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Greetings, fellow baseball enjoyers! And welcome to our thrice-weekly newsletter/blog.
My name’s AJ… and this is Two-Strike Count.
Blanco suspended for sticky stuff
File this one under the heading of to the surprise of absolutely no one. Astros pitcher Ronel Blanco, who threw a no-hitter earlier this season (and almost threw another one not long after), got himself in trouble with MLB. An Astros player in trouble with the league? Like I said… no surprise here.
Blanco got tossed on Tuesday after umpires found sticky stuff on his glove. And on Wednesday, MLB suspended Blanco for 10 games. Personally, I think a sticky stuff infraction should carry a stiffer penalty, but I digress. The real issue here is the Houston Astros were caught cheating.
Again.
I mean, what is it, exactly? Can they just not help themselves? Did “winning” the 2017 World Series after pulling off the biggest cheating scandal in baseball history make them think they can get away with it for the rest of time?
I dunno about that, but their general manager Dana Brown sure doesn’t seem to have a problem with it. After Blanco’s suspension (which he said he would appeal), Brown said Blanco’s “a good dude.”
A good dude? Really? Interesting.
Call me crazy, but a good dude wouldn’t have what umpire Erich Bacchus called “the stickiest stuff I’ve felt on a glove since we started doing this.”
Yikes.
Blanco and Astros manager Joe Espada tried to claim the substance was a mixture of rosin (which is legal) and sweat. Uh huh. Sure it was.
Blanco’s suspension means the Astros can’t replace him on the active roster, depleting their already depleted pitching staff even further.
Oh well.
Buck returns to baseball
Joe Buck stepped away after 26 years as Fox’s lead baseball announcer, a span during which he called 24 World Series. But on May 24… he’s back.
Buck, whose father was Ford C. Frick Award winner Jack Buck, will team up with Chip Caray, grandson of the legendary Harry Caray to call a match-up between the Cardinals and the NL Central rival Cubs.
Talk about a dream team. And talk about the perfect game for them to team up.
Cardinals and Cubs? The son of a legendary Cardinals broadcaster and the grandson of a legendary Cubs broadcaster? Sign me up!
Seriously, though, it’ll be downright awesome to have Joe back in the baseball booth, even if it is just for one game. Before he left Fox for ESPN, he was behind the mic for some seriously iconic moments like Mark McGwire’s record-breaking 62nd home run in 1998, Luis Gonzalez’s walk-off, World Series winning hit off Mariano Rivera in 2001, Dave Roberts’ stolen base that sparked the 2004 Red Sox historic comeback against the Yankees, and David Freese’s heroics for the Cardinals in the 2011 World Series.
MLB, NHL, NBA call out Bally
And to wrap things up, another twist in the Diamond/Bally Sports saga. Lawyers for MLB, the NHL, and the NBA criticized the plan laid out by Bally Sports Networks and its parent company, Diamond Sports.
The lawyers each voiced concerns about the uncertainty of whether or not fans would be able to watch their favorite teams. And they’re right. It’s not 1980 anymore. Hell, it’s not even 1990 anymore. We’re living in the golden age of technology. We can stream shows and movies with just a few taps on a screen, and you mean to tell me these knuckleheads can’t figure this mess out?
And when I say knuckleheads, I mean Diamond, Bally, the cable and satellite companies, and the leagues themselves. None of the leagues have exactly gone above and beyond to make sure that we, the fans, are able to watch our favorite teams. Sure, MLB has MLB.tv, but it’s limited by blackout restrictions.
The truth is, us fans (no matter what the sport) need a stress-free, affordable, reliable way to watch our favorite teams. And while it doesn’t look like that’ll happen anytime soon, we can all out hold out hope for the June 18th hearing when (hopefully) we’ll get some kind of solution.
That’s it for this edition of Two-Strike Count, baseball fans. Until next time!
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