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While fireworks were going off in my neighbor hood I was putting together these sparkly links for your ooooo's and ahhh's.
Statistically Inclined
All Innings Are Not Created Equal: How Run-Scoring Varies By Inning - Beyond the Box Score
Did you know that teams score much more often in the 1st and 6th innings than in the 2nd and 9th innings? This post examines a few explanations for this phenomenon. I looked up the Astros runs scored and the sixth inning is their best inning, however they first inning was tied for only their fourth best inning. Could this just be random or could it be Mills construction of the lineup which we've been harping on lately?
Joe Posnanski " Posts All You Never Wanted to Know: Quality Starts "
As the title suggests after you get done reading this you'll wonder why you did. Cause it's Posnanski and I said so.
The All-Star Game
The Convoluted All-Star Selection Process | FanGraphs Baseball
This discusses Andrew McCutchen's snub of an All-Star roster spot, but instead of just complaining about it Eric Seidman offers up a solution for the voting process.
MLB All-Star Game Locations: 1991-2011 - Beyond the Box Score
A nice graphic of locations of the All-Star game since 1991.
Joe Posnanski " Posts McGriping About McCutchen "
More on Andrew McCutchen's snub of the All-Star Game. I asked the guys on the podcast whether they cared if the Astros had a rep involved in the game and the answer was no. As fans would you be willing to slide McCutchen in for Hunter Pence or do you like that the Astros have a rep?
The Minor Leagues
Every field is a field of dreams, say two international-born Oklahoma City RedHawks | NewsOK.com
A nice profile on some of the players in OKC who were not born in the U.S. and the process it takes for them to play ball in America. Specifically Ryan Rowland-Smith and Doug Arguello are profiled.
Farmstros: Hey, Dallas, Xavier and J.D., Meet us at Stuckey's
Could the reasons for a lack of promotions in the Astros Minor League system be money related? Farmstros has a solution.