SUNDAY NOTES
FUN FOR FEBRUARY FIFTEENTH
THINGS ARE ALREADY GETTING OUT OF HAND
It only took two days for Francisco Lindor, Corbin Carroll, and Jackson Holliday to injure their hamate bones. Each should be ready around the start of the season, but it remains to be seen if it will affect their power generated by those hands, invariably in the short term.
Will Carroll, my injury guy, who writes Under the Knife, explains, “Why are we seeing so many more stress reactions in all sports? Better imaging, simple as that. We can see more, so we see more problems.” Subscribe to Will’s newsletter; it’s a worthwhile investment.
I LOVE CURLING
Curling is by far my favorite Winter Olympic event. I sometimes even watch curling when it’s not the Olympics. It is a great combination of physical skill, strategy, and pure competition, not unlike pitching, which I would describe the same way.
You know every baseball used in a game, has been rubbed with a special mud before the game. The mud reduces shine and provides the pitcher with a better, safer grip. It’s not just any mud. Every MLB game ball is hand‑rubbed with a specific New Jersey mud called Lena Blackburne Baseball Rubbing Mud, taken from a secret spot on a Delaware River tributary.
Did you know that all Olympic curling stones are made of granite from a single small uninhabited island off the coast of Scotland? One company, Kays of Scotland, handcrafts most professional stones using granite from Ailsa Craig, which is exceptionally fine-grained; its minerals are arranged in such a way that they tightly knit together, making it resilient to collisions and allowing it to be polished to a finish smooth enough to glide on ice. You can read more about it in The Athletic.
A FOUR-QUESTION QUIZ ABOUT WALKS
Five players had at least 100 walks last season. Not surprisingly, they are among the most threatening sluggers in the game.
Juan Soto of the Mets led the majors with 125 walks. His fellow New Yorker and former teammate, Aaron Judge, led the AL with 124 walks. The multi-league leader was Rafael Devers of the Red Sox, and the Giants had 112 bases on balls. The unicorn leader was Shohei Ohtani with 109 walks. Finally, the NL’s home run and RBI leader, Kyle Schwarber, walked 108 times.
Here’s your quiz:
Ball One - Ignoring Barry Bonds, which I try to do as frequently as possible, Babe Ruth had the most seasons with 100+ walks, with 13. Which of this group of players had the most seasons with 100+ walks?
Ball Two -Mickey Mantle holds the American League record for most walks in a season by a switch-hitter with 146. Who holds the National League record?
“It doesn’t matter how fast you throw ball four.”
Ball Three - In the Modern Era (that’s since 1900), which pitcher issued the most walks in a single season?
Ball Four - Here’s a fun one: Last season, one pitcher led the majors by walking four batters with the bases loaded. Of course, it was Walker Buehler. Which batter led the majors last season with bases-loaded walks?
Glyber Torres
A WALK FOR RENEE
On the subject of walks, my buddy Peter was a fan of the original version of “Walk Away Renee” by The Left Banke.
However, my buddy Bitt loved The Four Tops' version.
MORE, LESS, OR THE SAME?
(voice over by show announcer) “It’s time to play… (audience shouts) MORE, LESS, OR THE SAME? And here’s your quizmaster, Billy-Ball his ownself, Biiiill Chuck!”
That’s how it sounds in my head as I start this game. You just have to tell me whether the question’s answer is more, less, or the same.
Did Tom Seaver have more, less, or the same number of shutouts as Nolan Ryan?
In 2025, were the Red Sox shut out more, less, or the same number of times as the Dodgers?
Did Pedro Martinez have more, less, or the same number of shutouts as Babe Ruth?
Since 2000, the Dodgers and the Astros have each played 30 World Series games. Have the Astros been shut out more, less, or the same number of times as the Dodgers?
