It said it all
On a potential RBI hit, G Stanton trotted into home & without even sliding, was tagged out
looked to me like he felt that hustling home for the run would’ve meant injury, ie having to run full speed from 2nd base, then having to slide into home, inviting every manner of injury from quad/hammy, to legs….
players used to be suspended for loafing - it’s the laziest base running I’ve seen in awhile, but it was also playing scared, insulting the game & it cost his team a run
i don’t care, it was the Yankees, but still….
we gotta get our own house in order, & quickly
————————-
Quik lanky lefty check -
Chris, 6-6, 34 years old - 3-2, 5.40 ERA, 43.1 IP, 54K, 12 BB
Clayton, 6-4, 35 years old - 6-3, 2.52 ERA, 53.2 IP, 63K, 11 BB
it’s about the same
CHRIS - 5-2, 4.58, 71 K, 59 IP
CLAY - 10-4, 2.55, 105 K, 95 IP
they’re both due back this week or next - Chris might return Friday - also, the forgotten Walker Buehler could return, yeah they could be sayin wattateam about Dodgiz come playoffs
Sox’re due back also … we hope⚾️
again - all these guys will never go more than 5-6 innings
….they could get hurt….
am not making it up
just look at poor Carlos Rodon - he’s been injured ever since the ink dried on his Very lucrative contract - better shut down Carlos
He’s passed Robin Yount in hits, is hitting .331 in his last 40 games, they’re in contention in AL Central, & now, Miguel Cabrera & Det plan to add to their W3 this wknd at Fenway
No
Clayton got thru his return last night (5 IP), so will Chris tonite in his, & Sox will take series - Sox plan low-key heartfelt ups for Miggy
Later edit, it’s all about Fernando V this wknd in LA, cool that they’re retiring his #, he was a hit w/their fans & a real Dodger ‘icon’
There’s nothing he hasn’t seen b4 on the field
that St Louis righty, Adam Wainwright, 41
19th year w/Cahds - 195-117, 3.39 ERA
was blown outta the box by a weak hitting KC team - tough final year for Adam - he’s had a great career & will at some point get the same love in St.L as Fernando V is getting this wknd in Chavez Ravine
Mets sign him to a multi year $300M guaranteed contract
and now are expressing concern about Correa’s medical condition
- Mets are in for a heckuva 2023
lets go Sox
are Braves that good
or have Mets simply kidded themselves & their fans &, looking past the gaudy payroll etc, Stink - even Casey’s Mets never took it on the chin like today
they parted ways w/2 future HOF pitchers, and it’s shown - no, my der & zer vision didn’t come into focus😵💫
now it’s 6 weeks of garbage time, & 6 weeks of leather-lungs in the citi giving em the business - “ya flopped, ya folded, ya fell on your face, you’ve brought shea-m to the Mets name” etc & so forth - they can’t be blamed
however, it could be that lanta is indeed that hot - no weak links, esp at top of their lineup
Just like in 2021 when they won the WS, Braves are bringing pride to the Native American name, culture, people, tribes - yep the tomahawk chops are going loud, proud & w/regularity in the stands alright
Wow - overlooked in all the excitement, big love for King Felix last night in Seattle, good to see - like Fernando, Wainwright, also Cabrera, Hernandez’ prime was next to none
welcome back ERod, thank you Miggy, now let’s go Sox, gotta have the rubber game
Wow - it’s the geezer brigade Thursday - Rich Hill, 43 - Adam Wainwright, 41
Chris’ next start, vs Patrick Corbin, 34
Chris, 35, goes in on 6 days rest after 4.2 IP in his return last week - even in this era of safety-first injury-prevention pitching, that should be enough time to recover & prepare
Cards dropped Adam from the rotation after his last start, but injuries since then have forced his return - Cahds fans will cheer themselves hoarse for Adam - he faces Jose Quintana, 34
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
None of em amount to much next to David Krejci
- he joins Patrice in retirement, both leaving at/near the top of their game, with that spoked-wheel black & gold B emblem, 35 years worth, loud & proud
so awesome to see him return for his last year - we were good in 2021-22 but still not the dynamo power if he’d been there
we saw that this past season - the boys were never better, David, 37, a big part of it as always - just a great, effortless skater & a Brilliant, scintillating passer
Thanks David - And Thanks ‘Treece🏒🥅
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
None of em amount to much next to David Krejci
- he joins Patrice in retirement
Thanks David - And Thanks ‘Treece🏒🥅
that sounded disrespectful
was trying to say, by way of 1 example …
the “rib issue” delaying M Stroman’s return - the Bergerons & Krejcis sometimes played w/2 of those & didn’t notice anything
they say it’s a “fractured rib cartilage suffered while recovering from a separate injury”
all that crap goes in one ear & out the other, of the Charas, Marchands & most hockey players - they too would ask, out of curiosity, ‘how can you fracture anything while idle’?
mine is not to judge
w/dsrspct toward none
it’d be a 1st
not likely to happen tho
it’d be awesome - All sports fans, one & all, becoming Cards & Adam W fans for a night as he went for his 200th career W on Aug 30, his 42nd birthday
he’s at 198 & faces Bucs Tues - also Tues, Clayton at Cleveland in a rare visit - & Chris facing Houston - he’s pitched well so far,
Finally a look in on our 2023 heroes, tandem sensation for sure, SherVer - Max 12-5, 3.77 - Justin 8-6, 3.36
now they’re opponents in a fierce team struggle in AL West - still looking at an early-September matchup, now wouldn’t That be something
Tues, Clayton at Cleveland in a rare visit - & Chris facing Houston - he’s pitched well so far,
that’s how it was listed - Tuesday, w/Clayton facing the Tribe’s Noah Syndegaard
now they’re Wednesday, w/Chris scheduled w/der, Justin V, & Clayton w/someone else
3rd place shouldn’t be this hahd to attain - but Tor is that good - they’re 6th in AL, 0.5 behind Seattle
also, only 0.5 separates Balt & LA overall - Dodgiz visit this wknd, welcome back as always Dave Roberts⚾️
mayb it’ll be Orioles-LAD this year, but no WS ever had better pitching than theirs in 1966 - Orioles sweep, Gm 4, Dave McNally-Don Drysdale, each w/4 hitters in a game that iirc, took all of 1:48 to play
who coulda guessed it - Blake Snell, league-leading 2.65 ERA for a bad Pads team - opponent tonite, Johnny Cueto, 37, & Miami - heck even ex WS hero Dallas Keuchel, 35, is back & had a perfect game going
again it’s 4 this week at astrosdome I mean domed astros venue - schedule says Sale-Verl Wed
the openings of places like the Astrodome, & Shea Stadium at the 1964 World’s Fair, were momentous occasions - literally futuristic facilities w/“all the comforts of home at the ballpark”
let’s go Sox
another tweak, & Tanner Returns Tonite - facing Ver of Hou as of now, & let’s just hope Houck bounces back strong - for the sake of his confidence
then Chris tmrw but no matter who it is our stahtiz gottago 7-8 innings strong (hehe)
he had a Wander-ing eye I guess - looking like another DeShaun Watson/Trevor Bauer - his being prohibited from playing I think is wrong, nothing’s been proven, just accusations - mayb he voluntarily stepped off the field, I don’t know
Mike Trout is back, mayb hellos, I mean Halos will be hell o’wheels of fire from now on
if so, I predict Shohei will stay in Anaheim
only 6 teams can afford him, LAA/LAD, NYY/NYM, SD & Tex
probly Sox too but he’s too high-profile for it to be the right fit at Fenway
starting to think it’ll be a miracle if we ever overtake Tor - we’ve been 3-4 GB them the entire season it seems - every game is crucial - let’s go Sox
SF used Nine pitchers over the course of Five innings today
yes they won the game 8-6
but they also coughed up a 3-run lead bottom ninth
w/no strategy involved, they just herd em on & off the mound, hoping they avoid injury in their oh so risky to their health 0.1, 0.2, or 1.0 IP
nine f***ing pitchers in five innings
no sense/strategic benefit to it whatsoever - just more of the theatre of the absurd that is modern baseball
have heard many players charge their ballclubs for the services of their PTs (personal trainers/physical therapists)
the clubhouse is already chock-full of those types for gosh sake, w/medical staff/facilities not much different from an ER,
…not to mention the gofers, flunkies, buttkissers etc catering to their every whim/wince/grimace trying to look important
cmon Sahx it’s crunch time boys, stros are beating us up, not what we wanted
TX’ slump has almost shifted the balance of power to AL West, those 3 top teams are all in it, We Gotta Beat Hou today to enable Seattle to tie Hou, & Sox to salvage a series split
everyone wants a lanky-lefty matchup, looks unlikely tho, same Adam’s 200th on his birthday
Ver-Sher, fer sure, uncer Sept 2-4, Hou, TX
Shohei arm injury, done for season, will that affect off-season negotiations
that was premature on his teammate, Mike, he too could be shut down - boy there’s a tandem that never took, even as a big 3 w/Puljos -
Ohtani’s injury doesn’t affect his ability to DH & occasionally field apparently - don’t see how that’s possible/know little about it
It’s also Joey Votto’s last year (of his landmark 10 year $225M contract)
he’s right there w/Pete Rose, Barry Larkin, Bench & others in tenure - currently-injured, mayb he’ll be back in time for Sept 10 & Adam Wainwright’s 200th win on his, Joey’s, 40th birthday
now Stephen has retired - a lot of them have or are - & all w/1 team - him, Joey, Adam, almost Miggy
- welcome back Mookie, JD is injured, Let’s Go Sox
For SEPT 4-6, fans will demand that all-staffs - pitching coach, bullpen coach, bench coach, strength & conditioning coach, trainer, medical staff
….then both managers -
juggle their rotations to give fans the matchup they wanna see
der vs zer
not der & zer
Justin Verlander VS Max Scherzer
at 78 years old, would be among the most elderly-ever of SP matchups - & obviously, would be far-&-away the Priciest Pair ever to start a game -
at $216M -
Wednesday September 6, TX
that’s how it shapes up/shakes down as of now, & w/their teams still in it, these grizzled veterans will snarl, I’m stayin in at least until he comes out😄⚾️
the schedule is always subject to change as we all know - for-Scher, removed from game last night w/sore arm so that could affect it
254-140, 3.24
213-107, 3.13
the sports world will be on the edge of its collective seat😁⚾️
just a crying shame Sox have talked their way outta the stretch-run conversation - we were poised to catch Tor
Phil-Mil, LA-Braves this wknd - good races AL East & West - love the stretch run
Wednesday September 6, TX
w/their teams still in it, these grizzled veterans will snarl, I’m stayin in at least until he comes out😄⚾️
no that was just bluster from a sports-addled brain, it’s B/C of the fact that both teams are in it …. that they’ll be minimized to 6 IP max - that’s modern baseball -
No one is hotter than Mr. Altuve right now - three HR in 1st 3 innings - can’t’ve been done very often
for-Scher it’ll be up to Mad Max to stop up the damage - TX has allowed 27 runs in 2 games & the 2nd one isn’t even over yet
NY has won 7 of 8, regained .500 & is catching up quick - same Cubs, look at em go, 13 of 18 - Cody Bellinger is hands-down Comeback of the Year winner
let’s go Sawx
Adam Wainwright needs to win 2 of his last 3 starts to retire w/200 - seemed like a cinch, he only needed 5 coming into the season
shoot - those old greats, now feelin their oats, As They All Do
Adam, 42, 3-11, 8.19 - Zach Greinke, 1-14, 6.34 - Zach turns 40 next month
Rich Hill, 43, 7-14, 5.60
so it does go to show the greatness of Verder.40, he had Tx totally under control while Max, 38, was knocked out
while on 40 yo, Miggy passed Geo. Brett recently, bet Lee liked that one⚾️
we just wanna finish 10 over or so & outta last place - they’re not for the birds anymore, Balt is incredible, we’re at Fenway & let’s have a good wknd S A W X
If it’s those top 4 teams in league finals - LA-Braves in NL, Balt-TB in AL - that will be the real WS imo
envision same thing as last year for Dodgiz tho - great season, early-exit playoff ouster - they did great w/out Walker B this year, but now no Urias, leaving too much pressure on Clayton (12-4, 2.61) to be able to be at his best - he seldom can be anyway, they take him out just as he’s getting warmed up -
there was an exception to that last night on the schedule - the AZ pitcher, CG 3-hitter
but almost invariably in the new game, it’s 3-hitter-by-committee, such as ChiSox last night
LA, TB tied for 3rd
KC Athletics in last
wait til next year
Cool to see, a scoreless tie after 9 innings & the old vs the new on display w/a legit no-hitter vs yet another by-committee 3-hitter - hopefully his inner Harvey Haddix kicks in & he keeps going
whoops, guess that was wrong, he went 8 IP not 9
Red Sox
We all remember it - who wouldn’t - the holy grail of all mound moments, right there w/Spahn-Marichal
Sandy Koufax’ 4th no hitter, a perfect game - & Bob Hendley - Matched Sandy Pitch For Pitch in an equally incredible showing - ended w/a 1-hitter, game over in 1:43, final 1-0 LA, 9/9/1965 Chavez Ravine
mayb Votto’ll be back in time for Sept 10 & Adam Wainwright’s 200th win on his, Joey’s, 40th birthday
now Stephen has retired - a lot of them have or are - & all w/1 team - him, Joey, Adam, almost Miggy
it still could happen - Reds visit Busch Stadium in season finale, mayb he’ll still be gunning for 200 & wouldnt That be something, but St.L’ll honor both those greats on that wknd, esp ‘Wainy’ obviously
they’ve both had tough final years - Adam beat top-team Balt for #199 & has 2 more starts b4 their final series w/Cincy
Votto, .202, 14/35, 53 games - Miggy, .251, 3/29, 85 games - a treat for Det fans, that was a fun game last night
did Stephen retire or didn’t he - is team on hook for the full-terms & duration of his contract, or isn’t it - batters hope Stephen has retired
wait til next year
The Babe dropped pitching when he went to NY, & the rest was history
guessing Shohei’s next team will make the same request - he’s at the same point in his career that the Babe was when he, Ruth, left Boston & pitching behind - P/OFs for 1st 6 years of their careers, then new teams & just hitting
but that’s for later, now Shohei will have his elbow operation - rehab, then choose the contract which will make him wealthiest of them all
Last Lanky Lefty Look
they both pitched ystrdy - Chris looked like the old, I mean the young Chris, 6 shutout innings, then lifted😡
Clayton 4 IP - neither figured in the decision
CLAYTON - 121.1 IP spread over 22 starts - 12-4, 2.52
CHRIS - in the third year of his 5 year $145M contract, 92.2 IP spread over 18 starts - 6-4, 4.66 -
as always in MLB’s bloated contracts, Chris is being paid sick money for what he did B4 -
Now, In 2023, we’ve lost 9 of 11 in the stretch run - I don’t blame Chaim Bloom, it’s the whole ludicrous nature of the beast
He goes tonite, & all concerned, including Adam, want it outta the way tonite - they’re at home, & it would clear the way for the season finale later this month to be a pressure-free Adam-fest - he’s a musician too, read somewhere his own music will be played at the Busch Stadium finale
then that final saunter out to the mound, & in possibly a critical game for also-retiring Joey Votto & Reds, Cards fans roar as the big righty blows em away w/vintage Adam stuff in his career finale
possibly a critical game for also-retiring Joey Votto & Reds
not so - had thought he was retiring at the conclusion of his 10 year $225M contract, which is this year -
but even though he’s been in decline & injured often in recent years, he says he is planning to return next year -
it has to be tough retiring from a game you’ve played your whole life - many aging greats do denial, Joey, 40, is certainly no different in that regard - any-way, he deserves big love at their home finale Sunday
Conforto & Correa aren’t just below the Mendoza line, they’re off it altogether
…..after all that offseason BS, they’re 0-fer the season so far, basically
it’s every time - grotesquely bloated contracts - followed by flops on the field, every injury in the book & then some
lets go Sox
little has changed -
Michael slowly coming around, .236, 12 HR, 42 RBI - he got a sweetheart of a deal from SF - a career .255 hitter, $36M
Carlos, .217, 11 HR, 37 RBI - frequently injured, he nonetheless got a 6 year $200M contract with easy incentives to push it to $270M
but still - this is l a m e - & not entirely unexpected
it projected out that way - CarCo, .230 18/65 - Confo, .247 15/56
some might see these as worthy #s indeed - not me, staying w/l a m e -
Carlos expected back for postseason - Twins have a playoff L18, WOW, that’s gotta be a record for futility - that’s gottago back to when I was on their bandwagon w/Morneau, Mauer, Jason Kubel, Michael Cuduyer, Denard Span etc always injured - just like Byron Buxton today
wait til next year
The Padres and Mets need to start playing better, simple as that. Someone has to be able to justify all that $$$$ spent.
neither team ju$tified their $ky-high payroll$ - hold on tho, suddenly, b4 you can say Eric Show (RIP), ERA leader Blake Snell & Padres, at this late stage, have a W7 & incredibly are still mathematically alive - 4.5 GB w/9 to play
always big, its Critical, Pressure-Packed😵💫⚾️for SF this wknd at Dodgiz - 3 games out of last WC
he’ll hit in ‘24, & revisit pitching in ‘25
so Shohei’s FA contract will have to be done year by year, esp coming off elbow ‘procedure’ -
unless it’s say a 5 year deal, $35M in 2024, then say $50-55M when he resumes mound in 2025, depending on if he’s up to it etc & so forth
agents, attorneys, lawyers, GMs, team owners, the principals obviously, physicians, many others….
….negotiations this winter on Ohtani’s new deal will be little different from a summit conference of heads of state
certainly no doubt about who the MVP is
everyone remembers it - the month of pitching gems
just two weeks after Koufax-Hendley
& one week after the even-better Luis Tiant-Dave Morehead
Sept 25 - Satchel Paige, KC Athletics
Just 690 fans had attended an A’s game the game or 2 b4
So maverick owner Chas. O. Finley, in an attempt to boost attendance, signed Satchel to a one game contract
it worked - more than 9,000 showed up to watch Paige, 59 (fifty nine years old) face the Sawx
unbelievable - started, Gave Up One Hit In 3 IP
remember this so well - my dad had watched Satchel pitch in Cleveland as a kid - he was thrilled both about Paige’s upcoming appearance & the outcome, & so was I - love always & RIP, Pop
