Quote of the day
"I don't think that I'm old. So I don't believe it." -- Phillies pitcher Jamie Moyer, after becoming the oldest pitcher (47 years, 155 days) to beat the YankeesDaily blurb
When considering whether the NL is an easier league for pitching, Joel Pineiro should be Exhibit A. Back in the American League this year, he was 4-6 with a 5.23 ERA through June 6. Then, after back-to-back games against NL teams (Dodgers and Brewers), his record is suddenly 6-6 and his ERA has dropped to 4.45, allowing only 2 earned runs in 17 IP. Taking a longer view, from 2005-2007, he was 16-25 in the A.L. with a 5.88 ERA. He was then traded in mid-2007 to the NL, and from 2007-2009 he apparently resurrected his career, going 28-23 with a 4.14 ERA. If ever a pitcher should have remained in the N.L., he would seem to be at the top of the list.
(With full disclosure, I conveniently ignored one start in May against his former team, St. Louis, in which he gave up 9 earned runs in 3 IP. Of course, he never had to face the Cardinals in his 2007-09 NL stint, since that’s the team he was on. Maybe they were more aware of his limitations. )
The U.S. Open is underway, and the most widely owned GuruGolfer is Francesco Molinari, probably more attributable to his price than his prowess (although he is ranked #43 in the World Golf Rankings). So far, that’s not working out so well. After four holes, he has gone birdie-bogey-bogey-double bogey. Still early, of course.