Masterbather

When we were competing with the Tigers for the best record I said at the time I don't really understand how the Tigers are so good. They have the best pitcher, but on the whole I found the team mostly uninspiring. Not that I find Cleveland a whole lot to write home about, but to me the Tigers never belonged in the conversation with every other contender in the American League.

I thought they might beat Crochet at home, but I failed to factor in the manager is a bit of a dumbass.

Okay, in your opinion. That's fine. But I think the alternative of creating a lane when the ball beats you is also dumb. So we may be in agree to disagree territory.

In this case it was a bang bang play, but as long as Wells leads with his glove I have no issue, and he did lead with his glove. It results in a collision. s*** happens. But at the end of the day he was going to meet the runner with the tag. I'm okay with it. I think the alternative would be terrible and would reward an offense for no reason. Considering home plate is where the runs are scored that's especially problematic in my opinion.

It's not a matter of getting better at tagging people, if you tag someone on the arm they can swim into the other arm, if you take someone on the body the arm might get there first, there's always a chance if you're tagging someone on top of the base that you're going to get beat no matter where you want to tag them. What you see as blocking the plate I see as simply going to meet the runner with the tag, which I think are two different ideas. I don't see it as a football scrimmage, as a defender you shouldn't be trying to hit the guy and as a runner you shouldn't be trying to hit the defender. The defender should be trying to apply a tag and the offensive player should be trying to avoid it. If the path is cut off because you got beat by the ball then your chances of avoiding the tag are near zero, as they should be. What happened with Bo was a freak occurrence, he started sliding as the catcher got the ball moving towards him, leading with the glove, and it ended up in a collision. s*** happens, but you don't go and make the rules silly because s*** happens.

What was I trying? I simply argued that the baseline rules should extend right through the end of the baseline, which apparently it does. Because otherwise where do you draw the line between blocking the plate and meeting somebody on the line? If the ball beats the runner by a mile and the runner has come to a stop because of how badly they've been beat, then the catcher comes to meet the runner a few feet from the plate is that blocking the plate or is that a play on the line? If the ball beats the base runner enough so that the fielder has the ability to block off the plate or the base, the defense has earned that right in my opinion. A defender can come meet you as long as they have the ball even if they're just meeting you a foot from the plate on a bang/bang play.

The chances of making the tag decline significantly if you give them a lane. I don't see why you should be forced to do so if the ball gets there in time. What about if it turns into a rundown then do you have to keep the run down to the sides of the baseline so you're not blocking the lane? If you're allowed to go right up to somebody in a rundown on the baseline then that should extend to any part of the baseline. You can go right up to them which means you're blocking the plate or the base.

I predict the Guardians and Padres stay alive today. I think the Yankees and Reds are done.

I disagree completely. Once you have the ball you can go wherever the hell you want. Why would you give the opponent an ability to beat you when you have them beat by a mile? I think that's the benefit of the ball beating the runner, you get to cut them off completely. You don't owe them the opportunity to score. I do agree you shouldn't be able to do this without the ball. I think the rule is perfect.

How could there be no structural damage if there's any sort of real significant tear? I consider a tear to be structural damage but maybe they're just playing with words here.

Cincy as threatening as an annoying house fly to the Dodgers.

Red Sox are going to have to show up tomorrow offensively. Yankees will score runs off Bello.

Poor Cincinnati. I know they have some pitching but they are so way over their heads. They shouldn't be here but for the fact that the Mets are such ass.

Chapman dangled it just to take it away.

That was an interesting save.

This.

Connelly Early is an option.

That keeps Judge from being the tying run.

That could have been a malfunction at the junction in that outfield.

He can turn it up when he wants. I'd be more concerned about him being a mental midget at times.

🧁

If it was somebody other than Weaver, but I'm just not a fan of Weaver in that situation. I'd rather stick with Fried and take my chances. Yankees bullpen has been facing some cupcake teams lately, giving them a false sense of effectiveness.

Seems to know how to do it better than the Yankees manager did.

We can't completely discount the possibility that Chapman at Yankees stadium in the postseason doesn't revert to some strange mid version of his past self.

Williams is easily better.