Extend the Nets

The call for netting intensified last night after a little girl was hit with a foul ball in Houston, devastating Albert Almora Jr., who hit the ball.

My dad told me years ago that if I was going to sit along the baselines, I had to keep my eyes on the ball because fouls can come screaming up there in a hurry. I still think this is really good advice, though I do recognize that hard hit foul balls can catch people unawares even if the fan is paying all the attention in the world. And, of course, not that many people pay all of the attention.

There are phones, beer selling/buying/drinking, cute kids, people coming back to their seats mid-inning (SIGH), the Wave ( DOUBLE SIGH), popcorn, ice cream and hot people to draw attention away from what is happening on the field.

It just happens.

I have sat in the fancy seats that have had netting for decades. Your eyes adjust and you start looking beyond the net. It really does work that way.

Those against it are really just being obstinate.

Swept in Front of Dozens

I don’t know why the Blue Jays can’t hit with runners in scoring position. They left a literal village on base in that last game in Tampa. They could’ve won that game with a bloop single.

The only thing worth mentioning was Davis’ catch.

It was a beaut.

The most notable thing about the series as a whole was that Tampa, despite the fact that the Rays are one of the best teams in baseball, can’t attract a crowd.

5,786 showed up to see the Rays beat the Blue Jays on Tuesday night, which beat the previous lowest attendance record from 2017. That games’ low attendance could be explained by Hurricane Irma.

Apparently, the whole experience getting the stadium is a nightmare, from the traffic, to the location, to it being Southwest Florida.

It’s one thing Toronto planned correctly. The Rogers Centre, for all its concrete mausoleum splendor, is in the perfect location. It’s not somewhere in Etobicoke, it’s in the heart of downtown. People work right near there, the GO train and the TTC are easy to use and the station is within walking distance. And it’s a pleasant walk.

If the Rays fielded their team with Toronto as a home, they would attract a crowd. It’s all about location.

Nice for What

The Raptors have made the NBA Finals, marking the first Toronto team to make the finals in one of the major North American sports leagues. It the first since the Blue Jays won the World Series in 1993. And 26 years is embarrassingly long if you think about it (I suggest not thinking about it.)

Think about this instead:

Draymond Green had this to say about Siakam’s performance in Game 1.

“I think he played an amazing game, obviously,” said Green. “You got to take your hat off to him... he’s become A Guy, so, he put a lot of work in to get that.”

I’m tired of rebuilds. Watching Kawhi Leonard do Kawhi Leonard things this season has really solidified it for me. I want more players to have the opportunity to become “A Guy”. I want “Guys” to emerge on my preferred teams.

I understand the Blue Jays are trying to build something sustainable (at least, I understand that that is what they are saying to people) but this bland product on the field, as well as this meandering effort from a lot of teams in the rest of the league, is not cutting it.

Sports should be about watching the very best do the very best. And rewarding and appreciating the very best.

The rest of it is just noise.

Joey Votto, Sports Fan

Another day, another realization that Joey Votto and I could probably hang.

C. Trent Rosencrans talked to Votto about the Raptors and how being a pro athlete changed his relationship with fandom.

I will say baseball, for some reason, I really enjoy more. Which is weird. I think it’s because it’s the one sport where you can really have a conversation during it. You can watch it at a more leisurely pace. You don’t have to stay as locked in on every single play and talk over the crowd and there’s so much music in between a lot of the other sporting events, whereas (in baseball) it’s quieter. I think that baseball is like the one sport right now that I’m much more interested in watching in person, which you would have never have got that from me years ago. It’s funny.

The pace does make for good conversation. It may also be the reason why attention wanders away from what’s going on on the field, necessitating more nets for safety reasons.

Also, watching baseball with Dusty Baker.

I would enjoy that.

Today's Walk Up

With the Raptors being amazing right now, Drake is everywhere. The NBA apparently phoned the Raptors about his courtside antics, but I think that horse has left the barn.

I’ve this song in my head for a week now. A big hit about this time last year, the video features Olivia Wilde. I was reminded of this song after I saw her directorial debut Booksmart last Sunday.

It made me laugh and the soundtrack kicks ass.

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