Note: Posted Wednesday AM…guys, a family issue is going to be limiting the time I can spend on this column in the coming weeks. You know I’ll do my best.
Baseball Quiz: Name the only five active pitchers with 10 or more career shutouts (I’m not including Johan Santana, who has 10, but may not pitch again). [Hint: Clayton Kershaw and Felix Hernandez are among those with nine.] Answer below.
Ball Bits
–On June 10, the Tampa Bay Rays were 24-42. After Tuesday’s play they are 53-54, having won 11 of 12, part of a 29-12 run, and just 7 games behind first place Baltimore. [4 ½ out of the wild card.]
So will the Rays still trade star lefty David Price (11-7, 3.08) as they were acting like they’d do weeks ago?
–Conversely, what a year for the Texas Rangers. They started out 15-9 and have gone 27-56 since…42-65 overall. [Or, you can say they started out 37-43 and are 5-22 since.]
Typical of their season was Tuesday night’s 12-11 to the Yankees. Texas catcher J.P. Arencibia ( who played at first in this one) had two homers, two doubles, seven RBI, but in a losing effort. And overall the guy is still hitting .183. Yup, that’s the 2014 edition of the Rangers.
–As I go to post, Red Sox lefty Jon Lester hasn’t been traded yet, though the team is holding him out of his Wednesday scheduled start. If he’s still on the roster after the trade deadline, he could start Friday against the Yankees. Six teams are said to be in the running for him.
Lester is a free agent after the season and the Red Sox have been unable to work out an extension. He’s 10-7, 2.52 this season, 110-63, lifetime, and still only 30.
–The other night, Derek Jeter collected his 3,420th career hit, surpassing Carl Yastrzemski (3,419) and with two more hits on Tuesday, he is now 8 shy of Honus Wagner, who is sixth on the all-time list. That’s where Jeter will finish his career, sixth. Tris Speaker is fifth at 3,514.
Jeter has his average up to .280, which is solid, but his slugging average, .330, pales when compared with his .442 career SLG.
–Among rookie starters, the Mets’ Jacob deGrom’s 2.79 ERA is second in the majors to Masahiro Tanaka’s 2.51. Billy Hamilton of the Reds, however, would appear to be the N.L. rookie of the year. And good for him. The sport would benefit from Hamilton having a great career going forward.
–Andrew Beaton of the Wall Street Journal had a piece the other day on Jose Abreu and his first 30 home runs [He now has 31]. While they all count the same in the scorebook, “13 of the 30 have barely gotten over the wall, according to Hit Tracker, a website that documents home-run data. That is by far the highest rate since 2006, the first season for which Hit Tracker data is available.”
Now this I found shocking. “Ryan Howard, who led the league with 48 home runs in 2008, had only nine ‘just-enough’ home runs all season.” Personally, I’ve seen Howard hit a lot of cheapies at the home bandbox…the ones to the opposite field, for those questioning me.
Abreu’s average distance on his 30 was 400.8 feet, by the way. Among recent home run champs, Albert Pujols was best at 414.6, when he hit 47 in 2009.
But wait…my visual perception was perhaps correct. Howard’s average distance in that 2008 season was 400.3. So there.
–Dan Schlossberg of USA TODAY Sports, in an article on Joe Torre being inducted into the Hall of Fame, cited the following, which I found to be excellent:
“According to Pinstripe Empire: The New York Yankees from Before the Babe to After the Boss author Marty Appel, there are six reasons Torre compares favorably to Hall of Fame Yankees managers Miller Huggins, Joe McCarthy and Casey Stengel:
“—He had to finish ahead of 13 other teams, rather than seven, to win the pennant.
“—To win the World Series, he had to win three rounds in the postseason, rather than one.
“—He had to manage multinational, multicultural players with huge long-term contracts.
“—He had to deal with a demanding owner who had little margin for error.
“—He had to deal with sports talk radio and social media that second-guessed every move.
“—He had to do live pregame and postgame news conferences.
“ ‘Huggins, McCarthy and Stengel never had to do these things,’ says Appel, a historian and one-time Yankees publicist. ‘They might have succeeded under those circumstances, but that was Joe Torre’s reality.
“ ‘Joe also won four World Series in five years – almost what Stengel did from 1949-53 – and came within a Luis Gonzalez bloop of possibly winning five World Series in six years.’”
You know, back during Torre’s run my attitude was always like ‘whatever’ when it came to his import in the team’s success.
But as the years have gone by, I have to admit I’ve finally come to appreciate Torre’s subtle greatness, and as he’s the first to admit, he was lucky to have Don Zimmer alongside.
[I’ll also never forget his hitting into four double plays in one game as a Met following four Felix Millan singles. Hey, I’m a Mets fan, after all.]
—Vin Scully, 86, announced he is returning next year for a 66th season in the booth.
“God willing, I will be back next year,” he said in a prepared statement released by the team. “Naturally there will come a time when I have to say goodbye, but I’ve soul-searched and this is not the time.”
Imagine, he called the Dodgers’ first and only World Series championship in Brooklyn in 1955, Don Larsen’s perfect game in the ’56 Series, Sandy Koufax’s four no-hitters…and on and on….
–ESPN suspended Stephen A. Smith for a week after his controversial comments about domestic violence on his program First Take, when he implied in the Ray Rice case that women are to blame for domestic violence. He has apologized a number of times since.
–Speaking of Rice and his meager two-game suspension, the uproar continues.
“Roger Goodell needs help. He is so blinded by his own power he no longer sees clearly. The NFL commissioner needs professional intervention – similar to family and friends forming circles around those battling addiction – to tell him what he needs to hear instead of what he wants to. Most of America is rightly furious that Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, who knocked his then fiancée unconscious in a casino elevator after a physical dispute, was suspended a mere two games by a tone-deaf commissioner….
“This was a moment for Goodell to show that domestic violence will not be tolerated on his watch. This was a moment for the man who speaks of honoring the ‘Shield,’ as if his league were West Point or Annapolis, to make players understand the part of their contract that carries a moral turpitude clause – that being a good citizen is more important than being a great football player….
“(His) handling of this issue shows a dearth of sensitivity that blows away his other lapses in discipline, judgment and compassion.”
Is this the end? A California judge issued a preliminary ruling in favor of Shelly Sterling, thus paving the way for the $2 billion sale of the Los Angeles Clippers against her husband Donald’s will.
But Donald Sterling’s attorneys said there was little chance he would drop other suits and vowed the sale is still very much up in the air.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said the league would move to strip the Sterlings’ ownership if the sale was not finalized by Sept. 15.
–What a disastrous deal in so many ways…the massive water main break on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles that inundated major sections of UCLA’s campus. Millions of gallons of water streaming out at a time of record drought….75,000 gallons per minute when functioning.
Famed Pauley Pavilion was flooded, with an inch of water remaining on the wood court 3 ½ hours after the flooding began, after having been eight inches deep at the height of the crisis.
Understand, it had undergone a $136-million renovation that was completed in 2012. It’s unclear whether UCLA’s athletic teams will be able to use the arena this year.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is being blasted for what was seen as a poor response, but the DWP blamed rush-hour traffic for being delayed in getting to the scene on Sunset, and then they had trouble figuring out which valves to shut off.
–The NCAA reached a preliminary settlement in a class-action lawsuit brought by former college athletes to address concerns over head-injury policies. A $70 million medical monitoring fund and a new national protocol for head injuries sustained during games and practice will be established.
As reported by the New York Times’ Ben Strauss: “The settlement does not provide financial compensation for injuries but allows for individual players to sue for damages….
“Under the settlement, the NCAA would (prevent) athletes who have sustained a concussion from returning to a game or practice that day. Trained medical personnel would be required at all contact sports events like football, lacrosse, basketball, soccer and wrestling.”
–The Division I men’s soccer coaches’ committee, working with NCAA leaders, MLS officials and the U.S. Soccer Federation, is proposing that Div. I men’s soccer become a full academic-year sport that would kick off in mid-September and culminate in late-May. The new calendar, if approved by the NCAA, would begin as early as the 2016-17 academic year.
Sasho Cirovski, the longtime men’s coach at the University of Maryland, said, “We have to change the game and do it justice. College soccer has been relevant, but it can become much more relevant. It is doing a good job; it can do a great job.”
Under the proposal, the number of official team days would grow to 144 from 132, with teams opening training camp in mid-August, hold two friendlies, then play 13 matches between mid-September and the weekend before Thanksgiving. [Currently, some teams play as many as 24 games between late August and the holiday.]
From late November until late February, teams would go on winter break. There would be limited training sessions in the interim and then the season would resume in mid-March and include nine regular season games before the conference and NCAA tournaments.
The women’s games and men’s lower divisions would retain their schedules.
As the proposal reads: “Division I soccer exists in an outdated format that is inconsistent with the growth of United States soccer and with the current youth and professional soccer structures that operate in 10-month seasons.”
So, as reported by the Washington Post’s Steven Goff (from whose article I obtained the above):
“In other words, college players are not receiving adequate training over the course of the school year and remain behind contemporaries in many other countries.”
The fear among college coaches has been that the U.S. Soccer Federation will begin advising talented players to skip college for professional opportunities around the world.
And I love that postseason soccer matches in May wouldn’t conflict with the likes of college football and college basketball and thus should appear on live television more easily. [The College World Series is in June.]
So it’s a cool idea. One of the big problems, though, is that in an era of belt-tightening at many schools, some could ditch the program altogether. There are other issues, as well, like the MLS draft, which is held every January…so would players be tempted to turn pro midway through the college season?
And, let’s face it…for super talented players, college soccer is seen as a hindrance to player development
–Fascinating story by James Gallagher, Health Editor, BBC News.
“A pilot study involving 12 pensioners showed going all-out in very short bursts, reduced blood pressure and improved general fitness over time.
“The team at Abertay University believes it could help avert the ‘astronomical’ costs of ill health in elderly people.
“Experts said the study emphasized the benefits of exercise at any age.”
“A group of pensioners came into the lab twice a week for six weeks and went hell for leather on an exercise bike for six seconds.
“They would allow their heart rate to recover and then go for it again, eventually building up to one minute of exercise by the end of their trial….
“The results, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, showed participants had reduced their blood pressure by 9%, increased their ability to get oxygen to their muscles and found day-to-day activities like getting out of a chair or walking the dog easier.”
Dr. John Babraj, who contributed to the study, suggested: “(The) easiest way to do it yourself [Ed. assuming you’ve run it by your doctor first] is to run up a hill, the steeper the hill, the harder it’s going to be, give it everything you’ve got for six seconds.”
What’s interesting is that the shorter bursts may be better than what an old guy like me might be doing…jogging for miles, which Dr. Babraj said “puts a greater strain on the heart overall.”
“A Vernon (N.J.) resident encountered an unwelcome intruder last week, waking up to find a bear in the kitchen.
“The bear climbed onto the deck of the house on the 500 block of Grandview Drive on Wednesday morning and broke a screen, police said.
“Once inside the home, the bear turned on the water in the kitchen sink and made a wet mess on the counter, police said. The bear then tore through food in the cabinets [Ed. I’m guessing said bruin was after Chex Mix w/peanuts] before it climbed back out the window once the resident began screaming, officials said.
“When police arrived minutes later, the bear was nowhere to be found…. The resident was not hurt.”
I’m not sure if the resident died after, though, of a heart attack. I would have…or begun to drink heavily.
–Now bear expert Brad K. and I were discussing the above when he suddenly saw a breaking AP story out of Vienna, Austria (where I’ve had the best wiener schnitzel in my life at Figlmuller’s…but I digress…)
“Cow herd kills German woman hiker in Austria”
“Police say a herd of cows attacked and killed a German woman hiking through their fenced-in pasture after apparently being riled by the sight of her leashed dog.
“The police said Tuesday the 45-year-old victim was rushed by about 20 cows and their calves. Attempts by an emergency crew to revive her were unsuccessful.
“The attack occurred on a mountain pasture in Austria’s Tyrol province.”
Well, as I told Brad, some of us are very thankful this didn’t happen during the filming of the “Sound of Music.” I mean that would have sucked if Christopher Plummer and Julie Andrews and the kids were fleeing over the Alps only to be slammed by a herd of cows. How do you then end it? Just roll the credits? And imagine the horror on Max’s face upon learning of the tragedy.
[Actually, truth be told, Captain von Trapp and the brood had Italian passports so they took a train to Italy.]
–According to the New York Daily News, Beyonce and Jay Z are breaking up…but not until after their lucrative On the Run tour comes to an end in late September.
“A close pal of the hip-hop power couple says Bey and Jay are being advised to play up their happy family act for the paparazzi and on social media, despite the collapse of their marriage. They will release a joint statement addressing the rumors in late September, the friend says….
“Jay has told friends he wants out immediately, (but) Beyonce is fine with keeping the act up indefinitely….
“The News hears the majority of the trouble comes from Jay’s extracurricular activities with other women…since Blue Ivy arrived (in 2012).”
Top 3 songs for the week 7/31/65: #1 “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” (The Rolling Stones) #2 “I’m Henry VIII, I Am” (Herman’s Hermits) #3 “What’s New Pussycat?” (Tom Jones…oh yeah, another incredible top 3)…and…#4 “Cara, Mia” (Jay & The Americans) #5 “Yes, I’m Ready” (Barbara Mason) #6 “I Can’t Help Myself” (Four Tops…awesome first six…) #7 “What The World Needs Now Is Love” (Jackie DeShannon…make that seven…how many of you admit to tearing up when hearing this in those first days after 9/11?) #8 “Save Your Heart For Me” (Gary Lewis and The Playboys) #9 “I Like It That” (The Dave Clark Five) #10 “Seventh Son” (Johnny Rivers…#1 to #10…as good a Top Ten as you’ll ever find…Not what you’d like to see…but what the record shows…)
Baseball Quiz Answer: Five with at least ten career shutouts.
Tim Hudson 13
Bartolo Colon 12
Cliff Lee 12
CC Sabathia 12
AJ Burnett 10
Of course Walter Johnson is the career leader at 110. Among more modern-era hurlers you have:
Warren Spahn 63
Tom Seaver 61
Nolan Ryan 61
Bert Blyleven 60
