Baseball! Or, who wants to be an armchair manager

The dust has now started to settle on the 2025 baseball season. There is still to come the major awards portion in something like two weeks. The Gold Gloves were hasty though and came out last night. And I've just seen that they are posting finalists for the major awards. I cannot stand this kind of thing.

The World Series was, at the least, more competitive this year than last year when the Dodgers steamrolled a Yankees team that probably could have been swept? I don't remember much about the Yankees lone win. But the Blue Jays put up a good fight and it was frustrating that time after time they could not get runners to cross home plate to seal the games. So, we turn to the Armchair Manager portion of this blog post. I might add that I am the seventeen time reigning armchair manager in my house.

In particular, there were situations in Game 7 that made me so tense (and I watched most of the game on Sunday after it was over and even though I knew how it ended!) and frustrated. The Blue Jays manager made so many questionable decisions. I was really disappointed with Gimenez's trying to get hit by the ball from Wrobleski. And then to act the way he did after he was hit was even more disappointing. Just take your base. Issuing warnings was unnecessary. You don't retaliate in Game 7 of the World Series and both teams know this. Though Gimenez was totally in the wrong in the first place. 

Now, if I was commissioner, then all players entering the field after a hit by pitch or questionable whatever call should be fined their game check plus a minimum of $100,000. Bullpens should be suspended for emptying. What are you going to do, honestly? Other than wind yourself? The gate operators of bullpens should be fined, suspended, and have to spend three nights in jail.

Anyway! But the worst decisions were late in the game. Jeff Hoffman should not have been in the game in the 8th inning. Or, he should not have gone back out in the 9th. As well, with the bases loaded and one out: you suicide squeeze. I know the runner on third was Guerrero. But you do it anyway. 

I am grateful there were 11 extra innings to this World Series. 

I am, however, thrilled that I won't have to hear the TV commentators talk about Alejandro Kirk for the next few months. Time after time they made inappropriate comments about his size, weight, etc. And his speed. They called him time and time again "The catcher that nobody wanted." Whatever his name is and Smoltz just are a bad "team" and brought jacksquat to these events. 

And here are two World Series cards from my Darryl Strawberry collection for your enjoyment!

Thanks for stopping by.