tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59993876027121571972012-02-11T10:27:58.930-05:00frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.comBlogger721100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-46396301858434129482008-03-25T06:54:00.002-04:002008-03-25T07:02:03.601-04:00

The 2008 baseball season is here.The bad part, it started at 6am EDT. Hence the temporary name change. It could be the first time I've ever sat down to watch a game with coffee, but thats ok.The game of course is being playing at the Tokyo dome in Japan. As of this writing, the A's are winning 2-0 and Matzuzaka has no control of his breaking ball. But its early. The crowd at the Big Egg is

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-76987699328992403002008-03-25T06:53:00.000-04:002008-03-25T06:53:55.545-04:00

(NOTE: I wrote this a week ago, but apparently forgot to post it, hence the number in the title)Ok, I don't know for sure when Philly beer week will be in 2009, or even if its a certain event, but I'm already anxiously awaiting.The past 10 days of Philly beer week were filled with many many events, most of which I could not attend (need that job to be able to afford beer).Best new bar: This goes

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-33588733269290184492008-03-14T12:08:00.005-04:002008-03-17T13:42:05.479-04:00

So Wednesday was a much needed night at home. Did this stop me from enjoying a beer? Of course not. I had the Avery Fourteen, a beer brewed specifically for their 14th anniversary.On Thursday, we headed to Old City. The first stop was Eulogy where their were having a Harviestoun night, featuring their beers aged in Highland Park scotch casks of 12, 16 and 30 years. The beers were pricy so I

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-53417050735426247672008-03-12T11:49:00.003-04:002008-03-12T14:26:46.850-04:00

I've learned a few things in the past couple of days attending beer week events. First, Philly has even more great beer culture than I realized. And second, I'm not as young as I once was. For that reason, tonight will be an off night.On Monday we went to the Joe Sixpack doppelbock tasting at Dawson's Pub. The pub is no more than a 5 minute walk for us and is one of out favorites, this

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-27399020242599105212008-03-10T12:19:00.002-04:002008-03-10T14:38:53.944-04:00

So I know blogging has been slow lately, but have no fear, its almost baseball season. Plus, we are in the middle of Philly Beer Week and there is much to discuss.On Friday we went to the Joe Sixpack beer event at the East Falls Market. This was being touted as the kickoff event and it did not disappoint. The number of people was ideal as I rarely had to wait for any beer. Mayor Nutter was on

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-81595223852574800812008-02-11T11:54:00.001-05:002008-02-15T11:46:25.698-05:00

Saturday, the wife and I had tickets to the Rangers game here in Philly. Due to a ticket office mixup, we got seats in the club box section for the cost of corner upper level tickets. This section includes a much nicer bathroom, waitress service, a bar in the club and a wider food selection. The liquor selection at the bar was decent, but I was more in a beer mood and their beer selection was

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-8816620803166252712008-02-04T11:33:00.000-05:002008-02-04T12:37:15.038-05:00

And yet hell did not freeze over.I'm still somewhat in shock and very happy (as a Giants fan) over the result of the super bowl last night. So here are my thoughts on the outcome.1) In the regular season, the Giants lost to Dallas twice, Green Bay and New England. They proceded to beat each of those teams in the playoffs. I don't feel like figuring it out, but I suspect no team has ever beaten

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-82235089650172507542008-01-28T12:08:00.000-05:002008-01-28T12:27:34.964-05:00

The Australian Open wrapped up and people may finally realize just how well Djokovic can play. He was his first (but certainly not last) grand slam title. The results, with Federer losing points and Nadal gaining points, leave the top 3 players closer than they've been in a long time (I'd guess at least 3 years). As of now we have:Federer 6630Nadal 5980Djokovic 5165Everyone else below 2800.So,

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-71299766292356536852007-12-12T10:53:00.000-05:002007-12-12T13:59:08.128-05:00

Our Netflix queue has 497 "movies". I put movies in quotes because I'd guess 1/4 to 1/3 of the items are TV show discs. The strange part is that the queue has consistently grown since we signed up, it never really goes down. I watch plenty of stuff, but add at a faster pace. How long can that continue? Keep in mind that I almost never put something on the queue that I've already

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-5676233082755271212007-12-11T12:20:00.000-05:002007-12-11T13:42:24.164-05:00

I figured I'd get myself ready for lunch by talking about 2 new restaurants I've recently tried.First is the Belgian Cafe at 21st & Green. This place is owned by the people who own Monk's, so the Belgian theme is fitting. The decor of the place was simple, lots of wood giving the bar area an old feel to it, even though the place opened this year. I got a mussel dish that was very tasty, lots

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-64990362184253317402007-12-03T12:48:00.000-05:002007-12-03T13:06:05.424-05:00

Every so often I love to peruse through the Best of Craigslist. Here are some interesting posts:M&MsSEPTACar for sale

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-35323200494427314972007-11-30T13:54:00.001-05:002007-11-30T15:07:26.233-05:00

If a football game is on the NFL network and no one sees it, did it really happen?The answer in both cases is obviously yes. But there has been a lot of complaining lately about games being shown only on the NFL network which some cable companies do not carry and some (like Comcast in Philly) carry, but on a special sports tier that most people do not have.So is this such a bad thing?Well from

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-43535498420302803542007-11-20T14:28:00.000-05:002007-11-20T15:07:49.296-05:00

The baseball awards have been handed out so now its time for some fun facts. I'm not going to delve into whether or not voters made correct choices, there are enough people doing that already.Rollins won the MVP a year after Ryan Howard pocketed the award. How many times have different teammates won the award in consecutive years? Well its happened way more than I orginally expected, 20 times

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-3071766728001098112007-11-20T11:20:00.001-05:002007-11-20T11:41:36.891-05:00

We spent a lot of time in center city over the weekend, so I thought I'd review some new places we visited.On Friday night we went to Marathon Grill on 16th & Sansom. The place was not too large, but we had no trouble getting a table. The service was a little slow, but it was a Friday night. The menu sounded really good and I had a tough time deciding. The seafood bisque did not impress me,

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-33216386829172638452007-11-06T13:32:00.000-05:002007-11-06T14:39:35.843-05:00

The NHL has gone through several somewhat major rule changes over the years, which makes it somewhat difficult to compare players and teams across eras. So here's my attempt at rectifying this.From the beginning of the NHL up to and including the 1998-99 season, points were awarded as follows:Win in regulation - 2 pointsLoss in regulation - 0 pointsWin in overtime - 2 pointsLoss in overtime - 0

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-63513303091531973672007-11-06T11:14:00.000-05:002007-11-06T11:31:12.731-05:00

As of yesterday, the writer's guild is officially on strike. While I'm not a person who will automatically side with unions, I am definitely on the writers' side here. The main reason for the strike as I understand it is the negotiations over newer forms of media including internet content. The studios (and probably most management) tends to try and create the rules or carry over old rules

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-45917838595548285182007-11-06T09:37:00.000-05:002007-11-06T09:56:12.879-05:00

One of my favorite pitchers of all time, Greg Maddux, re-signed with the Padres for another year. Obviously at 41 he's no longer the pitcher he was in the mid 90s, but he's still a slightly above average start who stays healthy. Since 1988, the fewest starts he's made in a non-strike shortened year was 33!! For comparison's sake, Pedro Martinez has started 33 games 3 times, but thats the most

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-91288911510694542802007-11-05T11:10:00.000-05:002007-11-05T11:22:31.624-05:00

The Gmail inbox always has a link on top to some random website. The title of the website is related to whatever emails you've recently been reading. These are quite humorous to me, especially when the keywords in the email they read have multiple meanings.Our neighborhood (Manayunk) has lots of college students and other young adults, so weekend parties are common. Walking around on a

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-81855932880224896642007-11-05T10:50:00.000-05:002007-11-05T10:59:56.166-05:00

some people make lemonade.I make limoncello.For those unfamiliar, limoncello is an Italian liquor made from lemons (obviously) that is often served (chilled) as an after dinner drink.I got a recipe from my parents and decided to make some. The process is fairly easy, although zesting lemons can be tiring. I finished it this weekend and had some last night. It was pretty good. I was very

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-81138621722506481082007-11-02T09:31:00.000-04:002007-11-02T09:47:17.746-04:00

Federer lost to Nalbandian again.Did I just write that?Anyway, we're down to 6 as Berdych loses missing out on Nalbandian's gifts and the 8th place holder heading into Paris (Haas) also loses.Gonzalez can't like Federer going out, but he'll still advance unless Youzhny beats the Gasquet/Murray winner in the final OR Robredo plays the Gasquet/Murray winner in the final.Robredo is in ok shape. He

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-85807906771477123692007-11-01T10:09:00.000-04:002007-11-01T13:04:44.849-04:00

The tennis season is coming to a close. The final masters event in Paris is currently in the round of 16, and next week we have the masters cup for the top 8 players in Shanghai. 6 players (Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Davydenko, Roddick, and Ferrer) have locked up spots in the tourney. The results in Paris will determine who will get the final 2 spots.Going into this tournament, an amazing 18

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-65577813057017974242007-10-31T10:32:00.000-04:002007-10-31T10:39:09.286-04:00

I'm a big fan of the Stone Brewery from California. They continuously amaze me with their beers, the Russian Imperial Stout, Arrogant Bastard (regular and oaked), the Vertical Epic series, etc. All tremendous beers. Last night, for the first time, I tried the Double Arrogant Bastard. This may be my new favorite Stone beer. Its quite hoppy (would you expect anything else from Stone?) but with

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-65269022532859715832007-10-31T10:30:00.000-04:002007-10-31T10:39:49.524-04:00

The Philly metro had a fun article yesterday comparing Philly and Boston as sports towns.

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-50886047465600551912007-10-29T10:53:00.000-04:002007-10-29T15:43:44.020-04:00

I attended a beer festival this past Saturday in New York City. I've been to several beer festivals in the past including the World Beer Festival in Durham, NC (several times), the Brewer's Jam in Knoxville, TN, and the Philadelphia Craft Beer Festival. For those familiar with the movie Bull Durham, the World Beer Fest is held annually on the field from the movie, which is the former home of

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-48198032310717392842007-10-05T14:36:00.000-04:002007-10-05T15:34:36.836-04:00

If I had to name 1 day of the year when I'm least likely to be focused on work, it would probably be either of the first 2 days of the ncaa tournament. But after that, the wonderful time of october playoff baseball is a close second.Now, its 85 degrees in Philly today, so the crisp early fall weather that I love has been put on hold, but the desire to watch 3 meaningful baseball games a day has

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-36611542707250257222007-09-10T14:07:00.001-04:002007-09-10T16:39:26.768-04:00

Its Monday. I know this can be fairly boring and the next weekend is so far away, so here are some random interesting facts that I would like you share with you.Do you know who leads the Yankees in doubles? Its Jorge Posada, with 37.In the 4 grand slams this year, Roger Federer lost 9 sets. In 28 matches. Henin has lost 3 sets in Wimbledon, and none in the US Open or French Open (she skipped

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-54020872335177938842007-09-07T09:58:00.000-04:002007-09-07T10:28:12.231-04:00

I heard this morning on Sportscenter that the Women's world cup is starting next week. Now that I think about it I knew it was supposed to be at some point in 2007, but I had no idea it was next week. This could be my own fault, but I watch and read plenty of sports news so its not like I was being beaten over the head with this news.Anyway, the tournament is being held in China. If you recall

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-78598688432147077342007-09-06T14:34:00.000-04:002007-09-06T14:52:43.334-04:00

I got an interesting comment from Matt about the popularity of women's tennis in general compared to other women's professional sports. I'll focus my comments to US sports as I have no knowledge of how popular women's soccer is in Brazil or women's curling in Canada.My research dug up the following women's professional sports:TennisGolfSoftballFootballBasketball (WNBA)BoxingSoccer (the WUSA

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-34256572827891485932007-09-06T14:33:00.000-04:002007-09-06T14:34:12.202-04:00

A nice article, courtesy of the Onion.

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-55372181825857352092007-08-30T11:16:00.002-04:002007-08-30T11:44:38.182-04:00

There are 32 days left in the baseball season so I think its time to discuss the playoffs. We've got some heated races (or at least races that are heating up). Lets start with the ALAt this point the division races are looking fairly tame in the AL. The Red Sox lead by 6 with 4 games remaining against the Yankees. If the Yanks go 4-0 over those games, then it could get interesting, but even 3

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-24377656437931282792007-08-27T11:35:00.000-04:002007-08-27T12:27:51.021-04:00

Its a grand August day as the US Open begins. I won't be able to make it to Flushing this year, but I'll watch plenty on TV and will be following the ticker when away from a TV. So without furhter ado, here are some things I expect or hope to see:1) Federer should cruise into the finals. Roddick, Blake and Davydenko are not incredibly tough foes.2) Now that electronic line calling (at least

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-62854038406900079342007-08-24T13:16:00.002-04:002007-08-24T13:17:24.910-04:00

I've decided to start a new type of post, called Frank's weekly rants. It will mostly consist of me bitching about something that annoys me. Don't know yet if it will be every week or not. Do you have something that annoys you? Please share.I am utterly amazed at the lack of office kitchen ettiquite. I bring in food to mircowave about twice a week. When I get to the microwave I put my food

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-13889262739828232682007-08-21T12:17:00.001-04:002007-08-22T09:18:20.414-04:00

If I asked 100 baseball fans who was the best catcher in baseball right now I bet very few would say Jorge Posada, but he's somewhat quietly having his best hitting season ever. His OBP is .415 and he's slugging .536!! This gives him a higher OPS that players like Vlad Guerrero and Ryan Howard catching. He's currently at 13th best in the majors (tied with David Ortiz for 7th if you look at OPS

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-8554242349394364042007-08-21T12:10:00.000-04:002007-08-21T12:15:34.425-04:00

We've recently had a lot of baseball milestones, as Bonds tied Hank Aaron in HRs, ARod hit his 500th HR (the youngest ever to do this) and Glavine notches his 300th win. This is a great convergence of accomplishments and is lots of fun for me as a fan.But there is a problem. We now are forced to deal with lots of questions of "Will anyone ever get 300 wins again????".This question bothers me. A

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-19063847087164500842007-08-21T09:38:00.000-04:002007-08-21T09:52:04.671-04:00

Well, its been almost a month since I last discussed season records and lots has happened. Lets revisit.AB & PA - Jimmy Rollins is still on pace for 710 ABs (705 is record) but only 772 PAs (773 is the record). The loss of Utely and Victorino from the lineup has probably lead to fewer chances, plus he has sometimes been batting 3rd instead of 1st since Utley's injury. He still has a chance

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-5240068277645556192007-08-21T09:26:00.000-04:002007-08-21T09:38:08.007-04:00

I've been away from a computer a lot lately which has led to less blogging. Hopefully I will catch up soon. We recently travelled to Ireland. You can see some pics or a video of a traditional Irish session.There are of course some interesting things I learned in Ireland.1) Ireland is in fact very green. Our weather was mostly good, but a couple of days they had a misting sort of rain. This

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-13823721298744819202007-08-03T23:26:00.000-04:002007-08-03T23:57:28.569-04:00

In case you wanted proof against the effect of performance enhancing drugs there is this article. I mean seriously, Neifi Perez?!?!?! By the way, since 1901, for players with at least 1400 games played, Neifi Perez has the 2nd worst OPS+ of all time, at 63. The worst is 57 by Dal Maxvill. In addition, for a player with 4700 plate appearances, the worst OPS+ is our favorite crappy shortstop,

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-13812636736365148272007-08-01T14:20:00.000-04:002007-08-02T14:34:21.242-04:00

I just got back from a conference in Salt Lake City, which explains the lack of posts recently. Some interesting musings:1) I got to check out the AAA Salt Lake Bees, an Angels affiliate. The stadium was nothing special. It was very hot, so almost everyone sat in the shade. They had a few local microbrews that I got to try. The biggest problem I had was that most concession stands were

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-47308772718751360652007-07-27T12:08:00.000-04:002007-07-27T12:20:03.116-04:00

Only a few hours after I postulated that Chase Utley had a 10% chance to break Webb's doubles record, he gets hit by a pitch and breaks his hand. So that record is obviously out the window. Dan Uggla and Magglio Ordonez both have 38 doubles which puts them at a much lower chance, maybe 1%.On a more concering issues, especially here in Philly, is what will the team do without Utley. It seems

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-60705699148607197002007-07-27T10:59:00.000-04:002007-07-27T11:50:32.261-04:00

While looking through some random stats I noticed that this season Tim Wakefield has started 20 games and is 11-9, meaning he has had 0 no decisions. In the age of 6-7 inning starters this is remarkable. Wakefield has pitched 8 innings once and 7 innings six times. Nothing shocking there. It seems that when he has the lead, his bullpen holds it and when he doesn't have the lead his hitters

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-14118229242171860002007-07-26T11:16:00.000-04:002007-07-26T13:18:39.250-04:00

Being a commissioner seems like it should be a great job. You're in charge of a sport that you presumably love. You get to attend any game of that sport, and probably most of any other sport as well. You know all the owners, players, etc.But then there is the downside, summed up as public relations. Right now we have Bud Selig dealing with the unpopular Bonds, David Stern dealing with crooked

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-21519306696219708642007-07-26T09:37:00.000-04:002007-07-26T10:05:49.730-04:00

A while back I had a post about career records that will likely be broken by current players. Now that we're 60% through the season, its time to look at potential single season records. Note that I'm using the terms record loosely, it does not always mean a positive outcome.AB & PA - Jimmy Rollins is in a perfect situation to break both of these records. He's curently on pace for 719 ABs (705

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-70418629553153591092007-07-23T15:19:00.001-04:002007-07-26T10:22:48.667-04:00

I was having a conversation with my dad recently about the dirt on a baseball field. For those unaware, the largest patch of dirt in the infield extends out from the 1st - 2nd and 2nd - 3rd basepaths. See the picture on this page.We came to the consensus that the original fields would have had no dirt at all, just grass. Then certain areas would have gotten worn out. Worn grass leads to bad

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-87452392938929799822007-07-23T09:30:00.001-04:002007-07-23T14:16:03.569-04:00

I went to the Yankee's game on Saturday night. They scored 17 runs on 20 hits. The last Phillies game I went to, the Phillies scored 13 runs on 23 hits. I see a trend here. And if you're wondering, 23 hits and only 13 runs seems inefficient but its not a record. The Royals in 1990 scored only 11 on 23 hits as did the Pirates in 1970. The biggest difference (H - R) was 15 in 1980 when the

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-91124997258266672422007-07-20T11:37:00.000-04:002007-07-20T12:02:20.579-04:00

So I read an article today that there are currently 6 former women's US Open champions slated to play this year at the Open. The list is Sharapova, V. Williams, S. Williams, Henin, Kuznetsova, and Hingis. This seemed like a lot, so I investigated.NOTES:I only went back to the early 80s, since the data is harder to read through prior to that. Also, I am only considering past champions in the

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-21081513496055234022007-07-20T09:39:00.000-04:002007-07-20T11:37:22.195-04:00

Any time you buy baseball tickets months or even weeks in advance, you have no idea who you'll see pitch. As someone who enjoys a great pitching duel, I'm always hoping for a great match-up.Then a few days before the game, you go online and see that instead of watching Clemens or Wang, I get to see Kei Igawa. You see, I'm going to the Yankees game saturday night. Now, they are playing the

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-58937610319421481012007-07-19T16:59:00.000-04:002007-07-19T17:19:08.745-04:00

First, a trivia question. Who holds the record for most HRs in a season by a second baseman (at least 50% of games at 2nd)? Answer will follow later.I was thinking about AROD's season and how many home runs he's on pace for. Then I realized he already has the most single season HRs by a shortstop (57). It turns out the record for most HRs by a third baseman is 49 by Killebrew. He'll very

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-38684838184892997712007-07-18T13:48:00.000-04:002007-07-18T14:02:53.903-04:00

Recently I posted about the possibility of Federer losing the number 1 ranking at one point this year. Well since then 2 things have happened.First, Nadal entered the Stuttgart tourny, a rare summer clay court event. Its an International event, so it will replace one of Nadal's current low scoring events. Winning the tounrament will net him 250 - 20 = 230 points. Is he desperate to keep

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-16651824810712309642007-07-17T12:20:00.000-04:002007-07-17T16:12:50.453-04:00

Every baseball game you watch, pitchers are described by the "pitching triple crown" stats, W-L record, ERA and strikeouts. Saves are also used when dealing with a closer.The problems with W-L record are fairly obvious, they are highly dependent upon the number of runs your team scores. It is very difficult to win when your team scores only 2 and impossible if they score 0.Strikeouts are of

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-91835600600643223332007-07-16T14:36:00.000-04:002007-07-16T15:14:08.792-04:00

Amazingly, the folks at google have done it again. You can now get directions and "customize your route" by changing any of the directions that google recommends. By dragging and dropping to the road you want to take, google will instantly recalculate the route, travel time and distance.Have an alternative route you want to compare, you can do that.Want to avoid the game or shore traffic. No

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-5499790693186451932007-07-16T11:14:00.000-04:002007-07-16T11:22:21.793-04:00

That what it would take for the Phillies to get back to .500, now that they have loss number 10,000!!! After holding off the Cardinals on Friday and Saturday, the momentous day arrived yesterday with the 10-2 loss. The Braves will almost certainly be the next to reach the milestone, but we should also watch the Cubs, who are only 53 wins away from 10,000. I get the feeling the organization

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-82419984770106459922007-07-16T10:12:00.000-04:002007-07-16T15:15:36.671-04:00

In case you have noticed, Curtis Granderson is up to 16 triples this year. He's also at 13 HRs, giving him a very good chance to reach 20 2Bs, 20 3Bs and 20 HRs in a single season, joining Mays, Brett, Frank Schulte, and Jim Bottomly.In this baseball era, 20 triples is rare. Christian Guzman did it in 2000 and Jance Johnson in 1996 and the only 2 in the past 20 years. Granderson is currently

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-64163179260156965262007-07-13T14:44:00.000-04:002007-07-13T15:04:56.928-04:00

Well at least 2 of them.In case you haven't heard the hype, David Beckham and his possibly more famous wife arrived in the US. Beckham recently signed to play with LA in the MLS. The US sports media is making a big deal about how huge this is for US soccer. Maybe I'm missing something here, but a player thats past his prime and barely playing for his national or club team in Europe is suddenly

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-7305940666820693012007-07-13T12:54:00.000-04:002007-07-15T10:47:07.594-04:00

We have tickets for tonight's game against the Cardinals. Will we witness the 10,000th loss? I'm kind of hedging my bets here, if the Phillies win I'll be happy that they started their second half well. If they lose, well then the city can have its "celebration" (I'm using the word very loosely).Looking back throughout history, the Phillies record on Friday the 13ths is 45-44-1. Yes, that is

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-65725474100272584652007-07-12T11:32:00.000-04:002007-07-12T11:51:12.479-04:00

The Phillies don't play tonight, but this weekend will likely be their 10,000 franchise loss. The city is buzzing.So what are the marks of futility in other major sports? Keep in mind that no league plays as many games in a season as baseball.In the NBA, the Golden State Warriors have 2562 losses. The Sacramento Kings are next with 2427In the NFL, the Arizona Cardinals have 658 losses. The

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-88688100197878387912007-07-12T09:55:00.001-04:002007-07-12T11:13:29.517-04:00

As the HR record is about to fall (see other post for more about this), I began thinking about what other career records could be broken by current players.Saves - Since Hoffman has the record, he's breaking it with every save he gets, so that doesn't count. Depending on when Hoffman retires, Rivera or Wagner could possibly catch him. Also, watch out for Francisco Rodriguez, who's only 25 years

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-67202951192653565202007-07-12T09:34:00.000-04:002007-07-12T11:13:16.736-04:00

Well it will be Bonds soon enough. He's 4 away from tying Aaron. So lets assume he passes him, finishes the season with 767 and retires. How long does he keep the title? Lets look at some challengers.Sosa - Currently at 602 at age 38. Having a poor year, he won't get many more before retiring.Griffey - Currently at 586 at age 37. He's having a very solid year, should pass 600. But even if

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-23764529731294911482007-07-11T12:11:00.000-04:002007-07-11T12:39:20.621-04:00

There's a great little corner bar a few blocks from our house called Dawson Street Pub. The have a very good beer selection with a lot of local stuff on tap, like Victory and Yards(including 3 rotating cask ales). Every year for the all-star game they host a baseball trivia night. This is our second year competing and once again I fell short finishing 4th out of 8 teams which is fairly good

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-23155774100989456762007-07-10T12:37:00.000-04:002007-07-10T12:59:45.119-04:00

Google maps and baseball stadiums.I've decided to map the ballparks I've been to using google. Blue placemarks are active, green are non-active, and yellow are ballparks I've been to but not for a baseball game (could be another sport or event).Here's the link.

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-38249536139755027582007-07-09T12:55:00.000-04:002007-07-10T12:18:06.423-04:00

While watching the fantastic Wimbledon final on Sunday I noticed that the announcers kept mentioning the possibility of Nadal taking over the number 1 ranking this year, which would of course be huge considering Federer has been #1 for about 180 weeks in a row. Now I do think Nadal will eventually reach #1, considering he's about 4 or 5 years younger than Federer and also way ahead of the rest

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-56056112574178641652007-07-09T10:28:00.000-04:002007-07-09T10:57:54.793-04:00

With a win on Sunday going into the All-Star break, the Phillies have avoided the dreaded loss for a few more days. Unless the Phillies sweep, the Cardinals will hand the Phillies their 10,000th loss.For those who are curious, their first loss was on May 1, 1883, also at home to the Providence Grays, a team that folded in 1885. The score was 4-3. At the time, they were known as the Philadelphia

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-34937148685674694992007-07-05T22:27:00.000-04:002007-07-10T12:27:54.665-04:00

Andrea and I recently took a trip to Spain. If you're interested, here are some pics.

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-65480269248727355882007-07-05T11:44:00.001-04:002007-07-05T11:50:58.570-04:00

I got to watch some matches this morning before heading in to work. Djokovic was playing Hewitt and although I have not seen much of this him, Djokovic impresses me. He's only 20 (I think) and has climbed to #5 in the world, playing well on different surfaces. I would love to see a semifinal between him and Nadal. The two have met 4 times already this year, Nadal winning twice on clay and

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-72507940811530441622007-07-05T10:05:00.000-04:002007-07-05T10:11:07.852-04:00

Sitting at 9997, the Phils are off tonight and will play in Colorado this weekend. The loss at home is becoming more and more likely. Also, I'm taking the Nationals series off the board.at Home: 52.452 %at LA: 25.908 %at Colorado: 12.064 %at SD: 8.325 %7/6 at Rockies 0%7/7 at Rockies 0%7/8 at Rockies 12.064 %ALL STAR BREAK7/13 vs. Cardinals 18.309 %7/14 vs. Cardinals 18.524 %7/15 vs. Cardinals

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-16650865713302229252007-07-03T09:48:00.000-04:002007-07-03T09:55:17.521-04:00

With a loss on Monday the Phils sit at 9996. At Colorado (and before the All-Star break) has jumped past San Diego.Home: 46.22 %LA: 25.53 %Colorado: 18.0 %SD: 10.16 %7/3 at Astros 0 %7/4 at Astros 0 %7/6 at Rockies 0%7/7 at Rockies 5.954 %7/8 at Rockies 12.052 %ALL STAR BREAK7/13 vs. Cardinals 15.246 %7/14 vs. Cardinals 15.430 %7/15 vs. Cardinals 13.664 %7/16 at Dodgers 11.063 %7/17 at Dodgers

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-70449767907347978412007-07-02T10:23:00.000-04:002007-07-02T10:31:11.818-04:00

A lousy weekend for the Phils bumps up the probabilities a bitHome: 41.59 %LA: 31.17 %SD: 17.10 %Colorado: 9.84 %7/2 at Astros 0 %7/3 at Astros 0 %7/4 at Astros 0 %7/6 at Rockies 0%7/7 at Rockies 2.762%7/8 at Rockies 7.074 %ALL STAR BREAK7/13 vs. Cardinals 10.869 %7/14 vs. Cardinals 12.990 %7/15 vs. Cardinals 13.307 %7/16 at Dodgers 12.268 %7/17 at Dodgers 10.473 %7/18 at Dodgers 8.429 %7/19 at

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-19712914803539650872007-06-29T13:06:00.000-04:002007-07-02T10:23:12.650-04:00

I've been thinking a bit about what exactly the upcoming 10,000th loss means to the Phillies. Obviously, its due in large part to being one of the oldest franchises. But several teams began about the same time (1883) and are not even close to the 10,000 mark, so there is a need for long term futility. A decade like the 1920s when the Phillies went 566-962 (0.370) probably didn't help either.

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-84904446732383984852007-06-29T12:48:00.001-04:002007-06-29T18:12:38.716-04:00

The Phillies managed a win on Monday, a loss on Tuesday night when I was at the game and a 10th inning win last night. Probability of 10,000th loss at home is 36.4%, followed by 30.5 % at LA, 24.6% at San Diego.By the way the Phillies are 0-3 this season when I'm attending Phillies games. They should pay me not to go.6/29 vs. Mets 0 %6/30 vs. Mets 0 %7/1 vs. Mets 0 %7/2 at Astros 0 %7/3 at Astros

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-88236375427343334402007-06-25T09:34:00.000-04:002007-06-25T10:07:55.027-04:00

Well, the Phillies are fast approaching their 10,000th loss in franchise history. As of the morning of June 25th, they have 9991. For comparison, the Braves have the second most loses at 9677 and they started 7 years before the Phillies. As a baseball fan who loves round numbers, I feel this must be celebrated. Well celebrated might not be the right word, but you get the idea. So here is the

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-77591654354101127802007-06-21T10:06:00.000-04:002007-06-29T12:47:24.954-04:00

I was reading an article about the construction of the new stadiums in New York and I got to thinking about what are the characteristics that I want in my ideal ballpark. I've been to about 12 or 13 major league parks and about 20 others (minors, college, Japaness, etc), so while I'm not the foremost expert, I have some experience. And as a side note, these are things the teams has some control

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-9724661028455004932007-06-15T13:35:00.000-04:002007-06-15T14:49:56.911-04:00

The college world series starts today (in about 30 minutes to be exact). I always hated that college baseball does not get the coverage that college football and basketball receive. I always assumed this had to be caused by the fact that there were no pro football or basketball leagues early on (first 1/4 of 1900s) and so people followed the college games. This passion for the college sports just

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5999387602712157197.post-68523845499558971112007-06-15T12:46:00.000-04:002007-06-15T12:49:13.946-04:00

Welcome to Hot Dogs & Beer. This blog will be dedicated to the world of baseball and of course its accessories (hence the title). Of course I'm just as likely to post whatever else is on my mind.Enjoy.

frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14811603010906886771noreply@blogger.com1