Baseball Journal 9-6-2013

On Monday, the Marlins beat the Cubs 4-3.  That’s about all that happened.  Len, JD, and myself took Labor Day off from commentating.

On Wednesday, the A’s beat the hell out of the Rangers 11-4.  About halfway through, the game became a blowout and with the expanded rosters, mass substitutions began.  Eric and Matt said that this was turning into a spring training game.  In the 9^th was the most embarrassing part of the game, the Rangers batted out of order, likely due to all of the subs.  The A’s either didn’t notice or didn’t care, since it was an out either way.  The guys were upset that their scorecards just got hashed. 

I had never before seen out of order batting happen, but now I’ve seen it twice this season.  The other time was the Giants-Dodgers game that I’ve mentioned before, probably the symbolic start of the Giant’s problems this year.  At least I knew what the rulebook said about this situation.  If I ever see the three-base error for improper equipment use enforced, I will have finally seen everything.

On Thursday, the NFL season started and baseball coverage officially fell off the face of the earth for most sports outlets (like it was prominent to begin with).  The Orioles are now the most hated sports franchise in Baltimore because they wouldn’t play a day game instead of a night game, and the champion Ravens had to start play on the road and lost.  This was because the teams share the same parking lot.  I know the Orioles probably didn’t want to give up the income from a night game over a day game, but that does seem a bit d*ckish.  Certainly it wasn’t worth the bad press.  Could the Ravens have ponied up a little money to make up the difference?

I didn’t really watch the game, but I got the impression that Peyton Manning might have heard all those comments about Tim Tebow having more playoff wins for the Broncos than he did.  Ah Tebow, the most hated man in the NFL by the sports media, as opposed to actual human beings.  Aaron Hernandez has not gotten as much bad press as Tim Tebow.

On Friday, Dodger and Ranger night games were cancelled on the radio by high school football.  No complaints.  That’s perfectly appropriate.  Thankfully I got to watch a meaningless Cubs-Brewers game on WGN in the afternoon, though there was some stiff competition for my attention at the US Open tennis tournament.  Namely, some dramatic slo-mo upskirt shots of Flavia Pennetta, and a few provocative bend over poses. 

Ahem.

Len and JD were extraordinarily loose, if not downright giddy.  Perhaps they’re counting the days until they’ll be hitting the links.  The highlight of the commentary was their promotion of an upcoming giveaway, a Cubs doll shirt, along with a few high-end (American Girl) dolls for the shirt.  Putting a prop like that in the booth was of course a mistake.  They immediately started playing with it on camera.  Sage, the American Girl doll, was introduced to the Sandlot Slugger game doll they got earlier this year.  Sage was then given a microphone and a seat to start calling the game.  “Come on Cubs fans.  Let me hear you!”

A few former players were in attendance during the game for a Saturday charity softball game.  Former Cubs first baseman, Derreck Lee was seated behind the on deck circle.  He was looking casual and rather handsome and dapper (as opposed to the last time I saw on field, old and broken down).  Darwin Barney tossed him a foul ball during the game.  Derreck held it out and asked for an autograph. 

The Cubs radio announcer and former player, Keith Moreland, also made it into the broadcast as his baseball card somehow ended up in the home plate area.  The ump handed it over to a ball boy.  He looked it over and apparently didn’t recognize Moreland and put it under his seat.

There was a game.  One of the more comical incidents involved one of the Brewer players running down the line, trying to beat out an infield hit, while simultaneously turned around, shouting back at the ump for not granting him time.  (The game was running long, who could blame him?)  I suppose I should have gotten the player’s name, but frankly I have no idea who most the players on the Brewers are.  The only one that made an immediate impression was Scooter Gennett.  One, there’s that name.  Two, he came off the bench and hit a pinch-hit three-run homer, that went into and out of the basket.  (And here I’d said that the basket eliminated ambiguous home runs.)  Len and JD called him, “The best player you’ve never heard of this season.”  I hadn’t, and he might be.

With a Brewer game, Ryan Braun got a mention, somewhat reluctantly.  The guys said that he was personally calling season ticket holders to apologize.  Brewer management should consider doing the same, along with several other teams (namely, the Angels).  Actually the Brewers were taking whatever they were saving on Braun’s suspension salary and using it to reduce concession prices.

However, the Cubs would carry the day, 8-5.  You know you’re having a good offensive day when your .067 batting average, starting pitcher, Chris Rusin, drives in two runs.  Junior Lake was the star with a first inning grand slam home run, and then followed that up with a bunt single.