The end of an era in KC, fisticuffs in the Rays parking lot, Aaron Judge is too humble, to return or not to return a milestone home run ball, lawsuits against dickheads, and three basketball items
Those doubles by Judge gave him 376 total bases on the year, putting him on pace for more than 400.
The last time someone had 400 bases in a year was 2001, when Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Luis Gonzalez, and Todd Helton all did it. The last American Leaguer to do it was Jim Rice in 1978.
You talk about That Guy on the Bad Team Who's Good. For Mets fans of a certain age, it was John Stearns, who passed away last week. I wasn't much of a Mets fan then, but reading the reactions to his passing, it's clear he was a bright spot in a sea of misery. RIP, John.
I felt sorry for Dane Dunning the first time I saw one of his films on MST3K. And Mike and the Bots only barely had any idea who he was and weren't even making jokes at his expense the way they would Joe Don Baker. Sad, really.
Brandon Nimmo left the game with quad tightness. He thinks he will be fine with a few days rest, but that is exactly what Mad Max and Marte said before going on the IL. Guys, stop writing checks your bodies can't cash.
Lord help me, but Robert Sarver is Jewish. Which means that he was invoking Jewish ideas of atonement in his mealy mouthed, self serving statement. And which means that I must make it clear that this is not how I was taught the way to do repentance. Repentance is hard. It's a long process. Some would say it never ends. And it never, ever includes excuses, to God or to your fellow human being. It includes confessing your sins, admitting what you did was wrong, and seeking the forgiveness of others and God and even yourself. Nothing that Sarver said comes close to this, and it is gall on his part to invoke our idea of atonement right before Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. I thoroughly and totally reject him as a member of my faith and my community, and as much as you hope that such people will eventually take stock of their lives and truly repent, you know better than to expect it.
Thanks, Craig. I’m under no illusion that Joey Meneses will always hit like this, but it’s been really fun to watch - especially when you realize that he’s a 30 year old Mexican rookie who spent 10 years in the minor leagues before his debut after the Juan Soto trade. My Nats are still overmatched - but they rarely get blown out anymore and, as the TV booth likes to say, “the boys are battling.“
PS To me, the most amazing thing about the Trump lawsuit is how obvious it was to anyone paying attention that the family was playing games with valuation depending on whether they were asking for money or owing it. I’m sure being POTUS (bringing with it means to resist discovery) helped, but the difficulty in obtaining documents and testimony to prove this kind of fraud certainly speaks to how easy it can be for super-rich people to work the system to stay that way.
If I, a Yankee fan, caught a historic ball hit by Judge, I would definitely give it back. I’m too emotionally involved in the team and the players. If I caught a historic ball hit by some schmuck from Tampa Bay, to the auction house I go.
That said, I’d ask for tickets. Yankee stadium tickets cost more on the secondary market than what I’d get for the ball.
Lonnie Smith did indeed stick around until the Braves turned good in the 90s. If he didn't try running the bases in an anatomically impossible manner with his head up his arse, Atlanta scores in Game 7, the Braves win the Series, and Jack Morris is not in the Hall of Fame.
As another fan of the 1980s Atlanta clubs, I felt a pull towards not the one season flukes like Dion James, but the few competent players who also had something quirky. Glenn Hubbard was an okay hitter, good fielder, and looked like a cartoon character. Terry Forster was a solid but unspectacular reliever who went on David Letterman because he was a "fat tub of goo."
And thinking back on it, I'm not sure if the first time a crush broke my heart was a lovely young co-ed Michelle or uber prospect Brad Komminsk.
If I caught that ball I’d pull my Mets hat out of my pocket, put it on, and sell it to the highest bidder. That goes for about anyone on any team, not just the Yankees. If it was a Met, I’d offer it back for lifetime season tickets in the seats where unlimited food and drink is included, transportation to/from the games, spring training special access, and clubhouse access for a player meet and greet at least once per season. If they don’t go for it, then off to the auction house I go.
If I caught Judge's 62nd, i think in exchange for a few trinkets, i'd want to go to the diner with him and grab a burger. It seems to me he'd be the kind of guy who'd order a few $5 milkshakes with his tasty burger, and I think it'd be good conversation. Maybe he'd invite along a friend or two.
I remember talking about the ol "what would you do if you caught the ball that..." debate in 1998. I'm a huge fan of baseball history. I love records and stats and all of it. But if an object worth 7 figures landed in my hands and I didn't find some way to help my family with that, well, guys like me don't see that kind of money, well, ever (this was particularly true when I was making $1000/month back in the day).
I suspect what I would try to do is sell the ball to the highest bidder who agreed to have the ball on permanent loan to the BBHOF, so they could have a little sign under it saying "on loan from the collection of Jane Q. Public."
I love stories like the Joey Meneses one, even if he did sink the Braves yesterday. I, of course, keep referring to him as Manassas, the Stephen Stills band from the early 70s.
Two options for what to do with the ball that aren’t accounted for in that sell it or give it back analysis:
1) Donate it to a Hall of Fame or a museum. When I was a kid, I had some pieces of WHA memorabilia - one of their blue pucks and some very early hockey cards - that I donated to the International Hockey Hall of Fame in Kingston, Ontario. They were really appreciative, and gave me some very formal paperwork acknowledging the donation and a lifetime pass. Any time I was in town visiting my grandparents for a weekend, I could walk over and get to see them. Haven’t been in years, though - doubt I could even find the pass anymore.
2) Keep it, y’know, just to have it.
My gut tells me I’d most likely give it back above anything else, but I’d do either of these before I’d sell it.
The mid-teens Royals made me fall in love--first with the team--but also with baseball, the sport, the history and popular culture about it. Which brought me here, reading you, Craig. Thank you for your sweet reminder of the skill of those players, “the high water mark,” on that hill by I-70 & Blue Ridge Cutoff.
In my ignorance I was going to say since one of the guys in the fight was Randy Arozarena and the other was Yandy Diaz, Yandy Diaz likely will not be on the Rays roster for long. Then I looked it up and found Diaz has a better bWAR this year than Arozarena, so I guess he's not just some random easily replaceable guy.
Those doubles by Judge gave him 376 total bases on the year, putting him on pace for more than 400.
The last time someone had 400 bases in a year was 2001, when Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Luis Gonzalez, and Todd Helton all did it. The last American Leaguer to do it was Jim Rice in 1978.
You talk about That Guy on the Bad Team Who's Good. For Mets fans of a certain age, it was John Stearns, who passed away last week. I wasn't much of a Mets fan then, but reading the reactions to his passing, it's clear he was a bright spot in a sea of misery. RIP, John.
I felt sorry for Dane Dunning the first time I saw one of his films on MST3K. And Mike and the Bots only barely had any idea who he was and weren't even making jokes at his expense the way they would Joe Don Baker. Sad, really.
Brandon Nimmo left the game with quad tightness. He thinks he will be fine with a few days rest, but that is exactly what Mad Max and Marte said before going on the IL. Guys, stop writing checks your bodies can't cash.
Lord help me, but Robert Sarver is Jewish. Which means that he was invoking Jewish ideas of atonement in his mealy mouthed, self serving statement. And which means that I must make it clear that this is not how I was taught the way to do repentance. Repentance is hard. It's a long process. Some would say it never ends. And it never, ever includes excuses, to God or to your fellow human being. It includes confessing your sins, admitting what you did was wrong, and seeking the forgiveness of others and God and even yourself. Nothing that Sarver said comes close to this, and it is gall on his part to invoke our idea of atonement right before Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. I thoroughly and totally reject him as a member of my faith and my community, and as much as you hope that such people will eventually take stock of their lives and truly repent, you know better than to expect it.
Ooooh, that R.E.M. song. Yup.
Thanks, Craig. I’m under no illusion that Joey Meneses will always hit like this, but it’s been really fun to watch - especially when you realize that he’s a 30 year old Mexican rookie who spent 10 years in the minor leagues before his debut after the Juan Soto trade. My Nats are still overmatched - but they rarely get blown out anymore and, as the TV booth likes to say, “the boys are battling.“
PS To me, the most amazing thing about the Trump lawsuit is how obvious it was to anyone paying attention that the family was playing games with valuation depending on whether they were asking for money or owing it. I’m sure being POTUS (bringing with it means to resist discovery) helped, but the difficulty in obtaining documents and testimony to prove this kind of fraud certainly speaks to how easy it can be for super-rich people to work the system to stay that way.
PPS Godspeed, Jalen Hill.
If I, a Yankee fan, caught a historic ball hit by Judge, I would definitely give it back. I’m too emotionally involved in the team and the players. If I caught a historic ball hit by some schmuck from Tampa Bay, to the auction house I go.
That said, I’d ask for tickets. Yankee stadium tickets cost more on the secondary market than what I’d get for the ball.
Lonnie Smith did indeed stick around until the Braves turned good in the 90s. If he didn't try running the bases in an anatomically impossible manner with his head up his arse, Atlanta scores in Game 7, the Braves win the Series, and Jack Morris is not in the Hall of Fame.
As another fan of the 1980s Atlanta clubs, I felt a pull towards not the one season flukes like Dion James, but the few competent players who also had something quirky. Glenn Hubbard was an okay hitter, good fielder, and looked like a cartoon character. Terry Forster was a solid but unspectacular reliever who went on David Letterman because he was a "fat tub of goo."
And thinking back on it, I'm not sure if the first time a crush broke my heart was a lovely young co-ed Michelle or uber prospect Brad Komminsk.
If I caught that ball I’d pull my Mets hat out of my pocket, put it on, and sell it to the highest bidder. That goes for about anyone on any team, not just the Yankees. If it was a Met, I’d offer it back for lifetime season tickets in the seats where unlimited food and drink is included, transportation to/from the games, spring training special access, and clubhouse access for a player meet and greet at least once per season. If they don’t go for it, then off to the auction house I go.
If I caught Judge's 62nd, i think in exchange for a few trinkets, i'd want to go to the diner with him and grab a burger. It seems to me he'd be the kind of guy who'd order a few $5 milkshakes with his tasty burger, and I think it'd be good conversation. Maybe he'd invite along a friend or two.
I remember talking about the ol "what would you do if you caught the ball that..." debate in 1998. I'm a huge fan of baseball history. I love records and stats and all of it. But if an object worth 7 figures landed in my hands and I didn't find some way to help my family with that, well, guys like me don't see that kind of money, well, ever (this was particularly true when I was making $1000/month back in the day).
I suspect what I would try to do is sell the ball to the highest bidder who agreed to have the ball on permanent loan to the BBHOF, so they could have a little sign under it saying "on loan from the collection of Jane Q. Public."
I love stories like the Joey Meneses one, even if he did sink the Braves yesterday. I, of course, keep referring to him as Manassas, the Stephen Stills band from the early 70s.
Two options for what to do with the ball that aren’t accounted for in that sell it or give it back analysis:
1) Donate it to a Hall of Fame or a museum. When I was a kid, I had some pieces of WHA memorabilia - one of their blue pucks and some very early hockey cards - that I donated to the International Hockey Hall of Fame in Kingston, Ontario. They were really appreciative, and gave me some very formal paperwork acknowledging the donation and a lifetime pass. Any time I was in town visiting my grandparents for a weekend, I could walk over and get to see them. Haven’t been in years, though - doubt I could even find the pass anymore.
2) Keep it, y’know, just to have it.
My gut tells me I’d most likely give it back above anything else, but I’d do either of these before I’d sell it.
The jersey Votto is wearing belongs to Tyler Stephenson and is autographed by Larkin (even authenticated).
If Judge really wants easy access to his HR ball, he’d hit an inside-the-parker.
Otherwise, it’s off to the auction house I go!
The mid-teens Royals made me fall in love--first with the team--but also with baseball, the sport, the history and popular culture about it. Which brought me here, reading you, Craig. Thank you for your sweet reminder of the skill of those players, “the high water mark,” on that hill by I-70 & Blue Ridge Cutoff.
In my ignorance I was going to say since one of the guys in the fight was Randy Arozarena and the other was Yandy Diaz, Yandy Diaz likely will not be on the Rays roster for long. Then I looked it up and found Diaz has a better bWAR this year than Arozarena, so I guess he's not just some random easily replaceable guy.