Luke Warm: July 14, 2010

Landestoy Luke

By Landestoy Luke

The Luker caught the All-Star Game last night and thought it was actually a good game for the most part. David Ortiz’s base running looked bad at the end of the game, but I’m actually surprised it doesn’t happen more. That’s a tough ball to read, he’s not exactly fast and Marlon Byrd made a great play. Hey, it’s not his fault he was left in the game to run.

Last night showed that the whole, “This time it counts” premise is bunk. If it counted, both managers wouldn’t have been in such a hurry to empty their benches in the middle innings of the game. If this game counted, then Albert Pujolswouldn’t have been the first starter pulled. If this game counted, Roy Halladay would have been left in to finish the inning and face a lefty instead of being removed in favor of Matt Capps, another right handed pitcher. Go ahead and empty the benches if the game is out of hand. Otherwise, play your best players if the game counts.

Hey Major League Baseball, do you know what else L-squared doesn’t need? Forced emotional drivel. Yay, woohoo…let’s celebrate hometown heroes…but let’s do it 2 hours before the game and keep it off my TV. Look, these folks aren’t doing community service to be put on a pedestal at a baseball game and I don’t turn on a baseball game to watch these folks get put on a pedestal. It just looked awkward when the players broke from the baselines and were forced to mingle with the people. How excited was the soup kitchen operator from Peoria when Evan Meek waltzed over and struck up a conversation?

Speaking of forced emotional drivel, what the heck is up with the over-the-top mourning of George Steinbrenner? Unless you’re a Yankee fan, this guy wasn’t some beloved figure in the game. This guy was a convicted felon who was twice banned from baseball. He hired someone to dig up dirt on one of his own players, Dave Winfield. He faked an injury during the ’81 World Series, saying he had been attacked by Dodger fans in an elevator. I guess the media felt obliged to mourn, given that the Yankee-centered universe they created has kept them gainfully employed, but don’t pretend this is some big loss to the baseball community outside of the Bronx .

Landestoy Luke is a former semi-pro baseball player in the California-Nevada Independent League. After graduating from Barstow College , Luke was signed as an undrafted free agent by the New York Yankees, but released before spring training due to “issues”. After spending some time as an advance scout in the Mexicali League, Luke now spends his time as a freelance writer.

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