Friday, July 23, 2010

A Thing of Beauty

(photo, Boston Globe)

You know how good these guys really are? Darnell McDonald is a baseball lifer -- a 31-year old journeyman who bounced around four big league teams since 2004, compiling a lifetime batting average of .252. And yet he swings a bat with confidence, balance, coordination, and power. The undisputed worst player in the majors would be an All-American playing college ball and might never make an out were he in high school. So, the next time you hear someone complaining that a certain player stinks, remember: Everything is relative...

8 comments:

Roy said...

Hmmmm... Where did you find him?

Meanwhile, I'm still disgusted over that game last night. Poor John Lackey was robbed by his own bullpen! How do you blow a 6 - 1 lead in just one inning? Watch Manny Delcarmen and Jon Papelbon to learn how. We ended up winning in the 13th, but unfortunately Lackey got a no decision and Ramirez got the win. The Red Sox bullpen needs a good shake-up.

K. said...

The picture is from the Globe's on-line edition. The Sox called up Darnell when Ellsbury went down. He's been a yeoman.

I watched the last two inning of yesterday's game. I turned on the TV to find Oki in a typical jam, but he suddenly morphed into the old Oki and worked out of it. Patterson's game-winning double was the definition of clutch: A two-strike, two-out hit to drive in the go ahead runs on the road.

The line score was unreal. Paps has had a couple of meltdowns this year, but his overall numbers say that he get results equal to any closer not named Rivera. Looks like back to the DL for Delcarmen, though.

We're going to the Saturday game: John Lester v. the immortal old friend, David Pauley. BTW, would any other sports page in America have a feature like this? Would any other city's baseball fans care?

Roy said...

And the crowds at Fenway always give former Sox players appearing for another team a warm welcome. Well, except for Manny, who complained the whole time he played for Boston and earned undying annoyance from the fans.

And it was noted in all the media outlets in the Red Sox Nation that today is Nomar's 37th birthday. I love it that he engineered that trade at the beginning of the year so he could retire as a Red Sox player. Fans don't ever forget that kind of thing.

K. said...

To me, that was satisfying move all around. But all Dan Shaughnessy and his ilk could do was write about the end of Nomar's time with the team. Couldn't they let it alone for a day?

paula said...

So, I opened this page this morning and read it while I watched Breakfast with the Red Sox, NESN's morning replay of the previous night's game.
It's been painful watching the last two weeks' games, but maybe things will pick up now that some of the stars are coming off the DL. I'll be glad to see Ellsbury back.
Now that the Sox are on the West Coast, the games are too late for us to stay up and watch, especially when they go 13 innings! So, we watch them in the morning, when we can. We'll be looking for you in the crowd on Saturday. Wear a red carnation or something...

K. said...

I'll be wearing a Sox hat, but so will half the people there!

Frank Partisan said...

I have a brand new stadium to explore.

K. said...

Hey, that's right. Have you been there yet? I'm against spending public money on stadiums, but I have made exceptions for baseball depending on the financing: 81 games a year, and it can unite a community like no other sport.

On the other hand, with all the problems it has, it's astounding to me that New York spent $1 bil on stadiums, and for two franchises that weren't going anywhere that could have built their own. And don't get me started on D.C.

Although I root against every sports team it has, I admire Los Angeles for repeatedly telling the NFL to take a hike.