DERUNK BLOGGE CONTINUES: "Professional pitchers have toed a rubber 60 feet 6 inches from home before delivering the ball to the batter for more than a century. But in eight stadiums in the Mid-Atlantic, the long-standing baseball math suddenly changed, part of a Major League Baseball experiment meant to increase balls put in play."
It's interesting that MLB gets all jittery when pitchers get back to their--arguably--historical "dominance" (bullshit), but when offense becomes severely distorted like it did in the steroid era, the superball period, and the shorter fence epoch we're still living through, there's not a peep. Because, after all, the fans love offense and find pitching dull. Even though throughout baseball history, fans have shown up either way, regardless. (Of course, any negative fluctuation in interest is a slight dip in short-term revenue, and that has to be corrected IMMEDIATELY.)
This is like the stock market, where drops bring intervention from the government and Fed, legal inquiries, even lawsuits against short sellers. There are halts to trading when index futures drop certain percentages in a day. However, there are no issues or halts if we go to the moon. So much for a level playing field.
Back to today's game: Boone is a moron for playing Odor at third instead of Wade. The professed reason is that Ma loves having Wade on the bench so he can bring him in to steal a base in the late innings. If he needs to. If the opportunity presents itself. If, if, if.
Meanwhile, Odor blows a throw to first that Wade would have made, leading to some trepidation for the Yanks and some absolutely horrible calls by the ump at third, who should be banished from the game to drink with Shoeless Joe.
And we're still down 2-0 as we start the fourth. Plenty of time...
Super Hot and Super Smoky out here/there on the field - Difficult conditions to UMPIRE in. TODD!!!! had it easy today!!!!! His funk mates WILL "you're so tiny" LITTLE and "how many fingers am I holding up now" TONY RANDAZZO were clearly at their very best in blue. Streak starts again tomorrow....WOOT
Notwithstanding all the euphoria about THE STREAK, let's consider how many games the Yankees have gained on Tampa Bay in the last 10: ZERO. Let's consider how many games the Yankees have gained on Boston in the last 10: THREE, with the Sox stll nipping at the Yankees' heels. The Yanks have what appears to be an easy schedule the rest of the way, including 6 games with the doormat O's. But the Yankees' predominance looks paper thin to me: an overreliance on big-name no-hit guys like Rizzo, Gallo, Odor, and Gardner; two even bigger-name sluggers who are prone to cold streaks (Judge and Stanton); an erratic bullpen; a number-one starter with a lot of wear who would wilt in the stretch; an insistence on pitching duds like Heaney rather than young studs like Gil; a preference for low-energy, low-speed mediocrities like Urshela and Odor in the infield over the speedy dynamism of Wade, who got benched after his hot streak and galvanism on the bases helped to spark the streak; a manager and GM prone to panicky miscues in the heat of battle. So . . . I predict a slightly above-.500 stretch run and no postseason.
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So what DID happen? Can't open the Post article.
ReplyDeleteOffhand, though, I'd say it's a great way to wreck the arms of numerous pitchers used to throwing at 60-6.
Nothing. Nada. Bupkis.
ReplyDeleteApropos of nothing:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.mlb.com/news/matt-olson-s-resurgent-2021-powered-by-decreased-strikeouts
NO MORE F**CKING CHANGES. LEAVE THE GAME ALONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteNice of Cleveland to give up a game-losing, 3-run homer in the 8th last night to Boston's .226-hitting, rookie second baseman.
ReplyDeleteBut that's the reality of the stretch drive in the era of tank teams. The question is who wants it the least.
It's interesting that MLB gets all jittery when pitchers get back to their--arguably--historical "dominance" (bullshit), but when offense becomes severely distorted like it did in the steroid era, the superball period, and the shorter fence epoch we're still living through, there's not a peep. Because, after all, the fans love offense and find pitching dull. Even though throughout baseball history, fans have shown up either way, regardless. (Of course, any negative fluctuation in interest is a slight dip in short-term revenue, and that has to be corrected IMMEDIATELY.)
ReplyDeleteThis is like the stock market, where drops bring intervention from the government and Fed, legal inquiries, even lawsuits against short sellers. There are halts to trading when index futures drop certain percentages in a day. However, there are no issues or halts if we go to the moon. So much for a level playing field.
Back to today's game: Boone is a moron for playing Odor at third instead of Wade. The professed reason is that Ma loves having Wade on the bench so he can bring him in to steal a base in the late innings. If he needs to. If the opportunity presents itself. If, if, if.
Meanwhile, Odor blows a throw to first that Wade would have made, leading to some trepidation for the Yanks and some absolutely horrible calls by the ump at third, who should be banished from the game to drink with Shoeless Joe.
And we're still down 2-0 as we start the fourth. Plenty of time...
That's one of the worst replay calls I've ever seen. Marte was obviously safe.
ReplyDeleteThey should have just announced "he was safe, but he should have been called out on the steal so we're calling him out now."
https://youtu.be/wiGgoFMSr-A
DeleteXactly, Bern. It's karmic.
ReplyDeleteCole didn't have it last night, but is so good that he put up six zeroes.
ReplyDeleteNestor doesn't have it today, and we're down 3-0.
And there's the difference.
I like Nestor a lot, but I think I'd rather have Gil in the rotation. At least long enough to prove he should or shouldn't be there.
ReplyDeleteEl Duque! Wherever you are! Put down your beer(s) and check your email!!!!!
Urshela should've pinch hit for Odor, who looked terrible. I'd rather have seen him then Velasques or Wade.
ReplyDeleteFucking Boone. Looks bad for the winning streak.
We can hit Romo, but I don't think we can hit him enough to save this one.
ReplyDeleteJudge!!
ReplyDelete3-2, but I hate to see a home run when we need a rally. It tends to stop the chain.
Well, we'll see.
Well, you can't win 'em all.
ReplyDeleteNice streak, though!
Glad I missed this one. Was rebuilding my deck and forgot it was an afternoon game. Thanks ESPN for making Sunday a night game. Not.
ReplyDeleteSuper Hot and Super Smoky out here/there on the field - Difficult conditions to UMPIRE in. TODD!!!! had it easy today!!!!! His funk mates WILL "you're so tiny" LITTLE and "how many fingers am I holding up now" TONY RANDAZZO were clearly at their very best in blue. Streak starts again tomorrow....WOOT
ReplyDeleteALF,
ReplyDeleteYou are our embedded fighter. Keep on keepin' on!
Oh a new streak is coming all right.
ReplyDeleteFuckers.
Notwithstanding all the euphoria about THE STREAK, let's consider how many games the Yankees have gained on Tampa Bay in the last 10: ZERO. Let's consider how many games the Yankees have gained on Boston in the last 10: THREE, with the Sox stll nipping at the Yankees' heels. The Yanks have what appears to be an easy schedule the rest of the way, including 6 games with the doormat O's. But the Yankees' predominance looks paper thin to me: an overreliance on big-name no-hit guys like Rizzo, Gallo, Odor, and Gardner; two even bigger-name sluggers who are prone to cold streaks (Judge and Stanton); an erratic bullpen; a number-one starter with a lot of wear who would wilt in the stretch; an insistence on pitching duds like Heaney rather than young studs like Gil; a preference for low-energy, low-speed mediocrities like Urshela and Odor in the infield over the speedy dynamism of Wade, who got benched after his hot streak and galvanism on the bases helped to spark the streak; a manager and GM prone to panicky miscues in the heat of battle. So . . . I predict a slightly above-.500 stretch run and no postseason.
ReplyDeleteGames gained on DEVIL rays in August = 2
ReplyDeleteGames gained on carmines in August = 8.5