{"id":2697,"date":"2011-01-25T16:05:11","date_gmt":"2011-01-25T22:05:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thegoldensombrero.com\/wordpress\/?p=2697"},"modified":"2011-01-25T16:08:58","modified_gmt":"2011-01-25T22:08:58","slug":"around-the-league-andy-pettitte-grady-sizemore-ryan-theriot-sf-giants-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/thegoldensombrero.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2697","title":{"rendered":"Around The League: Andy Pettitte, Grady Sizemore, Ryan Theriot, SF Giants and more&#8230;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/thegoldensombrero.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/grady-sizemore.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-2701\" title=\"grady-sizemore\" src=\"http:\/\/thegoldensombrero.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/grady-sizemore-300x219.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"339\" height=\"247\" srcset=\"http:\/\/thegoldensombrero.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/grady-sizemore-300x219.jpg 300w, http:\/\/thegoldensombrero.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/grady-sizemore.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 339px) 100vw, 339px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/splashingpumpkins.com\/\">Splashing Pumpkins<\/a> takes a look back at some of the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.splashingpumpkins.com\/2011\/01\/san-francisco-giants-and-home-runs.html\">more notable home runs<\/a> hit by the San Francisco Giants in 2010 thanks to information provided by <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hittrackeronline.com\/\">Hit Tracker<\/a>.\u00a0 With sluggers like <strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/b\/burrepa01.shtml?utm_source=direct&#038;utm_medium=linker&#038;utm_campaign=Linker\">Pat  Burrell<\/a><\/strong>, <strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/h\/huffau01.shtml?utm_source=direct&#038;utm_medium=linker&#038;utm_campaign=Linker\">Aubrey  Huff<\/a><\/strong>, and <strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/sandopa01.shtml?utm_source=direct&#038;utm_medium=linker&#038;utm_campaign=Linker\">Pablo  Sandoval<\/a><\/strong>, you will never guess who owns the year\u2019s biggest bomb\u2026<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>These days I feel like most of us have forgotten how good <strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/sizemgr01.shtml?utm_source=direct&#038;utm_medium=linker&#038;utm_campaign=Linker\">Grady  Sizemore<\/a><\/strong> was from 2005-2008.\u00a0 Over those four seasons, Sizemore appeared in three All-Star games while playing in 639 of 748 possible games for the Cleveland Indians.\u00a0 But after several injuries \u2013 the most recent being a microfracture in his knee \u2013 Sizemore has only played in 139 games over the last two seasons.\u00a0 Now in the last year of his contract, <a href=\"http:\/\/hardballtalk.nbcsports.com\/2011\/01\/17\/grady-sizemore-is-hoping-to-be-ready-by-opening-day\/\">Craig Calcaterra speculates<\/a> whether the Indians will pick up his $8 million option for 2012.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><!--more--><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>After the success of the HBO Series <em>Hard Knocks <\/em>and <em>Penguins\/Capitals 24\/7 <\/em>(although I am admittedly a bigger fan of the MLB Network\u2019s programming), Showtime has decided to feature a similar, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.crazycrabbers.com\/2011\/01\/giants-tempt-fate-with-showtime-series.html\">all-access show<\/a> on the San Francisco Giants.\u00a0 As if <strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/player_search.cgi?search=Brian+Wilson&#038;utm_source=direct&#038;utm_medium=linker&#038;utm_campaign=Linker\">Brian  Wilson<\/a><\/strong> didn\u2019t already treat his life like it was a reality series\u2026<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>After being traded to the St. Louis Cardinals, <strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/t\/theriry01.shtml?utm_source=direct&#038;utm_medium=linker&#038;utm_campaign=Linker\">Ryan  Theriot<\/a><\/strong> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.chicagobreakingsports.com\/2010\/12\/theriot-tweaks-cubs-after-trade-to-st-louis.html\">took several jabs at his former team and new rival<\/a>, the Chicago Cubs.\u00a0 More specifically, Theriot stated that he was, \u201cFinally on the right side of the Cubs-Cards rivalry.\u201d His former teammates, especially <strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hillko01.shtml?utm_source=direct&#038;utm_medium=linker&#038;utm_campaign=Linker\">Koyie  Hill<\/a><\/strong>, didn\u2019t appreciate \u201cThe Riot\u2019s\u201d remarks.\u00a0 He hinted that <a href=\"http:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/sports\/baseball\/cubs\/ct-spt-0116-cubs-convention-chicago--20110115,0,638938.story\">the Cubs will likely retaliate<\/a> when Theriot comes to Wrigley, and even acknowledged that, \u201cThere\u2019s probably a chance he\u2019s going to feel how hard the dirt is around the home-plate batter\u2019s box.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>It\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.diamondhoggers.com\/2011\/01\/hideous-ballplayer-week-3rd-annual-is.html\">\u2018Hideous Ballplayer Week\u2019<\/a> over at <a href=\"http:\/\/diamondhoggers.com\/\">Diamond Hoggers<\/a>, and they are gladly accepting any and all suggestions.\u00a0 What is \u2018Hideous Ballplayer Week,\u2019 you ask? Well, I\u2019ll let them explain it:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cThese guys don&#8217;t have to be the guy who failed to get a hit in 18 career at-bats. That&#8217;s almost not even having the chance to qualify for being hideous. If you&#8217;re thinking of the guy who constantly got on your nerves by having one horrible at-bat after another over the course of his career; you&#8217;re on the right track. If you have a story or anecdote that illustrates something surrounding the game of baseball that is completely inexcusable and awful, we need it.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<ul>\n<li>Our noble leader of the <a href=\"http:\/\/baseballbloggersalliance.com\/category\/general-baseball\/\">General Chapter in the Baseball Bloggers Alliance<\/a> wrote a compelling article that evaluates whether <strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/p\/pettian01.shtml?utm_source=direct&#038;utm_medium=linker&#038;utm_campaign=Linker\">Andy  Pettitte<\/a><\/strong> is a Hall of Famer.\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/bloggingfromthebleachers.wordpress.com\/2011\/01\/20\/is-andy-pettitte-a-hall-of-famer\/\">By comparing his career numbers<\/a> to several Hall of Fame pitchers, and some who are Hall of Fame hopefuls, <a href=\"http:\/\/bloggingfromthebleachers.wordpress.com\/\">Blogging From The Bleachers<\/a> puts Pettitte\u2019s great career in a new perspective.\u00a0 Although his numbers and accomplishments place him in an elite group of pitchers, the fact that he used PEDs\u00a0 (although I am able to look past it considering that he was one of the few who told the truth) will ultimately be the deciding factor in his Hall of Fame candidacy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>As a Chicago White Sox fan, I was thrilled to learn that <strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/credejo01.shtml?utm_source=direct&#038;utm_medium=linker&#038;utm_campaign=Linker\">Joe  Crede<\/a><\/strong> is back in baseball after signing a one-year, Minor League deal with the Colorado Rockies. Crede, who was an integral member of the 2005 Championship team, is my second-favorite White Sox third baseman of all-time \u2013 after Robin Ventura, obviously.\u00a0 Many forget <a href=\"http:\/\/www.chicagonow.com\/blogs\/white-sox-observer\/2011\/01\/joe-crede-gets-another-shot-signs-with-rockies.html\">just how good Crede was<\/a> (+57.9 career UZR) before an assortment of injuries derailed his career and nearly wiped him off the map.\u00a0 This past weekend, while at the Missouri High School Coaches Conference, I talked with a coach who played against Crede in high school.\u00a0 Without hesitation, he asserted that Crede was the greatest player he had ever seen, and his success in 2005 was a long time in the making.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>Around The League is a series that highlights some of the baseball\u2019s best articles and writers.\u00a0 Have an article that you would like us to consider?\u00a0 Be sure to either <a href=\"mailto:%20thegoldensombrero.com@gmail.com\">email us<\/a> or send it our way on <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/goldensombrero\">Twitter<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n<p>\ufeff<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Splashing Pumpkins takes a look back at some of the more notable home runs hit by the San Francisco Giants in 2010 thanks to information provided by Hit Tracker.\u00a0 With sluggers like Pat Burrell, Aubrey Huff, and Pablo Sandoval, you will never guess who owns the year\u2019s biggest bomb\u2026 These days I feel like most [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1300,6,16,9,11,13,10,14],"tags":[1726,1053,635,260,264,654,1561,637,1725,1723,266,228,71,1054,1052,473,647,584,1724,510],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/thegoldensombrero.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2697"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/thegoldensombrero.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/thegoldensombrero.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thegoldensombrero.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thegoldensombrero.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2697"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/thegoldensombrero.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2697\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2703,"href":"http:\/\/thegoldensombrero.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2697\/revisions\/2703"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/thegoldensombrero.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2697"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thegoldensombrero.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2697"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thegoldensombrero.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2697"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}