They Play a Boy's Game for Millions a Year and Act Like Children

 

Francisco Lindor and Javier Baez Give a Thumbs Down to the Fans after Yesterday's Game

It is a privilege to be a Major League Baseball player.  Millions of kids have to dream to play in the Major Leagues but at a given point in time, there are only 780 players on team rosters.  All players have an obligation to perform to the best of their abilities.  Ticket prices are quite high these days and even those not attending in person are playing through their cable TV subscriptions.

For three months the Mets were leading the weak National League, but have collapsed in August.  Francisco Lindor's batting average is .224 this season with an OPS of .686.  He signed a contract of $341 million over the next 10 years. Javier Baez who is currently making $11.6 million a year has hit .210 in his 17 games as a Met.  He will be a free agent at the end of the season.

You can see in the photo above the two of them are giving a thumbs down to the fans.  Are they blaming the fans for their poor performances?  The fans have every right to boo them at the stadium as long as profanity is not used.

Below is a statement from Team President Sandy Alderson

In a post-game press conference today, Javy Báez stated that his “thumbs down” gesture during the game was a message to fans who recently have booed him and other players for poor performance. These comments, and any gestures by him or other players with a similar intent, are totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

Mets fans are understandably frustrated over the team’s recent performance. The players and the organization are equally frustrated, but fans at Citi Field have every right to express their own disappointment. Booing is every fan’s right.

The Mets will not tolerate any player gesture that is unprofessional in its meaning or is directed in a negative way toward our fans. I will be meeting with our players and staff to convey this message directly.

Mets fans are loyal, passionate, knowledgeable and more than willing to express themselves. We love them for every one of these qualities.

My suggestion would be to bench those two players for a few games.  In this way they cannot file a grievance since they would not lose salary.

The Met Bats Finally Come Alive as they Beat the Washington Nationals 9-4

 

The Mets have not done well lately as they lost 11 of 13 to the Dodgers and Giants and are 9-20 since the trade deadline. At one time they were 5 games ahead in the National East but fell to 8 1/2 games behind the Atlanta Braves.  The pitching is usually good, but they just can't hit with runners in scoring position.

Sunday afternoons at Citi Field have been a ritual for the Slutskys for many years.  A few days ago a looked at the Mets website and noted that tickets in the Promenade Infield were $40 each.  I then went to Stub Hub and saw tickets for $14.  So today I got a bargain.

The Met hitting attack today featured two-run homers by Javy Baez and Jonathan Villar.  Juan Soto and Josh Bell (twice) homered for the Nationals.  When Soto walked in the second and fourth innings, I got the impression they were semi-intentional.

At the end of the game, Javier Baez and Francisco gave thumbs-down gestures to celebrate the victory.  Both of them have performed poorly during their tenures with the Mets and deserve to be booed when they don't come through in the clutch.

Box Score

Return to the Cooper Hewitt Museum

 September 2019 was the last time I was at the Cooper Hewitt Museum.  All museums were closed for over a year because of the COVID-19 situation.  There is no admission charge to this museum until the end of October.

Some of the exhibitions on view are:

Suzi Zuzek For Lilly Pulitzer: The Prints That Made the Fashion Brand -  Suzie Zuzek (1920-2011) created over 1,500 designs for Key West Hand Print Fabrics in Key West, Florida, which were used by Lilly Pulitzer

Willi Smith: Street Couture - Willi Smith (1948–1987) united fashion and American culture, marrying affordable, adaptable basics with avant-garde performance, film, art, and design

The third floor was closed since an exhibition of works by graphic design pioneer E. McKnight Kauffer (American, 1890–1954) will open on September 10.  

Bob Dylan's Never Ending Tour Resumes in October 2021

 

Please disregard this.  This event is no longer on the list of concerts in Lubbock.  It must have been posted there in error.

The Never Ending Tour resumes in Lubbock, Texas on October 14 after a hiatus of almost two years because of the COVID-19 Pandemic.  As of now, this is the only concert scheduled.  Since Bob is now 80 years old, will he have the stamina to tour?  Will he come to the Beacon Theater in November?

The Jazz Side of Charlie Watts

 

The Charlie Watts Quintet on the David Letterman Show - July 10, 1996

Everyone and his brother announced the passing of Charlie Watts on social media yesterday.  There were many tributes on TV news about his drumming with the Rolling Stones since 1963.  I found out that he was also a jazz drummer for a group known as the Charlie Watts Quintet.  I found a YouTube video of his appearance on the David Letterman Show in 1996.

Dedication to the Powers That Be at Sony Television Concerning Jeopardy - Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?

 

I thank William Padron for bringing this to my attention. Variety reports that the 5 episodes recorded with Mike Richards as host will be shown.  Mayim Bialek will then serve as host for 15 succeeding episodes while more guest hosts will be announced at a later date.

Can't these big executives make up their minds.  They could make Mayim a permanent host or pick from the guest hosts from last season.  My first choice is Ken Jennings as he has always been popular with the audience.  My second choice is Levar Burton who showed great enthusiasm for Jeopardy over the years and really wants the gig.

Stay tuned.

Jack Zerby - Extraordinary Writer and Editor for SABR Passes Away at 78

 

Yesterday, I found out about the passing of Jack Zerby at age 78.  I knew Jack as a writer and fact-checker for the SABR Games and Biography Projects.  Please look at the bibliography of his SABR publications.  I met Jack at the SABR annual meeting in Pittsburgh in 2018.  I certainly exchanged many emails with him over the past 3 years on SABR issues.  I appreciated his kindness when he sent me a condolence card after Karen’s passing in February.

Here are some comments made by some of his SABR colleagues:

John Fredland - Jack was one of the first Games Project members whom I ever interacted with, when Mike Huber sent him one of my articles with directions to reduce some of the word count. He did a great job at that, much as he did in many other areas with the Games Project and SABR in general. His encouragement inspired me to apply for the committee chair position last year, and he contributed to our team in many ways, especially in coaching new authors and coming up with outstanding ideas for his own articles.

Tom Brown - Jack was one of the first individuals that I met when I became active in SABR back in 2016. We hung out at the two SABR conventions that we attended and talked about doing the same thing at Baltimore. I always enjoyed our chats and phone calls about baseball as well as life here in NC where we both lived. He was definitely a mentor to me and always had an encouraging word. Like you said, he had a knack for finding interesting stories about players and games that might have been overlooked. His participation in the Games Project and SABR will be missed.

Bill Nowlin - Jack was a wonderful colleague and collaborator, and always seemed to be in a positive frame of mind.

Steve Weiner - When I think of Jack Zerby, I think of one word: POSITIVE!…..in word, thought and deed, no matter how you might have interacted with him. I knew him only briefly (since the New York City SABR convention). I’ll remember him for much longer. Thank you, Jack!

Len Levin - Ironically, I copyedited a game story today in which the author thanked Jack for his assistance. That was Jack, always willing to help.

Gary Belleville - Jack was always very generous with his time. He helped me immensely when I began to write for the Games Project. I will miss him very much

My condolences to his family and friends.  He will be sorely missed by all who knew him.