Cal.E.'s Korner

C.: Well, D.C., since the Astros are now in first place in their division as you predicted a couple of months ago, I suppose you want to talk about baseball today.

D.: I do. The Astros acquired an outfielder from the Toronto Blue Jays today, but not the one I expected.

C.: Who did the Astros acquire?

D.: Daulton Varsho.

In so doing, the Astros helped themselves in two ways, by acquiring a left-handed batting outfielder, and a centerfielder who is offensive-minded but is an above average fielder. He may not be Jake Meyers defensively, but he will probably be able to be do something Jake Meyers probably wouldn’t, hit above the Mendoza line.

C.: ???

D.: He won’t bat in the low .200’s and will offer above average defense, but I was hoping the Astros would regain a bit of nostalgia today.

C.: How so?

D.: By reacquiring Geroge Springer.

C.: Well, D.C., since the Astros are now in first place in their division as you predicted a couple of months ago, I suppose you want to talk about baseball today.

D.: I do. The Astros acquired an outfielder from the Toronto Blue Jays today, but not the one I expected.

C.: Who did the Astros acquire?

D.: Daulton Varsho. In so doing, the Astros helped themselves in two ways, by acquiring a left-handed batting outfielder, and a centerfielder who is offensive-minded but is an above average fielder. He may not be Jake Meyers defensively, but he will probably be able to be do something Jake Meyers probably wouldn’t, hit above the Mendoza line.

C.: ???

D.: He won’t bat in the low .200’s and will offer above average defense, but I was hoping the Astros would regain a bit of nostalgia today.

C.: How so?

D.: By reacquiring Geroge Springer.

Granted, Mr. November is a shell of the player who played a stellar center field and garnered the most valuable player trophy in the 2017 World Series by hitting five home runs in seven games. That tied him with Chase Utley and the original Mr. October, Reggie Jackson. Since the Astros played their last game in November in the 2017 World Series and I’ve been a huge fan of Reggie Jackson

since childhood, I deemed Jorge Mr. November to avoid confusion.

Yes George Srpinger is past his prime, and he does hit right-handed. The Astros have a glut of outfielders who fit that description. I also doubt that Dana Brown would have given up a rising star pitcher, Spencer Arrighetti, to get Jorge, but it would bring back fond memories to those of us who don’t consider that World Series to be the biggest debacle since the 1919 Chicago Black Sox scandal. Innocent men were accused of doing things they didn’t do and banned from baseball by the newly appointed commissioner, an office that was invented to prevent things like fixing games. However, to quote Jim Rome, “It’s baseball, if you ain’t cheatin,’ you ain’t tyrin.’ In my opinion, baseball would be better off without a commissioner that with the one it now has, a man who turns a blind eye to the large market teams who were engaged the same type of sign stealing system the Astros had in place. Why does no one mention that the 2018 Boston Red Sox, who beat the Astros in the ’18 A.L. championship and went on to win the World Series, were also sanctioned later? The answer, my friend, is…

C.: Blowin’ in the wind?

D. No, Cal.E. The answer is the almighty dollar. The commissioner keeps this fact under his hat while he blasts the Astros for their part saying Houston’s system was “More sophisticated.” What? Banging garbage cans is more sophisticated than using cell phones and smart watches, as both the Red Sox and the New York Yankees did? In what universe Rob (You are NOT  a) Man, Fred” Come clean and admit that the more money a team makes for MLB, the freer that team is to do as it pleases. Earn a modicum of respect from MLB fans not in the Northeast or Southern California before you are impeached and run out of town on a rail by the other twenty-seven teams.

This has been D.C. Scott, with one man’s (correct) opinion.