Going 4-4 with 2 walks and five RBIs in the Mets’ 12-5 victory over the Brewers, Kirk Nieuwenhuis is the MVP of Yesterday.
Standings, as always, after the jump:
MVP of Yesterday (July 5, 2013): Kirk Nieuwenhuis
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I’ve posted a report to Twinkie Town on how some Twins minor leaguers looked in last night’s game between the Rochester Red Wings and Pawtucket Red Sox. Check it out.
Pace Updates on July 5
Chris Davis is currently on pace for 60 HR. The AL Record in 61 (Roger Maris).
Manny Machado is on pace for 72 doubles. The single-season record is 67 (Earl Webb).
Raul Ibanez is on pace for 40 HR. The single-season record for a player 40 or over is 34 (Darrell Evans).
Albert Pujols‘ current HR pace will put him hitting his 500th HR on September 20th of this season.
Of course, past performance is no guarantee of future results.
MVP of Yesterday (July 4, 2013): Yunel Escobar
Yunel Escobar went 3-for-5 with 3 RBIs in the Rays’ victory over the Astros in 11 innings yesterday, and his double in the 11th was what gave the Rays the lead for good. Therefore, I name him the MVP of Yesterday.
Standings, as always, after the jump:
Classic Continuum: The Luckiest Man
(This article was initially published on July 4, 2012.)
It was July 4th, 1939. Lou Gehrig was a dying man. Earlier that year, he’d ended his 2,130 consecutive game streak, taking himself out before a game in Detroit for the good of the team (he was hitting .143 with an RBI). A visit to the Mayo Clinic in June confirmed the worst: he had Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, the disease that now carries his name. Although his mind would remain intact, his body would slowly betray him. Although his wife had told the doctors to try and withhold some of the more horrible details of the diagnosis from him, there is evidence to suggest that Lou knew, somehow, that he was on his way out. He announced his retirement from the game he loved.
So it was on Independence Day that the Yankees held a day in his honor. They retired his number 4- the first in baseball to be so honored. Some of his most famous teammates, including Babe Ruth, joined delegates from across the country in Yankee Stadium.
Everybody knows how the speech began, and many know how it ends, as can be seen below:
However, that was because, as amazing as it sounds, no media outlets had recorded the whole thing. That is partly why Gary Cooper‘s speech in Pride of the Yankees is occasionally played instead, although it moved the beginning of the speech to the end for artistic reasons and was more of a paraphrase of the actual words Gehrig gave on that day.
Since Gehrig’s death in 1941, he has remained an inspiration and a rallying-cry in the fight against ALS and similar diseases. What had been before Gehrig a little understood disease is now studied across the world.
Progress has been made. A few years back, a report came out that suggested that people who have a history of concussions may be more likely to develop an ALS-style disease (Gehrig, it should be noted, took plenty of beanballs during his career, and also had played football at Columbia), and there is also some evidence that genetics and mutations may also play a role. Despite this, however, there remains no cure.
MVP of Yesterday (July 3, 2013): Justin Ruggiano
The MVP of Yesterday was Justin Ruggiano of the Marlins, who went 2-4 with a HR, a walk and 3 RBIs in the Fish’s 6-3 win over the Braves.
Standings, as always, under the jump:
Baseball Food Myths/Legends
Today, July 4th, is the famous Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest. And, in homage to that and as a semi-sequel to the article about Chris Sale‘s diet, here’s a look at two of the other great baseball tales involving appetite… after the jump, of course:
Manny Being Texas
Manny Ramirez has returned to American shores.
To be more specific, he has signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers.
That is all.
Yasiel Puig and the ASG: The fix is in
I can see both sides of the arguments about Yasiel Puig being an all-star or not. However, I think that it’ll ultimately be a moot point: Yasiel Puig will be at the All-Star Game, barring injury or he himself refusing an invite.
Oh, he probably won’t be amongst the initial people named this coming weekend. Instead, one of the backup ways for him to get in will come into play:
- The Final Vote, which allows fans to vote for one of five snubbed players in each league. Puig would, barring a team like the Giants or Cardinals running a gigantic get-out-the-vote campaign (always a possibility), run away with the NL voting.
- Injuries. Without fail, at least a few All-Stars get hurt or decide not to take part due to pre-existing (but not serious) injuries. These would provide more opportunities for Puig to join.
- Guys just skipping. Although it isn’t as common as in games like the Pro Bowl, there are also usually a few players who just respectfully decline an invite, saying they want their rest or that their hamstrings are bothering them or whatnot. This usually more happens when it’s in a city without a good party scene or big-time recognition, so it’s likely that it is less likely this season with it being in New York City… but it could still happen. And if enough guys just pass on the ASG, then there are more spots to put in Puig.
- If all else fails, behind-the-scenes wrangling. It’s a dirty secret, but then again it’s hardly a secret at all: Major League Baseball will do everything within it’s power to get their biggest individual story to take part in the All-Star Game. And Yasiel Puig is the biggest individual story so far this year, especially since Evan Gattis got hurt. It could come by way of MLB execs whispering over Bruce Bochy‘s shoulders, it could come as a special dispensation to just have him show up, like how Tony Gwynn was added to the 2001 All-Star Game (but didn’t play). But if all else fails, Puig will be added to the National League team.
Got all of that?
Random Video of the Undetermined Amount of Time: Nessy’s Boner (Safe For Work)
Quick, look at this video and tell me what’s wrong:
If you guessed “The runner going from first to second didn’t go all the way to second, thus was able to be forced out causing the game to go into extra-innings,” then you are correct! Santiago Nessy started celebrating instead of making sure the force play was gone, and his semi-reenactment of Fred Merkle‘s boner play cost his team the game!
The Baseball Continuum 