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Leading Off
So, J.C. Romero is not having a good year. First, he gets suspended for performance enhancing drugs. That he bought over the counter. But were banned and he didn't pay attention to the rules. Or something convoluted like that.
Then this: According to police, he went all Ron Artest on a fan. Sam Donnellon says there's no reason to touch the people paying your paycheck. And he's absolutely right.
Regional Roundup
When Mid-Atlantic Teams go wild
- The J is ready to Roll. Or so we hope. Why are the Phillies losing their cool?
- The Orioles have a problem with Sundays. That's interesting. So will the Ravens.
- John Lannan is shutting the door. When he gets a chance. Willie Harris is excelling in the leadoff spot. Boy these articles make it sound like the Nats are contendahs.
- Holy crap, Ian Snell struck out 17 batters. Oh, he was in Nashville at the time. Oh well.
Best of Rest
- The Rockies continue their strong run.
- The rivalry between Albert Pujols and Randy Johnson resumes.
- Remember when Darren Dreifort was a $55 million man? Well, he's got scars now. And Terry Crowe catches up with him.
- Chien-Ming Wang got his first victory of the season. It's June 29, by the way.
- How important is the Mark DeRosa trade?
- Tommy Hanson dominated the Red Sox.
- Tom Verducci rates his top 10 closers of all time.
Today in history
1916 -- The Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds played a nine-inning game with just one baseball.
1937 -- Chicago Cubs first baseman Rip Collins played an entire game without a putout or an assist.
1941 -- In a doubleheader against the Washington Senators, New York's Joe DiMaggio tied and then broke the American League record of hitting safely in 41 consecutive games. DiMaggio doubled in four at-bats in the opener and singled in five at-bats in the nightcap to break the record set by George Sisler of the St. Louis Browns in 1922.
The Closer
Big Mo. He's a joy to watch pitch, but as his ESPN Sunday Conversation showed, unbearable to watch talk. That's too bad. But in a way it's also what's fun about Mariano Rivera. The lithe pitcher doesn't need a presence. There's no fu manchu. There's no gimmicky motion. Just pitching. Aggressive pitching, He doesn't have the stuff most closers own. But he knows what to do with what he has.
If more pitchers learned to do what he did, Major League Baseball would be a much more entertaining game.
The Citi Field reaction to Rivera's 500th was just as muted as he was on TV, I'm sure. At least in the upper deck, fans simply got up and went home. Most of the Yankees chants in the spillways were more concerned with sweeps than records.
But suggesting that Rivera lacks presence? Really? The man has carved out his legacy on one pitch, one that's so good he doesn't need anything else to be wildly successful. That manufactures presence - which isn't necessarily flashy - almost by definition!
I would argue there's a difference between having presence and a presence, which is what I was trying to say. Tim Duncan is a presence. He gets the job done. He wins. But there's nothing flashy to it. He's the anti-Tracey McGrady, who has to stare at people, make hand signals and such. Same goes for Rivera, when you compare him to closers such as Goose and Lee Arthur.
It's also amazing how anytime one critiques the fourth-greatest closer of all time, people go apecrackers.
Ah, language serves as a barrier yet again. We are in agreement by that usage.
And if my response is a representation of 'apecrackers', you need to drive to the Bronx and hold up a big sign about River and him not being the greatest of all time. I would suggest wearing a flak vest, should you try that.