Kind of Comfortable: Bautista, Donaldson and Pitch Talks.
News that's circulating around Twitter pre-game is that Jose Bautista is sitting tonight versus Baltimore. Because it's baseball related and because it's social media, there is a low level panic about what it all means.
This is what it means: Jose Bautista is 2 for 29 vs Ubaldo Jimenez. Also, Jose Bautista has a sore shoulder that requires rest. He isn't being hidden from Buck Showalter. He isn't scared.
Watching Bautista hold his right arm limply at his side while high fiving with his left on Saturday hurt my heart a little. Mejórate pronto, tipo.
And again Sunday afternoon:
Many people don't realize this, but it's actually hard to hit well as a DH. It's a skill that someone like David Ortiz has mastered, but it's not easy. It's why there are so few pure DHs even though every AL team has to put on in the lineup.
There is absolutely no way Bautista is pulling himself out of playing in the field, especially given that he isn't contributing the way he would probably like to not playing right field.
This is a guy who takes a lot of pride in his work. He's not slacking off. The stupidity of these statements is amazing. I'm guessing Lyons doesn't understand that hitting and throwing use different parts of a shoulder, and that it is completely possible that one action hurts Bautista and one doesn't. So yeah, Bautista is "kind of comfortable" DHing because it doesn't hurt.
Is this what happens when you call out Buck Showalter? "A lot of whispering" happens about bullshit? Implications that you are lazy or spoiled?
Just for context, Steve Lyons was hated on pretty consistently over the weekend on SOSH. I didn't include that in my SOSH post, but the sentiment was pretty full on.
Just no, Steve Lyons. NO!
I didn't write about the Brook Jacoby incident earlier, but I find the whole thing to be completely overblown, that the suspension is way too long and I don't believe the official version of the story that the MLB is putting out there, just because it conflicts with most accounts. Jeff Blair talked to former umpire Jim McKean on Baseball Central. (It happens at about 30 minutes in, but go ahead and listen to all of the Snappy Turtle Show if you so desire.)
Read Brook Jacoby statement here. It's pretty amazing.
“Brook Jacoby always had a very mild demeanor about him when he was a third baseman for the Cleveland Indians and I was umpiring. He was a guy who hardly said anything.”
Also, Jeff Blair has gone drinking with umpires. A lot.
The following is a bit of a boast, but I was kind of a puddle after it happened.
I went to the first anniversary of Pitch Talks last Thursday in Toronto. It was a sold out event that featured my pal Alexis Brudnicki talking to the head of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame as well as two members of the Canadian Women's baseball team that’s gearing up for the Pan Am Games. Yes, women play baseball. And yes, they are badass.
The lineup also including Shi Davidi (who I met for the first time), John Lott (who I've met before and is as awesome as you imagine he would be), Sid Seixeiro (he told me he isn't ready for tv), Stephen Brunt (who introduced himself as "Steve" to me), Dan Shulman of ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball and Buck Martinez, who crashed the event to surprise Shulman.
I saw a dude with some a healthy head of white hair and thought….maybe? But I have this weird disconnect when I see people I normally see in media or social media in real life and I don't think it's them. I think every bearded man at a baseball event is Stoeten. I think Drew Fairservice is Mark Buehrle.
After the show, I talked to Buck Martinez, who is shorter than me (I didn't realize), and I told him that I've written a blog for coming up on nine seasons. I wish I could've taken a picture of his face, because it was this genius mixture of being impressed and also kind of indulgent.
I interact with Shulman on Twitter a bit. He once read my blog and said it was a perfect mix of "knowledge and attitude". He read it without me sending him the link, he just got it from my profile and checked it out.
I introduced myself at the event (it's insanely awkward to introduce yourself to someone you know from social media but not in real life. I feel like Troy McClure.) And Shulman knew who I was immediately, proceeded to tell the small group around him that he gets his Jays news from me and that I'm very sarcastic on Twitter. Said the name of my blog with the Sunday Night Baseball voice.
Puddle.
Go to the Pitch Talks events. They are fun as heck.
The weekend series was good, save for Sunday. I was pretty happy to see Sanchez progress as he did. He does seem to be getting better.
Jeff Blair writes that Josh Donaldson pretty much loves hitting in the Dome. Which is good, because I love him hitting in the Dome, too.
Finally, an update:
Watching Bautista hold his right arm limply at his side while high fiving with his left on Saturday hurt my heart a little. Mejórate pronto, tipo.
Stoeten points to some of the Bautista discussion that happened on NESN on Sunday. Most of which appears to be total bullshit.
Friday:
Some people are starting to grumble that maybe he just doesn’t want to play in the field and he’s just kind of comfortable DHing right now. Because, your shoulder doesn’t hurt when he takes that hack that he takes? I mean, that’s a max-effort swing that he has.
And again Sunday afternoon:
ORSILLO: Bautista the DH again today, still unable to play defensively in right field — a sore shoulder keeping him from doing that, and kind of affecting all of the Blue Jays’ lineup.LYONS: There’s a lot of whispering going on that he’s fine and should be playing right field, and has still decided he doesn’t want to.
Many people don't realize this, but it's actually hard to hit well as a DH. It's a skill that someone like David Ortiz has mastered, but it's not easy. It's why there are so few pure DHs even though every AL team has to put on in the lineup.
There is absolutely no way Bautista is pulling himself out of playing in the field, especially given that he isn't contributing the way he would probably like to not playing right field.
This is a guy who takes a lot of pride in his work. He's not slacking off. The stupidity of these statements is amazing. I'm guessing Lyons doesn't understand that hitting and throwing use different parts of a shoulder, and that it is completely possible that one action hurts Bautista and one doesn't. So yeah, Bautista is "kind of comfortable" DHing because it doesn't hurt.
Is this what happens when you call out Buck Showalter? "A lot of whispering" happens about bullshit? Implications that you are lazy or spoiled?
Just for context, Steve Lyons was hated on pretty consistently over the weekend on SOSH. I didn't include that in my SOSH post, but the sentiment was pretty full on.
Just no, Steve Lyons. NO!
I didn't write about the Brook Jacoby incident earlier, but I find the whole thing to be completely overblown, that the suspension is way too long and I don't believe the official version of the story that the MLB is putting out there, just because it conflicts with most accounts. Jeff Blair talked to former umpire Jim McKean on Baseball Central. (It happens at about 30 minutes in, but go ahead and listen to all of the Snappy Turtle Show if you so desire.)
Read Brook Jacoby statement here. It's pretty amazing.
“Brook Jacoby always had a very mild demeanor about him when he was a third baseman for the Cleveland Indians and I was umpiring. He was a guy who hardly said anything.”
Also, Jeff Blair has gone drinking with umpires. A lot.
The following is a bit of a boast, but I was kind of a puddle after it happened.
I went to the first anniversary of Pitch Talks last Thursday in Toronto. It was a sold out event that featured my pal Alexis Brudnicki talking to the head of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame as well as two members of the Canadian Women's baseball team that’s gearing up for the Pan Am Games. Yes, women play baseball. And yes, they are badass.
The lineup also including Shi Davidi (who I met for the first time), John Lott (who I've met before and is as awesome as you imagine he would be), Sid Seixeiro (he told me he isn't ready for tv), Stephen Brunt (who introduced himself as "Steve" to me), Dan Shulman of ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball and Buck Martinez, who crashed the event to surprise Shulman.
I saw a dude with some a healthy head of white hair and thought….maybe? But I have this weird disconnect when I see people I normally see in media or social media in real life and I don't think it's them. I think every bearded man at a baseball event is Stoeten. I think Drew Fairservice is Mark Buehrle.
After the show, I talked to Buck Martinez, who is shorter than me (I didn't realize), and I told him that I've written a blog for coming up on nine seasons. I wish I could've taken a picture of his face, because it was this genius mixture of being impressed and also kind of indulgent.
I interact with Shulman on Twitter a bit. He once read my blog and said it was a perfect mix of "knowledge and attitude". He read it without me sending him the link, he just got it from my profile and checked it out.
I introduced myself at the event (it's insanely awkward to introduce yourself to someone you know from social media but not in real life. I feel like Troy McClure.) And Shulman knew who I was immediately, proceeded to tell the small group around him that he gets his Jays news from me and that I'm very sarcastic on Twitter. Said the name of my blog with the Sunday Night Baseball voice.
Puddle.
Go to the Pitch Talks events. They are fun as heck.
The weekend series was good, save for Sunday. I was pretty happy to see Sanchez progress as he did. He does seem to be getting better.
Jeff Blair writes that Josh Donaldson pretty much loves hitting in the Dome. Which is good, because I love him hitting in the Dome, too.
“Where I came from, park-wise, you had to hit the balls really hard and at the right trajectory for balls to leave the yard,” Donaldson said Sunday. “Here, I can really just focus on being a good hitter versus trying to create different angles to create power. I mean, I’ve been fooled a couple of times here trying to create those angles. Now, it’s just a matter of focusing on making good contact ."
“Although,” he added with a grin, “I do pick my spots every now and then to try to make things happen.”
Finally, an update:
Daniel Norris has found an early groove, retired six straight, 4Ks. 24 pitches, 18 strikes. #bisons #bluejays
— Ben Wagner (@benwag247) May 11, 2015