Yu Love to See It: MLB 2021

[Hot Pepsi]

Well, I have some experience with the fact that the students at "elite" institutions are not at all free from either failure or self doubt, but YMMV.

Certainly! My mistake. I needed a transition there.

I meant that successful professional athletes who attend elite institutions are generally used to things going their way and being told how special they are. Indeed, that kind of entitlement goes beyond the professional level and beyond the elite institutions.

This is a problem within sports too, of course. In most sports, there surprisingly little overlap between the most gifted players and the players who go on to be the best coaches or GMs or owners.

And a lot of them really struggle transitioning to life after sports. If sports have been one’s only source of validation and self-worth, how do you start over at age 23 or 25 or 30? A lot of them just stay in the game in broadcasting or coaching and a lot of them, I’m reliably informed, never grow up.

Now college players and, probably soon, high school players, make money off of endorsements and for signing autographs. I suppose that’s fair, but it’s not setting them up to cope with adulthood.

[ursus arctos]

And the DUI was on the way back from a party with the team at the owner's estate in Greenwich.

The Mets are the Aristocrats of MLB and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Good memory on Zeile

By this point in his career, Zeile appeared to have accepted his fate as a baseball wanderer. Determined to make the most of New York, he rented an apartment in Greenwich Village, made a point to see the city’s cultural attractions and often rode the 7 train to games in Flushing. “I enjoy the city. I enjoy the theater. I enjoy the museums. I enjoy the cultural diversity. It’s exactly what I hoped for.”

[Hot Pepsi]

I think Todd Zeille (sp?) was a subway rider when he played with the Mets and Hunter Pence seemed to ride a scooter to the ballpark. Maddon rode a bike to work when he was in Tampa. I don't know if he did that with the Cubs.

In other news, the Mets' GM is on administrative leave after a DUI. This is the second GM of the year. The first was fired for harassing reporters (one to an extreme degree).

That all feels very Metsian.

[Flynnie]

John Olerud took the subway as well as I recall. That is kind of a cool thing about Todd Zeile though. I was bored one day and thought about what players do on their off days (the Giants almost always have an off day in New York City for example). Do they sightsee? Go out for dinner? On game days there isn’t really time to do much more than have breakfast and maybe wander a block or two from the hotel given they show up so early to the ballpark.

The answer was some do stuff — CJ Wilson had a whole Instagram story about renting a convertible in Oakland and driving across the bridges and then up to Muir Woods — but a lot just play video games in their hotel room, which sounds god damn awful. The ball players of yore fraternised, often to try and get laid, but at least that’s a social activity. The 70s Yankees were notorious for hanging out at Daisy Buchanan’s in Boston.

[Hot Pepsi]

Joey Votto. Renaissance man.

https://theathletic.com/2479327/2021...shared_article

[danielmak]

Amazing energy in San Francisco tonight for the Dodgers-Giants. The crowd is making a first-class racket.

[ursus arctos]

They really don't like your lot

[danielmak]

Thriller of a game by my time has elapsed. I assume the Giants will win but I've done my 3hr 30min plus and switching to WCQ.

[ad hoc]

My sport scores app is showing that the Giants are 3-2 up in extra innings, but as the home team surely if they're ahead in extra innings they've won?

Editk it says they've won now

[ad hoc]

Hmm I inadvertently made an emoji (colon plus o) but now I can't delete it

[ursus arctos]

Yes, it was a Manfred Man battle

After LA tied it 1-1 in the top of the ninth, each team's free runner on second base to start the tenth scored before the Giants held the Dodgers scoreless in the top of the 11th and won it when Buster Posey reached (and the Manfred Man scored) on a throwing error that LA challenged, but was upheld after video review.

So it is somewhat understandable that the app was confused.

[danielmak]

Dave Roberts was rightly credited for that 16 inning win against the Padres because he kept walking batters to get to the pitcher. The friars had used up all bench players. Last night Roberts paid the price in reverse: bullpen game meant constant double swtiches that led to a catcher at first base in combination with T Turner at second (as has been the case since he arrived in LA even though he had never played second base professionally). So that was a recipe for disaster beyond having pitchers batting because the bullpen game burned through the pen.

Bullpenning has been a fascinating shift in baseball for better and worse: (1) For better it shows that changing a batters eye makes it very hard for them to hit. (2) For worse the games go on and on and on. (3) The managers don't seem to understand that they are wearing out the relief pitchers so by the time that team gets into the playoffs (if they make the playoffs) the back of the baseball card is not the pitcher who is on the mound. As most analysts stressed during the WS last season: Blake Snell had never gone that far in a game but Nick Anderson was only Nick Anderson in name, not performance. The Dodgers have basically been running bullpen days all season. It's not like those guys get a day off during other games since Bauer (out most of the season) and Scherzer (only arrived at the trade deadline) are the only guys who can potentially go past 7.

[Patrick Thistle]

Since I said the Padres would only won 6 more games they've won 3. They lost last night. They have been out of the wild card spot for a fortnight now.

Mrs Thistle asked me why they'd tanked. That was a long explanation....

[ursus arctos]

The Giants lead 4-1 in the top id the third inning

The Giants are also on their fourth pitcher

The game's done changed, dog

[ursus arctos]

Giants hold on, win 6-4, and once again have a one game lead

And the Padres are now half a game up on Cincinnati for the second wild card

[danielmak]

Only saw some of tonight's game but by the time I tuned in the Dodgers were already cooked. Buehler gave up more earned runs in 3 innings than in a month it seems like. There was a lot of talk leading up to the series that this would decide the NL West, which is laughable. Even if one team swept, there are too many more games to go. But what is important about the Giants winning the series is that neither team seems to separate. If that continues then the Giants lead will matter.

[danielmak]

I was ready to put on the Dodgers-Cardinals game after a Labor Day not free from labor and how about that, the game is over 2hr 37min. Finally a game I would have loved to watch: quick and a win but the game was too quick. Haha.

[Amor de Cosmos]

Meanwhile over in the Upstart League East the BJs are making a move... possibly... perhaps... maybe.

[Greenlander]

Listened to a thriller in Boston. Rays down by 6 at the start of the 4th, keep chipping away only to see the Red Sox cancel them out. Somehow hold on in the 9th to take it to extra innings. Grab a two run lead but seem certain to lose as Boston immediately score one then load the bases. Last bat grounds out but it sounded a close run thing. Enjoyed dipping in and out immensely and it finished at a most reasonable time of 2330 for me though it certainly failed the danielmak time test being almost five hours.

[danielmak]

Albert homers in St. Louis. I think the Angels had been back so it wasn't his first return, but the crowd still cheered him.

Bullpen game for the Dodgers, which drives me nuts.

[Amor de Cosmos]

Mad Vlad Jr just hit his 41st homer. Looks likely to finish the Yankees again.

[danielmak]

Dodgers split with Cardinals but bats seem to have gone cold lately. Not ideal when getting ready to play the Padres. Gonsolin is finally off the DL to decrease the bullpen days hopefully and at least the pitching has been solid while the hitting has been weak.

Padres are currently in the second wild card spot.

Going to see the Red Sox-White Sox on Saturday. First time in a stadium in a long time.

[ursus arctos]

Baby Bears doing their bit for the Forces of Good by lying down in front of the Giants

[San Bernardhinault]

They did their bit for the Forces of Good by winning their previous series against the Reds. The Forces of Good require a lot more of that kind of support from other teams.

I think losing to the Giants doesn't help the Forces of Good, because I feel that should the Forces of Good get to the wild card game, they'd have a better chance against the Giants than the against the Forces of Evil.*

(Forces of Good may have a different meaning in my post than in Ursus's)

[Patrick Thistle]

Dodgers split with Cardinals but bats seem to have gone cold lately. Not ideal when getting ready to play the Padres. Gonsolin is finally off the DL to decrease the bullpen days hopefully and at least the pitching has been solid while the hitting has been weak.

Good bit of reverse psych there as the Padres fail to score and a "solid" pitch hits Jake Cronenworth and breaks his finger.