Comments on: Flip Flop Fly Ball - Sports infographics.

Flip Flop Fly Ball - Sports infographics.

Ufez Jones — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 09:35:04 -0800

Flip Flop Fly Ball - Baseball infographics and other visual treats. Highlights: How tall is the Green Monster?, Assembling and dismantling the '86 Mets, and Wu-Tang Clan vs. E-Street Band.

By: Xoebe

Xoebe — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 09:48:06 -0800

Oh this is too much, and I mean that in a good way.

By: sciurus

sciurus — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 09:55:21 -0800

These are cool and informative. While I like Gill Sans, I wish he'd use another font or two from time to time.

By: ignignokt

ignignokt — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 10:02:23 -0800

Impressively weird! GZA should be pitching, though. I'm on the mound, G, and it's a no-hitter And my DJ, the catcher, he's my man Anyway, he's the one who devised the plan He throws the signs, I hook up the beats with clout I throw the rhymes to the mic, and I strike 'em out So it really doesn't matter on how you intrigue You can't FUCK with those in the major leagues

By: taliaferro

taliaferro — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 10:05:42 -0800

Surely it's not a coincidence that the number that has been retired by all major league teams (42; Jackie Robinson's number) is ALSO THE ANSWER TO THE ULTIMATE QUESTION

By: uncanny hengeman

uncanny hengeman — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 10:11:00 -0800

Here's a nice little baseball visual treat I saw for the first time just a moment ago [SAFE FOR WORK]. I'd like to think I could teach myself that, given a few months practice. Will give it a burl as soon as the sun comes up, mes thinks.

By: filthy light thief

filthy light thief — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 10:12:21 -0800

If I liked baseball more, I imagine this would be even more fantastic. As it is, very keen.

By: ORthey

ORthey — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 10:18:54 -0800

uncanny h, is that real? Man, I wanna do that if it is.

By: exogenous

exogenous — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 10:21:27 -0800

Awesome. If only the site could magically make the Nationals stop sucking. Thanks Yankees!

By: drezdn

drezdn — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 10:24:36 -0800

Max Weinberg as a CF? I don't really see him with the foot speed to play there. Batting in the three spot makes sense though.

By: uncanny hengeman

uncanny hengeman — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 10:25:09 -0800

uncanny h, is that real? Man, I wanna do that if it is. Upon further investigation it seems some people are saying it's physically / biomechanically impossible. But it's too late over here for my brain to want to think about it.

By: koeselitz

koeselitz — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 10:25:36 -0800

ignignokt: Impressively weird! GZA should be pitching, though. Indeed. But ODB is in the perfect spot out in Left Field; he can probably switch in and be the catcher, too, since Ol' Dirty Bastard always was the Yogi Berra of the hip-hop world. And it makes sense that the Wu prevailed against the E Street Bombers. I mean, yeah, you gotta give some hometown cred to the boys from NJ, but when it really comes down, it doesn't matter how much you were born to run if you're playing against Masters of the Nine Innings.

By: fairytale of los angeles

fairytale of los angeles — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 10:26:55 -0800

I bet having ODB on your team is like having "Spaceman" Bill Lee on your team, or Steve Lyons. You never know where he's gonna play today!

By: mhoye

mhoye — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 10:43:56 -0800

Umpires HP J. Bonham 1B J. Page 2B R. Plant 3B J.P. Jones Delicious.

By: adamms222

adamms222 — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 10:49:48 -0800

Thanks Ufez Jones! I work at MLB and forwarded this around to a bunch of co-workers-slash-baseball freaks, who will definitely enjoy this.

By: koeselitz

koeselitz — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 10:55:02 -0800

adamms222: I work at MLB… *sigh* Gosh, life must be rough…

By: cortex

cortex — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 11:21:34 -0800

Baseball post! This is really nicely designed stuff. I wouldn't mind seeing them mix up aesthetic a little bit either, yeah, but if you're going to pick one and go with it you could do a lot worse. This one in particular kind of kills me. Never would have occurred to me, but it makes sense once I think about it.

By: The Card Cheat

The Card Cheat — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 11:29:44 -0800

Only 28,146 turned out to watch Wu-Tang vs. The E-Street Band? I think he accidentally left off a zero at the end of that number. As much fun as it is to imagine that game, it's even more fun to think about what the crowd would be like...

By: Optimus Chyme

Optimus Chyme — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 11:30:34 -0800

Fuckin' Yankees, man.

By: wemayfreeze

wemayfreeze — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 11:31:00 -0800

Alright, actually the E-Street Band would win and that is a cold fact. BRUCE could throw that speedball by you for one and then YOU would look like a fool. Also, Springsteen as pitcher, Patti as catcher, of COURSE. Lolsex.

By: Ufez Jones

Ufez Jones — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 11:33:42 -0800

I work at MLB... *sigh* Gosh, life must be rough... I dunno. It's probably tough to explain "Despite repeated warnings, cockpunches Selig on-site" come performance review time. That's awesome, though, adamms222. I'd love to hear your co-workers replies if you wouldn't mind sharing them.

By: lilkeith07

lilkeith07 — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 11:38:41 -0800

Wow those are awesome. Thanks for this. I tried to get people to guess the right stadium one this one, I got one right haha.

By: cortex

cortex — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:01:56 -0800

BRUCE could throw that speedball by you for one and then YOU would look like a fool. Then every once in a while he would throw a changeup that would be really slow and gentle but you'd be so blown away by it that you forgot to swing. And then: Dancin' In The Dark.

By: deadmessenger

deadmessenger — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:03:26 -0800

I just noticed that on the "football pitches" chart, he refers to soccer as "association football". This is absolutely correct, but I don't think I've ever actually heard it called that outside the context of encyclopedia articles on the history of the game. Looks like someone did their homework.

By: dw

dw — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:16:24 -0800

And just to the right of all that eye candy: Ichiro!

By: languagehat

languagehat — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:41:16 -0800

Wonderful stuff! A quibble about the Washington one: why would you start in 1870? The first Washington Nationals were formed in November 1859 (consisting mostly of government clerks); they were only the second DC team, the first, the Potomac Club, having gotten together that same summer. The two teams practiced in the backyard of the White House and played each other in the spring of 1860; the Nats didn't provide much competition for the superior Potomacs, but the latter disbanded on the outbreak of the Civil War while the Nationals kept playing, and by the end of the war were "solidly in the esteem of Washington fans, with the club's shortstop, slight, 23-year-old Arthur Pue Gorman, the darling of the spectators. Young Gorham quickly rose thttp://www.metafilter.com/82595/Flip-Flop-Fly-Ball-Sports-infographics#2613538o stardom on the not-too-brilliant Nationals." (Shirley Povich, The Washington Senators, pp. 3-4.) (Gorman later became a real senator, from Maryland!) In the summer of 1865 the Nats invited the Philadelphia Athletics and Brooklyn Atlantics, two of the major teams of the era, to Washington, losing to the former 87-12 and to the latter 34-19, before 6,000 spectators, including President Johnson. They "jealously guarded their amateur status by refusing all payments, including travel expenses." (David Quentin Voigt, American Baseball. Vol. 1: From Gentleman's Sport to the Commissioner System, p. 10.) By 1867, the Nationals were much improved; they toured the West and defeated the best the locals had to offer, crushing Columbus 90-10, the Cincinnati Reds 53-10, and the Cincinnati Buckeyes 88-12, beating Louisville, Indianapolis, and St. Louis as well before falling to the Rockford Forest Citys (with future Hall of Famer Albert Spalding) 29-23. The citizens of Rockford were so proud they honored their team with watches, gold pins, and other gifts. The Nats ended the road trip the next day by beating the Chicago Excelsiors 49-4. Washington was one of the early homes of commercialism:

One writer, Thomas Henry, said the U. S. Treasury Department was "the real birthplace of professional base ball in Washington." As a source of patronage for good players, this bureau was widely exploited after the Civil War. In addition, Washington players benefited from the collection plates passed at games. By this kind of enterprise Washington clubs were able to keep a cadre of good players and to offer excellent accommodations. In 1867 the Nationals' park was located on a field four hundred feet square, surrounded by a ten foot fence, and shaded on the north side by roofed stands. To discourage gamblers, a sign which read "Betting Positively Prohibited" was posted. (Voigt, American Baseball. Vol. 1, pp. 17-19.)

/above typed while proudly wearing Senators cap Assembling and dismantling the '86 Mets *puts on Mets cap, cries*

By: languagehat

languagehat — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:44:08 -0800

Huh? I have no idea how that happened; for the garbled mess, read "Young Gorham quickly rose to stardom..." (The book has "Gorham" for Gorman; I changed it for the link.)

By: KevinSkomsvold

KevinSkomsvold — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:46:15 -0800

Mentally flagged as awesome.

By: rokusan

rokusan — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 13:35:15 -0800

I work at MLB... Good, can you fix MLBtv so it actually, like, WORKS? Every month they add six new features that don't work, while disabling the older, better-working version. And they do it live. :/

By: rokusan

rokusan — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 13:36:46 -0800

I love* that there's a single game ticket at New-New-Yankee Stadium that costs the same as FOUR YEARS of SEASON TICKETS to the cheap seat in Colorado. * this use of the word 'love' may be tinged with a little sarcasm.

By: adamms222

adamms222 — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 13:42:50 -0800

rokusan, I shall run your concerns upstairs to Mr. Selig posthaste! Stay tuned...

By: rokusan

rokusan — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 13:56:56 -0800

I shall run your concerns upstairs to Mr. Selig posthaste! Heh, yeah. Got me on a bad day, I guess. That department really needs some QA badly, though. The support forum is like a litany of bad customer service. They have the entire Microsoft-style monopoly attitude working perfectly. Don't bother Bud, though. Poor guy always looks like he needs a nap. ;)

By: rokusan

rokusan — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 13:57:53 -0800

like having "Spaceman" Bill Lee on your team... you never know where he's gonna play today! Way, way, way out in left field.

By: kirkaracha

kirkaracha — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:18:35 -0800

The length of basketball shorts graphic only covers the vertical dimension. There's been a dramatic expansion in bagginess between Larry Byrd's Tiny Shorts Era and the present day.

By: rtha

rtha — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:41:36 -0800

Assembling and dismantling the '86 Mets *puts on Mets cap, cries* I looked at that one and thought of you, languagehat. Splendid site - thank you!

By: grapefruitmoon

grapefruitmoon — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:50:33 -0800

The first one I clicked, and it's a total winner. I laughed so hard, I think a little pee came out. Cleveland Indians.

By: grapefruitmoon

grapefruitmoon — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:52:10 -0800

I am now formulating a theory correlating the insane shape of Fenway Park (the TOTALLY EFFIN' BIZARRO one on the previously linked diagram and the insanity of Red Sox Nation. It is possible that we are not properly oriented to the space-time continuum. But who cares?! GO SOX!

By: Horace Rumpole

Horace Rumpole — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 16:30:21 -0800

Fuckin' Yankees, man. It makes sense, though, that the Yankees would be expensive. What I want to know is, who in Christ is paying $250 to watch the Royals?

By: box

box — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 17:51:18 -0800

What the hell else is there to do in Kansas City?

By: dw

dw — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 20:53:25 -0800

I love* that there's a single game ticket at New-New-Yankee Stadium that costs the same as FOUR YEARS of SEASON TICKETS to the cheap seat in Colorado. Actually, you can't buy season tickets in the Rockpile section, but it looks like you can get $8 season tickets in the RF upper deck. So, for one Yankees ticket, you can buy two season tickets to the Rockies game. And that's AFTER the Yankees halved the face value of the tickets.

By: eggman

eggman — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 21:00:47 -0800

These would make great posters if printed correctly . . . I wonder if he's considered selling high quality, limited edition prints? What a fantastic blend of art, stats and a dash of wit/politics.

By: The Esteemed Doctor Bunsen Honeydew

The Esteemed Doctor Bunsen Honeydew — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 23:02:05 -0800

This is sweet!

By: item

item — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 06:04:44 -0800

I now understand baseball less than I ever did.

By: gompa

gompa — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 07:58:16 -0800

Max Weinberg as a CF? I don't really see him with the foot speed to play there. Also, Springsteen as pitcher, Patti as catcher, of COURSE. Lolsex. Yeah, the misplacement of Weinberg was I think a side effect of going for the obvious because-they-do-it-together-geddit? gag. Weinberg's your obvious choice for catcher. Move Clemons to CF and Little Steven to 1B, let Patti play 2B. Totally change the game. Wu-Tang Clan ain't nuthin to fuck with, but with this line-up the smart money's on the Asbury Park squad taking it in a last-chance power drive.

By: hypersloth

hypersloth — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 15:29:25 -0800

Awesome sauce, thanks!

By: popechunk

popechunk — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 16:32:12 -0800

Don't miss his link to this George Brett soliloquy about pooping himself.

By: drezdn

drezdn — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 17:11:55 -0800

Didn't notice it until today, but it gets bonus points for having Robin Yount playing short and the racing sausages in the header image. Go Chorizo!

By: dw

dw — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 08:10:27 -0800

Note that's he's now included the PBP of the Wu-Tang/E-Street playoff game.

By: dw

dw — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 08:36:02 -0800

Didn't notice it until today, but it gets bonus points for having Robin Yount playing short and the racing sausages in the header image. Heh. And two Mariners on that team, though I can't figure out who's playing first: 1B: Killebrew??? 2B: Jackie SS: Yount 3B: Brett LF: Ted Williams CF: Junior Griffey RF: Ruth P: Randy Johnson And not only does he have the M's leading the AL West, he has the Pirates leading the NL Central. Fantasy basebal indeed.