Opening Weekend 2020 is drawing to a close, and while it’s not an experience I want to replicate ever again, it is nice to be back in baseball mode. A summer Sunday without baseball is sacrilege. As is a summer Sunday without links!
In Mariners news:
IN SEAHAWKS NEWS HI HELLO REMEMBER US THE MOST PROMINENT SEATTLE SPORTS TEAM HI FRIENDS DON’T FORGET ABOUT US, THE SEATTLE SEAHAWKS,
I kid but! The Seahawks looked at the NHL Seattle unveiling, baseball Opening Day, the Seattle Storm returning to play, and got so very jealous of all the attention other sports were being paid they just had to pull off a big trade. Our pals over at Field Gulls have the full details of what seems like a pretty big deal! YOUR MOVE, JERRY.
Speaking of the Storm, they kicked off their season with a powerful ceremony yesterday honoring Breonna Taylor, who was killed while asleep in her bed over 130 days ago by Louisville police. Watch it here. The Storm game also featured the return of MVP Breanna Stewart, the legendary Sue Bird, and Oregon basketball legend Sabrina Ionescu playing in her first pro game (she managed 12 points despite being so furiously contained by the Storm that it spawned several memes on Twitter). Read the recap of the game, which the Storm won, here. (I’d link an SBN blog for the recap except...there isn’t one. Which seems kind of ridiculous considering the Storm have three championships, which is one more than the Sounders, two more than the Seahawks, and three more than the Mariners.)
In actual Mariners news, there was a game yesterday. They lost. Read Zach’s recap here.
- If you like fun Nola facts, well, here’s a fun Nola fact:
With Austin Nola starting last night at catcher & his brother Aaron starting for the Phillies they became the first brothers to start at pitcher & catcher on Opening Day in the same season since 1943—This is the stuff you should expect from the president of Austin’s fan club #me
— Angie Mentink (@AngieMentink) July 25, 2020
- Lost somewhat in the remote Opening Day coverage was the fact that six Mariners players raised a fist as a show of unity during the anthem. Per Ryan Divish, that effort was led by Dee Gordon in concert with the other Black players on the team. The Mariners have the highest percentage of Black players on a team in the league. All players and staff also wore Black Lives Matter t-shirts during pregame activities.
- The Mariners made a really sweet video for Evan White, who is being cheated out of getting to have his family and friends at his debut:
Even though they couldn’t be there for his debut, this moment was everything for Evan White’s family. pic.twitter.com/MBEwpwcOgK
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) July 25, 2020
- The Astros’ Taylor Jones, who was recalled from Corpus Christi to replace Aledmys Diaz, going on the IL with a groin strain, is a native of Kent who grew up a Mariners fan, and played on Marco Gonzales’s college team at Gonzaga. The utilityman will hopefully get to make his debut against his childhood team sometime today.
- In a former Mariner note, former Mariner Nick Neidert made his debut for the Marlins yesterday. Neidert went 2.1 innings and only allowed one hit and a walk.
Around the League:
- It’s claiming-off-waivers szn. The Red Sox claimed former Met Stephen Gonsalves.
- The Tigers claimed former first round pick Carson Fulmer off waivers. I assume they also claimed his head whack. Also I would have sworn up until yesterday Carson Fulmer was already a Tiger.
- Lol both these Brewers (LoCain and Gamel) were safe:
By request:
— Alex Fast (@AlexFast8) July 25, 2020
LoCain's rundown with Yakety Sax. pic.twitter.com/mc4KptPRYo
Speaking of Yo Gamma Gams, he had a go-ahead RBI triple in that game, which the Brewers won, 8-3.
- Washington Nationals catcher Tres Barrera has received an 80-game ban after he tested positive for Dehydrochlormethyltestosterone, which like, isn’t even one of the pretend steroids or masking agents, that’s like the East German swimmer steroid. Barrera was a 2016 6th-round draft pick but wasn’t on the Nats’ postseason roster in their World Series run.
- Speaking of the Nationals, Steven Strasburg missed his scheduled start yesterday for a nerve issue in his thumb. The Nats won the game anyway, beating the Yankees 9-2.
- More Nats news: seemingly Juan Soto might be back sooner rather than later?
More here, per multiple sources: This most recent result was still independent of MLB's testing protocol, and the Nationals are waiting to hear on league-administered tests from both Thursday + Friday. If both come back negative, Soto could be cleared to play to play MLB.
— Jesse Dougherty (@dougherty_jesse) July 25, 2020
- Dylan Bundy made his Angels debut and struck out 7 while allowing just one run. It appears he might be fixed.
- It was only a matter of time before those cardboard cutouts started taking a beating, but did it have to be the dog????
Any cutout but this one! pic.twitter.com/bLoFYWUZP1
— Brody Logan (@BrodyLogan) July 25, 2020
And the head shot!
Hey @Dodgers @will_smith30 do I get to keep the ball pic.twitter.com/wMeZrU2EYD
— Austin Donley (@adonley3) July 25, 2020
Will Smith nicely replied to this tweet and said he’d hook up the decapitated fan.
- ICYMI yesterday, Anthony Alford of the Blue Jays wanted to kneel for the anthem, but was hesitant to do so given his fringier status in MLB, so Cavan Biggio offered to kneel with him as a show of allyship. Yesterday Alford gave more context to why he felt the need to kneel in a heartfelt interview detailing his own experiences with racism.
- This seems bad, seeing as how Matt Davidson played yesterday:
#reds moves: Aquino and Antone recalled. Barnhart to paternity list. Davidson to 10-day IL for COVID-19 positive test.
— Mark Sheldon (@m_sheldon) July 25, 2020
- I have no context for this, I just want you to see it:
— luis robert szn (@froggerto) July 25, 2020
Kate’s pick:
I have never backed a Kickstarter project before but couldn’t resist this Sherlock Holmes board game. But then I was talking to a friend who backs a lot of projects who said not to get overly attached to the idea of the thing actually being manufactured, as a lot of projects fall through, or even get funded but then never delivered. “Look at it as a stock investment. Some will be good investments, and some not good investments.” But friends, I don’t even have enough money for real stonks, let alone fake board game stonks. Has anyone had experiences with this one way or another? Should I cancel the order I put in on Etsy for a customized deerstalker? And if I cannot have a super-special Kickstarter board game, what other game should I acquire to while away the waning days of summer pandemic before we move into autumn pandemic?