Cheers.

Mr. Kimbrel is currently melting into a puddle of goo on the mound but it doesn't really matter, the Boston Red Sox have won the AL East. Who would have guessed that in the spring? Not me.

Here's a Thought.

New York does you a solid and you go and turn your nose up at it like, "We don't want to win the division and you can't make us. In fact, we can lose all by ourselves. Just watch."

Maybe you should bring the Oakland A's on tour with you, like your own Washington Generals. (Though not the ones from last night or the A's that are playing today.) You could go to all the cities your supposed to go to but instead of playing poorly against the home team, just sneak the A's into their uniforms.

Stupid Baseball.

I won't call it nostalgia but there's a certain sweetness (innocence, maybe) to National League baseball. "Awww. He's a pitcher and he's got a bad in his hand. Isn't that cute?"

But then your team needs a hit and the pitcher is coming up to bat and it's not so cute anymore.

Dumb people will claim that that's where strategy comes into the game. Hey, dumb people! What strategy? Will it be the exciting question of, Will he bunt? Yes, yes he will and in all likelihood, it will not help. Will they pinch hit? Oooh. Thrilling. There's no mystery there.

And then you've got the lovely phenomenon of pitchers switching leagues from the AL to the NL and having their career revived, as in the case of one Mr. Jake Peavy. (He can insist that it wasn't switching back to the NL that fixed him but it doesn't make it true.) Or our very own Mr. Pomeranz, who is a serviceable, maybe even a very good pitcher in the NL, but not so good when he has to face actual hitters.

Or it could just be that this team isn't very good. They are being shut out by Edwin Jackson.

Tough Luck Eddie.

Yes, this particular version of the Oakland Athletics are not world beaters (and that should be taken into account) but it's still a shame because Eduardo was pitching so well. It's too bad his offense decided to take the afternoon off. And then, of course, there's dear old Craig.

Not that you can really complain all that much.

It's Different Than It Was.

"Ever meet a fella by the name of Hill?"
"Hill?"
"Hill?"
"Hill?"
"Hill?"
"Hill?"
"Hill?"
"Hill?"
"No!"
"Just a minute, just a minute, just a minute!"
"Never heard of any salesman Hill"
(Because he's an infielder)
"Now he doesn't know the territory"
(He used to play for Toronto) 
"What's the fella's line?"
(.283/.359/.380)
"Never worries 'bout his line."
"Never worries 'bout his line?"
"Or a doggone thing. He's just a bang-beat, bell-ringing, big-haul, great-go, neck-or-nothin', rip-roarin', every-time-a-bull's-eye ballplayer. That's Professor Aaron Hill. Aaron Hill."

That last part probably makes it seem like I'm much more excited about Aaron Hill than I actually am but he does seem like a nice complementary piece for this club.

Need a pitcher or eleven, though.

Second Time Was a Blast.

If a pitcher is fundamentally unable to pitch in adverse weather conditions, can he still be a major league starter? Do you skip his turn if the weather might be bad and run the risk of messing up the rest of your rotation? Do you have a second starter/long man on notice as insurance?

Even though I sort of expected John Farrell to be fired yesterday, I don't think that you can hold the decision to leave Wright in against him. Yeah, a poor outcome was almost guaranteed but, given the make up of the rest of this team, what was he going to do? He was going to pull him? For whom? This is a flawed team. Steven Wright is your only decent starter and, depending on the day of the week, maybe the only decent pitcher on the staff. Steven Wright in the rain is terrible but you know what else is terrible? Trying to get four innings from this bullpen without them giving up six runs.

I think that you have to stick with Wright. Neither situation is likely to have a positive outcome but trying to get more out of Wright at least, theoretically, results in the least amount of chaos.

Wow.

I'm stunned.

There is something important to say though:
(I do apologize for the appearance of John Travolta)