Thursday, August 20, 2020

I'M JUST SAYIN'...

 **The YES announcers have talked a couple of times about Homer Bush, a utility infielder who was with the team in 1997 & 1998. "When Homer would come into the game as a pinch runner, everybody in the ballpark knew he was there to steal a base.  It seemed like he came in every other game and stole second. It was his contribution to the team."I finally got around to checking it out. It's funny how the mind plays tricks on you. In those two years, Homer appeared in exactly 55 games. He stole only SIX bases and was caught stealing THREE times. That's nine attempts in two years. Not exactly every other game, is it?

**I read that CC Sabathia has come out with a new line of men's clothes. If you've seen him in his uniform, you have to wonder if they come with tent poles already attached?

 **Another discussion over baseball's "Unwritten Rules." I understand why most of them exist, but fly in the face of competition.The current discussion revolves around an incident in the Rangers/Padres game on Monday. With one out in the 8th inning and the Padres ahead 10-3, Fernando Tatis,Jr was at bat with a 3-0 count. He hit the next pitch for a grand slam and that's where the trouble started. The Rangers thought he should have taken the 3-0 cripple and not swing away. I don't see what difference it made, since the next two pitches would have also be "cripples" too. It's still baseball's ultimate goal - Win The Game.

I never liked unwritten rules that basically say, "Don't hurt me anymore." Rules like  Don't steal any bases late in the game if you have a big lead or  don't bunt late in the game if the opposing pitcher is throwing a no-hitter. The idea here is that you don't want to pile on runs when the game is basically in hand. But why does the other team get to take advantage of that? They don't hold the runner on 1st and the infielders don't bother to cover 2nd base. They put a big shift on trying to keep a batter from batting a base hit instead of playing a more normal position. I guess they want to have their cake and make the other team feed them too.

**Here we go again with the injury bug striking the Yankees. They have three of their best players on the IL - Stanton, Judge and Le Mahieu. Why does this keep happening? I have no answers and the people that should, seem to be clueless too. Supposedly well-conditioned athletes can't seem to run from here to there or swing a bat without pulling or bruising something. If nothing else, you'd think that insurance companies might be a little interested.

**Trevor Bauer, the outspoken Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher, may have gone a little too far. He tweeted that he intended to wear special cleats during his start against the Kansas City Royals. The custom made cleats featured a picture of the pouting Joe Kelly, the suspended reliever of the Los Angeles Dodgers, on one side and "FREE JOE KELLY" on the other. MLB quickly informed Bauer that he would be fined and removed from the game if he actually wore the cleats in question. Bauer has backed down and will be selling the cleats with the proceeds to go to any charity designated by Kelly. I guess it's okay to do bat flips, pose and other things to embarrass your opponent but don't do it to Commissioner Manfred and his cohorts.

**And the hits just keep on coming. Yankee reliever Zach Britton left the game last night favoring his left hamstring. He's now on the 10-day IL. Let's recap: New York has now lost their leadoff hitter, their two biggest sluggers and their closer. Is this God's way of keeping the season more competitive?

***THEY SAID IT***

"The University of North Carolina abruptly stops ALL in-person classes. This might be a bad omen for college football, if ACC players were actually expected to attend classes."  -- Janice Hough

"I just saw a replay of a home-run-saving grab by Angels sensation Mike Trout. Probably not the last time Trout is the catch of the day."  -- RJ Currie 

"Seattle Seahawks cut Kemah Siverand after the rookie cornerback was caught on video trying to sneak a woman - dressed in Seahawk player gear - into the team's hotel. That's what you call disguising your coverage."  -- Dwight Perry

"If you built your life around Mid America Conference football this is going to be a disappointing fall. Actually, if you’ve built your life around MAC football, you’re probably used to disappointment in life.”  -- Brad Dickson

"Indians pitcher Zach Plesac violated health and safety protocols by leaving the team hotel in Chicago and going out with friends. You’d think a sport that’s so big on Unwritten Rules would do a better job of following written ones."  -- Janice Hough

--Chad Picasner








Friday, August 14, 2020

THE MACHINE...AND OTHER NICKNAMES

Yankee 2nd baseman, DJ LaMahieu, is nicknamed "The Machine" because of his penchant for multi-hit games, regardless of who is pitching. He hits fast balls, curves, changeups, sliders...anything. There is even a rumor that a batboy once tossed him a rosin bag and DJ promptly sliced a double down the right field line, but I can't verify it. I don't know who slapped that label on him but at least we know why. Those are  always  questions where nicknames are involved: who gave it to them and why? 

Here are a few classics and a few head scratchers:

Ted Williams - The Splendid Splinter - Obviously a great hitter and a very slim frame. No clue who gave it to him, probably the Boston press

Joe DiMaggio - The Yankee Clipper - Likely from his smooth running and hitting styles. I believe this came from the New York press.

Paul & Lloyd Waner - Big & Little Poison - Not the most elegant  nicknames. The story is that the fans in the Polo Grounds called them 'Poison,' mispronouncing person. Seems a bit of a stretch to me. Interesting note: Paul hit .300 every year (averaging about .330) for his first 12 years in the majors. He was also a notorious drinker, often playing drunk. In 1938, he was convinced to stop drinking...and promptly hit .280. He also needed glasses but gave them up because, "I could see the ball too clearly and it was harder to hit."

Jim Hunter & John Odom - Catfish & Blue Moon - Two Oakland A's whose nicknames were given to them by owner Charlie Finley, because...well, just because he thought ballplayers should have them. He also encouraged his players to grow large handlebar mustaches.

Stan Musial - The Man - Supposedly came from a game where Musial had three hits. When he came to bat a forth time, a beat writer for the opposing said in the press box, "Oh no. Here comes that Man again," and it just caught on. 

My favorite nickname has always been Wilmer "Vinegar Bend" Mizell. For years I wondered where it came from and the answer turned out to be very simple. He was from Vinegar Bend, North Carolina.

There are hundreds more , too many to go into all at once. I might make it a recurring feature.

Tonight begins a three game series between the Red Sox and the Yankees, arguably the biggest rivalry in sports. Alas, it isn't right now. The Yankees have more talented players than they know what to do with and Boston can't get out of their own way. Plus they've lost some key players this year: Chris Sale is on the Injured List and Mookie Betts and David Price have been traded to the Dodgers. Still the games will be hard fought just on emotion alone.

Joe Kelly was suspended for 8 games (reduced to 5) for an incident in the Houston-Dodger game last week. Hasn't cooled Kelly off any. In a recent interview, he called the Astro's "cheaters, snitches and liars." He couldn't say everything he wanted because he was on national TV. Can't wait for the next Dodger/Astro series.

Headline on ESPN: New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge is everything MLB could want in a superstar. Basically true, but let's start with having him PLAY!  There's a chance he won't be playing this weekend because of "lower body tightness." I 'm not even sure what that is, but if it's strange and different, Judge will find a way to get it.

***THEY SAID IT***

"Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman reportedly paid his ex-wife $1.75 million as part of their divorce settlement. Probably the biggest hit he's ever taken in the pocket."  -- RJ Currie

"Owner Jerry Jones says Dallas Cowboys intend to play all their home games with fans in attendance. New slogan “People are dying to watch the Cowboys.”"  -- Janice Hough

"Prince Harry & Meghan Markle bought a home in Santa Barbara that has 16 bathrooms. Most sports arenas don't have 16 bathrooms."  -- Brad Dickson

 "After a coronavirus outbreak in a San Diego gym that was operating illegally: “My god, people, you have the perfect excuse not to work out. Use it.”"  -- Alex Kaseberg
  

"Just wondering.If the Blue Jays win the World Series, will they be treated to a championship parade through the vacated streets of Buffalo?"  -- Dwight Perry

 “How bad is it in Major League Baseball? 37 cardboard cutouts of fans placed in the stands just tested positive for COVID.”  -- Brad Dickson

 Chad Picasner

 


Saturday, August 08, 2020

JUST A FEW THOUGHTS

 I've been following baseball again - in between notices and facts about COVID-19. It seems to me to be an impossible situation. I'm told that there can be a lengthy incubation period between infection and discovery. So if one member of a team tests positive, it really doesn't solve anything to immediately test the rest of the team, does it? I can't see how MLB is going to solve this and it certainly doesn't help to have  "Maladroit" Manfred at the controls. Good luck to the players and the fans.

Another St Louis Cardinal player has tested positive so the Cubs/Cardinal weekend series is cancelled.  I won't say postponed because that word assumes that it has a reschedule date...which it doesn't.

How's that new rule - Start with a runner at 2nd for all extra innings - working out? Houston & Oakland went 13 innings before the A's managed a hit with the bases loaded to win it. In other words, it took 8 chances before they managed to end the game. Shall we try TWO men on base to start the extra innings?

A game in Pittsburgh was delayed because an unauthorized drone flew over the field.  I'm trying to determine if it was just advertising Papa John's Pizza as I heard. That guy will try anything.

Michael Kay, Yankee announcer, keeps talking about the "vaunted" Yankee lineup.  Find a new adjective, Michael. In the last two games, the Bronx Bombers have managed a total of 6 hits. How about the "vacant" Yankee lineup?

Dodger outfielder Mookie Betts is out with a swollen middle finger. Fans in Philadelphia think he's an amateur.

U.S. Olympic champ Katie Ledecky just posted a video of her freestyling the length of a 50-meter pool with a glass of chocolate milk on her head. Right now, Las Vegas Pool Waitresses are complaining, "Great! Now they'll expect us to do that."

Anne & I have often wondered if perhaps the YES Network  has hidden microphones in our living room. I would make a comment and then they would say something similar in the program. Happened again last night. I mentioned that I didn't like the way Stanton was hitting. He was moving around too much and his left foot looked out of control.  A few minutes later, Paul O'Neil made the same comment. 

The Yankees have to do something about Gary Sanchez and Gleyber Torres. Both look totally lost at the plate. Torres especially looks overanxious and jittery at the plate. In one at bat last night, he swung and missed twice - at the first pitch. Sanchez is swinging thru pitches he normally belts. I'm waiting for Aaron Boone to say to reporters, "They're close. They're very close." No, they're not.

***THEY SAID IT*** 

"If the Miami Marlins lose another player to a positive COVID-19 test, is there any truth to the rumor that Dr. Anthony Fauci automatically moves into the starting rotation?”  -- Patti Dawn Swansson

"What's the difference between a CFL player and the Canadian Mint? The Mint isn't making pennies."  -- RJ Currie 

"Starting with a runner on second has not prevented batters from trying to hit home runs instead of playing small ball. You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him bunt."  -- Phil Mushnick's take on the automatic runner at 2nd base in extra innings. 

"There was a delay  today caused by a drone flying overhead at Target Field. Anyone checked to see if Houston Astros are scheduled to play the Minnesota Twins soon?"  -- Janice Hough

"Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes vanished from the team hotel in Atlanta before finally announcing hours later that he was opting out of the 2020 season. In other words, the old hidden-ballplayer trick."  -- Dwight Perry

"Rutgers is going to limit stadium capacity to 500 fans. That's down from the normal 525 fans who normally attend Rutgers games."  -- Brad Dickson

Everyone please stay safe.

Chad

 

 

 

 

Sunday, August 02, 2020

I'M BAAAAACK!

It's been over 13 months since I've posted anything,but I guess I'll try and get back into it again. Two reasons: (1) One friend is shaming me into going at it again, (2) There is enough silliness going on in sports that I should have no trouble finding topics.

When I started this years ago, I didn't want to just recap games or report scores. I wanted to comment on activities and use sarcasm and exaggeration to do it. People who are naturally funny have no problem doing this, the rest of us have to work at it. It's not easy and I felt like I had dried up and couldn't continue. I don't know how people like Dwight Perry and Brad Dickson do it, but I'll give it a try.

One of the silliest things happening now is MLB's attempt to play a season in spite of the problems of COVID-19. Five Major League games were "postponed" yesterday. That means at least 300 professional ballplayers were unable to play...and probably shouldn't have. That's in just 10 days. Look, I'm a Yankee fan and the team is loaded. Nobody wants the season to go on more than me but I don't want anyone getting sick. No one I know has come down with the virus and they all claim to practice every safeguard that's recommended so where's the problem?  Some people are obviously ignoring the rules. As my wife says, professional athletes think they are invincible. Scott Boras, uber agent (not the Windows app, but the king of the sport agent), believes the teams should each hire a monitor to ensure the safety of the players. This is great. Now Scott can organize the monitors and be the first agent to represent babysitters. ("My client must be paid extra to monitor minor leaguers, too.")

I've been following baseball  for 65 year - yes, I am that old - both on TV and live. The games are just too long now. In my mind, there are three reasons:
1) The commercial breaks between innings are too long. With the ease of DVR, you don't have to suffer through the commercials. I sure don't. You guys are wasting your money. YES network has these "And now a quick word from ***** .  Five seconds and we're back to the game. I watch these. Try it.
2) Batters - STAY IN THE DAMN BOX! Why do you have to wander all over the place between pitches? One of these days, I'm going to time the wandering just to see how much time is wasted.
3) Why do pitch counts end up so high? I watched Don Larsen in person pitch 9 innings and only threw 94 pitches. These days, that's the pitchers count after 5 innings. The games took 2 hours and 6 minutes. And that includes the time it took for Yogi Berra to run out and jump into Larsen's arms.

That's enough for now. I'll be watching games with a different focus from now on. Let's hope there are more games.

One final note. We are currently playing a new game here at home. We're about to have our place repainted so my wife is taking this opportunity to purge the house. Here are the rules:
Wife: Do you still use this?
Me : Uh, no, I guess not.
Wife: Do we need to keep this?
Me: Well, no I...yes, I've...do what you want.
Wife: What is this? I'm throwing it out.
Me: But I....okay.
The questions may vary but these are the only acceptable answers.

***THEY SAID IT***
"If the Miami Marlins lose another player to a positive COVID-19 test, is there any truth to the rumor that Dr. Anthony Fauci automatically moves into the starting rotation?"  -- Patti Dawn Swansson, The Ricer City Renegade (A recently discovered blogger from Winnipeg)
"Canada was No. 4 on a new world ranking of peacefulness. No. 1 when they excluded Don Cherry."  -- RJ Curry
"I’m so old I remember the days that positive tests meant PEDs."  -- Janice Hough
"There is no sex allowed in the NBA bubble. OK, I'm giving this another 48 hours before it completely collapses."  -- Brad Dickson
"The Jays released left-handed reliever Marc Rzepczynski. He was hampered by a high pitch count and a low vowel count."  -- RJ Curry
"You know the world is messed up when Mariano Rivera is attending the White House briefing and Dr. Anthony Fauci is warming up to take the mound at a major-league stadium."  -- Brad Dickson
"I don’t know how baseball people were able to judge the greatness of Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays without knowing the launch angle and exit velocity of their home runs."  -- Bob Molinaro
"If the Blue Jays win the World Series, will they be treated to a championship parade through the vacated streets of Buffalo?"  -- Dwight Perry
"How bad is it in Major League Baseball? 37 cardboard cutouts of fans placed in the stands just tested positive for COVID."  -- Brad Dickson
"16 Marlins players tested positive for COVID-19: “And they said the Marlins’ fielders couldn’t catch anything.”"  -- Alex Kaseberg

STAY SAFE EVERYONE!