Playoff Rooting Interests, That Padres-Cubs NLCS, Minor League Lawsuit, and Other Cubs Bullets
In case anyone still needs to hear it: although some people do not suffer serious consequences from a COVID-19 infection, many other people do. So, it’s still quite bad, and should be regarded as such when asked to do very simple things to help reduce the spread. Wear a mask, avoid large crowds, distance from people when possible.
• The ALDS got underway yesterday, with the Astros bombing out the A’s with homers, and the Yankees crushing the Rays late thanks in large part to a 9th inning Giancarlo Stanton grand slam:
When in Slam Diego …
(MLB x @UtzSnacks) pic.twitter.com/cMAxTrqpRF
— MLB (@MLB) October 6, 2020
• The NLDS starts today as the ALDS continues:
https://twitter.com/BaseballAmerica/status/1313459006023913477
• In the AL, I think it’s fairly easy to pull for the A’s and the Rays. Among the remaining NL teams, though, it’s kinda hard to pick the rooting interest. I am obviously not rooting for the Marlins, having just beaten the Cubs (plus 2003 still lingers). I can’t root for the Dodgers, because they’re the Dodgers. The Braves have just never been a team that captured me. So I’m left with the Padres, a team I really do like, but I know that a lot of older Cubs fans still have beef from ’84. If there were an NL Central team still in the mix, I’d just root for their opponent because I’m petty. As it stands, I think I gotta go for the Padres, even as it may offend some.
• For those who aren’t old enough to remember (that includes me, though I know Cubs history, so I remember in that respect), Leon Durham’s Game 5 error was Bill Buckner’s error before Bill Buckner:
• The NLCS was five games in those days, and Durham’s error tied the game in the 7th inning, and the Padres opened things up from there, winning the NLCS. Not as dramatic as Buckner’s, of course, but a jaw-dropping, decisive, historic moment all the same. If he makes that play, maybe the Cubs hold on to win, taking them to the World Series 22 years before 2016.
• Wild part of that story? Durham had taken over the first base job at midseason from none other than Bill Buckner, whom the Cubs then traded to the Red Sox. Talk about butterfly wings.
• Terrible news, and an admirable effort by former big leaguer Will Middlebrooks:
Will Middlebrooks raises $55,000 for family of Jonathan Price, childhood friend shot and killed by police in Texas… https://t.co/HvLw3Hwyud
— Peter Gammons (@pgammo) October 6, 2020
• A big legal win for minor leaguers who are trying to get at least minimum wage:
Statement from the team at @KoreinTillery. Great work by Bob King, the lead author of the SCOTUS brief in opposition, and everyone else involved. pic.twitter.com/Sk5il2j67O
— Garrett Broshuis (@broshuis) October 5, 2020
• As a legal matter, this means only that the lawsuit is permitted to proceed as a class action (so it’s kinda right at the start, even after four years), but as a practical matter, getting class certification a huge deal for leverage in settlement talks. The exposure to MLB goes waaaay up, and now with MiLB being reorganized anyway heading into next year, it seems a really good time for MLB teams to simply raise wages significantly, and settle this thing.
• Massagers, bluetooth speakers, and more are your Deals of the Day at Amazon. #ad
• Also, don’t miss out on the +86 from PointsBet on the Bears on Thursday. It’s a freebie.
