I, The Commissioner, am back after a good summer vacation where I relaxed in Lake Tahoe for a few days, then spent some time with some old friends in northern California. One of the highlights of the trip was a 48 hour period where I packed in 38 innings of baseball ranging from low A ball to Triple A to the Major Leagues. It was a blast!!! As for the Longball League we can see that the standings remain the same, but some significant separation has occurred in the league. The SV Coachwhips and the Invisible Hands look to be firmly entrenched in the upper echelon of the league this year.
This week's three things from the Major Leagues...
The Seattle Mariners are done. A franchise record 15-game losing streak and a .260 hitting Ichiro spells doom for the Safeco boys.
The Pirates are hanging in there, but will they fade down the stretch? Could they be this year's version of last year's Padres? Only time will tell.
Upon further review, the Oakland Coliseum is just a bad ballpark. After my last trip there, I'm pretty sure it is the worst park in the majors. It has no soul.
Trivia: The Mariners need to lose eight more straight to tie the Modern MLB record of 23 losses in a row that was set by the 1961 Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies finished in last place, 46 games behind the NL Champion Cincinnati Reds.
Baseball Card of The Week: For the first time ever in this blog, I will honor a player with a second appearance as the BBCOTW. It is the one and only Clarence Choo Choo Coleman. Here we see Clarence on his 1961 Topps card as a member of that awful 1961 Phillies team. Coleman's first appearance here was on a card as the representative of the 1962 New York Mets. Yes folks, Coleman played for two of the worst MLB teams ever assembled in back-to-back seasons.
Until next wee folks, remember Vernon Wells hit a grand slam this week off the Baltimore Orioles.
-The Commissioner
