Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Republicans don’t want a speaker to lead them; they want a hostage.

Hey hey, RFK, how many kids did you kill today?

Every one of the “Roberts Six” lied to get on the court.

Donald Trump found guilty as fuck – May 30, 2024!

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

After dobbs, women are no longer free.

Every reporter and pundit should have to declare if they ever vacationed with a billionaire.

If you voted for Trump, you don’t get to speak about ethics, morals, or rule of law.

Speaker Mike Johnson is a vile traitor to the House and the Constitution.

There is no right way to do the wrong thing.

The press swings at every pitch, we don’t have to.

The low info voters probably won’t even notice or remember by their next lap around the goldfish bowl.

You are either for trump or for democracy. Pick one.

Narcissists are always shocked to discover other people have agency.

“The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.”

… gradually, and then suddenly.

Celebrate the fucking wins.

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

So many bastards, so little time.

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

Someone should tell Republicans that violence is the last refuge of the incompetent, or possibly the first.

Many life forms that would benefit from greater intelligence, sadly, do not have it.

That’s my take and I am available for criticism at this time.

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Sportsball Open Thread: Play (Base) Ball!

Sportsball Open Thread: Play (Base) Ball!

by | 172 Comments

This post is in: ,

From what I see on the local (Boston) news, it’s making a lot of people happy, which is particularly nice right now. Plus it’s a low-contact sport, and the people involved seem to be doing their best to mitigate exposure…

From the Washington Post, “On Opening Day, baseball’s return is nothing short of a miracle”:

… In a century and a half of baseball history, there had never been a game that looked, sounded or felt like the one played Thursday night alongside South Capitol Street. It was baseball in the age of coronavirus: devoid of fans, governed by a detailed list of safety protocols — no spitting! — and played to a soundtrack of canned crowd noise piped in over the loudspeakers.

This was the night the longest offseason in baseball history — 266 days after Game 7 of the 2019 World Series — gave way to the latest Opening Day in baseball history, which itself launched the shortest regular season in modern baseball history: a 60-game sprint, not even half a typical 162-game season…

For the few who were there Thursday night, baseball had never sounded so pure and uncluttered. Scherzer’s trademark grunts were audible above the canned noise. Every “I got it!” from every infielder rang out. Every thwack of bat meeting ball sounded like a thunderclap. Foul balls crashed into plastic seats and rattled around — then sat there until someone thought to retrieve them.

This entire season is a miracle of human ingenuity — requiring an economic restructuring, a 113-page operations manual detailing the health and safety protocols, the buy-in of 900 players whose health is at risk each day and the willful suspension of disbelief. Reminders of the fragility of the endeavor were everywhere…

Reader Interactions

172Comments

  2. 2.

    Benw

    @Baud: there are only 3 baseball things up with which I shall not put!

    1. ads on the bases
    2. aluminium bats
    3. shorts

    Everything else is fair game!

    (Having basketball back is awfully nice too)

  8. 8.

    Benw

    @NotMax: I think there’s levels.

    Marginal: baseball *might* make it through the season. Tennis could work with the right safety protocols.

    Bad: I expect basketball to have to shut it down messily when workers in Orlando infect people in the bubble.

    Horrible: college football should be shut down NOW. They’re already infecting kids and have no idea how to do it safely

  9. 9.

    Scott P.

    Unfortunately, they’re not actually playing baseball this season, but DH ball, so there’s nothing worth watching.

  10. 10.

    randy khan

    @NotMax:

    As a baseball fan, I’m delighted that baseball is back and very concerned about it at the same time.

    But I’m also hopeful that baseball players (and players in other pro sports, for that matter) can model the behavior that people should follow.  That Anthony Rizzo clip was funny, certainly, but also has an implicit message that’s helpful.

  11. 11.

    A Ghost to Most

    Good for all the baseball fans.

    August 2 is the date I care about (NHL resumes in Canadian bubble).

  14. 14.

    cmorenc

    If Taylor Swift was scheduled to sing the National Anthem in one of the season openers, would she throw up the first pitch?

    OK, so perhaps this is why there’s no humor genre known as “Taylor Swifties”.

  15. 15.

    Wyatt Salamanca

    @Baud:

    A runner on second in extra innings?

    Agreed this is a bullshit idea.

    Also, no goddamn fake crowd sounds or cardboard cuts. These are just plain stupid and serve no useful purpose.

  17. 17.

    Matt McIrvin

    We went out with our masks and played mini golf today–the place near our home is open. We were close to the only people there (which actually surprised me a bit–I expected more), so we weren’t taking much of a risk, and it’d occurred to us that this is probably one of the safer outdoor sport-like activities to begin with, if you’re doing it with the people who are already in your social bubble.

  19. 19.

    Brachiator

    @NotMax:

    Will add that the illusion of normalcy is something we do not need right now.

    To the contrary, it may be exactly what we need.

    And I am not even a sports fan. But I note how happy some people feel about baseball being back.

    And I note the risks and even knowing that we may have to shut things down again.

  22. 22.

    zhena gogolia

    @Brachiator:

    A friend of mine said their department did an informal poll of their students and it sounded as if 90% were planning to come back to campus.

  23. 23.

    Brachiator

    @Matt McIrvin:

    and it’d occurred to us that this is probably one of the safer outdoor sport-like activities to begin with, if you’re doing it with the people who are already in your social bubble

    Double, double,

    Toil and trouble.

    Hey babe,

    Want to join my bubble?

    — deleted lines from Macbeth

  24. 24.

    trollhattan

    A plug for the first US pro sportsball league to return to play, the NWSL. They’ve been playing since late June, following reporting to “the bubble” a week beforehand, and the Challenge Cup final is tomorrow (CBS 12:30 ET). One test among thousands conducted came back positive and a retest was negative, so essentially a clean sheet for eight teams and their staffs, the league, US Soccer, support staff, etc.

    A result for everybody else to strive for.

  25. 25.

    Brachiator

    @zhena gogolia:

    A friend of mine said their department did an informal poll of their students and it sounded as if 90% were planning to come back to campus.

    Wow. People will need to monitor this carefully.

  27. 27.

    PAM Dirac

    @NotMax: 

    Will add that the illusion of normalcy is something we do not need right now

    I think you can make just as good an argument that it will show how dramatically you have to change things to get something even approximating normal. Having no fans is not normal at all. All of the protocols and extra rules aren’t normal. Having a COVID IL is not normal. We shall see.

  30. 30.

    Benw

    @NotMax: hehehe

    some clever team should fill the seats with fans: ceiling, box, AC units, old timey ladies hand fans, whatever

  31. 31.

    Phylllis

    I’m so torn on this. Glad to have baseball back, but I don’t think they should be playing at all.

  32. 32.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    as a very casual fan I’ve watched a few games, as much for that taste of normal as anything, and I’ve been kind of shocked at how casual they are about masks in the dug-outs. Some old timer needs to remind the young dudes that they’re (sort of) role models

    @Sister Golden Bear: I will never be asked to throw out a first ball, and if I were I’d use my creaking shoulders as an excuse to politely decline. And I’m almost thirty years younger than Fauci

  34. 34.

    Old Dan and Little Ann

    @Scott P.: Did you see that pitchers were 1 for 61 in last year’s playoffs.. Now THAT’S excitement.  The DH in the NL is about 45 years late.

  35. 35.

    WaterGirl

    I think having any sports this year is beyond stupid.  They should just let it go, with grace.  Same with school.  Call 2020 the lost year and be done with it.

  38. 38.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    Reposting from below:
    Update on the federal goons, the WH put out a video montage of people rioting in Portland:

    Abigail Marone

    Seeing a lot of journos more outraged

    @kayleighmcenany
    showed videos of violent riots than they are that riots are happening. The violence & Dems refusal to address it deserves coverage.

    A BLM account responded with a video showing peaceful solidarity:

    BlackLivesMatter
    @pink80sgirl

    Jul 24

    The only violence is from Trump’s America KKKayleigh, this is what happened. I know because I was there.

    The peanut gallery responded with this:

    CBinFlyoverCountry
    @cgburkett

    Replying to
    @pink80sgirl
    @abigailmarone
    and 2 others

    Pretty as that Kumbaya scene may, one moment of pause doesn’t mitigate the tantrum tactics the weeks preceding & what’s happened since. Don’t flatter yourself. Average Americans don’t want what you’re selling & like it or not we still run the joint.

    10:00 AM · Jul 25, 2020·

    Saw plenty of similar tweets like it. I particularly loved the one about how “you can’t argue with libs. They say Trump has blood on his hands, yet they support abortion.”

    They just don’t fucking get it. All Trump’s goons have done have is make the situation worse when things were settling down

  39. 39.

    Stacib

    @Old Dan and Little Ann: diehard Cubs fan here. One of the reasons I’ve always hated the AL was the DH. I like pushing a manager into actually managing. It also helps that over the years the Cubs have had a few decent-hitting pitchers.  :-)

  40. 40.

    ThresherK

    @trollhattan:  I’ve been following the NWSL, as I always do.

    (Actually, there’s an Arbitron book with my name on it which had multiple entries for the old WUSA, but to no avail.)

  41. 41.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @WaterGirl:

    I honestly agree. My old suburban school district is going ahead with 5 day/week in-person classes with an option for online learning. Masks are required, but I the buildings weren’t designed for social distancing and I can’t see students strictly following the guidelines. It will be a total shitshow

    2020 is truly the year from hell

  42. 42.

    Wanderer

    If only return to school procedures were so clear. It would be great to have children and teachers so protected. For the record I like baseball. I am just disheartened that public institutions will have no where near the clear rules and economic resources devoted to their protection.

  43. 43.

    Annie

    I love baseball. Sometimes I geek out on SABR Level stats, and sometimes I just listen to the broadcasters call the game. It’s almost a form of meditation for me.

    And I don’t really think they should be playing.

    It like everything else in my life, and in many lives right now. I’m one of the lucky ones — still have my job, working from home, not sick, no relatives or friends sick. And at the same time I miss my former life. One of the stresses right now is the perpetual conflicted feelings.

    And I do not need any reminders that things are not normal, thank you very much.

  45. 45.

    PAM Dirac

    @Stacib:

     

    I like pushing a manager into actually managing.

    I never understood that argument. There are lots of decisions that arise only because pitchers hit, but there are lots of “no brainer” moves that occur because pitchers hit and there are lots of different decisions that arise if pitchers don’t hit. Besides any strategy that is based on guaranteed incompetence isn’t very interesting to me. To each their own.

  46. 46.

    Jeffro

    @WaterGirl: Yes…the tension between town and college, and within the college community, is super-high.

    Whenever you’re ready, trumpublicans, we could get back to ‘normal’ around Halloween if we really wanted to.  ‘Til then, keep enjoying those “marshmallows“.

  47. 47.

    Jeffro

    Also, this is pretty funny: GOP Senators are kinda hacked that (they’re way behind because of trumpov and his non-response to Covid-19) they have to stoop to debating the crap out of Dem challengers if they want to have a prayer of winning.

    Collins wants 16 debates!

    With their ammunition limited, Republicans keep fighting over debates, nowhere as fiercely as in Maine.  Within hours of winning her nomination, Gideon made the first offer: five debates. Collins demanded 16 and accused her Democratic rival of hiding from voters. “I look forward to an open and accessible discussion with you about the future of our state and nation,” Collins wrote to Gideon.  Gideon told reporters that Collins was the one in hiding.

    “We have traveled around Maine for the past 13 months. We have heard over and over again from people who have said they have not seen Senator Collins in a forum where they are able to ask her questions,” Gideon said.

    Gee we’re sorry, under-water GOP Senators!  Whatever can we do to help y’all out?  Here, HAVE AN ANVIL.

  48. 48.

    J R in WV

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: 

    I will never be asked to throw out a first ball, and if I were I’d use my creaking shoulders as an excuse to politely decline.

    I would throw out the first pitch for a baseball game. I would have the catcher stand some 23-35 feet from my seat in the stands right behind home plate.

    Or, if required to throw from the pitcher’s mound, catcher would have to stand 20-30 feet in front of the mound. Not going to embarrass muself at all!

  49. 49.

    Old Dan and Little Ann

    @Stacib: I get it.  I do. I’ve been watching as much baseball on tv since Thursday night’s opener.  I’ve been waiting all day to watch the Yankees play the Nationals again in about 10 minutes.  FWIW, the cardboard people crack me up and I love the crack of the bat with no fans in the seats.  Broadcasts spent too much time showing people in the crowd anyway.  Who gives a shit.  : ) I saw the Wrigley roof sitters are about 50\50 masked yesterday.

  50. 50.

    opiejeanne

    @JPL:  Terrible.

    Mike Trout’s wife is expecting a baby on I think, August 2. Next Sunday.
    I figure he’ll go home to be with her and the baby and won’t return to baseball until there’s a vaccine.

    At first I thought this weekend would be all of the baseball for this season, but now I think it might last another 10 days. Maybe.

  51. 51.

    Martin

    Speaks to our national priorities. Not opposed to baseball gearing up, but baseball players shouldn’t get PPEs and tests until after all of our teachers do, who should be after all of our healthcare workers and testing lab workers, and critical food industry workers.

  52. 52.

    Gvg

    @zhena gogolia: I handle financial aid satisfactory academic progress petitions. A lot of students found quarantine with stressed family members of multiple ages terrible for studying and internet. College apartments have internet. If it could be afforded and the students followed rules of isolation, many would do better to study on the internet in town than they did at home. Not all of them, but some. If only a few kinds of classes were held in person, like labs, nursing courses..and the others were internet with tutoring and a few other things possible in person but maybe glass dividers and sometimes outdoors, access to mental health counseling, access to computer help when things go wrong, severely limited face to face but not none, things could be better. Access to the library books but not studying in the stacks.

    unfortunately I don’t think that’s the plan, although at least they are saying the plans can change week to week.

  55. 55.

    gene108

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): 

    Responses like the last one are common place on Twitter. There’s no collective consciousness in this country anymore. There seems to be no unify set of standards or beliefs, which everyone feels like is a line that should not be crossed.

    It’s each person in their own silo only looking after other like minded people.

    I know this really started in earnest, when Bush & Co. started with their “with us or against us” crap regarding their Iraq War, and just accelerated with the white freak out over Obama’s election, but it’s still disturbing to me that we are so divided on basic things.

  56. 56.

    Bruuuuce

    I love baseball. There are two things that are working to destroy the game’s enjoyability:

    1. This stupid rule in extra innings
    2.  In-season interleague play. This is mitigated somewhat by both the irregularity of the scheduling this year and the universal DH (which I dislike but understand).

    Both have been put in under the current Commissioner, may he rot in the Ninth Hell of Baseball’s Hall of Shame.

    Fox’s faux crowds bothered me. Cardboard cutouts, however, don’t. Especially after today’s Mets game, where a home run hit a cardboard cutout of Jeff McNeil’s dog (missing the two of Michael Conforto’s two dogs next to it). Those had just been installed today, because Conforto wanted his dogs — whose cutouts had been down the third base line yesterday — out in right field with him. (McNeil is still working to get his dog closer to him.)

  57. 57.

    opiejeanne

    @JPL: The Oakland Coliseum has crowd noise for the A’s games. Last night on ESPN it sounded ok, but today on MLB it sounded canned. It’s funny, they played recordings of the drummers who used to come to every game. The cardboard cutouts of fans were fun and one wag said that was about how many people are in the stands in Oakland during a normal season. There was a cutout of a hotdog vendor, a teenager, who we learned was Tom Hanks when he worked in the park (briefly). Among the sounds of the crowd you could hear Hanks’s voice hawking his  hot dogs.

    There was a seating section with  very large teddy bears, socially distanced, and another section with large stuffed toy elephants (the team mascot).

  58. 58.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Jeffro: 
    I’m glad Gideon won, hadn’t heard about that!

    I really really hate Susan Collins. She’s such a phony. She pledged back in 1996 that she would only serve two terms. Well, that was a lie. Here’s hoping Gideon can help Collins spend more time with her future sinecure

  59. 59.

    FlyingToaster

    @WaterGirl:  Yep.

    Up heah in Bwahstin, our economy tanked when we sent the 150K college students home back in March (and closed all the retail and restaurants and schools and everything but Target, StopNShop, and HomeDespot).

    Our asshole governor has insisted on including “museums, malls, and cultural gatherings” in “Phase 3”, which has sent our R0 from 0.86 to 1.06.  Plus more than half of the folks he hired to do statewide contact tracing quit.  Most towns (my Watertown included) have left the state program and are doing their own damn contact tracing.

    Now about a quarter of the uni students are coming back, AND they want to reopen PK-12 schools.  At the same time.

    [Casey Affleck Dunk’s Accent] WHAT THE FUCK‽  WHAT THE EVERLOVING FUCK‽ ‽ ‽ ‽ ‽ ‽ [end]

  60. 60.

    Brachiator

    @Gvg:

    A lot of students found quarantine with stressed family members of multiple ages terrible for studying and internet.

    Probably fucked with their video game play, as well.

    If only a few kinds of classes were held in person, like labs, nursing courses..and the others were internet with tutoring and a few other things possible in person but maybe glass dividers and sometimes outdoors, access to mental health counseling, access to computer help when things go wrong, severely limited face to face but not none, things could be better.

    More seriously, lots of good stuff here, including increased availability of counseling.

  62. 62.

    Hoodie

    Baseball being back is probably a good thing on balance. The sport has little contact under most circumstances and the league has the resources to isolate them pretty well. A lot of them are millionaires, so they could sit it out if they felt unsafe. Playing football  and basketball in this context makes no sense to me. Hockey might be ok if they cut down on the contact. Soccer might be  ok too. It could help to have a few outlets like this to help compensate for other things we really need to do without, like bars and inside dining.  No fans in the stadium makes it clear it’s not normal.

  63. 63.

    Bruuuuce

    @WaterGirl: Or to have college-age kids whose school is going to insist on them being resident if they were resident before. My daughter (assuming she goes back in the fall) attends a small school in Allentown, PA, and having seen the campus, I wonder how they plan to handle resident students. Even with half of their class being commuters and making distance learning available, it’s just too little space for too many people.

    The recent incident with a cop kneeling on a (Latinx man’s) neck outside a hospital in Allentown and the county DA choosing not to press charges isn’t going to help.

  66. 66.

    WaterGirl

    @Bruuuuce:

    Or to have college-age kids whose school is going to insist on them being resident if they were resident before.

    That’s just wrong.  Maybe this would be a good year for her to take the year off from school.

    Some days it all seems so hard, and hopeless.  Is 6:30 too early to go to bed on a Saturday night.  Because today I’m not sure I have the heart for anything else.

  68. 68.

    YY_Sima Qian

    As an Atlanta Braves fan, it was disheartening to learn that the top two catchers were ruled out of Opening Day because of COVID-like symptoms, though both have tested negative so far (so could just be flu?). Super star first baseman Freddy Freeman had tested positive with moderate symptoms, and has apparently recovered and just been cleared to return. Hopefully he is not one of those cases suffering from the “long disease”. Top free agent signing, relieve pitcher Will Smith is still suffering from COVID-19. Attempted free agent signing of outfielder Yasiel Puig was put on hold when he tested positive.

    I get the potential emotional salve of playing a familiar game in a time of crisis and emotional distress. However, baseball will fail at that purpose if the season is ultimately derailed. Since MLB is playing in a much more porous “bubble”, traveling across 30+ cities, many of which are major hot spots, the risk is not low. Canada has refused teams from traveling to Toronto, as part of its standing policy of closed border to the US. So Toronto Blue Jays’ home games are being played at… Buffalo?

    With the super attenuated “Spring” Training, Pre-Season and Regular Season, what kind of product will MLB be able to put out there? The World Series winner will literally be the last team standing, likely the one least impacted by COVID-19. All the season stats will have numerous asterix. More appropriate to think of it as an exhibition season. Will we have players catch COVID-19, and have careers cut short due to its lingering effects?

    I have higher hopes for the NHL, playing in two bubbles in Canada.

    PS: I may be in a sour mood because the Braves lost to the hated Mets 1-0 on Opening Day.

  69. 69.

    WaterGirl

    @Hoodie: Athletes are role models for a lot of kids, and the casual standing by one another that I saw even in the short clip linked to above – that says “you don’t have to take this seriously”.

    Everything is fucked up.  Our priorities are all wrong, and people are going to continue to die because of it.

  71. 71.

    Mo MacArbie

    Love baseball but it just feels weird and wrong now. Then there’s a 60-game season with 16 teams going to the playoffs. I guess I’ll root for my team as long as they play, but who will brag about winning that? May as well give it to the Astros.

  72. 72.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @gene108:

    Responses like the last one are common place on Twitter. There’s no collective consciousness in this country anymore. There seems to be no unify set of standards or beliefs, which everyone feels like is a line that should not be crossed.

    Responses like the last one are common place on Twitter. There’s no collective consciousness in this country anymore. There seems to be no unify set of standards or beliefs, which everyone feels like is a line that should not be crossed.

    It’s each person in their own silo only looking after other like minded people.

    I know this really started in earnest, when Bush & Co. started with their “with us or against us” crap regarding their Iraq War, and just accelerated with the white freak out over Obama’s election, but it’s still disturbing to me that we are so divided on basic things.

    Social media is often like an echo chamber. It’s hard to judge the entire country based on that alone. Remember, most people aren’t on Twitter.

    However, that’s true for those that are Very Online. I agree that the responses above are very disturbing. What’s scary about the last one is the willingness to ignore Trump’s transgressions while engaging in BS whataboutism. I’ve even seen variations of “the left will be the violent ones after the election if they lose”, completely ignoring the surrounding context of GOP voter suppression and Trump’s own authoritarian impulses.

    Even the comment by @cgburkett is disturbing. It shows a total willful ignorance of the circumstances surrounding these protests; doesn’t acknowledge that the federal goons are a violation of federalism or an abuse of power that have only inflamed the situation, or attacked peaceful protesters. Only the white violent anarchists are pointed at. As if these protests are a monolith or the white anarchists are representative in anyway

  75. 75.

    Martin

    Good news everybody!

    Florida is discussing opening bars in state. Lets pour grain alcohol on this fire.

  76. 76.

    Martin

    @Sab: They should be photos of people who have died of Covid. Fill the stadiums with them as a reminder of what the fuck we should be focused on.

  77. 77.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Martin:

    I honestly don’t understand DeSantis and Kemp. Their Lord and Savior Trump has said masks are ok to wear, so why continue with this type of idiocy

  78. 78.

    randy khan

    @Wyatt Salamanca:

    Also, no goddamn fake crowd sounds or cardboard cuts. These are just plain stupid and serve no useful purpose.

    I’m still pondering the cardboard cutouts, but I have to say that on the radio (at least the games I’ve heard), the crowd sounds are surprisingly natural. I thought they would be stupid, too, but they do make it feel a bit more normal. There was still some cognitive dissonance because the announcers talked about the empty stadium – it was the first game of the year, and I assume they’ll stop doing it relatively soon – but you’d hear the noise anyway.

    By the way, it turns out that the Nationals are using sounds recorded at regular games because the regular stadium announcer was recording them for his own use during previous seasons. No, I really don’t know why.

  79. 79.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Martin:

    They should be photos of people who have died of Covid. Fill the stadiums with them as a reminder of what the fuck we should be focused on.

    But you still support abortion! QED libtard /s

  80. 80.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    Went to the grocery store today, we were all wearing masks and queuing like nice people when this one woman walked past the queue got herself a cart then put her mask on. I pointed out to her that she was jumping the queue and she argued with me. Surprise, surprise she was American.

  81. 81.

    stacib

    @Old Dan and Little Ann: the Wrigley roof sitters – that’s funny.  The Ricketts are going to find a way to get their loot as the “Cubs” own most all of those rooftops, and last year, the going rate for not so great games was about $175.  I hear what everybody is saying, but I’m super happy baseball is here.  As I’ve read many, many times here – we can hold two thoughts in our heads at one time.  Nothing is “normal”, and people are still getting sick and dying at alarming rates, but for that reason alone, I can really use some respite and mindless tv watching from the endless bad news.  I hope with all my heart that they can all remain healthy and virus free.

  83. 83.

    YY_Sima Qian

    @lgerard: Luck had nothing to do with it! The superior team won! :-P

    Even if the Braves win it all this year, it will be an exhibition season in my mind…

  87. 87.

    John Revolta

    I used to live about 4 blocks from Wrigley in the ’70s in a loft with some guys in a band. Every year we would go on opening day, even if the temperature was in the 40s, which was not unusual. The Cubs would lose as often as not, but when they did we had the consolation of being able to tell our friends
    “Didja hear? They can’t sell beer at Wrigley anymore!”

    “Really? Shit! How come?”

    “They lost the opener!”

  89. 89.

    Ken

    @Martin: Florida is discussing opening bars in state.

    IIRC, Florida has no state income tax and most revenues are from property and (wait for it) sales taxes.

  91. 91.

    HinTN

    @Benw: Clearly you never went to Atlanta Fulton County Stadium during the early days (Hank Aaron) ace the regular season.

  92. 92.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Jeffro:

    Gee we’re sorry, under-water GOP Senators!  Whatever can we do to help y’all out?  Here, HAVE AN ANVIL. 

    LOL

  94. 94.

    Jay

    Fencing is the only covid sport.

    You have to wear a mask,

    and anybody that comes within 6 feet of you, you stab.

  96. 96.

    zzyzx

    The Mariners have been outscored 15-4 in their first two games, so it feels lie a normal July.

    And I agree that we need to have some outlet. I’m barely hanging on right now since I haven’t done anything fun or seen anyone other than my wife (who is an essential worker so even then I’m home alone a TON) since early March. The M’s aren’t going to help much, but I have hopes for the Seahawks.

  98. 98.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    I disapprove of violence, and doxxing, but I won’t be sorry if we read in coming days that somebody broke the jaws of these two people, and I hope Marshall MN is small enough that they are seen and ostracized and all the other things that happen to people who choose to show their ass like this.

    Marshall, Minnesota: “We literally had a war about this. And the Nazi’s lost.” Here’s a couple wearing swastika masks in Walmart talking about their political views.

    they say they’re trying to prove a point about Biden. And socialism.

  99. 99.

    Jay

    Folks, it is beginning to look like the entire Pacific Northwest is suffering from an acute Lack of Fucks these days.— Robert Evans (The Only Robert Evans) (@IwriteOK) July 25, 2020

    I have shifted up to Seattle today to follow a large demonstration that's in solidarity with Portland.I'd estimate a crowd of 2,000 already. They just torched construction buildings at the site of a new youth detention center.Meanwhile, feds are here https://t.co/rPuSTAuKkt pic.twitter.com/jWvFqipRo4— Mike Baker (@ByMikeBaker) July 25, 2020

  102. 102.

    mrmoshpotato

    @randy khan:

    By the way, it turns out that the Nationals are using sounds recorded at regular games because the regular stadium announcer was recording them for his own use during previous seasons. No, I really don’t know why. 

    Like you’ve never wanted thousands of people to cheer you on washing dishes or brushing your teeth.

  105. 105.

    JMG

    I have no objection to the sports trying to play, but realistically I’ll be surprised if any of them manage to finish their post-shutdown “seasons.” I mean, what does baseball (or basketball, or hockey) do if one team has a big outbreak? Do they just forfeit all their games for two weeks while they’re all in quarantine? The players will just go the hell home. As a fan, I don’t care for the artificial crowd noise, but the cardboard cutouts are OK.

    PS Here in Boston, the Red Sox have converted the outdoor top level of their parking lot across the street from the Green Monster left field wall and the sidewalk next to the wall itself into outdoor cafes/saloons. Reservations are required to sit at picnic tables and pay ballpark prices for food and drink to look at the OUTSIDE of Fenway Park! And people are doing it!!!

  106. 106.

    FelonyGovt

    Big baseball fan here (although my Mets blew the save and lost to the hated Braves today). But it’s weird watching home run balls drop into empty stands and seeing cardboard cutouts instead of fans. And the universal DH and most especially, the runner on second nonsense for extra innings suck.

  107. 107.

    Haydnseek

    Late to the thread, but in Los Angeles the cutouts are a fundraising thing.  You pay a few hundred bucks and you get a cutout of yourself. The more you pay, the better your spot on camera.  I mean, it’s LA.  I say that in the nicest possible way, because I was born about six miles from LA city hall, and in some circles that ain’t chopped carne asada.

  108. 108.

    NotMax

    @Brachiator

    To the contrary, it may be exactly what we need.

    Couldn’t disagree more. It is bound to breed swathes of complacency.

    Also too, judging by the number of people incapable of seeing through the illusion of you-know-who as a functional human being….

  112. 112.

    Kay

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    They think they’re going to lose, though. She’s already protesting Biden.

    The Washington Post
    @washingtonpost
    ·8h
    House GOP’s pleas to Republican National Committee for financial help go unanswered

    They called Jared to try to get some money. Not kidding.

    It’s good because they leaked it, which means they’re fighting and getting ready to blame Trump :)

  114. 114.

    Amir Khalid

    I don’t know if this has been mentioned, but legendary guitarist and Fleetwood Mac cofounder Peter Green has died at 73.

  115. 115.

    Haydnseek

    @FelonyGovt: Yeah, no argument here.  Me and my friends had a hard and fast rule.  We don’t leave until the last out.  I’m glad we didn’t, because there were four guys across the aisle from us that were Giants fans.  We got and had some beers later at a Dodger fan watering hole and they were welcomed.  What a time……

  116. 116.

    Jay

    So now that @riotribs aren’t accepting donations anymore, this would be a GREAT time to donate all your money to @ghostmobpdx and crew! They’re making kick ass shields for frontliners! Their cash app is @$yaaa— . (@inthewoodsy_) July 25, 2020

    Cops and Nazi’s ( inseparable these days) completely trashed Riot Ribs free food/water/snacks stand yesterday. They destroyed 4 charcoal smokers, slashed water bottles, shit and peed in the prep areas,

    Today, Riot Ribs is rocking 16 charcoal smokers and is compmetely stocked up for another 60 days of protests, thanx to Portlanders and others.

  117. 117.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Kay: Too bad!  So sad!  Fuck ’em!

    Maybe they should try the radical approach of SERVING THEIR CONSTITUTES.

  119. 119.

    NotMax

    @,a href=”https://balloon-juice.com/2020/07/25/sportsball-open-thread-play-base-ball/#comment-7790794″>Amir Khalid

    Much mention occurred in thread directly below.

  122. 122.

    Jay

    Hi. If you see someone that stops when they're walking away from gas that Most likely means they can't see. Lightly place your hands on their back and guide them out. Remind them it will be fine and you'll find a medic. When you get out find a medic or give them saline.— Griffin – Live from the Justice Center (@GriffinMalone6) July 25, 2020

  123. 123.

    patrick II

    Tom Thibodeau is signing a five year contract NY Knicks. my first instinct that they deserve each other – – but the young players deserve better.

  125. 125.

    Honus

    This day in 1965 Roberto Clemente hit the only walk-off inside the park grand slam in baseball history at Forbes Field.  Against the Giants, who had an 12-8 lead.

  129. 129.

    Matt McIrvin

    @gene108:

    I know this really started in earnest, when Bush & Co. started with their “with us or against us” crap regarding their Iraq War

    It’s the basic culture-war move, insisting that liberals are not fundamentally American but are an alien force bent on chaos and destruction. Nixon was already hitting it hard back in ’68 and ’72; I remember it as actually becoming conventional wisdom under Reagan.

  131. 131.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Jay: Let’s see… with that number of people, how many polling places can they shut down and flush the ballots?

  132. 132.

    Ken

    @Jay: My great-aunt lived in Phoenix, and said that in the 60s the police would reliably, on finding the body of a known mobster in the desert with his hands wired behind his back and three shots in his head, call it a suicide.

  133. 133.

    Patricia Kayden

    Indeed. 'Campaign finance reports show troubling connections between a group of wealthy donors with ties to Russia and their political contributions to Trump and top Republican leaders."https://t.co/zy3eGaZZ95— ResistanceRules (@ResistanceRules) July 26, 2020

  134. 134.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Jay:

    Cops and Nazi’s ( inseparable these days) completely trashed Riot Ribs free food/water/snacks stand yesterday. They destroyed 4 charcoal smokers, slashed water bottles, shit and peed in the prep areas,

    I was told by the WH and RW twitter that it was only the evil leftist anarchists that were rioting

    What do you know, they were full of shit. Again.

  135. 135.

    Raven

    @Haydnseek: The Braves are doing it too and the money goes to charity. As for all the whining, if you don’t like it don’t watch it.

  136. 136.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Ken: driven down from Vegas?

    I’m a little slow, and I finally watched Casino last weekend. Now I’m thinking of dialing up one of these “Star Wars” all the kids are talking about

  138. 138.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Jay:

    From that piece:

    Although the document states, “The policies require the use of identifiable agency uniforms with badging and name tapes on the outermost garment (e.g. jacket, body armor),” CBP has offered no explanation about its use of agents who did not carry such identification.

  140. 140.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: I saw that earlier. Gave me a mental image of of Michael sulking and silently reviewing in his mind a lifetime of resentments against Nancy, Patti and especially Ron Jr

  141. 141.

    Wyatt Salamanca

    I love baseball, but this truncated season is fucking bullshit and I won’t accept the World Series winner as legitimate.

    On a bigger note, what about the fact that MLB, NBA, NHL, and NFL players will get tested with great frequency, while John Q and Jane Q Public will not?  I don’t care how big a sports fan anyone here is, but this is a goddamn motherfucking outrage.

  142. 142.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Raven:

    In light of the Washington Redskins and the Cleveland Indians changing their names, do you think the Braves should do so as well?

    From Wiki, the Indians:

    Bud Selig (then-Commissioner of Baseball) said in 2014 that he had never received a complaint about the logo. He has heard that there are some protesting mascots, but individual teams such as the Indians and Atlanta Braves, whose nickname was also criticized for similar reasons, should make their own decisions. An organized group consisting of Native Americans protested Chief Wahoo on Opening Day 2015, as they have for many years, making note that this is the 100th anniversary of the team becoming the Indians. Owner Paul Dolan, while stating he is respectful of critics, says he mainly hears from fans who want to keep Chief Wahoo, and has no plans to change.

    On January 29, 2018, Major League Baseball announced that Chief Wahoo would be removed from the Indians’ uniforms as of the 2019 season, stating that the logo was no longer appropriate for on-field use. The team will consider a new logo in the future, but the block “C” will be promoted to the primary logo; additionally, there are no plans to change the team’s name.

    On July 3, 2020, on the heels of the Washington Redskins announcing that they would “undergo a thorough review” of that team’s name, the Cleveland Indians announced that they would “determine the best path forward” regarding the team’s name and emphasized the need to “keep improving as an organization on issues of social justice”.

    Amazing what a difference 5 years and a horrifying, unjustifiable police killing can do

  144. 144.

    Origuy

    @Honus:  A grand slam scores 4 runs, so wouldn’t that have tied the score? It couldn’t have been a walk-off HR.

  145. 145.

    burnspbesq

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):

    do you think the Braves should do so as well?

    ‘Of course they should, but it seems unlikely they will. Note: there was, for some period of time, a minor league team called the Atlanta Crackers.

  147. 147.

    Jay

    @WaterGirl:

    probably just perfectly legal burials of people who died of “natural causes” while in DHS custody.

    Unmarked graves because, of course, DHS didn’t know who they were,

    Mass graves because a lot of money needs to be held in reserve for the inevitable lawsuits ftom DHS switching over to terrorizing US Citizens.

    Nazism on the cheap.

  150. 150.

    WaterGirl

    @Raven: I don’t think it’s whining when I say that trying to have a baseball season in 2020 is a terrible idea with public health implications.   That has nothing to do with whether I am interested in watching the games or not.

  152. 152.

    Jay

    BOOST THIS PLEASE #PDX. Please consider planning your shifts each night of protest! I’m usually either out from around 8pm-1am or 11pm-4am. We need people out there into the morning always!It’s an 8-1ish shift for me today. What shifts do y’all use to keep the crowd full? https://t.co/vP99o4vGTv— Lilith (they/them) (@lilithxsinclair) July 25, 2020

    Y”all wondered where the marches were. They are here, now, join them.

  155. 155.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @burnspbesq: I was listening to an NPR program about the recent changes in branding and team names et al, and somebody emailed in to ask if Cracker Jack was going to be renamed, and I thought it was odd, I couldn’t think of why Cracker Jack was offensive. Then a few minutes later they read another message about Cracker Barrel restaurants, and the penny dropped.

  156. 156.

    Jay

    Hummmmmm, kneeling on neck, where have I seen that lately,……

    Arrest at Olive/Boylston. SPD withheld medical treatment for 10 minutes towards woman arrested who has been unconscious after they kneeled on her neck and attempted to shoo away a reporter from the scene. She was revived by SFD #seattleprotestcomms— s t a t i o n s t a t i c (@nostation1312) July 26, 2020

    re·vive
    /rəˈvīv/

    verb
    past tense: revived; past participle: revived
    restore to life or consciousness.

  165. 165.

    Scott Alloway

    @Haydnseek: As an example: See game 4, 2004 AL playoffs. Red Sox at Yankees. Ninth inning. The rest is the greatest collapse in MLB history. Sox were outscored 32-16 in the first three games. See Yogi. It ain’t over til it’s over.

  167. 167.

    Bruce K

    @Scott Alloway: And a week later, Shrub was re-elected. I’ve always viewed that Red Sox comeback (complete with the sanctification of Curt Schilling, may he and his bloody sock rot in hell) as a harbinger of doom.

  169. 169.

    frosty

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Dunno about Cracker Jack but a cracker barrel is (was?) an actual thing that guys sat around to shoot the shit. So near as I can tell, nothing about calling a redneck a cracker. But I could be wrong and get educated.

    ETA: and I reckon redneck wasn’t the right phrase either.

  171. 171.

    Matt

    This entire season is a miracle of human ingenuity

    Truly the pinnacle of human achievement: a massive staff of ordinary people and a motley crew of millionaires who come together to make the billionaire owners just a little bit more rich. With any luck, only a few dozen of them will end up dead!

  172. 172.

    Another Scott

    @Scott Alloway: J and I were flying home after the 3rd game in that FTFY series.  Someone a couple of seats up was loudly gloating that the FTFY had it in the bag, that the “curse of the Bambino” was still working, etc.

    I calmly said, “They can come back.”

    They laughed and laughed.

    I was quite proud of that, later.

    (No, I didn’t buy any lottery tickets when we got home.  I shoulda!!)

    I later saw a meme about a new universal choking symbol.

    Hehe.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

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