Disqus - Latest Comments for catone

Re: The World’s Biggest Camera Has Been Installed on its Telescope in Chile

Josh Catone — Sun, 16 Mar 2025 11:12:29 -0000

Just for starters, read the Wikipedia article about technologies spun out of NASA research: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA_spin-off_technologies

Space exploration led to a lot of very useful stuff for humanity here on earth, no? Science in one area pretty often leads to discoveries and novel applications in other areas. Who knows what happens here, but it's not hard to imagine that advances in imaging tech developed for this project could be useful in other areas (like say medicine or climate monitoring or whatever).

Re: Mailbag: Baez, Hicks, Nationals, Miller, De Leon, Eovaldi

Josh Catone — Fri, 20 May 2016 12:41:02 -0000

What's the difference? Trade Chapman or trade Miller and resign Chapman. Money and performance is probably basically a wash. Either way you'd end up with Baez and a nice one-two late inning punch for about the same $, right? (Chapman is probably a bit pricier, I guess, but not enough that it should matter much to a team like NYY.)

Re: Thoughts following the ten-game homestand

Josh Catone — Thu, 27 Aug 2015 12:35:39 -0000

That's not how averages work. They're probably not averaging the averages, they're taking an average of all the OFs. Since there aren't he same number of people playing each position, you won't get the same number as if you average the averages.

Example: say you have two sets of things. Set A = 50 and 100. Set B = 50, 80, 100 and 120.

Averages:

Set A: (50+100)÷2 = 75
Set B: (50+80+100+120)÷4 = 87.5

Avg of avgs: (87.5+75)÷2 = 81.25

Avg of all items in both sets: (50+100+50+80+100+120)÷6 = 83.33

Re: Mailbag: Tex, Gee, Closer, Warren, Home Field Advantage

Josh Catone — Fri, 19 Jun 2015 15:10:45 -0000

Man, listen to how loud Old Yankee Stadium was.

Re: Update: Chase Headley leaves game with groin injury

Josh Catone — Fri, 12 Jun 2015 22:09:19 -0000

I probably shouldn't have Googled that...

Re: Teixeira slams King Felix while Pineda tosses six solid innings in a 7-2 win against the Mariners

Josh Catone — Tue, 02 Jun 2015 14:21:01 -0000

Mike didn't write this...

And also: https://twitter.com/mikeaxi...

Re: Yankeemetrics: May 19-20 (Nationals)

Josh Catone — Thu, 21 May 2015 13:38:55 -0000

Pirela since May 6 (his first game) has had 25 PAs. His line is: .240/.240/.280/.520

Yes, pretty bad. In the same time, Drew has had 48 PAs (about double), and his line is: .209/.292/.302/.594

And for the season, he's at 138 PAs and a .182/.263/.339/.602 line.

They've both been awful, but Drew has been awful as a regular over two months now. What's wrong with giving Pirela (or Refsnyder) some more at bats?

(And yes, Gregorious has been terrible at the plate, but he's also 25, not 32, and team controlled through 2020, so he should have a longer leash.)

Re: Yankeemetrics: May 19-20 (Nationals)

Josh Catone — Thu, 21 May 2015 13:33:26 -0000

As a reader of this site you probably saw Mike's article from earlier today about how pathetic all the non-Ellsbury up the middle positions have been, right? No one is getting a free pass, but Drew is the most expendable given his contract and age. That's the part you don't seem to be getting.

Re: Yankeemetrics: May 19-20 (Nationals)

Josh Catone — Thu, 21 May 2015 13:27:44 -0000

How exactly are you defining a month?

Since April 20: .188/.255/.294/.549
Since May 01: .186/.250/.254/.504

There was a little hot stretch from May 5 - May 11 (.350/.480/.500/.980), but in the seven games after that we're back to: .148/.148/.185/.333

He's hardly been a hot hitter.

Re: Michael Pineda is changing things up … for the better

Josh Catone — Tue, 05 May 2015 13:53:52 -0000

Hate to burst your bubble, but that's actually already legislated by MLB rules. Rule 2.00 defines: "The CATCHER'S BOX is that area within which the catcher shall stand until the pitcher delivers the ball."

I think it would be a balk if the pitcher delivered a pitch when the catcher wasn't in the box. (That's why the catcher has to start in the box during an IBB.)

Re: Yankees continue to be bad at everything, lose 8-4 to Red Sox

Josh Catone — Sat, 11 Apr 2015 17:49:22 -0000

The Yankees were 11th out of 30 teams in fielding percentage last year and 3rd in 2012 and 2013.

Re: Thoughts five days before Opening Day

Josh Catone — Wed, 01 Apr 2015 10:18:51 -0000

Obligatory: http://nesn.com/2011/01/201...

Re: The PawSox Baseball Move to Providence: Good or Bad?

Josh Catone — Tue, 31 Mar 2015 15:55:56 -0000

I've yet to see that definitively answered anywhere. As far as I know, that question has not been broached with the feds at this point, so it's unknown whether the ballpark could satisfy the park requirements. (Please do link to something that says otherwise, though. I just haven't seen it if it has been definitively answered from a reliable source.)

Bottom line: We should all wait for a full proposal and judge it on its merits. Scott said he wanted to cut through the hype, but his analysis wasn't super honest in a lot of places.

As long as there isn't any public money being used to finance the stadium, there isn't any additional parking capacity added for it, and the development can be used as a catalyst to invest further public transportation infrastructure (including as Michael Tyrrell says below, the Pawtucket commuter rail station), there's a good chance this could be a great deal for Providence.

But let's not actually make those judgments until there's a real proposal on the table to judge. Anything else is just hot air.

Re: The PawSox Baseball Move to Providence: Good or Bad?

Josh Catone — Fri, 27 Mar 2015 20:18:19 -0000

I enjoy your commentary, Scott, but it's disappointing for you to say you want to take a break from the hyperbole and then spend so much of this piece spreading fears about traffic and parking (easily as silly as the 38 Studios comparison).

Parking is not a problem downtown. It will not be a problem for a downtown ballpark. Consider that Waterfire brings an average of 40,000 people to downtown Providence (source: http://www.arts.ri.gov/blog... ), and the city sustains that surge just fine. A downtown stadium would likely have a capacity of ~10,000 (if compared to BB&T Ballpark in Charlotte, which has been mentioned as a model), or about 25% of an average Waterfire night.

There are also currently two new parking garages are in the planning stages in the immediate vicinity (nursing school and Garrahy), and one already existing (Warren Alpert). Not to mention that virtually all other garages and surface lots in the downtown area would be within walking distance -- even a walk from Providence Place, which would never be needed, is only about 15 minutes according to Google Maps, which is no more than the time it takes you to walk from the furthest edges of the mass of parking lots surrounding The Ballpark in Arlington, TX for Rangers games... (that is: a walk sports fans will gladly make).

Further, there would would be more people within public transit distance to a downtown stadium than McCoy, so in theory, fewer people would arrive to games in cars.

No new parking should ever be necessary for this stadium, as your Newport anecdote implied.

As far as traffic goes, downtown Providence is infinitely more accessible than the current McCoy Stadium location. There are far more ways in and out of downtown than that part of Pawtucket, so traffic would, in theory and with proper street layout, human traffic direction and properly timed lights, empty much faster after games than currently in McCoy. (Again, the city seems to function fine during Waterfire, or on nights when PPAC, Trinity, Lupo's and The Dunk are all in action simultaneously, which happens multiple times per year.)

Two other things to consider about "whether a stadium is the best use of land."

1. The land proposed for this stadium is currently earmarked as a park, so, assuming that there won't be a need to subtract that land form elsewhere in the 195 tract to satisfy federal requirements, it won't impact the ability to fully develop the land as planned. (That's a big assumption, and obviously changes the equation if parkland needs to be "made up" somewhere else in the 195 acres.)

2. Let's not forget that there is already FAR more vacant and developable land in downtown Providence and the Jewelry District than the old 195 path -- it mostly exists in the form of surface parking lots. The only difference between that land and the 195 land is that the state owns it. There's nothing else that's inherently special about this land (other than it being contiguous). There are PLENTY of opportunities for that "job-creating" development in Providence that everyone wants, and we need to talking about ways to make developing that land more attractive for owners than keeping it as unproductive and bad-for-people surface parking.

Bottom line: it's way too early to tell if this is a good deal for Providence. (It's going to be a bad deal for Pawtucket no matter what, since it seems clear that the team's new owners definitely want to leave McCoy, so let's set that aside.) You're right that we need to absolutely conduct a thorough cost-benefit analysis and complete due diligence. The public should be very wary of any public money necessary for this project, since publicly financed stadiums almost never pay off in the long run (when this was first announced, though, Skeffington did say the ownership group did plan to finance the stadium itself privately).

But, if you really want to cut through the hype and hyperbole -- and we absolutely should -- please stop adding to it.

Re: Time to discuss the potential on-field impact of A-Rod’s return

Josh Catone — Wed, 18 Feb 2015 14:01:24 -0000

Just don't read the (obviously terrible) NY Post summary of the piece, which basically implies that A-Rod must have been cheating in the marketing class he took last year to get a B.

Re: Hanley can hit, but he's an odd fit in Boston.

Josh Catone — Mon, 24 Nov 2014 16:07:56 -0000

Or maybe he meant Denis Leary... this is an article about the Red Sox, after all.

Re: Heyman: Marlins, Stanton close to record 13-year, $325M deal

Josh Catone — Fri, 14 Nov 2014 18:32:02 -0000

Isn't that just semantics? Instead of a 10-year deal with a team opt-out in year 7, call it a 7-year deal with a 3-year team option.

Re: Mailbag: Jeter, A-Rod, Sabathia, Pirela, Ex-Yanks

Josh Catone — Fri, 03 Oct 2014 11:20:31 -0000

I dunno if Posada really counts. I mean, Derek is, by all accounts, one of his best friends, and they played together, won together, etc. I'm sure Derek's mom and dad also think he's the greatest yankee ever. ;)

Someday, I will inherit my dad's baseball card collection, he's got 6 or 7 Mantle cards, if I recall correctly. :D

Random Posada story, in August 2009 I was in Boston for a work event and totally forgot the Yankees were in town that weekend. Walking around the city I came across this group of ~40 people decked out head-to-toe in Yankees gear, which I thought was strange in Boston. Turns out I was across the street from the Four Seasons where the Yankees were staying. I turned around to see Posada, in the window of the dining room, chowing down on one of the biggest plates of waffles I have ever seen.

Re: Mailbag: Jeter, A-Rod, Sabathia, Pirela, Ex-Yanks

Josh Catone — Fri, 03 Oct 2014 11:08:17 -0000

But I think he was arguing against a point that basically no one has made. It's a classic MSM move: create a villain that doesn't exist then tear it down. You create a conversation that was never there in the first place, and anoint yourself as the voice of reason. It's a ratings stunt.

Jeter is a top 10 Yankee of all time. Maybe a top 5. But I can literally recall no one with any credibility ever saying he was better than Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle or DiMaggio. Zero people.

Some pointed out that he holds all-time records in certain Yankees counting stats -- like games played, or hits -- and he's ahead of those greats on some lists. But that's just fact. No one anywhere argued that Jeter was better than Ruth.

Yeah, and Mo, to me, is just on another level. Just unreal. And with just as much class, or grace or whatever other off-the-field superlatives you can heap on any other player. He was always my favorite Yankee (I grew up with this era after my dad -- a lifelong Yankees fan -- convinced me in the early 90s not to follow my brother's lead who rebelled by becoming a Mets fan..... I thank my dad every day for that wisdom). ;)

Re: Mailbag: Jeter, A-Rod, Sabathia, Pirela, Ex-Yanks

Josh Catone — Fri, 03 Oct 2014 10:58:17 -0000

Of course. I think nearly everyone is in agreement there, except maybe Keith Olbermann, and he's barely even a person anymore (just a caricature of a caricature of someone who used to be relevant).

There's been a lot of Jeter bashing in the media this year because the retirement tour was a bit heavy-handed and he was painful to watch this year, but he's been undisputedly, historically great, imho, over the course of his career. (Even if he only ever had one or two really dominant seasons at his position.)

Re: Mailbag: Jeter, A-Rod, Sabathia, Pirela, Ex-Yanks

Josh Catone — Fri, 03 Oct 2014 10:53:34 -0000

All-time SS by fWAR: Jeter is #4.
All-time SP by fWAR: Seaver is #9.

Just looking at years they were active, Seaver is #2 among SP for 1967-86, and Jeter is #2 for SS from 1995-2014.

Sure, that's an imperfect and incomplete picture, but I don't think your case is as easily rested as you think.

EDIT: I think I accidentally didn't include fielding (just batting and pitching -- I'm not the best at making Fangraphs do what I want). But still... point stands.

Re: We Deleted Our Facebook Page.Here’s Why.

Josh Catone — Thu, 02 Oct 2014 10:56:17 -0000

Since Groove is B2B, social media networks with a mainly consumer audience (like Facebook or Pinterest) might not make sense. But what about your strategy for networks that might reach more of your potential customers (like Twitter or LinkedIn)?

Also, this post sticks out as a little strange for me. I've read each of your posts from the beginning, though I think this is my first time commenting. It seems like you've spent so much time and effort developing your blog strategy and using data to tweak and tune it toward maximum ROI. I'm sure not every post was a hit and it wasn't the massive success it is not from day one.

But on Facebook, it seems like you casually linked to content created for other mediums (like this blog) and assumed that would work. When it didn't you gave up.

Ultimately, the decision to nix Facebook might be the correct one in terms of opportunity cost and expected maximum ROI from that audience. But your stated reasons feel really flimsy. Basically, it sounds like you said, "We don't know what we're doing and don't feel like trying to figure out how to build a winning Fb strategy, so we'll just give up." Maybe the right call, but not very good as far as universal advice.

Re: Olney: Yankees working on new deal with Brian Cashman

Josh Catone — Tue, 30 Sep 2014 14:08:20 -0000

He doesn't have to get hired as a GM.

Re: Thoughts prior to Derek Jeter’s final home game

Josh Catone — Thu, 25 Sep 2014 11:16:42 -0000

"That’s my selfish storybook ending for his career."

There are a lot of Yankees fans in New England, though (including me). And many of us have tickets to that final series in Boston (again, including me).

So I sure hope he plays. Ted Williams was known as being kind of a jerk. Don't go out like that, Derek.

Re: Jorge Mateo ranks fourth among Baseball America’s top 20 GCL prospects

Josh Catone — Wed, 24 Sep 2014 15:50:59 -0000

Long nightmare? The Yankees are only five years removed from their last championship team and only two years removed from a .316/.362/.429 slash line from their SS. It hasn't been _that_ long of a nightmare. ;)