Copyright 2008 The New York Sun Tue, 16 Sep 2008 22:17:38 -0400 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Caleb Peiffer :: Stories from The New York Sun http://www.nysun.com/authors/Caleb+Peiffer istoll@nysun.com (Ira Stoll) webmaster@nysun.com en-us CALEB PEIFFER http://www.nysun.com/sports/giants-should-be-careful-with-lincecums-workload/86021/ Wed, 17 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Last Saturday night in San Diego, Tim Lincecum, the best pitcher in the National League this season, threw a complete-game shutout against the Padres. It was a magnificent performance — the 24-year-old gave up just four hits, none of them for extra bases, while walking three and striking out 12. Lincecum lowered his league-leading ERA down to 2.43 with this gem, and raised his major league-leading strikeout total to 237. But was the first career complete game for the second-year righty worth... CALEB PEIFFER http://www.nysun.com/sports/rejuvenated-bullpens-key-to-success-of-sox-rays/84718/ Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST Having a strong bullpen is critical to winning in October. The old cliché of good pitching beating good hitting generally holds true in the postseason, and the resultant low-scoring tactical battles magnify the importance of the firemen who come in to excruciatingly tense late-inning situations. Indeed, Nate Silver and Dayn Perry of Baseball Prospectus found in Jonah Keri's "Baseball Between the Numbers" (Basic) that successful postseason teams generally share three characteristics: good... CALEB PEIFFER http://www.nysun.com/sports/is-a-lefty-specialist-a-necessity-in-the-bullpen/82931/ Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST Left-handed relievers lead a charmed big league existence. They work fewer innings than right-handers, they're coveted every season at the trading deadline, and they earn multiyear deals worth millions of dollars to get a couple of outs a few times a week, even if their past results don't justify such rewards (see Schoeneweis, Scott). Not only that, but they have more job security than any other group of major leaguers for, due to their scarcity, lefties can hang around a big-league bullpen... CALEB PEIFFER http://www.nysun.com/sports/improved-pitching-will-aid-phillies-down-stretch/81490/ Wed, 9 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST It's well established that the Phillies boast a fearsome offense, but unlike last year, Philadelphia's 2008 success is due in nearly equal measure to the pitching staff. While Philadelphia's prolific attack ranks second in the National League with 457 runs scored (through Monday), its pitchers have allowed only 380, the fourth fewest in the senior circuit. Contrast that to the 2007 squad, which blasted its way to a memorable division-clinching comeback by scoring a league-leading 892 runs... CALEB PEIFFER http://www.nysun.com/sports/steals-have-become-more-precise-and-more-effective/80287/ Thu, 19 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST Sabermetricians have long hammered home the mantra that stolen bases are an overrated offensive asset. An out is the most precious baseball resource, and the cost of running into one on the base paths far outweighs the relatively minimal value to be gained from thievery. In order to squeeze any benefit at all from steal attempts, therefore, they must succeed at a very high rate, which most teams throughout history have been unable to reach in any given season. The rising tide of statistical... CALEB PEIFFER http://www.nysun.com/sports/rule-5-draft-has-produced-some-unexpected-gems/78956/ Fri, 30 May 2008 00:00:00 EST As competition drives teams to look for talent anywhere they can find it, clubs are employing more information than ever, both scouting and statistical, while getting increasingly better at knowing how to utilize it. Even with all of that competition, with a little information and a little luck, teams can acquire a player ready to make an immediate major league impact at virtually no cost. As examples such as Dan Uggla, Josh Hamilton, and Joakim Soria reflect, All-Stars can be found in the most...