IdahoBert

Yeah, I remember those Sunday stat pages. I loved them so much. That’s why I subscribed to the sporting news because I could get more stats and box scores and everything every week. I remember pouring over the box scores in the daily newspaper. It was uplifting and innocent.

I have tried to watch this home run derby twice and I keep giving up. But I can see how if you’re in the ballpark, as Rob mentioned, yeah it would be a lot of fun because being at a ballpark is great in and of itself. But it’s not very interesting TV. Being proud of winning the Home Run Derby is sort of like Burt Reynolds’s character in Boogie Nights saying of a porn film that “this is the film I want to be remembered by.“

All my smug complaints aside I’ll probably watch this stupid home run Derby until I get tired of it. On ESPN I already got tired of the “big name commentators” talking about needing right handed bats in Seattle and how Skubal will definitely be traded… good God. Sports talk TV is horrible. I feel so fortunate to be on this site where there’s people who actually know something.

If Valencia works out as a catcher and has offensive potential, what becomes of Jake Rogers? And yeah, I know he can play first base but that means some change in Torkelson’s status with the team which is also complicated and I guess he could DH. It just seems like Jake is the odd man out. Could they get anything for Jake Rogers in a trade? Would a National League team take him? Because I wouldn’t want to face too many American League teams with him knowing as much as he does about this one. And of course, I have a soft spot in my heart for him. But I can’t see this team carrying three catchers for too long.

I have a deep affection for the French. The brother of one of my in-laws was a pilot and during WW2 he was shot down in France and a French farming family hid him beneath their floor boards for six months. And twice during that time, the family home was visited by German soldiers who poked around, but not closely enough. He was MIA and assumed dead by the family and when the liberation came they got the news that he was actually alive. It’s pretty stirring.

Jeez that is truly terrible.

And now no real baseball for a week. The All-Star game is meaningless to me now given that the two leagues are in constant interaction. And I like interleague play but the All-Star game just bores me. And the HR Derby is a total joke. Isolating one aspect of the game really rubs me the wrong way. It’s such an emasculating exercise as it is that they should just have the guys hit off a tee to make it official. There’s no heavy lifting involved in it like in a real game. It’s completely useless.

Our announcers are pretty much feckless boosters, which is to be expected. But I remember during the “bad days“ when Dan and Jim were together and they were really blunt about what was happening and that bluntness now seems to have gone away. Of course this is just my impression.

Welp! Ouch! Double clears the bases… Yeah these Phillies are pretty damn good team.

Three straight at bats where Torkelson grounds into a double play

I guess it takes a Tarik Skubal to send Derek Hill back to the dugout.

McGonigle SS Dingler C Keith 3B Greene, R LF Torkelson 1B Carpenter DH McKinstry 2B Vierling RF Outman CF

With music strong I come, with my cornets and my drums, I play not marches for accepted victors only, I play marches for conquer'd and slain persons. Have you heard that it was good to gain the day? I also say it is good to fall, battles are lost in the same spirit in which they are won. I beat and pound for the dead, I blow through my embouchures my loudest and gayest for them. Vivas to those who have fail'd! And to those whose war-vessels sank in the sea! And to those themselves who sank in the sea! And to all generals that lost engagements, and all overcome heroes! And the numberless unknown heroes equal to the greatest heroes known! Walt Whitman - Song of Myself

It’s Kenley time