Major League Baseball’s new emphasis on eliminating the use of “sticky stuff” by the pitchers is making a mockery of the game. Umpires are being told by league officials they must inspect a pitcher if it is perceived he is using some form of sticky stuff other than the approved rosin bag to assist with gripping the ball. As a result, pitchers are being inspected by umpires two or three times a game causing delays in the game and exasperating pitchers. Opposing managers are using the new requirements to try to rile the pitchers and get them off their game. It all came to a head in last night’s game as Philly manager Joe Girardi had Washington pitcher Max Scherzer inspected 3 times in five innings. Gerardi had nothing to lose by doing this as Scherzer was dominating the Philly hitters. Mad Max was furious and was ready to challenge Girardi. Eventually Girardi was the one who came unglued and he was ejected. None of this should be happening. In my humble opinion there is nothing wrong with pitchers trying to improve their grip on the ball providing nothing is transferred to the ball itself. If they are going to ban pitchers from using something other than spit and rosin to improve their grip, they also need to ban hitters from wearing batting gloves and using pine tar on their bats. For the safety of the hitters, it is important that pitchers be able to grip the ball properly. An out of control 95 MPH pitch can be a lethal weapon that can do serious damage to a hitter.
In a sign of things to come, The New York Times reported this morning more than 150 staff members at a Houston-area hospital were fired or resigned on Tuesday for not following a policy that requires employees to be vaccinated against Covid-19. The hospital, Houston Methodist, had told employees that they had to be vaccinated by June 7 or face suspension for two weeks. Of the nearly 200 employees who had been suspended, 153 of them were terminated by the hospital on Tuesday or had resigned. Arthur Caplan, a professor of medical ethics at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine, said the vaccine requirement was no different than other mandates for health care workers, like getting an annual flu shot, keeping up with immunizations and wearing hairnets. He noted that some health care workers have been fired in the past for refusing to get flu shots and said that states like New York require it. Stories like this are going to playout all over the country and world in the next few months. Healthcare facilities have been requiring flu shots, TB shots, etc. of its employees for years. The healthcare facilities are here to protect the patients and they cannot allow their employees to be potential carriers of diseases that will put the patients at an unnecessary risk.
Per the Detroit News, A long-awaited report on the 2020 election from a GOP-controlled Michigan Senate committee recommended that Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel consider investigating individuals who pushed false claims “to raise money or publicity for their own ends.” The suggestion was among the most striking details of the Senate Oversight Committee’s recap of a months-long examination of the presidential election. The report was released Wednesday with its main author, Sen. Ed McBroom, R-Vulcan, saying he found “no evidence of widespread or systematic frau.” In spite of this report, we will continue to hear Trump supporters tout the “Big Lie” that there was mass voter fraud in Michigan. Furthermore, any Republican who does not get on board with the “Big Lie” will be subject to intense pressure to get on board or face challenges for their position by those who support the “Big Lie”.
Detroit Tiger rookie pitcher Matt Manning recorded the first of what is expected to be many victories for this very talented right hander. The future is now for the Tigers as the three pitchers so many of us have been waiting three years for are now in the Tiger’s starting pitching rotation. Manning, Mize and Skubal are here now and it is going to be fun watching them develop. These guys have above average talent and will form the backbone of Tiger pitching for the next 5-7 years.
Not to be overlooked, is the month Tiger hitter Jonathan Schoop is having. In the last 30 games he is batting .358 with 12 homeruns and an OPS of 1.147 (anything over .800 is well above average). Here is how former Tiger Craig Monroe describes Schoop’s current approach to hitting. “See the ball, hit the ball and knock the cover off of it.”
Stay safe. Wash your hands regularly. Social Distance. Wear your mask properly. Schedule your vaccine.
Orchid of the Day: Sen. Ed McBroom, R-Vulcan. See the above story on the report on the 2020 election.
Onion of the Day: The MLB for making a mockery of the game with their new approach to ban the use of “sticky substance” by pitchers. Pitchers have been doing this for years and it has not been a problem as long as it doesn’t end up on the ball.
Quote of the Day: “It’s like you’re in the wrong job there, buddy,” Arthur Caplan after suggesting that the hospital employees who refused to get vaccinated would be better off in a different line of work.