Forever Giants:1953 New York Giants(Year 71)

1952 is here.

My WAR calculation is a combination of Baseball-reference and Clay Davenport; I believe it to be the "best" WAR number available for historical comparison. 8 WAR is an MVP quality season.  The record is pythagorean adjusted for 162 games.

1953 83-79

C Wes Westrum  1.45 

1B Whitey Lockman 1.5 

2B Davey Williams 1.1 

SS Alvin Dark 4.45 

3B Hank Thompson 4.35 

LF Monte Irvin 3.85 

CF Bobby Thomson 1.15 

RF Don Mueller 1.35 

IF Daryl Spencer -.65

IF Bobby Hoffman .6

1B Tookie Gilbert -1 

OF Dusty Rhodes 0 
C Ray Noble .15

SP Ruben Gomez 3.9

SP Jim Hearn 1.65 

SP Larry Jansen 1.95 

SP Sal Maglie 1.65 

SP Al Worthington .8

RP Dave Koslo -.4 (14.75) Last season

RP Hoyt Wilhelm 3.35 

RP Al Corwin .65

-A brawl with Brooklyn costs Dodger Carl Furillo the last month of the season; it's the worst Giants season since '46.  Tookie Gilbert played two big league seasons, three years apart, both for the Giants and both bad.  Thomson's going to spend the next three years away, but he'll be back.  It's Koslo's last season.

Forever Giants:1952 New York Giants(Year 70)

1951 is here.

My WAR calculation is a combination of Baseball-reference and Clay Davenport; I believe it to be the "best" WAR number available for historical comparison. 8 WAR is an MVP quality season. The record is pythagorean adjusted for 162 games.

1952 90-72

C Wes Westrum  2.45 

1B Whitey Lockman 3.55 

2B Davey Williams 2.5

SS Alvin Dark 4.5

3B Bobby Thomson 4.4

LF Bob Elliott .25

CF Hank Thompson 3.35 

RF Don Mueller 2

OF Dusty Rhodes .65

OF Monte Irvin .65 

OF Willie Mays 1.3 

C Sal Yvars .35

OF George Wilson -.4

IF Bill Rigney .55 

SP Jim Hearn 1.3

SP Sal Maglie 3.85 

SP Larry Jansen .25 

RP Dave Koslo 1.95 

RP Max Lanier  1.5

RP Hoyt Wilhelm  2.85

-Mays joins the Army; Hoyt Wilhelm, a 29 year old rookie, makes his debut.  It's the Giants third straight 90+ pythag season in the 70th year of the organization.

Forever Giants:1951 National League Champion New York Giants(Year 69)

1950 is here.

My WAR calculation is a combination of Baseball-reference and Clay Davenport; I believe it to be the "best" WAR number available for historical comparison. 8 WAR is an MVP quality season. The record is pythagorean adjusted for 162 games.

1951 96-66 NL Champions

C Wes Westrum 3.65 

1B Whitey Lockman  1.2

2B Eddie Stanky 5.3

SS Alvin Dark 6.4

3B Hank Thompson  .55 

LF Monte Irvin 6

CF Willie Mays 3.6

RF Don Mueller 1.75 

Uti Bobby Thomson 4.9

C Ray Noble -.15

SP Sal Maglie 5.55

SP Larry Jansen  4.9 

SP Jim Hearn 1.8 

RP Dave Koslo 1.35 

RP Sheldon Jones -1.35 

RP George Spencer 1

-The Giants, you may have heard, won the pennant.  First pennant since '37, and like 14 years prior (and the same the year before that) they lost to the Yanks in 6 in the Series.  The Giants make up a 13 game mid August deficit, and then win a three game playoff against the Dodgers on Thomson's three run 9th inning homer.  Willie Mays begins his assault on the all time Giants WAR mark, still held by Mathewson at that time.  Stanky moves on after two terrific Giants seasons.  

January, 2015 Athlete of the Month

The 2014 winner is here.

We start all over again.

Marshawn Lynch.

Runners-up:  Kam Chancellor, Ezekiel Elliott, LeGarrette Blount

1 down.  11 left in the race for 2015 Athlete of the Year.

January - Marshawn Lynch

Tendown Jan 18, 2015

Tendown 158 is here.  This is Tendown 159

Cosby puts the pills in the people.

1. Egypt. sent a representative to the Paris march in support of free speech.  Their RSVP to the freedom of religion march must be lost in the mail.

2. It's like Searching for Bobby Fischer if the parents would have just let Ben Kingsley do his goddamn job.  The best movie of 2014...Whiplash.  Nominated this week for Best Picture (Boyhood will win).  Also nominated, American Sniper, which glorifies an admitted sociopath.

3. Ohio St won the national title (I got the game right ATS, not for nothing I'm 6-2 against the spread in the NFL playoffs and taking both dogs today, but both favorites straight up) they're the 91st greatest national champion ever.  

4. The Carnitas is Gone!

5. You Should Be Watching Broad City.

6. Can you be moral without Christianity?  Well, let's go to the tape.

7. And you thought Steve Scalise was fun.

8. There is a Bay Area coach I was thrilled to get rid of.  It was this guy.

Oh, by the way, the Warriors are 32-6.

9. How should you evaluate Selma's characterization of LBJ?  Like this.

10. A takedown of NY Mag's brutally dumb Obama piece.

And one more...

11. 

Okay.  We'll see.  

That's all for this time.  I'll be back next time.  If there is a next time...

Your pal, 

Jim