Baseball Toaster was unplugged on February 4, 2009.
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So I'm perusing the NBA box scores this morning to see how the Stanford guys did, and I see this stat line from the Portland-Minnesota game for the Mad Dog, one that will not shock the Laker fans among you.
Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T Madsen 6 0-1 0-0 2-4 0 0 0
These numbers came, no less, in a starting role. He was there for the opening tap, even grabbed four rebounds, even committed no fouls, but spent 88 percent of the game on the bench.
This phenomenon with Mark Madsen and others is not unusual in the NBA: A team throws a starter out there without any conviction and buries him at the first opportunity.
What's the deal? Is it just an indication that the beginning of the game really doesn't matter, and that the key players need that extra bit of rest? Is it just Mad Dog love and hate?
One wonders if baseball is missing some stroke of genius here. Perhaps you start a Brian Falkenborg on the mound and then pull him after the first inning. Perhaps you give a Jason Grabowski his at-bat at the low-key beginning of the game and then replace him after the first commercial.
Uh, probably not.
Every game has its quirks, huh?
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