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I think it might be hard to get the union to agree to the Amish baseball idea, basically because players like it and it gives them a competitive advantage, or at least not put them at a competitive disadvantage. I'm sympathetic to the hypothesis that one of the reasons that pace has slowed to a crawl is the introduction of analytical information during the game. Pitchers and catchers especially seem to be taking extra time sorting through and deciding from among all the options before making the next pitch. It wouldn't surprise me if banning cards shaved several minutes off average game time.

I think there’s a professional courtesy issue at hand here, in which all teams freely use the cards and no teams want their use of them to be questioned or put in danger, so they allow each other to use them without publicly threatening to undermine the practice. This may exist in the same vein as sticky substances or spider tack earlier this year: managers were loathe to call other teams on its use because their own pitchers used it to good effect. Professional courtesy. There may also be the very public act of Kiermaier picking it up and simply walking back to his own dugout with it. He publicly disrespected the Jays when he did that. That’s the kind of thing that just doesn’t go unpunished. I would like it if the incident were to spur a discussion inside The Game about whether the use of cards during play should even be appropriate, and whether they should move to a sort of “Amish baseball”, in which all the technology you want to use is fine while prepping for the game, but once you cross the white lines, no cards, no tablets, no smartwatches, nothing but printouts in the dugout. Maybe make players actually memorize tendencies about the other team while they are out on the field. Wouldn’t that be a kick.

Indeed he did. According to his card, it looks like he pitched 43 innings as a junior without giving up any runs, any hits, walking anyone or striking anyone out. Just all BIP outs. Talk about living on the edge … 😜

Baseball Cube does: http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/profile.asp?ID=144 They have him listed as 2B and 3B there.

I hope they don’t use this as permission to go to solid colored tops. I mean, I won’t abandon the team over it, of course, but I sure would like them to stick to whites and grays. Just personal preference.

I’m just praying to stay healthy and not need anything like this anytime soon.

This is as good a story as any to kick this one off.

Either way, it works.

Let It Bleed is the other side of Beggars Banquet, so you gotta do that. My all-time favorite:

This is definitely clean. Or at least cleaning.

Battle lines are being drawn.

This is not a giveaway to “shithole” countries out of the goodness of our bleeding hearts. This is the most powerful country in the world doing its part to stop a worldwide pandemic from continuing to threaten the planet and kill millions more people, including here. You can’t build a wall to stop a disease.

Well, yes, it is segregation—they’re segregating the sick from the vulnerable in order to defeat a deadly disease.

But will they be competent and effective? Those are the adjective that worries me more than the others listed here.

Are schisms within the Republican Party hardening, or is this the final thrashing about of a dying faction within?

Yeah, it was probably more the Scots-Irish contingent that brought that idea over.

It took a bit more excitement toward the end than we would have liked, but the Tigers win the series! Playing with house money now! That makes us 8-3 in our last eleven against division leaders. Raise your hand if you knew we were going to have a run like that against these teams. Now bring your hand back down, because you're lying.

It's all your fault because we got the Liberty über alles thing from you guys.

Are they? You tell me ...

The red flags about Kreidler’s number in Toledo are (1) .394 BABIP, and (2) 21.7% HR/FB rate, both of which are almost certainly not sustainable for entrie seasons, let alone careers. Kreidler hit .256/.327/.426 at AA just this year with a .341 BABIP and 14.6 HR/FB, both of which are themselves probably higher than he can sustain. Hey, I’m all about giving him a shot during spring, and a stint this fall in Arizona will probably crystallize his potential as a major league option next year. I just don’t think he has necessarily positioned himself as our third can’t-miss guy in Toledo just yet. I think we go get a guy we can install at short for two or three years, whether in trade or as a sign.

I wear my old big-flappy-pocket cargo shorts on long bike rides because it doesn’t matter whether I sweat in them, but I do still wear more dialed-back smaller-pocketed cargo shorts out in public. I’m at the age where I’m not really concerned with subtle fashion faux pas.

It's becoming clearer by the day that once Republicans take control of Congress and the White House together—after having driven out all the remaining moderates, that is—that might well be the end of two-party power-sharing.

Somehow I missed Hacks the first time around, but I ain’t missing it now. Fun watch, and also, fun watching Jean Smart rise to the level of Natiional Treasure. Also, fun fact: Hannah Einbinder is the daughter of Laraine Newman.

This is probably more Lunatic than Coronavirus.