The 2023 Running Baseball Thread

Well, the guy is going to win the Frick Award sooner than later, and he was in Florida all spring, so it's not like he parachuted into Opening Day wondering why everyone was running more and why there was a big clock ticking down before every pitch. I would think his qualms are worth considering after the fourth-fastest Mets game since 2015.

 

Anyway, on to the important topics of the evening...if we're talking dirty baseball names, can we talk about Rusty Kuntz?

 

The only attempt to shorten games that ever irked me was the NCAA starting the clock after kickoffs in 2006. That felt like an attempt to simply run off clock and rob us of action.

 

As I stated before, my own internal baseball clock was unsettled to some extent on Opening Day and I will need to adjust. However, I don't think it'll be a difficult adjustment, and of course it should be far less so for a seasoned broadcaster like Rose. He shouldn't be criticized for saying it feels weird, because it does, but before Mother's Day, I doubt he and I will notice the new pace of play at all.

 

I've listened to a handful of games with the At Bat package and have noticed the broadcasters are struggling with the things they usually promote between pitches. For example, Dan Dickerson of the Tigers kept trying to give out-of-town scores but couldn't find a long enough break to get the complete rundown in. The same goes for the banal but necessary "this inning brought to you by" or "get tickets for the next series" promos. There's really no need for an analyst unless they can sum things up in less than 10 seconds.

At the same time, I love the snappiness of the game action. As a player and an official scorer, I HATED HATED HATED games that dragged on because the pitcher would get methodical with runners on or batters would step out and in and out and in. There's nothing worse than standing out there in the infield, trying to stay on your toes and focused because the kid on the mound can't find the plate with a compass. Get the ball, get the sign, throw strikes.

I'm taking Gwen to the Tigers-Rays game this afternoon and will be interested to see the difference. We've been going to see college teams and minor league games with the clock so it may just feel like normal speed instead of what has become a drawn-out slog.

 

If it cuts down on the between-pitch shilling or mindless banter with a needless analyst, the faster the better. You don't need two people on a baseball broadcast; the best in the business did it solo.

 

How many more beats would we need to fit in another story about Jose Madrigas and his bouncing ways?

"Now stepping up to the plate is Carlos Beltran. He's 0-for-2 tonight. He walked back in the third inning ... Carlos reminds me of Jose Madrigas. He was a bouncer at the Sands back around 1965, but he also did some pimping on the side. There's ball one to Beltran.

"Jose Madrigas, there was a guy who knew how to keep a woman in line. I once saw a hooker mouthing off to him. Jose slapped her so hard it stopped her dead in her tracks. Time froze while we all just took in the scene (pause) Kershaw delivers wide, ball two. Cardinals lead 3-2, we're in the eighth inning.

"So Angie, I think her name was, immediately stops mouthing off. Jose knew he had to set an example, so he smacked her again. Harder this time. Beltran takes a deep cut and fouls one straight back. 2-1 is the count. Don't forget about Free Dodger Cap night Saturday at the ballpark. Free Dodger baseball caps to all fans 14 and under. It's a great time for the whole family.

"Anyway, getting back to Jose Madrigas. He had actually spent some time in the Reds organization in the late 1950s before he hurt his knee. Back in those days, medicine wasn't what it is today. Jose was a strapping right fielder, but he just couldn't run very well after that. So he quit baseball, moved out west and settled into his job at the Sands. He once hit 23 homers in a season for Louisville. He kept that sweet uppercut swing the rest of his life ... as Beltran looks at a curve for strike two ...

"So when Angie mouthed off and Jose hit her, there was no going back. He always kept a baseball bat under the bar. He pulled it out and took one of those sweet uppercut swings under Angie's chin. Knocked five of her teeth out right away. Then he started whaling on her ... as Beltran whales on one DEEP down the right field line, but it ... will hook ... foul. Just foul, a few feet to the right of the pole in the corner. The count remains 2 balls and 2 strikes as Kershaw breathes a deep sigh of relief.

"(long pause) ... So I saw Jose Madrigas bash this poor girl's head in, and he just looked at me like I was next. I tried to inch toward the door, but Jose cut me off and told me I was part of this. Kershaw steps off the rubber. 2-2 the count, Cardinals lead 3-2 in the top of the eighth. Carlos Beltran is your batter, with Matt Holliday on deck. Brandon League warming up in the bullpen for the Dodgers.

"So me and Jose (Vin chuckles), we got a tarp from one of the storage rooms. We put it in the trunk of his car and drove about FIFTY miles out into the hot desert night. Must've driven an hour. Heard some great Sinatra tunes along the way. I was SCARED to death, but Jose seemed quite calm. Beltran fouls another one off to stay alive.

"We get all the way out past Henderson, Nevada, find a nice quiet spot in the desert to bury Angie. We open the trunk, and only then do we realize neither one of us had packed a shovel. Jose thought I did it. I thought Jose did it. And there's poor Angie, dead as a doornail on a tarp in the desert, half her face gone. It kind of looks like a ghastly smile, with her teeth missing ... Kershaw JUUUSSSTTT misses with a slider to run the count full. 3-2 now, two outs, top of the eighth. Cardinals leading 3-2. Carlos Beltran your batter. He's hitting .375 in his last six games. Definitely someone you want up in this situation.

"(long pause) ... Beltran fouls yet another one off. Tough slider there. Still a 3-and-2 count ... Angie was smiling this dead smile, and me and Jose had no shovel! So we both started laughing in the desert moonlight, and somewhere ... somewhere I think Angie was laughing with us. We ended up burying her with a beer glass and a cup from a diner we had stopped at along the way.

"Beltran swings and skies one to center. Victorino settles under it, squeezes it, and the Dodgers are out of the inning. No runs, a hit, no errors for the Cardinals in the eighth. Matt Kemp will lead it off for the Dodgers in the bottom half ... when we return."​

 

That’s gotta be fake.
Vin would never forget a shovel.

 

JJ Putz

 

Rendon curses out then takes a swing at Oakland fan.

LOL baseball

 

High-salaried Rendon is the kind of schmeg baseball deserves right now.