All-Star young guns making it Year of the Pitcher
Baseball Betting Lines
07/13/2010 - ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -Tim Hudson remembers when throwing fastballs registering in the upper 80s and low 90s was considered impressive. Now, in baseball's Year of the Pitcher, that kind of speed is almost laughable. Youngsters like Ubaldo Jimenez and Josh Johnson are routinely blasting the strike zone with severe heat, reaching near 100 mph. ``I do know the caliber of arms coming up these days are better than the '90s and early 2000s,'' said Hudson, a three-time All-Star with Atlanta who made the majors 11 years ago. ``You kind of scratch your head and you wonder what's changed? Are the pitchers better or are the hitters worse? Now a 91, 92 fastball is bottom of the barrel. Guys just have better stuff nowadays.'' Indeed, pitchers dominated the first half of the season. Roy Halladay and Dallas Braden threw perfect games three weeks apart in May. Armando Galarraga came within a blown call of matching their feats. Edwin Jackson tossed a no-hitter. Rookie Stephen Strasburg struck out 14 in his major league debut. Heck, even a Cubs pitcher got into the act, with Ted Lilly taking a no-no into the ninth a month ago. ``Right now the influx of young pitching in baseball is incredible, and not just guys with stuff - guys that know how to pitch in tough division series at a young age,'' said New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi, who will guide the American League team in Tuesday night's All-Star Game at Angel Stadium. Jimenez will start for the National League, which will try to end a 13-year drought in the Midsummer Classic. He is 15-1 with a 2.20 ERA in 18 starts for Colorado. NL manager Charlie Manuel figures to get Florida ace Johnson into the game, too. He is 9-3 with a 1.70 ERA - tops in the major leagues. He's also got Halladay and two-time Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum in the bullpen. ``You're seeing some of the better arms in the history of the game,'' Hudson said. The AL counters with Tampa Bay lefty David Price, who is 12-4 with a 2.42 ERA. ``There's a lot of young guys like Josh Johnson, Lincecum, me,'' Jimenez said. ``We're learning how to pitch. Every year we get better and better.'' Those young guns were a big part of why offense was down in the first half, while shutouts and strikeouts were at their high point, making for a lot of close contests. ``If you're a true baseball fan, you embrace and you enjoy pitchers' duels,'' Hudson said. ``The 1-0 games, the 2-1 games, the well-pitched games that are played without physical errors.'' So what's led to the current arms race? Lincecum said pitchers are making improvements like never before, including throwing four types of pitches. ``Guys are just becoming perfectionists with their art,'' he said. ``That plate is our canvas and we want to hit the spots that we want to.'' Hudson believes the game's younger arms put more time into year-round preparation, whether it's working out or fine-tuning their command. ``You got guys with great stuff. You're talking about guys who are smart and guys who aren't scared,'' St. Louis ace Chris Carpenter said. Halladay, traded from the AL's Toronto Blue Jays to the NL's Philadelphia Phillies in the offseason, believes the current trend is cyclical. ``Those things can easily turn around. It always seems like things end up being even at the end of the season,'' he said. ``To be able to see guys succeeding and pitching well, it's fun as other pitchers to watch. It's definitely more fun than seeing all the runs scored every night.'' Hudson can envision offense improving as the summer goes by. ``It may sway a little bit more toward the hitter because pitchers are going to wear down once you start getting innings under your belt,'' he said.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
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BATTERS AVG OBA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS ECatcherMolina, StL .223 .301 265 17 59 10 0 3 33 26 30 6 3 4First BasePujols, StL .308 .416 321 55 99 21 1 21 64 60 44
The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.
While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.
For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.
1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.
2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of online football betting possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.
How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.
Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.
Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.
How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).
Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.
Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on college football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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Bonds nearly hits HR 751, SF wins
4 and drove in
a pair of runs, and Barry Bonds nearly hit homer No. 751 as San Francisco beat
1, in the middle contest of three at AT&T Park.
6) allowed five hits and one run over 6 2/3 innings, fanning
eight and walking three.
game slide.
Bonds, who came within five homers of Hank Aaron's record on Friday, went
1 with three walks, an RBI double and scored twice. The double ...
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