The Intelligent Fan

A Sports Blog for the Thinking Fan

[theintelligentfan]

Court Dismisses Sleeping Fan's Lawsuit Against MLB, ESPN, and the Yankees

UPDATE: Court Dismisses Sleeping Fan's Lawsuit Against MLB, ESPN, and the Yankees

Everyone should remember the story of Andrew Rector, the fan who was shown sleeping on camera during the Yankee-Red Sox Sunday night game on ESPN in April 2014, and subsequently sued Major League Baseball, ESPN New York, the Yankees, Dan Shulman, and John Kruk for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress.  As we previously noted, Mr. Rector’s lawsuit  did not appear to be…

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[theintelligentfan]

A Typical News Day During the NFL Off-Season

A Typical News Day During the NFL Off-Season

The following is a list of news items regarding the National Football League from July 24, 2015, submitted without comment: Ray Rice was almost signed by an unidentified team, but the owner had “concerns about public reaction to signing [Rice] given the taped incident” of him punching his fiancé in the face and knocking her unconscious. The Saints released their best pass rusher Junior Galette…

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[theintelligentfan]

How Brian Cashman Explains the Inexplicable: "We're Kicking the Can Down the Road"

How Brian Cashman Explains the Inexplicable: “We’re Kicking the Can Down the Road”

When the Yankees called up second-base prospect Rob Refsnyder on July 10th, the team explained that his arrival was a short-term situation based solely on the fact that the Yankees were facing two left-handed starters heading into the All Star break. After Refsnyder remained with the team after the All-Star Break and even started against a tough right-handed starter (Hisashi Iwakuma), however,…

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[theintelligentfan]

The Ten Players on My Fictional 2015 Hall of Fame Ballot

My fictional MLB HOF Ballot explained: Johnson,Pedro,Piazza, Biggio,Mussina,Raines,Trammell,Bagwell,Schilling,Smoltz

I do not vote for the Hall of Fame, but if I did, this would be my ballot:

The No-Brainers:  This category is reserved for the players who should be on every voter’s ballot.  Most people have two players on this list this year.  I believe a third is also warranted. 

Randy Johnson– The Big Unit has a career ERA of 3.42, won over 300 games (302), and averaged 10.6 strikeouts-per-nine innings…

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[theintelligentfan]

Why Doesn't Alan Trammell's Career Get Any Respect?

Latest Post: Why Doesn't Alan Trammell's Career Get Any Respect? #mlb

Leading up to this year’s Hall of Fame voting, there has been a noticeable push from some writers and fans to elect Tim Raines, who is on the ballot for the eighth time.   While I believe that Raines deserves enshrinement, I find it odd that one of his contemporaries, who is quietly on the ballot for the fourteenth time, has never received the same type of campaign.

It is such a complete and…

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[theintelligentfan]

Instead of Chasing Headley, the Yankees Should Consider Jed Lowrie

Blog Post: Instead of Chasing Headley, the Yankees Should Consider Jed Lowrie #mlb #mlbhotstove

At first glance, the free agent third-baseman cupboard certainly appears bare outside of Chase Headley.  But, this is a misperception.  What about the players who can play multiple infield positions?

What about Jed?

According to Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle, Jed Lowrie has let it be known that he is willing to play second base, third base, and shortstop but that he is looking for a mul…

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[theintelligentfan]

The Two-Year Black Hole at Third Base Should Not Compel the Yankees to Overpay for Chase Headley

Latest Post: The Two-Year Black Hole at Third Base Should Not Compel the Yankees to Overpay for Chase Headley

Now that Pablo Sandoval has signed with the Red Sox, the free agent market for third basemen looks like this:  Chase Headley and – gigantic step back – everyone else (Juan Francisco, Jack Hannahan, Kelly Johnson, Donnie Murphy, Mark Reynolds).  The teams in need of an upgrade at third base include the Braves, Marlins, Yankees, Giants, Astros, and Angels.  In other words, although demand is high,…

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[theintelligentfan]

Bob Ryan’s Solution to Addressing PED Users and the Hall of Fame is Wrong

Late Night Thoughts on the Blog: Bob Ryan’s Solution to Addressing PED Users and the Hall of Fame is Wrong #mlb

Bob Ryan, a very well-regarded columnist for the Boston Globe, wrote an interesting articlelast week regarding voting for the 2015 Baseball Hall of Fame inductees.  The major thrust of his article – and a point I generally agree with – is that there is no reason certain players, such as Randy Johnson or Pedro Martinez, to not be unanimous inductees.  Considering some of the legendary greats to…

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[theintelligentfan]

Tiki Barber is Still an Unlikable, Self-Centered Jerk

Latest Post: Tiki Barber is Still an Unlikable , Self-Centered Jerk

Apparently, ex-Giant running back and current radio show host Tiki Barber decided it would be a good idea to attack Gary Myers of the New York Daily News regarding “personal shots”Myers allegedly made in an article earlier this week.  Barber utilized his morning radio show (which no one in New York can hear) to get on his high horse and essentially yell at Myers about “the evisceration [he] threw…

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[theintelligentfan]

Three Quick Takeaways from the Astros' Failure to Sign Aiken and Nix

Three Quick Takeaways from the Astros’ Failure to Sign Aiken and Nix

As most are aware, the Astros failed to sign Brady Aiken and Jacob Nix by today’s signing deadline, with both the Astros and the MLBA (via Tony Clark) issued statements.

1.  Jacob Nix really got hosed.

If the facts are correct and both sides agreed to a deal ($1.5 million) without qualifiers (i.e., he was never told that the deal was contingent upon Aiken’s signing) and Nix passed his physical…

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[theintelligentfan]

The Brady Aiken Situation Could Have Future Consequences for the Astros

The Brady Aiken Situation Could Have Future Consequences for the Astros

As numerous sources have reported, the first overall pick in this year’s Major League Baseball draft, Brady Aiken, remains unsigned as Friday’s signing deadline quickly approaches.  The stated reason for this predicament is that, after agreeing upon a deal, a potential “elbow ligament” issue which was discovered during a routine physical.  Since the agreement was not yet finalized, the Astros –…

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[theintelligentfan]

Swing and a Miss: Random (Mostly Baseball) Thoughts on a Monday Night

Yesterday, Chien Ming Wang opted out of his minor league contract with the Cincinnati Reds….the Yankees should be the first team he calls (no joking…have you seen the stats for the starters at Scranton-Wilkes Barre?)

Todd Frazier made it to the finals of the home run derby by hitting one home run.  It immediately reminded me of the scene from Antzwhere Z is the sole survivor after the battle with…

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[theintelligentfan]

As the Trade Deadline Approaches, Can the the Yankees Be Buyers or Sellers?

In the wake of Masahiro Tanaka’s right elbow injury (which we now know to be a partially torn UCL ligament), people have been advocating for two exactly opposite strategies as the trade deadline approaches:  the Yankees should ramp up efforts to trade for impact players or, contrarily, the team should become wholesale sellers at the deadline in an effort to rebuild.

The actual question isn’t…

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[theintelligentfan]

The Napping Fan’s Defamation Lawsuit is a Swing and a Miss

The Napping Fan’s Defamation Lawsuit is a Swing and a Miss #mlb #yankees

I attempted to craft a catchy lede to this post regarding the lawsuit filed by the Yankee fan who fell asleep during the game, but I realized that any sentence I crafted would fall woefully short of the elegant synopsis provided in Andrew Rector’s Complaint (submitted without any corrections):

On or about April 13, 2014, the plaintiff was at the rivalry game between the Boston Red Sox and the New…

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[theintelligentfan]

The Real Storylines in the A.L. East for the 2014 Season

The Real Storylines in the A.L. East for the 2014 Season #mlb #yankees @SportsBlogRT

This season will involve storylines about Stephen Drew, Jesus Montero, and James Loney. (Photos courtesy of Keith Allison via Flickr.)

With baseball season upon us, the internet is filled with many articles about the “storylines” for each team coming into the season.  These articles typically detail stories like position battles (such as the Ike Davis-Lucas Duda-Josh Satinquagmire), or upcoming…

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[theintelligentfan]

The Duality of Brett Wallace

The Duality of Brett Wallace #mlb #Astros #springtraining

Brett Wallace has always been viewed in two contrasting ways. (Photo courtesy of Keith Allison via Flickr.)

Brett Wallace, who was released today by the Astros, has always been a contradiction.

There was a distinct dichotomy between Brett Wallace the “can’t miss” prospect and Brett Wallace the stocky, unathletic player struggling just to find a position on the field.  On one hand, he was…

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[theintelligentfan]

The Non-Roster Players Invited to Red Sox Camp

The Non-Roster Players Invited to Red Sox Camp #RedSox #SpringTraining #MLB

John Ely:  Originally a third round draft pick by the White Sox, Ely was traded to the Dodgers as part of the Juan Pierresalary dump trade in 2009.  At the time he was traded, Ely was coming off of his best minor league season came in 2009 while pitching in Double-A (2.82 ERA, 1.22 WHIP over 27 starts).   In 2010, Ely achieved his 15 minutes of fame.   Due to injuries in the Dodgers’ rotation,…

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