Living in South Nashville, I know many people who know Mookie ( I personally don't know him). And when I tell you I've never heard a negative word about him, I'm not exaggerating. He's one of the good guys.
I don't think so, since someone will want to steal the spotlight. I think Leo might send a video blessing, though. I just want them to get past the first round, but, what a season!
Two Mookie thoughts about how different baseball looks today than when I was a kid infatuated with the sport in the 1960s and 1970s and Bob Gibson ruled the mound. Mookie is a black African American. That's extremely rare today, but it was common for teams to have more than a half dozen blacks in their starting lineups. Thank you Jackie Robinson! Second, I love the nickname. But where have all the Willies gone? Mays, McCovey, Stargell, McGee, Wilson, Randolph, Davis, etc. Where have you gone Willie Mays Aikens?
Loved the part where they went through one of Mookie's AB against Verlander, and both of them talked about what they looked for on each pitch and how they approached facing each other.
Explain yourself. Why should he apologize? Who should he apologize to? You? Everyone else that doesn't like BLM? Who exactly did he do wrong by supporting BLM? You don't like BLM. Fair enough. Explain why Mookie has to apologize for supporting it. Your comment was a joke.
Because we don't typically tolerate racist and corrupt movements in America. And BLM is exactly that. They spread hate and violence. If a player were to kneel in support or the KKK, you would likley want a general apology for that - if his carreer even survived such a thing - and so too with BLM.
I can't believe the Phillies lineup has a combined 6 WAR. The Mariners this year are one of the worst hitting teams I have ever seen, and their starting lineup has either 15 or 16 WAR (depending on who you call the 3B and SS).
I guess that must mean the Phillies defense is really bad also...
The Phillies are worse. Depending on the metric you use, they are a bottom 3 offense or the worst, and they have a -39 DRS as well. The team besides Harper and Schwarber has hit .237/.295/.368 in a very offensively friendly park. Their pitching is near the top though, and they are the best at FIP-, as the defense and park keeps them from being #1 in ERA.
Seattle actually has a 102 wRC+ and a 101 rbat+. You are watching an average offense with a fans jaundiced eye in a pitcher's park. Their defense is not good, but better than the Phillies. Considering their park, the Mariner's offense is actually better than their pitching.
I think the Red Sox, with Tolle, Gray, and Suarez at the front and Chapman, Whitlock, and (maybe) Crochet at the back, are another team that could make a run without scoring a lot of them.
Since 7/28 the Dodgers are 6-19 vs. playoff contending teams, and 3 of those wins are 2 vs. Seattle and 1 vs. the Cards, so I'm being a bit liberal with contending.
Sure they can turn it on like a faucet, but it doesn't look like the machine they were thought to be.
I don't know if this formula is pure Bill James "bullshit" or not, but it seems like the Brewers approach - high OBP (1st in MLB), just get a hit (most hits in MLB) work the count (tied for 1st in pitches per plate appearance with two other teams), hit singles, take the extra base, steal a base (5th in MLB but their success rate is only 76% BUT they still are gonna run!) - is the formula for offense when hitting is down.
And as Joe states and to expand upon what he wrote, when you've got Le Miz leading your rotation, you're sort of in a 1986 Houston Astros/Mike Scott situation on your hands and everyone else has to deal with it.
I do love that Phillies starting 3, and the Dodgers pitching depth. But do those teams play defense?
I feel as a Dodger fan, that I can rest on their laurels. The last two titles have been so unexpected, I know what all other teams' fans will say to that, but we had no pitchers in 2024 and no hitting in 2025, so this year I won't be too disappointed even if we lose in the divisional round. It's been such a lovely run. But, I would love to see Mookie lead us to the WS! :)
Isn't every MLB team inconsistent, even the Brewers and the Rockies? Some days they win, some days they lose. It doesn't get much more inconsistent than that.
And aren't all the players inconsistent? Take Jacob Misiorowski. He's had two games giving up five earned runs in four or five innings, nine games with zero, and so his ERA is 1.86.
And...why is "consistent" even on the list of attributes for a baseball player or team? "Good" seems much more important.
Well, Joe did mention Cam Schlittler's season, with 25 starts giving up 0 or 1 runs (in 33 starts) His highest runs given up was 4. Seems pretty consistent to me.
Living in South Nashville, I know many people who know Mookie ( I personally don't know him). And when I tell you I've never heard a negative word about him, I'm not exaggerating. He's one of the good guys.
I don't think so, since someone will want to steal the spotlight. I think Leo might send a video blessing, though. I just want them to get past the first round, but, what a season!
The way Hernandez ran the bases, it was a little surprising he wasn’t thrown out at home when he hit a HR last night!
Two Mookie thoughts about how different baseball looks today than when I was a kid infatuated with the sport in the 1960s and 1970s and Bob Gibson ruled the mound. Mookie is a black African American. That's extremely rare today, but it was common for teams to have more than a half dozen blacks in their starting lineups. Thank you Jackie Robinson! Second, I love the nickname. But where have all the Willies gone? Mays, McCovey, Stargell, McGee, Wilson, Randolph, Davis, etc. Where have you gone Willie Mays Aikens?
Mookie's podcast is a little jocky for my taste, but he just had a nice thoughtful episode with Justin Verlander on the cusp of his retirement:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZ2xdvlQTc8
Loved the part where they went through one of Mookie's AB against Verlander, and both of them talked about what they looked for on each pitch and how they approached facing each other.
Didnt know how Red Sox fans gel until the Mets let Alonso walk
Mookie seems like a nice enough guy, but he still needs to apologize for supporting BLM back in 2020.
What an ignorant statement.
Why?
Explain yourself. Why should he apologize? Who should he apologize to? You? Everyone else that doesn't like BLM? Who exactly did he do wrong by supporting BLM? You don't like BLM. Fair enough. Explain why Mookie has to apologize for supporting it. Your comment was a joke.
Because we don't typically tolerate racist and corrupt movements in America. And BLM is exactly that. They spread hate and violence. If a player were to kneel in support or the KKK, you would likley want a general apology for that - if his carreer even survived such a thing - and so too with BLM.
BLM is great. He needs to apologize for promoting pickleball though.
https://www.smashforgood.org/
You’re funny. Is BLM great? Maybe it seemed that way to him at the time - a lot of people lost their minds in 2020, but don’t we know better now?
And yet the felon is still president.
I can't believe the Phillies lineup has a combined 6 WAR. The Mariners this year are one of the worst hitting teams I have ever seen, and their starting lineup has either 15 or 16 WAR (depending on who you call the 3B and SS).
I guess that must mean the Phillies defense is really bad also...
The Phillies are worse. Depending on the metric you use, they are a bottom 3 offense or the worst, and they have a -39 DRS as well. The team besides Harper and Schwarber has hit .237/.295/.368 in a very offensively friendly park. Their pitching is near the top though, and they are the best at FIP-, as the defense and park keeps them from being #1 in ERA.
Seattle actually has a 102 wRC+ and a 101 rbat+. You are watching an average offense with a fans jaundiced eye in a pitcher's park. Their defense is not good, but better than the Phillies. Considering their park, the Mariner's offense is actually better than their pitching.
Interesting data. The Mariners pitching has definitely been worse this year than the past few years.
I think the Red Sox, with Tolle, Gray, and Suarez at the front and Chapman, Whitlock, and (maybe) Crochet at the back, are another team that could make a run without scoring a lot of them.
Since 7/28 the Dodgers are 6-19 vs. playoff contending teams, and 3 of those wins are 2 vs. Seattle and 1 vs. the Cards, so I'm being a bit liberal with contending.
Sure they can turn it on like a faucet, but it doesn't look like the machine they were thought to be.
Yeah, anybody in the AL West should not count as a contending team this year. And I'm a Mariners fan...
I don't know if this formula is pure Bill James "bullshit" or not, but it seems like the Brewers approach - high OBP (1st in MLB), just get a hit (most hits in MLB) work the count (tied for 1st in pitches per plate appearance with two other teams), hit singles, take the extra base, steal a base (5th in MLB but their success rate is only 76% BUT they still are gonna run!) - is the formula for offense when hitting is down.
And as Joe states and to expand upon what he wrote, when you've got Le Miz leading your rotation, you're sort of in a 1986 Houston Astros/Mike Scott situation on your hands and everyone else has to deal with it.
I do love that Phillies starting 3, and the Dodgers pitching depth. But do those teams play defense?
Gibson hit 24 home runs in his career and had one in the WS, but still his OPS in 1968 was only .456. A pinch hitter was likely to do better.
I feel as a Dodger fan, that I can rest on their laurels. The last two titles have been so unexpected, I know what all other teams' fans will say to that, but we had no pitchers in 2024 and no hitting in 2025, so this year I won't be too disappointed even if we lose in the divisional round. It's been such a lovely run. But, I would love to see Mookie lead us to the WS! :)
I experience a Mookie-like joy when you mention The Big Train in a column!
I share the love for Mookie. And think of going from great right fielder to great shortstop!
Isn't every MLB team inconsistent, even the Brewers and the Rockies? Some days they win, some days they lose. It doesn't get much more inconsistent than that.
And aren't all the players inconsistent? Take Jacob Misiorowski. He's had two games giving up five earned runs in four or five innings, nine games with zero, and so his ERA is 1.86.
And...why is "consistent" even on the list of attributes for a baseball player or team? "Good" seems much more important.
Well, Joe did mention Cam Schlittler's season, with 25 starts giving up 0 or 1 runs (in 33 starts) His highest runs given up was 4. Seems pretty consistent to me.