Meet a Baseball Fan (Welcome to Anyone)

DanDietrich said:

Pitch clock doesn't bug me. Lack of shift I like. But these ads on the uniforms, that's too much. This isn't little league. Does this revenue get handed to Pittsburgh as well?

Heh. I’m the opposite: The ads don’t bother me, but I’m still not a fan of contrivances (DH, three-batter rule, stuffed crust, ghost runner, shift ban, pitch clock, pineapple) in the game itself.

Glad it’s finally safe to take a peek at the standings, though.

DaveSchmidt said:

I don’t think Contreras was crossed up. Just didn’t get the glove down in time, it looks to me.

https://www.mlb.com/news/willson-contreras-exits-cardinals-debut-with-injury

Thanks for the video. I guess he wasn't prepared for 103mph. 

I was in Spain for the week. I'm blaming my Mets fan friends for leaving the team at .500 while I was away. Actually under .500 since I was here for the first game.

Got a Sinatra song stuck in my head tonight.

Sweat and rosin, sweat and rosin

Go together like a throat and lozenge

Alcohol — don’t bother!

You can’t have one without the other

Look who’s above .500.

I wish I held the patent for Tommy John surgery.  It's everywhere right now.  I think teams need to rethink the entire position.

If you're an old baseball romantic like me, try to see the new Yogi Berra documentary, especially in the theater if u can. I found it just wonderful. 

DanDietrich said:

I wish I held the patent for Tommy John surgery.  It's everywhere right now.  I think teams need to rethink the entire position.

I wish they'd start calling it Frank Jobe surgery. Or at least give Dr. Jobe a plaque in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Train_of_Thought said:

If you're an old baseball romantic like me, try to see the new Yogi Berra documentary, especially in the theater if u can. I found it just wonderful.

I saw the trailer the last time I was in a theater and put it on my to-see list.

DanDietrich said:

I wish I held the patent for Tommy John surgery. It's everywhere right now. I think teams need to rethink the entire position.

You mean right field?

https://apnews.com/article/phillies-bryce-harper-dodgers-tommy-john-surgery-91952fa57b4b2891a89d5122070b40b7

That’s a wink, because of course Harper isn’t back in the field yet, and there’s a chance he moves to first when he does. Still, his post-recovery hitting in 44 PA out of the gate: .333 BA, .973 OPS, 165 wRC+.

He's something else.  

I renew my objection to the truly ridiculous “two disengagements” rule.

Too advantageous to the runner.

A friend forwarded this:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/05/18/don-denkinger-1985-world-series-cardinals-royals-appreciation/

(Many of the comments help make its point.)

My mother’s side of the family had a tradition of drawing names for Christmas gift exchanges. In 1985, I drew my uncle, a Cardinals fan. One of his presents was a diorama I made of that play.

How the Pirates-Mariners game endrd yesterday.

https://twitter.com/codifybaseball/status/1662835534019047426?s=61&t=571o3meR_tnxXgATcPJOnw

(The MOL tweet widget doesn’t appear to be back in service yet.)

Without needing such help from the umps, Spencer Strider reached 100 K’s in just 61 innings — the fastest ever to do it from 60 feet, 6 inches away from the plate.

Bill Wambsganss, the only player to complete an unassisted triple play in the World Series, is trending because of a similarly named character in Succession. What caught my eye in this photo is the placement of the belt loop right above the fly, and thus the off-center buckle. I wonder why. To prevent the buckle from possibly interfering when scooping up a ground ball?

DaveSchmidt said:

Bill Wambsganss, the only player to complete an unassisted triple play in the World Series, is trending because of a similarly named character in Succession. What caught my eye in this photo is the placement of the belt loop right above the fly, and thus the off-center buckle. I wonder why. To prevent the buckle from possibly interfering when scooping up a ground ball?

or to make a head first slide less painful

ml1 said:

or to make a head first slide less painful

The relief after a faceful of whatever Bucky Harris had waiting for me at the bag would be, I can only assume, relative.

According to this blog, injury-prevention while sliding, even feet first, is correct.

“If you notice, there is a center belt loop, which was to secure the belt buckle off to one side. Players of this era usually wore the belt buckle to one side so they could prevent injury when sliding into a base.”

https://blog.heritagesportsart.com/2010/08/detroit-tigers-uniform-and-team-history.html

A cheerful scene last night:

Getting off the train, I spot a young man in Phillies T-shirt and cap in the next car, also disembarking. I offer a “Go, Phillies,” and we exchange faith in beating the Mets next game. Behind him, another young man, this one in a Mets T-shirt and cap, gets off the train, adding his own grinning appraisal of Tuesday’s outcome without gloating. Together, they head toward the steps and out of the station.

Reminded me of my son and a friend of his who’d accompany each other to Citi Field. Good memories.

I helped a Phillies fan carry an outdoor house my kids have outgrown up the street to his house. He didn't indicate how far up the street he lived, nor did he remind me of how steep our street is. I ended up getting a good workout and in return the Phils benched Harper last night. I think we're even. 

DaveSchmidt said:

A cheerful scene last night:

Getting off the train, I spot a young man in Phillies T-shirt and cap in the next car, also disembarking. I offer a “Go, Phillies,” and we exchange faith in beating the Mets next game. Behind him, another young man, this one in a Mets T-shirt and cap, gets off the train, adding his own grinning appraisal of Tuesday’s outcome without gloating. Together, they head toward the steps and out of the station.

Reminded me of my son and a friend of his who’d accompany each other to Citi Field. Good memories.

I've been to more than 20 games at Citi since the beginning of the '22 season, and it's been pretty much a no-confrontation zone. It's been nice. 

ml1 said:

I've been to more than 20 games at Citi since the beginning of the '22 season, and it's been pretty much a no-confrontation zone. It's been nice.

The 9-2 record there vs. the Phils can’t hurt.

DaveSchmidt said:

ml1 said:

I've been to more than 20 games at Citi since the beginning of the '22 season, and it's been pretty much a no-confrontation zone. It's been nice.

The 9-2 record there vs. the Phils can’t hurt.

the home record probably has made it easier to be gracious. 

But at the last game  in '22 I was talking about this with one of the bartenders in our section. She told me she only cut off one person all year. Something changed in the past couple of years. Maybe people are feeling grateful to be out after pandemic restrictions were ended. Or people feel good that their team has been winning. 

But the vibe has definitely changed for the better. 

Very bad MLB news 

ml1 said:

Very bad MLB news

That sucks.

Made me remember the night the entire baseball world learned what Mets fans already knew. 

ml1 said:

Made me remember the night the entire baseball world learned what Mets fans already knew.

He’d had a 1.67 ERA in 4 career starts against the Phillies, with 11 K’s in 6 1/3 in his Citizens Bank Park debut. We knew, too.

Baseball. Go figure.

Strider vs. Verlander. Final score, 13-10.

Tigers no-hit through at least 5 innings in all three games in Philly, including 7 1/3 by Wheeler tonight before the hosts get a walk-off single with two outs in the ninth.

Jose Ramirez homers in his first three ABs.

Classic Kershaw at age 35 with 7 shutout innings for his eighth victory. He’s now tied for the most starts in Dodger history with a shutout through 7 innings, at 63. (Kudos if you can guess the other Dodger.)

An eventful Thursday.

Orel Hershiser? Don Drysdale?

Don Sutton!