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Well, we ain’t getting those crappy games in Seattle back, so we might as well find a way to make the best of what we do have left with which to work. That starts now, in Oakland. Weekends against the A’s are always intense.
We still have a list of guys who are NOT injured that can still make the most of it. And they need to start turning it on, because Oakland’s stadium is one of the toughest parks for Mike Trout. The only places where he has played an appreciable number of games and had less success with a bat are Dodgers Stadium and Minute Maid Park. Those last two have a lot to do with the quality of the opposing pitching staffs, so there is just some unhappy mojo for Mike in Oakland. Can’t say as I blame him. I’ve been there, too.
Get busy. We have a large roster of None-Of-Mine-Are-On-The-DL-Links for you to plow through:
A Little Bit Of Shohei Ohtani News
Great news! That Shohei Ohtani UCL tear that he brought over from his days in Japan? Not a problem after all. Nope. This current UCL tear is a brand new one. Meaning that he has TWO UCL tears...........
A Little Bit Of Mike Trout News
Mike Trout’s dad is the Mike Trout of Dads. (And this, in an era where the body count for Little League Dads failing at Father-Of-The-Year is growing fast.)..........Just confirming something I commented on earlier this season. Mike does not have many multi-homer games. This past week was an anomaly. That just speaks to how well-rounded of a ballplayer he is............What Mike DOES have, is a lot of called 3rd strikes that should not have been. (There is a lot of meat on the discussion bone in that link!)...........Mike is the benchmark for MLB success......All the time.....Because Trout does things at unusual rates of perfection......And it’s going to be hard for anybody to keep pace with his OBP now that he is getting the Barry Bonds Treatment...........
A Little Bit Of Angels News
Tyler Skaggs and Andrew Heaney are best bros.............
Kole Calhoun is primed for a major turnaround in the second half, AND I AM NOT THE ONE SAYING IT!..........Calhoun is 2 for 8 so far, with a solo home run and a single. Tragically, that is a large step up...........
I love the concept of having some swagger. But I am not sure that the Halos are in any sort of position to be swaggering right now..........
Minor League Halos, though? Yeah, Jo Adell should be all about the swagger.....He is ripping it up right now.
Jose Rojas moving on up..........We will finally get a chance to see Kevin Maitan in uniform. The first game is tonight against Grand Junction...........
Everywhere In Baseball
Well, it looks like there is some agreement between umpires and MLB that those videos of umpires being human and doing their job and letting us fans learn something about the great work they do is not allowed. So MLB has had to race around the Internet and chase down all those instances of the Terry Collins video and get them removed. This is not MLB being draconian with their social media habits, as they usually are. This is just contract enforcement. But it’s still a bad idea. These are the same ninnies scratching their heads as to how to connect with future fans, and the only ideas they can come up with are to change the sport itself............
And don’t be fooled. Rob Manfred’s tenure will include a LOT of changing of the sport itself.......Things such as mandating where defenders are allowed to play so that batters get guaranteed open spaces into which they can learn to hit.......And bringing the DH to the National League............
What definitely IS happening under your watch, Manfred, is an accelerated loss of fan attention as you allow all your owners to dump and tank while you call it ‘tried and true’.....You aren’t fooling anyone, Commissioner..........
Start boning up. Your 2018-2019 MLB Free Agent class is going to be significant. And it includes Garrett Richards. (Ian Kinsler too, who is going to be this year’s WS MVP, but who’s counting?)..........
Ex-MLB player turns stat nerd, and we learn first hand that we don’t want Mike Trout thinking about wOBA at the plate............
2018 versus 2017 Cleveland Indians are the poster children for why a GM should NEVER stand pat on a bullpen.............
TheRinger looks into Jordan Hicks of the Cardinals, who throws incredibly hard but also has some control with that speed. It’s interesting. But this little GIF within that article scares the shit out of me as a RH batter............
Reading about how Miguel Cabrera’s run of injuries is putting a dent in a lot of the counting stats that he was originally projected to accrue, I was stunned that I had been overlooking the money due to him on his current contract. He has already blown up 3 out of the last 4 seasons. He will be 36 when he gets back onto the field, And he is owned another $162 million?? Wow. Albert Pujols seems cheap...........
Evan Longoria is also now injured. Broken hand caused by HBP. Why is there not a batting glove with a flexible protecting top shield?. Oh wait, there are.........
Miguel Sano, your 2017 Minnesota All-Star, is now your 2018 Minnesota Single A prospect............
Jerry Dipoto found a way to get himself one of those western Pacific phenoms after all............
MLB: “Please, Mr. Harper, please enter the Home Run Derby. We need at least one Major League player. Anybody?”............
We now have a huge brouhaha in the works between Comcast and Disney over the FOX Regional Sports Network buyout. Comcast is offering a staggering $65 billion. And you want them to lose. Should Comcast win, they will own almost ALL of the RSN’s that exist AND they still own the last mile to your domicile. Nothing good can come from that amount of control over delivery of sports content...........As a bellwether for my opinion there, look no further than the Yankees. They are looking to purchase back the YES Network they created before it gets sold to either Disney or Comcast............
The Duffle Bag
This is proof that when all dogs die they go to heaven and heaven for dogs is nothing but baseball!..........This is...um...disturbing. Ex-MLB pitcher Kevin Brown caught people (one a minor) stealing mail in his neighborhood. But hiding in the community bushes outside with a gun (presumably loaded) in order to police local mailboxes? I dunno............This is something you would never see with robo umps. But if you ever did, you should buy some insurance. Fast...........But it appears as though MLB really likes the idea of demonstrative umpires..........Congrats Adrian Beltre, most MLB hits by a non-U.S. born MLB player..........Even if you think that you, as an MLB pitcher, will be spending the night out int he bullpen, you STILL need to do your pre-game stretches. Stoopid Chris Martin...........Players in the Mexican League have yet to master the proper MLB-level slap ‘fight’..........Adam Wainwright has an ace prank game.............My arm needs TJ surgery just from watching this GIF too many times...........