I think it's time to remove HoF and MVP votes from the writers. Much different world now than it was a century ago.
Do I remember correctly that he threw very few curves?
If I were an MLB team, I would be looking at this constantly. And it wouldn't even be that hard. Employ 2 people to create pitch overlay videos of your staff and your upcoming opponent's staff. Something like this:I feel like the analytics / technology is making tipping that much easier to do. Any slight difference in pitching delivery, I bet advance scouting is trying to correlate it to pitch types, and if it's a high correlation, you got tipping.
So when everyone says how is the team not catching this sooner / needing outside people like Gagne to catch it, I say, you gotta be perfect on mechanics or you might get exploited in today's game.
They should hire you-- that is really cool what you've done!If I were an MLB team, I would be looking at this constantly. And it wouldn't even be that hard. Employ 2 people to create pitch overlay videos of your staff and your upcoming opponent's staff. Something like this:
Then just spot the outlier movement / position / timing, isolate that layer, and you've found the tell. If you want to go crazy, you could lock off cameras from different angles to check it from every direction.
Are teams not doing this? Should the Red Sox hire me now??
It's worth remembering that what got Price pissed off at Eckersley was Eck ragging on one of his teammates (and a young player fighting through an injury, to boot). Sure, I thought it was an overreaction, and one likely based on misunderstanding of Eck's meaning--I heard Eck's "yuck" as more commiserating than contemptuous--but still, if you want to be obnoxious in a way that will endear you to your teammates, that's how you do it.I feel really good for David Price. The most interesting thing to me was to see how strongly his teammates clearly felt about the guy, yet there are still people writing stuff like “he’s still a prick”. And why?i because he got pissed off at Dennis Eckersly. Bizarre. I love Eckersly as an announcer, but for all I know he might personally be a gigantic asshole. I have no idea. But I do know that if all his teammates love the guy, than David Price is probably a pretty good guy, and he finally exorcised the demons. And that’s great for both him and the team. I couldn’t care less how he responds to the media.
I was wondering about his feelings on it. In his post game presser Price said how happy he was for Pearce and he knew the 2nd HR in game 5 wrapped up the award for him.Actually, I thought he looked thunderstruck when Pearce got the award.
Pretty much this. I also think it's possible he's better the next 4 years, though not likely. Here's hoping he has a Justin Verlander type resurgence. Even 4 more years of the same would be great.What is the dollar value of 1 WAR now? A few years ago it was about $9 mil. I assume it always goes up year-to-year. Can Price be an average 3 WAR pitcher over the next three years? If he stays relatively healthy, I think so. But even if he declines somewhat, he could still be a solid #4 starter and by 2021 good #4 starters could very well be earning close to $30 mil. At the time of his signing, I thought the Sox overpaid, (not my money so I didn’t much care,) but after Price’s MVP-worthy post-season performance, I now think the Red Sox got their money’s worth no matter what happens going forward.
It doesn't actually seem to do that. The market has tightened in recent years, and the value of 1 WAR appears to have stalled at around $8M, at least according to FG. Here's a look at Price's last five years with fWAR, FG estimated $ earned, and what that computes to in $/WAR:What is the dollar value of 1 WAR now? A few years ago it was about $9 mil. I assume it always goes up year-to-year.
I think being an OBNOXIOUS (key word) Asshole is exactly what makes some people think Eck is a good Broadcaster (I am not a fan but 30 years of understated Remy will do that).I love Eckersly as an announcer, but for all I know he might personally be a gigantic asshole.
Whoa, your opinion of Eckersley is so far out of line with that of the vast majority of people around here. Also, have you seen the things he did with Kirk Gibson, the guy that nailed him with the gigantic home run in the 1988 World Series, this year? Those things took a ton of class. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion though.I think being an OBNOXIOUS (key word) Asshole is exactly what makes some people think Eck is a good Broadcaster (I am not a fan but 30 years of understated Remy will do that).
His "High Cheese" and "Eat Meat" Shtick is annoying to some(Many?) on air....so it would be no surprise if he is (A.) like that in person, and (B.) Similarly annoying. RedSox and MLB all timer but I would strangle him with a mic cord after a 3 game series if I had the opportunity.
All that said Price may also be an asshole (albeit a good teammate asshole). 2 Assholes often clash.
Everyone seems to love Eck, but okay. Dude signs autographs with Kirk Gibson.I think being an OBNOXIOUS (key word) Asshole is exactly what makes some people think Eck is a good Broadcaster (I am not a fan but 30 years of understated Remy will do that).
His "High Cheese" and "Eat Meat" Shtick is annoying to some(Many?) on air....so it would be no surprise if he is (A.) like that in person, and (B.) Similarly annoying. RedSox and MLB all timer but I would strangle him with a mic cord after a 3 game series if I had the opportunity.
All that said Price may also be an asshole (albeit a good teammate asshole). 2 Assholes often clash.
52 here and I love Eck.I would be really curious to see if there's a generational divide about Eck. It occurs to me that his style is very much a 60s/70s, surfer/Deadhead kind of thing, and may not read the same way for younger audiences. To me it sounds like even when he's being blunt and critical, there's always something laid-back and even gentle about his delivery that removes most of the sting. But I can easily imagine how viewers with a different frame of reference might not hear that.
So you’ve established that Kirk can be an a-hole? Awesome. Not sure what that was to do with Eck.Home run or no, I don't think palling around with Kirk Gibson absolves someone from assholery.
I’m completely satisfied with what we’ve gotten from David so far. Isn’t the whole point of these massive contracts to get your money’s worth in the first few years and then deal with the decline anyway? Furthermore, I think he’s the kind of pitcher that can adapt to diminishing velocity as he ages. He was firing 95-96 throughout the postseason but I know that we’ve seen him have success at around 91-92 as well. All in all, I’m happy that he’s sticking around.
I'm not yet convinced that he can win throwing 91-92 consistently. One of the things that he was able to do this postseason was adjust his mechanics so that he was back to throwing 93-95. Those few extra mph make a difference.
During the playoffs, they showed Price's performance in the 2008 ALCS and he was pitching ... 95MPH. Plus, his stuff looked almost identical a decade later. Will be interesting to see how much of it he can maintain going forward.Certainly, he's better at 93-95. I have some confidence given his control and his ability to adjust his pitch mix that he'd adapt if his velo stuck down in the low 90s, too....but I agree that's not a certainty.
Are you really this obtuse?Home run or no, I don't think palling around with Kirk Gibson absolves someone from assholery.
Doesn't he joke around about a teammate stealing his wife too?Are you really this obtuse?
No one was claiming that “palling around with Kirk Gibson” had anything to do with anything. Rather, the point was about Eck’s ability to put aside his personal failure (related to the game in question) and take part of a celebration of that moment.
The article you linked to here could not be farther from being relevant to this discussion.
Yes, he jokes about it. But the joke is at his expense, as he will admit if he’s being serious and is asked to expound on it. Although, again, I don’t know what any of this has to do with Price.Doesn't he joke around about a teammate stealing his wife too?
Yeah, I meant that in favor of Eck.Yes, he jokes about it. But the joke is at his expense, as he will admit if he’s being serious and is asked to expound on it. Although, again, I don’t know what any of this has to do with Price.
Apologies. The entire digression gnaws at me.Yeah, I meant that in favor of Eck.
Hey man, I agree. I hate to bring up Price v. Eckersley too. I was maybe the tenth poster in the discussion, but I'm sorry if I struck a nerve.Apologies. The entire digression gnaws at me.
No idea why we have to relitigate a moment that both parties regret in the aftermath of a postseason that went as well as this one did.
56 here, and I think Eck is the best color guy I’ve ever heard.52 here and I love Eck.
Second that. I meant currently working, not ever.51 here d Eck is the 2nd best in IMHO. Can’t beat The Hawk in the late 70’s. Probably has something to do with watching the weekend games with my grandfather, but Stockton / Harrelson was the best.
This 53 year old and my 24 year old both love Eck.I would be really curious to see if there's a generational divide about Eck. It occurs to me that his style is very much a 60s/70s, surfer/Deadhead kind of thing, and may not read the same way for younger audiences. To me it sounds like even when he's being blunt and critical, there's always something laid-back and even gentle about his delivery that removes most of the sting. But I can easily imagine how viewers with a different frame of reference might not hear that.
Gibson's Parkinson's diagnosis makes this nothing like Buckner and mookie.Yeah obviously I dont know Eck (or Price). So both or neither could be assholes in some way shape or form. (as most of us are. Except Mookie Betts, he is a national treasure.)
Again personally his "cool guy" shtick rubs me the wrong way. I dont like his style but understand that many do.
I was just saying that anyone can rub anyone the wrong way.
A for instance, a poster above (who i tend to agree with) mentioned that Eck speaks like he is "a ball player".
Even though I dont like it per se, I can see how he has earned that right IMHO. Price may feel otherwise. He is not a "part of this team", he played "20 years ago." "He wants to be one of us but shits on us".
We all know the old guy at the club who tries to hard to fit in with the young guys. Maybe that was *part of Prices beef. Maybe Price felt that when you "Cross the line into media" (and its necessity to be critical) you lose a right to be "one of the guys".
The big problem is assuming that Price was all wrong, and Eck was all right. The 3rd side of the story is probably is closer to the truth.
Showing up to throw a pitch at the WS could be considered cool. Or it could be considered the act of an attention whore. I wonder what A's fans thought.
Seems like (and I could be totally misremembering) Bucker and Mookie Wilson doing something together caused this place to go apoplectic 15 years ago.
It's the conundrum or risk reward of being a Boston sports star. The fans and the media can be rough. But I don't think there's another market where you will be as beloved if you do well. It's the flip side of the same coin. I just don't think you could have one without the other. Dave Roberts played for the team for 2 months, never got a postseason at bat, and his most famous moment was that he was safe by a matter of inches down a run down and down three games to our most hated rival. And he never has to buy a beer in Boston and we actually are feeling bad for him for losing the world series even though his doing so means we won it. It's Boston yin and yang. I'm glad Price got some yang.
Agree that Eck is great at color commentary due to insights and his gift of gab may only be second to Hawk Harrelson.I find Eckersley easily the best color guy for the Sox and saying (with very minor and occasionally no censoring) what's exactly on his mind is part of that. Between that, his palpable enthusiasm for the game, the actual insight he sometimes offers, and his gift of gab, he blows the competition away (again, for me).
BEFORE mookie’s slam.It doesn’t hurt Eck’s cause that he sounded a lot like Cheech and Chong with the “it’s time to party” line after Mookie’s epic Grand Slam off pitch 13.
Didn't Price acknowledge he figured something out in the bullpen during game 4? And hasn't it been suggested that he may have been tipping and the Yankees and Astros were on to it?Nothing to do with the Eck/ Price brouhaha in this post, so you might want to skip it.
I have been watching the alds and alcs today, and have been struck by how badly Price pitched against the Yankees and how unimpressive was his first start against the Astros. He then pitches well going forward. I don't see why everyone is so sure he is all fixed forever, especially when those same people are happy to let Eovaldi go. We'll just have to see, I guess.