If you can’t stand the heat, get out of OMNICHATTER, for May 30, 2017

Dodgers rookie Cody Bellinger is off to record-setting start – and will get better | FOX Sports

Cody Bellinger possesses that rarest of baseball gifts.

“He has the ability,” Dodgers first base coach George Lombard said, “to make everything look easy.”

Lombard said that the Dodgers’ staff didn’t know Bellinger all that well at the start of spring training. His arm proved better than they expected. He ran better than they expected. And his power . . . it’s doubtful that even Bellinger’s father, former major-league infielder/outfielder Clay Bellinger – expected this.

World Fame 100 Top Ranking Athletes

The Top 100 Most Famous Athletes in the World - before you read the list, take a guess and comment on where you think the first baseball player is ranked.

Cokes to the winner ..

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 5-30-2017

Bismarck Tribune, May 30, 1917:

A couple of years ago Jack Dunn, owner of the Baltimore International League club decided to break up his club and sell his stars.

A Cincinnati scout heard of the deal and hurried to Baltimore with orders to buy George Twombly and see what other deals he could make.

He had an opportunity to buy Twombly with Ruth or with Ruth and Shore, but received instructions from Cincinnati to let the pitchers go and take an infielder named Derrick…

And in related news:

Since ...

Bryce Harper, Hunter Strickland spark fracas | MLB.com

Two dopes. Luckily, Buster Posey didn’t join the madness.

Giants catcher Buster Posey did not immediately react as Harper charged the mound, saying after the game that it can be dangerous to get in there. And although both benches cleared, there appeared to be no other punches thrown, with both sides focused on separating the two.

“After it happened, I kind of saw Harper point and the next thing you know, he’s going out after him,” Posey said. “There’s some big guys tumbling around on the ...

All-Draft prospects team by position | MLB.com

RHP: Hunter Greene, Notre Dame HS, Sherman Oaks, Calif. (No. 1)
He’s the top guy on our current Top 100, so this is a bit of a no-brainer. He’s only 17 and was hitting triple digits. A first-rounder as a shortstop, his athleticism should allow him to continue to get better on the mound at the next level. Now, if a high school right-hander isn’t your cup of tea, then Vandy’s Kyle Wright (No. 3) would be a very good next choice.

Angels star Mike Trout to miss at least one month after tearing a ligament in left thumb

(Angel GM) Eppler said surgery would not sideline Trout for the rest of the season, but it would knock him out for five to eight weeks and would torpedo the team’s already slim hopes of making the playoffs.

Trout, who has twice been selected the American League’s most valuable player and finished second in MVP voting in his other three years, was having his best season, batting .337 with an AL-leading .461 on-base percentage, .742 slugging percentage and 1.203 on-base-plus-slugging ...

Frank Deford, legendary sportswriter and commentator, dies at 78

The longtime Sports Illustrated writer got his start at the magazine in 1962, but over his career there wasn’t a medium that he didn’t plunge into. The author of more than a dozen books also made his mark on TV and radio with his booming, gruff voice. Until his recent retirement after 37 years, Deford had been a weekly fixture on NPR’s “Morning Edition,” offering his unique take on the sports world.

It is for us the living to be dedicated here to the unfinished OMNICHATTER, May 29, 2017

Longtime Sports Illustrated writer Frank Deford dies at 78

Longtime Sports Illustrated writer Frank Deford died on Sunday in Key West, Florida, according to the Washington Post. He was 78 years old.

Deford started writing at Sports Illustrated in 1962 and was a senior editor emeritus.

He recently worked with NPR’s Morning Edition for 32 years. He retired earlier this month following his 1,656th NPR commentary.

Dodgers Alex Wood placed on disabled list | MLB.com

The Dodgers will be without one of their more productive starters after placing Alex Wood on the disabled list Monday.

Wood, who seized a rotation spot with a string of excellent starts this month, is suffering from inflammation in his left SC joint.

Chicago Cubs say slow start offers ‘no need to worry’

Do it like 1978!

Cubs manager Joe Maddon is keeping calm while fans in Chicago might be “freaking out” over the team’s 25-24 record as the calendar hits Memorial Day. After a weekend sweep at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Maddon was asked what to tell a nervous fan base.

“Please, go ahead and freak out,” he said with a smile. “If you want to freak out, freak out.”

Statcast: Taylor’s speedy grab | MLB.com

I bet this wasn’t on Sportscenter.

Brandon McCarthy expected to make next start | MLB.com

Look like no DL time for now. Will he be able to make it through a whole season in the rotation?

OTP 29 May 2017: Should we double check with Rod Laver?

Political controversy in sport is global, as witness this episode from Down Under:

Margaret Court said last week she would not travel on Qantas because the boss of the airline, Alan Joyce, supported same-sex marriage.

A volley of controversy followed. It was even suggested that the Melbourne Park court named after the winner of 24 grand slam titles be renamed. It is amazing how stupid some of our community can be.

Should we double check with Rod Laver on his thoughts? What if he doesn’t ...

Mike Trout sprains thumb in Angels’ loss to Marlins

Trout sprained his left thumb on a head-first slide during the Angels’ 9-2 loss to the Miami Marlins on Sunday afternoon, the disappointing end to a trip in which they lost six of 10 games.

Initial X-rays revealed that Trout doesn’t have a fracture, but an MRI on Monday will show the extent of soft tissue damage. At this point, he may miss only a day or two, or he may be placed on the disabled list for the first time in his career.

A lie told often enough becomes OMNICHATTER, for May 28, 2017

Well said: Orioles are ‘swinging at a lot of pitches we probably can’t do much with’ - Baltimore Sun

“It’s kind of hard to pinpoint,” outfielder Mark Trumbo said. “I think everybody’s probably got something different going on, but I think we’re swinging at a lot of pitches we probably can’t do much with. We need to do a better job capitalizing on the good pitches and laying off some of the ones that are in the dirt and so forth.”

Strikeouts keep rising across baseball, but Red Sox have been game’s best team at hitting with two strikes - Sports - providencejournal.com - Providence, RI

The Red Sox are also not hitting a lot of home runs. Coincidence?

Phillies need to sell Jeremy Hellickson this time around – Phillies Nation

Doesn’t Kirsten Swanson know other teams have access to his full-season performance as well?

Terry Collins deserves more time with Mets, but will he get it? - NY Daily News

Does Terry Collins know that he can throw some relievers multiple innings?

Sunday Notes: Tribe’s McKenzie, Mariners’ Motter, Barnette on the Shuuto, SSS Match-up Comps, more | FanGraphs Baseball

David Laurila’s latest.

Jeff Banister addressed match-ups and sample size prior to Tuesday’s game. The Texas Rangers manager brought up a salient point when doing so. When there’s not much of a history between a particular hitter and a particular pitcher, introducing comps to the equation can help.

“(You’re) finding like pitchers, like hitters, like stuff, matching them up and extrapolating them out to come up with a better predictor,” explained Banister. “So when you get that 15 to ...

Rays journal: Steven Souza Jr. laughing right along after comical dive | Tampa Bay Times

“I can’t really think of one that tops that,” CF Kevin Kiermaier said. “I was just hysterically laughing out there.”

Souza said he heard from so many people he had to turn off the messaging on his phone, but he also engaged, sending a tweet to the folks running MLB’s StatCast asking for a breakdown, which it said was that he came up 23 feet short and had “0% catch probability but a five-star effort.”

Scott Boras says Jake Arrieta still elite pitcher even though velocity has dropped

And his shoes. His shoes look great. This are so shiny you can see your face. And have you seen his last haircut? Great! A great haircut!

Chicago Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta’s agent, Scott Boras, pushed back on the notion Arrieta isn’t an elite pitcher just because his fastball velocity has dropped this year, while also insisting it’s way too small of a sample size to judge the free agent to be.

“The question becomes what’s [Clayton] Kershaw averaging?” Boras said Saturday at Dodger Stadium. ...

Stephen Strasburg sets career high with 15 K’s | MLB.com

Should it really count when it’s against a bad AAA team?

Homer Simpson inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame

Clearly deserving ... but near as I can tell Bugs Bunny is not there which is a travesty!

Cards notebook: Carpenter defies shift; Sierra still surging | St. Louis Cardinals | stltoday.com

“If their third baseman is not there, if they don’t have a shortstop playing third or someone on the grass on the left side, I’ll do it every time,” Carpenter said. “I look every time. If they had a true David Ortiz (shift) where they are all over there, I would do it every time. But they don’t because they know I would do it.”

Fantasy Draft Rankings for Imaginary Players

Roy Hobbs—The Natural
A 35-year-old rookie with a nebulous past and no minor-league track record to speak of? Sign me up! A shooting in a hotel room, an outfielder dying after crashing through a fence, and a bribe potentially influencing a top player’s effort all illustrate the challenges fantasy managers would have had in the 1930s had our game existed back then. Pick up Hobbs? Whatever. Life in Roger Towne and Phil Dusenberry’s scripted version of the 1952 Bernard Malamud novel is a ...

Former Senator, baseball Hall of Famer Jim Bunning has died

Former Republican Senator Jim Bunning has died.

He served as a United States senator from 1999 to 2011.

Bunning pitched in the MLB for 17 years and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1996.

His career was spent mostly with the Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Phillies.

Bunning had suffered a stroke at his Southgate home in October.

He was 85 years old.

You’re a disease, and OMNICHATTER is the cure, for May 27, 2017