My parents neighborhood outside Washington DC has its own fireworks show each year. It's not the same as the show on the National Mall in DC, but it's not bad for a neighborhood. But this year someone messed up. Apparently, when filling out the proper paperwork, the neighborhood representative wrote that they'd be shooting the fireworks off -- the fireworks to celebrate the Fourth of July, mind you -- on July 3rd. So, I hope you all enjoyed your fireworks displays last night. I had frozen pizza and watched old episodes of Mad Men. Happy third!
Link time!
I don't often highlight writing I don't like in this space, but I think this is a gateway to an interesting topic. Jon Paul Morosi over at Fox Sports writes the Yankees should do everything in their power to make sure Derek Jeter gets his 3,000th hit at home in Yankee Stadium. I must admit, I'm flummoxed. Does it really matter where he gets his 3,000th hit?
Morosi seems to think it's in the Yankees' vital interest that Jeter get his big hit at home. He never says specifically why, so I'm forced to ask, why? Because the Yankees will sell more tickets to that game? Well, no, they pretty much sell out all their games 3,000th hit or not. Because the TV ratings will be great? They will be, but that has nothing to do with the game's venue. People will watch whether the game is in New York or Toronto. I suppose it would be nice for Jeter personally in the sense he'd get a standing ovation, though wouldn't he also get one in his first at-bat at home after getting his 3,000th hit on the road? It might be nice for the fans to see it, but the vast majority of the fans will be watching on television anyway. The whole thing strikes me as a bit ridiculous.
At the risk of beating this into the dust, here's the meat of Morosi's article:
The Yankees overpaid Jeter last offseason (three years, $51 million) in part because they wanted him to become the first player to achieve 3,000 hits while wearing the pinstripes. They have the right to make reasonable accommodations for that to happen at Yankee Stadium.
Well, hell, why not hold Jeter out of every road game to make sure. Never hurts to be 100% about these things. I mean, if it didn't happen at Yankee Stadium, well, gosh, I don't know what would happen! Maybe nothing, maybe the city would fall into the ocean, maybe a plague of back-talking locusts! I just don't know! What gets me about the above quote (then I promise I'll move on) is the idea that the Yankees overpaid Jeter because they wanted him to get his 3,000th hit as a Yankee.That's worth $51 million? I can't see Brian Cashman saying, "Listen, I know he's over the hill, he's personally responsible for the death of every bird with a worm-based diet in the New York Metro region, and his defense could be replaced by taping a glove to the hoof of a blind, three legged elephant, but we MUST! HAVE! THAT! 3,000TH! HIT! And gentlemen [pulls from cigarette] it must happen in Yankee Stadium. Or I'll quite simply die."
The thing that's so strange about it is it completely ignores what is best for the 2011 Yankees and their ever-present quest to win a World Series. 'Don't worry about the two game lead we have over Boston, let's jury-rig the lineup for a whole week so one guy can get a standing O.' Kills me.
In other news, the Red Sox signed a sixteen year old Dominican kid to more money than you or I will see in the next ten years. Hope he's good!
The All Star selection process is all screwed up, says Eric Seidman of Fan Graphs. Why people continue to put mental effort into this game I'll never understand. If I ran the Red Sox, I'd give $100,000 bonuses to players who made the All Star game on the condition they didn't attend it. But, if you're really hot and bothered about the selection process, allow me to fix the problem. Henceforth, every player's name will be printed on a piece of paper which will be placed in a pile in a room which will then be filled with hungry goats. After the goats have eaten all but fifty slips of paper (don't worry, the goats will eat both AL and NL slips of paper evenly) the remaining names will be read off, preferably in primetime by Chris Berman in an over-the-top style that wore out its welcome fifteen years ago, and those players will comprise the All Star team. Done.
Josh Beckett: good. John Lackey: not. You: welcome.
Finally, Allan over at Joy of Sox turns last night's game story into the Declaration of Get Rid of John Lackey. Truly words to blow things up to.