Fan Interference

Prof: Sometimes I don’t have words to say all the things I’m thinking or feeling. In those times, I let music speak for me. Today my selections are from the late, infinitely great Donny Hathaway. Let him speak a word to you today.

Scouts: Today we morn the loss of the great Gale Sayers, the Kansas Comet. The 77 year old former running back passed away on Wednesday at his home in Indiana, from complications of dementia and Alzheimers disease. Sayers spent just 6 years playing for the Bears, a career cut all too short by injury. He was a 4 time Pro Bowl player, a 5 time First -team All-Pro. He won the Rookie of the year award in 1965 and the Comeback player of the year in 1969. Injuries limited him to just four games in 1970 and 1971, after which he was forced to retire. He amassed 4,956 yards, at an average of 5 yards per carry. His number was retired by both the Bears and Kansas Jayhawks. While many people will say Sayers was one of the top 5 running backs of all time, he also reached additional fame off the field. For many, he is best known as the inspiration for the movie Brian’s Song, which was based on his friendship with teammate Brian Piccolo, who died of cancer at the young age of 26. The two players were matched up to share a hotel room in 1969, which was the first time a black player was matched with a white player. The two men bonded, and by that November Piccolo was diagnosed with lung cancer. Sayers chronicled the two men’s friendship in his book “I am Third”. The movie and the book had a profound effect on race relations in this country, an issue that sadly, we are still struggling with today. Sayers also sued the NFL in 2013 claiming the league was negligent in their handling of his repeated head injuries throughout his career, which was part of the movement to investigate the effects of suffering from repetitive concussions, a movement that is ongoing to this day.

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Angels 5, Padres 2 – Prof: The Los Angeles of Anaheim of Southern California Angels never seem to play great baseball when it counts, do they? It’s a shame. Maybe next season they will finally get it right and give the GOAT another chance at the playoffs. But for now, defeating a strong San Diego team is a good start. Trout was, surprisingly, a non-factor in this game, but Anthony Benboom sure did go benboom. A big time home run, along with dingers from Shohei Ohtani and Justin Upton, sealed the fate of the Friars.

Phillies 12, Nationals 3 – Prof: Philadelphia had some serious offense last night, but most importantly their starting pitcher was able to pitch for eight innings and kept them in the game. It’s that bad in the bullpen. But enough about them, let’s talk about some guys who actually showed up. A solo dinger from Cutch, two homers from Bryce Harper, and two three run beauties in late innings.

Rangers 3, Diamondbacks 7 – Prof: It looked like Texas was going to get the win but those Gritty Snakes, y’all. Six runs in the sixth inning. Did the Phillies bullpen come to town? Yikes. Two homers from a Arizona rookie, Wyatt Mathisen, to cap off a fun night for the Dbacks.

Athletics 6, Dodgers 4 – Scouts: Is this a potential World Series preview? Who knows, but it is a good tune up for both squads as the season marches to it’s conclusion. Joe Kelly gave up 3 runs in the first inning and it wasn’t until the 8th that they finally clawed their way back to tie up the game. Problem was Ramon Laureano homered for Oakland in the top of the 9th to put this one to bed.

Rockies 2, Giants 7 – Scouts: Colorado is fading fast at the absolute worst time. The loss virtually eliminates the Rockies, who are now behind the Phillies, Brewers, and Mets for the last playoff spot. The Giants put up a 4 spot in the 5th, that coupled with Logan Webb’s 5.1 innings of 2 run ball helped give San Fran a little playoff breathing room.

Cardinals 3, Royals 12 – Scouts: Ew, ew, ew. Big loss by the Cardinals that now moves them into a tie with Cincinnati for the second division spot. Salvador Perez had 5 RBI’s and 3 hits in the win, while Danny Duffy pitched 5.2 innings of 1 run ball for the Royals.

Tigers 6, Twins 7 – Scouts: Kenta Maeda has found new life in the AL. The former Dodger has been able to find a consistency he lacked while wearing Dodger blue. Maeda picked up his 6th win on the year, holds a 2.70 ERA, and has 8 quality starts in 11 attempts. Maeda will be a big part of any Minnesota playoff push and the win, Minnesota’s 4th in a row jumps them to the division lead by a half a game.

Orioles 1, Red Sox 9 – Prof: Oh, goodness. A classic Battle of Who Sucks More, this time in the AL East. Nathan Eovaldi went six scoreless and struck out eight birds. Boston had six runs in the third inning. Just… yuck.

Marlins 4, Braves 9 – Scouts: The Braves may have won the game, but they also may have lost their best pitcher. Mad Fried, who holds a 7-0 record and 2.25 era on the season was forced out of the game after the first inning due to a left ankle injury. Atlanta fans are collectively holding their breath as they expect to evaluate Fried later today. Fried injured the ankle while fielding a ground ball, and the good news is that from watching the video, there doesn’t appear to be any major damage, so hopefully Fried will be available to start game 1.

Rays 8, Mets 5 – Prof: The Tampa Bay Sea Creatures win the division! It’s their first AL division title in ten years. Congrats, FI Rays fans! Onto the game itself; Randy Arozarena was on fire, going 3-5 with 3 RBI.

Cubs 1, Pirates 2 – Scouts: The Cubs have already clinched a playoff spot, and with a 3.5 game lead over the Cardinals, are pretty assured the NL Central crown. Still, you don’t want to be getting shut down by a 2-8 pitcher with a 6.18 ERA entering into the playoffs. All the runs in this one came off homers, and all in the first inning. Anthony Rizzo, Adam Frazier, and Ke’Bryan Hays all hit solo shots. And then the pitching took over.

White Sox 2, Spiders 3 – Scouts: Not a great day for White Sox faithful. The Sox have now lost 4 in a row, and fall to second place in the AL Central with just a 2 game lead over the Spiders. Jordan Luplow walked it off for the Spiders, the team’s second walk off in a row.

Yankees 1, Blue Jays 14 – Prof: It was bound to happen. The whoopin’ that New York has put on folks finally came back to them. It came at a terrible time, too; errors galore and the Yankees might very well lose “home field” advantage. The Baby Bs and G-Unit all had major hits. Shout out to catcher Danny Jansen, who went 4-4 with 3 RBI!

Astros 2, Mariners 3 – Scouts: Zach Greinke was out dueled by Nick Margevicius. Greinke gave up 3 runs on 8 hits over 4.2 innings while Margevicius allowed just 3 hits over 6 shutout innings. Houston attempted a comeback in the 9th, but came up short when Jose Altuve struck out swinging with the tying run on second.

Brewers 1, Reds 6 – Prof: It will come down to the wire for second place in the NL Central and a lot of it has to do with the inspired play by Cincinnati. The World’s Sassiest Canadian finally went yard against Milwaukee, and he picked a fine time to do so. The Noted Drone Enthusiast was sharp as a tack. Eight innings, 12 K on short rest, and he looked like a man possessed. Remember, Bauer was my early pick for NL Cy Young and he’s definitely holding up his end of the bargain.