The Cleveland Indians just beat the Baltimore Orioles 3-2 in front of a national audience on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball to extend their winning streak to 18 games.
The win gives the Tribe the best record in the AL after the Houston Astros fell victim to a four game sweep by the last place Oakland A's. On August 23rd, the Indians were beat 6-1 by the Boston Red Sox. If there was any team that looked like it could challenge the Astros for the league's best overall record it was the Bosox who were four games back of the Astros in that category. The Tribe, although leading the Twins in the AL Central by 4.5 games, was 11.5 games back of the Astros for the best overall record. The Indians have gone 18-0 since August 23rd while the Astros and Red Sox have gone 11-8 and 8-9, respectively.
If the Indians finish the season with the best record in the AL then they will play the winner of the AL Wild Card Game in the ALDS. Up until now it looked like they would face the Red Sox in the ALDS. Of course that could still be the case if the Sox fall out of the lead in the AL East and win the AL Wild Card game.
Of course, the Tribe have won 18 straight games, but there are now 19 games to go. They could come back down to earth like the Los Angeles Dodgers have recently and this streak could be but a mere footnote.
On the other hand, the Indians could also make MLB history. If they eclipse the 2002 Oakland A's streak of 20 games then they will set an AL record. A 21 game winning streak would match the 1935 Chicago Cubs. The MLB record is 26 wins by the 1916 New York Giants although there is an asterisk because there was a tie game during that streak.
It should be noted that none of the teams I mentioned won the World Series however. If you gave Indians players the choice of having the streak end tomorrow and winning the team's first World Series since 1948 I think they would take that trade off in a second. But then again why not do both?
The Tribe resumes their home stand tomorrow night with a three game series against the Detroit Tigers. A sweep of the Tigers would give them the AL record for consecutive wins. But one game at a time.
Sunday, September 10, 2017
Dodgers Lose 10 in a Row, Have Lost 15 of Their Last 16 Games But Still Have Best MLB Record
The Los Angeles Dodgers have lost their 10th consecutive game falling 8-1 to the Colorado Rockies this afternoon. Since August 26th, the Dodgers have gone 1-15. During this period, their lead in the NL West has slipped from 21 to 9 games over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
And yet the Dodgers still own MLB's best record. From June 7th through August 25th, the Dodgers went 56-11 and had winning streaks of 10, 11 and 9 games. Needless to say, this has given the team a considerable buffer. A case could also be made that a correction was inevitable and that correction has come. The question is how long will it continue. And if does continue can the D'Backs take advantage and win the NL West forcing the Dodgers to win the NL Wild Card Game, most likely against a Rockies team just swept them.
And yet the Dodgers still own MLB's best record. From June 7th through August 25th, the Dodgers went 56-11 and had winning streaks of 10, 11 and 9 games. Needless to say, this has given the team a considerable buffer. A case could also be made that a correction was inevitable and that correction has come. The question is how long will it continue. And if does continue can the D'Backs take advantage and win the NL West forcing the Dodgers to win the NL Wild Card Game, most likely against a Rockies team just swept them.
The Washington Nationals Win Their Fourth NL East Title Since 2012
The Washington Nationals have very quietly become the first team in MLB to clinch a post-season spot although they needed a little help from the Atlanta Braves. The Nats clinched a tie for the division by beating the Philadelphia Phillies 3-2. The deal would be sealed when the Braves topped the second place Miami Marlins 10-8 in 11 innings. It is the Nats' fourth NL East title since 2012.
Up until a couple of weeks ago, it was a fait d'accompli that the Los Angeles Dodgers would be the first team to clinch a playoff spot. But the Dodgers have fallen on hard times having lost 9 in a row and 14 of their last 15 games going into this afternoon. Over this same period, the Nats have gone 12-5 and now own a season high 20 game lead in the division over the Marlins.
Honestly, this has been Washington's division from nearly the get-go. They have been in first place in the NL East since April 18th. What is all the more remarkable is that the team has been without Bryce Harper for nearly a month after he hyperextended his knee running down to first base. But the Nats still have the triumvirate of Daniel Murphy, Anthony Rendon and a resurgent Ryan Zimmerman which has more than picked up the slack.
They have four starting pitchers in double digits in wins (Gio Gonzalez, Stephen Strasburg, Max Scherzer and Tanner Roark) despite the fact that both Strasburg and Scherzer have spent time on the DL this season. Unlike past seasons, the Nats made significant trade deadline deals bolstering the bullpen with the addition of Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson from the Oakland A's and Brandon Kintzler from the Minnesota Twins.
With the spotlight on the Dodgers and the defending World Series champion Chicago Cubs, the Nationals have received comparatively little respect. Of course, the Nats have won the NL East three other times in the past five years only to be ousted in the NLDS by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2012, the San Francisco Giants in 2014 and the Dodgers last year. The Nats probably aren't going to get a lot of respect until they prove they can get past the NLDS. Assuming the Dodgers still finish the season with the best record in the NL, the Nats will likely face the Cubs in the NLDS. Given the Cubs won last year's World Series, the Nats will be heavy underdogs despite finishing with a better won-loss record.
Of all the teams that reach the post-season, the Washington Nationals might very well have the most to prove.
Up until a couple of weeks ago, it was a fait d'accompli that the Los Angeles Dodgers would be the first team to clinch a playoff spot. But the Dodgers have fallen on hard times having lost 9 in a row and 14 of their last 15 games going into this afternoon. Over this same period, the Nats have gone 12-5 and now own a season high 20 game lead in the division over the Marlins.
Honestly, this has been Washington's division from nearly the get-go. They have been in first place in the NL East since April 18th. What is all the more remarkable is that the team has been without Bryce Harper for nearly a month after he hyperextended his knee running down to first base. But the Nats still have the triumvirate of Daniel Murphy, Anthony Rendon and a resurgent Ryan Zimmerman which has more than picked up the slack.
They have four starting pitchers in double digits in wins (Gio Gonzalez, Stephen Strasburg, Max Scherzer and Tanner Roark) despite the fact that both Strasburg and Scherzer have spent time on the DL this season. Unlike past seasons, the Nats made significant trade deadline deals bolstering the bullpen with the addition of Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson from the Oakland A's and Brandon Kintzler from the Minnesota Twins.
With the spotlight on the Dodgers and the defending World Series champion Chicago Cubs, the Nationals have received comparatively little respect. Of course, the Nats have won the NL East three other times in the past five years only to be ousted in the NLDS by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2012, the San Francisco Giants in 2014 and the Dodgers last year. The Nats probably aren't going to get a lot of respect until they prove they can get past the NLDS. Assuming the Dodgers still finish the season with the best record in the NL, the Nats will likely face the Cubs in the NLDS. Given the Cubs won last year's World Series, the Nats will be heavy underdogs despite finishing with a better won-loss record.
Of all the teams that reach the post-season, the Washington Nationals might very well have the most to prove.
Thursday, September 7, 2017
How Does Ta-Nehisi Coates Explain Trump's Increase in The African-American & Latino Vote?
"It is insufficient to state the obvious of Donald Trump: that he is a white man who would not be president were it not for this fact."
Thus begins Ta-Nehisi Coates' overwrought article "The First White President" in the latest issue of The Atlantic.
It isn't to say that Trump didn't deploy racial demagoguery during the 2016 campaign. He most certainly did and much of it was directed towards Latinos whether it was his ugly comments about Mexican illegal immigrants being rapists to open his campaign or repeatedly suggesting Judge Gonzalo Curiel's Mexican heritage rendered him unfit to preside over the Trump University trial. His heinous words were among my 10 reasons why I could not vote for him.
But Trump doesn't sit in the Oval Office simply because he is a white man. He is President because of his mastery of celebrity and his perceived wealth and that he was able to utilize these qualities to convince American voters he could bring them so much winning.
It is certainly true that Trump convinced far more white Americans than African-Americans and Latinos. But curiously Coates ignores the fact that Trump actually garnered fewer white voters than Mitt Romney did in 2012 while modestly increasing Republican vote totals among both constituencies as well as Asian Americans.
How does Coates explain this fact? Would he even try?
Well, let me take a stab. In August 2016, I attended a rally by Libertarian ticket of Gary Johnson and William Weld in Boston Common. Following the rally, Weld, a former Massachusetts Governor, posed for pictures and made a brief statement. When Weld said that immigrants took jobs than Americans wouldn't take, a Latino man repeatedly shouted, "What jobs won't Americans take?" Weld did not answer. It became clear this Latino man was a strong supporter of Donald Trump
Afterwards, this man was approached by a reporter who asked him why he supported Trump. "His honesty. I like his honesty," the man said, "He's putting his fortune on the line." Now, of course, Trump lies with nearly every breath he takes. No doubt this man confused bluntness with honesty. Be that as it may his perception was that Trump is an honest man and surely this Latino man wasn't alone in that perception.
No doubt Coates would dismiss this Latino man as having insufficient racial consciousness. But Coates thinks of America entirely in terms of race. That man didn't and most people don't. Of course, it doesn't mean race isn't part of our collective thinking. It's just that most people think in terms of winning and losing and those thoughts have no color.
Whether Coates wants to admit it or not, there were African-Americans and Latinos who voted for Donald Trump. And whether Coates wants to admit it or not, there were Obama voters of all races who saw fit to vote for Trump. Not a majority mind you, but enough.
If Coates wants to attribute Trump's win to whiteness and being a white man that is certainly his prerogative. But then what of 2020? It seems to me that Coates would rather rail against whiteness than persuade people to vote Trump out of the White House. The former is easier than the latter. Yet if you convince Trump voters he isn't a winner and can't bring them winning then and only then will he lose. But so long as Coates convinces the Left that Trump's triumph is about whiteness instead of winning then Trump is going to go on winning.
Thus begins Ta-Nehisi Coates' overwrought article "The First White President" in the latest issue of The Atlantic.
It isn't to say that Trump didn't deploy racial demagoguery during the 2016 campaign. He most certainly did and much of it was directed towards Latinos whether it was his ugly comments about Mexican illegal immigrants being rapists to open his campaign or repeatedly suggesting Judge Gonzalo Curiel's Mexican heritage rendered him unfit to preside over the Trump University trial. His heinous words were among my 10 reasons why I could not vote for him.
But Trump doesn't sit in the Oval Office simply because he is a white man. He is President because of his mastery of celebrity and his perceived wealth and that he was able to utilize these qualities to convince American voters he could bring them so much winning.
It is certainly true that Trump convinced far more white Americans than African-Americans and Latinos. But curiously Coates ignores the fact that Trump actually garnered fewer white voters than Mitt Romney did in 2012 while modestly increasing Republican vote totals among both constituencies as well as Asian Americans.
How does Coates explain this fact? Would he even try?
Well, let me take a stab. In August 2016, I attended a rally by Libertarian ticket of Gary Johnson and William Weld in Boston Common. Following the rally, Weld, a former Massachusetts Governor, posed for pictures and made a brief statement. When Weld said that immigrants took jobs than Americans wouldn't take, a Latino man repeatedly shouted, "What jobs won't Americans take?" Weld did not answer. It became clear this Latino man was a strong supporter of Donald Trump
Afterwards, this man was approached by a reporter who asked him why he supported Trump. "His honesty. I like his honesty," the man said, "He's putting his fortune on the line." Now, of course, Trump lies with nearly every breath he takes. No doubt this man confused bluntness with honesty. Be that as it may his perception was that Trump is an honest man and surely this Latino man wasn't alone in that perception.
No doubt Coates would dismiss this Latino man as having insufficient racial consciousness. But Coates thinks of America entirely in terms of race. That man didn't and most people don't. Of course, it doesn't mean race isn't part of our collective thinking. It's just that most people think in terms of winning and losing and those thoughts have no color.
Whether Coates wants to admit it or not, there were African-Americans and Latinos who voted for Donald Trump. And whether Coates wants to admit it or not, there were Obama voters of all races who saw fit to vote for Trump. Not a majority mind you, but enough.
If Coates wants to attribute Trump's win to whiteness and being a white man that is certainly his prerogative. But then what of 2020? It seems to me that Coates would rather rail against whiteness than persuade people to vote Trump out of the White House. The former is easier than the latter. Yet if you convince Trump voters he isn't a winner and can't bring them winning then and only then will he lose. But so long as Coates convinces the Left that Trump's triumph is about whiteness instead of winning then Trump is going to go on winning.
Gene Michael, R.I.P.
Former MLB player, coach, manager and general manager Gene Michael died of a heart attack today at the age of 79.
Nicknamed Stick, Michael spent most of his big league tenure with the New York Yankees. He played seven of his ten big league seasons with the Yankees as a light hitting shortstop and with the exception of his managerial stint with the Chicago Cubs in 1986 and 1987, Michael served the Yankees in some capacity for nearly 40 years.
Michael is probably best remembered for his two short-lived managerial stints with the Yankees in 1981 and 1982. The Yankees would win the AL pennant in 1981, but George Steinbrenner sacked him in favor of Bob Lemon before the season ended. Steinbrenner replaced Lemon with Michael early in the 1982 season only to be replaced by Clyde King later that summer.
His greatest legacy with the Yankees was when he served as the team's GM from 1991 through 1995. Early in Michael's tenure, Steinbrenner was serving a suspension for his ties to a gambler. Without Steinbrenner's meddling and micromanagement, Michael was able to draft the likes of Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera - the Core Four. Unfortunately, Steinbrenner would fire Michael the year before the Yankees won their first of four World Series in five years. But for better or worse, Michael was a loyal company man. He bled Yankee pinstripes to very end. R.I.P.
Nicknamed Stick, Michael spent most of his big league tenure with the New York Yankees. He played seven of his ten big league seasons with the Yankees as a light hitting shortstop and with the exception of his managerial stint with the Chicago Cubs in 1986 and 1987, Michael served the Yankees in some capacity for nearly 40 years.
Michael is probably best remembered for his two short-lived managerial stints with the Yankees in 1981 and 1982. The Yankees would win the AL pennant in 1981, but George Steinbrenner sacked him in favor of Bob Lemon before the season ended. Steinbrenner replaced Lemon with Michael early in the 1982 season only to be replaced by Clyde King later that summer.
His greatest legacy with the Yankees was when he served as the team's GM from 1991 through 1995. Early in Michael's tenure, Steinbrenner was serving a suspension for his ties to a gambler. Without Steinbrenner's meddling and micromanagement, Michael was able to draft the likes of Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera - the Core Four. Unfortunately, Steinbrenner would fire Michael the year before the Yankees won their first of four World Series in five years. But for better or worse, Michael was a loyal company man. He bled Yankee pinstripes to very end. R.I.P.
Trump Supporters Don't Seem Bothered By Debt Ceiling Deal with Pelosi & Schumer
When I heard that President Trump had agreed to Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer's demand that he lift the debt ceiling for the last three months of the year and possibly eliminate it altogether, I thought how Tea Partiers would have reacted if President Obama had made such a deal with Pelosi and Harry Reid or, for that matter, John Boehner/Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell. Tea Partiers would have been apoplectic. We would have been greeted to gales of anger about the swamp and bankrupting the country.
But since it was Trump who made the deal it's fine. As far as they are concerned Trump is a great deal maker. It doesn't matter that the substance of the deal isn't different than what we saw during the Obama Administration. It doesn't matter that Pelosi & Schumer drove this deal and did circles around Trump. If Trump does something it's automatically good. If Trump decided to give the DREAMers amnesty the Tea Partiers would be OK with it. If Trump decided to introduce single payer the Tea Partiers would be OK with it.
As someone who addressed several Tea Party rallies it is disheartening to know they didn't mean a word they said. They opposed Obama for the sake of opposing Obama and nothing more. Of course, Trump's core support goes beyond the Tea Party universe. But what it amounts to is a cult of personality which worships at the altar of Trump. It's no different than the Left which knelt before Obama. Both sides worship false idols. The danger in that is when false idols tell you to jump off a cliff there is seldom anyone around to ask where the parachutes are being kept. And those who around to ask questions are likely to be thrown off first.
But since it was Trump who made the deal it's fine. As far as they are concerned Trump is a great deal maker. It doesn't matter that the substance of the deal isn't different than what we saw during the Obama Administration. It doesn't matter that Pelosi & Schumer drove this deal and did circles around Trump. If Trump does something it's automatically good. If Trump decided to give the DREAMers amnesty the Tea Partiers would be OK with it. If Trump decided to introduce single payer the Tea Partiers would be OK with it.
As someone who addressed several Tea Party rallies it is disheartening to know they didn't mean a word they said. They opposed Obama for the sake of opposing Obama and nothing more. Of course, Trump's core support goes beyond the Tea Party universe. But what it amounts to is a cult of personality which worships at the altar of Trump. It's no different than the Left which knelt before Obama. Both sides worship false idols. The danger in that is when false idols tell you to jump off a cliff there is seldom anyone around to ask where the parachutes are being kept. And those who around to ask questions are likely to be thrown off first.
Indians Set Franchise Record With 15th Straight Win
The Cleveland Indians keep rolling. They set a franchise record with their 15th straight win with a an 11-2 drubbing of the Chicago White Sox. During this streak, the Tribe has outscored their opponents 109-28.
Indians ace Corey Kluber won his 15th game of the season bolstering his claim for a second AL Cy Young Award.
The Tribe hasn't lost a game since August 23rd. In a fortnight, the Indians have gone from a 4.5 game lead in the AL Central to an 11 game lead over the Minnesota Twins. Their magic number to win the division is 12.
Before this winning streak, the Indians had the third best record in the AL and were 7.5 games back of the Houston Astros in that category. The Tribe has now come within 2.5 games of the Astros and mind you the Astros have a seven game winning streak of their own. For most of the season, it was a fait d'accompli the Astros would have home field advantage throughout the post-season. The Indians have now put all that into question.
Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Cleveland's winning streak is that 11 of their 15 wins have come on the road. When is the last time a team went 11-0 on a road trip? When the Oakland A's won an AL record 20 consecutive games in 2002 they won 10 in a row on the road. Have the Tribe set a record?
The Indians return home tomorrow night to begin a 10-game home stand against the Baltimore Orioles before hosting divisional rival Detroit Tigers and the Kansas City Royals.
Indians ace Corey Kluber won his 15th game of the season bolstering his claim for a second AL Cy Young Award.
The Tribe hasn't lost a game since August 23rd. In a fortnight, the Indians have gone from a 4.5 game lead in the AL Central to an 11 game lead over the Minnesota Twins. Their magic number to win the division is 12.
Before this winning streak, the Indians had the third best record in the AL and were 7.5 games back of the Houston Astros in that category. The Tribe has now come within 2.5 games of the Astros and mind you the Astros have a seven game winning streak of their own. For most of the season, it was a fait d'accompli the Astros would have home field advantage throughout the post-season. The Indians have now put all that into question.
Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Cleveland's winning streak is that 11 of their 15 wins have come on the road. When is the last time a team went 11-0 on a road trip? When the Oakland A's won an AL record 20 consecutive games in 2002 they won 10 in a row on the road. Have the Tribe set a record?
The Indians return home tomorrow night to begin a 10-game home stand against the Baltimore Orioles before hosting divisional rival Detroit Tigers and the Kansas City Royals.
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