Bad early season weather took its' toll on the majors this week with many games being postponed and others being played in miserable conditions. However the weather was good in the Longball League again this week. Let's look at the standings.
The SV Coachwhips are still on top, but the SP Sea Monkeys have risen to second place behind the great pitching of Jered Weaver. Meanwhile, the ever-steady Mighty Mollusks are just trucking along in third place. One point of the pace in fourth are the Invisible Hands who are led by Mark Teixeira's big bat. As for the bottom five spots of the league, injuries and poor starts have taken their toll.
Three things about week two in the majors:
1. I'm one those among us who likes to listen to the great voices of baseball's past, well I got a big treat on Saturday night. I tuned into the Arizona-San Francisco game where in the booth with the Diamondbacks announce team was Joe Garagiola. He's still sharp, told great stories and added some good commentary to the game at hand. I felt like I was watchng to the old NBC Game of the Week.
2. How have they won 7 games? the San Diego Padres are in the middle of the NL west race despite hitting just slightly over the Mendoza Line. I think Petco Park has a lot to do with it. It's the most pitcher friendly park since the Astrodome.
3. The Angels have gotten pretty young, pretty fast. With some youngsters called up to the club due to injuries, the Halos have a roster full of kids that are barely old enough to order a beer in a bar. In Saturday' game against the White Sox, the Angel battery of Tyler Chatwood and Hank Conger added up to 44 total years old. If this team gets any younger, they won't have a seventh inning stretch, they'll have seventh inning nap time.
Trivia: There were several games this week where one team hit into multiple double plays, heck the Yankees hit into six against the Rangers alone. So, I wondered, what is the record for double plays hit into by one team in a game? After a little reaserch, I found out the record is seven. On May 4, 1969, the San Francisco Giants hit into seven twin-killings in a 3-1 loss to the Houston Astros. The pitcher who got the win and induced four of those seven double plays was Dooley Womack. Way to go, Dooley!!! Oh, and Joe Morgan helped the Houston cause with a long HR off Juan Marichal in the bottom of the third.
Baseball Card of the Week: In honor of his being on the mound that day in 1969, Dooley Womack's 1969 Topps card #594 gets the honor.
Until next week folks, remember that as of now instant replay only exists in the majors for home run calls.
-The Commissioner
