The Weekly Rundown 05.16.08: Finals Week
Posted by A.J. Stevens on 05.16.2008
The light at the end of the tunnel just may be a train. Just not a D-Train, though. He's on the DL.
It's the middle of finals for me, and I have been nose-to-the-grindstone all week long. So, in lieu of the usual 1300-word missive, we welcome you to the first-ever edition of "Rundown Lite." All of the usual interesting stuff, but this time it's condensed into bite-sized pieces.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"The Blue Jays, desperate for offense, have run themselves into oblivion"
Such was the quote from the TV guys after Lyle Overbay had the misfortune of smacking the ball directly into the mitt of Indians' second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera's glove. Cabrera then tagged second to force out Kevin Mench, and then tagged runner Marco Scutaro, who was in no-man's land. This was the 14th unassisted triple play in MLB history, which means that it's still rarer than a perfect game. Unfortunately for Cabrera, he absentmindedly tossed the ball into the stands upon returning to the dugout. The ball, which should be immortalized in the Hall of Fame, a trophy case, or at least a mantel, is now lost to history. Such is life.
The second-best sound to come from that play was the sound Overbay's bat made as it struck the ball. My love for the solid "thwack" of a bat striking a baseball is well-documented. This sound was nothing like it. It was like a hollow "clunk." If there are any bowlers out there, it's analogous to the sound your ball makes when it hits the rack so flat you leave a 5-7-10. I cringed.
Triple play triviata:
25 games have ended in a triple play: The most recent, and only one since 1978, was in Montreal on September 8, 1991. The Reds were down 4-2 in the top of the 9th, no outs, runners on first and second... and here comes the pitch... and Chris Sabo grounds into a 5-4-3 triple play.
The Twins turned two TPs in one game: Only time in history this has been done, as the Red Sox were tripled up twice on July 17, 1990. The triple-killings occurred in the 4th and 8th innings. Interestingly enough, the Sox won that game 1-0.
April 14, 1992 - worst Major League career in history: Seattle's Ron Wright was up for his cup of coffee, playing DH for his only appearance in the majors. Inning 2: struck out looking. Inning 4: grounded into triple play. Inning 6: grounded into double play. Inning 7: sit down, son, we're gonna have someone else hit for you. Three ABs, 6 outs created. That's impressive.
WALKOFFS OF THE WEEK
Matt Diaz, Braves, vs. San Diego, 5/8/08
Freddy Sanchez, Pirates, vs. Atlanta, 5/9/08
Evan Longoria, Rays, vs. Los Angeles (AL), 5/9/08
Rickie Weeks, Brewers, vs. St. Louis, 5/9/08
Mike Lamb, Twins, vs. Boston, 5/9/08
Ramon Vasquez, Rangers, vs. Seattle, 5/12/08
Gabe Gross, Rays, vs. New York (AL), 5/13/08
Paul Janish, Reds, vs. Florida, 5/14/08
Interleague play starts this weekend, meanwhile, the fabric of baseball continues to tear itself apart
There's been a lot of talk recently about "unwritten rules" of the game, specifically about how players like Joba Chamberlain are violating decorum by expressing emotion on the field after a strikeout. While the idea of "decorum" on the baseball field and other traditions may just be a by-product of years of indoctrination to the "Yankee Way" and similar nonsense, there are some things which should not be messed with. The All-Star game. Opening day being played in North America, preferably in the lower 48 (sorry, Toronto).
And, most importantly: GET RID OF INTERLEAGUE PLAY. Seriously, all the stuff that made the All-Star game special has been destroyed by interleague play (and free agency, but I'll get to that later on in the year). I do think it's important to maintain rivalries, but they shouldn't be driven into the ground. Play two games a year against your "local" rival, one at your place and one at theirs. Make them exhibition games for charity or something (see: 1986 Mets v. Red Sox for the Jimmy Fund, months before either of these teams made it to the World Series). While I understand that stuff like this is a cash cow for teams, let's try and keep it special. Some teams just don't have "natural" rivalries. Some teams have their rivalries in the same league. The focus on "natural" rivalries is taking away from other good series being played this weekend.
All the focus is going to be on what could be the final time the Mets play in Yankee Stadium (ZOMG SANTANA FTW), while other rivalries are ignored completely (St. Louis at Tampa Bay while KC plays the Marlins? These teams are at or near the top of their divisions, people!!!!!) and others just don't make sense. The real crime is D'Backs-Tigers. On paper this should have been a great series before the Tigers forgot what bats are. This series should be on national TV. Instead, much of the country will be treated to the wonderous spectacle of Indians-Reds. Hey, it's not my fault these two teams are never good at the same time. Can't whoever does the schedules sit down with a copy of Baseball Prospectus before the beginning of the year?
And speaking of scheduling, what's with all of the 2-game series this year? This is dumb, increases travel, decreases rest, and is dumb. Did I mention that this is a dumb idea?
OK, MAYBE THIS WASN'T AS SHORT AS I THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO BE
I'm back to hitting the books. Next week: coherency!
If you want to talk baseball, leave a comment below or shoot me an e-mail at 411baseball@gmail.com.
