Big market teams willing to spent reaping rewards
According to the United Sates Census Bureau, the five largest American cities are New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston and Philadelphia.
According to my morning newspaper five of the six firstplace teams in major league baseball are the teams representing New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston and Philadelphia. Isn’t that a remarkable coincidence?
Uh, no it’s not. Franchises in the largest cities command the largest television and radio deals. They draw from the largest fan bases and have more people willing to buy replicas of their caps and uniform shirts. You don’t have to have a Harvard business degree to figure out that they have more money to spend.
If they’re willing to spend it — and right now all of them are — they can sign free agents, extend the contracts of their current stars and trade for high-priced-butproductive players that other teams don’t feel they can afford to keep. They have the best teams and it’s no mystery how they got them.
Baseball has attempted to curtail the rich teams’ advantage with luxury taxes for excessive payrolls and rookie bonuses. For a time those restrictions seemed to be working but clearly, they no longer are. The wealthiest teams all have smart administrators and they will probably continue to dominate until somebody changes the rules — again.
Somebody better. Sooner rather than later.
A few weeks ago I made the point that owners need to make major concessions to the players when it comes to free agency. I still believe that. But I think it will be equally important that the players also make some major concessions. The owners need to find ways to level the playing field for all 30 franchises and the players need to accept those changes.
In order for owners and players to prosper, the industry must prosper. The industry will prosper only if the games and the pennant races are interesting.
***
On Monday a state high school playoff game at Steinert was interrupted when the sprinkler system was suddenly activated. I’m reminded Kansas City Houston Texas Oakland Los Angeles Seattle
Tuesday’s games
17
W
33 24 25 22 23 31
L
16 23 25 26 29 .354 .673 _ .511 8 .500 8 1⁄2 .458 10 1⁄2 .442 11 1⁄2 Kansas City at St. Louis, ppd. Oakland 5, Cleveland 3
N.Y. Yankees 11, Baltimore 4 Toronto 10, Boston 3
L.A. Dodgers 7, Tampa Bay 3 Miami 5, Detroit 4, 11 innings Texas 5, Seattle 3 Houston 5, Chicago White Sox 1 Minnesota 8, L.A. Angels 3
Pct
15
GB
of the time when a similar incident happened during a game between the Thunder the Reading. Except that this one was no accident.
The whole thing involved two pitching coaches, both of whom were former major leaguers. Larry Anderson, now a broadcaster, was the pitching coach for the Reading Phillies. He was known to be fun-loving and an occasional prankster. Trenton’s Al Nipper was more austere, but he was a master at slowing down the action when he thought his pitcher needed a break.
On this particular night (the second game of a doubleheader) the hour was late when Nipper strolled to the mound and carried on an extended conversation with his pitcher. All of a sudden the irrigation system erupted and everyone scrambled to avoid being drenched.
Anderson was immediately suspected of causing the incident. He wouldn’t admit it but he never denied it either. Years later I asked him if he was willing to fess up.
“All I know,” he said, “is that when the water went on I was standing next to the switch.”
***
I am constantly amazed how otherwise knowledgeable
Wednesday’s games
Oakland 7, Cleveland 2 Kansas City 8, St. Louis 2, 1st game Texas 2, Seattle 1
N.Y. Yankees at Baltimore Boston at Toronto
L.A. Dodgers at Tampa Bay Miami at Detroit
Kansas City at St. Louis, 2nd game Chicago White Sox at Houston Minnesota at L.A. Angels
Thursday’s games
N.Y. Yankees (Tanaka 3-3) at Baltimore (Bundy 2-5), 12:35 p.m.
Boston (TBD) at Toronto (Feierabend 0-1), 12:37 p.m.
Miami (Richards 1-5) at Detroit (Boyd 4-4), 1:10 p.m.
Tampa Bay (Snell 3-4) at Cleveland (TBD), 6:10 p.m.
Chicago White Sox (Giolito 5-1) at Houston (Martin 1-0), 8:10 p.m. baseball announcers are ignorant when it comes to the scoring rules. When I say that I’m looking at you, Tim Kurkjian.
You recently worked a game in Philadelphia when a batter hit a ball into the right field corner that initially looked like a double. The batter, in fact, stopped briefly at second, then continued to third when the ball eluded the right fielder.
You immediately declared that the batter would get a double and the right fielder would be charged with an error for allowing him to reach third. You said that since the batter stopped and re-started the right fielder had to get an error and you repeated that assertion when a replay was shown. When the official scorer ruled the play a triple you said he was being “extremely Chicago Milwaukee Pittsburgh St. Louis Cincinnati generous.”
You owe that official scorer an apology. He wasn’t being generous. He was doing his job.
It is true that most of the time a runner stops and restarts on a play like that it is because an error has occurred. But that wasn’t the case on this play. The ball took a carom that evidently had not been anticipated by either the right fielder or the batter. The right fielder had no chance to play that carom and was forced to chase the ball into fair territory. While he was chasing it the runner took third. There was clearly no error on the play — hence the batter was entitled to a triple.
The scorer was professional enough to make the proper ruling. I think you’re usually professional too, but Los Angeles San Diego Arizona Colorado San Francisco
Tuesday’s games
Kansas City at St. Louis, ppd. Chicago Cubs 3, Philadelphia 2 Colorado 5, Pittsburgh 0 L.A. Dodgers 7, Tampa Bay 3 Miami 5, Detroit 4, 11 innings N.Y. Mets 6, Washington 5 Cincinnati 3, Milwaukee 0 San Francisco 4, Atlanta 3 San Diego 3, Arizona 2
Wednesday’s games W
32 26 25 21 21
L
17 24 25 25 26
Pct
.653 .520 .500 .457 .447 Milwaukee 11, Cincinnati 9 Kansas City 8, St. Louis 2, 1st game
GB
_ 6 1⁄2 7 1⁄2 9 1⁄2 10 your professionalism slipped a bit on that call.
When the Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger puts the ball in play with .fewer than two strikes his average is exactly .500. After two strikes his average slips to a mere .322…The Yankees’ Gary Sanchez has hit 14 homers. Eight of them have come against the Orioles…The Astros are 18-4 at home. They’re 15-12 on the road…After 44 games the Brewers’ Christian Yelich has 19 homers. If he can maintain that rate for the entire season he’ll finish with 70…The Phillies are 24-13 against right-handed pitchers. They’re 4-7 against lefties…Justin Verlander of the Astros leads the majors in fewest walks per nine innings (.733) and fewest hits per nine innings (4.479)…In his last 18 games the Pirates’ Josh Bell has batted .380 and driven in 23 runs…Phillies pitchers have thrown only nine wild pitches. Two pitchers (Lance Lynn of the Rangers and Cam Bedrosian of the Angels) each have seven all by themselves… Joey Gallo of the Rangers is batting ,293, which is 79 points higher than his career average. Nevertheless, only 16 of his 43 hits are singles…The National League has a 39-34 edge in interleague play…19 of the 30 teams report attendance decrease from last year.
Hall of Fame voter Jay Dunn has written baseball for The Trentonian for 51 years. Contact him at jaydunn8@ aol.com
San Diego 5, Arizona 2 Colorado at Pittsburgh
L.A. Dodgers at Tampa Bay Miami at Detroit Washington at N.Y. Mets
Kansas City at St. Louis, 2nd game Philadelphia at Chicago Cubs, 8:05 p.m. Atlanta at San Francisco, 9:45 p.m.
Thursday’s games
Washington (Strasburg 4-3) at N.Y. Mets (Matz 3-3), 12:10 p.m.
Colorado (Senzatela 3-3) at Pittsburgh (Lyles 4-1), 12:35 p.m.
Miami (Richards 1-5) at Detroit (Boyd 4-4), 1:10 p.m.
Philadelphia (Nola 4-0) at Chicago Cubs (Lester 3-2), 2:20 p.m.
Atlanta (Gausman 2-3) at San Francisco (Bumgarner 3-4), 3:45 p.m.