Outshined_One

I took great pleasure in booing him tonight! :D A funny moment happened in the top of the second. Inge and Infante were on first and third, Neifi was at the plate with one out. I bet my friend (a Tigers fan) $5 that Neifi would hit into a double play. He accepted it. I won.

Box Scores Iowa lost 11-4 Box Score CF F. Pie 2/5, R, 2B (32), 2 K, E (4, throw) 2B E. Patterson 1/5, R RF M. Restovich 2/5, R, 4 RBI, 2B (26), HR (25) 3B C. McGehee 1/5 C G. Soto 0/2, 2 BB PH L. Montanez 0/1 SP W. Chavez 3.1 IP, 9 H, 7 ER, 1/2 K/BB, 6-3 GO-FO West Tenn lost 4-2 Box Score CF C. Walker 1/4, R, SB (43) 3B S. Moore 2/2, 2 BB, 2B (28) C J. Fox 1/4, RBI, 2 K 1B B. Sing 0/4, K RF M. Negron 2/4, R, 2 2B (17) 2B R. Lewis 0/3 SP S. Gallagher 5.2 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 8/3 K/BB, HR, 5-4 GO-FO Daytona lost Game 1 of their DH 4-2 Box Score 2B N. Spears 2/3, R, HBP C C. Robinson 1/3, HBP 1B M. Craig 2/3, RBI RF R. Harvey 2/3, R, RBI, HR (20), K SS J. Simokaitis 0/3, 3 K, E (16, fielding) SP R. Bicondoa 5 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 4/2 K/BB, WP, HBP, 9-2 GO-FO RP T. Layden .1 hitless/scoreless, HBP, 0-1 GO-FO RP M. Phelps 1.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2/0 K/BB, 0-2 GO-FO Daytona won Game 2 of the DH 4-2 Box Score 2B N. Spears 1/2, BB, 2 R DH C. Robinson 1/3, R, 2 RBI, HR (3), 2 K 1B M. Craig 1/3, K RF R. Harvey 1/3, 2 RBI, 2B (25) SS J. Mota 0/3 C J. Muyco 0/2 SP S. Bronder 4 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1/0 K/BB, HR, 5-6 GO-FO RP G. Johnson 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1/1 K/BB, 3-0 GO-FO Peoria lost 7-1 Box Score 3B R. Malone 1/2, BB, K 2B F. Tirado 0/1 2B/SS R. Chirinos 2/4, R, RBI, HR (8) CF J. Valdez 2/4 1B R. Norwood 1/4, K, E (9, throw) SS/3B K. Reynolds 1/4, 2B (14), 2 K DH R. Parker 0/4, K LF A. Garcia 0/3 RF Y. Carter 0/3, K, E (7, throw) C M. Reed 1/3, 2 K, CS (9) SP T. Blackford 5 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 1/4 K/BB, HR, WP, 9-5 GO-FO RP J. Yepez 2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2/0 K/BB, Balk, 1-3 GO-FO Boise lost 7-3 Box Score CF M. Camp 0/3, BB, R, SB (17) LF T. Colvin 0/4, K 1B R. Canzler 1/4, RBI 3B E. Puello 0/4, R, K, E (9, fielding) DH M. Mercedes 1/4, R 2B S. Clevenger 0/4, K, E (10, fielding) RF A. Joseph 1/3, 2 RBI, SB (7), HBP SP J. Renshaw 4 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 0 ER, 6/0 K/BB, HBP, 1-5 GO-FO Mesa won 6-4 Box Score 3B V. Heredia 2/5, 2 R, 2 SB (27) SS N. Samson 0/5, K, E (5, fielding) CF D. Rundle 0/3, BB, 2 K, SB (3), HBP DH W. Castillo 2/5, 2 R, K RF C. Andersen 0/4, K 2B L. Rosario 2/4, R, 2 RBI, SB (10) 1B L. Murphy 0/3, 3 K, HBP LF W. Inoa 2/4, 2 RBI, 2B (1) SP C. Huseby 3 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 1/3 K/BB, 2 WP, 5-3 GO-FO RP M. Carrillo 5 scoreless, 1 H, 2/1 K/BB, WP, 7-6 GO-FO OVERALL: 2-5

K Nate Kaeding for me.

I'll go with RB TJ Duckett.

Updated again: QB Carson Palmer Tom Brady Michael Vick Daunte Culpepper Marc Bulger Donovan McNabb Peyton Manning Matt Hasselbeck Eli Manning Jake Delhomme Trent Green Drew Brees Byron Leftwich Drew Bledsoe Aaron Brooks Kurt Warner Ben Roethlisberger WR Marvin Harrison Anquan Boldin Randy Moss Hines Ward Larry Fitzgerald Terrell Owens Chris Chambers Steve Smith Chad Johnson Santana Moss Torry Holt Roy Williams Reggie Wayne Darrell Jackson Donald Driver Joe Horn Plaxico Burress Andre Johnson Joey Galloway Reggie Brown Deion Branch Lee Evans TJ Houshmandzadeh Javon Walker Nate Burleson Keenan McCardell Drew Bennett Derrick Mason Laveraneus Coles Matt Jones RB LaDanian Tomlinson Clinton Portis Ronnie Brown Kevin Jones LaMont Jordan Domanick Davis Tiki Barber Julius Jones Steven Jackson Cadillac Williams Shaun Alexander Rudi Johnson Edgerrin James Larry Johnson Willis McGahee Brian Westbrook Willie Parker Corey Dillon Tatum Bell Reggie Bush Deuce McAllister Joseph Addai Jamal Lewis Chester Taylor Reuben Droughns Warrick Dunn Cedric Benson Thomas Jones Frank Gore Ron Dayne LenDale White DeShaun Foster Laurence Maroney Mike Bell DeAngelo Williams Chris Brown Kevan Barlow Ryan Moats TE Antonio Gates Jeremy Shockey Tony Gonzalez Todd Heap Jason Witten Alge Crumpler Randy McMichael Heath Miller Chris Cooley Vernon Davis Kellen Winslow II Dallas Clark Jerramy Stevens DEF Chicago Bears Pittsburgh Steelers NY Giants Seattle Seahawks Tampa Bay Bucs Carolina Panthers K Adam Vinatieri Mike Vanderjagt Neil Rackers Jay Feely

I honestly wish I knew what happened to him. He looked like he finally put it all together at the end of last season...then he just goes off the deep end this year. No explanations, nothing.

Box Scores Iowa wins 5-4 with a run in the 9th, box score CF F. Pie 2/3, 2 R, 2B (31), HR (13), RBI, 2 BB, SB (15) 2B E. Patterson 1/4, BB, K RF M. Restovich 0/3, BB, HBP K 3B C. McGehee 2/4, 2 R, 2B (28) C J. Reyes 2/4, K SP R. Wells 5 IP, 4 ER, 9 H, 6/2 K/BB, 7-2 GO-FO RP A. Shipman 1 scoreless IP, 2 H, 1/0 K/BB, 1-1 GO-FO West Tenn loses 6-5, box score CF C. Walker 1/4, R, 2B (21), 2 K, SB (42) LF R. Lewis 3/4, 2 R, 2B (16) RF J. Fox 2/3, R, 2B (14), K, BB - AA batting average up to .276 3B S. Moore 1/3, R, HR (21), 3 RBI, BB, K 1B B. Sing 0/3, RBI C T. Richie 0/4, K SP JR Mathes 6.1 IP, 4 R, 3 ER, 6 H, 7/2 K/BB, 8-4 GO-FO, E (2, pickoff) RP J. Blevins 1 scoreless and hitless IP, 3/0 K/BB, 0-0 GO-FO, E (1, pickoff) Daytona wins 2-1,box score C C. Robinson 1/4, K 1B M. Craig 0/4, K RF R. Harvey 0/1, R, BB, HBP, SB (7) CF M. Ciaramella 1/3, 2B (9) SS J. Simokaitis 1/3, R, 2B (10), K, E (15, fielding) LF N. Price 2/3, 2B (2), 3B (1), 2 RBI, SB (4) SP C. Perez 6 shutout IP, 8 H, 5/0 K/BB, 6-5 GO-FO RP J. Hunton 2 scoreless and hitless IP, 1/0 K/BB, 1-4 GO-FO Peoria wins 3-2, box score CF D. Gregg 1/4, 3 K, CS (18) 1B R. Norwood 1/3, R, K 3B R. Malone 1/3, R, SB (6) SS K. Reynolds, 1/2, R, HR (9), 2 RBI RF Y. Carter 1/3, RBI, K, CS (3) C M. Reed 0/2, BB, K SP F. Jiminez 5 IP, 2 ER, 9 H, 2/2 K/BB, HBP, WP, balk, 10-3 GO-FO RP J Estrada 2 scoreless and hitless IP, 4/2 K/BB, 1-1 GO-FO RP M. Avery 1 scoreless and hitless IP, 2/0 K/BB, 1-0 GO-FO Boise wins 8-7 with a run in the 9th inning, box score CF M. Camp 2/5, R, RBI LF T. Colvin 3/5, R, 3B (6), RBI - leads NWL in triples 1B R. Canzler 1/3, R, HR (14), 3 RBI, BB, K, CS (4) - leads NWL in HRs 3B E. Puello 1/4, R, RBI, 3 K 2B S. Clevenger 1/5, RBI C M. Mercedes 1/4, R, 2B (8), BB, K RF A. Joseph 2/5, R, K SP J. Ceda 4+ IP, 4 ER, 3 H, 4/1 K/BB, 1 HBP, 3-4 GO-FO RP R. Roquet 1 scoreless IP, 1 H, 0/0 K/BB, 2-1 GO-FO Mesa with a day off.

Box Scores Iowa won 12-8 Box Score CF F. Pie 1/4, R, 2B (30), BB, 2 K 2B E. Patterson 3/5, R, RBI, SB (3) - .550 (11 for 20) at AAA RF M. Restovich 2/5, 2 R, HR (24), 2 RBI, K 3B C. McGehee 3/5, 2 R, HR (10), 3 RBI C G. Soto 2/4, R, 2B (20), 2 RBI, BB, K SP W. Miller 5 IP, 5 ER, 11 H, 2/2 K/BB, 5-6 GO-FO, 0/1, HBP RP C. Rapada 1 scoreless and hitless IP, 1/0 K/BB, 1-1 GO-FO West Tenn lost 4-0 Box Score CF C. Walker 2/4, K 3B S. Moore 1/4, K C J. Fox 1/4, E (3, throw), passed ball (13) 1B B. Sing 1/4, 2 K RF M. Negron 1/4 2B R. Lewis 0/4, 2 K SP H. Castellanos 6 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 5/6 K/BB, 9-4 GO-FO RP A. Mendez 1 scoreless and hitless IP, 2/0 K/BB, 0-1 GO-FO Manager Pat Listach was ejected in the 8th inning Daytona lost 7-4 Box Score 3B J. Spearman 2/4, R, RBI, 2 K C C. Robinson 1/4, R, HR (2), 3 RBI, 2 K, E (8, throw) - hitting .357 since trade to the Cubs 1B M. Craig 1/3, BB RF R. Harvey 0/2, BB LF N. Price 1/3, R, BB, K, OF assist SS J. Mota 0/2, R, BB, HBP SP M. Holliman 5 IP, 5 ER, 5 H, 5/2 K/BB, 6-4 GO-FO RP G. Johnson 2.1 scoreless IP, 2 H, 1/0 K/BB, 2-4 GO-FO Peoria is off until the 24th. Boise won 15-1 Box Score SS M. Matulia 3/4, 4 R, RBI, BB LF T. Colvin 2/6, 2 R, SB (12) 1B R. Canzler 4/6, 2 R, 3 2B (19), 3 RBI, CS (3) 3B E. Puello 1/3, 2 R, 2B (7), 2 RBI, BB, HBP, 2 K 2B S. Clevenger 2/5, 3 R, 2 RBI, BB, 2 K C M. Mercedes 3/4, R, 2 RBI, BB, CS (2) RF A. Joseph 2/2, R, 2 RBI, 3 BB SP B. Muldowney 5 scoreless IP, 3 H, 7/2 K/BB, 1-6 GO-FO RP D. Downs 3 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 4/2 K/BB, 0-5 GO-FO Mesa lost 9-8 Box Score SS Samson 2/4, 2 R, RBI, E (4, throw) C W. Castillo 0/2, R, BB, E (1, throw) C. C. Perez 1/2, R, 2B (4), RBI CF D. Rundle 2/4, 2 R, 2B (7), RBI RF C. Andersen 2/4, R, 3B (2), HBP, CS (2) 2B L. Rosario 1/4, K, E (4, throw) SP R. Hernandez 3.1 IP, 6 R, 3 ER, 5 H, 1/1 BB/K, WP, 3-6 GO-FO RP O. Bernard 2.1 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 1/1 BB/K, 6-0 GO-FO OVERALL: 2-3

I'll go with Donald Veal.

Box Scores Iowa won 5-3 Box Score CF F. Pie 1/4, R, 2 K 2B E. Patterson 3/4, 2 R, RBI, K, SB (2) RF M. Restovich 2/4, R, 3RBI, HR (23), 2 K, SB (2) DH G. Soto 0/3, BB, 2 K 3B C. McGehee 0/1, 2 BB, RBI, CS (3), E (12, fielding) C J. Reyes 2/3, R, CS (1) SP S. Marshall 6 scoreless, 5 H, 6/2 K/BB, 8-3 GO-FO RP C. Rapada .2 perfect, 1/0 K/BB, 1-0 GO-FO West Tenn lost 5-2 Box Score CF C. Walker 1/4, K, SB (41) 3B S. Moore 0/3, BB, R, K 1B B. Sing 1/4, RBI, 2B (8), K, E (2, fielding) 2B/1B R. Lewis 1/4, RBI, K RF M. Negron 1/4, K C J. Fox 1/2 SP I. Pavlik 5 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 5/2 K/BB, HR, 4-6 GO-FO RP L. Holdzkom 2 scoreless, 1 H, 1/0 K/BB, 5-0 GO-FO RP T. Atlee 1 perfect, 1/0 K/BB, 1-1 GO-FO Daytona won 4-2 Box Score 2B N. Spears 2/3, 2 R, 2 2B (15) DH C. Robinson 1/4, RBI, K 1B M. Craig 1/4, RBI, K, SB (6) RF R. Harvey 0/4, 2 K SS J. Simokaitis 1/4, R, E (14, fielding) C J. Muyco 0/3, K SP J. Berg 5 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 1/0 K/BB, WP, 9-4 GO-FO RP T. Layden 1 hitless/scoreless, 1/1 K/BB, 2-0 GO-FO Boise lost 7-3 box score SS M. Matulia 2/4, RBI, 2 HBP, 2 SB (12), CS (5) LF T. Colvin 0/4, BB, 2 K 1B R. Canzler 0/3, R, BB 3B E. Puello 2/4, R, K RF A. Joseph 2/4, R, OF assist SP M. Pawelek 5 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3/2 K/BB, HBP, 3-9 GO-FO RP K. Papelbon 2+ IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2/1 K/BB, 0-3 GO-FO RP A. Maestri 1 IP, 2 H, 4 ER, 0/1 K/BB, HBP, WP, 1-2 GO-FO, 2 inherited runners scored Mesa lost 4-2 box score 3B V. Heredia 0/4, K, E (13, fielding) RF C. Andersen 1/3, R, 2 K, E (6, fielding) CF D. Rundle 2/3, R, SB - Andersen & Rundle with only Mesa hits SS N. Samson 0/3 2B C. Valentin 0/3, 2 K, E (8, throw) SP T. Parker 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 4/2 K/BB, 10-1 GO-FO RP J. Castillo 0 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0/1 K/BB - oof RP G. Cuevas-Novas 2 scoreless and hitless IP, 3/1 K/BB, 1-0 GO-FO Peoria is off until the 24th.

That should help ya TT. :D

Shaver I was back and forth on. Most of what I've heard about him suggests that he'll apparently end up as a back of the rotation starter. His numbers are really weird. Having a .258/.326/.363/.689 AVG/OBP/SLG/OPS, a 1.36 WHIP, and a Line Drive % of <17.5% typically brings about bad results...yet here we are. He keeps the ball out of the park and has a decent K rate, to his advantage, but there is not much about him really gets me excited. I might include him in my Top 25 if he can sustain this level of success, but I'm skeptical. Every pitcher on this list has a much better ceiling than him, imo. I'm unfamiliar with Robinson and posted this list not too long after the trade, so I omitted him. Once I become more familiar with him, I'll probably include him on this list.

Good call. I was focusing more on the BB/9 and HR/9 aspect than on the groundballs. Hm...dunno what a good comp would be for him.

Thank you Ron. :D

Strange, didn't he break his left wrist? I enjoy that running joke. :D

Pros -Terrific mentality. Tenacious, intimidating, and fearless on the mound. Approach to pitching kind of reminds me of Gallagher in that respect. He's also a robust 6'3, 240 pounds...almost like a linebacker. -Workhorse. Despite being a year out of HS and 19 years old all season, he's pitched 131.2 IP. He's actually improved his numbers in recent starts, oddly enough. -He's economical. He's averaging a little over a walk and a half for every nine innings pitched. -Keeps the ball in the park. While his GO/FO is roughly 1:1, he's only allowed 8 HRs on the year. -Young for his level. A 19 year old at Low A is ahead of the curve and should help him along as he advances. Cons -I wonder about his stuff. I believe the three best ways to judge a pitcher are by his Ks, BBs, and HRs (be it by IP or PA). Taylor keeps his BBs and HRs down...but his lack of Ks are worrisome. Perhaps it's because the Cubs have ordered him scrap a certain strikeout pitch for the season, I don't know. But if something like that isn't the case, then he will have to continue keeping those two things down. I like his chances, but he will have a much harder time moving up the ladder than other pitchers who can strike out tons of guys every game. -Much like Gallagher, his stuff hinders his projected ceiling. Whether or not he meets or even exceeds that ceiling is left to fate for now, but with the way guys develop, mature, and so on, he has a tough road ahead if he is to become a #1 or a #2. Unlike, say, Pawelek, Huseby, Samardzija, or Ceda, Taylor doesn't project to have ace-quality stuff. Taylor has an arsenal of pitches that could see him developing into a good #3 pitcher. That's perfectly acceptable, but it hurts his prospect ranking. -His BAA is a rather surprising .266, despite his BABIP being right in line with the expected norms (.292). I don't know if this is a trend that will continue or what, but it's noteworthy enough for some concern. -He's already fully developed, as far as I can tell. 6'3 240 sounds pretty physically mature, no? But, it'll hurt in adding velocity to his fastball. -This is a minor sticking point for me, but it still was something I had to factor in. The Midwest League has been a very strong pitchers' league this season. I'd have to wonder what his numbers would look like against overall better hitters for that level. If you cornered me right now for a possible comparison, I'd say Chien-Ming Wang would be a pretty good one. Still, he's a ways away and plenty could change over the next few years.

High 90s fastball, good secondary stuff, and a nice ceiling. If he were committed to baseball full time, he would likely have been a first rounder.

I'm bored and have nothing better to do. I figure this would be a good way to generate discussion about prospects and get a feel on where the guys stand in relation to one another considering a heck of a lot of guys from last season have been traded, injured, and/or promoted. So, here are the rules. I'm going to post a list of my top 25 prospects. If you feel a guy is missing or the ranking is off, you may post one move. You could either swap a player (say you want to swap Donald Veal and Felix Pie) or you could drop a player & add a player (let's say you prefer Nate Spears to Josh Lansford). For the purposes of this list, I'm only allowing guys who have no major league experience. Thus, guys like Juan Mateo, Sean Marshall, and Ryan Theriot are ineligible. Sound good? Here's the initial list: 1) Felix Pie 2) Donald Veal 3) Sean Gallagher 4) Eric Patterson 5) Mark Pawelek 6) Mitch Atkins 7) Tyler Colvin 8) Scott Moore 9) Jake Fox 10) Ryan Harvey 11) Mark Reed 12) Jeff Samardzija 13) Brian Dopirak 14) Billy Petrick 15) Jose Ceda 16) Chris Huseby 17) Scott Taylor 18) Geovany Soto 19) Dylan Johnston 20) Jake Renshaw 21) Sam Fuld 22) Miguel Negron 23) Rafael Dolis 24) Drew Rundle 25) Josh Lansford

Hey Nate, what's up with the Chiefs being off until the 24th after today's game? It seems kind of odd to have two days off in a row.

Box Scores Iowa won 7-3 Box Score CF F. Pie 0/5, K RF B. Coats 1/4, R, 2 K LF M. Restovich 1/2, 2 BB, 2 R, RBI, HR (22), K C G. Soto 2/3, BB, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (6) 3B C. McGehee 1/4, R, RBI, 2B (27), 2 K 2B E. Patterson 2/3, RBI, 2B (1) SP J. Williams 6.1 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 1/0 K/BB, 10-8 GO-FO West Tenn won 4-2 Box Score CF C. Walker 1/4, 2B (20), K LF/2B R. Lewis 2/4, R, K, CS (4) 3B S. Moore 1/3, BB, R, RBI RF J. Fox 1/4, R, 2 RBI, 2B (13), K 1B B. Sing 0/3, 2 K SP C. Shaver 6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 4/3 K/BB, HR, 5-9 GO-FO RP A. Mendez 1 hitless/scoreless, 1/0 K/BB, HBP, 1-1 GO-FO Daytona won 7-2 Box Score 2B N. Spears 1/5, K C C. Robinson 3/5, 3 RBI, 2B (23), 2 K 1B M. Craig 1/4, BB, RBI, K RF R. Harvey 1/5, R, 2 K, SB (6) SS J. Mota 1/2, BB, R, RBI, HR (1) SP D. Veal 5.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 5/3 K/BB, 2 WP, 4-7 GO-FO Peoria won 6-0 Box Score DH F. Tirado 1/3, 2 BB, R, K RF/LF J. Valdez 2/4, 2 R, 2B (25), K, HBP 1B R. Norwood 2/4, BB, R, 2B (25), 2 K 3B R. Malone 1/5, R, 2 RBI, 2B (16), K, E (11, throw) 2B R. Chirinos 1/4, E (15, throw), HBP SS K. Reynolds 1/4, R, 2 RBI, HR (8), 2 K LF A. Garcia 0/1, K CF/RF Y. Carter 0/3, BB, K SP J. Santo 6.2 scoreless, 5 H, 3/3 K/BB, 7-9 GO-FO RP J. Rayborn 2.1 scoreless, 2 H, 3/1 K/BB, 3-1 GO-FO Boise won 6-5 Box Score CF M. Camp 2/3, 2 BB, RBI, SB (16), CS (10) SS M. Matulia 2/5, R, 2B (2), BB, 3 RBI LF T. Colvin 2/4, R, BB, CS (3) 1B R. Canzler 0/4, RBI 2B S. Clevenger 2/3, 2 R, 2 BB RF A. Jospeh 2/4, R, 2B (13), BB, CS (3) SP M. Billek 5 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0/1 K/BB, 1 HBP, 1 HR, 5-10 GO-FO RP M. Cooper 1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1/0 K/BB, 1 HR, 2-0 GO-FO (allowed 2 inherited runners to score) Mesa PPD: Rain

I like calling him Pizza Boy.

Marco Carrillo has really impressed me so far with his K/BB numbers (currently at 30/7 over 34.2 IP). He'll turn 20 in February, meaning he's on track in terms of his age. Does anyone know much about him stuff-wise?

The Cardinals' Annoyingly Lovable Midget tried to plow him over on a play at the plate.

I honestly don't get why people rag so much on OBP. It's such a fundamentally simple concept that does not go against anything traditional in baseball: How good is a hitter at not getting out? Don't you want hitters who make outs less often than everyone else? Isn't that what a hitter is supposed to do? It's not without its flaws, but it's a much better evaluation tool than pretty much any other metric. I don't get the sheer amount of spite and hatred such a simple thing induces in certain people.

...whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa? I believe Bill James (or maybe McCracken, can't remember which) said that Neifi Perez was one of the ten worst offensive players in baseball history.