INTERVIEW: Craig Calcaterra of Shysterball

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Here’s an interview done by Russ Smith of SpliceToday entitled, “Interview: Craig Calcaterra of Shysterball“. Russ was kind enough to allow up to repost this on Baseball Reflections today.
As the MLB season reaches its halfway mark, Splice has once again consulted Shysterball’s Craig Calcaterra, our favorite baseball blogger. Calcaterra, a lawyer by day, is passionate and opinionated about the sport, as his answers from a weekend interview reflect.…
The Rangers Struggled in June
“The Rangers have lost the lead in the AL West with the Angels taking the spot that they have been so familiar with over the last four years. Texas has lost steam, but ironically, the pitching has kept them afloat and the offense has let them down. The Rangers have finished the past two seasons atop the AL in offense and now they find themselves in the middle of the pack.
The Cardinals, On The Run and the Number 6
In Cardinal Nation, we know that six is a serious number. The local On The Run Mobile gas stations have had a promotion the past few years that, if the Cardinals scored six runs or more in a game, the next day fountain drinks, coffee, etc. was only a quarter at their stores. This year, they’ve taken it to new heights with a commercial that, for better or for worse, has been…
Big Papi Comes Up Big in June

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So now that David Ortiz has found his stroke again, all the murmurs will start.
This will certainly mirror the talk that surrounded Jason Giambi a couple of years ago.
You all remember, don’t you? Giambi admitted to doing performance-enhancing drugs before the 2004 season, and followed that up with an 80 game, 12 home run season. The murmurs, in that case, became a roar of laughter.
It didn’t get any better in…
Nick Kappel’s Fantasy Focus: Three Prospects to Keep an Eye on
Last week’s Fantasy Focus centered around three prime sell-high targets.
This week, we’ll turn our attention to the minor leagues to find out which prospects are most likely to make a fantasy impact this season.
Jhoulys Chacin
Chacin’s value has skyrocketed since the beginning of the 2008 season, when Baseball America ranked him as the No. 18 prospect in Colorado’s system.
After an 18-3 record with a 2.03 ERA in 177 2/3 innings between…
Baltimore Orioles Midseason Report: Seeing Past the Ugliness
From the very beginning, the goal of the 2009 season for the Baltimore Orioles has been to be respectable on the field while continuing behind the scenes to develop the pieces needed to eventually lead the Orioles back to contention in the American League East.
With the season now three months old and nearing the mid-point, it’s time to see just how the Orioles have been doing in meeting their objectives.
It is probably…
Friday Night Links
In this edition of Friday Night Links, we return to our main focus for this series…promoting other sites that we like or think that you should look into. In this edition we will be focusing on Baseball and general sports equipment sites.
Sports Diamond.com: a general sport equipment site that focuses on baseball and softball.
Akadema Professional: They make what the pros use for baseball and softball.
iFungo: They are a distributor to the pros and those who…
Effective Communication Is Important For Coaches
Effective communication is important for coaches
to make baseball rewarding and fun for young players
Chicago – It was the chance I had waited for since I was a 16th round draft pick drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1976. As a second baseman, I had cups of coffee with the Dodgers in 1980 and 1981, but the organization decided to replace Davey Lopes with Steve Sax and dealt me to the Cleveland…
June Reflections on the Blue Jays
When my partner in crime, Tom, penned his last epistle about our beloved azure corvidae, things were just going great in the Queen City. He mentioned how much he was enjoying the season thus far, and confided that he wasn’t sure how long the Jays could keep it up. The answer – not long. Almost immediately after his missive, the Jays went into a tailspin in which they were swept in…
The Pendulum Continues To Swing in St. Louis
Joe Morgan would have put the Cardinals on his bad list in June, because they’ve been pretty inconsistent during the month. A pitching staff that is lit up against the Rockies early in the month settles down to some better pitched games, with hiccups along the way. An offense maligned as inept is able to put up four double digit scores in 10 games. What, exactly, are the Cardinals, besides…












