Batista's Change?

by CapSea on Apr 20, 2008 11:49 PM PDT Comment 47 comments

From Baker's Blog:

Miguel Batista says a new discovery is what led him to toss 7 2/3 scoreless innings and strike out eight.

Batista won't say what the discovery was. He isn't sure it's going to work again. But he sounds excited about it. He should be. His velocity wasn't there today, but the Angels were still swining through his pitches all afternoon.

"I might have found something that I wish I might have found years ago in my career,'' Batista said. "I don't know if I'm right yet. It's going to take me at least four or five more starts to figure out if it's going to be able to work as good as I believe it might work.

"And if it does, I might be able to pitch another five years.''

Now, because he won't say what it is and it has only been one game, there is not necessarily any validity to this. I've also been told on this website and others that it is difficult/near impossible for a pitcher to learn something new (other than a new pitch) after throwing for so many years. But the thought of a pitcher - any pitcher, good or bad - figuring out a new way to pitch is something I find exciting. Here's hoping it exists.

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He figured out where the strike zone was

by Graham on Apr 20, 2008 11:51 PM PDT reply actions 3 recs

He was tutored by Brian Bannister on sabremetrics

by cwel87 on Apr 21, 2008 12:10 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Please god, let this be true.

...and now I'm here

by CapSea on Apr 21, 2008 12:13 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Batista...

Washburn’s change
Silva’s splitter

We’ll see.

by Matthew on Apr 21, 2008 12:20 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Better news than we heard last year.

No matter how false. At least they’re learning to lie better.

...and now I'm here

by CapSea on Apr 21, 2008 12:38 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I thought the Washburn shit was perpetuated by Krueger

With a cursory glance, this has been shown to be bunk.

Fans are typically idiots.

by The Typical Idiot Fan on Apr 21, 2008 4:10 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

"It's something to make hitters see hard fastball when you don't have the hard fastball."

From Hickey’s article. Did anyone notice any changes in his delivery?

by A Public Alias on Apr 21, 2008 12:49 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

He figured out how to get the opposing hitters to hit line drives ritght at fielders

by seattlebruin on Apr 21, 2008 8:16 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

what could it have been

lets go through the possibilities:
-paid off umps to widen zone
-made latex ‘batista’ facemask so Johnny Cuet could pass for him
-roids
-flash tits to batter before delivery to throw off timing/concentration/will to live
-borrowed K-rod’s hat (or just his rosin bag)

the artist formerly known as Mere Tantalisers.

by Bearskin Rugburn on Apr 21, 2008 8:43 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I personally liked "Mere Tantalisers"

Didn’t see how the name made sense or was at all relevant, but it seemed clever.

by qrsouther on Apr 21, 2008 9:04 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

it is an anagram for

seattle mariners. Changed the name because I am hoping the team will do more than pretend to be a contender in July.

the artist formerly known as Mere Tantalisers.

by Bearskin Rugburn on Apr 21, 2008 9:42 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Woah

How is everyone here so good with that and I’m not.

by qrsouther on Apr 21, 2008 10:58 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

there's a website that spits out all the possibilities

google anagram and you’ll hit it. Its just a pain to scroll through the thousands of useless ones.
My best one to date-
Oakland Athletics = Shit-caked anal lot

the artist formerly known as Mere Tantalisers.

by Bearskin Rugburn on Apr 21, 2008 11:01 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thank you for the enlightenment

My name = Risque Hot Nun, or Hero Quits Nun.

Sound scandalous. I promise I won’t post any more findings for fear of OD.

by qrsouther on Apr 21, 2008 5:10 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

it's the internets

just google “anagram generator” and you’ll be good at it too.

But don’t. Anagrams are the haiku of 2008. Overdone, overplayed.

Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.

by pdb on Apr 21, 2008 11:01 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

High time we moved on to sonnets

by Graham on Apr 21, 2008 11:08 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

pfft

Poetry with form is so establishment.

Barry Bonds died for your sins.

by JI on Apr 21, 2008 11:25 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

poetry without form

is prose.

the artist formerly known as Mere Tantalisers.

by Bearskin Rugburn on Apr 21, 2008 11:37 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

smug icemen would disagree.

by Jed MC on Apr 21, 2008 11:41 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

smug icemen = ee cummings

by Jed MC on Apr 22, 2008 9:08 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

not neccesailiy

Barry Bonds died for your sins.

by JI on Apr 21, 2008 1:02 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I vote for

sestinas. Easy, fun, no need for burdensome rhyme

the artist formerly known as Mere Tantalisers.

by Bearskin Rugburn on Apr 21, 2008 11:36 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sestinas are complicated and gimmicky.

Just go with good old fashioned imagism.

so much depends
upon

a red wheel
barrow

glazed with rain
water

beside the white
chickens.

William Carlos Williams is the man.

by Liebkartoffel on Apr 21, 2008 2:08 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Who needs form

Poetry

to verbalize with
out
boundaries

Who needs

structure;

ruLEs

(Boo!)

~~Consciousness~~

poetry.

Ill Ligitamus Non Carberendum

by PositivePaul on Apr 21, 2008 3:43 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Title: I love summer

Blood curdling screams of horror and love
Surrounded by thousands of happy, everlasting bunny rabbits
Squashing them to my amusement and dismay
“Mother!” I cried

A well of darkness flows unkempt
Igniting the flame in the sea of my soul
Molesting my fantasies into nightmares
Belying the powers that are unknown

Chasing the end of a colorless rainbow
Illuminated by the candy rope in the tunnel
Rabid kittens gnaw internally
Meowing softly to the music

My scabbed heart sweats pus
A diuretic page of my thoughts
Expressionless chickens mock me
Efficient chaos ruling nothing

Indecisive ‘societies’ of war
Vanity lies in the grooves of the make believe
Shards of thought, slicing deeper
I love you too, Pippin

...and now I'm here

by CapSea on Apr 21, 2008 3:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

the artist formerly known as Mere Tantalisers.

by Bearskin Rugburn on Apr 21, 2008 6:51 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Short version of the story here:

http://librocrat.blogspot.com/2008/04/i-love-summer.html

We were posting fake poetry. It reminded me of that one.

...and now I'm here

by CapSea on Apr 21, 2008 7:06 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I cried a little, I'm not ashamed to admit it.

by Liebkartoffel on Apr 21, 2008 5:21 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

oh look, something from

ee cummings?

bad jokes about cummings’ name in 3 2 1….

the artist formerly known as Mere Tantalisers.

by Bearskin Rugburn on Apr 21, 2008 6:34 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

[something about Coach eating kleenex]

Barry Bonds died for your sins.

by JI on Apr 21, 2008 7:51 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

what is complicated about a sestina?

much better than a sonnet if you ask me as English is not an easily rhymed language not being inflected and all. Or maybe it is too easy to rhyme and after a millenium of English literature most of the good ones have been worn out. Imagism is all well and good, but can be contained in a formal poem (and you’ll notice some slant rhyme in the one above).

the artist formerly known as Mere Tantalisers.

by Bearskin Rugburn on Apr 21, 2008 6:33 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I bet it's something random and new agey

Bikram yoga on his off days?

by sammy on Apr 21, 2008 10:46 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Deepak Chopra's "The Magic of Healing Music."

...and now I'm here

by CapSea on Apr 21, 2008 11:55 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

the other angels fan [formerly newlocal]

by Eyebrows on Apr 21, 2008 1:02 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

This happens from time to time.

Roy Halladay insists that he changed the way he threw his cutter last year based on some advice from backup catcher Sal Fasano , and it made him better.

by Llewdor on Apr 21, 2008 11:08 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

More proof that Fasano is a badass.

We don't negotiate with terrorists.

by Mariner John on Apr 21, 2008 10:01 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Slower pitches? Longer career?

Obviously he’s been talking to RA.

Formerly Alaskan, until Alaska showed up at the SB Nation switch. Thanks for nothing, Alaska!

by The Alaskan on Apr 21, 2008 11:33 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

You know...

I wasn’t sure, but man a few of his pitches definitely looked like they might’ve at least been inspired by a knuckleball.

Ill Ligitamus Non Carberendum

by PositivePaul on Apr 21, 2008 1:24 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

What did Mussina throw, a knuckle curve or something?

Maybe it’s some variant of that. Although Beluga’s quote made it sound more like a change in his delivery to “hide” the ball better. He said the change made is fastball look “harder”.

I like midgets more than I should.

by Thingray on Apr 21, 2008 4:08 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs