A Grip on Sports: Baseball is throwing around a lot of ideas to get the season up and running when the pandemic eases
A GRIP ON SPORTS • Baseball players want to start playing. Baseball management wants playing to start. Baseball fans just want something to start. That’s why any plan floated by Major League Baseball to begin the season is dissected ad infinitum. Including here.
•••••••
• The latest trial balloon in the news? Split the 30 teams into three divisions, play a truncated schedule and expand the playoffs. No American or National League. Cut down travel, split teams regionally and play as many games as possible in jam-packed season.
Fine with me. With a caveat.
It’s a year of a pandemic, for goodness sakes. Whatever professional sports leagues need to do to keep us entertained, let them do it. Within safety limits.
We need sports back.
(As an aside, if you’ve ever read your Karl Marx, you know he once called religion the “opium of the people.” If Karl was holed up in a Paris ghetto these days rewriting “Das Kapital,” I’m sure he would change that line – and have been sure about it for at least three decades. He would put that label on sports. And probably be right.)
So how would the 30 teams be split in thirds? We decided to give it the old college try, what with all the local colleges shut down. Geographic boundaries were respected, as were old-time rivalries. Then, as is our usual M.O., we just guessed.
The West (five American League teams, five National League): Seattle, San Francisco, Oakland, LA Dodgers, LA Angels, San Diego, Arizona, Colorado, Texas, Houston.
The Midwest (five American League teams, five National League): Kansas City, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee, Minnesota, Toronto.
The East (five American League teams, five National League): Boston, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Atlanta, Tampa, Miami.
That seems simple enough.
But wait. Say Pittsburgh wanted to be in the Midwest and Toronto in the East. There would be a huge … oh forget it. Let it happen. Sure it would put six AL teams in the East and six NL in the Midwest, but it’s not worth fighting over. Though everyone knows Toronto is a Midwestern city. (There’s a certain podcast you would have to listen to religiously to understand that Michael Wilbon reference.)
• We link a Washington Post story here and in the Idaho section below concerning Mr. Irrelevant, the odd NFL Draft award started as a tweak to the league 44 years ago and now something embraced by everyone – including Roger Goodell.
For a short stretch in college, I worked nights at an elite Newport Beach athletic club, a job made possible by my acquaintance with a former USC player, Rod Sherman. While working there, I met the man behind Mr. Irrelevant, Paul Salata.
As you might guess, he was funny. Quick-witted. Sarcastic. And, most important to someone in college, a good tipper.
His invention may have carried an ironic name, but he wasn’t. Which is why, every year, when the last draft pick’s name is called, I think of Mr. Salata. And mentally thank him for the cash to buy a Double-Double on the way home from work.
Thankfully, he’s still with us at age 93. Knowing that makes me smile. And knowing Georgia linebacker Tae Crowder is now known as Mr. Irrelevant, that makes me smile as well.
•••
Gonzaga: Jim Meehan sat down with his iPhone and talked GU hoops with Larry Weir yesterday for the latest Press Box pod. Thank goodness it was not a Zoom call. I’m not sure we could deal with a Jim Meehan who hasn’t had his hair cut for a couple months.
WSU: DJ Rodman had a personal stake in the third part of ESPN’s mini-series, “The Last Dance.” After all, his dad Dennis was the star of the show. Theo Lawson talked with the younger Rodman, a Washington State freshman, about the documentary and how his father has impacted his life. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12, do you have suggestions on how to improve the conference? Jon Wilner wants to hear them. … Oregon has the best group of returning running backs. … Justin Herbert isn’t coming back, but he will have a bobblehead available. … The Ducks have agreed to three games with Utah State. … An Oregon State assistant has more responsibility. … In basketball, UCLA’s best incoming freshman is headed to the G League. So how does that leave the conference after pro defections? Everyone has been hit thus far, including Arizona State. … Speaking of that, though the deadline was Sunday, some names are just leaking out, including another player from Utah. … Another UCLA player put his name in the hat. … USC is losing a player to transfer. … Arizona has reeled in a few this month.
Idaho: Here it is. The promised link. The reason? David Vobora, former Vandal linebacker, is mentioned in this piece about the most relevant Mr. Irrelevants.
Preps: This story may come from Arizona, but such events are going to become more common over the years. The pandemic lockdown may give it a boost though.
Seahawks: The Hawks claimed a cornerback off waivers. He’s tall and long. … Pete Carroll just needs a heads up before the season begins, so players can get in shape. … It didn’t take D.J. Fluker long to find a new job.
Mariners: Tom Murphy sees his baseball biological clock ticking down. The M’s catcher tells Ryan Divish he wants to get back on the field. We all want him to be able to, don’t we? … Larry Stone writes about Roger Clemens’ 20-strikeout night against the M’s oh so many years ago. Larry also witnessed Cy Young’s 511th win, so there’s that.
•••
• So the Weather Service is promising a mid-70s high temperature today. Shorts are in order. If you don’t want to be blinded by the whiteness of my legs, avoid the South Hill this afternoon. Or wear the same type of dark glasses you don to look at an eclipse. You’ve been warned. Until later …