MLB Season 2024

[dsvitak]

Originally Posted by Westheim

This Fun Fact was just offered at the start of the second inning of the Cubs tearing Tylor Megill a whole new backdoor:

Prince Fielder has more career inside-the-park-home-runs than Rickey Henderson.

Prince - 2
Rickey - 1

You're welcome.

The outfielder saw Prince chugging around first, and fell down laughing.

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by dsvitak

The outfielder saw Prince chugging around first, and fell down laughing.

He saw nuthin'

Not Cespedes level lazy, but still lazy

[Amazin69]

Originally Posted by Amazin69

Reggie Jackson joins the FOX pre-show for the Rickwood Field game. And he's brought along a box of REGGIE! bars!

Man, he must have had a ton of stock returned to him when the product stopped being distributed. Poor Reggie lost all his classic cars in that Oakland Hills fire years ago, but I guess the REGGIE! bars were safe in a storage unit somewhere.

******************************
On a more-serious note, Reggie is also talking about being part of that fantastic Birmingham A's team in 1967 and he makes it very clear that, even 20 years after Jackie, the South was still a living Hell for black players then.

"I would go to a restaurant and they would say 'the [censored] can't eat here'. I would go to a hotel and they would say 'the [censored] can't stay here'."

And yes, Reggie is using the actual word (although he does edit later), which I think is correct. The issue is not the word itself, it's the hate it represents. I think John Lennon's song is one of the most powerful he wrote, because it's about how (as Yoko conceptualized it) all cultures (at least at that time) treated women as blacks were once treated. In In the Heat of the Night (and similar films) it's important that we hear the bigoted characters say the word, so we know exactly how Sidney Poitier (or whoever) is feeling. Euphemisms to hide bigotry do nothing to eradicate it. [/soapbox]

Reggie then goes on to talk about how John McNamara (manager) would refuse to let his team eat at any establishment that wouldn't serve Reggie (and Allan Lewis). He talks about how, since he couldn't rent an apartment at the complex where all the other players lived, he had to couch surf, from McNamara's to Dave Duncan's to Rollie Fingers's to Joe Rudi's, until the fine citizens of Birmingham threatened to burn the entire complex down. I had not known that Birmingham was not in the Southern League in 1966, in part because of racial tensions ginned up by Sheriff Bull Connor.

To sum up, Reggie says he wouldn't wish that experience on anyone. He thanked Rudi, Fingers, and Duncan for holding him back, because otherwise he would have lost his temper and gone to hit someone…and probably gotten literally killed.

Geez.

Rich Eisen also appreciates Reggie keeping it real.

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by dsvitak

I walked into an English pub with a black coworker. Back around 1977 or so. He was flat told that he wasn't welcome.

I started to kick up a fuss, and my friend grabbed me, and pulled me outside. He said it wasn't worth it. He also stated that it was the very first time in his life he had experienced OVERT racism, and denial of services. Even back 47 years ago, the times they were a changin'.

The only thing that has changed is that instead of calling me n----- so that all can hear it, they use dog whistles so they think only they can hear it. They can call it McD's,, BK, Wendy's or Somic they are still flippin' the same cheeseburgers.

[Amazin69]

Nats-Rocks highlights from last night.

That ending! Talk about dramatic!

Rob Manfred is SUCH a genius!!!



(Also, the Rockies' Chitty Connect uniforms make them look like park rangers. But I digress.)

[Syd Thrift]

Originally Posted by Westheim

He saw nuthin'

Not Cespedes level lazy, but still lazy

That second one was pure “I don’t know the rules”; he thought it was a ground rule double and it wasn’t.

[Cobra Mgr]

What latest in RSN saga means for people who can't watch MLB

[dsvitak]

According to Jomboy, the Cardinals have the best record in the NL since May 12th.

This is with Goldy and Arenado hitting a combined .240, with a combined .760 OPS.

If they start to hit....

[Cobra Mgr]

Triple play you've never seen before.

[dsvitak]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

Triple play you've never seen before.

As a nine year old, I was part of a 3-7-5 triple play. I was the "3", that caught a pop fly at first base, bases loaded. Inexplicably, everyone took off. I caught it, touched first base, and saw my third baseman wildly waving his arms. I chucked it twenty feet over his head, where it was chased down by the left fielder, who completed the play by throwing back into third.

A year later, I made an unassisted triple play. I was playing third, runners at second and third. Line drive over the bag, I caught it, and pretty much landed on the bag. Got up, and chased the runner down trying to get back to second. Good stuff!

[Cobra Mgr]

This ain't your dad's batting cage.

[dsvitak]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

This ain't your dad's batting cage.

I like it.

Pitchers going through the order twice, and then giving way to four dudes throwing 100+ is the reason why MLB hitters are averaging .242 this year. They need all the help they can get.

[Amazin69]

White Sox Watch: Since I last checked, the Pale Hose have gone 1-4, meaning that they now sit at 21-60 on the season.

This means that their record since that scorching 14-30 (.318) start is now 7-30, which is a tepid .189. (A little better than the 6-26 it had been, but not much.)

Should the Sox continue at .189 the remainder of the season, they would go 15-66 over second half, finishing at 36-126 and presumably salving the egos of the descendents of the 1916 Philadelphia A's (36-117)

Should they level off at their halfway pace of 21-60, that puts them at 42-120 for the season, putting them even with the 1962 Mets for the record number of losses, but a couple of wins to the better.

And should they get back the old .318 mojo, they will surge to a 26-55 closure, finishing at 47-115, up among the rarefied air of the 2018 Orioles.

(I actually expect the law of averages to kick in and the ChiSox to scramble up to 51-111 or something run-of-the-mill terrible like that, but the plain math is darn depressing, I'll allow.)

[dsvitak]

Originally Posted by Amazin69

White Sox Watch: Since I last checked, the Pale Hose have gone 1-4, meaning that they now sit at 21-60 on the season.

This means that their record since that scorching 14-30 (.318) start is now 7-30, which is a tepid .189. (A little better than the 6-26 it had been, but not much.)

Should the Sox continue at .189 the remainder of the season, they would go 15-66 over second half, finishing at 36-126 and presumably salving the egos of the descendents of the 1916 Philadelphia A's (36-117)

Should they level off at their halfway pace of 21-60, that puts them at 42-120 for the season, putting them even with the 1962 Mets for the record number of losses, but a couple of wins to the better.

And should they get back the old .318 mojo, they will surge to a 26-55 closure, finishing at 47-115, up among the rarefied air of the 2018 Orioles.

(I actually expect the law of averages to kick in and the ChiSox to scramble up to 51-111 or something run-of-the-mill terrible like that, but the plain math is darn depressing, I'll allow.)

The REALLY bad thing is that they aren't even last in attendance in the AL.

[Cobra Mgr]

CWS when Fedde/Crochet start 13-20 (.394)
Other pitchers:8 - 41 (.163)

Edit: CWS visit the A's Aug 5-7. I think as a public service anyone who attends those games should be given free mental health exams.

[Amazin69]

Fedde: 5-2
Everyone else: 16-59

Enjoy [insert city] Eric! Remember to hire professional packers when you're shipped out!

[Cobra Mgr]

Good lord this ump was horrible.

[Amazin69]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

Good lord this ump was horrible.

Was his strike zone consistently located and fair to both teams? If so, I don't much care if he gave the low strike all game long. But JMO.

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by Amazin69

Was his strike zone consistently located and fair to both teams? If so, I don't much care if he gave the low strike all game long. But JMO.

Equally bad to both teams? Yes. Consistently located? Heck no.

[dsvitak]

Cards get two hits, and win 1-0 on a sac fly to the ... shortstop.

Elly De La Cruz MIGHT end up being a great player, but he wasn't far behind second, and wasn't paying attention. He's also a terrible defensive player.