THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY

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By:  Kurt Snyder & Holly Horning

Baseball’s historical footprint can be measured by the big moves it makes – as well as the small ones. Game-changing moments and policy – or a small move made by one team that is adopted by the rest.

So how do we measure what’s happening to our game? One way is to recognize the significant moments that appear from week to week. The season may be over but that doesn’t mean the game has stopped evolving until April.

What caught our eye over the past week? Glad you asked. We’re going to sum it up, Clint Eastwood style. The Good. The Bad. And the Ugly.

As always, Kurt and Holly never share their answers in advance. Let’s see how similar or how different they are in what they both see for the past week.

THE GOOD

KURT

Simply put, Major League Baseball hiring Theo Epstein as a consultant is good news for all of us. Knowing full-well that we share the same concerns about the game as he does and that he will get his opinions heard is very encouraging.

HOLLY

Baseball’s most creative genius, Theo Epstein, didn’t spend much time on the sofa after leaving the Cubs by signing on to work with MLB as a consultant problem-solver. His first task is to bring excitement and athleticism back to the game that the introduction of analytics took away.


THE BAD

KURT

It’s been really difficult for baseball fans to sit back and watch all the Hall of Fame heroes of their youth pass away over the last year. But the passing of Hank Aaron is a difficult one, given his impact on the game and the quiet but genuine presence he has conveyed since we watched him dominate on the diamond.

HOLLY

Forbes Magazine has the Ilitch family ranked as the #3 richest MLB owner, however the latest article from Bloomberg News ranks them as tied for the #1 spot with Mets new owner, Steve Cohen – both having amassed $10.1 billion fortunes. Unfortunately for us, one team is spending – while the other is not.


AND THE UGLY

KURT

It’s fair to say that former Mets GM Jared Porter will never again get another opportunity in the game of baseball. And I wonder if that thought ever crossed his mind while he allegedly was sending lewd text messages and pictures to the female reporter he was foolishly trying to impress, I guess.

HOLLY

MLB is either wearing blinders or trying desperately to convince everyone that “all is well” when it comes to starting spring training on time – in 3 weeks. Half the teams report to AZ and the other half to FL, which are the 2 most Covid-infected states in the country and don’t mandate mask-wearing in order to help curb infections.

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16 thoughts on “THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY”

  1. Theo Epstein for Commissioner – sadly he probably has too much integrity and respect for the game to simply be a puppet for the owners. I am hoping he makes an impact and helps MLB understand how they are starting to lose the fan base that keeps the game alive.

    Liked by 3 people

  2. Update: Late yesterday, the Cactus League put out an official statement re their concern over starting Spring Training on time due to the impact of Covid in that state. Following on their heels, several teams in FL expressed the same concerns. All of them are now asking for a delay in starting the season.

    Liked by 1 person

    • The statement from the MLBPA was interesting – expressing their desire to start on time and play a full season. If negotiations goes south quickly, I wonder if they are just better off getting the inevitable work stoppage underway and trying to get a deal done. I love baseball but I am really beginning to hate MLB. They seem so intent on killing the golden goose.

      Liked by 6 people

    • Double-A, Class A Advanced and Class A were already being delayed to start their spring training after MLB & AAA spring training finished. This will make the seasons for key Tiger minor league bats even shorter. Torkelson & Greene will likely become major leaguers on schedule but fringier prospects will lose development time.

      Liked by 2 people

  3. Not hard to like MLB’s hiring of Theo Epstein as a special consultant. Would it be too much to ask if MLB and the owners appoint/promote him to the position of Commissioner?

    Liked by 3 people

  4. It is good news in both your Good sections. Epstein should have a favorable influence on the game. On the Bad, do any other MLB owners also own another major franchise like the Ilitch’s? The Ugly, MLB shouldn’t think they are so essential that they can go against medical opinions to play. As much as I enjoy the game, these are not typical times.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Amen to the proper use of analytics only in scouting, development/ training, and rehabilitation. Let players play and managers manage. Data geeks stay in their offices.

      Liked by 3 people

  6. Two owners sit at a bar. One says ‘only reason I have money is I don’t spend it’. Other says ‘gotta spend money(invest)to make money.’ Mr.I was one kind of owner… william clay ford was thee other. Where’s Chris in this. Holly?

    Liked by 1 person

    • How has analytics taken the athleticism out? 1: More strikeouts and home runs; nobody has to run anywhere. 2: Defensive shifting – less emphasis on defensive range and fewer base runners. 3: Incessant pitching changes takes more base runners out of the game, as pitchers can over-match hitters throwing full tilt for less than an inning. And nothing happens while the new pitcher comes in from the bullpen and takes his warm up pitches.

      Liked by 4 people

      • Plus there is the insidious mental aspect that accepts it’s okay for players to be one-dimensional, interchangeable piece parts whose only value comes in the form of situational statistical analysis. Ugh.

        Liked by 3 people

  9. Tigerway2. Once upon a tyme there was a pastyme of equestrian elegance. Of satorial splendor on a a warm summers afternoon. Of grandpa’s grandchildrens memories. Now it’s just a vedio Homer game for stoners who can’t remember what they’ve just watched. But it’s all repeativle anyways. Boring.

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