Lee Lowenfish

I have a historical mind. So here's some consolation for Mets fans enduring a 11-game losing streak: Back in the 1951 season when I was a precocious naive 9-year old, the NY Giants lost 11 in a row in April and wound up winning the National League pennant on Bobby Thomson's dramatic playoff home run.  I'm not predicting a great rebound for this bunch of aging strangers playing out of position brought in to replace such still-serviceable fan favorites like Pete Alonso and Brandon Nimmo - and how can I not mention onetime Yankee relievers Luke Weaver and Devin Williams that owner Steve Cohen thought would stick it to his crosstown rivals! - but there are still around 140 games to play.

 

Of course, daily reminders about how awful you are on so-called "social" media doesn't help turn around a team. But if misery loves company, the Mets are not the only supposed contender stuck right now way under .500.  Houston endured a 7-game losing streak and are now 8 under .500. The Phillies and Red Sox are limping along at 5 under .500. And so is defending AL champion Toronto - considered somewhat of a contender, Kansas City is 8 under as they return home to meet the Orioles.

 

I sure wish that I didn't have to revive the nickname Woerioles, but my team though only 2 below .500 at 10-12 is giving no indication of improving in any area of its game - hitting, starting pitching, and defense. They are striking out at an alarming rate even in this day when strikeouts are almost encouraged by the analytic geniuses in every organization. Woeriole injuries started pre-season and haven't stopped. Baltimore lost over a half-million fans last season when it became clear that the magic sauce that defied analytic predictions in 2023 and 2024 had lost its potency. Gunnar Henderson, the Birds' most talented player, has stayed healthy but is hitting barely over .200 and his defense at shortstop is erratic: Makes great plays, botches easier ones. I still think he might be more suited for third base where he played a couple of games to acclaim in the World Baseball Classic. Even more disturbing, he still throws tantrums on the field when things don't go his way. 

 

This past Sat night Apr 18 in Cleveland, a pitcher's duel was lost in Cleveland when with the pitch clock winding down, Dean Kremer couldn't communicate on his pitch.com device with rookie catcher Samuel Basallo. Instead of calling for time, Kremer threw the pitch anyway and Guardians shortstop Brayan Rocchio belted a 3-run homer that turned a 1-0 lead into a 3-1 hole and ultimate 4-2 loss. Memo to majority owner David Rubenstein and President of Baseball Operations Mike Elias who has not even named a GM beneath him because he evidently possesses supernatural powers: Those half a million lost Baltimore fans are not gonna flock back despite the bells and whistles brought in by Katie Griggs, former business manager of the Mariners who remain BTW the only franchise in MLB never to have been to a World Series (although they came close to World Series last season and their attendance is healthy. It should be noted that Seattle doesn't face competition from a nearby franchise in Washington DC as the Orioles do. And although Portland, Oregon, three hours away has one of the better and money-rich proposals for an expansion team, Seattle has quietly opposed that entry.)

 

Enough of today's rant. (Tomorrow is another day LOL.) Here are some surprisingly good stories in the early going.  The NL Central has seen the resurgence of three recent non-contenders, Cincinnati, St. Louis, and Pittsburgh. They are currently enough games over .500 that a series sweep won't sink them. I am happy for these historic franchises and their fans that have not tasted glory for a long time, especially the Pirates.  I don't know how long Paul Skenes - pronounced Beans - can stay a Pirate given the huge price tag for reliable starters, but every contender must have an ace and it seems that the rest of the rotation is improving too.  Cincinnati has been winning some remarkable games with late rallies.  Yesterday Sun Apr 19, manager Terry "Tito" Francona started a lineup at Minnesota of 6 players hitting WELL under .200. They still rallied to take a late lead that wasn't held but the Reds won it in the 10th helped by two Twins errors.  Kudos to Hall of Fame sportswriter Hal McCoy for his lively game story yesterday.  (Fighting blindness earlier this century, McCoy thought about retiring but Reds infielder Aaron Boone - yes that Aaron Boone! - encouraged him to fight on which he has done nobly.)

 

There have been some other heartwarming individual stories that warm the heartstrings of this snarky realistic-romantic.

**First baseman Dom Smith, once a backup on the Mets to his friend Pete Alonso, has found a home in Atlanta. He has hit some big home runs for his new team and befriended the family of fans who caught one of his round-trippers.

**Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who may be moving on after the team was eliminated in the play-in round of NBA playoffs, sent a handwritten letter to Toronto manager John Schneider after the Blue Jays lost that winnable extra-inning Game 7 to the Dodgers lin the thrilling 2025 World Series. Kerr praised Schneider for how he kept his team together during that series when they were down 2-0 at the start.  He offered Schneider solace by noting that after his Warriors lost a 7-game NBA final to LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers, they rebounded to win the next two titles.

 

A reminder:  I'll be appearing on a panel this Friday night Apr 24 after a 6P showing of "42" the 2013 movie starring Harrison Ford as Branch Rickey and

the late Chadwick Boseman as "42," Jack Roosevelt Robinson.  Event will be held at the Ferguson Public Library in downtown Stamford, CT. Admission is free.

 

That's all for now.  Always remember:  Take it easy but take it, and Stay Positive, Test Negative!   

I have been mulling for a long time what to do about the epidemic of pitching injuries in baseball.  The plague has affected every organization, the highly successful ones like the Braves and Dodgers, the improved ones like the Orioles, and the weaker teams, too.

 

Tonight after the Orioles salvaged a split with the young and improved Washington Nationals with a well-pitched 4-1 game without too many strikeouts on either side, a lightbulb went on in my baseball-obsessed brain. 

WHY NOT LIMIT THE NUMBER OF STRIKEOUTS ALLOWED IN EVERY PROFESSIONAL GAME, MINORS AND MAJORS?  

 

My rule would force pitchers to better learn their craft, the Art of Pitching as Tom Seaver called it in the book I wrote with him over 40 years ago. 

It certainly would cut down on the number of injuries caused by throwing harder and harder and excessively spinning the ball. These dangerous processes start in the early teenaged years and ultimately wreck too many arms. 

 

I had thought about rewarding major league organizations with more draft choices if their pitchers go through seasons uninjured.  Or conversely, taking draft choices away from teams that have too many injuries.   But I don't see how those changes could be easily enforced.

CUTTING DOWN ON THE NUMBER OF STRIKEOUTS COULD BE AND SHOULD BE ENFORCED. 

 

Maybe I have been subconsciously influenced by the huge success of Banana Baseball, started by Jesse Cole's Savannah Bananas that now has several teams playing a game that it is part circus, part vaudeville, and always part some recognizable form of baseball.  Except that there are rewards for quick innings.  And Banana Baseball assures customers that a game will never take more than two hours.  

 

Last month, ESPN and ESPN2 aired in prime time a three-game series of Banana Baseball before sold-out crowds at the Louisville Bats minor league ballpark. It is a fun kind of entertainment and only slightly comparable to the Harlem Globetrotters.  One big difference is the opposition teams often win the games unlike the Washington Generals that almost always lose to the Globies. 

 

Speaking of enjoyable fast-moving sports, I think a big reason that the Paris Olympics proved such a success, artistically and TV ratings-wise, is that the action was quick and compelling.  Track and field always has that element going for it and swimming too.    

 

I must admit that I have never been a big fan of the Olympics because of the enormous costs to host cities and the history of political violence.  Fortunately, Paris 2024 was not plagued by discord. In fact, one possible volleyball argument was defused when the loud speaker played John Lennon singing "Imagine".   

 

The two basketball finals pitting USA against France were positively gripping.  And each game was completed in under two hours because of 10-minute quarters and the absence of endless commercials. 

 

Men's head coach Steve Kerr had revealing comments after Team USA beat France, 98-87 in a game far closer than the final score indicated. He was used to the dramatics of Steph Curry, 36, who he coaches on the Golden State Warriors - Curry's 4 threes in the last 3 minutes sealed the American win in the final and were instrumental in the big semi-final comeback against Serbia.  

 

The tournament MVP went to 39-year-old Lebron James who Kerr never had coached. He said he has become a lifelong fan of James for his ability to know when to assist and when to take charge.  Kerr praised the whole Team USA for embracing the pressure of knowing that winning only a silver medal would mark them forever as huge disappointments. 

 

The USA women on Saturday were dealing with even greater pressure having the goal of winning an unprecedented 8 gold medals in a row. 

They were led by A'ja Wilson, a college champion at South Carolina and winning a ring with the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces. A huge surprise contribution came from Kahleah Copper, a 2021 champion with the Chicago Sky. 

 

The women's team had to come back from a 10-point deficit in the second half to beat France, 67-66, in about as dramatic a game as

one could hope to see. Gabby Williams' final shot for France at the buzzer was only inches from being a three that would have forced overtime.

 

Women's coach Cheryl Reeve, also with championship pedigree as longtime leader of the Minnesota Lynx, echoed Kerr afterwards about dealing with the pressure of expectation.  "I told the team that we are trying for one gold medal," she said to NBC's Zora Stephenson after the victory. She stressed that the other seven victories were really no concern for this group. 

 

Reeve also used an expression about knowing where your feet are. I find the concept elemental and spiritual. Most of us don't realize that our feelings begin in our feet.  The mind should never forget that, the good coaches advise.

 

Though I promised last blog not to get too involved in the political campaign until after Labor Day, Tim Walz, the newly-minted Democratic V-P 

candidate, used to coach high school football in Nebraska and Minnesota.  He exhorted his defense:  "11 on the ball."  

 

Next time more on the pennant races heating up all over MLB's 6 divisions.  For now always remember:  Take it easy but take it; Stay Positive Test

Negative; and 11 ON THE BALL!