The Daily Dose/July 11, 2019
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy
Leading Off
At first we thought we’d misread the headline. We keep odd hours and there are times we are up for many hours straight and sometimes these things happen. But we didn’t:
MLB To Experiment With Stealing First Base
Then we thought it was from one of those parody news sites that can usually be counted for nonsense like this. No, it was from a legitimate news source and it is not April 1.
Starting this week, batters in the independent Atlantic League – which has contracted with MLB to test drive screwy new rules – will have the opportunity to gain first base by stealing it if the catcher does catch the ball. You heard that right: batters will be able to advance to first not only on a walk or a fair batted ball, but on a wild pitch or a passed ball.
Good gravy, in his wildest, pinch-hitting midget dreams Bill Veeck probably never thought of this. Forget the sheer schizoidness of this rule, let’s take a practical look at it: when does the batter become in jeopardy of being thrown out? Well, we did some research on this and it turns out the batter will become a runner when both feet have left the batter’s box or when the plate umpire thinks he’s running to first. If there already is a runner on first, a force is created, meaning there could be a double play. All right, that’s not unreasonable. We had some other questions, but we worked through those ourselves.
This week brings some other, exciting rules changes to the Atlantic League. For example, balls and strikes the rest of the season will be called by an electronic gizmo that will send the results immediately to the plate umpire, who will dutifully make the call. They are also making dry, technical changes to the check swing rule. Fortunately, a rule to move the pitcher’s mound back two feet – two feet! – was put off until next season.
Christ, why don’t they just start with the bases loaded every inning? Good gravy, put up the circus tents at the old ballgame because what’s next, home run hitting contests instead of extra-innings? The way things are going, Atlantic League fans will be singing Send in the Clowns at the seventh-inning stretch before the season ends.
Today At The Site
The Diary of a Nobody: There is some quality creamer drivel from the hotel, and Sparrow has a pleasant day at the VSO. Today’s Diary.
In other creamer news, I put some hazelnut creamer in my morning oatmeal…Recall the retailer didn’t have any of my fave flavored low-sugar oatmeal – which doesn’t taste that great, honestly – so I rolled with some instant regular stuff…For extra flavor I bought some packets of a nut/cranberry mix to throw in…This was a good idea but, as usual, I didn’t put enough water in and I don’t like oatmeal that is too dry and I was about to add some more water in and the creamer was right there in the coffee room and before you can say “Sparrow is a maniac” there was some creamer in my oatmeal…It was pretty good, too.
It’s Sparrow, an average man passing an average life.
More drivel! Click on the button to read all of The Diary of a Nobody. $5.99 includes all entries, past, present, and future:
On This Date
In 1804 – Vice President of the United States Aaron Burr shoots and mortally wounds former Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton in a duel in Weehawken, New Jersey – across the Hudson River from New York City. The two had long been bitter rivals and while accounts vary, it is not unreasonable to conclude that Hamilton intentionally shot into the air while Burr intentionally shot into Hamilton’s stomach. Burr was charged with murder in both New Jersey and New York, but didn’t stand trial in either jurisdiction and completed his term as vice president.
In 1985 – Nolan Ryan of the Houston Astros strikes out Danny Heep of the New York Mets n the sixth inning at the Astrodome to become the first major league pitcher to record 4,000 career strikeouts. Ryan would pitch seven innings and have no decision in Houston’s 4-3, 12 inning victory. Ryan would record his 5,000th career strikeout in 1989 and retired after the 1993 season with 5,714 strikeouts, still the all-time major league record.
In 1960 – The Hollywood Argyles are at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 with Alley Oop. The song would spend one week at the top and also peaked at #3 on Billboard’s soul chart. The group, really a collection of session musicians and singers, got its name from Argyle Street, which was near their recording studio in Hollywood. They had no other songs hit the Hot 100, making the Hollywood Argyles an ultimate one-hot wonmder – one of the few acts in chart history to have their only chart single go to #1.
Quotebook
Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.
John Wooden
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
The major league record for most runs scored in a game by both teams is 49, when the Chicago Cubs defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 26-23 on August 25, 1922. The Phillies scored 14 unanswered runs in the last two innings and ended the game with the bases loaded.
Today’s Stumper
Who was the first act in Hot 100 history to have their only Hot 100 hit go to #1? – Answer next time!
