Oh well, the Phillies are battling the Rockies and the Phils have Red uniforms…

Their game in Denver was snowed out today.  As MLB goes deeper into October and even November, the weather gets worse. They build off days into the playoffs and end up using for bad weather. Colorado, New York, Boston and Philadelphia are in this year, and next year Minnesota, which is also in the playoffs and has been a perennial contender this decade, will play outdoors.

Think about it. It’s hard to be in a baseball mood when games are snowed out.

ByrnesBlogger1

Very nice, but…

HE STRUCK OUT 215 TIMES!!!!

He says he doesn’t care, but he should, because the team finished in the cellar. (Worse than I figured. I had them fourth. But I wasn’t figuring on the injury bug).

Now, the team’s lousy performance this year isn’t all Reynolds’ fault. But when a guy strikes out nearly 5 times per homer, and almost 3 times per walk and almost as much as his hits and walks combined (150 + 76 = 226) he has to have cost the team some wins, especially when you know he’s got the stuff to win games.

Sorry, folks, I’m a glass half-empty kind of fan. Maybe because of my age. I remember Mays and Mantle, and for all The Mick’s rep as a strike out artist, it was never this bad.

Imagine how great Reynolds would be if he struck out 150 times and got 215 hits?

ByrnesBlogger1

to Derek Jeter for passing Lou Gehrig to become the all-time Yankees hits leader; and

to our own ERIC BYRNES for being the Diamondbacks’ nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award this year. The Clemente award honors community service.

ByrnesBlogger1

I like rare plays, whoever makes them.

ByrnesBlogger1

Byrnesie, too bad that for the second year in a row, you are spending your anniversary on the disabled list. I remember 2006, when the Diamondbacks were playing the Giants on your anniversary. I went down to the premium seats as you were warming up your throwing arm, and stood behind you. I was wearing a Diamondbacks T-shirt with your name and number. It matched the color of the uniform you were wearing that day. I wish I had been with someone who could have taken a picture of that scene.

Here’s hoping that next year, you will be playing on August 22.

ByrnesBlogger1

NEWS ITEM:

PHOENIX — Scott Schoeneweis has been placed on the 15-day disabled list by the Arizona Diamondbacks because of depression, less than three months after his wife was found dead at their home.

The 35-year-old left-hander spent three weeks on the bereavement list after his wife, Gabrielle, was found dead on May 20 in the master bedroom of couple’s home in the Phoenix area.

Since returning on June 9, Schoeneweis has given up 15 earned runs in nine innings. He is 1-2 with an 8.24 ERA in 38 games this season.

Thoughts and prayers go out to Schoenewiess and his family. I hope he gets talk therapy and not just symptom suppressing drugs that could become habit-forming. What he’s been through needs time and human support, not chemicals.

Good on the D’Backs FO for giving him a break. I can’t imagine what he’s going through.

Good Luck, Scott. See you back when YOU are ready.

Byrnesblogger1

Speaking as a baseball fan, I think MLB could be more green by going retro at the park. Manually operated scoreboards instead of these monster electronic jobs that use so much electricity. Also day games on the weekends. Take out the free WiFi that is starting to go into stadiums. That must have a carbon foot print. New stadiums should be built with public transit access. Domes in places like Phoenix should be used sensibly. There they leave the dome open and run the A/C in all but the hottest weather so as to give the fans the feel of an outdoor stadium without Phoenix’s 100 degree weather. Speaking of Phoenix, what baseball stadium really needs a swimming pool? We have got to get back to the days when we went to the ball park to see a baseball game, not to swim, be on computers or wave our VISA cards to the cameras on the big screen. That would save a lot of energy!

Byrnesblogger1

UPDATE: Let’s hear some other ideas. How about going back to traditional 2 for the price of one doubleheaders on Sunday and off days on Mondays and Thursday? Having the stadiums dark two days a week would save energy. It would probably be better for the players as well. Most other jobs get two days off per week, why not baseball players? I just heard this weekend that the San Francisco Giants just concluded a streak of twenty days in a row. That’s got to mean tired players who are more likely to get injured. And we wonder why players might use amphetamines?

Upton is batting .301 with 20 homers and 66 RBIs this season. He seems to be fulfilling his promise as a hitter, but he’s been on the DL all three years he’s been in the bigs. That’s worrisome.

On the other hand, who hasn’t been on the DL for the Snakes this year?

Byrnesblogger1

Webby at first refused surgery, opting for a more conservative approach aimed at strengthening his shoulder with the goal of pitching in September. But the shoulder did not respond adequately, and with the D’Backs season already in the toilet, Starter No. 1A decided to go under the knife. His shoulder was cleaned out, but no repairs were needed and he should begin throwing in October.

Could several years of 200+ innings be finally catching up to him?

ByrnesBlogger1

ROSE SHOULD BE IN THE HALL OF FAME. Yeah, he bet in baseball, but unlike the 1919 Black Sox, there is no evidence that he bet against himself or his team or otherwise did anything to throw a game.

Of course, it would have been better if he hadn’t gambled at all. Now he’s just a parody of himself hawking whatever he can sell. But I wonder if his ban hasn’t been lifted because of his attitude rather than his misdeeds. And if so, MLB should look itself in the mirror about its own attitude toward gambling. It’s a look different from the days when Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle were suspended from involvement in baseball because of their PR jobs with casinos that involved things like playing golf with the high rollers. Now you can go to Chase Field and watch the players drape themselves over the dugout fence that has VeeQuiva Casino written all over it.

Either Baseball gets the casino names out of its stadiums or it lets Pete Rose back in. I prefer the latter considering the Hall is full of reprobates who have done far worse things than waste money gambling.

ByrnesBlogger1