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Turn out the Lights

May 13th, 2009 · Site News

By Gary Armida

…These are the last words I have to say
That’s why this took so long to write
There will be other words some other day…

It is with after much thought that I announce that I FCP will be closing up shop as of today. I have enjoyed writing since November of 2007, but I have come to realize something quite important over the past month. Sadly, I realize that I am older and actually require more than three hours of sleep a day. It was not an easy decision to “pull the plug” on a site that is continuing to grow and mature, but it was one that needed to be made. The daily grind of producing quality, original articles has been taking a toll. As I said, I have loved every minute of writing, every exchange between you and me, and every opportunity I got to talk baseball with so many people. Before saying the official goodbye, I do want to thank a few people. [Read more →]

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CHD: The Last Lecture

May 13th, 2009 · Channeling Harry Doyle

By Billy Campione

When Gary told me he was closing up shop it took me by surprise, but as someone who knew firsthand how much of a toll this project had taken on him I understand why he did it. FCP was a labor of love for us both, but Gary’s hard work and research is what made this site work on a daily basis. I am proud to have been a part of his team for just short of a year. Thanks, Gary, for letting me write whatever I wanted, for giving me a platform to express my opinions and make dick jokes once or twice a week, and for always laughing at whatever I wrote whether it was funny or not. You are an incredible writer with great passion for baseball and I know I’ll be reading you somewhere else very soon.

{Finish Reading on the Channeling Harry Doyle Page}

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Dodgers Can Survive

May 11th, 2009 · Features

By Gary Armida

dodgerslogoMuch has been made of the impact of Manny Ramirez’s suspension for 50 games (don’t worry; it’s not a steroids article). Most, when discussing the Dodgers, believe that Ramirez has sabotaged their season as he was the centerpiece of their offense. Many will point the fact that the Dodgers weren’t even a .500 team before the sideshow came to Los Angeles last season. Sure, Ramirez leads the team in homeruns, batting average, slugging percentage and on base percentage. But, the season will not be lost for the Dodgers for a few reasons. The most important reason is that Ramirez will be back in “just” 47 more games. He is not lost for the season. The team can play with a sort of confidence that offensive help is, indeed, on the way. But, the Dodgers will survive without Ramirez. This is not a case that the team will be better; it will not be better as teams don’t lose players with a batting line of .348/.492/.641 and get better. But, they can survive for a number of reasons. [Read more →]

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Off the Top…A-Rod Returns, Fans, Questions

May 9th, 2009 · Off the Top...

By Gary Armida

arodWelcome back to the 3rd installment of “Off the top…”, FCP’s Saturday column that is all about my thoughts of baseball and whatever else pops into my head. Let’s get to it-The Alex Rodriguez Show began with a bang as the first pitch he saw was hit for a three run homerun. Sure, it makes for a great beginning, but it also gave the Yankees a lead for the first time in what seems like three years. Like I wrote on Thursday, Rodriguez can become a likeable person in New York, even a hero, if he can hit and the Yankees simultaneously take off. CC Sabathia gave the Yankees exactly what they needed-a bullpen free night. Rodriguez gets the headlines, but Sabathia is the more important story. He looks like he is ready to take off. Many are quick to write off the Yankees for the season, even their spoiled fans, but being one game under .500 while having their number three starter have a historically bad start, their best hitter play his first game on May 8th, and have a bullpen, which was one of the best in Majors last season, completely implode, is a major accomplishment. The loss of Jorge Posada and Jose Molina is significant, but the addition of Rodriguez and the usual second half magic from Teixeira still allows the Yankees to compete. They do have to find at least two reliable arms, but a bad bullpen is tough to remake on the fly. The plan was for good starting pitching and a good offense. The Yankees have to hope to get that so the bullpen isn’t exposed as much. [Read more →]

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Pitching Perspectives with Rick Peterson: The Biomechanics of Pitching

May 8th, 2009 · Features, Rick Peterson

By Gary Armida

Bridging the Gap Between Potential and Peak Performance

rick-petersonIt was in 1989 that Rick Peterson’s professional coaching career came together. Coach Peterson obviously had the Baseball knowledge as well as his tremendous ability to relate to people. But, the genesis of his career happened in Alabama as he would begin a journey of research that would lead him to be one of the most successful pitching coaches of the last 20 years. As the pitching coach for the Birmingham Barons, the double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, Rick Peterson had the good fortune to walk through the American Sports Medicine Institute’s (ASMI) door just when the famed Dr. James Andrews was in the beginning phases of his work of biomechanical analysis of pitchers. Dr. Andrews was gathering data that would be used to enhance pitching performance while simultaneously reduce pitching related injuries. With over 20 years of data and experience, this biomechanical research can make an impact on the amateur pitching market. As stated in previous articles, it is the amateur pitcher who is most susceptible to injury. Coach Peterson, as usual, explains the severity of this epidemic. “45 percent of young pitchers under the age of 12 experience chronic elbow pain. That number rises to 60 percent when talking about high school age pitchers.” With those startling statistics in mind, Coach Peterson has created 3PSports, the first professional pitching program designed for the amateur pitcher. At the heart of the 3P Sports program is the Peak Performance Triangle which is comprised of skills and drills, physical behaviors (proper conditioning), and performance based behaviors. At the heart of the Peak Performance Triangle is biomechanics as a pitcher must have the proper movements in order to maintain health. [Read more →]

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Welcome to the Club, Manny

May 8th, 2009 · Features

By Gary Armida

mannyAre you surprised? More to the point, will you ever be surprised again when a player tests positive for performance enhancing drugs? The answers are like no and no. Manny Ramirez is just the next name in the steroids era of Major League Baseball to be exposed as a drug user. According to multiple reports, Ramirez is guilty of taking a female fertility drug which typically is taken at the end of a steroids circle. As written here before, a player who turns to these drugs is merely falling under the pressure, enormous expectations, and the desire to either reach or stay in Major League Baseball. It’s not right, but anyone with a competitive nature and without a strong sense of self may find it difficult to say no. Ramirez has already put out the word that the illegal substances were part of a prescription. Many will debate the validity of that statement, but nonetheless, Ramirez will sit out his 50 games, return in July and then just continue to obliterate the National League. Where does Baseball go from here? Well, it simply goes back to its strengths. It goes back to the field and its players. Yes, Ramirez is a disappointment, but he has disappointed the true Baseball fan before. In fact there are really just two results from the latest steroids revelation. For one, it now puts him in the same group of potential Hall of Famers who will likely sit in doubt for years wondering if their transgressions will keep them out of the Hall. There is a segment of voters who will never vote for such a player. Secondly, it really just cements his standing amongst fans, a standing that was forgotten by many because of his historic second half with the Dodgers a season ago. [Read more →]

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One Last Shot at Redemption

May 7th, 2009 · Features

By Gary Armida

Saturation Point: The point at which some capacity is at its fullest; limit.

alex_rodriguez_6If one were to survey the reaction to the Selena Roberts’ book AROD: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez one would realize that the release of the book has tipped the baseball fan’s thirst for negative Rodriguez news beyond the saturation point (number 61 on the best seller list is not good). Because of the bombshell of steroids use in Texas and Rodriguez’s subsequent bumbling reaction, the latest Roberts report lacks anything of significance. This time, Roberts comes off as someone with the proverbial axe to grind as she does not seem to have any credible sources. The book is generally being mocked, much in the same way that Jose Canseco’s sequel to his groundbreaking first book was. Why? Well, Ms. Roberts resorts to tabloid fodder rather than getting further proof on the one serious allegation in the book regarding the tipping of pitches to opponents during blowouts. Because of her lack of affirmed sources, the tipping of pitches, a serious offense that hurts the integrity of the game, cannot be proven. Even the negative stories of womanizing, wearing his Yankees hat in strip clubs, or being a poor restaurant tipper aren’t shocking or even a matter of importance to fans. Sure, they cast a negative light on a professional baseball player, but does it truly matter when Rodriguez is involved? The answer is no as it is already known that Rodriguez did steroids. It is already known that he’s had extra-marital affairs. This is nothing new. Ms. Roberts’ intentions seem as if she wanted to paint an ugly picture of a Baseball icon. There are two problems with this. One, Rodriguez was never a beloved figure in the game because of this poor public image. The steroids scandal just cemented it for many people. Secondly, the public has now reached the saturation point. The tide of public opinion seems to be shifting once again. This time, Rodriguez should pick up the phone or put an ad in the Newspaper to thank Ms. Roberts. Her book has given Rodriguez one last true shot at redemption. [Read more →]

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Joba Emerges

May 6th, 2009 · Features

By Gary Armida

jobaMany people were waiting for this. It took awhile, but it finally happened. How long? Well, it finally happened in his 90th inning of work as a starting pitcher. After being battered for five hits and four runs by the Red Sox in his first inning of work, the Joba Chamberlain that the Yankees were waiting for finally emerged. In his final 4.2 innings of work, Chamberlain gave up just one hit, two walks, zero runs, and struck out 12 batters. The final line of 5.2 innings, 6 hits, 4 runs, and 2 walks looks pedestrian, but something more important happened last night in the Bronx, besides the Yankees losing their fifth consecutive game against their rivals. As Baseball fans know, there has been a great debate about where Chamberlain is best suited. A starter throughout his career, Chamberlain captured the hearts of New Yorkers during the final months of the 2007 season when he emerged as the electric setup man to Mariano Rivera. The two formed a duo that shortened games to seven inning affairs as the Yankees fought their way into the playoffs. The Yankees enacted a misguided plan at the beginning of the 2008 season by having Chamberlain start the season in the bullpen before transitioning to the rotation in an effort to keep his innings total down (right idea, wrong execution). Chamberlain started the 2008 season in the same fashion he ended the 2007 season-an electric setup man. The transition to the rotation was a painful process as the Yankees stretched Chamberlain out while keeping him on the big league roster. However, once stretched out, Chamberlain showed flashes of being a dominant starter. But, there was something missing from “Joba the Starter”. That intensity, that passion, that fist pumping, screaming pitcher went away. He played the part of level headed starter. The results were good, better than most care to acknowledge. Many still want Chamberlain back in the bullpen citing the fact that Chamberlain was a dynamic, intense reliever and a so-so starter (a misguided thought).  Last night, however, the reliever met the starter. This meeting, if permanent, is exactly why the Yankees are correct to keep him in the rotation. [Read more →]

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