The Associated Press has placed a short video on the web in which AP NFL writer Barry Wilner previews the NFC. He mentions the teams that count: the Saints and Cowboys, et.al. Even the Vikings. He makes no mention of the Washington Redskins. Why is that? Because a great and honored franchise has fallen on hard times, has fallen and has failed to get up. What is hurting the once mighty Washington... Read More

...=== Defense Below the Waterline? === We might bear in mind ... no manager in the game works more closely with his catchers than Mike Scioscia.  For those who just joined us, Scioscia was the Dodgers' catcher of the 1980's, caught Hershisher's 50-inning scoreless streak, etc etc, and from what Pitch tells us, reviews every AB with his catchers, to make sure their heads are in the game at... Read More

...=== HQ === The addition of Justin Smoak, along with Dustin Ackley's confirmaton as a franchise talent, has just recently sort of blown away the last shreds of bias as to whether the phrases "Seattle Mariners" and "loaded farm system" should ever go into the same sentence. It's worth reminding that BaseballHQ's rankings -- last winter! -- warned the baseball world that the #1 hitting farm... Read More

The Gazoo Helmet? Nick Franklin hit his 22nd HR of the year last night, which ties the season record for the Clinton franchise -- set in 1961. Reportedly he is the only player in the minors with 20+ HR, 20+ doubles and 20+ SB. Unconfirmed internet reports say he is the first teenage SS to hit 20 bombs in A ball since some kid named Alex Rodriguez.  Didn't take the time to check that out, but... Read More

... === Pedro vs Felix === Noodling around watching Felix pitch, not trying to whine here, but I've never understood why he isn't Pedro Martinez.  Granted, Felix runs 170 ERA's.  But Pedro routinely ran them from 200 to 300.  I mean, why? Bill James once ventured a guess as to why Pedro Martinez was a 250 ERA+ pitcher:  he did everything a little better than other pitchers.... Read More

...=== Reference Points === In order to zero Nick Franklin’s swing dynamics, let’s put them against the backdrop of two other great hitters.  We poked around a bit trying to find photos of lousy hitters :- ) at precisely the launch point, but they’re a little harder to find and hey, we’ve got our 23-post quota to fill.  :pinkfloyd get on with it: If you can find a convenient photo of a... Read More

Previous article . Franklin, Launch Position=== Frame 2, READ ME === Look at Franklin's wrist hinge. Two golfers, both weighing 180 lbs., will hit the ball very different distances.  The reason?  Wrist hinge. People wonder how Ichiro, weighing 165 lbs, hits a baseball 400 feet.  It's just torsion and wrist hinge. Read More

...=== Dr's Prognosis === We're not proposing 30 homers per season for Franklin.  But we are saying that there are many routes to a .500 SLG, including 35 doubles and 15 homers. And what in Chase Utley's name is so far-fetched about Nick Franklin hitting home runs?  He's hit 19 this season, as a teenager.  And what is he doing in the homer derby?  As against everything... Read More

...Previous article . Q.  Wow, if Franklin has a Griffey swing and he's hit the ground running as a future #3 hitter ... why did Franklin slip to #27 overall in the 2009 draft? A1.  You're talking about the first round of an ML draft, and a 160-lb. teenage shortstop.  High school shortstops are indeed very unlikely to stick at SS in the majors.  We read somewhere that the... Read More