14-Million Dollar Man

I was humored when I read that pitcher Ryan Dempster picked up his player option with the Cubs. The option was for 14-million dollars. Of course he was going to pick up the option. What other team in their right minds would give a guy that will be 35 next season, that kind of leverage? The Cubs that's who. I'm guessing things might be different under Theo Epstein.
Dempster, a with a career record of 112-115 and ERA of 4.41 is not exactly the kind of pitcher you think of when you think of a guy making 14-mil a season. The last two years he's made 27-million while going 25-26. That's more than one million per win.
I'm not blaming Dempster. Can't blame him at all. I'm blaming the lousy Jim Hendry regime for hamstringing the organization with stupid contracts and options.

Bring Back Ryno

Cubs new president Theo Epstein reportedly spent 7 hours getting to know manager Mike Quade. In one full season and one partial season, Quade has guided the Cubs to a 95-104 record. Quade got the job full-time last off-season ahead of Ryne Sandberg. The Cubs Hall of Fame player, who had been managing the Cubs AAA team in Iowa said, "See ya," and went off to manage the Phillies top farm club, the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs.
I don't blame Sandberg for leaving. The guy paid his dues managing, successfully, in the minor leagues. I would have left the organization too if I was passed up for Mike Quade, no offense to Quade.
If I were Epstein my meeting with Quade wouldn't have lasted 7 hours. It would have been brief, like this.
Theo: Hi Mike, Theo Epstein.
Mike: Hi Theo, nice to meet you.
Theo: Thanks for your efforts Mike but we are letting you go. Have a nice day.
Mike: But, I thought we were...
Theo: Get out!
End of meeting.
Then, I would immediately call Sandberg and make him the new manager of the Chicago Cubs.

Monday Night Football

I'm watching the turnover fest that is the Chargers and Chiefs on Monday Night Football. It's a close game that has the Chiefs up 13-9 late in the third quarter. Ron Jaworski and Jon Gruden won't shut up. Mike Tirico is as boring an announcer as I've ever heard and it brings me to the sad reality. That is...I can't wait for spring training to start.
We are just 3 days from the end of the World Series and I'm already sick of the off-season, sick of the cold, sick of the snow, sick of punks coming to my door for Halloween candy. I'm sick and tired of it and I wish I was a bear so I could just hibernate over the winter and have someone wake me up when pitchers and catchers report to spring training.
And I just spilled ginger ale all over my shirt. What that has to do with this post, I don't know. But during baseball season I seem to be able to drink without spilling it all over myself.
Oh, the Chargers just kicked another field goal. 13-12 Chiefs. Oh joy. Ugh.

Into the Sunset

While I wasn't shocked, I was surprised today at the announcement that Cardinals Manager Tony LaRussa is retiring, just three days after winning his third World Series.
There have been times when LaRussa has tested my patience and I sarcastically have referred to him as "The Man Who Invented Baseball." There were instances at Coors Field when he was less than cordial to the media, myself included.
But the bottom line was the guy was a heck of a manager, the third most wins of all-time. One reason his exiting was somewhat surprising is that he is just 35 wins shy of John McGraw's total of 2,763 wins, good for second on the all-time list. LaRussa checks in at 2,728 victories.
Connie Mack registered 3,731 wins so if LaRussa set his sights on setting the record for most wins as a Major League manager then he would need to manage at least 10-more seasons and average 100 wins a year. That would give him 1,000 more wins and still leave him 3 short of Mack at the age of 77. Wasn't going to happen and now it definitely won't happen. One consolation for LaRussa versus Mack is winning percentage. LaRussa's winning percentage is .536. Mack's was .486. It helped that he managed 53-years and owned the team. He wasn't going to fire himself! For the record, McGraw's winning percentage was a phenomenal .586. Joe McCarthy, who was the bench boss for the Cubs Yankees and Red Sox is the all-time winning percentage leader at .615. He won 7 World Series titles with the Yanks.
Best wishes to LaRussa, one of the greatest managers ever and a guy who will end up in the Hall of Fame, deservedly so. I also really admire LaRussa's love and commitment to animals. He loves dogs and cats and raises money for the care of animals.
Meanwhile, I don't know who will manage the Cardinals next season but I do know one thing. You can knock at least a half hour off Cards games next year.

Best World Series Games

Since it is so fresh in our memories, people have been jumping to the immediate conclusion that Game 6 of the 2011 World Series is the greatest series game ever.
Well, let's hold on here for a minute.
While it was certainly a thrilling game, I wouldn't label it the "Best World Series Game" ever.
Here are my Top 5 World Series games ever. Of course some of them I haven't seen since I wasn't born. But I looked at it from the standpoint of which games would I go see first if there was such a thing as a time machine.
1) 1956 Game 5...Don Larsen's perfect game. How can there be a game better than this?
2) 1929 Game 4...Athletics overcome 8-0 deficet versus Cubs. Cubs were looking to even the series at 2 when Philadelphia scored 10 in the 7th inning and win 10-8. they won the series the next game. The Cubs haven't recovered.
3) 1991 Game 7...Twins Morris over Braves 1-0 in 10. This was a thrilling game from start to finish. Game 7 trumps Game 6.
4) 2011 Game 6...Cards fight off Rangers 10-9 in 11
5) 1960 Game 7...Mazeroski's homer completes dramatic upset for Pirates over Yanks.
6) 1986 Game 6...Mets rally with 2 outs in 9th with help from Buckner to force a deciding game.
7) 1975 Game 6...Fisk homers to force Game 7 at Fenway.
8) 1926 Game 7...Cards over Yanks 3-2. Babe Ruth thrown out attempting to steal 2nd to end game. Grover Cleveland Alexander the 2 1/3 inning save...a day after a complete game win.
9) 1962 Game 7...McCovey lines out to Richardson as Yanks top Giants 1-0.

So while you make think Game 6 of the this past World Series was the best game ever, step back and analyze it. It is a subjective list but we shouldn't jump to conclusions without thinking it over a bit. We all have our lists. This was mine.

Haunted Forever

The Texas Rangers lost the World Series. Alright, a lot of teams have lost the World Series. Actually, the same number of teams have lost the World Series as have won it.
Anyway, the Rangers though are different than most teams that have lost the World Series.
The way the 2011 Texas Rangers lost the World Series will haunt every member of this team until the day they die.
Game 6 will forever be a mental pain that time can't heal. The wounds will never close.
Anybody who has participated in sports had endured difficult losses. One can get past difficult losses. The Game 6 lost though will be impossible to get over.
I hate to play the blame game but Rangers Manager Ron Washington blew Game 6. Why in the world didn't he have Neftali Feliz pitch in the bottom of the 10th? Sure he gave up two runs in the bottom of the 9th but when Josh Hamilton belted a 2-run shot in the top of the 10th it gave Feliz a chance at redemption.
Feliz is 23 years old. He threw 22 pitches in the 9th. What, he's on a 20-pitch pitch count? He's tired with the World Series on the line?
I can't imagine what guys like Rollie Fingers, Bruce Sutter and Goose Gossage were thinking, guys who would rack up 2 and 3 inning saves.
If Joe Girardi did that with Mariano Rivera in the same situation, Girardi wouldn't have made it out of the stadium alive.
When I saw Darren Oliver on the mound to start the bottom of the 11th I couldn't believe it. I bet the Cardinals didn't believe it either. Ron Washington didn't give his team the best chance to win. Give St. Louis credit but Washington blew it.
Yes, the Rangers will never get over the Game 6 loss and the loss of the World Series in 7 games. Never. Haunted. Forever.

On Field Presentation

Baseball has done a good job in recent seasons in presenting the World Series trophy on the field, where the fans can see it, than in the crowded locker room where they used to present the trophy.
By the way, can't Commissioner Bud Selig present the trophy to the Cardinals without reading notes? He makes 18-million a year to be the commissioner. Yes, you read that right. For that much he should at least memorize the simple, short congratulations speech.

Tacky

Maybe it's just me but I find it tacky and in bad taste to see, just 5 minutes after the Cardinals won the World Series, a commercial peddling World Series championship hats and T-shirts and crap.
Can't they just wait a day or two? To me it just cheapens thing. It's as if the only reason they play the World Series is to have a reason to sell cheap shirts and hats. Well, not cheap. It will cost you a pretty penny just to walk around with a Cardinals World Series Championship T-shirt.
Meanwhile, poor kids in Indonesia will be sporting Texas Rangers World Series Championship gear in a few days.
Do I sound like a salty old guy?

Cockroaches

Congrats to the St. Louis Cockroaches...I mean Cardinals. I say cockroaches as a compliment. In a nuclear war, the only things that would survive would be cockroaches. Just ask anyone who lives in a filthy tenement You can't kill cockroaches no matter what.
The 2011 Cardinals? You couldn't kill them off. When they were 10-games out of the Wild Card in late August who could have predicted they would make the post-season, much less win their 11th World Series Championship?
Who would have expected them to get past the Phillies? The Brewers? The Rangers?
Job well done by a team that refused to quit. Refused to die...like cockroaches. Although, the Cardinals, both the bird and the team are much more likeable than cockroaches.

What a Game!

Why do I love baseball?
Simple. Game 6 of the World Series.
Drama, drama and more drama.
The Cardinals refused to lose the game and finally won it in the bottom of the 11th.
David Freese, who tied it in the 9th with a 2-run, 2-out triple, won it with a home in the 11th.
Just an electrifying moment capping off an electrifying game.
If your blood pressure didn't rise tonight then you are either dead...or you just don't get it.
Game 7 tomorrow. If the Rangers don't win tomorrow night, this game will haunt them forever.
As the great Dick Enberg would say, "Oh my!"

33 Hits...and a loss!

On July 10th, 1932, at League Park in Cleveland, the Indians rapped out 33 hits on their way to scoring 17 runs. They lost. In 18 innings.
It was the Athletics 18 Indians 17. The A's had a mere 25 hits.
Jimmie Foxx of Philadelphia had 6 hits and 8 RBI's.
How about the day for Cleveland shortstop Johnny Burnett? He had 9 hits in 11 at-bats. Before the game his batting average was .299. After this game his aveage ballooned to .323!
Dick Porter, whom I wrote about in a previous post, was 3-10 in the game.
Eddie Rommel was the winning pitcher. He came on in relief of Lew Krausse who went just one inning. Rommel pitched the next 17 innings, gave up 29 hits, walked 9, allowed 14 runs (only 13 earned runs) and got the win!
After the game, A's manager Connie Mack said, "Holy shit, what a game. I managed my ass off!"
Actually he didn't say that but it would have been a pretty good quote if he did.
Check out the boxscore of this wild game at: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CLE/CLE193207100.shtml

Washed Out

With snow in Denver today and not having to work, I caught up on some much needed sleep.
I was looking forward to the World Series tonight. Well, thanks to the rain, I'll have to wait for Game 6.
Funny, I love the rain. However, I don't like it when it interferes with baseball.

Dick Porter

One of the things I enjoy doing is going onto www.baseball-reference.com and just look up old games, old players and that kind of thing. I have spent as many as 8 hours in one stretch looking up stuff on the greatest website ever.
I used to be the dork who would always lug around a Baseball Encyclopedia. Now, thank goodness, all I have to do is read everything on the computer.
Anyway, I stumbled upon a guy named Dick Porter who played for the Indians from 1929 through 1934. He spend most of 1934 with the Red Sox.
Porter had a relatively short 6-year Major League career but he hit .308 lifetime. His last season he was just 32. Maybe he got a better job offer. In those days players didn't make that much and perhaps he could make more money outside of baseball. I would like to know why he didn't play longer than he did.
One of the things that grabbed my attention was that Porter only hit 11 home runs but two of them were off Hall of Famers, Red Ruffing and Lefty Grove. That's pretty good no?
He was also nicknamed Wiggles or Twitches. Was he a nervous guy?
Porter passed away in 1974 at the age of 72 in Philadelphia.

Good News For Boston

Just came over the wire.
John Lackey will have Tommy John surgery and will miss the entire 2012 season.
Damn.

Drunk Sox

If I were a Red Sox fan I'd be pissed about all the talk of Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and John "I'm divorcing my wife who has breast cancer" Lackey drinking beer and eating fried chicken in the clubhouse during games they weren't pitching. Although, with the way these three threw down the stretch it seemed as if they were liquored up at times.
While the Bostons were blowing their post-season chances with an historic collapse down the stretch, these three knuckleheads were having a good old time.
Why didn't Terry Francona or somebody else crack down on this type of embarrassing behavior?
It reminds me of the time Rickey Henderson and Bobby Bonilla were playing cards during Game 6 of the 1999 NLCS. They couldn't care less that the Braves beat the Mets in 11-innings to advance to the World Series.
One last thing, if these guys are drinking in the clubhouse during the game, who was driving them home? Somebody else I hope. Let's not forget the Josh Hancock death. The Cardinals pitcher died in 2007 when he was driving drunk after drinking in the St. Louis clubhouse.

The Well Runs Dry

After scoring 16 runs in Game 3 of the World Series, the Cardinals were shutout in Game 4 and held to just 2 runs in Game 5, losing both games.
Great pitching by Derek Holland in Game 4 and good enough pitching in Game 5 by C.J. Wilson have the Rangers one win away from their first World Series title.
The Cardinals have to be upset scoring just 2 runs in the last two games in Texas' ballpark. That place is a hitter's paradise but last night the Cards left 71 guys on base...or so it seemed.
With the bats quiet and the Rangers pitching of late, I think their chances of wrapping up the series in 6 games is good with Colby Lewis on the hill against Jaime Garcia tomorrow night.

Kinda Impressive

Albert Pujols, Game 3 line.
AB: 6
H: 5
R: 4
HR: 3
RBI: 6
He is the third player to hit 3 homers in a World Series game. The others? Babe Ruth (twice) and Reggie Jackson. I remember watching Reggie's 3 homer game, in Game 6 of the 1977 World Series. I wasn't around when The Babe did his thing.
Quite a game for Pujols.
Oh yeah, the Cardinals wiped out the Rangers 16-7. It didn't hurt that the Cardinals got a break with a bad call at first that led to 4 runs. Baseball needs to implement instant replay, at least for the post-season.

Come On Albert

After messing up the relay throw in the 9th from centerfield that allowed the eventual winning run to score for the Rangers, Albert Pujols jettisoned the Busch Stadium clubhouse without talking to the media. He let his teammates talk instead.
Bad, bad, bad Albert.
If Pujols is truly the leader of the team on the field, he also has a responsibility off the field to deal with the media. He owes his team that and the fans.
I'm sure if Pujols, in potentially his last home game as a Cardinal, belted the game winning home run he would have been front and center in front of the cameras talking about it.
You can't have it both ways. Well I guess you can but it shouldn't be that way. I respect players who can get up there and explain what happened. It's refreshing when a player takes responsibility and says, "It was my fault. I should have made the play..."

Sweating It Out

My Cardinal loving nephew Tony Jarboe admits his blood pressure is up as he watches his beloved team in the World Series.
He mentioned this to me after I sent him an e-mail telling him I had no pressure. I was rooting for the Rangers and if they won, fine. If they lost, not a big deal to me. If the Cards win, I'll be happy for Tony.
I'll just watch the games, hope they are close and compelling (which they have been so far) and wish for a 7 game series for dramatic purposes.
Tony though doesn't have that luxury. He's into every pitch, sweating it out the entire game. Pressure, lost sleep, second guessing, applying every superstition that he may have, altering his schedule around the games, spending time and effort reading about the series, watching the highlights and so forth.
Me, I just get to relax and chill out while chuckling at Tony's predicament.
Damn. I wish I was in Tony's shoes. Nothing like your team in the post-season.

Trigger Happy Yankee Fan

In the previous post, Moammar Khadafy got his first mention on this blog, but not his last. This would be his second mention and probably his last.
Anyway, after the dirty dog was pulled out of his palatial sewer pipe in Libya, complete with rats and fecal matter, the angry mob beat the crap out of him. It was reminiscent of Larry Holmes v Randall "Tex" Cobb.
Finally, 20-year old Mohamed El Bibi fired the fatal shot to the head of the Libyan strongman, who looked like a weakman in drag. El Bibi, which sounds like a great nickname for a pitcher, was wearing...a New York Yankees cap.
No word on if El Bibi will fire, I mean, throw out the first ball at the new Yankee Stadium next season. If he does, I just hope they frisk him and put him through a metal detector first.
At least one Yankees fan had a good October.

So Far So Good

It's been a good World Series so far, even up at one game apiece with a pair of one run games.
I watched the first game and with the Cardinals win it meant that my prediction of the Rangers winning in 4 went by the boards.
Last night, I caught the final inning on the radio. I had a high school football game to announce and couldn't watch the game unfortunately.
Looking forward to the games in Texas.
Meanwhile, I am rooting for the Rangers because, in most instances, I pull for the American League team.
The only times I rooted for the National League in the World Series was 1975 when I pulled for the Reds over the Red Sox since I hate the Red Sox.
In 1988, I went for the Dodgers over the Athletics. The reason for that was I felt I "owed" the Dodgers my allegiance since they beat the Mets in the NLCS. So for that 88 series I was loyal to the Dodgers.
In 2004 and 2007 I rooted for the Cardinals and Rockies against the Red Sox. Things didn't go well in those two Fall Classics.
The only time I pulled for the Red Sox in the few World Series they've participated in in my lifetime was in 1986 against the Mets. Yes, I hate the Mets more than the Red Sox. While the Mets winning wasn't fun, at least the Red Sox suffered a painful Moammar Khadafy-esque demise. I would have to say, from my viewpoint, the 1986 World Series goes down as the worst one ever.

World Series Prediction

While Fox TV was probably hoping for a Yankees-Cardinals or Yankees-Phillies World Series, they didn't get Diamondbacks-Rays either.
The Rangers-Cardinals series will likely do OK numbers ratings-wise. Too bad the ratings on the East coast will be small as usual due to the late starting times.
Anyway, it is hard to pick against the Cardinals. They weren't supposed to beat the Phillies and many people thought the Brewers would knock them out.
That being said, I'm going with the Rangers to win the series. I just think they are the far superior team.
They are also a likable team. I mean, how can you not like Michael Young? One of my favorite players is also Ian Kinsler. The guy can rake. I love the way he plays the game...and he wears his pants properly, not like pajamas. The owner is even likable. As a matter of fact the owner of the Rangers was one of the most popular players ever, Nolan Ryan.
I often said, Nolan Ryan wasn't the best pitcher I've ever seen. But he was the most spectacular. The was blessed with the greatest right arm ever in the history of mankind.
Oh yeah, my prediction. Rangers in 4. Take out the brooms Texas.

Crafty Carpenter

The Cardinals over the Phillies was a great series. The Game 5 pitching duel between Chris Carpenter and Roy Halladay was one of the best pitched games I've ever seen.
St. Louis won 1-0 and the fact that Carpenter held that lineup to just 3 hits in that bandbox of a ballpark is astounding.
The playoffs have been great so far, excepting the Tigers-Yankees series. I found no joy in that series.

Lackey Is Lacking

I have zero respect for Red Sox pitcher John Lackey and I'm not the only one. Boston fans have come to hate him since he is an excuse maker and hasn't lived up to his big free-agent contract. Not even close.
He has a reputation as a bad teammate and a selfish guy. OK. Not the end of the world. There are a lot of "me first" guys and bad teammates in baseball. Always has been and always will be.
But where I lost it with Lackey is the fact that he filed for divorce from his wife...his wife who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. Holy shit, Lackey, be a man and take care of your wife.
Personally, I believe if you were going to divorce your wife before she got breast cancer, you would do an about face and do everything in your power to help her beat this insidious disease once she was diagnosed. Isn't there something in the wedding vows that say "in sickness and in health"?
How a guy can divorce his wife, a woman he supposedly loved enough to marry, when she gets breast cancer is as low as you can go and decent people cannot understand it. Lackey is lacking common decency. He is a scumbag.
My best to his wife in beating her disease. Then I hope she finds someone who actually cares about her.

Dismantling

When a team doesn't win a World Series for 86-years and then wins two in eight seasons under the same manager, you would think said manager would earn the title, "Manager For Life."
Well, Terry Francona didn't get that respect from Boston. After the folding job in September the Red Sox dismissed Francona and then, to justify getting rid of him the cowardly front office leaked information about his personal and professional life. A hatchet job, totally unwarranted and classless.
The owners of the Bostons also let General Manager Theo Epstein leave to go to the Cubs, in effect telling him "thanks for nothing."
This has to be the ultimate knee-jerk reaction for not making the playoffs and finding scapegoats.
There are a myriad of reasons why the Red Sox didn't make the playoffs. None of those reasons are Francona and Epstein. The Boston owners should be ashamed of themselves.

Expected

The Yankees season went up in flames in a Game 5 loss to the Tigers. The bullpen kept it close but Alex Rodriguez, once again, choked in the post-season.
I'm not going to be hard on A-Rod. He went 0-4 with 3 strikeouts in the 3-2 loss. Overall, Rodriquez hit .111, going 2-18 with no extra base hits and 3 RBI's.
I'm not mad. He doesn't come through in the post-season. I'll give him credit for 2009 when he had a great post-season but for the most part he has consistently underachieved in October. What can you do? The guy isn't a great clutch player. He is what he is.
Meanwhile, Mark Teixeira, Nick Swisher and Russell Martin weren't exactly clutch either.

Checked Out

Well, it's been a while since I updated Mysterious Walker. Several reasons, being swamped with work has been one. Being ticked off that the Yankees couldn't beat the stinking Tigers is another.
But after a brief sabbatical, I'm back. That's good I think. I hope.

Happiness Is...

...A.J. Burnett on the hill with the season on the line!
Burnett was great tonight. He should also take Curtis Granderson out to dinner for his catch with the bases loaded in the first. Burnett settled down and got the win with 5 2/3 innings of work, allowing just one run in the Yankees 10-1 win over the Tigers.
The pivotal Game 5 will be Thursday night at the new Yankee Stadium mallpark.
And, as I've always said about my man A.J., he's a MONEY PITCHER. Season on the line I want him on the hill. The regular season is just a tune up for the big righthander.
As for what I wrote about him during the season...um, I don't recall any of it.
Good night kids. Sleep well. I know I will. Thank you A.J. You are the man!

Rangers Advance

After Game one's blowout over the Rangers, I never thought the Rays would lose the next three.
But, like a year ago, Texas sends the Rays home. Although, they don't have far to go. The game was played at that tradition laden ballpark, Tropicana Field.
The Rangers will be a tough out in the ALCS.

Happiness Isn't...

...having to rely on A.J. Burnett to keep your season alive.
If A.J. wins tonight I take back everything bad I allegedly said about him.

Big Mouth

Tigers closer Jose Valverde said yesterday, after the win over the Yankees to tie the series at a game apiece, that the series was over and wasn't coming back to New York.
Is it a smart thing to guarantee a series victory? I don't think so but no one ever said Valverde was a great thinker.
Why even say anything like that? I'm sure he feels his team will win and he should feel that way. But if I were one of his teammates I'd be annoyed with his comments.
We'll see.

60 Years Ago Today

On October 3rd, 1951, Bobby Thomson's bottom of the 9th home run off Ralph Branca at the Polo Grounds won the pennant for the Giants, 5-4 over the Dodgers. It is one of the most famous games ever and the call by Giants announcer Russ Hodges "The Giants win the pennant, the Giants win the pennant..." is one of the classic moments in sports broadcasting history.
A few post home run thoughts.
Is it the most famous home run ever hit? I would say yes.
What ever happened to the ball that Thomson hit? It went into the lower deck in left field at the Polo Grounds. Who ended up with the ball? Where is it today? If Thomson's home run happened today, how long would it take the person in possession of the ball to put it up for auction to the highest bidder?
What happened to the bat that Thomson used to hit the home run? Did it end up in the Hall of Fame? I think I might have seen it there but I don't remember.
As for Thomson and Branca, they became friends and did card shows and stuff like that. I met Branca at a charity golf tournament in Rockland County, New York in the late 1980's when I was working for a cable television station. I interviewed Branca and was told not to bring up the home run. I didn't but he did. I don't know whatever became of that tape but I wish I had it. I never met Thomson. If I remember correctly, he was supposed to be at that golf tournament, hosted by comedian Freddie Roman, but never showed up.
Bobby Thomson passed away in August of 2010 at the age of 86.
Ralph Branca, the father-in-law of Bobby Valentine, is still alive and kicking at the age of 85.
Besides Branca, only Andy Pafko and Don Newcombe of the Dodgers and Alvin Dark, Don Mueller, Willie Mays and Monte Irvin of the Giants are still alive of the 24 men who played in that game. Irvin is the oldest at 92 and Mays is the youngest at 80.
Less than a decade after "The Shot Heard Round the World," the Giants fled the Polo Grounds to San Francisco and the Dodgers left Brooklyn and Ebbets Field to go to Los Angeles in 1958.
Lastly, even though the only connection is the date, Hall of Famer Dave Winfield was born on October 3, 1951.
It was quite a day 60-years ago, wasn't it?

Hundreds and Hundreds!

If it's post-season baseball, I'm watching it. But that doesn't apply to everyone.
I don't have any numbers in front of me but I'm guessing the Diamondbacks-Brewers series hasn't captured the attention of America.
Ratings winner won't be heard when discussing television viewership of this series. But I could be wrong.

The Soothsayer

I watched one of the funniest YouTube videos I've ever seen last night, courtesy of Dan Shaughnessy.
Shaughnessy, a Boston writer, was on the Red Sox station, NESN, Wednesday night during the rain delay of the Sox-Orioles game. At the time of the rain delay, Boston was leading Baltimore 3-2 in the 7th inning, while the Rays were losing 7-0 to the Yankees in the 8th inning.
The fun began when the lovely, beautiful, gorgeous, jaw-dropping, mouth-watering, snappy and fantasy inducing Heidi Watney asked Shaughnessy if the Rays had a chance to come back to beat the Yankees.
Shaughnessy, in his smug manner, shot Heidi a smirk and proceeded to tell everyone that the Rays wouldn't win their game and the worst thing that could happen was that Baltimore would rally to beat the Sox and there would be a play-in game the next night in Tampa.
Really? That is the worst thing that could happen? Well, I'm certainly glad they avoided the worst case scenario!
Take that Mr. Know-it-all Boston crank.
Go to YouTube and type in "Shaunessy." Whoever posted the clip on YouTube misspelled his name. They should have spelled it "Idiot."

Francona

There are questions regarding the departure of Terry Francona as the Red Sox manager.
Who will become the new manager of the Bostons?
Where will Francona end up?
Why did a guy who won two World Series titles in eight seasons for a franchise that hadn't won a World Series title in 86-years get let go? You would have think that would have given him the moniker "Manager for Life."
Maybe the Red Sox can bring back Grady Little. Or Joe Morgan. Or Butch Hobson. Or Jimy Williams.
Stupid move to make Francona the scapegoat for the collapse down the stretch. It was a knee-jerk reaction.

The Sweetest Swing

If you are a pitching coach devising a strategy to get Robinson Cano out, good luck. Instead of wasting time trying to figure out a way to pitch to him, just save the effort and tell your pitchers, "you're on your own."
It doesn't matter what you throw, where your throw it or if you are a lefty or righthanded pitcher. Cano just mashes. He doesn't just slap the ball the other way like Rod Carew did. He drives the pitch. To all fields.
Is there a sweeter, smoother looking swing than Cano's? I'll give you the answer. No.
Last night's 6 RBI's in the Yankees 9-3 win over the Tigers just showed how dangerous a hitter he is. Amazing performance by a tremendous player. And since I'm raving about Cano offensively, I'll throw this in. The best arm for a second baseman I've ever seen...and it's not even close.