Game Day: Monday, May 25th
It's Memorial Day. This holiday kicks off the Summer season here in the USA. Juneteenth is on deck. I still don't understand what Juneteenth is all about. All I will ever remember about this holiday is that it was created by Joe Biden. What I remember most about Joe Biden is that time he fell off the bicycle.
They staged that scene that day. Biden had been under a lot of heat for being a geriatric case. The "handlers" had wanted Joe to ride up looking athletic and physically fit and he completely flubbed it. He rides into the shot, meets the news reporter, attempts to stop the bike while looking cool and controlled, and he trips it up, tips the bike over, and crashes to the pavement. The folly summed up his entire presidency.
That is what Juneteenth will always be about to me. Celebrating that classic Joe Biden bicycle manuever. I'm looking forward to celebrating that holiday this year.
As far as Memorial Day goes, I think of Pearl Harbor and Operation Desert Storm. I think of my grandfather, who was in Okinawa and fought in World War II. I think of Vietnam and of the film "Apocalypse Now" with Colonel Kurtz.
Speaking of Kurtz, Nick Kurtz of the Athletics leads the league in On Base Percentage. He is a good bet for the Triple Crown. Kurtz is a great hitter.
The nerds at MLB insist on giving Kurtz the nickname, "The Big Amish". One of the smarmy fuckers in the MLB.com writers' room made a wisecrack about Kurtz's appearance and it stuck. They are still using this nickname today. "The Big Dumper" was ridiclous. "The Big Amish" is offensive. MLB making fun of its' best and brightest stars.
The only proper nickname for Nick Kurtz, who looks to be a generational hitter, is the "The Colonel". Colonel Kurtz and Lieutenant Soderstrom host the Mariners in the Monday Night Game of the Week. Private Langeliers will be there. General Wilson is still on the injured reserve.
It's a Sacramento Sutter Health Park affair. Kurtz is going to land one in the parking lot tonight. "The Big Dumper", Cal Raleigh, won't be making the trip. He is also on the injured reserve. Captain Luis Severino will be there, complaining about the heat in the dugout.
A full slate of games today around the league. There are some interesting series beginning this afternoon. Twins at White Sox is one of the best this week. The two AL Central ball clubs were expected by many to be finish at the bottom of the standings. Both teams are hovering around .500 and in contention for a wild card. Zebby Matthews (1-1) faces off against Anthony Kay (3-1) in a 1:10 PM CDT start from Rate Field in Chicago, IL.
Cardinals and Brewers is of interest. The Cardinals are 29-22 on the season, only 2.0 games back of Milwaukee in the NL Central. Would of thought the Cardinals would be where they are at early in the season. If they can take a series from the Brewers early in the week, and a series vs. the Cubs this weekend, would that make the Cardinals the team to beat in the NL Central? Id say that it would in some sense and that is a shocker. The Red Birds get "The Miz" this afternoon, Jacob Misiorowski (4-2) starts for the Brewers. It's Matthew Liberatore (2-2) for St. Louis in a 1:10 PM CDT start from American Family Field in Milwaukee, WI.
Phillies and the Padres square up this week. This is a matchup of two teams that have been playoff contenders the past three seasons and that makes it interesting. Randy Vasquez (5-2) has been a pillar for this Padres' club. Vasquez gets the start tonight against the Phillies' own Jesus Luzardo (3-4). Padres' will likely be without Morejon and Adam tonight. Both hurlers pitched back-to-backs over the weekend. Phillies travel east to west. It's a 5:40 PM CDT start at PETCO Park in San Diego, CA.
I'm going to dig in some before the Noon hour and see if I can't pit together a pick today. Pickstreak has a five-game losing streak on the line. It's a darn tootin' streak of losses. Let's see if we can get a win today.
Back later with a pick. Stay tuned.