Tim Lincecum and the Mystery of the Disappearing Velocity

Another Friday night/Saturday morning winding down from a late night at the office, and another day - well, week really - with nothing original. I apologize for the lack of posts this week, but I've been working my way through some data for an idea I've had for a while and it's taking some time. Hopefully the results are interesting enough to warrant the time I've spent on it.

That being said, here are the fruits of my labor from tonight.

While I'm at it, I should probably also link to my opinion on the Madden Curse and whether Megatron will fall victim to it. I did some research for that one ahead of time at home, which had the unfortunate byproduct of holding up my research for my current blog-specific project a bit.

Finally, I'll leave you with this wildly entertaining Seattle Mariners commercial, which I had linked to in my Lincecum article initially (I was comparing him to King Felix, who has also experienced a drop in velocity but not a massive decrease in performance), but eventually cut when I tossed out the Hernandez section.



By the way, that tan building visible between Eric Wedge and Larry, er, Felix beyond the right field fence? That's the Padres spring training offices/clubhouse/etc, aka where I spent my spring training class. The ad was shot at the stadium in the Peoria Sports Complex, which San Diego and Seattle share. Makes me a little nostalgic.

In the Name of Self-Promotion

It's a little late as I sit here unwinding after a late shift, so I've got nothing original for the day. What I think I'll do instead is link to my labor of love from today - an argument against the continued existence of the Home Run Derby.

That said, below are two quick things that I wanted to address in the article, but cut either because of length or flow considerations.

The Great Hambino

No, not this guy.



This guy.

Journalism Lesson #11 - Writing and Reporting

I've been sitting on two posts the last couple days, but they keep getting pushed back because I keep coming up with more timely ideas. They say waiting makes it better, right? Well, you'll find out eventually, hopefully tomorrow and then Friday.

While I'm at it and before I forget, I should probably just issue the blanket statement that the content on this blog are my own personal thoughts/opinions/viewpoints/etc., and in no way represent the thoughts/opinions/viewpoints/etc. of NESN. Since I'm an intern for them this summer, I should probably do my due diligence and make it clear that Stretch's Take is unaffiliated in every way from my work there. Save, of course, for when I link to any of my articles I think are particularly good or worth a read.

19 Years, 7 Months, and 20 Days

When I was 19 years, 7 months, and 20 days old, it was two years before I graduated from Boston College. I probably spent that day like most days the summer after my sophomore year - either at home or our trailer in York Beach hanging out with my brothers and reading Atlas Shrugged for an essay contest. Unfortunately, my "prize-winning essay" - as I was given to calling it - didn't win. But I considered reading a nearly-1200 page book in the span of about two and a half months a noteworthy accomplishment nonetheless.

Summertime and the Living's Easy

Or, it's at least easier than during the school year. Despite holding down a 24-hour/week internship with NESN.com - check out my stuff here - and working whenever I can get the hours at BC Dining again, I now find myself with a lot more free time. Consequently, I have more time to *hopefully* devote to posting stuff on here. I have a few ideas for longer posts that have been kicking around my head for a while, and while not exactly timely, they should be a good read anyways. And of course, I plan on writing about whatever pops into my head. As always, it'll mostly be about sports - and likely mostly about baseball - but I see no reason to restrict myself. So here's to a summer filled with writing. Get ready for a lot more of Stretch's Take.

And you should probably check out my friend Adam's blog while you're at it. It's worth it, I promise.