Tuesday 7/26/22
* Was working Friday night on "Master of Romance," and went to check the score of the Red Sox game, and saw that it was 25-3 about halfway through. They went on to lose 28-5. Wonderful. It's over for this team. They will finish in last place. They got swept by the Rays, were pounded in the Bronx--and were fortunate to win a game--by the Yankees, embarrassing themselves as they headed into the break. You get a chance to regroup, come back out, and that's what you put forth? They will sell everyone at the deadline. Personally, having now seen the clip of the inside-the-park-home run, with Jarren Duran not even jogging after the ball, I would have released his ass after the game. I read his postgame comments, too, when he bitched at reporters, saying they could come talk to him after they played the outfield. Take a hike. Same guy who won't get a shot so he can play in Canada with his teammates. I'd want him the hell off my team. Plus, he sucks. 4A ballplayer with a bad attitude who dogs it and is a bad teammate? Not worth having around.
* Speaking of sucking: Chris Sale and I have defeated the Yankees the same number of times since 2018. I haven't looked at the box score for Friday's debacle or yesterday's subsequent loss, so I'm not sure where he's at now, but I saw the other day that Franchy Cordero had an 0-for-16 streak going, which is one thing, but that he'd struck out fifteen times in that streak, which is another. If I went to hit sixteen times in the Big Leagues, do you know what would happen? I'd strike out sixteen times. Obviously. I'd basically give you what this guy gave you. You could put a pylon in the batter's box, and it would be Franchy Cordero over that stretch. That is some legendary futility.
* Saw some of a NESN broadcast the other day from 2006, a weekend day game. Fenway packed. It was part of a package of games the network was showing featuring top performances by David Ortiz because of his Hall of Fame induction this weekend. Was good--but sad--to hear Jerry Remy. I maintain that he was worse at his job in his later years, and there was a marked contrast with how much better he was in 2006. That was Remy's prime. Don Orsillo may have had something to do with that. Orsillo kept a strong pace to the broadcast. Much better energy than Dave O'Brien, who moves in these circles and pretty much just serves up his yuckers voice. Orsillo's pace created these natural spots for Remy to step in and do his thing. That was their chemistry.
* I was Impressed to see that Yaz said David Ortiz was a better hitter than he was. Which is true. But Yaz was very gracious. Of course, Yaz was the far superior all around player, and Ortiz never had an offensive season like Yaz in 1967.
* There are only four active players in MLB with a career .300 average (Miguel Cabrera, Jose Altuve, Trea Turner, Mike Trout). That is crazy.
* Home Run Baker--who'd lead the league with like 9 home runs in the Dead Ball era--also led the league in stolen bases in two of the years he led in home runs.
* What’s the most number of times a player has finished in the top ten of a statistical category in baseball (or any sport for that matter?) I honestly don’t know. But Ty Cobb finished in the top ten in on base percentage twenty-one times. It could be him. Gordie Howe finished in the top five in the NHL in scoring in twenty straight seasons. One of the most impressive of all statistics. Top five itself that way.
* Best team of this century so far? I think I'd go with the 2009 Yankees. I was going through their numbers, and happened to look up the career stats of one of the coaches on that team, Mick Kelleher, who coached first base. Kelleher played eleven years in the Big Leagues, totaling 1081 at-bats, but never hit a home run!
* The Red Sox won last night. Comes as a great surprise. Encountered a stat yesterday that in the five games prior, the Red Sox' run differential was -54, the worst for any team in a five-game span since 1901! Damn.
* This is a photo of Jimmie Foxx on steps of the Red Sox dugout, with the three kinds of gloves he used.
