Humidor Redux

Back in May, the Baseball Observer published this observation:

According to this article in NewsOK.com , the Humidifier was a failure from the beginning, contrary to what the full-time nut case and part time sports reporter for the Denver Post, Troy E. (the “E” is for epistemologist) has been vociferously claiming for years:

Rockies’ experiment with baseballs backfires
By Bill Sones and Rich Sones, Ph.D.
Strange but True
Q:What was the point of the Colorado Rockies baseball team placing balls in a high-humidity chamber for several months before games? Were they trying to cheat?
A:It was actually done in the name of fair play, New Scientist magazine says. The Rockies play in high-altitude Denver, where the thin air means batted baseballs travel up to 20 feet farther than at sea level. So, the humidity chambers were an attempt to tame down the overexuberant orbs. Then a team of University of Colorado researchers reported that the Rockies may have gotten things backward: Moisture may make the balls fly even farther. They found that two months in humidity of 30 to 50 percent increased the diameter of the balls by 0.24 percent and their mass by 1.6 percent. While it’s true the bigger, heavier, “squishier” balls come off the bat slightly more slowly and experience more drag, the extra mass more than compensates for these effects as the balls “take longer to decelerate,” and so carry farther. Moreover, the moist balls are harder for pitchers to curve and thus easier for sluggers to hit.

This proves, once and for all, what the Baseball Observer has said from the very beginning: there is no scientific or empirical evidence that storing baseballs in a humidifier makes the slightest bit of difference, except, obviously the psychological one.

Since then, a little more information has come afloat from newspaper articles and television reports. It turns out that Major League Baseball decided, in the interest of fairness, that all baseballs, in all parks, should meet minimum requirements for size, weight, and other, less obvious characteristics. Though neither side will admit it, this caused a change in the humidifier procedures at MillerCoors Field. In the above article, you will notice that they talk about storing the balls in the humidor for months (you may also note that we referred to it as a “humidifier” whereas the Rockies insist it is a “humidor”). What is happening now, at the direction of MLB, is that all balls are required to meet factory specifications. So, the heavier, “squishy” balls referred to above, would not be allowed today. Neither would the balls the Rockies used in the first few years at what used to be called Coors Field, because they were improperly stored and too old, dried out, and light weight to meet the standard.

Ideally, the teams should use balls that are as fresh as possible from the manufacturer and store them in a manner that does not change the condition of the ball in any way. If any team stores the balls such that moisure is added or removed, it is illegal. So, the humidor, when it is used legally, has no effect on the baseballs. The widely varying effects we saw in the Rockies first 10 years were likely a result of improperly buying and rotating the balls, then over-humidifying them when they began using the humidor. The Baseball Brass had to step in because of complaints from other teams, so now the Rockies are not altering the baseballs, with more normal results. Which of course means losing. The Baseball Observer wishes they would go back to the hard, dry, slick balls of the early years. They shouldn’t try to think, because they are not good at it. Things were good in those days, they should have left it alone.

Rockies Miss Chance

The Dodgers beat Arizona to move to 3.5 games behind, and the Rockies blew a golden opportunity to creep up to 5 back by losing to the Padres Saturday night. The contest was over in the 4th when Ubaldo Jimenez fell apart and gave up 6 runs before Hurdle could get up off his bench and pull him out of the game. Rube should have figured out that Baldy was done when he sandwiched a wild pitch between two walks to load the bases with 1 out. But no, old Clint sent the pitching coach out to impart some advanced wisdom, thinking that might solve the problem. This was followed by a single, plating one run, then a force out bringing in another. Then, the wildness resumed as Ubaldo walked two more batters, the second forcing in the third run. Then Clint finally moved, but his choice of relief pitchers, Glendon Rusch, gave up back-to-back singles, allowing all three of the runners Jimenez left him to score, before finally getting an out. The final score was 9-4.
Now the Rockies are still 6 games out, with only 25 games left to play. They only have 3 left with the Dodgers, so they may be harder to pass then the D'Backs, with whom they have 6 left. Their record against Arizona is 2-10, so they will have to reverse their fortunes against them in a hurry. They have fared much better against LA, currently 7-8. They will need to clean up on the Giants, with whom they have 6 games, but they are only 6-6 so far. Bottom line, if they fall back any further, they probably don't have a chance. If they are going to have another streak, it is about time to start.

LAST PLACE!!!

Clint Hurdle had to have fallen asleep last night, the last day of June, 2008, because there is simply no other explanation for what happened to the Rockies.

It was certainly hot enough, the temperature nestled in the high 80's at game time, with no breeze to cool Miller/Coors Field. Besides, the Rockies had an 8-3 lead in the top of the sixth, what could happen?

Clint must have gone to the happy snoring place and didn't notice that De La Rosa and Speier gave up 5 runs to tie the game.

He surely could not have been awake when some knucklehead sent in the closer, Brian "Tito" Fuentes, in the ninth with the game knotted at 8 runs apiece.

He had to be snoozing, of course, because no Major League manager would ever put his closer into a tie game, so one of the players, probably Troy Tulowitzki, must have picked up the phone and pretended he was Clint calling for Tito.

Fuentes must have been shocked and not properly warmed up, because he was three runs down before he even knew what was happening.

Somebody must have awakened Vizcaino and sent him out in a daze, because he dished up two tantalizing gopher balls to Gerut and Gonzalez which were promptly smashed out of the park.

Former Rockie farmhand Jody Gerut's blast came with two runners on base while Edgar Gonzalez' solo shot was his 4th hit of the night.

Clint couldn't have awoken for the bottom of the ninth, because he never would have pinch-hit for legendary slugger Todd Helton, and if he did, he certainly would not have substituted Scott "Poodle" Podsednick, the light, almost imperceptibe-hitting outfielder, especially with Todd going 2 for 4 on the night with a ringing RBI double off Greg Maddux in the fourth.

There is just no way Clint would have done that, no way. No way he would let San Diego slip past Colorado, leaving them mired in last place, no way.

Way.

Rockies Illustrate Why Showing Up Another Team is Dangerous

On Opening Day, Friday, April 4^th, 2008, at Coors/Molsen Field in Denver, with all eyes glued to the huge video screen in center field, including those of the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks, scenes of the Rockies’ victory over the that same Arizona team were played, including the last out of the series made by nemesis Eric Byrnes on a desperate head-first slide into first base.

Showing up the Diamondbacks like that is something that is seldom seen in professional sports because it is poor sportsmanship, of course, but also because it gives the other team more motivation to beat your team. The Rockies are paying for their snide gesture toward Arizona in spades. So far, they have lost their first five games to the D’Backs by scores of 8-1, 7-2, 5-2, 8-2, and 10-3. That’s a margin of 38 to 10 if you’re counting.

The Rockies finally beat Arizona on April 13th, 13-5. But when they returned to Phoenix on May 13th, they resumed losing, 8-4, 4-3, and 8-5, running their season record to 1-8.

Arizona has begun the 2008 season as the hottest team in baseball and are amassing what may prove to be an insurmountable 11 game lead over the Rockies in the West, all due to another clueless gesture by the same Rockies brain trust that brought you the “God’s team” declaration in Sports Illustrated and the monumental World Series ticket fiasco in 2008. At least they are number one in something.

The Baseball Observer