The Baseball Book Club discussion
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2024 Regular Season- First Half
Vlad Jr. has apparently rescinded his claim that he would never play for the Yankees. Does he know something the rest of us don't. On the same topic I have read articles that suggested that trading Vlad Jr. to the Yankees would be a good way for Atkins to get himself fired.
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According to the Jays newslettter I get the team has three options right now buy, sell or burn it to the ground.
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Beth, Ted was very insecure about his half Mexican heritage from his mother. He grew up with cousins from her side, but rarely acknowledged them even in phone calls. Despite the fact that one of his uncles coached him and helped him, he would spend very little time with them even if they came to an MLB game.
Congrats to the players who moved on to the next round of voting for the All Star Game. Very pleased that Profar received over 2 million votes! Although to be honest I havent watched the game since we switched to free streaming.
Lance wrote: "With the Twins out west, been watching the Guardians- Orioles series. The amount of offense generated by Cleveland shocks me. They’ve always had the pitching, but aside from Ramirez and Naylor, nev..."Can I say that as a Cleveland fan their offensive output this season has shocked me too? Lol. Most of us are still wondering when the other shoe will drop, like it's a dream - they hit 50 wins a few days ago and it's still JUNE. Last season it took them til the end of July to reach 50 wins. Needless to say, I'm cautiously excited to see how things progress.
Harold wrote: "Ashley Marie, here is a very interesting analytical look at how Kwan has become a power hitter and the breakdown of his swing.
https://www.mlb.com/news/steven-kwan-..."
Thanks for the share, Harold! I'm not able to access MLB.com at the office anymore (shock, horror) and by the time I get home I've usually forgotten about anything that sounded interesting. This is a great article and I can definitely tell you the fans have loved watching Kwan unlock his power, especially after what felt like regression in 2023.
This is cool: Padres announcer is describing Fenway Park. Because of the positioning of the dugouts the batboys or batgirls for both Padres & Red Sox sit on buckets by the on deck circle. Otherwise they wouldn't have time to pick up bats because of the pitch clock. They have the best seats in the park!
Orlando Cepeda has passed away at age 86. Cause of death was not announced.
...and of course now the Guardians are having trouble with the Royals. Come onnnnn
Peggyzbooksnmusic wrote: "This is cool: Padres announcer is describing Fenway Park. Because of the positioning of the dugouts the batboys or batgirls for both Padres & Red Sox sit on buckets by the on deck circle. Otherwise..."Was that Don Orsillo? I miss him.
Beth wrote: "Peggyzbooksnmusic wrote: "This is cool: Padres announcer is describing Fenway Park. Because of the positioning of the dugouts the batboys or batgirls for both Padres & Red Sox sit on buckets by the..."No; was Jessie Aguilar on radio. Love Orsillo! He does TV play by play. Unfortunately I only get to watch game on TV when MLB has Padres as free game which isn't very often :( I bet Orsillo is thrilled to be back at Fenway for this series!
More roster moves from the Jays. The DFA'ed Tim Mayza, a relief pitcher who was also their longest tenured player. They hav called up Jose Cuas, who the Jays claimed off waivers a little while back.
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Lance wrote: "Hard to believe we’re nearly at the All-Star break. Been watching the games, mainly the Twins but something feels off this season. Sure, Ther’s Elly and his electric play, Paul Skenes living up to ..."In my case I guess the EUROs, soccer in general and several elections may have had something to do with it, though I am still following what is happening in baseball. The election front should cool down by the weekend with the UK election happening Thursday and the second round of the French election on Sunday.
Not shocked that the Guardians pulled off a walk-off over the White Sox, but definitely shocked Robert didn’t even try to throw home on said walk-off. What a game.
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Ashley Marie wrote: "Not shocked that the Guardians pulled off a walk-off over the White Sox, but definitely shocked Robert didn’t even try to throw home on said walk-off. What a game."That's one of many reasons why I don't want the Phillies to trade for Roberts. P.S. How about that relay throw by Giminez that nailed the runner at the plate!
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Lance wrote: "Here we go again…Royce Lewis leaves the game in the 6th inning with “groin tightness.” He’s “not very optimistic “ about this but the team is listing him as day to day. First Buxton, now Lewis. Why..."Maybe someone has a supply of voodoo dolls that look like the Twins' players. As good an explanation as any.
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Brina wrote: "I hope everyone is having a great 4th. It’s raining where I am. Hopefully the rest of the country is sunny and that means lots of baseball. Of course if the cubs get rained out it means they can’t ..."There is (almost) always a good side to everything.
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Although this may be better - yes, I’ll have to drive and pay to park on someone’s yard…but I’ll be on my own schedule so that will help. Or…just thought of this…I may skip the speeches and go for the Saturday parade on Main Street which is my favorite part of HOF weekend. Even more than the ceremony.
Lance wrote: "Just got notice that my bus trip to the HOF is cancelled - not enough people signed up as they need a minimum of 10 - only 8 right now. I guess since no one from the Yankees, Mets or Red Sox are ge..."For my 80th birthday, four of my friends and I are going to Cooperstown on September 18-20th.
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Yeah, after this year, I don’t think any Twins are getting in soon either. Only one ever mentioned is Torri Hunter and hangs on the ballot at 7-10%.
Frankie Zak is the subject of the latest article fro The Infinite Baseball Card Set.https://infinitecardset.substack.com/...
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Ohtani's 30th birthday was yesterday. He celebrated by going 0-5 with three Ks. For a multiple MVP winner and someone who is frequently mentioned as the "best" player in all of baseball, his plate discipline is shockingly bad at times. He expands the zone to Cody Bellinger proportions, swings way too often at the first pitch, and his two-strike approach leaves a lot to be desired. He does have terrific power when he connects and he has a very good eye as well, but he often succeeds in spite of some correctable issues. Last year I watched J.D. Martinez as our DH and he was the ultimate professional. He came up to the plate with a plan and fought in every at-bat. I honestly can't even imagine what the Angels were doing with Ohtani these last few years. Did they just let him show up and do whatever he wanted to do? I really hope someone gives Ohtani a day off soon and maybe a few words of advice. I don't want to have to watch this all year. What a circus.
Wow, that's pretty harsh for one bad game. He leads the NL in Homers, OPS, and his OPS+ is 186. Breathe R.J. It will be alright. He could win the triple crown. his WAR is already 4.8. That's a good year for anyone already
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As for the game I attended today - Ben Rice put on a show with 3 HR and 7 RBI. This is the third time I’ve see a Yankee-Red Sox game and all three have been blowouts - two for Boston, now one for NY. Thought this was the “best” rivalry?
I checked the box score and the Red Sox/Yankees game looked exciting until the 5th inning. See that Tim Hill got the win. He was with the Padres for a few years. At 34 he's probably close to end of his career. Hope he has a good year in NY. He overcame colon cancer back in 2015.
Lance wrote: "Miranda ended up with 12 consecutive at bats with a hit (with a HBP for 13 consecutive plate appearances reaching base) tying the record held by three others. He just might make the ASG - I am hopi..."Great for Miranda! And bonus points for Astros losing!
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Brina wrote: "Cubs employing an all women broadcast team today - play by play, commentator, and field reporter. These ladies are younger than me. I wish I had this opportunity available, but hopefully they will ..."I recall back in the sixties, I think, one of the Toronto Top 40 stations had an all-female DJ lineup. This was a time when it was rare to have one female DJ let alone a whole group. The stations call-letters were CHIC. The station still exists but it has changed both its style and its call letters over the years. Anyway, congratulations to the Cubs for doing this and I am sure there are a few Neanderthals out there that are complaining about it.
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Twins will have a female play-by-play announcer this week. Longtime Minnesota sports reporter Marney Gellner will join Justin Morneau and Trevor Plouffe for this week’s series vs. the White Sox. She does great work with play by play for the Lynx and she’s been a Minnesota sports fixture for a long time - I think it’s awesome to give her this chance.
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And yes, in my Twins groups the reaction has been mostly positive but there are a few “Neanderthals”.
Brina, how are the ladies doing for the Cubs?
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The Baseball Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
The Last of His Kind: Clayton Kershaw and the Burden of Greatness (other topics)Why We Love Baseball: A History in 50 Moments (other topics)
The Last of His Kind: Clayton Kershaw and the Burden of Greatness (other topics)
The Baseball 100 (other topics)
The Complete Prophesies of Nostradamus (other topics)
Authors mentioned in this topic
Andy McCullough (other topics)Joe Posnanski (other topics)
Andy McCullough (other topics)
Joe Posnanski (other topics)
It shocks me too, especially since they are 5th in baseball in run differential.