harmony

Back in the days of David Ortiz and Alex Rodriguez, the Seattle Mariners would rank high on a ranking of all-former-players teams. Alas, today we're stuck with: C Chris Iannetta/Welington Castillo 1B Logan Morrison/Kendrys Morales 2B Asdrubal Cabrera/Luis Valbuena SS Ketel Marte/Brad Miller 3B Adrian Beltre/Danny Valencia OF Adam Jones/Eric Thames OF Chris Taylor/Austin Jackson OF Jarrod Dyson/Mark Trumbo DH Justin Smoak/Yonder Alonso SP Taijuan Walker SP J.A. Happ SP Doug Fister SP Chris Tillman SP Wade Miley SP R.A. Dickey/Jason Vargas/Nate Karns/Yovani Gallardo CL Brandon Morrow RP Fernando Rodney RP Steve Cishek RP Carson Smith RP Brandon Maurer RP Tyler Olson LR Mike Montgomery LR Ryan Yarbrough

The start of the Red Sox season reminds me a bit of the start of the 1984 Detroit Tigers, who went on to win the World Series: https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/DET/1984-schedule-scores.shtml

The Seattle lineup should improve with the returns of Mike Zunino and Ben Gamel. The pitching is the big question.

The Astros can feast tonight on Seattle left-hander Ariel Miranda. Or not. Miranda, who led the Mariners in starts last season, has been called up to make his first MLB start of the year.

Students (and faculty members) knew that I maintained supplemental office hours at 11 pm nearly every night at the end of the bar, sipping my Strohs draft and smoking my Kent Golden Lights. My, how times have changed for this 62-year-old teetotaling, yoga-practicing former marathon runner.

The injury-plagued Seattle Mariners are 9-5, a half-game up on the Astros after beating the defending World Series champs on Monday.

I've never thrown a punch in a bar fight but I once got into a shoving match over a game of pool of all things. Around closing time in a bar when I was a professor 30+ years ago, a student sucker-punched me fairly hard in the stomach. I gave him a puzzled look, smiled and muttered: "Michael, I can't believe you did that." After I went home the student called around 3 am to apologize. The student called again around 10 am to apologize. When I told the student he had already called to 3 am to apologize he said he was too drunk to remember. Good times.

As CBS Sportsline baseball writer R.J. Anderson wrote: https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/kangaroo-court-in-the-case-of-the-yankees-red-sox-brawl-was-tyler-austins-slide-dirty-was-joe-kelly-right-to-retaliate/ I respect Brock Holt for not being whiny like many Red Sox fans and for issuing an apology for his limited role: https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/redsox/2018/04/12/here-what-key-figures-red-sox-yankees-brawl-had-say/KajPcW2Q26k0E5iUoFG2pJ/story.html Tyler Austin did nothing to earn my respect. And neither did Joe Kelly. But I respect a divergence of opinions.

Deven Marrero suffered a tough break Saturday evening: https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/mlb/diamondbacks/2018/04/14/arizona-diamondbacks-deven-marrero-loses-home-run-after-passing-baserunner/518254002/

I have no doubt the slide was intentional ... Tyler Austin did not accidentally fall to his backside. Tyler Austin may have intentionally attempted to break up an anticipated double play attempt. Tyler Austin may have intentionally attempted to spike Brock Holt's leg. As I have written: "A hypothetical jury could determine that Tyler Austin and Joe Kelly acted with intent."

I get this even if I don't agree. I work with some people involved in gangs that have their own extrajudicial rules of conduct.

An as I have written: "A hypothetical jury could determine that Tyler Austin and Joe Kelly acted with intent." I'm not absolving Austin but I have provided videos that call into question factual allegations on this forum. Or not:o. The MLB front office (and many organizations) consider reported misconduct by comparing the conduct with past misconduct and how that conduct was handled. I found it interesting that the (presumably) Red Sox announcer proclaimed the Mookie Betts slide as "as good, clean, hard slide" even though on some levels it was more egregious than the Tyler Austin slide. I should know better than to cast a Red Sox icon in negative light.

Because Mookie Betts was out by the hyperbolic mile, the Tampa Bay infielder had time to get out of the way by stepping back and away from the base. Nevertheless, Betts went to the side and past the bag to upend the second baseman with a near cross-body block.

As I've written: "A hypothetical jury could determine that Tyler Austin and Joe Kelly acted with intent." The second issue is whether Tyler Austin's intent was to break up a double play, to harm Brock Holt, or both. I'll again provide links to videos of Austin's slide and a Mookie Betts slide from 2015: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33uFpLiDNzQ The slides can be distinguished by several factors: 1. to his credit Betts' spikes were not up while Austin's spikes were 2. Betts was out at second base by at least eight feet while Austin's play was much closer* 3. the target of the Betts slide was attempting a double play while Holt made no attempt at a double play* 4. despite his extended left leg, Austin's butt went directly over second while Betts' butt pretty missed the bag as he took the side where the infielder was making the relay 5. Betts was completely past the bag when he made contact with the infielder while Austin was on the bag when contact happened 6. at the points of contact Betts' left leg was higher than Austin's left leg 7. Betts' contact went for the knees of the infielder, who was knocked over (at :55), while Austin's foot made contact with Holt's moving lower leg ... or vice versa, or both (at :31). Nevertheless, the TV announcer called the Betts slide "a good, clean, hard slide.":rolleyes: * some have questioned whether Austin should have known that Holt would not be making a relay for a double play. After the game Boston manager Alex Cora praised third baseman Rafael Devers for eschewing the easy out at first base and instead opting for the tougher play of getting the lead runner at second base. From Austin's perspective with his back to first base, the Devers throw to second base perhaps suggested an attempted double play that deserved a hard slide.

Tyler Austin's foot was pretty much on the ground when Brock Holt's foot made contact and lifted Austin's foot up and even more away from the base. At :31: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33uFpLiDNzQ However, Austin's spikes were up. Mookie Betts' spikes were not up on this slide: ... but the slide possibly violated more than one provision of the current rule (which was not in place when Betts made his slide in 2015): http://m.mlb.com/glossary/rules/slide-rule

Did I pick the wrong day to have Alex Cobb in my fantasy lineup?

Another fact: The Red Sox are in third place in the American League in relief pitching fWAR: https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=rel&lg=al&qual=0&type=8&season=2018&month=0&season1=2018&ind=0&team=0,ts&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&sort=18,d

I agree that a hitter assumes some risk when he steps into the batter's just as an infielder (or catcher) assumes some risk of an incoming runner. The pitcher's job is to throw in the general direction of the batter just as the runner's job is to advance to the next base. A runner's contact with an infielder "falls squarely within the category of things that may happen at a baseball game, intentionally or not." The issue may come down to intent. Juries every day are asked to distinguish intent from recklessness in deciding whether a homicide was murder or manslaughter. A hypothetical jury could determine that Tyler Austin and Joe Kelly acted with intent but the evidence against the latter appears more obvious. The posters on this forum are lauding Kelly for his intentional conduct, not his reckless conduct. I concur that Austin deserves the stiffer suspension for charging the mound and throwing punches.

Brock Holt's so-called "plant leg" (which would not have been his pivot foot on a throw) was higher off the ground than Tyler Austin's incoming foot when contact was made at :48: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33uFpLiDNzQ Austin's foot made contact with a moving object ... or vice versa. Again, the MLB rule: http://m.mlb.com/glossary/rules/slide-rule ... and another hard slide: Different interpretations may produce different results.

Anything can be measured ... the question is the predictive relevance. My younger daughter's university this week announced a new major in data science, which "combines cognitive science, computer science and engineering, and mathematics to train students in predictive modeling, data analysis and computational techniques." The goal is to prepare "students for a career in the data-centric society." Big Data apparently is here to stay, whether it's Cambridge Analytica harvesting our personal data or MLB front offices trying to gain an edge (I recommend Big Data Baseball: Math, Miracles, and the End of a 20-Year Losing Streak by Travis Sawchik and The Extra 2%: How Wall Street Strategies Took a Major League Baseball Team from Worst to First by Jonah Keri.).

The chances that an errant pitch will cause serious injury increase when a pitcher deliberately throws at a batter instead of at the plate. Joe Kelly is not known for his pinpoint control.

Just ask the family of Tony Conigliaro.

At least Tyler Austin's butt went directly over second base, unlike Mookie Betts' butt when Betts broke up a double play (and forced an error) with a hard slide after being out by two strides (unlike Austin): MLB Gameday: Red Sox 1, Rays 0 Final Score (04/21/2015) | MLB.com WWW.MLB.COM Follow MLB results with FREE box scores, pitch-by-pitch strikezone info, and Statcast data for Red Sox vs. Rays at Tropicana Field At :48 of the recap or :54 of Hanigan scores on an error.

To be precise, Tyler Austin's lead foot and Brock Holt's non-pivot, non-planted foot made contact: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33uFpLiDNzQ

Brock Holt called it a bad slide, but afterward said: "I probably said something I shouldn’t have to start the whole thing, so I’m sorry for that." http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/redsox/2018/04/12/here-what-key-figures-red-sox-yankees-brawl-had-say/KajPcW2Q26k0E5iUoFG2pJ/story.html?et_rid=1739401789&s_campaign=108stitches:newsletter