BL: MLB Pitchers & Catchers Report… YIPPEE!

Spring Training
BobLee
February17/ 2018

MLB Pitchers and Catchers have reported … YIPPEE!

If you just started following this site in recent weeks you might think I never follow sports of any kind. I can see where you might get that idea what with my personal de-fanitization from The NFL, The NBA, and ACC BB.

For anyone keeping score… add The Winter Olympics to that list. I tried, I really did; but every time I tuned in there was this Pee Wee Herman-lookalike screaming how much he hates VP Mike Pence. Once was enough of that. … A gay male figure skater… what’ll they think of next? I mean REALLY? Who knew…

NOTE:  I appreciate that some of you dislike “baseball” for various reasons every bit as valid as my reasons for no longer caring about NFL, NBA, ACC BB.  I do hope there is something that you DO enjoy for reasons as pure as why I enjoy “baseball” … which has zero to do with “hating XYZ team or fan base”.

Kid is fascinated by Curling. There are actually “curling clubs” where she lives in Madison WI. In anTwinsXother twenty years when “the twins” no longer demand her full attention, she intends to try curling. “The twins” are doing wonderfully well by the way. Both darling little girls appear to be far above average, of course, in every measurable category especially “odd sense of humor”. Everyone agrees they got that from me.

This past week MLB pitchers & catchers reported and my sports viewing is set for the next eight months. But even that is not without its quandaries.

Long time viewers know “my team” is The St. Louis Cardinals. Primarily because I really like their uniforms but also “just because”.

I have reupped for the third season of MLB.tv. That well-spent $120 allows me to watch every MLB game except ones involving the Nationals and Orioles. My zip code is considered “in their market”.

But I can only watch one game at a time and I have developed a fan appreciation for several other teams in addition to The Cardinals… primarily The AstrosThe Rockies and The Angels… plus I’m curious how The Yankees will do with Stanton and Judge.

There are no teams that I “don’t like” although the only White Sox I can name is Carlos Rodon.

An MLB Betcha Didn’t Know…

MLB has two Big Issues right now – (1) Pace of Play and (2) Free Agent/Collusion. I don’t consider either of those to be valid issues but I don’t get a vote. In addition, for several years, there has been “concern” from certain factions as to the decreasing % of “African Americans” in MLB. Last year there were only 7% “African Americans” in MLB… and over 35% Hispanic / Latins. The remaining 58% are “White guys” with one Australian and one Lithuanian.

At issue is how to determine who are legitimate “African Americans”. Skin color is NOT a factor. “Nationality” outranks skin color.  A number of MLB “Cubans” are black-skinned.

Here’s the Betcha Didn’t Know… BOTH Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton consider themselves to be “African American”.

Judge was adopted at birth by white parents. His birth parents were “mixed”. Does claiming to be “Af-Am” count? … Stanton has a black father and Hispanic mother. He wanted to play for Puerto Rico in the WBC but his PR heritage was denied. Derek Jeter, of course, has a white mother and black father. I have never heard what he considers himself.

With mixed marriages involving all combinations of AfAm… Caucasian… Hispanic… Asian becoming more common daily… how can racial/ethnic purity be determined? … more importantly, WHY is it important?

As for “Pace of Play”… all the suggestions being discussed – collectively – will not reduce “game time” by more than 10-15 minutes. From 3:00 to 2:45 minutes maximum. Would that fifteen minutes be a factor in your decision to go to a game?

To reduce average game time even to 2:30 would require radically changing the basic framework of the Game of Baseball … # innings, # outs, # balls/strikes.

ANOTHER Betcha Didn’t Know

MLB has become very concerned about fans being hit by foul balls. So all MLB parks have now extended the protective netting further down both foul lines. How come?

Foul balls hit into the stands have been a factor since Day One of Baseball. Why are they now a concern?

If you say “because we are now a litigious society looking to sue everybody for anything”; that is only a very minor “why”.

THE #1 REASON for extending the netting to prevent injuries from foul balls is ……. “cellphone distraction”.

Fans of all ages are continually distracted by “their devices” from action on the field to the degree that they are more likely to not take evasive action to a foul ball. … NOW you know.

As for the issue of Free Agent / Collusion, my explanation debunking that is too involved for those of you who don’t follow baseball. Email me if you care to know.

FWIW… my “favoritest players” heading into MLB 2018 are…

#! – Joey Votto – Cincinnati 
Jose Altuve – Houston
Mike Trout – Anaheim
George Springer – Houston
Buster Posey – San Francisco
Nolan Arenado – Colorado
Anthony Rizzo – Chicago

There are no MLB players I “don’t like”. My list of “next favoritest players” would include about 100 names. I just really enjoy Major League Baseball.

MLB Network

I also REALLY REALLY enjoy watching MLB Network. I usually have that channel on all day so when I take a break from Saving Western Civilization, I watch a few minutes of very knowledgeable former MLB players discussing the intricacies of the game. Very cool …

As for “Saving Western Civilization” … Alas, I’m not having much success with that… as you can probably tell. Regardless of your politics, 50% of the people at the mall… at the grocery store… in the DMV line… in your neighborhood … REALLY do not like you at all.

If you think “most people” agree with you because (1) you have common sense, and (2) you are a very nice person… NO, they don’t.

If I were twenty years younger I think I would “go off the grid”… if I could still have indoor plumbing and my Audible books.

######

If you enjoyed this… 

2,000 more BobLeeSays commentaries – LINK.

For partisan political commentaries….

AgentPierceSaid… LINK         /    SoTheBlondeSaid…. LINK

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