Wikipedia:WikiProject Baseball/Outreach/Newsletter/Volume 02 issue 01

 The Inside Corner

What's new with WikiProject Baseball: Volume 2, issue 1 – March 30, 2014 Subscribe · archives · newsletter desk



Around the horn
Contributor: 
 * New rules regarding home plate collisions and requesting video reviews are taking effect in 2014.
 * Unfortunately, several players recovering from Tommy John surgery will miss the 2014 season, including Jarrod Parker (Oakland), Brandon Beachy and Kris Medlen (Atlanta), Patrick Corbin (Arizona), Matt Harvey (New York Mets), Cory Luebke (San Diego), Luke Hochevar (Kansas City), and Bruce Rondon (Detroit).
 * absent the need for in-season updates, this may be a good time to spruce up their articles—amongst these players, only Corbin's article is at GA status (thanks !), so possible WikiCup points are available

Featured image
Contributor: 

About
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Project news
The month of March has seen many exciting developments in WikiProject Baseball, and many could use your participation! Among the priorities we discussed were: All in all, it was a terrific flurry of discussion. The challenge now is to progress with implementing the various suggestions to improve the project. You can help! Chip in and join the discussion on what we can do to improve baseball articles for readers.
 * Creation of an IRC discussion channel:
 * The usefulness of A-Class ratings for WikiProject Baseball: general consensus was that given limited reviewing resources, focusing on GA and FA ratings was sufficient
 * The need for a Baseball Manual of Style: expanding the current style advice pages is welcome
 * Opportunities for collaborative opportunities; specifically the need to clean up all team articles, particularly the history sections
 * Project leadership: no specific leadership void was identified; a lack of editors performing article assessment is an issue
 * How we can support new editors interested in baseball: a welcome template was created; the outreach department could use reviving
 * General discussion on the advancement of the project: a project newsletter is being re-established

Speaking of article improvement, during the month of March, several articles advanced in class:
 * March 10, 2014: Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award (featured list) – main contributor: (article initially created and groundwork laid by )
 * March 13, 2014: Nig Clarke (good article) – main contributor: (other work on the article done by )
 * March 23, 2014: Tacks Neuer (good article) – main contributor: Wizardman

Article improvement brings me to the 2014 WikiCup. Several members of the project are still in the contest, and can use reviews of their contributions:

And that's what's going on in WP:BASEBALL; thanks for tuning in. It's been a pleasure broadcasting this to you, but for now, I'm outta here!  Go  Phightins  !  01:56, 19 March 2014 (UTC)

Showcase
Pittsburgh's Best

Since its construction, the $216 million PNC Park has been heralded as one of the great ballparks for fans to sit back, relax in the sun, and take in a Pirates game. The park opened in 2001 to replace Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh's home field from 1970–2000; its first regular season game occurred on April 9, when the Pirates lost to the Cincinnati Reds 8–2. Though created for baseball, the stadium also serves multiple purposes outside of the sport: various bands have preformed concerts at PNC, including Pearl Jam and Dave Matthews Band, while the United States Department of Homeland Security has used the venue to test evacuation drills. PNC Park progressed from a Good Article nominee in May 2008 to a Featured article in October 2008, with some great collaboration between the reviewers and nominator.

Currently, there are a number of reference errors and dead links that detract from its featured status. Help on PNC Park— or any other baseball-related article— is greatly appreciated! See our quality assessment log for a list of articles you can contribute to, based on importance and length. Any contribution, no matter how small, will increase the tremendous standard of excellence WikiProject Baseball has become known for. Thanks again.

Right: editors promoted the T206 Honus Wagner baseball card, one of the most sought-after by collectors, to Featured Picture status in November 2007. After careful deliberation, users agreed that the original image, containing a hole in the top center, should be featured, as opposed to a version with the hole removed: one editor even said the alternate "obliterates the history of the card in question". Contributor: 

A new season begins
The 2014 MLB season is upon us, and the Los Angeles Dodgers have already won two games against the Arizona Diamondbacks, but as Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels aptly noted, "Opening Day is great, and I'm sure this one will be no different. Everybody is 0-0, and everybody believes they have a chance to win." This season is marked by a few rules changes, most notably expanding instant replay, and outlawing home-plate collisions between the runner and catcher. The game to which we dedicate much of our Wikipedia work is back, and that calls for celebration (and stat updates ). So here's to America's natural pastime: let the fun begin. Play ball! Contributor: 

2014 preseason predictions
With advent of the regular season, it's time for the highly useful and accurate exercise of making some preseason predictions:

Selected commentary from Go Phightins!

 * AL East: I am tempted to pick the Orioles ... and the Red Sox ... and the Yankees ... (sorry, not the Blue Jays), however it seems to me the team you forget about is the one that always comes back to get you, and that is the Tampa Bay Rays. They have few glaring weaknesses, and Joe Maddon is a genius; he will find a way to win the division.
 * AL West: I know the A's lost a lot of starting pitching from last season due to departure (Colon and Anderson) as well as injury (Parker), but last year was the start of something special in Oakland, and one way or another, that will continue in 2014. Between a frontline ace in Gray, a sneaky, under-the-radar acquisition in Scott Kazmir, and Yoenis Cespedes, who one has to think will bounce back, I look for them to be highly successful out west ... sorry Angels.
 * AL Wildcards: I love the Orioles. If I was not a Phillies fan, I would be an Orioles fan. This offseason, they waited, and smartly acquired Nelson Cruz and Ubaldo Jimenez at below original market value. Ultimately, they will make the playoffs. And any team with Trout has a shot ...
 * AL Cy Young: Gray looked terrific in 2013, and he should only get better, now that he is the legitimate ace of this ball club. A sophomore slump is possible, but if he is healthy, he should be terrific.
 * AL Comeback Player of the Year: I have a feeling here. Everyone has written off Roberts, but with Robinson Cano gone, Roberts should get a chance to play frequently, and let's not forget, he led the AL in doubles in 2009 ... he could be a key part of the Yankees' lineup, and could contribute to the Yanks getting to the wildcard.
 * NL East: As tempting as it was to choose my Phillies, I could not in good conscience pick them over a team with a loaded lineup, and deep starting rotation that, if anything, was bolstered this offseason. I don't know that it's our year, Phellow Phils Phans.
 * NL Central: To me, this is the toughest division in baseball to peg. I am not sure there is a bad team. Even the Cubs could be decent if some of their prospects perform. So I went with history and picked the Cardinals ... they do not really have a weakness, and have veteran experience.
 * NL Wildcards: Would it not be fun to have a "Keystone clash" for the one-game playoff? I think so ... wishful thinking, perhaps, but on paper, if they can stay healthy, the Phillies are not a bad team, and the Pirates are not horrific either. Other candidates for these two spots included the Braves, the Marlins (yes - Fernandez and Stanton are too good to unilaterally rule out), the Reds, and the Giants.
 * NL MVP: Boy am I glad Ramirez is gone from the NL East! He would make the Marlins a legitimate threat to win the NL East. The stars hath aligned, however, for him in LA, so if he stays healthy and doesn't act stupidly off the field, he should lead the team to a World Series appearance with a .300/30/100 clip.
 * NL Comeback Player of the Year/NL Manager of the Year: Yup, I had to make a few Phillies picks, and to me, these two picks go hand in hand. If Howard can return to 80% of his old form, the Phillies will produce, and since most wrote them off in the offseason, Ryno will get some credit.
 * World Series: A west coast classic, baby! Look for the Dodgers and the A's to play at least six games and for Sonny Gray to dominantly pitch the clincher ... think Cole Hamels-like rockstar from the 2008 Phillies. The Moneyball approach may work after all.

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The Inside Corner&thinsp;: March 30, 2014
What's in the latest edition of WikiProject Baseball's newsletter:

Read the newsletter · Subscribe
 * Project news: New ideas for invigorating the project; improved articles; 2014 WikiCup update
 * Around the horn: New rules for 2014; players recovering from Tommy John surgery
 * Showcase: Pittsburgh's Best
 * Featured image: Ty Cobb
 * Opinion: A new season begins; predictions