The Chicago Cubs denied an assertion by the Chicago Sun-Times on Friday that the tarp debacle earlier in the week against the San Francisco Giants happened because the club short-staffs the grounds crew at Wrigley Field in order to avoid paying health insurance.

A surprising storm at Wrigley on Tuesday night caused a long delay because chief Roger Baird's working crew couldn't get the tarp — which had become saturated with water as it was unfurled — to cover the infield quickly enough. With field conditions unplayable even 4 1/2 hours after the rain stopped, umpires called the game in favor of the Cubs, who were leading in the bottom of the fifth inning. In a surprising but just turn of events, Major League Baseball upheld a protest by the Giants, and the teams resumed the suspended game Thursday. The Cubs won 2-1, but not before being thoroughly embarrassed.

Thoroughly, but not completely. That's if the Sun-Times report, which cites several unnamed sources within and outside the organization, is true:

Baird was dealt by policies driven from the top of the business and stadium side of the operation, leading to a national embarrassment – which might have been preventable, if not foreseeable.

Sources say 10 crew members were sent home early by the bosses Tuesday night with little, if any, input from the field-level supervisors.

[Cubs spokesperson] Julian Green doesn’t dispute that but says it’s common practice when the forecast calls for clear weather as he claimed Tuesday’s forecast did (contrary to several reports that day). But sources say this year’s protocol has changed dramatically since the off-season shakeup with game-day personnel in anticipation of the [Affordable Care Act] taking effect — along with the experience level in many areas because of resulting attrition.

“There have been organizational changes,” Green acknowledges. “Every organization, whether it’s baseball or corporate, is always continuing to evaluate inefficiencies, and obviously that translates to ours."

Hey, thanks for the good double-talk.

Double shame on the Cubs if this is true, for two reasons: One, it's more "Major League" the movie than major league. Ownership cutting corners on something as crucial to gameday operations as a grounds crew, in a city such as Chicago that experiences frequently inclement weather, is just asking for trouble. If a grounds crew person needs to work at least 130 hours a month to meet the requirements for health care, that's the cost of doing business. But the Cubs have gone on the cheap since being sold by Sam Zell, and it's not just in the free-agent market.

Not to forget, it's unethical, immoral and (should be) illegal to exploit your workers. Not only did the Ricketts family allegedly cut hours to one set of employees, but it required the leftover crew to do twice as much work. Were they paid for twice the work? At least they got some overtime. Possibly.

Most children are named after their parents or the parents' parents or some other relative or the place they were conceived. But it appears that a slew of children born in the last year or two have Dodgers phenom Yasiel Puig as their namesake.

When Puig burst onto the scene for the Dodgers in June of 2013 to the tune of 44 hits and 7 homers in his first month, many people still speculated about his potential as a ballplayer and as a fan favorite. However, in the Pasadena Star-News, one expert hypothesized that "Yasiel" would rise to prominence as a popular baby name, like "Kobe" did in 1997 (after some guy named Kobe Bryant took over the NBA straight outta high school).

"Kobe, Yasiel, are cool names that sit with current trends and what parents are looking for," she said. "That's when you really strike gold."
Between 2000 and 2010, there were fewer than 50 children born in the United States named Yasiel. According to NameBerry.com, approximately 100 boys were named "Yasiel" or "Jasiel" in 2013 and that number is expected to grow (the site says the name's popularity is up 162 percent this week).

Over at BabyCenter.com, they've organized their data into a fancy little graph that demonstrates exactly how popular "Yasiel" is right now.

It was 25 years ago today that, on a 96 mph fastball, A's Rickey Henderson swings and misses, making Nolan Ryan the first pitcher and only major league pitcher to strike out 5000 batters. The 'Ryan Express' strikes out 13 and gives up only five hits, but loses the game to Oakland, 2-0.

I remember this. And, I still cross my legs every time I read it. It was on this date 5 years ago that, in the 14th inning of the 1-0 Mariners' victory over Chicago, Adrián Beltre, who scores the winning run, is hit below the belt by a ninth-inning ground ball scorched by Alexei Ramirez. The Seattle third baseman, who doesn't wear a protective cup because it makes him feel uncomfortable, will be placed on the disabled list with a torn right testicle, much to the chagrin of his manager.

O.k.  So NOT a few days after all.  Castillo to the Red Sox, for 7 years and $ 72 1/2 mil.  He is supposed to play for them sometime before the end of the year.  Here is much more on the subject.


bleacherreport.com/articles/2171984-rusney-castillo-to-red-sox-latest-details-analysis-and-reaction

That's right. Embrace who you really are -

Nothing like kicking a guy while he is down, right Jackie?

Winning is fun. And, sometimes, it can bring even more fun.

WASHINGTON -- Earlier this season, Nationals manager Matt Williams said that if the Nationals won 10 consecutive games, he would impersonate Babe Ruth before a game. As a member of the Giants in the early 1990s, Williams once impersonated the baseball legend's famous stance and home-run trot.

On Thursday, the Nationals won their 10th consecutive game, but don't look for Williams to impersonate the Babe any time soon. He tried not to talk about it with the media after the team's 1-0 victory over the D-backs. Williams jokingly said would be the Babe in the privacy of a stadium somewhere.

"It's not appropriate. You talk to folks and you say, 'Sure, we would love to win 10 in a row.' At some point, it will be fun and appropriate, but not right now," Williams said.

Nationals infielder Kevin Frandsen was born and raised in the Bay Area and remembered when Williams played Babe at Candlestick Park.

"I'm from the Bay Area, you have seen it a couple of times," Frandsen said.

Anthony Rendon has seen the video of Williams as well. Rendon, however would like to see an updated version.

"It would be kind of interesting to see him. It might be like a real run this time for him," Rendon said.

That was fabulous!

It's going so good, that I almost don't want to post this. But, the Cubs (and former Oriole) Jake Arrieta has only allowed the O's 2 today through 6.

And, i'll bet the A's thought they were getting the 2 best pitchers the Cubs had to offer........

Boy, you nailed that one. Baltimore fans must be miserable about letting him go, first place or not!

Without readin the original story this is coming from, I have one lingering question on this. I wonder if he knows it is going to happen, or, will he get major league punked?

Still, you have to love having fun at the expense of a guy who many think will be the next big thing in L.A, and sooner than later.

Joc Pederson is going to be playing in Los Angeles once the rosters expand on September 1. And, assuming the Dodgers figure out their logjam in the outfield, he could never be retuning to the minor leagues. As such, he probably won’t have much use for his sweet ride: a 1994 Buick Century with 166,000 miles on it. Maybe it can be yours! From the Isotopes’ press release:

One lucky fan at the Albuquerque Isotopes game next Friday, Aug. 29, will drive away (or tow away) outfielder Joc Pederson’s luxurious 1994 Buick Century. Fans will not want to miss the chance to win this one-of-a-kind car driven by the next Los Angeles Dodgers superstar.

The car, nicknamed “Little Chucky,” has only 166,000 miles on it and has at least one operable window, which is really all you need. It is perfect for cruising around during the New Mexico summers with its “awesome” stereo system and lack of air conditioning. Kelly Blue Book estimates the value at nearly $1,000 (depending on if it has a full tank of gas). Little Chucky will also come with two complimentary air fresheners and whatever else Pederson forgets to clean out.
You can enter by going to the Isotopes’ game on August 29 and filling out an entry. The “winner” will be picked after the game. If you want to see the car in question, click through to the story here.

Ted Williams daughter wrote a book about her famous father.

Ted Williams was one of the best hitters who ever lived. He was also a famously did-it-my-way sort known for, among other things, saying whatever was on his mind and to heck with the consequences.

In "Ted Williams, My Father," Claudia Williams demonstrates that she is very much her father's daughter. She has written a memoir that is tender and tough, poignant and heartbreaking, sweet and raw. And so honest that at times it feels like peeping into a stranger's window.

Claudia was a product of her father's second marriage, born a decade after he retired. She was largely raised by her mother. One theme that runs through these pages is her overwhelming need to be accepted by a father who doted on her brother John Henry and, if not a misogynist, held old-fashioned attitudes toward women. "You wouldn't believe how many times during my young years I wished I had been born a boy," she observes early on.

There's a revealing story about an invitational cross-country race when she was in sixth grade. She had a chance to be the first girl to win it. Making the outcome even more crucial, her father was there. She was third going into the home stretch but, summoning every bit of determination she had, she ended up winning. It was a wonderful moment that she wanted to bask in with her dad. But the other parents came up and started asking him for autographs and she was gradually pushed aside.

Claudia is a talented writer. Example: "Although my father spanked me only once, he tested me on numerous occasions. His words could penetrate even the toughest armor, and many times his words stung for days -- sometimes months. A few are still with me, like embedded splinters."

She clearly adores her dad, who she refers to occasionally as Ted Williams. She is blunt in her assessment of his treatment of women, but that only makes her work harder to gain his approval. He could be short-tempered, but that's because he was a perfectionist who became frustrated when he couldn't control whatever situation was at hand the way he mastered hitting and fly-fishing.

It's no secret that he was a world-class cusser. Her explanation: "Everyone needs an outlet, a coping strategy. For Dad it came in the form of verbal expression laced with expletives few have heard. Ted Williams needed to swear. Without swearing he never would have been able to express himself with the emphasis that he demanded. For Ted Williams to have repressed his emotions would have been dangerous to his health and his psyche. It was my father's heartfelt form of prayer."

Only those who have been born to a famous parent can fully understand what a double-edged sword it can be. Sure, there are benefits. But she also remembers getting an A on a science project only to have a classmate tell her the only reason was because of her father.

There are, apparently, many embedded splinters, and Williams doesn't sugarcoat her feelings toward those she believes wronged her family. Several of the women in her father's life, those who she says falsely presented themselves as friends, those who criticized John Henry for attempting to protect their father's brand from unscrupulous memorabilia dealers and, of course, the media.

In the end, she achieved the relationship with her father she'd worked so hard for. It happened late in his life. She, John Henry and Ted Williams began spending as much time together as possible. They didn't want it to end. Which explains the decision to be cryogenically frozen with the hope of being reunited in the distant future after science has conquered disease and perfected cloning.

She knew it would be controversial. She discusses the process with almost clinical detachment. She admits that the odds are long. In the end the takeaway is to wonder, as she does, why it bothers outsiders so much. Many, in this telling, reached the same conclusion after John Henry died of leukemia two years later.

Claudia Williams, the Hall of Famer's only surviving child, describes herself as a private person who was pushed to a point where she felt the need to counter what she regards as malicious falsehoods. She did more than that. She bared her soul in a remarkable, if sometimes uncomfortable, read.

Kudos to the Cincinnati Reds fans.

Mike Minor had a no-hitter going until the 8th inning. With 2 outs, a Red finally got a hit and scored a run. When Minor was relieved after that, he received a standing ovation from the Reds fans. I'm impressed.

Then, when Justin Upton hit a 2 run homer to go ahead in the 12th inning, the Reds fans gave him an ovation, too.

Cincinnati must be a cool place to hang out.