Author: Jim Ellwanger

Seasonal statistics

As has become baseballrelated.com custom, it’s time to look back at the predictions for the 2006 regular season. This year, not only did we have the Sports Illustrated predictions, but I had also used a simple Bill James formula to make advanced predictions way back on the first day of November 2005.

So…uh, well, nobody foresaw the success of certain AL Central teams, or the non-success of a certain NL East team that’s not in the playoffs for the first time since what seems like when Hank Aaron was on the team.

Nov. 1, 2005 prediction Sports Illustrated Actual result

NL East

Atlanta Braves (90-72) Atlanta Braves New York Mets (97-65)
Philadelphia Phillies (86-76) New York Mets Philadelphia Phillies (85-77)
Florida Marlins (83-79) Philadelphia Phillies Atlanta Braves (79-83)
New York Mets (80-82) Washington Nationals Florida Marlins (78-84)
Washington Nationals (78-84) Florida Marlins Washington Nationals (71-91)


NL Central

St. Louis Cardinals (97-65) St. Louis Cardinals St. Louis Cardinals (83-78)
Houston Astros (88-74) Milwaukee Brewers Houston Astros (82-80)
Chicago Cubs (82-80) Houston Astros Cincinnati Reds (80-82)
Milwaukee Brewers (78-84) Chicago Cubs Milwaukee 
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  Brewers (75-87)
Cincinnati Reds (76-86) Pittsburgh Pirates Pittsburgh Pirates (67-95)
Pittsburgh Pirates (72-90) Cincinnati Reds Chicago Cubs (66-96)


NL West

San Diego Padres (83-79) L.A. Dodgers San Diego Padres (88-74)
San Francisco Giants (81-81) San Francisco Giants L.A. Dodgers (88-74)
L.A. Dodgers (79-83) San Diego Padres San Francisco Giants (76-85)
Arizona Diamondbacks (72-90) Arizona Diamondbacks Arizona Diamondbacks (76-86)
Colorado Rockies (71-91) Colorado Rockies Colorado Rockies (76-86)


AL East

New York Yankees (93-69) New York Yankees New York Yankees (97-65)
Boston Red Sox (91-71) Boston Red Sox Toronto Blue Jays (87-75)
Toronto Blue Jays (77-85) Toronto Blue Jays Boston Red Sox (86-76)
Baltimore Orioles (76-86) Tampa Bay Devil Rays Baltimore Orioles (70-92)
Tampa Bay Devil Rays (71-91) Baltimore Orioles Tampa Bay Devil Rays (61-101)


AL Central

Chicago White Sox (90-72) Chicago White Sox Minnesota Twins (96-66)
Cleveland Indians (87-75) Cleveland Indians Detroit Tigers (95-67)
Minnesota Twins (84-78) Minnesota Twins Chicago White Sox (90-72)
Detroit Tigers (73-89) Detroit Tigers Cleveland Indians (78-84)
Kansas City Royals (62-100) Kansas City Royals Kansas City Royals (62-100)


AL West

L.A. Angels (91-71) Oakland A's Oakland A's (93-69)
Oakland A's (87-75) L.A. Angels L.A. Angels (89-73)
Texas Rangers (82-80) Texas Rangers Texas Rangers (80-82)
Seattle Mariners (70-92) Seattle Mariners Seattle Mariners (78-84)

Comparing the teams’ expected numbers of wins to their actual 2006 wins, here are the teams ranked from least to most disappointing (playoff teams in bold):

1. Detroit Tigers +22
2. New York Mets +17
3. Minnesota Twins +12
4. Toronto Blue Jays +10
5. L.A. Dodgers +9
6. Seattle Mariners +8
7. Oakland A’s +6
8. Arizona Diamondbacks +5
8. Colorado Rockies +5
8. San Diego Padres +5
11. Cincinnati Reds +4
11. New York Yankees +4
13. Philadelphia Phillies +1
14. Chicago White Sox EVEN
14. Kansas City Royals EVEN
16. L.A. Angels -2
16. Texas Rangers -2
18. Milwaukee Brewers -3
19. Boston Red Sox -5
19. Florida Marlins -5
19. Pittsburgh Pirates -5
19. San Francisco Giants -5
23. Baltimore Orioles -6
23. Houston Astros -6
25. Washington Nationals -7
26. Cleveland Indians -9
27. Tampa Bay Devil Rays -10
28. Atlanta Braves -11
29. St. Louis Cardinals -14
30. Chicago Cubs -16

Cardinals: ouch!

Finlayson for your life

Way back on May 31, 2004, I made reference to Larry Finlayson, singer of the “Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown” theme song. Courtesy of someone who recently found that post, I now have more information about him:

He was my teacher in elementary school in Berkeley, California. I happen to be recording his LP from 1979 to MP3 right now. It’s called, “Give Your Friend A Smile…”. It was recorded at the Music Annex under the name of Finlayson Music Production in 1979. Larry was/is indeed a songwriter and played the guitar in this album.

With those pieces of additional information in hand, a quick Yahoo! search reveals that he’s using a different name these days. And he’s available for weddings! I’d consider hiring him if the “Race for Your Life” theme is still a part of his repertoire, assuming I ever have a wedding.

Going mobile

There’s a Cardinals version and, in honor of Talk Like a Pirate Day, here’s the Pirates version — but the cutest one is, of course, the one with Li’l Mister Met. (The Angels one might be

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the cutest if it had monkeys — but it doesn’t.)

Levi and Mrs. Levi: are you sure you don’t want kids?

Baseball in Long Beach

First of all, here’s a link to a baseball piece from Sunday’s Los Angeles Times magazine: the writer and his son go to a Dodgers game with Arnold Hano, author of “A Day in the Bleachers.” Among other things, he doesn’t like the visual and audible cues to get the fans to make noise.

On Sunday, Jason and I went to the second-to-last game of the Golden Baseball League’s short season, this one the Long Beach Armada versus the San Diego Surf Dawgs.

The Armada play at city-owned Blair Field, which has an analog clock on top of the scoreboard…

And there’s a ship in the outfield — unfortunately, it’s just a cutout…

Even though the mascot should be a Spanish conquistador or maybe a pirate, the mascot is actually a bird named Arby I. Here he is “helping” with a between-innings water balloon toss for kids…

And here he is sitting two rows in front of us…

Meanwhile, Rik Currier was on the mound for the Armada, pitching what would be a complete game one-hit shutout…

In some places, they have metal rails for the “K” cards to fit into, but Long Beach is a Velcro kind of town…

The final line…

Yes, “Armada” does look a lot like “Ramada,” especially at the lower left. A missed marketing opportunity!

Non-baseball, but still a ball (well, more of an ovoid)

I just wanted to make sure the baseballrelated.com readership had seen Gene Weingarten’s review of Tony Kornheiser on “Monday Night Football” (may require registration). The L.A. Times quoted the “five thousand degrees” paragraph out of context.

While I’m at it, I also commend last Sunday’s “Lio” strip to you (and today’s is along similar lines).

Mickey me? Mickey you

At the Sherman Oaks post office yesterday in need of stamps and with only $20 bills in the way of cash (so I didn’t want to use the machine and get 12 dollar coins in change), I spent my time in line trying to decide between the baseball stamps (featuring Hank Greenberg, Mel Ott, Roy Campanella, and Mickey Mantle) and the superheroes stamps (featuring Green Arrow and Hawkman). Since I’m posting about it here, I think you can tell what my ultimate choice was. I highly recommend them, unless you’re like Levi and live near a horrible post office where the counter clerk would probably spit on the stamps before handing them to you as retribution for making them dig around in their drawer.

(Actually, the superhero stamps are pretty cool, too, but perhaps whoever runs Superhero-Related Program Activities can be the one to buy them.)