HI Everyone —
With the All-Star Game upon us, we’re going to make JoeBlogs free for the break. Hope you enjoy!
Yes, I saw James Gunn’s new Superman movie over the weekend. Not only did I see Superman, but I got this:
I told you I was a Superman nerd!
Everybody is writing Superman reviews, so I don’t feel the need to add another right now, but I’ll tell you this: The movie made me so happy. That’s all. I’ve been griping here for years about how they turned Superman dark, and how the Superman I fell in love with is the opposite of dark. The Superman I fell in love with is corny and kind and a bit naive and utterly devoted to using his almost unlimited powers for good. There are a couple of clever twists that push Superman to question himself, but in the end, he doesn’t because, as I’ve written time and again, SUPERMAN IS GOOD.
The one other thing I want to say about this movie is that it is probably the best cast Superhero movie I’ve ever seen. David Cornswet is an absolutley perfect Superman, but I’d say Rachel Brosnahan is the best Lois Lane ever to appear on screen, Nathan Fillion is so good as Green Lantern, Edi Gathegi is beyond terrific as Mister Terrific and, honestly, Nicholas Holt’s Lex Luthor might just be the equal of Gene Hackman’s. Holt plays Luther with a bit more cruelty and less humor, but it totally works.
If I have one complaint, it is that they didn’t give Wendell Pierce more to do as Perry White. When you’ve got The Bunk playing a newspaper editor, you’ve got to let him go!
Is it perfect? No. Is it wonderful? Yes. It lived up to my every hope. Thank you, James Gunn.
Stealing Time (and Joy) at Wimbledon
Carlos Alcaraz might be the most entertaining tennis player who ever lived. Statements like that don’t always add much, but nobody would deny that Alcaraz is certainly in the photograph with players like Roger Federer and Gael Monfils and Martina Hingis and Pablo Cuevas and Alexander Bublik and Dustin Brown and Fabrice Santoro and, going way back, Vitas Gerulaitis and obviously Mansour Bahrami and so on.*
*I write “obviously Mansour Bahrami” for the tennis fans among you — for those of you just checking in, YouTube any of these players’ highlights and enjoy!
Anyway, when it comes to pure fun, it’s hard to beat Carlos Alcaraz.
Unless you take away the fun.
And that’s precisely what Jannik Sinner did to Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final on Sunday. The final score was 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. The monotonous and numbing repetition of numbers gives you a pretty good sense of how the match went.
Sinner’s game is not built for fun. He pounds the ball — repeatedly, continually, persistently, unstoppably. He pounds it off the forehand wing, he pounds it off the backhand wing, he pounds it from the baseline, he pounds it from the middle of the court, he pounds it from the net. There was a great Russian tennis player named Yevgeny Kafelnikov, and people nicknamed him “Kalashnikov” after the assault rifle because of his last name. But the nickname fits Sinner even better.
As my friend Tommy — a moderate tennis fan — says, Sinner did the impossible on Sunday: He made an Alcaraz match kind of boring. I didn’t quite see it that way (the tactics were utterly fascinating to me), but I get what he’s saying: Alcaraz was rarely allowed to be himself. Sinner gave him few opportunities to be creative, to run down shots, to hit those heartbreakingly tender drop shots that leave every other player on earth frozen.
Instead, Alcaraz found himself fighting for his life as angry shots kept attacking him like wasps. At one point, he turned to his camp and basically said, “I don’t even know what to do here.” Sinner was so ferocious and so relentless with his serving and his groundstrokes that Alcaraz couldn’t see a way through. “He was better than me from the baseline,” Alcaraz would say. “And I didn’t know what to do.”
After a short while, the only question left was whether Sinner would have the spirit to finish the job. Alcaraz has owned him of late, and barely a month earlier had taken Sinner’s heart in a five-set French Open final that might be the most fantastic match ever played. In the fourth set, up a break, Sinner had to face those demons. He was down 15-40, and Alcaraz was actually smiling for the first time in a couple of hours.
And Sinner just obliterated a couple of serves, and the threat was over.
I do find Sinner to be entertaining to watch … but it’s a different kind of entertaining than Alcaraz. He’s so fast and so powerful, and I do not remember a player better at shorthopping a ball on the rise. But in this thrilling rivalry, he has to be Frazier to Alcaraz’s Ali, work the body and take away the time Alcaraz needs and, yes, steal joy.
Alcaras found time and joy in Paris, and we were left with a tennis masterpiece. Sinner suffocated Alcaraz at Wimbledon, and we were left with a workmanlike destruction. The U.S. Open can’t come soon enough.
A quick Baseball Draft rundown
Scanning the Internet to give you a quick rundown of the first 27 picks in the MLB Draft. For a more detailed look, we always recommend you check out our friend Keith Law, the best in the business.
Best I can tell, this draft didn’t have a surefire 1-1 — no Bryce Harper or Adley Rutschman, here — but what it lacks in prestige it more than makes up for in name quality. We’ve got some wonderful names here.
No. 1: Washington Nationals: High School shortstop Eli Willits
Willits is the son of former big leaguer Reggie Willits — remember him?! — and he’s supposedly a dynamite defensive shortstop already (and he’s only 17). Maybe this will be a home run pick, but it seems super odd to me because the Nationals need help fast, and Willits is the youngest player in the draft. There’s a real question whether he will develop enough power. It’s worth noting that his dad hit exactly zero big league homers in more than 1,000 plate appearances.
No. 2: California Angels: College pitcher Tyler Brehmer
Nobody gets this pick. Nobody gets the Angels. Brehmer apparently came into the year as a big-time prospect, but he really struggled in college (many think this is because of the tragic loss of his mother during the season), and most scouts I read soured on him. The Angels apparently buy in — perhaps in an effort to save money — and Brehmer does throw a high-90s fastball with a potentially plus slider, so who knows? I’m certainly not smart enough or knowledgeable enough to make predictions.
No. 3: Seattle Mariners: College pitcher Kade Anderson
Most previews I read over the last few weeks had Anderson as the No. 1 overall pick. He’s a lefty with four pitches, he throws strikes, and he was dominant at LSU. He doesn’t have the upper-tier velocity of others, but Keith Law says he might be in the big leagues within 18 months, and there’s a reasonable chance that in future years we will look at those top two picks and wonder how they could have missed on Anderson.
No. 4: Colorado Rockies: High school shortstop Ethan Holliday
Colorado was obviously DYING to get in on the Holliday family tree with Matt Holliday being a beloved Rockie … Ethan is a different kind of prospect from his brother Jackson, who is playing second for the Orioles now. Ethan is much bigger and stronger, a lot more like his dad, and he projects to hit a bunch of home runs if he can make contact.
No. 5: St. Louis Cardinals: College pitcher Liam Doyle
There was some debate about which SEC lefty is the better prospect — LSU’s Anderson or Tennessee’s Doyle. From what I can gather, Anderson is the safer bet because of his polish, while Doyle is the higher ceiling guy because of his high-90s fastball that moves like Jagger. Questions about Doyle revolve around his quirky delivery and whether or not he projects as a starter or closer. I don’t want to guess, but I will say those were the exact same knocks on Chris Sale, and he turned out OK.
No. 6: Pittsburgh Pirates: High school pitcher Seth Hernandez
Every now and again, teams have pulled a Max Fried or Jose Berrios out of high school, but much more often they end up with Ty Hensley or Nick Travieso or Trey Ball or Brady Aiken or Tyler Kolek or Ashe Russell or Riley Pint or, do I need to keep going? This sounds like the list of drummers for Spinal Tap. Seth Herenandez seems to have all the goods — a 100-mph fastball and big-time change-up — but he’s a high school pitcher, so the odds are stacked heavily against him.
No. 7: Miami Marlins: College shortstop Aiva Arquette
Scouts were generally unimpressed by the quality of position players in college this year … Arquette was widely seen as the best of the bunch and I’ve seen Troy Glaus and Willy Adames comparisons thrown out there. But nobody really knows for sure as he didn’t face particularly strong competition at Oregon State and at a bulky 6-foot-5, nobody is quite sure how his body will develop over the next couple of years.
No. 8: Toronto Blue Jays: High school shortstop JoJo Parker
Maybe the best pure hitting prospect in high school this year. There are some questions about where he ends up defensively and whether his power will develop, but when it comes to bat meeting ball, he’s something else.
No. 9: Cincinnati Reds: High school shortstop Steele Hall
OK, first of all: Great name. Steele Hall. No notes. That’s a movie baseball player name if I’ve ever heard one. He’s also probably the fastest player in this entire draft. He’s super young — he’s just 17 and reclassified to be eligible for this draft — which means both (A) The sky’s the limit and (B) There’s a long, long distance between him and the big leagues.
No. 10: Chicago White Sox: High school shortstop Billy Carlson
It should be noted that pretty much any position player you take out of high school will be listed as a shortstop — that’s where the best high school players play. That doesn’t mean they will be shortstops in the pros — Carlson and Willits are the two shortstops likely to stick because of their defensive strengths. Carlson was a high school teammate of Seth Hernandez at Corona High School in California.
No. 11: Sacramento Athletics: College pitcher Jamie Arnold.
Another college lefty with a slightly funky delivery and good fastball.
No. 12: Texas Rangers: High school shortstop Gavin Fien
Considered a potential No. 1 pick before struggling this year; big power potential.
No. 13: San Francisco Giants: College infielder Gavin Kilen
I like this pick a lot. Reports about him remind me a lot of what scouts were saying about Chase Utley coming out of college.
No. 14: Tampa Bay Rays: High school shortstop Daniel Pierce
A speedy shortstop who already plays close to big league defense; the bat is the question.
No. 15: Boston Red Sox: College pitcher Kyson Witherspoon
Kyson has a twin brother, Malachi who has similarly awesome stuff but doesn’t throw as many strikes.
No. 16: Minnesota Twins: College shortstop Marek Houston
Watched Houston play a couple of times because he went to Wake Forest — just like our daughter Katie! — and was wowed by his defense. Will he hit enough?
No. 17: Chicago Cubs: College outfielder Ethan Conrad
Another Wake Forest player! I didn’t see much of Conrad — he got injured during the year — but he was stroking the ball before getting hurt.
No. 18: Arizona Diamondbacks: High school infielder Kayson Cunningham
He’s listed at 5-foot-10 and probably isn’t quite that tall, but he’s wowed scouts with his pure hitting and you don’t have to be tall to succeed in this game.
No. 19: Baltimore Orioles: College catcher/outfielder Ike Irish
Another Hall of Fame baseball name. Nobody knows if he can stay at catcher, but he has enough hitting potential that he could find a regular spot in the lineup as an outfielder.
No. 20: Milwaukee Brewers: College infielder Andrew Fischer
Always displayed power, but this year he became a better overall hitter, and some scouts see a possible Joey Votto trajectory.
No. 21: Houston Astros: High school third baseman Xavier Neyens
Plus power, plus arm — the question is whether he will make enough contact.
No. 22: Atlanta Braves: High school shortstop Tate Southisene
From a baseball family — his brother Ty was the fourth-round pick of the Cubs last year and his other brother Tee is playing at USC. Yes, their names are Tate, Ty, and Tee.
No. 23: Kansas City Royals: High school outfielder Sean Gamble
Toolsy player — with “toolsy” meaning that, like his name, he’s a gamble. He’s got plus speed, plus-arm and plus hitting tools. He could develop into a center field star. He also might not develop those tools, Billy Beane style.
No. 24: Detroit Tigers: High school shortstop Jordan Yost
Good shortstop, good runner, almost never swings and misses. Can he develop enough strength to play at the next level?
No. 25: San Diego Padres: High school pitcher Kruz Schoolcraft
He’s a 6-foot-8 lefty with a big fastball who … never mind all that, did you see that his name is KRUS SCHOOLCRAFT??
No. 26: Philadelphia Phillies: College pitcher Gage Wood
Isn’t this what Nick Offerman does? Gauge wood? You might know that he threw a no-hitter in the College World Series so, yeah, that’s his potential.
No. 27: Cleveland Guardians: College outfielder Jace Laviolette
I don’t know how good a draft this will end up being, but as a name draft, it’s top-notch. Jace Laviolette! Has great raw power but hasn’t performed up to expectations yet.
Kathleen’s Korner
NY Post Sports shared this great video of Hideki Matsui absolutely smashing a ball at a public park.
AU Pro Sports posted this fun fact about AUSL star Aubrey Leach, whose grandmother was a Rockford Peach!
The Baseball Hall of Fame announced a new exhibit showcasing the history of the sport in Japan.
This happened last week, but it’s so absurd, I want to bring it to attention now. This Norfolk Tides pitcher was called for a balk after flinching at a huge crash of thunder.
