Well, you’ve probably noticed my absence over the last few weeks.

I have started freelancing with my former employer, Fanball, writing baseball and basketball stuff for them. I will also be manning their official Minnesota Timberwolves blog once that is up and running.

What that means for the 108 Stitches is that it’s a bit of a sabbatical. I bought this url for two years so I’m unwilling to say The 108 stitches is dead. It’s just on sabbatical. The amount of work I’m doing for Fanball combined with my regular 9-to-5 job and having a family (my wife is pregnant-we’re expecting our second child) have demanded all of my attention and this blog is the unfortunate loser in that equation.

Next spring it’s possible I will be back with reinforcements to join the site and then if I have multiple writers it won’t be quite as hard for me to manage trying to get some content up on a regular basis.

Thanks for your understanding and stay tuned!

“Forget about the curve ball Ricky, give him the heater.”

That is the famous line from 1989’s “Major League,” in which manager Lou Brown mutters to himself in the dugout as if he’s offering the suggestion while inside Ricky Vaughn’s head. On Saturday Night, another Ricky gave the Rockies the heater. Marlins starting pitcher Ricky Nolasco.

Nolasco hadn’t won a game since July 7–the final victory in a stretch that saw him win eight of 10 decisions dating back to May 9. He’s been flat out dominant at times, but none more so than Saturday’s start that saw him scatter four hits, give up three earned runs, and strike out 13 while walking none in eight innings against Colorado. This begs the question: Is even half this success sustainable?

RHP Ricky Nolasco, Marlins (Inside the Numbers)

The ideal for command ratio (K/BB) is 2.3 or higher and in a perfect scenario, the control ratio (BB/9IP) would be under 3.0. The numbers above are before his ridiculous start tonight so his July numbers would be even better, but the biggest thing to notice is his significant improvement as the season has progressed.

There aren’t many pitchers in major league history that could maintain the numbers Nolasco has put up in July, so we surely shouldn’t expect it from him. That said, even when he drops back to reality a bit, he should be effective enough to succeed. He has 11 wins and could easily finish with more than 15 while managing to keep his ERA around 4.00 and WHIP below 1.25. He’ll have his occasional bump in the road (see his July 23rd start against the Braves where he gave up five earned in as many innings while walking three and striking out three), but there will be plenty of nights like tonight where he gives ‘em the heater.

Photo courtesy of Beaumont Batting Cages

David Brown of Yahoo Sports had a chance to sit down and interview Brewers pitcher C.C. Sabathia and the result was quite amusing. The highlights included teammate Ryan Braun being labeled a “double agent” due to the fact his mother works for Anheuser-Busch (see: Busch Stadium in St. Louis) and his reflecting on his childhood imaginary friend name J.P. Cockroach. Enjoy that interview right here.

Photo courtesy of Southern Ledger

Given my sporadic posting over the last couple weeks I felt it was time to bring the masses up to speed. I have returned to a role with my former employer Fanball, while still working my 9-to-5 graphic design job. On top of this I am dabbling in a freelance graphic design business with my sister.

All of these things are leaving me very little time for posting. I have made some attempts to find additional writers so I don’t have to close up shop and while I haven’t found any writers, I currently refuse to abandon the blog. Consider this your warning that there may not be quite as many posts for the foreseeable future.

Thanks for your support.