Its really too bad that it will never happen here. We love baseball pennant races. Not much better than various teams jockeying for a playoff spot in September. But what if we had two pennant races? One for the top and one to avoid the bottom? One of the Sports Illustrated blogs (Nine Innings) took a look at the Baltimore Orioles this week. That is the baseball team masquerading as a major league team. Still charging top dollar to watch a collection of bad baseball players collect losses in bunches. They gave up 32 runs and 16 homers to the Yankees in three games. They gave up 23 runs in a single game to the Astros. They have already given up more homers than any team in American League history and are just 10 away from the MLB record and its only the middle of August. They have a record of 39-80 and a run differential of -237. They are on pace to lose 109 games which would be a seven game improvement on last year. And they arent even the worst team in baseball. The Detroit Tigers are 35-80. You also have the White Sox, Blue Jays, Royals, Mariners, Marlins and Pirates stumbling toward another losing season. The thing is, we knew that most of these teams were going to be bad before the season started. That some were not even trying to be good. Tanking is a thing now. Its not even embarassing to some of these folks anymore. You would think that they would have a bit of respect, for themselves if not their fan base. So why not do what the Brits do? Bring in “relegation” to Major League Baseball. In the Premier Soccer League, at the end of each season, the worst teams are “sent down” to the next lower level and have to “win” their way back to the top. Why not send the six worst teams in the majors –three from each league–down to Triple A. And promote the six best from the high minors. As the SI authors note, “If the Orioles aren't capable of contending at the major league level, they shouldnt be here”. Nor should the Tigers or the Marlins or a half a dozen teams seemingly content to waste everyones time.” It will never happen of course. Logistical issues…the Players Association would never agree to it. But in a world were the MLB poo-bahs continuely worry about the length of games or the strike zone or any of the other issues that consume their time and energy…how about focusing on a problem that strikes at the very heart of any competitive enterprise…the conscious decision NOT to compete.
The Brewers brass decided at the beginning of the season that their starting pitching was adequate to compete for a playoff spot. That decision is coming back to bite them in the ass.
Aaron Rodgers out with back stiffness. If he cant go at 100% in two weeks, the Packers season will be over before it starts. Does anyone believe at this point that Deshone Kizer or Tim Boyle can get the Packers to the playoffs? And Brian Gutekunst will have to make drafting a quarterback high in next years draft a priority, wont he?
High school football is back this week. I will have Wausau East at Merrill live on Friday night…pre game at 6:30 and the kickoff at 7 on Foxsports Radio AM1390 & FM 93.9.
Cover Songs Of The Day
The Pointer Sisters cover Steely Dan
A man who headed a student debt organization that was cited for incompetence and poor industry practices has been named by Trump to be the federal government's top watchdog for the $1.5 trillion student loan market
Quotes Of The Day
“80% of white evangelicals support President Trump and Israeli’s leadership policies; 80% of American Jews oppose President Trump and Netanyahu. I think American Jews might have a better read on what the definition of anti-Semitic is and is not.”-Matthew Dowd
“Though each man would have you believe he IS the state, you can be pro-Israel and anti-Netanyahu; and you can be pro-American and anti-Trump.
That’s how democracies work! It’s what distinguishes us from autocracies.”-David Axelrod
“Shame on Netanyahu. The whole thing makes Israel look really weak & small. Yea, Trump was behind it all, but we already knew he was a weak, small man.”-Joe Walsh
“Telling another country to discriminate against Americans isn’t exactly “America first.” Oh, nevermind, I get it, what Trump really meant by “America first” was white people first.”-Adam Best
“You realize that all those GOP-ers who are saying Israel has a right to protect itself from those who would “destroy” it are playing to an Evangelical base that includes many who see Israel as important only in so far as it can be destroyed to serve their End Times prophecies.”-David Rothkopf
“We have a racism in America that is as old as America itself,” But we have always tried, until now, to change that—until this president.” -Beto O'Rourke
“My father's whole family was wiped out by Hitler's white nationalism.We will go to war against white nationalism and racism in every aspect of our country.”-Bernie Sanders
“Stop with the “Don’t punish the gun owning parents, they’ve suffered enough.” That’s the culture that enabled drunk driving deaths for decades. Until we hold gun owners accountable for negligence, these deaths will continue. Over 4.5M US kids live in homes with unsecured guns.”-Shannon Watts
“Imagine if politicians protected Americans healthcare as much as they protect their guns.”-David Hogg
“Still no answer to this question: Who paid off Brett Kavanaugh’s $92,000 country club fees plus his $200,000 credit card debt plus his $1.2 million mortgage, and purchased themselves a SCOTUS seat?”-Andrea Junker
“Am confused: perhaps someone can help. Are all immigrants on welfare, or are they stealing all the jobs? Are liberals snowflakes, or dangerous leftist mobs? Are the right fearless crusading heroes, or poor shadow-banned victims? And is Trump a liar, or is he a liar”-Michael Marshall Smith
“(FACT CHECK) Trump just said that many of the people in the “front rows” at his Manchester event had waited in line for “two and a half days.”
I was at the event site 27 hours before the event began.
Number of people in line: ZERO.
Repeat: ZERO.
I know because I was *there*.”-Seth Abramson
“America is so f**ked up that there is a felon, a white supremacist, and a demagogue in the White House and people are actually complaining about the next president being too liberal.”-Ryan Knight
