From a neutral point of view, Game Six stunk. Also from a neutral point of view, Game Six was awesome, because that means we're going to get a Game Seven tonight. And I'd say that most neutral observers think the result of Game Seven will be a coinflip. Baseball doesn't get any better.
There's not a ton on the World Series because I write these after the game. The previews to Game Six are obsolete already and the recaps and the previews of Game Seven, for the most part, aren't up yet.
- Jon Paul Morosi is convinced that Game Seven will be a classic, because Game Six was a blowout.
- Jeff Sullivan writes that there is no special "big game" home field advantage.
- Paul White does have a preview of tonight, and notes that the Royals were able to save their bullpen in Game Six.
- Craig Calcaterra praised Kauffman Stadium for being a stadium and not trying to be a "ballpark."
- Jay Jaffe looks at Bruce Bochy's case for the Hall of Fame. He thinks, and I agree, that with a win tonight Bochy is a lock. Even with a Royals win, Bochy has a strong case anyway.
- Bob Nightengale has a profile of Hunter Pence.
- Steven Goldman think that, win or lose, Royals management is still among the worst in the game. And that dark times lie ahead for the team.
- Don't tell that to the eternally-optimistic Royals fan Sung Woo Lee. The New Yorker explains how huge a celebrity Lee has become. Reporters at the KC airport walked right past Paul Rudd and Jeff Foxworthy to mob Lee.
- Anthony Castrovince looks at the big decisions that both the Giants and the Royals will have to make after Game Seven.
- The right field lights at Busch Stadium were lit on Tuesday night in honor of the late Oscar Taveras. You also no doubt noticed the moment of silence before Game Six.
- Thousands attended Taveras' funeral in the Dominican Republic.
- Jorge Arangure Jr. notes that the Dominican Republic is the most dangerous country in the world in which to drive. Venezuela is third, so the two foreign countries that provide the most ballplayers are dangerous places to drive.
- Grant Brisbee writes about how difficult it is to deal with your emotions at a time like this, when someone you never met died and yet you still feel terrible.
- Ken Rosenthal explains what happened before he went on the air with the announcement of Taveras' death and how it all made the game seem so unimportant.
- Rob Neyer reminds us of other promising young players taken from us all too soon. Yes, Ken Hubbs is included.
- Former Tigers pitcher Jeff Robinson has died at age 52. What I remember most about Robinson is that there were two Jeff Robinsons who were both right-handed relievers in the majors at the same time. The other one pitched mostly for the Giants and Pirates (although this one pitched for the Pirates too) and finished his career with the Cubs.
- As a general rule, I avoid Jose Canseco stories because Canseco is a clown and a publicity-whore. I don't want to give him any more of the attention he craves. But this one I can't pass up. Canseco shot himself in the hand while cleaning his gun.
- I'm really hoping that Twins überprospect Byron Buxton is getting all his bad luck out of his system this season. But Buxton is going to miss the rest of the Arizona Fall League with a dislocated finger.
- I normally wouldn't link to this article because it is so incredibly dumb, but it's getting so much attention on the worldwide web that all the kids are into that I had to link to it. Dave Bry connects the declining interest in baseball to the decline of the United States as a world power. The funny thing is, I do think there is a point in there that the popularity of football over baseball is indicative of a change in the American character that is not for the better. But c'mon.
- Craig Calcaterra points out some of the absurdities in that piece.
- Bob Klapisch isn't responding to Bry, but he does point out that baseball ain't dying.
- Joe Posnanski has a profile of Bill James and how he's skeptical about much of the statistical research being done on baseball these days.
- Rob Neyer, who of course was James' assistant once upon a time, writes that he's "skeptical about Bill James' skepticism about skepticism." I love that line.
- The Astros may get rid of Tal's Hill at Minute Maid Park for the 2016 season.
- Craig Calcaterra says "good riddance." Amen.
- The Rays says that they are "committed to making baseball work in the Tampa Bay area" and that they have not spoken to anyone in Montreal about moving there. Of course, the earlier report didn't say they'd spoken to Montreal, only to Wall Street financiers about a move.
- The Red Sox are reportedly fed up with Yoenis Cespedes and will likely trade him this offseason. That's a switch. Usually the Red Sox wait until after a player is traded to trash him anonymously in the media.
- The Red Sox are interested in signing a free agent third baseman this offseason, most likely Pablo Sandoval or Chase Headley.
- Both the Yankees and the Mets will be looking for a shortstop this winter.
- Once he was the centerpiece of a trade for Cliff Lee. Now Justin Smoak has been claimed off waivers by the Blue Jays.
- A profile of Cardinals prospect Mitch Harris, who is trying to become a major leaguer at age 29 after serving five years in the Navy.
- Bud Selig, the Yankees and the Mets have all contributed items to replace those stolen from the Yogi Berra Museum. I have to wonder about the thieves, however. Sure, the items stolen were valued at over $2 million, but everyone is going to know those items are hot, aren't they? It's like art thieves. It must be hard to find a buyer for that kind of stuff, even on the black market.
- Scouting director Logan White is leaving the Dodgers to take an as-yet-unspecified role in the Padres front office.
- People are actually asking "Marlins Man" for his autograph.
- Max Scherzer bought a Rolex for his former catcher, Brayan Peña (h/t Hardball Talk)
- Finally, how do you add some more "Fall" into the "Fall Classic"? In one young fan's case, she made a Royals crown out of a pile of leaves.
And today will be just wonderful, Buster. Because it's Game Seven.