Pat Pickens' baseball article
Pat Pickens' 2007 preview may mislead readers about the documented performance of Mariano Rivera. Pickens misses 2 recent post-season series-clinching performances by the Yankee reliever:
- 2003 Game 7, ALCS, Rivera pitched 3 consecutive scoreless innings, took his team to the World Series, was named ALCS MVP, and was the Winning Pitcher of record. Pickens may think this doesn't count because it wasn't technically a "Save,"and says Mo has done nothing since 2001. Pickens may wish to look at that game someday.
- 2004 Game 4, ALDS, Rivera pitched 2 innings in an extra-inning game that clinched the ALDS for his team, taking them on to the next level of post season play, the ALCS. Again, Rivera was the Winning Pitcher of record. Pickens tells you Mo hasn't clinched a post season series since 2001. Additionally, he was used in all 4 games of the 2004 ALDS.
- "By the way does anyone else realize that Mariano Rivera hasn't saved a playoff series-clinching game since the 2001 ALDS? He's blown two since then. But�"
- As soon as people get their facts straight, I'll move on to other topics.
posted by susan at
3/31/2007 05:29:00 PM
4 Comments:
Why do they let moron women like YOU write articles about college students. I could see if you were busting the balls of Peter Gammons or some other PROFESSIONAL, however this kid writes for a COLLEGE newspaper. So get a life and let kids learn. That is why they GO TO college. I hope YOU are having a great career at BP because obviously you have no idea how to be professional.
By
Unknown, at 10:02 PM
Thanks for your comment, but the fact that it's a college newspaper doesn't change anything I've said. If the writer chose a career devoted to the dismantling of the BBWAA, I'd be very happy. The baseball media field is corrupt and without conscience, contrary to what they like to say about themselves. I'm only a person who comments on those that "define the daily discourse." Certain points of view will never see the light of day, and the problem is now irrevocably worsened because of the internet. Thanks again for commenting. Very few people read this blog, so your friend has no worries.
By
susan, at 12:43 AM
Sorry, but the fact remains that Mariano Rivera has not obtained a save, as per the article. This is a FACT. In addition, I find it hard to believe that a die-hard Yankee fan would be negatively "biased" against his own pitching staff. Pat Pickens is not enjoying a career at any major publication yet, and this proves that he speaks how he feels. Honestly, what does an independent writer have to gain by questioning the potential of non-rookie Mariano Rivera, especially with no professional affiliation. Your final claim that Pat has not gotten his facts straight is completely ridiculous. Pat has claimed that Rivera has not provided any saves. This is correct. Whether Mo is a competant pitcher or not is a completely different story, but there has been no misleading information (aka "Mariano Rivera is in his prime and has given the Yanks 598 saves in the '07 season ALONE") provided in this article. Maybe you should concentrate on the definition of "fact" before you proceed to criticize others on their opinions.
By
Meghan Pickens, at 2:08 AM
"Obtained a save." I've read and written more about the total save stat than most want to know. My motivation in starting this and other sites has been mainly in response to the hyping of the total save stat in recent years by ESPN and 1 or 2 other organizations. Mariano has not been used to "obtain" total save or cookie save stats. If Mo has exceeded others in that area, he's been put down as "having more opportunities," but they overlook that when it's convenient to hype someone else (who has been given more and easier opportunities for certain reasons). On 9/3/06 I posted on this blog in response to someone on FoxSports.com named Ben Jacobs who also made Rivera's performance pivot only on the obtaining of the total save stat (ignoring that "saves" are given out by managers and vary greatly). He said,
"Rivera allowed one run in three innings and earned one save (his first since August 15) in the past week."
* What? He only "earned" 1 "save" which was "his first since August 15." Man, Rivera must be a lazy, worthless, barely above average journeyman. WHAT THE YOUNG MR. JACOBS DESPERATELY DOESN'T WANT YOU TO KNOW:
* First, Mariano wasn't 'resting' for 2 weeks. He had a 'Win' on August 20. He pitched 2 consecutive innings twice after August 15th, first on August 20, then on August 27. It may hurt Jacobs too much to remember the 2 IP on August 20 for the Win happened at Fenway Park.(Part of the 2006 Boston Massacre). Between Aug. 20 and 27th, the Yankees were losing all the games with 2 exceptions--one they were ahead by 7 runs, and the other was the Monday day game against Boston, where Mariano had just pitched 2 consecutive innings about 14 hours earlier. But, Jacobs et al won't mention that--if anything, they'll say well Rivera was being "rested." It's only defined that way when Mariano is involved--not others.
Jacobs, like others in the mass communications field of baseball (as opposed to people actually in the game like AL managers) seems to be confused..." I appreciate your diligence and interest in baseball and in relief pitchers. Most people do assume the total save stat means more than it does--the media and certain others have exploited it for specific reasons. People actually in the game, players and managers, don't evaluate late inning relief pitchers or closers in this narrow manner.Examples of all this are on my blog. I thank you for commenting here. I don't expect you to read through my whole blog nor to agree with me. Many millions of dollars have gone into selling a different point of view. I don't take this amount of time to respond to anything except this one issue. If your friend is determined to go into sports writing, ESPN will eventually be in the picture. That's what their ombudsman Le Anne Schreiber says.
By
susan, at 3:31 AM
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