Junkballer

No more bats and batting tees. Just broomsticks and license plates.

The purist viewpoint is incongruent with the salary and revenue structure of the sport. Barring a catastrophic years long lockout and significant reversal of collective bargaining rights established thus far, the sport has to continue to grow revenue to support the salary structure. I was against the "watering down" of the playoffs going back to 1994 based on a purist perspective, however, I've come to appreciate it now and think it is okay that the regular season record is ever so slightly diminished in importance. It adds quite a bit of drama to the post-season.

Uh, then we want the paddleboard back.

Thanks Jeff. I don't agree with those who become negative about Albert as a person for continuing to try to play. I agree that he may be fooling himself but I disagree with people who use terms like selfish and other derogatory sentiments. He's trying to finish out his career on his own terms which should be every PERSON'S right to try. It is the employer who makes the decision whether the player or person's remaining skill/potential is sufficient for the needs of the company. The Angels have every ability to just eat the contract right now. They choose to value his production and remaining potential, however minimal, as preferable to eating the contract so these negative emotions should completely rest at the hands of ownership/management. I do hope that, barring Albert choosing to retire which would be the best outcome, he loses weight, tries to make more contact with less power and that MS places him in an appropriate slot in the order. I really wish him well and hope he goes out on a high note.

Has Cyrus come back alive to unite the gangs of LA? Can you dig it?

That's right TC, my favorite team is whoever's playing the Dogs. Next is whoever is playing Boston.

They misspelled pray.

Slight swerve off the topic but I loved the Sound City Documentary about the studio where Tom Petty recorded Damn the Torpedoes and other albums. He was a major contributor to the soundtrack of my early teens and specifically my first romance. I'll always have a place for Damn the Torpedoes.

And if so, how would you authenticate it if you were planning on holding on to it for a while?

When you have a player like Trout and with his contract ending in 2020 it isn't as simple as that. Were it not for Trout, I'd be on board with a true rebuild, but we are privileged to be in a situation where part of the equation is the retention of possibly one of the greatest players in the history of baseball.

The times is even pushing their Basic Income agenda in the sports section. They are good at what they do.

The Angels need to start paying Pujols with pennies.

The eons between Billy Kilmer references.

I'm sure he'd much rather have Arte rethink his aversion to the luxury tax or let deer loose in the stadium for him to bowhunt from treestands.

"like a cylon" is inspired.

Yes, he did, however, we were traumatized by Regins and were in "Anything is better than Regins" mode. We fled an in-over-his-head pimp into the arms of a slick, fast talking one who scorches the earth to hide his ineptitude.

I thought at his size he was self-lubricating.

I think baseball would benefit from going into the 140's but I can't see either side, ownership or players, ever giving up revenue. I think that pitchers would benefit from having rosters expanded by one (reserved for a pitcher) and even though it wouldn't have any massive effect, it would occasionally give managers the option to pull starters earlier, especially the ones with suspect arms. You mentioned travel and that is a good point that the Angels will travel literally twice the miles as the Cubs and Pirates this year.

B+. Great play-by-play and fills in the gaps as color because Gubi is so pitching-centric.

Besides, the fans behind 1st base have been way too distracted lately. They need the danger and focus that sitting downrange from Yunel brings.

Wrap around and the mustard stayed on the hot dog.

The Anti-Midas. Every golden thing he touches turns to s***.

Yeah, it was a retro-imagining of what their jersey of that era might've looked like.

Hmmm, maybe our reds aren't so bad...