Wednesday, July 15, 2015

SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE

While MLB takes two more days off, the sportswriters usually take this time to either reflect on the first half of the season or project the second half finish based on the performance so far. Or maybe not.

A while ago, Tim Kurkjian and Buster Olney got into a little playful name-calling (at least I think it was playful) during a Sunday night baseball game. They called each other idiots or something like that. They might not have been too far wrong. Kurkjian just posted a column predicting the finish for all the teams, Taking into account their first half performance, the shape of their rosters and maybe how much Johnny Walker Red is left in the bottle of scotch. Here's his list:
AMERICAN LEAGUE
East - Baltimore 
Central - Detroit
West - Seattle/Los Angeles Angels
Wild Card - Toronto & the AL West loser

NATIONAL LEAGUE
East - Washington
Central - St Louis
West - Los Angeles Dodgers
Wild Card - Pittsburgh & San Francisco

The National League predictions are a carbon copy of the current standings, so Tim really went out on a limb here.
In the AL, well, I guess if you keep your eyes closed, you won't be influenced by the results of those pesky games the teams went and played. He's picked the Yanks to finish last. Why? because they can't field , their pitching staff keeps getting hurt and the old men in the lineup can't possibly continue to play like they have. Okay, those things are possible, but why doesn't that apply to the other teams as well? How could he think Boston will make a big surge in the second half, especially with the pitching they (don't) have?  Maybe Buster was right.

It's midnight for these Cinderella teams
Kansas City
Houston
Chicago Cubs
Minnesota Twins
This seems like a fair assessment, but I think KC may fare better than the other three. I also think the Seattle pick is kind of optimistic, too.

Oh, by the way, the American League won the All-Star game last night. We tuned in to see the Al score two
runs off  Kershaw. Interestingly, Kershaw was not chosen and created the biggest outcry mostly by Dodger fans. He did eventually make the team and I'll bet the AL team is glad he did.

The trade deadline approaches and don't expect either New York team to make any kind of splash. The Mets have too many holes and the Yanks don't have any position spots open unless somebody wants to take on Beltran's weak bat and strong contract.

Interesting observation by Phil Mushnick of the NY Post. Why didn't the American Women's  soccer team wear red, white & blue?  Mushnick blames Nike, who supplied the uniforms. Why do they get to decide the colors? Don't the people who order them get to pick? And if Nike does make the decision, why didn't THEY choose the red, white & blue?

***THEY SAID IT***
"Sabres centre Ryan O’Reilly has been charged with DUI after his pickup truck ran into the wall of a Tim Hortons in Lucan, Ontario. Note to O’Reilly: That’s not what they mean by “drive thru.”  -- RJ Currie
"Scientists say that California has a slow natural helium leak. Then again, so does Mike Tyson, if you’ve ever heard him talk."  -- Dwight Perry

"Now there’s no Major League Baseball for two more days. So the whole country gets to see what it’s like to be Phillies fans" -- Janice Hough
" A Florida woman is seeking damages in excess of $15,000 after Miami Marlins mascot Bob the Shark allegedly bit her head. If this is re-enacted in court, it will be my Trial of the Century.  Because the incident occurred at a Marlins game, there are no witnesses."  -- Brad Dickson
"In case you're wondering, Red Sox third baseman Pablo Sandoval is not in the new issue of ESPN: THE BODY. If he was, he'd be the first professional athlete to fill a two-page spread without lying down."  -- RJ Currie

CP-
 


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