Jimmy Fallon played Drinko with Michael Strahan last night, and I desperately need to find the mini Drinko board I had in college.
Big Z
Big Day for Sale, Sox in Seattle
Chris Sale has been solid for the Red Sox all season. When he takes the mound at Seattle this afternoon to face the Mariners, it might be his biggest start of the season.
The Red Sox are scuffling. The Red Sox have lost four games in a row, which is their longest losing streak of the season, and are just 5-8 since the All-Star break. The Yankees, meanwhile, are 7-5 since the All-Star break. The Yankees have won four of their last five games, and recently took 3 out of 4 in Seattle to win their first series since they swept the Baltimore Orioles June 9-11.
Just a week ago, the Yankees found themselves in third place in the AL East, 4.5 games behind the Red Sox. Today the Yankees start the day in second place, just one game behind the Red Sox. If the Red Sox lose today and the Yankees win, the Yankees will finish the day percentage points ahead of the Red Sox for first place in the division.
The big problem on the field has been the Red Sox offense. The Sox have been outscored by their opponents 50-44 since the All-Star break, and it doesn’t even feel that close at times. On the season the Red Sox have hit just 100 home runs in 102 games. That’s 27th in the big leagues and dead last in the American League.
But the on-field issues have taken a back seat as of late to the clubhouse soap operas. By now you’ve probably read Dan Shaughnessy’s account of what happened between David Price and Dennis Eckersley on the Red Sox’ June 29th flight to Toronto (if you haven’t used up your free articles for July). Shaughnessy’s story portrays Price as oversensitive and petty, which is not surprising. What is surprising is that, according to Shaughnessy’s story, many players applauded Price’s dressing down of a broadcaster who is essentially a team employee.
Then on WEEI yesterday, after evading the question several times, Manager John confirmed that he had not apologized to Eckersley since the Price incident. The second David Price media explosion of the month. John Wayne Manager John is not. Manager John is afraid he’ll lose the clubhouse if he simply asks one of his highest paid players to stop acting like an unrepentant asshole.
Normally with the team in a tailspin the last week of July, trade deadline blockbusters would seem less likely. But, the Red Sox still have the second-best record in the American League. The Red Sox certainly don’t look like a World Series contender right now, but who will stop them? The Houston Astros are the favorite to win the American League right now, but they aren’t your traditional juggernaut. They’ve made the playoffs once in the last dozen years. Don’t tell me they couldn’t be beat in a series.
Which leads me back to my original point. Today is a big day for Sale and the Red Sox. If they win, they have tomorrow off and come home for a 10-game homestand that starts Friday. If they lose, does John Farrell get on the same plane as the 25 players? Or does Dave Dombrowski try to find a no-bullshit manager to try and right the ship for two and half months?
If only such a manager were available…
Did the Red Sox Commit Another Error at Third?
I’m old enough to remember the last time the Yankees made a mid-season deal to pick up a third baseman and, spoiler alert, it did not end well for the Red Sox.
Looks like this tweet didn’t age well:
Red Sox are in enviable position of needing a position at deadline no other contender really needs https://t.co/CXZLybPH4F
— Rob Bradford (@bradfo) July 17, 2017
Regardless, I can’t get too worked up over this deal. I don’t know what the answer is at third base for the Red Sox, but I never thought it was Todd Frazier. Everyone said the Red Sox could get him for nothing, so I would’ve been okay if they brought him in as a flyer but Bobby Abreu he is not. Despite his pop™, Frazier is still just hitting .207 this season. Pablo Sandoval was hitting .212 when the Red Sox DFA’d him.
On a related note, here was Brock Holt after hearing that Frazier went to the Yankees:
The Red Sox – Yankees rivalry cooled off a few years ago, but hopefully this trade puts it back on the front burner. Every Red Sox – Yankees game was an event in Boston from 2003 through about 2010.
Maybe the rivalry cooling off had to do with George Steinbrenner passing away and Brian Cashman running the Yankees like a normal franchise. But the urge to dump high-ranked prospects for washed up veterans is hard to shake. I’ll take this as a sign that the rivalry is back on. I’m in.
Twins Bringin’ Big Sexy Back
Bartolo Colon will reportedly be called up to start for the Twins on Tuesday https://t.co/p2mn43L0As
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) July 16, 2017
The last time we saw Bartolo Colon at the Major League level was on June 28 in San Diego. As a member of the Atlanta Braves, Colon gave up six runs on eight hits and three walks over four innings against the Padres. It was his fourth straight clunker of start, and it looked like the end was near for the 44-year-old Big Sexy.
Colon was 2-8 this year for the Braves with an 8.14 ERA. Even with the weak definition of a quality start, only two of Colon’s 13 starts with the Braves this year qualified as quality starts. But rumors of his demise have been greatly exaggerated (for now), and Colon will play for his tenth Major League team on Tuesday night when he starts for the Minnesota Twins. The Twins will be hosting the New York Yankees.
It’s a start, and a series, with potential playoff implications. The Yankees currently find themselves just a half game ahead of the Twins for the second wild card spot in the American League. After getting out to a 38-23 start, the Yankees have gone 9-20 since June 13. The Twins, after losing 103 games last year, have returned to respectability this year.
The Twins have been a surprise near the top of the AL Central this season. They haven’t set the world on fire but they have been consistent – they’ve never been up or down more than three games for first place in the AL Central. But their run differential is -63, 12th in the American League. They are the only team in baseball with a negative run differential and a record better than .500. They’re 10-5 in one-run games, but 12-21 in games decided by five runs or more.
Despite being in the wild card race near the trade deadline, I’d bet against the Twins making the playoffs. That’s why picking up Bartolo Colon is a great move. It will only cost the Twins a few hundred thousand dollars and no prospects. No need to “mortgage the future” to make this move.
If Colon catches fire, it’s a great story and fun little run in August and September. If Colon can’t straighten things out, and it really is the end of the road for him, he’s not much worse than what they’ve been running out there every fifth day anyways. And I find it hard to believe that a veteran pitcher could seriously disrupt any clubhouse chemistry. So again, all there really is to lose is a few bucks.
And then there’s this. The Twins 60-year-old manager, Paul Molitor, played his final Major League game on September 27, 1998. He faced the Cleveland Indians and Bartolo Colon that day. Molitor went 1-for-3 that day against Colon, and was 2-for-8 lifetime against Colon.
Sox Move On After E5
MassLive.com – Pablo Sandoval’s day with the Red Sox are over.
The club announced on Friday morning they designated the 30-year-old for assignment.
Sandoval appeared in just 32 games this season hitting .212 with a .622 OPS.
From a pure baseball perspective, this move comes as no surprise. When the manager is afraid to put you at third base with a lefty on the mound – and your team has four left handed starting pitchers – the situation has become untenable. There’s no such thing as an $18 million pinch-hitting specialist. Clearly the team had to move on.
From a financial standpoint, though, it does come as a mild surprise. The Red Sox still owe Pablo Sandoval roughly $50 million and I’ll bet Dave Dombrowski had to run this move by John Henry before pulling the trigger. I’ll also bet that Dombrowski frequently reminded Henry during their conversation that it was the guy here before him that signed Sandoval to that outrageous contract. Classic office move, “I’m just cleaning up the mess left by the last guy.”
[On a side note, Dombrowski also better hope that David Price’s arm holds up. If that guy breaks down, it will make the Sandoval situation look like paying a parking ticket. And there’s no way to blame that one on anyone else.]
Obviously it’s disappointing the Sox couldn’t ship Sandoval off in a salary dump trade a la the Nick Punto Trade of 2012. But it’s hard to see another team taking a flyer on Sandoval at this point. If he got back into shape and still couldn’t play, what else is there left to see?
Boston was never a great fit for Sandoval. As is so often the case, he would have been better served taking a few less bucks to stay in a better situation in San Francisco. The next time a player does that may be the first time, though. In any event, the search for a third baseman goes on for the Red Sox. I look at players like Adrian Beltre and Travis Shaw and can’t help but ask, “Why can’t we get players like that?”
Friday Morning Randomness
As mentioned on The 300s podcast this week, the next ballpark on my schedule is Miller Park in Milwaukee. Hopefully I run into Bob Uecker.
The 300s Reviews: Marlins Park
We’re excited to launch a new series at The 300s today – ballpark reviews. We haven’t been to all 30 parks yet, but we’re working on it. With the MLB All-Star Game taking place in Miami tonight, we’ll kick off this new series with the a review of Marlins Park, home of the Miami Marlins.
Walking up to Marlins Park, it’s clear that this place is not trying to be your classic ballpark. It’s not Fenway. It’s not Camden Yards. It’s not even Petco Park. It’s baseball’s first “modern” ballpark to open since the new Comiskey Park U.S. Cellular Field Guaranteed Rate Field opened on the South Side of Chicago in 1991 (as opposed to “retro modern” or “retro classic” ballparks). It’s worth noting, though, that Guaranteed Rate Field underwent extensive renovations last decade to be considered more “retro classic.”
Walking into Marlins Park felt like walking into the future. It was unlike any other baseball park I’ve ever been too. The concourse was brightly colored and well lit, with no bare concrete walls or floors like those seen at Fenway and even newer parks like Miller Park. Lots of contemporary artwork, too. Here’s the back of the home run structure in center field:
A very cool feature on the concourse was the Bobblehead Museum.
It featured players from every team, obviously too many to mention individually. But here’s old friend Mo Vaughn!
The concourse was also filled with really pushy promotions crews. “Listen dude, I’m just in Miami for the weekend. I’m not entering your contest to win a coupon to Publix.”
I forget how hot it was the day I went, but it isn’t really relevant. It was Miami in August so the roof was closed. It wasn’t like I was at a hockey game, but the temperature with the roof closed and the AC on was pleasant. Felt a bit like a dome without a breeze, though.
The atmosphere definitely left a lot to be desired. It was a mid-week interleague game, but the low-capacity ballpark was still barely half full. The upper deck in the infield was actually literally closed that night. That can’t be a good long-term business move.
Being in Little Havana, Marlins Park featured many Cuban food options. I went with the pork nachos which were good, but nothing earth shattering. I didn’t take a photo of them, so that might say something too.
I’ve been to eleven ballparks, eight of which are still in use. Of those eight, I’d rank Marlins Park ahead of only Tropicana Field. I wouldn’t say it should be ranked 29th out of 30, I just haven’t been to places like Toronto or Oakland. Yet. Still, these modern ballparks seem to miss the mark.
The last “modern” ballpark to open before Marlins Park was the White Sox’ Guaranteed Rate Field. That ballpark is barely 25 years old and as I mentioned earlier, underwent massive renovations fairly early in its life to stay relevant. We’ll see what happens to Marlins Park going forward.
I didn’t expect Wrigley Field in South Florida, but this stadium felt like something Marty McFly would’ve walked into in Back to the Future Part II.
Big Z Ballpark Rating – 5.5
NBA Allegedly Updates Its Logo
NBA tweaks league logo: https://t.co/9rW51Bju3T pic.twitter.com/13YUy7UTxB
— Paul Lukas (@UniWatch) July 7, 2017
I need to reevaluate my career goals and get into graphic design. Whatever the NBA paid some marketing firm to “refresh” and “modernize” its logo was way, way too much.
Seriously, I could’ve done that. I’d haven been happy to do it for no more than $20,000. I have Microsoft Office. I could’ve clicked through every font and made the decision that Arial Narrow worked better than regular old Arial. I would have lobbied hard for Franklin Gothic Medium, but I don’t know that the NBA would have gone for it.
But maybe I should be giving the NBA more credit for showing some restraint. The 1990s were great, but featured some garish NBA uniforms.
And then there was the Detroit Pistons logo, which is the New Coke of NBA redesigns.
If you want more information on the NBA’s updated logo, a press release describing the new “taller, leaner typeface” can be found on their website. I bet writing the press release was harder than actually updating the logo. Gotta own the story I guess.
Jeremy Jacobs Fought the IRS, and Jeremy Jacobs Won
Fox Business – In Jacobs v. Commissioner, the owners of the National Hockey League’s Bruins argued the team should be able to deduct 100% of the cost of certain meals they provided to players and staff. Under current law, only 50% of the cost of many business meals is tax-deductible…
The Bruins’s owners deducted 100% of the cost of meals provided to players and staff at road games, which came to $255,754 in 2009 and $284,446 in 2010. The IRS argued the law allowed only for a 50% deduction of these expenses, and it wanted an extra $85,000 in taxes.
The Tax Court judge disagreed with the IRS and sided with the Bruins.
Jeremy Jacobs is worth $4.3 billion, but has spent almost a decade battling the IRS over $85,000. Don’t ever change, JJ. Please don’t ever change.
To put the numbers into better perspective, this is like having $43,000 on your debit card and arguing with the cashier at 7-Eleven over 85 cents. I’d say Jacobs is living up to his reputation as one of the cheapest owners in sports, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t respect the balls on this guy.
You’re 77 years old, you’ve set your family up financially for generations, and you still want to pick a fight with the IRS. You do you, man.
Smart PR move by Jacobs, too. I didn’t expect this from the team that fires coaches in the middle of the night on the west coast and during Patriots Super Bowl parades. I would’ve expected the Bruins to sue the Little Sisters of the Poor because they painted a house black and yellow or something. But the IRS? The only better PR move would have been to sue an airline for delaying your take off. (Or Ticketmaster for their absurd fees, but I’m being realistic.)
Now if you could get those guys who helped you beat the IRS in a room with Cam Neely and Don Sweeney, maybe they could help the Bruins beat the Senators next year and get a little bit closer to winning the Cup again.
Friday Morning Randomness
Definitely trying this the next time I get a wrong number.
The 300s 