May 12, 2019

Quote of the Week

“ When people tweet at me, saying, 'Hey, quit being the Le'Veon Bell of baseball,' it is a funny line. But he stood up for himself. ”

– Dallas Keuchel, on waiting for better free agent offers

This Week in Baseball

Ai! 2K...

Albert Pujols collected his 2,000th RBI with a solo homer against the Tigers and was just the third player in MLB history to do so officially. He joins Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Alex Rodriguez and Cap Anson atop the list. Pujols' production has waned in his twilight years, but he proves that senior citizens, although slow and dangerous behind the wheel, can still serve a purpose.

Fire Starter...

The Athletics Mike Fiers threw a no-hitter against the Reds this week. Even more unlikely for the somewhat average pitcher was that for Fiers it was the second no-hitter of his career. So, lightning can strike twice. And when it does, it starts Fiers. (Oh boy, that was terrible. Sorry.)

It's Sho-Time...

The Angels' Shohei Ohtani returned from the Injured List and will serve exclusively as the team's designated hitter this season. The two-way superstar underwent Tommy John Surgery on his elbow late last season and isn't expected to pitch in games until next year, so he's not nearly as captivating as he was originally. The sequel is almost never as good as the original – like the disappointment we all felt watching Baby Geniuses 2: Superbabies.

Dethroned...

The Mariners have placed King Felix Hernandez on the injured list with a strained right shoulder – a day after he became the 36th pitcher in major league history to reach 2,500 strikeouts. The team says there is no truth to the rumor that Felix will be sent to a farm upstate.

The Jackson 14...

Edwin Jackson was traded from the Athletics to the Blue Jays his MLB record 14th team. Jackson started with the Dodgers all the way back in 2003 and has moved throughout the league since. The Blue Jays could really use the pitching help and Jackson will help them out there as he prepares to sign with his 15th team.

On the Air

“ Pyramid schemes are bad. But the world needs pyramids. Otherwise why would the aliens have made them? ”

Going Deep

  • sinclair media group
    Sinclair Broadcast Group Buy into Regional Sports Networks a Gamble

    Imagine if gambling and reduced viewership were the future of baseball? Take a closer look at baseball back at the turn of the 20th century. The days when the game was vituperative and truculent, yet continued to not only grow …

  • Baseball and Thoroughbreds: Trouble Ahead?  

    Baseball: sport or business? In a New York Times article on the unnecessary deaths of thoroughbred racehorses at major racetracks around the country, including Santa Anita Park and Churchill Downs, Joe Drape quotes Tim Ritvo, the Chief Operating Officer of …

  • Brodie Van Wagenen
    Brodie Van Wagenen Leads Another Hapless Season of Futility for Mets

    Admittedly, it’s early, but it certainly seems as if Seattle mugged the Mets in broad daylight in December 2018. As in so many other recent seasons, the Mets are once again stumbling out of the gate to the certainty of …

Off Base