Like Mr. Schoenfield, I'm normally the kind of writer who will come at you from an analytical angle. Not tonight. Tonight, I'm here to celebrate the sheer joy of watching one of the best pitchers in the game, Felix Hernandez, who absolutely dominated the Toronto Blue Jays with eight shutout innings Friday night.
In case you woke up this morning wondering, "Whatever happened to Bret Boone?" I give you this.
Some thoughts on Thursday's slate of games ... ESPN Insider Dan Szymborski wrote the other day that it's time to break up the Phillies and it's hard to argue with that assessment after their recent results.
Eric Karabell and I discuss which manager may be the first to be fired. I go with the obvious choice but Eric has a surprising answer about a manager who better keep winning.
There is no scientific way to pick an all-underrated team. Well, I suppose there is some formula we could come up with, but that would be about as much fun as watching Brendan Ryan take batting practice.
Quick thoughts on Monday's action ... Just over a week ago the Brewers were 2-8 and looked horrible. Now they've won eight in a row after beating the Padres 7-1 on Monday, as they lit up Jason Marquis for five runs in the first inning (Ryan Braun and the awesome Yuniesky Betancourt homered).
The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated. -- Mark Twain If it's your job to eat a frog, it's best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it's your job to eat two frogs, it's best to eat the biggest one first.
Thoughts on Wednesday's game ... or, actually, on one Wednesday game. Felix Hernandez has made four starts this year. He's allowed nine runs, struck out 28 batters in 28.2 innings, walked just five and surrendered just two home runs.
One thing everybody was sure about when Dustin Ackley was drafted out of North Carolina: He would hit. Everybody knew he would hit. He could run, he'd hit 22 home runs his junior season and while it wasn't clear what his professional position would be (he'd played center field before Tommy John surgery moved him to first base as a junior), everyone knew he would hit as a professional.
On July 30, 2011, Doug Fister was 3-12 with a 3.30 ERA with the Seattle Mariners. To that point in his major league career he was 12-30 with a 3.81 ERA. Never viewed as much of a prospect due to his lack of an overpowering fastball, Fister had developed into an inexpensive, solid back-of-the-rotation starter.
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