By Hal McCoy
UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave, wondering how a team that lost 100 games last season and has been more than 10 games under .500 most of this year can win 11 straight road games as the Miami Marlines have done. Baseball. Ya gotta love it.
—ALL-$$$ TEAM: They’ve named the All-Star teams for next week’s game, but how about the All-Dollar Sign team, the highest-paid player at each position. They are:
C-J.T. Realmuto ($23.1 million), 1B-Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ($28.5 million), 2B-Marcus Semien ($25 million), 3B-Alex Bregmamn ($40 million), SS-Francisco Lindor ($34.1 million), LF-Jose Altuve ($25 million), CF-Cody Bellinger ($26.7 million), RF-Juan Soto ($51 million), DH-Shohei Ohtani ($70million), CLOSER-Edwin Diaz ($20.4 million).
There you have it. . .a team with a one-year payroll of $348.8 million. And the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers could pay it.
—THAT’S MY MOM: Remember the forgettable baseball movie ‘Little Big League’ in which Ken Griffey Jr. made a cameo appearance?
If you ever watch it again, and why would you, pay attention to Billy’s mom. The actress is Ashley Crow. And you know what else she is? Something better than an actress.
She is the mother of Chicago Cubs superstar Pete Crow-Armstrong and what he is doing is better than any movie.
—ROCKIN’ ROBIN: Put a ribbon around this one and file it away because it never will be duplicated.
In late 1953, Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Robin Roberts pitched a complete-game 10-inning shutout. It was his 28th straight complete game, a record that has stood since the lively ball era began in 1920.
And it will stand for another 105 years and beyond, unless robots begin pitching MLB games. . .don’t count that out.
—BALSAM BATS: Can somebody call Hillerich & Bradsby and/or Marucci and have them ship some bats to the Cleveland Guardians. The ones they are using are full of holes.
The Guardians went on a ten-game losing streak, which is bad enough, but they were shut out five times during those ten losses.
—THE SKENES SCENE: Judging from his quotes and interviews, it isn’t likely that Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes is an imbiber.
But what the Pirates are doing to him is at least enough for Skenes to listen to the lyrics from a Shaboozey’s song, “Somebody pour me out a double shot of whiskey, they know me and Jack Daniels got a history.”
Skenes has made 19 starts. He has given up zero earned runs seven times. He has given up one earned run five times. He has given up two earned runs four times.
That’s 16 out of 19 starts giving up two or less earned runs. His record? 4-and-7 with an earned run average of 1.94. Even more incredible, he has one win in his last 13 starts with a 1.72 ERA.
How is that possible? Easy. It’s the Pittsburgh Pirates.
—NOLAN NOTES: As I’ve mentioned time and time and time, Nolan Ryan’s feats fascinate me. As Jim Murray put it, “Nolan Ryan belongs in the Hall of Fame and his arm belongs in the Smithsonian.”
An example provided bv my unpaid contributor Jeff Singleton: In a 1976 game, pitching for the California Angels, Ryan threw 235 pitches (yes, 235) in a complete-game over 13 innings against the Boston Red Sox and struck out 19. and walked 10.
Four days later (Four, not five) he pitched six shutout innings against the New York Yankees.
His manager, Dick Williiams, was fired at mid-season, probably for cruelty to pitchers.
—QUOTE: From Nolan Ryan: “One of the beautiful things about baseball is that every once in a while you have to come into a situation where you want to, where you have to, reach down and prove something.” (And he proved it with 235 pitches?)
—PITCH RICH: From 1969 through 1980, the Baltimore Orioles had at least one pitcher win 20 games every year. Incredibly, in 1971 the O’s had four 20-game winners: Dave McNally (21-5, 2.89), Pat Dobson (20-8, 2.90), Jim Palmer (20-9, 2.69), Mike Cuellar (20-9, 3.08).
Their pitching coach was George Bamberger, considered a mound genius even though he appeared in only seven major league games and was 0-and-0 with a 9.42 earned run average.
—QUOTE: From former infielder/manager/scout Jim Fregosi, when asked if he was going to attend former pitcher/scout Pat Dobson’s sixth wedding: “Nah, I’ll catch the next one.”
—TRIVIA TIME: Things nobody but me thinks about:
—The New York Yankees wear pinstriped uniforms and are sometimes referred to as The Pinstripes. But there are eight other MLB teams that wear pinstriped uniforms. Who?
Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres, Miami Marlins, Coloroad Rockies, New York Mets and Minnesota Twins. And not one is referred to as The Pinstripes.
—Players hate it when they get pinch-hit for and some have thrown gear around the dugout or even punched the manager. So who holds the MLB career record for the most times getting taken down for a pinch-hitter?
That would be Mark Belanger, one of the all-time best defensive shortstops. But he was pinch-hit for 333 times. In 18 MLB seasons he hit only 33 homers and batted .228. That .228 might get him the number three spot in a team’s batting order these days.
—QUOTE MACHINE: Baseball people say the darndest things:
—Former MLB first baseman Boog Powell on old Baltimore Memorial Stadium, the last major league park without a roof: “The rats were so big in that stadium that if they stood on their hind legs they could screw a turkey.”
—From former Orioles manager Earl Weaver: “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts. Sacrifice bunt? No, you only get three outs so why give one away?”
—From legendary sports columnist Jim Murray describing the California Angels double play combination: “You’ve heard of the famous double play combination of Tinkers to Evers to Chance? The Angels have Jim Fregosi to Bob Aspromonte to Avalon Boulevard.”
—PLAYLIST NUMBER 184: As American Bandstand host Dick Clark put it: “Music is the soundtrack of your life.”
—Little Deuce Coupe (Beach Boys), Refuge (Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers), Got My Mind Set On You (George Harrison), Don’t You Want Somebody To Love? (Jefferson Airplane), Steal Away (Robbie Dupree), Eternal Flame (The Bangles), Hold On (Wilson Phillips), Shake You Down (Gregory Abbott).
—At This Moment (Billy Vera & The Beaters), Into The Night (Benny Mardones), You May Be Right (Billy Joel), Out Of Touch (Hall & Oates), Go Your Own Way (Fleetwood Mac), Love Is A Battlefield (Pat Benatar), Morning Has Broken (Cat Stevens), Rebel Yell (Billy Idol), Unstoppable (Sia).
Some mid-week Observations…
By Hal McCoy
UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cavel, wondering how a team that lost 100 games last season and has been more than 10 games under .500 most of this year can win 11 straight road games as the Miami Marlines have done. Baseball. Ya gotta love it.
—ALL-$$$ TEAM: They’ve named the All-Star teams for next week’s game, but how about the All-Dollar Sign team, the highest-paid player at each position. They are:
C-J.T. Realmuto ($23.1 million), 1B-Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ($28.5 million), 2B-Marcus Semien ($25 million), 3B-Alex Bregmamn ($40 million), SS-Francisco Lindor ($34.1 million), LF-Jose Altuve ($25 million), CF-Cody Bellinger ($26.7 million), RF-Juan Soto ($51 million), DH-Shohei Ohtani ($70million), CLOSER-Edwin Diaz ($20.4 million).
There you have it. . .a team with a one-year payroll of $348.8 million. And the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers could pay it.
—THAT’S MY MOM: Remember the forgettable baseball movie ‘Little Big League’ in which Ken Griffey Jr. made a cameo appearance?
If you ever watch it again, and why would you, pay attention to Billy’s mom. The actress is Ashley Crow. And you know what else she is? Something better than an actress.
She is the mother of Chicago Cubs superstar Pete Crow-Armstrong and what he is doing is better than any movie.
—ROCKIN’ ROBIN: Put a ribbon around this one and file it away because it never will be duplicated.
In late 1953, Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Robin Roberts pitched a complete-game 10-inning shutout. It was his 28th straight complete game, a record that has stood since the lively ball era began in 1920.
And it will stand for another 105 years and beyond, unless robots begin pitching MLB games. . .don’t count that out.
—BALSAM BATS: Can somebody call Hillerich & Bradsby and/or Marucci and have them ship some bats to the Cleveland Guardians. The ones they are using are full of holes.
The Guardians went on a ten-game losing streak, which is bad enough, but they were shut out five times during those ten losses.
—THE SKENES SCENE: Judging from his quotes and interviews, it isn’t likely that Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes is an imbiber.
But what the Pirates are doing to him is at least enough for Skenes to listen to the lyrics from a Shaboozey’s song, “Somebody pour me out a double shot of whiskey, they know me and Jack Daniels got a history.”
Skenes has made 19 starts. He has given up zero earned runs seven times. He has given up one earned run five times. He has given up two earned runs four times.
That’s 16 out of 19 starts giving up two or less earned runs. His record? 4-and-7 with an earned run average of 1.94. Even more incredible, he has one win in his last 13 starts with a 1.72 ERA.
How is that possible? Easy. It’s the Pittsburgh Pirates.
—NOLAN NOTES: As I’ve mentioned time and time and time, Nolan Ryan’s feats fascinate me. As Jim Murray put it, “Nolan Ryan belongs in the Hall of Fame and his arm belongs in the Smithsonian.”
An example provided bv my unpaid contributor Jeff Singleton: In a 1976 game, pitching for the California Angels, Ryan threw 235 pitches (yes, 235) in a complete-game over 13 innings against the Boston Red Sox and struck out 19. and walked 10.
Four days later (Four, not five) he pitched six shutout innings against the New York Yankees.
His manager, Dick Williiams, was fired at mid-season, probably for cruelty to pitchers.
—QUOTE: From Nolan Ryan: “One of the beautiful things about baseball is that every once in a while you have to come into a situation where you want to, where you have to, reach down and prove something.” (And he proved it with 235 pitches?)
—PITCH RICH: From 1969 through 1980, the Baltimore Orioles had at least one pitcher win 20 games every year. Incredibly, in 1971 the O’s had four 20-game winners: Dave McNally (21-5, 2.89), Pat Dobson (20-8, 2.90), Jim Palmer (20-9, 2.69), Mike Cuellar (20-9, 3.08).
Their pitching coach was George Bamberger, considered a mound genius even though he appeared in only seven major league games and was 0-and-0 with a 9.42 earned run average.
—QUOTE: From former infielder/manager/scout Jim Fregosi, when asked if he was going to attend former pitcher/scout Pat Dobson’s sixth wedding: “Nah, I’ll catch the next one.”
—TRIVIA TIME: Things nobody but me thinks about:
—The New York Yankees wear pinstriped uniforms and are sometimes referred to as The Pinstripes. But there are eight other MLB teams that wear pinstriped uniforms. Who?
Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres, Miami Marlins, Coloroad Rockies, New York Mets and Minnesota Twins. And not one is referred to as The Pinstripes.
—Players hate it when they get pinch-hit for and some have thrown gear around the dugout or even punched the manager. So who holds the MLB career record for the most times getting taken down for a pinch-hitter?
That would be Mark Belanger, one of the all-time best defensive shortstops. But he was pinch-hit for 333 times. In 18 MLB seasons he hit only 33 homers and batted .228. That .228 might get him the number three spot in a team’s batting order these days.
—QUOTE MACHINE: Baseball people say the darndest things:
—Former MLB first baseman Boog Powell on old Baltimore Memorial Stadium, the last major league park without a roof: “The rats were so big in that stadium that if they stood on their hind legs they could screw a turkey.”
—From former Orioles manager Earl Weaver: “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts. Sacrifice bunt? No, you only get three outs so why give one away?”
—From legendary sports columnist Jim Murray describing the California Angels double play combination: “You’ve heard of the famous double play combination of Tinkers to Evers to Chance? The Angels have Jim Fregosi to Bob Aspromonte to Avalon Boulevard.”
—PLAYLIST NUMBER 184: As American Bandstand host Dick Clark put it: “Music is the soundtrack of your life.”
—Little Deuce Coupe (Beach Boys), Refuge (Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers), Got My Mind Set On You (George Harrison), Don’t You Want Somebody To Love? (Jefferson Airplane), Steal Away (Robbie Dupree), Eternal Flame (The Bangles), Hold On (Wilson Phillips), Shake You Down (Gregory Abbott).
—At This Moment (Billy Vera & The Beaters), Into The Night (Benny Mardones), You May Be Right (Billy Joel), Out Of Touch (Hall & Oates), Go Your Own Way (Fleetwood Mac), Love Is A Battlefield (Pat Benatar), Morning Has Broken (Cat Stevens), Rebel Yell (Billy Idol), Unstoppable (Sia).
y Hal McCoy
UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cavel, wondering how a team that lost 100 games last season and has been more than 10 games under .500 most of this year can win 11 straight road games as the Miami Marlines have done. Baseball. Ya gotta love it.
—ALL-$$$ TEAM: They’ve named the All-Star teams for next week’s game, but how about the All-Dollar Sign team, the highest-paid player at each position. They are:
C-J.T. Realmuto ($23.1 million), 1B-Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ($28.5 million), 2B-Marcus Semien ($25 million), 3B-Alex Bregmamn ($40 million), SS-Francisco Lindor ($34.1 million), LF-Jose Altuve ($25 million), CF-Cody Bellinger ($26.7 million), RF-Juan Soto ($51 million), DH-Shohei Ohtani ($70million), CLOSER-Edwin Diaz ($20.4 million).
There you have it. . .a team with a one-year payroll of $348.8 million. And the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers could pay it.
—THAT’S MY MOM: Remember the forgettable baseball movie ‘Little Big League’ in which Ken Griffey Jr. made a cameo appearance?
If you ever watch it again, and why would you, pay attention to Billy’s mom. The actress is Ashley Crow. And you know what else she is? Something better than an actress.
She is the mother of Chicago Cubs superstar Pete Crow-Armstrong and what he is doing is better than any movie.
—ROCKIN’ ROBIN: Put a ribbon around this one and file it away because it never will be duplicated.
In late 1953, Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Robin Roberts pitched a complete-game 10-inning shutout. It was his 28th straight complete game, a record that has stood since the lively ball era began in 1920.
And it will stand for another 105 years and beyond, unless robots begin pitching MLB games. . .don’t count that out.
—BALSAM BATS: Can somebody call Hillerich & Bradsby and/or Marucci and have them ship some bats to the Cleveland Guardians. The ones they are using are full of holes.
The Guardians went on a ten-game losing streak, which is bad enough, but they were shut out five times during those ten losses.
—THE SKENES SCENE: Judging from his quotes and interviews, it isn’t likely that Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes is an imbiber.
But what the Pirates are doing to him is at least enough for Skenes to listen to the lyrics from a Shaboozey’s song, “Somebody pour me out a double shot of whiskey, they know me and Jack Daniels got a history.”
Skenes has made 19 starts. He has given up zero earned runs seven times. He has given up one earned run five times. He has given up two earned runs four times.
That’s 16 out of 19 starts giving up two or less earned runs. His record? 4-and-7 with an earned run average of 1.94. Even more incredible, he has one win in his last 13 starts with a 1.72 ERA.
How is that possible? Easy. It’s the Pittsburgh Pirates.
—NOLAN NOTES: As I’ve mentioned time and time and time, Nolan Ryan’s feats fascinate me. As Jim Murray put it, “Nolan Ryan belongs in the Hall of Fame and his arm belongs in the Smithsonian.”
An example provided bv my unpaid contributor Jeff Singleton: In a 1976 game, pitching for the California Angels, Ryan threw 235 pitches (yes, 235) in a complete-game over 13 innings against the Boston Red Sox and struck out 19. and walked 10.
Four days later (Four, not five) he pitched six shutout innings against the New York Yankees.
His manager, Dick Williiams, was fired at mid-season, probably for cruelty to pitchers.
—QUOTE: From Nolan Ryan: “One of the beautiful things about baseball is that every once in a while you have to come into a situation where you want to, where you have to, reach down and prove something.” (And he proved it with 235 pitches?)
—PITCH RICH: From 1969 through 1980, the Baltimore Orioles had at least one pitcher win 20 games every year. Incredibly, in 1971 the O’s had four 20-game winners: Dave McNally (21-5, 2.89), Pat Dobson (20-8, 2.90), Jim Palmer (20-9, 2.69), Mike Cuellar (20-9, 3.08).
Their pitching coach was George Bamberger, considered a mound genius even though he appeared in only seven major league games and was 0-and-0 with a 9.42 earned run average.
—QUOTE: From former infielder/manager/scout Jim Fregosi, when asked if he was going to attend former pitcher/scout Pat Dobson’s sixth wedding: “Nah, I’ll catch the next one.”
—TRIVIA TIME: Things nobody but me thinks about:
—The New York Yankees wear pinstriped uniforms and are sometimes referred to as The Pinstripes. But there are eight other MLB teams that wear pinstriped uniforms. Who?
Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres, Miami Marlins, Coloroad Rockies, New York Mets and Minnesota Twins. And not one is referred to as The Pinstripes.
—Players hate it when they get pinch-hit for and some have thrown gear around the dugout or even punched the manager. So who holds the MLB career record for the most times getting taken down for a pinch-hitter?
That would be Mark Belanger, one of the all-time best defensive shortstops. But he was pinch-hit for 333 times. In 18 MLB seasons he hit only 33 homers and batted .228. That .228 might get him the number three spot in a team’s batting order these days.
—QUOTE MACHINE: Baseball people say the darndest things:
—Former MLB first baseman Boog Powell on old Baltimore Memorial Stadium, the last major league park without a roof: “The rats were so big in that stadium that if they stood on their hind legs they could screw a turkey.”
—From former Orioles manager Earl Weaver: “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts. Sacrifice bunt? No, you only get three outs so why give one away?”
—From legendary sports columnist Jim Murray describing the California Angels double play combination: “You’ve heard of the famous double play combination of Tinkers to Evers to Chance? The Angels have Jim Fregosi to Bob Aspromonte to Avalon Boulevard.”
—PLAYLIST NUMBER 184: As American Bandstand host Dick Clark put it: “Music is the soundtrack of your life.”
—Little Deuce Coupe (Beach Boys), Refuge (Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers), Got My Mind Set On You (George Harrison), Don’t You Want Somebody To Love? (Jefferson Airplane), Steal Away (Robbie Dupree), Eternal Flame (The Bangles), Hold On (Wilson Phillips), Shake You Down (Gregory Abbott).
—At This Moment (Billy Vera & The Beaters), Into The Night (Benny Mardones), You May Be Right (Billy Joel), Out Of Touch (Hall & Oates), Go Your Own Way (Fleetwood Mac), Love Is A Battlefield (Pat Benatar), Morning Has Broken (Cat Stevens), Rebel Yell (Billy Idol), Unstoppable (Sia).