Breaking news from the Oh-My-Fucking-God Department: Madison Bumgarner injured in a, get this, "dirt bike accident." That's called going-all-Jeff-Kent-on-ya. Thanks, MadBum, for doing something really dumb. I am loath to criticize guys who don the orange-and-black; I try to like all of them and I try to give all of them a break. But that's mostly in regards to on-the-field performance. Outside the lines? I try not to give a shit. But this one is squarely in the WTF category. I am at a bit of a loss. I get it, these guys are intense and competitive and adrenaline junkies and all that. It's harder for those types to sit still than most. But this is professional baseball. You get hurt on the field, fine. You get hurt dirt biking? During the season? Jaysus-Mary-Joseph! That's bad for business. That's a lousy career move. That makes you look like a diva.
MadBum, you and Buster are the faces of the team. Like it or not, you aren't just a ballplayer, you are the poster boy for a multi-million dollar enterprise with an enormous customer base. That moves things beyond baseball and fandom, I'm sorry to say. Speaking as a fan, I'm crushed. Get well soon, Bum. And I still love you.
--M.C.
4 comments:
10-day DL, Chris Stratton takes the roster spot.
OMFG IN SPADES! With him one wonders if doing something so goddamn stupidly macho might not be a reaction to what's happened with him and his spaghetti-bat team on the field, so he has nothing to flaunt. Ugh!!!
I assume that calling up Stratton means that the team is provisionally counting on the short-term success of Cain's turning into longer-term success of Cain, so that they can go with a Blach, Cueto, Moore, Samardzija, Cain rotation and survive pretty well. Okert then takes the role of bullpen lefty, and Stratton, potentially, takes the role of long man in relief. Beede can keep working in Sacramento, and if he goes on doing well there, can move into the rotation if Blach or Cain performs badly.
Another superb article from the inimitable Joe Sheehan, this one in response to Sterling Marte's suspension for PEDs. I share this because it WAS the MLB story du jour until Bum's contretemps. It's just good stuff about the game we love, and what it's like today and how it was different not so long ago. I'm particularly interested in the spike in both homers and strikeouts across the leagues. Moreover, I'm typically indifferent to controversies about athlete drug use, and Sheehan's take on Marte noodles around with both. Terrific player, sad news that he fucked up.
I saw on TV today that MadBum is out 6-8 weeks. Now that's what I call a Bummer.
The worst team in the NL lost another game in an ugly way, with Hunter Pence crumpling to the ground, allowing an inside-the-park homer to get by. Up until now, at least we could count on Cueto to win for us. Not now. The Rocks got all their runs in one shitty inning. It has to get better, right?
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