doing an end-of-season rollout bonanza, with some new features and types of posts that will become a regular part of Arm Side Run going forward. This one is called “Teach Him a Cutter!” but… Read more »
This is just a quick post to introduce a new feature, here at Arm Side Run. I’m calling it “Weaver’s Ghost,” in honor of Earl Weaver, the best tactical manager in MLB history. Weaver literally wrote the… Read more »
I’m over the moon here. I’m pumped. The 2013 World Series is upon us, and for baseball fans who really enjoy the game played at its highest level, this is Heaven. The Boston Red Sox… Read more »
The Los Angeles Dodgers have agreed tp sign second baseman Alexander Guerrero, a Cuban defector with no American professional experience, to a four-year, $28-million contract, according to Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com, with a handful of… Read more »
Imagine if Joe Girardi had elected to leave the New York Yankees for the Chicago Cubs, or even for the broadcast booth. Given everything else that has happened since the end of the season, managerial… Read more »
Cincinnati Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips might soon have the same title, but with a different employer. Trade rumors are encircling him as the MLB offseason approaches, and it looks like Phillips’s turbulent, disappointing 2013… Read more »
Jacoby Ellsbury hit the ball fairly sharply, but turning a double play would have been nearly impossible. Jose Iglesias got to the ball just behind second base, but he never had it, not even for… Read more »
The St. Louis Cardinals are National League champions for the second time in three years. Their 9-0 thumping of the Los Angeles Dodgers Friday night put an exclamation point on a series that showcased all… Read more »
I don’t know how Jose Abreu’s long and unparalleled success in Cuban baseball will translate to Major League Baseball. I don’t know if he will join the lineage of Paul Konerko, Frank Thomas and so… Read more »
Mike Napoli didn’t get a very good look at Anibal Sanchez the first time around. Sanchez had held Napoli’s Boston Red Sox hitless in his six innings during Game One of the 2013 ALCS, striking… Read more »
The news itself is a bit stale: Ryan Sweeney signed a two-year, $3.5-million deal to stay with the Chicago Cubs nine days ago. At the time, I thought little of it. The terms of the… Read more »
There really wasn’t much drama during Game Four of the 2013 ALCS. The Detroit Tigers won 7-3, and the score probably belied an even more lopsided game. It was 5-0 after two innings, 7-0 after… Read more »
When Adrian Gonzalez stepped to the plate in the bottom of the third inning Wednesday, with Game 5 of the 2013 NLCS tied at two, no Los Angeles Dodgers batter had hit a home run… Read more »
My brother-in-law has real live friends, at least on the Internet, instead of shouting his thoughts into the void 2,000 words at a time. He shot me an email yesterday afternoon, after a conversation on… Read more »
Peter Gammons speculated publicly this month that Tampa Bay Rays ace left-hander David Price could be a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2014. I have enormous respect for Gammons, his industry knowledge, his… Read more »
Mike Napoli is creatying a very positive post-season reputation for himself. His home run in Game 3 of the 2013 ALCS, off Justin Verlander, helped erase what has been a tough series for him otherwise…. Read more »
Justin Verlander didn’t get cute on Tuesday. He didn’t try to fool the Boston Red Sox, nor go looking for broken bats or quick innings. He just threw his fastball by one Red Sox batter… Read more »
