Going Yard

Veteran Atlanta Braves broadcasters Chip Caray and Joe Simpson went on a rant during last night’s telecast of the game versus the Cubs when MLB Instant Replay in New York took an inordinate amount of time to review a call and then ruled against the Braves. Caray (son of Skip and grandson of Harry) used […]

Summarizing the sloppy weather month of April in MLB, Jayson Stark of The Athletic made 10 observations about the season so far, the most striking of which, pun intended, is that MLB is en route to over 42,000 Ks this season, up by 10,000 over a decade ago.  What a way to beat the infield […]

The Athletic writer Jayson Stark has a fine thought piece today on the merits of a 154-game schedule versus the current 162.  Among the possible changes:  Sunday day games, all Mondays off and night games Tuesday, a longer All-Star break and an earlier end to the season. “We sometimes forget the players actually are our game,” says former […]

For the most part, April has been a cold awakening for MLB, with temperatures in the 40’s and snow-outs and ice-outs replacing field outs.  Perhaps MLB needs to revisit its 162-game schedule and limit the number of games so play begins in more moderate weather.  Here’s an uncomfortable stat from River Ave Blues, the NYY blog: As […]

New NYY infielder Brandon Drury has been suffering from migraines and blurred vision that landed him on the DL.  Asked how often he’s plagued by this, he answered, “all the time.” It is hard to fathom how a MLB player could be productive under those circumstances–judging balls and strikes and batted balls–and why he never […]

After a crushing loss to the Boston Red Sox that revealed major fault lines in the NYY lineup–batters, bullpen and botched balls–it’s hard to be enthusiastic about a team that looks lost.  Marc Carig, who covers the Yankees for The Athletic, captured it well: At various points, the crowd at at a frigid Fenway Park […]

Rookie skipper Gabe Kapler of the Phillies made a bonehead move when he called for a bullpen pitcher in a game yesterday who had not warmed up.  Kapler, a former utility and journeyman player, already raised eyebrows by using 21 different pitchers in the first three games. He is not the only rookie skipper who […]

Ken Singleton, the best of the YES broadcast voices for over two decades, will be leaving the mic after this season, much to fans’ dismay.  His famous “Look out!” call for inside pitches is legendary along with his cool, laid-back style that focuses on the action, not his ego.  Here’s what he told Newsday about […]

With a record eight HRs in one game, including another record five after the first nine innings, there is much talk about juiced baseballs in the World Series, including a barbed comment by Astros’ hurler Dallas Keuchel.  It is curious that players who hardly hit HRs are hitting dingers left and right.  Can it just […]

It is always a pleasure to listen to Bob Costas and Jim Kaat cover MLB as they are the opening game between the ‘Stros and the Red Sox.  When Astros star Marwin Gonzalez took his first turn at bat, Costas remarked that he can play–and has played–every position in his career, except pitcher and catcher. […]