It is that time of year again. The time of year I attempt to blog consistently about the Yankees and inevitably end up failing by the summer. The good news? My longest Yankees blogging streak was last year and it lasted into July. So maybe I'll aim for August in 2012.
I've realized that my goal of blogging about every game with grades on each one was a bit over ambitious so I'm going to relegate it to series or "whenever I see fit" (aka "I don't know when I'll have time so this covers everything"). However, I will still be grading the Yanks for each game (although I won't be posting about each game) and do plan on issuing monthly "report cards" on the team.
So, as a little sneak preview here are some of the stats (Subjective grades) I've compiled thus far. A more comprehensive report will be forthcoming once April is.....OVER! (Blue Band reference)
I have used a simple GPA system for grading. A+ = 4.33, A = 4.00, A- = 3.67, etc. Yes you can get an F, that would be 0.00.
Offense thru 4/27: 3.12
Starting Pitching thru 4/27: 2.60
Bullpen thru 4/27: 3.47
Best Starter: Nova with a 3.50
Clearly the starting pitching has not been up to par and if I have time this weekend maybe I'll put together some stats on how the Yanks rate thus far in that department...it isn't pretty.
On a more timely note, good win for the Yanks tonight. Too bad Joe West can't get out of his own way. Like many, I can't stand the man and he is a terrible umpire who cares more about himself than the game. The prime example of that was when Russel Martin was plunked with a foul ball tonight and instead of Joe West walking the ball out to Mariano (the common practice--when either an ump or catcher gets nailed the other gives the victim a little time to shake it off), Joe decides to just keep on playing the game. We wouldn't want the game to go on any longer than necessary, would we Joe? Especially since he finds the Yanks/Red Sox 4hr+ games unprofessional. Jeez...what a joke. The MLB should get rid of him...oh wait he is the president of the World Umpires Association.
Now that that rant is complete...the Yanks did have a nice win tonight on the walk off wild pitch but no pies were forthcoming. I mean, you can't really pie Avila can you? Seriously though, that would have been hilarious for Swish (who may be taking over the pieing duties from AJ) to find Avila and hit him with some shaving cream. Wonder if AJ will be the pier in Pittsburgh...I mean, what else is he good for anyway?
Friday, April 27, 2012
Friday, April 13, 2012
A Tale of Two Series: Yanks 3-3 Start
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Well I guess that doesn't really apply to the first two series for the Yankees but at least I'm using a cultural reference to my title of this blog (quick, who wrote that novel?)
It was quite the series in Tampa for the Yanks leading off the season. Joe Girardi had a poor managerial season debut, CC got knocked around, Kuroda didn't show why the Yanks spent so much money on him, Mo blew his first save of the season. On the bright side, the Yanks did score runs (12 in 3 games) off of a quality Rays pitching staff (in fact Hellickson shutout the Bombers).
Fortunately, the Yanks schedule allowed them to face the curer of all problems...the Orioles. Despite Baltimore's 3-0 start, their pitching couldn't hold up against the Yanks, dropping the 3 game set to New York. Two of the games went to extra innings with the Yanks winning on a Raul Ibanez RBI in game 2 and a Nick Swisher HR in the 10th. Luckily the game didn't go longer, or New York could have run out of pitchers after depleting the bullpen in the second game of the series (that went 12 innings).
The Baltimore series showcased the Yanks brilliant bullpen and saw Rivera pick up his first and second save of the season. However despite the 3 wins, New York struggled with runners in scoring position (RISP) going .184 (7-38) and an abysmal 2-18 in the second game of the set.
In the end, it was a decent start to the season for New York despite the sweep in Tampa Bay.
It was quite the series in Tampa for the Yanks leading off the season. Joe Girardi had a poor managerial season debut, CC got knocked around, Kuroda didn't show why the Yanks spent so much money on him, Mo blew his first save of the season. On the bright side, the Yanks did score runs (12 in 3 games) off of a quality Rays pitching staff (in fact Hellickson shutout the Bombers).
Fortunately, the Yanks schedule allowed them to face the curer of all problems...the Orioles. Despite Baltimore's 3-0 start, their pitching couldn't hold up against the Yanks, dropping the 3 game set to New York. Two of the games went to extra innings with the Yanks winning on a Raul Ibanez RBI in game 2 and a Nick Swisher HR in the 10th. Luckily the game didn't go longer, or New York could have run out of pitchers after depleting the bullpen in the second game of the series (that went 12 innings).
The Baltimore series showcased the Yanks brilliant bullpen and saw Rivera pick up his first and second save of the season. However despite the 3 wins, New York struggled with runners in scoring position (RISP) going .184 (7-38) and an abysmal 2-18 in the second game of the set.
In the end, it was a decent start to the season for New York despite the sweep in Tampa Bay.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Winter Has Returned to State College After A Long, Harsh Summer...
I woke up this afternoon the sweet sound and smell of spring rain....I mean the harsh metallic pounding of sleet on my window.
Yes, it's April in State College and after a long, hot summer in March, winter has returned to central Pennsylvania. It won't be long now until the Christmas lights go up and carols are being sung in the streets.
All kidding aside, by the reactions of some people you would think this change to wintry weather is the apocalypse, that when it's 80 degrees in March, it's going to be 80 degrees until September. I mean, why not? That is one of the effects of global warming, right? That's what I've been told by MSNBC.
In fact, the average snowfall in April in State College is 1.9 inches and the record is 20.5 inches! So to all the complainers...after a March that was the 2nd warmest on record with an average high temperature of 59 degrees, numerous days in the 70s, and the 3rd least snowy March on record you have no right to complain about a little cool down in April--we were spoiled.
One important job of a meteorologist is to put the weather in context for the public. In this case, meteorologists should be communicating how UNusual March was but how USUAL this current weather is.
This blog post wouldn't be complete without my once a year hail vs. sleet rant (one of my biggest pet peeves as a meteorologist, along with using relative humidity instead of dew point to describe how sticky it feels outside--I'll save that argument for a different time).
I saw/heard many comments today, including from the official Penn State Facebook page, that it was hailing! I mean... like oh my god it's totally hailing outside. There must, like, definitely be tornado nearby.
Now I'm not going to condemn and put all the blame on the public for being so ill-informed because the fact that so many people don't know the difference between hail and sleet is partially the fault of meteorologists. We need to do a better job educating the public.
In any event, NO ONE saw hail today (in State College)--if you live in Texas you would beg to differ I bet :) What fell from the heavens today was sleet, or graupel (pronounced GRAW-pull), or ice pellets. Basically, you were experiencing partially melted and then re-frozen snowflakes. Technically there is a slight difference between graupel and ice pellets but that's insignificant to this discussion.
Simply put, sleet occurs from late fall through early spring (in the Northeast) and generally falls during a snow storm or showery type of event.
Hail on the other hand is formed by convection (aka thunderstorms). Ice particles in a cloud fall toward the surface of the Earth and partially melt. Before they fall out of the cloud though, strong winds in a thunderstorm pick the ice back up and throw it back high into the atmosphere where it accumulates more water droplets (thus adding to its size and weight). Eventually, once the hail stone becomes too heavy for the winds to keep it airborne, it falls out of the cloud as hail.
A quick (but not fool proof or scientific) rule for determining between hail and sleet is that if it is thundering, it's hail. If not, it's sleet.
And I'm done...
Sleet, a generally late fall through early spring phenomenon (in the Northeast), is formed when snowflakes high up in the atmosphere fall through a layer of above freezing air and partially melt
Yes, it's April in State College and after a long, hot summer in March, winter has returned to central Pennsylvania. It won't be long now until the Christmas lights go up and carols are being sung in the streets.
All kidding aside, by the reactions of some people you would think this change to wintry weather is the apocalypse, that when it's 80 degrees in March, it's going to be 80 degrees until September. I mean, why not? That is one of the effects of global warming, right? That's what I've been told by MSNBC.
In fact, the average snowfall in April in State College is 1.9 inches and the record is 20.5 inches! So to all the complainers...after a March that was the 2nd warmest on record with an average high temperature of 59 degrees, numerous days in the 70s, and the 3rd least snowy March on record you have no right to complain about a little cool down in April--we were spoiled.
One important job of a meteorologist is to put the weather in context for the public. In this case, meteorologists should be communicating how UNusual March was but how USUAL this current weather is.
This blog post wouldn't be complete without my once a year hail vs. sleet rant (one of my biggest pet peeves as a meteorologist, along with using relative humidity instead of dew point to describe how sticky it feels outside--I'll save that argument for a different time).
I saw/heard many comments today, including from the official Penn State Facebook page, that it was hailing! I mean... like oh my god it's totally hailing outside. There must, like, definitely be tornado nearby.
Now I'm not going to condemn and put all the blame on the public for being so ill-informed because the fact that so many people don't know the difference between hail and sleet is partially the fault of meteorologists. We need to do a better job educating the public.
In any event, NO ONE saw hail today (in State College)--if you live in Texas you would beg to differ I bet :) What fell from the heavens today was sleet, or graupel (pronounced GRAW-pull), or ice pellets. Basically, you were experiencing partially melted and then re-frozen snowflakes. Technically there is a slight difference between graupel and ice pellets but that's insignificant to this discussion.
Simply put, sleet occurs from late fall through early spring (in the Northeast) and generally falls during a snow storm or showery type of event.
Hail on the other hand is formed by convection (aka thunderstorms). Ice particles in a cloud fall toward the surface of the Earth and partially melt. Before they fall out of the cloud though, strong winds in a thunderstorm pick the ice back up and throw it back high into the atmosphere where it accumulates more water droplets (thus adding to its size and weight). Eventually, once the hail stone becomes too heavy for the winds to keep it airborne, it falls out of the cloud as hail.
A quick (but not fool proof or scientific) rule for determining between hail and sleet is that if it is thundering, it's hail. If not, it's sleet.
And I'm done...
Sleet, a generally late fall through early spring phenomenon (in the Northeast), is formed when snowflakes high up in the atmosphere fall through a layer of above freezing air and partially melt
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Temperature and the Trayvon Martin Case
Weather often plays a role in criminal investigations and Mother Nature has a small tale to tell in the Trayvon Martin shooting.
Originally, it was reported that George Zimmerman said "f'in c**n" (referring to Trayvon Martin). This was what audio experts at some news organizations as well as many members of the public thought the audio recording revealed. However, the word after "f'in" is quite hard to make out. Recently, CNN reported they made a mistake and Zimmerman actually said "f'in cold." There have also been some other ideas and many people say its impossible to tell what he actually said.
If Zimmerman did indeed complain about how cold it was, we can use weather data from that night to attempt to validate his claim. A look at the weather information from Sanford International Airport (KSFB) which is a little over 5 miles (as the crow flies) from the shooting location.
Shooting Time: 7 PM February 26, 2012
Temperature at 6:53 PM (KSFB): 63 F
Average High for Feb 26: 72 F
Average Low for Feb 26: 47 F
Clearly 63 F isn't generally referred to as cold...especially when it's February...even in Florida. However, as Dr. Jon Nese always said...temperature is all relative. Some in Siberia thinks 70 is HOT while a resident of Texas thinks 100 is a walk in the park but might think 50 is cold. (Side note: In Disneyworld a few years ago in January it was about 50 degrees and sunny and all the Disney employees were wearing wool coats and earmuffs...I was quite comfortable in a light jacket--again, all relative.)
Back to the Trayvon Martin case...I think many of us would say 63 F wouldn't be a temperature at which you would exclaim..."F'in cold". However, what was George Zimmerman used to at that time of night?
A look at high, low and 7pm temps for days leading up to the shooting...
Feb 23
High: 84
Low: 66
7 PM: 78
Feb 24
High: 89
Low: 64
7 PM: 80
Feb 25
High: 72
Low: 52
7 PM: 56
Clearly the 23rd and 24th were quite warm. Also, the dew points on the 23rd and 24th were in the 60s (making it feel more humid and uncomfortable). On the 25th, a strong cold front blasted through Florida dropping temps 10-15 degrees and dropping dew points into the 30s (making it feel much drier). However by the evening of the 26th, temperatures were moderating and dew points were back up to the 60-degree mark.
We obviously don't know what Zimmerman's idea of "f'in cold" is but 63 is quite chilly compared to the 78 and 80 experienced on the 23rd and 24th BUT quite warm compared to the 56 experienced at 7PM on the 25th.
Looking at other factors, it was not windy at the time of the shooting (7 mph) but it was rainy and overcast--which could have added to the chill.
While the above does not to try prove or disprove that Zimmerman said something about the cold, it is definitely possible that he was used to the 23rd and 24th and the 63 degrees felt quite chilly. However, it was warmer than the night before, but on the other hand it was raining.
In the end, there is no conclusive answer here, just more insight into a terrible tragedy.
Data gathered from Weather Underground archive (KSFB airport info). Publicly avaiable at Wunderground.com. Also surface weather maps consulted from the Hydrometeorological Prediction Center.
Data gathered from Weather Underground archive (KSFB airport info). Publicly avaiable at Wunderground.com. Also surface weather maps consulted from the Hydrometeorological Prediction Center.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
The Flowers Aren't Flowering and a Circus Tent...
Well, it's that time of year again. The worst two months of the year in sports are finally over (sans March Madness). The doldrums of February sporting events (I can't even watch SportsCenter in February) long in the rear-view mirror. As we flip the calendar to April, we can finally be excited about grass getting greener and the weather warming up (or in some cases the grass has been green for a month and temperatures have been warm since October--but what's a little global warming to shake things up a bit?)
There are two reasons to be excited for this week in sports: The Masters, and Opening Day.
Questions abound.
Can Tiger finish his comeback and win a major for the first time since he wrecked his car (and his life)? Will Hunter Mahan continue to impress? Can Rory McIlroy win his first major? Who will be victimized by the par-3 12th hole? Why aren't the flowers in bloom?
That's right, Augusta's flowers have gone green! Mother Nature and her extremely early spring can be thanked for that. The month of March finished over 8 degrees above average in Augusta. Temperatures broke 80-degrees almost daily in the second half of the month.
The unprecedented warmth caused the beautiful azaleas usually a staple of The Masters tradition to flower early. They are now green. So while the color we are so accustomed to seeing each year at Augusta will not be there in the foliage, I'm sure Ian Poulter's pants will still provide ample amounts of flashiness.
On to baseball...
What team will surprise the league this year? Will Mariano Rivera finally show his age? Who do I take as my final pick in my fantasy league draft? Will my fantasy team win it all this year?
The good news on the weather front (no pun intended) is that snow looks to be lacking for Opening Day. Good thing the Braves are on the road because it looks like a wet Thursday in Atlanta.
As far as the Yankees (because that's the only team that matters :) they play Friday under the big tent at the Trop. The circus is back...I mean baseball returns to SW Florida. Maybe someday they will finally finish that new stadium...but I won't hold my breath. For now, we still have to deal with the eye sore that is the Trop. At least the game won't be delayed with forecast of rain (unless the roof leaks or caves in).
I think I'll stop rambling for now. It's going to be another exciting season in baseball and golf and I hope to post a lot more in the next several months, especially regarding the Yanks.
There are two reasons to be excited for this week in sports: The Masters, and Opening Day.
Questions abound.
Can Tiger finish his comeback and win a major for the first time since he wrecked his car (and his life)? Will Hunter Mahan continue to impress? Can Rory McIlroy win his first major? Who will be victimized by the par-3 12th hole? Why aren't the flowers in bloom?
That's right, Augusta's flowers have gone green! Mother Nature and her extremely early spring can be thanked for that. The month of March finished over 8 degrees above average in Augusta. Temperatures broke 80-degrees almost daily in the second half of the month.
The unprecedented warmth caused the beautiful azaleas usually a staple of The Masters tradition to flower early. They are now green. So while the color we are so accustomed to seeing each year at Augusta will not be there in the foliage, I'm sure Ian Poulter's pants will still provide ample amounts of flashiness.
On to baseball...
What team will surprise the league this year? Will Mariano Rivera finally show his age? Who do I take as my final pick in my fantasy league draft? Will my fantasy team win it all this year?
The good news on the weather front (no pun intended) is that snow looks to be lacking for Opening Day. Good thing the Braves are on the road because it looks like a wet Thursday in Atlanta.
As far as the Yankees (because that's the only team that matters :) they play Friday under the big tent at the Trop. The circus is back...I mean baseball returns to SW Florida. Maybe someday they will finally finish that new stadium...but I won't hold my breath. For now, we still have to deal with the eye sore that is the Trop. At least the game won't be delayed with forecast of rain (unless the roof leaks or caves in).
I think I'll stop rambling for now. It's going to be another exciting season in baseball and golf and I hope to post a lot more in the next several months, especially regarding the Yanks.
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