David HK

The guy is killin' me. Ya'd think working that gum so dang hard would get the brain-juices flowing, or some such.

Well, let's see, I think I'll PH the lefty here, against the lefty, instead of replacing my CF with a right-handed batting CF. Yeh, that's the ticket....

Is that like "mostly dead?"

Hee hee ho ho har..... They just announced tomorrow's starters--- they're gonna make today's score look like a classic pitchers' duel....

Wow, Sano, whew....... Is right field in Comerica part of the Bermuda Triangle now, or what?

Cripe, Castellanos. He's got one of those "I still live at home in my Mom's basement" haircuts.

NIce catch, Hayes... Ya think JD heard something like this coming in?

Nope. That was the doink heard 'round the world. People in Asia laughed even. Well, one...

Omg, That can o' corn turned out to be cream-style.

Heh... Tigers' pitching coach is named Doobie..... Out to the mound for a visit with Doobie..... Cue the Cheech and Chong.

Aw, dang, he just missed Parking that one.

Heh, Tige's announcers are going on about how it's too early for people to panic. Or maybe I've got DickBert on, I can't tell.

Hey! I got the Russian feed back up! I've not seen Pat Dean pitch- he is the very definition of a funky left hander, ain't he? Looks like ol' Bill Lee out there. I keep waiting for the eephus pitch.

Well, it did kind of look like that when Sano and Miggy tangled up... Ba dum, Tch!

Holy Moley. This is like the way we've been losing. It's so nice to see it on the other side for a change.

Ahh, the old Baltimore Chop. Here we come....

Heh....... Here we come, Tigers.

This ain't over. You can call me seduced by 2 games in a row, but I really wanna beat the Tigers brains in today, and make 'em start to sweat that 8 run lead. Keep the pedal down, boys.

Shhhhhhhh..... not so loud. Everybody will want some.

Ahh, finally in my seat. Early AM meeting, and now to check in on the game. HOLY...!!! WHAT TH...... Sheesh, what a start to the day. I'm gonna be mooning around here all morning like a crack-brained calf.

I can only speak from my own experience, but of all the rounds I went, there was never, ever, once a thought of inflicting injury on any opponent. Such is not, and should not be, the object of that sport. I'm greatly sickened by comments like those of Tyson's, in the past, where he'd relish in the damage he could do. Just as sickened by NFL players who revel in the cheap shots they've taken, or the reaction of fans to a player being knocked senseless on the field. There is an elemental factor in many sports, and often great risk that comes with great remuneration. Race car drivers, downhill skiers, mountain climbers, and others risk life and limb every time out. But people still pursue these things. It's the challenge you choose to accept. Again, based only on a personal level, I adored the challenge of the ring. To go against your basic human nature of moving away from a threat, and instead moving toward it- it's not something a person usually does in their daily life. To find out what you have inside of you, in a way in which the answer is immediate and clear- not a lot of people get asked that question, and not many ask it of themselves. Every bout, every round of sparring even, when that bell rang, I was scared sh*tless. To make yourself go forward, then, is the challenge you accept. It's not a macho thing. Along the way, I coached plenty of young women as well as young men who wanted to find that out about themselves. People find any kind of challenges, it's just part of our nature. Physical contact sports don't have to stand out as the only way to do it. But it's a way I chose, and I wouldn't denigrate another's path to the same conclusion. There is a science, and a sweetness, a respect for your opponent. And while the risk is great, the intent is not evil. At least, it shouldn't be.

Yes, it's definitely worthy of a suspension, and it's a black mark on the game. But, gotta disagree with you, tho, on the expectation factor. Joey Bats was out to get some payback for getting plunked, and I don't think a smack in the chops was the last thing he expected. I think he fully expected something to go off. In fact, he got a two-handed shove in the chest first, then he stepped back up, so--- it wasn't a sucker punch, that's for sure. I grew up playing ball, and ice hockey, back in the 60's and 70's. Chippy stuff got answered, hard. But people didn't try to end a guy's career, or damage their lives over it. But the modern game, and the stakes involved.... the way Joey B went into second was a little over and above, and wasn't about to be shrugged off. Going at a guy's knees is going at his very livelihood- and when you're talking about guys who came from the extreme poverty of places like Venezuela or the Dominican, it's now or never for them to earn the dough that will lift themselves and their families out of something most of us in America can't easily fathom. So yeh, there may be a sensitivity that can transcend politeness that comes into play. All that said, I'm glad nobody got hurt out of the whole deal, and someone certainly could have. In our modern age, it's blown up in a way that wouldn't have been possible only a few short years ago. It would have been something that somebody said somebody saw, and part of the next day's newspaper article, and on to other things. Now, it's a spectacle for millions to see. Over and over again. I just don't know what to say about that.

Heh... reminded me of a favorite New Yorker cartoon of long ago-- Guy in office, getting yelled at by boss. Thought balloon: "I could take this guy."

Jeepers- Joey Bats is lucky Odor kept his glove on, and just gave him a followup swat, or it might have been lights out. That was good form on the overhand right cross- from the years toiling in the Gold Gloves back when, that was not some lucky roundhouse, that was a cat who's had some background. Good target, good balance, hip turn, contact- ouch. Too bad that all went off, it's not like it's any good for the game, but still, I gotta appreciate Odor's homage to the Sweet Science in that moment.