Former Socialist, Former Republican, Former Contributor to The American Spectator, Former Resident of Canada, Back in Boston Area After Stints in New York City & Atlanta, Current Mustache Wearer & Aficionado of Baseball, Bowling in All Its Forms, Cats, Music & Healthy Living
We have come to the end of the 2018 MLB season and yet 162 games weren't enough to settle either the NL Central or NL West divisions.
The Chicago Cubs will host the Milwaukee Brewers tomorrow afternoon at Wrigley Field to determine the NL Central race. Earlier today, the Cubs defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 10-5 while the Brewers squashed the Detroit Tigers 11-0 for their seventh straight win. Will the Cubs win their third straight NL Central title or will the Brew Crew claim the crown for the first time since 2011?
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Dodgers will host the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium to determine the NL West. The Dodgers and Rockies both won squash matches as well defeating the San Francisco Giants and the Washington Nationals 15-0 and 12-0, respectively. Will the Dodgers win their sixth straight NL West title or will the Rockies, who have won 9 of their last 10 games, win the division for the first time? The Rockies' previous four post-season appearances including 2017 have all come via the NL Wild Card.
Speaking of the NL Wild Card, don't feel bad for whoever loses these games tomorrow because they will have the opportunity to vie for the NL Wild Card spot on Tuesday.
Last night before a capacity crowd at Citi Field, New York Mets third baseman David Wright played his final big league game.
Wright went 0 for 1 with a walk and made a play in the field before leaving the game in the top of the fifth to a rapturous standing ovation. Mets fans would lustily boo Miami Marlins first baseman Peter O'Brien for having the nerve to catch Wright's pop up in his final at bat. But Mets fans went home happy when the Mets won the game in the 13th inning on an Austin Jackson double for the only run of the game with Wright addressing the fans after the game.
I spent last night thinking about Wright's chances for enshrinement into Cooperstown. Mets broadcaster Gary Cohen seemed to believe that Wright's injuries which have plagued him since 2014 are likely to preclude him. Wright has had several surgeries on his back, neck and shoulder and also has spinal stenosis to boot.
While I don't think Wright will be a first ballot Hall of Famer when he becomes eligible for consideration in 2024, I do believe he will be one day inducted whether by the BBWAA or by the Veterans Committee. There are three reasons working in his favor.
First, Wright not only spent his entire professional career with the New York Mets but is simply the greatest position player to ever wear a Mets uniform. Wright holds the team's records in every offensive category except for home runs and had Wright been healthy he would have eclipsed Darryl Strawberry's team record. It is true the Mets don't have the storied history of the Yankees, but come 2024 the Mets will be in their seventh decade. This is not an insignificant amount of time and Wright's imprint on the Mets cannot be ignored.
Second, there remains a paucity of third baseman in the Hall of Fame although the induction of Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones over the summer now puts that number at 17. Like Wright, Jones spent his entire career with a single organization. What makes things more interesting is that Wright and Jones careers overlap. They were frequent competitors within the NL East between 2004 and 2012 and during that period Wright supplanted Jones as the premier third baseman in the NL with seven NL All-Star appearances while Jones only had three over the same period. While Wright doesn't have Jones' overall offensive stats, he is certainly the better defensive third baseman. That Wright can be compared favorably with a contemporary like Jones certainly bolsters his case for induction.
Third, character still matters. Even if Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds and, for that matter, Alex Rodriguez get their day in Cooperstown there will always be a cloud of scandal over their legacies. The same cannot be said for Wright who has conducted himself in an exemplary manner both on and off the field. This isn't to say that one must be a saint to earn a plaque in Cooperstown, but Wright leaves both the Mets and Major League Baseball a better place than he found it.
Marty Balin, a founding member of The Jefferson Airplane and the voice who defined the sound of its successor The Jefferson Starship, died on Thursday at the age of 76.
The cause of death is unknown, but Balin's health declined in 2016 following open heart surgery and complications which resulted in him suing Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City for medical malpractice. I found this quite disturbing given my Dad's life saving experience with the same institution nearly four years ago.
Balin would establish The Jefferson Airplane in 1965 out of a club he co-owned in San Francisco called The Matrix along with Paul Kantner, Signe Toly Anderson, Jorma Kaukonen, Jerry Peloquin and Bob Harvey. Anderson would be soon succeeded by Grace Slick. She and Kantner would be the best known members of the Airplane although Balin is probably best remembered for his lead vocal on "Volunteers" during their set at Woodstock. Balin would have a far less pleasant experience at Altamont only months later when he was knocked out by a member of the Hell's Angels gang. Shaken up by the death of Janis Joplin, Balin would leave the Airplane late in 1970 and retreated from music for a time.
Balin would reconnect with his musical comrades in 1974 when Kantner invited him to sing lead vocal on a song called "Caroline" which appeared on Dragon Fly which was the debut album for The Jefferson Starship. He would soon become a full fledged member and would reach his creative peak the following year with the band's second album Red Octopus which featured the group's biggest hit "Miracles" which Balin wrote and sang lead vocal. The Jefferson Starship would later score hits with "With Your Love" and "Count on Me" which appeared on Spitfire and Earth released in 1976 and 1978, respectively before he departed the band.
In 1981, Balin would release his debut solo album Balin which featured the Top 10 hit "Hearts". Later in the decade, he would collaborate with Kantner and Jack Casady in the KBC Band. The last three decades of his career were spent recording 10 more solo albums and occasional reunions with The Jefferson Starship.
One of my everlasting regrets was missing his performance at the Hatch Shell on The Esplanade in Boston in June 2008. He was opening for America and somehow I got there just as his performance ended. The crowd was raving about his performance. Evidently someone saw fit to release this performance on DVD. I must see it one of these days.
The best I can do for now is leave you with Miracles. R.I.P.
I did the best I could to avoid the whole Kavanaugh-Blasey Ford spectacle precisely because I knew it would be a spectacle which would make Clarence Thomas & Anita Hill look like a Sunday school picnic. Then again I can't stay off Twitter. It's a character flaw.
As I stated earlier in the month, only Kavanaugh, Blaney Ford and the third person (Mark Judge) truly know what happened. Although the fact Judge wouldn't testify and Republicans didn't want him to testify doesn't do Kavanaugh any favors and it showed.
But they are not Republican Senators. Honestly, if it were shown that Kavanaugh was a serial rapist and murderer like Ted Bundy, I think they would confirm him to the court. Getting another conservative on the Supreme Court means more than life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness itself for the GOP. Besides there is no guarantee Republicans will control the Senate following mid-terms. If Ted Cruz is in trouble in Texas then no Republican is safe.
It's all very depressing. Why would any honest person want to enter a life of public service? I suppose that's why it gets left to the dishonest people. As my former roommate Christopher told me yesterday, "The truth of the matter left the room without anyone noticing." To which I replied, "The truth of the matter didn't leave the room. It never entered it in the first place."
I suspect this will only delay matters. I doubt the FBI will uncover much, Kavanaugh will be confirmed and Democrats and Republicans alike will hate Jeff Flake.
The Houston Astros were able to clinch back to back AL West titles with both a 4-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays along with the Oakland A's losing 10-8 in 11 innings to the Seattle Mariners. Notwithstanding the loss, the A's secured the second AL Wild Card berth and will play the New York Yankees in the AL Wild Card game one week from today. Where it is to be played will depend on which team has the better record. As of right now the game would be played here in NYC. It is the A's first post-season appearance since 2014.
No one is surprised the Astros won the division. After April 20th, the Astros were never more than a game out of first and had at least a share of the lead after June 13th. But everyone was surprised with the A's. Most pundits expected the Astros to be challenged by the Angels. Then the Mariners showed life in May and early June. On June 15th, the A's were 34-36 and 11.5 games back of the Astros. They have gone 61-27 since and briefly tied the Astros for first place in mid-August.
If given the choice I think the Boston Red Sox would much prefer to play the Yankees than the A's in the ALDS. The A's beat the Sox 4 out of 6 games this season and this was before they got hot in mid-June. Meanwhile, the Astros will play the Cleveland Indians in the other ALDS. Most are going to favor the defending World Series champions. And why not? They've earned back to back 100 win seasons. To put this into perspective, the Red Sox who have won a franchise record 106 games and counting haven't had a 100 win season since 1946. Nevertheless, the Astros won't be taking Cleveland lightly and neither should we even if they are only marginally better than the Tampa Bay Rays.
While the AL playoff picture is clear (save for the site of the Wild Card game), the same cannot be said for the NL. Aside from the Atlanta Braves clinching the NL East last weekend, everything else is up in the air. The Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers have a half game lead in the NL Central and NL West over the Milwaukee Brewers and Colorado Rockies, respectively. If play ended today the Brewers and Rockies would be in the NL Wild Card game. But those standings could easily reverse by this evening. The St. Louis Cardinals are only a half game out of a NL Wild Card berth. This might not be settled until Sunday and even then that might not be enough.
The New York Yankees defeated the Baltimore Orioles 3-2 in 11 innings on a walk off double by Aaron Hicks to clinch the team's 3rd AL Wild Card berth in four seasons.
The Yankees will most likely play the Oakland A's in the AL Wild Card game. If things remain as they are the game would be played in the Bronx. Should the Yankees prevail then they would most likely play the Boston Red Sox in the ALDS.
Despite inconsistent staring pitching and injuries to Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez and Didi Gregorius plus a disappointing first season in pinstripes from Giancarlo Stanton, the Yankees persevered with the emergence of youngsters Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres, the acquisition of Luke Voit from the St. Louis Cardinals plus a deep bullpen during Aaron Boone's inaugural season as manager.
The Yankees have been very good this season, but being 10 games back of the Red Sox in the AL East they have much to prove in October.
The Atlanta Braves defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 5-3 to clinch their first NL East title since 2013. Overall, it is their 14th NL East title.
Most pundits presumed the Washington Nationals would run away with the division, but instead the NL East turned into a two team race between the Braves and Phillies. The Braves climbed into first place at the beginning of May, but would relinquish top spot to the Phillies shortly before the All-Star Break. The Braves would reclaim the lead for good on August 13th. Brian Snitker will get more than a few votes for NL Manager of the Year.
The Braves largely won on the back of 20-year old outfielder Ronald Acuna, Jr. and 21-year old second baseman Ozzie Albies. Johan Camargo opened eyes with his play at third base. Nick Markakis had a resurgent season while Freddie Freeman was his usual Steady Freddie.
Their pitching won't intimidate anyone, but there is a serviceable rotation with Mike Foltynewicz, Sean Newcomb, Anibal Sanchez, Julio Teheran as well as Kevin Gausman who has been outstanding since being acquired from the Baltimore Orioles. A.J. Minter took over the closer role mid-season after Arodys Vizcaino went on the DL with a shoulder injury. Having two quality closers during the post-season could be of help to the Braves in the post-season.
The Braves will most likely face the winner of the NL West in the NLDS. As of right now that would be the Los Angeles Dodgers who have 1.5 game lead over the Colorado Rockies. No doubt the defending NL champions would be heavily favored in that contest, but it would be a mistake for pundits to write off the Braves in the post-season as they did during the regular season.
