A Short Respite, a Timeout is called
There's Joy in Mudville to be had
As Culture commentary is part of my menu, it’s time to give a nod to Major League Baseball, which begins on April Fools Day.
The starting 30 pitchers for that day include:
Glasnow/TB @ Alcantara/MIA
Means/BAL @ Eovaldi/BOS
Ryu/TOR @ Cole/NYY
Bieber/CLE @ Boyd/DET
Gibson/TEX @ Keller/KC
Maeda/MIN @ Woodruff/MIL
Giolito/CWS @ Bundy/LAA
Greinke/HOU @ Bassitt/OAK
Gausman/SF @ M.Gonzalez/SEA
DeGrom/NYM @ Scherzer/WAS
Fried/ATL @ Nola/PHI
Flaherty/STL @ Castillo/CIN
Kershaw/LAD @ Marquez/COL
Bumgarner/ARI (likely) @ Darvish/SD
M.Keller/PIT (likely) @ Hendricks/CHC
My thoughts: BAL, DET, TEX, MIA, COL, ARI, PIT won’t be contenders this year. BOS shouldn’t, as it’s in rebuilding mode, but they always have the capacity to surprise the experts.
I hope there’s never another year to compare the 2020 season to. Only another short season could offer a true comparison. Most players have peaks and valleys over 162 games. If they peak at 60 games, they look exceptional, even if they’re not capable of delivering the same for 162. So most of last season’s stats aren’t accurate reflections of the players.
Last year teams played fewer different teams, which also impacted their stats. With mostly cardboard cutouts in the stands, there was little home team advantage and many players were unsettled at the quiet of the stadiums.
So it’s a good sign for the country that baseball is back. Not back to normal as covid will still infect and interfere some. Other injuries will still mess up some expert predictions, which is completely normal.
The trios of hitters most pitchers are likely to have trouble with in 2021:
Rendon/Trout/Walsh in LAA
Lindor/Conforto/Alonso in NYM
Acuna/Freeman/Ozuna in ATL
Betts/CSeager/Bellinger/ in LAD
Edman/Goldschmidt/Arenado in STL
Tucker/Bregman/Alvarez in HOU
Madrigal/Robert/Abreu in CWS
LeMahieu/Judge/Stanton in NYY if they can stay uninjured.
It’ll be great to have the most multicultural American game in full bloom again.
Why yes, there’s far more serious things afoot worth a mention. Donald Trump spouting nonsense, playing his rubes again. Mainstream media reporting on Stephen Miller’s political plans with no mention of his virulently racist past efforts. The fresh rise of Covid in the US again. Republicans still warning that Democrats will take all your guns while simultaneously taking away your votes in an effort unmatched since the post-Reconstruction era. A ship stuck in a canal that’s costing the world tens of billions. It’s still Women’s History Month.
But naw, the crappy news sometimes is best forgotten for a day.
Passover began last night and continues through April 4, which for Christians, is Easter Sunday.
Sometimes it’s better to reflect on history and mystery in their own contexts rather than the perplexities plaguing us today. So Play Ball!