MLB 2022: The Long and Winding Thread

I love Trey Mancini and Jorge Lopez. Their courage and competitive spirit helped this team become relevant. But let's not claim this is a great selloff.
In his walk year, Trey hit 10 homers and drove in 41 runs in 92 games for the O's. Solid numbers but not eye-poppers.
Lopez, while not as close to free agency, has been predictably succeeded by an equally reliable and often devastatingly effective pitcher. Felix Bautista has posted a 1.69 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 48 innings and is now the closer.
A month ago, this team was being pilloried for losing again. It will exceed all expectations.
Meanwhile, down the B-W Parkway, the Washington Baseball Team can let part with Bryce Harper, Juan Soto, Trey Turner, Josh Bell, Max Scherzer et al in recent years and face no criticism for a selloff.

 

Second time it's been done in pro baseball history. The first: Tyrone Horne for Arkansas in 1998. (I saw Horne play quite a bit; he appeared in parts of four seasons in Harrisburg back when I used to slip in the players' gate.)

 

How many years of Javier Baez’s contract are the Tigers going to have to eat? Like, three or four? I cannot imagine how bad he’ll be by 2024.

 

My conspiracy theory is the Cubs didn’t trade Contreras and Happ just because of this Field of Dreams game. MLB needed some marketable names for it.

 

Johnny Bench just came out of the cornfield. Marketable enough for me!

 

Fox’s pre-game is five minutes away from pining about the days when women couldn’t vote.

 

Right?!?

It's an uncomfortable level of nostalgia.

Back to my bigger concern: why can't these goddamn teams bring in runners in scoring position? I need 9 runs.

 

He should have been holding about 10 ears of corn in each hand.

 

They'll soon be able to celebrate when women can't get abortions even if they're raped or victims of incest or in danger of dying from the complications of pregnancy.

 

Even weirder - it's nostalgia that no living person should be nostalgic about. I know they aren't doing it next year, but if they do it again, do it with 1920 rules, uniform materials and equipment, including gloves. Make it a day game as well. And priced accordingly. Jeesh. Nothing says baseball than cashing in on a past that didn't exist. I won't even mention the awkwardness of all non-white players having to take the day off.

 

I was watching the WSOP on CBS Sports and at the bottom of the screen they were running a question "Where should a Field of Dreams type game be played?"