Comments on: Simmer The Monkey

By: PhilM

PhilM — Fri, 07 Apr 2006 08:01:32 +0000

#55: As I understand it, the water vapour in wet air generates more friction, so wet air = more friction = more turbulence = more break (thanks, Mr. Bernoulli!).

Of course, it’s been almost 10 years since my last physics class (which was only a 100-level college course, to boot) so I’m sure there’s someone else here who can give a more authoritive explanation.

By: Matthew Carruth

Matthew Carruth — Fri, 07 Apr 2006 07:51:59 +0000

54. Those aren’t good reasons. It was not a Snelling or Carvajal decision. You could have DFAed Cortez. You could have kept Harris down in Tacoma where he belongs. It was a dumb move and unfortunately just another instance of the Ms acting based on attitude rather than ability.

God forbid a young 21 year old doesnt want to go to the minors when he was a marginally effective major league reliever last year and he sees people with less skill getting the job he’s worked his whole life for.

It’s just stupid.

By: David J. Corcoran

David J. Corcoran — Fri, 07 Apr 2006 03:52:01 +0000

I’m sad about some of that flushing. No more Bubela? Bumstead? Key? Wow…Key is gone. Even Jared Thomas. I get all sentimental about this kind of minor league dumping.

By: Ralph Malph

Ralph Malph — Thu, 06 Apr 2006 23:44:52 +0000

Dry air might make a bigger difference, not because of the density but because dry air means dry hands and a dry ball, which might make it harder to get spin on the ball.

By: Ralph Malph

Ralph Malph — Thu, 06 Apr 2006 23:44:12 +0000

Oops, rest of my post got munched. I don’t think altitude is significant in Arizona. Peoria is a little over 1100 feet above sea level. Minneapolis is at 800, Kansas City about 750, Chicago and Cleveland about the same. The difference is insignificant.

By: Ralph Malph

Ralph Malph — Thu, 06 Apr 2006 23:43:05 +0000

Not sure what dry air has to do with it. Lower air density will decrease movement, so higher altitude and warmer temps will decrease movement. But since dry air is more dense than wet air, wouldnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t a breaking ball move less in wet air?

By: eponymous coward

eponymous coward — Thu, 06 Apr 2006 23:42:16 +0000

No good reason for this to be done.

You mean other than the reasons mentioned in the thread- his velocity was down, his attitude at being sent to the minors was poor, and they didn’t want to do a hose job on a player (Snelling) who HASN’T been an attitude problem, but might have one if he got told one more time “Sorry, no baseball for you until June, please stay in Peoria until then”?

As for Bubela…well, he still got 19 ABs in the majors. He gets those forever.

By: Evan

Evan — Thu, 06 Apr 2006 23:40:49 +0000

50 – the ball is harder in dry air. It should be easier for GIl to impart rotation when it’s a bit damp.

By: joser

joser — Thu, 06 Apr 2006 23:11:28 +0000

I predict the #59 “rookie” wear will eventually be more valuable than the #34 stuff. I may go down to the team store and see what I can pick up. Aside from being able to show you were in before the bandwagon jumpers, there’s a very limited quantity of it. If Felix has the kind of career we think and hope he will have, there’s going to be tons of #34 stuff around but the real #59 stuff will be rare.

By: Jim Thomsen

Jim Thomsen — Thu, 06 Apr 2006 23:00:18 +0000

Odds and ends … here’s some minor leaguers the Mariners have flushed out of their system, according to Baseball America:

Released Cs Jose Yepez, Anthony Sanguinetti, Jason Radwan and Andy Dominique, OFs Carlos Arroyo, Sam Bradford, William Hogan, Michael Nesbit and Jaime Bubela, 2B Fernando Vina, RHPs Brian Stitt, James Mault, Nibaldo Acosta, Dave Burba, Don Clement, Michael Bumstead, Eric Carter and Stephen Grasley and LHPs Chris Key, Donny Langdon and Jared Thomas. Placed RHP Greg Wear on voluntarily retired list. Returned Rule 5 selection LHP Luis Gonzalez to Dodgers. Traded LHP Luke Lockwood to Phillies.