MLB

If You Think Bigger They Will Come

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

“If you build it, they will come!”  That is the way the actual line, “If you build it, he will come!” uttered by Kevin Costner to his character in the movie Field of Dreams is often misquoted.

But, we think “they will come” is apropos for Major League Baseball.  They’ve done a nice job turning an otherwise ho-hum mid-August evening into a spectacle. Fan attendance is sold out strong and the TV ratings, unknown at this point, will likely point to success in year two of this showcase.

It feels very baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and Chevrolet.  America needs way more red and white feelings to go along with the blue ones.  Thanks, MLB.

But, could you do so much more with the Field of Dreams?

How?  We’re glad you asked.

Did you know that an investment group bought the field (now two fields) and the surrounding acreage for $7 mil last year?  They plan on turning some of it into a training facility for youth baseball and girls’ softball.

That’s nice, but not groundbreaking when breaking the ground for that purpose.  And, the construction will scratch any MLB games there in 2023.

Maybe MLB should offer them $14 million and take ownership of it and even more land that surrounds it?  $21 million?  Why not?

How about playing the All Star Game there once?  Twice?  All-star games in the NFL (Pro Bowl), NBA, and MLB are stale.  Take the lead.

If you keep it as is, how about dumping the Geico and all other real and virtual ads in the stadium?

Sure, money talks.  But so does the sacred non-commercial look that the original field in the movie had.  Take us back to our past, please.

Augusta National limits ads to roughly 4 minutes an hour on The Masters broadcast.   And you won’t see a billboard/ad of any type on the hallowed grounds.

How about playing seven games in seven days with fourteen different teams?  Turn it into a bucket list item.  Make it a vacation destination for baseball purists in late summer.   A hotel off in the distance owned by MLB, maybe?  Augusta has bought any and all land adjacent to its property.  Big plans will be realized soon.

Sure scarcity creates demand.  But demand also creates demand.

It’s a venue and a mindset that is unique to America’s National Pastime.   And, it’s past time that they got out in front of the other sports marketing-wise just once.

Doesn’t everyone yearn for one more game of catch with their dad?

Build it and he and they will come.

 

Ten Piece Nuggets-Random

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Fresh and hot to hit the spot is a serving of Ten Piece Nuggets below.

  1.  Two old-school NCAA bluebloods duked (sorry Coach K) it out last night for the NCAA Basketball Championship.  Kansas overcame a 15 point halftime deficit to beat North Carolina and completed the biggest comeback in title-game history.  It was the fourth title for the storied Kansas team which is one less than the five Level I NCAA infraction allegations it is facing.
  2. Kansas isn’t too worried about them though as they gave Head Coach Bill Self a lifetime contract last April that pays him over $5 million per year.  LSU fired its head coach Will Wade last month for exactly the same- 5 Level I infraction allegations.
  3. The contract states Self cannot be fired with cause for violations that occurred before this new deal, meaning he can only be terminated without cause for whatever penalties are handed down to the program by the NCAA.  This makes us wonder.  If Kansas fires Self will the team then be considered selfless? Clearly, we’re asking for a friend.
  4. All of this brings us to a great quote about what the NCAA is and isn’t.  It was delivered many years ago but remains true to this day.  “The NCAA is so mad at Kentucky they’re going to give Cleveland State another year of probation,” said Jerry Tarkanian, then head coach of the Las Vegas Running Rebels.  Tark fought the law, and Tark won.  And it seems like Kansas, unlike LSU, is ready to do the same.
  5. This is the best time of the year for sports nuts and second isn’t close.  Last night was the NCAA basketball final.   Hockey and basketball are in the stretch run right before their playoffs begin.  MLB throws out its first pitch this week.  The Kentucky Derby is just around the far turn. The NFL Draft hype builds by the day.  This weekend in golf is the revered Masters.
  6. Will he or won’t he?  Fred Couples thinks he will.  Barring a setback over the next couple of days, Couples, one of Tiger Woods’ closest friends, believes Woods will play when the 86th Masters begins on Thursday.  “He’s kind of a tough guy,” Couples said.  They played a practice round together yesterday.  “He looked phenomenal,” Couples said. “What impressed me the most is he was bombing it.”  If Tiger tees it up The Masters will set a new viewership record for itself and second place won’t be close.
  7.  By now you’ve heard that Elon Musk owns 9.2% of Twitter.   The surge in its price since the announcement earned him a cool $386 million and counting.  That’s pocket change for Musk whose net worth is nearing $300 billion.  What’s the next shot in the billiard match?  Musk could a) ask for a seat or three on the Twitter Board of Directors, b) ask for policy changes (read as free speech), c) takeover the company altogether, or d) sell his shares and bank a tidy profit.
  8. Musk has 80 million-plus followers on Twitter.  Tesla spends nothing on advertising.  The Twitter platform would give the sly and wicked smart Musk a tremendous opportunity to tout whatever he chooses if he controlled its content, followers, and censorship.  Social media is maddening and fascinating at the same time.
  9.  U.S. Senator Mitt Romney should officially change parties.  Utah should vote to impeach him or vote him out of office this fall.  Why?  Because he’s a sheep in wolves’ clothing is why.
  10.  Real estate is expensive in Southern California. How expensive?  Black Lives Matter leadership allegedly purchased a $6 million luxury 6500 sq ft mansion with cash in SoCal using donation money, according to New York Magazine.  Why?  An April 1 internal BLM email states it is to “serve as housing and studio space for recipients of the Black Joy Creators Fellowship,” which “provides recording resources and dedicated space for Black creatives to launch content online and in real life focused on abolition, healing justice, urban agriculture and food justice, pop culture, activism, and politics.”  This makes the $30k per month that our government (you) is paying to rent a Malibu House to watch over Hunter Biden sound like a steal.  Could he find somewhere else to paint?  Could he find his laptop?

Remember to always keep your napkin in your lap!

2022

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Thankfully 2021 was one and done.  On to 2022 and hopefully out with the old and in with the new.

In our last column of the year we take a peek at what’s in store for us next year in the business, political, and sports worlds month by month.

January- Michigan wins its first FBS National Championship in OT over Alabama 35-31.  Joe Biden undergoes minor surgery and mistakenly names his new dog Commander as commander in chief over Kamala Harris prior to sedation.  Omicron new cases peak, then start a slow decline as the CDC announces a better test for the variant will be available March 1.  Ghislaine Maxwell finds out the hard way that orange is indeed the new black.

February- Green Bay and Kansas City meet in Super Bowl LVI just as they did in SB I over 55 years ago.  Fittingly GB hoists the Lombardi Trophy winning 30-24.  Inflation reaches 10.0% annualized.  Joe Kernan is suspended after striking Andrew Ross Sorkin on-air for mentioning gas prices slid another 2 cents last week.

March- Commander bites the hand that feeds him.  Joe is sutured by Dr. Jill Biden who says the wound is transitory.  March Madness delivers on its name in a big way.  In round one number one seeded Gonzaga is upset by Sam Houston St. 73-71!  Apple introduces its self-driving car, customers go bananas, but early feedback labels it a lemon.

April- The massive Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica falls apart raising sea levels by 10 feet.  Key West is now Key Deep South.  Miami rebrands itself as Venice. Tiger Woods has a leg up in the final round of The Masters but loses by one penalty stroke to Patrick Cantlay after failing to sign his scorecard.  The Dow crosses 38,000.  Joe successfully fights off a six-week infection from the butchered sew job.  Barrack Obama chimes in to mockingly announce, “If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor.”

May- Venice is now swimming with tourists.  A refreshed Kamala Harris returns from her March vacation.  LeBron James announces his retirement from the NBA and accepts Biden’s offer to become US Ambassador to China.  CNN hires Andrew Cuomo and rehires Chris Cuomo to cohost a new primetime show tentatively called When No One Is Watching.

June- Hunter Biden slips in his art studio on some dropped oil paint and breaks his hip.  Russia invades Ukraine.  Biden threatens to reduce vodka imports. The Utah Jazz defeats the Chicago Bulls in a four-game NBA Finals sweep.  Kamala Harris calls the locker room, laughs nervously, and asks to congratulate Karl Malone.

July – Nancy Pelosi announces that she is retiring to her waterfront beach home in Atlanta (Thwaites Glacier effect) at year’s end after 259 years in Congress.  A new Covid-19 variant named Kalamata is discovered in Greece.  Biden threatens to ban olive imports unless they are fully pitted.  The MLB All-Star game is moved from Los Angeles after the City Council refuses to force the homeless encampment in left field to relocate.

August- Hurricane Condoleezza slams rural Louisiana destroying rice fields near and far.  Aaron Rodgers suits up for a preseason game with his new team, the Washington Football Team.  The Football Team announces a nickname change to the Washington Senators after a fan vote won in a tiebreaker 51-50.  BTS sales plummet as Kalamata spreads like tapenade.   The Dow retreats to 35,000.

September – Twitter bans Dr. Doolittle for speaking out against sixth booster shots.  The Football team starts 0-3.  Rodgers asks the fans to relax.  Yellowstone ends a great run when Beth Dutton goes Die Hard Detective John McClane to the new airport built next door.  OJ Simpson guest stars as season nine rolls on Dexter.

October- New York announces that their mask mandate will remain in effect through October 2027.  Jussie Smollett signs on with Subway as their late-night delivery spokesperson.  The most-desired but least given Halloween treat is Ivermectin.  Mitch McConnell gets new glasses and says he sees a clear path to a Republican House majority in next month’s elections.

November-  The Democrats miraculously hold onto the House.  Biden says his first call will be to Tip O’Neil to congratulate the Speaker.  Texas completes its own border wall as Governor Greg Abbott simultaneously announces that he’ll run for President in 2024.  Alabama losses in back-to-back weeks against LSU and Auburn as Nick Saban goes through a six-pack box of headsets.

December- Dr. Anthony Fauci turns 82 but refuses to blow out the candles on his career.  Biden offers support calling Fauci a young 82.  Seventeen bowl games are canceled as entire teams opt out.  Ryan Day leaves THE OSU to coach the Venice Hurricanes as Mario Cristobal’s tenure was taking on water.  Social distancing guidelines are reduced to half afoot.  Austin Texas changes its name to Los Austin.  And, finally, BBR’s readership crosses 1000 daily thanks to a certain Hilton Head avid reader constantly singing its praises.

See you in 2022.

Enjoy the bubbly!

 

Ten Piece Nuggets-Random

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Thoughts sometimes enter and exit the cranium rather randomly.  Today is one of those times.  A deadline nears.

  1.  The White House says that they don’t know anything about the “Let’s Go Brandon!” cheers erupting from coast to coast.  This hardly seems possible.  Although, until last month they may have never heard of Del Rio either.
  2. Janet Yellin wants to tax unrealized capital gains.  Your stock goes from $50 to $60 bucks, you pay a percentage of the $10 even if you haven’t sold the stock. What happens if it goes from $60 to $40 next year?  Does Uncle Sam still allow you to offset the loss and pay you back the money you paid on the gain?
  3.  Dr. Fauci asked us to follow the science.  That hasn’t always worked so well.  But, now we can follow the tweets.  #firefauci has been top ten trending on Twitter for four days in a row now as it was learned that he might be behind cruelty to dogs in lab experiments.  Messing with human lives gets you air time.  Messing with K9s might finally get the old lapdog out of his pulpit.
  4. Northern Cali has had a terrible drought going for a while.  Now it’s concerned with the mega-storm that might have dropped five inches or more of rain.  You’d think that would be good for the area except for some pesky mudslides.  Note to NoCal, regions of the south get five inches of rain multiple times a year.  The sky isn’t falling.
  5. Crew members on the movie “Rust” reportedly used the firearm involved in the death of Halyna Hutchins the morning of the fatal accident for some target practice.  It was then put back with the other “cold guns” on the set.  The problem was it had a live round in it.  Call us crazy but maybe, just maybe, a cache of guns that cannot ever be used conventionally again might be better suited for the whole film industry.
  6. One tweet this AM suggested that if SNL had any “you know whats” they would invite Donald Trump to play Alec Baldwin this Saturday night.  Too soon?  With weekly record low ratings, it might not be too, too soon.
  7.  Northern California doesn’t have all of the bad weather on lockdown either.  Alvin Kamara had this to succinctly say about his trip with the New Orleans Saints to Seattle last MNF evening.  “Every time we come up here the weather is shitty.”
  8. With Zach Wilson sidelined at least two games with a sprained knee, the New York Jets secured quarterback insurance on Monday. They reacquired Joe Flacco in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles.  Raise your hand if you knew Joe Flacco was still in the NFL.
  9. Rumors continue to swirl that a deal between either the Eagles and Texans or the Dolphins and the Texans for DeShaun Watson is nearing as the trade deadline of November 2 nears.  The minimum asking price is three no 1s and at least two other picks or players.  Has a trade in the NFL for one player giving up a plethora ever worked out for the winning bidder?  Does anyone remember the Hershel Walker trade?  The Ricky Williams trade?
  10. The World Series starts tonight and it might be a dandy.  Two good teams get after it.  But wouldn’t it have been way better if the Los Angeles Dodgers could have attempted to exact revenge against the Houston Astros for the 2017 sign-stealing scandal?

Ten Piece Nuggets-Sports

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Time to lighten it up a bit with the “you know what” hanging heavily on our minds again. Have an order of Ten Piece Nuggets-Sports to kick off your weekend early.   As usual, no two are alike and the heat comes at you from any direction.

  1.  Bill Belicheck need not worry about his financial future.  But, after football, he clearly has a shot at tv work if he wishes with that ebullient personality. Not. And weather might be his thing.  Here’s his quote from training camp yesterday.  “Looks like the field will be wet. If it rains, it rains. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. If it’s hot, it’s hot. If it’s not, that’s what it is.”
  2.  How did Green Bay get petulant Aaron Rodgers back for 2021?  They promised to trade him after the season if that is still his desire.  The marriage counselors have five months to patch the thing back together.  One thing seems certain.  Either Rodgers or GM Brian Gutenkunst is a goner.
  3.  The Steelers and the Cowboys kicked off season 2021 last evening in the Hall of Fame game.  Did you watch it?  Why?  Steelers 16-3.  You won’t remember who played by Monday, or sooner.
  4.  If you did watch you learned that after 25 years of separation it looks like Jerry Jones and Jimmy johnson might be mending a fence or two.  Jones took significant blame for their breakup saying that it was on him to recognize and manage around what the duo had going at the time.  He also promised to add Jimmy to the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor before too long.  Johnson retorted during the conversation with “When I’m still alive?”
  5. Viking’s QB Kirk Cousins vowed to encase himself in plexiglass if needed to ensure his availability to lead the Minnesota team this year while staying away from Covid protocols.  Cousins is unvaccinated.  The Washington Post reported that the Vikings have the league’s lowest vaccination rate at 64.5% of players fully vaccinated.  Tsk.  Tsk.
  6. Kevin Durant and Jrue Holiday didn’t just break Australia’s spirit in the Olympic semifinals — they lifted the entire U.S. men’s basketball team up around them in a brilliant performance that led to a 97-78 victory after trailing by 15 in the first half.  They gained a berth in Saturday’s gold-medal game.  Did you watch it?  They’ll meet the French who pulled off a stunning late rally for an 83-76 upset of the Americans two weeks ago.
  7.  Did you know that the Toronto Blue Jays are a team loaded with players who had or have relatives in the big show in the past?  Cavan Biggio is the son of Craig.  Bo Bichette is the son of Dante.  And, of course, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is the son of Vlad Sr.  But, there’s one more.  Lourdes Gurriel is the brother of current major leaguer Yuli Gurriel.   Genes.
  8. Vlad Jr. leads the bigs with a 1.061 on-base percentage plus slugging percentage (OPS).  That’s really good, but only good enough to rank 169th all-time for a single season.  Who had the best single-season ever?  Barry Bonds owns the top two spots with a 1.40 and 1.38 back in 2004 and 2002.  Babe Ruth owns an incredible 7 of the top 15 years of all time.  And rest assured the only juice Babe was on he drank.
  9.  Who has the shortest odds to get to the World Series as this AM?  The Dodgers are even money to advance in the NL.  It’s odd odds, if you will, as the SF Giants lead that division by four games.  Vegas knows.  In the AL, it’s the Houston Astros at +165.  BBR sees value in San Diego in the NL at +470 and Tampa Bay in the AL at +430.
  10. They have built it, and they will come.  And, they are getting throwback dressy for the shindig.  Ahead of the “Field of Dreams” game in Iowa on Aug. 12, the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox unveiled their 20th century inspired team jerseys for the first-time special event.  The Sox ones are cool and way old school.  The Yankees look like the same old same old.

Enjoy the weekend.  BTS is near.

 

 

 

 

Ten (Five) Piece Nuggets-Random

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Today we continue with our lighter summer menu.  If you’re a swimmer digesting five nuggets cuts your out-of-water time down as well.  Enjoy.

  1.  The nation’s VP was at it again.  On Thursday’s “CBS This Morning” Harris responded on whether she’d compromise by agreeing to voter ID provisions to pass voting legislation by stating that we shouldn’t downplay the impact voter ID laws could have. Because to some, voter ID means, “you’re going to have to Xerox or photocopy your ID to send it in to prove that you are who you are.” And many people live where “there’s no Kinko’s, there’s no OfficeMax near them.”  We wonder if 1) you could show up at the polling place with your ID, or, 2) take a photo of it with your phone, or, 3) go to any local library, DMV, or post office and get a $0.10 copy made, or 4) use your in-home printer to make one?  Also, she failed to mention Office Depot, but we digress.
  2. Here comes Pfizer to the rescue.  Pfizer is ready to seek U.S. authorization for a third dose of its coronavirus vaccine, outlining Thursday a top-up shot within 12 months could dramatically boost immunity and maybe help ward off any virus mutant.  The Delta variant cometh.  Pfizer’s Dr. Mikael Dolsten told the Associated Press early data from the company’s booster study suggests people’s antibody levels rise five- to 10-fold after a third dose, compared to their second dose months earlier.  This could mean that Biden’s house-to-house calls will need three trips to “get er dun.”   Will Moderna recommend four shots?  The inoculation race is on.
  3.  The husband of our Speaker of the House, Paul Pelosi perfectly timed the market again. Mr. Pelosi bought Amazon call options just six weeks before the Pentagon announced it was canceling a multi-billion dollar contract with Microsoft and starting a new one that opened a door for Amazon’s participation.  On Tuesday, the Biden Pentagon abruptly announced it was canceling its multi-billion JEDI cloud services contract with Microsoft and starting a new one that Amazon could compete for.  Amazon zoomed to an all-time high the day of the announcement.  On May 21, 2021, Pelosi purchased more Amazon call options worth as much as $1,000,000.  It was his second timely market move in the last three years on government contracts and cloud computing.  Nothing to see here.
  4. Moving on.  In Paris for Fashion Week, James Harden was stopped by police on Thursday but not arrested, the city prosecutor’s office said.  French media reports said that the Brooklyn Nets star, who has been seen around Paris with rappers Kanye West and Lil Baby, was on the street when a car was stopped after police smelled cannabis.  To be clear, Harden was not in the car, just a concerned visiting citizen. After accepting an Olympic invite, Harden had to withdraw due to a lingering hamstring injury.  Did the Nets’ team doctor prescribe traipsing around Europe as part of his rehab? Sounds good.  Maybe the weed in the car was nothing but a medicinal delivery.
  5. Halfway through the Major League Baseball season, the Los Angeles Dodgers are the +125 betting favorites to represent the NL in the 2021 World Series?  Who is the favorite in the AL?  It’s the Houston Astros at +175.  The San Diego Padres are the second choice in the NL at +330 while the Chicago White Sox are second in the AL at +250.  Can you imagine a repeat of the 2017 WS pitting the Dodgers vs. the then cheating Astros?  To quote Vin Scully, ” you can almost taste the pressure” if that matchup were to happen.

It rains quite a bit(too much) in the south this time of the year.

Can Lightning Strike Thrice?

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Has any city ever held more than one major championship trophy in the same year?  Yes.  In fact, when you consider the four major sports (NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL) it has happened twelve times.  “It” is owning two titles at the same time.

The city of New York dominates with half(6) of these occurrences.  Los Angeles, Boston, and Detroit share the other six times with two for each city.

The most recent is actually current.  In 2020 the Lakers and the Dodgers each took home the trophy.  Six of the years were prior to 1953, or over 68 years ago when far fewer cities had professional franchises.

But has any city ever held more than two major championships in a year(note year, not concurrently)?  No.

But, could it happen in 2021?  Say hello to the Bay Area.  Nope, don’t wave at San Franciso.  It’s the Tampa Bay area.

With one down, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tom Brady beat Kansas City in Super Bowl LV,  the city of Tampa needs two more to get there.

Last evening the Tampa Bay Lightning skated around, through, and faster in a game one rout of the Montreal Canadiens in the Lord Stanley’s NHL Finals. Winning a hockey game by a score of 5-1 is like winning an NFL playoff game by four touchdowns.  It was a beatdown.  Ah, but one game does not fill the old beat-up trophy with champagne, at least not yet.

Enter the Tampa Bay Rays into the conversation, please.  As the MLB 2021 season is very near the halfway mark in the regular season Tampa Bay owns the second-best record in the American League while trailing division leader Boston by one game in the standings.

The Rays do it on a shoestring budget and they do it with a lot of talent and heart.  Fluke?  Hardly.  The Rays lost in the ALDS in 2019 and in the World Series last year.  They have youth, enough experience, enthusiasm, super talent, and a very game manager.

The Bucs did it.  That’s one.

The Lightning look like a really good bet to do it.  They were 3-1 favorites to win the Stanley Cup prior to the game one dismantling of the Canadiens.  They quite likely will be two.

The Rays have a ways to go.  And, the National League is loaded with good to great teams such as the Dodgers, Padres, and Giants.

Alas, the dog days of summer are here.  And, in Tampa lightning is about to strike twice.

Can the Rays light up the sky over the bay a third time come fall?

 

 

Past Time for Pastime

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Jerry Tarkanian had a full-time job from 1973 through 1992.  He was the head coach of the Las Vegas Runnin’ Rebels college basketball team.

Tark the Shark, as he was widely known, also had a part-time job back then.  He liked to poke the bear, the NCAA bear that is.

Tarkanian actually coached basketball at three universities — Long Beach State, Nevada Las Vegas, and Fresno State.  Each of them suffered penalties for breaking NCAA rules. But the coach never claimed he was a saint, only that he was surrounded by other sinners.

He also was a quote machine.  His most famous may have been, “The NCAA is so mad at Kentucky they’re going to give Cleveland State another year of probation.”

His simple point was that the NCAA wasn’t going to kill the goose that laid the golden egg.  Rather, they were going to actively pretend to be concerned with the various rules violations by investigating wrongdoing, but only to the extent that it needed to care for public perception.   They reacted when the public demanded, but never really acted if they didn’t.

Take Paterno and Penn St., please.

Like his up-tempo Rebels (is there a better nickname for a school that he thrived at in a better city than Vegas to do it in?) the callout of his sport and sports, in general, was early but as accurate as his team’s shooting.   They won 509 times against only 108 losses, had several Final Four runs, and won it all in 1990 in convincing fashion.

That season the team was heavily monitored by the NCAA, which visited their campus 11 times, and suspended 10 players at various times. The “blue bloods” didn’t like the “green” moving to the brash upstarts.

This brings us to Major League Baseball that needs a win in the court of public opinion in a convincing fashion as well.  There are no Cleveland State’s in MLB, but there are the Cleveland Indians and 29 other teams who have over time, and time again, bent every rule in the book possible.

If you ain’t cheatin’, you ain’t tryin.’

The credit for that old saying generally goes to NASCAR legend Richard Petty, though it just as easily could have come from Gaylord Perry or pretty much any of the tens of thousands who have thrown, pitched, or hit a ball since people started playing sports.

Blurring the line between legal and illegal, then figuring out how to get away with it, is as old as keeping score. You might not like it, but as long as you are spending your money watching it, MLB soldiers on.  And, on.

One hundred and two years ago there was the Chicago Black Sox scandal.

The spitball gave way to the neighborhood play at second base.  The strike zone has been different for different umps and umps have called pitches differently for various pitchers through the course of time.  Don’t believe that?  Ask Greg Maddux.

The steroids era only became so when the public (and congressional “leaders”) demanded it.  Prior, we all loved watching Sammy Sosa chase Mark McGuire and vice versa for the single-season home run record.  Ah, and there was this swellhead named Barry Bonds too.

Enter the electronic sign-stealing era a decade later.  The Astros were dumb enough to get caught, but they weren’t the only ones trying to catch the catcher’s signs. But, they did make for a fine example to other teams.

And, now, as the 2021 season to date MLB cumulative batting average was flatlining at an all-time low of .235, MLB decided to enforce the ban of foreign substances that they have had on the books forever.  The mere thought of it all left Gerrit Cole speechless.

Need more hitting? Voila!   In one week pitcher’s spin rates plummeted across the lower 48 and Canada as MLB decided to check for the substances when you’re watching the commercials that pay for MLB salaries. And, batting averages have gone up.

So the league that has games that many feel move too slowly, and was slow to adopt technology to better the umps’ in-game calls, was slow to enforce yet another rule on its books until less hitting meant lower ratings.

It’s still America’s pastime until it’s past time to act.

And maybe old Tark the Shark was ahead of his time in seeing through all of this.

Ball four is still a walk and money still talks.

 

 

Ten Piece Nuggets-Random

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Thoughts, we have a few.  Nuggets, we have ten for you.

Sports and culture, and for that matter politics, seem joined at the hip these days.  So, we are here to serve.

      1.  College baseball is in full swing, pun intended.  Last Friday through today, the 16 who thrived in the week ago regionals went head to head in the Super Regionals.  With college football setting tv and attendance records and college basketball loyalty to March Madness, we wonder why college baseball doesn’t get more run.
      2.  Do we watch less tv as the weather warms?  Yes.  It’s time to swim, bbq, and go on vacation perhaps.  But, the stories, the drama, and the overall quality of the game seem underappreciated to us.  For example reigning champ, Vanderbilt has an ace and a deuce named Rocker and Leiter.  Or, maybe it’s Leiter and Rocker as co aces?  One leads the NCAA in strikeouts and the other is a close second depending on who threw last.  They’ll both go in the top ten of the upcoming MLB draft.  The Vandy duo and late-inning relievers allowed East Carolina one run in 18 innings.
      3. They’ll be tough to beat with that one-two punch.  But, the unknown is the only known in the college game.  Take the N.C. State v. the national number one seeded Arkansas Razorbacks three-game set as proof.  On Friday  Arkansas pummeled the Wolfpack 21-2.  Yes, 21-2.  Surely Saturday would be a 9 inning coronation for Arkansas culminating in a punched ticket to Omaha.  Cue Lee Corso.  Not so fast my friend.  State beat the Hogs 6-5 on Saturday and punched their Omaha pass with a 3-2 win on Sunday.  N.C. State was a 2 seed in the regionals and a huge underdog to the Hogs.
      4. Joining State and Vandy are Stanford (who took Texas Tech’s lunch money in Lubbock), Tennessee(far better than LSU), Arizona(solid performance), and Texas so far.  Dallas Baptist and Virginia play midday today while Mississippi and Notre Dame do tonight.  Winners move on, losers go home.
      5. Before we leave the college baseball game we have one question.  Why does anyone play on artificial turf south of the Mason Dixon Line?  Come on Vandy and others.  You have PLENTY of athletics department TV money.  Plant some grass and buy some dirt.  The only thing worse than artificial turf is brown artificial turf disguised as mud around the basepaths.  Worst of all?  Glad you asked.  The mounds and home plate areas of some parks are “fake mud” too.   It’s a bad look and we would imagine a bad brush burn, sliding pants or not, as well.
      6. Are you watching the NBA?  Every week a column pops that says fewer and fewer of us are.  Are we tired of the game that’s three-pointers after three-pointers?  Or, are we tired of the social agenda that the league embraced a year ago and remain hungover from it?  Both?  With Lebron and the Lakers already home we guess that the LA market viewership is not what the league wishes for this time of the year, either.  Though the Clippers are alive and on the other coast so is Brooklyn who is locked in what looks like a seven-game set with the Milwaukee Bucks.
      7. In the NFL offseason, Le’Veon Bell punched his ticket too.  Saturday he publicly stated his strong preference to not play for Andy Reid and the KC Chiefs ever again.  This is after a run in Pittsburgh where he wore out his welcome, as well as a brief stay with the NY Jets.  “I said what I said & I don’t regret at all what I said…for those who have a PERSONAL PROBLEM with me because of what I SAID, that’s fine…you have your right! just understand I ALSO have MY RIGHT for how I feel about MY PERSONAL problem with dude because of what HE SAID to me.”  Sounds PERSONAL with a capital P and more to us.
      8. Jon Voight, easily one of the top actors of the last fifty years, has had it with what he calls the hypocrisy of the left and the compliant media.  This time it’s about the “look past” of Hunter Biden’s latest problems.   He expresses that in a two-minute reflective video.  He’s done a few and clearly feels very comfortable in his skin in expressing his mostly conservative viewpoint.  That’s rare in Hollywood, but so is Jon Voight.   If he didn’t earn fifty awards for his portrayal of the Mickey Donovan character in the big hit series Ray Donovan, he should have.
      9. President Joe Biden’s expansive and expensive infrastructure plan/bill is running into roadblocks, pun intended again.  Progressive Dems want more climate change money while moderate Dems want less.  He’d like to get this through with bipartisan support.  But, moderate Republicans want even less cc money, while conservatives want none whatsoever.  It seems like it’s hard to please everyone and their agendas.  Good luck.
      10. Meanwhile, while we know this was last week’s news, we feel the need to comment.  Dr. Anthony Fauci said last week if you take exception to him, you take exception to the way overused narrative “the science.”  Please!  And, he said so while speaking in the third person.  The big ego of that diminutive man always impresses.  Less talk and more legit China investigation and China cooperation about the origin of the China Virus seem like the path we should be headed down.

You’ve been served.

Ten Piece Nuggets-Random Leftovers

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Does it frighten you to look into the back of your refrigerator from time to time and grimace at a plastic container of leftovers that you had no idea were still north of the disposal?  We understand.  Sometimes one of our staffers has the same problem with some very random nuggets rolling around in the back of his cranium.  Time to clean it out.

  1.  Next Saturday features “the fastest two minutes in sports.”  It will be Kentucky Derby day.  Can you name today just one horse entered for the prestigious Run for the Roses next Saturday?  No?  Understood.
  2. But isn’t it funny how you will wind up yelling at a flat-screen TV for a jockey and a horse that you won’t remember the name of by water cooler Monday?  Heck, you might even place a bet on the said horse.   Why not?  You still have a few bucks left from your stimulus check, don’t you?
  3. King James stepped in it again yesterday.  In a quickly deleted tweet he called out the police for killing the teen who had the knife in hand in Columbus.  He also decided #ACCOUNTABILITY was a good way to give a bad idea some social media air.  We’re still waiting on accountability from China on many fronts, but we digress.
  4. And, while we are picking on the King, shouldn’t he drop the nickname “King?”  First, it’s gender-specific unless we missed the discussion that now recognizes females as kings as well.  Second, it’s someone who takes from his minions to enhance his lifestyle.
  5. His President, Joe Biden, thinks just the opposite way though.  Biden’s proposed a possible 43.4 percent capital gains tax for wealthy Americans yesterday.  What did Wall Street think?  The Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 400 points on Thursday afternoon after Bloomberg reported the details of the plan.  “His view, and the view of our economic team, is that won’t have a negative impact,” said his press secretary Jen Psaki.   Hmm.
  6. And much like the King should reconsider “King,” shouldn’t Biden eliminate the word “secretary” from any and all of the government positions that carry that title?  It seems like a layup and then a victory lap (or nap for him) waiting to happen.
  7. The controversial activist group Black Lives Matter criticized House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Wednesday after the speaker thanked George Floyd for “sacrificing” his life for justice, calling her remarks “so damn disrespectful.”  The party from the left was in such lockstep with BLM prior to the election.  Pelosi is political Teflon though.  She’ll be back on Capitol Hill doing the people’s business on Monday thank goodness.
  8. The hype for the NFL Draft next week is in full swing.  Will you watch some of the three-day extravaganza?  No sports organization markets itself like the NFL.  No one.  Punch “NFL Draft” into Google. It’s pretty astonishing that a single event generates 243 million results in 0.22 seconds.
  9. Who’s your team taking in the latest mock draft?  If you don’t like the predicted choice, fret not.  “Experts” as ESPN labels them usually get only about 25% of the first round correct.  If you like the choice you might start fretting, however.  NFL teams’ success rate (offering their choice a second contract after the first has run its course) is only about 53%.
  10. Last year the NFC East Division didn’t have a team with a winning record as the season ended.  Awful.  Worst ever.  Is MLB’s East Divison in the NL going to follow up that ineptness with its own?  Three weeks into the season the Mets, Phillies, Nationals, Marlins, and Braves are a combined five games under .500 and none have a winning record.  Surely the Braves have too much talent to stay below .500.  And, how much longer can they keep the name Braves, as we digress for the last time this week. #stoppedthechop

Happy Weekend.