Frayed Knot

=Ceetar post_id=5486 time=1553801384 user_id=102]Harper's cleats though, A+

McCutcheon matches Cano with a HR in his first AB for his new team. First batter faced today by Julio Teheran Harper GO'd in his initial Philly AB 1-0 Phils early

Broxton in for Conforto Smith in for Alonso Familia in for Lugo

1st & 3rd, 1 out --- Zippo! Two innings later: Runner on 3rd, 1 out --- Zippo!

=41Forever post_id=5376 time=1553788581 user_id=69] Is this fact, fiction -- or somewhere in the middle?

I will hold off on any finalizing until such time as you chime in.

In a rare opening day eve deal, the Blue Jays trade DH/1B Kendrys Morales to Oakland for a couple of young'uns.

'In our sundown perambulations of late through the outer parts of Brooklyn, we have observed several parties of youngsters playing 'base', a particular game of ball ... Let us go forth awhile and get better air into our lungs. Let us leave our close rooms ... the game of ball is glorious.' -- Walt Whitman, 1839 So even though the two games played in Japan last week means that we're already down to just 2,428 games remaining in the season, we all know that Thursday is the real Opening Day All times EDT: Mets @ Washington - 1:05 Orioles @ Yankees - 1:05 -- Wonder if the Yanx will rush to make sure that theirs is the first pitch of the day. Sounds to me like something they'd do. Cardinals @ Brewers - 2:10 Braves @ Phillies - 3:05 -- countdown to Harper being booed by the home folks: three ... two ... Tigers @ Blue Jays - 3:37 Astros @ Rays - 4:00 Cubs @ Rangers - 4:05 Angels @ A's - 4:07 -- already 0-2, I think if Oakland loses this one they'll be mathematically eliminated Pirates @ Reds - 4:10 -- Y'know, you can't delay your start until past 4 in the afternoon and also complain that you don't get the honor of the first start anymore Giants @ Padres - 4:10 Rockies @ Marlins - 4:10 Indians @ Twins - 4:10 Diamondbacks @ Dodgers - 4:10 White Sox @ Royals - 4:15 Red Sox @ Mariners - 7:10

A Boy Named Seo wrote: Wow. How's this gonna shake out? Nimmo - RF (L) Cano - 2B (L) Alonso - 1B (R) Conforto - LF (L) Ramos - C (R) McNeil - 3B (L) Broxton - CF (R) <<< Prob Lagares deGrom - P (L) Rosario - SS (R) Smells like runs to me.

You guys think today's snarky press is going to let some inconvenient tripe like facts get in the way of future mocking?

In addition to Alonso, Freddie Tatis Jr of the Padres and the ChiSox wunderkind Eloy Jiminez are both making their team's OD rosters and therefore will be accruing ML service time from the very beginning. In the case of Jiminez Chicago has already signed him to a L-T deal so his inclusion is less significant. In Alonso's case, he's going to be 31 y/o by the time he hits FA-gency (assuming current rules) and, as BVW pointed out, if he's good enough six years from now for this to matter then that's a first world problem. The Tatis/Padres situation is more surprising in that they're a small market team that's probably not going to win much this year anyway and that he only recently turned 20 y/o meaning they'll quite possibly be giving up a prime year on the back end. But I suppose if you're a franchise that's trying to sell tickets and are dumping money on the doorsteps of Hosmer & Machado in consecutive seasons, then you might as well go for it.

$52.5 million of deGrom's new deal will be money deferred until the 2030's So right about the time when those annual lol-Mets/Bonilla stories should be petering out, the press will have deGrom payment stories to chuckle over.

Robin was reportedly a very good golfer but I believe his occasional musings about trying to do that professionally were a bit of misdirection. At one point over a winter he cut himself up pretty badly in a dirt bike accident. Wanting to hide the cause of his injuries from the team while also needing an excuse as to why he'd be late to spring camp, he later admitted to bringing up the golf thing as a way to buy time and heal his wounds. There may have been a contract angle involved as well, as in: pay me what I want or I'll just go and join the PGA tour. Darryl would occasionally mention the NBA (as if he could seamlessly slip from one to the other) whenever he'd get pissed off over some perceived slight or another.

I think they need to decide based on which order combo provides the opportunity for the best mnemonic. Don't Mess With Satan's Viagra Dark Storms Vex My Wildebeest Democrats Must Veto Wall Spending I mean, how else are we supposed to remember?

Robin Yount's older (by 5-1/2 years) brother Larry was a pitcher in the Astros org. In a game in September of 1971 he was brought in to relieve but felt pain in his elbow while warming up so was replaced. He never again appeared in a major league game. He has a place in that boxscore and a ML entry in BB-Ref for being announced, but no stats or record of batters faced.

Yanx' early season sked: 23 of their first 53 games (essentially 1/3 of the season) come vs the Orioles (13!!), Tigers (3) and Royals (7), teams which averaged 106 losses in 2018 Also, first games vs Red Sox not until May 26 - first games in Fenway not until the end of July (the two games in London in late June are both BRS 'home' games ... I have no fuckin' idea why) - last BoSox games in the Bronx come in the first week of August - final Bos/NYY game of the year is Sept 9th (18 NYY games remaining after that)

Petey Alonso officially on the OD roster Most of us projected this one incorrectly

deGrom presser going on NOW!!!! JdG, Brodie, and Jeffy on the podium

Edgy MD wrote: A theory: [Mesoraco] was signed because deGrom liked pitching to him more than others. Possibly because they were born on the same day (6/19/88) and are actually covert twins with all that secret twin language between them and stuff. Eh, probably not. Nido (25 next month) being six years younger than Mesoraco (31 in June) is a factor in all this too.

=Centerfield post_id=3403 time=1551113601 user_id=65] Saturday, April 20: Tour Cleveland. I've heard that there are some good river tours.

Forecast: Sunny w/negligible wind & 56 degrees around first pitch time. Saturday (1:05 start): Cloudy, high of 73 Sunday (1:35): AM showers, 50s

'How Baseball Wives See Those Fat Salaries' ... or, as today's player wives would call that kind of loot: tip money.

=Centerfield post_id=5112 time=1553622694 user_id=65]I think the timing of this was intentional.

The last guy I remember who tried to enact an upward mobility claus(e) was Von Bulow

Edgy MD wrote: "He is in New York right now for a physical." In New York City or upstate? (heh, heh) Five years is a good length for his age. For both sides.