Correa booed, Alvarado injured, a billionaire's bunker, George Santos keeps his promises, MLK and Malcom X, a blogging trailblazer passes, Bob Dylan whiskey, and just one more thing
It will start with him trying to evade guard dogs and then go downhill from there. Better to let someone else do the on site investigation and Craig read the reports and collate information later.
Not to take anything away from Volpe, but "first grand slam by a Yankees rookie shortstop" sounds just kind of silly and random. You would think a team with some much legit history wouldn't chase tiny nuggets like this. But no.
Then again, "The Mets made history with their first victory pitched by a 40 year old named Verlander." For at least one night, there was a quality starter on the mound who got a quality start. It's a start.
Ditto. Seems like I’ve seen a lot of “made history” stories this year. Half are about the Rays which does feel like history. Half are weird combinations, like I read Swanson is the first Cubs first year SS with 6 XBH in 3 games since Banks as a rookie. (Might not have the stat right but you get the idea, that’s oddly specific)
I watched some of the Twins-Padres game last night and they actually discussed that Correa quote, complete with a graphic with that graf. I give him credit for his candor, but it would be funny, given the off-season injury concerns, if he were to have ended his remarks with “and I’m just going to keep playing like every game is my last.“
PS Break up the Nats! While 16-21 is hardly in contention, it disguises a 1-7 record against MLB’s best teams (ATL, TB, BAL) and 15-14 against everyone else. That’ll play. SomeGuy and I chopped this up on Twitter yesterday, but it will be interesting to see how the Nats do against their division rivals… Fully expect them to get pantsed by Atlanta and struggle with Philly, but a wounded Mets team and the Marlins look like a better match for now. 70 wins or bust!
PPS I’m glad to see that somebody else is using his legal education to skulk around in corporate/property records like I do. I’ll send you the coordinates to my bunker sometime.
Looks like the Nats will have a better W-L record at the end of May than they did in their WS year. Not looking for a playoff appearance from them, but it does seem like a much, much better year than 2022.
Best lefty since Koufax? Kershaw is in the conversation but my vote is Johnson. I’d have to think closely about Carlton too.
...
With ATL down both Fried and Wright probably for two months, there will be a push to bring Soroka back. He is someone easy to root for but hasn’t looked good in Gwinnett.
That takes a whole host of assumptions about timeline changes. I'm much more comfortable judging players within their own era or, at best, within a decade or two of their own era. Comparing players across 70 years is rather problematic and, in my opinion, says more about the person making the comparison and his/her assumptions & biases, than it does about the players being compared.
Do you think that Johnson stood out from his peers - Clemens, Maddux, Martinez at the top, plus others from Schilling to Brown, Glavine, Mussina etc. - as much as Grove stood out from his? Really? That seems like a stretch.
Carlton vs. Seaver alone seems to disprove the Grove argument.
Is Robin Roberts the only pitcher within 20 WAR who had his career significantly overlap with Spahn's prime?
I at least give the guy points for having a bunker nearby. I wonder if the rich dudes who have a spot in the middle of nowhere and plan on getting a helicopter with hired pilots to whisk them away if things go sideways really think their staff will be kept in the dark about plans and location or if they just plan on whacking them once they've done their job and leaving carasses for the zombies and wild animals to scavenge. Makes much more sense to have a bunker that you can get to without so much trouble.
So sad about Heather Armstrong. I haven't kept tabs on her in a while, so I didn't know about the anti trans stuff, but she was a force when I was blogging, and I always wished I could write about life like she did. Tragic story. RIP.
Hadn't thought about Heather in a few years. Very sad to hear about all of this. Probably safe to say that being a public figure is unhealthy for even the sturdiest minds, but for people with mental illness, it's especially dangerous. I hope her family will find peace eventually.
Again, excellent newsletter today. Hope the roadtrip goes smoothly. If you have downtime in Burlington and are looking for someone to grab a beer with I'll be around!
I haven't had and won't go out of my way to try Dylan's whiskey. But if it is before me, I'd be happy to have a tipple or two.
There are a number of athletes who've gone into the vintner game post career. Greg Norman, Tom Seaver, Drew Bledsoe, etc. The only one that I know of who has done a good bourbon - as opposed to the crap moonshine under Chipper Jones' name - is Charles Woodson.
Vaguely related: my brief trip to Denver last week included two stops at a small tasting room for Deviation Distilling located about 2-3 blocks from Coors Field. I did not try their house made whiskey straight, but had it in several cocktails. The barrel aged Black Manhattan which included house made amaro and sweet vermouth as well as their own whiskey was dangerously great.
Just FYI, I’m only receiving your posts through the app and no longer via email anymore. Clearly something at Substack has changed, but I don’t know when or why. Just thought you’d like to know, in case you didn’t already.
I had this happened to me too when I stated using the app. It's actually a setting you can change. If you want to get the posts as emails go to the Substack app settings > Notifications turn off Smart Notifications.
Thanks! That's it exactly. I'm surprised I missed it. I wonder how many of my newsletter subscribers will realize it, though of course I'll mention that setting in my next issue. :-)
Fascinating about the bunker. I hope you do write that book.
It’s super sad about Heather’s death. The blogosphere was my playground for many years, and I met a lot of great people through it. Heather’s anti-trans stuff was especially awful because her younger child is non-binary. The kids have a very caring and involved father, so that’s one good thing. I hope they get the privacy (and therapy) they need to heal.
Re: the broadcasters using Manfred Man, I'll keep an ear out in Philly. Our radio play-by-play guy (the excellent Scott Franzke) uses the term "zombie runner," and I finally heard him explaining it to a guest in the booth yesterday. Something like "You see the guy got out in the previous inning, and now he's back to life on second base."
Zombie runner is the term preferred by Effectively Wild. And also me, because it is much more descriptive than Manfred Man, not already a thing in the sport's culture like "ghost runner", and properly emphasizes the horror of the entire rule.
I hate the use of "ghost runner" with a passion. You used that term when you were a kid and didn't have enough players so the runner had to bat. It was a ghost since it wasn't really there. With MLB, the runner is really there! "Zombie" runner works for me. But really, anything other than "ghost".
Same on the stupid ghost runner reference. The dude is standing on 2nd and you can see him. You can't see ghosts. Words mean things. I like the Manfred Man.
I'm pretty sure the Cubs radio guys also made reference to the extra-innings rule being the Manfred Man last night (I needed something to listen to while completing assembly of this stupid pergola on our deck and for whatever reason White Sox games don't stream to my Echo Tap, though I probably would've jumped off the ladder with their awful performance last night anyway). Said discussion also included Pat Hughes opining that Manfred Man's version of "Blinded by the Light" is far superior to Springsteen's.
Craig, I think you're leaving out an option for Wexner's bunker: it's a private sex club -- a consenting adults club, not an Epstein-type thing. But because Wexner is of "advanced age", it's decorated all 70s, with shag carpet, chartreuse wallpaper, a disco ball, and a lot of wood, with the speakers blasting "Play That Funky Music White Boy" and "Born to Be Alive".
That should add some spice to your New Albany novel.
Maybe (thinking along Occam's Razor lines here) your anon Insta source finally decided they'd had enough of Meta since it reinstalled the Angry Yam recently and deleted all their Meta accounts.
It will start with him trying to evade guard dogs and then go downhill from there. Better to let someone else do the on site investigation and Craig read the reports and collate information later.
And PI Craig has gone alone sans weapon and has told no one where he is going …
If they pull out the chair with a hole in the seat that's when you should start worrying.
If Anna and Carlos have to mount an operation to rescue their dad they will never, EVER let him forget it. Lol.
It will be in his (far in the future) obituary.
"No, Mr. Calcaterra, I expect you to DIE."
I'd like to order a Tangerine Dream-scored tunnel escape, please.
Anyone else see Christoph Waltz in the role of "Les Wexner"?
Landed in Germany this morning, hence the early comment. On my way to Regensburg now being driven through the Hallertau hop region.
Guten morgen (tag?)!
Danke!
Not to take anything away from Volpe, but "first grand slam by a Yankees rookie shortstop" sounds just kind of silly and random. You would think a team with some much legit history wouldn't chase tiny nuggets like this. But no.
Then again, "The Mets made history with their first victory pitched by a 40 year old named Verlander." For at least one night, there was a quality starter on the mound who got a quality start. It's a start.
Ditto. Seems like I’ve seen a lot of “made history” stories this year. Half are about the Rays which does feel like history. Half are weird combinations, like I read Swanson is the first Cubs first year SS with 6 XBH in 3 games since Banks as a rookie. (Might not have the stat right but you get the idea, that’s oddly specific)
Jeter only had one grand slam his entire career, so Volpe is already ahead of the curve!
I watched some of the Twins-Padres game last night and they actually discussed that Correa quote, complete with a graphic with that graf. I give him credit for his candor, but it would be funny, given the off-season injury concerns, if he were to have ended his remarks with “and I’m just going to keep playing like every game is my last.“
PS Break up the Nats! While 16-21 is hardly in contention, it disguises a 1-7 record against MLB’s best teams (ATL, TB, BAL) and 15-14 against everyone else. That’ll play. SomeGuy and I chopped this up on Twitter yesterday, but it will be interesting to see how the Nats do against their division rivals… Fully expect them to get pantsed by Atlanta and struggle with Philly, but a wounded Mets team and the Marlins look like a better match for now. 70 wins or bust!
PPS I’m glad to see that somebody else is using his legal education to skulk around in corporate/property records like I do. I’ll send you the coordinates to my bunker sometime.
The Nats have been surprisingly competitive which I think is all you can ask for when sports websites rank your team in the bottom three pre-season.
Let the people say amen.
Looks like the Nats will have a better W-L record at the end of May than they did in their WS year. Not looking for a playoff appearance from them, but it does seem like a much, much better year than 2022.
Low bar, but absolutely yes.
Return of Bruno was Legendary!
...
Best lefty since Koufax? Kershaw is in the conversation but my vote is Johnson. I’d have to think closely about Carlton too.
...
With ATL down both Fried and Wright probably for two months, there will be a push to bring Soroka back. He is someone easy to root for but hasn’t looked good in Gwinnett.
The ghosts of Lefty Grove and Warren Spahn might want a word.
That takes a whole host of assumptions about timeline changes. I'm much more comfortable judging players within their own era or, at best, within a decade or two of their own era. Comparing players across 70 years is rather problematic and, in my opinion, says more about the person making the comparison and his/her assumptions & biases, than it does about the players being compared.
Do you think that Johnson stood out from his peers - Clemens, Maddux, Martinez at the top, plus others from Schilling to Brown, Glavine, Mussina etc. - as much as Grove stood out from his? Really? That seems like a stretch.
Carlton vs. Seaver alone seems to disprove the Grove argument.
Is Robin Roberts the only pitcher within 20 WAR who had his career significantly overlap with Spahn's prime?
As someone with Western Maryland roots, I WILL NOT allow this attack on the best ballplayer born west of Baltimore to stand unchallenged.
Just one example, Grove averaged slightly more fWAR per year than Johnson (5.14 to 5.02, and at BBRef it's almost two full wins difference).
Oh hush.
(Per 162 innings, Johnson 4.33, Grove 3.59. Per 188 innings [Johnson's career average], 5.02 to 4.17. Per 232 innings [Grove's avg] 6.19 to 5.14)
Ohtani was born west of Baltimore :-)
Not if you go the other way.
Whitey Ford, too.
Carlton over Johnson, then maybe Kershaw and a bucket of others. I'm not about to do any research to rationalize it, though.
Or enough research to remember that you are called Rob not Bob?
Edit: did you just change from Wilfong just to prove me wrong?!?!?!?
Limited to 30 chars, so couldn't use Bobby "Bob" Darwin. I might be running out of players.
So I should just stop waiting for Paul Thormodsgard?
I max out at Harmon Killebrew, appropriately.
If Craig does go missing in the next couple days, at least we’ll know where he’s being held
I at least give the guy points for having a bunker nearby. I wonder if the rich dudes who have a spot in the middle of nowhere and plan on getting a helicopter with hired pilots to whisk them away if things go sideways really think their staff will be kept in the dark about plans and location or if they just plan on whacking them once they've done their job and leaving carasses for the zombies and wild animals to scavenge. Makes much more sense to have a bunker that you can get to without so much trouble.
Max Brooks's' World War Z has an entertaining scenario narrated by a security guy wherein the rich folks in their compound get theirs.
I hope the dude has a beer fridge in there.
Knowing Wexner’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein makes that bunker even more unsettling.
So sad about Heather Armstrong. I haven't kept tabs on her in a while, so I didn't know about the anti trans stuff, but she was a force when I was blogging, and I always wished I could write about life like she did. Tragic story. RIP.
Hadn't thought about Heather in a few years. Very sad to hear about all of this. Probably safe to say that being a public figure is unhealthy for even the sturdiest minds, but for people with mental illness, it's especially dangerous. I hope her family will find peace eventually.
“Number one in the charts…Bell Biv Devoe. Bell…Biv…Devoe.”
That song was responsible for one of the best moments on "Scrubs".
#TurkDance #IYKYK
Pissed off that Scrubs is no longer a free stream at Amazon.
Again, excellent newsletter today. Hope the roadtrip goes smoothly. If you have downtime in Burlington and are looking for someone to grab a beer with I'll be around!
I haven't had and won't go out of my way to try Dylan's whiskey. But if it is before me, I'd be happy to have a tipple or two.
There are a number of athletes who've gone into the vintner game post career. Greg Norman, Tom Seaver, Drew Bledsoe, etc. The only one that I know of who has done a good bourbon - as opposed to the crap moonshine under Chipper Jones' name - is Charles Woodson.
Vaguely related: my brief trip to Denver last week included two stops at a small tasting room for Deviation Distilling located about 2-3 blocks from Coors Field. I did not try their house made whiskey straight, but had it in several cocktails. The barrel aged Black Manhattan which included house made amaro and sweet vermouth as well as their own whiskey was dangerously great.
Just FYI, I’m only receiving your posts through the app and no longer via email anymore. Clearly something at Substack has changed, but I don’t know when or why. Just thought you’d like to know, in case you didn’t already.
I had this happened to me too when I stated using the app. It's actually a setting you can change. If you want to get the posts as emails go to the Substack app settings > Notifications turn off Smart Notifications.
Thanks! That's it exactly. I'm surprised I missed it. I wonder how many of my newsletter subscribers will realize it, though of course I'll mention that setting in my next issue. :-)
Fascinating about the bunker. I hope you do write that book.
It’s super sad about Heather’s death. The blogosphere was my playground for many years, and I met a lot of great people through it. Heather’s anti-trans stuff was especially awful because her younger child is non-binary. The kids have a very caring and involved father, so that’s one good thing. I hope they get the privacy (and therapy) they need to heal.
Re: the broadcasters using Manfred Man, I'll keep an ear out in Philly. Our radio play-by-play guy (the excellent Scott Franzke) uses the term "zombie runner," and I finally heard him explaining it to a guest in the booth yesterday. Something like "You see the guy got out in the previous inning, and now he's back to life on second base."
Zombie runner is the term preferred by Effectively Wild. And also me, because it is much more descriptive than Manfred Man, not already a thing in the sport's culture like "ghost runner", and properly emphasizes the horror of the entire rule.
I hate the use of "ghost runner" with a passion. You used that term when you were a kid and didn't have enough players so the runner had to bat. It was a ghost since it wasn't really there. With MLB, the runner is really there! "Zombie" runner works for me. But really, anything other than "ghost".
Same on the stupid ghost runner reference. The dude is standing on 2nd and you can see him. You can't see ghosts. Words mean things. I like the Manfred Man.
I watched a documentary called The Sixth Sense that disproves your "can't see ghosts" theory.
I've seen similar things on ghost hunters. The point still stands. For the record, I don't even believe in ghosts. Lol!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLKbbraIUSg
I'm pretty sure the Cubs radio guys also made reference to the extra-innings rule being the Manfred Man last night (I needed something to listen to while completing assembly of this stupid pergola on our deck and for whatever reason White Sox games don't stream to my Echo Tap, though I probably would've jumped off the ladder with their awful performance last night anyway). Said discussion also included Pat Hughes opining that Manfred Man's version of "Blinded by the Light" is far superior to Springsteen's.
I had Columbo pegged for more of an Eagle Rock guy
there's even a Colombo's restaurant there!
Craig, I think you're leaving out an option for Wexner's bunker: it's a private sex club -- a consenting adults club, not an Epstein-type thing. But because Wexner is of "advanced age", it's decorated all 70s, with shag carpet, chartreuse wallpaper, a disco ball, and a lot of wood, with the speakers blasting "Play That Funky Music White Boy" and "Born to Be Alive".
That should add some spice to your New Albany novel.
That's the front room of the private club. Then there's the private room...
Maybe (thinking along Occam's Razor lines here) your anon Insta source finally decided they'd had enough of Meta since it reinstalled the Angry Yam recently and deleted all their Meta accounts.
Maybe.