August 30th, 2006
Web 2.0 Wonders
Not related to baseball, but related to shared love here for Web 2.0 advances: Check out web2logo.com, which I just found via GigaOM. Thought you might enjoy it, and prepare to carve out some free time and change some views.
Related to baseball: We just lowered Gameday Audio to $7.95 for the rest of the season, so you can listen live to any Major League game (choosing either team’s broadcasters) from here on out for less than the cost of a movie. It even includes a three-month subscription to SI.
Something Unexpected
OK, since no one is blogging about the hottest team in baseball, we here at MLBlogosphere thought we’d represent for the Fish. Hence the first time ever that MLBlogosphere has deviated from the generic MLB template. If the concept wears on us, we might just change the template here to match whatever team we are blogging about each time.
Here is what you need to know about the Florida Marlins, since yours truly just got the game notes in his inbox a moment ago. Some of this stuff just makes you shake your head because it makes no sense whatsoever in professional sports. But here goes.
- The Marlins were a season-low 20 games under .500 at 11-31 through May 21. Since then, they have gone 53-35 to improve to 64-66. No Major League team since 1900 has gone from 20 games below .500 to .500 within the same season. Ever. Joe Girardi already must be considered a leading candidate for NL Manager of the Year; in fact, it’s hard to imagine he won’t be a mortal lock unless they plummet back to 20 games under .500.
- Dan Uggla. Dan Uggla. Dan Uggla. Here is what you need to know about the man with the Uggla Stick. He is the fourth player in the past 50 years to record 20 (21) HR and 75 (79) RBIs in the season of his Major League debut. The others were Albert Pujols, Orlando Cepeda and Frank Robinson. And don’t forget that Uggla’s home park includes a death valley for sluggers.
- If the Marlins beat the Cardinals again tonight, then they leave Colorado as the only active franchise never to win at least 10 games in a row at some point.
- Florida is the first team since the 1952 Brooklyn Dodgers to have three rookie pitchers with at least 10 victories apiece. Scott Olsen, Josh Johnson and Ricky Nolasco have that distinction, joining Joe Black, Billy Loes and Ben Wade from the ’52 team. The only other time this happened in the 1900s was on Connie Mack’s 1934 Philadelphia A’s.
- I haven’t watched the Marlins closely enough this season — like most other people. When I saw a Marlin leading the Majors in ERA this morning on MLB.com, I had to get more info on Johnson. I’m as guilty as many people about not knowing enough about them.
- Miguel Cabrera is finishing a monster month in which he has set the club record for RBIs. Only one player, Ryan Howard, has more RBIs this month than Cabrera.
I could go on. If you don’t usually check out our Press Pass notes at MLB.com, then by all means do so because those are the game notes that all baseball writers receive when they get to the press box each night. Just take a close look at the Marlins’ notes for tonight. It’s unbelievable. Take a close look at the Marlins on MLB.TV tonight live from Busch. It’s unbelievable.
Hump Day Spherage
Big Nate Chew is back on the hill right now for the Tigers in the Bronx. Be sure to check out Nate’s latest MLBlog post and especially that awesome guestmap. You can see how Tiger fans are proudly coming out of the woodwork. And deservedly so when you consider what they probably went through in recent years. Fun to see their entries on that map. . . .
Great to have Shaun Dean back in the bloghouse! Longtime MLBloggers will recall that he caught both the Berkman AND Burke home run balls during the historica 18-inning thriller that gave Houston the last NLDS title over the Braves…and then blogged about the entire experience. Catch up on his blog with what happened last fall…
Interesting to see that Sept. 12 will mark the 1,000th game in Jacobs Field history. Seems like just yesterday I was waiting two hours to get on the elevator there because Clinton was also in attendance at the inaugural game. Still very much No. 1 on my list of favorite ballparks when it’s lit up at night with those vertical light towers. . . .
John Brazer, the Phillies’ Director of Fun & Games (not a shabby title), just blogged that Wrigley is the best ballpark in the Majors. Certainly a good argument can be made for that…but I always think of the Yosemite hike I have to take to get up to the press box. What’s your favorite ballpark in the Majors and why? . . .
BEST RECORDS IN MLB
Since Aug. 9
1. Cleveland (15-5)
2. New York Mets (14-5)
2. Oakland (14-5)
4. Florida (13-6)
For what it’s worth. Does no one want to blog about the Marlins? All they do is shock the world. I think I can dig up a post from their housecleaning last winter that told people to expect exactly what they are doing…it’s what the Marlins live for. Imagine if they snuck into the Wild Card and then won it all that way again for a third time — probably would be the Most Titles Per Capita in any sport, such a short lifespan as a club.
Be glad your computer doesn’t look like this.
Any further issues with being unable to post long comments? Six Apart ops has continued to look into the matter, and let me know if you see the spam block filter.
This is the time of year when people are talking about the Mets’ magic number. Here is an MLBlogger who has been talking about it since Opening Day. Bandwagon jumpers!


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