Thinking of Boston today, of course. And spent a few minutes trying to find a relevant video online to convey something about that. I don’t know that I have anything profound to say, but the Boston Pops performing the National Anthem at Fenway seemed like a reasonably appropriate thing for me to spend a minute watching this morning. (Apologies that it requires a click-through to MLB.com.)
[From April 13, 2012.]
HIROKI KURODA
Complete game shutout for Kuroda. This definitely means he is over his injury concerns. Well, it probably means that. We don’t actually know. Use him next time out, definitely, unless you have a reason not to.
JOSH HAMILTON
A 3-for-4 day from Hamilton, with a home run. Does this mean he is over his slump? Yes. Yes it does. Unless it doesn’t. Hopefully he can carry this one-game hot streak forward to the next game, and then the game after that.
JARROD PARKER
Parker struggled mightily again. Will he turn it around? He didn’t yesterday. So the signs are pointing in a negative direction. Unless they aren’t. There are other pitchers in the Oakland system, so he should watch out, because one of them may be chosen to start instead of him, at some point. We’re on top of this developing story.
ANIBAL SANCHEZ
Sanchez did it again. He hasn’t permitted more than two runs in any start this season. Will that continue? It might. Will it continue forever? It may. It may not. Is he a pitcher? He is. Can we read box scores? We can.
JUSTIN SMOAK
One-for-three with a double. Any hit for Smoak is something worth noting, as we note every hit by everyone. Does it mean anything? It means his batting average went up. Will it mean anything in the future? It might.
STEPHEN PRYOR
Pryor left Sunday’s game with an injury. He will be evaluated by the people who evaluate those things, and then we will report the news to you, at exactly the same time as everyone else will report that news. Look out for our update, which will come as soon as we have one.
MIKE TROUT
Trout hit his first home run. Will it be his last? Not if other games are like this one. But yes, if other games are like the ones before this one. This will either be the start of something big for Trout, the exception to a disappointing season, or something in between. Thank our investigative reporter for that scintillating analysis.
TIM LINCECUM
Lincecum left the game. Was it because of performance or injury? We’re looking into it. Does anyone have an MLB.TV account we can borrow? Did you know Lincecum’s first name is Tim? This means something for your fantasy team, unless it doesn’t. You should drop Lincecum if there are better players on the free agent list, but you should keep him if there aren’t.
JOHNNY CUETO
Our insiders at the Associated Press are telling us that Johnny Cueto is being placed on the disabled list. Fantasy owners, this means you can put him on your disabled list, if your league has one. He will be back the next time he pitches, and not before that. Will he be fully recovered? You would hope so.
More breaking news and analysis as it happens.
First:
some strange modern dance bit at first base there
— Harry Pavlidis (@harrypav) April 13, 2013
To Wit:
The recent delivery of a goat’s head to Wrigley Field has renewed debate — at least in the circles I travel in, which consist mainly of myself — over the efficacy of the original, now-68-year-old Curse of the Billy Goat. The Cubs themselves are in little danger of overturning it, and yet there is indirect evidence for a weakening in its considerable force. I refer of course to the CBG’s principal corollary, the notorious Ex-Cubs Factor, which states in its purest form: “It is utterly impossible for a team with three or more ex-Cubs to win the World Series.”
Strange thing. There’s something in here about Duane Kuiper typing in ‘FanGraphs’ on a computer and a revealing Jon Miller popping up with a bottle of Pinot Noir. I can’t make heads or tails of it.
KNBR Giants Post-Game Wrap, 9/8
A glass of my finest Northern California Pinot to Chris Cwik for his technical expertise.
Fenway Park’s 820 game sellout streak ended yesterday. The sellout streak on my couch, capacity two, ended after one inning on opening day, when my wife remembered that she doesn’t derive any pleasure from watching Mets games on TV, and asked if I could mute the volume while she read The New York Times on her computer.
The one-inning sellout marked a breakthrough in couch attendance, which has held steady at 1 ever since last June, when I insisted that certainly watching the end of Johan Santana’s potential no-hitter — the first in Mets history — would be interesting even to a non-baseball fan.
The couch was at capacity for approximately three minutes until it was decided that using the bathroom would be a more interesting way for one of the two people in attendance to spend her time. She did not return to the couch. The short, three-minute sellout streak was over.
And while the occupant of row one, seat left, has allowed the couch’s Mad Men Watching Sellout Streak to reach [however many episodes there have been of Mad Men] despite his initial lack of interest and propensity to fall asleep while watching, somehow the Mets game never seems to be given that same chance. Yes, now I realize Mad Men is good, and, no, I admit the Mets will never be good, but still…
A new sellout streak is expected to start (and end) this Sunday, and last approximately the length of one Mad Men commercial break, unless we don’t start watching Mad Men until late, and then we’ll just fast forward through the breaks. The “following the game on the ESPN app on my iPhone while we watch something else” streak will remain strong.
This is a rant.
Until someone shows that getting injured is a skill, I give up.
Until someone proves that they can do better than the projection systems, I give up.
I’ve won my share of fantasy leagues. I’ve won partly through luck, and partly by being in leagues where some people didn’t know stuff. If you’re in leagues where people don’t know stuff, you can win. That’s not meant to be an insult. Maybe not knowing stuff is merely a result of someone having more important things to do than read about backup shortstops and third-in-line-to-be-closers. Who in the world is Jim Henderson, incidentally? Does even asking the question mean I’m one of the people who doesn’t know stuff, and so I deserve to lose?
This week marks the 66th anniversary of Jackie Robinson re-breaking the color line in Major League Baseball, thanks to his incredible talent and the forward (and opportunistic) thinking of Branch Rickey. 42, the movie based on Jackie’s exploits in the game and how he apparently invented rap music opens everywhere this weekend. If you don’t go to see it, it’s probably because you’re a racist (or you’re a parent of small children who doesn’t get out to see movies very often).
You know, we make a big deal out of Branch Rickey’s audacity at challenging baseball’s racist unwritten rules, but we don’t talk at all about perhaps his bravest work to raise bow tie awareness on What’s My Line?
With the new season underway, it’s high time to consult our Google Translate and make some sense of the cryptic statements made by players and coaches. Below you’ll find all of Monday’s games neatly summarized. Enjoy!
“We’ve got a terrible the group of guys. It is easier to see the ball, in high spirits, good mental state, your team wins.” – Clay Buchholz
“I do not want to hit a home run. It just worked out like this, but to contribute, let us take the lead after a fierce game, Buck pitched well in something, I think anyone who stepped on the box ( been looking for that).” – Daniel Nava
“Tomorrow we may spend all day crying, holding each other’s hands as a team all day, walking through the Prudential Center (Prudential Center) (Boston) cried.” – Adam Jones
NOTES: Boston’s new closer to perfect three storage try this season…Red Sox and not in their seven games, their longest of the season opener correctly made a mistake-game winning streak…Former astronaut Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin walk on the moon, attended the game.
Catcher Carlos Santana takes a Chris Perez fastball off his left wrist, just above the glove. Being attended to by a trainer & Francona.
— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) April 8, 2013
#Indians catcher Carlos Santana exits game in 9th after taking Chris Perez fastball to left wrist, just above the glove, reports @mlbastian.
— MLB (@MLB) April 8, 2013
Wouldn’t be surprised if Carlos Santana broke his wrist/thumb today when he got crossed up #catcherprobs @mlb @realmichaelkay
— Scott Hovell (@goldglovedsj11) April 9, 2013
Nothing like a rogue ball off his thumb to make me realize I have Carlos Santana in every single freaking #fantasybaseball league I’m in.
— Chris Patterson(@c_patt11) April 9, 2013
Carlos Santana better no have a broken thumb, he’s my guy #c‘monman
— Roscoe (@roscoe___) April 9, 2013
X-rays on #Indians C Carlos Santana’s thumb were negative. That’s good news for the club. Yes, injury was to thumb not wrist.
— Nick Camino (@CaminoTribe) April 9, 2013
X-rays negative on Carlos Santana’s thumb. Fantasy baseball owners rejoice!
— AngryYankee1 (@AngryYankee1) April 9, 2013
