<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' xmlns:gd="http://schemas.google.com/g/2005"><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post116213282818608758..comments</id><updated>2011-07-13T16:13:18.645-04:00</updated><title type='text'>Comments on Silliman&#39;s Blog: </title><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/feeds/comments/default'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html'/><link rel="hub" href="http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/"/><author><name>Unknown</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>23</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>25</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post-116292992165355528</id><published>2006-11-07T15:05:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-11-07T15:05:00.000-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Monsieur R rote&#39; for a poem to survive at all,it h...</title><summary type='text'>Monsieur R rote&#39; for a poem to survive at all,it has to pass ... the Blake test..&#39;to wit thou sayest we met his poems before in bad rickety old fashioned bookees. J&#39;e pense you sound, no disrespecting intend&#39;d| a like a new critic taking poem out of context to verify its durability. ? you say them take poem out of context, but j&#39;e think you are actually say that poem is its own context and not </summary><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default/116292992165355528'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default/116292992165355528'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html?showComment=1162929900000#c116292992165355528' title=''/><author><name>Anonymous</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/blank.gif'/></author><thr:in-reply-to xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html' ref='tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post-116213282818608758' source='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/posts/default/116213282818608758' type='text/html'/><gd:extendedProperty name="blogger.itemClass" value="pid-905966876"/><gd:extendedProperty name="blogger.displayTime" value="November 07, 2006"/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post-116283402164451944</id><published>2006-11-06T12:27:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-11-06T12:27:00.000-05:00</updated><title type='text'>OK, so it wasn&#39;t a classic series.  The Mets-Cards...</title><summary type='text'>OK, so it wasn&#39;t a classic series.  The Mets-Cards series was damn good, though.  I&#39;m sick of hearing how the Mets&#39; pitchers were injured, though.  The Cards lost Mulder to a bad arm and Marquis to a bad head and Isringhausen to a bad hip during the season.  That forced TLR to trust rookies, as he hasn&#39;t since the sad demise of Rick Ankiel.  As a life-long Cards fan, I&#39;m delighted my team won, </summary><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default/116283402164451944'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default/116283402164451944'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html?showComment=1162834020000#c116283402164451944' title=''/><author><name>Susan</name><uri>https://www.blogger.com/profile/11149093537815104761</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:in-reply-to xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html' ref='tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post-116213282818608758' source='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/posts/default/116213282818608758' type='text/html'/><gd:extendedProperty name="blogger.itemClass" value="pid-916968898"/><gd:extendedProperty name="blogger.displayTime" value="November 06, 2006"/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post-116240086870167489</id><published>2006-11-01T12:07:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-11-01T12:07:00.000-05:00</updated><title type='text'>great commentsthe thing about ecksteinand i agree ...</title><summary type='text'>great comments&lt;BR/&gt;the thing about eckstein&lt;BR/&gt;and i agree with la russa&lt;BR/&gt;is that&lt;BR/&gt;the kid is tough&lt;BR/&gt;he doesn&#39;t let up for anything&lt;BR/&gt;he may not have the arm&lt;BR/&gt;but he does have the smarts to&lt;BR/&gt;play SS&lt;BR/&gt;&lt;BR/&gt;i agree fully that the tigers&lt;BR/&gt;were pathetic at the plate&lt;BR/&gt;a mix of superb control&lt;BR/&gt;by the card&#39;s hurlers&lt;BR/&gt;and momentary team blindness&lt;BR/&gt;i wonder why casey&lt;BR</summary><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default/116240086870167489'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default/116240086870167489'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html?showComment=1162400820000#c116240086870167489' title=''/><author><name>john hanson</name><uri>https://www.blogger.com/profile/09681354460957743187</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:in-reply-to xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html' ref='tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post-116213282818608758' source='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/posts/default/116213282818608758' type='text/html'/><gd:extendedProperty name="blogger.itemClass" value="pid-1428247785"/><gd:extendedProperty name="blogger.displayTime" value="November 01, 2006"/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post-116239502266488858</id><published>2006-11-01T10:30:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-11-01T10:30:00.000-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Not to put too fine a spin on it--as I agree that ...</title><summary type='text'>Not to put too fine a spin on it--as I agree that the whole statistical thing is skewed by circumstances and after all it&#39;s not a science etc.--but I do think medicine (medical research) will eventually put together enough data to specify exactly effects these drugs do have on the body.  Increased muscle mass, accelerated healing, elevated or heightened neural synapse-firing, etc.  One thing </summary><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default/116239502266488858'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default/116239502266488858'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html?showComment=1162395000000#c116239502266488858' title=''/><author><name>Curtis Faville</name><uri>https://www.blogger.com/profile/01813159652010352331</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:in-reply-to xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html' ref='tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post-116213282818608758' source='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/posts/default/116213282818608758' type='text/html'/><gd:extendedProperty name="blogger.itemClass" value="pid-1749964855"/><gd:extendedProperty name="blogger.displayTime" value="November 01, 2006"/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post-116236700391711907</id><published>2006-11-01T02:43:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-11-01T02:43:00.000-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Quantifying steroids&#39; influence on numbers precise...</title><summary type='text'>Quantifying steroids&#39; influence on numbers precisely is impossible.&lt;BR/&gt;&lt;BR/&gt;But did Barry&#39;s (and others&#39;) home run totals result from the drugs, in some specific but unquantifiable way?  Yes, absolutely no doubt about it.   &lt;BR/&gt;&lt;BR/&gt;Does that mean the era&#39;s players should be oblivionized?  No.  Pete Rose (and many others) had greenies.  Willie Mays (Hank too?) and many others had red juice.  </summary><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default/116236700391711907'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default/116236700391711907'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html?showComment=1162366980000#c116236700391711907' title=''/><author><name>Steven Fama</name><uri>https://www.blogger.com/profile/04378273134042527425</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:in-reply-to xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html' ref='tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post-116213282818608758' source='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/posts/default/116213282818608758' type='text/html'/><gd:extendedProperty name="blogger.itemClass" value="pid-1945919831"/><gd:extendedProperty name="blogger.displayTime" value="November 01, 2006"/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post-116235241676618921</id><published>2006-10-31T22:40:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-10-31T22:40:00.000-05:00</updated><title type='text'>The issue of steroids is an interesting one.  I&#39;m ...</title><summary type='text'>The issue of steroids is an interesting one.  I&#39;m not sure there&#39;s a simple answer to it.  Obviously, drugs can&#39;t make a great player, and yet the affect they might have on a player who already has great skills and strength--it&#39;s hard to gauge its exact influence (effect).  Did Barry&#39;s home run total result from the drugs?  How many of McGuire&#39;s, Sosa&#39;s, Barry&#39;s home runs are attributable to that</summary><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default/116235241676618921'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default/116235241676618921'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html?showComment=1162352400000#c116235241676618921' title=''/><author><name>Curtis Faville</name><uri>https://www.blogger.com/profile/01813159652010352331</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:in-reply-to xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html' ref='tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post-116213282818608758' source='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/posts/default/116213282818608758' type='text/html'/><gd:extendedProperty name="blogger.itemClass" value="pid-1749964855"/><gd:extendedProperty name="blogger.displayTime" value="October 31, 2006"/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post-116234086354885684</id><published>2006-10-31T19:27:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-10-31T19:27:00.000-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Sammy Sosa&#39;s blueprint for transitioning probably ...</title><summary type='text'>Sammy Sosa&#39;s blueprint for transitioning probably also included steroids.&lt;BR/&gt;&lt;BR/&gt;Seems pretty obvious, yes?</summary><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default/116234086354885684'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default/116234086354885684'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html?showComment=1162340820000#c116234086354885684' title=''/><author><name>Steven Fama</name><uri>https://www.blogger.com/profile/04378273134042527425</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:in-reply-to xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html' ref='tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post-116213282818608758' source='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/posts/default/116213282818608758' type='text/html'/><gd:extendedProperty name="blogger.itemClass" value="pid-1945919831"/><gd:extendedProperty name="blogger.displayTime" value="October 31, 2006"/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post-116231333314036504</id><published>2006-10-31T11:48:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-10-31T11:48:00.000-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Sammy Sosa’s blueprint for transitioning from free...</title><summary type='text'>Sammy Sosa’s blueprint for transitioning from free-swinging Dominican to .328/64/160 with 116 walks in 2001 involved a lot of at bats early in his career and making adjustments to major league pitchers beating him outside the strike zone at different stages, starting in his mid-20s.  At 31, Feliz will get more chances due to his being a solid defensive 3B.</summary><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default/116231333314036504'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default/116231333314036504'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html?showComment=1162313280000#c116231333314036504' title=''/><author><name>Ian Keenan</name><uri>https://www.blogger.com/profile/16596558654735506132</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:in-reply-to xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html' ref='tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post-116213282818608758' source='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/posts/default/116213282818608758' type='text/html'/><gd:extendedProperty name="blogger.itemClass" value="pid-1591342472"/><gd:extendedProperty name="blogger.displayTime" value="October 31, 2006"/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post-116230872037574086</id><published>2006-10-31T10:32:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-10-31T10:32:00.000-05:00</updated><title type='text'>I agree completely about Pedro Feliz. He has a sho...</title><summary type='text'>I agree completely about Pedro Feliz. He has a shot at being one of the top sluggers in the league, but he may turn out to be just the next Rob Dibble if he&#39;s not handled properly.</summary><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default/116230872037574086'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default/116230872037574086'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html?showComment=1162308720000#c116230872037574086' title=''/><author><name>Ron</name><uri>https://www.blogger.com/profile/09250950725876683923</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:in-reply-to xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html' ref='tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post-116213282818608758' source='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/posts/default/116213282818608758' type='text/html'/><gd:extendedProperty name="blogger.itemClass" value="pid-660918411"/><gd:extendedProperty name="blogger.displayTime" value="October 31, 2006"/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post-116230791563487309</id><published>2006-10-31T10:18:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-10-31T10:18:00.000-05:00</updated><title type='text'>HItting is different things to different players. ...</title><summary type='text'>HItting is different things to different players.  Some can&#39;t succeed unless they stay &quot;loose&quot; and free-swinging.  Others bear down hard and follow every pitch into the catcher&#39;s mitt.  It takes a good hitting coach to know which kind is which, and to cultivate the tendency that will produce the best result.  To give an example:  Giants third baseman Pedro Feliz thinks and acts like a </summary><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default/116230791563487309'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default/116230791563487309'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html?showComment=1162307880000#c116230791563487309' title=''/><author><name>Curtis Faville</name><uri>https://www.blogger.com/profile/01813159652010352331</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:in-reply-to xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html' ref='tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post-116213282818608758' source='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/posts/default/116213282818608758' type='text/html'/><gd:extendedProperty name="blogger.itemClass" value="pid-1749964855"/><gd:extendedProperty name="blogger.displayTime" value="October 31, 2006"/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post-116225716184682339</id><published>2006-10-30T20:12:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-10-30T20:12:00.000-05:00</updated><title type='text'>I never saw anybody happier to get out of town tha...</title><summary type='text'>I never saw anybody happier to get out of town than Scott Rolen. He hated that old stadium &amp; the good-ol&#39;-boy cliques in the Phillies&#39; front office must be hard to take. There was no way they were going to sign him again.</summary><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default/116225716184682339'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default/116225716184682339'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html?showComment=1162257120000#c116225716184682339' title=''/><author><name>Ron</name><uri>https://www.blogger.com/profile/09250950725876683923</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:in-reply-to xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html' ref='tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post-116213282818608758' source='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/posts/default/116213282818608758' type='text/html'/><gd:extendedProperty name="blogger.itemClass" value="pid-660918411"/><gd:extendedProperty name="blogger.displayTime" value="October 30, 2006"/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post-116223628643640797</id><published>2006-10-30T14:24:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-10-30T14:24:00.000-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Great writing about Duncan: I have always thought ...</title><summary type='text'>Great writing about Duncan: I have always thought Mazzone to be the best because as a Phillies fan I would watch the Braves construct a bullpen of journeymen every year that suddenly pitched like Koafax and then were mediocre again when they were cut or signed by millions by the Yankees.  But the examples you cite are convincing.  Welch’s and Eck’s substance abuse problems are all the more reason</summary><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default/116223628643640797'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default/116223628643640797'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html?showComment=1162236240000#c116223628643640797' title=''/><author><name>Ian Keenan</name><uri>https://www.blogger.com/profile/16596558654735506132</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:in-reply-to xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html' ref='tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post-116213282818608758' source='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/posts/default/116213282818608758' type='text/html'/><gd:extendedProperty name="blogger.itemClass" value="pid-1591342472"/><gd:extendedProperty name="blogger.displayTime" value="October 30, 2006"/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post-116222474488394328</id><published>2006-10-30T11:12:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-10-30T11:12:00.000-05:00</updated><title type='text'>&quot;And if Duncan is so dang good, how do you explain...</title><summary type='text'>&quot;And if Duncan is so dang good, how do you explain the 1988 and (especially) the 1990 world series losses.&quot;&lt;BR/&gt;&lt;BR/&gt;That&#39;s actually really fine evidence for the dang goodness of Duncan, the fact that his staffs of retread pitchers have made it to the World Series on multiple occasions, riding different aging arms.  &lt;BR/&gt;&lt;BR/&gt;A playoff series is so short, and there are so many variables at play, </summary><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default/116222474488394328'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default/116222474488394328'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html?showComment=1162224720000#c116222474488394328' title=''/><author><name>Tony Tost</name><uri>https://www.blogger.com/profile/15765857872778493229</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:in-reply-to xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html' ref='tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post-116213282818608758' source='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/posts/default/116213282818608758' type='text/html'/><gd:extendedProperty name="blogger.itemClass" value="pid-1599768463"/><gd:extendedProperty name="blogger.displayTime" value="October 30, 2006"/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post-116221733372092982</id><published>2006-10-30T09:08:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-10-30T09:08:00.000-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Another disturbing aspect of the reorganization of...</title><summary type='text'>Another disturbing aspect of the reorganization of the game, has been expansion.  When I was growing up, there were eight teams in each &quot;league&quot; and only the two league winners went to the Worlds Series, and there was no inter-league play.  That helped guarantee that the leagues maintained their separate character, and it also had the salutary effect of limiting the number of possible players.  </summary><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default/116221733372092982'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default/116221733372092982'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html?showComment=1162217280000#c116221733372092982' title=''/><author><name>Curtis Faville</name><uri>https://www.blogger.com/profile/01813159652010352331</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:in-reply-to xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html' ref='tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post-116213282818608758' source='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/posts/default/116213282818608758' type='text/html'/><gd:extendedProperty name="blogger.itemClass" value="pid-1749964855"/><gd:extendedProperty name="blogger.displayTime" value="October 30, 2006"/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post-116220893712611889</id><published>2006-10-30T06:48:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-10-30T06:48:00.000-05:00</updated><title type='text'>144?...The biggest loss in the past 20 years for t...</title><summary type='text'>144?&lt;BR/&gt;&lt;BR/&gt;...&lt;BR/&gt;&lt;BR/&gt;The biggest loss in the past 20 years for the Braves was the loss of Mazzone.  His methodic rocking was a comfort to every Braves fan in any game.&lt;BR/&gt;&lt;BR/&gt;You are accurate about how the Tigers were iced by their quick victory in the ALCS and the importance of momentum in the playoffs, but after that your baseball acumen falls off a bit.&lt;BR/&gt;&lt;BR/&gt;However, it is nice to </summary><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default/116220893712611889'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default/116220893712611889'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html?showComment=1162208880000#c116220893712611889' title=''/><author><name>artoolemomo</name><uri>https://www.blogger.com/profile/05079474470215090896</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:in-reply-to xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html' ref='tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post-116213282818608758' source='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/posts/default/116213282818608758' type='text/html'/><gd:extendedProperty name="blogger.itemClass" value="pid-1881446695"/><gd:extendedProperty name="blogger.displayTime" value="October 30, 2006"/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post-116218911241911813</id><published>2006-10-30T01:18:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-10-30T01:18:00.000-05:00</updated><title type='text'>As you suggest, I&#39;m thinking about 72x2, 36x4, 18x...</title><summary type='text'>As you suggest, I&#39;m thinking about 72x2, 36x4, 18x8, 9x16, etc.&lt;BR/&gt;&lt;BR/&gt;I do believe those all total 144, not 154.&lt;BR/&gt;&lt;BR/&gt;Congratulations, you have successfully flunked your math test for the day.</summary><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default/116218911241911813'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default/116218911241911813'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html?showComment=1162189080000#c116218911241911813' title=''/><author><name>Steven Fama</name><uri>https://www.blogger.com/profile/04378273134042527425</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:in-reply-to xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html' ref='tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post-116213282818608758' source='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/posts/default/116213282818608758' type='text/html'/><gd:extendedProperty name="blogger.itemClass" value="pid-1945919831"/><gd:extendedProperty name="blogger.displayTime" value="October 30, 2006"/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post-116218522013084956</id><published>2006-10-30T00:13:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-10-30T00:13:00.000-05:00</updated><title type='text'>I wrote that they expanded the season from 154 gam...</title><summary type='text'>I wrote that they expanded the season from 154 games to 162 and that I wish they would cut it back to 150 games because of the added playoff games.&lt;BR/&gt;&lt;BR/&gt;I too find 154 an aesthetically pleasing number, but they added the 8 regular season games before they added the playoffs, and my arguement is that because of the added playoff games they should cut back on the regular season games to less </summary><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default/116218522013084956'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default/116218522013084956'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html?showComment=1162185180000#c116218522013084956' title=''/><author><name>Zeke Hunkaburning</name><uri>https://www.blogger.com/profile/05144662896092856507</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:in-reply-to xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html' ref='tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post-116213282818608758' source='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/posts/default/116213282818608758' type='text/html'/><gd:extendedProperty name="blogger.itemClass" value="pid-820081779"/><gd:extendedProperty name="blogger.displayTime" value="October 30, 2006"/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post-116218423057140175</id><published>2006-10-29T23:57:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-10-29T23:57:00.000-05:00</updated><title type='text'>It was 154 games, not 150. I still think of 154 as...</title><summary type='text'>It was 154 games, not 150. I still think of 154 as one of the most aesthetically pleasing of all numbers. Think about it: 72x2, 36x4, 18x8, 9x16, etc.</summary><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default/116218423057140175'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default/116218423057140175'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html?showComment=1162184220000#c116218423057140175' title=''/><author><name>Ron</name><uri>https://www.blogger.com/profile/09250950725876683923</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:in-reply-to xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html' ref='tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post-116213282818608758' source='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/posts/default/116213282818608758' type='text/html'/><gd:extendedProperty name="blogger.itemClass" value="pid-660918411"/><gd:extendedProperty name="blogger.displayTime" value="October 29, 2006"/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post-116218289018223739</id><published>2006-10-29T23:34:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-10-29T23:34:00.000-05:00</updated><title type='text'>I loved your succinct, insightful analysis of the ...</title><summary type='text'>I loved your succinct, insightful analysis of the series.  &lt;BR/&gt;&lt;BR/&gt;But Duncan did not engineer all those Detroit errors, did he?  And he did not coach little Eckstein to again overacheive and put ANOTHER WS ring on his finger, did he?&lt;BR/&gt;&lt;BR/&gt;Yet I believe you have hit on somethig important about Duncan and the role of the pitching coach, and about how wild cards perform versus the teams with </summary><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default/116218289018223739'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default/116218289018223739'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html?showComment=1162182840000#c116218289018223739' title=''/><author><name>Zeke Hunkaburning</name><uri>https://www.blogger.com/profile/05144662896092856507</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:in-reply-to xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html' ref='tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post-116213282818608758' source='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/posts/default/116213282818608758' type='text/html'/><gd:extendedProperty name="blogger.itemClass" value="pid-820081779"/><gd:extendedProperty name="blogger.displayTime" value="October 29, 2006"/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post-116216550969929678</id><published>2006-10-29T18:45:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-10-29T18:45:00.000-05:00</updated><title type='text'>You&#39;re absolutely right, the Braves and A&#39;s have g...</title><summary type='text'>You&#39;re absolutely right, the Braves and A&#39;s have gotten more out of their available talent than any other big league teams.  I hesitate to credit Duncan, because he never struck me as particularly intelligent, but maybe that&#39;s not the ingredient that counts.  &lt;BR/&gt;&lt;BR/&gt;Roger Craig was often credited with improving his pitchers&#39; performance by teaching them the split-fingered fastball--a wicked </summary><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default/116216550969929678'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default/116216550969929678'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html?showComment=1162165500000#c116216550969929678' title=''/><author><name>Curtis Faville</name><uri>https://www.blogger.com/profile/01813159652010352331</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:in-reply-to xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html' ref='tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post-116213282818608758' source='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/posts/default/116213282818608758' type='text/html'/><gd:extendedProperty name="blogger.itemClass" value="pid-1749964855"/><gd:extendedProperty name="blogger.displayTime" value="October 29, 2006"/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post-116216491568988440</id><published>2006-10-29T18:35:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-10-29T18:35:00.000-05:00</updated><title type='text'>great assessmenti agree for the most partalthoughd...</title><summary type='text'>great assessment&lt;BR/&gt;i agree for the most part&lt;BR/&gt;although&lt;BR/&gt;detroit&#39;s pitching should&#39;ve&lt;BR/&gt;could&#39;ve but didn&#39;t really come through&lt;BR/&gt;verlander and co. had the stuff&lt;BR/&gt;and the relief was potentially&lt;BR/&gt;unstoppable&lt;BR/&gt;but they seemed to develop&lt;BR/&gt;some sort of peewee league-itis&lt;BR/&gt;in the clutch&lt;BR/&gt;throwing away easy outs&lt;BR/&gt;and letting runs score&lt;BR/&gt;&lt;BR/&gt;you can&#39;t take anything </summary><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default/116216491568988440'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default/116216491568988440'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html?showComment=1162164900000#c116216491568988440' title=''/><author><name>john hanson</name><uri>https://www.blogger.com/profile/09681354460957743187</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:in-reply-to xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html' ref='tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post-116213282818608758' source='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/posts/default/116213282818608758' type='text/html'/><gd:extendedProperty name="blogger.itemClass" value="pid-1428247785"/><gd:extendedProperty name="blogger.displayTime" value="October 29, 2006"/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post-116216141114123130</id><published>2006-10-29T17:36:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-10-29T17:36:00.000-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Finally, a baseball post!But only at the end of th...</title><summary type='text'>Finally, a baseball post!&lt;BR/&gt;&lt;BR/&gt;But only at the end of the season, which is bitter-sweet, indeed.</summary><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default/116216141114123130'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default/116216141114123130'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html?showComment=1162161360000#c116216141114123130' title=''/><author><name>Logan Ryan Smith</name><uri>https://www.blogger.com/profile/18315356369259909084</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:in-reply-to xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html' ref='tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post-116213282818608758' source='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/posts/default/116213282818608758' type='text/html'/><gd:extendedProperty name="blogger.itemClass" value="pid-277623651"/><gd:extendedProperty name="blogger.displayTime" value="October 29, 2006"/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post-116214640935918210</id><published>2006-10-29T13:26:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-10-29T13:26:00.000-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Ah baseball . . . where opinions are as common as ...</title><summary type='text'>Ah baseball . . . where opinions are as common as infield dirt. &lt;BR/&gt;&lt;BR/&gt;You are really nutty about Duncan.  He&#39;s a great pitching coach, okay that I&#39;ll buy.  But Welch became a Cy Young winner (and had several good years with Oakland) primarily because he himself beat that most difficult opponent, alcoholism.  And the idea for Eckersley to became a relief pitcher -- and the idea to use him as </summary><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default/116214640935918210'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/116213282818608758/comments/default/116214640935918210'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html?showComment=1162146360000#c116214640935918210' title=''/><author><name>Steven Fama</name><uri>https://www.blogger.com/profile/04378273134042527425</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:in-reply-to xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0' href='https://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2006/10/yes-that-was-most-poorly-played-world.html' ref='tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738579.post-116213282818608758' source='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3738579/posts/default/116213282818608758' type='text/html'/><gd:extendedProperty name="blogger.itemClass" value="pid-1945919831"/><gd:extendedProperty name="blogger.displayTime" value="October 29, 2006"/></entry></feed>