This photo of Brandon Inge was from the 16-inning game Friday night, and it didn't make it into the paper, but I love it anyway.* I'm not one to invest emotional capital in who does and doesn't make the All-Star team, but it seems a bit odd to me that this guy is out and this guy is on the Internet ballot to be the AL's 33rd man.
Speaking of which: 32 guys on the National League roster and not a healthy center fielder in the bunch.
* Joe Mauer's a rapper? Really?
*When Kevin Slowey connected his wrist pain to the line drive that hit him in his final start of 2008, I figured there was some sort of bone problem — a tiny unhealed crack that got worse with pitching, a bone chip, something of that ilk. Apparently not. If this word holds true, he should be back pretty quickly.
* The Twins over the weekend signed an outfielder out of Germany, a 16-year-old named Max Kepler. From Baseball America's subscription-only story:
"There have been some good players to come out of Europe, but I think the thing that Max has going for him is that he's 16, but he plays like he's older," said Georgia State coach Greg Frady, who has also coached the German national team the last six years. "His mechanics look like he's older. He's so fluid in the things that he does and he looks a lot more polished than the average 16-year-old in Europe."
The key word here is "Europe." He may be a athlete, but I'm not saving a spot for him on the big-league roster in five years.
"The key word here is "Europe." He may be a athlete, but I'm not saving a spot for him on the big-league roster in five years."
ReplyDeleteI hear you, Ed. But who knows? Whoever thought we'd have major-leaguers from Australia, or Korea, or the diminutive Dominican Republic?
It could happen.
They've been playing baseball for generations in Dominica and South Korea.
ReplyDeleteIt's not nearly so big in Deutschland, mein Herr.