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Links Linked Under Protest Weekend Links Aug 23, 2014

Tom Szczerbowski

After a two week absence due to the poster/linker's sleep deprivation and work issues, here is a weekend links post for your reading pleasure including some news about pitch framing (and umpiring) that should not surprise anyone who has watched the team this year except perhaps the Jays radio team.

JAYS LINKS

The Blue Jay Hunter: What Does the Future Hold For Alex Anthopoulos and Paul Beeston?
What does the future hold for Toronto Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos and team president Paul Beeston?

Daniel Norris’s third Triple-A start confirms his quick ascent in Toronto Blue Jays prospect ranks | National Post
Daniel Norris has clearly hit a wall. The Toronto Blue Jays’ top pitching prospect struck out only nine batters in five innings in his third Triple-A start. He gave up a home run. He walked three. Few would complain. But for the fussy among the critics, it was a regression from his first two Buffalo starts, in which he struck out 10 and then 13, allowing a total of one run and one walk.

Toronto Blue Jays’ Aaron Sanchez thriving as reliever in preparation for rotation role | National Post
Aaron Sanchez may look back on the summer of 2014 as a perfect rite of passage to stardom.

Toronto Blue Jays not ready to call up top prospect Daniel Norris … yet | National Post
Earlier in the week, the Toronto Blue Jays told top pitching prospect Daniel Norris he was likely headed for the bullpen after Thursday night’s start for Triple-A Buffalo.

Could MLB uphold the Rays' protest? - Sportsnet.ca
Saturday's game between the Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay was played under protest by the Rays after a controversial ruling in the fourth inning. Could MLB actually uphold that ruling?

The Blue Jay Hunter: Flashback Friday: The Edwin Encarnacion/Scott Rolen Trade
Looking back at the trade from 2009 that brought Edwin Encarnacion to the Blue Jays for Scott Rolen.

The Blue Jay Hunter: Flashback Friday: Roy Halladay's Hostage Negotiator Commercial
Looking back at Roy Halladay's infamous "hostage negotiator" Blue Jays commercial from 2009.

MLB LINKS

Who has been helped and hurt the most by the art of pitch framing? | FOX Sports
Guess who?  The two teams played each other this week.  One of them is struggling.  The other is in first place.

How 'Homer at the Bat' came together - Sportsnet.ca
"Homer at the Bat" just might be the most famous episode in the history of the Simpsons. Here's how it all came together, complete with the most controversial sideburns in baseball.

How Philly's Little Leaguers Reclaimed "Taney" From America's Shame
You may never hear from Mo'ne Davis again. But even so, she and her teammates have already accomplished something amazing

Report: Tarp Failure Due To Cubs Not Wanting To Pay For Obamacare
The Chicago Sun-Times reported today that the reason the Cubs struggled to get their tarp out during the rain-soaked game against the San Francisco Giants was because of cuts to the grounds crew's hours. The reason for the cuts, the report said, was so the Cubs could avoid giving out work benefits.

Teach Your Children Well
It's not like Boston has enough problems right now.

Little League World Series: Canada drops consolation game | Toronto Star
Vancouver team loses 12-9 contest to Nashville, Tennessee

Game Pace and the Mark Buehrle Effect | FanGraphs Baseball
This year, Buehrle’s Pace stands at 17.3 seconds. That is, he averages 17.3 seconds between pitches, and that’s right around his career mark during the PITCHf/x era. The league-average Pace is about 23 seconds. The league-average Pace for starters is 22.3 seconds. Buehrle’s faster by 22%, and that isn’t unexpected, because he’s always been like this.

Where the Orioles are Beating the Projections | FanGraphs Baseball
Seems to me the most fun you can have as a sports fan is when your team exceeds expectations. It’s fun when a known good team plays like a good team, too, but then you don’t get the same kind of magic of surprise.

Leverage Matters: When to Invest in the Bullpen – The Hardball Times
Having an elite reliever to pitch in high-leverage situations can be have just as much of an impact on a team’s performance as having a dominant starter. Plus, since leverage is largely determined by the manager, it actually has a higher year-to-year correlation than performance metrics like FIP and xFIP, making it both predictable and repeatable.

TODAY IN "DOOLEY WOMACK" AND SHAMEFUL JAYS/MLB HISTORY

Baseball History - August 24th - National Pastime - Baseball History
1969 The Pilots trade Jim Bouton to the Astros for Roric Harrison and Dooley Womack. The reinvented knuckleball pitcher, who posted a 2-1 record along with an ERA of 3.91 in his 57 games with the Northwest expansion team, will continue to chronicle the 1969 season for his controversial book, Ball Four.

1983 Orioles' southpaw Tippy Martinez picks off three runners in the 10th inning as the Blue Jays take long leads trying to take advantage of his new battery mate, Len Sakata, an infielder pressed into service behind the plate. The converted catcher gets revenge when his three-run homer in the bottom of the frame wins the game, 7-4.

1989 Pete Rose is banned from baseball for life by Commissioner Giamatti for gambling. The Reds' manager signs a five-page agreement with Giamatti in which he agrees to a lifetime penalty but does not admit to gambling on the national pastime.