Adventures on Baseball-Reference

Recently I've taken to spending some time just screwing around on Baseball Reference.com. It's a fantastic site. If you like baseball you probably like statistics, and this site is basically just a bottomless pit of numbers. It's about as close to heaven as a bottomless pit can get. I can spend hours there looking at nothing but Indians stats.




Recently, I realized that it was possible to sponsor one of these pages. It seems kind of stupid now because its right there at the middle of the page for all to see. I just never looked at it and SAW it until the time I went and actually looked for it. This was very exciting news to me. How great was it going to be for me to be able to sponsor Ernie Camacho? How much could it possibly be? $10? $25? Then I get there and find this. Neil Schaublin? Who the hell is Neil Schaublin? Who the fuck does this guy think he is? 2nd favorite player? This is a travesty. This guy gets to sponsor Ernie's page all the while declaring his devotion to David Delluci. On Ernie's own page no less. This is wrong. IT'S WRONG!!

I had images of Ernie Camacho checking out his baseball page and seeing that it is sponsored by a lifelong fan. He might even click on the name and check out the blog. Heck, he may even shoot me an email to invite me for a beer next time he's in town. I may have ended up being bff with Ernie Camacho. But no, it's been ruined by some A-hole named Neil who has to put Enrie through the indignity of playing second fiddle to David freakin' Delluci ON ERNIE'S OWN PAGE! If that's not a kick in the nuts I don't know what is.

Well, as I surfed around in my Neil induced depression I happened across the page that lists the opening day starters. As I've said, I'm a lifelong Tribe fan. I've been to countless games. I'm not an authority, but I do know my fair share of Tribe trivia and history. Look at that. There's good old Julio Franco at SS from '83 - '87. I always liked Julio. He had a great stance. Great fun to mimic when I was a kid playing ball with my friends. Wait. What's this? Julio was a starter for us in '96 and '97? When did this happen? How do I not remember this? He played 112 games and hit .322 in '96, a season following a World Series appearance no less, and I have absolutely no recollection of Julio Franco being on those mid 90's teams. I'm sure it will come back to me at some point, but right now I'm crushed. I thought I was a fan. How the heck can I forget something like this.

And I sink further into my Ernie Camach page funk. I need something, man. I need something to pull me out of this.



Let's take a look at Grady's page. I love Sizemore. He's great. He plays hard. He plays the way I wish I would have played, and the way I hope my son will play. I doubt I'd sponsor his page. It probably costs more than I can justify. But let's see who is sponsoring it, just for shit's and giggles. Jimmy Shaarda. OK. He's got something nice to say. No problem there. Let's click on his name and check out his site. ....the fuck is this?

God bless you Jimmy Shaarda.