Of course, he would. And of course, he won't. I mean, what a nothingburger line. It's as if the team's bullshit narratives reported to camp out of shape and with ringworm.
Yesterday, Stanton went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts and - you know what? He'll probably have a great year, if he stays healthy.
These fake games continue to baffle and astound, and in the real world, everything that happens should be instantly dismissed. Still, some notes are worth noting.. I think. For example...
Isiah Kiner-Falefa botched a routine grounder. Ouch. The Hyphen simply cannot do this anymore. Last week, a young Dodger SS went down, and the entire Pavlovian Yankiverse instantly exploded with trade suggestions for IKF. It's got to be hard on the guy, who still could play a huge role in 2023, if and when DJ LeMahieu goes down.
Then again, we raised hopes last week that Clarke Schmidt - and his new slider - would vault into the No. 5 slot of the rotation. Yesterday, well, maybe it's not so likely. Four runs, three hits and a walk in less than two innings. March can be cruel.
Then there is Deivi Garcia, for whom the bell may be tolling. Out of options, and out of Yankee patience, he is competing for the last roster spot. Yesterday, two innings, three strikeouts and an earned run. That's a big maybe.
And so in 2023.
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I think we all have a shot at living to 120...if we stay healthy.
The Yankees' Brass: Genius Cashman, Cheapskate and Clueless Hal, Fat Slob Levine and Lost Lon, think they are smart and clearly they are. After all, thirteen years and no World Series appearances.
Yesterday the Red Sox shifted their outfielders against Joey Gallo by sticking their Left Fielder into the beer league slot in short right.
With the previous rules, hitting or bunting the other way would result in an easy single. There were few takers. Now if they can get it in the air it will result in, at a minimum, a double.
It's an interesting move. Maybe at a single players didn't think it would be worth it but at a double (or more) it might be.
Then again it is Joey Gallo so he's going to pull regardless.
That said, I wonder if the new shift will stick.
I’m reluctantly OK with the pitch clock, but banning the shift is an embarrassing indictment of the state of the modern day hitter.
The Manfred Man is a bridge too far as it completely revamps essential strategies of the game. Again, the true culprit is today’s hitter, most of whom can’t lay down a bunt to save their lives.
With the pitch clock ensconced, can we drop the 3 batter minimum for relievers, which also screws with one of the game’s fundamental strategies? And long live the LOOGY!
Very OK with the larger bases, as running needs to return to MLB. The biggest proof of my Old School bona fides is my absolute, abject intolerance for lack of hustle on the field. I go completely batshit, apeshit, or any shit you got when I see it.
So the infield shift has been minimized, but the outfield shifts are still legal?
I'm with you borntorun999, limiting defensive structures only shows the stupidity and ineptitude of the modern hitter. What the hell happened to "hit 'em where they ain't" and bat control? Major league hitters were supposed to be able to hit a ground ball or a fly ball on command. Nobody was perfect, of course, but you could expect the right play most of the time. Maybe 7 out of 10 times, maybe 75% of the time? Now, in most of the pressure situations, when you need a fly ball or a ground ball, you're lucky if the hitter doesn't strike out.
They apparently haven't done any of the things I wanted. Like lowering the mound six inches, moving the fences back to increase outfield square footage by at least 25-30%.
I used to joke that, when Mark Teixeira came up, the way to get him to strike out was to play all seven fielders on the right field line. Since Teixeira couldn't hit a ball in a hole to save his soul, the logic was that if you made the hole big enough, he'd never get a hit.
There are so many defensive configurations that I would've loved to see. Like seven fielders playing behind the catcher (to stop wild pitches). Seven fielders sitting on top of the right field wall (to save home runs). In a bunt situation, seven fielders can wear helmets and body armor and, starting from about forty five feet in front of the plate, rush in towards home plate as the pitch is delivered (the suicide defense). With the infield shift illegal, we might never see these delightful defensive structures.
Borntorun
The time clock won't matter until the games and situations do. Then I'd like the extra time. Right now it's fine that the game moves.
The bigger bags are a win for me. I was watching today and I think it was Sevi had to cover first and just beat the runner to the bag but they both had plenty of room so I wasn't thinking collision.
The Manfred Man should kick in after 11 innings. Sort of like how the NHL has their overtime period and then goes to the shootout.
All great ideas, Hammer! And a lot of fund.
I gotta hold with NO Manfred Man, ever. It saddens me that we'll never again see the random, 18-inning game.
And BTR999, Hammer—completely agree. Learning to hit to the opposite field—and to bunt at least occasionally—used to be basic skills of the game. Same for "pitch to contact." I miss those skills.
@Hoss, Yep, I agree with you. That bullshit with the runner on second to start extra innings has got to stop. There was an excuse for a year or maybe two, with the Covid-19 pandemic, but people have now stopped wearing masks, the restrictions are lifting. There is no excuse for this nonsense anymore with the X-Man. And if they are going to continue doing it, I see no reason why the bases shouldn't be loaded. Why only one guy on second. Why not on third base? Why not on first base? Why not first and second? Why not take away defenders, let's say ZERO outfielders? It defies logic. Makes zero sense. To me, loading the bases makes more sense. IF you want the game to end more quickly, load the bases. Give the batter four strikes. Give the offense six outs per inning.
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