New York Summer Baseball Tales for Narrative:
1) My buddy, Billy, 65, had never received any communication from the Yankees. Not a letter, not an email, not a phone call. Not even a pocket diary.
He had been on a partial ticket package for the Mets, but gave it up years ago after financial abuse and physical inconvenience – those, either I go or I don’t go not ? long rain delays followed by delays or late starts, once too many.
In fact, Billy is the guy who in the past reported that a few feet from a right field billboard at Citi Field tossing “$5 Subway Footlong” sandwiches, stood a concession stand that was at the time selling Subway $5 Footlongs for $14.
“Five dollars?” said the attendant as if Billy had arrived on the Village Idiot Van. “Not here, they are not.”
Yet Mets ticket reps continued and continue to pursue Billy’s business via phone calls and emails, as if he were a briefly stray lamb.
So, last week, it seemed odd to him to receive a direct, personal email at work from the Yankees, as if perhaps his address had been passed between teams by a third party seeking his business cut that he didn’t. did not request.
The email, sent by the Yankees and electronically signed by a team sales representative, was an invitation to purchase tickets to the Mets at Yankees series in August.
Given that Billy hadn’t done any business with the Yankees, he was amazed to read, “And I want to make sure you have early opinions on this offer!”
Fascinating. Billy had gone from no-one to a Yankees VIP ticket in the time it took to hit send. And again, how did the Yankees suddenly get his email address?
The “first dibs!” to offer:
He must purchase a minimum of 10 seats in the elevated Delta Suite for one of the two games in late August. Cost per ticket $375, so a minimum layout of $3,750. Soda and “domestic beer” – is it American domestic or Bronx domestic? – included until “mid-fifth inning,” but cash bar throughout.
Billy will forward this offer. But he is very flattered that the Yankees, home of the “Empty Good Seats” for 13 years, hold him in such high and sudden regard.
That’s what Bud Selig must have said when he said interleague play “is a gift to our fans.”
2) Last Sunday, with the Rangers and Mets tied 1-1 in the top of the third, Texas had two outs and runners in second and third when Corey Seager went early on a ground fly hit at the second baseman Luis Guillorme.
If Seager had run all the way, he would have been safe, because Guillorme dropped him before throwing him.
“He could have run his team, with a little fuss,” Ron Darling said. At least one race. And he didn’t have to hustle, just running would have done it.
Gary Cohen: “If you’re Corey Seager and you just signed a 10-year, $325 million contract, doesn’t that require you to run hard to first base, every time?”
Darling: “I think there’s a way some players play, and it doesn’t matter if the contract situation changes. They will play as they play. »
Of course, there is always the shame-shame solution. If Seager had immediately been ripped from the game… But the game, as we know, has changed.
Goodell really bad at picking equity voices
It seems that Roger Goodell, an incurable supporter of what leaves us all lower and lower, remains blindly and secretly attracted to the most vulgar, hateful, clinging rappers and objectifying women as the best representatives of initiatives and values. NFL Social and Entertainment. .
On June 30, the NFL appointed Ice Cube to lead its “economic equity” plan to boost NFL business with black-owned businesses.
Ice Cube, real name O’Shea Jackson, is a member of the Contract With Black America Institute, which supports reparations and affirmative action.
He is also a breeder of racial hatred and a follower of the proud and vocal anti-Semite Louis Farrakhan. Ice Cube rapped and spoke virulently anti-Jewish, anti-white and anti-Asian words, even advocating violence against them.
A sampler: In his early “songs,” he referred to a Jewish music producer as “a white Jew” and a “cracker,” adding, “Get rid of that devil very simply. Put a bullet in his temple. He called an Asian trader a “little Chinese mother”.
As recently as 2020, Ice Cube posted anti-Semitic hate on social media while praising Farrakhan as his guide. How did the NFL miss this? Or did he not watch or choose to know?
Why would such a misanthrope even be considered for such a position?
But he’s just Goodell’s guy.
We know well by now that Goodell is a selective follower of the caustic double standard – a coward who runs for cover, buttressed by an equally fearful and cowardly news and sports media – as evidenced by Goodell’s quiet indulgence towards the receiver DeSean Jackson after circulating extremely reckless pro-Hitler messages regarding Jews as conveyed to him by the madman Farrakhan.
Jackson’s team at the time, the Eagles, ultimately condemned Jackson’s hateful ignorance. The NFL? He still hasn’t been heard from on the two-year-old case, so it’s reasonable to believe we never will. Jackson continued to play, without shame, without fault.
Same with the growing problem of crime in the NFL, especially players illegally packing firearms. Goodell continues to pretend that you can’t see what you can’t miss.
Yet in Ice Cube, Goodell has found his latest embracing malicious and malignant anti-social “artist” and activist to serve as a front and business partner for justice for all in the NFL. How fast can the NFL, under Goodell, continue to roll back?
Zion grants the zenith of absurdity
When the alphabetical story of how American professional sports devoured itself from the inside, “Z” will likely include Zion Williamson.
After a one-and-done at Duke, Williamson was drafted first overall by the Pelicans in the 2019 draft. He signed for $10 million a season.
This preseason, he tore his right meniscus, missing the first three months of his rookie year. Although he looks overweight and out of shape, he has scored at least 20 points in four straight games. Up, up and away!
But last summer, Williamson broke his foot while training. Eventually, the Pelicans said he would miss the entire season.
Thus, in three NBA seasons, Williamson, tormented by injuries and slow to heal, had played only 85 games out of a possible 226, zero last season.
Those who bought season or part-season tickets to Pelicans games because of Williamson’s attendance last season were ripped off an average of $150 per ticket – as if many were attending alone – a maximum of $950 and a minimum of $37.
But now they have another chance.
Last week, Williamson signed a five-year extension with the Pelicans for $193 million, guaranteed, with All-Star team incentives that could back the $231 million deal. And that’s not including his $75 million sneaker deal.
I don’t understand. I just don’t understand.
What the hell happened to those nonsensical “catch probability” percentage stats that ESPN tried to popularize and legitimize by trying to make all circumstances and players the same as if games were being played in sealed test tubes?
So, until further notice, we return to the previous calculations: the captures made have a probability of capture of 100%. Those that are not have a capture probability of 0%.
