TWiB Notes - July 11

[Marshmallowmilkshake]

Braves lose Ronald Acuna Jr. for the rest of the year with a complete tear of his ACL. I'm glad we don't have to face him, but that's bad for baseball to lose such a star.



He's also this year's Hallmark ornament, and I swear there is a curse attached to that thing!

[bmfc1]

Did Yelich turn, turn, turn?

https://www.mlb.com/gameday/reds-vs-brewers/2021/07/10/633313#game_state=final,game_tab=videos,game=633313https://www.mlb.com/gameday/reds-vs-brewers/2021/07/10/633313#game_state=final,game_tab=videos,game=633313

It looks like he did and if not then why did he literally put his head in his hands?

Contrast this with McKinney who not long ago almost turned but did not.

[G-Fafif]

From the Philadelphia Inquirer, a reminder that something we're treating as over ain't over.

With a chance to push their record to .500 in the last game before the All-Star break, the Phillies placed four players, including Sunday's scheduled starting pitcher Aaron Nola, on the COVID-19 restricted list. Nola, third baseman Alec Bohm, and relievers Connor Brogdon and Bailey Falter were taken off the roster for the series finale against the Boston Red Sox.

Like the Mets, the Phillies haven't reached 85% vaccination.



https://www.inquirer.com/phillies/phillies-aaron-nola-covid-19-restricted-list-20210711.htmlhttps://www.inquirer.com/phillies/phillies-aaron-nola-covid-19-restricted-list-20210711.html

[G-Fafif]

DeGrom's standard has been breached.

[Ceetar]

Did Yelich turn, turn, turn? https://www.mlb.com/gameday/reds-vs-brewers/2021/07/10/633313#game_state=final,game_tab=videos,game=633313https://www.mlb.com/gameday/reds-vs-brewers/2021/07/10/633313#game_state=final,game_tab=videos,game=633313 It looks like he did and if not then why did he literally put his head in his hands? Contrast this with McKinney who not long ago almost turned but did not.

"cannot be put out if he IMMEDIATELY returns to first base"



he was absolutely out, no question.

[Frayed Knot]

For the second time in about a week, a shitty NYM loss is partially tamed by an even worse MFY loss

Mets led by five after 1 and lost. Yanx led by five after 8-1/2. This time they stayed away from Aroldis Chapman ... didn't help.



1B, 2B [out goes Domingo German, in comes Chad Green] 2B, 2B, 1B, Line-out, 3R HR (Altuve) ... thanks for coming, please arrive home safely.

[Fman99]

These forced days off during the All Star break are just the worst. Four days with no games of consequence. In the midst of summer. The Thursday devoid of baseball is just shitty icing on the shitty cake.

[dinosaur jesus]

When you can watch any player on any team any time you want to--if you pay for it, anyway--it's a bit less special seeing a select group of them on the same field. And the game itself has always seemed kind of pointless. What exactly are you proving by trotting out sixty players for one at bat or one inning? I've never seen one of the games all the way through, and it's been years since I even tuned in to see my guys show off their Mets uniforms. Which they can't even do anymore.



I'm also still annoyed that Mazzilli wasn't the All-Star MVP in 1979. Screw the All-Star Game.

[Frayed Knot]

=Fman99 post_id=71116 time=1626097070 user_id=86]
These forced days off during the All Star break are just the worst. Four days with no games of consequence. In the midst of summer. The Thursday devoid of baseball is just shitty icing on the shitty cake.

[Benjamin Grimm]

dinosaur jesus wrote: And the game itself has always seemed kind of pointless. What exactly are you proving by trotting out sixty players for one at bat or one inning? I've never seen one of the games all the way through, and it's been years since I even tuned in to see my guys show off their Mets uniforms. Which they can't even do anymore.

I agree. I haven't watched even a minute of All-Star play since around 1992.

[Marshmallowmilkshake]

I've always loved the All-Star Game, and collect programs, banner, pennants and other items associated with it. I've never been to one, but have been to a number of the FanFests -- they are great! -- and the Home Run Derby before it became insane.



This year's game is disappointing for a lot of reasons. Would love to see the NL pull out of win here.

[Ceetar]

I like the idea of an ASB, of a few days just celebrating baseball, but the Thursday offday always struck me as a weird decision when they starting always doing that. I think it was player driven but I feel like it messes with rotations more than the three days does.



I wish they'd do more with the break, and less of the game. Give out 'JUST' 30 nominations or whatever, and don't worry about fielding a roster. And then just play a few innings where you stack the deck to goose matchups. make sure Ohtani pitches, and then hits the next inning for instance. Do away with walks and strikeouts. No one cares about the score and the progression. Give Trout 5 pitches against deGrom and then move on to the next matchup. If you've got two teams tied for a division lead, make 'em play each other. Screw AL vs NL, have Kershaw pitch to Tatis Jr.



The home run derby is fun, but it's too long with too many breaks. Show more highlights from the season. Do other types of skill competitions. Have 'em play some golf in the outfield. too small for drives, but I dunno, a couple of 4v4 golf tourneys might be fun. You could make teams that are fun. Like, what if it was a 3 hold challenge between Guerrero sr/jr and tatis sr/jr? Stuff like that. Cut to stuff like that inbetween Derby opponents instead of like bland interviews with Todd Helton.

[batmagadanleadoff]

dinosaur jesus wrote: And the game itself has always seemed kind of pointless. What exactly are you proving by trotting out sixty players for one at bat or one inning?

This is a good point. Baseball is the one sport where regular guys like us can't likely tell how good a player is from watching him for just a few minutes. I have a strange relationship with the ASG: I'm not that interested in the game itself, but the opening intros, where all the players are assembled together in (what used to be) their regular uniforms is my favorite baseball tradition. I'm a uniform guy and I have been since I first started following the sport. And now Manfred's screwed up that tradition as well.

[Edgy MD]

I always thought it silly to allow the runner to first to over-run into fair territory, and then ask the umpire to judge his intent.



How hard is it to over-run into foul territory. And what trained athlete wouldn't fire his muscles to explode into a break for the next base as soon as he sees the ball get away. If you do that (and you intuitively should), you'd take at least a half step before judging that the ball is not trickling far enough away for you to make a full break, and then relax before landing the first full step and heading back to first.



Yellich was out by letter of the law, but all he did was little more than leaning, which is what anybody would do.

[Fman99]

Interleague baseball killed the All Star game.

[bmfc1]

deleted b/c Edgy knew where I was going and properly corrected me.

Edited July 12, 2021 by Guest

[Edgy MD]

I'm thinking The Buggles.

[Frayed Knot]

I think we'll bend the rules of TWiB for this week and make this our July 11 - 18 thread as baseball 2021 re-opens with a half-week's worth of games.



Philly hosting Miami for 2 today (starting NOW!!!)

Nats host the Padres (Fedde & Paddack)

Braves also at home with TBR in town (Morton & Wacha)



Boston @ Yanx is apparently on for tonight although it's possible that the tears flowing from Bristol, CT over losing that matchup yesterday on one of the

slowest TV/sports nights of the year might still run downhill towards the Bronx and cause a postponement.



Twins were in Detroit for two today ... already postponed, so those two will be deep into DH-ville at some timed TBD

[Frayed Knot]

Phils & Fish split their pair.

Nats getting thumped.

Braves [crossout]up by two in the 8th[/crossout] tied heading into bottom 8th



Yanx shut out 4-0

[Frayed Knot]

Yanx are getting rained on AND are losing in the Bronx: 1-0 BoSox in the 5th



Braves are lapping the Rays 9-0 after losing in the 10th last night



Pads 8 - Nats 4 and they're getting rained on



Phils & Marlins 2-2 in the 9th

[bmfc1]

Meanwhile, in The Bronx:

[Frayed Knot]

Yeah I saw 'Delayed' in WAS-SDP and assumed rain.

[bmfc1]

Frayed Knot wrote: Yeah I saw 'Delayed' in WAS-SDP and assumed rain.

It wasn't a bad assumption. I put on MASN and they had a split-screen: half showing the empty field with the words "RAIN DELAY" and the other on ESPN's coverage of Cornhole. You'd like to think that they would do some actual reporting so that anyone at home with a loved one at the game could know what's going on but that's not what they did.


https://twitter.com/jessespector/status/1416582474549846025

[Edgy MD]

Not the sort of orderly evacuation you like to see.

[Frayed Knot]

So the start of Yanx/Sawx was delayed for an hour during which it apparently didn't rain at all.

Yanx have since gone ahead 3-1 on back to backs by Sanchez & Torres in a driving rain.

[Frayed Knot]

I mean there are standing puddles in the infield.

[Frayed Knot]

So the Sawx got dicked Saturday night.

After a hour-plus rain delay in which there wasn't actually any rain, the Yanx broke a 1-1 tie with two solo shots in the 6th during an active deluge ... and then the game gets called.



There were also multiple elections on the Boston side (including old pal Kevin Plawecki) so I'm betting there was some serious griping going on before, during, and after.

[dinosaur jesus]

Frayed Knot wrote: There were also multiple elections on the Boston side (including old pal Kevin Plawecki) so I'm betting there was some serious griping going on before, during, and after.

You mean multiple erections, right?

[bmfc1]

I haven't read that WSH did the same but I think that SD had just taken the field and WSH was in the dugout.

[Frayed Knot]

dinosaur jesus wrote: Frayed Knot wrote: There were also multiple elections on the Boston side (including old pal Kevin Plawecki) so I'm betting there was some serious griping going on before, during, and after. You mean multiple erections, right?

@$%#& auto-correct