This past Monday was one of the special days on the baseball calendar as the game celebrated the life and legacy of Jackie Robinson. There were some wonderful scenes around the league and they made for some powerful photo ops, much like the cover photo for this article. Robinson’s impact on the sport and the nation as a whole should always be amplified and the spirit of Jackie lives on with all players wearing his number 42. With the festivities kicking off the week, there is still plenty to talk about in the baseball world so let’s get after it. We have some thoughts on a struggling star, the fundamentals of the game (or lack of thereof), a bizarre injury and the celebration of a managerial legend. Let’s go Around the Horn!
First Base
Acting Like a Fool: That’s exactly what Javy Baez is doing so far this season in Detroit. Of course, it isn’t anything new, as Baez has turned into a total albatross in the Motor City, and it seems his sensitivity is taking over his emotions here. Baez is hitting .143 with just one home run and four RBI’s, while making $23 million a year for a team hungry to make the playoffs. This level of performance, which has become a trend for the shortstop, has drawn the ire of Tigers fans everywhere who have taken to voicing their displeasure at games. Now I want to say this off the top, there is no room for fans who say vile and offensive comments directed at players. Having said that I cannot blame Tigers fans for being upset with Baez given the level of effort and performance he has put up for their squad. This is not the first time that Baez has had an ugly run in with fans, it needs to be stopped now, as there is no need to show up them up out there…especially when your at bats typically end like this.
Second Base
Where Have the Fundies Gone?: That is the question that continues to be asked around baseball the last few years as Major Leaguers seemed to have forgotten the basics out there. As much as I love Julio Rodriguez, the mistake he makes in the clip above is absolutely indefensible. You CANNOT be picked off with two outs in the ninth inning when you’re the tying run at first. You have to be more alert than that on the bases and I’m sure Julio will learn from it and become an even better player for it. Mistakes like this can win and lose ball games…take the Mariners opponent from Sunday as an example, who one night later won in Arizona because of some heads-up baseball from Nico Hoerner in the clip below. Nico’s made dash for home (from second) in the same situation tied the game on a wild pitch, and the Cubs won it in extras. A brilliant bit of base running from one of the leagues many exciting young talents.
Third base
Too Silly to Even Explain: I’ll let the clip above do most of the talking here, as this whole sequence of events makes my head hurt. But the long and short of it is that the Rockies used oft-injured pitcher Kyle Freeland as a pinch runner in the ninth inning of a tie game against the Phillies. Freeland tried to come home and score on a wild pitch to give the Rockies the lead and wound up being out at the plate and hurt on the play…some teams are bad and just stay bad for mind numbing reasons, and the Rockies are one of them.
Home Plate
Rest in Peace Whitey Ball: On Tuesday the game lost one of its many larger than life figures, as legendary Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog passed away at 92. Herzog played eight seasons for the Washington Senators, Kansas City Athletics, Baltimore Orioles and the Detroit Tigers. After paying his dues working in various organizations, Herzog became the manager of the Kansas City Royals in 1975 and won three AL West Titles in KC but fell short of the ultimate goal of winning the World Series on each occasion. After leaving the Royals, Whitey took over the Cardinals where his wonderful brand of baseball was a match made in heaven with fans and players alike. The Redbirds forced the issue by stealing bases and putting the ball in play, while feeding off of a strong all around pitching staff. He managed the likes of Ozzie Smith, Vince Coleman, Willie McGee, Keith Hernandez, Terry Pendleton, John Tudor, Jack Clark, Bruce Sutter and many other stars of the day in St. Louis. Together they won three pennants and a World Series in 1982 over the Brewers. Herzog retired in 1990 with a .532 winning percentage and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010. If you have the time, I recommend checking out MLB Networks fabulous documentary on the “Whitey Ball” Cardinals to learn more about some of the best teams of the 80’s, check out the preview below!
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